A service-oriented scholar: Student from Leavenworth named one of new faces of college engineering

Sources: DeeAnn Turpin, turpind@k-state.edu;
and LaVerne Bitsie-Baldwin, lbaldwin@k-state.edu, 785-532-5949
Hometown interest: Leavenworth
Photo available: http://www.k-state.edu/media/images/dec11/turpin122211.jpg
Cutline: DeeAnnTurpin helps distribute parasitic worm prevention medication to Guatemalan schoolchildren in March 2011.
News release prepared by: Tyler Sharp, 785-532-2535, tmsharp@k-state.edu

Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011

A service-oriented scholar: Senior from Leavenworth named one of new faces of college engineering

MANHATTAN -- DeeAnn Turpin is passionate about creating a more sustainable environment.

For Turpin, a Kansas State University senior in biological systems engineering from Leavenworth, this passion began early. From a young age she sought out opportunities to reduce waste and to assist others in doing the same. When she arrived at the university that passion translated into an active involvement with the student chapter of Engineers Without Borders. Trips with the organization to India, Guatemala and Ecuador to aid in the development of sustainable water systems have been coupled with a myriad of volunteer projects at the university.

These efforts and Turpin's scholastic achievements are drawing a special recognition.

Turpin has been honored by the inaugural New Faces of Engineering College Edition program. This recognition program is led by the National Engineers Week Foundation. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers and the National Council of Examiners provide funding for the honor.

The New Faces of Engineering College Edition program promotes the accomplishments of third-, fourth- and fifth-year engineering students by highlighting their academic success and student contributions to the industry and participating engineering society. The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers honored Turpin.

The society highlighted Turpin's work with the university's student chapter of Engineers Without Borders, a nonprofit organization committed to humanitarian efforts around the world. Turpin traveled with the organization to India in 2009 to help develop a sustainable, electricity-free rainwater harvesting system, among other services. In 2011 she helped distribute and install water filters in Panajachel, Guatemala. The organization will travel to Yakunay, Ecuador, in 2012 for the design of a new water system, installation of water filters and other tasks aimed at reducing the waste and improving health and nutrition.

Turpin calls the recognition a huge honor.

"I'm very, very proud to represent Kansas State University and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Engineers Without Borders," she said. "This is a great school and a great opportunity for not only my accomplishments to be recognized, but what great opportunities and organizations are available at K-State."

Along with Engineers Without Borders, Turpin also has been active with the Students for Environmental Action and created Give It Up For Good, a campuswide program aimed at reusing items. As part of the program, areas are provided in the lobby of each residence hall floor for students to donate reusable, unwanted items. The items are then sold, and the money is donated to local charities. In May 2011, $2,500 was raised, and the remaining items were recycled. The Give It Up for Good program includes a partnership with the Manhattan United Way and Habitat for Humanity.

In addition to her frequent volunteerism, Turpin is an accomplished student. She is a member of the Multicultural Engineering Program and Alpha Epsilon, an engineering honor society reserved for the top 30 percent of engineering students.

LaVerne Bitsie-Baldwin, director of the university's Multicultural Engineering Program, says Turpin's success and achievements are tied to her passion for bettering the environment and helping others.

"She is focused, enthusiastic, strategic and has great skills in engaging others in the initiatives that she supports," Bitsie-Baldwin said. "DeeAnn is one to watch as she continues through her engineering career, and that is what makes the New Faces of Engineering Award especially fitting of her achievements."

After graduating from K-State, Turpin plans to earn a master's degree. She hopes to work in industry on renewable energy or on sustainability-based projects.

Source: http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/dec11/turpin122211.html

country music awards new earth light year light year michelle rounds michelle rounds cabin in the woods

Jobless claims drop signals economic momentum (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits hit a 3-1/2 year low last week, bolstering views the economy was gaining momentum, even though third-quarter growth was revised down.

Other data on Thursday underscored the firming tone in the economy, with consumer sentiment scaling a six-month high in December and a barometer of future activity rising for a seventh straight month in November.

While the economy is wrapping up 2011 with a spring in its step, bickering over budget policy in Washington and the debt crisis in Europe have cast a cloud over its prospects next year.

A payroll tax cut and benefits for the long-term unemployed, both of which are due to expire at year end, have become tangled in partisan politics and it is unclear whether they will be renewed.

There were signs on Thursday the impasse had been broken, with House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner informing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid he will set a vote on a Senate-passed two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, according to a Democratic leadership aide.

"The economy is carrying some clear momentum into 2012," said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pennsylvania. "If Congress doesn't kill that by failing to extend the tax breaks, we can look forward to a better year ahead."

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 4,000 to 364,000, the Labor Department said. That was the lowest level since April 2008 and just a month after the collapse of Bear Stearns.

The claims data, which covered the survey period for the December nonfarm payrolls report, helped to take the sting out of a separate report showing the economy expanded at only a 1.8 percent annual rate in the third quarter.

Growth, which had previously been reported to have expanded at a 2 percent pace, was held back by a sharp drop in healthcare spending, the Commerce Department said. A month ago, it had said healthcare spending had risen.

The revision to healthcare spending estimates reflected new source data, which showed losses at nonprofit hospitals.

However, spending on long-lasting goods was stronger than previously estimated, indicating consumer demand remained healthy.

Prospects for spending were boosted by the rise in consumer confidence. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's sentiment index rose to 69.9 from 64.1 in November as measures of both current conditions and future expectations increased.

LABOR MARKET IMPROVING

The data helped stocks on Wall Street to post their third straight day of gains. The U.S. government bond market largely ignored the data, while the dollar was flat against a basket of currencies.

Even as much of the rest of the world is slowing down, with a mild recession forecast for Europe next year, the U.S. economy remains resilient.

The labor market is improving, households are spending, home building is picking up and factory output is expanding, putting the economy on course for at least a 3 percent growth pace in the fourth quarter. That would be the fastest pace in 18 months.

An index from the private sector Conference Board that seeks to predict the strength of future economic activity rose for a seven straight month in November, suggesting the economy could pick up even more speed by spring.

While claims for first-time unemployment benefits tend to be volatile this time of the year, they have dropped for three straight weeks. A four-week moving average, a better measure of trends, is now at its lowest level since June 2008.

"One unexpectedly low number can easily be a fluke; two are interesting; three are telling us something real is happening in the labor market," said Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics in Valhalla, New York.

"The drop in claims in recent weeks, if sustained, is consistent with private payrolls growth ramping up to about 200,000 per month."

Nonfarm employment growth has grown by an average of 131,636 jobs per month so far this year, but not enough to significantly lower the jobless rate which is currently at 8.6 percent.

GROWTH GAINING STEAM

Last quarter's growth was still a step up from the April-June period's 1.3 percent pace. Part of the pick-up in output reflected a reversal of factors that held back growth earlier in the year.

The drop in healthcare consumption caused consumer spending growth to fall to a 1.7 percent rate from 2.3 percent. Consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of economic activity.

Business inventories fell, but not as sharply as previously reported. Restocking by businesses is expected to support growth in the fourth quarter, helping to keep factories busy.

In addition, businesses showed little signs of cutting back on spending and profits continued to grow at a healthy clip.

Excluding inventories, the economy grew at a 3.2 percent rate, revised down from a 3.6 percent pace.

(Additional reporting by Jason Lange in Washington and Leah Schnurr in New York; Editing by Tim Ahmann; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111222/bs_nm/us_economy

lumpectomy robin williams blaine gabbert netflix stock home affordable refinance program harp harp

DickieV: @greggdoyelcbs Ur stuff on the NCAA with St Joe's situation is right on the money . Agree with @danwetzel. Gregg hope Santa makes u happy.

• Passer la navigation
• Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
• Passer cette ?tape
• Connexion

• Connexion
• Rejoignez Twitter !

@greggdoyelcbs Ur stuff on the NCAA with St Joe's situation is right on the money . Agree with @danwetzel. Gregg hope Santa makes u happy. Il y a environ 6 heures via web en r?ponse ? greggdoyelcbs

DickieV

Dick Vitale

Pied de page

• ? 2011 Twitter
• ? propos de nous
• Contact
• Blog
• Statut
• Ressources
• API
• Entreprises
• Aide
• Offres d'emploi
• Conditions
• Confidentialit?

Source: http://twitter.com/DickieV/statuses/150350144871727105

kandi burruss occupy portland occupy portland the hunger games neil degrasse tyson neil degrasse tyson bears lions

Robert P. Jones, Ph.D.: Romney's Mormonism a Tough Sell for Millennials

Last month, evangelical pastor Robert Jeffress' disparaging comments about the Mormon faith generated heated debate about whether Mitt Romney would, or should, be dogged by a "Mormon problem" among Republican primary voters. The recently released American Values Survey, conducted by Public Religion Research Institute, reveals that there is serious ambivalence about his Mormon faith among white evangelical Protestants, a critical constituency in the Republican primaries. Nearly half (47 percent) of white evangelical Protestant voters say they would be at least somewhat uncomfortable with a Mormon becoming president.

But PRRI's recent survey also reveals that if Romney becomes the Republican nominee for president, he will be confronted by another, perhaps even more challenging, "M" problem: A majority of Millennial voters (ages 18-29) report being uncomfortable with the idea of a Mormon president.

The discomfort with a Mormon president among the Millennial generation is at first glance somewhat surprising. Millennials are the most diverse generation-racially, ethnically and religiously-in the nation's history and are generally more accepting of religious pluralism than Americans overall. By a margin of more than 20 points, Millennial voters are significantly less likely than seniors (ages 65 an older) to say they would be uncomfortable with a Muslim president (50 percent vs. 74 percent) or an atheist president (56 percent vs. 77 percent). Yet, when it comes to Mormons, these numbers are reversed: A majority of Millennial voters (54 percent) report being at least somewhat uncomfortable with a Mormon president, compared to less than four-in-ten (39 percent) senior voters.

So why are Millennials so ill at ease with the notion of a Mormon president? Given their broader acceptance of minority religious groups, Millennials' anxiety over a Mormon president likely has less to do with the religious beliefs of Mormons (which is more at the heart of the matter for white evangelical Protestant misgivings) and more to do with the perceived political profile of Mormons and the LDS Church.

Generally, Millennials are more likely than the general population to identify as liberal, an attribute that correlates with higher rates of discomfort with a Mormon president. As a recent research note from PRRI plainly illustrates, Mormons are nearly identical to white evangelical Protestants on crucial policy issues, and their conservatism is well-known.

But Millennials' concern about a Mormon president may also be connected to a particular political activity of the Mormon Church that can be traced back to 2008, when leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints prominently supported California's Proposition 8, a proposal that sought to eliminate the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry. The fact that the LDS Church and its members devoted considerable resources on a cause the runs counter to the values of most Millennials is apt to loom large in Millennials' relatively short political memory.

As PRRI discovered in our recent report, "Generations at Odds: The Millennial Generation and the Future of Gay and Lesbian Rights," Millennials ardently support gay and lesbian rights. There is at least a 20-point generation gap between Millennials and seniors (age 65 and up) on every measure in the survey concerning gay rights, including same-sex marriage, civil unions and employment discrimination protections. Most importantly, the survey also found that support for gay and lesbian rights is a crucial symbolic issue for young adults. Nearly seven-in-10 (69 percent) Millennials agree that religious groups are alienating young people by being too judgmental about gay and lesbian issues.

As I wrote a few months ago, in a dozen years, when today's Millennials will be participating more fully in the political process, all GOP primary candidates will likely need to moderate their positions to be more supportive of gay and lesbian rights. While Romney's Millennial problem is unlikely to haunt him in the 2012 primaries, it has the potential to be a liability in a close general election, if Millennials get energized enough to turn out again at record levels as they did in 2008.

This article was originally posted by Dr. Jones on his blog 'Figuring Faith' at the Washington Post's On Faith section.

?

?

?

Follow Robert P. Jones, Ph.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/publicreligion

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-p-jones-phd/romneys-mormonism-and-millennials_b_1116861.html

little big town little big town bennett bennett daniel day lewis patti stanger pasadena

China expects 48,000 new HIV cases this year (AP)

BEIJING ? China will have about 780,000 people infected with the AIDS virus by the end of this year, state media reported Wednesday, with most having contracted it through heterosexual sex.

The official Xinhua News Agency said a report from the Ministry of Health and the United Nations estimates there will be about 48,000 new HIV infections in China this year. Xinhua quoted the report as saying the virus remains "mildly prevalent" in China.

HIV gained a foothold in China largely because of unsanitary blood plasma buying schemes and tainted transfusions in hospitals. Health authorities say heterosexual sex has now overtaken drug abuse as the main method of transmission.

After ignoring or demonizing people with AIDS for much of the 1980s and 1990s, China's authoritarian government has taken a more compassionate line on the disease and combating its spread in recent years. But people with AIDS still face difficulties in getting treatment and compensation, and authorities remain deeply suspicious of independent activists.

On Wednesday, a handful of relatives of HIV or AIDS patients who contracted the virus through tainted transfusions planned to protest in front of the Ministry of Finance in Beijing but abandoned the plan because of the tight security there.

Organizer Sun Ya said the group was demanding government compensation. Sun's 15-year-old son contracted HIV from a tainted blood transfusion in 2002 at the Peking University Dental Hospital in Beijing.

Sun said he and others have tried to use the legal system to fight for compensation but courts have declined to take their cases, so they have resorted to sporadic protests in the capital.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/diseases/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111130/ap_on_he_me/as_china_aids

the green mile james whitey bulger rachel uchitel amerigo vespucci julio jones elizabeth warren coptic church

Clinton seeks greater openness from Myanmar

BUSAN, South Korea (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday she is looking forward to her historic trip to isolated Myanmar this week and will suggest specific reforms to the country's leadership to improve ties with the United States.

Clinton travels to Myanmar's capital later Wednesday on the first visit to the Southeast Asian nation by a secretary of state in more than 50 years. She told reporters at an international aid conference in South Korea before her departure that she was cautiously optimistic about her trip but said Myanmar would have to implement more reforms before the U.S. will reciprocate.

"I am obviously looking to determine for myself and on behalf of our government what is the intention of the current government with respect to continuing reforms both political and economic," she said.

She declined to discuss the specific measures she would suggest or how the U.S. might reciprocate.

After meeting with senior Myanmar officials on Thursday, Clinton will travel to the commercial capital of Yangon where she will see opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Obama administration is betting that the visit will pay dividends, promoting human rights, limiting suspected cooperation with North Korea on ballistic missiles and nuclear activity and loosening Chinese influence in a region where America and its allies are wary of China's rise.

"We and many other nations are quite hopeful that these flickers of progress ... will be ignited into a movement for change that will benefit the people of the country," she said, reflecting the administration's hopes for the trip.

Clinton is expected to seek assurances from Myanmar's leadership that they will sign an agreement with the U.N. nuclear watchdog that will permit unfettered access to suspected nuclear sites. The U.S. and other western nations suspect that Myanmar has sought and received nuclear advice along with ballistic missile technology from North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions.

She will also press the government's baby steps toward democratic reform after 50 years of military rule that saw brutal crackdowns on pro-democracy activists like Suu Kyi and members of her National League for Democracy party.

Clinton's private dinner on Thursday and formal meeting with Suu Kyi on Friday will likely be the highlights of the visit. Suu Kyi, who intends to run for parliament in upcoming elections, has welcomed Clinton's trip and told President Barack Obama in a phone call earlier this month that engagement with the government would be positive. Clinton has called Suu Kyi a personal inspiration.

The trip is the first major development in U.S.-Myanmar relations in decades and comes after the Obama administration launched a new effort to prod reforms in 2009 with a package of carrot-and-stick incentives.

The rapprochement sped up when Myanmar held elections last year that brought a new government to power that pledged greater openness. The administration's special envoy to Myanmar has made three trips to the country in the past three months, and the top U.S. diplomat for human rights has made one.

Those officials pushed for Clinton to make the trip, deeming a test of the reforms as worthwhile despite the risks of backsliding.

President Thein Sein, a former army officer, has pushed forward reforms after Myanmar experienced decades of repression under successive military regimes that cancelled 1990 elections that Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won.

Last week, Myanmar's parliament approved a law guaranteeing the right to protest, which had not previously existed, and improvements have been made in areas such as media and Internet access and political participation. The NLD, which had boycotted previous flawed elections, is now registered as a party.

But the government that took office in March is still dominated by a military-proxy political party, and Myanmar's commitment to democratization and its willingness to limit its close ties with China are uncertain.

Corruption runs rampant, hundreds of political prisoners are still jailed and violent ethnic conflicts continue in the country's north and east. Human rights activists have said Clinton's visit should be judged on improvements in those conditions.

Myanmar's army continues to torture and kill civilians in campaigns to stamp out some of the world's longest-running insurgencies, according to rights groups. They say ongoing atrocities against ethnic minorities serve as a reminder that reforms recently unveiled by the country's military-backed government to worldwide applause are not benefitting everyone.

And, although the government suspended a controversial Chinese dam project earlier this year, China laid down a marker ahead of Clinton's trip by having its vice president meet the head of Myanmar's armed forces on Monday.

China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Vice President Xi Jinping pledged to maintain strong ties with Myanmar and encouraged Gen. Min Aung Hlaing to push for solutions to unspecified challenges in relations.

Myanmar also remains subject to tough sanctions that prohibit Americans and U.S. companies from most commercial transactions in the country.

U.S. officials say Clinton's trip is a fact-finding visit and will not result in an easing of sanctions. But officials also say that such steps could be taken if Myanmar proves itself to be serious about reform. Other steps being contemplated include upgrading diplomatic relations that would see the two countries exchange ambassadors. The nations are now represented in each other's capitals by charges d'affaires.

Despite high hopes, U.S. officials remain decidedly cautious about prospects for Clinton's visit and that caution has been echoed by members of Congress, some of whom have expressed concern that the trip is an undeserved reward for the regime.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-29-Clinton/id-edd28031588c43538acc02ab78d81c7e

oakland texas judge texas judge tom brokaw maria shriver andy irons ethan zohn

SCOTUS asks for briefs in stay request (Offthekuff)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/167489037?client_source=feed&format=rss

reggie bush ufc 137 boston news matilda new jersey weather halloween movies halloween movies

The Hang and Level Makes Positioning Photos and Art Together on the Wall Quick and Easy [Stuff We Like]

Hanging groups of photos or paintings together on the wall can create an gorgeous spot on the wall to show off a bunch of similar pieces, like family photos, prints from the same artist, or vacation shots. The trouble is that measuring and positioning art on the wall close to one another can be a bit of a pain. The Hang and Level is a simple, cheap tool that makes hanging one painting or a dozen photos quick and easy.

The inventor of the Hang and Level, Liette Tousignant, dropped us a line a while back when we discussed how you could use a paint stirrer and a screw to easily hang your photos. She pointed out her tool could get the job done better, and sent us one to try out. A number of you also noted that the paint stick hack may quickly position art on the walls, but did nothing to level them. The Hang and Level does both really well, and helps you measure the distance between photos so you can create an attractive arrangement of art on your walls.

To use the Hang and Level, just place your picture on the single hook (if you're going to use one nail or adhesive hook) or the double-hook (for two hooks, nails, or just heavier art) and position the piece where you want it on the wall. Use the built-in level on the handle to make sure it's even. Remove the art from the hook, and press the hook itself? it will bend slightly, and make a small mark in the wall where your nail will go. Then you can hammer the nail into the wall without wondering where it was supposed to be, or having to get a pencil behind the art while you hold it up against the wall. Once your photo is mounted by hook or nail, you can use the built-in level to make sure the sides are straight, move on to the next piece you have to hang.

The Hang and Level is a pretty simple tool, but it saved me a lot of time I would otherwise have spent measuring the distance between art on my wall, marking where they'll hang, and then guessing whether they're perfectly level. The Hang and Level will set you back between $10 and $15 depending on where you buy it: it's available at Amazon, Home Depot, and most other department and hardware stores.

Hang and Level | Under the Roof Decorating

---

You can reach Alan Henry, the author of this post, at alan@lifehacker.com, or better yet, follow him on Twitter or Google+.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/uv6kCbY8-hk/the-hang-and-level-makes-positioning-photos-and-art-together-on-the-wall-quick-and-easy

nick fairley barry sanders barry sanders tim allen enlightened enlightened stand and deliver

Four accused of Amish beard-cutting attacks ordered held (Reuters)

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Reuters) ? Four men from an Amish splinter group in Ohio facing hate crimes charges over beard-cutting attacks on fellow Amish were ordered to remain in custody of U.S. Marshalls, a judge ruled on Wednesday.

The judge made the ruling after hours of testimony by an FBI agent and local sheriff in a detention hearing for the sect's leader, Bishop Samuel Mullet Sr., his two sons Johnny and Daniel Mullet and son-in-law Emanuel Schrock.

Three other men also arrested in the case were due in court on Friday.

The men were charged under the Hate Crime Act with conspiracy, and aiding and abetting linked to attacks that took place throughout the fall in three counties south of Cleveland, one of the country's largest concentrations of Amish.

The Department of Justice said the men were accused of restrained multiple Amish men and cutting off their beards and hair with scissors and battery-powered clippers, and injuring those who tried to stop them.

The actions of the group were considered especially egregious because once married, Amish men typically do not trim their beards and Amish women do not cut their hair for religious and cultural reasons.

Bishop Mullet was accused of orchestrating the beard-cuttings as revenge for being shunned by the Amish community. He was also accused of forcing extreme punishments on sect members who defied him, including making them sleep for days at a time in a chicken coop, the FBI said.

Authorities said conversations recorded at the Holmes County jail before federal charges were brought alerted authorities that he was planning more attacks.

The most serious charges in the case could carry a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

(Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111201/us_nm/us_crime_amish

pumpkin patch troy polamalu boo at the zoo when is daylight savings time 2011 when is daylight savings time 2011 renaissance festival melanie iglesias