Author: Serkadis

Article Tags: Doug L. Hoffman

The debate over anthropogenic global warming—a theory propounded by the UN IPCC—is often portrayed as an argument between deniers and true believers. The deniers supposedly claim that there is no global warming, man made or otherwise, and that the whole theory is a plot by left-wing agitators and closet socialists bent on world domination. The true believers, conversely, accept every claim of pending future disaster uttered by scientists and activists alike. As with most controversies both extreme positions are wrong and the truth lies somewhere in-between. As a scientist, I have studied the evidence and find the case for imminent, dangerous, human caused global warming unconvincing—here is why I am an AGW skeptic.

According to www.dict.org, a skeptic is “one who is yet undecided as to what is true; one who is looking or inquiring for what is true; an inquirer after facts or reasons”.* This is a much more accurate description of the stand taken by Al and myself in our book, The Resilient Earth. Specifically, I am skeptical of the claim that human produced carbon dioxide will have the dramatic effect on Earth’s temperature projected by the IPCC and other global warming doomsayers. To understand why I have reached this conclusion requires starting with some basic science.

Click source to read the FULL article by Doug L. Hoffman

Source: theresilientearth.com

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Article Tags: Rebecca Terrell

As the United Nations weathers a media beating over its falsified exaggeration of Himalayan glacier melt, new reports are adding fuel to the fire pointing out other blatant errors espoused by the international body.

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a comprehensive climate report in 2007 — the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) — that included the Himalayan snafu as well as a dire warning that more than half of The Netherlands is below sea level. It also exaggerated claims about global warming destroying the Amazon rainforest.

According to Fox News, Dutch environment ministry spokesman Trimo Vallaart points out that only 26 percent of his country is below sea level, a far cry from the 55 percent reported in AR4. Vallaart explained IPCC researchers exaggerated the amount by adding the 29 percent of land supposedly threatened by river flooding. He also pointed out that though the Dutch office for environmental planning is an IPCC partner and has the correct figures, the mistake has gone uncorrected.

Source: thenewamerican.com

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Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Chevrolet

General Motors has been looking for ways to capitalize on the investments made in its platforms by increasing the number (and retail price) of the vehicles sharing them. Hence, reports of the next-gen Camaro sharing its platform with the upcoming Cadillac ATS and CTS successor. Now reports suggest that the General is hoping to capitalize on the Delta platform by creating more aggressive, sportily-minded variants of the Chevrolet Cruze.

One option, according to the report in Motor Trend, would be to build a four-door coupe based on the Cruze. The idea would follow the same formula that took the Volkswagen CC and Mercedes CLS up-market from the comparatively humble platforms (Passat and E-Class respectively) on which they’re based. The wheelbase and much of the mechanicals would carry over, but a more rakish roofline would give it a sportier profile, at the expense of rear headroom.

Another option fielded once again would create a Cruze SS, with more aggressive suspension and an upgraded 2-liter turbocharged engine. The potential application of all-wheel-drive from the larger Epsilon platform, meanwhile, could be used to aid traction. Either option could stand to bridge the gap between the Cruze and the Camaro. But while the options are presented as “either or”, would it be too much to ask for both?

[Source: Motor Trend]

Baby, Let’s Cruze: Chevy reportedly weighing four-door coupe, SS variants originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Article Tags: Roger F. Gay

With so many revelations of fraud in support of the man-made global warming, it has gotten much more difficult for propagandists to contend that science is on their side. NASA has a well-earned reputation in science and technological advancement. Surely one might think that if NASA is worried about global warming then we should be too. This is more-or-less the last remaining argument in the warmers’ arsenal. With 95% of their claims disproven, NASA climate data still seems to provide support for at least some of the Al Gore style scary scenarios about a warming planet and the role of human activity.

But wait – this “NASA climate data” they speak of doesn’t really come from NASA; not at least from the core NASA organization with the great reputation for science and technological advancement.

Support for catastrophic man-made global warming “theory” comes from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). Sounds impressive, but you should ask; what’s that? It’s a group at Columbia University that is associated with The Earth Institute at Columbia University. GISS’s current director is none other than the “grandfather” of the global warming hoax himself, Dr. James Hansen. Go to their website and you will find it just as centrally dedicated to global warming propaganda as RealClimate.org.

Source: mensnewsdaily.com

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Article Tags: AfricaGate, Himalayan Glacier Data

A LEADING British government scientist has warned the United Nations’ climate panel to tackle its blunders or lose all credibility.

Robert Watson, chief scientist at Defra, the environment ministry, who chaired the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from 1997 to 2002, was speaking after more potential inaccuracies emerged in the IPCC’s 2007 benchmark report on global warming.

The most important is a claim that global warming could cut rain-fed north African crop production by up to 50% by 2020, a remarkably short time for such a dramatic change. The claim has been quoted in speeches by Rajendra Pachauri, the IPCC chairman, and by Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general.

This weekend Professor Chris Field, the new lead author of the IPCC’s climate impacts team, told The Sunday Times that he could find nothing in the report to support the claim. The revelation follows the IPCC’s retraction of a claim that the Himalayan glaciers might all melt by 2035.

Source: timesonline.co.uk

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CHART OF THE DAY: US debt vs. GDP in 2009 – The Prudent Investor Blog

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Unemployment: The Government’s Scary Projections – Tom Lindmark – … What do they think happens to U-6? If it follows the same trends then we’re talking about millions of working Americans consigned to marginal existence for the foreseeable future. … – But Then What

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Census Bureau: 130.6 Million Housing Units in the US; 18.9 Million are Vacant – by Adam Quinones – The Census Bureau today released the Report on Residential Vacancies and Homeownership. This data covered fourth quarter 2009. – has summary – Mortgage News Daily
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Biggest Bubble in History Is Growing Every Day: William Pesek – Real estate, stocks, credit. China sure has its share of bubbles. Oddly, little attention is paid to the biggest one of all.  China’s currency reserves grew by more than the gross domestic product of Norway in 2009. Its $2.4 trillion of reserves is a bubble all its own, one growing before our eyes with nary a peep out of those searching for the next big one. – Bloomberg
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Chart of the Day – Today, the Labor Department reported that nonfarm payrolls (jobs) decreased by 20,000 in January. Today’s chart puts that decline into perspective by comparing job losses following the beginning of the current economic recession (solid red line) to that of the last recession (dashed gold line) and the average recession from 1950-1999 (dashed blue line). …
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7 interesting charts: The Seven Faces of Malaise – Paper Economy Blog

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Conversation With My 14 Year Old Son – I do not have a son, nor daughters. However, I did receive an email from "Clyde" who does.  Clyde Writes … I had an interesting moment with my 14 year old son the other day. I had gone to the US Debt Clock website and was taking a minute to just watch the numbers roll up and down in the various amounts. … My 14 year old son walked by and I had him take a look at it all, explaining that someday my son, all this will be yours.  His first words were "Why the hell should I have to pay that back?" -   MISH’S Global Economic Trend Analysis   

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Foreigners Caused America’s Financial Crisis? A Closer Look – By Dian L. Chu -  … In the end, foreigners demand did not bring about the systemic risk. It is the lack of check-and-balance in our system allowing a concentration of risk into the hands of a few that almost brought the world to an utter collapse.  … Endgame and checkmate could come when unfettered financial institutions again push the economy to the brink, and there is no resources left for another bailout or rescue. … – Economic Forecasts & Opinions

The Worst May Still Be Yet To Come For US Banks’ Commercial Real Estate Loans – The fallout from Commercial Real Estate exposures for banks has yet to run its course, in Standard & Poor’s opinion. – Research Recap

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Sales of million-dollar-plus homes way down – Carolyn Said – … Grubb said he sees a different type of buyer. "In 2005, it was Wall Street people buying these homes; now it’s local entrepreneurs, people who’ve quietly worked hard forever and ever to build up their own business," he said.  "They’re local, they know the market, they’ve watched these homes for years so they can sense good values. They’re move-up buyers."  … – SF Chronicle 

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US CMBS delinquency rate hits 6%, and is headed higher – The delinquent status of the Extended Stay America loan was a large contributor to a 129 basis-point increase in overall U.S. CMBS delinquencies last month to 6%, according to Fitch Ratings. – Research Recap

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Why We Keep Getting Poorer: High-Cost Housing  – Charles Hugh Smith – The reason why we’re poorer: more of our income goes to housing than it did 35 years ago.  Simply put: housing costs have far outpaced household incomes over the past 35 years, making the high cost of housing the primary driver of declining discretionary income: what’s left after paying taxes and housing. – Of Two Minds

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How Larry Kotlikoff Would Fix the Financial System – By Peter Coy – The Boston University economist wants to take all the risk out of banking, hedge funds, and insurance companies. Some people are listening -  BusinessWeek

Most of you are probably headed to your friend’s or family’s houses to watch Super Bowl XLIV (let us know if you’re a Colt or Saints fan in the comments section after the jump). As we did last year, we’ll cover all the exciting automotive commercials during the game.

We’ve already seeing Hyundai’s 2010 Sonata commercial featuring Brett Favre. Kia has now dropped its commercial, which it will run during the third-quarter of the game. Called “Joyride Dream” the commercial features five animated characters driving around the country in the 2010 Sorento from Las Vegas to New York City.

Check it out after the jump.

Click here for pricing details on the 2010 Kia Sorento.

Click here to check your Auto Credit Score.

2010 Kia Sorento:

2010 Kia Sorento:

– By: Omar Rana

Country fans have already gotten their share of the spotlight in the weekly Rock Band Music Store update, and now it’s the metalheads’ turn. Joining Megadeth’s 1986 album Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? this week is the

AndroidCentral managed to come across this device roadmap for HTC’s subsidiary Dopod, who operates in China.

Besides showing a number of Android devices, it confirms a HVGA windows Mobile phone set to be released at the end of Q2 2010.  This is likely the Chinese version of the HTC Photon, a smaller version of the HTC HD2.

Read more at AndroidCentral here, including speculation of an Android HTC HD2 being changed back to Windows Mobile.

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Recalls, Safety, Videos, Toyota

Recalls have left Toyota battered and bruised with a very damaged image that now needs rebuilding. Consumer trust is not easily earned. Toyota knows it, too. The automaker worked for decades to build an image that equated quality and reliability with the company name itself. Now under heavy fire over its handling of the problems that led to the floor mat and gas pedal recalls involving its most popular and important models, Toyota has embarked upon a PR blitz intended to convince frustrated customers and a skeptical media that everything’s going to be all right.

Whether that’s indeed the case will become evident over time. Sales numbers speak for themselves, and if the public isn’t buying Toyota’s explanation, they won’t be buying its vehicles, either. In any case, it’ll probably be years before the recall story’s epilogue can honestly be written.

For now, Toyota’s primary focus is on re-establishing itself as a business that’s deserving of consumers’ trust. That starts with saying “I’m sorry” as frequently and in as many different venues as possible. The latest part of Toyota’s apology blitz comes in the form of a new TV spot called “Commitment.” It’s embedded after the jump for you to watch. The message is simple and delivered well: Toyota messed up big time, it knows it, and it’s fully aware that the onus is on itself to win back customers’ confidence.

If Toyota’s smart, it’ll air during the Super Bowl later this evening. But seeing it also leaves us wondering if Toyota had spent a fraction of its PR resources on getting out in front of these recall problems months ago instead of the damage control its writing checks for now, would it even be in this position today? Unfortunately for Toyota, we’ll never know.

[Source: Toyota via Gaywheels]


Tired of Toyota recall news? Try out the recall-free version of Autoblog.

Continue reading Video: Toyota recall apology blitz includes new mea-culpa TV spot

Video: Toyota recall apology blitz includes new mea-culpa TV spot originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota said today that it will resume production at six North American assembly plants on Monday after a one-week shutdown due to a recall of 2.3 million vehicles that forced it to stop producing and selling eight models that account for nearly 60 percent of the company’s sale.

Spokesman Mike Michels said that the company has enough replacement pedals to begin producing vehicles again.

“There are sufficient repair parts for customer cars as well as areserve of pedals from last week’s stoppage, that we can begin production,” Michels said.

Separately, Toyota told its dealers that they can start selling the eight models starting Monday. It said that their customer repairs must come first before they can resume selling recalled models.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

Following General Motors move of donating 30 GMC Sierra pickups to the Haitian relief effort, Penske Corporation announced today that it has donated over $1 million worth of diesel-powered flatbed trucks to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.

“I’m pleased the Penske Corporation has stepped up to donate more than $1 million worth of trucks, which will be instrumental in mobilizing food and lifesaving supplies in Haiti,” President Clinton said. “Their generous contribution is an example of what the private sector can do to help Haiti rebuild and recover from the massive earthquake, and I’m grateful for their leadership.”

“The catastrophe that has struck Haiti is almost unimaginable,” said Roger Penske, Chairman of Penske Corporation. “These trucks will assist in the humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti by facilitating the distribution of critical supplies that will help ease the suffering of the Haitian people.”

– By: Kap Shah

KODE ICD-10 : L42 : Pityriasis rosea

Pityriasis rosea adalah salah satu penyakit kulit yang digambarkan oleh Camille Melchior Gilbert (tahun 1860) sebagai penyakit kulit papulosquamous ( Robert A Allen, MD ), yakni penyakit kulit dengan tanda bercak bersisik halus, berbentuk oval dan berwarna kemerahan. Sementara Richard Lichenstein, MD, menyebutkan bahwa Pityriasis rosea sudah dikenal sejak lebih  dari 2 abad yang lalu. Pityriasis rosea bersifat self limited atau sembuh sendiri dalam 3-8 minggu.

ANGKA KEJADIAN

Pityriasis rosea dapat mengenai semua usia. Angka kesakitan diperkirakan sekitar 2 % dari kunjungan penderita penyakit kulit, sedangkan di USA berkisar 0,3-3%. Frekuensi terbanyak pada usia anak dan dewasa muda, terutama pada usia 5-14 tahun. Meski jarang, Pityriasis rosea dapat dijumpai pada bayi dan usia lanjut.

APA PENYEBABNYA ?

Penyebab Pityriasis rosea hingga kini belum diketahui. Para ahli masih berbeda pendapat tentang faktor-faktor penyebab timbulnya Pityriasis rosea. Ada yang menduga disebabkan virus lantaran penyakit ini sembuh sendiri (self limited) dalam 3-8 minggu. Sementara ahli yang lain mengaitkan dengan berbagai faktor yang diduga berhubungan dengan timbulnya Pityriasis rosea, diantaranya:

• Faktor cuaca. Hal ini karena Pityriasis rosea lebih kerap ditemukan pada musim semi dan musim gugur.
• Faktor penggunaan obat-obat tertentu, seperti bismuth, barbiturat, captopril, mercuri, methoxypromazine, metronidazole, D-penicillamine, isotretinoin, tripelennamine hydrochloride, ketotifen, dan salvarsan.
• Diduga berhubungan dengan penyakit kulit lainnya (dermatitis atopi, seborrheic dermatitis, acne vulgaris) dikarenakan Pityriasis rosea dijumpai pada penderita penyakit dengan dermatitis atopik, dermatitis seboroik, acne vulgaris dan ketombe.

TANDA-TANDA ( GEJALA KLINIS )

Tahap awal Pityriasis rosea ditandai dengan lesi (ruam) tunggal (soliter) berbentuk oval, berwarna pink dan di bagian tepi bersisik halus. Diameter sekitar 1-3 cm. Kadang bentuknya tidak beraturan dengan variasi ukuran 2-10 cm. Tanda awal ini disebut herald patch yang berlangsung beberapa hari hingga beberapa minggu. Rasa gatal ringan dialami oleh sekitar 75 % penderita dan 25 % mengeluh gatal banget.

Tahap berikutnya timbul sekitar 1-2 minggu (rata-rata 4-10 hari) setelah lesi awal, ditandai dengan kumpulan lesi (ruam) yang berbentuk seperti pohon cemara terbalik (Christmas tree pattern). Tempat tersering (predileksi) adalah badan, lengan atas dan paha atas. Pada tahap ini Pityriasis rosea berlangsung selama beberapa minggu. Selanjutnya akan sembuh sendiri dalam 3-8 minggu.

Selain bentuk ruam kemerahan bersisik halus, variasi bentuk yang tidak khas (atipik) dapat dijumpai pada sebagian penderita Pityriasis rosea, terutama pada anak-anak.

Dalam praktek sehari-hari, kadang tidak mudah membedakan Pityriasis rosea dengan Pityriasis versicolor (panu), Tinea corporis (kadas, kurap) dan Psoriasis gutata.

PENGOBATAN

Mengingat penyebab Pityriasis rosea belum diketahui secara pasti, pengobatan lebih ditujukan untuk meredakan keluhan (simptomatis).

Untuk meredakan gatal, dapat menggunakan antihistamin oral (diminum). Sedangkan obat topikal (obat luar) yang lazim digunakan bedak diantaranya: bedak salisil dan lotion menthol-phenol.

PENJELASAN BAGI PENDERITA

Walaupun Pityriasis rosea bersifat self limited ( sembuh sendiri ), bukan tidak mungkin penderita merasa risau dan sangat terganggu. Untuk itu diperlukan penjelasan kepada penderita tentang penyakit yang dideritanya, antara lain:

• Menjelaskan kepada penderita dan keluarganya bahwa Pityriasis rosea akan sembuh dalam waktu lama.
• Lesi kedua rata-rata berlangsung 2 minggu, kemudian menetap selama sekitar 2 minggu, selanjutnya berangsur hilang sekitar 2 minggu. Pada beberapa kasus dilaporkan bahwa Pityriasis rosea berlangsung hingga 3-4 bulan.

Semoga bermanfaat.

Edisi cetak, PDF 413 KB, silahkan download di sini | mirror

:: :: :: posting menggunakan WLW :: :: ::

Filed under: Artikel, Health, Informasi, Kesehatan Tagged: Penyakit, Penyakit Kulit, Pityriasis rosea

Sega and Rebellion Developments have assured PS3 gamers that matchmaking issues present in the Aliens vs. Predator multiplayer demo will be fixed soon.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday once again, which has everyone speculating not just on Colts vs. Saints but also on the commercials that will be running. The commerce side of the big game is brilliant since it gives people who don’t enjoy football something to watch and talk about during the biggest television watching event of the year. So what do we have this year?

– Tim Tebow (you might have heard about this) will be starring in an anti-abortion ad that has already spurred a lot of controversy. I’m sure this will get even more coverage once it’s actually aired.

– CBS refused an ad for a gay dating website, causing some to claim the network is hypocritical, airing some highly politicized ads and not others.

– Google is rumored to be running an ad in the third quarter, a first for the search engine.

– Doritos sponsored a contest for best fan made commercial, and that will be airing tonight.

– There’s some buzz that Peyton Manning filmed a commercial with “The Situation” from Jersey Shore. Could we really be so lucky?

– GoDaddy has another banned ad that is not at all risque in any fashion whatsoever, and not surprisingly I don’t think anyone gives a damn.

Check back later tonight, PopCrunch will have all of the 2010 Super Bowl ads just in case you happen to miss something during a bathroom run.

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Hyundai, Celebrities, Humor

What do blueberries, fishin’ rodeos, the moon, and 400-pound linemen that run 4.3-second 40s have in common? They’re among the wide range of things Brett Favre discusses in this locker room interview shot for an upcoming Hyundai Super Bowl commercial. Used to hype Hyundai’s 10-year warranties, it’s a funny look at what the NFL might be like in the future.

The year is 2020 and a gray-haired Favre fields questions from reporters about how things have changed during his 29 seasons in pro ball. While holding the 2020 MVP trophy, Brett echos some of the sentiments he’s put out there in the past few seasons while being traded from the Pack to the Jets, retiring, and ending up in Minnesota, where he almost made it back to today’s big game. Follow the jump to see a hilarious five minutes from the four-hour shoot, most of which will end up on the cutting room floor by game time.

[Source: Hyundai Motor America]

Continue reading Video: Brett Favre talks blueberries, fishin’ rodeos and the moon for Hyundai commercial

Video: Brett Favre talks blueberries, fishin’ rodeos and the moon for Hyundai commercial originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pennsylvania, US | Cultures and Civilizations

It all began rather innocuously in 1966, at a party in a backyard, for a group of graduating medieval studies graduates. In a celebration of all things medieval the grad-students, dressed up and whacked at each other with fake swords, culminating in an impromptu parade down Telegraph Avenue in a Oakland, California.

From this modest party would come the Society for Creative Anachronism, and the Pennsic War, a two week ‘war’ in which 10,000 – 15,000 knights, maidens, and other creatively anachronistic people descend on Pennsic, Pennsylvania breifly turning the town into the 3rd largest city in Butler County, PA. Campers dress in medieval clothing, often camp in period pavilions, and organize huge fights with thousands of knights wearing armor and armed with wooden swords and maces. So large is the medieval themed event that has its own postal zip code for those particular 2 weeks.

The Pennsic wars, are named after a combination of Pennsylvania and Punic War, it on its 39th year in 2010, or in Pennsic War numbers
XXXVIIII. The ‘war’ is held between two groups of the Society for Creative Anachronism, the Kingdom of the East and the Middle Kingdom.

The challenge for the Pennsic war was begun when King Irial and Queen Morna (the kingdoms elect royals) of the Middle Kingdom delivered an arrow of war to King Rakkuri and Queen Maureen of the East. The cause of the war was double both over the Debatable Lands, also known as Pittsburgh, and “an earnest desire to have fun and engage in chivalric combat of the highest.”

Here’s some good news for all the Kingdom Hearts fans out there. Square Enix’s Tetsuya Nomura has heard your calls for Kingdom Hearts III.
 
Thanks to G. Finnsson for the tip!