Burmese python invasion in Florida a hidden legacy of Hurricane Andrew

By Matt Morrison 26 October 2018 (CBS News) – It’s been 26 years since Hurricane Andrew became the costliest storm in Florida’s history, but today residents of the Sunshine State are still paying the price in a way few would have imagined. Captive Burmese pythons let loose by Andrew’s destruction have flourished in the southern […]

Super Typhoon Yutu, the strongest storm of 2018, slams U.S. Pacific territory – Escalation of typhoon’s intensity was “unbelievable”

By Colin Dwyer 24 October 2018 (NPR) – A massive typhoon slammed into a U.S. territory in the west Pacific, lashing the Northern Mariana Islands with gusts of Category 5 intensity Wednesday night local time. Super Typhoon Yutu brought to bear maximum sustained winds of about 180 mph — much more powerful, in other words, […]

Record measles outbreak raging in Europe – “It’s unacceptable to have in the 21st century diseases that should have been and could have been eradicated”

By Lauren Dunn and Linda Carroll 21 October 2018 (NBC News) – A raging measles outbreak in Europe may be a warning sign of what could occur in the U.S. if something doesn’t change soon, experts say. So far this year, there have been 41,000 cases in Europe and 40 deaths, according to the World […]

Persistent Alaska warmth in fall 2018 has brought back “the blob” – No snow yet in Fairbanks, latest on record

By Ian Livingston 18 October 2018 (The Washington Post) – Throughout early fall, Alaska has been oddly warm and pleasant. The cause of the freakishly nice weather has been massive high pressure anchored over and around the state. One of the strongest on record for fall, this sprawling dome of warm air has helped keep […]

UK plastics recycling industry under investigation for fraud and corruption

By Sandra Laville 19 October 2018 (The Guardian) – The plastics recycling industry is facing an investigation into suspected widespread abuse and fraud within the export system amid warnings the world is about to close the door on UK packaging waste, the Guardian has learned.The Environment Agency (EA) has set up a team of investigators, […]

The shocking numbers behind America’s opioid epidemic – “The hard truth is that, unless bold action is taken, the opioid epidemic is projected to claim nearly 500,000 lives over the next decade”

By Nick Routley 13 October 2018 (Visual Capitalist) – Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50, who are now more likely to die from a drug overdose than from car accidents or firearms. The United States has the dubious distinction of having the highest percentage of drug-related […]

The “Everything Bubble”: Analyst who predicted the 2008 crash warns of bubble brewing in U.S. household wealth

By Barbara Kollmeyer 18 October 2018 (MarketWatch) – Much has been made about how much wealth is sloshing around in U.S. households and the significance of that fact. Our call of the day pulls no punches as it warns that all of that oft-referenced increase in affluence has been artificially inflated by the Fed, which […]

Utah’s extreme drought prompts a state of emergency – “The drought is at a level unseen for many years”

By Pam Wright 17 October 2018 (The Weather Channel) – An extreme drought that depleted half of Utah’s reservoirs has prompted Gov. Gary Herbert to declare a state of emergency.The declaration allows drought-affected communities, agricultural producers and others to begin the process of accessing state or federal resources, according to a press release.“The rainfall we […]

Here’s where the post-apocalyptic water wars will be fought

By George Dvorsky 17 October 2018 (Gizmodo) – A United Nations report published last week said we have about a decade to get climate change under control, which—let’s be honest—isn’t likely to happen. So break out your goalie masks and harpoon guns, a Mad Max future awaits! Now, as new research points out, we even […]

Tornadoes are spinning up farther east in U.S. as the Great Plains dry out – “More folks are generally at risk because of that eastward shift”

By Seth Borenstein 17 October 2018 WASHINGTON (AP) – Over the past few decades tornadoes have been shifting — decreasing in Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas but spinning up more in states along the Mississippi River and farther east, a new study shows. Scientists aren’t quite certain why.Tornado activity is increasing most in Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, […]

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