Hurricane Earl downgraded to category three

Hurricane Earl, a hurricane said to be packing winds of near 125 mph (200 kph) as it 'blows towards the coast of North Carolina. The Associated Press has reported that the storm has been downgraded to a 'category three' hurricane, and is becoming weaker each day.

It is reported that experts believe it will pass the outer banks of North Carolina tonight as a 'powerful storm'.

Administration officials say that residents and tourists of the area can no longer afford to wait and see what the forecast will be.

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Another rig explodes off La. coast; oil spreading

Another oil rig exploded and caught fire Thursday off the Louisiana coast, spreading a mile-long oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico west of the site of BP's massive spill. All 13 crew members were rescued. Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Coklough said the sheen, about 100 feet wide, was spotted near the platform. Firefighting vessels were battling the flames.

The company that owns the rig, Houston-based Mariner Energy, did not know what caused the blast, which was reported by a helicopter flying over the area. Crew members were found floating in the water, huddled together in survival outfits called "gumby suits."

Read the rest at the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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Paul McCartney says that global warming skeptics are like Holocaust deniers

Former Beatles superstar and musician Paul McCartney has set his aim at skeptics of a climate crisis in an interview with Britain's Sun tabloid, where he compared global warming skeptics to 'Holocaust deniers".

Speaking on the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Beatles legend said: "Sadly we need disasters like this to show people. Some people don't believe in climate warming - like those who don't believe there was a Holocaust.

"But the facts indicate that there's something going on and we've got to be aware of it if we want our kids to inherit a decent world, not a complete nightmare of a planet - clean, renewable energy is for starters."

The singer also defended the US President, Barack Obama, over the criticism that he has received regarding the spill. [Via The Sun]

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