First snapshot of organisms eating each other: Feast clue to smell of ancient Earth

Apr. 29, 2013 ? Tiny 1,900 million-year-old fossils from rocks around Lake Superior, Canada, give the first ever snapshot of organisms eating each other and suggest what the ancient Earth would have smelled like.

The fossils, preserved in Gunflint chert, capture ancient microbes in the act of feasting on a cyanobacterium-like fossil called Gunflintia -- with the perforated sheaths of Gunflintia being the discarded leftovers of this early meal.

A team, led by Dr David Wacey of the University of Western Australia and Bergen University, Norway, and Professor Martin Brasier of Oxford University, reports in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the fossil evidence for how this type of feeding on organic matter -- called 'heterotrophy' -- was taking place. They also show that the ancient microbes appeared to prefer to snack on Gunflintia as a 'tasty morsel' in preference to another bacterium (Huroniospora).

'What we call 'heterotrophy' is the same thing we do after dinner as the bacteria in our gut break down organic matter,' said Professor Martin Brasier of Oxford University's Department of Earth Sciences, an author of the paper. 'Whilst there is chemical evidence suggesting that this mode of feeding dates back 3,500 million years, in this study for the first time we identify how it was happening and 'who was eating who'. In fact we've all experienced modern bacteria feeding in this way as that's where that 'rotten egg' whiff of hydrogen sulfide comes from in a blocked drain. So, rather surprisingly, we can say that life on earth 1,900 million years ago would have smelled a lot like rotten eggs.'

The team analysed the microscopic fossils, ranging from about 3-15 microns in diameter, using a battery of new techniques and found that one species -- a tubular form thought to be the outer sheath of Gunflintia -- was more perforated after death than other kinds, consistent with them having been eaten by bacteria.

In some places many of the tiny fossils had been partially or entirely replaced with iron sulfide ('fool's gold') a waste product of heterotrophic sulfate-reducing bacteria that is also a highly visible marker. The team also found that these Gunflintia fossils carried clusters of even smaller (c.1 micron) spherical and rod-shaped bacteria that were seemingly in the process of consuming their hosts.

Dr Wacey said that: 'recent geochemical analyses have shown that the sulfur-based activities of bacteria can likely be traced back to 3,500 million years or so -- a finding reported by our group in Nature Geoscience in 2011. Whilst the Gunflint fossils are only about half as old, they confirm that such bacteria were indeed flourishing by 1,900 million years ago. And that they were also highly particular about what they chose to eat.'

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Journal Reference:

1. David Wacey, Nicola McLoughlin, Matt R. Kilburn, Martin Saunders, John B. Cliff, Charlie Kong, Mark E. Barley, and Martin D. Brasier. Nanoscale analysis of pyritized microfossils reveals differential heterotrophic consumption in the ?1.9-Ga Gunflint chert. PNAS, April 29, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1221965110

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/hiDQhD4eNRI/130429154107.htm

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Did Syria cross Obama's 'red line'?

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House declared Thursday that U.S. intelligence indicates Syrian President Bashar Assad has twice used deadly chemical weapons in his country's fierce civil war, a provocative action that would cross President Barack Obama's "red line" for a significant military response. But the administration said the revelation won't immediately change its stance on intervening.

The information, which has been known to the administration and some members of Congress for weeks, isn't solid enough to warrant quick U.S. involvement in the 2-year-old conflict, the White House said. Officials said the assessments were made with "varying degrees of confidence" given the difficulty of information gathering in Syria, though there appeared to be little question within the intelligence community.

As recently as Tuesday, when an Israeli general added to the growing chorus that Assad had used chemical weapons, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the administration was continuing to monitor and investigate but had "not come to the conclusion that there has been that use."

The Syrian civil war has persisted, with an estimated 70,000 dead. Obama has so far resisted pressure, both from Congress and from within his own administration, to arm the Syrian rebels or get involved militarily. He has, however, declared the use of chemical weapons a "game changer" that would have "enormous consequences."

The White House disclosed the new intelligence Thursday in letters to two senators, but had Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announce it to reporters traveling with him in the United Arab Emirates. The letters were sent in response to questions from senators of both parties who are pressing for more U.S. involvement, and it marked the first time the administration has publicly disclosed evidence of chemical weapons use.

"Our intelligence community does assess, with varying degrees of confidence, that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically, the chemical agent sarin," the White House said in the letters, which were signed by Obama's legislative director, Miguel Rodriguez. He went on to write that "given the stakes involved," the U.S. was still seeking "credible and corroborated facts" before deciding how to proceed.

Two congressional officials said the administration has known for weeks ? and has briefed Congress ? that the CIA and other intelligence agencies have evidence of two incidents of sarin gas use.

A U.S. official said intelligence agencies have had indications of chemical weapons use since March and reached the conclusions made public Thursday about two weeks ago. The two incidents are believed to have occurred around March 19 in the Syrian city of Aleppo and suburbs of Damascus, the official said.

The officials commented only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly by name.

The White House described the attacks as "small scale," but the full extent of the chemical weapons use and resulting casualties was not immediately known.

Even as Assad has ratcheted up the attacks on his own people, Obama has limited U.S. assistance to non-lethal aid, including military-style equipment such as body armor and night vision goggles. However, he has repeatedly said that the use of chemical weapons, or the transfer of the stockpiles to a terrorist organization, would change things.

"That's a red line for us," he said in August. "There would be enormous consequences if we start seeing movement on the chemical weapons front, or the use of chemical weapons. That would change my calculations significantly."

A senior defense official said the White House letters were not an "automatic trigger" for policy decisions on the use of military force. The official alluded to past instances of policy decisions that were based on what turned out to be flawed intelligence, such as the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq after concluding that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons.

Lawmakers from both parties sounded less than patient.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, a member of the Democratic leadership, was asked what should be done about Assad crossing the "red line." He said, "That's up to the commander in chief, but something has to be done."

And Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said, "I think it's pretty obvious that that red line has been crossed. Now I hope the administration will consider what we have been recommending now for over two years of this bloodletting and massacre and that is to provide a safe area for the opposition to operate, to establish a no-fly zone and provide weapons to people in the resistance who we trust."

Other lawmakers questioned whether a cautious U.S. response to the newly disclosed intelligence would only strengthen Assad's resolve to keep a grip on power.

"If Assad sees any equivocation on the red line, it will embolden his regime," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

The White House disclosure put the U.S. in line with Britain, France, Israel and Qatar, key allies who have cited evidence of chemical weapons use. The four countries have also been pressing for a more robust response to the conflict.

U.S. commanders have laid out a range of possible options for military involvement in Syria, including establishing a "no-fly zone" or secured area within Syria where citizens could be protected, launching airstrikes by drones and fighter jets or even sending in tens of thousands of ground forces to secure the chemical weapons caches. But the military has made it clear that any action would likely be either with NATO backing or with a coalition of nations similar to what was done in Libya in 2011.

Following the U.S. disclosure, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said, "There would doubtlessly be a very strong reaction from the international community if there were evidence that chemical weapons had been used."

Ahmad Ramadan, a member of the Syrian National Coalition opposition group's executive body, called the U.S. assertion an "important step," and he said that America had a "moral duty" to follow it with action.

The White House said the current intelligence assessments of sarin use are based in part on "physiological samples." U.S. officials said that could include human tissue, blood or other body materials, in addition to soil samples.

Sarin is an odorless nerve agent that can be used as a gas or a liquid, poisoning people when they breathe it, absorb it through their skin or eyes, or take it in through food or water. In large doses, sarin can cause convulsions, paralysis and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people usually recover from small doses, which may cause confusion, drooling, excessive sweating, nausea and vomiting.

The Aum Shinrikyo cult used sarin in attacks in the Tokyo subway system in 1995 that killed 12 people and sickened thousands.

The White House said it was still seeking to confirm the "chain of command" that led to the chemical weapons use. But officials said they were confident attacks were initiated by the Assad government, not rebels, given that they see no evidence of Assad losing control of the stockpiles.

The U.S. said the completion of a stalled U.N. investigation would be critical in confirming the use. But it's unclear whether U.N. inspectors will ever be able to conduct a full investigation in areas where there is the most evidence of chemical weapons use.

The Syrian government has so far refused to allow the U.N. experts to go anywhere but Khan al-Assal, where Assad's government maintains the rebels used the deadly agents.

Officials said the U.S. was consulting with allies and looking for other ways to confirm the intelligence assessments.

___

AP National Security Writers Robert Burns in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Lara Jakes in Washington, as well as AP Intelligence Writer Kimberly Dozier, and AP writers Lolita C. Baldor and Lauran Neergaard in Washington and Zeina Karam in Beirut contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/crossing-red-line-us-says-syria-used-poison-221631098--politics.html

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Astronomers discover the Ed Begley Jr. of galaxies

An international team of researchers have spotted the most fuel-efficient galaxy yet, which converts nearly 100 percent of its hydrogen gas into stars.

By Eoin O'Carroll,?Staff / April 24, 2013

The tiny red spot in this image is one of the most efficient star-making galaxies ever observed, converting gas into stars at the maximum possible rate. Visible-light observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (inset) reveal that the starlight in this galaxy is extraordinarily compact, with most of the light emitted by a region just a fraction of the size of the Milky Way galaxy.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI/IRAM

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Six billion or so light years from here, there's a galaxy that seems to take seriously the old Lakota maxim about using the whole buffalo.

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Except by "use" we mean "form stars out of" and by "buffalo" we mean "interstellar hydrogen gas."?

Hydrogen gas is the fuel that galaxies use to make new stars, and most galaxies are the equivalent of a Hummer with a broken oxygen sensor, four flat tires, and a buffalo carcass strapped to the roof. Most of the gas meant to transport you gets wasted. But a new study has spotted a galaxy that is converting gas into stars at a rate hundreds of times that of our galaxy with almost 100 percent efficiency.

An international team of scientists looked at data from?NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and spotted a galaxy that was just blazing with infrared radiation, equivalent, they say, to a trillion suns. Observations from the Hubble telescope confirmed that the galaxy, which is affectionately known as?SDSSJ1506+54, is extremely compact, with most of the infrared light pouring from an area that is a fraction of the size of our own Milky Way.?

The researchers then used data from the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer in the French Alps to detect the presence of carbon monoxide, which indicates the presence of hydrogen. By combining the gas measurements with the rate of star formation, the scientists found that the galaxy was forming stars out of the gas at a rate that is close to the theoretical maximum. Their paper, which has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Astrophysical Letters, calls it "star formation at its most extreme."

A NASA press release explains just how this galaxy is achieving such efficiency:

In regions of galaxies where new stars are forming, parts of gas clouds are collapsing due to gravity. When the gas is dense enough to squeeze atoms together and ignite nuclear fusion, a star is born. But this process can be halted by other newborn stars, as their winds and radiation blow the gas outward. The point at which this occurs sets the theoretical maximum for star formation. The galaxy SDSSJ1506+54 was found to be making stars right at this point, just before the gas clouds would otherwise be blown apart.

"We see some gas outflowing from this galaxy at millions of miles per hour, and this gas may have been blown away by the powerful radiation from the newly formed stars," said Ryan Hickox, an astrophysicist at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., and a co-author on the study.

Why is this galaxy so efficient at converting hydrogen into stars while all the others are such slouches? It actually comes down to timing. We just happen to be witnessing the time period, six billion years ago, when this galaxy produces lots of stars. The researchers speculate that this period could have been triggered by the merging of two galaxies into one.?

In any case, it's a bright spot in our sky. As Discovery News's Ian O'Neill points out those living on a planet on the outskirts of this prolific star factory will have a "night" sky that is actually brighter than daylight.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/nSOMe2q9n60/Astronomers-discover-the-Ed-Begley-Jr.-of-galaxies

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A simple solution to air pollution from wood-burning cookstoves

Apr. 24, 2013 ? Billions of people worldwide burn animal dung, crop residues, wood and charcoal to cook their meals. And the chemicals produced and inhaled sicken or kill millions. At particular risk are women who prepare their families' food and children 5-years-old or younger.

Up to now, most interventions have focused on improving the cookstove to lower emissions. And that would be fine, if there were enough improved cookstoves to go around. But there aren't. In 2012, only 2.5 million improved cookstoves were distributed, improving the household air pollution situation for exactly one-half of 1 percent of the world's biomass burners.

So an interdisciplinary team of Michigan Technological University students took a different tack. They decided to look for ways to improve the cooking environment, not just the stove. And they found a low-cost, highly effective way to reduce the impact of cooking over biomass fires without designing and installing high-tech, costly stoves.

Better ventilation.

The cookstove project was born in small town on the Guatemalan border with Mexico, where Michigan Tech environmental engineering graduate student Kelli Whelan was working on an Engineers Without Borders project. She noticed that the kitchen of a family who had built an attic to insulate their house from a hot aluminum roof was much cooler than others she had visited, although they all used the same kind of wood-burning cookstove.

"That made me wonder if the temperature difference helped clear the smoke out, either by a draft or the greater temperature differential between the fire and the surrounding space," she explains.

When she returned to Michigan Tech, Whelan and several fellow environmental engineering graduate students started work on a project to explore the situation. They built both a working model of a biomass cookstove and a computer model to test different kitchen and cooking conditions.

After receiving the EPA P3 grant, they surveyed Peace Corps Master's International and Pavlis Global Technological Leadership Institute students at Tech who had worked in countries where biomass-burning cookstoves are used. They also conducted more physical and computational model tests, 57 of them, testing for the presence and transport of particulate matter, carbon monoxide and carbon, as well as comparing wind speed, temperature, humidity, roofing materials, wall height, cookstove placement and windows and doors open or closed.

"Our focus was not on ventilation, but on trying to determine which factors really influence the air quality in a kitchen and which do not," said Whelan.

They discovered that ventilation is very important. "The improved cookstoves, which are supposed to reduce emissions, actually made the air quality worse under completely enclosed conditions," she said. "In contrast, we saw the greatest reduction in ambient particulate matter and carbon monoxide with an improved cookstove and with windows and doors open."

They also learned that not all ventilation helps. "Having two windows open on opposite ends of the kitchen was best, whereas having all the windows and doors open was worse," Whelan said. "This is because having all outlets open creates turbulence inside the kitchen, and the smoke is not forced out."

The Michigan Tech students took the results of their field and computer modeling analysis of cookstove air pollution to the EPA Sustainable Design Expo in Washington, DC, last week.

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Study Shows Teen Abuse of Prescription Drugs Up 33 Percent ...

New York, NY ? April 23, 2013 ? New, nationally projectable survey results released today by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation confirmed that one in four teens has misused or abused a prescription (Rx) drug at least once in their lifetime ? a 33 percent increase over the past five years. The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) also found troubling data on teen misuse or abuse of prescription stimulants. One in eight teens (13 percent) now reports that they have taken the stimulants Ritalin or Adderall when it was not prescribed for them, at least once in their lifetime.

Contributing to this sustained trend in teen medicine abuse are the lax attitudes and beliefs of parents and caregivers. In fact, nearly one-third of parents say they believe Rx stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall, normally prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can improve a teen?s academic performance, even if the teen does not have ADHD. Parents are not effectively communicating the dangers of Rx medicine misuse and abuse to their kids, nor are they safeguarding their medications at home and disposing of unused medications properly.

The Partnership at Drugfree.org Responds to Rx Epidemic with The Medicine Abuse Project

In response to the continued high prevalence of teen prescription medicine abuse as reported in the 2012 PATS data, The Partnership at Drugfree.org is helping educate parents, community stakeholders and others about the risks of this dangerous behavior. The Partnership at Drugfree.org leads The Medicine Abuse Project, a multi-year initiative with the goal of preventing half a million teens from abusing prescription medicine by 2017.

The Medicine Abuse Project provides comprehensive resources to parents, educators, health care providers, law enforcement officials and others about the growing problem of teen medicine abuse. The Project aims to mobilize parents and the public at large to take action and help solve the problem of teen substance abuse. This includes learning about the issue, talking with their kids about the dangers of misuse and abuse of prescription drugs and properly monitoring, safeguarding and disposing of excess Rx drugs in their homes.

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Holds Nationwide Prescription Take-Back Day on April 27th

One way parents, grandparents and other caretakers can take immediate action is by participating in the upcoming DEA-facilitated National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, taking place this Saturday, April 27, 2013.

?Medicine cabinets are the number one access point for teens who want to misuse and abuse prescription drugs. That?s why we are making a concerted effort to let parents and caregivers know how important it is to safely dispose of their unused, unwanted or expired medicines. Doing so can literally save a life,? said Marcia Lee Taylor,

SVP of Government Affairs at The Partnership at Drugfree.org. ?This Saturday?s DEA Take-Back event gives everyone a chance to protect their kids from the dangers that medicine abuse poses in their own homes. We should all take this simple step and clean out our medicine cabinets.?

Collection sites will be set up around the country, open for medicine drop-off between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Those interested in disposing of their medicine at a take-back location this Saturday can visit The Medicine Abuse Project website to find the nearest site to safely drop off their unused, unwanted or expired prescription medicines. In the five previous Take-Back events, more than 2 million pounds of prescription medicines were safely dropped off and removed from circulation.

The DEA Take-Back Day provides a tangible way for parents to help curb medicine abuse. The PATS data released today confirms that misuse and abuse of prescription drugs is now a normalized behavior among teens.

Concerning Trends in Teen Prescription Drug Abuse According to the New PATS Data (2008-2012)

One in four teens (24 percent) reports having misused or abused a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime (up from 18 percent in 2008 to 24 percent in 2012), which translates to about 5 million teens. That is a 33 percent increase over a five-year period:

• Of those kids who said they abused Rx medications, one in five (20 percent) has done so before the age of 14.
• More than a quarter of teens (27 percent) mistakenly believe that ?misusing and abusing prescription drugs to get high is safer than using street drugs,? and one-third of teens (33 percent) say they believe ?it?s okay to use prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them to deal with an injury, illness or physical pain.?

?These data make it very clear: the problem is real, the threat immediate and the situation is not poised to get better,? said Steve Pasierb, President and CEO of The Partnership at Drugfree.org. ?Parents fear drugs like cocaine or heroin and want to protect their kids. But the truth is that when misused and abused, medicines ? especially stimulants and opioids ? can be every bit as dangerous and harmful as illicit street drugs. Medicine abuse is one of the most significant and preventable adolescent health problems facing our families today. As parents and caring adults, we need to take action to address the risks that intentional medicine abuse poses to the lives and the long-term health of our teens.?

Significant Increase in Teen Abuse of Stimulants Ritalin and Adderall, Rx Painkiller Abuse Flattening

Rx stimulants are a key area of concern, with misuse and abuse of Ritalin and Adderall in particular driving the noted increases in teen medicine abuse. Stimulants are a class of drugs that enhance brain activity and are commonly prescribed to treat health conditions including ADHD and obesity. The 2012 data found:

• One in eight teens (about 2.7 million) now reports having misused or abused the Rx stimulants Ritalin or Adderall at least once in their lifetime.
• 9 percent of teens (about 1.9 million) report having misused or abused the Rx stimulants Ritalin or Adderall in the past year (up from 6 percent in 2008) and 6 percent of teens (1.3 million) report abuse of Ritalin or Adderall in the past month (up from 4 percent in 2008).
• One in four teens (26 percent) believes that prescription drugs can be used as a study aid.

Abuse of prescription pain medicine remains at unacceptably high levels among teens, but the new PATS data show it may be flattening. Teen abuse of prescription pain relievers like Vicodin and OxyContin has remained stable since 2011 with one in six teens (16 percent) reporting abuse or misuse of an Rx pain reliever at least once in their lifetime. One in 10 teens (10 percent) admits to abusing or misusing an Rx painkiller in the past year.

Parents? Missed Opportunity: Lax Attitudes and Permissiveness About Rx Drugs Linked to Teen Abuse

• Parent permissiveness and lax attitudes toward abuse and misuse of Rx medicines, coupled with teens? ease of access to prescription medicines in the home, are key factors linked to teen medicine misuse and abuse. The availability of prescription drugs (in the family medicine cabinet, in the homes of friends and family) makes them that much easier to abuse. The new survey findings stress that teens are more likely to abuse Rx medicines if they think their parents ?don?t care as much if they get caught using prescription drugs, without a doctor?s prescription, than they do if they get caught using illegal drugs.?
• Almost one-third of parents (29 percent) say they believe ADHD medication can improve a child?s academic or testing performance, even if the teen does not have ADHD.
• One in six parents (16 percent) believes that using prescription drugs to get high is safer than using street drugs.
• Teens reported that during the last conversation they had with their parents regarding substance abuse, only 16 percent said they discussed the misuse or abuse of prescription pain relievers with their parents, and just 14 percent indicate the same for discussions about any type of prescription drug. In comparison, a majority of teens (81 percent) say they have discussed the risks of marijuana use with their parents, 80 percent have discussed alcohol and nearly one-third of teens (30 percent) have discussed crack/cocaine.
• More than half of teens (56 percent) indicate that it?s easy to get prescription drugs from their parent?s medicine cabinet. In fact, about half of parents (49 percent) say anyone can access their medicine cabinet.
• More than four in 10 teens (42 percent) who have misused or abused a prescription drug obtained it from their parent?s medicine cabinet. Almost half (49 percent) of teens who misuse or abuse Rx medicines obtained them from a friend.

Teens are more likely to use prescription drugs if they believe that their parents are more lenient toward prescription drug misuse or abuse compared to illegal drug abuse, and their parents use drugs themselves.

• One in five parents (20 percent) report that they have given their teen a prescription drug that was not prescribed for them.
• The PATS survey also found that 17 percent of parents do not throw away expired medications, and 14 percent of parents say that they themselves have misused or abuse prescription drugs within the past year.

Short URL: http://www.winchester.daily-monitor.com/?p=14919

Source: http://www.winchester.daily-monitor.com/study-shows-teen-abuse-of-prescription-drugs-up-33-percent-since-2008/14919/

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CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS ztitle 10 #CGREA, #CRE ...

? CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS TITLE 10. INVESTMENT CHAPTER 6.5. REAL ESTATE APPRAISERS SECTIONS 3500 et seq. NOTICE: THIS DOCUMENT WAS CURRENT WHEN ASSEMBLED; HOWEVER STATUTES AND REGULATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. OREA MAKES NO REPRESENTATION AS TO THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE READER TO CONSULT CURRENT CODE BOOKS. ARTICLE 1. DEFINITIONS ? 3500. Meaning of Words and General Definitions. (a) Words shall have their usual meaning unless the context or a definition clearly indicates a different meaning. Words used in their present tense include the future tense and words in the singular form include the plural form. Use of the word "shall" or "must" denotes mandatory conduct; "may" denotes permissive conduct; and "should" denotes recommended conduct. (b) As used in these regulations, the following words and phrases shall have the following definitions: (1) "Applicant" means a natural person who has made application to be a State Licensed Real Estate Appraiser, a State Certified Real Estate Appraiser, a Course Provider or a person who has applied for a Trainee License, a Reciprocal License or a Temporary Practice Permit. Applicant also means an entity or Controlling Person that has applied for a Certificate of Registration as an Appraisal Management Company; (2) (A) ?Appraisal Management Company? means any person or entity that satisfies all of the following conditions: 1. Maintains an approved list or lists, containing 11 or more independent contractor appraisers licensed or certified pursuant to Part 3 (commencing with section 11300), of Division 4 of the Business and Professions Code or employs 11 or more appraisers licensed or certified pursuant to that Part. 2. Receives requests for appraisals from one or more clients. 3. For a fee paid by one or more of its clients, delegates appraisal assignments for completion by its independent contractor or employee appraisers. (B) ?Appraisal Management Company" does not include any of the following, when that person or entity directly contracts with an independent appraiser: 1. Any bank, credit union, trust company, savings and loan association, or industrial loan company doing business under the authority of, or in accordance with, a license, certificate, or charter issued by the United States or any state, district, territory, or commonwealth of the United States that is authorized to transact business in this state. 2. Any finance lender or finance broker licensed pursuant to Division 9 (commencing with Section 22000) of the Financial Code, when acting under the authority of that license. 3. Any residential mortgage lender or residential mortgage servicer licensed pursuant to Division 20 (commencing with Section 50000) of the Financial Code, when acting under the authority of that license. 4. Any real estate broker licensed pursuant to Part 1 (commencing with Section 10000) of Division 4 of the Business and Professions Code, when acting under the authority of that license. http://www.orea.ca.gov/pdf/orea_regs_full.pdf Thanks!
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Code of Professional Ethics of the National Society of Real Estate Appraisers
IT'S THE LAW- Statement 7: Prohibition Against Discrimination
State agencies should be aware that Title XI and the Agencies' regulations prohibit federally regulated financial institutions from excluding appraisers from consideration for an assignment by virtue of their membership, or lack of membership, in any appraisal organization. Federally regulated financial institutions should review the qualifications of appraisers to ensure that they are qualified for the assignment for which they are being considered. It is unacceptable to assume that an appraiser is qualified solely due to membership in, or designation from, an appraisal organization, or the lack thereof. The Agencies have determined that financial institutions' appraisal policies should not favor appraisers from one or more organizations or exclude individuals based on their lack of such membership. If a State agency learns that a certified or licensed appraiser allegedly has been a victim of such discrimination, the State agency should inform the Agency which has regulatory authority over the involved financial institution. INCLUDING THE APPRAISAL INSTITUTE-MAICONFIDENTIALITY/PRIVILEGE NOTICE: This transmission and any attachments are intended solely for the addressee. The information contained in this transmission is confidential in nature and protected from further use or disclosure under U.S. Pub. L. 106-102, 113 U.S. Stat. 1338 (1999), and may be subject to consultant/appraiser-client or other legal privilege. Your use or disclosure of this information for any purpose other than that intended by its transmittal is strictly prohibited and may subject you to fines and/or penalties under federal and state law. If you are not the intended recipient of this transmission, please destroy all copies received and confirm destruction to the sender via return transmittal

Source: http://commercialappraiser.typepad.com/blog/2013/04/california-code-of-regulations-ztitle-10-cgrea-cre-commercial-appraiser.html

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Bayern routs Barcelona 4-0 in Champions League

MUNICH (AP) ? For once, Barcelona was on the wrong end of the kind of rout it so often inflicts on others.

And with Bayern Munich in such devastating form, even a fully fit Lionel Messi might not have made much difference.

Thomas Mueller scored twice, Mario Gomez and Arjen Robben had one goal each and Bayern Munich routed Barcelona 4-0 Tuesday night in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal. Bayern humbled the Spanish powerhouse by taking full advantage of Messi's subpar performance.

"We knew we were able to give them a good competition," winger Arjen Robben said. "This team (Barcelona) has dominated Europe over the last five years and if you beat them like this, I think you can be proud."

In a game perhaps signaling a shift in power, Bayern Munich sent Barcelona to its first four-goal defeat since a 4-0 loss at Getafe in the Copa del Rey semifinals on May 10, 2007. Barcelona, which has won three of the last seven titles, had lost by four goals only once before in the Champions League, 4-0 at Dynamo Kiev in the group stage on Nov. 6, 1997.

"We can be proud, we played a terrific game, everybody," Robben said. "We fought for every meter and we didn't give them much space to play."

Mueller scored on a close-range header in the 25th minute after Franck Ribery's corner kick went to the far post, where Robben crossed to Dante for a header back across the goal.

Gomez doubled the lead in the 49th against a defense missing injured center backs Carles Puyol and Javier Mascherano. Ribery's corner kick went to the far post, where Mueller rose over Daniel Alves and headed across for Gomez, who may have been offside.

Robben made it 3-0 in the 73rd when he worked around a pick by Mueller and slotted an angled shot past goalkeeper Victor Valdes. Mueller got his second goal in the 82nd off a pass swung in by David Alaba.

"When it comes to big games, I just go wild," Mueller said.

Barca is in a hole it might have no chance of climbing from.

"Wonders are difficult to achieve, 4-0 is an enormous result. We want to play with pride and we'll try (our) best," assistant coach Jordi Roura said.

Barcelona left back Jordi Alba received a yellow card in the 89th minute and is suspended for the second leg of the total-goals series on May 1 in Barcelona.

Borussia Dortmund hosts Real Madrid on Wednesday in the start of the other semifinal.

Four-time world player of the year Messi, slowed by a hamstring injury, made his first start since April 2, but wasn't a factor. Barcelona had few chances, while Bayern used its size to outmuscle the Spanish team on restarts.

Messi has been bothered by the hamstring injury for three weeks and was only declared fit to play shortly before the match. But the four-time FIFA player of the year was a pale shadow of himself.

"Leo tried really hard just to be here, he gave everything, but he couldn't do more," Roura said.

With Messi struggling, none of his teammates was able to create much.

"You have to have a plan against Barcelona and the players executed it very well," said Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes, who will be replaced by former Barcelona counterpart Pep Guardiola after this season. "Barcelona has a certain philosophy, but my players knew exactly what they had to do on the field. We defended as a team, we really wanted not to concede a goal at home and we achieved that.

"At the same time, we were creative in attack, and if we gain space, we can beat any team in the world. But Barcelona is still one of the best teams and there are still 90 minutes to play. We haven't qualified yet."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bayern-routs-barcelona-4-0-champions-league-204750715--sow.html

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Broadcom eyes more smartphone chip sales

By Noel Randewich

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Broadcom's first-quarter results beat expectations and the chipmaker said much of its growth this year would come from selling more components to smartphone makers.

Broadcom's quarterly earnings report pushed the chipmaker's shares up after hours as company executives said they expect their baseband chips to appear in upcoming handsets.

Broadcom, which sells wireless chips used in Apple's iPhone as well lower-end devices popular in Asia, posted first-quarter revenue of $2.01 billion, up 9.7 percent from the year-earlier period.

"Over the course of the year, we should see additional customers in our baseband business," Chief Executive Scott McGregor told analysts on a conference call, of the chips that let cellphones communicate across networks.

Apple on Tuesday reported fiscal second-quarter revenue above expectations, but profit declined for the first time in a decade and CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that Apple's growth rate had slowed.

With investors concerned Apple's expansion may be losing steam, shares of Broadcom had fallen about 1 percent so far in 2013, compared to a 12 percent increase in the Philadelphia Semiconductor index.

Like its competitors, Broadcom is trying to diversify its customer base with more sales to manufacturers including Samsung Electronics , Apple's main rival in smartphones and tablets.

Broadcom's chips integrating wifi and Bluetooth technology are used in Apple's iPhone and other top-tier smartphones and tablets.

The company makes 3G baseband chips used in less expensive smartphones sold in Asia and other emerging markets, and it plans to launch high-speed 4G baseband chips compatible with more advanced networks.

"Their strategy has been to get a foothold at a major supplier and work their way up," said Kevin Cassidy, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus. "Now they're expanding their footprint."

Broadcom said revenue in the second quarter would be $2.10 billion, plus or minus 4 percent.

Analysts, on average, had expected first-quarter revenue of $1.913 billion and second-quarter revenue of $2.050 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Broadcom reported a net profit of $191 million, or 33 cents per share, compared with a net profit of $88 million, or 15 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. Adjusted earnings per share were 65 cents, beating the 56 cents expected by analysts.

Shares of Broadcom rose 4.76 percent in extended trade after closing up 1.17 percent at $32.98.

(Reporting by Noel Randewich; Editing by Dale Hudson and Andrew Hay)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chipmaker-broadcoms-1st-quarter-profit-revenue-beat-street-202811968--sector.html

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Despite Years of Protest, Passage of the Internet Sales Tax Suddenly Seems Imminent

An overwhelming majority of Senators just voted to cut the debate short and get a final vote on a controversial bill that will impose sales tax on purchases made on the Internet. Though support to move the so-called Marketplace Fairness Act forward jumped from less than 60 senators to 74 who voted to limit debate on Monday, the pro-Internet crew has a tough row to hoe. But based on the industry Goliaths at their back, companies like Wal-Mart and Amazon, and the recent change of heart by so many lawmakers, the bill looks like it stands a pretty good chance of making it to the president's desk. It helps that the Obama administration announced not long before the vote on Monday that it supports the curent version of the bill.

RELATED: Congress Can't Even Fix a Hole in the Roof

But just because the bill suddenly has a lot of support from very powerful people, doesn't mean it's without opposition. Opponents of the bill include everyone from eBay, the Internet auction giant that's been mobilizing its millions of users against the bill, to Grover Norquists Americans for Tax Reform, a powerful anti-tax lobby with obvious libertarian?leanings. After Monday's change of heart in the Senate, those groups turned their gaze to the House, where there's still some hope if not to stop the bill than to amend it so that's not so sweeping.?

RELATED: Inside Today's Sandy Relief Bill That's Not All About Sandy Relief

The bill isn't really all?that sweeping in its current form, though. There are some failsafes to protect small business, like a rule that only requires an online retailer to collect tax if they bring in less than $1 million in revenue. (The Marketplace Fairness Act, meanwhile, would bring an estimated $22 billion to $24 billion in new tax revenue.)?These are the same business, the White House says, will benefit most from the bill since it "will level the playing field for local?small business?retailers who are undercut every day by out-of-state on-line companies." The National Governors Association, who favors the bill, similarly said that the current structure is favoring online retails and, as a result, "shuttering stores and undermining state budgets."

RELATED: Congress Is No Fun Anymore

Opponents beg to differ, but some are willing to meet half way. During the Senate's abbreviated debate on the bill, there are plans to introduce a three-word amendment that would limit the bill's reach to Internet sellers "in participating states." So if New Hampshire, the "Live Free or Die" state, doesn't want to impose a new tax, it doesn't have to. Regardless of what happens in the interim, the gist of this bill feels imminent. Jordan Weissman at The Atlantic calls it "common sense," and apparently, a growing group of lawmakers agree.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/despite-years-protest-passage-internet-sales-tax-suddenly-011602232.html

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Spain's population falls as immigrants flee crisis

By Fiona Ortiz

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's official population fell last year for the first time since records began as immigrants fled a five-year on-and-off recession that has sent unemployment soaring.

The number of residents fell by 206,000 to 47.1 million, the National Statistics Institute said on Monday, a figure entirely accounted for by the fall in the number of registered foreign residents.

It was the first time a population drop had been recorded in official statistics since records began in 1857 - although until 1998 figures were published roughly every decade, rather than annually.

Spain and the rest of Southern Europe are suffering twin economic and fiscal crises.

During a long economic boom that ended abruptly in 2008, Spanish-speaking immigrants from Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia flocked to Spain to work in construction. Between 2000 and 2010, the immigrant population swelled from 924,000 to 5.7 million.

But building has come to a standstill since a housing bubble burst, and a government spending squeeze to try to meet strict deficit cutting targets imposed by Brussels has further strained the economy. As the unemployment rate has soared to 26 percent, many immigrants have returned home.

The biggest fall in registered foreign residents was among South Americans, especially Ecuadoreans and Colombians, the statistics agency said.

"There was extraordinary growth (in immigrants) from 2000 to 2009, which is reversing quickly due to the economic crisis," demographer Albert Esteve of the Barcelona Centre for Demographic Studies told Spain National Radio.

"Spain is less attractive because there are no jobs."

Spain's two largest groups of immigrants, Romanians and Moroccans, both shrank last year.

Not only are immigrants returning home; many Spaniards are also leaving to look for work abroad. The youth unemployment rate is higher than 50 percent.

The population of native Spaniards grew last year by 10,000, a smaller increase than in recent years, only minimally offsetting a fall of 216,000 in the number of registered foreigners.

(This story is refiled to clarify fall is first ever, not first since 1946)

(Additional reporting by Inmaculada Sanz; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spains-population-falls-immigrants-flee-crisis-131054858--business.html

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Sudan to start peace talks with border state rebels

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan will start peace talks on Tuesday with insurgents fighting government troops in two states bordering South Sudan in a conflict which has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, according to state media on Sunday.

The talks with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) will commence under the auspices of the African Union in Ethiopia on Tuesday, said Ibrahim Ghandour, head of Sudan's delegation, state news agency SUNA reported.

Sudan previously refused to meet the SPLM-North and accused South Sudan of backing the rebels, charges denied by Juba.

Khartoum changed its stance after signing a deal with South Sudan last month to defuse tensions between the neighbors and resume cross-border oil flows. The countries came close to war a year ago in a conflict over oil fees and disputed territory.

The SPLM-North has already said it was ready to talk to Sudan. Its fighters in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states sided with South Sudan during decades of civil war with Khartoum, which ended with a peace agreement in 2005.

They were left on the Sudanese side of the border after southern secession in July 2011.

Fighting in the two border states has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. The United Nations has been denied access to deliver aid via Sudan to rebel-held territories in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Sudan's north-south war was one of Africa's longest and deadliest conflicts, killing some 2 million people, devastating much of South Sudan and sucking in many of its neighbors.

(Reporting by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sudan-start-peace-talks-border-state-rebels-171326093.html

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CBS Twitter Accounts Hacked, Tweeting Suspicious Links

At least 3 CBS-affiliated news accounts have been hacked, apparently by a rabid conspiracy theorist who wants the world to believe that President Obama is aiding Al-Qaeda. Accounts for @60minutes?@48hours, and @CBSDenver?have all been hacked, some tweeting?suspicious?links (don’t click on them). Screenshots below. CBS is apparently working with Twitter to get the situation under control.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/88r7BzWMVqM/

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Prosecution rests in Philadelphia abortion doctor trial

(Editor's Note: Please be advised this story contains graphic material that may upset some readers)

By Dave Warner

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A clinic worker testified on Thursday a Philadelphia abortion doctor cut the necks of babies born breathing, including one the physician described as "big enough to walk me to the bus stop."

The prosecution rested its murder case against Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, after calling its final witness, Kareema Cross, who worked at his Women's Medical Society clinic in urban West Philadelphia.

Gosnell is charged with eight counts of murder in the deaths of a female patient and seven infants who prosecutors say lived through abortion procedures but had their spinal cords severed by Gosnell. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

Cross told the jury at Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia that she saw babies born breathing, moving and making sounds at the clinic.

One woman delivered the biggest infant Cross had ever seen at the clinic, and Gosnell followed his standard practice of snipping the spinal cord, she testified.

"The baby was big," Cross, a $10-per-hour medical assistant, said of the July 2008 incident. She quoted Gosnell as saying, "The baby was big enough to walk me to the bus stop."

Gosnell has been in jail since he was charged in January 2011 after a grand jury probe. He is on trial on 26 charges, including the eight counts of murder.

The case has rekindled the debate in the United States about late-term abortions. Under Pennsylvania law, abortions can be performed up to 24 weeks.

Cross said she took photos of the baby after the abortion, which were displayed in the courtroom on a large screen. The infant moved its arms after being placed by Gosnell in what she called a shoe-box size plastic container.

She testified that Gosnell would tell his staff that the bodies were not live and moving, but showing reflex responses.

"The baby moved, he cut the neck, and the baby kept moving," she told the jury.

Cross also testified about another infant, born in a toilet bowl at the West Philadelphia clinic.

"The mother was sitting on the toilet and the baby came out," she said. "The baby was moving, trying to get out of the water."

She said she could not see if that infant was breathing.

Cross told the jury that she had seen about 10 other aborted babies breathing when they were delivered at the clinic.

On another occasion, she said, she heard a newborn make a sound.

"It was not a real cry, it was like a whine," she said.

The defense was expected to open its case when the trial resumes on Monday. Defense attorney Jack McMahon declined to say whether Gosnell will testify.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Phil Berlowitz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/prosecution-rests-philadelphia-abortion-doctor-trial-224734523.html

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EU resistant to China telecoms trade case - Sweden

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Source: www.ibtimes.com --- Thursday, April 18, 2013
A growing number of EU countries do not want the European Commission to launch an investigation into Chinese telecoms equipment makers Huawei and ZTE, Sweden said on Thursday. ...

Source: http://www.ibtimes.comhttp:0//www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/458871/20130419/eu-resistant-to-china-telecoms-trade-case-sweden.htm

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Having a ball: Fan catches 2 homers at single game

Zack Hample, a 35-year-old New Yorker holds the two balls he caught in the right-field seats Thursday April 18, 2013 during the Yankess Diamondbacks game. Hample, who wrote a how-to book about snagging big league baseballs, said he caught two home runs at a game for the second time after accomplishing the feat at Baltimore's Camden Yards on drives by Seattle's Michael Saunders and the Orioles' Corey Patterson on May 13, 2010. (AP Photo/Jeremy Engdahl-Johnson)

Zack Hample, a 35-year-old New Yorker holds the two balls he caught in the right-field seats Thursday April 18, 2013 during the Yankess Diamondbacks game. Hample, who wrote a how-to book about snagging big league baseballs, said he caught two home runs at a game for the second time after accomplishing the feat at Baltimore's Camden Yards on drives by Seattle's Michael Saunders and the Orioles' Corey Patterson on May 13, 2010. (AP Photo/Jeremy Engdahl-Johnson)

Zack Hample, right, shakes the hand of Arizona Diamondbacks' Didi Gregorius after a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Thursday, April 18, 2013, at Yankee Stadium in New York. Hample caught home run balls hit by Gregorius and Yankees' Francesco Cervelli. The Diamondbacks won 6-2 in the 12th inning. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Zack Hample, right, shakes the hand of Arizona Diamondbacks' Didi Gregorius after a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Thursday, April 18, 2013, at Yankee Stadium in New York. Hample caught home run balls hit by Gregorius and Yankees' Francesco Cervelli. The Diamondbacks won 6-2 in the 12th inning. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Zack Hample leads the majors in hogging home run balls.

The 35-year-old New Yorker picked up Didi Gregorius' first big league homer when the Arizona Diamondbacks rookie lined a pitch into the third row of right-field seats in the third inning Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.

Then he caught a tying drive by Francisco Cervelli of the Yankees in the first row of left-field stands in the ninth.

"It's a little bit of luck, obviously. I move all over the place constantly," Hample said after Arizona's 6-2 victory over New York in 12 innings. "People don't notice the seven games I've been to this year and didn't catch a home run."

Author of the 1999 book "How to Snag Major League Baseballs," Hample is having a ball, the Cal Ripken Jr. of his hobby. Hample said he's come away from 880 consecutive games with at least one ball, a streak dating to September 1993 at old Yankee Stadium.

He caught two homers in one game for the second time after accomplishing the feat at Baltimore's Camden Yards on May 13, 2010, drives to right in consecutive innings by Seattle's Michael Saunders and the Orioles' Corey Patterson.

Hample caught Barry Bonds' 724th home run, at San Diego off Chan Ho Park on Aug. 12, 2006. He caught the first big league home runs by Mike Nickeas (April 21, 2011) and Mike Trout (July 24, 2011) and the last home run hit by the New York Mets at Shea Stadium (Carlos Beltran on Sept. 28, 2008).

By Hample's count, he's come up with 29 home run balls: 24 off the bat and five tossed to him after landing in bullpens and other areas.

He claimed he would have grabbed Martin Prado's sixth-inning homer to left had he not been speaking with a Diamondbacks television reporter at the time.

"I really just go by instinct. I don't position differently for different hitters," he said. "I had a friend sitting out in right field tonight who called me early in the game and said, 'We're over here. Say hello.' I intentionally waited for Gregorius' first at-bat. I knew he had no home runs."

A graduate of Guilford College in North Carolina, Hample works at Argosy Book Store, which was founded by his grandfather near Bloomingdales on Manhattan's East Side. He does some baseball writing and has turned ball-hawking into a business: He accompanies fans to games and guarantees each they will get a ball.

Hample has a website to track his quest, is quick to tweet pictures of himself with each newly caught ball and stores his home run records on his cellphone.

"I'm a dork, but not a big enough dork that I have it all memorized," he said.

Even though he lives in Manhattan, in a ball-filled, one-bedroom apartment, Hample was wearing a Diamondbacks cap because he's been a Heath Bell fan since 2004.

"Zack's crazy. I know Zack from when I was a rookie with the Mets," the Arizona reliever said. "He probably was a Padres fan when I was a Padre, a Marlins fan when I was a Marlin."

Hample, who gave Gregorius back his home run ball in exchange for an autographed baseball, has been to Yankee Stadium, Citi Field and Fenway Park this season and plans on going to all 30 major league parks this year.

He's being sponsored by BIGS sunflower seeds, which will donate up to $15,000 to Pitch In For Baseball, which collects and redistributes baseball and softball equipment to people in needy communities. It will donate $500 for each stadium where he gets a game-used ball ? he has to grab it on his own; he can't accept balls picked up by other fans. So far he's 3 for 3, and he hopes to give BIGS a set of 30 balls to auction off, one from each ballpark.

Hample said he's caught 153 foul balls during games and gotten 6,516 ? "that's the exact number" ? baseballs from big league ballparks, mostly during batting practice. He's caught more balls than many big leaguers in their entire careers.

"I've given away more baseballs than I can count," he said.

Online:

http://www.zackhample.com/

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-19-Home%20Run%20Happy%20Fan/id-f96fafd0019345c69d5134f29e818d94

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Federal Court Halts Fracking In California

A milestone ruling in California has found that federal authorities broke the law when leasing land to frackers. Fracking is a process in which silica sand and hundreds of gallons of chemicals and water, are blasted deep into the earth?s underground wells to release natural gas.

The federal judge, in an April 8, 2013, ruling said that federal authorities at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) violated the law by leasing government-controlled land to hydraulic frackers?natural gas and oil drilling companies?said PlanetSave. The leases, which were made without proper environmental oversight and fracking risk assessment, involve about 2,700 acres of land in California?s Monterey and Fresno counties.

In his April 8, 2013 decision, federal judge Paul Grewal wrote: ?BLM argues that the effects of fracking on the parcels at issue are largely unknown. The court agrees, [and] this is precisely why proper investigation is so crucial,? according to PlanetSave.

?This important decision recognizes that fracking poses new, unique risks?to California?s air, water, and wildlife that government agencies can?t ignore. This is a watershed moment?the first court opinion to find a federal lease sale invalid for failing to address the monumental dangers of fracking,? said Brendan Cummings, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD). The lawsuit was led by CBD and The Sierra Club, said PlanetSave.

Fracking critics have long argued that fracking devastates the environment and contaminates groundwater and underground water aquifers; this contaminates nearby and widespread fresh water supplies. Citizens, Monetery County officials, and local landowners strongly opposed the lease/sale as far back as 2011, saying that fracking would endanger the municipal water supply and expressing concerns that the fracking boom would affect their region, said PlanetSave. Agriculture is California?s biggest industry. In fact, Monterey County?s surrounding area is known as ?America?s Salad Bowl? for its large lettuce, tomato, and other salad-like crops.

The BLM-leased lands would have shared the Salinas river watershed with the area?s farmers and wine growers; potential fracking fluid contamination of that water could risk the food provided to millions of Americans, PlanetSave noted. Fracking fluid contamination has been linked to water and air pollution in areas such as Wyoming and New York.

A recent study from the Colorado School of Public Health found evidence that fracking-related pollution contributes to neurological and respiratory illnesses and increased cancer risks in residents near fracking well sites, PlanetSave wrote.

We previously wrote that environmental researchers said they discovered greenhouse gases at excessive levels near Australia?s largest coal seam gas field, which is associated fracking. The discovery prompted calls to stop expansion of fracking there until researchers can understand if the practice is contributing to climate change. The report revealed methane, carbon dioxide, and other compounds at an excess of three times normal background levels.

Meanwhile, of all the health and environmental threats posed by fracking, one of the more dangerous may be that from silica sand, which is used in the millions of pounds at fracking sites in the United States, In fact, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) believes silica sand becoming airborne is putting thousands of well workers and those living downwind of an active well at serious risk of health problems. At least 4 million pounds of silica sand are used at a typical, active fracking well.

Ingesting too much silica sand can lead to silicosis, a dangerous and irreversible health complication that is marked by breathing trouble. The disease gets progressively worse and only preventative measures can be taken to avoid it altogether.

Source: http://www.newsinferno.com/?p=43698

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Theatre review: Gold Mountain an inspiring play - Montreal Gazette

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From left: David Yip and Eugene Salleh in Gold mountain by David Yip and Kevin Wong, at Th??tre aux ?curies.

Talk about a match made in heaven. The combination of the multimedia expertise of Montreal?s Les Deux Mondes theatre company and the rare and fascinating tale of a Chinese sailor who settles down in England, written by David Yip and Kevin Wong, co-produced by the Unity Theatre of Liverpool and Les Deux Mondes, makes for inspiring, memorable theatre.

Gold Mountain, now playing at Aux ?curies, is a remarkably succinct immigrant?s odyssey loosely based on the life story of Yip?s father. But Yip and co-author Wong make it clear from the outset that this elder was not a reliable narrator. In some ways the minimalist Gold Mountain is reminiscent of the Canadian Jewish classic Lies My Father Told Me. A father?s dreams of financial success (in this case, finding a mountain made of gold, or winning at the gambling tables) lead to a huge letdown for the entire family.

Yip has said that it was only in his later years, after taking up Buddhism, that he found the forgiveness and empathy necessary to draw out his father?s story, through a series of taped interviews. At the time, his father was in the early stages of dementia, so the lines of reality were doubly blurred.

In the play, the son (played by Eugene Salleh), frequently calls his father (played by Yip) into account. Following the old man?s anecdote about meeting Sun Yat-sen, founding father of the Republic of China, the son reminds him that Sun Yat-sen had died before he was born. As for the letters that the father claims to have written to Chairman Mao, telling him how to run his revolution ? it turns out that they were never mailed. Whether he was actually involved in a seamen?s strike remains in question as does how he avoided the cruel deportation and repatriation of Chinese seamen from Liverpool in 1945.

Daniel Meilleur?s imagistic direction of Gold Mountain aptly conveys the quasi-mythical nature of the play while strong, credible performances by Salleh and Yip add an element of psychological realism. Subtle shifts of lighting make silhouettes of bodies or masks of faces, while deft use of projections of scenes from China and Liverpool (by Yves Dub?) and a richly textured soundscape (by Michel Robidoux) set the scene. Symbolic props like a golden sailing ship suggest the dreamlike nature of the past.

According to the paternal account, it was the militant wing of the Kouimintang, the political party co-founded by Sun Yat-sen, which drove him out of Canton. After fleeing across China on foot, he arrived in Hong Kong where he signed on as a seaman and found his way to Liverpool. There, he courted a British girl named Mary whose smile, he says, could bring sunshine to a rainy day. He promised her lots of children and many laundries. Multiple children soon arrived. But he lost the one laundry he ever owned in a card game and took up selling opium from the house.

The marriage went downhill from there. Once Mary landed a job, she moved out, leaving him in a state of confused despair from which he never fully recovered.

In Gold Mountain, Mary is idealized, rather than brought forth in the flesh. She remains forever young and stunningly beautiful in wedding-photo images projected onto two giant fans for one scene, and onto a cylindrical tent of mosquito netting (with Yip standing inside) for another. There?s a suggestion of romance fading into the mundane within a narrative that avoids pathos and sentimentality by maintaining a certain distance.

This lyrical, fragmented gem leaves us wondering why we don?t hear more diaspora stories from our own Chinese communities across Canada.

Gold Mountain, by David Yip and Kevin Wong, continues, in English, with French surtitles, until April 27 at Th??tre aux ?curies, 7285 Chabot St. Tickets $12.50 to $25. Call 514-328-7437 or www.auxecuries.com.

pdonnell@montrealgazette.com

Twitter: @patstagepage

? Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

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Source: http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/theatre/Theatre+review+Gold+Mountain+inspiring+play/8256348/story.html

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Officials: 2nd letter to Senate tested for ricin

Law enforcement officials say a second suspicious letter that has been received in Washington was actually directed to the White House, not the Senate.

Two officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the letter was being treated in the same manner as a separate one sent to Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker and was undergoing field tests.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

The U.S. Secret Service said it intercepted a letter addressed to President Barack Obama that contained a "suspicious substance."

The letter to Wicker, a Republican, was intercepted at a Senate mail facility just outside Washington and has tested positive for ricin. Sen. Claire McCaskill has said authorities have a suspect in mind in that case, though no one has been charged.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/officials-2nd-letter-senate-tested-152228470.html

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