Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Are you ready to rumble?
Heavy thunderstorms are rumbling across the Charlotte area tonight, producing scattered reports of hail, damaging winds and heavy rain.
The storms formed late Wednesday afternoon in the mountains and moved across the foothills early this evening before crossing into the Piedmont.
Those storms could produce small hail and wind gusts of up to 50 mph, forecasters said. In addition, heavy rain could cause brief flooding.
Forecasters say 2 to 4 inches of rain has fallen there since 7 p.m. No flooding has been reported, but forecasters say they expect some roads to be under water.
Severe thunderstorm warnings and flood advisories have been in effect this evening
Damage reports have included downed trees and large hail.
The storms are expected to continue across the area for a few more hours, then die off before midnight as a weak low-pressure system moves east of the region.
The rest of the night will be steamy, with some fog possible Thursday morning.
Thursday's forecast is much the same as today ... a warm and humid start, with thunderstorms forming in the afternoon. Some of Thursday's storms also could be heavy to severe.
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Oh, Joy and Ecstasy
Humans prefer cockiness to expertise
We prefer confident advisers to cautious ones – even when they're wrong, a guessing game suggests.
Humans prefer cockiness to expertise
Science News
Supervolcano may be brewing beneath Mount St Helens
Peering beneath the US volcano suggests that it may be connected to an extraordinarily large zone of semi-molten rock, which would be capable of feeding a giant eruption
Broken dwarf planet may have scarred the moon
The shattered remnants of a dwarf planet may have bombarded the inner planets in the early solar system, suggests a new analysis of craters on the moon
Betelgeuse: The incredible shrinking star?
New observations suggest the bright red star in the constellation Orion has shrunk by more than 15 per cent since 1993
Seven things that don't make sense about gravity
Gravity keeps our feet on the ground and our planet circling the sun, but we know remarkably little about it.Seven things that don't make sense about gravity
Male hummingbirds have fastest vertebrate flight
High-speed video footage shows that, relative to their body size, courting male Anna's hummingbirds are the fastest vertebrates in the sky.
Male hummingbirds have fastest vertebrate flight
New Element
Good Samaritan mugged while helping Michigan motorist
Good Samaritan mugged while helping Michigan motorist
Terrorist named in attack
James Von Brunn is known as a white supremacist who once tried to kidnap members of the Federal Reserve board.
Holocaust Museum shooting suspect identified
Also:
Reviving American chestnuts may mitigate climate change
(Photo by Nicole Jacobs)
Jacobs studied four sites in southwestern Wisconsin that were unaffected by the blight because they are so far from the tree's natural range. He compared the American chestnut directly against black walnut and northern red oak at several different ages, and also cross-referenced his results to other studies using quaking aspen, red pine and white pine in the same region.
In each case the American chestnut grew faster, having as much as three times more above ground biomass than other species at the same point of development. American chestnut also sequestered more carbon than all the others. The only exception was black walnut on one site, but the American chestnut absorbed more carbon on the other study sites.
"Each tree has about the same percentage of its biomass made up of carbon, but the fact that the American chestnut grows faster and larger means it stores more carbon in a shorter amount of time," Jacobs said.
Jacobs said trees absorb about one-sixth of the carbon emitted globally each year. Increasing the amount that can be absorbed annually could make a considerable difference in slowing climate change, he said.
Things You Aren’t Allowed to See on Google Maps
Here is a list of 51 of them:
Dick Cheney’s House: The Vice President’s digs at Number One Observatory Circle are obscured through pixelation in Google Earth and Google Maps at the behest of the U.S. government. However, high-resolution photos and aerial surveys of the property are readily available on other Web sites. [...]
The city of Utrecht in the Netherlands: Some sites say that the ban on this Dutch city was an apparent mistake, but it does hold relevance as an ancient city and has served as the religious center of the Netherlands since the eighth century. [...]
HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) Antenna Array on the Alaska/Yukon Border: This is part of the site for HAARP, which studies ionospheric-radio science.
Blurred Out: 51 Things You Aren’t Allowed to See on Google Maps
The city that ended hunger
“To search for solutions to hunger means to act within the principle that the status of a citizen surpasses that of a mere consumer.”CITY OF BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL
Bard Pitt has a new job
Russian police employ Brad Pitt to fight speeding
Debbie Mallinson, 36, Dumps 6 Children Into Foster Care For 18-Year-Old Boyfriend
Recently she pulled a Linda Hogan and started dating her son's 18-year-old best friend Adam Caban.
Debbie Mallinson, 36, Dumps 6 Children Into Foster Care For 18-Year-Old Boyfriend
Dumb Crook News
Police say holdup man left address, name at scene
Money too funny: Argentine court forgives forgery
Thieves leave stolen ATM after it falls off truck
Ripping an ATM from its concrete base isn't easy.
Losing it seems even harder.
Thieves at an Alabama bank managed to do both.
Man tries to smuggle pot on surfboard
The Border Patrol said a man has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle 24 pounds of marijuana ashore on his surfboard off the San Diego County coast.
News Down Under
Two jailed over 'barking dog murder'
A Sydney woman who stabbed to death a man who complained about her barking dog will spend at least 10 years behind bars for his murder.
Man dies after own car runs him over
A motorist has been killed in a freak accident at Campbelltown, in the northeast of Adelaide.
Sergeant saves soldier shot by Taliban by pulling bullet out with fingers
A soldier who was shot in the back by a Taliban sniper in Afghanistan had his life saved by his platoon leader, who pulled out the bullet with his bare fingers.
Woman throws out mom's old mattress stuffed with $1 million
An Israeli woman who threw out her mother's old mattress later discovered it was stuffed with $1 million.
Police Taser, Shoot 5-Pound Chihuahua-Mix
China's porn-blocking mandate leaves PC makers with big tasks
But just how the plan, which would potentially affect hundreds of millions of computer users, would be carried out remains unclear. The rules, issued last month but made public this week, require computer manufacturers to install software whose stated aim is to shield minors from pornography and other "harmful" material.
Officials say the software, known as Green Dam Youth Escort, has already been downloaded 3 million times since March and has been used in about 2,300 schools. "Green" has become a euphemistic term to describe nonthreatening Web surfing.
Zhang Chenmin, founder of Jinhui Computer System Engineering Co., the company that developed the software, said he wouldn't know how to expand his program to include blocking subjects the government deemed politically subversive.
He said he had spent the last five years developing a program that identifies nudity online, which won him a government bid.
Such claims leave experts skeptical.
Xiao Qiang, director of the China Internet Project at UC Berkeley, said Beijing fears losing control of the Internet and has been discussing software-driven tools since 2002.
Meanwhile, PC makers must determine how to include it on their devices in the coming weeks. That includes U.S. manufacturers with major presences in China such as Hewlett Packard Co. of Palo Alto and Dell Inc. of Round Rock, Texas.
"The question is how practical this is going to be from a sales standpoint," said David Wolf, president of tech and media advisory firm Wolf Group Asia Ltd. "There's a lot of inventory packed in advance. I'm not sure the Chinese government has a clear understanding of this."
U.S. technology firms will again be asked to comply with Chinese laws that conflict with U.S. standards of freedom. Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. have been accused of doing Beijing's bidding by blocking some Internet access and sharing information.
"It will put American companies in an uncomfortable situation," Wolf said. "You have to do business according to state law. It may be considered unsavory elsewhere. But it's part of the price of doing business here."
A Hewlett Packard representative said the company was monitoring the situation, but declined to elaborate.
Dell did not respond to an interview request, nor did China's chief computer maker, Lenovo Group.
The U.S. government has been meeting with industry groups to discuss the issue, said Susan Stevenson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
"We would view with concern any attempt to restrict the free flow of information," Stevenson said. "Such steps would be incompatible with China's aspirations to build a modern, information-based economy and society. The U.S. is concerned about actions that seek to restrict access to the Internet as well as restrictions on the internationally recognized right to freedom of expression."
Chinese blogs batted around ways to circumvent the Green Dam, while others mocked the government's plan.
"No problem," wrote a blog poster named cy123 on Douban.com. "Mainland China has netizens with superb skills and techniques. After the company [Jinhui] earns their share, there will be many cracked versions" of the program.
Craigslist is Laughing All the Way to the Bank
Launched as an e-mail list in 1995, Craigslist's revenue is on pace to rise 23 percent this year to reach $100 million for the first time, based on an analysis by classified advertising industry consultants Advanced Interactive Media Group.
A spokeswoman for privately held Craigslist declined to comment on the revenue estimate, citing the San Francisco-based company's long-standing refusal to discuss its finances.
Many newspaper executives view Craigslist as a nemesis because it doesn't charge for most ads. As Craigslist and scores of other Web sites have offered free or less expensive alternatives, newspapers' total revenue from the classified advertising in print editions has waned from a peak of nearly $20 billion in 2000 to about $10 billion last year.
Meanwhile, Craigslist has been raking in more revenue from the ad listings that it does charge for in major U.S. markets. Most of the money comes from help-wanted ads — another former cash cow for newspapers that has been drying up.
Craigslist's annual revenue has risen from just $7 million in 2003 to $81 million last year, according to the AIM Group. Based on its count of paid ads appearing on Craigslist in recent months, the company's revenue should be about $100 million this year, the consultants predicted.
Employment advertising is expected to account for $85 million of Craigslist's revenue this year. Other paid categories include housing ads (nearly $9 million) and adult-only ads (nearly $4 million) that have gotten the company into legal trouble with the law. Craigslist has promised to do a better job of screening its adult listings, formerly labeled "erotic," to block solicitations for prostitution and other content that may break laws.
More than 40 percent of Craigslist's revenue is expected to be generated from listings in three cities — New York ($17.7 million), the San Francisco Bay area ($14.4 million) and Los Angeles ($12.6 million), according to the AIM Group. The analysis found paid ads in 19 other of the more than 570 cities covered by Craigslist worldwide.
If Craigslist charged to place ads in more cities, AIM Group principal Peter Zollman believes it could easily double or triple its revenue. But Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and Chief Executive Jim Buckmaster so far haven't shown much interest in maximizing the company's revenue growth.
Although the AIM Group didn't estimate how much money Craigslist is making, its profit margins are believed to be impressive because it doesn't have a lot of overhead. The company employs just 30 people, although it might have to hire more people to vet its adult ads.
Overall spending on ads has been shrinking during the past year as the recession crimps the budgets of traditionally big marketers in financial services, automobiles, retail and real estate.
With the audiences for their print editions dwindling as more readers migrate to the Internet, newspapers have been hit with the worst of the advertising downturn so far. After ad revenue plunged 17 percent last year, newspapers suffered a 28 percent drop during the first three months of this year.
Even online advertising is ailing. Total spending on Internet ads declined 5 percent in the first quarter to $5.5 billion, marking the first year-over-year decrease since 2002, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
What ants can teach us about commuting
Learning from ants' efficiency could cut back on traffic jams, scientists say.
What ants can teach us about commuting
Also:
Prejean fired as Miss California
Carrie Prejean has her crown revoked after pageant boss Donald Trump sends her packing.
Prejean fired as Miss California
Sources connected with the pageant tell us even Donald Trump has now had it with Carrie, because she's violating her contract by not getting clearance to do her extracurricular stuff.
We're also told Carrie has been a no-show for appearances she was supposed to make for the pageant organization.
The firing, we're told, is strictly based on Carrie breaching her contract. It's not based on her political and moral views.
Carrie is getting her walking papers this afternoon.
The new Miss California USA will be Miss Malibu Tami Farrell.
Trump said Carrie refused to appear at around 30 events on behalf of Miss California USA. He says Prejean was contractually bound to appear and she just wouldn't do it. He doesn't think her attitude has anything to do with her politics.
Trump said: "To me she was the sweetest thing. Everyone else -- she treated like shit."
Miss California USA Carrie Prejean fired a slew of nasty, contentious emails to the folks who run Miss CA USA before she got the ax.
For example, on May 29, Carrie wrote: "You do not cooperate with me, and you pick and choose [sic] the the [sic] things YOU want me to do. That is not happening anymore. Stop speaking for me. I have MY own voice."
That flies in the face of another email to a pageant official -- also dated May 29 -- in which she wrote: "Also I was asked to fill in for a dj on a local radio show.. I'll be reading from a show biz script Monday. I am doing this."
There are other emails as well, in which "biblically (in)correct" Carrie made it clear she had contempt for pageant officials and planned to do what she wants to do.
As the fortune cookie crumbles ...
Hers: Your dreams of glamor and beauty will come true.
Storm Knocks Over Tree at White House
Woodworkers all over the U.S. would love to have a piece of this tree.
Storm Knocks Over Tree at White House
Chrysler closes deal, gives up control
Chrysler gives up its "good assets" to Fiat, clearing the way for the struggling automaker to emerge from bankruptcy protection.
Chrysler closes deal, gives up control
Also:
New terrorist stike on American Soil!
Authorities are investigating a white supremacist as the suspect in the incident, which killed one security guard.
Elderly gunman opens fire at Holocaust Museum
Also:
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Daily Horoscope
Saying what you mean -- and meaning what you say -- can feel like a bit of a risk, but then, beating around the bush can get mighty tiring after a while.
You can be honest while still maintaining a modicum of diplomacy.
The bonus is that honesty begets honesty, and before you know it, you're actually having a meaningful and possibly productive dialogue.
Bring your sense of humor and get started.
Sense of humor, who me?
