July 2019 Was the Hottest Month on Record…so Far

If you thought July was hotter than usual, you were right.

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), July was not only the hottest July of all time, but the hottest month since we began keeping such records back in 1880.

The average global temperatures were nearly a full degree Celsius over the 20th-century average.

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July 2019 came right after the hottest June ever recorded, which saw temperatures climb 2 full degrees Celsius over average for the time.

9 of the 10 hottest Julys have occurred since 2005, so despite statements from some public leaders that global warming is a hoax, the data points to the contrary. This July, as a matter of fact, was the 415th consecutive month with above-average temperatures across the globe.

Also according to NOAA, satellite data for July shows the lowest polar ice levels ever recorded – one more reason for concern, if you ask Professor of Climate Science Richard Allan.

“Just as one swallow does not make a summer, one record month does not tell us much on its own since the fickle nature of weather systems and the slow sloshing about of the ocean can sometimes temporarily warm or cool the planet. However, the clustering of recent record hot years and months, the longer-term warming trend and our understanding of the physics of the atmosphere and oceans confirms that our climate is heating up, it’s our fault, and the way to stop this is to reduce and begin removing emissions of greenhouse gases.”

Full stop.

Now, let’s agree to do something about it before it’s too late.

The post July 2019 Was the Hottest Month on Record…so Far appeared first on UberFacts.

A Recent Study Shows That More Guns Lead to More Violent Crime

A recent statistical analysis of 33 U.S. states might be a game-changer for the argument that more guns on the street would help reduce violent crime.

The report will likely come into play as the Supreme Court gets ready to hear arguments in a case lobbying for the constitutional right for Americans to carry guns outside the home.

The debate over whether more guns leads to more or less crime harkens back to the 1998 book More Guns, Less Crime, by John Lott Jr. of the Crime Prevention Research Center. Since its publication, 11 states have loosened their right-to-carry laws, and more than 30 states allow the open carrying of a gun with no permit necessary.

In those same states, violent crime increased 13%-15% in the decade after right-to-carry laws were adopted.

Which is one why, argues the study’s lead author John Donohue, adopting them could be a “dangerous mistake to make.”

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“It just another day.. and I stand behind you in line at the store with a smile on my face…and a gun in my purse and you are none the wiser. You have no clue that I carry because I have my gun concealed, yet you are safer for having me next to you. I will not shoot you. My gun won't pull it's own trigger. It is securely holstered. It can't just go off by itself. However, rest assured that if a lunatic walks into the store and pulls out a rifle and starts shooting innocent people, I will draw my pistol and protect myself and my family.. and because your next to me, I will protect you and your family. I may freeze up, I may piss my pants, I will be terrified just as you. I may even get shot before I can pull the trigger…but, I won't die helpless on the floor begging for my life or my families life without trying to protect us. I won't be that victim. I REFUSE to be that victim. No one will take my life or those around me without me fighting back. As for you, I don't ask you to carry a gun. If you are not comfortable, then please don't. There are some people that feel guns kill people.. I’m here to tell you people kill people. I choose to not be a HELPLESS victim. This world is ugly and there is evil in the world and if evil has a gun, I want one too… because that’s MY RIGHT and I pray that day NEVER HAPPENS but if that day did, you’ll be blessed to have me by you.” #concealedcarry #glock43 #myright #secondamendmentrights #gunsafe #concealcarry #countrygirl #SelfDefense #RefuseToBeAVictim #Glock #9mm #KeepCalmAndCarry #defendthesecond #2A #AllGunLawsAreInfringements #righttocarry #ihavetherighttoprotectmyself #DontBeAStatistic #Southcarolina #ThisIsMySafety

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“The important takeaway is that more guns seem to lead to more crime. So it is probably wise to think in terms of appropriate controls and it would be very unwise to push the 2nd amendment too far.”

The team behind the study looked at violent crime rates in all states, controlling for policing, incarceration rates, poverty, and other demographic issues to estimate the impact of the right-to-carry laws on the books.

3.1 million people were victims of violent crimes in 2017, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and jailing everyone responsible would double the prison population in most states.

Donahue says that even he and his team were surprised at what the data presented.

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"I stand behind you in line at the store with a smile on my face…and a gun under my shirt and you are none the wiser, yet you are safer for having me next to you. I won't shoot you. My gun won't pull it's own trigger. It is securely holstered with the trigger covered. It can't just go off. However, rest assured that if a lunatic walks into the grocery store and pulls out a rifle, I will draw my pistol and protect myself and my family and therefore protect you and your family. I may freeze up. I may piss my pants. I may get shot before I can pull the trigger…but, I won't die in a helpless blubbering heap on the floor begging for my life or my child's life. I won't be that victim. I choose not to be. As for you, I don't ask you to carry a gun. If you are not comfortable, then please don't. But I would like to keep my right to choose to not be a helpless victim. There is evil in the world and if evil has a gun, I want one too…” -unknown . . #SelfDefense #RefuseToBeAVictim #Glock #GlockPerfection #glock43x #9mm #therearemanylikeitbutthisoneismine #KeepCalmAndCarry #defendthesecond #edccarry #2A #AllGunLawsAreInfringements #righttocarry #ihavetherighttoprotectmyself #DontBeAStatistic #ConcealedCarry #Texas #ThisIsMySafety

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“It was really only after we had 13 more years of data and 11 additional adoptions of RTC laws that a clear picture emerged that RTC laws increase violent crime.”

And not by a little – by a lot.

In 23 of the 31 states with right-to-carry laws, violent crime increased by as much as 24% (PA) in the last decade.

Incidents of gun violence related to road rage disputes, bar fights, police shootings of armed civilians, and everyday disagreements explain increases, as the study did not find a statistically significant change in rates of homicide or property crimes.

Other researchers, like Daniel Webster of the Center for Gun Policy and Research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told Buzzfeed News he’s thrilled to have more numbers.

“I have read the study and consider it to be the most rigorous of studies of right-to-carry laws to date. This is a very important piece of research.”

Mr. Lott – the author of the original pro-gun argument – is keen to dismiss the emerging numbers.

“Basically, poor areas are more likely to be affected by violent crime, so lowering barriers to permits has a bigger effect in states that do so.”

The insinuation (without evidence) is that the study didn’t take such things into account. He also complained that other studies that support his own findings have “gotten no news coverage.”

Criminologist Philip Cook from Duke University, though, argues that new studies often trump old research and topple old data. That’s just how science often works.

“The scientific process does not always get the answer right the first time, but if it’s working well, then important findings are reviewed and tested and the truth becomes clearer.”

The new study, which encompasses 33 states and an extra decade of data, should be the beacon going forward – unless another study as rigorous effectively challenges it sometime in the future.

Until then, these numbers should give everyone – including the Supreme Court – something to think about.

The post A Recent Study Shows That More Guns Lead to More Violent Crime appeared first on UberFacts.

All of the Muppets Have Their Own Twitter Accounts

The Muppets are timeless, hilarious, wholesome, and deserve all of the attention they’ve ever gotten.

Also, some of them have activated Twitter accounts, and if you’re on the social media platform and love a daily dose of laughter, you definitely need to be following these gems.

There’s Cookie Monster (my personal fav).

Oscar the Grouch (I can so relate to him!).

Pepe the King Prawn should never be overlooked….

And Fozzie Bear has bad jokes for dayyyyyyys.

Statler and Waldorf get funnier the older I get, I swear.

Ernie and Bert are the best roommates ever, don’t @ me.

Sure, Elmo can be annoying, but someone loving you every single day can’t be bad.

Abby Cadabby loves Mean Girls as much as you do. No, really.

For insight into life as a rat, why not give Rizzo a follow?

And Gonzo is full of puns, and I know I need that in my life.

Big Bird makes you smile…

And Kermit never lets you down.

Then there’s Piggy (obvious)…

And Grover, because adorably naive never gets old.

You’re welcome!

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A Dad Asked the Internet for Fun Facts to Share with His Four-Year-Old Daughter

If you have young kids, then you know that their thirst for knowledge is basically unquenchable. They ask “why” countless times a day and want to know how everything works (and why) and ask questions from dawn until dusk…

It’s kind of exhausting.

This dad found that his four-year-old daughter was no different from anyone else’s, and every night at bedtime, she asked for a new and interesting fact.

He quickly ran out of ideas on his own and turned to Reddit, who totally delivered.

What mind-blowing (but simple) facts would satisfy a 4-year old daughter’s daily request for 1 fact before bedtime? from AskReddit

If you’re a fan of all sorts of facts, you’re going to love these 15 as much as his daughter probably did!

15. One more reason to be jealous of otters.

14. Mind blown.

13. I definitely needed to know this.

12. Still waiting for its first birthday.

11. New bucket list item.

10. Dogs are amazing.

9. So much fun.

8. I have actually always wondered this.

7. Bend the bee’s knee.

6. I’m jealous of the pink milk.

5. Crazy to think about, right?

4. So we couldn’t tell if they shaved?

3. Those crazy cows.

2. That actually explains a lot.

1. DIY custard.

Here’s to knowledge!

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People in Long-Term Relationships May Know These 12 Things to Be True

There are some good things to being single, and there are advantages to being part of a couple.

Likewise, there are many, many hilariously terrible things about both scenarios – and below are 12 things only people in a long-term relationship will be able to read and laugh (to keep from crying).

12. It’s all about still being able to surprise the other person.

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@dc5k20 ? love you #longtermrelationshipbarbie

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11. That really gets your motor running…

10. When you know you might have gone a bit too far.

9. You know you’re tired when you argue DURING SEX about who has to do all of the work.

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You’re asking a lot here, big fella

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8. Toilet time is family time.

7. Who needs privacy?

6. Are you just going to stand there, orrrr?

5. Fine, I’ll try it. Just shut up.

4. How else do houses get cleaned?

3. Friday nights.

2. Seriously those are mine.

1. Your point?

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#longtermrelationshipbarbie

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Gotta love your partner, right?

The post People in Long-Term Relationships May Know These 12 Things to Be True appeared first on UberFacts.

This Single Mom Shared All Her Work Badges and You Might Find Her Journey Inspiring

When Faye Lewis was pursuing her Doctorate degree to become a nurse practitioner, she went through her old work badges from jobs past and had a long talk with her mom about the struggle of juggling life as a single mom and going to school.

She decided to share photos of her old work badges on Facebook to give herself a little extra push of inspiration and her posts quickly went viral. Lewis said, “I just needed to remind myself how far I’ve come. I never in a million years would think it would also motivate other people to go for what they want.”

She got her first job at Kentucky Fried Chicken at the age of 16. She went away to college and continued to work at KFC but received two B’s in classes and was rejected from nursing school. In 2010, she also gave birth to her son AJ.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Lewis was eventually promoted to manager, but she never gave up her dream of becoming a nurse.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

She also took a job as a housekeeper.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Lewis continued to work toward her dream, completed her certified nursing assistant training and began working at a medical center.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

She then decided to pursue her Associate’s degree in Nursing. While in nursing school, tragedy struck her family. Her father and three cousins were killed in a house fire. Lewis said, “When I heard the news, I dropped to my knees. My mom made it out alive just by a miracle of God. I had a supportive family and I knew my Dad wouldn’t want me to quit.” So Lewis continued pushing forward.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Lewis worked as an LPN during the day, at KFC at night, was raising her son, and was continuing her education all at the same time. She earned her Associate’s degree in 2014 and her Bachelor’s degree in 2016.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Today, Lewis is working toward her Doctorate. Lewis has advice about the adversity she faced: “Keep trying. Never give up and stay positive through all of it.”

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Great work Faye! And let this be a lesson to all of us: never give up and keep moving forward, even when things seem like they’ll never get better.

The post This Single Mom Shared All Her Work Badges and You Might Find Her Journey Inspiring appeared first on UberFacts.

This Single Mom Shared All Her Work Badges and You Might Find Her Journey Inspiring

When Faye Lewis was pursuing her Doctorate degree to become a nurse practitioner, she went through her old work badges from jobs past and had a long talk with her mom about the struggle of juggling life as a single mom and going to school.

She decided to share photos of her old work badges on Facebook to give herself a little extra push of inspiration and her posts quickly went viral. Lewis said, “I just needed to remind myself how far I’ve come. I never in a million years would think it would also motivate other people to go for what they want.”

She got her first job at Kentucky Fried Chicken at the age of 16. She went away to college and continued to work at KFC but received two B’s in classes and was rejected from nursing school. In 2010, she also gave birth to her son AJ.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Lewis was eventually promoted to manager, but she never gave up her dream of becoming a nurse.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

She also took a job as a housekeeper.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Lewis continued to work toward her dream, completed her certified nursing assistant training and began working at a medical center.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

She then decided to pursue her Associate’s degree in Nursing. While in nursing school, tragedy struck her family. Her father and three cousins were killed in a house fire. Lewis said, “When I heard the news, I dropped to my knees. My mom made it out alive just by a miracle of God. I had a supportive family and I knew my Dad wouldn’t want me to quit.” So Lewis continued pushing forward.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Lewis worked as an LPN during the day, at KFC at night, was raising her son, and was continuing her education all at the same time. She earned her Associate’s degree in 2014 and her Bachelor’s degree in 2016.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Today, Lewis is working toward her Doctorate. Lewis has advice about the adversity she faced: “Keep trying. Never give up and stay positive through all of it.”

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Great work Faye! And let this be a lesson to all of us: never give up and keep moving forward, even when things seem like they’ll never get better.

The post This Single Mom Shared All Her Work Badges and You Might Find Her Journey Inspiring appeared first on UberFacts.

A New Study Shows Police Violence Is a Leading Cause of Death for Young Black Men

It’s become clear that young black men have different experiences with – and more reasons to fear – interactions with police.

At least, that’s how it seems.

But now, a scientific study is backing up that idea with proof.

According to new research, black men between the ages of 20 and 29 experience the highest mortality rate, with use-of-force by police being the 6th leading cause of death (after accidents, suicide, other homicides, heart disease, and cancer).

Study author Frank Edwards, of the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University-Newark, issued a statement about their findings.

“We haven’t really known for sure how often these killings have been happening because the data hasn’t been good enough. But if we are going to try and change police practices that aren’t working, we need to track this information better.”

Lest you think those numbers aren’t striking, they mean that 1 in every 1,000 black men will be killed by police – a 2.5x higher rate than for white men.

They join American Indians and Alaskan Natives in being “significantly more likely” to be killed by police. Even black women are 1.4x more likely than white women to be killed by police.

The data comes from Fatal Encounters, a journalist-led effort to document police-related deaths, which otherwise are lumped in with other crime statistics.

We find that African American men and women, American Indian/Alaskan Native men and women, and Latino men face higher lifetime risk of being killed by police than do their white peers.”

Even though the data includes so-called “justified” killings, the results are nonetheless compelling. Race and police brutality continue to stand in the national spotlight, largely due to the fact that even though black people make up a mere 13% of the population, they encompass 34% of the prison population and 25% of people killed by on-duty police – making them closer to 3x more likely to die that way than their white peers.

While these results can be partially explained by the fact that younger people are more likely to engage in risky behavior, the study authors point out that police in the U.S. kill more people overall than forces in other industrialized democracies, particularly when it comes to people of color.

Hopefully studies like these, combined with thoughtful policies and departments intent on improving relations between officers and those they serve, will help steer America in the right direction.

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Doctors Attributed a Death to Vaping for the First Time

After many mysterious respiratory illnesses that seem to be linked to vaping, health officials in Illinois are ready to say the e-cigarettes are the cause of death in at least one case.

The Department of Public Health Director Ngozi Ezike issued a statement:

“The severity of illness people are experiencing is alarming and we must get the word out that using e-cigarettes and vaping can be dangerous. We requested a team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help us investigate these cases and they arrived in Illinois on Tuesday.”

Earlier this month, the CDC began an investigation into several reports of the unidentified lung disease that has affected almost 100 people across a dozen U.S. states. No information about the victim in this case has been provided, except that they were an adult person living in Illinois.

The reported number of people suffering from respiratory issues related to vaping has doubled in just a week, and now 22 people between the ages of 17 and 38 have been hospitalized due to the condition. People who have shown symptoms of the illness only share one commonality: vaping. People have grown sick after vaping THC products, nicotine products, and a combination of the two.

The CDC, along with state health officials and the USDA, are looking into the names, brands, types of products and kinds of devices the patients used in order to try to pin down a more specific culprit, but right now the risky behavior seems to be vaping at all.

While the CDC admits that e-cigs can be helpful to those who hope to quit smoking, the potential risks outweigh the possible benefits for many others – and they advise that teens, young adults, and pregnant women avoid them at all costs.

Right now, the cause behind the illnesses remains a mystery, and health officials urge anyone who vapes and experiences chest pains or has difficulty breathing to seek medical attention right away.

If you haven’t started vaping, this information should be more than enough reason to steer clear…and if you have, it might be time to quit.

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A French Man Attempted a DIY Project and Got His Head Stuck in a Ladder for 5 Days

Home improvement shows on television may make projects look simple (or at least doable) around the house, and it’s no wonder that more and more unqualified people have it in their heads they can tackle things around the house without professional help. Stores like Lowes and Home Depot perpetuate the myth, more than happy to sell you everything you need except an actual skillset.

This guy, though, learned the hard way that everything is not meant to be a do-it-yourself.

Or at least, it shouldn’t be.

The unnamed man from eastern France spent five whole days with his head wedged between two ladder rungs after he fell while working in his bathroom. His head swelled up so quickly he was unable to pull it out, reports the BBC.

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Raaaaash #stuckinaladder

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Given his encumbrance, he was unable to reach either his phone or the sink tap, meaning that when his sister finally found him and alerted medics to his distress, he was badly dehydrated, in addition to suffering from reduced blood flow to his head.

The hospital checked him over and released him, though he is still being monitored for complications.

My Dad got his head stuck in the porch yesterday whilst trying to feed a dead bee to a spider that lives in the bushes… from funny

The good (?) news is, he’s far from the first person (or animal) to find their head trapped in a ladder.

Let that be a warning to all of you DIYers out there – you just never know what the worst case scenario is going to be until it happens to you.

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