Usaf Dexterity Test

At first glance, a nearly 30-foot long, 150-million-year-old dinosaur may not seem to have much in common with a modern-day bird of prey, but according to new research, the Allosaurus and the falcon at least had the same table manners. In a study published this week in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica…  

Citing biblical scripture from the Gospel of Mark, Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned those who sought to drive a wedge between atheists and believers. “The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. ‘But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.’ Yes, he can. He must. Not can: must! Because he has this commandment within him. Instead, this ‘closing off’ that imagines that those outside, everyone, cannot do good is a wall that leads to war and also to what some people throughout history have conceived of: killing in the name of God,” he said according to Vatican Radio. “That we can kill in the name of God. And that, simply, is blasphemy. To say that you can kill in the name of God is blasphemy.” In the homily of his morning Mass, the Pope also added that nonbelievers could be redeemed through good works despite their lack of faith. “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!” he said. “If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.” It is not the first time Pope Francis has voiced solidarity with atheists. In March, he said atheists and nonbelievers could be “precious allies in efforts to defend the dignity of man, in the building of a peaceful coexistence between peoples and in the careful protection of creation.” Father James Martin, a member of the Jesuit order, told the Huffington Post that such teachings had long been a part of the church. “But rarely do you hear it said by Catholics so forcefully, and with such evident joy,” he added. “And in this era of religious controversies, it’s a timely reminder that God cannot be confined to our narrow categories.” Watch video,

Devstation in Moore, OK, courtesy of Jeff Masters at the WeatherUnderground. Click for more expert storm info & images. There's been some confusing numbers thrown out on the rating of the tornadoes that devastated Oklahoma yesterday. Earlier Tuesday some outlets reported one was an F4, Tuesday afternoon I heard at least one news anchor call it an F5. This probably arises from two closely related but different intensity rating systems. The scale used by storm meteorlogists today is the Enhanced Fujita Scale, that's why you see the "EF" designation popping up. The older scale popularized by movies like Twister is the Fujita Scale. The original Fujita scale defines an F5 tornado as winds greater than 260 MPH, but the EF scale cuts off at 200 MPH. The change in scales has to do with a better understanding of the physics of wind energy. In laymen's terms, once wind velocity gets above ~ 200 MPH the destruction is so devastating it's difficult to distinguish finer dividing lines just beyond that without expert analysis. It is a certainty the tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma, was an EF5. When you see cars tossed like they are above, on top of a shredded steel-reinforced cinder-block storm-rated structure, that's about as bad as it gets. If surface winds in a hurricane were to get as strong as they did yesterday in Moore, we would have to extend the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Intensity Scale two more notches, to at least Category Seven. The National Weather Service will examine the tornado tracks and debris field to try to estimate the max winds. It remains to be seen if there's evidence for speeds above the older 261 MPH threshold. But the question is really just academic at this point.

Opinion: Allowing trade of natural gas with our allies would open the nation up to new possibilities.

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