Academy of Natural Sciences to guide coordinated region-wide watershed protection

Public release date: 20-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Rachel Ewing
raewing@drexel.edu
215-895-2614
Drexel University

PHILADELPHIA (May 20, 2013) The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University has received a major grant from the William Penn Foundation to support watershed protection and restoration in the Delaware watershed that is intended to coordinate and demonstrate a region-wide impact on improving water quality.

The Academy of Natural Sciences has been performing watershed and aquatic science research since the 1940s. For the past year, Academy scientists have provided scientific guidance to the William Penn Foundation as it began plans to focus its environmental funding on watershed protection and restoration. The new one-year grant award of $880,000 will take this advisory role to a new level.

The grant heralds an unusual degree of collaboration between the Academy and the Foundation to guide the scientific measurement and evaluation of conservation efforts across a wide region and to ensure the Foundation's other grants are coordinated with one another and with the larger context of regional watershed conservation activities. The Academy's guidance will therefore influence the activities of other organizations working across the Delaware Valley region to protect and restore water quality.

"It's exciting to have the opportunity to work with an expansive, coordinated effort like this to protect the Delaware basin with a particular focus on water quality," said George W. Gephart, Jr., president and CEO of the Academy of Natural Sciences. "The Academy has a long history in the science of protecting watersheds, rivers and streams to keep high water quality in the area."

The Academy's role in the coming year will be to take baseline measurements of environmental conditions in designated sites across the Delaware basin. As other organizations work with the William Penn Foundation to secure funding for their own conservation programs at specific sites, the Academy will serve in an outreach and mentoring role to guide the development of these projects. Academy scientists will also coordinate a process to identify research questions that might emerge from the funded projects. For example, some research questions might compare the effectiveness of different restoration methods.

Ultimately, the Academy's scientific expertise and measurements will guide coordinated, region-wide work to address major environmental stressors in the watershed, demonstrate the effectiveness of interventions, and ensure these efforts can be replicated at other sites.

These activities will also entail active collaboration among conservation groups and scientists in the coming year. To encourage this process, the Academy will host regular monthly seminars with Drexel University faculty to encourage interdisciplinary collaborations among researchers and students to address watershed conservation.

"With the launch of new grantmaking guidelines, the Foundation is focused more than ever on supporting environmental work that is rooted in data and strong science," said Laura Sparks, Vice President for Philanthropic Programs at the William Penn Foundation. "The Academy's deep experience and national recognition for hydrological research make it an invaluable partner in water quality monitoring and analysis. Together, we will focus on impacts that are both meaningful and measurable, helping stakeholders across the Delaware River Basin to better understand, adapt, and innovate when it comes to a shared mission for watershed protection."

The Foundation selected the Academy for this key scientific role on the basis of the Academy's strong history of watershed research. The Academy's Patrick Center for Environmental Research has a history of more than 70 years of national leadership in using science to inform the protection of environmental quality in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The Academy's watershed research uses field and laboratory studies to analyze and simulate the functioning of aquatic systems, integrating mapping with hydrologic, bioenergetic, ecological and other methods of measurement and analysis at multiple spatial scales.

###

Founded in 1812, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is a world-class natural history museum dedicated to advancing to advancing research, education, and public engagement in biodiversity and environmental science research, education, and public engagement in biodiversity and environmental science.

The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, works to close the achievement gap for low-income children, ensure a sustainable environment, foster creativity that enhances civic life, and advance philanthropy in the Philadelphia region. With assets of nearly $2 billion, the Foundation distributes approximately $80 million in grants annually.

---

[ | E-mail | 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.

Public release date: 20-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Rachel Ewing
raewing@drexel.edu
215-895-2614
Drexel University

PHILADELPHIA (May 20, 2013) The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University has received a major grant from the William Penn Foundation to support watershed protection and restoration in the Delaware watershed that is intended to coordinate and demonstrate a region-wide impact on improving water quality.

The Academy of Natural Sciences has been performing watershed and aquatic science research since the 1940s. For the past year, Academy scientists have provided scientific guidance to the William Penn Foundation as it began plans to focus its environmental funding on watershed protection and restoration. The new one-year grant award of $880,000 will take this advisory role to a new level.

The grant heralds an unusual degree of collaboration between the Academy and the Foundation to guide the scientific measurement and evaluation of conservation efforts across a wide region and to ensure the Foundation's other grants are coordinated with one another and with the larger context of regional watershed conservation activities. The Academy's guidance will therefore influence the activities of other organizations working across the Delaware Valley region to protect and restore water quality.

"It's exciting to have the opportunity to work with an expansive, coordinated effort like this to protect the Delaware basin with a particular focus on water quality," said George W. Gephart, Jr., president and CEO of the Academy of Natural Sciences. "The Academy has a long history in the science of protecting watersheds, rivers and streams to keep high water quality in the area."

The Academy's role in the coming year will be to take baseline measurements of environmental conditions in designated sites across the Delaware basin. As other organizations work with the William Penn Foundation to secure funding for their own conservation programs at specific sites, the Academy will serve in an outreach and mentoring role to guide the development of these projects. Academy scientists will also coordinate a process to identify research questions that might emerge from the funded projects. For example, some research questions might compare the effectiveness of different restoration methods.

Ultimately, the Academy's scientific expertise and measurements will guide coordinated, region-wide work to address major environmental stressors in the watershed, demonstrate the effectiveness of interventions, and ensure these efforts can be replicated at other sites.

These activities will also entail active collaboration among conservation groups and scientists in the coming year. To encourage this process, the Academy will host regular monthly seminars with Drexel University faculty to encourage interdisciplinary collaborations among researchers and students to address watershed conservation.

"With the launch of new grantmaking guidelines, the Foundation is focused more than ever on supporting environmental work that is rooted in data and strong science," said Laura Sparks, Vice President for Philanthropic Programs at the William Penn Foundation. "The Academy's deep experience and national recognition for hydrological research make it an invaluable partner in water quality monitoring and analysis. Together, we will focus on impacts that are both meaningful and measurable, helping stakeholders across the Delaware River Basin to better understand, adapt, and innovate when it comes to a shared mission for watershed protection."

The Foundation selected the Academy for this key scientific role on the basis of the Academy's strong history of watershed research. The Academy's Patrick Center for Environmental Research has a history of more than 70 years of national leadership in using science to inform the protection of environmental quality in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The Academy's watershed research uses field and laboratory studies to analyze and simulate the functioning of aquatic systems, integrating mapping with hydrologic, bioenergetic, ecological and other methods of measurement and analysis at multiple spatial scales.

###

Founded in 1812, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is a world-class natural history museum dedicated to advancing to advancing research, education, and public engagement in biodiversity and environmental science research, education, and public engagement in biodiversity and environmental science.

The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, works to close the achievement gap for low-income children, ensure a sustainable environment, foster creativity that enhances civic life, and advance philanthropy in the Philadelphia region. With assets of nearly $2 billion, the Foundation distributes approximately $80 million in grants annually.

---

[ | E-mail | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/du-aon052013.php

ryan seacrest beltane ryan o neal dark knight rises trailer dark knight rises trailer vince young vince young

Selena Gomez Performs at Billboard Music Awards, Wears Bindi Again

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/selena-gomez-performs-at-billboard-music-awards-wears-bindi-agai/

tax day april 17 tu pac hologram shuttle pippa middleton space shuttle discovery spacex

Study of young Israelis emphasizes need for avoidance of sun exposure

Public release date: 20-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jerry Barach
jerryb@savion.huji.ac.il
972-258-82904
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Jerusalem, May 20, 2013 A new study conducted using extensive medical records of over one million Israeli adolescents before military service shows clearly how exposure to the Israeli sun of young, light-skinned children increases substantially the risk of cutaneous melanoma (a serious form of skin cancer).

The incidence of cutaneous melanoma is on the rise in all parts of the world where light-skinned people live. Rates have tripled over the last decades in the United States, and the rise was even steeper in Europe.

What about in Israel? What segments of the population are more at risk and at what stage? Dr. Hagai Levine and Prof. Jeremy Kark from the Hebrew University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine and other researchers set out to find the answers, using records of young Jewish males who were examined between 1967 and 2005. These men were followed up by data linkage for cancer incidence until the end of 2006. Females were not included because their baseline data were available only for a more recent period.

In their study, the researchers found not surprisingly a quadrupled higher risk of skin cancer among native-born Israelis of European origin (including the Americas, Australia and South Africa) and those immigrating from those countries over those of North African or Asian origin.

Israel's subtropical latitude means residents are exposed to more solar radiation than in much of Europe, and therefore the findings implicate childhood sun exposure as a clear, preventable risk factor for melanoma. But even for those who spent their childhood in Europe, the data showed that those who came to Israel before age 10 had almost double the risk of cutaneous melanoma compared to those who arrived from Europe later in childhood.

The study of melanoma susceptibility according to countries of origin is especially suited to Israel because of the massive immigration that has taken place since the establishment of the state, bringing Jews of varying skin hues from Europe, North Africa and Western Asia.

The study on Israel and cutaneous melanoma was published recently in the International Journal of Cancer. In addition to Dr. Levine and Prof. Kark, researchers from the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps, the National Cancer Registry and other institutions participated in the work.

They used an extensive database culled from military medical examinations, enabling them to conduct a large-scale migrant cohort study in order to identify high-risk populations and critical periods of sun exposure during childhood, which would aid in directing public health and research efforts.

Israel is one of the few western countries where military service is mandatory. All Israeli Jewish adolescents are obligated to present themselves at age 17 for a medical board examination before military service (even if exempted later from service). Consequently, use of these data provides a generally representative sample of the young Jewish population, particularly of males.

These findings, say the researchers, provide solid support for the importance of stressing the issue of childhood sun exposure, particularly in light skinned people, as a preventable risk factor for cutaneous melanoma and can aid in directing public health and research efforts.

###

---

[ | E-mail | 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.

Public release date: 20-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jerry Barach
jerryb@savion.huji.ac.il
972-258-82904
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Jerusalem, May 20, 2013 A new study conducted using extensive medical records of over one million Israeli adolescents before military service shows clearly how exposure to the Israeli sun of young, light-skinned children increases substantially the risk of cutaneous melanoma (a serious form of skin cancer).

The incidence of cutaneous melanoma is on the rise in all parts of the world where light-skinned people live. Rates have tripled over the last decades in the United States, and the rise was even steeper in Europe.

What about in Israel? What segments of the population are more at risk and at what stage? Dr. Hagai Levine and Prof. Jeremy Kark from the Hebrew University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine and other researchers set out to find the answers, using records of young Jewish males who were examined between 1967 and 2005. These men were followed up by data linkage for cancer incidence until the end of 2006. Females were not included because their baseline data were available only for a more recent period.

In their study, the researchers found not surprisingly a quadrupled higher risk of skin cancer among native-born Israelis of European origin (including the Americas, Australia and South Africa) and those immigrating from those countries over those of North African or Asian origin.

Israel's subtropical latitude means residents are exposed to more solar radiation than in much of Europe, and therefore the findings implicate childhood sun exposure as a clear, preventable risk factor for melanoma. But even for those who spent their childhood in Europe, the data showed that those who came to Israel before age 10 had almost double the risk of cutaneous melanoma compared to those who arrived from Europe later in childhood.

The study of melanoma susceptibility according to countries of origin is especially suited to Israel because of the massive immigration that has taken place since the establishment of the state, bringing Jews of varying skin hues from Europe, North Africa and Western Asia.

The study on Israel and cutaneous melanoma was published recently in the International Journal of Cancer. In addition to Dr. Levine and Prof. Kark, researchers from the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps, the National Cancer Registry and other institutions participated in the work.

They used an extensive database culled from military medical examinations, enabling them to conduct a large-scale migrant cohort study in order to identify high-risk populations and critical periods of sun exposure during childhood, which would aid in directing public health and research efforts.

Israel is one of the few western countries where military service is mandatory. All Israeli Jewish adolescents are obligated to present themselves at age 17 for a medical board examination before military service (even if exempted later from service). Consequently, use of these data provides a generally representative sample of the young Jewish population, particularly of males.

These findings, say the researchers, provide solid support for the importance of stressing the issue of childhood sun exposure, particularly in light skinned people, as a preventable risk factor for cutaneous melanoma and can aid in directing public health and research efforts.

###

---

[ | E-mail | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/thuo-soy052013.php

small business saturday best cyber monday deals best cyber monday deals macaulay culkin Larry Hagman macys apple

Hofstra student killed by police during break-in

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) ? In what police are describing as a crime of opportunity, a wanted man with a criminal history dating nearly 15 years entered a front door that had been left open at a New York home near Hofstra University.

A short time later, the intruder, Dalton Smith, and a 21-year-old college junior, Andrea Rebello, were both dead. The two were killed early Friday by a Nassau County police officer who fired eight shots at the masked man, hitting him seven times but also accidentally hitting Rebello once in the head, Nassau County homicide squad Lt. John Azzata said Saturday.

Smith was holding Rebello in a headlock and pointing a gun at her head before he turned his gun at the officer, Azzata said, prompting the shooting.

"He kept saying, 'I'm going to kill her,' and then he pointed the gun at the police officer," Azzata said.

A loaded 9 mm handgun with a serial number scratched off was found at the scene, police said.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale said he had traveled to Rebello's Tarrytown, N.Y., home to explain to Rebello's parents what happened.

"I felt obligated as a police commissioner and as a parent to inform them as soon as all the forensic results were completed," Dale said.

The veteran police officer, who was not identified, has about 12 years of experience on the Nassau County police force and previously spent several years as a New York City police officer, Dale said.

The officer is currently out on sick leave. He will be the focus of an internal police investigation once the criminal investigation is completed, which is standard police procedure in any officer-involved shooting, the commissioner said.

The shooting came just days before the school's commencement ceremonies, which are scheduled for Sunday.

A university spokeswoman said students will be handed white ribbons to wear in memory of Rebello. The shooting, which took place just steps from campus, has cast a pall over the university community as it geared up for commencement.

Earlier Saturday, police announced that Smith, 30, had been wanted on a parole violation related to a first-degree robbery conviction. A warrant was issued for Smith on April 25 for absconding from parole, police said.

Smith had what police described as "an extensive criminal history," which included arrests for robbery in the first degree in 1999, promoting prison contraband in the second degree in 2000, robbery in the first degree in 2003, assault in the second degree in 2003 and robbery in the second degree in 2003.

Rebello was in the two-story home in Uniondale, N.Y., with her twin sister Jessica, a third woman and a man when Smith, wearing a ski mask, walked into the house through an open front door, Azzata said.

The door was left open after someone had moved a car that was blocking a driveway, Azzata said.

When Smith entered, he demanded valuables and was told they were upstairs, Azzata said.

Smith, apparently unsatisfied with the valuables upstairs, asked if any of the four had a bank account and could withdraw money, Azzata said. The intruder then allowed the unidentified woman to leave and collect money from an ATM, telling her she had only eight minutes to come back with cash before he killed one of her friends, Azzata said.

The woman left for the bank and called 911, according to Azzata.

Minutes later, two police officers arrived at the home and found Rebello's twin sister Jessica running out of the front door and the male guest hiding behind a couch on the first floor, Azzata said.

One of the officers entered the home and encountered Smith holding onto Rebello in a headlock, coming down the stairs, Azzata said. Smith pulled Rebello closer and started moving backward toward a rear door of the house, pointing the gun at her head before eventually threatening the officer, Azzata said.

The Rev. Osvaldo Franklin, who gave Rebello and her twin their first communions, on Saturday night told The Associated Press their mother, Nella, couldn't even speak to him earlier in the day.

"She was so devastated," said Franklin. "She's just crying. We have to pray for Andrea, to pray for Jessica because she needs help."

Franklin said a funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at Teresa of Avila Church in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., and will be in Portuguese.

"The family's a very good family, they have very good values," he said. "They are a very good, very devoted family."

___

Associated Press writer Jake Pearson in New York contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hofstra-student-killed-police-during-break-065118864.html

daylight saving time 2012 grapes of wrath silent house nfl mock draft project m colts colts

Obama urged to make economy a bigger, bolder topic

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Five months into President Barack Obama's second term, allies and former top aides worry that his overarching goal of economic opportunity has been diminished, partly drowned out by controversies seized upon by Republicans in an effort to weaken him.

The former White House insiders, including longtime Obama adviser David Axelrod, say Obama needs to make his case anew for government's role in expanding education and innovation and to give, as Obama put it in one of his early seminal speeches, "every American a fighting chance in the 21st century."

Among their suggestions is that the president deliver a major address, perhaps at a commencement, that once again places his economic vision at the center of his agenda and speaks to what continues to be the overriding concern of the American public.

Instead, absent major legislative victories, Obama's second term has become a series of small actions overshadowed by a trio of recent troubles over the administration's response to the attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, the IRS's targeting of conservative groups and the Justice Department's seizure of Associated Press phone records as part of a leak investigation.

"The hardest thing in the hot house of Washington in weeks like this is to get above the maelstrom and really define major issues in your own terms," Axelrod said. "They need to find big platforms, whether it's congressional addresses, commencement speeches, high-profile interviews or a combination of those things and others."

As these Democrats see it, there has been an arc of Obama addresses that have spelled out the challenge and the hope of attaining the American Dream, from a 2005 commencement address at tiny Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., to his speech in Osawatomie, Kan., in late 2011, and that the time for another one is now.

Over the last two weeks, Obama has been trying to draw attention to his job-creation ideas with small events in Austin and, on Friday, in Baltimore. The daytime visits have been coupled with modest executive initiatives that tend to garner local media attention but get lost in Washington's attention to the contentious issues of the moment.

"There does seem to be a risk of getting bogged down in noise," said Jared Bernstein, who was part of Obama's economic team when he served as Vice President Joe Biden's chief economist. "He doesn't need to get out to talk about Benghazi and the IRS and the budget deficit. He needs to talk about investment in the nation's productivity."

Obama has called for more government spending on education, public works projects, and research and development and has proposed paying for it largely with higher taxes. But after letting one tax increase on the rich pass at the beginning of the year, Republicans have steadfastly refused any further tax hikes and have resisted Obama's spending plans. The result has been a fruitless search, at least so far, for a "grand bargain" to trim the nation's long-term debt.

In the face of Republican-led investigations in Congress and with some conservatives even suggesting impeachment proceedings against the president, some Obama advisers say that boldly elevating the economy would create a sharp contrast and emphasize their belief that Republicans are overplaying their hand. They note that as dissatisfaction with Washington has grown, Obama has continued to hold a substantial edge over the Republicans in Congress.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said that creating jobs is the top priority of Republicans, too, but "we're also focused on holding this administration accountable" about what happened in Libya and with the IRS.

If Obama has a single long-term governing priority, it is a deep-seated belief that advances in technology and globalization have translated into a significant consumer benefits but have also eroded middle-class gains. "The result has been the emergence of what some call a 'winner take all' economy, in which a rising tide doesn't necessarily lift all boats," he wrote in his 2006 book, "The Audacity of Hope."

The opportunity to make a broad shift toward the economy might have presented itself this week, when the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted that the budget deficit for 2013 will be $642 billion ? lower than estimated and half of the record $1.4 trillion hit during Obama's first year in office. Instead, that bit of news was overshadowed by the IRS, Benghazi and AP phone record controversies.

Armed with a lower deficit number, some of Obama's liberal critics say he should abandon efforts to reduce deficits and focus exclusively on jobs.

"They should declare victory," said Lawrence Mishel, president and CEO of the liberal Economic Policy Institute. "Making the big policy and political project the grand bargain has been digging us in a deeper and deeper hole."

White House officials say the time to pause and deliver the type of major address that connects Obama's policies to his core beliefs is when it has the possibility of making a major impact. For now, they say, their economic tour across the country is better suited to the moment.

"What we think that these tours do is add another dimension to the argument of what we're trying to get done with Congress," White House communications director Jennifer Palmieri said. "That this is not just about budgets, this is about steps that Congress can take legislatively and the president can take unilaterally that will create jobs and help middle-class families."

How to emphasize Obama's jobs agenda was a subject Thursday during a meeting between top White House aides and outside Democratic operatives, many of whom had worked for Bill Clinton's administration. They had been called by Obama chief of staff Denis McDonough to consult and offer ideas on how to respond to the most recent uproars. Among those attending were such Clinton aides as Paul Begala and Mike McCurry.

"What the president can do is make decisions about what he wants to talk to the American people about," said Democratic consultant Tad Devine, who also attended Thursday's meeting. "And my view is, as someone who spends time sitting in focus groups listening to voters, what's at the top of mind with them is the economy still."

___

Follow Jim Kuhnhenn on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jkuhnhenn

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-urged-economy-bigger-bolder-140833020.html

Sandy Hook conspiracy Stuart Scott Holly Rowe Chief Keef FRANK ZAMBONI Tiffany Six aaliyah

PFT: Manuel says Bills' offense simpler than FSU's

AP

The Seahawks might lead the league in PED suspensions, but it?s apparently not for a lack of trying.

Seahawks General Manager John Schneider called Bruce Irvin?s suspension for violating the league?s policy on performance enhancing substances ?very disappointing,? and said the team has ?gone above and beyond what the league has done,? in terms of educating players.

Schneider?s remarks came on SiriusXM NFL Radio with Bruce Murray and Rich Gannon, and made it clear the team?s trying to curb a trend.

?This is something we take very seriously here,? Schenider said. ?The league has done a great job of educating guys and we?ve actually gone above and beyond what the league has done. We have a guy in place here that helps our player development people. You do what you can. It?s very disappointing.?Pete [Carroll] and I sat down with Bruce. Pete addressed it with the team.?Bruce addressed the team.

?And, you know, really good organizations are the organizations that can take body blows. We look at this as a learning opportunity and one that obviously needs to be addressed, but this is also an opportunity for others to step forward.?

The Seahawks prepared for the suspension by signing free agents Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, but they?ll be required to change even more while they wait on Irvin to be reinstated and Chris Clemons to return from a knee injury.

?And we have to treat it really, quite honestly, like he sustained a high ankle sprain or something,? Schneider said. ?And you make those adjustments whether it be in the game or during the offseason.?

Schneider said after doing research on players in college, he?s not surprised at the numbers of suspensions.

But given the concentration in his own building, he should be treating it like a different kind of outbreak, rather than just a four-week injury which will inconvenience his coaches.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/19/manuel-says-buffalos-offense-is-easier-that-florida-states/related/

cujo karen handel powerball beyonce doctor who Preakness 2013

Bradley keeps lead after 3 rounds at Nelson

IRVING, Texas (AP) ? Keegan Bradley overcame two early bogeys and maintained his lead at the Byron Nelson Championship with 2-under 68 in the third round Saturday.

Bradley had a 13-under 197 total for a one-stroke lead over Sang-Moon Bae (66) and two-shot advantage over Tom Gillis (67).

On Sunday, Bradley will be trying to win at TPC Four Seasons for the second time in three years. He could also become the Nelson's first wire-to-wire winner since Tom Watson led alone at the end of all four rounds in 1980.

After following his opening course-record 60 with a 69 on Friday, Bradley started the third round with a three-stroke lead. He stayed alone at top of the leaderboard throughout, even after consecutive bogeys on the front nine and his third consecutive bogey this week at No. 18.

Bradley avoided a bogey at No. 1 for the first time this week. But not at the 429-yard 18th, which cost him the opportunity for a bigger lead.

On the closing hole, where Bradley went way right off the tee the first two rounds, he smashed his drive down the left side toward the water Saturday. While the ball stayed dry, it settled behind a large rock, forcing Bradley to punch back into the fairway before an approach shot that settled on the front edge of the green. He almost saved par, but the ball rolled just over the lip of the cup and 2 feet past.

Scott Piercy's 66 matched Bae and three others for the best round on a breezy Texas day. Piercy was fourth at 10 under, two strokes ahead of Gary Woodland (68), Harris English (68), John Huh (69) and 2011 Masters champ Charl Schwartzel (69).

When 83 players made the cut of even par, there were threesomes instead of traditional twosomes for the third round. That put Bradley in the same group with Bae and Gillis, who started the round tied for second place.

Gillis was the last player in the field with a bogey Saturday, when he three-putted from 20 feet at the 203-yard 17th. He got that stroke right back when he blasted out of a greenside bunker for a birdie at No. 18.

Bradley got his first PGA Tour victory as a rookie at the Nelson two years ago. He followed that by winning the PGA Championship later that season and the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational in 2012.

He first got to 12 under with a 13-foot birdie at the 505-yard third hole and saved par at the next hole after driving into a fairway bunker.

His consecutive bogeys came when he two-putted for bogey after missing the green at the par-3 fifth and then drove into the rough at No. 6. But after a long wait to tee off at the 542-yard seventh hole, Bradley got to the green in two and two-putted from 14 feet for a birdie.

When Bradley's drive at No. 11 settled just a few inches above the top edge of a bunker, it looked like he might have some trouble. But he hit his approach shot onto the green, 34 feet from the cup, and sank the birdie putt to get to 13 under.

After his approach at the 546-yard 16th into a greenside bunker, Bradley blasted within 12 feet and made the birdie putt.

Bae, the 26-year-old South Korean who has 11 international victories but none on the PGA Tour, was quickly within a stroke of the lead after birdies on the first two holes. He made a 9-footer on the first and curled in a 32-foot birdie putt at the 223-yard second hole.

A 12-footer for birdie at the eighth hole got Bae to 10 under, again only a stroke back. But Bradley made a 14-foot birdie putt to close out the front nine and made the turn with a two-stroke lead over Bae and Gillis, who also made a birdie from 14 feet at the ninth hole to get to 10 under.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bradley-keeps-lead-3-rounds-nelson-220537986.html

neil diamond kashi orange crush harden nor easter nor easter veep

Glance: Europe's Key Institutions

Following the chaotic bailout of Cyprus, top European Union officials are saying it's time to rethink how the region manages its crisis ? and who should be involved.

Here is a look at the key institutions involved in Europe's economic policymaking:

?EUROPEAN UNION

An economic and political partnership among 27 European countries. It has a combined population of half a billion people and an annual economic output of some 12.8 trillion euros ($16.5 trillion). The president of the European Council, the body which brings together the leaders of the 27 EU countries, is Herman Van Rumpoy.

?EUROPEAN COMMISSION

The EU's executive arm. As well as drafting and enforcing European laws, it also runs the EU's budget, manages the day-to-day business of implementing EU policies and represents the EU internationally ? for example in the forthcoming trade talks with the U.S.. The current president of the Commission is Jose Manuel Barroso.

?EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

The EU's main legislative body. It has three main roles: debating and passing European laws; scrutinizing other EU institutions to make sure they are working democratically; and debating and adopting the EU's budget.

?EUROZONE

The name given to the economic group of 17 EU countries that use the single European currency, the euro. The 17 countries are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. There is no one leader of the eurozone but its economic management is run by the....

?EUROGROUP

The meeting of the 17 finance ministers of the eurozone. It is responsible for ensuring that there is financial stability and economic growth among its members. It has also become the main decision-making body for agreeing eurozone emergency bailouts and assistance. The current president of the Eurogroup is Jeroen Dijsselbloem.

?EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK

The eurozone's central bank. Its main task is to maintain price stability in the eurozone, which it does mainly by setting interest rates for the region. Its current president is Mario Draghi.

?INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND

Formed in 1944, the IMF is a global organization of 188 countries that provides loans, monitors and issues recommendations to help improve the economies of its members. It contributes money to the eurozone's bailouts and helps monitor the region's economy. Its current managing director is Christine Lagarde.

?TROIKA

Is a committee set up to manage and monitor the bailout loans for the eurozone countries and consists of the European Commission, ECB and IMF. No eurozone country gets a bailout until an inspection team from the troika makes sure the right political and economic measures are in place to ensure the loan gets paid back.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/glance-europes-key-institutions-154118667.html

Pain and Gain Eddie Lacy Justin Pugh dallas cowboys Jarvis Jones minnesota vikings Eric Reid

Cervical Cancer Crisis Card rates India high | Zambia Daily Mail

?.as Zambia is rated highest cancer mortality in world-over
NEW DEHLI ? India has highest number of women dying from cervical cancer and Zambia has highest mortality rate. Australia provides a global model for dramatically preventing cervical cancer.
More women die of cervical cancer in India than anywhere in the world. India along with China, Brazil, Bangladesh and Nigeria represent over 50 percent of the global burden of cervical cancer deaths.
However, African countries are struggling to deal with cervical cancer too according to the new Cervical Cancer Crisis Card, which ranks countries from across the world based on the number of deaths from cervical cancer and the overall mortality rate. The Crisis Card is available on the Cervical Cancer Free Coalition website and launched globally to mark International Mother?s Day last Sunday.
Cervical cancer kills an estimated 275,000 women every year and 500,000 new cases are reported worldwide. This entirely preventable disease is the second largest cancer killer of women in low and middle-income countries.
According to the Crisis Card, Zambia has the highest mortality rate for cervical cancer.
?It is shocking that Zambia is ranked number 1 on the Cervical Cancer Crisis Card for mortality rate,? said Zambia?s First Lady Christine Kaseba. ?We can change this by making life saving vaccines available that almost entirely prevent the disease. We have the tools and technologies, this mother?s day we must stop talking and act to save women?s lives.?
However, there are reasons for hope too. According to the Crisis Card, Australia has the lowest cervical cancer mortality rate, which is due to the successful rollout of a comprehensive package of HPV vaccines, treatment and prevention. According to the Government of Australia, there has also been a decline in genital warts and cervical abnormalities among young women since the introduction of the HPV vaccine in Australia.
Jennifer Smith, Executive Director of the Cervical Cancer Free Coalition said: ?Cervical cancer is a preventable cancer, yet we are still seeing so many deaths around the world. At Cervical Cancer Free Coalition we are working towards building networks across the globe to help support our common goal of a world free of cervical cancer. Together we can dramatically reduce this disease through vaccination, screening and education.?
The startling disparities between women in the developed and developing world are personified by cervical cancer.? A woman in Zambia is 25 times more likely to die from cervical cancer than a woman in Australia and India has 750 times more deaths than Norway. This level of inequity is also reflected across gender indicators with girls less likely to attend school but more likely to be malnourished and married as a child. Unless life-saving HPV vaccines are prioritised by decision makers this inequity will remain.
Seth Berkley, CEO of the GAVI Alliance said ?2013 is the beginning of a dramatic shift in women?s health. A new low price for the HPV vaccine has been negotiated by GAVI for countries eligible for support, opening the door for millions of girls in the world?s poorest countries to be protected against one of the leading cancer killers of women. Ghana will be one of the first African countries to receive HPV vaccines this year with GAVI support.?
Coming in the same month as the global Women Deliver 2013 conference that will have a focus on gender and health equity in terms of the post-2015 framework (the follow framework to the Millennium Development Goals), the report is a timely reminder of the challenges facing women, especially in the low to middle income countries. By prioritising women?s health in the next developmental framework, world leaders would show that they?re serious about challenging inequity and building sustainable societies where universal rights are guaranteed for all.
?By investing in women, nations are investing in their future prosperity. If women are educated, are represented politically and have access to good quality health services, then they and their children are much more likely to stay healthy and contribute positively to their nation,? said Sania Nishtar, Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Information Technology, Education and Training in the Government of Pakistan. ?Huge progress has been made across the world, but much more can be done to save and improve millions of women?s lives, particularly those from the poorest and most marginalised communities.?
Cervical cancer is a taboo issue in many places as it is linked to sexual reproduction and cancer. Unless women?s groups and civil society join together to lead movements that break through stigma, patriarchy and other societal barriers, we will continue to see large numbers of deaths and high mortality rates. Projections show that by 2030, almost half a million women will die of cervical cancer, with over 98 percent of these deaths expected to occur in low and middle-income countries. The time to act is now.
The crisis card also calls for:
The rollout of a comprehensive approach to cervical cancer that includes the aggressive rollout of HPV vaccines that prevent disease and for the scaling up of screening and treatment options.
Women to be encouraged to visit their health provider for early screening of precancers using either the pap smear (colposcopy), visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and HPV testing to help diagnose precancerous cells.
Treatment of precancers is advancing, which provides hope to the hundreds of thousands of women who missed out on the vaccine. Health systems need to be strengthened so that all women who need access to treatment can access affordable, quality care. ? CERVICAL CANCER FREE COALITION.

345?total views, 29?views today

This entry was posted on May 19, 2013 at 10:14 am and is filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Source: http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/cervical-cancer-crisis-card-rates-india-high/

matt kenseth bridge to nowhere primary results dale earnhardt jr michigan primary daytona 500 winner cleveland plain dealer

20 flights without bags after Egypt airport strike

CAIRO (AP) ? Egyptian officials say baggage handlers in Cairo's airport have gone on strike to protest a colleague's death, leaving passengers on 20 international flights from Europe and Arab countries waiting several hours for luggage.

Airport officials say senior officials from the country's national carrier are meeting the baggage handlers to hear their demands, which include guarantees of safer working conditions.

The strike started Saturday after a baggage handler who works for EgyptAir died when a conveyer belt used to unload luggage fell on his head. Airport officials say it took more than an hour for the ambulance to arrive at the scene from the airport's onsite hospital.

Officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The strike by around 60 baggage handlers did not disrupt flights.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/20-flights-without-bags-egypt-airport-strike-211301272.html

ufc results water for elephants old school nick swisher jaco san jose sharks humber perfect game

Obama takes Cabinet secretaries out to play golf (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/306709245?client_source=feed&format=rss

playstation all stars battle royale kim zolciak kim zolciak quinton coples a.j. jenkins riley reiff david decastro

Brazil approves law to modernize ports

SAO PAULO (AP) ? Brazil plans to modernize and expand its overcrowded ports, attract private investments to the sector and make it easier for companies to hire skilled foreign workers, in a bid to spur economic growth,

The Brazilian Congress approved legislation late Thursday that allows the private sector to invest in state-owned ports and lifts restrictions that have hindered the building of private terminals.

The legislation, which must still be approved by President Dilma Rousseff, eliminates a rule that forced private companies with their own terminals to only handle their own cargo. They now can handle third-party goods.

The government has said the legislation will help eliminate bottlenecks that have hurt exports such as soybeans.

It is part of a government plan to invest 54 billion reals ($27 billion) to make the country's ports more efficient and improve the competitiveness of Brazilian exports by reducing freight costs by 20 percent.

Also on Thursday, the government's official gazette published new measures that reduce the paperwork foreigners need to go through to obtain visas for temporary or permanent work permits.

The changes, approved earlier this week by the National Immigration Council, make life easier for companies in need of skilled labor.

Skilled professionals can obtain visas without a contract and no longer have to leave the country and get a new visa every time they move to a new job or company.

In addition, students working on their masters or doctoral degrees who want to work for up to 90 days for a Brazilian company will be able to easily obtain visas.

"The idea is to increase the circulation of highly skilled professionals in the country," Labor Minister Manoel Dias told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper.

Thanks largely to a decade-long boom in commodities, Brazil last year became world's sixth largest economy. To keep growing, the country needs well-trained professionals, especially engineers to help tap the vast deep-sea oil deposits off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state that officials here are counting on to fuel Brazil's development.

Experts have warned that the lack of skilled professionals and workers could stymie Brazil's development.

The past decade of booming growth saw the number of unskilled jobs shrink, replaced by semiskilled and high-skilled posts which observers say the country is already hard-pressed to fill. And if the economy is to continue to develop, so will its need for skilled labor.

The paucity of such jobs is already having repercussions on businesses here. Brazil ranked 48th out of 144 countries on the World Economic Forum's 2012-213 global competitiveness report due to infrastructure problems as well as a lack of skills.

.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brazil-approves-law-modernize-ports-165618095.html

new jersey devils torn acl derrick rose injury st louis news correspondents dinner i am legend san antonio spurs

Powerball jackpot could go higher than $600M

By Karen Brooks

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The Powerball jackpot Saturday night could be even higher than the record $600 million being advertised, possibly rivaling the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, a Texas Lottery official said on Saturday.

"Oftentimes, the advertised amount is lower than what the actual jackpot ends up being," said Kelly Cripe, a spokeswoman for the Texas Lottery. "It's entirely possible this $600 million jackpot will end up being a bigger jackpot."

The Powerball record in November was advertised at $550 million, but ended up being $587.5 million when the winning numbers were drawn, thanks to last-minute sales.

Powerball officials told participating states on Saturday they would not be raising the advertised number for the drawing, Cripe said.

There had been speculation the advertised amount for the lottery would be increased to surpass $656 million - the largest jackpot in U.S. history, set by the Mega Millions jackpot in March 2012. The lottery is offered in 43 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

That prize was split between winners in Maryland, Kansas and Illinois.

Chances of winning the Powerball on Saturday were one in 175 million, Cripe said.

If the drawing yields no winner, all records will be shattered as the jackpot for Wednesday would go to $925 million.

But players across the country weren't pushing their luck, shelling out bills for the nighttime drawing.

"It's only a couple bucks for a small daydream," said Russell Williams, 35, a salesman in Austin, Texas.

In New York City, talent acquisition agent Michelle Amici was playing the "if I win" game.

"Not sure that I'd buy anything," she said. "Rather, I'd attempt to quench my wanderlust by traveling the world. I'd also donate a large portion to education reform."

El Paso, Texas, mom Bonnie Carreno rarely plays but was taking a chance on this one. "I only ever buy a ticket when I see the amazing numbers in the headlines," she said.

For Austin marketing professional Becky Arreaga, the odds are not so long that she was discouraged about her chances.

"As long as the odds are 1 in anything, I'm in," said Arreaga, a partner at Mercury Mambo marketing firm. "I truly believe I could be the one."

"Just takes one ticket to win," echoed Tela Mange of Austin.

The popular lottery has not had a winner in two months.

The $2 tickets allow players pick five numbers from 1 to 59, and a Powerball number from 1 to 35. The numbers will be drawn Saturday at 10:59 p.m. EDT (02:59 GMT on Sunday) in Tallahassee, Florida.

(Reporting by Karen Brooks; Editing by Greg McCune, Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/powerball-jackpot-could-higher-600-million-161816661.html

Stephanie Rice Meet the Pyro Karen Klein Colorado fires supreme court summer solstice Summer Solstice 2012

Jordan finally front and center in 'Fruitvale'

CANNES, France (AP) ? Before "Fruitvale Station," Michael B. Jordan was glimpsed sporadically in supporting roles on TV shows like "The Wire" and "Friday Night Lights," and in films like "Chronicle" and "Red Tails."

That changes emphatically with "Fruitvale Station," a Sundance hit that premiered Thursday night at the Cannes Film Festival. In the film, he plays Oscar Grant, the 22-year-old victim of the infamous 2009 police shooting on the Oakland, California, transit system.

To humanize Grant, first-time filmmaker Ryan Coogler fashioned the movie around his last day: Jordan hardly leaves the frame.

"When I first saw it, I was like, 'Man, can we cut to something else? I'm tired of looking at myself right now,'" Jordan said in an interview by the beach off the Croisette. "That's when it really sunk in that this is sink or swim. Sink or swim. Hope I'm swimming."

Not only is the 26-year-old Jordan swimming, he might as well be doing swan dives along the Riviera. He utterly commands "Fruitvale Station" with star-quality charisma and an honest naturalism.

"I wanted to show that I could carry a movie," he says. "That's the next step. I want to do films. I want to be a leading man. A lot was riding on this."

"Fruitvale Station," which was simply called "Fruitvale" before the Weinstein Co. picked up the film for release July 16, won both the Grand Jury prize and the Audience Award for a drama at Sundance. Cannes has a tradition of cherry-picking the best of Sundance. Much as "Beasts of the Southern Wild" did last year, "Fruitvale Station" is playing in this year's Un Certain Regard section.

Jordan, who says he was merely hoping the film would make it into Sundance, was excitedly enjoying himself at Cannes on Thursday. He's planning to stay at the festival a few days longer than necessary, "to drink a little more, stay up a little later."

"It's electric," says Jordan. "It's like March Madness. It's that time of year where everyone's just in it, talking about movies."

But he's also trying not to get ahead of himself.

"I don't want to be that ignorant American who comes over here and expects everyone to love it: 'Oh, you got to love it because it's hot over there,'" he says. "I want people to be excited about it because it really affects them."

"Fruitvale Station" has certainly been doing that, with raves for the film continuing at Cannes. Its power owes much to Jordan's performance, as he slowly ? through a routine day of running errands, fighting to keep a job, trying to live down an earlier stint in prison, and caring for his daughter ? fleshes out Grant beyond the simple posthumous photo in a newspaper.

"Something me and Ryan really wanted to show is spontaneity," he says. "It's about the humanity. It's about how people treat each other, regardless if they're black, white, orange, from wherever, whatever social background, how much money you got ? it doesn't matter."

Coogler, a native of the San Francisco Bay area where the film takes place, had Jordan specifically in mind for the part. A moment after meeting him, the director knew he had the magnetism of the sociable Grant.

"In everything that he was in, I wished the camera stayed on him," says Coogler. "He would be in a scene, and on TV, it leaves and goes on (to another character). I would be like, 'Man, we should be following that guy.'"

Jordan has had some memorable roles, including as the tragic, young, drug-dealing Wallace in the first season of "The Wire," and as Vince Howard, the troubled but good-hearted quarterback of "Friday Night Lights." The show, Jordan says, was the first time he got the material to "show what I can do."

The actor says he was "drooling at the bit" to play Grant. But perhaps the greater challenge to seeing his name atop the call sheet every day during shooting "Fruitvale Station" was that Jordan would be playing a real person, one whose family was intimately connected to the production.

"His daughter is going to have to watch this movie one day," he says. "I didn't want to let anybody down. I didn't want to see me up there. That was the biggest thing: I didn't want to see Mike up there."

Jordan has been in talks to play the Human Torch in Twentieth Century Fox's "Fantastic Four" reboot. He acknowledges the possibility, but says, "That's not real yet." The film is to be directed by Josh Trank, who cast Jordan as one of three high school friends who gain superpowers in "Chronicle."

If Jordan were to be cast in "Fantastic Four," he would be the rare black actor to assume a superhero role. Jordan acknowledges that some will prefer the continuity of the Human Torch remaining white, as he is in the comics. But he thinks the character's most identifiable qualities have little to do with race. (Jordan's character in "Chronicle" was also originally scripted as white.)

"I'm all about breaking barriers and changing stuff," says Jordan. "It's 2013. We've got a black president. Times have changed."

But whatever is to come for Jordan, it's clear he has big ambitions: "I want a career like Leo," he says. "I want a career like Ryan Gosling."

Smiling, Jordan says: "It feels good. It feels good to get to a place where I can be creative and selective about certain things I do. I'm really curious to see what's next."

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jake_coyle

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jordan-finally-front-center-fruitvale-134641858.html

alicia silverstone park slope food coop anchorman sequel safety not guaranteed lifehouse al gore la dodgers

Not Your Grandpa's RV: This Roving Lab Tracks Air Pollution

This map shows methane measurements Ira Leifer took as he drove in his RV around the Los Angeles basin. Notice the pronounced spike in levels of methane around the La Brea Tar Pits in the center of the image. Geological faults here allow "natural" methane to escape. The redder the color, the more methane was detected.

Courtesy of Ira Leifer and Paige Farrell, et. al./Published in Atmospheric Environment

This map shows methane measurements Ira Leifer took as he drove in his RV around the Los Angeles basin. Notice the pronounced spike in levels of methane around the La Brea Tar Pits in the center of the image. Geological faults here allow "natural" methane to escape. The redder the color, the more methane was detected.

Courtesy of Ira Leifer and Paige Farrell, et. al./Published in Atmospheric Environment

If you're driving down the road someday and you come across a camper with a 50-foot periscope sticking up into the sky, you just might have crossed paths with Ira Leifer. His quirky vehicle is on a serious mission. It's sniffing the air for methane, a gas that contributes to global warming.

Leifer is an atmospheric scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. But you'll more often find him off campus, in a garage, next to a string of auto body shops near the airport.

Ira Leifer, at his garage-turned-lab in Santa Barbara, has been studying the levels of methane in the atmosphere.

Richard Harris/NPR

Ira Leifer, at his garage-turned-lab in Santa Barbara, has been studying the levels of methane in the atmosphere.

Richard Harris/NPR

The converted garage is jammed with computer workstations and a bunch of high tech gear, including a rack full of gas chromatographs ? instruments that analyze air samples.

Leifer's machines are tuned to look for hydrocarbons, especially methane. It's the main ingredient of natural gas. Methane is also much more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, trapping heat in the atmosphere. So it's important to know how much is in the atmosphere and where it's coming from.

Back in 2010, Leifer headed to the Gulf of Mexico to measure methane that bubbled into the water during the Deepwater Horizon blowout. He needed to take his gas chromatographs with him to do these studies.

"And the standard way scientists usually deal with this is they pack everything up in a box and they ship it, but that means you have to trust that FedEx or whoever is taking it won't accidentally drop it," Leifer says. "So I thought, 'Why don't I drive it down?' "

He rented a camper for the trip. And after his research cruise ended, Leifer thought, "Why not sample the air on the way back home?" So he jury-rigged a setup for these delicate instruments in the back.

"It involved a lot of work with an air mattress folded in half, a giant tarp filled with Styrofoam peanuts, bungees holding things to the wall and so on," Leifer says. "It really looked like a Rube Goldberg kind of weird device in the back with this gas chromatograph sitting in the middle of it."

Leifer stands atop his roving chemistry lab. He and his team took 6,600 methane readings on the cross-country drive from Florida to California.

Richard Harris/NPR

Leifer stands atop his roving chemistry lab. He and his team took 6,600 methane readings on the cross-country drive from Florida to California.

Richard Harris/NPR

Starting in Florida, Leifer and a couple of assistants took 6,600 methane measurements as they drove west. He says the measurements steadily increased as the RV approached Houston, which is home to hundreds of petrochemical plants. Driving around the plants and natural-gas pumping stations, he often found spikes of methane.

"And after we left the Houston area, we then continued westward, and the methane levels decreased and decreased and continued doing so all the way to the Mojave Desert," he says.

The highest readings turned out to be in the Los Angeles area, specifically around the La Brea Tar Pits. These are areas of "natural" methane seepage, Leifer says. "Oil, tar and methane seep up to the surface and fill the pits." The preserved bodies of Ice Age animals have been retrieved from the sticky muck.

Leifer qualifies the word "natural" because some of the leaks probably aren't natural at all. They're instead from old oil wells that were drilled in the early 20th century, and tapped into those same natural reservoirs of hydrocarbons. Back then folks weren't so careful with their wells.

"When the company went bankrupt, they wouldn't seal them up very well," Leifer says. "They might just stuff trees and stones and rags in them. Literally."

Methane also contributes to smog, so Los Angeles is very interested to figure out where its methane comes from.

Air mattresses and bungees actually aren't required for this kind of research. A new type of chromatograph can withstand the bumps and bruises of the road. So, since Leifer's road trip in the rented camper in 2010, there have been lots of similar methane studies by others.

But he says his was the first cross-country observation. It's being published in the journal Atmospheric Environment.

Leifer was so intrigued by the possibilities here, he bought his own 37-foot diesel RV, and he's souped it up to be a rolling chemistry lab, complete with a hydraulic lift to get all his gear into the back of the vehicle. It also has a mast that rises up five stories, like a periscope.

? This is one of those perhaps rare cases in which doing the right thing leads to a win-win situation for the shareholders [and] the economy, as well as the environment.

- Ira Leifer, atmospheric scientist, University of California, Santa Barbara

"Scientists are known to like cool stuff," he says with a laugh. Of course, the mast is only up when the camper is parked.

Over the course of his expedition, Leifer says he not only learned that he really, really wanted a new RV to study pollution, but also got a firsthand sense of just how much methane gas simply leaks out of refineries, pipes and wells before it can get to would-be customers.

"We're talking several hundred billion dollars of profit that's just being lost," he says. "It's causing a lot of environmental damage. And this is one of those perhaps rare cases in which doing the right thing leads to a win-win situation for the shareholders [and] the economy, as well as the environment."

The challenge now is for those companies to track down all those leaks, among half a million gas wells and hundreds of thousands of miles of pipeline. Sealing those leaks won't always repay those companies in cash, but it will provide rewards to the planet in the form of less rapid global warming.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/05/18/184863769/not-your-grandpas-rv-this-roving-lab-tracks-air-pollution?ft=1&f=1007

greg kelly cujo karen handel hangout todd haley kareem abdul jabbar miramonte elementary school

Cops investigate after NY college student killed

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) ? A funeral has been scheduled for Wednesday for a 21-year-old Hofstra University student who was gunned down during a break-in at her apartment near the school's Long Island campus.

Nassau County police said Andrea Rebello, who was with her twin sister Jessica and several other students inside an off-campus house, was shot and killed Friday during an early morning home invasion that also left the armed intruder dead.

Rebello was a popular junior studying public relations. The shooting, which took place just steps from campus, cast a pall over the university community as it geared up for commencement on Sunday.

"Today is the last day of finals and this should be a happy day on campus; but it's not," said Hofstra freshman Scott Aharoni of Great Neck, as he passed through the area rife with yellow crime-scene tape Friday. "It's really sad."

Police are still investigating.

It wasn't clear who fired the fatal shots or how many rounds were fired, but authorities said police were involved in the shooting, which happened at about 2:30 a.m. A weapon was found inside the house, police said. The gunman has not yet been identified.

Rebello's father, Fernando, was too distraught to discuss the incident in detail outside the family's Tarrytown, N.Y., home Friday.

"It's my daughter, my baby daughter," he told the Journal News through tears. "She was so beautiful. I'm so confused.

"I don't know what to do," he said.

The Journal News reported that Wednesday's funeral Mass for Rebello at Teresa of Avila Church in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., will be in Portuguese.

Hofstra's commencement ceremonies will go on as planned on Sunday despite the tragedy. Hofstra spokeswoman Karla Schuster said she expects school President Stuart Rabinowitz to acknowledge the shooting in his remarks.

The two sisters, another woman and another man were inside the two-story rental house when the gunman, wearing a ski mask, forced his way in, according to Nassau County Inspector Kenneth Lack. The intruder allowed the third unidentified woman to leave, and she called 911. Police provided no other details on the man who was in the house at the time of the break-in, except to say he was not injured.

A law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press the woman called 911 from near an ATM. The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Victoria Dehel, who lives four houses away, said she heard what sounded like fighting. At first she ignored it, figuring it was from rowdy students coming home from a bar.

Suddenly, "This girl was shrieking," followed by loud bangs just seconds later.

"It didn't sound good at all," Dehel said. "I turned to my boyfriend and I said, 'I think someone just got murdered.' It was awful."

Andrea Rebello and her sister were 2010 graduates of Sleepy Hollow High School, according to principal Carol Conklin-Spillane.

"They were smart happy beautiful young women," Conklin-Spillane said. "I speak about them together because they were very much a matched pair. They were best friends by choice."

Andrea Rebello quoted Benjamin Franklin and Bob Marley in a yearbook photo from the school.

"Believe some of what you hear and only half of what you see" was attributed to the founding father and "Love the life you live, live the life you love" was the citation for the reggae legend.

A police car was parked Friday in front of the Rebello house in Tarrytown, a well-kept ranch home.

Neighbor Jane Phelan said the twins' mother recently told her the sisters had moved out of a dormitory and into an off-campus house.

"It must be very hard on the parents and particularly on the surviving twin," her husband, Jack Phelan said.

___

Associated Press writer Jim Fitzgerald in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cops-investigating-ny-college-student-killed-064122353.html

Michael Clarke Duncan Nazanin Boniadi Deval Patrick Dedication 4 labor day college football scores khan academy

Cannes: ?Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' sequel books famous director, Uma Thurman to play Anita Bryant

By Lucas Shaw

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Yuen Wo Ping will direct "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon II - The Green Destiny," the sequel to Ang Lee's Oscar-winning film. Wo Ping is a renowned martial arts director and chroreographer, having directed more than two dozen Chinese-language films and advised or choreographed more than a dozen American actions movies including "The Matrix" trilogy, the "Kill Bill" films and the first "Crouching Tiger.

Michelle Yeoh, who starred in the first movie, will reprise her role as Yu Shu Lien and Chinese martial artist and actor Donnie Yen will star as Silent Wolf.

Production will begin in March 2014 with a screenplay John Fusco adapted from the same source text as the original film. Sony released that first movie, which grossed $213.5 million worldwide. Its $128 million domestic sum was the most any foreign language film had ever grossed in the United States.

The film also won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Picture.

"I loved Ang Lee's film," TWC co-chair Harvey Weinstein said in a statement. "I thought it was a master class in directing, but I know we are in fantastic hands with Yuen Wo Ping directing the second installment. He is a first-class director and choreographer, and I am thrilled to be teaming up with him once more."

Weinstein will be producing with David Thwaites while Anthony Wong executive produces. Yucaipa Films is co-financing the project. Weinstein, Yen and Wo Ping will discuss the project at a Saturday press conference in Cannes.

Uma Thurman to Play Anti-Gay Activist Anita Bryant

Uma Thurman will star as prominent anti-gay activist Anita Bryant in a biopic about the popular singer turned divisive critic. Documentary filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman will direct the film from a screenplay by Chad Hodge. "Sex and the City" creator Darren Star is producing the film along with Howard Rosenman, Jeffrey Schwarz and Dennis Erdman.

Thurman will play the singer who welcomes a gay screenwriter into her home after her criticism of homosexuality upended her career. The actress last appeared briefly in "Movie 43" and just concluded production on Lars Von Trier's "Nymphomanic."

UTA, which represents Thurman and Star, is shopping the domestic distribution rights with WME. WME also represents the directors, a filmmaking duo since 1987. They have won two Oscars and three Peabody Awards between them. They just directed "Lovelace," the biopic about adult film star Linda Lovelace that will open in theaters August 9.

Image Entertainment Buys Winnie Mandela Biopic Starring Jennifer Hudson

Image Entertainment has acquired domestic distribution rights to "Winnie Mandela," a biopic about the eponymous wife of Nelson Mandela and her husband, the company announced on Thursday.

Jennifer Hudson stars as the titular heroine, an activist in her own right who was imprisoned as she fought Apartheid. Terrence Howard plays Nelson Mandela, the former South African president and global icon.

"Both Jennifer Hudson (as Winnie) and Terrence Howard (as Nelson Mandela) deliver exceptional, solid performances," Image Entertainment's acquisitions chief Bill Bromiley said in a statement. "We are honored to distribute the film and give audiences the opportunity to see Winnie Mandela's powerful story."

Image Entertainment will release the movie, written and directed by Darrel J. Roodt, this fall. Andre Pieterse and Michael Mosca produced the biopic, based on Preez Bezdrob's biography "Winnie Mandela: A Life."

Bromiley and his counterparts at Image made the deal with CAA.

Lakeshore Entertainment, Sierra Affinity Sell 'The Vatican Tapes' Across the Globe

Lakeshore Entertainment and Sierra Affinity have sold distribution to "The Vatican Tapes" in several major territories across the globe, including Canada, Australia, Germany, Turkey and Latin America, the companies announced on Thursday.

"Crank" screenwriter Mark Neveldine wrote and will direct the film, which begins principal photography in July. The film chronicles 27-year-old Angela Holmes, who begins to unravel after an infection. Priests believe she is possessed, but the true source of her bizarre behavior is far more sinister.

Lionsgate will release the movie in the U.S. in the fall of 2014 while Lakeshore and Sierra Afffinity will continue to sell international rights at Cannes.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cannes-crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-sequel-books-famous-230952070.html

chris cooley chris cooley condoleezza rice Perry Hall High School bill cosby us open bill nye