Ice Cold Polar Vortex Takes Over America

On the heels of a winter storm named "Hercules" that brought blizzard conditions to the Midwest and New England and caused 16 deaths, we now have a phenomenon called the "Winter Vortex" that could be even more dangerous. Over the next 24 hours the Arctic blast is going to make temperatures plummet to below double digits below zero over the northern states and into the south. Also blizzards are happening again, and several states are under states of emergency just due to ice and cold. Is this extreme weather connected to global warming? Probably, yes. Is there anything we can do about it except bundle up and shake a fist at the sky? No.

US will soon learn meaning of “polar vortex” as record cold descends on Midwest Monday. http://t.co/nHR2UuUopE pic.twitter.com/o1jwgp0uGC

— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) January 4, 2014

From Time Magazine:

Meteorologists attribute the “polar vortex” to freezing air from the North Pole being pushed down to as far as the Gulf Coast of the U.S., the Associated Press reports. In Atlanta, temperatures will be in the mid-20s by Tuesday while a wintry mix of rain and snow are expected in parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, northern Arkansas, southern Ohio and southwestern Pennsylvania late into Sunday. The cold front will likely freeze large bodies of water, like the Great Lakes, meaning freezing temperatures could last through winter.

While still digging out from current snowfall, another winter storm will drop more snow and ice onto the the central Plains to the Great Lakes states this weekend. The biggest hit areas will include St. Louis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo.

Great graphic! MT @NWSTallahassee: Wind Chill Watch, Warning, or Advisory in effect for estimated 115 million ppl. pic.twitter.com/jGZmf7Vl8p

— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) January 5, 2014

Chicago expected to approach all-time low-temperature mark of minus 11; wind chill may hit minus 45 - @chicagotribune http://t.co/wBDTcpbEfy

— Breaking News Storm (@breakingstorm) January 6, 2014

Hillary Clinton Hospitalized with Blood Clot

Hillary Clinton was Hospitalized tonight with a possible Blood Clot, and I'm praying she will be all right. Get well soon, Madame Secretary!

Update on New Year's Eve:

From CNN:

The clot was located in the vein between the brain and and the skull behind Clinton's right ear and did not result in any stroke or neurological damage, her doctors said in a statement.
Clinton was treated with blood thinners to help dissolve the clot and would be released once the medication dose had been established, they said.
"In all other aspects of her recovery, the secretary is making excellent progress and we are confident she will make a full recovery. She is in good spirits, engaging with her doctors, her family, and her staff," Clinton's doctors said.
Clinton, 65, was suffering from a stomach virus earlier this month when she fainted because of dehydration, causing the concussion.

From Talking Points Memo

Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines released a statement late Sunday that said the secretary was being treated at New York Presbyterian Hospital and was expected to be kept under observation for two days. Earlier this month, Clinton’s aides said she fainted and hit her head, causing a concussion. She has remained out of the public eye ever since.
Read the full statement:

In the course of a follow-up exam today, Secretary Clinton's doctors discovered a blood clot had formed, stemming from the concussion she sustained several weeks ago. She is being treated with anti-coagulants and is at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital so that they can monitor the medication over the next 48 hours.
Her doctors will continue to assess her condition, including other issues associated with her concussion. They will determine if any further action is required.

Many on Twitter were recalling today that back when Hillary fell and suffered a concussion, members of the right-wing media made lots of jokes about a fake malady that would keep the Secretary of State from testifying about Benghazi. I knew that was total BS - why would Hillary suddenly be afraid to tell the truth to Congress? It was just hateful talk from the hateful side of the country.

Media Matters: Fox Evening Shows Mock Hillary
Washington Post: Those Who Doubted Hillary's Illness

Liveblog: Earthquake in Western Canada Causes Tsunami in Hawaii

Shore of Waikiki
Good News - the Tsunami Warning is now just an Advisory! :) So things weren't as bad as originally feared and evacuees can go home for the rest of the night. I'm relieved. Now we just sit around waiting for Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast! I'll write about that on Monday, I'm sure.

Gov. Abercrombie: Tsunami warning has been downgraded to an advisory. Beaches remain closed. #HITsunami

— KHON2 News (@KHONnews) October 28, 2012

Gov. Abercrombie: "We can go home. We can count our blessings here." #HITsunami

— Honolulu Civil Beat (@CivilBeat) October 28, 2012

We have now downgraded the tsunami warning to an advisory. County officials will issue all-clears. Beaches are still hazardous. #hitsunami

— NWS PTWC (@NWS_PTWC) October 28, 2012

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Hawaii tsunami warning not being cancelled after continued surges in Hilo, governor's office says - @hawaiinewsnow bit.ly/TnIYt1

— radarNews (@radarNews) October 28, 2012

Tsunami Warning bulletin #9 with the latest #hitsunami readings: 2.5ft Kahului, 1.4ft Haleiwa and Kawaihae, 1.2ft Hilo. ptwc.weather.gov/ptwc/?region=2…

— NWS PTWC (@NWS_PTWC) October 28, 2012

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About a dozen waves have rolled in so far, but now they are getting higher, according to KHON News, with one measured at 4 feet on Hilo. So the authorities have not called off the tsunami warning, and won't do that until daylight at least, which will be several more hours in Hawaii.

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120K People evacuated from the Coastal Areas of Hawaii4 Waves have hit Kahului so far..Kahului is the largest on the island of Maui

— Al Roker (@alroker) October 28, 2012

Boats that have gone out to sea will not be allowed back into the harbors in Hawaii until after the All Clear, which might be quite a few hours.

Closest volcano to epicentre of magnitude 7.7 earthquake 28 Oct is Milbanke Sound Group in British Columbia (Canada). Last eruption unknown.

— John Seach (@johnseach) October 28, 2012

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Almost 18 earthquake aftershocks have occurred in Canada over the past few hours:
USGS Earthquake List

Reminder that waves may continue for 6 to 7 hours. #HItsunami

— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) October 28, 2012

Reports from Hilo say that water has receded so much that boats "are touching the sand" #HItsunami

— Taizo Braden (@TaizoBraden) October 28, 2012

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Reporter for KHON saying the water is receding 5-6 inches which may harken the Tsunami.

BC EARTHQUAKE -Warning Center saying that this particular tsunami is coming towards Hawaii in a direction we've never seen before #vancouver

— Vancouver Update (@VancouverUpdate) October 28, 2012

Hawaii News Now Livestreaming News




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We are hearing that all emergency personnelare being asked to leave the tsunami evacuation zones #HITsunami

— KHON2 News (@KHONnews) October 28, 2012

If you are in an inundation zone please evacuate now. If you are not please stay put & follow @hi_civildefense for updates. #HiTsunami

— Neil Abercrombie (@neilabercrombie) October 28, 2012

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What's strange is that the island of Hawaii has had 2 small earthquakes in the past few hours - both 2.3 - probably volcanic.

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Scary picture shown by reporter on KHON of wave heading straight from western Canada to Hawaii - Gov. Neil Abercrombie saying there will be multiple waves over several hours.


Civil Defense telling people to evacuate from all coastlines and go to local schools. Cars are backing up at gas stations and blocking roads.

6-7 ft wave possible for Kahului, Maui, 3-4 ft for Oahu, possible 4 ft for Hilo #HITsunami

— KHON2 News (@KHONnews) October 28, 2012

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#hitsunami trending on Twitter

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KHON Livestream from Hawaii

KHON Main Page

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CNN Liveblog for earthquake and tsunami

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CTV News:

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake has struck off the British Columbia coast, triggering a tsunami warning for a region stretching from Vancouver Island to Alaska.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck just after 8 p.m. local time about 139 km south of Masset in the Haida Gwaii region, at a depth of about 17 kilometres.

Earthquakes Canada, which initially gave the quake a magnitude of 7.1, said the quake was felt across much of north-central B.C.

The quake was followed by an aftershock measuring 5.8 magnitude, the USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The quake triggered a tsunami warning from Environment Canada for a region from the north tip of Vancouver Island up to Alaska.

“If you are in a low lying coastal area you are at risk and must move to higher ground or inland now,” the agency said.

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Live Earthquake map

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I was about to go to bed when I discovered there was an earthquake in western Canada that was 7.7 on the Richter Scale. It's the third largest earthquake ever in Canada, and the largest since 1949. And while the area in the Queen Charlotte Islands isn't heavily populated, and Vancouver doesn't seem to be heavily damaged, the earthquake has created a Tsunami which is headed for the Hawaiian Islands.

Since I'm wide awake, I'll just liveblog whatever I find online in the coming hours.

Mitt's New Plan: Go See Theodoric of York, Medieval Barber

I think a little more bloodletting and some boar's vomit, and he'll be just fine.
~ Theodoric of York, Medieval Barber

Mitt Romney wants everything to go back to the 1950s when people paid doctor bills with hickory nuts and the poor just fended for themselves.

"Well, we do provide care for people who don't have insurance. If someone has a heart attack, they don't sit in their apartment and die. We pick them up in an ambulance, and take them to the hospital, and give them care. And different states have different ways of providing for that care."
~ Mitt Romney in an interview with Scott Pelley of CBS's "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday night

His new Health Care plan is actually a rip-off of a Democrat - Alan Grayson of Florida. Remember what he said?

"If you get sick, America, the Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly."


In fact, it's easy to believe that Mitt has become so retro in his ideas, maybe thanks to High Inquisitor and Rape Expert Paul Ryan, that he wants to go much further back . . . to the Middle Ages.

Joan: Will she be alright?

Theodoric of York: Well, I'll do everything humanly possible. Unfortunately, we barbers aren't gods. You know, medicine is not an exact science, but we are learning all the time. Why, just fifty years ago, they thought a disease like your daughter's was caused by demonic possession or witchcraft. But nowadays we know that Isabelle is suffering from an imbalance of bodily humors, perhaps caused by a toad or a small dwarf living in her stomach.

Hmm, he went to the Todd Akin school of Medicine!

Joan: You charlatan! You killed my daughter, just like you killed most of my other children! Why don't you admit it! You don't know what you're doing!

Theodoric of York: [ steps toward the camera ] Wait a minute. Perhaps she's right. Perhaps I've been wrong to blindly folow the medical traditions and superstitions of past centuries. Maybe we barbers should test these assumptions analytically, through experimentation and a "scientific method". Maybe this scientific method could be extended to other fields of learning: the natural sciences, art, architecture, navigation. Perhaps I could lead the way to a new age, an age of rebirth, a Renaissance! [ thinks for a minute ] Naaaaaahhh!

Mitt's Healthcare Plan ~ Go to the ER

As if we needed any more proof that Mitt is unfit to be President, last night he said on CBS's 60 Minutes that going to the emergency room is the best way to get medical care. Oh, but, you know . . . first have a heart attack from all the years you had untreated high blood pressure without health insurance, and that way you'll get in.

Mitt Romney on 60 Minutes Via Huff Post

Mitt Romney on Sunday suggested that emergency room care suffices as a substitute for the uninsured.

"Well, we do provide care for people who don't have insurance," he said in an interview with Scott Pelley of CBS's "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday night. "If someone has a heart attack, they don't sit in their apartment and die. We pick them up in an ambulance, and take them to the hospital, and give them care. And different states have different ways of providing for that care."

Complete Transcripts of Romney and Obama Interviews from CBS News

This also proves that the man knows nothing about how the 47% or the 99% live their lives, with or without insurance. Because guess what - it costs plenty to go to the ER even when you have a good health plan. It is not a safety net. It is not a clinic for the poor. We need both of those, but the ER is not the answer.

And everyone knows that the costs of treating the poor are enough to put most hospitals out of business, so their bills get passed along to everyone else. This especially hurts people in rural areas with 47% populations because hospitals don't want to go there, unless the people are elderly and have Medicare of course, because then they can pay. Oh, wait a minute . . . Romney and Ryan want to get rid of Medicare too.

*silent scream*

I think people should have rallies outside emergency rooms carrying signs that say "Mitt Sent Me."

When I heard about this tonight I actually shook with anger. How callous is he going to be? How low can he go? If he ever had real empathy for people in Massachusetts when he passed Romneycare, has he thrown it all away for a chance to be the darling of the "Screw the Poor" Party? And guess what - most Tea Party members don't want to take Grandma or Junior to the ER either!

Twitter is eviscerating Mitt tonight for that remark, so there's hell to pay:

I bet y'all $10K Mitt Romney has never seen the inside of a large hospital's ER.
— Lisa P. Smith (@lpsrocks) September 24, 2012

Some intrepid reporter needs to ask Mitt Romney if he really believes an ER would treat cancer, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, etc.
— Jason Febery (@JasonFebery) September 24, 2012

So Mitt Romney says people without insurance can get medical care in ER and Clinics. Who pays for that, moron? @mittromney
— Crutnacker (@Crutnacker) September 24, 2012

Thanks to Mitt, kids w/special needs can now get treatment by walking over to the ER. They just need to get hit by a bus on the way #p2 #aca
— Sadistic Statist (@TheXclass) September 24, 2012

By the way, Mitt has etch-a-sketched his previous statements about such treatment:

When asked in a March 2010 interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" whether he believes in universal coverage, Romney said, "Oh, sure."

"Look, it doesn't make a lot of sense for us to have millions and millions of people who have no health insurance and yet who can go to the emergency room and get entirely free care for which they have no responsibility, particularly if they are people who have sufficient means to pay their own way," he said.

California Earthquake Swarm

There was a swarm of over 100 earthquakes in the past 24 hours in Southern California, some of them as high as magnitude 5.4, which is pretty strong. Tonight there was also a strong earthquake off the coast of El Salvador with a tsunami warning, but it's probably unrelated.

This is one of the largest swarms in the state since the 1970s. And overnight they are still rocking in the town of Brawley, California east of San Diego.

USGS Real Time Earthquake Map
USGS Recent Earthquake List for the World



Story from KTLA.com

The earthquakes began about 10 a.m. with a 3.8 magnitude temblor three miles northwest of Brawley, according to the USGS.

In the next 40 minutes, 11 additional quakes struck with a magnitude from 2.0 to 2.9.

The quakes picked up in intensity after noon, when a series of earthquakes were registered ranging from a magnitude of 2.0 to 5.4.

Residents in the desert communities near the California border to Mexico and Arizona reported feeling the quake, as well as residents as far as Monterey Park, Fullerton, Costa Mesa and San Diego.

A handful of buildings in downtown Brawley had minor damage after an earthquake swarm rattled the area Sunday, officials said. No injuries were reported.

Brawley is located about 16 miles from El Centro and 92 miles from Tijuana. In the last 10 days, there have been six earthquakes magnitude 3.0 and greater centered nearby.

These folks sure are strangely calm - I would have been out the door and down the road after the first one! *eep*



From the San Jose Mercury News

The city of Brawley activated an Emergency Operations Center and many of its 25,000 residents were on edge into early evening, City Councilman Sam Couchman said.

"Residents were a little jumpy all day,"Couchman said."It's over 100 degrees, but many left their residences and stayed outside seeking any shade they could."

. . . Sunday's series of more than 200 earthquakes, which scientists refer to as a swarm, all emanated from a small stretch of fault line about three to four kilometers long near Brawley, about 16 miles north of El Centro, according to Lucy Jones a United States Geological Survey seismologist.

"It's characteristic of the seismology of the Imperial Valley," she said.