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Google celebrates Earth Day with animated seasons

Google celebrates Earth Day with animated seasons
By Brian Tynes - email

(RNN) – Fish swim, flowers grow, birds zip around and ants crawl in their tunnels.

Google captured the spirit of Earth Day in an animated doodle that not only cycles through day and night but through the four seasons of the year and the phases of the moon.

The animation takes a few minutes to cycle through. While the sun and moon slowly rise and set, a school of fish swim laps in a pond that makes up the small G in Google's name.

A river flows into and out of the pond through mountains representing the two Os and looping to make the E before the water drips off the edge of the doodle, except in winter when it is frozen. Flowers bloom in the spring to make the larger G.

5 smart ways to use your tax return

5 smart ways to use your tax return

By Amy Fontinelle | Content provided by Investopedia

Even when we expect our tax returns to bring a refund, we all dread preparing for the tax deadline. The arcane tax forms, instructions few can decipher and our increasingly complex financial situations make each year's return seem more painstaking than the last. Many personal finance experts recommend adjusting your withholding so that you don't get a refund check in the spring (arguing that this amounts to giving Uncle Sam an interest-free loan for several months) when you could be putting that money to immediate use. However, for some people, having the government hold their money for them is the easiest way to accomplish their savings goals.

UAB experts: How to get your kids moving this summer

UAB experts: How to get your kids moving this summer

From UAB:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - For many kids, summer means sleeping late, pigging out and sitting in front of the TV. Adding physical activity to kids’ summer routines helps battle obesity and improves their concentration, memory and behavior, according to University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) experts.

Sandra Sims, Ph.D., and Donna Hester, Ph.D., physical education experts and associate professors in the Department of Human Studies teamed up to share tips to help parents encourage children and adolescents to achieve the 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Your guide to Alabama, Auburn 2013 A-day games

Your guide to Alabama, Auburn 2013 A-day games

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- The Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers are each holding their A-Day games this Saturday, April 20.

Alabama's A-Day game kicks off at 2 p.m. and Auburn's starts at 1:05 p.m. This year, Auburn's celebration also includes a block party in honor of Toomer's Oaks and a final rolling of the trees before they are removed April 23.

The University of Alabama has released a list of prohibited items and says in a press release that the rules will be strictly enforced.

"As a result of the tragic events in Boston this week, we are being even more proactive about the safety and security of our fans, which is one our our highest priorities," Deborah Lane, Associate Vice President for University Relations, said.

The prohibited items are:

-Any purse or bag bigger than an 8.5" by 11" piece of paper

Pursuit ends in deadly motorcycle crash in east Gadsden

A man being pursued by Calhoun County deputies wrecked his motorcycle in Gadsden and was killed. Source: Dixon Hayes

GADSDEN, AL (WBRC)- A man being pursued by Calhoun County deputies was killed Thursday when he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed in east Gadsden.

The chase started in the Wellington community in Calhoun County and ended at least nine miles away in Gadsden when one of three motorcyclists being chased by deputies wrecked, fatally wounding the driver.

Law enforcement officers were warned about three speeding motorcyclists after they eluded officers in Calhoun County on Wednesday. Calhoun County deputies and Sheriff Larry Amerson pursued the three motorcyclists as they sped along on I-20 in the Oxford area.

Sheriff Amerson said they would have pulled them over on Wednesday for traffic violations due to their speed. Deputies were able to pursue the cyclists for awhile since the heavy rains and traffic forced them to slow down, but the trio eventually managed to get away.

Cybercrooks use interest in Texas plant explosion to attack computers

Cybercrooks use interest in Texas plant explosion to attack computers

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- Another round of cyber attacks to beware of on your personal computer.

FOX6 told you Wednesday that cyber criminals were sending out emails with malware in video of the Boston Marathon bombings. The latest cyber attack has expanded to include the explosion at a west Texas fertilizer plant late Wednesday night.

"The spammers diversified the message of just focusing on the Boston explosion. Now they have added a line referring to the Texas explosion," Gary Warner, UAB's Director of Research in Computer Research, said.

Warner has been working with authorities tracking the spammers in efforts to shut them down. The crooks' goal is to download a hidden program to personal computers which in turn could cause the computer to be controlled to send out future spam. There is also another group which seeks to add a financial crime program to your computer.

Anniston Middle School evacuated after fire scare

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- The Anniston City Schools Superintendent says an electrical short caused fire alarms to go off on Thursday morning at Anniston Middle School.

Superintendent Joan Frazier says the alarms detected smoke from a short that happened in the fine arts wing. The school was evacuated in less than a minute and students were allowed to return to class an hour later.

Fire crews are investigating the cause of the fire.

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