Your editor is not a
"the world will end
in 12 years" guy
... but there
seems to have been
an unusual number
of problems in the
past few months:
#1 Coronavirus –
Starting in China,
and spreading
to other nations.
The death toll,
however, does
not seem scary.
#2 Unusual Number
of Locusts –
Starting in east Africa,
then spreading through
the Middle East, and
now reaching China.
Locusts
do not harm
humans directly,
but eat a lot
of their food.
The worst
locust plague
in decades.
#3 Unusual Amount
of Flooding –
More than usual flooding
all over the world,
for mid-winter,
including southern U.S.
Example:
In Jackson, Mississippi,
the Pearl River crested
at 36.8 feet, its third-highest
level ever recorded
– behind only 1979 and 1983.
#4 Unusual Number
of Major Earthquakes –
Example:
A magnitude
7.7 quake
about 80 miles
from Jamaica,
shaking people
in the Caribbean,
and even Miami.
#5 Unusual Number
of Volcanic Eruptions –
All over the globe.
Example:
One of Indonesia’s
most active volcanoes,
Mount Merapi
just experienced
its most powerful
eruption since 1930 !
The crater exploded
and launched lava
and ash an estimated
2,000 meters into the air.
#6 African Swine Fever –
“Pig Ebola” has already
wiped out millions of pigs
in China, and has now spread
to more than 40 other countries.
Tyson Foods Inc.
had a +600%
year-over-year increase
in pork orders from China
in their fiscal first quarter.
#7 H1N1 Swine Flu –
This can actually kill humans.
Example:
13 people in Taiwan
died in one recent week.
Especially dangerous
for those with a
weak immune system,
caused by chronic
medical conditions,
and long-term
health conditions.
#8 H5N1 Bird Flu –
This bird flu caused
a massive global scare
a number of years ago.
China recently
had an outbreak
of the deadly H5N1
bird flu in chickens
in the Hunan province,
an area bordering
the province where
the coronavirus
emerged, according
to the South China
Morning Post.
As of
February 1, 2020,
local authorities
had culled 17,828 poultry
after the H5NI outbreak,
according to a statement
by China’s Ministry
of Agriculture and
Rural Affairs.
#9 H5N8 Bird Flu –
This strain has started
to pop up in many places
around the globe.
Example:
The virus killed 44 birds,
out of a flock of 69,
in Bretzfeld, Germany,
in the Baden-Wurttemberg
region (southwest Germany),
the World Organization
for Animal Health reported.