Rachel Carson?s Lessons, 50 Years After ?Silent Spring?

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Rachel Carson, who wrote the groundbreaking ?Silent Spring? 50 years ago, offered an indelible example of the power of individual action.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/business/rachel-carsons-lessons-50-years-after-silent-spring.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Bobby Brown arrested in Los Angeles; DUI suspicion

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2 Kentucky men acquitted of hate-crimes charges

LONDON, Ky. (AP) ? Two Kentucky men were acquitted of hate-crimes charges but found guilty of kidnapping late Wednesday in connection with an attack on a gay man.

Prosecutors had argued that Anthony Ray Jenkins and his cousin David Jason Jenkins attacked 29-year-old Kevin Pennington last year at a rural state park because of Pennington's sexual orientation ? a provision of the federal hate-crimes law that had not been previously prosecuted in the U.S.

It was not clear why jurors rejected that argument. They were whisked away immediately after delivering the verdicts and did not make any comments.

Anthony Jenkins' attorney, Willis Coffey, said after the trial that jurors didn't find Pennington's account of the events credible.

"You'd like to have an acquittal on all counts, but he's happy he was found not guilty of a hate crime," Coffey said of his client. "So am I."

Prosecutors said they would issue a statement later.

Pennington held hands with family members and let out an audible sigh when the not-guilty verdicts on the hate-crimes charges were announced. He left the courtroom without talking to news reporters.

Jimmy Jenkins, an uncle who raised Anthony Jenkins, dropped his head into his hands and cried when the cousins were found guilty on the charges of kidnapping and conspiracy to a kidnapping. They are scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 21.

Throughout the trial, the defense argued that any dispute between the Jenkinses and Pennington was over a drug deal gone sour.

Andrew Stephens, the attorney for David Jason Jenkins, argued that his client had at least 21 beers on the day of the assault and was too drunk to have formulated a plan for such an attack.

"These people who were stoned and drunk were going to form a plan? When this event took place, they were all about drugs," Stephens said.

Coffee argued that Anthony Jenkins has an IQ of roughly 75 and was merely a follower who does not hate gay people. He called the allegations "the nearest thing to nothing I have ever seen."

Coffey said Pennington pushed the idea that he was attacked for being gay to serve his own political agenda. Coffey invoked the name of President Barack Obama, who is unpopular in Kentucky and lost badly in the state four years ago.

"If the government and President Obama want to bow to the special-interest groups, that's their business, but they picked the wrong case," Coffey said.

U.S. Justice Department civil rights attorney AeJean Cha told jurors that the Jenkins cousins and two women planned to kidnap, beat and kill Pennington because of his sexual orientation.

"This is not about drugs, this is about the fact that Kevin is gay," Cha said.

Hawkins also played a tape of Pennington's 911 call after the attack. On the tape, Pennington's voice can be heard cracking as he tries to describe the attack and relay information about the Jenkinses.

"They're trying to kill me," Pennington told the 911 operator on April 4, 2011. "I didn't know what they were going to do. I think it's because I'm gay."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-10-24-Hate%20Crime-Gay%20Attack/id-576ce4e52af24999aa0781e4766cedd0

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Synergy for Senior Care: Improving Partnerships Between Medical

Too often, vulnerable older adults are left to fend for themselves when it comes to transitioning from the hospital to the next appropriate care setting. Stories abound of people being shipped back and forth from the hospital to temporary care to their homes and back to the hospital again when it all goes wrong. In California, approximately one in five or 81,000 Medicare beneficiaries every year end up re-hospitalized within 30 days of discharge for a medical condition that led to the original hospitalization. This figure increases to 2.5 million Medicare beneficiaries nationally, at a cost of nearly $17 billion a year. These figures do not account for the human, health and financial toll that individuals and their loved ones face when stuck in this revolving door.

Federal and state governments now place increased pressure on the health care sector to provide better quality care while reducing costs, such as readmission penalties and quality ratings on Medicare Advantage plans. However, many of the issues that emerge in the chasm between a hospital discharge and full re-entry at home are things that are beyond the hospital walls. For example, could the person navigate the three steps to get inside the home? If medications need to be taken with food, is there food in the refrigerator? Did the prescriptions get filled within 24 hours in the first place? Does the daughter know how to safely help mom get from the recliner to the bathroom?

These and other key issues are commonplace for a whole range of community-based organizations that answer the calls from frustrated family members and help make arrangements to smooth the transitions. Organizations such as aging and disability resource centers, faith-based groups and many others have much to offer health care systems that can no longer operate only inside the medical walls. Developing, fostering and managing partnerships between community-based organizations and the health care sector is a key step towards addressing the total needs of older adults and people with disabilities as critical junctures in their health. This is particularly true for individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.

While efforts are underway at the national level to improve care transitions, the dearth of information on how best to build partnerships between the community-based long-term services and supports and the medical sector is staggering. Both the health care sector and community-based services sector have been working on tackling the issue of care coordination, but have been doing so from their own perspectives and biases. Beyond anecdotes, there are few models on how to create, formalize and maintain these partnerships, or how to define and delineate what a joint approach to care transitions and care coordination would look like.

Ultimately, this is part of a bigger paradigm shift in care, one that looks at those who need health care as "people" and not simply "patients." Care coordination and transitions are critical to providing services that should be offered at the right time by the right provider and in the right place. For people whose lives are on the line, this pathway can and should be as smooth as possible. As a physician, I have witnessed firsthand how ugly it is when people end up back in the hospital against their desires when it could have been avoided. The humanity of this issue goes beyond the rhetoric that inhibits health reform. This is really about having the best system in place for those we love -- and ultimately for ourselves.

?

Follow Dr. Bruce A. Chernof, MD on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheSCANFndtn

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-bruce-a-chernof-md/senior-care_b_2007073.html

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Trump Bombshell Revealed? College Pal Claims Obama Used And Sold Cocaine [Report]

A man claiming to have been close friends with Barack Obama in college maintains that the president once used and sold cocaine. The would-be author has been shut down by Republican operatives, that the man allegedly sought to help push the story in the media. Political operatives reportedly close to the Mitt Romney campaign were allegedly contacted about the drug dealing rumors, and rejected both the information and the offer to communicate with the story teller. The shocking claims have many wondering if the college drug dealing allegations are part of the political bombshell Donald Trump promised to drop on Wednesday.

A Radar Online source had this to say about the man peddling the President Obama cocaine story:

?At first he wanted to do a book. But there just wasn?t enough time before the election. The people he is involved with have produced other credible information that is damaging to national Democratic figures in the past few years. People who would have taken the information to the highest levels of Romney?s campaign just wouldn?t touch it.?

The source also added that when told about the cocaine using gossip, the Romney campaign made it clear they did not want the candidate associated with the drug dealing claims in any manner.

A proposal of the yet unnamed man?s story was given to Radar Online in a document format. According to the website, multiple sources claim they can back up the Barack Obama college cocaine allegations. Although the sources maintain they have evidence to prove their dramatic claims, there is no indication that such proof has been shared with any media outlet. The man pushing the story allegedly offered to take a polygraph test, but results from such a test have not been offered.

Could the allegations about college cocaine use be the supposed bombshell Donald Trump stated he wanted to drop?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheInquisitrNews/~3/SQ_LGGlUOuc/

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Tired of looking for a job? 5 tips to prepare to start ... - Keppie Careers

Are you dissatisfied with your job, or reading the writing on the wall that suggests it may be time to think of your own exit strategy? If so, you are in good company. A Mercer?s What?s Working? survey last year, conducted over two quarters, included 2,400 workers in the U.S. They found, ?nearly one in three (32%) U.S. workers is seriously considering leaving his or her organization at the present time, up sharply from 23% in 2005.?

A Right Management survey found you?re probably working? harder than ever and that weekends no longer provide the work respite they once did. The research said, ?more than one-third of workers regularly get weekend emails from their boss who expects them to respond. Another one-third reported getting such emails from time to time.?

Whether your motivation is that you are miserable at work or because you anticipate a layoff, it?s possible you may be better off marketing yourself as a consultant or starting a business instead of looking for another traditional job.

Consider these five tips to prepare to become a business owner.

Start saving money. If you?re the type of person who checks the calendar to find out when the next paycheck is coming because you are out of grocery money, it?s time to scale back your spending and save some money for a rainy day. Freedom and flexibility come with being able to manage to cover your expenses even without a regular job.

Audit your free time. Think about how you spend your time outside of work; is there any time to start a new business on the side? We used to call this moonlighting; some refer to it as a ?side hustle.?

Decide what you want to do. It sounds obvious, but if you want to run a business, you need to identify the intersection between what you know how to do and what people need and are willing to pay you to do for them.

Evaluate your skills. Are you totally disorganized when it comes to managing money? Do you avoid writing like it?s the plague? Do you cower in fear when it?s time to attend an in-person networking event? Would you rather get in a pit of king cobras than speak in front of a group? If you want to run a business, you?ll need to be prepared to take on these and other challenges.

Study trends and market needs. You may have great skills and a passion for a topic, but you need to know if people are willing to pay you to use those skills.

Keep an eye on your competitors, review employment and industry trends via resources such as the Riley Guide, and tap into services such as Trendwatching.com?s free monthly trend briefing.

Read the complete post on U.S. News & World Report.

photo by nicsuzor

Related Posts:

Article by Miriam Salpeter

Miriam Salpeter, author of Social Networking for Career Success, is a CNN-named "top 10 job tweeter" and contributor to U.S. News & World Report's "On Careers" column. Quoted in major media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and NBC news for her cutting-edge career advice, Miriam is an in-demand writer and speaker regarding job search and social media. She offers custom packages for job seekers and business owners, including transforming resumes and creating social media profiles/personal websites for clients. Keppie Careers has you covered. Let's get started!

Source: http://www.keppiecareers.com/2012/10/23/tired-of-looking-for-a-job-5-tips-to-prepare-to-start-your-own-business/

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Not For Air Podcast Brings Florida's Musical Underground to the World

With the constant stream of live shows and aspiring musicians in South Florida, Stuart, Florida, is one of the last places a local would think to turn to for a music fix. But one very determined believer of the Treasure Coast is taking a grassroots approach and attempting to turn that all around and shine a spotlight on bands that rarely see it with his Not For Air podcast.

Justin "McPatches" Jordan is a born and raised Florida boy with a passion for something most of us forgot about somewhere around middle school: Radio. A fan of local radio since he was a kid, Justin got his first real taste of the airways in 2008 as part of the promotions team at JACK FM in Vero Beach. He cut his teeth by helping out on remote events, setting up the DJ equipment and editing the audio to go on air.

While on the hunt for his next radio gig, McPatches ran into a tech-savvy friend and indulged her in his all too common "in-between jobs" woes. She suggested that in the meantime, Justin could sharpen his on-air skills with a podcast to practice and stay busy. Still a radio traditionalist at the time, this marked the first occasion he heard the word "podcast" and was introduced to the digital medium as a way to produce a radio show. Armed with a few tips to get started, as well as everything he learned working at JACK FM, a podcast was born. After a few weeks online and a drunken YouTube night that lead to the name "Not For Air Radio," South Florida received its first underground radio show, and two years later the hit podcast is stronger than ever.

The real wacky and impressive thing about Not For Air is that Justin is just a guy with a day job at a retail store and a long-term dream to make it big in radio. He spends the majority of his week recording, editing, promoting (he calls it "whoring himself out"), and daydreaming about crafting a show that means something to him and his listeners. "The job really doesn't stop," he said. Justin has never seen one single cent from producing Not For Air, there is absolutely no budget, he has funded all the recording equipment himself, and there is no charge to listen.

So what is Not For Air? It's got a talk-about-anything radio format, but they feature Floridian and underground artists from around the country. Justin keeps it all about the music, "I'm not in a band, I don't know how to play an instrument, I'm just a fan." He defines "underground" as "The stuff you don't get to hear all the time, the real backbone of local music. It doesn't have to be punk, it doesn't have to be metal. It's just the DYI music you don't normally hear. Someone needs to support the little guy."

But of course, Justin couldn't create all this mayhem on his own. Since day one, co-host Matt Hickman has played the angry guy to Justin's straight man, ranting and raving on air about whatever they want. After inviting friend Matthew Ferry to join them for live commentating at a wrestling event, he quickly joined the motley crew and was soon followed by his wife, Jordan, who adds the necessary female touch. The Not For Air team has continued to grow with no bounds in site. Interview video guy Justin Spraur and even local photographer Tessa Bird lend their skills to the cause.

Justin is continuously impressed by his growing cast. "When we are all together, it works really well. We are able to bounce off of each others' styles and create our own."

In the two years since its spontaneous start, Not For Air's listener base has grown just like a bruise when you hit your knee: Immediately and apparently. Besides streaming on their official website and Bandcamp, Not For Air has picked up enough buzz to be a feature on online stations around the country. The podcast streams on PoDunk Radio out of the glamorous city of Paris, Texas, on Thursday nights, and Fridays on Rok Out Radio, which Facebook fans recently voted "Underground Radio Station of the Year" and broadcasts out of Michael Scott's hometown, Scranton, Pennsylvania. On-the-go workin' folk who still enjoy a good head bang can even listen on their smart phone with the Tune In app.?

Justin thinks having users more geographically spread out leads to better content. "We have listeners from all over, not just locally. People hear us and write in about their favorites so we can get the bands out there."

Not For Air is as underground as it gets, so what could Justin possibly think about the Man's? radio? "A lot of people think that because I'm underground I must be anti-mainstream radio, but I'm not because it is still radio and I love it. If it's in the right hands, it's good! But when corporations are in charge, they play crap and that's the problem. Regular radio used to be a place to get heard. Now, they leave no room for local bands or anyone starting out and just play the same songs over and over again. The main problem with a mainstream station is that even if it has all the support in the world, someone from corporate can come in and turn it off.? That won't happen to me. I won't let it happen."

Justin, Matt and the rest of the Not For Air fleet celebrated their two year anniversary on August 4th and aren't showing any signs of slowing down. They plan on taking on new sponsors, creating more video content, and even traveling to take the show on the road. All with one goal in mind, to get noticed by more people so they can help out underground bands.

Justin knows he's created something important, and is ready for the long haul. "I found one thing I am really good at, and I am going to keep doing it. I just want to hang out and play music."

Source: http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/countygrind/2012/10/not_for_air_podcast_florida.php

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Parting Schotts: Union hockey plans bus trips to UConn, RPI

The Union men's hockey team is planning bus trips for games at Connecticut on Saturday and RPI next Friday.

For Union's game against Connecticut, the price for the bus and game ticket is $31 per person, and $25 for just the bus. The bus is slated to leave College Park Hall at approximately 4 p.m. on Saturday. The deadline to sign up is noon Thursday.

For the game at RPI, the price for the bus and game ticket is $22 per person, and $10 for just the bus. Fans have until next Wednesday at 5 p.m. to sign up.

To sign up, call Union hockey administrative assistant Chelsea Soules at 388-6288, or emial her at soulesc@union.edu.

Source: http://www.dailygazette.com/weblogs/schott/2012/oct/22/union-hockey-plans-bus-trips-to-uconn-rpi/

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Pakistani army strategy in question after attacks

MINGORA, Pakistan (AP) ? The Taliban's horrific attack on a female teenage activist in this scenic corner of Pakistan's northwest was the latest in a series of assassination attempts by militant sleeper cells in the area over the last year, each carried out with targeted shots to the head.

The insurgents activated their networks in the Swat Valley to take advantage of the army's decision to reduce its presence and accelerate the transition of security and governance to civilian authorities in the wake of a big offensive in 2009 to push out the Taliban.

The valley is in little danger of falling under the militants' control again anytime soon. But the resurgent threat raises questions about the army's ability to hand over control to civilians in Swat and other areas of the northwest where soldiers are fighting the Taliban, a fundamental part of the military's counterterror strategy.

Building effective civilian government and law enforcement is not only critical so the military can withdraw, but also to address local grievances related to development and justice that can fuel support for the insurgents.

The Taliban shot and wounded 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai as she was heading home from school in Swat's main town of Mingora on Oct. 9. The militants targeted the girl because she was an outspoken opponent of the group and promoted "Western thinking," such as girls' education.

The militants have carried out at least half a dozen other assassination attempts against their opponents in Swat since the end of last year, killing four people and wounding several others, said security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Haji Zahid Khan, a member of a major tribal council in Swat, was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in August but managed to survive. Khan criticized the army and police for not taking his case seriously enough, which he believes emboldened the militants.

"Had they arrested the culprits in my case, the network that was working could have been traced," said Khan. "The Malala incident could not have happened."

Investigations into the shootings indicated the attackers came from Afghanistan, where many militants fled following the army offensive in 2009, said Kamran Rehman Khan, the top government official in Swat. The militants worked with networks of sympathizers in Swat who provided weapons, ammunition, cell phones and other logistical support, he said.

The insurgents activated their networks to take advantage of the army's decision to reduce its presence in Swat. The military has decreased the 40 checkpoints it had in the area by almost half in the last year, although the number of troops in the valley has stayed the same, said Khan, the senior government official.

The army launched its offensive in Swat in the spring of 2009 with about 25,000 troops and originally planned to hand over control to civilian authorities and pull out over a period of about two years. That hasn't happened because the civilians haven't proven capable of handling security, say military officials.

The number of police in Swat has more than doubled to about 3,700, said Khan, but police in the country routinely lack sufficient resources and would likely have trouble keeping the militants at bay.

For this reason, the army still has about 12,500 soldiers in Swat and has plans to build permanent bases for some of them. The military hopes to reduce the number of troops by 50 percent next year, but experts are doubtful.

"The civilians don't feel confident enough to manage the area in the absence of the military, so the military will stay," said Pakistani defense analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi.

The inability to pass the baton to civilians in Swat raises questions about what the military plans to do in the adjacent tribal region, which serves as the main sanctuary for the Taliban in the country and is even less developed than Swat. The army has over 100,000 troops fighting in the semiautonomous region, and the experience in Swat indicates the generals will have difficulty pulling them out.

"I don't think they will be able to withdraw easily from the tribal areas because they have not been able to control them successfully and there is hardly any civilian structure to hand off to in these areas," said Rizvi.

The military may be more effective at handling security, but there are concerns its long-term presence could fuel resentment that could be exploited by the militants. Human rights organizations have accused the army of rounding up scores of suspected militants in Swat since the 2009 offensive and never producing them in court ? allegations denied by the military. The practice "can create hatred against the army," said Khan, the tribal council member.

But that doesn't necessarily mean residents want the military to leave. Even with the recent attacks, security in Swat is far better than it was a few years ago when the Taliban routinely beheaded people and left them in the streets as a warning.

"If the army goes," said Dolat Khan, a drugstore owner in Swat, "there could be a civil war."

____

Abbot reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Zarar Khan contributed to this report from Islamabad.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pakistani-army-strategy-attacks-162110448.html

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Apple iPad mini event live commentary

Apple's iPad and Mac event is scheduled to kick off at 10am PT/1pm ET and iMore will be watching Apple's live stream and proving all our usual context, color, and commentary. It's been a long ride getting to the iPad mini and the new Macs, and we'd love for you to join us now that it's finally here.

We kick off right before Apple. 10am PT, 1pm ET. Be here.

Want to go full screen? Head to iMore.com/live. Want to watch via iPhone or iPad? Grab the Ustream app and search for "mobilenations". Want to subscribe to any or all of our shows? Head on over to our podcast page.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/HxBJShk23h0/story01.htm

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The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 5 Trailer: Wedding in the Works?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/10/the-real-housewives-of-atlanta-season-5-trailer-wedding-in-the-w/

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Content Marketing: What You Need to Know - Ntt.cc

Many business owners are turning to the web to help them market their business and there are plenty of good reasons for doing this. Many expert online marketers claim online marketing is less expensive than other types of marketing but also more effective. According to several online studies, people will search for a product or service online before they decide to buy it. What does the average consumer look for when searching for these products or services?

Well, for starters, they want more information about the product. They want to know they?re making a good purchase, what the product is used for and how to upkeep or maintain it. They are really looking for any additional information they can find about the industry, the product or the service, and this is exactly the need that content marketing meets.

While this type of marketing has been around for a long time, just look at the number of real estate magazines sitting around on coffee tables, it has only just recently reached the online world. Current online technologies allow anyone to become a writer or publisher (so long as you have interesting information to share).

All you have to do is write interesting articles about your industry, which can include information, explain how something is done or offer some type of tips and tricks. Remember, the Internet is about sharing knowledge, so, the more you have to share, the more of an expert you become in your industry.

Intangibles

Online content marketing can benefit anyone, because it creates information about your industry and links back to your website, creating what Phorm experts call the Phorm Rapid ORM (Object Relational Mapper); showing all the content that links back to your website. This offers a kind of map for viewers to follow back to your service or product website.

However, this marketing method especially helps businesses that offer intangible products or services, as products like e-books, reports or videos can?t really be tasted, seen in a local magazine or book store, or picked up and held. These are products that can only be sold by being talked about, and the best person to talk about them on the web is you. After all, you are the expert on the matter!

How Does it Work?

Content marketing is the process of writing and publishing information to blogs, online magazines and informational websites, and offering a link back to your website for readers to click on and get even more information. The key to being successful as a content marketer lies in offering engaging information which people will read, and creating interest in your industry, service or product (a process that isn?t as easy as it appears to be.)

Consistency

For content marketing to be successful, you need to be consistent, offering information on a regular basis, and ensuring each piece of content links back to your services or product. This creates much of the support connecting people back to your website. Once they create this content rapport with you, and feel you are qualified to offer advice and news about your service or industry, then these readers often become your customers.

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Source: http://ntt.cc/2012/10/23/content-marketing-what-you-need-to-know.html

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HOMES Arkansas -- Homes Arkansas ? Real Estate News ? Blog ...

Q. We purchased our home a few years ago, and it?s now worth a lot less than we paid for it ? but the annual property-tax bill we recently received from the county assessor has gone up again, even though the county has not imposed any special assessments. How do we go about filing an appeal to have the bill reduced?

A. As many as 60 percent of all homeowners are being ?overassessed? and are paying more property taxes than they should be, according to the nonprofit National Taxpayers Union
(www.ntu.org).

Property-tax time is here, and several readers from across the country have recently asked questions similar to yours, so I?m devoting this entire column to providing some tips that can help those homeowners slash their bills.

?

Q. What?s the first step I should take to obtain a reduction?

A. The rules for appealing an assessment often vary from one county to the next, so call your local assessor?s office to find out the procedure in your area. Also, find out when an appeal can be filed. Most counties limit them to a specified time frame, often 30 or 60 days after the bill is received.

It?s also important to learn how the assessor determines how much taxes should be levied. Many base the figure on what the assessor believes is 100 percent of the home?s current market value, but others base the tax on a fraction of that amount, known as the ?assessment ratio.? If the property?s estimated value is $100,000 but the local ratio is 80 percent, the assessed value for property-tax purposes should be $80,000.

Also check with the assessor to make sure you?re getting all the tax breaks that may be available. Many counties offer an automatic exemption that prevents, say, the first $5,000 or $10,000 of a home?s value from being taxed. Others offer discounts and sometimes even waivers to homeowners who are elderly, handicapped, earn little or no income, or are on active duty in the military.

?

Q. My bill states that my lot size is 6,413 square feet, but it?s actually only 5,126. Is this cause for a reduction?

A. Absolutely. Your appeal may be easier than most because your assessor apparently prints rather detailed information on annual tax statements. In most counties, homeowners instead must visit the local office or visit the assessor?s website to view their home?s ?property record card? or similar document to find out how large the assessor believes the lot is, how much livable space the actual home has and related information.

An estimated 50 percent of all property cards have at least one error on them. The mistakes typically involve the lot size or the square footage of the home.

But you might be overcharged for more obscure reasons, such as a permit that you pulled to finish a basement or to add a pool but never went through with the plans. When a permit is issued, the assessor automatically assumes that you completed the work and adjusts the bill upward.

The assessment office may reduce your bill automatically ? and thus allow you to skip the formal appeals process ? if you can prove there are inaccuracies on the record card that have artificially inflated the taxes that you?re expected to pay. Blueprints of your home?s floor plan, title papers and other documents you received when closing the sale, or photos of the unfinished basement or pool-less backyard, can bolster your case.

?

Q. All the information on my record card is correct, but my tax bill is still about 15 percent higher than my neighbor?s, who owns a nearly identical house. What can I do?

A. Assessors have to ensure that all homeowners are treated equally, so you have a pretty good chance of trimming the bill. Review the record card for your neighbor?s property and other comparable homes in the neighborhood (they?re a matter of public record) to see if the taxes they are paying are at least 10 percent less than what the assessor wants to charge you. The more cases of disparities you can provide, the better.

?

Q. My tax bill estimates that my home is worth $228,000, but comparable properties in my area are selling for $20,000 to $30,000 less than that. Does the fact that the assessor has obviously overestimated the value of my house serve as grounds for an appeal?

A. Yes. To prove your case that the assessor has overestimated your home?s value, ask a local real estate agent to compile a list of recent sales in the neighborhood of homes that are similar in size and condition to yours. Most agents will provide this service for free in the hope of getting your future business, and the report can be a valuable tool to earn a reduction in your bill.

You can also do your own sleuthing on recent sales by visiting such sites as realestate.com, zillow.com or trulia.com. Print out your findings and present them to the assessor when making the appeal.

You could even consider hiring a professional appraiser to estimate the value of your home. But before shelling out a few hundred bucks for the service, check the appeal rules in your particular county. Some assessors require appraisals, while others won?t even allow them to be part of the process.

?

Send questions to David Myers, P.O. Box 4405, Culver City, CA 90231-2960, and we?ll try to respond in a future column.

More from columnist David W. Myers

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 21st, 2012 at 6:00 am and is filed under David W. Myers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://news.homesarkansas.net/?p=4254

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Unions shift political might to state, local races

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Unions are shifting more of their political resources to state and local races this year as they try to head off passage of laws that could undermine bargaining rights, make it harder to organize or reduce their political muscle.

Labor leaders say their top goal remains re-electing President Barack Obama, but several unions are redirecting their focus from the presidential and congressional campaigns to state and local races in dozens of states where they feel threatened.

In New Hampshire, unions want to keep the governor's seat in Democratic hands to prevent a right-to-work measure. In Maine and Minnesota, labor leaders hope to overturn Republican majorities in state legislatures. And in Michigan, unions are trying to enshrine collective bargaining rights in the state constitution.

The shift comes as organized labor is still reeling from battles in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and other states where governors have sought to limit union rights for public workers or otherwise restrict union power.

"This year we've invested in these races more than ever before," said Brian Weeks, political director of the country's largest public workers union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Weeks' union has pledged to spend $100 million this election cycle to help re-elect Obama and other union-friendly candidates ? most of them are Democrats ? in federal, state and local races. A larger chunk of that is flowing to state and local candidates than in the past, though Weeks said the union is only spending "marginally less" on presidential and congressional races than four years ago.

Unions have been on the defensive since 2010, when Republicans seeking to weaken union muscle took control in 26 state legislatures, up from 14 two years earlier. Unions failed to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, after he signed a law limiting collective bargaining rights for most public workers. They also saw Indiana become the 23rd state to pass a right-to-work law that limits unions' ability to collect fees from nonunion workers.

"The severity and the viciousness of the attacks in 2010 caught us a little off-guard," Weeks said. "Now we're planning for that to prevent it from happening again."

In 2008, the nation's largest firefighters union spent nearly 100 percent of its money on federal races. This year, for the first time, about 25 percent of the national union's $14 million political budget is going to state and local campaigns.

"We have really pivoted and turned a lot of our work and resources into those state races," said Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Firefighters.

That includes Iowa, where Democrats hold a one-vote majority in the Senate. Unions hope to keep that advantage to prevent passage of a measure that would ban public employee unions from collecting dues through automatic paycheck deductions.

Unions can play a pivotal role in turning out voters in some states. The AFL-CIO says its volunteers will knock on 5.5 million doors, make 5.2 million phone calls and hand out 2 million leaflets at worksites in the final four days before the election. Voters in 25 states will receive about 12 million pieces of mail urging them to vote for union-endorsed candidates.

Larry Kruse, a Republican running for a state Senate seat in Iowa's 42nd District, said some of his supporters have shown him the fliers that unions are mailing out.

"Most of them are on the negative side, so a lot of people are upset with them," Kruse said. "They may be spending a lot of money, but I question how effective it is."

In Minnesota, unions hope to overturn Republican rule of both legislative chambers so Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton can push through income tax increases on the highest earners and more spending on schools. Republicans want to cut state spending, which could jeopardize public employees.

In New Hampshire, the GOP-led Legislature passed right-to-work legislation last year but failed to override a veto by Democratic Gov. John Lynch. Lynch is not seeking another term, so unions are pinning their hopes on electing Democrat Maggie Hassan over GOP rival Ovide Lamontagne, who has pledged to sign a right-to-work measure.

This week, AFSCME and the Service Employees International Union launched a $1.3 million television ad campaign in New Hampshire against Lamontagne.

The heavy union investment in New Hampshire's gubernatorial race doesn't sit well with Fred Kfoury, president and CEO of Central Paper Products Co., a 55-employee business in Manchester. Kfoury said a right-to-work law would help the state attract more new businesses.

"Unions have outlived their usefulness and have been an impediment to business growth and dynamics," Kfoury said.

Brandon Davis, SEIU's political director, downplayed the notion that his union is not spending as much money on the presidential and congressional races. He said the union is being more strategic about how it spends money, focusing on state legislative districts that overlap with key congressional districts and urging voters not to forget about state and local races.

"We simply cannot stop at the top," Davis said.

Unions are being forced to play defense even in the usually labor-friendly confines of California, where they are fighting a ballot proposition that would prohibit unions from using payroll deductions to collect funds for political purposes. That would starve unions of the tens of millions of dollars they use to finance campaigns and political organizing. Californians rejected similar measures in 2005 and 1998.

In Michigan, unions are going on offense with a ballot measure that would include collective bargaining rights in the state constitution. The measure would prevent future Wisconsin-style measures restricting bargaining rights, but opponents say it would hinder state and local lawmakers who want to control their budgets.

A union-backed group has spent about $6.5 million on TV ads supporting the measure, according to a nonprofit called the Michigan Campaign Finance Network. Two opposition groups with business support have spent roughly the same amount.

___

Follow Sam Hananel's labor coverage at http://twitter.com/SamHananelAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/unions-shift-political-might-state-local-races-153412762--election.html

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YouTube Campaigns lets nonprofits draw our interest without the telethons

Trying to launch a concerted nonprofit video campaign can feel like tilting at windmills: you might have one moment of undivided attention from viewers before they're off to watch cats and Nigerian pygmy goats. Google wants to make the most of that time through its YouTube Campaigns initiative. The strategy brings on-video overlays and channel sections that show viewers both a progress meter for the campaign as well as a handy links to explore and share what they've found. If all goes well, charities and like-minded organizations get more donations and YouTube views, while we in the general public are reminded that there's more to life than K-pop videos. It certainly beats manning the phones for a celebrity fundraiser.

Filed under: Internet, Alt, Google

YouTube Campaigns lets nonprofits draw our interest without the telethons originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Oct 2012 06:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/20/youtube-campaigns-lets-nonprofits-draw-our-interest/

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Former Sen. George McGovern dies at age 90

Cliff Owen / Pool via Reuters, file

Former U.S. Sen. George McGovern died early Sunday, his family said.

By M. Alex Johnson and Kelly O'Donnell, NBC News

Updated at 10:05 a.m. ET: Former Sen. George McGovern, who lost a 1972 presidential bid to?Richard Nixon in a historic landslide,?died early Sunday, his family said in a statement. He was 90.

McGovern passed away?at a hospice in?Sioux Falls, SD.

Steve Hildebrand, a spokesman for the family, issued a statement to NBC News that read: "At approximately 5:15 am CT [6: 15 a.m. ET] this morning, our wonderful father, George McGovern passed away peacefully at the Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, SD, surrounded by our family and life-long friends.

"We are blessed to know that our father lived a long, successful and productive life advocating for the hungry, being a progressive voice for millions and fighting for peace.

"He continued giving speeches, writing and advising all the way up to and past his 90th birthday, which he celebrated this summer."

McGovern was a bomber pilot in World War II who became an early critic of the Vietnam War and a leader of the Democrats' liberal wing.? ?He was elected to his first of three Senate terms in 1962.

McGovern ran for president three times, also making a try for the nomination in 1968 and 1984. ?Despite the 1972 Watergate break-in, Nixon won a second term by a huge landslide.

McGovern challenged Nixon in 1972 on a platform opposing the war in Vietnam, but ?suffered one of the most lopsided defeats in U.S. history, taking only 37.5 percent of the vote and carrying only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.

Later as Nixon's presidency unraveled in the Watergate scandal, bumper stickers saying "Don't blame me, I'm from Massachusetts" and buttons saying "Don't blame me, I voted for McGovern" began to appear.?

House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland said McGovern's own life "exemplified the American dream that he worked so hard to make possible for millions." In a statement, Hoyer said:

"George McGovern made it his life's work to end the plague of hunger across the globe and here at home. He was a pioneer of our successful food stamp program and, working across the aisle with former Senator Bob Dole, helped expand funding for free and reduced cost school lunches. As Director of the Food for Peace program under President Kennedy, Senator McGovern strengthened our leadership around the world by helping feed millions with surplus American produce.

"While many of his ideas may have been ahead of his time, they have since helped shape our policies as a nation. I join in expressing my condolences to Senator McGovern's family and celebrating his life and contribution to the country he loved to serve."

The Associated Press and NBC's Kelly O'Donnell contributed to this report.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/21/14592769-former-senator-george-mcgovern-dies-aged-90?lite

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Theft of Children's Identities a Growing Problem ? The Boddie Law ...

Courtesy Huffington Post.

In this week?s Tuesday?s Legal Tidbit, we discussed the illegality of putting utilities in your children?s names when you can?t get them placed in our own due to past credit issues. But, it seems that identity fraud committed by family members, especially against children is a growing problem. In fact, according to ID Analytics, an estimated 500,000 children have had their identities stolen by a parent.

Below is an excerpt from an article on the issue from HuffingtonPost.com, which published a series called Burdened Beginnings which focuses on child identity theft:

A Family Secret

Parents use their children?s Social Security numbers for a variety of reasons. Some use them to get jobs because?they have felony convictions on their records.?Others use them to apply for credit cards and utilities because their own credit is tarnished.

Last April, Maryland resident Jimmy Louis Craighead, 40, was convicted of stealing the identities of his three children ? ages 6, 4 and 2.?He told a judge?he and his wife were not able to get credit in their own names, so they used their children?s names to get money for food, fuel and other necessities, according to the?Carroll County Times.

?They have maxed out their ability to get credit, so they borrow their child?s thinking, ?Oh, it?s okay. I?ll pay all the bills so by the time they turn 18, they?ll have great credit,?? Linda Foley, co-founder of ID Theft Info Source and an expert on child identity theft,?said at a conference in July. ?Well, they haven?t unlearned the bad behaviors that got them in debt in the first place, so at 18, the child ends up in debt.?

That debt can take years to remove from a credit report. When Chip St. Clair was 15, his parents stole his identity to take out nearly $50,000 in student loans, utilities, apartment leases and car loans over the course of three years, he said. He didn?t find out until 1998, when he was 22 and his father was charged with escaping from an Indiana state prison in the 1970s.

He also learned that his father, who went by the name David St. Clair, was actually Michael Dean Grant, a convicted child killer. Grant had used Chip?s Social Security number to create a new identity.

After his father?s arrest in 1998, Chip?s mother wrote a letter for her son to give to his creditors. Written in cursive on stationery with a brown stuffed bear, the letter began ?To Whom It May Concern: I am writing this letter in hopes it will straighten out my son?s credit and financial problems.?

It continued: ?Chip is trying to regroup and make something of himself and all this from the past is holding him back. ? He should not be held accountable for the sins of his father. ? Please try to have compassion for Chip?s situation and help him clear his good name.?

Now 36 and a resident of Rochester, Mich., St. Clair said he has spent the last decade trying to remove fraudulent charges from his credit report while paying high interest rates on loans because of his poor credit. He has still not been able to erase student loans that his parents took out in his name, he said. In October, he tried to open a utility account, but was told he had an outstanding balance of $500 from an address where his parents lived 20 years ago.

?Your credit is your lifeline to society,? St. Clair told The Huffington Post. ?When it?s stolen from you, it creates so many problems in your life. It still haunts me to this day.?

Read the rest of the story here:

As you can see, using a child?s identity to get credit you can?t get is not only theft, but can damage that child?s credit for years into their adulthood, limiting their options and opportunities early in life and perhaps causing a lifetime of problems.

If you are having financial challenges and require assistance, please refer to our latest Tuesday?s Legal Tidbit for resources here in Georgia and seek out similar resources from your own state. If you have credit issues you need to resolve to get credit in our own name, please contact a consumer counseling credit agency like American Consumer Counseling Credit for help.

(c) 2012.?The Boddie Law Firm. All rights reserved. All other copyrights reserved by their owners. The information contained in this post is subject to our?Disclaimer. Comments to this blog are moderated and subject to editing, removal or deletion at the discretion of the owner.

?

?

Source: http://theboddielawgroup.com/?p=552

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Shopping and Product Reviews | Jonlippincott.com | udigatymat ...

Oct 19, 2012

Shopping and Product Reviews

What are the characteristics with the kindle? This informative article talks in regards to the major six options from the wireless reading device, Kindle Fire. It enables user to surf the net, listen to music, watch movie, read books and etc. Listed below are the major six options from the?amazon prime review that I?m going to share with you:

Dual core processor

The wireless reading device, Kindle Fire utilizes the dual core processor for quickly, effective efficiency. Stream music when browsing the web or read books though downloading movies. It could take care of multitasking smoothly.

E-reading

Countless books could be found in the library. You can borrow books from the library. Besides that, you also can download the sample and read the critiques. When you are searching for an e-reader with astounding color display, The Fire is a suitable e-reader for you.

No cost 1 month membership of Amazon Prime

You will be able to stream unlimited of Television shows and motion pictures. You?ll find 1000s of movies within the library that happen to be accessible to stream, download, buy or rent. You can stream and watch it anytime, anyplace you?d like as long as your Fire gets connected towards the wireless. Together with the membership, you get to access towards the Lending Library exactly where it is possible to stream thousand of movies from there.

Absolutely free cloud storage service

Stop worrying about memory. Amazon gives you a 5GB no cost storage for all of your Amazon digital contents. You get to download and stream all your movies and apps instantly with a touch of your finger.

Amazon?s Apps Shop

You could download apps from Amazon?s apps retailer. It has a wide range of apps you may download. Apart from that, it presents a paid app free of charge everyday! You?ll be able to play Angry Bird on your Kindle!

Kindle owner?s Lending Library

There are more than a hundred thousand books within the Lending Library. With an Amazon Prime membership, Kindle owners can pick a book to borrow for free.

Fire is really a excellent decision amongst the many tablets. It characteristics astounding color display, wide range of apps, streaming music and motion pictures that is certainly compatible with Adobe?s Flash. In term of price, it fees only $199. It can be quite cheap to get a tablet. It permits you to get virtually 5GB absolutely free storage with Amazon?s Cloud storage. Apart from that, none of any customers complain regarding the Kindle Fire?s battery life. Begin asking yourself, what are you currently really looking for? In case you just wish to read some books, surf the world wide web, listen to some musics, why not going for this terrific device?

Source: http://www.jonlippincott.com/shopping-and-product-reviews/10/08/59/

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Source: http://udigatymat.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/shopping-and-product-reviews-jonlippincott-com/

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Looking for financial security? Temporary credit cards may be an ...

With billions of dollars in credit card fraud every year, shoppers may be looking for more secure ways of doing their business. One such way is to use ?temporary? credit card numbers.

They?re sometimes referred to as ?virtual? or ?disposable? numbers. They work in a variety of ways; while not foolproof, they may help consumers to head off abuse or misuse of their credit cards.

Most issuers of major credit cards will let you use a number (not the one on your plastic card) temporarily, often for just a single purchase. After that transaction is complete, the number becomes worthless to a thief or anyone else. The number is truly disposable, so even if a thief gets access to it, the number can?t be used for unauthorized purchases.

You use that number as you would your regular credit card, and your transactions show up on your regular credit card bill. Just as you save receipts from your regular credit card purchases, you should hang onto receipts from any temporary numbers you use.

Every issuer has its own rules for issuing temporary numbers; some tie the service to their online banking and may require you to sign up for it. Others offer a downloadable program that will pop up when you make an online purchase and ask if you want to use a virtual number. Still others require that you log onto their website when you want a virtual number.

What you should not do is click on anything in an unsolicited email offering you a temporary number. That?s likely a phishing scam, designed to harvest your personal information. Since the whole point is to keep that information away from the bad guys, don?t give it away to someone you don?t know. Also, when dealing online, make sure the websites you visit are the ones that truly match your intended destination, not some crook?s computer. Type in the address yourself, or use a bookmark if you?ve made one, rather than clicking on a look-alike link.

You also can request to use a disposable number more than once, and this is where things can get a bit tricky. Discover uses the term ?secure account numbers,? and they expire on the same date your regular card expires. Bank of America calls its service ?ShopSafe,? and its numbers expire after one year. Those types of temporary numbers are useful to people who want to use virtual numbers when they pay recurring charges.

Disposable numbers also can help prevent repeat charges that you don?t want. Say you sign up for a trial offer of some service at an introductory discount rate. Pay initially with a one-purchase number you?ve generated, and the vendor won?t be able to bill you automatically for a renewal.

The flip side of that issue concerns returns. A retailer who is unfamiliar with temporary numbers may hesitate to refund money on a number that?s no longer valid. A buyer heading into the holiday season might request that the temporary number be valid for two or three weeks into the new year, in case returns are necessary.

We?re told people who go through the process of credit repair often choose to use temporary numbers. The practice may give nervous consumers some reassurance, but they can?t defeat all fraud; as long as a disposable number is active, thieves might still make bogus charges with it. Some experts advise using only one-time numbers and that each number applies to a specific merchant.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast CONTACT, Maine?s all-volunteer, nonprofit consumer organization. For assistance with consumer-related issues, including consumer fraud and identity theft, or for information, write Consumer Forum, P.O. Box 486, Brewer 04412, visit http://necontact.wordpress.com or email contacexdir@live.com.

Source: http://bangordailynews.com/2012/10/20/business/looking-for-financial-security-temporary-credit-cards-may-be-an-answer/

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Iowa State researchers study clam shells for clues to the Atlantic's climate history

Public release date: 1-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Alan Wanamaker
adw@iastate.edu
515-294-5142
Iowa State University

AMES, Iowa Two Iowa State University graduate students are just back from the Gulf of Maine with another big catch of clam shells.

Shelly Griffin and Madelyn Mette recently boarded a lobster boat, dropped a scallop dredge into 30 meters of ocean water and pulled up load after load of Arctica islandica.

"These are the clams that end up in clam chowder," said Alan Wanamaker, an assistant professor of geological and atmospheric sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Wanamaker studies paleoclimatology, the variations and trends of past climates and environments, with the goal of better understanding future climate changes.

The Iowa State researchers only need a few live, meaty clams for their studies. They're really after the old, dead shells. Off the coast of Maine, clams can live up to 240 years, year after year adding another band to their shells, just like a tree adds another growth ring. In the colder waters of the North Atlantic near Iceland, the clams can live up to 500 years, recording even more information in what scientists call annual shell increments.

Wanamaker and his research team bring those shells back to Iowa State's Stable Isotope Laboratory where they're cleaned, sorted, measured, cut, polished, drilled and otherwise prepared for careful microscopic imaging, geochemical testing and radiocarbon analysis.

It turns out those shell increments are a lot like sensors at the bottom of the ocean they record long records of information about the ocean, including growing conditions, temperatures and circulation patterns.

A paper published by Nature Communications in June 2012 reported how Wanamaker (the lead author) and an international team of researchers used radiocarbon data from shells to determine when clams collected north of Iceland were living in "young" or "old" water. Young water had been at the surface more recently and probably came from the Atlantic. Old water had been removed from the surface much longer and probably came from the Arctic Ocean.

The paper reports warmer, younger water from the Gulf Stream during the warmer Medieval Climate Anomaly from about A.D. 950 to 1250. The paper also reports that shell data showed older, colder water during Europe's Little Ice Age from about A.D. 1550 to 1850.

The researchers' interpretation of the data says the Gulf Stream carrying warm water from the subtropical Atlantic was strong in the medieval era, weakened during the Little Ice Age and strengthened again after A.D. 1940. Those fluctuations amplified the relative warmth and coolness of the times.

Wanamaker said a better understanding of the ocean's past can help researchers understand today's climate trends and changes.

"Is the natural variability only that, or is it influenced by burning fossil fuels?" he said. "Maybe we can understand what will happen in the next 100 years if we understand oceans over the past 1,000 years."

And so Wanamaker a former high school science teacher in Maine whose fascination with climate change sent him back to graduate school works with students to carefully collect, process and study clam shells.

The research is painstaking the shell increments are measured in millionths of a meter and microscopes are required at the most important steps. And the tools are sophisticated two mass spectrometers measure shell fragments for different isotopes of carbon and oxygen. (Isotopes are elements with varying numbers of neutrons. Heavier isotopes of oxygen in the shell material generally correspond to colder ocean temperatures.)

"Isotopes are just wonderful tracers in nature," Wanamaker said, noting he also takes isotope measurements for research projects across campus and beyond.

When it comes to Wanamaker's own work with clam shells, "In the broadest sense, we're trying to add to our understanding of oceans over the last several thousand years," he said. "We have a terrestrial record we can get an excellent chronology from tree rings and there is a climate signal there. But that's missing 70 percent of the planet."

###

Contacts: Alan Wanamaker, Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, (515) 294-5142, adw@iastate.edu
Mike Krapfl, News Service, 515-294-4917, mkrapfl@iastate.edu

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 1-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Alan Wanamaker
adw@iastate.edu
515-294-5142
Iowa State University

AMES, Iowa Two Iowa State University graduate students are just back from the Gulf of Maine with another big catch of clam shells.

Shelly Griffin and Madelyn Mette recently boarded a lobster boat, dropped a scallop dredge into 30 meters of ocean water and pulled up load after load of Arctica islandica.

"These are the clams that end up in clam chowder," said Alan Wanamaker, an assistant professor of geological and atmospheric sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Wanamaker studies paleoclimatology, the variations and trends of past climates and environments, with the goal of better understanding future climate changes.

The Iowa State researchers only need a few live, meaty clams for their studies. They're really after the old, dead shells. Off the coast of Maine, clams can live up to 240 years, year after year adding another band to their shells, just like a tree adds another growth ring. In the colder waters of the North Atlantic near Iceland, the clams can live up to 500 years, recording even more information in what scientists call annual shell increments.

Wanamaker and his research team bring those shells back to Iowa State's Stable Isotope Laboratory where they're cleaned, sorted, measured, cut, polished, drilled and otherwise prepared for careful microscopic imaging, geochemical testing and radiocarbon analysis.

It turns out those shell increments are a lot like sensors at the bottom of the ocean they record long records of information about the ocean, including growing conditions, temperatures and circulation patterns.

A paper published by Nature Communications in June 2012 reported how Wanamaker (the lead author) and an international team of researchers used radiocarbon data from shells to determine when clams collected north of Iceland were living in "young" or "old" water. Young water had been at the surface more recently and probably came from the Atlantic. Old water had been removed from the surface much longer and probably came from the Arctic Ocean.

The paper reports warmer, younger water from the Gulf Stream during the warmer Medieval Climate Anomaly from about A.D. 950 to 1250. The paper also reports that shell data showed older, colder water during Europe's Little Ice Age from about A.D. 1550 to 1850.

The researchers' interpretation of the data says the Gulf Stream carrying warm water from the subtropical Atlantic was strong in the medieval era, weakened during the Little Ice Age and strengthened again after A.D. 1940. Those fluctuations amplified the relative warmth and coolness of the times.

Wanamaker said a better understanding of the ocean's past can help researchers understand today's climate trends and changes.

"Is the natural variability only that, or is it influenced by burning fossil fuels?" he said. "Maybe we can understand what will happen in the next 100 years if we understand oceans over the past 1,000 years."

And so Wanamaker a former high school science teacher in Maine whose fascination with climate change sent him back to graduate school works with students to carefully collect, process and study clam shells.

The research is painstaking the shell increments are measured in millionths of a meter and microscopes are required at the most important steps. And the tools are sophisticated two mass spectrometers measure shell fragments for different isotopes of carbon and oxygen. (Isotopes are elements with varying numbers of neutrons. Heavier isotopes of oxygen in the shell material generally correspond to colder ocean temperatures.)

"Isotopes are just wonderful tracers in nature," Wanamaker said, noting he also takes isotope measurements for research projects across campus and beyond.

When it comes to Wanamaker's own work with clam shells, "In the broadest sense, we're trying to add to our understanding of oceans over the last several thousand years," he said. "We have a terrestrial record we can get an excellent chronology from tree rings and there is a climate signal there. But that's missing 70 percent of the planet."

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Contacts: Alan Wanamaker, Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, (515) 294-5142, adw@iastate.edu
Mike Krapfl, News Service, 515-294-4917, mkrapfl@iastate.edu

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/isu-isr100112.php

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