Wordsmiths go to great lengths to master a game of Scrabble or Words With Friends. Rarely are their efforts quite so calculated, however, as what we're seeing today. After Google research director Peter Norvig used his company's search engine to determine letter frequency in the English language, Deadspin and developer Kyle Rimkus compared it against Scrabble's point system and available words to determine which letters generate the most value relative to how often they can play. In short: H, Y and Z produce the most bang for the alphabetic buck, while J and Q are plagues on the rack that are seldom worth saving for a special moment. We can't guarantee that following the Google-derived tips will have serious opponents begging for mercy -- a wide vocabulary is often the real clincher -- but they may help a few of us wondering what to play on that triple word score.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) ? Orange County prosecutors say they will file an additional count of arson against a university professor who allegedly set a series of fires after his son committed suicide.
Officials say 49-year-old Rainer Reinscheid of Irvine will be charged Thursday in an amended complaint with one additional felony count of arson with sentencing enhancements for use of an accelerant.
Reinscheid has pleaded not guilty to nine arson-related felonies and one misdemeanor for fires at his son's high school, the assistant principal's home and a park.
Reinscheid was a professor at the University of California, Irvine, when he allegedly set the fires last year. Authorities believe Reinscheid was upset because his son hanged himself after being disciplined for allegedly stealing from a school store.
Reinscheid's attorney could not immediately be located.
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?2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
"We continue to believe that Apple was not the first to design a tablet with a rectangular shape and rounded corners and that the origins of Apple's registered design features can be found in numerous examples," Samsung said in a statement. Apple and Samsung, the world's top two smartphone makers, are locked in patent disputes in at least 10 countries as they vie to win customers for their latest gadgets in the lucrative mobile market. (Reporting by Sara Webb) read more
We have no problem calling this latest rumor bogus right off the bat. Supposedly, Samsung will launch the Galaxy Note III sometime in the fall, and it will come with a 6.3-inch display. Although we have seen an obvious trend toward larger devices, and we don't doubt the possibility that Samsung would create a 6.3-inch device, the idea that one of their newest success stories would suddenly be transformed into a hulking bloated whale is ludicrous. A 6.3-inch device is just over a half-inch in size away from a full-blown tablet! That's just silly!
More than likely, if Samsung is coming out with a gargantuan device like this, it will be a new spin-off with a completely different name. Also, they will likely market it first in Asia where these larger devices have seen the most success. For the sake of thoroughness, it should also be shared that this "non-G-Note 3" device will supposedly come with Samsung's new eight-core Exynos chip. We would not be surprised at all to find this chip in the next G-Note device, and we suspect it will also show up in the actual G-Note 3 (that will likely have another 5.5-inch display).
At any rate, if they do come out with this "ultra-phablet/almost tablet" monstrosity under a spin-off name, what sort of name might it actually have? Speculation leads the imagination to wander in multiple directions. The first thing which immediately comes to mind might be the "Samsung Galaxy Note Elephantine."
Take note of this... you heard it here first! {sarcasm and pun fully intended}.
Alexei Kudrin (R) smiles in front of a portrait of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.(Reuters / Maxim Shemetov)
The political reform launched during Dmitry Medvedev?s presidency has failed to reach its goal as it has not lead to more competition between political parties in Russia, says a think-tank established by the sacked Finance Minister Aleksey Kudrin.
Despite a package of laws adopted in May last year, the political situation in the country in 2012 hardly changed, states a report prepared by analysts of the Committee for Civil Initiatives.
In particular, experts referred to such Medvedev initiatives as the return to direct elections of regional governors and the introduction of much simpler rules for registration of new political parties. The then president also exempted political parties from the need to collect signatures to take part in parliamentary polls and reduced the number of signatures candidates must collect to take part in a presidential vote.
Summing up the first results of the reform, Kudrin?s committee observed that even though the number of parties has rocketed from seven to over 50, real competition between them has grown only slightly.
Just as before, only four parties ? United Russia, Communists, Liberal-Democrats and Fair Russia ? managed to make it to regional legislatures during the 2012 elections. About 20 newly registered parties that also took part in the elections got representations only in several small municipalities.
United Russia party, chaired by Medvedev, ?keeps dominating? the country?s political arena. In many regions it gets an absolute majority of mandates, ?despite the support from less than a half of the population,? the report states.
The re-election of five heads of Russian regions looked more like ?re-appointment? rather than a real vote, the authors of the report pointed out.
The committee also says that people show less interest in political parties.
The reason behind that is that reform did not really affect the main obstacles for holding democratic elections. Election commissions ?still largely depend on the executive power,? ?extremely harsh? and unclear rules for registration of candidates remain in place, and there are no efficient mechanisms to prevent vote result falsifications.
However, United Russia strongly denied the accusations put forward by Kudrin?s committee. The think-tank?s experts ?have once again shown that their main principle is criticism for the sake of criticism,? said Sergey Neverov, a senior member of the ruling party.
The report conclusions actually cause bewilderment as ?all parties, including the opposition, have admitted obvious advantages in the reform aimed at liberalization of the political system,? he added, cited Interfax.
Aleksey Kudrin served as Russian Finance Minister for over a decade and was sacked in September 2011 by Medvedev following their disagreement over the budget spending. The ousted minister?? who is known to be a Putin ally?? participated in post-election rallies in December 2011. Kudrin still remains a weighty figure in political circles and continues to meet with both the Prime Minister and President.
He is ?still part of the team,? Putin told a media conference at the end of last year. However, the President underlined, the difference between experts and people who make decisions, is that experts are not politically responsible for such decisions. ?But their opinion is not only interesting, it is also important to know in order to make a balanced decision,? Putin added.
CHIPLEY ? The Washington County School Board approved the 22-plus acre site between South Boulevard and Brickyard Road as the future home of Kate M. Smith Elementary School on Monday night.
District Maintenance Director Mike Park reviewed the process the Site Selection Committee had gone through in choosing the new location for the school.
?This has been an ongoing process of about 20 years,? Park said, ?and over the years, some of the names on the committee changed.? In October the Department of Education visited the elementary school to determine the need for a new facility. Five days later, DOE issued the finding that there was a ?critical need? for a new elementary school in Chipley, Park said.
With that information, the selection committee met in late December and again on Jan. 3 to discuss the choice of school site, which came down to either stay at the current location, or move the school to the 22-plus acre tract of land the district owns that stretches between South Boulevard and Brickyard Road.
Not all of the committee members were able to attend the Jan. 3 meeting, so Park polled the committee last week at Superintendent Joe Taylor?s request, and the committee recommended relocating the elementary school to the new site.
?With the funding, this is likely to be a two-year or three-year funding cycle,? Park said. ?That was an important consideration, we really don?t want to try and have construction going on while we are also having school.?
Once the board had the committee?s recommendation, they voted unanimously to accept the suggestion. The district is trying to get all their ducks in a row so the elementary school is accepted into the DOE funding cycle beginning this coming August, Park said.
?That is why we are moving on this,? he said. ?It?s not that we are trying to rush anything through, we are just trying to get everything ready for August.?
Taylor said at the Jan. 3 meeting that if the district can get the project adopted by the DOE in August, then funding and construction could possibly come as soon as August 2014.
Vernon Elementary School parent and PTO member Tara Dockery addressed the board to ask for School Resource Officers and metal detectors at each of the district?s campuses. She presented a petition with 400 signatures asking the board members to give school security more consideration.
?We as parents and grandparents are highly concerned with safety in our schools,? Dockery said, ?and we would like to ask our elected school board officials to take a close look at the situation.?
Dockery said the PTO had been in contact with Sheriff Bobby Haddock and she would have more information from the sheriff as to what was needed to fund an officer for each campus.
?As a board, we share your concerns,? said school board chairman Terry Ellis. ?There are many schools across the country looking at this very thing, trying to make sure they are doing all that is possible.?
The board members also recognized the nominees for Teachers of the Year, Rookie Teachers of the Year and Employees of the Year.
There will be a reception honoring the district?s employees of the year from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Vernon High School Cafeteria and Auditorium.
The reception will honor this year?s nominees for the Teacher, ?Rookie Teacher, and Support Staff from each school/cost center.?
Light snacks will be served beginning at 3:30 until 4:15 in the cafeteria.? At 4:15, honorees will be recognized in the auditorium, and conclude with announcement of District winners for each category.
?Market research firm DisplaySearch said the reduction in shipments of displays for the iPhone 5 ? which reflect shipments of the phone itself ? is real but that it doesn?t necessarily mean the device?s popularity is suffering,? Brooke Crothers reports for CNET.
MacDailyNews Take: The same display is also found in iPod touch which was also ramped for, and also sees its biggest sales in, the holiday quarter.
??It was a very quick ramp up. The [calendar] Q4 [estimate] was originally about 61 million displays [for the iPhone 5]?that may be dialed back, but anything near that number is still huge,? Paul Semenza, senior vice president, analyst services, at DisplaySearch, told CNET today,? Crothers reports. ??That would support the theory that the ramp was too much to sustain,? [he said].?
Crother reports, ?By comparison, shipments of the iPhone 4S in the first quarter of sales were far below that number.?
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Judge Bork" for the heads up.]
Related articles: China?s Henan Province, home to main iPhone 5 assembly location, saw import-export revenue increase 58.6% YOY ? January 16, 2013 Japan?s Nikkei, The Wall Street Journal blow it, get iPhone demand story all wrong ? January 16, 2013 Analyst: Apple shipped 52 million iPhones during Christmas quarter, up 41% YOY ? January 16, 2013 Apple supplier sees significant sales increase in Q4, likely positive sign for iPhone 5 demand ? January 16, 2013 Did Apple reduce 4-inch Retina display orders due to improving yields? ? January 15, 2013 Analysts: iPhone 5 demand ?robust;? ignore the non-news noise ? January 15, 2013 Apple iPhone suppliers decline on report orders cut by 50% ? January 15, 2013 Apple swoon erases $17 billion from stock market ? January 14, 2013 Apple iPhone 5 production cut signaling a new product release? ? January 14, 2013 Apple drops to 11-month low on old reports of component cuts ? January 14, 2013 The strange math of Apple?s alleged massive iPhone 5 component cuts ? January 14, 2013 UBS analysts: Apple iPhone component order reduction ?old news? ? January 14, 2013 Apple pulls down U.S. futures ? January 14, 2013 Apple shares drop below $500 after reported cuts in iPhone 5 parts orders ? January 14, 2013
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WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - Same-sex couples stood at government counters in two North Carolina cities on Monday to ask for marriage licenses they knew they would be denied, part of a push across the U.S. South this month to demand equality even where opposition runs deep.
"We have to leave our home state to get married, so that's a little sad," said L. Rankin, 45, after the assistant register of deeds in her city of Winston-Salem refused a license to her and partner Kristin Hedin, 38.
Couples braved rain and potential ridicule to join the "We Do Campaign," an effort by the nonprofit Campaign for Southern Equality to protest state laws activists believe to be unjust and to call for full equality under federal law.
As part of the campaign, couples in seven Southern states are applying for marriage licenses in January. At the final stop on Thursday, couples expect to be denied licenses in Arlington, Virginia, before marching to Washington, D.C., where same-sex marriage is legal.
Participants say they want their neighbors and lawmakers to know they aren't going away, even if taking a stand can be uncomfortable and risky in a part of the country known for its strong religious ties and history of racial discrimination.
"The South has been written off as being unwinnable when it comes to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) rights," said Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality and a United Church of Christ minister.
"One of the unintended consequences of that is that LGBT people also get written off," she said.
Gay rights activists billed 2012 as a watershed year after voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington state approved same-sex marriage, and President Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to declare support for such unions.
But the year also brought a sobering reminder for same-sex couples that the momentum lagged in the Southeast. Last May, North Carolina became the last state in the region to add a voter-approved ban on gay marriage to its constitution.
Thirty-one of the 50 U.S. states have passed constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. Nine states and Washington, D.C., have legalized it.
Some of the 35 couples who have taken part in the "We Do" effort this month have married outside the South but said they still want to live there.
"I can go to a restaurant, and I can order sweet tea and grits and they have them," said Sara Bell, 31, a lifelong resident of Mississippi. "I don't think that I should have to leave those things behind just to be who I am."
STRONG OPPOSITION
Surveys by the Pew Research Center last year showed that while opposition to gay marriage in the South has waned, it is still greater than any other region in the country.
Fifty-six percent of people in the central Southern states, including Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi, oppose allowing same-sex couples to marry, compared with 29 percent who are against same-sex marriage in New England.
The National Organization for Marriage, which opposes allowing same-sex couples to marry, has not taken any action in response to the "We Do Campaign," spokesman Thomas Peters said.
"Obviously these are acts of civil disobedience against laws passed overwhelmingly by voters in those states," he said on Monday.
Support for gay marriage in the South is comparable to where the country as a whole was a decade ago, according to Pew, so activists said their strategy for seeking change their inevitably looks different than in other regions.
The efforts overall are "not very sexy," admits Darlene Nipper, deputy executive director for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
That organization is one of many working to build support for marriage equality at the grassroots level, including training volunteers, developing young leaders and working to change the minds of local politicians.
The task force will hold its annual "Creating Change" conference in Atlanta later this month. Nipper said bringing 3,500 activists to that Southern city will generate excitement and help raise the profile of the issues they want addressed.
With no imminent likelihood of winning same-sex marriage rights at the state level in the South, activists are pressing for national change. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two cases challenging laws that define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Gay rights supporters also are seeking more protections in other areas such as the workplace and schools, said Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality.
"I really think that you'll see a faster pace of movement in the years to come," he said. "But we have to take a more incremental approach in what our wins are. And frankly we have to give people the space to change their opinions."
Diana Coe, 48, and Li Hooper, 49, whose 2011 wedding at a church in Winston-Salem is not recognized by the state, said they hope to see attitudes change soon.
"We think of ourselves as being married, and then we realize we are second-class citizens," Coe said.
(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Lisa Shumaker)
LAS VEGAS (AP) ? As a teenager growing up in Las Vegas, Tanya Angus strutted along fashion runways. She was 5 feet 8 inches, and people told her she had a perfect body.
But at the time of her death Monday, the 34-year-old Angus stood 7 feet 2 inches and weighed about 400 pounds. She was a victim of a rare disorder called acromegaly ? or gigantism ? that wouldn't let her stop growing.
"'Mom, I don't know why I got it,'" Karen Strutynski recalled her daughter saying. "'But I guess God decided that I could handle it.'"
Handle it she did ? by appearing on television specials and in the news, by being vulnerable about a condition that left her face misshapen and gave her chronic growing pains.
Acromegaly is a disorder in which there is too much growth hormone in the body. It's spurred by a non-cancerous tumor that grows on the pituitary gland, and causes growth of bones and organs.
The disorder affected just about everything for Angus. She couldn't pull even the largest of shirts over her head, because she couldn't fit through the collar. She needed specially made shoes, and jewelers stretched her rings to size 20.
"There's nothing made for giants," her mother explained.
Some people judged her daughter, Strutynski said, believing she used a wheelchair because she lacked the discipline to keep her weight down. What they didn't know is that she ate one meal a day, and her medications caused her face to swell.
"People were very cruel until she went into the media," Strutynski said.
After television appearances, Angus became an advocate for those with the disease, corresponding with people from some 60 countries to help them get the treatment they needed.
She saw her mission as helping others get diagnosed before it was too late and the disease got out of control, her mother said.
An autopsy is pending, but Strutynski said it appears Angus died after catching a cold and developing a tear in her big heart.
Her mother plans to keep up Angus' website and continue corresponding with patients struggling to deal with the disease.
"We can't let it end. It's just too important," Strutynski said, her voice cracking. "We can't just let it die with Tanya."
It's now all over for Strikeforce, the regional promotion that grew in size and strength to be a player for a few years in MMA. In their final show, the fighters rose to the occasion to give a memorable final impression. Which ones really stood out?
No. 1 star -- Tarec Saffiedine: Heading into the Strikeforce welterweight championship bout with Nate Marquardt, most of the discussion was about Marquardt's return to the UFC. It was just assumed he would keep the belt, but Saffiedine had other plans. Using a smart game plan filled with punishing leg kicks, Saffiedine picked apart Marquardt on the way to a five-round decision. It will be fun to see what he can do against UFC welterweights.
No. 2 star -- Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza: Ed Herman threw an illegal upkick at Jacare. The referee inexplicably stood them up to restart after the kick. Even with all that, Jacare still managed the smoothest submission of the new year of MMA. With such a great grappling game, Souza should have plenty of interesting match-ups in the UFC.
No. 3 star (tie) -- K.J Noons and Ryan Couture: During the preliminary card, Noons and Couture fought out a bloody battle that was the best of the night. Though it appeared Noons had the upper hand, the judges called the fight in Couture's favor. But the good news for both fighters is that they won their bout in a way to all but ensure their spots in the UFC.
Who were your stars? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
One of the hallmarks of living in the modern United States is the almost complete infiltration by technology into every day lives. No matter what type of every day activity you are performing, chances are that technology can be used in conjunction with it to either enhance the experience and improve it in one way or another. One of the most obvious areas where this influence is felt is how we communicate with other people. From the telephone?s introduction in the late 19th century, to the present-day pervasiveness that is the internet, people are using technology to establish and maintain contact with one another every minute of every day.
While it is true that studies have shown that texting is currently ranked as the most popular way to communicate around the world, sending emails places near the top as well. According to recent figures, close to 300 billion emails are sent each and every day! Granted, many of these emails are spam, but even if only a fraction of that number is actual communication between people or businesses the amount of emails that pass between people is staggering.
Unlike many of the other popular ways to communicate, email is one of the only methods that can be performed with no cost whatsoever. This is thanks to the many free email providers that are available around the web. Using ad-driven revenues, many reputable companies are able to deliver free and secure communications throughout the globe. Following are some of the most popular free email services and how to take advantage of them.
Gmail
Offered by internet titan Google, Gmail is currently the top ranked free email service available today with over 425 million active users. Located at www.gmail.com, Gmail offers 10GB of storage space, a community-driven spam filter that continuously refines its blocking capabilities and a mobile version that is perfect for smartphones and tablet PCs.
Acquiring a Gmail address is extremely simple and is started by visiting the link provided above. Once you reach the page, click on the red button at the top right of the page with the text ?Create An Account.? This will direct you to a page that requests a few pieces of data, after which you will be instantly provided access to your new account.
Yahoo Mail
Coming in second with over 310 million active users, Yahoo Mail provides another outstanding service for free email communication. Located at mail.yahoo.com, Yahoo Mail offers an unlimited amount of storage capacity and an integrated messenger service you can use to chat with other Yahoo members.
This service is also a painless and speedy process that can be completed in a handful of minutes. Visit the above reference link, click on the ?Create New Account? button located at the bottom right section of the page and you will be taken to a page that also asks for a few pieces of information in order to get started. Once the service confirms that the id you have chosen is not in use by another user, click on the ?Create Account? button and you are all set!
Hotmail
Rounding out the list of the top three most popular free internet services is Hotmail, a service presented by software powerhouse Microsoft. As with Yahoo Mail, Hotmail offers both unlimited storage capabilities and a messenger service that can connect you to friends and family. Hotmail is also a part of the Windows Live network, allowing you to use your newly created Hotmail account to access many other features contained in the Live network.
After you navigate to the Hotmail homepage, located at www.hotmail.com, you will be presented with a process that is virtually identical to the one you will find in both of the previously-mentioned services. Once you click on the clickable ?Sign up now? blue text at the bottom right, fill out the requested information in the form for immediate access to your new email account.
Other Services
While these three services are the most popular in free email, there are a multitude of other websites that offer comparable capabilities with varying features and options. Worthy of note would be Mail.com (located at the address provided in the name), GMX (www.gmx.com) and Zoho (www.zoho.com).
Whether you are contacting your grandmother about an upcoming visit or sending a letter of interest to a company regarding employment, free email services are an excellent and secure way to communicate. Never pay another cent for this service by using one of the many providers available throughout the internet.
TIP! Never wait until the cold weather hits to winterize your property. Adhesive weather stripping stick well in warmer temperatures and it will be more comfortable for you to do the work.
Many home renovation projects can be completed easily by a novice. It is possible for home improvement projects to add to a home?s value and improve the appearance of a living space. The following article has some great advice on simple improvement projects that anyone can do.
TIP! Nothing is more important to successful home improvement than planning ahead. If you wait until you start work on a project, this can be disastrous, since you may be indecisive or make hasty decisions.
Stucco is a good alternative to replace the siding on the outside of your house. Stucco is simple to put up, but you may want to hire a professional just to be safe. Also be aware that some types of siding require paperwork to be filled out before it can be applied to your home. Either way, after it?s done, you will find yourself content and it?s a product that usually lasts for a long time.
TIP! Determine the changes that you are going to make before you start the renovation. Projects without plans tend to take longer than expected and go overbudget.
Try to picture your home after the remodeling process is finished to determine if it fits with your neighborhoods personality. Will it be too outlandish? If so, is it your desire to have your home different from the rest? You need to consider if the changes you envision will stand out in a good way or just look strange in the surroundings.
TIP! When remodeling a bathroom, it may be possible to refinish the tub instead of replacing it. You might need to have a professional come in to refinish the porcelain, but it?s still a huge time and money-saver.
In rooms that are most used, installing ceiling fans will help circulate your home?s air. Ceiling fans cut reliance on air conditioning during the summer and push warm air down during the winter so your furnace runs more efficiently. Fans typically can be switched so that they either draw or push air as needed.
TIP! If you think that you need to spruce up the look of the outside of the house, think about putting in a pergola. Pergolas are becoming popular and will add a wonderfully shady place to spend some time.
When you are working with wood and you have a precise spec, never substitute a guess for an actual measurement. Always use measuring tools when you are doing any woodwork. These tools include levels, tape measures, and speed squares.
TIP! Do not neglect safety in all your home improvement projects. Take sensible precautions so you don?t sustain an injury and so your house is not damaged.
Hopefully, this article has shed some light on the genre. You should come away with the confidence that making the necessary improvements to your home doesn?t have to be difficult. Performing your own home repairs can be daunting, but quite rewarding. This article shared advice that should be instrumental in helping you get started.
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Fog Lights
Heated Mirrors
Power Brakes
Passenger Airbag
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Power-Assist Disc Brakes
Traction Control System
Child-Safety Locks
DUAL AIRBAG
SIDE IMPACT AIRBAG
Power Mirrors
Power Windows
Power Steering
Power Door Locks
POWER SEAT
Air Conditioning
Keyless Entry
Climate Control
Cruise Control
tilt steering
Courtesy Lights
Map Lights
Intermittent Wipers
Console
Remote Trunk Release
Auto On/Off Headlamps
Cup Holder
Door Map Pockets
Halogen Headlamps
Heated Seats
Leather Interior
Power Adjustable Seat
Reclining Seats
Tachometer
Trip Odometer
CD Player
Digital clock
Daytime Running Lights
Rear Window Wiper
tinted windows
Sunroof
rear window defogger
Privacy Glass
Premium Audio
Premium and/or Oversized Wheels
Illuminated Visor Mirror
Electronic Compass
Inside Hood Release
Analog Gauges
Driver Side Airbag
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Contact: Steve Cole stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov 202-358-0918 NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA scientists say 2012 was the ninth warmest of any year since 1880, continuing a long-term trend of rising global temperatures. With the exception of 1998, the nine warmest years in the 132-year record all have occurred since 2000, with 2010 and 2005 ranking as the hottest years on record.
NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, which monitors global surface temperatures on an ongoing basis, released an updated analysis Tuesday that compares temperatures around the globe in 2012 to the average global temperature from the mid-20th century. The comparison shows how Earth continues to experience warmer temperatures than several decades ago.
The average temperature in 2012 was about 58.3 degrees Fahrenheit (14.6 Celsius), which is 1.0 F (0.6 C) warmer than the mid-20th century baseline. The average global temperature has risen about 1.4 degrees F (0.8 C) since 1880, according to the new analysis.
Scientists emphasize that weather patterns always will cause fluctuations in average temperature from year to year, but the continued increase in greenhouse gas levels in Earth's atmosphere assures a long-term rise in global temperatures. Each successive year will not necessarily be warmer than the year before, but on the current course of greenhouse gas increases, scientists expect each successive decade to be warmer than the previous decade.
"One more year of numbers isn't in itself significant," GISS climatologist Gavin Schmidt said. "What matters is this decade is warmer than the last decade, and that decade was warmer than the decade before. The planet is warming. The reason it's warming is because we are pumping increasing amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere."
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps heat and largely controls Earth's climate. It occurs naturally and also is emitted by the burning of fossil fuels for energy. Driven by increasing man-made emissions, the level of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere has been rising consistently for decades.
The carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere was about 285 parts per million in 1880, the first year in the GISS temperature record. By 1960, the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, measured at NOAA's Mauna Loa Observatory, was about 315 parts per million. Today, that measurement exceeds 390 parts per million.
While the globe experienced relatively warm temperatures in 2012, the continental U.S. endured its warmest year on record by far, according to NOAA, the official keeper of U.S. weather records.
"The U.S. temperatures in the summer of 2012 are an example of a new trend of outlying seasonal extremes that are warmer than the hottest seasonal temperatures of the mid-20th century," GISS director James E. Hansen said. "The climate dice are now loaded. Some seasons still will be cooler than the long-term average, but the perceptive person should notice that the frequency of unusually warm extremes is increasing. It is the extremes that have the most impact on people and other life on the planet."
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The temperature analysis produced at GISS is compiled from weather data from more than 1,000 meteorological stations around the world, satellite observations of sea-surface temperature, and Antarctic research station measurements. A publicly available computer program is used to calculate the difference between surface temperature in a given month and the average temperature for the same place during 1951 to 1980. This three-decade period functions as a baseline for the analysis. The last year that experienced cooler temperatures than the 1951 to 1980 average was 1976.
The GISS temperature record is one of several global temperature analyses, along with those produced by the Met Office Hadley Centre in the United Kingdom and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. These three primary records use slightly different methods, but overall, their trends show close agreement.
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Contact: Steve Cole stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov 202-358-0918 NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA scientists say 2012 was the ninth warmest of any year since 1880, continuing a long-term trend of rising global temperatures. With the exception of 1998, the nine warmest years in the 132-year record all have occurred since 2000, with 2010 and 2005 ranking as the hottest years on record.
NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, which monitors global surface temperatures on an ongoing basis, released an updated analysis Tuesday that compares temperatures around the globe in 2012 to the average global temperature from the mid-20th century. The comparison shows how Earth continues to experience warmer temperatures than several decades ago.
The average temperature in 2012 was about 58.3 degrees Fahrenheit (14.6 Celsius), which is 1.0 F (0.6 C) warmer than the mid-20th century baseline. The average global temperature has risen about 1.4 degrees F (0.8 C) since 1880, according to the new analysis.
Scientists emphasize that weather patterns always will cause fluctuations in average temperature from year to year, but the continued increase in greenhouse gas levels in Earth's atmosphere assures a long-term rise in global temperatures. Each successive year will not necessarily be warmer than the year before, but on the current course of greenhouse gas increases, scientists expect each successive decade to be warmer than the previous decade.
"One more year of numbers isn't in itself significant," GISS climatologist Gavin Schmidt said. "What matters is this decade is warmer than the last decade, and that decade was warmer than the decade before. The planet is warming. The reason it's warming is because we are pumping increasing amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere."
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps heat and largely controls Earth's climate. It occurs naturally and also is emitted by the burning of fossil fuels for energy. Driven by increasing man-made emissions, the level of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere has been rising consistently for decades.
The carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere was about 285 parts per million in 1880, the first year in the GISS temperature record. By 1960, the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, measured at NOAA's Mauna Loa Observatory, was about 315 parts per million. Today, that measurement exceeds 390 parts per million.
While the globe experienced relatively warm temperatures in 2012, the continental U.S. endured its warmest year on record by far, according to NOAA, the official keeper of U.S. weather records.
"The U.S. temperatures in the summer of 2012 are an example of a new trend of outlying seasonal extremes that are warmer than the hottest seasonal temperatures of the mid-20th century," GISS director James E. Hansen said. "The climate dice are now loaded. Some seasons still will be cooler than the long-term average, but the perceptive person should notice that the frequency of unusually warm extremes is increasing. It is the extremes that have the most impact on people and other life on the planet."
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The temperature analysis produced at GISS is compiled from weather data from more than 1,000 meteorological stations around the world, satellite observations of sea-surface temperature, and Antarctic research station measurements. A publicly available computer program is used to calculate the difference between surface temperature in a given month and the average temperature for the same place during 1951 to 1980. This three-decade period functions as a baseline for the analysis. The last year that experienced cooler temperatures than the 1951 to 1980 average was 1976.
The GISS temperature record is one of several global temperature analyses, along with those produced by the Met Office Hadley Centre in the United Kingdom and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. These three primary records use slightly different methods, but overall, their trends show close agreement.
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If you?ve ever considered eating a mostly or wholly vegetarian diet, your first hurdle might be figuring out how to rework some of your favorite meals into meatless delights. You might eventually settle on substitutions for some recipes, and say goodbye to other dishes altogether. The links in this article will take you to creative, delicious recipes made to please food-loving vegetarians.
The great news is that either way such a diet change can provide the opportunity to explore cuisines and recipes you would not have considered before making the switch. From hearty veggie sandwiches?to spicy, saucy dishes?to savory, filling casseroles ? the options for vegetarian eating are endless.
And don?t be afraid to get creative! Sometimes, you might make substitutions you?d never expect, and then enjoy those substitutions even more than your normal fare.
Finding a good vegetarian cookbook can help you come up with new ideas and create new dishes ? such as these hearty, familiar recipes from ?Feast: A Tribal Cookbook,? or the more innovative creations from ?Eat Your Vegetables.? Not to mention, you?ve got the world wide web at your fingertips, and a wealth of vegetarian-friendly recipes are just waiting for you to stumble upon them.
Best of all, you don?t need to be a vegetarian to enjoy these recipes ? turning vegetables into a main course instead of a side dish can be a healthy and delicious opportunity for any eater, no matter her dietary preferences.
So, dig your fork into these fantastic recipe ideas, and have fun!
If you wind up cruising in one of American Airlines latest airliners, you'll likely be pleased the WiFi that's also onboard. Gogo recently announced that its Ku-band satellite and peppy ATG-4 internet connectivity will be available on AA's latest Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 deliveries. The mixture ensures you'll be able to get online whether you're over the seas or the connected ground below. You'll find more info in the press release after the break, and expect it all to be available before the earlier part of this year flies by.
After finally completing the long, arduous road back from a left knee injury, Iman Shumpert laid down on the court after Knicks practice and reflected on his comeback. It?s been a long wait for the young guard, who is slated to make his season debut in Thursday?s game in London.
?At the end of the day, I laid on the side court a little bit just taking it all in,? said Shumpert, who hasn?t played since tearing his ACL and meniscus last April 28 in a first-round playoff loss to Miami. ?Coming up in London, my first chance of playing ball again. It?s been a long time, so I was really happy and really in awe that I made it through.
Bill Kostroun
Iman Shumpert
?Obviously, I?m extremely excited. I?ll probably get chills, be a little anxious out there. But I hope to have it settled down and be ready to play.??
One can hardly blame Shumpert for being excited ? or the Knicks, for that matter. Nowhere have the Knicks? defensive frailties been more underscored ? and more mercilessly attacked ? than on the perimeter.
?If he doesn?t have any setbacks, he?ll play Thursday, absolutely,?? coach Mike Woodson said. ?He?s going to help us a lot. He proved that last season for us as a rookie. He brings a lot of energy, and his toughness from a defensive standpoint, man, you just can?t measure that. Sometimes it becomes contagious amongst his peers.
?So we just got to take it slow with him. He?ll be on minute restrictions once he?s back and just kind of go from there. We just can?t rush into his situation. We?ve got to be open-minded to [the fact] he?s coming off major surgery.??
Though Woodson said the Knicks must tighten up their defense in all respects, only six teams have allowed more 3-pointers (7.9 per game) or 3-point attempts (21.9). But at 6-foot-5 ? not counting his Kid ?n Play high-top fade ? the athletic, long-armed Shumpert is tailor-made for just that. Shumpert can defend either guard spot, or even a small forward, and do it in smothering fashion.
?Yeah, I feel like I could help,?? he said. ?I?m pretty good at broken plays, making something out of nothing, and I can apply pressure to guards, both offensively and defensively. So that?s what I?m looking to add.??
As for whether Woodson opts to start him or bring him off the bench, Shumpert insisted he?s just happy to be healthy and playing.
?I don?t really care,? Shumpert said. ?I feel like we?ve got a team that could win a championship ? that?s all I ever wanted. I don?t really care if I start or not. Woody brings J.R. [Smith] off the bench every game, and he?s an All-Star. I don?t really care how [much] I play, just as long as we win.??
As reported Tuesday night on KBOI 2 News, Mike Moroski was officially introduced Wednesday as the 17th head football coach in College of Idaho history.
School president Dr. Marv Henberg brought Moroski to the podium in front of athletic department staff and supporters by saying, "[Moroski] had the privilege of throwing a touchdown pass to Jerry Rice, which ain't half-bad," he quipped.
"I can tell you that other coaches in the Frontier Conference and Northwest Conference who are the main competitors for the type of player we want, don't have coaches who did that."
Moroski spent eight seasons in the NFL before returning to coach at alma mater UC Davis in 1988. He since coached every offensive position, most recently leading the running backs as assistant head coach, and applied to replace Bob Biggs who retired after the 2012 season - a job which eventually went to Ron Gould.
"Sometimes new opportunities are not only better than you think, but better than anything else," Moroski said. "I think here at the College of Idaho, starting the program fits uniquely as very, very special."
The Yotes don't begin play officially until August 30, 2014 but the school has already been contacted by hundreds of potential athletes for more information, athletic director Marty Holly told KBOI-TV.
For Moroski, the chance to mold those 'young men' for critical situations is what stands out about his chosen profession.
"I want to teach guys, train guys and be excellent at the process of X's and O's and motivating - and almost de-emphasize winning and losing," Moroski said Wednesday. "The goal is that young men perform really, really well in the most critical situations, and if you're able to get to that point then good things happen - meaning winning takes care of itself."
Moroski entered the application process after Holly called Boise State coach Chris Petersen for advice. Petersen and Moroski trained together in the final year of Moroski's NFL career and Petersen's senior season at UC Davis, before coaching on the Davis staff together until 1992.
Petersen was unavailable for comment Wednesday, but did offer a statement through the College of Idaho.
?The College of Idaho has made an excellent choice in naming Mike to lead their new program, giving countless Idaho student-athletes an opportunity to play college football for a character-driven teacher of the game,? he said.
Finding an established local football mind for his coaching staff is important, Moroski said. He wants to hit the ground running and be able to connect with the gem state's best football talent immediately.
He'll also play a key role in fundraising for the program, which has raised about $500,000 of the necessary $4 million it will take to get Yotes football on the field in 2014.
"I think he will be an asset," Holly said. "He wants to get involved and you can see he doesn't have an ego. He's likable and that's important in fundraising."
Yotes football will take the field August 30, 2014 in Caldwell's Simplot Stadium as a member of the NAIA's Frontier Conference.
After more than 60 years of being a Lions fan, I?ve decided we do not need any coaches, and we definitely do not need any high-priced players. I?ve seen sandlot players who were much more organized. I think William Clay Ford ought to sell his team and have somebody take it away from Detroit.
-- Springfield Township
I don?t like winter. I don?t like my neighbors disappearing inside. I don?t like the cold and I especially don?t like the dark. For six weeks every year, neighborhoods transform from dark silent streets to magical fairylands with the Christmas decorations brightening our way. I often take my elderly mother and a neighbor driving at night to look at this beautiful sight of light and hope exclaiming, ?Look at that house. Oh, isn?t that pretty.? I?d like to thank everyone who put in the time and effort to make our world a little bit brighter this winter.
-- Waterford Township
Gov. Rick Snyder is going to be a very rich man when he leaves office because of all the favors he?s doing for his big business buddies.
-- Royal Oak?
Concerning the Sandy Hook school shooting: The one person responsible for this whole thing was the mother of the shooter. She bought the guns for the young, mentally ill young man. It?s 100 percent her fault.
Rochester Hills
This is for the caller from Bloomfield Hills who put the words ?Democrat? and ?hypocrite? together. He forgot to point out in that the new words for defining Republicans would be ?wealthy snob.? This person says that because of the unions, he will no longer vote for the school millage. That will hurt no one but the students. The caller also says he will by buy foreign cars because he doesn?t like the unions. Some foreign auto companies are a little slow in recalling defective cars.
-- Davisburg Continued...
I am so sick of hearing that the Democrats did this, the Republicans did that. The election has been over for more than two months now. Stop whining and give it a rest. Get on with your lives. There really is more to life than politics.?
If you?re going to ask the Legislature for heaps of money to send poor children to preschool and otherwise help prepare them for kindergarten, it sure doesn?t hurt to give your coalition a name that pulls at the heart strings.
More than that, however, you have to stockpile the request with research explaining both the children?s needs as well as the gains to the state -- how investing in our kids now means a better future not only for low-income children but also for Minnesota.?
Research like:
Almost 50 percent of Minnesota children start kindergarten unprepared to learn, according to a Minnesota Department of Education study released in spring 2010. That means ?that before age 5, half the state?s future work force ?is already behind the curve.??
Every dollar invested to help children from low-income families receive high-quality early-learning programs means $16 saved down the line because these better-educated youngsters are more likely to graduate from high school and college, more likely to get decent-paying jobs and more likely to stay out of prison, according to a 2003 study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
Presenting a strong argument for a $185.2 million investment over the biennium for the education of low-income 3- and 4-year-old children is exactly what the group MinneMinds ? pronounced minnie-minds ? will do at a gathering today aimed at catching the attention of lawmakers and spotlighting broad support.
The money would come mostly in the form of scholarships and flow directly from state coffers to the high-quality child-care providers or preschools each parent chooses, explains Frank Forsberg, chairman of the MinneMinds Executive Committee and a vice president with Greater Twin Cities United Way.
Eligible would be 3- and 4-year-olds whose families are at or below 185 percent of the poverty line. One hundred percent of poverty, as defined by the federal government, is $23,050 for a family of four, so the program as proposed would include some ?near poor? as well.?
MinneMinds is a statewide coalition of some 40 organizations and other coalitions including nonprofits, educators, business, unions, parents and religious groups.
?We are coming together on a belief that we can invest in our children. We are saying if we support them with this investment they will learn,?? says Barbara Milon, a member of the MinneMinds Executive Committee and executive director of the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center in North Minneapolis.
Joining in their policy proposal presentation are influential legislators, mostly from the power-wielding DFL, but also including Rep. Bud Nornes of Fergus Falls, GOP lead on the Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee.
?In terms of the need, it?s there,?? says Sen. Chuck Wiger, DFL- Maplewood, who chairs the Early Childhood-12 Education Finance Committee. ?At least a part of the request will make it to the finish line.??
Wiger adds that more money for early childhood education for poor children, a group that includes large numbers of children of color, is also supported by state Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. The governor will announce his budget recommendations later this month.
The program would start slowly and ?ramp up,?? Forsberg says, because currently the state does not have enough certified high-quality child-cares and preschools, either center-based or home-based. Expansion of a new quality-rating system for child care and preschool education is helping change the situation.
Early education reaps benefits, Milon stresses. Ninety-eight percent of the ?graduates?? of Wheatley?s Mary T. Wellcome Early Childhood Development in Minneapolis, established in the 1920s, pass kindergarten readiness assessments, compared to much lower readiness rates for other children of color in North Minneapolis who do not have such training, she says.
Milon points to a 2011 report ?from the African American Leadership Forum, which calls for better preschool education opportunities for poor African-American children as one crucial step toward closing the academic achievement gap between races.
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It's now all over for Strikeforce, the regional promotion that grew in size and strength to be a player for a few years in MMA. In their final show, the fighters rose to the occasion to give a memorable final impression. Which ones really stood out?![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 15-Jan-2013
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