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.

October 31, 2007

L.O.T.W

Here is Lillyin Olivia Tandi Willis (L.O.T.W)...born on October 30th 2007 @ 10:54 am. She weighed in at 8 lbs and 11.1 oz and was 20 and 1/4"...
Lots of love this makes number number 6!! One more my kids can beat your kids at 7 on 7 flag football!!

Tropical Storm Noel Kills at Least 60 in Caribbean, Heads Toward Bahamas

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Tropical Storm Noel triggered mudslides and floods in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, pushing the death toll to 60 on Wednesday and forcing some parents to choose which of their children to save from the surging waters.

The storm lurched out of Cuba and stalled over the ocean, but was projected to skirt Florida and batter the Bahamas, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm watch was issued for parts of southeast Florida.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,306697,00.html

October 29, 2007

Tropical Storm Noel brings heavy rain to Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Tropical Storm Noel lashed Haiti with heavy rains early Monday as it moved across the impoverished Caribbean nation, generating fears of flash flooding on deforested hills often blanketed by rows of flimsy shacks. Noel, the 14th named storm of the Atlantic season, was expected to drop as much as 20 inches of rain on Haiti and the Dominican Republic _ which share the island of Hispaniola _ before heading on a path east of Cuba toward the Bahamas.

October 22, 2007

Raging Calif. Fires Burn Scores of Homes

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Wildfires blown by fierce desert winds Monday reduced scores of Southern California homes to ashes, forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee and laid a hellish, spidery pattern of luminous orange over the drought-stricken region.

At least one person was killed in the fires, and dozens were injured. Nearly 130 homes had burned in one mountain town alone, and thousands of other buildings were threatened by more than a dozen blazes covering at least 310 square miles.

"The sky was just red. Everywhere I looked was red, glowing. Law enforcement came barreling in with police cars with loudspeakers telling everyone to get out now," said Ronnie Leigh, 55, who fled her home at a mobile home park as smoke darkened the sky over the nearby ridge line.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071023/D8SEKMP81.html

October 19, 2007

Storms, Tornadoes Rip Through Southeast, Plains, Killing 4

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Powerful thunderstorms and high winds that moved through much of the country sent a mobile home in Missouri flying, destroyed homes in Michigan and collapsed a trailer in Kentucky. Four people were killed.

In Washington state, where one of the deaths occurred, a floating bridge buffeted by powerful wind was closed, and tens of thousands of homes and businesses lost electricity.

October 18, 2007

Storm Collapses Tents at Oklahoma Oktoberfest Injuring at Least 30 People

OKLAHOMA CITY — More than 30 people were hurt and more than two dozen mobile homes and travel trailers were damaged as severe thunderstorms raked across Oklahoma on Wednesday, authorities said.

At least 30 people were injured when a strong storm moved through the Tulsa area, causing two tents to collapse during an Oktoberfest festival just before 7:30 p.m.

"There was some sort of tornado or microburst that picked up at least one of the tents and it collapsed on a large group of people," said Tulsa police Sgt. Michael Brown.

Brown said there were about 30 injuries reported, but more people left on their own to seek treatment.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,303060,00.html

October 07, 2007

Both puppies

Here is our 2 labs! Claire is the white one which is a 10 month old female. And Calliou the black lab is our 11 month old male.

October 05, 2007

Flooding From Vietnam Typhoon Kills 14

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Downpours from a typhoon in coastal Vietnam unleashed flash floods across several mountainous regions, claiming the lives of 14 people.

Officials said Friday the death toll from Typhoon Lekima, which now stands at 17, could climb further.

"Communications with some villages worst affected by the floods were disrupted and the death toll from the floods could rise," said provincial disaster official Nguyen Truong Son.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i7pMsWdxLO1cYfGa7S3G3IO5ocQAD8S35VUG0

Mutated bird flu eases human-to-human spread

CHICAGO (AFP) — Bird flu has mutated so that it can more easily spread to humans and a change in a single amino acid could radically increase its virulence, according to two new studies. While there has been some transmission of bird flu among the family members of those first infected through close interaction with ill birds, the virus has not yet evolved to the point where it can spread easily among humans.

But researchers warn that it is moving in that direction and with the wrong combination of mutations it could become a pandemic flu.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iO1ZGtdO0FVh-B_VFUYWyO7v27wQ

October 04, 2007

Will he or won't he?

Will he get the virgins? A suicide bomber, who slaughtered 16 Pakistanis using a burqa as a disguise, might be presenting Allah with a dilemma, since the god of Islam hates cross-dressers as much as he loves martyrs.

Rocks from San Andreas Fault could reveal earthquakes' mysteries

After drilling more than two miles into the ground in a remote area of central California, scientists said today they have hit pay dirt. Oil? Nope. Try more than a ton of rocks - geologic samples taken from deep within the bowels of the San Andreas Fault.

Experts believe the cylindrical samples, which have been washed, wrapped in shrink wrap and gently tucked away in refrigerators for safekeeping, may hold many secrets about earthquakes and the dangerous faultline responsible for the Bay Area's devastating 1906 earthquake.

Why do earthquakes start? How do they stop? What is the fault made of? Scientists believe that by studying the rock samples they'll be able to answer the tough questions that have eluded them for years.

http://www.mercurynews.com/lifeandstyleheadlines/ci_7085044

Typhoon Lekima pounds Vietnam, 3 dead

KY HAI COMMUNE, Vietnam (AFP) — Typhoon Lekima smashed into central Vietnam overnight, flooding thousands of homes, disrupting air travel and leaving at least three people dead and 58 injured, officials said Thursday.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 117 kilometres (72 miles) an hour, the typhoon made landfall in provinces where tens of thousands of people had been evacuated in advance.

Two people drowned and a 13-year-old boy perished while trying to anchor fishing boats, the Hanoi-based flood and storm control committee said in a statement. Disaster officials had said a man was killed while tightening a roof before the storm, but he was not counted in their typhoon toll.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iHRkMsFCcvI2f3gjMcVPm0B0xIOA

Warning issued as Typhoon Krosa heads towards Taiwan

TAIPEI (AFP) - Weathermen in Taiwan on Thursday urged ships and residents to take precautions against Typhoon Krosa which is gaining momentum and heading towards the island.

"Typhoon Krosa is gaining strength and expanding its radius while approaching Taiwan," the official Central Weather Bureau said in its first warning of the typhoon at 5:30 pm (0930 GMT.) It called on ships sailing off Taiwan to heighten vigilance while shuttle ferry services between Taiwan and several offshore islets were suspended.

The scheduled rehearsal of National Day celebrations, including the first military parade in 16 years, will also be postponed from Sunday to Monday, the government spokesman's office said. The National Day falls on Wednesday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071004/sc_afp/taiwanweathertyphoon_071004175850

October 03, 2007

Massive California Hill Collapse Destroys Road, Prompts Evacuations

A major hillside collapse in La Jolla, Calif., caused massive damage to the overlying four-lane road and forced evacuations in a residential neighborhood Wednesday, as San Diego city officials scrambled to determine the extent of the damage.

One home was destroyed and at least eight others were in danger as the collapse buckled and folded a 50-yard span of asphalt, leaving deep trenches in the road. Rescue crews were evacuating residents and power and gas lines had been shut off in the area. No injuries were reported.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,299160,00.html