New York City "cannibal cop" convicted of plot to kidnap women

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Green Blog: Taking a Harder Look at Fracking and Health

PHILADELPHIA ? A coalition of academic researchers in the United States is preparing to shine a rigorous scientific light on the polarized and often emotional debate over whether using hydraulic fracturing to drill for natural gas is hazardous to human health.

Some five years after the controversial combination of fracking and horizontal drilling in the gas-rich Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and surrounding states got under way, a team of toxicologists from the University of Pennsylvania is leading a national effort to study the health effects of fracking.

The university?s Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology has organized a working group with researchers at other top universities including Columbia, Johns Hopkins and the University of North Carolina to investigate and analyze reports of nausea, headaches, breathing difficulties and other ills from people who live near natural gas drilling sites, compressor stations or wastewater pits.

The aim is to bring academic discipline to the unresolved national debate, which pits an industry that denies any link between fracking and environmental contamination against those who assert that fracking poisons air and water with natural and man-made chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects and other illnesses.

?There is an enormous amount of rhetoric on both sides,? said Trevor M. Penning, head of the Penn toxicology center and the driving force behind the Environmental Health Sciences Core Center Hydrofracking Working Group. ?We felt that because we are situated in Pennsylvania, we had a duty to get on top of what was known and what was not known.?

Dr. Penning has asked 17 centers affiliated with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to take part in different aspects of research on the health effects of fracking. Ten have so far accepted, he said in an interview.

Among the questions to be answered, Dr. Penning said, is the toxicity of the ?flowback? water that emerges from gas wells, which contains a mix of man-made and naturally occurring chemicals. The drilling technique forces a mixture of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure a mile or more underground to fracture shale formations and release the natural gas ? mainly methane.

Determining whether flowback water or fracking fluid is dangerous to health is challenging if the chemicals and their combinations are not fully disclosed, he said. The teams will also look at whether air quality is dangerously affected by the flaring of waste gases, and whether the industry?s extensive use of diesel fuel for trucks, drills and compressor stations is polluting the air near gas installations to unhealthy levels.

?We don?t know if the levels we are dealing with are hazardous,? he said. ?We think it?s unsafe, but we don?t know it?s unsafe.?

The first project, based on work at Penn, surveyed residents in the Marcellus Shale regions of Pennsylvania about their health symptoms and whether they believed their symptoms were related to local gas drilling. Results are expected to be published in mid-February.

Future projects, which depend on obtaining financing from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, would include working with a cancer center at the University of Texas to compare the heavily drilled Barnett Shale in that state with the Marcellus and to determine whether state laws on gas drilling have taken public health into consideration.

Also awaiting financing is a plan to use a Harvard University mapping tool to correlate natural gas installations with reports of sickness and a proposal to study the health outcomes of targeted populations by examining billing data from insurance companies.

Dr. Penning said the planned research projects would not duplicate the continuing work of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which is conducting its own research into whether fracking contaminates water supplies. That study is not explicitly focused on the health effects of any contamination, he said.

Asked why academics are only now proposing a systematic study of fracking?s health effects about five years after the shale boom began in earnest in Pennsylvania, Dr. Penning replied, ?Politics.?

With a strongly pro-industry administration led by Pennsylvania?s Republican governor, Tom Corbett, and a Republican-controlled legislature that has recently approved a gas-drilling law friendly to industry, state financing has not been available for research into whether drilling activities have negative health effects, Dr. Penning said.

?Academia can only do work if there?s funding to do that work,? he said.

The projects may guide industry and government worldwide in developing shale gas reserves, which are expected to become a major global energy source.

?The Marcellus Shale is a microcosm of what?s going on across the globe,? Dr. Penning said.

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/21/taking-a-harder-look-at-fracking-and-health/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Jetsettersblog ? Sports & Music Festival Returns to Desert Breeze ...

New Found Glory, 3OH3 & Asking Alexandria Set To Headline March 30 Festival

Las Vegas, NV ? December 17, 2012 ? Extreme Thing Sports & Music Festival roars back for the 18th year, leaving concert, professional BMX and amateur skate competitions in its wake. Extreme Thing Sports & Music Festival, produced by Clark County Parks & Recreation, is Nevada?s only premier action sports and music festival and is set for 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. March 30th at the Desert Breeze Skate Park, 8275 Spring Mountain Road at Durango Drive.

Tickets are $17 in advance and $20 on the day of the show. A limited VIP Package is also available for $30 and includes a general admission ticket, commemorative event T-shirt and event poster.

Extreme Thing will feature bands New Found Glory, 3OH3, Asking Alexandria, Mindless Self Indulgence, Sleeping with Sirens, Aquabats, Youngblood Hawke, Comeback Kid, Motionless In White, Born of Osiris, Chelsea Grin, Iwrestledabearonce (with more being added), along with a world class BMX Dirt Challenge hosted by local pro-rider/reality TV Star Ricardo Laguna, the Vegas AmJam Skate and BMX amateur competition, and making its highly anticipated return the DUBSTEP stage featuring: Big Chocolate, Mechanize, Splitbreed, Pablos Hassan, Mike Attack, Teen Wolf, Bize, Michael Toast, Bassnutz and more to be added.

The IADT Local Band Stage will welcome the top seven Battle of the Fans winners to perform on their own stage, while the schools? students, film and record a live DVD for the local bands to showcase.

Only a personal ?unopened? bottle of water can be brought to the festival along with still cameras and sunscreen.

There will be plenty of ATMs on site with an array of food vendors available, along with beverages.

Alcohol will not be sold. Animals, coolers, weapons or chairs are not permitted. Re-entry will not be allowed at this event.

Sponsors include: X107.5, Verizon Wireless, International Academy of Design & Technology, Vitaminwater, City Life, My LVTV, The CW Las Vegas and XPOZLV.com.

Those interested can visit the Web site at http://www.extremething.com. Tickets can be purchased online starting January 1, 2013 at http://www.ticketmaster.com or http://www.extremething.com.

Additional information can be found by calling Clark County Parks and Recreation at 455-8200 or visiting the Web site at http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/parks.

Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at (702) 474-4000 or at participating Smith?s Grocery Store(s).

All tickets are subject to additional facility fees and/or service charges.

Additional information can be found by calling Clark County Parks and Recreation at (702) 455-8200 or visiting the Web site at http://www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/parks . Clark County Parks and Recreation also can be found on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook by visiting http://tinyurl.com/4dfw8ea.
Clark County is a dynamic and innovative organization dedicated to providing top-quality service with integrity, respect and accountability. With jurisdiction over the world-famous Las Vegas
Strip and covering an area the size of New Jersey, Clark is the nation?s 14th-largest county and provides extensive regional services to more than 2 million citizens and 40 million visitors a year.
Included are the nation?s 7th-busiest airport, air quality compliance, social services and the state?s largest public hospital, University Medical Center. The county also provides municipal services
that are traditionally provided by cities to almost 900,000 residents in the unincorporated area. Those include fire protection, roads and other public works, parks and recreation, and planning
and development.

Source: http://www.jetsettersblog.com/blog/2013/01/02/sports-music-festival-returns-to-desert-breeze-skate-park/

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Source: http://ucotodavi.wordpress.com/2013/01/04/jetsettersblog-sports-music-festival-returns-to-desert-breeze/

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The Real Estate Investor's Mindset: Live The Way You Believe ...

The real estate market is picking up steam. In some places such as San Francisco and New York City, the recovery has turned into a frenzy where rents are surging and multi-bidding situations are now the norm. As a prodigious wealth builder, it?s important to assess your local real estate environment.

I?m down in the Sunday open house trenches to get a first hand view of what?s going on. I talk to Realtors about their property listing durations, understand why the sellers are selling, and get opinions on the market. You can never fully trust a Realtor because to them, it?s ?always a good time to buy or sell property.? By going to open houses yourself, you can at least observe the amount of foot traffic and listen to the enthusiasm or lack thereof.

It should be obvious I?m an advocate of homeownership by now for the following reasons:

1) You have to live somewhere.

2) The homeownership stock is better quality than the rental stock to live.

3) Most people can?t save for poop, so paying down principle is better than poop.

4) Tax shield on income, which is especially helpful for those in higher brackets.

5) The long term trend is always up so long as there is limited land and population growth.

6) You can potentially make a lot of money over time.

7) More control over your lifestyle e.g. never have to move, remodel as you will.

8) Build real assets that can be passed along to your children.

9) Inflation hedge.

10) Inflation play.

There?s nothing wrong with renting if you don?t have the money, don?t know what to do with your life, have a lot of debt, or are not sure whether you want to live in one place for more than five years. The mobility of being a renter is wonderful, so is the lack of responsibility for property taxes and maintenance. Just know the return on rent is always -100% every month. At least with homeownership, you have a chance of making some money.

This post isn?t about the merits of homeownership. This post discusses how to think about your current living situation and whether it gels with your investment outlook. Remember, the name of the game is passive income, increasing assets, and creating financial freedom.

A RENTER IS NEGATIVE REAL ESTATE

A renter benefits when home prices and rents go down, which is why I say renters are ?short? real estate. If rents and home prices go up, renters get ?short squeezed? as they have to pay more of their disposable income on rent, a downpayment, and a mortgage. The concept is the same with the stock market. If you short Apple stock at $520, it means you believe you can buy back the stock at a lower price and pocket the different. If Apple rebounds to $600, you may have to buy back the stock at $600 and lose $80 a share.

With inflation, population growth, QE3, QE4, QE Infinity, and limited land, the natural trajectory is ?up and to the right? for rent and housing prices. Housing costs are a key component of inflation and something we must all pay in some way or another.?A renter is a price taker, just like a car driver is a price taker of gasoline. As a renter, you may actually not want rents to drop because that signifies a weakening economy.

If you are still renting 40 years from now, you won?t have a place to live rent-free in retirement, nor will you have an accumulated asset you can pass down or draw from. Like gasoline and tuition, the rent you pay now will undoubtedly be much higher when you become a senor citizen. Don?t believe me? Just ask your parents or grandparents what they were paying in rent during their working days.

A ONE PROPERTY HOMEOWNER IS NEUTRAL REAL ESTATE

When it comes to investing, everything is relative. Given you have to live somewhere, if you live in your home, you are neutral on real estate. If the market goes up, your house value goes up, but it doesn?t matter because you aren?t selling. You can take out a home equity line of credit to buy a Porsche 911 Turbo instead of a Honda Accord, but that?s not very wise.

Let?s say your $500,000 home appreciates by 20% to $600,000 over 10 years. You put 20% down ($100,000) and now your equity is worth $200,000 for a 100% increase. Awesome! But the house you want to upgrade to now costs $1 million from $800,000, because it too has gone up! The only thing that allows you to purchase more house is not your own home equity, but your savings and investments.

On the other hand, if you want to downsize from a $1 million dollar house to a $600,000 house, you have benefitted more financially if you are OK with the downgrade. You made $200,000 ($800,000 to $1 million) and only have to put $120,000 down on a $600,000 house. You therefore bank the $80,000 and pay a smaller $480,000 mortgage if you are fine with simpler living. As a homeowner, you are in a neutral positive situation.

On the flip side, if your $500,000 home loses 20% of its value to $400,000, you?re not really affected either because you aren?t moving anywhere unless you can?t afford the payments. Interestingly, that $1 million dollar house you?ve been eyeing may have also lost 20% of its value down to $800,000. You no longer have to put $200,000 down and take out a $800,000 if you want to move up. You can now put $160,000 down and assume a $640,000 mortgage instead! In a declining market, those who have the financial means to ?upgrade? are the ones who benefit.

As a one property homeowner, you?re like a small boat who happily floats along the rolling waves. Unless you are easily susceptible to sea sickness, the movements don?t really matter.

A MULTI-PROPERTY OWNER IS BULLISH ON REAL ESTATE

The only way to really benefit from a real estate recovery is to buy more than one property. When the markets are hot, you can raise the rent or sell the property to realize a gain. If you only own one property that you live in, you can?t do much at all except for downsize.

Why do you think there are countless examples of real estate magnets like Li Ka Shing, Sam Zell, and Donald Trump? They made their money (and lost some as well) through buying multiple properties on debt. Many have also gone bust buying at the wrong time, being over levered, and not holding on long enough. Over the long run, property has proven to be a consistent wealth builder for so many.

To recap, the point of this post is to get you thinking about how your outlook on housing and the economy fits with your current living situation. If you are very negative on housing, then owning multiple properties doesn?t make sense. If you believe there will be a multi-year housing market recovery like I do, renting doesn?t make sense because you?ll get squeezed. Rental yields are much higher than mortgage rates, which makes for an instant positive carry while you wait for capital appreciation.

Make sure your living situation is congruent with your real estate investor beliefs. Live the way you believe and everything will fall into place over time.

Are you short, neutral, or bullish on property? If you are incongruent with your beliefs, do you plan to change?

Photo: Santorini Property Overlooking The Crater, Sam D, 2011.

Regards,

Sam

Source: http://www.financialsamurai.com/2013/01/04/the-real-estate-investors-mindset/

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Myanmar says jets used against Kachin rebels

YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's military has used jets to attacks rebel fighters in northern Kachin state, the government said on Thursday, its first admission of an intensification of a conflict that has raised doubts about its reformist credentials.

Rebel sources have reported aerial bombings, shelling and even the use of chemical weapons since December 28 after the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) ignored an ultimatum to stop blocking an army supply route in the hilly, resource-rich state where more than 50,000 people have been displaced.

Official newspapers said that air support was used on December 30 to thwart KIA fighters who had occupied a hill and were attacking logistics units of the Tatmadaw, as Myanmar's military is known.

"The Tatmadaw troops cleared Point-771 hill and its surrounding areas where the KIA troops were attacking the Tatmadaw logistic troops," the New Light of Myanmar, a government mouthpiece, said. "The air cover was used in the attack."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern on Wednesday over reports of helicopters and fighter jets being used in the state bordering China. The KIA said the attacks were intended to clear the path for an assault on its headquarters in Laisa.

Ban called on Myanmar's government to "desist from any action that could endanger the lives of civilians" and reiterated demands for humanitarian aid groups to be granted access, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said in a statement.

President Thein Sein's quasi-civilian administration insists it wants a ceasefire and political dialogue. It says troops have acted only in self-defense and on Thursday denied having plans to seize the KIA's stronghold.

DOMINANT MILITARY

The escalation of fighting has raised doubts about the sincerity of the reformist ex-generals running the government and the extent of their power in a country the size of Britain and France plagued by decades of internal conflict.

Some analysts and diplomats say central government is either not fully committed to peace with the KIA or unable to assert control over the military, which still dominates politics and the economy despite formally ceding power in March 2011.

Colonel James Lum Dau, a Thai-based spokesman for the KIA's political wing, said Kachin officials on the ground had reported up to 300 people killed in air strikes.

"We are in a defensive position. Right now more people are suffering not only bombings, but shelling and spraying of chemical weapons with helicopter gunships and jets," he said. "Only god knows what to do. We are praying."

It is difficult for journalists to independently verify accounts from the two sides.

Fighting erupted in Kachin in June 2010, ending a 17-year truce, and has continued even as government negotiators have agreed ceasefires elsewhere with ethnic Shan, Chin, Mon and Karen militias after decades of fighting in border areas.

Mistrust runs deep between the military and the KIA, which was once backed by China, and multiple rounds of talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire have gone nowhere. Analysts say a history of bad blood and a battle for control of resources, including highly lucrative jade, could be stoking the unrest.

Zaw Htay, a senior official in Thein Sein's office, told Reuters no air strikes had taken place but K-8 trainer jets had provided cover fire to protect ground troops from rebel attacks. The military, he said, had no intention of seizing the KIA's headquarters.

"The president has said this and at the same time he has invited KIA leaders to come and talk with him in Naypyitaw, but they still haven't responded," Zaw Htay said.

(Additional reporting by Paul Carsten in Bangkok; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Alan Raybould)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/myanmar-says-jets-used-against-kachin-rebels-085722675.html

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Childhood Obesity with Dr. Eliana Perrin ? YOUR HEALTH?

Posted by: yourhealthradio | January 2, 2013

This weekend on YOUR HEALTH?, Adam & Cristy will be joined by?Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UNC, Dr. Eliana Perrin about Childhood Obesity.

Please tune in!?This show will?air:
? Saturday, January 5^th?at 9am
? Sunday, January 6^th?at 9am and 5pm
? Monday,?January 7^th?at 6pm and 10pm

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Source: http://yourhealthradio.org/2013/01/02/childhood-obesity-with-dr-eliana-perrin/

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NY area lawmakers: House GOP scraps vote Sandy aid

WASHINGTON (AP) ? New York area-lawmakers in both parties erupted in anger late Tuesday night after learning the House Republican leadership decided to allow the current term of Congress to end without holding a vote on aid for victims of Superstorm Sandy.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said he was told by the office of Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia that Speaker John Boehner of Ohio had decided to abandon a vote this session.

Cantor, who sets the House schedule, did not immediately comment. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland told reporters that just before Tuesday evening's vote on "fiscal cliff" legislation, Cantor told him that he was "99.9 percent confident that this bill would be on the floor, and that's what he wanted."

A spokesman for Boehner, Michael Steel said, "The speaker is committed to getting this bill passed this month."

In remarks on the House floor, King called the decision "absolutely inexcusable, absolutely indefensible. We cannot just walk away from our responsibilities."

The Senate approved a $60.4 billion measure Friday to help with recovery from the October storm that devastated parts of New York, New Jersey and nearby states. The House Appropriations Committee has drafted a smaller, $27 billion measure, and a vote had been expected before Congress' term ends Thursday at noon.

More than $2 billion in federal funds has been spent so far on relief efforts for 11 states and the District of Columbia struck by the storm, one of the worst ever to hit the Northeast. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund still has about $4.3 billion, enough to pay for recovery efforts into early spring, according to officials. The unspent FEMA money can only be used for emergency services, said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J.

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, District of Columbia, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Hampshire, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are receiving federal aid.

Sandy was blamed for at least 120 deaths and battered coastline areas from North Carolina to Maine. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were the hardest hit states and suffered high winds, flooding and storm surges. The storm damaged or destroyed more than 72,000 homes and businesses in New Jersey. In New York, 305,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed and more than 265,000 businesses were affected.

"This is an absolute disgrace and the speaker should hang his head in shame," said Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.

"I'm here tonight saying to myself for the first time that I'm not proud of the decision my team has made," said Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y. "It is the wrong decision, and I' m going to be respectful and ask that the speaker reconsider his decision. Because it's not about politics, it's about human lives."

"I truly feel betrayed this evening," said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y.

"We need to be there for all those in need now after Hurricane Sandy," said Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y.

The House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, said she didn't know whether a decision has been made and added, "We cannot leave here doing nothing. That would be a disgrace."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ny-area-lawmakers-house-gop-scraps-vote-sandy-045956219.html

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