One putt changes everything for Overton

SAN MARTIN, Calif. (AP) — Six holes and six pars into the new PGA Tour season, frustration already was starting to build for Jeff Overton.

The seventh straight par made all the difference.

It was a putt from just inside 6 feet, but just seeing it go in the hole was all Overton needed to feel as though he couldn't miss. He holed a 25-foot putt on the next hole. After blasting a 3-wood from 244 yards on the green at the par-5 ninth, he made a 20-foot putt for eagle.

"I saw the ball go in the hole one time, and was just chipping and putting it in — just everything," Overton said. "It was just one of those that went my way at the end."

He closed out the opening round with two more birdies for a 7-under 64 on Thursday that gave him a one-shot lead over Brian Harman.

And so began a new and most different season on the PGA Tour.

For the first time in history, the tour is starting in October instead of January of the new year. The wraparound season, which will end next September at the Tour Championship to conclude the FedEx Cup, was brought about in part to keep the sponsorship of the fall events.

There will be a six-week break before 2014 and the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua.

Some players didn't get a break at all. Hideki Matsuyama, Angel Cabrera and Marc Leishman all played in the Presidents Cup last week in rainy Ohio. Matsuyama, with a 70, was the only player to break par.

Instead of starting the year looking at a fairway some 80 yards wide at Kapalua — and playing in 80-degree temperatures in a tropical paradise — Bryce Molder wore rain pants to cope with the morning chill of California in October. It was barely 50 when he pulled his tee shot so far left of the fairway that he nearly didn't find the golf ball.

There were plenty of new faces at CordeValle. Tyron Aswegen had a 69 and Kevin Tway had a 70 among the eight rookies in the field.

There was a well-traveled American. Brooks Koepka started his year on the Challenge Tour, won three times to get his European Tour card and is playing the Frys.com Open before he heads to China to play a European Tour event. He also played a Web.com Tour event this year.

"Four tours," he said with a smile after finishing in near darkness. He also had a 4-under 67.

And while it was a good start for Overton, it felt like a new year to Robert Allenby. He bogeyed the 18th hole by trying to drive down the right side of the fairway. Winding up on the other side of the fairway to the left of the hazard, he was blocked by a tree and then fooled by the firm sand in a bunker.

It wasn't going to ruin his day. He shot 68. He broke par in the first round.

"I think it's the first time I've done that all year," Allenby said. That was true no matter what season he was talking about. The last time Allenby broke par in the opening round was the McGladrey Classic almost one year ago.

Nine players didn't make a birdie.

But the roughest start belonged to Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela. He made a quick detour to use the bathroom before his morning tee time, never realizing that he would be pressed for time. He sauntered over to the tee box 12 seconds past his deadline. Arriving late meant a two-shot penalty.

Vegas started his year attempting birdie from 412 yards away and his ball on a tee.

"I was just caught off guard," he said. "It never crossed my mind I would be late to the tee. I made a mistake and I paid the price. It's not an easy way to start the year"

He opened with a 76.

Overton, who remains the only American to play in the Ryder Cup without ever having won on the PGA Tour, had a year in which just about everything went wrong. He didn't play in any of the majors for the first time since 2007. He was disqualified from Colonial when he thought he could use a training aid to practice putting when there was a delay at the turn. He opened with a 69 in the John Deere Classic and had to withdraw when he felt shooting pain in his right wrist.

And he was the alternate who didn't get in the PGA Championship, leading to a series of angry tweets toward the PGA of America for not giving an exemption to a guy who played in the Ryder Cup at Wales three years earlier.

Overton said only that "everything is all good" when asked about his relationship with the PGA of America.

He hopes the same can be said about his game this year, especially after spending the last few months moving to a stronger grip to alleviate recurring pain in his left wrist. It worked beautifully on a sunny day in the foothills south of San Jose.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/one-putt-changes-everything-overton-074422343--spt.html
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French Senate lays bare doping in 1998 Tour de France

By Alexandria Sage

PARIS (Reuters) - The top two in the 1998 Tour de France - Italian Marco Pantani and Germany's Jan Ullrich - were taking the banned blood booster EPO, a French Senate inquiry into sports doping said on Wednesday.

The medical stubs enclosed in the 918-page report, when compared against a separate list of test results, also reveal that American Lance Armstrong tested positive for EPO in 1999.

Just three days after the end of the 100th Tour, an event that was dogged by persistent speculation about doping, the 21-member parliamentary group said a "truth and reconciliation" commission should be created to lift the veil of silence on illegal practices.

The group recommended that the French government finance studies about the extent of doping, its risks and the range of drugs used.

"We cannot properly fight something that we don't understand," parliamentarian Jean-Jacques Lozach, the group's spokesman, told journalists.

"Speaking of doping doesn't harm sport but instead contributes in the medium and long term to restore its greatness. Not speaking about it often means not doing anything."

"NO ONE IS DUPED"

Armstrong, the popular face of professional cycling who beat cancer to win the Tour seven times, was stripped of his titles after a sophisticated doping program was uncovered in October by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

He later admitted having taken performance-enhancing drugs.

The list of athletes who tested positive for EPO during the 1998 Tour included Ullrich and Pantani, who died of a drug overdose in 2004, according to data published in the document. Ullrich admitted in June he underwent blood doping procedures and was banned in 2012 for two years for a doping offence.

In October Bobby Julich, who finished third in the 1998 Tour, admitted to taking EPO from 1996 until that race, when his wife found out about his EPO habit.

Sports daily L'Equipe reported last month that a 1998 urine sample from Frenchman Laurent Jalabert showed traces of the banned blood-booster EPO when it was re-tested in 2004. That result was confirmed in the Senate report.

A test to detect the presence of EPO was introduced in 2000. Four years later, France's anti-doping agency decided to re-test urine samples from the 1998 and 1999 Tours using the new technology.

Jacky Durand, a now-retired winner of three stages on the Tour who was also named in the report, wrote on the Eurosport.fr site on Tuesday that he accepted responsibility for his doping.

"I don't think anyone is duped," he wrote. "The new generation shouldn't have to pay for the stupid things we did in the past."

The five-month investigation by the 21-member Senate group looked at 18 different sports and interviewed 138 individuals. Not all their names were disclosed.

It recommended that sporting calendars be approved by the sports minister to reduce the taxing schedules that it said created favorable conditions for doping.

Blood and urine samples should be used to test for more substances at the same time to cut down on the volume of samples and streamline the testing process.

The inquiry revealed an "incredible inability" for different organizations to work together and share information, Lozach said. "The anti-doping fight would be a lot more effective if the different actors in sports, law enforcement and justice cooperated."

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) welcomed the inquiry's findings and said it would "consider the recommendations of the report thoroughly".

Chris Froome, who won the Tour on Sunday, and his team, Team Sky, were dogged by questions about doping throughout the three weeks of racing despite repeated assertions that they were clean and offers to release the team's data to WADA.

Jalabert told the French commission in May: "Today I'm convinced that you can do the Tour de France without doping and obtain results.

"I will admit that cycling is a discipline that deserves blame, but I'd really like to see the day when we recognize that it was a sport that was a vanguard in anti-doping, and which assumed its responsibilities.

"It's unfair to represent it today as the only sport that involves cheaters."

(Additional reporting by Tara Oakes; editing by Robert Woodward)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/french-senate-lays-bare-doping-1998-tour-france-135501971.html

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Table for 7: {Crock Pot} Hawaiian Chicken

We recently purchased a chest freezer for our basement. ?The freezer with our refrigerator is pretty darn small and was overflowing on a regular basis. ?To get something out of the freezer was at times, a major tactical operation. ?Imagine, trying to get ice cream and having to remove a billion other things to get to it. A nightmare. ? Yes, I could just stop buying ice cream (what!), but, no..I simply convinced Mr Plain that we needed a stand alone freezer to contain our overflowing freezer items. ?

I was so excited to get it. It was going to be so fabulous! ?And it is. ?However, it's a good size and it looks kinda empty after I evenly distributed everything. ?My next great idea was to start pre-planning meals and freezing them ?Have you seen this kinds of thing on Pinterest? ?A woman prepared enough meals for her family for about 6 months. ?It only took her a day or two! ?Wonderful! Sounds like a plan. ?I checked out the book Don't Panic, Dinner is in the Freezer from the library and prepared to pull up my sleeves and get to work. ?Did I do it? No. It occurred to me, what if the power goes out? There goes alot off fodd to waste. Also, I am lazy. There..I said it. Not going to beat around the bush about it. After reading the amount of food to do it, I gave up. ?Not proud of it guys. ?However, my freezer is full of homemade bread, jam,banana bread and salsa. ? So, I can feel good about our purchase :) ?It's also much easier to get out ice cream.

In the book, this crock pot chicken recipe popped out at me. It's sweet, tangy and you just dump in the crock pot and cook it. ?Those are the best, right? ?Serve it over rice and you are ready to go.

Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-5 hours

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 5-6 boneless chicken breasts (approx 2 1/2 lbs)
• 16 oz can of pineapple slices, drained
• 15oz can of mandarin oragnes, drained
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1/2 brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• salt/pepper, to taste preference

Directions:

1. Spray crock pot with non stick cooking spray or use liners. ?Place chicken in pot.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together corn starch, brown sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, ginger and salt/pepper. ?Pour over chicken.
3. Next, pour in drained pineapple slices and mandarin oranges
4. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Source: http://www.ourtableforseven.com/2013/07/crock-pot-hawaiian-chicken.html

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Chinese government to reduced sentences if prisoners Tweet pro-Beijing comments

The Chinese government is offering reduced sentences to prisoners who post pro-Beijing comments on Sina Weibo ? China?s version of Twitter.

Xiao Qiang, a professor at Berkeley?s School of Information and founder of China Digital times, has discovered that there are commercial enterprises that contact for comment work in a bid to guide public opinion towards pro-government sentiment.

It?s been known that Chinese internet users can agree to leave positive comments about the government on social media and earn fifty Chinese cents per post, but reducing prison sentences for the task is absolutely shocking.

Xiao?s research also found that less than 15 per cent of active Sina Weibo accounts featured original posts, with over half being inactive or ?zombie? accounts.

Prisoner image via Shutterstock.com

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pcr/stream/~3/11w-PxBSR2w/031424

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Continuous satellite monitoring of ice sheets needed to better predict sea-level rise

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The length of the satellite record for the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets is currently too short to tell if the recently reported speed-up of ice loss will be sustained in the future or if it results from natural processes, according to a new study.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/_mvy4Yc2jRU/130714160844.htm

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Watch This German UAV Crash into a Plane on an Afghan Runway

This is why we can't have nice things. Recently declassified video footage from Northern Afghanistan shows that piloting a drone isn't nearly as easy as it seems, even when it's still on the ground.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/T-49d76_Rp4/watch-this-german-uav-crash-into-a-plane-on-an-afghan-r-789381859

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BPA-Free Plastics Going On Trial In Texas

PlastiPure helps manufacturers create water bottles and other plastic products that have no estrogenic activity.

PlastiPure

PlastiPure helps manufacturers create water bottles and other plastic products that have no estrogenic activity.

PlastiPure

Scientists and lawyers are scheduled to debate the safety of certain "BPA-free" plastics this week in a U.S. District Court in Austin, Texas.

At issue is whether a line of plastic resins marketed by Eastman Chemical contains chemicals that can act like the hormone estrogen, and perhaps cause health problems.

The court battle has attracted attention because the Eastman resins, sold under the name "Tritan," have been marketed as an alternative to plastics that contain an additive called BPA. BPA has been shown to act a bit like estrogen, though it's not clear whether people are affected by the small amounts that come from plastic water bottles or food containers.

Eastman has sued two small companies based in Austin, Texas that published a study showing that a wide range of plastic products exhibit what's known as estrogenic activity. Some of the products were made from Eastman's Tritan.

Eastman's suit says PlastiPure and CertiChem, have made false or misleading statements about Tritan in marketing their own services. CertiChem tests plastic products for estrogenic activity. PlastiPure, a sister company, helps manufacturers make plastic products with no estrogenic activity.

Both companies were founded by George Bittner, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and an author of the study that found estrogenic activity in most plastics. The study included tests of plastic products that had been subjected to heat, wear, and radiation intended to mimic exposure to sunlight.

"We certainly thought the results were not going to be greeted with favor by at least some plastic manufacturers," Bittner says. But, he says, "by bringing suit, Eastman Chemical has effectively put its Tritan product on trial."

Eastman Chemical wouldn't comment for this story. But in an interview last year, Lucian Boldea, a vice president of the company, said Bittner's study used a screening test for estrogenic activity that is known to produce false positives.

"To misrepresent a screening test as conclusive evidence is what we have the issue with," he said.

Bittner responds that the study included a second test that ruled out false positives.

Expert testimony about the various tests is likely to be a big part of the trial, says Rebecca Tushnet, a law professor at Georgetown. "I think it really depends what the evidence shows about these tests," she says. "And that really is a matter for experts."

This case includes some complex and competing scientific arguments, Tushnet says, which are often difficult to present in court. And even when the science is less nuanced, she says, it can be a challenge for judges and juries.

"Courts have a very ambiguous relationship to science," she says. "Sometimes they really defer to it and sometimes they are really skeptical of it. So it can be hard to predict what's going to happen in any particular case."

At least one piece of evidence likely to come up during the trial could prove embarrassing to Eastman. A supposedly independent study that appears to vindicate Tritan was actually paid for by Eastman, even though that wasn't disclosed in the published article, according to court documents.

If Eastman prevails, it will probably mean the end of PlastiPure and CertiChem. The suit has already caused big problems for the companies, says Mike Usey, the CEO of PlastiPure. "More than half the people that were at Certichem and Plastipure before the suit are now gone," he says

Even so, Usey says he's optimistic about the companies' future. "One of the good things that should come out of this suit is more consumer awareness of what the real issues are and what solutions are immediately available."

Whether or not that happens, the suit is a strong indication that the public debate is no longer about BPA alone, but about whether plastics contain any chemicals with enough hormonal activity to affect people.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/07/15/201523240/bpa-free-plastics-going-on-trial-in-texas?ft=1&f=1007

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World War II in Color: The Italian Campaign and the Road to Rome, 1944

American troops camped by the roadside during the drive towards Rome, 1944.

Ask a dozen military historians to name the single most pivotal European battle or campaign of World War II?? the one operation that saw the war?s momentum irrevocably swing from the Axis to the Allied powers?? and you?ll get a dozen answers. Did the pendulum shift as early as the Battle of Britain? During the liberation of Paris? The Battle of the Bulge? The varieties of ways one might conceivably measure momentum, from the numbers of casualties sustained (or inflicted) to the more esoteric notion of ?troop morale,? makes a definitive answer impossible.

But one campaign that everyone agrees was a significant turning point in the Allied effort was launched 70 years ago this week, in July 1943. Before dawn on July 10 of that year, 150,000 American and British troops?? along with Canadian, Free French and other Allies, and 3,000 ships, 600 tanks and 4,000 aircraft?? made for the southern shores of the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea: the storied, 10,000-square-mile land of Sicily. Within six weeks, the Allies had pushed Axis troops (primarily Germans) out of Sicily and were poised for the invasion of mainland Italy and one of the most arduous 20 months of the entire war: the long, often brutal Italian Campaign.

Tens of thousands of troops, on both sides, were killed or listed as missing, while hundreds of thousands more were wounded. And, of course?? as in most every major campaign of the war?? hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed, while countless more were wounded, raped, left homeless and otherwise traumatized.

[MORE: See the gallery, "A Brutal Pageantry: The Third Reich?s Myth-Making Machinery, in Color."]

Here, on the 70th anniversary of the invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, LIFE.com presents a series of color pictures?? none of which were published in LIFE magazine?? made throughout the Italian Campaign by the great photojournalist Carl Mydans.

[MORE: See the gallery, "Before and After D-Day: Color Photos From England and France, 1944."]

[MORE: See the gallery, "World War II in Color: American Bombers and Their Crews, 1942."]

Finally, it?s worth noting that, within weeks of the start of the invasion of Sicily, the Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, who had ruled Italy for more than two decades, was booted from power and arrested. ?Il Duce? subsequently escaped, with German help, and was then on the run or in hiding without cease for almost two years. He was captured by Italian partisans in late April 1945, summarily executed, and?? along with his mistress and several other Fascists?? literally hanged by his heels, in public, for all to see.

In early May 1945, the war in Europe ended.

Source: http://weaponsandwarfare.com/?p=23837

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Update Galaxy Note GT-N7000 to Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with SlimBean Build 7 [GUIDE]

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Source: www.ibtimes.com --- Saturday, July 13, 2013
Guide to install Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean on Samsung Galaxy Note GT-N7000 using SlimBean Build 7 ...

Source: http://www.ibtimes.comhttp:0//www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/489859/20130713/galaxy-note-gtn7000-slimbean-build7-android422-jellybean.htm

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The Sun News Kalu, Igbo political rights and 2015

By EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO

As serious underground alignments and campaigns have begun for the 2015 general elections, which are clearly over two years away, one major point?of discussion is on how best to carry all segments of the Nigerian society into consideration and give every one of them a sense of belonging in the project Nigeria.

A salient component of the public conversations is the place of the Igbo-speaking nationality in the 2015 elections, given that the ethnic nationality is the only one among the tripod of Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa that has never produced executive president right from inception of Nigeria as an independent nation.

The nearest that the Igbo have come to realise this objective was in the immediate post-independence period when the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe of the then National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon (NCNC) emerged as the non-executive president of Nigeria.

However, at that time, political power resided in the Hausa-Fulani dominated party of Northern Peoples Congress, controlled remotely by the then Northern regional leader, Sir Ahmadu Bello, but symbolised by the then prime minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Belewa.

One leading Nigerian politician, who has carried out vigourous campaign to right the political wrong against the Igbo-speaking nationality is the former governor of Abia State, Chief. Orji Uzor Kalu, who is a founding member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Orji Kalu is, perhaps, one notable political heavyweight from the South of the Niger that enjoys significant name recognition in all parts of the country and he has leverage on these monumental political advantages to raise the tempo of advocacy for the rest of the Nigerian society to consider, supporting a?good Nigerian statesman of Igbo extraction to emerge as the democratically elected president in 2015.

In spite of the fact that he has unduly suffered political setbacks and witch-hunt from the man he single handedly helped to make the governor of his home state of Abia State, this great mind is not deterred in his selfless campaign to ensure that an Igbo Nigerian statesman becomes the president of Nigeria, even when the political characters that populate the South-east today have betrayed the collective agenda of the people of South-east by already canvassing support for President Jonathan, who has not even signified intention to vie for election in 2015 and, indeed, whose administration has not favoured the South-east with any significant infrastructural development over the last three years that he has presided over as the President of Nigeria.

Recently, in one of his elaborate foreign trips to drum up support for the Igbo, Kalu had the privilege to address the British Parliament, whereby he laid bare the case of the Igbo in Nigeria and canvassed actively for support for an Igbo Nigerian statesman to become, through popular mandate of the rest of Nigerians, the next president of Nigeria.

In a voice laden with poetic wisdom, Kalu had told the global audience thus: ?My people are known as the Igbo and our language is Igbo.?Igbo people constitute one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria ? what Nigerian historians have come to term the tribal tripod.

The other two are the Yoruba and the Hausa/Fulani.?? ?The primary Igbo states in Nigeria are Anambra, Abia, Imo, Ebonyi and Enugu (if justice and equity reigned, there should have been six or seven, instead of five states). Due to their mobility, the Igbo constitute between 25 per cent ? 0 per cent of the population in some other Nigerian states, such as Delta, Rivers, Lagos, Kano, Cross River, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom and Plateau, to mention? but a few.?

Continuing, the irrepressible human rights campaigner stated further: ?Although my people mainly and primarily inhabit the South-eastern? part of Nigerian, they have, however, spread, like ants in the savannah, to every nook and cranny of Nigeria, Africa and the globe ? thriving, building and enriching themselves, their environment and others in all facts of life as they do so.?

He went deeper into his rich collection of philo-political thoughts and offered the following wise saying: ?The veteran American diplomat, Henry Kissinger, hit the nail on the head when he aptly observed that: The Igbo are the wandering Jews of West Africa?gifted, aggressively Westernised; at best, envied and resented but mostly despised by the mass of their neighbours in the federation.?

These words of wisdom were uttered by Kalu before the British Parliamentarians, just as he was able to masterfully raise a professorial question whether the Igbo-speaking people in Nigeria are subject to a carefully scripted native law of discrimination, which has made it impossible for an Igbo Nigerian statesman to ever emerge as President of Nigeria and he graphically narrated the factual proof that concluded that it was only just and right that the rest of Nigerians should offer the Igbo-speaking person the opportunity to serve them as their president in 2015.

His words: ?The Igbo in Nigeria have become the receptacle of anger, hatred, envy and frustration, oozing out of their fellow compatriots.

But this is on the level of the transaction between private citizens. How about the place of the Igbo in respect of the manner in which public affairs are conducted by the Nigerian Federal Government and its agencies?? ?The simple answer is that the rain has continued to beat the Igbo.

Not done with citing international political scholars, Kalu also quoted from a well known Nigerian diplomat and writer, Chief Ralph Uwechue, who, incidentally, served as?the president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group,?who categorically stated?of the Igbo, in a paper entitled Igbo are nation builders: ?To the Nigerian project, the Igbo have given a great deal yesterday, are still doing so today and have a lot more in store for a much greater tomorrow.??

Like most thinkers, Orji Kalu concluded by persuading the rest of Nigerians to consider it imperative that it is time for the bloody rain to stop beating the Igbo people and for all forms of political discrimination against the Igbo, institutionalised in Nigeria to be radically uprooted.? ?Igbo people are already drenched and soaked to the point of suffocation. It is not only in the best interest of the Igbo but also in the best interest of the Nigerian people for the sun to rise and shine on us all.?

He used the opportunity to campaign for all poor Nigerians irrespective of ethnic and religious affiliations, thus: ?Permit me to use this opportunity to appeal to the British government, through this distinguished gathering, to increase funding for special projects that benefit the underprivileged in Nigeria and Africa in general.?

He argued persuasively that the proposed legislation in the UK parliament?to reduce aid for health, education and infrastructure, among others, while committing more funds to war areas, such as Mali, with the provision of arms and ammunition would be counterproductive both in the immediate and medium terms.

Nigeria, he rightly told the British political elite,?needs increased funding to meet its development challenges, the biggest of which is achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs).

?This intervention will bridge the gap between the rich and poor countries, thereby making the world a better place for all of us and our children,? Orji Kalu argued. ? Onwubiko is head, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria; blogs @www.huriwa.blogspot.com; http://www.huriwa.org/.

Source: http://sunnewsonline.com/new/politics/kalu-igbo-political-rights-and-2015/

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Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Guest lineups for the Sunday TV news shows:

ABC's "This Week" ? Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; Reps. Karen Bass, D-Calif., and Tom Cole, R-Okla., former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, D-N.Y.

___

NBC's "Meet the Press" ? Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

___

CBS' "Face the Nation" ? Isreali Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Pete King, R-N.Y.

___

CNN's "State of the Union" ? Govs. Rick Perry, R-Texas, and Pat Quinn, D-Ill.; Reps. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Chaka Fattah, D-Pa.

___

"Fox News Sunday" ? Reps. Steve King, R-Iowa, Steve Israel, D-N.Y., and Michael McCaul, R-Texas.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/guest-lineups-sunday-news-shows-183815643.html

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McNeil's Golf Tournament Draws NFL Stars, Raises Money for Kids

SOUTH ANNA, VA (WWBT) -

?Some of ?the NFL's past and current stars gathered today at Hunting Hawk Golf Club in Glen Allen for the 10^th annual Moriah McNeil Memorial Celebrity Golf Classic. Former New York Jet and New England Patriot Emmannuel McNeil hosts the event every year to remember his daughter Moriah.

Cancer struck Moriah at the age of seven in 2002. Moriah fought the disease valiantly until she finally surrended in 2004. This event honors her by helping raise money for children's charities. The tournament chose ReeseStrong as its charitable beneficiary this year.? ReeseStrong assists families whose children have come down with cancer.

The event puts together 25 teams of four, with every foursome being paired with one celebrity for the tournament. Teams have chances to win prizes as a unit or as individuals. All participants get green fees, carts range balls, gift bags, breakfast, and lunch as part of their tournament golf packages.

Some notable NFL names that got out to the fairways include Hall of Famer Willie Lanier, former New Orleans Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks, and current New York Giants senior vice president and general manager Jerry Reese.?

Copyright 2013 WWBT NBC Richmond. ?All rights reserved.?

Source: http://www.nbc12.com/story/22830854/mcneils-golf-tournament-draws-nfl-stars-raises-money-for-kids

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Spread of DNA databases sparks ethical concerns

LONDON (AP) ? You can ditch your computer and leave your cellphone at home, but you can't escape your DNA.

It belongs uniquely to you ? and, increasingly, to the authorities.

Countries around the world are collecting genetic material from millions of citizens in the name of fighting crime and terrorism ? and, according to critics, heading into uncharted ethical terrain.

Leaders include the United States ? where the Supreme Court recently backed the collection of DNA swabs from suspects on arrest ? and Britain, where police held samples of almost 7 million people, more than 10 percent of the population, until a court-ordered about-face saw the incineration of a chunk of the database.

The expanding trove of DNA in official hands has alarmed privacy campaigners, and some scientists. Recent leaks about U.S. surveillance programs by former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden have made people realize their online information and electronic communications may not be as secure as they thought. Could the same be true of the information we hold within our genes? DNA samples that can help solve robberies and murders could also, in theory, be used to track down our relatives, scan us for susceptibility to disease, or monitor our movements.

Earlier this year Yaniv Erlich, who runs a lab at MIT's Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, published a paper in the journal Science describing how he was able to identify individuals, and their families, from anonymous DNA data in a research project. All it took was a computer algorithm, a genetic genealogy website and searches of publicly available Internet records.

"It was a very weird feeling ? a 'wow' feeling," Erlich told The Associated Press. "I had to take a walk outside just to think about this process."

Erlich says DNA databases have enormous positive power, both for fighting crime and in scientific research. But, he said, "our work shows there are privacy limitations."

Ethical qualms have done little to stop the growth of genetic databases around the world.

The international police agency Interpol listed 54 nations with national police DNA databases in 2009, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany and China. Brazil and India have since announced plans to join the club, and the United Arab Emirates intends to build the world's first database of an entire national population.

The biggest database is in the United States ? the FBI's Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, which holds information on more than 11 million people suspected of or convicted of crimes.

It is set to grow following a May Supreme Court ruling that upheld the right of police forces to take DNA swabs without a warrant from people who are arrested, not just those who are convicted. (Policies on DNA collection vary by state; more than half of the states and the federal government currently take DNA swabs after arrests.)

The court's justices were divided about implications for individuals' rights. Justice Anthony Kennedy, for the five-judge majority, called the taking of DNA a legitimate and reasonable police booking procedure akin to fingerprinting.

But dissenting Justice Antonin Scalia argued that it marked a major change in police powers. "Because of today's decision, your DNA can be taken and entered into a national database if you are ever arrested, rightly or wrongly, and for whatever reason," he said.

A similar note of caution has been struck by Alec Jeffreys, the British geneticist whose 1984 discovery of DNA fingerprinting revolutionized criminal investigations. He has warned that "mission creep" could see authorities use DNA to accumulate information on people's racial origins, medical history and psychological profile.

Erlich agreed that scenario was possible, if not likely.

"If it's not regulated and the police can do whatever they want ... they can use your DNA to infer things about your health, your ancestry, whether your kids are your kids," he said.

Police forces have already tracked down criminals through the DNA of their innocent relatives, a practice that is both a goldmine for investigators and, according to skeptics, an ethical minefield. Charles Tumosa, a clinical assistant professor in forensic studies at the University of Baltimore who is wary of the potential for genetic surveillance, says relatives of suspects could be identified through DNA and leaned on for information about their family members.

And yet familial DNA searches have helped solve terrible crimes. In Britain, a sex attacker known as the "shoe rapist" was caught after 20 years through DNA from his sister, who was in the database due to a drunken-driving arrest. In Kansas in 2005, police identified Dennis Rader as a serial killer known as "BTK" through his daughter's DNA obtained, without her knowledge, from a pap smear in her medical records.

"There's got to be a debate," said Tumosa. "Nobody has talked this out.

"At what point do you say, enough is enough? Do we want to have a society where 5 percent of the crime is unsolved, or do we want to have a society where 100 percent of the crime is solved" but privacy is compromised. "What's the trade-off?"

Both supporters and critics of DNA databases point to Britain, where until recently, police could take the DNA of anyone 10 or older arrested for even the most minor offense ? and keep it forever, even if the suspect was later acquitted or released without charge.

Police say the database has helped solve thousands of crimes, including murders and rapes. On the other side of the coin are hundreds of thousands of innocent people, including children, who feel shamed and tainted by inclusion on a database of criminal suspects ? a status some legal experts say undermines the presumption of innocence.

"A lot of British people were very shocked to find themselves or their children ending up on the database for minor alleged offenses such as throwing a snowball at a car," said Helen Wallace, director of the privacy group GeneWatch, which campaigns for restrictions on collection of DNA and other personal information.

After a long legal battle ? waged in part by a youth who was arrested at 11 on suspicion of attempted robbery and had his DNA retained despite being acquitted ? the European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2008 that Britain's "blanket and indiscriminate" storage of DNA violated the right to a private life.

The U.K. was forced to trim its huge database. Under a law passed last year known as the Protection of Freedoms Act, the government is destroying the DNA profiles ? strings of numbers derived from DNA samples that are used to identify individuals ? of a million people who were arrested for minor offenses but not convicted. People acquitted of serious crimes have their DNA profiles kept for up to five years.

Britain also has incinerated more than 6 million physical DNA samples ? mostly swabs of saliva ? taken from suspects. Samples, which could previously be kept indefinitely, must now be destroyed after six months.

Destroying the samples is seen as key to limiting DNA databases to crime-fighting rather than snooping, because it means stored DNA cannot be used to trace relatives or susceptibility to disease.

The U.K. government says the curbs have restored a sense of proportion to Britain's database, but some aspects of the country's genetic monitoring remain murky.

The U.K. DNA ethics watchdog has expressed concerns about a secret counterterrorism database, which, according to the Metropolitan Police Authority, contains "DNA obtained through searches, crime scenes and arrests in relation to counterterrorism" ? including samples from people stopped and questioned at ports and borders, even if they are not arrested.

The Home Office, which oversees police and the DNA database, said there was a "robust regulatory framework" for the counterterrorism database. But it would not disclose how large it is, who has access to it or whether the information is shared with other countries.

Some authorities on DNA say fears of genetic intrusion are misplaced.

Chris Asplen, a former assistant U.S. attorney who now heads the Global Alliance for Rapid DNA Testing, argues that DNA is not dramatically different from other information the authorities already hold about millions of people, such as fingerprints, social security numbers or automobile registrations.

But he does see avenues for abuse.

"There is an argument to be made that because that biological sample exists, the government could go back and do other things with it that are not authorized by the law," he said. "It's a constant tension between government and people, particularly when technology is applied."

___

Jill Lawless can be reached at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spread-dna-databases-sparks-ethical-concerns-072535306.html

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Prosecution finishes rebuttal in Zimmerman trial

AAA??Jul. 12, 2013?1:04 PM ET
Prosecution finishes rebuttal in Zimmerman trial
By MIKE SCHNEIDER and KYLE HIGHTOWERBy MIKE SCHNEIDER and KYLE HIGHTOWER, Associated Press??

George Zimmerman arrives in the courtroom for his trial at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center, in Sanford, Fla., Friday, July 12, 2013. Zimmerman is charged in the 2012 shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

George Zimmerman arrives in the courtroom for his trial at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center, in Sanford, Fla., Friday, July 12, 2013. Zimmerman is charged in the 2012 shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

George Zimmerman wipes his face after arriving in the courtroom during his trial at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center, in Sanford, Fla., Friday, July 12, 2013. Zimmerman is charged in the 2012 shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

FILE - This undated file family photo shows Trayvon Martin. Trayvon, 17, was slain in a 2012 shooting in Sanford, Fla., by neighborhood crime-watch captain George Zimmerman. Zimmerman's defense attorney began his final arguments Friday, July 12, 2013, trying to convince six jurors that the neighborhood watch volunteer acted in self-defense when he fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. (AP Photo/Martin Family, File)

George Zimmerman wipes his face after arriving in the courtroom for his trial at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center, in Sanford, Fla., Friday, July 12, 2013. Zimmerman is charged in the 2012 shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

Assistant state attorney Bernie de la Rionda shows George Zimmerman's gun to the jury while presenting the state's closing arguments against Zimmerman during his trial in Seminole circuit court in Sanford, Fla. Thursday, July 11, 2013. Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder for the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Gary W. Green, Pool)

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) ? A prosecutor in George Zimmerman's murder trial has ended his rebuttal, saying the neighborhood watch volunteer told a series of lies in his statements about shooting Trayvon Martin.

Prosecutor John Guy argued that Zimmerman repeatedly lied about the shooting of the unarmed 17-year-old Martin.

His rebuttal came after defense attorney Mark O'Mara said prosecutors had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman committed second-degree murder.

Jurors are taking a lunch break, and when they return Judge Debra Nelson will read them jury instructions.

The six jurors will then begin deliberations.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-07-12-Neighborhood%20Watch/id-4630ff929889489896f2e9fc8068fdb7

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Amanda Seyfried talks sex and her porn star role

Celebs

Kurt Schlosser TODAY

July 11, 2013 at 11:45 AM ET

Carter Smith / ELLE

Amanda Seyfried has sex on the brain. This is due, presumably, in no small part to her starring role as Linda Lovelace in an upcoming biopic about the legendary porn actress.

Seyfried covers the August issue of ELLE, and tells the magazine that when she read the script for "Lovelace," she thought it was "the riskiest thing happening in Hollywood right now. The first thing you think about is that it could have ruined my career. At the same time, I was like, 'This is my chance to show them, to the show the industry, to be recognized.'"

And what the 27-year-old actress also recognizes is how physical attraction works in her relationships.

"Everybody I've dated I've been sexually attracted to immediately," Seyfried told ELLE. "Sparks don?t grow ? your vagina doesn't become more inclined to wanting someone just because you're around them."

Seyfried also dishes on her ex-boyfriend, British actor Dominic Cooper. "We love each other ... He'll always be in my life regardless of what his girlfriends or future wife think. I'm never going to be with a guy that can't deal with my friendship with him."

"Lovelace" opens in theaters Aug. 9. Watch the new trailer below, in which Seyfried, as the "Deep Throat" star, fittingly sums up what's worth watching: "To me it's a movie, like any other movie, only it has so many better things in it." Like what? "Like me."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/amanda-seyfried-plays-porn-star-embraces-sexual-attractions-6C10599666

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Video: George Washington finally receives a presidential library

Boston Strangler: 50 years later, Boston police say they have their man

The Boston Strangler's last victim was Mary Sullivan, and unlike the other murders, police preserved DNA evidence from the crime scene. Nearly 50 years later, officials were able to connect the evidence to Albert DeSalvo, who had confessed to the killings while in prison on other charges. Terrell Brown reports.

Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsGamecore/~3/4YsHVy7zZys/

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Video: Prescription Payout Scheme

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Mexico Merchants Trade 'Green Points' Currency for Recyclables

(AFP) - The Mercado del Trueque, or barter market, in Mexico City encourages people to bring recyclable materials in exchange for organic products. The initiative, started by the left-wing city government last year, aims to raise awareness about the value and use of items that would otherwise end up in landfills, and is growing in popularity. 11 Jul 2013, 12:59 AM PDT post a comment

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US considers pulling all troops from Afghanistan

WASHINGTON: The United States is considering pulling out all its troops from Afghanistan next year, US officials said, amid tension between the President Barack Obama's administration and Afghan President HamidKarzai's government.

Obama is committed to wrapping up US military involvement in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, but the United States has been talking with officials in Afghanistan about keeping a small residual force there of perhaps 8,000 troops.

US officials did not deny a report that Obama has become increasingly frustrated by his dealings with Karzai. Their relationship fell to new depths after last month's US move to open peace talks with the Taliban, which led Karzai to suspend talks on a security pact between the two allies.

A June 27 video conference between Obama and Karzai aimed at lowering tensions ended poorly, the New York Times reported, citing US and Afghan officials with knowledge of the conversation.

Senior Afghan figures close to Karzai were sceptical that Washington would consider a complete withdrawal.

"Both sides understand how to pressure each other. But both the US and Afghanistan fully understand the need for foreign troops, especially US ones, to stay beyond 2014 and that it is vital for security here and in the wider region," a top palace official told Reuters on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

"We don't think the US will compromise on that, because past experience of abandoning Afghanistan was that the country descended into chaos," the official said, recalling the bitter civil war that raged after the 1989 Soviet withdrawal and subsequent toppling of the Najibullah government.

Much of Kabul was gutted in the ensuing conflict between rival warlords until the Taliban seized control of the country in 1996 and introduced their austere Islamic regime.

The Times reported that Karzai had accused the United States of trying to forge a separate peace with the Taliban and its Pakistani supporters in an arrangement that would expose Karzai's government to its enemies.

Since the video conference, a full military pullout from Afghanistan like the one from Iraq had been transformed from a "worst-case scenario" to an option "under serious consideration in Washington and Kabul", the Times reported.

US officials, asked about the report, pointed reporters to a comment by Ben Rhodes, the deputy White House national security adviser, who said in January that the "zero option" of leaving no troops behind is "an option that we would consider". The comment still stands, officials said.

Asked about the Times report, one senior Obama administration official said: "All options remain on the table but a decision is far from made."

Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi also said there had been no decisions on the pace and scale of a US withdrawal, and similar scenarios had circulated in the past.

A former Karzai political adviser, Nasrullah Stanikzai, said the Afghan government must pursue its own strategic and political interests in negotiations with the United States, but tense relations between Obama and Karzai were not helping.

"But US officials saying they are considering leaving no troops behind after 2014 is just propaganda to put pressure on Afghan government so Washington can get an outcome it wants in a bilateral security pact," Stanikzai said.

The negotiations on a US role in Afghanistan, suspended by the mercurial Karzai in June, will cover vital basing issues and whether reduced numbers of U.S troops may be able to continue attacks against al Qaeda and other extremist groups, including in neighbouring Pakistan.

The United States also considered keeping a small force in Iraq after the broad troop withdrawal from that country, but talks with Iraqi leaders failed to yield such a deal.

"There's always been a zero option, but it was not seen as the main option," the Times quoted a senior Western official in Kabul as saying. "It is now becoming one of them, and if you listen to some people in Washington, it is maybe now being seen as a realistic path."

More than a dozen American troops were killed in Afghanistan last month.

The number of US troops in Afghanistan - now around 63,000 - already is set to decline to 34,000 by February, the Times noted. The White House has said the great majority of American forces would be out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

US troops have been in Afghanistan since 2001. The United States invaded Afghanistan to topple the Taliban who had harboured the al Qaeda network responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States weeks earlier.

Source: http://timesofindia.feedsportal.com/c/33039/f/533917/s/2e709ea6/l/0Ltimesofindia0Bindiatimes0N0Cworld0Cus0CUS0Econsiders0Epulling0Eall0Etroops0Efrom0EAfghanistan0EOfficials0Carticleshow0C20A9973960Bcms/story01.htm

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Healthy Combination of the Paleo & Mediterranean Diets | Care2 ...

You may know of Holistic Nutrition Consultant Caitlin Weeks through her blog Grass Fed Girl. There, she shares recipes, health and nutrition advice, and fitness suggestions supporting the Paleo?lifestyle. Now Weeks is looking to expand her promotion of ?better health through a cookbook she and her husband, Chef Nabil?Bourmar, wrote together. The cookbook will feature recipes that combine the health benefits of the Paleo and Mediterranean diets.

?We thought of the cookbook because my husband is a Mediterranean Chef?and I?m a Whole foods Nutritionist,? Weeks said. ?We started combining?the ideas of each in the kitchen, over dinner, and loved the results.??Combining Paleo and Mediterranean cuisines was easier than one might think. The Paleo diet is based on the idea that people were healthier before they began consuming agricultural products like grains and legumes, and lived a hunter/gatherer lifestyle. Mediterranean diets are full of wild fish, olive oil, raw dairy, nuts, seeds and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Mediterranean Paleo cooking is a good option?for people with food sensitivities, especially those with corn, wheat,?soy or dairy allergies.

Weeks? background in the Paleo diet and Bourmar?s experience as a?Mediterranean chef came together when the two taught a cooking class?for patrons who were extremely enthusiastic about food. Weeks and?Bourmar decided they wanted to do more to reach out to people who?loved good, and good-for-you, food. The pair then visited Bourmar?s?home country and fell in love with the idea of bringing the recipes to?home cooks who were also healthy living enthusiasts.

The cookbook, set to be released in late July, contains recipes for?all kinds of meals including an assortment of breakfast options like grain-free crepes and pomegranate smoothies. Healthy snacks and?appetizers are also featured in the book, along with a section of antioxidant-rich salads featuring homemade olive oil dressings. ?I wanted to share this with everyone, especially all my followers from?Grass Fed Girl,? Weeks said. ?I?ve loved helping people live the Paleo?lifestyle and I hope this brings new flavors and ideas into their meals.?

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Source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/new-combination-of-the-paleo-mediterranean-diets.html

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House GOP leaders look at splitting farm bill

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A month after suffering an embarrassing defeat, House Republican leaders are considering a new strategy to try to win support for the massive, five-year farm bill: splitting it into two separate measures, one for farm programs and one for food stamps.

It's an attempt to gather support from conservatives who voted against the $100 billion-a-year farm bill, and critics say it could lead to bigger cuts in both farm subsidies and the domestic food aid.

Republicans discussed the strategy in a Tuesday caucus meeting, with House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., saying for the first time that he would go along with a split bill if leaders could deliver the votes. Republicans were assessing support for the idea, and a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said no decisions had been made on how to revive the bill.

The House rejected the farm bill in June by a vote of 234-195 after some in the GOP complained that the legislation did not cut enough from food stamps. Democrats said the 3 percent cut in food stamps was too much.

The idea is that the farm portion of the bill could pass without the food stamp provisions. By splitting the two, Republicans might be able to make bigger cuts in food stamp programs and pass that bill with conservative support.

However, conservative groups, farm groups and nutrition groups all expressed concerns with the strategy.

Farm groups and anti-hunger groups have warned that separating the farm and nutrition programs after decades of linking them would be a major mistake. Rural lawmakers have added money for food stamps to the farm bill, which sets policy for agricultural subsidies and other farm programs, to gather urban votes for the measure. The Democratic-led Senate, which overwhelmingly passed a farm bill with smaller cuts to food stamps, would be reluctant to go along with a split bill or further cuts to the programs.

Spending on food stamps has doubled in the last five years to almost $80 billion a year and the number of members in both parties who make agriculture a priority has dwindled. Still, separating the two bills could create bigger problems as few members may not have an incentive to vote for either piece of legislation.

In a letter to Boehner last week, more than 500 farm groups discouraged GOP leadership from splitting the legislation.

"We believe that splitting the nutrition title from the rest of the bill could result in neither farm nor nutrition programs passing, and urge you to move a unified farm bill forward," the groups wrote.

Compounding the difficulties would be any changes to the farm legislation to gather more conservative votes. The farm bill passed by the House Agriculture Committee and rejected by the full House would have cut farm subsidies by about $2 billion a year, but some Republicans have wanted deeper cuts.

As the GOP counted votes for the split bill strategy, conservative groups proposed further cuts to farm subsidies. They expressed concern that House leaders were just trying to push the bill through so they could begin negotiations with the Senate.

"The end result of such a conference would be a perpetuation of subsidies and government intervention that will continue to harm consumers and taxpayers alike," said Michael A. Needham, CEO of the conservative advocacy group Heritage Action.

At the same time, Agriculture Committee members from both parties who helped craft the delicate balance of the bill don't want to see further reductions.

Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson, the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, said that splitting the bill is "stupid" and he doesn't believe any Democrats would vote for it.

"Even if they got this through the House, I don't see how you are successful in getting a bill out of conference and signed by the president, because you have alienated so many people in the process," he said.

More difficult than passing a farm-only bill would be passing a food stamp bill, as Republicans have disagreed on how much should be cut. The House Agriculture Committee bill cuts about $2 billion a year from the almost $80 billion-a-year program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. But some on the right would like to see much bigger cuts and to change the structure of the program.

Billy Shore, the founder and CEO of the anti-hunger group Share Our Strength, says the split would make SNAP vulnerable when many families and children are dependent on it. Around one in seven people used food stamps last year.

"The concern is that (splitting the bill) would make it easier for the Republican leadership to find support for those cuts," Shore said. "For a program that has worked so well for decades it feels a little short-sighted."

Farm groups agreed.

Jon Doggett, a lobbyist for the National Corn Growers Association, said that farm groups will continue to need allies as rural areas decrease in population and fewer members of Congress are elected on farm issues. In addition to nutrition advocates, the bill also brings together agriculture and environmental groups who favor conservation measures in the bill that protect environmentally-sensitive farmland.

___

Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mcjalonick

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-07-09-Farm%20Bill/id-23ecbdc0ac0f4117a3167badf6e2b52c

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Guam and Palau Wrap Up: Another Successful Field Course Comes to an End

Recently, the 2013 Guam and Palau course came to a close. This is the fourth year that my co-instructor Jim Haw and I have run the program, which was offered for the first time in 2010. Since then, we have accompanied nearly 100 undergraduate students to Micronesia to investigate marine and coastal ecosystems (see link for details). This year's cohort (26 students total) was our largest, and, arguably, one of the most accomplished (GPA ? 3.7) groups that we have worked with. While traveling for three weeks to tropical and exotic locations with a group of fantastically bright and motivated undergraduate scientific divers-in-training is not always a guarantee of a successful field course, it certainly is an incentive. Similarly, the academic content and educational experience offered to students cannot be overlooked, and the Guam and Palau program is no exception. Three essential educational approaches for the 2013 course included: 1) reflective writing, 2) situated learning in the field, and 3) teaching with technology. For several years running, we have had the opportunity to share the first two of these educational approaches with the Scientific American community in the form of student-driven blogs (a feat wholly attributed to Blog Editor Bora Zivkovic who gave us a lot of latitude on content this year - thank you!). The 'teaching with technology' component, however, is a new addition to the program in which we've geared up with iPads and GoPro cameras so our students can record, analyze, share, and interpret scientific data collected in the field. An outstanding example of this is a video blog by three participants (Justin Pearce, Lauren Stoneburner and Richelle Tanner) from this year's course. As described in Justin, Lauren, and Richelle's video blog, the first leg of the 2013 Guam and Palau course started at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island. Each of the 26 student scientific divers-in-training spent an intensive week reviewing and practicing their in-water dive skills, which included advanced navigation techniques, as well as underwater survey and data collection methods. The students also were required to attend a series of daily lectures, which provided an overview of the course objectives, and a crash course in coral reef ecology, natural resource management, and marine governance. During intensive periods of diving activity (diving multiple days in a row), the propensity for ear and sinus related maladies skyrockets. This year's course was no exception as our ever-trusty volunteer dive instructor Tom Carr (whose day job includes time spent as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff and USC Hyperbaric Chamber Supervisor) was required to make the one-hour, windy, dusty drive to the Catalina Medical Center in Avalon with sick students at least once. With a little TLC and antibiotics all recovered just fine, though some were unable to dive for the duration of the trip. Arriving on Guam, there was a palpable excitement in the air. From the instructors' standpoint, we were pleased to find all of our luggage and dive gear present and accounted for (nearly 60 pieces of baggage in total), whereas the students were just plain excited to be standing on a genuine tropical island (a US Territory, no less) on the other side of the world. For most of the kids, this was the furthest distance they had ever traveled from home, and for some, it was the first time they had ever left the US mainland. Course objectives on Guam included examining the impacts of overfishing and invasive species, conservation management, as well as the ominous military buildup (especially amongst the extensive coral reef habitats within Apra Harbor: see link for Apra Harbor video blog). Our first full day on Guam started with an old friend and colleague Brent Tibbatts and his colleagues at the Guam Division of Wildlife and Aquatic Resources in Mangilao. Brent and the GDWAR staff provided our students the opportunity to interact with critically endangered birds (e.g., Guam Rail and Micronesian Kingfisher), mammals (e.g., Micronesian Fruit Bat), and handle a juvenile Brown Tree Snake, an invasive and mildly venomous viper. It should be noted that students went from holding one of the world's rarest birds (i.e., endemic Guam rail) to handling the very animal (i.e., invasive brown tree snake) responsible for their demise. Later in the week, Brent took us on a tour of the Masso Reservoir located in the Asan-Piti Watershed where the students learned first-hand about the interplay between terrestrial and coastal resources and the importance of 'ridge-to-reef' management. After four days on Guam, we boarded a plane and made our way to Palau where we arrived just in time to eat a late dinner. If the students were excited to arrive on Guam, they were beyond ecstatic to make it to Palau, as I had been telling them for months about how the diving in this region is amongst the best in the world. One of our primary objectives for this part of the course was to provide course participants with hands-on research experiences involving marine ecology, natural resource management, and policy issues. Faculty and students assisted Koror State Conservation and Law Enforcement officials and the Coral Reef Research Foundation in their ongoing efforts to monitor and survey the ecosystem health of Ngederrak Reef (a highly restricted marine protected area) and other reef sites within the recently established UNESCO Rock Islands Southern Lagoon World Heritage site. This is a tremendous opportunity for our students who have benefited from working in real-time with local resource managers and scientists in the field. It should be noted that the Koror State Governor's office and Conservation and Law Enforcement staff went above and beyond to host our group both on land and in the water. This year's Palau component of the course was by far one of our most productive and successful learning and research experiences in course history. Environmental survey data collected on this recent excursion (combined with 2011 and 2012 baseline surveys) will be instrumental in evaluating the recovery of coral reef resources damaged by Typhoon Bopha. We hope to continue to assist Koror State in the coming months in the monitoring of physical and biological parameters at each of our study locations. In Summer 2014, we propose adding a "service learning" component to the course in which USC students (in conjunction with Koror State Officials) visit local elementary and secondary schools to discuss marine biology related themes, and Palau's role as a global leader in marine conservation and sustainability. By the time we finished our underwater field surveys, the students had clearly earned a "fun" dive or two. Our final dives in Palau included two of my favorite dive locations: Blue Corner and Ulong Channel. Blue Corner features a wedge-shaped reef with vertical wall drop-offs on either edge. The contour ensures an active upwelling on the leading edge relative to any prevailing current, which draws high densities of bumphead parrotfishes, napoleon wrasses, and other reef fishes, as well as a wide diversity of reef sharks. Take my word, there is a reason why Blue Corner is consistently listed as one of the top dive sites in the world; it is a show stopping experience every time! Not to be outdone, Ulong Channel, a world-class drift dive, is equally impressive. As my co-instructor Jim Haw described the experience, "divers are swept through the channel like aircraft flying up a canyon." At this time of the year, Ulong is notorious for it's spawning aggregations of grouper, nesting triggerfish, and the ever present white tip and gray reef sharks that congregate in the mouth of the channel. Perhaps one our best highlights underwater was on our final dive in German Channel (another world-class dive spot) where we spent much of the dive with three very inquisitive Manta Rays! Special thanks to Sam's Dive Tours for their patience and support of our in-water diving activities boat needs. In summary, this year's course was a great success. By all accounts, it exceeded expectations (which were already high) on all fronts. Students gained valuable experience working hands-on in the field with local scientists and resource managers. Students often incorporate knowledge better and understand topics more fully by actively being engaged in an activity rather than only reading or writing about a concept. By engaging with local stakeholders involved in integrated ecosystem and conservation management, including fishermen, residents, tourism operators, park rangers, and government policy makers, students gain a better appreciation for the socio-political complexities involved in policy enforcement, and long-term monitoring and evaluation. Previously in this series: The 2013 Guam and Palau Expedition Begins A New Faculty Member on the Team An Analysis of Sargassum Horneri Ecosystem Impact Marine Protected Areas and Catalina Island: Conserve, Maintain and Enrich Northern Elephant Seals: Increasing Population, Decreasing Biodiversity The Relationship Between the Economy and Tourism on Catalina Island Guam and Palau 2013: New Recruits and New Experiences Bringing War to the "Island of Peace" - The Fight for the Preservation of Jeju-do Dreading the Dredging: Military Buildup on Guam and Implications for Marine Biodiversity in Apra Harbor Is the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Doing Enough? The Status of Fisheries in China: How deep will we have to dive to find the truth? The Philippines and Spratly Islands: A Losing Battle The Effects of Climate Change on Coral Reef Health The Senkaku/Diaoyu Island Dispute in the East China Sea The UNESCO World Heritage Site Selection Process Before and After the Storm: The Impacts of Typhoon Bopha on Palauan Reefs An interconnected environment and economy- Shark tourism in Palau A Persistent Case of Diabetes Mellitus in Guam Homo Denisova and Homo Floresiensis in Asia and the South Pacific Investigating the Effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas in Mexico Using Actam Chuleb as a Primary Example Okinawa and the U.S. military, post 1945 Offshore Energy Acquisition in the Western Pacific: The Decline of the World's Most Abundant Fisheries Military Buildup's Environmental Takedown Challenges Facing Japan's Marine Fisheries Hyperbaric Oxygen: A Spectrum of Emerging Treatments The Historical Collapse of Southern California Fisheries and the Rocky Future of Seafood Southern California and Endangered Abalone Populations Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. 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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/guam-palau-wrap-another-successful-field-course-comes-193100547.html

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