CONVENTION WATCH: 'USA!' and Romney in the wings

Convention Watch shows you the 2012 political conventions through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.

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THE CHANT: 'U-S-A!'

Political conventions are one thing. But the Olympics ? well, that's something that can really get a crowd's blood stirring.

As a lineup of former Olympic medalists took to the stage at the Republican National Convention, the crowd of delegates burst into a spontaneous, fist-pumping chant of "USA! USA!"

Was it Tampa ... or was it London again?

? Sally Buzbee

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MITT IN THE HOUSE

Mitt Romney has arrived at the convention hall where he'll give his keynote speech and accept the Republican Party's nomination for president later Thursday night.

? Steve Peoples ? Twitter http://twitter.com/sppeoples

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ON THE ISSUES

Mitt Romney's focus on jobs and the deficit in his acceptance speech plays to his strengths on the issues, while Thursday's convention agenda seeks to shore up his weak points. The latest Associated Press-GfK poll finds him most competitive with Obama on fiscal matters. Among registered voters, he leads the president by 10 points as more trusted to handle the federal budget deficit, and holds narrow 4-point edges on creating jobs and handling the economy.

But Romney trails Obama by 15 points on handling social issues, and by 6 points on handling Medicare, a central focus of Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan's congressional career.

The focus among Thursday night's convention speakers on Romney's personal and professional life could help to boost his personal image. Registered voters split evenly in their impressions of the former governor ? 46 percent have a favorable impression, 46 percent an unfavorable one. That lags behind Obama's 52 percent favorable to 46 percent unfavorable mark on this question.

Romney also trails the president on the question of which candidate is the stronger leader (50 percent Obama to 41 percent Romney) and is seen as less apt to understand average people's problems (51 percent say Obama better understands compared with 36 percent Romney).

? Jennifer Agiesta ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennagiesta

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WHOSE CONVENTION?

Whose convention is this?

If you use Newt and Callista Gingrich's remarks as a guide, you'd think the convention in Tampa was for Ronald Reagan. The former House speaker and his wife invoked Reagan 13 times during their brief remarks.

Mentions of Mitt Romney? Four.

? Phil Elliott ? Twitter http://twitter.com/Philip_Elliott

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A SOMBER HUSH

The floor of a national political convention can be a chaotic place. Many delegates do listen to every speech as the evening goes on. But other delegates mill around, chatting with friends, thronging the aisles, dashing out for food ? and above all else, angling for photos with well-known faces. It's often noisy and frequently raucous.

But every once in a while the convention floor stills for a bit. That happened Thursday night when Ted and Pat Oparowski, a Mormon couple, took the stage to describe a painful period in their life ? when their teenage son, David, was diagnosed in 1979 with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Ted Oparowski, who described himself as someone of modest means, told the crowd how Mitt Romney had struck up a friendship with their son, through his work in the church, visiting the 14-year-old during the months he struggled with cancer before dying.

As the couple spoke in slow, sometimes halting voices, delegates in the aisles turned and listened. Voices dropped. The stillness lasted until the couple left the stage.

? Sally Buzbee

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FAMILY LEGACY

The family Bush is making sure its message gets out.

Among the few mentions of the last Republican elected - and re-elected president - were by his family, who seemed to use the brief time spent on President Obama's predecessor to try to polish George W. Bush's legacy.

A five-minute video aired at the convention Wednesday included side-by-side interviews with George W. Bush and his father, former President George H. W. Bush.

The senior Bush noted of his son's administration: "I think the thing I take pride in is the integrity."

The younger Bush's wife Laura added: "I'm so proud of George."

Romney advisers dismissed that speakers were advised to stay away from the Bush years. But some delegates said it was understandable that he didn't show.

Bush's brother Jeb, Florida's former governor, gave the most direct defense at the outset of his speech to the convention Thursday. It was completely off the advance script, and it was emphatic, praising "a man of integrity, courage and honor" who kept the country safe "during incredibly challenging times."

When he finished, he transitioned to his prepared remarks this way: "Now that I've gotten that off my chest, let's talk a little bit about our kids and education."

? Thomas Beaumont ? Twitter http://twitter.com/

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GINGRICH X 2

Newt Gingrich, known for doing things his way, capped his losing presidential bid with a unique GOP convention appearance alongside his wife, Callista.

Taking turns speaking, sort of like Oscar presenters, the pair praised Mitt Romney by comparing him to President Ronald Reagan.

Barack Obama is no Reagan, they made clear. He's more like Jimmy Carter, the Gingriches asserted.

"It's striking how President Carter and President Obama both took our nation down a path that in four years weakened America's confidence in itself and our hope for a better future," Newt said.

Left behind were any hard feelings from the heated primary campaign in which he called Romney a liar at one point and in a debate urged him to drop "the pious baloney."

? Connie Cass ?Twitter http://twitter.com/ConnieCass

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HISPANIC OUTREACH

Republicans continued their strong outreach to Hispanic voters during Thursday night's convention.

All week they have been highlighting Hispanic elected officials from around the country, but on Thursday the effort kicked into even a higher gear. In a short video, elected officials from New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez to U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida talked about how their party's values are the values of many Hispanics ? from strong family ties to strong support for small business.

On the heels of the video, Romney's son Craig Romney spoke in Spanish to the crowd, followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush ? a popular politician who also spoke to the crowd in Spanish.

Scheduled to be up later in the evening: Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida ? perhaps the country's most up-and-coming Hispanic official.

? Sally Buzbee

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BROTHERLY LOVE

Jeb Bush used his turn on the Republican's national stage to make a spirited, personal defense of his brother, George W. Bush, whose oft-criticized presidency has been barely mentioned at the party's convention.

"My brother, well, I love my brother. He is a man of integrity and courage and honor," Bush said before launching into his formal remarks, which focused on education policy.

Early in his brother's two-term tenure, America was shocked by the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Jeb Bush said: "During incredibly challenging times, he kept us safe."

Delegates responded with a standing ovation.

? Connie Cass ?Twitter http://twitter.com/ConnieCass

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THE WONDER YEAR?

While speaker after speaker at the Republican National Convention lambasted Barack Obama ? and more than one mocked the final night of his 2008 convention in Denver ? they appropriated one of the best-known songs of that Democratic night's musical star, Stevie Wonder.

The Obama campaign played the song, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours," frequently at the end of the candidate's rallies that year, and Wonder himself sang it on the final night of Obama's convention at Denver's Invesco Field.

Thursday night, playing Newt and Callista Gingrich offstage, the GOP convention's band swung into the song, the second time it was featured in the hall this week.

? Robert Furlow ? Twitter http://twitter.com/furl442

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FULL-THROATED DEFENSE

The last Republican president, George W. Bush, has been almost invisible at this convention ? until Thursday night. Almost no previous speaker had mentioned the president who immediately preceded Barack Obama. Vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan even took an oblique swipe at Bush, noting in his speech Wednesday night that the country's budget and debt problems had been caused not just by Obama, but by administrations before his.

That changed Thursday night, when the former president's brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush made an impromptu ? and full throated ? defense of his brother at the start of his speech to the delegates. Jeb Bush's speech was on education. But before he leapt in, Jeb Bush got the crowd roaring by telling the crowd of delegates "I love my brother." In a very troubled time for America, Jeb Bush said, "He kept us safe."

George W. Bush was just a few months into his presidency when terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon, killing thousands of Americans. In the aftermath of those Sept. 11 attacks, then-President Bush ordered American troops first into Afghanistan to attack al-Qaida and then later into Iraq to overthrow dictator Saddam Hussein.

? Sally Buzbee

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SUNSHINE AT LAST

"It's finally the Sunshine State." ? Florida Gov. Rick Scott, speaking on the floor of the Republican National Convention on Thursday night, referring to the blowing by of Tropical Storm Isaac earlier in the week.

? Carol Druga ? Twitter http://twitter.com/Droogs66

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QUICKQUOTE: JEB ON GEORGE

"Mr. President, it is time to stop blaming your predecessor for your failed economic policies. You were dealt a tough hand but your policies have not worked." ? Former Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush, after praising his brother, former President George W. Bush.

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REAGAN REDUX

Ronald Reagan is at the Republican National Convention once again ? if merely in spirit.

As the final session began Thursday night, a nostalgic Reagan video backed by music and sentimental imagery summoned the way the conservatives have framed his legacy. "As we continue our journey we think of those who traveled before us," Reagan's voice said over clips of war veterans and families. In a montage of images that ranged from space shuttles to Sandra Day O'Connor, his narrative was repackaged and re-offered to conservatives 23 years after he left office and eight years after he died. "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall," Reagan said once again Thursday night.

There's no more potent image for the Republicans to summon, of course. This is a man who is the most towering icon of modern conservatism. When Reagan is brought out, it's always about imagery and implied GOP renewal ? about a "springtime of hope" and the notion of America as the shining city on the hill.

Then the music swelled and faded, the video ended and two fresh speakers walked on stage: Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista.

? Ted Anthony ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/anthonyted

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QUICKQUOTE: RENEWAL

"It's not about the past. It's not about what was done wrong. It's not about blaming America. It's quite the opposite. Tonight we embark on a renewal of the American dream." ? U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fla.

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WHAT'S OBAMA DOING?

White House spokesman Jay Carney says Obama is "fully aware" of the happenings at the Republican convention in Tampa this week. But he says he doesn't think the president watched Paul Ryan's speech Wednesday night, nor does he know whether Obama will watch Romney address the GOP convention Thursday.

Carney didn't say whether he thought Ryan's speech was factually accurate. But he criticized Romney's campaign more broadly for distorting Obama's record and policy positions in speeches and advertisements.

"Perhaps when the facts aren't on your side, you ignore the facts," Carney says.

? Julie Pace ? Twitter http://twitter.com/JPaceDC

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HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is all smiles, happy that so far his city has avoided widespread confrontations and arrests that have marred other conventions.

But that doesn't mean he's pleased with everything.

Buckhorn, a Democrat, used his daily press briefing to argue Tampa needs more mass transit options to build from the "worldwide" exposure it got during the convention.

In early 2011, Florida Gov. Rick Scott turned down a federal grant to help build a high-speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando. The Republican governor argued the state would wind up spending more than anticipated because it would cost more than initially projected.

Buckhorn took a swipe at Scott by noting that Detroit's mayor had thanked him recently because high-speed rail money once destined for Florida was redirected to other states and cities.

Gary Fineout ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fineout

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POLICE-PROTESTER LOVE?

As the Republican National Convention wears on, protesters are getting worn out.

The busloads of protesters ? who are staying at a makeshift camp dubbed "Romneyville" ? have seen their food and water supplies dwindle. Law enforcement has noticed, as well.

So on Thursday morning, police brought boxed lunches of sandwiches, fruits and ice-cold water to Romneyville. Chief Jane Castor said police had extra food, so they decided to donate it rather than throw it out.

Castor, during a morning news conference, said simply: "We're here to serve the public."

? Tamara Lush ? Twitter http://twitter.com/tamaralush

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WHO'S TUNING IN

Sure, political conventions aim to fire up the die-hard partisans in the arena, but they're also made-for-TV events designed to appeal to undecided voters. Recent polling suggests they may not be hitting their mark.

A Pew Research Center survey before the Republican convention began found just over four in 10 adults were interested in following each party's convention.

Partisans were most interested in their own gathering ? 70 percent of Republicans were interested in this week's events and 66 percent of Democrats were interested in their party's upcoming convention. Fewer partisans check in on the other team: 41 percent of Democrats were interested in the goings-on in Tampa, Fla., while 28 percent of Republicans were interested in tuning in for Obama's re-nomination.

Among independents, just 37 percent said they were interested in the Republican convention, 36 percent in the Democratic one.

For Republicans angling for young, disaffected Obama voters, the convention may not be their best chance. Overnight ratings for the GOP convention suggested less than 10 percent of viewers were under age 35. The Pew poll found less than 30 percent of twenty-somethings were interested in the political conventions.

? Jennifer Agiesta ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennagiesta

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ROMNEY PREVIEW

In his big speech, Mitt Romney will make a direct appeal to voters who felt excited to cast a ballot for Barack Obama four years ago.

"If you felt that excitement when you voted for Barack Obama, shouldn't you feel that way now that he's President Obama?" Romney says in excerpts released before his Thursday night speech. "You know there's something wrong with the kind of job he's done as president when the best feeling you had, was the day you voted for him."

You've been let down, Romney's telling former Obama voters, by a presidency that lapsed into disappointment and division.

"Many Americans have given up on this president, but they haven't ever thought about giving up," Romney says. "Not on themselves. Not on each other. And not on America."

Riffing on Obama's 2008 catchphrase, "Yes we can," Romney plans to tell Americans, "Now is the moment when we CAN do something."

What can Americans do, according to Romney? Vote for him.

? Connie Cass ?Twitter http://twitter.com/ConnieCass

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POLITICAL FOOTBALL

There may be large swaths of a Republican stronghold otherwise occupied during Mitt Romney's big speech Thursday night. College football debuts at the same time, and that can trump anything else on TV, especially in the pigskin-crazy South.

The marquee matchup happens down in Tennessee, with Steve Spurrier's No. 9 South Carolina Gamecocks taking on the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville at 7 p.m. EDT. But the GOP probably isn't worried about losing interest or votes in either South Carolina or Tennessee, both of which are normally reliable Republican states in presidential contests.

? Jesse J. Holland ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jessejholland

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EDITOR'S NOTE ? Follow AP journalists on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/convention-watch-usa-romney-wings-015908690--election.html

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Philippine economy grows 5.9% in second quarter

The Philippines economy grew a better-than-expected 5.9 percent in the second quarter, boosted by increased investment and a drive against corruption, the government said Thursday.

The strong figure for April-June helped the country achieve 6.1 percent growth in the first half, with officials confident the good times would be sustained for the rest of the year.

Socio-economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan credited President Benigno Aquino's anti-corruption reforms for part of the growth, saying they had boosted the confidence of local and foreign investors.

"We obviously would not have achieved (this growth) without the substantial improvement in the way people perceive the government... and the way we do business," Balisacan told reporters.

The economy grew a better-than-expected 6.3 percent in the January-March quarter, the government said, revised slightly up from an earlier estimate of 6.4 percent.

Balisacan expressed confidence the momentum would continue, with 2012 growth settling at the "upper end" of the government's target range of 5.0 to 6.0 percent.

The second quarter gross domestic product (GDP) figure exceeded the 5.4-5.8 percent forecasts of independent analysts.

Financial institutions also widely tipped growth to range from 4.8 to 5.4 percent.

Balisacan said the second quarter figure was the third highest in the region, exceeding Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.

He credited the higher growth to stepped up government spending on infrastructure, low inflation, improved exports, rising tourist arrivals and the earnings sent home by about 10 million Filipino working abroad.

The main economic challenges for the rest of the year stem from the global economic slowdown and the expected return of the "El Nino" weather phenomenon, which could hit agriculture, Balisacan said.

The latest results are further proof of the Philippines' resilience even in the face of global economic shocks, said Mark Angeles, head of research of First Metro Securities Inc.

"Right now, I think the Philippines is about to take off. It was the least hit by the economic slowdowns in the United States and Europe," he told AFP.

The Philippines had not experienced a year of negative growth since the Asian financial crisis of 1998 as local consumption, fuelled by overseas remittances, helped keep the economy moving, he added.

The government has gained reputation for resisting corruption and of being friendly to foreign investment, while spending money on much-needed infrastructure, Angeles said, adding that consumption remains strong and the country had a youthful, educated, English-speaking workforce.

The main concerns were all external -- the economic slowdown in the United States, Europe and even China -- but once they are resolved the Philippines should see a surge in exports, he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/philippine-economy-grows-5-9-second-quarter-034647822.html

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Lindsay Lohan Photos Reflect Glamorous Elizabeth Taylor

Lifetime's promotional pictures show actress with "Liz and Dick" onscreen husband Grant Bowler.
By Kara Warner

Lindsay Lohan and Grand Bowler in "Liz & Dick"
Photo: Jack Zeman/ Lifetime

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1692956/lindsay-lohan-elizabeth-taylor-liz-and-dick-photos.jhtml

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Windows 8 Tablets Could Upset Apple Business: Dell

Dell is cautiously rubbing its hands with anticipation over the impending launch of Windows 8 in October 2012, claiming the touch orientated operating system could offer a real alternative to Apple iOS in the tablet space.?

Speaking at the vendor's quarterly briefing in Sydney, Dell Asia Pacific and Japan president, Amit Midha, said Windows 8's touch capability, and integration with other Microsoft offerings, would offer enterprise customers "an alternative to iOS."

?

Enterprise Buyer's Guide to Tablets?

?

"We have a long term strategy for Windows 8 and we think it is good news to offer a tablet that offers security and integration," he told analysts and press.

He added that the vendor was planning to offer two Windows 8 powered tablets and OS migration services to enterprises.

?

Dell Australia and New Zealand managing director, Joe Kremer, confirmed that the vendor is picking up consulting work in the A/NZ enterprise space as companies decide between migrating to Windows 8 or continuing to run Windows 7 while deploying a Windows 8 extension for tablets.

?

He echoed Midha's sentiments about tablets and pointed to integration issues with non-Windows tablets.

?

"If you are using a product that needs Citrix to be loaded on top and then needs Windows to be loaded you might have questions about productivity," he said. According to Kremer, there was a "lot of opportunity" for someone to emerge in the tablet or mobility space with a product that makes people productive as opposed to designing something that might be "more of a consumer product."

?

"With Windows 8 coming out it has the possibility of changing things," he said. "It is designed to allow simplicity of touch interface but it also allows security and native exchange."

?

However, Kremer would not be drawn on if Dell was banking on Windows 8 tablet demand to offset its flat PC business.

?

"We'll see. I think the war is far from over," he said.

?

"We found PCs to be quite a competitive market in A/NZ this quarter. We are flat to slightly up in revenue share and flat to slightly down in unit share."

?

Apple Australia was contacted by Computerworld Australia but declined to comment.

Source: http://www.cio.in/news/windows-8-tablets-could-upset-apple-business-dell-299672012

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Pakistani officials confirm death of key militant

ISLAMABAD (AP) ? Pakistani intelligence officials confirmed Thursday that a U.S. drone strike last week near the Afghan border killed the son of the founder of the powerful Haqqani militant network, a major blow to one of the most feared groups fighting American troops in Afghanistan.

Badruddin Haqqani, who has been described as the organization's day-to-day operations commander, was killed on Aug. 24 in one of three strikes that hit militant hideouts in the Shawal Valley in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area, said two senior intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The presence of the mostly Afghan Haqqani network in North Waziristan has been a major source of friction between Pakistan and the U.S. The Obama administration has repeatedly demanded Pakistan prevent the group from using its territory to launch attacks in Afghanistan, but Islamabad has refused ? a stance many analysts believe is driven by the country's strong historical ties to the Haqqani network's founder, Jalaluddin Haqqani.

The Pakistani intelligence officials didn't specify which strike on Aug. 24 killed Badruddin, but said he was leaving a hideout when the U.S. missiles hit. The confirmation of his death came from their sources within the Taliban, which is allied with the Haqqani network, and agents on the ground, they said. But neither the officials nor their sources have actually seen Badruddin's body.

Pakistani intelligence officials previously said they were 90 percent sure Badruddin was killed in a drone strike in a different part of North Waziristan on Aug. 21. It's unclear what caused the discrepancy.

Afghanistan's intelligence agency said several days ago that its operatives had confirmed Badruddin's death. A senior Taliban commander has also confirmed the militant's death.

A Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan, Zabiullah Mujahid, has however rejected reports of Badruddin's death, calling them "propaganda of the enemy."

The U.S. does not often comment publicly on the covert CIA drone program in Pakistan and has not said whether Badruddin was killed.

The areas where the American drone strikes generally occur are extremely remote and dangerous, making it difficult to verify a particular person's death.

Badruddin is considered a vital part of the Haqqani structure.

The U.S. State Department has designated Badruddin, along with his father and brothers ? Nasiruddin and Sirajuddin ? as terrorists. The State Department said in May 2011 that Badruddin sits on the Miram Shah Shura, a group that controls all Haqqani network activities and coordinates attacks in southeastern Afghanistan.

Badruddin is also believed to have been responsible for the 2008 kidnapping of New York Times reporter David Rohde, the department said.

After their father effectively retired in 2005, Badruddin and his brother Sirajuddin expanded the network into kidnapping and extortion, both highly profitable for the organization, according to a recent report by the West Point, N.Y.-based Combating Terrorism Center. Afghan intelligence authorities have released intercepts of Badruddin orchestrating an attack against the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul in 2011, the CTC said.

The U.S. has long viewed the Haqqani network as one of the biggest threats to U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan as well as the country's long term stability.

The Pakistani military has refused to target the Haqqani network, saying its troops are stretched too thin fighting militants at war with the state in other parts of the tribal region. But many analysts believe the military views the group as an important potential ally in Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw.

Also on Thursday, Pakistan security officials arrested the founder of one of the country's most virulently anti-Shiite militant groups, Laskhar-e-Jangvi, for allegedly making a speech that spread sectarian hatred.

A police official in Lahore, Maroof Afzal, said police arrested Malik Ishaq as he returned from a religious pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. He was arrested because of a speech he made during Ramadan that authorities said incited sectarian hatred.

Laskhar-e-Jangvi allies itself with al-Qaida and the Taliban. The group is blamed for scores of attacks on Shiites, regarded as infidels, and on Pakistani and U.S. interests. Police arrested Ishaq in 1997, and he was accused in more than 200 criminal cases including the killing of 70 Shiites. But the prosecution could never prove the case, in part because of witness and judge intimidation, and he went free in 2011.

The arrest comes as the country is undergoing a surge of sectarian attacks, many by Sunni Muslims who view Shiites as infidels. Much of the violence has come in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province.

Gunmen shot to death a Shiite Muslim judge along with his bodyguard and driver Thursday in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan, said senior police official Wazir Khan Nasir. The police suspect it was a sectarian killing, he said.

Also Thursday, fighting continued for a seventh day between security forces and Taliban militants who came from Afghanistan to attack an area in northwest Pakistan, officials said. The fighting in the Bajur tribal area killed eight militants, two anti-Taliban militiamen, a soldier and a female civilian, said a local political official, Nazimeen Khan.

A total of 73 militants, 14 militiamen, 10 soldiers and 11 civilians, including six women and four kids, have been killed in the week of fighting in the Salarzai area of Bajur, said Khan.

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Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed and Rebecca Santana in Islamabad, Babar Dogar in Lahore, Abdul Sattar in Quetta, Pakistan, and Anwarullah Khan in Khar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pakistani-officials-confirm-death-key-militant-094819089.html

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Hurricanes and Climate Change: A Marriage Made in Hell

How high can we go on the hurricane rating scale? ?Even though Category 5 storms, which sustain catastrophic gusts that blow at 157 mph or higher, are extremely rare, scientists predict an increase in strong hurricanes with global warming,? reports Discovery.

?For now, about 200 mph is the highest that hurricane winds can theoretically get?and only three land-falling storms have come close in the past century...With warming, according to some models, the upper boundary could reach 220 mph.?

But according to John Abraham, a thermal scientist at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, there?s more to worry about with a hurricane than just wind speed. Discovery summarized his thoughts noting, ?The size of a storm, the amount of rain it dumps, and the size of the wave surges it produces also determine how damaging a hurricane will be, even though the category scale doesn't take those details into account. All of those factors are likely to get worse with climate warming . . . As glaciers melt and oceans rise, for example, storm surges are likely to be higher. A warmer atmosphere can also hold more moisture, increasing the potential for heavier rains. And warmer sea surface temperatures increase the likelihood of storms whipping up fierce winds.?

MORE: The New Orleans Hurricane Anniversary Is Here, and Residents Ask, ?Katrina Who??

Rising sea levels were also mentioned in a February story by U.S. News & World Report that said, ?Climate change could cause unprecedented hurricanes to pound New York City and other coastal cities over the next hundred years, according to new research by scientists at Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sea level rise and warmer water temperatures could potentially cause ?a storm the likes of which have not been seen,? says Michael Oppenheimer, a geosciences professor at Princeton.?

And the Union of Concerned Scientists states, ?Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones have always bedeviled coasts, but global warming may be making matters worse. Sea level is rising and will continue to rise as oceans warm and glaciers melt. Rising sea level means higher storm surges, even from relatively minor storms, which increases coastal flooding and subsequent storm damage along coasts.?

But before we start to panic, the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory weighs in with the observation that, ?It is premature to conclude that human activities?and particularly greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming?have already had a detectable impact on Atlantic hurricane activity. That said, human activities may have already caused changes that are not yet detectable due to the small magnitude of the changes or observational limitations, or are not yet properly modeled.?

However, they add, ?There are better than even odds that anthropogenic warming over the next century will lead to an increase in the numbers of very intense hurricanes in some basins?an increase that would be substantially larger in percentage terms than the 2-11% increase in the average storm intensity.?

And it?s not just those along the coast who need to worry. Discovery?also reports that, ?it's actually the folks farther inland that typically see the most fatalities, due to intense rains causing flash floods and mudslides, as well as tornadoes spawned by tropical cyclones.? They add that, ?One of the most vulnerable states, according to the analysis, is Arkansas. That's primarily because the state isn't well-equipped to respond to disasters or to communicate to its citizens what they should do in case of an emergency.?

According to Fox News this morning, ?With its current rate of movement, [Hurricane] Isaac's center could be over the southern part of Arkansas by Friday.?

Do you think there?s a correlation between global warming and extreme weather conditions?

Related Stories on TakePart:

? Climate Change Deniers in the House of Representatives Targeted for Defeat

? Ex-Sierra Club Chief Carl Pope: It's Time to Tax Carbon Pollution

? Will the Drought Dry Up Obama's Chances?

Lawrence Karol is a writer and editor who lives with his dog, Mike. He is a former Gourmet staffer and enjoys writing about design, food, travel and lots of other stuff. @WriteEditDream | Email Lawrence | TakePart.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hurricanes-climate-change-marriage-made-hell-180940058.html

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bait and switch, why? - Talk About Marriage

General Relationship Discussion Although anyone can post anywhere on Talk About Marriage, this section is for people interested in general relationship and marriage advice.

Yesterday, 03:47 AM	? #2 (permalink)
Member ? Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: New Mexico Posts: 5,532	Quote: I read in the forums of people pulling bait and switch tactics in relationships, specifically marriages, with regards to financial arrangements, child rearing, porn usage and sex. why is this such a common tactic, and why do people tolerate and hope and wait for things to change when they obviously (from an outside perspective) wont change? Have you ever been baited and switched, and what are you ding/going to do/done about it? How do you recognize when this is being done to you? Is there any real difference between bait and switch (further on referred to as BAS) and 'changing you mind?' Yes there is a difference between ?bait and switch? and ?changing your mind?. When a person does a ?bait and switch? they are intentionally promising something they have no intention of living up to. They feel that the ends justify the means. Generally they think that either you will forget about the promise, or that they can just not do it later and you will have to accept the switch. IT?s a pretty nasty thing for a person to do. If they have to promise something to get what they want it?s ok. When a person changes their mind, they original promise was sincere. It was the afterwards when the circumstances are not what they expected that they change their mind based on the new reality. I feel that the guy I married in 2000 pulled bait and switch on me. He promised to love me and be faithful. Yet he was cheating the whole time we dated and the first 2 years of our marriage. He also promised that he would work full time at his very well paid job and pull his weight financially in the marriage. He lost his job in 2002 and never got another.. just sat home and let me support him and his two children. What did I do? Well after I caught the infidelity, I stupidly agreed to reconcile. And when he did not find work I stupidly just kept supporting him and his children. I was not very smart about all of this. Should have kicked him to the curb as soon as I found out about the lying and infidelity. The first bait/switch should have ended it all.
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Yesterday, 07:37 AM	? #5 (permalink)
Member ? Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 58	Labeling stuff makes it easier for people to justify their reactions. It allows them not look further into things, not to ask questions, and to just decide all about another person's motivations, emotions, and decisions. It creates a "one size fits all" answer to everything. Ultimately, no one else can truly know the reason why another person does something. Though you can guess you can't know whether someone is actually "baiting and switching" or - simply did indeed change their mind. All you can do is glean clues from their behavior. There's another thread going about how a wife stopped doing certain sex acts, and now the OP and others are clamoring she's a "bait and switcher" and how she should be kicked to the curb, she was "just trying to trap you" she "was setting up a lie." Which is one interpretation. But the other could be - when your relationship is less steady, you might feel less comfortable in refusing a SO's advances. Who knows, the OP's wife might even regret what she did, but - that doesn't matter. Apparently, if you do something once, or a few times you are setting up the expectation and promise it will happen all the time, you cannot decide otherwise later, or it's a "bait and switch." I think that sets up a really bad precedent.
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Yesterday, 12:51 PM	? #8 (permalink)
Member ? Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 292	Quote: It isn't just sex that's used as a bait and switch. Affection is also used, I've known plenty of guys who were incredibly affectionate beforehand and as soon as the marriage/long term relationship is set, the affection dies. Quote: Labeling stuff makes it easier for people to justify their reactions. It allows them not look further into things, not to ask questions, and to just decide all about another person's motivations, emotions, and decisions. It creates a "one size fits all" answer to everything. Ultimately, no one else can truly know the reason why another person does something. Though you can guess you can't know whether someone is actually "baiting and switching" or - simply did indeed change their mind. Do you think a persons response to BAS or 'changed my mind' should be the same though? There's another thread going about how a wife stopped doing certain sex acts, and now the OP and others are clamoring she's a "bait and switcher" and how she should be kicked to the curb, she was "just trying to trap you" she "was setting up a lie." Which is one interpretation. But the other could be - when your relationship is less steady, you might feel less comfortable in refusing a SO's advances. Who knows, the OP's wife might even regret what she did, but - that doesn't matter. Apparently, if you do something once, or a few times you are setting up the expectation and promise it will happen all the time, you cannot decide otherwise later, or it's a "bait and switch." I think that sets up a really bad precedent. If the wife communicated her regret, it would demonstrate a mind change. If she closed him down when he tried to communicate his unhappiness, didnt try to compromise and didnt care how it left him feeling and is happy to keep their partner in the dark about how they feel, it demonstrates a BaS.
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Yesterday, 03:39 PM	? #11 (permalink)
Member ? Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 150	Quote: I read in the forums of people pulling bait and switch tactics in relationships, specifically marriages, with regards to financial arrangements, child rearing, porn usage and sex. why is this such a common tactic, and why do people tolerate and hope and wait for things to change when they obviously (from an outside perspective) wont change? Have you ever been baited and switched, and what are you ding/going to do/done about it? How do you recognize when this is being done to you? Is there any real difference between bait and switch (further on referred to as BAS) and 'changing you mind?' In retail, it is fraud & unlawful - used to complete a sale or seal the deal - false advertising. A person who presents a persona (advertising) that is false (insert anything) in order to seal the deal (marriage). Happens all of the time - very sad. I guess here if I use the phrase, it
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Constructive conflict in the superconductor

ScienceDaily (Aug. 17, 2012) ? Charge density waves improve our understanding of the zero-resistance transport of electricity and could explain an unusual interplay of superconducting and magnetic materials.

Whether a material conducts electricity without losses is not least a question of the right temperature. In future it may be possible to make a more reliable prediction for high-temperature superconductors. These materials lose their resistance if they are cooled with liquid nitrogen, which is relatively easy to handle. An international team, in which physicists of the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart played a crucial role, has now discovered that this form of superconductivity competes with charge density waves, i.e. with a periodically fluctuating distribution of the charges. Since the physicists did not previously take account of this competition in their models, their calculations of the transition temperature, where superconductivity sets in, remained inaccurate. In further work, the researchers at the Stuttgart Max Planck Institute have gained insights into how superconducting materials interact with magnetic ones. They observed that the electronic properties affect crystal vibrations to a greater extent than was to be expected. This effect could help to control material properties such as superconductivity or thermoelectricity.

If electricity from high-power offshore wind farms or even large-scale solar parks in the Sahara is to be distributed to consumers in Germany in future, quite a bit of energy will be lost in the long power lines. Superconducting cables could prevent this if cooling them does not consume more energy than they help to save. Bernhard Keimer and his colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart want to identify materials that deserve the name high-temperature superconductor both in practical terms and also in terms of our usual perception of temperature. To do this they first have to understand how superconductivity works in these materials and how it can be influenced; these materials are known as high-temperature superconductors, even though they lose their resistance at temperatures which make a Siberian winter seem almost mild. The Stuttgart-based physicists have now taken a further step down this road in two current publications.

According to one of their discoveries we can probably consider ourselves lucky that high-temperature superconductivity -- a property which remains promising despite its present disadvantages -- exists at all. "It is obviously down to a fortunate coincidence," says Bernhard Keimer, Director at the Stuttgart Max Planck Institute. This is at least suggested by the observations of the international team that includes not only Bernhard Keimer and his colleagues, but also scientists at the Politecnico di Milano, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility Grenoble, the University of British Columbia in Canada and further research institutions.

Superconductivity beats the charge density waves in a close competition

The researchers discovered that the superconductivity in one type of copper oxide ceramic competes with a state in which a charge density wave forms. Physicists have known about such charge density waves for decades from two-dimensional materials such as the niobium selenides, for example. Here, the conduction electrons do not distribute uniformly across the crystal like in a metal. On the contrary, they form a regular pattern of regions in which they concentrate to a greater or lesser extent.

"We did not expect the charge density waves in the superconducting cuprates, because they destroy the superconductivity," says Bernhard Keimer. Instead of concentrating at regular intervals to a greater or lesser extent, the electrons in superconductors join up to form Cooper pairs which can slip through a crystal with zero resistance. Accordingly, the researchers observed the charge patterns only above the transition temperature, the temperature at which the material becomes superconducting.

The regions where charge density waves formed initially expanded as the researchers cooled the material down to the transition temperature, however. As soon as they reached the transition temperature at minus 213 degrees Celsius, the charge density waves suddenly disappeared and superconductivity prevailed. "Superconductivity only just prevailed in this competition," explains Bernhard Keimer. "If the advantages were distributed slightly differently, there would possibly be no superconductivity at all."

Charge density waves explain why calculated transitions temperatures were too high

The team of researchers tracked down the charge density waves by scanning yttrium and neodymium barium cuprates of the composition (Y,Nd)Ba₂Cu₃O_6+x with the aid of resonant X-ray diffraction. This provided them with exclusive information on the electrons which found it hard to decide whether they wanted to form a wave or look for a partner so that, together, they could slip more easily through their crystal. The physicists in Bernhard Keimer's group are now going to perform these measurements on other high-temperature superconductors as well. They want to find out whether all these materials are in electronic competition.

In addition, the researchers want to take account of the conflict between the two electronic states in their theoretical model of superconductivity. "We can already compute the transition temperature of a material quite well with this model, but still end up slightly too high," says Bernhard Keimer. "The competition with the charge density wave explains this discrepancy so that our predictions should become more accurate in the future."

Superconductivity can be affected by magnetism

Charge density waves possibly also explain an observation which his team made recently in a different project. A high-temperature superconductor was also instrumental here. It also was composed of yttrium, barium and copper oxide and is described by the formula YBa₂Cu₃O₇, or YBCO for short. The researchers now combined this ceramic with a magnetic material comprising lanthanum, calcium and manganese oxide, which obeys the formula La_2/3Ca_1/3MnO₃ (or LCMO). They stacked up the two substances to form a superlattice, a sandwich of layers only a few nanometres thick, and they had a clear aim in doing this.

"In the meantime we assume that the Cooper pairs in high-temperature superconductors form due to magnetic interactions," explains Bernhard Keimer. "If this is the case, superconductivity should be affected by magnetism in order to increase the transition temperature." The special form of magnetism in the LCMO may not be suitable for this, however, because this material is ferromagnetic, i.e. the magnetic moments of the individual atoms all align in one direction, as in iron. And this form of magnetism breaks up the Cooper pairs, thus harming the superconductivity, and decreases the transition temperature. This material is good for investigating how the transition temperature reacts to the magnetism, however, and for the detailed basis for its effect.

And indeed the researchers observed what they had expected: in a sandwich with LCMO, the transition temperature of the YBCO decreased, and the decrease was greater the thinner the researchers made the YBCO layers in comparison to the LCMO. Bernhard Keimer and his colleagues now wanted to find out more details of the interactions between the different layers. They specifically wanted to determine how the electronic processes in a layer -- the superconductivity on the one hand, and the magnetism on the other -- affect the vibrations of the atoms in this layer. Physicists call the interaction electron-phonon coupling, where phonon stands for vibration.

The coupling between electrons and vibrations affects material properties

An illustrative description of the mechanism is that the electrons act like springs between the atoms. The state the electrons adopt affects the springiness of the springs and thus their ability to couple vibrations. The electron-phonon coupling is the basis of a few useful material properties. They include the ability of some materials to convert a temperature difference into a voltage, and also conventional superconductivity, where it is the vibrations of the crystal lattice and not the magnetism that bonds the Cooper pairs together. The researchers have investigated the electron-phonon coupling by observing selected vibrations with a Raman spectrometer as they cooled the material sandwich until magnetic order appeared in the LCMO and superconductivity in the YBCO.

According to the measurements made by the researchers in Stuttgart, one vibration of the copper oxide group in the YBCO layer changed its frequency when the superconductivity set in at the transition temperature. One vibration of the manganese oxide group in the LCMO layer reacted in the same way when the ferromagnetic order formed in the material. "This didn't really surprise us," said Bernhard Keimer. "But we didn't expect that the superconductivity would also affect the vibration of the manganese oxide."

The electron-phonon coupling therefore also makes itself felt across material boundaries, and this occurs not only right on the boundary between the two substances, but in the whole LCMO layer. This is unexpected, because the vibrations deep in the two layers at least are usually as independent as two children playing on adjacent swings. The Stuttgart-based researchers cannot yet completely explain their observations, but they already have some ideas and meanwhile also indications of what could cause the long-range electron-phonon coupling.

Charge density waves explain the long-range electron-phonon coupling

One condition for the cross-boundary coupling is that, right on the boundary, the copper and manganese atoms are bound very strongly to each other via an oxygen atom in each case. This bond acts like a rubber band between two swings. Moreover, the copper and manganese atoms can oscillate with the same frequency so that a vibration of the copper atoms can easily drag along the manganese atoms. Just as two children can only swing with the same rhythm if their swings have the same length, i.e. they swing with the same frequency. And assuming that their two swings are connected to each other with a strong rubber band: one child can only pull the other along if both are sitting on swings of the same length.

After all, one child in such a swing tandem requires powerful pushers in order for the other one to swing along. In the same way, the YBCO-LCMO superlattice requires a strong trigger in order for the manganese atoms to react to the vibration of the copper atoms. If this trigger comes from the electrons, more precisely from the nascent superconductivity, the electron-phonon coupling must be strong. The YBCO-LCMO sandwich fulfils this condition as well. "The fact that the effect remains noticeable in the whole LCMO layer as well is possibly again caused by the charge density waves in the YBCO," explains Bernhard Keimer. "In our current experiments we have also already found indications that the sandwich structure stabilises this competing order."

The long-range electron-phonon coupling in the LCMO-YBCO superlattice is not helpful in driving up the temperature at which the high-temperature superconductor loses its resistance. "But it gives us the opportunity to influence other properties such as thermoelectricity or conventional superconductivity," explains Bernhard Keimer. And it increases the understanding of how magnetic and superconducting materials influence each other. This in turn brings the researchers in Stuttgart further towards their ultimate goal: to develop superconductors that can transport electricity in an energy efficient way from wind farms and solar parks to the consumer.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.

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

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Journal References:

1. G. Ghiringhelli, M. Le Tacon, M. Minola, S. Blanco-Canosa, C. Mazzoli, N. B. Brookes, G. M. De Luca, A. Frano, D. G. Hawthorn, F. He, T. Loew, M. M. Sala, D. C. Peets, M. Salluzzo, E. Schierle, R. Sutarto, G. A. Sawatzky, E. Weschke, B. Keimer, L. Braicovich. Long-Range Incommensurate Charge Fluctuations in (Y,Nd)Ba2Cu3O6 x. Science, 2012; 337 (6096): 821 DOI: 10.1126/science.1223532
2. N. Driza, S. Blanco-Canosa, M. Bakr, S. Soltan, M. Khalid, L. Mustafa, K. Kawashima, G. Christiani, H-U. Habermeier, G. Khaliullin, C. Ulrich, M. Le Tacon, B. Keimer. Long-range transfer of electron?phonon coupling in oxide superlattices. Nature Materials, 2012; 11 (8): 675 DOI: 10.1038/nmat3378

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/ShpE1iWjQjo/120817084028.htm

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AP: VIDEO: No laughing matter. Kenny the Clown talks about how he ended up with an iPad stolen from Steve Jobs' home: http://t.co/U7jq0VhK -EF

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Chicago man mauled to death by his own pit bull

By Andrew Mach, NBC News

An autopsy has found that a Chicago man was mauled to death earlier this week by his pet pit bull.

Chicago police said the autopsy shows that 44-year-old Charles Hagerman was attacked and killed by at least one of his two pit bulls. Hagerman?s wife, Charlotte Williams, found him unresponsive with one of the pit bulls on top of him in their apartment around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Williams ran outside and called police on her cell phone. When police arrived, Hagerman was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Hagerman reportedly suffered multiple injuries from the dog attack, including a fatal neck injury, according to the autopsy. The death was ruled accidental, officials from the Cook County medical examiner?s office said.

The family?s landlord, Muhammad Alameen, told the Chicago Sun-Times he arrived home at about 8:50 p.m. Wednesday to find police everywhere.

?They wouldn?t let me in my building,? said Alameen, adding that the dog owner's family moved in across from him a few months ago.

?His wife was just sitting there in shock, just staring off into space,? Alameen said. ?She said, ?The dog killed my husband.??

The Chicago Animal Care and Control office removed both dogs from the home.

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The family had owned the three-and-a-half-year-old pit bull, Scrappy, since he was a puppy, Charlotte Williams?s son, Daryl Williams, told the Chicago Sun-Times. They took in a second pit bull, Scrappy?s son, Rocco, a year and a half ago.

Daryl said the dogs were familiar and friendly with all three members of the household, which is what made the attack so puzzling.?He said the incident has traumatized his mother, leaving her inconsolable and unable to sleep.?

?Nobody knows,? Daryl said of how and why the pit bull attacked. ?The dogs slept at the foot of their bed. He played with my nieces and nephews. We can?t figure this out.?

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Online Chat at Noon EDT on Shark Biodiversity and Conservation

Join us for a live online chat with David Shiffman, a shark conservation biologist and blogger, who will help us understand shark biodiversity and the threats facing sharks today

By The Editors

Image: Flickr/wendellreed

Join us below at ?Noon EDT on Friday (August 17) for a live 30-minute online chat with shark conservation biologist and blogger David Shiffman, who will discuss the health of worldwide shark populations in recent years and his efforts to educate the public about shark conservation.

Shiffman is a Ph.D. student at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science, where he works with Neil Hammerschlag, a marine affairs and policy professor and director of the R.J. Dunlap Marine Conservation Program. Shiffman also writes for the?Southern Fried Science blog, a marine science, environmental science and conservation blog written by a team of marine science graduate students who are enthusiasts of science, conservation, education, outreach and the ocean.?

Shiffman is working on a book, "Why Sharks Matter: Using New Environmentalism to Show the Economic and Ecological Importance of Sharks, and How You Can Help." He is also a shark photographer and videographer, and is involved in online shark advocacy.?

We invite you to post chat questions in advance. We have already turned on the capacity to log in to the chat box below. Shiffman will join us at Noon EDT on Friday, August 17.

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Common parasite may trigger suicide attempts: Inflammation from T. gondii produces brain-damaging metabolites

ScienceDaily (Aug. 16, 2012) ? A parasite thought to be harmless and found in many people may actually be causing subtle changes in the brain, leading to suicide attempts.

New research appearing in the August issue of The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry adds to the growing work linking an infection caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite to suicide attempts. Michigan State University's Lena Brundin was one of the lead researchers on the team.

About 10-20 percent of people in the United States have Toxoplasma gondii, or T. gondii, in their bodies, but in most it was thought to lie dormant, said Brundin, an associate professor of experimental psychiatry in MSU's College of Human Medicine. In fact, it appears the parasite can cause inflammation over time, which produces harmful metabolites that can damage brain cells.

"Previous research has found signs of inflammation in the brains of suicide victims and people battling depression, and there also are previous reports linking Toxoplasma gondii to suicide attempts," she said. "In our study we found that if you are positive for the parasite, you are seven times more likely to attempt suicide."

The work by Brundin and colleagues is the first to measure scores on a suicide assessment scale from people infected with the parasite, some of whom had attempted suicide.

The results found those infected with T. gondii scored significantly higher on the scale, indicative of a more severe disease and greater risk for future suicide attempts. However, Brundin stresses the majority of those infected with the parasite will not attempt suicide: "Some individuals may for some reason be more susceptible to develop symptoms," she said.

"Suicide is major health problem," said Brundin, noting the 36,909 deaths in 2009 in America, or one every 14 minutes. "It is estimated 90 percent of people who attempt suicide have a diagnosed psychiatric disorder. If we could identify those people infected with this parasite, it could help us predict who is at a higher risk."

T. gondii is a parasite found in cells that reproduces in its primary host, any member of the cat family. It is transmitted to humans primarily through ingesting water and food contaminated with the eggs of the parasite, or, since the parasite can be present in other mammals as well, through consuming undercooked raw meat or food.

Brundin has been looking at the link between depression and inflammation in the brain for a decade, beginning with work she did on Parkinson's disease. Typically, a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, have been the preferred treatment for depression. SSRIs are believed to increase the level of a neurotransmitter called serotonin but are effective in only about half of depressed patients.

Brundin's research indicates a reduction in the brain's serotonin might be a symptom rather than the root cause of depression. Inflammation, possibly from an infection or a parasite, likely causes changes in the brain's chemistry, leading to depression and, in some cases, thoughts of suicide, she said.

"I think it's very positive that we are finding biological changes in suicidal patients," she said. "It means we can develop new treatments to prevent suicides, and patients can feel hope that maybe we can help them.

"It's a great opportunity to develop new treatments tailored at specific biological mechanisms."

Brundin and co-senior investigator Teodor Postolache of the University of Maryland led the research team. Funding for the project came from several sources, most notably the Swedish Research Council and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

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Journal Reference:

1. Yuanfen Zhang, Lil Tr?skman-Bendz, Shorena Janelidze, Patricia Langenberg, Ahmed Saleh, Niel Constantine, Olaoluwa Okusaga, Cecilie Bay-Richter, Lena Brundin, Teodor T. Postolache. Toxoplasma gondiiImmunoglobulin G Antibodies and Nonfatal Suicidal Self-Directed Violence. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2012; DOI: 10.4088/JCP.11m07532

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/mental_health/~3/Ye2mIZPEL3Y/120816170400.htm

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Importance of BSC Computer Science Syllabus | kenyaengineering ...

Today everybody is using computers to undertake one task or another. This makes it vital to have people who have specialized and studied an authentic BSC Computer science syllabus. After these students have graduated, they will want to have the skills and the knowledge to not only repair computers but also come up with computer applications that will revolutionize the business world as well as transactions. It?s therefore very imperative that courses undertaken by students taking a BSC Computer science course have the right skills to pursue a career in this field. This will make it possible for the other masses of people who use computers for such other function as production of movies and videos, communication and even playing of the computer games to continue enjoying improved services.

A closer look at the BSC computer science syllabus will enable interested students to find out if the institution they are joining is up to standard. This will give them an assurance of being equipped with the relevant competence to handle all work that pertains to such a degree. Some people have a notion that any college has the ability to turn them into great computer experts. This is because some of the basic computing principles have remained the same for a very long time. While this is very true, learning basics alone is not enough in this complex, shifting world of computers and information technology. This is why a proper BSC computer science syllabus will also include some sessions of experimentation and innovation for students to put their knowledge into practice.

All the sectors of the economy today are driven by technology based on some computer programming language.? A graduate with a degree in computer science should be very marketable in such areas as trade, communication, security and even health. A BSC computer science syllabus that will expose its learners to technological advancements that take place on the internet and mobile technologies platforms and various coding languages is needed.

At some level in the learning process, the syllabus should cover some essential development tools used by the software architect. A student should also look out for the specific programming languages and the modeling tools. A? proper syllabus does not only cover the development environment but also allows the students to learn some of the most modern methodologies hence giving them chances to restructure applications and data for other purposes.

Programming C is a very fast and flexible language that enables a systems developer to come up with solutions to various complex tasks and is therefore very helpful when coming up with projects in different operating systems and word processors. This programming language should therefore be part of the BSC computer science syllabus and ought to be tackled in a comprehensive way. As the basic language in programming, C is very efficient and can easily be transferred from one computer to another with very little or no modification. When a developer understands it, he is able to save a lot of time in coming up with a software.

A BSC computer science syllabus for teaching programming C starts with the basic fundamentals and goes on to cover concepts such as declarations in the pointers. These should be covered in depth and accompanied by demonstrations to ensure that the students understand.

Visual planning is a very important concept that has transformed how programming was done before it came into the big picture. One should therefore check the level at which this course will be tackled in the BSC computer science syllabus such that it gives graduates the confidence that they need to come up with software that will help make the way people do business much faster and safer. The introduction of this program has changed the way window programming is done. The various developments of the visual programming has not only made it significant in the world of programming but also made the work of programmers easier and very efficient.

The BSC computer science syllabus should possibly start with explaining to students how to start a new project on the windows properties then move to unit two where students learn how to organize information on the codes and then tackle other complex subjects like object oriented programming. The deeper this subject is in handling the syllabus, the better it is for the person who will graduate from such a program. One will be able to solve some very complex tasks like debugging and optimization of a given system.

BSC Computer Science Syllabus That Train Experts

This is a specialized format that is very significant in the organization and storage of data. The most common data structure is called an array, file and the record. Data is basically made to form a certain structure that can be in the form of access to enable a given function to work. In the BSC computer science syllabus, this is a computer programming technique that is used to handle many tasks owing to the way the structure is programmed to handle many different programming languages.

The theory of the c++ indicates that it was developed in 1979. It now emerges as the most commonly used programming language in the world. The syllabus should therefore take the computer science student deeper into using this program in order to develop other helpful programs. A proper BSC computer science syllabus will be required to have software Engineering. This is the technique that will enable the students to complete their college and be in a position to create applications that make computers be used for many more things than it is being used now.

There are many other useful courses and concepts that a student should look out for while looking at a good BSC computer science syllabus. The aim is to equip students who are going to study the syllabus with skills and prepare them to make the next computer innovation that will revolutionize processes in the technological fields and thus BSC Computer Science Syllabus.

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The Hugging Home: Extreme Makeover: Parenting Edition

Am I planning a major parenting makeover?

No, I am not.

Perhaps I am planning a makeover for myself...yes...I need to eat better, move more, be kinder to myself, la la la.

What I wanted to discuss today is extreme parenting in general.

Now I will start by saying - as I always do - that to each their own. As long as parents are not hurting their children or anyone else, there are many different parenting styles out there and depending on the family - there are many styles that work well. They are not all for me...but that does not mean I don't have full respect for many of the choices other people make.

Someone recently told me that they look at parenting the same way as they look at religion. "Whatever works for you." This really resonated with me. If you are a Mormon, for example, great! Again, not for me...but if that works for you, then grand.

I am going to share my opinion of one...and you can take it or leave it. I expect there will be people on both sides...and that is fine. How I choose to raise my boys is my choice...not yours...and I don't expect you all to agree.

Personally, I don't believe in extremes.

I am turned off by them. In my opinion, extremists - be them feminists, religious leaders, athletes, whatever...I just don't think swaying too far to one side and holding on for dear life is healthy.

I find it closed-minded.

I think in any situation, there needs to be wiggle room to explore different options; ones that may not fit into the mould laid out by whatever philosophy you subscribe to.

I especially feel this way when it comes to parenting.

Let's take food and nutrition as an example here.

I, like many a parent, believe that feeding my children balanced meals full of nutrition and goodness is very important. So does my husband. We feel it is important for ourselves as well...but as parents, we understand that we need to install proper eating habits in our boys and we do our best to do that.

But we don't go to extremes.

What I mean here, is that very little is forbidden.

We do not insist that our children not eat refined sugar or packaged food or McDonald's.

We do insist that they do not eat these things the majority of the time...but nothing in our home is 100% off limits. (OK, perhaps alcohol...but that is a little different.)

I do know some parents who do not let their children eat certain things. They subscribe to a pretty rigid view on healthy eating and go to great lengths to make sure every last item that goes into their kids' systems is of the utmost quality. And hey...I am not here to judge. I just don't agree with it.

In my humble, little opinion, the more you restrict children, the more they will want to rebel at some point. Forbidden fruit is very tempting...much more so than stuff they have tried before.

My older boys understand that fast food is crap. But they eat it sometimes. We all do. We talk to them about what we are eating. They know it is a "treat" but also know that really it is not a "treat" for their bodies.

Now, they tend to order salads instead of fries. They would rather have a home-cooked meal rather than fast food. Give them a choice between a hamburger and fries from Wendy's or chicken, pasta with Nonna's sauce made from tomatoes from her garden and a salad made from other pickings from the same place and they will go for the good stuff.

Because they know the difference. They know the difference in taste. The know the difference in terms of what is better for them nutritionally. They get that if they want to be strong and healthy, they need to eat the good stuff.

And they understand that if they want to be athletes...and they are...but if they want to go further with their hockey and what have you...they need to eat like athletes. And they know that Sidney Crosby probably does not have a bacon-double-cheeseburger before a game.

Same goes for things like religion.

While my children are Catholic, I am not - and I don't believe in some of the strict rules or dogma or whatever you want to call it that comes with much of organized religions...Catholic or otherwise.

I don't want my kids to "fear God". I want them to love God. I want them to understand that just because the bible says something, it is not the end-all and be-all.

The bottom line is that I am raising my boys to learn to be able to think for themselves.

Sure, as parents we need to plant the seeds. But they our kids will grow and so will their minds. I want them to be able to look at all the options available to them and make their own, educated, thoughtful decisions. Not because "I said so" or "the bible told me so" or la la la.

What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts on all of this. Please comment below and let's get a discussion going!

Now all of this being said...maybe I should start giving my boys beer now?

Smiles,

Lora

Source: http://www.thehugginghome.com/2012/08/extreme-makeover-parenting-edition.html

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