THE WILLIS UNIVERSITY

Welcome to the Willis University. This is a site dedicated mostly to the world's natural disasters. Also some random inserts of global news from credible sources and also a mixture of opinion. Some of the opinions are not suitable for all. Please remember this is my opinion only. Thanks to all for the guidance I've been given.

June 29, 2006

Brittney on the cover...

For the people who truly know me you know I love Brittney Spears not the music but the girl. Going back to when she first came out w/ the single "... baby, one more time" in the short plaid skirt. Damn all I could think about is getting back into school. Now she is with the loser Kevin, hey Brittney come here I'll take care of you. Drop the trailer trash Kevin, you can't trust him.

LOS ANGELES — Pregnant pop princess Britney Spears is baring nearly all on the cover of Harper's Bazaar magazine. The singer of "... Baby, One More Time" posed in the buff for the cover of the August issue; there's also a photo spread inside. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,201495,00.html Click Here for the Britney Spears Celebrity Center.

Tornado rips through China

BEIJING, June 29 (Reuters) - A tornado ripped through a village school in eastern China on Thursday, killing three students and injuring dozens, state media said. The pupils were about to take an end-term exam at the Zhupeng elementary school in Si county in Anhui province when the tornado hit, Xinhua news agency said on its Web site, www.xinhuanet.com. "Two classrooms collapsed and more than 30 casualties have been reported. At least three students have died so far," it said. Eleven middle school students in Anhui's Lingbi county died last July when a tornado collapsed their classroom's roof.

Mother Ship

From Jeff Woolwine, an intrepid sky watcher. This is what he saw in the skies over Phoenix just last night (June 27, 2006). This picture was submitted to www.coasttocoastam.com

June 28, 2006

Tropical Storm Jelawat

THE second tropical storm of the year is coming ashore from the east sea area off Hainan Province later today, which is expected to collide with Hainan tonight and then Guangdong province tomorrow morning, bringing heavy showers driven by high winds, Xinhua news agency reported. Hainan Meteorological Bureau issued a typhoon warning as the tropical storm, named Jelawat, continues to roll towards land at a speed of 15 to 20 nautical miles per hour. It is expected to first hit Wenchang, a northern city, this afternoon or tonight. Winds over the Qiongzhou Strait, a link between the island and Guangdong Province, may reach Force 9 levels (34 to 47 nautical miles an hour). As a precaution, over 19,082 ships from the seaside have been called back from shipping activities and have been asked to remain docked until the storm is downgraded, said Lin Mingzhong, vice director of the local flood control office. The maritime safety administration of Haikou, capital city of the island province, has suspended all ferries and trains transport on the strait as of this morning. Jelawat is the second tropical storm to hit the country this year, following Typhoon Chanchu, which battered the southern coastal regions of China, leaving 11 dead. Click Here for more info

In the newspaper

Here is a story in the newspaper from today. More of what kind of films in school? I need to go back to school if this is the case.

Strong earthquake hits off India's Nicobar islands

HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck India's Nicobar islands late Tuesday but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, a United States meteorology office said. The US Geological Survey said in a dispatch received here, the quake struck 317 kilometers north west of Banda Aceh on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and at a depth of 24 kilometers. It was also located 176 kilometers south west of Misha on the Nicobar Islands and hit at 11.37 pm on Tuesday (1807 GMT). The area sits on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire', where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity. The 2004 tsunami was triggered by a massive undersea earthquake off of Sumatra. http://www.forbes.com/finance/feeds/afx/2006/06/27/afx2844773.html

June 27, 2006

Tropical depression could form south of Carolinas

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A tropical depression could form about 140 miles south of Cape Fear, North Carolina, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a special tropical disturbance statement. At 7:30 a.m. EDT (1130 GMT), the NHC said a small low-pressure system could be forming that has the potential to develop into a tropical depression at any time as it moves north to north-northeastward at 15 to 20 miles per hour. An Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft will investigate the system later this morning to determine if a closed circulation exists at the surface. Earlier this morning in a 5:30 a.m. outlook, the NHC said the low-pressure system continued to bring showers and thunderstorms over portions of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The system was expected to bring heavy rains and gusty winds northward through the Carolinas over the next day or so. Separately, the NHC said a large tropical wave is located about 800 miles east of the southern Windward Islands (Martinique, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Saint Vincent, The Grenadines, Grenada, and Trinidad and Tobago). Thanks to: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060627/us_nm/utilities_nhc_outlook_dc_2

Huge Asteroid to Fly Past Earth July 3

An asteroid possibly as large as a half-mile or more in diameter is rapidly approaching the Earth. There is no need for concern, for no collision is in the offing, but the space rock will make an exceptionally close approach to our planet early on Monday, July 3, passing just beyond the Moon's average distance from Earth. Astronomers will attempt to get a more accurate assessment of the asteroid's size by “pinging” it with radar. And skywatchers with good telescopes and some experience just might be able to get a glimpse of this cosmic rock as it streaks rapidly past our planet in the wee hours Monday. The closest approach occurs late Sunday for U.S. West Coast skywatchers. http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060626/sc_space/hugeasteroidtoflypastearthjuly3

Heavy Rains Cause Chaos Across East Coast

FEDERALSBURG, Md. — More than a foot of rain washed out highways around the nation's capital Monday, toppled a 100-year-old elm tree on the White House lawn and caused flooding that closed major government departments and the National Archives, where the Declaration of Independence is kept under glass. Motorists were stranded during the morning rush hour, commuter trains were halted and emergency crews used boats to rescue dozens of people marooned by high water. Many government employees were told to stay home, and tourists found that some of the major landmarks that had drawn them to Washington were closed. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200935,00.html

June 25, 2006

Trip to Six Flags over Texas

This past weekend my wife and I had a chance to take a break from the kids who are out of town. I just happend to win 2 tickets to Six Flags over Texas, so we decided to go. I actually won another set to six flags and will be going again later this summer. But here are a few pics of our weekend. This is a pic from the Lodge we stayed in. Taken from 3rd floor over looking Lake Worth. This is the entrance of the park. Here is a pic of the new ride called "Superman". This ride pulls you up over 325 feet at a quick rate of speed and then keeps you at the top until you think everything is ok. And then holy shit it just drops. Fuck it was fun. You don't even have time to piss your pants. This is the Texas Giant. Made of all wood. While watching this rollercoaster in line I thought "this damn thing is shaking everytime the carts go by" After riding this rollercoaster I think I have brain damage. Over in Gotham City is the "Batman" rollercoaster. This particular coaster lets your feet freefall. The line for this ride was between one hour and one and a half hours. The best ride in my opinion. And here is yours truly with the most expensive bottle of water I have ever bought. This bottle cost 3 fucking dollars. Are you out of your mind. That's more than a gallon of gas where I live. I drank every drop of that water. And I have saved the bottle. I can buy the same size bottle of water at Wal-Mart for 50 cents. But it was a great time. I will be back soon.

June 24, 2006

Has the Bird Flu Mutated?

A World Health Organization investigation showed that the H5N1 virus mutated slightly in an Indonesian family cluster on Sumatra island, but bird flu experts insisted Friday it did not increase the possibility of a human pandemic. The virus that infected eight members of a family last month _ killing seven of them _ appears to have slightly mutated in a 10-year-old boy, who is then suspected of passing the virus to his father, the WHO investigative report said. It is the first evidence indicating that a person caught the virus from a human and then passed it on to another person, said Tim Uyeki, an epidemiologist from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said the H5N1 virus died with the father and did not pass outside the family. "It stopped. It was dead end at that point," he said, stressing that viruses are always slightly changing and there was no reason to raise alarm. http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/06/23/D8IE16DG0.html

Strong quake strikes central Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia - A powerful earthquake struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island early Sunday and panicked residents, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The Hong Kong Observatory said the magnitude-6.2 quake struck at about 5:20 a.m. local time and was centered under the sea around 180 miles southwest of the city of Manado on the central island of Sulawesi. "I was so shocked because my furniture and my roof started creaking," one witnesses in Gorantolo city told Indonesia's state news agency Antara. "When the shaking started, I immediately thought of my wife and child who were still asleep." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060625/ap_on_re_as/indonesia_quake

June 23, 2006

Waterspout Home Video

Amateur video captures a weather phenomenon. » Watch video http://www.yahoo.com/s/332784 A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water and is connected to a cumuliform cloud. In the common form, it is a nonsupercell tornado over water [1]. Waterspouts, not associated with a rotating updraft of a supercell thunderstorm, are generally called "nontornadic waterspouts," or "fair-weather waterspouts,"[1] while those associated with mesocyclones are called "tornadic waterspouts". Tornadic waterspouts are generally more intense than nonsupercell waterspouts, and really just resemble a tornado on water. Fair weather waterspouts occur in coastal waters and are associated with usually weak, developing convective towers. They usually are F0, comprised of winds of less than 30 m/s. These are arguably the most common waterspouts in tropical climates, with upwards of 400 per year observed in the Florida Keys.[2] They generally develop in warm weather with light surface winds, and form from the bottom-up.[3] Fair-weather waterspouts are similar to landspouts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterspout Here is an interesting picture of a waterspout.. Location: offshore from Albania on a ferry between Greece and Italy, Adriatic SeaPhoto Date: 1999 AugustPhotographer: Robert Giudici(http://www.astrogeo.va.it/immagini/cielo/giudici.htm) http://www.cimms.ou.edu/~schultz/c-k/waterspouts/

June 22, 2006

Storms Pound Ohio, Leave Region Flooded

TOLEDO, Ohio — Several towns were under flood warnings Thursday after powerful storms raced across the upper Midwest, toppling trees and power lines and bringing so much rain that one community was split in two by flooding. Five inches of rain fell in a five-hour span in the Toledo area Wednesday night, tornadoes were reported in Michigan, and 56 mph wind gusts and golf ball-size hail pelted northern Ohio, the National Weather Service said. In Pennsylvania, two firefighters were injured fighting an apartment fire apparently started by lightning as the storm moved eastward. The region wasn't in the clear yet, though: Another storm system was moving across the region Thursday evening, damaging buildings and bringing what forecasters said could be up to 3 inches of rain. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200543,00.html

Breaking News from Iran

The following is a satirical look at the president of Iran (aka Mr. Microphone for Glenn Beck) 22 June 2006 We have received breaking news out of Iran from President A full of rage.

We were also able to obtain a copy/translation from Hameen Husani Jael of the speech which follows. My fellow Iranians and any Muslim brothers,

Recently, the Iranian soccer team was defeated during the 2006 World Cup. This is an embarrassment to the entire Iranian country and to all Muslims throughout the world. As a result of this blasphemous event, I am issuing the following statements:

1. Branko Ivankovic: You are a complete idiot! The only other incompetent moron I know besides you is President George W. Bush. Because you have brought this shame upon Iran, I will have your head removed from your body. The video of this beheading will be sent to Al-Jazeera television. You will no longer be able to teach your weak and pathetic brand of American soccer. No 40 virgins for you, because you teach USA brand soccer! 2. Angola: Angola!!?? Is that even a country? My staff provided me a map to find this country. We have now renamed the Tehran facility to The Angola Nuclear Enrichment Center or ANEC for short, even though we don't supposedly have them. You may even find one parked in your back yard. Down with Angola scum!!! Who is Angola again? Your oil supply has been cut off.

3. Israel: We will wipe you off the face of the earth. . . what does this have to do with us being beat in the World Cup, you ask? Absolutely nothing, but we will still wipe you off the face of the earth. 4. President Bush: Our loss was clearly your fault. Everything is your fault. Hurricane Katrina is your fault. The war in Iraq is your fault as well as the 145 degree temperatures in Iran during the summer. No longer will you be able to drive your SUV's, fly your private jets, and travel to your worthless MLS soccer games.

The oil supply has been cut off!! The great country of Iran will no longer export oil to any of these infidels.

Special thanks to

  • Declassified Brief: WMD in Iraq

    WASHINGTON — The United States has found 500 chemical weapons in Iraq since 2003, and more weapons of mass destruction are likely to be uncovered, two Republican lawmakers said Wednesday. "We have found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, chemical weapons," Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said in a quickly called press conference late Wednesday afternoon. Click here to read the declassified portion of the NGIC report. The weapons are thought to be manufactured before 1991 so they would not be proof of an ongoing WMD program in the 1990s. But they do show that Saddam Hussein was lying when he said all weapons had been destroyed, and it shows that years of on-again, off-again weapons inspections did not uncover these munitions. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200499,00.html

    More on the Conspiracy of 9/11

    Steven Jones' analysis on WTC steel about to be released Scientific analysis on WTC steel debris undertaken by BYU Professor Steven Jones proves that the twin towers were demolished by means of incendiary devices and the release of the conclusive evidence is imminent. The material that was first brought into question on the back of photos and video clips of the twin towers showing a dripping molten substance and floating white ash can now be confirmed as being thermate, combining thermite which is used as an incendiary device to bring down structures and sulfur, which cuts through steel quicker and leaves a yellow residue. Pools of molten yellow metal were also found underneath both towers and Building 7 subsequent to the collapses. "The evidence points directly to controlled demolition which means an inside job brought these World Trade Center buildings down," Jones told radio host Alex Jones in a video interview. Jones says that, "using advanced techniques we're finding out what's in these samples - we're finding iron, sulphur, potassium and manganese - these are characteristic of a variation of thermite which is used to cut through steel very rapidly, it's called thermate." "In order to have thermite in these buildings in this way, to help bring the buildings down, that means that thermite had to be planted in the buildings which of course implies directly and inside job - someone had to have access into the buildings," said Jones. Jones' has conducted over 40 peer reviewed scientific studies two of which were published in Nature and Scientific American. www.infowars.com

    June 21, 2006

    Tornado in Wisconsin

    Thanks Bozette for this story!!

    Hartford Wisconsin - A tornado mowed through a neighborhood on the city's south side Sunday afternoon, peeling off much of the Lincoln Elementary School's roof, shredding garages, yanking large trees out of lawns and injuring at least three people. The twister that struck the Washington County community of 8,200 was later determined to be an F-1 tornado on the Fujita scale, indicating winds of 73 to 112 mph. When Mayor Scott Henke heard about the severe weather headed toward his city, he drove to City Hall and at 2:28 p.m. sounded Hartford's tornado. siren. One minute later, a Hartford police officer saw a funnel cloud barreling toward the community. While some folks dashed to basements, others didn't think it could possibly be a tornado. Pete Zenner looked out his front window a block away from Lincoln Elementary and saw what looked like a flock of black birds swirling in a circle. He squinted and realized it actually wasn't birds; it was pieces of debris whipping around, probably parts of the school's roof. As his wife ran to the basement, he decided to look out the window again. "It looked like a tornado funnel - just huge chunks of stuff swirling around fast," said Zenner. Zenner's home was not among the approximately 50 houses Henke said were damaged by the tornado. Aside from Lincoln Elementary, 10 businesses were damaged by winds and flying debris, the mayor said, and part of the roof of the Silver Bell Motel on Grand Ave. was torn away. A 78-year-old man broke his hip when he slipped while running to his basement. Henke said he was treated at Aurora Medical Center of Washington County. Also, a 73-year-old woman broke her wrist when she fell while taking cover. "I expected much worse. We escaped the brunt of it," said Henke, who has been mayor for nine years. Donna and Keith Mertz were watching TV when the tornado alert interrupted the NASCAR race they were watching. Keith Mertz grabbed a blanket and flashlight, looked out the window and told his wife to hurry. Donna Mertz, who ruptured her Achilles tendon three weeks ago, hobbled to the basement stairs along with the couple's dogs, a border collie named Bear and Deuce, a blue heeler. "I just sat down underneath the (basement) steps. I grabbed a dog, he grabbed a dog. Then we heard a bang and that was it," said Donna Mertz, a veterinarian. Spotted in Dodge County The twister was first spotted at 2:27 p.m., moving southeast from Rubicon in Dodge County and heading toward the southern portion of Hartford, said Darrin Hansing, a National Weather Service meteorologist at Sullivan. Tornado activity was reported elsewhere in the area Sunday afternoon. A funnel cloud was sighted in Jefferson County east of Watertown at 2:43 p.m., and there were multiple reports, probably of the same funnel cloud, at 2:53 p.m. in Stoughton. Pictures 3 and 5 are of the debris from the school which is in the back ground 1and 2 is a garage that was totaled 4 is a hotel that was also totaled.

    Earthquake Could Come Any Moment

    LOS ANGELES — New earthquake research confirms the southern end of the San Andreas fault near Los Angeles is overdue for a Big One. The lower section of the fault has not produced a major earthquake in more than three centuries. The new study, which analyzed 20 years of data and is considered one of the most detailed analyses yet, found that stress has been building up since then, and that the fault could rupture at any moment. "The southern section of the fault is fully loaded for the next big event," said geophysicist Yuri Fialko of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200453,00.html

    World's oldest condom

    The reusable condom dates back to 1640 and is completely intact, as is its orginal users' manual, written in Latin. The manual suggests that users immerse the condom in warm milk prior to its use to avoid diseases. The antique, found in Lund in Sweden, is made of pig intestine and is one of 250 ancient objects related to sex on display at the Tirolean County Museum in Austria this summer. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1870958.html

    HEY DALLAS - YOU GOT SWEPT

    Ok Hunt and the rest of all the Mavs fans, go ahead and make excuses!! Let's hear it . . . Ok, are you done now? Your team still lost the NBA Championship - just the way I told Trevor it should happen. Dallas was close until the last few seconds, and Mark "my mouth is the size of Texas" Cuban was still thinking they had a chance. The fans in the stands were thinking they still had a chance - but HELL NO - Dallas choked!! Dallas got swept, Miami got swept. Sorry Avery, your guarantee didn't mean much, did it? Now D-Wade deserves to be the next NBA player on a box of Wheaties for winning the Finals MVP, following Steve Nash's back-to-back wins. Yes, the Mavs did finally play past the 4th of June - but who cares? They still lost. Only 2 of 27 teams have come back to win from an 0-2 deficit. NOW make that 3!! Trevor, don't doubt!! And to all in SB who were like "Go Mavs, go Mavs!" THEY LOST!! 60 wins - best in franchise history for what you will never be remembered for LOSING!!! So you want to talk about next year Hunt; Texas? Go ahead and get an early start...you do it every year. Cuban, shut the hell up! You and Tony Stewart need to go back to your momma's tit. Cuban fined $250K, denies 'rigged' barb Highlights Reaction Here's a dirty little secret: Miami didn't even play well. The Heat went 2-for-18 on 3-ponters, missed 14 fouls shots -- including two by Wade that could have iced it at the end -- and had 19 turnovers. Most of those miscues were of the what-were-you-thinking variety, including two sloppy missed connections between Wade and Payton that led to transition baskets the other way. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2006/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&id=2493681 The NBA Finals have never produced a more stunning turnaround/collapse than what we just saw. Never. The Miami Heat's 95-92 triumph over the Dallas Mavericks in Tuesday night's Game 6 cements it. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2006/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=2492216

    June 20, 2006

    Disturbance in eastern Pacific

    A large tropical disturbance in the eastern Pacific about 800 miles SSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico has not developed any further since Tuesday morning. Conditions in the atmosphere are favorable for development and this could become a tropical depression in the next day or two. Forecasters will continue to closely monitor the cluster of showers and thunderstorms as it moves westward at around 10 mph. There are no imminent threats in the tropical Atlantic, but clusters of showers and thunderstorms extend from the Bahamas southeastward into the eastern Caribbean. http://www.weather.com/newscenter/tropical/?from=wxcenter_news Severe Weather Outlook

    Storm flood hits Americas coast

    A storm surge driving in from the South Pacific has engulfed parts of the coastline of Central America, US-based meteorologists say. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said a Pacific storm had formed waves up to 4m (12ft) high. The high seas were hitting thousands of kilometres of coastline, from south-west Mexico to Panama. The Associated Press said at least 20 homes and a small hotel had been swept away in Guatemala and Nicaragua. "The sea took away eight rooms and part of the restaurant, which was made of wood," Brigido de Paz, manager of a hotel frequented by surfers in Sipacate, 100km (60 miles) south-east of Guatemala City, told AP. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5099878.stm

    Article of the Day

    Recieved this newspaper article today. Thought I would share it with everyone. www.funnyhub.com/pictures/pages/teatime-love-bite.html

    New Reports About N. Korean Threat of Missile Launch Omit Key Facts

    Reports today concerning the completed fueling of North Korea's long range Taepodong-2 missile and its planned launch within a month omit several key aspects of the story, including the fact that North Korea already launched a missile that hit Alaska, with the help of the US government. In March 2003, the Korea Times reported that the U.S. National Assembly included a startling admission in its final report regarding Pyongyang’s missile capabilities. A nuclear-capable North Korean test warhead was found in Alaska. http://www.infowars.com/articles/ww3/nk_mock_nuked_alaska.htm

    June 19, 2006

    Moderate Quake Shakes Tokyo

    TOKYO — A moderate earthquake registering magnitude 4.8 rattled the Tokyo area early Tuesday, but there was no danger of a tsunami, the nation's meteorological agency said. The 6:47 a.m. quake occurred 50 miles underground in Chiba Prefecture, just southwest of Tokyo, and was felt in dozens of cities including the capital. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200201,00.html

    The Day the Sky Burned

    Found this video on www.coasttocoastam.com This is very interesting. What happens when a planetoid strikes the Earth? The ensuing cataclysms are depicted in a video clip from Japanese TV that is posted on John Dvorak's blog. While the voiceover is in Japanese, the visuals make clear that this could spell doomsday for us.

    June 18, 2006

    Philippine Volcano Bulusan Ejects Ash

    MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines' restive Mount Bulusan spewed ash and small rocks in a new explosion Sunday, prompting army troops and authorities to evacuate nearly 100 residents from one ash-hit village because of health concerns, officials said. With the new ash explosion, Bulusan's eighth since March, Filipino scientists said they would assess anew the possibility of a major eruption. Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology, said the explosion belched ash up to 1.2 miles into the sky. Scientists said they needed to gather more details and possibly conduct a second aerial survey of Bulusan's summit in a week before they can assess the prospects of a major eruption. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199956,00.html

    North Korea Ups Preparations for Apparent Missile Test

    SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea appeared to move closer Sunday to test-launching a long-range missile capable of reaching the United States, officials and news reports said, as the communist state vowed anew to bolster its military forces in a burst of fiery rhetoric. Japan warned it would file a "fierce" protest to the U.N. Security Council if a long-range missile was fired, in what would be the North's first such launch since August 1998. Since 1999, the North has abided by a self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile tests. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199954,00.html

    June 17, 2006

    Canada finds bird flu case H5, plans further testing

    OTTAWA/WINNIPEG (Reuters) - Canada has detected a case of H5 avian flu in the eastern province of Prince Edward Island and plans further testing over the weekend to determine whether it is the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, government officials announced on Friday. A gosling in a small backyard poultry flock in the western end of the tiny province contracted the disease but there is a low risk of human illness from the outbreak, officials said. The last Canadian outbreak occurred in November 2005 on the other side of the country, in British Columbia, and involved low-pathogenic H5N2 strain. In that case no birds actually showed signs of illness but 60,000 ducks and geese were culled nonetheless. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said there is no evidence that the latest bird flu case is the high-pathogen H5N1 strain that has spread to 48 countries so far since its resurgence in 2003. If it is, it would be the first case in the Americas. The H5N1 strain has killed 129 people in nine countries since 2003, mostly in Asia. "Just because the virus was there does not mean that's what killed the geese," said CFIA veterinarian Jim Clark." Ducks and geese are natural reservoirs for avian influenza viruses. The viruses exist quite nicely in their intestinal tract and cause absolutely no illness or death in the birds. That would be the situation in this case," he said.A sample from the non-commercial flock of about 35 ducks, geese and chickens was brought to the Atlantic Veterinary College for testing after four goslings became sick on June 4, Clark said. The geese were not imported and there were no known links to Asia. The CFIA has culled the entire backyard flock and is monitoring a 3 km (2 mile) zone around the property.Prince Edward Island has only seven commercial chicken farms -- compared with over one thousand in top producer province Ontario -- and there are none within a 10 km (6 mile) radius of the affected farm, industry group Chicken Farmers of Canada said. "We are alert but not alarmed, at this period in time," said Lisa Bishop-Spencer, a spokeswoman for the group. "We're going to wait for the results before we really react ... the fact that other birds appeared healthy is a very good sign in our eyes."Not all H5 viruses are highly pathogenic and not all will cause severe disease in poultry.Prince Edward Island's health officer, Dr. Lamont Sweet, told Reuters that the results of further bird flu tests were expected next week.He downplayed any risk of transmission to humans but issued a warning nonetheless."People need to continue washing their hands carefully after handling poultry," Sweet said.Canada, which has had numerous low pathogenic outbreaks, reported a case of H5N9 bird flu in 1966, which was highly pathogenic, and a case of high pathogenic H7N3 in 2004. URL of this story: http://194.6.181.127/eng/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=6819547

    Seagull Hit by Pitch

    I saw this on ESPN last night as I was lying down. Thought it might make for an interesting post. I attached a video and complete story if you want to check it out. BUFFALO, N.Y. — Seagulls shouldn't fly between Bisons and Bulls. One of the birds had the misfortune to learn that during Sunday's Triple-A game between the Buffalo Bisons and the Durham Bulls. The seagull was struck by a pitch, carried off the field by a player and later flew away. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,198586,00.htmlPitcher Beans Bird

    June 16, 2006

    Art teacher under fire for nude photos

    Another teacher in trouble. And I"m still asking myself where were these teachers when I was in highschool???? Austin ISD wants to fire an Austin High School teacher over nude photos posted on the Internet. The AISD school board Monday unanimously decided to begin the termination process for Tamara Hoover, who teaches art. The board said Hoover violated the terms of her employment contract. Hoover has been on paid administrative leave since May 19 after school officials found out about the images. She defended her actions in a blog by saying that the pictures are not pornography but "artistic photography." According Hoover's attorney, she never told students about the photographs, nor are they on her own Web site. The district learned about these pictures through another teacher. "The teacher who was there said, 'Whoops, something's happened here that shouldn't.' She shut down the computer and went and told the principal about it," said Jay Brim, attorney. "What she (Hoover) did is leave herself vulnerable to this kind of problem. She did not do anything that I believe was violative of any of the districts standards or rules." The process to fire Hoover will take months, but her attorney thinks they have a good case and her photographer says this is about art. "The definition of pornography is material with no artistic or aesthetic value -- created for the sole purpose of stimulating sexual arousal. That's not my intent at all," said Celesta Danger, photographer. http://www.kvue.com/sharedcontent/VideoPlayer/videoPlayer.php?vidId=70702 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199899,00.html

    Moderate quake rocks Indonesia's Sulawesi

    Jakarta, June 06: An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale rocked the Indonesian island of Sulawesi early On Tuesday, the US geological survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre did not issue an alert. The tremor struck at 2.56 am local time with its epicentre 24 kilometres northeast of Manado, a coastal city in northern Sulawesi, at a depth of 16 kilometres. Indonesia is recovering from a powerful earthquake that struck Java island late last month killing nearly 5,800 people and leaving some 340,000 others homeless. Aid has been pouring into the quake-zone to assist recovery from the quake which also left 33,000 injured. Indonesia sits on the pacific "ring of fire", where the meeting of continental plates causes frequent seismic activity. http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=300345&sid=WOR

    Here you go.

    Road Trip for the "Burger"

    Well after round 3 of 200 credit battles the UW has a 2-1 lead on
  • Burger Boy now he is taking a road trip to Colorado. Have fun man and keep your butt-hole covered and have a few cold ones for me.
  • No monkey-ing around this weekend Burger.

    Stonehenge: New Glacier Theory

    From www.coasttocoastam.com A new twist has emerged in the debate over how the large stones that comprise Stonehenge made it to the site. Rather than Bronze Age man transporting the bluestones some 240 miles, a geology team from U.K.'s Open University has found evidence that the boulders were in fact moved to the area by glaciers during the Ice Age. Read more at BBC News.

    June 15, 2006

    Indonesia Confirms 38th Bird Flu Death

    JAKARTA (XFN-ASIA) - The government today confirmed its 38th death from bird flu after tests by a WHO-accredited laboratory found that a seven-year-old girl who died this month was infected. 'It came back positive,' said I Nyoman Kandun, director of the health ministry's communicable disease control center. 'We have checked everybody who had contact with her and they are negative,' he said. The girl, who was earlier identified as Yohana, came from the Pamulang area southwest of the capital and died June 1 after treatment in a Jakarta hospital. http://www.forbes.com/finance/feeds/afx/2006/06/15/afx2816838.html

    Strong quake jolts southern and western Japan

    TOKYO - A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 jolted western and southern Japan on Monday, injuring at least eight people and disrupting transportation. The focus was 87 miles below the earth’s surface in Oita prefecture on Kyushu island, about 500 miles southwest of Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The quake halted some local rail services, while bullet trains were forced to run at reduced speed as safety checks were conducted, public broadcaster NHK said. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13265758/

    Earthquake Rattles Northern California

    Thursday, June 15, 2006 SAN MARTIN, Calif. — A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck the south San Francisco Bay area early Thursday morning, but there were no reports of injuries or damage, authorities said. The quake struck at 5:24 a.m. PDT about 6 miles east of San Martin, a town of 4,200 people in a rural part of southern Santa Clara county, and was followed by seven smaller aftershocks, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199631,00.html

    Wednesday Recap

    Filmmaker Alex Jones, researcher Jim Marrs and journalist Daniel Estulin participated in a roundtable discussion about the secretive Bilderberg Group, which recently met in Canada...cont. Bilderberg 2006 Alex Jones' website Prison Planet.com, features a special page titled Bilderberg Meeting 2006. It contains video clips (such as one of Jones' bullhorning the Bilderberg Group), audio, photographs and articles by Jones and Paul Joseph Watson. www.coasttocoastam.com The UK knows more than it is saying about top secret American aircraft projects, recently declassified documents reveal. Deep inside a previously secret Ministry of Defence report are a few pages which will reignite one of the biggest internet conspiracy questions - Is the US Air Force building secret spy planes which can cross the sky at 3,000mph? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/5079044.stm

    June 14, 2006

    Bush Administration Quietly Plans NAFTA Super Highway

    Quietly but systematically, the Bush Administration is advancing the plan to build a huge NAFTA Super Highway, four football-fields-wide, through the heart of the U.S. along Interstate 35, from the Mexican border at Laredo, Tex., to the Canadian border north of Duluth, Minn. Once complete, the new road will allow containers from the Far East to enter the United States through the Mexican port of Lazaro Cardenas, bypassing the Longshoreman’s Union in the process. The Mexican trucks, without the involvement of the Teamsters Union, will drive on what will be the nation’s most modern highway straight into the heart of America. The Mexican trucks will cross border in FAST lanes, checked only electronically by the new “SENTRI” system. The first customs stop will be a Mexican customs office in Kansas City, their new Smart Port complex, a facility being built for Mexico at a cost of $3 million to the U.S. taxpayers in Kansas City. http://www.infowars.com/articles/nwo/nafta_superhighway_bush_admin_secret_plan.htm

    UW wins round 1.

    Ok Hamburger I got the first round of many more rounds to come...Take that biaaaaatch!!! Let me know when your ready for round 2. Please take a look at http://thiscircusicallmylife.blogspot.com/ this man has some funny shit on his blog. I read it everyday. Ok now after conversing with "Burger Boy" he said we would try to battle again tomorrow, because he had a fucking game...what kinda game pocket pool?? I wonder if he got his ass kicked in it like he did in the BOTB. Does your ass hurt now?

    June 13, 2006

    Bird Flu and Donald Rumsfeld what do they share?

    This would have been a really good story if all the facts were true. Please click on link below after reading this story to find the facts. Subject: BIRD FLU - US PROPAGANDA! "Bird Flu" Do you know that 'bird flu' was discovered in Vietnam 9 years ago? Do you know that barely 100 people have died in the whole world in all that time? Do you know that it was the Americans who alerted us to the efficacy of the human antiviral TAMIFLU as a preventative. Do you know that TAMIFLU barely alleviates some symptoms of the common flu? Do you know that its efficacy against the common flu is questioned by a great part of the scientific community? Do you know that against a SUPPOSED mutant virus such as H5N1, TAMIFLU barely alleviates the illness? Do you know that to date Avian Flu affects birds only? Do you know who markets TAMIFLU? ROCHE LABORATORIES. Do you know who bought the patent for TAMIFLU from ROCHE LABORATORIES in 1996? GILEAD SCIENCES INC. Do you know who was the then president of GILEAD SCIENCES INC. and remains a major shareholder? DONALD RUMSFELD, the present Secretary of Defence of the USA. Do you know that the base of TAMIFLU is crushed aniseed? Do you know who controls 90% of the world's production of this tree? ROCHE. Do you know that sales of TAMIFLU were over $254 million in 2004 and more than $1000 million in 2005? Do you know how many more millions ROCHE can earn in the coming months if the business of fear continues? So the summary of the story is as follows: Bush's friends decide that the medicine TAMIFLU is the solution for a pandemic that has not yet occurred and that has caused a hundred deaths worldwide in 9 years. This medicine doesn't so much as cure the common flu. In normal conditions the virus does not affect humans. Rumsfeld sells the patent for TAMIFLU to ROCHE for which they pay him a fortune. Roche acquires 90% of the global production of crushed aniseed, the base for the antivirus. The governments of the entire world threaten a pandemic and then buy industrial quantities of the product from Roche. So we end up paying for medicine while Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush get richer, thank the RED STATES! Click below to read more about this story http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_bird_flu.htm

    Earthquake in Baja California

    ENSENADA – A light earthquake shook Baja California about 15 miles east of this port city, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The quake occurred about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. The survey measured the quake's intensity at 4.5, while other sources measured it at 4.6. According to Mexican officials, the quake occurred along a fault line known as Tres Hermanos and lasted for about eight seconds, centered mainly in a rural area known as Poblado de Ojos Negros. story from www.signonsandiego.com

    Latest Custom Mcfarlane

    This is the latest custom Mcfarlane I've done. Donovan McNabb from his playing days at the Syracuse University. This figure is currently listed on Ebay.

    Gas Blob Resembles Gigantic Comet

    A ball of gas more massive than a billion suns is hurtling like an enormous comet through the interior of a distant galaxy cluster. The massive structure is held together by mysterious dark matter, astronomers said today, but it is steadily breaking apart and becoming fuel for new stars. "This is likely a massive building block being delivered to one of the largest assembly of galaxies we know," said study team member Alexis Finoguenov of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The finding is detailed in the June 6 issue of Astrophysical Journal. The gas blob is moving at nearly 500 miles (750 kilometers) per second relative to the galaxy cluster it is embedded within. Called Abell 3266, the cluster is itself moving away from us at a speed of nearly 11,000 miles (17,000 kilometers) per second. Nicknamed "comet," the gas ball is the largest of its kind ever detected. It measures about three million light-years across, or around five billion times the size of our solar system. The gas is estimated to be about 84 million degrees Fahrenheit (about 46 million degrees Celsius). Although this might seem hot to us, it is still relatively cool compared to some interstellar gas. The gas blob is thought to have formed when two galaxy clusters—one large and one small—collided billions of years ago. During the crash, a blob of relatively cool gas from the small cluster was sheared off and sent careening off into space on its own. During its travels, it got sucked in by the immense gravity of galaxy cluster Abell 3266, which it entered some 2 billion years ago. The blob is currently near the center of Abell 3266. http://space.com/scienceastronomy/060612_gas_comet.html

    June 12, 2006

    Local teacher in sex scandal

    Wow WTF another HOT teacher that failed to put in her resume in at the UW is having relations with an 18 year old. What the hell is so wrong with that...all I can say again is "where were these kinda women at when I was 18" A first-year Hebron High School teacher and former Miss Texas contestant faces up to 20 years in jail after an 18-year-old student told police he had sex with the 25-year-old woman several times at her apartment in Austin Ranch. Amy McElhenney, who taught Spanish and was a cross-country coach at the Carrollton school, is charged with having an improper relationship with a student, a second-degree felony. She was arrested on May 25, the last day of school, posted a $5,000 bond and was released. McElhenney could not be reached for comment. The student's identity was not released. While McElhenney denied having a physical or sexual relationship with the teen, she told police she felt their relationship was inappropriate, police said. http://www.quickdfw.com/news/citystate/stories/DN-cit--teacher_02ick.ART.State.Edition1.22c14bda.html http://www.womendiary.net/2006/06/03/amy-mcelhenney-former-beauty-queens-sex-with-student/

    Green Grass in the Sidewalk Cracks

    Today was over 100 degrees here in Texas. And well the housing division I live in has a yard inspection every Tuesday. Usually every Monday night without fail I mow, edge, and trim the grass and bushes. As well as get all the grass and weeds out of the driveway and road cracks. But this particular day there was a shit load of grass in the cracks. All the way down the road behind my house in the gutterway. And of the damn grass and weeds were effing green. I don't understand that one damn bit. My grass is now turning brown (only in february and april is there much green grass). I know it's summer time with the temps already breaking the 100 degree mark. But the grass in the cracks is the purest green I have ever seen. I have lived in Texas for a while but how in the hell does the grass and weeds in the cracks seem to grow the best? You can't mow this shit all you can do it pull it out with your hands. Shit I hate that grass. I am not able to use any chemicals due to the housing rules. So I guess I'll keep bitching and moaning about it and will continue tearing in out with my hands until I move.

    Hurricane warning issued for Alberto

    TAMPA, Fla. - A hurricane warning was issued for parts of Florida's Gulf Coast on Monday as the first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season gained strength as it headed toward the state, forecasters said. The warning from Longboat Key near Sarasota to the Ochlockonee River south of Tallahassee means Tropical Storm Alberto was expected to produce hurricane conditions within the next 24 hours. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Longboat Key to Englewood. http://news.yahoo.com/fc/world/tropical_storms_and_hurricanes http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199081,00.html

    Magnitude 6.3 Quake Strikes Japan; Injuries Reported

    June 12 (Bloomberg) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 jolted much of western Japan at 5:01 a.m. local time, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site. Eight people were injured in the quake, Kyodo News said. The quake struck 40 kilometers (24 miles) west of Oita on the island of Kyushu, the USGS said. The earthquake, characterized as ``strong'' by USGS, struck at a depth of 155 kilometers. Japan, one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, is located in a zone where the Eurasian, Pacific, Philippine and North American tectonic plates meet and occasionally shift, causing quakes. Quakes of magnitude 5 and more can cause considerable damage depending on their depth. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000101&sid=acPRUVwkxWW8&refer=japan

    Sunday Recap

    In a replay from 12/15/03, Art Bell chatted with Michio Kaku about nuclear scenarios...cont. Sunday's Chicago Tribune raised concerns about the safety of America's nuclear plants. Employee fatigue was cited as a potentially serious problem, as many facilities are short staffed, and workers are putting in "numbingly long hours on the job." Also at issue is whether it's safe to boost the energy output at aging plants. The Exelon plant in Illinois reportedly had large cracks in heavy metal plates after they raised their levels. www.coasttocoastam.com

    June 11, 2006

    Researchers: Texas, Alabama Mad Cow Disease a Rare, Mysterious Strain

    WASHINGTON — Two cases of mad cow disease in Texas and Alabama seem to have resulted from a mysterious strain that could appear spontaneously in cattle, researchers say. Government officials are trying to play down differences between the two U.S. cases and the mad cow epidemic that has led to the slaughter of thousands of cattle in Britain since the 1980s. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199034,00.html

    ...And His Name was Alberto

    MIAMI - Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, developed Sunday from a poorly organized tropical depression in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and appeared likely to carry heavy rain to Florida, forecasters said. By midday, the storm had maximum sustained wind near 45 mph, up 10 mph from early in the morning, the National Hurricane Center' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> National Hurricane Center said. It was expected to continue growing but without developing into a hurricane. "The satellite presentation of the storm is not very impressive, so not much additional strengthening is anticipated," said hurricane specialist Richard Pasch. At 11 a.m. EDT, Alberto was centered about 400 miles west of Key West and about 445 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, forecasters said. story from www.news.yahoo.com