What Caught My Eye Today

Utah - After more than three days after the thunderous cave-in, a drilling rig on the mountain above the Crandall Canyon mine closed in on the men, trying to bore a hole a mere 2 1/2 inches wide to bring them air and lower a two-way communications device and a tiny camera to check for signs of life. The drilling rig was erected 1,869 feet above the presumed location of the men and had drilled to about 130 feet away by late afternoon. Rescue leaders said early in the day that the drill might reach the miners' location by late afternoon, but also warned that the pace would slow as the drill went deeper. A bigger drill boring a nearly 9-inch-wide hole had reached 720 feet by late afternoon. Simultaneously, rescuers struggled to clear rubble from a horizontal tunnel in an attempt to actually reach the miners and bring them out. But progress was slow at about 300 feet a day, and officials said it could take a week or more to break through to the miners. Here's keeping my fingers crossed for the safe recovery of these miners.

Minnesota - Remains pulled from the wreckage of a collapsed bridge on Thursday may include another victim along with the two earlier announced, which would bring the confirmed death toll to eight. Crews have been searching for at least eight people missing and presumed killed in the collapse, including a mother and her young daughter and another woman and her adult son. As searchers combed the river for victims, federal officials looking into the cause of the collapse issued an advisory for states to inspect the metal plates, or gussets, that hold girders together on bridges nationwide. Investigators said the gussets on the failed Minneapolis bridge were originally attached with rivets — old technology more likely to slip than the bolts used in bridges today. Some of the gussets also may have been weakened by welding work over the years, and some may have been too thin

In a related story...

Authorities in Southern California temporarily closed a highway bridge after a moderate earthquake rattled the Los Angeles area early this morning. The bridge was closed as a precaution after a routine inspection uncovered minor cracks. A preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 4.6 quake struck about 4 miles northwest of Chatsworth. The six-lane bridge in Santa Clarita was closed after a routine post-quake inspection raised some concerns. Engineers have determined that the bridge sustained only cosmetic damage. Better safe than sorry I say. One hopes that this is (or becomes) the norm so that we don't have to go through another Minnesota disaster.

Immigration - The Bush administration plans to step up immigration enforcement by raising fines on employers who hire undocumented workers, overhauling temporary worker programs and speeding up deployment of border agents. An outline of the announcement said the administration plans to expand the list of international gangs whose members are automatically denied admission to the U.S., reduce processing times for immigrant background checks and install by the end of the year an exit system so the departure of foreigners from the country can be recorded at airports and seaports. In addition, employers will face possible criminal sanctions if they don't fire employees unable to clear up problems with their Social Security numbers. Also, the Homeland Security Department will ask states to voluntarily share their driver's license photos and records with the agency for use in an employment verification system. The sharing is meant to help employers detect fraudulent licenses, according to the summary. So am I to understand that the government's proposal is meant to help employers? Maybe it's just me, but the wording suggests otherwise to me. Maybe its that reference to 'criminal sanctions' that confused me.

Global Warming - Scientists say they have developed a model to predict how ocean currents, as well as human activities, will affect temperatures over the next decade. The new model will help researchers to predict how natural shifts, such as the El Nino phenomenon in the eastern Pacific and the North Atlantic Oscillation, will affect the global climate system. They hope this data, when combined with projections of greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions from fossil fuels and volcanic eruptions, will present one of the most detailed outlooks to date. Researchers project that at least half of the years between 2009 and 2014 are likely to exceed existing records. They project the global average temperature in 2014 to be 0.3C warmer than 2004. I know 0.3 degrees Celius (that's just over half a degree Fahrenheit) doesn't seem like very much, but this is geological time we're talking about. Wehn you consider that it took about 10,000 years for us to come out of the last ice age, this increase in temperature is basically a meltdown.

Speaking of weather...

Hurricanes - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the 2007 season will be slightly less active than predicted, with between 13 and 16 named storms, seven to nine becoming hurricanes, and three to five of these classified as "major" hurricanes. In May, NOAA predicted 13 to 17 named storms, with seven to 10 becoming hurricanes, of which three to five could develop into major ones. A year ago, forecasters also predicted an active season, but the unexpected development of El Nino was widely credited with curtailing hurricanes in the Atlantic. Last season produced 10 tropical storms, of which five became hurricanes and two turned into intense hurricanes. The average hurricane season generates 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 major storms. I don't want to jinx anything, but I did notice the absence of news items related to hurricanes this season. Too bad those folks in Indonesia aren't getting the same break.