As California finally experiences the arrival of a rain-bearing Pineapple Express this week, two climate scientists from the University of Minnesota and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have shown that the drought of 2012-2014 has been the worst in 1,200 years.

Daniel Griffin, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography, Environment and Society at the University of Minnesota, and Kevin Anchukaitis, an assistant scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, asked the question, "How unusual is the ongoing California drought?" Watching the severity of the California drought intensify since last autumn, they wondered how it would eventually compare to other extreme droughts throughout the state's history.

To answer those questions, Griffin and Anchukaitis collected new tree-ring samples from blue oak trees in southern and central California. "California's old blue oaks are as close to nature's rain gauges as we get," says Griffin. "They thrive in some of California's driest environments." These trees are particularly sensitive to moisture changes and their tree rings display moisture fluctuations vividly.

As soon as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released climate data for the summer of 2014, the two scientists sprang into action. Using their blue oak data, they reconstructed rainfall back to the 13th century. They also calculated the severity of the drought by combining NOAA's estimates of the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), an index of soil moisture variability, with the existing North American Drought Atlas, a spatial tree-ring based reconstruction of drought developed by scientists at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. These resources together provided complementary data on rainfall and soil moisture over the past millennium. Griffin and Anchukaitis found that while the current period of low precipitation is not unusual in California's history, these rainfall deficits combined with sustained record high temperatures created the current multiyear severe water shortages. "While it is precipitation that sets the rhythm of California drought, temperature weighs in on the pitch," says Anchukaitis.

"We were genuinely surprised at the result," says Griffin, a NOAA Climate & Global Change Fellow and former WHOI postdoctoral scholar. "This is California--drought happens. Time and again, the most common result in tree-ring studies is that drought episodes in the past were more extreme than those of more recent eras. This time, however, the result was different." While there is good evidence of past sustained, multi-decadal droughts or so-called "megadroughts"' in California, the authors say those past episodes were probably punctuated by occasional wet years, even if the cumulative effect over decades was one of overall drying. The current short-term drought appears to be worse than any previous span of consecutive years of drought without reprieve.

Tree rings are a valuable data source when tracking historical climate, weather and natural disaster trends. Floods, fires, drought and other elements that can affect growing conditions are reflected in the development of tree rings, and since each ring represents one year the samples collected from centuries-old trees are a virtual timeline that extend beyond the historical record in North America.

So what are the implications? The research indicates that natural climate system variability is compounded by human-caused climate change and that "hot" droughts such as the current one are likely to occur again in the future. California is the world's 8th largest economy and the source of a substantial amount of U.S. produce. Surface water supply shortages there have impacts well beyond the state's borders.

With an exceptionally wet winter, parts of California might emerge from the drought this year. "But there is no doubt," cautions Anchukaitis, "that we are entering a new era where human-wrought changes to the climate system will become important for determining the severity of droughts and their consequences for coupled human and natural systems."

A small Georgia city has voted to ban an Islamic group from renting a retail space to open a temporary mosque in the city, even after the landlord agreed to the deal.

The City Council of Kennesaw, a city of about 30,000 people in north Georgia, ultimately voted down the Muslim group’s request 4-1.

The issue has engendered a lot of tension in the town, and from critics outside of it. To give you a small idea of the intensity of the attitudes at play, here’s the video’s description from the man who recorded this week’s City Council vote: “The scumbag lawyer for the terrorist org. says he will sue... good luck with that.”

Attorney Doug Dillard called the decision unconstitutional and “a blatant attack on First Amendment rights." He says the group will continue to fight and is strongly considering a federal lawsuit against the city.

Anti-Muslim protesters stood outside the meeting with signs such as “Ban Islam” and “Islam Wants No Peace!” but the issue of religion didn’t actually come up in the meeting itself.

2K has detailed the second add-on pack for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, the 'Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack: The Holodome Onslaught,' which will be available December 16, 2014.

The Holodrome Onslaught will introduce new narrative content featuring veteran Vault Hunters Gaige and Axton, who have asked Athena to recount the events they missed during that the Pre-Sequel. Throughout the story, you'll travel through new challenge arena The Holodome Onslaught, where you'll face a mix of familiar Pre-Sequel foes and new enemies, and earn new weapons, class mods, heads and skins. The pack also includes a free update that adds a third playthrough - the tougher Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode -  and The Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack, which raises the level cap to 60 (that's 10 news levels and 10 new skill points).

Share. Also a new level cap and difficulty mode.
BY LUCY O'BRIEN2K has detailed the second add-on pack for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, the 'Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack: The Holodome Onslaught,' which will be available December 16, 2014.

The Holodrome Onslaught will introduce new narrative content featuring veteran Vault Hunters Gaige and Axton, who have asked Athena to recount the events they missed during that the Pre-Sequel. Throughout the story, you'll travel through new challenge arena The Holodome Onslaught, where you'll face a mix of familiar Pre-Sequel foes and new enemies, and earn new weapons, class mods, heads and skins. The pack also includes a free update that adds a third playthrough - the tougher Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode -  and The Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack, which raises the level cap to 60 (that's 10 news levels and 10 new skill points).

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack: The Holodome Onslaught can be bought on its own for $9.99 USD, and it's included as part of the Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Season Pass available for $29.99 USD.

2K and Gearbox have promised more details on the Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode closer to launch, and outlined their current plans for future content, which will include one more playable character and a new campaign.

To try out Broadcasting now, both you and your friends need to opt into the Steam Client Beta. In the Steam client main menu, select Settings > Account and change your "Beta Participation" to "Steam Beta Update".

The streaming service announced on Monday that Beltway drama House of Cards will return for its third season on Feb. 27, 2015.
The show, which stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, was adapted by Beau Willimon.
All episodes of its sophomore season hit Netflix on Feb. 14, 2014. The show was given the green light for a third season prior to the debut of season two earlier this year.