A CH4 Bomb ready to explode on earth

One hundred to one thousand times the normal atmospheric levels of the greenhouse gas methane (CH4), a greenhouse gas 25 times as powerful as CO2 at warming the earth, were found this summer over the Siberian shelf in the Arctic Ocean. The Siberian shelf contains enormous amounts of methane – 13 times the total carbon content of the earth’s atmosphere.

Much more here on this topic.

A vast shallow sea lies north of Siberia. One quarter of the world’s continental shelves are found in the Arctic. Seven great rivers pour carbon rich sediment onto the Arctic shelves. During the ice ages the very shallow and very vast east Siberian sea was above sea level causing deep permafrost to sequester the carbon at negative 17 Celsius. Enormous amounts of methane were trapped as methane hydrate ice.Rapid warming of the Arctic is now destabilizing the methane ice in parts of the east Siberian sea.

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Beijinger to open shopping mall in Milwaukee

A Beijing company has purchased a shopping mall in the US, marking the largest overseas acquisition of commercial property by a Chinese enterprise to date.

Beijing's Toward Group said it will open the mall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in August 2010 when 40 percent of tenants are expected to have moved in. The company announced its acquisition of the property on Dec 24.

via Beijinger to open shopping mall in Milwaukee.

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Cambodia sends 20 Uighur asylum seekers back to China

BBC News – Cambodia sends 20 Uighur asylum seekers back to China

A group of 20 Chinese Uighurs who fled to Cambodia after ethnic riots in July have been deported back to China.

The United Nations refugee agency strongly condemned the deportation, saying Cambodia had committed a grave breach of international refugee law.

The decision follows intense pressure by China, which has referred to the group as criminals.

Human rights groups have warned that the group is likely to face persecution on return to China.

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Top Ten Questions about Climate Change on the Eve of Copenhagen

purloined the following article from Juan Coles’ site.  He is one of the most respected voices on the political blogosphere, being an expert in the middle east and surrounding environs.  Here he talks about global warming.  Please take the link to his site for more good stuff.

Informed Comment: Top Ten Questions about Climate Change on the Eve of Copenhagen

Is the earth’s climate warming? Indisputably.

Has the pumping of vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by human beings since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution contributed to global climate change? Also, indisputably.

Would extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere cause warming? In the absence of some sort of offset, yes. In fact, this effect can be demonstrated in a bottle.

Who funds “science” questioning carbon-dioxide-driven climate change? Exxon-Mobil, among others.

Why don’t most American senators and congressmen have the gumption of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who called climate change deniers “flat-earthers”, and “anti-science”?

Would global warming just mean it is hotter? No. If mountain ice and glaciers melt, the people who depend on seasonal melting of such highland ice will be left without a water source and thrown into drought. Over a billion people in the Indian subcontinent are at risk. And, 60% of Bangladesh is at risk from rising sea levels.

Has global warming been flat since 1998? No, this assertion depends on a stupid little trick. 1998 was unusually warm because of an El Nino, so if you take it as the baseline, you get a false picture. Take 1997 or 1999 as your starting point (normal years), and then you see the clear continuing warming trend. It would be like starting with the 2005 tsunami and saying the ocean levels have fallen mysteriously and dramatically since then in Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Are the measures proposed at Copenhagen a good first step? Not even remotely. (See also Bill McKibben at Tomdispatch.com

Would actually proving that some climate scientists have engaged in partisan activity change the above facts? No. Was that proved by the hacked emails? No.

Is is just an accident that the countries who are the biggest polluters have publics who are most skeptical of human-made climate change?

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Wie records long-awaited victory at Guadalajara Country Club

Wie records long-awaited victory at Guadalajara Country Club | Guadalajara Reporter
“It sounds a cliché but it feels awesome” was how Michelle Wie described her first professional triumph Sunday at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara.

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China: Censorship Limits Obama’s Charm Offensive

China: Censorship Limits Obama’s Charm Offensive- Slate Magazine
China: Censorship Limits Obama’s Charm Offensive

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North/South Trade ? Killing of Canadians in Puerto Vallarta may have been drugs related

Killing of Canadians in Puerto Vallarta may have been drugs related | Guadalajara Reporter
Shot to death in an execution style killing in the early hours of Sunday, September 27 in their Puerto Vallarta condominum, evidence increasingly suggests that Canadians Gordon Kendall and Jeffrey Ivans may have had links to the drugs trade.

The two 37-year-olds had been renting a condominium in the Las Glorias hotel zone of the port town for about a year, according to friends that spoke to the Vancouver Sun.

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China top contributor to world economic growth

China top contributor to world economic growth
BEIJING: China contributed 19.2 percent of the world economic growth in 2007, up from 2.3 percent in 1978, a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said.

It said China tops the world in contribution to the global economic growth.

The report was the 18th by the NBS. It showcased the improving international status and influence of new China over years of development.

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Japan Jobless rate hits 5.5% for first drop in 7 months

asahi.com（朝日新聞社）：Jobless rate hits 5.5% for first drop in 7 months – English
The jobless rate eased slightly to 5.5 percent in August, but the overall ratio of job offers to job seekers was stuck at a record low of 0.42–a sign the employment situation remains severe.The unemployment rate fell 0.2 point after hitting a record-high 5.7 percent the previous month, according to data released Friday by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.In August, the jobless rate saw its first decline in seven months.

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Tsunami.gov Page

West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center

Latest Event

– Tsunami Information Statement (high) 2009/09/30 10:16:11 (UTC) Preliminary Magnitude: 7.7 Latitude: -0.9 Longitude: 99.9 Location: southern Sumatera, Indonesia 430577  1

Please click here to see the area-of-responsibilty (AoR)
for the WC/ATWC and the PTWC.

The NWS operates two Tsunami Warning Centers and the International Tsunami Information Center

	West Coast/ Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WC/ATWC) The WC/ATWC provides tsunami warning guidance for all U.S. coastal states (except Hawaii), the Canadian coastal provinces, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
	Richard H. Hagemeyer Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) The PTWC provides tsunami warning guidance for Hawaii and countries in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Caribbean Sea.
	International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC) Operated by the NWS on behalf of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, the ITIC supports the IOC’s Tsunami Program which focuses on the coordination of tsunami warning and mitigation systems globally. The ITIC provides direct support to Member States in the Pacific by monitoring and recommending operational improvements to the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific, and by working with countries to increase tsunami awareness and preparedness, and promote education and research.

Is your community prepared for the next destructive tsunami?

TsunamiReady Program A program designed for recognition for Communities that have met certain standards of tsunami preparedness.

Want more NOAA Tsunami Information?

NOAA Tsunami Site The NOAA Tsunami Web Page.

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