"Heavenly shades of night are
falling, it's TWILIGHT TIME, Out of the mist your voice is calling, it
is twilight time, When purple colored curtains mark the end of day, I'll
hear you, my dear, at twilight time,..." - Twilight Time, The Platters.
"Purple
Haze all in my eyes, don't know if it's day or night, you've got me
blowing, blowing my mind, is it tomorrow or just the END OF TIME?" - Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix.
February 5, 2016 - BRITAIN - For the past week, sky watchers in the UK have witnessed a rare apparition of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs).
Normally
restricted to the Arctic Circle, the fantastically colorful clouds have
appeared over the British Isles almost every day since Jan. 31st.
Colin Fraser photographed the display over Edinburgh, Scotland, on Feb. 2nd:
PSCs form in the lower stratosphere when temperatures drop to a
staggeringly-cold -85ºC.
High-altitude sunlight shining through tiny ice
particles ~10µm wide produce bright iridescent colors by diffraction
and interference.
But there is more to PSCs than ice. Some polar stratospheric clouds
contain very small droplets of naturally occurring nitric and sulphuric
acids.
These droplets destroy ozone. Indeed, atmospheric optics expert
Les Cowley points out that a temporary ozone hole has formed over Ireland and the UK.
It is the blue patch in this Feb. 1st ozone map from NASA's Arctic Ozone Watch:
"The acid droplets destroy the stratospheric ozone layer that
protects us from harmful solar ultra-violet rays," says Cowley. "They
catalyse unreactive forms of man-made chlorine into active free radicals
(for example ClO, chlorine monoxide). The radicals destroy many ozone
molecules in a series of chain reactions.."
This outbreak of PSCs is truly unusual.
WATCH: Nacreous clouds over Corby.
"Prior to this
outbreak I have seen PSCs over the UK only twice in the last 20 years!"
says Cowley. "This episode is exceptional at such low latitudes. If it
goes on any longer my camera will be worn out." - SpaceWeather.
February 5, 2016 - KASHMIR - Officials say 10 Indian soldiers are feared dead after an avalanche hit a
military post on the Siachen Glacier in the disputed Himalayan region
of Kashmir.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the families of the soldiers on Twitter Thursday night.
The avalanche hit the military post on Wednesday in the northern part of
the glacier, trapping the soldiers under a mass of snow.
Since then, army and air force teams have been searching for the
soldiers, army spokesman Col. S.D. Goswami said. He said the chances of
finding survivors are "very remote."
The army is yet to retrieve their bodies.
Avalanches and landslides are common in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both.
The two nations also dispute their undemarcated border through
the Siachen Glacier at an elevation of nearly 19,000 feet (5,800
meters).
Thousands of Indian and Pakistani troops are stationed in the freezing
Himalayan terrain, where more troops have died from the grueling
conditions than from hostile fire.
Last month, four Indian soldiers on foot patrol were killed by an avalanche in the same region.
In 2012, an avalanche in the Pakistan-controlled part of the glacier killed 140 people, including 129 soldiers.
The two countries have discussed ways to demilitarize the Siachen Glacier, without success. - The Japan Times.
Six-year-old Andrew Bulger is in critical condition undergoing his third
surgery in two days at the UAB children's hospital in Birmingham. His
first two surgeries were at Springhill Medical Center in Mobile, but his
injuries were so bad, he was transferred for specialized treatment.
"The worst is watching him suffer," said Andrew's grandmother, Rene Bulger. "That's the hardest part, you know?"
Andrew can't talk, he can barely move and he can't breathe on his own.
Family members say they can't believe their fun-loving little boy is now
fighting for his life. Doctors say there is an unknown amount of
surgeries ahead and there is no guarantee he will ever talk again.
"What they're going to try and do in the surgery is repair the trachea
check out the voice box," said Bulger. "It's very hard, especially when
we first came. They restrained him because of the tubes."
Family members and Animal Control officers say it all happened at a
house on Mars Court in Wilmer Monday evening. Outside the house there
are multiple dogs chained up.
Michael Bulger, of Eight Mile, says his 6-year-old
son Andrew was attacked by a pit bull Monday night at approximately
6:30 p.m.
"It was like a bullet coming out of a gun. It happen so fast."
Bulger says Andrew and his father stopped by the house briefly to run
and errand. She says Andrew started playing with another boy in the
yard.
"The dog broke off the chain and shot straight at Andrew tried
to bite him in the face, and that's when it knocked him down to the
ground. It grabbed him by his throat, lifted him in the air and then she
started shaking him by the neck."
Bulger says Andrew's father stepped in and got the dog to release him.
"Blood was squirting out of his neck. They were trying to cover all the
holes and everything until the ambulance could get there."
Nancy Johnson with Mobile County says animal control picked up the dog, a
one-year old pit bull named Jr, early Wednesday morning. Officers say
the dog was so aggressive, it needed a muzzle to be brought to the
animal shelter.
WATCH: Second pit bull attack on a child in a week.
"Tragic, it's horrifying and I feel so bad for the boy and his family," said Johnson.
We're told the dog will remain in quarantine for ten days to undergo
rabies observation. It is unclear what will happen to the dog after this
period.
Officials from the Mobile County Sheriff's office say the details of
their investigation will determine whether the dog needs to be put down
or returned to the owner. It will also determine if the owner will face
any charges.
In the meantime, family members say they will stay strong and continue praying for their little boy. - FOX10.
Bobcats attacking pets in Richardson, Texas
Bobcat.
Efforts to stop a spike in bobcat attacks on pets are running into an
unexpected problem. For months animal control officers in Richardson
have been trying to crack down on the bobcats.
The city has had some success with about six traps set throughout the
city. Owners of pets killed by the bobcats are hopeful the problem
doesn't get any worse, but they're asking for the public's help.
10-year-old Yorkie, Denali is one of the lucky ones. When a bobcat
leaped into her backyard, it went after her owner's other Yorkie,
Dakota.
"She's confused. She doesn't know what's going on. Last night when we
were in bed she was looking around like, where's Dakota?" David Dinsmore
said about Denali.
Dinsmore had just let his dogs out into the backyard for a few minutes
before Dakota disappeared. It wasn't until he watched the surveillance
video himself that he realized what had happened.
"I teared up. That's my wife's little dog, and we've lost our little dog," Dinsmore said.
WATCH: Richardson sees spike in Bobcat attacks.
City leaders say they've seen a surge in bobcat attacks on pets for months.
Bill Alsup oversees Richardson's animal control. He believes last
spring's high rainfall led to an abundance of food for bobcats' natural
prey, which in turn helped grow the population.
"Mama and Daddy Bobcat are healthier. They have larger litters of baby
bobcats, and they're better able to support and feed those bobcats to
reach adolescence, and so the population has increased," Alsup said.
In response to the attacks on pets, the city set what they consider
humane traps that capture the predators alive, but Alsup says they've
had problems with vandals interfering with the traps.
"Once the small animals are gone, they might move to bigger animals, and
I really am worried it could move to small children, so people that
vandalize those traps need to think about that," Dinsmore said.
The city insists that the traps do not harm the bobcats, and they have
been able to capture several and relocate them. After this most recent
attack, animal control plans to double the amount of traps it currently
has set. - DFW-CBS.
February 5, 2016 - MISSOURI, UNITED STATES - A dog missing for three days is found buried in a 5-foot sinkhole in Platte County.
Lisa Van Valkenburgh said she let her dog Maverick out Thursday evening
to relieve himself and he wandered off. Van Valkenburgh said she and her
family searched for her dog and found him Saturday afternoon.
"I walked this road. I walked down and back and walked on this side and
came right here and heard a moan, like a bark," Van Valkenburgh said.
Maverick
Maverick's owner said she couldn't believe her 12-year-old German
Shepherd was buried alive. "That would swallow a child; that is a
dangerous situation," she said.
When the dog was pulled to safety Van Valkenburgh said he was lethargic and dehydrated.
WATCH: Family dog rescued from sinkhole in Missouri.
Greg Sager, the Platte County Director of Public Works said water caused
the pipe to rust and the soil was washed away, creating the sinkhole.
Sager said a new pipe was ordered today and he expects to have it
replaced in a week or two.
As for Maverick, his veterinarian said he's expected to make a full recovery. - FOX4KC.
