Man Found Dead Four Years After Bedtimeau.news.yahoo - Relatives followed the instructions of a Dutch man who asked not to be disturbed when he went to his bedroom: they left him alone and his body was found in bed four years later, police say.
The man, 50 at the time of his death, lived with four siblings aged between 44 and 71 in the northern village of Minnertsga.
"He was used to being obeyed and very quick to anger," police spokesman Wouter De Vries said.
"Four years ago he told his brothers and sisters he didn't want to be disturbed and went to his bedroom."
Though they frequently passed by the bedroom door, no one dared to open it and look in, Mr de Vries said.
The body was only discovered when the landlords decided some work needed to be done in the room.
"A decomposing body produces a very strong smell, and it's really remarkable that his brothers and sisters don't seem to have noticed anything," the police spokesman said.
NOTE: he must have been one grouchy SOB. This story has a rotten smell to it (bad humor acknowledged)...Lon
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Giant Green Algae Blob Threatening Chinese Coastline
news24 - A massive floating expanse of green algae is heading toward China's east coast, potentially threatening wildlife and the region's tourist industry, state media reported on Tuesday.
The algae bloom covered 200km² and was about 13km offshore and floating towards the coastal city of Jiaonan in Shandong province, Xinhua news agency said.
The local branch of the State Oceanic Administration, which monitors marine conditions, is sending boats in a bid to clear the algae, it said.
Algae blooms are typically caused by pollution in China and suck up huge amounts of oxygen needed by marine wildlife to survive and leave a foul stench when they wash up on beaches, the report added.
In August 2008, a large offshore algae bloom threatened the sailing competition of the Olympic Games when it engulfed waters surrounding the event's venue in the eastern China city of Qingdao, near Jiaonan.
Up to 10 000 soldiers and volunteers were enlisted to clean up more than a million tonnes of the foul-smelling algae as they raced to clear the waters in time for the Olympics.
According to a 2008 State Oceanic Administration report, raw sewage and pollution from agricultural run-off has polluted 83% of China's coastal waters, leading to algae pollution and other problems.
In 2008, China's coastal waters witnessed 68 red tides - another type of algae bloom - covering 13 700km², an increase of more than 2 100km² over 2007, the report said.
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TILT: The Illness Afflicting Workers Exposed to BP's Oil Disaster?southernstudies - Workers cleaning up the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico have reported suffering from flu-like symptoms that may be the consequence of exposure to chemicals in the oil as well as the petroleum-derived solvent being used to disperse the spill.
The illness -- marked by headaches, fatigue, upset stomach, and problems with memory and concentration -- has been dubbed toxicant-induced loss of tolerance, or TILT. People suffering from TILT lose the ability to tolerate exposures to household chemical products, medication or even food, Dr. Claudia Miller of the University of Texas Health Science Center told WOAI TV:
"Things like diesel fuel, exposure to fragrances, cleaning agents that never bothered them before suddenly bother them," adds Dr. Miller.
Miller first described TILT in 1996, but it remains a controversial diagnosis among the medical community. The syndrome is also known as multiple chemical sensitivity and idiopathic environmental intolerance. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a division of the National Institutes of Health, has defined the illness as a "chronic, recurring disease caused by a person's inability to tolerate an environmental chemical or class of foreign chemicals."
Regardless of whether the illness being reported in Gulf cleanup workers and residents ends up being confirmed as TILT, the fact remains that the chemicals people are being exposed to in the oil and dispersants are known to have health impacts including eye, skin and respiratory irritation, as well as headaches, dizziness, weakness, nausea and confusion. An analysis of EPA air testing data has found levels of these chemicals in coastal communities exceeding safety standards.
As of this week, the Louisiana Department of Health has documented 109 reports of illnesses among residents exposed to the spill, with 74 of those complaints coming from cleanup workers, according to ProPublica. In Alabama, another 19 cases of illness have been reported among people exposed to chemicals in the spill.
As Facing South reported, the Louisiana Environmental Action Network has been distributing safety equipment including respirators to cleanup workers -- but some workers have been threatened with firing if they wear them, apparently because of BP's liability worries.
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North Korea Seeks $75 Trillion in Compensationabc.net.abc - Cash-strapped North Korea has demanded the United States pay almost $US65 trillion ($75 trillion) in compensation for six decades of hostility.
The official North Korean news agency, KCNA, says the cost of the damage done by the US since the peninsula was divided in 1945 is estimated at $US64.96 trillion.
The compensation call comes on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the start of the 1950-1953 Korean War.
KCNA said the figure includes $US26.1 trillion arising from US "atrocities" which left more than 5 million North Koreans dead, wounded, kidnapped or missing.
The agency also claims 60 years of US sanctions have caused a loss of $US13.7 trillion by 2005, while property losses were estimated at $US16.7 trillion.
The agency said North Koreans have "the justifiable right" to receive the compensation for their blood.
It said the committee's calculation did not include the damage North Korea had suffered from sanctions after its first nuclear test in 2006.
NOTE: yeah, I realized this is somewhat off topic but Kim Jong Il is always good for a laugh...Lon
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