North Dakota blast prompts review of oil train safety

A federal safety alert Thursday warned that crude oil flowing out of new fields in North Dakota may be more flammable than expected, a caution that comes several days after a train carrying about 3.5 million gallons of the same oil crashed in the state and set off a massive explosion.

The accident on the BNSF Railway, the fourth such explosion in North America involving crude oil trains, has fed mounting concerns over public safety as the rail industry sharply increases the use of rail to transport surging crude production in North Dakota, Texas and Colorado.

Following the latest derailment and crash, which forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 residents from the town of Casselton, the National Transportation Safety Board has launched the nation's first broad examination of the safety of moving petroleum by rail.

Trains carrying oil have multiplied across the country as environmental concerns and political maneuvering have delayed approval of a major new pipeline to transport oil to Gulf Coast refineries. The issue may be most crucial for cities in the West, which were often founded and developed by railroads so that main lines go directly through the centers of today's urban areas.

Crude oil shipments by rail have shot up 25-fold in the last several years as producers rush oil from newly developing shale fields to market. California alone has seen a fourfold increase over the last year, with current shipments of about 200,000 barrels a month.

Refinery operators this summer unveiled a plan to build a rail loading facility in San Luis Obispo County, which could send 100-car oil trains through the densely populated portions of Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

The exponential growth and several accidents in the last half year, including one in Quebec that killed 47 residents in July, has prompted the NTSB to examine potential safety hazards, said Robert Sumwalt, an NTSB board member who is one of those overseeing the investigation. Sumwalt said that the agency should have started the review after a similar crash in Alabama in November, but that it was now focused on finding ways to reduce risks.

"It has certainly raised our attention and we want to make sure that people living in communities surrounded by railroad traffic are safe," he said.

Former NTSB Chairman Jim Hall said a comprehensive review of national policy on carrying crude was long overdue.

"It appears this is going to be in our nation's communities for the next decade," Hall said. "With this kind of transportation of hazardous material, there are a whole lot of issues that come to mind, not the least of which is terrorism. You are creating a movable bomb from community to community."

The string of rail accidents raises issues similar to those that came out of the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989, which prompted the National Research Council to conduct a broad public policy review, said USC safety expert Najmedin Meshkati. Such a review should have started "on the day after the Quebec accident," he said.

The safety alert issued Thursday by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration warned that oil from North Dakota's Bakken shale fields "may be more flammable than traditional heavy crude." The agency said it would conduct new testing to determine the gas content, corrosivity, toxicity and flammability of the Bakken crude. The agency, which also regulates tank car safety, said it issued the alert to remind railroads that they are required to properly label the crude, based on three levels of volatility. The North Dakota shipment was already listed as the most volatile.

In the accident this week near Casselton, on a cloudy day with the temperature below zero, an eastbound train with 105 tank cars full of crude from the Bakken oil fields slammed into a westbound grain train that had derailed less than a minute earlier.

The grain train derailed while it was crossing over a switch at 28 mph. Sumwalt said investigators had found a broken axle from the grain train, though they were trying to determine whether it caused the accident.

A single car from the grain train ended up on the eastbound tracks and was struck by the oil train traveling about 42 mph. The two locomotives pulling the oil train were destroyed.

The accident occurred about a mile west of the town, which has a population of about 2,500.

Elsewhere in the country, "you have rail going through densely populated areas, and that is inherently risky," said Brigham McCown, former chief of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

"The oil is going to get to market any way it can. I favor pipelines. They are buried, out of the way, safer and cheaper," he said.

Pipeline construction, however, has been sharply opposed by environmental groups. The proposed Keystone XL pipeline from Canada that would serve the Bakken fields has been tied up in a lengthy review by the U.S. State Department. Environmental activists believe that by blocking the pipeline they can restrict the development of the tar-sands oil fields in Alberta.

Sumwalt said the NTSB would be searching for ways to improve safety, but one of the most obvious possibilities would be for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to adopt an earlier NTSB recommendation for more resilient tank cars. The safety administration began considering strengthening its rules after the deadly accident in Lac-Megantic, Quebec. The accident this week did not result in any deaths or injuries, but it has heightened awareness of the danger.

Bill Keppen, a former Burlington Northern safety expert who is now an independent consultant, said one of the most important things for the federal government to address is human error, which accounts for about 44% of rail accidents. Keppen said he would expect the railroad industry to strongly oppose any attempt to reduce speeds of trains carrying hazardous materials. Railroads are free to set their own speed limits.

"Velocity is directly proportional to earnings and profits," Keppen said. "A small change in speed can translate to millions of dollars of profit a year."

Railroads do not currently have special requirements for training crews carrying hazardous materials, including crude oil.

ralph.vartabedian@latimes.com

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

BCS title game a showcase for Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall

Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall is probably best known for heaving the last-minute pass that was tipped by a Georgia defensive back and resulted in a game-winning touchdown for the Tigers.

But Marshall's talents and contributions to Auburn's 12-1 season go far beyond that one play, and they will be on display Monday against Florida State in the Bowl Championship Series title game at the Rose Bowl.

Marshall has rushed for 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns and passed for 12 touchdowns, with five interceptions.

His performance under first-year Coach Gus Malzahn helped the Tigers go from 3-9 overall and 0-8 in the Southeastern Conference last season to the brink of a possible BCS title.

"Coach Malzahn said, 'It's going to be a new day and the biggest turnaround in college football,'" Marshall said Thursday during a news conference in Newport Beach. "It has been the biggest turnaround in college football, so we're just going to keep pushing on from here."

Marshall, a football and basketball star in high school, played cornerback at Georgia in 2011, but he was dismissed from the program for violating team rules. Marshall reportedly was connected to an alleged incident involving a theft from a Georgia teammate.

Like former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, who left Florida after an off-the-field incident, Marshall enrolled at a junior college to restart his career, and he is thankful for the opportunity to have a second chance.

He played quarterback last season at Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kan., and transferred to Auburn last summer.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound junior passed for 339 yards against Mississippi State and for more than 200 yards three times. He rushed for 214 yards against Tennessee and for 100 yards or more in three other games.

But his 73-yard touchdown pass to receiver Ricardo Louis against Georgia was his defining moment.

Auburn running back Tre Mason said receiver Ricardo Louis was not supposed to be in on the fourth-and-18 play. But Louis walked into the team's sideline huddle with Malzahn during a timeout and told the coach and Marshall to throw him the ball.

"I put my trust in him, and he put his trust in me," Marshall said.

Marshall took the snap, went through his progressions and threw the ball downfield. Two Georgia defenders were in position to knock down the pass, but they collided and the ball was tipped.

"Ricardo looked right, and then he looked left and then he looked the ball all the way in," Marshall said.

The touchdown gave Auburn a 43-38 victory and set up the Tigers' showdown against Alabama. Auburn won that game on Chris Davis' last-second, 109-yard touchdown return of a field-goal attempt.

But Marshall's pass and Louis' catch two weeks before set the stage.

"I had faith that we had a chance because anything can happen at the end of the game," Marshall said of the pass play. "It's just one of those plays we can look back on as we get older."

Local flavor

Florida State did not venture out of state to find the vast majority of players on its talented roster, and Auburn also has a significant Florida presence.

"We take pride in our state," said Mason, a junior from Palm Beach who was a Heisman Trophy finalist after rushing for 1,621 yards and 22 touchdowns. "We're always bragging."

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Green Bay won't necessarily benefit from cold weather in playoffs

Not necessarily.

The forecast calls for bitter cold Sunday afternoon when the Packers play host to San Francisco in the first round of the NFL playoffs, but that doesn't necessarily mean Green Bay will have an advantage on the famed Frozen Tundra.

According to Packers.com, Green Bay is 3-4 in games played at Lambeau Field when the temperature at kickoff is 6 degrees or lower. Sunday's forecast is staggeringly cold — a high of minus-3 and a low of minus-19.

On Dec. 31, 1967, Green Bay beat Dallas in the coldest NFL game on record, the "Ice Bowl," when the temperature dipped to minus-13 and the windchill reached minus-48. The Packers also beat the Los Angeles Raiders in 1993 when the mercury showed zero degrees and Carolina in the 1996 NFC championship game at 3 degrees.

The Packers lost at home to the New York Giants in the 2007 NFC championship game (minus-1 degree), to Detroit in 1990 (2 degrees), to Houston in 2008 (3), and Chicago in 1976 (6).

::

The second-coldest game on record, according to NFL.com, was the 1981 AFC championship game when San Diego played at Cincinnati (one of this weekend's four matchups). The temperature showed minus-9 at kickoff, but the windchill dipped to minus-59.

::

Each year since 1990, when the NFL began its 12-team postseason format, at least four teams have made the playoffs after missing them the year before. This season five teams have done so — Carolina, San Diego, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Kansas City.

::

The Bengals were 4-0 at home this season against four Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks — Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, New England's Tom Brady and Baltimore's Joe Flacco. Those players combined for three touchdown passes, seven intercepted passes, and a passer rating of 56.7.

::

Cincinnati scored six defensive touchdowns at home. No wonder the Bengals were undefeated at Paul Brown Stadium, winning games by an average score of 34-17.

::

San Diego's three most impressive wins this season came on the road — at Philadelphia, Kansas City and Denver.

::

Had Philadelphia's Nick Foles not been snubbed for the Pro Bowl, that game would feature three graduates of Westlake High in Austin, Texas — New Orleans' Drew Brees, and Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker are the others — all of whom wear No. 9.

::

The late Steve Sabol of NFL Films used to say Indianapolis' defense was like the floor of the Sistine Chapel — no one knew whether it was beautiful, because nobody looked at it. Peyton Manning's offense was always the star of the show.

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Michigan State's Connor Cook maintains his composure

Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook walked to the Rose Bowl sideline Wednesday, unsure of the greeting he would get from Coach Mark Dantonio.

Stanford had returned a second-quarter interception for a touchdown.

"Coach D was just giving me this look and I was hoping he wasn't going to be super upset and say something to put me down," Cook said.

But the ensuing exchange repeated a seasonlong script.

"You good?" Dantonio said.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Cook answered.

The two traded a fist bump, felt better about the situation, and then went their separate ways.

"Everything," Cook said, "was good after that."

Cook came back on the ensuing possession and passed for a touchdown, propelling Michigan State to a 24-20 come-from-behind victory in the 100th Rose Bowl game.

Cook, a third-year sophomore in his first season as a starter, completed 22 of 36 passes for a career-best 332 yards and two touchdowns.

It was the second straight 300-yard passing performance by Cook, who passed for three touchdowns in the Spartans' Big Ten Conference championship-game victory over Ohio State.

"I could see it coming as we continued on through the season," said Dantonio, whose team finished 13-1. "He just continued to elevate his play with experience.

"We are in a big-time environment. We're at the Rose Bowl playing the No. 5 team in the nation. There is no bigger prize, really. How far can you go to reach that level emotionally? And he just continued just to impress."

Cook's two-yard touchdown pass to fullback Trevon Pendleton pulled Michigan State to within 17-14 just before halftime.

"Any time you can end the half on a touchdown, that gives you so much momentum," Cook said. "I think that was kind of like the turning point for the game."

His 25-yard touchdown pass to Tony Lippett early in the fourth quarter put the Spartans ahead, 24-17.

Cook's performance was far from seamless.

In the first quarter, Stanford linebacker Kevin Anderson dropped what looked like a certain interception.

Later in the quarter, Anderson picked off a short pass by Cook and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown to put the Cardinal ahead, 17-7.

Stanford cornerback Wayne Lyons dropped a ball, and another potential interception was nullified when Stanford safety Jordan Richards was penalized for holding.

12.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rose Bowl: Michigan State aiming for the top next season

Had this season been next season, Michigan State probably would have been part of a four-team college football playoff.

The Spartans entered the 100th Rose Bowl ranked No. 4 in the final Bowl Championship Series standings, the USA Today Coaches poll and the Associated Press media poll.

Coach Mark Dantonio was asked after the Spartans defeated No. 5 Stanford, 24-20, on Wednesday whether Michigan State was ready to compete for a national championship.

"That's our plan. Our plan is to keep winning," he said. "Our plan is that we're one game away. I said, 'Why not us?' a couple of weeks ago. I think we can compete with anybody in this country."

Michigan State's only loss in 14 games this season was to Notre Dame, 17-13, at South Bend, Ind., in September.

Stuffed Cardinal

Stanford had 305 yards in total offense, 57 more than Michigan State's top-rated defense had been giving up on average. But after the first quarter, the Spartans dominated.

Stanford ran for 91 yards in the first quarter and had 71 thereafter. The Cardinal had 146 total yards in the first period and 159 in the final three quarters.

"In the second half they made some good adjustments," Cardinal running back Tyler Gaffney said. "Everywhere I looked there was a green defender. That's what they do and that's what they pride themselves on, and they did it well."

Called out

A reporter tried hard — very hard — to give Stanford's David Shaw an out for a couple of play calls in the second half, but the coach didn't bite on the available excuse.

"On the fourth-and-three play … was that an audible that [quarterback] Kevin [Hogan] ran …? What exactly happened on that play?" Shaw was asked.

The question referred to Gaffney being stuffed for a three-yard loss with the score tied, 17-17, and Stanford at the Michigan State 36 late in the third quarter.

"That was a play call. They played it well," he replied.

Reporter in a follow-up question: "And what about the fourth-and-one with [Ryan] Hewitt? That was not an audible either?"

That query referred to Hewitt carrying for the only time in the game — and being stuffed for no gain — with Stanford at its own 34 and trailing by four points with 1 minute 46 seconds left in regulation.

"No, it was a play call," Shaw said.

Ups and downs

Stanford's Ben Rhyne averaged more than 54 yards in his first three punts — including a career-long of 60 yards — but a lesser effort on his fourth kick was a key play in the game.

The ball traveled 39 yards, and it was returned 19 yards, to Stanford's 27, by Michigan State's Macgarrett Kings Jr.

On the third play after, Connor Cook connected with Tony Lippett on a 25-yard touchdown pass that gave the Spartans at 24-17 lead.

Late in the game, Rhyne was in the middle of another important play — a botched field-goal try that turned into a pass play that worked … until it didn't.

Rhyne, the holder-turned-passer, found Trent Murphy for an eight-yard gain and an apparent first down inside the Michigan State 10. But Stanford was called for an illegal formation, nullifying the play.

A touchdown would have tied the score, but Stanford — facing a fourth-and-10 after the penalty — settled for a 39-yard field goal by Jordan Williamson.

Extra points

The crowd of 95,173 was the Rose Bowl game's largest since 1998, when 101,219 saw Michigan defeat Washington State. … Pac-12 Conference teams went 6-3 in bowl games. … Big Ten teams are 2-4 in bowl games with Ohio State still to play in Friday's Orange Bowl against Clemson. ... Stanford's offense came into the Rose Bowl with the fewest plays for losses in major college football, an average of 3.7 per game. Michigan State had 10. … Stanford has a record of 16-3 with Kevin Hogan as the starting quarterback. The loss to Michigan State was his first in 11 starts against ranked teams.

mike.hiserman@latimes.com

Twitter.com: @MikeHiserman

12.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

U.S. hockey goes for speed and smarts in building men's Olympic team

Intent on building a smart, speedy squad that can transition quickly from offense to defense and back again on wide Olympic ice, Team USA executives decided that statistics mattered less than hockey sense and that a strong body of work outweighed injuries to many bodies.

"We left off some top players for the first time," General Manager David Poile said. "Our problems are getting close to what Canada's are. We've never had this depth to deal with.

"I'm not trying to say we're at that level. But I can give you 10 or 12 players who, depending on what city you're in, you'll get arguments that they should have been on the team."

The roster, announced Wednesday after the NHL's Winter Classic at Ann Arbor, Mich., incorporates 13 players from the silver-medal-winning 2010 Vancouver team, including goaltender Jonathan Quick and forward Dustin Brown of the Kings. Cam Fowler of the Ducks is among six Olympic newcomers on defense.

"I was pretty nervous, but once my name was called it was just pure joy. I was so happy. I'm still smiling. I can't stop," Fowler said. "What a great honor and just a very proud moment for me."

Quick was the third U.S. goalie in 2010 but won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the Kings' 2012 Stanley Cup run. He has been idled by a groin injury since Nov. 12 but is scheduled to play twice this weekend for the Kings' farm team in Manchester, N.H.

"There are some great goalies that would have been great options for the team, and for them to choose me, given that you're dealing with this injury and everything, really says a lot and it means a lot," Quick said. "So you're just going to try not to let anybody down."

Brown, part of Team USA's leadership group, said before the announcement he considers it a huge honor to represent his country. "What I always say about the Olympics, it's another level," he said. "Doing it in 2010, going into it, you didn't know what to expect at the Olympics. It's an awesome tournament, just a really fun thing to be a part of."

Among the biggest surprises was the omission of former Ducks winger Bobby Ryan, whose 18 goals for Ottawa ranks third among Americans in the NHL. His lack of speed and an all-round game hurt him. Poile said forwards such as Winnipeg's Blake Wheeler, Toronto's James van Riemsdyk and Montreal's Max Pacioretty have speed and scoring potential, and Blues winger T.J. Oshie has chemistry with teammate David Backes. In addition, Poile insisted on taking five centers, which benefited the New York Rangers' Derek Stepan.

On defense, Poile said Washington's John Carlson stood out, and he said of Fowler, "I would defy anybody not to think that he deserves to be on the team," after his play improved dramatically.

There's no provision for naming alternates, but injured players can be replaced until shortly before the Feb. 13 opener against Slovakia. Poile said several players who barely missed being selected will be asked to be on standby as potential replacements.

The 21-member U.S women's team also was announced Wednesday, led by four-time Olympian Julie Chu of Fairfield, Conn. Team USA won the first women's Olympic tournament, in 1998, but Canada has won the last three titles. Forward Amanda Kessel made the roster shortly before her brother, Phil, a high-scoring winger for the Toronto Maple Leafs, was named to the men's team. Forward Anne Pankowski of Laguna Hills was one of two final cuts.

Quick isn't the only member of the men's team battling an injury. Defenseman Paul Martin of Pittsburgh has a broken leg, and Backes (upper-body injury) and Minnesota left wing Zach Parise (foot) have recently missed games.

Detroit's Jimmy Howard, the third goalie behind Quick and Buffalo's Ryan Miller, recently returned from a knee injury, but Poile said Howard's playoff success was a persuasive factor in choosing him over other candidates. Poile applied that reasoning to Quick.

"Based on his body of work, what he's done in winning a championship and being the Conn Smythe winner, we will give him all the time necessary to get ready," Poile said.

The Winter Classic, played in a steady snowfall, drew an announced crowd of 105,491 to Michigan Stadium, an NHL record. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings, 3-2, in a shootout. Commissioner Gary Bettman called the game "everything we hoped for — the biggest and best New Year's Day party in our history."

helene.elliott@latimes.com

Twitter: @helenenothelen

Times staff writer Lisa Dillman contributed to this report.

12.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cal State L.A. president hopes to raise profile of campus

With degrees from both UCLA and USC, William Covino is well aware of the prestige of those higher education heavy-hitters.

Even before assuming the presidency of Cal State L.A. in September, the longtime educator was strategizing ways to add his new campus to the list of high-profile institutions in the region.

In four months on the job, Covino has already had several meetings with Mayor Eric Garcetti and other government and industry leaders to parlay the campus' central location east of downtown and its faculty and student resources into a hub of research and civic engagement.

Covino sees the university as an instrument of upward mobility — social and economic — for a diverse student population that includes many who are the first in their family to attend college. He also wants it to be a place to nurture new ideas.

"Cal State L.A. is uniquely positioned to address important issues, especially in a metropolis like this where we see every issue on the globe," said Covino, 62, in an interview. "We want to make the university a place where people turn for advice and support and the city a place where students can give back in ways we have not to this point."

Covino is joining with local businesses to create volunteer opportunities that students can turn into college credit, and he's connecting with East Los Angeles College and the Los Angeles Unified School District to provide local youngsters and their families services to ensure college readiness.

The campus is nearing completion of one of the state's few hydrogen refueling stations and is working with alumna Billie Jean King on a proposed tennis center.

Covino is also overseeing a major transition in the school's academic calendar, from a system of three quarters per academic year to two semesters per year by fall 2016. The move will align the Los Angeles campus with 17 of the 23 other Cal State campuses and the vast majority of other public institutions in the nation.

His is an ambitious agenda that has caught the attention of many community leaders.

"He is making a clear statement that Cal State L.A. not only provides for the academic needs for many students growing up in Los Angeles, but that he is also concerned and cares about the job they get after they graduate," said Gary Toebben, president of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, which Covino is set to join as a board member. "He's consistent in his message that he wants Cal State L.A. to be an active partner with business not only for the benefit of his students but to grow the number of jobs in the community."

Covino grew up in the San Fernando Valley after his family moved from Connecticut. He graduated from Reseda High School and was the first in his working-class family to attend college, earning a bachelor's degree in English from UCLA, master's degrees from Cal State Northridge and the University of Southern California and a doctorate in English from USC.

Covino's predecessor James Rosser retired after serving as president for 34 years.

Covino's background resembles that of many of the students who attend Cal State Los Angeles, said L.A. Board of Education member Monica Garcia.

"When he was selected, many community stakeholders reached out because we wanted him to know we had a community very much interested in working together to solve problems and connecting college opportunities with our LAUSD students and the resources of the university with our teachers and professionals," Garcia said.

The L.A. Unified initiative will involve a pilot project centered on Garfield High and its feeder schools to provide health, nutrition and other services; it is expected to launch next fall.

It may be a challenge to reach Covino's goal of making Cal State L.A. the first university that comes to mind when people think of Los Angeles.

But many would argue that the Los Angeles campus is quietly making a mark with a student population that is about 54% Latino, 16% Asian American, 11% white and 5% African American. Fall 2013 enrollment topped 23,000, the most since the 1970s.

Four-year graduation rates for transfer students have improved to 64%, exceeding the 57% systemwide target set by the chancellor. And the Washington Monthly named the school among 2013's top 20 master's degree-granting institutions (along with the Dominguez Hills and Fresno campuses) based on recruiting and graduating low-income students, research and service.

"We will need to create an atmosphere of shared enthusiasm," to build on that, said Covino, a scholar in the history and theory of rhetoric and persuasion.

In his previous position as provost at Fresno State, Covino won a national "re-branding" award, a track record that bodes well for the Los Angeles campus, some say.

12.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Making a New Year's pledge to stay safe

Good morning, and let's be honest — your New Year's resolutions are probably only good for a week, maybe two.

Instead of trying to give up chips and salsa or joining a gym, you would be better off aiming not to be one of the millions who will land in emergency rooms in 2014 for entirely avoidable mishaps. And I just happen to have some pointers from ER doctors who have seen it all.

In November, after writing about federal judge and WWII veteran Harry Pregerson's continued good deeds for his fellow servicemen and women, I got a book in the mail from the judge's nephew, Dr. Brady Pregerson.

It's called "Think Twice: More Lessons From the ER," and it's a sequel to his book: "Don't Try This at Home."

"I was sewing up a friend who had cut his hand trying to clean out the inside of a wine glass," Pregerson said. "And I told him, 'I've seen this so many times, I should write a book on stupid stuff not to do."

Like cutting frozen food with a sharp knife (the blade will find your fingers).

Like tailgating (the ER is filled with drivers who thought they would be able to stop in time).

Pregerson, like any ER doctor, has seen plenty of tragic, unavoidable injury, illness and death in more than a decade of working at hospitals in Los Angeles and San Diego County. But emergency rooms also serve as 24-hour convention centers for Darwin Award candidates — those who spray cooking oil onto the open flame of a barbecue grill or decide to climb up on the roof to clean the rain gutters after a couple of beers.

"Eighty-five percent of what is in this book is common sense," Pregerson says in the foreword to "Think Twice."

Reading his pamphlet-size compendium, I was reminded of conversations with my buddy Dr. Mark Morocco, who's also an emergency room doctor in Los Angeles. He can't recall how many times he's seen patients with fingers chopped in a tell-tale way.

"So, you were cutting a bagel?" he'll ask.

Yeah, how'd you know?

Here's a no-brainer, in more ways than one: If you ride a bike, in a region with 40 billion or so cars, you should wear a helmet, right?

You'd think so, but a long line of knuckleheads missed that memo, and Morocco sees a few serious head injuries monthly.

Lately, Morocco said, there's been a run on infected piercings. He had one patient drop in with a tongue the size of an air mattress. He couldn't understand what she was saying, but the patient's friend was somehow able to translate the babbling when Morocco asked who had done the nice piercing job.

"A friend of a friend up on Sunset."

She would have been better off going to a tire shop.

Now that anyone who stubs a toe can get medical marijuana, Morocco sees patients who prescribed themselves a little too much medicine.

"They think they're having a stroke," he said, and have no idea what's wrong with them.

He will ask if they have had anything unusual to eat or drink, and patients have been known to say they took a bite of a marijuana-laced cookie "and didn't feel anything. So I ate six."

12.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

As schools give students computers, price of L.A.'s program stands out

The Perris Union High School District is paying $344 apiece for a Chromebook for every student. Nearby, Riverside Unified purchased a variety of devices, including the Kindle Fire and iPad Mini, for as low as $150 each. In San Diego Unified, some students are using a $200 tablet.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, however, is paying $768 per device for its students, teachers and administrators, making it one of the nation's most expensive technology programs. The reason: L.A. Unified selected a relatively costly product — a higher-end Apple iPad — and also paid for a new math and English curriculum installed on the tablets.

School districts across the country are embarking on technology upgrades, with the latest trend toward providing each student with a computer, such as a tablet or similar device. These school systems are attempting to replace traditional textbooks as much as possible and ensure that all students have access to technology. The devices also are intended to encourage students to be more engaged in learning.

Other districts are finding ways to buy or lease computers that are less costly but still aligned to educational goals. Some school systems, for example, are giving younger students a different device from those used in high school. Although many are using iPads, they often are buying less costly models without the additional cost of curriculum software.

"It's a huge, huge marketplace that is only going to grow," said Brian Lewis, chief executive of the Washington, D.C.-based International Society for Technology in Education, which focuses on the effective use of technology in schools. "Everyone is trying to figure out the best solution in the constantly changing landscape."

Los Angeles' $1-billion technology effort stands out in part because California has lower per-student funding than most states. L.A. Unified is using money for the tablets that other school systems are unable or unwilling to tap: voter-approved school construction bonds.

Neither L.A. Unified nor experts interviewed by The Times could name another district using bonds to purchase curriculum. When L.A. is finished, the portion of the bonds that can be spent on technology will be exhausted, officials said.

L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy said it was important to buy a computer-based curriculum that fully incorporates learning standards recently adopted by California and 44 other states. And he wanted each student to take upcoming tests, linked to those standards, on a tablet that is permanently assigned to them.

"Our youth deserve the best we can afford," Deasy said.

The tablet chosen by L.A. Unified — the iPad 4 with 32 gigabytes of storage — has since been discontinued as a retail product, but the price under L.A. Unified's contract with Apple Inc. was locked in.

Other school districts, meanwhile, have found different ways to provide the latest technology to students.

"The iPad is the gold standard," said Jay McPhail, a Riverside Unified School District senior administrator. "Our problem is we don't have any gold."

Riverside Unified has purchased about 28,000 computers over five years, and about 11,000 devices were provided by students.

That district also gauges which device is best for a campus, conducting a survey of parents on what they already own or would buy. The district provides computers for students who don't supply their own.

Perris Union officials described Chromebooks as not only less expensive but a better instructional fit. The Chromebook, for example, is a laptop-style device with a larger screen, keyboard and multiple input ports that can connect to thumb drives, printers, cameras or CD players. Such features are useful for students who are researching online and writing papers, said Supt. Jonathan Greenberg.

"We didn't pick Chromebooks and try to make it work," Greenberg said. "The device was picked after we decided what is it we need to do."

Among the many districts opting for tablets, the vast majority have chosen iPads. The iPad's early dominance has encouraged developers to create education applications for it.

There's also a confidence factor with Apple, officials said. A North Carolina school system that went with a lower-cost tablet-maker suspended its program after too many of the glass screens broke.

San Diego Unified is paying $551 for the iPad 2, a less expensive model, which includes a three-year warranty but no curriculum. The district is saving more by giving younger students a Lenovo IdeaPad 7-inch tablet, at a cost of about $200 per device.

Township High School District 214 in Illinois is paying $429 per iPad 2, $300 less than L.A. Unified is paying for an iPad 4, although the Illinois tablets do not come pre-loaded with curriculum software. That district didn't want a set curriculum that every teacher had to use.

12.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Eagles defeat Cowboys, 24-22, to win NFC East title

ARLINGTON, Texas — Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles completed a worst-to-first turnaround under rookie coach Chip Kelly.

The Dallas Cowboys are stuck in second place and going home early again, and nobody can blame Tony Romo for the final crushing loss.

Foles threw two touchdown passes, NFL rushing champion LeSean McCoy had 131 yards and a receiving score and the Eagles beat the Cowboys 24-22 in a win-or-go-home game for the NFC East title Sunday night.

The Cowboys (8-8), with Kyle Orton filling in two days after Romo had back surgery, lost to a division rival with a playoff berth on the line for the third straight year.

The Eagles (10-6) will host New Orleans a wild-card game Saturday night.

Dallas trailed 24-16 when Orton threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant. Orton went back to Bryant for the 2-point conversion, but Cary Williams dove to punch the ball away.

The Cowboys got another chance with a stop from their beleaguered defense, but Orton's pass was intercepted by Brandon Boykin on the first play to seal the win.

"We kept fighting. We believed in each other," said Foles, who completed 17 of 26 passes for 263 yards after throwing for only 80 in a 17-3 loss to Dallas at home. "When the offense was struggling, the defense picked us up."

McCoy finished with 1,607 yards to become the first Philadelphia running back to win the rushing title since Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren in 1949.

"For all the accolades and the stats, if we didn't win today, none of that means nothing," McCoy said.

Romo was the quarterback for losses the past two seasons to the New York Giants and Washington — and against the Eagles in the same scenario in 2008.

Orton was the first Dallas starter not named Romo in an elimination game since a playoff loss to Carolina with Quincy Carter under center during the 2003 season.

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More