Thursday, May 23, 2013

Obama nominee vows to work with Congress to fund transportation

By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's choice to be transportation secretary promised on Wednesday to work with Congress to figure out how to fund U.S. transportation needs during a time of tight budgets and faced lingering Republican anger over recent air traffic controller furloughs.

"One of my goals would be to pull together a wide variety of stakeholders, both within the government and outside the government, to squarely address how we can build a consensus" on funding future infrastructure projects, Anthony Foxx, mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, said at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on his nomination.

Foxx, who is seen as a rising star within the Democratic party, steered clear of recommending any new revenue sources to pay for highways, bridges and other transportation infrastructure.

He endorsed Obama's idea of a creating a government "infrastructure bank" to leverage private investment capital, but that plan has gone nowhere in Congress.

A recent study from the American Society of Civil Engineers estimated the United States needs to spend $2.75 trillion to maintain and improve highways and other important infrastructure by 2020, or roughly 66 percent more than the $1.66 trillion in expected funding over that period.

For decades, Congress has relied on the federal gasoline tax to fund highway projects, but that is seen as an increasingly ineffective way of raising revenue because rising fuel efficiency means less gas is sold. The gas tax is currently 18.4 cents per gallon and has not been raised since 1993.

Congress will confront the issue again next year when the current two-year highway bill expires.

Foxx would succeed Transportation Ray LaHood, a Republican and former member of Congress who has spent much of his adult life in Washington. LaHood is on the job until Foxx is confirmed, which is not expected until June at the earliest.

Foxx drew on the time he spent as a kid on the "number six bus" commuting to his first job at Charlotte's Discovery Place Museum to illustrate how all Americans need access to good transportation to get ahead.

"Ensuring that our transportation system is the safest in the world will be my top priority," Foxx said, adding that improving its efficiency and performance will be a second major focus.

If confirmed, Foxx would oversee a department with about 53,000 full-time employees and over $72 billion in budget authority. In addition, over 12 million Americans are employed in transportation-related jobs that could be affected by decisions Foxx makes.

He was generally well received by the committee, but got a stern warning from Senator John Thune, the top Republican on the panel, that the Transportation Department must turn over certain information about its recent decision to furlough air traffic controllers before he would support Foxx's nomination.

But Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, predicted Foxx's nomination would move swiftly, while Senator Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, said Foxx was "pretty non-controversial."

CHARLOTTE STREETCAR

For a White House criticized by fellow Democrats for stocking a Cabinet full of old, white, male veterans of Washington, Foxx's addition may have as much to do with what he represents - an African-American mayor - than his transportation bona fides.

"Most people look at Anthony as a rising star," said Thomas Mills, a North Carolina Democratic strategist.

One of LaHood's pet projects was a campaign to reduce distracted driving, such as texting behind the wheel. Foxx promised to continue that effort, which he said LaHood has infused "into the DNA of the department."

By nominating Foxx, Obama chose a city mayor who has spent much of his time in office wrestling with transportation challenges, often ending up on the losing side.

Foxx's hometown newspaper, the Charlotte Observer, last month described Foxx in an editorial as "a transportation nominee without a hefty transportation resume."

Foxx has struggled to accomplish his own signature transit goal - building a streetcar in downtown Charlotte that would knit together low-income, minority neighborhoods to the city's downtown business district.

After more than a year's work, he so far has failed to convince the 11-member city council that the streetcar is worth funding through a tax increase.

The plan has finally begun to gain favor with the council following a new proposal by the city manager who has argued the project, no longer known as the streetcar, could be funded with local money and not dependent on tax increases, should matching funds come from the federal government.

Foxx told the panel his experience as mayor prepared him for complicated decisions he could face in administrating the Transportation Department's programs, and said his goal was to be "open and responsive" to Congress.

(Additional reporting by Samuel Jacobs; Editing by Philip Barbara)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-nominee-vows-congress-fund-transportation-225721322.html

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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

'The Voice' reacts to Oklahoma tornado tragedy

TV

4 hours ago

Blake Shelton shares his thoughts on the devastation in Oklahoma on "The Voice."

NBC

Blake Shelton shares his thoughts on the devastation in Oklahoma on "The Voice."

Monday night was a particularly difficult performance show on "The Voice," and that had nothing to do with the typical top-ten stress. A much more important thing occupied the minds of the coaches and performers -- the devastation in Oklahoma following one the deadliest tornadoes in the nation's history.

Coach Blake Shelton, an Oklahoma native, described his feelings about going on with the show in the wake of the tragedy.

"They're going through hell there right now," he said of the folks back home during Monday's show. "When we went live here, I finally set my phone down. The bad news just keeps coming in -- a lot of fatalities, a lot of children. It makes it hard to actually sit here and do this tonight. But I've got a job to do, the team's counting on me, so here I am."

As for his family in particular, Shelton assured that, luckily, they're all safe.

When Team Blake act The Swon Brothers prepared for this week?s ?Voice? performance, they had no idea what their next song would mean to them. Yet after the tornado ravaged their home state, the country duo found themselves taking the stage with heavy hearts too.

?We just want to let everybody know at home (that) we're praying for you,? Colton Swon told the national audience after the pair performed Randy Houser?s ?How Country Feels.?

?Our hearts are definitely going out to you,? agreed Zach Swon.

Speaking after the show, a somber Colton told TODAY.com that the performance was ?just one of those things you've gotta (do). That's how we cope with things, is music. That's what we do. So that felt natural -- and then when you get in front of the crowd and just get that energy going, it's a great feeling. It was hard to enjoy, but at the same time we felt good about it.?

Backstage, Zach Swon reflected on what he loved about his home state. ?The music scene,? he said, naming several major country artists who are also from Oklahoma. ?(There?s) Garth (Brooks), Reba (McEntire), Blake, Vince Gill, Carrie Underwood, (and) Brooks and Dunn.?

Colton Swon was optimistic about the situation. ?Oklahoma's going to pull through this,? he said. ?They've been in these situations before, unfortunately, and it's a very strong state.?

"Voice" fans can see more from the Shelton and the Swons on Tuesday night's live episode at 9 p.m. on NBC. A recap episode, originally scheduled for 8 p.m. , will be preempted to make way for a one-hour special focused on the latest from Oklahoma.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/voice-reacts-oklahoma-tornado-tragedy-6C9996719

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US military has shut down Wi-Fi access at the Guantanamo Bay following threats from Anonymous that

US military has shut down Wi-Fi access at the Guantanamo Bay following threats from Anonymous that it would "disrupt activities" as part of its #OpGITMO campaign.

Read more...

    


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/pUCIdFHC8vQ/us-military-has-shut-down-wi-fi-access-at-the-guantanam-509017019

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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

U-M Water Center awards $570K in Great Lakes restoration grants

U-M Water Center awards $570K in Great Lakes restoration grants [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Jim Erickson
ericksn@umich.edu
734-647-1842
University of Michigan

ANN ARBORThe new University of Michigan Water Center today awarded 12 research grants, totaling nearly $570,000, to support Great Lakes restoration and protection efforts.

The two-year grants of up to $50,000 will support diverse projects, including efforts to track the remediation of harmful algae blooms; assess the effectiveness of techniques to control non-native weedy plant invasions; study chromosomal damage in tree swallow nestlings; and monitor fish responses to restoration activities.

The grants were awarded to multidisciplinary teams led by researchers at universities across the Great Lakes region and beyond. Fifty-four proposals were submitted for the first round of Water Center research grants. A second round of larger grants, of up to $500,000 each, will be awarded later this year.

"These initial grants are to an exceptional few projects that really addressed our goals and clearly identified outcomes that matter to the region's resource management community. They are going to fill key gaps in our restoration knowledge," said Water Center Director Allen Burton.

The $9 million U-M Water Center was formed in October with an initial focus on providing a solid scientific framework for more efficient and effective Great Lakes restoration. As a center of U-M's Graham Sustainability Institute, the Water Center was made possible by a $4.5 million, three-year grant from the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation and additional funds from the university.

"The Erb Family Foundation is pleased to support the important work of U-M's new Water Center to demonstrate the effectiveness of investments in Great Lakes restoration," said foundation President John Erb. "The lakes are a unique and precious ecosystem that we must steward for the benefit of current and future generations."

During its first three years, the center will focus on identifying and filling critical science gaps in the four focus areas of the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: removing toxic contamination and restoring regions of environmental degradation known as areas of concern; combating invasive species; protecting and restoring wildlife and their habitats; and ridding nearshore waters of polluted runoff.

In selecting the first 12 grants, special emphasis was given to proposals that integrated one or more GLRI focus areas or that evaluated the potential effects of climate change on Great Lakes restoration efforts. In all cases, the U-M funding will be used to support existing restoration and protection efforts in the Great Lakes, not to establish new projects.

"Our goal is to provide that additional boost to existing restoration projects that will enable them to conduct an analysis of their outcomes that can demonstrate the value of a particular method or approach," said Water Center Deputy Director Jennifer Read. "We don't often have the necessary resources to do this kind of synthesis, and it's key to understanding what we're doing right and what we need to tweak."

The 12 selected projects and their principal investigators are:

  • "Birds as indicators of contaminant exposure in the Great Lakes: Chromosomal damage assessment via flow cytometry," Cole Matson, Baylor University. Goal: Assess chromosomal damage in tree swallow nestlings collected from contaminated areas across the Great Lakes region.
  • "Monitoring fish community responses to restoration activities in the Rouge River watershed," Emily Saarinen, University of Michigan-Dearborn. Goal: Characterize the fish community composition in southeast Michigan's highly urbanized Rouge River watershed to understand how it is impacted by watershed-level restoration efforts.
  • "Development of indicators to track the remediation of harmful algal blooms in Sodus Bay, Lake Ontario," Gregory Boyer, State University of New York-Syracuse. Goal: Field-test a suite of indicators that can be used throughout the Great Lakes basin to track progress in the remediation of harmful algae blooms.
  • "Application of geospatially enabled geographic response plans for oil spill response in the western basin of Lake Erie," David Dean, Michigan Technological University. Goal: Allow the analysis, display and distribution of geospatial data in a manner that meets the needs of planners, responders and incident managers in the event of oil or chemical spills.
  • "Coupling mercury, lead and strontium isotopes in archived Great Lakes precipitation samples to improve pollutant source apportionment with new and novel techniques," J. Timothy Dvonch, University of Michigan. Goal: Measure mercury, lead and strontium isotopes in previously collected rainfall samples to develop a new method to "fingerprint" emissions of these metals and link sources with atmospheric deposition sites across the Great Lakes region.
  • "Assessing ecosystem services provided by restored wetlands under current and future climate and land-use scenarios," Kenneth Elgersma, University of Northern Iowa. Goal: Augment an existing computer model to assess the effectiveness of techniquesincluding herbicide application, burning and mowingto control non-native weedy plant invasions.
  • "Performance data collection for GLRI SWIF project assessment in Lucas County, Ohio," Cyndee Gruden, University of Toledo. Goal: Performance monitoring of innovative storm-water management demonstration projects including rain gardens, wetlands, permeable pavement and biofiltration.
  • "Assessing the bioavailability of HOCs during habitat restoration," Nathan Johnson, University of Minnesota-Duluth. Goal: Evaluate the bioavailability of sediment-associated contaminants before and after restoration efforts using dredged materials from the Duluth-Superior Harbor.
  • "Monitoring stream ecosystem function responses to stamp sand stabilization in tributaries of Lake Superior," Amy Marcarelli, Michigan Technological University. Goal: Monitor stream ecosystem functions at a project to stabilize and revegetate floodplain habitat buried by copper-rich stamp sands, a significant source of water pollution to lakes and streams of Michigan's western Upper Peninsula.
  • "A Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach for comparing water quality measurements from different sources," Song Qian, University of Toledo. Goal: Develop models linking Lake Erie water-quality data collected by different institutions using different sampling methods.
  • "Water quality benefit assessment of Lake Erie coastal wetlands," Justin Saarinen, University of Michigan-Dearborn. Goal: Identify alternative restoration scenarios for western Lake Erie by assessing whether coastal and diked wetlands provide a significant water-quality benefit to the lake.
  • "Extended and novel monitoring of climate, nutrients and ecosystem dynamics in the Green Bay ecosystem, 2013," J. Val Klump, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Goal: Provide an additional season of physical and chemical data that will lead to improved ecosystem modeling to assess the efficacy of best management practices designed to address beneficial use impairments under a suite of changing climate scenarios.

The Great Lakes hold 20 percent of the world's surface freshwater. The region includes 10,000 miles of coastline and numerous globally rare plant and animal species. In addition, the Great Lakes support a wide range of recreational and economic activities, including vibrant tourism and a sport fishery industry that contributes $4 billion to the economy.

###

12 Water Center grants: http://graham.umich.edu/water/grants-program

U-M Water Center: http://graham.umich.edu/water


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U-M Water Center awards $570K in Great Lakes restoration grants [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Jim Erickson
ericksn@umich.edu
734-647-1842
University of Michigan

ANN ARBORThe new University of Michigan Water Center today awarded 12 research grants, totaling nearly $570,000, to support Great Lakes restoration and protection efforts.

The two-year grants of up to $50,000 will support diverse projects, including efforts to track the remediation of harmful algae blooms; assess the effectiveness of techniques to control non-native weedy plant invasions; study chromosomal damage in tree swallow nestlings; and monitor fish responses to restoration activities.

The grants were awarded to multidisciplinary teams led by researchers at universities across the Great Lakes region and beyond. Fifty-four proposals were submitted for the first round of Water Center research grants. A second round of larger grants, of up to $500,000 each, will be awarded later this year.

"These initial grants are to an exceptional few projects that really addressed our goals and clearly identified outcomes that matter to the region's resource management community. They are going to fill key gaps in our restoration knowledge," said Water Center Director Allen Burton.

The $9 million U-M Water Center was formed in October with an initial focus on providing a solid scientific framework for more efficient and effective Great Lakes restoration. As a center of U-M's Graham Sustainability Institute, the Water Center was made possible by a $4.5 million, three-year grant from the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation and additional funds from the university.

"The Erb Family Foundation is pleased to support the important work of U-M's new Water Center to demonstrate the effectiveness of investments in Great Lakes restoration," said foundation President John Erb. "The lakes are a unique and precious ecosystem that we must steward for the benefit of current and future generations."

During its first three years, the center will focus on identifying and filling critical science gaps in the four focus areas of the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: removing toxic contamination and restoring regions of environmental degradation known as areas of concern; combating invasive species; protecting and restoring wildlife and their habitats; and ridding nearshore waters of polluted runoff.

In selecting the first 12 grants, special emphasis was given to proposals that integrated one or more GLRI focus areas or that evaluated the potential effects of climate change on Great Lakes restoration efforts. In all cases, the U-M funding will be used to support existing restoration and protection efforts in the Great Lakes, not to establish new projects.

"Our goal is to provide that additional boost to existing restoration projects that will enable them to conduct an analysis of their outcomes that can demonstrate the value of a particular method or approach," said Water Center Deputy Director Jennifer Read. "We don't often have the necessary resources to do this kind of synthesis, and it's key to understanding what we're doing right and what we need to tweak."

The 12 selected projects and their principal investigators are:

  • "Birds as indicators of contaminant exposure in the Great Lakes: Chromosomal damage assessment via flow cytometry," Cole Matson, Baylor University. Goal: Assess chromosomal damage in tree swallow nestlings collected from contaminated areas across the Great Lakes region.
  • "Monitoring fish community responses to restoration activities in the Rouge River watershed," Emily Saarinen, University of Michigan-Dearborn. Goal: Characterize the fish community composition in southeast Michigan's highly urbanized Rouge River watershed to understand how it is impacted by watershed-level restoration efforts.
  • "Development of indicators to track the remediation of harmful algal blooms in Sodus Bay, Lake Ontario," Gregory Boyer, State University of New York-Syracuse. Goal: Field-test a suite of indicators that can be used throughout the Great Lakes basin to track progress in the remediation of harmful algae blooms.
  • "Application of geospatially enabled geographic response plans for oil spill response in the western basin of Lake Erie," David Dean, Michigan Technological University. Goal: Allow the analysis, display and distribution of geospatial data in a manner that meets the needs of planners, responders and incident managers in the event of oil or chemical spills.
  • "Coupling mercury, lead and strontium isotopes in archived Great Lakes precipitation samples to improve pollutant source apportionment with new and novel techniques," J. Timothy Dvonch, University of Michigan. Goal: Measure mercury, lead and strontium isotopes in previously collected rainfall samples to develop a new method to "fingerprint" emissions of these metals and link sources with atmospheric deposition sites across the Great Lakes region.
  • "Assessing ecosystem services provided by restored wetlands under current and future climate and land-use scenarios," Kenneth Elgersma, University of Northern Iowa. Goal: Augment an existing computer model to assess the effectiveness of techniquesincluding herbicide application, burning and mowingto control non-native weedy plant invasions.
  • "Performance data collection for GLRI SWIF project assessment in Lucas County, Ohio," Cyndee Gruden, University of Toledo. Goal: Performance monitoring of innovative storm-water management demonstration projects including rain gardens, wetlands, permeable pavement and biofiltration.
  • "Assessing the bioavailability of HOCs during habitat restoration," Nathan Johnson, University of Minnesota-Duluth. Goal: Evaluate the bioavailability of sediment-associated contaminants before and after restoration efforts using dredged materials from the Duluth-Superior Harbor.
  • "Monitoring stream ecosystem function responses to stamp sand stabilization in tributaries of Lake Superior," Amy Marcarelli, Michigan Technological University. Goal: Monitor stream ecosystem functions at a project to stabilize and revegetate floodplain habitat buried by copper-rich stamp sands, a significant source of water pollution to lakes and streams of Michigan's western Upper Peninsula.
  • "A Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach for comparing water quality measurements from different sources," Song Qian, University of Toledo. Goal: Develop models linking Lake Erie water-quality data collected by different institutions using different sampling methods.
  • "Water quality benefit assessment of Lake Erie coastal wetlands," Justin Saarinen, University of Michigan-Dearborn. Goal: Identify alternative restoration scenarios for western Lake Erie by assessing whether coastal and diked wetlands provide a significant water-quality benefit to the lake.
  • "Extended and novel monitoring of climate, nutrients and ecosystem dynamics in the Green Bay ecosystem, 2013," J. Val Klump, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Goal: Provide an additional season of physical and chemical data that will lead to improved ecosystem modeling to assess the efficacy of best management practices designed to address beneficial use impairments under a suite of changing climate scenarios.

The Great Lakes hold 20 percent of the world's surface freshwater. The region includes 10,000 miles of coastline and numerous globally rare plant and animal species. In addition, the Great Lakes support a wide range of recreational and economic activities, including vibrant tourism and a sport fishery industry that contributes $4 billion to the economy.

###

12 Water Center grants: http://graham.umich.edu/water/grants-program

U-M Water Center: http://graham.umich.edu/water


[ 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.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/uom-uwc052113.php

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Comprehensive analysis of impact spherules supports theory of cosmic impact 12,800 years ago

Comprehensive analysis of impact spherules supports theory of cosmic impact 12,800 years ago [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Sonia Fernandez
sonia.fernandez@ia.ucsb.edu
805-893-4765
University of California - Santa Barbara

(Santa Barbara, California) About 12,800 years ago when the Earth was warming and emerging from the last ice age, a dramatic and anomalous event occurred that abruptly reversed climatic conditions back to near-glacial state. According to James Kennett, UC Santa Barbara emeritus professor in earth sciences, this climate switch fundamentally and remarkably occurred in only one year, heralding the onset of the Younger Dryas cool episode.

The cause of this cooling has been much debated, especially because it closely coincided with the abrupt extinction of the majority of the large animals then inhabiting the Americas, as well as the disappearance of the prehistoric Clovis culture, known for its big game hunting.

"What then did cause the extinction of most of these big animals, including mammoths, mastodons, giant ground sloths, American camel and horse, and saber- toothed cats?" asked Kennett, pointing to Charles Darwin's 1845 assessment of the significance of climate change. "Did these extinctions result from human overkill, climatic change or some catastrophic event?" The long debate that has followed, Kennett noted, has recently been stimulated by a growing body of evidence in support of a theory that a major cosmic impact event was involved, a theory proposed by the scientific team that includes Kennett himself.

Now, in one of the most comprehensive related investigations ever, the group has documented a wide distribution of microspherules widely distributed in a layer over 50 million square kilometers on four continents, including North America, including Arlington Canyon on Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Islands. This layer the Younger Dryas Boundary (YDB) layer also contains peak abundances of other exotic materials, including nanodiamonds and other unusual forms of carbon such as fullerenes, as well as melt-glass and iridium. This new evidence in support of the cosmic impact theory appeared recently in a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences.

This cosmic impact, said Kennett, caused major environmental degradation over wide areas through numerous processes that include continent-wide wildfires and a major increase in atmospheric dust load that blocked the sun long enough to cause starvation of larger animals.

Investigating 18 sites across North America, Europe and the Middle East, Kennett and 28 colleagues from 24 institutions analyzed the spherules, tiny spheres formed by the high temperature melting of rocks and soils that then cooled or quenched rapidly in the atmosphere. The process results from enormous heat and pressures in blasts generated by the cosmic impact, somewhat similar to those produced during atomic explosions, Kennett explained.

But spherules do not form from cosmic collisions alone. Volcanic activity, lightning strikes, and coal seam fires all can create the tiny spheres. So to differentiate between impact spherules and those formed by other processes, the research team utilized scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry on nearly 700 spherule samples collected from the YDB layer. The YDB layer also corresponds with the end of the Clovis age, and is commonly associated with other features such as an overlying "black mat" a thin, dark carbon-rich sedimentary layer as well as the youngest known Clovis archeological material and megafaunal remains, and abundant charcoal that indicates massive biomass burning resulting from impact.

The results, according to Kennett, are compelling. Examinations of the YDB spherules revealed that while they are consistent with the type of sediment found on the surface of the earth in their areas at the time of impact, they are geochemically dissimilar from volcanic materials. Tests on their remanent magnetism the remaining magnetism after the removal of an electric or magnetic influence also demonstrated that the spherules could not have formed naturally during lightning strikes.

"Because requisite formation temperatures for the impact spherules are greater than 2,200 degrees Celsius, this finding precludes all but a high temperature cosmic impact event as a natural formation mechanism for melted silica and other minerals," Kennett explained. Experiments by the group have for the first time demonstrated that silica-rich spherules can also form through high temperature incineration of plants, such as oaks, pines, and reeds, because these are known to contain biologically formed silica.

Additionally, according to the study, the surface textures of these spherules are consistent with high temperatures and high-velocity impacts, and they are often fused to other spherules. An estimated 10 million metric tons of impact spherules were deposited across nine countries in the four continents studied. However, the true breadth of the YDB strewnfield is unknown, indicating an impact of major proportions.

"Based on geochemical measurements and morphological observations, this paper offers compelling evidence to reject alternate hypotheses that YDB spherules formed by volcanic or human activity; from the ongoing natural accumulation of space dust; lightning strikes; or by slow geochemical accumulation in sediments," said Kennett.

"This evidence continues to point to a major cosmic impact as the primary cause for the tragic loss of nearly all of the remarkable American large animals that had survived the stresses of many ice age periods only to be knocked out quite recently by this catastrophic event."

###


[ 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.


Comprehensive analysis of impact spherules supports theory of cosmic impact 12,800 years ago [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Sonia Fernandez
sonia.fernandez@ia.ucsb.edu
805-893-4765
University of California - Santa Barbara

(Santa Barbara, California) About 12,800 years ago when the Earth was warming and emerging from the last ice age, a dramatic and anomalous event occurred that abruptly reversed climatic conditions back to near-glacial state. According to James Kennett, UC Santa Barbara emeritus professor in earth sciences, this climate switch fundamentally and remarkably occurred in only one year, heralding the onset of the Younger Dryas cool episode.

The cause of this cooling has been much debated, especially because it closely coincided with the abrupt extinction of the majority of the large animals then inhabiting the Americas, as well as the disappearance of the prehistoric Clovis culture, known for its big game hunting.

"What then did cause the extinction of most of these big animals, including mammoths, mastodons, giant ground sloths, American camel and horse, and saber- toothed cats?" asked Kennett, pointing to Charles Darwin's 1845 assessment of the significance of climate change. "Did these extinctions result from human overkill, climatic change or some catastrophic event?" The long debate that has followed, Kennett noted, has recently been stimulated by a growing body of evidence in support of a theory that a major cosmic impact event was involved, a theory proposed by the scientific team that includes Kennett himself.

Now, in one of the most comprehensive related investigations ever, the group has documented a wide distribution of microspherules widely distributed in a layer over 50 million square kilometers on four continents, including North America, including Arlington Canyon on Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Islands. This layer the Younger Dryas Boundary (YDB) layer also contains peak abundances of other exotic materials, including nanodiamonds and other unusual forms of carbon such as fullerenes, as well as melt-glass and iridium. This new evidence in support of the cosmic impact theory appeared recently in a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences.

This cosmic impact, said Kennett, caused major environmental degradation over wide areas through numerous processes that include continent-wide wildfires and a major increase in atmospheric dust load that blocked the sun long enough to cause starvation of larger animals.

Investigating 18 sites across North America, Europe and the Middle East, Kennett and 28 colleagues from 24 institutions analyzed the spherules, tiny spheres formed by the high temperature melting of rocks and soils that then cooled or quenched rapidly in the atmosphere. The process results from enormous heat and pressures in blasts generated by the cosmic impact, somewhat similar to those produced during atomic explosions, Kennett explained.

But spherules do not form from cosmic collisions alone. Volcanic activity, lightning strikes, and coal seam fires all can create the tiny spheres. So to differentiate between impact spherules and those formed by other processes, the research team utilized scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry on nearly 700 spherule samples collected from the YDB layer. The YDB layer also corresponds with the end of the Clovis age, and is commonly associated with other features such as an overlying "black mat" a thin, dark carbon-rich sedimentary layer as well as the youngest known Clovis archeological material and megafaunal remains, and abundant charcoal that indicates massive biomass burning resulting from impact.

The results, according to Kennett, are compelling. Examinations of the YDB spherules revealed that while they are consistent with the type of sediment found on the surface of the earth in their areas at the time of impact, they are geochemically dissimilar from volcanic materials. Tests on their remanent magnetism the remaining magnetism after the removal of an electric or magnetic influence also demonstrated that the spherules could not have formed naturally during lightning strikes.

"Because requisite formation temperatures for the impact spherules are greater than 2,200 degrees Celsius, this finding precludes all but a high temperature cosmic impact event as a natural formation mechanism for melted silica and other minerals," Kennett explained. Experiments by the group have for the first time demonstrated that silica-rich spherules can also form through high temperature incineration of plants, such as oaks, pines, and reeds, because these are known to contain biologically formed silica.

Additionally, according to the study, the surface textures of these spherules are consistent with high temperatures and high-velocity impacts, and they are often fused to other spherules. An estimated 10 million metric tons of impact spherules were deposited across nine countries in the four continents studied. However, the true breadth of the YDB strewnfield is unknown, indicating an impact of major proportions.

"Based on geochemical measurements and morphological observations, this paper offers compelling evidence to reject alternate hypotheses that YDB spherules formed by volcanic or human activity; from the ongoing natural accumulation of space dust; lightning strikes; or by slow geochemical accumulation in sediments," said Kennett.

"This evidence continues to point to a major cosmic impact as the primary cause for the tragic loss of nearly all of the remarkable American large animals that had survived the stresses of many ice age periods only to be knocked out quite recently by this catastrophic event."

###


[ 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.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/uoc--cao052113.php

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lowcostbeds.com Attends Pow Wow in Las Vegas as First Time ...

May 20, 2013 By: Newswire

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Las VegasTravel agents will have an opportunity to meet with lowcostbeds.com representatives as an exhibitor for the first time at Pow Wow, which will take place in Las Vegas from June 8-12, 2013. lowcostbeds is inviting guests who are attending the travel trade show to stop by booth #157 to find out more about the application, leisure property inventory, technological solutions and how to gain the best value for clients.

The demand for the service continues with more than 2,000 travel agents now registered since the launch in February 2013. Once demonstrated, the product will be streamline their operations and help secure great value hotels for customers.

lowcostbeds is paying a 15 percent commission on hotel bookings until further notice, as a result of the response. Ground transfers booked through the site earn 20 percent commission. Agents who register and start using the site will also find promotions and deals. Travel agents can earn a $100 gift card for making 10 prepaid bookings on lowcostbeds.com in a current promotion. To be eligible, agents must send an email with the confirmation number of all ten fully paid bookings along with the user's ID and name to salessupport@lowcostbeds.us. Email must also contain the name of the person/agency as well as the address where the gift card should be sent. For more details, contact lowcostbeds sales support team at 1-888-386-4786 or email salessupport@lowcostbeds.us.

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Source: http://www.travelagentcentral.com/usa-las-vegas/lowcostbedscom-attends-pow-wow-las-vegas-first-time-exhibitor-40757

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Dan Pfeiffer blasts IRS, says legal questions ?irrelevant? (Washington Post)

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Monday, May 20, 2013

It's (Mostly) Official: Yahoo Buying Tumblr Youth Serum for $1.1B

Cash! The WSJ says "the Yahoo board has approved a deal" to make this happen, and it's hard to imagine Tumblr turning this down. One of the most unpopular companies in the world will soon own one of the most popular in history, and we'll all find out if you really can buy cool.

Read more...

    

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/xJOUYERRrjM/its-mostly-official-yahoo-buying-tumblr-for-1-1-bill-508716117

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McCarthy spins three-hitter, D-backs edge Fish

Associated Press Sports

updated 9:54 p.m. ET May 18, 2013

MIAMI (AP) - It took nine starts, but Brandon McCarthy finally got his first win with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

McCarthy pitched a three-hitter for his first win since being struck in the head by a line drive last season, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Miami Marlins 1-0 on Saturday night.

"He just got on a roll and we left him in there," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. "He did it quickly, that was the best sign of all."

Gerardo Parra led off the game with a home run for Arizona, which has won four in a row while dealing the Marlins a season-long seven-game losing streak.

"It was a good baseball game," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "The outcome wasn't good for us but it was a good game. I thought guys were aggressive. We got good pitches to hit, but we can't get out of the other end of these tight games."

McCarthy (1-3) struck out five and walked two while throwing 68 of 99 pitches for strikes in his third career shutout, first since Sept. 3, 2011, against Seattle.

"It's something that I want to do and be able to follow through on," said McCarthy of his seventh career complete game.

McCarthy was hit in the head by an Erick Aybar line drive on Sept 5. 2012, against the Angels while with Oakland. He suffered a skull fracture and underwent surgery to end his season.

He signed a two-year deal with Arizona in December and went without a win in his first eight starts with his new club.

"The win part, I don't care, like I said last week, it's a win for us, which is the only thing I care about," McCarthy said. "My numbers and stats are really inconsequential. It's nice that we were able to get it and it was nice that I was a big part of that, but that's how I look at it."

Last Sunday, McCarthy was pulled after eight scoreless innings and 88 pitches, and Arizona's relievers blew a late lead during a 4-2 loss in 10 innings to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Parra's home run to right-center field came on the first pitch from Tom Koehler (0-2) on Saturday. It was Parra's third career leadoff home run and it came on the advice of batting coach Don Baylor.

"I talked to him before the game and he said, `Just swing first pitch' and he was right," Parra said. "He's got more experience than me.

It was the first time since Sept. 14, 1993, in which a game featured a leadoff home run on the first pitch of the game and that was the only run scored, according to the Elias Sports Bureau when Carlos Garcia accomplished the feat for the Pirates against the Marlins.

"You're just trying to throw a first-pitch strike, but I don't think you could have put it on a tee any better," Koehler said. "He swings first pitch and he got exactly what he was looking for. And he took care of it."

Miami had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the first on Chris Coghlan's single to right, but Parra threw out Derek Dietrich at the plate to end the inning.

"The throw there, we've seen it a lot," Gibson said. "It's unreal how good he is and how accurate and strong his arm is. It was a big play for us."

McCarthy retired the next 14 batters he faced until Adeiny Hechavarria singled in the sixth. Hechavarria advanced to second on a passed ball, but McCarthy struck out Dietrich to end the inning.

"From about the second inning on I was kind of able to get back to (a focus point) and at least repeat my delivery, make some pitches, and turn the game over to my favor instead of the first where everything was a little too optimal and too hittable," McCarthy said.

The Marlins had another scoring opportunity in the seventh after a balk by McCarthy advanced Marcell Ozuna to second, but Placido Polanco lined out to end the threat.

McCarthy retired the final nine batters to complete a 2-hour, 24-minute gem.

Koehler, making his third career start, limited the Diamondbacks to one run and three hits over six innings. He struck out seven and walked two.

Ryan Webb pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings in relief to extend his scoreless streak to 16 2-3 innings for Miami.

Notes: McCarthy has walked three batters or fewer in 68 straight starts, the third-longest active streak in baseball. ... Diamondbacks 1B Paul Goldschmidt went 1 for 4 and is hitting .426 (23 for 54) with seven home runs and 17 RBIs in May. ... Marlins 1B Logan Morrison (knee) will begin a rehab assignment on Monday with Class A Jupiter. ... Arizona LHP Wade Miley (3-2, 3.75 ERA) will take the mound in Sunday's series finale against Marlins RHP Ricky Nolasco (2-5, 4.39 ERA).

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Chooch's hammy a worry for Phils

HBT: Carlos Ruiz was lifted from Sunday afternoon?s game against the Reds after straining his right hamstring while running the bases in the bottom of the second inning.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51930060/ns/sports-baseball/

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Big bling free to celebs in Cannes 'gifting suites'

Celebs

17 hours ago

Gather hundreds of celebrities and film executives on the French Riviera for the Cannes Film Festival and naturally, they need their glitter and glam.

One way the famous end up looking so good and so trendy is that often, they don't have to bring, or buy, their own fabulousness: They get special invitations to luxury "gifting suites" set up in hotel rooms at the film festival and can walk out with thousands of dollars of clothes and jewelry.

These rooms of swag aren't the only places where there's bling-related excitement to be found -- someone stole jewels meant for celebrities to wear on the red carpet straight from a hotel room very early on in the festival.

The Hollywood Reporter took a look inside some of these swag rooms stocked by famous brands including Chanel, Swarovski, Dior, and Jimmy Choo to find out what's up for grabs -- if you've got the right A-list name. Check out the video!

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/celebrities-visit-luxury-gifting-suites-cannes-walk-out-serious-swag-1C9983842

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U.S. chides Russia over missiles as peace plans suffer

By Erika Solomon

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States chided Russia for sending missiles to the Syrian government as plans for a peace conference promoted by Washington and Moscow were hit by diplomatic rifts over its scope and purpose.

Sectarian bloodshed in neighboring Iraq during Friday prayers, a hacking attack on a Western newspaper by sympathizers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and defiant comments by a rebel commander filmed eating a slain soldier's flesh were all reminders of how the two-year-old civil war is metastising.

But the divisions among world powers that have prevented a coordinated resolution were also again on display, just 10 days after Russia and the United States agreed to bury differences and push for an urgent international conference to end the war.

The most senior U.S. military officer, General Martin Dempsey, described Russia's recent delivery of anti-ship missiles to Assad as "ill-timed and very unfortunate" and risked prolonging a war which has already killed more than 80,000 Syrians and which the U.N. said had driven 1.5 million abroad.

While not responding directly to U.S. assertions that it had sent Yakhont missiles, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said Russia would honor contracts to supply Syria, which has been a customer for Moscow's weaponry since the Cold War.

"It's at the very least an unfortunate decision that will embolden the regime and prolong the suffering," Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters.

With a range of 300 km (200 miles), the Yakhont could prove a threat to warships in the Mediterranean, should, for example, Western powers abandon their deep reserve and intervene to offer air support to the rebels, as they did in Libya two years ago.

No date has yet been agreed for the international meeting, which appears to face growing obstacles. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met Putin in Russia on Friday and said the conference should take place as soon as possible.

But highlighting the diplomatic conundrum it poses, France spelled out explicitly on Friday that it would oppose any meeting if Assad's regional ally Iran were invited - contrary to the Russian position that Tehran should be part of a solution.

ESCALATION

The rebels and key Arab and Western backers will meet in Amman on Wednesday to discuss how to approach a conference. But it is also far from clear that Assad's opponents can forge a united front or agree to meet the president's representatives.

After months of diplomatic stalemate, Washington and Moscow have been pushed to convene the conference by the rising death toll and atrocities, signs of escalation across Syria's frontiers and suspicions that chemical arms may have been used.

Three weeks ago, Israeli air strikes near Damascus that were said to target Iranian weapons heading for Lebanon drove home the risk of the Syrian conflict spreading further afield. As much was true of bombings last week across the border in Turkey.

On Friday, dozens of Iraqis were killed in bombings which fuelled fears that the increasingly sectarian war in Syria, where Sunni Islamists are a part of the rebellion and Assad's Alawite minority is backed by Shi'ite Iran, could plunge Iraq back into its own bloody civil conflict between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims.

Two bombs exploded outside a Sunni mosque in the city of Baquba as worshippers left Friday prayers, killing at least 43 people in one of the deadliest attacks of recent months.

Several other bombings claimed lives around the country - with 19 killed near a commercial complex in the west of Baghdad. Attacks on Sunni and Shi'ite mosques, security forces and tribal leaders have mounted since troops from the Shi'ite-led Iraqi government raided a Sunni protest camp near Kirkuk a month ago.

London's Financial Times became the latest Western media outlet to be targeted by online activists who support Assad.

Stories on the FT's website had their headlines replaced by "Hacked By Syrian Electronic Army" and messages on its Twitter feed read: "Do you want to know the reality of the Syrian 'Rebels?'" followed by a link to a video that purports to show members of the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front rebel group executing blindfolded and kneeling Syrian soldiers.

The video could not be independently verified.

Following another of many Internet videos that have caused concern over deepening communal hatreds, a rebel commander who was filmed apparently cutting out and biting into the heart or other organ of a dead solder made a statement on Friday.

"I am ready to be held accountable for my actions, on condition that Bashar and his shabbiha (militias) are tried for crimes they committed against our women and children," the man known as Abu Sakkar said in a new video posting.

"I send this message to the world: if the bloodshed in Syria does not stop, every Syrian will become Abu Sakkar."

Asked by the unseen interviewer why he mutilated the body, he said the soldier's phone contained video clips of him raping women, burning bodies and cutting off the limbs of captives.

JUNE MEETING?

A Western diplomat at the United Nations in New York said the target date for the peace conference was June 10-15, but it depended on the readiness of the Syrian parties. An alternative plan would be to hold an international conference and then have the Syrians meet at a later date when they are prepared.

The Russian arms transfer could intensify a push by some U.S. lawmakers for the United States to deepen its role in Syria, particularly after President Barack Obama's government acknowledged preliminary intelligence that Assad's forces likely used chemical weapons - something Obama has called a "red line".

"We can watch from the sidelines as the scales are tipped in Assad's favor, or protect U.S. national interests by supporting the armed opposition striving to build a new Syrian future," said Senate foreign relations committee chairman Robert Menendez.

But many U.S. officials fear Western weapons could fall into the wrong hands. Obama said Thursday he would consider both diplomatic and military options to pressure Assad, but insisted U.S. action alone would not be enough to resolve the conflict.

(Additional reporting by Phil Stewart in Washington; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-chides-russia-over-missiles-peace-plans-suffer-115030682.html

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Business Management: How Do I Know What I Need? | WebVellum

The most important question in determining what sort of web solution to choose is: What are my needs? It?s not at all uncommon for businesses to either rush in with an untested integration as a cost saving measure and end up paying far more than they originally intended, or to go with an expensive, complicated system most of which does little to simplify business processes.

Business management is about finding better ways of doing things, empowering your employees to increase productivity by working smarter, not harder, and discovering new growth potentials. The way to achieve this is by identifying the processes and tools utilized by your business.

Your Business Website

Are you taking full advantage of the possibilities a business website presents?

If you provide a labor-intensive service such as lawn care or home/office cleaning, it?s common to think that a website works the same way as a roadside sign. However, there is much more you can do with a website than simply display your business name, service area and contact information. You can allow your customers to schedule appointments, manage communications with employees out in the field and post up-to-date information that your customers can receive by email or social media. With the correct programming configuration, you?re even able to manage invoices payments and customer accounts without a stand-alone payment system.

Customer Relations Management: More than a Website

Larger businesses must rely on some fairly sophisticated programming simply to manage internal operations before even considering integration with point-of-sale interfaces or a website. Despite the challenges associated with integrating complex technologies such as CRMs (Customer Relations Management ? think Salesforce) and CMSs (Content Management Systems ? Drupal and Magento), it can be done. WebVellum has the tools to bring it to you.

How Do I Know When I Need a CRM?

If your business (or start-up) employees 50 or more people in a multi-tiered hierarchical structure and you need to communicate as well as transmit files and data on a daily basis, then you probably need a CRM. If you need a way to process purchasing orders, payroll, invoices, manage expenses and manage internal communications, then you?ll need something with at least some features of a CRM.

At first glance, a full-scale CRM such as Salesforce seems worlds away from open-source web technology such as WordPress and Drupal. However, a sophisticated website development firm such as WebVellum is able to make the differences between a full-scale CRM and and open-source CMS seem largely cosmetic.

With our sophisticated planning and integration techniques, WebVellum can assist your business in determining what your business process needs are and the best solution to meet those needs. Contact WebVellum today to learn more!

Source: http://tampawebsitedesign.org/business-management-how-do-i-know-what-i-need/

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Sunday, May 19, 2013

Google Glass 'prescription edition' makes a cameo at Google I/O

Google Glass 'prescription edition' makes a cameo at Google IO

Google I/O is always full of surprises, and we came across yet another elusive bit of hardware on the show floor today: Google Glass "prescription edition". No, it's not actually called that (we made up the name), but what you're looking at is definitely Glass that's been neatly integrated with a pair of prescription glasses -- in fact, it looks a lot like the version of Glass that Google recently mentioned on its blog. We don't really know anything else about this device, but we've reached out to Google for comment. Is this a custom design built by combining Google Glass Explorer Edition with off-the shelf eyewear? Is this a Glass prototype that's designed specifically for people who wear prescription spectacles? Share your thoughts in the comments and don't forget to check out the gallery below.

Update: Google's confirmed it's a prototype the company's experimented with that uses the same software as the Explorer Edition but slightly different hardware on the outside.

Brad Molen contributed to this report.

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