Current Facts 1

Hurricanes
Based on previous recordings, hurricanes have consistent cycles. “For about 40 years, there is a long cycle of frequent hurricane activity, then a lull of about 25 years during which fewer hurricanes are born. Hurricane experts say that we were in a lull between 1970 and 1995…Starting in 1995, there have been three or more major storms every year except one. For the next 10 to 30 years, forecasters say, people living in Florida, the Southeast, and Texas can expect to be hit at least three major hurricanes every year. This year the Atlantic Ocean near the equator is 1 to 2 degrees warmer than normal…as a result, this has already begun the worst hurricane season in 40 years. For every degree that the water temperature rises, MIT atmosphere scientist Kerry Emanuel says, maximum storm winds increase 5 mph.” In theory, if oceans continue to get warmer, within a decade or two we could witness “superviolent hurricanes with winds exceeding 175 mph or even 200 mph. A 200 mph hurricane wouldn’t be merely twice as strong as a 100 mph storm; it would be dozens of times stronger.”
See “The Week, iss 175, pp 13”

Water
Another topic involving water came up in a column written by Margaret Wertheim for the Los Angeles Times. She says that, “More than 1.1 billion people, one out of every six humans alive, do not have safe drinking water. Experts say a relatively small investment, between $10 billion and $20 billion a year for the next 15 years, could give every person on the planet access to drinking water and sanitation. Americans last year spent $61 billion on soft drinks and $71 billion on beer.”
See “The Week, iss 175, pp 14”

Ears
“A new study at the University of California found that our ears process sounds quite differently. The left ear is more attuned to music, whereas the right responds more to speech. The study could lead to better ways to treat hearing loss.” See “The Week, iss 176, pp 22”

Fingers
Microsoft is releasing a product that uses fingerprint recognition so that users can save internet passwords to their fingerprint instead of hassling with memorization and other means.

The Choclati-Code
Bad pun I know, but the truth is there was a code that existed for chocolate candies to have defining swirls on them. Check out the story at Straight Dope, ““The Squiggle Code to Identify Chocolates.”

Earth Movements
In one year, Wind moves 1,000 tons of the Earth’s surface. Ocean Waves also move 1,000 tons. Glaciers move 4,300. Continental Mountain Building is at 14,000. Rivers move 24,000, and Oceanic Mountain Building is at 30,000.
October 2004, Discover magazine V25, N10, pp 12

Earth Movements II
Humans move 45,000 tons of the Earth’s surface a year. “More than all of the effects of nature combined. Over the past 5,000 years, we have moved the equivalent of a mountain range 13,000 feet high and 60 miles long.”
October 2004, Discover magazine V25, N10, pp 12

1,000 Year-Old Brewery Unearthed
"Archaelogists discover a 1,000 year-old full-scale brewery in Peru, where the Wari people made chicha, a beerlike beverage."
October 2004, Discover magazine V25, N10, pp 11

Batman Headlines Everywhere!
On the set for the new Batman movie, the actor portraying Batman, Christian Bale became a hero as he chased after a “runaway Plymouth, dove through the car's open window, and steered it to safety.”
Jason Hatch dressed as Batman climbed the side of Buckingham palace. A partner dressed as Robin diverted attention. Hatch stood outside the royal family’s balcony for five hours after he dangled a banner that read “Super Dads of Fathers 4 Justice Fighting for Your Right to See Your Kids,” a group that wants to liberalize child-visitation laws.“
A 6-foot, 275 pound bearded man crashed a child’s birthday party in Oak Forest, Ill., announcing ‘I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman.’ He then helped himself to a piece of cake before leaving.”
See “Pigdog Journal,” & "The Week, iss 175, pp 8,” and “The Week, iss 173, pp 6”

Mount St. Helens Back Again
“Seismologists believe there's an increased likelihood of a hazardous event at Mount St. Helens due to recent changes in the mountain's seismic activity, and a notice of volcanic unrest was issued Sunday afternoon by the U.S. Geological Survey. ‘The key issue is a small explosion without warning. That would be the major event that we're worried about right now,’ said Willie Scott, a geologist with the USGS office in Vancouver. Initially, hundreds of tiny earthquakes that began Thursday morning had slowly declined through Saturday. By Sunday, however, the swarm had changed to include more than 10 larger earthquakes of magnitude 2 to 2.8, the most in a 24-hour period since the last dome-building eruption in October 1986, Scott said. A similar swarm of quakes in November 2001 and another in the summer of 1998 did not result in an eruption. However, the quakes could increase the likelihood of small rock slides from the 876-foot-tall lava dome within the mountain's crater.”

The Tonight Show
Jay Leno announced that he'll be replaced in 2009 by Conan O'Brien. “In less than two minutes, Leno managed to place the blame on NBC for subtly edging him out of his job, 'They came to me and said, We don't want to lose Conan O'Brien. I said, 'Oh, OK, what does that mean?' and for ruining his relationship with David Letterman back in '92, 'Quite frankly, good friendships were permanently damaged.' At the end of his speech, he went so far as to compare the passing on of the Tonight Show post to a dynastic succession: 'You hold it, and then you hand it off to the next person.'