FROM: U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
FDA Explores Impact of Arsenic in Rice
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken a major step towards learning whether levels of arsenic in rice and rice products pose a risk to public health.
The agency has collected a total of more than 1,300 samples of rice and rice products and has tested them for both total arsenic and inorganic arsenic, the more toxic form. FDA scientists have determined that the levels of inorganic arsenic found in the samples are too low to cause immediate health damage.
In the rice grains, the average levels of inorganic arsenic ranged from 2.6 to 7.2 micrograms per serving, with instant rice at the low end of the range and brown rice at the high end. In rice products, the average levels of inorganic arsenic ranged from 0.1 to 6.6 micrograms per serving, with infant formula at the low end of the range and rice pasta at the high end. (A microgram is one-millionth of a gram; serving sizes varied with the product types.)
But what about the long-term impact? After all, rice is a food that people eat over the course of a lifetime.
The next step for FDA will be to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment, explains Suzanne C. Fitzpatrick, Ph.D., the senior advisor for toxicology in FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). This analysis of the health risk associated with eating rice and rice products will be the foundation of future FDA actions.
"These are the next steps. To look at exposure levels, to analyze the risk, and determine how to minimize that risk for the overall safety of consumers, including vulnerable groups like children and pregnant women," says Fitzpatrick.
"We must take one step at a time and stay true to our methodological approach," says Michael R. Taylor, J.D., deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine. "We can't get ahead of the science."
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Why Rice?
"One of the things we need to emphasize is that arsenic is a naturally occurring contaminant, and because it's in soil and water, it's going to get into food," says Fitzpatrick. "It's not something that we can just pull off the market."
Arsenic is a chemical element distributed in the Earth's crust. Human activities such as fuel burning, mining and the use of arsenic compounds in pesticides have also added arsenic to the environment. But Fitzpatrick says that even if you stripped all human contributions, there would still be arsenic in food.
And rice is particularly vulnerable. "Rice is grown in water and takes in arsenic. You're going to see greater levels in rice than in other foods," she says.
FDA has been monitoring arsenic levels in foods for more than 20 years, but Fitzpatrick says there have been advances in testing that allow FDA to get much more detailed information.
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The Story So Far
FDA consumer safety officers collected samples from retail outlets across the country. In addition to rice itself, these samples cover most types of rice-based foods in the American diet, including cereals, cakes, beverages, snack bars and infant and toddler foods.
These samples were then analyzed in FDA labs, in addition to some labs contracted by the agency to do this work. Fitzpatrick says the laboratory workers were required to undergo training in new chemical testing called "speciation." This testing enables the labs to look beyond just organic vs. inorganic to all the different species of arsenic present in the samples.
"It's a very complicated process and it involves a lot of people," Fitzpatrick says. "We're working very hard to get the best possible scientific answers."
Meanwhile, FDA was studying arsenic in other ways. Researchers examined studies of populations exposed to high levels of arsenic in such countries as Chile, Taiwan and Bangladesh. They looked at rates of cancer and diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses.
The researchers had to consider how the data about these highly exposed cultures would apply to American consumers.
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What's Next?
Next is the risk assessment. All of this information will now be considered by FDA risk managers, Fitzpatrick says. These experts will look at the hazards that arsenic presents in rice products and the degrees to which people are exposed.
The risk assessment teams will also consider if certain segments of the population are more vulnerable because of their lifestyle (such as ethnic groups that eat a lot of rice) or life stage (pregnant women and children).
They will then assess the public health risk from arsenic in rice.
The risk assessment will take a number of months to complete. After an expert review, the assessment will be available for public comment. "This is an important issue for us," say Fitzpatrick. "Consumers need the best information that we can get them."
FDA is working with federal partners—including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—as well as with industry scientists, consumer groups and others to further study the issue of arsenic in rice and evaluate ways to reduce exposure, such as through changes in growing or manufacturing practices.
And FDA is conducting additional sampling to broaden its data on the levels of arsenic in all infant and toddler products.
This article appears on FDA's Consumer Update page, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.
Sept. 6, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
SUPPORTING JUSTICE IN SOUTH SUDAN
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
INL Support to South Sudan's Justice Sector
Fact Sheet
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
September 4, 2013
INL has been committed to supporting justice in South Sudan since before its in-dependence. Working in close coordination with the donor community in South Sudan, INL’s focus is on effective community polic-ing and building the capac-ity of the criminal justice system through support and training to judges, prosecutors, and correc-tions officials.
Police: INL, in partnership with the Department of Jus-tice, provides training in Information Led Policing (ILP) in the state capitals of Bor, Wau, and Torit. ILP focuses on community outreach, tracking basic crime information, analysis, and deployment of resources. INL also partici-pates in the development of a Livestock Patrol Unit (LPU) in Jonglei State. The LPU, a specialized police unit, ad-dresses cattle raiding as a critical threat to stability. Fi-nally, INL’s Highway Patrol Unit (HPU) established the first police presence on the vital Juba-Nimule highway; eventually INL trained HPU will be in place on all national highways.
Rule of Law: INL, through implementer IDLO, provides institutional and training support to the Judiciary of South Sudan, South Sudanese lawyers, and the University of Juba School of Law. INL, in partnership with Norway, funds a UNDP project for construction of the Law School com-plex. An INL grant supports Pact, a non-governmental organization, in a project to provide rural access to justice in remote counties of Eastern Equatoria, Upper Nile and Jonglei states. The pro-gram encompasses the training of paralegals, local legal aid clinics, integration of traditional judges, and public education programs on legal rights directed at citizens historically outside the reach of the formal justice system. The INL Juvenile Justice program works to assure the protec-tion of the rights of juveniles in conflict with the law and encourage alternatives to incarceration when appropriate. INL also provides a Rule of Law Advisor in support of the nascent South Su-dan and South Sudan Women’s Bar Associations.
Corrections: The INL program focuses on improved management of prisons through support to the National Prison Services’ (NPS) Lologo Training Academy, including funding for construc-tion of dormitories, an administration complex, and provision of a planning specialist to assist the NPS in setting forth a long term plan for the Academy.
UN: INL provides police and corrections advisors in support of the UN in South Sudan. INL-provided advisors are stationed throughout South Sudan in places such as Juba, Wau, Bor, and Malakal. They mentor and train their South Sudanese counter-parts as well as serve in leadership positions in UNPOL. INL will add several new advisors in 2013, including additional assistance to the management of the Prison Academy.
U.S. Institute of Peace: INL funds USIP’s work with focus groups on conflict resolution in small communities and the creation of a policy institute for South Sudanese academics to evaluate critical issues for the National Assembly, Council of Ministers and others.
INL Support to South Sudan's Justice Sector
Fact Sheet
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
September 4, 2013
INL has been committed to supporting justice in South Sudan since before its in-dependence. Working in close coordination with the donor community in South Sudan, INL’s focus is on effective community polic-ing and building the capac-ity of the criminal justice system through support and training to judges, prosecutors, and correc-tions officials.
Police: INL, in partnership with the Department of Jus-tice, provides training in Information Led Policing (ILP) in the state capitals of Bor, Wau, and Torit. ILP focuses on community outreach, tracking basic crime information, analysis, and deployment of resources. INL also partici-pates in the development of a Livestock Patrol Unit (LPU) in Jonglei State. The LPU, a specialized police unit, ad-dresses cattle raiding as a critical threat to stability. Fi-nally, INL’s Highway Patrol Unit (HPU) established the first police presence on the vital Juba-Nimule highway; eventually INL trained HPU will be in place on all national highways.
Rule of Law: INL, through implementer IDLO, provides institutional and training support to the Judiciary of South Sudan, South Sudanese lawyers, and the University of Juba School of Law. INL, in partnership with Norway, funds a UNDP project for construction of the Law School com-plex. An INL grant supports Pact, a non-governmental organization, in a project to provide rural access to justice in remote counties of Eastern Equatoria, Upper Nile and Jonglei states. The pro-gram encompasses the training of paralegals, local legal aid clinics, integration of traditional judges, and public education programs on legal rights directed at citizens historically outside the reach of the formal justice system. The INL Juvenile Justice program works to assure the protec-tion of the rights of juveniles in conflict with the law and encourage alternatives to incarceration when appropriate. INL also provides a Rule of Law Advisor in support of the nascent South Su-dan and South Sudan Women’s Bar Associations.
Corrections: The INL program focuses on improved management of prisons through support to the National Prison Services’ (NPS) Lologo Training Academy, including funding for construc-tion of dormitories, an administration complex, and provision of a planning specialist to assist the NPS in setting forth a long term plan for the Academy.
UN: INL provides police and corrections advisors in support of the UN in South Sudan. INL-provided advisors are stationed throughout South Sudan in places such as Juba, Wau, Bor, and Malakal. They mentor and train their South Sudanese counter-parts as well as serve in leadership positions in UNPOL. INL will add several new advisors in 2013, including additional assistance to the management of the Prison Academy.
U.S. Institute of Peace: INL funds USIP’s work with focus groups on conflict resolution in small communities and the creation of a policy institute for South Sudanese academics to evaluate critical issues for the National Assembly, Council of Ministers and others.
CDC REPORTS E-CIGARETTE USE BY HIGH SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS MORE THAN DOUBLES
FROM: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
Press Release E-cigarette use more than doubles among U.S. middle and high school students from 2011-2012
More than 75 percent of youth users smoke conventional cigarettes too
The percentage of U.S. middle and high school students who use electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, more than doubled from 2011 to 2012, according to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The findings from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, in today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, show that the percentage of high school students who reported ever using an e-cigarette rose from 4.7 percent in 2011 to 10.0 percent in 2012. In the same time period, high school students using e-cigarettes within the past 30 days rose from 1.5 percent to 2.8 percent. Use also doubled among middle school students. Altogether, in 2012 more than 1.78 million middle and high school students nationwide had tried e-cigarettes.
"The increased use of e-cigarettes by teens is deeply troubling," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "Nicotine is a highly addictive drug. Many teens who start with e-cigarettes may be condemned to struggling with a lifelong addiction to nicotine and conventional cigarettes."
The study also found that 76.3 percent of middle and high school students who used e-cigarettes within the past 30 days also smoked conventional cigarettes in the same period. In addition, 1 in 5 middle school students who reported ever using e-cigarettes say they have never tried conventional cigarettes. This raises concern that there may be young people for whom e-cigarettes could be an entry point to use of conventional tobacco products, including cigarettes.
“About 90 percent of all smokers begin smoking as teenagers,” said Tim McAfee, M.D., M.P.H., director of the CDC Office on Smoking and Health. “We must keep our youth from experimenting or using any tobacco product. These dramatic increases suggest that developing strategies to prevent marketing, sales, and use of e-cigarettes among youth is critical.”
Press Release E-cigarette use more than doubles among U.S. middle and high school students from 2011-2012
More than 75 percent of youth users smoke conventional cigarettes too
The percentage of U.S. middle and high school students who use electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, more than doubled from 2011 to 2012, according to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The findings from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, in today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, show that the percentage of high school students who reported ever using an e-cigarette rose from 4.7 percent in 2011 to 10.0 percent in 2012. In the same time period, high school students using e-cigarettes within the past 30 days rose from 1.5 percent to 2.8 percent. Use also doubled among middle school students. Altogether, in 2012 more than 1.78 million middle and high school students nationwide had tried e-cigarettes.
"The increased use of e-cigarettes by teens is deeply troubling," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "Nicotine is a highly addictive drug. Many teens who start with e-cigarettes may be condemned to struggling with a lifelong addiction to nicotine and conventional cigarettes."
The study also found that 76.3 percent of middle and high school students who used e-cigarettes within the past 30 days also smoked conventional cigarettes in the same period. In addition, 1 in 5 middle school students who reported ever using e-cigarettes say they have never tried conventional cigarettes. This raises concern that there may be young people for whom e-cigarettes could be an entry point to use of conventional tobacco products, including cigarettes.
“About 90 percent of all smokers begin smoking as teenagers,” said Tim McAfee, M.D., M.P.H., director of the CDC Office on Smoking and Health. “We must keep our youth from experimenting or using any tobacco product. These dramatic increases suggest that developing strategies to prevent marketing, sales, and use of e-cigarettes among youth is critical.”
Sunday, September 8, 2013
NATO'S SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER FOR EUROPE URGES NATO TO LOOKED TO NCO CORPS
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Breedlove Urges NATO to Tap NCO Corps Capabilities
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2013 - As new challenges and budget realities loom, the officer who serves as NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command has challenged those in his charge to tap the "vast reservoir of untapped potential" within the noncommissioned officer corps.
"NATO and our partner nations are standing atop a gold mine of capability," Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove wrote today in his command blog. "We need to get better at mining it and refining it."
Breedlove shared his own experience as NCOs shared their tactical and technical skills and leadership abilities with him throughout his Air Force career. "As I've risen through the ranks as a leader and commander, I've benefitted from the support, trust and wise counsel of my NCOs," he said.
Now, he said, he continues to rely on the knowledge and insights of his command senior enlisted leaders at NATO and Eucom: Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Todd Small and Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Craig Adams.
"I believe our alliance abounds in NCOs like these two leaders," he said. "And I believe we must fully engage our NCOs' unique capabilities to strengthen NATO's collective defense and assist its transformation."
NATO has been made progress in better developing and engaging its NCOs, Breedlove noted. The alliance established command senior enlisted leader position across the NATO structure and published the alliance's first NCO strategy and guidelines.
In addition, the NATO School and Swiss Armed Forces Professional NCO School joined forces to design and teach NCO education courses, he said. Allied Command Operations and Eucom command senior enlisted leaders also partnered with the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies to organize the annual International Senior Enlisted Seminar.
Meanwhile, Belgium, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey and other allies established senior enlisted leadership positions, Breedlove reported. Other nations such as Slovenia and Croatia developed their own multinational NCO education and outreach programs.
"These efforts have proven beneficial by creating an NCO corps that is increasingly empowered and responsible for individual training, discipline and the health and welfare of their service members," Breedlove said.
"In this era of fiscal belt-tightening, we must look for opportunities to better develop and employ the assets we already have, in particularly our NCOs," he said. "When we sharpen our NCOs' capability through exercises, training, experience and professional education, we sharpen our nations' combat edge."
Breedlove Urges NATO to Tap NCO Corps Capabilities
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2013 - As new challenges and budget realities loom, the officer who serves as NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command has challenged those in his charge to tap the "vast reservoir of untapped potential" within the noncommissioned officer corps.
"NATO and our partner nations are standing atop a gold mine of capability," Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove wrote today in his command blog. "We need to get better at mining it and refining it."
Breedlove shared his own experience as NCOs shared their tactical and technical skills and leadership abilities with him throughout his Air Force career. "As I've risen through the ranks as a leader and commander, I've benefitted from the support, trust and wise counsel of my NCOs," he said.
Now, he said, he continues to rely on the knowledge and insights of his command senior enlisted leaders at NATO and Eucom: Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Todd Small and Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Craig Adams.
"I believe our alliance abounds in NCOs like these two leaders," he said. "And I believe we must fully engage our NCOs' unique capabilities to strengthen NATO's collective defense and assist its transformation."
NATO has been made progress in better developing and engaging its NCOs, Breedlove noted. The alliance established command senior enlisted leader position across the NATO structure and published the alliance's first NCO strategy and guidelines.
In addition, the NATO School and Swiss Armed Forces Professional NCO School joined forces to design and teach NCO education courses, he said. Allied Command Operations and Eucom command senior enlisted leaders also partnered with the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies to organize the annual International Senior Enlisted Seminar.
Meanwhile, Belgium, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey and other allies established senior enlisted leadership positions, Breedlove reported. Other nations such as Slovenia and Croatia developed their own multinational NCO education and outreach programs.
"These efforts have proven beneficial by creating an NCO corps that is increasingly empowered and responsible for individual training, discipline and the health and welfare of their service members," Breedlove said.
"In this era of fiscal belt-tightening, we must look for opportunities to better develop and employ the assets we already have, in particularly our NCOs," he said. "When we sharpen our NCOs' capability through exercises, training, experience and professional education, we sharpen our nations' combat edge."
HHS ARTICLE ON FISH OIL AND A HEALTHY HEART
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.
A challenging math problem can stress you out. Researchers at Michigan Technological University had participants in a study do those challenging problems, measuring if and how stress levels were affected by fish oil supplements. Sixty-seven adults were examined, before and after eight weeks of taking fish oil supplements or a placebo, olive oil.
They measured heart rate and blood pressure, finding fish oil supplements helped protect the heart in stressful situations. Dr. Jason Carter led the study.
“We suggest individuals with high-stress lives might consider taking fish oil supplements or regularly consume fish high in omega-3 fatty acids at least once or twice a week.”
The study in the American Journal of Physiology was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Nicholas Garlow.
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.
A challenging math problem can stress you out. Researchers at Michigan Technological University had participants in a study do those challenging problems, measuring if and how stress levels were affected by fish oil supplements. Sixty-seven adults were examined, before and after eight weeks of taking fish oil supplements or a placebo, olive oil.
They measured heart rate and blood pressure, finding fish oil supplements helped protect the heart in stressful situations. Dr. Jason Carter led the study.
“We suggest individuals with high-stress lives might consider taking fish oil supplements or regularly consume fish high in omega-3 fatty acids at least once or twice a week.”
The study in the American Journal of Physiology was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Nicholas Garlow.
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING AUGUST 31, 2013
FROM: U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending August 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 323,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 332,000. The 4-week moving average was 328,500, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average of 331,500.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending August 24, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending August 24 was 2,951,000, a decrease of 43,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,994,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,979,500, a decrease of 18,000 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,997,500.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 268,843 in the week ending August 31, a decrease of 9,781 from the previous week. There were 309,537 initial claims in the comparable week in 2012.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.1 percent during the week ending August 24, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,749,880, a decrease of 76,868 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,826,748. A year earlier, the rate was 2.4 percent and the volume was 3,085,324.
The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending August 17 was 4,395,712, a decrease of 72,061 from the previous week. There were 5,470,041 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2012.
No state was triggered "on" the Extended Benefits program during the week ending August 17.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,249 in the week ending August 24, an increase of 145 from the prior week. There were 2,303 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 139 from the preceding week.
There were 20,831 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending August 17, a decrease of 252 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 33,754, a decrease of 24 from the prior week.
States reported 1,494,742 persons claiming Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits for the week ending August 17, a decrease of 16,877 from the prior week. There were 2,263,614 persons claiming EUC in the comparable week in 2012. EUC weekly claims include first, second, third, and fourth tier activity.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending August 24 were in Puerto Rico (4.5), New Jersey (3.6), Alaska (3.4), Connecticut (3.4), Pennsylvania (3.2), California (3.1), New Mexico (3.1), Rhode Island (2.9), Virgin Islands (2.8), Illinois (2.7), Nevada (2.7), and New York (2.7).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending August 24 were in New York (+3,568), Georgia (+903), Connecticut (+604), Michigan (+546), and Nevada (+388), while the largest decreases were in California (-2,544), Missouri (-1,713), Kansas (-915), Texas (-754), and New Jersey (-658).
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending August 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 323,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 332,000. The 4-week moving average was 328,500, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average of 331,500.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending August 24, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending August 24 was 2,951,000, a decrease of 43,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,994,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,979,500, a decrease of 18,000 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,997,500.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 268,843 in the week ending August 31, a decrease of 9,781 from the previous week. There were 309,537 initial claims in the comparable week in 2012.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.1 percent during the week ending August 24, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,749,880, a decrease of 76,868 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,826,748. A year earlier, the rate was 2.4 percent and the volume was 3,085,324.
The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending August 17 was 4,395,712, a decrease of 72,061 from the previous week. There were 5,470,041 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2012.
No state was triggered "on" the Extended Benefits program during the week ending August 17.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,249 in the week ending August 24, an increase of 145 from the prior week. There were 2,303 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 139 from the preceding week.
There were 20,831 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending August 17, a decrease of 252 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 33,754, a decrease of 24 from the prior week.
States reported 1,494,742 persons claiming Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits for the week ending August 17, a decrease of 16,877 from the prior week. There were 2,263,614 persons claiming EUC in the comparable week in 2012. EUC weekly claims include first, second, third, and fourth tier activity.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending August 24 were in Puerto Rico (4.5), New Jersey (3.6), Alaska (3.4), Connecticut (3.4), Pennsylvania (3.2), California (3.1), New Mexico (3.1), Rhode Island (2.9), Virgin Islands (2.8), Illinois (2.7), Nevada (2.7), and New York (2.7).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending August 24 were in New York (+3,568), Georgia (+903), Connecticut (+604), Michigan (+546), and Nevada (+388), while the largest decreases were in California (-2,544), Missouri (-1,713), Kansas (-915), Texas (-754), and New Jersey (-658).
THE LARGEST VOLCANO ON EARTH
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Scientists confirm existence of largest single volcano on Earth
The summer blockbuster movie Pacific Rim told a fanciful tale of giant monsters rising from the deep in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Now, scientists have confirmed that the northwest Pacific is home to a real-life giant of a different type: the largest single volcano yet documented on Earth.
Covering an area roughly equivalent to the British Isles or the State of New Mexico, Tamu Massif is nearly as big as the giant volcanoes of Mars, placing it among the largest in the solar system.
"This is an amazing discovery, and overturns previous conclusions that Earth cannot support the development of such giant volcanoes because it lacks a thick and rigid planetary lithosphere," says Jamie Allan, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research.
"Much remains to be discovered about our planet," says Allan, "with scientific drilling offering a means of observation and discovery into otherwise inaccessible parts of the Earth."
Located about 1,000 miles east of Japan, Tamu Massif is the largest feature of Shatsky Rise, an underwater mountain range formed 145-130 million years ago by the eruption of several underwater volcanoes.
Until now, it was unclear whether Tamu Massif was a single volcano, or a composite of many eruption points.
By integrating several sources of evidence, including core samples and data collected on board the JOIDES Resolution, scientists have confirmed that the mass of basalt that constitutes Tamu Massif did indeed erupt from a single source near the center.
The results appear today in a paper in the journal Nature Geoscience.
"Tamu Massif is the biggest single shield volcano ever discovered on Earth," says lead paper author Will Sager of the University of Houston.
"There may be larger volcanoes, because there are bigger igneous features out there such as the Ontong Java Plateau. But we don't know if these features are one volcano or complexes of volcanoes."
Tamu Massif stands out among underwater volcanoes not just for its size, but also its shape.
It is low and broad, meaning that the erupted lava flows must have traveled long distances compared to most other volcanoes on Earth.
The seafloor is dotted with thousands of underwater volcanoes, or seamounts, most of which are small and steep compared to the low, broad expanse of Tamu Massif.
"It's not high, but very wide, so the flank slopes are very gradual," Sager explains.
"In fact, if you were standing on its flank, you would have trouble telling which way is downhill.
"We know that it is a single immense volcano constructed from massive lava flows that emanated from the center of the volcano to form a broad, shield-like shape. Before now, we didn't know this because oceanic plateaus are huge features hidden beneath the sea. They have found a good place to hide."
Tamu Massif covers an area of about 120,000 square miles.
By comparison, Hawaii's Mauna Loa--the largest active volcano on Earth--is a mere 2,000 square miles, or less than 2 percent the size of Tamu Massif.
To find a worthy comparison, one must look skyward to the planet Mars, home to Olympus Mons. That giant volcano, which is visible on a clear night with a good backyard telescope, is only about 25 percent larger by volume than Tamu Massif.
The study relies on two distinct yet complementary sources of evidence: core samples collected on Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 324, which tested plume and plate models of ocean plateau formation at Shatsky Rise in the northwest Pacific Ocean in 2009, and seismic reflection data gathered on two separate expeditions of the research vessel Marcus G. Langseth in 2010 and 2012.
The core samples, drilled from several locations on Tamu Massif, showed that thick lava flows up to 75 feet thick characterize this volcano.
Seismic data from the Langseth cruises revealed the structure of the volcano, confirming that the lava flows emanated from its summit and flowed hundreds of miles downhill into the adjacent basins.
"This finding gives us new insights about oceanic volcanism, the way in which oceanic plateaus form, and the operation of the mantle-crust system," Sager explains.
"Volcanologists debate about the eruptive centers of what are called large igneous provinces. I think most would tell you that they probably come from multiple, distributed fissure eruptions.
"But apparently not at Tamu Massif."
-NSF-
Scientists confirm existence of largest single volcano on Earth
The summer blockbuster movie Pacific Rim told a fanciful tale of giant monsters rising from the deep in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Now, scientists have confirmed that the northwest Pacific is home to a real-life giant of a different type: the largest single volcano yet documented on Earth.
Covering an area roughly equivalent to the British Isles or the State of New Mexico, Tamu Massif is nearly as big as the giant volcanoes of Mars, placing it among the largest in the solar system.
"This is an amazing discovery, and overturns previous conclusions that Earth cannot support the development of such giant volcanoes because it lacks a thick and rigid planetary lithosphere," says Jamie Allan, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research.
"Much remains to be discovered about our planet," says Allan, "with scientific drilling offering a means of observation and discovery into otherwise inaccessible parts of the Earth."
Located about 1,000 miles east of Japan, Tamu Massif is the largest feature of Shatsky Rise, an underwater mountain range formed 145-130 million years ago by the eruption of several underwater volcanoes.
Until now, it was unclear whether Tamu Massif was a single volcano, or a composite of many eruption points.
By integrating several sources of evidence, including core samples and data collected on board the JOIDES Resolution, scientists have confirmed that the mass of basalt that constitutes Tamu Massif did indeed erupt from a single source near the center.
The results appear today in a paper in the journal Nature Geoscience.
"Tamu Massif is the biggest single shield volcano ever discovered on Earth," says lead paper author Will Sager of the University of Houston.
"There may be larger volcanoes, because there are bigger igneous features out there such as the Ontong Java Plateau. But we don't know if these features are one volcano or complexes of volcanoes."
Tamu Massif stands out among underwater volcanoes not just for its size, but also its shape.
It is low and broad, meaning that the erupted lava flows must have traveled long distances compared to most other volcanoes on Earth.
The seafloor is dotted with thousands of underwater volcanoes, or seamounts, most of which are small and steep compared to the low, broad expanse of Tamu Massif.
"It's not high, but very wide, so the flank slopes are very gradual," Sager explains.
"In fact, if you were standing on its flank, you would have trouble telling which way is downhill.
"We know that it is a single immense volcano constructed from massive lava flows that emanated from the center of the volcano to form a broad, shield-like shape. Before now, we didn't know this because oceanic plateaus are huge features hidden beneath the sea. They have found a good place to hide."
Tamu Massif covers an area of about 120,000 square miles.
By comparison, Hawaii's Mauna Loa--the largest active volcano on Earth--is a mere 2,000 square miles, or less than 2 percent the size of Tamu Massif.
To find a worthy comparison, one must look skyward to the planet Mars, home to Olympus Mons. That giant volcano, which is visible on a clear night with a good backyard telescope, is only about 25 percent larger by volume than Tamu Massif.
The study relies on two distinct yet complementary sources of evidence: core samples collected on Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 324, which tested plume and plate models of ocean plateau formation at Shatsky Rise in the northwest Pacific Ocean in 2009, and seismic reflection data gathered on two separate expeditions of the research vessel Marcus G. Langseth in 2010 and 2012.
The core samples, drilled from several locations on Tamu Massif, showed that thick lava flows up to 75 feet thick characterize this volcano.
Seismic data from the Langseth cruises revealed the structure of the volcano, confirming that the lava flows emanated from its summit and flowed hundreds of miles downhill into the adjacent basins.
"This finding gives us new insights about oceanic volcanism, the way in which oceanic plateaus form, and the operation of the mantle-crust system," Sager explains.
"Volcanologists debate about the eruptive centers of what are called large igneous provinces. I think most would tell you that they probably come from multiple, distributed fissure eruptions.
"But apparently not at Tamu Massif."
-NSF-
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