Urban vegetation deters crime in Philadelphia

Public release date: 25-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kim Fischer
kim.fischer@temple.edu
215-204-7479
Temple University

Contrary to convention, vegetation, when well-maintained, can lower the rates of certain types of crime, such as aggravated assault, robbery and burglary, in cities, according to a Temple University study, "Does vegetation encourage or suppress urban crime? Evidence from Philadelphia, PA," published in the journal, Landscape and Urban Planning.

"There is a longstanding principle, particularly in urban planning, that you don't want a high level of vegetation, because it abets crime by either shielding the criminal activity or allowing the criminal to escape," said Jeremy Mennis, associate professor of geography and urban studies at Temple. "Well-maintained greenery, however, can have a suppressive effect on crime."

After establishing controls for other key socioeconomic factors related to crime, such as poverty, educational attainment and population density, Mennis, along with environmental studies major Mary Wolfe, examined socioeconomic, crime and vegetation data, the latter from satellite imagery.

They found that the presence of grass, trees and shrubs is associated with lower crime rates in Philadelphia, particularly for robberies and assaults.

The authors surmise this deterrent effect is rooted in the fact that maintained greenery encourages social interaction and community supervision of public spaces, as well the calming effect that vegetated landscapes may impart, thus reducing psychological precursors to violent acts. They offer their findings and related work as evidence for urban planners to use when designing crime prevention strategies, especially important in an age when sustainability is valued.

Mennis said rather than decreasing vegetation as a crime deterrent, their study provides evidence that cities should be exploring increasing maintained green spaces.

"Increasing vegetation, supporting sustainability they are a nice complement to so many city initiatives beyond increasing aesthetics and improving the environment," he said.

"Reducing stormwater runoff, improving quality of life, reducing crime all of these objectives are furthered by increasing well-managed vegetation within the city."

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 25-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kim Fischer
kim.fischer@temple.edu
215-204-7479
Temple University

Contrary to convention, vegetation, when well-maintained, can lower the rates of certain types of crime, such as aggravated assault, robbery and burglary, in cities, according to a Temple University study, "Does vegetation encourage or suppress urban crime? Evidence from Philadelphia, PA," published in the journal, Landscape and Urban Planning.

"There is a longstanding principle, particularly in urban planning, that you don't want a high level of vegetation, because it abets crime by either shielding the criminal activity or allowing the criminal to escape," said Jeremy Mennis, associate professor of geography and urban studies at Temple. "Well-maintained greenery, however, can have a suppressive effect on crime."

After establishing controls for other key socioeconomic factors related to crime, such as poverty, educational attainment and population density, Mennis, along with environmental studies major Mary Wolfe, examined socioeconomic, crime and vegetation data, the latter from satellite imagery.

They found that the presence of grass, trees and shrubs is associated with lower crime rates in Philadelphia, particularly for robberies and assaults.

The authors surmise this deterrent effect is rooted in the fact that maintained greenery encourages social interaction and community supervision of public spaces, as well the calming effect that vegetated landscapes may impart, thus reducing psychological precursors to violent acts. They offer their findings and related work as evidence for urban planners to use when designing crime prevention strategies, especially important in an age when sustainability is valued.

Mennis said rather than decreasing vegetation as a crime deterrent, their study provides evidence that cities should be exploring increasing maintained green spaces.

"Increasing vegetation, supporting sustainability they are a nice complement to so many city initiatives beyond increasing aesthetics and improving the environment," he said.

"Reducing stormwater runoff, improving quality of life, reducing crime all of these objectives are furthered by increasing well-managed vegetation within the city."

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/tu-uvd032513.php

jeff carter chomp national enquirer kate gosselin helicopter crash matt jones whitney houston in casket photo

Dell board will deal with Icahn, Blackstone

Michael Dell may have to hike the price he's willing to pay if he wants to take the computer company he founded private, thanks to competition from two new acquisition offers.

A special committee of independent Dell Inc. directors said Monday that it will negotiate with buyout specialist Blackstone Group and activist investor Carl Icahn over bids that rival an offer of more than $24 billion from CEO and Chairman Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners.

The committee has determined that the bids could be superior to the proposal from Dell and Silver Lake, which amounts to $13.65 per share.

Blackstone proposed buying the Round Rock, Texas, company in a deal that would equate to more than $14.25 per share. Icahn wants to buy up to 58 percent of Dell's shares for $15 each.

Icahn Enterprises said in a statement its offer would allow shareholders "that believe, like us, that the future for Dell is bright," to continue with the company.

The special committee said Michael Dell is willing to work with third parties on alternate acquisition proposals.

"We intend to work diligently with all three potential acquirers to ensure the best possible outcome for Dell shareholders, whichever transaction that may be," said Alex Mandl, special committee chairman, in a statement.

That's good news for shareholders hoping for a higher price, and Dell Inc. shares climbed 3.3 percent, or 46 cents, to $14.60 in morning trading.

Dell and other PC makers are struggling as technology spending shifts to smartphones and tablet computers. Dell and HP, the top PC maker, are trying to adapt by making more tablets and diversifying into more profitable areas of technology, such as business software, data analytics and storage.

Michael Dell believes he will be in a better position to overhaul the company if he no longer has to worry about Wall Street's focus on profit fluctuations from one quarter to the next.

The special committee, which is made of four independent directors, spent more than five months evaluating options for Dell before deciding on the offer from Dell and Silver Lake. It considered changes to the company's business plan, a change in dividend policy and sales of all or parts of the business.

Silver Lake raised its bid six times by about $4 billion over the course of negotiations, and the committee said in a statement that it still recommends that bid while it evaluates the other offers.

Icahn, who has a $1 billion stock position in Dell, and other investors have criticized that bid as too low. Southeastern Asset Management, Dell's second-largest shareholder after Michael Dell, has asserted the company is worth closer to $24 per share.

The offer from Michael Dell and Silver Lake was announced in early February. Dell's board then set a 45-day period to allow for offers that might top that bid. That period expired Friday.

Many investors expected that a higher bid was in the works for the world's third-largest PC maker. Several buyout scenarios tying Blackstone to Dell were leaked to the media last week.

Shares of Dell had climbed nearly 40 percent so far in 2013, as of Friday's market close. That includes a rise of nearly 7 percent since the shares closed at $13.27 on Feb. 4, the day before the Dell-Silver Lake bid was announced.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/29f715a1/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cid0C51316464/story01.htm

spice girls justin theroux Bumbo recall USA Basketball taio cruz taio cruz Winter Olympics 2014

The Weekly Roundup for 03.18.2013

You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/U8Pi-ApIS1g/

ravi leigh espn greg oden st patricks day st. bonaventure ira glass

Liz Smith: HBO Cancels the Excellent Enlightened -- Janis Joplin Lives Again in One Night With Janis -- Bette Midler Reclines as Sue Mengers

"I hate the conventional wisdom that men are supposedly complete pieces of s**t and it's our job as women to put up with them. Men are just as sensitive and easily victimized as women are...that drives me nuts. We're all humans and doing human stuff."

That's Lena Dunham, the creator and star of HBO's "Girls" chatting with David Rensin for Playboy. She is the most talked about, profiled, loved and not loved woman of the year (so far.)

And every other celebrity is asked about her, too. Lily Tomlin gives a fascinating interview to Vanity Fair online. Queried about Dunham's show she says: "You know, I don't have a profound judgment on it. I think it's too sexually focused. I think it should have a little more range. The sexuality is what is going to bring in the audience, and a lot of girls, I suppose, puzzling over what to do and what not to do or how to do it. Life is very different from the time I was 20 and the time Lena is... I don't try to speak for people that young. I'm not that young myself anymore. But my own sense of self -- I wouldn't give myself away that easily.

And while we have HBO on the brain, what a pity they couldn't see it through to allow Laura Dern's "Enlightened" series to continue for at least one more season. This was one of the most aggravatingly thought-provoking and poignant offerings on cable. Miss Dern, who created and produced it with Mike White was brilliant in a role meant to drive viewers crazy.

"Englightened" couldn't have cost a huge amount to make -- there were no castles, CGI, exotic locations or spectacular costumes. I'd suggest that Showtime pick it up, but that would probably mean Miss Dern would be required to go topless every episode. (I love Showtime, but sex and nudity are their yeasty bread and creamy butter.)

Oh, well. Congrats to Miss Dern and her "Enlightened" cast and crew. It was two fascinating seasons, kids.

• Out in Los Angeles, critics and audiences are raving about Randy Johnson's "One Night With Janis Joplin," starring Mary Bridget Davies as Joplin. Reaction to the show has been so positive -- it has played to equally ecstatic reviews in Washington D.C. and other spots across the country -- that theater types say the Great White Way is "One Night's..." next stop. It will play at Pasadena Playhouse until April 21.

For many years the story of Joplin's short, tragic life has been optioned for this or that various screen treatment. Nothing has ever jelled. I always say that the tale has already been told, under the title "The Rose." This was a fictionalized version of Janis, but the similarities were quite obvious. Especially as The Rose was played by Bette Midler in what is the greatest dramatic performance of her career. The phone booth scene alone (you fans know what I mean) should have won Bette the Oscar hands down. Midler was nominated, but lost to Sally Field. No offense to the talented two-time Oscar winner Sally -- so great with Daniel Day-Lewis as Mary Todd Lincoln -- but there was simply no comparison that year.

In any case, Joplin remains a fascinating figure, "The Judy Garland of Rock and Roll" as Rolling Stone rather cruelly noted. (Janis was not pleased with this comparison to the recently deceased Garland.) Maybe "One Night With Janis" will make it to Broadway and then finally the movies. Until then, we've got "The Rose."

• Speaking of the Divine Miss Midler, she will soon open on Broadway playing the late super-agent, recluse and scathing wit, Sue Mengers. The show is called "I'll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers."

In Vanity Fair, Bette admits to a bit of nervousness, because "I've never played a real-life person before." Well, there was the above mentioned "The Rose," but that was fictionalized. However, a number of years back, Bette, Nathan Lane and Stockard Channing made a rather odd movie titled "Isn't She Great." This purported to tell the story of novelist Jackie Susann. ("Valley of the Dolls" "Once Is Not Enough," etc) It was written by the talented Paul Rudnick. Everybody gave their all -- maybe they gave too much! But the film didn't seem to know what it wanted to be. Still, nothing with a cast like this is a waste of time.

The real problem for Bette, as Vanity Fair points out, is that she spends the entire 90 minutes of "I'll Eat You Last" reclining, just as Sue did in most of her later years. If you've ever seen Bette Mildler perform, onstage or onscreen, you know she is a tiny bundle of kinetic energy. Even standing still, she seems to vibrate. This will be a challenge. But for an actress of Bette's versatility and determination, I'm betting she'll turn that couch into a vibrating water bed, and Sue Mengers into one of her great characterizations.

Nick Symmonds, the star track runner and two-time Olympian is often referred to as "The Brad Pitt of Runners." His good looks and engaging personality have attracted a lot of female attention, including, briefly, Paris Hilton. But fast on his feet, Nick appears to dash off before anything gets too serious.

Now he has caught the eye of L.A. newswoman Christina Pascucci of KTLA Ch 5. She's a very sporty girl, which is a plus in her favor. They are texting madly.

Nick is now out of L.A. to begin his outdoor track season and his quest for a sixth straight U.S. title in the 800 meter race. This will give him an opportunity for the World Games in Moscow this summer.

Good luck Nick. But you could slow down just a bit, just enough to get caught. Perhaps even by Ms. Pascucci.

• "If a zombie presents an immediate danger and lethal force is necessary, then the zombie could be killed... since there is no statute of limitations on murder, it could be prosecuted long after the zombie apocalypse is over." This is James Daly, a lawyer at Stanford University, who took quite seriously Playboy's question about the TV series "The Walking Dead" -- is its hero committing a crime by killing all those zombies?

You can find some pretty funny stuff in Playboy. Well, at least I can.

?

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liz-smith/ill-eat-you-last-a-chat-with-sue-mengers_b_2932530.html

doobie brothers jennie garth peter facinelli marques colston golden state warriors free agents nfl 2012 milwaukee bucks bear grylls

Distance Doesn't Matter, I Still Think About You All Day Long ...

I never thought I?d say ?yes? to a long-distance relationship, but when you cupped my face and said sweetly, ?I really don?t want to break up,? I knew I was going to agree to anything you asked. I didn?t want to break up either. It seems painful to end a relationship, not because you?ve fallen out of love or done something unforgivable, but solely because your bodies are not in the same location. Our hearts are in this, I thought. We can do it.

But it?s hard. For many reasons. When we were together all the time, I thought about you in a warm, pleasant way but with no urgency. I knew I?d see you soon. Now that it?s never quite guaranteed, I?ve started being unable to think about anything else. You invade my thoughts and color everything. I?ve become desperate.

I thought maybe after we were forced to be apart, I?d get used to your absence. I?d start to like having my alone-time back. I?d start to morph back into the independent person I was before you. It hasn?t worked. The distance has only made me think about you more. All day long, in fact. I can?t stop thinking about you because I know it?s going to be a good long while before I see you again. It?s like my brain has to fill the ?you? quota because my body knows it won?t get what it needs.

I resent every minute I can?t be with you. I hate everything that keeps us apart. I hate school, I hate work, I hate obligations where we have to go and smile through gritted teeth and try and pay attention. I can?t pay attention because I can?t think about anything but you. I could see a loud, fantastic rock concert by my favorite band and the whole time I?d be thinking, ?I wonder what so-and-so is up to.? If I go for a run, I picture you running beside me. When I eat with friends, I wonder how the dynamic would change if you were here.

We can?t be together because we?re in different places. And we strive for connection, any we can get. Skype, phone calls, emails, texts, sending gifts. We have to try to touch with our hearts and minds since our bodies can not. It?s the worst. But it?s also a new, brilliant way of reaching each other. We get to share so much, because we?re getting to share so little in the way ?normal? couples do. We take what we can get.

I still have the shirt that smells like you. I wear it around the house to do chores, and because it makes me think you?re with me. It doesn?t help me to stop thinking about you, but it soothes the ache. I miss you, and I know we?ve made this decision to stay together and climb this hill together, but that doesn?t mean it?s easy. It?s so hard to try and force myself to do other things, to go out, to care about something other than you and what you might be doing off where ever you are.

I don?t want to be the person who isn?t listening when someone talks; instead, thinking about your eyes, your hair, your lips, your voice. But I can?t help it. You can?t tell yourself not to think about someone ? that?s just asking to think about them even more. It?s like riding a wave, I guess. I have to wait for this love to crest and fall and then I?ll finally be able to function knowing you?re so far away from me, with no end in sight.?

The distance doesn?t matter. It doesn?t erase you from my life. It doesn?t weaken your presence. It only makes you more important, more lovely, and more worth fighting for.

You should like Thought Catalog on Facebook here.

Tagged Bodies, Dating, Desperation, Distance, Hearts, Long Distance Relationships, Love, Phone, Relationships, Sex, skype

Source: http://thoughtcatalog.com/2013/distance-doesnt-matter-i-still-think-about-you-all-day-long/

Mcdonalds Restaurants Open on Christmas Day jessica simpson santa tracker happy holidays Stores Open On Christmas Day Santa Claus

Crowds pray with Pope Francis at start of holy week

Alessandra Tarantino / AP

Pope Francis arrives in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Sunday.

By F. Brinley Bruton, Staff Writer, NBC News

Crowds gathered in the Vatican to witness Pope Francis's first Palm Sunday celebration marking the start of the holy week of Easter in celebration of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.?

Tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square to be part of the Catholic Church's most important liturgical season. Sprigs of olive trees were distributed to the faithful in remembrance of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem before his crucifixion.

The new pontiff arrived in an uncovered car to start the ceremonies. Wearing bright red robes over a white cassock, Francis then walked along St. Peter's holding a palm frond and presided over the Mass from an altar sheltered by a canopy on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica.?

After Sunday's Mass, the Pope Francis will lead six more liturgies during the week, culminating with the Easter Sunday Mass and Urbi et Orbi blessing

On Saturday, Pope Francis and his predecessor Benedict prayed together before having lunch in a historic meeting.

The new pontiff had flown to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo in the Alban Hills outside of Rome by helicopter. Pope Benedict XVI has been living there since he resigned Feb. 28, becoming the first pope to step down in 600 years.Both men wore white papal outfits.

Father Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, said that Benedict and Francis had embraced at the helipad, then went to a private chapel to pray.

This is a developing story. Please check back for details.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related:

Pope Francis spoke of being 'dazzled' by girl, possible change of celibacy rule

Pope stuns newsstand owner by calling to cancel home delivery

Pope's personal touch with crowds a 'nightmare' for security, expert says

This story was originally published on Sun Mar 24, 2013 5:04 AM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/29eb9ae0/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C240C174377530Ecrowds0Epray0Ewith0Epope0Efrancis0Eat0Estart0Eof0Eholy0Eweek0Dlite/story01.htm

orrin hatch marlon byrd charles colson humber raffi torres michael mcdonald jon jones vs rashad evans

88% Django Unchained

February 25, 2013:

RT's Oscar Picks 2013 - Results
We at Rotten Tomatoes freely admit we're not the world's greatest Oscar prognosticators. Still, we...

February 24, 2013:

2013 Academy Awards Winners
The 85th Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 24th in Los Angeles, and if...

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/django_unchained_2012/

eli manning eli manning kelly clarkson national anthem halftime show super bowl halftime show 2012 ahmad bradshaw halftime super bowl 2012