Quantcast
Channel: SKYE on AOL
Viewing all 4069 articles
Browse latest View live

Large Earthquake Strikes Off California Coast

December 14, 2012, 12:14 am
$
0
0

Avalon, Calif. (AP)

MEXICO CITY (AP) - The U.S. Geological Survey says a large earthquake has struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California and Mexico.

The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4, was recorded at 2:36 a.m. (1036 GMT) Friday, 163 miles (262 kilometers) south southwest of the California city of Avalon and 167 miles west southwest of Rosarito, Mexico.

It was at the relatively shallow depth of 6.3 miles (10.1 kilometers).

No tsunami warning has been issued.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧
Search
↧

NYC Artists Seek Help to Scrub Away Sandy's Stains

December 14, 2012, 12:23 am
$
0
0

An artist who lost paintings during superstorm Sandy, moves a painting out of his Red Hook studio in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

NEW YORK (AP) - Superstorm Sandy was not kind to the arts community. It upended not only paintings, equipment, tools and paper, turning them into tangled and soggy heaps, but also the livelihoods of hundreds of artists who have helped make the New York area a dynamic art capital.

Six weeks after Sandy, Pier Glass, a studio of four glass blowers on an old pier in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, remains without power. Corrosive salt water destroyed its furnace, scattered grinding and polishing tools, shattered glass, and destroyed historic prints.

It had also seen some water in last year's Tropical Storm Irene, but nothing like this.

"With Irene we had a few inches," said Mary Ellen Buxton-Kutch, one of its glass artists. "That you can handle. We probably could handle four feet. But over five feet was catastrophic."

Artists, galleries and lofts, many that helped bring about a renaissance in the ribbon of all-but-abandoned warehouses that line New York's coastal areas, face tens of thousands of dollars in repairs. Though no major museums reported damage, the toll among smaller operations and individual artists is steep. In response, various institutions and foundations are offering recovery help ranging from grants to free advice on how to rehabilitate damaged works of art.

Requests to the New York Foundation for the Arts for storm-related assistance total $12 million among almost 500 artists in New York and New Jersey, nearly 90 percent of them in New York, executive director Michael Royce said. The Craft Emergency Relief Fund, or CERF+, said it has received applications from 65 artists.

Pier Glass has received a grant from CERF+ and plans to seek more money from NYFA and other groups. It also plans a fundraiser even as friends have generously contributed in amounts of $1,000 and $1,500.

"You still have all your bills to pay even as you're getting this money," Buxton-Kutch said.

Apart from the studio, she and her husband, Kevin Kutch, were flooded out of their house in Brooklyn's Coney Island area and have been camping out with relatives and friends ever since the Oct. 29 storm.

Even without electricity at their studio, not working is not an option. Pier Glass does large private and public commissions and work for architects and museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"My partner has gone to another facility to rent because we're trying to stay in business as well as rebuild," said Buxton-Kutch, who estimated the studio suffered as much as $200,000 in damage. A new furnace would cost an additional $20,000.

The institutions that lost buildings or property include both the obscure and the well-known.

Salt water damaged some textiles and ceremonial batons at the New York City Police Museum and soaked about 60 boxes of paper archives at the New York City Opera, said Eric Pourchot, professional development director for the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.

At Westbeth Artists Housing in Manhattan's West Village, eight feet of water inundated a labyrinth of studios in the basement of the artist colony about a block from the Hudson River, submerging paintings, sculptures and musical instruments. The adjacent Martha Graham dance company lost costumes and sets.

In New Jersey, a historic conservation group called Preservation New Jersey has reports of storm damage from 40 historical societies and house museums, some of it from falling trees and wind in addition to flooding.

Most waterlogged items can be saved, Pourchot said, but sometimes the time and the cost may be prohibitive.

"For individual artists and galleries, that's a terrifying decision," he said. "Can they be saved in such a way that they can be sold?"

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

California in for More Unusually High 'King Tides,' Flooding

December 14, 2012, 12:28 am
$
0
0

A cyclist rides his bike through flooding at a Highway 1 off ramp from highway 101 in Marin County, Calif. on Wednesday. (AP Photo/San Francisco Chronicle, Brant Ward)

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) - The tide is high, and it's holding on.

Some Californians were in for another day of ankle-deep seawater in low-lying coastal communities Friday as unusually high "king tides" pulled the Pacific farther ashore than normal.

The tides, the result of an occasional astronomical alignment, caused some damage Thursday but proved mostly just a nuisance.

Water flooded Pacific Coast Highway and side streets in Sunset Beach, a sliver of Huntington Beach between the ocean and a yacht harbor. Down the Southern California coast, Newport Bay was brimming, while just north of San Francisco the tide swamped a commuter parking lot in Marin City and seeped into dozens of cars.

Bruce DuAmarell, an 18-year Sunset Beach resident, said he got a call at work from an alarmed neighbor and came home.

"My garage had flooded. There were four to five inches in my garage," he said, as he took a break from sweeping water onto the street. "It came up over the seawall and literally filled up the harbor."

DuAmarell said he lost a vacuum cleaner and some Christmas presents for his children, but otherwise was unscathed.

Occurring several times a year, king tides happen when the Earth, moon and sun align in a way that increases gravitational pull on the Earth's oceans, raising water levels several feet above normal high tides. The non-scientific term also refers to extremely low tides.

Residents of Sunset Beach expect flooding, but that didn't keep 13-year resident Fred Grether out of trouble.

He tried to drive his 2004 Porsche to a car wash to rinse off the salt water after the flooding reached the rims and undercarriage. But driving to the car wash did more damage than staying put, he said as a tow truck prepared to haul his car to the shop.

"I didn't realize how deep it was at the intersection and as soon as I got to the intersection, I heard this frizzling noise and my car alarm started going off and I realized that I had burned out the electrical system on my car," he said.

"Now I'm off to my local mechanic today about me doing something very, very stupid," said Grether, who's seen flooding three times.

The tide at Marin City reached 7 feet, slightly higher than during last December's king tides, which prompted the California Highway Patrol to temporarily close a local highway connector ramp due to roadway flooding midmorning.

The damage could have been much worse if the weather had brought big waves along with the high tides, National Weather Service forecaster Larry Smith said.

"Right now it's just a neat thing.... When we have the low tide this afternoon you will be see father out than you normally would," Smith said. "It kind of does give you a glimpse of what the future might be with the sea level rise."

The tides reached over 10 feet in Redwood City, a bit above predicted levels, the National Weather Service said.

The event provided organizers of the California King Tides Initiative an opportunity to get California residents thinking about and preparing for the future. The 3-year-old initiative, sponsored by government and nonprofit groups, enlists camera-toting volunteers to photograph the King Tides as an illustration of what low-lying coastal areas could look like if predictions about the Earth's climate come to pass.

As of Thursday afternoon, about 100 new snapshots had been uploaded to the photo-sharing project, coordinator Heidi Nuttles said.

"It's definitely very high tides this year, and we just encourage people to use this opportunity to go out, take pictures and reflect what this means for our shoreline and the fact that's its constantly changing even today, and how that might affect how we think about sea level rise in the future," Nuttles said.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

New Poll: Science Doubters in US Say World is Warming

December 14, 2012, 12:37 am
$
0
0

(AP Photo)

WASHINGTON (AP) - Nearly 4 out of 5 Americans now think temperatures are rising and that global warming will be a serious problem for the United States if nothing is done about it, a new Associated Press-GfK poll finds.

But only 45 percent of those surveyed think President Barack Obama will take major action to fight climate change in his second term.

Belief and worry about climate change are inching up among Americans in general, but concern is growing faster among people who don't often trust scientists on the environment. In follow-up interviews, some of those doubters said they believe their own eyes as they've watched thermometers rise, New York City subway tunnels flood, polar ice melt and Midwestern farm fields dry up.

Overall, 78 percent of those surveyed said they thought temperatures were rising and 80 percent called it a serious problem. That's up slightly from 2009, when 75 percent thought global warming was occurring and just 73 percent thought it was a serious problem. In general, U.S. belief in global warming, according to AP-GfK and other polls, has fluctuated over the years but has stayed between about 70 and 85 percent.

The biggest change in the polling is among people who trust scientists only a little or not at all. About 1 in 3 of the people surveyed fell into that category.



Within that highly skeptical group, 61 percent now say temperatures have been rising over the past 100 years. That's a substantial increase from 2009, when the AP-GfK poll found that only 47 percent of those with little or no trust in scientists believed the world was getting warmer.

This is an important development because, often in the past, opinion about climate change doesn't move much in core groups - like those who deny it exists and those who firmly believe it's an alarming problem, said Jon Krosnick, a Stanford University social psychologist and pollster. Krosnick, who consulted with The Associated Press on the poll questions, said the changes the poll shows aren't in the hard-core "anti-warming" deniers, but in the next group, who had serious doubts.

"They don't believe what the scientists say, they believe what the thermometers say," Krosnick said. "Events are helping these people see what scientists thought they had been seeing all along."

Phil Adams, a retired freelance photographer from North Carolina, said he was "fairly cynical" about scientists and their theories. But he believes very much in climate change because of what he's seen with his own eyes.

"Having lived for 67 years, we consistently see more and more changes based upon the fact that the weather is warmer," he said. "The seasons are more severe. The climate is definitely getting warmer."

"Storms seem to be more severe," he added. Nearly half, 49 percent, of those surveyed called global warming not just serious but "very serious," up from 42 percent in 2009. More than half, 57 percent, of those surveyed thought the U.S. government should do a great deal or quite a bit about global warming, up from 52 percent three years earlier.

Overall, the 78 percent who think temperatures are rising is not the highest percentage of Americans who have believed in climate change, according to AP polling. In 2006, less than a year after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, 85 percent thought temperatures were rising. The lowest point in the past 15 years for belief in warming was in December 2009, after some snowy winters and in the middle of an uproar about climate scientists' emails that later independent investigations found showed no manipulation of data.

Broken down by political party, 83 percent of Democrats and 70 percent of Republicans say the world is getting warmer. And 77 percent of independents say temperatures are rising. Among scientists who write about the issue in peer-reviewed literature, the belief in global warming is about 97 percent, according to a 2010 scientific study.

The AP-GfK poll was conducted Nov. 29-Dec. 3 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cellphone interviews with 1,002 adults nationwide. Results for the full sample have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points; the margin of error is larger for subgroups.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Wintry Mess Targets Upper Midwest

December 14, 2012, 12:45 am
$
0
0


By Matt Alto, Meteorologist

The same Western storm system which brought cold rain and mountain snow to Southern California and Arizona this week will emerge out of the Four Corners region Friday and organize as it tracks into the central Plains Friday night.

The storm system will bring a wintry mess to the Upper Midwest this weekend, impacting holiday shoppers and travelers throughout the region.

While major flight delays are not anticipated at the airports across the region, the storm will certainly be enough of a nuisance for travelers as the roads and highways become slippery and wet.

As the strengthening storm system tracks across the central Plains Friday night, a bit of rain and freezing rain will break out late Friday night across southern and central Minnesota and central Wisconsin.

RELATED ON ACCUWEATHER: Are you dreaming of a white Christmas?

By the early morning hours, the rain will transition to a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain in many towns and cities from northern Wisconsin into south-central Minnesota.

The lack of cold air associated with this system will lead to this mix bag of precipitation types. However, the precipitation will eventually transition to all snow from west to east during the day Saturday.

The transition will occur just a few hours before ending, so not much in the way of accumulation is expected.

Snow from this storm will fall on some areas which were inundated from last weekend's potent storm system, but snowfall amounts will be significantly less.

Related at AccuWeather: Where to Go for a Guaranteed White Christmas

As is the case with most winter storms, the heaviest snowfall will blanket areas northwest of the storm track. A small general swath of 1-3 inches of snowfall will be possible for parts of northwestern Minnesota.

Farther south, a period of rain will wet areas from Omaha, Neb., Madison, Wis., and Des Moines, Iowa, eastward into Chicago, Detroit and the Ohio Valley.

A wintry mix will be likely in-between these two area.

The storm system will begin to weaken as it crosses the Great Lakes and heads toward the Northeast Sunday and Monday.

Snow will spread into portions of southern Ontario, the St. Lawrence Valley and New England.

Across the Upper Midwest, drier and colder air will filter in the wake of the storm system on Sunday. A few snow showers will linger for a time across the Upper Midwest as the system departs.

PHOTOS ON SKYE: Blizzard Blankets the Midwest

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧
↧

Swiss Pilots Plan Solar-Powered Flight Around Globe

December 14, 2012, 12:58 am
↧

25 Mesmerizing Photos of Fog

December 14, 2012, 3:45 am
$
0
0

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

The 2012 SKYE Holiday Gift Guide

December 14, 2012, 3:58 am
$
0
0
  • Thinkstock
    1 of 11

    'Tis the season to bestow gifts on friends and family, but coming up with fresh ideas can be a challenge. With that in mind, we've tracked down 10 potential gifts covering a range of SKYE topics, including space, travel, the outdoors and, of course, weather. 

    Click through for a tough, innovative umbrella, a rugged, state-of-the-art digital camera and more. 

  • ShedRain
    2 of 11

    For the Rain-Soaked Traveler: WindJammer Auto Open and Close Compact Umbrella

    Outside magazine called the WindJammer compact "the only umbrella you'll ever need." It opens into a 43-inch canopy, has a dual-canopy that keeps it from inverting in the wind, and retracts into a 12.5-inch cylinder. Good Housekeeping opened and closed it 150 times without fail, so you can be confident the auto-open/close button won't give out. If there's any lingering doubt, the umbrella comes with a full lifetime warranty with a repair and replacement guarantee.

    SHOP NOW: $34.20

  • Celestron
    3 of 11

    For the Tech Savvy Stargazer: SkyProdigy 6 Computerized Telescope

    You don't have to be a trained astronomer to explore the cosmos with this high-tech telescope. The SkyProdigy 6 has an on-board computer that automatically focuses and aligns itself for a clear picture of the celestial bodies. Astronomy magazine says the telescope "sets a new standard for ease of use." The SkyProdigy 6 also offers a Sky Tour option that presents a list of objects in the sky for your exact time and location to help you see the best of the sky.

    SHOP NOW: $999

  • Lonely Planet
    4 of 11

    For the Armchair Traveler: Better Than Fiction: True Travel Tales from Great Fiction Writers

    At its best, travel writing transports readers, taking them places they've always wondered about or never before imagined, or by revealing new facets of familiar places. Lonely Planet's new anthology collects travel stories by leading fiction writers, including Joyce Carol Oates, Isabel Allende and Peter Matthiessen.

    SHOP NOW: $15.99

  • Lego Architecture
    5 of 11

    For the Playful Architecture Fan: Lego Architecture's Burj Khalifa

    If there was ever any doubt, Lego bricks aren't just for kids anymore. The Lego Architecture series "celebrates the past, present and future of architecture through the medium of the Lego brick." The series includes models of iconic buildings like Fallingwater, the Sydney Opera House and, yes, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the tallest manmade structure in the world. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

    BUY NOW: $21.44

  • GoPro
    6 of 11

    For the Tech-Savvy Adrenaline Junkie: GoPro Hero3

    GoPro has revolutionized digital video, making small, rugged, affordable cameras that go anywhere and capture anything. Surfers, skiers, BASE jumpers and mountain bikers have taken the little cameras to the edge and brought back jaw-dropping footage. The latest generation is smaller and lighter, and it's earning rave reviews. Give one to your favorite adrenaline junkie or budding auteur - you might just inspire the next YouTube star.

    SHOP NOW: $199-$399

  • Scratch Map
    7 of 11

    For the Score-Keeping Jetsetter: Scratch Map Travel Edition

    The jetsetter in your family can have fun showing off his or her travels on the Scratch Map mini. Rub off the gold finish to reveal colorful continents, countries and cities around the world. The map is 16.5 inches wide by 12 inches tall when laid flat and rolls up in into a 13x2-inch tube. 

    SHOP NOW: $16.49

  • LifeProof
    8 of 11

    For the Connected Adventurer: LifeProof iPhone Case

    LifeProof's rugged iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch cases are built to withstand any weather or wear. The plastic case seals out dust and water, can be safely submerged in up to 6.6 feet of water for 30 minutes and can withstand the shock of a 6.6-foot fall. What's more, it fits in your pocket and weighs less than an ounce. It's a useful gift for any active adrenaline junkie, outdoorsman or just plain accident-prone smartphone user. 

    SHOP NOW: $69.99-$79.99

  • Facebook/SOUL POLES
    9 of 11

    For the Eco-Conscious Powderhound: Soul Poles

    Made by hand in Park City, Utah, Soul Poles are eco-friendly bamboo ski poles. U.S. Ski team racer Erik Schlopy and skier-musician Bryon Friedman began the company to help curb waste in the ski gear industry while providing jobs for Park City locals. Not a bad mission. Another bonus: Soul Poles offers a one-year, no-questions-asked warranty; if your pole breaks after the warranty expires, they'll replace it for just $35.

    SHOP NOW: $125-$350

  • Hamboards
    10 of 11

    For the Earthbound Surfer: Hamboard Skateboard

    Have a skateboarder in your life? Hamboards just might be the Cadillacs of skateboards. Shaped like surfing's classic longboards, Hamboards are skateboards that try to replicate the experience of surfing on land. How close do the boards come? Some users actually report an improvement in their surfing skills after riding a Hamboard.

    SHOP NOW: $495

  • Random House
    11 of 11
    Next: 50 Must-See Weather Photos from 2012

    For the Eco-Conscious Reader: On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson

    This biography of the famed conservationist and writer made the New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2012 list. The title arrived on the 50th anniversary of Carson's Silent Spring, a book so influential some credit it with launching the modern environmental movement. The Times called the tome "an absorbing biography of the pioneering environmental writer."

    SHOP NOW: $19.17

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧
Search

This Week's 10 Must-See Twitter Photos

December 14, 2012, 7:40 am
$
0
0
  • penelopephoto/Twitter
    1 of 10

    Sydney-based photographer Penelope Beveridge tweeted this photo of a stunning lightning storm, writing, "WOW I got caught it! Lightning over Vineyards was a nano second capture #photography #storms #weather #landscapes pic.twitter.com/cxUpPv53"

  • MikeTheiss/Twitter
    2 of 10

    National Geographic photographer Mike Theiss tweeted this photo of a green neon "tornado" from the Arctic Circle, writing, "http://twitpic.com/blernd - @Dagk Yes, it was raining green too and this Tornado dropped down from the storm, haha #NorthernLights"

  • Leon20691/Twitter
    3 of 10

    Ah Leong of Samoa tweeted this picture of a tree damaged by Cyclone Evan, writing, "Wind now blowing from inland hitting the front of the house!! #cyclone #Samoa #Evan #inland http://instagr.am/p/TKY9xqkFTA/ "

  • XSampsonX/Twitter
    4 of 10

    James Sampson of Amsterdam tweeted this photo of from his car, writing, "Well this turned out better than I thought #skyporn http://instagr.am/p/TJzMoxSsxh/ "

  • KevKevvy/Twitter
    5 of 10

    Keviticus tweeted this photo of a parking lot amid a hailstorm, writing, "Why did I wait so long to run to the store?! #storm #ugly #lovingit #weather #121212 #theend http://instagr.am/p/TKKINjFhbc/"

  • KatieFlood/Twitter
    6 of 10

    Katie Flood of Fort Collins, Colo., tweeted this photo of a sunrise, writing, "Morning #skyporn @brandonrifkin ... http://instagr.am/p/TLk4ceqBoz/ "

  • LivEchonews/Twitter
    7 of 10

    Liverpool Echo tweeted this photo of a snow-lined street, writing, "Another #snow picture #dustsdownsledge pic.twitter.com/UDD1rOsH"

  • SALT_Karoo/Twitter
    8 of 10

    The SALT Report - the account of the Southern African Large Telescope in Sutherland, South Africa - tweeted this photo of a twister taken by one of its engineers, writing, "The skyline last night at Sutherland Observatory. Courtesy of Martin Wilkinson. @sawdos1 #salt #observatory #weather pic.twitter.com/92kRAFir"

  • RobBastien/Twitter
    9 of 10

    RBastien tweeted this photo of a sunset in South Dakota, writing, "Cottonwood Lake, South Dakota. Our #sunset tonight, #P2 #bigbluemarble http://twitpic.com/baeukd  via @TwitPic"

  • FotuV/Twitter
    10 of 10
    Next: Epic Storm Photos from the Twittersphere

    Fotu V. of Samoa tweeted this photo of the effects of Cyclone Evan, writing "View from behind my office at Maluafou into Maluafou secondary school about 14 hours ago #CycloneEvan pic.twitter.com/Q7ii1CA5"

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧
↧

Sandy's Victims to FEMA: Bring Us Trailers!

December 14, 2012, 9:53 pm
$
0
0


In this Nov. 29, 2012, file photo, clean up continues on the site of a demolished home on the Rockaway Peninsula in New York. AP Photo.

NEW YORK (AP) - As winter approaches, construction crews in New York are in a race against the clock to make thousands of houses damaged by Superstorm Sandy habitable again, and the slow pace of progress has led some people to urge officials to bring in campers or mobile homes as a stopgap solution.

Thousands of residents along the New York and New Jersey coastlines still lack power and heat after the October storm and a tidal surge turned basement furnaces and electrical panels into worthless junk.

In New York City and Long Island, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and municipal officials have tried a new approach to getting basic utilities to those homes restored quickly: a $500 million program called "rapid repair." More than 2,000 workers have been sent into flood-damaged neighborhoods to get home heating systems back on line, plug holes in roofs and walls, and restore electrical hookups. All the work is being done for free.

The program has been building steam lately, but with seven weeks elapsed since the Oct. 29 storm, there is still so much work left to do, prompting some to call on FEMA to bring in temporary housing - a solution that has been repeatedly rejected by officials as unworkable in New York.

As of Friday, 60 percent of the more than 13,600 New Yorkers who had applied for help from the repair program were still waiting for the work on their homes to begin. Work has been completed on 2,625 homes. Repairs were in progress on another 2,800, according to the city. Those numbers represented a big improvement from the first week in December, when only around 400 projects had been completed.

"I think the trend, right now, is headed in the right direction," said Michael Byrne, the FEMA official supervising Superstorm Sandy recovery in New York.

But the likelihood that some people would still be waiting for repair work in the icy chill of January has also prompted concern, and some anger.

Activists affiliated with the "Occupy" movement were planning demonstrations Saturday at Mayor Michael Bloomberg's home and locations on the Rockaway Peninsula and Staten Island, calling for FEMA to activate the trailer program in New York. A town hall style meeting in Staten Island recently drew hundreds of residents, including some who loudly called for trailers to be brought in.

Other groups have sought other relief. A group of clergy in Queens led a meeting of hundreds of Rockaway residents on Monday, calling on the city to add mold remediation to the rapid repair program and ease red tape for contractors hailing from outside New York who wish to get involved in the program.

"We are seeing a ton of homes where people are sitting in them without heat, hot water and electricity, and mold is just growing in them," said Joseph McKellar, executive director of the group Queens Congregations United for Action.

Bringing in trailers is an option that both FEMA and Bloomberg have said could be a disaster.

The winterized mobile homes in FEMA's fleet are meant for trailer parks, where they can sit on cement slabs and be easily connected to water, sewer, electrical and natural gas utilities. No such sites exist in New York City, and while there is available parkland where trailer parks could be constructed, doing so would be expensive, involve laying sewer and gas lines and could take two to three months, Byrne said.

"If people are interested in relocating up to Orange County, we could find sites like that," Byrne said. "But I don't think that's what New Yorkers want."

FEMA no longer uses the small, camper-like trailers that were abundant in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina after they were widely criticized as unfit living arrangements. Asked about FEMA trailers on Tuesday, Bloomberg said he would rather get people back in their own homes.

"That's where our focus is," he said. "And trailers, if you take a look at what the experience was in New Orleans, it was not good. They had formaldehyde problems. They couldn't get rid of them. Everybody disliked them. It was a very big problem."

FEMA has been putting 2,000 New Yorkers with uninhabitable homes up in hotels.

In the meantime, some homeowners, like Rockaway resident Valerie Close, have turned to the private sector to get repairs done. That route hasn't been easy either.

Close, whose house still lacks heat or hot water, had trouble finding an electrician and only got her power back on this week. She still hasn't found a contractor to fix her boiler.

"We called one company, and they said they didn't have any appointments to fix it for a month-and-a-half," she said. "It's just become a really ugly situation."

RELATED ON SKYE: 25 Indelible Images from Superstorm Sandy

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Stormy, Snowy Weather May Bring Holiday Travel Delays

December 14, 2012, 10:11 pm
$
0
0


By Meghan Evans, Meteorologist

Cold, windy and snowy weather may impact holiday travel across portions of the Great Lakes and Northeast next weekend, while stormy weather slams the West.

There may be some trouble spots with rain and fog across parts of the South as well.

AAA predicts that 93.3 millions Americans will travel 50 miles or more this holiday season, an increase of 1.6 percent compared to last year. Of that estimate, 90 percent (84.4 million), more than a quarter of the U.S. population, are projected to travel by automobile. Meanwhile, air travel is expected to increase 4.5 percent from 2011.

It will be stormy leading up to the weekend before Christmas with chances of wintry precipitation in the Great Lakes and Northeast.

RELATED ON ACCUWEATHER: The probability you'll get a white Christmas

"A storm may be moving off the East Coast the weekend before Christmas with lingering precipitation and wind in the Northeast on Saturday," AccuWeather Expert Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. "It looks like there may be snow in New England."

People traveling around Boston on Saturday will have to watch for the potential for snow.
Depending on the track and strength of the storm, there may be potential for wind-driven snow as far south as New York City and Philadelphia.

"While the storm will be leaving, it will be key. That's the storm that will bring cold and a few days of lake-effect snow," Rayno said.

RELATED ON ACCUWEATHER: Where to go for a guaranteed white Christmas

Cold winds and lake-effect snow showers may impact travel across the typical lake-effect snowbelts downwind of the Great Lakes through the central Appalachians next weekend. Motorists should be prepared for suddenly reduced visibility and slippery travel through snow squalls.

A Pacific storm will have an impact on portions of the West next weekend. It may throw locally heavy rain into the coast and unleash snow in the mountains.

PHOTOS ON SKYE: Blizzard Blankets the Midwest

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Watch: Rain, Snow in Store for East Coast Sunday

December 15, 2012, 7:59 pm
$
0
0
Breaking Weather: Rain, Snow Advance Northeast

Spotty rain and snow showers will push across the Northeast on Sunday, bringing some travel delays. Northern New York, New Hampshire and Vermont could get a couple of inches of snow, while further south will see a wintry mix. Behind the storm system, it will be very chilly in the Plains.

PHOTOS ON SKYE: Blizzard Blankets the Midwest

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Watch: A Fluffy Dog Plays in Arizona's First Snow

December 15, 2012, 9:13 pm
↧
↧

Blizzard, Strong Winds Slam Northwest

December 17, 2012, 12:18 am
$
0
0


While some parts of the country wonder where the snow is, Old Man Winter has certainly found his way to the Northwest.

A dangerous storm that slammed into the coast of Washington Monday morning has already begun to batter the region.

Interstate 90's Snoqualmie Pass shut down Sunday afternoon as heavy snow and blizzard conditions set in.

There were several collisions at the summit area as strong winds and blowing snow brought visibilities down to near zero.

The pass has since reopened, but heavy snow continues and authorities will only let vehicles with chains or all-wheel drive make the journey.

Blinding snow and white-out conditions extend down the length of the Washington and Oregon Cascades.

They also include the Olympic Mountains in northwestern Washington and the Blue Mountains of northwestern Oregon.

Over a foot of snow, with some places getting over two feet, will fall across all of these areas. Snow drifts will reach 4-6 feet in spots and travel will be extremely dangerous at best.

As Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski points out, the wild winter weather is not only limited to the mountains.

According to Kristina, "Up to a half of a foot of snow will turn Wenatchee, Wash., into a winter wonderland Sunday night into Monday with 2-4 inches whitening Spokane, Wash."

The snow will then spread to the mountainous areas of California, Idaho and Utah through Monday evening.

The highest elevations across these areas will see 6-12 inches of new snowfall.

The combination of the new snowfall and strong winds will even produce the risk for avalanches.

Further south and east, the snow turns to rain in places such as Seattle, Portland and Medford.
With 1-2 inches of rain falling Sunday and Sunday night, another 1-2 inches is likely today.

This kind of rain will lead to excessive ponding of water on roadways and quick rises on area creeks, streams and rivers.

Check back often at AccuWeather.com for the latest up-to-the-minute information on this storm.

RELATED ON SKYE: The 10 Snowiest Places on Earth

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Snow, Ice Creating Treacherous Travel in New England

December 17, 2012, 12:25 am
$
0
0
Breaking Weather: New England Slip 'N' Slide

Freezing rain in Massachusetts is causing treacherous roadways. School delays have resulted the hazardous travel, according to WBZ in Boston.

The storm that brought a wintry mix to the Midwest Saturday will continue to create slick spots across parts of the Northeast into Monday.

Old man winter is making a visit to cities and towns from northern New York state to Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as across the neighboring Canadian communities in the St. Lawrence Valley.

While not a blockbuster winter storm, enough snow and ice is falling to create slick and dangerous travel.

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? Check out the probability here.

Not everyone will see the wintry weather as a nuisance, those hoping to hit the ski slopes across New England will welcome the snow. A fresh 1 to 3 inches is expected to accumulate.

For those looking for an end to the hazardous travel conditions, relief will gradually come in a south-to-north fashion northward to Portland, Maine, and Burlington, Vt., into Monday.

As warmer air flows northward, any snow or wintry mix will change over to rain.

Farther to the south, the rest of the Northeast will remain damp into Monday with steadier rain reaching the mid-Atlantic Monday afternoon as another storm system arrives.

That rain will continue to spread across the Northeast Monday night into Tuesday with more snow and ice across northern New England.

Colder air on the storm's backside will pour across the central Appalachians on Tuesday, but only near the eastern Great Lakes and in the higher elevations of the central Appalachians will the air be cold enough for wet snow to mix in.

For more updates, head to AccuWeather.com.

RELATED ON SKYE: The 10 Snowiest Places on Earth

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧
Search

Handful of Violent Storms, Tornadoes Threaten the South

December 17, 2012, 12:33 am
$
0
0


While a large part of the South welcomes beneficial rain into Monday, a handful of communities will become the target of violent thunderstorms.

The stage is set for locally severe thunderstorms to erupt south of the band of rain slowly pressing eastward across the South and helping to ease the region's drought.

The severe weather threat exists from far north-central Florida to southeastern North Carolina on Monday. Albany, Augusta and Savannah, Ga., Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Wilmington, N.C., are among the communities at risk.

The strongest thunderstorms will be capable of producing damaging winds and flooding downpours. Isolated reports of hail and tornadoes cannot be ruled out.

AccuWeather.com meteorologists want to stress that an outbreak of severe weather is not expected into Monday. Any violent thunderstorms will instead erupt on a localized level with the South receiving beneficial rain the main weather story.

All severe weather warnings should still be taken seriously since it only takes one powerful thunderstorm or tornado to inflict damage on a family or community.

Wednesday night into Thursday is when a more widespread outbreak of damaging thunderstorms and tornadoes may threaten the South, from the same storm set to unleash substantial snow over the Midwest.

Stay tuned to AccuWeather.com for more details on the impending midweek violent storms.

RELATED ON SKYE: Epic Storm Photos from the Twittersphere

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Ferocious Cyclone Slams Fiji

December 17, 2012, 12:39 am
$
0
0
Ferocious Cyclone Hits Fiji

SUVA, Fiji (AP) - A powerful cyclone ripping through Fiji has caused flooding and structural damage but so far there have been no reports of deaths or serious injuries.

Cyclone Evan earlier killed at least four people in Samoa while 12 more people remain missing there.

Fiji's Permanent Secretary of Information Sharon Smith-Johns said on Monday that the northern parts of Fiji had lost power and that some bridges and roads had been washed out after the cyclone first hit late Sunday. She said about 3,500 people had evacuated to emergency shelters, and that the nation's advance preparation had helped prevent deaths.

The cyclone is expected to make its way south over the next day. It is expected to affect tourist areas around the town of Nadi but miss the capital Suva of the Pacific island nation.

RELATED ON SKYE: Epic Storm Photos from the Twittersphere

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧
↧

The Daily Rush: Kitesurfer Jumps Over Humpback Whale

December 17, 2012, 12:45 am
$
0
0


A kitesurfer near the Dutch island of Texel caught more than his fair share of excitement while skimming over waves recently. While zipping along at high speeds, he jumped right over a nearly 40-foot-long humpback whale. It appeared that the whale had become stranded on a sandbar. The kitesurfer returned to shore to alert authorities, who then launched a rescue operation.

RELATED ON SKYE: The world's most extreme sports

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Staying Safe and Healthy During Holiday Travel

December 17, 2012, 1:01 am
$
0
0

Millions of people will travel more than 50 miles to reach their holiday destinations this year.
Some will drive, others will take a plane, a train or a bus. There are several precautions that can be taken to stay safe and healthy.

Plane Travel

Getting sick from germs that circulate through the air on a plane is a big concern for many passengers. The odds of catching and airborne illness from another plane passenger is about 1 in 1,000 according to medicinenet.com.

The risk of getting an infection (such as a sinus infection), however, increases. Pressurized cabin air is created by heating, then cooling the air. During this process, the moisture content decreases. As you breathe the drier air, your sinus passages become drier. This makes them more susceptible to infection. You can keep them moist by ordering a hot beverage and inhaling the steam, or using a saline spray or gel.

Although highly unlikely, if you are taking a plane to your holiday destination, there are a few things you can do to minimize your risk of a crash.

Most accidents take place during a plane's take-off or landing. By taking a direct flight, you can minimize the amount of take-offs and landings you will experience. The time of day of the flight does not make a difference.

RELATED ON ACCUWEATHER: The probability you'll get a white Christmas

Another common cause of crashes is the weather. Try to fly during good weather. Ice becomes a factor during the winter months and often planes will not fly or will be delayed in snowy or icy weather.

Train Travel

Getting sick from the germs of a nearby passenger have about the same odds as on a plane. The best way to avoid becoming sick is to frequently wash your hands and try to avoid passengers who are coughing or sneezing.

If you have to cough or sneeze, don't sneeze into your hands. Try to use a tissue, handkerchief or sneeze into the elbow joint of your arm if you have sleeves.

Bus Travel

A study released by United Kingdom scientists in 2011 suggests that you are six times more likely to catch a cold if you take public transportation, like a bus or subway. The passengers on buses and subway cars tend to be closer together than those on a train. These close quarters make it more likely that you will breathe in the germs of a sick person.

You can reduce the risk of illness by irrigating your sinuses after riding public transportation. This will help eliminate some of the germs you have inhaled.

RELATED ON ACCUWEATHER: Where to go for a guaranteed white Christmas

Being well rested and fed before your trip can also help reduce your risk of illness.

Car Travel

The risk of catching a cold or flu from strangers is eliminated if you decide to make the trip in your own car. However, new risks like accidents or disabled vehicles need to be prepared for. Winter driving conditions also increase during the holiday season.

A winter driving kit is essential if you plan on taking a long trip. In the event that your vehicle leaves the road in icy conditions, you should have enough supplies for a day or two, just in case.

Your kit should include: gloves, hat, boots, waterproof poncho, water, food (nuts, dried fruit, energy bars, nourishment drinks), solar blanket, flashlight, cell phone and charger, first-aid kit, waterproof matches, collapsible shovel, chains or traction devices, tow rope, jumper cables, tool kit, flares and a cutting device.

Make sure all of your vehicle lights are in working order and your brakes, lights and tires are all in good condition. Consider having your car looked at by a mechanic before your trip.

Of course, using safe driving practices will reduce the chance of a vehicle mishap. If it is snowy or icy during your drive, reduce your speed, tap the brakes lightly, allow extra space between your car and those of others and try to avoid swerving or stopping suddenly.

Preparing for your trip before you go will help ensure a pleasant and illness-free holiday visit with your family.

For more weather news, visit AccuWeather.com.

RELATED ON SKYE: The World's Best Christmas Festivals

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

30 Mind-Blowing Space Photos from 2012

December 17, 2012, 3:15 am
$
0
0
  • Credit: NASA/SDO/AIA, NASA/STEREO, SOHO (ESA & NASA)
    1 of 30

    A long filament erupted on the sun on Aug. 31, 2012. The filament of solar material had been hovering in the sun's atmosphere, or corona, and erupted into space, creating a coronal mass ejection, or CME. The flare traveled at an astonishing 900 miles per second, and connected with Earth's magnetic environment, causing aurora to appear on the night of Sept. 3.

    Click through for more amazing space photos.

  • ESA/Hubble & NASA
    2 of 30

    The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured this colorful view of the center of globular cluster NGC 6362 and released the image on Nov. 2. Globular clusters are some of the oldest structures in the universe, and the stars in NCG 6362 are around 10 billion years old.

  • NASA
    3 of 30

    This stunning photo shows the moon and Earth's atmosphere as seen from the International Space Station.

  • ESO/T. Preibisch
    4 of 30

    ESO's Very Large Telescope captured the most detailed infrared image of the Carina Nebula stellar nursery this February. This cloud of glowing gas is about 7,500 light years from Earth and includes several of the brightest and heaviest stars known.

  • NASA
    5 of 30

    A brilliant shot of Venus crossing the sun. Hinode spacecraft captured the image on June 6.

  • NASA/JPL-Caltech
    6 of 30

    Located 650 light years from Earth, the Helix nebula is the cosmic remains of a dying star. In this combined image released Oct. 3 from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, the star's dusty outer layers glow from ultraviolet radiation being pumped out by its stellar core.

  • NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
    7 of 30

    This image depicts the unilluminated side of Saturn's rings and was taken in green light with NASA's Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Aug. 19, 2012. The view was captured at a distance of approximately 1.5 million miles from Saturn. 

  • ESO
    8 of 30

    The ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile captured this image of a bright feather-like cloud of glowing gas. Called the Pencil Nebula, this streak of vibrant red and blue is part of a ring of wreckage resulting from a supernova explosion that occurred 11,000 years ago.

  • NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
    9 of 30

    NASA's Curiosity rover this fall used the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) to capture dozens of high-resolution images that were combined into self-portrait images of the rover.

  • ESO/B. Bailleul
    10 of 30

    This view of the Thor's Helmut Nebula, also known as NGC 2359, was captured on Oct. 5. The helmet-shaped nebula is around 15,000 light-years away from Earth.

  • NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
    11 of 30

    On Aug. 27, NASA released a high-resolution shot of the dark dunes and layered rock at the base of Mars' Mount Sharp, Curiosity's eventual destination. The image, which was taken on Aug. 23, looks south-southwest from the rover's landing site. The top ridge of the distant mountain is about 10 miles from the rover.

  • NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring
    12 of 30

    This composite uses a number of images of the Earth's surface taken by instruments onboard the Suomi NPP satellite on Jan. 4, creating an image similar to the famed "Blue Marble."

  • NASA
    13 of 30

    The crew aboard the International Space Station captured this extraordinary nighttime image from space while overlooking Moscow on March 28. The image captures the hazy green of the aurora borealis and the shining light of daybreak on the Earth's horizon. 

  • NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
    14 of 30

    This cosmic skyrocket is actually a geyser of hot gas from a newborn star that splashes against and ricochets off a cloud core composed of molecular hydrogen. Known as Herbig-Haro 110 and spotted in the constellation Orion, the geyser is located some 1,300 light years from Earth. Hubble Space Telescope captured the image and NASA released it July 3.

  • ESO
    15 of 30

    The strange galaxy Centaurus A is pictured in an image released on May 16 by the European Southern Observatory. Centaurus A is a massive elliptical galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its heart. It's about 12 million light years away in the southern constellation of Centaurus.

  • ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)
    16 of 30

    This photo of a dying red giant star depicted an unexpected spiral structure around its center. Astronomers surmise that this might be what Earth's sun looks like at the end of its life. These spirals had never been seen by astronomers before and are believed to have been caused by a hidden companion star orbiting the red giant.

  • X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; IR & UV: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Optical: NASA/STScI
    17 of 30

    This composite image of M101 (also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy) combines data from four of NASA's space-based telescopes. X-rays from Chandra (purple) reveal the hottest and most energetic areas due to exploded stars, superheated gas, and material falling toward black holes. Infrared data from Spitzer (red) shows dusty lanes in the galaxy where stars are forming, while Hubble data (yellow) traces the light from stars. Ultraviolet emission detected by GALEX (blue) shows emission from young stars.

  • NASA Earth Observatory
    18 of 30

    This stunning view of Earth reveals the planet at night in unprecedented detail, earning it the nickname, "Black Marble." Released by NASA Dec. 5, it was assembled from multiple shots taken by the Suomi NPP satellite during April and October 2012. The new data was mapped over existing Blue Marble imagery of Earth to provide a realistic view of the planet.

  • NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
    19 of 30

    This image of a cyclone over Saturn from NASA's Cassini mission was taken on Nov. 27 with Cassini's narrow-angle camera. The camera was pointing toward Saturn from approximately 224,618 miles away. 

  • ESO. Acknowledgement: VPHAS+ Consortium/Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit
    20 of 30

    A spectacular new image of the star-forming Carina Nebula was captured by the VLT Survey Telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory on June 5.

  • NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
    21 of 30

    NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission recently discovered thousands of newfound supermassive blackholes and galaxies -- called Hot DOGs. These dust-obscured galaxies are twice as hot as similar objects and among the most luminous, brightest galaxies known. Some emit 1,000 times more energy than the Milky Way. On Aug. 29, NASA released images from the telescope, marking the new Hot DOGs with magenta symbols.

  • ESA/NASA
    22 of 30

    NASA's Hubble Telescope captured this image of Eta Carinae, a binary star system. In 1843, Eta Carinae was the second-brightest star in the night sky, but by the 20th century, it was invisible to the naked eye. Eta Carinae happens to be one of the closest stars to Earth that is likely to explode in a supernova in the relatively near future (though in astronomical timeframes, the "near future" could still be a million years away). 

  • NASA/Stephen Leshin
    23 of 30

    Described as a "dusty curtain" or "ghostly apparition," mysterious reflection nebula VdB 152 is very faint. Also called Ced 201, it is nearly 1,400 light years away.

  • ESA/NASA
    24 of 30

    On July 2, Hubble Space Telescope posted this portrait of dying star Camelopardalis (U Cam for short) as it released a spherical shell of gas. U Cam is becoming increasingly unstable, and every few thousand years the red giant's core fuses and it expels stellar material in these eruptions. Although the star itself is small enough to fit into a single pixel of the photo, its brightness makes it appear much larger than it is.

  • GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images
    25 of 30

    Eclipse-hunters flocked to Queensland, Australia's tropical northeast on Nov. 14 to watch the region's first total solar eclipse in 1,300 years. 

  • X-ray: NASA/CXC/PSU/L.Townsley et al.; Optical: NASA/STScI; Infrared: NASA/JPL/PSU/L.Townsley et al.
    26 of 30

    Mammoth Tarantula Nebula is an interstellar cloud made up of helium, hydrogen, dust and gases. According to NASA, it's "one of the largest star-forming regions located close to the Milky Way." It got the name because its filaments were thought to look like spindly spider legs. NASA released the image in April of this year.

  • ESO/VVV Consortium
    27 of 30

    This incredible image of the central parts of the Milky Way was created by combining thousands of individual images from ESO's VISTA survey telescope into a single monumental mosaic. The image depicts a much larger number of individual stars in the central parts of the Milky Way than was previously able to be seen because VISTA's camera is sensitive to infrared light and can see through much of the dust that blocks the view for optical telescopes. 

  • NASA
    28 of 30

    On Jul 20, NASA released the highest-resolution images ever taken of the sun's corona. The corona is the plasma atmosphere around the sun, usually only visible during solar eclipses. The High Resolution Coronal Imager, or Hi-C, captured this detailed shot.

  • NOAJ/Subaru/J. Carson, College of Charleston
    29 of 30

    Astronomers discovered a "super-Jupiter" (seen in the upper left of this image) around the bright star Kappa Andromedae. Designated Kappa Andromedae b, the new object has a mass about 12.8 times greater than Jupiter's. This places it on the dividing line that separates the most massive planets from the lowest-mass brown dwarfs.

  • ESO
    30 of 30
    Next: 50 Must-See Weather Photos from 2012

    This image shows a part of a vast dark cloud of interstellar dust called the Pipe Nebula. The Pipe Nebula is a dark nebula consisting of clouds of interstellar dust so thick it can block out the light from the stars beyond. The Pipe Nebula appears silhouetted against the rich star clouds close to the centre of the Milky Way in the constellation of Ophiuchus (The Serpent Bearer).

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧
Viewing all 4069 articles
Browse latest View live
More Pages to Explore .....
Search

Latest Images

New $4.5 million East Bay trail path will connect bicyclists, pedestrians to...

New $4.5 million East Bay trail path will connect bicyclists, pedestrians to...

April 18, 2024, 11:05 am
Photographer Gifts for Clients / Print Packaging / 4x6 Photo Box by...

Photographer Gifts for Clients / Print Packaging / 4x6 Photo Box by...

April 17, 2024, 6:48 pm
Deepfake Video of Aamir Khan circulates Online

Deepfake Video of Aamir Khan circulates Online

April 17, 2024, 3:07 am
Very Hungry Caterpillar™ Shirt: World of Eric Carle™+ Little Goodall by...

Very Hungry Caterpillar™ Shirt: World of Eric Carle™+ Little Goodall by...

April 14, 2024, 8:14 am
Have you seen Michael Wines? Burien man has been missing since Saturday,...

Have you seen Michael Wines? Burien man has been missing since Saturday,...

April 12, 2024, 3:59 pm
Stay Salty POTS Awareness Stretchy Stacking Bracelets | Set of Three|...

Stay Salty POTS Awareness Stretchy Stacking Bracelets | Set of Three|...

April 11, 2024, 5:27 pm
19 Reader-Favourite March Purchases — From Steals To Splurges

19 Reader-Favourite March Purchases — From Steals To Splurges

April 11, 2024, 5:07 am
Fake lip ring, silver lip ring, simple lip ring, unisex lip ring by AIRlab

Fake lip ring, silver lip ring, simple lip ring, unisex lip ring by AIRlab

April 9, 2024, 4:00 pm
People's Blog • First Pictures of the Eclipse ! ! !

People's Blog • First Pictures of the Eclipse ! ! !

April 8, 2024, 1:08 pm
First Pictures of the Eclipse ! ! !

First Pictures of the Eclipse ! ! !

April 8, 2024, 1:08 pm