Saturday, January 19, 2013

Colo. theater reopens, months after mass shooting

AURORA, Colo. (AP) ? One survivor had to pause on his way into the theater and pray. Another braced for flashbacks as he entered the auditorium where 12 people died and dozens were injured during a massacre six months earlier. Others refused to come, viewing the reopening of the multiplex as insensitive.

The former Century 16, now renovated and renamed the Century Aurora, opened its doors to victims of the July 20 attack on Thursday night with a somber remembrance ceremony and a special showing of "The Hobbit."

Theater 9, where neuroscience graduate student James Holmes allegedly opened fire on a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Returns," is now an XD theater with a wall-to-wall screen and stadium seating.

"We as a community have not been defeated," Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan told victims, officials, and dozens of police officers and other first responders who filled half the theater's seats at the ceremony.

"We are a community of survivors," Hogan declared. "We will not let this tragedy define us."

Pierce O'Farrill, who was wounded three times in the shooting, made a point of finding his old seat in the second row of the theater. "It was just a part of closure, just going back to that spot where, obviously, I was in the most pain I'd ever felt in in my life," said O'Farrill, who was hit three times and had to be carried out by the SWAT team, past the shooter's discarded rifle.

Holmes is charged with 166 felony counts, mostly murder and attempted murder for the shooting. A judge has ordered him to stand trial, but he won't enter a plea until March.

The reopening comes nearly six months after the attack and a week after many victims sat through a three-day hearing at which prosecutors described the attack in excruciating detail

Several families boycotted what they called a callous public relations ploy by the theater's owner, Cinemark. They claimed the Texas-based company didn't ask them what should happen to the theater. They said Cinemark emailed them an invitation to Thursday's reopening just two days after they struggled through Christmas without their loved ones.

"It was boilerplate Hollywood ? 'Come to our movie screening,'" said Anita Busch, whose cousin, 23-year-old college student Micayla Medek, died at the theater.

Victims have filed at least three federal lawsuits against Cinemark Holdings Inc., alleging it should have provided security for the July 20 midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," and that the exit door used by the gunman to get his weapons and re-enter should have had an alarm. In court papers, Cinemark says the tragedy was "unforeseeable and random."

"We certainly recognize all the different paths that people take to mourn, the different paths that people take to recover from unimaginable, incomprehensible loss," Gov. John Hickenlooper said at the ceremony.

"Some wanted this theater to reopen. Some didn't. Certainly both answers are correct," Hickenlooper said.

The governor credited Cinemark CEO Tim Warner for flying to Colorado after hearing about the shooting to see what he could do.

Warner told attendees that the caring response to the tragedy by first responders, the community and the world was a testament that good triumphs over evil.

Samuel Aquila, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Denver, concluded the ceremony with a prayer for the dead and the living.

"All of us in some small way suffered in your suffering," Aquila told the crowd. "The way of peace means rejecting the violence of that night."

Cinemark planned to offer free movies at the multiplex to the public over the weekend, then permanently reopen it Jan. 25. Throughout the evening, police officers and security guards turned away people who drove up asking how they could get tickets to the upcoming free shows.

The decision to reopen even divided at least one victim's family.

Tom Sullivan, whose son, Alex, was killed, attended the event.

"The community wants the theater back and by God, it's back," Sullivan said. "Nobody is going to stop us from living our lives the way that we lived our lives before. This is where I live."

Alex's widow, Cassandra Sullivan, joined the boycott. So did Tom Teves, whose own son, Alex, also was killed.

"They can do whatever they want. I think it was pretty callous," Teves said.

Adam Witt, who was grazed in the shoulder during the attack, was expecting flashbacks when he walked into the theater Thursday night. He and his wife Tiffany were pleasantly surprised at how unfamiliar the renovated space seemed.

"It was strange but oddly reassuring," said Tiffany Witt, 24. "The way it looks different -- it gives us the feeling that we're moving on from what happened."

Marcus Weaver struggled to keep his emotions under control as he walked through the multiplex lobby. On July 20 he was shot in the arm and his friend Rebecca Wingo was killed. Thursday night he had to stop and pray before entering the theater.

He was glad he did. Inside he saw the woman with whom he had shared a terrifying ambulance ride on July 20, and another woman from his church whom he hadn't even realized had been in the auditorium that night.

"There was so much love in that room, it conquered all the ill feeling I had," said Weaver, 42, who wore a shirt bearing Wingo's name and image. "The shooter, he can't win. This community is way stronger."

___

Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi and Colleen Slevin contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/colo-theater-reopens-months-mass-shooting-085750893.html

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Atmospheric physicist named inaugural director of University of Toronto?s new School of the Environment

TORONTO, ON ? Kimberly Strong, a physicist who leads investigations of the Earth?s atmosphere, will soon lead the University of Toronto?s new School of the Environment. Her term begins on July 1, 2013.

Strong?s research in atmospheric measurements examines such key environmental issues as climate change and its relationship to contributing factors including stratospheric ozone depletion and tropospheric pollution. She has directed ground-based, balloon-borne and satellite projects to study the Earth?s atmosphere, particularly in the Arctic.

?We are thrilled to have Kim Strong serve as director of the School of the Environment,? said Meric S. Gertler, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. ?Kim has an extraordinary record as a researcher and has an enviable track record in encouraging and supporting the next generation of environmental scholars and scientists. Under her leadership, the School will be known for interdisciplinary research and teaching in environment that spans the sciences, social sciences and humanities.?

Strong is one of the founding members of the Canadian Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Change, a group of researchers working to improve atmospheric remote sounding in Canada. In 2004, the group obtained funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to equip the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) at Eureka, Nunavut to provide a long-term data set for studying the evolution of the Arctic atmosphere and its year-to-year variability. From 1998 to 2006, Strong was principal investigator of theMiddle Atmosphere Nitrogen TRend Assessment (MANTRA) project, a large collaboration that used high-altitude instrument-carrying balloons to measure trace gases and investigate the changing chemical balance in the mid-latitude stratosphere. Strong is currently director of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council?s Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) Training Program in Arctic Atmospheric Science. The program enhances the educational opportunities available to students and postdoctoral fellows interested in polar, atmospheric, and climate sciences, including the use of state-of-the-art instrumentation and analysis of large data sets.? She also runs U of T?s Atmospheric Observatory (TAO), is principal investigator of the new Canadian Fourier Transform InfraRed Observing Network (CAFTON), and is actively involved in several projects related to better understanding of the atmospheres of Mars and Venus.

Strong and members of her group are actively involved in outreach activities, through an education and outreach program developed by U of T physicist Kaley Walker. This began with a visit to Qarmartalik School in Resolute Bay, Nunavut in 2004, and has since expanded to schools in Hall Beach, Igloolik, Grise Fiord, Iqaluit, and Pond Inlet, as well as many public talks and visits to schools in Southern Canada. Activities ranging from the ambitious ?Northern Experience Program? undertaken as part of International Polar Year, to the current ?Student-Researchers Atmospheric Collaboration? have brought schools, students, and researchers together in creative ways to enhance their learning experience, excite them about science, and raise awareness of Arctic issues. Walker and Strong, with the help of two outreach facilitators, graduate students, and post-docs, have developed presentations and hands-on activities appropriate for grades Kindergarten to 12, on topics such as air pollution, ozone depletion, climate, Canadian satellites, space science, and weather. ?These activities have led to invitations to present hands-on workshops at schools and at teachers? conferences in Nunavut and Ontario.

Strong joined U of T?s Department of Physics as an assistant professor in 1996 and became associate professor in 2001, and professor in 2006. ?She is also a member of U of T?s Centre for Global Change Science.? In 2010, Strong was a visiting fellow at the Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry, University of Wollongong, Australia. Her awards include the Premier?s Research Excellence Award (2004) and an NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement award for three years (2011).

The School of the Environment was established in July 2012 to leverage the enormous breadth and depth of environmental teaching and research expertise within the Faculty of Arts & Science. The School offers an undergraduate B.A. program in environmental studies and a B.Sc. program in environment and science, with other new programs in development. ?The School also partners with other departments and programs at U of T to offer a range of collaborative undergraduate specialists, majors and minors, involving chemistry, geography, earth sciences, human biology, physics, philosophy and others. At the graduate level, interdisciplinary collaborative programs in Environmental Studies, as well as in Environment and Health, are offered in partnership with 20 other units at the university. ?In addition, distance education and certificate programs provide opportunities for professional development.

?I envision the school as a dynamic unit that serves as a nexus for faculty, bringing together scholars from a wide range of disciplines, strengthening existing links, and creating new ways of collaborating and interacting with colleagues,? said Strong.? ?It will also serve as a magnet for students interested in the environment, offering them the best courses and programs in this field available anywhere.? Thirdly, the School will be a portal for the wider community beyond the university, providing access to all of the diverse and interdisciplinary environmental scholarship that is underway here. My job is to make all three happen!?

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Kim Strong
Department of Physics
University of Toronto
strong@atmosp.physics.utoronto.ca
Tel: 416-946-3217

Kim Luke
Communications, Faculty of Arts & Science
University of Toronto
Kim.luke@utoronto.ca
Tel: 416-978-4352

Source: http://media.utoronto.ca/media-releases/arts/atmospheric-physicist-named-inaugural-director-of-university-of-torontos-new-school-of-the-environment/

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Obama to gun-control foes: Examine your conscience

Bringing the curtain down on his first term with a combative press conference, President Barack Obama vowed Monday to push "vigorously" for gun control measures and pressed foes of new restrictions in the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy to "examine their own conscience." Obama admitted he faced stiff opposition from gun rights advocates in Congress and vowed executive action in the face of any legislative logjam.

One month to the day after the elementary school slaughter in Connecticut, the president said he had received recommendations from Vice President Joe Biden's task force for curbing a national epidemic of gun violence.

"They?ve presented me now with a list of sensible, common-sense steps that can be taken to make sure that the kinds of violence we saw in Newtown doesn?t happen again," he told reporters. ?I?ll present the details later in the week.?

But will Congress adopt proposals like renewing the assault weapons ban? ?I don?t know,? acknowledged Obama, who was due to discuss the issue with Biden later on Monday.

?My starting point is not to worry about the politics. My starting point is to focus on what makes sense, what works, what should we be doing to make sure that our children are safe and that we?re reducing the incidence of gun violence," the president said.??I think we can do that in a sensible way that comports with the 2nd amendment.?

Obama also warned congressional Republicans on Monday that he will not trade spending cuts for their vote to raise the country?s debt ceiling.

Obama called Republican talk of not raising the limit?of, in effect, not paying the country?s bills??irresponsible? and ?absurd.? He said the GOP will ?not collect a ransom in return for not crashing the economy.

?We are not a deadbeat nation,? he said.

At issue is the congressionally established debt limit, which the country is set to reach shortly. Without additional borrowing, the government will not be able to pay all of its bills, raising the prospect of a default on national debt payments or Washington being forced to stop issuing Social Security checks, pay to troops overseas and other legally required outlays, according to Obama. Either option would likely send shock waves through the fragile global economy.

Raising the debt limit was mostly a matter of routine in Washington under presidents of both parties for decades. The opposition would make a big show of wringing its hands over the nation?s finances (as a senator in 2006, Obama himself called it ?a sign of leadership failure"), and the majority would find a way to pass it.

Republicans broke sharply from that script in August 2011, when they demanded spending cuts equal to the amount that the limit would be raised. The ensuing standoff brought the nation to the brink of default and led to the first-ever downgrade of the country?s credit rating?but also to historic spending cuts, signed into law by Obama. Top Republican lawmakers have said publicly that this time they may be willing to partially shut down the government to secure more reductions.

?Our economy is growing and our businesses are creating new jobs, so we are poised for a good year if we make smart decisions and sound investments? and so long as Washington politics ?don?t get in the way,? the president said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-hold-press-conference-11-15-m-141554262--politics.html

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Building electronics from the ground up

Jan. 14, 2013 ? There's hardly a moment in modern life that doesn't involve electronic devices, whether they're guiding you to a destination by GPS or deciding which incoming messages merit a beep, ring or vibration. But our expectation that the next shopping season will inevitably offer an upgrade to more-powerful gadgets largely depends on size -- namely, the ability of the industry to shrink transistors so that more can fit on ever-tinier chip surfaces.

Engineers have been up to the task of electronics miniaturization for decades now, and the principle that the computer industry will be able to do it on a regular schedule -- as codified in Moore's Law -- won't come into doubt any time soon, thanks to researchers like the University of South Carolina's Chuanbing Tang.

Tang is a leader in constructing miniscule structures from the bottom up, rather than the top down. Currently, modern electronics are primarily fabricated by the latter method: the smooth surface of a starting material -- say, a wafer of silicon -- is etched through micro- or nanolithography to establish a pattern on it. The top-down method might involve a prefabricated template, such as a photomask, to establish the pattern. But the approach is becoming more and more challenging, because reducing the size of the features on the requisite templates is getting extremely expensive as engineers work their way further down the nanoscale. "Going from 500 to sub-30 nanometers is cost prohibitive for large-scale production," said Tang, an assistant professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry in USC's College of Arts and Sciences.

As a chemist, Tang uses a bottom-up approach: he works with the individual molecules that go onto a surface, coaxing them to self-arrange into the patterns needed. One established method of doing this involves block copolymers, in which a polymer chain is made up of two or more sections of different polymerized monomers.

If the different block sections are properly designed, the blocks will self-aggregate when placed on a surface, and the aggregation can be harnessed to create desirable patterns on the nanoscale without the need for any templates. Di-block copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) and polystyrene, for example, have been used to construct highly ordered arrays of perpendicular cylinders of nanoscale materials. Solvent evaporation, or annealing, of these polymers on surfaces exerts an external directional field that can enhance the patterning process and create nearly defect-free arrays.

Tang's laboratory just published a paper for the special "Emerging Investigators 2013" issue of the journal Chemical Communications that takes this method to a new level. Working together with graduate student Christopher Hardy, Tang led a team that fabricated nanoparticles of pure, crystalline iron oxide with controlled size and spacing on silicon wafers by covalently incorporating a ferrocene moiety into a tri-block copolymer.

Incorporating metals into nanoscale designs is crucial for fabricating electronic devices, and Tang's method is a step forward for the field. Because ferrocene is covalently bonded to the block copolymer, there is no need for a complexation step to add a metal-containing compound to the surface -- a burdensome requirement of most previous methods. Moreover, their technique is a step beyond related polymer systems that contain covalent ferrocenylsilane linkages, in which removal of the organic components leaves behind silicon oxide as an impurity in the metal oxide.

The technique is a promising addition to the available tools for addressing the chronic need to decrease the size of electronic components. "The industry won't replace top-down methods," Tang said, "but they plan to use bottom-up together with the existing top-down methods soon."

There's versatility in the technique as well. "Here we use a ferrocene-containing polymer, which we convert into the inorganic iron oxide. But if we replace the ferrocene in the polymer with carbon precursor, we could make a perpendicular carbon nanorod, which would have a lot of potential uses," Tang said. "Or we can incorporate a semi-conducting polymer, like polythiophene, which would be very useful in solar cell applications."

The work was supported by Semiconductor Research Corporation (Task ID 2222.001) and National Science Foundation (CHE-1151479).

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of South Carolina, via Newswise.

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Journal Reference:

  1. Christopher G. Hardy, Lixia Ren, Shuguo Ma, Chuanbing Tang. Self-assembly of well-defined ferrocene triblock copolymers and their template synthesis of ordered iron oxide nanoparticles. Chemical Communications, 2013; DOI: 10.1039/C2CC36756D

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/6ua8hgbHCcs/130114124816.htm

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Monday, January 14, 2013

Weekly Climate and Energy News Roundup | Watts Up With That?

SEPP_Header-Kansas
The Week That Was: 2013-01-12 (January 12, 2013) Brought to You by SEPP (www.SEPP.org) The Science and Environmental Policy Project

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Quote of the Week: We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert. ?-J Robert Oppenheimer.

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Number of the Week: 9,500 in 2012. Ten year average: 106,000

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SAVE THE DATE: February 2 ? 1:30 to 3:30 A SEPP / VA-SEEE presentation on National and Virginia Energy Issues. At the Conference Center, Norfolk International Airport, 2200 Norview Avenue Norfolk, VA. Details to Follow.

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THIS WEEK:

By Ken Haapala, Executive Vice President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)

British MET Office: The MET Office has come under severe criticism for two sets of predictions, some of the criticism is justified and some is not. The MET office made very inaccurate predictions of precipitation and drought. The biggest fault with the MET office appears to be its overconfidence in its short term predictions. As repeated many times, regional models have shown little skill in predicting beyond 10 days.

Using Environment Canada predictions Tim Ball illustrates this general failure. As he states, the issue is not the lack of computational power. ?The real problems are inadequate data, lack of understanding of most major mechanisms, incorrect assumptions, and a determination to prove, instead of falsify, the AGW hypothesis.? The AGW hypothesis is that man?s emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), are causing unprecedented and dangerous global warming.

The second, and major, set of criticisms pertained to an adjustment in MET?s 2011 mid-term global temperature forecasts. During 2012, the MET has modified its global climate model to reflect more current temperatures and, apparently, incorporate changes in ocean currents and other natural causes of global warming / climate change. These changes lead to a forecast that there would be no warming trend to 2017 ? something quite different than the previous forecast. The MET is to be congratulated in its efforts to break from the dogma of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and its acolytes, who insist that GHG control climate, except for a slight variation in sunlight. It is doubtful if the now almost non-existent predictive ability of the climate models can be improved without breaking from the IPCC dogma.

Unfortunately, the MET made the change without any announcement, on Christmas Eve. The change was picked-up the blogger, Tallbloke, who recognized its significance (Amusingly, Tallbloke was identified by the police as a person of interest in the investigation of the Climategate leaks.) If the new MET forecast proves correct and, since there has been no surface warming trend in the data compiled by the MET Hadley Center and the Climatic Research Unit (CRU), this would mean no warming trend for two decades, contradicting all predictions of a dire future of runaway warming.

Prediction in the chaotic non-linear climate system is extremely difficult, and failure is to be expected, and admired with corrected. The independence of the MET in adjusting its model should be welcomed by all. Please see links under Challenging the Orthodoxy and Models v. Observations.

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The Sun: A second note of encouragement this week came with the publication of the papers produced during a NASA conference on solar variability and the earth?s climate. The papers suggested that even small variation in luminosity of the sun (0.1%) can have a significant influence on the earth?s climate. For example, ultraviolet radiation can vary by factors of 10 or more which can have a large effect on the chemistry and thermal structure of the upper atmosphere, and, in turn, on the earth?s climate.

Unfortunately, the publication contained what is now an almost mandatory disclaimer in government climate science: ?no satellite measurements have indicated that solar output and variability have contributed in a significant way to the increase in global mean temperature in the past 50 years.? As support for the statement the report cites the work of lead authors of the IPCC Summary for Policymakers and ?American?s Climate Choices? by the National Research Council. The latter report has little scientific rigor.

However, recognition that the sun?s contribution to the earth?s climate is complex, varied, and not well understood goes far beyond typical IPCC dogma. Please see links under Science: Is the Sun Rising?

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The Race to the Bottom: In the run-up to the Doha conference, which, thankfully, failed; a number of organizations, considered scientific, made ever more outlandish predictions of future temperatures if humans keep emitting CO2. Half jokingly, TWTW suggested that there may be a race among these organizations, which would be the most outlandish. If there was, the World Bank was probably the winner with a prediction of a warming as much as 4 deg C (7.2 deg F). Recently World Bank President Jim Yong Kim announced that he was so taken by prediction that he wishes the Bank to participate in a master plan to avoid temperature increases and sea level rise. Please see link under Expanding the Orthodoxy.

This week there seems to be a new race afoot. Which scientific organization is willing to rid itself of the burdens of scientific rigor and / or integrity the fastest? Several of the participants and their qualifications are listed below.

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NOAA?s State of the Climate (SOTC): As discussed in last week?s TWTW, John Christy reported that for the US, except Hawaii, 2012 was the hottest in the 34 year old satellite record and the 9th warmest year globally. In its report, NOAA? National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) announced that for the US, 2012 was the hottest ever and the second worse for extreme weather events. NOAA claims the records go back to 1895.

NOAA?s announcement was immediately picked up by the global warming chorus, demanding the government take greater control over the climate, namely reduce CO2 emissions. The mechanism by which atmospheric CO2 controls the severe cold occurring in Eurasia is not clear.

There are several major issues with the NOAA report, which are discussed in the links below and few mentioned here. NOAA made no effort to bring out that the US temperatures are inconsistent with global temperatures. Globally, 2012 is far from the hottest ever. Further, NOAA made no mention that, globally, severe weather events were down significantly.

Further, NOAA has demonstrated that there are significant issues with its temperature record, with manipulation of historic data, changing instruments sites, and poor siting of instruments that make them subject to small changes in the surroundings. One of the biggest issues is the severity of the heat and drought in the 1930s. Earlier, NOAA announced July 2012 was the hottest July ever, only to quietly back down as it became evident that July 1938 was hotter. We can expect that NOAA?s announcement will be modified in the near future, but without major press releases ? the damage to science and credibility already complete. Please see links under Defending the Orthodoxy and Questioning the Orthodoxy.

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Science Magazine: At the end of an essay on scientific breakthroughs in 2012, Editor-in-Chief Bruce Alberts states a parallel between public acceptance that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer and CO2 cause global warming. Alberts fails to acknowledge that the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer was established by rigorous statistical analysis with adherence to strict principles as articulated by Sir Bradford Hill. There has been no rigorous statistical relationship established between CO2 emissions and global warming, particularly if all of the current warm period, the Holocene, is considered. Further, there has been no global warming of the atmosphere for at least a decade and no surface warming for 16 years as reported in HadCRU data. Failure to note these salient facts demonstrates the bias of the author. Please see link under Defending the Orthodoxy and for a brief statement of some of the strict principles, as articulated by John Brignell http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/big_liars.htm

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IPCC AR5 ? Working Group II: The IPCC has announced it displeasure with the leak of the draft of the AR5 report by Working Group II, which ?assesses the scientific, technical, environmental, economic and social aspects of the vulnerability (sensitivity and adaptability) to climate change of, and the negative and positive consequences for, ecological systems, socio-economic sectors and human health, with an emphasis on regional sectoral and cross-sectoral issues.? http://www.ipcc-wg2.gov/. It should. The leak reveals the usual gang of environmental suspects from WWF, Greenpeace, etc. The leak appeared on Donna Laframboise?s web site. Please see links under IPCC Leak.

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MIT Technology Review: The editors of the review sent President Obama a letter with statements such as: ?It?s time to acknowledge that green jobs were always just political cover for that motive. You must say unambiguously that the real reason to transform our energy system is to avoid the most catastrophic effects of global warming.? Obviously, these editors may know more about technology than the physics of global warming.

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Draft U.S. Climate Assessment Report: This report, released on Friday, predicts a rise in temperatures of up to 10 deg F (5.6 C) by the end of the century. A quick glance suggests it may have all of the rigor of a report, done under Al Gore while he was Vice President, by a predecessor organization to the U.S. Global Change Research Program. That report was the first which the courts ruled did not meet the requirements of the US Data Quality Act also called Information Quality Act. Please see links under Defending the Orthodoxy.

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American Geophysical Union (AGU): It pains members of SEPP to add the once distinguished AGU to this list. But the new leadership of that organization has made Michael Mann a Fellow and invited the likes of John Cook, Peter Gleick, Stephan Lewandowsky, and Naomi Oreskes to speak at its convention. No doubt the new leadership of the AGU will NOT invite long time AGU Fellow Fred Singer to rebut the false claims Oreskes made attacking the integrity of four distinguished scientists, three of whom are deceased. Please see links under Defending the Orthodoxy.

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Al Gore: Mr. Gore does not come under the list. But the sale of the television channel in which he is an investor and promoter to a news group backed by the oil rich nation of Qatar demonstrates the cynicism and opportunism of many promoters of global warming / climate change and alternative energy. Please see links under Other News that May Be of Interest.

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Corrections and Amplifications: Last week TWTW promised the specific comments on IPCC AR5 from five-time expert reviewer Vincent Gray. They will appear next week. Instead, his history with the IPCC can be found under Challenging the Orthodoxy.

Bulldog Christopher Horner, who finally got the EPA to begin releasing emails under secret accounts, said the correct number is 12,000 emails, not 7100 as TWTW reported. And this is only the beginning.

Reader Anton Garrett requested a reference for the effectiveness of indoor spraying DDT in controlling malaria in tropical nations. A web search produced no concise history, but a 2000 report of the dilemma that banning DDT causes can be found: ?Balancing risks on the backs of the poor,? by Attaran, et al, Nature Medicine, Jul 2000, http://www.malaria.org/attarannaturemed.html

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Number of the Week: 9,500 in 2012, ten year average: 106,000. These are the number of deaths world-wide from natural catastrophes as reported by the largest re-insurer of insurance companies, Munich Re. ?Some 67% of overall losses and 90% of insured losses were attributable to the USA ? the respective averages are 32% and 57%.? 2012 was an extraordinary year for the US, not a typical year or a trend. Sandy was the biggest loss because it hit one of the most vulnerable points in the US. The global warming chorus has no basis for using US weather events as proof that government control of GHG, particularly CO2, is needed. Please see link under Changing Weather.

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ARTICLES:

For the numbered articles below please see this week?s TWTW at: http://www.sepp.org. The articles are at the end of the pdf.

1. Bernie Sanders?s Windy Letter Blows a Lot of Hot Air

By Charles Battig, VA-SEEE, Letter WSJ, Jan 10, 2013

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323374504578221670878789696.html?mod=ITP_opinion_1

2 The Kyoto Scorecard

The U.N.?s anticarbon scheme didn?t work out as planned.

Editorial, WSJ, Jan 4, 2013

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323374504578219180748528630.html#mod=djemEditorialPage_t

3. The EPA Is Politicized?So Make It Official

This federal regulatory agency, like many others, would be better run by a bipartisan commission.

By Steven Hayward, WSJ, Jan 8, 0213

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323320404578216034024416590.html?mod=ITP_opinion_0

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NEWS YOU CAN USE:

Science: Is the Sun Rising?

NASA on the sun: ??tiny variations can have a significant effect on terrestrial climate.?

By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Jan 9, 2013

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/01/09/nasa-on-the-sun-tiny-variations-can-have-a-significant-effect-on-terrestrial-climate/

Link to full report: The Effects of Solar Variability on Earth?s Climate: A Workshop Report

By Committee on the Effects of Solar Variability on Earth?s Climate; Space Studies Board; Division on Engineering and Physical Science; National Research Council

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13519

Sun?s 2013 Solar Storm Peak Expected to Hit Century Low

By Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, Jan 4, 2013

http://news.yahoo.com/suns-2013-solar-storm-peak-expected-hit-century-150744846.html

Climategate Continued

Duke C [Climate Audit reader] Punctures More Attempted UEA Obtuseness

By Steve McIntyre, Climate Audit, Jan 11, 2013

http://climateaudit.org/2013/01/11/duke-c-and-more-uea-obtuseness/#more-17331

Challenging the Orthodoxy

Wrong Prediction, Wrong Science; Unless It?s Government Climate Science.

By Tim Ball, WUWT, Jan 8, 2013

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/01/08/wrong-prediction-wrong-science-unless-its-government-climate-science/

The IPCC ? a history

NZ Climate Truth Newsletter No 303

By Vincent Gray, NCTCS, Jan 7, 2013

http://theclimatescepticsparty.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/the-ipcc-history-by-ipcc-expert.html

Unique paper looks for natural factors in station data?shows significant probabilities of natural signal

By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Jan 10, 2013

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/01/10/unique-paper-looks-for-natural-factors-in-station-datashows-significant-probabilities-of-natural-signal/

Link to paper: How Natural is the Recent Centennial Warming? An Analysis of 2249 Surface, Temperature Records, By Horst-Joachim L?decke, Rainer Link, and Friedrich-Karl Ewert, EIKE

http://www.eike-klima-energie.eu/uploads/media/How_natural.pdf

New Study Finds No Significant Human-Induced Warming

By John Hinderaker, Power Line, Jan 5, 2013 [H/t Timothy Wise]

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2013/01/new-study-finds-no-significant-human-induced-warming.php

Link to paper: Polynomial cointegration tests of anthropogenic impact on global warming

By Beenstock, Reingewertz, and Paldor; http://www.earth-syst-dynam-discuss.net/3/561/2012/esdd-3-561-2012.html

?This implies that recent global warming is not statistically significantly related to anthropogenic forcing. On the other hand, we find that greenhouse gas forcing might have had a temporary effect on global temperature.?

New PIK logic from Potsdam: Heavier snowfalls causing glacier shrinkage (and when you eat more, you lose weight

By Sebastian L?ning and Fritz Vahrenholt, Translated P. Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Jan 11, 2013

http://notrickszone.com/2013/01/11/catastrophe-obsessed-potsdam-climate-institute-logic-when-you-eat-more-you-lose-weight/

A Look At Global Mean Temperatures in 2013: Cooling Ahead!

By Fritz Vahrenholt, Frank Bosse, Translated. P. Gosselin, Jan 9, 2013

http://notrickszone.com/2013/01/09/ocean-heat-content-based-model-by-german-scientists-shows-continued-global-cooling/

[SEPP Comment: Seeking the missing heat ? in the North Atlantic, not in the southern oceans as Hansen suggests. Ocean heat content leads temperatures of the northern hemisphere by about 12 months.]

Waste Heat as a Contributor to Observed Warming

By Roy Spencer, His Blog, Jan 9, 2013

http://www.drroyspencer.com/2013/01/waste-heat-as-a-contributor-to-observed-warming/

Defending the Orthodoxy

The Breakthroughs of 2012

By Bruce Alberts, Editor-in-Chief, Science, Dec 21, 2012

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/338/6114/1511.summary

UN climate official wants ?strong? response to record heat

By Ben Geman, The Hill, Jan 9, 2013

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/276275-un-climate-official-wants-strong-response-to-record-us-temps

NOAA SOTC for December 2012

Posted by Anthon Watts, WUWT, Jan 8, 2013

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/01/08/noaa-sotc/

Link to the Report: State of the Climate, National Overview, Annual 2012

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/2012/13

Not Even Close: 2012 Was Hottest Ever in U.S.

By Justin Gillis, NYT, Jan 8, 2013

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/science/earth/2012-was-hottest-year-ever-in-us.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130109

NOAA: 2012 was warmest year ever for US, second most ?extreme?

By Elizabeth Chuck, NBC, Jan 8, 2013, [H/t Climate Depot]

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/08/16413805-noaa-2012-was-warmest-year-ever-for-us-second-most-extreme?lite

2012 Was the Hottest Year in U.S. History. And Yes ? It?s Climate Change

By Bryan Walsh, Time Magazine, Jan 8, 2013

http://science.time.com/2013/01/08/2012-was-the-hottest-year-in-u-s-history-and-yes-its-climate-change/

America?s Hottest Year On Record And A Cooler Future

Editorial, IBD, Jan 9, 2013

http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/010913-639963-hottest-year-2012-but-met-office-predicts-cooler-climate.htm

AGU Honors Gleick

By Steve McIntyre, Climate Audit, Jan 5, 2013

http://climateaudit.org/2013/01/05/agu-honors-gleick/

American Geophysical Union ? cheat, deceive, steal, ?It?s OK?.

By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Jan 10, 2013

http://joannenova.com.au/2013/01/american-geophysical-union-cheat-decieve-steal-its-ok/#more-26308

Dear Mr. President: Time to Deal with Climate Change

In a letter to President Obama, the editors of MIT Technology Review argue that addressing climate change must take top priority in the next four years. Jan 2, 2013

http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/508841/dear-mr-president-time-to-deal-with-climate-change/

Gutting Democracy to Save the Planet

By Donna Laframboise, NFC, Jan 12, 2013

http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2013/01/12/gutting-democracy-to-save-the-planet/

[SEPP Comment: Commentary on the letter from editors of MIT Technology Review.]

Major report warns climate change could raise temperatures by 10 degrees

By Ben Geman, The Hill, Jan 11, 2013

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/276769-federal-report-finding-unambiguous-warming-fuels-calls-for-tougher-action

Link to the Report ?Federal Advisory Committee Draft Climate Assessment Report Released for Public Review? by National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, http://ncadac.globalchange.gov/

Draft U.S. Climate Assessment Report

By Judith Curry, Climate Etc, Jan 12, 2013

http://judithcurry.com/2013/01/12/draft-u-s-climate-assessment-report/#more-10910

Questioning the Orthodoxy

2012 probably not the hottest on record, after all

Skewed data stoke climate alarmist fears

By Tom Harris and Tim Ball, Washington Times, Jan 11, 2013 [H/t SPPI]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/11/2012-probably-not-the-hottest-on-record-after-all/

NOAA Temperature Fraud Expands (Part 1)

By Steven Goddard, Real Science, Jan 11, 2013 [H/t Climate Depot]

http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2013/01/11/noaa-temperature-fraud-expands-part-1/

Hottest year ever? Skeptics question revisions to climate data

By Maxim Lott, Fox News, Jan 10, 2013 [H/t Roger Cohen]

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/01/10/hottest-year-ever-skeptics-question-revisions-to-climate-data/

Is NOAA Misleading the Public by Including Tropical Cyclones in its 2012 Climate Extremes Index Ranking?

By Bob Tisdale, Climate Observations, Jan 8, 2013

http://bobtisdale.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/is-noaa-misleading-the-public-by-including-tropical-cyclones-in-its-2012-climate-extremes-index-ranking/

The logical case against climate panic

By Monckton of Brenchley, WUWT, Jan 6, 2013

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/01/06/the-logical-case-against-climate-panic/

Peter Lilley vs. Nick Stern: Another Rebuttal

By Peter Lilley, GWPF, Jan 10, 2013

http://www.thegwpf.org/peter-lilley-nick-stern/

[SEPP Comment: More on what is wrong with the influential Stern report on climate change.]

How to Destroy Science: Cast Self-Interest as Public Interest

By Norman Rogers, American Thinker, Jan 10, 2013

http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/01/how_to_destroy_science_cast_self-interest_as_public_interest.html

Cogs in the Climate Machine

By Donna Laframboise, NFC, Jan 10, 2013

http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2013/01/10/cogs-in-the-climate-machine/

[SEPP Comment: One media myth after another about the IPCC.]

Global warming, the tool of the West

By Stanislav Mishin, Pravda, RU, Jan 4, 2013 [H/t Roger Cohen]

http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/04-01-2013/123380-global_warming-0/

This is a religion replete with an army of priests, called Government Grant Scientists.

Global warming catches fire

Crusade against carbon dioxide threatens the environment

Editorial, Washington Times, Jan 8, 2013

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/8/global-warming-catches-fire/

How Fossil Fuels Saved Humanity from Nature and Nature from Humanity

By Staff Writers, NCPA, Jan 9, 2013

http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=22716&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EnvPD

Link to study: Humanity Unbound: How Fossil Fuels Saved Humanity from Nature and Nature from Humanity

By Indur M. Goklany, CATO

http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/humanity-unbound-how-fossil-fuels-saved-humanity-nature-nature-humanity

IPCC Leaks

The Secret Santa Leak

By Donna Laframboise, NFC, Jan 8, 2013

http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2013/01/08/the-secret-santa-leak/

IPCC Legal Notice

By Donna Laframboise, NFC, Jan 9, 2013

http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2013/01/09/ipcc-legal-notice/

[SEPP Comment: A notice from the IPCC to remove leaked emails from her web site.]

UN climate panel denounces fresh data leaks

By Staff Writers, Paris (AFP), Jan 09, 2013

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/UN_climate_panel_denounces_fresh_data_leaks_999.html

The usual suspects

By Philippa Martyr, Quadrant, Jan 9, 2013

http://www.quadrant.org.au/blogs/doomed-planet/2013/01/the-usual-suspects

[SEPP Comment: List of contributors to Australasia section of the IPCC-AR5 WGII draft report]

?What?s particularly striking about the entire list is the degree to which every single person on it depends on climate change propagation for a living.?

Questioning European Green

Why IS Britain about to pay ?110billion to enter a new Dark Age? A damning indictment of the new ?Green-friendly? Energy Bill

By David Rose, Mail Online, Jan 5, 2013 [H/t Bishop Hill]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257826/Why-IS-Britain-pay-110billion-enter-new-Dark-Age-A-damning-indictment-new-Green-friendly-Energy-Bill.html

Quarter of mothers forced to turn their heating off to afford food for their children: Survey warns of increase in ?fuel poverty?

Survey finds 56 per cent of families turn heating off when children leave

Bill increase causing people to use blankets and extra clothing to keep warm

Experts say number of households suffering fuel poverty will double by 2016

By Mario Ledwith, Mail Online, Jan 5, 2013

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257849/Quarter-mothers-forced-turn-heating-afford-food-children-Survey-warns-increase-fuel-poverty.html

[SEPP Comment: A survey indicating the success of British energy policy in driving up energy costs to save the planet.]

British group pans wind farm compensation

By Staff Writers, Plymouth, England (UPI), Jan 7, 2013

http://www.winddaily.com/reports/British_group_pans_wind_farm_compensation_999.html

Expanding the Orthodoxy

World Bank to strengthen focus on climate change

By Zack Colman, The Hill, Jan 10, 2013

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/276567-world-bank-to-strengthen-focus-on-climate-change

Seeking a Common Ground

To keep politics out of science, scientists need to be more scientific, not more political

By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Jan 7, 2013

http://joannenova.com.au/2013/01/to-get-politics-out-of-science-scientists-need-to-be-more-scientific-not-more-political/#more-26279

Editorial: Deciding Whether It?s Climate or Weather

From The Australian, Via GWPF, Jan 11, 2013

http://www.thegwpf.org/editorial-deciding-climate-weather/

Communicating Better to the Public ? Exaggerate, or be Vague?

Phil Trans B says end of world nigh

By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Jan 12, 2013

http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2013/1/12/phil-trans-b-says-end-of-world-nigh.html

Link to Paper Can a collapse of global civilization be avoided?

By Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Jan 8, 2013

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/280/1754/20122845.full

Oil Sands Industry in Canada Tied to Higher Carcinogen Level

By Ian Austen, NYT, Jan 7, 2013

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/world/americas/oil-sand-industry-in-canada-tied-to-higher-carcinogen-level.html?_r=1&

the levels of contaminants measured by the researchers ?did not exceed Canadian guidelines and were low compared to urban areas.?

Communicating Better to the Public ? Make things up.

Avoiding a climate-change apocalypse

By Katrina Vanden Heuvel, Washington Post, Jan 8, 2013 [H/t Dennis Manuta]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/katrina-vanden-heuvel-a-climate-change-apocalypse/2013/01/07/f440d704-58e4-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_story.html?wpisrc=emailtoafriend

?Horrible? sea level rise of more than 3 feet plausible by 2100, experts say

By John Roach, NBC News, Jan 6, 2013 [H/t Clyde Spencer]

http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/06/16369939-horrible-sea-level-rise-of-more-than-3-feet-plausible-by-2100-experts-say?l

Link to Paper: Future sea level rise from ice sheets by Bamber & Aspinall in Nature Climate Change

http://www.nature.com/nclimate/index.html

Models v. Observations

The avalanche starts to roll: British weather service drastically scales back its prognoses for warming

By Fritz Vahrenholt and Sebastian L?ning, Trans. by P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Jan 10, 2013

http://notrickszone.com/2013/01/10/vahrenholt-scale-back-shows-hadcruts-and-hansens-earlier-prognoses-on-the-verge-of-dramatic-failure/

MET Office Forecasts No Global Temperature Rise

By David Whitehouse, GWPF, Jan 7, 2013

http://www.thegwpf.org/met-office-forecasts-global-temperature-rise/

Link to MET Office web page: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/seasonal-to-decadal/long-range/decadal-fc

Spot the Difference ? MET Office Promises to Review Controversial Wording of ?Forecast? Graph

By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know and GWPF, Jan 11, 2013

http://www.thegwpf.org/met-office-manipulate-forecast-data/

MET Office Says No Warming Before 2017: How Did the Media Do?

By David Whitehouse, GWPF, Jan 9, 2013

http://www.thegwpf.org/met-office-warming-2017-media-do/

The Guardian?s Verdict: Objection, M?Lud!

By David Whitehouse, GWPF, Jan 10, 2013

http://www.thegwpf.org/guardians-verdict-objection-mlud/

I note as an aside M?lud that no one predicted a 15-year standstill. [in global temperatures]

Climate Revisions Validates Sceptics

By Graham Lloyd, The Australian, vai, GWPF, Jan 13, 2013

http://www.thegwpf.org/climate-revisions-validate-sceptics/

Decadal Forecasting ? What is it and what does it tell us?

By Staff Writers, MET Office, Jan 10, 2013

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/news/decadal-forecasting

Met Office Accused Of Misleading Public Over Rainfall Trends

By Benny Peiser, WUWT, Jan 5, 2013

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/01/05/met-office-accused-of-misleading-public-over-rainfall-trends/

Measurement Issues

Does NOAA?s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) keep two separate sets of climate books for the USA?

By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Jan 6, 2013

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/01/06/does-noaas-national-climatic-data-center-ncdc-keep-two-separate-sets-of-climate-books-for-the-usa/

Changing Weather

Reinsurer Munich Re Natural Catastrophe Statistics Report 2012: Far Less Global Damage From Weather In 2012!

By P. Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Jan 3, 2013

http://notrickszone.com/2013/01/03/reinsurer-munich-re-natural-catastrophe-statistics-report-2012-far-less-global-damage-from-weather-in-2012/

Link to Press Release: Natural catastrophe statistics for 2012 dominated by weather extremes in the USA,

http://www.munichre.com/en/media_relations/press_releases/2013/2013_01_03_press_release.aspx

Down to -50C: Russians freeze to death as strongest-in-decades winter hits (PHOTOS)

By Staff Writers, RT, Dec 19, 2013 [H/t Adrain Gibby]

http://rt.com/news/russia-freeze-cold-temperature-379/

[SEPP Comment: Pictorial relief for those who believe that US temperatures are too hot.]

Heat down under, snow in Jerusalem, brutal cold in Asia will be here next 4- 6 weeks.

By Joe D?Aleo, ICECAP, Jan 11, 2012

http://icecap.us/index.php/go/joes-blog/heat_down_under_snow_in_jerusalem_brutal_cold_in_asiawill_be_here_next_4_6_/

Record low temperatures in Bangladesh

By Staff Writers, Dhaka, Bangladesh (UPI) Jan 9, 2013

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Record_low_temperatures_in_Bangladesh_999.html

? an unexpected result of global warming, scientists said.

Temperatures in China hit 28-year low

By Staff Writers, Reuters, Jan 5, 2013 [H/t Clyde Spencer]

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/05/16369310-temperatures-in-china-hit-28-year-low?lite

Changing Climate

Systems at Risk

By Lee Howell, Project Syndicate, Jan 8, 2013

http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-world-economic-forum-s-global-risks-assessment-by-lee-howell

[SEPP Comment: Adaptation is vital, but by continuing to spout the wrong causes, governments will fail to achieve realistic solutions.]

Changing Earth

Japan quake study sounds alarm at ?creeping fault? doctrine

By Staff Writers, Paris (AFP), Jan 09, 2013

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Japan_quake_study_sounds_alarm_at_creeping_fault_doctrine_999.html

The potential impact of volcanic overprinting of the Eddy Minimum

By David Archibald, WUWT, Jan 7, 2013

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/01/07/the-potential-impact-of-volcanic-overprinting-of-the-eddy-minimum/

[SEPP Comment: An essay pointing out that four of the five past solar minima were associated with cold climates, some intensified by volcanic activity.]

Agriculture Issues & Fear of Famine

The greening of the planet

Satellites confirm that green vegetation is increasing

By Matt Ridley, published in WSJ, Jan 5, 2013

http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/the-greening-of-the-planet.aspx

Peak (?) farmland

By Judith Curry, Climate Etc, Jan 5, 2013

http://judithcurry.com/2013/01/05/peak-farmland/#more-10857

Falling on a Genetically Modified Sword

By Staff Writers, ACSH, Jan 7, 2013

http://www.acsh.org/falling-on-a-genetically-modified-sword/

[SEPP Comment: Mark Lynas who helped coin the term ?frankenfood? has apologized for his ignorance of the importance of genetically modified crops.

Half of all food ?wasted? report claims

By Martin Livermore, Scientific Alliance, Jan 11, 2013

http://www.scientific-alliance.org/scientific-alliance-newsletter/half-all-food-wasted-report-claims

[SEPP Comment: Thoughts penetrating beyond the headlines.]

Review of Recent Scientific Articles by NIPCC

For a full list of articles see www.NIPCCreport.org

The Ability to Identify Category 4 and 5 Atlantic Hurricanes with Mid-20th-Century Tools

Reference: Hagen, A.B. and Landsea, C.W. 2012. On the classification of extreme Atlantic hurricanes utilizing mid-twentieth-century monitoring capabilities. Journal of Climate 25: 4461-4475.

http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2013/jan/1jan2013a1.html

[SEPP Comment: Based on the analysis, prior methods [1944 to 1953] underestimated severe hurricanes.]

Eight Decades of Glacier Movements in Southeast Greenland

Reference: Bjork, A.A., Kjaer, K.H., Korsgaard, N.J., Khan, S.A., Kjeldsen, K.K., Andresen, C.S., Box, J.E., Larsen, N.K. and Funder, S. 2012. An aerial view of 80 years of climate-related glacier fluctuations in southeast Greenland. Nature Geoscience: 10.1038//NGEO1481.

http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2013/jan/1jan2013a3.html

[SEPP Comment: Recent glacial retreat was matched by a similar glacial retreat in the 1930s.]

Effects of Ocean Acidification on Marine Coccolithophores

Reference: Smith, H.E.K., Tyrrell, T., Charalampopoulou, A., Dumousseaud, C., Legge, O.J., Birchenough, S., Pettit, L.R., Garley, R., Hartman, S.E., Hartman, M.C., Sagoo, N., Daniels, C.J., Achterberg, E.P. and Hydes, D.J. 2012. Predominance of heavily calcified coccolithophores at low CaCO3 saturation during winter in the Bay of Biscay. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 109: 8845-8849.

http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2013/jan/1jan2013a4.html

[SEPP Comment: Contradicting laboratory results, elevated CO2 concentrations and lowering of pH are anti-correlated with reduced calcification rates.]

Six Millennia of North Atlantic Temperatures at Reykjanes Ridge

Reference: Moros, M., Jansen, E., Oppo, D.W., Giraudeau, J. and Kuijpers, A. 2012. Reconstruction of the late-Holocene changes in the Sub-Arctic Front position at the Reykjanes Ridge, north Atlantic. The Holocene 22: 877-886.

http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2013/jan/8jan2013a3.html

[SEPP Comment: Of the five distinct cold periods since the beginning of the Holocene, the last one, the Little Ice Age was the coldest. The warm periods that followed the earlier four cold periods were not caused by atmospheric carbon dioxide.]

Expanding the Biosphere?s Limits to Growth

Reference: Running, S.W. 2012. A measurable planetary boundary for the biosphere. Science 337: 1458-1459.

http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2013/jan/9jan2013a1.html

[SEPP Comment: Using land and water to grow plants for Biofuels are a waste of resources.]

The Political Games Continue

Sen. Sanders, after US hits heat record, floats new climate bill

By Ben Geman, The Hill, Jan 9, 2013

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/276353-sen-sanders-after-us-heat-record-floats-new-climate-bill

Sen. Boxer adds climate change post to environment committee staff

By Zack Colman, The Hill, Jan 10, 2013

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/276623-boxer-creates-climate-change-position-on-committee-staff

[SEPP Comment: The post goes to an attorney from the National Wildlife Federation, who played ?a key role? in the Supreme Court decision that carbon dioxide is a pollutant.]

Litigation Issues

Will the Supreme Court Review EPA?s Greenhouse Gas Regulations? Part II

By Marlo Lewis, Global Warming.org, Jan 8, 2012

http://www.globalwarming.org/2013/01/08/will-the-supreme-court-review-epas-greenhouse-gas-regulations-part-ii/#more-15698

Cap-and-Trade and Carbon Taxes

The carbon trading money tree

When something is too good to be true, you should be hearing warning bells.

By Kelvin Kemm, C-Fact. Jan 7, 2013

http://www.cfact.org/2013/01/07/the-carbon-trading-money-tree/?utm_source=CFACT+Updates&utm_campaign=65dc27afdb-The_carbon_trading_money_tree1_11_2013&utm_medium=email

The Market and Mother Nature

By Thomas Friedman, NYT, Jan 8, 2013 [H/t Dennis Manuta]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/opinion/friedman-the-market-and-mother-nature.html?emc=eta1&_r=0

[SEPP Comment: We need taxes ? based on fear of the future warming that is not scientifically substantiated.]

Subsidies and Mandates Forever

The Multiple Distortions of Wind Subsidies

By Staff Writers, NCPA, Jan 8, 2013

http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=22711&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EnvPD

Tax credit extension a reprieve for wind

By Staff Writers, Washington (UPI), Jan 4, 2013

http://www.winddaily.com/reports/Tax_credit_extension_a_reprieve_for_wind_999.html

The Infant Industry Argument and Renewable Energy Production

By Dr. Sergey Mityakov, George Marshall Institute, Dec 20, 2012

http://www.marshall.org/article.php?id=1163

Link to Full Report: http://www.marshall.org/pdf/materials/1163.pdf

[SEPP Comment: Within two years of Edison using a coal plant to generate electricity, the first wind mill was used to generate electricity. Wind power is hardly an infant industry.]

The Economic Impact of Pennsylvania?s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard

By Staff Writers, NCPA, Jan 10, 2013

Link to study: David G. Tuerck, Paul Bachman and Michael Head, ?The Economic Impact of Pennsylvania?s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard,?

http://www.beaconhill.org/BHIStudies/PA-AEPS2012/PA-AEPS-study-BHI-Dec-2012.pdf

[SEPP Comment: Fortunately for the citizens of Pennsylvania less expensive electricity from natural gas will help make up for political ignorance.]

Former White House aide defends ?green? stimulus, says 720K jobs were created

By Zack Colman, The Hill, Jan 9, 2013

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/276293-former-white-house-aide-defends-green-stimulus

Link to Aldy?s January 2012 draft paper: http://www.rff.org/RFF/Documents/RFF-DP-12-03.pdf

[SEPP Comment: $90 Billion in government spending led to $100 Billion in private capital. The calculation is for job-years ? one job lasting one year. The largest category is renewable generation (192,900), the second is energy efficiency ? installing insulation (179,000) and the third largest is transit (158,200). How many of the jobs continue after the subsidies stop.]

EPA and other Regulators on the March

The EPA Pushes the Envelope, Again

A long train of abuses suggests an institutional culture that sees the law as an impediment.

By A. Barton Hinkle, Reason, Jan 9, 2013

http://reason.com/archives/2013/01/09/the-epa-pushes-the-envelope-again

Economic Failure at U.S. EPA: NAM Study Raises the Hard Questions

By Travis Fisher, Master Resource, Jan 9, 2013

http://www.masterresource.org/2013/01/nam-study-raises-the-hard-questions/#more-23583

E-mail Scandal at the EPA

The Obama administration embraces secrecy and stonewalling.

By John Fund, National Review, Jan 5, 2013

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/336995/e-mail-scandal-epa-john-fund#

20 Windsorgate questions for Obama administration

By Mark Tapscott, Washington Examiner, Jan 10, 2013

http://washingtonexaminer.com/20-windsorgate-questions-for-obama-administration/article/2518121#.UPAQRnfb_fE

EPA Rules, Economy, Natural Gas Prices Prompt Georgia Power to Retire 2 GW of Coal, Oil Power

By Staff Writers, POWERnews, Jan 10, 2013

http://www.powermag.com/news/5289.html?hq_e=el&hq_m=2595372&hq_l=6&hq_v=5e660500d0

Energy Issues ? Non-US

Canadian crude price discount to WTI hits $41

By Yadullah Hussain, Financial Post, Jan 11, 2013

http://business.financialpost.com/2013/01/11/canadian-crude-price-discount-to-wti-hits-41/

[SEPP Comment: Canadian oil producers are paying dearly for Washington?s refusal to permit the Keystone pipeline.]

UK?s New Year Shale Gas Resolution

By Peter Glover, Energy Tribune, Jan 7, 2013

http://www.energytribune.com/69918/uks-new-year-shale-gas-resolution

A Carrington Catastrophe

By Donn Dears, Power for USA, Jan 11, 2013

http://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2013/01/11/a-carrington-catastrophe/

Energy Issues ? US

UPDATE 2-Phillips 66 makes $1 bln commitment to ship Bakken crude

* 5-yr commitment the longest crude-by-rail deal so far

* Global to ship crude via Canadian Pacific?s railway

By Selam Gebrekidan, Reuters, Jan 8, 2013

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/08/refinery-bayway-bakken-crude-idUSL1E9C844X20130108

[SEPP Comment: By rail, indicating the pressing need for new pipelines.]

Virgina: Energy Capital of East Coast?

By Marita Noon, Townhall, Jan 8, 2013

http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/maritanoon/2013/01/08/virgina-energy-capital-of-east-coast-n1483556?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl

Rare Earth and Uranium Mining Potential in the States

By Staff Writers, ACPA, Jan 8, 2013

http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=22710&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EnvPD

Link to full report: http://www.alec.org/docs/DIG-IT-WEB.pdf

Oil and Natural Gas ? the Future or the Past?

No contamination from fracking found in 2 Arkansas counties-USGS

* USGS sampled 127 wells in Fayetteville shale area

* Study shows fracking can be done safely, author says

* Draft EPA study linked fracking, water pollution in Wyoming

By Ayesha Rascoe, Reuters, Jan 9, 2013

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/10/usa-fracking-arkansas-study-idUSL1E9C9FCZ20130110

[SEPP Comment: The Wyoming wells did not involve deep underground fracturing of dense shale. EPA is redoing the study.]

New York?s Fracking Opportunity

By Katie Tubb, Heritage.org, Jan 10, 2013 [H/t Timothy Wise]

http://blog.heritage.org/2013/01/10/new-yorks-fracking-opportunity/

Washington?s Control of Oil and Gas

More good news for Keystone

By Peter Foster, Financial Post, Jan 8, 2013

http://opinion.financialpost.com/2013/01/08/peter-foster-more-good-news-for-keystone/

[SEPP Comment: Lisa Jackson leaving EPA and the finding by Nebraska that the new route is environmentally sound may favor the Keystone.]

Is Keystone XL DOA in Term No. 2?

There are no more campaign promises to make ? and there?s an incoming secretary of State who makes environmentalists hurrah.

By Bridget Johnson, PJ Media, Jan 8, 2013 [H/t Timothy Wise]

http://pjmedia.com/blog/is-keystone-xl-doa-in-term-no-2/

[SEPP Comment: It is not over yet for Keystone, there are many bear traps in Washington.]

Oil-and-gas lobby envisions improved relationship with the White House

By Zack Colman, The Hill, Jan 8, 2013

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/276109-oil-and-gas-lobby-envisions-improved-white-house-relationship

[SEPP Comment: Not everyone believes this vision is correct.]

Oil, gas industries see boon without tax increases

Want administration?s commitment to more drilling for more revenues

By Ben Wolfgang, Washington Times, Jan 9, 2013

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/8/oil-industry-obama-energy-production-fix-economy/

[SEPP Comment: Same speech as above, different headline. SEPP attended the speech.]

Return of King Coal?

In Georgia, Obama is winning the war on coal

Editorial, Washington Examiner, Jan 8, 2013 [H/t Timothy Wise]

http://washingtonexaminer.com/examiner-editorial-in-georgia-obama-is-winning-the-war-on-coal/article/2517941#.UPBDvnfb_fF

Oil Spills, Gas Leaks, Etc, & Consequences

Interior vows ?high-level? Arctic-drilling review after Shell?s mishaps

By Ben Geman, The Hill, Jan 8, 2013

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/276143-interior-vows-high-level-arctic-review-after-shells-mishaps

[SEPP Comment: Bad news for Shell.]

EPA raps Shell for Arctic air violations

By Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Fuel Fix, Jan 10, 2013

http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/01/10/epa-raps-shell-for-arctic-air-violations/

[SEPP Comment: More news for Shell.]

A lot was riding on that snapped Arctic rig line

By Loren Steffy, Fuel Fix, Jan 11, 2013

http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/01/11/steffy-a-lot-was-riding-on-that-snapped-arctic-rig-line/

Alternative, Green (?Clean?) Solar and Wind

Dear Christian Science Monitor: Wind Is Not Sacred but a Sacrilege

By Mary Kay Barton, Master Resource, Jan 11, 2013

http://www.masterresource.org/2013/01/dear-christian-science-monitor-wind-is-not-sacred/#more-23593

Alternative, Green (?Clean?) Energy ? Other

Biofuel production causes pollution: Study

By Alister Doyle, Reuters, Jan 6, 2012 [H/t William Readdy]

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/01/06/biofuels-cause-pollution-not-as-green-as-thought-study

Obama?s Green Ethanol Bureaucrats Starve The Poor

Editorial, IBD, Jan 8, 2013

http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/010813-639798-obama-epa-bureaucracy-will-not-lift-ethanol-mandate-even-for-poor.htm

Alternative, Green (?Clean?) Vehicles

Electric Cars Don?t Sell But Let?s Build More Anyway

Editorial, IBD, Jan 10, 2013

http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/011013-640224-nissan-leaf-electric-cars-not-ready.htm

Environmental Industry

The Greens? Attack on Mariculture

They fear human involvement with nature.

By Robert Zubrin, National Review, Jan 3, 2013 [H/t Timothy Wise.]

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/336808/greens-attack-mariculture-robert-zubrin#

Government of, by and for activists

By Ron Arnold, Canada Free Press, Jan 6, 2013

http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/government-of-by-and-for-activists

Other Scientific News

Antarctic lake reached after millennia

By Staff Writers, Vladivostok, Russia (UPI), Jan 10, 2013

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Antarctic_lake_reached_after_millennia_999.html

[SEPP Comment: Successful extraction of an ice core from Lake Vostok, sealed by ice for 20 million years.]

Unlike we thought for 100 years: Molds are able to reproduce sexually

By Staff Writers, Bochum, Germany (SPX), Jan 10, 2013

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Unlike_we_thought_for_100_years_Molds_are_able_to_reproduce_sexually_999.html

Other News that May Be of Interest

For Sale: NASA Space Shuttle Stuff

By Staff Writers, Washington (RIA Novosti), Jan 08, 2013

http://www.space-travel.com/reports/For_Sale_NASA_Space_Shuttle_Stuff_999.html

Polar bear population now 22,600-32,000 ? when tallied by nation

By Susan Crowford, Polar Bear Science, Jan 8, 2013 [H/t GWPF]

http://polarbearscience.com/2013/01/08/polar-bear-population-now-22600-32000-when-tallied-by-nation/

Update at: http://polarbearscience.com/2013/01/09/the-32000-population-estimate-for-polar-bears-is-not-an-error-due-to-counting-overlapping-territories-twice/

Principle of proportionality

By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Jan 7, 2013

http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2013/1/7/principle-of-proportionality.html

[SEPP Comment: A request by Pat Swords on his reasoning for challenging the Irish Renewable Energy Program.]

Al Gore?s Oil-Fueled Al-Jazeera Deal Follows A String Of Green Energy Fiascos

By Larry Bell, Forbes, Jan 8, 2013

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2013/01/08/al-gores-oil-fueled-al-jazeera-deal-follows-a-string-of-green-energy-fiascos/

Green Hypocrisy as Al Gore Sells Out for Petro-Dollars

By Peter Glover, Energy Tribune, Jan 10, 2013

http://www.energytribune.com/70283/green-hypocrisy-as-al-gore-sells-out-for-petro-dollars

Archaeologists Find Clues to Viking Mystery

Abandoned Colony in Greenland

By G?nther Stockinger, Spiegel Online, Jan 10, 2013 [H/t Peter Salonius]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/archaeologists-uncover-clues-to-why-vikings-abandoned-greenland-a-876626.html

[SEPP Comment: The loss of trade and increased difficulty of hunting seals both of which came with increased ice sheets may have been more important that re-establishing a Viking identity.]

New York Times Dismantles Its Environment Desk

Times says demise of the nine-person team, created in 2009, won?t affect climate coverage.

By Katherine Bagley, InsideClimate News, Jan 11, 2013 [H/t GWPF]

http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20130111/new-york-times-dismantles-environmental-desk-journalism-fracking-climate-change-science-global-warming-economy

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BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE:

Counting the cost of mercury pollution

By Staff Writers, Washington DC (SPX,) Jan 08, 2013

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Counting_the_cost_of_mercury_pollution_999.html

[SEPP Comment: Mercury poisoning is real, the bureaucratic process of counting is not.]

Gone Bezerkers. Climate change will turn humans into hobbits

By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Jan 8, 2013

http://joannenova.com.au/2013/01/gone-bezerkers-climate-change-will-turn-humans-turn-into-hobbits/#more-26316

###################################################

Source: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/01/13/weekly-climate-and-energy-news-roundup-76/

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Surprising twist to protein misfolding discovered

Jan. 14, 2013 ? An effort to develop software that unravels the complexities of how proteins fold is paying dividends in new findings on how they misfold, according to researchers at Rice University.

The study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by chemist Peter Wolynes and his team at Rice's BioScience Research Collaborative should be of particular interest to those who probe the roots of degenerative diseases associated with the aggregation of amyloid fibers in the body. These include Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and Type 2 diabetes.

The molecular dynamics software to predict how strands of residues bend and twist into their functional shapes is designed to follow Wolynes' and his colleagues' groundbreaking "principle of minimal frustration." These residues, the molecular beads that make up proteins, follow the path of least resistance as they fold into their native states. The principle describes how evolution has shaped the path a protein takes toward stability.

The software, called AWSEM-MD (for associative memory, water-mediated structure and energy model) simulates the possible ways beads in a strand should fold, based on the energies at play down to the submolecular level, and accurately predicts the final structure. Two developers of the current version, Weihua Zheng, a postdoctoral researcher at Rice, and Nicholas Schafer, a graduate student, are co-authors of the new paper, the latest in a series on folding dynamics dependent on the software.

The researchers set out to confirm that a process seen by experimentalists called domain swapping is one cause of protein misfolding. Domains are conserved parts of protein chains. Occasionally, a domain in one chain may encounter its doppelg?nger in a nearby chain and become entangled with it via interactions similar to those in the correctly folded state.

The result is often a dimer -- a kind of protein Siamese twin -- that probably won't be able to perform its intended biological task and may become part of a damaging amyloid fibril. "Experimentalists had some strong laboratory evidence that dimerization is a consequence of minimal frustration, an idea proposed earlier by our group on more general grounds," Wolynes said. "So we figured it would be nice to do a simulation to check it."

The team did indeed see domain swapping in their models of human cardiac titin, a muscle protein. But they were surprised to see something they weren't looking for: evidence that identical sequences in neighboring chains, as short as five to seven residues, had the unfortunate tendency to find each other and stick together.

They found instances of such "self-recognition" tipped the balance of energies that dictated whether a protein would fold properly. Replacing just a few residues in one fragment eliminated self-recognition and lowered the incidence of domain swapping, Wolynes said.

"We weren't the people who thought of this as a possibility," he said. "It had been suggested by others, although I never really believed it because it doesn't have an obvious connection to the principle of minimal frustration." But the simulations showed instances where sticky self-recognition in one segment of a chain could affect the energy of residues down the line and effectively introduce "frustration" that keeps the rest of the protein from folding at all and results in high disorder, or entropy.

While the models don't directly connect to the formation of amyloid fibrils, Wolynes said, anecdotal evidence indicates protein-folding diseases have some correlation with fevers that allow the extra entropy to stabilize the misfolded forms. "Our results would provide a new explanation," he said, for how a disordered part of the chain can contribute to the stability of these misfolded states at high temperature.

"When you hear 'take two aspirins and call me in the morning,' your doctor is doing you a bigger favor than you know," Wolynes said.

The discovery could open paths for researchers to design drugs that inhibit specific interactions. "Very minor changes seem to destroy this self-recognition in the computer simulation, and that's what we want the experimentalists to do: Make those changes to see if they decrease the self-recognition effect," he said.

"Our simulations provide structural details of misfolded proteins at the molecular level that are difficult for experiments to probe," Zheng said. "These can generate specific hypotheses they can test."

The researchers hope their work will be useful to both experimentalists and other computational protein-folding researchers.

"AWSEM is hosted on Google Code, which requires all code to be open-source," Schafer said. "So it's available to anyone who wants to use it. What we're seeing with these studies is that the values we get by applying the principle of minimal frustration are appropriate globally, not just for predicting the native structures of proteins. It can predict bound structures (like dimers) and misfolded structures as well.

"You always have to be careful about using models that 'rig the deck' in favor of a particular anticipated result," he said. "But what's interesting is that our model doesn't have any information a priori about these specific types of misfolded structures. Our model is parameterized using as input only experimental data for properly folded structures and then applying the principle of minimal frustration. The wide range of successes we've had this year tells me that we have a decent method for deriving the strengths of the interactions."

"We never really thought about specific kinds of misfolding or the aggregation process when we built our model around the principle of minimal frustration," Zheng said. "But they all fall into place."

Garegin Papoian, the Monroe Martin Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, and Aram Davtyan, a graduate student in his lab, designed and programmed most of the current version of AWSEM; this version built upon previous development by Cecilia Clementi, the Wiess Career Development Chair and a professor of chemistry and of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Rice, and others in Wolynes' labs at the University of California at San Diego and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Rice University. The original article was written by Mike Williams.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Weihua Zheng, Nicholas P. Schafer, and Peter G. Wolynes. Frustration in the energy landscapes of multidomain protein misfolding. PNAS, January 14, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1222130110

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/BrPht9ivGM0/130114161503.htm

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Saturday, January 12, 2013

West Springfield Mayor Gregory Neffinger declines to reappoint David Partridge to Planning and Construction Committee

WEST SPRINGFIELD ? Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger earlier this week reiterated his intention of not reappointing David J. Partridge to the Planning and Construction Committee.

?I appreciate the work Mr. Partridge has done for West Springfield; I simply have a vision that is not shared by Mr. Partridge. Several members of the community have expressed an interest in getting more involved. This new interest gives us the chance to diversify participation among these residents,? Neffinger stated in a prepared statement issued by his office.

Partridge has criticized the mayor for not picking the architectural firm for the library building project that the committee had recommended. Asked if that is the reason for his action, Neffinger recently said that that is not ?directly? his reason.

The mayor said he plans to appoint Michael E. LaRiviere to take Partridge?s place on the committee, which has overseen the construction of major building projects in the city. Partridge?s term on the committee expired at the end of 2012 and he has been its most recent chair. Neffinger has said he will send LaRiviere?s name on to the Town Council, which has final say over the appointment.

Partridge, a civil engineer, has written to Neffinger asking that he be reappointed to the committee. In turn, Neffinger has responded by letter that he is amenable to appointing Partridge to another board or commission.

The mayor has said that LaRiviere, who is employed with Baystate Elevator Co. in Agawam, has experience in construction in his capacity with it and is well qualified to serve on the Planning and Construction Committee.

In the wake of Partridge?s criticism of the mayor bypassing the committee?s recommendation as to which architectural firm should design the library building project, the Planning and Construction Committee sought a legal opinion on what its role, if any, will be in the project.

Neffinger, who is an architect, has decided to take charge of the library project himself.

?The various committees outlined in the charter serve as advisory groups to the mayor and my staff,? Neffinger wrote in his press release. ? I value the diversity of our community, and appreciate the new people who are coming forward to volunteer. I fully plan to embrace new ideas as more people become involved. In the end, I am responsible to make decisions that I believe are in the best interests of West Springfield.?

Neffinger has said that in the coming weeks he will redirect the focus of the Planning and Construction Committee into reviewing city property and making recommendations to protect it.

Neither Partridge nor Neffinger could be reached for comment Thursday.

Source: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/01/west_springfield_mayor_gregory_17.html

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