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.

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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.

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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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To find out how sound waves impacted…

To find out how sound waves impacted flavor, researchers played nonstop loops of Led Zeppelin, A Tribe Called Quest and Mozart to cheese wheels. Cheese wheels that were exposed to hip hop music had the strongest flavor.

Aside from the Ink, Getting a Tattoo Can Permanently Change Your Body

Tattoos are obviously permanet…but what if that alteration is more than skin deep?

A new study published in the Particle and Fibre Toxicology Journal, alleges that some people with multiple tattoos end up with a microscopic sprinkling of metal in their lymph nodes.

Scientists have known about the metal particles for some time, but have assumed it was a byproduct of the ink filtered out by lymph nodes in the neck, armpit, and groin. This study, though, points to a different culprit.

Now, researchers have discovered that traces of nickel and chromium found in these lymph nodes actually come from the needle of the tattoo gun. Hiram Castillo, one of the study’s authors, explains what they found: “There is more to tattoos than meets the eye. It is not only about the cleanliness of the parlour, the sterilization of the equipment or even about the pigments. Now we find that the needle wear also has an impact in your body.”

The team of researchers, out of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in Germany, began by studying tissue from deceased people with and without tattoos and found particles of iron, chromium, and nickel in the lymph nodes of those sporting ink. Those aren’t common metals found in inks, explains Ines Schreiver, another scientist connected with the study.

“We tested around 50 ink samples without finding such metal particles and made sure that we hadn’t contaminated the samples during sample preparation. Then we though of testing the needle and that was our ‘eureka’ moment.”

The real culprit is probably a white pigment contained in green, blue, and red tattoo inks. It’s called titanium dioxide, and it can wear away needles.

The discovery could help explain why some people experience allergic reactions to tattoos – and lest you think that the nanoparticles are no big deal, I’m sorry to tell you that smaller sized particles can often release higher amounts of toxic elements.

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Artista @derbylablonge

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That said, there is no evidence to suggest that tattoos are associated with wider health problems…for now. Researchers are, Schreiver says, going to keep digging.

“Unfortunately, today, we can’t determine the exact impact on human health and possible allergy development deriving from the tattoo needle wear. These are long-term effects which can only be assessed in long-term epidemiological studies that monitor the health of thousands of people over decades.”

Just one more thing to think about before you choose the shop – and the color – of your next amazing piece of body art.

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Steve Jobs Made Some Accurate Predictions About the Future of Technology in the 1980s and ’90s

Steve Jobs was truly a one-of-kind businessman. The co-founder of Apple was a visionary who helped change the way we work, play, and live. And Jobs made some predictions in the 1980s and 1990s that may have seemed far-fetched at the time, but it turns out he absolutely nailed it.

Here are some examples of the foresight that Jobs had years before these things became a reality.

Tablets

Photo Credit: Pixabay

The iPad wasn’t launched by Apple until 2010, but all the way back in 1983 at the International Design Conference in Aspen, Jobs talked about “an incredibly great computer in a book that you can carry around with you that you that you can learn in five minutes.”

Virtual Assistants

Photo Credit: Pexels

Before Siri and Alexa became household items, Jobs said this…in 1984: “The next stage is going to be computers as ‘agents. In other words, it will be as if there’s a little person inside that box who starts to anticipate what you want. Rather than help you, it will start to guide you through large amounts of information. It will almost be like you have a little friend inside that box.”

Sound familiar?

iPhones

Photo Credit: Pexels

Those “agents” Jobs talked about? Jobs said they would evolve. “I’ve always thought it would be really wonderful to have a little box, a sort of slate that you could carry along with you.”

Sounds like an iPhone to me.

Young people and devices

Photo Credit: pxhere

Jobs really nailed this prediction. In 1984, he said, “You’d get one of these things maybe when you were 10 years old, and somehow you’d turn it on and it would say, you know, ‘Where am I?’ And you’d somehow tell it you were in California and it would say, ‘Oh, who are you?’”

The online marketplace

Photo Credit: Flickr,Elaine Smith

In 1995, Steve Jobs predicted that the newly-flourishing Internet would allow startup companies to compete with established companies because they’d be able to sell directly to consumers. He said, “it’s very exciting because it is going to destroy vast layers of our economy and make available a presence in the marketplace for very small companies, one that is equal to very large companies.”

Sadly, Jobs passed away in 2011 at the age of 56 from pancreatic cancer, but he sure did accomplish a lot while he was alive.

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Why Are Bugs So Darn Loud?

You’re outside on a warm summer evening: there are no cars, no voices, just the overwhelming cacophony of BUGS. Tons of them. It sounds like a symphony in the trees of nonstop chirping from cicadas, crickets, and other insects. If you’ve ever camped in a national park or a forest, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The forest comes alive and it gets so loud that you are taken aback.

But did you ever ask yourself the question, “Why are bugs so darn loud?” Especially when you look at them and see how little they are?

Let’s take a look at how three small insects make all that noise.

Katydids

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

A lot of the noise you hear from katydids is associated with mating. These insects rub their wings together in a method known as “stridulation,” producing a buzzing sound. Of course, it’s the males that stridulate, since they’re the ones doing the attracting.

Cicadas

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Only male cicadas make noise, just like katydids and crickets. Unlike katydids, cicadas don’t only make noise to mate, but also to scare off other male bugs and to send out distress signals. To make noise, male cicadas use tymbals, special noise-making organs that are located on their abdomens. Most of the rest of a cicada’s abdomen is hollow, which helps to amplify the noise.

They’re also able to fold their eardrums closed, which is good news for them because they are loud.

Crickets

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Crickets, crickets, everywhere! Crickets rub their wings together to make noise, but they emit a lower frequency than katydids, which results in a more musical sound instead of a buzzing noise. Crickets also use noise to attract potential mates, and they have a number of different ‘songs’ for different parts of the mating ritual: attracting a mate, wooing a mate, and warning off male competition.

 

It sure is noisy out there!

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A New Study Confirms That No Single ‘Gay Gene’ Controls Sexual Preference

A groundbreaking study recently published confirms that genetics can’t confirm if a person will engage in same-sex sexual behavior. The research showed that there is no single gene that controls sexual preference – instead, some genes play a tiny role in contributing to sexual behavior, with social and environmental factors determining the rest of the outcome. In other words, genes play small a role in sexuality, but there is no “gay gene.”

Researchers studied almost 500,000 people to come up with their results. Study author Ben Neale said, “This is is the largest and most thorough investigation into the genetics of same-sex sexual behavior to date.”

The study analyzed associations between the genes of people and same-sex behavior that the people reported. It’s important to note that these behaviors do not absolutely equate sexual identity. People who reported that they had same-sex encounters could be bisexual, gay, pansexual, etc.

The authors revealed that between 8% and 25% of same-sex sexual behavior in the study could be explained by genetics. The rest could be chalked up to environmental and social factors. Ben Neale said, “I think it underscores that there is an element of biology and it underscores that there’s an element of the environment. And it underscores that this is a natural part of our species.”

The authors of the study worked with LGBTQ advocacy groups to talk about the best way to reveal their work to the public, and they were mindful about what kind of message the results might send. There is still concern about potential backlash, however. Darren Whitfield, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh who studies LGBTQ health, said, “These things do have the potential to reinforce homophobia. It can reinforce the idea of any abnormality [connected] to same-sex attraction.”

Whitfield added that it’s important to consider what comes out of these studies and what’s next regarding this type of research. He said, “At the end of the day, we’re still looking for a genetic component for sexual behavior. The question I would have is—why? What is the purpose?”

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10 Facts so Good You Might Just Jump Around

Let’s cut the chit chat and the small talk RIGHT NOW. I’m here with 10 facts that you absolutely NEED in your life right now.

They’re so good, in fact, that I have a feeling you’re going to jump for joy. So go ahead and do it! …After you enjoy these facts.

1. Been there, done that

Photo Credit: did you know?

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2. Ouch…

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3. Freaky!

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4. That’s interesting

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5. It works!

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6. Give it a shot

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7. Here come the waterworks

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8. I’ll take two!

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9. Harry Potter critters

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10. Hey, Gramps!

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Might as well JUMP!

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Bananas Are Being Decimated by a Deadly Fungus, and There Are No Good Solutions to Fix It

For roughly 15 years, scientists have been warning the interested banana-eating public about a future without their favorite fruit.

That future is almost now.

The inside of a banana plant with Panama disease
Photo Credit: Public Domain

The fish and wildlife conservation office of Colombia, known as ICA, recently confirmed the banana-killing fungus was detected in the northeastern area of the country. Called Tropical Race 4, or TR4, the deadly blight causes bananas to contract Panama disease, which causes wilting and splitting in banana plants before finally resulting in a total collapse of the plant. Since the fungus has finally hit South America (it has been in Asia for years), it won’t be long before it spreads throughout the rest of the continent.

The only way to counteract the devastation is to just come up with a new banana. Major banana players, Chiquita and Dole, have been working with scientists on a new TR4 resistant strain of bananas.

But is it too late?

Normal, healthy Cavendish bananas
Photo Credit: Augustus Binu

One of the collaborators of the new banana project is Massimo Iorizzo, an assistant professor at the Plants for Human Health Institute and Department of Horticultural Sciences at North Carolina State University. He has been working with Dole on genetic editing with the goal of understanding how genes play a part in disease resistance and then creating a plan to transfer that resistance. An Australian group has already had significant success in this area.

But Iorizzo believes the research got off to a late start. Since the time the pathogen was discovered, no one was interested in finding a disease resistant banana because so many healthy plants existed.

Also, replicating pathogens and conditions and finally getting plants mature enough to study takes years. So while Iorizzo and other researchers are slowly getting closer to their goals, the final genotype of disease resistant banana plant is still a long way off.

Photo Credit: Pixnio

If you’re a banana aficionado, you might know that this has all happened before. Back in the 1960s, Panama disease utterly destroyed the beloved Gros Michel banana, so growers replaced them with the less flavorful Cavendish banana (the one we have in grocery stores now). Now, the Cavendish banana is on the TR4 chopping block. It is likely that the fungus will soon take out other types of bananas, too.

In 2005, botanist Juan Fernando Aguilar with the Honduran Foundation for Agricultural Investigation (FHIA) said they were developing alternative bananas as they waited for Panama Disease to take root.

Yet, neither they, nor any other group of researchers, have presented us with their top banana.

And so the public waits, and the bananas keep dying.

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