New in this version: Details on Natural Hunka Kaboom
Updated at 3:14 p.m. ET: It happens virtually every day somewhere in America: A suspicious object is found in a public building. The building is evacuated. The object turns out to be innocuous. Everybody goes back to work.
It happened Wednesday in Akron, Ohio, where City Hall was evacuated after someone spotted something that looked like it could be a pipe bomb. The Summit County Bomb Squad, Akron police, Akron fire crews and even the University of Akron's K-9 unit all responded and determined it?wasn't a bomb. Police gave the all clear at 10 a.m. ET.?
So why are we telling you about it? Read on.
Fox station WJW-TV of Cleveland reported that the item was a 4-foot-long aluminum stick with duct tape at both ends and the word "Kaboom" written across it.?
It turns out "Kaboom" is a person, not a threat. According to WAKR radio of Akron:
"It was a homemade cane owned by James 'Natural' Kaboom ? that's his legal name ? 66, of North Hill. He'd forgotten it at a meeting."
Ohio state records show that Kaboom's full legal name is actually Natural Hunka Kaboom. The Akron Beacon Journal describes him as "a regular attendee at City Council meetings."?
In a 2009 profile, the?Falls News Press of Dalton, Ohio, quoted Kaboom as saying he was a street minister to the ?blind, crippled and mentally ill.? "Kaboom," he said, was shortened from his Polish family name, Kaboomski.
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The U.S. housing recovery has been sluggish at best.??? But the question remains: will the recovery hold?
David Rosenberg is doubtful.
In his latest Breakfast With Dave note, Rosenberg points to another financial bubble that's keeping homebuyers out of the market: student debt.
From his recent note:
STUDENT LOANS ? THE NEXT BUBBLE? As the WSJ reports, the student default rate for loans taken on after October 2009 has jumped to 9.1% ? double what it was five years ago. The federal government now estimates that about 20% of students who took on federally-assisted credit will end up defaulting in their lifetime. According to Pew Research, fully 40% of households headed by someone younger than 35 is saddled with student debt, with the average liability rising 14% from 2007 to 2010 to nearly $27k (in real terms).
This is one reason why I remain cautious, for example, on consumer discretionary spending in general and housing in particular.? The first-time buyer is still basically a no-show ? the market has been driven by investor-based buying (to rent out) and pricing has been assisted by tightening inventories. But at some point, either the first-time buyer shows up or this housing recovery will sputter and the latest data show that only 30% of turnover activity is being driven by the traditional first-time, who is key in the demand food chain. But the student debt situation is delaying the decision to buy, and of course there is the other issue of deteriorating credit quality and access to funds with poor FICO scores in the future. The nature of the debt crisis continues to evolve ? the entire book is far from finished even if we have turned the corner on the initial chapter of residential mortgages. And don't forget ? the U.S. federal debt ceiling is due to emerge as front page news in the opening months of 2013. Stay tuned...it's not really that far off.
Here's a chart from Bank of America Merrill Lynch showing how student loans have far outpaced disposable incomes.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
For now, those young people staying out of the housing market will rent or just stay with their parents.? Check out this chart:
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
SEE ALSO: DAVID ROSENBERG: The Housing Recovery Is Doubtful, And Even If It Is Real It Won't Help The Economy >
Yes, in September we finally got the long-awaited iPhone 5, but that was just one of the many, many rad gadgets we tested. Here's a rundown of all the best new gear you should know about. More »
Contact: Karen McNulty Walsh kmcnulty@bnl.gov 631-344-8350 DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory
Climate instruments mounted aboard the Horizon Spirit container ship begin taking data
UPTON, NY - A Horizon Lines container ship outfitted with meteorological and atmospheric instruments installed by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) scientists from Argonne National Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory will begin taking data today for a yearlong mission aimed at improving the representation of clouds in climate models. The study, a collaborative effort between DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program Climate Research Facility and Horizon Lines, marks the first official marine deployment of the second ARM Mobile Facility, AMF2, and is likely the most elaborate climate study ever mounted aboard a commercial vessel.
"We are very grateful to Horizon Lines for giving us the opportunity to install our research equipment aboard the Horizon Spirit," said lead investigator Ernie Lewis, an atmospheric scientist at DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory. The Horizon Spirit makes a roundtrip journey from Los Angeles to Hawaii every two weeks, which allows for repeated measurements over the same transect at different seasons.
"Collecting data on a wide range of atmospheric conditions over an entire year, including the transitions among cloud types along this particular route, will give us a large amount of data to help refine and validate models of Earth's climate," Lewis said.
The project-dubbed MAGIC, for the Marine ARM GPCI Investigation of Clouds, where GPCI is a project comparing results from the major climate models-will take place through September 2013.
"We are excited to deploy the AMF2 sensors and the infrastructure that supports them on the Horizon Spirit. This represents the culmination of four years of hard work in designing, building and preparing to deploy aboard an ocean going vessel," said AMF2 Technical Operations Manager Michael Ritsche, an atmospheric scientist at DOE's Argonne National Laboratory.
Clouds and climate
Low marine boundary layer clouds over the ocean exert a large influence on Earth's climate through reflection of sunlight and by mediating interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean, Lewis explained. However, global climate models have difficulty accurately representing these clouds and the transitions among their different types. Extensive data collection from a marine environment with variable cloud cover could significantly improve these models.
Horizon Spirit's route crosses just such a region, making it ideal for assessing the effects of changing cloud conditions. This region is important to a wide range of climate models included in the GPCI project.
"Horizon Spirit's route from Los Angeles to Honolulu lies almost on top of the GPCI line, providing a great opportunity for extensive data collection," said Lewis. "We approached Horizon about working together on this project with the idea that our equipment could be installed on the ship with no disruption of their ordinary operations."
"Horizon Lines is happy to cooperate in the year-long MAGIC project to improve climate modeling," said Pete Strohla, Vice President of Operating Services at Horizon Lines. "Our hope is that better understanding of climate change will facilitate more accurate weather forecasting, which in turn will help our industry plan safer and more fuel-efficient vessel routes."
A group from Argonne in charge of the deployment has spent the past nine months preparing the instruments and optimizing their performance for shipboard data collection. Many instruments, including an aerosol observing system developed by Brookhaven scientists, are housed in three modified 20-foot SeaTainer cargo containers designed for mobile deployment. Other instruments include radars that are mounted to tables designed to maintain stable "vision" despite the inherent rolling of the ship's deck as it plies the waves. All of these instruments were installed aboard the Horizon Spirit while it was in port in Los Angeles in September, with final preparations made while en route to Hawaii and back.
"Altogether, the AMF2 comprises a suite of instruments to measure properties of clouds and precipitation, aerosols, and infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light, as well as meteorological and oceanographic conditions," Lewis said. "These ship-based measurements can provide much more detailed information than can be determined from satellites, and these data will prove a valuable addition to other measurements that have been made in marine conditions, albeit for much shorter periods, for many of these quantities."
The science team-which includes researchers from DOE's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in addition to Brookhaven, as well as collaborators from NASA, Stony Brook University, and a range of other universities and private consultants-is anxiously anticipating the data that will arise from this endeavor.
"In the end, these data will greatly enhance our understanding of clouds, aerosols, Earth's energy and water balance, and the interactions among them in the marine environment, providing an unequalled dataset for evaluating and improving climate models. Our data, which will be placed in the ARM Data Archive, will be made available to anyone who is interested."
###
MAGIC is funded by the DOE Office of Science.
DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
For more details of the preparations and instruments deployed see:
MAGIC website: http://www.arm.gov/sites/amf/mag/
MAGIC "Cruise" Aboard Spirit Getting Ready to Set Sail: http://www.bnl.gov/envsci/news/news.asp?a=2742&t=today
MAGIC updates written for scientists and nonscientists alike
http://www.bnl.gov/envsci/ARM/MAGIC/updates.php
An electronic version of this news release with related graphics is available online at:
http://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=11455
One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry, and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE's Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by the Research Foundation of the State University of New York, for and on behalf of Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities; and Battelle Memorial Institute, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization. Visit Brookhaven Lab's electronic newsroom for links, news archives, graphics, and more or follow Brookhaven Lab on Twitter.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Contact: Karen McNulty Walsh kmcnulty@bnl.gov 631-344-8350 DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory
Climate instruments mounted aboard the Horizon Spirit container ship begin taking data
UPTON, NY - A Horizon Lines container ship outfitted with meteorological and atmospheric instruments installed by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) scientists from Argonne National Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory will begin taking data today for a yearlong mission aimed at improving the representation of clouds in climate models. The study, a collaborative effort between DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program Climate Research Facility and Horizon Lines, marks the first official marine deployment of the second ARM Mobile Facility, AMF2, and is likely the most elaborate climate study ever mounted aboard a commercial vessel.
"We are very grateful to Horizon Lines for giving us the opportunity to install our research equipment aboard the Horizon Spirit," said lead investigator Ernie Lewis, an atmospheric scientist at DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory. The Horizon Spirit makes a roundtrip journey from Los Angeles to Hawaii every two weeks, which allows for repeated measurements over the same transect at different seasons.
"Collecting data on a wide range of atmospheric conditions over an entire year, including the transitions among cloud types along this particular route, will give us a large amount of data to help refine and validate models of Earth's climate," Lewis said.
The project-dubbed MAGIC, for the Marine ARM GPCI Investigation of Clouds, where GPCI is a project comparing results from the major climate models-will take place through September 2013.
"We are excited to deploy the AMF2 sensors and the infrastructure that supports them on the Horizon Spirit. This represents the culmination of four years of hard work in designing, building and preparing to deploy aboard an ocean going vessel," said AMF2 Technical Operations Manager Michael Ritsche, an atmospheric scientist at DOE's Argonne National Laboratory.
Clouds and climate
Low marine boundary layer clouds over the ocean exert a large influence on Earth's climate through reflection of sunlight and by mediating interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean, Lewis explained. However, global climate models have difficulty accurately representing these clouds and the transitions among their different types. Extensive data collection from a marine environment with variable cloud cover could significantly improve these models.
Horizon Spirit's route crosses just such a region, making it ideal for assessing the effects of changing cloud conditions. This region is important to a wide range of climate models included in the GPCI project.
"Horizon Spirit's route from Los Angeles to Honolulu lies almost on top of the GPCI line, providing a great opportunity for extensive data collection," said Lewis. "We approached Horizon about working together on this project with the idea that our equipment could be installed on the ship with no disruption of their ordinary operations."
"Horizon Lines is happy to cooperate in the year-long MAGIC project to improve climate modeling," said Pete Strohla, Vice President of Operating Services at Horizon Lines. "Our hope is that better understanding of climate change will facilitate more accurate weather forecasting, which in turn will help our industry plan safer and more fuel-efficient vessel routes."
A group from Argonne in charge of the deployment has spent the past nine months preparing the instruments and optimizing their performance for shipboard data collection. Many instruments, including an aerosol observing system developed by Brookhaven scientists, are housed in three modified 20-foot SeaTainer cargo containers designed for mobile deployment. Other instruments include radars that are mounted to tables designed to maintain stable "vision" despite the inherent rolling of the ship's deck as it plies the waves. All of these instruments were installed aboard the Horizon Spirit while it was in port in Los Angeles in September, with final preparations made while en route to Hawaii and back.
"Altogether, the AMF2 comprises a suite of instruments to measure properties of clouds and precipitation, aerosols, and infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light, as well as meteorological and oceanographic conditions," Lewis said. "These ship-based measurements can provide much more detailed information than can be determined from satellites, and these data will prove a valuable addition to other measurements that have been made in marine conditions, albeit for much shorter periods, for many of these quantities."
The science team-which includes researchers from DOE's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in addition to Brookhaven, as well as collaborators from NASA, Stony Brook University, and a range of other universities and private consultants-is anxiously anticipating the data that will arise from this endeavor.
"In the end, these data will greatly enhance our understanding of clouds, aerosols, Earth's energy and water balance, and the interactions among them in the marine environment, providing an unequalled dataset for evaluating and improving climate models. Our data, which will be placed in the ARM Data Archive, will be made available to anyone who is interested."
###
MAGIC is funded by the DOE Office of Science.
DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
For more details of the preparations and instruments deployed see:
MAGIC website: http://www.arm.gov/sites/amf/mag/
MAGIC "Cruise" Aboard Spirit Getting Ready to Set Sail: http://www.bnl.gov/envsci/news/news.asp?a=2742&t=today
MAGIC updates written for scientists and nonscientists alike
http://www.bnl.gov/envsci/ARM/MAGIC/updates.php
An electronic version of this news release with related graphics is available online at:
http://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=11455
One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry, and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE's Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by the Research Foundation of the State University of New York, for and on behalf of Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities; and Battelle Memorial Institute, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization. Visit Brookhaven Lab's electronic newsroom for links, news archives, graphics, and more or follow Brookhaven Lab on Twitter.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
While the US prepares to withdraw most of its troops from Afghanistan by 2014, the number of military deaths in the country continues to rise. The toll is now at 2,000.
By Patrick Quinn,?Associated Press / September 30, 2012
US soldiers attend a ceremony marking the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, at the US Camp Phoenix in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2008. US military deaths in Afghanistan have surpassed 2,000, a grim reminder that a war which began nearly 11 years ago shows no signs of slowing down despite an American decision to begin the withdrawal of most of its combat forces.
Musadeq Sadeq/AP/File
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US military deaths in the Afghan war have reached 2,000, a cold reminder of the human cost of an 11-year-old conflict that now garners little public interest at home as the United States prepares to withdraw most of its combat forces by the end of 2014.
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The toll has climbed steadily in recent months with a spate of attacks by Afghan army and police ? supposed allies ? against American and NATO troops. That has raised troubling questions about whether countries in the U.S.-led coalition in?Afghanistan?will achieve their aim of helping the government in Kabul and its forces stand on their own after most foreign troops depart in little more than two years.
On Sunday, a US official confirmed the latest death, saying that an international service member killed in an apparent insider attack by Afghan forces in the east of the country late Saturday was American. A civilian contractor with NATO and at least two Afghan soldiers also died in the attack, according to a coalition statement and Afghan provincial officials. The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity because the nationality of those killed had not been formally released. Names of the dead are usually released after their families or next-of-kin are notified, a process that can take several days. The nationality of the civilian was also not disclosed.
In addition to the 2,000 Americans killed since the Afghan war began on Oct. 7, 2001, at least 1,190 more coalition troops from other countries have also died, according to iCasualties.org, an independent organization that tracks the deaths.
According to the?Afghanistan?index kept by the Washington-based research center Brookings Institution, about 40 percent of the American deaths were caused by improvised explosive devices. The majority of those were after 2009, when President Barack Obama ordered a surge that sent in 33,000 additional troops to combat heightened Taliban activity. The surge brought the total number of American troops to 101,000, the peak for the entire war.
According to Brookings, hostile fire was the second most common cause of death, accounting for nearly 31 percent of Americans killed.
Tracking deaths of Afghan civilians is much more difficult. According to the U.N., 13,431 civilians were killed in the Afghan conflict between 2007, when the U.N. began keeping statistics, and the end of August. Going back to the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, most estimates put the number of Afghan civilian deaths in the war at more than 20,000.
Apple is reportedly considering the opening of physical Apple Retail locations in India, but the WSJ reports that that could be a problem because of an Indian regulation that says foreign retailers have to source 30% of the value of the goods they sell from Indian firms. That would be very hard for Apple to manage, since its components come primarily from Chinese suppliers. But if it can get on the ground somehow, it stands to gain a lot in a market where it's currently trailing Samsung and others.
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Public release date: 1-Oct-2012
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