HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / UNUSUAL & OUT-OF-SEASON WEATHER -
CALIFORNIA - Two tornadoes barreled across Interstate 215 south of March Air Reserve Base on Thursday afternoon, knocking over a tractor trailer and several box cars in a FREAK STORM that also dumped snow in the mountains, triggered lightning, hail storms and mudslides, and flooded Inland roadways and homes. Cold, unstable ocean air collided with warm Southern California air, creating a volatile and UNUSUAL WEATHER PATTERN that could continue to produce thunderstorms and chilly weather through Saturday. "It's not just unusual, it's EXTREMELY UNUSUAL. You would expect this in January, February or March, but not in May." The wild weather system unleashed its fury throughout Southern California. It sparked 14 power pole and palm tree fires and triggered 20 weather-related traffic accidents in Riverside County. Mud flows swept down fire-scarred canyons in Orange County and thunderstorms broke out from Los Angeles to San Diego counties. Evacuation orders were issued to about 1,500 people. A column of dust and debris - more than 300 feet wide - swirled around the funnel cloud in a counter-clockwise motion, creating a funnel within a funnel. "I'm thinking, 'Tornadoes in California? No way." Motorists elsewhere in Riverside County encountered violent rain and hail the size of marbles. Some roads were flooded waist-deep. Snow fell overnight Wednesday in the mountains, coating some peaks but melting quickly at lower elevations. "It's bizarre. It's very late in the spring for this to be happening. I don't ever remember it snowing this late in the season." "This is the last gasp of Canadian air making the big break into Southern California. It's very cold, it's very unstable and when you get it in the late afternoon, you're getting the exact conditions that you get in the Midwest." But what made Thursday's events more unique was "the full menu" of weather - thunder, lightning, mudslides, hail and tornadoes. "This is a 10-courser." (photos)

INDIA - Delhi recorded 36.9 mm of rain till 8.30 am on Wednesday morning, the HIGHEST EVER WITHIN A SINGLE 24-HOUR DURATION in May in the last five years. The last time the city experienced such heavy rainfall in a day in May was on May 26, 2002, when the total rainfall recorded was 46.2 mm. The total rainfall in May 2008 now stands at 68.6 mm, way past the average 17.5 mm that Delhi should ideally record in May. And more rain is expected over the next few days. On Wednesday, New Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 25.2 degrees Celsius, 16 degrees below normal. The last time the Capital recorded such low mercury levels in May was 26 years ago on May 13, 1982, when the maximum temperature in the Capital stood at 24.8 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature on Wednesday was 20.3 degrees Celsius, seven notches below normal. The mean maximum temperature for the month of May this year is 39.6 degrees Celsius.

EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE-

AUSTRALIA - Victoria has experienced a 40% decrease in autumn rainfall since 1950 and climate change is a key factor. There were also seasonal rainfall declines in Western Australia's southwest and southern Queensland. A reduction in the number of La Nina events and changes in weather systems from the Indian Ocean were also partly responsible for late rainfall across Victoria. During the past 58 years, a decrease in alternating high and low pressure systems over Victoria has led to rising sea level atmospheric pressure. "This weakening is reinforced by a warming of the Indian Ocean which is, at least in part, due to global warming." Through April and May, large increases in sea surface temperatures in the region were usually associated with a transition from an El Nino to a La Nina event, as part of cycle of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation. But in the past few decades there have been more El Nino events than La Ninas, meaning less rainfall for southeast Australia.

Turbulent storms may be sign of global climate change...on Jupiter - The first images of Jupiter since it came out from behind the sun show that the turbulence and storms that have plagued the planet for the past two years continue. Whether or not this is a sign of global warming, the turbulence does seem to be spawning new spots. As Red Spot Jr. and the Great Red Spot approach a June conjunction, a new third spot may merge with the GRS in August. This "major upheaval" on Jupiter involves stunning changes in the planet's atmosphere. The new images may show that Jupiter indeed is undergoing a major climate change, as predicted four years ago. "One of the most notable changes we observe in both the Hubble and Keck images is the change from a rather bland, quiescent band surrounding the Great Red Spot just over a year ago to one that is incredibly turbulent at both sides of the spot." The color of several bands on the planet has been changing since the upheaval began. "Whether or not Jupiter's climate has changed due to a predicted warming, the cloud activity over the last two and a half years shows dramatically that something UNUSUAL has happened." Astronomers have found that one of the solar system's largest and newest storms - Jupiter's Little Red Spot - has some of the highest wind speeds ever detected on any planet.

HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / UNUSUAL & OUT-OF-SEASON WEATHER -
U.S. - At least four tornadoes struck in Kansas on Thursday as the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic worked to restore power and clean out flooded homes after a rash of severe thunderstorms left three people dead. And in the Mid-Atlantic, work crews were trying to restore power to thousands of homes ahead of a sweltering weekend forecast. In West Virginia, residents were just starting to dry out Thursday night after storms on Wednesday dumped several inches of rain and knocked out power to 67,000 customers. All four gas stations and both grocery stores in Gilmer County, W.Va., were under water after the Little Kanawha River crested 9 feet above flood stage. (photo)

IOWA - Floodwaters have spread across Iowa, and it could get a lot worse. The National Weather Service predicts heavy rain and possible hail to fall across the state through this morning. Parts of southwest Iowa have been the hardest hit, with some areas getting isolated tornado damage from Wednesday followed by heavy rain and hail.
A RECORD AMOUNT OF RAINFALL inundated the Des Moines area last night, flooding streets and raising Walnut Creek to flood stage levels. The weather pattern causing the poor conditions in the state could stay active for the next week, and flare up every two to three days. (photos)

NEBRASKA - RECORD AMOUNT OF RAINFALL in Grand Island with 3.59 inches of rain Wednesday. And after midnight, another 0.65 of an inch had fallen. That brings the total rainfall of the two days as of 7 a.m. Thursday to 4.24 inches. So far this year, Grand Island has received 17.89 inches of precipitation, which is well above the 10.48 inches year-to-total average. Flooding and more rainfall were expected.

WASHINGTON D. C. - Once the numbers are finalized, June 4, 2008 may go down in the record books as ONE OF THE MORE ACTIVE SEVERE WEATHER DAYS IN RECENT HISTORY in the D.C. region. Following a widespread and destructive squall line in the mid-afternoon, several more rounds of severe weather afflicted the region, with storminess lasting well into the night. The National Weather Service in Sterling issued an astounding 70 severe thunderstorm, marine, and tornado warnings in the Baltimore/Washington region. The storms were caused by several ripples of enhanced energy moving along a near-stationary frontal boundary draped north of the region. On the south side of the front, temperatures rose into the mid to upper 80s across the area, with sticky dew points nearing 70 degrees under abundant sunshine that followed very early morning rain. This moist, unstable airmass at the surface set the stage for the severe storms. Thunderstorms that originated in the upper Midwest and Ohio Valley began to re-develop in West Virginia by late morning. This thunderstorm activity was embedded in strong upper level winds from the west. Strong updrafts and downdrafts (vertical motions of air) developed which generated intense wind gusts. At least one fatality was caused by the storms when a falling tree struck a moving car. Tornadoes were being reported by storm spotters near Fredericksburg, Virginia just before 8 pm. 2008 has been a remarkable year for severe weather in the U.S. Perhaps the only bit of good news is that June 4 was such a RARE event that it's unlikely to be repeated soon. (photos / map)

ILLINOIS - Tuesday's storms dropped more rain in twenty-four hours then some places have seen in ten years. The event was called A ONE-HUNDRED YEAR FLOOD. The last one Tuscola has seen was back in 1999. Rain totals varied from a quarter of an inch to over five inches. Springfield had just under five inches and BROKE A RECORD set back in 1919 of 2.23 inches.

MISSOURI - High water forced a Missouri family out of their home early Wednesday morning. Severe storms swept through western Missouri causing many area creeks and rivers to overflow their banks.

==================
EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE-

U.S. EAST COAST - Early heatwave - Spring is expected to come to an abrupt end this weekend as temperatures top 90 degrees in Boston on Saturday, igniting what may be the year's first three-day heat wave. In Western Massachusetts the mercury may creep up near triple digits. "Normally we don't see these temperatures until late July or early August. We will be just a touch away from real tropical, sultry, New Orleans-style weather." The unseasonable temperatures can be blamed on a pressure system that forecasters call the Bermuda High, which will suck humidity from the Gulf of Mexico and smother New England like a muggy blanket. It is expected to stay warm and humid for the next two weeks. "This is really an early taste of midsummer."
An UNUSUAL early June heat wave hit western North Carolina and the Southeast on Wednesday for what could be an extended stay of up to two weeks. Rainfall at the Hickory Regional Airport stood about 14 inches below normal last week.

TEXAS - The official wind speeds topped 49 mph in Northeast El Paso Wednesday. "You always think it is going to be over in March; as long as I have been here it is over in March. I find it kind of surprising this time of year that the wind is as strong as it is right now." "We are seeing prolonged wind events here because troughs have continued to dig and dig and dig over our area; this is UNUSUAL because we don't see those this late in the year this strong." Typically once the triple-digit heat hits, the wind disappears, but not this season. Deep, slow-moving troughs have made it to the border area making for multiple days of scenes like this, and even after this late-season storm, experts said it's not the area's last.

Natural disasters up more than 400% in two decades - The number of natural disasters around the world has increased by more than four times in the last 20 years, according to a report released by the British charity Oxfam. It found that the earth is currently experiencing approximately 500 natural disasters per year, compared with 120 per year in the early 1980s. The number of weather-related disasters in 2006 was 240, compared with 60 in 1980. "We are talking about some VERY UNUSUAL floods in West Africa, VERY UNUSUAL floods in East Africa, EXTRAORDINARY floods in Mexico and parts of Central America, and heat waves in Greece [and] eastern Europe." At the same time, the number of geologically related natural disasters has held steady. Oxfam has attributed the increasing disaster rate to global warming. "This is no freak year. It follows a pattern of more frequent, more erratic, more unpredictable and more extreme weather events that are affecting more people." Between 1985 and 1994, Oxfam found that 174 million people were affected by disasters each year. In the following decade, this figure increased by 70 percent to 254 million people per year.

FOOD / WATER / SUPPLIES-
IOWA - The agricultural community in Dubuque and the surrounding counties has been gasping for air as relentless rains have ravaged the region for the past several weeks. Flooding of river bottoms, ponding in flat fields and soil runoff from, but not limited to, higher ground fields is only the beginning of the troubles and subsequent costs that farmers have been doused with. With portions of their crop still submerged and most other areas waterlogged beyond the point of retrieval, farmers' outlook of the crop damage remains muddy. Due to the excessively waterlogged fields, once ponding and stillwater has disappeared, it still might be weeks before the ground is stable enough for equipment to make its way onto the field. As much as 5 percent of the crop in Iowa will have to be replanted. Farmers aren't alone with unwanted repercussions. An increasing amount of field sediment is being washed to surrounding tributaries, and bodies of water are being choked with impurities. "People say these are FLOODS THAT COME AROUND EVERY 100 YEARS. In that case, I've lived about 900 years worth of floods. And I ain't old enough to quit yet."

09:43 PM HK shuts down market after H5N1 detected

http://www.birdflubreakingnews.com/

Hi hon...I thought I'd offer a link that I use to monitor the bird flu..they are really up to date on the advancement.
There are a lot of pages, but so much good info in it.

http://www.frugalsquirrels.com/vb/showthre...055&page=87

We have a heat wave going on right now. Yesterday it got up to a blistering 102 degrees!!! The humidity was horrible and the smell from the North Carolina wild fires hung like sludge.

Blessings!
Love, Lisa

I wish we could share that warmth you feel Lisa, for here it has been overcast for four days now, and honestly... our grass is green as spring, it even gives me goosebumpies.

GREECE - Seismologists are warning today that a strong aftershock is expected in southwestern Greece, which was struck on Sunday by a powerful 6.5 earthquake that killed two people and injured nearly 150. "The next two to three 24-hour periods remain critical." The quake flattened about 70 houses in the provinces of Ahaia and Ilia, severely damaged another 30 and left 230 more with damage and cracks that need investigating by engineers to determine if they are safe. Dozens of aftershocks have rattled the area in the hours since the quake, but all have been relatively small. A strong aftershock of a magnitude of about 5 or 5.5 was still expected in the coming days, or possibly weeks. "An earthquake of 6.5 in western Greece has a rich post-seismic activity. An earthquake of 5 or 5.5 is expected. That is based on our experience of the region." (photo)

TSUNAMI / FREAK WAVES / ABNORMAL TIDES / RISING SEA LEVELS -
PAKISTAN - About 40 villages along the Hajmaro Creek and Keti Bandar have been flooded by tidal waves, forcing hundreds to leave their homes. The villages on the right side of the creek in Kharo Chhan and Keti Bandar talukas have been submerged by sea water. The situation is equally bad in Ghorabari and Jati talukas. Local administration officials said that the affected people were being moved to safer places. People in over a dozen villages are stranded and efforts are being made to rescue them.

AUSTRALIA - At least one tornado smashed its way through southern Perth today, ripping roofs off houses and causing mass blackouts. Winds reached 104km/h at Ocean Reef in Perth's north, and they would have been much stronger in Rockingham. "We had at least one tornado confirmed in Rockingham, just on the damage trail from it." Many streets had turned into "wind tunnels" before the mini-tornado swept through. Many residents had just finished mopping up after a vicious storm last weekend as the mini-tornado hit today. Across Perth, 30 homes suffered major structural damage.

INDIA - Incessant downpour has wreaked havoc in Mumbai. The commercial capital of India is bursting at the seams. Life has come to a standstill. The monsoon was expected in Mumbai. The deluge wasn't. In Mumbai, the monsoon first drizzled on Friday (June 6), but continued with its usual relentlessness. It rained and rained all through the next morning and afternoon, on Saturday (June 7). The city received 161 mm of rains. The rains, on the very first day, began flooding the streets, roads and crucial transport lines. Life in Mumbai began snarling. By midnight of Saturday, many parts of the city were sunk under knee-deep water. People had a tough time attending to their offices, shops and other businesses. However, officials were fumbling for excuses. People are quite well aware that it is around this time that the rains visit. Certain road projects were not finished in time and the debris remained lying uncleared added to the woes of Mumbai. Choked manholes and clogged drains coinciding with high tide have inundated most parts of the metropolis. Even the railway authorities were caught napping. They did not expect the monsoon to hit before mid-June. They still had a lot of cleaning up to do. Garbage and waste lay scattered, which caused water logging on rail tracks after the two days' non-stop raining.

EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE-

NORTH CAROLINA - An early season heat wave has BROKEN HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS across much of North Carolina. At least four places set record highs Saturday.
The heat wave that has baked North Carolina since late last week is caused by an UNUSUALLY high altitude ridge of air that has stalled over the state. Not only is it extra hot, causing water on the ground to evaporate, but the weather system is dry, preventing rainfall. The heat is also expected to foster poor air quality in much of North Carolina. The temperature reached 101 degrees at the airport in Fayetteville on Sunday afternoon, a new record for June 8, and the oppressive heat is expected to continue at least two more days. The previous record high for June 8 in Fayetteville was 98, set in 1933. Raleigh-Durham International Airport reached 100 degrees on Saturday to set a record for the date. Normal temperatures for this time of the year fall in the mid-80s.

FOOD / WATER / SUPPLIES-
INDIA - Climate change blamed as mango harvest goes sour in India - India's mangoes, revered for millennia for their succulence, are becoming fewer and less sweet as changes in weather patterns affect harvests. Official estimates suggest that three million tonnes of mangoes have been wiped out by a severe winter in India so far this year and the unseasonable deluges that have swept key growing regions in recent days may weigh further on production. Forecasts already say that this year's crop of ten million tonnes will be down by a fifth on last year's. The decline in sweetness is occurring because the hot, dry winds that sweep across northern and western India in the summer, and help to ripen crops, have failed to blow. In Uttar Pradesh in northern India, the second-largest state in terms of mango production, farmers estimate that as much as half of the harvest has been wiped out by storms in April and May. There are also claims that mango standards are slipping as sellers use more fertilizers and pesticides to boost yields. Some have been caught lacing mangoes with calcium carbide, which accelerates ripening but can cause dizziness and seizures in those exposed to the fruit.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-...0,6046791.story
Flooding breaks records set in 1913 flood
By RICK CALLAHAN | Associated Press Writer
4:14 PM CDT, June 9, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS - Flooding that's swamped cities across central and southern Indiana is breaking records set during the state's most devastating flood in modern times -- a deluge that became known as The Great Flood of 1913.
EVEN MORE FLOODING

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/us/10sto...amp;oref=slogin
New Storms Cause Flooding in Three States
By SUSAN SAULNY
Published: June 10, 2008
CHICAGO — A stalled storm system poured heavy rain on parts of the Midwest on Monday, setting off severe flooding in Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin, where already swollen rivers and lakes overflowed their banks, broke through dams and created havoc for thousands of residents.

Is there anything else that would confirm that the axis is in the process of an actual physical shift?

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/10/bus.../10planting.php
Worries mount as farmers push for big harvest
In a year when global harvests need to be excellent to ease the threat of pervasive food shortages, evidence is mounting that they will be average at best. Some farmers are starting to fear disaster.

That would be markedly demonstrated by the celestial North pole being in a different position relative to where it is now--close to Polaris, the North star--which hasn't happened that I know of. Amateur and professional astronomers all over the world would be buzzing about it, if that were the case, especially the amateurs.

That is, unless you're talking about a magnetic pole shift--that would be told by an accurate compass comparison. Is magnetic North still offset from true North by only a few degrees? In the case of a change, pilots and sailors would be buzzing about that.

Glad to be in Christ,

Mike

http://www.divulgence.net/

http://www.divulgence.net/Coverup.html

The actual shifts occurred on Dec 4 & 6, 2006. SOHO (NASA/ESA) & NOAA claim there was a historic solar flare on Dec 5 & 6, 2006. Supposedly the largest in recorded history. They also claimed that this flare knocked down the world GPS satellite system. Yet, they did not announce this to the public until after all global scientists met in April 2007.

http://www.divulgence.net/Ion.html#Dec%206...5%20at%2019:15Z

I don't know how reliable these are.

In the Midwest already 10 people died because of flood rains, causing the Mississippi to spread beyond its normal banks.
Dams have broken, and houses have washed away, in the states Wisconsin, Indiana and Iowa
In Indiana thousands of people have been evacuated. The army is reinforcing the levys, dikes. The state of emergency has been declared in several areas.
President Bush has promised to provide help.

Increased storms - a definite sign

Me oh my! Do I hear Martial Law? I know that Bush doesn't want to do that. He's probably thinking, "Well, if I had a magic wand, me and Laura would be in Dubai right now."

Martial Law? You must have a rich imagination or desire, for what is said in the news is the normal disaster relief procedure, of helping the people who are victim of this disaster. Bush can not permit himself to get the same critics as after Katrina.

TSUNAMI / FREAK WAVES / ABNORMAL TIDES / RISING SEA LEVELS -
MEXICO - heavy rains and large waves have caused flooding in low-lying parts of the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco. On Monday, teams were working to clear the roads of flooding that cut off Acapulco's airport and affected about 5,000 homes. The port was closed to small craft because of high surf. No deaths or injuries were reported.


HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / UNUSUAL & OUT-OF-SEASON WEATHER -
U.S. - The US Midwest is braced for more bad weather after a weekend of storms that left eight people dead and forced hundreds from their homes. Meanwhile, the US east coast is suffering a heatwave, with temperatures forecast to hit 100F (38C).
Flood warnings remain in place for parts of Indiana, where rescuers have been using boats and helicopters to reach those stranded by rising waters. "This thing came on fast with such a radical deluge of water that people were describing going from a feeling of security to waist-deep water in a matter of 15 or 20 minutes."
Meanwhile, Wisconsin sought emergency aid for 29 counties, and a state of emergency has been declared in nearly a third of Iowa's 99 counties.
In Michigan, two delivery workers drowned when their vehicle became submerged in a creek swollen by heavy rains.
A tornado touched down in Omaha, Nebraska, causing damage to dozens of homes but no major injuries. Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses across the region were left without electricity after storms took down power lines.
In Chicago, Illinois, residents are continuing to clear up after damage caused by high winds over the weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued heat warnings for eastern states including Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Virginia and North Carolina, as well as the nation's capital, Washington DC. (photo)
A stalled storm system poured heavy rain on parts of the Midwest on Monday, setting off severe flooding in Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin, where already swollen rivers and lakes overflowed their banks, broke through dams and created havoc for thousands of residents. The stationary storm aggravated a dangerously soggy situation. Thunderstorms that began late last week had brought 6 to 10 inches of rain to parts of the region, leaving the ground saturated. There were no new fatalities reported as of late Monday.
In Wisconsin, at least 90 roads and highways were closed because of flooding, which also caused three dams to fail and four to have water spill over. At least three houses were swept away as gushing lake water cut a new path through Lake Delton, a small town north of Madison. Now there is hardly any water in the lake. The lake broke its boundaries and essentially flowed away. "Water's coming in, but as fast as it flows in it goes out." Thousands of residents evacuated flood-ravaged communities in 30 counties across the state.
In Iowa, some river levels were EXCEEDING RECORDS, and a concentration of heavy flooding hampered the northeastern and central part of the state.
In Indiana, residents tried to raise a mile of levee by three feet along the White River at Elnora, southwest of Indianapolis, where the river was expected to crest and flood.
While Tuesday is expected to offer some relief, meteorologists said there was a possibility of rain returning to the central Plains states on Wednesday. "Unfortunately, the most significant rainfall that is expected will fall on the areas already experiencing flooding."
After an especially wet winter and early spring, forecasters say the next few weeks may be a drier time for the Midwest. "The good news is that the climate predictions center is saying that a week from today, we should see a change in the overall weather pattern." (photos)

INDIA - The first monsoon rains of the year which pounded Mumbai over the weekend killed at least five people, submerging roads, toppling trees and flooding offices. Walls and other bits of buildings collapsed and crushed two people in different parts of the city. Three other people were killed on Saturday, either crushed or electrocuted. There have been steady showers since Thursday, but the city's weather department officially declared the monsoon had rolled into town on Saturday, a few days earlier than usual. Since then, around 10cm of rain has fallen on the city each day. Although Mumbai is trying to build itself into a global financial centre, parts of it tend to crumble come the monsoon.

EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE-

NORTH CAROLINA's heat wave has been knocking down records across the state, including SIX STRAIGHT DAYS OF RECORD TEMPERATURES.
PENNSYLVANIA had 3 heat waves in 2007. The current heat wave of 2008 has come in about a month earlier than last year's first heat wave.

CANADA - On Friday, Toronto hit RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES as the mercury climbed to 40 C with the humidity. A possible tornado was spotted moving eastward over Middlesex County, Ontario, threatening areas between London and Toronto. The heat wave in Central Canada is blamed for the severe weather in parts of Ontario.

FOOD / WATER / SUPPLIES-
SOUTH AFRICA - Desperate farmers in the central Karoo are cashing in their pension funds and moving to town as a lengthy drought lays waste their farms and livestock. Scores of farm workers now face uncertain futures and the region has seen a massive decline in job opportunities. The four-year drought is reaching critical proportions, with livestock and game dying at an alarming rate. The barren land is strewn with the carcasses of dead animals. It's also having a devastating social and economic impact, as the area is the central production region for export wool and meat. The "gradual deterioration" in the region has taken its toll on the land. There is virtually no grazing left for starved livestock. Very few farmers had lambs this season and some newborn lambs were dying just days after birth because ewes were not able to produce milk. "Even oryx, which are actually desert animals, are battling. It's come to the point that the feed actually has to be taken to the animal." Even if the rains start to relieve the arid land, much of the damage has been done.

NEW ZEALAND faces power crisis amid drought - New Zealanders are to be urged to wash dishes by hand and turn off lights as the country teeters on the brink of a power crisis caused by drought. After two years of dry weather, the level of water in lakes that drive New Zealand's hydroelectric power plants is worryingly low. Households will be asked to cut electricity consumption by up to 15% during peak early evening periods unless there is "significant" rainfall soon. The last time there was a serious power shortage in New Zealand was in 1992 when businesses were forced to use liquid petroleum gas and diesel. Street lighting was rationed and households endured hot water restrictions. The public was also asked to save power in 2001, 2003 and 2006 but each time rain came soon enough to head off any serious problems. The chief executive of Business New Zealand, said poor decisions by successive governments had led to New Zealanders living with the threat of electricity shortages. "You just can't run an economy like this. If we get through to the end of winter without blackouts; it was all done by the skin of our teeth. I don't think that's a sensible proposition."

Northern Calif. wildfire burns at least 30 homes


A wind-whipped wildfire damaged or destroyed at least 30 homes in Stockton, Calif., on Tuesday.



WILDFIRES
Graphic: Dry thunderstorms spark fires







Yahoo! Buzz Digg Newsvine Reddit FacebookWhat's this?STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — Wind-driven fires that ignited in the brush along an interstate burned at least 30 homes and slightly injured two firefighters on Tuesday, a city spokeswoman said.
Paramedics treated some residents for smoke inhalation, but no one had been taken to a hospital, city spokeswoman Connie Cochran said. The two injured firefighters quickly returned to the fire lines, she said.

Fire officials have not determined a cause of the blazes, which slowed traffic along Interstate 5 because of the thick smoke.


LOCAL COVERAGE: KXTV-TV, Sacramento

National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Clapp said the flames were driven by a north wind with gusts up to 30 mph, and that humidity in the area was low.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Stockton | Connie Cochran
Near Sacramento, about 50 miles north of Stockton, a fire captain suffered second-degree burns to his hands and arms Tuesday when a wind-driven grass fire unexpectedly changed direction and intensity.

The captain and two members of his engine crew were protecting a mobile home from the 1,000-acre grass fire when the wind and flames changed direction, Sacramento Metro Fire Department Capt. Jeff Lynch said. The crewmembers were able to get inside the engine's cab but the captain didn't make it in time, Lynch said.

The firefighter was taken to a hospital but Lynch did not know his condition. The fire continued to burn out of control in a rural area south of Sacramento.

Every city that is destroyed by any kind of element and is evacuated, such as China, Chernobyl, etc. would require that there be a permanent ban on any kind of movement within the area. With the fires that have destroyed the homes in Calif., there has to be a protection of the property that is left behind. And that was done with Katrina. Nobody is faulting the President for the care that the people received, the people just had to flee their home environment and they were not prepared elsewhere to receive the influx. Martial Law would require movement but it would be restricted to only certain areas.



In all of the places where liquid water is drying up, death starts with the least microbe that relies on water and it cascades to the bigger animals and you leave them unburied and disease starts. After some time, the people in the area will depart the area and some of them will be host to the disease and spread it among the rest.

Rich imagination? The decisions of the government of the US has no effect on the conditions of the world other than the terrorism that is going on around the world. And that is one more reason that gung-ho Bush haters show their ignorance. The more acts of terrorism that are performed by angry citizens leads us that much closer to a suspension of the movement of the people. You go into a Driver's Licence getting place and you might read on the wall, 'Driving is not a right, it is a privilege.' And it can be taken away. That is Martial Law.

But, we have sent so much of our hard earned money to the cities and the states so they could resurface all the roads which cost billions of dollars and we complain, complain, complain while we feed, house, clothe, repair all of the unscathed paticipants in the murders of even some of your close friends and brush it off because they are so needed in this society so you can go and work and visit and show-off. What the raising of the price of gas does not stop, the raising of the food prices will. And if that does not stop the going and the violence, the disease will. And if that doesn't stop it, there's always the good 'ol Martial Law. If disease becomes so rampant that travelling within a territory or state would spread the disease, a quarantine would be placed on the people within the place and no entrance into the area.

I'm glad I just imagine these things and it's not true yet.

How many times do you call on the name of God before you get into your car? I believe His response would be 'I don't know you.' The same goes with me also.

I don't usually vent in this way but I did this time.

HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / UNUSUAL & OUT-OF-SEASON WEATHER -
IOWA - The city of Cedar Falls is bracing for a RECORD FLOOD, expecting the downtown flood levee will hold back the raging Cedar River, while preparing for widespread flooding in North Cedar. As of Monday night, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projected a crest of 100 feet for the Cedar River in Cedar Falls. That mark would be nearly 4 feet above the record flood in 1999 of 96.2 feet. As a comparison, the 1999 flood topped the previous record by only .1 foot, and all of the top 10 floods in Cedar Falls have been in the 94- to 96-foot range. The flood levee, which was completed just as the 1999 record flood happened, is expected to hold. With the expected crest the Cedar River will come within 3 feet of the top of the levee. A train with fully loaded cars was parked on the railroad bridge near downtown to provide additional support for the bridge. Cedar Falls has recommended people living in flood prone areas north of the river to evacuate.

NEBRASKA - A meteorologist says several aspects of the fierce thunderstorm that struck Omaha on the 8th made it difficult to predict. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning two minutes after the tornado had left the ground early Sunday morning. Officials estimate the tornado was on the ground from 2:17 a.m. to 2:24 a.m. The warning was issued at 2:26 a.m. It's EXTREMELY UNUSUAL for tornadoes to form in the early morning. The tornado also started rotating at ground level. Most tornadoes start rotating in the clouds and descend, giving weather radar a good chance to detect them early.

CHINA - Rain storms are forecast for southern China over the next two days after RECORD DOWNPOURS caused havoc in Hong Kong and nearby Guangdong, triggering landslides and halting traffic. At least seven cities, home to 1.5 million people, in the coastal province of Guangdong have been hit by continuous rains, with more than 1,500 houses destroyed and more than 150 factories having to suspend operations. "Guangdong's coastal cities will probably face typhoons or high tides this month, and flooding might be more severe than expected. Rainfall will diminish today in the Pearl and Yangtze river basins, where it has been heavy from Saturday to yesterday, before again becoming torrential." Heavy rains are also seen in southern Jiangxi and Guangxi where water was knee-deep or higher on main streets. Rainstorms brought havoc to Hong Kong on Saturday, bringing the heaviest downpour since records began and sparking widespread flooding and dozens of landslides, one of which killed two people.

MEXICO - Heavy rains have wreaked havoc in Eastern mexico as thousands of people flee landslides and mudflows triggered by the profuse deluge. Landslides have destroyed many homes in the eastern coastal state of Veracruz as authorities struggled to reach certain areas owing to blocked transportation routes and damaged communication lines. The intense rains in eastern Mexico have lasted several days, flooding numerous homes and roads in various parts of Veracruz.

HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -
WASHINGTON - High winds knocked out power to at least 18,700 homes in Seattle and South King County late Monday as an unseasonably strong storm blew through the area. Across Western Washington, about 30,000 customers were without power late into the evening. Monday's storms came as Puget Sound-area residents had just begun to thaw out after the COLDEST JUNE WEEK ON RECORD. The average high temperature in Seattle last week was a less-than-balmy 57.3 degrees - nearly two degrees lower than the previous record, set in 1917. That's 10 degrees lower than the normal high for the week, 68 degrees. The National Weather Service issued a gale wind warning Monday evening. The statement cautioned that wind gusts up to 57 mph could drive 6-foot waves during the night. At higher elevations in the Cascade Range, the cold front was expected to bring 5 to 10 inches of snow to mountain passes. Forecasters predicted the snow level would drop to 2,500 feet overnight Monday. The cold, wet weather likely will mean a dusting at Snoqualmie Pass and snow accumulations up to 5 inches at the state's higher passes. "We have a cold front that's coming through, which is obviously UNUSUALLY STRONG. I can't remember a time when we've put out a heavy snow advisory in June." The snow warning for the Cascade and Olympic ranges has forced highway crews to delay mowing grass and return to the mountain passes with snowplows.
OREGON - A wintery storm within a week of summer is producing snow and ice. The southern Blue Mountains can expect 3-5 inches of snow, and the northern Blues could get 6-10 inches. The weather service also issued a hazardous weather outlook for most of Eastern Oregon, and there is a frost advisory in effect into Wednesday night for the Blue Mountains and much of Wallowa County. Baker County could get three to five inches at higher elevations and one to two inches in the valleys.
Cold Spells - Aspen, Colorado is actually re-opening this weekend to offer winter sports enthusiasts some rare June skiing in the area. The Aspen Skiing Company said Monday that it will open up Aspen Mountain from June 13 to 15 for skiers and snowboarders. The company says record winter snowfall has left the mountain covered with snow, leaving behind an average of more than 3 feet of snow on the upper slopes. UNUSUALLY COLD WATERS off of Nova Scotia are harming this year's lobster crop. Temperatures fell so low the lobsters were not crawling. In order for the lobsters to crawl into a trap the water has to be at least over the 40-degree mark and the spring season has had hardly any times when the conditions are right. "Our spring is just not viable. Global warming is having the opposite effect for us and we are seeing the temperatures of the water stay lower for longer." The shrimp season has also been delayed in Mississippi as a result of colder than normal Gulf temperatures.

AUSTRALIA - the weather is becoming 'predictably unpredictable'. "The rainfall this year is already 1130mm ... and that's 90% of the entire year's rainfall - just in six months." Temperature is also a factor. "[This past] summer some places only hit about 25 days where the temperature was 30 degrees or above over the three months. That's half the number of days that hit 30 degrees or higher for the same time the year before. Then you take the months of April and May. In some places THE TEMPERATURE WAS THE COLDEST ON RECORD."

EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE-

MEXICO - Bears have been spotted foraging for food and water on the outskirts of Monterrey, Mexico's second largest city, as they struggle to survive a dry spell that has depleted their natural reserves of food and water.

FOOD / WATER / SUPPLIES-
Hot weather extending from Quebec to Florida has caused a number of fruits and vegetables to ripen quickly and come to market at low prices.

U.S. rains take heavy toll on crops - Putnam County, Indiana has been deluged with nearly 13 inches of rain — about one-third of the state's YEARLY average. The heavy rainfall and flooding are threatening farmers and crops across the state. Farmers throughout the rain-drenched Corn Belt are concerned that damage to recently planted crops will hurt yields, helping to drive up prices of everything from eggs to meat to bread. Last week's rain-fed jump in corn prices was THE LARGEST ONE-WEEK RALLY IN HISTORY. In Indiana, the overabundance of rain began last month. The amount of rainfall in the state — 6.1 inches — was 37% more than normal in May. Before the deluge, Indiana farmers were en route to one of their best years

AUSTRALIA - The world's largest cattle ranch has been forced to sell off its livestock and mothball operations because of the severe drought.

THE UNITED KINGDOM has been hit by a worldwide shortage of lemons and Russia is snapping up what's left. Supplies of the tangy citrus fruit are running out with traders predicting empty shelves during the month of August if the situation continues. Prices have already shot up with a single lemon now selling for about double what it was this time last year. Prices are set to increase further as lemons run out due to a poor harvest following FREAK WEATHER conditions across the globe. The world markets were relying on bumper crops from the Southern Hemisphere following a terrible season in Europe from September 2007 to April 2008. But low temperatures and late frosts across the Southern Hemisphere have caused a drop in production and quality. Demand across the world now far outstrips supply.

The tomato industry in Florida has collapsed and $US40 million worth of tomatoes will rot unless the source of a salmonella outbreak can be quickly traced.

What would the government do after the detection of the H5N1 bird flu in one of the chickens here in the US?
Sorry, wrong question.

But, I thought that the sun controlled the outbreak of storms on earth by the sunspots and flares.

I read somewhere last night that the sun has been in the longest period of no storms, sunspots, or flares.

The effect of all of the forest fires in California along with the heavy rains that may fall is that the ground will have no protection against the force of the water. And that leads to lanslides and shifting.

They would put the lid on it, then find out that docs ring the alarm bells, and then go staunch on China and invoke an import ban.

Meanwhile people infected will be quaranteend.

Somebody probably stuck some Salmonelly in the Mayonaisse the people were using on their tomatoe sandwich.

Look at it from the bright side: the mockers will now have tons of rotten tomatoes, to fullfill the Word and bring the days of Noah into "fruitfull" abomination.

Gregg,

You seem kind of sarcastic in your remarks, is there a reason for this? I'm not starting anything, but Justice has some really great posts as she had done the research and all you do is mock. It's not right and you should stop doing this as she has made some really great points here. Praying for you.

First lock on Mississippi River closes amid flood
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080612/ts_nm/...ippi_closure_dc

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/pop...20&src=news
Video:
High prices for everything!
Disaster for corn, etc.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080612/ap_on_re_us/wildfires
N. Calif. wildfires force hundreds to flee homes

its not fair...they never include poor little tasmania ....we are having weird weather too...perhaps i should go complain to the australian government lol. for winter, tassie is having incredibly warm days....but the nights and mornings are cold

Thank you, Rose, for pointing out that I am becoming a little, what you call 'sarcastic' in my remarks, but I am not trying to disrupt any train of thought. And Justice, I apologize for any 'sarcasm.'
Florida has shut down its Tomato industry because of some reports of sickness among some people and, maybe, they traced some Salmonella to a certain tomato or group of tomatoes. But they don't know where the tomato or tomatoes came from. I was thinking, since I live about 30 miles from the border of AL/FL and I just love tomato sandwiches and there was one time when they found too much Salmonella in Mayonaisse, 'OH NO!' So I started using Blue Cheese Dressing on my sandwiches.

About the fires and floods and droughts and all that, it is sad. But sadder still:



I livein a city that went through the first fatalities of 2007 due to tornadoes, but the tornado rippedup a high school not a camp site.

INDIA - Recurrent tremors were felt in Gaya during the past fortnight. Four shocks were felt on May 30, June 6 (4.7) and June 9 (3.3) in Gaya. Experts in the Indian Meteorological Department say that there is little cause for anxiety, still the chief minister has invited the experts to study the phenomenon and submit findings.

A future network of satellites orbiting the earth may be able to detect an impending earthquake by monitoring our planet's ionosphere. The project is based on a controversial theory that may have gained support in light of new findings relating to last month's Sichuan province earthquake. The researchers hope to create a global network of roughly 20 satellites that would scan for telltale activity that some scientists say precedes large earthquakes. The goal is to create an early warning system that would give up to two weeks notice before a major earthquake occurs. The proposed dishwasher-sized satellites could be deployed in two year's time, and would monitor several distinct phenomena. The theory suggests that much of earth's rock has soaked up water, which has later been exposed to extreme heat and pressure inside the earth. Those conditions break apart the water and create the electrically conductive crystals that exist inside most rocks, as well as byproducts such as oxygen. As pressure builds before an earthquake, the oxygen molecules inside the rocks undergo chemical reactions, creating a positive electrical charge that radiates out toward the earth's surface. "It's similar to how an electrical charge radiates through a battery." The charge creates a subtle fluorescent, infrared glow and a magnetic field one to two weeks before a major earthquake. That light shines into space, the theory goes, where satellites can register the change. The positively charged magnet creates a dimple, up to 20 kilometres deep, in the earth's atmosphere by attracting negatively charged ions from as far away as 600 kilometres above the surface of the Earth. On 2 May 2008, a professor was looking for these same infrared light sources and found one over Sichuan province. On 12 May the magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the Chinese province. He and his colleagues are currently preparing a paper detailing the Sichuan event that may be published later this year.

VOLCANOES -
NEW ZEALAND - scientists warned people to stay away from the country's most active volcano after an earthquake rocked the region. An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale centred 10km from volcanic White Island was widely felt in the nearby Bay of Plenty region in the northeast of the North Island at 9:06am (7.06am AEST). The quake, which had a focus 5km deep, led to concerns there could be renewed volcanic activity on White Island, which lies 48km off the Bay of Plenty coast. "We would recommend no visits to the island for the next 48 to 72 hours. The potential for eruptive activity will be higher during that period." The volcano last erupted in 2000 and was particularly active between 1976 and 1993. [The seismic drum reading was continuing to be quite impressive last night with multiple red lines, which means the signals were still very large.]

CAMEROON - Uncertainty surrounds Mt. Cameroon's possible eruption - Against a backdrop of speculations, wild rumours and some panic that Mt. Cameroon is threatening to erupt, The Post set out recently on an expedition of inquiry. A geologist says that the mountain is not about to erupt. "They have tested the vent to find out if there is an increase in temperature but they discovered that the temperature has rather dropped and that there is no cause for alarm." Some of the Bakweri chiefs believe that Mt. Cameroon erupts whenever a chief dies. When a Bakweri chief is about to die, there is usually a sign on the mountain which is understood only by custodians of the tradition. The chiefs are supposed to offer sacrifices to appease Efasamoto (the god of the mountain). There is a place on the mountain where non-indigenes are not permitted to go. "There is a particular area on the mountain where no language apart from the Bakweri Bomboko vernacular must be spoken. If English or any other strange language is spoken there, it would cause an eruption." At Poto Poto quarter in Bokwaongo, where a 1999 eruption affected many people, the denizens said they have not sensed any sign of a possible eruption.

COSTA RICA - Arenal Volcano let molten boulders fly twice this week. The volcano puts on an incredible, natural light show almost every night. It's a spectacular sight to see molten lava pour out and it is monitored carefully. On Tuesday (June 10), Volcán Arenal threw flaming rocks down its edges, causing a stir for the second time in five days. "It was something we had foreseen. There had been an accumulation of large rocks and materials at the summit, and it was going to collapse any minute." The rock avalanche was very similar to Friday's, and the falling rocks followed the same path as before. In addition to tumbling boulders, however, a spewing volcano also throws out noxious gases, which can be more dangerous to nearby park visitors than anything else. Aware of the impending activity, park rangers had already evacuated the areas closest to the volcano. This latest activity falls well within the volcano's normal activity parameters, charted over the volcano's last 40 years. Though the unstable material will continue to fall — creating ideal viewing conditions for visiting tourists — experts say that there is no danger of a major eruption/explosion.

TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
No current tropical cyclones.

HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / UNUSUAL & OUT-OF-SEASON WEATHER -
IOWA - Nearly 4000 homes were evacuated in Cedar Rapids Thursday and parts of the city's downtown were under 5 to 6 feet of water as flooding continued to ravage the state. The National Weather Service called flooding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a "HISTORIC HYDROLOGIC EVENT" Thursday as the swollen river poured over its banks at 500-YEAR FLOOD LEVELS. Residents should expect "UNPRECEDENTED river crests". One of the Cedar Rapids levees already has broken. "The rest of the levees in the city have not broken down but what the problem is is the water went way up over the top — well over a foot over the top of the levees." Officials estimated that 100 blocks in Cedar Rapids were under water. "People that never prayed before this, it might be a good time to start." In downtown, flood waters neared the top of stop signs and cars were nearly covered in water. It wasn't clear just how high the river had risen because a flood gage was swept away by the swirling water. The surging river caused part of a railroad bridge and about 20 hopper cars loaded with rocks to collapse into the river. The cars had been positioned on the bridge in hopes of weighing it down against the rising water. "We're in uncharted territory — THIS IS AN EVENT BEYOND WHAT ANYBODY COULD EVEN IMAGINE." Frantic sandbagging enabled the upstream cities of Cedar Falls and Waterloo to narrowly avoid widespread flooding. Storms overnight into Thursday brought up to 5 inches of rain across west central Iowa. 55 of the state's 99 counties have been declared state disaster areas. Nine rivers are at or above historic flood levels. The City Council on Wednesday was told to prepare for a long flood — not just a record-setting one. (photos)
Four teenagers were killed and 48 people were injured when a tornado tore through a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa on Wednesday night. At least 42 of those injured were still hospitalized on Thursday morning, suffering from everything from cuts and bruises to major head trauma. The tornado was one of 28 reported late Wednesday moving across eastern Kansas and into Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. Those tornadoes killed at least two people in northern Kansas, destroyed much of the small town of Chapman and caused extensive damage on the Kansas State University campus. ( YouTube video showing the tornado passing in front of a television tower cam. If you pause the video during the lightning strike near 2:34, you can see the funnel coming down from the cloud mid-screen.) In Cedar Rapids the level of flooding is expected to break records by a wide margin. "You hardly ever break a record, and if you do, you only break it by a little bit. In this case we are going to break it by four or five feet, and that is a lot of water."


MINNESOTA - A man was killed after his car plunged from a washed-out road into floodwaters in southern Minnesota on Thursday in Freeborn County. (photo / video)

Flooding along the mid-Mississippi River will worsen in the next week as the flood waters from other rivers flow downstream. The Mississippi River at Clarksville, Missouri, had risen to 29.57 feet at 2 a.m. CDT. The river a week from today is expected to exceed 36 feet, A LEVEL THAT IS MET ON AVERAGE EVERY 200 YEARS. Record flooding is currently taking place across the mid-Mississippi Valley. The level of the Cedar River at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was 30.85 feet at 3 a.m. CDT. The river has GREATLY SURPASSED THE PREVIOUS CREST RECORD of 20.0 feet from March 18, 1929. The swollen river has led to the closure of Interstate 80 in both directions at milepost 266. The road is not expected to re-open for the next two to three days. Flooding forced officials to close a 14-mile stretch of Interstate 90/94 in south-central Wisconsin Thursday. Drier weather will dominate the entire mid-Mississippi Valley on Saturday. The dry spell for the mid-Mississippi Valley will be very brief. A new storm will return the threat of severe weather and flooding on Sunday.

CANADA - Incessant rain is beginning to take its toll on Calgary's river banks and flood budget, as a landslide and sink hole kept city crews busy. High stream-flow advisories dotted most of the southern half of Alberta. The city has already received 75.2 mm this June, while normal values for the entire month are 79.8 mm.

CHINA - Torrential rain persists in southern China - Since late May, there has been heavy rain in south China, which caused floods, collapses, landslides and mudflows, as well as heavy losses of life.

HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -
MONTANA - RECORD STORM battered Great Falls area - Snow in June isn't all that unusual in Montana, but rarely does it come in the quantity that fell early Wednesday morning. A cold, wet system centered on Great Falls, shattering tree limbs with heavy snow and knocking out power across the city. By the time most people got to work, the National Weather Service had recorded 6.8 inches of snow at the airport on Gore Hill. That was 35 TIMES THE PREVIOUS SNOWFALL RECORD FOR JUNE 11 of .2 inches, recorded in 1969. The low temperature of 32 on Tuesday also BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD for the date of 34 degrees, also from 1969. The blast of snow wasn't quite enough to set Great Falls' all-time record for June snowfall — 8 inches fell on June 7, 1950 — but it was enough to immobilize a snowplow that was clearing roads for morning traffic. "That's PRETTY UNUSUAL this time of year — to get a snowplow stuck." With the exception of Great Falls, the storm dropped most of its snow in the mountains.

IDAHO - Tuesday's snow in Boise is the LATEST EVER RECORDED - on Wednesday morning officials with the National Weather Service recorded a rain/snow mix at the Boise Airport, which makes for a new record. The latest recorded snowfall in Boise was June 7 in 1914, making Tuesday's trace of snow a new record. It's the latest June snow ever recorded, since weather statistics began being collected in 1872. "This is a VERY UNUSUAL WEATHER PATTERN we have been in."

WASHINGTON - Freak snowstorm creates perilous alpine conditions - Trails that usually are clear by Memorial Day are buried under feet of snow, making them unsafe and delaying the high-country hiking season by weeks. The past few days felt more like March than June in South Sound, and it is still raging winter in the high country of the Cascades and Olympics. One hiker died and two others suffered frostbite when they were caught in a harsh snowstorm Monday near Camp Muir in Mount Rainier National Park. Experts at Western Washington national parks and national forests say that trails that usually are clear in mid-June still are buried under several feet of snow above 3,000 feet in elevation. "A lot of old-timers are saying it's been years and years since they've seen weather like this in June." The new snow falling on the high country is just adding to the deep snowdrifts left over from the record snowfalls of last winter. The calendar says summer begins June 20, but the weather says it's still winter above 3,000 feet. One site sampled in late May had 12 feet of snow, which is 165% of normal.

Farmers Almanac says weather in years ending in 8 can be UNUSUAL - the Farmer's Almanac devoted some space to the subject in this year's edition, including the hurricane of '38, the blizzard of 1888, and the ice storms of 1998 that left people in the northeast and Canada without power for days. It's not so unscientific because weather moves in cycles, so it's plausible that severe weather in North America coincides with 8's.

EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE-

CALIFORNIA - a state of emergency was declared in the coastal county of Santa Cruz south of San Francisco as wildfires threatened thousands of homes in the state's rain-starved north. The Santa Cruz fire has already ravaged 280 hectares and an unspecified number of buildings. In Butte County, two brush and forest fires have scorched some 10,000 hectares and destroyed 21 homes and 26 other buildings. Another fire was burning in Monterey county just south of Santa Cruz. "For the areas in Northern California that supply most of our water, this March, April and May have been THE DRIEST EVER IN OUR RECORDED HISTORY." Over January 1 to June 30, 2007 Los Angeles, in the southern part of the state, experienced its DRIEST RAINY SEASON IN 130 YEARS, with one-fifth of normal rainfall. One consequence was a rise in devastating fires in the second half of the year.

U.S. EAST COAST - Deaths blamed on the East Coast's recent heat wave climbed past 30 Thursday. The UNUSUAL spring heat wave was blamed on "the Bermuda high" a semi-permanent air mass which shifts to the east or west over the mid-Atlantic.
The heat and humidity have split, but not before toppling trees - big ones - all across Maryland and Virginia. The list of incidents of downed trees, with associated structural damage and power outages, is impressive. (photo)

There will be more, much more.

Heavy wood fires in Southern NORWAY.

I did'nt read if you listed this:



Yeah, you did.

JAPAN - Six people are known to have been killed and more than 200 injured in the 7.0 quake that struck the rural mountainous region of Iwate on Japan's main island of Honshu. Landslides followed the tremors across Akita prefecture - the epicentre of the quake. There have been more than 200 aftershocks. Those missing include seven people feared buried by a mudslide at a hot spring hotel in mountains outside the town of Kurihara, Miyagi region. With major roads buckled and unusable, search teams hiked through mountain trails to reach isolated towns. A small amount of radioactive water was leaked at a nuclear power station, but officials said there was no danger to the public from the minor spillage at the facility in Fukushima. Seismologists issued a warning of the earthquake moments before it struck around 0845 (2343 GMT) on Friday. Surveillance cameras in the city of Sendai showed it being shaken violently for about 30 seconds.
UPDATE - The quake death toll has risen to at least nine. Mountains were carved away by the force of the quake, trees crashed into newly slashed ravines, roads were cut off by landslides, and bridges buckled and broke. More than 260 aftershocks had jolted the area by this morning, and officials warned there could be strong quakes to come. Efforts to find seven people believed trapped in a hot spring resort swamped by a massive landslide resumed early this morning. Rescue workers picked their way through debris while scores of others, including soldiers, began carefully crossing a river of mud covered with makeshift wooden boards to get to the two-story inn, whose first floor had completely collapsed. Some 100 people were cut off in remote areas after roads were blocked by landslides. Experts said the scope of the quake was far smaller than the one that hit China a month ago and the region's sparse population and Japan's stricter building codes also limited the damage. ( 8 photos)

LEBANON - Seven earthquakes struck southern Lebanon and northern Israel during the past 24 hours, Lebanese seismologists said Friday. Two of the tremors struck on Friday morning, measuring 3.8 and 3.9 on the Richter Scale, respectively. The other five hit within the space of three hours on Thursday.

CHINA - The lives of nearly 90% of China's endangered pandas are in danger after last month's earthquake devastated their mountainous habitat, Chinese government experts have warned. The lives of about 1,400 wild pandas in quake-hit areas of Sichuan province are in jeopardy, and some may have already died. "Massive landslides and large scale damage to forests triggered by last month's earthquake are threatening the existence of wild pandas. Caves and tree hollows where giant pandas live may be damaged, water in the habitat is polluted, and some of the bamboo is buried or smashed. Their living environment is completely destroyed." The quake affected 1.9 million hectares (4.7 million acres), or 83% of the country's total panda habitat. But officials said the extent of the damage could be even worse because landslides have blocked roads, preventing officials from assessing some areas.

VOLCANOES -
CHILE - The Chaiten volcano in southern Chile has erupted with renewed strength, belching thick clouds of ash and hurling molten rocks into the air. The volcano first began to erupt in May after lying dormant for centuries. "There has been an increase in the volcano's activity." Witnesses reported seeing two new craters, and of seeing "significant gas emanations and volcanic material" coming from the volcano. The National Service of Geology and Mining said it registered 15 low-level earthquakes early Thursday in the volcano area. Since the volcano had calmed down in the past weeks officials were hoping to let evacuees return to recover their belongings - but that plan was put on hold "until we are certain that this increased activity is something temporary." (photo)

TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
No current tropical cyclones.

COLUMBIA - The Colombian National Army on the island of San Andres was been put on alert in anticipation of a tropical storm. Thursday the storm was headed toward Nicaragua, but San Andres island, in the Caribbean Sea, lies in its course. Small boats have been asked not to venture out to sea, and authorities have instructed island residents to take adequate safety precautions. Heavy rains have killed 29 people so far this year and left thousands homeless in Colombia.

First Hurricane of US season likely June 18-22? Piers Corbyn of WeatherAction Long range forecasters today (June 13) - in a dramatic move towards developing long range extreme weather forecasts for anywhere in the world - predicted that the first tropical storm of the US season will form (85% likely) around 18th June. "We expect it to start in the Caribbean / Gulf of Mexico region and soon develop into Hurricane strength and make landfall (75% likely) or near landfall by 21 or 22 June in Florida / Southern States or possibly Cuba or (less likley) the west side of the Gulf. This Tropical storm will be associated with severe tornado events in central / SouthEast parts of the USA while New York /NorthEast USA are likely to be unusually cold. After that we are 90% confident the storm will quickly die and the period 23 June to 5 July will be essentially storm free." There is at present no forecast for any US Tropical Storms on the USA official hurricane and weather service Service sites. This is the 5th of WeatherAction's trial forecasts of extreme weather events in the USA this year. They say their success rate (for three major blizzards and a spell of severe tornadoes) is 4/4 so far. These trial forecasts are created using WeatherAction's Solar Weather Technique which uses predictable aspects of particle and magnetic affects from the Sun to make forecasts of certain extreme events in various parts of the world.

MYANMAR - About 300 bloated and decaying corpses, apparently victims of Cyclone Nargis, washed up on a beach in eastern Myanmar more than one month after the cyclone struck the country.

HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / UNUSUAL & OUT-OF-SEASON WEATHER -
CHINA - Flooding in southern China has killed at least 55 people and forced more than one million to flee their homes. Torrential downpours have affected nine provinces. More rain is expected in the coming days, forecasters warn. Among those provinces badly hit is Sichuan, which is still reeling from last month's massive earthquake. The flooding has submerged large areas of farm land and destroyed 6,600 homes in Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces. Many roads throughout the affected areas have been covered by landslides. The flooding in the Pearl river delta is THE WORST FLOODING FOR 50 YEARS.

INDIA - With the early arrival of the south west monsoon at the end of May, Mumbai received the HEAVIEST RAINFALL FOR THE LAST SEVEN YEARS.

MYANMAR - At least 11 people died in central Myanmar when their homes collapsed from landslides caused by heavy rain. The deaths occurred Wednesday and Thursday in Mogok region, which has been battered by heavy monsoon rains. Several homes collapsed along Mogok's Yeni creek, where water levels rose as much as three feet. Heavy rains have battered other parts of the country, including southwestern Myanmar where Cyclone Nargis hit last month.

MEXICO - Many parts of southern and central Mexico have been flooded after more than a week's worth of heavy rains. The southern Mexican state of Oaxaca has been worst affected. More than 7,000 people were evacuated from their homes as flood waters continued to rise. So far, at least five people have lost their lives in the floods. Heavy rain and floods have also affected the oil-producing state of Veracruz along the Gulf of Mexico coast. Since last Wednesday, the recent heavy rains have been particularly severe and persistent. Mexico's rainy season starts around late May or early June and continues through into September and sometimes into October. During the rainy season, most of the rainfall occurs during sharp afternoon thunderstorms, but recently, persistent and torrential rain has moved off the near Gulf, leading to widespread flooding. Forecasters expected further heavy rain across much of central and southern Mexico over the weekend, but expect the rain to ease into the start of this week.

U.S. - At least 24,000 people have been forced from their homes in Iowa by flooding, which has also severely damaged crops in America's main corn state. Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders as Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and other Iowa cities were partly deluged. One of the worst affected areas is Cedar Rapids city, where 438 streets have been submerged and nearly 4,000 homes evacuated. Officials in the city - which is the state's second largest with a population of about 120,000 - warn its drinking water supply is under threat. The cost of flood damage in the state could be in the billions. The cost of the damage in Cedar Rapids alone has been estimated at $737 million. The Cedar river crested on Friday night at nearly 32ft (9.75m), 12 FEET (3.66m) HIGHER THAN THE PREVIOUS RECORD, set in 1929. "We've had heavy rain here now for three weeks. We haven't had more than two or three dry days before we get another downpour. We were warned that there was going to be heavy storms but no one imagined it would be as bad as this...Most of the country's food comes from here in the Midwest and this flood has destroyed most of the crops. As well as affecting us living in Iowa, this flood is going to affect a lot of people in the States." The disaster was triggered by storms blamed for at least nine deaths in the US Midwest this week. South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Illinois and Indiana have also been affected. The Illinois authorities are predicting record water levels there in the coming days. The floods have wrecked the Midwest's corn and soybean crops, helping push already high food prices to record levels this week.
KANSAS - A series of three storms swept through Salina late Wednesday. One UNUSUAL feature of the series of storms was that the second storm to hit Salina was more powerful than the first - it was the second storm that spawned tornadoes - and the third was nearly as strong as the first. Typically, once a storm passes through an area, it removes much of the energy from the atmosphere, making any later storms much less severe. But this wasn't typical. "This was unusual - even the third one still had some punch." Strong winds from the south, aided by the spacing between the storms, continued to feed the storms. "The space between gave them time to draw in more warm, moist air", essentially resetting the conditions under which severe storms form. "It is UNUSUAL." The tornado that ripped through southern Salina and parts east appears to have been on the ground for 14 miles. The tornado was notable for its time on the ground. In all, the storms damaged or destroyed nine homes and numerous outbuildings and businesses in the county.

UNITED KINGDOM - During the 2007 floods, England and Wales experienced the greatest volume of rainfall since records began in 1766. A series of UNPRECEDENTED floods affected tens of thousands of homes and caused £3bn worth of damage. In a number of cases, the flooding was not predicted by the Environment Agency's flood warning system because it was a result of rainwater overwhelming already saturated drains and surfaces and did not involve rivers or coastal flooding. The UK Meteorological Office says it has improved its ability to pinpoint where and when heavy rain will occur. Forecasts of severe downpours will now be issued up to 24 hours earlier, it says, giving local authorities more time to prepare flood control measures. The developments include: A system called STEPS, which models radar data to provide predictions of surface rainfall in order to pinpoint locations of extreme rainfall several hours before it occurs; software that creates multiple forecasts up to two days in advance, allowing forecasters to assess the degree of uncertainty surrounding possible extreme weather events; a computer model that forecasts how rainstorms will evolve, which will enable more precise predictions of rain intensity and location.

HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -
SCOTLAND - Snow returned to the Cairngorms Friday as most of the rest of Scotland basked in warm weather. After some of the hottest weeks on record, the snow high on the peak shocked bosses at the resort. "It certainly came as a surprise. And it is certainly unseasonal... It is proving to be a talking point for visitors. They obviously weren't expecting to see snow at this time of the year." The snow is falling above 900 metres and can be seen from the funicular railway. "Although unseasonal, it is not unknown. But we haven't seen snow this late in the year for a while."

ODD-
BRITAIN - FREAK WEATHER on Friday delayed thousands of passengers at Heathrow. LACK OF A TAILWIND - OR JETSTREAM - over the Atlantic meant hundreds of transatlantic flights were delayed, stopping most others from arriving and departing on time. Just one out of nearly 300 flights from all terminals departed on time from 7:15am to mid-morning. Forecasters warned the UNUSUAL WEATHER is set to continue into Monday, threatening misery for many flying this weekend. "During the weekend most of the strong Atlantic winds are blowing north to south, that is what is causing most of the problems." Concerns have already been raised over delays and cancellations expected because of massive security for the arrival of President Bush and his fleet of planes today. The arrival of his planes - 747s Air Force One and Two, a smaller 757 and four helicopters - is expected to cut arrivals of other flights from 42 to 24 for an hour before he touches down.

FOOD / WATER / SUPPLIES-

AUSTRALIA - Major cropping regions of NSW are in "urgent need" of rain as a greater portion of the state slips into drought, the state government has warned. Seasonal conditions are continuing to deteriorate, and all cropping areas are in urgent need of good rainfall to consolidate crops that have been sown and enable remaining seed to be planted. The drought figures showed that just 13.6% of the state is classified as `satisfactory'. Above average temperatures and frosts have contributed to the drying of soil moisture. "These poor seasonal conditions also impact on the livestock industries, with reduced grazing production, especially in central and southern areas."

AUSTRALIA - Western Australia's gas crisis will hit hard this week as more businesses face the decision to shut down and lay off workers because of escalating energy costs. 14% of 83 companies surveyed recently may halt operations because of the energy squeeze. Apache Energy says it will be two months before gas supplies are partly resumed at its Varanus Island gas plant, where a June 3 explosion cut off one-third of the state's domestic gas supply. Several hundred workers have already been laid off at laundries, abattoirs, freight companies and in timber-related industries. The number forced out of work could soon hit the thousands as related industries and jobs are hit.

Apocalypse Now: Floods, Tornadoes, Locusts - Weather of Biblical Proportions Sets Off Debate Among Theologians and Scientists - By SUSAN DONALDSON JAMES
– www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=5062583

In the beginning, God created heaven and Earth, and he saw that it was good. So begins the Book of Genesis, the dramatic opener of the Old Testament.

But things went downhill from there.

God's wrath seems at work these days, as the heavens and Earth have unleashed earthquakes in China, a cyclone in Burma, killer tornadoes and record floods across the U.S. and even a plague of locusts (cicadas) in New England.

In Cedar Rapids, Iowa today, floodwaters forced the evacuation of a downtown hospital after residents of more than 3,000 homes fled for higher ground. A railroad bridge collapsed, and 100 city blocks were underwater.

"We're just kind of at God's mercy right now, so hopefully people that never prayed before this, it might be a good time to start," Linn County Sheriff Don Zeller said this week as record floods hit the Midwest. "We're going to need a lot of prayers and people are going to need a lot of patience and understanding."

By the final Book of Revelation in the New Testament, the Earth suffers "Seven Plagues" -- from disease to "intense heat" and drought, then finally a shower of deadly hailstones.

And then comes the Apocalypse, the final judgment of man and destruction of the world by fire.

Biblical imagery is all over the news these days  even including a story last week of a New York baby being enwrapped by a snake in its crib, harking back to evil lurking in the Garden of Eden.

[There was a practical explanation: the non-poisonous snake had embedded itself in a mattress shipped by Toys 'R' Us from California.]

Most theologians and scientists don't take seriously warnings that the end of the world is nigh. But many reputable scholars do lend some credence to the notion that the world is in for some kind of disaster, be it meteorological, ecological or geopolitical.

ABC News will air a dramatic two-hour broadcast in September, Earth 2100, bringing the greatest minds across the globe together to tell us what we must do to survive the next century. And what may happen if we don't.

Though tsunamis, hurricanes and heat waves may not be punishment from God, history teaches that events in the physical world trigger upheaval in society. Civilizations have risen and fallen over drought, famine and water wars.

"Only wild-eyed fundamentalists would think that recent weather phenomena have any theological significance," said John P. Meier, a New Testament scholar and professor at Notre Dame in Indiana. "The Earth has seen and will see much worse in recorded history."

The Apocalypse is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition, but end-of-the-world stories are also woven through some Hindu and Islamic beliefs. One Catholic University spokesman described it as "the magical mystery tour of the Bible," filled with vivid imagery: a beast-like antichrist, an angry God and the destruction of the world by fire.

Modern millennialists and eschatologists -- including Yisrayl "Buffalo Bill" Hawkins, the founder of the House of Yahweh religious sect located on a 44-acre compound outside Abilene, Texas, who predicted (incorrectly) the end of the world yesterday, June 12  have been forecasting Doomsday for decades.

"It's been going on for millennia and they get it wrong all the time," said Thomas Reese, senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Seminary at Georgetown University.

"After the first millennium, they thought the world would come to an end," he said. "The pope and the cardinals were in the old St. Peters and they were expecting Jesus to come back. It didn't happen."

The Book of Revelation was written at a time when the Romans were persecuting Christians by setting them afire and feeding them to the lions.

"You have to understand the historical context of the Apocalypse and the time it was written," said Reese. "They were trying to encourage Christians to have hope and to argue that their cause is just and God will not let the bad guys win."

"The central message is that sin is not good for people and it has consequences, but we wouldn't think hurricanes, tidal waves and locusts," he said. "We know enough about science today to look on natural events as natural and not coming from God to punish people."

Meteorologists say there is a natural explanation for all this catastrophic weather  Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Since the 1970s, the Pacific Ocean has been warming, but now it is going through a cooling phase, according to Jay Searles, forecaster instructor at Penn State University.

"But now, we are flipping, and these flips happen over decades," said Searles. "When we go through transition phases like right now, they tend to favor stormy more violent weather  everything we have been observing."

"We are not being punished, though it may seem like it," said Searles. "But there is a scientific reason behind what is happening and that makes sense."

Stephen B. Chapman, associate professor of the Old Testament at Duke University Divinity School, says the Bible has a lot to say about man's relationship to the eco-system.

"In the Bible there is an essential relationship between social justice and right worship and ecology," said Chapman. "The Bible has an intense interest in ecology."

Religious scholars are beginning to pay more attention to what the Bible has to say about man's destruction of the environment and its relationship to natural catastrophes

"The land bearing the cost of global warming is new, but the connection between what humankind does and what societies they form and the health of the land and agriculture is as old as the Bible itself," he said.

One of the great Bible stories  the flood of Genesis that destroyed the Earth  was caused by "violence," said Chapman. But when the floods subside and Noah step out of the ark, the Bible uses "one of the great symbols of hope"  the rainbow.

"The rainbow is explicitly a sign that God will not destroy the earth again and the hope that humankind can live in harmony with natural world."

But evangelists like Ken Han, founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., believe God  not man  is at work in recent weather phenomena.

"There is earthly death payment for sin," said Han. "Because of sin, God doesn't hold the world perfectly together at times, and he uses certain events to judge a nation."

The Bible is filled with symbolism, poetry and parables, and Han says Revelation should not be taken "literally." Still, "just because it's apocalyptic literature doesn't mean there is no truth there."

When the world sins, "the whole of creation groans," according to Han's interpretation of a Biblical passage in Romans. Those groans are reflected in recent tornadoes and storms.

"If you carefully look at events there are certain catastrophes," said Han. "But God is in control and it's not God's fault, it's our fault because we sinned against God."

What will the fire of the Apocalypse look like? "Whatever happens, God will be in charge of it," he said. "I don't see man blowing it up [either through nuclear destruction or global warming]."

"If you believe in the Bible or the Big Bang, everyone agrees about the end of the universe," said Han. "Eventually those who believe in the Big Bang say it dies of heat death and it's all purposeless. But the Christian perspective in there is meaning to life."

New Age circles agree that some sort of cataclysmic event will occur  perhaps as early as 2012, according to ancient Mayan astronomers, who developed the world's most accurate calendar.

Science writer Lawrence Joseph explores those predictions and other theories of cybernetics  the behavior of complex systems  in his 2007 book, "Apocalypse 2012."

He says science can explain why the Earth has experienced recent violent weather patterns. "When you go from one state to the next period, there is chaos in between," according to Joseph. "There are periods of transition and chaos and it's never a straight line."

Scientists can predict major changes on the Earth by looking at its relationship to the sun, which has behaved "in more startling ways" in the last century, and more dramatically in the last three or four years.

Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma were "one of the stormiest periods on earth, and one of the stormiest on the sun," said Joseph. "People are starting to understand the Earth's relation to the sun."

Solar climaxes occur in cycles and the next is expected in 2012, when some scientists predict its activity will be 30 to 50 times more intense than previous ones.

In the 1400s the sun spots disappeared, and a century of drought and global cooling ensued, according to Joseph. It triggered chaos, and the eventual collapse of empire in China. It's the "domino effect" of weather on civilization "that has me worried," he said.

"If things in the Middle East were previously unstable, all we need is something that causes starvation in a system that is already teetering over the edge," Joseph said.

Joseph acknowledges that all the answers don't lie with science, and people project emotional meaning to natural catastrophes when they are anxious. Indeed, Americans have much to worry about: political threats, a foundering economy and even high gas prices.

"There is a certain end of the empire anxiety," he said.

And when weather patterns change, even rational people get nervous.

"There are unchallenged, unspoken assumptions that the seasons come and go your whole life, until the seasons start to mix themselves up and records are broken," he said. "It's profoundly unsettling. But we've seen nothing yet."

Gregg, apology accepted. I guess we all take things differently. Anyway, I live in Florida and will not even think of buying tomatoes and have a skepticism about mayo anyway.. I play it safe, don't like getting sick... I know how sad everything is all over the world, the fires, floods, landslides, earthquakes.. God is definitely speaking and we must listen.

I was wondering if the fact that a huge flood occurred in MANHATTAN, Iowa was a way of getting our attention? Manhattan seems to have a lot of significance, the 911 incident, the fact that it's the seat of the financial industry in the US and basically all over the world. I looked up the word Manhattan and found it is from Indian words, mannah (meaning island) and hatin (meaning hilly), so basically it is a hilly island. As far as Iowa, it is more just about Indians that natively lived there. I wonder what significance is in all this?? I am kind of suspicious about the words, just like when something happened in a town called Jerusalem in the US. I think everything is tied in to end time prophecy. Glad all is cleared up. I like HAPPY!

Wow Rose! I didn't put that together..Manhattan! I bet Blindzebra would have lots to say on this matter. Have you seen her lately?
Love you Rose!! Hope everything is well with you..

Blessings to you,
Love, Lisa

2008: The Year of Global Food Crisis[/b]
IT IS the new face of hunger. A perfect storm of food scarcity, global warming, rocketing oil prices and the world population explosion is plunging humanity into the biggest crisis of the 21st century by pushing up food prices and spreading hunger and poverty from rural areas into cities. Millions more of the world's most vulnerable people are facing starvation as food shortages loom and crop prices spiral ever upwards. And for the first time in history, say experts, the impact is spreading from the developing to the developed world. More than 73 million people in 78 countries that depend on food handouts from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) are facing reduced rations this year. 'The increasing scarcity of food is the biggest crisis looming for the world', according to WFP officials.
http://www.lavalnews.ca/articles/TLN1612/f...isis161206.html

Earthquake caused strong vertical shaking
The violent mag.7 earthquake that struck the Tohoku region Saturday morning reportedly caused a violent up-and-down shaking that lasted about two minutes, triggering landslides in mountainous areas.Some reports have been received of vehicles being swallowed up by landslides.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080615TDY02306.htm

Freak rain causes deaths, huge evacuations
Freak rain lashed eastern and southern China in the past few days, causing deaths and massive evacuations.Six people died and four were missing since Friday after rainstorms devastated part of southern Guangdong Province and triggered the biggest river flood in nearly half a century

China floods kill 55, 1 million flee
State media are reporting that 55 people have been killed and seven are missing in flooding across a broad stretch of southern China. A Sunday report by the official Xinhua News Agency says more than 1 million people have been forced to flee their homes across nine provinces, including Sichuan, which is still reeling from last month's earthquake that killed almost 70,000 people.

Japan quake rescuers fight aftershocks
Soldiers fought their way through a torrent of mud and rocks at a hot spring Sunday, where several people were believed buried after a magnitude 7.2-earthquake hit the mountains of northern Japan, killing at least seven and injuring more than 200.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080615/ap_on_...apan_earthquake

Wow Rose, good observance! Salem, then Manhattan! Definitely God talking!

Lois where do you find all those cute animations? I find it amazing how you make them all fit!!

Thank you my sweet girls... Lisa, no I haven't heard from BZ in a while. I sure hope the Lord leads her to this thread and gives her revelation. She sure does have a lot to say about NYC in prophecy. How are you doing?

And Justice, I'm with you... Loey always finds the best STUFF!

I have to make a revision, the flooding took place in MANHATTAN, KANSAS... either way, KANSAS is an Indian word meaning "swift wind"... so that may be significant. So put together, hilly island and swift wind. Hm... Anyway, they are all native American Indian derivations. Just thought I'd clear that up.

I did reread Loey's forelast post about "Apocalypse Now". Is it not astounding that you see everyone lining up to rely solely on science in an attitude of "Every explanation is good enough, but NOT God"?.

Twisting Scripture is apparently no problem, or someone has a bad memory and did not check the Word while quoting this half-lie:
"The rainbow is explicitly a sign that God will not destroy the earth again and the hope that humankind can live in harmony with natural world."
It should be:
"The rainbow is explicitly a sign that God will not destroy the earth again by water and the hope that humankind can live in harmony with natural world." How about living in harmony with God, our Creator?

Well Justice, you have the job of straightening out the twists.

God did say He would not destroy the earth again by water, but why did He say that? Do you think that the earth will swallow up the water?
In Revelation, the earth does swallow the water sent by the beast to drown the child. That does not help the parents in China who lost their only child.
Just first galance without checking and reading and comparing verses says that maybe you're right, but at second thought maybe Loey is right.
See, God said 'I will not destroy the earth again as I have done.'

Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savor; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

So, the Lord is not doing anything to damage the earth; you see that?

gregg, you have me thinking. how could I have read this verse Gen. 8:21 wrong...

Genesis 9:15 says:
[15] And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

Good remark