Hundreds more flights canceled as Christmas storm moves east

Tornadoes were reported across parts of the South, compounding what was already likely to be a travel nightmare. Jim Cantore of The Weather Channel reports.

By M. Alex Johnson, NBC News

More than 450 more flights were canceled across the U.S. on a snowy, blustery Christmas Day, many of them in Texas, where the Dallas and Houston areas were smacked with a rare coating of snow and ice Tuesday.

By 8 p.m. ET, 458 flights into or out of U.S. airports had been scrubbed, the travel website flightaware.com reported. At least 160 departures were canceled at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, airport spokesman David Maga?a told NBC 5 of Dallas.

NBCDFW.com: White Christmas brings delays, cancellations to DFW airport

With 8 to 15 inches of snow expected across northern Ohio on Wednesday, United Airlines canceled at least 60 percent of its flights at Cleveland Hopkins Airport beginning at noon Wednesday, NBC station WKYC of Cleveland reported.


Numerous traffic accidents also stalled motorists across Texas and Oklahoma as drivers slid and crashed in a mixture of wind, sleet and snow. Twenty-one cars and tractor-trailers crashed in a massive pileup on roads coated with freezing rain in Oklahoma City.

"You definitely have to worry about everyone while you're driving, especially out here," Dallas resident Jerdal Whitaker told NBC 5 of Dallas. "We're not used to the weather that comes, especially when it's ugly, so you definitely have to drive slow."

With temperatures expected to drop into the teens, little melting was expected overnight.

Christmas storms spread snow, tornadoes across US, snarling travel

The Midwest was also heavily hit. A blizzard was forecast to end up having dropped 10 to 15 inches of snow on parts of Indiana, where road crews began work last Friday on keeping roads as passable as possible.

"We're hoping to make it there in time before that weather hits," said James Mason, who was driving home Tuesday to Missouri with his wife and three children through Indiana.

"We don't want to get caught up in it. That is when accidents happen and people get stranded," he told?NBC station WTHR of Indianapolis?during a rest stop in Plainfield, Ind.

The heavy snow spread into Kentucky, where state officials urged people to stay at home and off the roads.

"Try to avoid travel from, say, 9 or 10 Tuesday night through about noon on Wednesday, simply because the conditions are going to be so brutal," said Keith Todd, a spokesman for the state Transportation Department. "If you do go out, you ?need to be prepared like you're going to the North Pole."

In Ohio, the Transportation Department planned to have more than over 100 snow plows on the streets by 4 a.m. Wednesday.

The storm is forecast to hit the Northeast sometime Wednesday evening, bringing a mix of heavy sleet, snow or heavy rain, depending on its track.?

Motorists were warned to expect whiteout conditions in falling and blowing snow overnight Wednesday in the Buffalo area, where some locations could get as much as 14 inches by late Thursday, NBC station WGRZ of Buffalo reported.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/25/16151508-hundreds-more-flights-canceled-as-christmas-storm-moves-east?lite

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Over the fiscal cliff: How hard a landing?

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Efforts to save the nation from going over a year-end "fiscal cliff" were in disarray as lawmakers fled the Capitol for their Christmas break. "God only knows" how a deal can be reached now, House Speaker John Boehner declared.

President Barack Obama, on his way out of town himself, insisted a bargain could still be struck before Dec. 31. "Call me a hopeless optimist," he said.

A look at why it's so hard for Republicans and Democrats to compromise on urgent matters of taxes and spending, and what happens if they fail to meet their deadline:

___

NEW YEAR'S HEADACHE

Partly by fate, partly by design, some scary fiscal forces come together at the start of 2013 unless Congress and Obama act to stop them. They include:

? Some $536 billion in tax increases, touching nearly all Americans, because various federal tax cuts and breaks expire at year's end.

? About $110 billion in spending cuts divided equally between the military and most other federal departments. That's about 8 percent of their annual budgets, 9 percent for the Pentagon.

Hitting the national economy with that double whammy of tax increases and spending cuts is what's called going over the "fiscal cliff." If allowed to unfold over 2013, it would lead to recession, a big jump in unemployment and financial market turmoil, economists predict.

___

WHAT IF THEY MISS THE DEADLINE?

If New Year's Day arrives without a deal, the nation shouldn't plunge onto the shoals of recession immediately. There still might be time to engineer a soft landing.

So long as lawmakers and the president appear to be working toward agreement, the tax hikes and spending cuts could mostly be held at bay for a few weeks. Then they could be repealed retroactively once a deal was reached.

The big wild card is the stock market and the nation's financial confidence: Would traders start to panic if Washington appeared unable to reach accord? Would worried consumers and businesses sharply reduce their spending? In what could be a preview, stock prices around the world dropped Friday after House Republican leaders' plan for addressing the fiscal cliff collapsed.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has warned lawmakers that the economy is already suffering from the uncertainty and they shouldn't risk making it worse by blowing past their deadline.

___

WHAT IF THEY NEVER AGREE?

If negotiations between Obama and Congress collapse completely, 2013 looks like a rocky year.

Taxes would jump $2,400 on average for families with incomes of $50,000 to $75,000, according to a study by the non-partisan Tax Policy Center. Because consumers would get less of their paychecks to spend, businesses and jobs would suffer.

At the same time, Americans would feel cuts in government services; some federal workers would be furloughed or laid off, and companies would lose government business. The nation would lose up to 3.4 million jobs, the Congressional Budget Office predicts.

"The consequences of that would be felt by everybody," Bernanke says.

___

THE TAXES

Much of the disagreement surrounds the George W. Bush-era income tax cuts, and whether those rates should be allowed to rise for the nation's wealthiest taxpayers. Both political parties say they want to protect the middle-class from tax increases.

Several tax breaks begun in 2009 to stimulate the economy by aiding low- and middle-income families are also set to expire Jan. 1. The alternative minimum tax would expand to catch 28 million more taxpayers, with an average increase of $3,700 a year. Taxes on investments would rise, too. More deaths would be covered by the federal estate tax, and the rate climbs from 35 percent to 55 percent. Some corporate tax breaks would end.

The temporary Social Security payroll tax cut also is due to expire. That tax break for most Americans seems likely to end even if a fiscal cliff deal is reached, now that Obama has backed down from his call to prolong it as an economic stimulus.

___

THE SPENDING

If the nation goes over the fiscal cliff, budget cuts of 8 percent or 9 percent would hit most of the federal government, touching all sorts of things from agriculture to law enforcement and the military to weather forecasting. A few areas, such as Social Security benefits, Veterans Affairs and some programs for the poor, are exempt.

___

THERE'S MORE AT STAKE

All sorts of stuff could get wrapped up in the fiscal cliff deal-making. A sampling:

? Some 2 million jobless Americans may lose their federal unemployment aid. Obama wants to continue the benefits extension as part of the deal; Republicans say it's too costly.

? Social Security recipients might see their checks grow more slowly. As part of a possible deal, Obama and Republican leaders want to change the way cost-of-living adjustments are calculated, which would mean smaller checks over the years for retirees who get Social Security, veterans' benefits or government pensions.

? The price of milk could double. If Congress doesn't provide a fix for expiring dairy price supports before Jan. 1, milk-drinking families could feel the pinch. One scenario is to attach a farm bill extension to the fiscal cliff legislation ? if a compromise is reached in time.

? Millions of taxpayers who want to file their 2012 returns before mid-March will be held up while they wait to see if Congress comes through with a deal to stop the alternative minimum tax from hitting more people.

___

CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF?

In theory, Congress and Obama could just say no to the fiscal cliff, by extending all the tax cuts and overturning the automatic spending reductions in current law. But both Republicans and Democrats agree it's time to take steps to put the nation on a path away from a future of crippling debt.

Indeed, the automatic spending cuts set for January were created as a last-ditch effort to force Congress to deal with the debt problem.

If Washington bypassed the fiscal cliff, the next crisis would be just around the corner, in late February or early March, when the government reaches a $16.4 trillion ceiling on the amount of money it can borrow.

Boehner says Republicans won't go along with raising the limit on government borrowing unless the increase is matched by spending cuts to help attack the long-term debt problem. Failing to raise the debt ceiling could lead to a first-ever U.S. default that would roil the financial markets and shake worldwide confidence in the United States.

To avoid that scenario, Obama and Boehner are trying to wrap a debt limit agreement into the fiscal cliff negotiations.

___

SO WHAT'S THE HOLDUP?

They're at loggerheads over some big questions.

Obama says any deal must include higher taxes for the wealthiest Americans. Many House Republicans oppose raising anyone's tax rates. Boehner tried to get the House to vote for higher taxes only on incomes above $1 million but dropped the effort when it became clear he didn't have the votes.

Republicans also insist on deeper spending cuts than Democrats want to make. And they want to bring the nation's long-term debt under control by significantly curtailing the growth of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security ? changes that many Democrats oppose.

Obama, meanwhile, wants more temporary economic "stimulus" spending to help speed up a sluggish recovery. Republicans say the nation can't afford it.

___

IT'S NOT JUST WASHINGTON

Seems like they could just make nice, shake hands and split their differences, right?

But there's a reason neither side wants to give ground. The two parties represent a divided and inconsistent America. True, Obama just won re-election. But voters also chose a Republican majority in the House.

Republican and Democrats alike say they are doing what the voters back home want.

Neither side has a clear advantage in public opinion. In an Associated Press-GfK poll, 43 percent said they trust the Democrats more to manage the federal budget deficit and 40 percent preferred the Republicans. There's a similar split on who's more trusted with taxes.

About half of Americans support higher taxes for the wealthy, the poll says, and about 10 percent want tax increases all around. Still, almost half say cutting government services, not raising taxes, should be the main focus of lawmakers as they try to balance the budget.

When asked about specific budget cuts being discussed in Washington, few Americans express support for them.

___

THE COUNTDOWN

Time for deal-making is short, thanks to the holiday and congressional calendars. Some key dates for averting the fiscal cliff:

? Lawmakers aren't expected to return to the Capitol until after Christmas, leaving less than a week to vote on a compromise before year's end.

? Obama and his family also left town for a Christmas vacation in Hawaii. The president said because the fiscal cliff was still unresolved, he would return to Washington this week.

? If lawmakers reach Dec. 31 without a deal, some economists worry that the financial markets might swoon.

? The current Congress is in session only through noon Eastern time on Jan. 3. After that, a newly elected Congress with 13 new senators and 82 new House members would inherit the problem.

___

Associated Press writers Jim Kuhnhenn, Alan Fram and Andrew Taylor and Director of Polling Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.

___

Follow Connie Cass on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ConnieCass

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/over-fiscal-cliff-hard-landing-081724041.html

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Paying It Forward Starts by Leading with Your Heart | MomsGetReal

If you enjoy this post, be sure to follow MomsGetReal on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+!Getting Real With +Shadra Bruce, Owner of +MomsGetReal

heartRemember the movie from 2000 starring Haley Joel Osment called ?Pay It Forward??

The idea in the movie ? take a good deed and pay it forward to three people ? is such a wonderful idea.

Sometimes, around the Christmas season, I begin feeling disenchanted with the thought that this could really happen. We?ve had so much war and negativity and volatility in our country lately, it can be hard to find the hope this season represents.

But I do believe that each of us holds the power to make a difference and have an impact on the world.

Your impact on the world is not going to come from your wealth, your ability to sell, your ability to be the hardest-working employee. It?s not even going to come from the gifts you buy to give.

Your impact on the world is going to come from your heart.

You can make a difference by speaking kindly, smiling more, giving freely?

You can make a difference by seeing past differences and finding commonality?

You can have an impact in the world by choosing each day to open your heart.

At the end of the day, it won?t matter how big your TV is or how fat your bank account is.

It won?t matter who you voted for or where you stood on the issues.

It won?t matter what things you?ve collected.

The only measure that will matter is your heart. Do you lead with your heart?

?

Source: http://momsgetreal.com/2012/12/paying-it-forward-starts-by-leading-with-your-heart/

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Take The Initiative With These Self Help Suggestions | Mind and ...

It?s of utmost importance to work on your self improvement. From developing a healthier lifestyle, to developing better spending habits. It?s vital that you work on yourself to live the best life you can. Think of personal development as a lifelong journey that could take you places you have not thought of yet. You are sure to have a much happier and healthier life if you find a way to develop and maintain good habits every day.

Personal development comes from the decisions that you make when you choose not to miss an opportunity. Even if you don?t have all the information you would like, don?t be scared to make decisions. Good instincts derive from making successful decisions. Even bad decisions serve a purpose, as they teach valuable lessons. You?ll make a better decision next time.

TIP! Everyone makes mistakes, especially when it comes to following a healthy diet. Stress can be just as detrimental to your health as a sugary meal, so keep that fact in mind, and try to relax.

When you are working toward self improvement, an important thing to keep in mind is that you are entitled to the best. You have no one to disappoint but yourself. You can?t have any regrets if you know that you performed to the best of your abilities.

A fundamental basic of personal development includes improvements to your health. People feel better physically and mentally when in the best shape. When your health is good you think wisely and make good decisions. You also save money on medical expenses. You?ll often find that making one healthy choice leads to another, helping you to continue to improve your healthy lifestyle.

TIP! A critical step of personal development is the realization and acceptance of your insignificance. Realizing how tiny you are in the grand scheme of things will help you to admit your ignorance.

Demonstrate altruism to improve your life. If you direct your energy outward to make others? lives better, while temporarily putting your own needs second, you can greatly improve your character. Making sacrifices for others can help you to transcend feelings of selfishness and jealousy.

Be aware of your physical limitations when reaching for your goals and do not overwhelm your body. Do your best, but do not overwork yourself to the point of physical or mental exhaustion. Making sure you stay healthy is important when you are trying to reach your goals. This will end up being counter-productive in your personal development.

TIP! Your body?s health and your mental health are two sides of the same coin, and each has a close effect on the other. Regular exercise and nutritious foods are important to gaining total personal fitness.

Act with your core values in place. Each individual has beliefs that he or she follows all the time. Following these beliefs will help your sense of self-esteem. It gives your life meaning and a solid structure to build around. Better yet, this practice encourages consistency, which is an excellent character trait to maintain.

It may become discouraging to begin developing better personal habits and lifestyles, but once you start noticing your life developing towards a better future, you will never want to stop. You can always develop better ways to do things and it?s important to always try hard towards any personal development goals you have.

TIP! Exercise is not only for people wanting to lose weight. The physical reasons for exercising are numerous.

You should now know more about the complex world of emotional freedom. Researching emotional freedom was an essential step. If you?re still curious, don?t be afraid to find other articles about emotional freedom to read through.

Categories: Personal Development | Tags: Personal Development | Permalink

Author: manpro

European Marketing Professional Online- and Networkmarketer Online Afiliate Marketer

Source: http://www.mindandbodymagic.com/take-the-initiative-with-these-self-help-suggestions/

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Source: http://yvinedep.posterous.com/take-the-initiative-with-these-self-help-sugg

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Unfinished business


Robert Geathers

Updated: 6:10 p.m.

The two guys who have been along for all of Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis's four postseason rides, the man himself and left end Robert Geathers, aren?t looking back into the archives with the smoke still rising over the Heinz Field trenches and Sunday's 13-10 heavyweight victory over the Steelers that put the Bengals into the playoffs for the third time in four years.

"We're a different team; we believe we're good," Geathers said Monday after Lewis met briefly with the team Christmas Eve. "It's a different feel. It's not the same. Everybody has bought into what we're doing."

Lewis sensed it in the Heinz locker room after it was over Sunday. He hated the division-clinching show in Detroit on Dec. 18, 2005, complete with the dastardly AFC North Champions hats, and the giddiness of the 2009 sweep.

"That was a different locker room yesterday. It wasn't a locker room that was giddy about anything," Lewis said. "There's work ahead. One of the things is done. Move on to some other things we haven't accomplished."

On one side, Lewis likes that experience up front on both sides of the ball that have been here for three playoff berths in four years: Geathers, Domata Peko, Michael Johnson and Pat Sims on defense with Andrew Whitworth, Kyle Cook, Andre Smith, Anthony Collins and Dennis Roland on offense.

But he also likes the fact the bulk of them still remember the sting of last year's loss in Houston, how they looked at each other and knew how much they would have to improve to even get back.

?In ?05 it was like that wasn?t really the prize. That scene in Detroit, my point was we weren?t there yet," said Lewis, who did the real Super Bowl celebration with the Ravens in 2000. "When you?ve been beyond that you realize there are bigger fish to fry. I think our group understands this now. Appreciate it, feel good about it, celebrate it but realize what it took to get there and that it takes more because now we?re going to pare it down again."

After living through what amounted to byes in the regular-season finales of 2005 and 2009 heading into the AFC Wild Card game, Lewis sounded like he'll play Sunday's finale against the AFC North champion Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium straight up with his regulars.

Vets like Geathers and Peko agree.

"It's up to the head coach, but I like the idea of keep the momentum going. I think that's important for us to keep the momentum rolling," Geathers said. "We're catching it at just the right time. That's what teams that make runs do: they get it together at just the right time and carry it on into the playoffs."

The Bengals had to play it out last year because they needed to beat the Ravens in the season finale at PBS to get into the playoffs for sure. They didn't but got in with help. But in '05 with their place set, the Bengals sat down quarterback Carson Palmer after two series in a 37-7 loss in Kansas City in the last game.

Lewis tried to play it out more in the '09 finale against a Jets team at home that had to win and a Bengals team that didn't. This time, Palmer lasted until early in the third quarter, but the 37-0 loss was even uglier.

With just 72 total yards the Bengals set a record for fewest yards in a game (83) previously set in Houston on Halloween 1971. And they suffered their first shutout since Lewis?s Baltimore defense beat them 16-0 on Dec. 23, 2001.

Now, asked if he's tempted to rest players like he did those seasons, Lewis asked, "How did that work out for us?"

Not well. They were ousted the next week.

But the one big difference? The defense is playing at its highest level under Lewis. Certainly heading into the postseason. In this 6-1 stretch the Bengals are allowing just 12 points per game, 95.5 rushing yards, and have held foes to 29-of-94 on third down. Compare that to '05 when they gave up 74 points in their last two games and Kansas City's Larry Johnson rushed for 201 yards in the finale. Or '09, when the Bengals allowed 257 yards rushing in the finale to the Jets.

"That's something good to have, man, especially in the playoffs. You want to have that good defense," Peko said. "We've just got to keep it rolling. Like you said, in '09 when we used to have that high-powered offense with (Chad Johnson), things are changing, man. It's about defense now around here. Our defense has really stepped it up and that's what you want to do. You want to have a great defense when you're trying to make a Super Bowl run."

There's a sense of change because it's the best closing run heading into the regular-season finale in Lewis's 10 seasons. At 6-1, only the 5-2 of '05 compares. At 3-1 the Bengals could have their best December of any of the previous playoff runs with a win over Baltimore. Heading into the '05 playoffs they were 3-2 in December but lost the last two. In '09 they were 2-3, losing the last three of four. And last year, when the Bengals had to beat the Ravens to make sure they got in the playoffs in the finale, a loss to Baltimore put them at 2-3 for December.

"The difference with us and last year -- I think in December, November last year, we were kind of out of balance a little bit," Peko said. "This year we started a little slower but now we're starting to take off. Those are the teams that are dangerous, like Seattle, they've been doing their thing and kind of sneaking into the playoffs or whatnot. That's just like us -- we want to be one of those teams on the rise in the playoffs, one of those games you don't want to play."

Peko is all for Lewis wanting to go for it Sunday. He remembers how a knee injury took him out of December in '09 and he came back cold in the Wild Card game.

"I think we're just going to do whatever the coaches want us to do. As far as me, I just want to keep playing. I don't want to not play and get rusty or whatnot," Peko said. "We should just keep playing, is what I think, and go out there and keep getting better. Each game is a chance to get better, especially against Baltimore. They're a hell of a team and they're in the playoffs also, so this will be a good test for us to go out there and get the job done."

Another reason Lewis is prepared to play the finale out is what happened in that 44-13 opener on Monday night 85 days ago Baltimore. It still doesn't sit well. Asked if he's got that in his mindset, he said, "There?s a lot in my mindset this week. We didn?t kick the season off very good, and now we get to finish it at home."

In Baltimore on Monday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh made it sound like he, too, is going to go all out Sunday at PBS. The thinking is the Ravens want to win so they have a shot at the third seed and playing the Bengals again in Baltimore on Wild Card Weekend. But Harbaugh did say he'd have to think about resting some people, and he does have a battered roster.

?It?s definitely a consideration. The biggest thing is that you can?t play this game half-speed. You have to play this game full-speed," Harbaugh said. "Our guys are going to play the game full-speed to win the game. How that type of thing would shake out is definitely a consideration, but I would expect it to be a tight game all the way through. These are two evenly-matched teams, and it?s going to be a highly-competitive game. So, I haven?t really thought along those lines right now.?

But Lewis knows the score. His club needs a playoff win. Beating arch-nemesis Pittsburgh on the road to go back-to-back is just half the deal.

"Now we?ve erased two of the monkeys (off the back). We?ve got two more to erase, and we?re going to work hard these next six weeks to erase those too," Lewis said of winning a playoff game and then a Super Bowl.

At this past NFL scouting combine, Lewis expressed frustration at the elusive postseason win. He's third on the list for most regular-season games coached without a playoff win (160) behind Jim Mora (231) and Norm Van Brocklin (173). On Monday, he says that win is still on his mind.

"It?s something, you do this in order to win a championship. You can?t win a championship until you win a playoff game. So that?s important. Now we?re in the tourney and we?ve got to go from there," Lewis said.

?

Source: http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Unfinished-business/692be690-eea1-4dd8-bee2-0674103534e6

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Few tests done at toxic sites after superstorm

OLD BRIDGE, N.J. (AP) ? For more than a month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said that the recent superstorm didn't cause significant problems at any of the 247 Superfund toxic waste sites it's monitoring in New York and New Jersey.

But in many cases, no actual tests of soil or water are being conducted, just visual inspections.

The EPA conducted a handful of tests right after the storm, but couldn't provide details or locations of any recent testing when asked last week. New Jersey officials point out that federally designated Superfund sites are EPA's responsibility.

The 1980 Superfund law gave EPA the power to order cleanups of abandoned, spilled and illegally dumped hazardous wastes that threaten human health or the environment. The sites can involve long-term or short-term cleanups.

Jeff Tittel, executive director of the Sierra Club in New Jersey, says officials haven't done enough to ensure there is no contamination from Superfund sites. He's worried toxins could leach into groundwater and the ocean.

"It's really serious and I think the EPA and the state of New Jersey have not done due diligence to make sure these sites have not created problems," Tittel said.

The EPA said last month that none of the Superfund sites it monitors in New York or New Jersey sustained significant damage, but that it has done follow-up sampling at the Gowanus Canal site in Brooklyn, the Newtown Creek site on the border of Queens and Brooklyn, and the Raritan Bay Slag site, all of which flooded during the storm.

But last week, EPA spokeswoman Stacy Kika didn't respond to questions about whether any soil or water tests have been done at the other 243 Superfund sites. The agency hasn't said exactly how many of the sites flooded.

"Currently, we do not believe that any sites were impacted in ways that would pose a threat to nearby communities," EPA said in a statement.

Politicians have been asking similar questions, too. On Nov. 29, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., wrote to the EPA to ask for "an additional assessment" of Sandy's impact on Superfund sites in the state.

Elevated levels of lead, antimony, arsenic and copper have been found at the Raritan Bay Slag site, a Superfund site since 2009. Blast furnaces dumped lead at the site in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and lead slag was also used there to construct a seawall and jetty.

The EPA found lead levels as high as 142,000 parts per million were found at Raritan Bay in 2007. Natural soil levels for lead range from 50 to 400 parts per million.

The EPA took four samples from the site after Superstorm Sandy: two from a fenced-off beach area and two from a nearby public playground. One of the beach samples tested above the recreational limit for lead. In early November, the EPA said it was taking additional samples "to get a more detailed picture of how the material might have shifted" and will "take appropriate steps to prevent public exposure" at the site, according to a bulletin posted on its website. But six weeks later, the agency couldn't provide more details of what has been found.

The Newtown Creek site, with pesticides, metals, PCBs and volatile organic compounds, and the Gowanus Canal site, heavily contaminated with PCBs, heavy metals, volatile organics and coal tar wastes, were added to the Superfund list in 2010.

Some say the lead at the Raritan Bay site can disperse easily.

Gabriel Fillippeli, director of the Center for Urban Health at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, said lead tends to stay in the soil once it is deposited but can be moved around by stormwaters or winds. Arsenic, which has been found in the surface water at the site, can leach into the water table, Fillippeli said.

"My concern is twofold. One is, a storm like that surely moved some of that material physically to other places, I would think," Fillippeli said. "If they don't cap that or seal it or clean it up, arsenic will continue to make its way slowly into groundwater and lead will be distributed around the neighborhood."

The lack of testing has left some residents with lingering worries.

The Raritan Bay Slag site sits on the beach overlooking a placid harbor with a view of Staten Island. On a recent foggy morning, workers were hauling out debris, and some nearby residents wondered whether the superstorm increased or spread the amount of pollution at the site.

"I think it brought a lot of crud in from what's out there," said Elise Pelletier, whose small bungalow sits on a hill overlooking the Raritan Bay Slag site. "You don't know what came in from the water." Her street did not flood because it is up high, but she worries about a park below where people go fishing and walk their dogs. She would like to see more testing done.

Thomas Burke, an associate dean at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, says both federal and state officials generally have a good handle on the major Superfund sites, which often use caps and walls to contain pollution.

"They are designed to hold up," Burke said of such structures, but added that "you always have to be concerned that an unusual event can spread things around in the environment." Burke noted that the storm brought in a "tremendous amount" of water, raising the possibility that groundwater plumes could have changed.

"There really have to be evaluations" of communities near the Superfund sites, he said. "It's important to take a look."

Officials in both New York and New Jersey note they've also been monitoring less toxic sites known as brownfields and haven't found major problems. The New York DEC said in a statement that brownfields in that state "were not significantly impacted" and that they don't plan further tests for storm impacts.

Larry Ragonese, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, said the agency has done visual inspections of major brownfield sites and also alerted towns and cities to be on the lookout for problems. Ragonese said they just aren't getting calls voicing such concerns.

Back at the Raritan Bay slag site, some residents want more information. And they want the toxic soil, which has sat here for years, out.

Pat Churchill, who was walking her dog in the park along the water, said she's still worried.

"There are unanswered questions. You can't tell me this is all contained. It has to move around," Churchill said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/few-tests-done-toxic-sites-superstorm-172514607.html

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Real estate notes | TribLIVE

By Sam Spatter

Published: Saturday, December 22, 2012, 8:56?p.m.
Updated 8 hours ago

? Mary Ann Sipos of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency was named certified property manager of the year by Western Pennsylvania Chapter 7 of the Institute of Real Estate Management. NDC Real Estate Management Inc., Oakland, was named accredited management organization of the year. Marc F. Battistone, Massaro Properties LLC, was elected Institute president. Anthony Williams, Crossgates Management Inc., is president-elect. Gary R. Kowalczyk, Forest City Residential Management, is secretary-treasurer.

? Herr-Voss Stamco, Callery, Butler County, has renewed its lease in Building One of Schreiber Industrial Park North on Grandview Boulevard in Zelienople. The structure was built in 1968 on 5.6 acres. It has 15 percent office space, eight loading docks and a 10-ton crane. Scott Long of Pennsylvania Commercial Real Estate Inc. represented the landlord. Herr-Voss opened a mill services facility at its New Ross (Crawfordsville, Ind.) site. The maintenance shop complements six other mill service shops in Indiana, Pennsylvania and California.

? Colliers International reported the Pittsburgh industrial market ended September with 8.9 percent vacancy, down from 9.5 percent at the end of the second quarter. In the July-September period, net space leased was 107,935 square feet, compared to a loss of 466,221 square feet in the second quarter. At the end of September, 138,299 square feet of industrial space was under construction.

? George Hackett, president of Coldwell Banker Pittsburgh, was elected president and director of West Penn Multi-List Inc. for a two-year term. Other officers are Helen Hanna Casey, president, Howard Hanna Co., vice president and director; Robert Freeman, president, Freeman Realty Co., treasurer and director; Thomas Hosack, president, Northwood Realty Co., secretary and director; and Ronald Croushore, president, Prudential Preferred Realty, director. Barbara Kohl, who has served as executive vice president, is chief operating officer.

? AE Works Ltd., based in Pittsburgh, was architect and engineer for the recently completed James Van Zandt VA Medical Center Rehabilitation Clinic campus in Altoona.

? LaCreesha McKenzie and her daughters moved into a house at 3932 40th St., New Brighton, on Dec. 15; it was the 50th home built through Habitat for Humanity of Beaver County.

? A fall completion date is scheduled for the University of Pittsburgh?s $87 million Graduate School of Public Health expansion and renovation project. The work includes a laboratory pavilion that will add 58,000 square feet of space and a 215-seat auditorium. The renovation of all facilities, which house the majority of the school?s classrooms, offices and laboratories, will be completed in 2016.

Sam Spatter is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7843 or sspatter@tribweb.com.

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Source: http://triblive.com/business/realestate/3110208-74/president-director-estate

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ANZ National Bank online changes - business | Stuff.co.nz

ANZ is?facing an online storm as customers take to the bank's Facebook page to air their dissatisfaction about changes to the online banking platform since the merger with National Bank.

Customer Bruce Waldman congratulated ANZ's IT teams for accomplishing such a complex transfer of accounts "apparently expeditiously and with so few errors".

"But like so many other long-term ANZ customers, I am appalled that you've moved your customers from what was close to a real-time system to an overnight batch processing system. That's like going back in time 40 years to IBM punch cards," he wrote.

"Many loyal National Bank customers were going to flee as the ANZ signs went up anyway (and for good reason). But why couldn't you have foreseen the groundswell of resentment, which I fully share, of ANZ customers being forced to adapt to such an archaic online banking system?

"The IT team seemingly have performed brilliantly but upper management appear to have exercised very poor judgement in how they planned the transition."

Waldman said in New Zealand the ANZ brand should have been merged in the National Bank brand, not the other way around. Then, he said, National Bank customers should have been moved to the ANZ internet banking platform.

Customer Ray McCully wrote to Sunday Star-Times that the theme of media coverage was that ANZ risked losing many National Bank customers.

"In reality they have gone out of their way to lose ANZ customers. ANZ internet banking was probably the best in NZ until their recent ?upgrade'."

He said no warning was given of the removal of good features.

"About 20 features are now missing," he said

ANZ is defending the move, saying the National Bank internet platform is rated highly by National Bank customers "who had been using it for many years".

"Many improvements have been made over that time and it was ranked No 1, according to Neilson ratings immediately prior to conversion," a spokesman said.

More than a million customers access their accounts via the combined internet banking site.

"Most of our approximately 500,000 ANZ internet banking customers have taken to the new site with ease and we have noticed exponential growth in use of the features that ANZ customers haven't previously had," he said.

"Some expressed their views about the new site, and that's great. This provides good ideas we can take on board when making future improvements."

ANZ said the number of customers who had asked for help had dropped steadily as people became familiar with the site. ANZ has a range of further improvements coming up in both internet banking and mobile for iPhone and Android.

"The first one in March includes improvements to payments and introducing PDF versions of statements and tax certificates.

"Restoring ANZ to ANZ instant payments is planned for mid 2013."

ANZ admitted there are constraints on the new system and some missing features.

An online reponse from a customer service representative on Facebook said: "We are keenly aware there are some features that this current version of internet banking doesn't have and we look forward to rolling out these and many other new features in the coming months now we are on our new technology platform."

The ANZ spokesman said there were a lot of advantages to the new IT system, but there were some technical constraints, such as processing times.

"Internet banking payments used to be processed between 2am and 4am on the due date, but this was moved to between 10pm and 12am on the due date."

He said customers were advised in advance of the changes.

- ? Fairfax NZ News

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/8112424/Flak-flies-over-ANZs-online-changes

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Google working on 'X-phone,' says report

12 hrs.

Google is working?with recently acquired Motorola on a handset codenamed "X-phone", aimed at grabbing market share from Apple and Samsung, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Google acquired Motorola in May for $12.5 billion to bolster its patent portfolio as its Android mobile operating system competes with rivals such as Apple and Samsung.

The Journal quoted the people saying that Motorola is working on two fronts: devices that will be sold by carrier partner Verizon Wireless, and on the X phone.

Motorola plans to enhance the X Phone with its recent acquisition of Viewdle, an imaging and gesture-recognition software developer. The new handset is due out sometime next year, the business daily said, citing a person familiar with the plans.

Motorola is also expected to work on an "X" tablet after the phone. Google Chief Executive Larry Page is said to have promised a significant marketing budget for the unit, the newspaper said quoting the persons.

Google was not immediately reachable for comments outside regular U.S. business hours.

(Reporting by Balaji Sridharan in Bangalore; Editing by Richard Chang)?

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at:?http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/google-working-x-phone-take-rivals-says-report-1C7659313

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