via voanews.com
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
PPP: South Carolina is Perry country - Alexander Burns
In South Carolina, PPP finds Rick Perry leaving the field in the dust and more than doubling up his nearest competitor, Mitt Romney:
Continue ReadingWhen PPP last polled there in early June, Mitt Romney led everyone in the field by at least 15 points. But now with Rick Perry's entry Romney has lost almost half of his support. That leaves Perry with a 20 point lead- he's at 36% to 16% for Romney, 13% for Michele Bachmann, 9% for Herman Cain, 8% for Newt Gingrich, 5% for Ron Paul, 4% for Rick Santorum, and 2% for Jon Huntsman. ...
Romney's certainly lost the most support because of Perry's entry into the race, dropping 14 points from 30% on our June poll to now 16%. But pretty much everyone else has lost ground too. Gingrich is down 7 points from 15% to 8%, Cain is down 6 points from 15% to 9%, and Paul is down 5 points from 10% to 5%. The only folks who have held steady are Bachmann at 13% and Huntsman at 2% on both of these polls.
via politico.com
Monday, August 29, 2011
98 Percent of Welfare Applicants Pass Drug Test
Thanks to Florida Gov. Rick Scott's insistence that people on welfare use drugs at a higher rate than the general population, the state's Legislature implemented a policy earlier this year requiring all applicants for temporary cash assistance to pass a drug test before getting any help.
The results: Ninety-eight percent passed. And the process will cost the state $178 million.
The Tampa Tribune reports that the Department of Children and Families says about 2 percent of applicants are failing the test and another 2 percent are not completing the application process for unspecified reasons.
Here's the Tribune's assessment of how much the state will pay:
Cost of the tests averages about $30. Assuming that 1,000 to 1,500 applicants take the test every month, the state will owe about $28,800-$43,200 monthly in reimbursements to those who test drug-free.
That compares with roughly $32,200-$48,200 the state may save on one month’s worth of rejected applicants.
Net savings to the state: $3,400 to $5,000 annually on one month’s worth of rejected applicants. Over 12 months, the money saved on all rejected applicants would add up to $40,800 to $60,000 for a program that state analysts have predicted will cost $178 million this fiscal year.
Maybe Florida politicians are the ones who need to be tested to see if they're under the influence of something (prejudice, perhaps?) that's making them think this wasteful program is good public policy.
Read more at the Tampa Tribune and ColorLines.
In other news: Juanita Bynum Types in Tongues on Facebook.
Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
via theroot.com
Irene brings worst flooding in century to Vermont
WATERBURY, Vt. (AP) — The remnants of Hurricane Irene turned placid rivers and streams into raging torrents across parts of Vermont and upstate New York on Monday, closing hundreds of roads, destroying dozens of bridges and cutting off entire communities in the worst flooding some areas have seen in a century.
Irene dumped up to 11 inches on parts of Vermont and more than 13 inches on some areas of New York — a deluge that quickly overwhelmed waterways, storm sewers and drainage systems. At one point, the floodwaters were climbing so fast that Vermont officials feared they might have to take the extraordinary step of flooding the state capital of Montpelier to relieve pressure on a dam.
"We prepared for the worst and we got the worst in central and southern Vermont," Gov. Peter Shumlin said. "It's just devastating — whole communities under water. ... We're tough folks here in Vermont, but Irene really ... hit us hard."
The governor and Sen. Patrick Leahy toured some of the most devastated communities by helicopter Monday, but because the floodwaters cut off many of those towns, the full extent of the damage could take days to emerge. In at least a dozen places, neither utility crews nor emergency vehicles could get in to offer help. President Barack Obama has declared the state a federal disaster area.
via google.com
Judge blocks Alabama immigration law to buy time | Reuters
(Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday blocked Alabama's tough new immigration law from taking effect this week, making it the latest U.S. state to have a measure on illegal immigration halted in court.
Chief U.S. District Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn cited the need for more time to consider the legal challenges against the law in an injunction that blocks implementation of the law through September 29.
"In entering this order the court specifically notes that it is in no way addressing the merits of the motions," the judge wrote in her two-page order.
Federal judges have previously blocked key parts of other immigration laws passed in Georgia, Arizona, Utah and Indiana.
The Alabama law, widely seen as the toughest state measure on illegal immigration, requires police to detain people they suspect of being in the United States illegally if they cannot produce proper documentation when stopped for any reason.
via reuters.com
The Associated Press: Hurricane Irene leads to at least 27 deaths
Hurricane Irene leads to at least 27 deathsBy The Associated Press – 5 hours ago
Hurricane Irene led to the deaths of at least 27 people in eight states:
CONNECTICUT:
— In Prospect, 89-year-old Charlotte Levine was killed early Sunday when a falling tree limb pulled power lines onto her house and started a fire.
— In Bristol, 46-year-old Shane Seaver died after he and another man went canoeing down a flooded street and the canoe capsized. Seaver's body washed ashore late Sunday night in Plainville. The other man survived.
FLORIDA:
— In Volusia County, 55-year-old Frederick Fernandez died Saturday off New Smyrna Beach after he was tossed off his board by massive waves caused by Irene. The Orlando Sentinel reports the high school teacher had a large cut on his head, apparently from hitting the sea floor.
— In Flagler County, 55-year-old tourist James Palmer of New Jersey died Saturday in rough surf. Family members say they lost sight of him after he waded into the surf in North Florida. He was pulled to shore and his wife attempted CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
MARYLAND:
— In Queen Anne's County, Md., 85-year-old Anne Bell was killed when a tree knocked a chimney through the glass roof of the sunroom where she and her son were sitting. They'd gone out into the sunroom after the power went out in her Queenstown home. Bell was struck by debris, causing severe trauma.
NEW JERSEY
— Celena Sylvestri, 20, of Quinton, called her boyfriend and then 911 early Sunday seeking help getting out of her flooded car in Pilesgrove, police said. Her body was found eight hours later in the vehicle, which was about 150 feet off the road, police said.
— Ronald Dawkins, a 47-year-old postal worker, abandoned his vehicle when it became partly submerged in water early Sunday, Kearny police said. He then tried to wade through rising water, and witnesses said he stepped into a hidden drainage creek. His body was found about two hours later.
— Scott Palecek, 39, was walking in Wanaque when a pipe broke loose and swept him away in floodwaters Sunday, police said.
NEW YORK
— A man in his 50s was electrocuted in Spring Valley when he tried to help a child who had gone into a flooded street with downed wires. The child was in very serious condition at Westchester Medical Center's burn unit, said a spokesman for the Rockland County Emergency Operations Center.
— State police said they recovered the body of a woman who apparently drowned after she fell into Onesquethaw Creek in New Scotland, near Albany.
— Police in Suffolk County say 68-year-old Joseph Rocco of East Islip drowned while windsurfing in Bellport Bay.
— Two men were swept down the Croton River on Sunday evening after their inflatable boat capsized, and one of them died after being pulled down river by heavy currents, Croton police said.
NORTH CAROLINA:
— In Nash County, a man was killed after a tree limb fell on him outside his home Saturday morning as outer bands from the storm brought near hurricane-force gusts inland.
— Goldsboro police say a 15-year-old girl died Saturday afternoon after the SUV carrying her and family members collided with another SUV at an intersection where Irene had knocked out power to traffic lights. She was one of four family members thrown from the vehicle; the family was returning to northern Virginia from Myrtle Beach, S.C.
— Authorities in Pitt County say a man was found dead in his home after Irene's winds toppled a tree onto his house.
— Another man in Pitt County drove through standing water, went off a road and died after striking a tree on Saturday.
— A mother in Sampson County died Saturday morning when a tree fell on a car carrying her and two family members.
— New Hanover County deputies on Sunday afternoon recovered the body of Melton Robinson, Jr., who had been missing since falling or jumping into the Cape Fear River as storms from Irene reached North Carolina on Friday night.
PENNSYLVANIA
— Michael Scerarko, 44, was killed Sunday when a tree fell on him in his yard. Scerarko, of Stroudsburg, pushed his son out of the way, but could not get out of the way himself, police said.
— A 58-year-old Harrisburg man was killed Sunday morning when a tree toppled onto his tent, state police said. The man was one of about 20 people at a party on private property in East Hanover Township, Dauphin County, some of whom who decided to sleep outside.
— A man in a camper was crushed by a tree in northeastern Pennsylvania's Luzerne County, state emergency management officials said. Police found his body shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday.
— A motorist was killed when he lost control of his car on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Carbon County, skidded over an embankment and hit a tree. State officials attributed the accident to the storm.
— The body of 64-year-old Patricia O'Neill, of East Norriton, was discovered Sunday afternoon in the Wissahickon Creek, around a half mile from where her car was found in the flooded waterway. Whitemarsh Township police said her family reported her missing after she didn't show up at work.
VIRGINIA:
— Newport News authorities report that 11-year-old Zahir Robinson was killed when a large tree crashed through his apartment shortly after noon.
— In Brunswick County, a tree fell across a car Saturday afternoon, killing 67-year-old James Blackwell of Brodnax. The driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
— Chesterfield County police say a man died at a Hopewell hospital Saturday after a tree fell on a house that he was in.
— A King William County man, 57-year-old William P. Washington, was killed when a tree fell on him as he was cutting another tree on Saturday night. Washington was trying to get home at the height of the storm when a fallen tree blocked his path on a road, about four miles from his home, and he and another motorist tried to clear the way.
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
via google.com
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Syria moves to halt spread of unrest into central Damascus - latimes.com
Security forces in the Syrian capital intensified checkpoints, troops and helicopter patrols Saturday in a bid to keep an overnight surge of anti-government protests in the suburbs from spreading to the heart of Damascus, a crucial stronghold for Syrian President Bashar Assad.The beefed-up deployments came as Iran, Syria's closest ally, for the first time publicly pressed Assad's government to accede to "legitimate" demands of the Syrian public.
via latimes.com
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
New cookbook gives recipes of the South MS homeless - WLOX-TV and WLOX.com - The News for South Mississippi
GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) -South Mississippians who once lived on the streets are sharing their stories of survival in a new cookbook called Mailbox Muffins and Other Recipes From the Gulf Coast Homeless.
The cookbook includes dishes like tuna surprise, pork and beans salad, and hot pork and crackers. The former homeless people also write about coming up with creative ways to cook food, like using a mailbox over a pit fire as an oven. Hence the name Mailbox Muffins.
All the recipes in the cookbook come from residents of Oregon Place Apartments in Gulfport. An organization called Mississippi Cares International helps people transition from homelessness to independence.
Bobby Joe Kelly enjoys having his own kitchen, but during his eight years of living in the woods, he often had to use his ingenuity to eat a hot meal.
"Most of the stuff you get from the food pantry is just water mix," said Kelly. "You just mix it with water and bake it. You don't have to use no eggs, milk, nothing like that."
Oregon Place Apartments is where homeless people can go to make a fresh start. Tenants can move into completely furnished units that include everything down to the spoons and forks.
"We're providing a hand up, not a hand out. As long as you're trying to make something better for you and get back on your feet and get to be an economic independent person, we'll be there with you," William Richardson of Mississippi Cares International said. "But if you want to come here and sit on the front steps and do nothing all day, there's somebody that needs help worse than you."
Mississippi Cares International doesn't require tenants to pay deposits or utility payments, but they must be good neighbors.
"We've got to fit in. We can't be judged by a few," said Richardson. "So we have a no drug policy. We can, by our lease, randomly drug test anybody that wants to live here. We have a no alcohol on premise rule. You will be in job training or increasing your educational skills as you live here."
Kelly became homeless after cataracts cost him his job. He's telling his story because he believes there are too many misperceptions about the homeless.
"You don't see us. We're not there," said Kelly. "You see us, but you don't see us. And that's what's bad."
Kelly is working on his GED and grateful for the chance to again have a roof over his head. Mississippi Cares International officials said they partner with several other non-profits to provide social services for tenants. That way they can try to address any issues that may have contributed to them becoming homeless.
Oregon Place Apartments is made up of 14 four-plexes. The residents' new cookbook includes a foreword from Mississippi First Lady Marsha Barbour.
Copyright 2011 WLOX. All rights reserved.
via wlox.com
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Eastern Earthquake Provides Useful Warning
It’s great to see the widespread coverage of the eastern earthquake, despite its modest strength (although I’m not sure some of the underwhelming video coverage was worthwhile).
The 5.8-magnitude quake, centered in Virginia 83 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., is a reminder of the importance of factoring in shaking in the design of buildings and important installations like nuclear power plants.
USGS A 6.8-magnitude earthquake in 1895, centered in Charleston, Mo., caused widespread damage and was felt from Louisiana to western New York
While rare, eastern earthquakes can be dangerous, most notably those triggered in the New Madrid seismic zone along the Mississippi River valley.
One issue is that the geology of the east is more favorable to transmitting earthquake energy long distances, as described this way by the United States Geological Survey in context provided for the Virginia quake:
East of the Rockies, an earthquake can be felt over an area as much as ten times larger than a similar magnitude earthquake on the west coast.
This year is the bicentennial of the great New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-12, an anniversary marked by federal disaster agencies in May with an exercise responding to a simulated major quake in the region.
Although some earth scientists in the region, notably Seth Stein of Northwestern University, say the threat of a catastrophic repeat is overblown, that’s no reason not to take shaking into consideration in designing structures or securing items in a house or business to limit losses if the worst happens.
Earthquake disrupts East Coast cell phone service - Aug. 23, 2011
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Cell service along the East Coast was spotty for about a half hour following a Virginia-based earthquake that was felt as far away as New England.
There were no reports of downed cell towers or wires, but mobile providers said the fact that millions of people tried to make cell phone calls at the same time overwhelmed cellular relay stations.
Verizon Wireless reported network congestion for some customers in the Eastern U.S. for about 20 minutes following the earthquake, which hit just before 2 p.m. ET. The quake measured at 5.9 on the Richter scale.
"We are seeing no reports of damage to our wireless network," said Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500) spokesman Jeff Nelson. "Everything returned to normal quickly once the tremors ended. We'll continue to monitor the network."
Nelson said the mobile company's infrastructure was built to withstand earthquakes of such a magnitude. Verizon's super switching centers in Florida, for instance, are designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane.
AT&T (T, Fortune 500) spokesman Mark Siegel also said that there was no infrastructure damage, but the network continues to see "heavy call volumes." He said customers that could not connect might try to communicate by text message, which requires far less bandwidth than phone calls.
Sprint (S, Fortune 500) told customers via Twitter that the provider is experiencing intermittent delays connecting phone calls following the earth quake, citing a "temporary mass calling event."
A T-Mobile spokesman also confirmed that the network was experiencing higher call volumes in all earthquake-affected areas. The company is advising customers that cannot place calls to communicate by e-mail or text messages until call volumes return to normal.
Cell service disruptions occur during periods of heavy call volumes, because of a bottle-necking factor: Like a highway that gets congested during rush hour, cellular infrastructure is not designed to handle the amount of calling traffic that occurs during emergency situations.
"We don't engineer pipes to handle every call at the same time," said Akshay Sharma, wireless infrastructure consultant at Gartner. "Even though we have redundancy built in, guess what, most of that feeds into same pipes."
Calls are typically routed from relay station to relay station in the shortest distance between the two points of a call. But if one switching station gets overwhelmed, calls then need to be relayed around that station, and delays occur.
Sometimes, congested infrastructure simply results in calls that cannot go through.
First Published: August 23, 2011: 3:08 PM ET
via money.cnn.com
5.9 magnitude quake rattles east coast, causing evacuations in DC | The Raw Story
5.9 magnitude quake rattles east coast, causing evacuations in DC
Breaking news... Developing...
An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale struck the state of Virginia not far from Washington, D.C., rattling buildings up and down the eastern seaboard, with reports indicating tremors as far away as Toronto, Chicago, Kentucky and even Daytona Beach, Florida.
The quake will be recorded as the largest on record to hit Washington, D.C. The last major quake the nation's capital experience was in July 2010, when a magnitude 3.6 quake struck. Prior to that, no quakes had been recorded in the region for over 35 years.
The White House and Pentagon were both briefly evacuated, along with many office buildings all over the eastern seaboard. Cell phone service was also disrupted in some areas, especially in Washington, D.C., due to excess capacity.
No injuries or severe property damage has been reported.
Tags: via rawstory.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)