TagsTagsHere's a thread to post breaking news on the crash of a vintage WWII aircraft at the Reno Air Races... The latest news is that the plane crashed into a "VIP box seating" area near the main grandstands.
Breaking News, disaster, Airplane Accident, Air Race, Reno, Nevada
In Joplin, Missouri, dozens of families are in mourning today after a killer tornado struck with very little warning last night. The property damage is immense, and clean-up will take months. Up to three quarters of the city of Joplin has been destroyed. As part of the aftermath, we must note ...
Missouri, Tornado, disaster, Climate Change, Global Warming, NOAA, Republican Party, Anti-Science
The death toll from the massive tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, is now nearly 100. Residents received a 24-minute warning that a tornado was headed toward the city, giving many a few precious moments to gather children and run for safety. When the tornado struck, it caused what officials are ...
This qualifies as real bad news from Japan, where the severity rating of the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant has been raised to the highest level: Japan nuclear crisis on same level as Chernobyl.
There's no good news from Japan tonight: Japan Faces Potential Nuclear Disaster as Radiation Levels Rise. TOKYO — Japan faced the likelihood of a catastrophic nuclear accident Tuesday morning, as an explosion at the most crippled of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station damaged its crucial steel ...
Another horrifying amateur video from Japan shows the giant waves striking the Japanese coastal town of Noda. At least 500 people died here. Video
Boing Boing has a great informative post if you need a refresher course in how nuclear power plants work: Nuclear energy 101: Inside the 'black box' of power plants.
Japan, Tsunami, disaster, Nuclear Power, Meltdown, Nuclear Power
According to experts, Japan's nuclear nightmare may just be beginning. WASHINGTON — As the scale of Japan’s nuclear crisis begins to come to light, experts in Japan and the United States say the country is now facing a cascade of accumulating problems that suggest that radioactive releases of steam from ...
Here's some new footage from BBC News, showing the first moments of the massive tsunami disaster. Video
The New York Times reports on the spreading nuclear crisis in Japan, where a state of emergency has now been declared at a fourth reactor. The government confirmed that radiation had escaped from the worst-hit plant, and local officials said that 22 people outside the plant showed signs of radiation ...
Uh oh. [5:48 p.m. ET, 7:48 a.m. Tokyo] A meltdown may be under way at one of Fukushima Daiichi's nuclear power reactors, an official with Japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency told CNN Sunday. A meltdown is a catastrophic failure of the reactor core, with a potential for widespread radiation release. ...
The good news is that a major meltdown has apparently been averted at the Fukushima power plant in northern Japan, after the reactor was flooded with seawater. Also good news: the explosion that was seen yesterday was not inside the reactor itself. TOKYO — Japanese officials took the extraordinary step ...
The NOAA Center for Tsunami Research in Seattle posted this computer model of the 2011 Honshu tsunami, as it propagated across the Pacific Ocean.
Science, Pacific Ocean, NOAA, Video, disaster, Tsunami, Japan
Click to enlarge The tsunami from Japan's enormous earthquake struck the west coast of the United States this morning, damaging boats and killing at least one man who was swept out to sea when he tried to photograph the incoming wave. There is great concern about the nuclear power plants damaged in ...
Here's some absolutely horrific video of the tsunami that followed today's 8.9 earthquake in northern Japan, sweeping away everything in its path. Video Please note that just last month, as part of their attack on scientific organizations that study global warming, House Republicans voted to gut funding for the Pacific Tsunami Center. ...
An idea whose time has come: Legislators should have to wear NASCAR-style logos of bill sponsors. Lawmakers in Sacramento say they represent the people. But voters have little to do with who really runs our state. Corporations and lobbyists pay to get lawmakers elected, then write the laws that govern ...
Oil, Drill, Offshore Drilling, disaster, Deepwater Horizon, BP, Lobbying, Special Interest Groups, Corruption
Not many details yet, but if the seabed around the Deepwater Horizon well is deteriorating, it will be very bad news: Government says leak detected ‘a distance from’ oil well. (CNN) — The federal government’s oil spill response director says testing has revealed that there is a “detected seep a ...
Oil, Drill, Offshore Drilling, disaster, Deepwater Horizon, BP
For the first time since April, the flow of oil from the Deepwater Horizon well has been completely shut off. Which is good news, but before you start partying — it’s not a permanent solution. BP will be monitoring pressure under the cap. High pressure is good, because it shows there’s ...
Oil, Drill, Offshore Drilling, disaster, Deepwater Horizon, BP
Crazy Uncle Ron Paul continues demonstrating why his star is on the rise in the Republican Party — because he doesn’t care about the fallout. He’ll go right to the most extreme position every time, and leave the door open for the rest of the GOP to follow: Rep. Paul ...
Oil, Offshore Drilling, disaster, Deepwater Horizon, BP, GOP, Republican Party, Ron Paul, Bad Craziness
On the Joe Scarborough show, Republican Minority Whip Eric Cantor feebly tries to defend one of the most cynical GOP political calculations in recent memory: leaving Rep. Joe Barton at the head of the Energy and Commerce Committee, even after Barton demonstrated beyond any doubt that he’s in the pocket ...
Oil, Offshore Drilling, disaster, Deepwater Horizon, BP, GOP, Republican Party, Joe Barton, Corruption
Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert compares President Obama to Hitler, for setting up the BP $20B escrow fund. Doubling down on derangement. [Video]
Oil, Offshore Drilling, disaster, Deepwater Horizon, BP, Barack Obama, Conspiracy Theories, Bad Craziness, Obama Derangement Syndrome, Louie Gohmert
In today’s Republican Party, you can make politically disastrous statements, blatantly shill for Big Oil, and be an undisguised theocratic climate change denier — and you’ll still be welcome to lead the Energy and Commerce Committee. The Republican Party has given Joe Barton a free pass. House Republicans who condemned Rep. ...
Oil, Offshore Drilling, disaster, Deepwater Horizon, BP, Barack Obama, Conspiracy Theories, Bad Craziness, Obama Derangement Syndrome, Joe Barton, Corruption
NASA’s Earth Observatory has released a high resolution image (10MB) of the Gulf of Mexico, showing the frighteningly gigantic scale of the oil spill disaster. Click for enlarged detail (Hat tip: Thanos.)
Oil, Offshore Drilling, disaster, Deepwater Horizon, BP, NASA, Photography
One of the most astounding self-inflicted political wounds in recent memory has been the insane criticism of the $20 billion escrow fund set up by President Obama as a “shakedown.” And now another high profile wingnut pundit, Mark Levin, is attacking Bill O’Reilly for trying to bring some sense into ...
Oil, Offshore Drilling, disaster, Deepwater Horizon, BP, Barack Obama, Bad Craziness, Obama Derangement Syndrome, Michele Bachmann, Bill O'Reilly, Mark Levin
Looks like the word has gone out from the Republican bigwigs, telling the ranters to rein in their politically disastrous support for BP. That’s why you’re now seeing even loony Michele Bachmann dodging questions from, of all people, Bill O’Reilly. This is how deranged the GOP is becoming. [Video]
Oil, Offshore Drilling, disaster, Deepwater Horizon, BP, Barack Obama, Bad Craziness, Obama Derangement Syndrome, Michele Bachmann, Bill O'Reilly