Trent Williams Hurt in Nightclub Assault, To Miss Pro Bowl

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/trent-williams-hurt-in-nightclub-assault-to-miss-pro-bowl/

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Planet Hunters

When I first reviewed the Planet Hunters Web site in January 2011, the project was in its infancy. The site and its navigation had some bugs to work out. But it had a compelling yet seemingly quixotic premise: That a group of volunteers, peering in Web browsers at graphs of stars' brightness based on public data from NASA's Kepler planet-hunting telescope, might be able to discover planets that Kepler's own search algorithms may have missed.

Two years later, that concept has been borne out beyond any skeptic's wildest imaginings. In September 2011, Planet Hunters announced its first two planet candidates, and soon after announced several more. The project's first confirmed discovery?a planet circling a binary star in a quadruple star system?came in fifth on CNN's list of the top 10 science stories of 2012.

In January 2013, the project announced a second confirmed planet?a Jupiter-sized world orbiting in the so-called habitable zone of a sunlike star?as well as 42 new planetary candidates, including 15 in their respective stars' habitable zones. These worlds?ranging in size from about 2.5 Earth radii up to slightly larger than Jupiter?are too large to support life as we know it, presumably being gas giants, they may well have large moons.

Planet Hunters volunteer Kian Jek was recently awarded the Chambliss Amateur Achievement Award, the American Astronomical Society's most prestigious award given annually to an amateur astronomer, for his work on behalf of the project. Kian, one of the two hunters credited with Planet Hunters' initial confirmed discovery, is one of a small cadre of skilled volunteers that have supported the Planet Hunters science team?who, although professionals, also volunteer their time to work on this project? by vetting and cataloguing potential planetary candidates, modeling stellar and planetary systems, keeping tabs on exotic variable stars such as ?heartbeat binaries? and dwarf novae, as well as tracking unlisted eclipsing binary systems in which a pair of stars orbit each other in our line of sight, each eclipsing the other in turn.

PC Planet Hunting
I've participated in a number of ?citizen science? online astronomy projects over the years, but none ?has sparked my imagination like Planet Hunters, which lets anyone with a computer and an Internet connection take part in one of modern science?s great quests: the search for planets orbiting other stars. On the Planet Hunters site, you can look for signs of these so-called exoplanets in public data from NASA's Kepler mission. If you're among the first to report a new planet, you get credit for the find and in some cases can have your name appear as a co-author on the discovery paper.

Planet Hunters is a collaboration between Yale University and the Zooniverse, a Web hub that hosts a number of citizen science projects. It got started with astronomy projects, the first being Galaxy Zoo, in which the public was enlisted to classify galaxies in images from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey; it's since added others such as Moon Zoo and Solar StormWatch. Nearly half of the 14 Zooniverse projects are astronomy related; of the others, one of them, Cell Slider focuses on identifying cells for cancer research; others are related to tracking wildlife, climate science, and studying the ancient Greeks. ?Although Planet Hunters isn't officially connected to the Kepler mission, there are close ties and cooperation between the two.

150,000 Points of Light
Kepler, a space telescope, was launched in March 2009, tasked with ??exploring the structure and diversity of planetary systems?.? (by discovering them), looking in particular for Earth-sized planets, and worlds in a star's habitable zone. After Kepler completed its basic mission in 2012, the mission was extended for another 3 years.

Kepler uses the ?transit method? for planet hunting, searching for tiny dips in a star?s brightness caused by the passage (transit) of a planet in front of the star. Kepler repeatedly (every 29 minutes) images the same star field near the constellation Cygnus showing more than 150,000 stars, using a photometer to precisely measure each star's brightness. These readings generate light curves?plots showing variations in a star's luminosity over time. A transit shows as a string of data points descending below the star's light curve. Kepler uses search algorithms to find transits in its data?so far it's credited with more than 100 exoplanet discoveries, and has published a list of more than 2,700 planet candidates.

But Kepler monitors a huge variety of stars: some of constant brightness, others that flicker erratically or pulsate like clockwork. Eclipsing binaries?two stars that orbit each other and periodically eclipse one another?often show transits similar to those from planets. Although Kepler's planet search algorithms are very good at detecting prospective planets, they don?t catch everything, and the human eye has been shown to be better at detecting anomalies in some pattern-recognition tasks than a computer. That's where Planet Hunters comes in. Having multiple participants view each image greatly improves the odds of not missing a world.

Keep Reading: The Planet Hunters Site

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/-8OZLoI4h7E/0,2817,2379660,00.asp

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From the start, Dreamliner jet program was rushed

NEW YORK (AP) ? The 787 Dreamliner was born in a moment of desperation.

It was 2003 and Boeing ? the company that defined modern air travel ? had just lost its title as the world's largest plane manufacturer to European rival Airbus. Its CEO had resigned in a defense-contract scandal. And its stock had plunged to the lowest price in a decade.

Two years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, financially troubled airlines were reluctant to buy new planes. Boeing needed something revolutionary to win back customers.

Salvation had a code name: Yellowstone.

It was a plane that promised to be lighter and more technologically advanced than any other. Half of it would be built with new plastics instead of aluminum. The cabin would be more comfortable for passengers, and airlines could cut their fuel bills by 20 percent.

But once production started, the gap between vision and reality quickly widened. The jet that was eventually dubbed the Dreamliner became plagued with manufacturing delays, cost overruns and sinking worker morale.

In interviews with The Associated Press, a dozen former Boeing engineers, designers and managers recounted the pressure to meet tight deadlines. Adding to the chaos was the company's never-before-tried plan to build a plane from parts made around the globe.

The former Boeing workers still stand behind the jetliner ? and are proud to have worked on it. But many question whether the rush contributed to a series of problems that led the Federal Aviation Administration last week to take the extraordinary step of grounding the 787. Other countries did the same.

Even before a single bolt was tightened, the Dreamliner was different. Because executives didn't want to risk all of the billions of dollars necessary to build a new commercial aircraft, they came up with a novel, but precarious, solution.

A global network of suppliers would develop, and then build, most of the parts in locations as far away as Germany, Japan and Sweden. Boeing's own employees would manufacture just 35 percent of the plane before assembling the final aircraft at its plant outside Seattle.

The decision haunts Boeing to this day.

The FAA's order to stop flying the Dreamliner came after a battery fire aboard a 787 in Boston and another battery incident during a flight in Japan. It was the first time the FAA had grounded a whole fleet of planes since 1979, when it ordered the DC-10 out of the sky following a series of fatal crashes.

Inspectors have focused on the plane's lithium-ion batteries and its complicated electrical system, which were developed by subcontractors in Japan, France, Arizona and North Carolina.

Boeing declined to comment about the past but said its engineers are working around the clock to fix the recent problems.

"Until those investigations conclude, we can't speculate on what the results may be," the company said in a statement. "We are confident the 787 is safe, and we stand behind its overall integrity."

For decades, Boeing has been responsible for the biggest advances in aviation. The jet age started in 1958 with a Pan American flight between New York and Paris that took just eight and a half hours aboard the new Boeing 707.

In 1970, Boeing ushered in the era of the jumbo jet with the 747. The giant plane, with its distinctive bulbous upper deck, made global air travel affordable. Suddenly a summer vacation in London wasn't just for the rich.

By the start of the 21st century, change was much more incremental. Consolidation had left the world with two main commercial jet manufacturers: Boeing and Airbus.

Boeing executives initially had not considered government-backed Airbus a serious competitor. But in 2003, the unthinkable happened. Boeing delivered just 281 new jets. Airbus produced 305, becoming for the first time the world's biggest plane manufacturer.

American jobs ? and pride ? were at stake.

And that wasn't all. Airbus was starting to develop its own new jet: the A380, the world's largest commercial plane, capable of carrying up to 853 passengers, or the equivalent of at least five Boeing 737s.

"They were scaring everybody," said Bryan Dressler, who spent 12 years as a Boeing designer. "People here in Seattle have been through the booms and busts of Boeing so many times, even the slightest smack of a downturn makes people very edgy."

Airbus believed that larger airplanes were needed to connect congested airports in the world's largest cities. Boeing executives weren't so sure.

They believed airline passengers would pay a premium to avoid those same congested hubs with long nonstop flights between smaller cities. Now they just needed to develop a plane that would somehow make such trips economical.

It had been 13 years since Boeing started development of a new plane, the 777. The company had recently scrapped two other major projects: a larger version of the 747 and the Sonic Cruiser, a plane that would fly close to the speed of sound.

A development team with a knack for assigning new planes code names based on national parks had just the thing: Project Yellowstone.

The plane ? eventually rechristened the Dreamliner after a naming contest ? was unlike anything else previously proposed.

Half of its structure would be made of plastics reinforced with carbon fiber, a composite material that is both lighter and stronger than aluminum. In another first, the plane would rely on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to start its auxiliary power unit, which provides power on the ground or if the main engines quit.

While other planes divert hot air from the engines through internal ducts to power some functions, the 787 uses electricity. Getting rid of those ducts is one thing that makes the plane lighter.

There were also benefits for passengers. The plane's extra strength allowed for larger windows and a more comfortable cabin pressure. Because composites can't corrode like aluminum, the humidity in the cabin could be as much as 16 percent, double that of a typical aircraft. That meant fewer dry throats and stuffy noses.

Before a single aircraft was built, the plane was an instant hit, becoming the fastest-selling new jet in history. Advance orders were placed for more than 800 planes. Boeing seemed to be on its way back.

"Employees knew this was going to be a game changer, and they were stoked that the company was taking the risk to do something big," said Michael Cook, who spent 17 years as a computer developer at Boeing.

But this was no longer the trailblazing, risk-taking Boeing of a generation earlier. The company had acquired rival McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Many McDonnell Douglas executives held leadership positions in the new company. The joke was that McDonnell Douglas used Boeing's money to buy Boeing.

The 707 and 747 were blockbuster bets that nearly ruined the company before paying off. McDonnell Douglas executives didn't have the same appetite for gambling.

So the only way the board of directors would sign off on the Dreamliner was to spread the risk among a global chain of suppliers. In December 2003, they agreed to take on half of the estimated $10 billion development cost.

The plan backfired as production problems quickly surfaced.

"I saw total chaos. Boeing bit off more than it could chew," said Larry Caracciolo, an engineer who spent three years managing 787 supplier quality.

First, there were problems with the molding of the new plastics. Then parts made by different suppliers didn't fit properly. For instance, the nose-and-cockpit section was out of alignment with the rest of the plane, leaving a 0.3-inch gap.

By giving up control of its supply chain, Boeing had lost the ability to oversee each step of production. Problems sometimes weren't discovered until the parts came together at its Everett, Wash., plant.

Fixes weren't easy, and cultures among the suppliers often clashed.

"It seemed like the Italians only worked three days a week. They were always on vacation. And the Japanese, they worked six days a week," said Jack Al-Kahwati, a former Boeing structural weight engineer.

Even simple conversations between Boeing employees and those from the suppliers working in-house in Everett weren't so simple. Because of government regulations controlling the export of defense-related technology, any talks with international suppliers had to take place in designated conference rooms. Each country had its own, separate space for conversations.

There were also deep fears, especially among veteran Boeing workers, that "we were giving up all of our trade secrets to the Japanese and that they would be our competition in 10 years," Al-Kahwati said.

As the project fell further behind schedule, pressure mounted. It became increasingly clear that delivery deadlines wouldn't be met.

Each success, no matter how small, was celebrated. The first delivery of a new part or the government certification of an engine would lead to a gathering in one of the engineering building atriums. Banners were hung and commemorative cards ? like baseball cards ? or coins were handed out.

Those working on the plane brought home a constant stream of trinkets: hats, Frisbees, 787 M&Ms, travel mugs, plane-shaped chocolates, laser pointers and lapel pins. Many of the items can now be found for sale on eBay.

"It kept you going because there was this underlying suspicion that we weren't going to hit these targets that they were setting," said Matt Henson, who spent five and a half years as an engineer on the project.

The world got its first glimpse of the Dreamliner on July 8, 2007. The date was chosen not because of some production milestone but for public relations value. It was, after all, 7/8/7.

Tom Brokaw served as the master of ceremonies at an event that drew 15,000 people. The crowd was in awe.

It was "beyond experiencing a rock star on stage," said Dressler, a former Boeing designer. "This thing is so sexy, between the paint job and the lines and the fact that it's here now and you can touch it."

But like so much of show business, the plane was just a prop. It lacked most flight controls. Parts of the fuselage were temporarily fastened together just for the event. Some savvy observers noted that bolt heads were sticking out from the aircraft's composite skin.

Boeing CEO Jim McNerney told the crowd that the plane would fly within two months.

Instead, the company soon announced the first of what would be many delays. It would be more than two years before the plane's first test flight.

To overcome production problems, Boeing replaced executives and bought several of the suppliers to gain greater control. Work continued at breakneck pace.

"We were competing against time. We were competing against the deadline of delivering the first airplane," said Roman Sherbak, who spent four years on the project.

Then on a cold, overcast morning in December 2009, it all came together.

A crowd gathered at Paine Field, the airport adjacent to Boeing's factory. The Dreamliner climbed deftly into the sky for a three-hour test flight.

But there were still plenty of glitches, including an onboard fire during a November 2010 test flight. Smoke had entered the cabin from an electronics panel in the rear of the plane. The fleet was grounded for six weeks. This month's safety problems appear unrelated.

Deliveries were pushed back yet again.

Passengers wouldn't first step aboard the plane until Oct. 26, 2011, three and a half years after Boeing first promised.

That first, four-hour journey ? from Tokyo to Hong Kong ? was more of a party than a flight. Passengers posed for photos as they climbed stairs into the jet. Alcohol flowed freely. Boeing executives were on hand, showing off the plane's new features. Everybody, it seemed, needed to use the bathroom if only to check out the bidet and giant window inside.

More airlines started to fly the plane. Each new route was met with celebration. Travelers shifted itineraries to catch a ride on the new plane.

Boeing had hoped by the end of 2013 to double production of the Dreamliner to 10 planes a month. There are 799 unfilled orders for the plane, which carries a $206.8 million list price, although airlines often negotiate deep discounts.

Then, this month, all the progress came to a jarring halt.

First, a battery ignited on a Japan Airlines 787 shortly after it landed at Boston's Logan International Airport. Passengers had already left the plane, but it took firefighters 40 minutes to put out the blaze.

Problems also popped up on other planes. There were fuel and oil leaks, a cracked cockpit window and a computer glitch that erroneously indicated a brake problem.

Then a 787 flown by Japan's All Nippon Airways made an emergency landing after pilots learned of battery problems and detected a burning smell. Both Japanese airlines grounded their Dreamliner fleets. The FAA, which just days earlier insisted that the plane was safe, did the same for U.S. planes.

Each new aircraft comes with problems. The A380 had its own glitches, including an in-flight engine explosion that damaged fuel and hydraulic lines and the landing flaps. But the unique nature of the 787 worries regulators.

American and Japanese investigators have yet to determine the cause of the problems, and the longer the 787 stays grounded, the more money Boeing must pay airlines in penalties.

"It's been a very expensive process, and it's not going to let up anytime soon," said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with the Teal Group. "At this point, the aircraft still looks very promising. I don't think anybody is talking about canceling orders but people are nervous about the schedule."

As investigators try to figure out the cause of the plane's latest problems the world finds itself in a familiar position with the Dreamliner: waiting.

___

Scott Mayerowitz can be reached at smayerowitz(at)ap.org.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/start-dreamliner-jet-program-rushed-080241865.html

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2013 Moon Little League Baseball - Spring Registration | Robinson ...

Today, January 26, 2013, 10:30 am

904 Beaver Grade Rd, Moon Township, PA | Get?Directions??
FREE

Moon Township Little League Baseball is currently accepting registration online for the 2013 season.?

To register, select Online Registration . Online registration is easy to complete and accepts most major credit cards through PayPal.

If you are unable to register online, you may register in person on one of the following days:

Date - Saturday, Jan. 26^th

Time - 10:30am ? 2pm

Location - Moon Middle School Lobby

The age of your child on April 30, 2013 determines which league he or she will participate.

Leagues

T-Ball - 4 & 5 year olds - $75.00

Modified T-Ball - 6 year olds - $75.00

Midget- 7 & 8 year olds - $95.00

Minor - 9 & 10 year olds - $95.00

Little - 11 & 12 year olds - $95.00

Pony - 13 & 14 year olds - $95.00

Colt - 14, 15 & 16 year olds - $125.00

Legion - 17, 18 & 19 year olds - $125.00

Family Discount
If you are registering multiple children, $40.00 is deducted from each additional child. There is a $160.00 maximum registration fee per family.

Raffle Ticket Fee
A raffle ticket fee of $25/child ($50/family) will be added to all registrations. Raffle tickets will be handed out by your child's team manager.

Registration Information

• A $10 late fee will be added to anyone registering after 2/10/2013.
• First time registrants will need to submit their Birth Certificate. Birth Certificates can be uploaded if registering online or a copy can be submitted if registering in person.
• Eligibility is open to all residents of the Moon Area School District. Proof of residency may be required.

Please direct any questions regarding registration to

info@moonbaseball.com.

40.512455

-80.215168

primary

/events/2013-moon-little-league-baseball-spring-registration

/locations/8662627

Source: http://moon.patch.com/events/2013-moon-little-league-baseball-spring-registration

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How To Make Dinner Like Theater (but Not Dinner Theater)

Next's Hunt chef.

Photo by Christian Seel/Courtesy of Next Restaurant.

The humble carrot. What can you do with a carrot?

Well, if you?re Dave Beran, executive chef of Next, an avant-garde restaurant in Chicago, you instruct farmers around the Midwest to pluck 600 pounds of carrots out of the ground upon the first frost in October. You have the farmers bury these carrots in mounds of sawdust, knowing the vegetables will dry out slightly and sweeten. Months later, you roast 120 dried out, woody carrots each day until they are soft and very sweet, their colors jewellike, their flavor bold and bright. You serve them to diners nearly unadorned on a handmade plate during an elaborate theater-like night of dining called ?The Hunt,? and finally show what a carrot can be.

Next was conceived by chef Grant Achatz and his business partner Nick Kokonas, the brains behind Alinea, another high-end Chicago restaurant that earned three Michelin stars and was been named best restaurant in the U.S. by?Gourmet?magazine in 2006. Next opened in 2011, earning praise as well. After attending the restaurant?s opening menu, ?Paris 1906,??Sam Sifton, the New York Times??restaurant critic at the time, wrote, ?My notes from the evening concluded in block letters, hastily written before sleep, a testament to the power of the menu and its spectacular execution: ?TIME TRAVEL.? ?

You may be asking: Sifton attended a restaurant?s ?opening menu?? What does that even mean? Located in the industrial meatpacking district just west of Chicago?s downtown, Next is not a restaurant in a traditional sense. It is?theater. Diners are required to purchase tickets?on a recent Saturday, a ticket to Next went for $125, with another $58 to $108 for drink pairings. Like ballet companies, operas, and symphonies, Next sells season tickets for its productions, and the dining room itself resembles a stage?a dark blank slate with a girder-like track running through its center into the kitchen. A trailer, just like a movie trailer, is shot for each menu, which radically changes every four months.* As does the dining room?s music and even the plates. So far, themes have included the aforementioned Sifton-approved ?Paris 1906,? ?Childhood,? and ?Thailand.?

?Someone has the idea, sometimes it's obviously great, sometimes we scrap the ideas almost immediately,? Kokonas told me of the team?s theme brainstorming process. ?It's really just a conversation between me and Grant, then Dave and Grant, then Dave and me?round and round.?

This third of the year, the menu, with those carrots, is called ?The Hunt.? Dreamed up by Beran, ?The Hunt? revolves around wild game, blood, organs, nature, hunting life. Its somewhat macabre trailer closes with a hand holding a bright-red beating heart.

Next's Hunt specialty dish.

Photo by Christian Seel/Courtesy of Next Restaurant.

?The Hunt? is essentially the opposite of Next?s previous production, ?Kyoto,? a Japan-inspired, seafood-focused menu. The Baronial Old World hunting music and deer pelt table settings of today?s Next would not have made much sense just a month ago.

?You never want a menu to be similar to the previous one,? Beran said as he spooned little balls of squab offal mixed with watercress and lemon onto circles of pastry before pinching them into packets. ?I wanted to do something a lot darker.?

Research for ?The Hunt? began last year with a lot of reading and testing of dishes, a process that takes eight to 10 weeks?and sometimes involves travel. For ?Kyoto,? various members of the restaurant team, including Beran, flew to Japan. As they come up with dishes, Beran, Achatz, and the team also attend to minute details that help ?tell the story.? For ?The Hunt,? they enlisted 15 artists to make flat, rustic plates. They sourced birch bark that would be used to serve dishes, and learned how to clean and reuse it each night. They wrote the menu as a narrative, beginning in the woods, with mushrooms in glass terrarium-like boxes and smoked trout served on wood. Midway through the meal, servers bring lit candelabras out and begin serving elegant and rich food (think sturgeon served with its own caviar) on gold-rimmed plates. The idea, Beran said, is to invoke baroque hunting lodges: ?We were thinking of old guys sitting with cognac, talking about the big hunt.?

Next's Hunt specialty dish.

Photo by Christian Seel/Courtesy of Next Restaurant.

This sort of production has its risks. Go too showy and the restaurant will seem gimmicky, like an upscale?Rainforest Cafe. Get too conceptual and the whole thing?s just pretentious.

?It could be totally gimmicky, but it?s not,? said?Chicago Tribune?writer Chris Borrelli, who has profiled Achatz and written about Alinea and Next. ?It could be too clever by half, but it never really feels like that. It?s always interesting ideas.?

The other big risk is financial.

?If we did all of this and lost money, then we're not very good on that side of the equation, are we?? is how Kokonas put it to me. ?I suspect that there are restaurants out there that do better than we do, but I have no interest in not also having a truly innovative and great restaurant.?

Next's Hunt specialty dish.

Photo by Christian Seel/Courtesy of Next Restaurant.

To some degree, Achatz, Kokonas, and Beran have been able to pull off Next thanks to their already enthusiastic fan base from Alinea. (Let this be a lesson to One Direction?go for the avant-garde album of your dreams, boys!) When Kokonas posted on the restaurant?s Facebook page that they were seeking ideas for future menus, fans swamped them with ideas. ?The strangest ones are the ones that say something like: Spaceship 2300,? Kokonas says. ?I mean, that's not really a culinary exploration.?

So a futuristic space theme is not in the cards at the moment. What?s next at Next? As if committed to making their lives as fragmented and chaotic as possible, Kokonas, Beran, and Achatz say their next production after the game-heavy ?Hunt? will be ? all vegan.

Correction, Jan. 24, 2013: This article originally stated that Next changes its menu, d?cor, and music every three months. It actually makes these changes every four months. (Return.)

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=b6a2d1c8a0e84dbf562e9e88896f7038

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How trained literacy coaches can improve student reading comprehension

Jan. 25, 2013 ? The language and reading comprehension skills of low-income upper elementary-school students -- especially English-language learners -- can improve markedly if trained literacy coaches engage teachers in conducting interactive text discussions with students, according to a three-year University of Pittsburgh study.

The Pitt researchers report in the journal Learning and Instruction that language and reading comprehension showed measurable improvement for young students when their teachers had worked "at-elbow" with content-specific literacy coaches to foster a more interactive learning environment during class reading assignments.

In the study -- one of the first of its kind -- the coaches were trained using a professional development system designed at Pitt's Institute for Learning called the Content-Focused Coaching Model? that has coaches provide teachers with the tools they need to implement rigorous, standards-based lessons. Teachers can then use the knowledge they've gained to train other teachers in their schools.

"Our goal was to create a method for closing the literacy gap between more privileged and low-income students," said study principal investigator Lindsay Clare Matsumura, a research scientists in Pitt's Learning Research and Development Center and an associate professor in Pitt's School of Education. "We found that a well-structured and content-specific approach to literacy coaching shows strong evidence of being able to really make an impact on classroom text discussion and reading achievement in these upper elementary grades -- a critical time for students to develop their higher-level reading skills."

This content-specific method, developed at Pitt's Institute for Learning within the University's Learning Research and Development Center, also lends itself to adherence of the Common Core State Standards, a national campaign aiming to increase the quality of the country's education system.

"Changing discussion patterns in classrooms is a big undertaking," said Donna DiPrima Bickel, a fellow in Pitt's Institute for Learning and codeveloper and leader of the Content-Focused Coaching Model?. "The Common Core State Standards require a broader and deeper level of comprehension from students at all grade levels beyond first grade. It's imperative that teachers learn ways of supporting students to interact effectively with a range of different types of texts. Teachers engaged with coaches trained in the Content-Focused Coaching Model? valued the support they received in helping them learn to facilitate text discussion on rigorous texts."

In a group-randomized trial, Matsumura -- along with Helen Garnier, a consultant with Pitt's Learning Research and Development Center, and Jessaca Spybrook of Western Michigan University -- investigated the effects of the Content-Focused Coaching Model?, zeroing in on the quality of text discussions in the classroom.

The researchers worked with 29 schools in a Texas school district that serves a high percentage of low-income and English-language-learning students. Half of the schools adopted the Content-Focused Coaching Model?, which entailed highly trained coaches entering schools and providing professional development training to upper elementary school teachers. The other half continued in their previously assigned literacy plan, which included the involvement of literacy coaches untrained in the coaching model.

"Many literacy coaches don't receive a lot of training on how to work effectively with teachers," said Matsumura. "So our goal was to work intensively with these coaches by teaching them how to model instructional strategies and work with teachers to better plan reading lessons. We provided them with effective strategies to share with teachers so they could boost their engagement with students."

During the study's first year, Pitt researchers collected baseline data on the quality of classroom discussions, teachers' participation in professional development, and students' reading achievement. Soon after, the coaches were placed in schools and began working with teachers on "Questioning the Author," one approach to the Content-Focused Coaching Model? in which students answer critical questions about the author and text. "Questioning the Author" was developed at Pitt's Learning Research and Development Center by Emeritus Professor Isabel Beck and Research Scientist Margaret McKeown.

Under this literacy approach, students are asked to stop throughout the reading of a book and answer thought-provoking questions. If a text is written unclearly, said Matsumura, the teacher will pause to make sure students understand what is happening and also review any unknown vocabulary. The approach is meant to result in more interactive discussions leading to better comprehension and retention, and it entails "quite a bit of planning" on the part of teachers for it to be effective, Matsumura said.

In the Pitt study, the coaches began by leading a classroom discussion while teachers observed. After several months of observation, the teachers adopted the technique into their classroom for the rest of the study. Students' reading scores were evaluated through a series of tests throughout the three years.

The team found that schools participating in the coaching intervention had a positive effect on students' reading achievement -- specifically for English-language learners, who made up 40 percent of the study's sample. English-language learners with trained teachers scored .48 of a standard deviation higher on the state reading rest than those in the comparison schools. A standard deviation is the average distance between any score in a distribution and the mean of the distribution.

"One of our suppositions is that in having these kinds of interactive discussions, you're really getting kids to talk and learn to use new vocabulary actively," said Matsumura. "Nevertheless, our study highlights the need for usage of literacy-coaching programs -- like the Content-Focused Coaching Model? -- to promote student reading achievement."

In addition to improving students' literacy at an individual level, the study had a larger, across-the-board success.

"Anyone can provide you with an anecdote about how one coach has helped one teacher but the real story here is in the systematic results," said Bickel. "Lindsay and her team retrieved data that clearly show that schools with coaches trained in the Content-Focused Coaching Model? improved literacy skills far beyond those where teachers worked with coaches who were not trained in this method. And, as a result of this study, we are able to better describe the components of an effective coaching program."

As is the case with most large-scale projects, widespread implementation of these interventions may prove to be a challenge. Therefore, Matsumura and her colleagues are now working towards delivering this coaching online.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Pittsburgh.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Lindsay Clare Matsumura, Helen E. Garnier, Jessaca Spybrook. Literacy coaching to improve student reading achievement: A multi-level mediation model. Learning and Instruction, 2013; 25: 35 DOI: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2012.11.001

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/child_development/~3/Z4sMaIksWqE/130125111335.htm

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Abortion protester climbs tree at inauguration

Taylor Hill / Getty Images Contributor

An anti-abortion heckler during the inauguration festivities on Monday climbed a tree to avoid police.

By Isolde Raftery, Staff Writer, NBC News

A known anti-abortion heckler tried to avoid police at Monday?s inauguration festivities by climbing a tree.

Rives Grogan, a silver-haired man wearing a brown Carhartt-style jacket, had climbed up a tall, thin evergreen tree, protest sign in hand, near 1st and Maryland Avenue by the Capitol Building. The sign he held read, ?Pray to end abortion.?

Grogan, who was not carrying identification, had a ticket and went through security screening, according to a police report. He has been a pastor at New Beginnings Christian Church in Los Angeles, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, and he has twice disrupted Supreme Court proceedings.

As U.S. Capitol Police roped off the tree and propped a ladder up against it, the man kept climbing, reaching nearly 40 feet as he shouted, ?Democrats are baby killers!? (He took a break when Beyonc? sang the National Anthem, politicker.com reported.)

When he climbed down the tree some time later, police arrested the man, identity unknown, and placed him in handcuffs. The crowd, frustrated by his disruptive shouts throughout the speeches, bid him adieu singing, ?Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.??

Grogan faces three charges, among them, contempt of court and injury to property.

Related stories:

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/21/16630508-abortion-protester-climbs-tree-at-inauguration-annoys-revelers?lite

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Boost Your Reputation Like a Social Media Expert | Business 2 ...

Your online reputation means everything in this day and age of high technology and virtual businesses. You need to constantly work on increasing your exposure and getting people to think of you and your business when they need your offerings.

Consistency

It is extremely important to be relentless in the management of your online reputation. Doing that may be a bit more difficult than you imagine. First of all, it is critical that you have a really good acquaintanceship with the social media channels with which you are connected and you need to commit a specific amount of time to your presence and reputation on a very regular basis (either every day or a set number of times per week, on specific days of the week). There is no doubt that being consistently active on social media channels will help you to become more successful in business and you will start to notice (within? a few months) that your business will start to gather a momentum that is different than what you had before.

If you happen to work with other people, it is very important to get them involved in your social media efforts. If you work alone, you need to be as consistent and as persistent as you possibly can. Before too long, people will start to recognize your consistent efforts and they will start to respond in kind.

What you should do to get your social media efforts to produce positive results

Pay a great deal of attention to the Internet

It is critical that you pay attention to what people are writing about you and your business online. Listening will definitely serve you very well (sometimes it will serve you better than speaking)! Of course, listening is not an easy skill to acquire. It will take a great deal of effort on your part but once you learn how to listen, you will be able to extract a great deal of valuable information from other people. In addition to reading what people are writing about you and your company, you should also search for relevant information about your niche or industry. What your competitors are doing on the Internet and what influencers are saying are very valuable pieces of information for your business. The information that you gather will undoubtedly prove valuable to your business.

Write content that is attractive to other people

If you can write content that acts like a magnet to your readers. This will increase your online exposure tremendously. If you increase your online exposure, you will also increase your search engine rankings. People can tell all of their online connections about how wonderful your offerings are (whether they are products, services or a combination of the two). You would be surprised at how much good people can do when it comes to promoting your business.

Pay close attention to analytics

Paying attention to analytics is critical to the success of your business. The data that you will be able to gather will be very valuable and it will allow you to identify patterns so that you can tell figure out what you are doing correctly and what you need to tweak and make improvements upon. It is important to have a grasp on the big picture as well as being able to dissect the pieces and change and improve what needs to be changed and improved.

Content marketing tips to follow

There are many different possible approaches when it comes to boosting your reputation and improving your content to the point where it really buzzes and people just can?t get enough. Some of the concepts are simple and some are a little more sophisticated.

• Choose your words wisely: Nobody likes a long-winded article that doesn?t seem to end. When it comes to content, it is important to choose your words wisely because they really need to count. More is less when it comes to content.
• Always gear your content to your clients and prospective clients: One of the main reasons that you are sharing content is so that people will benefit from what you are sharing and will want to conncect with you on a deeper level. Your eventual goal is to get them to buy what you are selling and they will never do that if you don?t fulfill some need of theirs.
• Give the perception that you are a business person who blogs, not a blogger for business: You are a business person who has discovered that blogging is an extremely powerful tool to get your message across to a very large number of people. You aren?t blogging recreationally. You are serious about what you are trying to accomplish.
• Always take a strong stand: It never pays to be wishy-washy. People will always respect you more if you pick a side and stick with it loyally. It is important for people to really understand what you believe in so that they can figure out if you have that in common.
• Write some of your content from the perspective of those who share it: As anyone who shares content online, one of?your objectives is to get other people to share it with people they know and trust.?When it comes to writing content, your mindset should always be that?your content will give value to other people and that your readers will love it so much that they must share it with other people.
• Make sure that you always add value with your content: You may ask yourself why you would possibly share your content if not to add value. Of course, there are levels of value and the more you give to other people, the greater your chances will be that they will be moved by what you are giving to them.
• Write in clear, concise language: The simpler and more concise the language in your content, the more effective it will be. Your ?written? voice should always be genuine, respectful and very easy to grasp.
• Set up deadlines and always meet them: The business world is a world that is totally driven by deadlines. If you make a commitment to finish something by a certain date (and possibly even a certain time), you must do everything in your power to make it happen. People will learn to count on that.

Conclusion

In this day and age of high technology and so many tools that are at your fingertips, it is important to think like a social media expert so that you are able to leverage social media for all that it has to offer. The more effectively you use it, the more it will work for you and your business. Whatever you do, you need to feel confident in the fact that you add value to what you share with others.? Just remember that you need to make the commitment, be consistent and keep at it.

We are pleased to provide you with the insightful comments contained herein. For a free assessment of your online presence, let?s have coffee.

Source: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/boost-your-reputation-like-a-social-media-expert-0384080

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Today on New Scientist: 22 January 2013

Did Mars hide life in its watery pockets?

Clays and carbonates found in a Martian crater might be deposits from groundwater that could have nourished life long after the planet's surface dried up

8th-century tree rings hint at close-range space blast

High levels of carbon-14 in two Japanese cedars may be one of the first signs of a nearby gamma-ray burst

3D sonar uncovers skeleton of Civil War battleship

One hundred and fifty years after it went down in battle, the bones of the paddle-wheel steamship USS Hatteras have been scanned on the seabed

Barack Obama promises US action on climate

A bold strategy to combat global warming and the aim to lead the world in clean technology are at the centre of the US president's plans

Threatwatch: The greatest risks to world stability

Some 3000 top corporate and political bosses are meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos to hear about the threats we all face

Robot-assisted 3D printer aids march of the machines

An all-in-one robotic fabricator can mill, drill and assemble the pieces created by a 3D printer

Sacrificing Einstein: Relativity's keystone has to go

Our hopes of finding a theory of everything depend on upsetting a balance that Einstein cherished, says Stuart Clark

Global mercury treaty will take decades to work

140 countries have agreed a deal to cut mercury pollution, but it will be a long slow process getting the toxic metal out of the environment

Could botox change your life for the better?

In The Face of Emotion, Eric Finzi explores how one of the world's most popular cosmetic procedures could alleviate depression

A theory of everything won't provide all the answers

We shouldn't be obsessed with finding a theory of everything, says Lisa Randall, one of the world's most prominent theoretical physicists

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/27c9bd5f/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A130C0A10Ctoday0Eon0Enew0Escientist0E220Ejanu0E10Bhtml0Dcmpid0FRSS0QNSNS0Q20A120EGLOBAL0Qonline0Enews/story01.htm

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Business: Amazing Apartments For Lease In Changing Columbus ...

?The fabled all American dreams may be the house coach outlet purses of one?s own with the white picket fence, but for most young Americans today, an apartment is the height of all young aspirations. There are many advantages to apartments for lease Columbus and elsewhere- they are cheaper, easier to maintain, do not require a very long term commitment or big mortgage, more secure, available closer to professional or work areas, can easily be moved in and out of, etc.

Thus, in a big metropolis like Columbus Ohio, if you wish to stay for a few weeks or several years, it makes sense to get apartments for lease in Columbus. Even if you do want the house with the white picket fence eventually, a comfortable, cheap apartment makes a good intermediate while you are setting up coach outlet usa you career.

At Ackley and co. the importance of an apartment is well understood, and the local firm ensures that each client gets the best apartments for lease Columbus in his/ her price range, without having to worry about looking around oneself or putting trust in exorbitant commission charging middlemen. This firm caters to all types of tenants- from the student to the large family of five, and provides apartments ranging from single bath single bed and dorm style lodgings, to luxurious penthouse suites. These apartments are listed directly from the owner, reducing the middleman charge, and ensuring a more satisfying bargain for the tenant and the house owner.

Columbus has a flourishing college and school district, and the Ackley and co. realtors offer advantageous housing apartments for lease Columbus in these areas, to suit both a student and a professor?s budget. Quiet residential areas for retired and non city loving people are also available, with cozy, well lived in apartments available fully furnished or non furnished, For a few months or several years.

At one mouse click or phone call Ackley and co. will provide you with the apartments for lease Columbus of your dreams, and many other choices, as well as put you in touch with local movers, packers, decorators, etc. they will conduct you to each house individually if you have the time, or else simply send you the details, complete with pictures, for you to choose in the comfort coach outlet online of home. If you already live in Columbus, but want to move to a different district or a better house, then Ackley will help you get that upgrade.

Ackley and co. believes in long term commitment- so the relationship does not end with handing over your keys to the apartments for lease Columbus. The firm will also help you move in, settle down, and also help you find future homes in case you want to move later on.

Source: http://business2046.blogspot.com/2013/01/amazing-apartments-for-lease-in.html

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ABC News' Barbara Walters hospitalized after fall

NEW YORK (AP) ? Veteran ABC newswoman Barbara Walters has fallen at an inauguration party in Washington and has been hospitalized.

ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider says the 83-year-old Walters fell Saturday night on a step at the residence of Britain's ambassador to the United States, Peter Westmacott. The fall left Walters with a cut on her forehead.

Schneider said Sunday "out of an abundance of caution" Walters went to a hospital for treatment of the cut and for a full examination. He says Walters is alert "and telling everyone what to do," which is "a very positive sign."

It's unclear when Walters might be released from the hospital, which ABC hasn't identified.

Walters was TV news' first female superstar, making headlines in 1976 as a network anchor with an unprecedented $1 million annual salary.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/abc-news-barbara-walters-hospitalized-fall-202427714.html

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Sex is major reason military commanders are fired

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair, fired from his command in Afghanistan last May and now facing a court-martial on charges of sodomy, adultery and pornography and more, is just one in a long line of commanders whose careers were ended because of possible sexual misconduct.

Sex has proved to be the downfall of presidents, members of Congress and other notables. It's also among the chief reasons that senior military officers are fired.

At least 30 percent of military commanders fired over the past eight years lost their jobs because of sexually related offenses, including harassment, adultery, and improper relationships, according to statistics compiled by The Associated Press.

The figures bear out growing concerns by Defense Department and military leaders over declining ethical values among U.S. forces, and they highlight the pervasiveness of a problem that came into sharp relief because of the resignation of one of the Army's most esteemed generals, David Petraeus, and the investigation of a second general, John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

The statistics from all four military services show that adulterous affairs are more than a four-star foible. From sexual assault and harassment to pornography, drugs and drinking, ethical lapses are an escalating problem for the military's leaders.

With all those offenses taken together, more than 4 in every 10 commanders at the rank of lieutenant colonel or above who were fired fell as a result of behavioral stumbles since 2005.

The recent series of highly publicized cases led to a review of ethics training across the military. It also prompted Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to conclude that while training is adequate, it may need to start earlier in service members' careers and be reinforced more frequently.

Still, officials struggle to explain why the problem has grown and they acknowledge that solving it is difficult and will take time.

"I think we're on the path. I think the last two defense secretaries have made this a very high priority and have very much held people accountable. But we've got a ways to go," said Michele Flournoy, a former undersecretary of defense under President Barack Obama.

She said the military must enforce a "zero tolerance" policy and work to change the culture so service members are held accountable and made to understand that their careers will be over if they commit or tolerate such offenses.

"The policy is in place," she said. "I don't know that it's as evenly and fully enforced as intended."

For top officers, the numbers are startling.

Eighteen generals and admirals, from one star to four stars, were fired in recent years, and 10 of them lost their jobs because of sex-related offenses; two others were done in by alcohol-related problems.

The figures show that 255 commanders were fired since 2005, and that 78 of them were felled by sex-related offenses. A breakdown: 32 in the Army, 25 in the Navy, 11 in the Marine Corps and 10 in the Air Force.

Alcohol and drug-related problems cost the jobs of 27 commanders ? 11 in the Navy, eight in the Army, five in the Marine Corp(s and three in the Air Force.

"It's troublesome," said Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Navy's top spokesman. "Navy leadership is taking a look at why personal conduct seems to be a growing reason for why commanding officers are losing their commands. We're trying to get to the root causes. We don't really fully understand it."

He and other military leaders agree that poor leadership, bad judgment, and ethical lapses, rather than operational failures, are growing factors in the firings. But Kirby said it's not clear whether that has anything to do with the strains of the past 10 years at war or simply reflects deteriorating morals among the general population.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordered the ethics review in November. He said that "when lapses occur, they have the potential to erode public confidence in our leadership and in our system for the enforcement of our high ethical standards. Worse, they can be detrimental to the execution of our mission to defend the American people."

Anu Bhagwati, executive director of the Service Women's Action Network, said there is more focus on this issue now than ever in the past, but that there really is no sufficient deterrent in place. She said a major problem is that military commanders are responsible for deciding what cases should move forward.

She said military lawyers, who are trained and have a greater appearance of impartiality, should make such an important legal decision.

The statistics gathered and analyzed by the AP represent a very conservative estimate of the problem. While the Army, Navy and Marine Corps provided details for all military commanders who were lieutenant colonels or commanders and above for 2005 until now, Air Force officials said they could only provide data for colonels and above from 2008 until today.

Also, the figures reflect only officers who were in command positions. The numbers don't include what could be hundreds of officers fired from other jobs, such as administrative or other military posts. Military officials said they only collect data on officers in command who are fired.

The reasons for the firings are also murky. In some cases, no reason was listed; in other cases, it was vague ? such as "ethics" or "leadership" or for fostering a bad command climate.

There also are varying degrees of publicity when such action is taken.

In Sinclair's case, the charges and impending court martial have received extensive coverage. The five pages of allegations, which involve his conduct with five women who were not his wife, include one count of forcible sodomy, two counts of wrongful sexual conduct, six counts of inappropriate sexual relationships, and eight counts of violating regulations. He could receive life in prison if convicted.

But in many other cases, particularly of those below the rank of general, there is little public notice if the senior officer is in the Army or Air Force. The Navy, however, issues a public statement every time a commander is removed from a job.

The figures also highlight the Navy's reputation for being quick to justice. Although it is the second smallest of the four military services, the Navy has relieved the most commanders, 99, over the past eight years. By comparison, it was 83 for the Army, 41 for the Marines and 32 for the Air Force.

Dismissing a commander from a job does not mean that officer is forced out of the military. In some of the more serious cases, officers may be discharged or forced to resign. But in many other cases, service members may go on to another job for some time.

Still, a dismissal often signals the end of an officer's career, and with no chance for promotion, officers will often retire or leave the service.

The Army is the largest of the military services, reaching a peak of about 570,000 active duty soldiers at the height of the Iraq war. It is supposed to cut 80,000 troops by 2017. The Marine Corps is the smallest service, with about 202,000 at its peak during the wars and is set to slim down to about 182,000. The Navy has about 322,000 active duty forces and the Air Force has about 328,000.

The other reasons for dismissals by the services cover a broad range of offenses, from assault and drug and alcohol use to being a poor or abusive leader. There are also instances of fraud as well as a few cases where Navy officers commanding a ship have hit something, such as a buoy or another ship.

Four generals have lost their jobs in recent years as a result of public scandals. All were dismissed while Robert Gates was defense secretary:

?Gen. Michael Moseley, the Air Force Chief of Staff, was dismissed in 2008 for failing to address several nuclear-related mishaps by the service.

? Army Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley and Army Maj. Gen. George Weightman were dismissed because of the poor outpatient treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2007.

?Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal resigned after members of his staff made disparaging remarks about Obama's national security team, including Vice President Joe Biden. A Pentagon investigation later cleared him of wrongdoing.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sex-major-reason-military-commanders-fired-123720150.html

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Algeria ends desert siege with 23 hostages dead

ALGIERS/IN AMENAS, Algeria (Reuters) - Algerian troops ended a siege by Islamist militants at a gas plant in the Sahara desert where 23 hostages died, with a final assault which killed all the remaining hostage-takers.

Believed to be among the 32 dead militants was their leader, Abdul Rahman al-Nigeri, a Nigerien close to al Qaeda-linked commander Mokhtar Belmokhtar, presumed mastermind of the raid.

An Algerian interior ministry statement on the death toll gave no breakdown of the number of foreigners among hostages killed since the plant was seized before dawn on Wednesday.

Details are only slowly emerging on what happened during the siege, which marked a serious escalation of unrest in northwestern Africa, where French forces are ratcheting up a war against Islamist militants in neighbouring Mali.

Algeria's interior ministry said on Saturday that 107 foreign hostages and 685 Algerian hostages had survived, but did not give a detailed breakdown of those who died.

"We feel a deep and growing unease ... we fear that over the next few days we will receive bad news," said Helge Lund, Chief Executive of Norway's Statoil, which ran the plant along with Britain's BP and Algeria's state oil company.

"People we have spoken to describe unbelievable, horrible experiences," he said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said he feared for the lives of five British citizens unaccounted for at the gas plant near the town of In Amenas, which was also home to expatriate workers from Japanese engineering firm JGC Corp and others.

One American and one British citizen have been confirmed dead. Statoil said five of its workers, all Norwegian nationals, were still missing. Japanese and American workers are also unaccounted for.

The Islamists' attack has tested Algeria's relations with the outside world, exposed the vulnerability of multinational oil operations in the Sahara and pushed Islamist radicalism in northern Africa to centre stage.

Some Western governments expressed frustration at not being informed of the Algerian authorities' plans to storm the complex. Algeria, scarred by a civil war with Islamist insurgents in the 1990s which claimed 200,000 lives, had insisted there would be no negotiation in the face of terrorism.

President Barack Obama said on Saturday the United States was seeking from Algerian authorities a fuller understanding of what took place, but said "the blame for this tragedy rests with the terrorists who carried it out."

Official sources had no immediate confirmation of newspaper reports suggesting some of the hostages may have been executed by their captors as the Algerian army closed in for the final assault on Saturday.

One source close to the crisis said 16 foreign hostages were freed, including two Americans and one Portuguese.

BP's chief executive Bob Dudley said on Saturday four of its 18 workers at the site were missing. The remaining 14 were safe.

PLANNED BEFORE FRENCH LANDED IN MALI

The attack on the heavily fortified gas compound was one of the most audacious in recent years and almost certainly planned long before French troops launched a military operation in Mali this month to stem an advance by Islamist fighters.

Hundreds of hostages escaped on Thursday when the army launched a rescue operation, but many hostages were killed.

Before the interior ministry released its provisional death toll, an Algerian security source said eight Algerians and at least seven foreigners were among the victims, including two Japanese, two Britons and a French national. One British citizen was killed when the gunmen seized the hostages on Wednesday.

The U.S. State Department said on Friday one American, Frederick Buttaccio, had died but gave no further details.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said nobody was going to attack the United States and get away with it.

"We have made a commitment that we're going to go after al Qaeda wherever they are and wherever they try to hide," he said during a visit to London. "We have done that obviously in Afghanistan, Pakistan, we've done it in Somalia, in Yemen and we will do it in North Africa as well."

Earlier on Saturday, Algerian special forces found 15 unidentified burned bodies at the plant, a source told Reuters.

Mauritanian news agencies identified the field commander of the group that attacked the plant as Nigeri, a fighter from one of the Arab tribes in Niger who had joined the Algerian Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) in early-2005.

That group eventually joined up with al Qaeda to become Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). It and allied groups are the targets of the French military operation in Mali.

The news agencies described him as "one of the closest people" to Belmokhtar, who fought in Afghanistan and then in Algeria's civil war of the 1990s. Nigeri was known as a man for "difficult missions", having carried out attacks in Mauritania, Mali and Niger.

NO NEGOTIATION

Britain, Japan and other countries have expressed irritation that the Algerian army assault was ordered without consultation.

But French President Francois Hollande said the Algerian military's response seemed to have been the best option given that negotiation was not possible.

"When you have people taken hostage in such large number by terrorists with such cold determination and ready to kill those hostages - as they did - Algeria has an approach which to me, as I see it, is the most appropriate because there could be no negotiation," Hollande said.

The apparent ease with which the fighters swooped in from the dunes to take control of an important energy facility, which produces some 10 percent of the natural gas on which Algeria depends for its export income, has raised questions over the country's outwardly tough security measures.

Algerian officials said the attackers may have had inside help from among the hundreds of Algerians employed at the site.

Security in the half-dozen countries around the Sahara desert has long been a preoccupation of the West. Smugglers and militants have earned millions in ransom from kidnappings.

The most powerful Islamist groups operating in the Sahara were severely weakened by Algeria's secularist military in the civil war in the 1990s. But in the past two years the regional wing of al Qaeda gained fighters and arms as a result of the civil war in Libya, when arsenals were looted from Muammar Gaddafi's army.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/algeria-ends-desert-siege-23-hostages-dead-082244805--finance.html

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Severe climate jeopardizing Amazon forest, study finds

Jan. 18, 2013 ? An area of the Amazon rainforest twice the size of California continues to suffer from the effects of a megadrought that began in 2005, finds a new NASA-led study. These results, together with observed recurrences of droughts every few years and associated damage to the forests in southern and western Amazonia in the past decade, suggest these rainforests may be showing the first signs of potential large-scale degradation due to climate change.

An international research team led by Sassan Saatchi of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., analyzed more than a decade of satellite microwave radar data collected between 2000 and 2009 over Amazonia. The observations included measurements of rainfall from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission and measurements of the moisture content and structure of the forest canopy (top layer) from the Seawinds scatterometer on NASA's QuikScat spacecraft.

The scientists found that during the summer of 2005, more than 270,000 square miles (700,000 square kilometers, or 70 million hectares) of pristine, old-growth forest in southwestern Amazonia experienced an extensive, severe drought. This megadrought caused widespread changes to the forest canopy that were detectable by satellite. The changes suggest dieback of branches and tree falls, especially among the older, larger, more vulnerable canopy trees that blanket the forest.

While rainfall levels gradually recovered in subsequent years, the damage to the forest canopy persisted all the way to the next major drought, which began in 2010. About half the forest affected by the 2005 drought -- an area the size of California -- did not recover by the time QuikScat stopped gathering global data in November 2009 and before the start of a more extensive drought in 2010.

"The biggest surprise for us was that the effects appeared to persist for years after the 2005 drought," said study co-author Yadvinder Malhi of the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. "We had expected the forest canopy to bounce back after a year with a new flush of leaf growth, but the damage appeared to persist right up to the subsequent drought in 2010."

Recent Amazonian droughts have drawn attention to the vulnerability of tropical forests to climate change. Satellite and ground data have shown an increase in wildfires during drought years and tree die-offs following severe droughts. Until now, there had been no satellite-based assessment of the multi-year impacts of these droughts across all of Amazonia. Large-scale droughts can lead to sustained releases of carbon dioxide from decaying wood, affecting ecosystems and Earth's carbon cycle.

The researchers attribute the 2005 Amazonian drought to the long-term warming of tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures. "In effect, the same climate phenomenon that helped form hurricanes Katrina and Rita along U.S. southern coasts in 2005 also likely caused the severe drought in southwest Amazonia," Saatchi said. "An extreme climate event caused the drought, which subsequently damaged the Amazonian trees."

Saatchi said such megadroughts can have long-lasting effects on rainforest ecosystems. "Our results suggest that if droughts continue at five- to 10-year intervals or increase in frequency due to climate change, large areas of the Amazon forest are likely to be exposed to persistent effects of droughts and corresponding slow forest recovery," he said. "This may alter the structure and function of Amazonian rainforest ecosystems."

The team found that the area affected by the 2005 drought was much larger than scientists had previously predicted. About 30 percent (656,370 square miles, or 1.7 million square kilometers) of the Amazon basin's total current forest area was affected, with more than five percent of the forest experiencing severe drought conditions. The 2010 drought affected nearly half of the entire Amazon forest, with nearly a fifth of it experiencing severe drought. More than 231,660 square miles (600,000 square kilometers) of the area affected by the 2005 drought were also affected by the 2010 drought. This "double whammy" by successive droughts suggests a potentially long-lasting and widespread effect on forests in southern and western Amazonia.

The drought rate in Amazonia during the past decade is unprecedented over the past century. In addition to the two major droughts in 2005 and 2010, the area has experienced several localized mini-droughts in recent years. Observations from ground stations show that rainfall over the southern Amazon rainforest declined by almost 3.2 percent per year in the period from 1970 to 1998. Climate analyses for the period from 1995 to 2005 show a steady decline in water availability for plants in the region. Together, these data suggest a decade of moderate water stress led up to the 2005 drought, helping trigger the large-scale forest damage seen following the 2005 drought.

Saatchi said the new study sheds new light on a major controversy that existed about how the Amazon forest responded following the 2005 megadrought. Previous studies using conventional optical satellite data produced contradictory results, likely due to the difficulty of correcting the optical data for interference by clouds and other atmospheric conditions.

In contrast, QuikScat's scatterometer radar was able to see through the clouds and penetrate into the top few meters of vegetation, providing daily measurements of the forest canopy structure and estimates of how much water the forest contains. Areas of drought-damaged forest produced a lower radar signal than the signals collected over healthy forest areas, indicating either that the forest canopy is drier or it is less "rough" due to damage to or the death of canopy trees.

Results of the study were published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Other participating institutions included UCLA; University of Oxford, United Kingdom; University of Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom; National Institute for Space Research, Sao Jose dos Campos, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Boston University, Mass.; and NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

For more on NASA's scatterometry missions, visit: http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm . You can follow JPL News on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/nasajpl and on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/nasajpl . The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/kO0w9g4g05E/130118111705.htm

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Corporate Gifts Singapore: Showing That You Value Your ...

Corporate Gifts Singapore Ideas For Professionals Businesses flourish depending on how well workers get along with their boss and with one another, and often, a gift might just do the trick to facilitate that. A small but nice gift can fix office tension, straighten out relationships, and enhance employee morale. It also shows that workers are valued and appreciated for their hard work. This is the reason corporate gifts Singapore retail is booming in the city state. While corporate gifts are often bestowed on special occasions like anniversaries or team building activities, they could always be gifted on normal work days too. employees tend to expect recognitions at the end of the month, so astonish them by giving them presents ahead of time. They?ll definitely appreciate it. In addition, who doesn?t like to receive presents, right? A popular corporate gift is a gift certificate that could be used at any local restaurant, boutique or movie house. It is easy to purchase and allows people to redeem the gifts they want at their most convenient time. Tickets to popular sports events or cultural festivals are also a great alternative to gift certificates or lifestyle vouchers. If you want to play safe and would like to give a corporate gift that the employee can use everyday, then any desk display would be appropriate. This might include a nice sign pen, a pad or pen holder, or a clock. Donations to a local charity created in the name of the employee is another great alternative to the usual business gift. If you are running out of ideas, company giveaways bearing the company?s logo will do. These giveaways include bags, passport holders, mugs, disaster kits and pens. For greater accomplishments, you might also give workers gift hampers containing gourmet food, ingredients, cheese, chocolate or wine. Remember, however, that it?s not about the type of gift you give, but the thought you put in the whole gift-giving practice. That?s what?s going to make your gift more of value to the recipient. For a more personal touch, don?t forget to include a letter in your gift. For related articles on corporate gifts Singapore or visit www.aestheticmedical.com.sg

Source: http://velgrimes.4ove.com/corporate-gifts-singapore-showing-that-you-value-your-employees-work/

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Microsoft brings Surface tablet to retail ? is the channel next?

Best Buy and Future Shop are now offering Microsoft's Surface RT Tablet, in a retreat from the company's direct sales strategy for its Windows 8 tablet
1/17/2013 4:07:00 PM By: Jeff Jedras

In a sign that Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) may be backing off its controversial direct-only sales strategy for its Windows 8 Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets, Canadians can now buy a Surface RT tablet from Best Buy and Future Shop stores across Canada.

When Microsoft launched the Surface RT tablet along with its new Windows 8 OS last October, the direct-only sales strategy from the usually staunch advocate of the indirect model surprised many in the channel community. However, Microsoft said it would only make the Surface available through the Microsoft store and through its own Microsoft retail stores, and not through Microsoft's traditional retailer and reseller channels.

That naturally limited the distribution channel available for the Surface ? particularly in Canada, where the first Microsoft store just opened in Toronto's Yorkdale Mall before last Christmas. People exposed to the Surface through Microsoft's aggressive advertising campaign therefore had a hard time getting their hands on the tablet, not finding it in the retail locations they're used to finding other Window products.

Consequently, sales figures for Surface have been been well below expectations, with analysts pointing to a glaring lack of distribution as the major issue.

RELATED STORY:Early look inside Microsoft's first Canadian store

A Tweet on Thursday though from Microsoft Canada indicated a shift in the direct-only Surface strategy:

Future Shop (a subsidiary of Best Buy) is also carrying the tablet:

A representative from Microsoft Canada was not available to discuss the shift in strategy with CDN. Among the questions to be answered: will other retailers carry the Surface RT? Also, while the Surface RT is more consumer-focused, will the business-friendly Surface Pro now be available through Microsoft's reseller partners and/or the retail channel?

We'll post an update from Microsoft when more information is available.

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Source: http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=69724

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Bombers kill more than 30 across Iraq

KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - More than 30 people died in a suicide attack and other bombings in northern Iraq and Baghdad on Wednesday, deepening sectarian strife in the OPEC nation as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki faces mounting pressure from minority Sunnis and Kurds.

Shoppers and police helped drag bloodied survivors out of the rubble and wrecked vehicles after a suicide bomber in a trunk set off a huge explosion in Kirkuk, near the local headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party or KDP.

The attacks came as Maliki, a Shi'ite, is locked in a feud with ethnic Kurds in autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan over disputed oilfields and also is also confronting Sunni Muslim protesters in a western province calling for him to step down.

"A suicide bomber driving a truck packed with explosives detonated the vehicle outside the KDP headquarters. It's a crowded area, dozens were killed and wounded, Police Brigadier Sarhat Qadir told Reuters in Kirkuk.

Local Kirkuk health officials and police said at least 21 people were killed and more than 170 were wounded.

Another three people died and 37 more were wounded in a separate bombing outside a rival Kurdish political party office in Tuz Khurmato, 170 km (105 miles) north of the capital.

Roadside bombs and gun attacks in Baghdad and Baiji, north of the capital killed seven policemen and soldiers.

A year after the last U.S. troops left, Iraq's government of Sunni, Shi'ite and Kurdish parties is deadlocked in a crisis over how to share power, increasing worries the OPEC country may slide back into wide-scale sectarian confrontation.

POLITICAL TURMOIL

Violence and unrest are compounding concern the conflict in neighboring Syria, where mainly Sunni rebels are fighting against Shi'ite Iran's ally President Bashar al-Assad, will upset Iraq's own delicate sectarian and ethnic balance.

Wednesday's attacks came a day after a suicide bomber killed an influential Sunni Muslim lawmaker in the west of Iraq where thousands of Sunni protesters have been holding mass demonstrations against Maliki.

Sunni turmoil erupted in late December after officials arrested members of a Sunni finance minister's security team on terrorism charges. Authorities denied the arrests were political, but Sunni leaders saw them as a crackdown.

Since the fall of Sunni strongman Saddam Hussein after the 2003 invasion, many Sunnis feel they have marginalized by the leadership of the Shi'ite majority.

Maliki's National Alliance Shi'ite coalition and Sunni-backed Iraqiya block held preliminary talks in parliament on Wednesday in attempt to defuse the crisis by addressing the demands of the demonstrations.

"We have to admit that we have a tough job ahead to reach common ground," Ali al-Shallah, a lawmaker with Maliki's alliance. "All the blocs agree to allow time for the government to review protest demands, that's one step."

Protesters want detainees released, a modification of terrorism laws and more control over a campaign against former members of Saddam's outlawed Baath party, a measure they see is used unfairly to sideline their leaders.

Iraq's government this week said it released more than 300 prisoners held under anti-terrorism laws as a goodwill gesture, but Sunni leaders say that is not enough.

Violence in Iraq is down since the height of sectarian bloodletting in 2006-2007 when thousands were killed. But last year saw a rise in deaths for the first time in three years with more than 4,400 people killed in attacks.

(Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suicide-bomber-kills-10-iraq-officials-072431922.html

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