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Source: http://singhvijoy.blogspot.com/2013/03/tartan-cavalryman-self-improvement.html

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South Africa says Mandela's condition has improved

By Ed Stoddard

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The condition of South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela has improved further, the government said on Sunday, as the 94-year-old anti-apartheid hero spent a fourth day in hospital receiving treatment for pneumonia.

"Nelson Mandela had a restful day," South Africa's presidency said in a statement, adding doctors treating him had reported "a further improvement in his condition".

"Government is satisfied that the doctors are providing the former president with the best medical care possible to enable his recovery and comfort," the statement said.

In their first detailed report of his condition, doctors said on Saturday that Mandela had "developed a pleural effusion which was tapped", meaning they had drained excess fluid from around his lungs.

It is his third visit to hospital in four months, raising new concerns about the health of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president in 1994, is revered at home and abroad for leading the struggle against white minority rule, then promoting the cause of racial reconciliation when in power.

He stepped down as president in 1999 and has not been politically active for around a decade.

President Jacob Zuma on Sunday thanked "the thousands of South Africans who prayed for Madiba at various Easter church services during the weekend." Madiba is Mandela's clan name.

"We also thank foreign governments for their messages of support," Zuma said. Global figures such as U.S. President Barack Obama have sent get well messages.

In the Regina Mundi Catholic Church in the sprawling black township of Soweto that Mandela once called home, worshippers attending Easter service prayed for the man seen by many as the father of their nation.

"We hear that the government tells us that he's okay, that he's still undergoing treatment for his lung condition, and as I say, we pray that God's healing hand may be upon him," Father Sebastian Russouw said during the service.

Mandela was in hospital briefly earlier in March for a check-up and spent nearly three weeks in hospital in December with a lung infection and after surgery to remove gallstones.

He has a history of lung problems dating back to when he contracted tuberculosis as a political prisoner.

He spent 27 years in prison on Robben Island off South Africa's Atlantic coast and other jails for his attempts to overthrow apartheid rule.

(Additional reporting by Pascal Fletcher and Shafiek Tassiem; Editing by Sophie Hares)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-africas-mandela-spends-fourth-day-hospital-172359241.html

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Senate group resolves key issues on immigration reform: lawmakers (reuters)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295796145?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Thinking, Reading, Writing, and Speaking Skills Are Better ...

Six years ago, the video ?Shift Happens? (2007) was featured at our school?s professional development day. I clearly remember one take-away:

We are currently preparing students for jobs that don?t exist using technologies that do not exist in order to solve problems we don?t even know are problems yet.

The video was created by Karl Fisch, and modified by Scott McLeod.?The slides provided statistics on the rapid exponential growth in population and in information, highlighting the differences between the present and what was successful in the past, specifically England?s position on the world stage in 1900. Several slides are alarming in calling attention to the building tsunami of information available to students with examples such as ? there is more information in a week?s worth of the?The New York Times?than what an average person knew in the 1700s?. Since 2007, there have been several updated versions of ?Shift Happens? uploaded to YouTube; there have also been many imitations.

I thought of this video this week when I drove past a sign on a large office building: Strategic Information Technologies.

?What does that mean?? I asked my friend Catherine, ?Is the technology stategic because of geography? Strategic because of a choice of software or hardware?? I continued, ?I don?t know what a ?strategic information technologist? does?Is this one of the unknown new jobs were are ?preparing? our 21st Century students to take?? I referenced the video.

?That?s ridiculous!? Catherine responded, ?The people who ?prepared? us for the 21st Century were not worried about what new jobs would be?available?in our future. In fact,? she continued, ?they taught us what they knew?what they thought we should know, and we are doing just fine.?

I was startled. Could a ?Shift Happens? video place a misguided emphasis on adjusting skills and content in order to prepare students for the unidentified problems they?don?t even know are problems yet?

?After all,? she continued, ?We are the generation that created these new technologies that we didn?t know would exist today.?

When I reflect on her statement I think about how my favorite teachers in grades K-12 ?(Sister Ella, Mrs. Rowland, Miss Montessi) were not obsessed with preparing me for some unidentified job in the future. Instead, their collective obsession was to prepare me with basic skills and content so that I could be a productive member of?society? I was taught to think, to read well, write well, speak well, know math, appreciate history, recognize science, and, since I attended Catholic school, recite my?Catechism.

Perhaps, educators cannot predict the future for their students, but educators can address trends. For example, in 1957, the American public began to reconsider how the role of public education may contribute to winning the Space Race with the Soviets once Sputnik had been released. The investments in education made as a consequence resulted in increased scientific advancements and many spin-off technologies. In contrast, however, predictions such as those at the?1964 NY World?s Fair of a future with flying cars, jet packs, vacation trips to Mars and beyond, underwater cities, and robot laborers have never came to fruition.

Similarly, Karl Fisch?s video alerted educators to the rapid changes in education and the global implications in preparing students for the real world. He wrote:

??it?s a different world out there. A world whereanyone?s?ideas can quickly spread if they happen to strike a chord.?

This was certainly true of the ?Shift Happens? video which had great success without??a large company or a huge public relations effort to make an impact.? Fisch continued:

This is just one of the reasons that I believe our schools need to change. They need to change to reflect this new world, this flatter world, this information-abundant, globally connected, rapidly changing, technology super-charged world that they are going to spend the rest of their lives in.

Fisch made no silly ?predictions? like those at the NY World?s Fair. Instead, his video served to bring attention to trends that require an increase in the skills of ?communication and sharing information.

In order to communicate and to share, students from grades K-12 must think, read well, write well, and speak well regardless as to what predictions are being made about new industries or technologies.?In trying to anticipate the future, educators must not discount how the generations of students who learned these important skills became the graduates who are now responsible for evolving changes of the present.

Shift is not an entirely new enterprise on the world stage, for example, ?the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution are all examples of global ?shifts?. In the six short years since the ?Shift Happens? video, Facebook has replaced MySpace as the world?s most?formidable?social network; Twitter has evolved into a powerful communication tool. The role of educators is not ?to predict the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates or company that will spawn new jobs or dominate an industry or the next ?shift?. Instead, the role of educators must be to teach the skills of thinking, reading, writing, and speaking well that contributed to the ?shift? that is happening for our students.

There is no surprise that ?Shift Happens?, and the students who are prepared to think, to read well, to write well, and to speak well will not be surprised either.

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Source: http://usedbooksinclass.com/2013/03/30/thinking-reading-writing-and-speaking-skills-are-better-predictors-when-shift-happens/

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U.S. Navy Funding Development Of Giant Jellyfish Robot

We've already seen drones shaped like various animals, including humming birds and dogs. Next is one made to look (and swim) like a jellyfish.

Cyro, which measures 5 feet 7 inches in diameter and weighs 170 pounds, moves through the water effortlessly, researchers say. Its design is based on Cyanea capillata, the giant lion's mane jellyfish indigenous to the cold waters of Arctic, the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

It is being developed at a lab at Virginia Tech, funded by a grant from the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center and the Office of Naval Research. There's a video at Geek.com, which says:

"Cryo consists of a central core of components in a waterproof shell connected to eight moving arms. Draped over this is a large and soft piece of white silicone, which comes into contact with each of the arms and remains flexible. Combined, the arms and silicone act as a propulsion system mimicking how real jellyfish move around."

Discovery News says it will be used for "ocean monitoring, exploration, and even clean-up in the case of an oil spill":

" ... the team hopes Cyro can operate underwater continuously for weeks or even months. That's the goal anyway. Next the engineers say they want to refine the robot, reducing energy consumption and improving its swimming abilities in collaboration with several partner universities."

The article doesn't say, but considering where the source of funding for the five-year project and Cyro's superb ability to camouflage at sea, it would be a fair guess that it's being considered for more than just taking water temperatures and cleanup.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/03/29/175713635/u-s-navy-funding-development-of-giant-jellyfish-robot?ft=1&f=1007

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Canadian Natural Mama ~ Product Reviews: Saul Good

That's right.

?

This is not your regular grocery store fruit basket delivery.

? Seriously.

It is so far from it it's not even funny.

Have you ever been the recipient of a gift basket?

Have you ever GIVEN a gift basket?

What's SO cool about Saul Good, is that not only are the products gourmet, but they are all LOCAL to Vancouver and the surrounding BC area. Yep, that's right. LOCAL. So not only are you giving an awesome gift that isn't just going to sit on a shelf, but you are supporting a ton of different local companies all at once.

Saul Good also partners up with organizations that are working towards improving people's lives.

Love that!

" For products that are made here but sourced from other places, our coffee gift baskets being a prime example, we make sure that the entire chain of supply is fair trade. You can be sure that everyone who was involved in our gift baskets are being treated fairly and that we are continually working to make our company, as well as our gift boxes, as environmentally sound as possible."

Why do more companies not have those standards?

There are more than a few "baskets" to choose from:

Which one sounds like something you would be interested in?

Each heading also has a selection of options within, so you are guaranteed to find something in your price range to suit your needs.

I, myself, received a sample box, and it was too beautiful for me to even really SAMPLE at first.

It took me an entire week to even really open anything.

Does that sound lame?
You have to see the quality of these boxes.

The box itself is made of 100% recycled materials and wrapped in plain, brown paper and is not only solid, but ultra-cool, AND re-usable as well.

LOOK, it's VANCOUVER!

How cool is that!?

Ta-da!

Inside.

Like, I said.

I could not even eat anything at first.

The presentation of this gift box was just so amazing.

However, I caved, and the very first thing I tried was the Wendy Boys Vanilla Salt Caramels.

mmmmmm.

Who can resist chocolate anyways!?

?Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Peanut butter and milk chocolate.

Delicious.

And packaged sweetly in the cutest little cardboard box stamped with Saul Good Gift Co.?

(as you can see pictured in the bottom right)

Up next was the Pretzel Nut Mix covered in Caramel Sauce by Wendy Boys.

My family is full of big pretzel lovers.

These pretzels were unlike anything we had tried before.

Sweet, salty AND spicy.

Then...

Milk Chocolate Covered Caramelized Pistachios by Beta 5 Chocolate.

Cannot say that I have EVER seen chocolate covered pistachios before.?

They were a HIT.

A pen was also included, made from 100% recycled plastic packaging, and printed with Saul Good's logo.

Thanks guys! I actually really needed a pen for my bag, and now that I have one, I can brag about your awesome company wherever I go.

Definitely a winning gift basket if I have ever seen one.

Seriously, NOTHING to be thrown out or forgotten.

If this was just a SAMPLING, I would be amazed to see the full-sized baskets.

Like this one...

Have someone visiting from out of town this year? Planning on showing them around town? Why not provide them with an awesome gift box to give them a real taste of Vancouver, too.

?Key to Vancouver.

"There are no platitudes lofty enough to describe the products that make up ?The Key to Vancouver.? Alas, we must rely on clich?? this is the best of the best, not to mention the biggest. It is the cream skimmed off the top of our finest collection of savoury snacks and delicate confections. It is the spare-no-expense-OMG-wow-just-wow gift created to communicate to your colleagues and clients just how incredibly special and important they are to you and your business."

Cannot really say it any better than that.
Vancouver really is filled with an amazing array of beautiful little shops and eateries.
This gift box, is just a sampling of what our beautiful city has to offer.
Really, it would be impossible to fit EVERYTHING in, but Saul sure has given it his best effort and I am truly impressed.

?What about:

?When I had an office job, I wish that we would have had snacks like THESE in our lunchroom.

The Corner Office Party Includes:

• Pretzel Nut Mix with Caramel Sauce, 100g by Cocolico,?Vancouver, BC
• Hand-cut Heirloom Tomato Salsa by Vista D?oro Farms,?South Langley, BC
• Organic Tomato Tortilla Chips by Hippie Chips, Burnaby,?BC
• Asian Sesame Almonds by Dave + Friends, Burnaby, BC
• Organic Pineapple by Level Ground, Victoria, BC
• Vanilla Salt Caramels, 2pc by Cocolico, Vancouver, BC
• Dark Chocolate & Cocoa Okanagan Cherries, 160g by?BETA 5, Vancouver, BC
• White Chocolate Covered Blueberries, 120g by BETA 5,?Vancouver, BC
• Peanut Butter Cookies by Kitcheing & Co, Surrey, BC
• Chocolate Ginger Cookies by Kitcheing & Co, Surrey, BC
• Dark Chocolate Covered Sponge Toffee, Cocolico by?Wendy Boys, Vancouver, BC
• Hand-made Poppycock by Cocolico, Vancouver, BC
• Butter Salt Caramels, 12pc by Cocolico, Vancouver, BC

Yummm!!! What a great gift to give someone with a new job, or promotion.

New office, new Saul Good box. Yep. The two really do go hand in hand. The best thing about these snacks, is that you know that they are quality. All items have had to pass Saul Good's strict guidelines and rules in order to even be included.?

Snacks that you can feel good about in this day in age, are snacks that are GOOD with me!?

No need to worry about over processed JUNK here.

Saul Good not only offers food incorporated boxes but also really cool options PERFECT for real estate agents, or for friends/family that have just moved.

Welcome Home Gift Baskets.

Seven awesome gift baskets in various price ranges, all filled to the brim with amazing products.

From cleaning products, to metal water bottles, to reusable snack wraps, to notebooks these baskets have anything you might need... and MORE.

For example:

Contents:
Cucumber All Purpose Cleaning Spray

- Method, San Francisco, CA
Mint + Eucalyptus Window & Glass Cleaner

- Method, San Francisco, CA
Sea Minerals Hand Wash

- Method, San Francisco, CA
Remarkable Micro Fiber Cleaning Cloth

- AspenClean, North Vancouver, BC
Sea Minerals Hand Wash Refill

- Method, San Francisco, CA
Free + Clear Laundry Liquid Pump, 25 loads

- Method, San Francisco, CA
Lil' Bowl Blu Toilet Bowl Cleaner

- Method, San Francisco, CA
Clementine Dish Pump

- Method, San Francisco, CA
Smarty Dishwasher Detergent Tabs

- Method, San Francisco, CA

I would have flipped with excitement if we had have received a basket like that when we moved into our new home two years ago. It's totally the little things like that, that really help show you care.

A gift AND eco friendly products.?

So cool!?

Now that is a house-warming basket, hey!?

Perfect for Mother's Day, new baby, birthday gift, or just because.

Organic Shea Butter Hand Balm,1/2oz Travel Tin

- Kama Soap, Saltspring Island, BC
Organic Shea Butter Foot Balm,1/2oz Travel Tin

- Kama Soap, Saltspring Island, BC
All Good Lips, Organic Lip Balm

- Elemental Herbs, USA
Lavender Mineral Bath

- Kama Soap, Saltspring Island, BC
Lime & Lavender Bar Soap

- Kama Soap, Saltspring Island, BC
Natural Sea Sponge

- Urban Spa, Toronto, ON
Bamboo Bristled Nail Brush

- Urban Spa, Toronto, ON
Volcanic Pumice Stone

- Urban Spa, Toronto, ON
Mint Tea Hand & Body Wash

- Naked Soapworks, Bowen Island, BC
Beeswax Votive Candle

- Queen Bee Candle Company, Vancouver, BC
All Good Goop, Organic Healing Balm

- Elemental Herbs, USA
Brown Sugar Face Scrub

- Naked Soapworks, Bowen Island, BC
Ojai Massage Oil

- Naked Soapworks, Bowen Island, BC

?Now those are some amazing products.

? I just love the little extras and care that goes into hand selecting each item and packaging each SO carefully and creatively.?

The attention to detail is amazing.

You can tell that each box is packaged with care, and love by someone that really cares about what they do, and what their company stands for.

Every filler is 100% recycled, from the beautiful paper shreddings, to the cardboard boxes themselves, to the brown paper the whole thing is wrapped in.

I never thought 100% recycled could look so GOOD.

Don't see a gift box that suits your needs?

Contact Saul Good, and see if they are able to make it happen.

?or simply call:

?1-800-848-6102

Thank you Saul Good? for providing us with an awesome taste of Vancouver!

Check them out:

Source: http://canadian-natural-mama.blogspot.com/2013/03/saul-good.html

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CA-BUSINESS Summary

Banks lift TSX on Cyprus calm; index up for quarter

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index powered ahead in a late surge on Thursday, led by strength in financial and industrial shares, on relief that banks in Cyprus reopened relatively smoothly following a bailout deal. The market received further support from BlackBerry after the smartphone maker reported a surprise quarterly profit.

Lazaridis to keep BlackBerry stake, focus on new venture

TORONTO (Reuters) - BlackBerry co-founder Mike Lazaridis said on Thursday he has no plans to sell his stake in the smartphone maker even as he steps down from the board to focus on a new quantum computing investment fund. BlackBerry, formerly Research In Motion, announced the former co-CEO's departure from the board on Thursday as it reported its first quarterly earnings since launching its make-or-break new BlackBerry 10 smartphones.

Hockey helps Canada's economy grow again in January

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's economy bounced back from a year-end slump in January thanks to factories, mines and the return of professional ice hockey, but growth still looks too weak to match the central bank's upbeat outlook and interest rates are unlikely to budge until 2014. Gross domestic product expanded by 0.2 percent in the month, Statistics Canada said on Thursday, following the weakest two quarters since the 2008-09 recession and a 0.2 percent contraction in December.

Boeing CEO urges FAA to return 787 to service, delays continue

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - - Boeing Co Chief Executive Jim McNerney on Thursday urged regulators reviewing battery problems on the company's grounded 787 passenger jet to let the plane back into service, saying he was confident the redesigned battery was safe. He would not specify when he expected the jet to be flying customers again other than saying "sooner rather than later."

BofA markets chief was bank's highest paid executive in '12

(Reuters) - Bank of America Corp's co-chief operating officer, Tom Montag, was once again the bank's highest paid executive in 2012, making $14.5 million in a year in which the bank showed signs of healing. Montag's compensation, which included a $5.46 million bonus and $8.19 million in stock, increased 21 percent to eclipse the $12 million awarded to Chief Executive Brian Moynihan, according to a filing the bank made on Thursday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Oil veteran Gandur plans Canada IPO for Oryx Petroleum

GENEVA (Reuters) - Addax & Oryx Group (AOG), chaired by billionaire Jean Claude Gandur, plans to list its oil exploration subsidiary Oryx Petroleum in Canada, the firm said on its website. Oil industry veteran Gandur was catapulted onto the Forbes rich list in 2009 when he sold Addax Petroleum to Sinopec three years after its IPO.

Exclusive: Cerberus seeks to bankroll investor landlords

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management wants to provide financing to small investment firms that are buying foreclosed homes as part of a long-term bullish bet on the housing recovery, according to four sources familiar with the situation. Cerberus is targeting investment firms that are looking to buy a small number of homes in niche housing markets in the U.S. and rent them out, the sources said. These investors cannot tap the much larger financing deals being put together by banks such as Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse , and Goldman Sachs Group for institutional buyers of foreclosed homes.

Cyprus bank controls to last a month, minister says

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus conceded on Thursday that tight capital controls would remain in force longer than expected as the island's banks reopened for the first time after the government was forced to accept a tough EU rescue package to avoid bankruptcy. Cypriots lined up calmly to withdraw limited amounts of cash, but there was no sign of a run on deposits, as had been feared.

EBay sets aggressive 2015 targets, shares climb

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - EBay Inc foresees annual earnings growth of 15 percent to 19 percent over the next three years, and is targeting an increase in revenue of as much as 68 percent for the period. The aggressive goals drove its shares up more than 4 percent. Executives told analysts at eBay's annual investor day on Thursday that they expect revenue of $21.5 billion to $23.5 billion in 2015, versus $14 billion in 2012, as the company expands globally, focusing more on local commerce and using mobile technology to lure shoppers.

Bank of Canada searches far and wide for Carney's successor

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The search for a new Bank of Canada chief to replace Mark Carney has pitted internal front-runner Tiff Macklem against a range of external candidates as officials look outside the bank for people who may have more hands-on business experience. Most central bank watchers believe Macklem, currently second-in-command at the bank, has outstanding credentials and deserves to take over when his boss leaves.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-business-summary-004845905--finance.html

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Lenovo rolls out extra-compact ThinkCentre Edge 62z all-in-one for $549

Some of Lenovo's pro customers can be very fussy: hospitals and schools want multiple computers in a small area, but without skimping on the usual features they'd expect from desktops. If any PC could resolve those contradictory demands, it might be the company's new ThinkCentre Edge 62z. The extra-angular design purportedly fits a 18.5-inch all-in-one into a third of the space of a 20-inch display, all while carrying up to a Core i3 processor and a DVD burner. Whether or not you see the 62z as a feat of engineering, the design has some room to grow with up to 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive. The price may be the real clincher for some customers -- Lenovo expects this lower-tier ThinkCentre Edge to cost $549 when it reaches the US in May, which could squeeze it into a few more IT budgets.

Filed under: Desktops, Lenovo

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Via: Far East Gizmos

Source: Lenovo Singapore

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/28/lenovo-thinkcentre-edge-62z-stuffs-an-all-in-one-into-a-tiny-space/

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David Cameron's family friendly government is a lost hope | God and ...

I wonder what Nick Clegg?was thinking when he agreed to do a weekly radio slot for LBC radio.? He surely knew that he was going to? be getting various people having a go at him for government policies they weren?t happy with.? Maybe it was that old saying that all PR is good PR.? Certainly it?s got him into the news a few times, but mainly for the wrong reasons.? He received a particularly challenging reception on his first appearance when an ex-Lib Dem councillor called to say that he was ashamed of what the Lib Dems were doing.? He?s had Boris Johnson complaining about ministers using expensive limousines instead of public transport and last week he had to deal with an angry stay-at-home mum who?accused him and the Government of discriminating against traditional families.? For how much longer will he choose to commit to this self-inflicted torture?

Of all the policies announced in last week?s budget, the plans to allow families where both parents work ?to claim up to ?1,200 for each child under 5 to pay for childcare costs, seems to have upset the most people.? There have been plenty of people complaining that this penalises?stay-at-home mums, but at face value this seems rather odd. The new scheme will replace the current childcare voucher scheme that operates for working parents with children up to eleven, refunding the income tax on up to ?243 per month.? The system will be changing with the effect that some parents will find their childcare costs will reduce, whilst others, mainly with children at school, will have to pay more. I don?t remember there being an outcry when the childcare voucher scheme was introduced in 1989 and when Gordon Brown considered closing it in 2009, 93,000 people signed a petition calling on him to keep it.? There is a fairly reasonable assumption that if one parent stays at home they will not require paid childcare services? as they will be looking after their children themselves.? Therefore they won?t be losing out by not accessing state subsidised childcare.? Their incomes won?t be affected and they won?t be any worse off.

Of course in the world of politics and public perceptions things are rarely straightforward.? On the day of the budget, James Kirkup, the Deputy Political Editor for the Daily Telegraph wrote an incredibly insightful article on the matter, which he linked to Capuchin monkeys.? This may seem bizarre, but he used them to make a valid point.? According to the results of a test at Emory University, these monkeys will quite happily eat cucumber, but if one is given a grape (which they prefer), the others will refuse to eat their cucumber.? The conclusion was that if the monkeys thought they were being treated unfairly, they would reject what they had previously been given, even though the end result was that they went hungry.? Tests with humans often? reveal the same tendencies.? We will react badly if we perceive that we have been treated less fairly than others even if our circumstances do not change.? It becomes an issue of injustice that we naturally react against.

You can understand why the Government is keen to?have as many parents working as possible.? When both parents or a single parent works they pay tax, they often need to pay for childcare which employs others bringing in yet more tax.? Their increased earning allows them to spend more, which also brings in more tax to the treasury.? If a parent looks after their children at home, none of this happens and potentially it can cost the government more because of increased pay outs of benefits.? But what is good for the taxman is not necessarily good for the family.? It?s quite obvious that having a parent at home bringing up their young children is a sacrificial step.? Potential income through work is rejected and the parent temporarily puts aside any career ambitions they may have.? I?ve seen children at pre-school nurseries who stay from 7:30am to 6pm at night five days a week because their parents work fulltime whose behaviour suggests that they need to be spending much more?time with a loving parent who can give them plenty of attention and care in a way that they will not receive in a nursery setting even if the establishment?s provision is excellent.? It?s vitally important that children spend quality time with their parents in their early years to give them the best start in life possible.

However, expecting all families to have a parent looking after their young children fulltime is unrealistic and not always completely helpful.? Children who have spent time with other children in their early years are likely to have more developed social skills by the time they start school than those who have been on their own at home.? For some mothers being at home constantly looking after their children is not completely healthy and beneficial?for them.? There may be an ideal that the best mothers stay at home to look after their children, especially in religious circles, but that isn?t the case for everyone.? In the last chapter of the?book of Proverbs in the Bible it talks about the wife of noble character.? This is a passage that many people including Christians consider to be outdated, but the wife along with looking after her house and family also runs her own business and earns an income.

The point is that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all ideal when it comes to parenting.? Instead, parents need all the help they can get whether they chose to stay at home or go out to work.? Most families with small children struggle with reduced incomes.? The Government is therefore right to do what it can to ease the burden on working parents, but needs to value those who stay at home too.? The problem is that the Government has said and done some unhelpful things and also failed to do what it said it would.? Downing Street last week suggested that working parents had a ?greater need? for subsidies than those who care for their children full-time, which is not true.? Setting the income limit to receive the new childcare subsidy at ?150,000 per parent, doesn?t give the impression that it is targeted at those who need it the most.? Child Benefit increases?will be capped at?one per cent ?for three years and it has been reduced or removed from households where one earner pays the higher rate of tax.? Tax credits have also been cut for many families on lower incomes.? The Government has hit all parents hard but only given anything of value back to those where both parents work.

The last government did little to support the stability of families and some measures such as tax credits actually benefitted parents who weren?t living together.? Addressing these failures before the General Election in 2010, David Cameron made a speech entitled ?Mending our broken society?.? This is part of what he said:

?Well just consider this; consider the signals that we send people in Britain today. Consider the fact that we send a signal to couples that you?re worse off if you stay together and you?re better off if you separate?

?And let me just say something about the organisation that I think is the most important of all in fighting for a, and delivering, a responsible society and that is the family. I want the next Government to be the most family friendly Government we?ve ever had in this country and that is about everything we do to support families and it?s about supporting every sort of family.?

He also goes on to say a great deal about the incredible value of stable families and why marriage should be encouraged and supported including through the tax system.

The speech at the time was optimistic and hopeful and was music to my ears.? Here was a party leader who was fully committed to marriage and healthy families where children are put first.? Three years on, I might not be angry, but I am hugely disappointed.? These promises have by-and-large failed to materialise.? It feels as if families are more under attack now?than they have ever been and the Government is failing to give the impression it cares.? Certainly the Government needs to reign in its spending, but while families take a battering wealthy pensioners still have their winter fuel allowances and free bus passes.? There is a palpable sense of injustice amongst many parents of young families.? It?s not surprising that Justin Welby and the bishops felt the need to go on the offensive and challenge the Government its Child Benefit cap.? CARE and the Centre for Social Justice along with several Conservative?MPs continue to call for transferable tax allowances for married couples knowing these will disproportionately benefit many of those families who are less well-off.

When Nick Clegg?answers the calls during his radio phone in, you don?t often get the impression that he?s really?listening to the callers.? This is a common problem with government ministers?and when it comes to? families it appears that they?ve also stopped listening to themselves.? Strong families are one of the foundations of a healthy and prosperous society; they are not just a source of tax income.? Is it really surprising that the mother who phoned Nick Clegg said, ?You probably think what I do is a worthless job???There are plenty of parents both working and staying home who would be inclined to agree with her.

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Source: http://godandpoliticsuk.org/2013/03/28/david-camerons-family-friendly-government-is-a-lost-hope/

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Cutting copays may increase women's cancer screening

By Andrew M. Seaman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - More women may get screened for breast and cervical cancers if they don't have to pay for the tests, according to a new study from Japan.

A year after the Japanese government started picking up the tab for Pap smears and mammograms for certain groups of women, the percentage of eligible women who got screened nearly doubled compared to a few years earlier when most women had to pay for screenings.

"This is consistent with prior research. We know that imposing out-of-pocket costs for screenings - including cancer screening services - deter their use," said Dr. Amal Trivedi, who was not involved with the new research but has studied cancer screening use.

The new study may also suggest that more U.S. women will get screened for cancer now that many of those services are covered under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, said Trivedi, from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

But he added that it's hard to know exactly how the results of the program in Japan would apply to the U.S. because the two healthcare systems are different from each other.

To encourage women to be screened for breast and cervical cancers, and to target specific socioeconomic and age groups who were not generally going in for screening, the Japanese government in 2009 began giving women vouchers to get free Pap smears and mammograms every five years.

Younger women were invited to get Pap smears when they turned 20 years old and every five years after that. Women were also invited to get mammograms every five years starting when they turned 40.

In contrast, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government-backed advisory group, recommends screening for cervical cancer in women ages 21 to 65 years every three years. Or, a Pap smear and human papillomavirus (HPV) test every five years. The USPSTF also recommends women get mammograms every other year from age 50 to 74 years, but they may choose to get screened earlier.

To see whether eliminating the cost of screenings increased their use, the researchers, led by Takahiro Tabuchi of the Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, analyzed data from a survey that collects health information on Japanese citizens every three years.

Overall, they had information for more than 34,000 women.

In 2007, when women had to pay for screenings, about 22 percent of eligible women were screened for cervical cancer and about 27 percent were screened for breast cancer.

In 2010, the year after the government began picking up the cost of the screenings, about 43 percent of women were screened for both cervical and breast cancers.

Meanwhile, there was only a small increase in screenings among the women who were not eligible for the free tests.

Trivedi called the increase in screening with the vouchers "striking," but said more research is needed to know whether those women will continue to get screened in such large numbers.

The study's authors, who were not available for comment, write in the International Journal of Cancer that about 472,000 women were screened for breast cancer through the program, which prevented an estimated 461 deaths.

That is about 4 percent of the number of breast cancer deaths that are expected annually in Japan, they say.

But raising rates of screening did come at a cost of over $100 per additional screening, the report adds.

"It's not surprising that there are extra costs associated with these services. The bottom line is that we think they improve public health," Trivedi said.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/Xf4EuF International Journal of Cancer, online March 13, 2013.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cutting-copays-may-increase-womens-cancer-screening-210338745.html

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US swipes at China for hacking allegations

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S. has taken its first real swipe at China following accusations that the Beijing government is behind a widespread and systemic hacking campaign targeting U.S. businesses.

Buried in a spending bill signed by President Barack Obama on Tuesday is a provision that effectively bars much of the federal government from buying information technology made by companies linked to the Chinese government.

It's unclear what impact the legislation will have, or whether it will turn out to be a symbolic gesture. The provision only affects certain non-defense government agency budgets between now and Sept. 30, when the fiscal year ends. It also allows for exceptions if an agency head determines that buying the technology is "in the national interest of the United States."

Still, the rule could upset U.S. allies whose businesses rely on Chinese manufacturers for parts and pave the way for broader, more permanent changes in how the U.S. government buys technology.

"This is a change of direction," said Stewart Baker, a former senior official at the Homeland Security Department now with the legal firm Steptoe and Johnson in Washington. "My guess is we're going to keep going in this direction for a while."

Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he supports the restriction and doesn't think it would be too cumbersome for federal agencies. The Defense and Energy departments already are mindful of how its networks are built.

"Anything we can do to call awareness to the fact that we're continuing to be cyberattacked, we're continuing to lose jobs, and that billions of dollars in American money is being stolen," Ruppersberger said in an interview Wednesday.

In March, the U.S. computer security firm Mandiant released details on what it said was an aggressive hacking campaign on American businesses by a Chinese military unit. Since then, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew has used high-level meetings with Beijing officials to press the matter. Beijing has denied the allegations.

Congressional leaders have promised to push comprehensive legislation that would make it easier for industry to share threat data with the government. But those efforts have been bogged down amid concerns that too much of U.S. citizens' private information could end up in the hands of the federal government.

As Congress and privacy advocates debate a way ahead, lawmakers tucked "section 516" into the latest budget resolution, which enables the government to pay for day-to day operations for the rest of the fiscal year. The provision specifically prohibits the Commerce and Justice departments, NASA and the National Science Foundation from buying an information technology system that is "produced, manufactured or assembled" by any entity that is "owned, operated or subsidized" by the People's Republic of China.

The agencies can only acquire the technology if, in consulting with the FBI, they determine that there is no risk of "cyberespionage or sabotage associated with the acquisition of the system," according to the legislation.

The move might sound like a no-brainer. If U.S. industry and intelligence officials are right, and China is stealing America's corporate secrets at a breathtaking pace, why reward Beijing with lucrative U.S. contracts? Furthermore, why install technical equipment that could potentially give China a secret backdoor into federal systems?

Last fall, Ruppersberger and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., released a report urging U.S. companies and government agencies to drop any business with Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei Technologies Ltd. and ZTE Corp. because of the security risks they pose.

"Any bug, beacon or backdoor put into our critical systems could allow for a catastrophic and devastating domino effect of failures throughout our networks," Rogers said in a statement accompanying the report.

But a blanket prohibition on technology linked to the Chinese government may be easier said than done. Information systems are often a complicated assembly of parts manufactured by different companies around the globe. And investigating where each part came from, and if that part is made by a company that could have ties to the Chinese government could be difficult.

Huawei, the third-largest maker of smartphones, says it is owned by its employees and rejects claims that it is controlled by the communist government or China's military.

Depending on how the Obama administration interprets the law, Baker said it also could cause problems for the U.S. with the World Trade Organization, whose members include U.S. allies like Germany and Britain that might rely on Chinese technology to build computers or handsets.

But in the end, Baker says it could make the U.S. government safer and wiser.

"We do have to worry about buying equipment from companies that may not have our best interests at heart," he said.

___

Follow Anne Flaherty on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AnneKFlaherty.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-swipes-china-hacking-allegations-185518359--finance.html

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'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' get fighting mad in finale

Evans Vestal Ward/Bravo

Brandi Glanville and Kyle Richards have words during the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" post-finale reunion.

By Ree Hines, TODAY contributor

It was a night of she-said/she-said on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," as the season wrapped up with one fight after another.

"I really don't like getting involved when I see other people arguing," Kyle Richards claimed when she spied Faye Resnick giving Brandi Glanville grief at Lisa Vanderpump's party, "but now I see a potentially volatile situation."

So why not jump right in? Everyone else did -- and how.

Despite all of the back and forth, there was one moment of peace on the season-ender. Lisa and her husband, Ken Todd, (with their always-present pup Giggy by their side) renewed their vows in a surprisingly fight-free ceremony.

"I love you, darling," Ken told her. "And whatever I said 30 years ago still stands. I promise to obey you. Again.?

Aw! But don't let that sweet stuff fool you. The action didn't end there. No sooner had the season wrapped than the first part of the reunion special aired.

It should come as no surprise to "Housewives" fans to learn that the fights were far from over. In fact, one feud in particular has continued beyond the reunion -- or more accurately, reunions.

?Lisa has never let go of the fact that I didn?t defend her on the reunion last year,? Kyle told In Touch, referring to Lisa's past blowout with Adrienne Maloof. ?I?m?still being punished one year later for not jumping in.?

According to Kyle, she and Lisa haven't spoken since this season's reunion was taped.

See where the hubbub kicks of next week, when part two of the reunion special airs Monday at 9 p.m. on Bravo.

What did you think of the finale night fracas? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Mobb Deep Promise Rare Songs On 20th Anniversary Tour

'If we really want to do it, like two hours,' Prodigy tells MTV News of possible a set time.
By Rob Markman

Mobb Deep
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704395/mobb-deep-20th-anniversary-tour-rare-songs.jhtml

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BMe helps black men make a positive difference in their communities

BMe (pronounce ?Be Me?) awarded funding, ranging from $5,000 to $40,000, to 10 black men in Detroit and 10 in Philadelphia to support their community projects, which include literacy programs, book clubs, and mentoring programs.

By Niema Jordan,?Shareable / March 26, 2013

Kirk Mayes, executive director of the nonprofit group Brightmoor Alliance, stands in front of an abandoned home in the Brightmoor neighborhood of Detroit. Black men interested in serving their communities can seek funding through Black Male Engagement (BMe), launched by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Open Society Foundations..

Rebecca Cook/Reuters/File

Enlarge

A network of black men in Philadelphia, Detroit, and Baltimore is steadily growing. These men are mentors, fathers, brothers, and entrepreneurs. They are connected because they care. They are connected because they dedicated to positive change in their communities. They are Black Male Engagement (BMe). And it all started with the idea of sharing.

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In 2011 BMe (pronounce ?Be Me?) was launched by the?John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Open Society Foundations. The foundations wanted to empower black men who were actively engaged and making a difference in their communities.

Aware of the stories that are often shared interpersonally and in the media, the foundations sought to develop another narrative. The people behind BMe wanted to look at the positive actions of black men in urban environments instead of approaching them as a group that needed to be fixed.

Members of the BMe team asked the question: What do you do to make your community stronger? In eight weeks they received and posted more than 2,000 answers from men in Philadelphia and Detroit.

?So many brothers are doing more than their fair share to make our communities stronger,? says Trabian Shorters, vice president of communities for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. ?By providing funding, BMe hopes to both give them the boost they need to go further with their work, and bring more people into the growing ranks of engaged black men.?

The 2012 grant cycle awarded funding to 10 men in Detroit and 10 men in Philadelphia.?Awards ranged from $5,000 to $40,000 for community projects including literacy programs, book clubs, and mentoring programs.

Andre Dandridge, founder of New Young Fathers, received money to design and facilitate workshops in Detroit to help ensure that young men were more equipped for fatherhood. Alex Peay, who now serves as a member of BMe?s community engagement team, was granted funds to strengthen his organization, Rising Sons. The after school program arranges for college students and recent graduates to mentor high school students and then trains the high schoolers to mentor elementary school students in the area. Curtis Lipscomb?s grant enabled him to train 22 Detroit youths to become advocates of social issues facing the LGBT community in their city.

While previous grantees are hard at work utilizing their resources, BMe has started a new grant cycle with the theme, ?Call for Community Impact.? Each chapter has up to $200,000 to give to programs and projects its city. If you are a black man living in Baltimore, Philadelphia, or Detroit, are over the age of 18, and have uploaded a video to BMe?s site, then you?ve already met most of the criteria.

While last year?s funding went to individuals, this year there is a particular emphasis on partnerships and collaboration. Hoping that BMe members will share ideas and build upon them together, as the founders of Philly?s Live & Let Live Coalition did, grants and future programming are being geared more toward collaborative efforts.

This year BMe will expand to Pittsburgh, and they are looking to establish chapters around the country, each operating with a ?simple truth? at their core: ?That black men are assets to our nation. That there are thousands of black males who ? by example ? inspire others to get involved, to persevere and to lead on issues and opportunities facing the community.?

? This article originally appeared at Shareable, a nonprofit online magazine that tells the story of how sharing can promote the common good. The original article includes a video of one member of BMe in Philadelphia who shares his story about what he does for his community.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/gMIOOVWnz4I/BMe-helps-black-men-make-a-positive-difference-in-their-communities

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Report: Pentagon must do more to prevent assaults

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A new report required by Congress recommends that the Department of Defense assess how well commanding officers handle sexual assault and harassment complaints when reviewing their job performance.

The Institute of Medicine said in the report released Tuesday that military sexual assault appears to be an important factor in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder. It cited previous research indicating that female veterans with a reported history of military sexual trauma were nine times more likely to have PTSD compared to other female veterans.

"Increased efforts by DOD are necessary, and a zero-tolerance approach should be implemented," said the Institute of Medicine, which provides advice concerning health and science to policymakers in the federal government and private sector.

The recommendation about sexual assaults was part of a broad look at the health needs of troops and veterans involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although most of the returning troops have adjusted well to life after deployment, 44 percent have reported some readjustment problems.

The most common overlapping health problems are PTSD, substance abuse, depression and symptoms attributed to traumatic brain injuries.

But the problems seen today are really just the beginning, the report said.

"Previous wars have demonstrated that veterans' needs peak several decades after their war service," the IOM panel said.

To prepare for those costs, the federal government should undertake long-term cost forecasts like those that Congress requires for Social Security and Medicare. It said those forecasts should be conducted annually and publicly released by the Department of Veterans Affairs and confirmed by an independent expert.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan resulted in the deployment of about 2.2 million troops as of mid-December, it said. Women have played a central role in the efforts. They make up 14 percent of active-duty troops and nearly 18 percent of National Guard and Reserve personnel. The panel's recommendations often focused on the needs of returning female veterans. It said that recent research indicates that female veterans have a higher risk of developing depression than their male counterparts, though they are less likely to commit suicide.

"For more than a decade, female military service members have been subject to repeat deployments, have endured prolonged separation from families, have served side by side with men, and have been exposed to harsh wartime conditions, including witnessing death and destruction," the report said.

The IOM report also said that the support services it provides to military families tends to focus on married, heterosexual couple and their children. The panel said the military needs to ensure its support services also help single parents, same-sex couples and stepfamilies.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-pentagon-must-more-prevent-assaults-153030149--politics.html

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PFT: Dallas' Bryant aiming for 2,000 yards, 20 TDs

Getty Images

Before Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo appeared at a rally at the Supreme Court, he spoke to Erik Brady of USA Today regarding the question of whether a gay NFL player will come out of the closet.

Ayanbadejo believes that it will happen in another sport first.

?I think it will happen in baseball sooner than in football or basketball,? Ayanbadejo said.? ?The reason I say that is because I think there is less of a connection to religion in baseball.? The religious roots are a lot deeper in basketball and football.? With that being said, I think baseball players are more open minded.?

Ayanbadejo later acknowledged that he ?could be wrong,? but he nevertheless believes baseball players generally are ?open-minded and not so tied to religion as much as football and basketball.?

But he also believes the NFL is ready for an openly gay player, and that the league is ?laying the foundation for a player to be comfortable and safe.?? Ayanbadejo likewise thinks that last month?s ?do you like girls?? controversy from Scouting Combine interviews has helped the situation by forcing the NFL to instruct teams to end potentially discriminatory practices.

Still, the biggest impediment to coming out may come from the external distractions.? The player will have to be willing to bear that burden, and to subject his teammates and others in the organization to questions about the situation.? Most players won?t want that, for themselves or for their teammates.

The media could help reduce that burden by not getting carried away by news of the first gay NFL player.? The reality is that, when a football player comes out of the closet, every media organization will come out of the woodwork in search of sound bites and reactions and, ideally, controversy.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/26/dez-bryant-thinks-he-can-gain-2000-yards-and-score-20-touchdowns/related/

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AP sources: SD Sen. Johnson won't seek re-election

FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2009 file photo, Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democratic officials say Johnson intends to announce his retirement on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, a decision that gives Republicans a prime opportunity to pick up a seat in 2014. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2009 file photo, Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democratic officials say Johnson intends to announce his retirement on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, a decision that gives Republicans a prime opportunity to pick up a seat in 2014. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) ? Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota plans to retire at the end of his term, party officials said Monday ? a departure that gives Republicans a prime opportunity to pick up a seat as they attempt to win back control of the chamber in 2014.

Johnson, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2006 but later returned to the Senate and won re-election in 2008. He has recovered significantly, though sometimes uses a motorized scooter.

The Democratic officials who described Johnson's plans spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. They said they were not authorized to pre-empt a formal announcement expected Tuesday at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

Johnson's retirement announcement is the fifth by Senate Democrats. Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey also say they won't run for re-election in 2014. Two Republican senators have also said they plan to retire.

Republicans must gain six seats to win a majority in the Senate, and South Dakota now leaps to the top of the party's list of most favorable states. Republican Mike Rounds, a popular former two-term governor, has been campaigning for the seat since last year, though he declined to comment Monday on Johnson's retirement.

Johnson is viewed as independent minded and reserved, having voted against the resolution to allow military action in Iraq but supporting the Keystone XL Pipeline. He also has about $1.2 million in his campaign account, a healthy nest egg for a state where advertising is relatively inexpensive, and a deep-pocketed fundraising network.

While those votes and fundraising make the former congressman, who has never lost an election, a formidable opponent, South Dakota's GOP-trending electorate could complicate the next election. His last term also has been physically demanding for the 66-year-old Johnson, whose speech remains compromised.

But Democrats rejected the notion that Johnson's retirement opens the door for a GOP senator. In last November's election, some Republican Senate candidates who appeared to be the heavy favorites ended up losing to Democratic rivals ? including Rick Berg, who lost to Heidi Heitkamp in neighboring North Dakota.

South Dakota Democratic Chairman Ben Nesselhuf noted Democrats' successes over the past 30 years, including former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle.

"I reject the idea that somehow the Republicans has a lock on this state," Nesselhuf said. "By no means is this an impossible task, or even improbable."

Attempts by The Associated Press to reach Johnson through his top Senate staff were unsuccessful. Johnson aides would not confirm the retirement but said the senator would hold a news conference on his political future at University of South Dakota in Vermillion Tuesday afternoon.

Aware that Johnson might decide to retire, Democrats in South Dakota and nationally have discussed possible successors on the ticket, including Johnson's son Brendan, South Dakota's U.S. attorney. The younger Johnson Monday said in an interview that he was unaware of his father's decision and declined to discuss whether he would seek the office.

Former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, a contemporary of Brendan Johnson and another heir to a South Dakota Democratic legacy, also is looking at running. A granddaughter of former South Dakota Gov. Ralph Herseth, Herseth Sandlin served six years in the U.S. House before being defeated for re-election in 2010.

Action within Johnson's party is expected quickly. An open Senate seat is rare in South Dakota, and Republicans have gained an upper hand in the state, controlling the governorship, the Legislature, its other Senate seat and its lone U.S. House seat.

Brendan Johnson, appointed U.S. attorney in 2009, has never held elected office and faced questions about his father's involvement in the confirmation process. Assets for the younger Johnson include his father's advisers and donor base.

Herseth Sandlin also has an in-tact network and following in South Dakota, but she could face some problems in a potential primary with Johnson. She opposed to the 2010 Affordable Care Act, a position that is out of step with a majority of party loyalists.

___

Espo reported from Washington.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-25-US-Senate-Retirement/id-5929c3ad99584c6f9d0379145426e774

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Prosecutor urges Italy court to overturn Knox acquittal

By Virginia Alimenti

ROME (Reuters) - A state prosecutor urged Italy's top court on Monday to overturn the acquittal of American Amanda Knox and a former boyfriend for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher.

Kercher's half-naked body, with more than 40 wounds and a deep gash in the throat, was found in the apartment she shared with Knox in Perugia in 2007.

The Court of Cassation, Italy's final court of appeal, is due to decide on Tuesday at 10 a.m. (0900 GMT) whether to start the process for a retrial or to uphold the 2011 verdict and close the case definitively.

"In this trial the judge lost his way," state prosecutor Luigi Riello told the court, urging it to accept the request for an appeal from Perugia prosecutors and Kercher family lawyers, who say the verdict was flawed and left central aspects of the case unexplained.

Both Knox's lawyer Luciano Ghirga and Giulia Bongiorno, a lawyer for Knox's former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, said they were confident the court would uphold the verdict clearing their clients of murder.

Prosecutors accused Knox and Sollecito of killing Kercher in a drug-fuelled sexual assault. They were initially found guilty and sentenced to 26 and 25 years in prison respectively after a trial that grabbed headlines all over the world.

FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2008 file photo, American murder suspect Amanda Knox , center, is escorted by Italian penitentiary police officers to Perugia's court at the end of a hearing, central Italy. ... more? FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2008 file photo, American murder suspect Amanda Knox , center, is escorted by Italian penitentiary police officers to Perugia's court at the end of a hearing, central Italy. On Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 Rudy Hermann Guede, of the Ivory Coast, appealing his conviction for murdering British student Meredith Kercher in Italy, testified Wednesday that he heard the victim arguing with American defendant, Amanda Knox, in the case minutes before she was slain. Guede's appeals process began Wednesday even as the initial trial implicating American student Amanda Knox, of Seattle, and Knox's ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, continued. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, files) less? In 2011, their convictions were overturned and they were released after serving four years in prison.

"We all still miss Meredith terribly," her sister Stephanie said in a statement on Monday. "A beautiful young girl, my little sister, was taken from us far too soon in such a brutal way with too many unexplained factors."

Tuesday's ruling will decide whether there were any procedural irregularities that give grounds for a retrial, rather than examining the facts of the case.

Prosecutors last year filed a motion to appeal against the acquittals, calling the verdicts "contradictory and illogical".

"VERY CALM"

Francesco Maresca, a lawyer representing Kercher's family, said in a statement on Monday the acquittals had been "defective" and "lacked transparency".

"There was a lot of external pressure and the judge showed a will from the start to acquit," Maresca said.

The Court of Cassation decision could be the last development in a case whose initial handling was sharply criticized by independent forensic experts.

"There seems to be very little criticism of the technical aspects of the trial," Ghirga said.

If the court upholds the prosecution motion and decides to go back to trial, new hearings will be held at a later date.

However, Bongiorno said there was little room for the decision to be challenged.

"We have a verdict behind us that is so well-grounded, coherent and logical that we're very calm," she said as she entered the court.

Knox and Sollecito were acquitted after the independent forensic investigators challenged police scientific evidence.

A third man, an Ivorian drifter named Rudy Guede, was found guilty and sentenced to 16 years in a separate trial. He is now the only person serving time for the murder, although prosecutors say he could not have killed Kercher by himself.

Kercher, a student at Leeds University, was 21 when she died.

Knox, dubbed "Foxy Knoxy" in many early media reports, was initially portrayed as promiscuous and dishonest but a lobbying campaign by her family helped change perceptions.

She returned to her Seattle-area home after she was released from prison in Italy and is scheduled to speak publicly about the trial for the first time on American television in April, when her book of memoirs is also due to be released.

(Additional reporting and writing by Catherine Hornby; Editing by Ruth Pitchford and Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/prosecutor-urges-italy-court-overturn-knox-acquittal-181311222.html

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Tiny lookalike lemurs are actually two new species

Courtesy of Peter Kappeler

Caught on camera for the first time, this image shows the newly identified Marohita mouse lemur.

By Stephanie Pappas
LiveScience

Two new species of lemurs look so similar that it's impossible to tell them apart without sequencing their genes.

David Haring of the Duke University Lemur Center

The grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus).

The itsy-bitsy primates are both mouse lemurs, which are tiny, nocturnal lemurs that measure less than 11 inches (27 centimeters) from nose to tail. The newly discovered Madagascar natives have gray-brown coats and weigh only 2.5 to 3 ounces (65-85 grams).

Study researcher Rodin Rasoloarison of the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar first captured specimens of the two new species in 2003 and 2007. He weighed the animals, measured them and took small skin samples for later analysis.

It was an analysis of these skin samples that revealed the two nearly identical lemurs are actually two different species. Researchers named one the Anosy mouse lemur (Microcebus tanosi) and the other the Marohita mouse lemur (Microcebus marohita). The Marohita mouse lemur was named after the forest where it was found. According to the researchers, the Marohita lemur is losing that forest and is threatened by that habitat loss. [Image Gallery: Leaping Lemurs!]

In fact, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared the Marohita mouse lemur "endangered" before scientists had even finalized and formalized its name and description. It's a fate shared by many lemurs in Madacasgar, where slash-and-burn agriculture is taking a toll on the forests.

"This species is a prime example of the current state of many other lemur species," said study researcher Peter Kappeler of the German Primate Center in Goettingen. Lemurs are the most endangered mammals on the planet, with 91 percent of known species threatened by extinction.

Researchers want to preserve lemurs not only for their own sake, but for humans' sake as well. As a primate, the mouse lemur is more closely related to humans than rats or mice, which are commonly used in medical research. The grey mouse lemur?(Microcebus murinus) develops a neurological disease much like Alzheimer's, making it an important model for understanding the human brain.

"Before we can say whether a particular genetic variant in mouse lemurs is associated with Alzheimer's, we need to know whether that variant is specific to all mouse lemurs or just select species," said Anne Yoder, the director of the Duke University Lemur Center. "Every new mouse lemur species we sample in the wild will help researchers put the genetic diversity we see in grey mouse lemurs in a broader context."

The researchers reported their findings Tuesday in the International Journal of Primatology.

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educational ideologies of science education - information library

Social Democracy

Characterized by? an? egalitarian value- position and a focus? on the potential of education? as an? instrument of gradual? social change. That is ,?? placing?? the role of the school? as an? essential? agency in the creation of a fairer society- this was the prevalent? ideology of the post war years.

Liberal Romanticism:? A view? which values diversity and individual differences.

Characterized? by a individualistic? child centered view?? of science?? education focusing on the unique? development of each child ? prevalent in the?? later? sixties and early? seventies and underpinned the? free school movement in? the USA?? (the? ideology arose out of?? a radical disenchantment with American society, technocratic? values, oppressive economic institutions, and?? major political parties dominated by the wealthy)

Traditional Conservatism? Of Science Education: A?? perspective that emphasizes?? the transmission of established social values, knowledge and culture through a subject ?oriented approach with a particular emphasis on upholding ?standards?? ultimately led?? to the Education Reform Act (1988), the national curriculum and new forms of ?assessment and testing.

Economic pragmaticism: An instrumental approach focusing? on? the individuals? acquisition of? useful? skills. The approach is? evident in? debates on vocational? education and the national? literacy and numeracy strategies ??

Social Radicalism: An? approach which is based on a commitment to? developed?? education as a means of combating? inequalities in society and promoting social justice. Proponents support?? positive action? regarding such issues as? racism, sexism,? homophobia, disability and human rights.

Neo Liberal Conservatism of Science Education: A set of beliefs, going back to Adam Smith, about the efficiency of free market forces in allocating? resources?? and raising standards in the provisions of goods and services.? The state takes a more? hands off approach especially when education?s? main goals is in? some? form of training rather than developing citizenship.

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Source: http://martinslibrary.blogspot.com/2013/03/educational-ideologies-of-science.html

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