ThinkProgress Gets Hit by Google's Red Screen of Doom

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New York prisons' use of solitary confinement "unjustified": report

(Reuters) - More than 13,500 times last year, New York's state prison system isolated one of its 56,000 inmates from the general prison population and each stay in solitary confinement lasted an average of five months, according to a New York Civil Liberties Union report released on Tuesday.

The report calls the state's use of isolation and segregation of inmates "arbitrary and unjustified" and urges the adoption of clear criteria for employing confinement to punish prisoners.

"Virtually any prisoner can go to ?the box' for breaking any prison rule," NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman said at a Manhattan news conference.

She said in some cases isolation was ordered for "substance abuse, talking back, and - I'm not making this up - having too many postage stamps in your cell."

About 8 percent of New York state prisoners are held either in solitary confinement or in a cell with another inmate 23 hours a day. But only about 16 percent of isolation cases are due to violent behavior, according to the report, which says the average stay in isolation is five months.

There were 563 assaults on staff and 666 inmate assaults on other inmates last year, out of a population of about 56,000, according to the New York State Department of Corrections.

Reporters were invited to stand inside a seven-by-10-foot (two-by-three-meter) wooden box designed to supposedly replicate the experience of solitary confinement.

New York State Department of Corrections Commissioner Brian Fischer disputed the study's conclusions.

"As a society removes those individuals who commit crimes, so too must we remove from general population inmates who violate the Department's code of conduct and who threaten the safety and security of our facilities," it said in a statement. "The possession of drugs, cell phones and weapons pose a serious threat within this and any other prison system."

The yearlong NYCLU study - which gathered data through open records law requests and correspondence with about 100 prisoners who have spent time in isolation - is the latest in a series of reports focusing on standards for inmate isolation in U.S. prisons.

Last week, Amnesty International released a report critical of California's extensive use of solitary confinement at two state prisons.

In June, a federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of mentally ill prisoners isolated at Colorado's so-called Supermax prison in Florence, and the U.S. Senate held a hearing for the first time to examine the use of isolation in federal prisons.

At the hearing, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois said about 56 percent of Illinois state prisoners have spent time in isolation.

The percentage of New York's inmates held in isolation is slightly higher than the number of similarly restricted federal inmates, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons statistics.

Citing letters to the NYCLU, Lieberman said one inmate in isolation described being in "physical and emotional pain 24 hours a day." Another appeared suicidal, writing that "they're going to kill me anyway, so I might as well do it myself."

A 2007 New York state prisons report - the most recent available - found that 83 percent of New York's prison population showed a need for substance abuse treatment.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/york-prisons-solitary-confinement-unjustified-report-232055058.html

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GRCC College Republican and Democrat clubs ready for Election ...

Unless you?ve been living under a rock for the past 12 months, you know that Election 2012 is upon us. It?s difficult to turn on the television, surf the web or open a newspaper without spotting evidence of the battle being raged by both major political parties.

With large media spotlighting the fire, candidates are lobbying back and forth. It can be very intimidating for anyone looking for a grain of truth or to get involved.? But along with election year comes a resurgence in political interest that has brought about the rebirth of Grand Rapids Community College?s political clubs, who are here to offer information and guidance.

On the right are the GRCC College Republicans. The club was inactive for two years and just started this year. The main goal is to generate involvement and educate those interested in participating in the Republican Party.

President and Founder Kyle Breathauer explains that during election years, there are many opportunities for volunteer work and internships.

?This is a great year to find a party to be active in,? said Breathauer.

Breathauer also says that the club has plans to not only be active school-wide but county and state wide as well, and the club will be participating in other college Republican events, as well as hosting a few events. The club has yet to decide on a day and time to meet, but those interested can look on the GRCC College Republican Facebook page or can contact Breathauer directly at kylebreathauer@gmail.com.

To the left, we have the GRCC College Democrats, a student group that was restarted after two years of inactivity by current President Ross Pike. As they work to reestablish a presence on campus, the club is focused on getting the word out about the student club and partnering with student organizations that are tied to major voting blocks such as Women?s Issues NOW and GRCC Cares.

The group works hard to promote candidates and was even invited to stand on stage with Lupe Ramos Montigny when she accepted the nomination for the State Board of Education from the Michigan Democratic Party last weekend.

The group meets twice a week in room 336 of the Student Center on Mondays from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays are reserved for ?Debate and Discussion,? during which everyone is invited to join the conversation about current political topics, while Tuesdays are reserved for business meetings.

The club is planning a free event for? GRCC students (3 dollars at the door for non-students) in the Raider Grill October 19 from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and will serve as a fun introduction for to those looking to get informed and involved.

?The College Democrats are committed to the president, and we invite anyone interested to join the winning side,? Pike said.

Source: http://thecollegiatelive.com/ne/2012/grcc-college-republican-and-democrat-clubs-ready-for-election-2012/

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Casino health study backed by Dr. Isra Levy | Ottawa & Region ...

A ball is seen on a roulette wheel in front of slot machines. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

Report an error

The city?s top doc is ?genuinely pleased? council will ask Ottawa public health for advice on a new casino but it?s too early to say if the agency will take a position in the debate.

?I don?t know at this point. We would have to look at it,? Dr. Isra Levy said Monday.

There is little doubt the finance and economic development committee Tuesday will side with Mayor Jim Watson and endorse the concept of a casino in Ottawa.

The casino part of the meeting will begin at 5 p.m. so residents can attend after the work day and address council members.

As of mid-afternoon Monday, there were already 23 people signed up to speak.

If the committee votes in favour of the casino concept, the recommendation will be sent to council Oct. 10.

A winning vote will prompt Watson to register the city?s approval with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.

The OLG is eyeing Ottawa for a new casino but it won?t know where it could be built until private companies submit proposals.

The debate has become divisive at the community level and in the political realm.

Local Tory MPP Lisa MacLeod and Watson went toe-to-toe on the issue on Twitter Sunday. MacLeod skewering the mayor over his casino plan and defended the Rideau Carleton Raceway, whose operations could be threatened by a new gaming house downtown.

Watson wants to make sure the raceway has equal chance to participate in the OLG?s tendering process.

Opponents of a new gaming facility cite the public health impact when it comes to gambling addictions.

Levy agrees gambling has a social consequence, but he recognizes it?s here to stay.

?Gambling is part of the fabric of our community whether we like it or not,? Levy said.

Levy said he expects council will ask public health to study OLG?s gambling addiction programs.

The casino has become linked to the city?s deferred maintenance crunch.

The $165-million repair bill for the $32 billion worth of city assets could be partially offset by the cut of gaming revenue City Hall would receive from OLG, Watson says.

One place Watson has said a casino won?t be built is Lansdowne Park.

The Lansdowne redevelopment is also on Tuesday?s agenda with the committee being asked to sign off on the final agreements with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group.

The recommendation will go to council Oct. 10.

jon.willing@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @JonathanWilling

?

Do you think Ottawa needs a downtown casino?

Source: http://www.ottawasun.com/2012/10/01/casino-health-study-backed-by-levy

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Relationships According to Social Media | Broke-Ass Stuart's ...

As I made coffee this morning, I struggled to remember what dating was like before social media became a part of every day life. I thought back to the days of anonymity, speculation, and sharing news by word of mouth. Before the days of Facebook, there was no definite box to click- ?Single,? ?In a relationship,? or of course, ?It?s complicated.?

These days, relationships seem to be defined by a careful selection of what is shared for the world to see. You see the smiling faces in their filtered Instagram?posts, their exciting activities through Foursquare check-ins, and photos of all the seemingly delicious food they?re consuming. I?ve scrolled through these posts while home by myself, watching Netflix and eating microwave popcorn in peace, wondering what is really going on behind the scenes. Sure, they?re enjoying meals together, tagging each other at cool places, and photographing every minute of their excursions for the world to see?but when I see a comment on one of these photos stating, ?You look so happy!? I can?t help but wonder if it?s all a show.

Don?t get me wrong; I am not a relationship hater. The real question is, how many relationships are, well, real?

We all have those friends who post about their relationship every day. They must stake their claim on their significant other?s wall. It?s not really a relationship if it?s not Facebook official, right? Whenever I see couples communicating on Facebook, thanking each other for a great day moments after leaving each other, I wonder, would it be so difficult to call or text? Do they just want it clear to the world that they are, indeed, a thing??Personally, I?d rather be content by myself than constantly worried about what the world is thinking or what girls are liking my boyfriend?s status.

Eventually the inevitable happens in any long-term relationship?the talk of marriage. While many of my peers from the Midwest began to find a mate and settle down, I was heading to Taco Tuesday and having short-lived romances with men diagnosed with Peter Pan syndrome. Marriage is great for when you?re ready and if you have found your best friend and companion, but it discourages me how quickly people rush into it. When I see the pictures of couples with huge smiles and diamonds flashed in the air for the camera, a few things run through my mind:

?Awww. I?m glad he finally proposed!?

?I wonder how hard she hounded him to propose.?

?I didn?t even know they were dating.?

A quiet relationship is rare these days. I must say that I respect the people who focus on their personal lives rather than a digital perception of happiness. However, for the majority of social media users, everyone must know every detail about their relationship? including the wedding planning.

The next year will be a production. There will be high levels of stress for newly engaged brides? and they will let the world know. Incessant postings about wedding dress shopping, picking out a venue, engagement parties, bridal parties, bachelorette parties, asking for DJ recommendations, and menu tasting. This goes on and on, until the actual wedding, where the photos and videos are dragged out for yet another year or more. Once the wedding, and dieting, is over, brides live in the memories of that day they wore a white dress and had all eyes on them. Behold, reality.

From time to time I?ll catch up with one of these friends who appear to be extremely well adjusted and happy from their social profiles. The wedding is over, and the real world has kicked in. They?ve got the relationship, the house, and weekend trips to Home Depot. You can imagine my surprise when one of these friends tells me about their upcoming divorce, couple?s counseling sessions, or potential separation. ?We really rushed into it,? they say. ?We got married too young.? Sigh. They looked so happy on Facebook.

It?s difficult to tame my cynicism when every detail is laid out for the world to see? and I do hope that people are as happy off-camera as they are on. I just wonder how many people focus on their own happiness, not the happiness the world expects from them. Meanwhile, my own relationship status box is left blank, and I intend to keep the world guessing.

Photo Credits: Facebook, Celebuzz

Source: http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2012/10/01/relationships-according-to-social-media/

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Tree rings go with the flow of the Amazon

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) ? University of Leeds-led research has used tree rings from eight cedar trees in Bolivia to unlock a 100-year history of rainfall across the Amazon basin, that contains the world's largest river system.

The new study shows that the rings in lowland tropical cedar trees provide a natural archive of data closely related to historic rainfall.

Researchers measured the amounts of two different oxygen isotopes trapped in the wood's rings: oxygen-16 and the heavier oxygen-18. By looking at the varying amounts of the two isotopes, they could see how the pattern of rainfall changed year by year. This allowed them to see how much it rained over the Amazon basin over the past century.

The lead author of the study, Dr Roel Brienen from the School of Geography at the University of Leeds, said: "We already knew that some tropical tree species form annual rings and we also anticipated that the isotopic signature in these rings might record changes in the climate.

"What surprised us, however, is that just eight trees from one single site actually tell us how much it rained not just at that site but over the entire Amazon catchment. That is an area about 25 times the size of the UK. The isotope values recorded in tree rings were very closely related to annual variation in the river levels of the Amazon, and thus of the amount of rainfall that flows into the ocean."

The Amazon basin is among the richest natural ecosystems in the world, containing about one tenth of the planet's biodiversity and one fifth of the carbon stored in plant biomass. It is also among the wettest places in the world; about one fifth of the global land precipitation falls in the Amazon basin and drains into the Atlantic Ocean through the world's biggest river.

Because of its vast size and location along the equator, the response of the hydrological cycle of the Amazon basin to climate change may significantly affect the magnitude and speed of climate change for the entire globe. It is therefore important to gain a better understanding of its hydrological cycle.

Co-author Dr Manuel Gloor, also at the University of Leeds, said: "Climate models vary widely in their predictions for the Amazon, and we still do not know whether the Amazon will become wetter or dryer in a warmer world. We discovered a very powerful tool to look back into the past, which allows us to better understand the magnitude of natural variability of the system."

"In a similar way that annual layers in polar ice sheets have been used to study past temperatures, we are now able to use tree rings of this species as a natural archive for precipitation over the Amazon basin. If we find older trees with similar signal strength then this will greatly help us to advance our knowledge of the system."

Dr Brienen added: "The record is so sensitive that simply from the isotope values we can say which year we are looking at. For example, the extreme El Ni?o year of 1925-26 which caused very low river levels, clearly stands out in the record."

Although the century-long record provided by the trees is relatively short, some interesting trends are evident.

"The oxygen isotope series shows an increase over time, which may be due to an intensification of the hydrological cycle," said Dr Gloor. "That could also explain the observed long-term trend in river discharge. We need however to replicate this research at different places in the Amazon to really be able to say more."

The research is a collaboration between the University of Leeds, the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (Germany), University of Utrecht and the Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD, Peru). Funders for the project included the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the US-based Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Leeds.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. RJW Brienen et al. Oxygen isotopes in tree rings are a good proxy for Amazon precipitation and El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation variability. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, 2012 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1205977109

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Denny Hamlin takes pole at Dover International Speedway - NASCAR News | FOX Sports on MSN

Updated?Sep 29, 2012 8:42 PM ET

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DOVER, Del. (AP)

Could it really be true love between Denny Hamlin and Dover?

So far, it's at least a crush.

His performance Sunday will really determine the fate of this relationship.

Trying his best to adjust his approach toward his least favorite track, Hamlin's reignited courtship produced fantastic results Saturday when he turned a lap of 159.299 mph to win the pole at Dover International Speedway.

Hamlin has been open in his disdain for the 1-mile concrete oval and knew he'd have to conquer his Dover demons to keep his driven bid for his first career Cup championship rolling along.

Hamlin, third in the points standings, turned to a sports psychologist for advice. The message for Hamlin was this, ''Let your challenge for the week be to fall in love with this track.''

Hamlin says the good karma, and a great No. 11 Toyota, all played a part in the turnaround.

''I think that right now we have everything rolling,'' Hamlin said. ''That part of it is giving me a ton of confidence.''

Hamlin is six points behind Brad Keselowski and seven points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

Johnson starts 11th as he chases history at Dover. He raced his way into the track's history books in June with his seventh win on the concrete, matching the mark held by Hall of Fame drivers Richard Petty and Bobby Allison.

No active driver owns the track like the five-time Sprint Cup champion. Johnson led 289 of the 400 laps and looked every bit like the driver who swept the two Cup races at Dover in 2002 and 2009. Johnson also won at Dover on Sept. 26, 2010 and he won the September 2005 race.

Dover has traditionally given Hamlin fits. He has an average finish of 20.5 in 13 career starts at Dover. He finished 36th or worse during a four-race stretch from 2007 to 2009. He's said he just doesn't like the track known as the Monster Mile.

Here's a curve. On Saturday, he talked about winning.

''We've got a car that's very capable of staying in the front and hopefully we'll have a shot to win,'' Hamlin said.

Hamlin won his 12th career pole, third this season, and, no surprise here, his first pole at Dover. He had never started better than third.

Hamlin praised crew chief Darian Grubb, who led Tony Stewart to the championship last year, for putting the No. 11 in position to take the pole.

''I think there's a lot of drivers out there that could be able to do what I do with the cars that Darian has been giving me the last few weeks,'' Hamlin said. ''I'm going to give him pretty much all the credit and ride his back as long as it will hold me.''

Nine other Chase for the Sprint Cup championship drivers filled the top 13. Clint Bowyer starts second and Martin Truex Jr. is third. Greg Biffle and Jeff Gordon start sixth and seventh. Kasey Kahne, Keselowski, Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick are ninth through 13th. Stewart starts 24th and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 25th for Sunday's 400-mile race.

''We didn't have a good car in practice and we didn't find any good speed or find any good balance,'' Earnhardt said. ''It's going to be a tough day, I think. It's going to be a tough race for us. We are just going to have to work hard and see what happens.''

Truex had a nice qualifying run on the site of his only career Cup victory. Truex, from nearby Mayetta, N.J., finished ninth and 17th in his first Chase races and is 10th in the standings, 34 points behind Johnson. He posted the fastest time in the first practice Friday and has the speed needed to race into contention for that long-awaited second win.

''We felt good about our car yesterday on long runs,'' Truex said. ''We had good long run speed. That's what it takes here. We'll see if we can get it done tomorrow.''

Source: http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/denny-hamlin-takes-pole-at-dover-international-speedway-092912

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