Trees in New York

This is sad: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/18/nyregion/18trees.html?src=se.

Hurricane Earl Picture

Embedding the picture doesn't quite do it justice -- the link is in the post title. This picture is from NASA's Earth Observatory, a weekly series of pictures they publish. This one was image of the day.

A few things about Hurricane Earl:

• It was category 4 hurricane, but has weakened over the past few days

• Currently moving NNE at 33km/h

• It is the most intense tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin since Hurricane Dean in 2007

Beijing Heat

Two days ago was the hottest day in Beijing in 50 years -- it got to 41  at around 3:30. At 10:30, the meteorological department upgraded its weather alert from yellow (third level) to orange (second level) . I shudder to think of what it has to be like to qualify for red...