Dinosaur-era climate change study suggests reasons for turtle disappearance

Friday, March 15, 2013

The dry, barren prairie around Alberta's Drumheller area was once a lush and subtropical forest on the shores of a large inland sea, with loads of wetlands inhabited by dinosaurs, turtles, crocodiles and small mammals.

But that changed about 71-million-years ago, according to a new study by researchers Annie Quinney and Darla Zelenitsky in paleontology at the University of Calgary. The researchers' calculations show that drastic climate change occurred during a five-million-year period in Alberta's badlands. At this time, the wetlands dried up and the warm humid climate was interrupted by a sudden cool, drying spell.

The study of ancient climate change is important as it helps researchers understand the impact sudden heating and cooling may have had on plants and animals.

"This was a time of change in Alberta, the wetlands disappeared as the inland sea retreated and the climate cooled," says Quinney, a former master's student in the Department of Geoscience. She led the study recently published in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, which was part of her master's degree in the Department of Geoscience.

Dramatic climate change was previously proposed to be responsible for the disappearance of turtles 71-million-years ago, because they were considered to be "climate-sensitive" animals. Results of this research, however, show that the disappearance of turtles came before the climate cooled and instead closely corresponds to habitat disturbances, which was the disappearance of wetlands.

"The big surprise is that some animals, for example turtles, appeared to be more sensitive to habitat disturbances than to climate changes. Therefore, even if climatic conditions are 'ideal,' turtles may disappear or may not recover unless habitats are just right," says Quinney.

Quinney and supervisors Zelenitsky, assistant professor in the Department of Geoscience, and Fran?ois Therrien of the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller studied ancient soils preserved in the rocks in the Red Deer River valley near Drumheller that were deposited 72 to 67 million years ago and record information about the past climate and environments.

Researchers calculated precipitation and temperature levels over a five-million year interval and during that time, temperature and precipitation dropped over a few thousand years, and that cooler interval lasted for 500,000 years.

"By studying the structure and chemistry of ancient soils, we were able to estimate the ancient temperature and rainfall that prevailed when those soils formed millions of years ago," says Quinney, who is now completing a PhD at Monash University in Australia on a full scholarship.

###

University of Calgary: http://www.ucalgary.ca

Thanks to University of Calgary for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127321/Dinosaur_era_climate_change_study_suggests_reasons_for_turtle_disappearance

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Retro Gaming Still Kicking: RetroN 4 Multi-System Console Adds ...

If you grew up gaming and have a bunch of cartridges lying around, you may very well want to relive some of their former glory now and then. You can either pop them into their respective consoles, or you can grab the latest iteration from Hyperkin, the RetroN 4. Like the previous generation machine, it lets you play NES, SNES and Sega Genesis cartridges but also adds compatibility for Game Boy Advance. What?s more, there?s now an HDMI port so you can play on that big screen TV you just got.

When users boot up the machine, they will find the ?Perdana? digital user interface which opens a wide variety of modern gaming features such as selecting systems, button reassignment and other features that will be named at the Midwest Gaming Classic. The console will also allow users to play both NTSC and PAL cartridges and will incorporate Bluetooth technology, with a completely new, redesigned wireless Bluetooth controller.

There?s no word on price, but the RetroN 3 used to cost $70 so we can?t imagine this will cost much more than that.

[ Press Release ] VIA [ Technabob ]

Source: http://www.ohgizmo.com/2013/03/13/retro-gaming-still-kicking-retron-4-multi-system-console-adds-gba-hdmi-capabilities/

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Black Smoke At Sistine Chapel: No Pope Elected

Black smoke emerges from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel as cardinals voted on the second day of the conclave to elect a pope in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. Black smoke indicates that no pope was elected. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

Black smoke emerges from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel as cardinals voted on the second day of the conclave to elect a pope in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. Black smoke indicates that no pope was elected. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Black smoke billows from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, meaning Roman Catholic cardinals have not elected a pope in their second or third rounds of balloting, at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. Cardinals voted twice Wednesday in Michelangelo's famed frescoed chapel after a first vote Tuesday in a conclave to elect a successor to Benedict XVI, who stunned the Catholic world last month by becoming the first pope in 600 years to resign. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

VATICAN-CARDINALS-POPE-CONCLAVE

A faithful holds a US flag on St Peter's square waiting for the smoke announcing the result of the second vote of the conclave on March 13, 2013 at the Vatican. The 115 cardinals held a first inconclusive vote in the Sistine Chapel yesterday as they began the process of finding a successor to Benedict XVI, who brought a troubled eight-year papacy to an abrupt end by resigning last month. AFP PHOTO / VINCENZO PINTO (Photo credit should read VINCENZO PINTO,VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images)

VATICAN-CARDINALS-POPE-CONCLAVE

Faithful stand on St Peter's square waiting for the smoke announcing the result of the second vote of the conclave on March 13, 2013 at the Vatican. The 115 cardinals held a first inconclusive vote in the Sistine Chapel yesterday as they began the process of finding a successor to Benedict XVI, who brought a troubled eight-year papacy to an abrupt end by resigning last month. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (Photo credit should read ALBERTO PIZZOLI,ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)

VATICAN-CARDINALS-POPE-CONCLAVE

People look at a giant screen displaying an image of the Sistine Chapel's chimney on St Peter's square as they wait for the smoke announcing the result of the second vote of the conclave on March 13, 2013 at the Vatican. The 115 cardinals held a first inconclusive vote in the Sistine Chapel yesterday as they began the process of finding a successor to Benedict XVI, who brought a troubled eight-year papacy to an abrupt end by resigning last month. AFP PHOTO / TIZIANA FABI (Photo credit should read TIZIANA FABI,TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images)

A pilgrim from Argentina holds some rosary beads as they stand in St. Peter's Square during the second day of the conclave to elect a new pope at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Crowds gather in front of St. Peter's Basilica in St. Peter's Square as they wait for smoke from the Sistine Chapel during the second day of the conclave to elect a new pope at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

The Papal Conclave Day Two

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MARCH 13: Photographers' cameras are protected with waterproof material and umbrellas as the media awaits news from the Conclave in St Peter's Square on March 13, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI's successor is being chosen by the College of Cardinals in Conclave in the Sistine Chapel. The 115 cardinal-electors, meeting in strict secrecy, will need to reach a two-thirds-plus-one vote majority to elect the 266th Pontiff. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

A nun holds her umbrella inside St. Peter's Square as cardinals are gathered in the Sistine Chapel for the second day of the conclave to elect a new pope, at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. Cardinals are returning to the Sistine Chapel for a second day of voting to choose a new pope after their first ballot yielded no winner and a great plume of black smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel chimney. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Black Smoke Emerges on First Day

Black smoke rises from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel meaning that cardinals failed to elect a new pope in the first ballot of their secret conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / ANDREAS SOLARO (Photo credit should read ANDREAS SOLARO,ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images)

The Papal Conclave Day One

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MARCH 12: Black smoke billows out from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel indicating that the College of Cardinals have failed to elect a new Pope on March 12, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI's successor is being chosen by the College of Cardinals in Conclave in the Sistine Chapel. The 115 cardinal-electors, meeting in strict secrecy, will need to reach a two-thirds-plus-one vote majority to elect the 266th Pontiff. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Black smoke emerges from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Tuesday, March 12, 2013. The black smoke indicates that the new pope has not been elected yet. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

Black smoke emerges from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Tuesday, March 12, 2013. The black smoke indicates that the new pope has not been elected by the cardinals. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

VATICAN-POPE-VOTE-CONCLAVE-BLACK SMOKE

Black smoke rises from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel meaning that cardinals failed to elect a new pope in the first ballot of their secret conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / VINCENZO PINTO (Photo credit should read VINCENZO PINTO,VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images)

In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, cardinals, in red, and other prelates and faithful attend a Mass for the election of a new pope celebrated by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Tuesday, March 12, 2013. Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday to elect the next pope amid more upheaval and uncertainty than the Catholic Church has seen in decades: There's no front-runner, no indication how long voting will last and no sense that a single man has what it takes to fix the many problems. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, cardinals, in red, and faithful attend a Mass for the election of a new pope celebrated by Cardinal Angelo Sodano inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Tuesday, March 12, 2013. Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday to elect the next pope amid more upheaval and uncertainty than the Catholic Church has seen in decades: There's no front-runner, no indication how long voting will last and no sense that a single man has what it takes to fix the many problems. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, cardinals, in red, and faithful attend a Mass for the election of a new pope celebrated by Cardinal Angelo Sodano inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Tuesday, March 12, 2013. Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday to elect the next pope amid more upheaval and uncertainty than the Catholic Church has seen in decades: There's no front-runner, no indication how long voting will last and no sense that a single man has what it takes to fix the many problems. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho)

Cardinals Conduct Their Final Mass Before Entering Into The Conclave

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MARCH 12: Cardinal Angelo Scola attends the Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice Mass at St Peter's Basilica, before they enter the conclave to decide who the next pope will be, on March 12, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Cardinals are set to enter the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave is scheduled to start on March 12 inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

Cardinals Attend Pre-Conclave Mass

Cardinals attend a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the start of the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation.The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Cardinals Conduct Their Final Mass Before Entering Into The Conclave

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MARCH 12: (Editor note: A fisheye lens has been used for this picture) Cardinals attend the Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice Mass at St Peter's Basilica, before they enter the conclave to decide who the next pope will be, on March 12, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Cardinals are set to enter the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave is scheduled to start on March 12 inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

Cardinals Conduct Their Final Mass Before Entering Into The Conclave

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MARCH 12: (Editor note: A fisheye lens has been used for this picture) Cardinals attend the Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice Mass at St Peter's Basilica, before they enter the conclave to decide who the next pope will be, on March 12, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Cardinals are set to enter the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave is scheduled to start on March 12 inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

Dean Of College of Cardinals Leads Mass

The dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano, leads a grand mass in St Peter's Basilica ahead of a papal election conclave on March 12, 2013 in St Peter's basilica at the Vatican. Cardinals prayed in St Peter's Basilica on Tuesday ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope with no clear frontrunner after Benedict XVI's historic resignation as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics left behind a Church beset by scandals. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Cardinal Dolan and Cardinal Hon

US cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan (L) and Hong Kong cardinal John Tong Hon attend a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation.The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Cardinal Dolan Attends Mass Before Conclave

US cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan attends a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation.The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

VATICAN-CARDINALS-POPE-CONCLAVE-MASS

Cardinals attend a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the start of the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation.The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

VATICAN-CARDINALS-POPE-CONCLAVE-MASS

Cardinals attend a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the start of the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation.The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Cardinals Attend Pre-Conclave Mass

Cardinals attend a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the start of the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation.The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Cardinal Angelo Scola

Italian cardinal Angelo Scola arrives for a grand mass in St Peter's Basilica ahead of a papal election conclave on March 12, 2013 in St Peter's basilica at the Vatican. Cardinals prayed in St Peter's Basilica on Tuesday ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope with no clear frontrunner after Benedict XVI's historic resignation as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics left behind a Church beset by scandals. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Cardinal Giuseppe Betori

Italian cardinal Giuseppe Betori arrives for a grand mass in St Peter's Basilica ahead of a papal election conclave on March 12, 2013 in St Peter's basilica at the Vatican. Cardinals prayed in St Peter's Basilica on Tuesday ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope with no clear frontrunner after Benedict XVI's historic resignation as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics left behind a Church beset by scandals. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Cardinal Scherrer

Brazilian cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherrer walks in procession during a grand mass in St Peter's Basilica ahead of a papal election conclave on March 12, 2013 in St Peter's basilica at the Vatican. Cardinals prayed in St Peter's Basilica on Tuesday ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope with no clear frontrunner after Benedict XVI's historic resignation as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics left behind a Church beset by scandals. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Cardinals Attend Pre-Conclave Mass

Cardinals attend a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the start of the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation.The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Cardinals Attend Pre-Conclave Mass

Cardinals attend a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the start of the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation.The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Visitors Watch Mass

Visitors watch a mass at St. Peter's Basilica shown on a video monitor in Vatican Square attended by cardinals before sequestering themselves in the Sistine Chapel for the conclave to elect the next pope at the Vatican, Tuesday, March 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

American Cardinals

From left, US Cardinals Donald Wuerl, Timothy Dolan, Francis George and Roger Mahony exit the North American College to go to the Vatican's Domus Sanctae Martae, the Vatican hotel where the cardinals stay during the conclave, in Rome, Tuesday March 12, 2013. Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday to elect the next pope amid more upheaval and uncertainty than the Catholic Church has seen in decades: There's no front-runner, no indication how long voting will last and no sense that a single man has what it takes to fix the many problems. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Nuns Arrive For Mass

Nuns arrive to attend a mass at the St Peter's basilica on the first day of the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation. The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / JOHANNES EISELE (Photo credit should read JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)

Visitors In Line To Attend Mass

People queue to attend a mass at the St Peter's basilica on the first day of the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation. The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / JOHANNES EISELE (Photo credit should read JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)

American Cardinals Wave To Seminarians

ROME, ITALY - MARCH 12: Seminarians at the North American College line the road to watch as a bus takes the American Cardinals to St. Peter's Basilica where a Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice Mass will be celebrated before the Cardinals enter the Conclave to decide who the next pope will be on March 12, 2013 in Rome, Italy. Cardinals are set to enter the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave is scheduled to start in the afternoon inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Nuns Wait On Line To Attend Mass

Nuns queue to attend a mass at the St Peter's basilica on the first day of the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation. The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / JOHANNES EISELE (Photo credit should read JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)

Cardinals Attend Pre-Conclave Mass

Cardinals attend a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the start of the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation.The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Cardinals Attend Pre-Conclave Mass

Cardinals attend a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the start of the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation.The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Cardinals Attend Pre-Conclave Mass

The dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano, leads a grand mass in St Peter's Basilica ahead of a papal election conclave on March 12, 2013 in St Peter's basilica at the Vatican. Cardinals prayed in St Peter's Basilica on Tuesday ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope with no clear frontrunner after Benedict XVI's historic resignation as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics left behind a Church beset by scandals. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

The Papal Conclave Day One

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MARCH 12: A pilgrim prays in St Peter's Square as cardinals attend mass before entering the conclave on March 12, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI?s successor is being chosen by the College of Cardinals in Conclave in the Sistine Chapel. The 115 cardinal-electors, meeting in strict secrecy, will need to reach a two-thirds-plus-one vote majority to elect the 266th Pontiff. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

The Papal Conclave Day One

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MARCH 12: A pilgrim walks across St Peter's Square as cardinals attend mass before entering the conclave on March 12, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI?s successor is being chosen by the College of Cardinals in Conclave in the Sistine Chapel. The 115 cardinal-electors, meeting in strict secrecy, will need to reach a two-thirds-plus-one vote majority to elect the 266th Pontiff. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

The Papal Conclave Day One

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MARCH 12: A pilgrim prays in St Peter's Square as cardinals attend mass before entering the conclave on March 12, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI?s successor is being chosen by the College of Cardinals in Conclave in the Sistine Chapel. The 115 cardinal-electors, meeting in strict secrecy, will need to reach a two-thirds-plus-one vote majority to elect the 266th Pontiff. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

VATICAN-CARDINALS-POPE-CONCLAVE-MASS

Ghanaian cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson (C) gives the sign of peace with other cardinals during a grand mass in St Peter's Basilica ahead of a papal election conclave on March 12, 2013 in St Peter's basilica at the Vatican. Cardinals prayed in St Peter's Basilica on Tuesday ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope with no clear frontrunner after Benedict XVI's historic resignation as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics left behind a Church beset by scandals. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

VATICAN-CARDINALS-POPE-CONCLAVE-MASS

Ghanaian cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson (R) takes the communion during a grand mass in St Peter's Basilica ahead of a papal election conclave on March 12, 2013 in St Peter's basilica at the Vatican. Cardinals prayed in St Peter's Basilica on Tuesday ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope with no clear frontrunner after Benedict XVI's historic resignation as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics left behind a Church beset by scandals. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

VATICAN-CARDINALS-POPE-CONCLAVE-MASS

Austrian cardinal Christoph Schonborn attends a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation.The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

VATICAN-CARDINALS-POPE-CONCLAVE-MASS

French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray (C) says goodbye to cardinals at the end of a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation.The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

VATICAN-CARDINALS-POPE-CONCLAVE-MASS

Italian cardinal Angelo Scola attends a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation.The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

VATICAN-CARDINALS-POPE-CONCLAVE-MASS

Canadian cardinal Marc Ouellet attends a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican. Cardinals moved into the Vatican today as the suspense mounted ahead of a secret papal election with no clear frontrunner to steer the Catholic world through troubled waters after Benedict XVI's historic resignation.The 115 cardinal electors who pick the next leader of 1.2 billion Catholics in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel will live inside the Vatican walls completely cut off from the outside world until they have made their choice. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS,GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/13/black-smoke-at-sistine-chapel-indicates-no-pope_n_2865317.html

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Pope in translation: A new tool to see what non-English news orgs ...

Today?s big news is an inherently global story ? 115 cardinals from 67 different countries will gather in Rome to begin the process of choosing the next pope. With 1.2 billion Roman Catholics living in the world, interest in tracking their progress will be avid and widespread.

Wouldn?t it be great, one might wonder, if all all of those interested individuals had access to the same news sources? If an Italian newspaper publishes a particularly insightful profile of a cardinal they think might be a likely choice, shouldn?t all Catholics be able to read it, regardless of what language they speak?

Making global news both readable and sharable regardless of where it was written in has been Brian McConnell?s goal for more than ten years. He?s the founder of Der Mundo, a service that seeks to remove language barriers when it comes to discovering new content online by creating links that will automatically translate a page into the reader?s preferred language. Read an article in Brazil?s Folha de S?o Paulo and share it via Der Mundo on Twitter ? your reader in Milan, clicking through, will see it translated from Portugese into Italian, while your cousin in Dubrovnik will see it in Croatian.

At first glance, what Der Mundo offers doesn?t seem to be too different from Google?s automatic translation feature on Google Chrome. But McConnell says the real power of Der Mundo is actually in its role as a curator. ?If you don?t know a page or article exists in another language, you won?t find it,? McConnell wrote in an email.

As a first stab at solving this problem, Der Mundo is operating Habemus Papam, a Facebook page related to the conclave that links to automatically translated stories as they develop in Rome. ?All someone needs to do is follow the link,? says McConnell, ?It?ll work whether they are using Internet Explorer on an old PC, or Safari on an iPhone.? In the future, McConnell hopes to create a central site where all links submitted to Der Mundo are aggregated and made searchable by keywords, ?so that if you search for arte, you?ll find art related posts.?

(Habemas Papam is, of course, ?We have a pope? in Latin ? a much earlier lingua franca for the world?s Catholics. In more contemporary times, Benedict XVI had to tweet in nine languages, including Latin, to try to reach his multilingual flock.)

Although the majority of pages translated into English do use Google Translate, Der Mundo incorporates multiple services to improve accuracy. In addition to Google Translate and Microsoft Translator, Der Mundo uses open source software called Apertium for translating between closely related Romance languages, which requires a little more nuance.

But as most 21st century humans know, no computer program has yet mastered the subtle art of translation. An El Pa?s headline from yesterday translated by Apertium: ?Cardinals debate profile of the new papa before c?nclave.? And another, from the Sunday edition of Italy?s Corriere della Sera using Google: ?Hope you choose an Italian pope 35 years after Luciani.?

For this reason, McConnell also plans to incorporate collaborative translation using a wiki page that has a base machine translation that bilingual readers can edit and adjust. The wiki is emerging gradually as it undergoes thorough testing, but would establish an easy way to get reliable translations quickly.

Der Mundo?s traffic was small at launch ? around a hundred or so test users from between 10 and 20 countries, and just six likes on Facebook for Habemus Papem. But it?s the idea of taking a global event and trying to make it language neutral that?t interesting more than whatever audience this specific instantiation might find. McConnell is hopeful that the service will take off as people share the links on Twitter and Facebook while for a new pope.

Down the road, he hopes that niche experts ? like the Dutch cycling press or Brazilian music coverage ? might rely on Der Mundo to reach an international audience. (The British soccer investigative reporter Andrew Jennings has spoken about the need for a similar cross-language exchange of journalism around corruption in FIFA. If there?s a beat that rivals the papacy for its pan-national nature, it?s probably international soccer.) But for now, if you want to find out what your friends in France or relatives in Russia are reading about le pape or ???? ???????, check out Habemus Papam on Facebook.

The Tower of Babel (1563) by Bruegel.

Source: http://www.niemanlab.org/2013/03/pope-in-translation-a-new-tool-to-see-what-non-english-news-orgs-are-writing-about-the-conclave/

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Feds bust up $100M NC crop insurance fraud ring

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) ? Federal investigators have unraveled a massive scheme among dozens of insurance agents, claims adjusters, brokers and farmers in eastern North Carolina to steal at least $100 million from the government-backed program that insures crops.

Authorities say the ongoing investigation is already the largest such ring uncovered in the country.

Forty-one defendants have either pleaded guilty or reached plea agreements after profiting from false insurance claims for losses of tobacco, soybeans, wheat and corn. Often, the crops weren't damaged at all, with farmers using aliases to sell their written-off harvests for cash.

Prosecutors compared the case to busting a drug cartel, where federal investigators used a confidential informant to ensnare a key participant in the sophisticated fraud, who then agreed to implicate others. That first wave of prosecutions led to still more names to investigate.

"These defendants make it harder on the honest farmer," Assistant U.S. Attorney Banumathi Rangarajan said. "The more they lie and steal the more premiums and costs go up for the farmers who play by the rules."

The federal crop insurance program was created during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s as a way to keep farmers from going bankrupt because of a bad growing season. The U.S. Department of Agriculture pays about 15 private insurers to sell and manage the policies, but taxpayers are on the hook for most of the losses. Payouts for 2012 have topped $15.6 billion ? a figure that is still growing as new claims are filed.

Bruce A. Babcock, an agricultural economist at Iowa State University, said fraud likely accounts for a small percentage of that total.

"There's always fraud in the crop insurance system, but I've seen nothing to suggest it is pervasive," Babcock said. "Eighty percent of the program costs are supported by the federal government. Some people see defrauding taxpayers like cheating on their income taxes."

Those prosecuted in North Carolina raked in millions for years without detection until 2005, when prosecutors say USDA auditors used computer software to mine insurance claims data from across the country for outliers. Among the names identified was Robert Carl Stokes, a Wilson crop insurance agent whose clients appeared to have consistently horrible luck.

Through prosecuting Stokes and his immediate co-conspirators, authorities were led to dozens of others involved in similar frauds throughout eastern North Carolina, with crooked claims adjusters and tobacco brokers working with multiple insurance agents and their farmer clients. The USDA's Office of Inspector General said the recent string of crop insurance convictions in eastern North Carolina eclipses similar investigations anywhere else in the United States.

"Our agents have been involved in a remarkable number of successful crop insurance investigations in this district, with substantial monetary penalties and restitution ordered by the court," said Karen Citizen-Wilcox, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Southeast Region.

USDA requires tobacco growers to take out crop insurance ahead of the growing season, but payment on those policies is not due until after the harvest. If the crop is damaged by bad weather or leaf-munching bugs, the farmer is paid the difference between the value of his diminished harvest and the amount of the policy.

According to Stokes' indictment, the insurance agent recruited farmers to take out large policies and then claim large losses, even as they produced bumper crops. Stokes helped the farmers keep the true value of their harvests secret by selling "hidden" tobacco through warehouse operators in on the scheme, who agreed to write checks to false recipients to help obscure who was really getting the money.

Stokes would then cash the checks for the farmers, keeping a percentage. Stokes would also keep a share of the payout from the government-backed insurance settlement, according to prosecutors.

Charged with 14 felony counts, Stokes pleaded guilty in 2011 to two counts of conspiring to make false statements and to commit money laundering and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. He also agreed to pay more than $16.5 million in court-ordered restitution.

Released last month from a federal penitentiary in West Virginia, Stokes is back in Wilson wearing an electronic ankle bracelet that allows federal authorities to track his movements. He declined to comment on his conviction, citing the three years of probation remaining on his sentence. Now 62 and unemployed, he is paying $200 every month toward the millions he still owes in restitution.

Five years after Stokes' arrest, crop insurance fraud cases continue to cycle through the federal courthouse in Raleigh.

Last month, former Rural Community Insurance Services adjuster Jimmy Thomas Sasser was sentenced to four years in prison and to pay more than $21 million in restitution.

According to prosecutors, Sasser for years took cash payoffs ranging from $400 to $2,000 to falsify claims for hail damage at the behest of Stokes and another convicted insurance agent, Mark Davis Pridgen. As part of his guilty plea, Stokes, 61, also admitted that he threated to kill Pridgen, his former brother-in-law, in retaliation for cooperating with investigators.

Now at home waiting for a spot to open up in a federal prison, Sasser said fraud is common in the crop insurance system, which offers limited ways for authorities to discover when loss estimates are exaggerated or falsified.

"I can tell you it's everywhere, all across the country," Sasser said Monday. "When you let the farmers keep up with their own production, they can put that production anywhere they want to. All the adjuster does is take what the farmer gives him to work the claim. What the farmer does before the adjuster gets there, the adjuster has no idea."

Last week, the wife of Southern Pines tobacco broker Jesse Ray "Tommy" Faulkner softly wept in court as U.S. marshals handcuffed her husband after he violated the terms of his pre-trial release by getting arrested for driving while impaired in February. Facing two conspiracy counts, Faulkner is set to be sentenced later this month after entering a plea agreement that remains under seal.

Faulkner's lawyer, Kindelle McCullen, had pleaded with U.S. District Court Judge James C. Dever III to delay the sentencing and allow her client to go to rehab for alcoholism, citing what she described as his extensive cooperation with federal investigators in pending crop fraud cases.

Dever was unmoved, sending Faulkner off to jail and indicating his desire to go ahead with sentencing.

"I know I've been sentencing a lot of folks in this scheme," the judge said, "I'm ready to get on with it."

Many of the dozens of defendants sentenced so far have received years in federal prison, agreeing to pay a total of $42 million in restitution and more than $900,000 in fines. That's still less than half what federal prosecutors say taxpayers have been bilked.

Thomas Walker, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, said the investigation is continuing and that others may still be charged.

"Crop insurance fraud is the same as mortgage fraud and health care fraud," Walker said. "It's all about greed and stealing from the taxpayer. We aggressively pursue these criminals just like we pursue drug dealers and other crooks."

___

Follow Associated Press writer Michael Biesecker at twitter.com/mbieseck

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/feds-bust-100m-nc-crop-insurance-fraud-ring-123130888.html

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Only 32% of motorists know car insurance basics

Paul A. Eisenstein , The Detroit Bureau ? ? ? 2 hrs.

Do you know the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage? What?s gap insurance for? And do you know who will pay if a friend borrows your car and then crashes it?

If you?re like most American motorists, the odds are that you can?t answer those or other relatively basic questions about your coverage, what might be called Auto Insurance 101. A multiple-choice survey of 500 drivers conducted by Insurance.com found that the average score was a miserable 32%, and even when accounting for gender, age and region, no group scored higher than 39%.

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?Drivers may see their policies as gobbledygook,? said Insurance.com Editor Michelle Megna. ?Their eyes are moving over the words but there?s no understanding.?

Ironically, those who admitted having a ?terrible? level of knowledge about auto insurance scored higher than those who rated themselves ?excellent,? 28% to 26%. Those self-ranked as ?good,? generally scored best, at 34%.

Even then, the overall poor showing suggests that motorists are likely to make some significant mistakes when it comes time to sign up for insurance coverage, especially if they follow the increasingly common path of working through an online service that might not offer the guidance of a well-trained agent.

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The quiz asked ten questions about auto insurance basics. The lowest scores reflected a lack of knowledge about:

• Comprehensive coverage, only 2% choosing the right multiple-choice answer;
  
• Only 7% knew the typical discounts available for motorists; and
  
• Just 8% understood the factors insurance companies use to set rates.
  

On the positive side:

• A full 71% know whose insurance will kick in if a friend borrows your car and then crashes it;
  
• And 69% know what Personal Injury of Medical Payment Protection covers;
  
• Just over half, 55%, know what gap insurance covers when a car is totaled.
  

Part of the problem, said Megna, is the choice of terms that insurance companies use. Take so-called ?comprehensive? coverage. It picks up such things as theft, fire, vandalism, or striking an animal while driving. But it doesn?t cover hitting another car. That?s part of your collision coverage.

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?Unfortunately its name is quite misleading ? it?s not ?comprehensive? at all -- which clearly leads to confusion among auto insurance buyers,? said Megna.

Drivers over 40 scored best on the survey, averaging 39%, compared to just 24% among those aged 18 to 29. Women outscored men, 35% to 27%, And according to region, those in the South topped the list at 34% compared to just 29% among those living in the Northeast.

Perhaps the most frightening part of the study? Those who have read their policy from cover to cover scored the lowest, at just 28%. Though who skimmed through did slightly better ? but those who got the highest score, averaging 35% -- never bothered to read the policy.

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Copyright ? 2009-2013, The Detroit Bureau

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/only-32-motorists-know-car-insurance-basics-1C8793603

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Hilaria Baldwin: My Mom Guessed I Was Having a Girl

"My mother told me a week before we found out that she had a dream that it was a girl," Hilaria says.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/zCzMltFPQAE/

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