Morning radar: What to watch and what to turn your eyes away from

Monday morning.. rain is coming down outside Earth Informer home base in Pennsylvania. A morning thunderstorm is echoing in the distance here. I looked outside, and with the rain and fog and dull skies illuminated by occasional lightning, it looks like a Bob Ross painting come alive. 
What to watch for:

  • The Colorado wildfire continues to rage–over 200 homes have been destroyed and vacation spots are being evacuated as the fires advance. At one point on Sunday one fire was 0% contained.. now the race is on to get more planes to fight the blazes.. 
  • Tropical Storm Debby has already taken a life in Northern Florida. There are tropical storm warnings all along Florida’s west coast, and there are even watches all the way down to Ft. Myers. Several weather services have speculated on where Debby will go. And at this point, all forecasts are simply speculation. Numerous forecast models have Debby doing Dallas. Others show it advancing up the East Coast. What is clear, though, is that it will develop slow and potentially strong as it churns near a land mass in the warm Gulf waters. And state along the Gulf Coast should be prepared.
  • The Supreme Court may make history today, or punt the ball. All eyes are watching the hallowed halls of the nine justices to see what way they will decide on President Obama’s health care law. Will Scalia vote that it’s legal!? Will Ginsburg overturn the individual mandate!? I think we can predict a few votes, but some toss ups are the reason why people won’t go out on a limb and predict how in the world the Supremes have decided the issue. The decision will come this week–and it may even come this morning.
  • Tension increases in the wake of Syria shooting down a Turkey jet. And now according to Turkish reports, several high ranking military officials from Syria have fled to Turkey..
  • Are you on Facebook this morning? If so, you may be enjoying your posting session as much as you would be ennjoying sex. A study finds it comparable.  So .. is commenting on a post just watching?
  • If you want a defense for your drinking habits, look no further to a new study which seems to suggest that two glasses of wine simply makes life better. According to research, it improves the quality of life for middle-aged people.  Perhaps what this all boils down to is this: Studies all seem to suggest that people who do drink coffee, wine, and eat fats in moderation all are happier. Maybe the real study should be done on people who do things in moderation. Maybe doing things in moderation in itself is what accomplishes the task of having a good quality of life. Just my unscientific theory.
  • Some new links being added to Earth Informer today: Gang Activity map, Amber Alert Map, forest fire map.. all these courtesy of and linked to the very good folks at  GlobalIncidentMap.com ..
  • And finally, here’s one for those who think (or hope) the world will end in December 2012. You’re not alone. Michael Luckman thinks it is all almost over, too. Something tells me Mr. Luckman and company are completely wrong. We will see on December 22, 2012 who is still standing.
Stay tuned for more…