This Nov. 30, 2012, photo provided by CBS News shows Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner answering questions about averting the "fiscal cliff" on the December 2nd edition of ?Face the Nation.? Geithner said Republicans have to stop using fuzzy ?political math? and say how much they are willing to raise tax rates on the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans and then specify the spending cuts they want, Treasury Secretary. (AP Photo/CBS News, Chris Usher)
This Nov. 30, 2012, photo provided by CBS News shows Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner answering questions about averting the "fiscal cliff" on the December 2nd edition of ?Face the Nation.? Geithner said Republicans have to stop using fuzzy ?political math? and say how much they are willing to raise tax rates on the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans and then specify the spending cuts they want, Treasury Secretary. (AP Photo/CBS News, Chris Usher)
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, after private talks with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on the fiscal cliff negotiations. Boehner said no substantive progress has been made between the White House and the House" in the past two weeks. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
This Nov. 30, 2012, photo provided by CBS News shows Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner answering questions about averting the "fiscal cliff" on the December 2nd edition of ?Face the Nation.? Geithner said Republicans have to stop using fuzzy ?political math? and say how much they are willing to raise tax rates on the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans and then specify the spending cuts they want, Treasury Secretary. (AP Photo/CBS News, Chris Usher)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republicans have to stop using "political math" and say how much they are willing to raise tax rates on the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans and then specify the spending cuts they want, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said in an interview that aired Sunday.
Just four weeks from the proverbial "fiscal cliff," House Speaker John Boehner countered that Republicans have a plan for providing as much as $800 billion in new government revenue over the next decade and would consider the elimination of tax deductions on high-income earners. But when pressed on "Fox News Sunday" for precise details, the Ohio Republican declined to say.
There are "a lot of options in terms of how to get there," Boehner said.
Both Boehner's and Geithner's latest remarks indicate it could be some time before serious negotiations begin between the White House and Republicans on how to avert economic calamity expected in less than a month when President George W. Bush-era tax cuts expire and automatic, across-the-board spending cuts kick in.
Last week, the White House delivered to Capitol Hill its opening plan: $1.6 trillion in higher taxes over a decade, hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending, a possible extension of the temporary Social Security payroll tax cut and enhancing the president's power to raise the national debt limit.
In exchange, the president would back $600 billion in spending cuts, including $350 billion from Medicare and other health programs. But he also wants $200 billion in new spending for jobless benefits, public works projects and aid for struggling homeowners. His proposal for raising the ceiling on government borrowing would make it virtually impossible for Congress to block him.
Republicans said they responded in closed-door meetings with laughter and disbelief.
"I was just flabbergasted," Boehner said. "I looked at him (Geithner) and I said, 'You can't be serious.'" Boehner described negotiations as going "nowhere, period," and said "there's clearly a chance" the nation will go over the cliff.
Geithner, the administration's point man for negotiations, was slightly more optimistic while saying the ball was in Boehner's court. But the treasury secretary also said he didn't expect a counteroffer right away, as Republicans work to sort out tensions within the party in the wake of bruising national elections that left Democrats in charge of the White House and the Senate.
Boehner acknowledged in his interview, aired Sunday, that he wasn't happy with public remarks by Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, who said he was ready to go along with Obama's plan to renew expiring income tax cuts for the majority of Americans and negotiate the rates on top earners later.
"They're trying to figure out where they go next," Geithner said of Republicans, "and we might need to give them a little time to figure out where they go next."
He called the back-and-forth "normal political theater," saying all that's blocking a timely deal is the GOP's reluctance to accept higher tax rates on the wealthy.
"It's welcome that they're recognizing that revenues are going to have to go up. But they haven't told us anything about how far rates should go up ... (and) who should pay higher taxes," Geithner said.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that she will try to force a vote on the Senate-passed bill favored by Democrats to avert a fiscal cliff. But she was unlikely to line up enough Republicans to succeed.
Obama's political team ramped up its efforts, blasting out an email Sunday night urging supporters to pressure Congress to extend tax cuts that would add up to about $2,000 for a middle-class family of four.
Stephanie Cutter, who was Obama's deputy campaign manager, said in the email that the president was trying to get Congress to "do the right thing and act before the New Year, but he needs our help. We've got a good track record here: When we make our voices heard and urge Congress to take action ? whether it's about health care, student loans, Wall Street reform, or 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' ? they listen."
Republican leaders have said they accept higher tax revenue overall, but only through what they call tax reform __ closing loopholes and limiting deductions __ and only coupled with tough measures to curb the explosive growth of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
"If we gave the president $1.6 trillion of new money, what do you think he'd do with it?" asked Boehner. "He's going to spend it. It's what Washington does."
Cole didn't back down Sunday on his earlier comments that Republicans should agree to Obama's plan for continuing Bush's tax rates for middle-class America and focus the negotiations on the other issues. Doing so, he said, would make the GOP position even stronger.
"The reality is, nobody can look at this budget and think if you don't reform entitlements you can balance it. You can give the president every tax increase he's asked for, you'd still be in the hole," he said.
Geithner appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation," NBC's "Meet the Press," CNN's "State of the Union," ABC's "This Week" and "Fox News Sunday." Cole appeared on ABC "This Week."
___
Associated Press writers Mark S. Smith and Ken Thomas in Washington and Erik Schelzig in Nashville, Tenn., contributed to this report.
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Click Image To Visit SiteThe Foolish Times Newsletter is published monthly, it contains, articles, business resources, discounted products, and subscriber only gifts and specials that we are sure you?ll be pleased with month after month!
Once you subscribe, you will receive a confirmation e-mail from us.You must click on the confirmation link to start your free subscription.
I hate spam. I also like my business. Those are two reasons that you can trust me to NEVER sell or share your email address, ever.
Get Your Hands On The Full Editable Rights To This "Self Improvement" Package? Put Your Name As The Author, Edit The Contents, Sell And Keep 100% Of The Sales, Break Or Merge The Contents ? It?s Your Choice.
Would You Like To Grab Your Visitors By The Ears, Dazzle Them With Professional Quality, Streaming Web Audio That Makes An Impact, And Watch Your Profits Soar ? You Can Do It, In Just Minutes ? With Impact Web Audio!
This new breakthrough book is a guide as a result of years of searching, studying, and scouring hundreds of websites, stores, and magazines. If your one of the first 100 customers to purchase "How to Make Your Home Energy and Cost Efficient" you will also receive 4 ? Bonus products. Sign up for a FREE 5 part e-Course.
cPanel? is currently the most popular & user-friendly control panel for web hosting accounts, period! However, most newbies do not have a clue on how to use them. It could take you hours trying to figure out how to use the features.
Have you ever wondered how you can put VIDEO on your website? In the past, there just haven?t been any good solutions. Videos were slow and required bulky software to view, and were hard to put on websites. Now with Video Web Wizard you can quickly and easily convert any type of video into a format compatible for the the world wide web.
"Baby Boomers Beware, Your Financial Freedom Is Slipping Through Your Fingertips As We Speak! Please Take The Time To Read This Report.
One of the most complete Christmas Master Resell & PrivateLabelRights Package you will ever find on the web !!! The `SANTA?s PLR RED SACK? is a compilation of top quality master resell and private label rights christmas content that will get your visitors glued to your website for hours ! It is designed to give your website or blog an excellent dose of christmas spirit celebrating the holiday season in style.
Let me take a moment to introduce myself; my name is Mike, and I want to personally welcome you to Foolish Times. I launched this site in December 2003 with the mission to providing access for new products which are planned around you , the customer, by offering affordable pricing while maintaining remarkably high quality.
Is your business stalled or are you looking to venture out? Don?t miss browsing the Business Resources! Check back often to view the new products line. Don?t forget to check out Foolmans Picks, where I?ve specially hand? Read more?
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham, top center, of England, waves as he stands with his sons, from left, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz before the MLS Cup championship soccer match against the Houston Dynamo in Carson, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham, top center, of England, waves as he stands with his sons, from left, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz before the MLS Cup championship soccer match against the Houston Dynamo in Carson, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham takes a fall during the first half of their MLS Cup soccer match against the Houston Dynamo, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, in Carson, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham, of England, walks with his sons, Romeo, background, left, and Cruz before the MLS Cup championship soccer match against the Houston Dynamo in Carson, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Houston Dynamo defender Kofi Sarkodie, left, and forward Will Bruin celebrate a goal by forward Calen Carr during the first half of the MLS Cup championship soccer match against the Los Angeles Galaxy in Carson, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders is scored on by Houston Dynamo forward Calen Carr during the first half of their MLS Cup soccer match, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, in Carson, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
CARSON, Calif. (AP) ? Landon Donovan scored the tiebreaking goal on a penalty kick in the 65th minute, and David Beckham left MLS as a two-time champion with the Los Angeles Galaxy's 3-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup on Saturday.
Omar Gonzalez tied it in the 61st minute with a long header for the Galaxy, who defended their title in a rematch of last season's championship game.
With a stirring second-half surge capped by Robbie Keane's goal on another penalty kick in injury time, Los Angeles won its fourth MLS Cup, tying D.C. United for the MLS record.
The Galaxy also gave an appropriate farewell to Beckham, the 37-year-old English midfielder who transformed the league and his team over six seasons in Los Angeles. Beckham will play elsewhere in the new year before eventually returning to MLS as a team owner, but he hasn't disclosed his immediate plans.
After Calen Carr put Houston ahead in the 44th minute, Beckham and his high-scoring teammates systematically broke down the defense of the Dynamo, who lost the MLS Cup 1-0 to Los Angeles on the same field last year.
Keane played another stellar attacking game for Los Angeles before earning his own penalty kick when Houston's Tally Hall knocked him down in the box, while Gonzalez got the equalizer on a cagey play by MLS' top defender last season.
Donovan even redeemed himself for missing an open net in the 13th minute by burying his penalty kick after a Houston handball in the box. The U.S. national team star, who is also contemplating a departure from soccer, won his record-tying fifth MLS title while scoring his fifth career MLS Cup goal and the record 22nd goal of his postseason career.
After Keane's goal clinched it, Beckham left the game to a raucous standing ovation from the packed stadium amid chants of "Thank you, David!" Beckham hugged Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, who won his fourth MLS title, and just about everybody on the Galaxy bench before the game ended moments later.
Beckham streamed onto the field with his teammates and waved thanks at the fans before he was joined by his three sons, all clad in No. 23 Galaxy jerseys.
The pregame rain cleared long enough for MLS' sunny farewell to Beckham, who arrived in Los Angeles in 2007 from Real Madrid with designs on changing the American perception of the world's most popular game. The league has grown steadily during his tenure, with most MLS franchises on sound financial footing and in excellent stadiums, although the sport's popularity and TV ratings haven't matched the other American pastimes.
Beckham was wildly cheered by many of the same diehard Galaxy supporters who booed him three years ago after his loans to AC Milan and an injury-riddled start to his Galaxy career. The Home Depot Center souvenir stands were loaded with Beckham shirts, including one that said "Take Me With You!"
Beckham has been in outstanding form for the past two years, patrolling the Galaxy's midfield and launching his usual sharp setup passes. He played aggressively for Los Angeles until the end, diving into the box and nearly converting a long pass for a goal in the 85th minute.
These two franchises have combined to win eight of the last 12 MLS titles, dating back to the Dynamo's days in San Jose. Houston seems stuck as a supporting player in the Galaxy's story, although the departures of Beckham and maybe Donovan will trigger big offseason changes in Los Angeles.
After winning the title last year on a Beckham-to-Keane-to-Donovan beauty of a goal, Los Angeles nearly had another storybook goal in the 13th minute when Beckham launched a long, high pass to a sprinting Keane, who slipped behind the defense and centered it perfectly for Donovan.
But he inexplicably pushed his shot inches wide of the post, leaving him with both hands on his head while the stadium released the usual post-goal confetti anyway.
The Dynamo improved their pressure late in the first half, and Adam Moffat's long pass eventually set up Carr's impressive near-post goal past Josh Saunders.
Carr leaped the corner flag in celebration of a rare score for the forward, a Bay Area native who joined the Dynamo last season and managed just four goals this year.
With Keane and Beckham leading the second-half charge, the Galaxy finally broke through when Gonzalez stuck around the box after a failed setpiece and managed to bounce a looping header past Hall. Gonzalez was MLS' top defender last year, and his late return from injury this season sparked the Galaxy's late-season surge.
Ricardo Clark was then called for a handball in the box in the 65th minute after an extended defensive scramble by the Dynamo. Donovan squatted down to prepare for his penalty kick before burying it in a back corner.
Houston frantically pressed for an equalizer in the final minutes, but Saunders and his defense repeatedly denied the Dynamo. After Hall wrapped his hand around Keane's thigh to stop a chance in the box, Keane confidently buried his sixth goal of a spectacular six-game postseason run in the Irish national team captain's first full MLS season.
>>>back at 7:44 were. it's the weather or costly delays and cancellations, a lot of people would do just about anything to avoid flying and that's not the case for so-called mile runners who can't wait to get to the next flight. nbc's
janet shamlian
is in houston to explain.
>> reporter: crazy, right? who would spend more time in the airport than they absolutely had to? this is extreme travel, and right now it's the most critical tame of year for people who do this, because they are trying desperately to beat that end of the year deadline. a wild
sky highendurance race
, with fierce warriors criss-crossing the globe.
>>i went to beijing for a day.
>> reporter: their mission miles, lots and lots of them.
>>once you get started it's kind of like a bug.
>> reporter: it's called a mileage run, trips where the journey, not the destination is the sobel objective. mile masochist, some might consider crazy. after all, why would you spend more time in an airport or airplane than you possibly had to? is this sport for you?
>>it's a game.
>> reporter: gaming the system, by finding cheap fares with lock routes to accrue airline status levels, perks and most importantly
frequent flyer miles
for future freebies.
>>to know me is to fly with me.
>> reporter: think up in the air.
>>the miles are the goal.
>> reporter: brian cohen seeks out extreme itineraries.
>>i went from
atlanta
to
pittsburgh
, to watertown, new york, to
pittsburgh
and denver and
santa ana
and
pittsburgh
and back to
san francisco
and back to
atlanta
for less than $75.
>> reporter: too good to be true.
>>and this man is on board for three days in the air.
>>in my quest to make travel free and more comfortable it's important to get those upgrades and important to have that status.
>> reporter: to get it,
howie
found a ticket he says anyone can buy. it will take him on six flights,
halfway around the world
, for a total fare of $665. a bargain considering. we had him take a camera along for the wild ride.
>>my first flight is from d.c. to
atlanta
.
>> reporter: okay, simple enough.
>>at the gate
20 minutes
early.
>>now it's on to new york.
>>about four and a half hours in.
>> reporter: right off to istanbul, a ten-hour trip.
>>my upgrade cleared, and i'll hopefully get a good night's sleep.
>> reporter: half a day in turkey and
howie
is back on a flight to paris.
>>think i'm running on a little bit of adrenaline right now.
>> reporter: no time for the
eiffel tower
, only an hour before leaving for
salt lake city
, another 12 hours in the air.
>>54 1/2 hours in.
>> reporter: we caught up with him in utah where there was one flight to go,
salt lake
to baltimore. in all
howie
traveled a mind-blowing 14,000 miles and with elite bonuses he's earned 30,000 plus, enough to propel him to delta's diamond level in
2013
and he'll eventually to use those miles to travel for free.
>>there are hundreds of thousands of people that do this.
>> reporter: howie
blogs about his travel tricks and says the
online forum
on flyertalk.com is a
treasure trove
for extreme frequent flyers who constantly monitor new fares for low cost long hauls.
>>we're trying to beat the system. been to 65 different countries using these techniques.
>> reporter: the frugal travel guy hosts seminars on how to travel on the cheap, like the
atlanta
to honolulu trip he took with wife kate for $152
round trip
.
>>he loves the game. he loves the chase.
>> reporter: and chasing miles is like a drug for these folks, with inevitable
side effects
.
>>i'm exhausted.
>> reporter: but fatigue is a small price to pay, says howy.
>>it is a thrill. every time i get on a flight it's a new experience, and it's kind of amazing.
>> reporter: how do you find fares like this? bottom line, invest a lot of time, search the
travel blogs
and if you find a deal you have to buy it immediately because they are go within minute and then have you to take the sgligt have
ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2012) ? Using genetic analyses, scientists have discovered that Northern European populations -- including British, Scandinavians, French, and some Eastern Europeans -- descend from a mixture of two very different ancestral populations, and one of these populations is related to Native Americans. This discovery helps fill gaps in scientific understanding of both Native American and Northern European ancestry, while providing an explanation for some genetic similarities among what would otherwise seem to be very divergent groups.
This research was published in the November 2012 issue of the Genetics Society of America's journal Genetics.
According to Nick Patterson, first author of the report, "There is a genetic link between the paleolithic population of Europe and modern Native Americans. The evidence is that the population that crossed the Bering Strait from Siberia into the Americas more than 15,000 years ago was likely related to the ancient population of Europe."
To make this discovery, Patterson worked with Harvard Medical School Professor of Genetics David Reich and other colleagues to study DNA diversity, and found that one of these ancestral populations was the first farming population of Europe, whose DNA lives on today in relatively unmixed form in Sardinians and the people of the Basque Country, and in at least the Druze population in the Middle East. The other ancestral population is likely to have been the initial hunter-gathering population of Europe. These two populations were very different when they met. Today the hunter-gathering ancestral population of Europe appears to have its closest affinity to people in far Northeastern Siberia and Native Americans.
The statistical tools for analyzing population mixture were developed by Patterson and presented in a systematic way in the report. These tools are the same ones used in previous discoveries showing that Indian populations are admixed between two highly diverged ancestral populations and showing that Neanderthals contributed one to four percent of the ancestry of present-day Europeans. In addition, the paper releases a major new dataset that characterizes genetic diversity in 934 samples from 53 diverse worldwide populations.
"The human genome holds numerous secrets. Not only does it unlock important clues to cure human disease, it also reveal clues to our prehistoric past," said Mark Johnston, Editor-in-Chief of the journal GENETICS. "This relationship between humans separated by the Atlantic Ocean reveals surprising features of the migration patterns of our ancestors, and reinforces the truth that all humans are closely related."
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Genetics Society of America, via Newswise.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
N. Patterson, P. Moorjani, Y. Luo, S. Mallick, N. Rohland, Y. Zhan, T. Genschoreck, T. Webster, D. Reich. Ancient Admixture in Human History. Genetics, 2012; 192 (3): 1065 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.112.145037
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.
Derailed freight train cars lay in water in Paulsboro, N.J., Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. People in three southern New Jersey towns were told Friday to stay inside after the freight train derailed and several tanker cars carrying hazardous materials toppled from a bridge and into a creek. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Derailed freight train cars lay in water in Paulsboro, N.J., Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. People in three southern New Jersey towns were told Friday to stay inside after the freight train derailed and several tanker cars carrying hazardous materials toppled from a bridge and into a creek. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Several cars lay in the water after a freight train derailed in Paulsboro, N.J., Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. People in three southern New Jersey towns were told Friday to stay inside after the freight train derailed and several tanker cars carrying hazardous materials toppled from a bridge and into a creek. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
An official stands by derailed freight train tank cars in Paulsboro, N.J., Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. People in three southern New Jersey towns were told Friday to stay inside after a freight train derailed and several tanker cars carrying hazardous materials toppled from a bridge and into a creek. At least one tanker car may contain vinyl chloride, Gloucester County Emergency Management director J. Thomas Butts told WPVI-TV. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Officials stand next to derailed freight train cars in Paulsboro, N.J., Friday, Nov. 30, 2012, after several tanker cars carrying hazardous materials toppled from a bridge and into a creek. At least one tanker car may contain vinyl chloride, Gloucester County Emergency Management director J. Thomas Butts told WPVI-TV. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Map locates train derailment and hazardous spill in New Jersey
PAULSBORO, N.J. (AP) ? A signal may have been malfunctioning on a southern New Jersey bridge where a train derailed, causing a hazardous chemical to spew into the air and leading to health problems, evacuations, tricky cleanup decisions and broader questions about the condition of railway infrastructure.
The crew on the train told investigators that when they approached the bridge before 7 a.m. Friday, the signal light was red, telling them not to cross, National Transportation Safety Board chairman Deborah Hersman said Saturday. The crew found it unusual to get a red light at that hour of the day, she said.
They used a radio signal to try to change the signal to green, but it did not work, Hersman said. She said the conductor got off the train and inspected the aging bridge. When it appeared to be OK, she said, the engineer called for ? and received ? permission from a dispatcher to go through the red light and cross the bridge.
Only the two locomotives and the first five cars on the southbound train got across the bridge before seven cars derailed. Hersman said the engine was moving 8 mph before the accident ? under the 10 mph speed limit.
Hersman said investigators were trying to determine whether other train crews had had the same signal issue lately and whether the signal problems had anything to do with the accident.
Four of the derailed cars, including three that ended up partially in Mantua Creek, contained vinyl chloride, an ingredient in the common plastic PVC. A gas, vinyl chloride can induce respiratory problems, dizziness and other health effects after short-term exposure ? and liver problems and other complications after high levels of exposure over time.
The accident ripped a hole inside one of the tankers, causing the gas to escape.
More than 70 people went to an emergency room Friday, none of them with life-threatening injuries.
A handful of nearby homes were evacuated briefly Friday, but residents were allowed to return hours later after some of the chemical dissipated into the air and the rest turned into a solid and settled back into the tanker.
Friday evening, however, residents in an area of about 12 blocks were ordered evacuated.
State Assemblyman John Burzichelli, a former Paulsboro mayor serving as an emergency management spokesman, said the chemical levels spiked as the temperatures dropped and the breeze died down Friday evening so that gas escaping the tanker lingered nearby longer.
Conrail, the owner of the tracks, put up residents in 106 hotel rooms Friday night.
Residents said they were told to be ready to stay away from their homes for three days, and possibly longer.
Some said they had tough nights away from pets, who were taken to an animal shelter. Others were frustrated with the late call to get out and not having much time to pack.
"We were not told until they knocked on our door," said Diamond Veney, who was holding her sleeping 1-year-old son, Tamir.
She said her family was given just 30 minutes to get out Friday evening.
Many of the displaced residents were being moved from hotel to hotel on Saturday. For some, the shift meant heading to a place that accepts pets.
On Saturday, crews moved some of the train cars around and brought in empty tankers to be used to store vinyl chlorine.
The NTSB's Hersman said investigators normally spend about a week documenting sites of accidents like this one. But she said it could take longer in this case because they will not go back to the site until it's declared safe. It was not clear when that may happen.
In the meantime, she said, NTSB staff was focusing on reviewing records, interviewing witnesses and other tasks that do not require being on site. She said the board is also pursuing details of how the bridge was rebuilt after a coal train derailed there in 2009.
Hersman also said investigators wanted to learn if the tidal surge from Superstorm Sandy may have caused problems at the bridge. Though it's in one of the parts of New Jersey least impacted by the storm, she said there may have been an effect.
Officials, meanwhile, were still considering how and when to move the remaining chemical from the ruptured car.
Even without all details of the accident determined, New Jersey state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, a Democrat whose district includes Paulsboro, said it pointed to a bigger problem: An aging railroad infrastructure.
He said the 200-foot span at the center of this derailment originally went up in 1873. He said that accidents can happen anywhere, but "you have to make sure, at least, the infrastructure is as safe as it could be."
He said that because federal regulators oversee most freight rail issues, it's up to the federal government to push for, and perhaps pay for, upgrades.
Recent state and federal funding commitments totaling $28 million to improve rail infrastructure have not included the Paulsboro bridge, he said.
___
Follow Mulvihill at http://www.twitter.com/geoffmulvihill
Concussion and its association with contact sportsPublic release date: 30-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jo Ann M Eliason jaeliason@thejns.org 434-982-1209 Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group
Charlottesville, VA (November 30, 2012). The JNS Publishing Group is pleased to announce that the December issue of Neurosurgical Focus is dedicated to Concussion: Pathophysiology & Sequelae. Guest editors Paul S. Echlin (Elliott Sports Medicine Clinic, Burlington, ON, Canada), M. Sean Grady (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA), and Shelly D. Timmons (Geisinger Medical Center/Neurosurgery, Danville, PA) selected 11 articles for this issue that focus on methods of diagnosing concussion and evaluating its consequences, structural and functional changes that can occur in the brain following concussion, and changing attitudes and legislation concerning sports that traditionally carry risks of brain injury.
Concussion, also known as mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), has been called a "silent epidemic" because the event and its consequences, such as cognitive and behavioral changes, may be subtle and are not always recognized.
In the first four articles of the December issuea four-part series offering the results of "a prospective study of physician-observed concussion during a varsity university hockey season"Dr. Echlin and colleagues offer new findings of the Hockey Education Concussion Project (HECP), which focus on concussions sustained by male and female college hockey players in Canada. In November 2010, these researchers presented findings from their groundbreaking study of concussion in junior-league hockey players in Neurosurgical Focus. Today they offer fresh findings on the incidence of concussion during hockey games, neuropsychological changes following concussion, and changes in hockey players' white matter and brain metabolism over the course of the hockey season. The following universities contributed to the new study: University of Western Ontario, Harvard University, University of Montreal, University of British Columbia, and Indiana University. In this study, Echlin and colleagues added advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to neuropsychological tests to follow players' physiological and mental health over an entire season. They administered the MRI studies and neuropsychological assessments (ImPACT and SCAT2) to college hockey players at the beginning of the season, after a diagnosed concussion, and at the end of the season. In addition, physician and non-physician observers were present at games, where they could recognize signs and symptoms of concussion on the spot.
The incidences of game-related concussions identified by Echlin and colleagues in the present series, although lower than stated in their 2010 study, were three times higher in male hockey players and five times higher in female players than those found by other authors. The incidence in female players was substantially higher than that in male players: 14.93 vs. 7.50 per 1000 athlete exposures during the regular season games. The authors discuss some findings that led them to believe that hockey-associated concussion is underreported and other findings that indicate that the current definition of concussion may need to be reexamined. The authors also describe their experiences in conducting the study during hockey games, working with coaches, trainers, and players. Cultural attitudes about hockey and reticence on the part of team members, leaders, and others to report concussion events are discussed.
Other Papers
An overview of what is known about the forces involved in the primary phase of concussion as well as immediate and secondary cellular events that lead to the secondary phase of this TBI is provided by Matthew Dashnaw, Anthony Petraglia, and Julian Bailes. These authors point out that a thorough understanding of the basic processes of concussion and subconcussion must exist in order to prevent and treat the consequences of these injuries.
Scott Zuckerman and colleagues focus on more severe sequelae of sports-related concussions such as subarachnoid, epidural, and subdural hemorrhage, as well as malignant cerebral edemamedical emergencies frequently requiring the services of a neurosurgeon. These authors conducted PubMed searches on structural brain injuries arising from sports-related concussions and found 40 articles describing individual cases and small patient series. The lack of prospective cohort series led the authors to suggest the creation of a prospective registry of these injuries, which would be of great benefit to neurosurgeons dealing with severe consequences of concussion.
A review of the literature on the associations between biomechanical parameters and concussions sustained by helmeted players in American football is reported by Jonathan Forbes and coworkers. They state that the existing data are insufficient to predict the occurrence of concussion based on biomechanical data and suggest that further research is necessary.
In a separate study, patients who sustained a concussion from a motor vehicle accident or a sports mishap and healthy volunteers performed working memory tasks while electrophysiological testing measured event-related potential (ERP) waves in their brains. Nadia Gosselin and colleagues found cerebral dysfunction in the patients with concussions, as indicated by both poor performance on the memory tasks and abnormal ERP waves; the abnormal ERP waves were identified even in patients in the nonacute stage of TBI. The same group of researchers also contributed another paper in which they review long-term alterations in cognitive and motor function following sports-related concussion, which were detected using modern brain investigation techniques. In the second paper, the authors provide new insights into the neuropathophysiology of sports-related concussion.
Magnetoencephalographic virtual recording during language/spatial tasks was examined by Matthew Tormenti and colleagues as a potential diagnostic tool for concussion. Based on their findings, the authors suggest that with some refinements, magnetoencephalographic virtual recording may become a useful noninvasive diagnostic tool.
The status of sport-related concussion legislation in the United States is discussed by Krystal Tomei et al. These researchers compared state laws regarding concussion education, criteria for removal from play, and which individuals are allowed to evaluate a player and clear this individual for return to play. The authors found that concussion legislation has been passed in 43 states and the District of Columbia, and is pending in another 4 states.
Accompanying the December issue of Neurosurgical Focus is a fascinating podcast discussion between Drs. Paul Echlin and Anthony Petraglia. Some topics covered include the basic physics of head injury in atheletes; primary and secondary injuries sustained in concussion; the value of laboratory investigations to the advancement of physician's understanding of concussion; the importance of educating team players, trainers, coaches, and parents in the prevention and treatment of concussion; and how both physicians became interested in sports-related head injuries.
###
Neurosurgical Focus, Volume 33, Number 6, published online November 30, 2012.
Disclosure: Funding information and potential conflicts of interest are listed at the end of each article.
For additional information on articles in the December issue of
Neurosurgical Focus, please contact:
Jo Ann M. Eliason, Communications Manager
Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group
One Morton Drive, Suite 200
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Email: jaeliason@thejns.org
Telephone 434-982-1209
Fax 434-924-2702
Neurosurgical Focus, an online-only, monthly, peer-reviewed journal, covers a different neurosurgery-related topic in depth each month and is available free to all readers at http://www.thejns.org. Enhanced by color images and video clips, each issue constitutes a state-of-the-art "textbook chapter" in the field of neurosurgery. Neurosurgical Focus is one of four monthly journals published by the JNS Publishing Group, the scholarly journal division of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, an association dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to promote the highest quality of patient care.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Concussion and its association with contact sportsPublic release date: 30-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jo Ann M Eliason jaeliason@thejns.org 434-982-1209 Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group
Charlottesville, VA (November 30, 2012). The JNS Publishing Group is pleased to announce that the December issue of Neurosurgical Focus is dedicated to Concussion: Pathophysiology & Sequelae. Guest editors Paul S. Echlin (Elliott Sports Medicine Clinic, Burlington, ON, Canada), M. Sean Grady (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA), and Shelly D. Timmons (Geisinger Medical Center/Neurosurgery, Danville, PA) selected 11 articles for this issue that focus on methods of diagnosing concussion and evaluating its consequences, structural and functional changes that can occur in the brain following concussion, and changing attitudes and legislation concerning sports that traditionally carry risks of brain injury.
Concussion, also known as mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), has been called a "silent epidemic" because the event and its consequences, such as cognitive and behavioral changes, may be subtle and are not always recognized.
In the first four articles of the December issuea four-part series offering the results of "a prospective study of physician-observed concussion during a varsity university hockey season"Dr. Echlin and colleagues offer new findings of the Hockey Education Concussion Project (HECP), which focus on concussions sustained by male and female college hockey players in Canada. In November 2010, these researchers presented findings from their groundbreaking study of concussion in junior-league hockey players in Neurosurgical Focus. Today they offer fresh findings on the incidence of concussion during hockey games, neuropsychological changes following concussion, and changes in hockey players' white matter and brain metabolism over the course of the hockey season. The following universities contributed to the new study: University of Western Ontario, Harvard University, University of Montreal, University of British Columbia, and Indiana University. In this study, Echlin and colleagues added advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to neuropsychological tests to follow players' physiological and mental health over an entire season. They administered the MRI studies and neuropsychological assessments (ImPACT and SCAT2) to college hockey players at the beginning of the season, after a diagnosed concussion, and at the end of the season. In addition, physician and non-physician observers were present at games, where they could recognize signs and symptoms of concussion on the spot.
The incidences of game-related concussions identified by Echlin and colleagues in the present series, although lower than stated in their 2010 study, were three times higher in male hockey players and five times higher in female players than those found by other authors. The incidence in female players was substantially higher than that in male players: 14.93 vs. 7.50 per 1000 athlete exposures during the regular season games. The authors discuss some findings that led them to believe that hockey-associated concussion is underreported and other findings that indicate that the current definition of concussion may need to be reexamined. The authors also describe their experiences in conducting the study during hockey games, working with coaches, trainers, and players. Cultural attitudes about hockey and reticence on the part of team members, leaders, and others to report concussion events are discussed.
Other Papers
An overview of what is known about the forces involved in the primary phase of concussion as well as immediate and secondary cellular events that lead to the secondary phase of this TBI is provided by Matthew Dashnaw, Anthony Petraglia, and Julian Bailes. These authors point out that a thorough understanding of the basic processes of concussion and subconcussion must exist in order to prevent and treat the consequences of these injuries.
Scott Zuckerman and colleagues focus on more severe sequelae of sports-related concussions such as subarachnoid, epidural, and subdural hemorrhage, as well as malignant cerebral edemamedical emergencies frequently requiring the services of a neurosurgeon. These authors conducted PubMed searches on structural brain injuries arising from sports-related concussions and found 40 articles describing individual cases and small patient series. The lack of prospective cohort series led the authors to suggest the creation of a prospective registry of these injuries, which would be of great benefit to neurosurgeons dealing with severe consequences of concussion.
A review of the literature on the associations between biomechanical parameters and concussions sustained by helmeted players in American football is reported by Jonathan Forbes and coworkers. They state that the existing data are insufficient to predict the occurrence of concussion based on biomechanical data and suggest that further research is necessary.
In a separate study, patients who sustained a concussion from a motor vehicle accident or a sports mishap and healthy volunteers performed working memory tasks while electrophysiological testing measured event-related potential (ERP) waves in their brains. Nadia Gosselin and colleagues found cerebral dysfunction in the patients with concussions, as indicated by both poor performance on the memory tasks and abnormal ERP waves; the abnormal ERP waves were identified even in patients in the nonacute stage of TBI. The same group of researchers also contributed another paper in which they review long-term alterations in cognitive and motor function following sports-related concussion, which were detected using modern brain investigation techniques. In the second paper, the authors provide new insights into the neuropathophysiology of sports-related concussion.
Magnetoencephalographic virtual recording during language/spatial tasks was examined by Matthew Tormenti and colleagues as a potential diagnostic tool for concussion. Based on their findings, the authors suggest that with some refinements, magnetoencephalographic virtual recording may become a useful noninvasive diagnostic tool.
The status of sport-related concussion legislation in the United States is discussed by Krystal Tomei et al. These researchers compared state laws regarding concussion education, criteria for removal from play, and which individuals are allowed to evaluate a player and clear this individual for return to play. The authors found that concussion legislation has been passed in 43 states and the District of Columbia, and is pending in another 4 states.
Accompanying the December issue of Neurosurgical Focus is a fascinating podcast discussion between Drs. Paul Echlin and Anthony Petraglia. Some topics covered include the basic physics of head injury in atheletes; primary and secondary injuries sustained in concussion; the value of laboratory investigations to the advancement of physician's understanding of concussion; the importance of educating team players, trainers, coaches, and parents in the prevention and treatment of concussion; and how both physicians became interested in sports-related head injuries.
###
Neurosurgical Focus, Volume 33, Number 6, published online November 30, 2012.
Disclosure: Funding information and potential conflicts of interest are listed at the end of each article.
For additional information on articles in the December issue of
Neurosurgical Focus, please contact:
Jo Ann M. Eliason, Communications Manager
Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group
One Morton Drive, Suite 200
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Email: jaeliason@thejns.org
Telephone 434-982-1209
Fax 434-924-2702
Neurosurgical Focus, an online-only, monthly, peer-reviewed journal, covers a different neurosurgery-related topic in depth each month and is available free to all readers at http://www.thejns.org. Enhanced by color images and video clips, each issue constitutes a state-of-the-art "textbook chapter" in the field of neurosurgery. Neurosurgical Focus is one of four monthly journals published by the JNS Publishing Group, the scholarly journal division of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, an association dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to promote the highest quality of patient care.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 30-Nov-2012
Share ]