Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/193619304?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Acer K330
The Acer K330 ($600 street) is one of the first examples of what's rapidly turning into a new category of projectors. Much like most palmtops, it's built around red, green, and blue LEDs and a DLP chip. However, it's bigger and brighter, with a 500 lumen rating, and it offers a claimed WXGA (1,280 by 800) native resolution. It is, in short, a capable business projector. Acer also touts it as a home entertainment projector that you can set up quickly to watch movies or play games and then store away when you're not using it.
If the overall description sounds familiar, it may be because the K330 is so similar to the Optoma ML500 ($650 street, 3.5 stars), another sub-3 pound, 500 lumen projector. When I reviewed the ML500, I pointed out that both the price and brightness were modest by traditional sub-3 pound micro projector standards, and suggested that you could think of it as a budget priced micro projector. With the K330, and other similar projectors on the way, the budget micro projector is looking more and more like a significant category.
Basics
The K330 weighs 2.9 pounds?a bit more than the ML500 but light enough to carry around without a second thought?and it measures 1.8 by 8.6 by 6.6 inches (HWD). It comes with a soft carrying case that's large enough to hold the projector as well as its cables and credit card size remote.
Setup is standard, with the back panel offering a suitable array of connectors, including a VGA port for a computer or component video, an HDMI port for a computer or video source, and a composite video port. In addition, there are two miniplug jacks for AV input and audio out, both an SDcard slot and a USB Type A port for reading files from a memory card or USB memory key, and a mini USB port for connecting to a computer to transfer files to the 2GB internal memory,
The memory options help add to the projector's portability by letting you leave your computer or video source at home. According to Acer, the K330 can read more than 20 file formats, including PowerPoint, Word, and Excel files (up to Office 2010); PDF files; video files (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and 5 other formats); image files (BMP and JPG); and audio files (MP1, WAV, and 7 more).
Brightness and Data Image Quality
The 500 lumen rating may sound anemic compared to lamp-based portable projectors, like the Editors' Choice NEC Display Solutions NP-M300WS ($1,099 direct, 4 stars), with its 3000 lumen rating. However, perception of brightness is logarithmic, so a 500 lumen image looks much more than one sixth as bright as a 3000 lumen image. As a practical matter, the K330 was bright enough to let me run my tests using the 2-meter (78-inch) wide image size I normally use with standard projectors, rather than the smaller images I wind up with when testing palmtops.
The projector also handled our suite of DisplayMate tests reasonably well. As with the ML500, however, I saw scaling artifacts?unwanted extra patterns added to patterned fills, like an area filled with dots?at the claimed native resolution. This simply shouldn't happen.
Scaling artifacts in an LCD or DLP display show up when the display has to add or drop pixels in an image to make it match the number of pixels in the display. The native resolution is supposed to tell you how many pixels are in the display, which also tells you what image resolution you need to use to avoid scaling. As with the ML500, the artifacts suggest that the K330's native resolution isn't 1,280 by 800. When I asked Acer about the artifacts, a company representative said he would check into them, but as of this writing, he has not offered any explanation for them.
Fortunately, the artifacts show only on images with fills of closely spaced dots or lines over a large area, so they won't be an issue for most people for very many images. However, the scaling is also likely responsible for the slight soft focus that I also noticed with text and fine details. On the plus side, the projector did well on most other tests, with suitably neutral grays indicating good color balance, and vibrant, well saturated colors.
One major surprise is that I saw little to no rainbow effect with data images. Rainbow artifacts are a potential issue for any single-chip DLP projector, because of the way the projectors create color. I'm fairly sensitive to the effect, but with the K330, I didn't see it in data images at all. I saw it in video images, but only occasionally and even then fleetingly enough that I might not have recognized them as rainbow artifacts if I weren't so familiar with the rainbow effect. Unless you're even more sensitive to seeing the rainbows than I am, they simply won't be an issue with the K330.
Video Image quality and Other Issues
Image quality for video is best described as usable. It's not something you'd want for a full-scale home theater, but it's appropriate for the kind of casual home use that Acer suggests the projector can be used for. Note, however, that although the K330 claims support for 3D, it's limited to PC-based 3D only.
The one noteworthy issue I saw besides the occasional rainbow was moderate loss of shadow detail (details based on shading in dark areas). The projector handled skin tones reasonably well, and I didn't see any motion artifacts, posterization (colors changing suddenly where they should change gradually), or other obvious problems.
It's worth mention also that the 2-watt mono speaker is loud enough to fill a small conference room, which is far better than most small projectors can manage. And don't overlook the savings you get on total cost of ownership with an LED light source. The 20,000 hour lifetime means the LEDs will last the life of the projector, so you won't have to shell out any money for replacement bulbs.
The Acer K330's mix of small size, low weight, brightness, and image quality makes it a more than reasonable pick if you need a highly portable projector. It should also be of particular interest to anyone who tends to avoid DLP projectors because of rainbow artifacts. The scaling artifacts keep it from being an Editors' Choice, but even with that problem it's attractive enough that if you're looking for a small but reasonably bright micro projector, the Acer K330 belongs on your short list.
More Projector Reviews:
??? Optoma PT105
??? Dell M110
??? Acer K330
??? Epson PowerLite 96W Multimedia Projector
??? Acer X1261P
?? more
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/DX63FYrTdIA/0,2817,2399514,00.asp
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Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Senegalese pop star Ndour tussles with police (AP)
DAKAR, Senegal ? An Associated Press reporter saw police tussle with international pop star Youssou Ndour, who was pushed back by police when he tried to enter a police station where a leading opposition figure is being detained.
Ndour had come on Saturday to the Criminal Investigation Division as part of a large crowd of opposition supporters who wanted to show their solidarity with Alioune Tine, a well-known human rights activist who is being questioned by police.
Tine was the organizer of a demonstration Friday that turned violent following the decision of Senegal's constitutional court to allow the country's leader to run for a third term. The legal body approved President Abdoulaye Wade's third term bid, even though critics say the constitution allows a maximum of two.
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Exiting watchdog sees flaws in SEC's rulewriting (Reuters)
WASHINGTON, DC (Reuters) ? In his final act before departing the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, the agency's inspector general, David Kotz, criticized how the agency analyzes the economic impact of some of its Dodd-Frank rules.
Kotz's criticism, contained in a report, could have ramifications for the SEC, which has lost several court battles over the years because of flaws in how it demonstrates that the benefits of a rule outweigh its costs.
"We found that the extent of quantitative discussion of cost-benefit analyses varied among rulemakings," Kotz wrote in his report. "Based on our examination of several Dodd-Frank Act rulemakings, the review found that the SEC sometimes used multiple baselines in its cost-benefit analyses that were ambiguous or internally inconsistent."
Last year, U.S. business groups successfully convinced a federal appeals court to overturn one of the SEC's Dodd-Frank rules that aimed to empower shareholders to more easily nominate directors to corporate boards.
In rejecting the rule, the court said the agency failed to properly weigh the economic consequences.
Some of the business groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have since raised similar concerns with other rulemakings pending before the SEC.
Congress passed the Dodd-Frank act in 2010 to more closely police financial markets and institutions after the 2007-2009 financial crisis. The legislation gives the SEC responsibility to write roughly 100 new rules.
Although the SEC is not subject to an express statutory requirement to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of its rules, other laws do require the agency to consider the effects of its rules on capital formation, competition and efficiency.
In addition, the SEC must also follow federal rulemaking procedures, such as providing the public with an opportunity to comment on its proposals.
This is the second report Kotz has issued looking at the quality of the SEC's cost-benefit analysis.
Both reports were issued after certain members of the Senate Banking Committee, including ranking Republican Richard Shelby, voiced concerns about whether regulators were adequately examining the economic impact of Dodd-Frank rules.
To determine how well the SEC is faring, Kotz's office retained Albert Kyle, a finance professor at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, to help carry out the review.
Friday's report covered a sample of Dodd-Frank rulemakings, including a rule allowing shareholders a non-binding vote on compensation, several asset-backed securities rules and two proposals pertaining to the reporting of security-based swap data.
Kotz's report was critical of the agency in a number of areas.
In one instance, the report cites a memo in which former General Counsel David Becker gave his opinion that the SEC should do thorough cost-benefit analyses on rules that are not explicitly required by Congress.
Rules mandated by Congress, however, generally would not need the same level of cost-benefit research, the memo said.
The report suggested that the agency should reconsider these guidelines, or else it risks "not fulfilling the essential purposes of such analyses."
SEC management, in a written response to the report, disagreed with that point.
"We believe Professor Kyle's opinion fails to appreciate both the practical limitations on the scope of cost-benefit a regulator can conduct, and the distinct roles of Congress and administrative agencies," they said.
"We think it is entirely sensible ... for the staff to focus its attention and the commission's limited resources on matters that the commission has the authority to decide."
Kotz made other recommendations, including using a single consistent baseline in the cost-benefit analysis process and having economists provide more input.
SEC spokesman John Nester declined to comment beyond the SEC comments in the report.
(Reporting By Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Steve Orlofsky, Gary Hill)
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Barge Carrying Atlas Rocket Crashes Into Bridge (SPACE.com)
This story was updated at 3:10 p.m. EST.
A barge ferrying an Atlas 5 booster and other rocket parts to their Florida launch site crashed into a Kentucky bridge late Thursday (Jan. 26), but the flight hardware appears to be undamaged, officials say.
The 312-foot (95-meter) cargo ship Delta Mariner smashed into a bridge over the Tennessee River in southwest Kentucky at 9:15 p.m. EST Thursday (0215 GMT Friday), causing a portion of the span to collapse. Though several cars were crossing the bridge at the time, the accident caused no injuries.
The Delta Mariner was carrying one Atlas 5 rocket and several other components from the United Launch Alliance (ULA) factory in Decatur, Ala., to Cape Canaveral, Fla. The flight hardware will be used for two upcoming launches from the Cape, including one slated to blast off April 27.
"The 312-foot vessel was carrying an Atlas booster and Centaur upper stage for the Air Force's Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-2) mission scheduled to launch in April, and an interstage adapter for NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission scheduled to launch in August," ULA officials said in a statement Friday. "There is no schedule impact to either launch date expected at this point."
The rocket parts seem to have survived the accident intact.
"There's no damage to the cargo," said Sam Sacco, spokesman for Foss Marine, the company that owns and operates the Delta Mariner. "Based on what we know right now, there's no real damage to the vessel itself, either."
ULA officials confirmed that assessment. [The World's Tallest Rockets]
"The hardware is well instrumented, and all data from these instruments is being reviewed to confirm that there were no issues," they said.
The Delta Mariner, which was commissioned in 2002, transports flight hardware from ULA's Decatur factory to Cape Canaveral and another launch site, California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. It's capable of carrying up to three common booster cores, which are each as long as a 737 jet's fuselage.
The ship can ply both rivers and the open ocean, and it can navigate waterways as shallow as 9 feet (3 m), according to ULA officials. The trip to Cape Canaveral covers about 2,100 miles (3,380 kilometers) and takes eight to 10 days.
Sacco said the cause of the accident ? which apparently did not result in any fuel spills or other obvious environmental problems ? remains a mystery for now.
"The company's been doing it for over 10 years. Exactly why this happened, I can't tell you," Sacco told SPACE.com. "The Coast Guard will lead an investigation into the cause, and that will be the definitive explanation as to what happened."
The Atlas 5 rocket is an expendable booster that first launched in 2002. Since then, it has logged about two dozen liftoffs, with 100 percent mission success, according to ULA officials. NASA's Curiosity Mars rover blasted off atop an Atlas 5 this past November.
You can follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter: @michaeldwall. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Ukraine's president firm against Tymoshenko (AP)
DAVOS, Switzerland ? Ukraine's president showed no mercy Friday for imprisoned former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, despite increasing fears that her case will hurt his country's struggling economy and its relations with the European Union.
The gas contract with Russia that was the premise for Tymoshenko's conviction "is Ukraine's biggest problem today," President Viktor Yanukovych said at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. He added that he foresaw more judicial troubles for the ex-premier.
Tymoshenko, a bitter rival of the current president, is serving a 7-year sentence on charges of abuse of office in a case the West has condemned as politically motivated. Her family accuses prison authorities of denying her proper medical care.
Tymoshenko was found guilty last year of overstepping her authority while negotiating the natural gas import contract with Russia in 2009. Authorities say the contract was not in Ukraine's economic interest. She charges that Yanukovych has ordered her imprisonment in order to bar her from elections.
Yanukovych's presence at the forum in Davos was aimed at attracting investment from international CEOs at the invitation-only event, but his comments about Tymoshenko did little to soothe concerns about doing business in Ukraine.
Ukraine "cannot hope to attract investment if the law doesn't apply," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said. He told The Associated Press that a landmark cooperation deal between Ukraine and the EU is "dead in the water" as long as Tymoshenko is jailed.
But Tymoshenko's jailing is a dilemma for the EU. Some experts believe the bloc should not be partners with a government that throws opposition leaders in jail. Others say that snubbing Ukraine would push it back under Russia's influence as Kiev is courting Moscow for cheaper natural gas.
Tymoshenko rose to fame during Ukraine's 2004 popular uprising. She became an opposition leader after losing the premiership in 2010.
Yanukovych has made membership in the 27-nation EU a top priority, but exhibited little sign Friday that he was ready to concede on the Tymoshenko case.
The state security service has launched a slew of new criminal investigations against Tymoshenko since her conviction, probes that Yanukovych defended.
"The Ukrainian part of the crimes committed by people who were in one way or another connected to Tymoshenko have not been fully investigated," he said ? adding that the cases will go to court soon.
Yanukovych was cold to efforts to adopt changes to the criminal code that would allow the former prime minister to be freed. "That is up to the parliament," he said. The parliament is dominated by his supporters.
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Friday, January 27, 2012
HBT: Tigers' Cabrera looks amazingly fit
I share Aaron?s dubiousness about Miguel Cabrera playing third base for the Tigers. ?And I laughed during the Prince Fielder press conference when Fielder said this:
?I?m confident in Miguel doing a good job. That?s where he started out, at third base.?
Which is why Chipper Jones will be playing shortstop for the Braves, Jim Thome will be playing third base for the Phillies and Rick Ankiel will be the opening day starter for the Nationals.
But maybe we shouldn?t mock. ?During that press conference, Jim Leyland made an allusion to Miguel Caberea losing weight and being just fine at third base. ?Then a recent picture of Miguel Cabrera ? courtesy of his personal trainer Radhi Muhammad of 4.40 Fitness and Athlete Development?? was forwarded to me. ?Check this out:
Mercy me. Two tickets to the gun show, please!
I have no idea if that translates to better-than-expected play at third base. But I?m just sayin?, maybe we need to revise this whole ?the Tigers infield is fat? thing. Because it doesn?t seem to apply to Miguel Cabrera at the moment.
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Simon Sheaff: Best and Worst of the GOP Presidential Debate
On the campus of the University of North Florida, four men gathered for one last push in the Sunshine State hoping to win the key tiebreaker primary to be held in 4 days. As the UNFL Chamber Singers left the stage after the national anthem, the stage was set for what is surely one of the most decisive debates of the campaign season. A re-established Romney looked for another strong campaign performance in order to solidify his new lead in Florida, while Gingrich's goal was to win a decisive victory in order to re-launch his South Carolinian election. So, who were the winners and losers, and what were the best and worst moments?
Winners:
Mitt Romney
Mitt just needed to not slip up in order to keep his lead in the polls. He managed to fend off Gingrich's blows with ease, such as when Gingrich accused him of owning stock in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Romney was ready, pointing out that he personally does not make his investments, and turning the criticism right back on Gingrich, indicating that Gingrich owns the same stock that he does. He also managed to land a few punches of his own with regards to Gingrich's advertising campaign, which called Romney "the most anti-immigrant candidate," saying that it was distortion and slander.
Rick Santorum
Yup, Santorum managed to make himself heard at this debate. Don't expect him to win (or even take second) in the caucus, but do expect his poll numbers to rise. The most defining moment of the debate for Santorum was when he argued that Romney and Gingrich's attacks on each other had gone too far. He claimed that there was nothing wrong with Gingrich's consulting work for Freddie Mac and that there was nothing wrong with Mitt Romney being wealthy. He scored big points with an audience tired of the same old debate.
Marco Rubio
When asked a question about which Hispanic-Americans the candidates might appoint to their cabinet, each one mentioned Rubio. Gingrich even hinted at a Vice President run for Rubio.
Losers:
Newt Gingrich
Without defining moments to rail against the news media (and his one chance shot down by Romney), Gingrich couldn't seem to get anything started at the debate. His blows were easily parried by Romney, and he took criticism from all sides. Needing a big debate, Gingrich couldn't deliver and that could be the end of his presidential aspirations.
CNN Moderator Wolf Blitzer
Wolf and CNN didn't look good, as the candidates talked about whatever they wanted for however long they wanted. Wolf's inability to control the debates direction was not his only problem. Once again, the debate focused on the two frontrunners -- largely ignoring Rick Santorum and Ron Paul at some points. Wolf even received boos and heckles from the crowed as he would attempt to put the debate back on track, sometimes attempting to prevent candidates from responding to direct attacks against them.
The Candidates Best and Worst
Mitt Romney:
Best: Mitt had a rather average debate performance, not riding as much of a roller coaster as some of the other candidates. His high moment, however, would be his attack against Gingrich's ad campaign. He highlighted exactly what many Americans hate about the political process- the divisive rhetoric
Worst: Santorum managed to pin Romney down on "Romneycare," pointing out that it was incredibly similar to "Obamacare." Mitt's regular excuses would not throw Santorum off and Romney will have to come up with some new answers to the same questions about his time as Governor of Massachusetts
Newt Gingrich:
Best: Gingrich was a big loser at the debate, but he did have some good moments. His plans for space, while drawing some criticism, show that he is still a grandiose candidate who thinks grandiose thoughts. His allusions to JFK and Reagan could serve him well, but probably won't be enough.
Worst: The rest of the debate. Gingrich did not have a strong showing at all, getting trounced by Paul, Romney AND Santorum. Gingrich has learned once again what it means to be a frontrunner in a national election.
Rick Santorum:
Best: Rick's pins on Gingrich and Romney showed that he has the strength to debate as well. Santorum comes out of this debate looking like one of the most reasonable politicians around, especially after his answers regarding human space flight, even in the face of Space Coast voters, and his accusations of flip-flops to the two frontrunners.
Worst: Santorum could have used some more speech time, something he didn't really control. His worst moments were the ones where he was wasting his speech time stumbling over words or repeating himself. If he can clean up his presentation skills, he could transform into a very strong candidate, but probably a little too late.
Ron Paul:
Best: Paul had a better debate than he has previously. He stood aloof from the name calling and attacking, while excellently touting his own ideas. His best moment would have to be when he claimed he could care less about Romney v. Gingrich.
Worst: Paul didn't make many mistakes in this debate. His main problem is not making a huge impact on the debate. Banking on being the only one campaigning in Nevada and Colorado, he distanced himself from the crowd in Florida, meaning he didn't get as strong reactions from the crowd.
These debates, of course, have no technical winners or losers. Each voter decides their own winner and we can see those results at the polls come January 31st. The winner of Florida could easily be the winner of the national primary race and win the chance to face a formidable Barak Obama.
?
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/simon-sheaf/post_2883_b_1235674.html
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
Poachers threaten rare wild-growing Venus flytrap
In a 2009 photo provided by The Nature Conservancy, a Venus flytrap is open, in the Green Swamp Preserve in Brunswick County, N.C. Three Brunswick county residents were arrested Monday, Jan. 24, 2012 charged with poaching Venus flytraps from The Nature Conservancy?s Green Swamp Preserve. The flytraps have been returned safely to their home in the swamp. (AP Photo/The Nature Conservancy, Jodie LaPoint)
In a 2009 photo provided by The Nature Conservancy, a Venus flytrap is open, in the Green Swamp Preserve in Brunswick County, N.C. Three Brunswick county residents were arrested Monday, Jan. 24, 2012 charged with poaching Venus flytraps from The Nature Conservancy?s Green Swamp Preserve. The flytraps have been returned safely to their home in the swamp. (AP Photo/The Nature Conservancy, Jodie LaPoint)
In a 2009 photo provided by The Nature Conservancy, an open Venus flytraps is seen in the Green Swamp Preserve in Brunswick County, N.C. Three Brunswick county residents were arrested Monday, Jan. 24, 2012 and charged with poaching Venus flytraps from The Nature Conservancy?s Green Swamp Preserve. The flytraps have been returned safely to their home in the swamp. (AP Photo/The Nature Conservancy,Skip Pudney)
In a 2009 photo provided by The Nature Conservancy, an open Venus flytraps is seen in the Green Swamp Preserve in Brunswick County, N.C. Three Brunswick county residents were arrested Monday, Jan. 24, 2012 and charged with poaching Venus flytraps from The Nature Conservancy?s Green Swamp Preserve. The flytraps have been returned safely to their home in the swamp. (AP Photo/The Nature Conservancy,Skip Pudney)
In a Monday, Jan. 24, 2012 photo provided by The Nature Conservancy, The Conservancy?s Chuy Elguezebal replants a poached Venus flytrap in the Green Swamp Preserve in Brunswick County, N.C. Three Brunswick county residents were arrested Monday and charged with poaching Venus flytraps from The Nature Conservancy?s Green Swamp Preserve. The flytraps have been returned safely to their home in the swamp. (AP Photo/The Nature Conservancy, Connor Coleman)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) ? The Venus flytrap's precarious survival in the wild along the coast of the Carolinas faces an added threat from poachers looking to cash in by uprooting and selling them.
Three people were arrested this week and charged with uprooting an endangered species without permission, a misdemeanor. North Carolina wildlife enforcement officer Matt Criscoe says they took about 200 of the bug-eating plants, which they expected to sell for about 10 cents apiece.
"One of the females told us, 'Times are tough; we need some money,'" Criscoe said Wednesday. "That could be the case or it's just an easy way to make money."
Those prices are well below the 25 cents per plant poachers have pocketed in recent years for Venus flytraps yanked from the sandy coastal soil, said spokeswoman Debbie Crane of the state chapter of the nonprofit group The Nature Conservancy. The plant's only wild habitat is in areas within 100 miles of the coast of North Carolina and South Carolina
Once the plants pass through the hands of middlemen and unscrupulous business operators, they can sell for as much as $15 each at roadside stands and on Internet sites, Crane said.
"The people who are poaching them aren't making a whole lot of money," Crane said. "There's a huge market for them. The problem is most people, once they get them, they die because they don't know how to grow them. ... You can't fertilize them. They grow in really horrible soil; they're getting their fertilization from dissolving insects."
The plant's survival is precarious because its habitat includes highly desired coastal real estate. Wildfires, which actually spur the plant's growth, have also been tamped down to protect people and property.
Flytraps are especially popular overseas, and they're increasingly used for medicinal purposes.
Each year, poachers in North Carolina look to cash in by ripping up wild ginseng, galax, Venus flytraps and insect-eating pitcher plants. Yet the perennial problem is only lightly punished. The state legislature last summer increased the penalties from $10 to $25 and required flytrap dealers to get state permits.
"Unfortunately, they're doing it quite a bit down here," Criscoe said.
Wildlife officers issue 10 to 20 citations per year against poachers taking Venus flytraps, state Wildlife Resources Commission spokesman Geoff Cantrell said.
Charged this week were Joyce Whaley, 71; her nephew Kasey Whaley, 31; and his wife Elizabeth Whaley, 27, all of Shallotte, Criscoe said. They were cited for uprooting an endangered species without permission, a misdemeanor that carries a $25 penalty. None of the three returned calls seeking comment Wednesday.
Wildlife officers turned over the palm-sized plants to The Nature Conservancy, which operates the swampy preserve from which where they were taken, and they were replanted.
___
Emery Dalesio can be reached at http://twitter.com/emerydalesio
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Obama to take on economy in State of the Union
FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2012, file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington. President Barack Obama commands center stage in a political year so far dominated by Republican infighting, preparing to deliver a State of the Union address that will go right to the heart of Americans' economic anxiety and try to sway voters to give him four more years in office. He is expected to urge higher taxes on the wealthy, propose steps to make college more affordable and offer new remedies for the still worrisome housing crisis. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2012, file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington. President Barack Obama commands center stage in a political year so far dominated by Republican infighting, preparing to deliver a State of the Union address that will go right to the heart of Americans' economic anxiety and try to sway voters to give him four more years in office. He is expected to urge higher taxes on the wealthy, propose steps to make college more affordable and offer new remedies for the still worrisome housing crisis. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Addressing a divided nation amid a determined GOP campaign to take his job, President Barack Obama is preparing to issue a populist cry for economic fairness as he aims to corral the sympathies of middle-class voters 10 months before Election Day.
Obama delivers his third State of the Union address Tuesday in a capital and country shot through with politics, with his re-election campaign well under way and his potential GOP opponents lobbing attacks against him daily as they scrap for the right to take him on.
Obama's 9 p.m. EST address to a joint session of Congress and millions of television viewers will be as much as anything an argument for his re-election, the president's biggest, best chance so far to offer a vision for a second term.
Senior political adviser David Plouffe said Tuesday morning the president is "happy to have a debate" about his performance.
Bill Galston, a former Clinton administration domestic policy adviser now at the Brookings Institution, said, "Almost by definition it's going to be at least as much a political speech as a governing speech."
"The president must run on his record," Galston said, "and that means talking candidly and persuasively with the country about the very distinctive nature of the challenges the American economy faced when he took office and what has gone right for the past three years, and what needs to be done in addition."
With economic anxiety showing through everywhere, the speech will focus on a vision for restoring the middle class, with Obama facing the tricky task of persuading voters to stick with him even as joblessness remains high at 8.5 percent. Obama can point to positive signs, including continued if sluggish growth; his argument will be that he is the one to restore economic equality for middle-class voters.
Implicit in the argument, even if he never names frontrunners Gingrich and Mitt Romney, is that they are on the other side.
Obama's speech will come as Gingrich and Romney have transformed the Republican campaign into a real contest ahead of Florida's crucial primary next week. And he'll be speaking on the same day that Romney, a multimillionaire, released his tax returns, offering a vivid illustration of wealth that could play into Obama's argument about the growing divide between rich and poor.
Asked in an interview Tuesday about Romney's relatively modest tax rate in the range of 15 percent, given that he's a multi-millionaire, Plouffe said, "We need to change our tax system. We need to change our tax code so that everybody is doing their fair share."
Obama will frame the campaign to come as a fight for fairness for those who are struggling to keep a job, a home or college savings and losing faith in how the country works.
The speech will feature the themes of manufacturing, clean energy, education and American values. The president is expected to urge higher taxes on the wealthy, propose ways to make college more affordable, offer new steps to tackle a debilitating housing crisis and push to help U.S. manufacturers expand hiring.
Aides said the president would also outline more specifics about the so-called "Buffett Rule", which Obama has previously said would establish a minimum tax on people making $1 million or more in income. The rule was named after billionaire Warren Buffett, who has said it is unfair that his secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does.
White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said on Twitter Tuesday that Buffett's secretary, Debbie Bosanek, would attend the State of the Union in the first lady's box.
For three days following his speech, Obama will promote his ideas in five states key to his re-election bid. On Wednesday he'll visit Iowa and Arizona to promote ideas to boost American manufacturing; on Thursday in Nevada and Colorado he'll discuss energy; and in Michigan Friday he'll talk about college affordability, education and training. Polling shows Americans are divided about Obama's overall job performance but unsatisfied with his handling of the economy.
The lines of argument between Obama and his rivals are already stark, with America's economic insecurity and the role of government at the center.
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., chairman of the House Budget Committee, said that Obama "can't run on his record."
The president has offered signals about his speech, telling campaign supporters he wants an economy "that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few." Gingrich, on the other hand, calls Obama "the most effective food stamp president in history." Romney says Obama "wants to turn America into a European-style entitlement society."
Obama will make bipartisan overtures to lawmakers but will leave little doubt he will act without their help when it's necessary and possible, an approach his aides say has let him stay on offense.
The public is more concerned about domestic troubles over foreign policy than at any other time in the past 15 years, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center. Some 81 percent want Obama to focus his speech on domestic affairs, not foreign ones; just five years ago, the view was evenly split.
On the day before Obama's speech, his campaign released a short Web ad showing monthly job losses during the end of the Bush administration and the beginning of the Obama administration, with positive job growth for nearly two Obama years. Republicans assail him for failing to achieve a lot more.
House Speaker John Boehner, responding to reports of Obama's speech themes, said it was a rehash of unhelpful policies. "It's pathetic," he said.
Presidential spokesman Jay Carney said Monday that Obama is not conceding the next 10 months to "campaigning alone" when people need economic help. On the goals of helping people get a fair shot, Carney said, "There's ample room within those boundaries for bipartisan cooperation and for getting this done."
Plouffe appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" with Ryan and Plouffe also was interviewed on NBC's "Today" show and "CBS This Morning."
___
AP White House Correspondent Ben Feller contributed to this report.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Altitude sickness causes Tracy Morgan Sundance collapse (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? "30 Rock" actor Tracy Morgan collapsed at the Sundance film festival over the weekend and is being treated for exhaustion and altitude sickness, his publicist said on Monday.
Spokesman Lewis Kay said initial reports that Morgan was drunk were untrue.
"From a combination of exhaustion and altitude, Tracy is seeking medical attention. He is with his fiance and grateful to the Park City Medical Center for their care. Any reports of Tracy consuming alcohol are 100% false," Kay said in a statement.
Morgan, 43, was taken to the hospital in Park City, Utah, on Sunday while attending a charity event during the annual Sundance film festival in the ski resort.
The actor's new comedy "Predisposed" is one of the dozens of films at the festival, which champions independent movies.
(Reporting By Jill Serjant)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/tv_nm/us_tracymorgan
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Reno fire that claimed 29 homes is contained
RENO, Nev.?? Rain and snow helped firefighters surround a brush fire that destroyed 29 homes and forced thousands to flee near Reno, leading officials to declare the blaze contained early Saturday and lift all remaining evacuations.
Fueled by hurricane force winds, the blaze burned nearly 3,200 acres with flames as high as 40 feet. The break in the weather for firefighters arrived with calmer winds on Friday, allowing crews to gain the upper hand on a blaze Gov. Brian Sandoval described as "horrendous."
"There is nothing left in some of those places except for the chimneys and fireplaces," he said in a tour of the area Friday.
The next challenge for emergency workers may be a storm in the Sierra Nevada, which for many brings welcome snow and rain amid one of the Reno's driest winters in more than a century but could create headaches for officials who fear its potential for causing flooding in burned areas.
Authorities say an "extremely remorseful" elderly man admitted to accidentally starting the fire Thursday when he improperly discarded fireplace ashes at his home south of town.
Investigators already had tracked the origin of the fire that raged south of Reno to a location in East Lake on the north end of the Washoe Valley, where the man lives about 20 miles south of downtown Reno.
"He came forward on his own accord," Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said. "He has given statements to our investigators as well as law enforcement officers. He is extremely remorseful."
Washoe County Sheriff Mike Haley said a formal case file will be forwarded to the district attorney next week for consideration of charges.
In addition to the potential for facing jail time on arson charges, the man could also be ordered to pay the cost of fighting the fire, which already totals $690,000.
Washoe County Manager Katy Simon said she expects the final bill to run into the millions of dollars.
The blaze started shortly after noon Thursday and, fueled by the wind, mushroomed to more than 6 square miles before firefighters stopped its surge toward Reno.
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The strong, erratic winds caused major challenges for crews evacuating residents, Sierra Front spokesman Mark Regan said. "In a matter of seconds, the wind would shift," he said.
The sheriff confirmed that the body of June Hargis, 93, was found in the fire's aftermath, but her cause of death has not been established, so it's not known if it was fire related.
Jeannie Watts, the woman's 70-year-old daughter, told KRNV-TV that Hargis' grandson telephoned her to tell her to evacuate but she didn't get out in time.
Fire officials said Thursday's fire was "almost a carbon copy" of a blaze that destroyed 30 homes in Reno during similar summer-like conditions in mid-November.
"There was fire in front of me, fire beside me, fire behind me. It was everywhere," said Connie Cryer, who was relieved to learn Friday that her home survived the flames. "I don't know how more didn't burn up. It was terrible, all the wind and the smoke."
She had seen wildfires before, but nothing on this scale.
State Forester Pete Anderson said he has not seen such hazardous fire conditions in winter in his 43 years in Nevada. Reno had no precipitation in December. The last time that happened was 1883.
An inch of snow Monday ended the longest recorded dry spell in Reno history, a 56-day stretch that prompted Anderson to issue an unusual warning about wildfire threats in a fire season that has stretched well past the usual endpoint of November.
Kit Bailey, U.S. Forest Service fire chief at nearby Lake Tahoe, said conditions are so dry that even a forecast calling for rain and snow might not take the Reno-Tahoe area out of fire danger.
"The scary thing is a few days of drying after this storm cycle and we could be back into fire season again," he said.
___
Associated Press writers Scott Sonner in Reno, Michelle Rindels in Las Vegas and Sandra Chereb in Carson City contributed to this report.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46083729/ns/us_news-life/
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Bulls rise without Rose for big win in Cleveland (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? The league-leading Bulls shrugged off the absence of Derrick Rose to outclass the Cavaliers 114-75 on Friday, handing Cleveland their worst home loss in franchise history as Chicago continued to dominate on the road.
C.J. Watson scored 15 points and added seven assists in place of the injured league MVP Rose, who missed his third consecutive game with a strained big toe.
"C.J. is making us play with pace and is doing a great job of running the team," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters.
"And our wings are doing a good job of running the floor and running through. That's allowing Carlos (Boozer) to get deep post ups in transition before the defense is set."
Chicago (14-3) seized control of the contest following a timeout late in the first quarter with the scores tied at 23-23, setting off on a 15-3 run that took the game away from the hosts.
"They did a great job defensively of making every shot we took pretty tough," Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson said.
"We definitely have to fight a lot harder. We can't just allow it to keep going down. At some point, you have to push back."
Luol Deng led Chicago with 21 points while Boozer scored 19 and added 14 rebounds before the Bulls starters sat down early with the win that improved their road record to 8-3 already assured.
"We have 10, 11 guys who can really play," said Kyle Korver, who led the Bulls reserves with 14 points.
"In a season like this, guys are going to get hurt. Obviously, we'd prefer Derrick playing. But there's no reason for him to be out here playing hurt."
Anderson Varejao, with 14 points, and Kyrie Irving, 13, were the only two Cavaliers (6-8) to reach double digits.
The 39-point margin is four more than the previous heaviest defeats for the Cavs in Cleveland, set in 1990 and matched in 2001.
(Reporting by Mike Mouat in Windsor, Ontario; Editing by John O'Brien)
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[OOC] Tainted Shadows part one
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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Tainted Shadows part one?. Anything posted here will also show up there.Topic Tags:
Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.Not sure if we can reserve characters, but if so, I would like to reserve a female teen position. I will be posting a character profile in a few hours
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Sunday, January 22, 2012
Syria: Mass protest in opposition-controlled town
Syrian army defectors stand guard in front of closed shops at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border, on Friday Jan. 20, 2012. President Bashar Assad's forces attacked Zabadani, some 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of the capital, for six days, sparking fierce fighting that involved heavy bombardments and clashes with army defectors. On Wednesday, government tanks and armored vehicles pulled back, leaving the opposition in control of the town. Buoyed by the opposition's control of a town near the Syrian capital, thousands of people held anti-government protests Friday, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country, activists said. (AP Photo)
Syrian army defectors stand guard in front of closed shops at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border, on Friday Jan. 20, 2012. President Bashar Assad's forces attacked Zabadani, some 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of the capital, for six days, sparking fierce fighting that involved heavy bombardments and clashes with army defectors. On Wednesday, government tanks and armored vehicles pulled back, leaving the opposition in control of the town. Buoyed by the opposition's control of a town near the Syrian capital, thousands of people held anti-government protests Friday, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country, activists said. (AP Photo)
Syrian army defectors gather at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border, on Friday Jan. 20, 2012. President Bashar Assad's forces attacked Zabadani, some 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of the capital, for six days, sparking fierce fighting that involved heavy bombardments and clashes with army defectors. On Wednesday, government tanks and armored vehicles pulled back, leaving the opposition in control of the town. Buoyed by the opposition's control of a town near the Syrian capital, thousands of people held anti-government protests Friday, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country, activists said. (AP Photo)
A Syrian army defector stand guards in front of closed shops at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border, on Friday Jan. 20, 2012. President Bashar Assad's forces attacked Zabadani, some 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of the capital, for six days, sparking fierce fighting that involved heavy bombardments and clashes with army defectors. On Wednesday, government tanks and armored vehicles pulled back, leaving the opposition in control of the town. Buoyed by the opposition's control of a town near the Syrian capital, thousands of people held anti-government protests Friday, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country, activists said. (AP Photo)
Anti-Syrian regime protesters hold up placards with the names of opposition detainees during a demonstration at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border, on Friday Jan. 20, 2012. President Bashar Assad's forces attacked Zabadani, some 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of the capital, for six days, sparking fierce fighting that involved heavy bombardments and clashes with army defectors. On Wednesday, government tanks and armored vehicles pulled back, leaving the opposition in control of the town. Buoyed by the opposition's control of a town near the Syrian capital, thousands of people held anti-government protests Friday, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country, activists said. (AP Photo)
Anti-Syrian regime protesters gather at a square as they hold an Arabic banner, center, reading, "hey, the miserable, the tyrant, what else," during a demonstration at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border, on Friday Jan. 20, 2012. President Bashar Assad's forces attacked Zabadani, some 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of the capital, for six days, sparking fierce fighting that involved heavy bombardments and clashes with army defectors. On Wednesday, government tanks and armored vehicles pulled back, leaving the opposition in control of the town. Buoyed by the opposition's control of a town near the Syrian capital, thousands of people held anti-government protests Friday, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country, activists said. (AP Photo)
BEIRUT (AP) ? Buoyed by the opposition's control of a town near the Syrian capital, thousands of people held anti-government protests Friday, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country, activists said.
In Egypt, two Arab League officials said the organization is likely to extend its observer mission in Syria, despite complaints from the Syrian opposition that it has failed to curb the bloodshed in the country.
One of the largest demonstrations Friday was in the mountain town of Zabadani, where some 12,000 people took to the streets to celebrate their success in repelling government troops.
President Bashar Assad's forces attacked Zabadani, some 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of the capital, for six days, sparking fierce fighting that involved heavy bombardments and clashes with army defectors. On Wednesday, government tanks and armored vehicles pulled back, leaving the opposition in control of the town.
"It's a natural reaction to the victory in Zabadani, it has lifted people's morale," an activist in the town said of Friday's demonstration. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
The Syrian opposition has on several occasions throughout the uprising gained control of a town or city, but ultimately forces loyal to Assad have retaken them. It is unusual, however, for the army to take so long to recapture a town so close to the capital.
Arab countries and the West have so far failed to reach any consensus on how to counter the regime crackdown which, along with other violence, has left an estimated 5,400 people dead over the past 10 months.
Foreign ministers for the Arab League were set to meet Sunday in Cairo to discuss the future of a one-month observer mission aimed at halting violence in Syria, which expired on Thursday.
Two senior officials in the 22-member pan-Arab body said the discussions are leaning toward keeping the 150-member mission in place because the time is not right for "escalation" and the international community is not yet ready for intervention in Syria.
They said several League members opposed to the extension of the mission had changed their position in recent days. The officials agreed to talk about the discussions ahead of the Sunday meeting on condition of anonymity.
Activists have said that the Arab observers have failed to curb the bloodshed. Many in the Syrian opposition have called for the dispatch of foreign troops to Syria to create safe zones for dissidents, or even a more wide-ranging military mission similar to the air campaign which helped Libyan rebels bring down dictator Moammar Gadhafi last year.
Qatar, a harsh critic of the Syrian crackdown on protesters, called last week for Arab troops to be sent to the country.
Syria has said it "absolutely rejects" any plans to deploy Arab troops to the country, while Russia Wednesday threatened to block any U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force.
One League official disputed that the observer mission had failed. He said the 150 observers have helped to "break the barrier of fear," especially in and around the capital Damascus. Some Arab League officials have said that the ministers meeting on Sunday may decide to double that number to 300 observers.
Human Rights Watch urged the Arab League to make its monitors' report public "to address increasing concerns that its monitoring mission is being manipulated by the Syrian authorities."
Syria's regime has grown increasingly isolated over the past 10 months as it waged a brutal military crackdown on an anti-government uprising inspired by the Arab Spring revolts across the region.
Oil Minister Sufian Allaw said Thursday that Western sanctions on Syrian oil exports have cost the country $2 billion since September.
Activists said that least eight people were killed in Syria Friday, including six activists in two villages in the country's northern Idlib province and a warrant officer whose body was found dumped in the street in the southern city of Daraa after he had been kidnapped from his home earlier.
The Local Coordination Committees activist network accused pro-regime forces of the warrant officer's killing and said he had been helping the opposition.
Thousands of regime opponents protested across the country following Muslim prayers Friday, some of them calling for the withdrawal of the observers.
"Arab League, your hands are now soiled with the blood of Syrians," said one banner carried by protesters in a Damascus neighborhood, a video of which was posted on the Internet.
In addition to Zabadani, some of the largest protests were held in the Damascus suburb of Douma, another hub of regime dissent. Activists said around 20,000 people demonstrated there.
Protesters also called for the release of thousands of detainees, denouncing an amnesty declared by Assad on Sunday for "crimes" committed during the 10-month uprising. His government blames the violence in Syria on terrorists and armed gangs that it claims are part of a foreign conspiracy to destabilize the country.
Many in the opposition say the amnesty is merely a media smoke screen.
Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the Observatory, said about 4,000 detainees were released this week, many of them on bail and pending trial. But he said 20,000 more were believed to be detention, not counting thousands of soldiers who were imprisoned for trying to desert.
"It was an amnesty for the media, nothing more" he said.
___
El Deeb reported from Cairo, Egypt.
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Saturday, January 21, 2012
NASA finds 2011 ninth-warmest year on record
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Public release date: 19-Jan-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Leslie McCarthy
leslie.m.mccarthy@nasa.gov
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NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
The global average surface temperature in 2011 was the ninth warmest since 1880, according to NASA scientists. The finding continues a trend in which nine of the 10 warmest years in the modern meteorological record have occurred since the year 2000.
NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, which monitors global surface temperatures on an ongoing basis, released an updated analysis that shows temperatures around the globe in 2011 compared 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 around the globe in 2011 was 0.92 degrees F (0.51 C) warmer than the mid-20th century baseline.
"We know the planet is absorbing more energy than it is emitting," said GISS Director James E. Hansen. "So we are continuing to see a trend toward higher temperatures. Even with the cooling effects of a strong La Nia influence and low solar activity for the past several years, 2011 was one of the 10 warmest years on record."
The difference between 2011 and the warmest year in the GISS record (2010) is 0.22 degrees F (0.12 C). This underscores the emphasis scientists put on the long-term trend of global temperature rise. Because of the large natural variability of climate, scientists do not expect temperatures to rise consistently year after year. However, they do expect a continuing temperature rise over decades.
The first 11 years of the 21st century experienced notably higher temperatures compared to the middle and late 20th century, Hansen said. The only year from the 20th century in the top 10 warmest years on record is 1998.
Higher temperatures today are largely sustained by increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. These gases absorb infrared radiation emitted by Earth and release that energy into the atmosphere rather than allowing it to escape to space. As their atmospheric concentration has increased, the amount of energy "trapped" by these gases has led to higher temperatures.
The carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere was about 285 parts per million in 1880, when the GISS global temperature record begins. By 1960, the average concentration had risen to about 315 parts per million. Today it exceeds 390 parts per million and continues to rise at an accelerating pace.
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 resulting temperature record is very close to analyses 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.
Hansen said he expects record-breaking global average temperature in the next two to three years because solar activity is on the upswing and the next El Nio will increase tropical Pacific temperatures. The warmest years on record were 2005 and 2010, in a virtual tie.
"It's always dangerous to make predictions about El Nio, but it's safe to say we'll see one in the next three years," Hansen said. "It won't take a very strong El Nio to push temperatures above 2010."
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 19-Jan-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Leslie McCarthy
leslie.m.mccarthy@nasa.gov
212-678-5507
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
The global average surface temperature in 2011 was the ninth warmest since 1880, according to NASA scientists. The finding continues a trend in which nine of the 10 warmest years in the modern meteorological record have occurred since the year 2000.
NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, which monitors global surface temperatures on an ongoing basis, released an updated analysis that shows temperatures around the globe in 2011 compared 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 around the globe in 2011 was 0.92 degrees F (0.51 C) warmer than the mid-20th century baseline.
"We know the planet is absorbing more energy than it is emitting," said GISS Director James E. Hansen. "So we are continuing to see a trend toward higher temperatures. Even with the cooling effects of a strong La Nia influence and low solar activity for the past several years, 2011 was one of the 10 warmest years on record."
The difference between 2011 and the warmest year in the GISS record (2010) is 0.22 degrees F (0.12 C). This underscores the emphasis scientists put on the long-term trend of global temperature rise. Because of the large natural variability of climate, scientists do not expect temperatures to rise consistently year after year. However, they do expect a continuing temperature rise over decades.
The first 11 years of the 21st century experienced notably higher temperatures compared to the middle and late 20th century, Hansen said. The only year from the 20th century in the top 10 warmest years on record is 1998.
Higher temperatures today are largely sustained by increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. These gases absorb infrared radiation emitted by Earth and release that energy into the atmosphere rather than allowing it to escape to space. As their atmospheric concentration has increased, the amount of energy "trapped" by these gases has led to higher temperatures.
The carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere was about 285 parts per million in 1880, when the GISS global temperature record begins. By 1960, the average concentration had risen to about 315 parts per million. Today it exceeds 390 parts per million and continues to rise at an accelerating pace.
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 resulting temperature record is very close to analyses 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.
Hansen said he expects record-breaking global average temperature in the next two to three years because solar activity is on the upswing and the next El Nio will increase tropical Pacific temperatures. The warmest years on record were 2005 and 2010, in a virtual tie.
"It's always dangerous to make predictions about El Nio, but it's safe to say we'll see one in the next three years," Hansen said. "It won't take a very strong El Nio to push temperatures above 2010."
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/nsfc-nf2011912.php
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