Posts from — August 2015

At 10AM CDT the NHC issued its last advisory on Danny as it degenerated into a remnant low. It will still generate some much needed rain in the Caribbean.

Wall Street and the other major casinos around the world are still dropping as more people discover that it is a con.

The government of France has awarded six people including the three American friends involved in foiling the attack on the train, the Legion d’Honneur, the country’s highest award.

The casinos that call themselves stock markets are again showing the world why you should not use them for retirement funds. Governments failed to reinstate the regulations that kept them honest and stable so they returned to their bad habits.

While talking about bad habits I might as well point out that although the price of a barrel of oil has dropped below $40/barrel, the price of gasoline has seen no corresponding drop at the pump. Refiners have decided to keep the savings for themselves.

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The BBC tells me that “An explosion has been reported at a chemical plant in China’s eastern province of Shandong.” Well, it has been almost 10 days since the last chemical explosion in Chine so it was due… 😈

It doesn’t take a gun to stop an attack, it takes people willing to do it. The initial reports said they were Marines, but Airmen, the National Guard, and people without any military training can act too.

Position: 15.6N 59.8W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West [270°] near 15 mph [24 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 40 mph [ 65 kph].
Wind Gusts: 50 mph [ 85 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 60 miles [ 95 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1009 mb ↑.

Currently about 100 miles [ 160 km] East of Dominica.

The weakening trend is continuing and the system may be downgraded to a depression tonight.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Barbuda, St Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, and Montserrat.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Saba, St Eustatius, and St Maartin.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 15.6N 54.7W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West [275°] near 15 mph [24 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 65 mph [105 kph].
Wind Gusts: 80 mph [130 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 60 miles [ 95 km].
Minimum central pressure: 999 mb ↑.

Currently about 480 miles [ 775 km] East of the Leeward Islands.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Anguilla, Barbuda, St Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, Saba, St Eustatius, St Maartin, Guadeloupe, St Barthelemy, and St Martin.

The storm is beginning to weaken as it encounters dry air and stronger wind shear. At 4PM the Hurricane Hunters report that the storm is continuing to weaken.

At 7PM CDT Danny was downgraded to a Tropical Storm.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 14.8N 49.8W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [295°] near 10 mph [17 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 110 mph [175 kph].
Wind Gusts: 130 mph [210 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 60 miles [ 95 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 15 miles [ 30 km].
Minimum central pressure: 977 mb ↑.

Currently about 810 miles [1305 km] East of the Leeward Islands.

At 10AM CDT the storm had strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane.

At 2PM a NOAA aircraft reported that the storm had spun up to Category 3 – a major hurricane. Danny’s very small, compact form has protected it from the infiltration of dry air and allowed it to strengthen.

As forecast, after peaking as a Cat 3, Danny is beginning to be affected by the dry air to the North, and will soon encounter increasing wind shear.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 13.4N 46.6W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [295°] near 12 mph [19 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 80 mph [120 kph].
Wind Gusts: 100 mph [160 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 60 miles [ 95 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 10 miles [ 20 km].
Minimum central pressure: 990 mb ↓.

Currently about 970 miles [1560 km] East of the Windward Islands.

The first hurricane of the season. A very compact storm that is forecast to encounter wind shear and weakening on Monday.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 12.1N 42.7W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [295°] near 10 mph [17 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 50 mph [ 85 kph].
Wind Gusts: 60 mph [ 95 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 70 miles [ 110 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1000 mb.

Currently about 1270 miles [2040 km] East of the Lesser Antilles.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 11.2N 38.8W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [285°] near 14 mph [22 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 50 mph [ 85 kph].
Wind Gusts: 60 mph [ 95 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 60 miles [ 95 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1000 mb ↓.

Currently about 1505 miles [2420 km] East of the Windward Islands.

Invest 96L was declared a tropical depression and is forecast to become a hurricane by the time it reaches the Islands. The Caribbean needs the rain. At 4PM CDT the NHC upgraded the storm to Tropical Storm Danny.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

At 8:49 AM CDT the US Geological Survey recorded a magnitude 4.0 earthquake 1km North of Piedmont, California. This quake was at a depth of 3.3 miles on the Hayward Fault in the San Francisco Bay area.

This somewhat shallow quake would have felt worse than would be expected from the magnitude. Given the absurdly hot temperatures that are occurring in the area, people will be conflicted about staying outside from worry about the shaking, or finding whatever air conditioned spaces are available.

After months of nothing happening in the Atlantic Invest 96L looks like it might actually become a tropical system. It came off Africa as a wave and is moving West between 10 & 15mph. Currently conditions are good for tropical development.

This may be a repeat Cat video

This one features Dogs & Cats.

Just dogs at a Rest Stop and a minor bit of Road Rage.

And we’ll finish off with a Sea Creature. 🙂

Tianjin blasts: evacuations ordered as sodium cyanide is found. The official death toll is over 100 with hundreds more injured.

In addition to sodium cyanide officials now know that calcium carbide, potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate were stored in the warehouse in large quantities. The nitrates can be used in fertilizers, but they are also used to make gunpowder and explosives. The Oklahoma City Federal Building was blown up with a truckload of nitrate fertilizer. Calcium carbide reacts with water to create acetylene gas which is used in welding and cutting metal. Sodium cyanide is a fine powder which can kill you if you breathe it or ingest it. If it gets mixed with water or is burned it produced hydrogen cyanide gas. Zyklon B was the trade name of hydrogen cyanide gas in World War II Germany and it was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of inmates in Nazi concentration camps.

Those four chemicals are dangerous as individuals, and they should never be stored in close proximity. You don’t use water to control a fire when any of them is present.

The local felines are avoiding the sun because of the heat, so here are a couple animal pics from around the world.

From Canada there is the story of an orange tabby: Erik the Red to retire from rodent control officer duties on CSS Acadia

From Australia there is the story about Doodlebug, an orphaned kangaroo: Joey hugs teddy and world goes wild.

There are apparently major comedy open mikes going on in Iowa and New Hampshire, but the acts are really stale.