Friday, August 31, 2012

Man dies in NFL stadium escalator fall

Authorities have identified a 25-year-old Houston man who fell to his death while horsing around on an escalator at Reliant Stadium while attending the Texans preseason finale Thursday.

The man allegedly was trying to slide down the outside of the handrail on the escalator at the Coca-Cola Gate near the northeast side of the stadium at about 8:10 p.m. when he fell three stories, landing on the pavement. He was identified as Jonathan Kelly by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

Kelly was attending the game with some friends, said a coworker who was not at the event and asked that his name not be published.

The coworker said Kelly had worked for about three months as a plant operator at a private water and wastewater utility company.

Reliant Park issued a statement confirming an escalator accident involving a fan. The victim was taken to a hospital.

The man was on the escalator on a northeast side of the stadium descending from level five to level three when he fell about 60 feet, Mark Miller, General Manager SMG Reliant Park, said during news conference Friday morning.

Miller said he didn't have details about what the man was doing before he fell because the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Miller said staff is posted on each landing at escalators and signs on the equipment encourage safety.

The stadium staff will review safety procedures and the escalators will be inspected to make sure they are working properly and are safe, Miller said. He said the northeast escalators will be shut down while they are inspected. They won't be operating during a high school football game scheduled for Friday night, he added.

Miller expressed sympathy for the man and his family.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this moment," he said.

Jamey Rootes, president of the Houston Texans, echoed Miller's sympathy for the family.

The organization, he said, expresses "our deep sadness at this tragic accident."

Houston Fire Department officials said the man was taken by a private ambulance to the hospital.

Houston police said that according to initial information they received, the victim died at the hospital.

Kelly's death comes just more than a year after 39-year-old Shannon Stone fell to his death during a Texas Rangers baseball game in Arlington in July 2011. Stone had grabbed a baseball tossed by an outfielder toward the stands and toppled over the railing, falling about 20 feet to concrete below.

Anna-Megan Raley and Carol Christian contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/news/houston-texas/article/Authorities-ID-man-killed-in-Reliant-escalator-3829474.php

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Florida's highway to political 'heaven'

Florida () is a state in the southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Florida is the 22nd most extensive, the 4th most populous, and the 8th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The state capital is Tallahassee, its largest city is Jacksonville, and the Miami metropolitan area is the largest metropolitan area in the southeastern United States.

Much of Florida is situated on a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Straits of Florida. Its geography is marked by a coastline, by the omnipresence of water and the threat of hurricanes. Florida has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States, encompassing approximately , and is the only state to border both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Much of the state is at or near sea level and its terrain is characterized by sedimentary soils. The climate varies from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south. Its symbolic animals like the American alligator, Florida panther and the manatee, can be found in the Everglades, one of the most famous national parks in the world.

Since the first European contact was made in 1513 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Le?n ? who named it La Florida ("Flowery Land") upon landing there during the Easter season, Pascua Florida ? Florida was a challenge for the European colonial powers before it gained statehood in the United States in 1845. It was a principal location of the Seminole Wars against the Indians, and racial segregation after the American Civil War. Today, it is distinguished by its large Hispanic community, and high population growth, as well as its increasing environmental concerns. Its economy relies mainly on tourism, agriculture and transportation, which developed in the late 19th century. Florida is also known for its amusement parks, the production of oranges and the Kennedy Space Center.

Florida culture is a reflection of influences and multiple inheritance; Native American, European American, Hispanic and African American heritages can be found in the architecture and cuisine. Florida has attracted many writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes. It is internationally known for tennis, golf, auto racing and water sports.

History

Archaeological research indicates that Florida was first inhabited by Paleo-Indians, the first human inhabitants of the Americas, perhaps as early as 14 thousand years ago. The region was continuously inhabited through the Archaic period (to about 2000?BC). After about 500?BC the previously relatively uniform Archaic culture began to coalesce into distinctive local cultures. By the 16th century, the earliest time for which there is a historical record, major Native American groups included the Apalachee (of the Florida Panhandle), the Timucua (of northern and central Florida), the Ais (of the central Atlantic coast), the Tocobaga (of the Tampa Bay area), the Calusa (of southwest Florida) and the Tequesta (of the southeastern coast).

Florida was the first part of what is now the continental United States to be visited by Europeans. The earliest known European explorers came with the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Le?n, who spotted the peninsula on April 2, 1513. According to his chroniclers, Ponce de Le?n named the region La Florida ("flowery land") because it was then the Easter Season, known in Spanish as Pascua Florida (roughly "Flowery Easter"), and because the vegetation was in bloom. From 1513 onward, the land became known as "La Florida", although after 1630 and throughout the 18th century, Tegesta (after the Tequesta tribe) was an alternate name of choice for the Florida peninsula following publication of a map by the Dutch cartographer Hessel Gerritsz in Joannes de Laet's History of the New World. Between 900 and 1,500 Seminole Indian warriors employed guerrilla tactics against United States Army troops for seven years until 1842. The U.S. government is estimated to have spent between $20 million and $40 million on the war, at the time an astronomical sum.

On March 3, 1845, Florida became the 27th state of the United States of America, although initially its population grew slowly. White settlers continued to encroach on lands used by the Seminoles, and the United States government resolved to make another effort to move the remaining Seminoles to the West. The Third Seminole War lasted from 1855 to 1858, and resulted in the removal of most of the remaining Seminoles. Even after three bloody wars, the U.S. Army failed to force all of the Seminole Indians in Florida to the West. Though most of the Seminoles were forcibly exiled to Creek lands west of the Mississippi, hundreds, including Seminole leader Aripeka (Sam Jones), remained in the Everglades and refused to leave the native homeland of their ancestors. Their descendants remain there to this day.

White settlers began to establish cotton plantations in Florida, which required numerous laborers. By 1860 Florida had only 140,424 people, of whom 44% were enslaved. There were fewer than 1000 free African Americans before the Civil War.

On January 10, 1861, before the start of the American Civil War, Florida declared its secession from the Union; ten days later, the state became a founding member of the Confederate States of America. The war ended in 1865. On June 25, 1868, Florida's congressional representation was restored. After Reconstruction, white Democrats succeeded in regaining power in the state legislature. In 1885 they created a new constitution, followed by statutes through 1889 that effectively disfranchised most blacks and many poor whites over the next several years. Provisions included poll taxes, literacy tests, and residency requirements. Disfranchisement for most African Americans in the state persisted until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s gained federal legislation to protect their suffrage.

Until the mid-20th century, Florida was the least populous Southern state. In 1900 its population was only 528,542, of whom nearly 44% were African American. The boll weevil devastated cotton crops, and early 20th century lynchings and racial violence caused a record number of African Americans to leave the state in the Great Migration to northern and midwestern industrial cities. Forty thousand blacks, roughly one-fifth of their 1900 population, left for better opportunities. Economic prosperity in the 1920s stimulated tourism to Florida. Combined with its sudden elevation in profile was the Florida land boom of the 1920s, which brought a brief period of intense land development. Devastating hurricanes in 1926 and 1928, followed by the stock market crash and Great Depression, brought that period to a halt.

Florida's economy did not fully recover until the buildup for World War II. The climate, tempered by the growing availability of air conditioning, and low cost of living made the state a haven. Migration from the Rust Belt and the Northeast sharply increased the population after the war. In recent decades, more migrants have come for the jobs in a developing economy. With a population of more than 18 million according to the 2010 census, Florida is the most populous state in the Southeastern United States, the second most populous state in the South behind Texas, and the fourth most populous in the United States.

Geography

Much of the state of Florida is situated on a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean and the Straits of Florida. Spanning two time zones, it extends to the northwest into a panhandle, extending along the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is bordered on the north by the states of Georgia and Alabama, and on the west, at the end of the panhandle, by Alabama. It is near several Caribbean countries, particularly The Bahamas and Cuba. Florida is one of the largest states east of the Mississippi River, and only Alaska and Michigan are larger in water area.

At 345?feet (105?m) above mean sea level, Britton Hill is the highest point in Florida and the lowest highpoint of any U.S. state. Much of the state south of Orlando is low-lying and fairly level; however, some places, such as Clearwater, feature vistas that rise 50 to 100?feet (1530?m) above the water. Much of Central and North Florida, typically 25?miles (40?km) or more away from the coastline, features rolling hills with elevations ranging from 100 to 250?feet (3076?m). The highest point in peninsular Florida, Sugarloaf Mountain, is a peak in Lake County.

Boundaries

The state line begins in the Atlantic Ocean, traveling west, south, and north up the thalweg of the Saint Mary's River. At the origin of that river, it then follows a straight line nearly due west and slightly north, to the point where the confluence of the Flint River (from Georgia) and the Chattahoochee River (down the Alabama/Georgia line) used to form Florida's Apalachicola River. (Since Woodruff Dam was built, this point has been under Lake Seminole.) The border with Georgia continues north through the lake for a short distance up the former thalweg of the Chattahoochee, then with Alabama runs due west along latitude 31?N to the Perdido River, then south along its thalweg to the Gulf via Perdido Bay. The water boundary is offshore in the Atlantic Ocean and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Much of the state is at or near sea level.

Climate

The climate of Florida is tempered somewhat by the fact that no part of the state is very distant from the ocean. North of Lake Okeechobee, the prevalent climate is humid subtropical (K?ppen: Cfa), while coastal areas south of the lake (including the Florida Keys) have a true tropical climate (K?ppen: Aw). Mean high temperatures for late July are primarily in the low 90s Fahrenheit (32?34??C). Mean low temperatures for early to mid January range from the low 40s Fahrenheit (4?7??C) in northern Florida to the mid-50s (?13??C) in southern Florida. With an average daily temperature of , it is the warmest state in the country.

In the summer, high temperatures in the state seldom exceed 100 ?F (38 ?C). Several record cold maxima have been in the 30s ?F (?1 to 4??C) and record lows have been in the 10s (?12 to ?7??C). These temperatures normally extend at most a few days at a time in the northern and central parts of Florida. Southern Florida, however, rarely encounters freezing temperatures.

The hottest temperature ever recorded in Florida was , which was set on June 29, 1931 in Monticello. The coldest temperature was , on February 13, 1899, just away, in Tallahassee.

Due to the tropical climate Florida rarely receives snow. However, on very rare occasions, a combination of cold moisture and freezing temperatures can result in snowfall. Frost is more common than snow, occurring several times during the winter months.

The USDA Plant hardiness zones for the state range from zone 8a (no colder than ) in the inland western panhandle to zone 11 (no colder than ) in the lower Florida Keys.

Florida's nickname is the "Sunshine State", but severe weather is a common occurrence in the state. Central Florida is known as the lightning capital of the United States, as it experiences more lightning strikes than anywhere else in the country. Florida has the highest average precipitation of any state, in large part because afternoon thunderstorms are common in most of the state from late spring until early autumn. A narrow eastern part of the state including Orlando and Jacksonville receives between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of sunshine annually. The rest of the state, including Miami, receives between 2,800 and 3,200 hours annually.

Florida leads the United States in tornadoes per area (when including waterspouts) but they do not typically reach the intensity of those in the Midwest and Great Plains. Hail often accompanies the most severe thunderstorms.

Hurricanes pose a severe threat during hurricane season, which lasts from June 1 to November 30, although some storms have been known to form out of season. Florida is the most hurricane-prone state, with subtropical or tropical water on a lengthy coastline. From 1851 to 2006, Florida has been struck by 114 hurricanes, 37 of them major?category 3 and above. It is rare for a hurricane season to pass without any impact in the state by at least a tropical storm. For storms, category 4 or higher, 83% have either hit Florida or Texas. August to October is the most likely period for a hurricane in Florida.

In 2004, Florida was hit by a record four hurricanes. Hurricanes Charley (August 13), Frances (September 4?5), Ivan (September 16), and Jeanne (September 25?26) cumulatively cost the state's economy $42 billion. Additionally, the four storms caused an estimated $45 billion in damage. In 2005, Hurricane Dennis (July 10) became the fifth storm to strike Florida within eleven months. Later, Hurricane Katrina (August 25) passed through South Florida and Hurricane Rita (September 20) swept through the Florida Keys. Hurricane Wilma (October 24) made landfall near Cape Romano, just south of Marco Island, finishing another very active hurricane season. Wilma is the second most expensive hurricane in Florida history, due in part to a five year window in which to file claims.

Florida was the site of the second costliest weather disaster in U.S. history, Hurricane Andrew, which caused more than $25 billion in damage when it struck on August 24, 1992. In a long list of other infamous hurricane strikes are the 1926 Miami hurricane, the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane, the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, Hurricane Donna in 1960, and Hurricane Opal in 1995. Recent research suggests the number of storms are part of a natural cycle which rises in some years, falls in others.

City Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
65/42 68/45 74/50 79/55 86/63 90/70 92/73 91/73 87/69 80/61 74/51 67/44
75/65 76/66 79/69 82/72 85/76 88/78 89/80 90/80 88/78 85/76 80/71 76/67
72/51 73/53 77/57 81/61 85/67 88/71 90/73 90/73 88/72 83/67 78/60 73/53
Miami 76/60 78/62 80/65 83/68 87/73 89/76 91/77 91/77 89/76 86/73 82/68 78/63
71/49 74/52 78/56 83/60 88/66 91/72 92/74 92/74 90/73 85/66 78/59 73/52
61/43 64/46 70/51 76/58 84/66 89/72 90/74 90/74 87/70 80/60 70/50 63/45
64/39 68/42 74/47 80/52 87/62 91/70 92/72 92/72 89/68 82/57 73/48 66/41
70/51 73/54 77/58 81/62 88/69 90/74 90/75 91/76 89/74 85/67 78/60 72/54

Fauna

Florida is host to many types of wildlife including:
  • Marine Mammals: Bottlenose Dolphin, Short-finned Pilot Whale, North Atlantic Right Whale, West Indian Manatee
  • Mammals: Florida panther, Northern River Otter, Mink, Eastern Cottontail Rabbit, Marsh Rabbit, Raccoon, Striped Skunk, Squirrel, White-tailed deer, Key Deer, Bobcats, Gray Fox, Coyote, Wild Boar, Florida Black Bear, Nine-banded Armadillos
  • Reptiles: Eastern Diamondback and Pygmy Rattlesnakes, Gopher Tortoise, Green and Leatherback Sea Turtles, and Eastern Indigo Snake. In 2012, there were about one million American Alligators and 1,500 Crocodiles. Birds: Bald Eagle, Northern Caracara, Snail Kite, Osprey, White and Brown Pelicans, Sea Gulls, Whooping and Sandhill Cranes, Roseate Spoonbill, Florida Scrub Jay (state endemic), and others. One subspecies of Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo, namely subspecies osceola, is found only in the state of Florida. The state is a wintering location for many species of eastern North American birds.
  • Invertebrates: carpenter ants, termites, American cockroach, Africanized bees, the Miami blue butterfly, and the grizzled mantis.
  • The only known calving area for the Northern Right Whale is off the coasts of Florida and Georgia.

    The native bear population has risen from a historic low of 300 in the 1970s, to 3,000 in 2011.

    Since their accidental importation from South America into North America in the 1930s, the Red imported fire ant population has increased its territorial range to include most of the Southern United States, including Florida. They are more aggressive than most native ant species and have a painful sting.

    A number of non-native snakes and lizards have been released in the wild. In 2010 the state created a hunting season for Burmese and Indian pythons, African rock pythons, green anacondas, and Nile monitor lizards. Green iguanas have also established a firm population in the southern part of the state.

    Environmental issues

    Florida is a low per capita energy user. In 2010, the state burned a record .

    Recycling

    The recycling rate in Florida is estimated at 28% in 2000. In 2008, The Energy, Climate Change, and Economic Security Act of 2008 set a goal of progressively improving recycling to reach a 75 percent rate by the year 2020.

    It directs public entities (schools, state and local public agencies) to report the amount they recycle annually to their counties. Private businesses are encouraged (but not mandated) to report the amount they recycle to their counties. Finally, the section directs DEP to create the Recycling Business Assistance Center. Under the new law, each county must implement a recyclable materials recycling program that shall have a goal of recycling recyclable solid waste by 40 percent by December 31, 2012, 50 percent by 2014, 60 percent by 2016, 70 percent by 2018, and 75 percent by 2020. The county with the highest recycling rate is Lee County with a 43% recycling rate as of 2008.

    Geology

    The Florida peninsula is a porous plateau of karst limestone sitting atop bedrock known as the Florida Platform. The emergent portion of the platform was created during the Eocene to Oligocene as the Gulf Trough filled with silts, clays, and sands. Flora and fauna began appearing during the Miocene. No land animals were present in Florida prior to the Miocene.

    The largest deposits of potash in the United States are found in Florida.

    Extended systems of underwater caves, sinkholes and springs are found throughout the state and supply most of the water used by residents. The limestone is topped with sandy soils deposited as ancient beaches over millions of years as global sea levels rose and fell. During the last glacial period, lower sea levels and a drier climate revealed a much wider peninsula, largely savanna.

    Florida is tied for last place as having the fewest earthquakes of any US state.

    In January, 1879, a shock of Mercalli intensity scale VI occurred near St. Augustine. There were reports of heavy shaking that knocked plaster from walls and articles from shelves. Similar effects were noted at Daytona Beach south. The tremor was felt as far south as Tampa and as far north as Savannah, Georgia.

    In January 1880, Cuba was the center of two strong earthquakes that sent severe shock waves through the city of Key West, Florida.

    The shock from the 1886 Charleston, South Carolina, earthquake was felt throughout northern Florida, ringing church bells at St. Augustine and severely jolting other towns along that section of Florida's east coast. Jacksonville residents felt many of the strong aftershocks that occurred in September, October, and November 1886.

    Demographics

    Population

    The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Florida was 19,057,542 on July 1, 2011, a 1.36% increase since the 2010 United States Census. The center of population of Florida is located in Polk County, in the town of Lake Wales.

    In 2010, illegal immigrants constituted an estimated 5.7% of the population. This was the sixth highest percentage of any state in the country. There were an estimated 675,000 illegal immigrants in the state in 2010.

    There were 186,102 military retirees living in the state in 2008.

    Racial makeup

    According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Florida had a population of 18,801,310. In terms of race and ethnicity, the state was:
  • 75.0% White (57.9% Non-Hispanic White alone)
  • 16.0% Black or African American
  • 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native
  • 2.4% Asian
  • 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
  • 3.6% from Some Other Race
  • 2.5% from Two or More Races
  • Hispanics and Latinos of any race made up 22.5% of the population.

    Ancestry groups

    The largest reported ancestries in the 2000 Census were German (11.8%), Irish (10.3%), English (9.2%), American (8%), Italian (6.3%), Cuban (5.2%), Puerto Rican (3.0%) French (2.8%), Polish (2.7%) and Scottish (1.8%).

    In the 2000 Census, 1,278,586 people in Florida self-identified as having "American" ancestry, most of these people are of English descent and some are of Scots-Irish descent however have families that have been in the state so long, in many cases since the colonial period, that they choose to identify simply as having "American" ancestry or do not in fact know their own ancestry. In the 1980 United States census the largest ancestry group reported in Florida was English with 2,232,514 Floridians citing that they were of English or mostly English ancestry. Their ancestry primarily goes back to the original thirteen colonies and for this reason many of them today simply claim "American" ancestry, though they are of predominately English stock. They were followed by Irish at 1,617,433.

    Before the American Civil War, when slavery was legal, and during the Reconstruction era that followed, blacks made up nearly half of the state's population. Their proportion declined over the next century, as many moved north in the Great Migration while large numbers of northern whites moved to the state. In 1970, non-Hispanic whites were nearly 80% of Florida's population. Recently, the state's proportion of black residents has begun to grow again. Today, large concentrations of black residents can be found in northern Florida (notably in Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tallahassee, and Pensacola), the Tampa Bay area, the Orlando area, especially in Orlando and Sanford.

    Florida's Hispanic population includes large communities of Cuban Americans in Miami and Tampa, Puerto Ricans in Orlando and Tampa, and Central American migrant workers in inland West-Central and South Florida. The Hispanic community continues to grow more affluent and mobile. As of 2011, 57.0% of Florida's children under the age of 1 belonged to minority groups.

    White Americans of all European backgrounds are present in all areas of the state. Those of English and Irish ancestry are present in large numbers in all the urban/suburban areas across the state. Native white Floridians, especially those who have descended from long-time Florida families, affectionately refer to themselves as "Florida crackers". Like whites in most of the other Southern states, they descend mainly from English and Scots-Irish settlers, as well as some other British settlers.

    Cities and metropolitan areas

    The largest metropolitan area in the state as well as the entire southeastern United States is the Miami metropolitan area, with about 5.5 million people. The Tampa Bay Area, with over 2.7 million people, is the second largest; the Orlando metropolitan area, with over 2.1 million people, is the third; and the Jacksonville metropolitan area, with over 1.3 million people, is fourth.

    Florida has twenty Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Thirty-nine of Florida's sixty-seven counties are in an MSA. Reflecting the distribution of population in Florida, Metropolitan areas in the state are concentrated around the coast of the peninsula. They form a continuous band on the east coast of Florida, stretching from the Jacksonville MSA to the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach MSA, including every county on the east coast, with the exception of Monroe County. There is also a continuous band of MSAs on the west coast of the peninsula from the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA to the Naples-Marco Island MSA, including all of the coastal counties from Hernando County to Collier County. The interior of the northern half of the peninsula also has several MSAs, connecting the east and west coast MSAs. A few MSAs are scattered across the Florida panhandle.

    Languages

    As of 2005, 74.54% of Florida residents age 5 and older spoke English at home as a first language, while 18.65% spoke Spanish, and French Creole (almost entirely Haitian Creole) was spoken by 1.73% of the population. In all, 25.45% of Florida's population age 5 and older spoke a language other than English.

    Florida's public education system identified over 150 first languages other than English spoken in the homes of students. In 1990, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) won a class action lawsuit against the state Florida Department of Education that required educators to be trained in teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).

    Article II, Section 9, of the Florida Constitution provides that "English is the official language of the State of Florida." This provision was adopted in 1988 by a vote following an Initiative Petition.

    Religion

    As of the year 2000, the three largest denominational groups in Florida are Catholic, Evangelical Protestant, and Mainline Protestant.

    Florida is mostly Protestant, but Roman Catholicism is the single largest denomination in the state. There is also a sizable Jewish community, located mainly in South Florida; this is the largest Jewish population in the South and the third largest in the country behind New York and California. Florida's current religious affiliations are shown in the table below:

  • Roman Catholic, 26%
  • Protestant, 48%
  • * Baptist, 9%
  • * Methodist, 6%
  • * Pentecostal, 3%
  • Jewish, 3%
  • Jehovah's Witness, 1%
  • Muslim, 1%
  • Orthodox, 1%
  • other religions, 1%
  • non-religious, 16%
  • Governance

    The basic structure, duties, function, and operations of the government of the state of Florida are defined and established by the Florida Constitution, which establishes the basic law of the state and guarantees various rights and freedoms of the people. The state government consists of three separate branches: judicial, executive, and legislative. The legislature enacts bills, which, if signed by the governor, become Florida Statutes.

    The Florida Legislature comprises the Florida Senate, which has 40 members, and the Florida House of Representatives, which has 120 members. The current Governor of Florida is Rick Scott. The Florida Supreme Court consists of a Chief Justice and six Justices.

    There are 67 Counties in Florida, but some reports show only 66 because of Duval County, which is consolidated with the City of Jacksonville. There are 379 cities in Florida (out of 411) that report regularly to the Florida Department of Revenue, but there are other incorporated municipalities that do not. The primary source of revenue for the state government is sales tax (Florida does not impose a personal income tax), but the primary revenue source for cities and counties is property tax.

    Political history

    From 1885 to 1889, the state legislature passed statutes with provisions to reduce voting by blacks and poor whites, which had threatened white Democratic power with a populist coalition. As these groups were stripped from voter rolls, white Democrats established power in a one-party state, as happened across the South. In 1900 African Americans comprised 44% of the state's population,

    Recent elections

    In 2000, George W. Bush won the U.S. Presidential election by a margin of 271?266 in the Electoral College. Of the 271 electoral votes for Bush, 25 were cast by electors from Florida. Reapportionment following the 2000 United States Census gave the state two more seats in the House of Representatives.

    Despite the Democratic advantage in registration, as of 2008, Republicans controlled the governorship and most other statewide elective offices; both houses of the state legislature; and 15 of the state's 25 seats in the House of Representatives. Florida has been listed as a swing state in Presidential elections since 1950, voting for the losing candidate once in that period of time. In the closely contested 2000 election the state played a pivotal role.

    In 2008, delegates of both the Republican Florida primary election and Democratic Florida primary election were stripped of half of their votes when the conventions met in August due to violation of both parties' national rules.

    In the 2010 elections, Republicans solidified their dominance state-wide, by winning the governor's mansion, maintaining firm majorities in both houses of the state legislature. They won four previously Democratic-held seats to create a 19?6 Republican majority delegation representing Florida in the federal House of Representatives. As a result of the 2010 United States Census, Florida will gain two House of Representative seats in 2012.

    Statutes

    All potable water resources have been controlled by the state government through five regional water authorities since 1972.

    The state repealed mandatory auto inspection in 1981.

    In 1972, the state made personal injury protection auto insurance mandatory for drivers, becoming the second in the nation to enact a no-fault insurance law. The ease of receiving payments under this law is seen as precipitating a major increase in insurance fraud. Auto insurance fraud was the highest in the nation in 2011, estimated at close to $1 billion. Fraud is particularly centered in the Miami-Dade metropolitan and Tampa areas.

    Law enforcement

    Florida was ranked the fifth most dangerous state in 2009. Ranking was based on the record of serious felonies committed in 2008.

    The state was the sixth highest scammed state in 2010. It ranked first in mortgage fraud in 2009.

    In 2009, 44% of highway fatalities involved alcohol.

    Florida is one of seven states that prohibit the open carry of handguns. This law was passed in 1987.

    Health

    There were 2.7 million Medicaid patients in Florida in 2009. The governor has proposed adding $2.6 billion to care for the expected 300,000 additional patients in 2011. This is nearly 30% of Florida's budget.

    Medicaid paid for 60% of all births in Florida in 2009.

    The state has a program for those not covered by Medicaid.

    Some people suffer from various allergies from plants at varying seasons including pollen from oak trees and juniper shrubs.

    Architecture

    While many houses and commercial buildings look similar to those elsewhere in the country, the state has appropriated some unique styles in some section of the state including Spanish revival, Florida vernacular, and Mediterranean Revival Style. Its GDP is the fourth largest economy in the United States. The major contributors to the state's gross output in 2007 were general services, financial services, trade, transportation and public utilities, manufacturing and construction respectively. In 2010?11, the state budget was $70.5 billion, having reached a high of $73.8 billion in 2006?07. Chief Executive Magazine name Florida the third "Best State for Business" in 2011.

    The economy is driven almost entirely by its nineteen metropolitan areas. In 2004, they had a combined total of 95.7% of the state's domestic product.

    Personal income

    Preliminary data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that in 2011, per capita personal income was $39,563, ranking 27th in the nation.

    The state was one of the few states to not have a state minimum wage law of its own and was therefore obliged to follow federal minimum wage law. This changed in 2004, when voters passed a constitutional amendment establishing a state minimum wage and (unique among minimum wage laws) mandating that it be adjusted for inflation annually. For 2010, the calculated Florida minimum wage was lower than the federal rate of $7.25, so the federal rate controlled.

    Florida is one of the seven states that do not impose a personal income tax.

    According to a study by Experian, Florida has 4 cities in the top 25 cities in the country with the most credit card debt.

    There were 2.4 million Floridians living in poverty in 2008. 18.4% of children 18 and younger were living in poverty. Miami is the sixth poorest big city in the United States.

    The state also had the second-highest credit card delinquency rate, with 1.45% of cardholders in the state more than 90 days delinquent on one or more credit cards.

    In 2010, over 2.5 million Floridians were on food stamps, up from 1.2 million in 2007. To qualify, Floridians must make less than 133% of the federal poverty level, which would be under $29,000 for a family of four.

    Real estate

    In the early 20th century, land speculators discovered Florida, and businessmen such as Henry Plant and Henry Flagler developed railroad systems, which led people to move in, drawn by the weather and local economies. From then on, tourism boomed, fueling a cycle of development that overwhelmed a great deal of farmland.

    Because of the collective effect on the insurance industry of the hurricane claims of 2004, homeowners insurance has risen 40% to 60% and deductibles have risen.

    At the end of the third quarter in 2008, Florida had the highest mortgage delinquency rate in the country, with 7.8% of mortgages delinquent at least 60 days. A 2009 list of national housing markets that were hard hit in the real estate crash included a disproportionate number in Florida.

    Labor

    As of February 2011, the state's unemployment rate was 11.5%.

    In 2009, there were 89,706 federal workers employed within the state.

    In 2012, government was a top employer in all counties in the state. This was mainly due to the prevalence of teachers, whose school boards employ nearly 1 out of every 30 workers in the state. The military was the top employer in three counties.

    Agriculture and fishing

    Historically, Florida's economy was based upon cattle farming and agriculture (especially sugarcane, citrus, tomatoes, and strawberries).

    The second largest industry is agriculture. Citrus fruit, especially oranges, are a major part of the economy, and Florida produces the majority of citrus fruit grown in the U.S.?in 2006 67% of all citrus, 74% of oranges, 58% of tangerines, and 54% of grapefruit. About 95% of commercial orange production in the state is destined for processing (mostly as orange juice, the official state beverage).

    The Everglades Agricultural Area is a major center for agriculture. The environmental impact of agriculture?especially water pollution?is a major issue in Florida today.

    In 2009, fishing was a $6 billion industry, employing 60,000 jobs for sports and commercial purposes.

    Mining

    Phosphate mining, concentrated in the Bone Valley, is the state's third-largest industry. The state produces about 75% of the phosphate required by farmers in the United States and 25% of the world supply, with about 95% used for agriculture (90% for fertilizer and 5% for livestock feed supplements) and 5% used for other products.

    Government

    Since the arrival of the NASA Merritt Island launch sites on Cape Canaveral (most notably Kennedy Space Center) in 1962, Florida has developed a sizable aerospace industry.

    Another major economic engine in Florida is the United States Military. There are currently 24 military bases in the state, housing three Unified Combatant Commands; United States Central Command in Tampa, United States Southern Command in Doral, and United States Special Operations Command in Tampa. There are 109,390 U.S. military personnel currently stationed in Florida, contributing, directly and indirectly, $52 billion a year to the state's economy.

    Industry

    After the watershed events of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the State of Florida began investing in economic development through OTTED (Office of Trade, Tourism, and Economic Development). Governor Jeb Bush realized that watershed events such as Andrew negatively impacted Florida's backbone industry of tourism severely. The office was directed to target Medical/Bio-Sciences among others. Three years later, The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) announced it had chosen Florida for its' newest expansion. In 2003, TSRI announced plans to establish a major science center in Palm Beach, a facility on , which TSRI planned to occupy in 2006.

    At the same time that Scripps started operations in Florida, Tavistock Group, an investment firm that held of land immediately South East of Orlando International Airport began formulating new possibilities for its land use after the decline in tourism to the state. Tavistock decided to use part of the land to establish a Bio-Sciences cluster. In 2005, the State of Florida along with Tavistock Group and the University of Central Florida agreed that Tavistock would donate and $12.5 Million (which the state would match for a total of $25 Million) to start the UCF College of Medicine and the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences. The UCF College of Medicine won approval from the State Board of Governors in 2006. That decision was key to attracting Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute to Central Florida. Tavistock then donated another and $17.5 Million to Sanford-Burnham which allowed Sanford-Burnham's East Coast expansion. In February and March 2007, Nemours and the The V/A(respectively) announced Lake Nona as the site of two new hospitals.

    Other prospective tenants of the Lake Nona Medical City included M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the University of Florida research center, and Valencia Community College.

    It was determined in 2008 from a study done by Arduin, Laffer and Moore Econometrics that the Lake Nona Medical City cluster has in two years reached 80% of the Milken Numbers which were based on the commitments made by the economic development statements. The study then released new projections for the 10 year period which included 30,000 jobs created and a $7.6 Billion economic impact.

    Florida has become a simulation training cluster. There are the aerospace and defense industries. Companies have expanded. The Electronic Arts Tiburon, the division responsible for popular games such as the Madden NFL series as well as other sports games, has given way to a cluster of highly skilled digital media workers who transformed their craft into simulation and simulation training. The United States Military has been the driving force and primary client of these simulation training firms. It has since spilled over into local police and fire agencies across the country and across the world. Aviation simulation has also benefited greatly from the advances of the Central Florida simulation training cluster.

    Tourism

    Tourism makes up the largest sector of the state economy. Warm weather and hundreds of miles of beaches attract about 60 million visitors to the state every year. Florida was the top destination state in 2011. 42% of poll respondents living in the Northeast United States said they planned on visiting Florida over spring break.

    Amusement parks, especially in the Orlando area, make up a significant portion of tourism. The Walt Disney World Resort is the largest vacation resort in the world, consisting of four theme parks and more than 20 hotels in Lake Buena Vista, Florida; it, and Universal Orlando Resort, Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, and other major parks drive state tourism. Many beach towns are also popular tourist destinations, particularly in the winter months. 23.2 million tourists visited Florida beaches in 2000, spending $21.9 billion.

    The public has a right to beach access under the public trust doctrine. However, some areas have access effectively blocked by private owners for a long distance.

    Energy

    Florida ranks 45th out of 50 states in total energy consumption per capita, despite the heavy reliance on commercial and residential air conditioning. This includes coal, natural gas, petroleum, and retail electricity sales.

    Private universities

    Florida's first private university, Stetson University, was founded in 1883. The Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida is an association of 28 private, educational institutions in the state. This Association reported that their member institutions served over 121,000 students in the fall of 2006.

    Infrastructure

    Communication

    27% of Floridians exclusively own cell phones for communication; no landline. Nationally, figures vary from 13?35%, with the higher percentages an indication of lower income.

    Transportation

    Public transit

    Miami's public transportation is served by Miami-Dade Transit that runs Metrorail, a heavy rail rapid transit system, Metromover, a people mover train system in Downtown Miami, and Metrobus, Miami's bus system. Metrorail runs throughout Miami-Dade County and has two lines and 23 stations connecting to Downtown Miami's Metromover and Tri-Rail. Metromover has three lines and 21 stations throughout Downtown Miami. Outside of Miami-Dade County, public transit in the Miami metropolitan area is served by Broward County Transit and Palm Tran; intercounty commuter rail service is provided by Tri-Rail, with 18 stations including the region's three international airports.

    Orlando utilizes the LYNX bus system as well as a downtown bus service called LYMMO, and has attempted to plan a local light rail service for years. A commuter rail service ? SunRail ? has been approved by all concerning counties and is in final planning stages.

    Tampa and its surrounding area use the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority system ( "HART"). In addition, downtown Tampa has continuous trolley services in the form of a heritage trolley powered by Tampa Electric Company. Pinellas County and St. Petersburg provide similar services through the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority or "PSTA". The beaches of Pinellas County also have a continuous trolley bus. Downtown St. Petersburg has a trolley system.

    Public transit usage in Florida
    ! Rank ! City ! Daily weekdaypassenger ridership ! Populationserved ! % Dailytransit riders ! Modes of transit
    1 Miami 369,600 2,496,435 14.8% Tri-Rail (commuter rail), Miami Metrorail (heavy rail), Metromover (people mover), & Metrobus
    2 Fort Lauderdale 125,710 1,748,066 7.2% Tri-Rail (commuter rail), & Broward County Transit (bus)
    3 Orlando 84,061 2,134,411 3.9%
    4 Tampa 40,000 1,229,226 3.2% Hillsborough Area Regional Transit
    5 34,000 1,320,134 2.6% [[Tri-Rail (commuter rail), & Palm Tran (bus)
    6 28,220 821,784 3.4% Jacksonville Transportation Authority: Bus, and JTA Skyway (people mover)

    Highways

    Florida's interstates, state highways and U.S. Highways are maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation. Florida's interstate highway system contains 1,473?miles (2,371?km) of highway, and there are 9,934?miles (15,987?km) of non-interstate highway in the state, such as Florida state highways and U.S. Highways.

    In 2011, there were about 9,000 retail gas stations in the state.On an average day, Floridians consume 21 million gallons of gasoline, ranking it third in national use.

    Motorists have the 45th worst rate of car insurance in the country. 24% are uninsured. Drivers between 15 and 19 years of age averaged 364 car crashes a year per ten thousand licensed Florida drivers in 2010. Drivers 70 and older averaged 95 per 10,000 during the same time frame. A spokesperson for the non-profit Insurance Institute said that "Older drivers are more of a threat to themselves."

    State highways are numbered according to convention. The first digits of state highways are numbered with the first digit indicating what area of the state the road is in, from 1 in the north and east to 9 in the south and west. Major north-south state roads generally have one- or two-digit odd route numbers that increase from east to west, while major east-west state roads generally have one- or two-digit even route numbers that increase from north to south. Roads of secondary importance usually have three-digit route numbers. The first digit x of their route number is the same as the first digit of the road with two-digit number x0 to the immediate north. The three-digit route numbers also increase from north to south for even numbers and east to west for odd numbers.

    Following this convention, State Road 907, or Alton Rd. on Miami Beach, is farther east than State Road 997, which is Krome Ave, or the farthest west north-south road in Miami-Dade County. One notable exception to the convention is State Road 826, or the Palmetto Expressway (pictured at the right heading north) which, although even numbered, is signed north-south. State roads can have anywhere from one to four digits depending on the importance and location of the road. County roads often follow this same system.

    Prior to the construction of routes under the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, Florida began construction of a long cross-state toll road, Florida's Turnpike. The first section, from Fort Pierce south to the Golden Glades Interchange was completed in 1957. After a second section north through Orlando to Wildwood (near present-day The Villages), and a southward extension around Miami to Homestead, it was finished in 1974.

    Florida's primary interstate routes include:

  • 20px I-4, which bisects the state, connecting Tampa, Lakeland, Orlando, and Daytona Beach, connecting with I-95 in Daytona Beach and I-75 in Tampa.
  • 20px I-10, which traverses the panhandle, connecting Jacksonville, Lake City, Tallahassee and Pensacola, with junctions with I-95 in Jacksonville and I-75 in Lake City.
  • 20px I-75, which enters the state near Lake City ( west of Jacksonville) and continues southward through Gainesville, Ocala, Tampa's eastern suburbs, Bradenton, Sarasota, Fort Myers and Naples, where it crosses the "Alligator Alley" as a toll road to Fort Lauderdale before turning southward and terminating in Hialeah/Miami Lakes having junctions with I-10 in Lake City and I-4 in Tampa.
  • 20px I-95, which enters the state near Jacksonville and continues along the Atlantic Coast through Daytona Beach Melbourne/Titusville, Palm Bay, Vero Beach, Fort Pierce, Port Saint Lucie, Stuart, West Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale before terminating in Downtown Miami, with junctions with I-10 in Jacksonville and I-4 in Daytona Beach.
  • Intercity rail

    Florida is served by Amtrak, operating numerous lines throughout, connecting the state's largest cities to points north in the United States and Canada. The busiest Amtrak train stations in Florida in 2011 were: Sanford (259,944), Orlando (179,142), Tampa Union Station (140,785), Miami (94,556), and Jacksonville (74,733). Sanford, in Greater Orlando, is the southern terminus of the Amtrak Auto Train, which originates at Lorton, Virginia, south of Washington, D.C.. Orlando is also the eastern terminus of the Sunset Limited, which travels across the southern United States via New Orleans, Houston, and San Antonio to its western terminus of Los Angeles. Florida is served by two additional Amtrak trains (the Silver Star and the Silver Meteor), which operate between New York City and Miami. Miami Central Station, the city's new union station is under construction, and is expected to be completed in 2013.

    The Miami metropolitan area is connected by Tri-rail, a long line with 18 stations which operates on Amtrak rails.

    The Florida Department of Transportation was preparing to build a high speed rail between Tampa, Lakeland and Orlando. This was to be the first phase of the Florida High Speed Rail system. Soil work began in July 2010 and construction of the line was slated to begin in 2011, with the initial Tampa-Orlando phase completed by 2014. The second phase, would have extended the line to Miami. Governor Scott, however, refused federal funds and the project has been canceled.

    Airports

    Major international airports in Florida which processed more than 15 million passengers each in 2010 are Miami International Airport (35,698,025), Orlando International Airport (34,877,899), Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (22,412,627) and Tampa International Airport (16,645,765).

    Secondary airports, with annual passenger traffic exceeding 5 million each in 2010, include Southwest Florida International Airport (Fort Myers) (7,514,316), Palm Beach International Airport (West Palm Beach) (5,887,723), and Jacksonville International Airport (5,601,500).

    Florida's extensive coastline made it a perceived target during World War II, so the government built airstrips throughout the state; today, approximately 400 airports are still in service. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, Florida has 131 public airports, and more than 700 private airports, airstrips, heliports, and seaplane bases.

    Sports

    Fourteen, about half, of all Major League Baseball teams conduct spring training in the state. Throughout MLB history other teams, at one time or another, held spring training in Florida.

    Yet Florida did not have a permanent major-league-level professional sports team until the American Football League added the Miami Dolphins in 1966. The state now has three NFL teams, two MLB teams, two NBA teams, and two NHL teams.

    The state of Florida has given professional sports franchises some subsidies in the form of tax breaks since 1991.

    Three of the Arena Football League's teams are in Florida.

    Golf, tennis, and auto racing are popular. NASCAR (headquartered in Daytona Beach) begins all three of its major Series in Florida at Daytona International Speedway, and ends all three Series in November at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The PGA of America is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens while the LPGA is headquartered in Daytona Beach.

    Minor league baseball, football, basketball, ice hockey, soccer and indoor football teams are based in Florida. Florida's universities have a number of collegiate sport teams. Florida is the traditional home for Major League Baseball spring training, with teams informally organized into the "Grapefruit League".

    Auto-racing tracks

  • Daytona International Speedway
  • Homestead-Miami Speedway
  • Sebring International Raceway
  • Streets of St. Petersburg
  • Walt Disney World Speedway
  • Palm Beach International Raceway
  • Sister states

    See also

  • Topic overview:
  • *Outline of Florida
  • *Index of Florida-related articles
  • List of National Register of Historic Places in Florida
  • List of people from Florida
  • List of places in Florida
  • Timeline of Florida History
  • References

    External links

  • State website
  • Florida State Guide, from the Library of Congress
  • Florida Memory Project Over 300,000 photographs and documents from the State Library & Archives of Florida
  • Online collection of the Spanish Land Grants.
  • USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Florida
  • Florida Rivers and Watersheds ? Florida DEP
  • U.S. Census Bureau
  • Economic and farm demographics fact sheet from the USDA
  • Energy & Environmental Data For Florida
  • List of searchable databases produced by Florida state agencies hosted by the American Library Association Government Documents Roundtable
  • Heliconius charitonia, zebra longwing Florida state butterfly, on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
  • TerraFly Property Value and Aerial Imagery Spatio-temporal animation Real Estate Trends in Florida
  • Category:States of the United States Category:States of the Southern United States Category:States of the Confederate States of America Category:Former British colonies Category:Former Spanish colonies Category:States and territories established in 1845 Category:Peninsulas of the United States Category:Article Feedback 5 Additional Articles

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    Source: http://article.wn.com/view/2012/08/31/Floridas_highway_to_political_heaven/

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    Communication Snafu in Big Bend on Monday | KRTS 93.5 FM ...

    Posted on August 29, 2012

    AT&T_logo

    On Monday (August 27), communications throughout the Tri-County region were compromised when around noon a fiber line was cut affecting AT&T phone and Internet service in Alpine, Marfa, Van Horn, Fort Stockton, Presidio, Terlingua, Fort Davis, Marathon, and other cities. The line was cut some 30 miles from Odessa by a third-party operator, but it affected all the communities that connect to the AT&T network via Monahans.

    The effects in the Tri-County were immediate. Emergency officials in Marfa came to the radio station to let people know that 911 was not operational. If locals had an emergency, they were asked to go to the EMS/Fire Department or to the Sheriff/Jail. Prescriptions at the local clinic couldn?t be called into the pharmacy. School officials couldn?t contact parents to deal with a sick student on the first day of school. Wire transfers could not be made at the local bank.

    Service was restored during the 5 o?clock hour.

    This entry was posted in KRTS News. Bookmark the permalink.

    Source: http://marfapublicradio.org/blog/2012/08/29/communication-snafu-in-big-bend-on-monday/

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    Plants' fungi allies may not help store climate change's extra carbon

    ScienceDaily (Aug. 30, 2012) ? Fungi found in plants may not be the answer to mitigating climate change by storing additional carbon in soils as some previously thought, according to an international team of plant biologists.

    The researchers found that increased carbon dioxide stimulates the growth of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) -- a type of fungus that is often found in the roots of most land plants -- which then leads to higher decomposition rates of organic materials, said Lei Cheng, post doctorate fellow in plant science, Penn State. This decomposition releases more carbon dioxide back into the air, which means that terrestrial ecosystems may have limited capacity to halt climate change by cleaning up excessive greenhouse gases, according to the researchers.

    "Prior to our study, there have been few studies on whether elevated levels of carbon dioxide would stimulate organic carbon decomposition through AMF," said Cheng.

    To study the effect of higher levels of carbon dioxide on AMF-mediated decomposition, the researchers conducted four experiments, two in greenhouses and two in fields to mimic Earth's expected North American atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide. They studied plots of a wild oat species, which is native to Eurasia and now common in North American grasslands, and wheat.

    In the experiments, one plot was treated with AMF, the other did not have the fungus. Both plots were exposed to higher than currently existing carbon dioxide levels. After a ten-week gestation period, the sample of plants with AMF had 9 percent less carbon in the soil than the plot that was not treated with AMF, indicating that the carbon was released back into the atmosphere.

    "Basically, we showed that elevated carbon dioxide increases carbon allocation to AMF to increase plant nitrogen uptake, and higher AMF facilitate organic residue decomposition which releases carbon dioxide into the air," said Cheng.

    Elevated levels of carbon dioxide did significantly increase the size of the AMF colonies and carbon allocation underground, according to the researchers, who released their findings in the Aug. 30 issue of Science. However, the storage of carbon is offset by the role of AMF in facilitating decomposition.

    "We used to think that this excess carbon would be sequestered in the soil," said Cheng. "So, that could help mitigate climate change, but it doesn't appear to be so."

    They also studied the effect on a wheat and soybean field. In this experiment, Cheng said elevated levels of carbon dioxide increased both the size of AMF colonies and decomposition.

    AMF colonies, which are found in the roots of 80 percent of land plant species, play a critical role in Earth's carbon cycle. The fungus receives and stores carbon -- a byproduct of the plant's photosynthesis -- from its host plant in its long vein-like structures. A plant stores about 20 percent of its carbon in AMF, according to Cheng.

    AMF also help the plant capture nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen.

    "We found that, under elevated carbon dioxide levels, AMF supply more nitrogen to their host plants by acquiring ammonium directly from decomposing residues," Cheng said. "So the good news is that AMF's role in the plant's nitrogen uptake may open up the possibility of keeping carbon in the soil."

    When there are higher carbon dioxide levels, the plant's ability to take in nitrates is inhibited and it then adds more carbon to fungi like AMF to acquire ammonium, said Cheng. The management of soil nitrogen transformations may provide a promising strategy of restoring levels of carbon sequestration under higher carbon dioxide conditions.

    Cheng worked with Fitzgerald L. Booker, plant physiologist and professor of crop science, and Kent O. Burkey, plant physiologist and professor of crop science and botany, both of North Carolina State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service; Thomas W. Rufty, Bayer Distinguished Professor, department of crop science, Shuijin Hu, associate professor of plant pathology, H. David Shew, professor of plant pathology, and Cong Tu, research specialist, all of North Carolina State University, and Lishi Zhou, department of plant pathology, North Carolina State University and State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science.

    The USDA supported this work.

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    Story Source:

    The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Penn State.

    Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


    Journal Reference:

    1. L. Cheng, F. L. Booker, C. Tu, K. O. Burkey, L. Zhou, H. D. Shew, T. W. Rufty, S. Hu. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Increase Organic Carbon Decomposition Under Elevated CO2. Science, 2012; 337 (6098): 1084 DOI: 10.1126/science.1224304

    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/~3/SYRfesn7C0U/120830141345.htm

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    Community Marketing Or Direct Revenue | Best Halal Travel

    Posted by?domingabol63?in?Thursday, August 30th 2012???




    Network marketing and direct sales share a common system on different counts while they vary in terms of settlement structure. They?re both strategies of marketing employed by firms to decrease on their direct sales force and on costs of infrastructure required for calling the consumer through showrooms and selling units.As per the Direct Selling Association, statistics noted in America during 2007 confirmed there have been 15 million Americans involved in direct marketing, sales for $30 million in direct retail sales. 98 percent of those vendors managed through multi-level systems and 70 percent of the sales were created from the seller?s home. These statistics prove the accomplishment of network marketing and direct sales making both of these good internet business choices to consider.Both Network marketing and direct sales come under the category of home employment with the necessity of selling skills. These companies need entrepreneurs who?re home motivated, proficient at marketing and with the capacity of making a least the absolute minimum investment of time and money to get going. While both these web business possibilities are extremely are remunerative, it will take a moment for you to see the start of constant inflow of cash from your own business.Network marketing and direct income leverage the assistance given by firms with regards to the major budget ads, info on corporate websites and marketing product. This indirect sales force is remunerated by companies in turn through other credits and commissions. There are various types of settlement houses in both require careful understanding and both types before signing up.In regards to the distinctions between direct sales and Network marketing, there?s a relationship between the retailer, the company and the consumer in direct sales. In ecommerce, the gains are more.In network marketing, specifically multi-level marketing that is most popular, there are several layers of sellers between the buyer and the company. In this company, the profits are less since they have to be distributed by the Downline.When it comes to compensation, in direct marketing, if you make the income, you get paid and keep carefully the entire payment to yourself. When you are not selling, any money wasn?t made by you. In multi-level marketing, based on the scheme, whenever a person in a chain carries, the settlement is shared with the all people in the chain above that person.

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    Source: http://www.besthalaltravels.com/community-marketing-or-direct-revenue/

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    Texas mayor killed in apparent donkey attack

    By NBC News staff

    The mayor of the South Texas town of Hollywood Park has died after apparently being attacked by a 500-pound donkey on his ranch, according to The Associated Press.

    The body of Mayor William "Bill" Bohlke, 65, was found Monday night during a search by Atascosa County Sheriff?s deputies and relatives, according to the sheriff?s office.

    Chief Deputy David Soward told the AP on Wednesday that Bohlke apparently was attacked on Monday morning by an aggressive male donkey on his ranch.


    A written statement from the family, published on the Hollywood Park town website, said Bohlke suffered ?a fatal injury while taking care of his prized cow herd near Pleasanton.?

    Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com?

    ?Bill, your mayor, dearly loved serving you, our community, and we only wish he was here to continue doing so,? the family's statement said.

    Bohlke, who was retired from the Air Force and had been a decorated B-52 pilot and squadron commander in the Vietnam War, was found about 50 yards from his truck, the San Antonio Express-News website reported.

    ?They can become very aggressive, very mean, sometimes triggered by a female in heat,? Soward told the paper. ?We'll probably never know what triggered it, but it was evident that this particular donkey was involved, based on the evidence at the scene and what we saw on this donkey.? Soward did not elaborate.

    Hollywood Park is a town of about 3,300 people north of San Antonio.?Mayor Pro Tem Steve Phillips will step in as acting mayor, according to the AP.

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    Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/29/13550513-report-south-texas-mayor-killed-in-apparent-donkey-attack?lite

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    Sunday, August 26, 2012

    Mariusz Wach takes on Wladimir Klitschko Nov. 10


    delphiandomine:

    Why are all these Polish guys boxing out of NJ, any idea?

    Because many Poles are fighting in the Global Boxing Gym, who has contacts with the Knockout Promotions group ... Wach, Laszczyk and Szymanski are some of them ..

    About Adamek I dont know, I dont like him so much.

    Source: http://www.polishforums.com/sports-recreation-15/mariusz-wach-takes-wladimir-klitschko-nov-61571/

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    Saturday, August 25, 2012

    Timberlake to sell NY pad before wedding

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    Timberlake to sell NY pad before wedding

    New York, Aug 24: Singer Justin Timberlake is ready to sell off his New York bachelor pad in preparation for his married life.

    Timberlake, who is set to marry actress Jessica Biel later this year, has put his penthouse apartment up for sale at an asking price of 4.78 million pounds, reports thesun.co.uk.

    It is a three-bedroom residence in Manhattan's trendy Soho district, and has a fireplace and a terrace. Timberlake bought it for 4.1 million pounds in 2010.

    Timberlake, 31, and Biel, 30, got engaged in a ski resort in US during Christmas.

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    Source: http://www.realbollywood.com/2012/08/timberlake-sell-ny-pad-wedding.html

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    China's regional governments unveil 7 trillion yuan in stimulus investments

    China's regional governments have unveiled a slew of new stimulus plans worth a total of 7 trillion yuan over the past two months according to Chinese-language news sources.

    According to a report by China Securities News a cursory examination of industrial stimulus plans publicly released by China's regional governments since July indicates that they are set to invest a total of 7 trillion yuan in local development projects.

    A work conference on Guangdong province's 'maritime economy integrated test zone' held on 20 August indicated that the province-level government will invest over 1 trillion yuan in 177 key development projects related to its maritime economy.

    The government of Chongqing municipality released its 'core industry three year stimulus plan' on the same date, setting out investment of 1.5 trillion yuan in local industrial development during the period of the 12th Five Year Plan.

    Other province-level governments which have unveiled large-scale industry stimulus plans over the past two months include Guizhou, with a 3 trillion yuan ecological tourism investment plan, Jiangsu province, which unveiled plans to increase consumer consumption at the end of July, Hunan province, which has plans for 829 billion yuan in investment projects, and Shanxi province, which executed over a trillion yuan in contracts at a recent energy industry expo.

    China's economy has shown increasing signs of a slowdown since the start of 2012, with PMI data released by HSBC this week further heightening concerns of its waning performance.


    >>See original Chinese news source

    Source: http://www.mining.com/chinas-regional-governments-plan-rmb7-trillion-in-stimulus-investment-28324/

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    Friday, August 24, 2012

    Study reveals human drive for fair play

    ScienceDaily (Aug. 23, 2012) ? People will reject an offer of water, even when they are severely thirsty, if they perceive the offer to be unfair, according to a new study funded by the Wellcome Trust. The findings have important implications for understanding how humans make decisions that must balance fairness and self-interest.

    It's been known for some time that when humans bargain for money they have a tendency to reject unfair offers, preferring to let both parties walk away with nothing rather than accept a low offer in the knowledge that their counterpart is taking home more cash.

    In contrast, when bargaining for food, our closes relatives chimpanzees will almost always accept an offer regardless of any subjective idea of 'fairness'.

    Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL wanted to see whether humans would similarly accept unfair offers if they were bargaining for a basic physiological need, such as food, water or sex.

    The team recruited 21 healthy participants and made 11 of them thirsty by drip-feeding them a salty solution, whilst the remainder received an isotonic solution that had a much smaller effect on their level of thirst. To obtain an objective measure of each individual's need for water, the team measured the salt concentration in their blood. The participants' subjective perception of how thirsty they were was assessed using a simple rating scale.

    The participants then separately took part in an ultimatum game. They were given instructions that two of them had been randomly selected to play a game to decide the split of a 500ml bottle of water that could be consumed immediately. One of them would play the part of 'Proposer' and decide how the bottle should be split. The other would be a 'Responder' who could either accept the split and so drink the water offered to them, or reject the split so that both parties would get nothing. The participants knew that they would have to wait a full hour after the end of the game before they would have access to water.

    In reality, all of the participants played the part of the Responder. They were presented with two glasses of water with a highly unequal offer that they were told was from the Proposer: the glass offered to them contained 62.5ml, an eighth of the original bottle of water, and the other contained the remaining seven eighths that the Proposer wanted to keep for themselves. They had fifteen seconds to decide whether to accept or reject the offer.

    The team found that, unlike chimpanzees, the human participants tended to reject the highly unequal offer, and here that was the case even if they were severely thirsty. The participants' choices were not influenced by how thirsty they actually were, as measured objectively from the blood sample. However, they were more likely to accept the offer if they subjectively felt that they were thirsty.

    Dr Nick Wright, who led the study, explains: "Whether or not fairness is a uniquely human motivation has been a source of controversy. These findings show that humans, unlike even our closest relatives chimpanzees, reject an unfair offer of a primary reward like food or water -- and will do that even when severely thirsty. However, we also show this fairness motivation is traded-off against self-interest, and that this self-interest is not determined by how their objective need for water but instead by their subjective perception of thirst. These findings are interesting for understanding how subjective feelings of fairness and self-interested need impact on everyday decisions, for example in the labour market."

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    Story Source:

    The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wellcome Trust, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

    Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


    Journal Reference:

    1. Nicholas D. Wright, Karen Hodgson, Stephen M. Fleming, Mkael Symmonds, Marc Guitart-Masip, Raymond J. Dolan. Human responses to unfairness with primary rewards and their biological limits. Scientific Reports, 2012; 2 DOI: 10.1038/srep00593

    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/most_popular/~3/opROkE-wR08/120823112934.htm

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    NFL: Green Bay 27, Cincinnati 13

    Published: Aug. 23, 2012 at 10:27 PM

    CINCINNATI, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Aaron Rodgers threw for 154 yards and ran for two first-quarter touchdowns Thursday in pacing the Green Bay Packers to a 27-13 exhibition win over Cincinnati.

    Rodgers, the winning quarterback in the 2010 Super Bowl, scored on runs of 12 and 5 yards and the Packers held on for their first pre-season victory after losing their opening two outings.

    He completed 15-of-22 passes with one interception while working the opening two quarters.

    Green Bay's other scores came on field goals of 46 yards in the second period and 36 yards in the fourth quarter by Mason Crosby and a 27-yard interception return by Jamari Lattimore with 2:57 left in the game.

    Cincinnati's Andy Dalton completed just 5-of-17 passes for 40 yards in first-half action. Backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski brought the Bengals within 17-13 in the third period by throwing a 15-yard scoring pass to Marvin Jones.

    The Bengals fell to 2-1 in exhibition play.

    Source: http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2012/08/23/NFL-Green-Bay-27-Cincinnati-13/UPI-77151345775277/

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    The Paul Account (TIME)

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    Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/243282801?client_source=feed&format=rss

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