Thursday, February 24, 2011

Global Events: File Under: What You Might Have Missed..

Double volcanic eruption in Kamchatka

Markets get jitters as oil price heads for the sky

Fears that the unrest in North Africa and the Middle East could seriously disrupt oil supplies and throttle the world economy turned to reality yesterday and propelled the price of oil to more than $108 a barrel during trading, the highest since September 2008. It was $85 at the start of the year. The region supplies a third of the world's oil needs.



Analysts said that if the unrest in Libya, a major oil exporter, spread to more important powers such as Iran and Saudi Arabia then "the sky's the limit" for oil prices and $150 a barrel could be reached "without breaking a sweat", with grim implications for economic recovery, inflation and living standards worldwide.

Supposedly quake-proof buildings collapsed

Technically any new structure built in New Zealand has to be able to withstand intense quakes but footage has shown that, although older buildings in Christchurch seem to have been hit the hardest, plenty of newer ones that should have been able to survive a 6.3 quake have also collapsed.

Earthquake Shakes Up Suez Canal as Iran Warships Approach

An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale shook up residents at the entrance to the Suez Canal early Monday morning, 48 hours before two Iranian ships, a frigate and a supply vessel, are expected to enter the canal.

The National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research reported that tremors from the 3 a.m. quake lasted for 27 minutes, but caused no damage.

The ships had originally been expected to enter the Suez today (Monday), but Egyptian officials announced the delay this morning, without explanation.
And:
Egypt’s agreeing to allow Iranian ships to pass through the Suez is seen by many analysts as a signal that the new regime in Egypt is leaning towards ties with Iran, but Suez Canal officials have pointed out that an international convention requires it allow passage to all ships.  Egypt has reportedly agreed to allow the Iranian boats to pass through the canal en route to Syria. The Obama administration is concerned about “what’s the cargo on board, where is it going, to whom, for what benefit," U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters. Iran has said that the ships are headed for Syria for training, Crowley commented, as laughter was heard in the audience: “My initial response to that would be that we’re highly skeptical of that claim.”

Does a cat's purr hold holistic powers?

Which brings me back to that mystical side of a cat’s purr: it’s been suggested that one of the function of the purr is to enable natural healing of the cat’s own body. Cats purr during both inhalation and exhalation with a consistent pattern and frequency between 25 and 150 Hertz. Various investigators have suggested that sound frequencies in this range can improve bone density and promote healing.

THE DUBAI WASTELAND: 40% Of Buildings Are Vacant And Prices Keep Falling

Forty percent of the buildings in Dubai are vacant, according to Arabian Business.

For comparison only 28 percent of homes are vacant in America's ghost town, Detroit.

Now here's the scary part. Dubai hasn't stopped building:
And:
Real estate values have already fallen by over 60 percent

10 American Cities That Are Dead Forever

A city does not die when its last resident moves away.  Death happens when municipalities lose the industries and vital populations that made them important cities.

The economy has evolved so much since the middle of the 20th Century that many cities that were among the largest and most vibrant in America have  collapsed. Some have lost more than half of their residents. Others have lost the businesses that made them important centers of finance, manufacturing, and commerce.

Global community isolates Gaddafi

EU calls for investigation into possible crimes against humanity while US says "all options" are on the table.

Police, protesters clash again in Greece amid budget strike

Police fired tear gas near the Greek parliament on Wednesday as clashes broke out with protesters throwing stones and firebombs during a demonstration against austerity measures, an AFP reporter said.

The confrontation occurred near the finance ministry on central Syntagma Square with police seeking to block protesters from approaching the building as thousands marched in Athens and other major cities in this year's first general strike against wage and pension cuts.
..
At least 36,000 people according to police demonstrated on Wednesday in Athens, Thessaloniki and the port of Piraeus ..  Union sources put the Athens turnout at over 60,000 people.

Baby dolphins dying along oil-soaked US Gulf Coast

GULFPORT, Mississippi – Baby dolphins are washing up dead along the oil-soaked US Gulf Coast at more than 10 times the normal rate in the first birthing season since the BP disaster, researchers said.

Some 17 baby dolphin corpses have been found along the shorelines of Alabama and Mississippi in the past two weeks, The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies said.

"The average is one or two a month. This year we have 17, and February isn't even over yet," said Moby Solangi, director of the Gulfport, Mississippi-based institute.

"For some reason, they've started aborting or they were dead before they were born."
And:
Adult dolphin deaths tripled last year to 89 from a norm of about 30.

CIA Agent Caught Red-Handed Aiding Pakistani Terrorism?

The U.S. at first falsely claimed that Davis was a diplomat with the State Department and should therefore be granted diplomatic immunity:

But the deeper story is that Davis allegedly actively aided and abetted terrorism.

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