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Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Mayor Bloomberg Presides Over Graduation Ceremony for 103 Community Emergency Response Team Volunteers
Mayor Bloomberg today joined Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Commissioner Joseph F. Bruno, Police (NYPD) Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, Fire (FDNY) Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano and the City?s Chief Service Officer Diahann Billings-Burford in presiding over a graduation ceremony for 103 new Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers.
The graduates recently completed an intensive, 10-week training program in disaster preparedness and basic emergency response skills. Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Bruno also presented Ramona Ponce, a CERT Team Chief, with the third annual John D. Solomon NYC CERT Award for Exemplary Service in Emergency Preparedness Education. The award was introduced two years ago to honor the late John D. Solomon, a CERT member who labored tirelessly to involve his community in preparedness efforts. The CERT graduation took place at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens.
"CERT members volunteered throughout the Hurricane Sandy response and recovery efforts, even when their own homes suffered severe damage from the storm," said Mayor Bloomberg. "That's the kind of dedication that really defines CERT volunteers. You are our most direct connection to communities in times of crisis, and you are a vitally important part of helping us prepare New Yorkers before a crisis starts."
"I would like to congratulate and thank the graduating class of CERT volunteers for their commitment to service," said Commissioner Bruno. "CERT launched 10 years ago with 106 members and today the program is over 1,200 volunteers strong. These volunteers devote their personal time to educate the public about emergency preparedness and to protect the safety of their neighbors."
"CERT volunteers embody the spirit of service and civic dedication that police and partner agencies are built upon," said Commissioner Kelly. "Their support of first responders helps to keep New York City moving and thriving in the face of disaster."
"Time after time ? for large scale events that bring this city together ? and during difficult emergencies that threaten lives and property, Community Emergency Response Team members volunteer their time providing important support when needed most," said Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano. "CERT members are a tremendous asset to all first responders and truly make a difference in their communities."
In 2011, Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Bruno introduced a new emergency preparedness award to honor the late John D. Solomon, a CERT member who made emergency preparedness his life?s work. Solomon was an active member of his team on Manhattan?s Upper East Side. He also maintained a preparedness blog, had begun work on a family preparedness book, and wrote several newspaper articles on the topic. Throughout his illness Solomon remained steadfast in his dedication to raising awareness of the need to prepare our families, neighbors, workplaces, and communities for all hazards. The John D. Solomon NYC CERT Award for Exemplary Service in Emergency Preparedness Education is presented annually to a CERT member who embodies John?s enthusiasm for volunteerism and purposeful engagement to make their communities better prepared for emergencies. Solomon?s widow, Abby, joined Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Bruno in presenting this year?s award to CERT Team Chief Ramona Ponce.
Ramona Ponce, Team Chief for Manhattan 10 South in Harlem, joined the NYC CERT program in 2006. She has been a resource to other CERT teams and members throughout the City by providing on-site Ready New York presenter training, thereby increasing the number of CERT members who are able to provide community disaster preparedness presentations. On a larger level, she has also contributed to the CERT program through her additional involvement in many projects, including planning citywide CERT preparedness events and representing CERT in the City?s Emergency Operations Center during events such as Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy.
Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) in New York City
The New York City CERT program started in 2003 with 106 volunteers. Today, the City has 54 CERT teams and more than 1,200 volunteers representing all five boroughs. New York City CERT volunteers participate in a 10-week training program in disaster preparedness and basic emergency response skills taught by active and retired members of the Police and Fire Departments. After completing training that includes lessons in fire safety, search and rescue, first aid and triage, CERTs support their local communities by assisting City agencies that prepare for and respond to emergencies. CERT volunteers also work to educate their communities about emergency preparedness through OEM?s Ready New York campaign.
New York City CERT members have a demonstrated history of assisting the City with response and preparedness outreach. Recently, more than 600 CERT members logged over 20,000 hours of volunteer service during Hurricane Sandy. For example, prior to the storm CERT members on Staten Island canvassed neighborhoods in Zone A reminding residents that they were in an evacuation zone. During the storm CERT members supported the Healthcare Facility Evacuation Center by staffing its call center at OEM. Members also staffed shelters, OEM?s logistic center, and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). After the storm, CERT members reported to distribution sites to hand out water and food. They also assisted with pumping fuel from tankers at Floyd Bennett Field and in the Rockaways to get fuel to emergency vehicles and storm-damaged areas.
The CERT concept was first developed in 1985 by the City of Los Angeles Fire Department, which recognized citizens would likely be on their own during the early stages of a disaster. The Los Angeles CERT training proved to be so beneficial that FEMA decided the program should be made available to communities across the United States. In 1994, FEMA and the Los Angeles Fire Department expanded the CERT curriculum. And, in 2003, FEMA?s Citizen Corps Council adopted CERT as a primary way to encourage people to volunteer to make their communities safer, stronger and better prepared to respond to emergencies. There are currently more than 3,500 active CERT programs in the United States.
The next round of CERT training will begin in late February. For more information about the CERT program, or if you are interested in becoming a CERT volunteer, call 311 or visit?www.nyc.gov.
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Source: http://www.mikebloomberg.com/index.cfm?objectid=CBDEC07E-C29C-7CA2-F7FD0AC6F0D9C108
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Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Exercise linked with reduced prostate cancer risk in Caucasians but not African-Americans
Feb. 11, 2013 ? A new study suggests that exercise may reduce Caucasian men's risk of developing prostate cancer. And among Caucasian men who do have prostate cancer, exercise may reduce their risk of having more serious forms of the disease. Unfortunately, the benefits do not seem to apply to African-American men. The study is published early online in Cancer.
Previous research has linked exercise to a reduced risk of developing prostate cancer. Studies have also revealed that African-American men have an increased risk of developing prostate cancer and of dying from the disease compared with Caucasians. It is not clear if exercise as a function of race plays any role in these disparities.
To investigate, Lionel L. Ba?ez, MD, of the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and his colleagues asked 307 men (164 white; 143 black) undergoing a prostate biopsy to complete a survey that assessed their exercise amounts per week. The exercise categories included sedentary, mildly active, moderately active, and highly active. Among Caucasians, men who were moderately or highly active were 53% less likely to have biopsy results indicating that they had prostate cancer compared with men who were sedentary or mildly active. There was no association between exercise amount and prostate cancer among black men.
The investigators also looked to see if exercise influenced the grade of tumors that were detected in men who did develop prostate cancer. Among men with cancer, those who exercised had a 13% reduced risk of having high grade disease, meaning that their cancer cells looked particularly abnormal under a microscope and were likely to quickly grow and spread. When this relationship was further explored as a function of race, it remained significant in Caucasians but not in African Americans.
"These findings that African-American men may not benefit from exercise the way Caucasian men do could be a contributor to why African-American race is a risk factor for prostate cancer and aggressive prostate cancer. Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanism behind this racial disparity in deriving cancer-related benefits from exercise which disfavors African-American men," said Dr. Ba?ez.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wiley.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Abhay A. Singh et al. Association between exercise and primary incidence of prostate cancer Does race matter? Cancer, 2013 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.27791
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/F5gKadvjHCY/130211091022.htm
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Jason Bateman buys Ernest Borgnine's estate
This week in celebrity real estate, actor Jason Bateman bought the home of actor Ernest Borgnine and singer Carly Simon relisted her New York apartment.
Jason Bateman buys Ernest Borgnine home
In actor Jason Bateman?s latest movie ?Identity Thief,? a woman steals his identity and goes on a spending rampage with his money. Here?s hoping that Bateman?s recent big purchase was his decision and not the action of identity theft.
Bateman and his wife, Amanda Anka, recently spent $3 million on a new home for the family. The Beverly Hills compound was owned by actor Ernest Borgnine, who passed away in 2012 and owned the home for 60 years. Borgnine?s residence was listed for $3.395 million in late September 2012.
The estate was built in 1938 and was designed by architect L.G. Scherer, contemporary of well-known Los Angeles architect Paul Williams. The 6,148-square-foot home sits on a half-acre lot with an additional 1-bedroom guesthouse with a full living room and kitchen.
The interior of the 6-bedroom house remains unchanged from Borgnine?s near lifetime in the home. Details include a formal entry hall with grand staircase, large master suite with his and her baths and dressing rooms, a study, paneled library, office, den and formal dining room.
Carly Simon relists NYC apartment
The third time?s the charm. At least that?s what singer-songwriter Carly Simon is hoping.
Simon relisted her apartment for $2.495 million over the weekend. According to The Real Estalker blog, Simon first listed the duplex back in 2008 at $3.85 million. In 2010, she stuck the home back on the market for $2.975 million. Now she?s looking to sell again, and with rising median home prices, Simon?s apartment may finally snag a buyer.
Located in the West Village at 46 Commerce St #3-4, New York, NY 10014, Simon?s co-op unit is in a desirable corner building that holds only three residences. Built in 1817, the co-op is just ?steps from? Hudson River Park and world-class restaurants.
The 2-bedroom, 2-bath home includes two wood-burning fireplaces, hardwood flooring, exposed brick walls and high ceilings. Despite the original charm of the apartment, the home has been renovated and its kitchen has custom built-ins and cabinets.
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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/jason-bateman-buys-ernest-borgnines-estate-1B8325829
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Google bug returns porn for mathematical queries
A bug in Google search ? fortunately, a rare one ? gives porn links and images as results when the user puts certain mathematical equations into the search box. It's certainly strange, but there is an explanation.
It was discovered by a user of the Q&A site Quora, who wrote a question asking why the search "-4^(1/4)" should return not just the result of that equation but hundreds of links to a wide variety of porn sites.
The search still works, and you can try it yourself, although if you're at work, you might want to wait until the boss is out of sight. Results are similarly inappropriate with image search.
So what's happening here? Another user of Quora (who stayed anonymous to avoid being associated with porn by Google, clearly a serious risk) broke it down. Google calculates the numerical query as it should, but also runs it as a normal text search as well, just in case. When it does that, it interprets things differently: the parentheses act like quote marks and the negative sign is used to exclude unwanted words from results.
The end result is that Google tries to find pages that have a 1 and a 4 next to each other... but no 4s. Obviously there are no pages that both have and don't have a 4, and as Google search engineer Jeremy Hoffman showed up at Quora to explain, it should return no results.
Instead, the bug results in these porn sites being shown, which have been extensively optimized to show up on as many searches as possible, even unrelated ones. The optimization is so strong that porn is showing up even for queries that don't make sense! Other contradictory queries return porn results, but not all.
Google declined to comment to NBC News. But the Google engineer who answered the question says that a bug fix is on the way, so you can calculate on Google with no fear of smutty links clogging up your results.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/google-bug-returns-porn-mathematical-queries-1B8332578
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Ancient insects shed light on biodiversity
Feb. 12, 2013 ? Simon Fraser University evolutionary biologists Bruce Archibald and Rolf Mathewes, and Brandon University biologist David Greenwood, have discovered that modern tropical mountains' diversity patterns extended up into Canada about 50 million years ago.
Their findings confirm an influential theory about change in modern species diversity across mountains, and provide evidence that global biodiversity was greater in ancient times than now. The scientific journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology has published their research.
About 45 years ago, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Pennsylvania theorized that change in species from site to site across mountain ranges in the tropics should be greater than in temperate latitudes.
Daniel Janzen reasoned that the great difference between summer and winter in temperate latitudes (high seasonality) offers a wide window to migrate across mountainous regions. The small difference in the tropics (low seasonality) allows a very narrow opportunity, annually. Consequently, communities across tropical mountains should have fewer of the same species. Many studies examining modern communities support this theory.
Archibald, Mathewes and Greenwood realized that fossil beds across a thousand kilometres of the ancient mountains of British Columbia and Washington provided a unique lens through which to deepen evaluation of this theory.
Fifty million years ago, when these fossil beds were laid down, the world had low seasonality outside of the tropics, right to the poles. Because of this, if Janzen's theory is right, the pattern of biodiversity that he described in modern tropical mountains should have extended well into higher latitudes.
"We found that insect species changed greatly across British Columbia's and Washington State's ancient mountain ranges, like in the modern tropics," Archibald says, "exactly as Janzen's seasonality hypothesis predicted.
This implies that it's the particular seasonality now found in the modern tropics, not where that climate is situated globally, that affects this biodiversity pattern." He adds: "Sometimes it helps to look to the ancient past to better understand how things work today."
The findings also bolster the idea that ancient Earth was a much more diverse world than now with many more species.
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Simon Fraser University.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- S. Bruce Archibald, David R. Greenwood, Rolf W. Mathewes. Seasonality, montane beta diversity, and Eocene insects: Testing Janzen's dispersal hypothesis in an equable world. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.10.043
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/usiy9CQdiyQ/130212132001.htm
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Senators seek pact on gun-buy background checks
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2013 file photo, Ken Haiterman, of Pioneer Market, holds a CMMG 5.56mm AR 15 during the 2013 Rocky Mountain Gun Show in Sandy, Utah. A bipartisan quartet of senators, including two National Rifle Association members and two with ?F? ratings from the potent firearms lobby, are quietly trying to reach compromise on expanding the requirement for gun-sale background checks. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2013 file photo, Ken Haiterman, of Pioneer Market, holds a CMMG 5.56mm AR 15 during the 2013 Rocky Mountain Gun Show in Sandy, Utah. A bipartisan quartet of senators, including two National Rifle Association members and two with ?F? ratings from the potent firearms lobby, are quietly trying to reach compromise on expanding the requirement for gun-sale background checks. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2013 file photo, a customer looks over shotguns on display at the annual New York State Arms Collectors Association Albany Gun Show at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany, N.Y. A bipartisan quartet of senators, including two National Rifle Association members and two with ?F? ratings from the potent firearms lobby, are quietly trying to reach compromise on expanding the requirement for gun-sale background checks. (AP Photo/Philip Kamrass, File)
David Keene, president of the National Rifle Association, smiles during an exclusive interview with Associated Press reporters in Denver on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013. He said he's confident that Congress won't approve an assault weapons ban or an ammunition limit in the wake of mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut. David Keene called such gun control proposals "feel-good" measures that he says "won't do any good." Keene is scheduled to meet with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and other lawmakers at the Capitol later Thursday. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? A cornerstone of President Barack Obama's drive to check gun violence is gathering bipartisan steam as four senators, including two of the National Rifle Association's congressional champions, privately seek compromise on requiring far more firearms purchasers to undergo background checks.
The talks are being held even as Obama's call to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, the two other major pillars of his plan, are hitting rough waters on Capitol Hill. An agreement among the four senators to expand background checks would add significant impetus to that high-profile proposal by getting the endorsement of a group that ranges from one of the Senate's most liberal Democrats to one of its most conservative Republicans.
"We'll get something, I hope. I'm praying for it," said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., one of the participants.
Manchin, a moderate Democrat, is an NRA member who aired a 2010 campaign ad in which he literally shot a hole through Democratic environmental legislation that he pledged to oppose.
Also involved is Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., another NRA member with a strong conservative record but occasional maverick impulses; No. 3 Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer of New York, a liberal; and moderate GOP Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois.
Background checks are required only for sales by the nation's 55,000 federally licensed gun dealers, but not for private purchases like those at gun shows, online or in person. There are few indisputable, up-to-date statistics on how many guns change hands without background checks, but a respected study using 1990s data estimated that 30 percent to 40 percent of gun transactions fit into that category.
The senators' talks have included discussions about how to encourage states to make more mental health data available to the federal system for checking gun buyers' records, according to people who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to describe the private negotiations. They are also considering potential exemptions to expanded background check requirements, including transactions involving relatives or people with licenses to carry concealed weapons
People involved in the talks would share little about their substance. In one of the few public remarks about the talks by participants, Schumer said last week that the talks have been productive and said the package they were seeking "will not limit your ability to borrow your Uncle Willie's hunting rifle or share a gun with your friend at a shooting range."
Congress has been focusing on guns since the December massacre of 20 first-graders and six adults at a school in Newtown, Conn. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., wants his panel to approve gun control legislation in the next few weeks and has voiced strong support for universal background checks for firearms purchases.
While an expansion of background checks is expected to be a key part of any gun control bill Leahy produces, a version of that provision with bipartisan support could give the entire package a boost.
It is likely that any gun-control bill will need 60 votes to pass the 100-member Senate. Democrats have 55 votes, including two Democratic-leaning independents.
Leaders of the GOP-run House are planning to see what, if anything, the Senate passes before moving on gun legislation. Strategists believe that a measure that passes the Senate with clear bipartisan support could pressure the House to act.
The political impact that the four senators could have by reaching agreement stems largely from who they are.
If Coburn embraces an agreement, that could help win over other conservative Republicans at a time when the GOP is responding to its White House and congressional election losses of last November by trying to broaden its national appeal.
In an Associated Press-GfK Poll last month, requiring more background checks got overwhelming public support, compared to just over half who backed bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.
"The whole goal is to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill and criminals," Coburn said in a brief interview.
Manchin's support could make it easier to win backing from other Democratic senators from GOP-leaning states, many of whom face re-election next year and who have been leery of embracing Obama's proposals.
"If the language is meaningful, it would be obviously a huge step," said Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, which represents child welfare, religious and other groups favoring gun curbs. "To have someone like Coburn, who's voted consistently with the gun lobby, to come out and endorse a meaningful background check would be very helpful."
Schumer and Kirk each have "F'' scores from the NRA for their voting records in Congress, while Coburn and Manchin have "A'' ratings.
Though widened background checks is given the strongest chance for enactment of Obama's major proposals, it is opposed by the NRA and many congressional Republicans, who consider it intrusive and unworkable for a system they say already has flaws.
"My problem with background checks is you're never going to get criminals to go through background checks," Wayne LaPierre, NRA executive vice president, told the Senate Judiciary Committee at its gun control hearing last week.
"That's the way reductions in liberty occur, when you start saying people have to sign up for something and they have a database where they know exactly who's who," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said in an interview.
Gun control supporters note that federal laws specifically forbid the national background check system from being used as a registry of gun owners. Much of the information the system collects must be destroyed within a day.
NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam declined to comment on the senators' discussions.
According to Justice Department estimates, the federal and state governments ran 108 million background checks of firearms sales between 1994 when the requirement became law and 2009. Of those, 1.9 million ? almost 2 percent ? were denied, usually because would-be purchasers had criminal records.
People legally judged to be "mentally defective" are among those blocked by federal law from firearms purchases. States are supposed to make mental health records available to the federal background check system and receive more generous Justice Department grants if they do, but many provide little or no such data because of privacy concerns or antiquated record-keeping systems.
People following the discussions say the talks have touched on:
?The types of family relatives who would be allowed to give guns to each other without a background check.
?Possibly exempting sales in remote areas.
?Whether to help some veterans who sought treatment for traumatic stress disorder ? now often barred from getting firearms ? become eligible to do so.
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