Sperm Whales Adopt Disabled Dolphin

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The Weather Channel Kevin Hayes Published: Jan 25, 2013, 9:00 AM EST

In an upcoming paper for the journal Aquatic Mammals, a pair of scientists detail a series of interactions between an adult bottlenose dolphin with scoliosis - "highly pronounced curvature of the spine " - and a group of sperm whales in the Azores. The scientists describe their research as the first time sperm whales have been observed interacting in a non-aggressive way with a member of a different species.

In other words: They repeatedly spotted a dolphin with a messed up back hanging out with a group of sperm whales.

The paper's authors, Alexander Wilson and Jens Krause, write that the whales treated the dolphin as a "conspecific" - a member of the same species -  "at times both permitting and initiating physical contact." They also say that the interactions went beyond "simple tolerance."

Winter Storm Khan Recap

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Weather.com - 1/26/13

Sevierville, Tenn.

Knoxville, Tenn. An overturned fire engine rests alongside Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Michael Slagle's cruiser after the vehicles slid off an icy road, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Slagle died at the scene of the wreck from what appears to be natural causes. (Associated Press)


Winter Storm Khan brought a swath of light snow from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic on January 25. In the South, freezing rain and sleet led to hundreds of accidents from southeastern Kentucky to eastern Tennessee, far northern Georgia, North Carolina and northern South Carolina.

Dangerous travel conditions will persist into Saturday morning for areas that have seen accumulations of ice, sleet and snow.
To watch the video and read the rest of this story, visit Weather.com.

Low Snowfall Raises Concerns about Drought Recovery

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Weather.com - 1/25/13, Daniel Yawitz

Current Snow Cover

Current Snow Cover

The total extent of the persistent national drought receded slightly during the past week, but in many places, conditions look no better now than they did when winter began. In particular, thin snow cover in some Western states is raising concerns that the drought’s impacts in some of the hardest-hit regions will only worsen when temperatures increase and evaporation rates rise in the spring.

Between January 15-22, the amount of land in the lower 48 states experiencing drought  conditions shrank slightly, from 58.87 percent to 57.64 percent, thanks largely to precipitation that brought relief to parts of the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Southeast. Some of that fell in the form of snow, particularly in parts of Virginia. This marked the 31st straight week in which more than half of the continental U.S. was considered under “moderate” drought conditions or worse by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

White Island eruption increasingly likely

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Source: The Extinction Protocol - 1/26/13

January 25, 2013 – NEW ZEALAND - A White Island eruption looks increasingly likely, with increased signs of volcanic activity and nearly continuous tremors. The aviation warning for the island, that lies 50km of the coast of the Bay of Plenty, has been upgraded to orange, the second-highest alert level. It means the volcano is experiencing heightened unrest and the likelihood of an eruption has increased.

 

Yesterday GNS Science volcanologist Gill Jolly said the level of volcanic tremor had decreased but that there had been an increase in hybrid earthquakes, which were typically associated with the movement of magma within an active volcano. Scientists will be flying over the volcano today to see if they can determine if a large eruption is imminent, but they’ve already said one could occur with little or no warning. Hazards to visitors included volcanic gas exposure, including respiratory issues, as well as skin and eye sensitivity to acid gases. -3News

 

Heavenletter #4446 What’s Next

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Heaven Letters Published on: January 26, 2013

God said:

When you are working through turmoil, don’t stir the pot with your attention. As much as you can, let go of the turmoil. You don’t have to have it. You certainly don’t want to moil your situation, going over it again and again in your harried mind. Let it go, beloveds. What is, is. What is not, is not. That you thunder the situation in your mind over and over again is not in your best interest. Let it go. Let your attachment to your rightness go. And if you should feel that you made an error, let that go too. Let your recollections of your turmoil go.

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