Wednesday, January 30, 2013

2/23/13: Chinese Historical Society Pre-Parade Mini Festival | SF - FREE

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Chinese Historical Society Pre Parade Mini Festival | SFComing to San Francisco?s Chinese New Year Parade on February 23, 2013?

Join the California Historical Society of America (CHSA) Museum before the parade for a full day of programs to welcome in the Year of the Snake. More details coming soon.


Links: Event details

Cost: FREE
Categories: Fairs & Festivals

Address: 965 Clay St, San Francisco, CA

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/funcheapsf_recent_added_events/~3/1Lnlfb7UxnU/

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Fast Food Can Cause Eczema, Asthma In Kids | HealthStatus - How ...

Fast Food Can Cause Eczema, Asthma In Kids

In a very large study that involved two million children from 100 countries, scientists found a direct link between the regular consumption of fast food and eczema, asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis. The results of their research were published in the journal Thorax.

Fast food and health

Researchers worked with about 319,000 children aged 13 to 14, from 51 countries and 181,000 kids aged six to seven from 31 countries. Children had very different eating habits and came from many different cultures. The goal of the scientists was to find the link between their nutrition and symptoms of diseases such as asthma, eczema and rhinoconjunctivitis (runny or clogged nose, itchy and watery eyes.)

Among the children with notable symptoms of the three conditions, the only nutritional link the researchers found was their consumption of fast food. The conclusion was that the regular consumption of fast food increases children?s risk of asthma and eczema. The results were the same in both age groups, regardless of their income level, gender or country of origin.

Teenagers who consumed three or more portions of fast food every week had 39 percents more risk of serious asthma and eczema. Among smaller children, the risk was increased by 27 percents.

Interestingly, scientists found that eating fruit three times or more per week reduced the severity of symptoms of asthma and eczema by 11 to 14 percent.

The link

The conclusion of the study was that the fast food, which is rich in saturated and trans fatty acids negatively affects the immune response. Antioxidants in fruit countered this effect.

While scientists did not claim the cause and effect relationship between the fast food and three diseases, this association has such important significance on public health that it merits further research.

Another interesting study confirmed these findings, by proving that fast food consumption counters all the benefits breast feeding has on children.

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Source: http://www.healthstatus.com/health_blog/wellness/fast-food-eczema-asthma-kids/

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Ten Things Not To Say After Sex According To 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' (EXCERPT)

From MUCH ADO ABOUT LOVING by Jack Murnighan and Maura Kelly. Copyright ? 2012 by Maura Kelly and Jack Murnighan. Reprinted by permission of Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.


Arm in arm, legs entwined, sweat beading on the marmoreal perfection of the human form, the dance of love just brought to its exquisite denouement, the Marlboro smoked, the snifter sipped dry, and now...

It?s a dangerous time to speak. Post-amour, everyone is vulnerable, the defenses have been laid bare, and any utterance can be taken to have more meaning than intended. How many times have I said some- thing I thought innocent?or even complimentary?only to have it heard by my beloved as something along the lines of ?I wish you would turn into a pizza.?

To see how this plays out in literature, we need only turn to one of the saucier of all highbrow novels, Lady Chatterley?s Lover. There?s enough sex in Lawrence?s scandalous masterwork that I could find ten?yes, ten?things said after sex that you really wouldn?t want to say today. Some are said by men, some are said by women, but both sexes should avoid pretty much all of them.

So without further ado, and in the order in which they appear in the book, here they go:

  • 1. Don?t complain about the timing of someone?s orgasm (or how they got there)

    <em>The quote in question: ?You couldn?t go off at the same time as a man, could you? You?d have to bring yourself off ! You?d have to run the show.?</em> Lady Chatterley?s first lover, Michaelis, the colleague of her paralyzed husband (who, admittedly, eventually encourages her to go get pregnant by someone else), is your basic well-dressed dandy. He visits the Chatterley home, he and the lady get busy, he finishes pretty quickly each time they get together, but the ladyship (as a good D. H. Lawrence heroine) keeps him inside of her and brings herself to an orgasm by rubbing herself on his thighs. So after a few times of this, apparently he?s had enough and retorts with the above line. Boys, the rule is never to talk about the woman?s orgasm right after she?s had it, much less criticize how she gets herself there (especially if you?re a Se?or Speedy!). Be thankful that she can come with you, by hook or by crook! Be even more thankful that even if you fall down on your job, she can handle matters herself! And whatever you do, don?t make her self-conscious about it. You think you look great getting your business done? Even if you want to praise her (or yourself ) for the success you just had, better keep still. Let it happen; don?t shine light on it lest it disappear.

  • 2. Never ask if your lover regrets the sex you just had

    <em>The quote in question: ??You aren?t sorry, are you?? he asked, as he went at her side.?</em> The real lover of the title is the Chatterley manor gamekeeper, a peasant named Mellors. Mrs. Chatterley accidentally discovers him washing himself by his hut and decides to get a piece o? dat. What follows is an intricate exploration of sex, psychology, and class relations (I was really impressed rereading the whole novel). And though Mellors, the classic strong, silent type, doesn?t do too much yapping, his sensitive nature causes him to ask how the lady feels after their first tryst. Asking if someone regrets the recently concluded festivities might sound nice on paper, but if the person is feeling sorry or uncomfortable after sex, she probably doesn?t want to talk about it. It?s either you or it?s not you, but either way, you?re not likely to be able to fix things. Let her brood; let her figure it out on her own. If she needs you, she?ll ask you a question like, ?Do you think that was a bad idea?? and then you can talk. Otherwise, zip it.

  • 3. Discussing your socioeconomic differences isn?t sexy?or practical

    <em>The quote in question: ?Good night, your Ladyship.? </em> If you?re the beneficiary of an other-side-of-the-tracks relationship, probably not such a good idea to point it out. When Mellors gets a little ticked off with Mrs. Chatterley for going away without promising to come back, this is his zinger of a goodbye. The better policy with a rich girl is to just appreciate the hosiery, the eau de parfum, the well-cared-for skin and leave it at that. And if you?re the Julia Roberts pretty woman to his well-heeled Richard Gere, it?s not in your interest to bring it up either. The more you mention the money discrepancy, the more power you give him to hold it against you.

  • 4. Do not allude, however vaguely, to your past lovers or experience

    <em>The quote in question: ?We came off together that time... It?s good when it?s like that. Most folks live their lives through and they never know it.?</em> When Mrs. Chatterley does eventually disprove Michaelis?s jab and has a simultaneous orgasm with Mellors, the bohunk makes the mistake not only of mentioning it but of referring to other people?s sex lives. Implication? He?s had sex with other women! Uh-oh. What was just a very private moment with her feeling like she was special suddenly opens a window to his entire past, where she can feel like just the latest in a litany. No matter what observation you want to make about sex, keep everyone else out of it?no referring to your experience or your knowledge in general. Save such observations for less vulnerable moments.

  • 5. Do not mention love to your no-strings-attached lover

    <em>The quote in question: ?I . . . I can?t love you!? </em> Mrs. Chatterley has a breakdown after one of her sessions with the game master, confessing that she fears her heart will never be his (though soon it is). The problem is that she?s forgetting that for him the whole affair is pretty much just a roll in the hay with a rich married woman. What Mrs. Chatterley doesn?t realize is that most guys in most affairs would like as few strings attached as possible. If you think you?re never going to fall in love with him, guess what: That?s probably exactly what he?d prefer. No need to feel guilty or to say anything at all.

  • 6. Post-coitus, don?t ever ask if he or she loves you

    <em>The quote in question: ?You do love me, don?t you??</em> The classic ?Don?t ask!? question?because if you have to ask it, it probably isn?t the case. Even worse, what response can the other person make? If he says he loves you, isn?t that pretty much like having to ask for flowers, then seeing the roses on the tabletop and resenting that you had to beg for them? And since the sentiment is unlikely to be real, you?re almost insisting that he lie in his response to you, which, even to a person desperate for reassurance, has to be pretty cold comfort. This one is probably the worst all around; if you find it coming to your lips, you?d better keep quiet and start looking for real signs of love, not just hollow, forced assurances.

  • 7. Never, under any circumstances, use the ?c? word

    <em>The quote in question: ?Th?art good cunt, though, are?nt ter? Best bit o? cunt left on earth.?</em> Though <em>Lady Chatterley?s Lover</em> was written in the 1920s, the c-word already had a dodgy reputation (despite a variant of it being used in the Middle Ages by Chaucer). In this case, Mrs. Chatterley doesn?t know what it means, but ultimately Mellors makes it clear that the word is pretty much what he likes about her. These days, that would be an utter disaster to say, but even then it wasn?t great.

  • 8. Tread with caution when talking about his penis

    <em>The quote in question: ?And now he?s tiny and soft like a little bud of life!?</em> When a man?s expired penis goes flaccid again, often tucking itself back into the scrotum like an undersized turtle head, he?s not exactly proud of it. And ?tiny,? for the record, is never a word a guy wants to hear about his John Thomas. In the scene, you can also tell that Mrs. Chatterley is speaking to Mellors?s unit in baby talk? also never a good thing. When a cock is high and mighty, please comment on it; when it?s spent and downtrodden, don?t make it into a stuffed animal.

  • 9. Do not raise the issue of cohabitation out of the blue

    <em>The quote in question: ?I want to come and live with you always, soon.? </em> While this might be a lovely sentiment to say in a real love relationship that had developed adequately, it?s not the kind of idea you want to raise for the first time post-flagrante. And doing it with someone who isn?t ready for cohabitation can only lead to disaster. In this case, Mrs. Chatterley already has a husband, and Mellors is used to living alone and in the woods. The last thing he?d want would be a bunkmate in his hut. So if you picked your guy because he has that independent, bad- boy thing going on, it?s likely to be a while before he wants to give that up and step into the ball and chain. He might abstractly suggest that he could spend the rest of his life with you, but if you reply that you?re packing your hat boxes to move in, the good money says he?ll start squirming.

  • 10. Watch what you say about your lover?s body

    <em>The quote in question: ?Tha?s got the nicest arse of anybody. It?s the nicest, nicest women?s arse as is! An ?ivry bit of it is woman . . . Tha?rt not one o? them button-arsed lasses as should be lads . . . It?s a bottom as could hold the world up, it is!?</em> Once again, Mellors?s good intentions would have gotten him in quite the pickle these days. Men, if you?re complimenting a woman?s ass (or pretty much anything else), make sure you don?t call her womanly, don?t comment on its size, and don?t under any circumstances contrast her?even favorably?to skinny girls. You might be trying to say that she looks like a Playboy centerfold; she?s more likely to hear that she could never be in Vogue.

Related on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/30/not-to-say-after-sex-chatterley_n_2576285.html

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Joint Fuel-Cell Projects Now on Tap - Automotive Digest

Joint Fuel-Cell Projects Now on?Tap

fuel_cell_development2a

Bloomberg News - January 28, 2013

Sev?eral major automak?ers have signed agree?ments to develop fuel-cell tech?nol?ogy, tar?get?ing their use in elec?tric cars, and beyond.

Find out more about upcom?ing fuel-cell development.

Daim?ler AG and Nis?san Motor Co. signed an agree?ment with Ford Motor Co. to develop fuel-cell tech?nol?ogy together for elec?tric?cars.

The part?ners plan to intro?duce the first mass-market fuel? cell elec?tric mod?els in 2017 and are tar?get?ing pro?duc?tion of at least 100,000 cars, Thomas Weber, Daimler?s head of research and devel?op?ment, said today at a press con?fer?ence in Nabern, Ger?many. The man?u?fac?tur?ers will invest equal amounts in the project to develop fuel-cell stacks and sys?tems, they said in a joint state?ment, with?out giv?ing details.

Toy?ota Motor Co., the world?s biggest car?maker, and Munich-based Bay?erische Motoren Werke AG, the largest luxury-car man?u?fac?turer, announced a part?ner?ship on Jan. 24 to develop fuel-cell sys?tems, in addi?tion to coop?er?a?tion in other areas includ?ing light-weight tech?nolo?gies and a com?mon sports-car platform

Joint devel?op?ments allow the man?u?fac?tur?ers to share costs and achieve higher vol?umes once pro?duc?tion starts. Daim?ler and its part?ners are using their project to send a ?clear sig?nal? to gov?ern?ments and sup?pli?ers of the need to develop a hydro?gen? fuel?ing infra?struc?ture worldwide.

Source: http://automotivedigest.com/2013/01/joint-fuel-cell-projects-now-on-tap/

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Survival of the prettiest: Sexual selection can be inferred from the fossil record

Jan. 29, 2013 ? Detecting sexual selection in the fossil record is not impossible, according to scientists writing in Trends in Ecology and Evolution this month, co-authored by Dr Darren Naish of the University of Southampton.

The term "sexual selection" refers to the evolutionary pressures that relate to a species' ability to repel rivals, meet mates and pass on genes. We can observe these processes happening in living animals but how do palaeontologists know that sexual selection operated in fossil ones?

Historically, palaeontologists have thought it challenging, even impossible, to recognise sexual selection in extinct animals. Many fossil animals have elaborate crests, horns, frills and other structures that look like they were used in sexual display but it can be difficult to distinguish these structures from those that might play a role in feeding behaviour, escaping predators, controlling body temperature and so on.

However in their review, the scientists argue that clues in the fossil record can indeed be used to infer sexual selection.

"We see much evidence from the fossil record suggesting that sexual selection played a major role in the evolution of many extinct groups," says Dr Naish, of the University's Vertebrate Palaeontology Research Group.

"Using observations of modern animal behaviour we can draw analogies with extinct animals and infer how certain features improve success during courtship and breeding."

Modern examples of sexual selection, where species have evolved certain behaviours or ornamentation that repel rivals and attract members of the opposite sex, include the male peacock's display of feathers, and the male moose's antlers for use in clashes during mating season.

Dr Naish and co-authors state that the fossil record holds many clues that point to the existence of sexual selection in extinct species, for example weaponry for fighting, bone fractures from duels, and ornamentation for display, such as fan-shaped crests on dinosaurs. Distinct differences between males and females of a species, called 'sexual dimorphism', can also suggest the presence of sexual selection, and features observed in sexually mature adults, where absent from the young, indicate that their purpose might be linked to reproduction.

We can also make inferences from features that are 'costly' in terms of how much energy they take to maintain, if we assume that the reproductive advantages outweighed the costs.

Whilst these features might have had multiple uses, the authors conclude that sexual selection should not be ruled out.

"Some scientists argue that many of the elaborate features on dinosaurs were not sexually selected at all," adds Dr Naish, who is based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton.

"But as observations show that sexual selection is the most common process shaping evolutionary traits in modern animals, there is every reason to assume that things were exactly the same in the distant geological past."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Southampton.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Robert J. Knell, Darren Naish, Joseph L. Tomkins, David W.E. Hone. Sexual selection in prehistoric animals: detection and implications. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 2013; 28 (1): 38 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2012.07.015

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/EIyoP0e6xn8/130129080217.htm

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We?ll be live from RIM?s BlackBerry 10 event tomorrow at 10:00AM!

BlackBerry 10 Event Live BlogBlackBerry Z10

Research In Motion (RIMM) has its work cut out for it as it prepares to unveil its BlackBerry 10?platform on Wednesday along with its first two next-generation smartphones. We?ve seen the BlackBerry Z10?and the?BlackBerry X10?leak extensively over the past few months, and BGR gave the world an exclusive full walkthrough of the BlackBerry 10 OS last week?so there isn?t much mystery left. BlackBerry fans are still excited as RIM gets ready to paint us a picture of the company?s future on Wednesday though, and BGR will be on hand to cover all the action as it unfolds.

[More from BGR: Apple?s 128GB iPad shows the world exactly what Apple does best]

Bookmark this link, which will go live shortly before the event begins tomorrow, and make sure to head there for our live coverage of RIM?s press conference! Coverage will begin just before 10:00 a.m. EST / 7:00 a.m. PST.

This article was originally published on BGR.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ll-live-rim-blackberry-10-event-tomorrow-10-175511809.html

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Monday, January 28, 2013

Social Security commissioner to leave in February

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue says he will step down in February after completing his six-year term. Astrue's departure gives President Barack Obama the opportunity to name a new head to the federal government's largest program.

Astrue's term was marked by increasingly dire warnings about the long-term financial health of the massive retirement and disability program. Astrue also worked to reduce backlogs of people applying for disability claims.

The trustees who oversee Social Security project that the program's trust funds will run dry in 2033. At that point, Social Security will collect only enough in taxes to pay 75 percent of benefits. As commissioner, Astrue is also a trustee.

Astrue has urged Congress to shore up the program's finances but has not publicly endorsed any solutions.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-28-Social%20Security%20Commissioner/id-cf8a2827eb414cb499f5352a8b2b5010

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Stick Time: Home-Schooler in the Choir - ChoralNet

Date: January 28, 2013

Views: 176

Bring up the topic of home-schooling among a group of educators and you can be assured of a vibrant discussion.? A study by the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) estimates that in the spring of 2010, there were more than two million home-schooled students, K through 12.? That accounts for about four percent of our school-aged population.

?

As choral music educators, we are eager to provide access to our art for as many students as possible within our respective schools.? How can a home-school student experience the same level of music education available to a child in a traditional educational environment?

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Among several possible ways to provide a choral music experience to home-school students is through a community youth choir.? There are many such excellent community youth choral programs in cities throughout the U.S.; including this choir ? the Concord Vocal Ensemble - featured at a recent ACDA Divisional Conference.

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Source: http://www.choralnet.org/view/409469

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TV veteran developing news show for Fuse

This undated image released by Fuse shows Rick Kaplan. The Fuse television network has turned to news veteran Rick Kaplan, who has run CNN and MSNBC and produced programs like "Nightline," to develop a music news program aimed largely at people some 40 years younger than him. "Fuse News" is set to debut Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. ET with pre-Grammy Awards coverage. The half-hour show, originating from Fuse's studios across from Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, will be repeated at midnight. (AP Photo/Fuse)

This undated image released by Fuse shows Rick Kaplan. The Fuse television network has turned to news veteran Rick Kaplan, who has run CNN and MSNBC and produced programs like "Nightline," to develop a music news program aimed largely at people some 40 years younger than him. "Fuse News" is set to debut Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. ET with pre-Grammy Awards coverage. The half-hour show, originating from Fuse's studios across from Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, will be repeated at midnight. (AP Photo/Fuse)

This undated image released by Fuse shows Rick Kaplan. The Fuse television network has turned to news veteran Rick Kaplan, who has run CNN and MSNBC and produced programs like "Nightline," to develop a music news program aimed largely at people some 40 years younger than him. "Fuse News" is set to debut Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. ET with pre-Grammy Awards coverage. The half-hour show, originating from Fuse's studios across from Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, will be repeated at midnight. (AP Photo/Fuse)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Fuse television network has turned to news veteran Rick Kaplan, who has run CNN and MSNBC and produced programs like "Nightline," to develop a music news program aimed largely at people some 40 years younger than him.

"Fuse News" is set to debut Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. Eastern time with pre-Grammy Awards coverage. The half-hour show, originating from Fuse's studios across from Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, will be repeated at midnight.

"A lot of people are covering music in different ways," said Mike Bair, president of MSG Media, Fuse's corporate ownership. "But not a lot of people are covering it deeper and in a respectful way. We thought there was a real opportunity for us."

Fuse, available in some 70 million homes, is overshadowed by MTV, but unlike its competitor has kept its focus on music and is looking for a signature show.

Kaplan, 65, walked through a busy newsroom with TVs tuned to a Fuse countdown of sexy rap videos one recent afternoon. The 47-time Emmy winner had most recently produced Katie Couric's "CBS Evening News" and Christiane Amanpour's stint on ABC's Sunday morning and has formed his own consulting company.

Bair reached out to Kaplan through a mutual friend to gauge interest, and the idea intrigued Kaplan.

"While he's not in the target audience for Fuse (the network's median age is around 27), I think he also saw the opportunity," Bair said.

A whiteboard in Fuse's office already lists story plans for the first month. The collapse of the traditional music industry has made for many changes ripe for examining.

One future story will talk about bands scalping tickets to their own concerts, another about the sound quality issues behind the resurgence of vinyl. If "Fuse News" was on the air last week, it wouldn't treat the story about Beyonce lip-synching at the inauguration as a joke, but rather look into how widespread the practice is, Kaplan said.

"I want it to be a place where if you're involved in the industry in any way ? and that means anybody with a headset ? this will be the place where you will want to go," Kaplan said.

Kaplan's tastes run to the Eagles, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Now he's learning about electronic dance music, and even liking some of it. Liz Walaszczyk, a 28-year-old producer and contributing correspondent on "Fuse News," is gently introducing her boss to bands like the Xx.

And he's introducing her to the news.

Walaszczyk, who booked bands for Carson Daly's NBC show before joining Fuse, said that she finds blogs like Pitchfork and Stereogum helpful but that there's a void in serious music journalism. Kaplan is teaching her the importance of detail in every question asked and picture selected for her stories.

"I hear his voice and I think, 'This man has spoken to so many legends,'" she said.

Co-anchors for the show are Alexa Chung and Matte Babel. Former Gawker writer Elaine Moran and Jack Osbourne are contributing correspondents.

Yes, the news producer who once worked with Walter Cronkite is telling Ozzy's kid what to do.

Kaplan brushed aside a question about whether some people in the television news business might consider his current gig a comedown.

"Oh, God no," he said. "By no means. People who say that don't get it. It's a great privilege to be asked to do this program. It's the only serious program in this industry. It's a serious attempt to report on music in a credible way."

He said he's having a blast.

"In many ways, what Fuse is attempting to do with this show is more cutting edge than what any of the networks are doing," he said. "We're not starting a magazine show. We're not tinkering with the evening news."

The show will also have studio guests and music performances. Kaplan has hired Audrey Gruber, a former CBS News and CNN producer, to eventually take over for him when the show is up and running.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-28-TV-Fuse%20News/id-a52f2539ce0d443687871f99240a4bca

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Sunday, January 27, 2013

What do we do when the sin tax - Brewed Fresh Daily

Jason Russell of the Civic Commons, in his piece ?Let he who is without sin cast the first stone?, suggests spreading the dirty deed of the sin tax and to, ?extend the sin tax to all counties that touch Cuyahoga County?. He points out that the facilities draw spectators from the region so why shouldn?t the expense of the facilities be shared by the region?

What should we consider in terms of the 2015 expiration of the sin tax?

Currently the Browns have the best deal of the three teams.? The City?s responsible for the debt and financing for construction and capital repairs and they keep all of the revenue generated except some fees paid to the NFL and a share of NFL media revenue.

The Indians and Cavaliers renegotiated their leases with the Gateway Economic Development Corporation in 2004 so the teams cover the debt.? But, there are major capital repairs and improvements anticipated that are not covered under agreements. ?The City is stuck with expenses for the parking lot.

The main considerations are what are the revenues needed by the teams to be successful and what payments can the City and County, and possibly the region afford?? So what are our options?

  1. Do nothing ? the City of Cleveland will be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars for the debt, financing cost, capital repair requirements, and property taxes associated with the stadium and property.
    The Gateway Economic Development Corporation and Cuyahoga County will need to come up with funding for capital repairs and improvements that are being considered.? The debts for construction of the gateway facilities have been reported as being taken care of by rents from the teams that were renegotiated in 2004.? They include approximately $70 million for arena not including finance cost, with payments through 2023 and, a remaining $6 million in ballpark debt is anticipated to be paid-off by 2014.
  2. Ask voters to renew the sin-tax ? Continue applying what is generally accepted as a regressive tax ? has a greater impact on lower-income persons than higher.? The current sin taxes being levied for the sports facilities are:
    - ?4.5 cents per pack of cigarettes;
    ? ?16.0 cents per gallon of beer, or 3 cents per 12 ounce bottle; and,
    ? ?12.7 cents per 740 ml bottle of wine
  3. Ask sports teams to pay more under their lease agreements ? an unlikely scenario due to existing contract terms, although the Indians and Cavaliers renegotiate their lease terms in 2004.? Would the Browns be willing to do the same?? And, what about the capital expenses anticipated but not covered for the Gateway arena and ballpark?
  4. Increase the admission tax for all three sports teams ? The City would have the authority to carry this out.? How much money would be needed?? The three teams and facilities have different needs in terms of the liabilities, costs and revenue requirements.? The Browns are reported to have one of the lowest seat pricings in the league.? Would they accept a higher admission tax on seats that would then limit their own ability to raise admission taxes?? And, what about premium, club seating and loge revenues?
  5. Better utilize revenue potential for City sponsored events ? The City of Cleveland has the rights under the lease to use the Browns Stadium eight times per year.? What is the net-revenue potential for using all eight days, and how could the stadium be better utilized by the City?
  6. Other revenue generating resources ? At the time the deals were made for the facilities there were increases to parking and rental car taxes.? The new Cleveland Convention Center and Medical Mart are being funded by a Cuyahoga County sales Tax? (.25 cents ? another regressive tax).? Property taxes just took a hit in Cleveland via the CMSD (15 mill school levy).? What other sources are there?
  7. What am I missing?

REF:

Call for increased private investment by sports teams to balance large public subsidies that will need to continue through 2028. ?1.18.2013

Last 5 posts by Brian Cummins

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Source: http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/2013/what-do-we-do-when-the-sin-tax-for-the-pro-sports-facilities-ends-in-2015

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Verizon modifying prepaid plans Feb 1 with new $60 500MB tier

Android Central

Verizon doesn't put much focus on its prepaid plans, but according to a leaked document obtained by PhoneArena it will be dropping prices on prepaid offerings starting February 1st. Verizon's current offering is at $80 for smartphones, with unlimited talk/text and 2GB of data during its double data promotion. When the new plans take effect next week, the $80 plan is going away, making room for two new tiers at $60 and $70. The lower tier will offer 500MB of data, the higher 2GB, both with unlimited talk and text.

The document specifically says $80 plan users will be grandfathered in, but considering the new price structure there's no reason to stay on it. Users wanting more than 2GB of data will be paying $20 per 1GB overage, which is $5 more than adding an extra 1GB to a postpaid plan. Also remember that Verizon's prepaid plans are 3G only for the time being. This is still a good option for a select set of people though, so we're glad to see Verizon drop its prices a bit. Stick around after the break to see the document and details of the new plans.

Source: PhoneArena

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/_phMl2qlcGg/story01.htm

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Saturday, January 26, 2013

What It's Like To Go Off the World's Largest Ski Jump

You probably don't have the balls to go ski jumping. If you do, congratulations; I hope you're reading this in flight. For the rest of us, this video is a great (read: less scary) way to get just the smallest slice of that action. A piece you can safely chew and swallow. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Msnag_77Apc/what-its-like-to-go-off-the-worlds-largest-ski-jump

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Recycle plastic waste into 'ink' for 3-D printers

19 hrs.

As enthusiasm grows for 3-D printers, so does a familiar complaint to just about everyone still living in a 2-D inkjet world: the maddeningly high cost and inefficiency of replacement cartridges. Enter the Filabot, a contraption that turns just about all your household plastic waste into "ink" for 3-D printers.

3-D printers melt strips of plastic filament into a gooey paste that is spewed out one layer at a time to create all sorts of plastic parts, gizmos and architect models. The printers are a sign of the future, when we can print just about anything we?d ever want with the press of a button.

For now, the printers mostly deal in the realm of plastics and are popular among early-adopter techies, designers?and people on a mission to change the world for the better. In addition to the cost of the printers, which have begun to fall, plastic filament starts at around $50 for a 2.2-pound spool.

The Filabot was developed by Tyler McNaney, a college student, and financed with funds raised on Kickstarter, the crowdfunding website. It sits on a desktop and is designed to grind and convert everyday plastic waste such as milk jugs, water bottles, and plastic wrap into filament for a future print job.

Early enthusiasts paid $350 for first-run versions of the device, according to Treehugger. A final price for the public version is yet to be announced, but it should pay for itself rather quickly and keep household plastic waste out of landfills and the oceans. What?s more, it means you recycle bad print jobs.

To learn more about it, check out the promotional video below.

- via Earth Techling

John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/recycle-plastic-waste-ink-3-d-printers-1C8119019

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Friday, January 25, 2013

Cockroaches and Ladybugs: Catalonia: two languages... no problem!


Right now everyone argues about if we have a language problem in Catalonia. So occasionally we get to discuss whether or not we need special cinema laws to protect Catalan language, whether Catalan should be a requirement to work in universities or whether or not should have language immersion at schools.

But make no mistake; we do not have a language problem. If you go down the street, if you step on our schools, visiting classrooms, you quickly realize that if there is any conflict is not exactly the language. We drag a political problem and (nowadays) a problem with Spanish laws.

Immersion is the backbone of a school system that works and it is also the backbone of a society that if something has been characterized so far is integration. But immersion has become a problem when politicians have sought to take center stage.

Again, make no mistake, the immersion is nothing. It is a sign of normality. Spain does Spanish language immersion in schools. France teaches French in public schools. They do the same as we do. The point is that they needn?t to say ?immersion? because they have a national state behind. We do not. Not only we haven?t a state behind? We have one against us.

Today I would like to recommend you a very interesting article from one of the best Catalan University psycologists.?

Bilingualism is not a problem, is an advantage; plurinationalism and multilingualism are two key features of our modern society that help us to be more tolerant than other monolingual societies.



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"Catalonia?s education system is based on bilingual education. One of its objectives is that all pupils get a good knowledge of the two official languages, Catalan and Spanish. Wallace Lambert points out that, when a society wants bilingual people, the socially weakest language needs to prevail in school education. According to his principle, public schools in Catalonia organise mainly two programmes: a programme to maintain the family language aimed at the Catalan-speaking students, and a programme of starting linguistic immersion aimed at Spanish-speaking children. Both are supported by very positive social attitudes towards the Catalan language. However, the law guarantees families the choice to decide their children?s school language during the entire initiation to reading and writing learning (8 years old). In practical terms, there are some 10 Spanish-speaking families as an average number that decide to school their children in Spanish. In the following years, the Spanish language is a school subject, both for the maintenance programmes and linguistic immersion programmes. Nevertheless, especially in the linguistic immersion programme, Spanish has an important presence in the student's informal relations as well as in the relations students keep to solve academic problems in Catalan.?

Since 1990, there has been a systematic evaluation of bilingual education results in Catalonia. Regarding linguistic knowledge, there are no differences between Catalan-speaking and Spanish-speaking students in their knowledge of the Spanish language. In addition, there are no differences regarding the knowledge of the Spanish language between students from Catalan schools and those from the rest of Spain. The differences exist in relation to the knowledge of the Catalan language. At the end of obligatory schooling, as it happens in the rest of linguistic immersion programmes around the world, the Spanish-speaking students have less Catalan oral skills than Catalan-speaking students. However, there are no differences regarding the writing language skills. In fact, the Spanish-speaking students have Catalan writing skills on a level with those of Catalan-speaking students along the obligatory secondary education, after nine or more years of schooling (pre-school education and primary education). The 2009 PISA evaluation on reading comprehension placed Catalonia seven points above the OCDE average and 12 points above the Spanish average. Regarding the acquisition of knowledge and skill development of other areas such as mathematics, natural sciences or social sciences, there are no differences between the Catalan-speaking students and Spanish-speaking students.?

Since 2000, Catalonia has incorporated thousands and thousands of foreign students to the education system who already represent around 14% of the population. Certainly, these pupils with very different languages are schooled in a programme of linguistic submersion because, among other reasons, the education system is not designed to develop their languages. Therefore, already since the beginning of this century, there is an important movement of educational innovation around these new students under the name of ?new linguistic immersion?. It aims to eliminate the negative effects of obligatory schooling in a programme that does not contemplate the development of their own language. It is obvious that, among others, one of the characteristics of this movement consists of recognising all the languages, and their educative treatment independently of their knowledge by part of the teachers."

Dr. Jose Ignacio Vila Professor of Education Psychology at the Universitat de Girona (UdG) Published in Recerca i Acci?(Fundaci? Catalana per a la Recerca i la Innovaci?)?
http://www.recercaenaccio.cat/

Source: http://cockroachesladybugs.blogspot.com/2013/01/catalonia-two-languages-no-problem.html

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Depression-era drainage ditches emerge as sleeping threat to Cape Cod salt marshes

Jan. 24, 2013 ? Cape Cod, Massachusetts has a problem. The iconic salt marshes of the famous summer retreat are melting away at the edges, dying back from the most popular recreational areas. The erosion is a consequence of an unexpected synergy between recreational over-fishing and Great Depression-era ditches constructed by Works Progress Administration (WPA) in an effort to control mosquitoes.

The cascade of ecological cause and effect is described by Tyler Coverdale and colleagues at Brown University in a paper published online this month in ESA's journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

"People who live near the marshes complain about the die-off because it's not nice to look at," said Coverdale. "Without cordgrass protection you also get really significant erosion, retreating at sometimes over a meter a year." The die-back is ugly, but it is also a substantial loss of a valuable ecological resource.

When fishermen hook too many predatory fishes out of the marsh's ecosystem, the fishes' prey go on fruitfully multiplying, unchecked. The reverberations down the food chain can result in uncomfortable environmental changes for human residents. The problem for Cape Cod is the native purple marsh crab (Sesarma reticulatum), which burrows in the mud along the inner shorelines of the marshes, and dines almost exclusively on the tall and fast-growing low marsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) that lines the marsh edges.

The tall and sturdy cordgrass is an essential buffer against the friction of tides and storms. Without it, soft banks erode out from under the other plants and the water line retreats farther and farther back into the marsh. The unchecked multitudes of purple marsh crabs have taken a visible toll on the developed areas of the Cape. By 2008, 50 percent of the creek banks in the marsh had worn back. Old drainage ditches have expanded from nearly invisible threads to open channels -- some nearly 30-40 meters wide -- with muddy, exposed edges.

The purple marsh crabs need tidal creek edge habitat to thrive, and do not venture into the inner heart of the marsh, where a shorter cordgrass species (the closely related, but squattier Spartina patens) and other high marsh plants dominate. The old WPA mosquito ditches also fulfill the crabs' habitat requirements. Once benign, the ditches nucleated dramatic reconstruction of the landscape with the loss of blue crab, striped bass, and smooth dogfish, and the subsequent boom of purple marsh crabs.

One of the remarkable features of the cordgrass die-off is its tight locality. Some areas of undeveloped marsh as close as a kilometer to the denuded banks around private residences and public docks appear healthy and unaffected. Mosquito ditches that can only be reached by a hard slog through undeveloped marshland do not display the striking die-off and bank erosion. The pattern cued the researchers to the possibility that recreational fishing was the trigger, Coverdale says. Few people wade into the swamp to fish.

Marshes are excellent model systems for observing the intersection of human impacts that can trigger environmental degradation, the authors say, because they have been exploited by humans for centuries, if not thousands of years, and are easily studied from aerial and satellite images.

"Marshes are one of the most heavily utilized resources worldwide," said Coverdale. "They are easily accessible, and provide shellfish, fuel, baitfish and opportunities for recreational anglers. A lot of those harvests are probably sustainable."But he is interested in the tipping points at which use of the marsh becomes unsustainable. The revelation of the slumbering menace of the mosquito ditches raises the prospect of other submerged impacts that may surface under the influence of new, contemporary pressures.

In the early twentieth century, Cape Cod was a very different place from the summer vacation destination it is today. As land use shifted from agriculture toward tourism, the local chamber of commerce funded an effort to draw off standing water through drainage ditches to suppress the mosquito population. The program was probably not very effective at controlling mosquito-borne disease, Coverdale says, but it did put a lot of people to work, and they were industrious. Over 2400 kilometers of old ditches stripe the marshes of the long, low-lying peninsula. The Cape Cod Mosquito Control Project continues ditch-dredging under the Barnstable County Department of Health and the Environment.

The ditching program had a relatively minor impact on the marshes compared to other forms of development, however. Following the Second World War, Cape Cod developed rapidly, nearly tripling in permanent human population between 1940 and 1976, when a new awareness of the ecological and economic benefits of the marsh brought strict limitations on further development. Ditches claimed only 2 percent of the marsh, compared with the 70 percent affected by roads, houses, restaurants, marinas, and other hallmarks of a modern coastal community. Alone, the ditches did not fundamentally alter the marsh ecosystem. The species that colonized the ditches were already present in the marsh; the WPA's remodeling project just moved them around. The additional pressure of recreational fishing changed that equilibrium.

How do Cape Cod residents and local fishing enthusiasts feel about this news? Coverdale says the area has a strong conservation ethic. People remember what the Cape looked like when their parents lived there, and are unhappy with the changes. As a fishing enthusiast himself, Coverdale does not see ecologists and fishermen as opposing forces.

"People enjoy catching fish today, but they come back year after year. They want to see the fish there tomorrow," Coverdale said. He has faith that the tendency of residents and long-time visitors to take the long view will make a solution possible. A system of catch and release could make fishing the Cape sustainable and allow the local community to retain its fishing heritage.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Ecological Society of America. The original article was written by Liza Lester.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Tyler C Coverdale, Nicholas C Herrmann, Andrew H Altieri, Mark D Bertness. Latent impacts: the role of historical human activity in coastal habitat loss. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2013; : 130117050902007 DOI: 10.1890/120130

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/XV9qna5jpG8/130125104228.htm

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Nice 'Stache! Katy Perry Dresses as a Man on 'Ellen'

Ellen DeGeneres is always making other peoples' dreams come true -- even when it's her own birthday. This time, the lucky lady was Katy Perry, who apparently has always wanted to be a game show host.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/katy-perry-becomes-worlds-best-game-show-host/1-a-517746?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Akaty-perry-becomes-worlds-best-game-show-host-517746

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

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Source: http://thisblogwillselfdestruct.com/?p=77652

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Fight Over Bloomberg's Soda Ban Gets A Little Bit Racial

New York Magazine:

Time is running out to drink sodas as big as babies, with the city's ban on sugary drinks over sixteen ounces at certain stores and movie theaters set to start in March. As the clock ticks, those who stand to lose money because of the new rules, along with those who see Mayor Bloomberg's quick and quiet "health panel" as undemocratic, are counting on legal challenges. Joining the charge led by the soda lobby and movie theaters at this crucial juncture are the NAACP and the Hispanic Federation, which argue that the ban unfairly affects minority businesses and "freedom of choice in low-income communities."

Read the whole story at New York Magazine

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/23/bloomberg-soda-ban_n_2533622.html

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Analysis - The Great Rotation: a flight to equities in 2013

LONDON (Reuters) - One of the big investment shifts of our day may be at hand - regardless of how global markets actually perform this year.

What's already known as the "The Great Rotation" - a tilting of pension and insurance funds' strategic, long-term asset preference back toward equity from extreme positioning in bonds - has been one of themes of the new year so far.

The gist of the argument is that investor holdings of now expensive, ultra-low yielding government debt - following a virtually unbroken 20-year bull market in bonds - are ripe for rebalancing. The attraction of relative and absolute valuations in equity will coax the outflow to stocks.

It's this juncture that has some of the most persistent global equity bears of the past two decades, such as Societe Generale strategist Albert Edwards, rethinking the big picture.

While there's little thaw evident in his view of an investment 'Ice Age' over the next couple of years, Edwards now reckons that over 10 years long-term institutional funds are in danger of missing "the cheapest equity prices in a generation."

From such a committed bear, that's really saying something.

And there are no shortage of shorter-term players hoping to catch the slipstream whenever it comes. Some feel there's no time like the present.

With the whiff of global economic recovery in the air as major central banks floor cash rates, buy bonds and neutralize systemic stability fears, mutual fund and retail investment flows are already on the move in 2013.

According to Lipper, net flows to U.S.-based equity funds in the first two weeks of 2013 was, at $11.3 billion, the biggest fortnightly inflow since April 2000. Including exchange traded equity funds (ETFs), the number tops $18 billion - well over twice the flow to equivalent bond funds.

What's more, fund-tracker EPFR said some $7 billion of inflows to emerging market equities alone in the first week of the year were the biggest on record and these have outstripped demand for emerging bond funds five weeks running.

But as impressive as these numbers seem, they can still be all-too-easily dismissed as short-term, early-year noise and put in the context of full-year net outflows from equity mutual funds worldwide last year, for example, of some $215 billion - an exit that belied double-digit stock market price gains.

And the new year adrenalin rush can easily dissipate. JPMorgan Asset Management strategist David Shairp, for example, reckons January's buying has become a little indiscriminate, out of synch with a trend toward fewer positive economic data surprises and looking "overdone and in need of pause."

But if you buy the idea of a historic inflection point, then any temporary hiccups just help keep things in perspective.

"Our medium-term conviction in the Great Rotation remains very high," said Bank of America Merrill Lynch chief strategist Michael Harnett. "But following the sharp rally in risk assets in recent weeks, the jump higher in bullish sentiment, and the still low levels of volatility, we would view a near-term pullback as healthy."

20-YEAR SWEEPS

The flow picture that Edwards and others put so much store in is much bigger, stems from the equity exuberance of late 1990s and is rooted in the behavior of slower-moving pension and insurance funds.

It seems incredible by today's standards but by the early 1990s, British pension funds had almost doubled their allocation to equity over the prior 20 years to a staggering 80 percent of portfolios.

After the solvency shock of two subsequent mega-reversals, a powerful if glacial 20-year reversion to bonds ensued.

So much so that at 43 percent in 2012, UK pension funds' holdings of bonds exceeded that of equities for the first time in almost 40 years. The precise numbers may differ, but this broad trend played out similarly across the globe.

European final-salary pension funds surveyed by Mercer last year showed strategic equity allocation among the biggest funds - defined as those in excess of 2.5 billion euros - fell as low as 24 percent from almost 40 percent as recently as 2010.

Of course, never overestimate the speed of change in institutional fund allocations. Regulatory pressures to better match long liabilities, demographic trends and infrequent trustee reviews all sensibly militate against sudden shifts.

But that slow pace of change can also lead to inertia that could keep these funds buying some of the most expensive securities on the planet way past their sell-before date.

If market ebbs and flows or shifting economic winds are unlikely to alter the behavior of those who manage defined-benefit pension schemes any time soon, what will?

A mega shock to bonds may hurry some decision makers, but that's hard to see as long as central banks effectively underwrite these markets via quantitative easing.

Maybe a convincing 10-year horizon would focus minds.

British asset manager Standard Life Investments conducted that exercise this week, using its own assumptions on average inflation, dividend and rental growth and bond yields over the coming decade.

For one, the potential downside to 10-year inflation-adjusted returns on government bonds in the United States, Europe and Britain was seen as greater than best-guess gains.

SLI's conclusion was that longer-term investors should now shift to the riskier end of the spectrum in equity and real estate with good starting yields - seeking what strategist Andrew Milligan called "a sweet spot of investment returns over the coming decade."

(Additional reporting by Joel Dimmock; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-great-rotation-flight-equities-2013-055326929--sector.html

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Betfair begins shift to iPoker Network - Online Gambling News

Kirby Garlitos
January 22, 2013
No Comments

betfair shift ipoker evolution hits milestoneTwo weeks after Betfair Poker migrated away from the Ongame Network, the wheels have officially been set in motion for the poker arm of the world?s largest online betting exchange to shift its network provider to the iPoker Network. The online poker outfit recently made a successful debut on the iPoker Network, signaling the start of a shift in operations that will include a transitional period of six months wherein both networks will be available for existing players. The transitional period means that the poker arm of Betfair will operate on both the iPoker Network and the Ongame Network for the next six months with a gradual phasing out of operations on the latter, at which time, Betfair will solely operate on the iPoker Network in the summer.

For now, existing players will still be able to play on their old accounts for the next six months whereas new players will only be able to join Betfair Poker?s iPoker platform. As soon as the transition phase is completed, Betfair Poker, or as it?s calling itself now, ?New Betfair Poker? can now lay claim to belonging on iPoker?s Top Tier player pool, joining the likes of bet365 Poker, Paddy Power Poker, Titan Poker, William Hill, Winner, and Everest Poker in the fold.

Evolution Gaming hits milestone

Evolution Gaming has notched another feather in its cap with the launch of its 100th live casino at its Riga table studio complex in Latvia, effectively making it the largest single-site casino operation in Europe. No small achievement, whichever way you slice it. The rapid growth of Evolution?s live casino table comes in a year of what it describes as an ?unprecedented interest in live casino? stemming from a increased demand from operators to being dedicated live casino tables in their establishments. In particular, the company?s Latvia-based staff has experienced rapid growth, inching closer and closer to hitting 1,000 heads with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. ?We fully expect table and staff numbers to rise further as more and more operators choose to run their own dedicated tables out of our state-of-the-art studios,? said Evolution COO Svante Lilijevall.

While their 100th live casino table in Latvia is enough reason for the company to do high fives and chest bumps, Evolution is also taking the necessary steps to ensure that the continuous growth doesn?t experience any hiccups along the way. According to Lilijevall, the company is also expanding its training academy to provide regular training and assessments for both new and existing staff, ensuring that they have the best collection of live dealers working on their tables. After all, it takes more than just presentation for live dealers to work; these fine folks need to know what they?re doing too.

If you have any further information related to this story that you would like to share with us privately please click here.

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Views and opinions expressed are those of the Author and do not necessarily reflect those of CalvinAyre.com

Source: http://calvinayre.com/2013/01/22/business/betfair-begins-shift-to-ipoker-network-evolution-gaming-hits-milestone/

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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Victim 6 sues Penn State, Sandusky, his charity

Former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, center, leaves the Centre County Courthouse after attending a post-sentence motion hearing in Bellefonte, Pa., Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013. Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence after being convicted in June of 45 counts of child sexual abuse. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, center, leaves the Centre County Courthouse after attending a post-sentence motion hearing in Bellefonte, Pa., Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013. Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence after being convicted in June of 45 counts of child sexual abuse. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

(AP) ? A young man who testified at a child sex abuse trial last summer that former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky tickled and grabbed him in a campus shower in 1998 sued him, his charity and the university on Tuesday.

The man, previously described as Victim 6 in court papers, filed the federal lawsuit in Philadelphia as John Doe 6, claiming that Sandusky's behavior was "ratified" by The Second Mile charity and Penn State and that the organizations acted with reckless indifference to his rights. He is seeking at least $75,000 in damages.

The lawsuit alleges that Penn State intentionally didn't oversee Sandusky properly and failed to report him to authorities when he was suspected of abusing children, allowing him to commit "his criminally outrageous and depraved acts."

It claims Penn State and The Second Mile "turned a blind eye to Sandusky's sexual exploitation" of children and "fostered a culture and/or code of silence" that kept abuse allegations from being reported.

The lawsuit says Sandusky used The Second Mile, which he founded in the 1970s, as a "'hunting ground' for victims of his perverted desire to sexually abuse minor boys." The charity, in an email from official David Woodle, said it would respond to the lawsuit "through the legal process."

Penn State declined to comment on Tuesday. Messages left for Sandusky's civil lawyers in New Jersey were not immediately returned.

Victim 6 testified Sandusky called himself "the Tickle Monster" and grabbed the then-11-year-old boy inside a university shower, saying he was going to squeeze his guts out. He said Sandusky also grabbed him and lifted him to the shower head to rinse soap from his hair.

He testified that when he returned to his home in a State College apartment complex, he told him mother his hair was wet because he had showered. His mother's complaint began a police investigation into Sandusky, but no charges were filed until the attorney general's office arrested Sandusky in November 2011.

The lawsuit is critical of how authorities, including the Penn State Police Department, handled Victim 6's case, calling it an intimidating and otherwise abusive investigation.

Victim 6, now 26 years old, told jurors this summer he lived in Colorado.

Sandusky, a former assistant to longtime Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, was convicted of sexually abusing Victim 6 and nine other boys. He is serving a sentence of 30 to 60 years in prison but maintains his innocence.

For Victim 6, Sandusky was convicted of unlawful contact with minors, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children. Victim 6 testified that on the day he was abused, Sandusky gave him a pair of Paterno's socks.

Three former university administrators also face trial on charges of perjury, obstruction and other offenses in the Sandusky case. They deny the allegations.

The abuse scandal at Penn State led to the dismissal of Paterno, who died months later, and elicited landmark NCAA sanctions including a four-year postseason ban and significant scholarship cuts. A vigil to mark the anniversary of Paterno's death, which occurred a year ago Tuesday, was being held in State College.

Several lawsuits have been filed by Sandusky's accusers. Penn State has been negotiating with them in an effort to settle their claims and avoid protracted litigation.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-22-Penn%20State-Abuse/id-99d820c424704210950894b4dbe90dc3

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Explorers Reflect On 125 Years Of National Geographic

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NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. Back in 1999, I went along with Robert Ballard on a radio expedition to the Black Sea, where he hoped to find evidence that what's now a vast inland ocean was once a small freshwater lake. A controversial theory holds that thousands of years ago, the waters of the Mediterranean Sea suddenly burst through in a flood that may have inspired the story of Noah.

Ballard had identified what looked like an ancient beach hundreds of feet below the surface and lowered an oyster dredge to haul up a sample of the bottom. As it happened, the great underwater archaeologist George Bass was also aboard that day, and Ballard told him he hoped to find round rocks, absolute evidence there used to be a beach down there.

When the dredge hauled up a cubic foot of muck, Ballard stuck his arm in elbow-deep and hauled out...

ROBERT BALLARD: Round, round.

(LAUGHTER)

CONAN: Ballard turns and flips the stone to George Bass.

GEORGE BASS: Congratulations. That's very nice, very nice.

BALLARD: The most beautiful beach pebbles.

BASS: It was incredible. I mean, he just reached in, and I couldn't believe it. It was a rounded pebble, and he just tossed it over to me. There it was.

BALLARD: It was fun to tell him in advance what we're going to find.

CONAN: You heard that moment of discovery in an NPR National Geographic radio expedition and read about it in National Geographic magazine. This month, National Geographic celebrates its 125th birthday. So tell us: what one story, what one issue have you kept to read and reread? 800-989-8255. Email talk@npr.org. You can join the conversation on our website, too. Go to npr.org. Click on TALK OF THE NATION.

Later in the program, the stories of Seneca Falls, Selma and Stonewall, but first, 125 years of National Geographic. And we begin with National Geographic explorer-in-residence Robert Ballard. He joins us from a studio at Yale University in New Haven, not too far from his Institute for Exploration in Mystic, Connecticut. Hey, Bob.

BALLARD: Good morning, or is it afternoon? It's afternoon now.

CONAN: I think it's afternoon here on the East Coast, anyway. That was just one day in the Black Sea. What else have you found there?

BALLARD: Well, it got even better. Last year, you know, remember that thought that we would find the perfectly preserved shipwreck? And we did, we found an amazingly well-preserved shipwreck with its mast up and rigging. Well, last year we found a shipwreck from the time of the Classical period, and it had human remains.

CONAN: My goodness, that's preserved down in water where there's no oxygen so no wood borers to eat the timbers.

BALLARD: Or eat the people. I mean, this is a skeleton of a sailor that sank, you know, 500 years before the birth of Christ. I mean, that's quite amazing.

CONAN: And so these shipwrecks, you theorized, would be there, turned out to be there, and we're learning things we never knew.

BALLARD: Exactly, and, you know, there's - the deep sea is the largest museum in the world. I mean, it has more history in it than all the museums of the world combined. But unfortunately there's no guard on the door. That's our biggest trouble.

(LAUGHTER)

CONAN: Well, and there's a stiff entry fee, too.

BALLARD: Yes, well, but, you know, the damage being done by the trawlers is really quite sad. We've been documenting - one of my students actually did his Ph.D. on how much of ancient history has been destroyed by the fishing trawlers. They're not doing it on purpose, but they're down there after the fish, but in so doing just go over and destroy the ancient shipwrecks.

CONAN: And these have been waters that have trawled for literally thousands of years.

BALLARD: Yes, but more, you know, deeper recently. They're getting deeper and deeper, and that's the problem. They're down now to 500 meters. So it's sad to think how much history has been destroyed by these trawlers - a lot.

CONAN: You grew up, of course all of us did, with National Geographic. Is there some issue that you keep and reread?

BALLARD: Absolutely, Beebe's books on creatures of the deep scattering layer. When I first saw those as a kid, they scared the living bejeeniors(ph) out of me, and these things look like saber-toothed tigers in the wrappings of a fish, and the only thing that saved me was when I read they were two inches. I'm so glad they weren't bigger. I would never have gone into the ocean.

(LAUGHTER)

CONAN: Beebe went, descended into the depths in a giant cannonball with a window on it.

BALLARD: Yeah, a Bathysphere. It was lowered on a cable, I mean, and he saw these amazing creatures of the deep scattering layer and then took pictures of them but also sketched them and published them in National Geographic. And those are the issues that I remember the most.

CONAN: And interestingly the similar kind of construction, not too different, well, that was Alvin, the submarine that you used.

BALLARD: Well, actually it had a ball like that, but it was on a cable. I mean, this was a wrecking ball. I mean, I wouldn't do that. It was crazy. And he went down in a wrecking ball. And in fact the pressure pushed the cable down inside the pressure hull, and they - back then, this is in the '20s and '30s, they didn't have the technology for camera systems. So he literally shined - he had two portholes.

He shined a light out of one of them and photographed with a camera with the other one. It was a hoot.

CONAN: We're talking with Robert Ballard, who among his many other honors is a explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic. We want to hear what issue of the Geographic you've kept all these years, 800-989-8255. Email talk@npr.org. Russ is on the line with us from Boone in North Carolina.

RUSS: Hi there.

CONAN: Hi, go ahead.

RUSS: Yeah, I was blessed to have a gift from my grandmother. She sent me, every year for my birthday, National Geographic magazine. And the one that I find most interesting was 1981, December, and that was on the ocean. And it talked about even then, back in 1981, there were only two billion people on the planet, and they were talking about how they felt that it could support energy, and they were looking ahead to the ocean to support us energywise, foodwise.

But they were also talking about the United Nations prediction that by the year 2100, the swarms will reach the staggering figure of 11 billion. And so I find that, I find it, you know, sad really that by, you know, 2013 most of our oceans are becoming depleted. But it's still I find it's interesting that we know more about the moon than we do about the ocean.

BALLARD: Well, you must have been born in December because that was the December issue, wasn't it, 1981? And in that issue, if you still have it, I published a piece of artwork that was sort of the vision of the future in underwater exploration of telepresence, and it took us all these years, but that vision published in the December 1981 issue of the magazine that you have is now coming online at our Inner Space Center, so cool.

RUSS: Very nice. Very nice.

CONAN: Russ, thanks very much for the call.

RUSS: Thank you very much.

CONAN: Joining us here...

BALLARD: I didn't set that up, Neal, I want you to know.

(LAUGHTER)

CONAN: I know, when you (unintelligible). Terry Garcia is with us here in Studio 3A, executive vice president for Mission Programs for the National Geographic Society. Other than seeding our telephone lines with serendipitous callers, he's in charge of, well, looking at some of these missions that National Geographic funds. And what's your criterion?

TERRY GARCIA: Oh, I have the pleasure of seeing all of them. It's an unusual job. You know, we've - over the years I've learned that you never say no; never reject anything out of hand...

CONAN: Oh, I have this project...

GARCIA: You know, and I will listen to you. And I get a lot of strange ideas and proposals that come my way, but you never know. And the reason I say that is that - and Bob is an example of this, his work is an example. We are just beginning to explore. We believe, I believe that the 21st century is going to be the greatest age of exploration in the history of mankind.

And we're embarking upon an exciting new era in exploration, and a lot of that is due to technology, to new technology that's, you know, opening doors that have been closed to us in the past and giving us insight into sometimes the unknown, but sometimes it gives us the ability to see things that we've been watching, we've been looking at for centuries, but you have a different outlook or a different take on it.

CONAN: Bob, you told me once a story, speaking of technology, of going down in Alvin with a couple of scientists, and you were in charge of the dive and after hours descending to the ocean depths, you turned around and said, well, here we are, and the scientists weren't looking at the portholes, they weren't looking at the windows, they weren't using those lights, they were looking at their computer screens.

BALLARD: Exactly, in fact that was Holger Jannasch, when we returned with biologists for the first time in 1979 to the hydrothermal vents we'd discovered in the Galapagos Islands, which rewrote the biology books, rewrote our thoughts about the origin of life on our planet and elsewhere in the universe.

And we had brought our - the first digital camera had been developed by RCA in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and we had this little camera on the front. And we landed amongst these giant tubeworms, and I turned my back to the window because I was operating the camera from a rack, and all of a sudden Holger Jannasch was on my shoulder.

And I said: What are you doing? He said: Well, I'm looking at the TV monitor. And I said: Well, why are you doing that? He says: Better than out the window. I can see better. And I went: Wait a minute, we went to all this trouble to get down here, and you're going to look at a TV monitor.

And that's what triggered that article in the December 1981 issue, the realization that you could bring your spirit to the bottom, but you could leave your body behind.

CONAN: Terry Garcia?

GARCIA: And this technology is allowing us to do things not just underwater but above it. For example, we have a project that we've been working on for about five years now, where we're using the science of genetics to understand the migratory history of the human race, how we as a species came to populate this planet after that great diaspora out of Africa.

So it's opening up windows there. We use CT scanning to understand, you know, the health and possibly the death of King Tut. So it's opening up a whole array of opportunities to answer questions that we've had for centuries.

CONAN: Let's get Steve...

BALLARD: Now they're looking for Genghis Khan, too, with technology.

CONAN: They found Richard III, but that's...

(LAUGHTER)

CONAN: Steven(ph) is on the line with us from Sunnyvale, California.

STEVEN: Hi.

CONAN: Which issue of the Geographic do you keep?

STEVEN: Well, for me it was the 1972 issue, and it featured a story called "Happy Birthday Otto Lilienthal." It was about the first hang gliding competition that had ever happened in the United States. And it was a pivotal experience for me because both myself and everyone I know who hang glides from that generation saw that issue, and that's what inspired them and motivated them to get into the sport.

CONAN: Otto Lilienthal of course the experimenter and glider who, among other people, inspired the Wright Brothers.

STEVEN: Yes, and so this was in the '70s, and this was the first - it was sort of an informally organized meet, and the author in the article took a flight on a bamboo and plastic hang glider, and there were beautiful pictures. And as an 11-year-old kid, and when I saw this I just had to go hang gliding, and I've been hang gliding for 30-some years, ever since I saw that article.

CONAN: Thanks very much for the call, Steven, and maybe you'd order a back issue to keep that one from getting too dog-eared.

STEVEN: OK, yeah, I probably will, thanks.

CONAN: Tell us, what's the one story from an issue of National Geographic you turn back to over and over again? 800-989-8255. Email us, talk@npr.org. You can let us know on Twitter, as well. We're @totn. We'll have more in a minute. I'm Neal Conan. Stay with us. It's the TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

CONAN: This is TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News. I'm Neal Conan. In some households, a collection of National Geographics was kind of like a row of encyclopedias, an essential reference, a source of information for grade-school reports on whales or geology, an inspiration for dreams in the time between classes.

These days, it's rare to turn to an actual physical encyclopedia. Indeed, the Encyclopedia Britannica released its final print edition last year, though you can still buy sets of the World Book Encyclopedia. But those stacks of NatGeos, with their golden spines, arresting photography and stories of discovery still beckon.

So call, tell us: What's the one story or issue of the magazine you've held onto to read again and again? 800-989-8255. Email us, talk@npr.org. And you can join the conversation on our website. Go npr.org. Click on TALK OF THE NATION. Our guests - Robert Ballard, explorer-in-residence; and Terry Garcia, executive vice president for Mission Programs - are here to mark 125 years of the National Geographic Society. Let's go to Jeanie(ph), Jeanie on the line with us from Medford in Oregon.

JEANIE: Hi, I remember in the past whenever I had to move, my friends would offer to help. And they'd go: Wait, you're not still lugging around that 100 pounds of National Geographics, are you?

(LAUGHTER)

JEANIE: My favorite of all time was called "Alone Across the Outback," May 1978, the woman and her camels that went all the way to the Indian Ocean. And I also loved "Battle of Midway" and "The Blues Highway."

CONAN: The "Battle of Midway," Bob, you had something to do with that.

BALLARD: Yeah, we did that one. That was hunting down the Yorktown. That was a tough one.

CONAN: A long expedition. It was a childhood dream of mine to eventually get someday to Midway Island, which I'd read so much about as a kid, and the battle there, of course. And to actually be along with Bob in the hunt for the USS Yorktown was quite an honor. Jeanie, thanks very much for the call.

JEANIE: You're right. Thank you.

CONAN: Here's a - this is a tweet, actually, that we have from Joe in Janesville. He says: I have a mental image preserved of the National Geographic story from the late 1950s to early 1960s of Death Valley. I made two trips covering all the highlights from the magazine piece.

Joining us now is Sarah Parcak, she's an associate professor of archaeology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham one of the National Geographic's emerging explorers. Good of you to be with us today.

SARAH PARCAK: Thank you for having me.

CONAN: And you use satellite imagery. Well, people will understand that. But then the next part they may have a hard time understanding - as an archaeologist.

PARCAK: That's right. You know, when you think about the scale of human populations all over the world and the fact that there's so much here, you know, really the only way to be able to visualize that is to pull back in space. And that not only gives us this incredible perspective of height, but it allows us to see in different parts of the light spectrum and allows us to see things that we literally have been walking over on the ground for many, many years.

It allows us to see hidden temples and tombs and pyramids and even entire settlements.

CONAN: Wait a minute, pyramids?

PARCAK: Pyramids, yes. There are so many previously unknown sites and structures all over the world. And I think most importantly what satellites help to show us is we've actually only found a fraction of a percent of ancient settlements and sites all over the world.

So what Terry was saying earlier about the 21st century being the greatest exploration, the greatest period of time for discovery, it's true for archaeology. It's the most exciting time in history to be an archaeologist.

CONAN: And what Bob Ballard says about the ocean floor, we haven't even begun to touch it. Well, obviously we've explored much more of the Earth's surface, the earthen part of it. But you're saying we didn't know what we were seeing.

PARCAK: That's right. I mean, all over the world, we're finding out that, you know, whether it's Egypt or Syria or Central America, what satellites are showing is that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of previously unknown settlements all over the world, and what archaeology does it helps us to understand this common humanity that we have.

And by understanding that, you know, it really gives us a great sense of purpose and helps us understand why we're here.

CONAN: Can you give us a for instance of something you spotted from space and then were able to confirm?

PARCAK: Sure, well, in Egypt I do survey work on the ground. That's really the most important part of using satellite images. You know, it helps us to find potential locations for sites, and then we get to go there on the ground and confirm what we've seen.

And one particular instance is I was able to do remote sensing work and do a big survey project in Middle Egypt, and I was able to find about 70 previously unknown sites. And what that helps to do is to confirm the methodology I was using and helped me to realize that there were actually thousands of unknown sites all over Egypt.

So we used similar techniques and actually mapped all of Egypt and found over 3,000 potential sites all over Egypt that weren't known previously.

CONAN: Terry Garcia, what did you...?

GARCIA: Yeah, you know, another good example is the work that Albert Lin has been doing in Mongolia, where he's using satellite imagery and actually enlisting the public in the search for Genghis Khan's tomb. And so what he has done is to take high-resolution satellite imagery, chop it up, put it out to the public and say, look, we're looking for these anomalies. Help us find the tomb.

And so there - this technology is being used all around the world now by explorers, by archaeologists, anthropologists and others.

CONAN: Bob Ballard, we have also used satellite technology to create maps of the underwater world.

BALLARD: Yeah, actually you can get a rough idea of the main features beneath the sea from synthetic aperture radar in outer space, and you're able to actually - when water moves over a mountain, it actually rises slightly. When it goes over a trench, it goes down slightly. And we're actually able to sort out the normal wave patterns and actually see that reflection of topography.

But it's sort of like taking a wet blanket and putting it over a dinner table. you know where the candelabra might be, but you don't know what's underneath it. So it gives you a first-order look. And we use it all the time to then home in on places that look really exciting. So yes, that's been a very important guide to first-order figuring out what's down there.

CONAN: Let's get another caller in, go to Scott, Scott with us from Jacksonville.

SCOTT: Hi, how are you doing? My comment was just about an issue I kept. My father was a professor at Arizona State. He specialized in conservation biology. And I kept an issue, I actually have one, that the Japanese National Geographic crew was sent into an area in Mexico, Cuatro Cienegas. And NASA had given ASU a grant to understand and study isolated ecosystems.

And there was a hot spring in a valley there, and these springs, some of them were hot, but the thing was that these springs were isolated, and it kept the local flora and fauna in a very arid region, but these springs were right there, and he would study the systems. And it's just an issue I kept to remember him, so...

CONAN: So your father was in the issue?

SCOTT: Yes he was, he was.

CONAN: And was that one of the Japanese magazines?

SCOTT: No, it ran in the U.S. one, as well. I have an English copy. But the crew that went down with us was Japanese, and it was interesting that they sent a Japanese crew down to study and do underwater shots with us.

CONAN: All right, Scott, thank you very much.

SCOTT: Thank you.

CONAN: Terry?

GARCIA: You know, we've touched on this now a couple of times, but I think I should point out to your listeners that National Geographic has made more than 10,000 grants. So oftentimes people think of us as a magazine, or they may think of us as a television broadcaster, but really our heart is in exploration. That was the original intent of the founders, to fill in those blank spaces in the map, and then to communicate what we found to a broad public.

So it's important to keep that in mind, that we're still making those grants. In fact, we've decided to up the ante and increase that grant enterprise and support field research around the world and go way beyond just 10,000 grants.

CONAN: I was interested to read, in fact, that a couple of early members of the board quit in disgust upon the publication of photographs in the magazine. They said it was becoming a mere picture book.

GARCIA: Well, you know, it was quite scandalous, and Alexander Graham Bell, who was one of the first presidents - in fact he was the second president - he said, pictures and plenty of them, and instructed the editor, Gilbert Grosvenor, then to publish photographs. And it was scandalous. Several trustees threatened to resign, and fortunately he stuck to his guns, and it's the National Geographic we have today.

CONAN: Here's an email, this is from Nancy: One photo a day, a famous photographer set himself a task he would take only one photo a day. The photographer was Jim Brandenburg, and the issue was published November 1997. And he took one photograph a day for 90 days.

Let's see if we can get Patrick on the line, Patrick with us from St. Louis.

PATRICK: Hi, how are you doing? My father has had a wall filled with National Geographics that went back to the '20s and predating those, I'm sure. And I used many of those for school activities and projects. One of those was on the moon and on Mars, and I'm reminded of these old issues that he had that had fold-out maps and were beautiful.

And Mr. Garcia, I want to say thank you very much for all that you do and all the National Geographic does. And, Mr. Bob Ballard, you are a hero to child explorers everywhere. Thank you.

GARCIA: Our pleasure.

BALLARD: Thank you.

CONAN: Patrick, thanks very much for the call. And Bob, not just the activities that most people will know about, but you do a lot of work with kids.

BALLARD: Oh, very much so, with Geographic as well, our JASON Project, over 11 million children. And actually, it's just about to take off. We're going to establish what's called the Exploration Room. We've got other ships now coming into our Inner Space Center, and we hope to launch in June an amazing program for kids where we have ships at sea every day.

CONAN: Sarah Parcak, we wanted to go back to you in Alabama, there. What is the one issue of National Geographic you've kept all these years?

PARCAK: Well, I'd say anything with Egypt in it. That's...

CONAN: That's a lot of issues.

PARCAK: Yeah, it's quite a few issues. It's what I would look forward to. And, in fact, I credit - it's both Indiana Jones and National Geographic that inspired me to be an Egyptologist. I would just wait every month by my parents' mailbox and just hope that that month, something about Egypt would appear, and I would just devour it and read it again and again. So I credit National Geographic with inspiring me to do what I do.

CONAN: And how much more work do you have to do with your satellite imagery? I assume there's lots of Earth left to be pored over.

PARCAK: Oh, I mean, I have enough for a thousand lifetimes, which is why it's critical that we train future generations. I have funding now from the National Science Foundation to help set up a training program in Egypt for young Egyptians to help train them in the use of these new technologies.

And it's absolutely critical, you know, to train young men and women not just to find sites, but also to protect sites, especially in the wake of the Arab Spring. There's been significant site-looting in Egypt and elsewhere across the Middle East. So it's an amazing tool, and we have to train future generations not only to be able to find sites, but to protect them for future generations.

CONAN: Here's an email we have from Shelly in Maryland: We've moved 12 times - Marine Corps - and have carried our boxes of Nat Geo along for each. Many were saved from my grandfather from the 1930s. My favorites are the original space-race issues, and the issue about sailing the Nile before the Aswan Dam was finished. Love the mag. Thank you very much.

We're talking about the 125th anniversary of National Geographic. Terry Garcia, vice president for Mission Programs of the National Geographic Society. With us also, Bob Ballard, ocean explorer and explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic, and Sarah Parcak, a associate professor of archaeology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and she's joining us from there. You're listening to TALK OF THE NATION, from NPR News.

And let's see if we can go to Jennifer, Jennifer with us from Indianapolis.

JENNIFER: Hi. A couple of years ago, there was a fabulous issue where they descended into a volcanic crater on Papua, New Guinea. And there apparently was an isolated breeding population there, and they discovered several hitherto unknown species, including some mammals that apparently just walked right up to the photographers and weren't afraid of them at all. So maybe you can tell us more about it. I haven't read it in a while. I'm going to go home to reread it right now, but it was just amazing.

CONAN: I'm not sure that we can give you an answer on that particular story, but is there any count on the numbers of new and unknown creatures that have been uncovered by Geographic explorers over the years?

GARCIA: No. I don't know that there's a count. But I can tell you, almost every time we send a biologist into the field, we find something new.

CONAN: Thanks very much for the call, Jennifer. Sorry we couldn't help...

JENNIFER: Thank you.

CONAN: ...more with that. Here's an email from Arum(ph): My Nat Geo story is in the mid-'80s issue about Australia, maybe 1986, in the middle of America's fascination with Aus. It was fuel for my dreams of the land down under. In '06, I fulfilled my dream and spent a month in Australia. So glad I went. So glad I lived my dream.

And let's go now to Heather, and Heather's on the line with us from Honolulu.

HEATHER: Hi. This is about an issue that I wish I had kept, but it's been burned into my memory since I was a little kid. It was the late '70s, and we received an issue about whales. And growing up in Hawaii, we had always - we could see whales, but I had no idea what they sounded like.

And included in this issue was a very thin vinyl record, a 45, that you could tear out and put on the old-school record player. And I would sit and listen to it over and over, mesmerized by the sound of what those huge creatures - what they sounded like.

CONAN: The songs of the humpbacked whale.

HEATHER: Incredible. And I just - it's just - I have a four-year-old daughter now, and we live in Hawaii still, and I - you know, we talk about whales. And I had to go online, unfortunately - I was so sad to not have this record - so that I can play for her what the sounds were. But, yeah, it was - it's incredible.

CONAN: Bob Ballard, we think of the underwater world as silent. As we just heard, obviously, it's not and, obviously, that's not the only sound.

BALLARD: Oh, no. There's a tremendous amount of noise, so to speak, but beautiful noise. And the whales learned long ago that there's a particular layer in the ocean called the sound channel. It's about a thousand meters down. We discovered it in the '50s, but the whales discovered it, like, millions of years ago, and they can make sounds that will travel great distances in the sound channel. So, no, there's a lot of noise going on down there, but you just have to listen.

(LAUGHTER)

CONAN: Terry Garcia?

GARCIA: Well, I wanted to bring up another point. You know, I've had the pleasure of having hundreds of photographers and explorers come through my office over the years, and they've all stopped on their way into the field as they were going out to search for the truth, whatever that truth might be.

And I can tell you that almost without exception, when they return, they return as individuals who are committed to conserving what we're losing. Because what they're seeing out there as we send these people into the field is that the natural, cultural and historical resources that we've highlighted in the magazine and that we've highlighted on our television programs over the years are disappearing. They're starting to slip away from us. And one thing that we believe is that exploration can do more than just explore, just answer those unknown questions, but it can inspire. And it can inspire people to care. It can inspire them to act. And we have a number of examples of where that's happened, which I'll tell you about in a moment.

CONAN: Heather, well, you know, you won't - but Heather...

(LAUGHTER)

CONAN: ...we have - you have a kindred soul, Anne in Burlington, Washington: Most memorable, sitting, as a middle-schooler, listening to the whale sounds on a little plastic record included in my magazine. Don't know what year it was, early '70s. I think they printed 10 million copies of that particular record. But thank you very much for the call and for the - refreshing our recollection.

HEATHER: Thank you.

CONAN: Here's another emailer, this from Maria in Tucson: My mother told me she was in an issue of the magazine before I was born. It was about Cape Cod, where she spent summers with her family. I found the magazine in the stack at a thrift shop in Seattle, and there she was: a wide-faced teenager singing by the firelight on the beach. I think it was a 1962 issue. But at the moment, I can't find it. I think she may spend the rest of the day looking for it. But Terry Garcia, thank you very much...

GARCIA: My pleasure.

CONAN: ...for your time today. And our thanks, as well, to Sarah Parcak at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Good to speak with you.

PARCAK: Thanks very much.

CONAN: And, Bob, hope to see you soon.

BALLARD: Well, come with us to sea again.

CONAN: I'd love to. In yesterday's inaugural address, President Obama drew a line from Seneca Falls through Selma to Stonewall. We'll hear those stories of those places next, on NPR News.

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Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/01/22/169993042/explorers-reflect-on-125-years-of-national-geographic?ft=1&f=1007

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