UK unveils ?159 billion defence equipment plan, but doubts remain

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain published on Thursday a 159-billion-pound long-term defence equipment spending plan, a move aimed at reversing decades of mismanagement but which drew only qualified praise from experts.

The plan covers spending from 2012 to 2022, the first time the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has outlined defence equipment spending over such a long period, reflecting the gestation time of major military projects.

Equipment covered in the plan contained no surprises, having been outlined in the MoD's last major planning exercise, the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), which charted a course for British security needs by 2020.

British arms firm BAE Systems, Europe's largest defence contractor, is behind most of the large projects outlined in the plan, including submarines, ships, aircraft carriers and the Typhoon fighter jet.

The MoD has for years been criticised by spending watchdogs for over-optimistic cost and time forecasts for equipment projects, a matter that has grown in importance as Britain slashes spending to fix a budget deficit.

The spending plan includes a 4.8 billion pound contingency allowance to manage unexpected cost increases, as well as an unallocated 8 billion pounds for future equipment needs.

"Step by step, we are clearing up years of mismanagement under the last government by ending the culture of over-promising and under-delivering," Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, a Conservative, said in a statement, referring to the opposition Labour party.

Labour labelled Hammond "hubristic" and said his claims to have balanced the defence budget were "wild".

The MoD said the spending plan addresses what had been estimated to have been a 74 billion pound equipment funding gap, and that it had received the backing of the National Audit Office (NAO), parliament's spending watchdog.

OVER-OPTIMISM

However, the NAO said in a report reviewing the MoD's spending plan that while the ministry was approaching defence spending on a "more prudent basis" and had "taken significant positive steps", uncertainty remained.

"There is systemic over-optimism inherent in the department's assumptions around the costing of risk and uncertainty .... which may not be sufficiently mitigated by the contingency provision," the NAO said.

It stressed that its assessment of the spending forecast only took into account equipment procurement and not equipment support costs, which at 86 billion pounds makes up more than half of the spending plan.

The NAO also said the plan was "unlikely to be realistic" without a comprehensive analysis of risks and uncertainties.

John Louth, director for defence, industries and society at the Royal United Services Institute defence thinktank in London, said the MoD's plan lacked detail and was vulnerable to shocks.

"Whilst they should be applauded for publishing a 10-year plan, the information we have is very thin. It doesn't really talk about any accounting assumptions or anything that gives an understanding of how the numbers were generated," he said.

"If you have a 10-year forecast, you're making an awful lot of assumptions over how the world will be over that 10-year period .... We haven't been able to forecast any of the operations we've been involved with," he added.

An MoD spokesman said future "wider economic conditions" could have an impact on the plan, as well as another SDSR planned for 2015.

PROJECTS COVERED

The major defence equipment projects covered in the MoD spending plan are:

* 35.8 billion pounds on seven BAE-built Astute-class submarines and developing a replacement for the four Vanguard-class submarines used for Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent.

* 18.5 billion pounds on fighter jets, and UAVs, or drones, including the Joint Strike Fighter built by U.S. firm Lockheed Martin Corp, of which Britain has so far committed to buy 48, and the Typhoon, built by a consortium of BAE, Italy's Finmeccanica and European aerospace group EADS, of which Britain has ordered 160.

* 17.4 billion pounds on two aircraft carriers, six new Type 45 destroyers and the development of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship, all built by BAE.

* 13.9 billion pounds on air-to-air refuelling, passenger and heavy lift capability by leasing Airbus aircraft through the EADS-led AirTanker consortium.

* 12.3 billion pounds on armoured fighting vehicles, including the Scout - built by General Dynamics - and the Warrior, built by GKN.

* 12.1 billion pounds on helicopters, including the Boeing-built Chinook and Apache, and the AgustaWestland-built Wildcat.

* 11.4 billion pounds on assorted missiles, torpedoes and bombs.

(Editing by Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-unveils-159-billion-defence-equipment-plan-doubts-001750291--sector.html

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IBM sends Watson to NY college to boost its skills

TROY, New York ? Watson, the supercomputer famous for beating the world's best human "Jeopardy!" champions, is going to college.

IBM is announcing Wednesday that it will provide a Watson system to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the first time the computer is being sent to a university. Just like the flesh-and-blood students who will work on it, Watson is leaving home to sharpen its skills. Course work will include English and math.

"It's a big step for us," said Michael Henesey, IBM's vice president of business development. "We consider it absolutely strategic technology for IBM in the future. And we want to evolve it, of course, thoughtfully, but also in collaboration with the best and brightest in academia."

Watson is a cognitive system that can process massive amounts of data, including natural language. To beat "Jeopardy!" champions in 2011, it was fed the contents of encyclopedias, dictionaries, books, news dispatches and movie scripts. For its medical work, it takes in medical textbooks and journals. After it takes in data, Watson can provide information like a "Jeopardy!" answer, a medical diagnosis or an estimate of financial risk.

IBM, which provided a grant to RPI to operate Watson for three years, sees it as a way to help it boost the computer's cognitive capabilities.

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2011, file photo, "Jeopardy!" champions Ken Jennings, left, and Brad Rutter, right, flank a prop representing Watson during a practice round of the "Jeopardy!" quiz show in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Watson, the question-answering supercomputer is going to college. IBM is announcing Wednesday that it will provide a Watson system to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the first time a version of the computer is being sent to a university. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Artificial intelligence researchers at RPI want to do things like improve Watson's mathematical ability and help it quickly figure out the meaning of new or made-up words. They want to improve its ability to handle the torrent of images, videos and emails on the Web, the sort of unstructured information that is overwhelmingly fueling the data boom.

For Selmer Bringsjord, who heads RPI's department of cognitive science, getting a crack at Watson is like a car aficionado being tossed the keys to a souped-up Lamborghini. Bringsjord said he and his graduate students could potentially focus on providing Watson with a deeper understanding of the structure of sentences and how dialogues unfold.

"If I can make a tiny, tiny contribution in that direction, given how historic the system is, I'd be very happy and I think my graduate students would be as well," Bringsjord said.

The original Watson remains at IBM's Research Headquarters in Westchester County, about 100 miles south of the school. RPI has hardware fully dedicated to running the system's software at its supercomputing center in the Rensselaer Tech Park near the school. RPI's version of Watson has 15 terabytes of memory, enough to store a massive library. It will allow 20 users to access the system at once.

IBM has worked collaboratively with other outside institutions on Watson, such as Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, New York-based Citigroup Inc. and the Cleveland Clinic. But this is the first time hardware fully dedicated to running the Watson software is being installed at a college.

Officials with IBM and RPI say Watson's college tenure also will prepare RPI students for jobs in cognitive science and "big data," a field where demand is quickly outpacing supply. John Kolb, RPI's chief information officer, said he would like the next generation of the school's technology graduates "to help IBM take Watson to the next level."

Source: http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/f22e03fae4d3411a85572fcfbeb9cc52/US--Watson-To-College

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Wed, January 30, 2013 - Playing with Fire: Artists of the California Studio Glass Movement

The best of the Bay Area for KQED fans: discover events hand-picked by our editors, sponsored listings, and more.

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Another peek at the City Hall communications apparatus | Ottawa ...

On Dec. 5, the city put on its big show to announced that Rideau Transit Group was its preferred bidder on the contract to design, build, finance and maintain the planned light-rail system. The show was in the morning but the voluminous report explaining the decision and its consequences didn?t come out till late in the day, so we were doing more detailed follow-up stories on Dec. 6.

Including this one, which looked at the part of the contract that dealt with long-term maintenance of the system. That was always treated separately from the $2.1-billion construction cost, but the report that came out on the 5th put a big number on it: about $2 billion more over the life of the contract. When I noticed that as I read the report, I had some questions, and I asked to speak to Mona Monkman, the deputy city treasurer who?s been assigned to the LRT project as its top finance official.

City media-relations officer Jocelyne Turner subsequently asked me to put a little meat on the bones of that request ? what, particularly, did I want to talk about?

Will need a bit more of a sense as to what you are looking for.? Don?t need your specific questions, but it would be helpful if I had a sense of what you are looking for.

This request is fair enough. Mona Monkman is very expert, but the LRT project is enormous and it?s understandable that she?d want to know roughly what I was after so she could background herself and make sure she had facts at her fingertips.

I responded:

Most basically, of course, I want to be sure I?m reading the chart on page 63 of the main report properly. It looks like the contract with RTG would include $2 billion in payments (including inflation over 30 years) that aren?t reckoned in the $2.1-billion price tag we?ve heard so much about.

Which leads to questions like: How does this compare to having the city take care of maintenance, as it does with the Transitway? Has the city run those numbers?

I don?t remember that even rough figures were put on the long-term maintenance and lifecycle costs at previous stages of consideration, though I?m open to being corrected on that. If I?m right, though, and this is the first time we?re seeing them, then why is that?

Why, in short, is this the best deal for taxpayers?

I?m not looking to do a story with a headline like, ?LRT COSTS NEARLY DOUBLE AT LAST MOMENT,? but I?ll need someone to explain the money plan in plain English.

David

What happened after that was a gong show. I?d asked separate questions about the $300 million in private financing the RTG consortium is supposed to put up, which it?s borrowing more expensively than the city could, and for some more details about the construction plans. That produced a set of coherent answers, delivered in writing, from the whole project?s boss John Jensen, which touched on the maintenance aspect of the deal because it?s bound up in certain ways with the private financing.

Since that was relevant and partly answered my questions, I stuck that material in the story, along with a note that my request to interview Mona Monkman hadn?t been answered by my deadline, which was the case. I actually thought Jensen had been deputed to answer the whole batch and didn?t think anything much more of it.

It turns out that a pretty massive effort was going on behind the scenes, which led to a set of written answers ostensibly from Monkman, sent to me by email well after I?d filed the story. I know about this because the weird two-track answers and lateness and stilted language in Monkman?s response ? which is nothing like what she is in person, which is a normal human being with some very specialized knowledge and expertise ? prompted me to file an access-to-information request. I wanted to find out what on earth was going on while I waited for what I thought was going to be a phone call where the deputy city treasurer and I could have a back-and-forth and by the end I?d really be confident I understood what was going on and would be able to write a story explaining it to you.

Here it is, in PDF form, all 177 pages of it:?Media inquiries about the LRT

(There?s some bycatch involving the other questions I had on the go, too. Because of the way I structured the request, I caught a short exchange involving Ashley Burke of the CBC as well. There?s nothing of consequence in it, but sorry, Ashley, I was trying to read public officials? emails, not yours.)

The 177 pages are extremely repetitive, mostly taken up with drafts and redrafts of the Monkman answers. You can see what a committee put them together. Monkman got final sign-off, which is understandable since it was going out with only her name attached to it, but the group involved her, senior aides to city manager Kent Kirkpatrick (Steve Box and Robyn Guest), the senior aide to deputy city manager Nancy Schepers (Chris Swail), Simon Dupuis of the rail office, PR types Turner and Michael FitzPatrick, and communications strategist Patrick Dare. Who, full disclosure, used to work at the?Citizen?and was my first editor here, and whose editor I was for a while before he quit the?Citizen?and went to work for the city. I miss his directness, I might as well tell you.

When you see in a story that so-and-so answered a question through a city spokesperson, then, it probably means something like that went on.

Turner, who handled the original request, noted quite firmly that I asked for an interview, and there?s talk at some point of putting a small group of the city?s experts up, but the idea eventually passes from this earth without anybody being seen to kill it, at least in writing.

Financing the LRT is the kind of issue where an interview is really useful. It?s complicated and precise and being able to go over things again and follow up is often key to understanding. It?s one thing if I?m asking, say, how many salters the city has out to fight a bout of freezing rain. In this case, written responses are better than nothing, but they?re still not that great. There?s a reason why I specifically asked for that interview ? a request that I didn?t know was being rejected till I got those written answers ? based on the general questions I?d supplied.

Here?s a lesson for anyone who deals with reporters.?When a reporter asks for an interview, and you ask for general questions to guide the interview subject?s preparation, do not treat those questions as if they?re everything the reporter wants to know.

I also see that talking to me about this is considered ?High risk.? I guess. I?m not sure that it turned out to be higher risk than?not talking to me.

Source: http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/01/29/another-peek-at-the-city-hall-communications-apparatus/

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Apple announces iPad with double storage capacity

(Reuters) - Apple Inc said on Tuesday that it will sell a version of its iPad tablet computer with 128 gigabytes of storage, which is twice the capacity of its existing models.

Apple, which has sold more than 120 million iPads so far, said that the new iPad will go on sale February 5, in black or white, for a suggested retail price of $799 for the iPad with just Wi-Fi model, and $929 for the version that also has a cellular wireless connection.

(Reporting By Sinead Carew; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apple-announces-ipad-double-storage-capacity-150439073--finance.html

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Magnetic Logic Makes for Mutable Computer Chips

A new alternative transistor relies on a semiconductor that can be switched with magnetism instead of electricity. The approach could help make circuitry more malleable and lead to more efficient and reliable gadgets

By Geoff Brumfiel and Nature magazine

MAGNETIC LOCK: In a circuit made of the semiconductor indium antimonide, a magnetic field can lift electrons over positively charged holes, switching the device on?or deflect them into the holes, turning it off. Image: Nature magazine

Software can transform a computer from a word processor to a number cruncher to a video telephone. But the underlying hardware is unchanged. Now, a type of transistor that can be switched with magnetism instead of electricity could make circuitry malleable too, leading to more efficient and reliable gadgets, from smart phones to satellites.

Transistors, the simple switches at the heart of all modern electronics, generally use a tiny voltage to toggle between ?on? and ?off?. The voltage approach is highly reliable and easy to miniaturize, but has its disadvantages. First, keeping the voltage on requires power, which drives up the energy consumption of the microchip. Second, transistors must be hard-wired into the chips and can?t be reconfigured, which means computers need dedicated circuitry for all their functions.

A research group based at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in Seoul, South Korea, has developed a circuit that may get around these problems. The device, described in a paper published on Nature?s website on 30?January, uses magnetism to control the flow of electrons across a minuscule bridge of the semiconducting material indium antimonide (S.?Joo et al. Nature http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature11817; 2013). It is ?a new and interesting twist on how to implement a logic gate?, says Gian Salis, a physicist at IBM?s Zurich Research Laboratory in Switzerland.

The bridge has two layers: a lower deck with an excess of positively charged holes and an upper deck filled predominantly with negatively charged electrons. Thanks to the unusual electronic properties of the indium antimonide, the researchers can control the flow of electrons across the bridge using a perpendicular magnetic field. When they set the field in one direction, electrons are steered away from the positive bottom deck and flow freely. When the magnetic field is flipped, the electrons crash into the lower deck and recombine with the holes ? effectively turning the switch off (see ?Magnetic lock?).

The ability of a magnetic logic gate to hold the switch on or off without a voltage ?could lead to great reduction of energy consumption?, says study co-author Jin Dong Song, a physicist at KIST. Even more impressively, the magnetic switches ?can be handled like software?, he says, by simply flipping the field to enable or disable a circuit. Thus a mobile phone could, for example, reprogram a bit of its microcircuitry to process video while its user watched a clip on YouTube, then switch the chip back to signal processing to take a phone call. This could greatly reduce the volume of circuitry needed inside the phone.

Such reconfigurable logic could be invaluable in satellites, adds Mark Johnson of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC, a co-author of the paper. If part of a chip failed in orbit, another sector could simply be reprogramed to take over. ?You?ve healed the circuit and you?ve done it from Earth,? he says.

To really catch on, however, the magnetic logic would have to be integrated with existing silicon-based technologies. That may not be easy. For one thing, indium antimonide, the semiconductor crucial to the circuits, doesn?t lend itself well to manufacturing processes used to make modern electronics, according to Junichi Murota, a researcher working with nanoelectronics at Tohoku University in Japan. But Johnson says that it may eventually be possible to build similar bridges with silicon.

Integrating the miniature magnets needed to control the devices into a normal chip wouldn?t be easy either. Companies should be able to solve these challenges, but only if they decide the devices are worthwhile, says Salis. At the moment, he adds, it is not clear whether the devices will perform well at the sizes needed for a practical chip ? much smaller than the micrometer dimensions of the prototypes.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=92849db5efb1049d8d6b0ae8f9e203cb

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The 5 lessons in relationships for a dog owner - Birds on the Blog

Dear Jackie, having thought about what I really want recently, I?ve come to the conclusion that I don?t want a relationship with someone (or a family, or anything else I?ve thought I might want for most of my life ? I?m now 40), but instead I want a dog.? My friends are telling me they don?t believe me, how can I persuade them?? Thanks RL

Dear RL

You are far from alone in this miserable state of affairs.? Relationships provide the ultimate feedback for our lives.? That means you might have a few changes to make to how you view life and the part you play in it.? And, I can sympathise about why you might find a dog the easy option, you might also find that a dog is the best teacher!

There are some really obvious reasons why a dog is a preferable choice, and I?ve used them all!

Why would you choose a dog?

• A dog doesn?t speak back
• A dog asks for nothing except to be fed and walked
• A dog forgets when you?ve shouted at it
• A dog trusts you
• A dog loves unconditionally

I have to ask, as it?s my job and I like to be curious ? what is it you want to avoid in a relationship?

May I share my experience of having a dog which might help as I have been where I think you might be right now.? When my marriage ended, my dog became so important to me ? as a confidante and a companion.? She became my raison d?etre, got me out of bed, stopped me feeling lonely and I found a focus for my love.

In truth, I was avoiding close, intimate relationships until I felt able to cope with being loved and in a relationship again.? As much as the dog and I loved one another, the relationship was in no manner of speaking able to make up for a close intimate relationship with a partner, nor that of my family.? It was simply a poor substitute until I felt ready.

Relationship abstinence

If we have come through some sh1tty relationships and feel the full effects of emotional turmoil, it?s very common to believe that we will *never* allow ourselves to get involved with another person again.? The fear of more heartbreak dictates that we put up barriers, shut off to intimate possibilities and determine to be fine just as we are ?. Alone.

Abstaining from all relationships, from all the dreams you have had about a partner and a family is a temporary situation.? After a relationship breakdown, the fear that we are not good enough for anyone else, or that anyone else will be good enough for us runs rampant through our minds.

It?s very rare in my experience for this state of affairs to continue.? Our hearts can, and do, heal.? Rather than remaining afraid of breaking them again, the key is to learn about managing your emotional stability.

When you enter into a relationship, it is in order to relate with someone, it is not to sign your life, your power and your future over.? It is possible to love openly, freely and maintain who you are.

What can you learn from a relationship with a dog meantime?

How to love unconditionally.? Can you imagine withholding affection from your dog no matter what it?s done?

Forgiveness.? If you can forgive a dog, for what reason can you not forgive your partner?? You might think a dog has no ulterior motive, how do you actually know your partner has?

Smiling at their antics.? Lighten up with your partner, enjoy one another, play together.

Daily physical attention freely given -? tummy rubs, ears stroked, pats, with no intention of sex, just touch.? Many people know immediately their dog has a tick, or a lump and yet, are unable to register change in their partner?s body.

Commitment.? Many people are more committed to their dog?s wellbeing, rushing home after a day apart than they would be their partner.

Dog or Partner

Dear RL, I reckon your friends are right.? And if I were you, I?d be looking at getting a dog in order to hone the skills which are needed in a successful relationship!

PS ? Remember, owning a dog is a commitment for many years, you might like to look at working with the Blind Dog Association (or similar), or fostering dogs.? This gives you extra learning - it teaches you that people come into your life and leave again, for one reason or another.? The same is true of dogs.

?

?

?

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Source: http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/the-5-lessons-in-relationships-for-a-dog-owner/

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Source: http://greateducationreference609.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-best-american-science-and-nature.html

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Does Heidi's Personal Video Make Her More Relatable?

Heidi Klum: She's just like us! Except prettier. And richer. And marries rock stars.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/heidi-klum-shares-personal-video-facebook-does-it-make-her-relatable/1-a-518695?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aheidi-klum-shares-personal-video-facebook-does-it-make-her-relatable-518695

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Occasional Writer: What Makes a Poem | Florida Institute of ...

By John Lavelle, Ph.D.

When studying the construction of a poem the other day in a creative writing class, the poem being William Carlos Williams? poem ?This is Just to Say? several students questioned whether it was a poem at all.? It brought up one of those questions whose answer, at first, seems obvious, so obvious, in fact, that the question is almost never asked or what turns out to be worse, is that it is supposedly answered in junior high or high school English classes through the study of the meaning of the poem or the history of the writing of the poem.? Students and teachers assume the poet wrote the poem because he or she had something important to say, that they opened a window into humanity etc.

Let?s look at poems, not poetry.? Poetry is where most people go wrong.? Poetry masks the reality of the poem.? The first question that might be asked is why should there be a sonnet, English or Italian for that matter.? Why should there exist a poem called a sestina or villanelle or any form poetry at all?? This question becomes a clue to the nature of a poem.

Form poetry, in one way or another, was and is a challenge to the poet.? Does he or she have sufficient mastery over language to create a meaningful poem within the confines of a certain form?? Can a poet, within the form, play competently with sound and rhythm, with symbol and metaphor?? For English speaking people there was the added constraint of making the lines rhyme in some sort of pattern or rhyme scheme.? For poets writing in other languages there were other constraints.? The French had the sestina, a form demanding the repetitive use of six ending words repeated in six stanzas with the last ending word of one stanza being the first ending word of the next.? The Japanese have haiku, a poem of seventeen syllables of lines of five seven and five.

The challenge does not stop there and deep earth-shaking meaning is the last of these challenges.? Creative writing does something academic writing seeks to eliminate.? It draws attention to the word as a word.? Ferdinand de Saussure made one of those ?no-duh? discoveries when he noticed that language was quite arbitrary, that every language was made up of sound and idea images despite the way it might be written.? For Saussure a word (a sign) is made up of the signifier?the sound of the word and the signified the idea the sound represents.? For this discussion of poetry the better way to think of these two components is to divide the word into two components, the sound and the spelling (picture) of the word on the page (since that matters in poetry) and the information it carries, what Saussure would call the signified.? Most academic writing attempts to eliminate attention to the sound and picture, ?and foreground the information a word carries and rightly so, although academic writing in English and literature does have that component within it.

However, in poetry much attention is garnered on the actual sound beyond rhyming and how the word appears on the page.? In Russian Formalism and structuralism, to be integrated in this country into New Criticism, the idea of defamiliarization and foregrounding is the act of bringing attention to the word or line and those words or lines around it, to not only hear the words but to use the sound to help create an image that not only includes visualization, but tactile sensations, smell, and feelings, the image then carrying meaning even if it is only that the image is a thing in itself as the look and the sound of the word becomes a thing in itself.? John Updike?s ?Player Piano? may have a deeper meaning but the poem mimics the sound of a player piano in its cacophony and rhythm.? That in itself makes the poem a poem.

Think of all the terms concerned with words in poetry including poetics, connotation, denotation, poetic diction,? metaphor, synecdoche, metonymy, onomatopoeia, alliteration, personification, cacophony, euphony, eye rhyme near rhyme, all the words concerned with the line, such as meter, foot, rhyme scheme, stanzas, couplet,? tercet,? terza rima, quatrain, ballad stanza, end stop, enjambment, ambiguity.? The list goes on.? These terms are not just to freak out undergraduate non-English majors.? They are also challenges to the poet in the same way form poetry is?to see if the poet has mastery over language, a sort of IQ test.? This mastery brings enjoyment to the reader as long as the reader realizes the work that went in to this mastery.

Finally, this is just to say, that the nature of a poem is a challenge of mastery over language. A poem is a sort of game the poet engages in whether or not he or she has some deeper meaning in mind of which they want to put into words.? Thus a poem may be a poem even if it doesn?t have some window into the soul of humanity as long as it is an attempt to master the many nuances of language including all the terms above and others including sound and shape of the words themselves.

Source: http://blogs.fit.edu/blog/academics/humanities-communication/occasional-writer-what-makes-a-poem/

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Scammed Football Fan Scores Super Bowl Tickets

Sharon Osgood and her boyfriend are headed to the Super Bowl even after they were bilked out of nearly $6,000 when they thought they were buying the prized football tickets on Craigslist.

Despite the scam, Osgood emerged a winner.

Her story caught the attention of Ticketmaster CEO Nathan Hubbard, who offered Osgood?four free tickets and set her up with breakfast with NFL legend Troy Aikman, according to the Mercury News, which first reported her story.

A 49ers representative is giving her a pair of tickets, too, because Osgood wanted to bring her nephew's girlfriend. Her boyfriend's daughter and her nephew are also going. She has one left over for another relative.

"I am so super excited," Osgood told NBC Bay Area on Tuesday afternoon. "I can't tell you how blessed I feel. We were crushed, and then we were elated."

A resident of Hayward, Calif., in the Bay Area, Osgood??was scouring the Internet looking for deals on Super Bowl tickets so she could see her beloved San Francisco 49ers play the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans on Sunday.

She found an offer on Craiglist from someone named "R. Thomas Pham Quan,"?who was selling four tickets for $5,900. He told her that he was a tax attorney in Boca Raton, Fla., and a Baltimore Ravens season ticket holder.

Osgood?texted and spoke on the phone with this person for four days, she said. She wired the money to the man's credit union, and on Monday, received a FedEx package. But there were no Super Bowl tickets inside.

Instead of tickets, Osgood said, she?was sent a picture of quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Joe Flacco with a message underneath that read: "Enjoy the game!!!! Go Ravens!!!"

On Tuesday, the phone number she had been using was no longer working. She said she filed a report with the Alameda County Sheriff's Department late Monday. A spokesman for the sheriff's office was not immediately available to confirm the details.

Osgood said the person sounded so convincing and she felt she "knew" him because they had so many phone and text conversations about the transaction.

"I trusted the guy," she said.

Craigslist warns that buyers should not wire money directly to sellers. Best practices in this online marketing world are that buyers and sellers who connect on Craigslist should meet in public places and pay in cash.

Buyers and sellers on sites such as eBay should heed sellers' ratings listed online, which reflect their number of successful transactions, and pay through PayPal, a secured site owned by eBay.

Osgood was initially worried about going public with her story. But now, she's happy she decided she put a face on her saga. Not only did she score free tickets, but she said she wants to prevent others from falling prey to ticket scammers.

"Who knows? Maybe they scammed other people, too," she said. "I won't ever do this again."

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50634914/ns/local_news-san_diego_ca/

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Twin F35 Fighters Suckling on the Sweet Milk of Freedom

Aerial refueling is an invaluable technique, not only extending a jet's operational endurance, it allows for more and heavier equipment to be carried than would otherwise be possible. Since its inception in the biplane era, this technology has developed into what you see here: two F-35C Lightning II jets attached to the business end of a Lockheed Martin KC-130 Hercules. At the same time. That's a first. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/GpDtOVpUKkU/twin-f35-fighters-suckling-on-the-sweet-milk-of-freedom

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Make the most of new LinkedIn profile - Business Management Daily

LinkedIn updated its user profiles in late 2012, and you?ll want to update yours to make it look great in the new format, says technology columnist Debra Donston-Miller.

???Update your photo. Photos are larger and more prominent now, so if yours is out of date or of poor quality, change it out for a crisper shot.

????Take advantage of the new Networking Insights View. This new display helps you see in an instant who you?re connected to and how so you can make the most of your network.

???Become a daily user. ?Daily activity is a more pronounced area, so show??case your thoughts and in??ter??esting links to stories that you are fol??low??ing,? says Tony Deblauwe, founder of HR4Change.

????Turn into a data dork. Take the time to learn from the data LinkedIn provides on endorsements, who is looking at your profile and more.

????Request recommendations. Rec??ommendations are displayed more prominently under your relevant work experience, so you want to make sure they?re recent and relevant.

? Adapted from ?5 Ways To Improve Your New ?LinkedIn Profile,? Debra Donston-Miller, The BrainYard.

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Baseball America ranks the Cardinals' top 10 prospects

TOWER GROVE?? The current issue of Baseball America arrived at my doorstep over the weekend, and a few pages before the magazine revealed its top 10 prospects for the St. Louis Cardinals, there is an interesting chart that addresses something that's perhaps more important.

What are the sources of these prospects?

Each year, the editors at BA ask the correspondents for their Prospect Handbook -- of which I am one -- to not only help select the top 10s and top 30s for every team, but to catalog how those players arrived. The top 30 I submitted to BA for consideration, for example, included 29 homegrown players and one prospect acquired via trade. In that 29, 14 were from college and seven were drafted out of high school. Four of the 30 players came through international scouting.

Two of those four rank in the Cardinals' top five: outfielder Oscar Taveras, who is No. 1 in the Cardinals' system, and pitcher Carlos Martinez, whose rank will be revealed below.

In Friday's Post-Dispatch, I took a look at how the Cardinals have re-established a presence in Latin America and whether they are now set to take the next step in their international efforts: pursuing a free agent from, say, Cuba or one of the Asian pro leagues. Through the course of reporting that story, I learned several things that I passed along into that article -- the attempt, for example, to mirror the domestic scouting process in their international regions -- and I ran into recurring comments, ones stressed most strongly by general manager John Mozeliak.

He said several times during an interview last Thursday that the goal was to get stronger in Latina America, to "plunge deeper" in the Caribbean first before looking into other international waters. His point that he said was that while the Cardinals have been able to acquire some prospects with high Q-ratings -- Taveras, Martinez, De Leon, Rondon, Rodriguez ... to name four -- depth was still lacking. He saw a need to increase the team's depth of talent from Latin America.

Enter the current issue of Baseball America.

Using the catalogs compiled by the correspondents, BA put together a chart on how many international signings each club had in its Top 30 Prospects list. Here it is:

Rangers -- 15

Tigers --14

Indians, Mets -- 12

Blue Jays, Cubs, Red Sox, Royals -- 11

Pirates -- 10

Braves, Reds -- 9

Twins, Yankees, Mariners -- 8

Nationals, Phillies -- 7

Angels, Padres -- 6

Marlins, Orioles, Rockies -- 5

Cardinals, Dodgers, Athletics, Giants, Rays -- 4

Brewers, D-Backs, White Sox -- 3

Astros -- 2

?

"The Cardinals," the article goes on to say at its conclusion, "are down toward the bottom of the list, but while they may not have as much depth as other teams, they have the best Dominican position prospect in baseball (Oscar Taveras) and one of the best international pitching prospects in the game (Carlos Martinez). Few teams can match that type of impact talent from the international ranks."

The Cardinals also have a fifth prospect in limbo right now. Alex Reyes, a teenage pitcher from the Dominican, has agreed to a deal mentioned in the story linked to above. When the righty has his paperwork approved by Major League Baseball -- and that's expected soon -- his deal will be finalized and he would likely rank in the top 30.

Still, the Rangers have acquired half of their top 30 from international signings. The Tigers have acquired 14 of 30 from international realms.

Why pick out those two?

Well, they've won the past three American League pennants and not only does that mean they've been competitive recently, they've also picked lower in the draft than say Houston or Seattle. The international game is where money and scouting talked not standings. Now that a cap has been fixed on what teams can spend on international bonuses, scouting becomes increasingly important. These are some of the main reasons that Mozeliak repeatedly said that his staff "is focused on getting the Dominican Republic up and running 100 percent."

When it comes to tracing the sources of the other prospects in the Cardinals' top 30, the 2012 draft wins.

Three players taken in June cracked the top 10.

A fourth was recommended by yours truly for the top 10.

A total of seven 2012 draft picks are expected to appear in the top 30, and an eighth, shortstop Alex Mejia, would have been considered for the list had he not lost a big portion of his pro debut to a knee injury.

I'm always hesitant to have such a new-pick-heavy list. But we can get to that later. Here's the Cardinals' Top 10 Prospects as they appear in the current issue of Baseball America, on newsstands now:

1. Oscar Taveras, OF
2. Shelby Miller, RHP
3. Carlos Martinez, RHP
4. Trevor Rosenthal*, RHP
5. Kolten Wong, 2B
6. Michael Wacha, RHP
7. Matt Adams, 1B
8. Tyrell Jenkins, RHP
9. Carson Kelly, 3B
10. Stephen Piscotty, OF

* Rosenthal remains eligible for the list because he did not surpass the innings or appearance limits for rookie classification. Joe Kelly and Matt Carpenter are not eligible for the top 10 because they are not considered rookies coming into 2013.

I collect and report and then write a lot of the information that appears with each prospect in the magazine and the Prospect Handbook, which drops later this month. The final list is a cooperative of my views with the editors of BA, including Jim Callis, who has been doing this a lot longer and a lot better than correspondents like me. We had our debates this winter about the top 10 and who belongs in the top 30.

It's a lot different than a few years ago when we would struggle to find a difference between prospect No. 12 and prospect No. 28, and how neither of them would rank in the top 30 for a dozen other organizations.

Callis has already called the Cardinals' system the best in baseball several times in the past month. It's possible that when the magazine's rankings of overall systems is released later this month, the Cardinals will be No. 1 overall.

They were No. 30 -- last -- as recently as 2005.

In past Bird Land entries, I've outlined some of the things that I prioritize when it comes to ranking prospects. I've (over)simplified it into the four Ps of prospects ...

PROXIMITY -- As in, how close are they to the majors? For me, this would, as an example, put lefty John Gast ahead of, say, lefty Tim Cooney because one is in Class AAA and the other was just drafted.

POTENTIAL -- As in, what is their future impact on the majors? Are they a potential everyday player, an All-Star? Or, are they a utility fielder on the rise? This is the prong that has held a fourth outfielder, like Adron Chambers, back in the rankings even though his proximity is high.

PRODUCTION -- As in ... well, self-explanatory. What have they done in the minors? When it comes to the 2012 draft picks, this is the category that, for example, helps a hitter like Piscotty while outfielder James Ramsey, who was placed several levels higher, struggled in his debut. This is the elixir to the dream-on factor. At some point, a prospect does have to put his tools to good use, no?

POSITION -- As in, how premium of a position does the prospect play? This could be the deciding factor between a prospect who will remain a starter and on who might drift toward the bullpen. A shortstop who is going to remain a shortstop, for example, has more value than one who is going to become a left fielder in the future.

To the four-Ps the folks at Baseball America also factor in a fifth:

PICK -- As in, where were they drafted (or, in the international sense, how much were they signed for)? This makes sense. This is where rubber meets road for the teams. A team is going to take the player it believes is the best possible prospect higher in the draft, with few exceptions. It would seem odd to a few months after the draft rank a seventh-round pick ahead of a first-round pick. That would take some explaining.

As you can see, the player who fits the first four-Ps the best is Taveras, the Big O. Taveras has proximity (ETA 2013), potential (middle-order hitter), production (triple-crown threat at Class AA), and position (we'll see how long the CF run lasts).

Any rankings of future production are going to be flawed and they always invite armchair criticism. Hey, we could all accurately go back today and rank the Cardinals' top prospects in 2005. Hindsight is obvious, which is why readers aren't interested in it. The other part of these rankings that is imperfect is that players are only compared to players within the system. It is always my preference to compare prospects against larger pools -- because the Cardinals' No. 1 may not be in the top five for another organization, because the Cardinals' No. 15 may not rank in the top 30 for another organization. It's a false ranking in that sense because it inflates players in inferior systems. Please always keep that in mind when you view top 10s.

To combat that as best I can, I try answer the four-Ps for every prospect and then sort them for my list accordingly.

Wong, who is No. 5, has proximity over Wacha, who is No. 6. The infielder also has had more pro experience, so he arguably has the edge with production, too. Wacha's debut was impressive and his position (starting pitcher) has more value than Wong's (second base), especially when you look at the salaries starters are commanding. Their potential could be the tipping point a year from now when it's time to rank the top 10 for 2014.

That is, if they are both eligible.

There will be a chat about the Cardinals' Top 10 Prospects and the top 30 later this week at Baseball America's web site. But, why wait until then? I'll keep tabs on the comments here and answer whatever questions come out of them ...

***

Taveras and righty Seth Maness will be presented their awards as the organization's player and pitcher of the year, respectively, on Sunday at the annual dinner hosted by the St. Louis BBWAA Chapter. More information about the dinner can be found at the chapter's Facebook page. We're so modern.

-30-

Source: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/birdland/baseball-america-ranks-the-cardinals-top-prospects/article_d5870f4a-e21b-50cc-b5b7-663a83bb18c9.html

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A Cleaner, Better Rare Earths Mine

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Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/news/a-cleaner-better-rare-earths-mine-14977859?src=rss

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What did our ancestors look like? Hair and eye color can be determined for ancient human remains

Jan. 11, 2013 ? A new method of establishing hair and eye colour from modern forensic samples can also be used to identify details from ancient human remains, finds a new study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Investigative Genetics. The HIrisPlex DNA analysis system was able to reconstruct hair and eye colour from teeth up to 800 years old, including the Polish General Wladyslaw Sikorski (1881 to 1943) confirming his blue eyes and blond hair.

A team of researchers from Poland and the Netherlands, who recently developed the HIrisPlex system for forensic analysis, have now shown that this system is sufficiently robust to successfully work on older and more degraded samples from human remains such as teeth and bones. The system looks at 24 DNA polymorphisms (naturally occurring variations) which can be used to predict eye and hair colour.

Dr Wojciech Branicki, from the Institute of Forensic Research and Jagielonian University, Krak?w, who led this study together with Prof Manfred Kayser, from the Erasmus University Rotterdam, explained, "This system can be used to solve historical controversies where colour photographs or other records are missing. HIrisPlex was able to confirm that General Wladyslaw Sikorski, who died in a plane crash in 1943, had the blue eyes and blond hair present in portraits painted years after his death. Some of our samples were from unknown inmates of a World War II prison. In these cases HIrisPlex helped to put physical features to the other DNA evidence."

For medieval samples, where DNA is even more degraded, this system was still able to predict eye and hair colour (for the most degraded DNA samples eye colour alone), identifying one mysterious woman buried in the crypt of the Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec near Krak?w, sometime during the 12th-14th centuries, as having dark blond/brown hair and brown eyes.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BioMed Central Limited.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Jolanta Draus-Barini, Susan Walsh, Ewelina Pospiech, Tomasz Kupiec, Henryk Glab, Wojciech Branicki and Manfred Kayser. ona fide colour: DNA prediction of human eye and hair colour from ancient and contemporary skeletal remains. Investigative Genetics, 2013 (in press) [link]

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/top_news/top_science/~3/2uOq7slnWqw/130113201136.htm

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Zero Dark Thirty Tops Weekend Box Office

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/zero-dark-thirty-tops-weekend-box-office/

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The Joy of Your Fun-Tastic Timeshare Vacation ? Travel & Leisure

Like many others, you are wondering whether a time share would be a good way to spend your vacations. With so many different options it can seem overwhelming. Does it make more sense to rent or buy? Which makes sense for your family? You have the best chance of finding a great time share situation if you take some time to research your choices. Soon enough you?ll be having a fantastic time vacationing in your time share.

A time share rental is vacation property that is rented for an allotted amount of time. This is a good option for those who need more flexibility about where they travel and when. Since you don?t own the property you don?t have an asset you can sell, but you won?t have to deal with upkeep and maintenance. The down side of renting a time share is that it might be difficult to book during popular vacation times such as spring break and holidays. You will also have to compete for the more desirable tropical locations. But if you?ve got a family these accommodations are usually much roomier than a traditional hotel and often have nice amenities, such as a pool. Check out a timeshare listing site to see what?s available. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Purchasing a time share allows you to own a piece of vacation property in common with other travelers. Just like all the other owners, you?ll have a specific time period each year that you are allowed to use the property. This is a good option for families that are certain that they want to vacation in the same spot year after year. You can stretch your vacation dollars by eating in rather than dining out in restaurants. However, when you factor in dues for the HOA and maintenance those savings might not add up to much over the long haul. Getting a loan to pay for your time share can be difficult in this economic climate. It only makes sense to buy if it costs you less than staying at hotels in the same location. You can also rent the property out when you are unable to use it and even sell your share. Although there is not a big market time share resales and you probably won?t make your money back.

Whether you buy or rent a time share, you need to be fully aware of all the details including any hidden costs. Particularly in the resale market, it is important to make sure that your purchase includes all the benefits enjoyed by the original owner. In recent years developers have started to restrict amenities for use only the original owners. As with any big purchase, if you feel pressured to make a decision on-the-spot you can be sure it isn?t a good deal. Always keep the fact that this is a real estate deal clear in your mind. Before spending any money take the time to thoroughly evaluate your vacation needs. Will you get sick of going the same place twice a year or is it close to family you want to visit? Before signing any papers or writing a check make sure you?ve done your homework.

A time share can be a fantastic way to spend your vacation time. There are pluses and minuses for renting and buying. There are some great deals available but it pays to read the fine print and work the numbers. There are a lot of people who are very satisfied with their time shares. However, there are a lot of people who aren?t. Avoid their fate by honestly evaluating the opportunities you find. Before you know it your family will be relaxing on your annual time share vacation.

Looking to find the best deal on A Family Vacation ,

Source: http://boyajianmarc.com/travel/2013/01/13/the-joy-of-your-fun-tastic-timeshare-vacation/

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It's from a website called Eat Better America, which I found to be a great source for recipes. Sprinkle individual servings with peanuts and, if desired, green onion. Asterix and Obelisk kindled my imagination and fascination for the Roman Empire. It's a two storey construction Corinthian pillars and marble slabs which used to have large pools with water flowing out of carved lion's heads fed by pipes over two kilometers.

It moves up and down demonstrating how they were designed to sway gently (damn, buy rolex watch these Romans were really clever!) Ancient anti-earthquake proofing. So, yeah, lots of different places. : The initial track?: Yeah, exactly. It was just a hobby in 2006 to 2008 when the first record was recorded.

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You did not get picked by God to have a baby. No one ever offered how I might live up to such a rule, but itseemed pretty easy with such buy rolex watch a clear line. I have to tell you the Toluma goats are soooo cute!Toluma Farms is owned and operated by Dr.

David Jablons and Tamara buy rolex watch Hicks, along with their two girls, Josy and Emmy. MALT and the Agricultural Heritage buy rolex watch of the North BayThese three passionate Replica Rolex farming operations my store are part of the growing specialty cheese business in the North Bay. Admirals Cove is quite often known and heralded due to the amenities but the whole picture could be missed.

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Source: http://kaiseekta.blogspot.com/2013/01/isocial-chad-blog-travel-and-leisure.html

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Posted by Administrator on Jan 6, 2013 in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Multi-level marketing, like many other things in life, is a subject that requires a great deal of information to make it a success. Therefore, you should aim to learn the methods given in the below article to better your success.

Deciding that you should succeed is a great thing to do for network marketing. This is something that cannot be taken lightly, instead you need to treat it as though it were your own brick and mortar business. If you are unable to visualize your business becoming successful, then it won?t happen.

Set goals and expectations before beginning a multilevel marketing business. Are you taking up multi-level marketing just to have a hobby in your free time? Setting goals and working hard are the best ways to be successful.

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When you are writing on your website or writing for a seminar, be unique! Comprehensively cover everything!

Expect some problems when your first start but don?t always try to solve things by yourself. Find out what resources are available to you, or get assistance from the company for which you?re working. Not looking for help when you need it is a surefire way to dig yourself into a hole. Look for assistance as soon as you notice you are encountering an issue, and make sure you define your problem as clearly as possible.

Everyone loves to get something great for only a little bit of money! Choose a multi-level marketing company who provides coupons for the items you?ll be selling. There are many ways to give these coupons out, so get creative! The law of supply and demand says that people are more likely to buy something if it?s cheaper.

TIP! Many successful network marketers are eager to talk about the mistakes they?ve made and the strategies that have worked for them; keep an ear open for this experienced advice. You can often hear about other people?s network marketing stories from podcasts.

Follow what others are doing to succeed. Go up the line for better advice. By following in their steps, you will be able to duplicate their success in business. By mimicking the approaches and attitudes of these people, you will be able to rise to the top quickly. Not only should we learn from our mistakes, but also from the successes of others.

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TIP! With a negative approach, network marketing can become a game of life-or-death competition to sign up as many people as possible. Instead, think of how the work you do could help people, and work from there.

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It?s always a good idea to consult with consumer watchdogs entities prior to making any commitment. Whilst there are a lot of legitimate businesses in the marketplace, there is also a huge number of fraudulent ones. You need to be sure that your investment is safe. A good place to do research into a business that you are thinking of investing in is at a local chapter of the BBB (Better Business Bureau). The BBB can help you verify the reputation of that company.

You should see improvement every time you apply a new tip to your multi-level marketing efforts. Ultimately, your goal is to bring in as much profit as possible. Apply these tips to your marketing efforts to see a great improvement in your profit levels.

TIP! A good way to get ahead in marketing is to learn from all of your mistakes. Analyze the cost of every mistake and determine what went wrong.

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Source: http://leucabiz.com/blog/get-expert-advice-on-multilevel-marketing-success/

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Chris Brown: Cheating on Rihanna With Sommer Gargan?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/chris-brown-cheating-on-rihanna-with-sommer-gargan/

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Cuban Special Education Marks 51 Years with New Achievements ...

Havana, Jan 4 (Prensa Latina) ? Cuba Special Education is 51 years old now, with more than 12,000 teachers dedicated to teaching citizens under the principles of fairness and equal opportunity. In statements to Prensa Latina, the director of the Latin American Reference Center for Special Education, Santiago Borges, also noted that there are more than 500 special ed teachers with masters degrees and 122 with doctorates in Pedagogical Sciences in Cuba.

Through cooperation agreements, 400 masters students were also prepared in several countries, said the official.

After half a century, there has been sustained improvement of study plans in this type of education.

?We have resisted more than 50 years of economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States, but we introduced and validated new technologies for information and communication in order to ensure the access of children and adolescents to different types of learning?, he said.

?Today we have 372 schools where we provide special education to an enrollment of up to 39,340 children and young people with a staff of 15,703 teachers.

Source: http://victoriafriendsofcuba.wordpress.com/2013/01/04/cuban-special-education-marks-51-years-with-new-achievements/

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Insight: "Fiscal cliff" fracas: From smiles to distrust to rancor (reuters)

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