Earth’s hot streak continues for a record 11 months ADVERTISING Earth’s hot streak continues for a record 11 months WASHINGTON (AP) — Earth’s record monthly heat streak has hit 11 months in a row — a record in itself. The
Earth’s hot streak continues for a record 11 months
WASHINGTON (AP) — Earth’s record monthly heat streak has hit 11 months in a row — a record in itself.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday that March’s average global temperature of 54.9 degrees (12.7 degrees Celsius) was not only the hottest March, but continues a record streak that started last May.
According to NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden, the 11 heat records in a row smashes a streak of 10 set in 1944. Climate scientists say this is a result of El Nino, along with relentless, man-made global warming.
Blunden and Michael Mann at Penn State University worry that people will be desensitized to the drumbeat of broken records and will not realize the real effect they have on weather — for example, massive changes in what is supposed to be winter in the Arctic. Greenland had a record early start for its ice sheet melting. The Arctic had its smallest winter maximum for sea ice and it was the second smallest March snow cover for the Northern Hemisphere.
“It’s becoming monotonous in a way,” said Jason Furtado, a meteorology professor at the University of Oklahoma. “It’s absolutely disturbing … We’re losing critical elements of our climate system.”
Judge approves deal between Ferguson, Justice Department
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A federal judge approved an agreement Tuesday between the city of Ferguson and the U.S. Justice Department that calls for sweeping changes in Ferguson, where 18-year-old Michael Brown was fatally shot by a police officer.
U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry issued her ruling after a public hearing of several hours in St. Louis, where more than two dozen people spoke, and many others had submitted written comments. Perry said the settlement is a “reasonable resolution” that avoids years of an extensive court battle.
“I think it’s in everyone’s best interest and I think it’s in the interest of justice,” she said.
The settlement calls for the hiring of a monitor; diversity training for police; purchase of software and hiring of staff to analyze records on arrests, use of force and other police matters; and outfitting all officers and jail workers with body cameras.
Mayor James Knowles III told Perry the city believes the agreement “is an important step in bringing this community together and moving us forward.”
Possible future president in Brazil known as dealmaker
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The man who may become Brazil’s next president is almost as unpopular as the leader facing impeachment now, and stained by scandals of his own.
Vice President Michel Temer, who hasn’t won an election on his own in a decade, is famed as a backstage wheeler-dealer, and detractors say he’s leading the plot to replace his boss, embattled President Dilma Rousseff.
The lower house of Brazil’s Congress voted on Sunday to impeach Rousseff and if the Senate agrees to consider the measure, she’ll be suspended while a trial is conducted.
That means Temer would take over during the trial and possibly through the end of Rousseff’s term in 2018 — assuming he can avoid ouster himself.
He signed off on some of the allegedly illegal budget measures that led to the impeachment drive against Rousseff and has been implicated, though never charged, in several corruption investigations.
Visa: New technology for chip cards to speed checkout times
Visa is upgrading its software to process chip-embedded credit and debit cards to function faster — addressing a source of grumbling from businesses and customers who are often forced to wait for transactions to go through.
The company said Tuesday that its program — Quick Chip for EMV — will let customers dip and remove cards, usually in two seconds or less, without waiting for purchases to be finalized.
Though the wait can be just seconds, in today’s economy of swipes and scans, the cards have been a nuisance for high traffic retailers, for example, a coffee shop during the morning rush.
“While chip cards have been adopted and generally accepted by customers, there have been some complaints the chip transactions take longer,” said Stephanie Ericksen, vice president of risk products at Visa.
Visa said the upgrade will be rolled over the next six months. While it is being announced for Visa debit and credit cards only, the technology is not exclusive to Visa and could be adopted by MasterCard and American Express cards as well.
