GSU finalists carry strong research credentials
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The weighty credentials of the two finalists read more like those of a candidate for top job at a prominent medical institution.
Instead the two are vying for the top spot at Georgia State University, Georgia’s largest urban research university.
On one CV: Adjunct professorship of pediatrics and orthopedics, expert on Medicaid and HMOs.
On the other: Consultant to the World Health Organization and author of a book on cancer epidemiology.
Academics Deborah Freund, an expert on health care, and Harris Pastides, an epidemiologist, compose the short list of candidates to replace GSU’s retiring leader, Carl Patton, who plans to leave office at the end of this month.
Both candidates have extensive experience in medical fields and both have been considered for college presidencies in the past.
The selection of finalists with such strong research portfolios was no accident, said Susan Herbst, the vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University System of Georgia, which oversees GSU and the 34 other public institutions in the state.
During Patton’s 16 years at the Georgia State helm, the onetime commuter school evolved into a destination university for undergraduates and graduate students, becoming a more traditional college campus with on-campus housing and, soon, even its own Division 1 football team. GSU is now looking to “move to the next level” in research, Herbst said.
The two candidates were pared from dozens of names in a monthslong process that isn’t over.
The search was narrowed to two after finalist Guy Bailey, the chancellor of the University of Missouri at Kansas city, pulled out late last week.
Regents policy requires that finalists be named 14 days before board members choose a new president — but there’s no rule governing how long the process can go past two weeks.

ajc.com

Drinking water systems and power plants use the most Great Lakes water but irrigation practices and livestock farms lose the most, according to a new government report.
The U.S. Geological Survey report, based on 2000 data, estimated consumptive uses of water pumped from all lakes, rivers and groundwater aquifers within the Great Lakes basin. Consumptive uses are those that cause Great Lakes water to leave the basin, usually in the form of evaporation.
On a volume basis, public water supplies, power plants, irrigation and livestock consume the most water. Irrigation and livestock farms lose the largest percentage of water those operations use, the report said.
“We found that irrigation and livestock had the largest losses compared with total water withdrawn from the Great Lakes basin,” said Kimberly Shaffer, a USGS hydrologist who wrote the report. “Of the total water withdrawn for irrigation, 70-100 percent was lost to the basin.”
Livestock farms used 235 million gallons of Great Lakes water per day in 2000 and lost about 80 percent, 200 million gallons, to evaporation and other factors, the report said.
Scott Piggott, manager of argicultural ecology for the Michigan Farm Bureau called the USGS data “erroneous.” He said farmers whose crops and livestock consume all the water a farm pumps out of the Great Lakes basin are efficient — not wasteful, as the USGS report implied.
“If this consumptive use is a measure of efficiency, a farm that consumes 95 percent of the water it uses is efficient,” Piggott said. “If the definition of consumptive use is water lost from the Great Lakes basin, I find fault with the definition.”
The water use and consumption figures seem large but are a relative drop in the bucket compared to the amount of water that naturally evaporates from the lakes. Each day, 116 billion gallons of water evaporates from the Great Lakes, according to John Nevin, a spokesman for the International Joint Commission.

mlive.com

The Indian Cassandras warned the country that the world would regard us as non-serious and whimsical if we befriended Iran. They said India’s image was bound to take a knock if it engaged Iran constructively in a spirit of cooperation. That was some days ago, and it already seems light years away. The coming weeks will be interesting to watch. The high probability is that the international community will understand the course correction in our policy toward Iran.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Delhi, howsoever brief and businesslike, became a defining moment. This is apparent in three directions. First and foremost, India and Iran are putting behind the indifferent patch in their bilateral relationship characteristic of the period 2005-2007. Ahmadinejad’s visit signifies Iran’s desire to move forward in its ties with India. Equally, it underscores our jettisoning of an unhappy interregnum when we adopted a neoconservative view of Iran through the prism of our perceived “alliance of values” with the United States.
Of course, one would have wished that the President stayed longer in India and the leadership of the two countries appeared at a joint press conference. But that is perhaps too much to expect at this stage. What is important is that New Delhi has tiptoed back toward the world community, which believes that the International Atomic Energy Agency should be allowed to complete its work on the Iran nuclear issue. The US is finding it impossible to impose punitive sanctions on Iran.
Indeed, within the American opinion itself, there is a growing undercurrent of rethink. At a round table on March 27, five former Secretaries of State — Henry Kissinger, James Baker, Warren Christopher, Madeline Albright and Colin Powell—reached a consensus position that the US should open a line of dialogue with Iran. Ms Albright stressed the importance of finding “common ground”; Christopher urged American diplomats to explore opening contact; Baker suggested that the dialogue could centre on a common dilemma—“a dysfunctional Iraq is not something that’s in the interest of Iran, there’s every incentive on their part to help us, the same way they did in Afghanistan”; Kissinger urged an open, “unconditional” line of communication; Powell compared potential talks with the difficult visits he undertook as America’s chief diplomat— “They are not always pleasant visits, but you’ve got to do it.” Yet another former Secretary of State, Zbigniew Brzezinski, is a long-time advocate of constructive engagement of Iran.

mainstreamweekly.net

Marissa Kimball used to go out with her friends and shop all the time.
But rising gas prices are changing that for Kimball and other teens and young adults as buying gas takes a big chunk out of their limited incomes.
“I really don’t go shopping with my friends anymore. I hang out with them, but I just can’t buy anything because most of my money goes to gas these days,” said Kimball, 18, a student at UMass-Dartmouth.
A May 2008 poll from Junior Achievement shows that rising prices at the pump have caught up with teens. Gas is now the top item teens buy with credit cards, surpassing clothes.
From shorter shopping excursions to fewer trips home for college students to carpooling with other teens to get to work, young adults are looking for ways to economize on travel expenses.
“I can’t even take my girlfriend out on a date too much anymore because gas is so expensive,” said Dave Cutler, a sophomore at Bridgewater State College.
With gas prices heading toward $4 a gallon in Massachusetts, the cost of driving a car is a challenge that high school seniors looking ahead to college will face in the coming months.
Many young adults are spending a good portion of their paychecks just on gas.
If they earn the Massachusetts minimum wage of $8 an hour, they are spending close to half of that hour’s wage for one gallon of gas.
“Usually, I spend somewhere around $50 to $70 dollars sometimes a week on gas,” said Natalie Hughes, a student at Bridgewater State. “That basically is more than half of my paycheck sometimes.”
Jeff Crehan, who attends Stonehill College in Easton, said most of his money goes to gas.
“Gas is basically what I spend most of my money on. It cost so much just to fill up a whole tank, and I live in Connecticut, so I do that often when I go home,” Crehan said.

enterprisenews.com

Hillary Clinton might have added another large state to her list of victories Tuesday night, but her chances of beating Barack Obama were severely damaged after a lackluster showing in Indiana and a crushing defeat in North Carolina at the hands of Democratic rival.
Recognizing the new political landscape she faces, Clinton cut loose a planned day of rest Wednesday to start up the campaign machine for one final push. There are six remaining nomination contests over the next four weeks, 217 pledged delegates still up for grabs, and 269 undecided superdelegates.
Her focus now? Keep hope alive among a jittery group of superdelegates who have stuck with her so far. To do so she’ll need to pull together a string of fourth-quarter miracles while dangling the prospect of bringing back into the fold votes from Florida and Michigan — which were written off in a pre-primary party dispute.
But that hope is diminishing quickly after Tuesday’s balloting. Clinton eked out a 1.7 percent win over Obama in Indiana, lower than pre-election polls predicted, taking the Hoosier State 50.8-49.1. But in the Tar Heel State, Obama racked up a 15 percentage point win, taking it 57-42.
Clinton has a chance at winning in a few of the remaining states, but the likelihood of her taking the delegates she needs to win is nearly insurmountable. She is favored to win next week in West Virginia, as well as the May 20 contest in Kentucky, and the June 1 contest in Puerto Rico. But her chances are slim in Oregon (May 20), and the last two primaries in Montana and South Dakota on June 3.
Still, she argues the count is close.  Clinton touched on this theme Tuesday night, citing the “he wins one, she wins one” nature of the campaign.

elections.foxnews.com

Posted on Mar 28, 2008 | by John L. Yeats
ANGOLA, La. (BP)–The inmate, seeing a visitor’s Southern Baptist nametag, said, “Thank you, thank you, please tell Southern Baptists thank you.
“When I see the hands of men raised in worship, I know these are the same hands that held a rape victim, the same hands that held stolen goods, the same hands that held the murderous gun,” the inmate continued.
“Now these are empty hands — holy hands lifted in praise to God. We could not experience that miracle of hope without the Southern Baptist seminary in New Orleans. Thank you,” said the inmate, a 2005 graduate of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s course of study at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.
The occasion was a Pastor’s Appreciation Day at Angola. More than 400 pastors from across the state gathered at the infamous penitentiary where inmates, chaplains and administrators expressed appreciation for churches and individual Christians who have been used of God to help facilitate a spiritual transformation at Angola.
Babby Mason, a recording artist from Atlanta, and Jim Cymbala, senior pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York, were special guests for the March 25 event. This was not the first time Cymbala had visited Angola, but his fourth. “Other than my church,” Cymbala said, “I’d rather be here than any other place in the world because of how real these brothers are in the Lord.”
Part of the program included the premiere of a new DVD, “The Miracle of Hope,” featuring the Brooklyn Tabernacle singers and testimonies by several Angola inmates who have experienced the life-changing transformation of Christ.
An estimated 1,200 inmates have expressed newfound faith in Christ at Angola. The result is an amazing transformation has occurred at the geographically isolated 18,000-acre facility on the east bank of the Mississippi River. The name Angola originated from the Angolan slaves who worked the land in the early 1800s. In the mid-1970s, the prison had the reputation for being the bloodiest prison in the world. This was before Burl Cain became warden.

sbcbaptistpress.org

Significant Elements Warehouse is holding a Make Way for Spring sale through Saturday, March 22 at the warehouse, 212 Center St. Everything is on sale including items such as a Kohler cast iron bath set, Whirlpool dishwasher, plush theatre sets, window sashes, sewing machines, bath tubs, chandeliers, counter tops, sinks, door hardware, and more. Donations are welcome and tax receipts are provided. For more information on Significant Elements, visit www.significantelements.org or call 277-3450.
* “Sugar Moon Celebration” will be starting at 6 p.m. today. At this event there will be a community potluck at 6 p.m., a moonlight tour of the sugarbush trail, a sugarbush tour with stories of maple lore at 7 p.m., and live music at 8 p.m. The fee will be between $5-$15. The event is open for all ages.
* “Discover Maple Sugaring” is from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday, March 23. A tour of the sugarbush, maple syrup tastings, and an overview of the history and lore of sugaring in the region will occur in this event open to all ages. Information on the process of turning sap into sugar and tips for sugaring at home will be provided by staff. Fee is regular admission and donations.
* The 2008 Maple Fest will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30. This event will feature live local music from over 10 groups, boiling and tapping demonstrations, educational pieces about the history of maple syrup, arts and crafts, entertainers, a firetruck, live animals, and a local foods pancake breakfast. The fee is $12 for Adults, $8 for children and $25 for families.
There’s still room in a New York Department of Environmental Conservation environmental education camp for a student from the 51st senatorial district, Sen. James L. Seward, R-51st Dist., has said.

theithacajournal.com

Earlier this year, many Pennsylvania municipal waste treatment plants were put on notice that they had to clean up their act, and meet much tougher clean water standards. Instead of biting the potentially huge local tax burden, they responded by suing the Department of Environmental Protection.
Governor Ed Rendell responded by proposing a modest increase in funding for local sewage treatment plant upgrades. This week, a broad coalition of organizations announced a much larger proposal of their own. Agriculture has a piece of what’s called the Pennsylvania Fair Share for Clean Water Plan.
The plan, supported by Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association, Pennsylvania Builders Association, Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation would help wastewater plant ratepayers and farmers finance improvements needed to address Chesapeake Bay and statewide water quality improvement mandates.
“For the first time, the five groups that have the most at stake in meeting the water quality mandates have put together a funding plan we hope will help end the controversy over how these projects should be paid for,” noted Matthew Ehrhart, CBF’s Executive Director for Pennsylvania. Here’s what’s in the $170 million package:
$100 million to help wastewater plants finance required improvements;
$50 million in direct cost share aid to farmers to install conservation practices, including $35 million for REAP farm tax credits and $15 million in cost share grants;
$10 million to county conservation district to expand technical assistance to farmers;
$10 million to restore cuts to the Department of Agriculture budget in farm programs.
The plan also calls for reforms to the state’s nutrient credit trading program that will help to make it a viable alternative to provide for both environmental improvements to the Bay and sufficient future sewage capacity for new development.
Why state must face its commitment
“Production agriculture is facing significant and potentially devastating economic burdens, said Joel Rotz, governmental relations director for Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. “Farmers are trying to comply with increased regulations recently imposed under revisions to federal and state regulations governing the handling and land application of manure and other nutrients, but they cannot do it alone.”

americanagriculturist.com

McDonald wonders if he could even run his Andalusia cotton gin without the migrant workers who come into the state from Mexico — he said it’s hard to hire local workers for just a season, regardless of the wages.
“The situation we have without the migrants — it wouldn’t matter if we paid $7 or $37 an hour,” said McDonald, who has hired migrants for 12 years at Covington Gin Co. Inc., about 90 miles south of Montgomery.
He said it’s a job that doesn’t appeal to most Alabama workers.
“It’s a seasonal job with no benefits,” he said. “And we’re talking about something that makes a lot of economic difference to our operation.”
But some legislators say they can’t make an “economic difference” their main concern.
Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, is sponsoring the Immigration Reform Bill, which is being co-sponsored by 26 of the 35-member Senate. Beason is working to crack down on illegal immigration and wants to require that everyone working in Alabama show a state-issued ID to prove legal residency.
“It’s really sad that some of these businesses are willing to sacrifice the future of the state 10 to 15 years down the road just so they can make a dollar today,” he said. “They’ve said it over and over again in our meetings that they will hire anybody.”
State Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks said farmers don’t want to hire people who break the law, but he said a federal program needs to be in place that allows Alabama the ability to have more legalized workers.
“Anybody that breaks the law, or has broken the law, should be sent back across the border,” said Commissioner Ron Sparks.
But he said there needs to be more of an effort to help both employers needing seasonal work and the workers seeking it legally.

montgomeryadvertiser.com

SFA (26-5) will play Massachusetts at 5 p.m. Tuesday night in Amherst, Mass.
SFA is the No. 7 seed in the bracket. UMass is No. 2.
The Minutemen of the Atlantic 10 Conference are 21-1. The lost to Charlotte 69-65 in the Atlantic 10 Tournament Thursday.
SFA players and coaches learned of their destination and opponent while watching the NIT selection show on ESPN2 Sunday.
SFA head coach Danny Kaspar told players to go pack their bags and prepare for travel.
“We’re going to Boston,” the coach said. “This is really a rush job. I have no complaints, other than we’re playing Tuesday.
“I wish we had another day, especially since we’re traveling.”
Massachusetts won six straight games going into the Atlantic 10 Tournament before losing to Charlotte, when it was outrebounded 44-27 and hit just 7-of-17 free throws.
The Minutemen led 36-19 at halftime before being outscored 50-29 in the second half.
Massachusetts is coached by Travis Ford, who played basketball at Kentucky for Rick Pitino.
“I just know he played for Pitino, so they’ll probably pressure us with a full-court press,” Kaspar said.
A win by SFA will put it in a game against the winner between Florida State and Akron.

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