As with most news organizations, a lot of the posts we publish start out as emailed tips from you, our dear readers. But some employees put their jobs on the line when they share info, which, as you might imagine, makes them reluctant to hit send. The New Yorker seems to have a solution that'll offer a much higher degree of anonymity, stripping IP addresses and other identifying data whenever you upload a file or submit a tip. You create an alias, and all correspondence takes place within a secure environment, called Strongbox. Best yet, the code for this tool, called DeadDrop, is completely open-source, so you can download the necessary software and implement it on your own site, free of charge. More info on both are available at the source links below.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? More than 10,000 workers who handle disability claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs will be required to work at least 20 hours of overtime each month in an effort reduce a sizable backlog, the department announced Wednesday.
The overtime requirement will last through September and comes as many federal workers face furloughs because of mandatory budget cuts. The VA was exempt from those spending reductions.
"We need to surge our resources now to help those who have waited the longest and end the backlog," said Allison Hickey, undersecretary for benefits at the VA.
The VA has come under fire from veterans groups and members of Congress for the number of claims pending longer than 125 days. About 570,000 disability claims fall into that category, nearly two-thirds of all claims pending.
The advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America said the VA's announcement was good to see, but it also emphasized that more was needed and renewed a call for President Barack Obama to get more directly involved.
"Bringing the backlog down to zero will not be achieved piecemeal, and unfortunately there is no sign that the administration will bring together VA, DOD and other agencies to develop a sustainable plan to address the structural problems that have created the backlog," said Paul Rieckhoff, the group's CEO and founder. "Instead of chipping away around the edges, veterans need a comprehensive strategy."
Veterans receive disability compensation for injuries and illness incurred or aggravated during their active military service. The amount of the compensation is based on a rating assigned by the VA.
The VA announcement was the second in the past month designed to help veterans with longstanding disability claims. It recently announced that it would be expediting claims decisions for veterans who had been waiting more than a year. Veterans whose claims are granted would get compensation immediately. Veterans whose claims are denied will have a year to submit more information before the VA makes a final decision.
The department has made some progress in recent weeks on claiming pending longer than 125 days. The backlog for such claims is now down about 1,000 from where it was at this time last year.
Chris Pine and Jake Gyllenhaal may be singing for their supper in the very near future.
The A-list duo are currently circling Disney's big-screen adaptation of "Into the Woods," the Tony-winning Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical that first launched on Broadway in 1987. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Pine and Gyllenhaal both met with and sang for director Rob Marshall ("Chicago"), and they are expected to receive offers shortly, to play the roles of two self-absorbed princes/brothers who romance Rapunzel and Cinderella.
If the deals come to fruition, the actors would join the previously-cast Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp, who are attached to play the Witch and the Wolf, respectively. It would be the first on-screen singing role for both Pine and Gyllenhaal.
"Into the Woods" weaves together narratives from a number of Brothers Grimm fairytales including "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Cinderella." The main storyline centers on a baker and his wife whose struggles to begin a family are complicated by an infertility curse placed upon them by a vengeful witch.
Production on the film, which was scripted by Lapine from his original book for the musical, is expected to begin in the fall. David Krane (who previously collaborated with Marshall on both "Chicago" and "Nine") is currently working on musical arrangements for the adaptation.
Pine will be next be seen in this weekend's "Star Trek Into Darkness,"?while Gyllenhaal has "Prisoners,"?a dark thriller co-starring Hugh Jackman and Viola Davis, slated for release in September.
Do you think Pine and Gyllenhaal are right for the parts, "Into the Woods"?fans? Sound off in the comments.
Another beloved cast member of "Saturday Night Live" is leaving the comedy sketch show. Bill Hader told The New York Times that he's leaving the program after the season finale this Saturday.
"It was a hard decision, but it has to happen at some point,? Hader said to the newspaper. ?It got to a point where I said, ?Maybe it?s just time to go.' "
NBC declined to comment.
Since joining the show in 2005, Hader has brought to life numerous characters on "SNL." Among his most popular are Stefon, an over-the-top, gay New York correspondent on "Weekend Update"; talk-show host Vinny Vedecci; and Dwayne Vogelcheck of the nearly incestuous "kissing family," just to name a few. And of course, there are his various celebrity impersonations, including that of Clint Eastwood, Julian Assange, Alan Alda, Al Pacino, James Carville and more.
Hader's exit isn't the only one to make news lately. On Sunday, NBC announced that head writer and "Weekend Update" host Seth Meyers would be succeeding Jimmy Fallon on "Late Night." That came only a day after Kristen Wiig, who left the show at the end of the last season, returned to host the program. Andy Samberg also left the show after last season.
"Saturday Night Live" airs its season finale Saturday at 11:30 p.m. on NBC. Ben Affleck is hosting, and Kanye West is the musical guest.
All Critics (120) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (118) | Rotten (2)
Nichols has a strong feeling for the tactility of natural elements-water, wood, terrain, weather.
Nichols takes his time with the story, dwelling on how the boy is shaped by the killer's tragic sense of romance, yet the suspense holds.
"Mud" isn't just a movie. It's the firm confirmation of a career.
"Mud" unfolds at its own pace, revealing its story in slivers. The performances are outstanding, especially from Sheridan, who plays tough, sweet, vulnerable and confused with equal conviction.
The film is drenched in the humidity and salty air of a Delta summer, often recalling the musical, aphoristic cadences of Sam Shepard, who happens to appear in a supporting role.
A wonderful, piquant modern-day variation on "Huckleberry Finn.''
Other than pacing problems that needlessly stretch the film past the two-hour mark, 'Mud' slings the dirt and sweat with the best of them, as it both mourns and celebrates a way of life that's all but disappeared.
A sublime coming-of-age film, 'Mud' would be the offspring if 'Stand By Me' and 'Cape Fear' reproduced.
Mud is a movie of striking performances and memorable images and of people who seem to belong in rather than being imposed upon their environment.
A brilliant metaphor for how a child deals with divorce.
This might be Mud. But it deserves to stick.
This is a film that gives McConaughey the chance to be an actor rather than a star, and, not for the first time, he grabs the opportunity.
Gone is the rom-com character and emphasis on a toothy smile and six-pack abs. Matthew McConaughey is showing off some acting chops.
Mud is, perhaps, a little longer than it needed to be, but few sensitive viewers will begrudge Nichols his indulgence. This director is the real thing.
Writer-director Nichols continues to get inside the heads of his characters with this involving but overlong dramatic thriller.
McConaughey is terrific but the picture is really made by the fierce and unforgettable performance of Tye Sheridan as Ellis.
a film that demands a certain patience, which it rewards with various emotional payoffs that aren't ever quite what you expect
Somewhere in the dreams of Mud creator Jeff Nichols, Huckleberry Finn met Aguirre, Wrath of God.
Impressively directed and beautifully shot, this is an emotionally engaging and powerfully evocative coming-of-age drama with a superb script and terrific performances from a note-perfect cast.
This richly rewarding work lightly wears influences as disparate as Huckleberry Finn and The Hustler but ultimately emerges as the unmistakeable work of Nichols, one of the rare breed of genuinely exciting directors working in Hollywood today.
The disappointing denouement is far outweighed by the overall strength of the journey to that resolution.
Nichols keeps getting better, but his masterpiece is (excitingly) still to come.
Matthew McConaughey is as compelling as we've come to expect since The Lincoln Lawyer kicked off his 2010s hot streak, as Jeff Nichols ably combines elements of Terence Malick with an all-American rural yarn.
Mud clearly sets out from frame one to run along well-worn tracks - it's like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn meets Whistle down the Wind.
By setting the action within a quasi-mythic framework Nichols is able to draw us into his big adventure and help us to rediscover the whispers of youth.
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The challenges the United States and its closest allies face in finding a way to end the violence in Syria were on full display Monday in Washington, with President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron emphasizing the need for diplomacy while expressing doubts about how much it can accomplish.
The US government, Mr. Obama said at a joint news conference at the White House, remains ?very persistent? in its efforts to broker a political transition that leads to the ?departure? of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
That said, ?I?m not promising that it?s going to be successful,? Obama warned. ?Frankly, sometimes once sort of the furies have been unleashed in a situation like what we?re seeing in Syria, it?s very hard to put things back together.?
RECOMMENDED: Briefing Chemical weapons 101: Six facts about sarin and Syria?s stockpile
Mr. Cameron for his part decried the ?brutal conflict? that has left some 80,000 dead and more than five million displaced.
?Syria?s history is being written in the blood of her people, and it is happening on our watch,? he added.
Both leaders called recent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin ?very constructive.? The West would like Mr. Putin to encourage Assad to come to the negotiating table.
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Cameron went so far as to call Secretary of State John Kerry?s recent talks with Putin, with whom he reached an agreement for an American-Russian peace conference on Syria, a ?breakthrough? in an interview with National Public Radio.
?Our basic argument is that as a leader on the world stage, Russia has an interest as well as an obligation to try to resolve this issue,? Obama said, adding, however, that, ?Look, I don?t think it?s any secret that there remains lingering suspicions between Russia and other members of the G-8 or West.?
On the sensitive issue of reported chemical weapons use in Syria, Obama said the facts ?will help guide? America?s next steps there.
As to whether the US should arm the Syrian opposition groups, no decision has been made. Some US lawmakers, including Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona, have said that arming the groups and establishing no-fly zones could turn the tide of the war in favor of opposition groups that support the overthrow of Mr. Assad and, potentially, rebel groups favorable to democratic principals.
Yet there are a number of rebel groups that also support extremist ideologies, US officials caution.
What?s more, these groups may include members of ?organizations like al-Nusra that are essentially affiliated to Al Qaeda ? that have another agenda beyond just getting rid of Assad,? Obama warned Monday.
?Should diplomacy fail to make tangible gains, the United States may have to accept that it cannot decisively shape who ?wins? in Syria?s civil war,? notes Aram Nerguizian, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
US military officials for their part add that Syria is already ?awash? in weapons. ?The main thing is, will [arming rebels] making a meaningful difference?? asks one senior US military official. ?Guns with ammo ? they don?t need this.?
Alternately, should the US decide to provide ?something more sophisticated? for rebel groups, the US military official adds, ?Is it going to fall into the wrong hands??
RECOMMENDED: Briefing Chemical weapons 101: Six facts about sarin and Syria?s stockpile
Novel study reports marijuana users have better blood sugar controlPublic release date: 15-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jane Grochowski ajmmedia@elsevier.com 406-542-8397 Elsevier Health Sciences
Current marijuana users have 16 percent lower fasting insulin levels compared to non-users, according to the American Journal of Medicine
Philadelphia, PA, May 15, 2013 Regular marijuana use is associated with favorable indices related to diabetic control, say investigators. They found that current marijuana users had significantly lower fasting insulin and were less likely to be insulin resistant, even after excluding patients with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Their findings are reported in the current issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) has been used for centuries to relieve pain, improve mood, and increase appetite. Outlawed in the United States in 1937, its social use continues to increase and public opinion is swinging in favor of the medicinal use of marijuana. There are an estimated 17.4 million current users of marijuana in the United States. Approximately 4.6 million of these users smoke marijuana daily or almost daily. A synthetic form of its active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC, has already been approved to treat side-effects of chemotherapy, AIDS-induced anorexia, nausea, and other medical conditions. With the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in two states and the legalization of medical marijuana in 19 states and the District of Columbia, physicians will increasingly encounter marijuana use among their patient populations.
A multicenter research team analyzed data obtained during the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) between 2005 and 2010. They studied data from 4,657 patients who completed a drug use questionnaire. Of these, 579 were current marijuana users, 1,975 had used marijuana in the past but were not current users, and 2,103 had never inhaled or ingested marijuana. Fasting insulin and glucose were measured via blood samples following a nine hour fast, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated to evaluate insulin resistance.
Participants who reported using marijuana in the past month had lower levels of fasting insulin and HOMA-IR and higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). These associations were weaker among those who reported using marijuana at least once, but not in the past thirty days, suggesting that the impact of marijuana use on insulin and insulin resistance exists during periods of recent use. Current users had 16% lower fasting insulin levels than participants who reported never having used marijuana in their lifetimes.
Large waist circumference is linked to diabetes risk. In the current study there were also significant associations between marijuana use and smaller waist circumferences.
"Previous epidemiologic studies have found lower prevalence rates of obesity and diabetes mellitus in marijuana users compared to people who have never used marijuana, suggesting a relationship between cannabinoids and peripheral metabolic processes, but ours is the first study to investigate the relationship between marijuana use and fasting insulin, glucose, and insulin resistance," says lead investigator Murray A. Mittleman, MD, DrPH, of the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston.
"It is possible that the inverse association in fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance seen among current marijuana users could be in part due to changes in usage patterns among those with a diagnosis of diabetes (i.e., those with diabetes may have been told to cease smoking). However, after we excluded those subjects with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, the associations between marijuana use and insulin levels, HOMA-IR, waist circumference, and HDL-C were similar and remained statistically significant," states Elizabeth Penner, MD, MPH, an author of the study.
Although people who smoke marijuana have higher average caloric intake levels than non-users, marijuana use has been associated with lower body-mass index (BMI) in two previous surveys. "The mechanisms underlying this paradox have not been determined and the impact of regular marijuana use on insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk factors remains unknown," says coauthor Hannah Buettner.
The investigators acknowledge that data on marijuana use were self-reported and may be subject to underestimation or denial of illicit drug use. However, they point out, underestimation of drug use would likely yield results biased toward observing no association.
Editor-in-Chief Joseph S. Alpert, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, comments, "These are indeed remarkable observations that are supported, as the authors note, by basic science experiments that came to similar conclusions.
"We desperately need a great deal more basic and clinical research into the short- and long-term effects of marijuana in a variety of clinical settings such as cancer, diabetes, and frailty of the elderly," continues Alpert." I would like to call on the NIH and the DEA to collaborate in developing policies to implement solid scientific investigations that would lead to information assisting physicians in the proper use and prescription of THC in its synthetic or herbal form."
###
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Novel study reports marijuana users have better blood sugar controlPublic release date: 15-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jane Grochowski ajmmedia@elsevier.com 406-542-8397 Elsevier Health Sciences
Current marijuana users have 16 percent lower fasting insulin levels compared to non-users, according to the American Journal of Medicine
Philadelphia, PA, May 15, 2013 Regular marijuana use is associated with favorable indices related to diabetic control, say investigators. They found that current marijuana users had significantly lower fasting insulin and were less likely to be insulin resistant, even after excluding patients with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Their findings are reported in the current issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) has been used for centuries to relieve pain, improve mood, and increase appetite. Outlawed in the United States in 1937, its social use continues to increase and public opinion is swinging in favor of the medicinal use of marijuana. There are an estimated 17.4 million current users of marijuana in the United States. Approximately 4.6 million of these users smoke marijuana daily or almost daily. A synthetic form of its active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC, has already been approved to treat side-effects of chemotherapy, AIDS-induced anorexia, nausea, and other medical conditions. With the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in two states and the legalization of medical marijuana in 19 states and the District of Columbia, physicians will increasingly encounter marijuana use among their patient populations.
A multicenter research team analyzed data obtained during the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) between 2005 and 2010. They studied data from 4,657 patients who completed a drug use questionnaire. Of these, 579 were current marijuana users, 1,975 had used marijuana in the past but were not current users, and 2,103 had never inhaled or ingested marijuana. Fasting insulin and glucose were measured via blood samples following a nine hour fast, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated to evaluate insulin resistance.
Participants who reported using marijuana in the past month had lower levels of fasting insulin and HOMA-IR and higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). These associations were weaker among those who reported using marijuana at least once, but not in the past thirty days, suggesting that the impact of marijuana use on insulin and insulin resistance exists during periods of recent use. Current users had 16% lower fasting insulin levels than participants who reported never having used marijuana in their lifetimes.
Large waist circumference is linked to diabetes risk. In the current study there were also significant associations between marijuana use and smaller waist circumferences.
"Previous epidemiologic studies have found lower prevalence rates of obesity and diabetes mellitus in marijuana users compared to people who have never used marijuana, suggesting a relationship between cannabinoids and peripheral metabolic processes, but ours is the first study to investigate the relationship between marijuana use and fasting insulin, glucose, and insulin resistance," says lead investigator Murray A. Mittleman, MD, DrPH, of the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston.
"It is possible that the inverse association in fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance seen among current marijuana users could be in part due to changes in usage patterns among those with a diagnosis of diabetes (i.e., those with diabetes may have been told to cease smoking). However, after we excluded those subjects with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, the associations between marijuana use and insulin levels, HOMA-IR, waist circumference, and HDL-C were similar and remained statistically significant," states Elizabeth Penner, MD, MPH, an author of the study.
Although people who smoke marijuana have higher average caloric intake levels than non-users, marijuana use has been associated with lower body-mass index (BMI) in two previous surveys. "The mechanisms underlying this paradox have not been determined and the impact of regular marijuana use on insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk factors remains unknown," says coauthor Hannah Buettner.
The investigators acknowledge that data on marijuana use were self-reported and may be subject to underestimation or denial of illicit drug use. However, they point out, underestimation of drug use would likely yield results biased toward observing no association.
Editor-in-Chief Joseph S. Alpert, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, comments, "These are indeed remarkable observations that are supported, as the authors note, by basic science experiments that came to similar conclusions.
"We desperately need a great deal more basic and clinical research into the short- and long-term effects of marijuana in a variety of clinical settings such as cancer, diabetes, and frailty of the elderly," continues Alpert." I would like to call on the NIH and the DEA to collaborate in developing policies to implement solid scientific investigations that would lead to information assisting physicians in the proper use and prescription of THC in its synthetic or herbal form."
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Africa's Sahel has seen drought and downpours intensify, but scientists don't know whether the long-term trend is drier or wetter. Pictured: Koungheul, Kaffrine, Senegal.Image: Flickr/Senegal - Agosto de 2009
Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...
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DAKAR, Senegal ? Just two seasons exist here: the rainy and the dry. At the best of times, the temperamental rains come for three or four months and turn dusty plains into green pastures, forests and fields.
But in the late 1960s, the rains came later and ended earlier. A drought started. Crops failed across the region; freshwater rivers turned to saltwater.
In the Sahel, a semi-arid belt across West Africa south of the Sahara Desert, at least 100,000 people perished and millions of cattle died for want of pasture. That was just in the beginning. The drought persisted ? for five years, then 10, then 20.
The severity provoked a humanitarian catastrophe. It was the crisis of a generation, yet scientists did not understand why it was happening.
In the 1980s, with the drought still ongoing, Gregory Jenkins was studying atmospheric science as a graduate student at the University of Michigan. After finishing his doctorate, he moved to Boulder, Colo., for a fellowship with the National Center for Atmospheric Research. He focused on West Africa ? in part because of the prolonged drought's ravaging impact. But he also saw a chance to develop a niche in a region where few other climate scientists were active.
"These changes were big. They caused hardship on tens of millions of people. Not for one year, but for decades. And we didn't see anything like that around the globe," said Jenkins.
Today Jenkins is an associate professor at Howard University and a climate modeler, a profession not particularly known for its field opportunities. But early on Jenkins realized that the global climate models are too coarse to tell much about what's going to happen in the Sahelian zone.
He had to get to Senegal.
***
The drought ended in the 1990s. Life in the Sahel hasn't been the same since. Pastoralists couldn't afford to rebuild their herds. Farmers abandoned their fields. Rural areas emptied, with once-thriving regional centers transformed into ghost towns that have never been able to bounce back. The ensuing urban explosion had its own consequences, too ? in poverty and crime and even the pressure to leave the continent and go abroad, with papers or without.
Scientists now believe that the Sahelian drought was an indication of climate change. They expect climate change to do a number on this ecosystem, causing droughts and floods, disasters upon disasters. Prevention might not be possible, but if the world knows what's coming, local governments could at least prepare.
In 1993 Jenkins packed some instruments and headed to Dakar. In the two decades since, he has returned every year, traveling the countryside, visiting with friends, installing rain gauges, stopping for a bowl of ceebujen, the national dish of fish and rice. He'll sit with Senegalese colleagues on their ateliers and help their students analyze data. Sometimes he brings his students from Howard University. It's important, he says, to expose young Americans to important science and societal issues abroad.
Senegal has been a good base, too, with consistent political stability over the last 20 years. Every country that it shares a land border with has had a coup d'etat or two or even three since then.
In Africa, weather systems develop from east to west, but continuous data are rare. Security problems and war plague parts of the region. Funds are scarce. "We have no data from Sudan, not much from Chad, and we know the weather systems are developing and going past those areas. And when bad things happen in Mali, we know we lose observations," he said. Satellite data can help, he added, but it is sometimes too coarse to be meaningful.
This gap hampers scientists' ability to understand what the future holds for this part of the world. Scientists don't know if West Africa will be wetter or drier. And that has huge policy and humanitarian implications.
This week, staff writer Patrice Wilding talks with Kelly Barrows about her fundraising efforts for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through Ironman challenges and local events.
Residence: Astoria, N.Y., formerly of Clarks Summit
Family: Mother, Kim; father, Mike; sister, Chelsea
Educational/professional background: Holds a bachelor's degree in math and American studies from Lafayette College and a master's degree in media studies from Syracuse University's Newhouse School; employed in the fundraising department at the Metropolitan Opera.
Q: Tell us about your upcoming Ironman challenge.
A: I am training for the Mont-Tremblant 70.3 Ironman on June 23 in Quebec with a group called Team in Training. A 70.3 Ironman is also known as a Half Ironman, and this particular race consists of a 1.2-mile swim in Lake Tremblant, followed by a 56-mile bike ride through the mountains, ending with a 13.1-mile run.
Q: Explain the agreement between Team in Training and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
A: Team in Training (TNT) is a fundraising arm of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. TNT helps thousands every year train for specific endurance events such as the NYC Triathlon or the Half Ironman I am doing. Teammates are given race entry and weekly training sessions held by professional coaches. In exchange for the entry and training, we raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Q: What was your inspiration for getting involved?
A: My grandfather, Tom Argust, passed away in 1990 after a battle with multiple myeloma, so I have a direct link to the organization. In January 2011, I made the decision that I wanted to do something in his memory, so I called up my local chapter. What I didn't realize is that this one phone call was going to change my life.
Q: What can guests expect at the May 20 fundraiser?
A: Guests will enjoy hamburgers, hot dogs, specialty martinis, beer and wine for the $20 admission. There will also be a basket raffle. In addition to the baskets, we are raffling off a pair of tickets to the Metropolitan Opera's new production of "Rigoletto" and dinner for two at the opera's Grand Tier Restaurant on Friday, Nov. 15. Raffle tickets for the Metropolitan Opera package are $10 and can be purchased at the event or by emailing KellyTrisForACure @gmail.com until June 1. The winner will be contacted on June 2.
Q: How else can people give to your efforts?
A: People can give by going to my fundraising page: http://pages.team intraining.org/nyc/immon tre13/kbarrows or emailing me at KellyTrisForACure@ gmail.com.
If you go
What: Teaming Up Against Cancer
When: Monday, May 20, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: State Street Grill, 114 S. State St., Clarks Summit
Details: Tickets are $20 at the door or in advance and can be purchased at State Street Grill or from committee members.
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Each Wednesday, barber Anthony Cymerys sets up his chair in the shade of an oak tree in Hartford's Bushnell Park. For longtime clients, the homeless or those just down on their luck, the fee is always the same: a hug for a haircut.
The 82-year-old Cymerys, who is known as Joe the Barber, began offering his services 25 years ago after retiring from a career in business. He had cut hair for his family but decided to put his clippers to work for the less fortunate after being inspired by a church sermon about the homeless.
He wanted the homeless not to look homeless.
His clients line up on park benches, some of them also turning out for free meals provided on Wednesdays by a local church. One by one they take a seat in a folding lawn chair above a car battery Cymerys uses to power his clippers.
As he finished a trim on one customer recently, a loud squeal came from the battery. He gathered the mobile shop, connected the clippers to his car and picked up where he left off.
"It really is love. I love these guys," Cymerys said. He paused and turned to his client in the chair, "You know I love you, right?"
May 13 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $5,849,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $3,388,064 3. Kevin Streelman $2,572,989 4. Billy Horschel $2,567,891 5. Matt Kuchar $2,493,387 6. Phil Mickelson $2,220,280 7. Adam Scott (Australia) $2,207,683 8. D.A. Points $2,019,702 9. Steve Stricker $1,977,140 10. Graeme McDowell $1,910,654 11. Jason Day $1,802,797 12. Webb Simpson $1,759,015 13. Dustin Johnson $1,748,907 14. Hunter Mahan $1,682,939 15. Charles Howell III $1,561,988 16. Russell Henley $1,546,638 17. Martin Laird $1,531,950 18. ...
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iranian state TV says a strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake has jolted the south of the country, injuring at least 15 people.
The report said the quake struck the Arabian Sea port town of Jask at 6:38 a.m. (GMT 2:08 a.m.) Saturday damaging hundreds of homes.
Even moderate quakes can be deadly in the Iranian countryside, where houses are often built of bricks.
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake killed at least 37 in southern Iran last month. Some 26,000 people were killed by a 6.6 magnitude quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam in 2003.
Iran is located on seismic fault lines and, on average, experiences at least one slight quake every day.
For the first time, the public can track back the environmental changes occurring on our planet's surface over time via Google Earth Engine.?
By Mai Ng?c Ch?u,?Contributor / May 10, 2013
Google has launched Google Earth Engine, a global, zoomable timelapse map that allows you to witness how humans have altered the surface of the Earth since 1984.?
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The interactive map?lets you track year-by-year changes to every spot on Earth, such as the drying up of Aral Sea in Central Asia, the destruction of the Amazon rainforest in South America, or the urban expansion in the Nevada desert.
Google started this project in 2009 through a partnership with NASA and the US Geological Survey (USGS), who provided the search giant with more than two millions of satellite images on Earth's surface to build the map.
The pictures were collected by the Landsat satellite program, a joint mission USGS and NASA started in 1972 to observe the Earth from its orbit.
Google also worked with?the CREATE Lab at Carnegie Mellon University to finalize the website, which animated the images and made them interactive.
By making satellite imagery available online, Google said its Google Earth Engine enables scientists, independent researchers, and nations to explore this massive database to detect deforestation, classify land cover, estimate forest biomass and carbon, and map the world?s roadless areas.
"Much like the?iconic image of Earth from the Apollo 17 mission?which had a profound effect on many of us?this time-lapse map is not only fascinating to explore, but we also hope it can inform the global community?s thinking about how we live on our planet and the policies that will guide us in the future," said Moore.
For USGS, the launch of Google Earth Engine is?the latest example of how its policy of unrestricted access and free distribution of Landsat satellite imagery to the public brings up innovation and mutual awareness of environmental conditions around Earth.
"The 40-year archive of Landsat images of every spot on earth is a treasure trove of scientific information that can form the basis for a myriad of useful applications by commercial enterprises, government scientists and managers, the academic community, and the public at large," said Anne Castle, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science in a USGS press release.
Google Earth Engine is also part of Time?magazine's Timelapse?project, a website that gathers and compiles the imagery via an interactive presentation.
In an in-depth story on Google Earth Engine, Time said the Google's project benefits not only scientists and governments, but also the public.
"For governments and environmental scientists, there is a lot of arcane data to extract from the maps and movies. For everyone else, there is something subtler but just as important: perspective. We tend our own tiny plots on Earth, our houses and yards often taking up less room than that infield-size pixel. It?s only when we get above ourselves ? say, 438 miles above ? that we can see how we?re changing our planet and begin to consider how we can be better stewards of it."
Other key visualizations included on Google Earth Engine are?the retreat of the Columbia Glacier in Alaska, the creation of the artificial Palm islands off Dubai's coast, and the drying of lake Urmia in Iran. ?
On Friday, workers completed the job of assembling the spire, which houses a broadcast attenna, atop the new building. One World Trade Center is now 1,776 feet high.
By Ted Shaffrey & Ula Ilnytzky,?Associated Press / May 10, 2013
One World Trade Center stands at its full height above the New York City skyline in this view from the Heights neighborhood of Jersey City, N.J., Friday, May 10, 2013. A 408-foot spire was set into place at the top of the structure Friday, making the building a symbolic 1,776 feet tall.
Julio Cortez/AP
Enlarge Photos
A tall, heavy spire was fully installed atop One World?Trade?Center on Friday, bringing the New York City structure to its symbolic height of 1,776 feet.
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Loud applause and cries of joy erupted from construction workers assembled below as the huge, silver spire was gently lowered and secured into place.
"It's a pretty awesome feeling," Juan Estevez said from a temporary platform on the roof of the tower where he and other workers watched the milestone.
"It's a culmination of a tremendous amount of team work ... rebuilding the New York City skyline once again," said Estevez, a project manager for Tishman Construction.
He said the workers around him were "utterly overjoyed."
Installation of the 408-foot, 758-ton spire was completed after pieces of it had been transported to the roof of the building last week. It will serve as a world-class broadcast antenna and also as a beacon to ward off aircraft.
The building is at the northwest corner of the site where the twin World?Trade?Center towers were destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The 72-story 4 World?Trade?Center is under construction at the southeast corner of the site.
Lee Ielpi, whose firefighter son died after responding to the attacks, watched workers secure the spire from his office at the nearby 9/11 Tribute Center, which he co-founded.
"The building looks spectacular. ... I'm looking forward to the day when the cranes come down and they light the spire at night," he said. "It's supposed to be a very moving experience."
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the site, said the LED-powered light would be activated in the next few months.
"It's going to have a light that you can see from tens of miles away," said Port Authority Vice Chairman Scott Rechler. "And that light will change colors and in the next few months we are going to be activating that light, and it will be a beacon of hope just like the Statue of Liberty."
The addition of the spire, and its raising of the building's height to 1,776 feet, makes One World?Trade?Center the tallest structure in the U.S. and third-tallest in the world, although building experts dispute whether the spire is actually an antenna ? a crucial distinction in measuring the building's height.
If it didn't have the spire, One World?Trade?Center would be shorter than the Willis Tower in Chicago, which stands at 1,451 feet and currently has the title of tallest building in the U.S., not including its own antennas.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, a Chicago-based organization considered an authority on such records, says an antenna is something simply added to the top of a tower that can be removed. By contrast, a spire is something that is part of the building's architectural design.
The tower is slated to open for business in 2014.
Tenants include the magazine publisher Conde Nast, the government's General Services Administration and Vantone Holdings China Center, which will provide business space for international companies.
Japanese responded to record numbers of severe bullying cases last year, prompting a national outcry and calls for legislation. But a proposed bill doesn?t address schools' intense culture of conformity, critics say.
By Justin McCurry,?Correspondent / May 9, 2013
After months of relentless bullying at the hands of three classmates, 13-year-old Hiroki issued what must have seemed like an empty threat to his tormentors. "I'm going to die," he told them in a text message. "You should die," was their response.
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In the month before his death, verbal taunts escalated into punching and kicking; his arms and legs were bound and his mouth taped. He was made to eat dead bees, shoplift, and even "rehearse" his own death. When his teachers were finally informed, they issued only a verbal warning.?
Soon after, the teenager, identified in the media only by his first name, jumped to his death from the 14th floor of an apartment building in Otsu, western Japan, in October 2011.
His death prompted Japan's most serious attempt in decades to tackle the classroom culture of bullying ? long seen as a rite of passage in a deeply competitive education system.?
Statistics on school bullying vary, but new official data reveal a worrying trend. Regional legal affairs bureaus in Japan responded to a record 3,988 cases last year, an increase of more than 20 percent from 2011, the justice ministry said. The national police agency, meanwhile, said it had investigated 260 cases of school bullying in 2012, well up from the 113 cases in 2011.
Psychological and physical abuse is not confined to students. In a survey spanning 10 months beginning in April 2012, the education ministry found that 840 teachers had used corporal punishment against students ? more than double the number of cases recorded in the preceding 12 months. The problem was highlighted late last year when a 17-year-old boy in Osaka killed himself after being routinely beaten by his high school basketball coach.
Amid a national outcry over several high-profile bullying cases, at least two of which led to suicides, the government introduced a bill earlier this year that promises zero tolerance for bullying among students, and physical punishments meted out by teachers.
The bill, which will be voted on by the end of June, requires teachers and parents to notify school authorities of bullying cases, to offer victims and perpetrators guidance, and to involve the police if alleged crimes have been committed.
The legislation ? part of an overhaul of education ordered by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ? also calls for an outside third party to deal with cases when a child's life or safety is at risk, and for teachers to make more use of their power to suspend bullies.?
Will it work?
Critics say that placing the onus on teachers is unlikely to change much. They point to evidence that teachers routinely fail to act on rumors that bullying is taking place on their watch, for fear of being labeled as incompetent that it happened at all.
"Broadly speaking, it doesn't matter what individual teachers and school officials do, they won't be able to prevent bullying because of the school environment they work in," says Asao Naito, associate professor in the department of psychosociology at Meiji University in Tokyo.
"The group is all-important and takes precedence over individuals' feelings. But if schools stop running themselves like army units, and children are given the freedom to express themselves as individuals, just as adults are allowed to do, and the law protects children from violence by peers and teachers in school, just as it does outside school, then I think we will see a decrease in the number of bullying cases."?
Rather than tackling the culture of conformity in schools, the pressure of regular exams, and the role of overcrowded classrooms in fomenting discord among pupils, the measures include the introduction of moral education classes in elementary and middle schools.
Details of the curriculum are sketchy; the panel of experts advising Mr. Abe has said only that moral education be introduced to teach students to be "emotionally and physically balanced."?
?Untouchable communities?
In his first major policy speech since becoming prime minister last December, Abe talked of a "crisis in education, in which insidious bullying occurs in one case after another among children who will shoulder the future of Japan, while pride in this nation's history and traditions wanes and there are concerns regarding declining academic achievement, which should rank among the world's best. It simply will not do for us to stand idly by."?
The plans were greeted by skepticism by some sections of the media. In an editorial, The Japan Times said that lofty ideas about a moral education ignored the root of the problem. Far better, it said, would be for the government to "reduce the teaching and clerical burden on teachers so that they have more time to share with children" and end the "obsession with rote memorization and test taking."
Mr. Naito, who has spent decades studying bullying, says an improvement in bullying statistics is unlikely without practical changes to the school environment.?
He describes Japan's schools as "untouchable communities" where students have no choice but to be there. "In an environment where students are forced to spend almost all their time together, they live under their own set of rules that aren't always acceptable in society," he says. "Students are forced to follow the pack, to think the way everyone else is thinking."
What happened to Hiroki?s family??
There has been justice, of sorts, for Hiroki's family.?
Local police initially failed to act on complaint filed by his father, while his teachers said they had found no evidence of bullying. It was only when students at his school were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire that the terrifying truth of the teenager's last days came to light.
This February, the Otsu city government finally admitted that bullying had played a part in his suicide and offered his parents compensation.
The passage of time, though, hasn't weakened the feeling that he was failed, by education officials, the police and, above all, his teachers.
As one of his teachers told the Mainichi Shimbun: "When I close my eyes his face floats to the surface of my mind. I was so shocked when it happened, all my confidence as a teacher disappeared."
'We've got to do this!' Luhrmann recalls the rapper saying when the director suggested they collaborate on the soundtrack. By Todd Gilchrist, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
May 9, 2013 ? Researchers have created a new tool to detect flaws in lithium-ion batteries as they are being manufactured, a step toward reducing defects and inconsistencies in the thickness of electrodes that affect battery life and reliability.
The electrodes, called anodes and cathodes, are the building blocks of powerful battery arrays like those used in electric and hybrid vehicles. They are copper on one side and coated with a black compound to store lithium on the other. Lithium ions travel from the anode to the cathode while the battery is being charged and in the reverse direction when discharging energy.
The material expands as lithium ions travel into it, and this expansion and contraction causes mechanical stresses that can eventually damage a battery and reduce its lifetime, said Douglas Adams, Kenninger Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Purdue Center for Systems Integrity.
The coating is a complex mixture of carbon, particulates that store lithium, chemical binders and carbon black. The quality of the electrodes depends on this "battery paint" being applied with uniform composition and thickness.
"A key challenge is to be able to rapidly and accurately sense the quality of the battery paint," said James Caruthers, Reilly Professor of Chemical Engineering and co-inventor of the new sensing technology.
The Purdue researchers have developed a system that uses a flashbulb-like heat source and a thermal camera to read how heat travels through the electrodes. The "flash thermography measurement" takes less than a second and reveals differences in thickness and composition.
"This technique represents a practical quality-control method for lithium-ion batteries," Adams said. "The ultimate aim is to improve the reliability of these batteries."
Findings are detailed in a research paper being presented during the 2013 annual meeting of the Society for Experimental Mechanics, which is June 3-5 in Lombard, Ill. The paper was written by doctoral students Nathan Sharp, Peter O'Regan, Anand David and Mark Suchomel, and Adams and Caruthers.
The method uses a flashing xenon bulb to heat the copper side of the electrode, and an infrared camera reads the heat signature on the black side, producing a thermal image.
The researchers found that the viscous compound is sometimes spread unevenly, producing a wavelike pattern of streaks that could impact performance. Findings show the technology also is able to detect subtle differences in the ratio of carbon black to the polymer binder, which could be useful in quality control.
The technique also has revealed various flaws, such as scratches and air bubbles, as well as contaminants and differences in thickness, factors that could affect battery performance and reliability.
"We showed that we can sense these differences in thickness by looking at the differences in temperature," Adams said. "When there is a thickness difference of 4 percent, we saw a 4.8 percent rise in temperature from one part of the electrode to another. For 10 percent, the temperature was 9.2 percent higher, and for 17 percent it was 19.2 percent higher."
The thermal imaging process is ideal for a manufacturing line because it is fast and accurate and can detect flaws prior to the assembly of the anode and cathodes into a working battery.
"For example, if I see a difference in temperature of more than 1 degree, I can flag that electrode right on the manufacturing floor," Adams said. "The real benefit, we think, is not just finding flaws but also being able to fix them on the spot."
Some parents do not wish to incorporate their expectant child?s gender into their baby showers. Although this is a great thought, it may prove difficult for those planning the baby shower. Here are a few tips on how to throw a neutral gender baby shower to respect the expectant family?s wishes, or if you wish to have a shower where the gender of the child on the way is not emphasized:
Make the shower more about mom
Instead of making the shower all about baby, make the shower more about the expectant mother and her interests. Perhaps go with a movie she likes, a day spent watching her favorite TV show with friends, a trip to her favorite restaurant for a small dinner, or a day at her favorite lake or state park. This avoids the gender question all together and still makes for a fantastic baby shower that the mother will love. Simply be sure that the invitations, gifts, and decorations are gender neutral as well. Be sure to inform guests beforehand so they know to not buy anything specifically for a boy or girl.
Use various gender neutral themes
Instead of focusing on the gender of the baby, go for a classic baby or children?s theme for invitations and decorations. Ideas include cartoon characters, children?s books or stories, ABCs, pacifiers, young farm animals, or rubber ducks. Themes such as these should still give you lots of options for invitations, activities, and decorations. You could even base the theme upon the season or holiday nearest the child?s due date, or the current season. Again, these themes do not emphasize the gender of the baby, but something else about them.
Include lots of colors
Instead of only opting for the traditional pink or blue or both, a gender neutral shower gives you the opportunity to incorporate lots of fun colors into invitations and decorations. You could, again, base these upon the season of the baby?s birth, the current season, or the favorite color of the mother. Now you are able to use oranges, greens, yellows, purples, and more when getting together invitations and decorations. In some ways, instead of hindering you, adding these extra colors can actually make planning your party faster and easier as you will not have to hunt down pink and blue accessories or decorations for every little thing. Have fun with it!
About the author: Heather is a party planner and event organization specialist.? She occasionally writes for PaperStyle on baby shower parties and theme selection, and writes for her own blog in her spare time [when there is any]!
MILAN (AP) ? Ottavio Missoni, the patriarch of the iconic fashion brand of zigzag-patterned knitwear that has added a classy touch of color and style to countless well-dressed women, died Thursday in northern Italy. He was 92.
A statement issued by Missoni SpA said he "passed away serenely" in his home in the town of Sumirago on Thursday. The town, near the city of Varese, is also home to the company headquarters.
It was a second sorrow for the family in a matter of months. Earlier this year, Ottavio's eldest child, company CEO Vittorio Missoni, 58, disappeared with his wife and four others while flying in a small plane during a vacation to a Venezuelan island. They were never found, and the cause of the disappearance remains a mystery.
Ottavio Missoni founded the company in 1953, along with his wife, Rosita Jelmini, who survives him. They went on to create a fashion dynasty, with the couple's three children and their offspring involved in expanding the brand.
The company's creative director is the couple's daughter, Angela, while a third child, Luca, works in a technical role in the company. Family-run companies are a hallmark of Italian businesses, commonly beginning with a small company and slowly expanding with the help of often fiercely loyal employees.
Born on Feb. 11, 1921, in what is now Dubrovnik, a picturesque Adriatic coastal city in Croatia, Missoni was fond of saying he came into the fashion business practically by accident. His wife's family owned a textile factory and produced shawls. The couple started their own business with an artisan's shop producing knitwear in Gallarate, near Milan.
At the beginning, they produced athletic wear, likely inspired by Missoni himself, who had been a track-and-field star, specializing in 400-meter races and hurdles. He won several national medals, and competed in the 1948 Olympics.
The company expanded, eventually constructing its main factory in Sumirago. But the philosophy of applying an artisan's eye to detail and precision continued to shape its fashion output, on the runways of Milan and in stores worldwide as their brand went global.
The Missonis, who often wore their own creations in everyday life, first showed their collection in Milan in 1966. The next year, a show in Florence of transparent tops sparked outrage, but they were ahead of a fashion trend that would later sprout in Europe.
Their signature fashions have a reputation for wearability and for surviving many seasons of changing fashion whims. Among the exhibits honoring them was one by the Whitney Museum in New York. New York's Metropolitan Museum has also showcased their creations.
The Missoni fashion house has also created costumes for La Scala, the Milan opera house.
Expanding the fashion dynasty, Ottavio and Rosita Missoni's granddaughter, Margherita, has promoted Missoni perfume and starred in advertising campaigns.
____
D'Emilio and AP Fashion Writer Daniela Petroff contributed from Rome.
(Reuters) - Jeffrey Skilling, the convicted former Enron Corp chief executive, could be freed from prison a decade earlier than originally expected over his role in bringing down the energy trader, in one of the biggest corporate frauds in U.S. history.
According to court papers filed on Wednesday, federal prosecutors and Skilling have agreed that he should be resentenced to between 14 and 17-1/2 years in prison, down from his original 24-year sentence.
In exchange, Skilling agreed to end his appeals of his May 2006 conviction by a Houston federal jury on 19 counts of securities fraud, conspiracy, insider trading and lying to auditors. Skilling has long maintained his innocence.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake in Houston is scheduled to resentence Skilling on June 21.
Skilling, 59, has been in prison since December 2006, and with good behavior could be released in 2018 if Lake resentences him as requested. Lake had imposed the original 24-year term, but a federal appeals court later found it too harsh.
"The proposed agreement brings certainty and finality to a long painful process," Skilling's lawyer Daniel Petrocelli said in a statement. "Although the recommended sentence for Jeff would still be more than double any other Enron defendant, all of whom have long been out of prison, Jeff will at least have the chance to get back a meaningful part of his life."
Skilling had already been expected to forfeit more than $40 million to be used as restitution for victims of Enron's fraud. That money had been held up because of negotiations on a new sentence, and Wednesday's agreement would allow it to be freed up.
"This agreement ensures that Mr. Skilling will be appropriately punished for his crimes and that victims will finally receive the restitution they deserve," said Peter Carr, a U.S. Department of Justice spokesman. "Mr. Skilling will no longer be permitted to challenge his conviction for one of the most notorious frauds in American history."
ACCOUNTING SCANDAL
Once ranked seventh on the Fortune 500 list of large U.S. companies, Enron went bankrupt on December 2, 2001.
Along with WorldCom Inc and Adelphia Communications Corp, it was at the center of a series of accounting scandals that led to reforms including the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
Skilling had worked for Enron for about two decades, the last six months of which as chief executive.
He is being held at a low-security prison for men in Littleton, Colorado, and according to federal prison records is currently scheduled to be freed around February 2028, assuming good behavior.
At the 2006 trial, the Houston jury also found Kenneth Lay, who preceded and followed Skilling as Enron's chief executive, guilty of fraud and conspiracy. Lay died in July 2006, and his death led to his conviction being thrown out.
Former Enron Chief Financial officer Andrew Fastow, considered the mastermind behind the company's fraud, testified against Skilling and Lay.
Fastow was sentenced to six years in prison and released in December 2011. He declined to comment on Wednesday.
In 2009, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Skilling's conviction, but called his sentence too harsh. The following year, the U.S. Supreme Court also upheld the conviction, but rejected one legal theory behind it. Then in 2011, the 5th Circuit reaffirmed the conviction.
The case is U.S. v. Skilling, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas, No. 04-cr-00025.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting by Dena Aubin in New York and Aruna Viswanatha in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Chris Reese)
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Public release date: 15-May-2013
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