http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/disaster/ en-us Fri, 1 Jan 2010 19:37:44 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2419089/posts 2009 was definitely a year of political turmoil… just think of what the past 12 months has given us: Pork-infested Stimulus package rammed down our throats while we were sleeping and while Obamanauts were still celebrating “Hope and Change”Multiple World-Wide Apology Tours by “The One”ObamacareEtc. ...But this is New Year’s Day. Time for a break from the “Bleakness of Barack.” We all need a day away from “The Drama That’s Obama.” Grand Rants http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2419089/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 19:37:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412979/posts Jim Rogers and Marc Faber See Disaster Looming, Blame The Fed Posted on 12/21/09 at 11:47am by Bud Fox Legendary investors Jim Rogers and Marc Faber have similar outlooks on the financial crisis and the efforts of the Federal Reserve to revive the U.S. economy. What do they think of the Fed's quantitative easing policy? In a word, it is a recipe for disaster. According to Rogers, governments have not addressed the underlying problems which triggered the crisis, but instead have "flooded the world with money." He argues that trying to solve the problem of too much consumption and too... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412979/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:35:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2412582/posts A fire broke out at the Guinness factory in Dublin shortly after noon local time. Over nine fire brigades and three rigs with aerial ladder platforms were able to contain the blaze before it spread to the ammonia plant at the site. An official from Guinness was able to confirm that no one was hurt in the incident. “There were no injuries to any personnel and the fire has been extinguished,” the spokeswoman said. “An internal investigation is under way to find out exactly what the cause of the accident was.” The fire broke out near the Victoria Quay entry... Irish Central http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2412582/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:44:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408745/posts While the detonation of a nuclear weapon in the United States is considered highly unlikely, Los Angeles and other U.S. cities are preparing for such a disaster by assessing old bomb shelters and preparing emergency response plans, the Los Angeles Daily News reported Monday. Global Security Newswire http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408745/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:39:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407228/posts WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democrats who thought they had found a workable compromise on health care reform learned otherwise from independent Sen. Joe Lieberman over the weekend. The Connecticut senator, whose vote is critical to the bill's prospects, threatened Sunday to join Republicans in opposing health care legislation if it permits uninsured individuals as young to 55 to purchase Medicare coverage. Drudge Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407228/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:49:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406585/posts For an obscene price tag, this year's $787 billion federal stimulus has delivered precious little to Jackson County, Michigan or the nation. The public should be skeptical whether the federal government can be trusted to implement a second, smaller stimulus to create jobs. President Obama last week called on Congress to spend more — as much as $200 billion, by some estimates — to put people to work. The nation's unemployment stands at 10 percent (in Michigan, it's 14.2 percent), and surveys suggest that large companies will continue to shrink their work forces in the coming months. Of course, wasn't... Michigan Live http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406585/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:14:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2400199/posts [I] thought the slight shake up in Dubai was interesting [the other day]. Piddly little country couldn’t pay its tiny $60 billion debt, and the global marketplace shuddered. The Dow lost 160 points. What happens when we can’t print enough money, and no one will loan us anymore? What happens when the U.S. $100 trillion debt collapses? [analogy alert] In the early 1970s Eastern Airlines flight 401 suffered a slight mechanical failure in its landing lights. For four arduous minutes, the flight crew screwed around with the lights not noticing that the auto pilot had been inadvertently turned off. They... Grand Rants http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2400199/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 15:24:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2398398/posts You write: “I don’t know what to write anymore. America is ignorant, hubristic, in denial, agenda pissed, and agenda blind all at the same time.” Well, riddle me this, Batman: Imagine people on board a jet airliner doing 550mph at 53,000 feet. There’s a series of bumps and jolts, and the pilot comes on and announces, “We’re experiencing some turbulance. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts. Nothing to worry about folks.” Question: Is there any reason for the passengers to think otherwise? They entrust their lives to the pilots. Now the pilots may be in the cockpit... Grand Rants http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2398398/posts#comment Wed, 2 Dec 2009 14:19:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2397574/posts I recently was included in an exchange of emails between two friends, and was so impressed by the insights contained and the ideas expressed that I immediately requested permission to publish the emails on Grand Rants. Permission from both authors having been received, I am pleased to present Part One of Point:CounterPoint:Repoint. Parts Two and Three will be posted tomorrow and Thursday. Enjoy! Grand Rants http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2397574/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 14:24:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395846/posts RUSSIAN investigators have confirmed that the derailment of a passenger train which killed dozens of people was caused by a "terrorist attack", the Interfax news agency reported. "We are indeed talking about a terrorist attack," Vladimir Markin, spokesman for Russia's federal investigative committee... Investigators have found "elements of an explosive device" at the site... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395846/posts#comment Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:56:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2393071/posts For those who believe that Barack Obama is little more than a puppet on a string, Obama gave them strong evidence today.The AP reports Obama and his wife messed up protocol at a White House event by leaving early from a ceremony where he honored Zimbaweans with the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights award.A flustered Obama returned shortly and quipped, "I never know what I'm allowed to do." http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2393071/posts#comment Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:28:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392397/posts NOVEMBER 20, 2009 The Coming Deficit Disaster The president says he understands the urgency of our fiscal crisis, but his policies are the equivalent of steering the economy toward an iceberg. DOUGLAS HOLTZ-EAKIN President Barack Obama took office promising to lead from the center and solve big problems. He has exerted enormous political energy attempting to reform the nation's health-care system. But the biggest economic problem facing the nation is not health care. It's the deficit. Recently, the White House signaled that it will get serious about reducing the deficit next year—after it locks into place massive new health-care entitlements.... Wall St. Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392397/posts#comment Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:08:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2391641/posts Okay, don’t listen to me… I admit that I don’t know spit about sunshine. But when it comes to universal economic implosion, I’ve ranted about David Walker, Glen Beck, and Lou Dobbs forever. I’m pretty sure I’ve put up at least eight rants on this issue. Fine… Don’t listen to me or any of us for that matter. But at least consider what France’s Société Générale bank had to say... Grand Rants http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2391641/posts#comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:39:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2381344/posts The world is beset by a series of outlandish catastrophes in the much-hyped Sony Pictures movie. An earthquake-devastated Los Angeles slips into the sea, the Vatican collapses, its dome crushing worshippers and a tsunami dumps an aircraft carrier atop an exploding White House. Meanwhile a tidal wave sweeps across the Himalayas and a meteor shower strikes Earth. The director Roland Emmerich - a veteran of catastrophe in his earlier films Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow - was inspired by theories that the calendar of the ancient Mayans foretells the end of civilisation on Dec 21, 2012. "The famous... London Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2381344/posts#comment Sun, 8 Nov 2009 05:19:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2381118/posts If a major disaster struck and you couldn't live in your home would you have a place to go? Don Kubley claims he has an answer. It's called the InterShelter™ and Kubley said it could provide safe shelter for everyone within two hours. The solar dome's President and inventor spoke before Congress and now FEMA is considering the InterShelter™ as the emergency shelter of choice across the nation. It can withstand winds up to 200 miles per hour and temperatures from 120 degress Fahrenheit down to 70 degrees below. All you need is a screwdriver, a wrench and a step... CBS) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2381118/posts#comment Sat, 7 Nov 2009 22:48:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2379307/posts After more than a decade of public health care with mandatory coverage, so many Canadian doctors have left the practice and so many young people have entered other fields that Canada ranks 26th of 28 developed nations in its ratio of physicians to population. Once, Canada ranked among the leaders in the number of physicians — but that was before government health care drove doctors out of the practice in droves. Jewish World Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2379307/posts#comment Thu, 5 Nov 2009 18:21:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379061/posts Gold prices yesterday surged to an all-time high after India's central bank bought 200 tonnes of the precious metal, swapping dollars for bullion as the country's finance minister warned that the economies of the US and Europe had "collapsed". India's decision to exchange $6.7bn for gold, equivalent to 8 per cent of world annual mine production, sent the strongest signal yet that Asian countries were moving away from the US currency. The purchase by New Delhi's Reserve Bank from the International Monetary Fund pushed gold prices to a record $1,087.45 per troy ounce, up 2.7 per cent on the day,... www.ft.com/ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379061/posts#comment Thu, 5 Nov 2009 13:20:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2378089/posts Major Republican victories in two states last night left the fate of President Obama's signature health reforms in doubt and Democrats licking their wounds a year before the 2010 mid-term elections. The defeat of Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine by an estimated five points in the New Jersey governor's race was a serious blow for Mr Obama, who had campaigned intensively for Mr Corzine and urged crowds across the state to turn out for him as they did in the historic White House race a year ago. In Virginia, Republicans won a clean sweep in contests for Governor, Attorney General and... Times Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2378089/posts#comment Wed, 4 Nov 2009 07:22:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2373736/posts BENEATH ALL of the anger and frustration surrounding the current flu vaccine supply problem is a simple fact - as we gear up to fight a new flu strain in our first pandemic winter in 40 years, we employ a really old technology to make flu vaccines. The nation needs to find a better option. The basic way we make flu vaccines has changed little since the 1950’s. It relies on hen’s eggs. Each year, a seasonal flu vaccine is developed to cover three strains of flu that are circulating. And, each year the flu viruses change a little bit,... The Boston Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2373736/posts#comment Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:24:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371202/posts Just in from the Senate Majority Leader’s press shop: Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will hold a press conference this afternoon to give an update on the merger of Senate health insurance reform proposals. Today, Monday, October 26, 2009, at 3:15 p.m. Practically every report agrees that Reid will deliver a bill to the CBO today for scoring, and that it will include a public option with the potential for states to opt out. patrick henry Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371202/posts#comment Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:05:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2360529/posts "In the moments immediately after another unsettling defeat that prompted the Washington Redskins to question much about themselves, many team leaders were united on this: Changing the head coach alone will not solve their problems. To be sure, many things are going poorly for the Redskins, as evidenced by a 20-17 loss to the formerly winless Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium. Washington was undone, in large part, by a strange sequence of events on a punt in the fourth quarter that resulted in a turnover that Carolina quickly capitalized on to score the go-ahead touchdown.... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2360529/posts#comment Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:53:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2353781/posts MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER, Japan, Oct. 2, 2009 – The U.S. military is providing critically needed disaster-relief supplies to mitigate suffering and prevent further loss of life in the wake of Tropical Storm Ketsana, which struck the Philippines on Sept. 25. "Marines and sailors are working with the Philippine government to rapidly deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to the areas the Philippine government deems most in need," said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Douglas Powell, spokesman for the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force. U.S. military personnel are delivering relief supplies to remote areas by way of air and ground, providing... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2353781/posts#comment Fri, 2 Oct 2009 22:52:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2351503/posts President Obama has declared the U.S. territory of American Samoa a major disaster after an undersea earthquake caused a tsunami and massive flooding that has reportedly killed more than 80 people in the South Pacific Samoan Islands. The declaration makes federal funding available to people in American Samoa, which has a population of about 65,000 people. All Barack Channel (ABC) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2351503/posts#comment Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:14:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2347589/posts 1)URGENT -- Two freight trains and a passenger train have been involved in a collision near Barendrecht, the Netherlands. 2)Some injuries have been reported following the major train wreck in the Netherlands, but further information is not yet available. 3)Several explosions have occurred after a major train wreck in the Netherlands, the ANP news agency reports. BNO News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2347589/posts#comment Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:01:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2336976/posts Quick background: I found this while searching for events that happened on September 9 (we just had 09/09/09). A Web site mistakenly lists this disaster as happening on September 9, 1963; actually it happened October 9, 1963. Hadn't heard of it before, but it's listed as one of the top engineering disasters in history. The Vajont (Vaiont) Landslide The site linked in the header provides small snapshots of the whole area. Two examples: Here's an annotated picture that helps put it in context. Here's a picture of the immediate aftermath: To really get this in perspective, though, use Google Maps.... Vaiont Dam, Italy http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2336976/posts#comment Fri, 11 Sep 2009 04:47:58 GMT