To Rebuild NYC’s Beaches, A Native Plant Savings And Loan

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Heather Liljengren, a field taxonomist with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, examines the seed pods of the Virginia spiderwort at Oakwood Beach, Staten Island. Liljengren collects seeds from across the region for a seed bank of native plants.

Heather Liljengren, a field taxonomist with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, examines the seed pods of the Virginia spiderwort at Oakwood Beach, Staten Island. Liljengren collects seeds from across the region for a seed bank of native plants.

Across the New York region, people are still working to rebuild homes and businesses after the havoc wrought by Hurricane Sandy. But the storm also devastated the dunes and native flora of New York's beaches.

When the city replants grasses on those dunes, it will be able to draw on seeds from precisely the grasses that used to thrive there. That's because of a very special kind of bank: a seed bank run by the Greenbelt Native Plant Center on Staten Island.

Heather Lea Liljengren has been a seed collector and field taxonomist for the New York City Parks Department, which runs the Native Plant Center, for more than five years. She's been on the hunt for new deposits: plant seeds that might ensure the survival of the city's flora.

Traipsing through the swampy wetlands of Staten Island's Oakland Beach, Liljengren crashes through towering phragmites, the common reeds that have invaded the world's wetlands and compete with local grasses. When the grasses get this tall taller than an adult human "It's hard to remember where the trail used to be," Liljengren says.

She says she loves being in a swamp and is thrilled to be out in the wilds of New York City, hunting for seeds that are ripe for collecting. "When people walk around, they maybe just see green. But when I walk around I am drawn to every small flowering thing, from the ground all the way up into the trees."

"Well, what a treat," she says, peering at the blooms of the thin-leafed iris, iris prismatica. "[This is] one of the only spots, I believe, in the five boroughs where this species naturally still exists. ... The insects that will come and pollinate these irises love them."

That's why native flora is so important, Liljengren says: If these plants disappear, then so will the insects. In time, the loss of species will snowball.

Seeds are coaxed out of dormancy in the nursery at the Greenbelt Native Plant Center on Staten Island. The center considers its seed bank the "Library of Congress" for the region's native plants.

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To Rebuild NYC's Beaches, A Native Plant Savings And Loan

Turks and Caicos Beaches are Open for Fall Honeymoons

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Autumn is considered the quiet season in the Caribbean. Some resorts close in September and October for special maintenance projects, leaving beaches private and intimate for the visitors.

But the Alexandra Resort, located on world acclaimed Grace Bay Beach on Providenciales in Turks and Caicos Islands, will remain open and offers an ideal place for a fall honeymoon. The resort occupies the ultimate address on the stunning white sands of Grace Bay Beach and beautifully landscaped grounds contribute to a picture perfect setting.

After celebrating a wedding enhanced by a cavalcade of fall colours, swap the vibrant oranges and reds of fall leaves for a honeymoon framed by a sensational backdrop of dazzling turquoise waters and pure white sand beaches.

The stunning Turks and Caicos beaches are never crowded, but honeymooners visiting in the autumn may well feel like they have much of Grace Bay Beach all to themselves. The resort offers honeymooners a wonderful experience to start married life together - strolling along an idyllic Caribbean shoreline, swimming in clear turquoise waters, and enjoying privacy and solitude by the resort's large free form swimming pool.

Fall honeymoons at the Alexandra Resort also offer great savings.

Package prices(based on a minimum three night stay) start from just $364 per room per night and include:

Breakfast room service each morning from Mango Reef Barefoot dinner on the beach one evening with Mango Reef $100 credit at Spa Sanay $100 credit with Caicos Dream Tours excursions Welcome bottle of sparkling wine and sweet treat in room upon arrival Complimentary late check out until 1pm Room upgrade when available Reserved signs on two beach chaises each morning until 11am

As an added bonus, honeymooners staying for five nights will receive the fifth night free, and if they stay seven nights, they will also receive a $100 resort credit. This special offer is available for new reservations made directly with the resort, and for travel from September 1 until November 24, 2013.

For more information visit http://www.alexandraresort.com.

Photos: http://www.prlog.org/12159246

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Turks and Caicos Beaches are Open for Fall Honeymoons

Five State Park Beaches Temporarily Closed For Water Quality Issues

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From a press release from the Department of Natural Resources...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Five state park swimming beaches have temporarily closed for water quality issues, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The state park beaches at Harry S Truman located in Warsaw, Lake of the Ozarks Grand Glaize beach located in Osage Beach, Pomme de Terres Pittsburg beach located in Pittsburg, St. Joes Monsanto Lake beach located in Park Hills and Wakonda located in La Grange are closed following results of water samples takenMondaythat indicated bacteria levels higher than those recommended for waters used for swimming. Once tests from the public beaches indicate the bacteria levels are within the standard suitable for swimming, the beaches will reopen. The swimming beach at Mark Twain remains closed due to flooding conditions.

Harry S Truman, Lake of the Ozarks, Pomme de Terre and St. Joe state parks have a second designated swimming beach that remains open to the public. Visitors to Harry S Truman state park may stop by the office or fee booth to obtain a pass free of charge to swim at the campground beach. Visitors may also enjoy the beaches at Lake of the Ozarks Public Beach #1, Pomme de Terres Hermitage Beach, and St. Joes Pim Lake beach.

The department collects water samples from all designated beaches in the state park system weekly during the recreational season to determine suitability for swimming. Beaches will be closed for high bacteria when a single E. coli sample exceeds 235 cfu/100ml or when the geometric mean a 30-day rolling average exceeds 126 cfu/100 ml. The sample test results indicate a snap shot of the water quality taken at the beaches at a specific time; however, a single sample does not provide an overall sense of the water quality in the lake where the beach is located.

The department will post the information about the beach status on the website atdnr.mo.govas well asmostateparks.com. Visitors to Missouri State Parks are able to sign up to receive free electronic notices about the status of state park beaches while visiting the departments beach status website.

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Five State Park Beaches Temporarily Closed For Water Quality Issues

Coalition: Let’s get real about the beaches

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It's about time to move past the "let the rich folks pay for the beaches" mindset, according to Protect Our Beaches Inc., a coalition that sponsored what it characterized as a "wake-up call" Saturday at the Boca Resort & Club.

Boca Resort president Rick Hayduk hosted the three-hour informational and feedback session, calling it a "conversion."

"Beaches are truly a national treasure and need re-investment," he said. "We lost half our beaches since Sandy, and the time has come for a formal, long-term plan, a combination of government, private business and citizens to handle anything Mother Nature throws at us."

Speakers talked about the effect of beaches on property values, the fishing industry, tourism and business, and John Englander was among those presenting and commenting on sea level rise and global warming.

The discussion centered on how to balance environmental concerns like sea turtles with a permanent plan to pay for beach and dune re-nourishment and simplify the permitting process. Gumbo Limbo Nature Center's turtle maven, marine conservationist Kirt Rusenko was introduced, but didn't speak.

Three members of Boca Raton City Council, State Rep. Bill Hager, Highland Beach Mayor Bernard Featherman and Palm Beach Commission Mayor Steven Abrams sat through the program. "I'm pleased the group is expanding, but we have to go beyond north and south to east and west," Abrams said afterward. "Property values on the coast help fund services for all residents."

He's working with the Department of Environmental Protection on inlets, he added.

Deputy Mayor Susan Haynie said afterward she's a member of a four-county coastal commission that meets regularly and is focusing on the Army Corps of Engineers and a cumbersome permitting process.

"This is not something in the future that one community can tackle on its own," Boca Councilman Anthony Majhess, who is on their advisory board, said afterward.

Lobbyist Tom DeRita said the goal is coming up with a marketing plan and legislative initiative. "If you woke up one day and saw the beaches had disappeared, how would you feel?" he said.

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Coalition: Let's get real about the beaches

State temporarily closes five Missouri state park beaches for water quality issues

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Five state park beaches temporarily closed for water quality issues

The state has temporarily closed five state park swimming beaches due to poor water quality, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has announced.

The beaches are at: Harry S Truman State Park at Warsaw; Lake of the Ozarks State Park's Grand Glaize beach at Osage Beach; Pomme de Terre State Park's Pittsburg beach at Pittsburg; St. Joe State Park's Monsanto Lake beach at Park Hills; and Wakonda State Park in La Grange.

The beaches were closed following results of water samples taken Monday that indicated bacteria levels higher than those recommended for waters used for swimming. Once tests from the public beaches indicate the bacteria levels are within the standard suitable for swimming, the beaches will reopen. The swimming beach at Mark Twain State Park remains closed due to flooding conditions.

Harry S. Truman, Lake of the Ozarks, Pomme de Terre and St. Joe state parks each has a second designated swimming beach that remains open to the public. Visitors to Harry S. Truman state park may stop by the office or fee booth to obtain a pass free of charge to swim at the campground beach. Visitors may also enjoy the beaches at Lake of the Ozarks Public Beach #1, Pomme de Terres Hermitage Beach, and St. Joes Pim Lake beach.

The department collects water samples from all designated beaches in the state park system weekly during the recreational season to determine suitability for swimming. For more information on beach status, see the website at dnr.mo.gov or mostateparks.com.

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State temporarily closes five Missouri state park beaches for water quality issues

Magisto Upgrades Artificial Intelligence Algorithm Introduces Emotion Sense Technology

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NEW YORK, June 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CE Week --Today, Magisto introduced a new component of its patent-pending artificial intelligence technology that furthers its mission to forever improve the personal movie-making process: helping a movie 'make itself.'

Based on the company's proprietary artificial intelligence algorithm, Magisto's Emotion Sense Technology (EST) is able to unlock the emotional power of video editing and production from any smartphone.

The camera phone first made its commercial debut in the mid 1990s. Today with more than a billion smartphones on the planet, myriad devices can shoot and disseminate video in increasingly sophisticated ways. Surprisingly, the actual process of editing and producing movies has changed relatively little since its inception in the early 1900s.

"After more than 100 years,video is fast becoming the mostpopular mediumfor chronicling everyday experiences," said Oren Boiman, CEO and founder of Magisto. "Since few of us are born directors or movie producers, making a movie that conveysthe true feelings of an experience isreally hard.With Magisto'sEmotion Sense Technology, ourusersmovies make themselves, breaking down an extremely sophisticated process into a few clicks, and turningaveragevideo into beautiful stories."

TheMagistoalgorithmgeneratesa deep understanding of what's actually occurring within the scenes of a video. Using that understandingand minimal input from the user,Magisto adjusts its decision making parameters,altering edits, time warpingactions,featuring audioand visualhighlightsand ultimatelydefiningthe arc of astoryline. It thenascribestheselectedmusic and graphical theme for capturing and sharing the emotion in an instant;as easy as snapping a photo.

Over a six-month beta test, which included over 60 million videos, Magisto EST has become smarter, faster and more intuitive in analyzing, identifying and replicating a user's intended mood. Magisto has been able to refine its artificial intelligence in part because it relies on relatively long-form video and multiple photos, which contain lots of information and inferred guidelines for movie making, unlike shorter, disposable, video that delivers one-dimensional vignettes from a single point in time.

In a recent Magisto poll, 81.8 percent of users agree that their recent Magisto videos match the emotion they intended to convey. Examples of videos that have been created with different mood filters and a video news release can be found here in the Magisto VNR.

Kicking off summer, Magisto also announced that it has added two new themes to its "emotion sensing" catalogue. These themes can assist creators in conveying the appropriate mood in their video stories. "Summer Party" and "Fourth of July" will help users set a hot and carefree tone for the summer. Now Magisto users can create movies from pictures and videos and accurately convey the emotions they feel.

About MagistoDriven by artificial intelligence and simple user experience, Magisto is a cloud based service for creating and sharing professional quality personal movies. It automatically selects the most compelling moments and, like an expert video editor, weaves them together to convey a story with customized styles and music. Magisto can be used across iOS, Android and the Web, and is the highest-rated video creation app in the Google Play and iOS App Stores. More information is available at http://www.magisto.com/how-it-works

The company is funded by Horizons Ventures and Magma Venture Partner and maintains its headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel with offices in New York and California. To learn more, visithttp://www.magisto.com,

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Magisto Upgrades Artificial Intelligence Algorithm Introduces Emotion Sense Technology