UK Government Briefed on Planetary EMERGENCY Involving Wide-Scale Methane Release

BBC News is reporting that members of Great Britain's Parliament were given an emergency briefing this past week over what is being called an imminent "planetary" crisis.

Scientists told UK members of Parliament this week that the possibility of a major methane release triggered by melting Arctic ice definitely constitutes a dire "global emergency". Scientists speculate that the Arctic Sea could be completely ice free for as long as a month by this year or next, due to runaway climate changing conditions. Experts fear this mass melting event could instigate the release of long dormant methane gas fissures frozen beneath the ice shelf into earth's atmosphere.

Scientists from Scotland's Edinburgh University had originally suggested the construction of platforms in the Arctic for pumping seawater sprays into the atmosphere in order to cool the planet, but one member emphatically stated that the situation is currently so grave that the platforms would take too long to construct in order to help reverse the dangerous situation. "I don't think there's time to do the ships for the Arctic now," Professor Salter of the Arctic Methane Emergency Group told Parliament members. Curiously, the Parliamentary meeting took place while UK Prime Minister David Cameron was summoned to the White House for a behind closed doors emergency meeting with US President Barack Obama. This information also comes after NASA announced plans to launch five missiles into Earth's atmosphere from Virginia on Sunday (March 18) evening to "study atmospheric conditions".


Mass methane gas release into Earth's atmosphere is believed to be responsible for the largest Extinction Level Event in our planet's history, the Permian Extinction. Informally known as "The Great Dying", the Permian event was responsible for the death of 90% of all life on Earth, including mammals, reptiles, insects, marine and plant life.

Full story from the BBC. 

By the Rockets' Red Glare: NASA to Launch 5 Rockets from VIRGINIA?

Update: NASA has delayed the launch until Wednesday evening: (March 21)

NASA has announced plans to go ahead with a scheduled launch of five unmanned rockets into space on Sunday evening, after a four day delay. The launches will be conducted at the Wallops Flight Facility, located on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

The salvo of five rockets will be launched high into the atmosphere in quick succession, and the launches will be visible over a large area. The rockets will release chemical tracers at about 60 miles up into Earth's atmosphere, allowing NASA scientists to track  high-altitude winds that can top 300 mph.

The missiles' tracers will create luminous, milk-white clouds in the upper-atmosphere, which could be visible to sky watchers from South Carolina all the way up to parts of New England. Why NASA has decided to launch the missiles from Virginia, a location not noted for its missile launches, remains to be seen. News of the launch comes after reports of an anomalous change in earth's magnetic wind, coming from the opposite location than normal, began breaking on the Internet, leaving many to speculate about the existence of an approaching extra-solar system object.

Yoda, The World's Ugliest Dog, Dead at 15

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Yoda, the homely pooch who took home the title "World's Ugliest Dog" has died at the age of fifteen.

The Chihuahua and Chinese Crested Mix won the title for the homeliest canine at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Peteluma, California in 2011, beating out 28 other dogs with pitiable mugs, and taking home a $1000 prize as well as instant celebrity status. She passed away peacefully in her sleep, according to owner Terry Schumacher.

Yoda experienced luck despite her off-putting appearance by arriving in the Schumacher home, after Terry's daughter found the puppy outside of their apartment. Schumacher initially believed the dog was a rat before discovering it was actually a member of the canine species. The family took the unusual looking dog in and quickly named her Yoda, after the wise but not terribly attractive Jedi master from the Star Wars films.

Officials from the World's Ugliest Dog competition state that Yoda will continue to hold the title posthumously until a new dog receives the title in June.

Fuh-Get 'Bout It: Jersey Shore Could Be Underwater in 20 Years

"Are there tanning beds underwater? I'll be just like Ariel from The Little Mermaid!" Snooki

The Guidos and Guidettes of MTV's "reality" series staple The Jersey Shore may have to find a new location to be annoying and inconsequential according to a new climate change study conducted by prestigious Princeton University.

The study reveals that runaway climate change is rapidly altering the stability of our planet, creating continuous outbreaks of catastrophic storms such as hurricanes and cyclones as the risk of devastating floods is also on the rise. The study suggests by as early as 2030, the risk of "once in a century" type storms and flooding will increase by at least twenty percent. Large parts of the New Jersey shore line will be in serious jeopardy of being inundated by massive storm surges from increasingly more common and powerful "mega-storms".

The rising sea levels could decimate many low-lying areas up and down the entire Eastern Seaboard of the US, displacing millions of residents, closing businesses, shutting down essential industry and costing the economy hundreds of billions of dollars, if not more. Entire cities and towns would have to relocate to higher ground, and important infrastructure would have to be rebuilt.

The study concludes that by the end of the century, sea levels will be on the average four to five feet higher than current levels. So, Jersey Shore crew, you may want to be on the hunt for a location with a higher elevation to spend your "Golden Years". May I suggest the Himalayas?

Stranded: Japanese Tourists Drive into Ocean Due to Malfunctioning GPS

A car carrying three Japanese tourists on vacation in Australia became trapped in the mud after the satellite navigation system they were using neglected to inform them of the span of water between them and their destination, an island off the coast of Queensland!

Seems the intrepid tourists had all the faith in the world that their automobile's GPS system would lead them in the right direction, but they quickly began to suspect something was afoul when the nice, comfortable paved road they were driving on turned into mushy, mangrove mud. The rental car quickly became mired down in the thick, muddy mess, forcing the three Japanese students out of the vehicle to search for help. Unfortunately, the tide began to roll back in, and the car was inundated with water.

Other tourists and passing boats managed to catch an amusing glance of the tiny Hyundai stuck in the ocean, but luckily the three passengers all made it safely back to shore. Insurance will cover the cost of the lost vehicle, but the tourists will have to pay approximately $1500 in taxes and fines.

(Not) in the Ghetto: Andy Warhol's Elvis Painting to Fetch $50 Million +

Update: Andy Warhol's silkscreen Double Elvis sold for $37 million at Sotheby's. One of 22 made by the pop artist, it's based on a movie still and depicts Elvis as a gun-toting cowboy.

A 1962 silkscreen painting by famed pop artist Andy Warhol featuring a gun-toting Elvis Presley is expected to bring in more than $50 million when it goes up for auction in May.

Famed auction house Sotheby's of New York City will be auctioning off the copy, known as "Double Elvis (Ferus Type)" and anticipate a starting bid for the painting at around $30 million. There are nine similar Elvis paintings hanging in museums around the world, but Warhol created a total of 22 paintings with the superstar singer as the subject matter at his studio in New York City's Union Square between the late 1950s and early 1960s.  The images for the paintings were taken from publicity stills for various Western movies Elvis acted in during his stint as a matinee idol, after becoming a top box office draw around the world.

The last time a Warhol Elvis painting went up to auction it fetched a record-breaking amount when an Italian private collector paid a staggering $100 million US for the work of art known as "Eight Elvises".

Sorry, Wrong Number: Teen Sends Prank Text to Police Officer

 

An Arkansas teen is in hot water after sending an ominous prank text message to a random phone number, which turned out to belong to a cop!

The 15-year-old apparently got the idea to send a prank message that stated "I hid the body. Now what?" from the online site Pinterest. Only, that random number she just so happened to select was that of a local police officer. The message was quickly reported and a task force was dispatched to investigate if a serious crime had been committed. Police traced the cell phone number and discovered the girl's address.

The police department didn't find the prank very funny, however, after spending valuable time and money investigating the incident. I'm sure officers gave the unfortunate teen a good talking to after she was released with a warning.

Man Vs. Network: Bear Grylls Fired by Discovery Channel

Rugged survivor man Bear Grylls has finally found an enemy he cannot beat...his own television network!

The Man Versus Wild host has been given the steel-toed boot treatment after the Discovery Channel announced Bear would no longer be part of the network's roster. The firing comes after a lengthy contract dispute between Bear (real name Edward Michael Grylls) and network executives, in which neither party could reach acceptable terms.  

Bear has hosted the popular program since 2006, in which he uses and teaches survival techniques in difficult or life-threatening situations. The host gained fame for his outrageous techniques during the course of the show, including drinking his own urine to survive being lost in the desert and munching down on just about any insect or rodent he could find.

A spokesperson for the 38-year-old states, "Bear has loved the Man vs. Wild journey, and looks forward to producing further cutting-edge content again soon for his loyal audience." Grylls has been married to wife Shara since 2000 and they have three sons, Jesse, Marmaduke and Huckleberry!

The Rising Tide: Detergent Theft on the Rise

It would seem that thieves really want to take retailers to the cleaners...by stealing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of laundry detergent!

The detergent thieving has become so rampant in some cities that special task forces have been assembled to put a stop to the clean freak thievery. In St. Paul, Minnesota, one particularly talented thief has been accused of stealing more than $25,000 of the suds over the course of a year. Some crooks work in tandem, rounding up a cart full of Tide and rolling it out the emergency exit doors where an accomplice is waiting with the get-away car.

Apparently, there is a growing black market for the detergent, as the cost of the product continues to go higher by the day. With the average cost of a bottle now at over $15 nationwide, thieves are stealing the detergent and illicitly re-selling it on the street, bringing in big bucks. As there are no serial numbers on the bottles, they are impossible to track.

As least we know that America's thieves are clean as the economy continues to sink into the crapper!

The Heat Is On: US Set to Bask in Summer Like Late Winter Temps

A large part of the US is set to bask in temperatures usually relegated to early summer as an unusually unseasonable heat wave arrives!

It will appear that some areas of the country will skip over Spring this year and head directly into the summer months, as highs in the mid-to-upper 80s will reach as far north as Chicago and parts of southern Canada this week. Most of the country witnessed very little winter weather at all this season, with temperatures breaking records across the board, in many places ten to fifteen degrees higher than during an average winter.

Yesterday, New York, experienced a warm southerly breeze that brought temperatures into the high sixties, with a high of 71 which ties with the record set in 1890 for the same day. Boston, Massachusetts, reached into the low seventies, topping the previous record of 69 set back in 1902. 

The famed cherry blossom trees in Washington, DC, are already starting to bud, weeks earlier than they have in the past, as the nation's capital is expected to see highs in the low-to-mid 80s over the next several days. The South and Midwest will also experience a host of summer-like days, which will increase the likelihood of moderate to strong thunderstorms in an area that witnessed a strong storm and tornado outbreak last week. 

  

A Brief History of Big Bang Theory: Stephen Hawking to Make Cameo Appearance on Hit Sitcom

The funny physicists of CBS' juggernaut sitcom The Big Bang Theory will have a legendary guest star when noted scientist Stephen Hawking makes a cameo appearance.

The famed theoretical physicist was finally coerced  convinced to drop in on the mega-hit sitcom and taped his scene this past Friday, where he has a run-in with megalomaniac and all-around odd-duck Sheldon Cooper (portrayed by Emmy-winning actor Jim Parsons).

CBS had issued a standing invitation to Hawking to make an appearance on the series, but was told that the Einstein Award winning physicist was too ill to take part. (Hawking was diagnosed with ASL -Lou Gehrig's disease- while studying at Cambridge University.)

The episode featuring Hawking is set to air on April 5. The show will feature another big name guest star on the March 29th episode when Star Trek icon Leonard Nimoy lends his voice to a dream sequence featuring Sheldon.

Tazed & Confused: Police Officer Suspended for Using Stun Gun on 9-Year-Old

A small town Ohio police officer is on suspension while the entire police force has been shut down after the part-time constable on patrol used a taser stun gun against an unruly 9-year-old boy.

Mount Sterling authorities are tight-lipped over the details, but people in the know claim that officer Mike McCoy responded to a call involving the 9-year-old, when the mother notified the police her child was refusing to attend school. At some point, a confrontation ensued between the child and McCoy, who then allegedly drew out his stun gun and fired upon the boy.

McCoy was placed on a three-day suspension regarding the incident, but allegations that the Chief of Police tried to cover up what took place has lead to a complete shut-down of the police force pending a thorough investigation as to what exactly took place. The police department's weapons and computers have been seized as part of an on-going investigation.

The county police department has stepped in to offer the town, population 2000,  police protection until the situation can be resolved.

The Eye of the Storm: Surveillance Footage Captures Full Extent of Tornado's Fury

Shocking surveillance camera footage shows the full extent of the F4 tornado that ripped through the small Kentucky town of West Liberty last week.

Randy Risner and his wife Norma rode out the terrifying twister in their West Liberty home, hunkering down in the basement as the storm created a wide path of destruction directly outside their door. The carnage was all filmed by the seven surveillance security cameras Risner had placed around his property. Fortunately, Risner's house survived the incredible onslaught of Mother Nature.

The footage, caught from multiple angles around the home and property, clearly shows the powerful nature of the cyclonic winds, whipping debris into a whirlwind, pulling trees out of the ground by the roots, and doing extensive damage to out buildings on the property as well as to neighboring houses. One camera recorded a transformer exploding on a nearby building, with the winds quickly whipping up a fire, as smoked rolled out of the heavily damaged building.

The powerful tornado was part of a terrifying outbreak of storms, which brought death, devastation and suffering to Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee and Ohio last week.

With the Rising Sun: Japan Marks Somber 1 Year Anniversary of Cataclysm

Today, the somber nation of Japan marks the one-year anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that devastated a large area of the island nation. 

The catastrophic 9.0 earthquake struck off the coast of of Japan near Tokyo on March 11, 2011. The earthquake itself panicked citizens and damaged thousands of buildings in a wide area, but it was the ensuing tsunami that created most of the devastation and loss of life. Many towns and cities were completely inundated by the massive tsunami as it rolled relentlessly across the Japanese landscape, obliterating entire towns and villages and scarring the country and its people for a lifetime.

The entire nation observed a moment of silence at the exact time the temblor struck, at 2:46PM local time. The combination of earthquake and tsunami killed at least 19,000 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of private homes and businesses. Important infrastructure was also left devastated, and the tsunami swept over the Fukushima nuclear facility, causing the power plant to go into a full scale meltdown, with the escaping radiation poisoning a large area around the crippled plant. Japanese officials now admit that a zone around the nuclear facility will not be inhabitable for perhaps hundreds of years, due to dangerous levels of radiation. It is now considered the worst nuclear accident in world history.

Some 3,000 people are still unaccounted for in the aftermath of the tragedy, leaving countless family members without any closure to their mourning. The catastrophe also left an indelible mark on the Japanese economy, costing hundreds of trillions of yen in damage, and bringing about a mini-recession to the important industrial nation.

The people of Japan earned the admiration and respect of the entire world with their composure, discipline and resilience in the face of the overwhelming cataclysm while its companies impressed with the speed with which they bounced back, mending torn supply chains.

People You Might Know: Facebook Reveals Bigamist's Dirty Secret

A word of caution to all of you Wannabe Love Rats out there: If you plan on being married to more than one woman at the same time, you probably shouldn't be friends with both of your blushing brides on Facebook...

A Tacoma, Washington, man is in trouble with both The Law and two angry women after Facebook's friend connecting feature outed Wife Number Two to Wife Number One. Apparently, Alan L. O’Neill married his first wife in 2001, moved out in 2009, and later changed his name and remarried, without going through the legal motions of divorcing his first wife.

O'Neil (formerly Alan Fulk) then proceeded to have both of his wives as friends on his Facebook page. When the social media's friend app sent his first wife a notice that she might have a connection with O'Neil's latest wife, Wife Number One clicked on her profile and saw photographs of her Dearly Beloved slicing into a wedding cake with the strange woman!

O'Neil, who works as a Washington State corrections officer, told his first, legal wife not to tell anybody about his illegal Big Love ways, but she decided to let the authorities know about the situation.  O'Neill has been placed on administrative leave from his job and will be in court on March 22 to face felony bigamy charges.

Exodus: Entire Pacific Nation Faces Relocation Due to Rising Ocean Levels

A small, South Pacific nation is facing the very real possibility of having to relocate all of its citizens in response to rapidly rising sea levels.

The Republic of Kiribati, a nation comprised of 32 tiny atolls as well as a raised coral island, is facing the tragic Exodus as the Pacific Ocean has already begun to encroach many of the nation's atolls. The sea  level has already risen substantially over the past several years, and has reached several of the villages dotted along the string of islands.

The President of Kiribati, Anote Tong, announced yesterday that he is in emergency meetings with the neighboring nation of Fiji to purchase up to 5000 acres of land that would be designated for the population of the island to relocate.

The diaspora of the nearly 113,000 residents of Kiribati would be a logistical nightmare and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The President stated that skilled workers would be sent first to the relocation center in Fiji on the island of Vanua Levu, where they would help with the construction of homes for the rest of the population to arrive at a later date.

Tong has been very vocal about the plight of his country's inhabitants, addressing the United Nations about the possibility of his homeland being underwater during the course of the next several decades. A plan was originally drawn up to move the citizens to several man-made islands, built similar to large oil rigs, but the idea was dismissed as being too costly and risky.

The diaspora would be the largest forced migration of a large group of people due to dramatic climate change for many decades. Formerly known as the Gilbert Islands, the country won independence from the United Kingdom in 1979. Queen Elizabeth ll and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited the island of Kiribati during their tour of the South Pacific in October, 1982.