Sheikh Khalifa Medical City tackles health and wellbeing of ...

Adolescent medicine focuses on the care of patients as they enter puberty, which for girls is typically from ages 9 to 11, and boys, 11 to 14. The care encompasses their physical, emotional and social needs and extends until they reach the age of 20.

According to a 2011 census from the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD), there are 99,121 young people aged between 10-19 years resident in Abu Dhabi, a figure that represents five per cent of the emirate's total population.

"I am very excited about taking on this new role as I believe that there is a need for this particular branch of medicine in the UAE that is dedicated to meeting the specific needs of teenagers and young adults in the country," said Dr. Rizk, speaking yesterday.

"Youngsters are particularly vulnerable at this stage in their lives as they are too grown up to access paediatric services and yet not mature enough to be suitable candidates for adult medicine, which is often geared towards those who are middle-aged and over. It can be a frightening time for them if they need to go to hospital," she added.

Dr Rizk's responsibilities at SKMC and across the Abu Dhabi community include ensuring high quality health care for those who fall between the two disciplines of paediatric and adult medicine, with her appointment adding a new dimension to the scope of healthcare in Abu Dhabi. In addition to providing general pediatric care, including school and sports physicals to children and young adults, she is highly experienced in the diagnosis and management of a wide variety of adolescent-specific disorders. These range from physical ailments that can affect adolescent girls, such as dysmenorrhea and polycystic ovary syndrome, to conditions that can have a psychological as well as a physical component, such as acne, eating disorders and risky behaviours.

Dr. Rizk studied for a three-year post-doctoral fellowship in Adolescent Medicine at The Children's Hospital of Montefiore in New York, an institution ranked in the top three per cent of U.S. hospitals, completing her training in June 2011. Since then, she has authored a number of scholarly articles and research pieces and has been invited to lecture widely on topics in her field. She has been heavily involved in adolescent clinical care, patient & family education and community outreach programs. Honours given to her to date include an Excellence in Teaching Award, which she attained in 2008 from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

"Dr. Rizk's appointment forms part of SKMC's commitment to serving all sectors of UAE society. We identified that there was a need for a medical professional to provide dedicated healthcare for adolescents in the country, as this is often a group that is too often overlooked," said Fred DeGrandis, CEO of SKMC.

"Our philosophy at SKMC is 'Patients First' and this is the underlying drive for all our activities. Providing a physician who has special training to meet the unique health needs of our young adults is one way to help us achieve this goal," he added.

Source: http://www.ameinfo.com/sheikh-khalifa-medical-city-tackles-health-337084

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'Elementary' casts 'GoT' star as Sherlock's ex

Mat Hayward / Getty Images

"Game of Thrones" star Natalie Dormer will be guest starring on "Elementary."

By Drusilla Moorhouse, TODAY contributor

Move over, Joan Watson: The woman is coming to "Elementary."

"Game of Thrones" star Natalie Dormer has been cast as Irene Adler, Sherlock Holmes' presumed dead former lover, on the CBS detective drama. ?

Dormer makes her first appearance on May 9, the season's penultimate episode, and returns the following week in the two-hour finale.

"We're moving to the next chapter in our show -- and in?some?ways, to a previous chapter in Holmes' story," executive producer Rob Doherty said in a statement. His unique adaptation Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic mystery series -- especially changing Dr. Watson's gender -- sparked controversy before "Elementary's" successful premiere.?

"Irene Adler is perhaps the most pivotal relationship in Sherlock's life," added Doherty, "and I can't think of an actress better suited to the challenge than Natalie."

Dormer is developing a reputation for playing iconic characters: Before joining "Game of Thrones" as Margaery Tyrell, she lost her head on "The Tudors" as Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's doomed second wife.

"Elementary" airs at 10 p.m. Thursdays on CBS.

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You Could Probably Spend Your Entire Life On Starck's New Gadget-Friendly Sofa

Philippe Starck is known for designs that are as functional as they are beautiful. So it's not surprising that when it came to designing a sofa, the results would include everything from privacy dividers, to accessible power outlets, to even a Powermat wireless induction charging pad. There's probably a good reason it's called the My World, because as long as your gear is charged, what else do you really need? More »

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New York City to pay Occupy Wall Street protesters for damaged property

By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City has agreed to pay Occupy Wall Street protesters more than $100,000 for property damaged or lost when police cleared out their encampment in a downtown Manhattan park in 2011, according to court documents signed on Tuesday.

The settlement includes $47,000 for books and library equipment lost or damaged in the raid on Zuccotti Park, where the protesters, campaigning against economic inequality, had camped for nearly two months, setting up tents and a ramshackle library.

Hundreds of books were damaged, and more than 2,000 books were never returned after police raided the park early on November 15, 2011, said Norman Siegel, an attorney for the protesters.

Brookfield Office Properties, named in the protesters' federal lawsuit as owner of Zuccotti Park, will reimburse the city one third of the $47,000 in library damages, the documents said.

The city also agreed to settle two related federal lawsuits by paying the protesters $75,000 for lost or damaged computers and network and broadcasting equipment, and $8,500 to an environmental group for 16 lost or damaged "energy bicycles" used as power generators at the park, the documents said.

The lawsuits were filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

In the raid, police arrested more than a hundred protesters and dismantled the encampment, which city officials said had become a health and fire safety hazard.

The encampment had been most visible fixture of the Occupy Wall Street movement, which inspired similar protests in dozens of cities across the United States and around the world.

"This settlement creates a record that what they did that night was wrong," Siegel said.

The city acknowledged in court documents that the damage and loss of property were "unfortunate" and said it was important to "adhere to established procedures in order to protect the legal rights of the property owners."

But city officials in a separate statement on Tuesday defended the eviction from Zuccotti Park.

"It was absolutely necessary for the city to address the rapidly growing safety and health threats posed by the Occupy Wall street encampment," the statement said.

"There are many reasons to settle a case, and sometimes that includes avoiding the potential for drawn-out litigation that bolsters plaintiff attorney fees."

The park's library had been an "eclectic" collection of titles, including many political and history books, Siegel said.

(Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/york-city-pay-occupy-wall-protesters-damaged-property-011443734--sector.html

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Obama seeks R&D funding boost in tough times

Proposed FY 2014 budget lifts nondefense spending 9 percent

By Puneet Kollipara

Web edition: April 10, 2013

President Barack Obama has drawn a line in the sand in his ongoing fight with budget-cutting lawmakers when it comes to future federal funding for research and development. He?s calling for reversing recent spending cuts to most sectors of R&D spending and adding new funds for many areas next year ? despite tough fiscal times.

The president?s proposed budget for fiscal year 2014, which starts in October, would boost federal dollars for civilian R&D by 9 percent compared with 2012, before accounting for inflation. Defense R&D would take a 6 percent cut, mostly in development and applied research. R&D funding overall would rise about 1 percent, from $140.9 billion in 2012 to $142.8 billion in 2014. That?s actually a modest decrease after adjusting for the estimated 4 percent inflation over the period.

The Obama budget uses 2012 rather than 2013 as the baseline for comparison for procedural reasons. So the plan does not factor in the sequester ? Washington-speak for a series of recent automatic spending cuts that reduce research funding by about 8 percent between now and 2017. That means Obama?s proposed R&D funding increases could be considered even bigger, because they assume the sequester cuts will be reversed.

Obama has repeatedly called for boosting research funding (with modest success); this year is no exception. The proposal is largely symbolic, however, standing little chance of getting enough support in a divided Congress. The House science committee?s chairman, Republican Lamar Smith of Texas, says that the budget ?gets a failing grade,? in part because it boosts spending in a time of mounting debt.

But science advocates are raising the pressure on Congress not to cut research dollars. As a group of Nobel laureates said in a recent letter to lawmakers, ?Our concern is for the younger generation who will be behind the innovations and earn the Prizes of the future.?

Big winners in the president?s budget include the Department of Energy, whose funding would rise 18 percent. The National Science Foundation, U.S. Geological Survey and National Institute of Standards and Technology would also see healthy increases. The Health and Human Services Department, which houses the National Institutes of Health, would see a slight increase from 2012 ? again, all before accounting for inflation.

Then there are losers. In addition to defense-related development and applied research, the National Nanotechnology Initiative would take a 9 percent hit.

?This is not the budget we would want if financial times were better,? explains White House science adviser John Holdren, who hopes the proposal can ?preserve key investments? in R&D despite making some tough choices on cuts.

The White House frames the R&D budget as helping fuel innovation to drive the economy, pointing to continuing federal support for advanced manufacturing and science education, as well as research into clean energy, aerospace and biomedicine. The budget also boosts funding for research to adapt and respond to climate change.

But it?s unclear if Congress will have the appetite even to reverse the cuts mandated by the sequester. If that doesn?t happen, R&D budgets will keep falling in every major area.

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/349574/title/Obama_seeks_R+D_funding_boost_in_tough_times

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What can North Korean missiles hit? Can we stop them?

As Pyongyang's warlike rhetoric continues, South Korean government sources have suggested that North Korea's next moves may include a ballistic missile test, which could take place as soon as 10 April. New Scientist assesses the threat from North Korea's arsenal of rockets.

If North Korea does conduct a missile test this week, what is likely to be involved?
Most speculation surrounds a missile known as the Musudan. This is based on the Soviet R-27, designed in the 1960s to be launched from submarines. The North Korean variant, displayed at a military parade in Pyongyang in October 2010, would be deployed from a large vehicle.

The Musudan would be an important advance over North Korea's workhorse ballistic missile, the No-dong, which has a range of up to 1300 kilometres. No-dongs are fuelled by kerosene, but the Soviet missile on which the Musudan is based used a more potent fuel: unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine.

If the North Koreans have perfected the technology to use this fuel, the Musudan could have a range of 2500 to 4000 kilometres, which might just put the US Pacific territory of Guam in its sights. Test-fired from North Korea's east coast, a missile with this range would fly high over Japan and out into the Pacific Ocean.

Has the Musudan flown before?
Some reports have suggested that the Musudan, also known as the No-dong B, was tested from Iran in 2006, but most security experts regard this as speculation. It seems unlikely that Pyongyang would use an untested missile for a pre-emptive military strike. "It could blow up on the launch pad," says David Wright of the Union of Concerned Scientists in Cambridge, Massachusetts. So a test flight seems like the obvious next step.

Does North Korea have any other missiles up its sleeve?
In April 2012, six new missiles, dubbed the KN-08, were displayed at a parade in Pyongyang. At first glance, these looked like multi-stage intercontinental ballistic missiles, with a range of up to 10,000 km ? which would put many US cities in range.

However, two rocket engineers, Markus Schiller and Robert Schmucker of the consulting firm Schmucker Technologie in Munich, Germany, scrutinised images of the parade and concluded from subtle variations between the missiles that they were probably mock-ups. The KN-08, the consultants said, was a "dog and pony show" intended to confuse foreign analysts.

North Korea recently put a satellite into orbit. Doesn't that suggest it can build an intercontinental ballisitic missile?
If anything, the successful launch of a satellite into low-Earth orbit in December 2012 on its Unha-3 rocket indicates that Pyongyang may be further from building an ICBM than was previously thought.

South Korea recovered pieces from the rocket's first stage, which showed it to be powered by a cluster of four No-dong engines. The Unha-3 might still be an ICBM in civilian space clothing, if its second stage was based on the Musudan, as had been thought. But its performance suggests that it relied on a Scud-class engine, smaller than those used on the No-dong.

That's fine for lofting a small satellite, but of no use for sending a warhead across the Pacific. "The configuration they flew was not what you'd expect to see for a ballistic missile," says Wright.

But even No-dongs could reach cities in South Korea and Japan. Could one of those be fitted with a nuclear warhead?
Some security experts believe that North Korea probably could put a nuclear weapon on a No-dong.That would help explain the low explosive yields of its 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests: rather than indicating faltering progress in building a large Manhattan Project-style bomb, Pyongyang may have been trying from the start to build a device small enough to put on a missile.

So could the US and its allies shoot down a No-dong?
US officials seem confident that they can. The main line of defence would the Aegis antimissile system, deployed on both US and Japanese ships, which sends an interceptor to destroy an incoming missile while it is still above the atmosphere.

According to the US Missile Defense Agency, in tests Aegis has eliminated a target missile in 24 of 30 attempts. It was also used in February 2008 to destroy a failed US spy satellite that was slowly falling back to Earth and so posed a small threat to Pacific islanders.

That sounds reassuring. But do the tests prove that the system would work in the event of a real attack?
We don't know for sure. "These tests are designed to succeed," says George Lewis of the Judith Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Shooting down a target you've launched yourself under controlled conditions is quite different from responding to a surprise attack, he points out.

According to Ted Postol of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, North Korea probably won't deploy sophisticated antimissile countermeasures, such as decoy warheads. But he says that it wouldn't be hard for North Korean engineers to cause the spent missile body to break into a series of pieces. It remains unclear from the tests conducted so far whether the Aegis system could then identify and target a warhead from the multiple objects falling back to Earth. "There are so many unknowns," Postol says.

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

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Moa's ark: Why the female giant moa was about twice the size of the male

Apr. 9, 2013 ? Some of the largest female birds in the world were almost twice as big as their male mates. Research carried out by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) shows that this amazing size difference in giant moa was not due to any specific environmental factors, but evolved simply as a result of scaling-up of smaller differences in male and female body size shown by their smaller-bodied ancestors.

The paper is published today (10th April) in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

In an environment lacking large mammals, New Zealand's giant moa (Dinornis) evolved to be one of the biggest species of bird ever, with females weighing more than two hundred kilograms -- the same as about 3 average sized men.

Male and female birds often show differences in body size, with males typically being larger. However some birds, like many ratites -- large, flightless species such as emus and cassowaries -- are the opposite, with the females towering over the males.

Moa were huge flightless ratites. Several different species inhabited New Zealand's forests, grasslands and mountains until about 700 years ago. However, the first Polynesian settlers became a moa-hunting culture, and rapidly drove all of these species to extinction.

Dr Samuel Turvey, ZSL Senior Research Fellow and lead author on the paper, says: "We compared patterns of body mass within an evolutionary framework for both extinct and living ratites. Females becoming much larger was an odd side-effect of the scaling up of overall body size in moa.

"A lack of large land mammals -- such as elephants, bison and antelope -- allowed New Zealand's birds to grow in size and fill these empty large herbivore niches. Moa evolved to become truly huge, and this accentuated the existing size differences between males and females as the whole animal scaled up in size over time," Dr Turvey added.

Future research should investigate whether similar scaling relationships can also help to explain the evolution of bizarre structures shown by other now-extinct species, such as the elongated canines of sabretoothed cats.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/Oe_kFHLVbHU/130409211939.htm

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Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 review

Overseas, it doubles as a phone. Here in the US, it's just a tablet with an S Pen onboard. For its stateside debut, Samsung's stripped the Galaxy Note 8.0 of the very HSPA+ radios that made it an 8-inch curiosity at this year's Mobile World Congress. Now, as it's primed to go on sale, the Note 8.0 has sobered up, combining a host of compelling TouchWiz software tricks lifted from its high-profile Galaxy mates into a more serious, along with a more pocketable size.

Its 8-inch form factor may be new, but the bits used within should be plenty familiar: Samsung's borrowed elements from previous products, including the Note 10.1's 1,280 x 800 TFT display (albeit with a higher pixel density of 189 ppi). Meanwhile, the Note 8.0 draws inspiration from some Samsung phones, too, with chrome accents, a bulging rear camera module and a build that manages to be reminiscent of both the Galaxy S III and Note II. What's more, it packs a 1.6GHz Exynos 4 Quad inside -- yep, just like its predecessor. It'd be easy to pass the Note 8.0 off as a comfortable retread; a Best of edition for the Note line. In a way, it is. But, Samsung's not so daft -- there's a cushy market for tablets as a second screen and the company knows this all too well. So, can it best the iPad mini as the go-to, do-everything couch companion? Or is this $399 tablet more of a supernova for the Galaxy line? Follow along to find out.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 review

Filed under: Tablets, Samsung

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Tentative deal on immigration farm workers

FILE - In this April 3, 2013 file photo, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. speaks in San Francisco. A tentative deal has been reached to resolve a dispute between agriculture workers and growers that was standing in the way of a sweeping immigration overhaul bill, Feinstein said Tuesday. Feinstein, who's taken the lead on negotiating a resolution, didn't provide details, and said that growers had yet to sign off on the agreement. The farm workers union has been at odds with the agriculture industry over worker wages and how many visas should be offered in a new program to bring agriculture workers to the U.S. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

FILE - In this April 3, 2013 file photo, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. speaks in San Francisco. A tentative deal has been reached to resolve a dispute between agriculture workers and growers that was standing in the way of a sweeping immigration overhaul bill, Feinstein said Tuesday. Feinstein, who's taken the lead on negotiating a resolution, didn't provide details, and said that growers had yet to sign off on the agreement. The farm workers union has been at odds with the agriculture industry over worker wages and how many visas should be offered in a new program to bring agriculture workers to the U.S. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

FILE - In this March 12, 2013 file photo, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. A tentative deal has been reached to resolve a dispute between agriculture workers and growers that was standing in the way of a sweeping immigration overhaul bill, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. said Tuesday.(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A tentative deal has been reached between agriculture workers and growers, a key senator said Tuesday, smoothing the way for a landmark immigration bill to be released within a week.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who's taken the lead on negotiating a resolution to the agriculture issue, didn't provide details, and said growers had yet to sign off on the agreement. The farm workers union has been at odds with the agriculture industry over worker wages and how many visas should be offered in a new program to bring agriculture workers to the U.S.

But Feinstein said she's hoping for resolution in the next day or two.

"There's a tentative agreement on a number of things, and we're waiting to see if it can get wrapped up," Feinstein said in a brief interview at the Capitol.

"I'm very hopeful. The train is leaving the station. We need a bill."

The development comes as a bipartisan group of senators hurries to finish legislation aimed at securing the border and putting 11 million immigrants here illegally on a path to citizenship, while also allowing tens of thousands of high- and low-skilled foreign workers into the U.S. on new visa programs. The agriculture dispute was the most prominent of a handful of unresolved issues. There's also still some debate over plans to boost visas for high-tech workers.

The group of four Republican and four Democratic senators has been hoping to release the landmark immigration bill this week, possibly as early as Thursday. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a leader of the group, said Tuesday that this week remains the goal. But it also looked possible it could slip into next week.

Senators in the immigration group met Tuesday with Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who agreed to hold a hearing April 17 on the legislation, Senate aides said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deliberations were confidential.

That's something Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has been calling for in response to pressure from conservatives who argue the bill is being pushed too fast without enough time for debate. Given Judiciary Committee procedures that allow Republicans to push for extra time to review legislation, the committee could begin to vote on and amend the bill the week of May 6, an aide said.

"The Judiciary Committee must have plenty of time to debate and improve the bipartisan group's proposal, so it's good that senators and the public will have weeks to study this proposal," Rubio spokesman Alex Conant said.

At least 50 percent and as much as 70 percent or 80 percent of the nation's approximately 2 million farm workers are here illegally, according to labor and industry estimates. Growers say they need a better way to hire labor legally, and advocates say workers can be exploited and need better protections and a way to earn permanent residence.

Senators plan to offer a speeded-up pathway to citizenship to farm workers already in the country illegally who've worked in the industry for at least two years. In addition they're seeking to create a new visa program to bring foreign agriculture workers to the U.S. But wages and visa caps have been sticking points, just as they were for a separate low-skilled worker program that was resolved recently with a deal between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO.

After negotiations between the United Farm Workers and agriculture interests, including the Western Growers Association, stalled in recent weeks, the four senators working on the issue ? Feinstein, Rubio, Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah ? developed a framework that would ultimately call for the agriculture secretary to set visa levels and wages, according to officials involved in the talks.

But the uncertainty of that structure sparked concern on both sides, and talks between growers and agriculture reopened. There now have been numbers set for wages and where to cap visa levels that the United Farm Workers has agreed to, officials said, although details weren't immediately available Tuesday. But growers emphasized they had yet to sign off.

"We are working diligently on the final details on the important details of the wage and cap and are hopeful, but have not agreed to anything," said Kristi Boswell, director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Even in absence of a formal OK from the growers side, Feinstein suggested that the senators were satisfied and would be moving forward with what they've settled on.

"We hope we can get their acquiescence and support, otherwise we just need to proceed ahead," she said.

Meanwhile there were indications that the immigration debate, largely confined to behind-the-scenes negotiations so far, was moving into a more public phase.

Pro-immigrant groups planned rallies around the country and outside the Capitol for Wednesday.

And there was back-and-forth among GOP-leaning groups over the expected cost of a bill, with a conservative think tank, the American Action Forum, releasing a report Tuesday arguing that immigration reform would grow the economy and reduce the deficit, partly because of growth in the labor force. That stood in contrast to a report by the Heritage Foundation released during the last immigration debate in 2007, and expected to be revived again this year, that contended the legislation cost taxpayers $2.6 trillion.

The dispute was more evidence of a split in the GOP, with some favoring comprehensive immigration legislation, and others still strongly opposed.

___

Follow Erica Werner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericawerner

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-04-09-Immigration/id-e8987f475faa43ca9f37522296805b4e

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Dyn To Host First-Ever Hackademy To Encourage Future Tech ...

Manchester, NH (April 8, 2013) ??Dyn, the worldwide leader in?Internet Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), announced it will hold its first-ever Hackademy from?May 16-19 at its Manchester, NH, headquarters in an effort to inspire the next generation of technical leaders and entrepreneurs.

Hackademy, which merges the educational opportunities of an academy with the technical passion of a hackathon, is a four-day invite-only program that is open to college juniors with technology majors. The program will feature coding workshops, networking opportunities and a mini-hackathon ? a great chance to collaborate on web app projects.

For the 20-to-30 college juniors who get accepted, they will be given three nights lodging, meals and plenty of free gear, in addition to giving them a chance to perform in a technology environment and seek inspiration for their own startup or perhaps to come back to Dyn after graduation.

?Hackademy is designed to get a bunch of bright young tech enthusiasts to come to a place like Dyn and learn how to build web apps,? said?Jeremy Hitchcock, the Dyn CEO who helped concept the idea of the Hackademy. ?Everybody talks about building cool web apps and technology, but a lot of people don?t know how to get started. We hope this is a way people can get started and learn.?

While the program will be beneficial for the students, it also offers a unique way for Dyn to recruit future talent.

?We wanted to bring students in to see what it?s like at a technology company,? Hitchcock continued. ?We hope we veer some of them off to do cool startups. And then, as their senior year continues, they think about our cool work environment and want to be part of it. Maybe some of them will come back to Dyn and be part of our team.?

Applications?are due by 5 p.m. on Friday,?April 12, with several requirements:

• Entrants must be at least 18.
• Entrants must be in your junior year of a New England area college.
• Entrants must be pursuing a degree in computer science, computer engineering or a related technical major.
• Entrants must be passionate about engineering and a love for software product development!
• Entrants must be able to get to Manchester, NH on your own.
• Entrants must have your own computer.

Selection is based on the applicant?s profile, as Dyn is looking to attract a cross section of talent. For more information visit:?http://dyn.com/hackademy.

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ABOUT DYN

Incorporated in 2001, Dyn is the worldwide Internet Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) leader, powering?Managed DNS,?Traffic Management,?Email Delivery?&?Email Reporting?for more than four million enterprise, small business and personal users. With nearly 20 data centers around the world and industry-leading uptime for over 10 years, Dyn?s commitment to customer relationships and engineering excellence shines every day.?Uptime is the Bottom Line.

Dyn Media Contact

Adam Coughlin |?acoughlin@dyn.com?| 603.714.5798

Dyn is the IaaS (Internet Infrastructure as a Service) leader that features a full suite of DNS and email delivery services for enterprise, personal and small business. Follow on Twitter and Facebook.

Source: http://dyn.com/blog/hackademy-college-juniors-technology-engineering-new-hampshire-careers/

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Dem, GOP senators work on background check deal

FILE ? In this Feb. 27, 2013, file photo faces of Sandy Hook Elementary School victims are seen behind Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D? Calif., as she speaks about the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 during the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Congress returns Monday, April 8, 2013, from a two-week spring recess with gun control and immigration high on the Senate's agenda. Senators could start debating Democratic-written gun legislation before week's end. But leaders also might decide to give negotiators more time to seek a deal on expanding background checks for firearms buyers. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

FILE ? In this Feb. 27, 2013, file photo faces of Sandy Hook Elementary School victims are seen behind Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D? Calif., as she speaks about the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 during the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Congress returns Monday, April 8, 2013, from a two-week spring recess with gun control and immigration high on the Senate's agenda. Senators could start debating Democratic-written gun legislation before week's end. But leaders also might decide to give negotiators more time to seek a deal on expanding background checks for firearms buyers. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

FILE - In this March 14, 2013 file photo, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Gun control legislation the Senate debates next month will include an expansion of federal background checks for firearms buyers, Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday, March 21, 2013, in a victory for advocates of gun restrictions. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

FILE- In this Jan. 30, 2013, file photo Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., talks about gun legislation during the committee's hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Congress returns from a two-week spring recess Monday, April 8, 2013, with gun control and immigration high on the Senate's agenda. Senators could start debating Democratic-written gun legislation before week's end, but leaders may decide to give negotiators more time to seek a deal on expanding background checks for firearms buyers. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Two influential senators, one from each party, are working on an agreement that could expand background checks on firearms sales to include gun shows and online transactions, Senate aides said Sunday.

If completed, the effort could represent a major breakthrough in the effort by President Barack Obama and his allies to restrict guns following last December's massacre of schoolchildren in Newtown, Conn.

Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., could nail down an accord early this week, said the aides, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the private talks. With the Senate returning Monday from a two-week recess, the chamber's debate on gun control legislation could begin as soon as Tuesday, though it might be delayed if the lawmakers need more time to complete a deal, the aides said.

Expanding background checks to gun shows and online sales is one possibility that has been discussed, and the overall package, if completed, could still change, aides said. The senators are also discussing exempting transactions between relatives and temporary transfers for hunters and sportsmen, they said.

Manchin is a moderate who touts an A rating from the National Rifle Association, which has opposed Obama's gun control drive. Toomey has solid conservative credentials and was elected to the Senate two years ago with tea party support from his Democratic-leaning state.

A united front by the two lawmakers would make it easier for gun control advocates to attract support from moderate Democrats who have been wary of supporting the effort and from Republicans who have largely opposed it so far.

With conservative Republicans threatening a filibuster, Democrats will need 60 of the chamber's 100 votes to prevail. There are 53 Democrats and two Democratic-leaning independents in the Senate.

Federal background checks are currently required only for transactions handled by the roughly 55,000 federally licensed firearms dealers; private sales such as gun-show or online purchases are exempt. The system is designed to keep guns from criminals, people with serious mental problems, and some others.

After 20 first-graders and six elementary school staffers were killed at Newtown, Obama proposed applying the requirement to virtually all firearms sales. Gun control advocates consider expanded background checks to be the most effective step lawmakers could take to curb gun violence.

Also high on Congress' agenda is immigration, where a decisive moment is approaching.

Bipartisan groups in the House and Senate are expected to present legislation as early as this week aimed at securing the U.S. border, fixing legal immigration and granting legal status to millions who are in the United States without authorization. That will open months of debate on the politically combustible issue, with votes by the Senate Judiciary Committee expected later this month.

The House returns Tuesday and initially plans to consider a bill preventing the National Labor Relations Board from issuing rules until a dispute over administration appointees is resolved.

Lawmakers will also devote time to the 2014 budget that Obama plans to release Wednesday. It calls for new tax increases, which Republicans oppose, and smaller annual increases in Social Security and other government benefit programs, over the objections of many of the president's fellow Democrats.

On Monday, Obama travels to Connecticut to again make the case for gun legislation, with a speech at the University of Hartford.

"He's been working with both sides to try to get the strongest bill we can that has enforceable background checks," White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

Other Obama gun control priorities include banning assault weapons and ammunition magazines with more than 10 rounds. Both bans are expected to be offered as amendments when Senate debate begins, but the assault weapons ban seems sure to be defeated and the high-capacity magazine prohibition also faces difficult odds.

For weeks, Manchin has been part of an effort to craft a background check compromise, along with Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill. Schumer focused his efforts on conservative Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., but those talks sputtered over Schumer's insistence on ? and Coburn's opposition to ? requiring that records be kept of private gun sales.

"I'm still hopeful that what I call the sweet spot ? background checks ? can succeed," Schumer said Sunday. "We're working hard there."

Proponents say background checks and records ? which are currently retained by gun dealers, not the government ? are the best way to ensure that would-be gun-buyers' histories are researched. Opponents say the system is a step toward government files on gun owners and say criminals routinely skirt the checks anyway.

Asked about the potential compromise, Manchin spokesman Jonathan Kott said, "My boss continues to talk to all of his colleagues."

Toomey spokeswoman E.R. Anderson said she could provide no information.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., urged fellow Republicans to allow debate to go forward without a filibuster, even as he declined to express support for a background check bill.

"The purpose of the United States Senate is to debate and to vote and to let the people know where we stand," McCain said, appearing alongside Schumer on CBS' "Face the Nation."

With or without an agreement, the Senate gun legislation would toughen federal laws against illegal firearms sales, including against straw purchasers, those who buy firearms for criminals or others barred from owning them. The legislation also would provide $40 million a year, a modest increase from current levels of $30 million, for a federal program that helps schools take safety measures such as reinforcing classroom doors.

In addition, the gun bill contains language by Schumer expand background checks to cover nearly all gun transactions, with narrow exceptions that include sales involving immediate relatives. Even without a bipartisan deal, Schumer is expected to expand the exemptions to more relatives, people with permits to carry concealed weapons and others.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-04-07-Congress%20Returns/id-24fe2864bbb1488d849b4e4da0d289df

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Schumer: Immigration plan will be ready this week

WASHINGTON - As the Senate returns from recess this week, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he thinks the bi-partisan Gang of Eight will have its immigration plan completed by the end of the week.

"We hope that we can have a bipartisan agreement among the eight of us on comprehensive immigration reform by the end of the week," Schumer said today on CBS' "Face the Nation." "Over the last two weeks, we've made great progress. There have been kerfuffles along the way, but each one of those, thus far, has been settled."

Schumer said that the staffs of each Gang of Eight member has worked 12 hours a day to fine-tune the details of their immigration plan and reach an agreement on every issue.

In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also a member of the Gang of Eight, set a longer time frame of a "couple of weeks" before the plan is completed.

But one Republican member of the bi-partisan group has expressed concern that the deal on immigration reform is being reached in haste.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has called for more hearings and time to review the plan in order to encourage "healthy public debate."

"Arriving at a final product will require it to be properly submitted for the American people's consideration, through the other 92 senators from 43 states that weren't part of this initial drafting process," Rubio said in a statement last week. "In order to succeed, this process cannot be rushed or done in secret."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., disputed the idea that the plan is being rushed, saying on CBS' "Face the Nation," "I reject this notion that something is being railroaded through. This is the beginning of the process, not the end of it."

Graham defended Rubio, even though questions have been raised about whether he will ultimately agree to a bi-partisan plan.

"Marco Rubio has been a game changer in my party," Graham said. "He will be there only if the Democrats will embrace a guest worker program and a merit-based immigration system to replace the broken one and we'll regain our sovereignty by securing our borders and having control of jobs through E-Verify. Marco will be there."

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/immigration-plan-ready-week-sen-chuck-schumer-says-210019506--abc-news-politics.html

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Nokia Lumia 920 found to be most popular Windows Phone

With all this talk about the cord-cutting masses no longer wanting to subsidize TV channels they don't watch, it's a little surprising that one of the oldest, most widely available forms of TV is waning: over-the-air broadcast TV. Despite its attractive price of $0 per month and billions of advertising revenue, nobody ? including the broadcast networks, the tech companies that are out to disrupt them, and the cord-cutters and cord-nevers who hate cable ? is very enthusiastic about antennas. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nokia-lumia-920-found-most-popular-windows-phone-230313422.html

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Researchers shine light on how stress circuits learn

Public release date: 7-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Marta
mcyperli@ucalgary.ca
403-210-3835
University of Calgary

Researchers at the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute have discovered that stress circuits in the brain undergo profound learning early in life. Using a number of cutting edge approaches, including optogenetics, Jaideep Bains, PhD, and colleagues have shown stress circuits are capable of self-tuning following a single stress. These findings demonstrate that the brain uses stress experience during early life to prepare and optimize for subsequent challenges.

The team was able to show the existence of unique time windows following brief stress challenges during which learning is either increased or decreased. By manipulating specific cellular pathways, they uncovered the key players responsible for learning in stress circuits in an animal model. These discoveries culminated in the publication of two back-to-back studies in the April 7 online edition of Nature Neuroscience, one of the world's top neuroscience journals.

"These new findings demonstrate that systems thought to be 'hardwired' in the brain, are in fact flexible, particularly early in life," says Bains, a professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. "Using this information, researchers can now ask questions about the precise cellular and molecular links between early life stress and stress vulnerability or resilience later in life."

Stress vulnerability, or increased sensitivity to stress, has been implicated in numerous health conditions including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and depression. Although these studies used animal models, similar mechanisms mediate disease progression in humans.

"Our observations provide an important foundation for designing more effective preventative and therapeutic strategies that mitigate the effects of stress and meet society's health challenges," he says.

###

The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Jaideep Bains and members of his team are supported by Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions.

---

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?

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.

Public release date: 7-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Marta
mcyperli@ucalgary.ca
403-210-3835
University of Calgary

Researchers at the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute have discovered that stress circuits in the brain undergo profound learning early in life. Using a number of cutting edge approaches, including optogenetics, Jaideep Bains, PhD, and colleagues have shown stress circuits are capable of self-tuning following a single stress. These findings demonstrate that the brain uses stress experience during early life to prepare and optimize for subsequent challenges.

The team was able to show the existence of unique time windows following brief stress challenges during which learning is either increased or decreased. By manipulating specific cellular pathways, they uncovered the key players responsible for learning in stress circuits in an animal model. These discoveries culminated in the publication of two back-to-back studies in the April 7 online edition of Nature Neuroscience, one of the world's top neuroscience journals.

"These new findings demonstrate that systems thought to be 'hardwired' in the brain, are in fact flexible, particularly early in life," says Bains, a professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. "Using this information, researchers can now ask questions about the precise cellular and molecular links between early life stress and stress vulnerability or resilience later in life."

Stress vulnerability, or increased sensitivity to stress, has been implicated in numerous health conditions including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and depression. Although these studies used animal models, similar mechanisms mediate disease progression in humans.

"Our observations provide an important foundation for designing more effective preventative and therapeutic strategies that mitigate the effects of stress and meet society's health challenges," he says.

###

The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Jaideep Bains and members of his team are supported by Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions.

---

[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/uoc-rsl040413.php

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Serbia rejects Kosovo deal, begs EU for more time

By Aleksandar Vasovic and Matt Robinson

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia on Monday rejected a European Union-brokered plan to tackle the ethnic partition of its former province Kosovo, a move that could hurt Belgrade's hopes of starting membership talks with the bloc.

But the coalition government called for the "urgent" continuation of negotiations to reach an accord, with the EU set to consider this month whether to recommend the start of accession talks with Serbia.

Membership talks would mark a major milestone in Serbia's recovery from a decade of war and isolation under late strongman Slobodan Milosevic and provide a much-needed boost for its ailing economy, still the biggest in the former Yugoslavia.

The EU had set a Tuesday deadline for Kosovo and Serbia to accept the principles on the table after talks ended last week without result. Kosovo, which broke away from Serbia in a 1998-99 war and declared independence in 2008, had already said it was ready to sign the deal.

Facing a potential backlash from hardliners and a warning from the influential Orthodox Church, Serbia balked, saying the offer fell far short of the broad autonomy it wants for a small Serb enclave of majority ethnic Albanian Kosovo.

"The government of Serbia calls for the urgent continuation of dialogue ... with the mediation of the EU in order to reach a lasting solution," the government said in a declaration read out by Prime Minister Ivica Dacic at a meeting of his cabinet.

"The government of Serbia cannot accept the proposed solution as it does not guarantee the safety and human rights of Serbs in Kosovo," he said.

But it was unclear whether the EU might agree to one last push to negotiate a deal.

The cabinet voted unanimously to adopt the declaration, which will be forwarded to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Ashton is due to issue a progress report on the situation on April 16 that will likely decide whether the EU launches Serbia on the long path of accession talks this year.

MORE NEGOTIATIONS?

Neighboring Croatia, Serbia's wartime foe during the collapse of Yugoslavia, is set to become the EU's 28th member on July 1, but Belgrade's progress has long been hamstrung by its refusal to come to terms with Kosovo's secession.

The West wants Belgrade to cede its fragile hold on a northern, Serb-populated pocket of Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians are the 90-percent majority - an ethnic partition that frequently flares into violence and has frustrated NATO plans to cut back its now 6,000-strong Kosovo peacekeeping force.

In a major U-turn in policy, Serbia has offered to recognize the authority of the Pristina government over the entire territory of Kosovo, but wants broad autonomy for the 50,000 Serbs living in the north.

Full details of the EU-brokered proposal have not yet been made public, but Belgrade made clear it fell short of its demands, particularly that the north control its own police and judiciary.

Ashton had said a marathon 12-hour meeting last week between the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia, which ended without result, would be the last. But the EU's envoy to Serbia appeared to hold out the possibility of another round.

"It's up to Ashton to decide if the process will be continued, since she herself said that the differences are small but the gaps are deep, and when the answers arrive tonight she will decide whether the process can be continued," Ambassador Vincent Degert said, according to the Tanjug state news agency.

Serbia lost control over Kosovo in 1999 when NATO launched 11 weeks of air strikes to halt the killing and expulsion of ethnic Albanians by Serbian forces waging a brutal counter-insurgency campaign under Milosevic.

Considered by many Serbs as the cradle of their nation and Orthodox Christian faith, the territory of 1.7 million people declared independence in 2008 and has been recognized by more than 90 countries, including the United States and 22 of the EU's 27 members.

(Writing by Matt Robinson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/serbia-reject-kosovo-deal-begs-eu-more-time-123502732.html

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Meetings Scheduled to Discuss Potential New Student Recreation ...

Students exercising at the Student Recreation Facility gym at the Field House. (Sean Flynn/UConn Photo)

UConn?s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) is sponsoring two town hall meetings about the possibility of a new student recreation facility/fitness center at UConn. The town hall meetings will be held on Tuesday, April 16, and Wednesday, April 17, between 4 and 6 p.m. in the Konover Auditorium at the Dodd Research Center.

Panelists will include Richard Gray, executive vice president for administration and chief financial officer; Mun Choi, provost; Laura Cruickshank, master planner and chief university architect; and Cynthia Costanzo, executive director of recreation services.

They will listen to the views and opinions of students on the issue and answer questions. The meeting will include discussion on the need for a modern recreation/fitness center on the Storrs campus, what a new facility could include, the likely timeline for such a project if approved, and how it would be funded.

All students are invited to attend.

This Q&A on the subject may be useful for those who plan to attend the meetings:

Q: Why does the University want to build a new student recreation center?
A: UConn?s current student recreation facility is small, inadequate, and does not meet the needs and demands of our student population. For a period of years ? more than a decade ? students have consistently expressed the desire for a modern recreation center that is on par with the facilities that many of UConn?s peer institutions and competitors offer. As we work to recruit and keep the very best students ? who have no shortage of options ? being able to offer quality student services that are on par with our competitors is essential. It is a ?missing piece? on the Storrs campus.

Q: How much would it cost to build a facility like that? How would it be paid for?
A: It is estimated to be in the range of $100 million. A student fee specific to this project would go to pay off a 30-year bond and to operate the facility.

Q: Would students have to begin paying the fee as soon as the board approves it?
A: No. If approved, the building will take a period of years to design and build and would likely not open until sometime in 2016. The fee would not be charged to students until the building opens its doors in 2016, meaning many current students would never pay this fee.

Q:? How much would the fee be?
A: It is estimated that the fee would be in the range of $400 to $500 a year for full-time undergraduates and between $300 and $400 for full-time graduate students, including graduate assistants. Part-time students would pay less. This is modeled after the way the General University Fee (GUF) is charged. The existing facilities (including current recreational sports programming) are supported by the GUF.

Q: That is about $33 to $41 a month for undergrads and $25 to $33 a month for grads. Isn?t that more than some gym memberships cost?

A: It is very important to understand that if the University does move ahead with a new recreation center, it will be much more than a large room with exercise equipment in it ? which is what the standard gym offers. A new facility could include:

• A 50-meter, 8-lane pool and aquatics center
• An extensive cardiovascular and strength training space
• A Wellness Center; dedicated space for special populations programming, such as weight loss and exercise programs
• Seven multipurpose group exercise areas, including space for cycling, yoga, dance, martial arts, spin cycling, etc.
• An extensive simulated outdoor recreation area, including bouldering and climbing
• Club sports practice and competition space
• Extensive recreation space including basketball courts, Multi-purpose Activity Court, racquetball, squash, etc.
• Leisure recreation activity areas, such as a game room, ping pong, table tennis, etc.
• Synthetic turf field for use by Recreation Services ? especially intramurals and club sports for practice and competition
• A jogging track
• Showers and locker rooms
• It could also include lounges, juice bars, and event and activity spaces.

Q: Why does there need to be a student fee to pay for it? Why can?t something else pay for it?
A: Generally, there are three ways a new or renovated facility could be paid for on campus: UConn 2000/21st Century UConn funds, a state appropriation/capital investment, or a student fee. All UConn 2000/21st Century UConn funding has already been spent or has been allocated for other purposes. There is little chance that leaders in state government would even consider devoting $100 million, or some part of it, to building a student recreation facility on campus, particularly in light of the state?s fiscal problems and the fact that a new $1.5 billion-plus investment in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education at UConn has been proposed to add strength to the state?s workforce and fuel economic development. That leaves a student fee.

Q: Why don?t we just build a much smaller building? Wouldn?t that be cheaper?
A: If the University is going to move forward with a major undertaking such as this, the goal is to do it right the first time rather than downsize and create a building that is too small and obsolete the day it opens, which would not only not solve the problem we face today ? an inadequate facility ? but it would also leave it to future generations to remedy our shortsightedness.

Q: Couldn?t the Foundation defray the cost through private fundraising?
A: A bond will be necessary to fund the construction costs, and then be repaid in full over 30 years. To secure the loan, a consistent, reliable source of funding such as a fee is required. Private fundraising is not sufficiently predictable. Receipts derived from pledges of private donations, which are also typically paid over time, might conceivably reduce the amount borrowed or interest expense, depending on timing. Based on our ability to secure private funds for similar facilities such as the Student Union, we believe significant donor support is unlikely. Waiting until even a portion of $100 million is raised would likely guarantee that the project would not move forward for many years, if ever.

Q: This will increase the cost of attending the university. How will this affect financial aid?
A: When determining the financial aid package to offer students, the University considers the whole cost of attending the University ? including mandatory fees, regardless of what the fees pay for.

Q: If student fees rise above a certain level, won?t that endanger the ability of international graduate students to attend UConn?
A: An increase in student fees affects all students, not just international students. The ability of international students to attend UConn would be affected only if the total cost of attendance, including fees, exceeded the usual stipends offered to entering graduate students. The University will monitor both the cost of attendance and stipend levels accordingly.

Q: Graduate student stipends have not increased in two years and now you are talking about instituting a new fee on top of what they already pay?
A: Graduate students stipends will increase by 4 percent in the fall of 2013. Also, when considering the level of graduate student stipends in future years, the level of fees that graduate students must pay will be taken into consideration.

Q: Not everyone would use this building. Why does everyone have to pay for it?
A: Most of the costs associated with operating the University are shared by all students; there is not a ?fee-for-use? model for facilities and services based on which students use them, as this would be completely unworkable. There are services, facilities, and programs that some students will use while others will not, but in order for them to exist at all, the cost of supporting them must be shared. For example, a resident of a town could look at their municipal budget and point out many services and facilities the town offers that they as residents do not use, yet their taxes still go to support those services just the same, because there is no other practical way to fund them.

Q: If UConn?s student population increases ? which it will if Next Generation Connecticut is passed ? would having more students paying the fee mean it could be reduced?
A: If Next Generation Connecticut is passed, the Storrs student population would grow by approximately 5,000 students by 2024. The University would have the option of reducing the fee charged as the population grows, or charging the same fee and paying off the bond earlier than expected and save on interest costs in the long-run. Additionally, operating and programming costs will increase as the population grows, and these costs are funded by the fee as well.

Q: Once the building is built, will students be charged for memberships? Or will new fees be instituted to pay for equipment?
A: No, students will not be charged to use the facility and the total cost of the facility ? including equipment and staff ? would be built into the one fee.

Q: Could faculty, staff, and alumni buy memberships and help defray the cost to students?
A: The University anticipates that faculty and staff memberships will rise with a new facility, and that expected revenue is already built into the formula that is used to calculate the student fee.

Q: Will this be for all students? use at all times, or are there times when portions of the building will be for use by varsity athletes only, for example?
A: The building will be for all students? use at all times. No portion of the building will be set aside to serve any specific group of students, including varsity athletes.

Q: Who decides whether or not students will pay this fee?
A: For an institutional fee such as this, the University would make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees and the board would vote on whether or not to approve the project and the fee to fund it.

Q: How can students share their views on this with the University?
A: There will be two town hall-style meetings held on April 16 and 17 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Konover Auditorium in the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center. All students are welcome to attend to share their views with VP for Administration and Chief Financial Officer Richard Gray, Provost Mun Choi, Master Planner & Chief University Architect Laura Cruickshank, and Director of Recreation Services Cynthia Costanzo. Such public meetings are required by university bylaws before any vote to create or adjust student fees is taken.

Q: Can we share our views with the board before the semester is over?
A: Yes. At the beginning of each board meeting there is a period devoted to public comment. Anyone who wishes to address the board during its next meeting on April 24 needs to arrive a few minutes before the meeting begins at 11 a.m. in the Rome Ballroom and sign up to speak. There is a two minute maximum per speaker to allow for as many speakers as possible during the time allotted.
If someone is not able to attend these meetings, they can also share their views by writing to the board through this link: http://boardoftrustees.uconn.edu/contact-uconn/ or to:

UConn Board of Trustees
352 Mansfield Road, Unit 2048
Storrs, CT 06269-1048

Q: If the University does recommend the project and related fee to the board, when would it be voted on?
A: The fee would be voted on during a future board meeting, but after the board meeting that will be held on April 24.

Source: http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2013/04/meetings-scheduled-to-discuss-potential-new-student-recreation-facility/

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Bad weather behind asparagus price hike - The Local

The endless winter has left Germany in a bad mood, and now the asparagus lovers among them have another thing to complain about after it emerged the cold weather will raise their price and delay the season.

On a more positive note, German Weather Service the DWD said on Friday that while the extended winter is not over, Sunday's weather should at least be a bit better, as temperatures over 10C in some parts of the country are forecasted.

Meteorologists warned that a ?perfect sunny and warm spring day? might not be in the cards for next week but ?an improvement is in sight.?

Click here for The Local's weather forecast
This should be welcome news for the country?s farmers ? especially those preparing for the upcoming asparagus crop, an annual even in Germany when white asparagus fills shops in April for several weeks.

The delicacy is often served with boiled potatoes and butter and is an annual sign of spring.

But this year consumers can expect the sought-after-vegetable to arrive a bit later and be more expensive than last year, according to Joachim Rukwied, president of the German Farmers Association.

?In principle we are three to four weeks later with our spring work and vegetation,? he said, blaming the delay on the freezing temperatures.

When it comes to asparagus, farmers are having to spend a lot more on keeping the crop warm - and the delicacy will carry a corresponding price tag, he said. He did not specify how much more expensive it might be and added that it is unclear if other field crops will also be more expensive.

The Local/DAPD/mw

Source: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20130406-48963.html

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