Day: January 9, 2024

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The news these days

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While I still read and share some news and analysis, I’ve cut back enormously on my consumption of the news and I don’t follow any politicians or news stories any more on Facebook. As soon as Facebook tried to suggest that I follow a politician, I clicked block.

Maybe in a few weeks I’ll turn on the NPR for the news when things get a bit more sane but at this point I don’t care that much. I’ve come to the conclusion that the best way to live life is to live on a need to know basis and be ignorant of all other things. If I don’t have any control over the world and it doesn’t effect me then why should I pay attention?

NPR

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Red Cross declares an emergency blood shortage, as number of donors is down 40% : NPR

The American Red Cross announced that it is experiencing the lowest number of people giving blood in the last 20 years, in what the organization says is an emergency shortage.

In all, the Red Cross says that the number of people donating blood has dropped by 40% over the last two decades, and that the shortage could worsen in coming months if winter weather or seasonal respiratory illnesses like the flu or COVID-19 cause people to cancel their donation appointments.

"The potential for severe winter weather and seasonal illness may compound the dire blood supply situation," said Dr. Eric Gehrie, executive physician director for the Red Cross, in a statement on Monday. "Donors of all types – especially those with type O blood and those giving platelets – are urged to give now."

The Red Cross announcement coincides with the start of National Blood Donor Month. The organization is urging people to schedule an appointment by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor app, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

PACE University Free GIS Course

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The spring 2024 session of Pace University‘s free 12-week Desktop GIS course begins January 22. The syllabus for the course is at  
http://webpage.pace.edu/MMinnis/GISSyllabus   There is a FAQ at the bottom of the syllabus.   

https://classroom.google.com/c/NjQzODc0ODU3OTgy?cjc=zo6abh3

If you have trouble enrolling or have a question that the FAQ does not address, email me at MMinnis@Pace.edu.  You can also tell me to un-enroll you if you change your mind.

Peggy Minnis 
M. M. Minnis, Ph.D.
Chemistry & Physical Sciences Department

Pace University
861 Bedford Road
Pleasantville, NY 10570 USA
914-773-3857

NPR

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2023 was the hottest year ever recorded, scientists say : NPR

Last year was the hottest ever recorded, according to temperature data going back to 1850. And it beat the previous record by a wide margin, according to new data released by the European Union's weather and climate monitoring agency, Copernicus.

2023 beat out 2016, the previous leader for hottest recorded global average temperature, by nearly two-tenths of a degree Celsius (about four-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit), according to the E.U. data. The high average temperatures reflected record-high ocean temperatures globally and were exacerbated by a strong El Ni?o climate pattern.

Global temperatures last year were nearly 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than average global temperatures in the late 1800s, when humans first began emitting large amounts of planet-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels like coal and oil.