South coast beaches fatality free in 'dramatic turnaround'

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Dramatic turnaround ... Surf life saver Andrew Edmunds said far south coast lifesavers made it through the 2012-13 season without any deaths. Photo: Lannon Harley

Volunteer surf lifesavers have ended their season without a single death recorded on Far South Coast Beaches.

Increased patrols and regular checks of dangerous swimming spots saw a dramatic turnaround on the 2011-2012 season when eight people died swimming in the region.

After the close of the season on Sunday, Surf Life Saving director Andrew Edmunds said the efforts of volunteers had saved lives during the summer months.

"This achievement is incredibly rare and I am very proud of the work our members have accomplished, he said.

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"We've been doing more patrols, and proactively checking on known black spots that aren't usually patrolled to improve response times to emergencies."

Far South Coast volunteers performed 141 rescues and recorded more than 1100 preventative actions, including helping swimmers, rock fishermen and users of boats and jet skis.

Surf conditions closed 38 beach since the season began in September, and surf lifesavers treated about 300 people with first aid.

"It's remarkable there were no lives lost, with some close calls including resuscitations and spinal injuries in our area, Mr Edmunds said.

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South coast beaches fatality free in 'dramatic turnaround'

800 volunteers collect 1,757kg of waste on eight beaches

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FROM the beaches of Penang and Selangor to Johor, about 800 people came together to clean up the coastlines in various locations under the AEON Pantai Ku Indah programme.

Held recently in conjunction with Earth Day, the clean-up was simultaneously held in eight different locations nationwide with approximately 1,757kg of rubbish collected.

Themed My Beautiful Coastal, it is an annual initiative by AEON Co (M) Bhd to educate and create awareness among the local community on the importance of preserving the environment for the future generation.

The educational and fun-filled day was led by AEONs top management and staff, and saw participants from all walks of life chipping in.

AEON has always supported environmental sustainability and green awareness. We hope with public awareness campaign such as this, we can pass down our values to our community and children, said AEON Co (M) Bhd corporate communication & branding senior manager Nor Laila Mohd Samin.

Kicking off for the first time last year, the event saw around 1,000 people participating.

Taking a step further this year, AEON aimed to engage the younger generation as well to be part of the nationwide coastal clean-up.

We are proud that around 500 children joined us this year, showing that the younger generation is now taking an interest in environmental issues, said Nor Laila.

The participating children were mostly from AEON Malaysia Cheers Club, which was established last year, to promote a sense of love for environment among the younger generations.

During the coastal clean-up session, the children were exposed to environment education and recycling processes.

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800 volunteers collect 1,757kg of waste on eight beaches

Cali Beaches with the Kids

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Yoga on the beach, Santa Monica.Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel

Getty Villa Family Forum.Elon Schoenholz

At the Getty Museum's Family Forum, kids can act out a scene from an ancient vase.Elon Schoenholz

Ready to show off?

If you've got any gymnastics moves, now is your chance to strut your stuff -- and it won't cost you a penny. Try the rings or climb the rope -- right on the beach in Santa Monica. Maybe you'd rather just swing or kick back in the sand while the kids show off.

On a sunny afternoon recently, kids as well as fit adults were doing that and more on Santa Monica beach's famous Muscle Beach.

"The idea of having a gymnasium right at the ocean is really cool -- the ropes and the swings and bars ... you don't have that at other beaches," said Elizabeth Gevorkian, 16, who lives nearby in Burbank.

"It is really cool to watch people who know what they are doing and then try it yourself," said a very happy 13 year old visiting with her brother from Canada.

There is even an area for the kids to climb mini ropes and other equipment. Adults -- and kids -- were doing yoga, inline-skating, riding bikes (you can rent both right here and bike along the beach on the South Bay Bicycle Trail that runs for 22 miles) and jumping in and out of the surf and squealing with laughter. They were playing beach volleyball on the many free courts and lining up for fresh lemonade and tacos, playing games in the arcade on the pier.

In case you're wondering, the original Muscle Beach -- a few miles away in Venice -- is plenty busy too and a great place to people-watch -- if you prefer characters. (I saw one guy skateboarding with a black cat on his shoulder.)

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Cali Beaches with the Kids

Faith helped steer astronomy professor who made planet discovery

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Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions. 7 hours ago by Erik Lacitis

It was a Friday afternoon, Aug. 31 of last year, that Eric Agol, a 42-year-old associate professor of astronomy at the University of Washington, looked at his computer screen and saw something astounding.

The algorithm Agol had put together and run had found an Earthlike planet 1,200 light-years away.

It was orbiting its own sun, in a "habitable zone," nicknamed the "Goldilocks zone," meaning its temperatures are suitable for liquid water. And possibly life.

You could say Agol's work puts him at the crossroads of some complex questions, which he answers with faith.

These days, astronomers don't really peer through giant telescopes.

They look at computer data.

This new planet - 40 percent bigger than Earth, with a 267-day year-showed up as a dip in a bunch of dots across the screen. The dip was from a shadow created as the planet crossed the star it was circling.

Agol's finding had been missed by the numerous other scientists studying the digital information from NASA's orbiting Kepler telescope, named for 17th century astronomer Johannes Kepler and launched in 2009 specifically to discover stars in our galaxy that are orbited by habitable, Earth-size planets.

Agol is a low-key guy, but he admits, "I definitely was excited."

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Faith helped steer astronomy professor who made planet discovery

TISHITU Artificial Intelligence Device Control through Speech Recognition with Embedded Systems – Video

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TISHITU Artificial Intelligence Device Control through Speech Recognition with Embedded Systems
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TISHITU Artificial Intelligence Device Control through Speech Recognition with Embedded Systems - Video

AirSupply – the joint Supply Chain Management platform for the European Aerospace Industry – Video

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AirSupply - the joint Supply Chain Management platform for the European Aerospace Industry
Perfectly suited to the needs of the aerospace and defense industry, SupplyOn #39;s solution AirSupply is designed as an efficient and high-performance collabora...

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AirSupply - the joint Supply Chain Management platform for the European Aerospace Industry - Video

China makes aerospace history by launching its first high-resolution satellite – Video

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China makes aerospace history by launching its first high-resolution satellite
China has made aerospace history by launching its first high-resolution satellite that can predict natural disasters. Report by Lisa Hartle. Like us on Faceb...

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Nutrition Capital Network's NYC Investor Meeting April 29 – 30 Highlights High Growth Companies and Emerging Market …

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Nutrition Capital Network (NCN) (www.nutritioncapital.com), an organization that connects investors with high-potential growth companies in the nutrition and health & wellness industry, is holding its Spring Investor Meeting on April 29-30 in New York City, where 20-22 selected growth companies will present to 50-70 investment groups representing $6 billion in capital.

With private equity leaders and strategic investors such as Bayer, DSM, Coca-Cola, Kelloggs, Pepsi and Unilever among its distinguished Cornerstone Investors, NCN serves as a gateway for growth companies to obtain both capital and seasoned partners. The NCN XII Spring Investor Meeting in New York will highlight growth companies in a range of segments, including dietary supplements, natural & organic food and beverages, and nutritional ingredients, among others. Presenting companies are selected and coached by NCNs committee of industry veterans.

NCN investment meetings also present the Health & Wellness Investor Forum, where NCN Principals and Partners present industry data and insights into recent transactions.

NCN tracks investment activity in the nutrition and health & wellness industry throughout the year. The industry is on track to equal, if not surpass, the record high of 287 transactions posted in 2012 with recent Q1 transactions showing sustained interest among investors, noted Grant Ferrier, NCN CEO and co-founder. Last year, we saw over 50% growth in financings despite a 12% drop in M&A activity, indicating strong momentum in the nutrition and health & wellness markets served by NCN.

NCN has a successful track record of matching entrepreneurs, growth companies and technology innovators with suitable investors, acquirers and strategic partners. Of the 287 companies that have presented at NCN Investor Meetings from 2007-2012, 43% have completed some form of transaction. Past presenters that have closed significant transactions include Food Should Taste Good, a company acquired by General Mills in February 2012, in addition to Annies, Immaculate Baking, Zico and Zhenas Gypsy Tea.

For more information about Nutrition Capital Network and the upcoming NYC Investor Meeting, please contact Alissa Sears of Christie Communications at (805) 969-3744 or email alissa@christiecomm.com.

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American Academy of Arts and Sciences Elects Martin J. Blaser, MD, Professor of Medicine and Microbiology, to 2013 …

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NYU School of Medicine Professor Joins World Leaders in Academia, Business, Public Affairs, Humanities and the Arts

Newswise New York, NY, April 25, 2013 NYU School of Medicine is pleased to announce that The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AMACAD) has elected Martin J. Blaser, MD, the George and Muriel Singer Professor of Medicine, professor of microbiology, and director of the Human Microbiome Program at NYU Langone, to this years class of members. The new class will be inducted at a ceremony on October 12, 2013, at the Academys headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Members of the 2013 class include winners of the Nobel Prize; National Medal of Science; the Lasker Award; the Pulitzer and the Shaw prizes; the Fields Medal; MacArthur and Guggenheim fellowships; the Kennedy Center Honors; and Grammy, Emmy, Academy, and Tony awards.

Dr. Blaser is a world renowned researcher in microbiology and infectious disease. His work over the past three decades has helped transform our understanding of the human microbiome, the bacteria that live on and inside us. In particular, his lab has helped untangle the complex molecular behavior of Helicobacter pylori, a widespread species of bacteria linked to gastritis, peptic ulcers and stomach cancer. In addition to developing the first blood test for H. pylori, his team has recast the microbe in a new light, showing how its depletion in the gut through the use of antibiotics increases the risk of childhood asthma. Dr. Blaser holds 24 U.S. patents relating to his research into bacterial diseases and the microbiome, and has authored over 500 original articles.

Martin Blaser has made invaluable contributions not only to the study of the microbiome and disease, but as an educator and mentor to many fellow scientists, said Dafna Bar-Sagi, PhD, senior vice president and vice dean for Science and chief scientific officer at NYU School of Medicine. Through his leadership and intangible interpersonal qualities as well as his research, he stands out as a model for the scientific community and beyond. His election to the AMACAD is richly deserved."

Dr. Blaser is the principal investigator on five peer reviewed grants, including three from the NIH, and serves as chair of the Advisory Board for Clinical Research at the NIH. Dr. Blaser also leads the Human Microbiome Program at NYU Langone.

Dr. Blaser is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, the American Epidemiologic Society, and the American Clinical and Climatological Association, as well as a Governor of the American Academy of Microbiology and a Master of the American College of Physicians. He currently serves as the Chair of the Advisory Board for Clinical Research of the National Institutes of Health, and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Previously he served as president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and as Chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Cancer Institute.

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About NYU School of Medicine: NYU School of Medicine is one of the nations preeminent academic institutions dedicated to achieving world class medical educational excellence. For 170 years, NYU School of Medicine has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history and enrich the lives of countless people. An integral part of NYU Langone Medical Center, the School of Medicine at its core is committed to improving the human condition through medical education, scientific research and direct patient care. The School also maintains academic affiliations with area hospitals, including Bellevue Hospital Center, one of the nations finest municipal hospitals where its students, residents and faculty provide the clinical and emergency care to New York Citys diverse population, which enhances the scope and quality of their medical education and training. Additional information about the NYU School of Medicine is available at http://school.med.nyu.edu/.

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American Academy of Arts and Sciences Elects Martin J. Blaser, MD, Professor of Medicine and Microbiology, to 2013 ...