Surviving the Revolution and Earth Changes: Wednesday Night News Update

Hope everyone had a very good Wednesday ... the day went fast once again. I did get outside and shoveled the sidewalk - was ready to go out again to do the driveway when my brother showed up and took the shovel!! My driveway looks like it was done by a professional. I had been contemplating just backing up my 4-wheel drive Jeep and making 'tracks' ... versus shoveling the blasted thing!

With it down to about 10 degrees - was glad to see that my handy-dandy pond pump was still keeping an open area in the pond. Did watch some birds show up to drink this afternoon. Cheated and filled up a pan of seed for the birds and squirrel and put it on my patio table versus walking through the snow way down to the bottom of the yard ... they figured out where their seed was put pretty fast.

BlackListedNews.com | Headlines - December 9, 2009


Bayer Admits GMO Contamination is Out of Control $2 million US dollar verdict against Bayer confirms company's liability for an uncontrollable technology

2009-2014 :Technology Trends Transforming The Federal Government Cloud Computing, Virtualization, Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), Open Source Software (OSS) and Geospatial technologies are poised for increased U.S. federal government adoption over the next five years as cost-saving initiatives drive investment in these solutions

Let the Copenhagen wealth transfer begin Part of the problem with the climate change issue is that it isn’t seen as an ongoing review of scientific models and theories about human impact on planetary warmth. It has taken on a political and religious tone which makes any attempt to peer review the consensus subject to ridicule.

Mystery as spiral blue light display hovers above Norway A mysterious light display appearing over Norway last night has left thousands of residents in the north of the country baffled

UK’s richest man could make more than £1bn from carbon trading scheme ArcelorMittal has over 14 million emissions permits that it does not need in 2008, a figure which Sandbag estimates will rise to 80 million by 2012 making it by far the biggest beneficiary of the scheme across the EU.

U.S. Homeowners Lost $5.9 Trillion Since 2006 Peak U.S. homeowners have lost about $5.9 trillion in value since the housing market’s peak in March 2006 as mounting foreclosures and the recession weighed on prices, according to Zillow.com.

Homeland Security Embarks on Big Brother Programs to Read Our Minds and Emotions Half-baked Homeland Security is spending millions to develop sensors capable of detecting a person's level of 'malintent' as a counterterrorism tool.

Geithner Extends $700 Billion Bank-Bailout Program The Obama administration extended the $700 billion financial-rescue program until October, arguing that the U.S. must hold on to the money in case of new financial

Inventor of economy-crashing Credit Default Swaps is an architect of Cap and Trade’s carbon derivatives These derivatives were a bad idea the first time around, but now Bloomberg reports that the carbon trading scheme will be largely centered around derivatives

Collapse In Tax Withholdings Refutes Improvements In Either Unemployment Or Corporate Profitability

Google CEO: Secrets Are for Filthy People Eric Schmidt suggests you alter your scandalous behavior before you complain about his company invading your privacy. That's what the Google CEO told Maria Bartiromo during CNBC's big Google special last night, an extraordinary pronouncement for such a secretive guy.

Chinese Navy’s Type 054A Frigates visit South-east Asia

December.09 (China Military News re-edited from Chinamil.com.cn) — On the morning of December 6, the Type 054A “Xuzhou” guided-missile frigate of the Navy of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army which just accomplished its escort task in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off the Somali coast, arrived in Port Kelang, Malaysia to kick off a 3-day-long goodwill visit to Malaysia. This is the first planned stopover visit of the third Chinese naval escort taskforce on its homeward voyage.

READ MORE

http://www.china-defense-mashup.com/?p=5527

Coming Collapse of Municipal Bonds; States, Cities Dig Deeper Holes

HoweStreet.com

In New Jersey, governor-elect Christie opposes (and rightfully so), the state going deeper in debt but that is not stopping the current administration of ...

Obama for World President?

... If this is indeed Obama's fantasy, then it is shared by a sizeable portion of the world's population: a poll taken in Sept. '09 by the BBC indicated , at that time, that a large proportion of the global sample favored Obama as world president; and my Google search of "Obama, world President," turns up more than 120,000,000 posts.

So here is my answer to questions concerning Obama's electoral ambitions: he aims to fill an as yet unformed position, that of World President, and - as in the past - he uses his current presidency as a launching pad toward that more grandiose goal.

Barack Hussein Obama was raised abroad, and - possibly for global electioneering purposes - he keeps his foreign name. In addition, it becomes increasingly evident that our exotic president has bought into the alien, Third-World view of the US as a dangerous bully: a prime source of pollution, a nation too powerful, and too undisciplined in the use of power, and as such a leading danger to Humanity. Thus, campaigning as the "Good American," Obama apologizes around the world for America's sins, he genuflects before Saudi and Chinese tyrants, he negotiates with our sworn enemies while down-grading our allies, he weakens the U.S. militarily and economically while permitting the Iranians to construct nukes, and he builds up the prestige of the heretofore discredited, America-bashing UN.

This is the Audacity of Defeat: Obama is engaged in a redistribution of power, though now on a global rather than a domestic scale. Thus, he gives away pieces of America's prestige, in his eyes to detoxify it, and to build up the as yet unrealized world coalition that he hopes one day to lead.

As Napoleon discovered in the snows of the Russian winter, grandiose dreams of world dominion are never realized. However, those who pursue that hectic fantasy can cause terrible trouble before they are stopped. In this age of proliferating nukes, we cannot afford such dreamers. This should be the winter of Obama's discontent ...

Bernanke must go: Ben Bernanke has been an abysmal failure as chairman of the US Federal Reserve. I'm voting against his reappointment

Wednesday 9 December 2009 13.30 GMT

Under Bernanke's watch, the value of risky derivatives held at our nation's top commercial banks grew from $110tn to more than $290tn, 95 per cent of which are concentrated in just five financial institutions. While Bernanke was asleep at the wheel, Warren Buffett, as early as 2003, called derivatives "financial weapons of mass destruction" and warned that they posed a "mega-catastrophic risk" to the economy.

Bernanke failed to prevent banks from issuing deceptive and unfair financial products to consumers. Under his leadership, mortgage lenders were allowed to issue predatory loans they knew consumers could not afford to repay. This risky practice was allowed to continue even though the FBI warned in 2004 of an "epidemic" in mortgage fraud that had the potential to become "the next S&L crisis".

(Steve Quayle's website just had the following screen today)

SteveQuayle.com | Let Them That Have Eyes and Ears Hear and See the Word of the Lord (No News Today)

Let Them That Have Eyes and Ears Hear and See the Word of the Lord

Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (Matthew 13:13-15)

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Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. (Acts 13:41)

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This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:1-7)

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For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. (Luke 21:15-17)

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Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:1-13)

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And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! But wisdom is justified of all her children. (Luke 7:31-35)

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These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

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I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. (John 9:4)

News will resume tomorrow – please do not phone the webmaster. No additional information is available at this time.

Cow manure for electricity? Kansas is giving it a try

Meadow muffins, better known as cow manure, have a future in producing electricity. Gene Pflughoft is the economic development director for Grant County in southwest Kansas. Early next year, he said, equipment at a cattle feedlot will begin turning manure into fuel that could make electricity for 30 homes. If the demonstration project is successful larger units could be placed at feedlots to take advantage of the state's abundant supplies.

Rutgers.edu | First successful underwater crossing of the Atlantic by an unmanned vehicle

The Scarlet Knight, named for sponsoring Rutgers University's mascot, is a cruise-missile-shaped autonomous ROV that was launched off the New Jersey coastline on April 27. If all goes according to plan, the Rutgers team will recover it off the westernmost coast of Spain right around Christmas day. That happy event would mark the first successful underwater crossing of the Atlantic by an unmanned vehicle. At the mission website, you can track the robot's position using Google Earth, monitor her battery status, and follow the team's navigation blog.

The yellow glider, which resembles a rocket with wings on its sides, traveled the 7,400 kilometres (4,600 miles) between New Jersey on the US east coast and Galicia in Spain's northwestern coast in 225 days using only a battery and aided ocean currents. It was brought ashore on Friday at Baiona, the town where Christopher Columbus landed in 1493 during the return journey from his initial trip to the Americas.

Spanish Transport Minister Jose Blanco handed the robot to Jerry Miller of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy at a ceremony held in Baiona. "We are going to continue to cooperate in initiatives like this," he said.

The robot -- which can reach depths of 200 metres (650 feet) and survive storms -- gathered information on ocean currents and salt levels as well as temperature during its voyage.

It will now be put on display at the Smithsonian museum in Washington while a replica of the glider will be on view in Baiona.

INCOMING OF - SOMETHING OVER NORWAY - NEWS

SpaceWeather.com | STRANGE LIGHTS OVER NORWAY

http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nordland/1.6902336

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2764647/Spiral-UFO-puts-Norway-in-a-spin.html

http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nordland/1.6902336

http://www.altaposten.no/lokalt/nyheter/article316411.ece

http://www.vg.no/nyheter/vaer/artikkel.php?artid=596359

STRANGE LIGHTS OVER NORWAY:

This morning in arctic Norway, onlookers were stunned when a gigantic luminous spiral formed in the northern sky. "We are used to seeing lots of auroras here in Norway, but this was different," says Nick Banbury of Harstad who witnessed the phenomenon on his way to work "between 7:50 and 8:00 a.m. local time."

The first reaction of many readers when they see this picture is Photoshop! Surely this must be a fake. But no, many independent observers witnessed and phtotographed the apparition. It is real.

Banbury continues: "It consisted initially of a green beam of light similar in color to the aurora with a mysterious rotating spiral at one end. This spiral then got bigger and bigger until it turned into a huge halo in the sky with the green beam extending down to Earth. According to press reports, this could be seen all over northern Norway and must therefore have been very high up in the atmosphere to be seen hundreds of km apart."

Many suggestions have been made to explain the phenomenon. The most popular (and plausible) so far is a botched rocket launch from a Russian submarine in the White Sea. Indeed, a rocket motor spinning out of control could explain the spiral pattern, but so far there is no confirmation that such a launch actually took place. Stay tuned for updates.

More reports and videos: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5.

RELATED:

On another board someone posted about this and below is what was seen:

I live in Tromsø, which is a rather small town in the north of Norway. About an hour and a half ago this morning, at 07:45, I was awoken by my flatmate raving on about something "you just have to see!". Dizzy and confused I walked to the door, and peeking out at the sky I saw one of the most spectacular things I've ever been witness to. Now keep in mind that this far north, we barely have any sunlight at all this time of year, so it was still pitch dark outside. There was a spiral of light in the sky, expanding like some kind of green laser.

Now, in my town we see the Aurora Borealis every winter, so green lights in the sky is not a new phenomenon. Never the less, in my 20 years here I've never seen anything like this, and for a second I thought it looked like a huge explosion in the distance.

We returned inside with much speculation as to what this could be, and I scoured the internet for explanations. Now, at 09:00 the phenomenon has started popping up in articles on local northern news-sites, and appears to just have gone national.

Additional pics.

PREZ AN INCOMING INTO NORWAY, TOO!

President Barack Obama waves as he boards Air Force One, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009, at Andrews Air force Base, Md., en route to Oslo, Norway, where he will accept the Nobel Peace Prize.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama depart the White House in Washington for Oslo, Norway, where he will receive the Nobel Peace Prize, December 9, 2009.

REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES POLITICS)

OUR PLANET'S PROTECTIVE MAGNETOSPHERE UPDATE:

About Real-Time Magnetosphere Simulation

DECEMBER 9, 2009 AT 6:25 PM CDT

http://www2.nict.go.jp/y/y223/simulation/realtime/index.html

Click to view December 8, 2009 Magnetosphere Update on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ21BWV9N44

CaveNews YouTube Channel

MOON UPDATE

Current Moon Phase

http://www.die.net/moon/

SUN

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/sunspots/

The sun is blank--no sunspots.

The Sun produce an B-class flare !
(From science forum - will try to find a pic)

EARTHQUAKE NEWS

Latest Earthquakes Magnitude 2.5 or Greater in the United States and Adjacent Areas and Magnitude 4.5 or Greater in the Rest of the World

Update time = Thu Dec 10 0:00:04 UTC 2009

	MAG	UTC DATE-TIME y/m/d h:m:s	LAT deg	LON deg	DEPTH km	Region
MAP	2.5	2009/12/09 23:30:31	59.772	-154.116	157.4	SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP	5.2	2009/12/09 23:25:37	43.088	146.809	35.2	KURIL ISLANDS
MAP	5.9	2009/12/09 21:29:05	2.745	95.968	35.0	SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
MAP	3.4	2009/12/09 19:45:59	19.354	-65.066	25.2	VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP	3.4	2009/12/09 19:02:08	55.421	-159.227	73.7	ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP	2.5	2009/12/09 16:36:37	38.806	-122.792	1.3	NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP	5.0	2009/12/09 16:05:59	32.923	137.948	300.1	IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP	5.2	2009/12/09 16:00:43	-0.729	-21.047	10.0	CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP	3.1	2009/12/09 15:53:08	61.748	-151.975	120.9	SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP	4.9	2009/12/09 12:13:27	49.561	-28.608	10.0	NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP	2.6	2009/12/09 11:13:21	18.271	-67.300	29.3	MONA PASSAGE, PUERTO RICO
MAP	3.4	2009/12/09 10:26:49	62.337	-151.303	107.9	CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP	3.3	2009/12/09 09:56:52	19.058	-68.301	125.2	DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP	6.4	2009/12/09 09:46:09	-22.283	170.913	89.3	SOUTHEAST OF THE LOYALTY ISLANDS
MAP	3.3	2009/12/09 09:36:03	19.188	-64.659	17.4	VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP	5.3	2009/12/09 07:48:15	-54.873	-135.447	10.0	PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
MAP	2.8	2009/12/09 05:35:19	51.448	-176.773	43.7	ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP	3.0	2009/12/09 04:36:47	35.554	-120.793	3.9	CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP	4.7	2009/12/09 03:37:18	1.217	99.817	195.9	NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP	5.2	2009/12/09 02:25:44	51.684	-176.995	53.3	ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP	2.8	2009/12/09 02:02:24	58.186	-152.713	36.5	KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP	4.8	2009/12/09 00:49:41	14.552	56.133	10.0	OWEN FRACTURE ZONE REGION
MAP	4.5	2009/12/09 00:24:59	-2.302	118.990	43.9	SULAWESI, INDONESIA

5.9 Magnitude Quake shakes Indonesia near 2004 tsunami site

MAP

5.9

2009/12/09 21:29:05

2.745

95.968

35.0

SIMEULUE, INDONESIA

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook Simeulue Island in northwestern Indonesia on Thursday, the US Geological Survey reported.

The quake, quite shallow at a depth of 35 km, was centred on Simeulue, a small island west of Sumatra in the area that was devastated by the 2004 tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people.

The epicentre was 310 km west of Medan in Sumatra.

Indonesia sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a rim of intense seismic activity around the Pacific Ocean.

Source:

http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/quake-shakes-indonesia-near-2004-tsunami-site-3248091

CLIMATE IS ACTING WEIRD - NEWS
National Severe Weather Map
Surface Temperature Forecast Map

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/severe.asp

Deadly rainstorms paralyzes Brazil's biggest city of Sao Paulo - 6 Dead

A truck driver waits to cross under a flooded bridge at Marginal Tiete highway, northern Sao Paulo, Brazil. Heavy rain brought Brazil's biggest city of Sao Paulo grinding to a halt on Tuesday and reportedly claimed the lives of six people in landslides. (AFP/Mauricio Lima)

SAO PAULO (AFP) – Heavy rain brought Brazil's biggest city of Sao Paulo grinding to a halt on Tuesday and reportedly claimed the lives of six people in landslides.

The bodies of four brothers aged five to 20 were recovered by firemen from a house that crumbled apart in one landslide in a northwestern suburb, CBN radio, Globo Television and the Terra news website all said.

Reports also said two more people died in other parts of the city, while authorities evacuated 22 homes in an eastern suburb because of fear the ground there could shift too.

The persistent rain brought traffic on key cross-city highways to a standstill as the adjacent Tiete and Pinheiros rivers broke their banks.

Television images showed trucks and motorbikes driving through long stretches of water-covered roads, while vehicles piled up for kilometers (miles) on other impassable routes.

Access to the city's international airport of Guarulhos was difficult, with the main road to the facility cut off.

The Climatempo weather service said it was the heaviest 24-hour period of rainfall Sao Paulo had seen all year. Overnight alone, the city received half of its total average December precipitation.

The state Emergency Administration Center declared an alert, saying the rain would continue with "light to moderate intensity," creating the "potential for new flooding."

Sao Paulo mayor Gilberto Kassab assured reporters that his services were prepared to handle the consequences of the bad weather, and he denied repeated accusations that lack of investment in water canalization was to blame.

Farther south, 161 towns in the state of Rio Grande do Sul bordering Uruguay declared a state of emergency because of the rain. The region had already been lashed by storms over the past few weeks that killed eight people and forced 14,000 from their homes.

Source:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091208/wl_afp/brazilweatherdeaths_20091208183609

Major midwest snow storm dumps 17 inches on Madison, Wisconsin

December 9, 2009: Madison, Wisconsin and the surrounding area has been hit with about 15-18 inches of snow with more snow expected to come.

MADISON, WI - DECEMBER 9: Fritz Lutze works on removing snow from his driveway December 9, 2009, in Madison, Wisconsin. Madison and the surrounding area has been hit with about 15-18 inches of snow with more snow expected to come. (Photo by Andy Manis/Getty Images)

Source:

http://www.kmox.com/pages/5856743.php?imageGalleryXRefId=1569935#imgXR

UN'S COPENHAGEN GLOBAL WARMING BEING USED BY WESTERN ELITE'S AS AN EXCUSE FOR 'GLOBAL GOVERNANCE' and $$ FOR THE FEW

Obama Has Authority to Sign Climate Deal

... Environmental groups have long argued that Obama can commit the US to much higher emissions reduction targets and sign a legally binding climate treaty. Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity(CBD) told The Nation: "The President already has the authority and in fact a mandate to reduce greenhouse pollution under the Clean Air Act. And to say that he can't come to Copenhagen and commit the US to emissions targets is false. Ninety percent of international agreements are authorized through executive agreements, so it is incorrect to say that his hands are tied by the need for a two-thirds vote in the Senate for ratification." ...

Huge explosion rocks American Acryl plant near Seabrook, Texas

Posted on December 9, 2009 at 9:04 AM
Updated today at 10:42 AM

* Photos: Explosion rocks Seabrook area
* Home video: American Acryl blast
* Raw aerials: Crews fight fire at plant near Seabrook

SEABROOK, Texas—A huge explosion rocked a plant near Seabrook Wednesday.

It happened just before 9 a.m. at American Acryl, located in the 12100 block of Port Road at Highway 146 in Pasadena.

A thick, black cloud of smoke was visible for miles over the area. Fire was still burning at the plant about an hour after the blast, but crews appeared to be getting it under control.

Shelter-in-place orders were issued for Seabrook, League City and Kemah via automated messages from city officials. Residents should turn off their air conditioners and heaters.

Clear Creek ISD placed all schools south of Seabrook and east of I-45 under a shelter-in-place. Students there will stay indoors with the air and heat off until further notice.

District spokeswoman Elaina Polsen said all the children and teachers are fine and classes are continuing.

The schools included in the shelter-in-place are Armand Bayou Elementary, Bay Elementary, Brookwood Elementary, Clear Lake City Elementary, Falcon Pass Elementary, Ferguson Elementary, Goforth Elementary, Hyde Elementary, League City Elementary, McWhirter Elementary, Mossman Elementary, North Pointe Elementary, Ralph Parr Elementary, Robinson Elementary, Stewart Elementary, Ward Elementary, Whitcomb Elementary, White Elementary, Clear Creek Intermediate, Clear Lake High School, League City Intermediate, Seabrook Intermediate. Space Center Intermediate, Victory Lakes Intermediate, Clear Path Alternative School and the Clear View Education Center.

Kemah city manager Bill Kerber told 11 News at 10:40am that although the smoke from the explosion had generally cleared, he was waiting for word from the Fire Department about whether the air in the area was safe enough to lift the shelter-in-place. He said an automated phone system would let residents know when the alert was lifted.

Viewers in Bacliff, San Leon, Clear Lake, Dickinson, La Marque, Texas City, League City, Seabrook and Friendswood all reported hearing and feeling the blast.

"The explosion was strong enough to shake our building. We are located in Baytown by the Hwy 99 and FM 1405 intersection," one viewer e-mail read.

"FYI-I live in League City (Hwy96 near 146) and I felt and heard the explosion from there. It was loud and clear. Thought it was a home explosion b/c it sounded so close," another viewer reported.

"I’m directly south of the plant. I had just sat down at my computer, by a north window, when I heard the BOOM then felt the percussion," a viewer reported.

"This explosion took place just around the corner from our office. It violently shook our building. Thinking it was a car that had ran into the building, we ran outside to see the 1st plume of smoke from this explosion," viewer Jacob Varisco said in an e-mail.

It was unclear what caused the explosion. No injuries were reported.

A viewer in Seabrook reported a chemical smell permeating the air around 9:40 a.m.

The American Acryl plant makes acrylic acid, a building block for plastics.

A Shoreacres official said the chemical that was released was toluene.

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, toluene is a respiratory tract irritant. It’s described as clear and colorless and has a distinctive smell.

The ATSDR said toluene can affect the nervous system. In low to moderate levels, it can cause tiredness, confusion, weakness, memory loss, nausea, intoxication, loss of appetite, loss of hearing and color vision loss. The symptoms usually stop as soon as exposure ends.

High levels of toluene can affect the kidneys, and inhaling high levels in a short time can cause unconsciousness and even death, the ATSDR said.

The effects of toluene in children are similar to those seen in adults.

Check back for more information as this story develops.

Source:

http://www.khou.com/news/Huge-explosion-rocks-plant-in-Seabrook-78865017.html

RELATED:

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7161089&rss=rss-ktrk-article-7161089

Fears for Pope's health as Christmas Midnight Mass to be held early

NEWS ABOUT OUR NATION'S BIGGEST BUSINESS: WAR
USA is no longer an industrialized power - WAR is its specialty!

First Prophet Enhanced Electronic Warfare System Rolls Off Production Line at General Dynamics

Battlefield commanders and warfighters will soon be able to quickly and accurately detect, identify and deter a wide range of signal emissions

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Part of the Army's initiative to rapidly field signals intelligence capabilities that address the challenge of intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance (ISR) recently rolled off the production line in Scottsdale. A team led by General Dynamics C4 Systems delivered the first Prophet Enhanced tactical signals intelligence system before a group of military customers including Brig. Gen. Thomas Cole, program executive officer for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors for the U.S. Army.

The Prophet Enhanced system will enable tactical commanders to better "see," "hear" and "respond" to ISR information throughout the networked battlespace. The first system, integrated into a Panther rapid-deployment command-and-control vehicle will next undergo system testing and evaluation in Scottsdale. The Army awarded the Prophet Enhanced contract to a team led by General Dynamics in February 2009.

"Once fielded, this system will have a direct and immediate impact on protecting warfighters throughout the battlespace," said Mark Showah, director of Integrated Systems for General Dynamics C4 Systems.

Built by BAE Systems, the Panther vehicle is a highly survivable, air-transportable tactical vehicle that incorporates mine and ballistic protection for military personnel.

General Dynamics C4 Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), is a leading integrator of secure communication and information systems and technology.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 92,300 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.gd.com.

SOURCE General Dynamics C4 Systems

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-prophet-enhanced-electronic-warfare-system-rolls-off-production-line-at-general-dynamics-78864667.html

Graveyard on the shore for thousands of starfish as storm throws them from the sea on English beach

December 9, 2009 - More than 10,000 were left high and dry on the sands after choppy seas washed them from their feeding grounds. And unfortunately, nearly all perished, unable to get back to the safety of the water. The graveyard of orange and pink extends more than a quarter of a mile along the golden sands of Holkham Beach in Norfolk.

It's a long stretch of beach and there were just thousands of them littering the shore line for as far as you could see.

The starfish, which washed up early last week, may have been victims of dredgers scraping the seabeds for mussels, their favourite food. The process could have dislodged the feeding starfish and the currents carried them to the shore.

Strandings tend to occur once a year or once every two years. 'They are also most common between November and March - the time of the year when we experience bigger tides.'