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☆ Inside Canada's polar bear 'jail' where bears go without food and are kept behind bars — but it's not what you might think
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Crystal Raypole | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The town's Polar Bear Holding Facility, aka "jail", helps bears and humans live harmoniously. It's the only town in the world where people and polar bears live in close proximity — and the only town that has a polar bear "jail", aka the Polar Bear Holding Facility. Humans generally don't make up part of a polar bear's diet, but a starving bear won't be picky. Its second main goal is protecting polar bears, currently classified as a vulnerable species. What to do if you encounter a polar bearA polar bear on one of the last shards of ice in Hudson Bay.

☆ What might get this stock market unstuck
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Michael Santoli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Clearly the market is captive of strong, opposing and somewhat unpredictable currents, as the passengers argue over what might get stocks unstuck, and in which direction. Excluding financial stocks, for instance, the S & P 500 would be up 11% for the year. Here is the equal-weighted S & P 500 vs. the Nasdaq 100 since the end of 2021. The stock market has, coincidentally or not, carved a similar path so far this year as it did to begin 2011. The S & P 500 that year raced higher to print a 7% gain into a February high, then chopped sideways.

☆ Before Smartphones and the National Weather Service, There Was Grandma’s Knee
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Derrick Bryson Taylor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I thought my grandmother was psychic. My grandmother looked down and began to vigorously massage her knees, like a soothsayer rubs a crystal ball. Before humans became reliant on technology, we used our senses — including observing animal behavior and shapes of clouds — to help predict the weather. “People started to either pass these on verbally or, as civilization started to evolve more, people would start writing these things down,” he said. Sandi Duncan, the managing editor of Farmers’ Almanac, where weather lore is still regularly discussed, likened passing down weather lore over time to a game of telephone, adding that some of it may have been changed in order to rhyme.

The discord between Russia and the other Arctic Council members means that an effective response to these changes is far less likely. Recently, it has taken steps to expand cooperation in the Arctic with non-Arctic states. On April 24, Russia and China signed a memorandum establishing cooperation between the countries' coast guards in the Arctic. "We need to safeguard the Arctic Council as the most important international forum for Arctic cooperation and make sure it survives," Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Eivind Vad Petersson told Reuters. "I don't see an Arctic Council without Russia in the future," said Larsen, a Greenland lawmaker at the Danish Parliament and the Chair of Arctic Parliamentarians, a body including MPs from across the Arctic countries.

☆ Petermann Glacier in Greenland is melting away with the tide, which could signal faster sea level rise, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Brandon Miller | Cnn Meteorologist | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A major glacier in northwest Greenland is interacting with the ocean tides, scientists reported Monday, resulting in previously unaccounted-for melting and potentially faster sea level rise. This is an important finding: The traditional view among scientists was that the grounding line did not migrate with the tides – and this introduces another major source of melting that could be accelerating sea level rise. Between 2016 and 2022, warmer tidal cycles melted a 670-foot-tall hole in the underside of the glacier along the grounding line — big enough that two Statues of Liberty could be stacked on top of one another inside it. The study raises more concerns for the already worrisome prospect of sea level rise, which threatens coastlines around the world. Greenland’s melting ice is the single largest contributor to sea level rise, according to NASA, which has been accelerating in recent years.

☆ Ocean temperatures are off the charts right now, and scientists are alarmed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Ocean surface heat is at record-breaking levels. Since La Niña ended in March, ocean temperatures seem to be on a rebound, scientists say. Worrying impacts of ocean warmingWhatever the reasons behind the increase in ocean heat, the impacts are potentially catastrophic if temperatures continue to head off the charts. For now, ocean surface temperatures have started to fall, even if they remain high for this time of year. As scientists continue to analyze the reasons for record ocean warming, they are clear records will continue to be smashed as the climate crisis intensifies.

BERLIN, May 3 (Reuters) - U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said on Wednesday China has invited him to visit "in the near term" for talks on averting a global climate change crisis even as diplomatic relations between the world's two biggest greenhouse gas emitters remain tense. The United States and China must work together to address climate change, Kerry said in an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of a conference on global warming in Berlin. China, for example, first must issue its plan to reduce methane emissions and advance in the transition away from coal, Kerry added. "We're not pointing fingers and we're not out there trying to, you know, make this part of the other issues that are out there" between the United States and China, Kerry added. "This (climate change) is a free-standing issue which affects China as it affects the United States."

☆ Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, JPMorgan, Zillow, General Motors, Exxon, Tesla & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Here are Monday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Morgan Stanley upgrades General Motors to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said the auto giant's stock is oversold. Guggenheim initiates Endeavor as buy Guggenheim initiated the sports and entertainment company and says it's "well positioned." Morgan Stanley reiterates Tesla as overweight Morgan Stanley said Tesla's price cuts are the best measure of electric vehicle demand. Morgan Stanley upgrades Logitech to equal weight from underweight Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock mainly on valuation. Guggenheim upgrades Teradata to buy from neutral Guggenheim upgraded the software company based on positive channel checks.

☆ Israeli major disciplined for wearing uniform to political protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, April 30 (Reuters) - An Israeli army officer was removed from his post on Sunday for attending a political protest in uniform, the first such case during a crisis over the government's planned judicial overhaul that has stirred rancour within the military ranks. The military confirmed his rank but, in a statement on his offence, said only that he had taken part in a protest last week while in uniform, and was stripped of his command authorities. The push by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition to rein in Israel's Supreme Court has set off concern over judicial independence. Voicing worry for the country's war-readiness, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant came out in March against the pace of the overhaul. Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mississippi River Towns Prepare for Flooding as Melting Snow Heads South
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Joe Barrett | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A sand barrier along River Drive in Davenport, Iowa, is part of the city’s defenses against flooding from the Mississippi River. Photo: Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times/Associated PressCities in Iowa and Illinois are likely to face a big test of beefed-up flood defenses in the next week as flooding from record snow in Minnesota courses down the Mississippi River. Some cities in Minnesota had record or near-record snowfall this winter and much of it rapidly melted as temperatures climbed to the 80s and 90s earlier this month. Rivers in Minnesota have been at major flood stage and are now starting to recede, but those peak floodwaters are heading for Iowa and Illinois.

☆ California's fire season under way weeks after heavy rain and snow
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, April 28 (Reuters) - Barely five weeks after the last bout of heavy rain and snow in California's historically wet winter, firefighters on Friday battled the state's first large wildfire of the year in rugged foothills east of Los Angeles. The blaze posed no immediate threat to populated areas as it burned steep terrain deep in the forest, agency spokesperson Lyn Sieliet said. Still, it marked the first blaze of the 2023 season measuring 100 acres or more, signaling the potential for extreme wildfire activity this summer and fall. Forecasters said a warming trend hastened a spring thaw following a spate of Pacific storms that pummeled California with torrential rains and mountain snow from late December until late March. Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

April 25 (Reuters) - Most of the vast, scenic valley at the heart of Yosemite National Park in California will close to visitors this weekend in a rare shutdown prompted by forecasts of floods from rapid snowmelt. The closure will start at 10 p.m. on Friday and last at least until Wednesday, May 3, possibly longer, depending on how swiftly melting mountain snow runs off into the Merced River through Yosemite Valley, the National Park Service said on Tuesday. About 100 miles to the north, the Merced River at the Pohono Bridge at the west end of the Yosemite Valley was forecast to top flood stage late this week, the park service said. The vast glacial Yosemite valley received a record 40 inches of snow during the winter, prompting the closure of the entire park to the public on Feb. 25 for three weeks. That shutdown marked one of the longest and most expansive weather-related closures in the park, according to park spokeswoman Nancy Phillipe.

☆ California's reappearing phantom lake could remain for two years in the Central Valley
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

An aerial view of a home (C) surrounded by floodwaters in the reemerging Tulare Lake, in California’s Central Valley, on April 14, 2023 in Corcoran, California. Mario Tama | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesSatellite images taken over the past several weeks show a dramatic resurrection of Tulare Lake in California's Central Valley and the flooding that could remain for as long as two years across previously arid farmland. This week, a heat wave could prompt widespread snow melt in the mountains and threaten the small farming communities already dealing with the resurrected Tulare Lake. Satellite imagery shows a large swath of farmland before water filled the Tulare Basin. Planet LabsSatellite images show miles of flooding after California's Tulare Lake returns.

☆ Parts of Yosemite National Park Closing as Flooding Looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( April Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Parts of Yosemite National Park will close on Friday ahead of flooding threatened by the melting of huge amounts of snowpack, a delayed blow from record-breaking severe weather this winter. The closure will last until at least May 3, the national park said on Twitter. The snowpack, which forced the park to close earlier this year, is forecast to melt and increase river flows, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford, Calif. In Yosemite Valley, El Capitan crossover, a road that crosses the Merced River and sits east of the El Capitan rock formation, will close. “Parking in western Yosemite Valley and throughout the park will be extremely limited.

☆ Tucker Carlson's texts from the Dominion lawsuit reveal the real Fox News
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Rebecca Zisser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Private texts reveal incredible detail about Fox News' inner workings. Among the messages is a thread where Tucker Carlson privately bashes Trump. Top Fox News hosts, including Tucker Carlson, privately insulted Chris Wallace and hatched a plot for a rebellion — November, 16, 2020. In a group chat between the three biggest hosts, Carlson, Hannity, and Ingraham, few colleagues, including then-"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace, were spared. In a group chat between the three biggest hosts, Carlson, Hannity, and Ingraham, few colleagues such as then-"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace were spared.

☆ 'This was supposed to be our forever home': 2 Utah houses slide down a cliff months after residents were forced to evacuate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"Draper City has been following up with the developer, Edge Homes for months on engineering studies Edge Homes has conducted regarding the stability of the surrounding area," the statement read. Kamradt and Edge Homes did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Kamradt shared more about his experience with Edge Homes in the comment section of his LinkedIn post. "Edge Homes is playing hardball. they want us to make concessions before they pay for the rental," Kamradt wrote to another user Sunday morning.

☆ Pace of rise in global sea level has doubled, UN climate report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The remains of houses are pictured as rising sea levels destroy homes built along the shoreline, forcing villagers to relocate, in El Bosque, Mexico, November 7, 2022. Extreme glacier melt and record ocean heat levels - which cause water to expand - contributed to an average rise in sea levels of 4.62mm a year between 2013-2022, the U.N. agency said in a major report detailing the havoc of climate change. "We have already lost this melting of glaciers game and sea level rise game so that's bad news," WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas told a press conference. Rising sea levels threaten some coastal cities and the very existence of low-lying states such as the island of Tuvalu - which plans to build a digital version of itself in case it is submerged. Climate scientists have warned that the world could breach a new average temperature record in 2023 or 2024, fuelled by climate change and the anticipated return of warming El Niño conditions.

☆ Earth Day 2023: The world just failed its annual health checkup
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The WMO’s annual State of the Climate Report, published Friday ahead of Earth Day, is essentially a health checkup for the world. Global sea levels climbed to the highest on record due to melting glaciers and warming oceans, which expand as they heat up. “Communities and countries which have contributed least to climate change suffer disproportionately.”A man uses a hand fan in a park in central Madrid during a heatwave, on August 2, 2022. The hottest year on record, 2016, was the result of a strong El Niño and climate change, said Baddour. “This is really a wake up call that climate change isn’t a future problem, it is a current problem.

☆ NOAA Forecasters See a Respite for California
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The NewsWeather forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday issued their latest outlook for the United States, and there’s at least one piece of hopeful news for a state that has already had a wild year, weather-wise: California. But according to NOAA’s latest forecasts, temperatures for May through July are highly likely to be in line with historical averages across California and Nevada. For May, much of California could even see cooler-than-normal conditions, the agency said. This could mean the snow’s melting would be more gradual than abrupt, more beneficial to water supplies than destructive to homes and farms. “The picture is relatively optimistic compared to what it could be,” said Andrew Schwartz, lead scientist at the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory, part of the University of California, Berkeley.

☆ Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are melting rapidly and driving sea level rise, new satellite data finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Earth’s ice sheets lost enough ice over the last 30 years to create an ice cube 12 miles high, according to new research. They found that ice sheet melting has increased six-fold over the past 30 years, as record levels of planet-heating pollution push up global temperatures. The worst year for ice sheet loss was 2019, the report found, when the ice sheets lost around 675 billion tons of ice. Ice sheet melting now accounts for a quarter of all sea level rise – a fivefold increase since the 1990s. Otosaka expects the Greenland ice sheet to continue losing ice, but said it’s not yet clear what might happen to the Antarctic ice sheet.

Crop Watch follows 11 corn and 11 soybean fields across nine U.S. states, including two each in Iowa and Illinois. As of Tuesday, four Crop Watch fields had been planted and a fifth, the Indiana soybeans, was in progress. Since 1980, U.S. corn planting progress has matched or exceeded 10% by April 16 only five times, most recently in 2016. Some notable corn planting progress by state as of Sunday include Illinois at 10%, Iowa 7%, Kansas 17% and Missouri 30%. The five-year average corn planting is 11% for April 23 and 26% for April 30.

☆ Sudan's army chief, the warlord and a feud that risks civil war
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Michael Georgy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

ABANDONING THEIR BENEFACTORAmid the bloodshed, Hemedti captured the attention of Bashir, a general who came to power in a 1989 coup. Bashir also gave his family and associates free rein to sell Sudan's gold, helping him amass a fortune. In the aftermath, Hemedti secured the post of deputy head of state, a position that technically reports to Burhan. Like Sudan's army, the RSF deployed fighters to Yemen where Gulf Arab states have fought a proxy war for years against Iranian-backed Houthis. The military wants the RSF integrated into the regular army and under its controls, two military sources said.

☆ How Electrifying Everything Became a Key Climate Solution
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Nadja Popovich | Brad Plumer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

Water heating Air conditioning Space heating Refrigeration Washing and dry. Refrigeration Air conditioning 16% electric Water heating 99% Refrigeration Air conditioning Residential Cooking Space heating Refrigeration Other 96% Lighting and electronics Lighting and elec. Cooking 2021 Current Electricity Use Electricity as percent of total energy consumed in 2021 36% Water heating Space heating Washing and dry. Cooking 2050 Net Zero Pathway Electricity as percent of total energy consumed in a high-electrification scenario Water heating Space heating 63% Washing and dry. Air conditioning Refrigeration Other Air conditioning Water heating 99% Refrigeration Space heating 96% Other Lighting and electronics Lighting and elec.

☆ Volcano in remote Russian Far East spews 10-km-high ash plume
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ash from the initial eruption reached 20 km into the sky, covered villages in drifts of grey volcanic dust and triggered an aviation warning. Lava flows tumbled from the volcano on Monday, melting snow and prompting a warning of mud flows along a nearby highway. As much as 8.5 centimetres (3.5 inches) of ash carpeted villages, the deepest in 60 years. Around 24 hours after the volcano began erupting, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Kamchatka, the geological survey said. A red notice issued by the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT), remained in force.

☆ AI-Created Images Are So Good Even AI Has Trouble Spotting Some
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Ann-Marie Alcántara | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

AI-Created Images Are So Good Even AI Has Trouble Spotting Some Software tools can help you determine the origin of an image, but context is still keyIn this AI-generated image, some artifacts are easy to spot: 1) Her fingers are extremely long and flat. 2) Her mouth appears to be missing some teeth and sinks into her face. 3) Her hand is melting into the table. 4) His fingers are also long and flat. Illustration: The Wall Street Journal; Microsoft Bing Image Creator

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