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US declares 1st federal water shortage in Colorado River, Lake Mead
WASHINGTON - U.S. officials on Monday declared the first-ever water shortage from a river that serves 40 million people in the West, triggering cuts to some Arizona farmers next year amid a gripping drought.
Water levels at the largest reservoir on the Colorado River — Lake Mead — have fallen to record lows. Along its perimeter, a white "bathtub ring" of minerals outlines where the high water line once stood, underscoring the acute water challenges for a region facing a growing population and a drought that is being worsened by hotter, drier weather brought on by climate change.
States, cities, farmers and others have diversified their water sources over the years, helping soften the blow of the upcoming cuts. Federal officials said Monday's declaration makes clear that conditions have intensified faster than scientists predicted in 2019, when some states in the Colorado River basin agreed to give up shares of water to maintain levels at Lake Mead.
"The announcement today is a recognition that the hydrology that was planned for years ago — but we hoped we would never see — is here," said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton.
FILE - An aerial image shows Lake Mead on the Colorado River during low water levels due to the western drought on July 20, 2021 from Boulder City, Nevada.
RELATED: 'Code red for humanity': UN climate change report warns of 'unprecedented' impacts
Lake Mead was formed by building Hoover Dam in the 1930s. It is one of several man-made reservoirs that store water from the Colorado River, which supplies household water, irrigation for farms and hydropower to Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and parts of Mexico.
But water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the river's two largest reservoirs, have been falling for years and faster than experts predicted. Scorching temperatures and less melting snow in the spring have reduced the amount of water flowing from the Rocky Mountains, where the river originates before it snakes 1,450 miles (2,334 kilometers) southwest and into the Gulf of California.
"We're at a moment where we're reckoning with how we continue to flourish with less water, and it's very painful," said Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University.
Water stored in Lake Mead and Lake Powell is divvied up through legal agreements among the seven Colorado River basin states, the federal government, Mexico and others. The agreements determine how much water each gets, when cuts are triggered and the order in which the parties have to sacrifice some of their supply.
Under a 2019 drought contingency plan, Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico agreed to give up shares of their water to maintain water levels at Lake Mead. The voluntary measures weren't enough to prevent the shortage declaration.
RELATED: July was Earth's hottest month on record, NOAA says
Lake Mead supplies water to millions of people in Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico.
Cuts for 2022 are triggered when predicted water levels fall below a certain threshold — 1,075 feet (328 meters) above sea level, or 40% capacity. Hydrologists predict that by January, the reservoir will drop to 1,066 feet (325 meters).
Further rounds of cuts are triggered when projected levels sink to 1,050, 1,045 and 1,025 feet (320, 318 and 312 meters).
Eventually, some city and industrial water users could be affected.
Lake Powell's levels also are falling, threatening the roughly 5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity generated each year at the Glen Canyon Dam.
Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming get water from tributaries and other reservoirs that feed into Lake Powell. Water from three reservoirs in those states has been drained to maintain water levels at Lake Powell and protect the electric grid powered by the Glen Canyon Dam.
RELATED: Western states face federal water cuts as U.S. officials issue first-ever Level 1 shortage
In the U.S., Arizona will be hardest hit and lose 18% of its share from the river next year, or 512,000 acre-feet of water. That's around 8% of the state's total water use.
An acre-foot is enough water to supply one to two households a year.
Nevada will lose about 7% of its allocation, or 21,000 acre-feet of water. But it will not feel the shortage mainly because of conservation efforts.
California is spared from immediate cuts because it has more senior water rights than Arizona and Nevada.
Mexico will see a reduction of roughly 5%, or 80,000 acre-feet.
Farmers in central Arizona, who are among the state's largest producers of livestock, dairy, alfalfa, wheat and barley, will bear the brunt of the cuts. Their allocation comes from water deemed "extra" by the agency that supplies water to much of the region, making them the first to lose it during a shortage.
As a result, the farmers will likely need to fallow land — as many already have in recent years because of persisting drought — and rely even more on groundwater, switch to water-efficient crops and find other ways to use less water.
Water suppliers have planned for the shortage declaration by diversifying and conserving their water supply, such as by storing water in underground basins. Still, water cuts make it harder to plan for the future.
The Central Arizona Project, which supplies water to Arizona's major cities, will no longer bank river water or replenish some groundwater systems next year because of the cuts.
"It's a historic moment where drought and climate change are at our door," said Chuck Cullom of the Central Arizona Project.
Cities such as Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tucson, and Native American tribes are shielded from the first round of cuts.
Water levels at the reservoir have been falling since 1999 due to the dry spell enveloping the West and increased water demand. With weather patterns expected to worsen, experts say the reservoir may never be full again.
Though Lake Mead and Lake Powell could theoretically be refilled, planning for a hotter, drier future with less river water would be more prudent, said Porter of Arizona State University.
AP reporters Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona, and Sam Metz in Carson City, Nevada, contributed to this report.


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Video: Cop criticized for failing to help off-duty officer aid crash victims
Pinecrest Officer Ana Carrasco claims that she didn't help the victims because her training prevented her from moving the bodies
By Police1 Staff
PINECREST, Fla. — A Pinecrest Police officer is under fire for failing to help an off-duty officer render aid to two car crash victims who died of their injuries — but the off-duty officer says the on-duty cop deserves further punishment.
Dash cam video from the October incident shows two graduate students — Ying Chen and Hao Liu — lifeless on the street and off-duty Miami police sergeant Javier Ortiz administering CPR to the female victim.
"I jumped out of my car, I have a defibrillator, and checked the vitals on both victims," Ortiz told CBS4. "I immediately started CPR on the female. It was just me. I had no one to work on the male and I was waiting for help to arrive."
Pinecrest Officer Ana Carrasco was next to arrive on the scene, and appears to stand over Ortiz and watch as he tries saving Chen.
"I told her that the male was not breathing and had no pulse and she needed to turn him over and start CPR," said Sergeant Ortiz.I got no response. She just stood there," said Ortiz.
Ortiz claims that he and bystanders at the scene both begged Carrasco to help as she stood with her hands in her pockets.
Carrasco said she feared that turning the ale victim over would harm him, and that she's given her only pair of gloves to Ortiz and didn't have pair for herself, according to CBS.
"I actually made a visual assesment on the male facing down. I didn't see him breathing I didn't see his lungs or chest expanding or any signs of life."
Her proposed punishment was a one-week suspension without pay. Pinecrest Police Chief Samuel Ceballos said in a statement that he will determine her punishment after a meeting with her and her attorney.
"I think that's pretty unheard of," Ortiz said. "I'm actually surprised that Pinecrest would be so lenient. She has no business wearing a badge and a gun. Somebody that wears a badge and gun takes an oath, and part of that oath on or off duty is to save lives and she didn't do it."

subset: commoncrawl


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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
WASHINGTON DC, USA – There is no evidence that the deadly H7N9 bird flu has yet spread between humans in China but health authorities must be ready for the virus to mutate at any time, a top US virologist has warned.
Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said officials in China had studied more than 1,000 close contacts of confirmed cases and not found any evidence of human-to-human transmission.
"That is powerful evidence because if you had a thousand contacts with someone with the flu you would be pretty sure some of them would have been infected," Fauci said in an interview with AFP.
Nevertheless, Fauci cautioned that authorities needed to be ready for the possibility of the virus mutating and spreading between humans.
"It's unpredictable as are all the influenza. One of the things we need to be concerned about is this might gain the capability of going human-to-human which up to this point has not happened and is somewhat encouraging news," Fauci said.
"But we still need to be very prepared for the eventuality of that happening."
Researchers are already developing a diagnostic test to identify H7N9, along with a vaccine, with clinical trials due in July or August.
"Work is under way on making a diagnostic test to be able to pick it up quickly," Fauci said.
"We have already started on an early development of a vaccine as we did with H5N1 years ago… Hopefully, we will never have to use it."
More than 110 people in mainland China have been confirmed to be infected with H7N9, with 23 deaths, since Beijing announced on March 31 that the virus had been found in humans.
Most of the cases have been located in eastern China, although Taiwan has reported one case. Another case has been found in southern China, while Chinese officials confirmed a further outbreak in the central province of Hunan.
Chinese authorities have identified poultry as the source of the virus and have confirmed that patients became sick from contact with infected live fowl.
A visiting team from the World Health Organization, which wrapped up a week-long visit to China on Wednesday, said there had been no human-to-human transmission but warned H7N9 was "one of the most lethal" influenza viruses ever seen.
Fauci praised Beijing for its handling of the current crisis, contrasting it to the response of the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2002-2003, when China stood accused of covering-up the scale of the crisis.
"It was not the case with SARS in 2003 but the transparency has been excellent," Fauci said. "I am quite satisfied with the Chinese response."
Fauci likened the current H7N9 strain of bird flu "in some respects" to the H5N1 bird flu strain of several years ago.
"The similarities are that it is fundamentally a chicken or bird flu that jumps from chicken to humans and is quite severe when it infects humans," he said.
However, Fauci added: "The difference between H7N9 and H5N1, is that H5N1 kills chickens very rapidly so it is easy to identify where the infected flocks of chickens are. H7N9 doesn't make the chicken sick, so it has been difficult to pinpoint where the infected chickens are."
There have been 566 confirmed cases of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, which killed 332 people in the world — a mortality rate of 58 percent, compared to 20 percent for the H7N9 bird flu strain.
The H1N1 "swine flu" pandemic o 2009, which appeared in Mexico at the same time of year as the H7N9, eventually infected 60 million people throughout the world and killed more than 12,000.
The 1918 Spanish flu, which has been called one of the deadliest plagues in human history, had a mortality rate of only two percent. – Rappler.com
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Long term contract Opportunity!
Title: Claims Examiner
Location: Ontario, CA 91764
Term: 4 Months Contract
Day-to-Day Responsibilities:
- Analyzes and processes complex or technically difficult workers' compensation claims by investigating and gathering information to determine the exposure on the claim
- Manages claims through well-developed action plans to an appropriate and timely resolution
- Negotiates settlement of claims within designated authority
- Calculates and assigns timely and appropriate reserves to claims; manages reserve adequacy throughout the life of the claim
- Calculates and pays benefits due; approves and makes timely claim payments and adjustments; and settles clams within designated authority level
- Prepares necessary state fillings within statutory limits
- Manages the litigation process; ensures timely and cost effective claims resolution
- Coordinates vendor referrals for additional investigation and/or litigation management
- Uses appropriate cost containment techniques including strategic vendor partnerships to reduce overall cost of claims for our clients
- Manages claim recoveries, including but not limited to: subrogation, Second Injury Fund excess recoveries and Social Security and Medicare offsets
- Reports claims to the excess carrier; responds to requests of directions in a professional and timely manner
- Communicates claim activity and processing with the claimant and the client
- Maintains professional client relationships
- Ensures claim files are properly documented and claims coding is correct
- Refers cases as appropriate to supervisor and management
- Supports the organization's quality program(s)
- Travels as required
Is this a good fit? (Requirements):
- 5 years of claims management experience or equivalent combination of education and experience required
- Subject matter expert of appropriate insurance principles and laws for line-of-business handled, recoveries offsets and deductions, claim and disability duration, cost containment principles including medical management practices and Social Security and Medicare application procedures as applicable to line-of-business
- PC literate, including Microsoft Office products
- Analytical and interpretive skills
- Strong organizational skills
- Good interpersonal skills
- Excellent negotiation skills
- Ability to work in a team environment
- Ability to meet or exceed Service Expectations
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university preferred
- Professional certification as applicable to line of business preferred
If this sounds like the perfect fit, Apply Today!


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In last night's State of the Union Address, the president strongly emphasized America's need for innovation in order to "win the future." His speech, not surprisingly, focused largely on the improvement of the economy. He challenged Americans to hone their creativity to achieve the innovation that will keep our country competitive in global markets and continue on the path to economic recovery. Obama's support has struck a pleasant chord with the business and technology communities.
What does the president's encouragement of innovation mean for the technology industry? Obama praised the tech industry for creating American jobs and gave a nod to successes of Google and Facebook. Obama proposed increasing investments in education, making high-speed, wireless internet more readily available to more citizens, and improving clean-energy initiatives. These proposals mean more government money going directly to the research and development of new innovative technologies, particularly clean technology and information technology.
As Obama illustrated, America has a history of bright minds and great progress. By investing in young thinkers and new technology, the government can help increase the American contribution to the digital revolution, which continuously improves citizens' lifestyles with each innovation. Obama plans to send a budget outlining the proposed investments to Congress in the coming weeks. It will be interesting to observe over the next legislative year how his proposals are addressed and developed in Washington and the impact they have on tech policies and businesses.
To support the American spirit of innovation check out the CEA sponsored website www.innovation-movement.com.


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Senior Services
We provide care that heals and comforts our patients. To do this, we must understand the unique needs and desires of the people we serve. Our senior services are designed around this philosophy.
Older people often face complex and interrelated health issues. Many of our nurses and doctors have specialized geriatric training to better serve seniors. Our hospitals offer advanced treatments and facilities geared toward serving older people, such as the Senior ER at Lutheran Medical Center, which was the first senior emergency room in Colorado.
Across our range of programs and services for seniors, you'll find a commitment to wellness that enhances and transcends medical treatment. Whether it's healthy aging programs, care for chronic illnesses, transitioning into long-term care or taking part in volunteer groups, our focus on whole-person health will nourish the physical, emotional, social and spiritual well-being of seniors in our community.


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Zebra Technologies to Demonstrate How 'The Experience is Everything' at NRF 2015
Company to showcase how enterprise asset intelligence can enable a better retail omni-channel experience
08 Jan, 2015, 08:00 ET
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill., Jan. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), a global leader in products and services that provide real-time visibility into organizations' assets, people and transactions, will be showcasing its latest retail solutions in Booth #1603 at the 104th National Retail Federation (NRF) Annual Convention & EXPO on Jan. 11-14, 2015 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Zebra acquired Motorola Solutions' Enterprise Business in October 2014, and NRF 2015 represents the first time the combined entity will be demonstrating its retail offerings.
In retail today, the shopper's experience is a retailer's biggest differentiator. Expanding on the theme "The Experience is Everything," Zebra, along with its business partners, will be demonstrating new solutions that can help retailers create personalized experiences that connect with shoppers, enable associates to deliver the experiences that turn shoppers into buyers, and can be deployed effectively with minimal IT support.
- Among the new products, solutions and services on display at NRF:
- The Zebra PD40 mobile payment solution supports mobile payments anywhere in the store using virtually any type of payment card – magnetic stripe and the new EMV (Chip-and-PIN) - to safely and securely process transactions. The PCI-compliant PD40 links to Zebra's Android mobile computers via secure Bluetooth® and can provide an easy-to-use one-handed solution that can help with line busting – empowering store associates to check customers out faster and deliver a better shopping experience.
- Workforce Connect Voice is a flexible Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony client designed to enhance workflow efficiencies and deliver better customer service. Using only a Wi-Fi connection, it can provide comprehensive PBX functionality to Zebra mobile computers - helping improve worker productivity. By converging desk phone functionality on mobile computers, associates can cost-effectively answer and manage telephone calls from anywhere in the store. Workforce Connect Voice makes communicating easy and intuitive by leveraging customizable screens and functions so store employees maintain a familiar telephone experience with existing systems.
- StageNow is a powerful, out-of-the-box staging solution that will help businesses quickly setup, configure, secure and deploy their Zebra enterprise mobile computing devices running the AndroidTM operating system.
- Zebra also will showcase several recently introduced solutions:
- The MPact Platform for Mobile Marketing is the first of its kind to offer both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® Smart technology to engage with shoppers in the aisle when buying decisions are being made. Shoppers can opt-in and receive customized offers and personal assistance via a Bluetooth Smart-triggered loyalty app and access Wi-Fi to locate products in store, read reviews, compare prices and look up information. The combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Smart technology gives insight and visibility to a shopper's journey in the store while eliminating the need for retailers to deploy, integrate and manage two separate technologies.
- The ZQ110 is Zebra's smallest and most affordable mobile 2-inch printer - combining an ultra-compact design with rugged durability and reliable performance. Offering Bluetooth and WLAN support, as well as a full-shift battery life, the ZQ110 is ideal for mobile point-of-sale (MPOS) receipt printing, mobile promotion vouchers and merchandise pick-up slips. For applications that require reading loyalty gift cards or for authenticating a user, the ZQ110 printer offers an optional magnetic stripe reader (MSR).The ZQ110 also supports the latest Android, Windows® and Apple® (MFi-certified) devices.
- The Symbol TC70 touch computer combines the ease of use of a smartphone with the purpose-built durability, reliability and performance that retailers demand. Designed to boost efficiency and customer service, the TC70 is supported by more than 50 certified applications including price and inventory checks, line busting and assisted selling along with workforce and inventory management. The TC70 is available with a comprehensive family of accessories including holsters, a magnetic stripe reader (MSR) for mobile payment and trigger-handles ideal for scan-intensive applications.
- Workforce Connect Push-To-Talk (PTT) Express is a cost-effective solution that enables PTT communications among different devices, including Zebra voice-capable mobile computers, bar code scanners and enterprise voice devices. It can allow devices like the TC70 to serve as a two-way radio right out of the box via Wi-Fi.
- The pocket-sized Symbol CS4070 wireless handheld Bluetooth scanner can easily pair with any Bluetooth-enabled tablet, smartphone or laptop to provide enterprise-class 1D and 2D bar code scanning. The CS4070 works with all of today's popular Android, iOS and Windows tablets, laptops and smartphones. Designed to be worn on a lanyard around the neck or fit naturally in the hand for all-day comfort, the CS4070 scanner can be used for mobile point-of-sale and merchandising applications.
- The Symbol DS4308 2D series of imagers is Zebra's most intuitive and easy-to-use scanner - offering omnidirectional scanning and a decode range that allows users to scan any bar code type at any density nearer and farther than any other scanners in its class.
- The lightweight DS4308-HD imager offers a 16.5-inch read range that is ideal for general point-of-sale (POS) scanning and can also capture high-density bar codes found on electronics, jewelry and other small items.
- The DS4308-SR imager can scan electronic bar codes on the screen of mobile phones, drivers' licenses and UPC codes out to 28 inches, making it easy to scan large or heavy items in a shopping cart from the opposite side of the counter.
Juliann Larimer, Chief Marketing Officer, Zebra Technologies
"Zebra and the former Motorola Solutions Enterprise Business have a long and rich heritage of leadership and innovation in the retail industry. We are excited to come together at NRF 2015 and showcase how retailers can differentiate themselves by enhancing the omni-channel experience with new solutions that can help retailers reduce costs, improve associate effectiveness and increase shopper satisfaction."
Website: NRF 2015
Facebook: Zebra Technologies
Twitter: @ZebraRetail
About Zebra Technologies
Zebra (NASDAQ: ZBRA) makes businesses as smart and connected as the world we live in. Zebra tracking and visibility solutions transform the physical to digital, creating the data streams enterprises need to simplify operations, know more about their businesses, and empower their mobile workforces. For more information, visit www.zebra.com/possibilities.
Zebra Technologies, Zebra and the Zebra logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Zebra Technologies Corporation and are used under license. Android is a trademark of Google, Inc. Apple® and iOS® are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Microsoft, Windows and Windows CE are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. ©2015 Zebra Technologies Corporation. All rights reserved.
Media Contact:
Bill Abelson
Zebra Technologies
+1 917-952-2551
[email protected]
Industry Analyst Relations Contact:
Carolyn Buerger
Zebra Technologies
+1 224-316-0066
[email protected]
SOURCE Zebra Technologies Corporation


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Popular Regions:Long Island Schools New York City Schools
I.S. 34 Tottenville is located at 528 Academy Avenue Staten Island, NY and serves grades 6-8. This New York School is owned and run by the New York City Department of Education. The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is located in New York City District #31 in Richmond County, on Staten Island meets the educational needs of the community. School Officials believe that all students are capable of learning, regardless of their abilities, race, color, national origin or creed, and works to make sure this responsibility is met.
The staff and teachers at this New York School are encompassed of talented, skilled, and caring specialized professionals that are devoted to the academic, social, and emotional development of each and every student in their school. Students are taught the importance of being a good citizen while recognizing the importance of differentially in each individual. Educational technology applications will deepen student engagement and improve student achievement by enabling them to access and analyze information, solve problems, collaborate with others, and communicate their thoughts and ideas.
The school Strives to incorporate modern technological advancements in instruction as well as administration of the school to make financial resources available to maintain and improve buildings and grounds. Effective uses of learning technologies are applied to allow students to become self-directed, self-motivated, and lifelong learners. Teachers increasingly will be facilitators of student learning through proficient use of learning technologies.
I.S. 34 TottenvilleStaten Island Schools - Nyc District #31
528 Academy Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10307
Large City (City: Large)
718-984-0772 (Phone)
Serving Grades: 6-8, UE
Principal: Jeffrey PrestonCompare to nearby schools »
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I.S. 34 Tottenville - Staten Island, NY


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Water Conservation
Water is one of the most vital resources on the planet. Humans, plants, and animals all need it to survive. As human activity increases through population, agriculture, and industry growth, so does our water use.
Water conservation methods are needed to ensure that this important and defining feature of our planet remains abundant.
Why Conserve?
The majority of Earth is covered in water — so why do we need to conserve this resource? Although more than 70% of the Earth's surface is water, more than 96% is salt water we cannot use. The remaining 2.5% of Earth's water is freshwater, and it is distributed as follows:
- More than half is locked up in permanent ice.
- 30% is held in groundwater.
- Only a little over 1.3% is surface water, the main source of water for human use.
This means that out of all the water on Earth, we can only use about 0.01% (this increases to around 1% if you include groundwater).
Florida has a multitude of springs, rivers, and lakes, but all the surface water is sustained by our groundwater resources, mainly the Floridian Aquifer. If we use water faster than the aquifer can be recharged through rainfall, we deplete our water resources.
Water Conservation Tips
We all need water for ourselves, our plants, our animals, and more, but you can still minimize your water use. As a bonus, you'll find that reducing your water use can also lower your water bills.
Use these quick tips in your home and landscape:
- Find and fix leaks.
- Install low-flow toilets and shower heads.
- Run the dishwasher or clothes washer only when you have full loads.
- Water your lawn only if it needs it.
- Repair and calibrate your irrigation system.
- Follow Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles.
Don't forget that not only do we need enough water to use, but it also has to be clean water. Florida's Department of Environmental Protection has tips for keeping pollution out of our water.
Water Conservation Resources
Water conservation is going to be a hot issue for our society as the world's population continues to grow. The following resources can provide more information:
- Your local county Extension office
- Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program
- Florida Water Management Districts
- EPA WaterSense®
Adapted and excerpted from:
N. Taylor, et al., Energy Efficient Homes: The Energy and Water Connection (FCS3273), Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences (Archived).
"Where is Earth's Water Located," United States Geological Survey (01/2013).
"Water Conservation," UF/IFAS Living Green (accessed 01/2013).
Related Sites & Articles
- Hot Topics
- City Forests & Water
- Coastal Wetlands
- Harvesting Rainwater
- UF/IFAS Publications
- Watering Your Florida Lawn
- UF/IFAS Sites
- Conserving Water
- Your Florida Lawn
- UF Water Institute
- Other Sites & Publications
- DEP Recognizes April as Water Conservation Month--Florida DEP
- Clean Water Act: 40th Anniversary--US EPA
- WaterSense--US EPA


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ExtUtils::MakeMakPerlFProgrammers RefExtUtils::MakeMaker::FAQ(3p)
ExtUtils::MakeMaker::FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions About MakeMaker
FAQs, tricks and tips for "ExtUtils::MakeMaker". Module Installation How do I keep from installing man pages? Recent versions of MakeMaker will only install man pages on Unix like operating systems. For an individual module: perl Makefile.PL INSTALLMAN1DIR=none INSTALLMAN3DIR=none If you want to suppress man page installation for all modules you have to reconfigure Perl and tell it 'none' when it asks where to install man pages. How do I use a module without installing it? Two ways. One is to build the module normally... perl Makefile.PL make ...and then set the PERL5LIB environment variable to point at the blib/lib and blib/arch directories. The other is to install the module in a temporary loca- tion. perl Makefile.PL PREFIX=~/tmp LIB=~/tmp/lib/perl And then set PERL5LIB to ~/tmp/lib/perl. This works well when you have multiple modules to work with. It also ensures that the module goes through its full installation process which may modify it. Philosophy and History Why not just use <insert other build config tool here>? Why did MakeMaker reinvent the build configuration wheel? Why not just use autoconf or automake or ppm or Ant or ... There are many reasons, but the major one is cross- platform compatibility. Perl is one of the most ported pieces of software ever. It works on operating systems I've never even heard of perl v5.8.8 2005-02-05 1 ExtUtils::MakeMakPerlFProgrammers RefExtUtils::MakeMaker::FAQ(3p) (see perlport for details). It needs a build tool that can work on all those platforms and with any wacky C compilers and linkers they might have. No such build tool exists. Even make itself has wildly different dialects. So we have to build our own. What is Module::Build and how does it relate to MakeMaker? Module::Build is a project by Ken Williams to supplant MakeMaker. Its primary advantages are: * pure perl. no make, no shell commands * easier to customize * cleaner internals * less cruft Module::Build is the official heir apparent to MakeMaker and we encourage people to work on M::B rather than spending time adding features to MakeMaker. Module Writing How do I keep my $VERSION up to date without resetting it manu- ally? Often you want to manually set the $VERSION in the main module distribution because this is the version that everybody sees on CPAN and maybe you want to customize it a bit. But for all the other modules in your dist, $VERSION is really just bookkeeping and all that's important is it goes up every time the module is changed. Doing this by hand is a pain and you often forget. Simplest way to do it automatically is to use your ver- sion control system's revision number (you are using version control, right?). In CVS, RCS and SVN you use $Revision: 1.3 $ (see the documentation of your version control system for details) writing it like so: $VERSION = sprintf "%d.%03d", q$Revision: 1.3 $ =~ /(\d+)/g; Every time the file is checked in the $Revision: 1.3 $ will be updated, updating your $VERSION. In CVS version 1.9 is followed by 1.10. Since CPAN com- pares version numbers numerically we use a sprintf() to convert 1.9 to 1.009 and 1.10 to 1.010 which compare properly. If branches are involved (ie. $Revision: 1.3 $) its a perl v5.8.8 2005-02-05 2 ExtUtils::MakeMakPerlFProgrammers RefExtUtils::MakeMaker::FAQ(3p) little more complicated. # must be all on one line or MakeMaker will get confused. $VERSION = do { my @r = (q$Revision: 1.3 $ =~ /\d+/g); sprintf "%d."."%03d" x $#r, @r }; What's this META.yml thing and how did it get in my MANIFEST?! META.yml is a module meta-data file pioneered by Module::Build and automatically generated as part of the 'distdir' target (and thus 'dist'). See "Module Meta-Data" in ExtUtils::MakeMaker. To shut off its generation, pass the "NO_META" flag to "WriteMakefile()". XS How to I prevent "object version X.XX does not match bootstrap parameter Y.YY" errors? XS code is very sensitive to the module version number and will complain if the version number in your Perl module doesn't match. If you change your module's ver- sion # without reruning Makefile.PL the old version number will remain in the Makefile causing the XS code to be built with the wrong number. To avoid this, you can force the Makefile to be rebuilt whenever you change the module containing the version number by adding this to your WriteMakefile() arguments. depend => { '$(FIRST_MAKEFILE)' => '$(VERSION_FROM)' } How do I make two or more XS files coexist in the same directory? Sometimes you need to have two and more XS files in the same package. One way to go is to put them into separate directories, but sometimes this is not the most suitable solution. The following technique allows you to put two (and more) XS files in the same directory. Let's assume that we have a package "Cool::Foo", which includes "Cool::Foo" and "Cool::Bar" modules each having a separate XS file. First we use the following Makefile.PL: use ExtUtils::MakeMaker; WriteMakefile( NAME => 'Cool::Foo', VERSION_FROM => 'Foo.pm', OBJECT => q/$(O_FILES)/, # ... other attrs ... ); perl v5.8.8 2005-02-05 3 ExtUtils::MakeMakPerlFProgrammers RefExtUtils::MakeMaker::FAQ(3p) Notice the "OBJECT" attribute. MakeMaker generates the following variables in Makefile: # Handy lists of source code files: XS_FILES= Bar.xs \ Foo.xs C_FILES = Bar.c \ Foo.c O_FILES = Bar.o \ Foo.o Therefore we can use the "O_FILES" variable to tell Mak- eMaker to use these objects into the shared library. That's pretty much it. Now write Foo.pm and Foo.xs, Bar.pm and Bar.xs, where Foo.pm bootstraps the shared library and Bar.pm simply loading Foo.pm. The only issue left is to how to bootstrap Bar.xs. This is done from Foo.xs: MODULE = Cool::Foo PACKAGE = Cool::Foo BOOT: # boot the second XS file boot_Cool__Bar(aTHX_ cv); If you have more than two files, this is the place where you should boot extra XS files from. The following four files sum up all the details dis- cussed so far. Foo.pm: ------- package Cool::Foo; require DynaLoader; our @ISA = qw(DynaLoader); our $VERSION = '0.01'; bootstrap Cool::Foo $VERSION; 1; Bar.pm: ------- package Cool::Bar; use Cool::Foo; # bootstraps Bar.xs 1; perl v5.8.8 2005-02-05 4 ExtUtils::MakeMakPerlFProgrammers RefExtUtils::MakeMaker::FAQ(3p) Foo.xs: ------- #include "EXTERN.h" #include "perl.h" #include "XSUB.h" MODULE = Cool::Foo PACKAGE = Cool::Foo BOOT: # boot the second XS file boot_Cool__Bar(aTHX_ cv); MODULE = Cool::Foo PACKAGE = Cool::Foo PREFIX = cool_foo_ void cool_foo_perl_rules() CODE: fprintf(stderr, "Cool::Foo says: Perl Rules\n"); Bar.xs: ------- #include "EXTERN.h" #include "perl.h" #include "XSUB.h" MODULE = Cool::Bar PACKAGE = Cool::Bar PREFIX = cool_bar_ void cool_bar_perl_rules() CODE: fprintf(stderr, "Cool::Bar says: Perl Rules\n"); And of course a very basic test: test.pl: -------- use Test; BEGIN { plan tests => 1 }; use Cool::Foo; use Cool::Bar; Cool::Foo::perl_rules(); Cool::Bar::perl_rules(); ok 1; This tip has been brought to you by Nick Ing-Simmons and Stas Bekman.
If you have a question you'd like to see added to the FAQ (whether or not you have the answer) please send it to perl v5.8.8 2005-02-05 5 ExtUtils::MakeMakPerlFProgrammers RefExtUtils::MakeMaker::FAQ(3p) firstname.lastname@example.com.
The denizens of firstname.lastname@example.com.
ExtUtils::MakeMaker perl v5.8.8 2005-02-05 6


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The story is all too familiar: Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and a family man, entered Saudi Arabia's Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 for marriage formalities. No one – not even his fiancee, who was waiting outside the compound — has ever seen him again.
Over the course of the past month, Turkey has moved heaven and earth to shed light on all aspects of this case. As a result of our efforts, the world has learned that Khashoggi was killed in cold blood by a death squad, and it has been established that his murder was premeditated.
Yet there are other, no less significant questions whose answers will contribute to our understanding of this deplorable act. Where is Khashoggi's body? Who is the "local collaborator" to whom Saudi officials claimed to have handed over Khashoggi's remains? Who gave the order to kill this kind soul? Unfortunately, the Saudi authorities have refused to answer those questions.
We know the perpetrators are among the 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia. We also know those individuals came to carry out their orders: Kill Khashoggi and leave. Finally, we know the order to kill Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government.
Some seem to hope this "problem" will go away in time. But we will keep asking those questions, which are crucial to the criminal investigation in Turkey, but also to Khashoggi's family and loved ones. A month after his killing, we still do not know where his body is. At the very least, he deserves a proper burial in line with Islamic customs. We owe it to his family and friends, including his former colleagues at The Post, to give them an opportunity to say their goodbyes and pay their respects to this honorable man. To ensure that the world will keep asking the same questions, we have shared the evidence with our friends and allies, including the United States.
As we continue to look for answers, I would like to stress that Turkey and Saudi Arabia enjoy friendly relations. I do not believe for a second that King Salman, the custodian of the holy mosques, ordered the hit on Khashoggi. Therefore, I have no reason to believe that his murder reflected Saudi Arabia's official policy. In this sense, it would be wrong to view the Khashoggi slaying as a "problem" between two countries. Nonetheless, I must add that our friendship with Riyadh, which goes back a long time, doesn't mean we will turn a blind eye to the premeditated murder that unfolded in front of our very eyes. The killing of Khashoggi is inexplicable. Had this atrocity taken place in the United States or elsewhere, authorities in those countries would have gotten to the bottom of what happened. It would be out of the question for us to act any other way.
No one should dare to commit such acts on the soil of a NATO ally again. If anyone chooses to ignore that warning, they will face severe consequences. The Khashoggi murder was a clear violation and a blatant abuse of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Failure to punish the perpetrators could set a very dangerous precedent.
This is another reason we were shocked and saddened by the efforts of certain Saudi officials to cover up Khashoggi's premeditated murder rather than serve the cause of justice, as our friendship would require. Though Riyadh has detained 18 suspects, it is deeply concerning that no action has been taken against the Saudi consul general, who lied through his teeth to the media and fled Turkey shortly afterward. Likewise, the refusal of the Saudi public prosecutor — who recently visited his counterpart in Istanbul — to cooperate with the investigation and answer even simple questions is very frustrating. His invitation of Turkish investigators to Saudi Arabia for more talks about the case felt like a desperate and deliberate stalling tactic.
The murder of Jamal Khashoggi involves a lot more than a group of security officials, just as the Watergate scandal was bigger than a break-in and the 9/11 terror attacks went beyond the hijackers. As responsible members of the international community, we must reveal the identities of the puppetmasters behind Khashoggi's killing and discover those in whom Saudi officials — still trying to cover up the murder — have placed their trust.
(courtesy : washington post,


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Editor's Note: Howard Kurtz is the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources."
Story highlights
Howard Kurtz: Media saying Obama is running into the "second-term curse"
He says it's true Obama's running into trouble, but pundits' rush to judgment premature
Second-termers (see Reagan, Bush, Clinton) have successes along with stumbles, he says
Kurtz: Obama does face wind down of sway; this could affect his impact more than errors
The media verdict is in: Barack Obama is cursed.
Less than four months after taking the oath of office for the second time, he is seen as falling prey to some mysterious witchcraft that casts a fatal spell on re-elected presidents.
"Will Obama suffer the 'second-term curse'?" asks the Washington Post.
"President Obama stares down the second-term curse," says Politico. And such stories ricocheted onto NBC's "Today" show, on which, we learned, "some observers" are questioning whether "Mr. Obama is falling victim to the second-term curse."
One can almost conjure up a bubbling cauldron of black smoke with a wand-wielding wizard laughing diabolically.
Now, there's no question that second-term presidents often stumble or run out of gas. But the punditry suggests a one-size-fits-all scenario that isn't borne out by history. What's more, there's a rush-to-judgment air to some of these pronouncements that implies his second term is on the verge of failure, with more than 3 1/2 years to go.
It isn't hard to build the case that the president finds himself in a ditch. The almost offhanded disclosure that the IRS was targeting conservative and tea party groups for reviews of their tax-exempt status, and the revelation that a top agency official knew about this two years ago, is an outrage that carries disturbing echoes of Richard Nixon. (Now there's a guy whose second term didn't turn out too well.)
The Benghazi debacle (which of course happened in Obama's first term) finally gained traction after ABC News reported that the administration's misleading talking points after the fatal attack had been scrubbed to remove references to a group affiliated with al-Qaeda and CIA warnings about terrorism.
Republicans, meanwhile, have been making Obama's life miserable, defeating a modest measure on background checks for guns, slow-walking immigration legislation and refusing to vote for some Cabinet nominees.
Oh, and the economy isn't doing that well either.
But does that amount to a jinxed second term, or the same kind of partisan standoff that has marked Obama's years in office? A look back at recent second-termers makes clear that every set of problems is inherently different.
George W. Bush vowed to spend his political capital after winning in 2004, but a move to privatize Social Security quickly collapsed. The sluggish federal response to Hurricane Katrina sealed an image of the administration as incompetent, against the backdrop of a bloody Iraq war. And he left office amid the financial crisis of 2008.
Bill Clinton's second term blew up when the Monica Lewinsky scandal erupted and he got himself impeached. But less remembered is the pre-scandal year of 1997, when the president and Newt Gingrich's Republicans hammered out an agreement to balance the budget for the first time in three decades. It was sex and lies that proved Clinton's undoing, although his popularity remained high when he left office.
In similar fashion, Ronald Reagan's second term ran aground when the Iran-Contra scandal exploded in late 1986. What has been overshadowed is the sweeping legislation on tax reform and overhauling immigration that he passed earlier in the year. And Reagan's personal approval rating was sufficiently intact that he was able to hand over the office to his vice president.
As for Obama, smart journalists are careful not to be definitive when writing their trend pieces. Politico says the recent setbacks "have left the president feeling deeply frustrated, even angry — and eager to find a way to recapture the offensive." The Washington Post piece describes his mounting woes as "diversions working against a president who is keenly aware of how little time he has left to achieve big things."
This brings us to the thing that every second-term president since FDR has indeed faced: a ticking clock.
A re-elected commander-in-chief is a lame duck whose ability to reward and punish inevitably diminishes as his departure date approaches. And that, rather than any sinister voodoo, may be Obama's biggest problem as he tries to dig his way out of this ditch.
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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Howard Kurtz.


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Grants Pass Department of Public Safety and Josephine County 9-1-1 Agency, Ore. select New World Systems' Integrated Public Safety Solutions
Troy, Mich. (September 16, 2011) — Grants Pass Department of Public Safety and Josephine County 9-1-1 Agency, Ore. have partnered to replace antiquated dispatch and records management systems with modern technology and integrated solutions from a leader in public sector software. The partnering agencies signed a contract to license New World Systems' Aegis Suite of Public Safety software on the Microsoft® platform. The new software will increase efficiency, improve communication and enhance the effectiveness of officers in the field.
During their extensive evaluation to replace aging software, the agencies were impressed with New World's proven Company stability and significant experience in the State of Oregon. They also found New World's Microsoft-based solutions to be the best software to help them improve the quality of service to their community and participating agencies.
"As a multi-agency dispatch center, it was important to us that we also provide a system that met all the needs of our user agencies, including Grants Pass Public Safety Police and Fire/Rescue, American Medical Response (AMR) Ambulance, Rural Metro Fire Department, Illinois Valley Rural Fire Protection District, Williams Rural Fire Protection District, Wolf Creek Rural Fire Protection District, Oregon Department of Forestry, and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest," said Kristen Guenther, 911 Agency Administrator. "New World Systems provides a fully integrated multi-jurisdictional solution that meets the needs of all of these Agencies."
New World is providing the agencies with combined Aegis Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) Enteprise.NET, Law Enforcement Records Management, Fire Records Management, Mobile Computing and Decision Support software developed in-house using proven Microsoft® technology, industry-standard Windows® Server and SQL® Server. The completely integrated applications and advanced built-in workflow will reduce data entry, saving time and increasing efficiency for employees. The Agencies will also have faster and easier access to historical and safety information. Using New World's Decision Support, the new solutions will dramatically increase access to information and critical intelligence, helping the agencies improve organizational performance and response planning.
"Going into this project, we really wanted to focus on efficiency and effectiveness," said Deputy Chief Laura Zeliff. "More than any of the other vendors, New World Systems brings that to the forefront in the manner in which they reduce redundant data entry, provide intuitive processes, and provide a greater level of access to information throughout the organization. We truly are excited about the data analysis automation for crime analysis and crime fighting, something that is extremely time intensive for us now."
Funded in part through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program, non-competitive funding that focuses on the reduction of vehicle pollutants, the agencies will use New World's Mobile Computing, Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and Field-Based Reporting to improve communications and the ability to quickly complete incident reports from the field. This will increase the agencies' ability to dispatch the closest units to an emergency and eliminate the need for officers to travel back and forth to complete reports at the station, ultimately decreasing vehicle emissions and keeping officers out and visible in the community.
Grants Pass Department of Public Safety and Josephine County 9-1-1 Agency are joining well over 100 agencies in the Pacific Northwest utilizing New World's solutions. According to Deputy Chief Zeliff, while New World provides a great product, the agencies are also looking forward to the Company's superior Customer Service they heard about during their evaluation.
"We are extremely pleased with the entire process so far, and are looking forward to the next steps," said Deputy Chief Zeliff. "New World Systems personnel have been great to work with, and we believe that New World Systems is the right choice for Grants Pass Department of Public Safety and the Josephine County 9-1-1 Agency. We truly feel like we are partners with New World Systems, not just a client and a vendor."
New World Systems, a public sector software company in Troy, Michigan, has been providing software solutions for public safety and public administration organizations since 1981.The Company designs, develops, markets, supports and implements the fully integrated Logos™ Public Administration Suite for local governments and the Aegis™ Suite of Public Safety Software for Law Enforcement, Fire and EMS. A solid foundation of Company Stability & Industry Leadership, Integrated & Proven Solutions, Implementation Expertise and World-Class Customer Care makes New World Systems the Secure Choice in Public Safety Software. This year, New World Systems' experienced and PMI certified implementation teams have completed well over 150 successful Public Safety Solution Go Lives to date. New World Systems is trusted by more than 1,000 public sector agencies across the United States. New World Systems is a Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner


text: In response to many e-mails to listservers and/or to me personally, some clarifications, via a very general sketch of "three layers" of neural and immunological function: Background: My recent postings sketched/suggested an immunological basis to sexual- and gender-orientations and that the causal substrates may exist at the level of "innate immunity", even transcending (ie evolutionarily preceeding) major histocompatibility complex antigen-presentation genes and immunoglobulin genes. THREE LAYERS: Layer Three: The primate visual and auditory systems and their links with amygdaloid, hippocampal, and other brain structures are certainly part of how we process sexually significant non-chemo-signal stimuli as well as pheromonal molecules of the olfactory and vomeronasal sort. Layer Two: MHC effects have been shown in human odor/scent evaluation and also have been documented in mating-choice preferences. Vomeronasal and olfactory receptors and their neural routes are within this evolutionary "layer". Comment: Item #1 seems to function regardless of sexual orientation; and item #2 is studied primarily in relation to heterosexual orientation, regardless of species. Layer One in yeast: In contrast, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ySc) has a mating system with several clear sexually dimorphisms: a. The alpha-factor yeast produces alpha-factor pheromones and has on its cell surface an a-factor receptor and responds to a-factor pheromone. b. The a-factor yeast produces a-factor pheromones and has cell-surface receptors for and responds to alpha-factor pheromones. Layer One in humans and other mammals: ySc has neither olfactory nor vomeronasal nor nasal-trigeminal receptors or neural systems; and what seems to be an unresearched possibility is that certain kinds of sexually significant chemo-signaling in vertebrates occurs in tissues other than olfactory and vomeronasal. Three possibilities are (i) epidermis, (ii) respiratory epithelium, and (iii) lymphoid tissue anywhere within the nasal cavity. In my hypothesis of sexual and gender orientations, their primary substrate is within Layer One, thereby transcending (being more basic than) (i) visuals and conditionings, (ii) MHC-related filterings we observe as mating-type choices among heterosexual organisms regardless of species, and (iii) olfactory and vomeronasal processing of sexually significant odors and pheromones of the mammalian sort. *** EVOLUTIONARY QUESTIONS:


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Warm Spring May Mean Drought and Wildfires in West
Decreased snowpack in the Rocky Mountains may compound problems for Colorado, Arizona, California, and other Western states.
This story is part of a special National Geographic News series on global water issues.
The early spring of 2012 raised both temperatures and eyebrows, including President Obama's.
As reported in The Weekly Standard and elsewhere, the President recently commented at an Atlanta fundraiser: "When it is 75 degrees in Chicago in the beginning of March, you start thinking. On the other hand, I really have enjoyed nice weather." Now, in April, we're seeing that this spring break may leave us with a fierce hangover.
On April 10th, 61 percent of the lower 48 states were listed by the U.S. Drought Monitor to be in abnormally dry or drought conditions. And the Southwest, which largely relies on ice melt into the Colorado River Basin from the Rocky Mountains and previous years' melt stored in the Lake Powell and Lake Mead reservoirs for its water supply, is poised for a dry, hot summer, because those areas received less than 70 percent of the average snowfall according to the USDA National Water & Climate Center.
These reservoirs are already at only 64 percent capacity following a decade-long drought from 2000 to 2010. And the possibility of more drought years to come is raising concerns over how to manage a river of which every drop (and then some) is now allocated to some use.
Drought, however, may be only one factor in the drying up of the Colorado River Basin. To assess the vulnerabilities of the watershed and consider how water supply and demand might change in the coming years, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation has embarked on a study of the Colorado River Basin to be released this July. An interim report shows that current water use outstrips the supply and projected demand for water could be greater than the projected supply by more than 3.5 million acre-feet within 50 years, particularly when the effects of climate change are included.
Water supplies are measured in acre-feet, with one acre-foot equal to the amount of water it takes to cover one acre in a foot of water (325,851 gallons). So 3.5 million acre-feet of water is a large amount--the Lake Powell reservoir (the second largest in the United States) holds 26 million acre-feet when full.
(Related: "Tour the Colorado River Basin")
Revisiting Supply and Demand
"Existing demand very clearly outstrips existing supply," says Barry Nelson, a senior policy analyst in the water program at the environmental nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). "That's the main reason we're seeing declining storage. That simply cannot continue."
Climate change, meanwhile, poses a threat of increased drought in a region with a long paleo-climatological record of natural drought. In a 2010 report on the county-level effects of climate change on U.S. water supplies, an analysis by consulting firm Tetra Tech and NRDC projected that by 2050, 27 out of 64 counties in Colorado will face high or extreme risks of water shortages, as well as 13 out of 29 in Utah, 19 out of 33 in New Mexico, 36 out of 58 in California, and a startling 13 out of 15 in Arizona.
With droughts come wildfires. As reported in the Denver Post, a weekend snowstorm on April 14 and 15 reduced the immediate risk of fire in the Denver area, but a March 26 fire in the Lower North Fork region of southeast Colorado killed three people, destroyed 27 homes, and blazed through 4,000 acres. Furthermore, the erosion resulting from wildfires can wreak unexpected havoc upon water supplies.
In May 1996, the Buffalo Creek fire burned 11,900 acres within the watershed of the South Platte River, a major source of Denver's municipal water. Two months later, heavy rains washed tons of sediment into the Strontia Springs Reservoir, which holds approximately 80 percent of Denver's water supply. In one day, the reservoir lost 30 years of its 50-year lifespan.
Climate change may also mean that less water will fall as snow to be retained in snowpack, and will run off instead as rainwater. In March, the USDA's National Water & Climate Center announced that the Lower Colorado River basin, along with many parts of the West, was reporting snowpack conditions that were "much below average." Sandra Postel, National Geographic's Freshwater Fellow, notes, "Climate models estimate that the snowpack that feeds the Colorado River could decline by 30 percent by 2050."
(Related: "Visualizing Our Water Footprint")
Seeking Solutions
But there are some encouraging trends. Most cities that rely on the Colorado River Basin for water have seen their per capita water consumption decline by about 1 percent per year since 1990, according to a 2011 report by the nonprofit Pacific Institute, an advocacy organization devoted to water issues. (PI also works on climate, community development, etc.)
Although municipal use accounts for only 15 percent of total consumption of the Colorado River--agriculture dominates by far with a 70 percent share--the rapid rise in population by approximately 10 million people from 1990 to 2008 makes cities the fastest growing consumer. Furthermore, California in 2009 passed legislation requiring a 20 percent reduction in water use by 2020, which amounts to 2 percent per year, doubling the current rate of decline.
In Colorado itself, "drought is one of the biggest drivers that we see as potentially contributing to water supply shortage," says Veva Deheza, manager of the Office of Water Conservation and Drought Planning at the Colorado Water Conservation Board. Rather than aim at specific targets or create a statewide goal, Deheza says, Colorado is taking a multi-pronged approach that includes conservation and efficiency, building new water supply, perhaps transferring that supply from the agricultural sector to the municipal sector, and looking at reuse more aggressively as a potential water supply for the future.
Yet fragmented state-level responses may pose challenges. An April report by NRDC analyzed U.S. states' readiness for the impact of climate change on its water resources and found that while the states of Colorado and California had both made plans to prepare for climate change impacts, their neighbors had a long way to go. According to the report, the state of Utah has made no formal attempt to prepare for the effects of climate change, while Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico have made only limited efforts.
If the projections for the years to come are accurate, water supply problems are likely to remain a concern for the Southwest.
(Related: "Calculate Your Own Water Footprint")


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JOHANNESBURG (AP) - South Africa's presidential spokesman says former president Nelson Mandela spent Monday with family members in the hospital where he is being treated for a fifth day for a recurring lung infection that developed into pneumonia.
The 94-year-old who helped free South Africa from white minority rule has had weak lungs ever since he quarried stone on Robben Island during some of his 27 years of imprisonment when he contracted tuberculosis.
Presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said there was no significant change in Mr Mandela's condition since Sunday night, when he reported that he had spent a restful day and was comfortable.
Last week, doctors drained Mr Mandela's lung area of fluid which helped him to breathe more freely.
Children wrote loving messages on stones outside his Johannesburg home: "Get well we love you."


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Now showing items 1-1 of 1
HIV and AIDs and its implications for the ministry of healing in some Pentecostal churches in Namibia.
Healing has long been considered part of the Church's pastoral and diaconal calling. For Christians the ministry of healing is grounded in the Word, sacraments and prayer. Based on this understanding some of the Pentecostal ...


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FSU Kicks Off Project in Honor of MLK Day of Service
In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, Fairmont State University is organizing a Box of Sunshine Drive to benefit clients of the Soup Opera in Fairmont.
"The campus Civic Engagement Advisory Board would like to partner with the community to help brighten someone's day by providing small personal hygiene care packages to the clients of the Soup Opera in Fairmont," said Amy Drvar, Civic Engagement Coordinator. "As part of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, we are all asked to serve our neighbors and communities; the national holiday is intended to be a day 'on' and not a day 'off.' Collecting these items is a small way that we can assist our neighbors in need."
The community is invited to donate travel-size shampoo, conditioner, soap, shaving cream, razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes and other personal hygiene products at Fairmont State. The collection drive kicks off Monday, Jan. 13, at the men's and women's basketball games at the Feaster Center. From Monday, Jan. 13, to Sunday, Jan. 19, Box of Sunshine Drive collection boxes will be located on campus at the Feaster Center, Falcon Center, Turley Center and at the Ruth Ann Musick Library Circulation Desk.
On Monday, Jan. 20, which is the federal Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, FSU will officially be closed, but student, faculty and staff volunteers will gather at 11 a.m. in Room 106 of the Turley Center to go through the collected hygiene items and put them together in small personal packages which will be donated to the Soup Opera for distribution to its clients.
For more information about the project and how to help, contact Amy Drvar at (304) 367-4644 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com. For more information about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to Serve, visit http://mlkday.gov/.
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is the federal agency that leads the annual MLK Day of Service, working with the King Center in Atlanta and thousands of nonprofit groups, faith-based organizations and schools and businesses nationwide.
These projects include delivering meals, refurbishing schools and community centers, collecting food and clothing, signing up mentors, reading to children, promoting nonviolence and more.
The MLK Day of Service shines a spotlight on service as a powerful force to bridge economic and social divides – today and throughout the year. National Days of Service provide each of us with an opportunity to join neighbors and local leaders to tackle community challenges and strengthen the nation.Martin Luther KingJr. Day of ServiceAmy DrvarRuth Ann Musick LibraryFalcon CenterFeaster CenterTurley CenterSoup Opera


text: with himself not to cause that when entering a domain it goes to the corresponding folder within the server. It always loads the page to me root (/var/www). I have registered a domain (debsrv.com) ns1.debsrv.com and ns2.debsrv.com point to 184.108.40.206 i go to (in ISPConfig) DNS Manager -> New Master: - Domain (SOA): ns1.debsrv.com - IP Adress: 22.214.171.124 (and the option 'records' -> 'A Record': i added: - hostname: www - ip adress: 220.127.116.11) now i added in: ISP Manager -> New site (for domain culturistas.net) whit the server dns (this dns are configured in Management -> Server -> Settings: - Hostname: www - Domain: ns1.debsrv.com - ip adrees: 22.214.171.124 - netmask: 255.255.255.0 why the domain culturistas.net go to /var/www? Sorry for my bad english.


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Cochrane Mortgage Solutions
Canada's mortgage market has changed a lot in the past few years and will no doubt continue to change even more in the years to come. Not surprisingly home financing options and qualification rules have also changed. As a result, home owners now have access to a vast array of specialized mortgage products.
Our expertise is shopping all of these products and providing you the best possible solution based on your specific needs. We understand the Canadian mortgage market and have the knowledge and expertise to make sure you get the best offer, every time.


text:
Mr. Men x Transport for London
A special series of 7 exclusive limited edition prints, 145 prints per design. Signed and numbered by Adam Hargreaves.
300gsm fine art soft textured stock. Hand Embossed with Mr Men seal.
Framed in matte white premium wooden frame and glass front. Complete with certificate of authenticity.
Also available unframed.
Print size 61cm x 40cm / 24" x 26"
As currently seen on the London Underground and London Transport network
Exclusive to the official Mr. Men online shop.
Please note: As this print is hand signed by Adam, delivery may take up to 7 days to ship.


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The amount of "hedging" language—words that suggest room for doubt—used by prominent newspapers in articles about climate change has increased over time, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder. The study, published in the journal Environmental Communication, also found that newspapers in the U.S. use more hedging language in climate stories than their counterparts in Spain.
"We were surprised to find newspapers increased their use of hedging language, since the scientific consensus that climate change is happening and that humans are contributing to it has substantially strengthened over time," said Adriana Bailey, a doctoral student at CU-Boulder's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, or CIRES, and lead author of the paper. CIRES is a joint institute of CU-Boulder and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The researchers examined articles published in two U.S. papers, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and in two Spanish papers, El Mundo and El Pais. The articles used for the study were published in 2001 and 2007, years when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, released its latest assessments of the physical science basis for climate change. The researchers combed the articles for words from all parts of speech that typically suggest uncertainty, such as almost, speculative, could, believe, consider, blurry, possible and projecting. Once the words were identified, the scientists considered the context they were used in to determine if they should count as hedging language.
For example, the word "uncertainty" was counted in a New York Times article that read "…substantial uncertainty still clouds projections of important impacts…" but it was not counted in a sentence in the same newspaper that read "...uncertainty was removed as to whether humans had anything to do with climate change…"
Also, the researchers only counted hedging language that had to do with either the physical science basis for climate change—such as changes in average temperatures and precipitation patterns—or the IPCC process. Language related to possible adaptation and mitigation efforts, such as preparing coastal cities for expected sea level rise, was not included.
The results showed that in 2001, the U.S. papers used 189 hedging words or expressions per 10,000 words printed while the Spanish papers used 107. In 2007, the number of hedging words and expressions used per 10,000 words rose to 267 in the U.S. and to 136 in Spain.
Given that Spain has ratified the Kyoto Protocol—the international agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions—while the U.S. has not and that Spain has proposed a national climate policy, the research team was not surprised to find that Spanish newspapers seem to be communicating less uncertainty about climate change than U.S. papers.
But the team did not expect to see increases in hedging language in both countries over time. The study was not designed to determine the reasons for the increase, but Bailey said it could be related to a number of factors, from amplified politicization of climate change—including polarization of climate stances by political leaders—to the possibility that reporters are actually writing more about the detailed science, which requires greater explanation of the accompanying scientific uncertainties.
The researchers also noticed that the ways in which qualifications are introduced into climate change articles have evolved over time.
"One of the new ways uncertainty is being constructed is by comparing IPCC reports and climate studies against each other, and in that way, presenting results that seem disparate," said Bailey, who also is affiliated with CU-Boulder's Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. "The second new way is by comparing predictions to observations—by describing climate changes that are happening faster than expected or that are smaller than anticipated, for example.
"Making sense of these 'surprises' is part of the scientific process; it's how we build new knowledge," she added "But news stories don't often provide readers with the background information necessary to understand this."
While this study analyzed news articles that appeared after the IPCC's third and fourth assessment reports, the researchers say the findings can help people better interpret media coverage of more recently released reports on climate change, including the IPCC's fifth assessment, which was published last year.
An awareness of how the media use hedging language to cover the changing climate can help media consumers distinguish remaining scientific questions from uncertainties constructed by the news, the researchers said.
Citation: Adriana Bailey, Lorine Giangola & Maxwell T. Boykoff; How grammatical choice shapes media representations of climate (un)certainty; Environmental Communication; DOI:10.1080/17524032.2014.906481.
- Adriana Bailey, 720-998-1841
- Laura Snider, 303-735-0528


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Nora Ephron, an essayist and humorist in the Dorothy Parker mold (only smarter and funnier, some said) who became one of her era's most successful screenwriters and filmmakers, making romantic comedy hits like "Sleepless in Seattle" and "When Harry Met Sally...," died Tuesday night in Manhattan. She was 71.
The cause was pneumonia brought on by acute myeloid leukemia, her son Jacob Bernstein said.
In a commencement address she delivered in 1996 at Wellesley College, her alma mater, Ms. Ephron recalled that women of her generation weren't expected to do much of anything. But she wound up having several careers, all of them successfully and many of them simultaneously.
She was a journalist, a blogger, an essayist, a novelist, a playwright, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a movie director — a rarity in a film industry whose directorial ranks were and continue to be dominated by men. Her later box-office success included "You've Got Mail" and "Julie & Julia." By the end of her life, though remaining remarkably youthful looking, she had even become something of a philosopher about age and its indignities.
"Why do people write books that say it's better to be older than to be younger?" she wrote in "I Feel Bad About My Neck," her 2006 best-selling collection of essays. "It's not better. Even if you have all your marbles, you're constantly reaching for the name of the person you met the day before yesterday."
Nora Ephron was born on May 19, 1941, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the eldest of four sisters, all of whom became writers. That was no surprise; writing was the family business. Her father, Henry, and her mother, the former Phoebe Wolkind, were Hollywood screenwriters who wrote, among other films, "Carousel," "There's No Business Like Show Business" and "Captain Newman, M.D."
"Everything is copy," her mother once said, and she and her husband proved it by turning the college-age Nora into a character in a play, later a movie, "Take Her, She's Mine." The lesson was not lost on Ms. Ephron, who seldom wrote about her own children but could make sparkling copy out of almost anything else: the wrinkles on her neck, her apartment, cabbage strudel, Teflon pans and the tastelessness of egg-white omelets.
She turned her painful breakup with her second husband, the Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein, into a best-selling novel, "Heartburn," which she then recycled into a successful movie starring Jack Nicholson as a philandering husband and Meryl Streep as a quick-witted version of Ms. Ephron herself.
|On the set of her film, "julia & Julia" (2009)
Meryl Streep seated.
After graduation from college in 1962, she moved to New York, a city she always adored, intent on becoming a journalist. Her first job was as a mail girl at Newsweek. (There were no mail boys, she later pointed out.) Soon she was contributing to a parody of The New York Post put out during the 1962 newspaper strike. Her piece of it earned her a tryout at The Post, where the publisher, Dorothy Schiff, remarked: "If they can parody The Post, they can write for it. Hire them."
Ms. Ephron stayed at The Post for five years, covering stories like the Beatles, the Star of India robbery at the American Museum of Natural History, and a pair of hooded seals at the Coney Island aquarium that refused to mate.
"The Post was a terrible newspaper in the era I worked there," she wrote, but added that the experience taught her to write short and to write around a subject, since the kinds of people she was assigned to cover were never going to give her much interview time.
In the late 1960s Ms. Ephron turned to magazine journalism, at Esquire and New York mostly. She quickly made a name for herself by writing frank, funny personal essays — about the smallness of her breasts, for example — and tart, sharply observed profiles of people like Ayn Rand, Helen Gurley Brown and the composer and best-selling poet Rod McKuen. Some of these articles were controversial. In one, she criticized Betty Friedan for conducting a "thoroughly irrational" feud with Gloria Steinem; in another, she discharged a withering assessment of Women's Wear Daily.
But all her articles were characterized by humor and honesty, written in a clear, direct, understated style marked by an impeccable sense of when to deploy the punchline. (Many of her articles were assembled in the collections "Wallflower at the Orgy," "Crazy Salad" and "Scribble Scribble.")
Ms. Ephron made as much fun of herself as of anyone else. She was labeled a practitioner of the New Journalism, with its embrace of novelistic devices in the name of reaching a deeper truth, but she always denied the connection. "I am not a new journalist, whatever that is," she once wrote. "I just sit here at the typewriter and bang away at the old forms."
Ms. Ephron got into the movie business more or less by accident after her marriage to Mr. Bernstein in 1976. He and Bob Woodward, his partner in the Watergate investigation, were unhappy with William Goldman's script for the movie version of their book "All the President's Men," so Mr. Bernstein and Ms. Ephron took a stab at rewriting it. Their version was ultimately not used, but it was a useful learning experience, she later said, and it brought her to the attention of people in Hollywood.
Her first screenplay, written with her friend Alice Arlen, was for "Silkwood," a 1983 film based on the life of Karen Silkwood, who died under suspicious circumstances while investigating abuses at a plutonium plant where she had worked. Ms. Arlen was in film school then, and Ms. Ephron had scant experience writing for anything other than the page. But Mike Nichols, who directed the movie (which starred Ms. Streep and Kurt Russell), said that the script made an immediate impression on him. He and Ms. Ephron had become friends when she visited him on the set of "Catch-22."
"I think that was the beginning of her openly falling in love with the movies," Mr. Nichols said in an interview, "and she and Alice came along with 'Silkwood' when I hadn't made a movie in seven years. I couldn't find anything that grabbed me." He added: "Nora was so funny and so interesting that you didn't notice that she was also necessary. I think a lot of her friends and readers will feel that."
Ms. Ephron followed "Silkwood" three years later with a screenplay adaptation of her own novel "Heartburn," which was also directed by Mr. Nichols. But it was her script for "When Harry Met Sally...," which became a hit Rob Reiner movie in 1989 starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, that established Ms. Ephron's gift for romantic comedy and for delayed but happy endings that reconcile couples who are clearly meant for each other but don't know it.
"When Harry Met Sally..." is probably best remembered for Ms. Ryan's table-pounding faked-orgasm scene with Mr. Crystal in Katz's Delicatessen on the Lower East Side, prompting a middle-aged woman (played by Mr. Reiner's mother, Estelle Reiner) sitting nearby to remark to her waiter, indelibly, "I'll have what she's having."
The scene wouldn't have gotten past the Hollywood censors of the past, but in many other respects Ms. Ephron's films are old-fashioned movies, only in a brand-new guise. Her 1998 hit, "You've Got Mail," for example, which she both wrote (with her sister Delia) and directed, is partly a remake of the old Ernst Lubitsch film 'The Shop Around the Corner."
Ms. Ephron began directing because she knew from her parents' example how powerless screenwriters are (at the end of their careers both became alcoholics) and because, as she said in her Wellesley address, Hollywood had never been very interested in making movies by or about women. She once wrote, "One of the best things about directing movies, as opposed to merely writing them, is that there's no confusion about who's to blame: you are."
Mr. Nichols said he had encouraged her to direct. "I knew she would be able to do it," he recalled. "Not only did she have a complete comprehension of the process of making a movie — she simply soaked that up — but she had all the ancillary skills, the people skills, all the hundreds of things that are useful when you're making a movie."
Her first effort at directing, "This Is My Life" (1992), with a screenplay by Ms. Ephron and her sister Delia, based on a novel by Meg Wolitzer about a single mother trying to become a standup comedian, was a dud. But Ms. Ephron redeemed herself in 1993 with "Sleepless in Seattle" (she shared the screenwriting credits), which brought Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan together so winningly that they were cast again in "You've Got Mail."
Among the other movies Ms. Ephron wrote and directed were "Lucky Numbers" (2000), "Bewitched" (2005) and, her last, "Julie & Julia" (2009), in which Ms. Streep played Julia Child.
She and Ms. Streep had been friends since they worked on "Silkwood" together. "Nora just looked at every situation and cocked her head and thought, 'Hmmmm, how can I make this more fun?' " Ms. Streep wrote in an e-mail on Tuesday.
Ms. Ephron earned three Oscar nominations for best screenplay, for "Silkwood," "Sleepless in Seattle" and "When Harry Met Sally...." But in all her moviemaking years she never gave up writing in other forms. Two essay collections, "I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Reflections on Being a Woman" (2006) and "I Remember Nothing" (2010), were both best sellers. With her sister Delia she wrote a play, "Love, Loss, and What I Wore," about women and their wardrobes (once calling it " 'The Vagina Monologues' without the vaginas") and by herself she wrote "Imaginary Friends," a play, produced in 2002, about the literary and personal quarrel between Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy.
She also became an enthusiastic blogger for The Huffington Post, writing on subjects like the Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn's accidentally putting a hole in a Picasso he owned and Ryan ONeal's failing to recognize his own daughter and making a pass at her.
Several years ago, Ms. Ephron learned that she had myelodysplastic syndrome, a pre-leukemic condition, but she kept the illness a secret from all but a few intimates and continued to lead a busy, sociable life.
"She had this thing about not wanting to whine," the writer Sally Quinn said on Tuesday. "She didn't like self-pity. It was always, you know, 'Suck it up.' "
Ms. Ephron's first marriage, to the writer Dan Greenburg, ended in divorce, as did her marriage to Mr. Bernstein. In 1987 she married Nicholas Pileggi, the author of the books "Wiseguy" and "Casino." (Her contribution to "Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure," edited by Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser, reads: "Secret to life, marry an Italian.")
In addition to her son Jacob Bernstein, a journalist who writes frequently for the Styles section of The Times, Ms. Ephron is survived by Mr. Pileggi; another son, Max Bernstein, a rock musician; and her sisters Delia Ephron; Amy Ephron, who is also a screenwriter; and Hallie Ephron, a journalist and novelist.
In person Ms. Ephron — small and fine-boned with high cheeks and a toothy smile — had the same understated, though no less witty, style that she brought to the page.
"Sitting at a table with Nora was like being in a Nora Ephron movie," Ms. Quinn said. "She was brilliant and funny."
She was also fussy about her hair and made a point of having it professionally blow-dried twice a week. "It's cheaper by far than psychoanalysis and much more uplifting," Ms. Ephron said.
Another friend, Robert Gottlieb, who had edited her books since the 1970s, said that her death would be "terrible for her readers and her movie audience and her colleagues." But "the private Nora was even more remarkable," he added, saying she was "always there for you with a full heart plus the crucial dose of the reality principle."
Ms. Streep called her a "stalwart."
"You could call on her for anything: doctors, restaurants, recipes, speeches, or just a few jokes, and we all did it, constantly," she wrote in her e-mail. "She was an expert in all the departments of living well."
The producer Scott Rudin recalled that less than two weeks before her death, he had a long phone session with her from the hospital while she was undergoing treatment, going over notes for a pilot she was writing for a TV series about a bank compliance officer. Afterward she told him, "If I could just get a hairdresser in here, we could have a meeting."
Ms. Ephron's collection "I Remember Nothing" concludes with two lists, one of things she says she won't miss and one of things she will. Among the "won't miss" items are dry skin, Clarence Thomas, the sound of the vacuum cleaner, and panels on "Women in Film." The other list, of the things she will miss, begins with "my kids" and "Nick" and ends this way:
"Taking a bath
Coming over the bridge to Manhattan
Paul Vitello contributed reporting.


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Don't you love that feeling when you have the chance to switch over the thermostat from heating to cooling? So do we! With spring in the air and winter in the rearview mirror, it's time to think about the working condition of your Jackson home's air conditioner, both in terms of AC repair or seasonal servicing. So what should you do to get the most out of your air conditioner without increasing your monthly energy costs? Comfortech Service Experts has a few suggestions:
Keeping your home comfortable when it gets hot in Jackson isn't as difficult as it may seem. And it doesn't have to be so expensive either. Luckily for you, there are a variety of ways that you can maintain or improve your comfort while also attempting to lower your monthly energy costs. Whether you have questions about AC repair and air conditioner service or want to know more about energy efficiency, contact your local Jackson HVAC experts at Comfortech Service Experts to learn more.


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Mars Landing Sky Show
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July 29, 2012: Every time NASA lands a rover on Mars--or even makes the attempt--it is cause for celebration. On August 5th, the heavens themselves are aligning to mark the event.
Only a few hours before the Mars Science Lab spacecraft reaches the red planet and drops Curiosity on a hair-raising descent mission planners have dubbed the "seven minutes of terror," Mars itself will be put on a special show in the sunset skies of Earth: Together with Saturn and Spica (a blue giant star in the constellation Virgo), the Red Planet will form a "Martian Triangle" visible from almost all parts of our planet.
Go outside after sunset on August 5th and look west where the setting sun has just disappeared. As soon as the sky fades to black, a triangle of first-magnitude lights will pop out of the twilight. The vertices are Mars, Saturn, and Spica. Together, they form an equilateral triangle about 5 degrees on each side. This means you could hide the Martian Triangle behind your outstretched palm. It would also fit comfortably inside the bowl of the Big Dipper. The tightness of the triangle makes it extra eye-catching.
The three objects are very different: Mars is a small rocky planet relatively close to Earth; Saturn is a ringed gas giant halfway across the solar system; Spica is a massive binary star on the other side of our galactic spiral arm. Nevertheless, they shine with the same intensity as seen from Earth. On the scale of astronomical brightness, all three are ranked first magnitude. This makes them easy to see with the unaided eye.
Not long after the Martian Triangle follows the sun below the horizon, the real action begins:
At approximately 10:30 pm PDT, Curiosity's entry capsule will slam into the upper atmosphere of Mars raising temperatures around the heat shield to 2100 C--more than twice as hot as basaltic lava.
What happens next seems almost unbelievable. Because Curiosity is so much bigger and heavier than any previous rover, old ways of landing, such as air bags, wouldn't work. Mission planners had to come up with something new and unorthodox. Reporter Scott Gold of the LA Times described it this way:
"In the time it takes to drive to the grocery store, the spacecraft will change shape like a toy Transformer six times, slowing from 13,000 mph to 1.7 mph while using 76 pyrotechnic devices, ropes, knives and the largest supersonic parachute ever built."
At the end of the maneuver, a "Sky Crane" gently lowers the rover onto the floor of Gale Crater.
If the rover survives the hair-raising descent and lands intact as planned, it will mark the beginning of an extraordinary mission of discovery. Bristling with the most advanced sensors ever sent to Mars, the one-ton rover will spend the next two years (at least) finding out whether one of the most intriguing places in the solar system ever offered an environment favorable for microscopic life.
Let's just say, it's a good reason to go stand outside under the stars.
After the Martian Triangle sets, go inside and turn on NASA TV for the Mars landing itself. The real show is about to begin.
For more news about Mars--as seen from your backyard and Curiosity's--visit science.nasa.gov.
Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Production editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA
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NASA TV -- Join NASA in the control room for the landing of Curiosity


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Britney Spears has struck a settlement with the former bodyguard who claimed the pop star was a genital-flashing sexual harasser during his time with the singer ... TMZ has learned.
According to court documents, Britney and Fernando Flores agreed to end their 2-year legal war ... which started when Flores filed a lawsuit claiming she was a naked menace to work for.
In his suit, Flores had alleged Britney would intentionally drop her cigarette lighter in Fernando's presence and then bend over to pick it up ... and "thereby exposed her uncovered genitals."
Flores also claimed Spears abused her children.
Spears adamantly denies all of the allegations -- but sources tell TMZ she coughed up a modest financial settlement just to make the case go away. We're told the settlement was amicable ... but the money didn't even cover all of Flores' legal costs.
Of course, Spears is still under a conservatorship so the settlement will have to be approved by a probate court before it becomes a done deal ... but that's just a formality and shouldn't stop the deal from going through.