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The DPS Office of the Inspector General investigation said Karen Drysdale-Oriucci, a DPS teacher since 1994, went to American Jewelry and Loan on Greenfield Road on Wednesday to pawn the netbook computer she received from the district on Dec. 17.

Read more: DPS says teacher tried to pawn school laptop | freep.com | Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/article/20101230/NEWS01/101230095/DPS-says-teacher-tried-to-pawn-school-laptop#ixzz1A5YceDJW

GettyBabies often grow too chubby because of overfeeding, experts say.

Chubby grownups aren’t the only ones tipping the scales at an unhealthy weight.

Nearly a third of American babies are too fat, according to a new study reported on Msnbc.com. Some 32% of 9 month olds in the study were deemed overweight, and by the age of 2, the number had grown to 34%.

“It definitely raised eyebrows when we saw how early it was showing up,” Wayne State University adjunct professor Brian Moss, author of new research in the American Journal of Health Promotion, told Msnbc.com.

In babies under age 2, overweight is typically defined as a weight in the 85th to 95th percentile, explains Sessions. Babies who are above the 95th percentile are considered obese.
While a 9-month-old chub may not face imminent health problems, if he carries the extra weight into adulthood, he faces a higher risk of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, Sessions explains.

Overweight children also tend to snore more than kids of average weight, she notes, and may have sleep apnea, which can contribute to poor performance in school. "They may also face teasing from their peers," Sessions says.

Parents of chubby babies should look at their own diets, advises Dr. Jessica Sessions, director of pediatrics at the William F. Ryan Community Health Center. “We tend to give our kids what’s on our table,” she says. If the parents have a weight problem, that doesn’t bode well for the baby, she notes. “When both parents or even one is obese, that chubby baby probably is not going to thin out,” she says.

Interestingly, a high birth weight did not predict with accuracy whether a baby would grow up to be overweight or obese, according to the study, which focused on children born in 2001. Some very large babies thin out, but tiny newborns can become overweight, in some cases because parents offer them too much or the wrong kind of food.

Fruit juice is often implicated in the development of overweight babies, experts say. “If your baby is chubby and is drinking 18 ounces of fruit juice a day, it’s time to stay away from the fruit juice,” says Dr. Stephen Turner, chairman of pediatrics at Long Island College Hospital.

White flour and French fries are also to blame for the high rate of obesity in kids, says pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene, author of “Feeding Baby Green.”

“The third most common vegetable that a 9 month old gets is French fries,” Greene says. “By 18 months old, French fries are the number one vegetable for kids. “

And, he adds, “Babies get more calories from white flour than from any other solid food.” White flour, Greene says, is linked both to obesity and diabetes. “The body handles it like a spoonful of sugar,” he explains. “Switching to whole grains doesn’t cost any more, and if you do so when your baby is young, it’s a really easy switch.”

Parents should keep their baby’s weight in perspective, too. “”Don’t take their weight out of context with their length,” advises Dr. Henry Bernstein, chief of general pediatrics at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York. If your baby’s weight is in the 95th percentile and the height is in the 25th percentile, “Look at the quality of what he is eating,” Bernstein advises.

And keep in mind that many kids will slim down naturally. “Between 9 months and 2 years, a lot of babies thin out as they start to walk and are less interested in eating,” Turner says. “If you’re feeding your child healthy foods, I wouldn’t worry. But they should not be eating high fat fast food.”

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2011/01/03/2011-01-03_nearly_one_third_of_american_babies_are_too_chubby_study_finds.html#ixzz1A3uiwINR

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2035319,00.html

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/01/1996877/most-outrageous-marching-band.html#storylink=omni_popular

Dramatic spike in gas prices forecasted

Demand for oil keeps increasing

Patrice Hill-The Washington Times  8:43 p.m., Sunday, January 2, 2011

Oil and gasoline prices have risen to their highest levels in two years, and analysts say prices could shoot up dramatically this year as the thirst for fuel grows in the U.S. and around the world.

The former head of Shell Oil has warned that gas prices could hit $5 a gallon by 2012 because of fast-growing demand in emerging countries such as China and India, where more and more people are buying cars, combined with restraints on drilling in the U.S. in the wake of last year's disastrous Gulf oil spill.

Less-worrisome forecasts are calling for a rise in gas prices to $3.75 a gallon by spring from today's $3.07 average level, with premium crude prices easily exceeding $100 a barrel this year as demand for oil around the world returns to pre-recession levels last seen in 2007.

"We'll definitely see $100 oil," Carl Larry, president of Oil Outlook and Opinions, told Platts Energy Week TV last week. "The way things are going — the cold weather, supply issues — $100 oil is inevitable and it's on its way." Higher gas prices will follow the lead of oil, as they usually do, he said.

Premium crude prices surged to nearly $92 in New York trading last week before falling back to end at $89.18 at the close of trading Thursday.

Mr. Larry said the spike in energy prices is being driven by robust growth in oil consumption in Asia as well as steadily rising demand in the U.S., which remains the world's largest consumer of oil.

"All signs point to an economic recovery, and that's going to increase demand," he said.

Energy consultant Wood Mackenzie estimates that developing economies pushed world oil demand last year to 86.7 million barrels a day — 100,000 barrels more than in 2007 — and will feed further demand growth to 88 million barrels in 2011.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was mistaken in blaming the uptick in prices on "speculators" rather than an unexpectedly strong increase in demand in the developing world last year, and that led the oil ministers to put off any increase in production at a meeting last month, Mr. Larry said.

He said that was reminiscent of mistakes the oil cartel made in 2007 that led to a run-up in prices to $147 per barrel in mid-2008 — a record high that helped throw the world economy into recession.

The return of developments similar to those that led to the surge in energy prices in 2008 is attracting investors and speculators into the oil market, where they see the chance to make money by further driving up prices, he said.

Mr. Larry does not see as dire an outlook as does John Hoffmeister, former president of Shell Oil who now heads the activist group Citizens for Affordable Energy. He sees $5 gas by 2012 because politicking and gridlock over energy issues in Washington are jeopardizing access to U.S. energy supplies and have virtually shut down new production in the Gulf of Mexico.

"If we stay on our current course, within a decade we're into energy shortages in this country big time," he said last week. "Blackouts, brownouts, gas lines, rationing — that's my projection based upon the current inability to make decisions."

While the Obama administration lifted its moratorium on deep-water drilling in the Gulf weeks ago, Mr. Hoffmeister said huge regulatory barriers to development remain, and will prevent more than one or two "token" wells from being drilled in the next two years.

Analysts attribute the sudden jump in energy prices in the past month to several developments besides growing demand and restraints on supply.

Because oil is priced in U.S. dollars, it tends to rise when the dollar falls. The dollar has been declining recently in response to moves by the Federal Reserve and Congress to further stimulate the U.S. economy in a way that generates enormous budget deficits that the Fed is helping to finance by printing dollars and purchasing Treasury bonds.

Investors also are starting to bid up the price of oil and other commodities such as gold and copper, as they did in 2007 and 2008, because those commodities hold their values when the dollar is falling and are seen as good hedges against inflation.

Speculators also are zeroing in on evidence that world oil production may not keep up with fast-rising demand, creating the potential for tight markets and oil shortages especially if the U.S. starts experiencing healthier economic growth.

With global production nearly flat at circa 86 million barrels a day since 2004, some analysts fear that the world may already have reached so-called "peak oil" output, thus may be unprepared for another big run-up in demand like that seen in the past decade.

Tom Whipple, analyst at the Post Carbon Institute, said the International Energy Agency appeared to concede recently that the world reached peak production of 70 million barrels a day of conventional crude oil from underground wells in 2004.

Still, the agency continues to predict that technology breakthroughs will produce new oil sources that will replace the world's fast-declining major wells because it is under political pressure to do so from the United States and other developed nations, Mr. Whipple said.

The world's political leaders do not want to admit that the world economy cannot grow without oil and any absolute limit in supplies means the end of growth, he said.

In the meantime, prices will escalate, he predicted.

"Oil prices are nearing the point that, based on what we saw in 2008, they will do serious to devastating economic damage to the global economy," he said. "The idea that oil prices will remain below economically damaging levels for the next 25 years seems far-fetched."

David Greenlaw, an economist at Morgan Stanley, does not see a cataclysmic scenario or energy price shock in coming years, but agrees that supplies remain tight as a result of fast-declining wells in Mexico, Alaska, the North Sea, Russia and other major producing regions.

Nonconventional sources of oil like the Canadian oil sands and oil shale deposits in the United States will ease some of the strain, he said, but will not be able to make up for the falloff from conventional wells.

"Some fear that rising energy prices will be a chronic headwind for U.S. and global growth," he said. "We recognize the hurdles, but we think such fears are overblown."

A sudden and sustained surge of $30 in oil prices would "threaten the U.S. consumer and the economy," he said. But Morgan Stanley expects to see only gradual price increases that will not be "a major threat to the economy," he said.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343050/All-Presidents-men-Obama-enjoys-20-MAN-motorcade-splashes-1-5m-Hawaiian-holiday.html

Atlanta —

It's official: It's a tough time to be a criminal in America.

As new FBI crime figures point out, property crimes, murder, rape, and arson all plunged in the first six months of 2010 – some would say counterintuitively – even as unemployment and hard times hit communities from coast to coast.

The idea that the crime rate is, if not a leading indicator, at least a trailing indicator of the economy has gripped criminologists studying the Great Recession.   At the same time that consumers purchase fewer true luxury items, a glut of "lightweight durables" means lower resale prices for hot computers and wide-screen TVs.   And having more male residents of households hanging on the porch instead of at work makes the risk-benefit analysis of crime less appealing in recessionary times.

"When the economy goes down, there's less to steal, people are home more, and they get drunk in bars less," says Marcus Felson, a criminologist at Texas State University, in San Marcos.

"Recessions actually tend to be associated with decreases in crime," adds Peter Scharf, a criminologist at Tulane University in New Orleans. "People's aspiration levels go down, they get less greedy, they stay home.   Not only don't you go to Saks and Macy's, you don't go to Best Buy and Walmart.   So even in your risk populations you can get a recession effect:  People are not out in the large economy involved in conflict and alcohol and property crimes" to the same extent as during a booming economy.

Nationwide, the six-month report shows reports of murder down 7.1 percent, rape reports down 6.2 percent, robbery reports down 10.7 percent, and aggravated assault reports down 3.9 percent.   The data show a similar downward trend in reports of property crimes, with theft down 2.3 percent, motor vehicle theft down 9.7 percent, and arson down 14.6 percent.

To put the crime rate into context, Mr. Felson says, Americans should realize that the US is a society with few hard-core criminals but lots of occasional lawbreakers – in other words, regular citizens.  What's more, he says, the difference between "perpetrator" and "victim" is far less stark than what most people believe.

"The fact is, a majority of the population does a little crime, and when you've got millions of Americans doing a little crime what you get is a giant multiplier," says Felson. "Crime is actually very ordinary and most crime isn't murder, and most assaults are minor.  That means that the public image of crime is almost totally skewed."

So what about regional differences?  Violent crimes actually ticked up slightly in the Northeast compared with in the South and West, but that statistic is largely explained by the fact that the baseline crime rate in the Northeast is lower than in other regions, so variances seem more significant.

At the same time, says Mr. Scharf, Southern states have been more reluctant to parole prisoners to ease overcrowding in prisons or to trim budgets.  That means "that we've actually eroded some criminal-justice capacity, and that's most obvious in the North and less obvious in the South," he says.

At some point, the correlation between a poor economy and plunging crime rates may diverge, experts say.

"If we go for another couple of years and the New Orleanses and Atlantas out there can't absorb these [idle] kids into the economy, that's a huge long-term crime risk," says Scharf.

But for the moment, the plunging crime rate may have a simple explanation, he adds:  "There's nothing left worth stealing."

Fox News

What Obama Faces in 2011

Kimberly Schwandt

2010-12-31 18:48

HONOLULU Hawaii - President Obama has vowed to make jobs and the economy his top priority in 2011, and while that will probably dominate his agenda, there are a whole host of other issues that will be in the mix.

Obama is taking time on his Hawaiian vacation to work on his State of the Union speech, which will formally set the agenda for the year, but he already hinted at his focus before he left he'll hone in turning around the economy.

He's hoping it will get a boost from his tax deal with Republicans. "It's led economists across the political spectrum to predict that the economy will grow faster than they originally thought next year," Obama said at year-end press conference.

The president will have to make decisions on how to deal with the ballooning deficit and one thing that makes this year different than his first two, is that he'll have to deal with the 112th Congress which is far more red.

"I think that we're still going to have disagreements in terms of spending priorities," Obama said before leaving on vacation.

Analysts seem to agree.

"I think the biggest explosion will be about spending, debt, deficits and health care. Those are the areas where the parties disagree the most," said Larry Sabato Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

Late in January aides say the president will work on our relationship with China, hosting a state visit for President Hu Jinato.

China is a major player in the world economy and also a critical player in dealing with looming threats of Iran and North Korea.

Despite calls from the international community, Iran has failed to stop its nuclear program.

"That means that President Obama may have his hardest decisions about Iran in the next one to two years; whether or not to attack their nuclear facilities. That could be the biggest foreign policy decision, frankly, of his presidency," foreign policy expert from the Brookings Institution Michael O'Hanlon said.

Then there are the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Iraqis have finally formed their government and the U.S. has moved to more of an assist role. U.S. troops are slated to leave at the end of this year according to an agreement that was reached.

Some experts have suggested that an extension would be wise so that the Sunnis, Shias and Kurds would have more time to work out their disputes.

"Until those are partially resolved, I'm nervous about the idea of all American troops leaving. So 2011 looks to be another tense year in Iraq, but on balance 2010 was ok," O'Hanlon said.

On Afghanistan, the administration scheduled July of this year to begin a major transition, and then start bringing troops home by 2014 and ending combat operations.

"I think you'll start to see where allies are getting restless if don't see a strategy that's winning in Afghanistan," said Heather Conley, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates [1] is also slated to leave in 2011, so Obama will have to pick a new Pentagon chief. Gates was a hold over from the Bush administration, so the president's selection will say a lot about his war strategy.

On Capitol Hill [2], the president has said he wants to bring up the DREAM Act again, which failed in Congress at the end of 2010. The bill would give children of illegal immigrants who graduate high school in the U.S. a chance to get permanent residency.

Also, an old campaign promise is still hovering unfinished. Obama pledged on the campaign trail that he'd close Guantanamo Bay his first year in office, and now entering his third year, the administration still hasn't found a way to do that or where to put the detainees.

Fox News' Mike Emanuel contributed to this report.

Winn/APCBS news anchor Katie Couric suggested America could benefit from a Muslim version of 'The Cosby Show.'

Katie Couric thinks she has part of the solution to bigotry in America: a Muslim version of "The Cosby Show."

The CBS News anchor made the suggestion on her web show while discussing the biggest news stories of 2010, including the mosque near Ground Zero and the "seething hatred" that has grown against Muslims in America.

"Maybe we need a Muslim version of 'The Cosby Show'... I know that sounds crazy, I know that sounds crazy," said Couric. "But 'The Cosby Show' did so much to change attitudes about African-Americans in this country, and I think sometimes people are afraid of things they don't understand."

The popular 1980s show focused on the Huxtables, an affluent American-African family living in Brooklyn.

The Cosby Show. (AP)

Her statement came during a discussion with Politico's Jonathan Martin, comedian Mo Rocca and Theroot.com's Sheryl Huggins-Salomon.

Rocca said that he was "pretty smart" and went to "fancy schools" but couldn't "tell you five things about Islam," which prompted Couric's suggestion.

"I think sometimes people are afraid of what they don't understand Couric added, suggesting Muslims should become "more part of the popular culture."

Check out the video. Couric's statements come around 22:40:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7176387n

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/01/01/2011-01-01_katie_couric_cbs_anchor_suggests_america_needs_a_muslim_version_of_the_cosby_sho.html#ixzz19qeMv1TD

Charge: Man caught pushing stolen TV past Auburn police station

Monday, December 27, 2010
Last updated 1:01 p.m. PT

LEVI PULKKINEN 
SEATTLEPI STAFF

King County prosecutors have filed theft charges against a 22-year-old man allegedly caught wheeling a stolen television past the Auburn police station.

Police contend Johnathon D. Barnes grabbed the 50-inch set out of the back of a Quality Rentals delivery truck, then attempted to wheel it away in a shopping cart. An Auburn officer intervened after seeing Barnes pushing the shopping cart past the front gate of the East Main Street police station.

According to charging documents, a bystander called 911 at 5 p.m. on Dec. 16 to report that she'd seen a man place a large television in a shopping cart. As dispatchers relayed the call, a police officer pulling into the station parking lot spotted Barnes -- dressed entirely in camouflage -- pass by.

The officer caught up to Barnes in the 500 block of East Main Street and stopped to ask him what he was doing.

According to charging documents, Barnes said he'd bought the TV from a friend and then attempted to run away. After a short foot pursuit, Barnes was found lying on the ground in a parking lot and arrested.

Investigators later learned the television had been stolen from Quality Rentals earlier in the day, an Auburn detective told the court. It had been left unattended in the back of a delivery truck when it went missing.

Questioned following his arrest, Barnes denied any wrongdoing and said he was moving the television for his friend James, the detective said in court papers.

"He explained 'James' … had asked him to push the big screen television one block away from the transit station," the detective told the court. "Barnes further explained he did not know 'James'' last name, address or phone number or how to contact him."

Barnes, of Federal Way, was booked into the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent but has since been released. He is charged with second-degree theft.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/12/obama-delivers-new-years-greeting/1