LIVELY NEW EXHIBIT AT RIPLEY’S AQUARIUM OF THE SMOKIES

African Black Footed Penguins to March in March

GATLINBURG, Tenn. - Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies has announced the opening of “Ripley’s Penguin Playhouse,” a new indoor/outdoor multi-million dollar habitat featuring a colony of African Black Footed Penguins. The exhibit is scheduled to open in March of 2010.
The 4,000-square-foot exhibit features a habitat that closely models the home of African Black Footed Penguins, also known as Jackass Penguins for the distinctive braying sounds they make. Naturalistic rockwork and plantings surrounded by more than 30,000 gallons of temperature-controlled saltwater depict the coastal island rookeries along the coast of South Africa.
“We are really happy and proud that we are able to debut this amazing exhibit during our 10th anniversary. We feel our “Penguin Playhouse” will soon become another iconic exhibit within the aquarium and will be at the top of must-see lists for visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains,” said Ryan DeSear, manager of Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies.
Aquarium guests will be able to view the penguins from both above and below water level. Visitors will also be able to crawl through clear underwater acrylic tunnels and pop up on the penguins’ private beach to view the birds nose to beak. At the same time, as visitors crawl through the tunnels, penguins swimming above and below them will be able to get a good close-up of the human species.
The highly interactive habitat will have two wave machines and multiple spa jets that will create continual water movements, which in turn will create an inviting watery playground for the birds.
Ripley’s Vice President of Husbandry, Joe Choromanski, who helped create the exhibit, notes that “we have studied penguin exhibits from zoos and aquariums around the world, as well as their natural habitat, and we are building what we believe to be the most realistic, interactive and fun exhibit in existence.”
The penguins that will be calling Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies home have all been bred at other zoos and aquariums and are a part of the Species Survival Plan of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. When these young birds reach breeding age, they too will contribute to the survival of this species in the wild.
The exhibit is the largest and costliest expansion ever at the aquarium, now celebrating its 10th year in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. More than 14 million visitors have visited the aquarium since its opening in December 2000.

The Aquarium of the Smokies is the second most attended attraction in Tennessee. For more information about the exhibit and the aquarium, please visit www.ripleysaquariumofthesmokies.com.

Middle Tennesseans Evacuated from Haiti

Missionaries from Woodmont Christian Church safely arrived in Santa Domingo

NASHVILLE—Volunteers from the Woodmont Christian Church from Tennessee have safely arrived in Santa Domingo in the Dominican Republic. They have been given a fresh set of clothes, and are currently making travel plans to fly to Miami. They are expected to be back in Nashville tomorrow, most likely in the later afternoon or early evening. Again, we will update you with any new information as it comes in.

Iglesia Católica ayuda a Haiti

Knoxville-El Obispo Richard F. Štika de la Diócesis de Knoxville ha pedido a las 47 parroquias del Este de Tennessee hacer una colecta especial el 16 y 17 de enero para ayudar a las victimas de Haití y a los esfuerzos humanitarios de los Servicios Católicos de Socorro en ese país. Él ha pedido especialmente que se hagan oraciones dirigidas a pedir por todas las víctimas y las personas que sufren de Haití, así como también por los trabajadores de ayuda. La Diócesis de Knoxville ha tenido una larga historia de ayuda directa a las iglesias en Haití a través de numerosos programas de “hermanamiento de parroquias”. Esta asistencia ha incluido la visita de profesionales médicos locales y de expertos en construcción y logística. El obispo Štika ha pedido a las parroquias que tienen una parroquia hermana en Haití que encuentren la manera de responder eficazmente a la crisis. El obispo Štika también ha pedido a todos los sacerdotes de la diócesis que ofrescan misas dominicales utilizando oraciones especialmente diseñadas para las víctimas del terremoto en lugar de las oraciones de costumbre en domingo.

New evidence shows caloric restriction affects longevity in monkeys

The new research was published in Science and traces its origins to 1989, when the study began with 30 adult monkeys. Another 46 monkeys were added in 1994.

Half the monkeys were fed a low-calorie diet, and the other half a standard diet. All were closely monitored, with researchers regularly measuring their body composition, blood chemistry and endocrine function, as well as heart and brain function. When monkeys died, they were necropsied and the causes of death established.

All the surviving monkeys are now at least 27 years old, the rhesus equivalent of old age. Those fed a calorically restricted diet have dramatically lower levels of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, brain atrophy and lean-muscle loss. Just five of the 38 restricted monkeys have died from age-related causes, compared to 14 of 38 in the control group.

“Now we know that it works in a species closely related to humans. We can probe at the mechanisms, and hopefully understand them well enough to modulate them in some other way,” said Colman.

Whether drugs that mimic caloric restriction will benefit humans remains to be seen, and side effects are yet to be determined. But researchers can at least contemplate the possibility of slowing aging.

“It used to be said that it’s not going to be possible to affect aging, because there are so many different factors involved,” said Holloszy. “That’s no longer true. There are studies showing that affecting just one pathway produces long increases in longevity.”

Police ask for help identifying suspect

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — West Precinct detectives are working to identify the woman believed to have stolen a purse from an unlocked car parked outside Franklin Road Academy at 4700 Franklin Pike on December 17.
The victim left her purse in the vehicle when she went inside the school to pick up her children at 11:35 a.m. She did not immediately notice her purse was missing. The suspect was captured on video surveillance 45 minutes later using the victim’s personal information to obtain money from SunTrust Bank’s 2503 Lebanon Pike branch.
The suspect is a middle-aged white woman with long blonde hair and bangs. She is approximately 5’5” tall and weighs approximately 170 pounds. She wore an orange collared shirt and eyeglasses.
Detectives are also investigating whether the suspect has committed similar crimes in the Middle Tennessee area.
Anyone who recognizes the suspect is urged to contact West Precinct detectives at 862-7285 or Crime Stoppers at 74-CRIME. Citizens can also send an electronic tip to Crime Stoppers by texting the word “CASH” along with their message to 274637 (CRIMES) or online at www.nashvillecrimestoppers.com. Persons who contact Crime Stoppers by phone or text message can remain anonymous and qualify for a cash reward.

Knoxville reciclaría mucho más en el 2010

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –El alcalde Bill Haslam anima a los residentes de la ciudad a reciclar sus guías telefónicas viejas. Los niños de las escuelas en la ciudad participan en una competencia por la escuela que recolecta más guias telefónicas desde ahora y hasta el 31 de enero de 2010.
Las escuelas ganadoras recibirán incentivos en dinero en efectivo. El sistema de escuelas del condado Knox recolectó en el 2009 92 toneladas de material reciclable que según los experto en reciclaje salvó de ser cortados a 1,564 árboles, ahorró 276 barriles de petróleo crudo o 5,298 galones de gasolina.
El impacto en el ambiente es en definitiva, profundo y esto llama a la atención de los residentes de la ciudad a participar nuevamente este año.
Otros lugares donde se pueden traer las guías telefónicas incluyen:

Kroger Stores:
4440 Western Avenue en Clinton
4918 Kingston Pike (Knox Plaza)
2217 Broadway (Broadway Shopping Center)

Food City:
5941 Kingston Pike
939 Alcoa Highway

City of Knoxville Downtown Recycling Center
400 State Street

Goodwill Collection Centers:
225 W. Moody Avenue. Collection Center en la esquina de Magnolia y Alice
341 Parkvillage Road - frente a P&S School Supply
820 Metler Drive
5003 Broadway (Fountain City)

Knoxville reciclaría mucho más en el 2010

Bajo la administración del alcalde de Knoxville, Bill Haslam la compañía DSM Servicios Ambientales ha terminado un estudio de un año y lo ha presentado a los oficiales de la ciudad para su revisión.
El Estudio se enfoca en la implementación de un sistema de recolección de basura reciclables a lo largo de una ruta en las aceras dentro de la ciudad. Al aplicar este modelo de recolección de basura reclicable se facilitará a los residentes de la ciudad que voluntariamente participan.
Según el modelo presentado se colocarían recolectores de 95 galones en puntos claves de la ciudad y se recogerían cada dos meses. Los participantes no necesitarán separar la basura reciclable.
Al momento se estudian los aspectos financieros teniendo en cuenta fondos federales y los $150,000 a $200,000 que resultan de la venta annual de material reciclable. Se estima que de los 59,000 hogares que participan en el programa regular de recolección de basura semanal, unos 20,000 hogares serían los vuntarios a ser parte del posible nuevo programa de reciclaje de la ciudad.
Una copia del proyecto se encuentra visitando www.cityofknoxville.org/sustainability

America can become energy independent

Purchase, NY – Amid mounting agreement that future clean, “carbon-neutral”, energy will rely on efficient conversion of the sun’s light energy into fuels and electric power, http://www.ethanol-bio-fuel.com group of researchers is focusing on one of the most ancient groups of organism, the cyanobacteria. Dramatic progress has been made over the last decade understanding the fundamental reaction of photosynthesis that evolved in cyanobacteria 3.7 billion years ago, which for the first time used water molecules as a source of electrons to transport energy derived from sunlight, while converting carbon dioxide into oxygen.
The light harvesting systems gave the bacteria their blue (“cyano”) color, and paved the way for plants to evolve by “kidnapping” bacteria to provide their photosynthetic engines, and for animals by liberating oxygen for them to breathe, by splitting water molecules.
For humans now there is the tantalizing possibility of tweaking the photosynthetic reactions of cyanobacteria to produce fuels we want such as hydrogen, alcohols or even hydrocarbons, rather than carbohydrates.
Progress at the research level has been rapid, boosting prospects of harnessing photosynthesis not just for energy but also for manufacturing valuable compounds for the chemical and biotechnology industries.
Such research is running on three tracks, one aimed at genetically engineering real plants and cyanobacteria to yield the products we want, the other to mimic their processes in artificial photosynthetic systems built with human-made components and the third to develop a Super Enzyme, which will increase the energy efficiency of current ethanol production processes.

More details at: http://www.ethanol-bio-fuel.com

Linus Torvalds is best known for having initiated the development of the LINUX operating system. His project is a great success.

Let’s do the same with the efficient conversion of the sun’s light energy into fuels and electric power! There is a possibility of tweaking the photosynthetic reactions to produce fuels we want such as hydrogen, alcohols or even hydrocarbons, rather than carbohydrates, as the photosynthetic reactions produce.

Scientists and Engineers! Let’s join our creative powers. Let’s accomplish this jointly by collaborating, all together, at the http://www.ethanol-bio-fuel.com portal.

11,000 Documents SharesTennessee History

Evidence of Tennessee’s rich history — pictures of schoolchildren from the Depression, police notes on the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., sheet music poking fun at the teaching of evolution from the time of the 1925 Scopes monkey trial, and documents from Civil War battles — have been gathered together for the first time in a digital museum called Volunteer Voices (www.volunteervoices.org).
Public school teachers and students to advanced scholars and researchers now have access to nearly 11,000 documents and images that were assembled with the help of a three-year, $928,000 grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and matching support from 10 partner libraries, historical societies, and museums in the state.

Ahorre en su proxima visita al mercado

Pequeños cortes de gastos suman cantidades significativas de ahorro.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— Los consumidores están gastando más que nunca antes en sus compras en el mercado, según los expertos en presupuesto familiar del Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) del Este de Tennessee.
Los expertos señalan que en promedio las familias gastaron $356 en enero 2009, comparado con $316 en enero 2008-un aumento del 12%.
“En una economía difícil como la de hoy, la reducción de los gastos en cualquier área puede ser de gran ayuda para el presupuesto familiar“, dice Daru Burdge, presidente de CCCS. “La reducción del gasto semanal de alimentos en sólo $ 25 agrega $ 100 al mes que se pueden utilizar para pagar deudas o añadir a una cuenta de ahorros”.
CCCS sugiere que los consumidores tomen nota de los gastos actuales y que se fijen en las oportunidades de reducir dichos gastos. Mirando los recibos de sus compras pueden identificar gastos en compras impulsivas o en golocinas que quizas no se necesitaban. Con tan solo cortar esos gastos se puede acumular cantidades significativas en ahorros.
CCCS ofrece los siguientes consejos para lograr ‘cortes’ en sus gastos de mercado:
La preparación y el planeamiento son claves
Haga una lista de lo que va a comprar y solo compre eso. Planee sus menús para una o dos semanas. Al tener una lista será más fácil hacer compras inecesarias. Use los cupones de descuento y aumente sus ahorros.
Revise la alacena antes de ir de compras para evitar comprar un producto que ya tiene.
Use Cupones
Aproveche los ahorros al usar cupones, las ofertas especiales y las promociones de compre dos por el precio de uno. Además de los periódicos del domingo y los supermercados se pueden conseguir cupones visitando www.couponmom.com para luego comparar los precios en el mercado. Si encuentra un producto en oferta cerciórese de la fecha de expiración del mismo. Solo compre los productos en oferta que Ud. normalmente compra. A veces resulta más económico comprar 3 docenas de huevos pero Ud. termina tirarndo una docena a la basura porque pasó la fecha de expericaión y no tuvo tiempo de comerlos antes.
Considere la compra en paquetes grandes compartidos con amigos o familiares para compartir el costo.
Otros consejos para evitar las compras innecesarias e impulsivas incluyen el comer antes de ir de compras. Revise los estantes más bajos y los más altos en los que puede hallar productos de mucho más bajos precios.
No asuma que los productos son más económicos porque contienen más o vienen en cajas grandes. Use una calculadora para determinar el costo de una libra del producto y comparelo con otras marcas y tamaños.
Ahorre en los almuerzos al llevar su almuerzo preparado en casa. Usando esta alternativa puede ayudarle a ahorrar bastante al final del mes en lugar de comprar cada día su almuerzo de comida rápida.
Si necesita ayuda en la preparación de su presupuesto familiar busque los servicios de CCC en 1-800-251-CCCS.