Surfrider hosts cleanup at SD beaches

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SAN DIEGO - Hundreds of volunteers helped clean up four beaches in San Diego and Oceanside the day after Fourth of July celebrations.

"Morning After Mess" cleanups were held at Belmont Park, Crystal Pier and Ocean Beach Pier in San Diego, and the beach at the south harbor jetty in Oceanside, were sponsored by the San Diego chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.

Ocean Beach was the biggest mess because of an annual marshmallow fight that has grown in popularity in recent years, Haley Haggerstone of the foundation said. She called it "a sticky mess."

"It's no wonder so many people choose to celebrate Independence Day on our beaches here in San Diego, but more visitors means more trash, which threatens our oceans, waves and beaches," Haggerstone said. "We want to remind everyone to stay classy, not trashy and help keep our beaches clean -- it's kind of a big deal."

"Why don't they put up barriers? Why don't they put up signs that say, 'please keep it on the beach?'" said Ocean Beach resident Vince Adame.

Mike Gastelum and his wife volunteer to help clean up every year.

"Something has to be done, but I don't know what they could do; people get out of control, they get the liquid courage and they all just lose their minds and all you can do is ask people to mellow out," said Gastelum.

Jeff Snagrass, a volunteer, said whoever participated in the marshmallow fight should also help cleanup the aftermath.

"This is isn't necessarily the funnest part of it, but if you do the fun part you [have to] do the non-fun part," said Snagrass. "The bottom line is if you're going to do it, clean up after yourself."

The amount of waste collected each year has decreased since a ban on alcohol at San Diego beaches went into effect in 2008, Haggerstone said.

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Are Brunswick County beaches as safe as they could be?

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Published: Friday, July 5, 2013 at 6:56 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, July 5, 2013 at 6:56 p.m.

In all of 2012 six people drowned at life-guarded beaches from Virginia to Florida, according to the U.S. Lifesaving Association.

In two days this week four people drowned at Brunswick County beaches, victims of deadly rip currents.

We've had a season's worth of drownings in basically a 24-hour period, Anthony Marzano, Brunswick County Emergency Management director, said Friday.

It is impossible to say whether having lifeguards or warning flags at Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach and Sunset Beach, where the deaths occurred Wednesday and Thursday, would have made any difference. Despite this, the county and beach communities are rethinking the ways they keep vacationers and residents safe.

After the string of ocean rescues and deaths multiple Brunswick officials referred to as tragic, the Brunswick Beach Consortium, an unofficial board of all county beach communities, is set to discuss hiring lifeguards or putting up warning flags at its next meeting at the end of July.

I think we will consider anything, said Ocean Isle Mayor Debbie Smith. We will consider all available options to ensure the safety of our visitors and residents.

Some Brunswick beaches have beach patrols and ocean rescue squads, but no dedicated lifeguards or other personnel to warn swimmers of rip current conditions or other threats.

Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach in New Hanover County have lifeguards who fly red, yellow or green flags to inform swimmers of water conditions.

The latest statistics available from the N.C. Center for Health Statistics show that in 2011 there were 123 drownings statewide, including pools and all bodies of water. Of those, Brunswick County had two drownings, New Hanover County had four drownings, three people drowned in Pender County and one person drowned in Columbus County.

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Are Brunswick County beaches as safe as they could be?

Beaches flushed with wastewater: NSW oppn

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Millions of litres of polluted water have been released onto Sydney, Illawarra and Hunter beaches in the past two years, the NSW opposition says.

Opposition water spokesman Walt Secord said water treatment plants had been put on "bypass" about 600 times in 24 months.

Bypasses often occurred during periods of heavy rain when the system was overloaded.

"This meant that waste water which is supposed to be treated to a high level was simply released untreated or partially treated," he said in a statement.

Mr Secord said bypasses had occurred at Sydney suburbs like Bondi, Cronulla and Malabar as well as at Wollongong, Shellharbour and various locations in the Hunter.

The dirty water posed a health risk to swimmers and surfers, many of whom hit the beach irrespective of the weather, he said.

"The community has a right to know when they are swimming in waste water," he said.

Mr Secord said he wanted the government to issue mandatory media and community alerts when waste water was flowing directly onto beaches.

The government is being sought for comment.

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Beaches flushed with wastewater: NSW oppn

Largest algae bloom ever seen in China turns beaches green

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QINGDAO, China, July 5 (UPI) -- Beaches on the Yellow Sea have turned green in the largest algae bloom ever seen in China, possibly from pollution from agriculture or industry, experts said.

Authorities in the city of Qingdao used bulldozers to remove 7,335 tons of algae from beaches, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported Friday.

The summer algae bloom has become an annual occurrence beginning 6 years ago, with this year's outbreak covering 11,158 square miles.

While not toxic to humans or animals, the algae blocks sunlight from entering the ocean and can reduce oxygen in the water, suffocating marine life.

An abundance of nutrients in the water can trigger such blooms, and the Chinese outbreak may be the result of industrial pollution, a British expert said.

"Algal blooms often follow a massive discharge of phosphates or nitrates into the water," University of Cambridge researcher Brenda Parker told the British newspaper The Guardian.

"Whether it's farming, untreated sewage or some kind of industrial plant that is discharging waste into the water," she said, such a dramatic change in the ecosystem was probably not natural

"That would probably be an indicator that something is a little bit unbalanced."

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Largest algae bloom ever seen in China turns beaches green

Britain’s best beaches: 50 of the nation’s top stretches of sand

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By Frank Barrett, Mail on Sunday Travel Editor

PUBLISHED: 14:55 EST, 6 July 2013 | UPDATED: 15:06 EST, 6 July 2013

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According to forecasters, Britain has just embarked on a long-awaited heatwave finally banishing an interminable period of awful weather. There's only one place the British want to be when the sun breaks through and to help you make the very most of being beside the sea this summer, we've produced this indispensable guide to Britain's 50 best beaches, along with information on the country's best piers, seaside pubs and restaurants and, of course, fish and chips.

This summer's off to a flyer: Let's reignite our love affair with British coastal resorts (pic: Bamburgh in Northumberland)

The seaside has always enjoyed a special place in the affections of we Brits. When I was a boy in South Wales, a day trip to Barry Island or Weston-super-Mare was as much fun as any of us had the right to expect. Recalling some of my happiest childhood days, I conjure up those sunbaked afternoons (it was always sunny when we went to the seaside) eating 99s, as trails of ice cream ran down my arm. The British, more than any other nationality, have an unbridled delight in a day at the beach.

Sunshine at last: Britain is currently basking in gorgeous temperatures and there's never been a better time to explore our coastline...

One of the first tunes I can remember hearing on the radio was Reginald Dixon at the organ of the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool playing Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside. When industrial labourers first earned the money and the time for holidays, they knew they wanted to be beside the sea: on summer's days, millions headed in trains and charabancs for resorts like Blackpool, Brighton and Scarborough. These were places that became wholly devoted to jollity ('There's a famous seaside place called Blackpool,' observed Stanley Holloway in the famous monologue Albert And The Lion, 'That's noted for fresh-air and fun.')

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Britain's best beaches: 50 of the nation's top stretches of sand

Reading books using Human Level Artificial Intelligence – Video

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Reading books using Human Level Artificial Intelligence
This video shows a robot reading different books. The instructions to read a novel is different from the instructions to read a technical book. The robot #39;s conscious (the voice in the robot #39;s...

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Reading books using Human Level Artificial Intelligence - Video

DLR GERMAN AEROSPACE CENTER RESEARCH AIRCARFT FALCON 20E AT SAN JUAN INTL – Video

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DLR GERMAN AEROSPACE CENTER RESEARCH AIRCARFT FALCON 20E AT SAN JUAN INTL
Reg. D-CMET Deutsches Zentrum fr Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR The DLR flight facility in Oberpfaffenhofen primarily uses it for atmospheric research. International research teams measure trace...

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DLR GERMAN AEROSPACE CENTER RESEARCH AIRCARFT FALCON 20E AT SAN JUAN INTL - Video