June 2012

Jun 14 Ringo Starr's twelfth All-Starr Band debuts in concert; members include: Steve Lukather, Gregg Rolie, Todd Rundgren, Richard Page, Gregg Bissonette, and Mark Rivera, 2012-13 / Warren Ham, 2014-17

Rome, 22 June 2012 - The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the global standard setting body for anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT). In order to protect the international financial system from money laundering and financing of terrorism (ML/FT) risks and to encourage greater compliance with the AML/CFT standards, the FATF identified jurisdictions that have strategic deficiencies and works with them to address those deficiencies that pose a risk to the international financial system.

June 2012

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*These jurisdictions have not made sufficient progress since being identified in the Public Statement of June 2011. If these jurisdictions do not take significant actions by October 2012, the FATF will call upon its members to apply countermeasures proportionate to the risks associated with the jurisdiction.

The FATF urges Iran to immediately and meaningfully address its AML/CFT deficiencies, in particular by criminalising terrorist financing and effectively implementing suspicious transaction reporting (STR) requirements. If Iran fails to take concrete steps to continue to improve its CFT regime, the FATF will consider calling on its members and urging all jurisdictions to strengthen counter-measures in October 2012.

The FATF has identified Cuba as having strategic AML/CFT deficiencies that pose a risk to the international financial system. Since February 2012 Cuba has officially engaged with the FATF and has also attended CFATF and GAFISUD meetings. The FATF urges Cuba to continue its engagement with the FATF, and to work with the FATF to develop and agree on an action plan in order to implement an AML/CFT regime in line with international standards.

The hardest-hit areas (as measured by pasture, soil moisture impacts) are the Southern to Central Rockies, Central Plains, and Ohio Valley. These areas have had the least precipitation and smallest percent of normal precipitation during March-June 2012. With the unusual warmth of the last four months, PE during March-June has been excessive. The precipitation deficits and extra PE during this season have sent P minus PE values well into negative territory during the important growing season in America's agricultural heartland. If normal precipitation had fallen during this time, P minus PE values would have been positive for the agricultural areas along and east of the Mississippi River, providing support for the spring crops.

June 2012 was characterized by a mixed rainfall pattern across the Hawaiian Islands. Abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions expanded into the northern islands this month, but otherwise the USDM depiction this month was little changed from last month. Longer-term conditions continued drier than normal (last 2, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months), especially for the southern islands.

In Alaska, June 2012 was generally drier than normal in the northern and northwestern areas with a mixed pattern at central and southern stations. This precipitation pattern is evident at short time scales (2, 3, and 6 months), while at longer time scales a dry pattern at interior stations becomes evident (12, 24, and 36 months). Several large wildfires broke out during the month (15th, 20th, 25th, 26th) in the northern and central sections of the state. An area of abnormal dryness was added to the northern areas on the USDM map.

As noted earlier, excessive heat increases evapotranspiration and exacerbates drought. The combination of third driest and fifth warmest April-June gave Wyoming the most severe April-June averaged Palmer Z Index in the 1895-2012 record. The driest and warmest May-June virtually tied 2012 with 2002 as the most severe May-June averaged Palmer Z Index for Colorado. For Arkansas, the driest and fourth warmest April-June tied 2012 with 1925 for the most severe averaged April-June Palmer Z Index. This record short-term drought resulted in a rapid expansion of overall drought conditions for these three states. For Arkansas and Wyoming, the 2012 conditions were preceded by a period of non-drought conditions. But for Colorado, drought has been ongoing for over a year. During the last three months, drought has expanded rapidly in Colorado, but it has not reached the magnitude of the 2002 record drought as monitored by the USDM or PHDI. Other states, such as Georgia and New Mexico, have had prolonged drought but some have not experienced extreme conditions in the last three months (31st warmest and 41st driest April-June for Georgia) while others have (third warmest and 15th driest April-June for New Mexico)

The primary corn and soybean agricultural belt has been especially hard hit by drought the last three months. This region, collectively, has experienced the seventh warmest and tenth driest April-June in 2012, resulting in the fifth most severe Palmer Z Index. Topsoil has dried out and crops, pastures, and rangeland have deteriorated at a rate rarely seen in the last 18 years, yet drought barely registers for the region on the longer-term PDSI because the previous several years have been very wet (in fact, 2008, 2010, and 2011 all rank in the top ten wettest category for April-June). The last time the April-June Palmer Z Index was this dry was 1988, which had the most severe Palmer Z Index and the driest and twelfth warmest April-June. The second, third, and fourth most severe April-June Palmer Z Index occurred in 1934, 1936, and 1987, respectively.

With the Pacific storm track near the Canadian border, subtropical high pressure dominating the weather, and a weak start to the summer monsoon, above-normal rain fell in the Pacific Northwest but much of the western U.S. was left with little significant precipitation this month. Drier-than-normal weather has dominated from the Southwest and intermountain basin to the Central and Southern Rockies for the water year to date (October-present), as reflected in low elevation as well as high elevation (SNOTEL) precipitation, especially for the southern half of the West. Reservoir storage was below average, statewide, in many southern states but near to above average to the north. Hot, dry, windy weather contributed to many wildfires across the West.According to the USDM, 64 percent of the West was experiencing moderate to exceptional drought at the end of June, an 11 percent increase compared to May. While extensive, drought in 2012 has not been as severe or widespread, westwide, as it was in 2002-2005. The Palmer Drought Index percent area statistic was about 66 percent, reflecting a remarkable rise over the last six months.

The persistent warmth and dryness of the last couple years have been so severe that the nationally-integrated Palmer Z Index has been consistently negative (water demand outstripping water supply) for the last 13 consecutive months. This is largely behind the rapid expansion of drought this year which has led to the largest percent area in moderate to exceptional drought in the 12-year USDM record and largest moderate to extreme drought area (based on the Palmer Drought Index) since the 1950s. In 2012, about 56 percent of the contiguous U.S. was in moderate to extreme drought at the end of June. The last time drought was this extensive was in December 1956 when about 58 percent was in moderate to extreme drought.

Historical analogs to the current drought can be determined by comparing the spatial pattern and intensity of various climate indicators using statistical tools such as the correlation coefficient and mean absolute difference. When applied to the temperature pattern for June 2012, the closest match is June 1956. June 1956 is a close match for the dry areas of June 2012 based on precipitation. For the Palmer Z Index, June 1956 matches June 2012 well in the West and Great Plains, but not in the Ohio to Mid-Mississippi Valley. November 1999 is the closest match, followed by December 1939 and September 1953. The overall spatial pattern of Palmer Z Index drought in June 1988 matches in some areas (Midwest, parts of the Plains and Rockies), but is significantly different in other areas (Southwest, Northeast, Southeast). For the long-term drought spatial pattern (PHDI), several months in the 1950s are the closest historical match to June 2012, with June 1954 being a good representative. In summary, several of these indicators suggest that the 2012 drought is similar to the 1950s drought in extent, pattern, and intensity, although not in duration.

As noted by the Northeast Regional Climate Center, precipitation during June averaged 98 percent of normal overall. However, like last month, rainfall was not evenly distributed throughout the Northeast. With 176 percent of normal, Maine had its 4th wettest June in 118 years, while West Virginia experienced its 11th driest June since 1895. A look at the first six months of 2012 has Delaware with only 53 percent of the January through June normal precipitation total while Maine had 112 percent. Maine was the only state in the Northeast to average wetter-than-normal during this period. It was the driest January through June since 1895 in Delaware and the 5th driest in Maryland. As of June 26, the USDM indicated a few areas of abnormally dry conditions, including most of West Virginia, and parts of northern New York and Vermont. Moderate drought (D1) conditions were expanded during the month to include a larger area around the Chesapeake Bay in eastern Maryland.

In August 2012, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) was contacted by a San Francisco Bay area clinician who requested poliovirus testing for an unvaccinated man aged 29 years with acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) associated with anterior myelitis (i.e., evidence of inflammation of the spinal cord involving the grey matter including anterior horn cell bodies) and no history of international travel during the month before symptom onset. Within 2 weeks, CDPH had received reports of two additional cases of AFP with anterior myelitis of unknown etiology. Testing at CDPH's Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory for stool, nasopharyngeal swab, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) did not detect the presence of an enterovirus (EV), the genus of the family Picornaviridae that includes poliovirus. Additional laboratory testing for infectious diseases conducted at the CDPH Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory did not identify a causative agent to explain the observed clinical syndrome reported among the patients. To identify other cases of AFP with anterior myelitis and elucidate possible common etiologies, CDPH posted alerts in official communications for California local health departments during December 2012, July 2013, and February 2014. Reports of cases of neurologic illness received by CDPH were investigated throughout this period, and clinicians were encouraged to submit clinical samples for testing. A total of 23 cases of AFP with anterior myelitis of unknown etiology were identified. Epidemiologic and laboratory investigation did not identify poliovirus infection as a possible cause for the observed cases. No common etiology was identified to explain the reported cases, although EV-D68 was identified in upper respiratory tract specimens of two patients. EV infection, including poliovirus infection, should be considered in the differential diagnosis in cases of AFP with anterior myelitis and testing performed per CDC guidelines (1). 2ff7e9595c