Crisis in the Canary Islands: New Volcano Threatens to Erupt

Residents of the tiny island of El Hierro in the Canary Island chain off the coast of Africa are preparing for the worst after a series of strong earthquakes shook the region, creating landslides and fraying nerves of the local population.

The earthquake swarm culminated with one of the largest tremors ever recorded in the region, a magnitude 5.4, which hit the island yesterday afternoon, local time. The earthquake swarm began only 48 hours earlier, when seismologists noted a significant uplift in the ground near the submarine volcano of approximately seven centimeters. Local agencies designated to monitor the volcano raised the alert level to "Yellow" only yesterday morning, signifying an increased potential for the volcano to erupt.

The burgeoning volcano emerged from the sea only two years ago, following a series of similar earthquake swarms. A methane plume was noted rising from the sea bed shortly before the initial eruption of the new volcanic system.

More than 550 earthquakes rattled the area between Monday and Wednesday of this week, also centered on or near El Hierro. About 30 of the earthquakes were greater than magnitude 3 on the Richter Scale. Scientists and vulcanologists believe the seismic activity to be related to the movement of magma beneath the volcano. Similar earthquake swarms have been noted in the days and weeks leading up to major eruptions of other volcanic systems throughout the world.

The 2011 eruption of the underwater volcano created havoc on the island, home to some 10,000 residents, as the poisonous gases and debris emitted from the volcano affected the island's fisheries, the main source of jobs and income. Thousands of residents in the island's main village of La Restinga were also forced to evacuate as a precautionary measure.

Local agencies are monitoring the situation on a twenty-four-hour basis and are keeping the island on evacuation advisement, should a more violent earthquake or eruption take place. The region has long been a favorite vacation spot for Europeans, who flock to the sub-tropical island chain's world-famous beaches.

Queen of Denial: Freak Cyclone Cleopatra Pounds Sardinia

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, as the old adage goes...

The residents of Sardinia are busy cleaning up after a freak cyclone by the name of Cleopatra delivered a powerful blow to the Mediterranean island, long a getaway retreat for Europeans looking for a bit of sun, sand and surf.

At least 18 people were killed and thousands left homeless after Cyclone Cleopatra deluged the island with an astonishing 450 millimeters (17 inches) of rain in only an hour and a half overnight.  The torrential rain flooded the streets of cities and villages across Sardinia, off the coast of Italy, sweeping away cars, animals and people and flooding countless thousands of homes. More rain fell on the island in 90 minutes than usually falls in more than half a year, local weather officials announced. The Red Cross has stepped in, providing temporary shelter for the thousands of residents displaced by the unusual weather event.

The disaster in Sardinia comes only days after an unusual November tornado outbreak swept across the US Midwest, with hundreds of tornadoes touching down and causing deaths and destruction across several states. The cyclone also follows the most powerful storm ever recorded, Typhoon Haiyan, which slammed into the Philippines as a post-Category 5 storm, leaving tens of thousands of people dead and destroying entire cities. A freak cyclone struck the coast of Somalia only two days after Haiyan's deadly voyage, killing almost five hundred people and destroying entire villages along the coast of the east African nation. A freak rain storm also struck Saudi Arabia earlier this week, dumping copious amounts of rain on a usually arid region of the world, creating havoc and destruction.

Expect more stories of a similar nature to come in the future as the runaway effects of climate change continues with a vice-like grip on the world's population:

Prêt-à-Porter: Parisienne Women Can Now LEGALLY Wear Pants

Famed French designer Coco Chanel was way before her time...

 

It might have come a century too late, but finally the women of fashion forward Paris can legally wear pants!

It seems an antiquated law written during the time of the French Revolution in the late 1700s that forbade the women of  Paris to wear pants was left in the books. The law was eventually amended in 1892 and again 1909...but that was only to make it legal for woman to wear trousers if they were "holding the handlebars of a bicycle or the reigns of a horse".

Apparently, trailblazers such as iconic French fashion designer Coco Chanel and screen goddess Marlene Dietrich (who lived in an apartment on Avenue Montaigne in Paris until her death in 1992) were even more daring for the age in which they lived, considering their penchant for men's trousers and outfits, which was technically illegal!

The obscure and outdated law was officially repealed on Friday by Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, the French minister of women's rights. "This law is incompatible with the principles of equality between men and women which is laid out in the Constitution and in France's European commitments,"  Vallaud-Belkacem said in an official statement.

Now the women of Paris can wear their trousers...out and proud!

Land Ho! New Island Size of 25 Football Fields Emerges in North Sea

A new land mass has suddenly "emerged" from the North Sea, off the coast of Germany and Denmark. The new island has been christened Bird Island and has grown to the length of over twenty-five football fields over the course of the past several years, ecologists are saying.

The island is now home to almost fifty species of plants and wildlife is also flocking to the burgeoning ecosystem. The landmass, which is comprised mostly of sandbanks and grasses native to the region, gradually emerged from the stormy waters of the North Sea over the past few years. Biologists say that seeds blown on the often hurricane-force winds on the sea carried various seeds to the new island from across Europe, and the new flora is now flourishing on the island.

The German government want to protect the new land mass and will limit public access to the area. Scientists warn that the island is subject to the often brutal forces of the North Sea, and the grasses growing on the island do not yet have the root system necessary to bind the sand dunes that make up the island together, which leaves the island very vulnerable to tidal erosion and heavy flooding.

[Addendum: This does meet the fulfillment language in the Webbot Project's (Web Bot Project) "New Land Rising" linguistic meme and temporal marker for the onset of major global events.]

Related links to this story:

Webbot Project Sees Scary Future 

Webbot Hit as Mass of Volcanic Rocks Larger Than Belgium Emerge Off New Zealand Coast 

Sex on the Go: Switzerland OKs Drive-Thru Sex Boxes

Motorists in Switzerland who are craving a bit of vehicular romance before heading into work each day are in luck, as the European nation has given the green light to roadside "sex boxes" to be used by prostitutes and their clientele.

The city of Zurich has passed an ordinance that will allow for construction of the sex boxes, which will begin appearing city-wide next year, and will provide a more discreet, safer location for local sex workers to rendezvous with their johns. The "boxes" are actually parking garage cubicles that will allow for a vehicle to park inside, where the prostitute and his or her client can get down to business in relative privacy. The proposed site will be able to handle approximately thirty vehicles and their passengers at a time.

Although the world's oldest profession is completely legal in Switzerland, local authorities have struggled for years to control the crime and violence often associated with the illicit trade. The decision was also prompted by local residents who have grown weary of seeing the sex workers patrolling the streets and neighborhoods where they live, often engaging in sex acts in public, in open view of passing pedestrians and motorists, including young children.

The prostitutes who use the sex boxes will also be required by law to take out medical insurance and to be tested for STDs. They will also have to pay a licensing fee and will have to "clock in" each day by inserting €5 into a machine in order to enter a cubicle.

Drive-in sex boxes have been used in neighboring Germany for the past several years, apparently to great success...

 

Less Cow Bell: Austrian Town Bans Cow Bells

Less cow bell, a judge in a small Austrian hamlet has decreed.

Although a common sound around the Alps, it seems that the constant ringing of cow bells in the tiny village of Stallhofen was keeping certain citizens from getting a good night's rest. Now, a court has ordered a farmer in the town to remove the clanging apparatus from his herd of cattle.

As of now, the farmer has refused to comply with the court order, claiming the ringing of cow bells is a time-honored tradition in the region that has endured for many centuries, which brings in tourists from all around the world. The cows had been free to roam the hilly countryside, but apparently the cow bells began clanging very loudly at a feeding and watering trough the farmer had installed.

Cowbells were originally used to help trace errant animals and to make it easier for the cows to stay close to each other in mountain pastures. The farmer faces a steep fine if he does not comply with the court order.

Wedding Locomotion: Bride Wears World's Longest Train

If you thought Pippa Middleton had a job carrying sister Kate's wedding dress train at last year's Royal Wedding, you haven't seen anything!

A Romanian design house debuted the world's longest bridal train in stunning fashion, by having a model wear the outrageous wedding accessory while on a hot air balloon. The balloon landed near the Palace of the Parliament in the Romanian capital of Bucharest. The model's train measured a staggering two miles in length, and took ten seamstresses over one hundred days to hand sew, using French lace and Italian taffeta. The cost of the materials was almost $8000, not including all of the labor.

The new record breaks the old one by some considerable distance, as the old record for the world's longest bridal train was not even a mile in length. The lovely bride modeled the amazing dress, as the gown's train stretched almost the entire length of one of Bucharest's main boulevards. The world-record breaker is actually a good nose thumbing by the Romanians at the Dutch, who held the old title. Seems the Netherlands tried to block Romania's inclusion in the visa-free European travel zone, which didn't sit very well with many in the country. The Romanian fashion house Andree Salon came up with the idea as a way to get back at the Netherlands for the snub and promote the country's growing fashion industry.

Pumped Up Kicks: Amazing Race Contestants Compete in Bodybuilding Contest

After last week's bunnies on steroids Detour in delightful Denmark, I've decided this season of the CBS reality staple The Amazing Race has been, well, flippin' amazing! 

It's been awesome watching Bill & Cathi give the younger team members a run for their money! The previews for this week's episode look quite intriguing, with the teams oil slicking themselves up to compete in a European body building contest! Word has it that Bill & Cathi are rocking some super-buff bodies under their comfy clothes and farming gear, as are the rest of the gorgeous contestants! Rock on, guys!

Tonight's episode, titled "Speedo Time", promises to be one of the sexiest episodes of all time, if the contestants don't toss their cookies first on a spinning tea cup ride! To give you a taste of tonight's episode, enjoy this animated gif of Race host Phil Keoghan stripped down to his skivvies for a previous season of the show (which I totally stole from The Best Week Ever!):

"I'm smart and sexy!"

The Amazing Race airs tonight at 8:00PM EST, time approximate.

That's Amore! Ousted Silvio Berlusconi Releases Love CD

Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has released a "mix tape" of love songs on his way out the swinging door!

The aging Lothario, 75, released a CD of songs that he has written, performed by his good friend, singing star Mariano Apicella. The songs on the album "tell of tormented love, featuring lyrics such as 'another day of wind and rain, another night without you,' or 'Stay, and leave me your heart.'"

Berlusconi was forced to step down from his scandal-plagued post and is currently on trial for paying for sex with a 17-year-old girl at a dinner party he hosted at his opulent mansion. Some believe the album release is the outrageous billionaire's way of having the last word as the new Italian minister Mario Monti is set to take over his position

There were cheers from large crowds throughout Italy when Berlusconi's departure from the position was announced last week, as Italy struggles with deepening austerity measures brought on by the global economic super-crisis and the worrisome European debt situation.

The self-described Latin lover, who once boasted he single-handedly kept large groups entertained for hours on end with his smooth charm and silky voice, wrote the lyrics for the sappily-titled album True Love. 

 I'm sure a nationwide concert tour is in the planning stages, so break out the cigarette lighters and prepare to swoon!

"You know you want me..."

UN Nuclear Agency "Mystified" by Increasing Radiation Levels in Europe

The United Nations Nuclear Agency remains mystified by reports of increasing radiation levels being detected across Europe. The International Atomic Energy Agency, however, has assured the public that the increase is not coming from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant that was severely damaged by the horrific March 11th earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan.

Elevated-but still relatively low- levels of radioactive iodine-131 were detected last week in samples taken from areas throughout Germany and the Czech Republic. Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Sweden also reported low-level traces. The agency has stated that although higher than normal, the levels still remain at safe concentrations and do not at present pose any health risks to local populations or wildlife.

This week, NASA released thousands of images of the Tarantula Nebula, an area of space they believe is producing intense radiation and powerful winds, which some scientists feel could be the cause for the increased radiation levels detected in Earth's atmosphere. 


Officials in Spain, Russia, Ukraine, Finland, France, Britain, Switzerland, Poland and Norway said they had not detected any abnormal radiation levels but would continue to monitor the situation. 


In the weeks after the meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, trace amounts of radioactive iodine-131 were detected over parts of the United States and Canada, as well as areas of Northern Europe, carried aloft by the jet stream.

The Big Chill: Forecasters Warn of Siberia-Like Winter for Great Britain & Europe

Photo Credit: BBC

Meteorologists are warning residents of the UK and Europe that this may be the nastiest and coldest winter yet, even worse than the devastating Deep Freeze of last winter, when satellite photographs showed the entire island of Great Britain and a large part of Ireland covered in snow!

Winter weather is expected to arrive with a vengeance with temperatures dipping well below zero within the next two weeks. Forecasters are warning residents that heavy snow may fall far earlier in the season than last year, when early November snow storms and bone-chilling temperatures created travel chaos throughout Britian and Northern Europe.

The stark warning came as the Meteorological Agency told various governmental agencies to prepare now for extreme weather events and to take extra steps to protect public transport and people's lives. Last year, road crews ran out of salt and grit used to clear snow and ice early in the season due to the heavy snow, creating a travel nightmare across most of Great Britain and Ireland.

Residents are being warned to stock up on extra supplies of food and bottled water as well as extra fuel and light sources due to the possibility of power failures and black-outs. Residents are also being urged to check-in frequently with elderly neighbors during extreme cold snaps.

The Met Office UK said: "Our excess winter mortality, of an average 25,000 extra deaths in winter compared to other months of the year - 80 per cent thought to be due to the cold - is very poor compared to other countries in Europe. The aim of the cold weather alerts is to reduce winter mortality by allowing action to be taken, helping people and patients reduce the risks of cold weather."

Brrr..... 

Will Iceland's Most Dangerous Volcano Katla Erupt?

A series of earthquakes beneath the glaciers of Iceland have experts and scientists worried that the island's most feared volcano Katla may be poised for an eruption in the near future. Earthquake swarms and harmonic tremors have been monitored for the past several months, giving Icelandic officials cause for major concern. The volcano's last eruption was over 93 years ago. Many experts have linked Katla with the nearby, smaller volcano Eyjafjallajokull, which erupted last year and caused immense traveling chaos throughout Europe when countless flights had to be cancelled due to the massive volcanic ash cloud the volcano spewed. That troublesome ash cloud will seem insignificant if Katla is to erupt, say authorities, as Katla will more than likely erupt far more explosively and over a much longer period of time. Last year, the country's president Ólafur Grímsson warned "the time for Katla to erupt is coming close, Iceland has prepared and it is high time for European governments and airline authorities all over Europe and the world to start planning for the eventual Katla eruption".

The people of Iceland (and Europe) will be monitoring the situation very closely over the next several months.

More information from Sott.net

Will Iceland's Most Feared Volcano Erupt?