WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Food and Drug Administration says an outbreak of stomach illnesses in Iowa and Nebraska is linked to salad mix served at Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants in those states and supplied by a Mexican farm.
The outbreak of cyclospora infections has sickened more than 400 people in 16 states in all. The agency says it is working to determine whether the salad mix is the source of illnesses in the other 14 states.
"It is not yet clear whether the cases reported from other states are all part of the same outbreak," the agency said in a statement. "The investigation of increased cases of cyclosporiasis in other states continues."
Both Olive Garden and Red Lobster are owned by Orlando-based Darden Restaurants. In a statement, Darden spokesman Mike Bernstein said the FDA's announcement is "new information."
"Nothing we have seen prior to this announcement gave us any reason to be concerned about the products we've received from this supplier," Bernstein said.
The FDA said it traced illnesses from the restaurants in Nebraska and Iowa to Taylor Farms de Mexico, the Mexican branch of Salinas, Calif.-based Taylor Farms. The company, which provides produce to the food service industry, said its facility located about 180 miles north of Mexico City in San Miguel de Allende is the only one of its 12 sites to be connected to the cases.
In a statement on the company's website, Taylor Farms says the Mexican facility is "state of the art and has an exceptional food safety record." The statement said the company is working with FDA investigators who are looking at the facility and that the product is out of the food supply.
The agency said its investigation has not implicated packaged salad sold in grocery stores.
The salad mix may be out of the commercial food chain as the most recent known illness in those two states was in Nebraska a month ago. The typical shelf life for a salad mix is up to 14 days.
There have been more recent illnesses in other states. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most recent illness was July 23.
Real Estate at Crest Hardware in 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro)
We're less than a week away from the official closing of Hoboken rock venue Maxwell's, and still more shows are being added to the club's final schedule. Another NJ band who has gone on to achieve higher levels of success, Real Estate, will play a late show (11 PM doors) on Monday (7/29). It's the second show members of Real Estate will have played there this month, considering Martin Courtney joined The Feelies a few weeks ago. Tickets for Monday's show are on sale now.
Other upcoming shows at the venue include The Muff's tonight (7/25), Wild Nothing, Mission of Burma, Lee Ranaldo & the Dust, and The Bongos.
You can also catch Real Estate side project Ducktails at MoMA tonight (7/25). Then they play more shows in August, including a free NYC show with another NJ band who just played Maxwell's, Titus Andronicus on August 8 on Pier 84 with Juan Wauters (of The Beets). That show is part of the River Rocks series, which hosts Foxygen, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, and The Aves tonight. All Ducktails dates are listed below.
Another Real Estate side project Alex Bleeker & the Freaks open for Woods at Bowery Ballroom on Saturday (7/27), and after touring the US and Canada for the next month, return home for a show at Cake Shop on August 28. All Freaks dates are listed below.
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Alex Bleeker & the Freaks - "Step Right Up (Pour Yourself Some Wine)"
Alex Bleeker & the Freaks -- 2013 Tour Dates Sat-Jul-27 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom w/ Woods Tue-Jul-30 Albany, NY Valentines Wed-Jul-31 Toronto, ON Comfort Zone Thu-Aug-01 Detroit, MI Garden Bowl Fri-Aug-02 Chicago, IL Feeltrip Sat-Aug-03 Iowa City, IA The Mill Sun-Aug-04 Omaha, NE O'leavers Mon-Aug-05 Denver, CO Appaloosa Grill Wed-Aug-07 Boise, ID Crux Thu-Aug-08 Portland, OR Bunk Bar Fri-Aug-09 Vancouver, BC Astoria Sat-Aug-10 Seattle, WA Cairo Mon-Aug-12 San Francisco, CA The Knockout Wed-Aug-14 Santa Barbara, CA Muddy Waters Thu-Aug-15 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Bar Fri-Aug-16 San Diego, CA Soda Bar Sat-Aug-17 Tucson, AZ Trunkspace Mon-Aug-19 Austin, TX Hotel Vega Tue-Aug-20 Houston, TX Mangos Wed-Aug-21 New Orleans, LA Circle Bar Thu-Aug-22 Oxford, MS Lamar Lounge Fri-Aug-23 Atlanta, GA 529 Sat-Aug-24 Athens, GA Normaltown Hall Sun-Aug-25 Raleigh, NC Kings Barcade Mon-Aug-26 Richmond, VA Strange Matter Tue-Aug-27 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brendas Wed-Aug-28 New York, NY Cake Shop Mon-Sep-23 Big Sur, CA Woodsist Festival @ Henry Miller Memorial Library Sat-Sep-28 Pioneertown, CA Woodsist Festival @ Pappy and Harriet's
-- Ducktails -- 2013 Tour Dates 07/25 MoMA New York, NY 08/01 Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, US 08/04 Black Cat, Washington, DC, US 08/08 River Rocks on Pier 84 New York, NY w/ Titus Andronicus, Juan Wauters 08/13 Hana-Bi, Marina di Ravenna, Italy 08/22 The Borderline, London, UK 08/23 Soup Kitchen, Manchester, UK 08/24 The Louisiana, Bristol, UK 08/25 The Hope, Brighton, UK 08/27 Paradiso Kleine Zaal, Amsterdam, Netherlands 08/28 Rotown, Rotterdam, Netherlands 08/29 Vera Mainstage, Groningen, Netherlands
The Pure Greek Olive doesn't merely strive to provide the most authentic extra virgin olive oil on the market. From its very origins, the Pure Greek Olive has sought to build bridges from Greece to the United States along commercial and cultural lines. It is furthermore the belief of the company that the key to alleviating Greece's economic crisis is grassroots entrepreneurial integration and vision within and beyond Greece - a belief that constitutes the vehicle of the Pure Greek Olive's function. The relationship between Greece and the United States has been a robust, close-kni...
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Google is starting to roll out its new Google Maps app for smartphones and tablets. It has a simpler user interface that puts the maps front and center a center, a new dedicated tablet version for Android tablets, and retires the Google Latitude location tracking service.
The update starts hitting Android devices this week, and it?s coming soon to iOS as well.
What?s new?
The first big change you?ll notice in the new Google Maps app is that the toolbars at the top and bottom of the screen are gone. Instead, there?s just a search bar. If you need more menu options, you can swipe from the side of the screen to bring them up.
The new look is similar to the redesigned Google Maps app for desktop web browsers, and the UI that?s been available in Google Maps for iOS for a few months.
Google is also adding an Explore feature, which presents information about nearby locations in a Google Now card-style view. You can explorer dining, drinking, shopping, and other locations without even entering a search term just by tapping the search box.
The company is also making use of its recent acquisition of social navigation startup Waze. In addition to real-time traffic status, you can also see reports about incidents on ?the road that are submitted by other users. Google Maps will also offer suggestions for alternate routes.
The update also brings a native Android tablet view for the first time, incorporates reviews, Zagat ratings, and coupons and offers for locations.
What?s missing?
Google?s location-tracking service Latitude is getting shut down on August 9th, and it?s not incorporated into the new maps app. That means check-ins are also gone.
If you still want to share your location, you can use the mobile Google+ app to do it instead. The feature?s already available for Android, and Google will be bringing it to iOS.
Oddly Google is also hiding the offline maps feature in the new app. Instead of saving a map for use while you?re not connected to the internet from the main menu, you?ll now be able to do it by typing ?OK Maps? in the search box to save the area you?re looking at for later.
TechCrunch suggests Google may be burying offline maps because the feature?s not fully baked in this version of the mobile app ? although I?m not sure why it?s in there at all if that?s the case. Hopefully a more robust version will be back in the future.
At launch, the new app is also missing custom maps you may have saved in ?My Maps.? You can still create them using a desktop browser, but you won?t be able to access them with a mobile app until a later update brings back that feature.
Google Glass isn?t expected to be released until early to mid-2014, however there are other options for those interested in wearable computing. Recon Instruments is now accepting preorders for its Recon Jet sunglasses, a Google Glass-like device intended for sporting enthusiasts. The Jet has similar internal components as Glass, including a 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage and a 720p camera. The device is also equipped with a variety of sensors such as an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, altimeter, barometer and ambient temperature sensor, and it runs a customized version of Android.
[More from BGR: iOS 7 beta 3: Full change log released]
The sensors will be used to deliver real-time information ? including distance, speed, duration, heart rate and more, along with caller ID and SMS information from a Bluetooth-connected smartphone ? while performing your favorite activities.
[More from BGR: iOS 7 beta 3 now available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch]
The Recon Jet is being offered for less than half of the price of the Explorer Edition of Google Glass. From now until July 21st, the device can be preordered for $499, and then the price will increase to $599 later this month. The Recon Jet will begin shipping in December.
This time of year is naturally exciting already, but throw in a bunch of hot new flagship phones -- all of which do a pretty solid job of raising the bar in the mobile industry -- and this summer is turning into the best in recent memory. Myriam and Brad will discuss the latest news, rumors and reviews: the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 Google Play editions, the Samsung Galaxy Mega, the upcoming Nokia 1020 and plenty more. Join us!
We conclude our series taking a closer look at each Pac-12 team's nonconference schedule.
Washington State
at Auburn, Aug. 31
Coach: Gus Malzahn, first year
2012 record: 3-8, 0-8 SEC
Returning starters: seven offense, eight defense
Offensive headliner: Running back Tre Mason returns as a 1,000-yard rusher from last year, where he totaled 1,002 yards with eight touchdowns and 83.5 yards per game. Fun fact: He's the first non-QB to lead Auburn in total offense since Bo Jackson in 1985.
Defensive headliner: Senior Demetruce McNeal was second on the team last year with 90 tackles, including seven for a loss.
The skinny: Auburn ranked tied for last in the country last year with just two interceptions. Washington State was second to last in the nation in interceptions throw with 21. It's the uncatchable force vs. the easily-catchable object, so to speak. Malzahn is a Todd Graham disciple so you'd expect the Tigers to post better offensive numbers than their 18.6 points per game last year.
Southern Utah, Sept. 14
Coach: Ed Lamb (26-29), sixth season
2012 record: 5-6, 4-4 Big Sky
Returning starters: six offense, seven defense
Offensive headliner: Fatu Moala returns as the team's leading receiver from last year, where he caught 65 balls for 810 yards and nine touchdowns.
Defensive headliner: Linebacker Zak Browning is back after leading the Thunderbirds with 116 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss with one sack and in interception. He also forced five fumbles.
The skinny: Lamb took an 0-11 team and eventually guided it to the 2010 Great West Conference championship. Last year, Southern Utah's first in the Big Sky, it went 4-4. But the Thunderbirds lose their top three rushers from last year and have to replace quarterback Brad Sorensen, who attempted every pass last year for the team.
Idaho, Sept. 21
Coach: Paul Petrino, first year
2012 record: 1-11, 1-5 WAC
Returning starters: seven offense, three defense
Offensive headliner: Center Mike Marboe is a preseason all-independent selection by several publications and is on the Rimington watch list.
Defensive headliner: Cornerback Solomon Dixon led the Vandals with three interceptions last year while tallying 36 tackles -- including three for a loss.
The skinny: The WAC orphans begin anew as an independent. They allowed more than 42 points per game and scored just south of 16 per contest. That's a perfect recipe for a one-win season. The blood is already bad in this turf war, but it elevated earlier this year when this happened. Don't expect many pleasantries when these teams meet for the 91st time.
Thoughts: The Cougars open the year with back-to-back road games. Following the trip to Auburn, they start league play on the road in Week 2 at USC before finishing off the nonconference slate with home games against Southern Utah and Idaho. Most people expect the Cougars to be underdogs on the road to Auburn -- and they probably will be. The Cougars are very much a question mark with a quarterback competition still in the works and a deep receiving corps that is waiting to be unleashed. Would anyone be shocked if they went into Auburn and lost by 21? Probably not. Would anyone be shocked if they come out and throw it around and win by a touchdown or two? Maybe ... but not that shocked. How much growth happened in the offseason is still unknown. But it's safe to assume Washington State will be more efficient in Year 2 under Mike Leach than it was in Year 1. The remaining two nonconference games -- despite the bubbling tensions with Idaho -- should be considered winnable. Southern Utah has made strides under Lamb, but not enough to topple a Leach-coached team. The Idaho game has been on hiatus since the 2007 meeting, but the Cougars have won eight straight in the series. Fans should, at the very least, expect a 2-1 record in nonconference play. And 3-0 would be pleasantly surprising.
Here's the complete nonconference primer series.
ESPN.com Pac-12/Stanford blogger
Joined ESPN.com in 2011
Wrote for The San Diego Union-Tribune
Tags:
Idaho Vandals, Washington State Cougars, Southern Utah Thunderbirds, Auburn Tigers, Mike Leach, Gus Malzahn, Paul Petrino, 2013 pac-12 non-conference, Tre Mason, Demetruce McNeal, Ed Lamb, Fatu Moala, Zak Browning, Brad Sorensen, Mike Marboe, Solomon Dixon
CLEVELAND (AP) ? Max Scherzer didn't care that his record stayed spotless. All that mattered to him was that Detroit's improved.
Scherzer remained unbeaten and Victor Martinez hit a two-run double in the 10th inning as the Tigers extended their lead in the AL Central with a 4-2 win over the second-place Cleveland Indians on Monday night.
Martinez doubled off Matt Albers (2-1) as the Tigers won three of four in the series and moved 3? games ahead in the division.
Scherzer, attempting to become the first pitcher since Roger Clemens in 1986 to open a season 14-0, finished with a no-decision. He allowed two runs and seven hits in seven innings. The presumed AL starter in next week's All-Star game will take his unblemished mark into a start on Saturday against Texas.
"I don't want to focus much on that (being 13-0)," he said. "This was our best win of the year, and I was proud to be a part of it. The Indians battled so hard tonight and brought their 'A' game, and we did, too.
"It was just a great team win, our best of the year."
Drew Smyly (4-0) worked out of a jam in the ninth and Joaquin Benoit pitched the 10th for his seventh save, striking out Mike Aviles with runners at first and third to end the game.
Matt Tuiasosopo homered for the Tigers, now 9-3 against the Indians.
Detroit was able to widen its lead over Cleveland by two games on this visit, but manager Jim Leyland knows champions aren't crowned in July.
"We came in and had a very good series against a very good team, but I'm not really concerned about the standings," Leyland said. "Of course, I'd rather leave here up 3? games than up 1? games. But trust me, the Indians are not going anywhere, and we're not going anywhere, I don't think."
Albers got two quick outs in the 10th before walking Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. Martinez followed with a drive over the head of center fielder Michael Bourn. The ball caromed off the wall, far enough away for two of Detroit's slowest runners to score. After Fielder slid across the plate, he popped up from the dirt and swung his arm in celebration.
The Indians had been 5-0 in extra-inning games.
Cleveland came in with a reputation for beating Cy Young Award winners. The Indians have defeated seven former recipients this season, including Detroit's Justin Verlander. Scherzer is clearly the midseason favorite to win the AL honor in 2013, and while the Indians didn't hand him a loss, they did prevent him from beating them for the third time this year.
Scherzer wasn't at his best, and he was noticeably agitated on a night when the rain never really stopped. However, the 28-year-old got stronger as the game wore on. He gave up both runs ? on a two-run single in the second by Lonnie Chisenhall ? and five hits in the first three innings, and pitched out of a couple of jams he created.
"He used to be a thrower and now he's a pitcher," Indians first baseman Nick Swisher said. "You've got a guy with all those weapons and he starts to figure it out, that doesn't make anybody happy."
After getting out of a first-and-third bind in the fifth, Scherzer got in a groove and struck out four of the final five batters he faced. In the seventh, he gave up a single to Bourn, who was caught stealing. Scherzer then struck out Asdrubal Cabrera and blew a 97 mph fastball past All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis to end the inning ? on his 117th pitch.
Scherzer screamed and pumped his fist as he headed to the dugout, slapping hands with catcher Brayan Pena before taking a seat to watch the Tigers hit.
"You can usually judge your outing on the last 15 pitches, and I thought I finished pretty strong," Scherzer said.
Cleveland's Scott Kazmir went pitch for pitch with Scherzer, allowing just two runs and four hits in 5 2-3 innings.
Kazmir held the top four hitters ? Austin Jackson, Torii Hunter, Cabrera and Fielder ? in one of baseball's most feared lineups without a hit in 11 at-bats. The only one of the four to reach base was Cabrera, who walked with one out in the third.
With both the Indians and weather threatening in the second, the game was delayed by rain.
Thunder rumbled nearby and lightning flashed above Progressive Field as Scherzer battled Chisenhall with runners at second and third and two outs. The game was halted on a 2-2 count, and when play resumed 20 minutes later, Chisenhall jumped all over Scherzer's first pitch, ripping a changeup to right for a two-run single.
When he returned to the dugout, Scherzer slammed his glove and cap down in disgust. After the game, he said he was upset that umpire Joe West did not let him finish the at-bat to Chisenhall.
He was mad again in the third, when the Indians loaded the bases on a pair of two-out singles and walk. But Scherzer snagged a comebacker by Aviles and carefully underhanded the ball to first for the final out.
The Indians had their chances against Scherzer, and stranded 10 runners in all.
"It's just kind of one of those games," Swisher said. "We left a small village on the sacks. We've got to do a little better job there, but that's how baseball goes."
NOTES: The Tigers have won 12 of the last 16 against the Indians, outscoring them 100-59 during that stretch. ... Tigers 2B Omar Infante (bruised shin) sat out his fifth straight game, but remains day to day. ... Scherzer had his 19th straight start without a loss, passing Bobo Newsom for the franchise record. ... Detroit went 7-4 on its longest trip this season. The Tigers open a three-game series against the last-place White Sox on Tuesday with Verlander (9-5) facing Jose Quintana (3-2).
For the 4th of July country singer LeAnn Rimes spent the holiday performing in Michigan. LeAnn?s husband, Eddie Cibrian and her two step-sons, Jake and Mason, joined Rimes in Michigan for the holiday festivities. According to Celebrity Dirty Laundry on July 6, the tweet that came towards the end of the day was meant to be a personal attack on ?Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? star, and mother of Mason and Jake, Brandi Glanville.
The photograph was of LeAnn, Eddie and the boys. Jake and Mason were dressed in red, white, and blue and even had red and blue patriotic slushies. Judging from the photo, the boys were having a wonderful time celebrating the holiday in Michigan. The tweet simply stated, ?Here's to a fantastic 4th! From our family to yours! Stay safe and make memories! #4thofjuly pic.twitter.com/eDsFcl1kTc?
What part of that slams Glanville exactly?
Well, CDL says that LeAnn made it ?seem like Brandi had abandoned her kids.?
LeAnn also tweeted that Jake was helping her road crew set up the drums and later posted a photo of the kid testing out those same drums. After the show she thanked Michigan for a wonderful time, and then posted a show of the kids hiding in the closets on the tour bus.
It is obvious Rimes adores her step-children and there is nothing wrong with that. Brandi should be happy the boys have a good step-mother and not someone who is mean and nasty to them. Whatever differences Brandi and LeAnn have, they need to stop being dragged out on Twitter. They are adults who are no longer in high school. People cheat. Life happens. Move on and get over it. Glanville wants to act the saint; however it?s been alleged numerous times she cheated on Cibrian.
But, in true Brandi fashion, she felt it fit to chime in with her two cents after spending her 4th in Venice.
On July 5 Brandi tweeted, ?Mi kids had a great 4th and nopw they are coming home to mommy :)? [sic]?
Do you feel that was a slam at LeAnn or just a simple statement?
On July 6, LeAnn Rimes made it clear she wasn?t going to let sites like CDL get the best of her. ?I love bloggers who confuse themselves as journalist. Lol....just because you have an opinion doesn't make it true #alwaysagoodlaugh?
What do you think?
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Manny Ramirez, a free agent signing for the Texas Rangers, makes his debut with the Triple A Round Rock Express baseball team on Sun., July 7, 2013 at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, TX. (Ashley Landis/Special Contributor)
Manny Ramirez singled in three at-bats and walked once in his return to organized baseball with Triple-A Round Rock of the Rangers? organization on Sunday night.
Ramirez, a 12-time American League All-Star, singled in his first at-bat against hard-throwing right-hander Yordano Ventura with Omaha, of the Kansas City organization. Ramirez grounded into a fielder?s choice and struck out in four pitches in his next two at-batsl. Ventura began play having allowed 66 hits with 101 strikeouts at the Double- and Triple-A levels this season.
In his final plate appearance, Ramirez worked left-hander Buddy Baumann for a walk and was removed for a pinch-runner.
Ramirez, 41, lasted played in North American on May 30, 2012, with Triple-A Sacramento of the Oakland organization. He was released at his request and did not play again last season. He played in the four-team, Taiwan-based Chinese Professional Baseball Association this year before leaving to pursue a return to the major leagues.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels has said there is no timetable for the Rangers to decide if Ramirez can play in the majors. He lasted appeared in a major-league game on April 6, 2011, with Tampa Bay. Ramirez ?retired? in advance of a 100-game suspension for excessive levels of testosterone. Major League Baseball considers the suspension as having been served.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (News Release) -- University of Louisville men?s basketball coach Rick Pitino will sign 400 commemorative bottles of a premium brand featuring his image on Sunday, July 14 at 4 p.m. at a ticketed event at Molly Malone?s Irish Pub and Restaurant, located at 3900 Shelbyville Road in Louisville. ? Pitino will sign the special commemorative bottles of Maker?s Mark?, a handmade bourbon produced in Loretto, Ky., which depict Pitino?s image, his upcoming induction to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and UofL?s 2013 men?s basketball national championship. ? Tickets may be picked up in advance at no charge with the purchase of food or drink during this week at the Molly Malone?s location at 3900 Shelbyville Road, beginning after 5 p.m. on Monday, July 8.? Each of the 400 tickets will allow the bearer to have one bottle signed on Sunday and only the 2013 commemorative bottles will be signed.? Pitino is receiving no fee for the signing and there is no charge for the ticket. ? Proceeds from the sales of the bottles, which were sold in retail stores on June 7, will go toward the UofL Academic Center of Excellence, an $8 million, state-of-the-art facility that will be built on the Cardinals? campus.? Pitino signed 700 bottles at a June 13 event. ? The commemorative bottles will not be signed at the UofL basketball offices. Please do not attempt to bring a bottle to campus to be signed.? Maker?s Mark? is a registered trademark of Maker?s Mark Distillery, Inc. ?
The parade, which in recent years has been disrupted by far-right protestors, took place without any violent incidents, although about 200 far-right nationalists shouted insults at participants.
More than 400 companies and organisations signed a statement in support of the parade in the run-up to the event.
Representatives from 20 foreign embassies and several opposition party politicians also took part in the parade.
It may come as a surprise that one of the four teaching certifications I hold is K-12 Art Education. It is a certification that I am excited to finally use in my new position in the fall. Throughout high school, I took private art lessons with a local artist. I learned how to mix paint colors, complete paintings with a limited palette, paint with a palette knife, and create drypoint etchings, linoleum prints, mixed media and clay sculpture, as well as how to work in a variety of drawing techniques. For each project we worked on, we also received a lesson in art history, giving us context for the technique or materials we were using.
Old School Technology
As I reflect on my experiences, I realize that all of these creating and making experiences involved a variety of technologies. Often, when we use the word "technology," we assume that it must refer to a technological computing device. However, as I often tell my students, there was a time when a simple pencil was a game-changing technology. While printmaking, I used a drypoint needle to scratch into plastic. To make our prints, we had to ink up plates and run them through a press. While these are not new technologies, they are not-so-distant cousins of new technologies we see today.
Many of these older technologies are still in use in digital fabrication labs (FabLabs) and MakerSpaces around the world. Artists and "Makers" in these communities use the old tools in conjunction with newer ones to create works of art and everyday objects. Imagine an artist creating a piece for his art installation on a sewing machine and stitching in conductive thread so he can incorporate LEDs into the piece. Or imagine a sculptor who creates with clay and incorporates objects created with a 3D printer into the piece.
What's Art? Who's an Artist?
There is a lot of discussion about whether digital art can be considered "fine art" and what kind of impact digital art will have, ultimately, in the art world. I would equate the impact of digital art with any art movement that forced people to rethink what they considered art in the first place. (I'm channeling my inner Duchamp, Warhol and Pollock here.) Artists have been incorporating multimedia into their pieces for decades, but computers have created a new evolution of the simple video montage or sound and light enhancements. We are now forced to consider as "artists" the computer programmer who creates a program that incorporates input from individuals' smartphones or manipulates the lights on a building to allow for the world's largest game of Pong. For those who would say this is blasphemy, I ask you to visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art to view Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain" (hint: it's a urinal) or Michelangelo's fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (a larger-than-life public art piece).
For those who fear that we, as humans, will stop making art with our hands, one only has to look at the many FabLabs and MakerSpaces (there are even MakerFaires!) around the country and in our schools to see that hands-on creativity is not dying -- it's simply evolving. Young people are still attending art schools, still painting, sculpting and printing, many of them in "traditional" ways.
Picking Up STEAM
So what is the implication for K-12 schools? First and foremost, we need to fund the arts in our schools. We also need consider that some of the artists in our schools and communities may be programmers or makers, not just illustrators and painters. Our art programs should reflect the art that our young people see every day and the tools that they are accustomed to using. As much as I am not a fan of trendy, buzzword acronyms, I would argue that the new trend toward incorporating STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) can start the process of rethinking what we consider art and acknowledging the evolving world of digital art and Maker communities.
FRANKFORT, Ky. - Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear met with U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and other officials on Monday morning regarding the future of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
Beshear called the meeting "productive" and said his goal remains the same:?to preserve jobs at the facility.
?We?ve been clear from the start that our primary objectives are to find new economic development opportunities for the facility, to create and preserve jobs, and to protect the public by promptly beginning site cleanup,? said Gov. Beshear. ?Sec. Moniz has listened to each of those concerns and understands the importance of this enormous asset to that region and to our entire state. After this meeting, I feel confident that we will continue to closely work together toward each of those goals.?
The U.S. Department of Energy issued a Request for Offers to make use of the plant last week. Beshear said at the time he was "disappointed"?in the department's request because it would allow a business to purchase the uranium tails without making use of the site. The governor also said the DOE did not relay immediate plans at the time to start cleanup operations
Currently, the plant's 1,100 employees are waiting to hear what will happen to the facility and their jobs now that the DOE will not extend their contract with USEC. That decision was announced in late May, leaving the facility's jobs hanging in the balance.
The downtown core lays in ruins as fire fighters continue to water smoldering rubble Sunday, July 7, 2013, in Lac Megantic, Quebec, after a train derailed ignited tanker cars carrying crude oil. The runaway train derailed, causing explosions and fires that destroyed the downtown district. (AP Photo/THE CANADIAN PRESS,Ryan Remiorz)
The downtown core lays in ruins as fire fighters continue to water smoldering rubble Sunday, July 7, 2013, in Lac Megantic, Quebec, after a train derailed ignited tanker cars carrying crude oil. The runaway train derailed, causing explosions and fires that destroyed the downtown district. (AP Photo/THE CANADIAN PRESS,Ryan Remiorz)
Canadian Prime Minister Harper, right, surveys the scene Sunday, July 7, 2013, in Lac Megantic, Quebec, as firefighters continue to spray derailed tanker cars. A runaway train derailed Saturday causing explosions of railway cars carrying crude oil and destroyed part of the downtown area of Lac Megantic. (AP Photo/THE CANADIAN PRESS, Paul Chiasson)
The downtown core lays in ruins as fire fighters continue to water smoldering rubble Sunday, July 7, 2013 in Lac Megantic, Quebec after a train derailed ignited tanker cars carrying crude oil. More bodies were recovered Sunday in the devastated town of Lac Megantic, raising the death toll to at least five after a runaway train derailed, igniting explosions and fires that destroyed the downtown district. With dozens of people reported missing, authorities feared they could find more bodies once they reached the hardest-hit areas. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)
Fire fighters continue to water smoldering rubble Sunday, July 7, 2013 in Lac Megantic, Quebec. A runaway train derailed Saturday igniting tanker cars carrying crude oil. (AP Photo/THE CANADIAN PRESS,Ryan Remiorz)
Burnt buildings are seen following a train derailment causing explosions of railway cars carrying crude oil Sunday, July 7, 2013 in Lac Megantic, Quebec. Two more bodies were discovered overnight after a runaway train carrying crude oil derailed in eastern Quebec, igniting explosions and fires that destroyed a town's downtown center. The confirmed death toll is now three, and is expected to rise further. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson
LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec (AP) ? Hazardous conditions hindered firefighters' attempts Monday to search for some 40 people still missing after a runaway oil tanker train exploded over the weekend, killing at least five people, officials said.
Quebec provincial police Sgt. Benoit Richard said Monday morning there was no searching overnight because the situation remained too dangerous.
He said only a small part of the devastated scene has been searched as firefighters made sure all flames were out.
Many of those missing were believed to have been drinking at a popular downtown bar when the explosions occurred and rescuers were still not able to reach the area, Richard said.
"Hopefully we'll be able to open up more areas for searching during the day," he said.
Firefighters on Monday were focusing their efforts on two oil-filled cars dousing them with water and foam in an attempt to keep them from overheating and exploding.
All but one of the train's 73 tanker cars were carrying oil when they somehow came loose early Saturday morning, sped downhill nearly seven miles (11 kilometers) into the town of Lac-Megantic, near the Maine border, and derailed, with at least five of the cars exploding.
About a third of the community of 6,000 was forced from of their homes by the explosion and flames.
The growing number of trains transporting crude oil in Canada and the United States had raised concerns of a major disaster, and this derailment was sure to add to the debate over a proposed oil pipeline running across the U.S. that Canada says it badly needs.
"This is an unbelievable disaster," said Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who toured the town Sunday and compared it to a war zone. "This is an enormous area, 30 buildings just completely destroyed, for all intents and purposes incinerated. There isn't a family that is not affected by this."
Anne-Julie Huot, 27, said at least five friends and about 20 acquaintances remained unaccounted for.
"I have a friend who was smoking outside the bar when it happened, and she barely got away, so we can guess what happened to the people inside," Huot said. "It's like a nightmare."
A coroner's spokeswoman said it may not be possible to recover some of the bodies because of the intensity of the blasts. Spokeswoman Genevi?ve Guilbault said the bodies are so badly burned that identifying them could take a long time. She said none of the five bodies that have been found so far have been identified and two have been sent to Montreal for further analysis.?All of the autopsies will be conducted in Montreal because there is no laboratory in town.
For the second day in a row, she urged families of the missing to come forward with details that could help them identify the bodies, such as tattoos, dental records, or objects that would contain the DNA of the deceased.
The train's oil was being transported from North Dakota's Bakken oil region to a refinery in New Brunswick. Because of limited pipeline capacity in the Bakken region and in Canada, oil producers are increasingly using railroads to transport oil to refineries.
The Canadian Railway Association recently estimated that as many as 140,000 carloads of crude oil will be shipped on Canada's tracks this year ? up from 500 carloads in 2009. The Quebec disaster is the fourth freight train accident in Canada under investigation involving crude oil shipments since the beginning of the year.
Harper has called railroad transit "far more environmentally challenging" while trying to persuade the Obama administration to approve the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Greenpeace Canada said Sunday that federal safety regulations haven't kept up with the enormous growth in the shipment of oil by rail.
Officials with the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway said that despite the disaster, they feel transporting oil by rail is safe.
"No matter what mode of transportation you are going to have incidents. That's been proven. This is an unfortunate incident," said Joe McGonigle, Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway's vice president of marketing.
He said the company believes the train's brakes were the cause. "The train was parked, it was tied up. The brakes were secured. Somehow it got loose," he said.
McGonigle said there was no reason to suspect any criminal or terror-related activity.
___
Associated Press writer Rob Gillies and Charmaine Noronha contributed from Toronto.
Teresa Heinz Kerry and husband, US Secretary of State John Kerry, in this February, 2013 file photo.
By JoNel Aleccia, NBC News
Teresa Heinz Kerry?suffered a grand mal seizure of unknown origin, "an electrical storm in the brain" that sent her to the hospital in critical condition Sunday,?a medical source who treated her told NBC News.
The wife of Secretary of State John Kerry and heir to the ketchup company fortune was upgraded to fair condition Monday, the secretary's spokesman said, and she continues to undergo evaluation.
Heinz Kerry, 74, was flown to Boston for further medical treatment after being taken by ambulance from the couple's Nantucket, Mass., home to a hospital on Sunday afternoon, sources close to the family told NBC News.
She had to be intubated, the source said, which would be unusual, according to doctors who specialize in epilepsy and other seizure disorders.?
A source close to the Kerry family, who spoke with NBC News Monday, said the family called for an ambulance "when they became concerned she was exhibiting symptoms of a seizure.? She's been evaluated in Nantucket and Boston with no definitive diagnosis made at this point."
The wife of secretary of state John Kerry was rushed to a hospital on Nantucket in critical condition and was transferred to a hospital in Boston. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
A grand mal seizure, also known as a generalized tonic clonic seizure, is the most serious type, one that involves the entire body and typically causes the victim to lose consciousness.
?It?s an electrical storm in the brain,? said Dr. Nathan Fountain, director of the F.E. Dreifuss Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va.?The effort of a seizure can be compared to running a 100-yard dash, and it leaves the patient exhausted and disoriented, he added.?
The cause of such seizures is often unclear, especially if it?s an isolated episode. A seizure could be prompted by a stroke, by reactions to medication, by an underlying medical condition, even by something like serious sleep deprivation, said Fountain, who emphasized that he had no direct knowledge of Heinz Kerry?s condition or care.?
?Most often, we don?t figure it out,? he said. ?Almost anything that affects the brain can cause this.?
Typical seizures last about 3 minutes and may be treated with anti-seizure medications, which can suppress breathing, perhaps leading to the need for intubation, said Dr. Jacqueline French, president of the American Epilepsy Society and a professor of neurology at New York University Langone Medical Center. She noted, however, that there is evidence of an increase in new cases of epilepsy in people older than 65, when their brains may become more susceptible to the disorder.?
?Unfortunately, the seizures are not recognized until the big grand mal seizure happens,? she said.?
Heinz Kerry was admitted to the emergency room at Nantucket Cottage Hospital in critical but stable condition about 3:30 p.m., according to a hospital spokesperson. No further details were released.
Heinz Kerry, a breast cancer survivor, is the mother of three adult sons from her marriage to the late Pennsylvania Sen. John Heinz who died in a plane crash in 1991.
She was treated at Massachusetts General in Boston in 2009 following her surgery to treat breast cancer. She also received treatment at a Washington-area hospital that same year.
Heinz Kerry?s seizure could be related to her previous treatment for breast cancer, said Dr. Orrin Devinsky, director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at New York University Langone Medical Center. The cancer can spread to the lining of the brain or to the brain itself, causing a grand mal seizure.
?I wouldn?t say it is likely; I would say it is a possibility,? Devinsky said.?
Sec. Kerry has been in Nantucket since returning from the Middle East on Wednesday.
Heinz Kerry is a longtime activist on environmental causes and leads the Heinz Family Foundation.
?The family is grateful for the outpouring of support it has received and aware of the interest in her condition, but they ask for privacy at this time,? Johnson said in the statement.
?
This story was originally published on Sun Jul 7, 2013 10:35 PM EDT
Contact: Robin Lally rlally@ur.rutgers.edu 732-932-7084 x652 Rutgers University
More than 350 researchers will work together to unlock the mysteries of life-threatening nervous system disorders
Alzheimer's disease develops slowly. At first, there is mild forgetfulness names, important details and the ability to follow directions. But as time progresses, irreversible structural and chemical changes in the brain rob people of their dignity, unable to function or recognize even their closest family members.
It is estimated that 5.1 million Americans are living with this debilitating, life-threatening brain disorder. And it is only expected to get worse as the population ages.
This neurological disorder is only one of many that underscore the complexity of the brain and what happens when it doesn't function properly. The challenge of understanding the mysteries of the mind has prompted scientists and physicians from Rutgers University and its two new medical schools to launch a neuroscience consortium. Working together to gain more information about the mechanisms underlying basic brain function will serve as a strong foundation for better understanding disease processes.
The consortium is the first step in an initiative by Rutgers to establish a teaching, learning, and research environment where resources and knowledge are readily available across all academic and medical disciplines and where neuroscientists are better equipped to compete for dwindling government research dollars.
"This consortium is as important to developing our universitywide neuroscience program as having a travel guide when you are on the highway," says Stephen Jos Hanson, director of the Rutgers University Brain Imaging Center (RUBIC) in Newark. "Not having one would be like being in the middle of a foreign country and not realizing it because you don't have a guide or landmark familiarity that connects you to your surroundings."
Hanson is a leading researcher on memory, learning, and brain function and is among a group of 25 neuroscientists who began meeting in the spring. The neuroscientists came together to discuss the best way to harness the incredible talent once Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway and New Jersey Medical School in Newark became part of Rutgers.
The addition of the medical schools was the impetus for getting neuroscientists out of their laboratories and into a room where they could discuss research, resources, funding, brain and nervous system collaborations, and how to best move forward.
Hanson, who helped Rutgers acquire a full-body magnetic resonance imaging scanner that uses a powerful magnet and radio waves to measure blood flow changes to the brain, realized just how important this was after introducing himself at an exploratory gathering of about 40 neuroscientists in December. When he mentioned the brain imaging center, Hanson heard one person immediately ask, "Really, Rutgers has a scanner?"
Innovative Collaborations
Neuroscientist Robin L. Davis, acting director of Rutgers' Brain Health Institute on the New Brunswick Campus, has led the charge in creating the neuroscience consortium. She says this comment is a prime example of why change is needed.
"This new consortium will coordinate efforts across Rutgers University and our two new medical schools that will not only establish innovative research collaborations, which are certainly important, but also will have an educational mission to reach out to our internal and external community and let them know just who we are," says Davis, who is also the director of auditory aging research at Rutgers. She studies the auditory neurons that are vulnerable to aging, their loss ultimately leading to hearing disorders and deafness.
There are more than 350 neuroscience researchers working from bench to bedside within the university's departments and institutions and its two medical schools. They are studying human learning and decision making; language development; sensory perception; the impact of traumatic brain injury; and the degree to which disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease affect memory and behavior. The neuroscience field integrates biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, psychology, and computer science at the level of basic science with neurology, neuroscience, ophthalmology, and psychiatry on the clinical side.
Christopher J. Molloy, Rutgers' interim chancellor of the new Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, says these neuroscientists are individually involved in critical research to prevent or cure many devastating neurological and psychiatric disorders.
"Together, through collaboration, neuroscientists across all areas of Rutgers, including New Jersey Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, will be at the forefront in the quest to fully understand the complexities of the human brain," Molloy says. "It will be these scientists, working together, who will develop treatments to alleviate the debilitating and life-threatening effects of these nervous system disorders."
Funding Brain Research
In 2012, funding for neuroscience-related projects topped $56 million, representing almost 28 percent of all grant dollars awarded to the science and clinical research departments that are part of the new Rutgers.
This includes money for an array of neuroscience projects including a $2.1 million stem cell research grant from the National Institutes of Health, enabling the School of Arts and Sciences, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey to focus on researching the genetic mysteries of autism, a brain disorder characterized by communication difficulties, social impairments, and repetitive behaviors.
New collaborative research projects investigating multiple sclerosis; the effects of environmental toxins on the nervous system, memory, learning, and brain cell development; and the cause and effect of traumatic brain injury are just some of the projects beginning to take hold as scientists who may not have worked together previously become Rutgers colleagues.
And with President Obama calling for a multibillion-dollar plan to map the human brain to understand its complexities and unlock the mysteries of debilitating neurodegenerative diseases, many neuroscientists say Rutgers is positioning itself to be a university at the forefront of such research.
Building a Bridge
This is a good start, say those involved with the development of the new consortium. But too much information critical to discovering preventive treatments and possible cures is still falling under the radar of many who could benefit from the data, says Marco Zarbin, professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at New Jersey Medical School in Newark. Zarbin has done research to develop treatments for retinal eye disease through cell transplantation.
"We end up in our own little silos," says Zarbin, a member of the consortium, who insists that scientists and physicians have become so specialized that fewer collaborations necessary for big scientific discoveries are occurring. "The great thing now about the new Rutgers is that intellectually we have all the different skills needed to do big things in both science and medicine."
Moving forward, Suhayl Dhib-Jalbut, professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, says a virtual neuroscience institute needs to be created to connect the neuroscience programs at Rutgers to its medical schools and make access to information seamless. This means developing a robust website through which information about both the work being done at the university and critical funding mechanisms for neuroscience research could be easily accessed by researchers, faculty, and students.
"What we have to do is bring basic science and clinical trials together by creating a structure that allows us to get this done so we can achieve the best results," says Dhib-Jalbut, a leading multiple sclerosis researcher funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National MS Society and president of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS).
John McGann, an assistant professor in the behavioral and systems neuroscience program in the Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, says the new consortium represents a positive first step in undergraduate and graduate education: providing additional resources and opportunities to the next generation of neuroscientists studying at Rutgers.
"What I can say unequivocally is that we (neuroscientists) love our research," says McGann, who studies the brain mechanisms underlying the sense of smell. "So I think that whatever we need to do, everyone will be more than ready. I think our department borders ultimately will become irrelevant as we determine the best way to get this important work done."
###
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Contact: Robin Lally rlally@ur.rutgers.edu 732-932-7084 x652 Rutgers University
More than 350 researchers will work together to unlock the mysteries of life-threatening nervous system disorders
Alzheimer's disease develops slowly. At first, there is mild forgetfulness names, important details and the ability to follow directions. But as time progresses, irreversible structural and chemical changes in the brain rob people of their dignity, unable to function or recognize even their closest family members.
It is estimated that 5.1 million Americans are living with this debilitating, life-threatening brain disorder. And it is only expected to get worse as the population ages.
This neurological disorder is only one of many that underscore the complexity of the brain and what happens when it doesn't function properly. The challenge of understanding the mysteries of the mind has prompted scientists and physicians from Rutgers University and its two new medical schools to launch a neuroscience consortium. Working together to gain more information about the mechanisms underlying basic brain function will serve as a strong foundation for better understanding disease processes.
The consortium is the first step in an initiative by Rutgers to establish a teaching, learning, and research environment where resources and knowledge are readily available across all academic and medical disciplines and where neuroscientists are better equipped to compete for dwindling government research dollars.
"This consortium is as important to developing our universitywide neuroscience program as having a travel guide when you are on the highway," says Stephen Jos Hanson, director of the Rutgers University Brain Imaging Center (RUBIC) in Newark. "Not having one would be like being in the middle of a foreign country and not realizing it because you don't have a guide or landmark familiarity that connects you to your surroundings."
Hanson is a leading researcher on memory, learning, and brain function and is among a group of 25 neuroscientists who began meeting in the spring. The neuroscientists came together to discuss the best way to harness the incredible talent once Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway and New Jersey Medical School in Newark became part of Rutgers.
The addition of the medical schools was the impetus for getting neuroscientists out of their laboratories and into a room where they could discuss research, resources, funding, brain and nervous system collaborations, and how to best move forward.
Hanson, who helped Rutgers acquire a full-body magnetic resonance imaging scanner that uses a powerful magnet and radio waves to measure blood flow changes to the brain, realized just how important this was after introducing himself at an exploratory gathering of about 40 neuroscientists in December. When he mentioned the brain imaging center, Hanson heard one person immediately ask, "Really, Rutgers has a scanner?"
Innovative Collaborations
Neuroscientist Robin L. Davis, acting director of Rutgers' Brain Health Institute on the New Brunswick Campus, has led the charge in creating the neuroscience consortium. She says this comment is a prime example of why change is needed.
"This new consortium will coordinate efforts across Rutgers University and our two new medical schools that will not only establish innovative research collaborations, which are certainly important, but also will have an educational mission to reach out to our internal and external community and let them know just who we are," says Davis, who is also the director of auditory aging research at Rutgers. She studies the auditory neurons that are vulnerable to aging, their loss ultimately leading to hearing disorders and deafness.
There are more than 350 neuroscience researchers working from bench to bedside within the university's departments and institutions and its two medical schools. They are studying human learning and decision making; language development; sensory perception; the impact of traumatic brain injury; and the degree to which disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease affect memory and behavior. The neuroscience field integrates biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, psychology, and computer science at the level of basic science with neurology, neuroscience, ophthalmology, and psychiatry on the clinical side.
Christopher J. Molloy, Rutgers' interim chancellor of the new Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, says these neuroscientists are individually involved in critical research to prevent or cure many devastating neurological and psychiatric disorders.
"Together, through collaboration, neuroscientists across all areas of Rutgers, including New Jersey Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, will be at the forefront in the quest to fully understand the complexities of the human brain," Molloy says. "It will be these scientists, working together, who will develop treatments to alleviate the debilitating and life-threatening effects of these nervous system disorders."
Funding Brain Research
In 2012, funding for neuroscience-related projects topped $56 million, representing almost 28 percent of all grant dollars awarded to the science and clinical research departments that are part of the new Rutgers.
This includes money for an array of neuroscience projects including a $2.1 million stem cell research grant from the National Institutes of Health, enabling the School of Arts and Sciences, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey to focus on researching the genetic mysteries of autism, a brain disorder characterized by communication difficulties, social impairments, and repetitive behaviors.
New collaborative research projects investigating multiple sclerosis; the effects of environmental toxins on the nervous system, memory, learning, and brain cell development; and the cause and effect of traumatic brain injury are just some of the projects beginning to take hold as scientists who may not have worked together previously become Rutgers colleagues.
And with President Obama calling for a multibillion-dollar plan to map the human brain to understand its complexities and unlock the mysteries of debilitating neurodegenerative diseases, many neuroscientists say Rutgers is positioning itself to be a university at the forefront of such research.
Building a Bridge
This is a good start, say those involved with the development of the new consortium. But too much information critical to discovering preventive treatments and possible cures is still falling under the radar of many who could benefit from the data, says Marco Zarbin, professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at New Jersey Medical School in Newark. Zarbin has done research to develop treatments for retinal eye disease through cell transplantation.
"We end up in our own little silos," says Zarbin, a member of the consortium, who insists that scientists and physicians have become so specialized that fewer collaborations necessary for big scientific discoveries are occurring. "The great thing now about the new Rutgers is that intellectually we have all the different skills needed to do big things in both science and medicine."
Moving forward, Suhayl Dhib-Jalbut, professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, says a virtual neuroscience institute needs to be created to connect the neuroscience programs at Rutgers to its medical schools and make access to information seamless. This means developing a robust website through which information about both the work being done at the university and critical funding mechanisms for neuroscience research could be easily accessed by researchers, faculty, and students.
"What we have to do is bring basic science and clinical trials together by creating a structure that allows us to get this done so we can achieve the best results," says Dhib-Jalbut, a leading multiple sclerosis researcher funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National MS Society and president of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS).
John McGann, an assistant professor in the behavioral and systems neuroscience program in the Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, says the new consortium represents a positive first step in undergraduate and graduate education: providing additional resources and opportunities to the next generation of neuroscientists studying at Rutgers.
"What I can say unequivocally is that we (neuroscientists) love our research," says McGann, who studies the brain mechanisms underlying the sense of smell. "So I think that whatever we need to do, everyone will be more than ready. I think our department borders ultimately will become irrelevant as we determine the best way to get this important work done."
###
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Rick Perry's announcement Monday in San Antonio may settle whether he'll run for a fourth term as governor ? or open the door to a presidential bid in 2016. But as his 'oops' moment in 2012 signals, he's not predictable.
By Peter Grier,?Staff writer / July 8, 2013
Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks in Grapevine, Texas, on June 27. On Monday, Governor Perry has invited friends and supporters to San Antonio and the country?s largest Caterpillar equipment dealership to announce his future plans. The longest-serving governor in Texas history is expected to reveal if he?ll seek a fourth full term in office next year.
Tony Gutierrez/AP/File
Enlarge
WWRPD? What will Rick Perry do? That?s a big question in US politics Monday as the current Texas governor and former GOP presidential candidate has invited supporters and friends to join him in San Antonio for an announcement of ?exciting future plans."
Skip to next paragraph Peter Grier
Washington Editor
Peter Grier is The Christian Science Monitor's Washington editor. In this capacity, he helps direct coverage for the paper on most news events in the nation's capital.
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The conventional wisdom is that this exciting future does not include Mr. Perry running in 2014 for a fourth full term as Texas governor.
?The smart money is on him passing on another bid with an eye on something bigger,? writes Washington Post political reporter Chris Cillizza on ?The Fix? blog Monday.
After all, why would Perry want the strain and stress of another gubernatorial bid? He?s already the longest-serving governor in Texas history. Polls show him with a comfortable lead over his most likely primary challenger, Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott. He has nothing left to prove in the Lone Star State.
Well, almost nothing. Polls also show that Texans would prefer the state?s GOP Sen. Ted Cruz over Perry if both men run for president. And that?s perhaps the second part of Monday?s Perry announcement: He may unveil something aimed at helping erase the unfortunate image left by his hapless 2012 campaign, which seemed to show that Texas was as far as his political career would progress.
Perry?s ?oops? moment in a televised GOP debate, when he uttered that word after forgetting the federal departments he had vowed to eliminate, was one of the lowlights (or highlights, depending on your view) of the entire primary process. It appeared to symbolize the campaign of someone who was just not ready or able to compete for higher office.
?Refurbishing his reputation on the national stage may be what he?s ultimately seeking,? writes veteran national political reporter David Catanese on his ?The Run 2016? blog.
Perry has played coy in recent days when asked the 2016 question. It?s ?an option,? he said Sunday on Fox News.
He?s unlikely to flatly announce Monday that he?s running, of course. That?s not how modern presidential campaigns work, in part due to campaign finance laws that restrict how certain contributions can be used.
Instead, he may say something vague and uplifting about wanting to remain a force in the US political world. Then, he might unveil a new vehicle for his aspirations, such as a "super PAC" that could fund preliminary national travel in the next year or so.
This would clear the way for Attorney General Abbott to succeed Perry in Texas, and allow him to raise money for other politicians, winning new friends and influencing new people.
Or all this could be wrong. As the ?oops? shows, Perry is not a predictable politician. Former Perry aide Robert Black recently told the Texas Tribune, ?for those out there trying to read the tea leaves don?t. Because you?re probably going to be wrong.?
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