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Measuring the human impact of weather

WMO issues new records of weather impacts in terms of lives lost

Arizona State University

EDITOR’S NOTE: Here is yet another example of scientific research that Trump intends to de-fund. Already, government websites have been scrubbed of references to climate change and the scientific research that backs that up. – W. Collette

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has announced world records for the highest reported historical death tolls from tropical cyclones, tornadoes, lightning and hailstorms.

It marks the first time the official WMO Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes has broadened its scope from strictly temperature and weather records to address the impacts of specific events.

"In today's world, it seems like the latest weather disaster is the worst," said Randy Cerveny, an Arizona State University professor of geographical science and urban planning and chief Rapporteur of Climate and Weather Extremes for WMO. Cerveny is the keeper of the world's weather extremes.

"Knowing exactly how bad various types of weather have been in the past has been an integral part of preparing for the future," Cerveny added. 

High levels of exercise linked to nine years of less aging at the cellular level

New research shows a major advantage for those who are highly active

Brigham Young University

Despite their best efforts, no scientist has ever come close to stopping humans from aging. Even anti-aging creams can't stop Old Father Time.

But new research from Brigham Young University reveals you may be able to slow one type of aging -- the kind that happens inside your cells. As long as you're willing to sweat.

"Just because you're 40, doesn't mean you're 40 years old biologically," Tucker said. "We all know people that seem younger than their actual age. The more physically active we are, the less biological aging takes place in our bodies."

The study, published in the medical journal Preventive Medicine, finds that people who have consistently high levels of physical activity have significantly longer telomeres than those who have sedentary lifestyles, as well as those who are moderately active.

Pay doctors a living wage

Doctors should be paid by salary, not fee-for-service, argue behavioral economists

Carnegie Mellon University

While most conflict of interest research and debate in medicine focuses on physicians interacting with pharmaceutical and device companies, one important source of conflicts is largely ignored in the medical literature on conflicts of interest: how doctors are paid.

In a Journal of the American Medical Association Viewpoint article, Carnegie Mellon University's George Loewenstein and the University of California, Los Angeles' Ian Larkin outline the problems associated with the fee-for-service arrangements that most doctors currently operate under. 

Such compensation schemes, they argue, create incentives for physicians to order more, and different, services than are best for patients.

Pope Francis meets The Donald

The Pope just called out Trump with the PERFECT gift

BY SHEILA NORTON  

President Trump met Pope Francis for the first time on May 24, but the ocean of separation has not stopped the two from exchanging sharp words during the preceding year. 

While this was a time for building alliances on a formal world stage, the Pope still found a classy way to stand up for his values.

He gave Trump a gift:

Andrew Freedman: Per White House pool, @Pontifex gave Trump a personally signed copy of his climate change encyclical today. 7:38 AM - 24 May 2017

Encyclicals are formal letters circulated by Popes to dictate the highest priorities of the church and set the tone for Catholic values and teaching.

The Pope published his 192-page encyclical two years ago, establishing in no uncertain terms that combatting climate change is a moral imperative that we cannot afford to ignore.

By contrast, Trump has said “global warming was created by and for the Chinese,” removed climate change from his EPA’s website, and is traveling with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, former CEO of Exxon — one of the environment’s worst offenders.

Summer Movie Blockbuster!

Trump & Nixon

Scientists Study Atmospheric Waves Radiating out of Hurricanes

Atmospheric gravity waves that spiral outward could be used to monitor storms

University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School

EDITOR’S NOTE: Here we have another example of endangered science, the kind that Trump wants to defund and erase. After all, climate change and its effects can't happen if you don't know about them. - W. Collette

Researchers believe they have found a new way to monitor the intensity and location of hurricanes from hundreds of miles away by detecting atmospheric waves radiating from the centers of these powerful storms.

In a new study, scientists from the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and the Hurricane Research Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) presented direct observations of the waves, obtained by NOAA aircraft flying in hurricanes and by a research buoy located in the Pacific Ocean. 

The waves, known as atmospheric gravity waves, are produced by strong thunderstorms near the eye and radiate outward in expanding spirals.

Nuts are good for colon health

Chance of colon cancer recurrence nearly cut in half in people who eat nuts

American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)

"Basic healthy eating can often be overlooked during cancer treatment. This study shows that something as simple as eating tree nuts may make a difference in a patient's long-term survival," said ASCO President Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FACP, FASCO.

"Nut consumption and a healthy diet are generally factors that clinicians and patients should perhaps pay attention to as they design the approach to treatment for colorectal cancer."

An observational study of 826 patients with stage III colon cancer showed that those who consumed two ounces or more of nuts per week had a 42% lower chance of cancer recurrence and 57% lower chance of death than those who did not eat nuts.

A secondary analysis revealed the benefit of nut consumption was limited to tree nuts. Tree nuts include almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, and pecans, among others. These findings will be presented at the upcoming 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Attention Hackers

Any Half-Decent Hacker Could Break Into Mar-a-Lago
By Jeff Larson, ProPublica, Surya Mattu, Gizmodo, and Julia Angwin, ProPublica.

Two weeks ago, on a sparkling spring morning, we went trawling along Florida's coastal waterway. But not for fish.

We parked a 17-foot motor boat in a lagoon about 800 feet from the back lawn of The Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach and pointed a 2-foot wireless antenna that resembled a potato gun toward the club.

Within a minute, we spotted three weakly encrypted Wi-Fi networks. We could have hacked them in less than five minutes, but we refrained.

A few days later, we drove through the grounds of the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, with the same antenna and aimed it at the clubhouse. We identified two open Wi-Fi networks that anyone could join without a password. We resisted the temptation.

We have also visited two of President Donald Trump's other family-run retreats, the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., and a golf club in Sterling, Virginia.

Our inspections found weak and open Wi-Fi networks, wireless printers without passwords, servers with outdated and vulnerable software, and unencrypted login pages to back-end databases containing sensitive information.

The risks posed by the lax security, experts say, go well beyond simple digital snooping.

Trump gives away military secrets to ANOTHER foreign government

Trump Praised Duterte's Drug War, Told Him of Nuclear Subs, in Phone Call

By Nadia Prupis, staff writer for Common Dreams

Rodrigo Duterte anti-drug war features street murders of suspected
drug dealers and users.

President Donald Trump told Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte that he was "doing an amazing job" with his brutal drug war crackdown and informed him that the U.S. had two submarines off the Korean peninsula, according to a recently-released transcript of the two leaders' phone call last month.

"You are a good man," Trump told Duterte in the April 29 call, which was highly controversial when placed. "Keep up the good work. You are doing an amazing job."

"I just wanted to congratulate you because I am hearing of the unbelievable job on the drug problem," Trump said. "Many countries have the problem, we have a problem, but what a great job you are doing and I just wanted to call and tell you that."

"Thank you Mr. President," Duterte replied. "This is the scourge of my nation now and I have to do something to preserve the Filipino nation."

Trump called the Philippines strongman—whose regime has killed thousands of people since he took office last June, and who previously bragged about killing suspected criminals while serving as mayor of Davao city—to invite him to visit the White House, which Trump's chief of staff Reince Priebus later defended as a sign of international cooperation on addressing issues with North Korea.

That apparently included the U.S. president informing Duterte that there were two American submarines off the Korean peninsula.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in the conning tower of NK's
flagship submarine. 

"We can't let a madman with nuclear weapons let on the loose like that," Trump told Duterte, referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. "We have a lot of firepower, more than he has times 20, but we don't want to use it."

"We have a lot of firepower over there. We have two submarines—the best in the world—we have two nuclear submarines—not that we want to use them at all," he continued.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The disposition and locations of US submarines is one of the country's most closely guarded secrets. Why would Donald Trump throw this out there to Duterte? What possible need to know does Duterte have? - W. Collette

Another great summer movie

"Great surety?"

New Mystic exhibit features the “Weird and Wonderful”

Opens Memorial Day Weekend

Dale Wolbrink, Mystic Aquarium

Something weird and wonderful will happen at Mystic Aquarium this Memorial Day Weekend. 

Beginning Friday, May 26, 2017, guests will be invited take a walk on the weird side of our watery world with Weird & Wonderful.  This exciting new exhibit showcases some of nature’s most bizarre and fascinating creatures.

Spanning more than 1,000 square feet and featuring several new exhibits and animals, guests will marvel at the unique features and adaptations of a diversity of aquatic animals.