Deadly Tornados in Colorado and Oklahoma

Four people died in Texas, Colorado and Oklahoma after tornados swept through their areas last night as part of a storm system that also brought violent weather to at least three other states, officials said today. More damage from the storms could be uncovered throughout today as officials assess the extent of destruction left by the 65 tornados that rolled through six states on Wednesday.

Two people died when a tornado swirled through their rural Oklahoma neighborhood near Elmwood, said a state emergency official, Dixie Parker, in a telephone interview today. Their names were later released by her office as Vance and Barbra Woodbury, a husband and wife. Authorities had fanned out in the Beaver County area on Wednesday, warning residents to take shelter from the tornado and to offer assistance, she said. When they tried to find the couple there was no sign of them at their one-story wood house on a rural road.

“There was no house left, it was demolished, and we found them in the field,” she said. “One was still alive, the husband. He passed away just before the ambulance got there.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/29/nyregion/29cnd-weather.html?ei=5065&en=2cde8891b45f856d&ex=1175832000&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

Remote Control

Possible Tornado Kills 2 in Oklahoma Panhandle

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Residents of the Plains states huddled for cover early Thursday as a major storm system that has killed at least two people moved through the region, bringing heavy snow and tornadoes to some areas.

Severe weather warnings and watches were in effect from South Dakota to Texas, as authorities warned residents to stay alert for tornado warnings.

Two people were killed Wednesday near Elwood, Okla., when a possible tornado strafed the house they were in, authorities said.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,262201,00.html>

The Washing Machine

Another Birthday of a very important invention, The Washing Machine. Go ahead and pile in those smelly socks, panties, or underwear 'cause when they come out you know they'll be clean. So go ahead and tell it you love it. It makes some lives so much eaiser! 1797 Nathaniel Briggs of New Hampshire patents a washing machine

http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventions/a/washingmachines.htm

Mysterious hexagon spotted above Saturn

A mysterious giant hexagon lies above Saturn's north pole, captured by cameras on Nasa's Cassini Orbiter.

Spanning 25,000km - equivalent to the width of two planet Earths - the bizarre geometric feature appears to remain virtually still in the atmosphere as clouds swirl around it.

The infra-red images show the hexagon - which contains a smaller six-sided formation - extends about 60km down into the clouds.

The hexagon is similar to Earth's polar vortex, which has winds blowing in a circular pattern around the polar region. On Saturn, the vortex has a hexagonal shape.

The six-sided shape is in stark contrast to the swirling, hurricane-like vortex at Saturn's opposite pole.

The feature was first photographed more than 20 years ago by Nasa's Voyager 1 and 2 probes, but this is the first time the hexagon has been seen in one image.

The latest pictures were taken at nighttime using infra-red because the pole is currently in darkness and the red colour indicates the amount of heat being generated from inside the planet.

Kevin Baines of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said: "This is a very strange feature, lying in a precise geometric fashion with six nearly equally straight sides. "We've never seen anything like this on any other planet. Indeed, Saturn's thick atmosphere where circularly-shaped waves and convective cells dominate is perhaps the last place you'd expect to see such a six-sided geometric figure, yet there it is."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in_article_id=445117&in_page_id=1965

Florida Man Says Ex-Wife's Sex Change Should End His Alimony Obligation

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Lawrence Roach agreed to pay alimony to the woman he divorced, not the man she became after a sex change, his lawyers argued in an effort to end the payments. But the ex-wife's attorneys argued Tuesday that the operation doesn't alter the agreement. Less than a week after commissioners in nearby Largo drew national attention by firing the city manager after he announced he was a transsexual, lawyers for Roach and his ex-wife grappled in another transsexual rights case that delves into relatively uncharted legal territory.

Only a 2004 Ohio case has addressed whether or not a transsexual can still collect alimony after a sex change, those involved say.

"There is not a lot out there to help us," Circuit Judge Jack R. St. Arnold said.

Roach and his wife, Julia, divorced in 2004 after 18 years of marriage. The 48-year-old utility worker agreed to pay her $1,250 a month in alimony. Since then, Julia Roach, 55, had a sex change and legally changed her name to Julio Roberto Silverwolf.

"It's illegal for a man to marry a man and it should likewise be illegal for a man to pay alimony to a man," said John McGuire, one of Roach's attorneys. "When she changed to man, I believe she terminated that alimony."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,261860,00.html

Happy Birthday

Here at the UW an amazing birthday is going to happen...if you didn't say Happy Birthday go do it you owe it one!!!!!!!!!!!! I said Happy Birthday 3 times today...March 27- Andrew Rankin patents the urinal.

A urinal is a specialized toilet designed to be used only for urination.

It often contains a deodorizing urinal cake contained within a plastic mesh guard container or a plastic mesh guard without a urinal cake. The plastic mesh guard is designed to prevent solid objects such as cigarette butts, feces, or paper from being flushed and possibly causing a plumbing stoppage.

Urinal with strawberry scented urinal cake.

The term may also apply to a small building or other structure, in which such toilets are contained. Or it can refer to a small container where urine can be collected for medical purposes, or to use where access to washroom facilities is not possible, such as in small aircraft or for the bedridden.

Manual handles

This type of flush might be regarded as standard in the United States. Each urinal is equipped with a button or short lever to activate the flush, with users expected to operate it as they leave. Such a directly-controlled system is the most efficient provided that patrons remember to use it. This is far from certain, however, often because of fear of touching the handle which is located too high to kick.^[1] Urinals with foot-activated flushing systems are sometimes found in high-traffic areas; these systems have a button set into the floor or a pedal on the wall at ankle height. Some establishments, often bars, pubs or nightclubs, fill their urinals with ice cubes during peak hours. As the ice melts it serves to slowly flush the urinal, and also cools the urine to prevent smells from rising during use. The ice may also provide entertainment to patrons as they urinate. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that flush valves be mounted no higher than 44" AFF (above the finished floor). Additionally, the urinal shall be mounted no higher than 17" AFF, which has a rim that is tapered and elongated and protrudes at least 14" from the wall. This enables users in wheelchairs to straddle the lip of the urinal and urinate without having to "arc" the flow of urine too high.

Voice-Activated Flush

In some regions of Japan, particularly the industrial zones of Honshu. These flush systems are triggered by the word "wash!", "fire" or "destroy the grime" in over 30 different languages.

Timed flush

A rather primitive urinal in Chung Ling High School, Malaysia, operated using timed-flush mechanism.

In the United Kingdom & Ireland and in some parts of Sweden, manual flush handles are unusual. Instead, the traditional system is a timed flush that operates automatically at regular intervals. Groups of up to ten or so urinals will be connected to a single overhead cistern, which contains the timing mechanism. A constant drip-feed of water slowly fills the cistern, until a tripping point is reached, the valve opens, and all the urinals in the group are flushed. Electronic controllers performing the same function are also used.

This system does not require any action from its users, but it is wasteful of water where the toilets are used irregularly. However, because British men are so used to the automatic system, attempts to install manual flushes to save water are generally unsuccessful. Users ignore them not through deliberate laziness or fear of infection, but because activating the flush is not habitual.

To help reduce water usage when restrooms are closed, some restrooms with timed flushing use an electric water valve connected to the restroom light switch. When the building is in active use during the day and the lights are on, the timed flush operates normally. At night when the building is closed, the lights are turned off and the flushing action stops.

"Kisses!" is a controversial urinal designed by Dutch designer Meike van Schijndel.

A mouth kiss urinal.

It is shaped like an open pair of red lips.^[3] In early March of 2004 the National Organization for Women (NOW) took offense to these new urinals Virgin Atlantic Airways decided to install in the Virgin Atlantic clubhouse at JFK Airport in New York, New York.^[4] After receiving many angry phone calls from female customers Virgin Atlantic Vice President John Riordan called NOW to apologize.^[5] Protestors surmised a connection to oral sex and/or urolagnia, and based complaints on the urinals being sexist.

A McDonald's restaurant in the Netherlands removed them after an American complained to the U.S. head office. Ironically, the urinal in question was designed by a woman.^[6]

In March of 2006, the Associated Press reported that the plumbers union in Philadelphia had become upset because the developer of the city's newest skyscraper, Liberty Property Trust, has decided to use waterless urinals. Many in the union decided that because of the decision that this would lead to less work for them. The developer cited saving the city 1.6 million gallons of water per year as its deciding factor.^[7]

Former Wham! lead singer George Michael was arrested for "engaging in a lewd act" with another man in a public restroom. His first post-incident single was "Outside" which had a music video with disco ball styled urinals.

7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Off Japan's Coast

TOKYO — A strong earthquake struck Japan early Sunday, killing at least one person, violently shaking buildings and triggering two very small tsunamis that hit the coast, officials and media reports said.

The quake hit shortly before 10 a.m. off the north coast of Ishikawa state, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. It had a preliminary magnitude of 7.1. A small tsunami of 6 inches hit shore around 10:18 a.m., public broadcaster NHK said. A second tsunami of similar size hit minutes later down the coast.

Television footage from the quake zone showed buildings shaking violently for about 30 seconds.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,260942,00.html

Green Comet

There's a new comet in the southern hemisphere: Comet Lovejoy (C/2007 E2). Terry Lovejoy of Australia discovered it on March 15th using, remarkably, not a telescope but only an off-the-shelf digital camera. The green comet is too dim to see with the naked eye, but it is a nice target for backyard telescopes. After five days of monitoring, the comet's orbit is now known with some accuracy and it is possible to make predictions about Comet Lovejoy's future movements and brightness.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for details.After five days of tracking, Comet Lovejoy's trajectory is known. The orbit is cockeyed, almost perpendicular to the rest of the solar system. At the moment the comet is swooping up from below, moving from southern to northern skies. At closest approach to Earth (0.44 AU) in late April, Comet Lovejoy is expected to brighten to 7th magnitude, still not a naked-eye comet but easy to see through small telescopes.

BONUS--VENUS AND THE MOON: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look west. You'll see Venus and the slender crescent Moon beaming together through the glow of sunset. If you miss the pair on March 20th, try again on the 21st. They will be beautifully close together on both nights.

Monster wave warning issued

Durban hospitals are filling up with storm victims as rescue and emergency services prepared for "the mother of all storms", expected to hit the KwaZulu-Natal coastline at about 6pm on Monday.

"We are mobilising every resource, from surf rescue helicopters to available ambulances and even off-duty personnel," said Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha.

Inspector Troy Alison of the Police Search and Rescue team said all their resources were already in place. "All emergency services are working together and we are making contingency plans ahead of this afternoon's storm. Apparently it's going to be much worse than last night," Alison said.

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=79&art_id=iol1174300466159M523&newslett=1&em=53829a6a20070319ah

Health alert over Tamiflu, bird flu spreads in Myanmar

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese health officials issued an alert over giving flu drug Tamiflu to teenagers on Wednesday as Myanmar reported a further outbreak of bird flu in poultry.

Tamiflu is regarded as one of the main drugs effective against a bird flu pandemic, but a series of cases, including teen suicides in Japan, have fueled concern the drug could induce psychiatric symptoms. Swiss drug-maker Roche said on Tuesday that new data from Japan and the United States indicated there was no established causal link between Tamiflu and psychiatric symptoms.

But early on Wednesday, Japan's Health Ministry said it had ordered the importer of Tamiflu to warn doctors against giving it to teenagers after two new cases of abnormal behavior were reported.

Two teenagers injured themselves in February and March by falling from buildings after taking the drug, a ministry news release said.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKSP3962820070321

Math Test

A great email recieved at the UW today.

Here is a math trick so unbelievable that it will stump you.

Personally I would like to know who came up with this and why that person is not running the country.

Grab a calculator. (you won't be able to do this one in your Head)

1. Key in the first three digits of your phone number (NOT the Area code)

2. Multiply by 80

3. Add 1

4. Multiply by 250

5. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number

6. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again.

7. Subtract 250

8. Divide number by 2

Do you recognize the answer ??

Bird flu spreads in Nigeria

Kano - The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus is spreading among poultry farms around northern Nigeria's largest city, Kano, despite control measures, a senior veterinary official said on Sunday.

"The avian influenza virus is still spreading among poultry farms and it has so far affected 33 farms in seven districts," Shehu Bawa, said head of Kano State's committee on avian flu.

More than 80 000 birds have been culled in Kano, Bawa added.

http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2085478,00.html

Death of woman raises Indonesia's bird flu toll to 66

JAKARTA (AP): An Indonesian woman died of bird flu on Monday, a health official said, raising the toll in the country worst hit by the virus to 66.

The 21-year-old victim died after two weeks of hospitalization in the East Java town of Surabaya, said Nyoman Kandun of the Health Ministry, adding that she had a history of contact with infected chickens.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has prompted the slaughter of millions of birds across Asia since late 2003, and caused the deaths of at least 169 people worldwide, more than a third of them in Indonesia, according to the World Health Organization.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailtoplatest.asp?fileid=20070319192941&irec=0

Mild quakes hit southern Philippines

Two mild quakes with both measuring 3.7 magnitude jolted two provinces in Mindanao in southern Philippines Friday morning, causing no casualties, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

One quake, which is or tectonic in origin, initially struck General Santos City in Mindanao around 0811 local time (0011GMT), while another temblor was felt in Tandag, Surigao del Sur one hour later, said Phivolcs, which traced movements along the Philippine Trench as the cause of the quake.

http://english.people.com.cn/200703/16/eng20070316_358378.html

Madagascar hit by another intense cyclone

Rain- and wind-battered Madagascar off the east coast of Africa was on Friday weathering its fourth heavy cyclone in recent months.Intense Cyclone Indlala hit land in the tropical island on Thursday and continued to rage over the island's vanilla plantations on Friday.

By about 4pm on Friday afternoon, it was dissipating but still packed winds of about 100km/h, according to the Tropical Storm Risk website.

The cities of Sambava Antalaha and Maroantsetra in the north were affected, with large areas flooded and inhabitants left without telephone links.Antalaha, the centre of vanilla production and already hard-hit by earlier devastating cyclones, has lost an estimated 90% of its crops.

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=302225&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/

Indonesian man dies of bird flu: health ministry

JAKARTA (Reuters) - A 32-year-old Indonesian man has died of bird flu, bringing the death toll in the country from the virus to 65, a health ministry official said on Friday.

The man died at a hospital in the capital Jakarta on Thursday morning, Ahmad Prihatna, an epidemiologist at the health ministry's bird flu information center said by telephone.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/16/AR2007031600609.html

Madagascar: Fourth Tropical Cyclone in Four Months, Nears the Coast

Tropical cyclone 'Indlala' is projected to hit Madagascar on Thursday, but with the island still picking itself up after a string of natural disasters, government and relief agencies are already overstretched.

Erratic weather patterns have seen large areas of the northwest, west and southeast of the island flooded by torrential rains, while harvests in the south have been devastated by drought.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200703140002.html

Egyptian girl contracts bird flu

Cairo - An Egyptian girl has contracted the potentially deadly bird flu strain, bringing to 25 the number of people to be diagnosed with the disease since it appeared in the country last year, the state-run news agency reported.

Ten-year-old Amira Abdel Latif Nayal from the southern city of Aswan was admitted to a hospital there on Tuesday, suffering from fever and muscle pain, health ministry spokesperson Abdel Rahman Shine told the Middle East News Agency.

Nayal tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu, MENA said but gave no details on how the girl contracted the virus.

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=14&click_id=117&art_id=nw20070315095512854C132006

The girl whose hair was too big for her mugshot

Anna Clifford's brush with the law proved a hair-raising experience for all concerned. Particularly the police photographer.

He had to take several steps back to incorporate the full extent of her 18in-high Mohican.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=442015&in_page_id=1811

Mahmoud Ahmedinejad

The Iranian press has seized on the outrage, with one newspaper, Ayandeh-No, proclaiming: "Hollywood declares war on Iranians."

Javad Shangari, a cultural adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, attacked the film as being "part of a comprehensive U.S. psychological warfare aimed at Iranian culture," Daily Variety reported Wednesday. Is the Iranian President serious??? Can someone please relay a message to him??? Can you please SHUT UP and quit thinking everything we do in America has some hidden agenda in attacking you!! Everyday it's something else, something new this guy is bitching about.

6.0 Magnitude Earthquake Gulf of California

Magnitude 6.0

Date-Time Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 02:59:06 (UTC)= Coordinated Universal Time Monday, March 12, 2007 at 7:59:06 PM = local time at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 26.305°N, 110.515°W

Depth 42 km (26.1 miles)

Region GULF OF CALIFORNIA

Distances 89 km (55 miles) ENE (69°) from Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico 106 km (66 miles) WSW (237°) from Huatabampo, Sonora, Mexico 113 km (70 miles) SW (217°) from Juárez, Sonora, Mexico 143 km (89 miles) SSW (204°) from Obregón, Sonora, Mexico 936 km (581 miles) SE (136°) from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 10.4 km (6.5 miles); depth +/- 9.9 km (6.2 miles)

Parameters Nst=159, Nph=159, Dmin=753 km, Rmss=1.24 sec, Gp=133°,M-type=moment magnitude (Mw), Version=8

Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)

Event ID us2007zwag

Earthquake shakes northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND -- A representative from the Golden Colorado Seismic Center confirms there was some type of a small earthquake.

Preliminary reports say the magnitude was 3.6 and the location was 4 miles south of Mantua.Viewers from Aurora, Brecksville, Brunswick, Chagrin Falls, Hudson, Macedonia, Northfield, North Royalton, Reminderville, Richfield, Solon, Stow, Streetsboro, Twinsburg, Walton Hills, as well as a number of other cities felt the rumble.

http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=64308

Cyclone Jacob 'expected to weaken'

Cyclone Jacob has crossed Western Australia's north coast but is expected to quickly weaken below cyclone intensity, the weather bureau says. The category one cyclone crossed the coast between Whim Creek and Port Hedland, bringing heavy rain and winds gusting up to 100 km/h, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said. The bureau forecasts that Jacob will now rapidly weaken below cyclone intensity.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Cyclone-Jacob-expected-to-weaken/2007/03/12/1173548056168.html

AFGHANISTAN: New bird flu cases confirmed

KABUL, 12 March (IRIN) - Thirteen new cases of bird flu have been detected in Afghanistan over the past week, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the country to 17 for this year, health officials said.

"Nine dead birds were diagnosed with the virulent H5N1 strain [of avian influenza] in five districts of [eastern] Nangarhar and Kunar provinces," said Assadullah Azhari, a spokesman for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Kabul.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/ddf0a4bb4d50b410ff195362f6b98638.htm

Egyptian boy tests positive for bird flu

CAIRO, Egypt - A 4-year-old Egyptian boy has contracted the potentially deadly strain of bird flu, bringing to two dozen the number of people to be diagnosed with the disease since it appeared in the country last year, the Health Ministry said Sunday.

Separately, a 20-year-old Indonesian woman who is in the hospital in critical condition has been confirmed to be suffering from bird flu, an official at the national bird flu center said on Monday. The woman from East Java, who is on a respirator in a hospital in Surabaya, had cleaned an area where her neighbor had dumped a lot of dead chickens, Joko Suyono, a data analyst at the center in Jakarta, told Reuters.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17578792/

Minor quake in Russia's Far East, no casualties

MOSCOW, March 9 (Reuters) - A minor earthquake was felt in Russia's Far East on Friday and there were no reports of any casualties or damage, emergency services said.

Emergency Ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov said no information was available on the magnitude of the quake. It was likely to be below 3.5 on the Richter scale.

Japan's meteorological agency registered a magnitude 6.2 earthquake at 0324 GMT in Russia's far east at the depth of 500 km (310 miles).

A Russian regional emergency services spokesman said the earthquake struck 400 km (248 miles) south-east the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Sakhalin Island off Russia's Pacific Coast.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09159461.htm

Magnitude 5.1 - BATAN ISLANDS REGION, PHILIPPINES

Magnitude 5.1

Date-Time Friday, March 9, 2007 at 17:44:06 (UTC)= Coordinated Universal Time Saturday, March 10, 2007 at 1:44:06 AM = local time at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 20.097°N, 121.489°E

Depth 50.1 km (31.1 miles)

Region BATAN ISLANDS REGION, PHILIPPINES

Distances 65 km (40 miles) WSW of Basco, Batan Islands, Philippines225 km (140 miles) NNE of Laoag, Luzon, Philippines550 km (345 miles) S of T'AI-PEI, Taiwan610 km (380 miles) N of MANILA, Philippines

Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 11.6 km (7.2 miles); depth +/- 15.3 km (9.5 miles)

Parameters Nst= 43, Nph= 43, Dmin=451.9 km, Rmss=1.16 sec, Gp= 97°,M-type=body magnitude (Mb), Version=6

Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)

Event ID us2007zsbl

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2007zsbl.php

FACTBOX-Bird flu's spread around the globe

March 9 (Reuters) - The deadly bird flu virus is spreading into southern provinces of Laos, a government spokesman said on Friday.

Laos confirmed on Thursday its first human death from bird flu, a 15-year-old girl living in a suburb of Vientiane where the virus was found in poultry last month.

Bird flu first broke out in Laos in January 2004 in Vientiane and nearby provinces.

The outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza began in Asia in 2003 and has spread rapidly over the past year.

Following are some facts about the H5N1 avian flu virus and its spread around the globe.

* Since the virus re-emerged in Asia in 2003, outbreaks have been confirmed in around 50 countries and territories, according to data from the World Organisation for Animal Health.

* More than 30 countries have reported outbreaks in the past year, in most cases involving wild birds such as swans.

* The virus has killed 168 people since 2003, according to thr WHO. Countries with confirmed human deaths are: Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Laos, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.

* In total, the virus is known to have infected 277 people since 2003, according to the WHO. Many of the dead are children and young adults.

* Vietnam and Indonesia have the highest number of cases, accounting for 105 of the total deaths.

* The H5N1 virus is not new to science and was responsible for an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Scotland in 1959. Britain confirmed new cases in birds in Scotland in April 2006 and in Suffolk earlier this month.

* H5N1 is not the only bird flu virus. There are numerous strains. For example, an outbreak in 2003 of the H7N7 bird flu virus in the Netherlands led to the destruction of more than 30 million birds, around a third of the country's poultry stock. About 2.7 million were destroyed in Belgium and around 400,000 in Germany. In the Netherlands, 89 people were infected with the H7N7 virus, of whom one (a veterinarian) died.

* The H5N1 virus made the first known jump into humans in Hong Kong in 1997, infecting 18 people and killing six of them. The government ordered the immediate culling of the territory's entire poultry flock, ending the outbreak.

* Symptoms of bird flu in humans have ranged from typical influenza-like symptoms, such as fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches, to eye inflammations (conjunctivitis), pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, viral pneumonia, and other severe and life-threatening complications.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09382913.htm

Cyclone Jacob heads for Pilbara

TOPICAL Cyclone Jacob has done an about face on its trek towards Christmas Island and is now advancing towards the storm battered West Australian coast.

Category two Jacob could cross the Pilbara coast on Sunday or Monday in the same region that was battered overnight when category four Cyclone George slammed into the state, causing at least two deaths and many injuries. Jacob was on a path for Christmas Island, near Indonesia, yesterday before it turned towards the Australian mainland. Weather bureau forecaster Tony Wedd said today the erratic cyclone could reach the Pilbara coast on Sunday night if it continued its current path. “It's not expected to affect WA in the next 48 hours,” Mr Wedd said. Cyclone George was still causing widespread flooding in the Pilbara as it headed for the mining town of Newman tonight, he said. “That's the next population centre in its path, I expect they are well and truly battened down by now.” The tropical cyclone was still a category three storm despite travelling over land for about 12 hours. Mr Wedd said the cyclone was taking a long time to weaken because it was travelling over relatively flat land and had been such a powerful storm when it crossed the coast. George was 170km north-northwest of Newman and 145km east-northeast of Tom Price just after midday (WDT) it was moving southwest at 13km/h.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21352469-29277,00.html

Cyclone George kills two, Jacob advances

WITH two people confirmed dead and many injured by Cyclone George, residents of Western Australia's Pilbara region must now brace for Cyclone Jacob.

Jacob has done an about-face on its trek towards Christmas Island and is advancing towards the storm-battered West Australian coast. It could cross the Pilbara coast tomorrow or Monday, said Tony Wedd of the Bureau of Meteorology.

Cyclone George was still causing widespread flooding in the Pilbara as it headed for the mining town of Newman last night, he said. 'That's the next population centre in its path. I expect they are well and truly battened down by now."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/cyclone-george-kills-two-jacob-advances/2007/03/09/1173166991751.html

Magnitude-4.7 earthquake hits central California

Bridgeport, California, March 9 (AP): A light earthquake struck the mountains of Central California, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage.

The quake Thursday evening had a preliminary magnitude of 4.7 and was centred about 114 miles east of Sacramento, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was followed by several smaller aftershocks.

Calls inquiring about the temblor were pouring in to the sheriff's department, but no injuries or damage were immediately reported, a dispatcher said.

At the Bridgeport Inn, the quake rattled the nerves of some guests, said manager Dennis Williams.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200703091112.htm

Bird flu strikes ducks in southern Vietnam city

HANOI, March 9 (Reuters) - Bird flu has killed 100 ducks in the Mekong delta city of Can Tho in southern Vietnam, the fifth locality in the country to have detected the virus in the past three weeks, a government report said on Friday.

The 58-day-old ducks, which were not vaccinated against the H5N1 virus, were found dead on Wednesday at a farm near Can Tho. Tests confirmed they had been infected with bird flu, the Agriculture Ministry's Animal Health Department said.

Workers slaughtered the remaining 400 ducks in the same stock, as they have done with 11,000 chickens in three affected northern locations, including Hanoi's district of Dong Anh since late February.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HAN270294.htm

Strong earthquake hits seas off Japan's eastern coast

Tokyo, March 8 (AP): A strong earthquake today with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 occurred in Pacific Ocean waters off Japan's eastern coast, but there was no tsunami danger, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.

The 0204 p.m. (1034 IST) earthquake was centred about 140 km below the earth's surface, near the island of Tori-shima, the agency said.

Tori-shima is about 580 km southeast of Tokyo. There were no immediate reports of injury or damage.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200703081214.htm

Man Burns Genitals in 'Jackass' Stunt

The U has all the 'Jackass' movies in his vault and is pretty sure he remembers that at the beginning of each episode it says something like "do not try at home". Well good job retard!! EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Attempts to do a movie stunt landed one man in the hospital with burned genitals and another facing criminal charges. The men were trying to do a stunt from one of the "Jackass" movies, in which a character lights his genitals on fire.

Jared W. Anderson, 20, suffered serious burns to his hands and genitals, according to the criminal complaint. Randell D. Peterson, 43, who sprayed lighter fluid on Anderson and lit him on fire, was charged with felony battery and first-degree reckless endangerment Tuesday in Eau Claire County Court.

Witnesses told police that Anderson, who was drunk, volunteered to do the stunt Sunday after watching the movie, the complaint said.

According to the complaint: Anderson pulled down his pants and let Peterson spray him with lighter fluid. When the fire didn't catch, Peterson sprayed more lighter fluid on Anderson, splashing some on his clothing. He tried again to light the fire, catching Anderson's genitals, hands and clothes.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,257680,00.html

Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake in Indonesia Kills 70

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A powerful earthquake flattened hundreds of buildings in western Indonesia on Tuesday, killing at least 70 people and leaving hospitals grappling with scores of injured, officials said.

The number of dead was expected to rise as a result of the magnitude 6.3 quake on Sumatra island, which was followed by powerful aftershocks and was felt hundreds of miles away in Singapore, where some office buildings were evacuated, and in neighboring Malaysia.

"Women were crying out in terror. We all just fled as quickly as we could," said Alpion, a welder in the seaside town of Padang. Along with thousands of others, he was fleeing to higher ground, fearing a possible tsunami. Authorities said the quake did not cause any tidal activity.

Indonesian Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi told reporters at least 70 people had been killed by the quake, the latest in a series of natural disasters to strike Indonesia in recent months.

The worst-hit area appeared to be in and around Solok, a bustling town close to the epicenter of the quake on Sumatra's western coast, which was spared destruction in the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,256858,00.html

Cyclone Hammers the Kimberley Coast

TWO sections of the railway to Darwin were under water and tourists were stranded at Kakadu National Park as heavy storms developed into a category-one cyclone yesterday, threatening communities along the northwest coast.

Cyclone George was last night unleashing strong winds along the Kimberley coastline, with widespread flooding causing damage to towns in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. At 5pm CST time yesterday, the Bureau of Meteorology issued a cyclone warning for communities between Beagle Bay and Wyndham, in Western Australia. The cyclone was moving west at 14km/h with 100km/h gusts in the centre.

Off the Queensland coast, Cyclone Odette weakened into a tropical low yesterday afternoon and meteorologists said it posed no immediate threat to the coast. Centred about 850km northeast of Mackay, the storm will create large ocean swells and continue moving slowly but is not expected to develop again into a cyclone.

Freight trains and the Ghan heading to Darwin were being stopped at the Katherine terminal after the track was engulfed by water at two places south of Adelaide River.

The track is expected to be impassable for several days, and freight unloaded at Katherine will be taken to Darwin by road as soon as the rain eases. John Fullerton, CEO of FreightLink, said the company had been caught out by the unexpectedly "extreme"' weather conditions.

Mr Fullerton said the track's design was based on a century of weather data that was enough to keep the track open during last year's cyclone and serious flooding at Katherine.

"This is the first time the track has been closed ... It's a very unusual weather system ... The track has been designed for 100-year flood events based on historical data in the territory." Less than 12 months after a state of emergency was declared in Katherine following damaging floodwaters, police yesterday placed the local residents in low-lying areas on flood watch as the Katherine River approached 14m.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21323914-421,00.html

Laos fears a second human bird flu death

BANGKOK, March 5 (Reuters) - Laos believes it has had its second human death from the H5N1 bird flu virus, a 42-year-old woman who fell sick in a province near Vientiane, a senior official said on Monday.

"There's a 90 percent chance that her death was caused by H5NI, but we can't confirm that until we have a result from a WHO lab," senior Public Health Department Bounlay Phommasack said by telephone.

The laboratory tests by the World Health Organisation would take about seven days, Bounlay said.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BKK162674.htm

Hotels with no condoms get fined

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese province has taken the unusual step of fining hotels and bars more than $600 if they do not provide condoms, part of efforts to fight the spread of AIDS, a newspaper said on Friday.

The booming eastern province of Zhejiang, with 1,859 recorded infections by the end of last year, started enforcing the rules on Thursday, the Beijing News said.

"Condoms or condom-vending machines must be placed in hotels, bars and designated public places, or the managers will be fined 5,000 yuan ($650)," the report said.

The Chinese government originally stigmatized AIDS as a disease of the decadent, capitalist West -- a problem of gays, sex workers and drug users. Traditionally, none of these officially existed in communist China.

It has belatedly woken up to the problem, and health experts have warned the virus is now moving into the general population.

But a lack of sex education and unwillingness to talk about sex still hampers the fight, health experts say.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyid=2007-03-02T142619Z_01_PEK331084_RTRUKOC_0_US-CHINA-CONDOMS.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

There Goes El Nino, Here Comes La Nina

"La Nina is the evil twin sister of El Nino, so it's good or bad depending on where you live."

Forecasters warned Tuesday that a La Nina weather pattern — the nasty flip side of El Nino — is brewing, bringing with it the threat of more hurricanes for the Atlantic.

Officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the official end of a brief and mild El Nino that started last year. That El Nino was credited with partially shutting down last summer's Atlantic hurricane activity in the midst of what was supposed to be a busy season.

"We're seeing a shift to the La Nina, it's clearly in the data," NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher said. La Nina, a cooling of the mid-Pacific equatorial region, has not officially begun because it's a process with several months with specific temperature thresholds, but the trend is obvious based on satellite and ocean measurement data, he said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/28/tech/main2523483.shtml

Storms threaten to disrupt rush hour for millions

WEST PLAINS, Missouri (CNN) -- Storms that dumped heavy rains and tornadoes across the heartland Thursday, killing at least one person, made their afternoon trek through the Southeast and were expected to strike the region's largest metro area at rush hour, officials said.

In much of Georgia, the weather service issued a "particularly dangerous situation" watch until 9 p.m. ET as meteorologists were expecting a band of harsh storms to slam into Atlanta during its usually messy rush hour.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency is anticipating high winds, hail and tornadoes, and was arranging conference calls Thursday with county emergency management offices to ensure they were prepared, said agency spokesman Ken Davis.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WEATHER/03/01/severe.weather/index.html

Man Tries to Cash $50K Check From

HOBART, Ind. (AP) - Kevin Russell found out it's not easy trying to cash a check from God. The 21-year-old man was arrested Monday after he tried to cash a check for $50,000 at the Chase Bank in Hobart that was signed "King Savior, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Servant," Hobart police Detective Jeff White said.

Russell was charged with one count attempted check fraud and one count intimidation, both felonies, and one count resisting law enforcement, a misdemeanor. He could face prison time. Police were called to the bank after Russell tried to cash the check, which was written on an invalid Bank One check with no imprint, White said. Russell had several other checks with him that were signed the same way but made out in different dollar amounts, including one for $100,000.

Russell struggled with police as they tried to detain him, White said, and then threatened police as they transported him to the Hobart Police Department.

"I've heard about God giving out eternal life, but this is the first time I've heard of him giving out cash," White said.

No court date has been set for Russell. He was being held Wednesday at the Lake County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070301/D8NJBBQO0.html

Another Teacher

CLINTON, S.C. — A small South Carolina town was rocked by accusations Wednesday that a 23-year-old middle school teacher used her classroom — and other locations — to have sex with at least five male students.

Police arrested Allenna Williams Ward after school officials recovered a note containing inappropriate messages, said Clinton Public Safety Director John Thomas.

Ward, who is married, allegedly had sexual encounters with the 14- and 15-year-old boys at various locations, including in the school, a motel, a park and behind a restaurant, from December to through February, according to arrest warrants.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,255581,00.html

String of Tornadoes Sweep Through Southern Missouri, Killing 1 Child

CAULFIELD, Mo. — Tornadoes swept through southern Missouri around dawn Thursday, damaging homes and businesses and killing at least one person a few hours after another twister touched down in Kansas, authorities said.

A 7-year-old child was killed in Missouri, and there were reports of people missing from the Caulfield area, said State Highway Patrol Sgt. Marty Elmore.

Howell County Sheriff Robbie Crites identified the victim as Elizabeth Croney, whose mother, father and a brother were injured when a tornado hit their mobile home in a rural wooded area 16 miles southwest of West Plains.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,255698,00.html