The eve of all Hallows

It may have its origins in Irish pagan festivals but Halloween, like many things has been taken over by the US.

One of the symbols of Halloween is the pumpkin lantern and so to put a Geographical edge to Halloween, below is the list of the US's largest producers of pumpkins.

Ohio 6,600 $33,617,000

Illinois 14,800 $23,430,000

New York 6,400 $22,694,000

Pennsylvania 6,100 $17,495,000

California 5,300 $13,356,000

U.S. Total 43,200 $117,492,000

Hailstorm Havoc

Severe flooding, which left a Devon town virtually cut off, was caused by a "freak" overnight hailstorm, the Met Office has said.

Devon and Somerset Fire Service described the situation after 1ft (0.3m) of hail fell in the Ottery St Mary area as "absolute chaos".

Cars in the town were left tightly packed in ice after about 1ft (0.3m) of hail fell in just two hours between 0100 and 0300 GMT.

World Data

Take a look at the bottom of the blog to see World Data changing in the here and now!

Unseasonal Weather - for a change?

Weather forecasters predict the cold snap will ease slightly after heavy snow in some parts of the UK but the winter conditions are set to continue.
The cold snap - with its widespread frost and crisp air - is caused by cold air that has come down from the Arctic.
It has been described as 'Unusual weather' by the Met Office. Cardiff will enjoy the highest temperatures, with a maximum of 10C (50F). Meanwhile, central Scotland is not expected to rise above 3C (37.4F).
BBC Weather forecaster Kirsty McCabe said: "It is unusual weather and the air is much colder for this time of the year. It will be cold during the rest of the week and the temperature now is more like what you find at the end of December."
On Tuesday night temperatures plunged to -4C and football matches were either postponed or abandoned at Luton, Northampton, Walsall and Wycombe.
Kent also suffered from torrential rain.

Quake hits southern Pakistan

At least 135 people have been killed after an earthquake of 6.4 magnitude hit Balochistan province in south-western Pakistan, officials say.
Officials in Balochistan say they expect the toll to rise.
The tremor struck 70km (45 miles) north of Quetta at 0409 (2309GMT Tuesday) at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles), the US Geological Survey said.
Many houses collapsed during the quake and some were destroyed in landslides that followed it, officials said.

The power of clouds

An international team of scientists is hoping to shed light on how clouds over the Pacific Ocean are affecting global climate and weather systems.

The clouds, some of which are bigger than the US, reflect sunlight back into space and cool the ocean below.

The team hopes to learn more about the clouds' properties and if pollution from activities such as mining affect the formation of these systems.

The month-long study will involve more than 200 experts from 10 countries.

A team of 20 climate and cloud experts from the UK's National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) are taking part in the expedition, which will be based in Chile.

UK not involved in Kopernikus

One of Europe's flagship space projects looks as though it is going to proceed with the UK continuing to be a bit-part player, scientists and engineers fear.

The Kopernikus programme is dedicated to acquiring and collating satellite data on the health of the planet.

Although Britain says it recognises the project's high value, especially for monitoring the climate, it has so far declined to take a lead in the venture.

Industry and academia have called for a swift change in government policy.

Failure to adopt a more positive approach before a critical meeting of Europe's space ministers next month will put expertise and jobs in the UK at risk, they warn.

Credit crunch hits NIC's

Most of the world's toys are made in China.
But in the last seven months, half the country's toymakers have gone out of business.
Last year's toy scandal, when lead paint was found in Chinese made toys sold in the US, was the beginning of the trouble.
Wang Suzhen has seen orders at her factory slip
New safety regulations added to costs, wages were on the rise, and then factory owners noticed that their orders from overseas were beginning to dwindle as customers in America and Europe cut back because they have less money to spend.

Half term - have a rest!

If you get bored or if you are missing your Geography lessons have a go at the Google Maps Quiz.

Click this link - Google Maps Quiz

A bugs life?

Exotic species of spiders are making their homes in the UK, scientists say.
Researchers believe arachnids arriving in imports of food and plants are now able to survive and spread thanks to the UK's increasingly mild climate.
The new inhabitants include a species of false widow spider and some believe the deadly black widow could be next to invade.

Why you should avoid muraneq!

The number of Eskimo words for snow has long been a point of debate.
In the Yup'ik Eskimo Dictionary published by the Native Language Centre at the University of Alaska, and found in schools throughout Alaska's Yukon Delta, there are 37 ways of referring to it.
When snow falls from the sky, an Eskimo can say "it's snowing" in four different ways: aniu, cellallir, ganir or qanunge.
Once the snow is on the ground, things can get more complicated. Light snow is kannevvluk, soft and deep snow is muruaneq and drifting snow is called natquik.
Crusted snow, corniced snow and fresh snow all have their own word too.

Drought hits Ethiopia

Aid agencies are warning that Ethiopian authorities are under-estimating the scale of the country's drought.
Official estimates of the number of people facing hunger and hardship stand at 4.6m but agencies warn the real figure could be more than 8m.
There is also confusion over the amount of money needed to meet the crisis, with the Oxfam agency estimating it at about $500m.
However, the United Nations reports that $772m has already been pledged.

Norbert strikes land

Hurricane Norbert has struck Mexico's Baja California Sur peninsula with heavy rains and 103mph (165km/h) winds.
The storm made landfall near the city of La Paz, blowing down roofs and uprooting trees. Thousands of residents have fled to shelters.
Forecasters say Norbert will cross the Gulf of California, before making a second landfall on Mexico's north-western mainland.
It is expected to hit the agricultural states of Sonora and Sinaloa later.
Nearly 3,000 people were evacuated to temporary shelters on Mexico's Pacific coast as the storm came ashore, bringing with it 13ft (4m) waves.

Population Crisis?

The balance of resources and population is a concern, or at least a matter of study, for us all. Geographers and non geogrpahers alike might be interested in this site when considering the stresses we create for our world. Globalis is an interactive world atlas where you decide what is to be displayed on the map. Globalis aims to create an understanding for similarities and differences in human societies, as well as how we influence life on the planet. This is primarily done using visual means.