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Bucket Makes It Easy to Sweep Away Dust and Junk

Some do-it-yourselfers freely admit that all they make in theworkshop is sawdust and noise. I can't help on the noise, but forsawdust and other shop debris, try this handy idea to keep your workarea clean:

Attach a plastic wastebasket to the side of your workbench,right underneath the top so that you can just sweep the trash overthe side and into the can.

To hang the trash can in place, drill a small hole through theside of the wastebasket and on through the leg of your workbench.Use a nut and bolt with a couple of large washers placed on eitherside of the wastebasket to hold it in place.

You can line it with a plastic bag so it will be easy to cleanout …

Lawyer in NYPD rape trial: Accuser's memory wrong

NEW YORK (AP) — There was "not a single stitch of DNA evidence" that a drunken woman was raped by a police officer while his partner stood watch, a lawyer for the second officer told jurors in his closing argument Monday.

"There's no forensic proof that a rape took place," said lawyer Edward Mandery, who is representing Officer Franklin Mata in the trial in Manhattan state Supreme Court.

Mandery said the accuser's memory of the December 2008 encounter was faulty, since she gave conflicting accounts of how many drinks she had consumed that night and which belt she was wearing.

"It's very dangerous to rely upon the testimony of someone who doesn't have a clear memory, who …

House Dems on track for vote on $940B health bill

House Democrats are pushing to the brink of passage a landmark, $940 billion health care overhaul bill that would simultaneously deliver on President Barack Obama's promise to expand coverage while slashing the deficit, a strategy aimed at winning over the party's fiscal conservatives.

The 10-year plan would provide coverage to 32 million people now uninsured through a combination of tax credits for middle class households and an expansion of the Medicaid program for low income people. Release of the legislation later Thursday sets the stage for a House vote on Sunday.

It would restructure one-sixth of the economy, covering 95 percent of eligible Americans, …

Iberian delicacies (?) Nun's belly, pig's ear salad ... Eat on!

"Well, the house specialty is "papas de moado," she intoned. "It'spig's blood cooked with sugar and dried fruits. Do you want to try?"

The words were thrown down as a challenge. To refuse would beculinary cowardice. So, minutes later, I was face to face with ablack, gelatinous mass quivering on the plate before me.

A tentative spoonful launched a subversive assault on thetastebuds that blended blood sausage with blancmange, with hints ofcinnamon, cumin, raisins, pinenuts. Our waitress looked on intently.

"How is it?" she asked, and there was that glint again.

"Delicious," came the stoic reply.

"You really like that stuff?" she asked, wrinkling her …

AMS STATEMENT ON METEOROLOGICAL DROUGHT

AMS STATEMENT

(ADOPTED BY AMS COUNCIL, 23 DECEMBER 2003)

The American Meteorological Society recommends that appropriate institutions at the local, state, regional, federal, and international levels initiate or increase drought planning, drought preparedness, drought warning, and drought mitigation efforts. Efforts must be made to increase knowledge and information about climate variability, drought impacts, mitigation technologies, societal response (such as conservation), and preparedness strategies. The following statement provides a brief background and overview on drought and the challenge it presents.

INTRODUCTION

Drought is a common feature of the …

US dollar mixed in Europe

The U.S. dollar was mixed against other major currencies in European trading Friday morning. Gold rose.

The euro traded at US$1.3579, down from US$1.3661 late Thursday in New York.

Other dollar rates:

_98.82 Japanese yen, down from …

Nitro OKs road fixes for Ridenour Lake

NITRO - Nitro City Council members approved spending $17,400 onroad repairs at Ridenour Lake and officials said work on the projectshould start immediately.

A.J. Hill, Nitro's public works director, said milling theroadway over the dam would be the first priority with Typar materialand gravel to follow. This will put down a good foundation for thefuture, he said.

In addition to fixing the road, future work at the lake willinclude fixing the park facilities and children's playground.

"With these improvements we will have one of the best lakes inthe state," said Councilman Bill Javins. "We'd like to see itstocked every two months during the summer …

Firefighters Union Assails Giuliani

WASHINGTON - The nation's largest firefighters union has accused Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, of committing "egregious acts" against firefighters who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In a letter to its members Friday, the International Association of Fire Fighters, excoriated Giuliani for his November 2001 decision to cut back the number of firefighters searching the rubble of Ground Zero for the remains of some 300 fallen comrades.

The 280,000-member union accused him of carelessly expediting the cleanup process with a "scoop-and-dump" operation after the recovery of millions of dollars in gold, silver and other …

Japan aims for walking robot on the moon by 2020

Japan hopes to have a two-legged robot walk on the moon by around 2020, with a joint mission involving astronauts and robots to follow, according to a plan laid out Friday by a government group.

Specifics of the plan, including what new technologies will be required and the size of the project's budget, are to be decided within the next two years, according to Japan's Strategic Headquarters for Space Development, a Cabinet-level working group.

Development of a lunar robot is part of a broad framework outlined by the group, which is charged with plotting a new course for Japan's space strategy. As a next step, joint exploration of the moon involving robots …

Field himself said it: `Give the lady what she wants'

Nearly a century ago, Marshall Field snapped at a storeassistant and created a retailing motto that was to become legendary.

Field was walking through his State Street store when he heardLindsay T. Woodcock, assistant retail manager, arguing with acustomer.

Woodcock explained he was settling a complaint.

"No, you're not. Give the lady what she wants," Field said.

" `Give the lady what she wants' always has been the …

Qatari royals sponsor new UK horse racing series

LONDON (AP) — Members of the Qatari royal family are sponsoring a new horse racing championship in Britain created to broaden the sport's appeal and secure its long-term future here.

Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani along with five brothers have signed a multimillion pound (dollar) deal through their private investment vehicle, QIPCO, to provide the title sponsorship for the first two years of the British Champions Series.

The 35-race program starts on April 30 with 2000 Guineas at Newmarket — a race won last year by a stallion owned by Sheikh Hamad's group through Qatar Bloodstock.

QIPCO's backing has helped ensure that the inaugural series, which culminates with …

Home prices fell 5.3 pct in July, gov't says

Nationwide home prices in July fell a record 5.3 percent compared with a year ago, a government agency said Tuesday, and have now receded to October 2005 levels.

Prices were down 0.6 percent from June on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The national decline in home values coupled with reckless lending standards during the real estate boom are the driving forces behind rising mortgage defaults and foreclosures. They have spurred a credit crisis that has shaken Wall Street to its core and caused the Bush administration to propose a $700 billion financial industry bailout.

The real estate industry expects …

Jump in crude oil prices helps lift stock market

Stocks are extending recent gains at the start of a busy week of earnings, nudging the Dow Jones industrial average closer to 10,000.

Major market indicators rose moderately early Monday, including the Dow, which rose as much as 65 points to hit a new 2009 high of 9,929. That's just 71 points away from 10,000, a level not seen in a year. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was just shy of its 2009 high of 1,080.

A weaker dollar drove oil and other commodities higher, giving energy, material and industrial stocks a lift. Stocks also got a boost from a better-than-expected profit report from Dutch company Royal Philips Electronics, which sent Britain's leading stock indicator to its highest level in a year.

Trading on Monday is expected to be fairly light as much of the country observes the Columbus Day holiday. No major economic reports are scheduled and government bond markets are closed.

A flurry of earnings reports, including ones from the nation's largest banks, will occupy the market's attention the rest of this week. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reports on Wednesday, followed by Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp. A number of major technology firms, including Intel Corp., Google Inc. and International Business Machines, will also report results this week.

At banks, investors are hoping to see signs that consumer loan defaults, including mortgages, are starting to level off, and will be looking for any potential trouble with commercial real estate loans. Overall, the market wants to see evidence that an economic recovery is under way.

Earnings season got off to a good start last week when aluminum maker Alcoa Inc. reported a surprise profit. That helped lift the Dow to its highest level in a year, giving the index a 4 percent gain for the week, its best weekly performance since July. The Dow now stands less than 100 points away from the 10,000 mark, a level it has not seen since October 2008.

In midday trading, the Dow rose 39.98, or 0.4 percent, to 9,904.92. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 6.03, or 0.6 percent, to 1,077.52.

S&P trading data was frozen earlier in the session amid a problem at the Chicago Board Options Exchange, which distributes S&P index information. The issue has been resolved, an S&P spokesman said.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 10.04, or 0.5 percent, to 2,149.32.

The Hopefuls' Home Bases // Daley's 11th: home of mayors

To look at Richard M. Daley is to look at Bridgeport and the11th Ward.

Chunky and solid as a brick, Daley embodies most of the 11thWard's fabled attributes: toughness, bluntness, loyalty. InBridgeport, you dance with the one who brung you.

In Bridgeport, you also produce mayors.

From 1933 until 1979, the 11th Ward was home for Mayors EdwardJ. Kelly, Martin Kennelly, Richard J. Daley and Michael Bilandic.

Now, the neighborhood of trim lawns is close to producinganother, and the fever is high.

Along Lowe Avenue, where the Richard J. Daley's widow lives,practically every squat bungalow displays a Daley sign.

And at Schaller's Pump, bartenders are handing out Daleyposters and buttons.

"We're giving out whatever we can with Richie's name on it,"said bar owner Jay Schaller. "Everybody is excited, everyone isfeeling pretty confident right now."

Nestled near the geographic center of Chicago, the ward has longhad a reputation as suspicious of newcomers, especially blacks.

Census data, however, show that minorities are making inroads.Asian and Hispanic accents are heard in grocery stores along with theIrish brogue.

St. David Catholic Church, 3200 S. Emerald, has offered aSpanish mass every Sunday for at least 15 years, said the Rev. JamesHoder.

"There have been Spanish people here since the '60s," Hodersaid. "Since they're Catholics, there's acceptance from the peoplewho came before."

While it might be true that blacks are not welcomed inBridgeport itelf, blacks elsewhere in the ward make up about 12percent of the 11th's 58,000 residents.

Still, the 11th Ward will always be known as the gemstone of theDaley dynasty.

When Mayor Daley died, Schaller's Pump solemnly took down hispicture from the wall. But Schaller said, "I wouldn't be toosurprised if you see (another Daley's photo) on the wall in the nearfuture."

Hunt for ringos star

Crisps company Golden Wonder is appealing to people in Bristol forhelp in tracing Anne Livesey, a former employee who moved to the cityin the early 1980s.

The company is offering a reward of GBP1,000 and a lifetime'ssupply of the 1970s snack Ringos to the person with informationleading to Anne being found.

Anne is one of eight former Golden Wonder staff who worked on theRingos production line in the 1970s fulfilling a variety of roles,prior to the snack brand being withdrawn from sale in the 1980s.

A nationwide petition with more than 20,000 signatures has led toGolden Wonder reintroducing Ringos, and now the company wants totrace Anne and seven other people who worked on the original Ringosproduction line at Scunthorpe in Humberside, ahead of next month'slaunch.

Call 01772 421442 if you know where she is.

Rangers Hold Off Sabres to Tie Series

NEW YORK - The pressure is back on the Presidents' Trophy winners. Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan scored power-play goals, and Henrik Lundqvist made 29 saves to lift the New York Rangers to a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night, tying the Eastern Conference semifinal series after four games.

The best-of-seven matchup now shifts back to Buffalo, where the Sabres - the NHL's best team in the regular season - took what seemed to be a commanding 2-0 lead in the series. Now they will be feeling the heat from a nervous, title-starved town unwilling to accept anything less than the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history.

Game 5 is Friday night, with Game 6 back in New York on Sunday.

The Rangers had to survive a video replay on a late save by Lundqvist that the Sabres felt didn't keep the puck out of the net.

Lundqvist dived onto his stomach with 17 seconds left and stopped Daniel Briere's stuff attempt with his right pad as the puck slid on the goal line. For the first time in five close goal calls in these playoffs, the Sabres didn't benefit from a video review.

Jagr scored his fourth of the playoffs and 71st overall in the postseason in the second period. Shanahan doubled New York's lead in the third as the Rangers earned their second straight 2-1 win. Michal Rozsival ended Game 3 on Sunday in double overtime.

Ales Kotalik answered for Buffalo less than a minute after Shanahan's goal, but it wasn't enough. Ryan Miller was sharp again in making 26 saves, allowing two goals for the fourth straight game.

The Sabres hadn't lost consecutive games since dropping three in a row from March 7-10. But the Rangers earned their ninth straight win at Madison Square Garden and 12th in 13 games.

Shanahan made it 2-0 by showing the patience and poise of a 38-year-old, three-time Stanley Cup champion. He waited for Miller to make his move, and when the goalie dropped to his right side, Shanahan put the puck past his outstretched pads and to make it 2-0.

Before the announcement of Shanahan's sixth goal of these playoffs and 68th in the postseason, Kotalik scored 33 seconds later to cut Buffalo's deficit in half.

For the second straight game, Jagr and the Rangers took advantage of a penalty in the opening minute of the second period. Jagr's goal in Game 3 came just after Henrik Tallinder left the penalty box, but this time he cashed in while defenseman Toni Lydman was off for hooking him.

Michael Nylander shot from above the right circle. Jagr deflected it off defenseman Teppo Numminen and past Miller 45 seconds into the frame.

That seemed to spark the Sabres, who came at the Rangers in waves, but found lots of resistance. Buffalo managed nine shots, after getting 10 in the first period, and tried to get the power play on track.

The Sabres had three advantages in the final 8 1/2 minutes of the period that ended with them still up a man. With 17 seconds remaining in Marcel Hossa's stick-holding penalty, Rangers defenseman Marek Malik went off for holding Derek Roy.

With the crowd holding its breath while the dangerous Buffalo power play went to work, the fans cheered and exhaled when Jed Ortmeyer cleared the puck down the ice from in front of Lundqvist. After Hossa came out, Roy's shot ricocheted off the right post and away from the net with 27 seconds left.

The Rangers killed off the remaining minute of the penalty in the third period, leaving the Sabres with three goals in 25 chances in the series.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff tried more changes in the third period, when he moved Briere, Buffalo's leading regular-season scorer, from center to left wing on a line with Jason Pominville and Tim Connolly. Connolly had been playing on the fourth line.

Notes:@ Maxim Afinogenov, Buffalo's sixth-leading scorer in the regular season and one of seven Sabres with 20 goals, was scratched. Ruff threatened the move before Game 3 and made good Tuesday, replacing the right wing with rookie Daniel Paille, making his playoff debut. Afinogenov had only one goal and three assists in eight postseason games. ... The Rangers improved to 16-10 in Game 4s when trailing a series 2-1. ... The Sabres haven't been shut out since April 1, 2006, at Toronto.

ADB loans $300 million for Philippine judiciary

The Asian Development Bank wants to improve the integrity of the Philippine justice system with a $300 million loan, saying low salaries among judges and prosecutors are the main cause of corruption and trial delays.

The Manila-based lender said Tuesday its recent study has concluded that governance and corruption concerns coupled with weak investor confidence and inadequate infrastructure were major constraints to growth in the Philippines.

"The judiciary and justice sector agencies perform a critical governance and oversight function. A well-functioning justice sector is therefore key to support sustained growth and poverty reduction," the bank said in a statement.

The $300 million loan will be used to increase budget resources and internal controls as well as support more competitive salaries among judges and prosecutors in a bid to reduce vacancies and help cut delays in the justice system.

"This program responds to a clear message we get from repeated surveys _ that the Filipino people expect higher standards from their public officials," said Jaseem Ahmed, director for the ADB governance and trade division.

The bank said high caseloads and low conviction rates are prevalent in the court system, while a lack of funds was undermining the independence of judges.

___

On the Net:

Asian Development Bank: http://www.adb.org

US to divert Pakistan aid for flood reconstruction

The United States plans to redirect part of its existing $7.5 billion aid package for Pakistan to flood reconstruction, the U.S. aid chief said, but warned that other nations would only contribute money if Islamabad could ensure it would be well spent.

America has been the most generous contributor after the floods, rushing in emergency assistance to support a vital ally in the war against al-Qaida and Taliban. But rebuilding homes, roads, livelihoods and vital infrastructure will cost billions of dollars, and there are questions over who will pay.

Before the disaster, the U.S. had pledged to spend $7.5 billion over the next five years for projects including improving schools and hospitals, building dams and helping the country generate electricity.

Rajiv Shah, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said much of that package would now be spent on flood rebuilding. Teams are still assessing the damage to figure out the exact costs.

"That is absolutely what is required in order to meet the needs of the Pakistani people," Shah told The Associated Press late Tuesday.

He noted that much of the spending is already earmarked for the energy, agricultural and water sectors, all three of which were affected by the floods.

"If you think of just those three areas, going forward I suspect they would be more important," he said. "I think we will end up moving even more aggressively in that direction."

The floods began almost a month ago with the onset of the monsoon and have ravaged a massive swath of the country, from the mountainous north through to its agricultural heartland. More than 8 million people are in need of emergency assistance.

Some of the routes along which trucks carrying supplies to U.S. and NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan travel have also been affected by the floods. A spokesman for international forces in Afghanistan said supplies had been slowed down, but there had been no impact on operations.

On Tuesday, the United Nations said some 800,000 people had been cut off by the floods and were only accessible by air. It said that 40 more heavy-lift helicopters were urgently needed. The U.S. military has dispatched 19 choppers so far and the U.N. says it has five.

The government says about $800 million in emergency aid and assistance has been committed or pledged so far. But there are concerns internationally about how the money will be spent by the Pakistan government, which has a reputation for inefficiency and corruption.

Shah said the United States would continue to urge nations to donate.

"We are going to work at it, but these are tough economic times around the world and it will require a demonstration of real transparency and accountability and that resources spent in Pakistan get results," he said, adding that he was so far impressed with the commitment of the Pakistani government.

The death toll in the floods had been around 1,500 people but the disaster ranks as one of Pakistan's worst ever because of the scale and massive economic damage, especially to the country's vital agricultural sector.

In the south, authorities were still battling high rivers and new floods were reported in low-lying areas.

Saifullah Dharejo, the irrigation minister for Sindh province, said high tides were preventing the bloated Indus River from quickly emptying into the Arabian Sea as had been hoped.

___

Associated Press Writer Ashraf Khan in Karachi contributed to this report.

High blood pressure found to hike heart attack risk when it's cold

MUNICH, Germany -- People with high blood pressure seem to be morevulnerable to heart attacks when the temperature drops, new researchshows.

The findings, presented Monday at a conference of the EuropeanSociety of Cardiology, are not surprising because cold weather makesthe blood vessels constrict, making it harder for blood to movethrough. But the study is the first to document that variations inthe weather increase heart attack occurrence in people with highblood pressure.

The two-year study, conducted by scientists at the University ofBurgundy in France, examined 748 people with heart attacks admittedto local hospitals. The researchers matched the hospital admissionwith weather information covering the same period.

Of those in the study, 50 percent were being treated for highblood pressure or had at some time suffered from the condition.

Overall, heart attacks were more frequent when the temperaturedropped below 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit. But a closer analysis revealedthis was only true for people with high blood pressure. There weredouble the number of heart attacks among them when the temperaturedropped below the threshold.

Heart attacks also went up in hypertensive people when thetemperature dropped by more than nine degrees on the day of theirattack, regardless of how cold it was.

Blood pressure rises when it gets colder because the blood vesselsnarrow to preserve body heat. Those with hypertension start at ahigher blood pressure, which is more strenuous for the heart.

The study highlights the special vulnerability that people withhigh blood pressure have to cold weather and underlines theimportance of getting their blood pressure down to normal levels,said Dr. David Faxon, chief of cardiology at the University ofChicago and a former president of the American Heart Association.

AP

Diaz lowers school standards with 'Bad Teacher'

LAS VEGAS (AP) — As big-screen teachers go, Cameron Diaz will not be joining, say, Sidney Poitier or Sandy Dennis as inspiring role models to her classroom kids.

The title of Diaz's school comedy pretty much sums up her character: "Bad Teacher."

Diaz's Elizabeth Halsey is a cussing, conniving, boozing, even skanky schoolmarm who calls her students morons as she hurls their test papers at them, dresses like a stripper for a class car wash and has only one educational goal: to get her hooks into a rich substitute teacher. He's played by Diaz's real-life ex, Justin Timberlake.

"Bad Teacher" arrives just in time for summer vacation, debuting in theaters June 24.

Diaz, who stopped by theater owners' CinemaCon convention Wednesday in Las Vegas to collect an award as female star of the year, described her character's life as "one big F-bomb."

"This woman is so wrong but so right," Diaz, 38, said in an interview. "She says and does everything you wish you could say, and does it just irreverently. She doesn't really care, and sometimes, I think people want to walk through life not really caring."

So how does a woman like that end up a teacher, a hallowed profession in such big-screen dramas as Poitier's "To Sir, With Love" and Dennis' "Up the Down Staircase"?

"According to her, she thought she was doing it for all the right reasons. She has no accountability, she has the summers off," Diaz said. "The system allowed it to happen, and she took advantage of it. She could kind of skim by and get the sort of minimal out of the minimal that she was giving, enough for her to go and chase her dreams of marrying a rich man."

Timberlake's the wealthy heir Diaz's character pursues while he's slumming as a sub, and Jason Segel co-stars as a gym teacher whose advances she rebuffs.

Diaz, who is about to begin shooting the heist romp "Gambit," co-starring Colin Firth and Alan Rickman, said there was no awkwardness acting opposite ex-boyfriend Timberlake.

"We wanted the best person for the job, and Justin was that person," said Diaz. "He's such a great comedian. He's proven himself over and over again. We all knew what he would deliver on this and how great he would be.

"The only thing that I think we were concerned with was what people would make up. The stories that people would make up about us. We were hoping that wouldn't happen, because we're there to work, and we didn't want to have to be distracted by any of those things. And fortunately, for the most part, the media behaved themselves."

Diaz had fun cutting loose with streams of profanity on the set. But her character's raunchy language was not exactly foreign to her.

"I don't think I've ever pretended to have, like, a clean mouth," Diaz said. "I've always had to sort of curb my usage of the words that are not allowed on screen often. I do definitely have to watch my language. I've gotten better over the years, but where I grew up, you kind of had to be able to use those words."

Currie Cup semi delayed by swarm of bees

DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — The first semifinal of South Africa's Currie Cup rugby competition was delayed after a swarm of bees descended on the pitch at Durban's ABSA Stadium.

Players from the Sharks and defending champions the Blue Bulls were seen swatting away the insects ahead of Saturday's match as they went through their final warmups before kickoff.

After a 20 minute delay, referee Marius Jonker took the players off the pitch because of concerns that some may be allergic to bee stings.

The game eventually kicked off 40 minutes late after ground staff placed small palm trees near the edge of the field to allow the bees to settle.

Security officials had attempted to forced the bees away from the pitch by letting off canisters of red smoke.

Questions and answers about Europe's debt crisis

NEW YORK (AP) — In case you were wondering if Europe still matters, take a look at the latest headlines.

What started with the arrest and resignation last week of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, chief of the International Monetary Fund, culminated with a fresh barrage of worrying news over the weekend:

— Prime Minister George Papandreou of Greece acknowledged that the country will not able to borrow at current rates and will need more outside help

— Standard & Poor's warned that Italy's sluggish economic growth and political gridlock could lead to a debt downgrade

— Spain's ruling Socialist Party was trounced in local elections after widespread protests against spending cuts

— Fitch Ratings warned Monday that it may downgrade Belgium's debt.

Markets were rattled around the world. The Dow Jones industrial average was down as many as 180 points Monday, and stock indexes declined 2 percent in France, Germany and England.

The U.S economy has its own woes: stubbornly high unemployment, sluggish growth and $14 trillion in government debt. And that's just the short list. So why should you care about what's happening in Athens, Berlin or Brussels?

Because markets are global and the economies of Europe and the U.S. are intertwined through trade, large banks and multinational corporations that rely on overseas sales.

Here are answers to some questions about why Europe's troubles matter to the U.S.:

Q: The European Union and the International Monetary Fund arranged a bailout for Greece last year. Why does the country need more?

A: Greece wasn't actually "bailed out." Greece received a loan of 110 billion euros, or $157 billion, to help the country keep current on interest payments to banks and other bondholders and to calm markets. Greece got the loan after agreeing to deep spending cuts and tax increases. However, that had the effect of shrinking Greece's economy by 4 percent, making it more difficult for the country to pay its debts.

Many economists and politicians have criticized the loan terms. "You do an over-borrowed nation no favors by lending it more money," writes Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, in a recent note to clients. Many economists are now convinced that lenders and borrowers would be better served by restructuring Greece's debt. That would mean cutting interest rates, extending the payback period or other similar measures. If an agreement can't be reached, however, Greece could default. Bond investors will partly determine when that happens. Uncertainty leads them to charge higher rates, making it harder to borrow.

Q: How might the resignation of Strauss-Kahn factor into all this?

A: Losing "DSK," as he's known, leaves the IMF without its master negotiator at a crucial moment. The IMF plays a key role in negotiations between European countries, cajoling Germany and others into helping out weaker countries on the periphery of Europe like Greece, Portugal and Ireland. Many Germans resent using their money to cover other countries' debts. DSK had successfully persuaded these countries to contribute anyway.

Europeans will likely fight to keep one of their own in the top spot. That's the usual arrangement: a European heads up the IMF, and an American runs the World Bank, which makes loans to developing countries. There's talk that Brazil, China and other countries may challenge that tradition. If the IMF's 187 member countries start squabbling over who takes Strauss-Kahn's place at a time when the IMF's leadership is most needed, analysts worry that a solution for Greece would stall.

Q: If Greece or other heavily indebted countries like Portugal or Ireland run into more trouble, what will happen to the U.S. dollar?

A: Worries over Europe typically drive down the euro and raise the dollar. That's evident in the dollar's 5 percent gain against the euro this month. "The role of the dollar as a safe haven is quickly coming back into fashion," says Andrew Wilkinson, senior market analyst at Interactive Brokers. "All of a sudden the dollar is king again." That's great news if you're headed to Europe this summer. But for U.S. exporters, it could be a problem.

Q: What about U.S. government debt?

A: Treasurys would also be likely to rise if Europe's debt troubles get worse. Even though the federal government has reached its $14 trillion debt limit, the world's bond traders still consider Treasurys one of the most attractive places to park their cash among an unattractive set of alternatives.

"That's the knee-jerk reaction," says David Kelly, chief market strategist at JPMorgan Funds. "I wouldn't trust that knee-jerk reaction to be a long-term reaction."

Kelly is among those who think Greece's troubles offer a warning to the U.S. to get serious about a long-term plan to tackle its debts. A default by Greece or another European country could cause investors to be wary of government debt anywhere, they say. Treasury prices would drop and yields, which go in the opposite direction, would rise. That would make it more expensive for the government to borrow money.

Q: What would a broader European crisis do to the U.S. stock market?

A: Stocks would likely fall, analysts say. For starters, a stronger dollar makes U.S. goods more expensive to foreign buyers. It's akin to hiking prices on everything made in the U.S.

Large U.S. companies are increasingly dependent on selling their products and services abroad. Companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index get 20 percent of their profits from Europe, according to research from Bank of America.

There's also the fear that a crisis could have unforeseen effects. If banks look like they'd be unable to cover insurance claims on European government bonds, it could make those who lend to banks nervous and cause interest rates to spike for companies and individuals. "When there's trouble in one place everyone feels it," says Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank. "Any big problem ends up being a problem for everybody."

Q: When all else fails, it seems people flock to gold and other commodities. Is this a good idea if there's a European crisis looming?

A: Gold has been a popular place for nervous investors to hide their cash. Gold has jumped 67 percent since the financial crisis in 2008. So you'd think a crisis brewing in Europe would propel gold and even silver higher.

The problem is that these hiding spots have become so popular that it's hard to estimate what gold and silver are actually worth. Over the past year, commodity markets have been flooded with cash from hedge funds and other traders making bets on higher inflation, says JPMorgan's Kelly.

If Europe spawns a new debt crisis, worries about inflation in the U.S. will likely get tossed aside by fears of a wider meltdown. "If everybody gets scared, commodities fall," Kelly says. In trader talk, gold and silver have become "risk assets." Simply put: When traders run from trouble, that's what they sell, driving prices down.

N.J.'s Kean Seeks GOP Help to Gain Cash

WASHINGTON - Republican Tom Kean Jr.'s positive poll numbers look small in comparison to another set of figures - the amount of cash rival Sen. Bob Menendez has to spend on the New Jersey race.

Which is why Kean was in Washington on Wednesday, meeting with officials from the National Republican Senatorial Committee in hopes of securing money and national party support.

Menendez had $7.39 million, according to the latest campaign filings, and has aired two television ads statewide and one radio spot. Kean had $2.25 million. He ran one television ad in June and few radio spots this summer but has no ads up with fewer than 50 days to the election.

New Jersey is one of the most expensive states for advertising, with candidates forced to buy airtime in both the costly New York and Philadelphia markets.

"We will have the resources," Kean said Wednesday in an interview as he rushed to catch a train back to New Jersey to attend another fundraiser.

Kean attended two fundraisers hosted by Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Rep. Mike Ferguson of New Jersey. Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani are slated to hold fundraisers for Kean next month in New Jersey.

Kean was buoyed by a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday showing him in a virtual tie with Menendez. Among likely voters, including those leaning toward a candidate, Kean holds a 48-45 percent edge over Menendez. Six percent remain undecided. The survey of 688 likely voters has an error margin of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

The state's large bloc of unaffiliated voters is evenly split on whether they support Menendez or Kean, and they hold the key to deciding the election, said Clay Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. In recent history, these voters have swung Democratic.

Menendez campaign spokesman Matthew Miller looked past the virtual tie and plucked out the poll tidbit about 48 percent of voters agreeing with Menendez that Kean is a "George Bush Republican" who would support administration policies.

"That makes it impossible for him to win," Miller said.

Kean recently has been critical of Bush on various issues, including the war in Iraq, and has called for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to resign. Bush's approval rating in the state is just 33 percent, the poll showed.

Menendez was focused on the issue of tainted spinach, telling voters New Jersey is the nation's fourth-largest spinach producer. He asked the Food and Drug Administration to move rapidly in identifying where the spinach with the E. coli strains was being grown, and to issue a new advisory as soon as possible to say New Jersey spinach is safe.

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On the Net:

Quinnipiac University: http://www.quinnipiac.edu.

Natural attenuation: Is the fit right?

By balancing monitored natural attenuation with engineered remediation solutions, cleanup goals can be met at the lowest possible cost while still protecting human health and the environment.

While evaluating remediation options at a creosote-contaminated site in Texas, scientists discovered that dissolved hydrocarbons, some of which were hazardous, were being dissipated in the groundwater at rates similar to those provided by engineered remediation solutions, such as soil vapor extraction and groundwater sparging (1). A naturally occurring bioactive zone of microorganisms was transforming the contaminants into carbon dioxide and water.

This phenomenon is an example of natural attenuation - the reduction in mass, mobility, or toxicity of contaminants in soils, sediments, or groundwater by naturally-occurring physical, chemical, or biological processes. Nature becomes the cleanser.

Natural attenuation is also referred to as intrinsic bioremediation, intrinsic remediation, intrinsic biodegradation, passive remediation, and passive bioremediation. It may include any or all of the following processes: biodegradation, dilution, dispersion, adsorption, volatilization, and chemical and biochemical stabilization. Biodegradation alters or destroys the contamination by transforming contaminants into carbon dioxide, water, and other nontoxic compounds. The other processes reduce the concentration or the mobility of contaminants without destroying the contaminant.

According to the Preamble of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan, the regulatory framework for the Superfund Program (2), natural attenuation can be effective at reducing contaminants in the groundwater to concentrations that are protective of human health and sensitive ecological environments in a reasonable time frame.

The intentional use of these natural processes for achieving remediation objectives in corrective action programs has been termed "monitored natural attenuation" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) (3). This new term acts as a reminder that its use in no way is to be regarded as a "do nothing, walk away, default" approach. Rather, it is an alternative method to achieve objectives that are fully protective of human health and the environment.

According to the OSWER directive (3), the use of monitored natural attenuation must include sufficient evidence that corrective action levels will be achieved. Proponents are expected to perform sufficient site investigation and characterization to set a cleanup objective, estimate a defensible time frame, provide evidence that natural attenuation is occurring, demonstate that it will be as effective as other solutions, and set up monitoring procedures to compare results against expectations. Contingency strategies must be provided to ensure that human and ecological resources are protected if natural attenuation is not working. Monitored natural attenuation will typically be used in conjunction with other corrective action measures, and rarely as a stand-alone approach.

Increased knowledge about the limitations of remediation technologies, the emergence of risk-based approaches, and the need to allocate money and other resources where they are most needed have provided impetus for the increased use of monitored natural attenuation. Many state and federal remediation-implementation guidelines now include a discussion of site circumstances that favor natural attenuation strategies and list the steps to determine whether or not it is occurring and at what rates.

Working in partnership with nature is not a new idea, since many of its principles are currently being used in engineered remediation processes. These technologies basically accelerate rates of natural attenuation by aeration, vapor extraction, mixing, and the addition of beneficial nutrients, oxygen, and/or microbes.

Advantages and disadvantages

There are numerous advantages of monitored natural attenuation. Since by definition it is an in situ process, less volume of remediation wastes is generated, resulting in a reduced risk of human exposure to contaminated media.

In many cases, monitored natural attenuation is nonintrusive. The site can be used with minimal disruption while remediation is occurring, and few surface structures are required. Property does not need to be purchased for easements or the installation of equipment.

More importantly, the implementation of monitored natural attenuation enables managers, remediators, and regulators to differentiate between sites that are cleaning themselves and those that are not, so that engineering resources can be allocated to sites where they will provide the greatest benefit. Its use in conjunction with other remedial measures lowers the overall remediation costs.

As many as 20% of the sites contaminated with chlorinated organics and 80%-85% of fuel-contaminated sites may be amenable to using just natural attenuation. Translated into dollars, use of monitored natural attenuation could help save hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary engineered solutions.

One disadvantage of monitored natural attenuation is that remediation time frames are long and not easily predicted, even with historical data. During the next decade, as it is used and its results are monitored, a clearer understanding of attenuation rates and results will emerge.

In some cases, site characterization may be more costly and complex and institutional controls may be necessary to ensure long-term protection of human health and the environment. Because hydrologic and geochemical conditions may change over time and could result in renewed mobility of previously stabilized compounds, long-term monitoring will be necessary to show the effect of the new conditions on the remedial effectiveness of monitored natural attenuation.

Limitations of available technologies

Experience with site investigations and remediation over the last decade has provided a much clearer understanding of the mechanics of cleanup: how fast and far contaminants spread, under what circumstances, and what restoration goals can and cannot be achieved. As cleanup programs progressed, the regulatory community and industry acknowledged that achieving restoration goals with the best available technology was an impossible task at many sites. Current technology can restore portions of the nation's contaminated groundwater sites to meet drinking-water standards, but total cleanup is not feasible at many sites because of the diversity of contamination and the technical complexity of groundwater cleanup (4).

Excavation is expensive and presents significant economic risk. Once the source of contamination has been contained, the site must be restored. At many sites, restoration goals are met by excavating and treating large amounts of soil to remove unwanted chemicals. Costs range from $180 to $300 per cubic yard, most of which go for excavation, backfill, debris handling, analytical testing, and oversight. Only $40-$80 per cubic yard is spent for actual treatment and disposal. This is a particularly wasteful strategy when the chemicals do not jeopardize human health, drinking water, or other ecological resources.

And, although pump-and-treat systems are an important remediation tool in groundwater cleanup, they have several limitations. According to one study, cleanup goals have not been achieved at 69 of 77 sites where pump-and-treat systems were used and, more importantly, no time frame for achieving cleanup goals could reasonably be estimated (5).

If an engineered solution is not sufficiently contributing to achieving cleanup goals, why continue to pour money into a strategy that isn't working - particularly if alternatives such as monitored natural attenuation can be demonstrated to be equally as effective or even more so?

A risk-based approach

Today, many states are rewriting rules and passing legislation that will make it easier to allocate remediation resources where they are most needed and speed up remediation and project closures. To accomplish these goals, policy makers are shifting toward risk-based approaches. Site characteristics are measured against the potential of risk to human health and the environment and site management strategies are prioritized so that they are commensurate with that risk.

Risk Based Corrective Action (RBCA), developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), was the first formalization of how this approach could be used to develop remediation strategies at leaking underground fuel-tank (LUFT) sites. Under this new approach, four components must be evaluated:

contaminant sources;

exposure pathways;

affected environmental media; and

existing and potential human and environmental receptors.

By focusing on actual and potential risks, the goal of protecting human health and the environment is achieved more quickly and effectively.

Monitored natural attenuation is a corollary to a risk-based approach. The key to whether its use will be accepted by regulatory agencies as an alternative or in conjunction with other remediation techniques depends on whether it can be demonstrated to be as effective as other corrective actions in protecting human health and the environment. Due to the rapidly changing federal and state regulatory climate, regulators should be consulted first before proceeding with natural attenuation or another risk-based strategy to determine what data are needed to support such an approach.

Evaluating

natural attenuation

The decision tree in Figure 1 illustrates the use of information provided by site investigations and risk assessments as the scientific framework within which to evaluate the potential of monitored natural attenuation at a particular site. Figure 2 shows the sequence of steps usually taken to determine whether monitored natural attenuation will be effective and whether accelerating the rate of natural attenuation through an engineered remediation process may be warranted.

Figure 1 addresses sites that must submit a new remedial plan prior to commencing remediation.

Figure 3 is similar, but it shows how to reevaluate a site where engineered remediation is already reducing contamination (as discussed later).

In a risk-based approach to preparing a new remedial plan, the first question to be addressed is whether residuals pose any immediate risks to human health and the environment. The answer is arrived at by examining the data from site and risk assessments, which provide information about the source of the problem and its transport through the soil or groundwater. When the residuals are transported through the soil, a person may assimilate them through ingestion, inhalation of vapors, skin contact, etc. Chemicals that are present in the groundwater may adversely affect drinking water sources and may subsequently transform to vapors that are considered a potential risk to human and ecological receptors.

Immediate risks must be rapidly mitigated by taking corrective measures with active strategies, such as source removal, plume containment, or vapor extraction. Where active treatment is impractical or contaminants pose a relatively low long-term threat, engineering controls such as containment should be considered.

Once any immediate risks have been mitigated, long-range risks must be examined. Will migration of contaminants along exposure pathways or predetermined points of compliance jeopardize human health and ecological resources? If the answer is yes, process modeling must be used to explore the various remediation options available, including monitored natural attenuation, and a cost/benefit analysis conducted to evaluate their potential to achieve restoration goals.

If a site is not posing any immediate or future threat to human health and the environment, and can be shown to be naturally attenuating over reasonable time frames, the use of engineered solutions may be an unnecessary waste of human and financial resources.

However, if regulators are reluctant to consider a risk-based approach or monitored natural attenuation, managers should consider the technical impracticability provisions allowed under many regulations. The inherent limitations of engineered remediation may mean that cleanup levels and objectives cannot practically be attained within a reasonable time frame using any remediation technologies. In such a case, alternative strategies must be identified that are protective of human health and the environment. Such strategies may include a combination of containment, engineered remediation, and monitored natural attenuation.

In many instances, a technical impracticability analysis will only be possible after an engineered solution has been implemented and operated for several years. Site managers should consider designing the performance monitoring program to observe any natural attenuation that is occurring in order to better determine whether remediation is occurring due to the natural or engineered processes. Monitoring should include observing concentrations of dissolved constituents within the impacted area over time, as well as monitoring the dissolved oxygen and other indicators of natural attenuation. Such data may be valuable in arguments for considering monitored natural attenuation during a project review after data have been collected over several years.

Demonstrating effectiveness Figure 2 outlines the steps in evaluating the effectiveness of monitored natural attenuation.

After risks have been assessed, circumstances favoring and limiting the use of a monitored natural-attenuation strategy must be assessed. Generally, site managers must demonstrate that:

the original source of the contamination has been stopped;

the contaminant plume has stabilized or contracted;

no additional contamination will occur;

migration of contaminants does not cause present or potential risk to human and ecological receptors; and

future use of contaminated groundwater as a water resource is unlikely.

If circumstances favor the use of monitored natural attenuation, then site managers must show that natural attenuation is occurring. Generally, the same techniques developed to document, analyze, and demonstrate the potential effectiveness of engineered remediation are used:

evaluate historical data to show that contaminant concentrations have been reduced over time;

provide evidence that microbial or other attenuation mechanisms are occurring; and

evaluate factors that could affect the mobility of the contaminants.

Historical data are obtained through monitoring soil and groundwater conditions. These data show the reduction of contaminant concentrations downgradient from the groundwater flow path or in the soil.

Modeling the data helps project a time frame for achieving restoration objectives. Monitoring measurements taken over time will produce evidence that will help refine conceptual models to predict what will occur at a site.

If the data show contaminant reductions, more elaborate documentation may not be required.

If the historical data are insufficient to support a monitored naturalattenuation approach, data such as the nature and rates of natural attenuation processes or other studies may be required. Such data will likely be required at sites "with contaminants that do not readily degrade through biological processes (e.g., most nonpetroleum compounds, inorganics), at sites with contaminants that transform into more toxic and/or mobile forms than the parent contaminant, or at sites where monitoring has been performed for a relatively short period of time (3)."

More elaborate evidence can include supportive studies that show decreases in terminal electron acceptors (such as dissolved oxygen) and increases in biodegradation products (such as increased carbon dioxide) at numerous locations in the contaminant plume. Treatability studies and counts of microbial populations at representative locations in the contaminant plume can establish rates of dilution, adsorption, and dispersion and provide evidence that constituents are biodegrading at acceptable rates. Other studies can establish the biodegradability of the contaminants and evaluate the presence of other compounds that enhance or impede biodegradation.

To assess the factors that affect the mobility of the contaminants, hydrogeological conditions are studied to determine their effect on natural attenuation. These include aquifer permeability, aquifer thickness, depth to aquifer, homogeneity of geologic strata, and hydraulic conductivity.

The soil chemistry is studied to determine whether site conditions are conducive to natural attenuation and to evaluate what chemical and physical factors will affect the mobility of the plume. This includes an examination of soil moisture, the organic carbon content of the soil, porosity, and pH.

The development of a rating system to assess the value of the data collected is still being explored. One of the first such rating systems examined the feasibility of in situ bioremediation by assigning rating points on a scale of -4 to +2 to such parameters as contaminant characteristics, hydrogeology, and soil and groundwater chemistry (6). Its goal was to provide a defensible method for interpreting concentration levels of various chemical components by showing how their interactions affected degradation rates. The system helps evaluate the relative value and consistency of data, the relationship of various site parameters, and where speculation about how to interpret the data might be occurring.

The biodegradation protocols recently developed by the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence include a more elaborate rating system (7). The protocols focus primarily on biological degradation of chlorinated solvents and were developed for use at large sites that are impacted by many different chemical compounds, and do not take into account all the other types of natural attenuation that may be occurring at a site.

A new approach, bioavailability, examines whether chemical compounds are available to human and ecological receptors (see sidebar at right).

Fate and transport modeling evaluates the effect of hydrogeologic and chemical parameters on the rate of natural attenuation over time and helps predict whether monitored natural attenuation can attain protective remediation objectives over a reasonable time frame.

Biodegradation rate constants accurately simulate the fate and transport of contaminants dissolved in groundwater. Various methods for calculating these rates have been proposed in the Air Force protocols (7). If natural attenuation is not occurring at acceptable rates, site-specific variables that are inhibiting it should be identified to ascertain what techniques might be used to augment that rate, such as adding oxygen or hydrogen peroxide or installing a passive containment system.

As with any remedial options, the goals of restoration must be identified. Cleanup concentrations at specified points of compliance must be established, including predictions of when they will pose no risk to human health and the environment. These goals will depend on whether any plans exist for developing the site for commercial or residential use.

Even when evidence supports the use of monitored natural attenuation, evaluations of other remedial options should be conducted to determine whether it will be equally as cost-effective as other strategies (or more so), that remedial objectives will be achieved in a reasonable time frame, and that it will be protective of human health and the environment. Sometimes, monitored natural attenuation is not always the most cost-effective option because it can be very slow.

Finally, it is necessary to specify monitoring requirements, such as the locations of monitoring wells, the types of samples and analyses that will be conducted, and monitoring intervals, so that the performance of remedial solutions can be evaluated over time and adjustments made for changing conditions. When possible, monitoring should be designed to differentiate the remediation that is being achieved by natural processes and engineered processes.

Institutional controls should be specified to prevent exposure from contamination to sensitive receptors. These can include fencing off the property, placing real estate covenants on future residential or commercial usage, ensuring that the groundwater will not be used as a water supply, or providing an alternative groundwater supply.

Contingency strategies should be provided to ensure that human and ecological resources are protected if monitoring results show evidence that monitored natural attenuation is not working as well as predicted.

Reevaluating engineered-solution sites

Figure 3 illustrates the process for reevaluating sites where remediation is ongoing. It can provide a defensible justification for changing a previously issued record of decision (ROD) at sites where engineered solutions are being used to achieve specified corrective action goals. These sites are candidates for risk-based approaches where monitored natural attenuation can be implemented in conjunction with other corrective measures. Even if monitored natural attenuation is not appropriate, it is useful to periodically review and consider alternative remedial strategies and compare their cost and performance to existing ones.

According to EPA guidelines for reviewing proposals to amend previously issued RODs (8), amendments could be accepted if the following conditions are met:

1. A different technology would result in more cost-effective cleanup;

2. Achieving cleanup levels is not technically practical from an engineering perspective, or a remediation system has reduced contaminant levels but contaminant recovery efficiency is so low that a concentration plateau has effectively been reached, or remediation has become demonstrably inefficient; and

3. Reduced monitoring will significantly reduce costs but not harm the effectiveness of the remedy. The EPA guidelines specifically recommend the use of monitored natural attenuation.

In order to determine whether a ROD should be reviewed, new site assessments and process modeling must be performed to evaluate how much remediation has occurred and whether the conditions specified above can be met. The resulting data on contaminant plume, concentrations levels, and migration can be compared to previous site assessments so that the progress of the remedial options currently in use can be properly evaluated.

Such an evaluation is similar to what would occur for a site proposed for remediation, with this difference: its purpose is to replace existing solutions with new ones that will be equally or more protective of human health and the environment, and, hopefully, with lower remediation costs. I

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank John T. Wilson, one of the authors of the U.S. Air Force's technical protocols on natural attenuation, for his personal insights.

[Sidebar]

Contaminant Availability: Redefining "How Clean Is Clean?" There is increasing evidence that not all chemicals detected in soil are available to leach to groundwater or for uptake by human or ecological receptors, and that this reduced availability results in reduced toxic effects. If research continues to support this concept, it will provide a new basis for evaluating risk that will change the way soil cleanup concentration goals are set.

In a project initiated by the Gas Research Institute (9), scientists are examining the effects of aging in the environment on the availability of soil-bound hydrocarbons. The results of these studies indicate that hydrocarbon availability declines with time, even though the total concentrations of the hydrocarbons remain constant. This observation suggests that soil/chemical interactions are occurring over time that bind the hydrocarbons and prevent their release to the environment or living organisms. The GRI researchers have also discovered that soil treatment technologies can effectively treat the available fraction of the hydrocarbon contaminant while leaving behind the fraction that is tightly bound to, or sequestered within, the soil. This residual concentration (which is the plateau concentration often observed during soil treatment) is not readily susceptible to leaching by water or uptake by ecological or human receptors. It, therefore, is significantly less toxic and presents significantly less risk than the untreated soil. We can infer from these observations that the effects of aging (or weathering) and treatment are similar and yield significant reductions in leachability and toxicity. The aged or treated materials can often be left or placed in the environment because the rates of release to groundwater or organisms are at or below de minimus levels. De minimus levels are concentrations at which the rates of release and uptake are balanced by natural attenuation processes within the environment or the organism. Since it is the readily available fraction of the hydrocarbon that is largely responsible for the risk, it is now being proposed that risk-based, tiered testing schemes use this fraction as the basis for management decisions at hydrocarbon-contaminated sites. One result of this important new research is the formation of a new coalition of industry groups at both the state and federal levels. At the federal level, the Bioavailability Policy Project is working to establish an awareness among the public and key policymakers of the need to incorporate the theory of contaminant availability into federal and state decision-making processes through guidance, regulation, and legislation. On the state level, contaminant availability is being examined by several states and has already been recognized as part of the ASTM risk-based corrective action approach and other tiered riskbased management processes.

Bioavailability is discussed further in (9).

[Reference]

Literature Cited

1. Borden, R.C., et aL, "Transport of Dissolved Hydrocarbons Influenced by Oxygen Limited Biodegradation; 2. Field Application," Water Resources Research, 22 (13), pp. 1983-1990 (Dec.1986). 2. National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan. Federal Register, SS, pp. 8706, 8733-8734 (Mar. 8, 1990).

3. US. Environmental Protection Agency, "Draft Interim Final OSWER Monitored Natural Attenuation Policy," Directive 9200.4-17, U.S. EPA, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Washington, DC (Nov. 17,1997). 4. National Research Council, "Alternatives for Ground Water Cleanup," news release issued by National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (June 23, 1994).

S. Rice, D. W., et al., "Recommendations to Improve the Cleanup Process for California Leaking Underground Fuel Tanks (LUFTs)," Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, p. 1 (Nov. 1995).

[Reference]

6. Brubaker, G. R., "Screening Criteria for In Situ Bioremediation of Contaminated Aquifers," in Proceedings of 2nd Annual Hazardous Materials Management Conference, Central Tower Conference Management Co., Glen Ellyn, IL (Mar.1416, 1989).

7. Wilson, J. T., et aL, "Overview of the Technical Protocol for Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Aliphatic Hydrocarbons in Ground Water Under Development for the U.S. Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence," presented at the U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development's Symposium on Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Organics in Groundwater, Dallas, TX (Sept.11-13, 1996). 8. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Superfund Reforms: Updating Remedy Decisions," memorandum to EPA Regional Directors by Stephen Luftig, Director of the Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, and Barry Breen, Director of the Office of Site Remediation Enforcement, U.S. EPA, Washington, DC (Sept 27, 1996).

9. Linz, D. Gv and D. Nakles, "Environmentally Acceptable Endpoints in Soil: RiskBased Approach to Contaminated Site Management Based on Availability of Chemicals in Soils," American Academy of Environmental Engineers, Washington, DC (1997).

[Author Affiliation]

G. H. SWETT is director of the environmental management systems group at RETEC, a management, information technology, and environmental consulting, engineering, and construction firm in Tucson, AZ (E-mail: gswetttretecinc.com). He specializes in the implementation of environmental management systems for the refining, petrochemical, steel finishing, and natural gas processing industries. He received his BA in chemistry and mathematics from the Univ. of Denver and an MBA in finance from Golden Gate Univ. He serves on a number of environmental management committees of industry associations, including the National Association of Manufacturers, American Petroleum Institute, and National Petroleum Refiners Association,

D. RAPAPORT is founder of Jerome Headlands Press, a public relations firm in Jerome, AZ IE-mail: jhpress(sedona.net). She is a freelance writer specializing in environmental technology issues.

Brown: Students should choose school!

Dorothy Brown, clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, was flanked by hundreds of children and adult marchers at the Bud Billiken Day Parade earlier this month, including a float carrying energetic participants. In keeping with the back-to-school theme of the event, Clerk Brown issued her slogan, "Choose the classroom over the courtroom," as an encouragement to young people to get an education, and avoid getting into the type of trouble that leads to involvement in the juvenile justice system.