Tuesday, January 21, 2014
CONTACT ME AT: manessmorrison2@yahoo.com


News Clips For The Day


Winter storm set to 'go bananas' across Northeast
By Henry Austin, NBC News contributor

With memories of the dreaded polar vortex still fresh, winter deals another blow Tuesday, slamming the Northeast with a blast of cold air and up to a foot of snow.
“They are going to have quite a snowstorm,” said Kevin Roth, a lead meteorologist with the Weather Channel. “By this evening, all four cities from Philadelphia to Boston could face a pretty bad commute home. We’re expecting a good six to 10 inches. It will be snowing pretty hard.”  

“Every once in while these little winter storms go bananas and we think this might be the one,” he added. 
A shortage of propane gas in the Midwest and Northeast is impacting millions of homes and businesses in rural areas beyond the reach of utilities.

A winter storm warning has been issued for New York City and the surrounding areas by the National Weather Service from noon Tuesday through Wednesday morning, and Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city has activated all of its emergency preparation systems, according to NBC New York.

A similar warning is in place for Boston and other parts of New England, but high winds and a repeat astronomical high tide that flooded families along the coast in early January are the main worries.

"We're expecting winds at 40-50 mph," Capt. Robert Tripp of the Duxbury Police Department told NBC affiliate WHDH.

Winter storm warnings also have been issued for Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C., as well as Connecticut, and New Jersey, said Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In D.C., the federal government is closed and many local school districts have canceled classes Tuesday, according to NBC Washington.

After the snow, there will be little respite as temperatures from the Plains to Maine stay cold, the Weather Channel's Kevin Noth said.
“They have already dropped 30 to 40 degrees across the Dakotas, Iowa and Minnesota and 35 in Chicago,” he added. “That cold air is going to drop into the South and then there’s another surge of cold air coming on Friday.”

In anticipation of the cold and snow, Ohio Gov. John Kasich followed the lead of officials in 17 other U.S. states — mostly in the Midwest and North — who declared energy emergencies and loosened rules for propane.
In many of these states, residents are also being urged to cut down on propane usage as supplies are limited.  

The West meanwhile will remain high and dry said Kevin Noth, adding the continued drought in California was the ideal condition for wildfires.
“Perhaps next week we can talk about rain coming to California,” he added.


Cyclogenesis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An extratropical cyclone which undergoes a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure (24 millibars or more) in 24 hour period is referred to as bombogenesis, and is usually present during the formation of a nor'easter.[2]



Between the polar vortex and today's storm undergoing “bombogenesis,” we are having an exciting winter this year. This storm is going to go into a nor'easter as it matures and drop a foot of snow on the major cities between Washington DC (according to Al Roker on Today) and Boston. Washington DC has already closed the federal government offices in anticipation of it. I'll have to call my friend who still lives there and see how he is doing.

One of my favorite experiences when I lived in Washington was the blizzard we had one early February day. Overnight and continuing into the morning the next day it snowed 24 inches. I suited up in warm clothing and went outside to see it. The snow was drifted and rose up to my waist. Many people were outside their apartments and playing snowballs with their neighbors. I remember making a snow angel. It was both serene and exciting all at once – I was jobless, but I forgot my troubles and just enjoyed the snow. Of course within a couple of days the snowplows were out and clearing the streets, but it was fun while it lasted.





Princess Diana land mine charity's workers kidnapped by Taliban in Afghanistan – NBC
By Jamieson Lesko and Alexander Smith, NBC News

KABUL, Afghanistan -- More than 50 employees of a land mine-clearing charity in Afghanistan were kidnapped by armed Taliban fighters before being freed in a "police operation" on Tuesday, officials said.

The workers were seized at dawn while in trucks on their way to clear a minefield in Herat province.

They are employees of the British-based HALO Trust, which has decades of experience clearing land mines around the world. The charity's work in Angola was famously visited by the U.K.'s Princess Diana in 1997, a trip which sparked the anti-land mine campaigning for which she was later renowned.

The workers were taken to a remote, mountainous area, according to authorities.

Gen. Hamid Hamidi, the deputy police chief for Herat province, told NBC News that all of the abductees were released following a "police operation."

Dr. Farid Homayoun, the Afghanistan program manager for HALO Trust, later confirmed that 54 employees were accounted for. He added that nine had managed to escape.
The Taliban has not officially claimed responsibility for the incident.



The Taliban is slipping up – nine of the abductees managed to free themselves and escape. I imagine it's hard to hold 54 people securely, though. It would also be hard to abduct that many people at one time. I would like to see a longer story that included some more details. I'm just glad that the Afghan forces were able to save them all, and without injuries – at least as far as this article told. When the US forces leave Afghanistan the Afghan military and police will have to take over.




President Obama to meet with Pope Francis in March

President Barack Obama will pay a visit to Pope Francis in March, the White House announced.
Obama will meet the pope at the Vatican on March 27 as part of a European tour that will include stops in the Netherlands and Belgium as well as Italy.

"The president looks forward to discussing with Pope Francis their shared commitment to fighting poverty and growing inequality," a White House statement said.
The president and first lady Michelle Obama met Pope Benedict XVI, Francis' predecessor, at the Vatican in July 2009.

While in the Netherlands on March 24-25, Obama will participate in the Nuclear Security Summit, hosted by the Dutch government, where world leaders will highlight progress made to secure nuclear materials and commit to future steps to prevent nuclear terrorism. He will also hold bilateral events with Dutch officials.
The president will travel to Brussels on March 26 for a U.S.-EU Summit with the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission. 

While in Belgium, Obama will also hold bilateral events with Belgian government officials and with the NATO Secretary General.   
In Rome, the president will meet with Italy President Napolitano and Prime Minister Letta.  




This will be a good European trip for the president and his wife, if a little rushed. He will attend two major summits and meet the Pope within four days. There won't be much sight-seeing done, I don't expect. There will undoubtedly be some news articles on what they discuss. I'll keep my eyes open for those.





Report alleges torture, mass killings by Syrian government – NBC
By M. Alex Johnson, Staff Writer, NBC News

A Syrian military photographer has defected and turned over evidence of torture and mass killings by the Syrian government, according to a report by three former international war crimes prosecutors published Monday.

The report, which was disclosed by the British newspaper The Guardian and hasn't been confirmed by NBC News, purports to document files and photographs smuggled out of the country by a military police photographer code-named "Caesar."

The documents include photos of as many as 11,000 detainees believed to have died at the hands of the Syrian government.

Many of the corpses in the photos showed evidence of starvation and torture, said the former prosecutors, who concluded that the documents would "support findings of war crimes against the current Syrian regime."

The government of President Bashar Assad has denied committing war crimes in its battle against opposition forces seeking his overthrow. 
But the report said the photographs were "a strong pointer to the fact that the killings were systematic, ordered, and directed from above."

The report was prepared by Desmond de Silva and David Crane, both former chief U.N. war crimes prosecutors for Sierra Leone, and Geoffrey Nice, who prosecuted former Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic at the International Criminal Tribunal.

They were commissioned to review the evidence by the government of Qatar, a major backer of the opposition forces, The Guardian said. It said the report would be made available to the U.N., governments and human rights groups.

If the report is substantiated, it could significantly weaken Syria's hand at international peace talks scheduled this week in Switzerland. 

An unexpected last-minute U.N. invitation for Iran to attend the conference threw the talks into doubt, with the Syrian opposition saying it would pull out unless the U.N. withdrew the offer — which it later did.



11,000 victims must be close to a record for citizens murdered by a government since the Nazis in Germany. Sometimes the US backs “stable” governments, even if the leader is not democratic, so I'm glad that we are backing the opposition forces in the Syrian civil war. Assad apparently needs to be overthrown. I hope the peace talks will produce good fruit. The talks are scheduled on January 22 in Geneva. I will look for articles about that.






Companies woo the weed crowd with artful, edgy ads – NBC
Bill Briggs NBC News


Fast-food restaurants such as Jack in the Box have been delicately plying the pot pitch with ads such as "Jack's Munchie Meal."

Talk about subliminal seduction. Mainstream companies are increasingly targeting cannabis users in carefully crafted commercials that share an intriguing theme: They never actually use the word "marijuana."

Late-night, fast-foodies such as Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Denny’s and Carl’s Jr. have been delicately plying the pot pitch with ads that seem to intimate weed use, using code words like “munchies” or “bake,” or showing squinty-eyed characters engaged in apparent stoner babble.

This month, playing off the approved use and sale of marijuana in the Rocky Mountain State, Spirit Airlines further nudged that content needle by dangling discounted fares in Colorado where, its ad informs, “the no smoking sign is off," beckoning flyers to "get mile high."

It's a tactic with obvious appeal, at least to those who partake. But it's also one that could backfire, experts say. And it's not for every brand.
"It's very salient and tied to today's cultural context, and that give the brands a certain rhythm and caché. And that's not a bad thing," said Simon Williams, founder and CEO of Sterling Brands, a brand consultancy with clients that include Google, Disney and Visa. 

"On the other hand, courting controversy is a polarizing strategy – and tackling a controversial issue head-on, especially in a cutsie or humorous way will end up aggravating a number of people," Williams added. "By the way, having a brand position by definition means you appeal to some but not to all people."

But Spirit transports passengers through the sky from city to city, not gorditas from a drive-through window to a car. Should an airline mix pot and planes in its consumer messaging?

“Spirit operates in a cut-throat business. They get out-shouted by the bigger brands so they have to make their marketing dollars work harder and go further. And the message needs to be disruptive,” Williams said. "As long as Spirit is not alienating its core target, I think that the current messaging is fine.”

With two states (Colorado and Washington) having legalized adult cannabis use and 21 states having sanctioned some form of medical marijuana, the number of mainstream companies that sprinkle a bit of pot into their TV pitches will only grow, predicted Timothy Calkins, a clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

“Many brands in this country aren’t going anywhere near the legalization issue. For most brands, that’s very smart,” Calkins said. “Some brands, though, can push this. We’re going to see more brands take advantage of this and use this as a way to define themselves.

“Spirit Airlines has a certain character and, as a result, I think this works for Spirit,” Calkins added. “But we’re not going to see United (Airlines) embrace the same idea anytime soon.”

Calls and emails by NBC News seeking comment from Spirit, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Denny’s and Carl’s Jr., went unreturned.

As for Spirit, one business-image expert suspects the company simply may need to remain mum about its double-entendre ad, which includes the tagline: “Fares so low they’re barely legal in some states.”

While the U.S. Justice Department decided Aug. 29 not to intervene in Colorado or Washington – where state marijuana laws on sales and use now conflict with federal laws – other D.C. agencies, like the Federal Aviation Administration, could seek to curb the current Spirit blitz, said Robert Dilenschneider, founder and principal of the Dilenschneider Group, which works with corporations on communications and crisis management.

“If this (campaign) continues in any way, Spirit will have a regulatory issue to deal with. Air space is controlled by different governing bodies in the U.S. and it won’t be long before legal and regulatory forces exert themselves,” Dilenschneider said via email. “The FAA will likely intervene and halt the campaign because it violates regulatory standards.”

Whether the FAA, the Federal Communications Commission or any government entity ultimately takes that sort of stand remains to be seen. But opponents of marijuana legalization assert that Spirit and the quick-serve food companies targeting the cannabis crowd soon will hear a consumer outcry.

“It’s just part of trying to climb on the bandwagon of being edgy and trying to be cool to get a certain demographic. But most people will put two and two together and realize they don’t want a company they rely on for safety, glamorizing and normalizing something that directly would result in an accident,” said Kevin Sabet, a co-founder of Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana). “I’m not sure it’s best practice for an airline. And if you really think about it, it’s unbelievable.”
All of the marijuana-tinged ads will, in time, eventually lure more pot proponents to the anti-legalization side of the argument, Sabet projected.

“Parents who may not have taken interest in the debate before all of the sudden want to take interest (when they see these TV commercials),” Sabet said. “They’re realizing it’s not what they voted for or what they bargained for. So I think it’s a very risky move for the companies that use advertising. They risk a backlash.”



I'm not fond of advertising in general, as it tends to falsify the worth of whatever product they are advertising. “Puffery,” it is called. I do watch television commercials, unless I specifically hate a particular one, because many of them are funny and clever – GEICO, Capital One and V-8 for instance – but I don't think they influence me to buy the product unless I really do want it.

I haven't seen any ads that I knew were playing on marijuana consumption. I am really surprised at which companies they mentioned, and I was unhappy about all of them. Fast food restaurants are considered to be family-friendly, and an airline has to be considered safe before all other considerations. The last thing I want to encounter when I enter a Denny's is someone under the influence of a drug. If they were that kind of place they would surely be selling alcohol. Denny's must be consciously changing its image.

This article highlights a prime example of the kinds of problems that I expect to result from legalized widespread recreational use of marijuana. These advertisers kept saying they were trying to attract “a certain demographic,” but they didn't say exactly who that was. They didn't want to inflame controversy by being specific, I guess.





Scientists create anti-atom beam — but use it for good, not evil – NBC
Alan Boyle, Science Editor NBC News


The ASACUSA CUSP apparatus in the CERN Antiproton Decelerator is a tangle of equipment that's used to create, trap and send out particles of antihydrogen.
Creating an antimatter beam sounds like something only a mad scientist would do, but there's nothing mad about the beam of antihydrogen atoms that scientists generated for the first time at Europe's CERN research center.

The researchers behind the technical achievement, revealed Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, say the beam could help them shed new light on deep mysteries: Why do we see so much more matter than antimatter in the universe around us? For that matter, why is there a universe at all?

Theoretically, equal amounts of matter and antimatter should have been created in the Big Bang that gave rise to the cosmos as we know it. But as any "Star Trek" fan knows, matter and antimatter annihilate each other in a flash of energy when they interact. Thus, physicists suspect there must have been some subtle difference that allowed matter to dominate the universe.

Previous particle-smashing experiments have provided a smattering of clues as to the difference, but physicists would really like to address the mystery by studying actual anti-atoms. The problem is that it's hard to keep the atoms in existence long enough to make fine-scale measurements.

Actually, antimatter applications have been around for a long time: Hospitals routinely make use of antielectrons, or positrons, to take internal snapshots of our bodies with PET scanners. And researchers are looking into using beams of antiprotons to treat cancer. 

But it's only been in the last three years or so that physicists have been able to combine antiprotons and positrons into whole atoms of antihydrogen and hold them inside a specially designed magnetic trap at CERN's Antiproton Decelerator facility on the Swiss-French border. Even then, it's hard to analyze that antihydrogen because the magnetic field that corrals the anti-atoms also interferes with measurements.

In 2012, scientists from CERN's ALPHA collaboration announced that they finally managed to make the first spectroscopic measurements of anti-atoms inside their trap. Now scientists from a different collaboration at CERN, known as ASACUSA, say their apparatus has created a beam of antihydrogen atoms that can be measured more precisely outside the magnetic trap where they were created. At least 80 of the anti-atoms were detected, 2.7 meters (9 feet) downstream of the production region.

This schematic shows ASACUSA's scheme for creating and sending out atoms of antihydrogen. From left to right: The CUSP trap produces the atoms, a microwave cavity (shown in green) induces hyperfine transitions, and a sextupole magnet (shown in red and gray) focuses the beam, sending the atoms to an antihydrogen detector (shown in gold).

ASACUSA's apparatus makes use of devices with names that would warm the heart of a mad scientist: a superconducting anti-Helmholtz coil, multiple ring electrodes, a microwave cavity and a beam-focusing spin-selector. The result is that energetic anti-atoms can be guided to a region with a weak magnetic field.

"Antihydrogen atoms having no charge, it was a big challenge to transport them from their trap," ASACUSA team leader Yasunori Yamazaki, a researcher from Japan's RIKEN research center, said in a CERN news release. "Our results are very promising for high-precision studies of antihydrogen atoms, particularly the hyperfine structure, one of the two best-known spectroscopic properties of hydrogen. Its measurement in antihydrogen will allow the most sensitive test of matter-antimatter symmetry."
Yamazaki said his team will resume its experiments this summer with a setup that should produce higher-energy beams of antihydrogen atoms for study. Just wait until the mad scientists get wind of that.


The diagram showing this device is available on today's NBC web site under the heading of “Science,” and http://radphys4.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/asacusa/wiki/ discusses this research. I found a related article on Wikipedia, but as with a number of these kinds of subjects, I didn't understand the explanation. Suffice it to say that physicists are proving one of their theories about anti-matter and may create a device that will be useful. The medical uses of antielectrons and antiprotons are given in this article. I don't understand those, either, but I'm glad they work.