Egypt's Mursi to meet judicial council on decree

While authorities have pegged thick Texas fog as the main culprit in the 140-car Thanksgiving pileup on I-10 just southwest of Beaumont, big rig truckers posting on Internet message boards suggest that civilian and professional drivers maintaining potentially reckless speeds, despite the conditions, may have been another major contributing factor.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-mursi-meet-judicial-council-decree-180449179.html

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American Oak Skeletonizer moth invades Europe

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 19-Nov-2012
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Contact: Astrid Kromhout
astrid.kromhout@naturalis.nl
Naturalis Biodiversity Center

It is hypothesized that cocoons attached to any material were transported by air, eg by NATO aircraft, after which the moths found their favourite hostplant commonly planted.

The finding of an unknown small moth by Dutch amateur moth hunter Hans Huisman in his backyard lead to the discovery that the American Oak skeletonizer (Bucculatrix ainsliella) is invading North West Europe on planted Northern Red oaks (Quercus rubra), a North American tree.

"The finding is unusual", says Erik J van Nieukerken of Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Leiden, Netherlands), "because until recently few insects attacked this North American tree outside its natural habitat." He and co-authors just published a paper on this species in the journal 'Nota Lepidopterologica', a specialist journal for the study of moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) in Europe.

Northern Red oaks are widely planted in Europe since the introduction in the 17th century, and the tree is important as a timber tree. Only one North American aphid, specializing on this kind of oaks has previously crossed the ocean. "The Red oaks are too different from European oaks to attract many of the specialist insects that feed on those," says Van Nieukerken, "and we usually only see insects that are common on many tree species." The identity was also shown by DNA barcodes showing no difference between European and American populations.

Bucculatrix ainsliella is now common in most of the Netherlands, the northern part of Belgium and adjacent parts of Germany. The researchers expect it to be already more widely spread, and it will possibly invade most of Europe the coming years. Despite its abundant occurrence, it has nowhere lead to any visual damage, although it is known to be a pest occasionally in North America.

After the discovery was announced online and in the Dutch media in 2011, it turned out that many moth photographers and collectors in the Netherlands and Belgium had seen or collected the moth before, but were unable to identify it correctly. The earliest specimens of Bucculatrix ainsliella were found in the Netherlands as early as 1989, as was shown by overlooked specimens in the collection of Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden. They were found in Amersfoort, a city close to a former NATO air base. It is very well possible that the small cocoons (with pupae) of the species, attached to any object, were transported by air. The emerging moths could immediately find their favourite food in the many Red Oaks that are planted in the Netherlands close to the airbase.

The larva of the newly discovered moth makes small leafmines in the oak leaves and later starts feeding on the leaf underside, eating the green tissue and leaving the veins intact. The effect of this feeding lead to the English name "Oak Skeletonizer". The caterpillar later makes a beautiful white ribbed cocoon that it fastens on leaves, trunks or any other item in its way. The small moth (wingspan 8 to 9 mm) can be found from April to October, and is attracted to light during the night.

###



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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.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 19-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Astrid Kromhout
astrid.kromhout@naturalis.nl
Naturalis Biodiversity Center

It is hypothesized that cocoons attached to any material were transported by air, eg by NATO aircraft, after which the moths found their favourite hostplant commonly planted.

The finding of an unknown small moth by Dutch amateur moth hunter Hans Huisman in his backyard lead to the discovery that the American Oak skeletonizer (Bucculatrix ainsliella) is invading North West Europe on planted Northern Red oaks (Quercus rubra), a North American tree.

"The finding is unusual", says Erik J van Nieukerken of Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Leiden, Netherlands), "because until recently few insects attacked this North American tree outside its natural habitat." He and co-authors just published a paper on this species in the journal 'Nota Lepidopterologica', a specialist journal for the study of moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) in Europe.

Northern Red oaks are widely planted in Europe since the introduction in the 17th century, and the tree is important as a timber tree. Only one North American aphid, specializing on this kind of oaks has previously crossed the ocean. "The Red oaks are too different from European oaks to attract many of the specialist insects that feed on those," says Van Nieukerken, "and we usually only see insects that are common on many tree species." The identity was also shown by DNA barcodes showing no difference between European and American populations.

Bucculatrix ainsliella is now common in most of the Netherlands, the northern part of Belgium and adjacent parts of Germany. The researchers expect it to be already more widely spread, and it will possibly invade most of Europe the coming years. Despite its abundant occurrence, it has nowhere lead to any visual damage, although it is known to be a pest occasionally in North America.

After the discovery was announced online and in the Dutch media in 2011, it turned out that many moth photographers and collectors in the Netherlands and Belgium had seen or collected the moth before, but were unable to identify it correctly. The earliest specimens of Bucculatrix ainsliella were found in the Netherlands as early as 1989, as was shown by overlooked specimens in the collection of Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden. They were found in Amersfoort, a city close to a former NATO air base. It is very well possible that the small cocoons (with pupae) of the species, attached to any object, were transported by air. The emerging moths could immediately find their favourite food in the many Red Oaks that are planted in the Netherlands close to the airbase.

The larva of the newly discovered moth makes small leafmines in the oak leaves and later starts feeding on the leaf underside, eating the green tissue and leaving the veins intact. The effect of this feeding lead to the English name "Oak Skeletonizer". The caterpillar later makes a beautiful white ribbed cocoon that it fastens on leaves, trunks or any other item in its way. The small moth (wingspan 8 to 9 mm) can be found from April to October, and is attracted to light during the night.

###



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


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/2012-11/nn-aos111912.php

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Does HMG now recognise the nature of the ID market-place? | E ...

The DWP press release*?announcing?the first seven participants?in its?Identity Assurance Programme?should be?read in full:?for what it does not say as much as for what it does. The list is almost certainly not that which those responsible for Government ID policy (leaving aside the question of who is responsible?and what the policy?is) would have wished.

I suspect?the missing banks, social media, on-line retailers and high street names have taken the view that the?business on offer from HMG (let alone a from modest?18 month non-exclusive trial?with DWP)?is not worth the cost (including?diversion of effort from?mainstream paying business), let alone the reputational risk.

Identity Systems MarketThat said, the announcement appears to contain?an overdue (albeit perhaps?reluctant) recognition of reality:?that the world of identity systems is a mature marketplace. Unfortunately those?who have issued hundreds?of millions of?electronic IDs?(some of which are trusted for sizable financial transactions and/or personal or corporate risks) are not interested in working with?HMG (including DWP) other than on?their?terms. Meanwhile?would-be new players are not interested doing so?unless bribed with?the ?billion pound contracts that HMG can no longer afford.

We still have disappointed pundits calling for?a comprehensive ?solution??at some-one else?s expense. But that ?solution? seems even further away?than when the International Telegraphic Union?met to agree?codes and tariffs?- over 150 years ago. What has been announced by DWP may, nonetheless, do rather more than ?merely? provide a sensible?basis?for a workmanlike solution to the needs of DWP. It contains?what some have called a ?perverse incentive?, whereby participants are paid to register and maintain each identity on a per active user, per annum basis ?while?users can sign up with more than one participant and the latter make more operational margin, at least during the trial, when those identities are use via another participant who is bearing the marginal cost of the ?free? transaction.

I think it is not ?pervrse? but rather?clever. It gives?participants a very real incentive to ensure that the inter-operability really does work. If the result?serves to?extend?the current UK market lead in identity?arbitrage (as?practiced in financial services but not understood outside)?into the public sector and into mass-market on-line applications, then it will have achieved far more than the??millions spent?via?the Technology Strategy Board or Framework 7.

Between them the consortia appear to cover most of the bases. Some may even be able to cover all the bases ? depending on the partners which which they are working.

Take a look at Toby Stephens?Identity Privacy and Trust Blog for background on IDAP but he works for one of the players (arguably the most important) so it?may be helpful if I (who do not work for any of them or their competitors)?comment on those?given?modest?(in HMG terms) funding to produce inter-operable?services:

  • Cassidian is one of the biggest security and secure network suppliers you have never heard of. It is part of EADS and?the largest private sector employer in Wales (bigger than?steel and coal). It?understands the issues of ?identifying trusted and competant individuals (and technology componants)?working in the supply chains of defence and aerospace (is this fitter competant to maintain?that?engine and are the parts ?genuine??).?Whether it understands how to identify those?drifting in and out of work with ?no fixed abode? is another matter.
  • Digidentity is a Dutch company supplying?operational ?third party trust services? in what is regarded by enthusiasts as a successful,?competitive market. Others?say that?the use?of? these for transactions?is still trivial.?Their participation means that the IDAP programme has a participant from a market place which?has survived a baptism of fire -?the?Dutch government has had well publicised problems.? Their UK?operational partner is Atos,?which bears the scars?of being a major supplier to DWP but is?also?riding high on the success of the?inter-operability of IDs for the Olympics.
  • Experian is, of course, far more than credit records. Government?s ?flagship? on-line service, that for motor tax renewal, could not work without the on-line collective motor insurance data base which is one of the many ?big data? services run by Experian around the world (not just in the UK). These range from?millions of ?age cards? (used by teenagers to ?prove? they are young enough to travel cheap or old enough to buy a drink) to the El Al Frequent Flyer card (arguably the world?s most secure civilian ID token).?Some of its operations already help clients?track the footprints and aliases of those with no fixed abode, whether?they are credit worthy travellers or known fraud risks one jump ahead of bailiffs.
  • Ingeus is part of an Australian welfare to work provider with serious?experience of helping (as opposed to merely tracking)?the socially excluded. The UK CEO was previously Chief Operating Office for the DWP?s Corporate IT Directorate so they should understand the requirements from the DWP perspective.
  • Mydex is a community interest company which seeks to put individuals in charge of their own personal data. It will be interesting to see how they plan to handle the challenges of working with?those who?will give their cards and passwords to who-ever will go to shop or operate the computer for them or are?engaged in?manufacturing or stealing identities and footprints.
  • The Post Office is the only public sector organisation that most of us still trust. Hence the reason?we complain so much when its offices?close, even though we (the IT literati)?go to them?as little as possible because of the queues, which include?those in whose social exclusion we collude?- while claiming otherwise.
  • Finally?there is?Verizon?, the?US telecoms giant, not to be confused with Verisign which sold its Internet authentication business to Symantec a couple of years ago.?They are a member of?OIX? (a US inter-operability group?which Cabinet Office asked to open a UK chapter?as an umbrella for ID standards activities for which it no longer had a budget).

But where?are?the?main current?UK providers of identity services: including the?banks and the operators of??credit, debit, cash and loyalty cards or the lawyers who provide notarising services?? More-over?those running local authority residents cards have been excluded for ?legal? reasons whose logic I?do not? understand.

I therefore hope that this announcement is a step on a journey of exploration.

Meanwhile I was delighted to see that page 10 of the new Fighting Fraud Together Strategic Plan lists?the enablers of fraud that need to be addressed ? beginning with ?Identity Exploitation?, particularly the acquisition of the information necessary to FOG, ?fraudulently obtain genuine? identities. At this point I link back to the DWP press release on the IDAP providers and Lord Freud?s comment that ?we are working with cyber security experts to ensure we are clear about the threats to the online process and we are confident?that the providers announced today will offer and effective, safe and free to use identity service for future online benefit claims.???I suspect there is a lot of nifty footwork ahead in order for?the providers to live up to his confidence at a price DWP is willing to pay.

*Department for Work and Pensions

About the Author:

Political (not just Systems) Engineer: co-author Conservative Telecoms Liberalisation and Privatisation Policies 1978 -9, co-founder PITCOM 1981, Principal Consultant National Computing Centre 1982 - 6, Secretary General EURIM 1994 - 2011, Chairman Conservative Technology Forum 2011 -

Philip Virgo ? who has written 81 posts on E RADAR | Smarter business online.


Email???Twitter???Linkedin

Source: http://www.eradar.eu/2012/11/does-hmg-now-recognise-the-nature-of-the-id-market-place/

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10 Things to Know for Monday

Palestinians stand near the rubble of the building of Attia Abu Inkara, a Hamas militant leader, following an Israeli air strike in Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012. An Israeli envoy held talks with Egyptian officials Sunday on a ceasefire in his country's offensive on Gaza as Israel widened the range of its targets, striking more than a dozen homes of Hamas militants and two media officials. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)

Palestinians stand near the rubble of the building of Attia Abu Inkara, a Hamas militant leader, following an Israeli air strike in Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012. An Israeli envoy held talks with Egyptian officials Sunday on a ceasefire in his country's offensive on Gaza as Israel widened the range of its targets, striking more than a dozen homes of Hamas militants and two media officials. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)

U.S. President Barack Obama, second left, and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, second right, arrive for an official dinner at Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Demonstrators gather outside of City Hall in San Francisco for a protest against a proposed city-wide nudity ban, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012. San Francisco appears poised to shed part of its image as a city where anything goes, including clothing. The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote next week on a law that would ban public nudity. The proposal comes in response to a devoted group of nudists who proudly strut their stuff through the city's Castro District. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and stories that will be talked about Monday:

1. NO LETUP IN VIOLENCE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS

Palestinian militants continued to barrage Israel with rockets, and Israel announced it was widening its offensive to target the military commanders of the ruling Islamist group.

2. WHAT HAMAS WANTS IN ORDER TO STOP ROCKET ATTACKS

The Islamists demand open borders for Gaza and international guarantees that Israel will halt all attacks on the tiny territory.

3. WHY OBAMA IS MAKING HIS LANDMARK MYANMAR TRIP

The president says he's encouraged by signs of progress toward democratic reform inside the long-isolated nation.

4. HOW CHRISTIE, CUOMO AND BLOOMBERG REACTED TO SANDY

The N.Y. and N.J. governors and NYC mayor employ different leadership styles after the storm, but all receive high marks from disaster response experts.

5. HURDLES IN THE WAY OF A 'FISCAL CLIFF' SOLUTION

The big issues facing the White House and congressional negotiators include tax rates, demanding constituents and overwhelmingly conservative or liberal districts.

6. WHERE MORE COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE SEEKING CREDITS

Internet-based course developers seek to make the "Massive Open Online Course" or MOOC credit-worthy.

7. SAN FRANCISCO MAY SHED 'ANYTHING GOES' IMAGE

City lawmakers plan to vote on an ordinance that would prohibit nudity in most public places.

8. 'TWILIGHT' FINALE EVEN DRAWS GUYS

The movie sucks up $141.3 million domestically, $340.9 million worldwide and the biggest male crowds in the series.

9. JUSTIN GIVES A SHOUT OUT TO 'UN-BELIEBERS'

Bieber wins favorite pop/rock male artist at the American Music Awards, thanking "all the haters" who doubted him.

10. A BIG THANKSGIVING WEEKEND FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Notre Dame needs only to beat Southern California to secure a BCS title game spot.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-11-18-10%20Things%20to%20Know-Monday/id-f1619558af57426ba74f7d762614e151

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Mayor Ford to take stand today in $6M defamation lawsuit

The Canadian Press
Published Friday, Nov. 16, 2012 7:14AM EST

TORONTO - Toronto's mayor is expected to take the stand in court today in a $6-million defamation lawsuit against him.

Restaurant owner George Foulidis is alleging Rob Ford libelled him when the mayor suggested the restaurant's leasing deal with the city was corrupt.

Foulidis believes Ford defamed him by telling a Toronto newspaper the deal "stinks to high heaven."

Toronto city council extended a lease Foulidis had for his Boardwalk Cafe restaurant on public land in a sole-sourced, untendered contract in the summer of 2010 ? the middle of Ford's ultimately successful campaign to become mayor.

Ford's lawyer is arguing that the mayor was talking about Foulidis' business, Tuggs Inc., and that companies can't be defamed.

The mayor has suggested the lawsuit is politically motivated.

Source: http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/mayor-ford-to-take-stand-today-in-6m-defamation-lawsuit-1.1040735

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The Canadian by Jeff Friesen: a model train's journey across Canada

Jeff Friesen's photography project entitled 'The Canadian: Ghost Train Crossing Canada' appears to show a train crossing Canada - but, in fact, the train is just two inches tall. His work captures the travels of a scale model vintage 1955 streamliner passenger train against picturesque landscapes.

Five Islands, Nova Scotia: taken in Five Islands Provincial Park, Nova Scotia, on the Bay of Fundy shore

Picture: Jeff Friesen/Rex Features

Source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/564430/s/25a798ee/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Ctravel0Cpicturegalleries0C96830A80A0CThe0ECanadian0Eby0EJeff0EFriesen0Ea0Emodel0Etrains0Ejourney0Eacross0ECanada0Bhtml/story01.htm

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CIF Football Playoffs Round 2: West Hills vs. Ramona | Santee ...

http://santee.patch.com/events/cif-football-playoffs-round-2-west-hills-vs-ra...

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Source: http://santee.patch.com/events/cif-football-playoffs-round-2-west-hills-vs-ramona

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Obama's health care law advances in the states

Map shows how states will implement the new online insurance markets

Map shows how states will implement the new online insurance markets

FILE - This Nov. 13, 2012 file photo shows New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during a news conference in Trenton, N.J. Threatened with repeal just weeks ago, President Barack Obama's health care law now appears on track in close to half the states, with others playing catch-up and the administration readying a fallback for states not wishing to participate. Christie said Friday that New Jersey is going to comply with the Affordable Care Act. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Threatened with repeal just weeks ago, President Barack Obama's health care law now appears on track in close to half the states, with others playing catch-up and the administration readying a fallback for states not wishing to participate.

Friday was the original deadline for states to notify Washington if they would play a role in building new health insurance markets through which the uninsured can get coverage starting in 2014. Though the administration granted a month's extension, most states have already made their intentions known.

As of Friday, 23 states plus Washington, D.C., were proceeding; 15 said they'd defer to the federal government to run their markets and 12 were still mulling over their options. The mostly blue group proceeding included five Republican-led states. The undecided included several states that seemed to be moving toward an active role.

"Postelection it's really been 'game on,'" said Kelly Barnes, leader of the health care group at the PricewaterhouseCoopers consulting firm.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney had vowed to begin dismantling "Obamacare" his first day in office. But Romney lost, and instead GOP governors are scrambling to see if they can find an accommodation with the administration after two years of fighting the president's signature law.

"The president won the election...and New Jersey is going to comply with the Affordable Care Act," Republican Gov. Chris Christie said Friday. Christie said he still has questions about costs and is weighing his decision. Earlier this year he vetoed legislation creating a state exchange, as the new insurance markets are called.

A check by The Associated Press found that 16 states plus Washington, D.C., want to build their own exchanges. Starting Jan. 1, 2014, individuals, families and small businesses will be able to buy private coverage through an exchange in their state, with most consumers getting government assistance to pay premiums.

The exchanges will also help steer low-income, uninsured people into expanded Medicaid programs in many states.

Another seven states have indicated they want to partner with Washington to build their exchanges. Ohio joined this group Friday and West Virginia officials said they're heading in the same direction.

Fifteen mostly Republican-led states say they'll defer to the federal government to build and run their markets. Georgia and Wisconsin formally joined that group Friday. However, New Hampshire, where Democrats won control of the state House in the election, is taking a second look at its decision to default to the feds.

Finally, another 12 undecided states now have until Dec. 14 to determine what role, if any, they'll play.

Obama's election victory guaranteed the survival of his health care law, which is eventually expected to provide coverage to more than 30 million people through the exchanges and expanded Medicaid programs. It was the final hurdle, after the Supreme Court upheld a legal challenge from 26 states. In the aftermath of the election, some Republican state leaders say it's time to accept the law.

"I don't like it; I would not vote for it; I think it needs to be repealed. But it is the law," said Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, after announcing that his state wants to set up its own exchange. "If you default to the federal government, you forever give the keys to the state's health insurance market to the federal government."

Traditionally, states have regulated the private health insurance market.

But other Republican-led states say they don't have enough information to make a decision at this point and are clamoring for the Obama administration to release major regulations bottled up for months.

"States are struggling with many unanswered questions and are not able to make comprehensive far-reaching decisions prudently," Govs. Bob McDonnell of Virginia and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana wrote Obama earlier this week.

Some of their main concerns are hidden costs of operating the exchanges and the sheer bureaucratic complexity of the new system. The Obama administration has steadfastly maintained it will not postpone the Jan. 1, 2014, launch date for the law's coverage expansion, and it will go ahead in all 50 states. Open enrollment will begin even sooner, Oct. 1, 2013.

Although the public remains divided about the health care law, the idea of states running the new insurance markets is popular, especially with Republicans and political independents. A recent AP poll found that 63 percent of Americans would prefer states to run the exchanges, with 32 percent favoring federal control.

The breakdown among Republicans was 81 percent to 17 percent in favor of state control, while independents lined up 65-28 for states taking the lead. Democrats were almost evenly divided, with a slim majority favoring state control.

___

Associated Press writers Samantha Henry in New Jersey, Ann Sanner in Ohio and Larry Messina in West Virginia contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-11-16-Health%20Overhaul-States/id-e2530b8740d74b4c8e1bfc318116bd68

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Global drought may have changed less than thought

Simple models have overestimated drying over past 60 years

By Tanya Lewis

Web edition: November 14, 2012

Droughts shrivel crops, threaten communities, and wither ecosystems. Studies claim global warming is increasing drought worldwide, and may already have done so. But the standard method of assessing drought has exaggerated drying trends over the past 60 years, scientists report in the Nov. 14 Nature.

The 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that ?more intense and longer droughts have been observed over wider areas since the 1970s.? Its findings were largely based on a widely used model known as the Palmer Drought Severity Index, which uses temperature and rainfall to determine dryness. Originally developed in the 1960s to help apportion aid to drought-stricken farmers, the index may skew drought trends in the presence of climate change.

?It?s quite obvious that the Palmer model has been overestimating changes in drought,? says study coauthor Justin Sheffield, a hydroclimatologist at Princeton University. Other scientists have reported this effect for regional areas, but the new study is the first to show it globally, he says.

The problem has to do with the way of calculating a quantity called potential evaporation, the amount of evaporation that would occur given an unlimited water supply. Historically, scientists calculated potential evaporation using the Thornthwaite equation, which is based entirely on temperature. The more complete Penman-Monteith equation, by contrast, incorporates the influences of solar radiation, humidity and wind speed. The latter gives a much more accurate measure of potential evaporation, Sheffield says.

Sheffield and colleagues calculated global drought trends from 1950 to 2008 using both equations on multiple datasets. Notably, they found a much smaller change in drought using the Penman-Monteith equation. The estimated yearly drought increase was only half as severe as that derived from the Thornthwaite equation. The weather records invariably contain some errors, but Sheffield says those errors don?t alter the conclusion that the simpler model overestimates rises in global drying.

The finding comes in stark opposition to the results of several recent studies. ?It presented a somewhat different view of the drying trend for the last 60 years,? says Aiguo Dai, an atmospheric scientist at the State University of New York at Albany, whose own research suggests that the two equations yield very little difference in drought estimates. Dai says the new study fails to consider trends in soil moisture and other variables. He also claims that the new study relies on outdated weather records and questionable radiation data. However, Sheffield and colleagues attribute the disagreement to inconsistencies in the weather data used by Dai and others.

?I think the jury?s still out on why those groups looking at similar metrics come to different conclusions,? says paleoclimatologist Kevin Anchukaitis of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, who was not involved in either study.

If drought increases have in fact been overestimated, scientists may need to rethink how global warming may affect extreme weather going forward.

One thing scientists seem to agree on is that the Palmer metric for drought will become increasingly inaccurate in future. ?I think we?re converging on the realization that it?s not just about temperature,? Sheffield says.

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/346428/title/Global_drought_may_have_changed_less_than_thought

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Video: Is the GOP ready to compromise?

>>> congressman paul ryan is back on capitol hill and talking for the first time about losing his bid for vice presidency . "losing never feels good."

>> we were surprised at the outcome. e we knew this was going to be a close race. we thought we had a good chance of winning. it just wasn't enough at the end of the day . i respect the process is done and i congratulate the president on the race. we now have divided government like we did before. the divided government didn't work. we're going to have to make this divided government work.

>> and there are new signs that the word compromise may not be such a dirty word in washington. rand paul says he's ready to work with democrats on immigration reform . and a big concession when it comes to taxes. kent conrad says democrats are throwing around mitt romney 's idea to raise taxes on the rich by capping deductions. the chairman of the house republican conference says the willingness to all of a sudden work together boils down to timing. according to congressman deb hesterly, compromise works best after an election. ladies, thank you for joining me. you heard the comment there that bipartisanship works best after elections. i don't know if that's full proof because you have paul ryan saying that the american people voted for a divided government . seeing power in the house and a democrat in the white house .

>> we have to make this work now and a few years ago, you would have heard them saying, no, we can't compromise. we're going to have to stick to our guns. i think this was a real shellacking for the republicans. now you're hearing all of 2016 people walking it back. all of the tea party types saying not all of them, but some of them who want to run for president saying i think we need to scale this back. we can't dumb it down. e we can't be assertive with the american people . they don't want to hear all this. so it's not just elections. it's elections that you have lost big time .

>> to your point, tea party favorite rand paul making some concessions or saying he's willing to on immigration. even reaching out to minorities to come into the fold of the party. let me read when he had to say. "i want to show what conservatives would or can accept if we assimilate those are here however, they got here. don't make it an easy path, but if they are willing to pay taxes, we need to normalize those who are here." that's a quote from politico. what do we a make of senator rand paul ? does she have enough influence when you counter mitch mcconnell and others? does he have enough influence to bring in others in the party who agree?

>> yes. i definitely think he does. he's considered a player. he brings to the table a very, very big demographic, which is his father's list. and that's a pretty powerful thing. and what you're going to have to watch for here is the mitch mcconnells of the world, he's somebody who is going to want to may play a little bit on immigration. he faces a primary challenge. so what you're going to see is some of these guys who maybe want to soften on immigration, getting some cover from some of the other guys who will get out there in front to try to protect them so they can win their next electio elections.

>> you wrote about rank and file immigration reform yesterday. it caught my eye. it is interesting from the leaders of the party who are on the radio and television meaning like a sean hannity to actual elected officials within the gop who seem they want to speed up the process in hopes of two years from now having latino voters come to their side if immigration is what's holding them back.

>> you have to look at the people who have come forward in the last week or so have been people like lindsey graham , john mccain , rand paul now, and we haven't heard much from the rank and file in the house. and when you have a group of people that are safely ensconced in gerrymandered districts, there's not much motivation to come out in favor in something like immigration reform . so the senate might be talking about it, but people that matter like lamar smith who was the chair of the judiciary committee , hasn't made a statement. he's bringing back the word amnesty real quick.

>> words that matter, you have bobby jindal , the governor of louisiana , i feel like we should get a plug every time we say politico, but he says governor jindal says we must not be the party that protects the rich so they get to teep their toys. we also had enough of this dumb-down conservatism. we need to thrust the intelligence of the american people and we need to stop insulting the intelligence of voters. so i mean he didn't say amnesty but we saw the heated rhetoric to insight fear and get people fired up and ready to be against any kind of program for the 12 to 14 million people in this country right now who obviously will not all be sent back to their home countries.

>> i think that's right. they have painted themselves in sb into a corner in this respect. the republican base is not in favor of a pathway to citizenship. when people talk about comprehensive immigration reform , that's what they are talking about. now it's up to republicans across the country really to start changing their tune. the question is how fast can they do that? will it be a time to make a difference for the next election?

>> and will they try to insert the president? it's high on his agenda as well. but lois, i want to play another clip from congressman paul ryan and his first public reaction on camera to the loss for he and governor romney. let me play it.

>> mitt didn't pick me for wisconsin or a certain state. e he picked me for issues, for taking on the debt crisis. we had hoped to win wisconsin . he fought very hard for wisconsin . we cut president obama 's lead in half, but nevertheless, it wasn't enough. what it became clear to us as things went on, when virginia and ohio weren't coming together, it looked to me some time early in the evening that it just wasn't going to happen.

>> that's his reflection. but moving ahead, speaker boehner was asked whether paul ryan would be the leader of the party. he referred to him as the wonky guy. what are we to make of paul ryan ?

>> he is the wonky guy. that was a dismissive comment that the speaker made. what he was trying to say is that he's coming back here, the same guy, as when he left. he's going to be a voice on certain issues, but he's not going to be a leader in the party.

>> thank you very much. a pleasure having both of you

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/49809245/

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