The US Census is an expensive beast to run when paper is involved: multiply the $96 per household of the 2010 Census by millions of households and you'll feel the government's pain. When the mandate is to keep those expenses in check for the 2020 study, it's almost no surprise that the Census Bureau is now telling the Washington Post that it expects to rely on the internet for its next decennial survey in the wake of smaller-scale trials. The anticipated move is about more than just cutting the costs of lengthy forms and postage stamps, though. While frugality is the primary goal, joining the modern era should also reduce the need for follow-ups -- the Bureau would know as soon as we were done, after all. There's no question that an online Census is overdue when swaths of the US government (and society) can already skip traditional paperwork, but we still appreciate having a tentative schedule for one of the last great digital transitions.
Everyone has something important to say and many want to write about it. ?They realise the value of recording and expressing their ideas and stories. The internet provides a new level of freedom for creative and intellectual expression. The law still has a quite a way to go to catch up if it is to protect creative and intellectual property with confidence. ??As a budding non-fiction writer, it is dishonourable and unethical to write and neglect to mention the many and varied influences, material and sources of your project. This is a matter of conscience as much as it is a legal issue.
Not everyone has the same conscience because not everyone has the same level of consciousness. The problem with relying on another?s conscience to do the right thing is that their conscience is probably at a different level to yours. You can tell this is the case because they steal your material, ideas or methods, or they use your trademark without permission, or they continue to use it even if they have been asked to cease and desist. In Australia, this is known as ?pushing your luck, mate,? which is usually said some time before they go for the legal jugular. ?If the thieves had a higher conscience about what they were doing, they would not steal your ideas, methods or use your trademarks. They would not pretend they were their property or that they created or invented them.
The conscience of those who try their hand at non-fiction writing do not appear to be bothered as they exclude their research references to other writers and their published materials, sources and other important academic details. It is also academically unsound. A book that does not mention reference material is much less credible than one that does.
As a non-fiction writer, it is unethical and often illegal to write without mentioning the source. The purpose of copyright is to protect the authors published works. This includes words published on blogs, social media, ebooks, websites, online magazines, emails, and of course hardcopy books, magazines, brochures, flyers, posters and other hard copy printed media. ?If you have been asked to discontinue using copyright material and you refuse, you may be held responsible by law for this action and you will be asked to financially compensate the holder of the copyright.
To read material for the purpose of gathering information to inspire or support a writing project is known as research.
To neglect to mention the source of your research is a breach of copyright.
Astute writers are highly intuitive. They have eyes in the back of their heads. They can spot their ideas and words being manipulated, paraphrased or plagiarised with the same shrewdness that tells them what their children are doing behind their backs.
It is also illegal to use trademarks without permission. If you don?t receive permission from the owner to use their trademark, then you are responsible for this action, and you may be asked to make financial compensation. If you have been asked to discontinue using the trademark and you have refused the request, then a demand for financial compensation will follow.
Trademarks and copyright of the written word are designed to acknowledge and protect the creative and intellectual property of the writer. To use a trademark that does not belong to you is a violation of the creative and intellectual boundaries of the owner as much as it is a violation of the creative and intellectual boundaries of the thief.
Wherever possible, a non-fiction writer who values the written word, and creative and intellectual property, and wants to maintain their integrity, and further their writing career, should endeavour to acknowledge others when they have influenced their writing, whether that is in a general way, in terms of ideas, or more specifically if a direct academic reference is required.
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Author, Counsellor and Director of Training at Body Soul Spirit
DUBAI (Reuters) - UK stocks of liquefied natural gas have swollen over the last week, data from National Grid shows, after three big Qatari deliveries helped replenish low heating fuel supplies during the coldest March in over half a century.
Britain's relatively small gas stocks fell to just 2,594 gigawatt hours (about 225 million cubic metres) on Saturday, according to the latest data from National Grid, as prolonged cold weather kept heating demand well above seasonal norms.
But three large deliveries from Qatar of super-cooled gas over the last week, with the latest unloading in Wales on Saturday, have swelled additional stocks of liquefied natural gas (LNG) held at import terminals to 6,219 GWh, or around 540 mcm, up from 358 mcm last Sunday.
Despite gas demand expected to be around 303 mcm on Sunday, about 20 percent above normal for the time of year, National Grid expects supplies coming from Norway, continental Europe and the UK's own North Sea gas fields to exceed demand.
Britain's Met office said on Thursday that March looked set to be the coldest since 1962, with a mean UK temperature of just 2.5 degrees Celsius between March 1 and March 26.
The prolonged cold weather has drained UK stocks held in traditional storage sites in gaseous form to around 5 percent of capacity on Saturday.
But with plentiful supplies coming in by pipeline, Britain's three large LNG import terminals only made small contributions to UK gas supply over the weekend, despite large deliveries to two of them over the last week.
The terminals - two in south Wales and one near London - each have several large storage tanks, some the size of London's Albert Hall, where they keep the gas super-chilled in its liquid state before warming it back into gaseous form when needed.
The three deliveries from Qatar, the world's largest LNG exporter, have swollen Britain's LNG stocks from around 30 percent full last Sunday to over 40 percent full ahead of the working week - a time when gas demand from industry rises.
Another LNG tanker is on course to deliver a cargo from Trinidad on Monday, according to ship tracking data on Reuters, which should boost UK gas stocks by about another 80 mcm.
According to Reuters analysis of AIS data transmitted by the world's fleet of LNG tankers on Sunday, there were no other ships indicating that they are heading to Britain.
There were three Qatari LNG tankers heading north through the Red Sea on Sunday, any of which might be destined for the UK. Qatari LNG tankers typically do not specify their final destinations until they have emerged from the Suez Canal.
Still waiting for that upgrade to Jelly Bean? So are most Android users, if that's any consolation. While you might not see Android 4.2 before Google moves on to the next letter in its OS alphabet, you can get Jelly Bean's Quick Settings feature via a new app from AntTek. Available via Google Play, the program is compatible with Android 2.1 or later (no rooting required). It's pretty straightforward: you get a customizable settings menu, with options such as direct calling and email along with shortcuts to apps.
We downloaded the free app and spent a few minutes toying around -- it looks almost exactly like Quick Settings on Jelly Bean, and there are several controls for tweaking icon size, changing the theme and selecting what actions you'd like to display. We're not huge fans of the red drop-down panel that you swipe to bring up the app, but you can minimize its size and adjust its position on the top of the home screen. AntTek says a pro version, with additional functionality and an unlimited number of icons on the Quick Settings panel, will be available for €1.49. Hit up the source link below to download the app.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? A senior Air Force general is being nominated to take over as commander of all U.S. and NATO forces in Europe.
Gen. Philip M. Breedlove is the top Air Force commander in Europe. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says Breedlove is particularly well qualified. Hagel announced the nomination Thursday.
If confirmed, Breedlove would be the first Air Force general to hold the top NATO job since Joseph Ralston served in the post from 2000-2003.
Breedlove would succeed Navy Adm. James Stavridis, who has held the job since 2009.
President Barack Obama chose Breedlove after his first choice for the job, Marine Gen. John Allen, announced he would retire after 19 months commanding allied forces in Afghanistan because of his wife's health issues.
It was only two days ago that ZeroDesktop launched MiiPC, a $99 kid-safe Android PC, and the Kickstarter campaign's already surpassed its $50,000 goal. To jog your memory, MiiPC is an attractive 4.7 x 4.7 x 3.1-inch desktop computer running Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It's powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Marvell New Armada SoC with 1GB of RAM, 4GB of flash storage, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. The system features an SD card slot in front, a power button on top and a full array of ports in the back, including two USB 2.0, HDMI, analog audio I/O, Ethernet and power.
What makes this device so unique is the software, which is optimized for use with a large screen (up to 1080p), keyboard and mouse. It provides a desktop-class web browsing experience with Flash and runs standard Android apps. MiiPC supports multiple user accounts which can be controlled and monitored remotely in real-time using a companion app for iOS and Android. The idea is for parents to create a safe online environment for their kids by managing their access to the web and to apps. We got the chance to play with a prototype MiiPC yesterday -- read our impressions and watch out hands-on video after the break.
Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...
The last time we saw UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, he was defending his belt against Nick Diaz at UFC 158. But now you'll get to see him outside the cage, as he was just cast in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." GSP will play Batroc the Leaper, a French mercenary and kickboxer with a penchant for kicking Captain America.
BOSTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed charging compounding pharmacies fees to pay for the oversight needed to prevent a recurrence of the meningitis outbreak that killed 50 people and sickened hundreds more.
FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in an official blog post on Friday that serious problems continue to take place at compounding pharmacies and she is hopeful that the Senate committee with jurisdiction over the issue "will yield strong legislation for patients across the nation."
The post can be found at: http://blogs.fda.gov/fdavoice/index.php/2013/03/fda-must-have-new-authorities-to-regulate-pharmacy-compounding/?source=govdelivery
Hamburg said a possible mechanism for funding the additional oversight could include registration or other fees of the kind Congress has authorized in other instances. Pharmaceutical companies, for example, pay fees to help fund the FDA's drug review process.
Hamburg would like to explore more ideas with Congress, including requiring compounded drugs to have clear labels identifying the nature and source of the product.
The meningitis outbreak was linked to a tainted steroid shipped last year by the New England Compounding Center (NECC), which filed for bankruptcy protection in December after U.S. authorities shut down its pharmacy operations in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Since the NECC case came to light, the FDA has insisted that its authority over specialty pharmacies is too limited.
"Even during this time of heightened awareness, our inspectors are being delayed in their work or denied full access to records at some of the facilities we are inspecting," Hamburg said.
She added that serious problems at compounding pharmacies continue to occur. This week, there had been two recalls of sterile compounded and repackaged drug products.
In one, the presence of floating particles later identified to be a fungus were reported in five bags of magnesium sulfate intravenous solution, resulting in a nationwide recall. In the other, all sterile drug products from a second pharmacy were recalled after reports that five patients suffered serious eye infections associated with a repackaged product.
(Reporting by Tim McLaughlin in Boston, additional reporting by Toni Clarke in Washington; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz)
Engaging the US astronomy community -- NSF awards partnership-planning grant to TMTPublic release date: 18-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Gordon K. Squires squires@tmt.org 626-216-4257 California Institute of Technology
Today the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a cooperative agreement to the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Observatory Corporation to explore a potential partnership between the organizations.
The award is a milestone for the TMT project, initiating a broad dialog between TMT, the NSF and the United States' astronomical community. The partnership-planning award also paves the way for the NSF to confer with TMT's international partners.
"The NSF award is a key development in our vision for TMT," said Henry Yang, Chancellor of the University of California - Santa Barbara, and Chair of the TMT Collaborative Board. "The full promise of this revolutionary telescope will be realizable with the engagement of the national astronomical community."
The NSF award allocates $250,000 per year for five years to partnership-planning activities that include scientific workshops and participation by U.S. scientists in the TMT Science Advisory Committee and the TMT Collaborative Board. The five-year program of engagement and planning will deliver a plan that addresses science, education and public outreach, instrumentation, and operation of the facility from the perspective of the U.S. astronomy community. This plan will be developed and refined in a series of joint meetings bringing together all U.S. and international stakeholders.
The National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) in Tucson, AZ will play an important role in carrying out the activities of the cooperative agreement. NOAO will establish a U.S. TMT liaison activity within its System Community Development group and NOAO astronomer Todd Boroson has been selected as the U.S. TMT Liaison Scientist.
"With this award by the NSF, an important process has begun of engaging the astronomical community in the ongoing design and development of TMT," said Boroson. "Astronomers nationwide have a great opportunity to offer their expertise in advancing the TMT project."
The TMT partnership plans to initiate construction in 2014. At present, the NSF does not commit to helping fund the construction costs of TMT; however TMT planning allows the entry of the NSF later in the construction period. The long lifespan of a major telescope endeavor such as TMT ensures that any partners will have ample opportunities to contribute during various phases of the project. TMT's development plan calls for it to provide valuable research opportunities and discoveries for 50 years.
As the partnership planning moves ahead as a result of the NSF award, international partner organizations and their governments will soon be able to consult more closely on TMT's development.
"We are delighted by the dialog the NSF partnership-planning award enables. This elevates the dialog to the national and international levels," said Ed Stone, David Morrisroe Professor of Physics at Caltech, and Vice-Chair of the TMT Collaborative Board.
###
About TMT:
TMT is the next-generation astronomical observatory scheduled to begin scientific operations in 2021 on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. TMT is a collaboration of California Institute of Technology, University of California, the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, a consortium of Chinese institutions led by the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and institutions in India supported by the Department of Science and Technology of India. Major funding for TMT has been provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
For more information about TMT: http://www.tmt.org
About the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, established in 2000, seeks to advance scientific research, environmental conservation and patient care. The foundation's Science Program has committed $250 million to fund the design, development and construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). For more information, please visit http://www.moore.org.
Contact:
Gordon K. Squires
TMT Communications & Outreach Lead
squires@tmt.org
626-216-4257
Todd Boroson
U.S. TMT Liaison Scientist
tyb@noao.edu
520-318-8352
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Engaging the US astronomy community -- NSF awards partnership-planning grant to TMTPublic release date: 18-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Gordon K. Squires squires@tmt.org 626-216-4257 California Institute of Technology
Today the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a cooperative agreement to the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Observatory Corporation to explore a potential partnership between the organizations.
The award is a milestone for the TMT project, initiating a broad dialog between TMT, the NSF and the United States' astronomical community. The partnership-planning award also paves the way for the NSF to confer with TMT's international partners.
"The NSF award is a key development in our vision for TMT," said Henry Yang, Chancellor of the University of California - Santa Barbara, and Chair of the TMT Collaborative Board. "The full promise of this revolutionary telescope will be realizable with the engagement of the national astronomical community."
The NSF award allocates $250,000 per year for five years to partnership-planning activities that include scientific workshops and participation by U.S. scientists in the TMT Science Advisory Committee and the TMT Collaborative Board. The five-year program of engagement and planning will deliver a plan that addresses science, education and public outreach, instrumentation, and operation of the facility from the perspective of the U.S. astronomy community. This plan will be developed and refined in a series of joint meetings bringing together all U.S. and international stakeholders.
The National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) in Tucson, AZ will play an important role in carrying out the activities of the cooperative agreement. NOAO will establish a U.S. TMT liaison activity within its System Community Development group and NOAO astronomer Todd Boroson has been selected as the U.S. TMT Liaison Scientist.
"With this award by the NSF, an important process has begun of engaging the astronomical community in the ongoing design and development of TMT," said Boroson. "Astronomers nationwide have a great opportunity to offer their expertise in advancing the TMT project."
The TMT partnership plans to initiate construction in 2014. At present, the NSF does not commit to helping fund the construction costs of TMT; however TMT planning allows the entry of the NSF later in the construction period. The long lifespan of a major telescope endeavor such as TMT ensures that any partners will have ample opportunities to contribute during various phases of the project. TMT's development plan calls for it to provide valuable research opportunities and discoveries for 50 years.
As the partnership planning moves ahead as a result of the NSF award, international partner organizations and their governments will soon be able to consult more closely on TMT's development.
"We are delighted by the dialog the NSF partnership-planning award enables. This elevates the dialog to the national and international levels," said Ed Stone, David Morrisroe Professor of Physics at Caltech, and Vice-Chair of the TMT Collaborative Board.
###
About TMT:
TMT is the next-generation astronomical observatory scheduled to begin scientific operations in 2021 on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. TMT is a collaboration of California Institute of Technology, University of California, the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, a consortium of Chinese institutions led by the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and institutions in India supported by the Department of Science and Technology of India. Major funding for TMT has been provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
For more information about TMT: http://www.tmt.org
About the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, established in 2000, seeks to advance scientific research, environmental conservation and patient care. The foundation's Science Program has committed $250 million to fund the design, development and construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). For more information, please visit http://www.moore.org.
Contact:
Gordon K. Squires
TMT Communications & Outreach Lead
squires@tmt.org
626-216-4257
Todd Boroson
U.S. TMT Liaison Scientist
tyb@noao.edu
520-318-8352
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Mar. 17, 2013 ? Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that macrophages -- white blood cells that play a key role in the immune response -- also help to both produce and eliminate the body's red blood cells (RBCs). The findings could lead to novel therapies for diseases or conditions in which the red blood cell production is thrown out of balance.
The study, conducted in mice, is published today in the online edition of the journal Nature Medicine.
"Our findings offer intriguing new insights into how the body maintains a healthy balance of red blood cells," said study leader Paul Frenette, M.D., professor of medicine and of cell biology and director of the Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research at Einstein. "We've shown that macrophages in the bone marrow and the spleen nurture the production of new red blood cells at the same time that they clear aging red blood cells from the circulation. This understanding may ultimately help us to devise new therapies for conditions that lead to abnormal RBC counts, such as hemolytic anemia, polycythemia vera, and acute blood loss, plus aid recovery from chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation." Einstein has filed a joint patent application with Mount Sinai related to this research, which is currently available for licensing and further commercialization.
Previous studies, all done in the laboratory, had suggested that macrophages in the bone marrow act as nurse cells for erythroblasts, which are RBC precursors. But just how these "erythroblastic islands" (macrophages surrounded by erythroblasts) function in living animals was unclear.
A few years ago, Andrew Chow, a Mount Sinai M.D./Ph.D. student in the laboratories of Drs. Frenette, and Miriam Merad, M.D., Ph.D., professor of oncological sciences and immunology at Mount Sinai found that bone marrow macrophages express a cell surface molecule called sialoadhesin, or CD169 -- a target that could be used for selectively eliminating macrophages from bone marrow. Doing so would help pinpoint the role of macrophages in erythroblastic islands in vivo.
That's what Drs. Frenette and Merad did in the current study involving mice. They found that selectively eliminating CD169-positive macrophages in mice reduces the number of bone marrow erythroblasts -- evidence that these macrophages are indeed vital for the survival of erythroblasts, which develop into RBCs.
"What was surprising is that we couldn't see any significant anemia afterward," said Dr. Frenette. The researchers then analyzed the lifespan of the red blood cells and found that they were circulating for a longer time than usual.
"After we depleted the macrophages in the bone marrow, we discovered that we had also depleted CD169-positive macrophages present in the spleen and liver. It turns out that the macrophages in these two organs are quite important in removing old red blood cells from the peripheral circulation. Taken together, the findings show that these macrophages have a dual role, both producing and clearing red blood cells," he said.
The researchers also examined the role of macrophages in polycythemia vera, a genetic disease in which the bone marrow produces too many RBCs, typically leading to breathing difficulties, dizziness, excessive blood clotting and other symptoms. Using a mouse model of polycythemia vera, they found that depleting CD169-positive macrophages in bone marrow normalizes the RBC count. "This points to a new way to control polycythemia vera," said Dr. Frenette. "Right now, the standard of care is phlebotomy [periodic blood removal], which is cumbersome."
The title of the paper is "CD169+ macrophages provide a niche promoting erythropoiesis under homeostasis and stress." The first author of the paper is Dr. Andrew Chow. Other co-authors of the study include Matthew Huggins, Daniel Lucas, Ph.D., Jalal Ahmed, B.S., Sandra Pinho, Ph.D., Yuya Kunisaki, M.D., Ph.D., and Aviv Bergman, Ph.D., of Einstein, and Daigo Hashimoto, M.D., Ph.D., Clara Noizat and Marylene Leboeuf of Mount Sinai, New York, NY. The study was done in collaboration with Nico van Rooijen at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Masato Tanaka at RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology, Yokohama, Japan, and Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Tokyo, Japan; and Zhizhuang Joe Zhao, Ph.D., at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK.
The study was supported by grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01 HL097700, R01HL069438, and R01HL116340); the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R01DK056638); and the National Cancer Institute (R01CA112100), all part of the National Institutes of Health.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Andrew Chow et al. CD169 macrophages provide a niche promoting erythropoiesis under homeostasis and stress. Nature Medicine, 2013
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.
Android: Google just updated the official Gmail app for Android, adding quick shortcuts to the notification drawer and improved inbox search.
Now, if you're running Jelly Bean or above, you'll see shortcuts for Archive and Reply under Gmail notifications in the notification drawer, letting you quickly act on messages as you get them. The update also includes faster search and better search suggestions within the app. Both are welcome updates, and you can grab them by updating Gmail from Google Play. Hit the link below to read more.
Reply and search faster with the Gmail app for Android | Official Gmail Blog
DETROIT (AP) -- Wayne State University professors in Detroit and teachers in a suburban school district separately agreed to eight-year contracts, weeks before Michigan's new right-to-work law takes effect.
The law bans mandatory payments from employees to the unions that represent them under collective bargaining agreements. It takes effect in late March.
Some schools are seeking to circumvent it by signing agreements before then, according to backers of the legislation.
At Wayne State, the American Association of University Professors-American Federation of Teachers Local 6075 announced the contract ratification Thursday. The union said 93 percent of professors who voted approved the deal. The school's board of governors must approve the pact.
The 1,950 employees represented by the union won't get pay increases this year but will get $1,000 bonuses, 2.75 percent raises next year and 2.5 percent raises in future years.
The contract replaces one that expired July 31, 2012.
On Wednesday, teachers in Warren Consolidated Schools north of Detroit approved an eight-year contract extension. The school board approved it Wednesday.
The old deal was set to expire in August.
"This contract extension is a very important milestone for both the school district and the Warren Education Association because it gives the school district a significant amount of stability to manage its finances locally for an extended period of time," Superintendent Robert Livernois said in a news release that was reported by the Detroit Free Press.
"Being able to control budgets and finances locally is critical in these times of reduced state funding for public education."
There will be no changes to teachers' salaries, district spokesman Bob Freehan said.
Negotiations started six months ago with no intent to skirt the right-to-work bills passed in December by the state Legislature, Freehan added.
The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor said Wednesday that it reached a tentative agreement on a five-year contract with lecturers.
First lady Michelle Obama speaks at the Partnership for a Healthier America's second Building a Healthier Future Summit on childhood obesity, Friday, March 8, 2013, at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
First lady Michelle Obama speaks at the Partnership for a Healthier America's second Building a Healthier Future Summit on childhood obesity, Friday, March 8, 2013, at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
First lady Michelle Obama speaks at the Partnership for a Healthier America's second Building a Healthier Future Summit on childhood obesity, Friday, March 8, 2013, at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Newark, N..J. Mayor Cory Booker gestures as he speaks before first lady Michelle Obama, at the Partnership for a Healthier America's second Building a Healthier Future Summit on childhood obesity, Friday, March 8, 2013, at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
New York football Giants quarterback Eli Manning gestures as he speaks before first lady Michelle Obama, at the Partnership for a Healthier America's second Building a Healthier Future Summit on childhood obesity, Friday, March 8, 2013, at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Michelle Obama praised the food industry on Friday for its efforts to market healthier foods but said more needs to be done.
At a speech before a childhood obesity summit, the first lady encouraged the industry to put better labels on food, limit marketing of unhealthy foods, and do more to promote healthy foods.
She invoked her pre-White House years as a working mom who would run through the grocery store trying to make healthy decisions for her children.
"I didn't exactly have time to peruse the aisles, thoughtfully reading labels, and I know my experiences are not unique," she said.
She praised companies like Disney, Mars, Hershey and PepsiCo. that she said have made efforts to reduce marketing of unhealthy foods to children. But she said, "We have a lot of work to do."
Mrs. Obama encouraged companies not just to limit junk food marketing but to promote healthier foods.
The first lady did not mention a government effort to establish voluntary guidelines for marketing foods to kids. That effort was directed by Congress in 2009 and the Federal Trade Commission issued a draft of the guidelines in 2011, urging companies only to market foods to children if they are low in fats, sugars and sodium and contain specified healthy ingredients. The effort fizzled after food and advertising companies balked and conservatives on Capitol Hill criticized the effort.
On Friday, Mrs. Obama appealed directly to the food industry to limit marketing and promote healthy foods. She cited studies that showed kids would reach for vegetables if they were marketed with popular characters such as Elmo.
"When businesses step up it's important to applaud their efforts, but also to encourage them to do even more," she said.
Mrs. Obama also encouraged parents not just to feed their children well but to stay healthy themselves.
Reducing childhood obesity is "a moral obligation to our children" and "a patriotic obligation to our country," she said.
Mrs. Obama was joined by Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning at the Partnership for Healthier America's summit. The private group was formed in conjunction with the first lady's Let's Move campaign to combat childhood obesity and works to secure commitments from industry and others for healthier eating and fitness.
"What inspires me now is that so many Americans are joining together and looking at the crisis of obesity in America," Booker said.
___
Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mcjalonick
There were plenty of Office users none too pleased with Microsoft's recent decision to tie Office 2013 retail licenses to the PC they were originally installed on, and it looks like the company has been listening to them. Microsoft announced in a blog post today that it's changing the policy, and will now allow users to transfer the license if they get a new PC or the old one fails. The company says that it will update the actual license agreement included with the software in a future release, but makes it clear that the change is effective immediately. Of course, there are still some limitations. You can't transfer the license more than once every 90 days unless there's a hardware failure, and you still can't have the software on more than one computer at the same time. You can find the full text of the new license at the source link.
NEW YORK (AP) ? Shares of J.C. Penney fell 10.6 percent on Tuesday to a four-year low after media reports said a large shareholder sold of a chunk of the struggling retailer's stock.
The stock lost $1.78 to close at $14.96, its lowest price since March 2009.
Vornado Realty Trust, once the company's second largest shareholder, sold almost half its stake, or 10 million shares, at $16.40 per share through Deutsche Bank AG, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday that cited people familiar with the matter. That price would be a 2 percent discount to the stock's closing price of $16.74 on Monday.
CNBC and The Wall Street Journal late Monday reported Deutsche Bank was shopping the shares around, also citing unnamed sources. Vornado did not return calls for comment. Deutsche Bank declined to comment.
Again citing unnamed sources, the Journal said that some of Penney's board members, including activist investor William Ackman, may want to sell the company or replace CEO Ron Johnson, if a steep sales slide isn't halted.
It's the latest in a string of bad news for J.C. Penney. The chain is in the middle of a legal battle with Macy's, which sued media and merchandising company Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia for breaching an exclusive contract when Martha Stewart signed a deal with Penney in December 2011 to open shops at most of its stores this spring.
It's also reeling from drastic changes that Johnson has made to its business, including slashing the number of sales in favor of everyday low prices, bringing in hipper designer brands such as Betsy Johnson and remaking outdated stores.
The company has reported big losses and sales declines for four straight quarters since it started the strategy. In its most recent quarter ended Feb. 2, the Plano, Texas retailer reported a much larger-than-expected loss as revenue plunged nearly 30 percent.
Investors have sent shares of Penney down more than 61 percent from a peak of $43 in the days after the pricing plan was rolled out a year ago.
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's adoring supporters prayed and wept on Tuesday over a serious setback in his battle against a cancer that threatens to end his 14-year rule of the South American OPEC member.
"There is so much sadness and confusion," said one die-hard "Chavista," Marisol Aponte, a community worker in the slums of Caracas, her voice choking with emotion. "But we must be strong and put into practice all that he has taught us."
In one of the gloomiest announcements to date on Chavez's health, the government said on Monday night that his breathing problems had worsened and he was suffering from a "severe" new respiratory infection in a Caracas military hospital.
The 58-year-old president has not been seen in public nor heard from since undergoing surgery in Cuba on December 11, his fourth operation since the disease was detected in his pelvic area in mid-2011.
"God's will be done. We are just praying for him, as we have always done," said Maria Fernandez, 33, who works as a volunteer in a Socialist Party office that occupies Chavez's former home in the rural village of Sabaneta, where he grew up.
Several dozen people gathered from early morning at the Catholic chapel in the military hospital where Chavez has spent the last two weeks since returning from Cuba. Some prayed aloud, while others wept quietly.
The government has repeatedly said he is fighting for his life. Though short on medical details, officials have said he is breathing through a tracheal tube, unable to speak, and undergoing a new round of chemotherapy treatment.
The government is furious at speculation, particularly among pro-opposition media, that Chavez may already be dead. Opposition leader Henrique Capriles has repeatedly accused Vice President Nicolas Maduro and others of lying about Chavez's condition.
'WORSENING' CONDITION
Chavez suffered multiple complications after the December 11 surgery, including unexpected bleeding and an earlier severe respiratory infection that officials said had been controlled.
"Today there is a worsening of his respiratory function, related to his depressed immune system. There is now a new, severe infection," Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said on Monday night.
"The commander-president remains clinging to Christ and to life, conscious of the difficulties he is facing, and complying strictly with the program designed by his medical team."
Chavez has undergone several grueling rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, which at times left him bald and bloated. He twice wrongly declared himself cured.
The only sight of the former soldier since his latest operation were four photos published by the government while he was still in Havana that show him lying in a hospital bed.
Dozens of student demonstrators have been holding protests around Venezuela, including chaining themselves up in public, to demand proof that Chavez is alive and in Venezuela.
Should the Venezuelan leader step down or die, an election would be held within 30 days and would probably pit Maduro against Capriles. Polls show Maduro is the favorite, helped by Chavez's personal endorsement as his successor.
The stakes are high, too, for other left-leaning nations around Latin America and the Caribbean. Chavez's oil-financed largess has boosted economies of allies from Cuba and Nicaragua, to Bolivia and Ecuador.
(Reporting by Andrew Cawthorne; Additional reporting by Girish Gupta and Daniel Wallis; Editing by Kieran Murray and Eric Beech)
It doesn't look like he'll have to do much research to figure that part of the character out.![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 18-Mar-2013
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