I haven’t written previously about the news of the horrific earthquake that has leveled Haiti’s capital because, really, what is there to say? But a CNN Breaking News alert that, “Hundreds of thousands of people have died in Haiti’s earthquake, the prime minister told CNN today” was staggering enough to prompt a mention. The reality, [...]

NASA is indicating that the asteroid 99942 Apophis, which had previously been deemed to not be an impact risk, might pose a bigger risk than originally thought: It turns out that there are a few things we still don’t know about the orbit of Apophis, which could change its projected course by millions of miles, [...]

Barbara Stocking explains that simply dropping food into Burma is much harder than it sounds. [A]ir drops are not the aid equivalent of smart bombs. Running a humanitarian effort from the skies, like running a purely airborne war, is fraught with problems. For a start it requires excellent intelligence. Yet no one knows exactly where [...]

Dave Schuler rounds up several press accounts of the massive earthquake damage in China, which has killed untold tens of thousands of people. Most notable is the number of schools that collapsed, dooming the children inside. He concludes, It’s not for a lack of money: China is holding nearly a half trillion dollars worth of [...]

Romesh Ratnesar takes to the pages of TIME to ask, in apparent seriousness, “Is It Time to Invade Burma?” The disaster in Burma presents the world with perhaps its most serious humanitarian crisis since the 2004 Asian tsunami. By most reliable estimates, close to 100,000 people are dead. Delays in delivering relief to the victims, [...]

Steven Royster, Spokesman for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, had this to say of the tragic cyclone which has killed tens of thousands of people in Burma: When a crisis like this strikes around the world, the Department of State’s first thought is for the safety of American citizens. As the [...]

Well actually it was 12, but don’t tell Barack Obama that! “In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died—an entire town destroyed,” the Democratic presidential candidate said in a speech to 500 people packed into a sweltering Richmond art studio for a fundraiser. Yeah, guess I [...]

A couple of months ago, I noted that there was a mysterious epidemic centered around the world’s beehives. Now it appears that another ailment may be threatening our freshwater fish. A virus in the U.S. Great Lakes that has killed tens of thousands of fish in recent years is spreading and poses a threat to [...]

At least fourteen people were killed in a wave of tornadoes that struck Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri. A powerful storm system packing tornadoes that killed at least seven people in Alabama and one other in Missouri is being blamed for nine more deaths in Georgia, a state official said early Friday. The storm, which swept [...]

On a day when DC area schools are shut down for miles in each direction because of something on the order of one inch of snow, Stacy McCain reflects on the phenomenon of “Beltway blizzard bumper cars.” Ignoring common cautions most Americans learned as 15-year-olds — e.g., always check your blind spot before changing lanes [...]

A mysterious ailment is having a catastrophic effect on the nation’s bee population. A mysterious disease is killing off U.S. honeybees, threatening to disrupt pollination of a range of crops and costing beekeepers hundreds of thousands of dollars, industry experts said on Monday. Beekeepers in 22 states have reported losses of up to 80 percent [...]

Over the past year there were predictions about how bad hurricanes were going to get (example). That we should expect more and stronger hurricanes. One problem though, so far this hurricane season is one of the least active in decades. So what happened? Lots. Storms were starved for fuel after ingesting masses of dry Saharan [...]

In case you missed the 7/24 news reports last week, the Pacific Northwest got slammed by the “Pineapple Express,” a series of relatively warm major storms that blasted Oregon, Washington, and BC*. These storms gave torrential downpours of rain, rather than the seasonally expected snow, causing massive flooding. But imagine you were just a tourist, [...]

This article from the Cato Institute paints a very depressing image of President Bush’s bail out for New Orleans and the areas affected by hurricane Katrina. Calling President Bush, Franklin Delano Bush, based on this seems inaccurate in timing only given that President Bush has expanded spending at a rate that would have left Republicans [...]

Today’s New York Times fronts a story entitled “‘Breathtaking’ Waste and Fraud in Hurricane Aid.” Among the many superlatives associated with Hurricane Katrina can now be added this one: it produced one of the most extraordinary displays of scams, schemes and stupefying bureaucratic bungles in modern history, costing taxpayers up to $2 billion. A hotel [...]

This is not your grandmother’s “Humane Society”. Those of us closely involved in dog sport have been long aware that the Humane Society of the United States is nothing more than an activist animal rights movement that has “appropriated” the identity of a long established and respected animal welfare organization. It is endlessly frustrating to [...]

A Louisiana parish is interviewing Michael “Brownie” Brown for work as a consultant to help “get things moving again,” USA Today reports. The leaders of a Louisiana parish devastated by Hurricane Katrina may bring in hired help from an unlikely source — heavily criticized former FEMA director Michael Brown. Brown, who resigned two weeks after [...]

From the Smoking Gun comes this story about how FEMA distributed ATM cards were “abused”. Here is a list of items that were bought, .45 calibre pistol–$1,300 Gentlemen’s club–$1,200 Diamond engagement ring–$1,100 Gambling–$1,000 Bail Bond–$1,000 Traffic tickets–$700 Tatoo–$450 Massage Parlor–$400 Alcoholic beverages–$200 Condoms–$150 Now I know that most people are going to be upset or [...]

The Pentagon’s top homeland defense official told the Senate yesterday that one of the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina is that active duty and National Guard forces should have separate commanders during crisis situations. A single military commander should not lead both active-duty and National Guard forces during a domestic crisis, a senior Defense Department [...]

Service members who participated in relief operations for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have been authorized to wear the Humanitarian Service Medal and/or the Armed Forces Service Medal. Storm-relief medals authorized (Army Times) The Joint Staff has authorized the award of the Humanitarian Service Medal and Armed Forces Service Medal to soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and [...]

Nearly half a million Americans have filed unemployment claims related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, according to Labor Department reports. Job Losses From Hurricanes Up to 478,000 (AP) Another 40,000 Americans filed claims for unemployment benefits last week due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, pushing the total who have lost jobs because of the storms [...]

Hurricane Wilma has now reached Category 5 status and is the most powerful hurricane of the season. Wilma Strengthens to Category 5 Hurricane (AP) Hurricane Wilma strengthened into a Category 5 monster early Wednesday packing 175 mph winds, and forecasters said a key reading of the storm’s pressure showed it to be the most powerful [...]

Tropical Storm Wilma is slowly moving out of the Caribbean, likely to make landfall in Florida as a major hurricane this weekend. Tropical Storm Stalls in the Caribbean (AP) Tropical Storm Wilma stalled over the warm waters of the northwestern Caribbean early Tuesday, where forecasters said it would strengthen into an intense hurricane before potentially [...]

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will not play a role in the future government of Germany. BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who has led Germany since 1998, said for the first time on Wednesday he would not play a role in the next government, in an emotional farewell including broadsides at the United States and Britain. [...]

Amazing the number, and scope of natural disasters the world has experienced this year: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) — The Pakistan earthquake toll has reached 18,000 dead and 41,000 injured, Pakistan military spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan has told CNN. Sultan said the information the Pakistan government had on Sunday morning was that 18,000 was the [...]

Hundreds of people are feared dead after a powerful earthquake on the India-Pakistan border. Powerful Asian Quake Leaves Hundreds Dead (AP) A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake near the Pakistan-India border Saturday reduced villages to rubble, triggered landslides and flattened an apartment building, killing hundreds of people in both nations. Pakistan’s army called the devastation “a national [...]

Proving once again that what goes down must come up, President Bush’s poll numbers have rebounded from the low point they reached in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Bush’s poll numbers up (CNN) President Bush’s standing with the public improved over the previous week as he made a highly visible effort to manage the [...]

One of the reasons that gasoline prices are not screaming upto $5/gallon as some predicted is that the damage to refineries by Hurricane Rita was less than expected. DALLAS – Oil companies said Monday that damage to their massive Texas refineries from Hurricane Rita appeared lighter than expected, but analysts are still predicting that retail [...]

Well, it looks like the dire predictions about gasoline simply aren’t going to materialize. In looking at the Daily Fuel Gauge Report the national average for gasoline is $2.813, and in looking at the state data there appears to be no evidence of run-away gasoline prices. Oh well, another Doom-n-Gloom prediction bites the dust.

FEMA will, for the first time, reimburse churches along with other groups that provided relief services to hurricane victims. FEMA Plans to Reimburse Faith Groups for Aid (WaPo, A1) After weeks of prodding by Republican lawmakers and the American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said yesterday that it will use taxpayer money to [...]

President Bush yesterday called on Congress to make the Defense Department, not FEMA, the lead agency in emergency response in the event of major natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. Bush Urges Shift In Relief Responsibilities (WaPo, A12) On Sunday, President Bush called on Congress to consider a larger role for U.S. armed forces in [...]

The area hit by Hurricane Rita had significant demographic advantages compared to that hit by Katrina, partially explaining the more successful evacuation of the former. Rita’s Victims Wealthier Than Katrina’s (AP) Hurricane Rita smashed into a region that is wealthier, more mobile and much less densely populated than the one devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Most [...]

Drudge is running the following: This Is It Hurricane Rita seems to be as bad as feared. Let’s hope that my last post on dueling ideologies is meaningful in the morning — ie, that the damage here in human terms is minimal and that a discussion about day-to-day political shenanigans isn’t trivial by comparison to [...]

According to Michelle Malkin that would be Rep. Don Young from Alaska. Glenn Reynolds, N.Z. Bear and the rest of the pork-busting blogosphere are doing a fabulous job shedding light on all the dripping fat in Washington. I think Alaska GOP Rep. Don Young deserves a targeted blog pressure campaign all his own. Via the [...]

Over at the Oil Drum there is an interesting post. I found two things interesting. The first is how the post indirectly notes that people all too often take the latest data and give it way too much weight. There is a rather odd side to human nature. Take a problem, present it to the [...]

Hurricane Rita has already caused more flooding in New Orleans, pushing water over repaired levees. Water flows over New Orleans levee (CNN) Water washed over a levee in New Orleans’ hard-hit 9th Ward on Friday as Hurricane Rita swept towards the region, the Army Corps of Engineers said. Heavy rain and intensifying winds from the [...]

Houstonians are getting stuck in14-hour traffic jams trying to comply with evacuation orders in anticipation of Hurricane Rita–and running out of gas in the process. Houston-Area Evacuees Face Gas Shortages (AP) Hundreds of thousands of people across the Houston metropolitan area struggled to make their way inland in a bumper-to-bumper exodus Thursday as Hurricane Rita [...]

Hurricane Rita may cause gas prices to spike above $5 a gallon, according to some experts. Rita could equal $5 gas — The timing and strength of the latest storm could cause worse spike at the pumps than Katrina did. (CNN/Money) – Remember when gas spiked to $3-plus a gallon after Hurricane Katrina? By this [...]

Hurricane Rita could be even more powerful than Hurricane Katrina when it makes landfall. Rita Could Be Strongest Storm to Hit Texas (AP) Gaining strength with frightening speed, Hurricane Rita swirled toward the Gulf Coast a Category 5, 165-mph monster Wednesday as more than 1.3 million people in Texas and Louisiana were sent packing on [...]

Well, this should let the wind out the the sails of some of the more hysterical ignorami (e.g. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Katie Couric, and Kevin), but probably not. WASHINGTON—The current period of above-average hurricane activity could last another 20 years or even longer, according to the director of the National Hurricane Center. “The 1940s [...]

Hurricane Rita has once again exceeded the forecaster’s predictions and is now a Category 5 storm. Rita Swirls Into 165-Mph Monster in Gulf (AP) Hospital and nursing home patients were evacuated and as many as 1 million other people were ordered to clear out along the Gulf Coast on Wednesday as Hurricane Rita turned into [...]

Hurricane Rita is now predicted to hit Category 4 and hit the Gulf Coast tomorrow afternoon, moving faster and getting stronger than forecasters believed just hours ago. Forecasters Fear Hurricane Rita’s Strength (AP) Rapidly strengthening Hurricane Rita lashed the Florida Keys on Tuesday and headed into the Gulf of Mexico, where forecasters feared it could [...]

Kevin Drum posts Gov. Blanco’s response. The problem is that there are several questions and Blanco only really responds to one of them. The first question is why weren’t school buses used to get people out of New Orleans before the storm hit? Blanco has literally no answer to this since her reply deals with [...]

Hurricane Rita has achieved Category 2 and is predicted to hit Category 3 by the time it hits the Gulf Coast late in the week. Rita Strengthens Into Category 2 Hurricane (AP) Rita strengthened rapidly on Tuesday to a Category 2 hurricane as it lashed the Florida Keys with flooding rain and strong wind and [...]

Hurricane Center May Run Out of Names (Space.com) Before the 2005 hurricane season is done, you might read about Hurricane Alpha. Each year, 21 common names are reserved for Atlantic Basin hurricanes, with the list arranged alphabetically and skipping certain letters. Rita is the 17th named storm in the Atlantic Basin this year. There are [...]

Rita is only a tropical storm at this point, but officials are taking no chances, ordering the 40,000 residents of the lower Florida Keys to evacuate. Hurricane Warnings Posted for Florida Keys (AP) Officials ordered residents evacuated from the lower Florida Keys on Monday as a strengthening Tropical Storm Rita headed toward the island chain, [...]

Lou Dolinar over at Real Clear Politics is asking that question. Why? Because the numbers of dead are in the hundreds not the 10,000 to 25,000 many were predicting. So, how come the death toll was so low, or in other words, who was doing what needed to be done to help save lives? Largely [...]

In the comments to my post on the misleading headlines trying to tie Anthropogenic Global Warming to Hurricanes, there was a comment I wanted to address. Dean over at Today’s Democracy has a post looking at data on hurricanes over time. He even has a nifty chart. A quick glance would make it look like [...]

There is a new study that has noted that the number of catagory 4 and 5 hurricanes have increased. During the 1970′s there were on average 10 catagory 4 and 5 hurricanes globally. In the 1990′s that number has gone to 18 per year globally. But what is interesting is that this article has the [...]

Just when we get some tiny bit of good news that the budget deficit this year is going to be quite a bit lower than initially estimated, Bush decides that isn’t a good thing and that we’ll borrow even more money. I don’t know, but I’m begining to suspect that somebody told Bush that in [...]