Friday, June 29, 2012

Man passes out, dies, after working in garden, family says - WBTV 3 ...

CATAWBA, SC (WBTV) -

A Catawba man is dead after his family says he spent the entire day working in his garden.

According to a York County Sheriff's Office report, deputies were called to a home along Mackey Lane in Catawba on Wednesday afternoon.

When deputies arrived, 76-year-old Vernice McClanahan told deputies that her son, 59-year-old Lorenzo McClanahan, had passed out in the bathroom and died.

According to his mom, Lorenzo McClanahan had been working in the garden all day.? He told her that he needed to use the bathroom and went inside the house.

Once he was in the bathroom, she told deputies, McClanahan complained that he felt sick and thought he was going to throw up.? He then passed out and fell to the floor.

Vernice McClanahan told deputies that he died after hitting the floor.

The York County Coroner's Office was called to the scene.? As of Thursday morning, Coroner Sabrina Gast told WBTV that no cause of death had been officially confirmed.

Source: http://www.wbtv.com/story/18902914/man-passes-out-dies-after-working-in-garden

gone tyler perry good deeds pretty in pink nba all star game shark tank john wall gordon hayward

Hornets select Davis with No. 1 pick in NBA draft

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) ? Best in the country and No. 1 and 2 in the NBA draft. The celebration goes on for Kentucky's kids.

The Wildcats became the first school to have the top two picks and tied a record with six players taken overall Thursday night.

After the New Orleans Hornets made the long-expected selection of forward Anthony Davis with the first pick, Charlotte followed by taking fellow freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

"It's crazy," Davis said. "Michael is a great player. We have two down and four more to go. Hopefully, all of them will go in the first round."

They didn't, the only disappointment for the Wildcats. They settled for four in the first round and a tie with North Carolina, which won the race to four picks ? all in the top 17 selections.

Harrison Barnes (No. 7, Golden State), Kendall Marshall (No. 13, Phoenix), John Henson (No. 14, Milwaukee) and Tyler Zeller (No. 17, Dallas) all went between Kidd-Gilchrist and the next Kentucky player, Terrence Jones at No. 18 to Houston.

Zeller's rights were later traded to Cleveland for a package that included No. 24 pick Jared Cunningham of Oregon State.

Otherwise, it was the Wildcats' night, starting with a hug between Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist after the first selection.

"My arm was shaking and my hands were sweaty. Got up and hugged Michael, my best friend, wanted to hug him for a minute," Davis said. "When my name got called, wanted to make sure he stayed close."

He did ? following Davis as the next player to climb onto the stage and shake Commissioner David Stern's hand.

Kentucky got its fourth first-round pick at No. 29 with Marquis Teague, another freshman, who is headed to Chicago as a possible replacement for the injured Derrick Rose. Doron Lamb went 42nd to Milwaukee and Darius Miller was 46th to New Orleans.

Only UNLV in 1977 had six players drafted ? but none in the first round.

John Calipari has been criticized for recruiting "one-and-done" players, they stay the required one year and leave, but he looked thrilled hugging his two stars at the start of the night.

It's been a long time since a school made such an impact at the top of the draft.

UCLA had the Nos. 1 and 3 picks in 1969, when Milwaukee took Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ? then Lew Alcindor ? and Lucius Allen went third to the Seattle SuperSonics.

Davis will begin his pro career in the same city where he ended it with a national title. College basketball's player of the year as a freshman was the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four despite shooting just 1 for 10 from the field in the championship game, grabbing 16 rebounds and blocking six shots in the victory over Kansas.

Davis slipped on a blue and purple Hornets hat above a conservative gray suit that took no attention away from basketball's most famous eyebrow. Davis even attempted to capitalize on the attention his unibrow gets, trademarking "Fear The Brow" and "Raise The Brow" earlier this month.

On the floor, Davis has the agility of a guard ? and he was one only a few years ago.

The 6-foot-10 Davis averaged 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.7 blocks, becoming a dominant defender after growing 7 inches from the start of his junior year of high school.

A season after the Hornets traded longtime star Chris Paul, Davis is ready to be their centerpiece, since playing for the Wildcats means he's already accustomed to plenty of attention.

"Like I said, at Kentucky we had it all the time, especially the six who played, we had the spotlight all the time," Davis said. "I think it really prepared me."

Charlotte, coming off a 7-59 season and the worst winning percentage in NBA history, had been open to moving the No. 2 pick if it found the right deal. Instead, Michael Jordan's team went with Kidd-Gilchrist, whose selection by the Bobcats was loudly cheered, a sharp contrast from the boos Stern received when coming out to announce the picks.

The new Charlotte swingman played in high school at nearby St. Patrick's in Elizabeth, N.J., and fans chanted "MKG! MKG!" as he walked off the stage. Though he and Davis talked before the draft, they didn't discuss the history the Wildcats were about to make.

"No. I was shocked at first," Kidd-Gilchrist said. "I was shocked. But no, we didn't. We didn't at all."

Florida's Bradley Beal went third to Washington, making it three SEC freshman in the first three picks. Cleveland followed with the surprisingly early pick of Syracuse sixth man Dion Waiters at No. 4.

Thomas Robinson of Kansas, who hoped to go second, fell to Sacramento at No. 5. Portland took Weber State's Damian Lillard at No. 6 with its first of two lottery picks, and Barnes was taken seventh by Golden State.

After Washington's Terrence Ross went to Toronto and Connecticut's Andre Drummond to Detroit, the Hornets rounded out the top 10 by taking Duke guard Austin Rivers with a pick they acquired in the Paul trade. Rivers hugged his father, Boston coach Doc Rivers, who came to be with his family instead of with the Celtics, who owned two later first-round picks.

Davis was the only clear-cut pick entering the draft, and there were some early surprises. Players such as Waiters and Ross went higher than expected, while Robinson dropped to the Kings.

"I really didn't know where I was going to end up at, but it is a bit of a surprise," he said, tearing up when talking about his difficult journey that included the deaths of multiple family members in college. "I didn't work out for Sacramento at all, I probably talked to them about once. But I'm here, so I'm meant to be here."

Houston took Jeremy Lamb of Connecticut at No. 12 with its first of three top-20 picks. But the Rockets, who also had the Nos. 16 and 18 picks, were hoping not to use all of them, instead packaging them for an established player after their pursuit of the Lakers' Pau Gasol fell through last year.

The Rockets tabbed Iowa State's Royce White at No. 16 and Terrence Jones two picks later.

Jared Sullinger, once considered a top-10 pick, ended up in a draft free-fall over concerns with his back but was finally taken at No. 21 by Boston. The Celtics followed with Fab Melo of Syracuse, giving them two potential replacements if Kevin Garnett doesn't return.

The NBA champion Miami Heat took forward Arnett Moultrie of Mississippi State at No. 27 with their first-round pick, but traded his rights to Philadelphia for the rights to LSU center Justin Hamilton and a future first-round pick.

___

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hornets-select-davis-no-1-pick-nba-draft-234120493--spt.html

the tree of life movie academy award nominees 2012 2012 oscar nominations kyle williams florida debate rand paul mark kirk

Colleges move toward absolute bans on smoking

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? As a political science major at Ohio State University, Ida Seitter says, she lit up many a cigarette to help her through the stress of exam season. Right or wrong, they were her security blanket as she toiled through college.

Seitter, now 26, was old enough by then to make her own decisions, she says. She opposes efforts by policymakers in Ohio, New York, California and other states to impose bans on tobacco use not just in buildings at public colleges, but also anywhere on the campus ? even in the open air.

"Just back away from me a little bit. I won't blow it in your face and I'll try not to be rude," Seitter says. "At the same time, I think it's a little discriminatory for a practice that is considered legal."

Bans on use, advertising and sales of tobacco in all its forms are being enacted or considered at perhaps half of campuses nationwide, sometimes over the objections of student smokers, staff and faculty. The movement is driven by mounting evidence of the health risks of secondhand smoke, the reduced costs of smoke-free dorms and a drive to minimize enticements to smoke at a critical age for forming lifelong habits.

California's state system will begin to bar tobacco use in 2013. A ban on use and advertising at the City University of New York system goes into effect in September, and the University of Missouri at Columbia is going smoke-free in 2014.

Ohio higher education officials plan a vote next month urging all public campuses to ban tobacco use. That includes Ohio State, one of the nation's largest universities, which currently bans only indoor smoking.

According to the surgeon general's report for 2012, tobacco use among people ages 18 to 25 remains at epidemic proportions nationwide. The review found 90 percent of smokers started by age 18, and 99 percent by age 26. About a quarter to a third of college students smoke, studies have found.

The study found the U.S. would have 3 million fewer young smokers if success in reducing youth smoking by state tobacco-cessation programs from 1997 to 2003 had been sustained. Many of the programs have been hit by budget cuts.

Health and education officials, anti-smoking groups and a generation of students who grew up smoke-free are increasingly united on the issue, says Bronson Frick, associate director of Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights.

"There are many reasons why a college or university may choose to pursue this type of policy, whether secondhand smoke, dorm fires, or other issues," he says. "They are also questioning what the role of tobacco is in this academic setting, where we're supposed to be standing for truth and training the next generation of leaders."

According to data kept by the nonsmokers group, campus tobacco bans have risen from virtually zero a decade ago to 711 today. That includes both four-year and two-year institutions, both public and private.

One of the first campuses to ban tobacco was Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, Mo., which endorsed the move in 1999 and put it in place four years later. The school also established a research center that works with other colleges and hospitals pursuing similar moves, now known as the National Center for Tobacco Policy.

Ty Patterson, the center's director, says Ozarks quickly realized that its previous policy of allowing smoking in designated outdoor areas was impractical and couldn't be properly enforced.

Forbidding all tobacco use was deemed to be more effective than simply saying no to cigarette smoke, Patterson says.

"When you go smoke-free, you drive smokers to use smokeless tobacco, which is more addictive," he says.

Cigarette-size cigars containing candy and fruit flavorings, dissolvable strips and lozenges are among the smokeless tobacco products being targeted to youths, according to the surgeon general. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says studies show many smokers mix and match such products with cigarettes as they move from smoking to nonsmoking venues.

Compliance with tobacco bans is generally voluntary, and violations come with few, if any, real penalties. Repeat offenders are sometimes subjected to university disciplinary policies, which vary by school.

While precise statistics on the number of campuses curtailing tobacco are elusive, Patterson estimates that one-third to one-half of all higher education institutions have either made the move or are considering it.

Smoking rights advocate Audrey Silk, founder of New York Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, says any outdoor ban ? whether for a campus, beach or public park ? is an attack on the rights of one segment of the population.

"This isn't a health issue anymore. It's a moral issue," she says. "There's absolutely zero reason for a smoking ban outdoors. They use it as a tool. Harm from smoke outdoors is an excuse to frustrate smokers into quitting because they can't find a place to light up."

Silk says it's not the place of schools to enforce health issues.

"Schools are a business," she says. "Who assigned them the role of behavior modification? It's their responsibility to educate. What they're doing is indoctrinating."

Tobacco companies have also questioned the role of universities to take such steps. With limited lobbying power at the college level, they have pursued legislation in some states to pre-empt tobacco-control decisions from occurring at any but the state level.

A spokesman for Philip Morris USA Inc., the nation's largest tobacco company, deferred comment to the company website, which states that some smoking restrictions are justified but that all-out bans "go too far."

"Smoking should be permitted outdoors except in very particular circumstances, such as outdoor areas primarily designed for children," it states.

Seitter, who now works as development coordinator for the Columbus Board of Realtors, says budding college smokers often took up the habit after-hours, at venues such as bars that campus tobacco bans don't reach.

"You find a lot of people start drinking at that age, and many people who don't consider themselves smokers, they smoke when they drink," she says. "I would think that atmosphere has more of an effect than somebody smoking on the corner."

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Alan Scher Zagier in Columbia, Mo.; Michael Gormley and Rik Stevens in Albany, N.Y.; Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia; and Kevin Begos in Pittsburgh.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/colleges-move-toward-absolute-bans-smoking-203314561--finance.html

seattle seahawks new uniforms wisconsin recall wisconsin recall doris day buffalo sabres texas news kim mulkey

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

West Jefferson NC Real Estate For Sale - Land For Sale In NC and ...

West Jefferson, North Carolina is located just east of the Cherokee National Forest and just south of the Virginia border. Before the Norfolk and Western Railroad, better known as the ?Virginia Creeper,? began utilizing the town as a depot, it was sparsely populated and mostly known for its orchards. As the railway began to bring commerce to the area, the town expanded and was further supported by the local textile industry. Unfortunately, both of these areas of the economy dried up, but today the small town is thriving due to a healthy tourism industry.

West Jefferson Nc, west jefferson nc
West Jefferson NC Real Estate For Sale
West Jefferson Nc Real Estate, west jefferson nc real estate
west jefferson nc real estate

The areas just outside of the downtown are also becoming home to many retirees who are looking for a beautiful, quiet place to spend their retirement. West Jefferson is located directly in the Appalachian Mountains and offers spectacular views and plenty of outdoor activities. The New River flows through town and offers ideal conditions for fishing, canoeing, tubing, and kayaking. The surrounding mountains also offer plenty of opportunities for hiking and exploring the natural wonders of North Carolina. The stunning landscape has lead many annual tourists to transition into full-time residents once they retire.

West Jefferson North Carolina

Although West Jefferson is a small, mountain town, it still has plenty of attractions to keep you busy. It is especially known as an artistic hub that is home to many shops and galleries that feature local artists. There is even an art walk that will take you through town and highlight 15 different murals that celebrate the area. You can also enjoy local produce year round at the farmers? market and fresh cheese from the Ashe County Cheese Store, which has been open since 1930. If you are in the mood for a little entertainment, there are several different venues and organizations that hold concerts and put on productions of different plays. With all these attractions and annual festivals, there is always something to do if you feel like getting out of the house and enjoying the community.

West Jefferson North Carolina, west jefferson north carolina
west jefferson north carolina

Homes For Sale West Jefferson NC

Homes For Sale West Jefferson Nc, homes for sale west jefferson nc
homes for sale west jefferson nc

One of the main reasons retirees are attracted to west Jefferson is because it seems like such a quiet and out of the way town, yet it is located only 25 miles north of Boone, which is a bustling college town. This means that you can enjoy the best of many different worlds. You will have the mountains and the charm of West Jefferson at your front door and you can easily drive down to Boone to enjoy a town full of great restaurants and a lively nightlife. Retirement doesn?t have to mean slowing down and hiding away in the mountains. Living in West Jefferson means that the choice is entirely yours. Opportunities to get out and enjoy both physical and cultural activities are abundant or you can opt for a quiet night at home in front of the fire.

Homes For Sale In West Jefferson NC

While many retirees choose to start the great migration south to Florida to enjoy the warm weather, you can beat the heat and bask in a much more temperate climate in the mountains of North Carolina. The south may be known for its sweltering summers, but up in the mountains, the temperature hovers around the upper 70s and low 80s during the summer months. The winters also stay pretty mild, typically in the 40s and 50s. This means that you will still get to enjoy the changing of the seasons without have to deal with extreme weather. It will be warm enough to swim in the river during the summer and cool enough for the ski resorts to cover the mountains in the winter, so no matter what time of year it is, there is always something to get out and do.

Homes For Sale In West Jefferson Nc, homes for sale in west jefferson nc
?homes for sale in west jefferson nc?
W Jefferson NC
W Jefferson Nc, w jefferson nc
w jefferson nc

Retirement should be about ridding yourself of limitations and opening up possibilities. That is why West Jefferson is an ideal place to retire. It is full of opportunities to enjoy the best life has to offer when it comes to both nature and art.


Real Estate In West Jefferson NC

Real Estate In West Jefferson Nc, real estate in west jefferson nc
real estate articles and news feeds for land in west jefferson nc

kenny rogers avatar the last airbender david wright cory booker cj wilson cubs ellsbury

Monday, June 25, 2012

Thinking about choice diminishes concern for wealth inequality

ScienceDaily (June 25, 2012) ? Against the backdrop of a worldwide recession, wealth inequality has become a prominent theme in discussions about politics and the economy. In some ways, Americans seem to advocate a more equal distribution of wealth. In surveys and public opinion polls, for example, the majority of Americans supports having a strong middle class. But, when it comes to specific policies, they often vote against measures that would narrow the gap between those with the highest and lowest incomes.

In a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, researchers Krishna Savani of Columbia Business School and Aneeta Rattan of Stanford University investigate the underlying factors that explain Americans' contradictory opinions on wealth.

They surmised that one factor -- the concept of choice -- might be particularly influential in discussions about wealth. "Choice is a pervasive and highly valued concept in the U.S.," say the authors. If we assume that people make free choices, they theorized, while at the same time we acknowledge that some people are rich and others are poor, we may be more likely to believe that inequality in life outcomes is justified and reasonable because it must be the result of individual choice.

In a series of six experiments, they put their theory about the effects of a choice mindset to the test.

In the first experiment, participants were randomly assigned to a control or a choice condition. The participants in the control condition were asked to list five things they did in each of four time periods the previous day; in the choice condition, the participants listed five choices instead. All of the participants then rated how disturbed they were by statistics about existing wealth inequalities in the United States.

The results of the experiment confirmed the researchers' hypothesis. After controlling for certain characteristics like political orientation, socioeconomic status, and gender, Savani and Rattan found that participants in the choice condition were less disturbed about wealth inequalities in the U.S. than participants in the control condition. And these findings were supported in a second experiment, in which the researchers used a priming technique to incidentally highlight the concept of choice.

In a third experiment, the researchers found that when the concept of choice is activated, people under-emphasize the role of societal structures in allowing individuals to create and accumulate wealth.

Evidence from the first three experiments convinced Savani and Rattan that choice is indeed an important factor underlying Americans' attitudes toward wealth inequality. "When people think in terms of choice, they become focused on the idea that people gain wealth through their own choices and not because of social protections. This additional emphasis on individual agency leads them to be less disturbed the wealth inequalities that exist," the authors explain.

With these results in hand, they decided to look at how a choice-oriented mindset affects attitudes toward specific policies.

In a fourth experiment, they investigated how thinking about choice might influence support for policies that aim to equalize the distribution of resources in the context of education. In line with their hypotheses, participants in the choice condition were less supportive of redistributive policies than participants in the control condition. The relationship was explained by participants' beliefs about individuals' entitlement to keep their wealth.

In a fifth experiment, the researchers confirmed that the effects of choice are specific to redistributive policies and not to some more general reluctance to support government spending on public goods.

In July 2011, Savani and Rattan were in the midst of conducting their research when current events intervened. The federal government was faced with a decision: raise the debt ceiling or default on the national debt. The researchers decided to seize the moment: "We wanted to see if the concept of choice could shift people's attitudes even with the nation's economic future hanging in the balance."

In the week prior to the resolution of the debt crisis, they surveyed participants, asking them how supportive they would be of different policies that might help to resolve the federal debt crisis, all of which involved increasing taxes on the wealthy. As in the previous studies, participants who were not thinking about choice were relatively supportive of increasing taxes given the stakes at hand. By comparison, the participants who were made to think about choice were significantly less supportive of such policies, even when faced directly with the consequences of maintaining the status quo.

Overall, Savani and Rattan believe their research offers critical insights into how people think about wealth inequality. "When the U.S. faces hard economic challenges, people often talk about needing to make difficult choices. But our findings suggest that when Americans are prompted to think about making choices, they might act in ways that are inconsistent with their own attitudes."

Given how important the issue of wealth inequality is in American society, Savani and Rattan hope to continue research in this area. "Issues of income inequality affect so many aspects of people's lives -- how happy they are, what they strive for, what opportunities their kids have -- and also influence governmental decisions -- what public services to provide, how to tax individuals, and how to allocate benefits," they say. "Investigating additional factors that influence people's attitudes toward income and wealth inequality will be a fascinating and important question for future research to explore."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. K. Savani, A. Rattan. A Choice Mind-Set Increases the Acceptance and Maintenance of Wealth Inequality. Psychological Science, 2012; DOI: 10.1177/0956797611434540

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

macular degeneration whitney houston funeral judi dench alicia keys bobby brown leaves funeral donnie mcclurkin whitney houston funeral live stream

Brazil condemns ouster of Paraguay president

Brazil: Brazil on Saturday condemned the impeachment and ouster of Paraguay's president Fernando Lugo, and recalled its ambassador for consultations.

"The Brazilian government condemns the summary rite of dismissal of the leader of Paraguay decided June 22, in which he was not adequately assured of the broad right to a defense," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"It considers that the procedure adopted compromises the fundamental pillar of democracy, the essential condition for regional integration," it said.
Brazil has recalled its ambassador in Paraguay for consultations, the foreign ministry added.

Lugo resigned after being impeached Friday by a 39-4 vote of the Paraguay Senate over his handling of a June 15 incident in which six police officers and 11 squatters were killed in an armed confrontation.

"The measures to be applied as a result of the rupture of the democratic order in Paraguay are being evaluated with the partners in Mercosur and Unasur, in the light of the democratic commitments in the region," it said.

Mercosur and Unasur are groupings of South American countries.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota had earlier said sanctions against Paraguay could range from not inviting the new authorities to summits to the freezing of contacts at different levels.

(Follow timesofoman.com on Facebook and on Twitter for updates that you can share with your friends.)

james van der beek dyngus day indonesia quake stephen strasburg shabazz legion baby found alive in morgue

Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PM ET

It's Monday, which means it is time for you to listen into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to mp3 at 5:30PM. Please be a part of it by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then participating in the live chat too.

Continue reading Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PM ET

Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PM ET originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments


patriots broncos game saints willis mcgahee willis mcgahee ship aground off italy nfl playoff schedule 2012 nfl live

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Rep. Issa's Bipartisan Contempt Vote Idea Ignores Facts

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

atlanta falcons ryan tannehill cispa pittsburgh steelers detroit lions seattle seahawks space shuttle

DariusButler27: RT @McCourtyTwins: Aiight twitter I'm done...one more time ?? two claps for the first ever McCourty Twins Camp being a success today..#b ...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

petrino arkansas roy williams matt lauer divine mercy chaplet albert pujols the shining mariano rivera

Dwyane Wade May Skip 2012 London Olympics Due to Knee Injury


Bodog - 10% Sign up bonus with minimum $20 deposit.
Sportsbook - 10% bonus on your initial deposit.
SportsInteraction - 10% bonus on your initial deposit
Beted - Get up to 15% CASH on your initial deposit! Bonus Code: IDB1
BetUS - Up to 60% Sign up bonus & 60% Reload bonus
Bookmaker - 20% bonus on your initial deposit.
Wagerweb - 50% Signup with same day payout - Minimum deposit $25
CanBet - ?25 Bonus Bet & 10% Multi Bonus on Sports
Superbook - 15% Instant Cash Signup Bonus & $500 Freeroll Tourney Ticket
Legends - deposit of $200 or more, you can earn a 10% Re-Up Bonus

al franken mary did you know john carter trans siberian orchestra trans siberian orchestra little big town little big town

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Roger Garrison, Georgia Sheriff, Denies Ku Klux Klan Affiliation After Release Of Old Photos (VIDEO)

A Georgia sheriff seeking re-election this year responded to an embarrassing moment from his past after old photos of him dressed in a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood surfaced.

Cherokee County Sheriff Roger Garrison, who denied affiliation with the KKK, told ABC Atlanta that the photos, which were taken at a Halloween party more than 25 years ago, were a costume meant to depict a scene from the Mel Brooks satire "Blazing Saddles."

"I don't deny it wasn't stupid, looking back now," Garrison said. "But there again I say what 21- or 22-year-old in this world hasn't made some stupid mistakes?"

In an interview with the Cherokee Tribune, the sheriff accused his opponent, David Waters, of leaking the photos in an attempt to damage his character.

"I?m deeply appalled he would stoop to this level," Garrison said. "It?s clearly an act of desperation on his part and I believe that the voters will respond accordingly."

Jodie Fleischer, the WBS reporter that obtained the photos of Garrison, would not reveal her source, but said that the pictures did not come from Waters. According to an Associated Press report, Waters said he was shown the photos last year, but did not act on them.

"I think the suit represents harm regardless of how it's displayed. It's a statement that the suit makes and to call that a joke, I don't think a lot of people would laugh," Waters told ABC Atlanta.

Garrison, whose campaign slogan is "Re-Elect Integrity," has served as Cherokee County Sheriff for the past 20 years. While he was not yet elected sheriff when the photo was taken, his 30-year service record suggests that he was working in law enforcement at the time.

Although its ban was challenged briefly in 1989, Georgia has prohibited the wearing of KKK hoods and masks for more than 50 years.

Branches of the Ku Klux Klan remain active in Georgia, but the group -- which is widely criticized for its white supremacist stance -- has also faced recent opposition. Earlier this month, Georgia denied the Klan's application to adopt a highway.

  • Rudy Giuliani And The Price Of Milk

    While running for president in 2007, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani <a href="http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2007/04/giulianis_price.html">told</a> a reporter at a Montgomery, Ala., supermarket that he estimates "a gallon of milk is probably about a $1.50, a loaf of bread about a $1.25, $1.30, last time I bought one." It must have been a few election cycles since his last trip: The grocery store's website listed milk for $3.38 and bread up to $3.49.

  • Dan Quayle And Single Mothers

    During George H.W. Bush's reelection campaign in 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19920521&id=b1tWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NfADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6921,388223" target="_hplink">scoffed</a> at the "Murphy Brown situation," referring to a television character who had a child out of wedlock. Quayle called the Brown story "totally unreal," adding, "A highly paid professional woman [with a baby] ... give me a break."

  • Martha Coakley And Shaking Hands

    In a display of aloofness that many political observers say led to her defeat by Republican Scott Brown, Democratic Senate candidate and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley erred in <a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0110/Coakley_not_sweating_it.html" target="_hplink">brushing off</a> the idea of ramping up her campaigning. When asked whether she was being too apathetic, she referenced one of Brown's ads and fired back, "As opposed to standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold? Shaking hands?"

  • Spiro Agnew And Poor Neighborhoods

    Republican vice presidential candidate Spiro Agnew, branded as Richard Nixon's go-to guy on cities, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/18/us/spiro-t-agnew-ex-vice-president-dies-at-77.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm" target="_hplink">vowed</a> in 1968 to avoid poor neighborhoods. "If you've seen one slum, you've seen them all," Agnew said.

  • Gerald Ford And Tamales

    While visiting the Alamo in 1976, President Gerald Ford <a href="http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/No-one-told-Ford-tamales-need-to-be-unwrapped-1536700.php" target="_hplink">bit</a> into a tamale through the husk, a faux pas later deemed the "Great Tamales Incident."

  • George H.W. Bush And Grocery Scanners

    President George H.W. Bush caught flak for <a href="http://www.snopes.com/history/american/bushscan.asp" target="_hplink">appearing awed</a> by a supermarket check-out scanner while touring a grocers convention in 1992. It turned out the president was being shown a new bar code technology, and the convention worker who was alongside Bush later said it's "foolish to think the president doesn't know anything about grocery stores. He knew exactly what I was talking about."

  • George W. Bush And Gas Prices

    In 2008, President George W. Bush <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/business/worldbusiness/03iht-assess.4.11654214.html?_r=1" target="_hplink">said</a> he had not heard predictions that gas prices could soon hit $4 a gallon. At the time, the national average was $3.29 a gallon.

  • John Kerry And Cheese Steak

    In 2003, Democratic presidential contender John Kerry <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/battle10/244119/bloombergs-john-kerry-cheesesteak-moment-thomas-shakely#" target="_hplink">ordered</a> Swiss cheese on a cheese steak while campaigning in South Philadelphia, straying from the traditional favorite topping, Cheez Whiz.

  • Michael Dukakis And The Tank

    Democratic presidential contender Michael Dukakis <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/01/17/the-photo-op-that-tanked" target="_hplink">tried</a> to one-up Republican opponent George H.W. Bush on national defense by striking a pose in an M1 Abrams tank.

  • Mitt Romney And Wawa

    Mitt Romney has had his fair share of seemingly out-of-touch statements this election cycle, admitting he likes to "fire people" and <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/mitt-romney-sandwich-computer-wawa/story?id=16587170#.T-Ca3XBfaUc" target="_hplink">expressing amazement</a> at the touchscreen ordering system at convenience store Wawa.

  • Barack Obama And The Private Sector

    President Barack Obama is not exempt from the "gotcha" moment. In June, he <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/08/obama-doing-fine-private-sector_n_1581874.html" target="_hplink">described</a> the private sector economy as "doing fine." The gaffe immediately elicited comparisons with his 2008 Republican opponent, John McCain, who said that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong" in the midst of a crippling financial crisis.

Earlier on HuffPost:

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

samuel adams snowy owl one for the money 10 minute trainer sarah burke death etta james funeral erin brockovich

10 FAQS: About the Senior Move Manager - Dawson Relocation ...

1. What is a senior move manager?

A senior move manager is a professional who has the experience, availability, organizational skills and resources to make the move run efficiently. Most importantly, the manager has the know-how and objectivity to help with what can be a very emotional process of sorting through possessions.

2. What does a senior move manager do?

The senior move manager can assist you with all or some of the many tasks involved in making the move as smooth and as stress-free as possible. She can provide direct and supervisory support for every aspect of your moving project, from coordinating house staging with a real estate agent, to creating floor plans, sorting and organizing, arranging for sales and donations, and then of course setting up the new home after the move.

3. How far in advance of my move should I contact a senior move manager?

Since moving can be a complex project, the earlier you contact a senior move manager, the more she can help you and minimize your stress and burden. Advanced planning also allows more opportunity for auctions or sales of valuable items, coordinating with a real estate agent for staging the house effectively, and even booking movers and other services at the most desired times.

4. How do you work with family members who may not entirely agree on the decisions to be made about the move?

A senior move manager is trained to provide guidance and facilitate effective and calm decision making under the pressure of short timelines and different points of view among the family members. The senior move manager listens carefully to all the stakeholders, weighs the needs and desires of the client, and promotes a course of action that achieves results that balance practicality with the client?s desired results.

5. How much will a senior move manager add to my moving costs?

The senior move manager does add costs to the move that depend greatly on the size of the project. However, the more complex a move, the more a senior move manager can save the client in time and money by bringing efficiency, experience and speed to each step of the process. This can save hours of time charged by movers, avoid needless expenses of moving items that won?t fit in the new home, and particularly help out-of-town family members minimize travel and time needed in town to assist with the move.

6. How do I know if a senior move manager is right for me?

A senior move manager can provide a free initial consultation to discuss the project and determine how she can provide services to support your needs.

7. Can I choose which services I want help with and pay only for these?

Yes. Typically a move manager will, after an initial consultation with the client, prepare an estimate for each possible aspect of the move.? She can provide as little or as much support for your projects as you desire, as she has considerable experience that can save you money and free you up to focus on the elements of the project you plan to handle yourself or with the help of family and friends.

8. ?What if my family and I are able to do most of the work of the move to save expenses, but need some help with the move?

Have an open and direct conversation during the initial consultation with the senior move manager. This is the best way to address budget and concerns so that she can help you structure the project to meet your needs.

9. How is working with a senior move manager different from the pack-and- move services of a moving company?

A senior move manager is much like a general contractor for you project, with particular training and expertise working with seniors and their families.

While packing services can be provided by a moving company, when the senior move manager provides these services, the packing and unpacking reflect the clear needs of the client. After the move, clients are delighted to find all their belongings carefully placed in their new homes exactly where they desired, with no detail overlooked ? even the clocks are set and electronics set up and working. This relieves the stress of the move and allows the clients to more quickly settle in to their new homes.

10. Can a senior move manager help us with a house sale/auction for valuable items we can?t take with us?

A senior move manager often provides assistance with sales and auctions of valuable items not being moved to the new home. Sometimes this might take the form of direct help, and can involve identifying local resources to handle such tasks. The senior move manager maintains professional connections with a wide range of experts who can meet the various needs of her clients.

waste management two fat ladies dennys kindle fire glen davis kobe bryant a christmas story

Video: Were Rodgers and Newton bounty targets?

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

new orleans hornets ghost rider spirit of vengeance hornets prince johan friso windows 8 logo anguilla gone with the wind

Friday, June 22, 2012

Mars Odyssey bounces back from glitch

NASA's veteran Mars Odyssey spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet is out of the woods after a glitch stalled the probe's science operations earlier this month.

The 11-year-old orbiter went into protective safe mode on June 8 after its onboard computer detected a problem with one of the three reaction wheels that control its orientation. One of these wheels jammed temporarily, so mission controllers instructed Mars Odyssey to use a spare it had onboard.

  1. More space news from msnbc.com

    1. Asteroid-hunting venture looks for a few good ideas

      Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Planetary Resources, the billionaire-backed venture that plans to hunt for asteroids, is asking its fans to come up with ideas for Kickstarter crowdfunding.

    2. No bot wins NASA's robot challenge
    3. We may soon detect universe's first stars
    4. Scientists analyze water ice in moon crater

Mars Odyssey uses a trio of spinning reaction wheels to maintain its orientation in space without the use of thrusters, which consume precious thruster fuel. Until recent tests this week, the spare wheel on Mars Odyssey had not turned since before the spacecraft launched toward the Red Planet in 2001. A shakeout of the wheel spun it up to 5,000 rotations per minute, mission managers said.

With the spare wheel up and running, Mars Odyssey has succesfully shifted out of safe mode (which pointed the spacecraft at Earth for better communications) to its normal downward direction facing Mars, called nadir.

"Attitude control in nadir pointing is being maintained with the use of the replacement wheel, and the suspect wheel has been taken out of use," Odyssey project manager Gaylon McSmith of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement.

Scientists will continue checking on the performance of the replacement wheel, but expect the spacecraft to be fully back on its feet soon.

"Remaining steps toward resuming all normal spacecraft activities will probably be completed by next week," officials said in the statement.

Mars Odyssey launched in April 2001 and has been orbiting the planet for more than a decade, longer than any other Mars mission in history.

The orbiter has been mapping the surface of Mars to study its chemical and mineral distribution, and it also serves as a relay station to pass on data collected by landers on the planet back to Earth. Mars Odyssey is a primary relay station for NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, and will also serve the Mars Science Lab rover Curiosity after it lands on the Red Planet in August.

Follow Space.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+.

? 2012 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com.

bedlam bedlam cotto vs margarito 2 cotto vs margarito cotto vs margarito miguel cotto cotto

After Facebook, lawmakers push for IPO overhaul

Valentin Flauraud / REUTERS

The loading screen of the Facebook application on a mobile phone is seen.

By Roland Jones

Lawmakers are pushing for an overhaul of the IPO process?after the debacle over Facebook?s public offering last month, which has seen the social network?s share price slump 17 percent from its initial offering price.

In a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro, Rep. Darrell Issa, R.-Calif., is pushing the agency to overhaul the rules for pricing and disclosing information in IPOs. The letter, which Issa wrote?on behalf of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, argues that the current system is weighted against smaller investors.

?It appears that underwriters have discretion to determine the price of an IPO, while subject to conflicts of interest stemming from economic relationships with those institutional clients that ultimately will purchase the bulk of an issuance,? Issa wrote.

?In conjunction with this discretion, communications restrictions and legal liability enable underwriters to provide information to institutional clients, while precluding access to the broader public,? Issa said in the letter. ?Given the concerns surrounding the Facebook IPO, Congress and the Commission should take a deeper look into this regulatory structure.?

Facebook?s founder Mark Zuckerberg and the banks running its initial public offering have been sued by disgruntled shareholders, who argue that the social network?s revised growth figures were disclosed to a select group of clients, rather than broadly with all investors, ahead of its offering.

Issa?s letter pushes the SEC to speed up its investigation into how Facebook?s IPO was handled. The regulator is also looking into technical glitches at the Nasdaq Stock Market that led to confusion on Facebook?s first day of trading. Many investors, both institutions and individual retail, were left uncertain about how many shares of Facebook they owned and the price at which they had bought them.

The SEC is also looking into whether the banks underwriting the Facebook deal broke any securities laws by allowing warnings about Facebook?s business prospects from research analysts to be passed along to a set of exclusive clients, but not the general public. Morgan Stanley, the lead underwriter on the deal, has said it fully complied with the rules for IPOs.

?I don?t believe Morgan Stanley did anything wrong from a disclosure standpoint,? said David Menlow, president of the research firm IPOfinancial.com.

?I would point to the fact that nine days before the offering the company filed the amended S1 document with the information that shows the change everyone says they didn?t know about,? Menlow added.

However, there does seem to be a general problem with how information about IPOs is disseminated to all investors, Menlow said.

?Big institutional investors seem to see more information than retail investors, but that?s not just at Morgan Stanley; that?s systemic,? he said.

The decline in Facebook?s share price since its IPO has fallen heavily on individual investors.

Facebook reportedly set aside some 25 percent of its shares for regular retail investors -- or about 105.3 million of the 421.2 million shares the company said in a regulatory filing that it expected to sell in its public offering. A typical IPO would normally allocate around 15 percent of its shares to retail investors.

If that group of retail investors had purchased shares of Facebook at the IPO price of $38, by Thursday the collective value of that investment would have declined in value by $653 million -- a drop of 16.3 percent.

While major investment houses and hedge funds were allocated stock in Facebook before it went public, individual investors had to wait until after the IPO to buy shares in the open market.

Click here to check Facebook's share price.

ohio state football capital one bowl winter classic 2012 georgia bulldogs football rashard mendenhall rachel zoe penn state football

Wedding Week: Day 4 : Paper Airplanes

We are assuming that you aren?t returning to Paper Airplanes on a regular basis to receive ? of all things ? relationship advise. Or maybe, just maybe, you are? Perhaps you look to our blog as your own personal Dear Abby column (or in my case, a Dear Andy column ? ha!). While we do know a thing or two about relationships and how important they are, we?re just acknowledging that the fact that mediating a ?he said, she said? conversation isn?t our specialty. However, for Day 4 of WEDDING WEEK, we are going to make an exception.

Seeing as how the single most important thing in any relationship is communication, today?s topic focuses on the relationship between wedding photographer and the couple who hires him or her. Since there aren?t exactly re-do?s of a couple?s first kiss as husband and wife, and there is no option to reshoot a scene a day or a week later, it is paramount to everyone?s happiness that a solid game plan be arranged prior to the big day. To that end, below is a list of things for wedding photographers to discuss with clients, and vice versa. You aren?t required to take our advice, but to steal the words of Ben Franklin, ?an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.?

?

Photographers, address these topics with your clients:

When is the wedding? Are they positive? If you sense any hesitancy, confirm with the venue.
Where is it? If there are two churches with similar names, verify the correct one. Also, verify the address. Don?t show up at ?555 S Ave. E.? instead of ?555 N Ave. E.? Are there multiple locations, such as a venue for the ceremony, one for dinner and another for the reception?
Who are the key players? Moms, dads, grandparents, cousins, etc., etc. should be tagged as ?important? in your mind. Uncle Roy who just showed up for the BBQ and the beer ? not so much.
What are the events of the day(s)? Make a play-by-play list of events WITH your client, and keep it on you when shooting.
Why are you being hired for this job vs. any other photographer. Identify your specialty, and discuss your style and approach with you clients. Let them know what you can do, and more importantly, what you can?t do.
How are you going to shoot this event? Lights, no lights, video, time lapse, photo booth? Is this what your client wants?

After covering these basics, go through the chain of events in your head and brainstorm possible scenarios to address with your client. Here is a ?get-the-wheels-spinning? list of questions for you to ask them (and yourself).

What is the agreed upon dollar amount for your services?
Do you require a deposit? If so, when is it due?
How should they pay you?
Does the bride want shots while getting dressed? Does the groom?
If yes, where will each be while dressing?
When and where will the group photos be taken? Who is in the group photos?
If a large group is requested, who is going to wrangle all the people?
What if it rains?
When will your job be considered finished?
Are you allowed to eat their food?
Will yo need a second shooter? If so, make sure client is aware of this.
Do your clients understand what they are getting for the money they are spending? Explain that they DO NOT own the copyright to your images.

?

?

Engaged couple, address these topics with your photographer:

Who is going to be shooting your wedding? Is it the owner, or will it be assigned to a hired shooter? Is a second shooter required?
What do you get for the money you are spending? Does the price you were quoted include prints, a book, a web gallery, travel expenses, a video, digital archive services etc.?
When will the photographer show up? When will he/she want the wedding party to be in place for individual and group shots?
Where will your photographer be during the event(s)? If you want their presence to be minimal, explain this prior to the wedding day. Where does the photographer want to shoot formal portraits (if any)?
Why are you hiring this photographer vs. any other photographer out there? Do you like their style, their price, their availability? If there is a solid reason, make sure you communicate this to them. Also, check to see if they belong to any professional organizations such as ASMP, EP, or PPA.

How do you want your photographer to shoot your wedding? Are you in love with ?artsy? looking photos, black and white images, or sepia-toned prints? Perhaps you demand your photographer create some images with a certain look and feel. Whatever your desired outcome, make sure you know what it is, and that you can accurately articulate it to your photographer.

Now, here is your ?get-the-wheels-spinning? list of questions:

Is your photographer insured against possible damages caused to people or property during the wedding?
Do they have other clients you can talk to? References?
Where did they receive their education or training?
Do they have an office, a website, or at the very, very least business cards to legitimize themselves?
When will you see your photos?
How will you see your photos?
If prints are an additional cost, how much will each size print cost?
Is your agreement with your photographer in writing?
If disaster strikes and your photographer can?t make it, what is their back up plan? Who will step in and honor your agreement?

?

It should be known that this is not an all-inclusive list of things to discuss with your photographer or client, but hopefully it will get the wheels spinning. Do you have other questions you would ask? Please share them in the comments below.

VN:F [1.9.18_1163]

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Tags | communication, wedding photography, Wedding Week?

va tech shooting 2011 coriolanus coriolanus v tech top model all stars americas next top model mark buehrle

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Focusing on water for Central Everglades essential to reversing whole ecosystem's continuing decline

Focusing on water for Central Everglades essential to reversing whole ecosystem's continuing decline [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Jun-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Jennifer Walsh
news@nas.edu
202-334-2138
National Academy of Sciences

WASHINGTON Twelve years into a multibillion-dollar state and federal effort to save the Florida Everglades, little progress has been made in restoring the core of the ecosystem, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council. Expedited restoration projects that improve the quality and amount of water in this area are necessary to reverse ongoing declines. A new federal pilot project offers an innovative approach to this challenge, although additional analysis is needed to maximize restoration benefits within existing legal constraints.

The report is the fourth biennial evaluation of progress made by the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, a project launched in 2000 that aims to reverse the ecosystem's decline while continuing to meet demands for water supply and flood control. The $13.5 billion effort comprises numerous projects to be completed over the next several decades.

The committee that wrote the report found that restoration remains primarily focused on the periphery of the central Everglades. Consequently, restoration efforts within the water conservation areas and Everglades National Park lag behind other portions. Progress has been made to improve the system's water quality, such as reducing phosphorus and finalizing negotiations for additional water quality projects. Nevertheless, there has been minimal success in increasing the amount and flow of water needed to restore the remnant system. Key components that depend on the amount of water in the system, such as the ridge and slough and tree islands, continue to degrade.

"Unless near-term progress is made to improve water quantity and restore water flow, ecosystem losses will continue, many of which would require decades to centuries to recover," said William Boggess, chair of the committee and professor and executive associate dean of the college of agricultural sciences at Oregon State University, Corvallis. "However, bringing in more water, or even redistributing existing water flows before water quality is improved, risks introducing levels of contaminants that would have substantial effects on the ecosystem and possibly exceed legal limits. Analyzing the connections between water quality and quantity is one of the remaining challenges of the program, and will be a key component for moving forward."

The committee found that the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) -- one of five U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pilot projects nationwide that will test a new accelerated project planning process -- is an important and promising new initiative. Its goal is to deliver an approved project implementation report on central Everglades restoration to Congress within two years instead of the typical six-year process. At the completion of the committee's report, CEPP remained at an early stage, and no specific project plans were available for the committee to review.

Over the past few years, scientific understanding has advanced and provides a solid foundation for decision making in the program, the committee said. Investment in cutting-edge research, consolidated and timely synthesis, and effective monitoring are critical to supporting sound choices. Additional use of integrated ecosystem modeling and decision support tools could facilitate restoration progress by clarifying potential restoration conflicts, identifying interim strategies for limiting further degradation of critical ecosystem components, and enhancing the capacity to address trade-offs in a more timely and integrated way.

###

The study was sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Florida Water Management District, and U.S. Department of the Interior. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are independent, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under an 1863 congressional charter. Panel members, who serve pro bono as volunteers, are chosen by the Academies for each study based on their expertise and experience and must satisfy the Academies' conflict-of-interest standards. The resulting consensus reports undergo external peer review before completion. For more information, visit http://national-academies.org/studycommitteprocess.pdf. A committee roster follows.

Contacts:

Jennifer Walsh, Media Relations Officer
Luwam Yeibio, Media Relations Assistant
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; e-mail news@nas.edu

Pre-publication copies of Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades The Fourth Biennial Review, 2012 is available from the National Academies Press; tel. 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242 or on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu. Reporters may obtain a copy from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above).

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Water Science and Technology Board

Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress

William G. Boggess (chair)
Professor and Executive Associate Dean
College of Agricultural Sciences
Oregon State University
Corvallis

Mary Jane Angelo
Professor of Law
Levin College of Law
University of Florida
Gainesville

David B. Ashley
Professor of Civil Engineering
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering
University of Nevada
Las Vegas

Charles T. Driscoll Jr.*
University Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Syracuse University
Syracuse, N.Y.

William L. Graf
Foundation University Distinguished Professor, Emeritus
University of South Carolina
Columbia

Wendy D. Graham
Carl S. Swisher Eminent Scholar in Water Resources, and
Director
Water Institute
University of Florida
Gainesville

Samuel N. Luoma
Emeritus Senior Research Hydrologist
Water Resources Division
U.S. Geological Survey
Menlo Park, Calif.

David R. Maidment
Hussein M. Alharthy Centennial Chair in Civil Engineering, and
Director
Center for Research in Water Resources
University of Texas
Austin

David H. Moreau
Research Professor
Department of City and Regional Planning
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill

K. Ramesh Reddy
Graduate Research Professor and Chair
Department of Soil and Water Science
University of Florida
Gainesville

Helen Regan
Assistant Professor
Department of Biology
University of California
Riverside

Eliska Rejmankova
Professor
Department of Environmental Science and Policy
University of California
Davis

Jeffrey R. Walters
Harold Bailey Professor of Biology
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg

STAFF

Stephanie Johnson
Study Director

* Member, National Academy of Engineering



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Focusing on water for Central Everglades essential to reversing whole ecosystem's continuing decline [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Jun-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Jennifer Walsh
news@nas.edu
202-334-2138
National Academy of Sciences

WASHINGTON Twelve years into a multibillion-dollar state and federal effort to save the Florida Everglades, little progress has been made in restoring the core of the ecosystem, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council. Expedited restoration projects that improve the quality and amount of water in this area are necessary to reverse ongoing declines. A new federal pilot project offers an innovative approach to this challenge, although additional analysis is needed to maximize restoration benefits within existing legal constraints.

The report is the fourth biennial evaluation of progress made by the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, a project launched in 2000 that aims to reverse the ecosystem's decline while continuing to meet demands for water supply and flood control. The $13.5 billion effort comprises numerous projects to be completed over the next several decades.

The committee that wrote the report found that restoration remains primarily focused on the periphery of the central Everglades. Consequently, restoration efforts within the water conservation areas and Everglades National Park lag behind other portions. Progress has been made to improve the system's water quality, such as reducing phosphorus and finalizing negotiations for additional water quality projects. Nevertheless, there has been minimal success in increasing the amount and flow of water needed to restore the remnant system. Key components that depend on the amount of water in the system, such as the ridge and slough and tree islands, continue to degrade.

"Unless near-term progress is made to improve water quantity and restore water flow, ecosystem losses will continue, many of which would require decades to centuries to recover," said William Boggess, chair of the committee and professor and executive associate dean of the college of agricultural sciences at Oregon State University, Corvallis. "However, bringing in more water, or even redistributing existing water flows before water quality is improved, risks introducing levels of contaminants that would have substantial effects on the ecosystem and possibly exceed legal limits. Analyzing the connections between water quality and quantity is one of the remaining challenges of the program, and will be a key component for moving forward."

The committee found that the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) -- one of five U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pilot projects nationwide that will test a new accelerated project planning process -- is an important and promising new initiative. Its goal is to deliver an approved project implementation report on central Everglades restoration to Congress within two years instead of the typical six-year process. At the completion of the committee's report, CEPP remained at an early stage, and no specific project plans were available for the committee to review.

Over the past few years, scientific understanding has advanced and provides a solid foundation for decision making in the program, the committee said. Investment in cutting-edge research, consolidated and timely synthesis, and effective monitoring are critical to supporting sound choices. Additional use of integrated ecosystem modeling and decision support tools could facilitate restoration progress by clarifying potential restoration conflicts, identifying interim strategies for limiting further degradation of critical ecosystem components, and enhancing the capacity to address trade-offs in a more timely and integrated way.

###

The study was sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Florida Water Management District, and U.S. Department of the Interior. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are independent, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under an 1863 congressional charter. Panel members, who serve pro bono as volunteers, are chosen by the Academies for each study based on their expertise and experience and must satisfy the Academies' conflict-of-interest standards. The resulting consensus reports undergo external peer review before completion. For more information, visit http://national-academies.org/studycommitteprocess.pdf. A committee roster follows.

Contacts:

Jennifer Walsh, Media Relations Officer
Luwam Yeibio, Media Relations Assistant
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; e-mail news@nas.edu

Pre-publication copies of Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades The Fourth Biennial Review, 2012 is available from the National Academies Press; tel. 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242 or on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu. Reporters may obtain a copy from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above).

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Water Science and Technology Board

Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress

William G. Boggess (chair)
Professor and Executive Associate Dean
College of Agricultural Sciences
Oregon State University
Corvallis

Mary Jane Angelo
Professor of Law
Levin College of Law
University of Florida
Gainesville

David B. Ashley
Professor of Civil Engineering
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering
University of Nevada
Las Vegas

Charles T. Driscoll Jr.*
University Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Syracuse University
Syracuse, N.Y.

William L. Graf
Foundation University Distinguished Professor, Emeritus
University of South Carolina
Columbia

Wendy D. Graham
Carl S. Swisher Eminent Scholar in Water Resources, and
Director
Water Institute
University of Florida
Gainesville

Samuel N. Luoma
Emeritus Senior Research Hydrologist
Water Resources Division
U.S. Geological Survey
Menlo Park, Calif.

David R. Maidment
Hussein M. Alharthy Centennial Chair in Civil Engineering, and
Director
Center for Research in Water Resources
University of Texas
Austin

David H. Moreau
Research Professor
Department of City and Regional Planning
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill

K. Ramesh Reddy
Graduate Research Professor and Chair
Department of Soil and Water Science
University of Florida
Gainesville

Helen Regan
Assistant Professor
Department of Biology
University of California
Riverside

Eliska Rejmankova
Professor
Department of Environmental Science and Policy
University of California
Davis

Jeffrey R. Walters
Harold Bailey Professor of Biology
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg

STAFF

Stephanie Johnson
Study Director

* Member, National Academy of Engineering



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


lesnar vs overeem appetizer recipes alistair overeem alistair overeem texas a m insight bowl russell brand files for divorce