Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/291438836?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Saturday, March 16, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Long-lasting Chemicals May Harm Sea Turtles
Baby sea turtles, like this Kemp's ridley hatchling, face an uphill fight for survival and bear a toxic burden. Image: Flickr/Terry Ross
From the moment they are born, sea turtles fight to survive. Buried alive, they dig themselves out and evade hungry crabs and birds as they crawl to the ocean, where they begin a long and treacherous migration. One out of 1,000 will survive into adulthood. And those that do will bear a toxic burden.
Scientists are discovering that sea turtles, long ignored by toxicologists who study wildlife, are highly contaminated with industrial chemicals and pesticides.
Loggerhead turtles have altered immune systems and smaller eggs that some studies have linked to contaminants. These chemicals kill turtle cells in lab experiments, and based on research in other marine life, scientists suspect that sea turtles may be vulnerable to thyroid, liver and neurological damage.
No one, however, knows the extent to which sea turtles in the wild may be harmed.
While other ocean creatures, including whales, seals and some fish, are well-studied, the chemical threats to sea turtles remain mostly hidden under a shell.
Decimated by climate change, poaching, accidental snaring and ocean trash, all U.S. species of sea turtles are protected by the Endangered Species Act, which makes studying them difficult.
"We really have just barely touched the tip of the iceberg," said Jennifer Keller, a marine biologist at the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, S.C. She is the top expert on pollution in sea turtles.
Sea turtles have some industrial compounds in their blood nearing levels that damage marine mammals. Keller's lab last year measured perfluorochemicals (PFCs) in the blood of five sea turtle species off the southeastern U.S. coast, and her calculations suggest that the turtles' potential risk for toxic effects is high.
Other long-lived chemicals also contaminate sea turtles, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are widely used industrial compounds banned in the late 1970s, and brominated flame retardants.
"These chemicals may not acutely poison the animals, but they can make exposed individuals a little more vulnerable to opportunistic infections or new and emerging infectious diseases," said Peter Ross, a research scientist in Canada who is one of the world?s leading experts on marine mammals and contaminants.
Some chemicals, particularly PCBs, have been shown to suppress the immune systems of wildlife, contributing to mass die-offs of seals and other marine mammals in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
This catastrophic damage hasn't been seen in turtles. Pollutants in their blood are orders of magnitude lower than levels in marine mammal blood, Keller said.
Nevertheless, Keller?s research with loggerheads caught off South Carolina has linked immune system changes to a variety of contaminants. As levels of chlordane and mirex ? two pesticides banned in the United States decades ago but still in the environment???went up in the turtles, their production of some disease-fighting immune cells decreased. And as PCBs and the pesticide DDT went up, some of their immune cells increased.
"Any alteration of immune function, even enhancement, can be considered an adverse effect," the authors wrote. Enhanced immune responses can lead to autoimmune diseases and hypersensitivity.
"Exposure to even relatively low concentrations of persistent pollutants can reduce the effectiveness of immune defense against any number of pathogens," Ross said.
The chemical soup inside turtles comes from the food they eat, which varies from the crab-eating Kemp's ridleys, jellyfish-eating leatherbacks, omnivorous loggerheads, spongivorous hawksbills and herbivorous green sea turtles.
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=07a0014fc30c1842005ddbd3a56f83c6
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Jiaxing Journal: A Tide of Dead Pigs in China, but Food Supply Is Safe
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Hard as it may be to believe, the recent discovery of thousands of pig carcasses floating in a Shanghai river may represent a step forward in Chinese public health.
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Thursday, March 14, 2013
Is There Life For Fisker Automotive After Henrik Fisker Walks Away?
n/a
Fisker Automotives has already delivered a stunning plug-in hybrid and considering it a first generation vehicle, it strikes a very high introduction note. I drove it and felt this was one very good first time car for a startup. Yet none of it would have happened without the visioning and talented designer, Henrik Fisker. The automobile world is ruthless and has rarely been tender to startups. Unfortunately, as with most new companies, Fisker Automotives ran into growing pains and problems.
Henrik Fisker. To understand Fisker Automotives, you would nee to understand Henrik Fisker. He worked as a designer at BMW's advanced design studio in Munich on the Z07 concept car, as well as the exterior of the production BMW Z8 roadster. He joined Ford as Design Director working with Aston Martin and finally started his southern California company Fisker Coachbuild where he finally could do what every designer dreams of, creating his own car. And yes, there was a quick stint at Tesla Motors where he performed initial design on the electric car Tesla Model S. Now you know why there is a slight sense of family resemblance. Nonetheless, both Karma and Model S look as if Maserati and Aston Martin had an affair. Using Quantum Technologies?s platform, Henrik Fisker was free to create, design and eventually produce the car.
Henrik Quits. What is a company without its visionary founder? Again, if we look at the recent Tesla Motors? past and more precisely the Musk vs Eberhart, reasonably the same thing is probably happening with Fisker Automotives. On the one hand you must have the highly frustrated Henrik Fisker pushing his ideas and visions to a company?s reluctant board still stinging from the past year?s worth of problems and negative news.
Will there be life after Henrik walks out of Fisker? It wouldn?t be the first time nor the last a founder slams the door on his or her company. In this case, after all the company could intelligently create an alternative energy vehicle consulting group to quickly diversify. Tesla has already done this and CODA already is three different companies. Fisker Automotive absolutely needs extra baskets if it wants to survive, consulting makes sense.
Is Henrik Fisker the scapegoat in the story? We will probably only know years from now but seeing how Bernard Eberhart gracefully slipped out of the limelight after a bitter ownership dispute with Musk, we can see Tesla Motors is doing well. As I mentioned three years ago, Fisker Automotive should have an alternative energy propulsion system consulting group and today, more than ever diversify as quickly as possible before things go too far. As to Henrik Fisker, we can be sure he will one way or another produce other beautiful cars and we can only hope the Atlantic.
Source: http://www.torquenews.com/1079/there-life-fisker-automotive-after-henrik-fisker-walks-away
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Star Wellness To Offer Military Veterans Discounted Franchise Fees
Dallas/Fort Worth-based wellness provider joins International Franchise Association?s VetFran Program
March 13, 2013 // Franchising.com // DALLAS ? As a way to honor the sacrifice they have made to our nation, Star Wellness announced today that it will offer military veterans a 10 percent discount on their initial franchise fee.
Johnette van Eeden, CEO of the Dallas/Fort Worth-based franchisor and provider of state-of-the-art healthcare screening services, announced the discount program as part of the company?s participation in the International Franchise Association?s (IFA) VetFran program.
Star Wellness corporate and franchise offices provide onsite medical screening and laboratory services to more than 200 corporations, local governments and school districts in 23 states.
VetFran provides a forum through which franchise companies can help military veterans make a smooth transition from military life to the business world.
?Both my father and stepfather served in the armed forces so I feel it is our duty to support the men and women who sacrifice so much for our country,? van Eeden said. ?Star Wellness is excited to offer this opportunity to help veterans become successful business men and women. The discipline and goal-oriented skills they develop in the military are perfect for becoming successful franchisees.?
The IFA?s VetFran program was created in the early 1990s as a way to say ?thank you? to veterans returning from the first Gulf War. Now one out of seven franchise businesses are owned and operated by military veterans, according to a study conducted by the IFA?s Educational Foundation.
"We applaud Star Wellness for joining our efforts to help veterans,? said IFA President and CEO Steve Caldeira. ?We encourage all franchise businesses, including franchisors and franchisees, to answer the call to offer business ownership and career opportunities to veterans, military spouses and wounded warriors. Not only is this critical for the economic and social stability of veterans and their families, but it is an important component of the U.S. economic recovery."
?There is a proven record that veterans make very good franchisees,? van Eeden said. ?I think Star Wellness will be a great fit for their experience and I look forward to what they will bring to our organization.?
About?Star Wellness
Founded in 2003, Star Wellness is a pioneer and recognized leader in onsite medical screening and laboratory services that help corporations, local governments and school districts implement wellness programs to control or reduce healthcare-related expenses.
By focusing on early detection and prevention through affordable onsite testing, Star Wellness clients are able to encourage and improve employee participation in personal health management programs that lead to lifestyle change, tangibly reduce costs, and help protect corporate health benefits.
A proven business model that is built on reasonable profit objectives, low overhead, and rigorous operating cost controls allows Star Wellness to offer state-of-the-art screenings for a fraction of other providers? costs.
More information about Star Wellness and franchise opportunities can be found at StarWellnessUSA.com or by calling 800-685-5572.
SOURCE?Star Wellness
Media Contact:
Scott White
BizCom Associates
(214) 458-5751
scottwhite@bizcompr.com
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Source: http://www.franchising.com/news/20130313_star_wellness_to_offer_military_veterans_discounte.html
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Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Senate panel ready to OK gun background checks
FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2013 file photo, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., right, talks with the committee's ranking Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Tuesday March 12, 2013 meeting comes five days after the panel approved Congress? first gun control measure since December?s carnage at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school that left 26 students and educators dead. That bill, by the Judiciary Committee?s chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and others, establishes long prison terms for illegal gun traffickers and straw purchasers, people who buy a firearm for criminals or others forbidden to buy one. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2013 file photo, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., right, talks with the committee's ranking Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Tuesday March 12, 2013 meeting comes five days after the panel approved Congress? first gun control measure since December?s carnage at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school that left 26 students and educators dead. That bill, by the Judiciary Committee?s chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and others, establishes long prison terms for illegal gun traffickers and straw purchasers, people who buy a firearm for criminals or others forbidden to buy one. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Democrats are ready to muscle expanded background checks and other gun curbs through a Senate committee, giving President Barack Obama an initial if temporary victory on one of his top priorities.
The Senate Judiciary Committee was to debate a bill Tuesday that would broaden the requirement for federal background checks to nearly all firearms purchasers. It was also considering a ban on assault weapons and an increase in federal aid for school security, though senators may not consider the assault weapons measure until later in the week.
Requiring background checks for private gun transactions between individuals ? they're currently mandatory only for sales by licensed dealers ? is a centerpiece of Obama's proposal to reduce firearms violence. The system is designed to prevent criminals, people with severe mental problems and others from getting guns.
Tuesday's meeting comes five days after the panel approved Congress' first gun control measure since December's carnage at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school that left 26 students and educators dead. That bill, by the Judiciary Committee's chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and others, establishes long prison terms for illegal gun traffickers and straw purchasers, people who buy a firearm for criminals or others forbidden to buy one.
The Judiciary Committee is expected to approve all three bills it is debating this week, with full Senate consideration next month.
"The American people need to speak up and be heard," Leahy said Monday of what it will take for gun measures to clear Congress.
The background check bill by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., would exempt only a narrow range of transactions from the checks, such as those between immediate family members or weapons loaned temporarily during sporting events. It would also renew the requirement that states and federal agencies report records on felons, people with major mental health problems, drug abusers and others to the federal background check system ? something that many states and agencies do poorly.
Schumer had hoped to win GOP support for his measure, and he spent weeks bargaining with conservative Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who carries an A rating from the National Rifle Association. Those talks foundered, and the measure the New Yorker is pushing seems sure to meet strong GOP opposition.
Coburn's backing could have helped Schumer win support from other Republicans and moderate Democrats from states with large numbers of GOP voters ? potentially crucial because the background check measure is likely to need 60 votes in the 100-member Senate. There are 55 Democrats, including two independents who usually side with them.
Schumer still hopes to broaden support by the time the background check measure reaches the full Senate by finding other GOP senators willing to negotiate changes in it.
As senators prepared to consider the measures, a dozen members of the clergy from Newtown collected 4,000 signatures of religious leaders from around the country on a letter asking senators to support expanded background checks, an assault weapons ban and other restrictions. The letter was published Monday as an ad in the Des Moines (Iowa) Register and was addressed to Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, top Republican on the Judiciary panel. The group planned to run the ad elsewhere as well.
The letter said that after gun violence in Newtown and other places, "To refuse to take the steps we know would reduce harm is a violation of religious values so severe that we are compelled to speak out."
The NRA, which opposes the background check expansion, is encouraging its members to contact Congress, association spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said.
Leaders of the GOP-run House have said they will wait to act until the Senate passes legislation. House Republicans have expressed little interest in requiring background checks for private sales.
Democrats say background checks help keep criminals and others from getting weapons, and say keeping records of private sales is the only way to ensure that those checks are actually conducted. Currently, the government must destroy records of checks it conducts within a day, but gun dealers must maintain paper records of the transactions for 20 years.
Republicans oppose record keeping as a step toward a federal gun registry, which is barred by law. They also argue that current laws need to be enforced better without imposing record-keeping requirements on additional gun buyers.
GOP senators prepared several amendments for Tuesday's debate, including one by Grassley imposing a mandatory minimum 1-year sentence for people who lie on paperwork submitted to licensed gun dealers. It was unclear whether Grassley would offer that amendment.
Since the federal background check system began in 1998, the government has received more than 118 million gun applications and turned down 2.1 million, or 1.8 percent, according to the Justice Department. The figures are through 2010.
Supporters of stronger curbs say those statistics show the large number of dangerous people denied firearms. They say extending the requirement to more sales would make it even more effective.
Opponents say broadening background checks would encourage more people to seek weapons illegally.
A 2004 survey of state prisoners involved in crimes that included guns showed that around 4 in 10 got their firearms from friends or family and nearly that many got them from unregulated street dealers. Only around 1 in 9 got them from licensed dealers.
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Damon Lindelof Is Not Telling You Anything About 'Star Trek Into Darkness'
Damon Lindelof spoke with the Los Angeles Times about not speaking about "Star Trek Into Darkness" and who the hell Benedict Cumberbatch is playing. This is exhausting. Also, Mickey Mouse is back... and French in today's Dailies! » New Mickey Mouse cartoon "Croissant de Triomphe" [Disney] » Trailer for "Mood Indigo" is impossibly fun. [io9] [...]
Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/03/12/damon-lindelof-star-trek-into-darkness/
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