66 Coral Species Nominated for Endangered List

A federal agency has proposed listing 66 species of coral under the Endangered Species Act, which would bolster protections of the animals.

The proposed listing comes after a 2009 petition by the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group, asserting that the federal government needed to do more to protect coral species.

Under the proposal, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) would list seven coral species as endangered and 52 as threatened in the Pacific, with five endangered and two threatened in the Caribbean.

The listing could lead to further protections for areas where these corals live, perhaps earning them designation as "critical habitat." Such a step would restrict commercial activities in the areas, while preventing any trade or harvesting of the corals.

"Corals provide habitat to support fisheries that feed millions of people; generate jobs and income to local economies through recreation, tourism and fisheries; and protect coastlines from storms and erosion," said NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco in a statement from the agency.

"Yet, scientific research indicates that climate change and other activities are putting these corals at risk. This is an important, sensible next step toward preserving the benefits provided by these species, both now and into the future."

NOAA has identified 19 threats to the survival of coral, including ocean acidification, rising ocean temperatures and coral diseases. As the concentration of carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere, the oceans warm beyond what corals can withstand, leading to coral bleaching and eventually to die-offs.

Before the proposed listing is finalized in late 2013, the agency will hold 18 public meetings during a 90-day public comment period.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/66-coral-species-nominated-endangered-list-182653386.html

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Nexus 4 in stock at UK Play Store [updated]

Android Central

Update, 12:45pm ET: Both models are now listed on the UK Play Store with 4-5 week delivery windows. Previously the 16GB model was shipping in 1-2 weeks.

Update, 12:05pm ET: Both 8 and 16GB versions of the Nexus 4 are now available to order on the UK Play Store. Brits can place their orders over here. (If you're seeing a "sold out" message, try refreshing the page.)

Update, 11:23am ET: Forum reports indicate that other European countries will be getting stock today too, as German emails are going out saying stock would be available from 5pm CET. However at the time of writing the German Play Store lists both flavors of Nexus 4 as shipping in 4-5 weeks. We'll keep watching, and keep you updated.

Original story: Just as it's previously done in the U.S. and Canada, today Google's sending out emails to prospective Nexus 4 customers in the UK, advising them that new stock will be available on the British Google Play devices store shortly.

The next batch of Nexus 4s will be available to buyers in the UK from 5pm GMT today -- less than two hours away at the time of writing.

But if earlier Google Play Nexus 4 launches are anything to go by, stock is sure to be snapped up quickly. The first round of UK stock sold out in under an hour on launch day, and the Google Play devices store has been slow and crash-prone whenever and wherever there've been Nexus 4s available.

Good luck to Brits attempting to get their hands on a Nexus 4. We'll be watching closely to see how long that second batch of Nexuses ends up lasting.

Source: Android Central Forums

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/mp9gGZkozzg/story01.htm

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Strike slows activity at busy Calif. port complex

Clerical workers picket in the rain at entrance to Pier 400 at the Port of Los Angeles Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. Cargo ships were stacking up at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as a strike by about about 70 clerical workers shut down most of the terminals that together are the nation's busiest port complex. Dockworkers were refusing to cross the picket lines even though an arbitrator ruled the walkout invalid on Tuesday. By Thursday morning, at least 18 ships docked and inside the adjacent harbors were not being serviced, port spokesmen said. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

Clerical workers picket in the rain at entrance to Pier 400 at the Port of Los Angeles Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. Cargo ships were stacking up at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as a strike by about about 70 clerical workers shut down most of the terminals that together are the nation's busiest port complex. Dockworkers were refusing to cross the picket lines even though an arbitrator ruled the walkout invalid on Tuesday. By Thursday morning, at least 18 ships docked and inside the adjacent harbors were not being serviced, port spokesmen said. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

The Maersk cargo terminal, where container-handling cranes are in the up and idle position, is seen at the Port of Los Angeles Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. Cargo ships were stacking up at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as a strike by about about 70 clerical workers shut down most of the terminals that together are the nation's busiest port complex. Dockworkers were refusing to cross the picket lines even though an arbitrator ruled the walkout invalid on Tuesday. By Thursday morning, at least 18 ships docked and inside the adjacent harbors were not being serviced, port spokesmen said. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

A small group of clerical workers picket at the Maersk cargo terminal, where container-handling cranes are in the up and idle position, background, at the Port of Los Angeles Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. Cargo ships were stacking up at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as a strike by about about 70 clerical workers shut down most of the terminals that together are the nation's busiest port complex. Dockworkers were refusing to cross the picket lines even though an arbitrator ruled the walkout invalid on Tuesday. By Thursday morning, at least 18 ships docked and inside the adjacent harbors were not being serviced, port spokesmen said. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

A clerical worker pickets in the rain at the Maersk cargo terminal, where container-handling cranes are in the up and idle position, background, at the Port of Los Angeles Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. Cargo ships were stacking up at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as a strike by about about 70 clerical workers shut down most of the terminals that together are the nation's busiest port complex. Dockworkers were refusing to cross the picket lines even though an arbitrator ruled the walkout invalid on Tuesday. By Thursday morning, at least 18 ships docked and inside the adjacent harbors were not being serviced, port spokesmen said. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

(AP) ? A strike dramatically slowed activity at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach ? the nation's busiest cargo complex ? despite renewed efforts to end the walkout.

Seven of eight terminals in Los Angeles and three of six in Long Beach were closed to cargo container traffic Friday, the fourth day of the walkout, as dockworkers refused to cross picket lines set up by union clerical workers who claim shippers are outsourcing their jobs.

Officials said labor talks were being held but there's been no indication a deal is imminent.

The walkout involves clerical workers from a chapter of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, who typically make more than $160,000 a year. Dockworkers are a separate unit of the same union.

The clerical workers' contracts with 14 terminal operators expired 2? years ago. Ongoing contract talks broke off on Monday then resumed on Thursday, ran until midnight and were scheduled to continue on Friday.

The chief negotiator for the shippers remained hopeful about a resolution, saying the talks have been professional and courteous.

"There's a mutual commitment to go forward," said Stephen Berry of the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employers Association. "The employers remain hopeful that there will be a quick resolution and we can get the cargo flowing again."

There were a handful of picketers at each terminal on Friday, said Phillip Sanfield, Los Angeles port spokesman.

Combined, Los Angeles and Long Beach handle 40 percent of the nation's import trade.

At least 18 cargo ships have been unable to load or unload since workers began the strike on Tuesday. A handful of vessels that were anchored offshore apparently left for other ports, Sanfield said.

There was no immediate word on how much the strike is costing the ports. November generally is a slower time for the ports because most holiday goods already have been handled.

However, there were concerns that a continued widespread strike could prompt retaliation from terminal operators. A bitter 10-day lockout at a number of West Coast ports in 2002 caused an estimated $15 billion in losses.

"Both sides in this dispute understand the critical importance of keeping cargo moving through the San Pedro Bay complex," said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz. "Time is of the essence and we urge a mutually agreeable resolution as soon as possible so that we can return to full operations."

At issue is the union's contention that terminal operators have outsourced local clerical jobs out of state and overseas ? an allegation the shippers deny.

Shippers deny outsourcing and have offered lifelong job security to the 600 or so full-time clerical workers, Berry said.

They also have offered to boost average annual pay from $165,000 to $195,000 and grant 11 weeks of paid vacation, he said.

The shippers claim the union wants contract language to permit "featherbedding" ? the practice of requiring employers to call in temporary employees and hire new permanent employees even when there is no work to perform

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-01-Port%20Strike/id-802c9449d9b1474e94339f91b384f094

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Biography | J. M. Gerraughty

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Jason Michael Gerraughty?is a composer of vibrant, dramatic, and bold music. His musical influences are diverse, ranging from the small-town New England municipal bands he performed with in his youth, to the orchestral, chamber, and gamelan ensembles he has performed with as an adult. He has worked with such talented musicians such as Lucy Shelton, So Percussion, Beta Collide, and Fireworks New Music Ensemble. Gerraughty?s music has been performed recently at the International Horn Society Symposium 2011, and at the North American Saxophone Alliance Region 8 Conference at West Point, NY.

Gerraughty earned his B. M. at the Hartt School, and his M. M. at the University of Oregon; he has studied privately with Ingram Marshall, Robert Carl, Stephen Gryc, Robert Kyr, and David Crumb. His music has been recognized by his colleagues: recent awards include the American Composers Forum Finale? National Composition Competition (Honorable Mention), The Gamper Festival of New Music at the Bowdoin International Music Festival, and The ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards (Finalist).

Gerraughty currently lives in Port Jefferson, NY, and is pursuing his Ph.D. at Stony Brook University. His current projects include commissions with the Equinox Sextet and with Bass Clarinetist Lisa Preimesberger.

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PERSONAL HISTORY

My music education began at the age of eight with lessons in horn. In my hometown of Nashua, New Hampshire, I studied privately with a local music teacher, repair technician, and general music man named?David Bailey. Bailey, a leader of multiple community bands throughout the state of New Hampshire, introduced me to?The Hollis Town Band, a small town municipal band that was charged with playing in official ceremonies for the town, as well as for entertainment during community events such as the Hollis Apple Festival. Playing with the Hollis Town Band and other ensembles like it were extremely influential upon my development as a musician. The music itself, mostly marches, pages out of the Great American Songbook, Dixieland, all mixed with some classic band pieces such as the Holst Suites, have always resonated with me. Playing for ceremonies and city functions instilled in me a sense of community that has carried over into the attitude that I take with music making today.

As time went on, I became more and more involved in the music making in my community. By the time I was thirteen, I had become the assistant conductor of the Hollis Town Band, and was in charge of rehearsing and conducting my own pieces for concerts. At this time, I started composing my first music. Under the tutelage of David Bailey, who slowly converted my horn lessons into conducting and music theory lessons, I was given exercises out of Fux?s?Gradus Ad Parnassum. With the help of musicians in my community, I was able to put on the premieres of some of my earliest work, pieces written for the community bands and pieces for small ensembles of band members. I joined the choir at my high school in order to get a premiere with them.

These early experiences with music making in New Hampshire greatly affect how I work with musicians who play my music today. I enjoy developing close relationships with the people I work with. These kinds of relationships foster a passion and excitement for the music being performed, and working closely with musicians helps them to become part of the creative process. This sense of community is extremely important to me, and factors into all of the music I write.

After graduating from high school in New Hampshire, I was offered a scholarship to continue study in composition at The Hartt School. After coming from a small New England city, I was inundated with art, music, and culture from all over the world. Knowing that I had missed out on a significant amount of standardized music education, I began auditing Twentieth-Century music history and music theory classes in an attempt to ?catch up? to my peers. Hartford was a stop for many performers and artists on their way from Boston to New York, and I was encouraged by my professors, Ingram Marshall, Robert Carl, and Stephen Gryc to experience as much as I could. I found myself spending many days walking through Hartford?s art museum, The Wadsworth Atheneum, taking in visiting exhibits as well as permanent pieces. I was particularly influenced by the works of Julian Schnabel, Jasper Johns, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Robert Rauschenberg. Easily the most significant piece that I witnessed during this time was Rauschenberg?s?Retroactive I. Its juxtaposition of popular imagery as a means of communication influenced me strongly. From this period onward, I began experimenting with musical techniques analagous to Rauschenberg?s process.

While studying at The Hartt School, I began to establish myself in the music making community of my fellow composers and performers. For two years, I organized and curated the Public Works new music concerts for the composition department. I remained active on the horn, participating in many premieres of my colleagues works, as well as performing in the Hartt Symphonic Band. My interest in visual art led to a fruitful collaboration with the Hartford Art School?s Digital Arts program, having several students create a music video to accompany my?Suite for Chamber Orchestra. I began to realize that these practices of collaboration were part of what I wanted to do with my career, and that in order for composers and other artists to succeed, they must form. For my hard work during my time at Hartt, I was honored with the Edward Diemente Prize in Composition from the Composition Department.

Robert Kyr, Professor of Composition at the University of Oregon, visited The Hartt School my last year as part of a West Coast Composers Symposium that the Composition department curated. After listening to him speak, and hearing what he was doing with his program, I applied to it and was accepted with a Ruth Lorraine Close Scholarship. Kyr had promised that his program would be very challenging, and I was interested in developing my compositional craft to as high a level as I could. Under the University of Oregon?s rigorous curriculum and the private instruction of Kyr and David Crumb, my creativity flourished and my music became more focused. During this time, I made it to the final round in the 2007 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards with my piece, Yellow No. 5. Later that year, I was selected to attend the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Brunswick, ME, where I was fortunate enough to study with Robert Beaser and Roberto Sierra. My piece,?Interrobang, was selected from amongst submissions from all the composers at the festival to be played during the Gamper Festival of New Music.

One of the hallmarks of the University of Oregon?s Composition curriculum is its focus on composers taking their musical community into their own hands. Composers have their works performed as part of composer-organized and composer-comprised ensembles and concerts, forming a tight support network for each other. As a member of one of such ensembles, the Eugene Contemporary Chamber Ensemble (ECCE), I have worked to create an environment where it is easy for composers to find outlets for their creative energy. I have also sought to enrich the musical community of the greater Eugene area, playing horn in various community ensembles and doing outreach programs to young students throughout the state of Oregon. As an inaugural member of the American Creator?s Ensemble at the Oregon Bach Festival Composer Symposium, I played with members of Fireworks New Music Ensemble and Beta Collide, premiering works by myself and several composers from all over the world.

As a composer, performer, and artist, I am dedicated to the advancement of my music and the creative endeavors of those around me.? I continue to support these individuals as part of a tightly-knit community devoted to the inclusion and propagation of new ideas and new ways of thinking.

Source: http://www.jmgerraughty.com/2012/11/29/bio/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bio

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