Friday, March 29, 2013

Which Actress Said Kissing Brad Pitt Was "Disgusting"?

Who wouldn't want to kiss Brad Pitt? Answer: Kirsten Dunst -- at least, when she was 11 years old. The actress, now 30, shared her first-ever kiss with Pitt in the 1994 film Interview with the Vampire. It was "just a peck," she now recalls, but she didn't exactly enjoy it.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/kirsten-dunst-says-first-kiss-brad-pitt-was-disgusting/1-a-530978?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Akirsten-dunst-says-first-kiss-brad-pitt-was-disgusting-530978

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Wachowskis to make sci-fi series for Netflix

FILE - This Oct. 24, 2012 file photo shows Co-directors Lana Wachowski and Andy Wachowski at the Los Angeles premiere of "Cloud Atlas" in Los Angeles. Netflix announced Wednesday that it will stream ?Sense8? late next year for subscribers. The series is the first foray into television for Andy and Lana Wachowski, the filmmaking siblings who directed ?The Matrix? and last year's ?Cloud Atlas.? (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision, file)

FILE - This Oct. 24, 2012 file photo shows Co-directors Lana Wachowski and Andy Wachowski at the Los Angeles premiere of "Cloud Atlas" in Los Angeles. Netflix announced Wednesday that it will stream ?Sense8? late next year for subscribers. The series is the first foray into television for Andy and Lana Wachowski, the filmmaking siblings who directed ?The Matrix? and last year's ?Cloud Atlas.? (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision, file)

(AP) ? Netflix's newest original series will be science-fiction from the duo behind the "The Matrix" trilogy.

Netflix announced Wednesday that it will stream "Sense8" late next year for subscribers. The series is the first foray into television for Andy and Lana Wachowski, the filmmaking siblings who directed "The Matrix" and last year's "Cloud Atlas."

Netflix called the 10-episode series "a gripping global tale of minds linked and souls hunted." The show runner will be J. Michael Straczynski, creator of "Babylon 5," which aired for five seasons in the 1990s.

Netflix made its biggest splash with an original series last month with the debut of the political thriller "House of Cards," starring Kevin Spacey. This spring, it will premiere the horror series "Hemlock Grove" and the reborn comedy "Arrested Development."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-03-27-Netflix-Wachowskis%20Series/id-f37364fe817a4d1a96a71e1a13a292b6

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North Korea says it has cut last military hotline

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Raising tensions with South Korea yet again, North Korea cut its last military hotline with Seoul on Wednesday, a link that has been essential in operating the last major symbol of inter-Korean cooperation: an industrial complex in the North that employs hundreds of workers from the South.

There was no immediate word about what cutting one of the few remaining official North-South links would mean for South Korean workers who were at the Kaesong industrial complex. When the link was last cut, in 2009, many South Koreans were stranded in the North.

The hotline shutdown is the latest of many threats and provocative actions from North Korea, which is angry over U.S.-South Korean military drills and recent U.N. sanctions punishing it for its Feb. 12 nuclear test. In a statement announcing the shutdown, the North repeated its claim that war may break out any moment.

Outside North Korea, Pyongyang's actions are seen in part as an effort to spur dormant diplomatic talks to wrest outside aid, and to strengthen internal loyalty to young leader Kim Jong Un and build up his military credentials.

South Korean officials said that about 750 South Koreans were in Kaesong on Wednesday, and that the two Koreas had normal communications earlier in the day over the hotline when South Korean workers traveled back and forth to the factory park as scheduled. The hotline is used by the two countries' militaries to arrange border crossings by the workers.

Workers at Kaesong could also be contacted directly by phone from South Korea on Wednesday.

A South Korean worker for Pyxis, a company that produces jewelry cases at Kaesong, said in a phone interview that he was worried about a possible delay in production if cross-border travel is banned again.

"That would make it hard for us to bring in materials and ship out new products," said the worker, who wouldn't provide his name because of company rules.

The worker, who has been in Kaesong since Monday, said he wasn't scared.

"It's all right. I've worked and lived with tension here for eight years now. I'm used to it," he said.

Pyongyang's action was announced in a message that North Korea's chief delegate to inter-Korean military talks sent to his South Korean counterpart.

Seoul's Unification Ministry called the move an "unhelpful measure for the safe operation of the Kaesong complex."

North Korea recently cut a Red Cross hotline with South Korea and another with the U.S.-led U.N. command at the border between the Koreas. The Unification Ministry said only three telephone hotlines remain between the North and South, and those are used only for exchanging information about air traffic.

Kaesong is operated in North Korea with South Korean money and know-how and a mostly North Korean work force. It provides badly needed hard currency in North Korea, where many face food shortages.

Other examples of joint inter-Korean cooperation have come and gone. The recently ended five-year tenure of hard-line South Korean President Lee Myung-bak saw North-South relations plunge. Lee ended an essentially no-strings-attached aid policy to the North.

North Korea last cut the Kaesong line in 2009, as a protest of that year's South Korean-U.S. military drills. North Korea refused several times to let South Korean workers commute to and from their jobs, leaving hundreds stranded in North Korea. The country restored the hotline and reopened the border crossing more than a week later, after the drills were over.

Shinwon Group, a South Korean apparel maker with a factory at Kaesong, said it would call its workers on Thursday morning to check on them. Shinwon's South Korean employees stay in Kaesong for two weeks before returning to Seoul. Workers at Kaesong talked by phone with the Seoul office Wednesday morning, but there was nothing unusual about the call, said spokesman Lee Eun-suk.

Lee said that the last time the phone line was cut off between Kaesong and Seoul, it was "inconvenient" but did not affect business.

North Korea's actions have been accompanied by threatening rhetoric, including a vow to launch a nuclear strike against the United States and a repeat of its nearly two-decade-old threat to reduce Seoul to a "sea of fire." Outside weapons analysts, however, have seen no proof that the country has mastered the technology needed to build a nuclear warhead small enough to mount on a missile.

In a sign of heightened anxiety, Seoul briefly bolstered its anti-infiltration defense posture after a South Korean border guard hurled a hand grenade and opened fire at a moving object several hours before sunrise Wednesday. South Korean troops later searched the area but found no signs of infiltration, and officials believe the guard may have seen a wild animal, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry.

___

AP writers Sam Kim and Youkyung Lee contributed to this report from Seoul.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-says-cut-last-military-hotline-135040561.html

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Global stocks, euro rise after Cyprus banks reopen

By Ellen Freilich

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Major stock markets recovered, with the benchmark S&P 500 stock index traded above its record closing high, and the euro edged off a four-month low on Thursday, as banks in Cyprus reopened to relative calm following the island's controversial bailout.

Stocks rose on Wall Street, setting the stage for a record close. The record closing high on the S&P is 1,565.15, set on October 9, 2007.

There was little sign of the mass panic some feared would occur as banks reopened in Cyprus following a forced closure lasting nearly two weeks. Banks opened with tight capital controls in place to keep depositors from withdrawing all their money.

Investors "breathed a sigh of relief that the world didn't end when Cyprus reopened its banks," said Patrick Chovanec, chief strategist at Silvercrest Asset Management Group in New York, which has $11.5 billion in assets under management.

The euro rebounded from a recent four-month low against the dollar as month- and quarter-end flows had investors covering bets against the euro. But analysts saw the move as tenuous amid concern the Cyprus crisis and political concerns in Italy could encourage anxious investors to sell euro zone assets and seek the safety of the U.S. dollar.

"The concern is we are five years into the euro zone crisis and still lurching from crisis to crisis," Chovanec said. "These economies need to grow their way out of debt and the question is where will the growth come from?"

Cyprus's 10 billion euro rescue deal with its European partners at the weekend is the first euro zone bailout to impose losses on bank depositors and has raised the prospect of savers withdrawing money from banks.

The decision to include senior debt holders and large depositors in the Cyprus bailout could have a "lasting effect" on the way investors perceive weaker euro area banks, said Barclays analysts Rajiv Setia and Laurent Fransolet in a research note.

European Central Bank data showed that some customers began to take money out of their accounts in February on the possibility that depositors would take a haircut in a bailout deal. But the calm as bank employees returned to work helped settle early market jitters.

The euro, which has dropped around 2.0 percent over the last couple of weeks, rose above $1.28 on Thursday, up from a four-month low against the U.S. dollar <.dxy> and a one-month low against the yen

Uncertainty has been amplified by an unexpected rise in German unemployment in March that was reported on Thursday, the lack of a government in Italy following inconclusive elections and typical end-of-quarter caution before the Easter holiday. But Germany's unemployment rise was countered by stronger retail sales and a surprise rebound in Italian business confidence.

European stock markets shrugged off early nerves though as the calm in Cyprus was reported. With benchmark stock indexes in London, Frankfurt and Paris all higher, the FTSEurofirst 300 <.fteu3> rose 0.6 percent.

U.S. Treasuries and German government bonds - assets that investors turn to for safety - slipped.

Benchmark 10-year Treasury notes last traded down 2/32 in price to yield 1.858 percent, up 0.8 basis point from Wednesday's close. The Treasury's $29 billion sale of seven-year Treasury notes got a fairly weak reception.

Treasuries remained weak after the U.S. government raised its reading on U.S. economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2012, while reporting a bigger-than-expected rise in weekly jobless claims in the latest week.

Gold slipped below $1,600 an ounce on Thursday, as banks reopened in Cyprus without panic, sapping demand for low-risk assets.

Gold hit a one-month high of $1,616.36 last week on concerns the $10 billion euro rescue deal for Cyprus, which will leave big depositors and private bondholders with huge losses, could become a template for future bank bailouts in the euro zone.

Gold was down 0.4 percent at $1,598.41 an ounce by 1617 GMT. Spot prices were still set for a one percent gain in March, their first monthly rise in six months. U.S. gold futures dropped 0.67 percent to $1,595.40 an ounce.

U.S. crude futures hovered above $96 a barrel. NYMEX crude for May delivery was up 2 cents at $96.60 a barrel by 1620 GMT.

London Brent crude for May delivery was down 6 cents at $109.09 after finishing 33 cents higher at $109.69 a barrel the previous session.

(Additional reporting by Richard Leong, Angela Moon and Julie Haviv in New York; Marc Jones and Clara Denina in London; Editing by Clive McKeef and Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asian-shares-fall-euro-faint-euro-zone-worries-050535658--finance.html

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Study: Health law to raise claims cost 32 percent

FILE - In this March 23, 2010 file photo, Marcelas Owens of Seattle, left, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., right, and others, look on as President Barack Obama signs the health care bill in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Medical claims costs _ the biggest driver of health insurance premiums _ will jump an average 32 percent for individual policies under President Barack Obama?s overhaul, according to a study by the nation?s leading group of financial risk analysts. Recently released to its members, the report from the Society of Actuaries could turn into a big headache for the Obama administration at a time when many parts of the country remain skeptical about the Affordable Care Act. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - In this March 23, 2010 file photo, Marcelas Owens of Seattle, left, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., right, and others, look on as President Barack Obama signs the health care bill in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Medical claims costs _ the biggest driver of health insurance premiums _ will jump an average 32 percent for individual policies under President Barack Obama?s overhaul, according to a study by the nation?s leading group of financial risk analysts. Recently released to its members, the report from the Society of Actuaries could turn into a big headache for the Obama administration at a time when many parts of the country remain skeptical about the Affordable Care Act. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Map shows projected change in medical claim costs by

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A new study finds that insurance companies will have to pay out an average of 32 percent more for medical claims under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

What does that mean for you?

It could increase premiums for at least some Americans.

If you are uninsured, or you buy your policy directly from an insurance company, you should pay attention.

But if you have an employer plan, like most workers and their families, odds are you don't have much to worry about.

The estimates from the Society of Actuaries could turn into a political headache for the Obama administration at a time when much of the country remains skeptical of the Affordable Care Act.

The administration is questioning the study, saying it doesn't give a full picture ? and costs will go down.

Actuaries are financial risk professionals who conduct long-range cost estimates for pension plans, insurance companies and government programs.

The study says claims costs will go up largely because sicker people will join the insurance pool. That's because the law forbids insurers from turning down those with pre-existing medical problems, effective Jan. 1. Everyone gets sick sooner or later, but sicker people also use more health care services.

"Claims cost is the most important driver of health care premiums," said Kristi Bohn, an actuary who worked on the study. Spending on sicker people and other high-cost groups will overwhelm an influx of younger, healthier people into the program, said the report.

The Obama administration challenged the design of the study, saying it focused only on one piece of the puzzle and ignored cost relief strategies in the law, such as tax credits to help people afford premiums and special payments to insurers who attract an outsize share of the sick.

The study also doesn't take into account the potential price-cutting effect of competition in new state insurance markets that will go live Oct. 1, administration officials said.

At a White House briefing Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said some of what passes for health insurance today is so skimpy it can't be compared to the comprehensive coverage available under the law. "Some of these folks have very high catastrophic plans that don't pay for anything unless you get hit by a bus," she said. "They're really mortgage protection, not health insurance."

Sebelius said the picture on premiums won't start coming into focus until insurers submit their bids. Those results may not be publicly known until late summer.

Another striking finding of the report was a wide disparity in cost impact among the states.

While some states will see medical claims costs per person decline, the report concluded that the overwhelming majority will see double-digit increases in their individual health insurance markets, where people purchase coverage directly from insurers.

The differences are big. By 2017, the estimated increase would be 62 percent for California, about 80 percent for Ohio, more than 20 percent for Florida and 67 percent for Maryland. Much of the reason for the higher claims costs is that sicker people are expected to join the pool, the report said.

Part of the reason for the wide disparities is that states have different populations and insurance rules. In the relatively small number of states where insurers were already restricted from charging higher rates to older, sicker people, the cost impact is less.

The report did not make similar estimates for employer plans that most workers and families rely on. That's because the primary impact of Obama's law is on people who don't have coverage through their jobs.

A prominent national expert, recently retired Medicare chief actuary Rick Foster, said the report does "a credible job" of estimating potential enrollment and costs under the law, "without trying to tilt the answers in any particular direction."

"Having said that," Foster added, "actuaries tend to be financially conservative, so the various assumptions might be more inclined to consider what might go wrong than to anticipate that everything will work beautifully." Actuaries use statistics and economic theory to make long-range cost projections for insurance and pension programs sponsored by businesses and government. The society is headquartered near Chicago.

Bohn, the actuary who worked on the study, acknowledged it did not attempt to estimate the effect of subsidies, insurer competition and other factors that could offset cost increases. She said the goal was to look at the underlying cost of medical care.

"We don't see ourselves as a political organization," Bohn added. "We are trying to figure out what the situation at hand is."

On the plus side, the report found the law will cover more than 32 million currently uninsured Americans when fully phased in. And some states ? including New York and Massachusetts ? will see double-digit declines in costs for claims in the individual market.

Uncertainty over costs has been a major issue since the law passed three years ago, and remains so just months before a big push to cover the uninsured gets rolling Oct. 1. Middle-class households will be able to purchase subsidized private insurance in new marketplaces, while low-income people will be steered to Medicaid and other safety net programs. States are free to accept or reject a Medicaid expansion also offered under the law.

___

AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-27-US-Health-Overhaul-Costs/id-40c501e6e64b440493e74febc620bd88

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S.Africa imports no Iranian crude again in February

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa did not import any crude oil from Iran for a ninth consecutive month in February, data showed on Thursday, as Pretoria steers clear of the shipments because of sanctions.

South Africa used to import a quarter of its crude from Iran but has come under Western pressure to reduce the purchases as part of sanctions aimed at halting Tehran's suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons.

In May last year, imports from Iran stood at 285,524 tonnes but since June, Africa's biggest economy has replaced the shipments with crude from other suppliers.

Saudi Arabia was again the major supplier in February with shipments of 719,330 tonnes, data from the South African Revenue Service showed. Other crude imports were from Angola, Nigeria, Russia, Yemen, Ghana and Equatorial Guinea, with shipments totalling 1.75 million tonnes.

While the United States extended South Africa's exemption from financial sanctions in December due to the Iranian cuts, Pretoria is still hampered by European Union sanctions that prevent insurance companies from underwriting Iranian shipments.

The EU has not granted any waivers, even though South Africa has been lobbying Brussels because it has to pay more to source crude from countries other than Iran.

Also, some of the South African refineries are designed to treat Iranian-type crude only and require modifications to accept other products.

Refiners in South Africa include Shell, BP, Total, Chevron, petrochemicals group Sasol, and Engen, which is majority-owned by Malaysian state oil group Petronas .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/africa-imports-no-iranian-crude-again-february-150858494--sector.html

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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

When hungry, Gulf of Mexico algae go toxic

Mar. 12, 2013 ? When Gulf of Mexico algae don't get enough nutrients, they focus their remaining energy on becoming more and more poisonous to ensure their survival, according to a new study by scientists from North Carolina State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The study shows that harmful and ubiquitous Karenia brevis algae, which cause red tide blooms across the Gulf of Mexico, become two to seven times more toxic when levels of phosphorus, a major algal nutrient found in fertilizers and human waste, are low. Like wearing a suit of armor, producing highly toxic cells allows the algae to defend themselves against opportunistic waterborne grazers like zooplankton.

Red tide blooms in the Gulf are linked to fish kills and other ecological and economic damage in the region, and are also linked to respiratory ailments in humans. These blooms occur annually in the Gulf, but it's hard to predict where or when they'll occur or how long they'll last.

Drs. Rance Hardison and Damian Shea, co-authors on a paper appearing online in the journal PLOS ONE, say that the findings could help coastal managers make better predictions about the harmful effects of red tide blooms.

"Public-health managers can test phosphorus levels in waters across various Gulf locations," Hardison said, "and know that low levels could indicate highly toxic red tide blooms. Then they can close nearby shellfish beds or take other measures to keep sea life -- and humans -- safe."

The researchers tested five different K. brevis species from varied geographic locations and limited some samples' growth by withholding phosphorus while allowing others to enjoy a full diet of phosphorus. Depending on the species, algal cells with limited access to phosphorus had 2.3 to 7.3 times more toxin than algal cells that were filled up with phosphorus.

"At the end of a red tide bloom, when the nutrients are used up, K. brevis cells produce a burst of toxicity. Now we understand the biological mechanism behind some of the varied toxic levels seen in Gulf algal cells," Shea, an NC State professor of biology and environmental toxicology, said.

The irony of the inverse relationship between phosphorus and algal toxicity is not lost on the researchers. In a modern-day catch-22, excess nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen play key roles in fueling algal growth and harmful algal bloom development. As bloom density increases, cells use up the available nutrients such as phosphorus. This slows the growth of K. brevis cells, causing them to become more toxic. Previous research conducted by Hardison, a NOAA oceanographer who received his Ph.D. from NC State, showed similar effects when nitrogen was the limiting nutrient.

"We believe the findings will be useful to help model future toxic algal blooms and how harmful they'll be," Hardison said.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by North Carolina State University.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Donnie Ransom Hardison, William G. Sunda, Damian Shea, Richard Wayne Litaker. Increased Toxicity of Karenia brevis during Phosphate Limited Growth: Ecological and Evolutionary Implications. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (3): e58545 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058545

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/Xv704HDMuEs/130312171620.htm

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Fewer workers tapping 401(k) for loans, study shows

Fewer people tapped their workplace retirement accounts for temporary loans or "hardship" withdrawals last year, according to a study released Wednesday by WorldatWork and the American Benefits Institute.

The poll of some 500 companies about employee participation in workplace 401(k) plans found that loans increased in 37 percent of the companies, down from 49 percent of companies in 2008. A quarter of the companies polled said they saw an increase in hardship distributions from plans, down from 43 percent of companies that reported this in 2008.

Hardship loans come with high fees and are often used for down payments on homes or to cover expenses when children are born. The drop in withdrawals may be due to an improved economy for employees, experts said. In addition, companies are directing more resources to communicate with employees about financial wellness, so workers may no longer see their retirement nest egg as the most viable option for instant funds.

"Companies are providing more financial advice such as debt management to employees and helping them to look at the whole picture," said Lynn Dudley, senior vice president for policy at the American Benefits Council.

Higher participation
Since the Pension Protection Act of 2006 set out new requirements for employers that offer retirement and investment advice, 53 percent of companies said they provide such advice, and two thirds of those do so through independent financial advisers.

Most companies continued retirement plans and matches through the recession. According to the report, 88 percent of companies neither suspended nor eliminated their matching contributions during the previous five years. In all, 92 percent of the companies polled said they provide a match to contributions.

Companies with auto-enrollment features had higher participation rates than those without it - 37 percent of companies with auto-enrollment reported 80 to 90 percent participation. Only 21 percent of companies without auto enrollment reported participation in this range.

Companies are also building annuity offerings through defined benefit plans, which contain lifetime-payout options. About 12 percent of the companies in the study said they offer annuity options, and 21 percent said they are considering it for the future.

Problems linger
Despite this progress, overall savings still lag industry estimates of what people are expected to need upon retirement - which is to save 15 percent of current salary, according to T. Rowe Price, the Baltimore money management firm.

More than half of the companies said the average employee contribution is between 5 and 7 percent. For 22 percent of the companies polled, the average employee contribution is between 2 and 4 percent. Fewer than 10 percent of employees were contributing the maximum allowed contribution, which was $17,000 in 2012.

"Most savers feel they are doing as much as they can, and there is no way they can save 15 percent every year," said Christine Fahlund, a financial planner and vice president of T. Rowe Price Investment Services. "That is where plan sponsors need to help by including auto-increase provisions in plans. Gradually is usually better when it comes to trying to change your savings behavior."

Meanwhile, federal changes in fee disclosure, which were required to take affect by September of last year, have done little to educate people about their involvement with retirement plans. More than half of employers said that new fee disclosure rules did not make plans more clear to employees.

Instead companies are offering more advice. "More employers are focusing on financial well-being, adequacy, and communicating in a way that helps people take action," said Dudley.

Policy makers may have avoided setting minimum default rates too high in the beginning, but now is the time to encourage making them higher, said Dudley. They could also include the ability to auto-increase when an employee gets a raise or a tax refund, for example.

"We must look to policy to support 401(k) plans," which have been strongly accepted by employers, she said.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/fewer-workers-tapping-their-401-k-loans-study-shows-1C8850242

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Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Peer support shows promise in epilepsy fight

Peer support shows promise in epilepsy fight [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 11-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Andy McGlashen
andy.mcglashen@cabs.msu.edu
517-355-5158
Michigan State University

Peer support groups show promise for combating the debilitating stigma that surrounds epilepsy in much of the developing world, according to a new study led by a Michigan State University medical student.

The researchers report in the journal Epilepsy and Behavior that young people with the disease felt significantly less stigmatized after meeting regularly to discuss their illness.

While drugs are widely available to reduce epileptic seizures, the stigma and discrimination that arise from those seizures is a thornier problem, said Melissa Elafros, who is pursuing medical and doctoral degrees in MSU's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

"In Africa a lot of people think epilepsy is contagious or associated with witchcraft," she said. "If you're told something often enough, you start to believe it's true. So people with epilepsy start to internalize that stigma."

That feeling of shame leads some people to stop seeking treatment, Elafros said. Children with epilepsy often drop out of school, and some adults stop looking for work.

Peer support groups have been shown to help with other kinds of stigma, so Elafros and colleagues decided to test the groups as an intervention for epilepsy patients.

They trained local partners to facilitate monthly meetings of support groups made up of men, women and youths from 12 to 18 years old. The meetings involved guided discussion among the participants of epilepsy-related challenges they'd faced and solutions they'd found.

After a year of meetings, an evaluation of the youths showed that they felt significantly less stigmatized. There was a trend toward improvement in felt stigma among the adults, though it was not statistically significant.

"It could be that adults have just learned to cope with things as they are," Elafros said. "Or adults may need some larger intervention than that."

Still, the findings offer a much-needed glimmer of hope after decades in which several studies described the problem of epilepsy-related stigma but few systematic interventions were aimed at fixing it.

"This shows we can finally do something for people with epilepsy," she said. "The idea that you could intervene in a teenager's life and help them better cope with a condition they may have for the rest of their life, I think that's really quite significant."

###

Elafros was funded by the National Institutes of Health and mentored by MSU's Gretchen Birbeck, a professor of neurology and ophthalmology who's been working on epilepsy in Africa for two decades. For more on their work to help people with epilepsy in Africa, visit Spartans Will. 360.

Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.


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Peer support shows promise in epilepsy fight [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 11-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Andy McGlashen
andy.mcglashen@cabs.msu.edu
517-355-5158
Michigan State University

Peer support groups show promise for combating the debilitating stigma that surrounds epilepsy in much of the developing world, according to a new study led by a Michigan State University medical student.

The researchers report in the journal Epilepsy and Behavior that young people with the disease felt significantly less stigmatized after meeting regularly to discuss their illness.

While drugs are widely available to reduce epileptic seizures, the stigma and discrimination that arise from those seizures is a thornier problem, said Melissa Elafros, who is pursuing medical and doctoral degrees in MSU's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

"In Africa a lot of people think epilepsy is contagious or associated with witchcraft," she said. "If you're told something often enough, you start to believe it's true. So people with epilepsy start to internalize that stigma."

That feeling of shame leads some people to stop seeking treatment, Elafros said. Children with epilepsy often drop out of school, and some adults stop looking for work.

Peer support groups have been shown to help with other kinds of stigma, so Elafros and colleagues decided to test the groups as an intervention for epilepsy patients.

They trained local partners to facilitate monthly meetings of support groups made up of men, women and youths from 12 to 18 years old. The meetings involved guided discussion among the participants of epilepsy-related challenges they'd faced and solutions they'd found.

After a year of meetings, an evaluation of the youths showed that they felt significantly less stigmatized. There was a trend toward improvement in felt stigma among the adults, though it was not statistically significant.

"It could be that adults have just learned to cope with things as they are," Elafros said. "Or adults may need some larger intervention than that."

Still, the findings offer a much-needed glimmer of hope after decades in which several studies described the problem of epilepsy-related stigma but few systematic interventions were aimed at fixing it.

"This shows we can finally do something for people with epilepsy," she said. "The idea that you could intervene in a teenager's life and help them better cope with a condition they may have for the rest of their life, I think that's really quite significant."

###

Elafros was funded by the National Institutes of Health and mentored by MSU's Gretchen Birbeck, a professor of neurology and ophthalmology who's been working on epilepsy in Africa for two decades. For more on their work to help people with epilepsy in Africa, visit Spartans Will. 360.

Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.


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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/msu-pss031113.php

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The Economy ? the Stock Market | The Reformed Broker

  • Joshua M Brown
  • March 10th, 2013

I had an on-air debate with CNBC's Steve Leisman the other day about why investors and traders shouldn't fuss too much over economic data (unless they're trading based on it each day).

It's a difficult concept to grasp when you're trained to look for narratives and storylines as most journalists are. Steve is a very good economic reporter and brings a wealth of information to the viewers each time he's on. I was simply trying to make the point that the Greek stock market had risen by 30% last year despite a contracting economy while in Shanghai stocks were down all year as the Chinese economy grew by 7%.

Thus, the Economy ? the Stock Market.

The truth is, prior to 2007, the most successful investors completely ignored the economy except at major turning points when it became a crossover story for the news reports.? Valuation and corporate profits were of more interest to the Wall Street crowd and economists were relegated to the bench. This shifted five years ago and gave rise to the Rock Star Economist archetype - someone who could explain big picture trends to the troops who had not, until that point, ever paid any serious attention.

The pendulum is starting to swing back in the other direction and the macroeconomic stuff is getting less interesting to pay attention to with every passing day. Because for investors, once you understand the basic environment you're in, there's not much point to comb through every release for the finer details.

It's not that the economy isn't important to understand - it is. It's just that it matters way less than those who are fascinated with the topic really understand.

And, as The Economist explains this weekend, there is zero correlation between economic growth and stock market returns anyway. Sure, they head in the same direction over time, but they are only loosely related.

Consider:

Think of the market as driven by the change in corporate earnings and the rating applied to those earnings (a truism). Domestic earnings depend not just on the GDP growth rate but on the level of profits relative to GDP; and international earnings depend on the strength of the world economy, currency movements etc. Profits are very high relative to GDP in the US at the moment which is partly down to international operations and partly down to the sluggish nature of wage growth; the latter may be good for the corporate sector but not for the economy as a whole.

The rating of earnings may be affected by a number of other factors including the optimism of investors, the creation (or destruction) of new equities by the corporate sector and the attractions of alternative assets. So there is a lot going on.

and:

"take the records of 83 countries from 1972 to 2009 (the most comprehensive set available) and rank them by GDP growth over the previous five years. Investing each year in the countries with the highest economic growth over the preceding five years earned an annual return of 18.4%, but investing in the lowest-growth countries returned 25.1%."

Again, cognitively this is a tough concept to swallow - we love stories that have a beginning and an end, that have features and aspects to them that confirm what we already suspect. This yearning for a narrative is deeply ingrained in us and has been responsible for our survival as a species. Story is how we pass on crucial wisdom and knowledge to the next generation. But it doesn't always work in stock market investing and the economic story doesn't always "confirm" the stock market activity you see before your eyes.

Source:

Growth and the markets (The Economist)

?

Full Disclosure: Nothing on this site should ever be considered to be advice, research or an invitation to buy or sell any securities, please see my Terms & Conditions page for a full disclaimer.

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Source: http://www.thereformedbroker.com/2013/03/10/the-economy-%E2%89%A0-the-stock-market/

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Thursday, March 7, 2013

S&P upgrades Portugal's credit rating outlook to stable

LISBON (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's has revised its outlook on Portugal's "junk" BB/B sovereign ratings to stable from negative, citing new evidence that European institutions will continue to support the country's efforts to get its fiscal house in order.

S&P's decision - the first outlook upgrade by a major rater since a slew of ratings downgrades in 2011-12 - came after the European Union finance ministers earlier this week commended the Portuguese and Irish authorities' strong commitment to their respective adjustment programmes.

The ministers said they would seek how to smooth out the redemption schedules for the two countries' rescue loans for them to return to debt markets and exit their bailouts.

The rating agency's long-term BB rating is two notches below the coveted "investment grade" and is one notch higher than Moody's Ba3 and one notch lower than Fitch's BB+. The other two raters have a negative outlook on Portugal.

Luis Marques Guedes, secretary of state for cabinet matters, told a briefing after a weekly cabinet meeting the improved outlook was "excellent news for the country".

"We hope it brings an inversion of the trend of the past few years, which was very negative and has heavily punished the Portuguese economy, companies and families. But obviously this will depend on the country's progress and continued determination to fulfil the adjustment programme," he said.

Portuguese benchmark 10-year bond yields fell 20 basis points to 6.02 percent on Thursday - the lowest level since late January when Portugal made its first bond issue since the mid-2011 bailout.

The announcement also helped lift the euro slightly. The single currency edged to a session high of $1.2996 on the news in the early hours on Thursday and then continued to rise a tad above $1.3 after a brief retreat.

S&P said it expected "that Portugal's official European lenders are likely to extend their loans, thereby reducing the Portuguese government's refinancing risks and, to a lesser extent, its interest costs".

"At the same time, we expect Portugal's official lenders... to adjust Portugal's fiscal consolidation path under the programme, mostly to reflect the weaker-than-previously-assumed economic activity."

S&P said this should make Portugal's adjustment process more sustainable, both economically and socially, reducing the risk that the government will not comply with the programme.

S&P said it could cut Portugal's ratings if political commitment to the current structural adjustment diminishes and if European institutions back away from extending the maturity of Portugal's official debt.

"We could raise the ratings if export performance turns out to be much better than our current expectations or if investment picks up significantly," it said.

"This would, in our view, support Portugal's recovery and contribute to job creation, thereby strengthening the social contract. A more robust recovery would also contribute to a faster fiscal consolidation and debt reduction path, improving Portugal's fiscal indicators."

(Reporting by Ian Chua and Andrei Khalip; Editing by Stephen Nisbet)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/p-upgrades-portugals-credit-rating-outlook-stable-140226519--business.html

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Update For Twitter?s iOS, Android Apps And Mobile Site Includes Top Tweets From The Past And Better Web Browsing

3414271359_dfb8ec357b_zTwitter has updated its iOS and Android apps today, as well as its mobile site, to include more interesting content to keep you tapping and exploring as you perform searches. As we noted last month, Twitter has started to surface older tweets in its search results. Today, that experience will become more prevalent in Twitter’s mobile experience. In addition to tweets that might have some age to it, your search results will now include topics and user suggestions based on your query. Since Twitter is a real-time service, this is no easy task. A few video services have gotten the axe, and the app now has native support for traditional Chinese language. It’s nice to see Twitter combine some sweeping discovery updates with a maintenance release in time for SXSW. It’s a small tweak, but I’m enjoying the addition of the tweet staying visible when you tap a link, providing some context as you venture off of the network. You can make it go away by tapping the web page: Here’s the list of updates for Twitter for iOS and Android: ? As you search you?ll see more topic and user suggestions for your query, based on what?s happening in real time. You?ll also see these suggestions when adding a hashtag or username as you compose a new Tweet. ? Top Tweets from big moments in the past pop out when you search for a given term. For example, searching for ?election? might highlight Tweets from several months ago. ? When you open a web page you can now see the related Tweet for more context. Just pull the tray icon up or down to see or hide the Tweet. ? It?s easier to see long conversations in the Tweet details view, which now shows all of the replies to any Tweet ? Pull-to-refresh in Discover shows a new, smoother animation ? Support for traditional Chinese ? Uploading videos vie Mobypicture, Vodpod and Posterous is no longer supported ? Additional bug fixes and improvements Here’s a look at what you might find when doing a search: The only old tweet I saw with the “election” search was a promoted one. Hopefully that won’t be the case for all of your searches. As the discovery experience gets better, Twitter can hopefully trap those non-tweeters into clicking more links and following more people. [Photo credit: Flickr]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/fCdlz51SQz0/

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New gender benchmarking study: South Africa ranks low on women participating in STI

New gender benchmarking study: South Africa ranks low on women participating in STI [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 7-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Ylann Schemm
y.schemm@elsevier.com
31-204-852-025
Elsevier

Cape Town, March 7, 2013 In the first gender benchmarking study of its kind, researchers have found that numbers of women in the science, technology and innovation fields (STI) are alarmingly low in the world's leading economies, and are actually on the decline in many, including the United States. For South Africa, results show that women have more opportunities available to them than ever before, however, their participation in the science, technology and innovation workforce remains low.

The full gender benchmarking study maps the opportunities and obstacles faced by women in science in Brazil, South Africa, India, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, the US, the EU. The study was conducted by experts in international gender, science and technology issues from Women in Global Science & Technology (WISAT) and the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), and funded by the Elsevier Foundation. The research was led by Dr. Sophia Huyer, Executive Director of WISAT and Dr. Nancy Hafkin, Senior Associate of WISAT.

South Africa ranks fifth overall compared to the other countries studied. South Africa's results include the following rankings:

  • Second in knowledge society decision-making with comparatively high rates of women on corporate boards (14%) and as science academy members (28%).
  • Third in social status and fourth in science, technology and innovation participation after the US, EU and Brazil. This impressive ranking is likely a result of a strong educational system with high levels of primary and secondary enrollments, a policy focus on STI, and quotas in various sectors to promote diversity of participation by race and gender.
  • South Africa's alarming rate of HIV in the female population puts it last in health, however.
  • Fifth in women's access to resources due to low levels of internet access for females (11%) and low levels of access to basic infrastructure such as energy and transportation in rural areas.
  • Overall participation in the STI sector workforce remains low.
  • Women remain severely under-represented in degree programs for engineering, physics and computer science.
  • Even in countries where the numbers of women studying science and technology have increased, it has not translated into more women in the workplace. While South Africa sees 45% representation of females in Science and Engineering enrollments, the numbers of women actually working in these fields is 16%, with 36% representation in the technician workforce.

"Despite an enabling policy environment and increased uptake of STI study except in engineering, this has not resulted in an increase in the science, technology and innovation workforce and especially leadership in South Africa. Mentoring activities will be critical in changing the status quo," said Professor Roseanne Diab, Executive Officer, Academy of Science of South Africa.

Despite efforts by many of these countries to give women greater access to science and technology education, research shows negative results, particularly in the areas of engineering, physics and computer science less than 30% in most countries. Although no data is available for enrollment in these fields separately in the country, but the rate of graduates In engineering sciences, materials and technologies is extremely low (only 15% in 2007).

"These economies are operating under the existing paradigm that if we give girls and women greater access to education they will eventually gain parity with men in these fields," states Sophia Huyer, the lead researcher and founding executive director of Women in Global Science & Technology. "This has dictated our approach to the problem for over a decade and we are still only seeing incremental changes. The report indicates that access to education is not a solution in and of itself. It's only one part of what should be a multi-dimensional policymaking approach. There is no simple solution."

The data show that women's parity in the science, technology and innovation fields is tied to multiple empowerment factors, with the most influential being representation in the labor force, larger roles in government and politics, access to economic, productive and technological resources, quality healthcare and financial resources. Findings also show that women have greater parity in countries with government policies that support childcare, equal pay, and gender mainstreaming. One of the main findings is that few countries collect consistent and reliable sex-disaggregated data in all of these areas, which inhibits their ability to implement effective supporting policies and programs.

"We found that the absence of any one of these elements creates a situation of vulnerability for economies that want to be competitively positioned in the knowledge economy," Huyer says. "No one country or region is ticking off all the boxes, and some are falling dismally short. This is a tremendous waste of resources. We are wasting resources educating women without following through, and we are missing out on the enormous potential that women represent."

"This broad and ambitious assessment is a critical starting point for measuring the participation of women and girls in science, technology and innovation in emerging and developing worlds," said David Ruth, Executive Director of the Elsevier Foundation, "This study identifies key areas of national strength and weakness, and we hope it will help form the basis of evidence-based policy making and aid going forward."

###

The report, funded by The Elsevier Foundation, which provides grant programs targeting women scientists in the early stages of their careers, was also supported by futureInnovate.net, a non-profit that supports initiatives that strengthen innovation systems in Canada and around the world.

Notes to Editors

The project summary and Key Findings, the Gender Equality and the Knowledge Society Scorecard, as well as graphical scorecards for each participating country, can be found at http://www.wisat.org. Please contact Ylann Schemm (y.schemm@elsevier.com) for more information or to arrange an interview with researchers Sophia Huyer and Nancy Hafkin.

About the Researchers

As founding executive director of Women in Global Science & Technology, Sophia Huyer has published and spoken widely on international gender, science and technology policy, including Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and social development. She is also research director of the Gender Advisory Board of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development and Senior Advisor to the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World. She was a major contributor to the UNCTAD report Applying a Gender Lens to Science, Technology and Innovation (2011) and the UNESCO International Report on Science, Technology and Gender (2007).

Recently inducted into the Internet Society's Internet Hall of Fame, Nancy Hafkin played a key role in developing Africa's ICT infrastructure through her work with the UN Economic Commission for Africa. She also worked with the Association for Progressive Communications to provide email connectivity to more than 10 countries there. In 2006 she co-edited "Cinderella or Cyberella: Empowering Women in the Knowledge Society," with Sophia Huyer and in 2012 she authored a chapter on gender issues for "Accelerating Development Using the Web: Empowering Poor and Marginalized Populations," edited by George Sadowsky.

About OWSD

The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) is an international sister organization of TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world. OWSD is headed by eminent women scientists from the south, consisting of more than 4,000 members. Created in 1989, OWSD's overall goal is to work towards bridging the gender gap in science and technology. The central role is to promote women's access to science and technology, enhancing their greater involvement in decision-making for the development of their countries and in the international scientific community. OWSD promotes leadership, exchanges and networking for women scientists to assist in the development of national capabilities to evolve, explore and improve strategies for increasing female participation in science. http://www.owsdw.org.

About WISAT

Women in Global Science and Technology is an international nonprofit which promotes innovation, science and technology strategies that enable women, especially those living in developing countries, to actively participate in technology and innovation for development. Women should be able to benefit from access to technologies and full participation in innovation systems. http://www.wisat.org

About The Elsevier Foundation

The Elsevier Foundation is a corporate charity funded by Elsevier, a global provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The Elsevier Foundation provides grants to knowledge centered institutions around the world, with a focus on developing world libraries, nurse faculty and scholars in the early stages of their careers. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than 60 grants worth millions of dollars to non-profit organizations working in these fields. Through gift-matching, the Foundation also supports the efforts of Elsevier employees to play a positive role in their local and global communities. http://www.elsevierfoundation.org


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


New gender benchmarking study: South Africa ranks low on women participating in STI [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 7-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Ylann Schemm
y.schemm@elsevier.com
31-204-852-025
Elsevier

Cape Town, March 7, 2013 In the first gender benchmarking study of its kind, researchers have found that numbers of women in the science, technology and innovation fields (STI) are alarmingly low in the world's leading economies, and are actually on the decline in many, including the United States. For South Africa, results show that women have more opportunities available to them than ever before, however, their participation in the science, technology and innovation workforce remains low.

The full gender benchmarking study maps the opportunities and obstacles faced by women in science in Brazil, South Africa, India, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, the US, the EU. The study was conducted by experts in international gender, science and technology issues from Women in Global Science & Technology (WISAT) and the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), and funded by the Elsevier Foundation. The research was led by Dr. Sophia Huyer, Executive Director of WISAT and Dr. Nancy Hafkin, Senior Associate of WISAT.

South Africa ranks fifth overall compared to the other countries studied. South Africa's results include the following rankings:

  • Second in knowledge society decision-making with comparatively high rates of women on corporate boards (14%) and as science academy members (28%).
  • Third in social status and fourth in science, technology and innovation participation after the US, EU and Brazil. This impressive ranking is likely a result of a strong educational system with high levels of primary and secondary enrollments, a policy focus on STI, and quotas in various sectors to promote diversity of participation by race and gender.
  • South Africa's alarming rate of HIV in the female population puts it last in health, however.
  • Fifth in women's access to resources due to low levels of internet access for females (11%) and low levels of access to basic infrastructure such as energy and transportation in rural areas.
  • Overall participation in the STI sector workforce remains low.
  • Women remain severely under-represented in degree programs for engineering, physics and computer science.
  • Even in countries where the numbers of women studying science and technology have increased, it has not translated into more women in the workplace. While South Africa sees 45% representation of females in Science and Engineering enrollments, the numbers of women actually working in these fields is 16%, with 36% representation in the technician workforce.

"Despite an enabling policy environment and increased uptake of STI study except in engineering, this has not resulted in an increase in the science, technology and innovation workforce and especially leadership in South Africa. Mentoring activities will be critical in changing the status quo," said Professor Roseanne Diab, Executive Officer, Academy of Science of South Africa.

Despite efforts by many of these countries to give women greater access to science and technology education, research shows negative results, particularly in the areas of engineering, physics and computer science less than 30% in most countries. Although no data is available for enrollment in these fields separately in the country, but the rate of graduates In engineering sciences, materials and technologies is extremely low (only 15% in 2007).

"These economies are operating under the existing paradigm that if we give girls and women greater access to education they will eventually gain parity with men in these fields," states Sophia Huyer, the lead researcher and founding executive director of Women in Global Science & Technology. "This has dictated our approach to the problem for over a decade and we are still only seeing incremental changes. The report indicates that access to education is not a solution in and of itself. It's only one part of what should be a multi-dimensional policymaking approach. There is no simple solution."

The data show that women's parity in the science, technology and innovation fields is tied to multiple empowerment factors, with the most influential being representation in the labor force, larger roles in government and politics, access to economic, productive and technological resources, quality healthcare and financial resources. Findings also show that women have greater parity in countries with government policies that support childcare, equal pay, and gender mainstreaming. One of the main findings is that few countries collect consistent and reliable sex-disaggregated data in all of these areas, which inhibits their ability to implement effective supporting policies and programs.

"We found that the absence of any one of these elements creates a situation of vulnerability for economies that want to be competitively positioned in the knowledge economy," Huyer says. "No one country or region is ticking off all the boxes, and some are falling dismally short. This is a tremendous waste of resources. We are wasting resources educating women without following through, and we are missing out on the enormous potential that women represent."

"This broad and ambitious assessment is a critical starting point for measuring the participation of women and girls in science, technology and innovation in emerging and developing worlds," said David Ruth, Executive Director of the Elsevier Foundation, "This study identifies key areas of national strength and weakness, and we hope it will help form the basis of evidence-based policy making and aid going forward."

###

The report, funded by The Elsevier Foundation, which provides grant programs targeting women scientists in the early stages of their careers, was also supported by futureInnovate.net, a non-profit that supports initiatives that strengthen innovation systems in Canada and around the world.

Notes to Editors

The project summary and Key Findings, the Gender Equality and the Knowledge Society Scorecard, as well as graphical scorecards for each participating country, can be found at http://www.wisat.org. Please contact Ylann Schemm (y.schemm@elsevier.com) for more information or to arrange an interview with researchers Sophia Huyer and Nancy Hafkin.

About the Researchers

As founding executive director of Women in Global Science & Technology, Sophia Huyer has published and spoken widely on international gender, science and technology policy, including Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and social development. She is also research director of the Gender Advisory Board of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development and Senior Advisor to the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World. She was a major contributor to the UNCTAD report Applying a Gender Lens to Science, Technology and Innovation (2011) and the UNESCO International Report on Science, Technology and Gender (2007).

Recently inducted into the Internet Society's Internet Hall of Fame, Nancy Hafkin played a key role in developing Africa's ICT infrastructure through her work with the UN Economic Commission for Africa. She also worked with the Association for Progressive Communications to provide email connectivity to more than 10 countries there. In 2006 she co-edited "Cinderella or Cyberella: Empowering Women in the Knowledge Society," with Sophia Huyer and in 2012 she authored a chapter on gender issues for "Accelerating Development Using the Web: Empowering Poor and Marginalized Populations," edited by George Sadowsky.

About OWSD

The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) is an international sister organization of TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world. OWSD is headed by eminent women scientists from the south, consisting of more than 4,000 members. Created in 1989, OWSD's overall goal is to work towards bridging the gender gap in science and technology. The central role is to promote women's access to science and technology, enhancing their greater involvement in decision-making for the development of their countries and in the international scientific community. OWSD promotes leadership, exchanges and networking for women scientists to assist in the development of national capabilities to evolve, explore and improve strategies for increasing female participation in science. http://www.owsdw.org.

About WISAT

Women in Global Science and Technology is an international nonprofit which promotes innovation, science and technology strategies that enable women, especially those living in developing countries, to actively participate in technology and innovation for development. Women should be able to benefit from access to technologies and full participation in innovation systems. http://www.wisat.org

About The Elsevier Foundation

The Elsevier Foundation is a corporate charity funded by Elsevier, a global provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The Elsevier Foundation provides grants to knowledge centered institutions around the world, with a focus on developing world libraries, nurse faculty and scholars in the early stages of their careers. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than 60 grants worth millions of dollars to non-profit organizations working in these fields. Through gift-matching, the Foundation also supports the efforts of Elsevier employees to play a positive role in their local and global communities. http://www.elsevierfoundation.org


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/e-ngb_2030713.php

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

TomTom partners with Fiat and Toyota to deliver in-dash navigation and traffic reports

TomTom partners with Fiat and Toyota

If you're a GPS company, one way to keep the smartphone feature creep at bay is to strike deals with car manufacturers, and bake your wares into their vehicles. TomTom has done particularly good securing these partnerships and Fiat is just the latest company to sign on the dotted line. Its navigation software will be built into the Uconnect Radio Nav systems found in the 500L series from the Italian car marker. It will eventually roll out to other vehicles and Fiat brands, but there was no timeline given. TomTom also inked a deal with Toyota's European arm to put TomTom HD Traffic in any vehicle packing a Touch&GO in-dash device. For more, check out the PR after the break.

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Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/YWutdW-woFg/

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Monday, March 4, 2013

Most of Fla. house over sinkhole demolished

SEFFNER, Fla. (AP) ? Crews on Sunday razed more than half of the Tampa-area home perched over a huge sinkhole that swallowed a man three days ago, managing to salvage some keepsakes for family members who lived there.

Jeremy Bush, 35, tried to save his brother, Jeff, when the earth opened up and swallowed him Thursday night. On Sunday morning, Bush and relatives prayed with a pastor as the home ? where he lived with his girlfriend, Rachel Wicker; their daughter, Hannah, 2; and others ? was demolished and waited for firefighters to salvage anything possible from inside.

Early Sunday morning, just before the demolition began, Bush and an unidentified woman knelt and prayed at the mailbox in front of the home, owned by Leland Wicker, Rachel's grandfather, since the 1970s.

After praying, Bush and the woman walked across the street to a neighbor's lawn to watch the demolition.

The operator of the heavy equipment worked gingerly, first taking off a front wall. Family belongings were scooped onto the lawn gently in hopes of salvaging parts of the family's 40-year history in the home.

As of Sunday afternoon ? when demolition had stopped for the day and only a few walls of the home remained ? a Bible, family photos, a jewelry box and a pink teddy bear for Hannah were among the items saved. Firefighters also were able to pick out the purse of one of the women in the home.

Cheers went up from family, friends and neighbors each time something valuable was salvaged.

Wanda Carter, the daughter of Leland Wicker, cradled the large family Bible in her arms. She said her mother and father had stored baptism certificates, cards and photos between the pages of that Bible over the years.

"It means that God is still in control, and He knew we needed this for closure," she said, crying.

Carter said she spent from age 11 to 20 in the home, and she had to close her eyes as the home was knocked down.

"Thank you for all of the memories and life it gave us," she said.

The Rev. John Martin Bell of Shoals Baptist Church said he had been with the family all morning. "We just prayed with them," he said. He added that all five who lived in the house ? Bush, Wicker, Hannah and two others ages 50 and 45 ? were in need of support and prayers from the community.

Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill said the remaining walls of the home would be knocked down Monday and then crews would turn to clearing the debris as much as possible to allow officials and engineers to see the sinkhole in the open. Officials also will determine what will happen to the two homes on either side of the now-demolished house; experts say the sinkhole has "compromised" those homes, but it's unclear whether steps can be taken to save them.

Several generations of family members lived in the home at the time of the ground collapse, including Jeff Bush, the man now presumed dead.

Jeremy Bush tried to save his brother by jumping into the sinking dirt hole. He had to be pulled out of the still-shifting hole by a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Deputy, who was visibly shaken when talking about the incident more than a day later.

"I've never seen anything move so fast and do so much destruction," Deputy Douglas Duvall said.

The search for Jeff Bush, 37, was called off Saturday. He was in his bedroom Thursday night in Seffner ? a suburb of 8,000 people 15 miles east of downtown Tampa ? when the ground opened and took him and everything else in his room. Five others in the house at the time escape unharmed as the earth crumbled.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is conducting the investigation. Detective Larry McKinnon said the sheriff's office and the county medical examiner cannot declare Bush dead if his body is still missing. Under Florida law, Bush's family must petition a court to declare him deceased.

"Based on the circumstances, he's presumed dead; however the official death certificate can only be issued by a judge and the family has to petition the court," McKinnon said.

The area around Seffner is known for sinkholes due to the geography of the terrain, but they are rarely deadly. No one ? from longtime public safety officials to geologists ? could remember an incident where a person was sucked into the earth without warning.

____

Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/most-fla-house-over-sinkhole-demolished-174558497.html

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