AUG 2011
Thought:
After their home was destroyed in a flood:
"The good news is, that it's just stuff. This is a home, and we love our home, but its just things."
8/29/11
But life along much of the East Coast was expected to return to normal Monday, as subway services resumed on all 22 lines in New York City;
and the three major airports in the area, reopened, after thousands of flights were canceled over the weekend.
Flight schedules were expected to normalize slowly; and passengers were urged, to check with their airlines, before going to the airport.
8/29/11
In all, 260 roads were affected.
8/29/11
The brunt of Irene's impact, was felt by towns and suburbs from New Jersey to Vermont. Driving rains and flood tides damaged homes and cut power to more than three million people in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York
Most of the commuter rail services, feeding the city NY, were out indefinitely.
Airlines said, about 9,000 flights had been cancelled.
In Philadelphia, officials lifted the city's first state of emergency since 1986. Several buildings were destroyed by the storm.
Widespread flooding is reported in Vermont where hundreds of people have been told to leave the capital, Montpelier. / The city faces flooding, once from Irene, and again if the local water company decides to release water to save the Marshal Reservoir, a local dam where waters are reaching record levels.
Officials in Virginia began the clear-up, but said the damage was not a bad as feared.
Irene was classified as a category-three hurricane, with winds of more than 120mph (192km/h), when it swept through the Caribbean last week.
8/28/11
It is widely recognized, that excessive regulation, is unnecessarily killing jobs.
8/28/11
obama
For black political culture, that dominated after the civil rights movements, the point was not just equal treatment under the law, but special treatment under the law. Plus the assumption that more black political power -- defined by more blacks holding office -- would mean that blacks would be better off.
Now blacks have a dilemma. We have a black president, but blacks are worse off. Not just a little, but a lot worse off.
8/28/11
Germany’s Mrs. Merkel's aides say, she is facing "war on every front". The next month will decide her future, Germany's destiny, and the fate of monetary union.
8/28/11
The pressure of the hurricane Irene was low enough, that at any time, if this storm decided, it could have gone from a 60 miles per hour storm, to a 110; like it was in the Caribbean and the Bahamas."
8/28/11
Hurricane Irene's cost to insurers, may have fallen to an estimated $3 billion, in the U.S.
8/28/11
Ms Lagarde said in her first major policy speech since taking the IMF reins in July:
The advanced economies which are struggling, must ditch long-term plans for now, to bring their debt under contro;, yet at the same time, not introduce austerity measures so fast, that it imperils recovery,
"Put simply, macroeconomic policies, must support growth,"
"Monetary policy, also should remain highly accommodative, as the risk of recession outweighs the risk of inflation," she added.
________
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said, the global economy is not growing at a fast enough pace, and faces a number of risks to recovery.
Christine Lagarde warned, a threat of global recession remained, and called for coordinate action.
8/28/11
After the storm in NY and the east coast:
The precautions taken, had "dramatically decreased" the threat to lives, along the
Eastern US.
New York Mayor Micahel Bloomberg, lifted evacuation orders affecting 370,000 people. But public transport and flights from the city's main airports remain suspended while officials assess the damage caused by the storm.
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Mayor Bloomberg said: "All in all, we are in pretty good shape because of the measures we took."
He said the subway system, would remain closed until safety inspections were complete.
Our correspondent said, a feared storm surge on New York's Hudson River, was about 5ft (1.5m) high.
8/28
Weather is often unpredictable and sometimes dangerous.
More than 865,360 people were without power in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut by early Sunday, authorities said.
The East River and the Hudson River topped their banks Sunday morning, sending water pouring into New York City, where hundreds of thousands of people had evacuated and millions more were hunkered down to wait out the massive storm that churned offshore.
Flooding was reported in parts of Lower Manhattan and in Greenwich Village, where first-floor apartments were flooded in some areas. Parts of Tenth Avenue on the west side were blocked and the Hudson River was covering parts of piers in the water. A facility for the New York Department of Sanitation was also flooded.
8/28/11
Subways
And because it takes the agency several hours to restart trains and buses, a shutdown could last through early Monday, if not longer.
“It’s hard to predict, when it will come back,” Mr. Walder said, “because I can’t really predict for you, exactly what will happen in the storm.”
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Jay Walder says that the system can't be safely operated with sustained winds of 39 mph or more. He says it will take at least eight hours to move all MTA equipment from low-lying storage areas and secure trains in protected areas, including in the system's underground tunnels.
8/28/11
About five million people, have been left without power, as the 500-mile-wide (800km) storm barreled up the east coast.
The same number have moved out of the danger zone, most from New Jersey.
The fear is of a storm surge affecting New York's Hudson River; which could potentially inundate, the flood defenses of Lower Manhattan, and cause flooding in the financial district there.
On Wall Street, sandbags have been placed around subway grates.
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Irene has already dumped more than 1ft (30cm) of rain on North Carolina and Virginia, and there are reports of storm surges of nearly 10ft.
The north-eastern seaboard, is the most densely populated corridor in the US, with more than 65 million people living in major cities from Washington DC in the south to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston further north.
Patricia Billinger of the American Red Cross told the BBC about 27,000 people have taken refuge in shelters along the coast, with 8,000 in New York itself.
States of emergency have been declared in North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. New York's John F Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, and Newark in New Jersey, have shut, with the cancellation of at least 8,000 flights.
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"Last time I checked from my window, I only saw police cars on West 34th Street, which never happens. Usually, it's one of the busiest streets in Manhattan 24/7."
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We are not used to this at all, on the east coast."
Hurricanes of this magnitude, are rare along the US east coast - the last similar storms to strike the area were Hurricane Bob in 1991, and Hurricane Gloria, which caused extensive damage to New York City in 1985.
8/26/11
Malaria-carrying mosquitoes, are disappearing in some parts of Africa, but scientists are unsure as to why.
8/26/11
New York City officials say, they're preparing for the total shutdown of the nation's largest mass transit system.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Jay Walder says that the system can't be safely operated with sustained winds of 39 mph or more. He says it will take at least eight hours to move all MTA equipment from low-lying storage areas and secure trains in protected areas, including in the system's underground tunnels.
Con Edison says, extensive outages are possible, as strong winds topple trees and power lines. Residents should stock up on: batteries, flashlights and battery-operated radios.
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President Barack Obama has warned, that Hurricane Irene, currently looming off the east coast of the US, could be a "historic" storm.
Seven states from North Carolina to Connecticut have declared emergencies ahead of Irene's arrival.
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in parts of four states.
Irene, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, could affect up to 65 million people in major cities along the east coast from Washington to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston - the most densely populated corridor in America.
"We're going to have damages, we just don't know how bad," Craig Fugate, head of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, told the Associated Press news agency.
"This is one of the largest populations that will be impacted by one storm at one time."
States of emergency have been declared in North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in parts of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina and in the nation's biggest city, New York.
8/25/11
Without state action, health systems could become swamped.
Obesity-related problems, such as diabetes, are now accounting for between 2% and 6%, of health care costs, in most countries.
This is likely to get worse, if current trends continue.
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Researchers made projections for the US and the UK - two of the developed countries with the worst rates of obesity.
They predicted, obesity rates would rise from a quarter in the UK, to about 40% by 2030.
Such a scenario would cost the NHS an extra £2bn a year - the equivalent of 2% of health spending.
The rise in costs would be even greater in the US, where obesity rates would rise from one in three, to about one in two.
Many measures – including: taxes on unhealthy food, restrictions on junk food advertising, traffic light labeling, and school-based education programs, - would save money, as well as benefit health.
8/25/11
Hurricane Irene, destroyed 90% of homes, on one Bahamas island... now it's headed for US.
8/23/11
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake, struck the East Coast in Virginia, on Tuesday, but caused no injuries. It was also felt in crown heights.
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8/19/11
Ecstasy, is known to kill some cancer cells, but scientists have increased its effectiveness 100-fold, they said in Investigational New Drugs journal.
Their early study showed all leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma cells, could be killed in a test tube, but any treatment would be a decade away.
It is believed, that the drug is attracted to the fat in the membranes of the cancerous cells.
Researchers think, it makes the cells "a bit more soapy", which can break down the membrane and kill the cell.
They said, cancerous cells were more susceptible, than normal, healthy ones.
If everything is successful, a drug is still at least a decade away.
8/19/11
There have been weeks of extreme volatility on the markets, not seen since the global financial crisis three years ago.
Recent events, including stock market falls, the escalating sovereign debt crises, US credit rating downgrade, and a near-stalling of growth in the developed world; is leading increasing numbers of experts, to wonder if the world is facing some fundamental changes.
It’s four years after the financial crisis began, and the world has certainly not returned to normal.
No major developed economy, has yet fully regained the output lost during the recession; and global share prices, remain almost a third lower ,than their peak prior to the crisis.
Financial stocks, have lost two-thirds of their value. Government debt has spiraled, due to the bank bailouts; although it has become apparent, that not all governments can finance this debt.
Developed world government bonds, are no longer the risk-free investment they once were. In fact, credit markets show, that government debt is now perceived to be riskier, than corporate debt in western Europe.
Political leaders are struggling to manage a situation, where austerity measures designed to reduce deficits and retain credit worthiness, have coincided with a near-stalling of developed world recoveries.
Economic growth slowed to 0.3% in the US and 0.2% in the UK. Germany - the eurozone's hitherto star performer - expanded just 0.1% and France stagnated.
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Increasing numbers of analyst,s are questioning the survival of the euro, due to the political tensions.
Many analysts consider Eurozone leaders, to already be in the eleventh hour.
The financial crisis has therefore resulted, in an acceleration in the existing trend of economic power and influence, moving from West to East.
Even the viability of the euro, has always been in question, with its creation having been seen by many, to have been driven by political, rather than economic reasoning.
The one change that seems quite certain, however, and that will direct affect most of us in the developed world in some way or another, is that interest rates look set to stay extremely low, for the foreseeable future.
8/19/11
The US Office of Naval Research, says that it has successfully tested a new type of explosive material, that can dramatically increase weapons' impacts.
Missiles made from the high-density substance, can explode with up to five times the energy of existing armaments.
The material mixes metals and polymers; and is said to be as dense as steel, but have the strength of aluminum.
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US Navy scientists say that projectiles made from the new compound, are less likely to kill innocent bystanders.
Missiles, artillery shells and other military munitions are normally constructed with a steel casing that simply contains the high explosives within.
This new approach from the US Office of Naval Research replaces the inert casing with High-Density Reactive Materials (HDRM) that combine and explode, only when the projectile hits the target.
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Clifford Bedford, a researcher involved in the development of the new material, explained its advantages over existing weapons.
"In the case of a steel missile: you explosively launch it, and it goes through the target; and all the kinetic energy is dissipated into the target," he said.
"With the reactive material missile, you have the same explosive launch - however, it disintegrates within the target, and liberates chemical energy, and this chemical and kinetic energy combined gives you the enhanced effect.
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Dr Bedford says HDRM might initially be deployed in anti-missile systems as the shrapnel would have considerably greater explosive power to destroy an incoming projectile in mid-air.
"In the existing scenarios we have now, we essentially fire twice, look, and fire again because we don't have a great deal of time to hit that missile - and that's because with the steel fragments in current warheads, you can't really tell if you've hit the target or not," he said.
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"Because it is actually consumed when it hits the target, the collateral damage effects are somewhat minimized. If this can be focused, which I know we can do, we can really reduce the collateral damage for these systems," he suggested.
The researcher says the materials could ultimately be applied to grenades and bullets as well as larger weapons.
8/18/11
Asian stocks fell on Friday, after a sudden sell-off in the US and Europe.
Japan's main Nikkei 225 stock index slid almost 2%, South Korea's Kospi saw losses of close to 4%, with Australia's ASX down about 1%.
The declines come after a torrid session in the US, where the Dow Jones index closed 3.7% lower. In Europe, indexes had dropped between 4% and 6%.
Investors said there were increased concerns about global growth and the impact of a debt crisis in Europe.
The spot price of gold hit, a new record high of, $1,833.81 an ounce.
8/18/11
IBM has developed a microprocessor, which it claims comes closer than ever, to replicating the human brain.
The system is capable of "rewiring" its connections as it encounters new information, similar to the way biological synapses work.
Researchers believe, that that by replicating that feature, the technology could start to learn.
Cognitive computers, may eventually be used, for understanding human behavior as, well as environmental monitoring.
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Dharmendra Modha, IBM's project leader, explained, that they were trying to recreate aspects of the mind such as emotion, perception, sensation and cognition, by "reverse engineering the brain."
Some future-gazers, in the cognitive computing world have speculated, that the technology will reach a tipping point, where machine consciousness is possible.
8/18/11
Within decades, solar storms are likely to become more disruptive to planes and spacecraft, and communications, say researchers at Reading University.
8/18/11
Stock markets see falls of about 5%, and some bank shares plunge 10%; as the negative mood, which was caused by recent turmoil, takes hold again.
The Dow 10927.54 -482.67 -4.23%
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New data on the US economy, including a huge drop in a regional manufacturing survey, has heightened market fears of a new recession.
The closely-watched guide to manufacturing activity in the mid-Atlantic states slumped to its lowest level since March 2009.
Meanwhile, sales in the heavily depressed US housing market fell unexpectedly, despite mortgage rates hitting their lowest level in 50 years.
Unemployment claims, also rose sharply.
The number of people claiming unemployment benefit ticked up by 9,000 last week, to a seasonally adjusted 408,000.
Sales of existing homes in the US during July, fell 3.5% from a month earlier, according to the National Association of Realtors.
The average interest rates on 30-year mortgages, fell to a record low of 4.15%, over the past week.
8/18/11
The leaders of the US, France, Germany, Britain and the EU: call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, to step down over his crackdown on protesters.
US President Barack Obama said: "The time has come for President Assad to step aside."
Meanwhile, UN investigators say, the use of violence in Syria, "may amount to crimes against humanity".
In a written statement, Mr. Obama said: "The future of Syria must be determined by its people, but President Bashar al-Assad is standing in their way.
His calls for dialogue and reform have rung hollow while he is imprisoning, torturing, and slaughtering his own people.
Mr. Obama also announced "unprecedented sanctions to deepen the financial isolation of the Assad regime and further disrupt its ability to finance a campaign of violence against the Syrian people".
Syrian government assets frozen
New investment banned
Imports of Syrian petroleum banned
Assets of 32 Syrian and Iranian individuals frozen and dealings with US citizens prohibited, including President Assad, his brother Maher and other government officials.
The unrest in Syria began in March following the toppling of Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
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Drs Markesbery’s and Ehmann’s experiments have shown, there are higher concentrations of mercury, in the autopsied brains of patients, who died of Alzheimer’s; than are present in the autopsied brains of patients, who did not have Alzheimer’s.
When an amalgam filling, is installed in your mouth."----Dr Michael Ziff.
"The primary cause of Alzheimer’s, is "iatrogenic" disease ,caused by chronic low level mercurial poisoning, from amalgam dental fillings."---Tom Warren
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8/17/11
Obama’s popularity has slumped among white voters—particularly young, poor and working-class Americans.
8/17/11
The drought hammering the southern U.S., has led to a record $5.2 billion of losses, in Texas.
8/17/11
A key measure of wholesale inflation rose in July by the most in six months.
The measure, called core wholesale inflation, excludes volatile food and energy prices. It surged 0.4 percent last month.
Higher wholesale prices tend to raise pressure on department stores, groceries and restaurants to pass along higher costs to consumers. But that will be difficult now at a time of high unemployment and stagnant wages, which have caused consumers to tighten spending.
8/17/11
E-book sales are rising significantly, prompting struggles over royalty rates. Publishers are reluctant to raise them but writers have a useful wedge in Amazon, where they can self-publish and, at least in theory, make more.
Amazon brought in, the longtime New York editor and agent, Laurence Kirshbaum three months ago, as head of Amazon Publishing.
8/17/11
Edmond said, stagnant waters such as ponds and lakes, pose more risks than moving waters. "Personally, I wouldn't swim in a pond, no matter what," he said. "The water isn't clean."
Though this is the first case, of an amoeba death in Virginia since 1969. More than 100 people, have died from amoebas in the U.S., since 1962.
8/17/11
Russia
Sukhoi says the T-50s features will include: all-weather capability, ability to use a take-off strip of just 300 to 400 metres (yards), capacity for sustained supersonic flight through repeated in-flight refuelling, and ability to attack air and ground targets simultaneously.
However, some analysts have previously denied, the jet represents a great leap forward.
Russia's state media reported last year, that up to $10bn (£6bn) was being poured into the jet's development’ but that the fighter would cost no more than $100 million, the AFP news agency said.
The US Raptor - whose prototype was revealed more than 20 years ago - sells at $140 million per plane, it added.
8/16/11
New York broke an all-time record for a one-day rainfall Sunday as up to 8 inches of water soaked the city, snarling trains and flooding roadways.
8/16/11
OMBAMA’S STATMENTS
President George Bush, caused America's huge debt, by running up the bills for two wars on credit
Growth is returning to the economy, but America's recovery has been damaged by accidents, such as the Japanese earthquake, that no-one could have foreseen or prevented.
He has plenty of ideas to bring jobs back, but Republicans in Congress, who put point-scoring before their country, are blocking them
Mr. Obama's eyes are, of course, keenly focused on next November's election. But he's only talking, about this September.
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The president's strategy is to hold his opponents' party up to the light and cast them as the wreckers, the partisans, the obstructionists preventing American recovery.
It is a fair strategy, delivered without much verve. Mr. Obama is good, only when he has to be.
________
Lead researcher Chi Pang Wen of Taiwan's National Health Research Institutes said dedicating 15 minutes a day to a moderate form of exercise, like brisk walking, would benefit anyone.
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8/15/11
JAPAN
car companies such as Nissan and Toyota, have restored their supply chains faster than expected, helping lift output in Japan, the world's third-largest economy.
8/15/11
Mr. Buffett, 80, plans to give away 99% of his wealth.
He first announced this in 2006, and this week's giant donation is his sixth since then.
Mr. Buffet has now donated, more than $11bn of shares in Berkshire Hathaway.
Described as the "Sage of Omaha," because of his investment acumen,
Mr. Buffet, is the world's third-richest person, worth an estimated $50bn.
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Berkshire Hathaway earlier said its first quarter profits had dropped more than half, - a fall of more than $2bn, - partly because of insurance losses, associated with the natural disasters in Japan and New Zealand.
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Mr. Buffett runs Berkshire Hathaway's more than 70 subsidiaries, which employ more than 250,000 people, with the help of his 87-year-old vice-chairman, Charles Munger, and 20 others at the firm's headquarters.
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Mr. Buffett also told shareholders, that he was not sure it had been warranted to assume, Sokol was his most likely successor.
"Certainly the candidate that I think is the leading candidate now, I would lay a lot of money on the fact that he is as straight as an arrow," he said.
9/11
Watching events unfold on live television, appears to have contributed to the development of stress-related illness, researchers said; which is linked to the effect of "collective traumas," such as natural disasters, and presidential assassinations.
“Those who watched the attacks live on TV, – as opposed to those who learned about them only after they happened, – experienced a 28 percent rise in physical ailments, over the following three years,” Holman said.
“Large-scale collective traumas, such as 9/11, often set in motion a series of events, such as personal loss, economic hardship and fears about the future,” Holman continued.
“Under these circumstances, stress can take its toll in the form of illness, even among people who were nowhere near the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11.”
8/14/11
Critical water pipelines are breaking from coast to coast, triggered by this summer's record high temperatures. It's not a phenomenon or coincidence, experts say. It's a clear sign that Americans should brace for more water interruptions, accompanied by skyrocketing water bills.
The heat wave of the past few weeks has burst hundreds of crucial pipes in California, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Indiana, Kentucky and New York, temporarily shutting off water to countless consumers just when they needed it most.
"It's one of the worst summers," said Debbie Ragan of Oklahoma City's Utilities Department. As days of 100 degree-plus temperatures bake the region, the utility reports 685 water main breaks since July alone. That's an estimated rate of four times normal. To keep up with repairs, Ragan said, workers have been putting in 12-to 16-hour shifts 24/7.
"It's the heat and the high water usage," Ragan said.
High temperatures can dry soil so that it shrinks away from buried pipes. Increased water usage raises pressure inside the water lines. Both factors add strain to pipeline walls, making older pipes more susceptible to bursting.
It underscores the fact that much of the nation's underground water lines are 80 to 100 years old -- and approaching the end of their lives
In Texas Temp rose above 100 degrees, for 37 straight days.
Environmentalists say: Shifting climate change in the coming decades, they warn, will probably bring more droughts, record high temperatures, and other weather conditions that will damage water infrastructure.
• The nation averages about 700 water main breaks nationwide each day, according to the EPA.
• U.S. water utilities lose an average of about 10% of their water -- worth $2.8 billion per year -- through leaks and other causes, according the EPA.
• The American Society of Civil Engineers grades the water infrastructure at a D minus.
The EPA estimated that between 2007 and 2027, drinking water utilities, will have to invest $334 billion, on new infrastructure.
Water officials in Pittsburgh are considering raising rates more than 13% for infrastructure improvements. In Cleveland, authorities increased water fees for the same reason. Leaders in Baltimore took similar action.
Hotter summers and fluctuating water levels in lakes and oceans due to climate change will damage water and sewer systems in the coming decades,
"More than 100 levees are at risk of catastrophic failure,"
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8/11/11
PCs are going the way of: typewriters, vinyl records and vacuum tubes; one of the engineers who worked on the original machine has said.
The claim was made in a blog post, commemorating 30 years since the launch of the first IBM personal computer.
While IBM was not the first to produce a personal computer, the launch of the 5150 on 12 August 1981 established standards and a design around which many desktop machines have since been built.
8/11/11
An enzyme from a microbe, has shown how to make hydrogen more quickly and more cheaply.
Storing and transporting energy as hydrogen, is seen as vital to future energy systems.
Turning electrical energy into chemical energy, and then releasing it again on demand, is the key to this process.
A major problem though, is making this reaction fast, and cheap enough to be viable.
Fuel cells, need a catalyst to speed up the chemical reactions, that change hydrogen into water and electricity. Platinum is very good at this, but it is famously expensive and rare.
Some microbes, though, have known for a billion years, how to make enzymes, that can do the job using cheap and abundant nickel and iron.
These natural enzyme, are unfortunately difficult to obtain, and do not do so well outside the microbe.
Now researchers have managed to make a synthetic, toughened-up version.
and their new synthetic enzyme is performing surprisingly well, in fact it's 10 times faster than the natural one, making 100,000 molecules of hydrogen gas every second.
Although fast, at present the process still uses up too much electrical energy to be viable for real-world applications.
8/11/11
Researchers say, they have created the first ever animal, with artificial information in its genetic code.
The technique, they say, could give biologists "atom-by-atom control" over the molecules in living organisms.
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What makes the newly created animals different, is that their genetic code has been extended, to create biological molecules, not known in the natural world.
But Sebastian Greiss and Jason Chin have re-engineered the nematode worm's gene-reading machinery to include a 21st amino acid, not found in nature.
Indeed, the two are planning to collaborate, on a detailed study of neural cells in the nematode brain; aiming to activate or deactivate individual neurons, in precise ways, with tiny laser flashes.
8/10/11
Asian shares have fallen, after declines in the US and Europe, amid fears that the financial crisis is spreading to bigger economies.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 1.8%, South Korea's Kospi shed
analysts said the emergence of new worries that the region's biggest economies may also be vulnerable has fanned fears further.
"As the economies get larger, the chances to bail them out are going to get slimmer," said Saxo Capital Markets' Mr Robinson.
Shares of French lender Societe Generale fell as much as 20% after it was forced to "categorically" deny it was under financial pressure. The shares ended 15% lower.
"I think there's concern about just how much Greek debt French banks really do hold and how much the European Central Bank is willing to backstop all this," said Bret Barker of TCW.
That has seen gold record its best rally in more than two years as it climbed above the $1,800 per ounce mark for the first time.
8/10/11
European and US stock markets have suffered more large falls, led by steep declines in banking shares.
In nervous trading, the focus turned to France; where the French government denied it would follow the US, and lose its top-grade AAA credit rating.
Societe Generale bank, whose shares fell up to 20%, was also forced to deny, it was under financial pressure.
France's Cac share index, ended down 5.5%. The UK's FTSE lost 3%, and Wall Street's Dow Jones index lost 4.6%.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 520.29 points to close at 10,719.48 in its fifth straight day, with a rise or fall, of more than 400 points.
New York's broader S&P 500 index, fell 51.81 points, or 4.42%, to 1,120.72.
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Also on Wednesday, London's FTSE fell by 158 points to 5,007, taking £41bn off the value of the index. It has now lost almost 15% in the last nine trading sessions.
Italy's FTSE MIB ended down 6.7%.
In France, shares in Societe Generale ended 14.7% lower.
UK banking shares were also hit, with Barclays down 8.7%, Royal Bank of Scotland 7.3%, and HSBC 5.3%.
"The banks have all got exposure of some degree or another to sovereign debts," said David Buik, of BGC Partners.
"And none of the banks are going to get away scot-free. There are going to be write-downs."
8/8/11
Wall Street saw a one-day fall, of more than 600 points, 5.6%, with global markets also suffering despite US President Obama trying to reassure investors.
Dow jones 10809.85
The US, is unlikely to regain its AAA rating, any time soon, ratings agency S&P says, as it downgrades mortgage firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Nasdaq index fell even further, losing 6.9%.
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Earlier, the UK's FTSE ended down 3.4%.
This represents a decline of 178 points for the UK's main share index. It marked the first time in the FTSE 100's 27-year history that it has fallen by more than 100 points for four sessions in a row.
Share indexes also fell heavily across Europe, with Germany's Dax ending down 5%, while France's Cac lost 4.7%.
The S&P's 500 share index also fell on Wall Street, losing 6.7%.
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These fears were also reflected in the price of gold and oil.
Gold, which is seen as a safe investment in times of economic uncertainty, jumped to a new record high of $1,697 an ounce.
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Analysts suggest that further austerity measures, which will be needed to tackle high levels of debt in the US and some Eurozone countries, could stifle their already weak economic recovery.
"The sell-off is mainly due to the fear that we [the US] will relapse into recession,"
Mr. Obama said he hoped the downgrade would give US politicians "a renewed sense of urgency" in the need to tackle the US deficit and debt.
It is a lack of political will in Washington, an insistence on drawing lines in the sand. That is what we need to change."
Mr. Obama said he would now be putting forward a new plan, including higher taxes for the biggest earners, and reduced spending on Medicare.
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Bonds are essentially IOUs issued by governments, or companies, to raise cash. Governments issue new bonds to help pay maturing bonds, which is why it is so important that investors continue to buy them - if they do not, governments are unable to pay their outstanding debts.
"Until the market can get comfort on these matters, there is going to be more volatility."
8/7/11
German industrialist Oskar Schindler, saved 1,200 Polish Jews from the death camps, by employing them in his factory, and bribing Nazi officials. He was later honored by Israel.
In the 1940s, German Army officer Major, Karl Plagge, sheltered around 1,200 Jews at a vehicle workshop, while the SS annihilated the Vilnius ghetto in Lithuania.
In 1939, British Stock Exchange clerk Nicholas Winton, smuggled nearly 700 children, who were destined for concentration camps, out of Czechoslovakia. He was later knighted.
Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat, distributed Swedish passports to Hungarian Jews in the 1940s, so they could escape deportation to the death camp.
8/7/11
The man who leads one of China’s top rating agencies says, the greenback’s status as the world’s reserve currency, is set to wane; as the world’s most powerful policy makers convene to examine the implication of S&P’s decision,n to strip the United States of its triple “A” rating.
The currency is, “gradually discarded by the world,” and the “process will be irreversible.”
The editorial called for, “international supervision over the issue of U.S. dollars, and the introduction of “a new, stable and secured global reserve currency.”
It also noted, that as its largest creditor, Beijing has every right “to demand the United States, to address its structural debt problems and ensure the safety of China's dollar assets.”
8/7/11
WORLD markets are preparing for a shocking week, after Washington lost its AAA rating, and Europe's debt continues to grow.
8/7/11
An earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale, was felt throughout Israel on Sunday. The epicenter of the tremor, was 40 kilometers west of Binyamina.
Hofstetter also believes, it could be a warning sign. "A 4.2-level quake, does not cause damage or casualties, but could sometimes, as occurred in Japan, mean the beginning of movement in the ground," he explained.
8/7/11
A report in the journal Nature Genetics showed that "fresh mutations" in DNA are involved in at least half of schizophrenia cases, when there is no family history of the illness.
Researchers found mutations in 40 different genes.
They say their findings explain the high number of cases around the world.
Schizophrenia is quite common, affecting one in every 100 people during their lifetime. Genes are involved, a tenth of people with schizophrenia also have a parent with the condition.
However, researchers now say, there is a genetic role, even in cases which have not been inherited.
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"The fact that the mutations, are all from different genes is particularly fascinating.
"It suggests that many more mutations than we suspected may contribute to schizophrenia. This is probably because of the complexity of the neural circuits that are affected by the disease; many genes are needed for their development and function."
Fellow researcher Professor Bin Xu said: "Identification of these damaging de novo mutations has fundamentally transformed our understanding of the genetic basis of schizophrenia."
It is thought that the complexity of the brain and the large number of genes involved provided a big target for mutation.
The report argues that this "provides a plausible explanation for both the high global incidence and the persistence of schizophrenia.
8/5/1
London's FTSE, and Frankfurt's Dax, both closed down about 2.7%.
"The markets are looking for a resolution on the eurozone debt crisis and that resolution is not easily at hand," said Jan Lambrets, head of financial markets at Rabobank, who forecast "a very grim road" in the months to come.
Investors are worried as European authorities have so far been unable to control the crisis and are unhappy that changes to a key rescue fund agreed last month have not yet been enacted.
sharp falls in markets across Europe because of fears that Italy and Spain might become engulfed in the crisis which has led to Greece, the Irish Republic and Portugal already being bailed out.
8/4/11
Taxed-out New Yorkers are voting with their feet, with a staggering 1.6 million residents fleeing the state over the last decade, a new report found.
Most analysts blamed New York's high taxes and skyrocketing cost of living for the mass exodus.
Since 1960, New York has lost 7.3 million residents to other states — a net loss of 2.5 million people after adding in an influx of 4.8 million new immigrants, the study found.
The state's House delegation will slip to just 27 next year, down from 45 in the 1940s.
Gov. Cuomo has tried to tackle the root causes of the population decline, particularly upstate, which has been hit the hardest.
8/4/11
Gross US Debt, Surges By $240 Billion Overnight, US Debt To GDP Hits Post World War II High 97.2%, Official Debt Ceiling Increase Only $400 Billion
8/4/11
Although Apple's iPhone, was a favorite device for 32% of adults; among teens its popularity was dwarfed by the Blackberry, which 37% of young people identified, as their preferred brand.
Many of those taking part in Ofcom's survey, confessed to being obsessed with their smartphone. 37% of adults and 60% of teenagers, described themselves as "addicted".
The biggest growth area, between April 2010 and April 2011, was games; which increased by 23%.
8/4/11
A major heat wave grips at least 15 states, from California to North Carolina, as temperatures top 100F (38C) in parts Texas, for the 38th day.
8/4/11
Wall Street had its worst day for almost three years, as shares tumbled on fears about the eurozone debt crisis, and the US economic recovery.
It wiped another £46billion, from the value of London's FTSE 100 index.
More than £75billion, has now been wiped off London's top flight inde,x in the past two days; as confidence in the global recovery collapses.
The Dow Jones index ,closed down more than 500 points, or 4.3%; whch came after the leading European bourses, fell more than 3%.
It was the biggest one-day fall for the Dow, since 22 October 2008.
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The tech-rich Nasdaq, was more than 5% lower.
Meanwhile, Frankfurt's Dax and London's FTSE 100 indexes had their worst day this year, closing almost 3.5% lower as investors fretted that Italy and Spain might become engulfed in the debt crisis.
"People are throwing in the towel, because they can't find relief on any front," said Milton Ezrati, market strategist at Lord Abbett.
Investors sought the relative safety of gold, sending the price of the metal to a new record high of $1,677 an ounce.
More weak jobs data from the US, also raised concerns about the strength of the economic recovery there.
Wall Street's financial power houses were hit hard, with JP Morgan and Bank of America falling 5% and 7.4% respectively.
In Europe, Lloyds Banking Group fell 9.9% and Royal Bank of Scotland was down 7%. France's Societe Generale lost 6.9% and Germany's Commerzbank dropped 6.8% in Frankfurt.
The oil price also slumped, on fears that a weaker global recovery, would hit demand.
8/3/11
"The United Nations, the Indian government, the International Olympic Committee, the steel industry, defense firms, even computer security companies were hit," he added.
IT security firm McAfee claims to have uncovered one of the largest ever series of cyber attacks.
It lists 72 different organizations that were targeted over five years, including the International Olympic Committee, the UN and security firms.
McAfee will not say who it thinks is responsible, but there is speculation that China may be behind the attacks.
8/3/11
The US could lose up to $1bn (£610m) in airline ticket taxes, officials say, amid an impasse in Congress over the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The government has already lost more than $200m because airlines are unable to collect taxes on ticket sales. Some 4,000 FAA staff are on unpaid leave.
Lawmakers are not due back from their annual leave until September.
Close to 4,000 FAA employees, including engineering technicians and computer specialists, have been forced to take a temporary leave of absence because of the partial shutdown.
The FAA has also told, about 70,000 construction workers on airport projects, to stop work.
8/2/11
Rush Limbaugh
These next months leading into the presidential campaign, the president is going to do what all presidents do. He's going to use every bit of presidential power at his disposal, to orient the government toward buying votes, doing things for people; without regard to the budget, without regard to any fiscal sense or sanity whatsoever, it doesn't matter.
Particularly we know it doesn't matter to Barack Obama, because he's gotten us here in the first place.
To paraphrase Senator Jim DeMint: When you're speeding toward the edge of a cliff, you don't set the cruise control, you stop the car. The current deal to raise the debt ceiling, doesn't stop us from going over the fiscal cliff.
8/2/11
Stocks sold off sharply to end at session lows Tuesday with the Dow down for an eighth day amid economic worries and even after President Obama signed a bill to avoid a debt default.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 265.87 points, or 2.19 percent, to end below the psychologically-important 12,000 mark at 11,866.62. The last time the blue-chip index declined for eight-consecutive days was in October 2008.
8/1/11
10 signs, the double-dip recession, has begun.
Economists say, that the Great Recession began, in December 2007, and lasted until July 2009.
Home prices have fallen to 2002 levels. Values have dropped nearly 50 percent in parts of Florida, California, Nevada and Arizona. Property values are also down that much in parts of troubled big cities like Detroit. Estimates are that as many as 11 million homes have underwater mortgages. Banks have inventories of as many as 2 million foreclosed homes which have not even been released to the market. Home prices could fall another 10 percent if current trends persist.
Fourteen million people are out of work. A third of those have been jobless for more than a year.
Cotton prices nearly doubled in 2010.
Consumers today pay more for: sugar, meat, and corn-based products.
American budgets have been hurt by the rising cost of gas.
A recent UBS Investment Research analysis predicted that state and local governments will cut 450,000 jobs this year and next. That process is already well underway. States like California and New York currently run massive deficits and the rates they must pay on bonds has risen accordingly.
Higher taxes usually slow economic improvements,
A growth in national debt, from already all-time highs, will increase the borrowing costs of the U.S. That, in turn, drives up interest rates for everything from mortgages to credit cards.
Concerns about risk and a slow economy has made financial institutions reluctant to lend to small businesses, the main driver of economic growth.
The median down payment in nine major U.S. cities rose to 22 percent last year on properties purchased through conventional mortgages, according to an analysis done for The Wall Street Journal by real-estate portal Zillow.com. That percentage doubled in three years and represents the highest median down payment since the data were first tracked in 1997.
8/1/11
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 has passed the $1bn mark at the worldwide box office, distributor Warner Bros has said.
The final installment, in the eight-part boy wizard series, is the first to reach the milestone.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, had the previous best global takings, with $974.8m in 2001.
The 2009 epic Avatar, holds the current record for the biggest worldwide box office haul, with $2.8bn.
8/1/11
Honda motors has reported an 88% plunge in first-quarter profits after the 11 March earthquake and tsunami.
Production at the Japanese carmaker slowed, due to a shortage of parts, after the twin disasters disrupted the country's supply chain.
More than 40% of Honda's car sales during the April-to-June period were in the US.
"I think carmakers will start offering bigger incentives once supply is available and consumers seem to know this and are waiting for them," said Fumihiko Ike Honda's chief financial office.
7/29/11
Tylenol: “Acetaminophen is safe when used as directed,” said Dr. Edwin Kuffner, vice president of OTC Medical Affairs and Clinical Research at McNeil Consumer Healthcare. “But, when too much is taken, it (overdosing) can cause liver damage.”
According to McNeil, acetaminophen, is in more than 600 over-the-counter and prescription medications, including common pain relievers ,and fever reducers like NyQuil, Sudafed and Percocet.
Acetaminophen, is one of the most widely used painkillers in the country. McNeil says, more than 50 million Americans use the drug on a weekly basis.
According to the National Institutes of Health, symptoms of overdose include: nausea, vomiting, extreme tiredness, sweating, loss of appetite, unusual bleeding or bruising, yellowing of the skin or eyes, and stomach pain.
7/29/11
The first antibody, which can fight all types of the influenza A virus, has been discovered, researchers claim.
It is hoped, the development will lead to a, "universal vaccine.
7/29/11
Obama: "If we don't come to an agreement, we could lose our country's triple A credit rating," he said. "That is inexcusable."
The main reason for the lower-than-expected second-quarter figure, was that consumer spending virtually ground to a halt, growing by just 0.1%, compared with 2.1% growth in the first quarter.
Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer at Solaris Asset Management, said the figures were "shocking".
It now says, that the US recession of 2007-2009, was more severe than previously reported; with the economy shrinking by 5.1% over that period, rather than 4.1%.
JULY 2011
7/29/11
US economic growth, is much weaker than first thought, government figures show.
The economy grew at an annualized rate of 1.3% in the second quarter, the Commerce Department said. Economists had forecast growth of 1.8%.
7/28/11
Rural America, now accounts for just 16 percent of the nation's population, the lowest ever.
More metro areas, are booming into sprawling megalopolises.
Barring fresh investment that could bring jobs, however, large swaths of the Great Plains and Appalachia, along with parts of Arkansas, Mississippi and North Texas, could face significant loses.
"Many rural areas can't attract workers, because there aren't any jobs, and businesses won't relocate there, because there aren't enough qualified workers. So they are caught in a downward spiral."
Delta Air Lines recently announced, it would end flight service to 24 small airports, several of them in the Great Plains. The U.S. Postal Service, is mulling plans to close thousands of branches, in mostly rural areas of the country.
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In 1910, the population share of rural America, was 72 percent. Such areas remained home, to a majority of Americans until 1950, amid post-World War II economic expansion and the baby boom.
Among the struggling rural areas are vast stretches of West Virginia in Appalachia. Several of the state's counties over the past decade, have lost large chunks of their population, following the collapse of logging and coal-mining industries during the 1960s.
The 10 fastest-growing places, all were small cities incorporated into the suburbs of expanding metro areas, mostly in California, Arizona and Texas.
In all, the share of Americans living in suburbs has climbed to an all-time high of 51 percent.
______
"People like to `have it all' - affordable housing in a smaller-town setting, but in close proximity to jobs, and big-city amenities such as: specialized shopping, cultural events and major sports, and entertainment venues."
"Many moderate-sized metro areas, can fulfill all of these needs," he said.
_______
"There's such a large share of population, that is now in reach of a substantial metropolitan center, due to transit systems and highways, that the traditional notion of small-town America is changing.
7/28/11
Hepatitis is caused by five main viruses - A, B and C; and, more rarely D and E.
Hepatitis B is the most common, and can be passed from mother to baby at birth, or in early childhood; as well as through contaminated injections or injected drug use.
Hepatitis C, is also spread through using unsterile needles, and less commonly through unsafe sex, or sharing razors or toothbrushes.
The E virus, caught from infected water or food, is a common cause of outbreaks of the disease in developing countries, said the World Health Organization.
7/28/11
2007 saw unusually warm and dry conditions across much of the Arctic - resulting, among other things, in spectacularly fast melting of Arctic sea ice.
An exceptional wildfire in northern Alaska in 2007 put as much carbon into the air as the entire Arctic tundra absorbs in a year, scientists say.
The Anaktuvuk River fire burned across more than 1,000 sq km (400 sq miles), doubling the extent of Alaskan tundra visited by fire since 1950.
"Most tundra fires have been very small - this was an order of magnitude larger than the historical size
7/27/11
Prime writes mathematician Marcus du Sautoy:
Numbers are found hidden in nature, but humans have made spectacular use of them. By translating nature into the code of numbers, we have revealed hidden structures and patterns, that control our environment.
But not only that, by tapping into nature's code, we have been able to change our surroundings, have built extraordinary cities, and developed amazing technology that has resulted in the modern world.
Buzzing quietly beneath the planet we inhabit, is an unseen world of numbers, patterns and geometry. Mathematics is the code, that makes sense of our universe.
_________
The cicadas appear periodically, but only emerge after a prime number of years. In the case of the brood appearing around Nashville this year, 13 years. The forests have been quiet for 12 years since the last invasion of these mathematical bugs in 1998 and the locals won't be disturbed by them again until 2024.
This choice of a 13-year cycle, doesn't seem too arbitrary. There are another two broods across north America, that also have this 13-year life cycle, appearing in different regions and different years. In addition, there are another 12 broods that appear every 17 years.
Because 13 and 17, are both indivisible; this gives the cicadas an evolutionary advantage, as primes are helpful in avoiding other animals, with periodic behavior.
Suppose for example that a predator appears every six years in the forest. Then a cicada with an eight or nine-year life cycle will coincide with the predator much more often than a cicada with a seven-year prime life cycle.
_________
Every number is built, by multiplying primes together, and from numbers you get mathematics, and from mathematics you get the whole of science.
But humans haven't been content, simply with observing the importance of these numbers to nature. By understanding the fundamental character of these numbers, and exploring their properties, humans have literally put them at the heart of the codes, that currently protect the world's cyber-secrets.
The primes, are the atoms of the arithmetic. The hydrogen and oxygen, of the world of numbers.
But despite their fundamental character, they also represent one of the greatest enigmas in mathematics. Because, as you count through the universe of numbers, it is almost impossible to spot a pattern, that will help you to predict where the next prime will be found.
We know that primes, go on for ever, but finding a pattern in the primes, is one of the biggest mysteries in mathematics. A million-dollar prize, has been offered to anyone, who can reveal the secret of these numbers.
7/26/11
Study: Internet is More Addictive than Cigarettes?
The majority of people feel upset and lonely when they are deprived of access to the internet, according to consumer research.
The scientists reported the volunteers told of physiological and physical symptoms comparable to addicts trying to quit smoking or drugs.
These included feeling fidgety, anxious and isolated, and even reaching out for their mobile phone, which was no longer there.
Some of those taking part in the experiment - called Unplugged - said they felt like they were undergoing 'cold turkey' to break a hard drug habit, while others said it felt like going on a diet.
7/26/11
West Texas, is experiencing its worst drought, in over 125 years, or since records began.
7/24/11
People deprived of the internet feel 'upset and lonely' and find going offline as hard as quitting smoking or drinking.
Lack of internet access 'like having a hand chopped off'
A new study has revealed, that 53 per cent feel upset, when denied access; and 40 per cent feel lonely, if they are unable to go online.
The research found, that people experience these feelings, even if denied online access, for a short time.
7/24/11
Putting pressure on an already lousy job market, the mass layoff is making a comeback. In the past week, Cisco, Lockheed Martin and Borders announced a combined 23,000 in job cuts.
Those announcements follow 41,432 in planned cuts in June
_______
Meanwhile, state and local governments have cut 142,000 jobs this year, The WSJ reports, and Wall Street is braced for another round of cutbacks. This week, Goldman Sachs announced plans to let go 1000 fixed-income traders.
"Everything in business is confidence," Davidowitz says. "You lose confidence and businesses can't deal with that [and] who could have confidence with what's going on in Washington?"
Davidowitz is bipartisan in his criticism, calling the U.S. political system "dysfunctional and deranged.
Still, the restructuring expert is a longtime and vocal critic of President Obama: "There has never been in a situation in my lifetime where a guy increases the debt by 40%, GDP growth is on the way down, Food Stamps are up, millions more are unemployed -- and to accomplish this we spent $4 trillion."
7/24/11
Wall Street futures fell and the dollar dropped as Washington appeared no closer to raising the debt ceiling in order to avert a devastating default.
House Speaker John Boehner, told fellow Republicans on a conference call, that a large-scale debt deal was not possible, with President Barack Obama.
_____
7/24/11
A US particle machine, has seen possible hints, of the Higgs boson.
The Higgs boson sub-atomic particle, is a missing cornerstone in the accepted theory of particle physics.
_______
The existence of the Higgs boson was first proposed in the 1960s by Edinburgh University physicist Peter Higgs. The boson helps confer the property of mass on all other particles through their interaction with something called the Higgs field.
The efforts put into finding the boson, relate to its status, as the last missing piece in the the Standard Model - the most widely accepted theory of particle physics.
The Standard Model, is a framework that explains, how the known sub-atomic particles interact with each other.
If the Higgs boson is not found, physicists would have to find some other mechanism to explain, where particles get their mass.
7/24/11
A record-high temperature of 104 degrees was measured in Central Park shortly before 2 p.m., easily beating the previous record of 101 for July 22 set 54 years ago.
7/24/11
Amy Winehouse, 27, has been found dead at her north London home.
The Brit and Grammy award-winner had struggled with drink and drug addiction and had recently spent time in rehab.
7/24/11
Norway awoke this morning to the greatest loss of life it has experienced since World War II.
There is a pervasive sense of unreality. This kind of tragedy - a mass shooting and home-made explosive devices - happens elsewhere, not here.
There is disbelief that this has happened at all, at the dozens of dead people, and shock that a Norwegian could do this to other Norwegians. There is grief too that so many young lives have been lost in such a senseless way.
Norway has a small population, so a relatively large proportion of people will be directly or indirectly touched by the events. In the streets and online, people are rallying to support each other.
This is a society where you can meet even top politicians strolling in Oslo's streets with no security.
The attack was squarely aimed at the values Norwegians treasure most. Their openness, freedom of expression and feeling of safety have all been shaken to the core.
Norway's openness and lack of security is in large part a result of it having such a small, homogenous population. It seems paradoxical that an extremist who appears to have fanatically wanted to protect Norway from intruders and the "dangers" of multiculturalism would himself do such damage to the nation.
Norway is now forced to look at the less attractive facets of its society.
These all represent, with varying degrees of extremism, a section of the Norwegian population which feels that the country's immigration policies are too lax.
7/24/11
Anders Behring Breivik, 32, admitted to carrying out both attacks, which he described as "gruesome but necessary".
At least 93 people were killed in the attacks - 96 have been injured and some are still missing.
"He wanted a change in society and, from his perspective, he needed to force through a revolution," Mr. Lippestad said. "He wished to attack society and the structure of society."
The suspect is reported to have had links with right-wing extremists.
The document and the video repeatedly refer to multiculturalism and Muslim immigration; the author claims to be a follower of the Knights Templar - a medieval Christian organization involved in the Crusades, and sometimes revered by white supremacists.
Norway has had problems with neo-Nazi groups in the past but the assumption was that such groups had been largely eliminated and did not pose a significant threat,
Justice Minister Knut Storberget said: the attack "is sure to change Norway.
7/22/11
One New Yorker says, being outside, is like "sitting in a sauna all day long"
Continue reading the main story
A grueling heat-wave has intensified over eastern parts of the US and Canada, with Friday expected to be the region's hottest day yet.
Temperatures feel as high as 46C (115F) in places along the crowded east coast, with no relief expected until after the weekend.
At least 22 deaths have been blamed on the heat, and 223 heat records have been breached across the US alone.
As much as 45% of the US population was under a heat advisory, officials said.
The blistering heat has also hit parts of Canada, with temperatures in Toronto expected to top 35C on Friday, according to Environment Canada.
The blistering heat has also hit parts of Canada, with temperatures in Toronto expected to top 35C on Friday, according to Environment Canada.
Forecasters said the damage caused by the heat could be worse than that brought about by a heat wave in Chicago in 1995, when more than 700 people died over three days.
Asphalt and concrete pavements and buildings in cities were "re-radiating" the heat, forecasters say.
High temperatures - the number one weather-related killer in the US - claim 162 lives on average in the country each year.
The most severe heat wave in modern North American history took place during the Great Depression in 1936. The heat that summer was blamed for more than 5,000 deaths in the US and Canada.
7/22/11
Norway has been hit by twin attacks - a massive bomb blast in the capital, and a shooting attack on young people at a governing Labor Party youth camp.
At least seven people were killed in the bombing, which inflicted huge damage on government buildings, in Oslo city center.
Police said at least nine more died at the camp, on an island outside Oslo.
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Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, whose Oslo offices were among those damaged by the bomb, described the situation as "very serious".
Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store, told the BBC the country was in "deep, deep shock".
A few hours after the explosion, the gunman opened fire at a camp in Utoeya, for young members of the Labor Party.
Reuters said the oil ministry was among the other government buildings hit, while NRK journalist Ingunn Andersen said the headquarters of tabloid newspaper VG were also damaged.
"It's complete chaos here. The windows are blown out in all the buildings close by," she told AP.
Oistein Mjarum, head of communications for the Norwegian Red Cross, which has offices nearby, said the blast could be heard across Oslo.
"This is a very busy area on Friday afternoon and there were a lot of people in the streets, and many people working in these buildings that are now burning," he said.
7/20/11
Sabotage by an insider, at a major utility facility, including a chemical or oil refinery; could provide al Qaeda with its best opportunity for the kind of massive Sept. 11 anniversary attack Osama bin Laden was planning, according to U.S. officials.
A new intelligence report from the Department of Homeland Security issued Tuesday, titled Insider Threat to Utilities, warns "violent extremists have, in fact, obtained insider positions," and that "outsiders have attempted to solicit utility-sector employees" for damaging physical and cyber attacks.
The only way you can actually kill the large scale number of Americans that [bin Laden] literally was calculating was through the use of this critical infrastructure,"
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After gaining access to such sites, causing mayhem could be relatively easy, according to former White House counter-terrorism advisor and ABC News consultant Richard Clarke.
"There are a lot of very sensitive facilities where someone can get a job on the inside, get access to a control room, flip a switch, which causes an electric power grid to short circuit, causes a pipeline to explode," Clarke said.
7/21/11
Chile declared eight municipalities a disaster zone, after a massive snowstorm hit the South of the country.
More than 12,000 people are isolated, and facing food shortages. The snow has also affected, electricity and communications.
7/21/11
While many radioactive cattle have been discovered large distances from Fukushima, what is more important is where their feed is coming from. "It's not only about the radioactive cattle in Fukushima Prefecture; its also about the radioactive straw the cattle eat that was grown elsewhere".
Straw found 45 miles from Fukushima is highly contaminated with radioactive cesium, which is an indication that radiation has contaminated large portions of Northern Japan. More than half a million disintegrations per second in a kilogram of straw are comparable to Chernobyl levels.
U.S. officials were stunned last year in Yemen, with the arrest of an alleged American recruit to al Qaeda, Sharif Mobley, of New Jersey, who had been employed as five different U.S. nuclear power plants in and around Pennsylvania after successfully passing federal background checks.
7/21/11
A punishing heat wave has settled over central and eastern parts of the US, pushing temperatures as high as 43C (110F) and causing up to 22 deaths.
The National Weather Service warned of "dangerous" levels of heat and humidity creeping east, with no relief expected in eastern states until Sunday.
As much as 50% of the US population was under a heat advisory, officials said.
Heat is "the number one weather-related killer," in the US.
As the heat peaks in major population centers in the east coast, the number of deaths is expected to rise.
Mr. Jacks said the combination of high heat and high humidity makes it hard for the human body to cool itself - because sweat does not evaporate efficiently.
In Minnesota - a northern state known for its frigid winters - farm livestock died from heat stress at a rate not seen in three decades, the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper reported. Turkeys were hit especially hard, the paper reported.
In South Dakota, as many as 1,500 head of cattle have died in the heat, state veterinarian Dustin Oedekoven told Reuters.
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7/20/11
WASHINGTON — President Obama will endorse a bill, to repeal the law that limits the legal definition of marriage, to a union between a man and a woman, the White House said Tuesday, taking another step in support of gay rights.
7/18/11
Parts of 18 states stretching from North Dakota south to Texas and east to Ohio were under a heat advisory, warning or watch, according to the National Weather Service.
When the humidity is factored into the mix, it will feel like 110 degrees in some parts of the nation.
"This is unusual," said Pat Slattery, spokesman for the weather service. "
7/17/11
An oppressive and potentially deadly summertime mix of sizzling temperatures and high humidity baked a large swath of the country again on Sunday, pushing afternoon heat indexes in dozens of cities to dangerous levels.
Forecasters warned the heatwave would persist through much of the coming week and cautioned residents in more than three dozen states to take extra precautions.
The National Weather Service posted excessive heat warnings for much of the country's midsection, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, as well as South and North Dakota, where forecasters predicted heat indexes could hit 115 degrees.
"This will likely be the most significant heat wave the region has experienced in at least the last five years," the weather service said.
Cities especially hard hit by the heat included Rapid City, South Dakota, Springfield, Illinois, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, where AccuWeather.com meteorologists were predicting long-standing high-temperature records would fall this week.
Kristina Pydynowski, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, predicted the heatwave will affect more than 40 states.
All the states will see temperatures of 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, she said, and "a large number of them will bake above 100 degrees for days on end."
________
The scorching weather, is the latest in a series of meteorological problems, to best the Midwest in recent months:
The list includes, the devastating tornado that ripped through Joplin, Missouri in late May, killing nearly 160 people and destroying more than 8,000 homes and other structures, as well as the ongoing flooding along the Missouri River, which has triggered weeks of evacuations and other emergency measures from Montana through Missouri.
7/17/11
The final Harry Potter movie, has shattered box office record in the US and Canada, taking $168m over its opening weekend.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 had already made $92.1m (£57m) on its opening day, said the film's distributor, Warner Bros.
The previous opening weekend record was held by Batman film The Dark Knight, which took $10m.
7/14/11
Minnesota residents are far from pleased about their state's government shutdown.
For some, it means no fun in sun during the warm holiday weekend since the state parks are closed. For others, it means no job since more than 20,000 state employees were laid off. And for still others, it means no safety net since caseworkers aren't answering their phones.
All but essential state government services ceased on Friday after Governor Mark Dayton and Republican lawmakers failed to resolve their budget dispute before the new fiscal year began. A $1.4 billion gap separates them.
The governor wants to close the shortfall, by raising taxes on the wealthiest 1.9% of Minnesotans. Republicans want to limit spending.
7/9/11
A strong earthquake has jolted north-east Japan, the same area that was devastated four months ago.
The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter scale, and hit at 0957 local time (0057 GMT).
The US Geological Survey estimated its depth at 10km (6.2 miles), with the epicentre in the same general area as the massive quake on 11 March
7/7/11
"Thanks to nanotechnology, this new branch of regenerative medicine, we are now able to produce a custom-made windpipe, within two days or one week.
"This is a synthetic windpipe. The beauty of this is you can have it immediately. There is no delay. This technique does not rely on a human donation."
He said many other organs could be repaired or replaced, in the same way.
7/7/11
The entire Potter film series, has so far earned more than £4 billion worldwide.
It has been 10 years, since the first movie in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which made stars of its young cast, Radcliffe, Watson and Grint.
7/6/11
Militants from al Qaeda's branch in Yemen are mulling plans to surgically implant explosive devices in would-be suicide bombers, possibly targeting airlines, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
U.S. officials have become increasingly worried about plots emanating from Yemen, where a popular uprising against the country's authoritarian leader and tribal clashes have created a security vacuum in which al Qaeda can operate more freely.
However, the new scanners wouldn't be able to identify explosive devices implanted inside a body, which has prompted many security experts to push for alternative security measures, including profiling a passenger's behavior and demeanor to identify potential security risks.
"What technology can we use? The simple answer is the human brain—that's the only way to address the threat," said Philip Baum, founder of Green Light Limited, an aviation-security consultancy in London. Given that drug smugglers have implanted contraband for years, he said he is surprised that terrorists haven't yet tried to do the same with explosives.
Despite initial speculation that an al Qaeda terrorist used implanted explosives in a failed bid to assassinate a key Saudi Arabian minister in the summer of 2009, U.S. security officials concluded that the explosive device was hidden in the man's underwear—exactly the same technique used four months later in the Detroit plot.
7/6/11
More storms are forecast for Wednesday evening, following a massive dust storm that swept across the Phoenix area Tuesday night, leaving a path of dust, debris and damage in nearly every part of the Valley.
The mile-high dust storm moved between speeds of 50 and 60 mph and appeared to be nearly 100 miles wide,
I've been (in Arizona) for nearly 33 years, and I've never seen as thick a coating of dust, on streets and cars, as this one," Ellis said. "I've never seen anything like it before."
7/6/11
Only 19 of Japan's 54 reactors are now operating, with more due to shut down for regular checks, forcing people to save power.
7/4/11
Americans were promised that the $787 billion Obama stimulus package would cut unemployment by funding so-called “shovel-ready projects”. Instead, unemployment is at 9.1 per cent compared to the 7.8 per cent Obama inherited, while the national deficit has tripled from less than $500 billion to a staggering $1.5 trillion.
$9.5 trillion in cumulative new debt, contained in Obama’s current budget plan.
It was on the Fourth of July last year, that General David Petraeus assumed command in Afghanistan and declared: “We are in this to win.”
But in announcing his recent decision, to withdraw troops, there was no mention by Obama, of winning or victory – or, for that matter, of Petraeus, who is returning home to take over the CIA.
7/4/11
Celebrating Independence Day – the birthday of the United States, and the 235th anniversary ,of shaking off the oppressive yoke of British rule.
On this day in 1776, a group of 13 colonies, broke away to found a new nation, free to govern itself as it saw fit.
___________
Many Americans think, things will only get worse, and the good times will never return.
7/4/11
In modern psychology, there is a phenomenon, which we shall call “psychological hypothermia.” When a child suffers severe abuse from a loved one (especially if its ongoing), the child will go “out of body” to separate himself from the experience.
One of the reasons for this is presumably because, the child cannot tolerate the possibility of a loved one hurting him. He therefore disassociates from the experience, as if it didn’t happen to him.
Hypothermia is “a decrease in the core body temperature to a level at which normal muscular and cerebral functions are impaired.”
When a child, for instance, falls into ice-cold water, and his temperature drops to dangerous levels, the child will go into a state of shock, which shuts down the primary life functions to the point that the child may appear dead, in order to preserve the bare minimum energy for the vital organs.
In other words, in order to survive, the conscious faculties have to temporarily stop functioning.
The same is true psychologically. For survival purpose, sometimes we have to detach from an experience, to the point, that we may be unaware of it in our conscious minds.
Yet, even as our conscious spirits, may be unaware of the experience, our bodies remember them. Every experience in our lives, is etched into the memory of our bodies. That is why we talk about experiencing “knots” and “tightness,” in our bodies.
Psychological feelings, do not remain in the mental domain; they seep into the body, causing all sorts of physical reactions (“knots in the stomach,” is one mild example). Anxiety oozes toxins into your body. Strong traumatic experiences, tie up your body in knots.
7/3/11
Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra, has won the nation's election, Thailand's first, female prime minister.
7/3/11
(CNN) -- More than 17,000 women and girls from Nepal become sex slaves every year. Many end up in India, China or other Southeast Asian countries, and roughly half of them are children.
It is a heinous crime, and it harms the girls physically and psychologically. It's also increasing the transmission of HIV to a larger population.
7/3/11
Get Ready for $150 Oil.
7/3/11
Small to mid-size businesses, which generate close to 70 percent of US jobs, fear ObamaCare could bury them in colossal bills and future paperwork, and are now paying the price as premiums have soared in anticipation of the new regulation.
