21.0°F Fair [Forecast]
ADVISORY!
:: Tuesday, February 9th, 2010EXTRA...
Searching the web for you every morningA place where families can learn and play together. Come and explore our facilities in Mashpee. With lots of hands on exhibits, our own pirate ship, an indoor planetarium, puppet theater, and daily programs you’ll find plenty to do. (Mashpee)
A full-service studio with the creative talent and training to create for you stunning, candid images of your family and children here on the Cape. The choice for Naturally Elegant Photography on Cape Cod. (Yarmouth)
Sunsets YES; Snow Fence NO; Suicide calls up 31%; Antarctica's great melt; Auto Show-off; Mob justice quote
TODAY's quote: "In the ole days of yore, The Sons of Italy would've had the suspect(s) in the dumpster awaitng due punishment.. and no law enforcement involved... and saving us hard earned money... arrest, trial, defense..etc." - Possee, a commenter on Police/Fire.
A Coast Guard rescue boat in Cape Cod Canal near the
Mass. Maritime Academy Saturday. In the background is the
wind turbine located at the Academy. Photo by David G. Curran.
Beautiful Rock Harbor will be just that
Sunsets, sandy butts, trash receptacles and porta-potties win over roses and fences
The people of Orleans won a skirmish last week over local politicians.
"Your voice does matter" said Selectwoman Margie Fulcher referring to the throngs of people who protested against the Selectmen's motion in January to have trash receptacles and porta-potties removed from the Rock Harbor parking lot and their place plant Rosa Rugosa hedges, beach grass and to put up snow fencing, all of which would have prevented access to the Rock Harfbor beach near the boat ramp at the north end of the parking lot.
The Orleans Chamber of Commerce felt these actions would only disappoint countless residents and visitors who enjoy the amenities of this beautiful place which is a popluar gathering spot to watch the sun set through the dirty air over Boston.
At the Orleans Chamber's February Member to Member event at Nauset TV & Sound several members and Executive Director, Mary Corr, excused themselves briefly to attend the public comment session of the Selectmen's meeting so "our voices could be heard protesting these plans."
According to the chamber' newsletter, this past Wednesday the Selectmen announced they would rescind their motion and cancel their plans to "beautify Rock Harbor".
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Massive layoffs causing suicide hotlines to ring off the hook
31% jump in calls - Tanking economy driving dialers to despair
"I'm noticing more people mentioning issues related to unemployment... with so many people getting laid off and wondering how they'll pay their bills." - Maura Wilson, Samaritans on Cape Cod and the Islands.
Calls to Bay State suicide hotlines are skyrocketing this year, with 2,600 more requests for help last month than the previous year, and experts say the tanking economy is driving dialers to despair.
Meanwhile, the number of people ending their lives on MBTA tracks is rising, despite new helpline posters at nearly 50 bus and train stations.
Hotline calls rose to 11,000 last month, up from 8,400 in February 2008 - a 31 percent jump. In January, the commonwealth's suicide hotline, which takes calls from Boston to western Massachusetts, fielded 2,900 extra calls - a 38 percent increase over January 2008... Herald.
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Antarctica's great melt - One glacier melting 80 times faster
Antarctica is melting a lot faster than climatologists had thought-and that could lead to a dramatic rise in sea levels throughout the world, new research says. Scientists from more than 60 countries conducting extensive studies of Antarctic ice found that huge portions of the glaciers covering the western region of the continent are melting, breaking up, and falling into the sea.
One glacier is moving 40 percent faster than it did in the 1970s, and another is sliding into the sea 80 times faster than it did in 1992. This appears to be in response to a 1 degree Fahrenheit increase in Antarctic temperatures in recent decades. If this trend continues, says Colin Summerhayes of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, current projections of sea-level increases by century's end will have to be doubled, to as much as five feet. A sea-level rise of that magnitude would inundate many coastal areas and cities. (Fourth item)... The Week.
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Mad News of the Week:
An Auto Show Opens in Denial
In defiance of all global economic realities, the opening of the 2009 Geneva auto show last week was a pedal-to-the-floor event, a glittering showcase awash in six-figure supercars.
See the slide show.
Long known for its emphasis on glamour, the Geneva show appeared determined to stay the course this year, offering little acknowledgment of the grim sales results being announced even as final touches were added to automaker displays.
Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Pagani, Rolls-Royce, Spyker - and the list goes on - all featured sexy and souped-up new sports cars in their displays here. Others, like the Koenigsegg Quant Concept, which is solar-powered, or the Frazer-Nash Namir, a hybrid styled by Giugiaro, at least nodded to a possible shift toward more sustainable forms of mobility in the future... NY Times.
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Possee...maybe we should ask you to run on Christy's ticket.
'In April 2008, environmental journalist Richard Littlemore wrote that the Heartland Institute's list of "500 Scientists with Documented Doubts of Man-Made Global Warming Scares"[10] included at least 45 scientists who neither knew of their inclusion as "coauthors" of the article, nor agreed with its claims regarding global warming. Dozens of the scientists asked the Heartland Institute to remove their names from the list; for instance, Gregory Cutter of Old Dominion University wrote, "I have NO doubts... the recent changes in global climate ARE man-induced. I insist that you immediately remove my name from this list since I did not give you permission to put it there." Dr. Robert Whittaker, Professor of Biogeography, University of Oxford wrote "Please remove my name. What you have done is totally unethical!" In response, the Heartland Institute refused to remove any names from the list, writing that "They [the scientists] have no right—legally or ethically—to demand that their names be removed from a bibliography."'
Scientists warn seas to rise faster than expected
By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press Writer
Mar 10th, 2009 | COPENHAGEN --'Top climate scientists warned Tuesday that sea levels could rise twice as much as previously projected as they presented the latest research on global warming.
A 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted a sea level rise of 7 to 23 inches (18 to 59 centimeters) by the end of the century.
But scientists meeting in Copenhagen dismissed those estimates as too conservative, saying new data suggests that sea level rise could exceed 39 inches (1 meter) and is unlikely to be less than 20 inches (50 centimeters).
"This means that if the emissions of greenhouse gases is not reduced quickly and substantially even the best-case scenario will hit low-lying coastal areas housing one-tenth of humans on the planet hard," organizers said in a statement at the three-day congress hosted by the University of Copenhagen.
The melting of polar ice sheets and of glaciers are two big factors that will affect sea levels, they added.'
Check this out! Got it from a friend...who sent it to me in an email--
http://www.bornagainamerican.org/
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