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Show i Celebrate the New Year with a meteor shower Stormy skies and the glare of the nearly full moon may have spoiled our view of December's Geminids meteor shower but Utahns will get another chance to view a meteor shower when January's Quadrantids reaches its predicted peak during the early morning hours of Jan. 3. According to NASA Solar System Sys-tem Ambassador to Utah Patrick Wiggins, "Duringthe time of the peak, observers located away from city-light pollution may see over 100 meteors per hour." And as a bonus, the peak occurs when the moon is not in the sky, making mak-ing rural skies even darker, increasing in-creasing chances of a good show. Now if only the weather weath-er will cooperate. The Quadrantids and most other showers, are best observed ob-served between midnight and sunrise as it's at that time the observer's place on earth is more directly facing the oncoming meteoroid swarm. Meteor showers get their names from the constellation from which the meteors appear. ap-pear. For example August's Scholarship promotes language study abroad The National Security Language Lan-guage Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) (NSLI-Y) program is offering 550 full scholarships to American high school students so they can study abroad and learn languages that most students do not have opportunities oppor-tunities to learn, but are rapidly becoming critical to know. Sponsored by the U.S. State Department, NSLI-Yis designed to increase Americans' capacity to engage foreign governments and peoples through the critical languages of Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Hindi, Korean, Russian, and Turkish. The program is administered by a team of organizations including includ-ing AFS-USA, American Councils Coun-cils for International Education, Concordia Language Villages, and iEARN-USA. Together, they will award U.S. government funding in the form of full scholarships schol-arships to 550 U.S. high school and just-graduated students, ages 15-18, to participate in 6 to 8 week, one-semester, or full-year language programs in countries where these languages are widely spoken. "Recent years have demonstrated demon-strated how important it is that Americans learn languages of countries that will be prominent in the 21st Century," said Lisa Choate, vice president of the American Councils for Interna W9TCH OUT GirLS... I 'v I He's Tan. ; : - J He's LeaN . - - y aND He's tuning r::' 16! Happy Birthday David floral Contemporary or Traditional ' : Wm to- Perseids seem to pour out of the constellation Perseus and December's Geminids from Gemini. The same applies to the Quadrantids however their ancient constellation, Quadrans Muralis is no longer recognized. "Many people call meteors falling stars or shooting stars." says Wiggins. "They're actually tiny specks of rock that burn up and turn to ash when they slam into the Earth's extreme upper atmosphere." Telescopes and binoculars should not be used to view this or any meteor shower because they so severely restrict the observer's field of view. Wiggins notes that his favorite fa-vorite winter meteor observing equipment consists of nothing more than a lawn chair, sleeping bag and something hot to drink. Some "Quads" may also' be seen the morning before and the morning after the peak but their numbers will almost certainly be far fewer. For additional astronomical information log on to Wiggins' Solar System Ambassador web site at http:utahastro.info. tional Education. "Students in this scholarship program will be well-positioned for careers in a wide range of fields. " Programs immerse participants partici-pants in language acquisition courses throughout their stay in the host country. Students live with a host family, gaining invaluable formal and informal language practice and sparking a lifetime interest in foreign languages and cultures. Students will attend school and interact with international students in person and through online technologies. tech-nologies. Students wishing to apply for full scholarships must: be U.S. citizens, be 15-18 years of age and enrolled in high school at the time of application,; and have at least a 2.5 GPA. Students may participate in the program during high school or during the "gap year" between high school and college. Beginning language students are invited to participate, although al-though all levels of instruction are available. Fluency is not required, but students with oral and written experience in the program languages are especially valued for their experience. For more information about the scholarship and to apply online, visit www.NSLIforyouth. org. & Unique Gins Fresh Silk Funerals Weddings Punts Delivery 759 West Highway 40 Vernal. UT 435-781-2079 435-790-3717 Inside Basin Appliances Shopping Center Vernal FIRE SAFETY TIPS As we enter into the colder months heating related safety is of utmost concern. The majority major-ity of fire deaths occur during winter, and they are often related to inadequate heating systems or the improper use of heating systems. Following general safety guidelines can help keep your home and family safe. ELECTRIC HEATERS Electric heaters should have automatic safety switches to turn them off if tipped over. They also should carry the UL approval label. Be sure to check cords before plugging in the heater. If frayed, worn, or broken, do not use. Either replace the heater or have an electrician replace the cord. Just putting tape on the cord is not enough to prevent overheating and fire. Never use extension cords with portable heaters. To supply a heater with a small, ordinary household extension ex-tension cord will cause the cord to overheat and burn. Keep all materials that can burn at least 36 inches away from unit. KEROSENE HEATERS Many kerosene heater related re-lated fires are attributed to the misuse or abuse of the device. Get started on the right foot by purchasing a heater that carries the UL label. This means it has been tested for safety. Be sure it has an automatic safety switch to shut it off if it's tipped over. An automatic starter eliminates the need for matches and makes for safer starts. A fuel gauge will help ensure you do not overfill the heater dangerously. A safety grill on the front can prevent accidental ac-cidental contact burns. Be sura to follow the manufacturer's v instructions for assembly. Use only crystal-clear IK kerosene; never use yellow or contaminated kerosene or any other fuel. Fill it only outside. Kerosene should be stored outside in a metal container con-tainer with a tight-fitting lid that is clearly marked for kerosene. When using kerosene heaters, be sure the room is well ventilated. Opening a door to an adjoining room or area may be enough. Better Bet-ter yet, slightly open a window in the room. WOOD HEATERS Wood stoves and other wood burning devices are popular heating heat-ing systems. Before investing AT GET THE JOB DOME! Call Tonya at 789-3511 to place your classified ad today! Balloon Bouquets Fruit Baskets Cookie Baskets Plush Specialty Baskets Available -II If aw Express in one for your home, think as much about safety as you will about ease of use, efficiency and appearance. Have your stove installed by a professional. Keep a tight-fitting screen or glass door in front of the stove or fireplace at all times. Special retaining screens can keep children and pets away from wood stoves and prevent burns. Dispose of ashes in metal containers, never in a paper bags, cardboard boxes, or plastic wastebaskets. Soak ashes with water to cool them thoroughly. Remember, ashes can retain enough heat to cause a fire for several days, so take no chances. Although these tips should help prevent a fire, know the signs of danger. A loud roar, sucking sounds and shaking pipes mean trouble and danger. If you hear these sounds, get everyone ev-eryone out of the house. Quickly shut off the fire's air supply by closing any air intake vents in the firebox. Close the damper. Call the fire department from a nearby phone. Huntsman releases report on 21st Century workforce Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. released of a report last week recommending steps to prepare Utah's workforce for the 21st Century. "This report offers a serious assessment of where we are as a state and what we need to ensure we have a competitive workforce," work-force," Huntsman said in a press release. "This is a comprehensive look at I our children,; our current work-j force and those in the job market today. We need an across the board, systemic approach to ensure they have the skills to prosper in an increasingly competitive com-petitive global economy." The report outlines 10 ways Utah can improve its approach to workforce development. Prominent Promi-nent themes include lifelong learning beginning with early childhood education, prepara Mew Years Eve at Cassidy's Club! Massadona playing! (Massadona will also be at Cassidy's Club January 2nd & 3rd) Make your reservtions Reservations for dinner only. Prime Rib $22.45 Ribeye Steak 1350 East Main St. (turn at the pink dinosaur) 789-8700 A PRIVATE CLUB FOR MEMBERS till tie, dofoi I btcfo ig leg fativ ptacci. 4 told w&tv cput tjougtb'tioie placet. - n II - .. ,-JJI 1 .11 I ::' XJ)fX 789-7290 .nUsLh.-' ' 3 19 West 100 South Vernal Chiropractic Physician t (Behind Showalter Ford Showroom) Wednesday, Education board elects new leaders By Amy K. Stewart Deseret News The State Board of Education has elected a new chairwoman and vice chairwoman. Debra Roberts, of Beaver, District Dis-trict 15, will be the board chairwoman. chair-woman. She replaces Richard Sadler, of Ogden, District 4. He is not returning to the board after his term expires in January. Dixie Allen, of Vernal, District 14, will be the board vice chairwoman. chair-woman. She replaces Mark Cluff, Reform task force looks at required student insurance SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A proposal from a health care reform re-form task force would require students at state colleges and universities to have health insurance. insur-ance. The Legislature will take up a bill on student health insurance at some point during the session that starts in January, though what form it will take hasn't been decided. The state is developing programs pro-grams to reduce the number tion for some form of post-high school training or education, a collaborative approach to 21st Century skill learning and development, de-velopment, and greater parental involvement and awareness. These would be facilitated, according to the report, by a system-wide alignment of efforts using workforce as an organizing principle. More than 100 individuals from across the state participated in a total of nearly 5,000 hours of discussion and analysis during the summer and fall of 2008 to develop the report's recommendations. recommen-dations. Participants included educators, state leaders in education, educa-tion, technical training experts, business leaders, entrepreneurs, community advocates, labor leaders, teacher organization representatives, and govern- by Noon on New Years Eve. & Shrimp $29.95 ONLY. December 31, 2008 B3 of Alpine, District 12. Cluff is not returning to the board after his term expires in January. Cluff said he will continue to be involved in education. He is going go-ing to be on the board of Parents for Choice in Education, a grassroots grass-roots organization that promotes education innovation. "I feel, for the strength of education edu-cation in Utah, we have to rely on the parents and they need to be empowered and understand their responsibility and the education process," Cluff said. of Utahns who have no health insurance, and college students form a part of the 18-to-34 age group the state wants to target. tar-get. Addingyoung, healthy people who pay premiums but don't typically use a lot of medical services ser-vices would help dilute insurance pools. Surveys show most students who don't have insurance could buy it but choose not to because they don't think it's essential. ment agencies responsible for economic development and workforce services. In January, Huntsman will, convene and chair a group of key stakeholders including leaders from education, business and government to establish a process pro-cess for addressing the report's ' recommendations. This group will continue to coordinate and over see efforts across agencies to prepare Utah?s workforce for the 21st Century, using the report as a guide. Ongoing input from stakeholders stake-holders will be essential to this multi-year effort, the governor's office said. In the early stages of the effort, there will be an opportunity op-portunity for public feedback on the report's recommendations. The report may be viewed on the governor's Web site at governor.utah.gov under Quick Links & Information. Buy or Sell with the Classifieds in the Vernal Express! Call Tonya at 789-3511 to place your classified ad today! |