Content providers and users are still far apart on proposed Internet piracy-protection legislation as alternative bill is offered
?| January 17, 2012?|
Rather than deliver an ultimatum to those on either side of the debate, the recent White House statement related to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act of 2011 (PIPA) encourages the entertainment and technology industries to work together to find a solution. This call for a back-to-the-drawing-board approach to clamping down on Internet intellectual-property piracy while preserving free speech has many wondering whether lawmakers will simply rework SOPA (pdf) and PIPA (pdf) using different language or if they will take anti-SOPA and anti-PIPA concerns to heart.
The Obama administration is not backing down when it comes to shutting down foreign sites that distribute content illegally. However, the administration's position?articulated by Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra and Cyber Security Coordinator Howard Schmidt?also makes it clear that any proposed laws "must not tamper with the technical architecture of the Internet through manipulation of the domain name system (DNS), a foundation of Internet security." In addition, new legislation must target specific lawbreakers rather than broadly punishing Internet intermediaries such as online advertising networks, payment processors and search engines.
Under SOPA (introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith, R?Tex., in October) and PIPA (by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D?Vt., last May), Congress sought to prevent Internet users from accessing foreign sites with pirated content by having service providers block those sites' domain names. The proposed legislation also threatened to punish any search engine providers, payment network providers and Internet advertising services that continued to support those infringing sites.
SOPA and PIPA's primary supporters are organizations?the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and Rupert Murdoch?owned News Corp. among them?that invest heavily in creating movies, television programs and other content that makes its way to the Internet. The legislation's most vocal opponents have included Craigslist, Google, Twitter, Yahoo and Wikipedia?Web-based entities that benefit from this content.
Wikipedia, news-aggregator Reddit and a number of other Web sites are planning to take the English-language version of their sites offline on Wednesday to protest the legislation, even though SOPA and PIPA are likely on their last legs. These sites' reasons for opposing SOPA and PIPA are clear?namely that they would lose access to free content if that content is found to published illegally on the Web. Less clear, however, is how such a blackout would further their goal of stopping such legislation or any related proposals that might follow.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R?Calif.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D?Ore.) have already proposed an alternate bill called the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN) (pdf), which would use international trade law to punish foreign Web sites that infringe U.S. copyrights. The MPAA opposes Issa's bill, saying that it would be "cumbersome" and vows to continue lobbying for SOPA and PIPA, The New York Times reports.
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=fa4cbcf79e6d276ae766cc8cf0b97da1
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Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, campaigns in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, campaigns in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Republican presidential candidate, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, of Texas, speaks during a campaign event in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. (AP Photo/The Sun News, Matt Silfer)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has been spending large amounts on airfare as a congressman, flying first class on dozens of taxpayer-funded flights to his home state. The practice conflicts with the image that Paul portrays as the only presidential candidate serious about cutting federal spending.
Paul flew first class on at least 31 round-trip flights and 12 one-way flights since May 2009 when he was traveling between Washington and his district in Texas, according to a review by The Associated Press of his congressional office expenses. Four other round-trip tickets and two other one-way tickets purchased during the period were eligible for upgrades to first-class after they were bought, but those upgrades would not be documented in the expense records.
Paul, whose distrust of big government is the centerpiece of his presidential campaign, trusts the more expensive government rate for Continental Airlines when buying his tickets. Paul chose not to buy the cheaper economy tickets at a fraction of the price because they aren't refundable or as flexible for scheduling, his congressional staff said.
"We always get him full refundable tickets since the congressional schedule sometimes changes quickly," said Jeff Deist, Paul's chief of staff. Paul might have to pay out of his own pocket for canceled flights in some cases if he didn't buy refundable tickets, Deist said.
But records show that most of the flights for Paul were purchased well in advance and few schedule changes were necessary. Nearly two-thirds of the 49 tickets were purchased at least two weeks in advance, and 42 percent were bought at least three weeks in advance, the AP's review found.
Paul charged taxpayers nearly $52,000 on the more expensive tickets, or $27,621 more than the average Continental airfare for the flights between Washington and Houston, according to the AP's review of his congressional expenses and average airfares compiled by the Department of Transportation.
The more expensive tickets have other benefits as well, including allowing Paul to upgrade to first class when his staff reserves a flight because his frequent government travel gives him membership in an elite class of Continental customers who earn travel perks. Upgrades to first-class with cheaper fares are possible, at times limited to available seats days before the flight. But those upgrades are not guaranteed and some require ticket changes at the airport, according to the airline's frequent flyer rules.
The AP reviewed congressional travel before the Iowa caucuses for the two members of Congress running at the time ? Paul and Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota. Bachmann later ended her presidential campaign.
House records show Bachmann, like most other congressional members, also paid the more expensive government rate for airfare. But her staff would not provide access to more detailed expense records that show when and what type of tickets were purchased.
Paul's congressional staff provided access to all expense records requested.
Congressional members don't have to pay the government rate for travel, but most do, including many like Paul and Bachmann who advocate cuts in federal spending.
"You could almost always beat the government rate," said Steve Ellis, vice president of the Washington-based Taxpayers for Common Sense, a federal budget watchdog group. "They need to be walking the walk, and one of the ways they can do that is to be fiscally responsible for how they spend their member office money."
Jesse Benton, Paul's campaign manager, didn't respond to a written request to explain how Paul's use of more expensive airfare, which allows him to fly first class, corresponds with his commitment to cut federal spending. Instead, he sent a statement that started, "No one is more committed to cutting spending than Dr. Paul."
But Paul's congressional travel conflicts with claims in campaign appearances that he's the most frugal and serious deficit hawk in the race.
"The talk you hear in Washington is pure talk, because there is nobody suggesting, the other candidates are not talking about real cuts," Paul said in a speech to supporters last week after his second-place finish in New Hampshire.
He has proposed cutting $1 trillion from the federal budget during his first year as president, and has confronted other candidates in public forums as "big government conservatives."
"You're a big spender, that's all there is to it," Paul told former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania during a GOP debate in New Hampshire.
Paul boasts on his website about declining other congressional perks, such as a pension and all-expense-paid travel "junkets" that other lawmakers take. And he says he regularly returns money from his congressional account to the treasury.
But when it comes to his congressional travel, Paul has opted not to search for cheaper airfares that could mean returning more of his office account to the treasury, which uses any money returned by House or Senate members to help reduce the federal deficit.
Paul paid $51,972 for his government-rate flights between Washington and Houston between May 2009 and March 2011, or more than twice the $24,351 average airfare on Continental for travel between Washington and Houston. The average airfare figure represents the price for all tickets purchased for Continental flights between Washington and Houston, including economy and first-class travel, according to the Transportation Department's Domestic Airline Fares Consumer Report, which collects airfare information for the nation's busiest travel routes.
Paul's staff regularly booked him in first class on flights when tickets were purchased, according to expense records. His office paid between $1,217 and $1,311 for each round-trip flight, compared to the average airfare for that trip ranging from $528 to $760, according to the airline fares consumer report.
The period reviewed by the AP was the most recent period for which complete congressional expense records were available.
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Public release date: 16-Jan-2012
Share ] Contact: Lauren M. Broyles, Ph.D., RN
lauren.broyles@va.gov
412-954-5269
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
Deborah S. Finnell, DNS, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP
deborah.finnell2@va.gov
716-862-7930
VA Western New York Healthcare System
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
The U.S. Joint Commission recently approved new hospital accreditation measures related to alcohol screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for all hospitalized patients. Yet little is known about the effectiveness of brief interventions (BIs) or inpatient acceptability of SBIRT when performed by healthcare professionals other than physicians. A new study has found high hospital-patient acceptability of and comfort with nurse-delivered SBIRT.
Results will be published in the April 2012 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.
"SBIRT is widely endorsed for identifying and managing unhealthy alcohol use that ranges from hazardous or 'risky' drinking to the more serious alcohol abuse and dependence," explained Lauren M. Broyles, a research health scientist at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, and corresponding author for the study.
"A more recent focus has extended to identification of hazardous drinking consumption that exceeds guidelines established by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as more than 14 standard drinks/week or more than four/occasion for men, and more than seven standard drinks/week or more than three/occasion for women and healthy individuals age 65 or older," she said. "Despite [supporting] evidence, recommendations and mandates concerning SBIRT implementation, uptake by healthcare providers in real-world clinical settings is still relatively limited."
"SBIRT is a brief conversation, about 10 to 15 minutes, about hazardous alcohol consumption," added Deborah S. Finnell, a research nurse scientist at the VA Western New York Healthcare System and associate professor of nursing at the University at Buffalo. "Healthcare team members could easily deliver SBIRT, assuming they are qualified. Since nurses provide 24-hour care in hospitals, nurses are most likely to have contact with patients compared with other healthcare team members, such as physicians and social workers."
Broyles and her colleagues conducted a cross-sectional survey of 355 (342 males, 13 females) hospitalized medical-surgical patients at a large university-affiliated medical center that is part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Results indicated acceptability for nurse-delivered SBIRT was high. Patient acceptability for eight out of 10 individual nurse-delivered SBIRT tasks was greater than 84 percent. Roughly 20 percent of the patients reported some degree of personal discomfort with the discussions; in general these individuals had a lower belief in their ability to reduce their drinking risk, were older than 60 years of age, had a positive alcohol screening, and were of non-black race.
"We found, in general, that acceptability for nurse-delivered SBIRT tasks was associated with how people perceived their own alcohol-related risks," explained Broyles. "Patients had higher acceptability if they felt that they were able to determine and reduce their own alcohol-related health risks, and if they had expressed concern about their own alcohol use. Conversely, roughly 20 percent of the patients expressed annoyance or embarrassment with the questions while also showing high levels of acceptability. While this might seem contradictory, patients might feel embarrassed or uncomfortable with the topic or discussion even though they see the discussions as a legitimate, necessary, and acceptable part of the nurse's role."
"This study also highlights the importance of being patient-centered," said Finnell. "Patients are accepting of receiving information from nurses about changing their alcohol use and about self-help groups. Specifically, when patients can make the connection between their alcohol use and health risks, they may be more accepting of having the conversation with the nurse and continuing that conversation about decreasing the amount of alcohol they consume. Additionally, nurses providing patient-centered care will be sensitive to signs that the patient is uncomfortable during the conversation."
Broyles agreed. "For hazardous drinkers, nurses and other healthcare providers can normalize alcohol screening and BI by drawing analogies, for themselves and their patients, to screening and structured health behavior advice for other health conditions," she said. "Normalizing talk about unhealthy alcohol use and alcohol use disorders in general medical settings, by general medical providers, in general medical encounters in this way may help both providers and patients feel more comfortable."
Finnell said she was not surprised that patients were comfortable with nurse-delivered SBIRT. "I have been amazed at what patients share with me during my interactions with them," she said. "Americans consistently rank nurses 'very high' or 'high' on honesty and ethical standards. The concept of trust is an important element in the nurse-patient relationship."
Both Broyles and Finnell emphasized the need for appropriate training, practice, support, and pragmatic strategies for incorporating alcohol SBIRT into existing clinical practices and routines. "Our findings suggest that once trained in SBIRT and motivational interviewing techniques, providers can proceed with greater confidence in alcohol-related risk assessment and risk-reduction conversations with patients," said Broyles.
"While this study focused on nurse-delivered SBIRT, the take-home points are highly relevant to other clinicians," added Finnell. "Clinicians who have been asked about barriers to delivering SBIRT report concern about jeopardizing their relationship with the patient. This study shows that patients are accepting of alcohol-related discussions, particularly brief counseling about alcohol, educational materials about changing alcohol use, and information about alcohol self-help groups. The findings from this study should alert nurses, physicians, and other health care providers to be prepared to meet the needs of these patients."
###
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (ACER) is the official journal of the Research Society on Alcoholism and the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism. Co-authors of the ACER paper, "Hospitalized Patients' Acceptability of Nurse-Delivered Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)," were: Emily Rosenberger in the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh; Barbara H. Hanusa of the Center for Health Equity Research & Promotion, and the VISN4 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, in the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System; Kevin L. Kraemer of the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and the Center for Research on Healthcare at University of Pittsburgh; A.J. Gordon of the Center for Health Equity Research & Promotion, and the VISN4 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, in the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, as well as the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and the Center for Research on Healthcare at University of Pittsburgh. The study was funded by a 2009 American Nurses Foundation grant. This release is supported by the Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network at http://www.ATTCnetwork.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 16-Jan-2012 Share ] Contact: Lauren M. Broyles, Ph.D., RN
lauren.broyles@va.gov
412-954-5269
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
Deborah S. Finnell, DNS, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP
deborah.finnell2@va.gov
716-862-7930
VA Western New York Healthcare System
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
The U.S. Joint Commission recently approved new hospital accreditation measures related to alcohol screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for all hospitalized patients. Yet little is known about the effectiveness of brief interventions (BIs) or inpatient acceptability of SBIRT when performed by healthcare professionals other than physicians. A new study has found high hospital-patient acceptability of and comfort with nurse-delivered SBIRT.
Results will be published in the April 2012 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.
"SBIRT is widely endorsed for identifying and managing unhealthy alcohol use that ranges from hazardous or 'risky' drinking to the more serious alcohol abuse and dependence," explained Lauren M. Broyles, a research health scientist at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, and corresponding author for the study.
"A more recent focus has extended to identification of hazardous drinking consumption that exceeds guidelines established by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as more than 14 standard drinks/week or more than four/occasion for men, and more than seven standard drinks/week or more than three/occasion for women and healthy individuals age 65 or older," she said. "Despite [supporting] evidence, recommendations and mandates concerning SBIRT implementation, uptake by healthcare providers in real-world clinical settings is still relatively limited."
"SBIRT is a brief conversation, about 10 to 15 minutes, about hazardous alcohol consumption," added Deborah S. Finnell, a research nurse scientist at the VA Western New York Healthcare System and associate professor of nursing at the University at Buffalo. "Healthcare team members could easily deliver SBIRT, assuming they are qualified. Since nurses provide 24-hour care in hospitals, nurses are most likely to have contact with patients compared with other healthcare team members, such as physicians and social workers."
Broyles and her colleagues conducted a cross-sectional survey of 355 (342 males, 13 females) hospitalized medical-surgical patients at a large university-affiliated medical center that is part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Results indicated acceptability for nurse-delivered SBIRT was high. Patient acceptability for eight out of 10 individual nurse-delivered SBIRT tasks was greater than 84 percent. Roughly 20 percent of the patients reported some degree of personal discomfort with the discussions; in general these individuals had a lower belief in their ability to reduce their drinking risk, were older than 60 years of age, had a positive alcohol screening, and were of non-black race.
"We found, in general, that acceptability for nurse-delivered SBIRT tasks was associated with how people perceived their own alcohol-related risks," explained Broyles. "Patients had higher acceptability if they felt that they were able to determine and reduce their own alcohol-related health risks, and if they had expressed concern about their own alcohol use. Conversely, roughly 20 percent of the patients expressed annoyance or embarrassment with the questions while also showing high levels of acceptability. While this might seem contradictory, patients might feel embarrassed or uncomfortable with the topic or discussion even though they see the discussions as a legitimate, necessary, and acceptable part of the nurse's role."
"This study also highlights the importance of being patient-centered," said Finnell. "Patients are accepting of receiving information from nurses about changing their alcohol use and about self-help groups. Specifically, when patients can make the connection between their alcohol use and health risks, they may be more accepting of having the conversation with the nurse and continuing that conversation about decreasing the amount of alcohol they consume. Additionally, nurses providing patient-centered care will be sensitive to signs that the patient is uncomfortable during the conversation."
Broyles agreed. "For hazardous drinkers, nurses and other healthcare providers can normalize alcohol screening and BI by drawing analogies, for themselves and their patients, to screening and structured health behavior advice for other health conditions," she said. "Normalizing talk about unhealthy alcohol use and alcohol use disorders in general medical settings, by general medical providers, in general medical encounters in this way may help both providers and patients feel more comfortable."
Finnell said she was not surprised that patients were comfortable with nurse-delivered SBIRT. "I have been amazed at what patients share with me during my interactions with them," she said. "Americans consistently rank nurses 'very high' or 'high' on honesty and ethical standards. The concept of trust is an important element in the nurse-patient relationship."
Both Broyles and Finnell emphasized the need for appropriate training, practice, support, and pragmatic strategies for incorporating alcohol SBIRT into existing clinical practices and routines. "Our findings suggest that once trained in SBIRT and motivational interviewing techniques, providers can proceed with greater confidence in alcohol-related risk assessment and risk-reduction conversations with patients," said Broyles.
"While this study focused on nurse-delivered SBIRT, the take-home points are highly relevant to other clinicians," added Finnell. "Clinicians who have been asked about barriers to delivering SBIRT report concern about jeopardizing their relationship with the patient. This study shows that patients are accepting of alcohol-related discussions, particularly brief counseling about alcohol, educational materials about changing alcohol use, and information about alcohol self-help groups. The findings from this study should alert nurses, physicians, and other health care providers to be prepared to meet the needs of these patients."
###
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (ACER) is the official journal of the Research Society on Alcoholism and the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism. Co-authors of the ACER paper, "Hospitalized Patients' Acceptability of Nurse-Delivered Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)," were: Emily Rosenberger in the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh; Barbara H. Hanusa of the Center for Health Equity Research & Promotion, and the VISN4 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, in the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System; Kevin L. Kraemer of the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and the Center for Research on Healthcare at University of Pittsburgh; A.J. Gordon of the Center for Health Equity Research & Promotion, and the VISN4 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, in the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, as well as the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and the Center for Research on Healthcare at University of Pittsburgh. The study was funded by a 2009 American Nurses Foundation grant. This release is supported by the Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network at http://www.ATTCnetwork.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/ace-hpa010812.php
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Free agent reliever Joel Zumaya worked out in front of 50 scouts from 20 different MLB teams last month.
And he clearly made a positive impression.
According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox and Padres are among a group of major league clubs ?pushing hard? to sign Zumaya.
The 27-year-old right-hander missed all of the 2011?campaign?due to major elbow surgery and hasn?t pitched more than 39 innings in a season since his rookie year in 2006, but reports had him hitting the mid-90s with his fastball in that December workout. He could be a real asset as a middle reliever or setup man if health is finally on his side.
Zumaya boasts a superb 3.05 career ERA and 9.0 career K/9. His fastball averaged 99.3 mph in 2010.
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BANGKOK ? World stock markets rose Friday, driven higher by a successful bond issue in Europe that eased worries over the continent's sovereign debt crisis.
Benchmark oil rose to nearly $100 per barrel and the dollar fell against the euro and the yen.
European shares rose in early trading. Britain's FTSE 100 advanced 0.6 percent to 5,694.38. Germany's DAX gained 0.7 percent to 6,221.96 and the CAC-40 in Paris gained 0.9 percent 3,229.17. Wall Street, too, was set to open higher, with Dow Jones industrial futures up 0.1 percent to 12,424. S&P 500 futures rose 0.1 percent at 1,293.
Asian shares were mostly higher. Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 1.4 percent to close at 8,500.02 and South Korea's Kospi index moved 0.6 percent at 1,875.68. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index vacillated before closing in positive territory, up 0.6 percent to 19,204.42.
Australia's S&P ASX 200 was 0.4 percent higher at 4,195.90. Benchmarks in Singapore, Indonesia, India and Malaysia also rose.
But mainland Chinese shares fell as investors continued to cash in on recent gains. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.3 percent to 2,244.58, while the Shenzhen Composite Index dropped 3.5 percent to 845.93.
"The market will be volatile for the next one or two weeks after this correction, since there is just no support for the market to rise in the long term," said Xu Xiaoyu, an analyst at China Investment Securities, based in Beijing.
PetroChina, the country's biggest oil and gas company and the Shanghai benchmark's biggest component, gained 1.4 percent as oil prices rose to near $100 a barrel in Asia on Friday on worries over supply tightness.
Elsewhere, raw materials and industrial companies advanced, following their U.S. counterparts higher. Japanese heavy equipment maker Komatsu Ltd. jumped 4.1 percent and Hitachi Construction Machinery gained 3.8 percent.
Energy Resources of Australia soared 6 percent and Paladin Energy Ltd., an Australian uranium miner, gained 3.1 percent. But shares in Australia's QBE Insurance group dropped 3.1 percent, after the company warned its earnings could halve following a spate of natural disasters in 2011.
South Korean tech shares advanced, with Samsung Electronics Co., the country's largest company, up 1.8 percent and Hynix Semiconductor, a global leader in chip-making, surging 4.1 percent. Its largest banking group, Woori Financial Holdings Co., jumped 3.9 percent.
Strong bond auctions in Italy and Spain on Thursday pushed stocks higher. Italy was able to sell one-year bonds at a rate of just 2.735 percent, less than half the 5.95 percent rate it had to pay last month. Spain was able to raise double the amount of money it had sought to raise in its own bond sale as demand for its debt was strong.
Investors have been worried that Italy and Spain might get dragged into the region's debt crisis. Greece, Ireland and Portugal have been forced to get relief from their lenders after their borrowing costs spiked to levels the countries could no longer afford.
Benchmark oil for February delivery rose 78 cents to $99.88 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract tumbled $2 to finish at $99.10 per barrel in New York on Thursday.
In currency trading, the euro rose to $1.2843 from $1.2827 late Thursday in New York. The dollar was slightly down at 76.73 yen from 76.76 yen.
___
AP researcher Fu Ting contributed from Shanghai.
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January 13, 2012, 5:38 pmIt was the ending everyone expected. Kerry Wood walked out onto the balcony and soaked in the applause from the fans packed into a Hilton Chicago ballroom.
The final scene of the negotiation seemed choreographed. It had to be a Friday night announcement at the opening ceremony for the Cubs Convention. But it would have been difficult to script it this way.
The new ?Mr. Cub? had to wait more than two months to close a last-minute, one-year, $3 million deal that contains a $3 million club option for 2013 (with no buyout).
This will mark Wood?s 16th and possibly 17th seasons in the organization. The franchise icon will still probably hear the roar of the crowd at the 2032 convention.
But by Friday, Wood was ?about 25 minutes? away from signing elsewhere. The 34-year-old reliever said he had agreed to terms with another team ? he declined to say which one ? and was waiting to get the call for a physical.
Near the end of last season, Wood said he would probably retire if he couldn?t pitch for the Cubs, and smiled when it was suggested that he had just given up all his leverage.
?I wasn?t ready to retire,? Wood said. ?I didn?t feel like I wanted to be forced into that. I still love the game and I have plenty left. That?s what I said. But I think people are allowed to change their mind.?
Wood?s $1.5 million expiring contract was set in motion 13 months ago, after he attended Ron Santo?s funeral and felt a pull back toward the organization. The understanding was that he would take a discount to become a Cub for life, even after his playing career ended.
Wood had a strong relationship with Jim Hendry, the general manager at the time. But once Hendry got fired, you knew the Cubs would find a colder way of doing business.
The speculation mounted among fans and the media this week as they counted down toward the convention and Wood?s charity event on Friday night at Harry Caray?s Tavern on Navy Pier.
The Philadelphia Phillies were known to be in on Wood, who said at one point he thought ?I was on four different teams in three days? and nearly resigned to leaving.
Roughly 90 minutes before the signing was announced, Theo Epstein played it coy. The president of baseball operations said the Cubs won?t give in to external pressure.
?PR doesn?t play a factor at all,? Epstein said. ?I think if you start making baseball decisions based on PR, you?re losing, whether you know it or not. But what does matter is the additional value (someone) can bring by how he impacts his teammates. There?s more to a player than just the numbers on the back of his baseball card.
?(Wood) is an outstanding teammate and he understands the importance of mentoring younger pitchers. He understands how to deal with some of the distractions here in Chicago. He?s not shy about setting a good example in the clubhouse.
?He handles himself really well off the field and is an active member of the community. All that matters. But the single most important factor is what he?s going to contribute to the Cubs on the field.?
All these years later, Wood is an eighth-inning guy, but still the star of the show. He was asked why he has such a connection with Cubs fans.
?You have to ask them,? Wood said. ?They?re diehard fans (who?ve) seen me kind of grow up here in the city and seen me go through injuries and bounce back and be a part of some special teams. I think that all goes into play. (They) know I love the city and love being here.?
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/11/huff-posts-top-10-greates_n_1197363.html
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But the workers setting up a pair of derricks south of Echo Park last week were plugging some of the city's oldest wells ? not drilling new ones.
The sealing of the long-abandoned wells by Allenco Energy to make way for a 45-unit affordable housing project marks the end of an era for the Los Angeles City Oil Field, which sparked Southern California's oil boom 120 years ago.
The city's first commercially successful oil well was drilled about 350 feet away, at the corner of Glendale Boulevard and Rockwood Street.
In 1892, pioneering oil wildcatter Edward L. Doheny and partner Charles A. Canfield used picks and shovels and, finally, a sharpened 60-foot-long eucalyptus tree trunk to drill about 200 feet down near the corner of Glendale Boulevard and Colton Street.
At first, their shallow well produced less than 10 gallons of thick, fuel-grade oil a day. But that was enough to begin the stampede for black gold that quickly spread across the Los Angeles Basin and beyond, and made Doheny a rich man.
Soon, drillers were sinking their pumping pipes as deep as 900 feet. When oil at that level started to run out, they bore down to 1,200 feet, then 1,500 feet. Most Los Angeles oil was found no deeper than that.
Four and sometimes five wells were drilled on small residential lots along a narrow swath that extended the Los Angeles City Oil Field about 31/2 miles from the Chinatown area south of Dodger Stadium west to Berendo Street. Tent cities sprang up to house bootleggers and prostitutes who streamed in behind the growing horde of oil drillers.
Modern oil field maps on file with the state's Division of Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources show that about 1,250 wells were drilled into the field before it was sucked dry. When that happened, drillers and speculators moved on to untouched reservoirs in hilly areas in Long Beach, Santa Fe Springs, Inglewood and Torrance.
One of the first eager young oil hunters to join the Doheny rush was Edward A. Clampitt, who had arrived in Los Angeles in 1888. He is listed in state records as the operator responsible for the five wells at the corner of Glendale Boulevard and Rockwood Street.
Although state oil well records are sketchy before 1915, Clampitt's wells are believed to have been sunk before 1900. Later he would own oil-producing land in the Newhall Pass area and serve on the Los Angeles City Council.
Petroleum geologist Dale Kunitomi, who has studied Southern California oil fields since 1967, is among those who are convinced that Clampitt and his colorful family were the inspiration for the Clampett clan in the CBS TV series "The Beverly Hillbillies." It ran from 1962 to 1971 and starred Buddy Ebsen as family patriarch Jed Clampett.
"I went to Belmont High School in the early 1960s, and you would see Clampitt Oil Co. signs on oil field installations up there," Kunitomi said. "I said to myself: So the 'Beverly Hillbillies' are real!"
Kunitomi said early well-plugging was often a casual procedure. "They'd take rocks and debris and toss it down the hole. But pressure can build up and water can seep beneath the oil and push it up," and methane gas can leach out of the ground, he said.
The potential threat from seeping methane and hydrogen sulfide prompted Los Angeles school officials to halt construction of the half-built Belmont Learning Complex in 2000. Finishing the project, now called the Roybal Learning Center, at the edge of the Los Angeles City Oil Field doubled the final cost to more than $400 million.
Don Drysdale, a spokesman with the Division of Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources, confirmed that such things as old telephone poles were used as oil well plugs before rules were tightened in the 1970s.
These days, rules spell out the type of casing and amount of concrete plugging that has to be done and specify that a "diligent effort shall be made to recover junk" from abandoned wells.
The city has issued a demolition permit for the restaurant, butcher shop and office building that operated near the old wells until recently, and awarded a grading permit to allow plugging to begin, said David Lara, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Although abandoned wells fall under the jurisdiction of the state, the city also has rules about escaping methane gas.
The affordable apartments will be developed in conjunction with the Filipino Workers Center by LTSC Community Development Corp., operated by the Little Tokyo Service Center. Construction on the $20.5-million project will start in April and take about 18 months, said Takao Suzuki, director of real estate development for the service center.
Because there may be seven abandoned oil wells on the site instead of the five shown on state records, his organization has allocated $1 million for plugging costs, he said.
bob.pool @latimes.com
Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-me-old-wells-20120109,0,644937.story?track=rss
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FRANKFURT (Reuters) ? Talks about private sector creditors paying for part of a second Greek bailout are going badly, senior European bankers said on Wednesday, raising the prospect that euro zone governments will have to increase their contribution to the aid package.
"Governments are mulling an increase of their share of the burden," said one of the bankers, who is familiar with the talks.
Banks and investment funds have been negotiating with Athens for months on a bond swap scheme to cut Greece's debt burden from 160 percent of the nation's annual output to a more manageable 120 percent by 2020. This is central to a second, 130 billion euro ($165 billion) bailout that international lenders have drawn up to help the country avert default.
As part of these talks, banks have agreed a "voluntary" 50 percent write-down on Greek debt holdings but have faced demands to make further concessions, a factor that has made it less attractive for some of the investors to take part on a voluntary basis.
The participation rate among private sector investors is currently less than 75 percent, which means Greece's debt will be reduced by far less than expected, the source said.
Asked whether governments will have to put up more cash to make up for such a shortfall, another senior banker said: "Nothing is decided yet, but the bigger the imposed haircut, the less appetite there is for voluntary conversion."
A third senior banker, who was asked the same question, said: "Private sector involvement is going badly."
There are suggestions in euro zone government circles that ministers are realizing they may need to bolster the planned second bailout if the voluntary bond swap scheme falls short of expectations.
Stumping up yet more money would be politically difficult in Germany and other countries in the northern part of the currency bloc.
An Athens-based source close to the talks on private sector involvement (PSI) insisted: "The government is pushing hard and is close to signing a deal." But the source declined to give an indication about take-up.
MERKEL, SARKOZY INSIST
On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy insisted private-sector bondholders must share in reducing Greece's debt burden and said no further aid would flow to Athens without a deal.
Banks and other private sector creditors attempted to agree a deal before Christmas to cut the value of their bonds by half in return for a mix of cash and new bonds.
But the talks hit trouble over the details of the debt swap such as the coupon, maturity and the credit guarantees. These will determine the bonds' Net Present Value (NPV), and thereby the actual hit the banks need to take.
Policymakers insist agreement is near despite weeks of talks already. EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said on Tuesday negotiators were "about to finalize shortly".
Athens needs to conclude the deal and secure funding from its euro zone partners and the International Monetary Fund to be able to redeem 14.5 billion euros of maturing bonds on March 20. A deal needs to come well before that, because the paperwork alone takes at least six weeks.
Hedge funds who have picked up Greek debt are intent on staying out of the bond swap deal, sources say. They either prefer letting the country go under, which would trigger the credit insurance they have bought, or hope to get paid out in full if enough others sign up.
But Athens could change its laws and impose Collective Action Clauses which would force all creditors to sign up to the bond swap if a clear majority had voluntarily done so.
Charles Dallara, the head of a group representing private-sector banks, will hold talks in Athens on Thursday with Greek government officials on a voluntary swap of privately held Greek bonds, a spokesman for Dallara's Institute of International Finance said.
According to a weekend report in German magazine Der Spiegel on Saturday, the IMF believes Greece will still be sinking under the burden of its debts even after a bond swap deal is struck, and that further measures may need to be taken if the country is to avoid default.
($1 = 0.7882 euros)
(Reporting by Edward Taylor and Philipp Halstrick,; additional reporting by Dina Kyriakidou; writing by Mike Peacock; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
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PHOTO BY ROB GANTT
Goose Creek head coach Chuck Reedy is presented with the Army National Guard national ranking trophy by Sgt. 1st Class Kris Alvey, a local guardsman, at the high school Monday. The state champion Gators football team finished 31st in the national rankings and is one of 50 schools being honored on the seventh annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions.
Source: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2012/jan/10/goose-creek-football-honored/
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Roam Mobility deflates roaming charges, teams up with T-Mobile to spare Canadian wallets originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sony's Kaz Hirai: no PlayStation 4 at E3 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: www.artdaily.org --- Monday, January 09, 2012
London.- Taking the sixtieth anniversary year of the XXVI Venice Biennale of 1952 as its starting point, Exorcising the Fear will explore a pivotal point in the history of British sculpture. Returning to the essay by Herbert Read which left an indelible mark on the history of art with the phrase ?the geometry of fear?, the exhibition aims to recapture the excitement and vitality of the moment when eight young British sculptors ? Robert Adams, Kenneth Armitage, Reg Butler, Geoffrey Clarke, Lynn Chadwick, Bernard Meadows, Eduardo Paolozzi and William Turnbull - burst onto an international scene and jump started a chain reaction that brought about a crucial sculptural renaissance in the history of British sculpture, the impact of which can still be felt today. Pangolin London are able to show three rare works that are particularly closely related to those exhibited at the biennale (Lynn Chadwick?s Bull ...
Source: http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=52909
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Malnutrition rates are rising. Children are, more than ever, vulnerable to life-threatening illnesses and diseases.
Today | Special Report (Article)
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By Leon Watson
Last updated at 8:14 AM on 9th January 2012
A cargo ship grounded off the New Zealand coast since October has split in two, spilling sea containers and debris and sparking fears of a fresh oil spill, maritime officials said.
The wreck of the Greek-owned Rena was described as New Zealand's worst maritime environmental disaster even before the rear section of the ship, lashed by pounding seas, broke away yesterday.
The ship previously spilled heavy fuel oil that fouled pristine North Island beaches and killed up to 20,000 seabirds, and despite salvage efforts nearly 400 tons of oil remain onboard.
Scroll down for video...
The stranded cargo ship Rena after its hull split into two, caused by heavy swells, wind and rain off New Zealand
Maritime officials said the front section of the wreck remains stuck in its original position, but the stern section slipped at least 100ft away from the bow and is 'moving significantly,' pounded by 19ft swells.
The storm that split the vessel will continue for another three to four days, Maritime New Zealand spokesman Ross Henderson said.
Officials said up to 300 of the roughly 880 containers that had been on board were lost when the ship broke apart. Of those, about 30 per cent had been fitted with monitoring devices and some 30 containers had already been located.
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Oil has been seen leaking from the broken ship. Alex van Wijngaarden, on-scene commander for the national response team, said oil from the vessel could come ashore last night.
'While reports at this stage indicate there has not been a significant release of oil, with the Rena in its current fragile state, a further release is likely,' he said.
'While it is unknown at this stage exactly how much oil may be released, teams have been mobilized and will be ready to respond to anything that may come ashore.'
The storm that split the vessel will continue for another three to four days, Maritime New Zealand spokesman Ross Henderson said
Environment Minister Nick Smith said there is roughly 385 tons of oil still aboard the ship
Environment Minister Nick Smith said that the 'risks for the environment are a fraction of what they were in October,' though the roughly 385 tons of oil still aboard the ship is about the same amount that leaked from the vessel soon after it ran aground.
Salvage crews previously removed 1,100 tons of oil from the ship.
Most of the oil is in tanks in the stern section, which could end up sinking. Some of that oil could end up dissipating in the ocean rather than washing up on beaches.
The containers, meanwhile, spilled goods including timber, wool, bales of recycled plastic and bags of milk powder. The debris could begin washing ashore later Sunday.
Some containers have been sighted floating up to 20 miles northwest of the stricken ship, Port of Tauranga chief executive Mark Cairns said.
'They have been caught in a strong coastal current' fueled by the storm, he said.
The Rena ran aground on Astrolabe Reef 14 miles from Tauranga Harbour on North Island on October 5.
Salvage crews have plucked 389 of the ship's 1,370 loaded cargo containers from its decks since it ran aground, while some 98 have been washed over board in the past three months.
One eyewitness, Warwick Roberts, said the rear section was sliding along the reef.
The 'stern has reared up and center section is not visible. Large breaking waves observed on bow,' he said.
Clean up: Soldiers worked to clear away the oil spill from the beach in Taurange, New Zealand, as environmentalists warned of a potential wildlife disaster
In trouble: Rescuers have been unable to properly reach the ship due to the severe structural damage it has suffered
Investigators were unable to explain how the vessel managed to perch itself on a New Zealand reef before the split
A two-mile no-go zone is in force around the wreck.
Investigations last month revealed that Australian authorities impounded the vessel, but released it the next day after Liberian maritime authorities intervened, essentially saying the ship was safe to sail and the problems could be fixed later. The Rena, like many ships, is registered in Liberia.
Some 10 weeks later, the Rena ran full-steam into a well-marked reef off the coast of New Zealand. It's not clear whether the previously identified problems played any role.
The captain and Rena's navigating officer face criminal charges of operating a ship in a dangerous or risky manner, polluting the environment and altering the ship's documents after the crash.
Other items from the containers washed up in Tauranga, New Zealand included these deer skins
Rescuers have been trying to get near the vessel to transfer away the ship's oil since October
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Thanks to intervening broski John Cena, United States Champion Zack Ryder narrowly avoided being dragged into the unknown by Kane Monday night.
Emerging through the ring canvas like the Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Big Red Machine?s freakish powers were on full display following Raw SuperShow?s 2-on-3 Handicap Match main event. With his plan stymied by the Cenation leader, Kane descended back into the darkness, followed moments later by a towering inferno that shot straight up through the opening in the mat.
Never before has a Superstar summoned up the flames of hell - especially after using that same portal to leave only moments before.
Although the fire gave Kane?s cruel plot a demonic tinge, this past Monday was not the first instance of a Superstar rising from beneath the ring to attack a foe. ?That honor belongs to Kane?s half-brother, The Undertaker.
Almost 16 years ago, The Phenom unexpectedly made an appearance during a Cage Match main event between Hall of Famer Bret Hart and ?Diesel? Kevin Nash at WWE?s In Your House 6. Embroiled in a rivalry with Nash at the time, The Phenom tore through the canvas during the title bout?s waning moments and yanked Nash under, preventing Big Daddy Cool from escaping the cage and setting up Hart for the victory.
As a frantic Nash was pulled into the abyss against his will, plumes of smoke began emanating from the hole. When he re-emerged moments later, Nash?s shocked countenance confirmed that whatever transpired down there was not quite of this world. (WATCH)
Bursting through the ring is an eerie strategy that has typically been the domain of The Brothers of Destruction, but it also served as a platform for at least one massive debut.
In February 1999, the WWE Universe was treated to its first glimpse of Big Show when The World?s Largest Athlete made his presence known during a steel cage showdown between ?Stone Cold? Steve Austin and his sworn enemy, Mr. McMahon.
Whereas Big Show hid under the squared circle as a way to catch The Texas Rattlesnake off-guard, the area just below the ring floor has always taken on a decidedly mysterious hue whenever Kane and The Undertaker are involved. (WATCH)
During an October 2010 edition of SmackDown, the WWE Universe got to see what happens when the two forces collide. On that occasion, The Deadman treated The Devil?s Favorite Demon to an experience not too dissimilar to what almost happened to Ryder Monday night.
Facing then-World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton in a title-free bout, Kane was distracted when The Undertaker?s trademark gong sounded and the arena went dark. When the lights turned back on, the vengeful Kane, confident of his sibling?s presence but unsure of his exact location, began searching for The Undertaker. The momentary distraction provided The Viper with enough of an opening to hit an RKO for the win.
Post-match, The Undertaker again conjured up his powers, turning the arena dark once more before bursting through the ring floor. Unlike Kane?s failed attempt Monday, The Phenom successfully dragged a maskless and unwilling Kane into the darkness. (WATCH)
That was then, though. Now, The Big Red Machine is not only back, but he seems more powerful than ever before, as evident by his fire show Monday. And he?s focusing all that power, fueled by hate, squarely toward Cena.
Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2012-01-02/bursting-through-ring
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From the new horror film The Devil Inside to holiday blockbusters like Mission: Impossible, get the scoop on the hottest movies in theaters this week
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LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? The actress who had anonymously sued IMDB.com and its owner, Amazon.com, for posting her age has revealed her name in an amended complaint against the companies.
The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, identifies the actress as Huong Hoang -- though the complaint notes, "Prior to and throughout her acting career, Plaintiff has only and always presented herself to the public by her American stage name, Junie Hoang."
Hoang is seeking $1 million from the companies for revealing her age in her profile, which she says happened after she signed up for IMDB's pay service, IMDB Pro. In her original complaint, Hoang claimed that her acting prospects had been damaged by the revelation of her age.
Hoang's IMDB profile lists her date of birth as July 16, 1971, and her place of birth as Saigon, Vietnam. Her recent roles include one-episode appearances on "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant," as "Triage Nurse," and "1000 Ways to Die," as "Sharon."
Late last month, the judge in the case gave Hoang two weeks to file an amended complaint with her name included.
Citing a rule requiring a complaint to list all parties, U.S. District Judge Marsha J. Pechman granted one of IMDB's motions to dismiss, and stayed another motion, pending Hoang's filing of an amended complaint with her name on it within 14 days.
"hile Plaintiff may face public ridicule and embarrassment if she elects to go forward under her real name, the injury she fears is not severe enough to justify permitting her to proceed anonymously," Pechman noted in her order.
"Shortly after subscribing to IMDBPro, plaintiff noticed that her legal date of birth had been added to her public profile ... revealing to the public that the plaintiff is many years older than she looks," Hoang's original complaint, filed in October 2011, reads.
The suit goes on to claim, "In the entertainment industry, youth is king," the suit continues. "If one is perceived to be 'over-the-hill,' i.e. approaching 40, it is nearly impossible for an up-and-coming actress, such as the plaintiff, to get work."
In their subsequent motion to dismiss, IMDB and Amazon called Hoang "selfish" and accused her of attempting to perpetrate a fraud by trying to conceal her true age.
"Truth and justice are philosophical pillars of this court," the motion reads. "The perpetuation of fraud, even for an actor's career, is inconsistent with these principles. Plaintiff's attempt to manipulate the federal court system so she can censor IMDB.com's display of her birth date and pretend to the world that she is not 40 years old is selfish, contrary to the public interest and a frivolous abuse of this court's resources."
In addition to her work on "1000 Ways to Die." "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" and other esteemed gigs, Hoang has picked up the occasional job doing commercials. Here she is touting the "brain supplement" Excelerol.
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