BRISBANE, California -- The famous wild parrots of San Francisco's Telegraph Hill have spread their wings to the suburbs.
The birds probably migrated there in search of food, said Mark Bittner, author of the best-selling book, "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill." The book and a documentary of the same name several years ago helped make the birds a tourist draw in San Francisco.
The playful birds ? native to South America ? with their cherry-colored heads are known to dart acrobatically and chirp at high decibels.
A flock of about 100 can be found around the northern edge of San Francisco, where the first of their kind likely escaped from a pet importer and then adapted to the city's chill and fog and the presence of humans.
"They're fun. They make people laugh," Bittner told the Chronicle. "And don't worry, they never scream at night."
The birds in Brisbane ? some of which likely circulate back to San Francisco ? have been spotted eating juniper and hawthorn berries. They were first seen about three years ago.
Danette Davis said she was in her house one day when she heard a loud commotion that prompted her dog to start barking.
"I went out and saw something green on the wire," she told the Chronicle. "I thought, `Oh my God, it's a parrot.'"
The parrots have taken such a liking to resident Joe Sulley, he said they occasionally perch on him during visits to his back deck.
"Parrots on my head? It's fabulous," he said.
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[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - NATO's top civilian official on Tuesday praised U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan for showing "remarkable restraint" in the face of anti-coalition violence following the burning of Muslim holy books at a NATO base.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Reuters - Virtual boxing, tennis and dancing along with video game systems may not be helping children meet daily exercise requirements, according to a U.S. study.
Broadcom's taken the chance to bust out some killer new internals for Android phones here at MWC. The new range of SoCs are optimized for Ice Cream Sandwich, based on single or dual-core 40-nanometer ARM Cortex A9s. The BCM21654G has a 1GHz CPU, integrated HSPA modem and VGA video support, it's likely we'll see this popping up in budget phones. The romantically named BCM28145 and BCM28155 are dual-core chips with HSPA+ modems and can handle 720p and 1080p video respectively. All dual-core chips will come with a "videocore," a third low-power chip to handle video playback without occupying the main CPU and draining power as well as an Image Signal Processor chip that can support cameras up to 42-megapixels (glances across to the Nokia 808). Other options you'll find appearing in the cellphones of tomorrow include hybrid GPS / Glonass units, low-power NFC and active dual-SIM capability. If you're a garage-based cellphone manufacturer and want to grab some of these for your own business, head on past the break for some PR.
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A good ultrasound technician really needs to be people-oriented. She or he interacts with individuals each and every day. She or he must be personable to be able to take care of difficult people or talk to people who have handicaps. He or she ought to be helpful because patients require all the assist and interest they can obtain. Likewise, she or he needs to take down notes on the person?s medical history. He needs to explain to individuals the procedure for that ultrasound examination. This is why; the task will match someone who loves to be around men and women.
The pictures that the ultrasound technician obtained will likely be utilized to diagnose the individual and for treatment. Ultrasound scans are extremely safe and sound. They do not give off radiation. Body?s temperature however may rise because the sound surf passing to the tissues can elevate temperature. But this is nothing to worry about.
It really is a good idea to check out the job classification of an ultrasound examination technician on the internet as reputable hospitals as well as institutes that offer such training have their internet websites online. To handle the great demand for such experts, there are numerous institutions which offer training programs. It is recommended to look for an institute which offers an accredited course so the diploma obtained after the ultrasound examination technicians education is valid.
Those people who are enthusiastic about ultrasound technician careers may also go for an associate plan or a diploma. An associate course consists of theoretical and practical training for one to two yrs. With this particular education, specialists could possibly get employment with an appealing paycheck. As well, the work comes with a lot of obstacles and range with regard to development.
There are actually different varieties of education programs for technicians. Several classes are offered by hospitals themselves. They train staff inside their own building plus they get on the job practical experience whilst learning how to run the hi-tech equipment. Many colleges offer degree and diploma or degree programs for all those interested in becoming ultrasound technicians. People who wish to join should have a minimum prescribed certification and a general aptitude for that health care industry.
The facts are, the degree programs are usually three to four years in duration and make one an expert in the profession. The diplomas are one year in duration and provide enough knowledge being an assistant technician. People who already have good knowledge regarding sonograms and other ultrasound technology can go in for certification programs that establish them as experts in the field.
It ought to be very easy to understand the positive aspects of the ultrasound examination tech job outlook. Many individuals have made this particular profession an ongoing career. People looking for balance should investigate this occupation for themselves. The difficulties every day are very mentally revitalizing for people involved in the work. Generally people enjoy the opportunity to be part of a large team of people that are working with each other for the greater good of the sufferers. When people tend to be contributing to a team they usually feel like part of something larger than by themselves.
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It can be very beneficial to work with a personal trainer, and if you?re trying to find one it?s essential to find one that has the right qualities for your purposes. You do not need to have a personal trainer to exercise or get fit, but employing one can help to motivate you and keep you on track. Many health clubs have trainers available, or you can find one which advertises or who was recommended to you. L-Arginine Complete is designed to improve cardiovascular health and prevent heart disease.
Employing a physical fitness trainer connected with your gym is the least expensive option for working with a trainer. If you do not at this time belong to a gym, you can join one that offers a few training sessions when you join. Whether training sessions are offered with your gym membership or you need to pay extra, it?s still less costly than hiring a private fitness trainer. If you are seeking a fitness trainer that has a certain type of approach or expertise, you might want to shop around for one rather than use one from a gym. But the majority personal trainers at a health and fitness center are adequate to teach you exactly how to use machines properly and advise you on what workouts to do. Now you can benefit from this remarkable, all natural product! With the original HCG Diet Drops.
In most places, anyone can promote themselves as a fitness trainer, personal coach or something like that. For that reason, you should explore their experience and qualifications. It?s commonly best to get personal recommendations when selecting any sort of professional, this includes a fitness trainer, so the first step might be to ask everybody you know for a name. If you find someone from an ad or website, you should try to find references or testimonials that can be verified. It?s in addition a matter of locating someone whose qualifications match your goals. So if you are trying to find nutritional advice along with someone to help you with your workout program, you need to find someone with experience in both areas. African Mango Meltdown lately, but you are probably wondering how it is different than other products.
One of a physical fitness trainer?s main jobs is to keep you motivated. Everybody has to possess some self discipline to exercise, but the right trainer can certainly be a big help. It?s therefore essential that you decide on someone that you enjoy working with. Somebody whose personality doesn?t jive with yours isn?t going to make you feel like exercising more, so you?d be better off working out on your own. The simple question you should ask yourself is, ?Does this particular person give me guidance as well as inspiration that I did not have on my own?? If not, then it?s time to find yet another instructor or simply work out by yourself.
There are many factors to consider when trying to find a fitness trainer. The trainer needs to have the type of experience to make your workouts more efficient, along with a personality you gel with. Your relationship together with your fitness trainer may be short or long lasting. Even a few sessions is all you need to get you moving in the right direction.
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. ? Gay marriage is all but legalized in Maryland with the legislature giving its final OK Thursday to the law that is awaiting the expected signature of the governor.
The state Senate voted 25-22 for the law. The vote comes less than a week after the House of Delegates barely passed the measure.
Maryland will become the eighth state to allow gay marriage when Gov. Martin O'Malley ? who sponsored the bill ? signs the legislation.
Opponents, though, have vowed to bring the measure to referendum in November. They will need to gather at least 55,726 valid signatures of Maryland voters to put it on the ballot and can begin collecting names now that the bill has passed both chambers.
Senators rejected some amendments to the legislation Thursday. Proponents warned that amending the bill could kill it because gathering enough support for altered legislation in the House would be difficult.
Last year senators passed a similar measure by 25-21, but the bill died in the House after delegates rescinded their initial support citing concerns that it could violate religious liberties of churches and business owners who do not support same-sex unions.
The meal companies are one of many largest varieties of business enterprise on the globe. Whereas taste is often the main objective, style and design & visual appeal are simply just as crucial with regard to promoting merchandise, restaurants as well as recipe websites. Additionally, there are an abundance of foodstuff writers on the net that offer numerous types of mouth watering meals and delightful images of the food items.
No matter if you are a business person launching your first cafe or possibly a seasoned company owner with lots of years of experience in the restaurant business, an individual deal with many difficulties. Some of the most crucial of these obstacles is your restaurant website design. A very good web page design may help a cafe or restaurant to more efficiently market on its own, could actually help switch website visitors who find the bistro by browsing.
Whilst there are many strategies to develop a very good restaurant web design they almost never appear to find themselves in the palms of restaurateurs. Alternatively, they are sold Flash extensive websites which don?t answer the most basic questions people have regarding their small businesses. Although the sites may look nice, they do not put individual passes. All of our restaurant web site design offers cafe website development with no trouble of usage, impression as well as final results you are able to monitor each day. All of our restaurant display internet sites convey the sophistication and personality certain to each and every diner encounter. The cafe web development correctly blends aesthetics, user-friendly navigation, specialized services and also advance online search engine restaurant marketing methods.
Generally restaurant flash internet websites are really pre-occupied that online clients move away from you. Quite a few diner web alternatives are well known in making on the web audiences both eager and determined to see your restaurant by themselves. The restaurant web page design specializes in brand name and online impression that produce prospects and revenue. The web sites are designed to be ?search engine friendly? to improve the number of sessions to your site by prospective buyers who will be employing search engines for instance Google to find eating places in your neighborhood.
Stopping up in a second, which are the biggest complications with restaurant internet sites? Many of the most prevalent troubles of restaurant websites right now consist of flash introductions, no menu, cannot find the hours, cannot find area details, poor usability since it is entirely in Flash, music, cannot find your website in Google, inadequate photos, and never was up to date (almost certainly since it had not been designed using an convenient to use CMS). Not coincidentally, graphic designers bringin more cash to generate a complex, multipage Flash site than one that lets you know everything you wish to know using one web page. But many in the diner trade hardly understand how essential the net is always to their own firms.
Looking to find the best deal on restaurant web design,then visit Bluejay?s site to find the best advice on web design for restaurants for you.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Reuters - Comcast Corp, the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, became the latest major name to take on Netflix Inc on Tuesday when it announced plans for an online video service offering a library of TV shows and movies.
Medical advances mean that many us aren't just made up of bone and flesh these days: artificial knees, titanium plates and pacemakers make their way into human bodies across the world every day. But what happens to them when their owners are cremated? More »
Not everyone's smartphone has NFC, and of those that do, an even smaller subset have official Google Wallet support. It would seem Mountain View's complacency is Moneto's gain, as the outfit's recently put up for sale its $30 NFC-enabled microSD card -- enabling plebes everywhere sans contactless circuitry to sashay their way into mobile payment heaven. That card is also stuffed with 1GB of storage for your exploits and those plunking down three Hamiltons are also privy to a $10 credit thrown in. There's one caveat, however, as per its website the service currently only works on variants of the Galaxy S (including carrier permutations like the Vibrant, Fascinate and Galaxy S 4G). Support for an additional forty devices is inbound but before committing, we'd peep the latest compatibility info from the horse's mouth in the more coverage link we've included below.
A lot of people put ?write a book? on their bucket list. Thanks to Amazon, Smashwords, and fee-based publishing companies, having a book with your name on the spine is easier than ever. There?s never been a better time to be an author, never been more options, but simply being published means very little now.
When everyone is special, then no one is.
The Author Is Now In Control Authors are entrepreneurs. Gone are the days of the solitary writer holed up in a writing cave never interacting with readers. There?s no longer a stigma attached to self-publishing, the stigma is attached to books that do poorly. Your book must earn respect now with sales and Amazon rankings determining value, not the name of the publisher on the spine. Indie and self-publishing avenues (digital especially) have leveled the playing field. But with privilege comes responsibility. For the first time writers have choices ? you can traditionally publish or self publish or both, but either way the burden of responsibility for success rests with the author.
A Leveled Playing Field Traditional publishers have always offered distribution, something authors couldn?t get anywhere else. The cover art, editing, interior design are all services that many publishers are outsourcing anyway, but with digital there?s no longer any need for distribution. Barry Eisler made publishing news a few months ago when he turned down a BIG (I mean, never have to write again big) deal from St. Martin?s Press. He was then approached by Amazon to publish with them first digitally and then in paper at a much higher royalty rate. He didn?t need either St. Martin?s or Amazon for distribution ? he already has a substantial platform, but Amazon offered direct to consumer marketing he could tap into. At the Writer?s Digest Conference (WDC) in New York, Eisler claimed he?s made more on the book published with Amazon, than on any of his traditionally published books. Self-publishing was the smart business decision for him.
Writing Is A Business Traditional publishers typically offer 17.5% royalty rates, but with self-publishing authors keep upwards of 75% royalties. Writing is a business and the business is connecting with readers. Traditional or self-published doesn?t matter because the self-published or indie author can hire an editor and the same cover designer as the big publishers, and put out a comparably packaged product. But not all books are created equal ? and whether you?re self-published or traditionally published, failing to connect with readers will be reflected in customer reviews and sales numbers. Just putting a book out there doesn?t mean anyone will buy it ? or find it in this crowded marketplace.
Read more about The Business of Writing with this exclusive GWP interview with author and writing teacher James Scott Bell.
A New Business Model A new business model is emerging. Previously, a traditionally published author would put out 1 new title a year (or less than that), and then build a speaking and teaching career beneath the writing career. Indie publishers are telling new writers to publish 3-5 books a year to keep readers coming back. Writers must be entrepreneurs. Many of the successful independent authors have a team of writers writing for them ? their name has become a brand ? almost like a fashion label. But this also opens up markets where previously there were none ? like short stories and poetry.
In Summary If you don?t have a top-notch product (book), don?t have great packaging (interior design, cover art, binding, cover copy), and a social network who will share and recommend your work ? you?re playing the author lotto (and the odds aren?t in your favor).
The average self-published title sells 80 copies. You can?t live off that. But the good news is that those are all things you can control through hard work. It?s a lot of trial and error, learning from what didn?t work as much as what did. These authors spoke of testing titles with Facebook ads, and monopolizing a word through Google ads. It?s a serious, purposeful business model being planned up to two years in advance.
Being traditionally published gives you instant credibility with retailers and to a certain extent readers, but that?s overcome with reader reviews, blogger reviews, Amazon rankings, etc. This is a really exciting time to be a writer. Authors no longer need the brick&mortar bookstore, the agent or New York publisher to be a success (whether publishing digitally or not) and that?s changed a lot of things.
Read more about self-publishing from these successful authors:
Debora Geary ? paranormal author LT Kodzo ? YA author ? Christian market KC May ? sci-fi/fantasy author
Lisa
Subscribe to Marcy?s new blog Life At Warp 10 and Lisa?s new blog Through the Fire.
Connect with Marcy on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. Connect with Lisa on Twitter, subscribe to her on Facebook, or join her circles on Google+.
AP - The New York Police Department monitored Muslim college students far more broadly than previously known, at schools far beyond the city limits, including the Ivy League colleges of Yale and the University of Pennsylvania, The Associated Press has learned.
Arnova isn't exactly a newcomer when it comes to dealing with budget-friendly tabs, already having produced the 9 and 10 G2s. The outfit's newest addition to its tablet lineup is simply dubbed 8b G2, honoring its 8-inch, 800 x 600, TFT display. Coming in what some could consider "last year's specs," the slate's packing a 1GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, a front-facing shooter, microSD slot for extra storage (4 or 8GB built-in) and a predictably outdated piece of Gingerbread. Presumably price will be its best asset -- Arnova hasn't given us a figure but, if its predecessor is a telling sign, we can't imagine you'd part ways with more than 200 bucks.
New Health And Fitness.Org - Health Information You Can Use
I?m in one of the largest cities in the united states and in need of physical therapy New York City. There were lots of opportunities, so I took to the web in search of a therapist near to my area, and that could handle my specific injury. I recently found spas, and numerous sports medicine methods, however were not really what I needed. That?s when I found New York Physical Therapy Association?s site.
They presented something exactly where I could put in my injury and it could direct me to the very best options within my vicinity. It turned out extremely user-friendly, and also included lots of informative articles. Right after selecting a doctor and arranging my appointment, I found myself immersed within their site, discovering on the most recent updates in the world of medication. Visit this link for more updates from the experts of Physical Therapy.
Anybody would certainly let you know, if you?re searching for anything in The Big Apple, there can be literally thousands of options for everything you can possibly imagine. Now, if you?re searching for physical therapy New York City may not have thousands of choices, however it is fairly close.
Most of them most likely revolve around sports medicine, as most anywhere do. That is where the majority of injuries requiring therapy occur, while playing sports. Discounted prices of them, also, can be found within spas. These possibly focus less within the medicine, and more on the comfort point. This option isn?t for your everyday injuries, however more for the wealthier who may have several issues here and there and need a little spoiling to help with them.
The 3 of those choices could possibly get a little bit costly, so you may just want to have your therapy scheduled in your local hospital, if it is available. Most likely, you don?t need to pay up front in the hospital, so financially, it will be your best option.
Check out this site for the best experts in Physical Therapy New York City.
Landscape fire smoke contributes to hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide, new research suggestsPublic release date: 18-Feb-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Ginger Pinholster gpinhols@aaas.org 202-326-6440 American Association for the Advancement of Science
Worldwide, smoke from landscape fires contributed to an average of 339,000 deaths per year between 1997 and 2006, according to new research published in Environmental Health Perspectives and released today during the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia were the hardest hit by fire-smoke deaths, with an estimated annual average of 157,000 and 110,000 deaths, respectively, attributable to landscape fire smoke exposure, said researcher Fay Johnston, who represented a global team at the 2012 AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada.
"It's time to look at deforestation impacts on fires, which in turn affect human health," said Johnston, a research fellow at the Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
Johnston and her co-authors specifically assessed the health impacts of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers, an important byproduct of landscape fire smoke. First, they looked at satellite data to gather information on areas burned each year during the study period; particulate matter exposures were estimated using a chemical transport model, satellite-based observations, and other data. They applied an accepted World Health Organization framework for determining annual mortality in different regions, and they used results from previous research on the health effects of smoke-related particulate matter to estimate deaths attributable to fire smoke. They further calculated annual mortality during a La Nia period, and an El Nio period. Worldwide, deaths from fire smoke during those periods were estimated at 262,000 and 532,000, respectively, compared with an estimated 10-year global average of 339,000 deaths.
"Fire emissions are an important contributor to global mortality," the EHP article concludes. "Adverse health outcomes associated with landscape fire smoke could be substantially reduced by curtailing burning of tropical rainforests, which rarely burn naturally. The large estimated influence of El Nio suggests a relationship between climate and the burden of mortality attributable to landscape fire smoke."
Johnston is participating in a special AAAS Annual Meeting seminar at 8:30 am Pacific Standard Time on Sunday, February 19. The session is titled "Climate Change in Northern LatitudesForest Fires in Canada: Impacts of Climate Change and Fire Smoke."
She also agreed to take part in a related news briefing at 2:00 pm PST on Saturday, February 18, webcast live via http://www.eurekalert.org/aaasnewsroom. She was joined by fellow panelists Michael Brauer of the University of British Columbia; Mike Flannigan of the University of Alberta; Gordon McBean of the University of Western Ontario; and Douglas Woolford of Wilfrid Laurier University.
The panelists noted that fire scorches 350 to 400 million hectares of land every yearan area larger than the size of Indiaemitting greenhouse gases as well as fine particulate matter that can be harmful to people and animals. As global warming continues, vegetation becomes dryer, lightning strikes more frequently, and fire seasons change.
Woolford's research reveals, for example, that the fire season now begins earlier and ends later in Alberta than it did in 1960. Climate change affects the frequency of extreme weather, too, causing unusually warm events to happen more often.
Also during the AAAS news briefing, Mike Flannigan released new predictions of future global fire severity, based on three specific climate-change scenarios. He further discussed concerns about the increasing number of peat fires, which release significant amounts of greenhouse gases as well as high levels of mercury.
Brauer discussed approaches for estimating population exposure to forest fire smoke and the evaluation of a smoke forecasting tool for public health preparedness. He summarized studies of health impacts of fire smoke exposure in Canada and evaluated the effectiveness of room air cleaners in reducing exposure to fire smoke.
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Johnston's co-authors on the EHP paper, "Estimated Global Mortality Attributable to Smoke from Landscape Fires," were Sarah B. Henderson, Yang Chen, James T. Randerson, Miriam Marlier, Ruth S. DeFries, Patrick Kinney, David M.I.S. Bowman, and Michael Brauer. Environmental Health Perspectives is published by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, one of the National Institutes of Health. Funding for the research was provided by the Australian Research Council, the University of Tasmania, and NASA.
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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.
Landscape fire smoke contributes to hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide, new research suggestsPublic release date: 18-Feb-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Ginger Pinholster gpinhols@aaas.org 202-326-6440 American Association for the Advancement of Science
Worldwide, smoke from landscape fires contributed to an average of 339,000 deaths per year between 1997 and 2006, according to new research published in Environmental Health Perspectives and released today during the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia were the hardest hit by fire-smoke deaths, with an estimated annual average of 157,000 and 110,000 deaths, respectively, attributable to landscape fire smoke exposure, said researcher Fay Johnston, who represented a global team at the 2012 AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada.
"It's time to look at deforestation impacts on fires, which in turn affect human health," said Johnston, a research fellow at the Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
Johnston and her co-authors specifically assessed the health impacts of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers, an important byproduct of landscape fire smoke. First, they looked at satellite data to gather information on areas burned each year during the study period; particulate matter exposures were estimated using a chemical transport model, satellite-based observations, and other data. They applied an accepted World Health Organization framework for determining annual mortality in different regions, and they used results from previous research on the health effects of smoke-related particulate matter to estimate deaths attributable to fire smoke. They further calculated annual mortality during a La Nia period, and an El Nio period. Worldwide, deaths from fire smoke during those periods were estimated at 262,000 and 532,000, respectively, compared with an estimated 10-year global average of 339,000 deaths.
"Fire emissions are an important contributor to global mortality," the EHP article concludes. "Adverse health outcomes associated with landscape fire smoke could be substantially reduced by curtailing burning of tropical rainforests, which rarely burn naturally. The large estimated influence of El Nio suggests a relationship between climate and the burden of mortality attributable to landscape fire smoke."
Johnston is participating in a special AAAS Annual Meeting seminar at 8:30 am Pacific Standard Time on Sunday, February 19. The session is titled "Climate Change in Northern LatitudesForest Fires in Canada: Impacts of Climate Change and Fire Smoke."
She also agreed to take part in a related news briefing at 2:00 pm PST on Saturday, February 18, webcast live via http://www.eurekalert.org/aaasnewsroom. She was joined by fellow panelists Michael Brauer of the University of British Columbia; Mike Flannigan of the University of Alberta; Gordon McBean of the University of Western Ontario; and Douglas Woolford of Wilfrid Laurier University.
The panelists noted that fire scorches 350 to 400 million hectares of land every yearan area larger than the size of Indiaemitting greenhouse gases as well as fine particulate matter that can be harmful to people and animals. As global warming continues, vegetation becomes dryer, lightning strikes more frequently, and fire seasons change.
Woolford's research reveals, for example, that the fire season now begins earlier and ends later in Alberta than it did in 1960. Climate change affects the frequency of extreme weather, too, causing unusually warm events to happen more often.
Also during the AAAS news briefing, Mike Flannigan released new predictions of future global fire severity, based on three specific climate-change scenarios. He further discussed concerns about the increasing number of peat fires, which release significant amounts of greenhouse gases as well as high levels of mercury.
Brauer discussed approaches for estimating population exposure to forest fire smoke and the evaluation of a smoke forecasting tool for public health preparedness. He summarized studies of health impacts of fire smoke exposure in Canada and evaluated the effectiveness of room air cleaners in reducing exposure to fire smoke.
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Johnston's co-authors on the EHP paper, "Estimated Global Mortality Attributable to Smoke from Landscape Fires," were Sarah B. Henderson, Yang Chen, James T. Randerson, Miriam Marlier, Ruth S. DeFries, Patrick Kinney, David M.I.S. Bowman, and Michael Brauer. Environmental Health Perspectives is published by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, one of the National Institutes of Health. Funding for the research was provided by the Australian Research Council, the University of Tasmania, and NASA.
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NEW YORK (AP) ? The New York Knicks signed J.R. Smith on Friday, hoping his 3-point shooting can improve one of their biggest weaknesses.
The timing may be risky with the Knicks playing their best basketball of the season, but the Knicks think Smith will be worth the risk.
"We just felt that it was an opportunity to acquire a very good basketball player and to help us in a way that I think we're in need of," interim general manager Glen Grunwald said. "He's a talented offensive player, shoot the ball, he can get to the rim, he can run the floor, so we just felt it was the right fit for what sort of we'd be facing the rest of this year."
Smith is returning to the NBA from China, where he signed to play during the lockout. He was ineligible to return until his team had completed its season and FIBA, basketball's governing body, had given him clearance.
Smith had declared his intentions to reunite with former Denver teammate Carmelo Anthony earlier in the day on Twitter, saying "New York Knicks it is!"
The Knicks still had their two-year exception, worth about $2.5 million a year, to offer. The second year of the deal is at Smith's option.
Smith is a streaky shooter with deep range and has averaged 12.5 points in the NBA since he was the No. 18 pick by the Hornets in the 2004 draft. He spent the last five seasons with the Nuggets, twice scoring more than 15 points per game.
Grunwald said Smith shot around 50 percent from 3-point range while playing for Zhejiang of the Chinese Basketball Association. The Knicks rank 26th in the league from behind the arc.
But the Knicks are taking a chance of messing up the chemistry they have developed while winning seven straight games behind Jeremy Lin. Plus, Smith has developed a reputation as a chucker.
"He's not stopping the ball, that's for sure," coach Mike D'Antoni joked, flicking his hand as if we he were taking a shot.
Plus, Smith is also temperamental and has clashed with teammates and coaches, plus spent time in jail on a reckless driving charge.
"We had people that had let's say inside personal experience with J.R. and they all came out in favor of this move," said Grunwald, mentioning director of pro player personnel Mark Warkentien, Denver's former general manager. "We talked to a lot of people, we are comfortable with the decision we made and we're hopeful that it's all going to work out for the best."
Smith won't arrive until Saturday night and won't get a chance to practice, so it's doubtful he plays Sunday against Dallas.
"I don't think so," D'Antoni said. "That's a little much."
To make room on the roster, the Knicks waived forward Renaldo Balkman.
Acer's revealed that it'll be bringing Android's latest and greatest version to its existing tablet family. The update is rolling out (as promised) on the Iconia Tab A200 now, but version 4.0 will also make an appearance on both its seven inch (Iconia A100) and 10 inch (Iconia A500) relatives in April. The update adds all those ICS features, including refreshed widget design and improved multitasking, but leaves the manufacturer's own Android addition -- the Acer launcher ring -- in tact.
When everyone is special, then no one is.
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Public release date: 18-Feb-2012
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