Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/chris-brown-and-rihanna-its-over-already/
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Monday, April 1, 2013
Streams stressed by pharmaceutical pollution
Apr. 1, 2013 ? Pharmaceuticals commonly found in the environment are disrupting streams, with unknown impacts on aquatic life and water quality. So reports a new Ecological Applications paper, which highlights the ecological cost of pharmaceutical waste and the need for more research into environmental impacts.
Lead author Dr. Emma Rosi-Marshall, a scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, comments: "Pharmaceutical pollution is now detected in waters throughout the world. Causes include aging infrastructure, sewage overflows, and agricultural runoff. Even when waste water makes it to sewage treatment facilities, they aren't equipped to remove pharmaceuticals. As a result, our streams and rivers are exposed to a cocktail of synthetic compounds, from stimulants and antibiotics to analgesics and antihistamines."
With colleagues from Indiana University and Loyola University Chicago, Rosi-Marshall looked at how six common pharmaceuticals influenced similar-sized streams in New York, Maryland, and Indiana. Caffeine, the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, the antidiabetic metformin, two antihistimines used to treat heartburn (cimetidine and ranitidine), and one antihistamine used to treat allergies (diphenhydramine) were investigated, both alone and in combinations, using pharmaceutical-diffusing substrates.
Rosi-Marshall explains, "We focused on the response of biofilms -- which most people know as the slippery coating on stream rocks -- because they're vital to stream health. They might not look like much to the naked eye, but biofilms are complex communities composed of algae, fungi, and bacteria all living and working together. In streams, biofilms contribute to water quality by recycling nutrients and organic matter. They're also a major food source for invertebrates that, in turn, feed larger animals like fish."
Healthy streams are slippery streams. And it turns out that antihistamines dry more than our noses. The most striking result of the study was diphenhydramine's effects on algal production and microbial respiration. Exposure caused biofilms to experience up to a 99% decrease in photosynthesis, as well as significant drops in respiration. Diphenhydramine also caused a change in the bacterial species present in the biofilms, including an increase in a bacterial group known to degrade toxic compounds and a reduction in a group that digests compounds produced by plants and algae.
Results suggest that this antihistamine is disrupting the ecology of these sensitive biofilm communities. Rosi-Marshall notes, "We know that diphenhydramine is commonly found in the environment. And its effect on biofilms could have repercussions for animals in stream food webs, like insects and fish. We need additional studies looking at the concentrations that cause ecosystem disruption, and how they react with other stressors, such as excess nutrients."
The other pharmaceuticals investigated also had a measurable effect on biofilm respiration, both alone and in combinations. More work is needed to understand how drug mixtures, which most natural streams experience, impact freshwater systems.
Society's dependence on pharmaceuticals is not likely to wane. Nor is its need for clean, fresh water. This study adds another piece of evidence to the case calling for innovations in the way we manage waste water. Currently, only a fraction of the world's waste water is treated, and the infrastructure in many developed nations is aging.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.
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3 killed in 95-vehicle pileup at Virginia-NC line
This photo provided by the Virginia State Police shows the scene following a 75-vehicle pileup on Interstate 77 near the Virginia-North Carolina border in Galax, Va., on Sunday, March 31, 2013. Virginia State Police say three people have been killed and more than 20 are injured and traffic is backed up about 8 miles. (AP Photo/Virginia State Police, Sgt. Mike Conroy)
This photo provided by the Virginia State Police shows the scene following a 75-vehicle pileup on Interstate 77 near the Virginia-North Carolina border in Galax, Va., on Sunday, March 31, 2013. Virginia State Police say three people have been killed and more than 20 are injured and traffic is backed up about 8 miles. (AP Photo/Virginia State Police, Sgt. Mike Conroy)
This photo provided by the Virginia State Police shows the scene following a 75-vehicle pileup on Interstate 77 near the Virginia-North Carolina border in Galax, Va., on Sunday, March 31, 2013. Virginia State Police say three people have been killed and more than 20 are injured and traffic is backed up about 8 miles. (AP Photo/Virginia State Police, Sgt. Mike Conroy)
This image provided by WXII Channel 12 news, shows the scene following a 75-vehicle pileup on Interstate 77 near the Virginia-North Carolina border in Galax, Va., on Sunday, March 31, 2013. Virginia State Police say three people have been killed and more than 20 are injured and traffic is backed up about 8 miles. (AP Photo/WXII, William Bottomley) MANDAORY CREDIT: WXII,WILLIAM BOTTOMLEY
This image provided by WXII Channel 12 news, shows the scene following a 75-vehicle pileup on Interstate 77 near the Virginia-North Carolina border in Galax, Va., on Sunday, March 31, 2013. Virginia State Police say three people have been killed and more than 20 are injured and traffic is backed up about 8 miles. (AP Photo/WXII, William Bottomley) MANDAORY CREDIT: WXII,WILLIAM BOTTOMLEY
GALAX, Va. (AP) ? Nearly 100 vehicles crashed Sunday along a mountainous, foggy stretch of interstate near the Virginia-North Carolina border, killing three people and injuring 25 others.
Police said traffic along Interstate 77 in southwest Virginia backed up for about 8 miles in the southbound lanes after the accidents. Authorities closed the northbound lanes so that fire trucks, ambulances and police could get to the series of chain-reaction wrecks.
Virginia State Police determined there were 17 separate crashes involving 95 vehicles within a mile span near the base of Fancy Gap Mountain, spokeswoman Corinne Geller said. The crashes began around 1:15 p.m. Sunday when there was heavy fog in the area.
"This mountain is notorious for fog banks. They have advance signs warning people. But the problem is, people are seeing well and suddenly they're in a fog bank," said Glen Sage of the American Red Cross office in the town of Galax.
Since 1997, there have been at least six such pileups on the mountain but Sunday's crash was the most deadly, according to The Roanoke Times. Two people died in crashes involving dozens of vehicles in both 2000 and 2010.
Overhead message boards warned drivers since about 6 a.m. Sunday to slow down because of the severe fog, Geller said. The crashes were mostly caused by drivers going too fast for conditions.
At the "epicenter" was a wreck involving up to eight vehicles, some of which caught fire, Geller said. Photos from the accident scene showed a burned out tractor-trailer and several crumpled vehicles badly charred. Those taken to hospitals had injuries ranging from serious to minor.
School buses took stranded people to shelters and hotels.
Nina Rose, 20, and her mother, were driving home to Rochester, N.Y., when they encountered the pileup.
"With so much fog we didn't see much around it," Rose told the Roanoke newspaper. "As we got further up we just saw a bunch of people standing on the median, just with their kids and families all together. There were cars smashed into other cars, and cars just underneath other semi-trucks."
Darrell Utt, 17, of Moore County, N.C., was stuck in the northbound lanes for about three hours as he traveled to Huntington, W. Va.
"It was really foggy at first," he said. "We probably saw over 50 tow trucks. We saw about five cars come down and three semi-trucks. One of them, it didn't even look like a car, it looked like a chunk of metal."
Utt said motorists were calm, despite the traffic jam.
"There was no road rage or anything, everyone understood the severity of how bad this was before we even began to figure out what exactly happened," he said.
Authorities reopened the northbound lanes Sunday night and hoped to have the other side cleared later in the evening.
Police did not immediately release the names of those killed.
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Learn To Travel Like The Pros With These Simple Tips
Just about everyone has to travel somewhere at some point in their lives. While some business or pleasure traveling can be enjoyable, some journeys can be boring, dangerous, expensive and full of hassle. This article contains some tips to make your travel experience better, and help you avoid some of the common pit falls.
Carry meal replacement bars with you when you travel. You never know when an unexpected delay will prevent you from eating a meal. Meal replacement bars are compact and easy to carry. An additional benefit of these bars, is that it will allow you to keep your typical meal schedule. This can help reduce jet lag, and keep your spirits up when faced with irritating delays.
Consider attaching small bells to your carry-on bag. If you are worried that someone might steal or tamper with your luggage during a flight, attach bells to it. Inexpensive, Christmas jingle bells will do nicely. The noise is likely to deter criminals. If not, the noise will draw your attention.
Look into alternatives to hotels. You may be able to find a beautiful bed and breakfast that just might make your vacation a bit more relaxing than the traditional hotel. They tend to be more quiet and quaint while offering some wonderful perks during your stay. It could be a bit more of a romantic getaway than the hotel. If you can't decide where to travel, just search on the internet about where to go.
A great travel tip is to always bring printed directions with you whenever you go on a road trip. GPS devices are great, but they can sometimes go haywire. They might lead you down the wrong road or tell you to take the wrong turn. You can avoid this by consulting your printed directions.
When traveling always let someone know where you are going and when you will return. If you're gone longer than expected follow up with that person. This simple step is a valuable safety measure. The person can follow up if you don't return on schedule. They will also know how to reach you if an emergency comes up back home.
Have a better road trip by actually going with people you actually enjoy being around. Don't plan on traveling this way unless there is some kind of friendly relationship between you and the people who would be going with you. Good companionship makes for a quicker and more enjoyable road trip for everyone involved.
Bring an over the door shoe organizer along whenever you're staying in a hotel. Being an organized traveler in a hotel can be tough. There is limited drawer, counter, and closet space. Keep your bathroom essentials, shoes, and accessories organized and in clean site by putting them in your shoe organizer as soon as you arrive.
Plan your trip early and use the time to sign up for newsletters from hotels, car rentals and airlines. Use a junk email account to handle the potential clutter but take advantage of any specials that might come your way. These newsletters will often offer discounts and specials that are not available to the general public yet.
You always want to make sure there is a barf bag accessible to you. People can become nauseous and throw up at the drop of a dime on an airplane. Even if you are not feeling ill, you never know how the person sitting next to you is going to react to the turbulence.
When traveling by plane you should bring a light jacket with you if you get chilly easily. Airplanes are typically somewhat cool and often have fans blowing air for greater circulation which can make them feel even cooler. Light blankets are often handed out but they typically do not keep much warmth.
When traveling, never take an item from someone to transport it for them. No matter their situation or how nice they may seem, this is almost always a trap to convince an unwary tourist to transport drugs or other contraband into secure areas. Even "gifts" can fall into this category.
If your cellphone will not cover long distance from the place you intend to travel to, it might be a smart idea to invest in a phone card before leaving. A phone card will make calls much less expensive and ensure that you don't accidentally make any expensive long distance calls.
If you are traveling on a cruise ship, consider departing from a "drive-up port". This option saves you money, but you might have trouble parking. Get there one day before you leave and keep your car in the hotel's lot for the length of your trip. Most hotels in these areas advertise this perk, but if you don't see it, ask about it when you call.
The next time you need to travel somewhere, be it a quick local trip with your family, a business trip or a long distance journey abroad, consider referring back to the tips in this article. By utilising some of the ideas and advice mentioned, your travelling adventure could be cheaper, easier and safer.
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Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Learn-To-Travel-Like-The-Pros-With-These-Simple-Tips/4512925
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South Korea vows fast response to North
By Jack Kim
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea will strike back if the North stages any attack on its territory, the new president warned on Monday, as tensions ratcheted higher on the Korean peninsula amid shrill rhetoric from Pyongyang and the U.S. deployment of radar-evading fighters.
North Korea says the region is the brink of a nuclear war in the wake of United Nations sanctions imposed for its February nuclear test and a series of joint U.S. and South Korean military drills that have included a rare U.S. show of aerial power.
North Korea said on Saturday it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea in response to what it termed the "hostile" military drills being staged in the South.
But there have been no signs of unusual activity in the North's military to suggest an imminent aggression, a South Korean defense ministry official said last week.
"If there is any provocation against South Korea and its people, there should be a strong response in initial combat without any political considerations," President Park Geun-hye told the minister of defense and senior officials at a meeting on Monday.
The South has changed its rules of engagement to allow local units to respond immediately to attacks, rather than waiting for permission from Seoul.
Stung by criticism that its response to the shelling of a South Korean island in 2010 was too slow, Seoul has threatened to target North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and to destroy statues of the ruling Kim dynasty in the event of any new attack, a plan that has outraged Pyongyang.
Seoul and its ally the United States played down Saturday's statement from the official KCNA news agency as the latest in a stream of tough talk from Pyongyang.
North Korea stepped up its rhetoric in early March, when U.S. and South Korean forces began annual military drills that involved the flights of U.S. B-2 stealth bombers in a practice run, prompting the North to puts its missile units on standby to fire at U.S. military bases in the South and in the Pacific.
The United States also deployed F-22 stealth fighter jets on Sunday to take part in the drills. The F-22s were deployed in South Korea before, in 2010.
On its part, North Korea has canceled an armistice agreement with the United States that ended the Korean War and cut all hotlines with U.S. forces, the United Nations and South Korea.
CALLS FOR RESTRAINT
White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said North Korea's announcement that it was in a state of war followed a "familiar pattern" of rhetoric.
Russia, which has often balanced criticism of North Korea, a Soviet-era client state, with calls on the United States and South Korea to refrain from belligerent actions, said a recurrence of war was unacceptable.
"We hope that all parties will exercise maximum responsibility and restraint and no one will cross the point of no return," Grigory Logvinov, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, told Interfax news agency.
France said it was deeply worried about the situation on the Korean peninsula while NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said the alliance hoped "that this is more posturing than a prelude to any armed hostilities."
Even the new pope has joined in the calls for peace.
China has repeatedly called for restraint on the peninsula.
However, many in South Korea have regarded the North's willingness to keep open the Kaesong industrial zone, located just a few miles (km) north of the heavily-militarized border and operated jointly by both sides, as a sign that Pyongyang will not risk losing a lucrative source of foreign currency by mounting a real act of aggression.
The Kaesong zone is a vital source of hard currency for the North and hundreds of South Korean workers and vehicles enter daily after crossing the armed border.
It was still open on Monday despite threats by Pyongyang to shut it down.
"If the puppet traitor group continues to mention the Kaesong industrial zone is being kept operating and damages our dignity, it will be mercilessly shut off and shut down," KCNA quoted an agency that operates Kaesong as saying in a statement.
Closure could also trap hundreds of South Korean workers and managers of the more than 100 firms that have factories there.
The North has previously suspended operations at the factory zone at the height of political tensions with the South, only to let it resume operations later.
(Additional reporting by Paul Eckert in WASHINGTON; Editing by David Chance and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-korea-vows-fast-response-north-u-deploys-043826040.html
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