Damaged coral reefs make amazing recovery

A coral reef damaged when a boat ran aground in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in 2002 has made an encouraging recovery after a nearly decade-long restoration effort.

Hundreds of groundings happen in the sanctuary each year, and conservationists are hoping that this reef-restoration and monitoring effort will help inform future endeavors.

In August 2002, the 36-foot-long (11 meters) boat Lagniappe II ran aground on a shallow coral reef near Key West, Fla., damaging about 376 square feet (35 square meters) of living coral in the sanctuary.

A boat hitting the reef can topple coral heads or grind coral colonies into tiny fragments, damaging and killing coral that may have taken centuries to grow.

After sanctuary staff assessed the damage to the reef, restoration biologists used special cement that hardens underwater to reattach 473 corals and coral fragments that had been toppled or dislodged during the grounding.

The main coral species damaged in the ground was boulder star coral, a primary reef-building coral in the Florida Keys.

Researchers monitored the progress of the restoration by using digital photos and special computer software to count the types and amounts of coral species in the damaged areas, as well as nearby undamaged sites that served as a point of comparison.

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The sanctuary tracked the coral recovery for eight years. By 2009, the reattached coral fragments were undistinguishable from the adjacent, uninjured coral colonies. A year later, the amount of coral at the restoration site was higher than at the reference site.

"The monitoring allowed us to document changes to the restored coral and measure the success of this restoration," said sanctuary-restoration biologist Hatsue Bailey. "With continued use of these methods, as well as additional monitoring, we learn more about habitat changes at this location and improve upon existing restoration strategies."

Most boat groundings are preventable, according to the sanctuary, which protects 2,900 square nautical miles (2,950 square kilometers) of critical marine habitat, including coral reef, hard bottom, sea grass meadow, mangrove communities and sand flats.

The owner of Lagniappe II paid $56,671.27 in a negotiated settlement. Those funds were used to pay for response, damage assessment, monitoring and some restoration costs.

? 2011 OurAmazingPlanet. All rights reserved. More from OurAmazingPlanet.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45660619/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Ontario Auditor General's Report on Auto Insurance Regulation ...

Ontario?s Auditor General tabled?2011 Annual Report?in the Legislative Assembly today. Features of the report included:

• Auto Insurance Regulatory Oversight
• Electricity Sector?Regulatory Oversight
• Electricity Sector?Renewable Energy Initiatives
• Electricity Sector?Stranded Debt
• Forest Management Program
• Funding Alternatives for Family and Specialist Physicians
• LCBO New Product Procurement
• Legal Aid Ontario & Office of the Children?s Lawyer
• Ontario Trillium Foundation
• Private Career Colleges
• Student Success Initiatives
• Supportive Services for People with Disabilities

Of particular interest to the litigation bar in Ontario was the Auto Insurance Regulatory Oversight, reviewing the operation of the?Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) and the auto regime here.

The report emphasized the need of government to balance financially stable auto insurance with affordable and reasonable premiums that provide fair and timely benefits, as administered by the Superintendent of Financial Services. However, the report noted that the average injury claim in Ontario was about five times more than the average claim in other provinces, resulting in much higher premiums here, despite having one of the lowest per capita rates of automobile-accident deaths and injuries in the country.

Claims under the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS) rose 150% between 2005 to 2010, even though the number of claims only increased by 30% for this period. Claims in the GTA specifically rose higher than the rest of the province, largely due to a concentration of plaintiff representation, resulting in higher premiums in the city.

The report indicated that it was too early to determine whether the 2010 changes to SABS, which I detailed previously here, had been effective. But they also noted that FSCO does not have any meaningful measure of its success. FSCO indicated that they expect 50-60% of SABS claims to fall under minor injuries, which are now capped at $3,500.

The report provided the following recommendations:

1) In order to ensure that the Financial Services?Commission of Ontario (FSCO) can effectively?monitor Ontario?s auto insurance industry, particularly?claims costs and premiums, and recommend?timely corrective action to the Minister of?Finance when warranted, FSCO should:

• implement regular interim reviews of the?Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule to?monitor trends such as unexpected escalating?claims costs and premiums between the?legislated five-year reviews, in order to take?appropriate action earlier, if warranted;
• monitor ongoing compliance with the?interim Minor Injury Guideline, expedite the?work to develop evidence-based treatment?protocols for minor injuries, and identify and?address any lack of clarity in its definitions of?injuries;
• implement its plans as soon as possible to?obtain assurance that insurance companies?are judiciously administering accident claims?in a fair and timely manner; and
• examine cost-containment strategies and benefit levels in other provinces to determine which could be applied in Ontario to control this province?s relatively high claims costs and premiums.

2) To reduce the number of fraudulent claims in?Ontario?s auto insurance industry and thereby?protect the public from unduly high insurance?premiums, the Financial Services Commission?of Ontario (FSCO) should use its regulatory and?oversight powers to:

• help identify potential measures to combat?fraud, including those recommended by?the Insurance Bureau of Canada and those?in effect in other jurisdictions, assess their?applicability and relevance to Ontario,?and, when appropriate, provide advice and?assistance to the government for their timely?implementation; and
• ensure development as soon as possible of an?overall anti-fraud strategy that spells out the?roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders??the government, FSCO, and insurance?companies?in combatting auto insurance?fraud.

3) To ensure that the Financial Services Commission?of Ontario (FSCO) fairly and consistently authorizes?auto insurance company premium rate changes?while protecting consumers, FSCO should:

• update and document its policies and procedures?for making rate decisions?particularly?for applications that differ from its own?assessments?and for properly assessing rate?changes in light of actual financial solvency?concerns of insurance companies;
• review what constitutes a reasonable profit?margin for insurance companies when?approving rate changes, and periodically?revise its current assessment to reflect significant?changes; and
• establish processes for verifying or obtaining?assurance that insurers actually charge only?the authorized rates.

4) To ensure that the Financial Services Commission?of Ontario meets its mandate to provide?fair, timely, accessible, and cost-effective?processes for resolving disputes over statutory?accident benefits, it should:

• improve its information-gathering to help?explain why almost half of all injury claimants?seek mediation, as well as how disputes?are resolved, and to identify possible systemic?problems with its SABS benefits policies?that can be changed or clarified to help?prevent disputes; and
• establish an action plan and timetable for?reducing its current and growing backlog to?a point where it can provide mediation services?in a timely manner in accordance with?legislation and established service standards.

5) In order to provide the public, consumers,?stakeholders, and insurers with meaningful?information on its auto insurance oversight?and regulatory activities, the Financial Services?Commission of Ontario should report timely?information on its performance, including?outcome-based measures and targets that more?appropriately represent its key regulatory activities?and results.

6) To ensure that the Motor Vehicle Accident?Claims Fund (Fund) is sustainable over the?long term and able to meet its future financial?obligations, the Financial Services Commission?of Ontario should establish a strategy and?timetable for eliminating the Fund?s growing?unfunded liability over a reasonable time period?and seek government approval to implement?this plan.

7) In view of the fact that it has been five years?since the last review of the assessment of healthsystem?costs owed by the auto insurance sector?despite the significant increase in health-care?costs related to automobile accidents over the?same period, the Financial Services Commission?of Ontario should work with the Ministry of?Finance, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term?Care, and the insurance industry to review the adequacy of the current assessment amount.

FSCO has provided written responses to each of these recommendations, which is also included in the report.

?

?

Source: http://www.slaw.ca/2011/12/05/ontario-auditor-generals-report-on-auto-insurance-regulation/

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US: Bluefin tuna probably OK after BP oil spill (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Last year's BP oil spill probably won't push the troubled bluefin tuna population in the Gulf of Mexico over the edge as some scientists had worried, a federal analysis shows.

Of all the potential damage from the 172-million-gallon (651-million-liter) spill in April 2010, scientists had been most concerned about how the oil spill would harm an already overfished species of large tuna. That's because about one-fifth of the spawning habitat where the Gulf's baby tuna were living was coated with oil, according to satellite records. Tuna less than a year old are most vulnerable to pollution.

An analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, using two different projections from computer models, says that at most, such a spill probably would result in a 4 percent reduction in future spawning of the fish, but probably far less.

Bluefish tuna is considered one of the Gulf's signature species. A summit that begins Monday in Houston will examine the Gulf's health, including the government's restoration plans and the tuna's fate.

"It appears so far that the impact on the larval population is relatively small," said Clay Porch, director of sustainable fisheries for NOAA's Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Miami.

The agency's analysis, which was mentioned in two pages of a 114-page government update on overall tuna health released in May, is based on an assumption that 1 in 5 baby tuna was killed or unable to reproduce in the future because that's the size of the spill in the spawning area.

That 20 percent potential loss of year-old tuna translates to 4 percent of the overall tuna population in the future. Overall population figures also have to factor in the fact that in general many baby tuna at that age die naturally.

But that is probably way too high a figure, Porch said in an interview.

Instead of 20 percent of baby tuna being harmed, more recent analysis yet to be published said it should be 11 percent or maybe even 5 percent, he said. Those figures should be reduced even more for the overall future population of tuna, down nearer to 2 percent.

At most that number should be 1 in 9 or even in 1 in 20 deaths of baby tuna, and that's only the effect on one year for the long-lived tuna.

Those smaller figures are based on larval surveys that have not been released publicly because of a potential court case with BP over damages from the spill, and more simulations "that are conditioned on real data," Porch said.

Porch said it's unlikely that the effect on tuna stock would hit 4 percent and "it is not an additional major source of stress" on the overall population of the bluefin tuna in the Gulf. Other work on baby tuna health will be published in peer reviewed science journals.

But that's only the young. So far NOAA doesn't know how the spill affected adults and whether adults of all ages were killed or made infertile in massive numbers that could have a bigger effect on the overall population than the oiling of one year's worth of young, Porch said.

Boris Worm, a fisheries professor at Dalhousie University in Canada who has warned of problems with tuna populations in the past, said the NOAA figures are within the yearly variations of mortality for tuna.

"So it will be a bad year, but not a catastrophic year," Worm said. "This wouldn't push them over the brink."

Former NOAA chief scientist Sylvia Earle, a renowned ocean explorer who has campaigned against overfishing of tuna, isn't convinced that bluefin tuna weathered the oil slick.

"I think it's too early to celebrate a possible greater survival than had been predicted. These are, after all, models," Earle said. "The truth is we don't have enough information to be able to clearly say one way or another what happened to the 2010 class of baby tuna."

Gulf scientists have wondered for months about the health of the bluefin tuna, said Larry McKinney, executive director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi.

"They are sentinel species that gives us an idea of the health of the open ocean, where we don't know a lot," McKinney said.

___

Online:

NOAA's status of the bluefin tuna: http://tinyurl.com/bmwoauf

NOAA's Southeast Fisheries Science Center: http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov

Gulf summit: http://www.sgmsummit.org

Harte Research Institute for the Gulf of Mexico Studies: http://www.harteresearchinstitute.org

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111204/ap_on_sc/us_sci_tuna_gulf

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Apple fails to block Samsung tablet and smartphone sales in the U.S. (Digital Trends)

Apple and Samsung have been locked in a patent war for most of this year. It?s a complicated situation, and you should check out Digital Trends? full breakdown of the legal dispute if you really want to understand it, but the long and short of it is: Apple alleges that several of Samsung?s Android-based smartphones and tablets infringe on its own iPhone and iPad. The iThing-maker has been working to block sales of targeted Samsung devices since the dispute started, and it?s a bid that has now been officially derailed.

A Friday ruling from U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh officially denies Apple?s request for a preliminary injunction against Samsung, Reuters reports. The U.S. is just one of the contested battlegrounds, however, with Apple scoring a victory on Friday as well, when an Australian judge extended a previously placed ban on Galaxy Tab sales for another week.

The iOS maker has more than 20 cases pending in 10 different countries, with the U.S.-based lawsuit having been filed in April. Friday?s ruling effectively blocks Apple?s request that sales of three Samsung smartphone models, plus the Galaxy Tab 10.1, be blocked. The case is far from over for either side, but Apple?s failed request is a definite setback.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

More from Digital Trends

Apple vs. Samsung explained: An overview of the patent battleground

Report: Samsung counting the minutes until it sues Apple over the iPhone 5

Why did Apple choose Twitter over Facebook for iOS 5?

Australian Galaxy Tab ban extended another week

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20111204/tc_digitaltrends/applefailstoblocksamsungtabletandsmartphonesalesintheus

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PFT: Hester says signing McNabb 'a waste of time'

AP

The 13th Sunday of the NFL season brought bad luck for plenty of teams.? But good luck for others.

And that?s the extent to which I?ll force a triskaidekaphobia-inspired introduction onto this week?s edition of the Monday 10-pack.

Actually, I could also expand the normal list of 10 takes to 13.? Luckily enough, I know not to take on the extra work.

1.? Packers close in on 16-0.

Many believed that, if the Packers could get past the giant-killing Giants in Week 13, the defending Super Bowl champs would be virtually guaranteed a perfect regular season.

Given the current state of the four remaining opponents, that outcome is looking more and more likely.

For starters, the Raiders looked ragged in Miami; they next come to Lambeau Field on Sunday.? Then, the Packers head to Kansas City.? Though the Chiefs possibly will avoid being blown out, it?s a stretch to imagine them beating the Packers.

Then come the back-to-back season-ending home games, which suddenly look a lot easier, given the injury-fueled implosion of the Bears and the penalty-driven collapse of the Lions.

The broader question becomes whether the Packers can win the following three games ? the ones that really count.? The added pressure of becoming the first 19-0 team in league history won?t help.? The larger challenge could come, ironically, from the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.? If it?s cold, wet, windy, etc. on a January day when a team like the 49ers come to town, the Packers? home-field advantage could be neutralized, since the Niners excel at running the ball and stopping the run.

2.? Silver lining for the Giants.

In 2007, the Giants hosted the 15-0 Patriots.? In a game with no playoff implications for either team, New York stayed within three points, losing late by a score of 38-35.? The near miss gave the Giants a surge of confidence that propelled them through the playoffs and into a rematch with the Patriots.

And if you don?t know what happened when they played again, the sport is called football.? We hope you become a fan of the game.

This time, another 38-35 home loss to another unbeaten juggernaut could provide similar confidence to a Giants team that sits one game behind the Cowboys, with two games to play against them.? Though there are many differences, the Giants could use the fact that they gave the Packers everything they could handle as the bucket of ice water to snap the Giants from yet another late-season funk.

If it doesn?t happen, it could be the last late-season funk over which coach Tom Coughlin ever presides.

3.? Bears ready to break glass in event of emergency.

When Sunday began, the always-accurate Jay Glazer reported that the Bears are ?absolutely not interested? in free-agent quarterback (and Chicago native) Donovan McNabb.

When Sunday ended, our colleague John Mullin of CSNChicago.com was reporting that the Bears would now consider adding McNabb.

The change of heart demonstrated the degree of desperation that the Bears already are feeling.? Quarterback Caleb Hanie has been dreadful (three more picks on Sunday), rookie Nathan Enderle isn?t ready, and Josh McCown is, well, Josh McCown.? Although serious questions remain regarding the fitness, work ethic, and skills of the 13-year veteran, McNabb remains a better option than any of the three healthy quarterbacks currently on the roster, combined.

But even McNabb may not be enough to make a difference, especially if running back Matt Forte misses more than a game or two with a partially torn MCL.

With offensive coordinator Mike Martz already reportedly set to be dumped, coach Lovie Smith could be on the hot seat (again) in 2012, if the Bears don?t make it to the postseason in 2011.? That?s why they?re now inclined to consider giving McNabb a chance, even if there?s not much of a chance he?ll make them any better.

4.? Chargers aren?t dead yet.

It?s easy to assume that the San Diego Chargers will end up on the outside looking in when the season ends.? At 4-7 and with six straight losses, there?s no reason to believe that Chargers can turn it around.

But there?s one curious fact, based on something the Chargers accomplished three years ago.

In 2008, the Chargers lost eight of the first 13 games, and they trailed the 8-5 Broncos with three weeks remaining in the regular season.? But San Diego won the final three games.? Just as importantly, the Broncos lost the final three games.

When the dust settled, the Chargers made it to the postseason as the AFC West champs, they beat the Colts in the wild-card round, they gave the Steelers more of a fight than expected the following week, and the Broncos fired Mike Shanahan.

It?s not likely that the Chargers will pull it off again, but that one slice of history means that, for now, we can?t rule anything out.? Especially with the Raiders suddenly looking worse-than-ordinary and the Cinderella Broncos a shattered slipper away from falling apart.

5.? Team Tebow will be tough to beat in January.

It would be dangerous, however, to assume that the clock will strike midnight for Tim Tebow before the postseason.? With each passing week, the Broncos gain more and more confidence, knowing that as long as they can stay within a score of the opponent, Team Tebow can ultimately prevail.

And that attitude will serve them well in January, when confidence becomes nearly as important as talent.? Adversity eventually strikes every playoff team (except for the 1985 Bears), and the Broncos know how to overcome it because they?re doing it on a weekly basis.

Then there?s the fact that, as the media attention increases, Tebow will continue to be the focal point of it, he?ll be ready for it based on all the attention he has absorbed throughout his career, and it?ll allow his teammates to go about their business without being caught up in the distractions.

Some thought Michael Irvin was crazy to suggest Tebow can take the Broncos to the Super Bowl.? It arguably would be crazier to presume that he can?t.

And it?s even crazier to continue to assume that he?s a gimmick quarterback.? On Sunday, Tebow ran the ball only four times.? In contrast, he completed 10 of 15 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns, good for a passer rating on 149.3.

Though his mechanics remain flawed and his accuracy remains at times coincidental, Tebow?s passing numbers compare favorably to those of his predecessor, Kyle Orton.? As Football Night In America editorial consultant Elliott Kalb pointed out after Sunday?s game, Tebow has now thrown 158 passes; Orton threw 155.? While Orton has more completions and a higher completion percentage, Tebow has more yards, a higher per-attempt average, more touchdowns (10 for Tebow, eight for Orton), far fewer interceptions (one for Tebow, seven for Orton), and a passer rating more than 12 points higher.

Most importantly, Tebow has six wins in seven starts.? Even if John Elway?s body language suggests that he doesn?t like the way it?s happening, it?s impossible to argue with the results.

It?ll be even harder to do that if (when) the Broncos start knocking off some of the supposedly elite AFC teams in the playoffs.

6.? Ravens may no longer need Ray Lewis.

After Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis injured a foot three weeks ago in Seattle, rumors swirled that Lewis would not play again this season.? Coach John Harbaugh dismissed the notion that Lewis won?t be back, but he already has missed three of the final seven games.? Jason La Canfora of NFL Network suggested on Sunday that Lewis could be back in Week 15, if Baltimore needs to win the game.

Given that the Ravens, Steelers, Patriots, and Texans are each 9-3, the Ravens will need to win the game.? But here?s the thing.? They?ve shown they don?t need Ray Lewis.

And this could be the best way for the post-Ray Ravens to realize that they?ll be fine after he inevitably retires.? The training wheels came off on the fly, the Ravens kept peddling, and they?re 3-0 without him.

More importantly, they?ve found a way to win against an inferior foe on the road the week after a huge victory.? That?s something Lewis couldn?t will them to do in three prior chances this season.

Though the Ravens will find a place for Lewis as long as he wants one, the team?s success without him suggest that, if the foot keeps Lewis from playing again this year and if the Ravens can continue to thrive, it could be the right time for him to realize that it?s the right time to move on.

7.? Peyton?s place may no longer be in Indy.

Another face-of-the-franchise-type player could be leaving his team under far different circumstances.? The Colts and quarterback Peyton Manning continue to careen toward an inevitable No. 1 pick in the draft and a $28 million option bonus that comes due to Manning in early March.

In a lengthy interview on the CBS pregame show, which somehow seemed even longer than it was, Manning disputed the recent suggestion from Vice Chairman Bill Polian that the two men discussed the possibility of the team picking a quarterback, explaining that the conversation occurred two years ago.? That discrepancy suggests a deeper disconnect that could drive the two sides apart.

Then there?s the ominous explanation from Manning that the eventual decisions regarding his future will become apparent in March.? That?s a far cry from Manning?s past proclamations that he?ll never play for another team.

Don?t be surprised, then, if Manning decides to move on.? The bigger question is whether he?ll play elsewhere in 2012 or whether, like former Colts receiver Marvin Harrison, Manning won?t find an alternative destination that will pay him top-of-the-market money and that will give him the ingredients for the success that Peyton craves.

8.? Raheem is nervous, and he should be.

Bucs coach Raheem Morris has become increasingly skittish this season, most recently dropping an ?F? bomb while discussing his decision to take a page from the Mike Singletary coaching playbook.? Morris is nervous for a very good reason.

Morris has a contract that runs through 2012.? While G.M. Mark Dominik received earlier this year a four-year extension, Morris hasn?t.

And so after the 2011 season, the Bucs need to decide whether to extend Raheem?s deal, to let him coach as a lame duck, or to move on.

Though there?s currently no obvious reason to believe that the Bucs will fire Morris, Morris knows that plenty of stuff can be happening behind the scenes.? He knows this because, in early 2009, he and Dominik were the guys who secretly were being lined up behind the scenes to replace former head coach Jon Gruden and former G.M. Bruce Allen.

So what?s happening behind Raheem?s back now?? He?s surely wondering about that, and that?s surely making him even more anxious than he should be.

Some would say that, by taking the job held by his former boss while his former boss didn?t know he?d be the former boss, Morris deserves a similar fate.? Regardless, his own experiences are now making him wonder what ownership may be cooking up without his knowledge.? And if ownership isn?t up to something, they need to extend Raheem?s contract sooner rather than later, in order to put the coach?s mind at ease regarding a dynamic that ownership utilized when hiring him in the first place.

9.? Chris Johnson moves closer to being Chris Johnson again.

Last week, Titans running back Chris Johnson rushed for 190 yards.? It created the impression that Johnson has finally rediscovered the magic that fueled a holdout that caused him to lose said magic.? But the tape showed a guy who still couldn?t explode like he did earlier in his career.

This week, Johnson added another 153.? And there were hints that he?s getting closer to rediscovering his ability to hit a hole and explode vertically, untouchable even by men who think they have an easy angle on him.

If Johnson can get it back this year, the Titans could be a major factor.? The No. 6 seed remains up for grabs, with a total of five five-loss teams, each of whom hold a two-game lead over the next cut of contenders.? The Titans are among that quintet, and they?re likely the most overlooked.? With Johnson churning up the yardage and getting closer to playing like his old self, maybe they shouldn?t be.

10.? Schwartz needs to get his team under control.

Much has been said about the stomping incident committed on Thanksgiving by Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.? More should have been said about the role of coach Jim Schwartz in nudging his players toward the line over which Suh leapt, and then pretending to have no responsibility when it happened.

Schwartz wants his defensive players to be salty, nasty.? It makes them more aggressive, which makes them more intimidating and thus more effective.? The mindset traces directly to Schwartz?s time in Tennessee where, despite having an influential position on the Competition Committee, Titans coach Jeff Fisher cultivated a chippy defense that wasn?t above a periodic punch or kick or, as the case may be, cleat stomp on a bare forehead.

With Schwartz enabling and/or creating Suh, other players have followed suit ? on offense.? Last night, receiver Titus Young drew a drive-killing penalty for an open-handed blow to the head worse than the one that got Richard Seymour ejected in Miami.? Then, tight end Brandon Pettigrew, during a late-game drive even more deliberate than Donovan McNabb?s punt-pass-and-puke effort in Super Bowl XXXIX, actually shoved an official.? Amazingly, Pettigrew wasn?t ejected.

At some point, Schwartz needs to be held responsible for the conduct of his players.? The NFL decided this year to implement a procedure for fining teams based on certain player misconduct; the program needs to be expanded to take money out of the coaches? pockets, too.

Then again, if enough dumb penalties contribute to enough losses, coaches like Schwartz ultimately will be held accountable, since they?ll be fired.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/05/devin-hester-signing-donovan-mcnabb-would-be-a-waste-of-time/related/

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Is Child Sexual Abuse on the Rise? (LiveScience.com)

With the stream of accusations of child sexual abuse not losing any gusto lately, from the ever-growing charges against former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky to allegations of such behaviors by assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine, it'd be easy to assume a real upsurge in such abuse.

But that may not be the case.?

First, Sandusky was accused of sexually molesting at least eight boys over the past 15 years; he has pleaded not guilty to the more than 40 charges against him.

Then last week Fine of Syracuse University was fired amid accusations of sexual abuse. So far three men, including two former Syracuse ball-boys, have come forward stating that Fine molested them as minors.

Neither Sandusky nor Fine has been found guilty of any crime, but these are only the latest in what seems to be a year filled with news reports about sexual harassment and sexual abuse. Earlier this year an ABC News investigation revealed that USA Swimming (the governing body for the sport up to and including the U.S. Olympic team) has banned for life nearly 40 swimming coaches over the last decade because of sexual misconduct. [Child Abuse: Why People Look the Other Way]

So what's going on?

According to the nation's top experts, children are actually safer from physical and sexual abuse than they have been for decades. A National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect issued by the Department of Health and Human Services found that both physical and sexual abuse of children have dropped significantly over the past 20 years: From 2005 to 2006, an estimated 553,000 children suffered physical, sexual or emotional abuse, down 26 percent from the estimated 743,200 abuse victims in 1993. And between 1993 and 2005, the number of sexually abused children dropped 38 percent, while number of children who experienced physical abuse fell by 15 percent and those who were emotionally abused declined by 27 percent.

In fact, incidence of sexual abuse of children began to drop two decades ago, according to Dr. David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.

In his book "Childhood Victimization: Violence, Crime and Abuse in the Lives of Young People" (Oxford 2008), Dr. Finkelhor notes, "The child victimization declines of the 1990s were something new, and not simply the extension of trend lines from the past. For example, available data on child abuse show strong increases in all forms of maltreatment from the mid-1970s into the 1990s. After a short plateau, the sexual abuse decline seemed to start in 1992, and the physical abuse decline gained momentum after 1996. Many analysts did not interpret the earlier rise as necessarily indicative of a real increase in child maltreatment but rather as the result of a new public and professional mobilization to identify and report cases. But some data suggested real increases in the 1980s."

Overall, Dr. Finkelhor told LiveScience.com, "There is very little evidence that child sexual abuse is on the rise in the U.S., and considerable evidence that it is declining, including data from law enforcement, child protection and surveys of victims themselves." He added that though the prevalence of child sexual abuse worldwide is hard to assess, "there are some indicators of decline in other countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom."

Many of the recent accusations of sexual abuse date back many years; just because the public is hearing more about it now doesn't mean that it's on the increase. Thus while the barrage of news reports about sexual abuse of children may make parents fearful, the reality is that kids today are safer than ever.

Causes of the drop in child sexual abuse are complex and not completely understood. Some experts point out that the overall crime rate dropped significantly during the same time, and that child abuse rates fell along with murder and assault rates. Other analyses credit the economic prosperity of the 1980s and 1990s as improving overall social conditions, while still others note that tougher penalties for sex crimes led to higher numbers of offenders being jailed. It's also likely that greater social awareness of child abuse through television news (and even Hollywood films such as "Mystic River") resulted in parents taking more precautions for their children's safety. Like most social problems, there's no simple answer.

Benjamin Radford is deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine and author of Media Mythmakers: How Journalists, Activists, and Advertisers Mislead Us. His Web site is www.BenjaminRadford.com.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20111202/sc_livescience/ischildsexualabuseontherise

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House Republicans pass major anti-regulation bill (AP)

WASHINGTON ? In an ambitious gesture to their business allies, House Republicans passed legislation Friday to reduce what the GOP calls "an avalanche" of unneeded, costly regulations. Opponents call the bill an attempt to prevent the government from protecting Americans at their workplaces, in their homes and when they want a breath of fresh air.

The 253-167 vote sent the bill to the Democratic-run Senate, where it's likely to die. Just in case, the White House has issued a veto threat.

Republicans insist the mostly technical legislation would simply force federal agencies to follow presidential directives that have often been ignored ? including seeking with the lowest cost. The objective, the GOP says, is to allow companies to use their money to hire workers.

But Democrats, the White House, and government watchdog groups insist the aim is to get rid of aggressive rules approved by the Obama administration ? regulations that businesses complain about constantly.

"America faces an avalanche of unnecessary federal regulatory costs," Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, said during House debate. "Yet the Obama administration seeks to add billions more to that cost."

Democratic Rep. George Miller of California denounced the bill, saying the U.S. has spent great time and effort "to ensure when workers go to work every day, they will return safely to their home."

"This legislation begins to bring that to an end because it would needlessly and recklessly expose our workers to injuries," said Miller, the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

At this point, the fight over this and other anti-regulation bills approved by the GOP-led House is mainly a 2012 campaign issue, since they have little chance in the Democratic-run Senate.

The GOP effort is not finished. Next week, the House is expected to pass a bill that would make it easier for Congress to kill proposed rules.

Republicans agree the bill passed Friday would have a major impact on regulators but argue that's because it's not difficult for agencies to ignore presidential directives that don't have the force of law. Supporters and opponents agree on the major impact, but not much else.

_The opponents insist the bill would require agencies to consider any suggestions by interested parties, allowing opponents to dial up their lobbyists to keep offering changes and delaying a proposed rule. Republicans disagree, saying there's no change in the 60-day comment period for minor regulations and 120 days for major rules projected to cost at least $100 million.

_The bill would require an earlier analysis of costs and benefits, a provision that opponents argue would lead to misinformation that could cause delays. Republicans counter that agencies now misuse the analysis to justify the decisions they already made.

_Opponents object to additional proceedings for rules with a projected cost of more than $1 billion. Republicans argue there are only seven such regulations pending, including a now-delayed rule on boiler emissions. They said the hearing could be scheduled quickly and would not have to delay the final action.

Until now, Republicans have focused on derailing specific rules and regulations from the Obama administration, many of them from the Environmental Protection Agency. The latest effort, and the next bill giving Congress greater control over regulations, would cover the entire federal government.

OMB Watch, an advocacy organization that tracks federal regulations, said that if the bill were already law, it would have stopped the government from issuing its finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health. The group said it also would have hindered the government's efforts to declare a popular weed killer dangerous, make statements about the effects of too much salt on people's health and issue a strong rule on lead in gasoline.

Republicans received support from Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee.

"In agriculture we have been dealing with innumerable problems that have been brought by regulations that are not properly vetted and seem to be for people that have a lack of understanding of exactly what's going on in agriculture," he said.

"So this legislation gives us an overhaul ... to make sure that we have more openness, more transparency, more accountability in these regulations. More time, more analysis."

Nineteen Democrats voted for the bill.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111202/ap_on_go_co/us_republicans_regulations

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