Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

Millions of fish die in Lake Elsinore

By JOHN F. HILL, The Press-Enterprise An estimated 10 million to 15 million tiny baitfish went belly up at Lake Elsinore last weekend, the worst fish die-off since 2002, officials said. Piles of dead threadfin shad still clogged the lake’s shoreline Tuesday. In some spots, the stench was overpowering for drivers who had the misfortune […]

Water pollution from homes up to 50 percent greater than earlier estimates

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2009 — They say there’s no place like home. But scientists are reporting some unsettling news about homes in the residential areas of California. The typical house there — and probably elsewhere in the country — is an alarming and probably underestimated source of water pollution, according to a new study reported […]

A shout out to Sargasso.nl

Desdemona has arrived, thanks to Dutch site Sargasso.nl, who placed Des next to The Drudge in their link list: Thanks for the add, Sargasso! Technorati Tags: communication

Graph of the Day: Iceland Sea pH, 1985-2008

The graphs show Iceland Sea winter surface water changes in pH, and the saturation state of aragonite. The anthropogenic increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide affects the Nordic Seas both at the surface and at depth. In the surface, the pH has decreased from 8.13 to 8.08 between 1985 and 2008, and the aragonite saturation, which […]

Citrus greening disease poised to enter California

By Jerry Hirsch Leaders of California’s $1.6-billion citrus industry said Monday that a disease that was killing orchards worldwide was now rooted in Mexico, and experts warned that it was headed toward the state. Citrus greening disease has infected six citrus trees on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, spread by an infestation of the Asian citrus psyllid. […]

Giant methane plume found in the depths off California

Sonar survey spies mysterious, 1.4-kilometer-tall feature in the depths off California By Sid PerkinsAn oceanographic survey has discovered a 1,400-meter-tall plume rising from the seafloor off the coast of California. Water samples taken at the site, about 32 kilometers northwest of Cape Mendocino, indicate that the feature isn’t mineral-rich water spewing from a hydrothermal vent, […]

Graph of the Day: US Healthcare Compared with UK, France, and Singapore

United States Private sector funded, with more than half from private sources. Private health insurance available through employer, government or private schemes. 15.3% of population (45.7 million people) do not have health insurance. Federal government is largest healthcare insurer – involved in two main schemes, Medicaid and Medicare, each covering about 13% of population. Medicaid […]

Bee-eating Chinese hornets spread through France

PARIS (Reuters) – France is facing an invasion of bee-eating Chinese hornets which could hasten the mysterious decline in the honey-bee population and threaten bee-keepers’ livelihoods, researchers said on Tuesday. Colonies of Asian hornets, or Vespa velutina, have spread rapidly in southwestern France, a region popular with tourists, and are likely to reach other European […]

Kenya lions to be extinct within 20 years

NAIROBI, Kenya, August 17, 2009 (ENS) – Kenya could lose all its lions in the next 20 years if the current rate of decline continues unless urgent and decisive measures are taken, the Kenya Wildlife Service warned today. World famous for its wildlife, Kenya now has 2,000 lions in seven national parks and conservation areas, […]

Graph of the Day: Delinquency Rates at Commercial Banks, 1991-2009

From Calculated Risk: The Federal Reserve reports that delinquency rates rose in Q2 in all categories. This graph shows the delinquency rates at the commercial banks for residential real estate, commercial real estate and consumer credit cards. Commercial real estate delinquencies (7.91%) are rising rapidly, and are at the highest rate since the early ’90s […]

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