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Forecasters expect 5 big hurricanes
At least five major hurricanes with winds of more than 111 miles per hour are expected to develop in the Atlantic during the 2011 storm season, Colorado State University forecasters said yesterday.
Overall, some 16 named storms are likely, with nine of them reaching hurricane status — an above-average season, said the forecasters led by William Gray and Phil Klotzbach. The forecast reduces by one the group’s preliminary December outlook for 17 named storms.
There is a 72 percent chance that one of the major storms will strike the US coast, above the 52 percent average for the past century, they said, and a 47 percent chance of a Gulf Coast hit. The East Coast’s odds are 48 percent.
“We reduced the number of storms but our statistical models are still calling for an active Read more…
U.S. braces for floods as Red River rises
Movers this week pulled furniture from the lower level of the Sterns’ house and ripped out the carpet to reduce damage from seeping water as the Red River continued a rapid rise.
“Any spring there is anxiety,” Sherri Stern said on Thursday. “We didn’t expect to have water that we would have to start pumping this fast.”
The Red River swelled to within four feet of its forecasted crest at Fargo-Moorhead on Thursday as volunteers piled up sandbags. At the forecasted level, the Red River crest would be the third highest on record behind 2009 and 1997.
The flood has potential to force thousands of people from their homes in North Dakota and Minnesota based on past similar floods, but protection is better this year, said Cecily Fong, spokeswoman for the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services.
RED TO CREST SUNDAY AT FARGO
The Red, which forms the boundary between the two states, rose to 35.9 feet at Fargo- Read more…
Researchers find superbug gene in New Delhi water
By MARIA CHENG, AP Medical Writer
LONDON – A gene that can turn many types of bacteria into deadly superbugs was found in about a quarter of water samples taken from drinking supplies and puddles on the streets of New Delhi, according to a new study.
Experts say it’s the latest proof that the new drug-resistance gene, known as NDM-1, named for New Delhi, is widely circulating in the environment — and could potentially spread to the rest of the world.
Bacteria armed with this gene can only be treated with a couple of highly toxic and expensive antibiotics. Since it was first identified in 2008, it has popped up in a number of countries, including the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada and Sweden.
Most of those infections were in people who had recently traveled to or had medical Read more…
CBO: Deficit on the rise
The federal government’s deficit continues to grow, according to the latest numbers from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
The government is expected to run a deficit of $830 billion in the first six months of fiscal 2011, a $113 billion increase from the same period last year, the CBO reported Thursday.
The latest numbers could serve as fresh ammunition for Congressional Republicans caught in a fight over government spending with their Democratic counterparts. Lawmakers are currently haggling over both a short-term spending package to avert a government shutdown and a longer-term budget proposal for fiscal 2012. And indications the deficit is still on the rise could bolster arguments to make major spending cuts.
The CBO reported that both government spending and revenue collection were up in 2011 when compared to 2010, by 11 percent and 7 percent, respectively.
In March alone, the federal deficit stood at $189 billion, which is $124 billion more than the same month last year.
The organization’s data shows government spending rising in nearly every major category. Spending on defense, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid were up in preliminary fiscal 2011 numbers when compared to 2010, as CBO estimated government outlays were up $179 billion in the first six months of fiscal 2011. Spending dropped 22 percent on unemployment benefits over that same period.
Government revenues were also slightly up over that time frame, growing 6.9 percent or $66 billion. However, receipts in March were down about $3 billion when compared to March 2010, driven by declines in individual income as well as payroll, estate and gift taxes.
The CBO noted that vital information about the government’s fiscal picture will be coming in the next several weeks, as individual income tax returns are filed for 2010 and estimated payments of income taxes will be made by corporations and individuals for the first quarter of 2011.
USGS maps NOT REPORTING known significant earthquake data near New Madrid Fault
Legislation Repealing Controversial Form 1099 Rules Passed By Senate, Headed To White House
Florence Delva/Getty Images A stack of coins is shown in this file photo. A new IRS rule that will start in 2012 will require sellers, buyers of gold coins to file IRS paperwork.
(Kitco News) Both chambers of the U.S. Congress have approved legislation to eliminate controversial new Form 1099 tax-reporting requirements that coin dealers and other business organizations had complained was too onerous.
The measure is on its way to the desk of President Obama after Senate passage by an 87-12 vote Tuesday. A number of news reports suggested that the White House is expected to sign the bill into law.
Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), who introduced Form 1099 repeal seven times, said the Senate measure was identical to a version that already passed the House of Representatives. This means the measure does not have to go to a conference committee and instead goes directly to the White House. An amendment that would have resulted in further delay of 1099 repeal was rejected, he said.
“I appreciate that my colleagues have seen the wisdom of avoiding further delays and getting this costly, looming paperwork burden off the backs of our job creators,” Johanns said. “We now need only a simple signature from the president and this bill will become law, saving jobs and much needed capital for our small businesses.”
The House passed a bill for repeal of the Form 1099 rules in early March. Both parties have favored repeal for months now, although it was held up by a fight over how to offset to any health-care funding that purportedly would be lost. According to news reports, the House and Senate bills would limit health-care subsidies for families over a certain income threshold.
The Industry Council for Tangible Assets said Tuesday night it was cautiously optimistic that the repeal will become law. ICTA is a trade group for the rare coin, precious metals and tangible assets industry.
The group noted that as of early last month, a statement of administration policy indicated that the White House did not agree with Read more…
US gov’t may raise radiation exposure levels in food, drink, soil
This is truly insane!!!
Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering approval of a plan designed to dramatically increase permissible radiation contamination levels in food, water and soil after radiation events, including spills and dirty bomb attacks.
The Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (ORIA), the radiation extension of the EPA, has prepared a revision to the 1992 “Protective Action Guides” (PAG) that governs radiation protection conclusions on short-term and long-term cleanup levels, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) reports.
Vigorously opposed by some agency experts, the plan is being discussed behind closed doors, notes PEER. “This critical debate is taking place entirely behind closed doors because this plan is ‘guidance’ and does not require public notice as a regulation would,” said PEER attorney Christine Erickson in a news release.
“We all deserve to know why some in the agency want to legitimize exposing the public to radiation at levels vastly higher than what EPA officially considers dangerous,” Erickson added.
Internal documents obtained by PEER under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit last autumn show that, under the updated PAG, a single glass of water could give the equivalent of a lifetime’s permissible exposure. According to PEER, the
new limits would cause a cancer in as much as every fourth person exposed. Read more…
U.S. wants to use India in missile shield against Russia, China
The United States has been trying to rope in India for its plans to build a global missile defence system threatening Russia and China, the Komsomoloskaya Pravda, a popular Russian daily published from Moscow reported on Thursday.
In a story based on the WikiLeaks releases, the report said the U.S. has not only been planning to deploy a missile shield against Russia in Europe, but had also been negotiating with countries along Russia’s borders, such as Japan and India, to jointly build missile defences that would also target Russia.
“The noose [around Russia] is tightening,” the newspaper said. “Thanks to WikiLeaks, it has become known that Washington has been simultaneously conducting talks with countries in other parts of the world for building U.S. missile defences on their territories. Those are different countries, but they form a chain around Russia.”
A 2007 confidential cable from the U.S. embassy in New Delhi carried by the daily refuted media reports that India had abruptly turned its back on a 2005 agreement with the U.S. to cooperate on missile defences. The cable said the Indian media had misinterpreted remarks by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee after the Russia-India-China trilateral meeting in Harbin, China, on October 24, 2007. Mr. Mukherjee had dismissed as “groundless” the idea that India was going to join a U.S.-led missile defence system.
Misconstrued
“MEA contacts confirm this did not mean India was not interested in continuing to cooperate with the U.S. on missile defence technology and that there has been no change from the current level of bilateral missile defence cooperation,” the U.S. embassy cable said.
The “MEA contacts” explained that Mr. Mukherjee’s comments were “misconstrued” by the Indian press. When Mr. Mukherjee said that “India does not take part in such military arrangements,” the officials said, he had had in mind the U.S. plan to install a missile-detection system in Europe, which his Russian and Chinese counterparts referred to in the same press interaction. Read more…
FBI Launches 1 Billion $ Biometrics Project With Lockheed Martin To Track Everyone’s Every Move
The FBI launched this week a massive program aimed to record all citizen’s biometrics data. This will eventually enable instant surveillance and recognition of any individual walking on the street or entering a building. The 1 Billion $ deal was awarded to Lockheed Martin – the world’s largest defence company, which is part of elite groups such as the CFR (Council of Foreign Relations) and the Trilateral Commission. In short, Lockheed Martin is the official defence company of the world’s shadow government.
Lockheed Martin Logo
Lockheed Martin is active in many aspects of government contracting. It Read more…
Wal-Mart US CEO To America: “Prepare For Serious Inflation”
To those who think that buying food in the corner deli is becoming a luxury, we have five words: you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet. U.S. consumers face “serious” inflation in the months ahead for clothing, food and other products, the head of Wal-Mart’s U.S. operations warned Wednesday talking to USA Today. And if Wal-Mart which is at the very bottom of commoditized consumer retail, and at the very peak of avoiding reexporting of US inflation by way of China is concerned, it may be time to panic, or at least cancel those plane tickets to Zimbabwe, which is soon coming to us.
The world’s largest retailer is working with suppliers to minimize the effect of cost increases and believes its low-cost business model will position it better than its competitors.
Still, inflation is “going to be serious,” Wal-Mart U.S. CEO Bill Simon said during a meeting with USA TODAY’s editorial board. “We’re seeing cost increases starting to come through at a pretty rapid rate.”
Along with steep increases in raw material costs, John Long, a retail strategist at Kurt Salmon, says labor costs in China and fuel costs for transportation are weighing heavily on retailers. He predicts prices will start increasing at all retailers in June. Read more…
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