Public Opinion on Global Warming Is Easier to Change Than Science

If you're curious what a motivated political campaign to undermine established science looks like, allow Gallup and its new poll of climate change attitudes to demonstrate. There is no serious objection among scientists that the climate is changing. There are disputes about the manifestations of that change, about how rapidly it will happen, and about how to curtail it ??but there's no doubt it's a problem.

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Last December, James Lawrence Powell, a member of the National Science Board which advises Washington on scientific matters, compiled all of the peer-reviewed studies on climate change between 1991 and 2012. This is how the articles supporting the existence of climate change compare to those rejecting it.

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And here is what Gallup found when it asked Americans whether or not they believed there was scientific consensus on the issue.

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Or, to put it more starkly, here's the difference between what the research indicates and Americans' perception of that research.

This is not an accident. Opponents of action on climate change ? largely companies reliant on fossil fuel consumption to keep costs low or for their profit bases ??have deliberately worked to introduce the idea that there is a scientific controversy about climate change. (See, for example, the Union of Concerned Scientists' report on ExxonMobil's efforts to that end.) That idea has taken hold.

Gallup writes about the poll released today:

U.S. worry about global warming is heading back up after several years of expanded public skepticism. Views on the subject are now near the midpoint in Gallup trends, exemplified by the 58 percent of Americans who say they worry a great deal or fair amount about global warming. This is up from 51?percent in 2011 but still below the 62?percent to 72?percent?levels seen in earlier years.

This messy chart shows how those attitudes have changed over the years.

This cleaner chart offers slightly different packaging of that info: Those with "a great deal" or "a fair amount" of concern constitute the blue line, those with "a little" or no concern, the red.

Those "several years of expanded skepticism" can be seen from early 2008 to 2010 ??a period in which politics shifted hard to the right. Opposition to climate change was an integral-if-not-prominent part of that shift, of course, as the Washington Post documented in 2011. That article makes an additional point: strong belief, even when held by a small minority, can dominate political focus in a way that dispassionate belief among a large minority can't.

The majority that worries a great deal about climate change is not strongly passionate. Gallup asked about a series of environmental concerns ??water quality, air pollution ??and climate change emerged near the bottom in order of level of concern.

For a long time, advocates of climate action have hoped that at least once the effects of climate change become obvious, people would have no choice but to demand action. That hasn't been borne out. Last year saw the worst drought since the Dust Bowl era, the hottest year in continental U.S. History, record ice melt in the Arctic, and a massive hurricane that flooded New York in large part thanks to a climate-changed-raised ocean ??none of which was enough to convince many Americans. Stripping out the middle responses, here is the number of Americans who think the effects of climate change have already begun, versus those who think they never will.

After the events of 2012, the percent of Americans who think we're already seeing the effects of climate change went up two percent.

Scientists can't convince Americans. Unprecedented weather phenomena can't either. Doubt is a tricky political opponent ? particularly when it's well-funded.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/public-opinion-global-warming-easier-change-science-214750805.html

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27.3% of Skin Cancer Victims Forgot the Sunscreen (Again)

As summer approaches, you're probably beginning to wonder: Do I?really have to slather on sunscreen in order to protect myself from skin cancer? Well, if you trust empirical research ? or listen to the Center for Disease Control ? the answer is yes. Still, skepticism is understandable, since just 76,600 people, or about?0.0002 percent of the U.S. population, are diagnosed with melanoma (the deadliest kind of skin cancer) per year. But among those who?have no right to be skeptical ? that is, victims of actual skin cancer ? not using sunscreen remains remarkably common. According to a study presented at a conference hosted by American Association for Cancer Research on Monday, a full 27.3 percent of people who were previously diagnosed with a form of skin cancer still decline to apply sunscreen when going out into the sun. (By contrast, about a third of the general population refuses to use sunscreen.)

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A panel of doctors speaking to NBC News?attributed this odd phenomenon to two different theories: that excessive exposure to sunlight (or tanning) is addictive, and that American culture valorizes bronzed skin. The first theory is, in fact, grounded in reality; two studies, both carried out in 2010, showed that those who repeatedly used tanning beds showed signs of "addictive behavior," like having difficulty not tanning or falling into horrible moods when denied a tanning sessions. The second theory is observably true ? as anyone who's seen?Spring Breakers?can attest ? but the way this bears on the victims of skin cancer is less clear. After all, people who overdo it, like the cast of?Jersey Shore and, most infamously, Tanning Mom?Patricia Krentcil, are ridiculed by the same culture.

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In any case,?Spring Breakers provides a timely window into the society that gave rise to serial sunbathing (and?spray-on tanning, which attempts to mimic its effects):?

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/27-3-skin-cancer-victims-forgot-sunscreen-again-204351343.html

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Twitter updated with 'Me' tab and HTC menu bar fix

HTC phone owners can get a full-screen experience, and 'Me' tab wonkiness is fixed in latest update

The official Twitter app for Android, given a major visual overhaul last week, has been updated again today with a couple of important bug fixes. First off, the "Me" tab, which would occasionally fail to load, should now be fully functional at all times. And owners of HTC devices will welcome the fix for an issue which left them with a dead menu bar at the bottom of the screen. (That's not listed in the official changelog for the new ver. 4.0.1, but we've confirmed it on our own devices.)

HTC devices without a physical menu key -- including the HTC One -- must use an on-screen menu bar in certain apps, losing a portion of the screen in the process. Since last week's update the official Twitter client no longer used the legacy menu key, however the app still continued to show the (now non-functional) bar on HTC phones, much to the chagrin of users. As you can see in the photo above, that's no longer the case.

The changelog also lists UI improvements for Honeycomb devices, if anyone out there's still rocking an Android 3.x tablet.

To grab these latest fixes, hit the Google Play Store or use the handy link above.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/25J37bWAayg/story01.htm

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U.S. says door still open on Iran nuclear talks but not forever

By Arshad Mohammed

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday world powers would pursue further talks with Iran to resolve a decade-old dispute over its nuclear program, but stressed the process could not go on forever.

World powers and Iran failed again to bridge the gap at weekend talks in Kazakhstan, prolonging a stand-off that could yet spiral into a new Middle East war. No new talks were scheduled between Iran and the six powers.

"This is not an interminable process," said Kerry after arriving in Istanbul on Sunday on the first leg of a 10-day trip to the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

He said President Barack Obama was committed to continuing the diplomatic process despite what he called the complicating factor of an Iranian presidential election in June.

"Diplomacy is a painful task ... and a task for the patient," Kerry told a news conference.

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz urged the powers on Sunday to set a deadline of weeks for military action to persuade Iran to halt its nuclear enrichment activity.

Steinitz, who is close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Army Radio action should be taken within "a few weeks, a month" if Iran did not stop its sensitive nuclear program, which Israel sees as a potential threat to its existence.

Western powers suspect Iran is trying to develop the means to produce nuclear weapons behind the guise of a declared civilian atomic energy program. Iran denies the accusation.

Tehran accuses Israel of threatening peace in the region and refuses to recognize the Jewish state, which is widely believed to harbor the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represents the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany in talks with Iran, said the two sides failed to resolve key differences during the two-day talks in Almaty.

"... It is important to continue to talk and to try to find common ground," Kerry said. "So we hope that out of Almaty will come a narrowing of some of the differences. We remain open and hopeful that a diplomatic solution can be found."

The six powers want the Islamic Republic to suspend its higher-grade uranium enrichment work in return for modest relief from international sanctions, an offer Iran did not accept.

Some diplomats and experts have said Iran's June presidential election has raised uncertainty in the West over the Islamic Republic's strategy for nuclear diplomacy.

"Obviously there is an election and that complicates the choices with respect to the politics of Iran, and we are aware of that," Kerry said.

"But we will continue. The president (Obama) has determined to continue to pursue the diplomatic channel ... We remain open and hopeful that a diplomatic solution can be found."

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammad; Writing by Parisa Hafezi; editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-says-door-still-open-iran-nuclear-talks-102313110.html

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What will North Korea do next?

help ease the crisis.

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>>> the dangerous game known as celebrity swatting. two new episodes that force swat teams to respond to phoney threats.

>>> flash point. the growing controversy over a new way to make guns. just about anyone can do it with computer programs and a 3-d printer.

>>> and the funny man. in a land of strict tradition, he models himself after jon stewart and is wildly popular in his country. but not everyone is laughing.

>>> good evening. tonight north korea is rallying its citizens onto a war footage amid a barrage of threats against the u.s. and south korea . right now u.s. officials with one eye warily trained on the north's military movements, trying to figure out a way to dial back the tension. north yokorea has a history of threatening the west, but now with joint military south korea exercises, has taken things to a dangerous new level. we'll get washington's reaction in a moment, but first to seoul and nbc's jim asada with the latest there. jim?

>> reporter: hi, lester. it seems like every day this week, north korea took another step toward war, but today the peninsula was strangely quiet, as if both sides were taking a breather and wondering what to do next. kim jong -un, the man who idolizes michael jordan and collects his sneakers is showing the world he can lead the world to war as well. once again they filled the airways with kim, the supreme leader , a before adoring crowds and citizens. at times honing his own shooting skills, and on one occasion telling the people they must guarantee the quality of their weapons to ensure a preemptive attack on the enemy. after weeks of tensions, the two koreans seemed on a knife's edge. the north with at least two missiles locked on their anchors ready to go as far as guam but wait to be truly tested skpchlt in the sea, south korea tracks its every move. the border has been closed for days, leaving south korean tourists unail to cross and fearing how things will turn out. i feel so worried, she says. and my children do as well. but just as this war of words risks becoming a real battle, the u.s. and north korea seemed to step back from the brink. the u.s. stopped parading american firepower after the show of force showed pyongyang dialing back the tension. and there were no new threats from kim today. in seoul the talk was about diplomacy. with secretary of state john kerry looking for answers on a visit next week, some american analysts say there is a window of opportunity to deal with the young north korean dictator.

>> he's a kid. we need to get to know who he is, and through dialogue and engagement, we need to change him, to some extent, if we have to.

>> reporter: that is, if we don't go to war with him first. it seems very likely now that in the days ahead, north korea will fire those two mid-range missiles, most probably as a test, not as an attack, but that will spike emotions and tension across the region once again. lester?

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a6a4967/l/0Lvideo0Bmsnbc0Bmsn0N0Cid0C51453446/story01.htm

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Suspect shot officer, then himself, investigators say

A press conference in Jackson, Mississippi confirms that both a cop and a murder suspect are dead. The incident occurred after the suspect was brought into police custody for questioning.

By Holbrook Mohr and Jeff Amy, The Associated Press

A murder suspect shot a police detective who was interviewing him at police headquarters in Mississippi's capital city, then shot himself, state authorities said Friday.

Police had previously not disclosed who fired the shot that killed the suspect, 23-year-old Jeremy Powell. Mississippi Bureau of Investigation spokesman Warren Strain said Friday that Powell shot Detective Eric Smith before killing himself.?

The state agency took over the investigation from the Jackson Police Department.?

The men died in a third-floor room Thursday where Smith was interrogating Powell after his arrest. Powell had been arrested in connection with the stabbing death earlier this week of a 20-year-old Jackson man.?

Greg Jenson / The Clarion-Ledger via AP

Jackson, Miss. Assistant Chief Lee Vance, center left, comforts Chief Rebecca Coleman, center right, on Thursday after detective Eric Smith was shot and killed inside the Jackson Police Department. A suspect was also killed.

Autopsies were to be performed Friday, said Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart.?

City and state officials continued to mourn the death of Smith, a detective who had led the investigation of a number of high-profile murder cases in Mississippi's largest city. Smith, 40, was described as a tall and fit officer who had been with the department since 1995.?

Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. and Jackson Police Chief Rebecca Coleman asked for a moment of silence at noon Friday.?

"Let us all come together as a city to mourn the loss of this exceptional member of the Jackson Police Department family," Johnson said in a statement. "Though we will never know the full measure of sorrow experienced by the family of Detective Smith, we can let them know that we stand with them during this difficult time."?

Gov. Phil Bryant, a former Hinds County sheriff's deputy, also noted Smith's passing at a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the Mississippi Highway Patrol.?

?

This story was originally published on Thu Apr 4, 2013 8:31 PM EDT

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2a621320/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C0A40C1760A52690Esuspect0Eshot0Eofficer0Ethen0Ehimself0Einvestigators0Esay0Dlite/story01.htm

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Rebel And Channing Say How They Really Feel For MTV Movie Awards

When things are looking bad, it's important to tell the people close to you how you truly feel. Since Rebel and Channing have been in a high speed chase for the past few weeks, the host of the 2013 MTV Movie Awards decides it's time to share some thoughts with the "Magic Mike" star. In [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/04/05/movie-awards-promo-rebel-channing/

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