May 31, 2012 - The Conflict in Syria is Likely to Develop into a Regional Sectarian War:  Since Mr. Assad (pictured above) appears unlikely to comply with the terms of the peace plan, or to be persuaded to do so, Ms. Rice (the American Envoy to the United Nations) said after a Security Council briefing by Mr. Annan’s deputy, “There seems to me to be only one other alternative, and that is indeed the worst case, which seems unfortunately at the present to be the most probable.

“And that is that the violence escalates, the conflict spreads and intensifies, it reaches a higher degree of severity, it involves countries in the region, and it takes on increasingly sectarian forms, and we have a major crisis not only in Syria but in the region.”

In that outcome, she said, “The Council’s unity is exploded, the Annan (the United Nations special envoy, Kofi Annan) plan is dead and this becomes a proxy conflict with arms flowing in from all sides.”  Follow the link below for the complete story of a situation that turns worse by the day.

The Master of Disaster

U.S. Envoy to U.N. Sees Grim Outcome for Syria – NYTimes.com.

May 31, 2012 - Mark Zuckerberg Loses $4.6 Billion:  Facebook stock shares slid an additional 9.6% Tuesday, as options trading began and investors placed largely negative bets on the stock’s future.  Tuesday’s decline to $28.84 puts shares of the social-networking company down 24% from their initial public offering at $38 apiece. Facebook’s debut has been one of the worst performing of any large company.

The Menlo Park, Calif., company is now valued at $79 billion, compared with $104 billion at the time of its IPO. Chief Executive and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has seen the value of his stake sliced to about $14.5 billion from $19.1 billion. Follow the link below for the complete story.

The Master of Disaster

Investors Bet on Facebook Fall – WSJ.com.

May 30, 2012 - Amazing Walking Cards Card Trick: Irish magician Dave Cremin is performing the greatest card trick you’ll ever witness right in the heart of Times Square.
The Master of Illusion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh0CMcLiRkw&feature=share

May 30, 2012 - Journey to the Center of the Earth:  Geologists have long known that Earth’s core, some 1,800 miles beneath our feet, is a dense, chemically doped ball of iron roughly the size of Mars and every bit as alien. It’s a place where pressures bear down with the weight of 3.5 million atmospheres, like 3.5 million skies falling at once on your head, and where temperatures reach 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit — as hot as the surface of the Sun. It’s a place where the term “ironclad agreement” has no meaning, since iron can’t even agree with itself on what form to take. It’s a fluid, it’s a solid, it’s twisting and spiraling like liquid confetti.

Core researchers acknowledge that their elusive subject can be challenging, and they might be tempted to throw tantrums save for the fact that the Earth does it for them. Most of what is known about the core comes from studying seismic waves generated by earthquakes.

Follow the link below for the complete story about this important issue and “Journey to the Center of the Earth.”

The Master of Disaster

Earth’s Core – The Enigma 1,800 Miles Below Us – NYTimes.com.

May 29, 2012 - Killer Drones Spread Globally:  The Obama administration plans to arm Italy’s fleet of Reaper drone aircraft, a move that could open the door for sales of advanced hunter-killer drone technology to other allies, according to lawmakers and others familiar with the matter.

The world procurement market for aerial drones, both military and civilian, is expected to rise to $5.8 billion in 2017 from a projected $4.3 billion next year, according to Teal Group, a market-analysis firm.  Click the link below for the complete story.

The Master of Disaster

U.S. Plans to Arm Italy’s Drones – WSJ.com.

May 29, 2012 - Another Deadly Quake Strikes Northern Italy: A deadly earthquake shook northeast Italy on Tuesday, destroying homes and medieval buildings in an area still reeling from another quake that struck days ago.  At least 16 people died and 200 were injured in Tuesday’s quake, the Associated Press said.

Thousands of people affected were already living in tents, after being left homeless by a similar quake on May 20. “The first one sent us on our knees. This second one has killed us,” one resident of a temporary tent city that was set up after the quakes 10 days ago said on one of Italy’s evening newscasts.  Click on the link below for the complete story.

The Master of Disaster

At Least 16 Dead in Latest Italy Quake – WSJ.com.

“All men should strive to learn before they die:
what they are running from, to, and why.“
~James Thurber

The Master of Disaster

Reblogged from The Rapture Is Imminent!:

CNBC May 28, 2012

Greece will leave the euro zone on June 18 if the populist government wins the country’s elections on the 17 as the rest of the euro zone rounds on “cheaters,” Nick Dewhirst, director at wealth management firm Integral Asset Management, told CNBC.com Monday.

“The euro zone is a club but you get cheaters who get away with it until everyone finds out and at that point you need to remove them otherwise everyone will cheat.

Read more… 85 more words

May 29, 2012 - The Euro Zone Saga Continues: Will they or won't they? If Greece leaves, or is kicked out of, the Euro Zone the affect is hard to predict but it will be ugly. The Master of Disaster

May 28, 2012 - 200 Year Old Earthquake After Shocks:  In 2009, Science Daily cited a study published in the academic journal Nature by U.S. researchers who found that most of the earthquakes felt in the Midwest were in fact aftershocks of 7- or larger magnitude quakes that struck the region in 1811 and 1812.

“Aftershocks happen after a big earthquake because the movement on the fault changed the forces in the earth that act on the fault itself and nearby,” the story quoted one of the researchers, University of Missouri-Columbia geologist Mian Liu, as saying. “Aftershocks go on until the fault recovers, which takes much longer in the middle of a continent.”

The main variable, the researchers found, was the speed at which the sides of a fault line move past each other. California’s San Andreas fault, for example, moves relatively quickly, meaning aftershocks peter out after 10 years.

Tangshan, it should be noted, is located on the Bohai Sea, so it’s not clear whether the comparison with the American Midwest is really apt. Tangshan suffered a devastating earthquake on July 27, 1976; which was a 7.9 magnitude monster and a follow-up aftershock of 7.4 the next day.  In all, 240,000 people were killed.  Picture above is the city of Tangshan, China. (Credits: Photo Getty Images, Narrative – The Wall Street Journal).

The Master of Disaster

A Shocking Earthquake Claim: Tangshan 36 Years Later – China Real Time Report – WSJ.

May 28, 2012 - A 6.7 Magnitude Quake Struck Argentina: The tremor was 588 kilometers (365 miles) deep and, as such, was felt over a wide area of Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay (see map). This earthquake was first reported at 6.4, then 6.1 by the USGS. The latest magnitude is a powerful 6.7. If this was a shallow earthquake, under a major population center, the results would have been catastrophic.
The quake occurred 32 miles NNW of Anatuya, Santiago del Estero, Argentina; 72 miles ESE of Santiago del Estero, Argentina; 154 miles southeast of San Miguel de Tucuman, Tucuman, Argentina; and 520 miles NNW of Buenos Aires, D. F., Argentina.
It was 2:07AM at the epicenter, 1:07AM in New York, 12:07AM in Chicago, 11:07PM (May 27th) in Denver and 10:07PM in Los Angeles.
The Master of Disaster