Earth ‘May Be Doubly Sensitive’ to CO2

You may think the prospect of climate change is alarming, a call to action to slow down our emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. You’re almost certainly right. But some scientists are now suggesting you should be much more concerned than you are, because they think we may be seriously underestimating the problem. The Geological Society of London (GSL) says the sensitivity of the Earth’s climate to CO2 could be double earlier estimates. The Society has published an addition to a report by a GSL working party in 2010, which was entitled Climate change: Evidence from the Geological Record. The addition says many climate models typically look at short term, rapid factors when calculating the Earth’s climate sensitivity, which is defined as the average global temperature increase brought about by a doubling of CO2 in the atmosphere. Scientists agree that a doubling of atmospheric CO2 levels could result in temperature increases of between 1.5 and 4.5°C, caused by rapid changes such as snow and ice melt, and the behaviour of clouds and water vapour. But what the GSL now says is that geological evidence from palaeoclimatology Beatrix's creative catchall in hotel setting (studies of past climate change) suggests that if longer-term factors are taken into account, such as the decay of large ice sheets, the Earth’s sensitivity to a doubling of CO2 could itself be double that predicted by most climate models. Dr Colin Summerhayes, who led the statement’s working group, says: “The climate sensitivity suggested by modern climate models may be fine for the short term, but does not encompass the full range of change expected in the long term…” But he cautions that there are really two “sensitivities” involved: “Climate sensitivity is what happens in the short term in response to a doubling of CO2. But the Earth system sensitivity is what happens in the longer time frame as ice sheets slowly melt, and as sea level slowly rises. “…The IPCC focuses on… the climate sensitivity – what will happen in the next 100 years. Earth system sensitivity tells you what happens in the next couple of hundred years after that.” The GSL’s addition also reports new data showing that temperature and CO2 levels recorded in Antarctic ice cores increase at the same time. This, says Summerhayes, “makes the role of CO2 in changing Ice Age climate highly significant.” Atmospheric carbon levels are currently just below 400 parts per million (ppm) – a figure last seen between 5.3 and 2.6 million years ago. Global temperatures were then 2-3°C higher than today, and sea levels were several metres higher, due to partial melting of the Antarctic ice sheet.

Beatrix's creative catchall in hotel setting

Coherence is overrated. That's the conclusion I draw from Beatrix, an agreeable hodgepodge of a restaurant that opened six months ago in River North and has been doing brisk business ever since. Focus? Fuggedaboutit. This Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises concept features three chefs, serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch, and also features a coffee bar and grab-and-go pastry case. Beatrix sits just off the lobby of the extremely hip Aloft Chicago City Center hotel and is essentially Lettuce Chairman Rich Melman's re-imagining of the hotel restaurant. Beatrix is dimly lit, energetic and hip; the concrete floors, wood beams and exposed mechanicals give the space an urban-loft vibe even though the construction is brand new. The no-frills look is belied by very comfortable seating (the heavy leather chairs are wonderful, though the fabric ones apparently stain too easily). You could rename the menu "Stuff Rich likes to eat," and you wouldn't be far off. The back story is that every dish at Beatrix was developed in Lettuce's test kitchen but never made it onto a Lettuce Restaurant menu, a sort of culinary version of the "Island of Misfit Toys." "These are recipes we all loved," says John Chiakulas, part of the three-headed chef hydra that runs Beatrix (Rita Dever and Susan Weaver are the other chefs), "but for whatever reason never made it into those stores." OK, "Island of Misfit Toys" is too harsh. The menu may defy categorization, but the individual dishes are well conceived and, unlike the fabled misfit toys (a train with square wheels, a boat that can't float), tend to work. The bottom of the menu bears the slogan "Taste over Trend," and that's not exactly right either. No insult intended to the taste half of the equation, but the menu is loaded with trendy influences, current and recent. Korean-spiced beef, check; hamachi crudo, check. There's raw kale with the burger, and braised kale with the turkey "neatloaf." Quinoa appears on the menu twice, and that's still trending well, at least until Foodie Nation goes freaky for freekeh. Which is also on the menu. The urban look and the playful menu names mask the fact that Beatrix's menu plays things about as cautiously as you might expect a hotel dining room to do. There are salads, some pasta and meatloaf comfort-food items, a couple of fish, some braised dishes, a steak. Two things distinguish the collection: A good selection of lighter, health-conscious touches (which the menu doesn't even point out) and enough clever twists from the kitchen to keep the audience from nodding off. Entrees are particularly attention-worthy. Branzino is topped with a golden-brown brioche crust that looks like a plank of wood but contributes crunch and buttery notes, and makes the sea bass taste a little like Dover sole. Salmon gets something of a south-of-the-border treatment, topped with a mole-like chocolate-chile glaze and served with corn tortillas and a light coleslaw flecked with smoked almonds.

Baumer Releases USB 3.0 Board-Level Cameras

Baumer adds the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 3.0 interface and other performance features to its MX camera series. Application possibilities, USB connection and flexibility in tiny installation spaces characterise the 10 new camera models. The USB 3.0 board-level cameras are available with resolutions from Video Graphics Array (VGA) to 4 megapixels (MP) and high-performance Sony Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) and CMOSIS sensors. Fast motion sequences are detected with up to 160 frames per second (fps) and global shutter sensors in monochrome and colour. The MX series’ proven large range of functions, including sequencer or storable user sets and matching Baumer Generic Programming Interface (GAPI) Software Development Kit (SDK) v.2.2 software, round out the benefits of the new USB 3.0 board-level cameras. All models are certified in accordance with the new USB3 Vision standard, making them compatible with software libraries for industrial image processing, such as National Instruments (NI) LabVIEW, MVTec Halcon or Matrox Imaging Library. Plug and play functionality enables quick and easy camera integration. The USB 3.0 interface allows you to use a single cable solution for data transmission and power supply. The small remoted 28.5 millimetre (mm) × 28.5mm sensor head is connected to the system’s printed circuit board (PCB) with only 8.2mm overall height by flexprint. This allows flexibility in camera integration where space is very limited (i.e., in industrial image processing installations or medical and laboratory technologies).

The Central Bank declined to respond to this comment

None of the options appear to be perfect just yet, but for machines that cost less than $300, they're getting closer than most probably imagined they would.A spokesperson for the Central Bank said: "It's expected that the balance sheet assessments will conclude by the end of November. The If Iran fails to meet its commitments outputs of the balance sheet assessments will feed into the ECB's asset quality review and comprehensive assessment which the Irish banks will be involved in."As the balance sheet assessments is seen as part of the overall comprehensive assessment, as announced by the ECB on Oct 23, it isn't expected that the balance sheet assessments will be published separately."It is not known when or if the Central Bank will provide the banks with the results of the balance sheet assessments.A senior source at one of the domestic Irish banks said the balance sheet assessments lacked clarity in terms of the criteria used during the assessment and the possible outcomes."There has been an exchange of information over the past month, but we do not know what happens from here or over what timeframe," said the bank source. The Central Bank declined to respond to this comment.At the outset of the assessments it was understood that if there were adverse findings, this would be communicated to the relevant bank. In turn, this bank would have to provide this information to its shareholders.The Department of Finance, which is the majority shareholder in AIB and Permanent TSB, said the assessments were a matter for the Central Bank and that it had no involvement in the process.The original plan agreed with the EU/IMF/ECB troika was that the Central Bank would conduct stress tests of the three covered banks towards the end of the summer. The results of these tests would be published before the country exited the EU/IMF bailout programme next month.However, the timing of the stress tests were delayed to coincide with the ECB's stress tests in 2014 as part of the moves towards a banking union.As well stress tests, the banks will have to undergo an asset quality review.

If Iran fails to meet its commitments

Today, the P5 1 and Iran reached a set of initial understandings that halts the progress of Iran's nuclear program and rolls it back in key respects.These are the first meaningful limits that Iran has accepted on its nuclear program in close to a decade.The proportion of scrap copper to total The initial, six month step includes significant limits on Iran's nuclear program and begins to address our most urgent concerns including Iran's enrichment capabilities; its existing stockpiles of enriched uranium; the number and capabilities of its centrifuges; and its ability to produce weapons-grade plutonium using the Arak reactor.The concessions Iran has committed to make as part of this first step will also provide us with increased transparency and intrusive monitoring of its nuclear program. In the past, the concern has been expressed that Iran will use negotiations to buy time to advance their program.Taken together, these first step measures will help prevent Iran from using the cover of negotiations to continue advancing its nuclear program as we seek to negotiate a long-term, comprehensive solution that addresses all of the international community's concerns. In return, as part of this initial step, the P5 1 will provide limited, temporary, targeted, and reversible relief to Iran.This relief is structured so that the overwhelming majority of the sanctions regime, including the key oil, banking, and financial sanctions architecture, remains in place.If Iran fails to meet its commitments, we will revoke the limited relief and impose additional sanctions on Iran.The P5 1 and Iran also discussed the general parameters of a comprehensive solution that would constrain Iran's nuclear program over the long term, provide verifiable assurances to the international community that Iran's nuclear activities will be exclusively peaceful, and ensure that any attempt by Iran to pursue a nuclear weapon would be promptly detected.The set of understandings also includes an acknowledgment by Iran that it must address all United Nations Security Council resolutions - which Iran has long claimed are illegal - as well as past and present issues with Iran's nuclear program that have been identified by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The proportion of scrap copper to total

As a result, some producers surveyed by SMM have suspended production. But this boosted orders at those producers still in operation. Downstream buyers purchased in limited amounts as copper prices fell during November. In addition, liquidity remains tight and loans will come due for repayment by the end of the year. Although these factors may not significantly affect sales of copper plate, sheet, strip, and foil this month, producers may come under increasing pressure in December and adjust production plans for the last month of the year. SMM expects the average operating rate at copper plate, sheet, strip, and foil producers in November to remain close to 62%, probably at 62.14%. It was also found in the survey that average ratio of raw materials to finished goods at the surveyed enterprises dropped 2% to 20.56% in October. As refined copper supply remained ample, copper semis producers lowered input stocks to control cost, only purchasing spot goods based on production needs. Given tight liquidity by year's end and bearish mood towards copper market outlook, copper semis producers will unlikely build considerable input stocks. The proportion of scrap copper to total raw materials consumption of copper plate, sheet, strip, and foil producers fell from 20% to 16.17% during October. The price gap between scrap copper and refined copper continued to narrow in October to about 500 yuan per tonne after copper prices fell below 52,000 yuan per tonne. Lower prices dampened selling interest at some scrap copper sellers, which limited supply of scrap copper and lowered scrap copper consumption at copper plate, sheet, strip, and foil producers. Unless you're wealthy, you sense the economy remains as precarious as an egg on a slanted counter top.Americans are raised to believe that all one needs do to succeed is keep the nose to the grindstone; if you fall behind, it's because you're not working hard enough.The economy is supposedly improving. For the wealthy, it never dipped, only rose. But down at the grindstone, we're still getting grit in our faces. Others long to even be at the grindstone.We don't talk about it in polite company, so you may not know that your neighbor or the person next to you at church is struggling to keep food on the table.The stereotype of poor people as lazy or feeling entitled applies to very few and makes admitting need even more painful for others. Jobs have been lost, hours cut, pay cut. Some are supporting grown children, parents or others.

Leonard also had a role in the offense

The Patriots have not committed to anything regarding Vereen's status for Monday night's game with the Panthers, but signs indicate he will suit up for the first time since Week 1. Assuming he does, Tom Brady will finally get his full complement of weapons on the field at the same time, an occurrence that has yet to happen this season. While Vereen will be a real asset in fantasy leagues the rest of the year, he's a dicey play this week.Let's start with that pesky Bill Belichick, who likely won't give the fantasy community any clarity before owners need to set their lineups. He almost certainly won't go on record as to what Vereen's role will be if he does play.The former Grand Isle County deputy sheriff That alone creates a high degree of uncertainty that makes Vereen a risk. On top of that, the Panthers present him with a very tough matchup. They've allowed the sixth fewest fantasy points per game to running backs this year, having surrendered just 3.8 yards per carry and two rushing touchdowns. Leonard and Rainey will split carries in the Tampa Bay backfield in the wake of Mike James' season-ending ankle injury. Leonard is likely to lead the timeshare, especially if last week is any indication. Rainey got just 11 snaps last week compared with Leonard's 48. Leonard also had a role in the offense prior to the Doug Martin and James injuries thanks to his prowess as a pass blocker. However, Rainey also did a whole lot more with his touches than Leonard did with his. The second-year back out of Western Kentucky ran for 45 yards and a score on eight carries while Leonard picked up just 57 yards on 20 totes. Leonard may be ahead of Rainey on the depth chart, and he's definitely better in pass protection, but there's no denying the success Rainey had in limited action last week.So where does that the pair for Week 11? The chance that both of these guys produce stat lines worthy of a fantasy starter is slim. One of them should put up the numbers of a top-20 back against an Atlanta defense allowing 4.6 yards per carry, though, and it's up to us to figure which one is more likely to do it. I'm tempted to go with Rainey, but the volume is too hard to ignore here. Leonard is expected to get more touches, and when you're digging this deep, it's almost always best to go with the guy who will have more opportunity. I'm calling Leonard a starter in most 12-team leagues. It's somewhat curious that Harvin will make his return this week.