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Monday, June 18, 2012
Tea Time! Keep Tots Refreshed with Talbott Teas for Kids
Courtesy Talbott Teas Whether it’s (pretend) tea with the queen or snack time, you want your thirsty tots to sip on drinks sans a ton of added sweeteners. “All natural” sits even better in your cup. Lift a pinky to Talbott Teas’s line of delicious fruity flavored, caffeine-free infusions made specifically for kids. With yummy [...]
NOAA predicts a near-normal 2012 Atlantic hurricane season
ScienceDaily (June 18, 2012) ? Conditions in the atmosphere and the ocean favor a near-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin this season, NOAA has just announced from Miami at its Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, and home to the Hurricane Research Division.
For the entire six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center says there's a 70 percent chance of nine to 15 named storms (with top winds of 39 mph or higher), of which four to eight will strengthen to a hurricane (with top winds of 74 mph or higher) and of those one to three will become major hurricanes (with top winds of 111 mph or higher, ranking Category 3, 4 or 5). Based on the period 1981-2010, an average season produces 12 named storms with six hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.
"NOAA's outlook predicts a less active season compared to recent years," said NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. "But regardless of the outlook, it's vital for anyone living or vacationing in hurricane-prone locations to be prepared. We have a stark reminder this year with the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew." Andrew, the Category 5 hurricane that devastated South Florida on August 24, 1992, was the first storm in a late-starting season that produced only six named storms.
Favoring storm development in 2012: the continuation of the overall conditions associated with the Atlantic high-activity era that began in 1995, in addition to near-average sea surface temperatures across much of the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, known as the Main Development Region. Two factors now in place that can limit storm development, if they persist, are: strong wind shear, which is hostile to hurricane formation in the Main Development Region, and cooler sea surface temperatures in the far eastern Atlantic.
"Another potentially competing climate factor would be El Ni?o if it develops by late summer to early fall. In that case, conditions could be less conducive for hurricane formation and intensification during the peak months (August-October) of the season, possibly shifting the activity toward the lower end of the predicted range," said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
"NOAA's improvement in monitoring and predicting hurricanes has been remarkable over the decades since Andrew, in large part because of our sustained commitment to research and better technology. But more work remains to unlock the secrets of hurricanes, especially in the area of rapid intensification and weakening of storms," said Lubchenco. "We're stepping up to meet this challenge through our Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project, which has already demonstrated exciting early progress toward improving storm intensity forecasts."
Lubchenco added that more accurate forecasts about a storm's intensity at landfall and extending the forecast period beyond five days will help America become a more Weather-Ready Nation.
In a more immediate example of research supporting hurricane forecasting, NOAA this season is introducing enhancements to two of the computer models available to hurricane forecasters -- the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) and the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) models. The HWRF model has been upgraded with a higher resolution and improved atmospheric physics. This latest version has demonstrated a 20 to 25 percent improvement in track forecasts and a 15 percent improvement in intensity forecasts relative to the previous version while also showing improvement in the representation of storm structure and size. Improvements to the GFDL model for 2012 include physics upgrades that are expected to reduce or eliminate a high bias in the model's intensity forecasts.
The seasonal outlook does not predict how many storms will hit land. Forecasts for individual storms and their impacts are provided by NOAA's National Hurricane Center, which continuously monitors the tropics for storm development and tracking throughout the season using an array of tools including satellites, advance computer modeling, hurricane hunter aircraft, and land- and ocean-based observations sources such as radars and buoys.
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One-hitters: Angels' Santana
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
Associated Press Sports
updated 12:52 a.m. ET June 17, 2012
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Ervin Santana had his parents in the stands for the first time all season, and he took the mound with confidence after a pep talk from an old teammate.
No wonder Santana dramatically turned around a rocky season with a performance that put his name next to Nolan Ryan in the Los Angeles Angels' record book.
Santana took a perfect game into the seventh inning before finishing with a one-hitter, and Mark Trumbo hit a two-run homer in the Angels' 2-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night.
Santana (4-7) bounced back from several rough outings by retiring Arizona's first 20 hitters before Justin Upton's two-out single to center in the seventh.
The Dominican right-hander then retired the next five Diamondbacks before pinch-hitter Miguel Montero drew a four-pitch walk in the ninth. Santana finished up his first complete game of the season with two fly balls, getting a standing ovation and praise from his teammates.
"That was very good - very, very good," Santana said. "When you pass the sixth and nothing is happening, you have to think about it a little bit, but you just have to re-focus and keep pitching, and that's what I did."
And how: After Upton's hit, Santana completed his seventh career shutout and 14th complete game with just one more baserunner. With the 18th individual one-hitter in club history, Santana joined Ryan as the only pitchers to throw a no-hitter and a one-hitter for the Angels.
"It just felt like no matter what (fingers) I put down, they weren't going to hit it," said John Hester, the Angels' backup catcher. "It was hard not to think about (a perfect game), because you could tell he was throwing something special tonight."
Staked to a lead by Trumbo's 15th homer in the first, Santana had allowed nothing even close to a hit before Upton's clean single back up the middle. The Angel Stadium crowd of 42,483 responded with a standing ovation for a pitcher who bounced back from a lousy four-game stretch with a start that nearly equaled his no-hitter last July 27 in Cleveland.
Joe Saunders (4-5) allowed eight hits in six innings while facing the Angels for the first time since they traded him to Arizona in 2010. Saunders mostly kept pace with Santana, his longtime teammate and good friend, after a rough first inning, but the Diamondbacks were shut out for the third time in 11 games.
Saunders and Santana came up together through the Angels' farm system, both reaching the majors for the first time in 2005 and pitching in the same rotation for 4 1/2 years. They even made the AL All-Star team together in 2008.
"I talked to him (Friday) and said, `Keep your head up, keep doing your thing,"' Saunders said. "I guess I had some real good advice. He really had it going."
Howie Kendrick and Torii Hunter had three hits apiece for the Angels, who won for the sixth time in eight games despite stranding 10 runners and failing to score after the first inning. Their 17th victory in 23 games moves them back to a season-best four games over .500.
Just three days after San Francisco's Matt Cain threw the 22nd perfect game in major league history, Santana got within seven batters of the sixth no-hitter and third perfect game in a season that isn't even half over yet. The Angels already had their first no-hitter in 21 years when Jered Weaver blanked Minnesota on May 2.
After starting the season with abysmal run support, Santana returned to top form after a rough four-start stretch in which he allowed 27 hits and 23 runs in just 20 1-3 innings. The veteran has struggled with fastball control throughout the season, continuously falling behind hitters, but took control early against the Diamondbacks and never relented.
"He's as competitive as any pitcher in baseball, and you saw that," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He pitched with purpose, and it all goes along to committing to a game plan. If he commits, that's what he can do."
Trumbo connected on a full-count curveball from Saunders, putting it into the bullpen behind the left-field wall. The sophomore slugger is having another outstanding season despite losing his rookie spot at first base to Albert Pujols, ranking among the AL leaders in batting average while producing stellar power numbers.
"(Santana) had everything working," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. "The early homer by Trumbo gave him confidence. Joe pitched a great game for us, battled his tail off, and really only made one mistake."
Pitching on his 31st birthday, Saunders settled down for a strong effort in his first start in Anaheim since the Angels traded their former first-round pick in 2010. Saunders started 115 games and earned 54 wins over parts of six seasons with the Angels before he left with three other players in a deal for right-hander Dan Haren, who also lost his first reunion start against Arizona on Friday night.
NOTES: Weaver will throw 30-40 pitches in a bullpen session Sunday as he moves closer to a return from the disabled list. ... Jerry Dipoto, the interim Arizona general manager who acquired Saunders, now runs the Angels. ... RHP Ian Kennedy takes the mound in Sunday's series finale against Angels youngster Garrett Richards.
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Sunday, June 17, 2012
Notes From The Ebook Trenches
I keep a close and interested eye on the world of ebooks, and I'm pleased to report that it keeps getting weirder. British supermarket chain Sainsbury - who I worked for once, helping to program a new payroll system for a few months, until they scrapped the whole project - recently bought HMV's share in ebook hub Anobii for a whopping, er, one pound. (Americans: that's about $1.50.) Huh? Meanwhile, HarperCollins announced its "HarperCollins 360" global publishing program, which at first I thought was them taking a page from the music industry's post-Napster '360 deals' -- but no; on sober second thought it has nothing to do with those except for name. Instead it's an attempt to make all of their English-language books available to all English-language readers. I know, I know: they're only doing this now? Just as ebook revenue exceeds that of hardcovers? Ah, publishing. Meanwhiler, Startup Weekend founder and semi-vagabond Andrew Hyde Kickstartered, wrote, and self-published a travel book called "This Book Is About Travel," and then discovered that Amazon was marking up its digital delivery fees to the tune of an estimated 129,000%. Nice margin if you can get it. But for the rest of us, well, not so much. Here are some cold hard numbers from Amazon for yours truly, for the first half of this month:john edwards conocophillips octomom dan savage new world trade center kellen moore guy fieri
DoD putting final touches on schools agreement - Army News ...
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/06/military-schools-tuition-assistance-memorandum-excellence-061512w/
By Cid Standifer - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jun 15, 2012 12:23:07 EDT
The Defense Department is moving closer to issuing its latest draft of a Memorandum of Understanding that will be required for schools receiving money from DoD?s tuition assistance program, according to Carolyn Baker, chief of the Pentagon?s continuing education programs.
During a webinar for school officials about President Obama?s April executive order setting out ?Principles of Excellence? for schools receiving tuition assistance or GI Bill funds, Baker said a new draft of the MOU has been finalized and is scheduled to be released this summer. Schools will have to sign a copy of the MOU in order to be eligible for TA, though Baker stressed that institutions that signed the version of the MOU released ? and later scuttled ? by DoD last fall will not have to sign a new one.
But this summer?s MOU will not cover all the Principles of Excellence. The document will include the executive order?s requirements that schools provide students with a degree plan, inform them about their federal financial aid eligibility, end fraudulent or inappropriate recruitment on military installations, and designate a point of contact for academic and financial advising.
It will not include the president?s requirements that schools give prospective students a personalized form outlining costs, financial aid and outcome data; receive accreditation before accepting students; and allow students to re-enroll after an absence caused by military service.
Baker said yet another version of the MOU ultimately will be required to cover all of the principles, though she did not say when that would happen.
?We will be working with Veterans Affairs and the Department of Education to make sure our policies mirror their policies in the future,? she said, ?though there might be some policy changes in reference to our current policy.?
During the same webinar, Veterans Affairs Department officials responded to some concerns about their implementation of the same principles. The department?s deputy undersecretary for economic opportunity, Curtis Coy, said VA is reviewing the June 30 deadline for schools to declare their intent to cooperate following congressional criticism of the timeline during a hearing last week. Coy said the summer deadline is designed to give students a chance to see which schools are on board before starting classes this fall.
Robert Worley, VA?s director of education services, said his department has not yet decided how to verify that schools are implementing the principles, but is considering expanding the compliance surveys carried out by state authorizing agencies through contracts with VA.
However, state officials have pointed out in recent months that they have received almost no additional funding from VA in recent years, even as the number of students receiving GI Bill benefits has skyrocketed.
When asked whether VA would like to set aside more funding for state authorizing agencies next year, Coy told Military Times on June 5, ?That would have to be reflected in the budget, and I?m not at liberty to talk about budget details right now.?
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Saturday, June 16, 2012
Home Improvement Companies - DIY Quote For You
Home improvement companies have grown increasingly in demand for a number of reasons. First of all, the recession saw a lot of home improvement projects being undertaken by home owners. The reason for this is that there were fewer home buyers, therefore homeowners decided to invest time and money into their homes. This is a long term plan which makes such investment a prudent one.
As a result, home improvement has become a huge niche which has grown past the DIY stage, when it was just a hobby. Different areas of the house are being tackled in home improvement projects to add value to the house and as investments in the houses. Homeowners have therefore realized the benefit of having these projects professionally and expertly handled.
Home improvement companies are varied and are as wide as the niche itself.
They range from the architects and interior designers who are involved in the planning of a home improvement project, to those that provide such services as remodeling, painting and plumbing. Then there are the companies that provide the materials needed for a home improvement projects. Some companies combine all these functions into their services so that they serve as a one-stop shop for all things home improvement.
If you decide to make use of a home improvement company that provides all your home improvement needs, you need to make sure that all their contractors have current licenses to operate within the area your home is located.
Also, it is always best to purchase the materials you need for your home improvement projects from a reputable home improvement company. If that company has a reputation for quality materials in the industry, you are very likely to get the best materials and advice from them. They are conversant with the different types of materials and their functions and can advice you appropriately. Furthermore, because of their reputation, they are more likely to have a really good warranty program should anything go wrong with your materials.
Most home improvement companies will give you a free estimate before you begin your home improvement project. This is very important when you are planning your project because home improvement projects are notorious for becoming increasingly expensive as you go on if you fail to plan and have an estimate in the first place.
It is easy to think that home improvement should be a DIY project and if you have some experience in handling DIY projects, this is not a bad thing. However, using a home improvement company could save you time and money, which you could lose from mistakes you might make along the way. If you are willing to make the mistakes and learn as you go, home improvement companies will also come in handy with advice and quality products.
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