Hey There Dalila!

We're not talking about the new Plain White Tee's song with a similar name. It's actually the newest tropical storm in the Pacific. That means they are two up on us.

Tropical storm Dalila formed in the Pacific Ocean near Mexico on Monday and was expected to head up the coast over the next few days but not make landfall.

"It cannot be ruled out that Dalila could become a hurricane," the hurricane center said on its Web site. "However ... the storm has work to do to overcome its internal disorganization."

A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph.

Mexico's Pacific coast was blitzed with hurricanes and storms last year but has not been hit so far in 2007.

We're still waiting in the Atlantic hurricane basin. Our next named storm will be Chantal.

Million Dollar Ice?

On these hot days, most people would pay good money for some crispy, cold ice. However, it seems FEMA can't give the cold stuff away.

After 2005's Hurricane Katrina, thousands of pounds of ice were made for victim relief efforts. However, thanks to faulty estimates by local officials, way too much ice was made. The ice, held at AmeriCold Logistics in Gloucester, MA and at 22 similar facilities nationwide, is costing the government (you/me) $12.5 million dollars to store the ice since Katrina. Yep, that's right...million dollar ice. Not to mention, truckers were paid $900 per day to haul the ice from the Gulf states, all the way to New England. I'm no genious, but aside from the Boston Tea Party, I can't remember the last disaster to hit Massachusetts. Why was it shipped there?

Anyway, FEMA contracts required disposal of the ice three months after purchase, but decided to keep the excess ice for the predicted 2006 hurricane season. With fewer storms than expected, the ice was not needed, and the agency decided not to save it for the 2007 season.

Now, it appears FEMA can't even give the million dollar ice away. So it will be melted. Yep, perfectly good ice going down the drain. What a waste of tax dollars. Couldn't this ice be used for something?

Be creative and post some ideas by clicking on the comments link below. I'll add the first one. --Brent

Sacred Icicle Melting

From vanishing lakes to killing the coral reefs, many of the earth's changes are being blamed on global warming. Have you heard the story about a sacred icicle melting in a Himalayan cave?

Thousands of Hindu pilgrims are facing disappointment after a large, sacred icicle in the Himalayas melted down to harldy nothing. (see photo left, before and after). Many Hindus consider the melting as a bad omen.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of devotees make a long trek to the mountains to look at the natural icy formation, worshipped as a symbol of the god of destruction, Shiva. But could the popularity of the ice feature actually be the cause of its annihilation, instead of global warming? The more people that go in, the more warm air they exhale and the warmer the cave becomes.

Get this. Last year, pilgrims were outraged when authorities reportedly used snow to create a fake icicle when the natural ice formation failed to appear. That's pretty low.

For those who are still a bit divided on whether global warming is human induced, visit this site for another angle. It's titled-Global Warming: A chilling perspective.