Why do they name hurricanes?
Besides the story about the man who showed up at Discovery Channel headquarters with a gun and explosives yesterday, the other newsworthy event is Hurricane Earl ripping through the entire East Coast. North Carolina is feeling the brunt of it right now (along with Virginia and Maryland), and Earl may head north toward Long Island and even Maine.
Earl, huh? Wondering how or why they pick a name for a storm? Our very detailed post from last year describes the process perfectly, but the basic purpose of naming tropical storms
“…began years ago in order to help in the quick identification of storms in warning messages because names are presumed to be far easier to remember that numbers and technical terms. Many agree that appending names to storms makes it easier for the media to report on tropical cyclones, heightens interest in warnings and increases community preparedness.”1
Last year’s post lists the future storms’ names, but I’ll tell you now that the next few will be Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, and Igor.
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Read on:
Yahoo! News – Island evacuations start as Earl nears East Coast
(image above from NOAA.gov)
New Apple products (iPod nano, Touch, shuffle, etc.)
Apple CEO Steve Jobs had a product unveiling today which was chock full of new iPods and other assorted software and hardware gadgetry. Follow the link below for all of the details, but the things most people will be talking about are:
- a new iPod Touch with front and rear cameras, just like the iPhone 4
- a new iPod nano which looks drastically different than older models and is a small touch screen square
- a revived Apple TV, which is a small box allowing users to stream movies, TV shows, and photos to their TVs
- a new version of iTunes which includes a Faceb00k-type social media platform for sharing music choices
- TV show rentals on the new iTunes for as little as 99 cents
What Jobs failed to mention in the presentation but is quite obvious in the image below is the removal of the video recording device in the new nano (which was present in the previous generation’s nano). I guess Apple chose to sacrifice some features for the sake of size.
the new nano (image from Gizmodo.com)
Read on:
Gizmodo.com – All the Cool New Stuff From Apple Today
Obama to explain the withdrawal of combat troops tonight
President Obama will be making a national address tonight. Before you start whining about missing that rerun of Glee, you should know what Obama will be talking about, because it is sure to be brought up the next morning.
Iraq will be the main focus of President Obama’s speech tonight. During much of Obama’s tenure, he has focused military efforts in Afghanistan while trying to reduce American presence in Iraq. The intent of tonight’s speech is to discuss the combat troop withdrawal in Iraq.1
The important thing to know about this subject is that at 5 p.m. E.T. today, the combat mission in Iraq will officially be over from the American perspective. The battle in Iraq was a complicated one, but for simplicity’s sake, remember that this is the war that started with Bush’s “shock and awe” event in 2003.
Here’s where you don’t want to misunderstand what is happening: while there will technically be no more “combat troops” in Iraq, the U.S. will still be retaining 50,000 “noncombat” troops on the U.S. base in Iraq. Naturally, if for no other reason than their own defense, these noncombat troops will be well trained in combat and will still be training Iraqi troops on certain combat efforts. ForeignPolicy.com summed up tonight’s attempt at transformation best:
“So while the next stage of the Iraq war may be, as Obama described it, a transformation from ‘a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats,’ the actual mission of the remaining troops will stay largely the same: building the capabilities of the Iraqi military and rooting out the extremists.”2
Now that you have some of the facts, read on for more, and if someone starts telling you that America is completely out of Iraq, set them straight. Nothing stirs up a debate better than discussing America’s involvement in other countries.
Read on:
CNN.com – U.S. combat mission in Iraq nears end
RightWeb – The End of the Iraq Combat Mission?
Salon.com’s take on the Emmys
It’s a pretty slow news day (unless you enjoy looking at actors dressed up and graded by magazine and website publishers), and while Dinner Topics doesn’t like to simply regurgitate the news, we’ll make an exception this time so you have something to read and talk about today. Here is a Salon.com article about the most memorable moments from last night’s Emmys.
If that’s not enough for you, here’s a random story about a guy getting hit over the head with a cornbread pan at a yard sale.
Back to our regularly scheduled Dinner Topics tomorrow.
Emmy Awards tonight
The Emmy Awards are televised tonight, so even if you don’t plan on watching, here are a few quick tidbits about the broadcast and the shows nominated:
- Jimmy Fallon will be hosting.
- Glee is the most nominated show, with 19 nominations.
- Expect Mad Men to walk away with a handful of awards.
- Modern Family and The Good Wife are the two other “hot” rookie shows expected to win some awards.
One last thing to watch for: it probably won’t win, but Conan’s O’Brien’s short lived Tonight Show is nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series. No, Jay Leno was not nominated for either of his programs. The Daily Show or The Colbert Report are probably the favorites, but if Conan pulls a shocker, it will be quite a scene watching his acceptance speech as it airs on NBC tonight.
Read on:
Emmys.com – this year’s nominations
USAToday.com – Networks step up to cable’s challenge at the Emmy Awards
Glenn Beck’s latest controversy
Glenn Beck is a conservative talk show host currently in the news because of a rally he plans on having Saturday in Washington D.C. to supposedly “pay tribute to America’s service personnel and other upstanding citizens who embody our nation’s founding principles of integrity, truth and honor.”1
If you aren’t familiar with Beck’s popularity, he is a Fox News staple, offering wildly conservative views on most subjects and enjoys hyperbole and an “us versus them” attitude when it comes to Republicans and Democrats. Many talk show hosts take this over the top approach lately because it usually means ratings. In the case of Beck, his ratings have been boffo, topping 3 million viewers in a single night about a year ago and regularly pulling in 2 million viewers a day for his 5pm show. Besides TV, Beck has written several best selling books and hosts a radio show as well.
The controversy this weekend is in regards to the date of the rally: it happens to be on the same date (and in the exact same place) as Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech 47 years ago. Throw in an appearance and scheduled speech by Sarah Palin and you’re sure of two things: the speeches will likely be controversial, and you’ll have something to talk about Saturday night.
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Read on:
WashingtonPost.com -Networks take different paths in covering Glenn Beck ‘Restoring Honor’ rally
Workers trapped in Chilean mine
33 miners have been trapped in a gold and copper mine in Chile’ since August 5. The story has been in the news for a few days now because after fearing the worst, they were found alive this week. It will take about FOUR MONTHS to get to the miners, so this story is sure to be recurring in the next few months. For the record, four months from yesterday puts the rescue right on Christmas Day. Here are some facts you should know:
- The mine collapsed, and the group is in a small shelter 2,300 feet from the Earth’s surface. That’s why the rescue will take so long.
- Because the workers are more than four miles into the winding mine, the best rescue attempt will be drilling down into the 2,300 feet, using huge drills capable of tunnelling down about 67 feet per day. That is well over a month in drilling alone without any setbacks. 1
- Currently, the miners are receiving small food rations and supplies through a bored hole just a few inches wide.
Expect to see plenty of updates in the coming months, but for now, at least you are up to date on a very tense situation in Chile’.
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Read on:
Guardian.co.uk – Trapped Chilean miners found alive – but rescue will take four months
Google News – Chilean miners told to keep slim to squeeze out
And you thought post-game traffic was brutal
After you return home from your mildly inconveniencing traffic jam tonight, here’s a Dinner Topic you can share with the family and make yourself feel good about being home: a 10-day traffic jam in China is finally easing up. Yes, you read that right: a traffic jam that lasted for 10 days! Some truck drivers were stuck on the 60-mile stretch for days at a time and were “greeted” by people selling water and other products at price gouging levels. The freeway is west of Beijing.
The traffic jam was a result of a combination of things, including road repair and tourist, but the biggest reason for congestion was the recent finding of coalfields in Mongolia, which has led to many additional trucks hauling coal to power plants in Beijing.
When this fascinating tale is brought up, you should know that Mongolia is the country sandwiched between Russia and China.
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Read on:
npr.org – China’s Massive Traffic Jam Could Last For Weeks
NYTimes.com – China’s 60-Mile Traffic Jam Is Breaking Up
