US – Thursday, March 18
Final push is on for health care reform
Democrats in the House of Representatives on Thursday predicted weekend passage of a sweeping health care overhaul that budget analysts said would cut the U.S. deficit over 10 years and dramatically expand health coverage.
 
Pakistan charges U.S. 5 with terror
A Pakistani court formally charged five young Americans of plotting terrorism in the country yesterday, their lawyer said, in a case that has raised alarm over the danger posed by militants using the Internet.
 
Bullock gets ‘Blind Side’d by alleged affair
It seemed too crazy to be true — America’s sweetheart Sandra Bullock fell for Jesse James, a heavily tattooed former bodyguard for Slayer turned custom motorcycle maker who was once married to a porn star.
 
Flash-fried finger-lickin’ chicken
Here, “un-fried” really means flash fried. Flash frying is a high-heat deep-frying technique used to rapidly brown small pieces of quickcooking food such as tiny calamari or small shrimp to avoid overcooking them before the crust browns. Flash flying requires an oil temperature of at least 400°F — which means you have to use an oil with a high smoke point, like grapeseed oil. By poaching the chicken first and then flash frying it, I was able to eliminate 20 grams of fat and at least 250 calories from traditional fried chicken. Because the chicken is already cooked, it only has to spend enough time in the hot oil to brown the crust, which means it absorbs less oil.

Taken from “Now Eat This!” by Rocco DiSpirito.

 
‘Free’ ad leads to fraud suit
NEW YORK. A Wisconsin college student is suing credit firm Experian — the brains behind the ubiquitous FreeCreditReport.com jingles — for fraudulent advertising after she inadvertently signed up for a monthly $14.95 monitoring service.
 
The key to Kyoto
Kyoto’s temples and Geisha culture are legendary, but this city is no slouch when it comes to mixing in a large slice of contemporary, too.
 
Updated 20:38, August the 10th, 2009
 

Scientists mull quiet ’09 hurricane season

If global warming equals more storms, where are they?

In December 2008, the National Hurricane Center predicted an above-average hurricane season for 2009. Since then, the organization has downgraded it to a below-average season.In December 2008, the National Hurricane Center predicted an above-average hurricane season for 2009. Since then, the organization has downgraded it to a below-average season.
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
 

El Niño plays a partA periodic weather phenomenon that warms the surface of ocean water and slows wind shear needed for storms to pick up speed, El Niño is partially to blame for the glacial pace of this year’s hurricane season. Occurring every three to eight years, fewer hurricanes typically form during El Niño cycles. But in the last 17 years, there have been three El Niños, and still 2009 marks the slowest startup. Food for thought.
 
El Niño plays a part

A periodic weather phenomenon that warms the surface of ocean water and slows wind shear needed for storms to pick up speed, El Niño is partially to blame for the glacial pace of this year’s hurricane season. Occurring every three to eight years, fewer hurricanes typically form during El Niño cycles. But in the last 17 years, there have been three El Niños, and still 2009 marks the slowest startup. Food for thought.
 
RebuttalHari Pant, environmental scientist at Lehman College at the City University of New York, sizes up the debate.1 “People get confused between climate and weather and tend to think of localized effect as if it is the global trend. Any particular year or few years may not fall within the trend.”2 “We should not look at slower than usual hurricane activity in a particular region of the world for a given year as evidence of a cooling earth or a slowing of global warming.” 3 “Scientists have suggested that because of the global warming effect, the world may experience intense hurricanes; however, that does not mean only in the Atlantic. What about what China and Taiwan are going through as we speak?”
 
Rebuttal

Hari Pant, environmental scientist at Lehman College at the City University of New York, sizes up the debate.

1 “People get confused between climate and weather and tend to think of localized effect as if it is the global trend. Any particular year or few years may not fall within the trend.”

2 “We should not look at slower than usual hurricane activity in a particular region of the world for a given year as evidence of a cooling earth or a slowing of global warming.”

3 “Scientists have suggested that because of the global warming effect, the world may experience intense hurricanes; however, that does not mean only in the Atlantic. What about what China and Taiwan are going through as we speak?”
 

The now iconic image of murky dust rising from a smokestack in the shape of a hurricane on the cover of Al Gore’s global warming documentary draws a distinct correlation between rising temperatures and stronger storm patterns.

But here’s an inconvenient truth: This year’s hurricane season has gotten off to the slowest start in 17 years. And yet global warming alarmists continue to ring their doomsday sirens.

The official start of the hurricane season is June 1. And not since 1992 — the year of Hurricane Andrew — has the Atlantic Ocean been silent past Aug. 4. Meteorologists have yet to name even a single tropical storm in the Atlantic in 2009.

So is global warming really doing anything?

“While it is commonly thought that global warming would increase hurricane activity, that is far from a settled issue,” said Rob Eisenson, a meteorologist at Western Connecticut State University. “There are some research studies that suggest global warming would not have that effect.”

But Eisenson cautions that looking at one season’s activity cannot determine whether a long-term trend is or is not happening.

“I don’t think the slow start to the hurricane season can be pointed to as an erosion of the claims of global warming or hurricane activity. Likewise, I don’t think a single especially active hurricane year is highly supportive of these claims. ... Anyone can claim anything in this debate — fact is, there is no way to prove or disprove any of it.”

[Click on chart to enlarge][Click on chart to enlarge]
 
 
 
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MMMpod
The March MMMpod features conversation and music from Surfer Blood and The Allman Brothers Band (There's a double-bill you're not too likely to see. However, Gregg Allman does mention Hannah Montana!). We also speak with Vampire Weekend and the Dropkick Murphys.
 
 
Metro Life Panel