THE BUZZ!
A 5,000-mile-wide blob of seaweed is headed for Florida, threatening tourism across the Caribbean
First up.
There’s something in the water and it’s coming to the shores of Florida.
That something is a 5,000 mile wide mass of seaweed two times the size of the United States.
The blob is made up of a variety of seaweed called sargassum that forms in the Atlantic ocean.
But this is the largest its ever been.
According to a researcher from the Florida Atlantic University said The blob is currently pushing west and will pass through the Caribbean and up into the Gulf of Mexico during the summer, with the seaweed expected to become prevalent on beaches in Florida around July.
That could leave seaweed up to six feet deep on beaches.
A big issues for tourism especially that time of year.
He also mentioned how Barbados one time had to use 1600 dump trucks a day to clean their beaches.
And it also poses a potential health risk because once it starts to rot on land it will emit gas that can smell like rotten eggs.
That gas is hydrogen sulfide and it’s toxic which could cause respiratory problems.
It’s also dangerous if ingested or used for fertilizer. because the seaweed itself contains arsenic in its flesh.
A pool is looking real inviting right now.
Source: CNN
7 Virginia Deputies Charged in Death of Man Who Was Allegedly ‘Smothered’ in Custody
Next.
There’s another blob. This one though his a stain on the Virginia police department.
News broke of 7 Virginia deputies who were charged in the death of a man who was in police custody.
According to a Henrico County Police Department news release Irvo Noel Otieno was initially placed under an emergency custody order after police officers approached him while responding to a potential burglary.
According to WTVR News Otieno was transported from jail in Henrico to Central State Hospital, where he was then physically restrained with handcuffs and leg shackles and died during the intake process.
The Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney shared a 12 minute video showing the man being smothered to death by the weight of seven deputies on top of him.
Those seven officers are being charged with with second-degree murder.
They are scheduled to appear before a grand jury on March 21.
Source: People
A spat between the US and Russia over a downed drone is escalating. Here’s what you need to know
Last but not least.
The United States who shot down a Chinese spy balloon not long ago are now facing a similar situation when Russian planes forced an unmanned drone to crash in the Black Sea.
Video was just released by the US showing a Russian plane dumping fuel on the drone causing its camera to cut off.
A Pentagon spokesman said, the Russian plane flew “in the vicinity” of the drone for 30 to 40 minutes before colliding with the propeller prompting the drone’s remote operators to bring the drone down in international waters.
Russia say that didn’t happen.
The Russian defense ministry said in a statement, A Russian fighter aircraft “did not use airborne weapons or come into contact” with the drone.
Either way the race is on according to U.S. officials to avoid the drone falling into the wrong hands.
And these Reaper drones are expensive. According to the Air Force a unit of four aircraft costs $56.5 million.
I tell you what as long as this does not lead to anything more serious, like war. Cool.
Source: CNN
