University takes possession of coral haul

A Florida university says hundreds of seized coral skeletons illegally poached in the Solomon Islands will be used for research and educational purposes.

Nova Southeastern University says it has been given 22 pallets of the confiscated corals by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A shipping container from the Solomon Islands containing the illegal corals was seized at the Port of Tampa in July 2010, a university release said Friday.

The shipment, with an estsimate value of between $500,000 and $1 million, was seized on grunds it violated both the Endangered Species Act, which protects federally-listed endangered and threatened species, and the Lacey Act, which prohibits the trade of fish and wildlife that has been illegally taken, transported or sold.

"This donation by CBP and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will help us produce valuable scientific knowledge and educational outreach to protect corals, which are vital to the ocean's ecosystems," Richard E. Dodge, dean of the NSU Oceanographic Center, said.

Conservationists said the corals would be put to good use.

"The international trade of coral for consumer use is threatening coral species and marine biodiversity on a global scale," Jackie Marks of SeaWeb's Too Precious to Wear campaign said. "Using the seized coral for educational outreach will help corals remain in the ocean where they can continue to play a critical role in ocean health."

Advantages of Information Technology

Information Technology or IT mainly deals with computer applications. The common work environment today is totally dependent on computers. This has led to the need to develop and consistently upgrade dedicated computer software like project management software, for a number of related requirements. These include storage and protection of content, processing and transmitting of dedicated information and the secured retrieval of information, when and as required. IT promotes computing technology, covering everything from installing applications to developing databases.

The advantages of information technology are many. True globalization has come about only via this automated system. The creation of one interdependent system helps us to share information and end linguistic barriers across the continents. The collapse of geographic boundaries has made the world a 'global village'. The technology has not only made communication cheaper, but also possible much quicker and 24x7. The wonders of text messages, email and auto-response, backed by computer security applications, have opened up scope for direct communication.



Computerized, internet business processes have made many businesses turn to the Internet for increased productivity, greater profitability, clutter free working conditions and global clientèle. It is mainly due to the IT industry that people from diverse cultures are able to personally communicate and exchange valuable ideas. This has greatly reduced prejudice and increased sensitivity. Businesses are able to operate 24x7, even from remote locations.



Information technology has rippled on in the form of a Communication Revolution. Specialists in this field like programmers, analyzers and developers are able to further the applications and improve business processes simultaneously. The management infrastructure thus generated defies all boundaries. Among the many advantages of the industry are technical support post-implementation, network and individual desktop management, dedicated business applications and strategic planning for enhanced profitability and effective project management.



IT provides a number of low-cost business options to tap higher productivity with dedicated small business CRM and a special category for the larger operations. Regular upgrades have enabled many businessmen to increase productivity and identify a market niche that would never have been possible without the connectivity. With every subsequent increase in the ROI or Return On Investment, businesses are able to remain buoyant even amidst the economic recession. Not only do people connect faster with the help of information technology, but they are also able to identify like-minded individuals and extend help, while strengthening ties.



This segment revolves around automated processes that require little or no human intervention at all. This in turn has minimized job stress levels at the work place and eliminated repetition of tasks, loss due to human error, risks involved due to negligence of timely upgrades and extensive paper-intensive business applications that result in the accumulation of unnecessary bulk. The sophistication of the modern work stations and general working conditions is possible only due to the development of Information Technology.

High lead levels in some Chicago homes

Tests of drinking water in Chicago homes by federal inspectors this spring found high levels of lead in a number of them, officials said.

Health advocates and scientists say lead could be an underestimated health risk in the nation's drinking water, especially in older cities and suburbs where lead pipe and solder are common in water supply systems, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

The Environmental Protection Agency reported high lead levels in seven of 38 Chicago homes tested.

"That's not really good news," said Marc Edwards, an environmental engineering professor at Virginia Tech who researches lead in water.

The allowable amount of lead -- 15 parts per billion -- was set in the 1990s.

Experts argue there is no safe level of exposure to lead.

"What you really want is zero," said Jeffrey Griffiths, a professor of public health and medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine who is chairman of a drinking water advisory board for the EPA.

"Four (parts per billion) is better than 15, but four is still four."