USGS REMOVING EARTHQUAKE DATA? 5th FEB 2011

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Earthquake data on a whole is extremely important, especially for those living near a highly active earthquake zone. Most of us rely on getting this data from several sources, the main one being USGS (U.S. Geological Survey).

I for one have been very interested in earthquake and volcanic activity for years and have started keeping my own records when I noticed a increase in seismic activity during 2009/2010. But how accurately can one chart these events? Is the information provided accurate and correct?

The reason for my doubts would be the numerous Earthquake recordings that are removed during a year; most are removed within 10 min of appearing and the reason cited for this is that the data is declared an "incorrect reading'.

While this may be plausible, during 2010 we noticed a pattern forming. The "faulty" recordings seemed to mostly come from Northern California. Does this mean they have faulty equipment? If so, why not replace them - or is there more going on than we are being told?

Our records of the earthquake also included quakes recorded under near or around Super Volcanoes, which since last week has taken a loss in information when the source site we collected the data from suddenly came under a DDOS Attack. Since its return, it has yet to show data of quakes happening near the Super Volcanoes.

Then, this Morning, I noticed an increase in activity in Northern California when 2 Quakes appeared in Yellowstone 10 min apart. I took a screen shot as I had a feeling they wouldn’t be there for long, and was proven correct - they have since disappeared.

Experts may be downplaying the increase in activity during 2010 and shouting everyone down that disagrees with them, but are they in a position to do this as during 1 day we counted over 60 quakes that had been removed during the swarm of quakes in YEMEN during 2010? So really, how can any of us be sure of anything when information is removed?

How can USGS or anyone else say there has been no increase during 2010 when its USGS has diluted figures that show a minimum 30% increase on large quakes 5 Mag. or higher during 2010. and that is even after the removed recorded quakes?

Wikileaks: US agrees to tell Russia Britain's nuclear secrets

Information about every Trident missile the US supplies to Britain will be given to Russia as part of an arms control deal signed by President Barack Obama next week.

Defence analysts claim the agreement risks undermining Britain’s policy of refusing to confirm the exact size of its nuclear arsenal.

The fact that the Americans used British nuclear secrets as a bargaining chip also sheds new light on the so-called “special relationship”, which is shown often to be a one-sided affair by US diplomatic communications obtained by the WikiLeaks website.

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UK Insolvencies At Highest Since Records Began

The Insolvency Service - the Government department which regulates the industry - said that 135,089 people went bankrupt or took out an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) or debt relief order over the year.

This compares to 134,142 in 2009, which itself was the highest figure since records began 50 years ago.

According to the stats, the number of bankruptcies fell nearly 21% on the previous year, but the number of IVAs rose 6.5%.

But Stephen Speed from the Insolvency Service told Sky News that forecasting numbers for 2011 would be difficult.

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WikiLeaks: planned US missile shield blind to nuclear weapons

A 2007 briefing by General Patrick O’Reilly, director of the US Missile Defence Agency, disclosed that the radar system would be unable to detect long-range missiles in the launch phase because it could only see in a straight line, not over the horizon.

By the time the radar "saw" the missile, it would be too late to launch an interceptor in time to stop it striking its target.

The Czech radar system was the lynch-pin of George Bush’s “son of star wars” missile defence plans, ostensibly intended to intercept missiles launched from North Korea and Iran.

Russia reacted furiously to the proposed system, which it claimed could threaten its own defences and be used to spy on its interests.

A leaked cable obtained by WikiLeaks detailing US talks with Moscow describes a briefing by General O’Reilly on the capabilities of the Czech radar.

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Mexico officially (and successfully) abandoning the US dollar?

Mexico has always considered the US dollar almost a secondary currency to their Peso as the fact that billions of US dollars spent their way through the Mexican economy in 2009 and 2010 which speaks for itself, but sometimes even the best of friendships come to an end.

The Mexican government in September 2010 enacted a new law which basically restricts the use of US Dollars for almost all purchases inside of Mexico.

In early 2010 travelers and visitors could shop at many of the large US corporations inside of Mexico such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot or even one of the hundreds of American food establishments such as McDonalds or Dominoes Pizza and pay for their meal using US Dollars but under the new law using US Dollars is no longer an option.

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Canada housing collapse immiment? Rate hike could trigger housing collapse, economist warns

The Bay Street consensus is that the Canadian housing market skirted the worst and managed a soft landing and homeowners are likely able to absorb higher mortgage payments once interest rates head upward.

But one analyst warned Thursday that people are overlooking a key risk that threatens to push down housing prices by as much as 25% over the next several years: subdued wage growth in a low-inflation environment.

That mix could make mortgage payments increasingly onerous for households already carrying record levels of indebtedness, David Madani of Capital Economics said, adding the knock-on effects to consumer spending could be so significant they could push Canada into another recession.

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Shorage of bees threatening global food production

All over the world honey bees are working as hard as they can, yet they cannot keep up with all the crops that need pollinating in order to meet our ever-growing demand for food. The call for fruit, vegetables and nuts continues to increase, but there aren’t enough bees to pollinate all the crops. As a result, global food production is in danger, says the Rabobank.

It seems a bit strange that a Dutch bank should be concerned about honey bees. Director of the Rabobank Dirk Duijzer explains that his company always takes a keen interest in issues concerning food production. The bank, which started off as a bank for farmers, is seriously worried about the shortage of bees and the consequences for the agricultural and food sectors.

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Dead Fish Wash Ashore From Winter Blast - Texas 4th Feb 2011

It's not just people dying in the winter blast, fish are dead too.

The bay, turned into a watery grave, for a variety of species of fish.

It's a fear come true in spots like Boca Chica Beach and by the Swing Bridge at Port Isabel.

"I've been here for 15 years...and this is the worst I've seen it yet," Sgt. James Dunk with Texas Parks and Wildlife said.

Just before the Valley's first of two nights of hard freeze, Sgt. Dunks predicted fish would be left paralyzed by the plunging temperatures.

"Dead trout... rough fish... Grouper,” he said.

The total impact on fish by the winter blast remains a mystery.

Wildlife experts believe the prolonged frigid temps could be detrimental to the resource.

As one person put it: “It was simply too cold... For too long.”

Friday night lows in the 20's once again, only adds insult to injury.

Law enforcement has been policing the waters since Wednesday afternoon to ensure anglers don't fish in areas designated off-limits.

It's a last ditch effort to protect, what nobody can predict, will be left when the warm-up begins this weekend. Source..

Thousands of Dead fish wash up on Florida shore / Feb 5th 2011

SABASTIAN, FL (CNN) - Thousands of dead fish were found washed up on the shore of a Florida state park.

The animals were found along the beach of Sebastian Inlet State Park in Melbourne Beach, FL, on Friday.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials believe the fish died because of the lack of oxygen.

"Just because there's such a large school of them, they use up the oxygen really quickly, and because they are coming closer to shore, there's not as high of a water turnover rate and sometimes when you're in an area with not as much tidal flow," said Kelli O'Donnell, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

If the oxygen continues to run out, officials believe more fish may die. Source...