Founded by actor Robert Redford (and named for his character in the 1969 film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"), Sundance Film Festival is still the biggest American festival for independent film and is held every year in Park City and other Utah venues. Some movies have gotten buzz there, then failed to cross over at the box office or awards shows, but many films seen at Sundance have proven to be the next big hits ? some have even been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar (like Sundance favorites "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Precious"). The festival also traditionally has strong documentary offerings, by first-time and veteran filmmakers. Here are five documentaries from the festival that already have critics and audiences raving.
- Molly Driscoll
The documentary directed by Victoria Bruce and Karin Hayes examines corporations which are not paying taxes, a circumstance they believe that has the tacit approval of the government.
Dmitri Young?s comeback hasn?t found a home yet, but Jim Bowden of ESPN.com reports that the 38-year-old recently worked out for the Phillies.
Young hasn?t played in the majors since 2008, so it?s a long shot, but hitting was never the reason for his demise and he?s dropped 75 pounds.
According to Bowden the Phillies were impressed by Young?s workout, but there?s no word yet if they?re interested in actually signing him to what would presumably be a minor-league contract.
In the meantime he?ll continue to eat one piece of pecan pie and ?call it a day.?
Got your wire-rimmed spectacles on? Had a full night's rest? Eager to get those synapses firing? Here's hoping, because Marc Cheneau and co. are doing everything they can to stretch the sheer meaning of quantum understanding. The aforesaid scientists recently published an article that details a method for measuring quantum particle interaction in a way that has previously been considered impossible. Put simply (or, as simply as possible), the famed Lieb-Robinson bound was "quantified experimentally for the first time, using a real quantum gas." The technobabble rolls on quite severely from there, but the key here is realize just how much of an impact this has on the study of quantum entanglement, and in turn, quantum computing. For those interested in seeing what lives in a world beyond silicon, dig into the links below. You may never escape, though -- just sayin'.
', search:''
},
// Stored objects
$container = $(loc),
now = new Date(),
current = now,
minDate = new Date('12/5/2007'),
station = wng_pageInfo.affiliateName||'kotv',
months = ['January', 'February', 'March', 'April', 'May', 'June', 'July', 'August', 'September', 'October', 'November', 'December'],
monthLengths = [31, 28, 31, 30, 31, 30, 31, 31, 30, 31, 30, 31],
// Helper methods
renderTemplate = function(tpl, vars) {
var retVal = templates[tpl];
if (typeof(retVal) === 'string') {
for (var i in vars) {
var regEx = new RegExp('\{' + i + '\}', 'g');
retVal = retVal.replace(regEx, vars[i]);
}
} else {
retVal = null;
}
return retVal;
},
// Renderers
makeCalendar = function(date) {
// Copy the date to a new object (so as not to overwrite the original) and set us to the beginning of the month
date = new Date(date);
date.setDate(1);
current = date;
var
month = date.getMonth(),
year = date.getFullYear(),
firstDay = date.getDay(),
out = '',
days = '',
colCount = 0,
monthLength = monthLengths[month] + (month == 1 && year % 4 == 0 ? 2 : 1); // Figure up the month length taking into consideration leap years. Not accurate to 100+ years
// Render the days before the start of the month if necessary
for (var i = 0; i = minDate) {
tpl = 'dayClickable';
}
days += renderTemplate(tpl, {date:i});
colCount++;
if (colCount % 7 == 0) {
out += renderTemplate('week', {week:days});
days = '';
}
}
// Tack on the last week
if (days != '') {
out += renderTemplate('week', {week:days});
}
// Render to the DOM
out = renderTemplate('calendar', {days:out});
out = renderTemplate('controls', {month:months[month], year:year}) + out + templates.search;
$container.html(out);
// Determine whether the previous/next buttons should be shown
date.setDate(1);
if (date 12) {
month = 1;
year++;
}
makeCalendar(new Date(month + '/1/' + year));
}
},
// Init
init = function() {
$container.addClass('gnmCalendar');
makeCalendar(now);
};
init();
};
Tinkering -- that hands-on, garage-based tradition which sparked inventions ranging from the airplane and electric light bulb to the Apple computer -- is making a comeback among average Americans, promising to change our lives for the better on several fronts.
Known by such monikers as DIY (Do It Yourself) and the Maker Movement, its resurrection, fueled by the current economic downturn and the falling cost of high-tech tools and materials, stands not only to boost innovation and change how science is taught in the classroom, but could herald a new industrial revolution, suggest the Economist, the Wall Street Journal and other luminaries.
The potential power of this movement is indeed thought-provoking. It rests on DIYers (who range from young students to everyday adults) believing that the average person has the ability to understand and apply technology in ways like never before, enabling ordinary individuals to build, even invent, meaningful creations of their own that they are passionate about -- from robots and sophisticated LED (light emitting diode) systems for movie film production to energy-smart conveniences for the home.
Through robust support networks that they've developed nationwide, DIYers delight in joining with like-minded friends, mentors and peers (either online or in-person) to tinker, create, hack and re-use materials, while learning to use such tools as computer-controlled table saws, 3-D printers, welding equipment and laser cutters to produce prototypes of their creations.
For me, as founder and chief organizer of the U.S.A. Science & Engineering Festival (the nation's largest celebration of science and engineering), the merging of DIY with technology represents a vibrant breath of fresh air across America, particularly what it means for inspiring the next generation of innovators. And I am not alone: Educators are realizing that hands-on experiences represented by such activities as tinkering and building may be one of the most powerful keys to improving STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics education) in this country. That's because students learn best by doing, especially when done in an engaging environment with peers and mentors.
Not surprisingly, engineering schools across the country, for example, report that undergrad students are showing an enthusiasm for hands-on work in DIY technology activities that hasn't been seen in years.
DIY also cannot help but to have a positive impact on the human spirit itself, says Naomi Lamoreaux, an economic historian at the University of California, Los Angeles. "The really dynamic times in our history are times when you have lots of ordinary people who think they have a chance to make a difference," she opines.
Yes, the chance to make a difference is indeed a powerful motivator, especially for young students. That is why the U.S.A. Science & Engineering Festival hosted by Lockheed Martin this April is devoting a significant portion of the event to exciting, hands-on DIY encounters -- all designed to inspire budding inventors and entrepreneurs with ideas, tools and resources to help them make their dreams a reality. From robotic technology to amazing desktop manufacturing technology that makes prototype development easy and cost-effective, future innovators will find it all during the Festival's finale Expo (as well as in the Robot Fest and DIY Expo pavilion) in Washington, D.C. on April 28-29.
The Festival is also a fantastic place for technical experts of all kinds to learn about the amazing advances that have been made in technology to help them make product prototypes find designs online for parts and components, and meet an array of experts to help them bring their product ideas to life.
Participants and activities such as the following will make the Festival an unforgettable one-stop experience in DIY:
--Organizations like MakerBot Industries, Fab Lab DC and Fab@Home by Cornell University and Dassault Syst?mes Americas will demonstrate how to develop product prototypes via digital fabrication and 3D printers, while Sparkfun Electronics will show how to develop new product ideas more easily and inexpensively through electronics and microcontroller kits. The Festival will also feature an array of robotic technology ranging from military, manufacturing and surgical robots to more entertaining robots like R2DC's Star Wars droids and other exhibits that allow attendees to build their own robots.
--At the DIY Expo, budding entrepreneurs will be able to network with members of various "hackerspace" groups, such as the Baltimore Node, Unallocated Space and HacDC, who work collaboratively to network, socialize and develop technical solutions and new innovative products in their spare time, simply because they love to tinker with new ideas, create something from nothing, and solve problems!
--In addition, the Festival also features a Book Fair that includes some of the leading authors and experts in the DIY world, including William Gurstelle, author of The Practical Pyromaniac. Gurstelle, a professional engineer, has been researching and building model catapults, ballistic devices and flamethrowers for more than 30 years. Dustyn Roberts, author of Making Things Move: DIY Mechanisms for Inventors, Hobbyists and Artists, will also appear at the Festival. Roberts, also an engineer, started her career at Honeybee Robotics working on a project for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission.
The late Steve Jobs (who was perhaps the ultimate modern-day DIYer), was right when he said individuals who invent, build and make things have the power to change the world -- or at least a part of it.
?
Follow Larry Bock on Twitter: www.twitter.com/usasciencefest
The University of Maryland on Thursday lost successful women?s soccer coach Brian Pensky to Tennessee, a program with big ambitions and, apparently, more money to offer.
After turning down an overture about two weeks ago, Pensky accepted the Volunteers? second proposal Wednesday.
?I wasn?t ready to leave Maryland after working so hard to create what we did,? he told the Insider. ?Tennessee called again a few days ago, and at the same time, I was wondering: ?What if??
?I love these kids, I love the program, and in many ways, it?s very sad to go, but the opportunity was too good to pass up.?
Maryland didn?t match Tennessee?s second offer, said Pensky, who had three years remaining on his contract. He declined to discuss details of his Maryland and Tennessee agreements.
More.....
A source unaffiliated with Maryland said Pensky was offered a contract extension at the same salary.
The Maryland athletic department is saddled with a multimillion-dollar deficit and, in November, recommended cutting eight varsity programs. Women?s soccer was never in danger, but its operating budget, according to soccer industry sources, is less than half of Tennessee?s. (Tennessee, however, doesn?t offer men?s soccer.)
The Tenneesee women?s team plays in a facility of its own, 3,000-seat Regal Stadium, which was built five years ago. Knoxville-based Regal Entertainment Group financed most of the project, according to the university?s Web site.
At Maryland, the men?s and women?s teams have shared Ludwig Field with lacrosse and track and field. Trailers serve as game-day locker rooms.
The ACC is the top-rated women?s soccer league; the SEC is third.
As of late Thursday night, Maryland hadn?t announced Pensky?s departure. Tennessee issued a news release in the afternoon.
Pensky worked at Maryland for 10 years ? three as a men?s assistant and seven in charge of the women?s program. After four losing seasons, the Terrapins posted a 44-14-9 record the past three years and advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament twice. Soccer America named him the national coach of the year in 2010.
Prior to Maryland, Pensky was the boys? coach at Bullis School in Potomac and an assistant at George Washington University (women) and Loyola in Baltimore (men).
Tennessee was 15-7-0 last season and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Pensky?s predecessor, Angela Kelly, was 160-84-20 with nine NCAA berths in 12 years. She left Knoxville to become the Texas coach.
James Farentino, who appeared in tons of movies and television shows, died at the Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles of heart failure. The actor is [...]
BEIJING ? About 30 Tibetans injured after Chinese police fired into a crowd of protesters in a restive southwestern region were seeking shelter Tuesday in a monastery while military forces surrounded the building, a Tibetan monk said.
Chinese authorities said Monday's unrest was caused by a "mob" and that overseas advocacy groups were twisting the truth about what happened in order to undermine the government.
The United States, which will host China's Vice President Xi Jinping at the White House next month, expressed grave concern at reports that security forces in Sichuan province opened fire on protesters, killing some and injuring others.
The violence in Luhuo county in the politically sensitive Ganzi prefecture of Sichuan comes amid high tensions after at least 16 Buddhist monks, nuns and other Tibetans self-immolated in the past year. Most have chanted for Tibetan freedom and the return of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
A monk from Luhuo county's Shouling monastery, one of the most famous monasteries in the region, told The Associated Press by phone that 33 wounded people were being cared for in a clinic within the religious compound. At least 50 military vehicles were parked outside the monastery, he said.
"They want to take the injured people away but we won't let them because we don't trust them, we don't know what will happen to them," said the monk, who would not give his name out of fear of government retaliation. He said the monks worried about the massive security response.
"We are all in the monastery. Without the local residents around, the monks don't dare to go out," he said.
Accounts of Monday's violence differ, and independent confirmation is impossible due to a heavy security presence and lack of access to outsiders. Tibet activist groups said police opened fire on thousands of peaceful protesters, while the Chinese government says a far smaller number of Tibetans and police clashed after the Tibetans attacked a police station and smashed cars.
The monk at the Shouling monastery told the AP that the protesters had been peaceful until police fired into the crowd, killing one man. "When it all started we were only standing in the streets shouting slogans," he said. After police opened fire, the Tibetans responded by smashing police cars and windows, he said. But he rejected official accounts that five police were also injured in the clash.
He said Tibetans were frustrated by the government's tight restrictions on their religious practices.
"The Chinese government says we have religious freedom but we have no freedom at all. If we did, then they would not be talking badly about the Dalai Lama. They say you cannot listen to the Dalai Lama, if we have pictures of the Dalai Lama we have to take them down," he said. "This really hurts our feelings; they hurt our self-esteem."
The London-based International Campaign for Tibet said three Tibetans were killed and nine wounded, while another group, Free Tibet, said one died and up to 30 others were shot and wounded in Luhuo, also known as Draggo in Tibetan.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei slammed such groups, accusing them of exaggeration. Hong said order has been restored after one Tibetan died and four others were injured, and that five police were also wounded.
"Overseas forces of 'Tibet independence' have always fabricated rumors and distorted the truth to discredit the Chinese government with issues involving Tibet," Hong said in remarks carried by the official Xinhua News Agency.
Xinhua said more than 100 people, including monks, some armed with knives and stones, gathered to attack a police station after hearing rumors that three monks would set themselves on fire. They smashed two police vehicles and two fire engines and stormed shops, it said.
Ganzi is a rugged, deeply Buddhist region filled with monasteries that has been at the center of dissent for years. It is among the traditionally Tibetan areas of Sichuan province and other parts of western China that have been closed to outsiders for months amid a massive security presence.
Many Tibetans resent Beijing's heavy-handed rule and the large-scale migration of China's ethnic Han majority to the Himalayan region. While China claims Tibet has been under its rule for centuries, many Tibetans say the region was functionally independent for most of that time.
In a statement Tuesday, U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Maria Otero expressed grave concern over the latest violence, and urged China's government to address "counterproductive policies" in Tibetan areas that have created tensions and threatened Tibetans' religious, cultural and linguistic identity.
She also called on China to resume talks with the Dalai Lama or his representatives over Tibetan grievances.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the U.S. has always been clear with China about its concerns for the human rights of Tibetans and others. She said the U.S. would "just as clear" when Vice President Xi visits next month.
___
Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.
____
Gillian Wong can be reached on http://twitter.com/gillianwong
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The strongest geomagnetic storm in more than six years was forecast to hit Earth's magnetic field on Tuesday, and it could affect airline routes, power grids and satellites, the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center said.
A coronal mass ejection - a big chunk of the Sun's atmosphere - was hurled toward Earth on Sunday, driving energized solar particles at about 5 million miles an hour (2,000 km per second), about five times faster than solar particles normally travel, the center's Terry Onsager said.
"When it hits us, it's like a big battering ram that pushes into Earth's magnetic field," Onsager said from Boulder, Colorado. "That energy causes Earth's magnetic field to fluctuate."
This energy can interfere with high frequency radio communications used by airlines to navigate close to the North Pole in flights between North America, Europe and Asia, so some routes may need to be shifted, Onsager said.
It could also affect power grids and satellite operations, the center said in a statement. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station may be advised to shield themselves in specific parts of the spacecraft to avoid a heightened dose of solar radiation, Onsager said.
The space weather center said the geomagnetic storm's intensity would probably be moderate or strong, levels two and three on a five-level scale, five being the most extreme.
(Reporting By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama will pitch new initiatives on jobs, taxes and housing in an election-year State of the Union address on Tuesday as he seizes his biggest moment yet on the national stage to make a sweeping case for a second term.
Framed in what is expected to be a starkly populist speech, most of Obama's proposals surely will face stiff Republican resistance, limiting any chance of headway in a divided Congress before the November 6 general election.
But the White House hopes Obama can gain enough traction with voters to help restore faith in his economic leadership as the Democratic president defends himself against escalating attacks by Republican candidates vying to face him on the November ballot.
When he stands before a joint session of Congress at 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Obama is expected to push tax breaks for bringing manufacturing jobs home from overseas, ideas to help the troubled home-mortgage market and incentives for alternative energy development, people familiar with the speech say.
He is also likely to call again for higher taxes on the wealthy - despite consistent Republican opposition - and speak of further pressure on China over its currency and trade practices.
While these initiatives do not offer a quick fix for high unemployment that threatens Obama's re-election prospects, his speech will be a chance to turn up the heat on an unpopular Congress and take control of the campaign narrative.
It will also be a high-profile platform from where Obama can draw contrasts with his Republican challengers, casting himself as champion of the middle class while painting them as the party beholden to the rich.
"We can go in two directions," Obama said in a video preview of his third State of the Union speech. "One is towards less opportunity and less fairness. Or we can fight for where I think we need to go: building an economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few."
The White House hopes that argument will be buttressed even before Obama speaks when Republican Mitt Romney - one of the wealthiest men to ever run for the White House - releases early on Tuesday the tax returns demanded by his party rivals.
Republicans accuse Obama of being an old-fashioned tax-and-spend liberal whose policies have hurt the U.S. economy and charge that he is playing the politics of envy whereas what Americans really care about is jobs.
Polls show that most Americans disapprove of Obama's handling of the economy, and his approval numbers have languished below 50 percent. But surveys show Congress far less popular, with many blaming Republicans more for the gridlock in Washington.
TENS OF MILLIONS WATCHING
When Obama takes the podium in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, he will be speaking to his biggest television audience until he addresses the Democratic convention in September. Nearly 43 million people watched his 2011 address.
Though he has built his re-election effort around a strategy of blaming Republicans for obstructing economic recovery, he faces the challenge of striking a balance in the speech between partisan rhetoric and calls for cooperation across party lines.
If he goes too hard, he risks alienating independent voters.
Still, Obama is expected to strike a sharper tone than in last year's State of the Union when politicians kept hostilities under wraps in the aftermath of an assassination attempt on Arizona lawmaker Gabrielle Giffords.
But the atmosphere in Washington is more strained now after a summer of congressional battles and with the volatile Republican presidential race moving into high gear.
Even though Obama's legislative agenda is largely stalled and his go-it-alone options are limited, he is determined to show voters he has not given up.
Obama is expected to push incentives to encourage lenders to refinance underwater mortgages, which would ease a crucial obstacle to a recovery in housing and the broader economy. But his advisers have been at odds over how far to go on this.
He has also signaled he will put forward tax breaks to reward companies for keeping jobs home while eliminating tax benefits for those that outsource jobs overseas.
Obama may also revive his call to rewrite the tax code to adopt a so-called "Buffett rule," named after the billionaire Warren Buffett, who supports the president and says it is unfair that he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.
That could be a subtle reminder to voters who learned last week that Romney, a former private equity firm chief, paid a tax rate of around 15 percent, much lower than most Americans.
Obama plans to echo themes he laid out in a speech in Kansas in December when he railed against economic inequality. The White House believes it strikes a chord with working-class voters who have seen their incomes flatline and supporters of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement that has spread since last year.
Neera Tanden, who served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, said the issue of economic fairness increasingly seemed to resonate with Americans and it could be an important theme for Democrats in the election.
"People aren't just unhappy that they're not doing well. They're unhappy that other people are doing well at what they think is their expense," said Tanden, who is now president of the Center for American Progress.
The morning after his address, Obama will launch a three-day, cross-country swing through five election battleground states to promote and detail his new proposals.
In Iowa and Arizona on Wednesday, Obama will focus his message on manufacturing with a call for more jobs and more "made in the U.S.A. products," according to a senior administration official.
He will discuss energy issues in Nevada and Colorado on Thursday followed by a focus on college costs in Michigan on Friday.
(Additional reporting by Alister Bull and Caren Bohan; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
Quitting smoking is never easy. However, when you're poor and uneducated, kicking the habit for good is doubly hard, according to a new study by a tobacco dependence researcher at The City College of New York (CCNY).
Christine Sheffer, associate medical professor at CCNY's Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, tracked smokers from different socioeconomic backgrounds after they had completed a statewide smoking cessation program in Arkansas.
Whether rich or poor, participants managed to quit at about the same rate upon completing a program of cognitive behavioral therapy, either with or without nicotine patches. But as time went on, a disparity between the groups appeared and widened.
Those with the fewest social and financial resources had the hardest time staving off cravings over the long run. "The poorer they are, the worse it gets," said Professor Sheffer, who directed the program and was an assistant professor with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences at the time.
She found that smokers on the lowest rungs of the socioeconomic ladder were 55 percent more likely than those at the upper end to start smoking again three months after treatment. By six months post-quitting, the probability of their going back to cigarettes jumped to two-and-a-half times that of the more affluent smokers. The research will be published in the March 2012 issue of the American Journal of Public Health and will appear ahead-of-print online under the journal's "First Look" section.
In their study, Professor Sheffer and her colleagues noted that overall, Americans with household incomes of $15,000 or less smoke at nearly three times the rate of those with incomes of $50,000 or greater. The consequences are bleak. "Smoking is still the greatest cause of preventable death and disease in the United States today," noted Professor Sheffer. "And it's a growing problem in developing countries."
Harder to Stay Away
Professor Sheffer suggested reasons it may be harder for some to give up tobacco forever.
Smoking relieves stress for those fighting nicotine addiction, so it is life's difficulties that often make them reach for the cigarette pack again. Unfortunately, those on the lower end of the socioeconomic scale suffer more hardships than those at the top ? in the form of financial difficulties, discrimination, and job insecurity, to name a few. And for those smokers who started as teenagers, they may have never learned other ways to manage stress, said Professor Sheffer.
For people with lower socioeconomic status (SES), it can be tougher to avoid temptation as well. "Lower SES groups, with lower paying jobs, aren't as protected by smoke-free laws," said Sheffer, so individuals who have quit can find themselves back at work and surrounded by smokers. Also fewer of them have no-smoking policies in their homes.
These factors are rarely addressed in standard treatment programs. "The evidence-based treatments that are around have been developed for middle-class patients," Professor Sheffer pointed out. "So (in therapy) we talk about middle-class problems."
Further research would help determine how the standard six sessions of therapy might be altered or augmented to help. "Our next plan is to take the results of this and other studies and apply what we learned to revise the approach, in order to better meet the needs of poor folks," she said. "Maybe there is a better arrangement, like giving 'booster sessions'. Not everybody can predict in six weeks all the stresses they will have later on down the road."
"Some people say [quitting] is the most difficult thing in their life to do," said Sheffer. "If we better prepare people with more limited resources to manage the types of stress they have in their lives, we'd get better results. "
###
City College of New York: http://www2.ccny.cuny.edu
Thanks to City College of New York for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) ? Iraq risks sliding back towards authoritarian rule with Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's security forces cracking down on protests, harassing opponents and torturing detainees, a U.S.-based human rights monitor said on Sunday.
In its annual world report, New York-based Human Rights Watch said Iraqi authorities had suppressed freedom of expression and assembly, beaten and detained anti-government protesters and run a secret prison where suspects are tortured.
The report was issued a month after the last U.S. troops left Iraq nearly nine years after the invasion that ousted Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein and allowed the country's Shi'ite majority to rise to power in an elected government.
"Iraq is quickly slipping back into authoritarianism as its security forces abuse protesters, harass journalists, and torture detainees," Sarah Leah Whitson from Human Rights Watch said in a statement released with the annual report.
"Despite U.S. government assurances that it helped create a stable democracy, the reality is that it left behind a budding police state."
A government spokesman did not have any immediate comment on the report.
Early last year, thousands protested across Iraq about a lack of basic services in demonstrations prompted in part by the Arab Spring against authoritarian rulers in the region.
At least 10 people were killed in one day of protests after security forces clamped down on protesters trying to storm government buildings. The most violent clashes were in the northern city of Mosul and Basra in the south.
The report also said journalists were often harassed.
It said authorities had raided a press freedom organization and journalists reporting on the protests had been arrested and beaten. In semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, the regional government had suppressed local journalists by using death threats and beatings, it said.
In February, Human Rights Watch said it had uncovered a secret detention facility controlled by Iraqi security forces, where detainees said they had been tortured, the report said. No officials were prosecuted for the abuses, it added.
Maliki, whose Shi'ite coalition dominates parliament, triggered a political crisis in December when his government ordered the arrest of a Sunni vice president and sought to oust one of his Sunni deputies.
The Shi'ite leader says the moves were not politically motivated. But some minority Sunnis fear they are increasingly sidelined from political power-sharing and that Maliki is trying to consolidate his own authority.
Sony has unveiled a slate of new Walkman MP3 players today, with the launch of its B170 Series. Available in both 2GB and 4GB varieties, these new devices weigh in at just 28 grams, but apparently pack plenty of punch, providing up to 18 hours of listening on a full charge. If you're pressed for time, though, you can just plug it in for three minutes, which, in turn, will give you a full 90 minutes of listening time. There's also an onboard equalizer, voice recorder and USB port, as well as a dedicated "Bass Boost" that, as you may have guessed, will boost your bass. No word yet on pricing, but Sony says its new Walkmans will be available sometime this month. Full PR after the break.
I don't live in a high risk area for deadly tremors, but after watching this earthquake-proof table easily survive having a 2,200 pound block dropped on it, I think I still want one for my office—just in case. More »
Revamping HIV-prevention programs in the CaribbeanPublic release date: 19-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jason Cody codyja@msu.edu 517-432-0924 Michigan State University
Focus on cultural competency to help turn tide of infections
EAST LANSING, Mich. While global attention to HIV/AIDS remains strong, a lack of focus on prevention strategies is stonewalling health experts in many developing nations, specifically in the Caribbean.
By adopting a new approach to HIV prevention, Michigan State University's Institute of International Health is hoping to turn the tide on new infections on the island of Hispaniola, which accounts for nearly 75 percent of the Caribbean's AIDS cases.
"Both Haiti and the Dominican Republic have struggled to respond to the epidemic of HIV/AIDS based upon the resources available to them," said Reza Nassiri, director of MSU's Institute of International Health and an associate dean in the College of Osteopathic Medicine. "We have developed an academic approach to address the critical role of HIV prevention with a primary focus on cultural competency."
That approach involves training and mentoring opportunities for local health care professionals, including nurses and social workers, said Nassiri, who will present the plan at the upcoming Global Risk Forum's One Health Summit 2012 in Davos, Switzerland, on Feb. 19-22. The summit provides a forum for cross-disciplinary approaches to human health, highlighting the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health with food safety and security.
"Our need assessment survey indicates screening for sexually transmitted diseases is a vital HIV prevention tool in at-risk communities, especially among the youth," said Nassiri, noting the primary route of HIV transmission is sexual encounters. "Our approach also will develop a telemedicine connection with selected partners to strengthen HIV prevention."
The barriers to sustainable HIV programs are numerous, including lack of resources and trained personnel, cultural hurdles, the absence of a sustainable HIV prevention policy and inadequate funding. But the need is too great to not act, he said: "Treatment alone will not reverse the epidemics of HIV in the endemic regions of the world."
Nassiri worked on the presentation with colleagues from MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctors United for Haiti in both American and Haiti, and the Boca Chica HIV Clinic and the Guanine Center in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The One Health Summit brings together heads of states, health ministers, medical and health experts and leaders from non-governmental organizations to share knowledge, exchange information and discuss best practices. For more information, go to http://www.grforum.org/pages_new.php/One-Health/1013/1/938/.
Also at the summit, Nassiri and colleagues will discuss a model for Haiti to combat the cholera epidemic which has infected more than 300,000 people and killed more than 5,000 since October 2010. It involves working with community workers, volunteers, Haitian health care providers, public health officials, traditional healers and physician/nurse partners abroad.
"The success of such comprehensive intervention relies on the methodological means for implementation and the key players involved," Nassiri said.
###
Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.
[ | 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.
Revamping HIV-prevention programs in the CaribbeanPublic release date: 19-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jason Cody codyja@msu.edu 517-432-0924 Michigan State University
Focus on cultural competency to help turn tide of infections
EAST LANSING, Mich. While global attention to HIV/AIDS remains strong, a lack of focus on prevention strategies is stonewalling health experts in many developing nations, specifically in the Caribbean.
By adopting a new approach to HIV prevention, Michigan State University's Institute of International Health is hoping to turn the tide on new infections on the island of Hispaniola, which accounts for nearly 75 percent of the Caribbean's AIDS cases.
"Both Haiti and the Dominican Republic have struggled to respond to the epidemic of HIV/AIDS based upon the resources available to them," said Reza Nassiri, director of MSU's Institute of International Health and an associate dean in the College of Osteopathic Medicine. "We have developed an academic approach to address the critical role of HIV prevention with a primary focus on cultural competency."
That approach involves training and mentoring opportunities for local health care professionals, including nurses and social workers, said Nassiri, who will present the plan at the upcoming Global Risk Forum's One Health Summit 2012 in Davos, Switzerland, on Feb. 19-22. The summit provides a forum for cross-disciplinary approaches to human health, highlighting the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health with food safety and security.
"Our need assessment survey indicates screening for sexually transmitted diseases is a vital HIV prevention tool in at-risk communities, especially among the youth," said Nassiri, noting the primary route of HIV transmission is sexual encounters. "Our approach also will develop a telemedicine connection with selected partners to strengthen HIV prevention."
The barriers to sustainable HIV programs are numerous, including lack of resources and trained personnel, cultural hurdles, the absence of a sustainable HIV prevention policy and inadequate funding. But the need is too great to not act, he said: "Treatment alone will not reverse the epidemics of HIV in the endemic regions of the world."
Nassiri worked on the presentation with colleagues from MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctors United for Haiti in both American and Haiti, and the Boca Chica HIV Clinic and the Guanine Center in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The One Health Summit brings together heads of states, health ministers, medical and health experts and leaders from non-governmental organizations to share knowledge, exchange information and discuss best practices. For more information, go to http://www.grforum.org/pages_new.php/One-Health/1013/1/938/.
Also at the summit, Nassiri and colleagues will discuss a model for Haiti to combat the cholera epidemic which has infected more than 300,000 people and killed more than 5,000 since October 2010. It involves working with community workers, volunteers, Haitian health care providers, public health officials, traditional healers and physician/nurse partners abroad.
"The success of such comprehensive intervention relies on the methodological means for implementation and the key players involved," Nassiri said.
###
Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.
[ | 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.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 19-Jan-2012
Share ]