EarthTalk®E – The Environmental MagazineDear EarthTalk: What is the scientific consensus on all the extreme weather we’ve been having—from monster tornadoes to massive floods and wildfires? Is there a clear connection to climate change? And if so what are we doing to be prepared? — Jason Devine, Summit, PAExtreme weather does not prove the existence of global warming, but climate change is likely to exaggerate it—by messing with ocean currents, providing extra heat to forming tornadoes, bolstering heat waves, lengthening droughts and causing more precipitation and flooding.“A changing climate leads to changes in the frequency, intensity, spatial extent, duration and timing of extreme weather and climate events, and can result in unprecedented extreme weather and climate events,” reports the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an independent group of leading climate scientists convened by the United Nations to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts.While most scientists don’t dispute the link between global warming and extreme weather, the once skeptical public is now starting to come around—especially following 2011, when floods, droughts, heat waves and tornadoes took a heavy toll on the U.S. According to a poll conducted by researchers at Yale University’s Project on Climate Change Communication, four out of five Americans reported personally experiencing one or more types of extreme weather or a natural disaster in 2011, while more than a third were personally harmed either a great deal or a moderate amount by one or more of these events. And a large majority of Americans believe that global warming made several high profile extreme weather events worse, including record high summer temperatures nationwide, droughts in Texas and Oklahoma, catastrophic Mississippi River flooding, Hurricane Irene and an unusually warm winter.The IPCC wants world leaders to err on the side of caution in preparing their citizens for extreme weather events that will likely become more frequent; earlier this year they released a report entitled “Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation” to help policymakers do just that. The report is considered a must read in coastal, arid and other especially vulnerable areas.As for the U.S. government, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tracks weather and storms, while the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deals with the impacts of extreme weather and other disasters. But critics would like to see Congress and the White House do more to increase Americans’ preparedness. “The U.S. [in 2011] experienced a record fourteen weather-related disasters each in excess of a billion dollars—and many more disasters of lesser magnitudes,” reports the non-profit Climate Science Watch (CSW). “Yet the U.S. has no national climate change preparedness strategy; and Federal efforts to address the rising risks have been undermined through budget cuts and other means.” CSW and others are calling for the creation of a new cabinet-level agency called the National Climate Service to oversee both climate change mitigation as well as preparedness for increasingly extreme weather events.CONTACTS: IPCC report, www.ipcc-wg2.gov/SREX/images/uploads/SREX-SPMbrochure_FINAL.pdf; Yale Project, http://environment.yale.edu/climate/files/Extreme-Weather-Climate-Preparedness.pdf; FEMA, www.fema.gov; NOAA, www.noaa.gov; Climate Science Watch, www.climatesciencewatch.org.EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E – The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.
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Jackrabbit Adventure Race
Race DetailsWhen: March 30, 2013Where: Near Hayesville, North CarolinaWhat: 10, 20, 50 mile Adventure Race/Trail RaceStart time: 8:00 amRace size: 300Website: www.jackrabbitadventurerace.comThere will be 2 different adventure races held the same day, a 6 and a 12 hour. They will consist of traditional adventure race format, with teams navigating by map and compass, and searching for checkpoints along the way. All racers will receive a long sleeve wicking shirt and post race meal. Cash prizes for the winning 3 person coed team in both races. Registration is open at the race website.Event Start Location: Somewhere around Hayesville, NC(exact location will be disclosed in a racer update email one week before the race.)Course Descriptions:6 Hour: This beginner friendly/sprint race will utilize the fast and flowing Jackrabbit Mt Biking/Hiking trails and the surrounding Lake Chatuge area, and will require only basic navigational skills, while still providing a challenging course for the more experienced racer. Teams will be mountain biking, trail running/trekking, and paddling(flat and/or moving water) their way around the course. This race will cover approx. 20 miles(10-12 miles biking, 2-3 miles trekking, and 5-6 miles paddling) and all maps will be pre-plotted.12 Hour: This course will be much harder, covering approx. 50 miles around a course that will take racers into the Chattahoochee and/or Nantahala National Forests. This race is sure to get the AR juices flowing and put those cold winter months behind in preparation for a new racing season. Teams will be mountain biking, trekking, and paddling(flat and/or moving water) and its anybody’s guess where this adventure might take you. This course will also be the perfect chance for less experienced teams to take their racing to the next level, as there will be options(depending on skill, strategy, and time management) for these teams to cross the finish with their heads held high. One things for sure, though, this course will require good strategy, teamwork, and navigating skills, regardless of a teams experience.Insanity Trail Race: New at the Jackrabbit in 2013, The Insanity Trail Race! This race will take place at the same time as our 6 and 12 hour races, with a start time around 10:00am. What is an Insanity Trail Race? Think of it as a trail race that doesn’t stick to the trails, an AR with no navigation or fear of getting lost, and an obstacle course race where the only obstacles are the ones mother nature puts in your way. Runners will be making their way around a flagged course, on and off trails, to reach various checkpoints along the way to verify they stayed on course. This race will include lots of bushwhacking, climbing, sliding, scrambling, rock hopping, creek running, and any other craziness we decide to throw in! The course will be approx. 8-12 miles long with finishing times expected to be between 3 and 6 hours. There will be one water/aid station approx. halfway through the course. Racers will be required to carry their own water and food otherwise.There will be 3 divisions, solo male, solo female, and teams:Solos: This will be our elite division with winning male and female receiving cash prize.Teams: Can be of any size and must stay together and finish together. Time is calculated when all members cross the finish line. Prizes will be awarded to all members of the winning team.All racers will receive long sleeve wicking T’s and post race meal, as well as other goodies and a chance at the raffle!Exact start/finish will be within 30 minute drive of registration, and will be disclosed at packet pick-up/registration on morning of race between 6-8:30 am or Friday evening between 5:00-8:00pm.Check out the Jackrabbit site for further details! www.jackrabbitadventurerace.com
Race ContactDale Johnsonrdalej@gmail.com828-231-7728
Broome County counts absentee ballots
“I’m just hoping that we have a nice smooth day of counting ballots. We have some really great people here working, so we’ll get through as many as we can today. Do it in an efficient matter, and get the numbers to the voters, because there’s a lot of people that want to know the results of the race,” said Mark Smith, the Board of Elections Republican Commissioner. BROOME COUNTY (WBNG) — New York’s 22nd Congressional Race between current Democratic Congressman Anthony Brindisi and Former Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney is still under way. Roughly 7,200 votes were counted at the Broome County Public Library Thursday, and 12 News’s Josh Rosenblatt was on the scene. Many of the votes that were counted already have come from the towns of Chenango and Union. Roughly 2,100 absentee and provisional votes were set to be counted at the start of the day Thursday, meaning there are some 1,400 votes remaining. Due to the large number of votes which need to be counted, it is more than likely that vote counting will not only continue into Friday, but will also continue for a third day on Monday.
Election officials told 12 News they had high hopes for the day. If Friday’s counting continues to show similar margins, the Broome County Family Court race and the 22nd Congressional District race will both tighten further. While 7,200 votes were counted from absentee ballots, only about 4,400 have been tallied, and many of the county’s largest election districts are still awaiting results. 12 News has updated numbers on other Broome County races here as election officials began counting absentee ballots Thursday.
As of today, a negative PCR test is officially required to enter Austria
This specifically means all persons coming from Croatia who:- go to a business meeting in Austria (with business partners, parent company, etc.)- go to work (for example nurses, etc.)- go on work assignments (assembly, servicing, etc.)MUST have a negative PCR test to cross the border With a negative PCR test, not older than 72 hours, the following can enter Austria:Austrian and EU / EEA citizens and Switzerland and all persons from their household, persons with a residence and work permit (for example VISUM D holders) and holders of diplomatic immunity and other privileges. If there is no test, a 10-day quarantine is ordered, which can be avoided if the citizens take the COVID-48 test at their own expense within 19 hours and if it is negative. Regarding the Austrian warning for travel to Croatia, as of today, a NEGATIVE PCR test is officially required to enter Austria. Unlike the situation a few months ago, this time the exceptional measures for:- Berufspendlere (workers who cross the border every day)- key personnel (persons assigned to carry out work orders in Austria, such as assembly)- support staff for the elderly and infirm (Pflegepersonal).
Laboratories where the COVID-19 test in Croatia can be performed can be found in the attachment. Side dish: List of Croatian laboratories for testing on COVID-19 Source: www.advantageaustria.org
Industrial
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Green completes £240m property clear-out
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Brussels sprouts up
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Privates to give shopping centres £600m injection
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Ministry claims ‘antivirus necklace’ prevents COVID-19, experts beg to differ
The Agriculture Ministry plans to release a eucalyptus-based “antivirus necklace” that minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo claims can help prevent COVID-19 transmission.The “antivirus necklace” was “invented” by the ministry’s Health Research and Development Agency (Balitbangtan) and will be mass-produced next month, he said. It is one of four products developed by the ministry’s researchers intended to treat or prevent COVID-19.“It was [developed] by Balitbangtan. From 700 species of eucalyptus, our lab test results showed that one kind could kill the coronavirus. We are certain,” he said on Friday as reported by tribunnews.com. Topics : The former South Sulawesi governor boasted that the product could “kill” 42 percent of the coronavirus if worn for 15 minutes.“We have tried it. If we [use it] for 30 minutes, it can kill 80 percent [of the coronavirus]. We have also produced a roll-on [product]. If we ever get cut by a knife, the wounds can be healed by applying the product,” Syahrul claimed.He also claimed that the product gave him the confidence to visit crowded places. He said he had used it several times during work visits to inspect agriculture production.Separately, Balitbangtan head Fadjry Djufry said prototypes of eucalyptus-based inventions had been used by COVID-19 patients. He claimed the results showed high rates of recovery following treatment with the products.
“We tested 20 employees from the Agriculture Ministry who had tested positive for COVID-19. Their testimonies after inhaling and being treated [with the product] were positive. It helped improve their breathing,” Fadjry said as reported by tribunnews.com. Despite the claims made by the minister, experts are deeply skeptical, saying there is no scientific evidence that such products can fend off the virus.“We know that the world has not yet found a cure for the disease. I think it would be wise for us not to spread further claims to a panicked society,” Herawati Sudoyo, the deputy director of the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.She said the research on eucalyptus was still at the basic level of molecular modeling and had not been peer reviewed. Even if eucalyptus was found to be effective at killing viruses, the scientific research should have focused on an active natural component, she added.“For example, scientists developed the artemisinin component isolated from [the sweet wormwood] plant for curing malaria. But scientists do not just take all of the plant,” she said.She noted it usually took a long time to develop a drug or vaccine as a cure for a disease, especially when those treatments were developed from herbs.Berry Juliandi, a lecturer at the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) Department of Biology, echoed Herawati’s sentiments, saying that although the Eucalyptol 1.8-cineole component derived from eucalyptus leaves was scientifically known for its antimicrobial properties, there was no proper clinical research showing that such components were effective at killing SARS-CoV-2 inside the respiratory system.He said the ministry’s claims were dangerous as they could distort public awareness about the virus.“The public could be easily believe that they have been saved from the virus with the non-scientifically proven antivirus necklace,” Berry, who is also secretary-general of the Indonesian Young Academy of Sciences (ALMI) told the Post.Both experts warned the public to remain skeptical and question the validity of any claim, including those made by scientists, and to also verify facts from multiple sources. (rin)
Media barred from US Republican convention: reports
“We are working within the parameters set before us by state and local guidelines regarding the number of people who can attend events.”The vote to formally nominate Trump will, however, be livestreamed, according to CNN, which cited a Republican official.”This is an ill-advised decision that the @GOP @GOPconvention should reconsider,” Zeke Miller, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, said Saturday.”The nomination of a major party presidential candidate is very much the business of the American people.”Miller later tweeted: “An RNC official now says that the decision is not final and that they are still working through press coverage options.”Trump has been forced to scrap his signature rallies because of the coronavirus epidemic, which is killing more than 1,000 Americans a day.Topics : Media will be barred from the Republican National Convention in North Carolina later this month, US news outlets reported, when President Donald Trump will formally receive his party’s nomination.Soaring coronavirus cases have already forced Trump to cancel the part of the convention planned for Florida’s Jacksonville in July.”We are planning for all of the Charlotte activities to be closed press: Friday, August 21-Monday, 24th given the health restrictions and limitations in place in the state,” the convention spokesperson had told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.