Ex-Penn State president goes on offensive

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Penn State's disgraced former president is trying to convince the public he had no idea that Jerry Sandusky was a child molester ? and that he most certainly did not protect one.

With a network TV appearance, a magazine interview and a news conference held by his lawyers, Graham Spanier portrayed himself Wednesday as the innocent victim of a witch hunt and a rush to judgment by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, whose university-commissioned report on the sex-abuse scandal prompted the NCAA to hit Penn State with a $60 million fine and other sanctions.

Freeh, hired by Penn State trustees to conduct an internal probe of the scandal, released a report last month that accused Spanier, Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno and other top university officials of concealing a 2001 abuse allegation against Sandusky to protect the university from bad publicity.

Spanier told The New Yorker magazine he was stunned by Freeh's allegation.

"There's no logic to it," Spanier said. "Why on earth would anybody cover up for a known child predator? Adverse publicity? For heaven's sake! Every day I had to make some decision that got adverse publicity."

In an interview that aired on "Nightline" late Wednesday night Spanier told ABC-TV, "Never in my time as president of Penn State did I ever ? ever once ? receive a report from anyone that suggested that Jerry Sandusky was involved in any child abuse, in any sexual abuse, in any criminal act."

Spanier told ABC that he knew only that Sandusky had been seen engaging in "horseplay" in a campus shower with a boy in 2001 and he took that to mean "throwing water around, snapping towels."

"I wish in hindsight that I would have known more about Jerry Sandusky and his terrible, terrible hidden past so that I could have intervened because it would have been my instinct to do so," he said.

Sandusky was convicted in June of sexually abusing 10 boys. He awaits sentencing on 45 counts.

Spanier's lawyer, Timothy Lewis, excoriated Freeh as a "biased investigator" who relied on speculation and innuendo to support a preordained conclusion.

At a news conference in Philadelphia, Lewis ? like Freeh a former federal judge and prosecutor ? complained that Freeh never interviewed key witnesses, ignored inconvenient facts and manipulated the truth.

He called the report "a flat-out distortion of facts so infused with bias and innuendo that it is, quite simply, unworthy of the confidence that has been placed in it."

The Freeh group said Wednesday that it stands by its work.

Crisis communications expert Jason Maloni said Spanier and his lawyers may be going on the offensive now because he hopes to resurrect his academic career, and wants "to create some sort of reasonable doubt with a potential jury." Spanier has not been charged, but the criminal probe remains open.

The Freeh report, Maloni said, is a formidable hurdle for Spanier, who led Penn State for 16 years until his ouster several days after Sandusky was charged with serial child abuse.

"He's not going to have much luck deflating the Freeh report," said Maloni, senior vice president of Levick, a strategic communications firm in Washington, D.C. "Louis Freeh's got a lot of credibility and he has a strong reputation in this field as a straight shooter. This might be too little too late for Graham Spanier."

Freeh's investigation uncovered documents that suggest Spanier had deeper knowledge of the Sandusky complaints, including an email in which the president appeared to agree with athletic director Tim Curley's decision to keep the 2001 assault from child-welfare authorities, and instead work directly with Sandusky and Sandusky's charity for at-risk youths.

"The only downside for us is if the message isn't 'heard' and acted upon, and we then become vulnerable for not having reported it," said Spanier's email, dated Feb. 27, 2001. "The approach you outline is humane and a reasonable way to proceed."

Spanier told ABC-TV that he doesn't remember the memo "but it sounds like me."

The word "vulnerable," Spanier said, "may not have been the best choice of the term" but was "a reaction to the possibility that we didn't want this to happen and if he didn't accept that and understand it, we would be disturbed by it and perhaps need to take further action. But the message we got back was that he heard the message and was agreeable."

Spanier's lawyers said Freeh took the email out of context.

The report, Lewis complained, assumes former graduate assistant Mike McQueary told Paterno in 2001 that he saw something sexual in a locker room shower, and that Paterno echoed that to Curley and vice president Gary Schultz. Freeh likewise assumes that they in turn told Spanier the same thing.

"Curley and Schultz have denied that they ever told Dr. Spanier anything of the sort," Lewis said. "'Horseplay' was referred to over and over again, but never with any sexual connotation or suggestion of abuse. But Judge Freeh paid no attention to that."

Schultz and Curley are charged with lying to a grand jury and failure to report suspected child abuse. They have pleaded not guilty. Their lawyers released a statement Wednesday agreeing with Lewis's critique of the Freeh report.

Spanier's lawyers said they don't know whether their client will be charged, but "we don't think there's a scintilla of evidence to support an indictment," attorney John E. Riley said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-penn-state-president-goes-offensive-064018066--spt.html

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Natural regeneration building urban forests, altering species composition

ScienceDaily (Aug. 21, 2012) ? In forested regions of the nation, natural regeneration may help cities achieve tree cover goals at the expense of maintaining the desired tree species.

A study by U.S. Forest Service scientists published recently in Urban Forestry and Urban Greening showed that on average, 1 in 3 trees in sampled cities were planted while two-thirds resulted from natural regeneration. However, for newly established, young trees in cities in forested regions, only about 1 in 12 trees (Syracuse, N.Y.) to 1 in 20 trees (Baltimore) were planted. The lower proportion of naturally regenerated trees in the entire city tree population may be because naturally regenerated trees have a higher mortality rate than planted trees, according to Dave Nowak, a research forester with the Forest Service's Northern Research Station and the study's principal investigator. Naturally regenerated trees typically have more competition for the water, light and nutrients that are needed for survival.

"Urban forests change constantly in response to human activities and environmental factors," said Michael T. Rains, Director of the Northern Research Station. "This study is an example of the work U.S. Forest Service scientists are doing to help cities and counties achieve healthy and sustainable urban forests."

Most of the cities included in the study are located within forested regions, where environmental conditions favor trees. The study suggests that natural regeneration may be the most cost-effective means to attain desired tree cover levels and associated ecosystem services in forested regions, but relying on natural regeneration may alter the tree species making up a given forest.

The study included Baltimore, Chicago, Hartford, Conn., Los Angeles and Syracuse, N.Y., as well as nine cities in the Canadian province of Ontario.

The percentage of planted trees within the entire tree population ranged from a low of 11.1 percent in Hartford to a high of 89 percent in Los Angeles, according to the study. Results indicated that in cities located in grassland or desert regions, a greater percentage of the urban tree population is planted compared to cities in forested regions. The percentage of planted trees also increases with increased population density and impervious cover.

The factors that affect tree cover also play a role in natural regeneration. Precipitation, air temperatures, surrounding natural vegetation type, and the distribution of land use types in the city all influence how much seed source exists and whether seedlings grow. Land use plays a role in whether seedlings are mowed down or whether paved surfaces prevent seedling establishment, and ultimately affect a city's need for tree planting to sustain tree cover.

"Before we can say how many trees we need to plant, we need to know how many trees are regenerating naturally and how many are dying," according to Nowak. "Planting programs to sustain tree cover can be greatly improved with long-term monitoring data to show how the urban forest is changing."

Researchers evaluated the magnitude of natural regeneration or tree planting across an entire city system by randomly locating 0.04-hectare field plots in each city and recording tree measurements as well as an estimate of whether a sampled tree was planted or occurred through natural regeneration. Crews based their estimates on surrounding conditions. For example, trees along fence lines or in unmaintained areas were generally classified as naturally regenerated, while trees in maintained lawn areas or street trees were typically classified as planted. Residential and commercial/industrial areas have the highest proportion of planted trees, 74.8 percent and 61.2 percent respectively, while trees found in parks, cemeteries, golf courses, open space/vacant land, agricultural fields and wetlands are predominately the result of natural regeneration.

The study also evaluated two cities, Syracuse, N.Y., and Baltimore, more closely. An estimated 58 percent of new trees recently established in Baltimore are native species while only 35 percent of new trees in Syracuse are native species, according to the study. Fifty-two percent of the new trees were classified as invasive species in Syracuse.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/Rh2G3Mg6dKc/120822092201.htm

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Americans throw away 40% of their food: study

By Bill Briggs, NBC News contributor

Mom was onto something. Americans are not cleaning their plates. Instead, they are tossing away 40 percent of their meals ? ?essentially every other piece of food that crosses our path? ? or the equivalent of $2,275 a year for a family of four, according to a new report.

Food waste has swelled by 50 percent since the 1970s in this country.?A?total $165 billion annually in leftovers gets trashed by homeowners and in unsold or unused perishables or scraps dumped by grocers or restaurants, according to research compiled?by the Natural Resources Defense Council released Tuesday.

?Given the drought, rising food prices, and increased food demands we?re looking at as the population grows, having a more efficient food system is going to be a critical step ? but also one of the lowest hanging fruit (in terms of a solution),? said Dana Gunders, the study?s author and a project scientist at NRDC, a nonprofit environmental group.

?Everyone has a role to play in reducing food waste,? Gunders said. ?This is just something that?s really flown under our radar. As a country, we just haven?t been thinking about this. But it?s one of the easiest things we can do to reduce our environmental footprint.?

Ironically, the food squandering findings come just as a new Gallup poll shows that nearly one in five Americans say they haven?t had enough money to buy groceries on some days during the past 12 months.

At the same time, a record drought baking half the country will help drive food prices 3 to 4 percent higher next year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Much of the waste is fueled by food companies and grocery chains that oversell and overstock.?Also to blame are?consumers who over-purchase - packing their shopping carts and refrigerators with far more than they need after being tempted by buy-one-get-one-free deals that often include short, shelf-life items like milk and produce, the NRDC reports.

?Food companies are businesses just like any other, and so they want to sell as much of their product as possible,? Gunders said. ?Where it?s different is that their product is sometimes perishable. So selling more of it in one go can lead to overbuying. But I also want to be careful about villianizing the food industry because I don?t think that?s fair.?

An alliance of food industry leaders, including the Grocery Manufacturers Association, in 2011 announced a three-year initiative to cut the massive amount of food that Americans discard. The program aims to slash the quantity of food that winds up in landfills.?Simultaneously, it would?boost donations to groups that feed the hungry. The initiative is co-chaired by General Mills and Publix.

?There is no bigger opportunity for our industry to simultaneously address hunger in America and our environmental footprint than by reducing the amount of food sent to landfills by diverting food to food banks and food waste to beneficial alternatives like compost,? said Ginny Smith, senior director of communications for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents food-making companies such as Kraft, Hershey and Coca-Cola.

The NRDC found that trimming waste in the U.S. food supply by only 15 percent would save enough edible goods to feed 25 million Americans annually.

The NRDC said its conclusions are based on a review of existing literature ? including a 2009 report by the National Institutes of Health on U.S. caloric intake versus calories in the American food pipeline ? as well as interviews with farmers and many people in the food industry. ?

To begin attacking the problem, America could look to the United Kingdom which has launched several measures and campaigns to keep more of its food on the table and out of the trash, Gunders said.?

"We need to treat food a little bit differently when it comes non-perishables, and find other (kinds of retail) promotions," Gunders said. "In the U.K., some companies have been experimenting. Instead of using buy-one-get-one-free promotions, like for gallons of milk, you buy one and get another one free later, or they offer a buy-one-give-one, where you buy a food item and have the store donate another item of food to the needy."

In investigating the scope of the food-waste problem in that country, British researchers have actually pawed through consumers' trash to gauge how much bread, bananas and butter is mashed into the discarded papers, bottles and cans. In the U.K. the government also has worked to standardize expiration dates on food and beverage products. Many British grocers have stopped including those dates - often merely a tool to help store clerks stock their shelves with the older products out front. Instead, they use codes to help organize their goods. And if dates are included, they are truly meant to reflect when the food item is no longer healthy to eat or drink.?

"In the United States, we see them as safety dates but they?re actually not safety dates. And these dates are not regulated federally for the most part," Gunders said. "They are meant to indicate the manufacturers? suggestion for peak quality rather than anything that would indicate the food is actually going bad. So a lot of people just throw it out after that date, not understanding that."

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Source: http://bottomline.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/22/13416977-americans-throw-away-40-percent-of-their-food-study?lite

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Success Through Good Internet Marketing

Posted by culn1a56ba on 20 minutes ago

Are you using internet marketing to promote your business online? If not, you should definitely look into it more closely. In the following article, you will learn about Internet marketing tips that you can use to begin your strategies.

Internet marketing can be a great way to increase the success of your business. This article will give you an idea of how you can be successful with internet marketing.

If you want your business to be known online, you may want to get into internet marketing. You will find ways to get started with online marketing by reading this article.

Internet marketing is a great tool for promoting a business and should be seriously considered by all business owners. These are some of the things you need to know: Read on to educate yourself about the latest internet marketing tactics and get your own ideas flowing.

Every business owner should be seeking out the best ways to advertise their business on the internet, which means every business owner should take the time to research internet marketing. If you continue reading, you will become informed on Internet marketing and soon be able to create your own strategies.

Are you informing people about your business by promoting it online? Strong consideration should be given to this method if it has not been used in your marketing efforts. This article lays the groundwork for a successful internet marketing campaign.

Internet marketing is a great way to promote your business. If you are not already using internet marketing, consider using it immediately. Once you have finished reading this article, you will be able to understand the basics of internet marketing and to develop your own marketing plan.

You are hurting your business if you are not using internet marketing techniques. Online marketing has a huge upside. Here are some strategies for beginning your internet marketing adventure.

Online Business Ideas

Source: http://www.flippingpad.com/profiles/19076-culn1a56ba/blogs/28004-success-through-good-internet-marketing

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Free health care clinics - HEALTH, BEAUTY & FITNESS

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Source: http://curryrecipe-jp.net/health-2/free-health-care-clinics/

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Therapy Animals by Tracy Robinson | Whole Earth Pets

Studies show that animals used for therapy improve people?s emotional, social and/or cognitive well-being. Animals can also be used for educational and motivational effectiveness. Before introducing animal therapy to anyone it is important to make sure the person who is in therapy is not allergic to or afraid of the animals. It is important to know if the person likes the type of animal that will be used for their therapy. Some people don?t like being around horses, dogs or cats for various reasons. It is a mistake to think that every person will benefit from this type of therapy. People with weakened immune systems should get their doctors clearance before starting any type of animal therapy.
Therapy in the way of animals was started in the 18th century in England. Mental patients had calming effects when allowed to be around small domesticated animals. Sigmund Freud had his chow present during his sessions with patients. He found the dog made his patients relax.

Modern therapy animals are used in many situations from prisons, mental hospitals and medical hospitals to nursing homes and regular homes. Often you will see a therapy dog with a disabled person. This dog is the person?s life-line to freedom in many instances. Animals are non-judgmental thereby making many people with disabilities or deformities more at ease. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans have been helping shelter dogs with obedience training. This not only helps the dogs get homes but it helps the Veterans readjust to civilian life. Many hospitals have therapy dogs that visit patients. It has been proven that the patients feel happier and better from reduced blood pressure to less anxiety after a visit from their pet friend.

Horses are therapeutic for children with special needs. Studies show that children with autism have improved speech including more language and better engagement when involved in therapy that includes horseback riding. It has been recorded that this interaction helps with following directions as well as life skills such as getting dressed and balance issues.

Therapy animals are something to be taken seriously. It is not something to be taken lightly. It is important that the animal handler has the animal properly trained for everyone?s safety, including the animals. Many specialists are trained, although there is not a governing body to oversee therapy animals. The Delta Society is a good place to start if you are interested in therapy animals. Their website is http://www.deltasociety.org/

One of the biggest benefits of therapy animals is the love and affection the patient can cultivate. This is an important basic need that is essential for mental health and emotional well-being.

References:
Animal Assisted Therapy Wikipedia
NPR Pet Therapy How animals and humans heal each other
Andrew Weil M.D. Wellness Therapies

Tracy Robinson
www.ajpetproducts.com

See also this story on Life With Dogs about therapy dogs helping kids with cancer.

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This entry was posted in General, Dogs and tagged Animal training, Animal-assisted therapy, Delta Society, Disability, Dog, pet, Sigmund Freud, Therapy dog by Natalia Corres. Bookmark the permalink. "Tech-preneur", Artist, Writer, and Consultant - Natalia enjoys the challenge of building or improving things - whether processes, teams, projects, or a way of seeing or being. She is available as a speaker, trainer, consultant, off-shore team manager, mastermind group facilitator and is open to new experiences and learning new and old ideas.

Source: http://wepets.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/therapy-animals-by-tracy-robinson/

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Protect Your Files with Data Recovery Plans | Auto Internet Cash

Losing files is not a strange occurrence to business transactions. Viruses and other computer glitches would force you to confront your worst nightmare which is losing a variety of computer files that are vital to your business processes. Thankfully though, disaster recovery plans are now becoming a norm for business owners. There are many companies out there that offer a variety of information technology (IT) services that can support business owners like cloud backup. If you're a striving business owner (whether you own a small, medium or large enterprise), investing to a data recovery plan will never go against you and your business.

Subscribing to a company's cloud backup plans will protect your company from short- and long-term data and productivity loss. Usually, a company backup server will link your business data to a community of IT servers that will protect your business files whether you own a big or small company. But if you feel like long-term data recovery plans are not fit for your company you can opt to let IT companies create a specific program that will work for you.

One service that data recovery companies provide is data backup. This will protect your critical data so when and if you lose them, you will have the option to retrieve them via your data recovery plans' system backup. Data backup is a basic and standard provision for any IT data recovery company. In the event that you lose your files and other business records due to unavoidable circumstances the system can rebuild itself by delivering your backup data via a removable media. What's more, companies are now offering to deliver your backup data to your chosen location.

Recovering your data onsite is quite simple and most company can also rebuild your business operations at a temporary location. Most of these IT companies provide services that include procedure planning, hardware replacement, engineering cover, workplace relocation, disaster management, risk analysis, testing and rehearsal and specific project management. For just a small fee you will be able to protect your business data. And once your backup files are onsite it will be even easier for you to recover them if and when you lose your business files.

Of course, it would be safer for your files if you subscribed to offsite backup via an offsite disaster recovery plan. One of the advantages of today's thriving technology is the ability of computer servers to be accessed from a remote location like your offices, home or almost anywhere. Most data recovery companies can do this by creating virtual servers based on your most recent data backup. They will then host your data in a secure centre (this is usually part of their service), which you can access at any given time. In an offsite backup location there is no need for an additional hardware since you will only need to pay a small extra fee so that the data recovery company can host your backed up files. Offsite backup would also protect your files from external factors such as fire or water that can harm your files and even onsite data backup.

Source: http://www.autointernetcash.com/2012/08/protect-your-files-with-data-recovery-plans/

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