Many to be powerless for days after Northeast snow

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.?? A snowstorm with a ferocity more familiar in February than October socked the Northeast over the weekend, knocking out power to 2.3 million, snarling air and highway travel and dumping more than 2 feet of snow in a few spots as it slowly moved north out of New England. Officials warned it could be days before many see electricity restored.

The combination of heavy, wet snow, leaf-laden trees and frigid, gusting winds brought down limbs and power lines. At least three deaths were blamed on the weather, and states of emergency were declared in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and parts of New York.

"If you are without power, you should expect to be without power for a prolonged period of time," Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Saturday night.

The storm worsened as it moved north, and communities in western Massachusetts were among the hardest hit. Snowfall totals topped 27 inches in Plainfield, and nearby Windsor had gotten 26 inches by early Sunday.

"It's a little startling. I mean, it's only October," said Craig Brodur, who was playing keno with a friend at Northampton Convenience in western Massachusetts.

Story: Snow cancels NY, Philly flights, makes road travel treacherous

Along the coast and in such cities as Boston, relatively warm water temperatures helped keep snowfall totals much lower. Washington received a trace of snow, tying a 1925 record for the date. New York City's Central Park set a record for both the date and the month of October with 1.3 inches of snow.

Some inland towns got more than a foot of snow. West Milford, N.J., about 45 miles northwest of New York City, saw 19 inches by early Sunday.

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New Jersey's largest electric and gas utility, PSE&G, warned customers to prepare for "potentially lengthy outages" and advised power might not be fully restored until Wednesday. More than 600,000 lost electricity in the state, including Gov. Chris Christie.

The storm came on a busy weekend for many, with trick-or-treaters going door-to-door in search of Halloween booty, hunting season opening in some states and a full slate of college and pro football scheduled.

More than 22 inches fell in New Hampshire's capital of Concord, weeks ahead of the usual first measurable snowfall.

See story and video at nbcnewyork.com

Elsewhere in northern New England, the unofficial arrival of winter was a boon for some. Two Vermont ski resorts, Killington and Mount Snow, started the ski season early by opening one trail each over the weekend, and Maine's Sunday River ski resort also opened for the weekend.

The severity of the storm caught many by surprise.

"This is absolutely a lot more snow than I expected to see today. I can't believe it's not even Halloween and it's snowing already," Carole Shepherd of Washington Township, N.J., said after shoveling her driveway.

Residents were urged to avoid travel altogether. Speed limits were reduced on bridges between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. A few roads closed because of accidents and downed trees and power lines, and more were expected, said Sean Brown, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Video: October snow blankets Northeast (on this page)

Two of the airports serving New York City, Newark Liberty and Kennedy, had hours-long delays Saturday, as did Philadelphia's airport. Amtrak suspended service between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa., and commuter trains in Connecticut and New York were delayed or suspended because of downed trees and signal problems.

Philadelphia saw mostly rain, but the snow that did fall coated downtown roofs in white.

In southeastern Pennsylvania, an 84-year-old man was killed when a snow-laden tree fell on his home while he was napping in his recliner. In Connecticut, the governor said one person died in a Colchester traffic accident that he blamed on slippery conditions.

Slideshow: Editorial cartoonists poke fun at snow so soon (on this page)

And a 20-year-old man in Springfield, Mass., stopped when he saw police and firefighters examining downed wires and stepped in the wrong place and was electrocuted, Capt. William Collins said.

Parts of New York saw a mix of snow, rain and slush that made for sheer misery at the Occupy Wall Street encampment in New York City, where drenched protesters hunkered down in tents and under tarps as the plaza filled with rainwater and melted snow.

PhotoBlog: Brrr! Occupy Wall Street protesters brace for cold weather

Technically, tents are banned in the park, but protesters say authorities have been looking the other way, even despite a crackdown on generators that were keeping them warm.

Nick Lemmin, 25, of Brooklyn, was spending his first night at the encampment. He was one of a handful of protesters still at the park early Sunday.

"I had to come out and support," he said. "The underlying importance of this is such that you have to weather the cold."

Video: Storms, drought brings poor pumpkin crop (on this page)

Adash Daniel, 24, is a protester who had been at the park for three weeks. He had a sleeping bag and cot that he was going to set up, but changed his mind.

"I'm not much good to this movement if I'm shivering," he said as he left the park.

October snowfall is rare in New York, and Saturday marked just the fourth October day with measurable snowfall in Central Park since record-keeping began 135 years ago, the National Weather Service said.

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45093724/ns/weather/

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In Kabul, a bowling center offers respite from war

In this Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 photo, Meena Rahmani, 26, owner of The Strikers, the country's first bowling center, holds a bowling ball in Kabul, Afghanistan. In an Afghan capital scarred by years of war, a young Afghan woman has bet $1 million that the country could use a chance to have a bit of fun _ by bowling. Located just down the street from Kabul's glitziest mall, Meena Rahmani opened Afghanistan's first bowling alley, offering a place where Afghan men, women and families can gather, relax, bowl a few games and not be burdened by the social, religious and cultural restrictions that govern daily life in the impoverished country.(AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 photo, Meena Rahmani, 26, owner of The Strikers, the country's first bowling center, holds a bowling ball in Kabul, Afghanistan. In an Afghan capital scarred by years of war, a young Afghan woman has bet $1 million that the country could use a chance to have a bit of fun _ by bowling. Located just down the street from Kabul's glitziest mall, Meena Rahmani opened Afghanistan's first bowling alley, offering a place where Afghan men, women and families can gather, relax, bowl a few games and not be burdened by the social, religious and cultural restrictions that govern daily life in the impoverished country.(AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 photo, Afghan men play at the Strikers, the country's first bowling center, in Kabul, Afghanistan. In an Afghan capital scarred by years of war, a young Afghan woman has bet $1 million that the country could use a chance to have a bit of fun _ by bowling. Located just down the street from Kabul's glitziest mall, Meena Rahmani opened Afghanistan's first bowling alley, offering a place where Afghan men, women and families can gather, relax, bowl a few games and not be burdened by the social, religious and cultural restrictions that govern daily life in the impoverished country.(AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 photo, an Afghan man plays at the Strikers, the country's first bowling center, in Kabul, Afghanistan. In an Afghan capital scarred by years of war, a young Afghan woman has bet $1 million that the country could use a chance to have a bit of fun _ by bowling. Located just down the street from Kabul's glitziest mall, Meena Rahmani opened Afghanistan's first bowling alley, offering a place where Afghan men, women and families can gather, relax, bowl a few games and not be burdened by the social, religious and cultural restrictions that govern daily life in the impoverished country.(AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 photo, Afghan men play at the Strikers, the country's first bowling center, in Kabul, Afghanistan. In an Afghan capital scarred by years of war, a young Afghan woman has bet $1 million that the country could use a chance to have a bit of fun _ by bowling. Located just down the street from Kabul's glitziest mall, Meena Rahmani opened Afghanistan's first bowling alley, offering a place where Afghan men, women and families can gather, relax, bowl a few games and not be burdened by the social, religious and cultural restrictions that govern daily life in the impoverished country.(AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 photo, Navid Sediqi, 29, plays at the Strikers, the country's first bowling center, in Kabul, Afghanistan. In an Afghan capital scarred by years of war, a young Afghan woman has bet $1 million that the country could use a chance to have a bit of fun _ by bowling. Located just down the street from Kabul's glitziest mall, Meena Rahmani opened Afghanistan's first bowling alley, offering a place where Afghan men, women and families can gather, relax, bowl a few games and not be burdened by the social, religious and cultural restrictions that govern daily life in the impoverished country.(AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? In an Afghan capital scarred by years of war, a young Afghan woman has bet $1 million that her countrymen could use a little fun.

Located just down the street from Kabul's glitziest mall, is The Strikers, the country's first bowling alley and owner Meena Rahmani's gamble on the capital's newest entertainment venue. But more than a place for family fun in a city largely devoid of options, the 12-lane center stands as a reflection of both the country's hope for the future and the challenge of securing one even as NATO's fight against the Taliban enters its 11th year.

"We can never compare a bowling center ... in Afghanistan and one ... in the West," said Rahmani. "Afghanistan needed a place like this."

Aside from the cultural significance of such a center in a country largely lacking entertainment choices, building the bowling alley was a massive undertaking. All the equipment is imported, the engineers came from China and the alley is powered by several industrial-sized generators. The entrance to the alley sits behind blast-resistant steel doors guarded by burly men toting AK-47 assault rifles.

"This was a huge project," said Rahmani, but "we were committed to it."

Rahmani has gambled $1 million of her own money ? secured from the sale of family land ? that the center will not only help bored Afghans kill a few hours, but also a place where men, women and families can gather and relax, not burdened by the social, religious and cultural restrictions that govern daily life in the impoverished country.

Inside, several dozen Afghans, most of whom learned to bowl abroad, seem to agree. In the month since it opened, The Strikers has become a hit.

"Here, on our days off, we walk aimlessly in the streets," said Navid Sediqi, a 29-year-old businessman. He said he used to begin his weekend by logging onto Facebook and chatting with his friends online. After Friday prayers, they would go to picnic areas or parks, and sit and chat.

"This is so much better. Finally, a bit of excitement on our days off," he said dressed in a pressed, white traditional shalwar kameez.

For most people in this city of about 5 million, there were, for years, few options to while away the hours.

There are kite fights, picnics or paddle-boat rides on a lake on Kabul's outskirts, as well as football games on dirt pitches that ring Darulaman Palace, the bombed-out seat of former Afghan kings. Some rusty amusement rides have been set up for children, including in a graveyard.

Snooker clubs also have sprouted up around Kabul, but they are largely seen as attracting unsavory characters ? people who Sediqi described as "not the kind of open-minded people" one would find at the bowling alley.

Like most everything else in Afghanistan, the alley is a study in contrasts and challenges, not the least of which is that it's a business started by a young woman in a country where women have traditionally been pushed firmly to the sidelines.

Rahmani, who left Afghanistan in 1992 and spent 15 years in India with her parents before moving to Canada for graduate studies, said the idea came to her when she visited her home country several years ago and found there was nothing for Afghans to do beyond occasionally going out to eat, going for walks or visiting family.

The alley seemed like a good antidote to the boredom.

But the daily reality of life in the troubled nation is clearly reflected outside the alley's main door.

In a country where restaurants frequented by wealthier Afghans and Westerners require patrons to check their guns at the door, bowlers get frisked by security before entering the building. It's not without reason ? a nearby shopping mall was hit twice by insurgent attacks since it opened in 2005. Above the second steel door sits a sign all too common in Afghanistan: "No weapons."

The Strikers is divided into two parts, a restaurant and 12 fully-automated bowling lanes with computer scoring.

The alley, which opened about a month ago, was built from the ground up. The equipment was imported from the United States and the engineers who set it up and trained the local staff came from China.

"Since there had never been bowling in Afghanistan, no one here knew how to set it up," said Rahmani, while a group of young Afghans sipped Red Bull energy drinks and watched their friend toss a neon bowling ball straight into the gutter.

While men so far make up the bulk of the bowlers, Rahmani said women are increasingly making an appearance, coming with their husbands and families. She sees their presence in the alley as an encouraging sign of changes in the country. If it catches on, she said, she sees expanding to other provinces and starting bowling leagues in the country.

"This place is made for our own nation," she said, stressing that politics has no role in the push for fun. "It's just a sports place."

Kabul's unreliable electricity network meant she had to install industrial size generators to ensure a steady stream of power. The operating expenses for the first month alone came to $30,000, most of it for utilities.

Those expenses mean that it's a pass-time for a select few in the capital.

An hour of bowling costs $35, which can be divided between as many as six players to a lane. A cup of coffee costs $5, more than the average local daily wage.

She concedes its unaffordable for most in the country, but says that when expenses and startup costs are so high, she had little choice but to charge such rates. If it catches on, prices could quickly drop.

____

Associated Press writer Massieh Aryan contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-10-30-AS-Afghanistan-Bowling/id-31cb036bfc8b4e0481a00dea1536a374

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Bachmann criticizes Obama's student loan plan (AP)

ST. PAUL, Minn. ? Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann criticized a directive by President Barack Obama to ease student loan debt as an "abuse of power" that will give people incentive to dodge debt.

The candidates reacted Thursday to a decision Obama announced a day earlier to cap required payments for some college loan borrowers at a lower percentage of their income and forgive payments for others after 20 years. He used executive authority to accelerate a law that wasn't supposed to go into effect until 2014.

"I believe it is abuse of power from the executive to impose via an executive order a wholesale change in the student loan," Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman, said during an education forum in New York put on by The College Board and News Corp.

Appearing by satellite from Minneapolis where she was hosting a fundraiser later Thursday, Bachmann said that the loan breaks could push costs onto other taxpayers.

Bachmann said the change creates a "moral hazard" when it comes to student debt.

"There is a morality in keeping our financial promises, and I don't think we should push that off onto the taxpayer," she said. "The individual needs to repay and be responsible for repaying their student loan debt."

Another GOP candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, also took a dim view of Obama's action, calling it a "Ponzi scheme."

Gingrich said at the education forum that private loans should be reprivatized before the president "bankrupts the entire country by promising to every young person you will not have to pay your student loan as a student. However you will later have to pay off the national debt as a taxpayer."

Obama's plan will accelerate a measure passed by Congress that reduces the maximum required payment on student loans from 15 percent of discretionary income annually to 10 percent. The plan goes into effect in 2012, instead of 2014. In addition, the White House says the outstanding loan amount would be forgiven after 20 years, instead of 25. About 1.6 million borrowers could be affected.

The administration says the plan won't cost taxpayers anything and could actually save as much as $2 billion. Borrowers would be allowed to consolidate a direct loan from the government with one issued under the Federal Family Education Loan Program. The savings come from no longer having to a pay subsidy to the lender, the administration says.

Obama said on Wednesday that the plan will help boost the economy. Debt-saddled graduates will have more money to spend on things like buying homes, he said. Student loans are the No. 2 source of household debt. Total student debt now exceeds $1 trillion and the average indebtedness is rising.

Changes approved by Congress last year moved student loans to direct lending by eliminating banks as the middlemen. Before that, borrowers could get loans directly from the government or from the Federal Family Education Loan Program; the latter were issued by private lenders but basically insured by the government. The law was passed along with the health care overhaul with the anticipation that it could save about $60 billion over a decade.

___

Associated Press Education Writer Kimberly Hefling in Washington contributed to this report.

.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111028/ap_on_el_pr/us_bachmann_student_loan

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Grace One City e-motorbike review

There comes a time in nearly every person's life when they need to get up, get out the door and get to work. Some drive, some walk, some take one form of public transportation or another -- but a noble few do something different. Those people ride their bikes, holding on to the passion gained in a childhood of racing around the neighborhood on Huffys and Schwinns, skinning knees or elbows when the latest attempt at a sweet jump turned a little sour.

Sure, those people may say they're saving money or the environment by riding a bike into work, but we all know they do it for fun. As is the case with most wheeled pursuits, the fun factor increases with the speed, and with that idea we welcome to you to the Grace One. It's a German electric bike that offers more high-tech trappings than your average economy car -- a good thing, because it costs nearly as much as one. What does this $6,000 bike offer? Speed. Sweet, effortless speed (up to 25MPH without you burning a single calorie), and we recently had the chance to put one through its paces. Read on to see how we fared.

Gallery: Grace One electric bicycle review

Continue reading Grace One City e-motorbike review

Grace One City e-motorbike review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/szhU_8fASeU/

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What Does Ron Paul Have Against Baseball? (Atlantic Politics Channel)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/154391717?client_source=feed&format=rss

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AP: Insider charges for ex-Goldman board member

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2009 file photo, Rajat Kumar Gupta, former Chairman of Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, listens to a statement, during a session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Gupta, former Goldman Sachs board member, surrendered to federal authorities Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011 in New York to face criminal charges stemming from a massive hedge fund insider trading case. (AP Photo/Keystone/Alessandro Della Bella, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2009 file photo, Rajat Kumar Gupta, former Chairman of Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, listens to a statement, during a session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Gupta, former Goldman Sachs board member, surrendered to federal authorities Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011 in New York to face criminal charges stemming from a massive hedge fund insider trading case. (AP Photo/Keystone/Alessandro Della Bella, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? A person with knowledge of the case says a former Goldman Sachs board member who has surrendered in New York City has been indicted on insider trading charges.

The FBI says Rajat Gupta surrendered Wednesday but gave no further details.

The person cited the charges for The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the indictment has not yet been made public.

Gupta's name played prominently at the trial of former hedge fund titan Raj Rajaratnam (rahj rah-juh-RUHT'-nuhm), convicted this year of insider trading. Jurors heard wiretaps of the men discussing what prosecutors portrayed as inside information about Goldman Sachs.

Rajaratnam got 11 years in prison.

Gupta's lawyer says the allegations are "totally baseless."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-10-26-Hedge%20Fund-Insider%20Trading/id-006cd6beab874d9ca1d0b5b886c77551

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Hurricane Rina aims at Mexico coastal resorts

Fishermen secure their boat in anticipation of Hurricane Rina's arrival in Cancun, Mexico, Tuesday Oct. 25, 2011. Mexican authorities set up emergency shelters and cruise ships shifted course on Tuesday as Rina strengthened off the Caribbean coast on a projected track that would carry it whirling through Cancun and the resort-filled Mayan Riviera, Mexico's most popular tourist destination. (AP Photo/Israel Leal)

Fishermen secure their boat in anticipation of Hurricane Rina's arrival in Cancun, Mexico, Tuesday Oct. 25, 2011. Mexican authorities set up emergency shelters and cruise ships shifted course on Tuesday as Rina strengthened off the Caribbean coast on a projected track that would carry it whirling through Cancun and the resort-filled Mayan Riviera, Mexico's most popular tourist destination. (AP Photo/Israel Leal)

Fishermen secure their boat in anticipation of Hurricane Rina's arrival in Cancun, Mexico, Tuesday Oct. 25, 2011. Mexican authorities set up emergency shelters and cruise ships shifted course on Tuesday as Rina strengthened off the Caribbean coast on a projected track that would carry it whirling through Cancun and the resort-filled Mayan Riviera, Mexico's most popular tourist destination. (AP Photo/Israel Leal)

Fishermen work in their boats as hurricane Rina approaches the area in Cancun, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Mexican authorities set up emergency shelters and cruise ships shifted course on Tuesday as Hurricane Rina strengthened off the Caribbean coast on a projected track that would carry it whirling through Cancun and the Mayan Riviera. (AP Photo/Israel Leal)

This image provided by NASA show Hurrican Rina, bottom center, acquired at 12:31 a.m. EDT Wednesday Oct. 26, 2011. Rina's maximum sustained winds remained steady at about 110 mph (175 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, making it a Category 2 storm. Forecasters predict it will strengthen as it nears the Mexican coast Wednesday night before rolling over the island of Cozumel, a popular dive spot and cruise-ship port, then along the coast to Cancun. (AP Photo/NASA)

CANCUN, Mexico (AP) ? Authorities evacuated fishing communities and closed schools on Mexico's resort-studded Caribbean coast while some tourists began to leave as Hurricane Rina took aim at Cancun and the island of Cozumel on Wednesday.

Hundreds of residents from the fishing town of Punta Allen, south of Tulum, were taken to emergency shelters, a smaller group was evacuated from the atoll of Banco Chinchorro Tuesday, and cruise ships shifted their routes in the face of expected storm surges, waves and heavy rains from Rina.

Rina's maximum sustained winds remained steady at about 110 mph (175 kph) Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, making it a Category 2 storm. Forecasters predicted it could weaken in the next 12 to 24 hours, though it is expected to remain a hurricane as it nears the Mexican coast Wednesday night before rolling over the island of Cozumel, a popular dive spot and cruise-ship port, and the Cancun area.

Luh McDevitt, 56, a furniture and interior designer in Cozumel, said her family was fitting hurricane shutters to the house and securing furniture.

"I am not really scared," said the Cincinnati, Ohio, native who has lived in Cozumel since 2000. "Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was a Category 5. The worst part of the hurricane is after. We didn't have electric in our house for three weeks."

Jorge Arturo Cruz, spokesman for the education department in Quintana Roo state, said schools were closed in communities along the coast and in Cozumel in anticipation of the storm.

Soldiers, marines and state police arrived with vehicles in Punta Allen on Tuesday to evacuate about 275 residents and take them to a storm shelter at a middle school; about 500 people are expected to be evacuated there in total, according to Quintana Roo state Civil Defense Director Luis Carlos Rodriguez.

The coastal area around Tulum is dotted with Mayan ruins, and further north is Playa del Carmen, another popular spot for international tourists and the departure point for ferries serving Cozumel.

State Tourism Director Juan Carlos Gonzalez Hernandez said there were about 83,000 tourists in the state, with about 45,000 of those on a stretch of coast south of Cancun that includes Tulum and Playa de Carmen, and almost 28,000 in Cancun.

There were only about 1,719 tourists in Cozumel, and many of them were leaving, Gonzalez Hernandez said.

"In the case of Cozumel, which could be hit hardest, people are leaving of their own accord and are cutting their reservations short," said Gonzalez Hernandez.

At least eight cruise ships were changing itineraries away from the storm's path, said Carnival Cruise Lines spokesman Vance Gulliksen.

The area was badly damaged by Hurricane Wilma in 2005, when Cancun's famous white-sand beaches were largely washed away. Insurance officials estimated total damage at $3 billion.

State officials said they were readying more than 1,100 shelters that could handle nearly 200,000 people, though so far there was no word of any planned evacuations.

The hurricane was centered about 200 miles (325 kilometers) south-southeast of Cozumel on Wednesday and was moving northwest at near 5 mph (7 kph), the Hurricane Center said. A hurricane warning is in effect for the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from north of Punta Gruesa to Cancun.

The Mexican government issued a hurricane warning for the northeast coast of the Yucatan peninsula from Cancun to San Felipe. A tropical storm warning is in effect farther south on the peninsula from Chetumal to Punta Gruesa.

The projected track shows it curving east toward Cuba and the Straits of Florida by early next week, though the Hurricane Center cautioned "there is great uncertainty as to where Rina will be located by the weekend."

___

Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez Licon in Mexico City contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-10-26-Tropical-Weather/id-c0d26c90b6e747f6a204b78370a7c108

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Atlassian Redesigns Website; Launches A La Carte, SaaS Service For Product Development

Atlassian, the enterprise software company, has really hit its stride over the last few years. Founded in 2002 in Sydney, the company has today built a solid base of 26,000 customers, which include some big names like Facebook, Zynga, Cisco, and Adobe. In July of last year, the startup raised $60 million from Accel to scale and ramp up M&A. Since then, the company has bought Bitbucket and SourceTree to allow developers to host their source code in Bitbucket (or any other hosting platform) and then manage that source using SourceTree. Since the beginning, Atlassian's goal has been to create software development and collaboration tools that enable enterprise teams to quickly and easily plan, build, and launch products. The startup's flagship software products, like JIRA and Confluence, let software development teams take advantage of issue and project tracking in an effort to improve speed of development and code quality as well as giving those teams a single place collaborate, share, and discuss files, minutes, specs, mockups, diagrams, etc.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/kGsnQDt9D5k/

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Johnny Depp's Dr. Seuss Biopic Features Animated Characters?

Apparently Dr. Seuss won't be the only colorful character in Johnny Depp's upcoming biopic about the children's book author. Some of his beloved characters might be making an appearance in the film as well.
In an interview with Larry King, Depp said that the biographical movie will likely feature a combination of live action and [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/10/25/johnny-depp-dr-seuss-biopic/

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MC Hammer search engine odd, but there are plenty of search apps worth a look (Appolicious)

I don?t know who MC Hammer?s financial advisers are these days. I assume they?re better than whatever dudes got him into this trouble a while back. But they?re maybe still not good enough. At least not if this story that?s making the rounds via TechCrunch is true.

It?s hard to know exactly where to start with a proper list of complaints. I guess WireDoo doesn?t seem like the sort of thing I ever want to type into a web browser, for starters. But I also don?t know that I want a search to interpret what I?m trying to ask it. According to the TC article, searching a school?s name would give me the truancy rate. But what if I wanted any other information?

I assume at some point that some sort of app version of the Hammer Search (a much better name) will find its way to our mobile devices. But I?m not sure we need that either. There?s a serious list of search-friendly apps out there designed to make your already stellar search experience even better.

Related: Not into Skype ads? Lots of video chat options remain

For an admittedly pretty high price, you can try Search Maestro HD ($4.99). It allows you to perform multiple searches at one time in addition to saving your searches for a later time if you need to quickly reference that list of results again. Plus, if you?re into custom design, you can change the background colors of your search to give it a custom feel that best represents your personality.

But if five bucks feels like too much of an investment in a search tool, you might try the free oMoby app. oMoby lets you search visually. Take a picture using your iPhone camera and the app will pull up information on the thing you?ve just photographed. Already this sounds cooler than MC Hammer?s idea, plus it?s free and available now!

But maybe you?re not a visual person and you just want an easy way to search a bunch of sites at once. All Search Engines In One ($0.99) lets you do exactly that. You can search Google, Bing, Yahoo!, Baidu, Wikipedia and WolframAlpha and then text the link to your friends using the built-in messaging system within the app.

Go Search It ($0.99) is even a bit simpler than that, but still seems like all you?d really ever need. It lets users search Google, Yahoo!, Bing and Ask with just a few quick taps. While I can?t wait for the update that includes WireDoo, I think our search options are just fine without Mr. Hammer?s help for now.

Download the free Appolicious iPhone app

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_appolicious_com_articles9986_mc_hammer_search_engine_odd_but_there_are_plenty_of_search_apps_worth_a_look/43359340/SIG=13s3ulkr6/*http%3A//www.appolicious.com/tech/articles/9986-mc-hammer-search-engine-odd-but-there-are-plenty-of-search-apps-worth-a-look

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Five killed in wrong-way crash on Michigan freeway (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? A driver going the wrong way on a suburban Detroit freeway early Sunday slammed into another vehicle, and both burst into flames killing all five people involved, Michigan state police said.

The crash on the M-10, also known as The Lodge Freeway, left the northbound lanes shut down for about six hours while police investigated, Michigan State Police Sergeant Nathaniel McQueen said.

One man driving alone in a passenger car was killed as were four people in an SUV, McQueen said.

Authorities had not yet determined which vehicle was traveling the wrong way on the freeway in Southfield, Michigan, McQueen said.

"We don't know at this time if speed or alcohol played a factor," McQueen said, adding that the crash happened at about 4 a.m.

Authorities were waiting for toxicology tests to be completed.

The five people killed were taken to the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office. Autopsies were scheduled for Monday.

(Reporting by David Bailey, editing by Ellen Wulfhorst)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111023/us_nm/us_crash_michigan

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Ice Cream Sandwich supports USB game controllers and HDMI, turns your phone into full game console

Take that, Xperia Play. USB gamepads are already supported in Honeycomb, so we had plenty of hope that Android 4.0 -- also lovingly referred to as Ice Cream Sandwich -- would offer the same functionality. We finally have the answer, and it's a resounding yes, courtesy of Google framework engineer Romain Guy's Twitter account. The cool part, though, is that HDMI's playing nice as well. In short, you could hook up an external gamepad to a USB-to-microUSB adapter on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, connect it to your TV and transform your handset into a fancy portable gaming console. It's definitely something we can see developers flock towards, and we'll expect some cool stuff to come out of it. Just in case you thought the Nexus wouldn't let you get anything else done around the house already, this pretty much seals the deal. Move below the break to see a screenshot from the SDK.

Continue reading Ice Cream Sandwich supports USB game controllers and HDMI, turns your phone into full game console

Ice Cream Sandwich supports USB game controllers and HDMI, turns your phone into full game console originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 06:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/24/ice-cream-sandwich-supports-usb-game-controllers-and-hdmi-turns/

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HBT: Epstein finally joins Cubs? |? CSN: Expect a title

It?s finally done.

Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox and Cubs have agreed to the framework of a deal that will allow Theo Epstein to become the Cubs? president of baseball operations. Epstein has resigned from his post as Red Sox general manager and will join the Cubs? front office, effective immediately.

The Cubs will hold a press conference on Tuesday, the next off-day of the World Series, to introduce Epstein while Ben Cherington is expected to be announced as his replacement on the same day in Boston.

Compensation hasn?t been settled yet, but a joint statement from the clubs specifies they have ?reached an agreement regarding a process by which appropriate compensation will be determined.? With Epstein now a member of the Cubs? front office, he will presumably be involved in the negotiations. That?s not awkward at all. According to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com, if the two sides are unable to reach a satisfactory agreement in the next few days, commissioner Bud Selig could step in as an arbitrator.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/21/done-deal-cubs-red-sox-agree-on-compensation-for-theo-epstein/related

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Proposed Mercury Ban Threatens Vaccines

A lot of autism cases have been traced to use of Mercury in vaccines during early childhood.

No, they haven't; in fact not a single case has been. One crank researcher being paid by anti-vaccine lawyers made that assertion in a fraudulent study of 12 self selected children who were already exhibiting signs of autism before the study started. Since then, every major piece of research has shown no link between vaccines of any kind and autism.

Since Mercury was retired from Baby/Toddlers, cases have started to recede.

Nope, autism rates have remained steady or increased when mercury was removed from vaccines. Children who don't receive vaccines are no more or less likely to develop autism than children that do. Children in places where mercury has been removed or vaccines discontinued have the same rates of autism as before.

What makes you believe that mercury would[sic][I assume you mean 'should'?] be FORCIBLY injected in bloodstrems of our nation?

Because it makes delivery of vaccines to rural areas possible, reduces the risk of infections caused by spoiled vaccines, and has been demonstrated to be safe.

Mercury makes you more stupid, doesn't have any benefit, stays in the bloodstream for ever.

As I said it makes preservation without refridgeration possible, making vaccines safer to ship and store, especially in rural areas (not as much of a problem in modern US granted). Atomic mercury does indeed cause brain damage and stays int he body long term, atomic mercury is not what is used in vaccines. The compound in vaccines is not retained by the way elemental mercury is, it has a halflife of 18 days (it's actually removed from the brain even faster than that) and it does not interact biologically the same way elemental mercury does. You may as well avoid salt since Sodium and Chlorine are both poisonous

It's also been found that most people have more mercury in their blood than is normal, and today, many are even advising avoiding things like Tuna for this very same reason: the seas have more mercury floating, so fish that lives linger, accumulates more mercury. This is the reason many people look for Fish Oil supplements that have a process for removing most of the mercury, or look for produce from seas that don't (yet) suffer largerly from this problem.

This is a global problem, caused by coal fired power plants and has little, if anything to do with the mercury in vaccines controversy beyond trying to establish the boogeyman. Actually, though, maybe this can help understanding. The amount of mercury in a typical vaccines, contains as much mercury as 50 grams of tuna. Even pregnant women and children can eat a can of tuna a couple times a week without being exposed to dangerous levels of mercury.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/cNgK4mWnF_k/proposed-mercury-ban-threatens-vaccines

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X-linked mental retardation protein is found to mediate synaptic plasticity in hippocampus

ScienceDaily (Oct. 19, 2011) ? Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have solved part of a puzzle concerning the relationship between changes in the strength of synapses -- the tiny gaps across which nerve cells in the brain communicate -- and dysfunctions in neural circuits that have been linked with drug addiction, mental retardation and other cognitive disorders.

A team led by CSHL Professor Linda Van Aelst has pieced together essential steps in a signaling cascade within excitatory nerve cells that explains a key phenomenon called longterm depression, or LTD. The "depression" in question has nothing to do with the human illness with that name. Rather, it refers to a tamping-down of the strength of individual synapses -- what scientists call synaptic plasticity.

The mechanism behind LTD is called endocytosis. It involves a retraction of receptors where neurotransmitters can "dock." Van Aelst and colleagues have demonstrated how LTD works following activation of a class of receptors called group I metabotrobic glutamate receptors, or mGluRs.

It was known that longterm depression mediated by mGluRs depended in part on the rapid synthesis of specific proteins. Yet the identity of these proteins had largely remained a mystery. The CSHL scientists have now shown that locally rapid production of a protein called oligophrenin 1 (OPHN1) follows activation of group I mGluRs. OPHN1 in turn was shown to mediate LTD in hippocampal nerve cells, by interacting with yet another protein called EndophilinA2/3.

The result of this cascade of intracellular signals was dramatic: persistent removal of AMPA-type receptors at the excitatory synapse, and the onset of LTD. When rapid production of OPHN1 was blocked, mGluR-dependent LTD did not occur. These findings appear online ahead of print in the journal Neuron.

Van Aelst explained the significance of the finding. "OPHN1 has two important functions that we know about. One is early in development, after synapses have appeared in the emerging nervous system. In this phase, OPHN1 in concert with other factors stabilizes receptors at synapses, and thus is essential in maintaining the structure of these essential features of neural circuitry.

"Our new findings show another vital role for OPHN1, later in development and into maturity. We assume that in response to behavioral stimuli -- we aren't yet sure what kind -- mGluRs are activated, setting off the series of steps that we identified: rapid upregulation of OPHN1, which binds to EndophilinA2/3, which in turn mediates the long-term removal of AMPA receptors."

OPHN1 is known to be associated with X-linked mental retardation and with other cognitive and behavioral deficits. The team hypothesizes that OPHN1-related changes in plasticity such as those described in their new work may be causally related to such pathology. They are investigating this possibility in their current work.

This work was supported by grants from the National Institue of Mental Health and NAAR.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The original article was written by Peter Tarr.

Note: ScienceDaily reserves the right to edit materials for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Nael Nadif Kasri, Akiko Nakano-Kobayashi, Linda Van Aelst. Rapid Synthesis of the X-Linked Mental Retardation Protein OPHN1 Mediates mGluR-Dependent LTD through Interaction with the Endocytic Machinery. Neuron, 2011; 72 (2): 300-315 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.09.001

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019212248.htm

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Woman Compensated $4 for Death of Brother During Korean War (Time.com)

Sometimes old laws cause laughter, but in other instances? Expect tears.

In South Korea, a woman was awarded $4.33 under an old government rule as compensation for the death of her brother during the Korean War.

A law took effect during the war, which ran from 1950 to 1953, that allowed the government to compensate family members for deaths. The woman, now 63, was just 2 years old in 1950 when her brother died while fighting. Local media say the woman's mother suffered from dementia and the sister never even knew of her brother ? or his death ? until April, when she was granted 5,000 won, a little more than $4.

(PHOTOS: A Long and Distant War: Photos from Afghanistan, 1988-2009)

Adjusted for inflation, the rate would still only come in at nearly $700, far below the $500,000 the U.S. gives ($100,000 in condolence money and $400,000 in life insurance) family members for any soldiers killed in active duty.

South Korean organizations have called the governmental move "incomprehensible." With 140,000 South Korean soldiers killed in combat and up to 130,000 missing in action, the presidential Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission wants a thorough review of the outdated law. They say the latest cringeworthy offer should spur the South Korean government to abolish the old law and come up with something a bit more in line with inflation and interest. Or just something that isn't so humiliating to family members.

VIDEO: Dog Mourns at His Navy SEAL Owner's Funeral

Tim Newcomb is a contributor for TIME. Find him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb. You can also continue the discussion on TIME's Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.

View this article on Time.com

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Appeal filed in case of slain ND college student (Providence Journal)

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Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon mourned in Britain (AP)

EMBERTON, England ? Struggling to hold back tears, Clive Wheldon's voice quivered as he spoke about his son, "a true champion and a gentleman."

"Daniel was born to be a racer and yesterday left us doing what he loved to do," he said Monday outside the family home in the village of Emberton, a far cry from the high-powered world of auto racing in which his son became one of Britain's most famous exports.

News of Dan Wheldon's death at 33 following a massive and fiery crash at the Las Vegas Indy 300 dominated newspaper headlines and broadcasts in Britain on Monday.

Two victories in the Indianapolis 500 established him as one of the few Britons to master auto racing across the Atlantic. But Wheldon was far from a household name in Britain, where Formula One is the top motor sport and IndyCar receives little coverage.

Wheldon's loss was felt most sharply Monday in the auto racing fraternity, which has long recognized his talent starting from his youth as a kart driver, and in Emberton, a village in Buckinghamshire ? a county just north of London ? where he grew up and where parents Clive and Sue still live.

"The family would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming outpouring of sympathy," said Clive, reading slowly from a statement and flanked by sons Austin and Ashley. "He was a true champion and a gentleman on and off the track."

A floral tribute was placed in the heart of the village.

"R.I.P. Dan. You'll be missed champ," read one of the messages.

"I follow motor racing and it was a terrible shock when I put the television on this morning and saw what had happened," retired Emberton resident Sylvia Croxen said. "From what I know, he was very well liked."

A winner of eight British karting titles after taking up the pursuit as a 4-year-old, Wheldon left Emberton for the U.S. in 1999 after failing to secure financial backing for his career in Europe.

Quickly embracing the American lifestyle, he soon got his chance in the IndyCar series. Titles and fame soon followed.

In 2005, he became the first English driver since Graham Hill 39 years earlier to win the Indy 500, helping him capture the overall IndyCar championship that year. He went on to win the Indy 500 again this year after taking the lead for the first time with only seconds remaining.

"He was an extremely talented driver," said British driver Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 Formula One champion. "As a British guy who not only went over to the States but who twice won the Indy 500, he was an inspirational guy, and someone that every racing driver looked up to with respect and admiration."

Beyond the U.S., though, there was precious little coverage of Wheldon's exploits on the track. Even in Emberton, residents knew of him as simply a successful driver rather than a longtime star of the IndyCar circuit.

"We all knew he was a good racing driver ... but he moved to America a few years and we didn't see much of him after that," said George Cheney, 73, who has lived in Emberton for 10 years.

Wheldon was much better known in racing circles.

"Two victories in the Indy 500 put him in a very select group of drivers," British Racing Drivers' Club president Derek Warwick said. "Dan was a true professional and a great ambassador for the sport. He was highly focused in the way he approached his racing and a real perfectionist.

"With his film-star good looks and athletic prowess, it was no wonder that the American public took him to their hearts."

Jenson Button, Hamilton's teammate at McLaren, was one of Wheldon's rivals in junior karting in the 1990s, describing him as a "true fighter."

"We've lost a legend in our sport but also a great guy," Button said on Twitter.

Wheldon had been scheduled to compete next weekend in the Gold Coast 600 at Surfers Paradise, Australia, teaming with V8 Supercar champion James Courtney as a co-driver for the two 300-kilometer touring car races.

Two IndyCar drivers have pulled out of the event ? Australian Will Power, who injured his back in Sunday's crash in Las Vegas, and Tony Kanaan of Brazil.

"Tony was probably Dan's closest friend in the racing fraternity and we fully support his decision," V8 series chairman Tony Cochrane said.

Cochrane said Ryan Briscoe of Australia, Alex Tagliani of Canada and Helio Castroneves of Brazil will remain in the race.

"We want to run a great event on the weekend as a true testament to a true champion in Dan Wheldon," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111018/ap_on_sp_au_ra_ne/car_wheldon_tributes

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John McCain: Elizabeth Warren Relies On 'Special Interest Allies'

WASHINGTON -- In a fundraising email sent on behalf of Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) on Tuesday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) accuses Brown's likely opponent, Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren, of being beholden to special interests.

McCain, who still maintains a reputation for strong ethical standards, warns that Warren "and her special interest allies have already raised more than three million dollars for her campaign coffers."

Sent by McCain's Country First PAC, the solicitation goes on to attack Warren on more traditional grounds, including "her class warfare rhetoric and her anti-capitalism views." But it is the suggestion that Warren was beholden to special interests that stands out -- not just because the Harvard professor-turned-Senate candidate has built a reputation of her own as an advocate for consumers, but because the email comes on the same day that Brown is scheduled to have a fundraiser with those same vilified special interests.

As pointed out by the Public Campaign Action Fund, Brown is set to rub elbows on Tuesday night with financial lobbyists such as Mary Pat Lawrence of Morgan Stanley, Les Brosen for Ernst & Young, Dave Lugar for Ally Financial, and Rich White of the Alpine Group, which represents Prudential PLC.

Brown has significant ties to the financial industry, having already raised $2.6 million from its members since his election to the Senate in January 2010. And his potential match-up against Warren, who helped create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, seems likely to drive Wall Street donors to further gravitate toward his candidacy.

READ McCain's fundraising email in full:

My Friend,

Almost two years ago, I was proud to stand with Scott Brown when he was a little-known state senator trying to accomplish what most pundits declared impossible: capturing the so-called "Kennedy seat" that had been controlled by the Democrats for more than half a century.

With your help, Scott overcame the odds, and helped restore a sense of checks and balances in Washington D.C. at a time when our country desperately needed it.

Since his election, Scott has stayed true to his word, representing his state with a strong independent voice. Scott has fought higher taxes and out-of-control spending, and been a strong advocate on national security policies important to keeping our country safe from terrorist attack.

Above all else, Scott always puts his country first, ahead of any partisan politics or party affiliation. We need more mavericks like him in the Senate.

Please consider making a generous contribution to this campaign by following this link.

But make no mistake: the Democrats are coming after Scott with everything they've got. With more than a year before the election, the political establishment and the special interests are already lined up against him. They are intent on spending millions of dollars in ads attacking his record. A union-backed super PAC recently formed with the sole mission of defeating him.

The Reid-Pelosi establishment in D.C. also went out of their way to recruit Harvard Professor Elizabeth Warren to run against him. Warren and her special interest allies have already raised more than three million dollars for her campaign coffers. With her class warfare rhetoric and her anti-capitalism views, Elizabeth Warren has the ability to raise millions of dollars from the far left fringe who are attempting to divide our country right now.

That's why Scott needs your help. He can't do this alone.

Will you once again stand with my friend Scott Brown so he has the resources he needs to fight back against the special interests trying to take him down by making a generous contribution of any amount to his campaign?

I thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

John McCain
Chairman, Country First PAC

P.S. In order to stop the Pelosi-Reid establishment, we must help Scott Brown win reelection. Washington Democrats are rallying around his opponent, helping her raise millions in an attempt to divide our country. I'm asking you to show Scott you support him by following this link today to make a donation of $25, $50, $100 or any amount up to the $5,000 limit. Your support is greatly appreciated.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/18/john-mccain-elizabeth-warren-special-interests-email_n_1018182.html

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Sea levels to continue to rise for 500 years? Long-term climate calculations suggest so

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2011) ? Rising sea levels in the coming centuries is perhaps one of the most catastrophic consequences of rising temperatures. Massive economic costs, social consequences and forced migrations could result from global warming. But how frightening of times are we facing? Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute are part of a team that has calculated the long-term outlook for rising sea levels in relation to the emission of greenhouse gases and pollution of the atmosphere using climate models.

The results have been published in the scientific journal Global and Planetary Change.

"Based on the current situation we have projected changes in sea level 500 years into the future. We are not looking at what is happening with the climate, but are focusing exclusively on sea levels," explains Aslak Grinsted, a researcher at the Centre for Ice and Climate, the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen.

Model based on actual measurements

He has developed a model in collaboration with researchers from England and China that is based on what happens with the emission of greenhouse gases and aerosols and the pollution of the atmosphere. Their model has been adjusted backwards to the actual measurements and was then used to predict the outlook for rising sea levels.

The research group has made calculations for four scenarios: a pessimistic one, an optimistic one, and two more realistic ones.

In the pessimistic scenario, emissions continue to increase. This will mean that sea levels will rise 1.1 meters by the year 2100 and will have risen 5.5 meters by the year 2500.

Even in the most optimistic scenario, which requires extremely dramatic climate change goals, major technological advances and strong international cooperation to stop emitting greenhouse gases and polluting the atmosphere, the sea would continue to rise. By the year 2100 it will have risen by 60 cm and by the year 2500 the rise in sea level will be 1.8 meters.

For the two more realistic scenarios, calculated based on the emissions and pollution stabilizing, the results show that there will be a sea level rise of about 75 cm by the year 2100 and that by the year 2500 the sea will have risen by 2 meters.

Rising sea levels for centuries

"In the 20th century sea has risen by an average of 2mm per year, but it is accelerating and over the last decades the rise in sea level has gone approximately 70% faster. Even if we stabilize the concentrations in the atmosphere and stop emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, we can see that the rise in sea level will continue to accelerate for several centuries because of the sea and ice caps long reaction time. So it would be 2-400 years before we returned to the 20th century level of a 2 mm rise per year," says Aslak Grinsted.

He points out that even though long-term calculations are subject to uncertainties, the sea will continue to rise in the coming centuries and it will most likely rise by 75 cm by the year 2100 and by the year 2500 the sea will have risen by 2 meters.

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Copenhagen, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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Journal Reference:

1. S. Jevrejeva, J.C. Moore, A. Grinsted. Sea level projections to AD2500 with a new generation of climate change scenarios. Global and Planetary Change, 2011; DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2011.09.006

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/BwMTgEdzyDY/111017102601.htm

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Climate change spawns the incredible shrinking ant (Reuters)

HONG KONG (Reuters) ? Plants and animals are shrinking because of warmer temperatures and lack of water, researchers said on Monday, warning it could have profound implications for food production in years ahead.

"The worst-case scenarios ... are that food crops and animals will shrink enough to have real implications for food security," Assistant Professor David Bickford, of the National University of Singapore's biological sciences department, said.

Bickford and colleague Jennifer Sheridan trawled through fossil records and dozens of studies which showed that many species of plants and creatures such as spiders, beetles, bees, ants and cicadas have shrunk over time in relation to climate change.

They cited an experiment showing how shoots and fruit are 3 to 17 percent smaller for every degree Celsius of warming in a variety of plants.

Each degree of warming also reduces by 0.5 to 4 percent the body size of marine invertebrates and 6 to 22 percent of fish.

"Survival of small individuals can increase with warmer temperatures, and drought conditions can lead to smaller offspring, leading to smaller average size," they wrote in their paper which was published in the journal, Nature Climate Change, on Monday.

"Impacts could range from food resources becoming more limited (less food produced on the same amount of land) to wholesale biodiversity loss and eventual catastrophic cascades of ecosystem services," Bickford wrote.

"We have not seen large-scale effects yet, but as temperatures change even more, these changes in body size might become much more pronounced - even having impacts for food security."

(Reporting by Tan Ee Lyn; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111017/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_climate_shrinking

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