Achievement Growth: International and U.S. State Trends in Student ...

Despite U.S. education initiatives such as No Child Left Behind (2003) and Race to the Top (2009), a 2011 report found only modest gains in reading and math scores in the past decade.? While the outcomes of these assessments can be problematic, in an age of increasing global competitiveness ? and billions of federal dollars spent on education ? tests can help policymakers to better understand how well these current policies are working.

A 2012 report from the Harvard Kennedy School, ?Achievement Growth: International and U.S. State Trends in Student Performance? (PDF), estimated learning gains in math, science and reading for the United States and 48 developed and transitional countries from 1995 to 2009; the researchers also analyzed student performance in 41 U.S. states between 1992 and 2011. The test scores examined were for students in the? 4th and 8th grades, or their approximate international equivalent.

The study findings include:

• U.S. students have experienced only modest educational gains since 1995. Test score performance improved annually by 1.6% of a standard deviation ? about ?one additional year?s worth of learning.? Per-capita spending was found to have no effect on testing outcomes.
• The United States ranks 24th?of 49 countries ? in the middle of the pack ? for test score improvement overall.
• The three top-performing countries, Latvia, Chile and Brazil, showed annual growth of the equivalent of more than two additional years of schooling. The three worst-performing countries, Sweden, Bulgaria and Thailand, showed test-score declines. The authors observed ?no significant pattern between original performance and changes in performance across countries.?
• U.S. states adhered to the ?catch-up? theory that lower-performing ones caught up to better-performing ones. Additionally, the majority of states that registered gains over the time period did so for both low- and high-achieving students.
• Individual U.S. states varied widely in educational gains. Maryland, Florida and Delaware showed the largest gains, equivalent to at least two years of additional learning; Iowa, Maine, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Nebraska showed the lowest gains, equivalent only to about one-half to three-quarters of a year?s worth of learning.
• U.S. student performance steadily declined after the 4th grade and continued throughout high school.

The authors suggested that ?the failure of the United States to close the international test-score gap, despite assiduous public assertions that every effort would be undertaken to produce that objective, raises questions about the nation?s overall reform strategy. Education goal setting in the United States has often been utopian rather than realistic.?

Tags: metastudy, municipal, youth

By Margaret Weigel | July 30, 2012

Note to instructor: The suggested lessons are designed for flexibility. The goal is to have students understand how to convey the study?s findings accurately and to consider techniques for making the subject matter broadly accessible. In addition, it is well worth discussing how the study was put together and the intellectual context from which it comes. There is also a related news article in the study analysis section.

Newswriting and digital reporting assignments

1. Write a lead, headline or nut graph based on the study.
2. Spend 60 minutes exploring the issue by accessing sources of information other than the study. Write a lead (or headline or nut graph) based on the study but informed by the new information. Does the new information significantly change what one would write based on the study alone?
3. Compose two Twitter messages of 140 characters or fewer accurately conveying the study?s findings to a general audience. Make sure to use appropriate hashtags.
4. Choose several key quotations from the study and show how they would be set up and used in a brief blog post.
5. Map out the structure for a 60-second video segment about the study. What combination of study findings and visual aids could be used?
6. Find pictures and graphics that might run with a story about the study. If appropriate, also find two related videos to embed in an online posting. Be sure to evaluate the credibility and appropriateness of any materials you would aggregate and repurpose.

Class discussion questions

1. What is the study?s most important finding?
2. Would members of the public intuitively understand the study?s findings? If not, what would be the most effective way to relate them?
3. What kinds of knowledgeable sources you would interview to report the study in context?
4. How could the study be ?localized? and shown to have community implications?
5. How might the study be explained through the stories of representative individuals? What kinds of people might a reporter feature to make such a story about the study come alive?
6. What sorts of stories might be generated out of secondary information or ideas discussed in the study?

Study analysis

Read the study titled "Achievement Growth: International and U.S. State Trends in Student Performances" (PDF).

1. What are the study's key technical term(s)? Which ones need to be put into language a lay audience can understand?
2. Do the study?s authors put the research into context and show how they are advancing the state of knowledge about the subject? If so, what did the previous research indicate?
3. What is the study?s research method? If there are statistical results, how did the scholars arrive at them?
4. Evaluate the study's limitations. (For example, are there weaknesses in the study's data or research design?)
5. How could the findings be misreported or misinterpreted by a reporter? In other words, what are the difficulties in conveying the data accurately? Give an example of a faulty headline or story lead.

Read the study-related MSNBC report titled "Harvard Study: US 'Middling, Not Stellar' in Student Achievement Gains."

1. What key insights from the news article and the study in this lesson should reporters be aware of as they cover issues relating to public school education reforms and academic performance?

Source: http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/education/achievement-growth-international-and-u-s-state-trends-in-student-performance/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=achievement-growth-international-and-u-s-state-trends-in-student-performance

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Interview with Lorenzo Coviello, Founder of the Mobile App Pasta4U ...

I?ve been out of town for a couple of weeks, so staying consistent with the blog has been a challenge to say the least! But over the past couple of months, I?ve had the pleasure of interviewing a number of really interesting, knowledgeable people, and I can?t wait to share the transcripts with you.

A friend from church reached out to me a few months ago to let me know that his Italian buddy had developed an iPhone cooking app (for some odd reason, people associate me with food, hah!). I was eager to learn more, so Mark connected me with Lorenzo, who, as it turns out, has developed an iPhone app called Pasta4U!?to help people make authentic Italian pasta recipes. Anyone who has known me since high school will tell you that I had a phase: the ?obsession with everything that is Italian? phase. My great grandmother, Sophia, who is half Italian, featured prominently in many of my conversations, and much to the delight (chagrin?) of my family members, I often cited her as the reason I should technically be considered Italian (though this would make me only 1/16 Italian ? ha). By the same token at that time, I realized a few things: tiramisu is my favorite dessert of all time; I enjoy a good?cappuccino; hazelnut and chocolate gelato is my?preferred?type of ice cream; and I would roll my eyes every time a cheesy (and completely unauthentic) Olive Garden commercial would pop up on TV. True story.

Anyway, so I was eager to hear about Lorenzo?s food journey, but there was one tiny little problema: I don?t eat grain pasta anymore! Whaaa ?? Yeah, I can hardly claim that any part of me is Italian if I don?t eat pasta, right? Well, that?s certainly up for debate, but I decided that I won?t dismiss the app just because it focuses on pasta until I?ve tried to make one of Lorenzo?s recipes using a gluten-free type of pasta. Not only was it a success (the pasta with sausage sauce recipe below is deliziosa), but thanks to my desire to try out the pasta app and to Groupon?s spiralizer deal, I also learned about spiralizing zucchini and using that as a replacement for traditional pasta ? and now I?m a convert!

Pasta4U!?is super simple to use, with pictures at every step of the slideshow, so you can?t miss a thing even if you?re super?inexperienced in the kitchen. With over 35 original and authentic Italian pasta recipes, you won?t regret the 99 cents you spent!

Interview with Lorenzo Coviello, Traditional Italian Cook and Developer of the iPhone Cooking App, Pasta4U!

These days, I happen to be in Italy, since I got a few days off to see my family and to plan my wedding for June 2013!?And while I write, my grandma is preparing a traditional dish with fresh anchovies, cooked with herbs, vinegar, olive oil, lemon and bread crumbs. In the dialect from her town, they are called alici (anchovies) arreganate?(from oregano, one of the herbs used in the dish). I can?t wait for lunch time!

1. Lorenzo, you?re Italian ? what can you tell us about traditional, authentic Italian food? What are the biggest differences between the food you grew up eating and the food served at Italian restaurants in America?

Authentic Italian food is all about simplicity and quality. Almost all Italian dishes you can think of are easily made with a few ingredients, often vegetables and grains. No heavy dressings and no complicated procedures. For example, take the world-famous pesto?(which originates in Liguria, in the Northeast of Italy): it?s a mix of basil, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil. The taste depends, of course, on choosing fresh organic basil, and the best imported extra virgin olive oil. So it all comes down to selecting a few ingredients of very high quality.

2. How did you get into cooking? How much influence does your background have on your cooking?

I have always been in love with good food, and I was fortunate to grow up with a mom and a grandma who are both very much into cooking. I grew up eating all the traditional dishes from the coast between Rome and Naples: lots of freshly-caught fish and seafood, vegetables grown in our own backyards, fresh cheese made in the morning 5 miles away from our home and eaten in the evening?(one of my favorites is the buffalo mozzarella).

When I moved to the States, I soon realized that I could not survive without the tasty and healthy nutrition I was used to in my homeland. So, I put the years of observation into practice, and I quickly learned how to select ingredients and cook Italian dishes: spaghetti, risotto, pizza, tiramis?, and so on.?And once you learn the basics of traditional Italian cooking, the creativity and experimentation of adding your own twist naturally follows.

3. What inspired you to decide to make a cooking app for the iPhone??

First, I am a computer engineer who bought an iPhone, and I wanted to try to program a simple app ? preferably an app about something I like: cooking was an obvious choice. In particular, I chose to focus on pasta because I think it is in general very easy to prepare. And almost everybody likes pasta.

Also, two years ago, I taught my Persian roommate?how to cook pasta, and he became a very good chef as a result. So, the idea of teaching people how to cook pasta has been in the back of my mind since then.

4. How did you build the app, Pasta 4 U ? did you get developers or did you do it yourself? How was the experience of bringing your app to market??

I built the app myself; it?s a very simple app. The part which took the longest was to cook all the recipes, taking pictures at every step, and writing the descriptions. But this was also the fun part!

Bringing the app to market was the worst experience. I think there are half a million apps out there, and it is very difficult to get noticed without a dedicated and expensive marketing campaign. I just try to do my best using Facebook and Twitter.

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5. How did you decide on which pasta recipes to add to the app? What?s the proportion of traditional recipes handed down by your family to unique recipes that you came up with? ?

First there are some recipes that really must be in a cooking book, or in a cooking app. These are the most traditional ones like bucatini all?amatriciana, spaghetti alla carbonara, bolognese sauce?and pesto. Then there are some recipes that have my grandma?s signature on them, like the fried eggplant fettuccini. But I?d say that about half of the recipes in the app are my own creations or re-interpretations.

(Note: This recipe of pasta with bolognese sauce from The Kitchn looks incredible!)

6. For someone like me who doesn?t really eat wheat pasta anymore, how would you recommend I adapt your recipes? Have you tried using brown rice pasta?

Personally, I don?t use rice pasta, but I think it is a valid substitute to wheat pasta. Also, I think that in many recipes one could use cereals like quinoa instead of pasta. Or, as you told me once, you can substitute pasta with something original like zucchini noodles made with a food spiralizer and get something that is even lighter. Or why not spaghetti squash? There is even the word ?spaghetti? in it!

Editor?s Note ? Some brands of gluten-free pasta to consider include Tinkyada Rice Pasta, Lundburg Family Farms Brown Rice Pasta, Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta, and?Rustichella d?Abruzzo Gluten-Free Pasta made with non-GMO corn and/or rice.?There?s also word out that there?s a new type of gluten-free pasta in development made from green banana flour ? if it?s tasty and made with no additives, I?m trying it!

7. What is your ?food philosophy?? Do you try to buy organic foods whenever possible, or do you think organic is a fad??

I really want to trust what I am eating. And I think that organic is a guarantee on multiple dimensions.?Whenever I use something raw or only slightly cooked, I go organic. I feel much safer if my pesto is made with organic basil.

Sometimes organic food can be more expensive, but it is not always the case.?Also, I try to get a lot of stuff that is imported from Italy (where quality control is very strict), and I try to limit the use of red meat, sauces and fatty food at restaurants where the quality is often questionable.

In general, I believe that it is better to spend your money on quality rather than quantity. If you cook delicious food with the best ingredients, you will eat very slowly to fully enjoy the experience, and you will eat less as a result.

8. What?s your favorite non-pasta Italian recipe??

No doubt about it: eggplant parmesan, or melanzane alla parmigiana.?For an amazingly satisfying version of this dish, I recommend original buffalo mozzarella, and Parmigiano Reggiano. I make my version with no meat.

9. What are your favorite ingredients to use in your recipes? Your least favorite ingredients??

I really like to use cherry tomatoes: they are sweet, fresh, not too saucy, and they go along nicely with pretty much everything. And if you are using cherry tomatoes, you can cut and mix some of them with olive oil, salt, garlic and basil to make an appetizer of bruschettas.?On the other side, I really don?t like corn; I don?t know why, nothing personal.

10. Gelato ? that?s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Italian desserts. Oh, and tiramisu, biscotti and cannoli. Tiramisu is my personal favorite; what?s yours? What do you think differentiates Italian and American desserts?

I think that American desserts are in general too sweet and too greasy, so they are also much heavier than Italian ones. I?m not saying that I don?t like them, or that I say ?no, thanks? in front of a warm triple chocolate brownie with ice-cream, whipped cream and berry sauce, but there is a special place in my heart for the Italian desserts of my childhood.

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And now ? onto the recipe!

Recipe for Zucchini ?Pasta? with Sausage Sauce

Lorenzo?s app came in handy when I attempted to make my first zucchini ?pasta? recipe. After going (mostly) gluten-free for a year, I have struggled to find a way to satisfy my cravings for authentic Italian food, especially carbalicious things like pizza and pasta! Socca pizza has been a hit in my household, but we haven?t gotten used to brown rice pasta yet, so I?ve pretty much abstained from pasta for over a year. While I have never really loved wheat pasta, I love the flavorful sauces often made from scratch to go along with them. I?ve been eager to try out some of Lorenzo?s authentic Italian recipes for a while, but couldn?t figure out what to use in place of the grain-based pasta. So, when I came across this post from Loving Our Guts on using a spiralizer to make ?spaghetti noodles? out of raw zucchini, I got really excited and bought a Groupon deal for the spiralizer.

For a one-time expense of $30, I can spiralize vegetables uniformly to my heart?s desire! Using a spiralizer (picture below) is actually very easy ?

How to Use a Spiralizer to Make ?Al Dente? Zucchini Spaghetti

1. Pick the blade attachment you wish to use. With the World Cuisine Tri-Blade Spiralizer, you get three blades: the 1/8-inch spacing and the 1/4-inch spacing are used to make spirals, and the straight blade is for making ribbon cuts. To get a spaghetti-sized cut, pop in the plastic attachment with the 1/4-inch spacing on the top.
2. Slice off the ends of the zucchini (or whatever vegetable you?d like to spiralize) and secure it between the blade and the prongs.
3. Turn the plastic wheel while pushing the base toward the blade. Let the spiraled zucchini fall into a bowl or platter on the other end.
4. To make ?al dente? zucchini spaghetti, you?ll only need to steam the spirals over a pot of hot water for about 6 minutes. If you leave it for a few extra minutes, you?ll lose the crunch. It?s important to keep in mind that the hot pasta sauce will soften the zucchini even further, so it?s better to err on the side of raw rather than overly cooked.

I was going to try making a traditional pesto, but didn?t have organic fresh basil on hand, so I opted for Lorenzo?s recipe for ?Pipe with Sausage Sauce?, which is under?Meat Recipes?on the app, Pasta4U. Instead of the pipe pasta that the recipe asks for, I used spiralized zucchini ?spaghetti?. Also, since I didn?t have ground sausage, I used Applegate?s 100% grass-fed and grass-finished organic beef hot dogs, sliced into bite-sized pieces. Other than that, I pretty much stuck to the recipe. It was absolutely delicious! I am sharing this recipe from Lorenzo?s app as a sneak peek of what?s in there ? if you like what you see, feel free to download the app for just $0.99 from iTunes!

by Lorenzo Coviello (with touches from Heba Saleh)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Keywords: steam saute entree gluten-free low-carb nut-free soy-free sugar-free zucchini sausage cheese Italian spring summer fall

• 5 medium-sized raw zucchinis, spiralized and lightly steamed (see instructions for using a spiralizer in the post)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1.5 pounds ripe plum tomatoes
• 2-3 grass-fed and grass-finished beef sausages (you can use other meat sausages if you wish)
• 1/2 cup organic red cooking wine
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I used 2 tablespoons grass-fed ghee instead)
• bunch of fresh parsley
• Pecorino cheese (hard sheep?s milk cheese), shredded (you can use Parmesan instead if you wish)
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• unrefined salt, to taste

(1) Saute the onion: Finely chop the onion and add to a large pan with 4 tablespoons of olive oil (or 2 tablespoons of ghee), turning the heat to medium.

(2) Add the chopped sausage: Remove the skin of the sausages and cut them into bite-sized pieces (I didn?t remove the skin). When the onion turns into a golden color, add the sausage.

(3) Add the wine: When the sausage becomes brown on all sides, add 1/2 cup of wine and simmer it down till it?s absorbed into the onions and sausage. (The sausage gets a brown-red color thanks to the wine; this is the secret of this dish.)

(4) Add the tomatoes: While the wine dries, cut the tomatoes. Add the tomato in the pan with some salt and black pepper. Stir for one minute. Cook on low, uncovered) for 15 minutes. Stir often.

(5) Prepare the zucchini ?pasta?: Meanwhile, prepare the zucchini ?pasta? using the spiralizer, as explained in the step-by-step instructions above. Steam lightly for a few minutes till an ?al dente? texture is reached. Drain to remove any excess moisture.

(6) Combine the sauce with the pasta: When the zucchini ?pasta? is ready, add the sausage sauce, a cup of finely chopped parsley, and saute for 1-2 minutes for the flavors to absorb well, but be quick so the zucchini stays firm enough.

(7) Add the cheese and black pepper: Grate the Pecorino cheese atop the completed dish. If you don?t have Pecorino, you can use?Parmesan. Serve warm with black pepper and a good amount of shredded cheese on top.

Of course, if you?re not bothered by eating gluten or aren?t trying to maintain your weight, you can easily follow the original recipe that uses regular pasta. I personally liked the taste of the zucchini ?spaghetti? in this particular recipe; so I think I?ll keep using my spiralizer to achieve the same flavor next time I make this dish. For more authentic Italian pasta recipes, check out Lorenzo?s app, Pasta4U!

About the Cook?

Lorenzo?Coviello was born in Rome, Italy, and grew up in a small city called Vicenza, which is very close to Venice, Italy.?He studied engineering and he is now pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of California in San Diego.

L

orenzo?has always been passionate about authentic Italian cuisine, and after moving to the U.S., he started turning this love into practice, mixing tradition and creativity.?Taking advantage of his technical background, he developed an app for the iPhone called Pasta4U!, that teaches how to recreate his recipes, through an easy-to-follow step-by-step slide show. Follow Pasta4U on Facebook and Twitter for updates!

To the left is a picture of Lorenzo with his cat, Bimino!

Source: http://mylifeinapyramid.com/2012/07/interview-with-lorenzo-coviello-creator-of-pasta4u-mobile-app-and-recipe-for-zucchini-spiralized-pasta-with-sausage/

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Ideal benchmarks/prerequisites for relationship stages - Straight ...

What would you say either in general, or for you specifically, are the ideal benchmarks/preresequites for relationship stages? In other words, what would you say are the major transitional stages in a relationship of two people from stranger to life partner / coparents, and what do you think the prerequisites are for advancing to the next stage?

I'll give my own example, but I'm not sure it's necessarily correct or ideal, which is why I'm looking to you all, especially those with a lot of relationship experience, for your input.

I don't mind those whose relationships are a little unconventional from chiming in about their polyamorous situation or whatever, because that's very interesting and is even helpful in giving perspective, but I am hoping to get the majority of input from people who also feel like a sexually monogamous life partnership is their ideal ultimate outcome for them personally. I either case, I'm looking more for what you feel would be the ideal pathway, rather than whatever pathway you happened to actually take, though feel free to include anecdotes in service of supporting either by good or bad example why you feel a certain way.

Here's my first draft!

Stranger >Acquaintance

Merely requires meeting someone and either communicating with them or participating in the same activity, more than once.

Acquaintance > Friend

Communicate with and participate in activities with on a regular basis.

Friend > Best friends

Be honest and open about values, past, etc.

Best Friends > Casual Dating

Have mutual physical attraction, decide to start dating casually, decide methods and level of physical intimacy

Casual Dating > Boyfriend / Girlfriend (Committed Relationship)

Decide to be mutually exclusive, take STD tests before having sex, discuss the nature of sexual intimacy, confirm that you share similar goals with regard to the future of the relationship in terms of marriage, kids, career, etc.

Committed Monogamy > Live Together

Discuss financial aspects, time together and apart, etc.

Live Together > Engagement

Decide on a mutual desire for a more permanent committed relationship, reconfirm relationship and future goals, reconfirm shared values, resolve any lingering conflicts, discuss and decide on financial responsibilities, decide what to bring to and expect from the marriage, meet families, discuss method of future conflict resolution.

Engagement > Marriage

Reconfirm everything above.

Marriage > Renewal

Reaffirm commitment, resolve any unexpected new conflicts

Renewal > Parenting

Discuss parenting methods, values, beliefs, and responsibilities with regard to having children.

I've been a little vague in parts, definitely would love to hear what other people think needs to be negotiated and decided during the various stages.

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Last edited by jackdavinci; Yesterday at 02:38 AM.

Source: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=660182

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Different Kinds Of Addiction:Beneficial Treatments | The Board ...

Addiction can be effectively treated if the person chooses to cease the activity or habit in which he is addicted to. This can be done by using self help mechanisms. If an addict wants to ask minimal outside help, he can opt for the services of various support groups. Residential facilities are also available if he needs a more intense medication.

The common procedure of treating addiction in drugs is through detoxification and therapy programs. Medical professionals use cleansing drugs to eliminate the harmful substances present in the addict?s system. The therapy will help a patient recover quickly as a therapist tries to help fix other current issues of the patient. There are drug and alcohol rehab programs which are designed especially for people who are addicted to alcohol.

A patient must understand the nature of his addiction if he wishes to be treated effectively. Addiction to gambling can be also treated clinically with certain drugs. Other types of addictions like food, computer and some types of substances are generally psychological. This can be easily treated through therapy and by participating in various support groups. Many alcohol addicts have successfully achieved recovery by attending drug and alcohol rehab programs.

Drug addiction may often cause severe complications in the body leading to death. Taking the drug addict to a rehabilitation center can be the best option. These facilities provide a managed environment wherein patients are separated and monitored to determine whether the treatment is effective. The condition of every drug addicted individual is not the same. Therefore, the treatment administered to each patient may also vary.

Severe cases of addiction often cause mental and emotional disorders. Study shows that there is less percentage of patients who successfully eradicate their habits completely. Since addiction is now considered as a health issue, doctor?s can now prescribe drugs and dietary programs that will help patients reduce the level of dependency and improve their health. Support groups which may include the addict?s friends and family members can also help him to slowly and completely remove his abusive habits.

There are many ways of dealing with addiction which are now available for all types of patients. These may include proper medications, therapy and hospitalization for severe cases. Patients are required to consult a doctor first to recognize the level and the type of addiction he has prior to making a decision to take a treatment procedure.

Tagged as: alcohol and drug rehab programs, alcohol drug rehab programs, Drug Alcohol Rehab Programs, drug alcohol rehabilitation programs, Drug And Alcohol Rehab Programs, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, nbspdrug alcohol rehab programs

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Source: http://theboardmagazine.com/2012/07/different-kinds-of-addictionbeneficial-treatments/

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UK stocks extend falls; earnings mixed

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top share index fell back on Wednesday, extending recent sharp falls into a fourth straight session, driven by a batch of blue chip earnings, with BT Group and Johnson Matthey big fallers as their latest updates failed to impress.

ARM Holdings and Capita got a boost from well-received results but the market overall was tracking declines on Wall Street and in Asia as worries that Spain may need a full debt bailout continued to dog global markets.

At 0806 GMT, the FTSE 100 index was down 9.63 points, or 0.2 percent at 5,48.60, having closed 0.6 percent lower on Tuesday to end below the 5,500 level for the first time since June 28.

BT was the biggest blue chip casualty, down 4.9 percent, sliding to its lowest level in nearly a month as the telecom group's first quarter results came in below analysts' forecasts.

"An element of today's share price reaction may be down to profit taking, following a 10 percent rise for the shares over the last year, as compared to a 7 percent dip for the wider FTSE100. When the dust settles after a mildly disappointing update, the market consensus of the shares as a buy should remain intact," said Richard Hunter, Head of Equities at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers.

ARM Holdings was the top FTSE 100 gainer, ahead 3.7 percent as the chip designer's Q2 results beat market expectations as demand for its low power chips in smartphones and tablets continued to outstrip the industry.

POWER DRAIN

Scottish & Southern Energy was also a big blue chip faller, down 4.9 percent as the stocks traded without entitlement to its latest dividend on Wednesday, with the ex-dividend move knocking 2.09 points off the FTSE 100 index.

SSE also suffered in tandem with power station operator Drax on competition concerns after the UK government on Wednesday announced a 10 percent cut in subsidies for onshore wind farms, sticking to a reduction announced on October and surprising investors who had expected a steeper reduction after months of delays to the announcement.

Drax was the biggest FTSE 250 faller, slumping 21 percent on the move, with analysts highlighting the impact of changes to the renewable power generation (ROC) allowances for co-firing biomass material in its coal plant.

"Apart from the lower value from the biomass uplift, of greater concern for the shares in our view is whether Drax would continue pursuing the biomass change. With no support for the biomass transformation, the strategic value of Drax being future clean generation is also called into question," Goldman Sachs said in a note.

Investors were also cautious ahead of the release of the first-revision to UK second-quarter GDP data, due at 0830 GMT.

More information on the state of the British economy will also come from July's Confederation of British industry (CBI) trends-orders survey, due at 1000 GMT.

"With the global picture looking increasingly gloomy it is difficult to find any other economic drivers which would support any move higher. With too much uncertainty out there as we enter the quietest trading period of the year expect the volatility to be severe," said Mike McCudden, Head of Derivatives at Interactive Investor.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-stocks-extend-falls-earnings-mixed-085553494--sector.html

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How a low-protein diet predisposes offspring to adulthood hypertension

ScienceDaily (July 25, 2012) ? Studies have shown that the offspring of mothers on a low-protein diet are more likely to develop hypertension as adults. Now, Drs. Gao, Yallampalli, and Yallampalli of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston report that in rats, the high maternal testosterone levels associated with a low-protein diet are caused by reduced activity of an enzyme that inactivates testosterone, allowing more testosterone to reach the fetus and increase the offspring's susceptibility to adulthood hypertension.

Fetal programming is a term used to describe the impact of maternal stress on an unborn child's physical characteristics at birth, as well as its long-term health. The placenta is thought to be a major contributor to fetal programming due to its critical roles in hormone production and nutrient transport, as well as its susceptibility to environmental disruptions.

Recently, a study found that protein restriction doubles the plasma testosterone levels in pregnant rats. Elevated testosterone levels are associated with pregnancy-related complications such as preeclampsia and polycystic ovarian syndrome in humans, and emerging evidence suggests that testosterone may play a role in fetal programming of hypertension.

Gao et al. hypothesized that the increased testosterone levels were caused either by increased activity of an enzyme that produces testosterone or by decreased activity of an enzyme that reduces testosterone, specifically Hsd17b2, which converts testosterone to a less potent androgen, androstenedione.

The team found that Hsd17b2 expression in rats was affected by protein restriction in two parts of the placenta. It was increased in the junctional zone, which is responsible for hormone production, but was reduced in the labyrinth zone, which is essential for nutrient transport from mother to fetus and also acts as a protective barrier.

Based on this novel finding, Gao et al. propose that the reduction in Hsd17b2 expression in the protective labyrinth zone may allow more testosterone to reach the fetus and play a role in fetal programming of hypertension.

The finding that Hsd17b2 was the only enzyme for testosterone production affected by gestational protein restriction suggests an important role for Hsd17b2 in regulating the testosterone levels at the maternal-fetal interface; further research is needed to determine its exact functions.

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Journal Reference:

1. Haijun Gao, Uma Yallampalli and Chandra Yallampalli. Gestational Protein Restriction Reduces Expression of Hsd17b2 in Rat Placental Labyrinth. Biology of Reproduction, 2012 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.112.100479

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

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

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120725162444.htm

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Larry Womack: (Golden) Material Girl

Did you hear that Madonna -- desperate for attention and clearly irrelevant -- waved guns on stage in Scotland, just hours after people were actually shot in Colorado? Shockingly insensitive, I know. Did you also hear that a major motion picture in which gun violence is a recurring theme proceeded with its opening in over four thousand theaters in the United States alone this weekend, and that it is also the movie people were actually killed at? Probably, but that story wasn't presented the same way. Nor should it be. If anything, changing these diversions would deepen their association with a form of horrific, real-life violence that clearly neither one endorses.

Over 100 people were killed in a wave of bombings across Iraq yesterday, by the way. Anyone catch the shocker headline, "Michael Bay Not Retiring"? Neither did I.

Hating Madonna has been an international sport for decades now, but I seem to remember a higher class of criticism in the past -- and that's saying something. It even seemed to go away for a while, until she decided to get all old in our faces.

Today, people who watch her every move for a misstep report online that she has made one. Thousands of people then flood to the comments section of that story to call her old, mixing in as much misogyny as they can get away with. People get page views, impressions, and everyone waits until she dies or turns 60 to start kissing her ass again.

Let's revisit the "missteps" from the star's latest tour, shall we?

There was, of course, nipplegate, in which Madonna "strangely and randomly" exposed one of her breasts to the audience... during or soon after an on-stage costume change / strip tease act that the audience no doubt encouraged. But, hey, remove that from its context and the crazy old bag's just running around whipping out her tits! Doesn't she know she's too old to do that now?

Come on, people. We all see nipples every day and I don't believe anyone has ever died from it. If we're going to blast Madonna for bad behavior, let's start with the fact that she doesn't tip and move on to that inevitable segment in every tour in which she descends into absurd pretense for 20 minutes. (Although, to be fair, this time that seems to be the gun segment people are so concerned about.)

Prior to that, there was her "desperate for attention" transposition of a swastika on Marine Le Pen's forehead, which compelled thousands of what one can only hope were ignorant observers across the globe to defend the wildly xenophobic neo-fascist against the pop star's vicious, attention-seeking attack. Because, we are somehow asked to believe, it is absurd to imply that a neo-fascist is anything like a Nazi. And, of course, everyone knows that Marine Le Pen is the go-to person for a wave of international attention.

Or is it the other way around? If one were to actually watch the video in question, they would probably find it difficult to come away feeling like Madonna is the one desperate for attention in this little dust-up. Indeed, Le Pen has leveraged her newfound international fame as a manufactured victim into greater influence at home. Good news for anyone who happens to hate Madonna, Muslims, immigrants, civil liberties and human rights! Congratulations!

The sad thing is that there are many more interesting things that could be said about that video. I, for one, think that the song is awful -- it grates a bit and the lyrics could be called a dumb person's idea of smart. That's disappointing, because Madonna is the best at what she does because she's usually the coolest, smartest bitch in the room. And then there is the imagery. Is it biting commentary, or just pretentious camp? And why hasn't Madonna made a good video since 2004?

Let us not forget cheerleadergate, in which Madonna donned the dress of a cheerleader, which at her age is apparently completely unacceptable, because everyone knows that there are no middle-aged cheerleaders. Except that there are. Not that it would matter if there weren't. I hate to break it to you, but Cher isn't really a circus ringmaster, either. (Though I think we can all agree that that would be a pretty sweet circus, right?) They also keep telling me that Kylie Minogue is not actually the Goddess Aphrodite, though I'm pretty sure they're wrong.

And then there is the big one, the incident that I suspect drives about half of the Madonna hatred online: the Born This Way debacle. Lady Gaga launched her last album with a song that was widely derided as a knockoff of Madonna's Express Yourself. As a result, a large and vocal segment of Lady Gaga's fan base feels compelled to litter the Internet with Madonna hatred.

Wait, what?

A quick history for those of you who have wisely chosen to avoid the subject: Gaga herself seemed to acknowledge the similarities at first, claiming Madonna's camp had emailed their approval. Madonna went on record saying that didn't actually happen. Madonna then praised the song, but said that it felt "reductive."

That word, "reductive," pissed a lot of Gaga fans off. You can tell, because you now see it misused in abusive comments about pretty much everything Madonna has ever done.

So let's just address the question. Was Madonna wrong to criticize? The songs share a chord progression, empowerment themes and spoken-word intros (none of which is a big deal,) and large chunks of the melodies are strikingly similar (a very big deal, though Gaga's version is a little more varied/sweetened). Taken together, the resemblance is uncanny. So there is definitely a strong dose of influence at least, but is "Born This Way" actually "reductive"?

When the "controversy" emerged, my niece (a fan of both,) asked me what the Madonna song was about. "Well," I said, "Madonna is saying that women need to say what they want, and not be placated by romantic clich?s into accepting subservient roles in romantic relationships. She is implying that maybe women should demand that men be more emotionally demonstrative in the ways that women have traditionally been expected to be. There's also some linking of the sexual revolution to the civil rights movement, with the retro-funk sound and Staple Singers call-out."

The tween needed no explanation of the Gaga song, which itself says something. So for our purposes, let's just say that it could be summed up as, "It's okay to be... anything. A chola, oriental, whatever."

Racial slurs aside, that actually is a great message. Ironically, that is also the heart of the problem. There are kids in the middle of nowhere who need to be reminded that it's okay to be who they are, and that their individuality should be celebrated. The lyrics aren't smart, they aren't insightful, they aren't even good, but they are a message that a lot of people need to hear. Madonna has been delivering the same message for 30 years, albeit with greater subtlety. (And that's saying something.) So, if our standard is intelligence or nuance, "reductive" was a rather generous appraisal indeed. If our standard is empowerment, which one assumes was the purpose of the song, perhaps it did what it set out to do -- or did, until Gaga started alluding to Madonna's age and throwing around words like "retarded."

Yes, Gaga soon changed her tune (metaphorically,) by calling the comparisons "retarded" and explaining that "God sent me those lyrics and that melody." (Like a Prayer, some might say.) Madonna responded by singing the chorus of "Born This Way" over the music to "Express Yourself" on her latest tour, adding in elements of "She's Not Me." The point is... pretty clear.

Gaga then began to cast herself as a victim of bullying, and characterize the comparisons as an attack on the "power" of Born This Way, which she has humbly dubbed, "the anthem for my generation for the next decade."

"I don't even want to fight back," she said, instead of not fighting back. "You could never invalidate the power of "Born This Way..." Things are really different now than they were 25 years ago, and that's what makes "Born This Way" so relevant for me, is that I really want you all to notice this tremendous place that we're in right now. We're just socially in a completely different place and it's okay, we don't all have to slice and hate each other anymore."

The takeaway here is supposed to be that Madonna isn't the victim for having a signature tune lifted by someone who refuses to acknowledge the obvious similarities; Lady Gaga is for having suffered the embarrassment of being called out on it.

Having trouble making this framework work? Just invoke ageism! After all, shouldn't Madonna be mature enough to let it slide? She is, after all, 54-years-old. Heck, she was making music 25 years ago, and things are so different now! Silly old Madge. Doesn't that out-of-touch crone know that today it's totally cool to swipe a melody, tell people the original artist gave you their blessing, and pocket a couple mil' off it? It is undignified not to just let this one go.

This is a difficult moral universe to enter, but it's easy to see how so many Gaga fans are there. Persistent and borderline-messianic repetition of the message, "Gaga loves you," has forged a cult-tight, completely irrational bond with her most devoted fans. "I don't want to be your fucking queen," she continued to tell the audience of thousands who had ponied up an average of $102 each to see her that night, "I want to be your friend."

To most of us, Lady Gaga is a talented musician with a great (and sadly under-utilized,) voice, whose act is one half catchy, sublimely dumb pop songs and one half a postmodern kitchen-sinking of references to other works. To the faithful, she is a purveyor of capital-A art who also happens to be their very best friend. She has "artistically eclipsed," Madonna and everyone else, really, through this robotic regurgitation. This irrational, personal bond is a great comfort to many kids who aren't hearing loving messages anywhere else, but can also lead some to engage in unfortunate behavior.

Lady Gaga has famously launched an anti-bullying campaign, but her fans have racked up a pretty long list of bully victims in just two and a half albums' time. Gaga fans forced Boy George to temporarily abandon Twitter after a barrage of often homophobic and sometimes violent messages. Adele incurred their wrath, mostly expressed via weight-shaming, simply for selling more records than Mother Monster. Gaga fans also felt compelled to inform Kelly Osbourne that she was fat, "looked like" she had AIDS and suggested she kill herself after she criticized Gaga's choice to skip the Grammy red carpet. A vendetta against Katy Perry even received the rare honor of encouragement from camp Gaga after she dressed as a mermaid -- which was totally Gaga's idea, you know. No word on how Bette Midler, who also did not invent mermaids but has dressed as one basically every show of her entire career, feels about that one. And forget about Team Lil' Kim -- it's the Lady Gaga fans who chase Nicki Minaj out of malls, claiming she "ripped Lady Gaga off"... Somehow.

That last one is important. Take a moment to watch that video and you'll see why so much invective is hurled at Madonna -- and many others -- by Gaga fans. "She stands for all of us," that guy we all hope Lady Gaga does not stand for says as he chases Minaj out the door.

Minaj didn't do anything to Gaga, of course, let alone to her fans. It's merely that some are so invested in the myth of Gaga that any similarity to Mother Monster is threatening to their sense of self -- no matter who did it first. This is especially problematic because, as an artist, Lady Gaga is essentially a human Tumblr account, a hauntological soup of a woman who recycles -- but rarely re-purposes -- whatever happens to catch her eye. That's fine, of course. It is impossible for anyone to be interesting without being interested, and Gaga is no exception. The reality just doesn't fit the narrative of the brilliant, inventive artiste that the Church of Gagatology has built. That is, by its nature, threatening to some people.

In short, it is unsurprising that when Madonna acknowledged -- and dared to criticize -- the similarities, a million Lady Gaga fans took the web to brand her Satan. (It should be noted that even a million would be just one in 52 people who "like" Gaga on Facebook, or only one in 23 people who have actually purchased one of her albums.)

It is surprising, however, that so many in the media have bought the "old singer goes after young threat," narrative being perpetuated. For anyone keeping score, a list of bigger threats to Madonna's sales and chart record supremacy would include Beyonce, Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears and, yes, even Rihanna. But, then, it seems most of these people really don't know pop history. If they did, they'd know that when people start hatin' on Madonna, Madonna doubles down.

This persistent ageism when we talk about Madonna now should be disturbing to anybody who plans to live to middle age. When she was 30, it was rare that a story about her noted her age. When she was 40, it started to pop up. Now, you're more likely than not to see it mentioned. Her latest album was met with solid reviews, had the strongest first-week sales of the year (so far, there will probably be better,) and was number one in 50 countries before it was even released. Her latest tour is doing phenomenally in spite of a huge spike in ticket cost. But the salient point, we are told time and again, is that she's 54. She's washed up, done for, you see, because no matter how successful she is, older women are worth less than younger ones.

I'll let Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson break that down for you, because she is amazing:

"The tabloids complain about her looking old, and people laugh at her for that. Then Madonna goes and fixes her face, and they laugh at her for that. Even though they begrudgingly say she looks amazing, they'll still laugh at her for trying to look young. Then she steps out, looking amazing, and the tabloids go and blow up a picture of her aging hand. Nobody's doing that to George Clooney, blowing up pictures of his hands! I look at these magazines, and I want to say to them, What's your point? That she's aged? Does that surprise you? Or is your 'point' an attempt to undercut what she's achieved? I think it is, even if it's on a subconscious level. And you probably wouldn't turn down those hands if they were grabbing you under the table, you fucking idiots."

In 1992, Madonna was reviled because she refused to present female sexuality in traditionally passive forms. In 2002, she was revered for having settled down and had a couple of kids. In 2012, she is back to being public enemy number one, for equally ill-considered reasons. The moment she dies, everyone with access to a keyboard of camera will fall all over themselves lining up to kiss her ass, largely for having pissed so many people off -- and having been judged, in the long term, to be in the right.

So, continue bringing the hate all you want. But please try to be a bit smarter about it, because ageist jokes about Madonna are going to grow old long before she does and, in the end, it is her story that will be told.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-womack/golden-material-girl_b_1699762.html

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Debt Relief Advice - Tips For Negotiating Debt on Your Own

1:00 AM By Article Directory

'; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]> Debt Relief Advice - Tips For Negotiating Debt on Your Own Debt Relief Advice - Tips For Negotiating Debt on Your Own

Debt relief advice is very necessary for all those who are thinking of solving their liability issues through one of the debt relief options. Debt relief advice can be obtained free through different channels including: blogs, articles, government websites, online forums and private website.

One of the most viable and the most appropriate solution to all debt issues is debt settlement. Only those people can exercise this option that have owed more than $ 10,000 and have not yet paid it back. According to the rules of this method; the debtor has to negotiate with the lender on his own or he can hire a negotiation company. The debtor bargains and persuades the creditor to provide him with a huge percentage of discounts on the total money he has to pay back. Once the debtor gets the discount he can repay the remainder amount through easy loan installments which include minimum interest rate and maximum repayment time schedule.

As stated above that the debtor can use his own skills to negotiate; he should have the appropriate skills to do so. This is because it is not very easy to tackle a creditor. In older days negotiation was a huge issue because creditors never wanted to give a huge discount; now day's creditors are themselves giving huge discounts because they get the remaining part of the amount from the government. So negotiating should not be a huge problem and it is not necessary to hire a settlement agency.

Hiring a negotiation agency has become very easy because the fraud companies have left the industry due to the new rules and regulations made by the government. As fraud companies have left; the amount of competition in the industry has even fallen and settlement companies have charging higher rates so sometimes it does not sound feasible to hire a settlement firm. So you can save money by negotiating on your own.

To negotiate on your own you need to be determined and you should be convicted towards attaining the goal. You need to acquire proper negotiation skills your negotiation skills should be equivalent to the negotiation skills of a lawyer. You should be persuasive and should be able to tackle the creditors. The creditors will not be very hard to persuade as they themselves are willing to allow you to settle the liability amount. This is because of the benefits that creditors experience if they allow their clients to settle the owed amount.

Debt settlement is a legitimate alternative to bankruptcy and can make financial sense for consumers with over k in unsecured debt. To compare debt settlement companies it would be wise to visit a free debt relief network which will locate the best performing companies in your area for free.

Free Debt Advice [http://www.freedebtreductionhelp.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Flanders

Source: http://business-negotiation.blogspot.com/2012/07/debt-relief-advice-tips-for-negotiating.html

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PSU football program, Paterno's legacy leveled by NCAA

By TOM COYNE and RALPH D. RUSSO
Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS - No death penalty. More like slow death.

Wiped out in the record book. Wiped out in the wallet. Wiped out in the ability to recruit, and keep what it already has.

Penn State got slammed by the NCAA on Monday in every way.

The governing body of college sports took away 14 years of coach Joe Paterno's victories and imposed a mountain of fines and penalties, crippling a program whose pedophile assistant coach spent years molesting children, sometimes on school property.

The sanctions imposed by the NCAA on Monday also include fines of $60 million, orders for Penn State to sit out the postseason for four years, capped scholarships at 20 below the normal limit for four years and placed football on five years' probation.

Current or incoming football players are free to immediately transfer and compete at another school.

The NCAA's sanctions following the worst scandal in the history of college football stopped short of delivering the "death penalty" - shutting down the sport completely. It actually did everything but kill it.

"The sanctions needed to reflect our goals of providing cultural change," NCAA President Mark Emmert said as he announced the penalties at a news conference in Indianapolis.

The NCAA ruling holds the university accountable for the failure of those in power to protect children and insists that all areas of the university community are held to the same high standards of honesty and integrity.

"Against this backdrop, Penn State accepts the penalties and corrective actions announced today by the NCAA," Penn State President Rodney Erickson said in a statement. "With today's announcement and the action it requires of us, the University takes a significant step forward."

Paterno's family said in a statement that the NCAA sanctions defamed the

Susan DelPonte, center, of State College, reacts to a television in the HUB on the Penn State University main campus in State College, Pa., as the NCAA sanctions against the Penn State University football program are announced Monday, July 23, 2012. ( (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar))

coach's legacy, and were a panicked response to the sex abuse scandal.

The family also says that punishing "past, present and future" students because of Jerry Sandusky's crimes did not serve justice.

The Big Ten announced that Penn State would not be allowed to share in the conference's bowl revenue during the NCAA's postseason ban, an estimated loss of about $13 million. And the NCAA reserved the right to add additional penalties.

Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator, was found guilty in June of sexually abusing young boys, sometimes on campus. An investigation commissioned by the school and released July 12 found that Paterno, who died in January, and several other top officials at Penn State stayed quiet for years about accusations against Sandusky.

Emmert fast-tracked penalties rather than go through the usual circuitous series of investigations and hearings. The NCAA said the $60 million is equivalent to the annual gross revenue of the football program. The money must be paid into an endowment for external programs preventing child sexual abuse or assisting victims and may not be used to fund such programs at Penn State.

"Football will never again be placed ahead of educating, nurturing and protecting young people," Emmert said.

By vacating 112 Penn State victories from 1998-2011, the sanctions cost Paterno 111 wins. Former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden will now hold the top spot in the NCAA record book with 377 major-college wins. Paterno, who was fired days after Sandusky was charged, will be credited with 298 wins. Vacated wins are not the same as forfeits - they don't count as losses or wins for either school.

"I didn't want it to happen like this," Bowden told the AP. "Wish I could have earned it, but that's the way it is."

The scholarship reductions mean Penn State's roster will be capped at 65 scholarship players beginning in 2014. The normal scholarship limit for major college football programs is 85. Playing with 20 less is devastating to a program that tries to compete at the highest level of the sport.

In comparison, the harsh NCAA sanctions placed upon USC several years ago left the Trojans with only 75 scholarships per year over a three-year period.

The postseason ban is the longest handed out by the NCAA since it gave a four-year ban to Indiana football in 1960.

Bill O'Brien, who was hired to replace Paterno, now faces the daunting task of building future teams with severe limitations, and trying to keep current players from fleeing to other schools. Star players such as tailback Silas Redd and linebacker Gerald Hodges are now essentially free agents.

"I knew when I accepted the position that there would be tough times ahead," O'Brien said. "But I am committed for the long term to Penn State and our student athletes."

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said that players will likely be allowed to transfer within the conference, something that is usually restricted. The possible exodus isn't confined to just the next few months. Penn State players currently on the roster are free to transfer without restrictions for the length of their careers.

Penn State players left a team meeting on campus in State College, Pa., without talking to reporters. Penn State's season starts Sept. 1 at home against Ohio University.

The sanctions came a day after the school took down a statue of Paterno that stood outside Beaver Stadium and was a rallying point for the coaches' supporters throughout the scandal.

At a student union on campus, several dozen alumni and students gasped, groaned and whistled as they watched Emmert's news conference.

"It was kind of just like a head shaker," said Matt Bray, an 18-year-old freshman from West Chester, Pa. "You knew it was coming, but it was hard to hear."

Emmert had earlier said he had "never seen anything as egregious" as the horrific crimes of Sandusky and the cover-up by Paterno and others at the university, including former Penn State President Graham Spanier and athletic director Tim Curley.

The Penn State investigation headed by former FBI Director Louis Freeh said school officials kept what they knew from police and other authorities for years, enabling the abuse to go on.

There had been calls across the nation for Penn State to receive the "death penalty," and Emmert had not ruled out that possibility as late as last week - though Penn State did not fit the criteria for it. That punishment is for teams that commit a major violation while already being sanctioned.

"This case is obviously incredibly unprecedented in every aspect of it," Emmert said, "as are these actions that we're taking today."

Penn State football under Paterno was built on - and thrived upon - the premise that it did things the right way. That it was not a football factory where only wins and losses determined success. Every major college football program tries to send that message, but Penn State built its brand on it.

Paterno's "Grand Experiment" was about winning with integrity, graduating players and sending men into the world ready to succeed in life, not just football. But he still won a lot - a record-setting 409 victories.

The NCAA had never sanctioned, or seriously investigated Penn State. Few, if any, national powers could make that claim.

Southern California, Ohio State, Alabama, all have run afoul of the NCAA. Even Notre Dame went on probation for two years after a booster lavished gifts on players in the 1990s.

The harshest penalty handed down to a football program came in the '80s, when the NCAA shut down SMU's team for a year. SMU football has never gotten back to the level of success it had before the "death penalty."

Emmert said there were concerns about the collateral damage of shutting down Penn State football for a year, and that's why the death penalty was ruled out.

"It hurts people who had absolutely nothing to do with this process, which is always the case," he said.

Emmert added that no attempt was made for the sanctions to be more severe than the death penalty.

"That isn't a comparison I or anyone else needs to make," he said. "People in the media can make those comparisons."

Delany said he believes Penn State is capable of bouncing back from the sanctions.

"I do have a strong sense that many of the ingredients of success are still at Penn State and will be there in future years," he said.

More Penn State coverage

--- Analysis: Penn State will feel the sanctions for years to come

--- In light of the NCAA sanctions, two York County coaches say football isn't the only factor players should consider when picking a college

---- Frank Bodani and Jim Seip discuss the penalties on the Penn State podcast

--- Recap Monday night's chat with Frank Bodani

--- YDR opinion: NCAA was right to roar at Lions

Source: http://www.ydr.com/psu/ci_21134821/ncaa-announce-psu-football-sanctions-this-morning?source=rss_viewed

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love my grub: Oh, Soup's you Sir!

OK, so day 4 of Ramadan- as sod's law would have it, the weather has picked up and the sun is in full beam. Bright and sunny, but also this means sticky tubes and sweaty journey's home- lovely.

So, by the time it comes to break your fast, water and replenishment of the day's nutrients is essential. A big tip I'd give anyone who is fasting, is to pace the amount that is eaten for Iftar (evening meal to break the fast). And the best way of doing that is by having a light starter before your main meal. Tempting as it might be to delve into a tasty fried treat, the truth is, after a long day of being without any food or drink, your body needs to be eased into eating again. This poached egg and chicken broth is perfect for this. I've snuck in a few vegs for my meat loving hubbie, and as a result, I know there is a good balance of flavour and sustenance.

Poached egg and chicken broth?

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1. 1 chicken breast

2. 1 inch ginger

3. 1 table spoon sesame oil

4. 1 table spoon fish sauce

5. 1 table spoon oyster sauce

6. 2 table spoons soya sauce

7. 1.5litres water

8. 1 finely chopped carrot

9. Handful of sweetcorn

10. 4 eggs

11. 1 spring onion

Steps

1. Simply add ingredients 1-7 in a deep pan and leave to boil for 20mins

2. Once the stock has thickened slightly, add the carrots and sweetcorn and boil for a further 10mins

3. Add salt and pepper

4. Now, crack the eggs in the pan. Bring to boil for 6 mins (If you do not feel confident about poaching the egg in the broth, then you can do this step separately and add the eggs later)?

5. Garnish with spring onions and serve

Serve hot and, I rarely say this, take your time and eat! Remember, this may be a main event recipe, but is still a first course serve- so pace yourself!

Source: http://lovemygrub.blogspot.com/2012/07/oh-soups-you-sir_23.html

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Egypt's ex-spy chief honored in military funeral

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's top generals led hundreds of mourners Saturday at a funeral honoring former spy chief Omar Suleiman, who for decades served as a key pillar of ousted President Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian regime.

Long a shadowy figure in Egypt, Suleiman continued to play a divisive role in the country even after his death Thursday at a hospital in the U.S. at the age of 76. The country's armed forces opted to honor him with a military funeral despite fierce condemnation from activists and Islamists for whom Suleiman, a former general, was a figure stained by his role in the suppression of opposition groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood.

On Saturday, an honor guard carried aloft the former spy chief's coffin, draped in Egypt's red, white and black flag, before placing him to rest at a military cemetery in Cairo.

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who heads Egypt's powerful military council, led the armed forces' delegation at the ceremony. President Mohammed Morsi, who is from the Brotherhood and was sworn as Egypt's new leader late last month, sent a representative from his office.

Also in attendance was a delegation from the Palestinian Fatah movement, led by Azzam al-Ahmed, who is Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' point man in talks with the rival Hamas. Suleiman's intelligence agency was a key broker in negotiations between the two factions.

Suleiman died Thursday at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where he had been treated since Monday. The clinic said in a statement that Suleiman died from "complications from amyloidosis, a disease affecting the heart, kidneys and other organs."

That, however, failed to prevent conspiracy theories from quickly swirling in Cairo.

The front-page of Egypt's independent Dostor daily ran the headline "Omar Suleiman was killed," while one mourner at Saturday's funeral carried a poster with the words: "Who killed Omar Suleiman?"

The rumors surrounding his death are a reflection of the mystery that surrounded the man known in Egypt as "the black box" while he was still alive.

Tall, thin and often shown in dark sunglasses, Suleiman was Egypt's point man in cooperation with the United States in the post 9/11 rendition program in which terror suspects snatched by the Americans were shipped to Egypt and other countries for interrogation, sometimes involving torture.

He was considered ousted President Hosni Mubarak's closest lieutenant, a key pillar of his authoritarian regime and holder of many secrets. He handled the regime's most sensitive issues like relations with the U.S. and Israel, and the fierce battle against Islamists.

He was appointed Mubarak's vice president during last year's uprising in an attempt to quell the protests demanding the downfall of the regime. In the end, it was Suleiman who appeared on state TV on Feb. 11, 2011 to announce Mubarak's resignation and the military's seizure of power.

Suleiman largely vanished from sight after that, but re-emerged in April in a surprise and short-lived attempt to join the race for president. He said he was running to prevent the Brotherhood from coming to power, warning that it would turn Egypt into a religious state.

He was disqualified on technical grounds along with two Islamist candidates, including the Brotherhood's initial contender.

Skeptics believe Suleiman's last minute entry and quick exit from the race was meant to soften public opinion about the Islamists' disqualification.

Suleiman also testified in the trial of Mubarak, who was later sentenced to life in prison for failing to stop the killing of protesters during the uprising. In his testimony, Suleiman denied Mubarak issued orders to shoot at protesters but said the president did learn about the killings when he ordered the formation of an investigative committee. Mubarak supporters blame that testimony for bringing the conviction.

But it was his years as Mubarak's spy chief that earned him the ire of liberal activists and Islamists alike.

A statement released Saturday by the ultraconservative Gamaa Islamiya criticized honoring Suleiman with a military funeral.

Many of the group's members spent more than a decade in prison for their opposition to Mubarak. The group fought a low intensity insurgency against his regime in the 1980s and most of the 1990s, but later renounced violence.

"Omar Suleiman was a pillar of the old regime and dedicated his life to its service and its crimes, including various forms of torture," the group said, adding that Suleiman should have been buried in "quiet away from displays of honor."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-ex-spy-chief-honored-military-funeral-161253608.html

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Racial profiling trial begins for Ariz. sheriff

FILE - In this May 10, 2012 file photo, a defiant Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio pounds his fist on the podium as he answers questions regarding the Department of Justice announcing a federal civil lawsuit against Arpaio and his department, during a news conference in Phoenix. For six years, the self-proclaimed toughest sheriff in America has vehemently denied allegations that his deputies racially profile Latinos in his trademark immigration patrols. Now, Arpaio will have to convince a federal judge who is presiding over a lawsuit that heads to trial on Thursday, July 19, 2012 and is expected to last until early August. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

FILE - In this May 10, 2012 file photo, a defiant Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio pounds his fist on the podium as he answers questions regarding the Department of Justice announcing a federal civil lawsuit against Arpaio and his department, during a news conference in Phoenix. For six years, the self-proclaimed toughest sheriff in America has vehemently denied allegations that his deputies racially profile Latinos in his trademark immigration patrols. Now, Arpaio will have to convince a federal judge who is presiding over a lawsuit that heads to trial on Thursday, July 19, 2012 and is expected to last until early August. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

PHOENIX (AP) ? Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio's anti-illegal immigration patrols are taking center stage in federal court in Phoenix.

A lawyer for a group of Latinos who filed a civil lawsuit against his department said in opening statements Thursday that the evidence will show that Arpaio and his deputies racially profiled Hispanics.

"It's our view that the problem starts at the top," attorney Stan Young said.

Tim Casey, who is defending Arpaio, said the patrols were properly planned out and executed. He said they exceeded police standards. He said, "race and ethnicity had nothing to do with the traffic stops."

The plaintiffs aren't seeking money damages. They want a declaration that Arpaio's office racially profiles and an order that requires it to make changes to prevent what they said is discriminatory policing.

The lawsuit filed by a handful of Latinos will serve as a precursor to a U.S. Justice Department's case that alleges a broader range of civil rights violations by Arpaio's office. Although not involved in Thursday's case, a DOJ lawyer leading the agency's civil rights case watched the trial.

Arpaio was not expected in court Thursday.

For years, Arpaio, the self-proclaimed toughest sheriff in America, has vehemently denied allegations that his deputies in Arizona's most populous county racially profile Latinos in his trademark patrols.

The plaintiffs say Arpaio's officers based some traffic stops on the race of Hispanics who were in vehicles, had no probable cause to pull them over and made the stops so they could inquire about their immigration status.

"He is not free to say whatever he wants," said Dan Pochoda, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, one of the groups that pushed the lawsuit against Arpaio. "He will be called as a witness."

If Arpaio loses the civil case, he won't face jail time or fines.

At a late June hearing, Casey said the sheriff wanted the trial so he could prove his critics wrong and remove the stigma that the racial profiling allegation carries. "What we want is resolution," Casey said.

The DOJ lawsuit makes many of the same racial profiling allegations, but goes further to say that Arpaio's office retaliated against its critics, punished Latino jail inmates with limited English skills for speaking Spanish and failed to adequately investigate a large number of sex-crimes cases.

No trial date in that case has been set.

Arizona State University law professor Carissa Byrne Hessick said that if Arpaio loses the case now being tried, the verdict would likely stand as the finding on whether Arpaio's office racially profiles ? and the sheriff likely wouldn't be able to re-litigate the profiling allegations in the DOJ case.

Still, Arpaio could dispute the other allegations, Hessick said.

If Arpaio wins, the DOJ wouldn't be prevented from bringing its racial profiling allegations to trial.

Still, the judge overseeing that case might be inclined to rule against the federal agency on the racial profiling claim because there would be a fellow judge who concluded that the facts don't support a ruling that Arpaio's office discriminated against Latinos.

Arpaio has said the DOJ lawsuit is a politically motivated attack by the Obama administration as a way to court Latino voters in a presidential election year.

DOJ officials say the department began its initial civil rights inquiry of Arpaio's office during the Bush administration and notified the sheriff of its formal investigation a few months after Obama took office.

Arpaio has staked his reputation on immigration enforcement and, in turn, won support and financial contributors from people across the country who helped him build a $4 million campaign war chest.

The patrols have brought allegations that Arpaio himself ordered some of them not based on reports of crime but letters from Arizonans who complained about people with dark skin congregating in an area or speaking Spanish.

Some of the people who filed the lawsuit were stopped by deputies in regular patrols, while others were stopped in his special immigration sweeps. During the sweeps, deputies flood an area of a city ? in some cases, heavily Latino areas ? over several days to seek out traffic violators and arrest other offenders.

Illegal immigrants accounted for 57 percent of the 1,500 people arrested in the 20 sweeps conducted by his office since January 2008, according to figures provided by Arpaio's office, which hasn't conducted any of the special patrols since October.

Arpaio has repeatedly said people who are pulled over in his patrols were approached because deputies had probable cause to believe they had committed crimes and that it was only afterward that officers found that many of them were illegal immigrants.

U.S. District Judge Murray Snow has issued rulings against Arpaio earlier in the case.

In December, he barred Arpaio's deputies who are enforcing Arizona's 2005 immigrant smuggling law from detaining people based solely on the suspicion that they're in the country illegally. Arpaio has appealed that decision.

The judge also has reminded plaintiffs' attorneys what they need to prove to make their claim of systematic discrimination. At a March hearing, he told them that to back up the racial profiling allegations, they must show Arpaio's office had a policy that was intentionally discriminatory.

The plaintiffs' attorneys say they plan to do so, in part, by focusing on their allegation that Arpaio launched some patrols based on racially charged citizen complaints that alleged no actual crimes.

Separate from the two lawsuits that allege racial profiling, a federal grand jury has been investigating Arpaio's office on criminal abuse-of-power allegations since at least December 2009 and is examining the investigative work of the sheriff's anti-public corruption squad.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-07-19-Arizona%20Sheriff-Racial%20Profiling/id-9a70d93e17da488d8be602236ebff9e5

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Apple issues 'recommended' firmware update for new MacBook Pro and Air

12 hrs.

Rosa Golijan

If you've recently picked up a shiny new MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, you may have noticed that?your new laptop may suffer from some crazy CPU power consumption issues, and perhaps?occasional USB connectivity problems.

Though the issues are not necessarily universal, they're significant enough that Apple has issued a software fix.

You can find the relevant update on Apple's official support site. It's labeled as the "MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Update 1.0" and is "recommended for all Mac notebooks introduced since June 2012."

There aren't too?many details regarding the actual problems being fixed, nor is it known exactly how common it was.

Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://www.gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/technology/gadgetbox/apple-issues-recommended-firmware-update-new-macbook-pro-air-895892

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