This week some 16 tornadoes spawned by a powerful storm system tore through parts of Kansas, Illinois and Missouri, killing and injuring dozens of people.  The resort town of Branson, Missouri, was hard hit with hotels and theaters losing roofs, having windows shattered and losing power.  Branson is about 100 miles southeast of Joplin, Missouri, which was “devastated by a monstrous twister last May that killed 161 people” (onenewsnow.com, Feb.29, 2012).  Several small communities in the region were literally leveled.  Alabama reported that in January, 95 tornadoes struck t

A recent Gallup poll revealed that “Nearly all Americans, a full 96 per cent, have a favourable view of Canada… That’s the loftiest ranking for any foreign country since Gallup began the poll two decades ago… But the survey suggests Canada better keep its eye on the Aussies—Australia is right behind us in second place at 93 per cent.  Great Britain is in third at 90 per cent” (www.ca.news.yahoo.com, February 16, 2012).   Historically, the U.S. has also had close ties with Israel.

In early February, Iran touted its newest-generation nuclear centrifuges and increased capacity for producing higher-grade uranium (Agence France Presse, February 15, 2012).  Now, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency has released its latest report citing Iran for obstructing its investigative work and stating that Iran had not answered questions about possible military aspects of its nuclear programs.  However, Iran’s envoy to the agency insists that Iran desires to “keep talking” to the IAEA (BBC, February 24, 2012).

Due to the overuse of antibiotics, bacteria are growing more resilient and more deadly.  According to an article in The Independent, “Britain is facing a ‘massive’ rise in antibiotic-resistant blood poisoning caused by the bacterium E.coli—bringing closer the spectre of diseases that are impossible to treat.  Experts say the growth of antibiotic resistance now poses as great a threat to global health as the emergence of new diseases such as AIDS and pandemic flu.”

What started out as a joking comment has now become a very real possibility.  In order to manage its growing national debt, Britain’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) is looking to sell its vast military vehicle storage facility at Ashchurch.  The facility houses more than 6,000 defense-ready vehicles, including hundreds of high-tech tanks.