State of emergency declared as death toll rises to 20 in Myanmar religious riots

Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters

Firemen attempt to extinguish fires during riots in Meikhtila, Myanmar, on March 22, 2013. Unrest between Buddhists and Muslims in central Myanmar has reduced neighborhoods to ashes and stoked fears that last year's sectarian bloodshed is spreading into the country's heartland in a test of Asia's newest democracy.

Nyein Chan Naing / EPA

A riot policeman stands guard next to a burning building in Meikhtila on March 22, 2013. A curfew was imposed for the second night as riots between Buddhists and Muslims continued.

By The Associated Press

MEIKHTILA, Myanmar?? Myanmar President Thein Sein has declared a state of emergency in a central town where at least 20 people have been killed in violence between Buddhists and Muslims.

Burning fires from two days of Buddhist-Muslim violence smoldered across Meikhtila on Friday as residents cowered indoors amid growing fears the country's latest bout of sectarian bloodshed could spread.

The government's struggle to contain the unrest is proving another major challenge to Thein Sein's reformist administration as it attempts to chart a path to democracy after nearly half a century of military rule that once crushed all dissent. Read the full story.

Nyein Chan Naing / EPA

People carry their belongings as they arrive at a temporary rescue center in Meikhtila on March 22, 2013.

Soe Than Win / AFP - Getty Images

Residents sit on a railway track watching buildings burn around a mosque in riot-hit Meikhtila on March 21, 2013.

Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters

Burnt houses are seen in Meikhtila on March 21, 2013.

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Lil Wayne's Seizures: What Is Causing Them?

Neurologist Dr. Michael Privitera talks to MTV News about what might be triggering Wayne's condition.
By Gil Kaufman

Lil Wayne
Photo: Kevin C. Cox/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1703830/lil-wayne-seizures-cause.jhtml

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Ingezonden : 7 alternatieven voor Google Reader

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Madeleine Albright: Foreign Policy Has Become 'Much Harder'

After a roundtable appearance on "This Week," former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright joined Martha Raddatz for an ABC News web exclusive. Albright discussed her career, gave advice for the current Secretary of State John Kerry, and talked about how U.S. foreign policy has changed since she served in the Clinton administration.

"I think that in many ways it's gotten much harder because we have this evolution of what we call 'non-state actors.' Various, obviously, terrorist groups that roam around. It's very hard to figure out what tools to use against them. And lack of faith, frankly, in the various international institutions that exist. It's uncharted waters in many ways."

See more of Albright's responses to viewer questions from Facebook and Twitter below:

Are you and Mrs. Clinton friends? Did you offer her any input during her time as our secretary of state?

"Yes, we're very good friends. And I always say I never would have been secretary of state without her. And the reason I know that is that President Clinton said so. And she and I did talk to each both when I was secretary and when she was secretary?Absolutely?when she was first lady and I was secretary we did a lot of tag team stuff together. Traveling abroad. She was one of America's great ambassadors. All her skills were put to work. I thought she was a fantastic secretary of state."

Think Hillary Clinton will run for president?

"I have no idea."

Is there anything she would like to go back and change?

"I would like to change something that happened when I was ambassador at the UN was our lack of help in Rwanda. I think we all think about that. I also do wish that we had been able to have Middle East peace that President Clinton worked so hard on."

What one key piece of advice would you like to give Secretary Kerry?

"Well, to understand what it is to represent the United States-that it's the greatest honor to be able to sit behind a sign that says "United States" and be able to use the goodness of American power to make a difference."

During your time as secretary of state, how did you take care of yourself and avoid stress related illnesses?

"Well, I loved what I did. I?did sleep when I could on command. I didn't exercise enough. Being secretary of state was a very fattening job because I was eating for my country. But I really enjoyed what I did. And I think that makes a big difference."

Lightning Round:

iPhone or Blackberry?

"Both"

Favorite movie of the year?

"'Lincoln.' Second place, 'Argo'"

Comfort food?

"Frozen Yogurt."

Like "This Week" on Facebook here. You can also follow the show on Twitter here.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/madeleine-albright-foreign-policy-become-much-harder-171206241--abc-news-politics.html

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Eurozone seeks to broker deal on Cyprus bailout

BRUSSELS (AP) ? European finance ministers are trying to complete a long-delayed bailout deal for Cyprus in a bid to keep the island nation from a bankruptcy that could rekindle the region's debt crisis.

If a rescue loan package is agreed on at Friday's extraordinary meeting of the Eurogroup in Brussels, it's likely to come with tough conditions for Cyprus, including measures to shrink its troubled banking sector, raise taxes and privatize state assets.

The bailout was initially estimated to total up to ?17 billion ($22 billion) but will now more likely cost around ?10 billion.

While that is many times smaller than Greece's ?240 billion bailout or Ireland's ?67.5 billion, it is still considered crucial to the future of the 17-strong group of European Union countries that use the euro because a default even by a small country could roil financial markets and undermine investor confidence in other eurozone nations.

"This is not just about Cyprus, but about the eurozone as a whole," said the Netherlands' Jeroen Dijsselbloem, president of the Eurogroup meetings of the eurozone's finance ministers.

Cyprus' prospective creditors ? the eurozone and the International Monetary Fund ? have not explained how they would shrink the size of the bailout ?17 billion to ?10 billion. A key component, however, appeared to be Russia's willingness to chip in financially. Russian investors have deposited more than ?20 billion in Cyprus's banks.

Russia is likely to extend repayment of a ?2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) loan it granted Cyprus in late 2011 after the country could no longer tap international markets, but Russia might also provide a new loan, according to Cypriot officials. Cyprus might also look for Russian investors to buy stakes in its troubled banks.

Cypriot Finance Minister Michalis Sarris will hold talks Monday in Moscow about Russia's possible contribution.

To shrink the bailout further, Cyprus' conservative government, which took power last month, has indicated it will sell state assets and raise its corporate tax rate, the lowest in Europe.

Other more drastic ideas were also under consideration by the creditors to shrink the bailout to a size that wouldn't leave Cyprus' tiny ?18 billion economy with an unsustainably high debt burden.

Bank bondholders might have to accept losses on their investments, and an even more radical idea is to force owners of large bank deposits to also share part of the cost through a so-called bail-in. Another option would be to levy a one-time tax on large bank deposits.

Cyprus has vehemently rejected these ideas. Making depositors take a hit would set a precedent that many fear might undermine confidence in other weaker eurozone countries. In a worst case scenario banks in, say, Portugal or Greece could see depositors flying to safer, northern European countries, critically weakening their banks, which might require further bailouts.

At Friday's meeting, the ministers were expected to discuss the recommendations of the so-called troika of creditors for the design of the bailout program.

"That will not be easy," Dijsselbloem said before the meeting. "It is a complicated case but we have to work on that."

EU Officials and some finance ministers said it was important that a deal be reached in principle on Friday, but Dijsselbloem was more cautious, saying "we will see how far we get tonight."

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble also damped hopes that a deal was nigh, saying the point was not about win a little time but to address underlying problems such as Cyprus' high debt, its outsized financial sector and the lack of growth.

The planned bailout of ?17 billion to keep Cyprus' banks and government afloat would have ballooned the country's public debt to about 145 percent of its economy, a level the IMF considers unsustainable.

The economy of Cyprus, a Mediterranean island of around a million people, represents less than 0.2 percent of the eurozone's annual economic output. But even the most reluctant EU partners, such as Germany, have accepted it would be better to bail Cyprus out than to let it go bankrupt, which could rekindle the bloc's three-year-old debt crisis.

"If one thinks that Cyprus might no longer be able to pay its bills, then one reaches the conclusion that this point should not be reached," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday after a summit of the European Union's 27 leaders. "To just leave Cyprus to itself and see what happens is irresponsible in my opinion," she added.

Cyprus, which first applied for a bailout last summer, is not in imminent danger of bankruptcy, as it faces its next bond redemption in June. But the European Central Bank, concerned that prolonged uncertainty over Cyprus could hurt market sentiment across the eurozone, has pushed for a swift deal, even threatening to cut the country's financial system off from emergency funding.

If the finance ministers reach a deal at Friday's meeting, it's likely to be a broad political decision, with technical details left for next week. The bailout would still have to be approved by parliaments in several eurozone nations, though EU officials say everything should be done by the end of the month.

The deal will also be needed to convince Russia to contribute: President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow would only consider helping if eurozone countries had a bailout package ready.

To appease its potential rescue creditors, Cyprus has already accepted an independent audit of its banks, which hold billions in Russian deposits, to soothe concerns voiced by Germany, France and others that they launder dirty Russian money.

Another option to reduce the amount of bailout loans Cyprus needs is making the sizeable Greek operations of its two largest banks, Bank of Cyprus and Laiki, eligible for rescue cash from Greece's bailout accord. The government in Athens, however, has appeared reluctant.

___

Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus contributed reporting.

___

Juergen Baetz can be reached on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com.jbaetz

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eurozone-seeks-broker-deal-cyprus-bailout-181333665--finance.html

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New pope's views bind simplicity with 'complexity'

FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2009 file photo, Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, right, greets faithful outside the San Cayetano church in Buenos Aires, Argentina. On Wednesday, March 13, 2013, Bergoglio was elected pope, the first ever from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium. He chose the name Pope Francis. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2009 file photo, Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, right, greets faithful outside the San Cayetano church in Buenos Aires, Argentina. On Wednesday, March 13, 2013, Bergoglio was elected pope, the first ever from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium. He chose the name Pope Francis. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

In this picture taken March 20, 2008 Argentina's cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, right, kisses the feet of a man during a mass with youth trying to overcome drug addictions in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Bergoglio, who chose the name of Pope Francis, is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. The famous words uttered to announce that a leader of the Catholic Church has been chosen now have special resonance for Latin America, which had felt neglected by the Vatican and has finally produced the New World's first pope.(AP Photo/Str )

In this picture taken March 20, 2008 Argentina's cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, left, talks to a woman during a mass for youth trying to overcome drug addictions in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Bergoglio, who chose the name of Pope Francis, is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. The famous words uttered to announce that a leader of the Catholic Church has been chosen now have special resonance for Latin America, which had felt neglected by the Vatican and has finally produced the New World's first pope.(AP Photo/Str )

In this 2008 photo, Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, second from left, travels on the subway in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Bergoglio, named pope on Wednesday, March 13, 2013, was known for taking the subway and mingling with the poor of Buenos Aires while archbishop. Bergoglio chose the name Pope Francis and is the first pope ever from the Americas. (AP Photo/Pablo Leguizamon)

FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2009 file photo, Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio gives a Mass outside the San Cayetano church where an Argentine flag hangs behind in Buenos Aires, Argentina. On Wednesday, March 13, 2013, Bergoglio was elected pope, the first ever from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium. He chose the name Pope Francis. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? At gatherings of Latin American bishops, then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was often a star speaker about economic inequities in a profit-driven world. He also has used the forums to warn fellow church leaders about drifting from core Catholic values and teachings.

The twin messages are now expected to frame the beginning of the papacy of Pope Francis: Reinforcing the Vatican's views on issues such as birth control and women's ordination that will disappoint reform-minded followers, yet showing an activist streak that could hearten others pushing for greater attention to problems that include poverty and international debt.

These broad ideological strokes ? drawn clearly over decades in the Argentine church ? will likely be accompanied by growing nuances and initiatives demanded by the modern papacy that requires diplomatic skill, managerial acumen and a degree of pastoral flair.

His emphasis on clerical simplicity and populism, including efforts to keep divorced Catholics and unmarried mothers in the church's fold, could raise alarms among staunch conservatives about a reorientation of Vatican priorities after eight years of strict guidance under Benedict XVI, who spent most of his Vatican career as the main doctrinal enforcer.

Through lesser-known gestures and comments in the past, the first Latin American pontiff also has shown an inclination to expand interfaith outreach to Islam and Judaism, and efforts to further close the nearly 1,000-year estrangement with the Orthodox churches. The pope's historical namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, is described in church lore as walking unarmed to meet an Islamic ruler during the 13th century Crusades in a gesture of respect and shared humanity.

In his first Mass on Thursday as pope, Francis reinforced his pastoral priorities and service during a brief homily in the Sistine Chapel that was simple and inclusive, calling on all Catholics to help "build" the church and "walk" with the faith. Without such collective spirit, he said the underpinnings grow weak.

"What happens when children build sand castles on the beach?" he told the congregation that included the cardinals who elected him. "It all comes down."

The pope then showed a sterner side by citing the words of French writer Leon Bloy, an agnostic who experienced a strong religious conversion before his death in 1917: "He who doesn't pray to the Lord prays to the devil."

"To focus on the new pope only as a traditionalist is wrong, as is only to focus on him as a champion for economic justice," said Ambrogio Piazzoni, a church historian and vice-prefect of the Vatican library. "He is both and much more. This will be a papacy of complexity."

A Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Thomas Rosica, described the initial period of any papacy as "days of surprise."

But core elements of Pope Francis' pontificate are already informed by his Jesuit order. Its nearly 600-year history has been marked by hostility from the Vatican over perceived disobedience and independent-minded theological interpretations, although in recent decades, there has been a growing sense of cooperation and common purpose.

The Jesuit ethos is built strongly around academic rigor and missionary service ? and since the 1960s an association with so-called liberation theology, a Latin American-inspired view that Jesus' teachings imbue followers with a duty to fight for social and economic justice.

Francis has disavowed liberation theology as a misguided strain of Catholic tenets. But that does not mean he also rejects the ultimate goal. His addresses and homilies often circle back to the need for the church to rivet its attention on issues of economic failings, including the growing divides between the comfortable and needy, and the pressures of Western-style capitalism.

Such views are likely to play an increasingly high profile in Vatican affairs ? and win praise from some liberal factions in the church ? in contrast to Benedict, who spoke about issues of poverty but without Francis' credibility and direct links to grassroots church initiatives.

At a meeting of Latin American bishops in 2007, the future pope called on the church to purge the "social sin" of chronic poverty and economic inequality.

Irish Cardinal Sean Brady, who is among the church leaders alleged to have covered up sex abuse scandals, called the selection of the Buenos Aires archbishop a "historic decision in a number of ways." It acknowledges the church's demographic shifts in which nearly 40 percent of Catholics live in Latin America, and it also picks a Jesuit for the first time.

Jesuits "are renowned for their teaching, servants of the pope, but also for the witness, certainly in our country, to the need to witness to the poor and caring for the weak and speaking for justice," Brady told reporters in Rome.

These are the kind of interpretations that could make Pope Francis a figure of both admiration and consternation.

There is no doubt about Francis' traditional groundings. He has spoken out resolutely in support of central Catholic tenets, echoing the words of Pope John Paul II to call abortion and contraception part of a "culture of death," and showing no public tolerance for homosexuality. In fights against plans in Argentina to legalize same-sex marriages, he described such unions as "a scheme to destroy God's plan."

But fellow church conservatives will have to readjust ? with varying degrees of comfort ? to his emphasis on hands-on, missionary-style outreach.

For some, it is a welcome return to the pastoral vigor of John Paul II for a church battered by abuse scandals and internal discord.

"When we were looking for who would be the next pope, we were concentrating on who would be the most compelling spiritual leader for the church today," said U.S. Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., just hours after Francis' selection.

Others, however, face the prospect of losing a supporter of waning ? but symbolically important ? traditions such as the Latin Mass.

In an possible olive-branch comment, the breakaway Society of St. Pius X said it hopes the new pope will heed the divine calling of St. Francis to "rebuild" the church. The group was founded by the late ultraconservative Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who split from Rome over interpretation of reforms from the 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council, known as Vatican II, which revolutionized the church's relations with Jews and allowed for the celebration of Mass in languages other than Latin. The Vatican is currently in talks with the society on whether to return to papal control.

"What is certain is it's a great change of style, which for us isn't a small thing," Francis' authorized biographer, Sergio Rubin, said in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press as he recalled how the former Cardinal Bergoglio would celebrate Mass with ex-prostitutes in Buenos Aires. "He believes the church has to go to the streets to express this closeness of the church and this accompaniment with the people who suffer."

The new pope, too, could extend the church's outreach in other directions.

His choice of Francis as his papal name brought immediate connections to stories of St. Francis' peaceful efforts to spread Christianity in the Muslim world, even amid the Crusades, which still taints Islamic views of the Vatican to this day.

In Saudi Arabia, the secretary-general of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, expressed "ardent hope" that the "relationship between Islam and Christianity will regain its cordiality and sincere friendship" under Francis.

Jewish leaders also see the new pope as an ally. He won wide praise for his aid to Buenos Aires' Jewish community following the 1994 bombing of a Jewish Center that killed 85 people. Iran has been blamed for the attack, but denied any links. A joint Argentine-Iranian "truth commission" is studying the evidence.

In one of the first international invitations, Israeli President Shimon Peres said Francis would be a "welcome guess in the Holy Land."

In Moscow, the powerful Russian Orthodox Church welcomed Pope Francis' "spiritual affinity" to the Orthodox churches and urged closer ties, which have been gradually improved by successive popes. The two branches of Christianity split in the 11th century over disputes that included papal authority.

___

Associated Press writer Michael Warren in Buenos Aires, Argentina, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-14-Pope-Ideology/id-8834c3aa250a48709de4f968b9125a51

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The Engadget Podcast is live at 12:00PM ET!

Wahey, there's an unveiling tonight and we'll be there with bells on. That means we need to bump the 'ol podcast up a few hours to make sure that we get up to Radio City Music Hall in time. (That Rockette rush-hour traffic is pretty intense.) Join Engadget Chinese editor-in-chief Richard Lai and Engadget founder and executive editor at large Peter Rojas with yours truly as we talk about what to expect from tonight and what was interesting from last week. Please pack a sandwich, as lunch will not be provided.

March 14, 2013 12:00 PM EDT

Filed under: HD, Mobile

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/14/the-engadget-podcast-is-live-at-12-00pm-et/

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Corgi fired from Helen Mirren's new play

Dave M. Benett / Getty Images Contributor

Helen Mirren in "The Audience."

By Natalie Finn, E! Online

It's curtains for this corgi!?A dog that figured prominently in "The Audience," a new play starring Helen Mirren that's currently in preview performances in London's West End, had to be replaced after missing the leading lady's cues on 16 different occasions.

According to The Telegraph, 7-year-old Lizzy was supposed to enter stage right at the beginning of a scene, along with fellow corgi Rocky, then start exiting stage left before running back upon Mirren's command -- but Lizzy just didn't want to obey!

Check out Helen Mirren's pink hair at the BAFTAs

"She was excited the first three times," "The Audience" director Stephen Daldry told the paper, explaining that Lizzy followed through during her first few performances, "and then I think she decided she didn't want to be an actress anymore. She decided to retire from the British stage. Now she's back home, a resting actress, resting by the fire."

Aw.

The adorable Lizzy was replaced by the similarly adorable Coco, who is said to be behaving quite well when Mirren calls. (The actress is once again playing Queen Elizabeth II in "The Audience," which was penned by "The Queen" screenwriter Peter Morgan.)

"People seem to think corgis nip and yap, but all the ones we have worked with -- including dear old Lizzy -- have been gorgeous," Daldry added.

Get your adorable celebrity pet pics right here!

Related content:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/03/14/17309599-dog-fired-from-helen-mirrens-new-play?lite

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First time home buyer with bad credit - Zillow Real Estate Advice

Hi GoalAchiever523,

I was just working with someone in a similar situation. ?In fact, they recently closed on their new home. ?If you are interested, please give me a call or email and I will put you in touch with the lender they used. ?If not, please talk to a few lenders to get to know which one you would like to work with. ?

Best,
Sean

Source: http://www.zillow.com/advice-thread/First-time-home-buyer-with-bad-credit/482777/

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Sci-Fi Science: Attack of the Cabbage Clones

Growing green clones: Grow new cabbage plants from an old cabbage plant. Image: George Resteck

Key concepts
Plant biology
Cloning
Reproduction
Asexual reproduction

Introduction
Around Saint Patrick's Day the color green seems to be everywhere?from hats to shamrocks. For this Saint Paddy's Day, you could show off your own green creation?by cloning a plant! Many sci?fi tales of cloned organisms have been based on the actual scientific method for cloning animals or plants. In the real world the cloning of plants is often used in modern agriculture. How do you clone a plant? In this activity you will get to find out by making your own cabbage clones!

Background
Unlike most animals, plants commonly use two different ways to reproduce, depending on conditions. These two different types of reproduction are sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction. Many plants we're familiar with, such as flowering plants, undergo sexual reproduction by making seeds, where each seed contains an embryo that will grow into a mature plant under the right conditions. Sexual reproduction requires both male and female parts of a plant, which mix to form the embryo, bringing different sets of genes from both parent plants.

Asexual reproduction in plants is when new plants are made without male and female parts mixing, and it can be done without making seeds. The new progeny plant is a genetic clone of the parent plant. Although asexual reproduction usually produces plants with relatively less diversity compared with those created via sexual reproduction, asexual reproduction can be quite useful. Cloning plants is very common in agriculture because a plant can often be made relatively quickly this way, and it allows a farmer to grow more reliable produce, harvesting essentially the same plant from one year to the next.

Materials
? Three paper towels
? Three small, sealable plastic bags
? Scissors (optional)
? Water
? Fresh head of cabbage. Napa cabbage is recommended, because it is longer than the more common round cabbage, is less dense, easier to pick apart and has a longer stem.
? Cutting board
? Knife
? Camera (optional)
? Permanent marker

Preparation
? Fold a paper towel in half and then fold it in half again so that it can fit into a sealable plastic bag. Slip the folded paper towel into the bag so that the last fold you made is at the bottom of the bag. (If the folded paper towel is too long to fit into the bag, trim it to fit using scissors.)
? Add water to the bag so that the paper towel is damp, but do not add so much water that it is dripping wet. Pour out any extra water.
? Repeat these steps with the other paper towels and sealable plastic bags so that you have prepared three sealable plastic bags with damp paper towels inside.
? Remove the leaves from your cabbage. Beginning with the outer leaves, gently pull all of the leaves of the cabbage off of the stem. Do not worry if you don't get the entire leaf removed?it is better to leave some of the leaf attached than to risk damaging the stem.
? You should have an adult's help to use the knife when cutting the stem in the Procedure.

Procedure
? Place the cabbage stem on a cutting board and, with an adult's help, use a knife to carefully slice the stem crosswise into three pieces. Try to make each piece about the same length. You should have a top, middle and bottom piece, where the bottom piece would be closest to where the roots were (they should already have been removed) and the top piece would be at the top of the plant. How are the pieces different from each other? How are they similar? What color(s) are they?
? If you have a camera handy, you can take pictures of the stem pieces.
? Put one stem piece into each bag you have prepared. Put each piece in the middle of the folded layers of the paper towel (with two layers above the piece and two below it). Blow a tiny bit of air into each bag before sealing it.
? Once sealed, use the permanent marker to label each bag (as "top," "middle" or "bottom") based on which piece is inside.
? Place the three bags near a window at room temperature.
? The next day open the bags and observe the cabbage stem pieces. Do the pieces seem to have changed? Do some look like they're becoming clones? How can you tell?
? Reseal each bag, again blowing a tiny bit of air into each one before doing so. Place the bags back near the window.
? Continue observing the cabbage stem pieces each day like this until you have observed them for at least a week. How do the pieces change over time? Do some pieces sprout green leaves or develop small green spots? Do some seem to rot?turning brown, slimy and smelly?
? Did one piece (top, middle or bottom) become the best clone? How can you tell? Did a certain piece not clone at all? If some pieces became better clones than others, why do you think this is?
? Extra: You can try to continue growing the clones you started in this activity. To do this, remove the clones from the bags after they've been growing for about 10 to 12 days, have an adult help you carefully use a knife to cut off and discard any rotting pieces, and put the clones onto damp potting soil in a pot or other container. Keep the soil damp and observe how the clones grow and change over time. Do the leaves grow? Do they sprout roots? Do they turn into plants like the original cabbage you used or are they different somehow?
? Extra: You can try cloning other crops as well, such as celery stem parts, tubers of potatoes, slices of carrot, lettuce stems, separated garlic cloves, etcetera. Do clones come from the same part of the plant? Do other crops need different conditions to be cloned? Are some crops cloned much more easily than others?
? Extra: Try comparing the time it takes to produce a mature cabbage by cloning to growing it from a seed. How much faster is cloning a vegetable than growing it from seed? What is the yield from each method?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=a3049a65753c6a466c19f24181c12128

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Emergent Literacy Strategies to Use with Babies and Toddlers ...

The term ?emergent literacy? is defined in different ways by different people. Simply put, rather than using the term?reading readiness, supporters of the emergent philosophy believe that children are always ready to be learning about language and literacy, right from birth. We don?t believe there is any set date or time for a child?s journey into the reading process.

My colleague Dr. Sally Goldberg explains emergent literacy in the following way:

There are four aspects of a language-rich environment that begin best in natural and enjoyable ways ? reading, writing, understanding, and speaking. Singing fits right in there, too, as an enrichment activity. Learning to read and being able to write, however, are tricky and best started as part of an entire ?emergent literacy? process that begins in the early years and continues on throughout life.

These four parts are related to each other in interesting ways.

*You read what someone has written and write for others to read.
*You understand what someone has spoken and you read what others have written.
*You understand and read (receptive) on a higher level than you can speak or write (expressive).
*Understanding provides a foundation for speaking, and reading provides the background for writing.

NOTE: About 14 percent of Americans are known to be illiterate, and statistics from the U.S. Education Department show that about 32 million people in our country cannot read.

Here are just a few fun and simple ways to set up your child?s environment to be Emergent friendly:

Language

Talk to your baby and children often! Encourage communication, questions, and answers. Although babies cannot speak back in complete form they can hear you and they are processing everything you say and do. When our baby awakes we say, ?Good morning sweetie girl! Did you sleep well? You probably did because you were snuggled in with us all warm and cozy.? Then we kiss her on the cheek numerous times. She smiles and nestles into our necks for a hug. We talk with all of our kids, all day long.

Grocery Shopping

When grocery shopping you can talk to your baby or toddler about the signs you see, the colors of the fruits and vegetables, the ingredients on the back of packages and so on. ?Look ? the yellow bananas are on sale today. Shall we buy some? How many do you think we should buy today?? Again, if you have a baby, (s)he might not be able to reply yet, but the brain is working through what you are saying and asking ? at a rapid pace.

Singing

We sing every day. In fact, I put a stereo on our kitchen counter beside numerous CD?s. My older kids can pop a CD in and dance around while singing. The baby loves to join us as we dance and spin and sing to her. You can sing at home, in the car, while on walks and more. Generally speaking, rhyming songs work wonderfully for this age group. They are easier to memorize and understand.

Littering the Environment with Print

Have you heard this term before? It?s relatively new to me, but I love it. In our house we?ve always had books and magazines and coloring tools sprinkled throughout the rooms. My kids have grown up surrounded by reading and writing tools and they see their parents and older brother reading, writing, and using pens/pencils on a daily basis. For babies, you can leave books at eye level that can be picked up and examined. If you put your baby on a mat for floor time, place a few baby-friendly books around. Allow your baby to pick them up at will. For older children, consider placing additional items in a child?s play area (or in the kitchen near you, if that?s safer): coloring things, blank paper, pencils and markers, magazines to cut and glue, etc. I often leave these things sitting on the kitchen table so my older kids can run over and use them when wanted. They write notes to the neighbor kids, draw pictures for me, cut and glue, etc.

Display Art and Letters

In our child area we have an Art Net hanging up. It?s a simple net that spreads across the wall. We use clothes pins to hang the pictures and drawings. I also encourage my kids to hang any letters they write or pictures they draw that contain notes or names. This way, they are continually glancing over at the images, letters, and words, reinforcing the messages.

Watch For Cues

Not all children learn to read and write in the same way or at the same time. Watch for your child?s cues. If your child appears to be drawn to magazines, use those as learning tools. Put more of them out on the table and flip through together, talking about what you see and find. Make a collage if wanted. If your child is interested in helping others, encourage him/her to write letters to shut-ins and work together to draw pictures, write simple words on the paper, and address the envelopes for mailing. If you love going for walks together use that time to discuss road signs and pictures, words that you find at the park or on street signs. Allow your child(ren) to guide you in the process of learning.

There are so many ways in which you can encourage literacy development in your home!

Please note:?Emergent Literacy is not a replacement of formal reading programs. It?s a philosophy that can be used at home (or in early childhood settings) prior to formal programs. And really ? we learn more and more throughout life, don?t we? We don?t stop learning about literacy after early childhood?it carries on, every day, for the rest of our lives.

We know that language is a critical element in reading and writing success so talk with your kids often, welcome their inquiries, answer their questions, encourage them to answer their own questions and utilize your time together to instill a love of learning. We all know the saying, ?The parent is the first teacher? and this is true in every possible aspect. Children learn first, and most, from their own environment.

Shara Lawrence-Weiss?is a mother of four with a background in early childhood, education, freelance, small business ownership and nanny work. She is a Special Education Para. Shara is especially interested in social emotional development, literacy, play, nature, fostering community and cultivating creativity. In addition to writing for her own sites, Shara currently writes for?Wikki Stix,?Southern Sitters and Nannies,?Market Mommy?and more.

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Source: http://www.hedua.com/blog/emergent-literacy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=emergent-literacy

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Paul energizes supporters with Senate filibuster

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., leaves the floor of the Senate after his filibuster of the nomination of John Brennan to be CIA director on Capitol Hill in Washington, early Thursday, March 7, 2013. Senate Democrats pushed Wednesday for speedy confirmation of John Brennan's nomination to be CIA director but ran into a snag after Paul began a lengthy speech over the legality of potential drone strikes on U.S. soil. But Paul stalled the chamber to start what he called a filibuster of Brennan's nomination. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., leaves the floor of the Senate after his filibuster of the nomination of John Brennan to be CIA director on Capitol Hill in Washington, early Thursday, March 7, 2013. Senate Democrats pushed Wednesday for speedy confirmation of John Brennan's nomination to be CIA director but ran into a snag after Paul began a lengthy speech over the legality of potential drone strikes on U.S. soil. But Paul stalled the chamber to start what he called a filibuster of Brennan's nomination. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Graphic shows longest Senate filibusters since

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., leaves the floor of the Senate after his filibuster of the nomination of John Brennan to be CIA director on Capitol Hill in Washington, early Thursday, March 7, 2013. Senate Democrats pushed Wednesday for speedy confirmation of John Brennan's nomination to be CIA director but ran into a snag after Paul began a lengthy speech over the legality of potential drone strikes on U.S. soil. But Paul stalled the chamber to start what he called a filibuster of Brennan's nomination. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., walks to a waiting vehicle as he leaves the Capitol after his filibuster of the nomination of John Brennan to be CIA director on Capitol Hill in Washington, early Thursday, March 7, 2013. Senate Democrats pushed Wednesday for speedy confirmation of John Brennan's nomination to be CIA director but ran into a snag after Paul began a lengthy speech over the legality of potential drone strikes on U.S. soil. But Paul stalled the chamber to start what he called a filibuster of Brennan's nomination. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

This video frame grab provided by Senate Television shows Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. speaking on the floor of the Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 6, 2013. Paul used an old-style filibuster lasting nearly 13 hours to take control of the chamber and block Senate confirmation of John Brennan's nomination to be CIA director. (AP Photo/Senate Television)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Call it Rand's Stand: A nearly 13-hour stall tactic on the Senate floor that thrust a tea party hero back into the national spotlight ? a real-life version of the movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's filibuster on Wednesday of President Barack Obama's pick for CIA director was the latest notable move by the son of former presidential candidate Ron Paul. A freshman senator, Rand Paul is a growing political force in his own right. The eye doctor challenged the Republican Party's establishment in his state to win his seat in 2010 and now commands attention as a defender of limited government.

Paul, a critic of Obama's aerial drone policy, started his long speaking feat just before noon Wednesday by demanding that the president or Attorney General Eric Holder issue a statement assuring him the unmanned aircraft would not be used in the United States to kill terrorism suspects who are U.S. citizens.

"I will speak until I can no longer speak," Paul said.

Two conservative Republican stalwarts, John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, took him to task Thursday on the Senate floor. But Holder complied with his request, sending him a brief note saying the president does not have the authority to use a drone to kill a U.S. citizen on American soil if the citizen is not engaged in combat.

The Senate voted Thursday afternoon to confirm John Brennan as CIA director, 63-34. Paul voted no.

Paul's performance ? marked on Twitter by the hashtag (hash)StandWithRand ? turned into a trending topic on the social media site and prompted a torrent of phone calls from tea party supporters urging senators to support him. The National Republican Senatorial Committee used the filibuster to raise about $75,000 for GOP candidates.

At 12 hours 52 minutes, the filibuster was roughly the same length as the six "Star Wars" films combined.

Paul first stepped onto the national stage in 2010 when he vanquished Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell's chosen Kentucky candidate in a GOP primary. Since then, he's embraced the popularity he has in the tea party and has inherited his father's libertarian-leaning political network, built over two failed Ron Paul presidential runs. All that has stoked belief inside GOP circles that Paul may be positioning himself for a future national campaign, possibly as early as 2016.

Paul, 50, has been difficult to pigeonhole in the Senate. He was one of four Republicans to support Obama's nomination of former Nebraska GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel to serve as Defense secretary, yet he used his tea party response to Obama's State of the Union address to blast what he called the president's belief in more debt and higher taxes. Tea party activists say his latest move has energized their ranks and raised his profile.

"He is our liberty warrior," said Amy Kremer, chairman of the Tea Party Express.

Paul, who made do with water and candy bars during his filibuster, said he recognized he couldn't stop Brennan from being confirmed. He said the nomination fight was about raising questions over the limits of the federal government.

Lasting past midnight, the filibuster brought a dozen of Paul's colleagues to the floor. McConnell, himself running for re-election in Kentucky, congratulated him for his "tenacity and for his conviction." Tea party-backed lawmakers including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas read Twitter messages from supporters.

Paul said he would have tried to break South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond's filibuster record of more than 24 hours but recognized his physical limits. In an interview with radio host Glenn Beck on Thursday, Paul joked that he considered using a catheter. Even Democrats offered admiration for his stamina.

"What I have learned from my experiences in talking filibusters is this: To succeed, you need strong convictions but also a strong bladder," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "It's obvious Senator Paul has both."

___

Follow Ken Thomas on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-07-Rand's%20Stand/id-93fa805b71bd412fb117ec8e0098a534

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The Ghost of Hugo Chávez

An apartment block of the "23 de Enero" neighborhood is seen through a banner showing a portrait of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez in Caracas February 4, 2013.

Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters

Even before Hugo Ch?vez died, he had become a ghost. A strange, unfamiliar quiet had fallen on Venezuela for weeks as people waited to hear the voice of the president who had been part of their daily lives for nearly 14 years. That?s because Ch?vez spoke to Venezuelans constantly. In his first 11 years in office, he addressed the nation, on average, every two days. His remarks, usually improvised, typically ran more than four hours. If you add up these talks, which all radio and television stations were required to broadcast, they would amount to 54 full days.

And then there was silence. Venezuelans last heard their president on Dec. 8 when he announced that he was returning to Havana for his fourth operation to treat a recurring bout of cancer. He wouldn?t return to Venezuela until Feb. 18, slipping into a military hospital in Caracas in the middle of the night. (His advisers later admitted that his ability to speak had been impaired by a tracheal tube that had been inserted to assist his breathing.) Ch?vez had made the trip home, but he never truly returned. He was present but could not be seen. The eerie quiet was only broken with the announcement, delivered by Vice President Nicol?s Maduro late Tuesday, that the 58-year-old president was dead.

What has Ch?vez bequeathed his fellow Venezuelans? The hard facts are unmistakable: The oil-rich South American country is in shambles. It has one of the world?s highest rates of inflation, largest fiscal deficits, and fastest growing debts. Despite a boom in oil prices, the country?s infrastructure is in disrepair?power outages and rolling blackouts are common?and it is more dependent on crude exports than when Ch?vez arrived. Venezuela is the only member of OPEC that suffers from shortages of staples such as flour, milk, and sugar. Crime and violence skyrocketed during Ch?vez?s years. On an average weekend, more people are killed in Caracas than in Baghdad and Kabul combined. (In 2009, there were 19,133 murders in Venezuela, more than four times the number of a decade earlier.) When the grisly statistics failed to improve, the Venezuelan government simply stopped publishing the figures.?? ??

The political ideology Ch?vez left behind, Chavismo, was a demonstrable failure for the Venezuelan people, but it is not as if it ever failed Ch?vez himself. Despite his government?s poor showing, the Comandante?s platform secured him another six years in office, with a decisive 11-point victory, only five months ago. Will Maduro, Ch?vez?s handpicked successor, and his other cronies be able to pick up where the former president left off?

His successors would be in better shape if Ch?vez had been a typical South American strongman. But he wasn?t just another caudillo who stuffed ballot boxes and rounded up his enemies. As I describe in my book The Dictator?s Learning Curve, Ch?vez?s rule was far more sophisticated than such heavy-handed regimes. Like many authoritarian leaders, Ch?vez centralized power for his own use. Not long after taking office in 1999, he controlled every branch of government, the armed forces, the central bank, the state-owned oil company, most of the media, and any private sector business he chose to expropriate. But Venezuela never experienced massive human rights abuses. Dissidents didn?t disappear in the night, and for all Chavez?s professed love for Fidel Castro, his regime was never as repressive as Castro?s tropical dictatorship.

And unlike Castro and many other autocrats, Ch?vez didn?t fear elections; He embraced them. Most opposition leaders will tell you that Venezuelan elections are relatively clean. The problem isn?t Election Day?It?s the other 364 days. Rather than stuffing ballot boxes, Ch?vez understood that he could tilt the playing field enough to make it nearly impossible to defeat him. Thus, the regime?s electoral wizards engineered gerrymandering schemes that made anything attempted in the American South look like child?s play. Ch?vez?s campaign coffers were fed by opaque slush funds holding billions in oil revenue. The government?s media dominance drowned out the opposition. Politicians who appeared formidable were simply banned from running for office. And the ruling party became expert in using fear and selective intimidation to tamp down the vote. Ch?vez took a populist message and married it to an autocratic scheme that allowed him to consolidate power. The net effect over Ch?vez?s years was a paradoxical one: With each election Venezuela lost more of its democracy.

As with Che Guevara, Ch?vez?s face may appear on T-shirts for decades to come, but Chavismo as a political project is not possible without Ch?vez.* As a guiding force, there was no real substance to it beyond the man at the center. What does it stand for? Populism, socialism, militarism, xenophobia, nationalism, Marxism, anti-Americanism, class warfare, Bolivarian revolution, lawlessness, corruption, financial collapse?it depends on where you stand. It was always an amalgam, never something pure, clear, or fixed. If it had any staying power, it wasn?t because it helped Venezuelans build something sustainable. Again, the country is in near ruins. Rather, Chavismo served only to showcase the man who propounded it. A man whose humble origins and charismatic personality helped forge a connection with the country?s poor, a population who had long been excluded from politics. A man whose style, voice, and methods were so unpredictable that it took his opponents more than a decade to even understand whom they were opposing.

The question now is what will follow. According to the constitution, the government should hold new presidential elections within 30 days. If that does happen, Vice President Maduro will most likely square off against Henrique Capriles, the opposition leader who lost to Ch?vez last October. Despite his defeat in the last presidential polls, Capriles is a formidable campaigner who has twice defeated senior officials with close ties to Ch?vez in state elections. Still, if the election is held on schedule, a mixture of grief and nostalgia for the country?s fallen leader will likely give Maduro the upper hand.

How would a President Maduro respond to the crisis conditions he would inherit? When Ch?vez faced criticism for one government failing or another, his charisma and connection to voters let him lay blame at the feet of his ministers. (Ch?vez cycled through nearly 200 Cabinet ministers in his first 10 years.) Maduro lacks the Comandante?s wit and flare. His chief quality appears to have been his willingness to do Ch?vez?s bidding, without question. And unlike his predecessor, Maduro may not even be primarily concerned with holding the opposition in check. He will know that there are plenty of politicians from his own camp waiting to take advantage of his first misstep.?

All of which may spell a more insecure, paranoid, and perhaps aggressive presidential palace. Indeed, Maduro?s statement informing Venezuelans of Ch?vez?s death wasted no time in engaging in bizarre, politically charged scapegoating. ?We have no doubt, the time will come in history when we can create a scientific commission to show that Comandante Ch?vez was attacked with this disease,? said Maduro on Tuesday. ?We already have plenty of clues about this, it?s a very serious matter that will have to be investigated by a special committee of scientists.? Maduro also announced the expulsion of two American military attach?s and accused the United States of trying to destabilize the regime.

Combative words, a warning of U.S. military intervention, and oddball conspiracy theories meant to encourage suspicion and distrust were always basic ingredients in Ch?vez?s rhetoric. The fear now is that Chavismo?s blend of bravado and insecurity could swing unpredictably in the hands of whichever cronies succeed Ch?vez. In a country as polarized as Venezuela, having political figures tell their supporters that the people who disagree with them may be responsible for their beloved leader?s demise comes dangerously close to throwing a match on a tinderbox.

Caracas remained quiet on Tuesday night, but the calm may be fleeting. In the days and weeks to come, we should expect Ch?vez?s political heirs to continue to pull pages from his songbook. But we already know that none of them can sing a tune like Ch?vez. ?

Correction, March 6, 2013: This article originally misspelled Che Guevara's last name. (Return to the corrected sentence.)

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=9ec36dcfd7f46422273496f1f11c07bd

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Big Meteorite Discovered in Antarctica

Meteorite hunters at the bottom of the world bagged a rare find this southern summer: a 40-pound (18 kilogram) chunk of extraterrestrial rock.

A team from Belgium and Japan discovered the hefty meteorite as the members drove across the East Antarctic plateau on snowmobiles. Initial tests show it is an ordinary chondrite, the most common type of meteorite found on Earth, Vinciane Debaille, a geologist from Universit? Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium, said in a statement.

"This is the biggest meteorite found in East Antarctica for 25 years," Debaille said. "This is something very exceptional. When you find such a meteorite on Earth, it means that when it was in the sky, it was much larger." [Images of the Antarctic meteorite.]

The Russian meteor that burst into fragments above the Chelyabinsk region on Feb. 15 is also an ordinary chondrite, according to initial tests by Russian scientists.

Every year, scientists travel to Antarctica to search for meteorites. Their charred black crust stands out starkly in the white snow, and the cold, dry climate helps preserve any organic chemicals inside the rocks.

The expedition collected 425 meteorites in 40 days, with a total weight of 165 pounds (75 kg). Debaille said they may have found one Mars meteorite and one piece of the asteroid Vesta among the many discoveries.

The researchers canvassed the Nansen Ice Field, 86 miles (140 kilometers) south out of the International Polar Foundation's Princess Elisabeth station. The United States also sent scientists out on the polar ice to collect meteorites this season, from McMurdo Station on the opposite end of the continent.

Reach Becky Oskin at boskin@techmedianetwork.com. Follow her on Twitter @beckyoskin. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter?@OAPlanet. We're also on?Facebook?and Google+.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/big-meteorite-discovered-antarctica-202340161.html

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