Gorvin's News

The Charleston-Gazette published a story on how few OSHA inspectors there are to cover the entire state of West Virginia. They presented numbers about the total number of inspections across the state for a given year, the number of citations issued and the total of the fines. They also provided the number of workplace deaths for a given year and compared this to other years.
The reporter would need to know how to use database software in order to keep track of all the statistics. Spreadsheet programs could also be useful in order to analyze and present numbers.

Posted by gorvi004 at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Daily Mail reported that Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten who ruled Egypt over 33 centuries ago may have suffered from a genetic disorder that caused him to have a decidedly feminine physique.
Yale Medical School Professor Irwin M. Braverman, who studied sculptures and carvings of the pharaoh, thinks the ruler had Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that results in an overproduction of oestrogen. The disease caused him to have breasts, wide hips, and to look pregnant, the Daily Mail reported.
However, Akhenaten was a fully functional male, and, with wife queen Nefertiti, he fathered at least six children, one of whom may have been Tutankhamun.
Braverman spoke about his theory Friday during Maryland's 14th annual Historical Clinicopatholoical Conference, held to help diagnose afflicted historic persons, the Baltimore Sun reported.
However, there is some debate about how well the carvings Braverman studied represent the real Akhenaten. The Baltimore Sun reported that artists may have been incorporating symbols of fertility and afterlife into their work.
Braverman hopes to confirm his theory by using DNA testing. “I'm hoping that after we have this conference and I bring this up, maybe the Egyptologists who work on these things all the time … will be stimulated to look,� he said. (Daily Mail)

Posted by gorvi004 at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times reported that the four-story, seven-ton bronze statue of Atlas hoisting the world on his shoulders will receive a thorough cleaning.
The statue, designed by Lee Lawrie and Rene Chambellan, has sat in front of the International Building in Rockefeller Center since 1937. The Star Tribune reported that wax and lacquer have built up over the years, dulling the surface.
The cleaning, which will begin May 5, will last six weeks. EverGreene Painting Studios will use steam and solvents to clean the bronze, then apply a clear acrylic protective coating before hand waxing the piece.
Jeffery Greene, president of EverGreene Painting Studios, said the cleaning should bring out details, such as zodiac signs and artists’ tool marks, that have been hidden, the New York Times reported.
The statue had been regularly cleaned since its installation until at least the late 1980s, but this will be the statue’s most thorough restoration.

Posted by gorvi004 at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KARE 11 reported that Grandma’s Saloon and Grill, a West Bank staple for 27 years, will close its doors May 22. The Minnesota Daily reported that the decision to close came from Grandma’s corporate offices.
A number of factors contributed to the closing. The recent smoking ban and the 35W bridge collapse have taken their toll on the restaurant. The slow economy isn’t helping either.
“There's less disposable income, I get that. Heck, all of us go out less,� said General Manager Hal Holmes.
The closing came as a surprise to the restaurant’s employees, according the Minnesota Daily.
“It was pretty short notice,� server Whitney Peterson said. (Minnesota Daily)
Holmes said he’s going to try to stay open longer to help out his employees. “The longer we stay open, the better it is for our staff,� he said. “They've got four weeks to make as much money as they can.� (Minnesota Daily)

Posted by gorvi004 at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that the new 35W bridge crossing the Mississippi could be completed by September, three months ahead of the December deadline.
According to the Bemidji Pioneer, the bridge is 65 percent complete and crews could begin hanging concrete sections as soon as May 14, three months earlier than planned.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation’s contract with construction company Flatiron includes a $200,000 a day bonus for each day that the bridge is finished before the Dec. 24 deadline, up to 100 days. That works out to an extra $20 million for the builders, paid for with federal funds.
Sept. 15 is 100 days early and Flatiron project manager “fully intends to make that� (Star Tribune).
But MnDOT is not so sure. “We are certainly ahead of schedule, there's no question about that, but there's still a lot of work to be done,� MnDOT spokesman Kevin Gutknecht said. “MnDOT's not at a point where it's ready to say ‘yeah, we're going to get done way early.’�

Posted by gorvi004 at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A newspaper carrier rescued an 84-year-old Illinois woman pinned under the body of her dead husband, Marion Daily Republic reported.
Carrier Bruce Pitts found Blanche Roberts March 27, trapped under her husband Fred, who apparently died of a heart attack after mowing the lawn, CBS News reported. The woman had been unable to move for four days.
Pitts said he grew suspicious after the couple’s newspapers were not picked up.
“It was never like them to leave a newspaper in their tube,� Pitt said. “That wonderful, small voice inside me said, ‘This isn't right.’� (CBS News)
According to CBS News, Blanche Roberts was coherent when rescuers found her. She knew her name and the names of her relatives, though she didn’t realize her husband was dead.
“She said, ‘Well, he’s sleeping. He’ll be up in a little while,’’’ Pitts said. (Marion Daily Republic)
As of March 30, Blanche Roberts was in intensive care at Herrin Hospital and “doing fine,� the Marion Daily Journal reported.

Posted by gorvi004 at 12:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)