Temperatures to roast Northeast

A scorching record-breaking heat wave continues to roast much of the Northeast, with the National Weather Service keeping in effect heat advisories in the region until Wednesday evening.

In addition, the service has issued an "excessive heat warning" until 8 p.m. Wednesday for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Trenton, New Jersey; and parts of Delaware.

Officials are advising people to stay indoors as the prolonged heat and humidity creates a "dangerous situation."

Already, the heat has claimed the life of an elderly woman in Philadelphia -- where temperatures hit 102 degrees Tuesday.

The temperature also topped the century mark in Boston, Massachusetts; Washington and New York -- where it hit 103.

123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123
123 Read More.....

Oil-Collection Effort This Week

The Helix Producer I, a floating platform that can gather 25,000 barrels of crude a day, can’t hook into subsurface equipment connected to the well on the sea floor until wave heights decline to 3 feet or less, said Bryan Ferguson, a spokesman for London-based BP. High waves kicked up by Hurricane Alex last week, followed by a 6-foot chop during the weekend, made it impossible to make the link, he said.

“All the subsea hardware is in place but they’re waiting for the sea state to calm down,” Ferguson said yesterday in a telephone interview from Houston.

The delay is the latest setback in London-based BP’s efforts to halt the worst oil spill in U.S. history. The disaster began April 20 when explosions and fire aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig killed 11 workers, triggering leaks in the well a mile below the surface that fouled beaches, killed wildlife and shut a swath of federally controlled fishing grounds that cover an area the size of Nebraska.

99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99 Read More.....

54 hot dogs could cause so much agita

Sidelined hot dog titan Takeru Kobayashi went berserk yesterday, storming the stage after a contract dispute kept him out of the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating competition.

The 128-pound former champ got steamed while watching from the crowd as archrival Joey (Jaws) Chestnut took home the mustard yellow belt for the fourth year in a row.

Wearing a "Free Kobi" T-shirt, Kobayashi tried to force his way on to the stage at Coney Island during the awards ceremony, struggling with cops who finally arrested him and slapped on the cuffs.

"It's unprofessional and unsavory and, frankly, rather frustrating," said contest organizer Richard Shea.

Kobayashi, 32, was charged with obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest and trespassing.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/07/04/2010-07-04_joey_jaws_chestnut_wins_nathans_july_fourth_hot_dog_eating_contest.html#ixzz0slttXSaA

Master degree Read More.....

Massive oil spill will become the largest ever in the Gulf

The oil calculation is based on the higher end of the government's range of barrels leaked per day, minus the amount BP says it has collected from the blown-out well using two containment systems. Measuring it helps scientists figure out where the missing oil is, hidden below the water surface with some even stuck to the seafloor. Oil not at the surface damages different parts of the ecosystem.

"It's a mind-boggling number any way you cut it," said Ed Overton, a Louisiana State University environmental studies professor who consults for the federal government on oil spills. "It'll be well beyond Ixtoc by the time it's finished."

And passing Ixtoc just before the July Fourth weekend, a time of normally booming tourism, is bitter timing, he said.

The BP spill, which began after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion killed 11 workers April 20, is also the largest spill ever recorded offshore during peacetime.
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9 Read More.....

Commander in Afghanistan is unlikely to survive

Gen. Stanley McChrystal will likely resign Wednesday, the source said. McChrystal's fate is expected to hinge on a meeting scheduled Wednesday with President Obama, who was "angry" after reading the general's remarks in Rolling Stone.

The "magnitude and graveness" of McChrystal's mistake in conducting the interview for the article were "profound," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said McChrystal had "made a significant mistake and exercised poor judgment."

McChrystal apologized Tuesday for the profile, in which he and his staff appear to mock top civilian officials, including the vice president. Two defense officials said the general fired a press aide over the article, set to appear in Friday's edition of Rolling

3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3 Read More.....

Congress was given a chance to vent

The lawmaker's words caused a furor in the GOP House leadership, and the Texas congressman, who has received $100,470 in political contributions from oil and gas companies, within hours was forced to apologize for the apology.

After all, it was Hayward, whose giant, wealthy oil company caused the nation's worst oil spill, who was supposed to apologize, not a congressman. For his part, Hayward said he was "deeply sorry" and "distraught" as well as "devastated" over the spill and its impact on Gulf coast Americans.

But that was about it from the 53-year-old British executive, whom President Barack Obama had said he would like to fire — if only he could.

Hayward was determined not to give lawmakers much more, no matter how hard they tried during the daylong hearing to elicit new details about BP's failures leading up to the April 20 explosion on the BP-operated Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1 Read More.....

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
You must have seen the villain devilishly clipping the brakes of car used by hero in an action movie, driving him into a nerve-racking ride down the limited-access highway. Quite reverse to this, in real life, the subject of having safe brakes, is not thrilling, but is something indispensable. In case you sense that anything is burning in your car while you are driving it, or may be if you hear a squealing sound while you arrive at a stop, time has come that you check your brakes thoroughly. Read More.....