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The article discusses how opening of recreation centers only until midnight in Los Angeles, California helped in checking the increasing youth gang violence. These centers were made to offer free meals, sports, concerts, movies, discussions, mentoring, and a host of community-chosen programs to lure young people, keep them busy and happy. After these steps were taken, the eight Summer Night Lights neighborhoods experienced a 17 percent drop in overall violent crime.

The article reports that having access to an automated external defibrillation (AED) can be crucial in the event of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Estimates of the annual number of SCA cases in the U.S. range from 250,000 to 350,000. However, 19 of every 20 victims die, in large part, because they don't receive initial treatment such as CPR and AED shocks in time. INSET: Where AEDs Are Going.

The article presents information on the construction and maintenance of golf courses in environment-friendly ways. The U.S. Golf Association (USGA) has developed a set of environmental management principles, and organizations, including the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, have taken up the cause. Anthony Williams, superintendent of Stone Mountain Golf Club in Georgia, has instituted a water quality testing program and allows non-playable areas return to their natural state. INSET: Environmental Conservation Through Play.

The article presents information on youth sports and recreation that will be held in the U.S. during the weekend in July 2009. Hundreds of teenaged boys and girls will gather at the parking lot of the Thompson Boat Center on the Potomac River for rowing. Josh Sheffield's soccer team will takes the field in Madison, Alabama, near Huntsville. Teams consisting of youth younger will meet in lacrosse game in the first national tournament.

The article offers information on certain people known as liveaboards who make their homes on boats. Jaye Lunsford, an environmental analyst with the U.S. Geological Survey, lives on a sailboat docked on Back Creek in the Port Annapolis Marina, Maryland. Liveaboards may live on sailboats or powerboats ranging in size from 20-something feet to 40-50 footers. Sami Shreve gave up her career in television advertising to move full time onto their 44-foot-long sailboat.

This article discusses a "National Geographic" article published in a 1946 edition of the magazine. The article titled "Palestine Today" by Francis Chase Jr. offered few hints of the decades of conflicts to come between Jews and Palestinians. The article focused on the area along the Sea of Galilee where an Arab village and a Jewish collective farm existed side by side.

Presents several photographs and excerpts from the February,1925, issue of "National Geographic," which presented one article chronicling a 5,000-mile journey across Africa from Cairo to Cape Town. Observation that the American public was largely unfamiliar with Africa in 1925, and the writer, Felix Shay, was not very objective or sensitive to other cultures.

Presents photographs and captions from the article "Back to Afghanistan," by Maynard Owen Williams and published in 1946. Photograph of Ghanzi, a fortress in Afghanistan; Depiction of the Bamain Buddha, a stone carving; Images of a coppersmith in Kabul; Photograph of a movie poster in Kabul.

Focuses on some artists who have been named National Heritage Fellows by the National Endowment for the Arts. Criteria for granting the award; History of Santos carving in northern New Mexico; Expertise of Kaui Zuttermeister in traditional hula; Family background of missionary Dewey Balfa.

The article presents information on the design of a playground at Thatcher Brook Elementary School in Vermont. The innovative design of the playground encourages creative play and learning using elements from the natural world. The school's principal Don Schneider the children at his school get creative in the playground as they always find new things to do.

The article focuses on Greece. According to U.S. Consul General as of December 1922, Alexander Wilbourne Weddell, to every one sensitive to historical suggestion, to every one to whom beauty makes the supreme appeal, the first sight of this immortal city of Greece becomes the moment of a lifetime. Even in ruins, the Parthenon, the great temple of Athena Parthenos crowning the Acropolis, is the chief glory of Greece. Dedicated in 438 B.C., it was erected during the rule of Pericles under the supervision of Pheldias, greatest of ancient Greek sculptors.

Environmental scientist Roman Dial wanted to investigate the forest canopy via the equivalent of snorkeling, by moving laterally through the canopy from tree to tree. Dial and his colleagues went to forests in Borneo and Australia with support from the Society's Expeditions Council, to test out a method designed to give them that freedom. Once in the canopy, they used ropes and pulleys to slide between trees on horizontal traverses as long as 700 feet.

Presents news briefs about geography and wildlife as of October 1995. Types of aquatic animals inhabiting Movile Cave in Romania; Analysis of structural engineer James O'Kon regarding a bridge in the ancient Maya city of Yaxchilan, Mexico; How the diet of the Masai people of Kenya prevents heart disease.

Reports on a rock discovered in the North Pacific Ocean which may be a piece of a meteorite believed to have ended the era of the dinosaurs. Discovery of the rock by geochemist Frank T. Kyte; Dating of the rock to the Cretaceous period.

Reports on the discovery of a horoscope charted by 16th-century German astronomer Johannes Kepler for Austrian nobleman Hans Hannibal Hutter von Huttershofen. Reasons Kepler charted the horoscope; Discovery of the chart by Anthony Misch of California's Lick Observatory.

Reports on the effects of time and the elements on architect Frank Lloyd Wright's residential masterpiece, Fallingwater. Problems with the structure; Restoration by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which operates the edifice.

Reports on thousands of fossils found in Brazil's Toca da Boa Vista cave. Comments from Walter Hartwig, co-leader of the cave's first scientific survey; Details of the fossils and what may have caused the animals' extinction.

Reports an increase in the popularity of country music in Japan. Efforts of musician Charlie Nagatani to introduce the music and United States culture to the Japanese people; Popularity of Country Gold, an annual country music festival; Why this can be seen as an example of culture's globalization.

Reports the discovery of Indian rock art near San Angelo, Texas. Impact of the winter solstice on the painting at Paint Rock; Comments of R. Robert Robbins, a University of Texas astronomer; Origin of the paintings, according to oral history.

Reports the discovery of fossils in Palm Springs, California. Comments of Kathleen Springer, a San Bernardino County Museum paleontologist; Examples of the fossils found, including mastodons, camels, black bears and birds; How the fossils were discovered during the construction of a water reservoir.

Offers statistics of champagne production and consumption. How many bottles are expected to be consumed on New Year's Eve, 1999, compared with New Year's Eve, 1998; Impact of a bountiful grape harvest in the Champagne region of France from 1995 to 1997.

Reports activities at the annual Night of the Radishes in Oaxaca, Mexico on December 23. Details of the radish carving contest, which has been held every year since 1897; Awards for carvers, including honor and small cash prizes; Efforts of Delfino Garcia Esperanza.

Reports that DNA research has shown a Y-chromosome marker which indicates a common male ancestor of the Native Americans. Percentage of American Indian populations with the marker; Diversity of people who carry the marker.

Reports that excavations at Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire, once a leading Shaker community, unveiled the probability that the Shakers were often a part of mainstream America. Common image of the religious sect; Efforts of David R. Starbuck.

Reports that scientists sent a rosebud into space with John Glenn and his fellow astronauts in 1998. Analysis at the International Flavors & Fragrances, which showed that its overall aroma was only half as strong as that of an earthbound flower.

Mentions that wooden objects collected by Cuban fisherman have been linked to a village of the Taino, who dominated the Antilles until the Spanish conquered the islands in the 16th century. Mention of the uncovered remains of at least two dozen structures buried in the mud.

Reports on the significance of scientists Timothy Tokaryk and Wendy Sloboda's discovery of pieces of bones present in the coprolite of Tyrannousaurus rex. Indication that the T. rex crushed its prey rather than swallowing it whole.

Cites the results of a study on the DNA of charred 3,300-years-old wheat grains found in the storage areas at Assiros in northern Greece. Gene responsible for the presence of a protein that yield springy leavened bread.

Reports on archeologist Saburo Sugiyama's discovery of a human burial site in Teotihuacan's Pyramid of the Moon in Mexico. Description of the excavated skeleton of a male; Other artifacts found at the site.

Reports on the 75th anniversary of the Craters of the Moon National Monument in southern Idaho in 1999. Presence of the three Apollo 11 astronauts in the celebration.

Reports on the discovery of artifacts and archeological remains from Camp Hearne, a World War II prisoners of war camp for Germans in Texas. Archeology student Michael Waters' discovery of the site and interviews with German survivors.

Reports that anthropologist Oystein S. LaBianca has discovered underground caves in Jordan. Use of the caves during the winter season; Features of the caves.

Reports that the California Science Center in Los Angeles has a display of a 50-foot-long anatomically correct figure that demonstrates how the body maintains homeostasis. Features of the figure.

Reports on the significance of the discovery of a 110 million year old turtle fossil in a limestone deposit in Brazil on the study of the evolution of sea turtles. Evidence which shows that turtles may venture into the sea even before the complete development of rigid paddles.

Speculates that vampire legends may be related to rabies outbreaks in Europe in the 18th century. Start of proliferation of vampire tales during a rabies outbreak.

Cites the results of Australian physicist Rod Cross' research stating that baseball bats have a `sweet zone' from 5.9 to seven inches where batters hit the ball best. Bat's striking of the ball within the zone with minimal bat vibration and less of an impulse for the batter's arms to jerk.

States that scientists agree that Australopithecus afarensis, the hominid whose best known fossil representative is nicknamed Lucy, got around Africa on two legs, among the first human ancestors known to do that. How Robin Crompton tested the two competing theories of Lucy's gait.

Presents information on the church uncovered by a team of archaeologists in Aila, now known as Al Aqabah, Jordan. Team led by Thomas Parker of North Carolina State University; Their discovery of coins and pottery; Dating of the church; Historic importance it represents among discoveries of early Christian churches.

Provides information on a constellation of low-Earth-orbit satellites launched by Iridium, a telecommunications company. Description of the satellites; Purpose of the satellites.

Reports on the discovery of archaeologists in Blombos Cave, South Africa, wherein they found evidence that humans living there 80,000 to 95,000 years ago behaved in ways that experts term modern. Description of the archaeologists' findings.

Reports that a newly paved road in Zanzibar has caused the deaths of many red colobus monkeys. The number of endangered monkeys living near the Jozani Forest Reserve that are killed each year; Duke University biologist Tom Struhsaker's lobbying for speedbumps to be put on the stretch of road near the reserve.

Questions whether Homo erectus sailed in light of the many tools found on the Indonesian island of Flores, dated between 800,000 and 900,000 years ago. Suggestion that the absence of ancient animals found on nearby islands rules out the chance that a prehistoric land bridge linked them to Flores.

Discusses artifacts found at the archaeological site of the capital of Urkesh, which controlled vital copper trade routes in what is now northeastern Syria. Details about the findings of archaeologists Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati, including a cuneiform tablet and animal figures.

Presents brief details about the excavation of a wooden ship that sank in 85 feet of water off Turkey's southwestern coast nearly 1,200 years ago by Fred Hocker. Evidence that a so-called person of means may also have been aboard; Items that the crew of eight carried.

Mentions the currency of the Eritreans called the nakfa, named for a northern Eritrean town, a rebel stronghold. Comment made by ambassador to the United States Semere Russom.

Highlights English-born Alan Owston, collector of Asian animal life. Brief background information; Organizations that hold part of his collections, including the Smithsonian Institution.

Suggests that music in a supermarket played a role in the buying choices of consumers, according to a study by researcher Jennifer McKendrick et al. Brief mention of results.

Suggests that a shrew-sized mammal that lived in Australia 115 million years ago may have been a placental mammal. The discovery of a jaw by Thomas Rich and Patricia Vickers-Rich in a long-term Society-funded search for Cretaceous fossils.

Discusses interest in primitive spear throwing that has been stimulated by the World Atlatl Association. Use of the atlatl, a hooked stick that projects the spear; Brief details about the device, made at least 17,000 years ago in Europe and known on every populated continent but Africa.