A Closer Look

2011: Earth's 11th warmest year; where is the climate headed?

2012-01-27T21:06:00.000-05:00

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2022 Posted by: JeffMasters, 5:22 PM GMT on January 27, 2012 The year 2011 tied with 1997 as the 11th warmest year since records began in 1880, NOAA's National Climatic Data Center said last week. NASA rated 2011 as the 9th warmest on record. Land temperatures were the 8th warmest on record, and ocean temperatures, the 11th

Study: Multitasking hinders youth social skills

2012-01-27T20:44:00.000-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/25/tech/social-media/multitasking-kids/index.html?hpt=hp_bn6 By Mark Milian, CNN updated 8:07 PM EST, Wed January 25, 2012 FaceTime, the Apple video-chat application, is not a replacement for real human interaction, especially for children, according to a new study. Tween girls who spend much of their waking hours switching frantically between YouTube, Facebook,

CEOs rake in huge sums when their companies go bankrupt

2012-01-27T20:20:00.000-05:00

http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/27/10252581-ceos-rake-in-huge-sums-when-their-companies-go-bankrupt Jan. 27, 2012 By Martha C. White When companies go bankrupt, the misery is shared among many: Bond holders are wiped out, retirees see their pensions and benefits vanish, and employees lose their jobs. But some feel no pain at all: CEOs and other top executives of companies that

Low IQ & Conservative Beliefs Linked to Prejudice

2012-01-27T19:53:00.000-05:00

http://news.yahoo.com/low-iq-conservative-beliefs-linked-prejudice-180403506.html By Stephanie Pappas | LiveScience.com – Thu, Jan 26, 2012 There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy. The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced

Innately curious

2012-01-27T19:48:00.000-05:00

from New Scientist Jan. 21-27, 2012 p 27 "Innately curious" "over the last 10 years we have started to see powerful evidence that children might learn language statistically, by unconsciously tabulating patterns in the sentences they hear and using them to generalize to new cases. Children might learn language effortlessly not because they possess innate grammatical rules, but because

Noise pollution pulps squid organs

2012-01-26T20:33:00.000-05:00

New Scientist April 16, 2011 by Andy Coghlan Michel Andre of the Technical University of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain and Angel Gonzalez of the Institute of Marine Investigation in Vigo, Spain found that experiments on squid, cuttlefish, and octopuses strongly suggest their balancing organs are ruined by underwater noise pollution. This leads to their inability to move around, and thus they

US sued over Navy sonar tests in whale waters

2012-01-26T20:27:00.000-05:00

Loud noise has been used as a means of torture. http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/26/10244852-us-sued-over-navy-sonar-tests-in-whale-waters Environmental groups sued the Obama administration on Thursday for granting the Navy permits to test underwater sonar along the West Coast -- and potentially harass up to 650,000 porpoises, seals, dolphins and whales over a five-year period. The

33 whales stranded again off New Zealand, to be killed

2012-01-26T20:24:00.000-05:00

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10236569-33-whales-stranded-again-off-new-zealand-to-be-killed Jan. 25, 2012 Some 33 long-finned pilot whales that were refloated Wednesday off a New Zealand beach with the help of volunteers became stranded again Thursday and will have to be euthanized, officials told TVNZ. “Unfortunately the stranded whales are now also further along the Spit

Dispute over drug in feed limiting US meat exports

2012-01-26T19:43:00.001-05:00

http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/23/10220221-dispute-over-drug-in-feed-limiting-us-meat-exports By Helena Bottemiller Jan. 24, 2012 A drug used to keep pigs lean and boost their growth is jeopardizing the nation’s exports of what once was known as “the other white meat.” The drug, ractopamine hydrochloride, is fed to pigs and other animals right up until slaughter and minute

Wrongfully convicted man awarded $25 million

2012-01-26T19:39:00.000-05:00

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10233263-wrongfully-convicted-man-awarded-25-million By NBCChicago.com Jan. 25, 2012 CHICAGO -- A federal jury has awarded $25 million to a man who sued the City of Chicago after spending 16 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. [...] ..

Brown Fat, Triggered by Cold or Exercise, May Yield a Key to Weight Control

2012-01-26T19:29:00.000-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/25/health/brown-fat-burns-ordinary-fat-study-finds.html?_r=1&smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=HL-E-FB-SM-LIN-BFT-012612-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click By GINA KOLATA Published: January 24, 2012 Fat people have less than thin people. Older people have less than younger people. Men have less than younger women. It is brown fat, actually brown in color, and its great appeal is

Working Long Hours Can Be Depressing, Truly

2012-01-26T19:16:00.000-05:00

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/01/26/145912523/working-long-hours-can-be-depressing-truly?sc=fb&cc=fp by Nancy Shute January 26, 2012 Putting in a lot of of overtime can make a person more vulnerable to depression. You might have guessed that. But now there are some hard numbers, thanks to a study that tracked the health of civil service workers in Great Britain. People who worked 11

At least 14 billion-dollar weather disasters for the U.S. in 2011

2012-01-26T19:10:00.000-05:00

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2021 Posted by: JeffMasters, 3:28 PM GMT on January 26, 2012 The tally of billion-dollar weather disasters in the U.S. during the crazy weather year of 2011 has grown to fourteen, and may reach fifteen, NOAA's National Climatic Data Center announced last week. The fourteen billion-dollar weather disasters in 2011 easily surpass

Monogamy reduces major social problems of polygamist cultures

2012-01-24T21:25:00.001-05:00

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/uobc-mrm012312.php Public release date: 23-Jan-2012 Contact: Basil Waugh University of British Columbia Monogamy reduces major social problems of polygamist cultures In cultures that permit men to take multiple wives, the intra-sexual competition that occurs causes greater levels of crime, violence, poverty and gender inequality than in societies

Diets high in fiber won't protect against diverticulosis

2012-01-24T21:22:00.000-05:00

Fiber in our diets have other health benefits. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/uonc-dhi012312.php Public release date: 23-Jan-2012 Contact: Les Lang University of North Carolina School of Medicine Diets high in fiber won't protect against diverticulosis UNC researchers challenge commonly-held beliefs about the causes of a major intestinal disease CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – For more

PFCs, chemicals in environment, linked to lowered immune response to childhood vaccinations

2012-01-24T21:03:00.000-05:00

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/hsop-pci011912.php Public release date: 24-Jan-2012 Contact: Todd Datz Harvard School of Public Health Boston, MA—A new study finds that perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), widely used in manufactured products such as non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, and fast-food packaging, were associated with lowered immune response to vaccinations in

Georgia judge orders President Obama to appear in court over 'birthers' suit

2012-01-24T21:00:00.000-05:00

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/01/23/136655/georgia-judge-orders-president.html#storylink=omni_popular Posted on Monday, January 23, 2012 By Chuck Williams | The Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer A Georgia judge has ordered President Barack Obama to appear in court in Atlanta Thursday for a hearing on a complaint that says Obama isn’t a natural-born citizen and can’t be president. [...] A

Damning Evidence Emerges In Google-Apple “No Poach” Antitrust Lawsuit

2012-01-24T20:14:00.000-05:00

http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/19/damning-evidence-emerges-in-google-apple-no-poach-antitrust-lawsuit/ Thursday, January 19th, 2012 Next week a class-action civil lawsuit will be heard in San Jose to determine if Google, Apple, Pixar, Lucasfilm, Adobe, Intel, and Intuit conspired to eliminate competition for skilled labor. In anticipation of the hearing, TechCrunch has obtained evidence from the

Look for Northern Lights tonight, Jan.24, 2012

2012-01-24T19:11:00.000-05:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46118390/ns/technology_and_science-space/#.Tx9HC4EzCls updated 2 hours 38 minutes ago A wave of charged particles from an intense solar storm is raising alerts about airline flights and satellite operations — and raising the prospect of stunning auroral displays. [...] As powerful as it is, the storm should have no effect on daily life for most people. "Probably

Who Should Pay for Deficit Reduction?

2012-01-22T20:23:00.000-05:00

http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2012/01/who-should-pay-for-deficit-reduction.html Sunday, January 22, 2012 Richard Green makes an argument for progressive taxes: The banal moderateness of Thomas Friedman, by Richard Green: In his paean to conventional wisdom this morning, the ever so serious Mr Friedman writes: Second, I want to vote for a candidate who is

Damning Evidence Emerges In Google-Apple “No Poach” Antitrust Lawsuit

2012-01-22T20:07:00.000-05:00

A thank you note

2012-01-22T19:23:00.000-05:00

The Limits to Growth - updated 1/22/2012

2012-01-22T18:54:00.001-05:00

See comment from John for link to article with graphs. However, I don't think his arguments against dealing with global warming are valid. He expects economic collapse within a short time, leading to lessening use of fuel, leading to less CO2. I doubt it will be that simple. As he himself points out, economic systems almost always overshoot. And as countries try to deal with the results of such

Child slavery and chocolate: All too easy to find

2012-01-19T20:54:00.000-05:00

http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/19/child-slavery-and-chocolate-all-too-easy-to-find/?hpt=hp_bn2 January 19th, 2012 In "Chocolate's Child Slaves," CNN's David McKenzie travels into the heart of the Ivory Coast to investigate children working in the cocoa fields. (Premieres Friday January 20, 8 p.m. GMT, 9 CET on CNN International.) By David McKenzie and Brent Swails, CNN

Florida Republicans Introduce Bill That Would Keep Privatization A Secret From The People

2012-01-19T20:23:00.000-05:00

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/01/18/florida-republicans-introduce-bill-that-would-keep-privatization-a-secret-from-the-people/ January 18, 2012 By Stephen D. Foster Jr. [...] Florida Republicans are desperate to privatize the prison system in the state, which had been stalled by a judge in Tallahassee. So, they have introduced SB 2036 and SB 2038 to do just that. The measures would allow