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Sunday, September 30, 2012
Fracking Suspense Cuts Into Second-Home Sales - Green Blog ...
As I report in the real estate section of The Times, many would-be buyers are deferring purchases of second homes in upstate New York out of concern that hydraulic fracturing might be allowed nearby. For now, no one knows whether Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo?s administration will allow this controversial natural gas drilling process to go forward.
So far, officials in the Cuomo administration have indicated that the drilling might initially be limited to five New York counties above the Pennsylvania state line where the formation known as the Marcellus Shale is thought to be the most productive. But gas industry officials have cautioned that the extent of the gas deposits will be unknown until they start to drill. The Marcellus Shale spans more than two dozen New York counties, from Chautauqua and Erie in the west to Green and Albany in the east.
While many New Yorkers worry that the drilling could result in groundwater contamination or mar the beauty of the landscape, some are actually hoping that drilling will come to their areas along with jobs and royalties paid for leased land.
The uncertainty is affecting both sales and relationships in the real estate market. Many buyers who are concerned about the environmental risks of the drilling complain that some real estate agents skirt the issue.
Annie M. Van Assche, 62, a computer trainer who lives in Astoria, Queens and has been hunting for a property in the Catskills?where she could raise alpacas and grow organic produce, said she resented that lack of candor. ?I?d ask, ?What?s the situation with fracking up here?? ? she said, an agent might typically reply, ?I haven?t been following it.?
Ms. Van Assche is now considering expanding her search to Maine and Vermont.
John Pratt, an opponent of fracking who lives in central Sullivan County and is treasurer of the county board of realtors, said he was candid with clients and that he would make sure they were aware of the issue before closing a deal. ?I tell my clients that I am against fracking and a proponent of alternative energy solutions,? he said.
But Mr. Pratt said he generally sold in areas that are unlikely to see drilling. ?I focus on selling in areas not currently being leased to gas companies, and I also sell in the area of the Neversink Reservoir, where I think we can safely say fracking will not be taking place anytime soon,? he said.
State officials have said they will not allow fracking in the watershed that supplies drinking water to New York City and Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties downstate.
Yet Mr. Pratt conceded that nothing is set in stone until the state issues its decision. ?I think I?m in denial,? he said. ?It seems like fracking is an issue on the western side of the county, but eventually the industry can come to where I am.?
Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/28/fracking-suspense-cuts-into-second-home-sales/
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Electrons confined inside nano-pyramids
ScienceDaily (Sep. 28, 2012) ? Quantum dots are nanostructures of semiconducting materials that behave a lot like single atoms and are very easy to produce. Given their special properties, researchers see huge potential for quantum dots in technological applications. Before this can happen, however, we need a better understanding of how the electrons "trapped" inside them behave. Dresden physicists have recently observed how electrons in individual quantum dots absorb energy and emit it again as light.
Their results were recently published in the journal Nano Letters.
Quantum dots look like miniscule pyramids. Inside each of these nano-pyramids are always only one or two electrons that essentially "feel" the constricting walls around them and are therefore tightly constrained in their mobility. Scientists from Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), TU Dresden. TU Dresden and the Leibniz Institute for solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW) have now studied the special energy states of the electrons trapped inside individual quantum dots.
Sharp energy levels
The behaviour of electrons in a material essentially determines its properties. Being spatially constrained in all three spatial dimensions, electrons inside a nano-pyramid can only occupy very specific energy levels -- which is why quantum dots are also called "artificial atoms." Where these energy levels lie depends on the chemical composition of the semiconductor material as well as the size of the nano-pyramid. "These sharply defined energy levels are exploited, for example, in highly energy-efficient lasers based on quantum dots. The light is produced when an electron drops from a higher energy level into a lower one. The energy difference between the two levels determines the colour of the light," Dr. Stephan Winnerl of HZDR explains.
Seeing electrons inside individual quantum dots
The researchers in Dresden working with Dr. Winnerl were recently the first to succeed in scanning transitions between energy levels in single quantum dots using infrared light. Although, they could only do this after overcoming a certain hurdle: While the pyramids of indium arsenide or indium gallium arsenide form spontaneously during a specific mode of crystal growth, their size varies within a certain range. Studying them with infrared light, for example, one obtains blurred signals because electrons in different sized pyramids respond to different infrared energies. This is why it is so important to obtain a detailed view of the electrons trapped inside a single quantum dot.
The scientists approached this task with the special method of scanning near-field microscopy. Laser light is shone onto a metallic tip less than 100 nanometers thick, which strongly collimates the light to a hundred times smaller than the wavelength of light, which is the spatial resolution limit for "conventional" optics using lenses and mirrors. By focusing this collimated light precisely onto one pyramid, energy is donated to the electrons, thereby exciting them to a higher energy level. This energy transfer can be measured by watching the infrared light scattered from the tip in this process. While near-field microscopy involves major signal losses, the light beam is still strong enough to excite the electrons inside a nano-pyramid. The method is also so sensitive that it can create a nanoscale image in which the one or two electrons inside a quantum dot stand out in clear contrast. In this fashion, Stephan Winnerl and his colleagues from HZDR, plus physicists from TU and IFW Dresden, studied the behaviour of electrons inside a quantum dot in great detail, thereby contributing towards our understanding of them.
Infrared light from the free electron laser
The infrared light used in the experiments came from the free electron laser at HZDR. This special laser is an ideal infrared radiation source for such experiments because the energy of its light can be adjusted to precisely match the energy level inside the quantum dots. The laser also delivers such intense radiation that it more than makes up for the unavoidable losses inherent to the method.
"Next, we intend to reveal the behaviour of electrons inside quantum dots at lower temperatures," Dr. Winnerl says. "From these experiments, we hope to gain even more precise insights into the confined behavior of these electrons. In particular, we want to gain a much better understanding of how the electrons interact with one another as well as with the vibrations of the crystal lattice." Thanks to its intense laser flashes in a broad, freely selectable spectral range, the free electron laser offers ideal conditions for the method of near-field microscopy in Dresden, which benefits particularly from the close collaboration with Prof. Lukas Eng of TU Dresden in the scope of DRESDEN-concept.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Rainer Jacob, Stephan Winnerl, Markus Fehrenbacher, Jayeeta Bhattacharyya, Harald Schneider, Marc Tobias Wenzel, Hans-Georg von Ribbeck, Lukas M. Eng, Paola Atkinson, Oliver G. Schmidt, Manfred Helm. Intersublevel Spectroscopy on Single InAs-Quantum Dots by Terahertz Near-Field Microscopy. Nano Letters, 2012; 12 (8): 4336 DOI: 10.1021/nl302078w
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/gNnVNyOn7fo/120928103756.htm
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Saturday, September 29, 2012
Missouri's 'Dancing Rabbit' Ecovillage (Off the Grid) | AOL Real Estate
The verdant, rolling hills of Northeast Missouri look as if they were lifted straight from a George Inness painting. A blend of scattered, open-grown trees and lush prairie grassland -- an idyllic savanna ecosystem -- peppered prettily with ponds, small creeks and wildlife. Country life at its finest.
But instead of finding quaint Grant Wood farmhouses and charming country cottages nestled into the picturesque landscape, you'll find a small village made up of unusual-looking earthen structures. No-frills homes constructed entirely from recycled materials, reclaimed lumber, straw and cob; homes outfitted with solar panels or small wind turbines. Though they don't appear as otherworldly as the Earthships of Taos, N.M., or as jaw-dropping as the treehouses of Southern Costa Rica, these homes are radically green: similarly untethered from mass public utilities and reliant on renewable energy sources, with built-in catchment systems and food grown on-site.
Welcome to the Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, a community that has taken the principle of ecological sustainability to the next level. Like the treehouses of Finca Bellavista and the Greater World Earthship subdivision, green principles were used in the construction of each home and later, the wider functioning of the entire community. But, in their quest to be "stewards" of the land and not merely occupants, the residents of Dancing Rabbit also aimed to restore the land to its pre-colonial ecology. Since the Ecovillage's establishment, its residents have planted over 10,000 trees onsite, ensuring a sustainable source of wood for future generations of the community. ("What's the use of a fine house," Thoreau once mused, "if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?")
Tony Sirna, one of the ecovillage's founders, sees Dancing Rabbit as far more than just a village -- but as a model for social change and an inspiration for humans to live more harmoniously alongside nature.
"We wanted to demonstrate a positive alternative to our modern American culture's relationship to the environment," Sirna told AOL Real Estate. "We wanted to do more than take small steps towards reducing our impact. We wanted to develop a full-fledged human society with sustainability as its core value."
A 'Values-Driven' Lifestyle
The idea for Dancing Rabbit began in 1993 with a group of ecological activists from Stanford University in California. Fueled by the desire to stop ecological destruction and finding wiser alternatives for modern living (the group was inspired by the self-sufficiency found in "earthships"), they came up with the idea of an "eco-town" of 1,000 people. After further research, discussion and careful planning, they refined the idea to an intentional "ecovillage," comprised of both individuals and small sub-communities. (An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a high degree of teamwork and a shared value system).
Crunch time came in 1996, when the six founders moved to Missouri due to its affordable land and a lack of restrictive zoning and building codes. The ambitious group purchased 280 acres of land and began building the ecovillage in 1997. Though there were numerous challenges throughout the journey, 15 years later the population of six grew to 75 people, and the village currently houses over 25 sustainable structures.
"We built all of our houses ourselves by hand, with help from people in the community, using natural and recycled materials," says 13-year resident Kurt Kessner, who lives at Dancing Rabbit with his wife, Alline Anderson. (Both are pictured at left).
Kessner and Anderson, like other Dancing Rabbit residents, live in a home that generates its own energy via solar panels and wind turbines, and boasts its own renewable water supply -- thanks to built-in rainwater catchment cisterns. Wastewater is filtered and re-used throughout the home via graywater systems, and all human waste is recycled through composting. Kessner and Anderson enjoy food grown and harvested from small organic gardens and fruit trees that are integrated throughout the ecovillage. (Most recently, Dancing Rabbit has introduced "food forests" -- gardens which grow layers of plants, trees, herbs and vegetables through a system that resembles the growing patterns and plant species of wild woodland habitats.) Additionally, Kessner and Anderson do not own a motor vehicle, and walk to work -- a strawbale bed-and-breakfast that they built themselves -- each day.
According to Kessner, this kind of radically sustainable living has carved a path for a simpler and more meaningful modern lifestyle not driven by hollow materialism, but instead by values and community.
"How many hours of your life does it cost you to drive that car, to have that formal dining room, to own that boat? If you traded that for time -- time with family and friends -- how much more valuable is that?" said Kessner. "It's a simpler, more fulfilling way to live."
Sirna also argues that, contrary to popular belief, simple does not mean "simplistic" or primitive. In fact, Sirna says that the residents of Dancing Rabbit live just as comfortably as "traditional" home-dwellers, only without excess.
"Living in an ecovillage has meant a drastic reduction in my level of consumption without any degradation in my standard of living or happiness," said Sirna. "I've found that I can easily get my needs met with far less money and less impact." Sirna also explained that, while the average home at Dancing Rabbit was far smaller than the average American "brick-and-mortar" home, any additional space would be largely unnecessary.
Kessner's wife echoed Sirna's sentiments and further added that the environmentally responsible way of life practiced at Dancing Rabbit was not just tolerable but very "rich." The home which Alline Anderson shares with Kessner is completely paid for, all utilities included -- "we use rainwater for bathing, cleaning and cooking, and solar and wind for electricity," she explains -- and she is able to spend less time working and more time with family.
"One of our great joys is demonstrating that sustainability does not have to be about deprivation. Living lightly on the earth can be really satisfying!" Anderson told AOL Real Estate.
'It's Not That Difficult'
If you ask Kessner, Anderson and Sirna (or the Hogans of Finca Bellavista, or earthship creator Michael Reynolds), living in a radically sustainable fashion is a no-brainer. The resources on which modern housing and suburban developments depend are fast depleting, and more and more individuals from all walks of life are becoming aware of this reality. (According to Sirna, the educational and class backgrounds, and chosen occupations, of current Dancing Rabbit residents are incredibly diverse). Off-grid communities like this ecovillage offer individuals an opportunity to take responsibility for lessening their own carbon footprint, without sacrificing their quality of life.
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't think this was a better way of living. I feel very fulfilled in my day-to-day life. My impact on the planet is greatly reduced, and I have wonderful [personal] connections," Sirna told AOL Real Estate.
Even green experts agree that ecovillages such as Dancing Rabbit are viable options for the future of modern housing and development. According to Sheri Koones, author of "Prefabulous + Sustainable: Building and Customizing an Affordable, Energy-Efficient Home," approximately 40 percent of the energy used in the United States is due to heating and cooling homes and buildings. A rise in eco-villages would help curb this.
"I think an eco-village is an excellent idea," said Koones. She suggests, however, that the "optimal situation" would be for ecovillages to still be attached to the grid so that residents are able to send it excess energy produced by their homes. (Just last year, the residents of the Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage were offered such an option. Though the majority of residents still remain off-grid and generate their own power, the residents that have opted to connect to the wider electrical grid currently send back three times the electricity consumed.)
Though the benefits of living in a largely off-grid Ecovillage are plentiful for both the environment and the individual, even the residents of Dancing Rabbit admit that it's not necessarily the path for everyone. ("We don't expect everyone to move to the middle of nowhere and build a strawbale house," said Anderson.) However, there are lessons that city and suburb-dwellers can learn from the radically sustainable, community-oriented lifestyle at Dancing Rabbit. Its sharing of resources and resource awareness, its recycling and water conservation, and its move away from materialism can be achieved without moving to the rolling hills of Northeast Missouri.
It doesn't stop Kessner from hoping, though.
"I'm a strange combination of pessimism and optimism -- I don't have much hope for humans, but at the same time, I'm here trying to demonstrate that there are better ways of living," Kessner told AOL Real Estate. "But I'd love if this was the future of Western civilization -- sustainable living. It's not that difficult."
See also:
'World's Tallest Treehouse' Grew From a Divine Vision
House of the Day: Rising to the Treetops in Texas
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Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2012/09/28/missouris-dancing-rabbit-ecovillage-off-the-grid/
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Scientists bring the heat to refine renewable biofuel production
Friday, September 28, 2012
Perhaps inspired by Arizona's blazing summers, Arizona State University scientists have developed a new method that relies on heat to improve the yield and lower the costs of high-energy biofuels production, making renewable energy production more of an everyday reality.
ASU has been at the forefront of algal research for renewable energy production. Since 2007, with support from federal, state and industry funding, ASU has spearheaded several projects that utilize photosynthetic microbes, called cyanobacteria, as a potential new source of renewable, carbon-neutral fuels. Efforts have focused on developing cyanobacteria as a feedstock for biodiesel production, as well as benchtop and large-scale photobioreactors to optimize growth and production.
ASU Biodesign Institute researcher Roy Curtiss, a microbiologist who uses genetic engineering of bacteria to develop new vaccines, has adapted a similar approach to make better biofuel-producing cyanobacteria.
"We keep trying to reach ever deeper into our genetic bag of tricks and optimize bacterial metabolic engineering to develop an economically viable, truly green route for biofuel production," said Roy Curtiss, director of the Biodesign Institute's Centers for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology and Microbial Genetic Engineering as well as professor in the School of Life Sciences.
Cyanobacteria are like plants, dependent upon renewable ingredients including sunlight, carbon dioxide and water that, through genetic engineering, can be altered to favor biodiesel production. Cyanobacteria offer attractive advantages over the use of plants like corn or switchgrass, producing many times the energy yield with energy input from the sun and without the necessity of taking arable cropland out of production.
Colleague Xinyao Liu and Curtiss have spent the last few years modifying these microbes. Their goal is to bypass costly processing steps (such as cell disruption, filtration) for optimal cyanobacterial biofuel production.
"We wanted to develop strains of cyanobacteria that basically can process themselves," said Curtiss. "A couple of years ago, we developed a Green Recovery process that is triggered by removing carbon dioxide to control the synthesis of enzymes, called lipases, that degrade the cell membranes and release the microbes' precious cargo of free fatty acids that can be converted to biofuels,"
However, when growth of cyanobacteria is scaled up to meet industrial needs, they become dense, and the self-shading that occurs in concentrated cultures, does not let in enough light to produce enough of the lipases to efficiently drive the process. Thus the original Green Recovery was light dependent and maximally efficient at sub-optimal culture densities.
Curtiss' team looked again at nature to improve their Green Recovery method. The process uses enzymes found in nature called thermostable lipases synthesized by thermophilic organisms that grow at high temperatures such as in hot springs. These thermostable lipases break down fats and membrane lipids into the fatty acid biodiesel precursors, but only at high temperatures. The team's new process, called thermorecovery, uses a heat-triggered, self-destruct system. By taking a culture and shifting to a high temperature, the lipases are called into action. This process occurs with concentrated cultures in the dark under conditions that would be very favorable for an industrial process.
They tested a total of 7 different lipases from microbes that thrive in hot springs under very high temperatures, a scorching 60-70 C (158F). The research team swapped each lipase gene into a cyanobacteria strain that grows normally at 30 C (86 F) and tested the new strains.
They found the Fnl lipase from Feridobacterium nodosum, an extremophile found in the hot springs of New Zealand, released the most fatty acids. The highest yield occurred when the carbon dioxide was removed from the cells for one day (to turn on the genes making the lipases), then treated at 46C (114F) for two days (for maximum lipase activity).
The yield was 15 percent higher than the Green Recovery method, and because there were less reagents used, time (one day for thermorecovery vs. one week for Green Recovery) and space for the recovery. Thermorecovery resulted in an estimated 80% cost savings.
Furthermore, in a continuous semi-batch production experiment, the team showed that daily harvested cultures released could release a high level of fatty acid and the productivity could last for at least 20 days. Finally, the water critical to growing the cultures could be recycled to maintain the growth of the original culture.
"Our latest results are encouraging and we are confident of making further improvements to achieve enhanced productivity in strains currently under construction and development," said Curtiss. "In addition, optimizing growth conditions associated with scale-up will also improve productivity."
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The results appear in the online version of the Journal of Biotechnology: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168165612006153
Arizona State University: http://asunews.asu.edu/
Thanks to Arizona State University for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/123925/Scientists_bring_the_heat_to_refine_renewable_biofuel_production
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Microsoft details its own Windows 8 rollout, lessons learned from 'dogfooding'
If a company won't use its own products, how can it expect others to? Many customers, especially on the enterprise side of the equation, are understandably a little wary of the drastic change that awaits them when upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8. So, Microsoft decided to share what it has learned from its own experience dogfooding the new OS around the Redmond campus (and likely beyond). While the company is a little light on specifics of the low-volume rollout, it does highlight some of the features available to IT departments that should make transitioning easier. It even offers a few pointers along the way. Sure, there's plenty of back-patting involved, but tips like using IT Easy Installer to automate deployments and trim install times by half shouldn't be dismissed. There's also some information about its support system for early adopters which included a knowlegebase called Pointers that helped highlight the most important issues needing to be addressed. For more details hit up the source link and get ready to embrace your inner IT nerd.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Microsoft details its own Windows 8 rollout, lessons learned from 'dogfooding' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 17:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Count On Significant Factors As A Result Of Tiny Business Web ...
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There can be 3 forms of internet hosting alternatives:
Shared Internet hosting: It is really one of many most efficient forms of internet hosting. As being the title indicates it can be becoming shared by a large number of online resources. Definitely, if it?s shared by a good number of web pages then will probably be low priced. It is always in particular outstanding for the people blog homeowners which have constrained funds. So, it is usually low cost and successful. But it surely will take much more loading time as review to other sorts of internet hosting companies. Even so, these types of sort of web page has its unique restriction these types of while you are not able to increase scores of programs however, you can personalize all of the software you might have with your blog like buying cart and and so on.
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At UN, Mahmoud Abbas puts Israeli-Palestinian conflict center stage again
The UN session this week has largely focused on Iran's nuclear program and Syria?s civil war. But Thursday, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas reminded others of the challenges for Palestinians.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the UN General Assembly in New York, Thursday, Sept. 27.
Richard Drew/AP
EnlargePalestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told the United Nations Thursday he will seek an upgrade this year in Palestinians? official international status ? a move opposed by the United States and Israel as a threat to reaching a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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Mr. Abbas said he would seek ?nonmember observer state status? from the UN?s General Assembly, a move that would offer the Palestinians access to additional international venues and recourse to institutions such as the International Criminal Court.
The Palestinian leader painted his initiative as intended to enhance Palestinians? rights and long struggle for statehood. It also appeared to be an attempt to put the Palestinian issue back on the world?s agenda.
At a UN session largely captured by Iran?s nuclear program and Syria?s civil war, Abbas?s speech was a reminder to the global community that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains a nagging source of instability and resentment in Arab countries and much of the Muslim world.
Abbas painted a dire picture of deteriorating conditions over the past year in Palestinian territories, going so far as to accuse Israeli officials of ?ethnic cleansing? in neighborhoods of East Jerusalem where Arabs have faced eviction.
Israel?s tight control on Palestinian funding and living conditions, he warned, could lead to a collapse of Palestinian governing institutions ? an outcome he said should be favored by no one already worried about instability in the region.
While Abbas?s speech received prolonged applause from the UN Assembly, it was curtly dismissed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who followed Abbas to the podium.
?I say to him [Abbas] and I say to you, we cannot solve our conflict with libelous speeches at the UN,? Mr. Netanyahu said. He also said that ?unilateral declarations of statehood? would not lead to a resolution.
Last year, Abbas tried to achieve full statehood for Palestinians through the UN Security Council, but the bid ran into a brick wall of US opposition. Abbas?s effort infuriated President Obama, who had launched several high-profile attempts at restarting the peace process. This year, Abbas has said that, while he wants to achieve ?nonmember observer state status? by the end of the year, he will wait until after the US elections to submit a formal request.
The US, agreeing with Israel, insists that only direct talks between the two parties can resolve the conflict and result in a Palestinian state.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reaffirmed this position when she met with Abbas Wednesday evening, according to administration officials.
?We?ve made clear all along our position on this to him publicly, privately, in every way, so there are no surprises on our part,? says one senior State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity. ?We have made very clear that our goal is to resume direct talks and that the idea of going to the UN is not the road that takes us there.?
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Friday, September 28, 2012
Newspaper sales suffer due to lack of stimulating content
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Public release date: 27-Sep-2012[ | E-mail |
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camille.gamboa@sagepub.com
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SAGE Publications
Los Angeles, CA (September 27, 2012) Since the newspaper industry started to experience a major decrease in readership in recent years, many people have deemed the internet and other forms of new media as the culprits. However, a recent study published in the Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, a SAGE Journal, finds that sales are down because readers need more engaging and stimulating content.
Study authors Rachel Davis Mersey, Edward C. Malthouse, and Bobby J. Calder suggested that it is crucial for journalists and practitioners to focus their efforts on creating stimulating content in order to "curb the tide" of newspaper abandonment. In order to test their hypothesis, they selected 52 newspapers nationwide, and issued a series of surveys to their readers to find out exactly what they wanted.
The study authors discovered that readers are looking for more engaging content and offered a few suggestions that could help newspaper organizations provide more variety.
Mersey, Malthouse, and Calder suggested that newspaper journalists could include "a question of the day around a major, local, or even barely known but interesting news story that runs on the front page and is designed to encourage conversation among readers and between readers and the newsroom." Find out more tips by reading the complete study, "Focusing on the Reader: Engagement Trumps Satisfaction" in the Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. This article is available free for a limited time at: http://jmq.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/08/29/1077699012455391.full.pdf+html
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Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly (JMCQ) is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal that focuses on research in journalism and mass communication. Each issue features reports of original investigation, presenting the latest developments in theory and methodology of communication, international communication, journalism history, and social and legal problems.
Impact Factor: 0.542
Ranked: 48 out of 72 in Communication Source: 2011 Journal Citation Reports (Thomson Reuters, 2012)
SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology, and medicine. An independent company, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC. www.sagepublications.com
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Public release date: 27-Sep-2012[ | E-mail |
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camille.gamboa@sagepub.com
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SAGE Publications
Los Angeles, CA (September 27, 2012) Since the newspaper industry started to experience a major decrease in readership in recent years, many people have deemed the internet and other forms of new media as the culprits. However, a recent study published in the Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, a SAGE Journal, finds that sales are down because readers need more engaging and stimulating content.
Study authors Rachel Davis Mersey, Edward C. Malthouse, and Bobby J. Calder suggested that it is crucial for journalists and practitioners to focus their efforts on creating stimulating content in order to "curb the tide" of newspaper abandonment. In order to test their hypothesis, they selected 52 newspapers nationwide, and issued a series of surveys to their readers to find out exactly what they wanted.
The study authors discovered that readers are looking for more engaging content and offered a few suggestions that could help newspaper organizations provide more variety.
Mersey, Malthouse, and Calder suggested that newspaper journalists could include "a question of the day around a major, local, or even barely known but interesting news story that runs on the front page and is designed to encourage conversation among readers and between readers and the newsroom." Find out more tips by reading the complete study, "Focusing on the Reader: Engagement Trumps Satisfaction" in the Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. This article is available free for a limited time at: http://jmq.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/08/29/1077699012455391.full.pdf+html
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Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly (JMCQ) is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal that focuses on research in journalism and mass communication. Each issue features reports of original investigation, presenting the latest developments in theory and methodology of communication, international communication, journalism history, and social and legal problems.
Impact Factor: 0.542
Ranked: 48 out of 72 in Communication Source: 2011 Journal Citation Reports (Thomson Reuters, 2012)
SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology, and medicine. An independent company, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC. www.sagepublications.com
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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.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-09/sp-nss092712.php
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Thursday, September 27, 2012
Mobile?s Hidden Opportunity: Marketplaces
Editor?s note:?Matt Cohler is?a General Partner at?Benchmark Capital. He?s responsible for identifying investment opportunities in Internet-related companies in addition to working closely with companies across the firm?s portfolio. You can follow him on Twitter?here.? Building and controlling a marketplace is hard. Marketplaces consist of two sides: supply (sellers) and demand (buyers). To build a marketplace, you need to aggregate both sides of the market. And to control that marketplace, you need to have more visibility into both sides of the market than anyone else has -- in real time.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/an_odXt5F1w/
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Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Union-buster Walker calls for return of union refs
Officials signal a touchdown by Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate, obscured, on the last play of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Monday, Sept. 24, 2012, in Seattle. The Seahawks won 14-12. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Officials signal a touchdown by Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate, obscured, on the last play of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Monday, Sept. 24, 2012, in Seattle. The Seahawks won 14-12. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
MADISON, Wis. (AP) ? If there's one thing that can unite political foes in Wisconsin, it just may be the Green Bay Packers.
Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who made a national name for himself by going after public employee unions last year, posted a message on Twitter calling for the return of the NFL's locked-out unionized officials after a disputed call led to a Seattle Seahawks 14-12 victory over the Packers on Monday night.
"After catching a few hours of sleep, the (hash)Packers game is still just as painful. (hash)Returntherealrefs," Walker tweeted early Tuesday.
Democratic state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, who was one of 14 Democrats who fled to Illinois for three weeks last year in opposition to Walker's union proposal, said he saw the irony in Walker's post but in Wisconsin "we're all fans, first and foremost."
"If you were born and raised in Wisconsin, you were raised on the Packers," Erpenbach said. "Every Sunday it's Packers and pancakes, not necessarily in that order."
The NFL locked out the officials in June after their contract expired. The league has been using replacement officials, and through three weeks of the regular season there has been much criticism over the way some games are being handled.
Walker's spokesman Cullen Werwie tried to spin the governor's post on Tuesday, saying it wasn't meant as a pro-union political statement. Walker's tweet was being widely mocked on Twitter in light of his push last year that effectively ended collective bargaining for teachers, nurses and most other public workers.
"I don't think this anything to do with unions, but has everything to do with refs making bad calls," Werwie said.
Erpenbach was so incensed over the game that around midnight Monday night he tweeted two different public phone numbers for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and urged people to call and voice their displeasure.
"I could never ref an NFL football game, ever," Erpenbach said. "The replacement refs are doing the best they can do out there, but the commissioner doesn't want this to sink to a World Wrestling Federation-type event on Sunday. They have to do something. It calls into question the integrity of the game."
While Erpenbach himself plans to leave a message for Goodell urging an end to the referee labor dispute, he won't be advising the Packers to employ the same tactics he and the other Democratic senators did last year.
"I would not recommend the Packers get on a bus and leave the state," he said.
___
Scott Bauer can be followed at http://Twitter.com/@sbauerAP
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The Making of a Fitness Model - Hive Health Media
?this is what a fitness model looks like
Today?s post is for all the women out there who want to be a fitness model. We?ve been lucky enough to convince Christine Schmieden to give us the real-life strategies that will allow you to carve your niche in the fitness modelling world.
Here we go?
Be True to Yourself
Don?t change for anyone. Draw a line in the sand and decide for yourself what you are willing to do to achieve your goal of becoming a fitness model. Only you can decide what is best for you in the making of a good, positive and sustainable career.
Be mindful of what image you portray at all times; what you ?put out there? and how people perceive you. What I?m trying to say is ? keep it PG. You don?t work as hard as you do for someone to compare you to a lady of the night.
WNSO Pro Ava Cowan can attest to this. In a recent interview on bodybuilding.com, Cowan describes the scrutiny she felt for publishing more ?racy? bikini images from one of her first shoots. In no time she discovered, ??if you want to be on the cover of Oxygen, or Muscle and Fitness Hers?you need to get some pictures that give you validity as an athlete??
Be selective ? Be Cautious ? When Introducing Yourself to the Industry
Don?t take every opportunity that comes along ? be cautious and always do your research. Ask for client information, backgrounds and websites, as well as portfolios, of photographers and agencies. A legitimate photographer or agency should have all these items at your request and should be more than willing to share their work and references. If not, it may be for the best to pass up an opportunity ? when just starting out; your safety should be top of mind.
Have a friend who is a photographer, or an acquaintance? Don?t be afraid to reach out to them and ask to swap time for talent ? they shoot and get to build their portfolio at the same time you do.
Be a Role Model ? Not Just a Face or Body
When you?re a fitness model, all eyes and ears are on you at all times. You aren?t just a pretty face or 6-pack abs; you?re a role model ? the image of health and fitness ? don?t take that lightly. Men and women alike will look to you for a positive image of health. What you do on and off the stage/shoot matters. Stand for something aside from yourself ? be selfless ? and have the drive to want to help people and make a difference in their lives by being a public figure for health and fitness.
What Differentiates You From the Rest
Answer the question of why? Why would someone want to sign you, feature you, photograph you, sponsor you ? that answer will help secure your success. With that, begin marketing yourself ? what can you offer folks that will make them want to work with you and book you over another model? Secure a fan base; consider developing a website, utilize social media and post profiles on reputable websites like modelmayhem.com and bodybuilding.com. Submit your bio and images online and in-person; and submit often. Don?t let rejection get you down ? submit again. Be proactive, and not reactive.
Do you compete? It isn?t necessary; though some athletes make the transition from competing on-stage to fitness modeling. Competing can also give you an edge over others as you create a name, reputation and awareness for yourself as an athlete.
Also, attend fitness expos, events and workshops ? all potential places for media exposure and connecting with other athletes, photographers and folks in the industry (Mova, 2012).
Practice Makes Perfect
Do your homework and practice posing ? find which positions work best to show off your features. Essentially; BRING IT! ?You don?t have to have the best body in the world; it?s not about that. It?s about showing off YOUR physique in YOUR best angles, together with the facial expressions that meet the needs of that particular shoot and client? (Ythjall, 2011).
The last shoot I was on, everyone on set was silent ? it was odd. So, I asked, ?everything alright?? To which the designer replied, ?everything?s great?you know you?re doing incredible when we don?t say a word?. I did my homework ? identified with what the client was looking for before I stepped foot on shoot, and delivered.
So, come prepared to a shoot with a sense of what works best for you. And, if provided direction, take it ? every photo shoot is essentially an opportunity to learn; the folks on location are professionals and are there to be sure you look your best. They?ll help you hit your posing, but do your part first and bring something to the table.
Also, do your research and be familiar with the ?big name? photographers, agencies and magazines in the industry. These are the folks you want to work with some day. You wouldn?t go into a job interview unprepared, would you?
Keep Your Body in Check
Eat clean and continue to train in order to maintain a physique that could accommodate a shoot within two weeks ? it?s a great piece of motivation to help keep you in tip-top shape for a shoot. Sometimes, you won?t have more notice than two weeks for an upcoming shoot.
The Portfolio
Professional photos aren?t necessary for success, neither is a professional portfolio ? at first. You can get a decent start if you have a good digital camera that can produce quality images. You?ll want a headshot, full body front, back and side shot, as well as a chest up image handy for submitting online or in person. You can be concerned about a portfolio as you continue to develop your career and get booked for work.
On Location ? in Summary
Be kind ? be gracious ? be professional; no one likes a diva and that sort of attitude will not get you work. Thank EVERYONE you encounter on a shoot ? from the photographer to the person that brings you coffee. They are there to ensure your success; you should do the same for each individual you work with each day. And finally, be yourself. Have faith, confidence and stay strong. The road ahead is not easy; otherwise everyone would be on it. ?It starts with a vision, it?s fueled by desire, & it?s executed by will. You gotta know what it will take & be willing to do it? (@NotBranden, 2012).
References
Related posts:
- Indoor Surf Fitness???
- Are Your Friends Making You Fat?
- 50+ Fitness Tips: More Triceps Workouts
- 3 Last Minute Christmas Gifts for Fitness Geeks
- It?s Time for a Health & Fitness Reality Check
Source: http://www.hivehealthmedia.com/making-fitness-model/
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Love, Lies, Relationships 09/25 by soultopics | Blog Talk Radio
The Down & Dirty welcomes The Bachelorette season 6 fan favorite Chris Lambton. He's also a professional landscaper, and is the host of Going Yard, which just wrapped its first season on HGTV. He'll be joining us with some winter-to-fall gardening tips.
Does stress cause overeating? Can drinking water help manage daily stress? Our guest is Dr. Sherry Pagoto, a licensed clinical psychologist and Assoc. Professor of Medicine at the UMMS; an expert in health, nutrition, fitness, weight management, depression, stress, cancer prevention, and type 2 diabetes.
The Clock was a dramatic thirty-minute suspense and mystery series. It was written by Lawrence Klee and was first broadcast in November 1946. The story always began the same; ?Sunrise and sunset, promise and fulfillment, birth and death
Witch coven attacks people It has come to our attention that a circle of psychics are actually using Witchcraft against others in order to profit and hurt others ! Join us as reveal the truth and shame these Witches for what they really are !
The Scarlet Woman herself,singer/model/ artist, Jet Noir! She has a haunting and powerful voice and she is an instrumentalist as well, having learned guitar, violin and piano! Her musical style is Goth/Electronica/Trance and her music is HOT!!!
Melissa Bel is an up & coming Indie artist with a soulful voice that is rich and deep like that of a seasoned veteran. She has been compared to Janis Joplin & Joss Stone & has amassed a huge throng of fans from all over. We'll talk with her about her new album
This week Business Matters welcomes Jeannie Kerrigan, author of Layla, a tale of survival,resilience, and healing thru forgiveness. She is also founder of Rickys Revenge, a National Outreach for homeless and runaway teens, providing information and solace.
We will have UFC Middleweight Chael Sonne's coach Clayton Hires on the show. We will ask him what really went down leading up to UFC 151, and whats next for Chael Sonnen.
Is it possible to forgive the unforgivable? How do we let go of what?s keeping us stuck in our lives? Tune in as author Erica Glessing shares the three steps you can take right now to experience more forgiveness in your life.
Our special guest will be Shayna Foley,Who raises awareness and helps those on the spectrum with Songs For Autism. Come and enjoy some great music, Poetry, and how Shayna uses it to help make life better for all.
Join Live by Terrence as he welcomes Karlie Redd. Karlie launched the Redd Hairline by Karlie Redd. In July 2012, Karlie released her debut single, "A Girl Has Needs" on iTunes. We will be discussing her projects after LHHATL.
The Clock was a dramatic thirty-minute suspense and mystery series. It was written by Lawrence Klee and was first broadcast in November 1946. The story always began the same; ?Sunrise and sunset, promise and fulfillment, birth and death
Singing duo Amber Nash and Jordan Neff, of "Shiny and the Spoon" visit with Olivia Wilder to talk about their growing popularity and unique style that incorporates several genres. *Two lucky live listeners will get a free copy of their new CD, "Ferris Wheel!"
"Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark" choreographer Chase Brock, chats with host Laura Theodore about his exciting role as choreographer of the Broadway mega hit!
Visit beautiful Newport Beach, California. We?ll have interviews about renting a beach house, learning to surf and shopping at Fashion Island. From the beach side to the bay side, from the Fun Zone to the pier, we'll take you up and down the Balboa Peninsula.
Current Cleveland Browns Running Back Chris Ogbonnaya will be joining Weigh In Sports for an in depth interview on his career playing for coach Mack Brown and the Texas Longhorns and also his current season with the Cleveland Browns.
Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/soultopics/2012/09/26/love-lies-relationships
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Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Total health and fitness - HEALTH, BEAUTY & FITNESS
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Monday, September 24, 2012
Jamie Foxx Talks Django Unchained, White House Down, and More
As part of Canon?s ?Project Imaginat10n? (www.imagination.usa.canon.com) campaign, five influential celebrities from five diverse disciplines will direct short films under the tutelage of two-time Academy Award winner Ron Howard, with the finished products to be shown in the first photography-inspired film festival in 2013.? The ?10? in the title represents the ten storytelling elements (mood, time, goal, obstacle, relationship, backstory, the unknown, setting, character and discovery) that photographers can submit images under, which will then inspire the stories for the films that will be shot on Canon equipment.
During this recent phone interview with Collider, Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx (one of the creative icons chosen to be a part of this project) talked about how excited he is to be a part of this process, how grateful he is for the opportunity to do something behind the camera, that he?s expecting to make his film in February or March, after he?s had a chance to review and select all of the images, and that he?s looking forward to seeing how everyone else involved interprets images for their own projects.? He also talked about what it?s like to play the President and First Lady with actress Garcelle Beauvais on White House Down, which he?s currently shooting, how the experience of working with Quentin Tarantino on Django Unchained has inspired him, why he?s interested in directing, and the actors he?d not only love to team up with, but also direct, in the future.? Check out what he had to say after the jump. ?
Collider:? What?s it like to be a part of Project Imaginat10n?
JAMIE FOXX:? It?s so exciting!? When I watched the commercial awhile back and I saw Ron Howard, I thought, ?Wow, what is this incredible project??? The commercial was so dreamy and angelic, and I was like, ?Wow, that?s hot!?? And then, the next thing you know, I?m actually a part of it with other people that are also fantastic in their fields.? It gave me the opportunity to reconnect with Ron Howard.? We were together during the inauguration in 2008 for President Obama, so we connected and he ended up being in a video of mine, called ?Blame it on the Alcohol.?? So, it was great to reconnect with him, in a different situation, and get the tutelage of him, as a director, and also work with these great Canon cameras, which are just amazing.? I?m excited about the process.?
Having been in the business for awhile now, how exciting is it to find new ways of creating?? Is it something that stimulates your own imagination and inspires you with what you?d like to do in the future, as well?
FOXX:? Yeah.? What?s great about it is the fact that you get a chance to stretch.? When you?re an actor or actress in this business, usually the natural progression is to direct, but a lot of times, we don?t get a chance to get to it.? Myself, I really want to get into it.? I want to be the person who eventually doesn?t have to be in front of the camera.? I can be behind the camera and really change things cinematically, and this is giving me an opportunity to do something behind the camera, which I really want to maximize.
In a world where photography has changed so much and Fuji recently announced that they?re no longer going to be making film, do you think that people need to be reminded that they can express themselves creatively through photographs, just by looking more closely at the world around them?
FOXX:? Yeah, that?s what?s great about it.? The process of having the pictures inspire great writers is how it all comes together.? A lot of times, people don?t get the chance to see that process.? They only see the finished process.? It will be exciting to see how it goes from a seed to a flower.? That?s what I?m really excited about.
Is it reassuring to know that the first round of this, with Ron Howard and his daughter Bryce Dallas Howard, was so successful, as far as the amount of photo submissions they got, so you don?t have to worry about no one actually submitting any images for you??
FOXX:? Yeah, I think Canon did a fantastic job with the campaign.? When I saw that commercial with Ron Howard looking at those pictures, it was just like, ?Okay, what?s happening??? And then, Canon decided to open it up and take advantage of how the world is now.? We?re all connected.? To have people who are in different corners of the world who are talented, but might not be able to travel to Los Angeles or New York or Miami, now have an opportunity to send in images from their home and get a chance to be a part of the creative family.
Do you know when you?ll be making the actual film itself?
FOXX:? I think around February or March.? That will give us an opportunity to get the right writer and make sure we take time on our process.? I really want to knock it out of the park.
Have you already been thinking about these 10 themes that you?ll be selecting photos for, or are you waiting until all of the photos have been submitted?
FOXX:? I just want to wait for all the photos.? I don?t want to jump the gun on anything, so I?m waiting on all the photos.? I emailed Quentin Tarantino, who?s cutting his movie, and I said, ?I hope your movie is speaking to you like a friend.?? That?s what you want.? I want to see these photos and see how they?re going to speak to me.
Is it exciting to know that you?ll get to show your finished product at a special film festival in 2013, and are you anxious to see what the other filmmakers do as well?
FOXX:? Yes, I am.? You?re not in competition, or anything like that, but you want to see how people interpret the world.? That?s what?s great about the arts.? Everything inspires you, and you get a chance to grow from watching other people and how they do their work.?
You don?t seem like someone who gets nervous or intimidated by things too often, but in taking on something as culturally significant as the subject matter in Django Unchained and working with Quentin Tarantino, did you feel any extra pressure?
FOXX:? With Django Unchained, when you?re dealing with slavery, it?s like a gymnastics routine with the highest amount of difficulty.? Quentin Tarantino is not going to do a movie that?s just going to lay there and be safe.? There?s going to be twists and flips.? There will be a triple-double whatever, and it was up to us to land with our feet solidly on the ground.? That was the challenge.? What was intimidating was, how do we now take this great script with these great actors and not blow it, and how do we really make it the best it can be?? I think Quentin did a great job by hiring Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz and Kerry Washington.? Now you know that you can lock the camera off and feel safe with an actor or actress who can hold their own and be one with the director and the whole process.? Of course, it?s intimidating, but if you?re in a war or a battle and it?s about getting the art right, you want those types of soldiers on your team.?
What most surprised you about the experience of working with Quentin Tarantino, as a filmmaker, and what most inspired you about working with him, especially now that you?re looking at directing yourself?
FOXX:? You can?t look at Pulp Fiction, and see those performances by Samuel Jackson and John Travolta, and not go, ?Man, if I could just work with that dude and say those types of words.?? He?s a wordsmith.? Coming from my background with Oliver Stone, Sam Mendes, Taylor Hackford, Michael Mann, Antoine Fuqua, F. Gary Gray, and all these other great directors, I needed all of that experience to be able to sit with Quentin Tarantino and get all of his tutelage and be able to be an actor with that discipline.? And then, at the same time, Quentin was like, ?Don?t come in here, Jamie Foxx-ing it.? Come in here and really be the character.?? I thought that was fantastic for a person to take you back to school and really get to work.? It inspired me because now that I?m going into the Canon project, it allows me to take what I?ve learned from Quentin and put it to use.? That?s what you do.? You grow when you work with directors like that.? So, I?m going to dive into these Canon cameras and see how I can make something cinematic.? That?s what?s great about Quentin Tarantino and the other directors I?ve worked with.? They are able to make things cinematic.
Have you always found yourself paying extra attention to the directors that you?re working with?
FOXX:? In looking at Hollywood and its structure, the director controls the medium, and I want to be in control of certain things.? I want to be able to get my own ideas and my own feelings out there, and the only way to do that is to be behind the camera.? So, when I started working with Oliver Stone and all these people, I would take notes and be around and ask questions.? Being just an actor, sometimes people are like, ?Hey, man, we don?t wanna see you no more, in front of the camera,? and I don?t want that.? For me, it?s just a natural direction and I?ve got a good feeling about it.? I can do a lot of different things, as far as sound design and coming up with my own music to go with my images and feelings.? I?m really, really excited about what I can get out of this project with Canon.
You?ve gone from having Kerry Washington play your wife in Django Unchained to now having Garcelle Beauvais play your wife in White House Down.? What do you enjoy about getting to work with such strong women, and how does that influence you creatively?
FOXX:? Kerry Washington and Garcelle Beauvais have this light.? They?re fun, they?re energetic, they love the arts, but at the same time, they?re smart and they bring such strong female qualities to it.? It?s hard to explain, but you want to be able to work with people that you have that comfort level with.? When I?m working with Kerry Washington, we make jokes and have a good time.? When we were doing the Quentin Tarantino movie, there were scenes in there that were not friendly, but I knew that that was my friend, so I was able to support her in a different way.? With Garcelle Beauvais, when it came to White House Down, I was like, ?Please, please, please let her be my wife!?? We look like Michelle and Barack [Obama], after I put this wig on.? You want to have relationships like that, when you?re working.
Are there any actors you?d really love to team up with, in a movie?
FOXX:? Oh, man, all of them!? Denzel [Washington], Eddie Murphy, [Robert] DeNiro, Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, Kevin Spacey, Jesse Eisenberg, and all of those people who I look at their acting and go, ?Wow, if there was ever an opportunity to work with them, I would love to!?? There are a few people out there that I can?t wait to not only be in a film with, but direct.
Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1925946/news/1925946/
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Unified curriculum drives Ohio district's schools
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio?? School was just beginning at the end of August, but the students at Wells Academy were already hard at work.
Teacher Heather Davis led her first-graders through ?fast-track phonics? ? an animated program projected on a screen at the front of the class to help kids associate sounds with letters. The program came from a curriculum called Success for All, which is used in all Steubenville?s elementary schools. Second-graders in Amber D?Aurora?s class used Success for All when they worked on understanding the meaning of new vocabulary words. Dawn Takach?s third-graders were also using Success for All when they eagerly discussed stories they were reading.
That intense focus on learning is the major reason why Wells scored at the top of all Ohio elementary schools in the most recent state tests ? a significant achievement in a school where more than 40 percent of the 316 students in preschool through fourth grade come from low-income households.
But that?s not the statistic that Wells principal Joseph Nocera likes to cite. The state test, he says, is just a ?snapshot? of how his students performed on one day. Nocera, a 37-year veteran of the Steubenville schools, is much prouder of the fact that just about all of his students read at or above grade level, which puts them on par with much wealthier schools.
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He starts each morning with a question blasting over the loudspeaker.
?Why are we here today??
The answer echoes through the school?s corridors as students yell out, ?I am here to learn.?
It wasn?t always this way at Wells, which shares a building with Steubenville High School on the north side of the city?s fading downtown. For generations, steel mills brought prosperity to Steubenville, nestled on the Ohio River near the West Virginia border. But the mills started shutting down in the 1980s. With jobs gone, the population dropped. Many of the residents who remain are struggling, Nocera says. ?You still have a strong work ethic here even though people may be underemployed,? he says. ?They pass that work ethic on to their children.?
Despite the hard times, the city retains a small-town feel, says Takach, the third-grade teacher. She has lived in Steubenville all her life and went to nearby Franciscan University before starting her teaching career 13 years ago. ?I never moved away,? she says.
Strong teacher endorsement
But it took more than a strong sense of community and a dedicated staff to put Wells at the top of the class.
Around the time Takach was graduating from Franciscan, Steubenville district officials decided to revamp their curriculum. At Wells, nearly a quarter of fourth-graders were reading below grade level in 1999. Steubenville looked for a program based on research that worked well for students from low-income backgrounds. The winner was Success for All, developed by two educators at Johns Hopkins University, Robert Slavin and Nancy Madden.
Success for All requires that at least 75 percent of teachers in a school vote to adopt the program.? ?We want to be really sure that the teachers know they have chosen this,? says Slavin, ?that this is not something that their administration has forced on them.?
In Steubenville, the vote was unanimous. Melinda Young, who had just become principal at Wells, says teachers were impressed by Success for All?s emphasis on continuing training. Too many so-called reforms dumped a curriculum on teachers without any support, she says. Success for All promised to come to Steubenville at least twice a year and make sure that teachers understood the material, says Young, who is now Steubenville?s director of programs.
Success for All started in a single school in Baltimore in 1987. When Steubenville adopted the reading program in 2000, it was already in place in dozens of schools around the country and Slavin and Madden had years of research behind them to help fine-tune the curriculum, a process that continues to this day.? Slavin says more than two million students have now been through the Success for All program.
'Digital toolkit': No excuses, plenty of cooperationBefore Success for All, each teacher at Wells was in charge of his or her classroom curriculum and the quality was inconsistent. That changed dramatically with Success for All, which is highly scripted. Teachers get manuals outlining the material they should cover every day along with specially created materials ? like the animated fast-track phonics, which uses cartoon characters to capture kids? interest. The curriculum is crafted so that each year builds on the previous year?s knowledge. Success for All?s reading program worked so well that the Steubenville school district adopted its math program the following year. Since then, reading and math test scores at Wells and the district?s other elementary schools have been steadily rising. (Those are the only subjects directly taught using Success for All.)
'We're all on the same page'
Success for All has its critics who say that the curriculum is too scripted and doesn?t allow teachers to add their own touches. Takach disagrees. ?You can add your own stuff into it,? she says. ?You do what works for your classroom.? Takach says Success for All frees her from having to spend hours developing lesson plans and allows her to concentrate on giving each child what he or she needs. Because all teachers in the school use the same curriculum, she and her colleagues can help each other. ?We?re all on the same page,? she says.
Cooperative learning, which emphasizes students working in teams, is another major component of Success for All. During the daily 90-minute reading period, for example, students at Wells sit in groups of four as they read, write and help each other answer questions. Nocera thinks this develops their ability to work collaboratively ? a major skill in the modern workplace.
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The curriculum also involves parents, who have to sign off on their children?s homework, among other tasks. ?Parents need to be on your side,? says Slavin. ?It makes it much easier for the school. But even if parents aren?t terribly involved, that doesn?t relieve the school of its responsibility. One way or another, that kid?s got to succeed.?
Success for All?s biggest asset is decades of research, other educators say.? ?There are so many things out there that are these silver bullets not based on any evidence,? says Elaine Simon, an education researcher who is co-director of the Urban Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania. ?Compared to those, this is like a Mercedes-Benz.?
In Steubenville, the transition to such a structured curriculum was difficult at first. Even though all the teachers voted for it, some were still skeptical that it would work. But more than a decade later, just about everyone is a believer.? Earlier this year, Ohio Gov. John Kasich decided to deliver his annual State of the State address at Wells in honor of the school?s high scores. At Wells, he told the audience, ?Nothing stands in the way of kids learning.?
This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education-news outlet based at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Copyright ? 2012 The Hechinger Report
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48913297/ns/us_news-education_nation/
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