The new Baloo’s Bugle is out.  Baloo’s Bugle is a great monthly unofficial publication with games, activities, ceremonies, puzzles, crafts, and other ideas for den and pack meetings. This one covers the January “Power Up!” theme.

For Webelos Scout den meetings, this Bugle also has activities for the Fitness and Scientist Webelos activity badges.

Also inside is a fun article on many ways to recognize Cub Scout leaders.

And Bill Smith, Roundtable Guy, returns with an essay on what Cub Scouting is all about.

Click here (link) to download Baloo’s Bugle in pdf format or here (link) to download it in Word format.

Researchers in the Netherlands have created what was described as soggy pork and are now investigating ways to improve the muscle tissue in the hope that people will one day want to eat it.

via Soggy Pork – Scientist Create Meat In A Lab.

I find it interesting that these scientists say that the “aliens” don’t like us tampering with nature. So, taking people against their will and sexually assaulting them is not “tampering with nature”?

Work on deciphering a complex set of symbols sent to them is underway, scientists from the country’s Space Research Institute said.

They claim aliens are currently answering 30 questions posed to them.

Lachezar Filipov, deputy director of the Space Research Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, confirmed the research.

He said the centre’s researchers were analysing 150 crop circles from around the world, which they believe answer the questions.

“Aliens are currently all around us, and are watching us all the time,” Mr Filipov told Bulgarian media.

“They are not hostile towards us, rather, they want to help us but we have not grown enough in order to establish direct contact with them.”

Mr Filipov said that even the seat of the Catholic church, the Vatican, had agreed that aliens existed.

He said humans were not going to be able to establish contact with the extraterrestrials through radio waves but through the power of thought.

“The human race was certainly going to have direct contact with the aliens in the next 10 to 15 years,” he said.

“Extraterrestrials are critical of the people’s amoral behavior referring to the humans’ interference in nature’s processes.”

The publication of the BAS researchers report concerning communicating with aliens comes in the midst of a controversy over the role, feasibility, and reform of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Last week it lead to a heated debate between Bulgaria’s Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, and President Georgi Parvanov.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/bulgaria/6650677/Aliens-already-exist-on-earth-Bulgarian-scientists-claim.html

http://www.sofiaecho.com/2009/11/23/819575_bas-official-aliens-are-among-us

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/26/bulgarian_space_boffin_aliens/

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=110282

Funding Source: NASA Headquarters
Funding Type: Discretionary, Cooperative Agreement
Total Available: N/A
Award Ceiling: N/A
Deadline: 03.26.10, Letter of Intent due 01.11.10
Eligibility: Unrestricted

Description:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is releasing a NASA Announcement of Opportunity (NNH10ZDA002O), Solar Probe Plus Investigations. This AO solicits Principal Investigator (PI)-led instrument science investigations and Observatory Scientist investigations for the Solar Probe Plus (SPP) mission. NASA expects to select sufficient instrument science investigations to address the Solar Probe Plus mission science objectives; NASA expects to select one Observatory Scientist investigation. All proposed investigations must describe a science investigation with goals and objectives that address the Solar Probe Plus mission science objectives.

Nobody said it was going to be easy but then the best things in life are never easy are they? (I’m having to resist sticking Against the Odds in here…) The answer to that question is invariably no but the things that are easy don’t give as much happiness or bring as many smiles to your face do they? I think that ones a no as well. The best things in life are always tough but then that’s why there the best things in life. This whole paragraph sounds like its going around in a big circle.

Yet another Youtube video, and yet another one that keeps getting to me. Today especially, today’s been very hard, in fact its been the hardest day for a long time, but then its days like this that make you realise what you actaully want? Well I know what I want and there on the screen in front of me.

Scientists and engineers pursuing the sacking of the board of management of the Australian Synchrotron has instituted a work ban effective the 30th of December.

The work bans will disrupt experiments, with key scientific staff and engineers only working nine to five at the centre, which is booked 24 hours a day, often months in advance.

Key engineers and scientists will only work 9 to 5 at the synchrotron site, which is aimed at operating 24 hours a day, with usage of the facilities booked months in advance. Timing of this work ban is only 9 days before the deadline for the application for funds by the board, who must do so without the scientific advisory committee. The Australian Science Minister is allegedly considering a takeover of the facility.This event appears to be catalyzed by the dismissal of managing director Professor Robert Lamb.

‘The present situation is untenable,” said Professor Frank Larkins, chair of the synchrotron’s international scientific advisory committee, “No sustainable solution will now be found until there are changes at board level.”

[The Age]

I just completed my first Research Paper that is now available on my Research Paper section of my blog.

The paper is titled “Why The Behemoth is Unlikely to be a Dinosaur”

In this paper I use the sexual reproduction system of dinosaur to demonstrate how the behemoth is unlikely to be a dinosaur as many Young Earth Creationist claim.

Do enjoy.

I’m worried, Professor, you seem very ill.
Each day you appear to be thinner.
You lie there quite silently, perfectly still,
refusing your breakfast and dinner.
I know that your submarine sunroof went wrong
and drowned quite a number of men.
The balsa-wood barbecue didn’t last long,
but get up and try, try again.
Your toilet-seat microphone works very well;
poor mother felt sick when I tried it.
The clockwork umbrella will certainly sell,
though grandma is still trapped inside it.
So, don’t be unhappy, no, don’t be depressed,
your genius couldn’t be clearer.
I love your inventions, I’m truly impressed.
Each failure brings triumph nearer.
.
Paul Hughes, 2009

]]> http://winteryknight.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/must-read-adult-stem-cells-cure-child-with-sickle-cell-anemia/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:00:42 +0000 Wintery Knight http://winteryknight.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/must-read-adult-stem-cells-cure-child-with-sickle-cell-anemia/

Amazing story! (H/T BioEdge via ECM)

My previous posts on ASCR

• Ethically-sound adult stem cell research cures paralysis in human patients
• Chinese scientists announce stem-cell research breakthrough
• Comparison of ASCR vs ESCR: which one produces real cures?
• Michele Bachmann opposes Obama’s plan to fund ESCR
• Major breakthrough in adult stem-cell research

Previous posts on abortion

• MUST-SEE: Videos from academic debate on abortion at the University of Victoria
• Audio: Scott Klusendorf’s 35-minute case for the pro-life position
• Audio: A 55-minute discussion featuring two great pro-life debaters, Greg Koukl and Scott Klusendorf
• My own religion-free case for the pro-life position in plain English
• A comparison of embryonic and adult stem cell research
• Video: Cute 12-year old girl makes the pro-life case in a short speech

In just 60 minutes, you could earn enough to pay for a tank of gas, the cable bill, gym membership, or dinner out. Thirty dollars still covers some of life’s essential costs. Earn that much in just one hour on the job, and you have enough to build a comfortable life.

The latest U.S. Census Bureau figures put the median household income in the U.S. at $50,233. A $30-per-hour job brings in $62,400 before taxes, or 20% more than the national median. For many people, this extra margin is just one promotion or one credential away. To boost your economic security, consider these 10 careers with salary data as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Database Administrator
Mean Hourly Wage: $33.78
Salary: $70,260

Database administrators perform a vital role in our information economy, managing the database systems that help companies store, process, and access data effectively. Job growth is stunning in this high-demand field as well — the profession is expected to grow 37 percent through 2016. Continuing education is a must to keep up with evolving technology, but entry requirements are modest. You can launch this $30-plus-an-hour career with an associate’s degree in database administration or information technology.

Registered Nurse
Mean Hourly Wage: $30.04
Salary: $62,480

Historic demand for registered nurses is inspiring many people to reinvent themselves as health care practitioners. Nursing is projected to generate more new jobs than any other profession — an estimated 587,000 positions through 2016, which represents a 23% increase in a decade. To take advantage of this boom, head to nursing school for your bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN). Accelerated programs are available for career changers who already have a bachelor degree in another field.

Technical Writer
Median Hourly Wage: $30.18
Salary: $62,780

Technical writers interpret engineering and scientific information for a lay audience, producing product documentation, user manuals, project proposals, and scientific reports. Most writers come to the field with a college bachelor’s degree in a communications or liberal arts field. Some colleges offer specialized certificate programs in technical communication, which incorporate IT literacy training.

Fashion Designer
Median Hourly Wage: $34.22
Salary: $71,170

Fashion design has the reputation as an all-or-nothing labor of love — you begin as a starving artist and ultimately attain celebrity stature designing haute couture. In fact, the majority of fashion designers — 3 in 4 designers — work secure, salaried jobs for apparel manufacturers. What these artists give up in suffering and glamour they make up for in a solid and stable paycheck. A job as a salaried fashion designer starts with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in fashion design.

Accountant
Median Hourly Wage: $30.11
Salary: $62,640

Accountants should have no trouble finding work as businesses throughout the economy sort through the financial rubble of the credit crisis. Mounting federal regulation will also contribute to demand for trained accountants. Accountants working for accounting and bookkeeping services earn upwards of $30 per hour. These employers hire trained professionals with a bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance.

Environmental Scientist
Median Hourly Wage: $30.71
Salary: $63,870

Environmental scientists will be the heroes of the coming era, developing much-needed strategies to redress environmental damage to soil, water, and air. The field is expected to grow 25% in response to new federal regulations and funding, as well as private investment. A bachelor’s degree in earth sciences will get you started in this fascinating and important field. Many scientists go on to a master’s degree to secure the best opportunities.

K-12 Curriculum Designer
Median Hourly Wage: $30.87
Salary: $64,220

Curriculum designers are at the forefront of educational research, developing new instructional materials and strategies to improve the quality of education in our nation’s schools. The job typically calls for a graduate-level degree in the field, such as a master’s degree in education (M.Ed.).

Dental Hygienist
Mean Hourly Wage: $31.21
Salary: $64,910

To make about the same amount of money with a two-year associate’s degree, enroll in a dental hygiene program. Dental hygienists work alongside dentists to promote oral health and hygiene. Hygienists enjoy distinction as one of the nation’s fastest growing occupations, with 30% growth expected through 2016.

Detectives and Criminal Investigators
Median Hourly Wage: $30.05
Salary: $62,500

Solving crimes is all in a day’s work for these criminal justice professionals. Criminal investigators can build their skill set by completing an associate’s degree in criminal justice, where they take courses in crime scene investigation, criminal investigation procedures, and more. The Bureau of Labor Statistics rates job opportunities as “excellent.”

Television Producer
Median Hourly Wage: $31.66
Salary: $65,850

Producers coordinate the television features we enjoy, from sitcoms to dramas to the nightly news. To build the necessary skill set, producers enter the field with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in mass communications or broadcast media.

A tight economy hasn’t stopped employers in these ten fields from hiring qualified grads. With the right degree, you can upgrade your career and find job security in the form of a $30-an-hour paycheck.

Those are the recommendation from the source..it’s all depend on you what kind of job do you want to get.

SeManGaT!!

Chayoo!

^o^

]]> http://dprogram.net/2009/11/26/video-top-scientist-to-resign-over-climategate/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:12:16 +0000 sakerfa http://dprogram.net/2009/11/26/video-top-scientist-to-resign-over-climategate/ http://texan2driver.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/ed-begley-jr-global-warming-meltdown/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:00:50 +0000 texan2driver http://texan2driver.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/ed-begley-jr-global-warming-meltdown/

Ed Begley, Jr. You’ve all seen him. His most recent “work” is the show that displays him living “green.”

I respect his choice to live the way he wants to live, but when faced with strong evidence that calls his beliefs into question he responds the way liberals typically do. Rather than respond with facts of his own, he attempts to shout you down and intimidate you. It’s kind of like those little rice-rocket cars you see all over the place. The guys who can’t afford the real engine mods to give them more speed simply modify the exhaust to make the car louder. More noise doesn’t make you faster, and in Mr. Begley’s case doesn’t make you right.

When the documents discussed in this interview were released, an atomic bomb was dropped in the middle of the man-made global warming/climate change camp. Yet rather than respond to the content of the documents, the proponents of man-made climate change simply attack the people who released the documents, and the act of releasing them.

The “scientists” in question (many of whom are politicians, not scientists) have been proven to have hidden evidence that would contradict their position on global warming. They are wrong, as is Mr. Begley, and they are supporting a movement that is designed merely to take away your money and freedom.

Another excellent podcast in which .NET Rocks! interviews Dean Gou about Project Trident. Project Trident was created for the real/near-time monitoring of thousands of oceanic sensors, in short it helps to crunch large quantities of data.

The boys talk to Dean Gou about Project Trident, a scientific workflow workbench. With Project Trident, you can author workflows visually by using a catalog of existing activities and complete workflows. The workflow workbench provides a tiered library that hides the complexity of different workflow activities and services for ease of use.

While the project sounds very interesting in its own right I have to wonder at what other possible applications there are for Project Trident.

Trident is part of a collaborative project between The University of Washington, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and Microsoft, to provide Project NEPTUNE with a scientific workflow workbench for Oceanography. Trident, implemented on top of Windows Workflow Foundation, allows scientists to explore and visualize oceanographic data in real-time and provides an environment to visually compose, run and catalog workflows.

If Trident is used by oceanographic scientists then it should also be useful to educational researchers, while enhancing the fidelity of their work.

Other features in Trident for data-intensive research include: automatic provenance capture, “smart” re-running of different versions of a workflow, on-the-fly updatable parameters, cost estimation of the resources a workflow will require, monitoring of long-running tasks, and support for fault-tolerance and recovery from failures.

Fascinating stuff!

via .NET Rocks!.

Dr. Romulo G. Davide

Farmers who are also scientists and businessmen—that’s what Dr. Romulo G. Davide envisions for Filipino farmers.  He wants to train farmers to empower them using science and technology.

Dr. Davide’s farmer-scientist program has empowered upland farmers in Cebu to determine the appropriate technologies for their farms.  Through Dr. Davide’s  program, the farmers learned integrated pest management, and thus encouraging them not to depended on toxic pesticides.  They also learned to develop their own hybrid corn producing their own seeds from their farms.

Dr. Davide’s desire to serve his fellow Filipinos is unquestionable.  After gaining his bachelor’s degree from the University of the Philippines’ College of Agriculture, he went to the United States where he earned his masters and doctorate degrees from the Oklahoma State University and North Carolina State University, respectively.  Shortly after receiving his doctorate degree in nematology and plant pathology in 1966, he was offered a professorial job that he declined because of his commitment to his country. 

This commitment would highlight his prolific career.  Dr. Davide is internationally recognized for his contributions to nematology, including the national survey, identification, and control of nematodes that infest economic crops.  He also discovered the first and safest biological control agent, called BIOACT, against nematodes.  For these and other works, Dr. Davide has the distinction of being the first Filipino to be included in the “Who’s Who” in nematology.

Asked to comment on his career and contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor, Dr. Romulo Davide shrugged all the accolade aside, saying that he is just an instrument of God.

Source:

► Eileen Calaycay-Cardona.  ‘There are no barren soils, only barren minds.”  www.up.edu.ph/forum/2002/Aug02/davide.html

► National Academy of Science and Technology.  www.nast.dost.gov.ph/pro_davide.html

Oof.  Been too long since I posted, but I’ve been busier than hell.  Had meetings all day on Thursday, then therapy that evening, worked Friday and immediately after dinner, drove out to Statesville for the Ambassador’s soccer tournament.

Therapy was pretty good, for being therapy.  We talked about mostly mellow stuff, which was kind of a nice break from the gut wrenching stressful sessions we’d been having.  We did discuss our reading homework; mine had been the first chapter from the Courage to Heal, a book about women recovering from childhood sexual abuse, and The Scientist’s was from the Mayo clinic on depression.

I liked what I’d read, and had a discussion with Minna about it, mentioning that I planned to get a copy of the book for myself off of half.com.  Minna warned me that the book is very triggering, which I figured would be the case.  When I said as much to V, she said she didn’t think it was a good idea to purchase the book until after the Christmas Extravaganza.  She has a really good point, so I am taking her advice and will wait.

The Scientist told us that he definitely saw himself 4yrs ago was when he was laid off, in the reading, which was expected.  He also said that he sees a bit of me in a few things as well since my knee was ruined.  I can understand that, but I also think I’ve come a long way since it first happened, and have adapted pretty well.  V said that with the way this year has been, she would be shocked and worried if I didn’t show some depressive symptoms.  She doesn’t think I’m in any sort of crisis, or that I’m clinically depressed or anything, just that this year has sucked, and I’m working my way back out of it.  That pretty much sums it up, yeah.

One of his main bullet points was my occasionally being “short tempered.”  I kinda had to laugh at that a little, and I pointed out that in his own words, I’m the one with the easy, solid relationship with the kids.  Which left the fact that if I’m short tempered, it’s only with him!  But wouldn’t that stand to reason, after telling him last August that I wanted a divorce, doing the legal separation thing for 6 months, trying again, having it crash again this August, and now being in counseling?  It just seems like a “duh” that if I’m going to be bitchy, it’d be with the one person in the family that I don’t get along with, ya know?  But again, it’s nothing insurmountable, and if we’re going to rebuild this friendship, it’s going to have rough patches.

The trek to Statesville was easy.  We listened to music and the Ambassador worked on his project that was due on Monday (grrrr).  The Ambassador needed to be on the pitch by 7am for warm-ups, in the balmy 36 degree weather, but this is nothing new to us.  A few minutes into the second half, there was a colossal collision and the goalie went down; another guy then nailed the Ambassador, who flipped over his goalie, and landed, rolling to wind up face down on the ground.

Now, when this happens, it takes the guys a few minutes to remember what day it is, what their names are, how they got on the ground, and so on.  So I wasn’t really concerned when the Ambassador didn’t move.  However, he kept not moving.  The kid who hit him had dropped to the ground and I learned later was apologizing.  (There was no foul; it was an accident, and we all knew it.)  The kid called to the ref and the coach, who both ran over.  Still nothing.  Hmm.  At this point, I was a bit concerned, but the Scientist moves faster than my gimpy-ass self, so he headed out onto the field too.  Still nothing.  OK, now I was a tad worried.  I set Alejandro back into his bag and went out myself.  I was half way across the field when they were able to get him up and took him to the bench, and had called the EMT who was there for the day.

Poor kid was dazed enough that he didn’t even notice me picking blades of grass out of the corners of his eyes, his ears, and his jersey.  The EMT checked him over and diagnosed an AC sprain in his right shoulder, which was the first thing to hit the ground.  Loooovely.  Once he got his bearings, he was dead set on playing the other two games of the tournament.  Typical stubborn boy, of course.  After much consultation with Nik, the Ambassador’s athletic trainer, Grant, the team’s athletic trainer, the EMT, and us together, we did allow him to make the decision.  I didn’t like it, and I didn’t agree with the decision, but I let it happen.  We iced it for over an hour, drugged him well with pain killers and anti-inflammatories, and immobilized the shoulder with Ace wraps.

He’s still in a world of hurt, but having an ortho consult at this point is worthless.  With the initial inflammation, any true eval couldn’t happen.  You just cannot assess a joint that’s still that painful.  So we’re giving it til Monday to settle and then make a decision to either rehab or take him into the doc.

Another post coming later or tomorrow, but before I go, I’ll leave my friends with a few of my better “lousy mom” moments of late:

[In a text message, to the Professor]

“No threesomes until you’re 21.”

[Said to the Ambassador, while wrapping his shoulder before school yesterday]

“If your stupid friends know about your injury and decide to be “funny” and hit your shoulder, please remember that you aren’t supposed to move the joint.  Hit them with your left hand.”

[Text exchange with the Artist in which she was rolling her eyes about the kindergarten level instruction she’s been receiving in college bio]

Her: “And today, we learned about om-nee-vores, and car-nee-vores, and herb-ee-vores!”

Me: “You can lead a horticulture, but you can’t make her think.”

[Text exchange with the Artist as she got out of class today]

Her: “Aaaah.  Early release.”

Me: “That’s what he said…and why she broke up with him!”

Happy Tuesday, all!

One day a group of eminent scientists got together and decided that Man had come a long way and no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him.
The scientist walked up to God and said, “God, we’ve decided that we no longer need You. We’re to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don’t You just retire?”

God listened very patiently to the man and then said, “Very well, but first, how about this, let’s have a Man-making contest.”

To which the scientist replied, “OK, great!” But God added, “Now, we’re going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam.”

The scientist said, “Sure, no problem” and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt. God just looked at him and said,

“No, no, no. You go get your own dirt!”

PressTv

The 20-meter Agni-II is capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to targets within a range of 2,500 kilometers (1,560 miles).

India’s nuclear-capable, medium-range ballistic missile has proved unsuccessful during its night-time test fire.

The army test-fired the surface-to-surface Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) from Wheeler’s Island, Bhadrak district, around 7:50 pm (1420 GMT).

“The liftoff and the first stage separation was smooth. But it faltered just before the second stage separation and behaved erratically, deviating from its coordinated path,” ‘the Times of India’ quoted a Defense Ministry official as saying on Tuesday.

“Further analysis to ascertain the cause is ongoing,” he said on condition of anonymity.

Sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and a naval ship tracked the entire trajectory of Monday’s test fire.

The launch, originally scheduled earlier this month, had been postponed due to some technical problems in its pneumatic system.

Agni-II, which can deliver a nuclear warhead to targets within a range of 2,500 kilometers (1,560 miles), measures 20 meters in length, one meter in diameter.

The missile, first tested on April 11, 1999, has a launch weight 16 tones and can carry a 1,000 kg conventional or nuclear payload.

The user training test was the first night-time launch since the beginning of a missile development program by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

India already has the nuclear-capable 3,000-kilometer range Agni-III missile while unconfirmed reports suggest it is building an Agni variant with a range of 5,000 kilometers.

LONDON (Nov. 21) — Computer hackers have broken into a server at a well-respected climate change research center in Britain and posted hundreds of private e-mails and documents online — stoking debate over whether some scientists have overstated the case for man-made climate change.

The University of East Anglia, in eastern England, said in a statement Saturday that the hackers had entered the server and stolen data at its Climatic Research Unit, a leading global research center on climate change. The university said police are investigating the theft of the information, but could not confirm if all the materials posted online are genuine.

More than a decade of correspondence between leading British and U.S. scientists is included in about 1,000 e-mails and 3,000 documents posted on Web sites following the security breach last week.

Some climate change skeptics and bloggers claim the information shows scientists have overstated the case for global warming, and allege the documents contain proof that some researchers conspired to manipulate data.

The furor over the leaked data comes weeks before the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen, when 192 nations will seek to reach a binding treaty to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping greenhouse gases worldwide. Many officials — including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon — regard the prospects of a pact being sealed at the meeting as bleak.

Within a decade, summers in the North Pole will be dramatically different: no ice and just an open sea. That is the prediction released Oct. 14 by explorers who have hiked through the area. Here, research vessels on an unrelated expedition break through ice near the North Pole in 2004.

A new report examines the human cost of climate change, which it said causes more than 300,000 deaths per year. The report, released in May, shows the impact of climate change on population displacement, malnutrition and diseases, such as malaria. “Climate change is not something waiting to happen,” said former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

//

In one leaked e-mail, the research center’s director, Phil Jones, writes to colleagues about graphs showing climate statistics over the last millennium. He alludes to a technique used by a fellow scientist to “hide the decline” in recent global temperatures. Some evidence appears to show a halt in a rise of global temperatures from about 1960, but is contradicted by other evidence which appears to show a rise in temperatures is continuing.

Jones wrote that, in compiling new data, he had “just completed Mike’s Nature trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years (i.e., from 1981 onwards) and from 1961 for Keith’s to hide the decline,” according to a leaked e-mail, which the author confirmed was genuine.

One of the colleague referred to by Jones — Michael Mann, a professor of meteorology at Pennsylvania State University — did not immediately respond to requests for comment via telephone and e-mail.

The use of the word “trick” by Jones has been seized on by skeptics — who say his e-mail offers proof of collusion between scientists to distort evidence to support their assertion that human activity is influencing climate change.

“Words fail me,” Stephen McIntyre — a blogger whose climateaudit.org Web site challenges popular thinking on climate change — wrote on the site following the leak of the messages.

However, Jones denied manipulating evidence and insisted his comment had been taken out of context. “The word ‘trick’ was used here colloquially, as in a clever thing to do. It is ludicrous to suggest that it refers to anything untoward,” he said in a statement Saturday.

Jones did not indicate who “Keith” was in his e-mail.

Two other American scientists named in leaked e-mails — Gavin Schmidt of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, and Kevin Trenberth, of the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research, in Colorado — did not immediately return requests for comment.

The University of East Anglica said that information published on the Internet had been selected deliberately to undermine “the strong consensus that human activity is affecting the world’s climate in ways that are potentially dangerous.”

“The selective publication of some stolen e-mails and other papers taken out of context is mischievous and cannot be considered a genuine attempt to engage with this issue in a responsible way,” the university said in a statement.

Associated Press Writer Meera Selva in London contributed to this report.

20 Things You Might Not Know About COBOL (as the Language Turns 50)
by Darryl Taft

1. The name COBOL was decided upon at a meeting of the Short Range Committee of CODASYL (the Conference on Data Systems Languages) held on Sept. 18, 1959.
2. COBOL, one of the oldest programming languages, gets its name as an acronym for Common Business-Oriented Language, and is primarily used in business, finance and administrative systems for companies and governments.
3. $2 trillion is the total investment in COBOL systems.
4. Five billion lines of new COBOL are developed every year.
5. More than 80 percent of all daily business transactions are processed in COBOL.
6. More than 70 percent of all worldwide business data is stored on a mainframe.
7. More than 70 percent of mission-critical applications are in COBOL.
8. Even 50 years later, 15 percent of all new application functionality will be written in COBOL.
9. More than 310 billion lines of software are in use today and more than 200 billion lines are COBOL (65 percent of the total software).
10. COBOL is an anagram of BCOOL!
11. The Mother of COBOL, Grace Hopper, is said to have invented the term “computer bug” when a moth got stuck in her Mark II computer and she joked she’d have to “de-bug” it.
12. There are 200 times more COBOL transactions per day than Google searches worldwide.
13. COBOL is changing with the times. COBOL is being re-energized as an important component of moving businesses to the Web seamlessly and efficiently.
14. An estimated 2 million people are currently working in COBOL in one form or another.
15. The COBOL 2002 standard includes support for object-oriented programming and other modern language features.
16. Work is progressing on the next full revision of the COBOL Standard. It is expected to be approved and available in the early 2010s.
17. Though named in September 1959, the COBOL subcommittee completed the specifications for COBOL in December 1959.
18. The first compilers for COBOL were subsequently implemented during the year 1960.
19. COBOL has been fashioned for execution within framework environments such as Java and Microsoft’s .NET. Micro Focus supports object-oriented COBOL compilers targeting the .NET framework.
20. Despite years of overwhelming success running business systems, COBOL has not been without its critics. Computer scientist and Turing Award recipient Edsger Dijkstra once said, “The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be regarded as a criminal offense.”

Link Here :

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Enterprise-Applications/20-Things-You-Might-Not-Know-About-COBOL-As-the-Language-Turns-50-103943/?kc=EWWHNEMNL09242009STR1