Sen. Nelson visits Southwest Florida to talk about water pollution - Fox 4 Now WFTX Fort Myers/Cape Coral
Could President Trump hold the key to fixing the algae blooms showing up in our local water? Senator Bill Nelson says yes. The U.S. Senator came to Fort Myers on Thursday to address the issue, and says there is a way to keep polluted water from Lake Okeechobee from flowing into the Caloosahatchee River and along our coast. But Nelson says the Trump administration would have to put up some of the money to make it happen.
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Could President Trump hold the key to fixing the algae blooms showing up in our local water? Senator Bill Nelson says yes.
The U.S. Senator came to Fort Myers on Thursday to address the issue and says there is a way to keep polluted water from Lake Okeechobee from flowing into the Caloosahatchee River and along our coast.
There was a round of applause at the City Pier Building as Senator Nelson showed up to address local elected officials, environmentalists, and others concerned about the algae, which could be seen right outside the building where they met.
"It's very visible from the air." He started the day with a plane ride over area waterways and saw strands of blue-green algae blooms floating down the Caloosahatchee River.
He says there are solutions in the works and focused on two areas where extra water could be stored. "Projects are underway. But we're talking about something 240,000 acre-feet of water, we're talking about a reservoir out here south of LaBelle that's 6 by 8 miles wide. That takes time to complete."
Marisa Carrozzo with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida says the idea is to store excess water there. "The goal of this reservoir is to take some water off the high flow times during the rainy season and hold it, and be able to release it during the dry season."
The other project they talked about, known as the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir, would take even longer. It would go south of the lake and it could reduce lake discharges by around 50-60%.
Allowing water managers to send the water south, would mean less water going east and west. We're told the state funding for this is in place, but that's only half the equation.
Senator Nelson says the White House needs to authorize the project and pay for the other half it before anything can happen. Nelson says that money is available through the Federal Hurricane Disaster Relief funds, and it's up to President Trump's budget director to decide if this is disastrous enough to use that money.
"If the White House will not delay it, we have the money, and it's sitting on the table and ready to go."
It’s an upside down world. We used to hear that coffee, a common drink to kick-start a person’s morning, was a guilty pleasure at best and a health evil at worst. Fast-forward to today, and we now know that coffee is a health elixir of the highest magnitude, offering protection to the heart, lowering the risk of several forms of cancer and reducing the risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Research into the natural properties of coffee shows that the daily brew is a potent protective antioxidant potion. Plants produce antioxidants to protect their cells from premature destruction from exposure to heat, light, air, moisture and time. In the human body, many of these substances are biologically active, and they help to protect our cells as well. Recent science suggests that these compounds may cause gene changes, which enable the body to express its own protective agents.
To simplify, antioxidants inhibit the “rusting” of cells in our body. Just as metals rust due to exposure to oxygen, cells in the body also become damaged by exposure to certain “reactive oxygen species” – or ROS. These damaging agents are caused by environmental toxins, smoking, poor eating habits, metabolism, exercise and other factors. When unchecked, these ROS contribute to degenerative diseases. Oxidative damage is associated with diabetes, arthritis, cancer, degenerative brain disorders, and numerous aspects of aging and degeneration.
Coffee is super-concentrated with antioxidants and is especially high in one group of antioxidant compounds called flavonoids. The flavonoids have garnered considerable scientific interest because of their beneficial effects on human health. In various journal studies they have been reported to possess antioxidant, antiviral, anti-allergic, anti-platelet, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor activities.
Coffee’s antioxidant compounds include caffeic acid, caffeine, the chlorogenic acids, eugenol, gamma-tocopherol, isoeugenol, p-coumaric acid, scopoletin and tannic acid. In fact, coffee is the primary source of beneficial, protective antioxidants in the American diet. Most Americans do not eat enough antioxidant-rich fresh fruits and vegetables, but they do drink coffee. The bottom line? Coffee protects your body. This is a good thing.
As a mood enhancer, coffee is one of the safest and fastest agents on earth. You drink a cup, and things change rapidly. Surely, this is the primary reason that people drink coffee in the first place. Coffee’s greatest effects are exerted upon the brain and mind, since coffee is a bracing awakener. As a delivery system for caffeine, coffee acts upon the central nervous system, stimulating the brain and all the major nerves, and facilitating cognitive function overall.
Coffee enhances the flow of blood in the brain and invigorates the mind. It enhances alertness and motivation, facilitates thought formation and concentration, and decreases mental fatigue. Every coffee drinker has experienced this combination of effects. A morning shower will alleviate grogginess, but a bracing cup of coffee will snap you to attention and prepare you for whatever lies ahead.
In a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Harvard researchers found that drinking caffeinated coffee lowered rates of depression among women. Women who drank two to three cups of caffeinated coffee a day were 15 percent less likely to develop depression over the 10-year study period, compared with women who consumed one cup or less per day. Women who drank four or more cups of coffee a day had a 20 percent lower risk of developing depression. And what about decaf? Women who drank decaf did not experience reduced depression rates.
Within a daily dosage range of 300 milligrams of caffeine per day, or two to three cups, coffee improves negative moods that occur in the morning upon waking, lifting the sullen and gloomy clouds which can fog the mind upon rising. Coffee, the most flavorful and potent caffeine-bearing beverage of all, increases general happiness and feelings of pleasure – and increases positive mood overall. Coffee promotes an upbeat positive sense of self, and a feeling of wellbeing.
Baron Ernst Von Bibra referred to coffee as a “pleasure drug.” He hit the nail right on the head. Simple, cheap, easy to prepare, readily available and very fast-acting, coffee makes you feel good.
The image on the left is an X-ray of the man's neck. The arrow is pointing to a small chip of bone that broke off in the injury. The image on the right is a CT scan, looking up at the vertebra. There are two fractures, one on the right side and one on the left side. (The New England Journal of Medicine ©2017.)
A young man in Tunisia who was in a high-speed crash suffered a broken neck — in an injury doctors call a "hangman&apos;s fracture" — yet recovered with no lingering problems, according to a recent report of the man&apos;s case.
A "hangman&apos;s fracture" refers to a neck injury that occurs when a person&apos;s neck snaps backwards, as it would during a hanging.
And though the name refers to an act that&apos;s far less common today than it once was, the injury itself is not incredibly rare: Dr. Anis Khelifi, who was an orthopedic surgeon at the Kassab Orthopedic Institute in Tunisia when he treated the patient, said he&apos;s seen this type of fracture twice.
The fracture occurs in the second cervical vertebra (in other words, the second-from-the-top vertebra of the spine), and is the second most common type of fracture for this vertebra, Khelifi told Live Science.
After the car crash, which took place in August 2012, the 25-year-old man came to the emergency room in severe pain, according to the brief report of the man&apos;s case, which was published today (May 3) in The New England Journal of Medicine .
The doctors examined the man and concluded that the crash had not damaged his spinal cord, according to the report. Spinal cord damage can lead to paralysis , and if the damage is extreme, it can cause death, Khelifi said.
To check for spinal cord damage , the doctors did a neurological exam, including checking to see if the man had any weakness in his arms or legs and if he could sense a light touch or pinprick on his skin, according to the report.
Although the man hadn&apos;t damaged his spinal cord, the doctors concluded that his injury was "unstable," Khelifi said. In other words, there was a chance the injury would get worse and cause more damage.
The man underwent surgery to stabilize the injury, and he fully recovered. Four years after the injury and surgery, he was pain-free and had no neurological problems, according to the report.
Though first time parents Eric and Lara Trump have been busy since welcoming son Luke on Sept. 12, the couple recently treated themselves to an adults-only evening that commenced at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.
“Every now and again, even new parents like to get dressed up,” she captioned the photo of her and her husband on Instagram.
Rocking a fitted, long sleeved black sheath reportedly by Chiara Boni La Petite Robe with cross strap black pumps and loose waves in her hair, fans were quick to praise Lara’s effortless Nov. 16 look.
While it’s not clear where the first time parents were headed on what Yahoo Lifestyle points out was likely their first formal night out since Luke’s birth, Lara is certainly a fan of LBD’s. Just one week after giving birth, the new mom donned a similar little black dress and heels for a family get-together.
Further, it looks like the sartorial apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree, either. Though he’s only two months old, little Luke has been spotted on his parents’ Instagram accounts looking quite trendy in striped hoodies, patriotic Halloween costumes, and hot sauce onesies, too.
Rasmus hit a two-run homer, Brett Cecil won for the first time in almost a year and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Phillies 6-2 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
Rasmus went 3 for 4 with three RBI, scored twice and came within a triple of the cycle as the Blue Jays swept the Phillies for the second time in team history; they also swept a three-game series at Philadelphia in 2009.
The key player acquired by Toronto in a three-team trade with St. Louis and the Chicago White Sox last July, Rasmus is batting .356 with seven homers and 18 RBIs in 15 games in the two-hole this season. He hit just .211 in other spots in the order.
Rasmus’ father Tony was one of 13 Blue Jays whose dads were flown in for a special Father’s Day celebration.
”It was important to me,” the younger Rasmus said. ”It’s always good having your dad in town and to have him here on Father’s Day is a great thing.”
”We know what we have to do but getting it done is another thing,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. ”We’ve just got to play better.”
Starting for the first time this season after being promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas last week, the left-handed Cecil (1-0) allowed two runs and five hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out five.
”My curveball has gotten a lot better, it’s a lot tighter,” Cecil said. ”That, and being able to control the ball a lot better with all my pitches and throwing to both sides of the plate.”
Cecil went 4-11 in 20 starts last season, then struggled with command and velocity this spring after losing more than 30 pounds in offseason conditioning. He was demoted to Double-A on the final day of spring training, one day after a rough outing against Detroit. He hadn’t won since last July 29 against Texas.
”What we had hoped to see,” Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. ”He pitched with a lot more crispness than we last saw in spring training. He kept the game under control, he threw a lot of strikes and it was an encouraging outing for him.”
The Blue Jays jumped on Phillies right-hander Kyle Kendrick with two runs in the bottom of the first. Brett Lawrie and Rasmus opened the inning with back-to-back doubles and Jose Bautista walked but was picked off. Edwin Encarnacion struck out before Kelly Johnson grounded an RBI single up the middle.
Thome’s long ball was his 100th with Philadelphia, making him the fourth player in major league history to hit at least 100 home runs with three different teams (including Cleveland and Chicago). Darrel Evans (Atlanta, San Francisco and Detroit), Reggie Jackson (California, Oakland and New York) and Alex Rodriguez (Seattle, Texas and New York) are the others.
”It is special,” Thome said. ”You look at Philadelphia, you look at Chicago, you look at Cleveland, they’re all great baseball cities. And to do that with the Phillies is special, no doubt. I think it’s something to be proud of, you just wish you could have won the ballgame.”
The Blue Jays reclaimed the lead in the fourth on a two-out RBI single by Rajai Davis, with Yunel Escobar scoring from second base.
Lawrie walked to begin the fifth and Rasmus followed with a booming home run into the second deck in right, his 10th.
Kendrick (2-7), who lost his third straight start, allowed six runs, five earned, and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings. He walked two and struck out four.
Philadelphia catcher Carlos Ruiz returned to the lineup, two days after leaving Friday’s game after six innings with a strained muscle in his left side. Ruiz went 0 for 4 and struck out looking twice.
NOTES: Thome’s homer was the 608th of his career, moving him one behind Sammy Sosa on the career list. … The Blue Jays marked Father’s Day by flying the fathers of 13 players to Toronto for the game. … Attendance was 45,060, Toronto’s biggest crowd since opening day. … The Phillies are off Monday, while the Blue Jays begin a three-game series at Milwaukee. RHP Henderson Alvarez (3-6) faces LHP Randy Wolf (2-5) in the opener.
Marquez’s ecstasy turned to agony when Scott Redding pulled up alongside him and reached over for an embrace.
Redding managed to put Marquez’s shoulder out, prompting the Catalan speedster to climb off his bike and lie down on the track while it was put back in.
“I was very happy and I arrived there, and I didn’t know anything about the celebration,” Marquez said of the incident.
“I was out of control, like on the track! No, a joke, but Scott stopped and I hugged him and I felt something strange, and dislocated my shoulder.
“I just laid there on the asphalt and my brother and Jose put it in again. It was not the first time; maybe it was my weak point of the season because I dislocated it many times during training at home. In December I need to make a stop with the doctor and for next year it will be perfect.”
He added: “Luckily with the adrenalin it doesn’t hurt, but I’ll need to be careful not to overdo it on the dancefloor tonight.”
Aprilia rider Redding apologised on Instagram, posting: “Once we was rivals “big rivals” now we have nothing [but] respect and fun!!! Sorry for the dislocated shoulder.”
Shiming is looking forward to the fight against the Thai, who is the undefeated IBF flyweight champion, at the Venetian in Macau on 7 March.
Fightnews quoted Shiming: "I am really excited for this fight I can't wait to get in the ring. I have been preparing for this fight two months. Freddie has a good game plan for me. From my first professional fight to my title shot after I win the title you will see how I have progressed."
Shiming and Ruenroeng have met three times before, when they were both amateurs. Shiming won on two of those occasions.
The Chinese boxer added: "He is really fast and has good timing. When we fought we would fight three to four rounds so we couldn't really show all our skill but this fight will be twelve rounds.
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