Suspect dead, Mich. student safe after abduction

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) ? A parolee abducted and raped a Central Michigan University student, set a house on fire where the woman had fled for help and was fatally shot miles away by a sheriff's deputy, authorities said Thursday.

Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said the man was identified as Eric Ramsey, 30, of Mount Pleasant.

"We don't know what possessed him to do that. We may never find out," Mioduszewski said.

The woman was abducted Wednesday from the campus in Mount Pleasant, about 120 miles northwest of Detroit. The sheriff said Ramsey drove the woman in her own vehicle to a home off campus and bound and raped her there.

He said Ramsey then put her back in the Ford Escape and pledged to kill her, but she escaped the moving vehicle and ran to a home yelling for help.

While the woman was inside the home talking to an emergency dispatcher on the phone, Ramsey "ended up pouring gasoline on the house and then lit on fire," Mioduszewski said in a statement.

A 14-year-old boy, his 11-year-old sister and 2-year-old brother were alone inside the home in nearby Lincoln Township when the woman banged on the door for help. The teenager, James Persyn III, told Mlive.com that he let the woman in, locked the door and grabbed his hunting knife.

He said he while the woman was using his phone to call 911, he moved her, his siblings and the family dog into the bathroom.

Meanwhile, the sheriff said, "one of the homeowners arrived home ... and was able to put the fire out," using an extinguisher.

Ramsey was spotted early Thursday in Otsego County, where he rammed the first of two state police cars. The sheriff said he subsequently stole a garbage truck and was fatally shot by a deputy in Crawford County, about 70 miles north of the university.

Campus police Chief Bill Yeagley said Ramsey told the woman that he chose her at random outside the Student Activity Center on campus. The chief said the woman saved her own life by fleeing from the car.

"I believe she made all the right choices," Yeagley said. "She's the true hero in this."

Central Michigan University President George Ross said the school would support the Grand Rapids-area woman and her family.

Ramsey had been on parole since last summer after serving the minimum five-year prison sentence for assault with intent to do great bodily harm, according to Corrections Department online records. The maximum sentence was 15 years. Inmates are eligible for a parole review once they serve the minimum punishment.

"The parole board generally doesn't give a rationale for why or why they don't parole (an inmate)," said Russ Marlan, a Corrections Department spokesman. "I looked at his behavior in prison. He was pretty good. He had six misconducts over five years. That's a small amount. He was in minimum security the entire time."

Ramsey had a job, regularly met with his parole officer and had tested negative for drugs, Marlan said.

His record also included convictions for destruction of police or fire property, resisting police and assault with a dangerous weapon.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suspect-dead-mich-student-safe-abduction-024448262.html

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Chris O'Connell, CEO of Timothy James Consulting - Business Matters

We talk to Chris O?Connell about his business TJC, his inspirations and ask him what advice he would give to someone just starting out.

What do you currently do?
As Founder and CEO, my role at the company is to lead, mentor and motivate a group of 45 talented consultants as well as overseeing the general operations of the business. Day to day activities consistent of working in an open office environment, engaging with both employees and clients on a first-hand basis.

Whilst maintaining the core specialisms of our business we have expanded over the last eight years to provide Senior Appointment solutions to the following market sectors: Retail e-commerce; Media, Publishing & Broadcasting; Telecommunications; Public Sector (NHS & Local Government); Financial Services; and Oil & Gas.

What is your inspiration in business?
Having started the business in a humble environment in Bristol with just two other individuals on-board, we developed the business to three market-leading offices (an office in Mayfair, another in the Central Business District of Manchester and our headquarters, which remain in Bristol) servicing the nation and a range of international clients. We would never have done this without the right employees ? who have inspired the direction and development of the business.
We are in the people business and I genuinely believe that our consultants are the heart and soul of TJC. Encouraging a non hierarchal, open office environment gives every member of staff the opportunity to inspire one another and feel part of the business.

Who do you admire?
Other entrepreneurs, particularly Richard Branson, James Dyson and Richard Reed spring to mind and we are very happy to have James Caan on board as a partner and advisor.

Looking back are there things you would have done differently?
Hindsight is a beautiful thing but mistakes are valuable too as I?ve learnt a great deal from them. I think it?s more important to look at how you handle mistakes and negativity and seeing how well you can turn it around ? in reality and in business there are always ups and downs.

What defines your way of doing business?
Setting up the business, I placed emphasis on 6 core values which are still the backbone of the business today: they are Hard Work, Respect, Understanding, Consult, Engage and Deliver. Leading by example I believe that the CEO and Senior Management Team must abide and live by the principles that they promote.
My vision for the business was to grow the company organically, rewarding employees for their hard work and commitment. With this in mind, I?ve developed a commission structure, a consistent training programme and a portfolio of rewarding incentives for my colleagues, which keeps the best of talent at TJC.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
Specialise ? be an authority in a particular sector and don?t spread your business idea or the talent you recruit too thinly. Furthermore, listen to the ideas of every member of staff.?

Source: http://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/people/getting-to-know-you/14147/chris-oconnell-ceo-of-timothy-james-consulting-tjc/

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Vitamin D may not relieve arthritis pain

(Reuters) - Taking daily vitamin D doesn't keep knee pain from getting worse or slow the loss of cartilage for people with osteoarthritis, according to a U.S. study.

Previous research suggested that among people with the joint disorder, those with higher levels of vitamin D in their blood tended to have a slower progression of symptoms. But whether that meant taking more in supplement form would also have a protective effect was unclear.

"It looked compelling at that point," said lead author Timothy McAlindon, from Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

For the new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, he and his colleagues randomly assigned 156 of their patients with knee osteoarthritis to take a daily dose of vitamin D or a vitamin-free placebo for two years.

None of the participants knew which type of supplement they were assigned to take. The vitamin D doses started at 2,000 international units (IU) per day and were increased to as high as 8,000 IU daily in some patients. For most adults, the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D is 600 to 800 IU.

The vitamin D group started out slightly worse off than their comparisons on measures of knee pain and function, but the vitamin didn't seem to offer clear relief.

On a 0-to-20 point pain scale, people taking vitamin D saw a 2.3-point decrease during the two years, compared to a 1.5-point decrease among those taking placebos - a difference that could have been due to chance.

Changes in knee cartilage volume - a measure of the progression of osteoarthritis - and knee function were also similar among the two groups during and after the study period.

Robert Heaney, who has studied vitamin D at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, said he wasn't surprised the study didn't find a beneficial effect on knee pain across all patients.

"It's almost certain that vitamin D's effects are different from person to person," said Heaney, who wasn't involved in the new research, to Reuters Health. "It's very important for some people, but may not make any difference for others."

That may have to do with genetics or other factors that doctors aren't yet able to test for before the prescribe vitamin D, Heaney said, though he noted that it's still worth trying since it may have other small health benefits.

McAlindon, however, disagreed, saying that while it's possible the higher levels of vitamin D in the blood could help knee pain, so far the results don't support that idea.

"Vitamin D broadly is the vitamin of the moment," McAlindon said. "There are hopes that it will have wide health benefits."

But he noted that this study shows each of those claims needs to be checked out carefully. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/JjFzqx

(Reporting by Elaine Lies)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vitamin-d-may-not-relieve-arthritis-pain-024312481.html

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Cush and Nooks: Anna Spiro's Holiday Home

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Source: http://cushandnooks.blogspot.com/2013/01/anna-spiros-holiday-home.html

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Pythons, lionfish and now willow invade Florida's waterways

Jan. 8, 2013 ? Foreign invaders such as pythons and lionfish are not the only threats to Florida's natural habitat. The native Carolina Willow is also starting to strangle portions of the St. Johns River.

Biologists at the University of Central Florida recently completed a study that shows this slender tree once used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes, may be thriving because of water-management projects initiated in the 1950s. Canals were built to control runoff and provide water for agriculture. The unintended consequence -- stable water levels -- allowed Carolina Willow to spread and thrive.

They now cover thousands of acres. Willows form impenetrable thickets that prevent boating and eliminate duck habitat. Willow thickets also use tremendous amounts of water, leaving less available for wildlife and people.

The findings were published January 8 in Restoration Ecology, the peer-reviewed journal of the Society for Ecological Restoration.

While the trees previously were kept in check by natural annual flooding, they can now be found thriving in wetlands, swamps and marshes. Some trees grow as tall as 35 feet. The leaves of the tree contain salicin, which is the compound behind the pain-relieving effect of salicylic acid found in aspirin.

UCF professors Pedro F. Quintana-Ascencio and John Fauth worked with Kimberli Ponzio and Dianne Hall, scientists from the St. Johns River Water Management District, to run experiments that found ways to control the willow, which is taking over marshes in the upper St. Johns River basin.

UCF students helped plant hundreds of willow seedlings and saplings onto small islands built for the project by the St. Johns River Water Management District's staff. Willows planted low on the islands drowned during summer floods, but plants above the waterline grew and flowered one year later.

The biologists confirmed the importance of water fluctuation using experimental ponds on UCF's main campus. Willow seedlings and saplings planted on the pond banks grew poorly when the biologists raised the water level and flooded the plants for several months. At the same time, control plants just above the waterline grew over 3 feet tall.

Combined, the two experiments show that the key to controlling willow is allowing water levels to fluctuate in early spring. Seedlings and small saplings cannot survive dry conditions and are easily drowned in wet marshes. Once plants become larger, willows can survive droughts and tolerate floods and are very difficult to eradicate, Fauth said.

Based on the conclusions of the study, the UCF biologists are helping scientists at the water district develop new ways to reduce willow cover and slow down the expansion, Fauth said.

"It's important that these trees be controlled to maintain water quality and availability, conserve wildlife and continue enjoying recreational activities in the river, " Fauth said.

The study may also aid other countries fighting the Carolina willow, including Australia and South Korea where they were introduced for erosion control.

Other contributors to the study include: former UCF biology student Luz M. Castro Morales and Ken Snyder of the St. Johns River Water Management District. The St. Johns Water Management District funded the study.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Central Florida.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Pedro F. Quintana-Ascencio, John E. Fauth, Luz M. Castro Morales, Kimberli J. Ponzio, Dianne Hall, Ken Snyder. Taming the Beast: Managing Hydrology to Control Carolina Willow (Salix caroliniana) Seedlings and Cuttings. Restoration Ecology, 7 JAN 2013 DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-100X.2012.00940.x

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/-28B-NSrRno/130108151208.htm

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Dutch Patriot missiles shipped out to Turkey

DE PEEL AIR BASE, Netherlands (AP) ? The Dutch military is shipping its Patriot missiles to fellow NATO member Turkey to boost its air defenses amid the escalating war in neighboring Syria.

The two Dutch batteries are part of a NATO contingent of Patriot missiles that intercept incoming ballistic missiles. Two U.S. and two German batteries are also being deployed to other parts of southern Turkey.

Dutch defense chief Gen. Tom Middendorp said Monday the missiles will remain in Turkey for a year.

The Patriots are being transported by sea to Turkey. They are scheduled to become operational by the end of this month.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dutch-patriot-missiles-shipped-turkey-115833491.html

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Reid says he misspoke with disaster comparison (The Arizona Republic)

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