Georgia Sees Turtle Baby Boom

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia wildlife officials say they’re seeing a sea turtle baby boom on the state’s beaches.

Mark Dodd, sea turtle coordinator for the state Department of Natural Resources, says more than 2,000 turtle nests have been counted this year along Georgia’s 100-mile coast. That’s roughly double the average annual number of nests the state has seen for the last 25 years.

The Savannah Morning News reports Cumberland Island has had more than 600 nests, surpassing its record of 366 nests a year ago. Tybee Island has counted 20 nests, breaking its previous record of 14.

And sea turtles are still laying their eggs on Georgia beaches. The nesting season normally extends into late August.

 

Written by

Suzanne Lawler  http://www.13wmaz.com

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“The man who can speak acceptably is usually given credit for an ability out of all proportion to what he really possesses.” – Lowell Thomas

5 Olympic things to know for Monday

LONDON (AP) – Here’s what to watch for at the London Olympics on Monday:

—

1. SWIMMING: There are four finals, with Ryan Lochte going for a second gold in the men’s 200 freestyle. The less successful Michael Phelps – a phrase many are unaccustomed to hearing – will also be in the pool elsewhere.

2. GYMNASTICS: The first gold medal will be awarded in the men’s team final.

3. SMOOTH RUNNING: There were no indications of the commuting chaos many had expected in London on the first regular business day of the Olympics. Will it last?

4. EMPTY SEATS: Expect fewer now. Organizers are having no trouble offloading tickets that weren’t sold by federations.

5. HER HORSE ON THE COURSE: The queen’s granddaughter, Zara Phillips, races her horse around a course featuring 28 fences, hedges and water jumps in London’s oldest royal park.

 

myway.com

FACT OF THE DAY:

FACT OF THE DAY:

According to a 2008 report, the average life expectancy in the world as a whole is 66.26 years. – Provided by RandomHistory.com
———————-

SITE OF THE DAY:

SITE OF THE DAY:

HowStuffWorks: How Air Conditioners Work

“Air conditioners make hot weather bearable. Learn about different kinds of air conditioners and check out air conditioner reviews and buying guides.”

Ingleside Pizza Celebrates 20-Year Milestone

A full house at Tina Dickson’s pizza shop on Ingleside Avenue is nothing new, but Saturday, many of the customers came to celebrate.

“We’re here for the 20th anniversary,” said regular customer, Leslie Dixon. “Just keep doing what you’re doing, Tina.”

Dickson says what she’s been doing is delivering good food, at good prices, with good service, starting with the very first customers.

“My first customers were these two little boys,” said Dickson, “Rich and Jesse. They rode their bicycles in front of the building for about a hour and a half because they had to be our first customers.”

Dickson says at the age of 29, she jumped into the pizza business because she was unhappy with her full time job. The business soon took off, becoming a staple in Macon and beyond.

“People outside of Macon always know about Ingleside Village pizza, and yes, it’s a huge part of the community,” said Dixon.

“We’ve been lucky,” said Dickson. “I have won all the foodie awards for best pizza, most of the 11th Hour awards for best pizza.”

The awards are great, but she says the makes it a point to gauge her success by her customers.

“Everyday there’s somebody who hasn’t been here before,” she said. “I make sure they come back and tell me what they think, and it’s been all good.”

Written by

Candace Adorka

Dana Vollmer of USA Sets Record in 100m Fly

USA TODAY

LONDON – Dana Vollmer touched the wall and looked back at the scoreboard. She’d won gold. That much she knew. But what about the world record she wanted, too?

“It takes me a little bit to able to see the clock,” she said, “get my goggles unfogged.”

And then she saw it: 55.98. She smiled, pumping her arm in glee.

No woman had ever gone 100 meters in the butterfly in less than 56 seconds before. And now she had done it at the Olympics.

“And it was just absolutely incredible to be there in front of that crowd with my parents and my husband in the stands,” she said. “It was everything I could have dreamed it would have been.”

Vollmer shaved .08 off the record set in 2009 by Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom and 0.63 off the Olympic record set at the 2000 Sydney Games by the Netherlands’ Inge de Bruijn.

Vollmer was third at the turn, behind Denmark’s Jeanette Ottesen Gray and teammate Claire Donahue.

“I kept telling myself that my strength is my second 50,” Vollmer said. She’d talked about that with coach Teri McKeever.

“In semifinals, I tried to push that first 50, and it really hurt the second one,” Vollmer said. “So just really rely on my strengths. And so I was really calm. You know, normally I’m not in the lead after my start. And so just setting it up well … in that first 50 and really charging my way home.”

Ying Liu of China won silver in 56.87 seconds and Alicia Coutts of Australia bronze in 56.94. That 56 is a familiar number for top women’s fliers.

Vollmer is the first to drive 55 in the pool’s fast lane.

Written by

Jeff Ofgang  http://www.13wmaz.com

Homeownership Rate Edges Up After 15-year Low, Vacancy Rates Fall

http://www.dsnews.com

BY: MARK LIEBERMAN, FIVE STAR INSTITUTE ECONOMIST

The nation’s homeownership rate rose to 65.5 percent in the second quarter, the Census Bureau reported Friday.

The Census Bureau though revised downward the homeownership rate for the first quarter to 65.4 percent (from the originally reported 65.5 percent), the lowest since the first quarter of 1997 when the rate was also 65.4 percent. The homeownership rate peaked at 69.2 percent in the second quarter of 2004. The rate measures the proportion of households owning their primary residence, computed by dividing the number of household that are occupied by owners by the total number of occupied homes.

The Census Bureau also reported the homeowner vacancy rate fell to 2.1 percent nationwide, down from 2.2 percent in the first quarter and 2.5 percent one year ago. The homeowner vacancy rate is at its lowest level since Q1 2006. The rental vacancy rate dropped to 8.6 percent from 8.8 percent in the first quarter and from 9.2 percent in Q2 2011. The rental vacancy rate fell to its lowest level since Q2 in 2002.

The homeowner vacancy rate is the proportion of the homeowner inventory that is vacant or for sale. The rental vacancy rate is the proportion of the rental inventory that is vacant or for rent.

According to the quarterly report, the number of housing units in the second quarter was 132,718,000, an increase of 486,000 from Q2 2011, about 14 percent of which – 18,518,000 – were vacant. The number of units for sale fell to 1,595,000 in Q2 from 1,959,000 in Q2 2011, a drop of 364,000. The number of housing units held off the market increased 265,000 in the year to 7,612,000.

The highest homeownership rate in the second quarter was in the Midwest – 69.6 percent, up from 69.5 percent in the first quarter but down from 70.0 percent one year ago. The homeownership rate increased in two of the four Census regions with the steepest growth in the Northeast up to 63.7 percent in Q2 from 62.5 percent in Q1 and 63.0 percent in Q2 2011. The rate fell in the West to 59.7 percent from 59.9 percent in Q1 and 60.3 percent in Q2 2011. In the South, the homeownership rate fell to 87.4 percent from 67.5 percent in Q1 and 68.2 percent in Q2 2011.

The homeownership rate for older Americans grew in the second quarter to 81.6 percent for those 65 or older from 80.9 percent in the first quarter while falling for those under 35 to 36.5 percent in the second quarter from 36.8 percent in the first.

The median asking sale price for a vacant home rose to $134,600 in the second quarter from $133,700 in the first and $138,400 one year earlier. The median asking rent in the second quarter fell to $716 from $721 in the first quarter but was up from $684 in the second quarter of 2011.

Mitt Romney Jabs Obama On US Policy Toward Israel

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says President Barack Obama’s latest move to improve ties with Israel doesn’t go far enough.

Obama is set to sign legislation Friday to expand military and civiliancooperation with Israel. The bill reiterates U.S. support for a negotiated two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Republican’s campaign says Romney is happy steps are being taken to enhance security cooperation with Israel. But that the bill “does nothing” to address whether Obama recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Obama’s move comes one day before Romney visits Israel. Romney was scheduled to arrive in Jerusalem on Saturday as part of an overseas trip that includes stops in Britain and Poland.

 

Written by

Jake Wade

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” – Stephen Hawking