Environment

After this week's spike in destructive Japanese earthquakes, which in addition to the two strongest tremors since 2011 has also unleashed several hundred smaller aftershocks and led to over 40 deaths, thousands injured, landslides, collapsed buildings and extensive damage, the most surprising aftereffect appeared yesterday on the streets of the southern Japanese city of Fukuoka which became blanketed in "mysterious foam" leaving residents baffled by the phenomenon which the authorities, busy with the disaster’s aftermath, found no time to explain.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture have approved a pesticide-bacteria spraying program to be used over Seattle, in an attempt to kill Asian and European gypsy moths.  The program, opposed by many residents, will spray a bacteria with pesticide properties called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), the same bacteria gene commonly used in GM crops to kill insects. Eraofwisdom.org reports: According to KOMO: “An area in Vancouver will also be sprayed Saturday, then the states moves onto Kent, Lacey, Gig Harbor, Nisqually and Seattle’s Capitol Hill.

The Ring of Fire is exploding. In the last 72 hours, two devastating earthquakes slammed Japan, causing many to ask if they were a precursor to a major event. Soon after the quakes, a nearby volcano in Japan began spewing smoke. Now, a massive 7.8 magnitude quake has struck Ecuador, with 28 people already confirmed dead. CNN reports: A tsunami threat warning for many nations in the Pacific that followed the quake has been canceled, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. The forecast for some coastal areas of Ecuador still calls for the possibility of tsunami waves.

A new study has found that fast food contains an “alarming” amount of potentially toxic industrial chemicals like phthalates, which  are used in the manufacture of plastics and adhesives. According to researchers at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, people who consume more fast food were exposed to higher levels of the hormone-disrupting chemicals that have been linked to infertility, particularly in males The findings were published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered "government's full capacity" for a search and rescue effort after a second powerful earthquake hit southern Japan.

As USA Today reports, at least 41 people were killed and some 1,500 injured in the two quakes that struck Kumamoto Prefecture late Thursday and early Saturday...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-L7U-Sjl1E