U.S. summer hottest in past 75 years

Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas experienced their warmest summers ever, with several states seeing an average of more than 86 degrees, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

For meteorological purposes, summer consists of the months of June, July and August.
At least 22 people died as a result of the heat wave that swept the nation earlier this summer, according to the National Weather Service.

For 15 states, the average temperature ranked among their top 10 warmest, while overall, 46 of the lower 48 states saw average to above-average temperatures. Oregon and Washington were the only exceptions.

Texas had the distinction of experiencing the warmest summer on record of any state in America, with an average of 86.8 degrees. Dallas residents sweltered for 40 consecutive days of grueling 100-plus degree temperatures. Oklahoma, at 86.5, also topped the previous record, of 85.2 degrees, set in Oklahoma in 1934, amid what became known as the Dust Bowl.

For the month of August, Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas had their warmest in recorded history, while regionally, the Southwest and South also had their warmest August ever. Only nine of the lower 48 states saw August temperatures near their average readings, while none experienced below-average temperatures.

Temperature-related energy demands soared more than 22% above the norm this summer, the largest increase since record-keeping of energy demands began more than a century ago, NOAA said.
The persistently warm temperatures for the months of June through August, combined with below-average precipitation, also contributed to a record-breaking drought across the southern part of the United States. Texas was subjected to its driest summer ever, with a statewide average of only 2.44 inches of rain -- 5.29 inches below the long-term average, and more than an inch less than the previous driest summer in 1956.

Neighboring Southwestern states New Mexico and Oklahoma were also drought-stricken, experiencing their second- and third-driest summers respectively. Conversely, New Jersey and California had their wettest summers ever.

Meteorologists are predicting no immediate end in sight to the heat or drought afflicting the Southern states. NOAA announced Thursday that la nina, a naturally occurring climate phenomenon located over the tropical Pacific Ocean, is expected to strengthen and affect global weather patterns. Scientists attribute the extreme weather around the globe during the first half of 2011 to the weather event, and predict that the drought currently overtaking the states of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma is likely to persist.

The extremely dry plains are a tinderbox for Texas; nearly 180 wildfires have been reported across the state in the past seven days, the Texas Forest Service Texas said. A large wildfire blazing outside Austin has destroyed nearly 1,400 homes and is not near containment.

 

whoseen

Storm hits Japan, death toll rises to 49

whoseen -- The death toll from the storm known as Talas has risen to 49 in Japan, emergency officials said Wednesday.

Another 58 people are missing after the storm hit western Japan, unleashing record rainfall and triggering landslides and flooding, according to a tally of casualties compiled from 12 prefectural police agencies.

The Japan Meteorological Agency briefly classified the storm as a typhoon before it made landfall. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center recorded the storm making landfall in Japan as a tropical storm.
The storm caused at least 34 deaths in hard-hit Wakayama, south of Tokyo, officials said. Another 34 people were missing there.

"I have been working for the prefectural office over 40 years, but this is the worst in my memory," said Tsutomu Furukawa of Wakayama prefecture. Wakayama is one of three prefectures on the mountainous Kii Peninsula, where damage from Talas was concentrated as the storm swept across the area on Saturday.


More than 16,000 residents were ordered to evacuate from the Kii Peninsula area, and roughly 30,000 other residents were encouraged to evacuate voluntarily.

According to Japan's meteorological agency, Talas brought record rain in the three prefectures over three days. The Japanese government set up a emergency task force for search-and-rescue operations and to begin reconstruction of damaged communities.

whooseen

China renews Google's website license

whoseen#-- The Chinese government has renewed the licence under which Google runs its local website, a decision that reassures investors over the legal basis for foreign internet companies' business in the country.

"We can confirm that the government has renewed our [internet content provider] licence," a Google spokesperson said. The announcement comes less than a week after a set of new regulations took effect which appeared to put the legal structure of many foreign and overseas-listed Chinese internet companies at risk.

The rules, spelling out how the Chinese government will review acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors for national security implications, say that foreign investors will not be able to avoid a review through techniques such as contracts that give them control over a domestic company.

Lawyers have warned that this phrase targets so-called variable interest entities, structures used over the past decade to circumvent foreign ownership restrictions in the internet sector.
Typically the VIE owns the licence necessary for operating a business such as running an internet search engine or an e-commerce site in China. Instead of directly owning a majority stake in that company, which Beijing prohibits in internet content services, the foreign company secures control of that company through contracts.

Industry executives and legal experts say it remains unclear exactly how the new regulations will affect the industry, but warn that they give the government more discretionary power in a sector already seen to have significant regulatory risk.

Google's China business is also organised under the VIE model, with a locally incorporated company as the technical owner of the ICP licence.

Lawyers said cases such as Google's should not be affected by the new rules because its local partner company was set up for the sole purpose of holding the licence, and the relationship between the two should therefore be judged as a "greenfield investment".

In January 2010, the company threatened a retreat from the Chinese market due to concerns over censorship and a hacking attack, and said it had decided to no longer censor Chinese search results. In March last year, it followed up by moving its mainland China web search services to its unfiltered Hong Kong site and redirecting Chinese users there.

The company's share of web search revenues in China has since dropped from a high of 35 per cent to below 20 per cent, according to Analysys, a Beijing-based research company, with most of the difference being snapped up by Baidu, the Chinese market leader.

Beijing had extended Google's ICP licence last summer for another year, but this year's annual extension had been delayed since the end of June.

whoseen

We go to Swoon, Patrick Stump Reveals 'Soul Punk' Cover Art.

whoseen--  On MTV reported that another piece of the puzzle that is ex-Fall Out Boy Patrick Stump's new sound was recently revealed -- he tweeted the cover art of his highly anticipated upcoming album Soul Punk, due out Oct. 18. Along with the cover image, the "This City" singer also revealed several upcoming tour dates. Double prizes!







Drawing on some of the '80s influences that are also prevalent in his songs on the upcoming album, the cover of Soul Punk features a dapper-looking Stump dressed in a suit and maroon leather gloves (a Michael Jackson hat tip?) surrounded by neon boxes, a glowing city night scene and "Soul Punk" written in calculator font (at least that's what we're calling it). Basically this is what we think every boy should look like before going on a date -- a little classy, a little nerdy and a little Michael Jackson-y.

Yo guys, it's becoming evident that this crush I have on P. Stump is getting larger by the second. I'm not saying it's time to alert the authorities, but I wouldn't put scaling fences beneath me. Soul Punk better hurry up and get here.

whosen.

19 Years, get graduation from Faculty of Medicine.

Faculty of Medicine, University of Hasanuddin (Hasanuddin University), Farah Ekawati Mulyadi, got a medical degree (sked) in the age of 19 years. Farah became the youngest medical graduation who got a medical degree.


"Thank to God, I had  finished medical degree," Farah said last night. Farah became the youngest graduates at the graduation ceremony held at the Hasanuddin University Baruga AP Pettarani, Hasanuddin University, Tamalarea, Makassar, on Thursday (09/08/2011).


Farah started school the school since the age of five years with a finishing school for six years. "In junior high I took accelerated classes in junior 6 Makassar, so in junior high just two years," he added. After that, he continued his high school levels in SMA 17 Makassar.


Farah then graduated at the Medical Faculty of Hasanuddin University and able to finish college for three years to get a medical degree.



Farah also managed to graduate with a high enough GPA that is 3.72 with a duration of three years. After completing his medical degree, he will then proceed coast for two years.


Looking ahead, Farah hopes to go into education specialist. "In the future hope can go grab a specialist in internal medicine or pediatric specialists," he said.

whoseen