St. Vincent College, a small Benedictine college southeast of Pittsburgh, wanted to realign a two-lane state road serving the campus. But the state transportation department did not have the money. So St. Vincent tried Washington instead. The college hired a professional lobbyist in 2004 and, later that year, two paragraphs were tucked into federal appropriation bills with the help of Representative John P. Murtha, Democrat of Pennsylvania, awarding $4 million solely for that project. College officials said the work would improve the safety and appearance of the road into the campus, which President Bush visited two days ago to give the college’s commencement address. Religious organizations have long competed for federal contracts to provide social services, and they have tried to influence Congress on matters of moral and social policy – indeed, most major denominations have a presence in Washington to monitor such legislation. But an analysis of federal records shows that some religious organizations are also hiring professional lobbyists to pursue the narrowly tailored individual appropriations known as earmarks. A New York Times analysis shows that the number of earmarks for religious organizations, while small compared with the overall number, have increased sharply in recent years. […]
Recycling is probably one of the most widely-practiced, common-knowledge, things you can do to live a greener life. There are now over 9,000 curbside recycling programs nationwide. However, myths still surround the actual benefits of recycling and the rationale for the need for recycling in general. Myth: We are already recycling what we can. Fact: Hardly. Although recycling has grown tremendously in the past thirty years, we should be able to recycle as much as 80% of our what currently goes into our landfills. Half of landfill contents is good old paper–easily recyclable. Myth: We are not running out of ‘room’ for our trash, so landfill space is not a problem. Fact: In many areas of the country, there is plenty of room for trash. Not so in some heavily-populated areas of the East Coast, where landfill space issues have translated into higher landfill costs. Landfill space could be used for other things than trash, like the natural habitats landfills often displace. Myth: It takes just as much energy to recycle as it does to produce ‘virgin’ materials. Fact: When comparing the impact of recycled vs. raw, you must compare the impact over the […]
NASA scientists predict average summer temperatures in the eastern United States will rise as much as five degrees Celsius by the 2080s as a result of global warming from rising amounts of greenhouse gases. The study’s climate model predicts temperatures in the region higher than those predicted by global models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which said temperatures would rise between two and 3.5 degrees C in the same region by 2100. A computer model projection of average daily maximum temperatures over the eastern United States for July 2085 (bottom) and July 1993 (top). Areas in violet shading show temperatures of 26C (79F); green 30C (86F); yellow 34C (93F); red 38C (100F); dark purple 42C (108F).A computer model projection of average daily maximum temperatures over the eastern United States for July 2085 (bottom) and July 1993 (top). Areas in violet shading show temperatures of 26C (79F); green 30C (86F); yellow 34C (93F); red 38C (100F); dark purple 42C (108F). (NASA/GISS) This difference in predicted temperature is in large part because the NASA model takes into account the variation of rainfall in the region, said lead […]
A study from the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Institute at Michigan State University has raised concerns about the possibility that iPods could cause pacemakers to fail. Are iPods, which work in ways that are essentially very similar to many other MP3 devices, being unfairly singled out? Are they any more dangerous than cell phones, for instance, which actively broadcast signals? Get the Most out of Your Cisco Equipment Read the free whitepaper from Plixer International and find out how using our NetFlow & sFlow Analyzer can help you achieve the full value of your Cisco equipment. The headlines were rather scary. A study found that Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Latest News about Apple iPods can cause pacemakers to malfunction. The articles reporting this news arose from a presentation made at the Heart Rhythm Society’s annual meeting in Denver this week. Those attending the meeting heard that electrical interference of pacemakers was found about 50 percent of the time when an iPod was held within several inches of a patient’s chest for five to ten seconds. Sometimes, iPods were found to interfere with the implanted devices even when they were held 18 inches away, said the reports. […]
Would you notice one of the world’s greatest violinists playing in the midst of rush hour? What would happen if one of the greatest violinists alive, playing on a Stradivarius worth several million dollars, was plunked into the sterile environment of a Washington D.C. metro station at the height of morning rush hour? Would anyone stop to listen? Would anyone recognize the genius, the soaring beauty of the playing? Gene Weingarten, a Washington Post staff writer, was determined to find out. The idea was born two years ago, when Weingarten left a crowded metro station and noticed a ragged-looking man playing the keyboard. The musician was quite good, but he was receiving virtually no notice. Looking at the amorphous mass of humanity rushing by, Weingarten felt a surge of anger. The thought crossed his mind that even the greatest of musicians wouldn’t be able to touch these rushing creatures. But he decided to test his hypothesis before indicting the public. The result was an intriguing social experiment. Weingarten approached Joshua Bell, one of the finest classical musicians in the world. Bell, 39, is a consummate violinist who plays before awe-struck crowds across the globe. His instrument […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
