STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Standing with his younger son at the altar where he wed 15 years ago, Steven Sierra addressed the hundreds of people gathered Thursday in Christian Pentecostal Church to pay their respects to his slain wife, Sarai Sierra.
"It's still surreal. It's still a nightmare, like it can't be happening," Sierra said, lifting a tissue to his eyes as his voice cracked with emotion. "You look to grow old together, but it's just not going to happen now."
For the one-day wake at the Concord church, the 33-year-old Ms. Sierra rested in a closed white casket ringed by pink, white and yellow bouquets. Family photos and home movies were projected onto screens that flanked the casket.
Plainly, she enjoyed motherhood. One family video showed her and her sons, now 9 and 11, bouncing balls in an aisle of a toy store and dashing around.
"She was the greatest mom. No one else could be like her. She was my mom," said Silas from the pulpit. "I wish I was there to protect her and keep her safe from the danger that was around her."
Ms. Sierra was fatally bludgeoned in Istanbul, Turkey, while she was wrapping up a solo photography holiday.
Investigators are still searching for the person or persons responsible for her murder, after her body was found on Feb. 2 with extensive trauma to the head, torso and face near remains of ancient city walls in one of Istanbul's more run-down neighborhoods.
On Thursday, The Daily Mail reported that Turkish police determined that her body had been dragged about 100 meters from the spot where she was slain. Police also reportedly found a rock with her blood on it.
The developments come as police continue their search for a prime suspect known only as "Ziya T," according to The Daily Mail report. Investigators have said that the 46-year-old collector of waste paper was seen in that area covered in blood and dirt on Jan. 21, the day Ms. Sierra went missing.
Fifty-two DNA samples have been taken, but none matched those found on her body. Turkish media have also reported that officials there are still looking for 34 other people in connection with the case.
At the wake, her husband and family resisted the urge to vengeance and relied on their faith to sustain them. "I hesitated at first to say a prayer for whoever was responsible," Sierra said. "But I did pray. I know justice must be served, but I don't know what justice is. I only hope and pray that this person or persons will come to the knowledge of Our Lord and Savior."
Alluding to accounts of marital strife, Sierra said, "Despite the roller coaster we've been through in our marriage, our love was so deep that we always made it through. We laughed a lot. She was tremendously funny, always playing pranks on me."
Betsy Jimenez remembered simple mornings with her daughter, getting breakfast and choosing outfits together.
"I'm going to miss her," she said twice, her voice breaking as she glanced at the projected photos.
The funeral was to be Friday morning at the Concord church, with burial to follow in Silver Mount Cemetery, Silver Lake.
Skype now has modified its operation, user facility and features for Windows & Mac apps by rolling out abilities to send gift cards within the apps. Direct understanding of this is that users will be able to send Skype credit gift cards to their friends or desired users while also can tailor the design & write personal message as per their taste and then select the amount. The system by Skype will further be updating users with their notifications so it would be easy to remember contacts? important days like anniversary or birthdays. The gifting feature would tempt them to send a card, in the chat box.
Skype unveiled premium features so that clients would retain & stick to it & are not bored by just free calling facility & drop some money for the company to raise its revenues. The Mac edition has backing for single route messages like SMS where the user is not required to check & ensure the user?s number. This move like others have problems as it is not responding when tried outside of Facebook. In Windows version, the update has few user interface modifications and a revamped toolbar that joins major actions in single place. So, the users of Windows will have central reach to Home, Contacts add-on, Phone calling, Forming groups etc. all located on upper side of their contact list and recent chats.
Some fixes have also been put on for earlier & current issues including the app deleting the file extension if the user makes any changes to that file. iPad & iPhone apps are also updated before a week.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Jonah, The first thing I asked my dad when I got to ScienceOnline 2011 was ?Is Jonah here?? You weren?t but I spent the next few days with a group of people that truly wanted each other to succeed. I learned then that the community of science writers I was immersed in were both extremely [...]
AAA??Feb. 13, 2013?9:04 PM ET 3 arrested in NJ videotaped stripping, whipping By KATIE ZEZIMABy KATIE ZEZIMA, Associated Press??
Newark Mayor Cory Booker responds at a news conference, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013 in Newark, regarding a video that surfaced showing a naked young man being whipped because of his father's debt. The men identified are 22-year-old Ahmad Holt, 31-year-old Raheem Clark and 23-year-old Jamaar Gray. Police say Holt administered the beating, using a belt provided by Clark. Charges include robbery and aggravated assault. The video shows a 21-year-old man being forced to strip and then whipped with a belt, supposedly because his father owed someone $20. Subsequent to the police investigation, Nicole A. Smith was arrested for drug possession. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Newark Mayor Cory Booker responds at a news conference, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013 in Newark, regarding a video that surfaced showing a naked young man being whipped because of his father's debt. The men identified are 22-year-old Ahmad Holt, 31-year-old Raheem Clark and 23-year-old Jamaar Gray. Police say Holt administered the beating, using a belt provided by Clark. Charges include robbery and aggravated assault. The video shows a 21-year-old man being forced to strip and then whipped with a belt, supposedly because his father owed someone $20. Subsequent to the police investigation, Nicole A. Smith was arrested for drug possession. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Newark Mayor Cory Booker, left, listens as Police Director Samuel DeMaio, answers a question about arrest of three men after a video surfaced that showed a naked young man being whipped because of his father's debt, during a news conference on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013. The men identified are 22-year-old Ahmad Holt, 31-year-old Raheem Clark and 23-year-old Jamaar Gray. Police say Holt administered the beating, using a belt provided by Clark. Charges include robbery and aggravated assault. The video shows a 21-year-old man being forced to strip and then whipped with a belt, supposedly because his father owed someone $20. Subsequent to the police investigation, Nicole A. Smith was arrested for drug possession. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
This Newark police arrest photograph provided Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013, in Newark, N.J., shows Raheem Clark, 31, one of three people under arrest after a video surfaced that showed a naked young man being whipped because of his father's debt. Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio says Clark, 31, Jamaar Gray, 23, and Ahmad Holt, 22, who are affiliated with a street gang, are charged with aggravated assault and robbery. The video shows a 21-year-old being forced to strip and then whipped with a belt, supposedly because his father owed someone $20. (AP Photo/Newark Police)
This Newark police arrest photograph provided Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013, in Newark, N.J., shows Ahmad Holt, 22, one of three people under arrest after a video surfaced that showed a naked young man being whipped because of his father's debt. Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio says Holt, 22, Raheem Clark, 31, and Jamaar Gray, 23, who are affiliated with a street gang, are charged with aggravated assault and robbery. The video shows a 21-year-old being forced to strip and then whipped with a belt, supposedly because his father owed someone $20. (AP Photo/Newark Police)
This Newark police arrest photograph provided Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013, in Newark, N.J., shows Jamaar Gray, 23, one of three people under arrest after a video surfaced that showed a naked young man being whipped because of his father's debt. Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio says Gray 23, Ahmad Holt, 22, and Raheem Clark, 31, who are affiliated with a street gang, are charged with aggravated assault and robbery. The video shows a 21-year-old being forced to strip and then whipped with a belt, supposedly because his father owed someone $20. (AP Photo/Newark Police)
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) ? The haunting video, shot on a hot summer night, starts with a young man being ordered to strip naked as he is berated by a group around him.
One person squirts his body with water. Another demands money.
When he does not hand any over, the beating starts. As the naked man is lashed repeatedly, those surrounding him laugh above the crack of a belt hitting his skin.
City officials announced Wednesday that they had arrested three people they say participated in the August attack and filmed the 2 1/2-minute video.
The men were identified as 22-year-old Ahmad Holt, 31-year-old Raheem Clark and 23-year-old Jamaar Gray. Charges against them include robbery and aggravated assault. Police said Holt administered the beating, using a belt provided by Clark.
City Police Director Samuel DeMaio said all have gang affiliations and criminal histories.
"This is a human tragedy," Mayor Cory Booker said at a press conference. "This is the kind of violence and brutality that we've seen rear its ugly head in Newark, around the nation, around the globe, that allows one human being to assault the dignity, to demean and to viciously attack another. And I believe, for one, that this is unacceptable behavior. I know the standards in the community are the same."
Police did not immediately provide the names of the suspects' attorneys.
DeMaio said the video didn't come to the attention of police until Feb. 8. It is unclear when it was posted on the Internet, and it has since been removed from YouTube.
Acting Essex County prosecutor Carolyn Murray said her office's cybercrimes unit is investigating the upload of the video.
The victim, now 21, "reluctantly" cooperated with police, DeMaio said. He has since moved out of the neighborhood where the beating took place out of fear of retaliation.
The victim's father apparently owed someone $20, prompting the beating, and the group took $10 from the young man, DeMaio said. He suffered welts and abrasions from the lashing but did not require hospitalization, DeMaio said.
The video incensed community members and law enforcement in the city, which has long grappled with violent crime and recorded 88 murders last year.
"It shows there is a brutal culture in this community," Booker said. "It's not the city's culture. But it is a subculture of violence and crime that we have to address. It's not just here in Newark."
Booker and DeMaio said they were disturbed that no one reported the beating, which took place on a warm August night and was witnessed by people who did not speak up until approached by police in February.
"When you witness something like this, stand up and speak up," Booker said. "That's what allows violence in the city to go on."
Holt was already in custody in Trenton on unrelated charges, DeMaio said. Clark was arrested, and Gray turned himself in with an attorney Tuesday night, DeMaio said.
The girlfriend of one of the suspects was arrested for heroin possession.
Feb. 12, 2013 ? Miniaturized laboratory-on-chip systems promise rapid, sensitive, and multiplexed detection of biological samples for medical diagnostics, drug discovery, and high-throughput screening. Using micro-fabrication techniques and incorporating a unique design of transistor-based heating, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are further advancing the use of silicon transistor and electronics into chemistry and biology for point-of-care diagnostics.
Cross-section of device with a droplet. The left side shows an unheated droplet with the DNA FRET construct in the double-stranded form. The right side shows a heated droplet where the FRET construct has denatured, resulting in an increase in fluorescence.
Lab-on-a-chip technologies are attractive as they require fewer reagents, have lower detection limits, allow for parallel analyses, and can have a smaller footprint.
"Integration of various laboratory functions onto microchips has been intensely studied for many years," explained Rashid Bashir, an Abel Bliss Professor of electrical and computer engineering and of bioengineering at Illinois. "Further advances of these technologies require the ability to integrate additional elements, such as the miniaturized heating element, and the ability to integrate heating elements in a massively parallel format compatible with silicon technology.
"In this work, we demonstrated that we can heat nanoliter volume droplets, individually and in an array, using VLSI silicon based devices, up to temperatures that make it interesting to do various biochemical reactions within these droplets."
"Our method positions droplets on an array of individual silicon microwave heaters on chip to precisely control the temperature of droplets-in-air, allowing us to perform biochemical reactions, including DNA melting and detection of single base mismatches," said Eric Salm, first author of the paper, "Ultralocalized thermal reactions in subnanoliter droplets-in-air," published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) on February 12.
According to Salm, approaches to perform localized heating of these individual subnanoliter droplets can allow for new applications that require parallel, time-, and space multiplex reactions on a single integrated circuit. Within miniaturized laboratory-on-chips, static and dynamic droplets of fluids in different immiscible media have been used as individual vessels to perform biochemical reactions and confine the products.
"This technology makes it possible to do cell lysing and nucleic acid amplification reactions within these individual droplets -- the droplets are the reaction vessels or cuvettes that can be individually heated," Salm added.
"We also demonstrate that ssDNA probe molecules can be placed on heaters in solution, dried, and then rehydrated by ssDNA target molecules in droplets for hybridization and detection," said Bashir, who is director of the Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory at Illinois. "This platform enables many applications in droplets including hybridization of low copy number DNA molecules, lysing of single cells, interrogation of ligand-receptor interactions, and rapid temperature cycling for amplification of DNA molecules.
"Notably," Bashir added, "our miniaturized heater could also function as dual heater/sensor elements, as these silicon-on-insulator nanowire or nanoribbon structures have been used to detect DNA, proteins, pH, and pyrophosphates.
By using microfabrication techniques and incorporating the unique design of transistor-based heating with individual reaction volumes, 'laboratory-on-a-chip' technologies can be scaled down to 'laboratory-on-a-transistor' technologies as sensor/heater hybrids that could be used for point-of-care diagnostics."
In addition to Salm and Bashir, co-authors of the study included Carlos Duarte Guevara, Piyush Dak, Brian Ross Dorvel, and Bobby Reddy, Jr. at the University of Illinois; and Muhammad Ashraf Alam, Birck Nanotechnology Center and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Illinois College of Engineering.
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Journal Reference:
E. Salm, C. D. Guevara, P. Dak, B. R. Dorvel, B. Reddy, M. A. Alam, R. Bashir. Ultralocalized thermal reactions in subnanoliter droplets-in-air. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1219639110
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Early music lessons boost brain developmentPublic release date: 12-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Clea Desjardins clea.desjardins@concordia.ca 514-848-2424 x5068 Concordia University
Montreal researchers find that music lessons before age 7 create stronger connections in the brain
This press release is available in French.
Montreal, February 12, 2013 If you started piano lessons in grade one, or played the recorder in kindergarten, thank your parents and teachers. Those lessons you dreaded or loved helped develop your brain. The younger you started music lessons, the stronger the connections in your brain.
A study published last month in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests that musical training before the age of seven has a significant effect on the development of the brain, showing that those who began early had stronger connections between motor regions the parts of the brain that help you plan and carry out movements.
This research was carried out by students in the laboratory of Concordia University psychology professor Virginia Penhune, and in collaboration with Robert J. Zatorre, a researcher at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University.
The study provides strong evidence that the years between ages six and eight are a "sensitive period" when musical training interacts with normal brain development to produce long-lasting changes in motor abilities and brain structure. "Learning to play an instrument requires coordination between hands and with visual or auditory stimuli," says Penhune. "Practicing an instrument before age seven likely boosts the normal maturation of connections between motor and sensory regions of the brain, creating a framework upon which ongoing training can build."
With the help of study co-authors, PhD candidates Christopher J. Steele and Jennifer A. Bailey, Penhune and Zatorre tested 36 adult musicians on a movement task, and scanned their brains. Half of these musicians began musical training before age seven, while the other half began at a later age, but the two groups had the same number of years of musical training and experience. These two groups were also compared with individuals who had received little or no formal musical training.
When comparing a motor skill between the two groups, musicians who began before age seven showed more accurate timing, even after two days of practice. When comparing brain structure, musicians who started early showed enhanced white matter in the corpus callosum, a bundle of nerve fibres that connects the left and right motor regions of the brain. Importantly, the researchers found that the younger a musician started, the greater the connectivity.
Interestingly, the brain scans showed no difference between the non-musicians and the musicians who began their training later in life; this suggests that the brain developments under consideration happen early or not at all. Because the study tested musicians on a non-musical motor skill task, it also suggests that the benefits of early music training extend beyond the ability to play an instrument.
"This study is significant in showing that training is more effective at early ages because certain aspects of brain anatomy are more sensitive to changes at those time points," says co-author, Dr. Zatorre, who is also the co-director of the International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research.
But, says Penhune, who is also a member of the Centre for Research in Human Development, "it's important to remember that what we are showing is that early starters have some specific skills and differences in the brain that go along with that. But, these things don't necessarily make them better musicians. Musical performance is about skill, but it is also about communication, enthusiasm, style, and many other things that we don't measure. So, while starting early may help you express your genius, it probably won't make you a genius."
###
Related Links:
Cited study
Concordia's Department of Psychology
Centre for Research in Human Development
Laboratory for Motor Learning and Neural Plasticity
Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University
International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research
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.
Early music lessons boost brain developmentPublic release date: 12-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Clea Desjardins clea.desjardins@concordia.ca 514-848-2424 x5068 Concordia University
Montreal researchers find that music lessons before age 7 create stronger connections in the brain
This press release is available in French.
Montreal, February 12, 2013 If you started piano lessons in grade one, or played the recorder in kindergarten, thank your parents and teachers. Those lessons you dreaded or loved helped develop your brain. The younger you started music lessons, the stronger the connections in your brain.
A study published last month in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests that musical training before the age of seven has a significant effect on the development of the brain, showing that those who began early had stronger connections between motor regions the parts of the brain that help you plan and carry out movements.
This research was carried out by students in the laboratory of Concordia University psychology professor Virginia Penhune, and in collaboration with Robert J. Zatorre, a researcher at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University.
The study provides strong evidence that the years between ages six and eight are a "sensitive period" when musical training interacts with normal brain development to produce long-lasting changes in motor abilities and brain structure. "Learning to play an instrument requires coordination between hands and with visual or auditory stimuli," says Penhune. "Practicing an instrument before age seven likely boosts the normal maturation of connections between motor and sensory regions of the brain, creating a framework upon which ongoing training can build."
With the help of study co-authors, PhD candidates Christopher J. Steele and Jennifer A. Bailey, Penhune and Zatorre tested 36 adult musicians on a movement task, and scanned their brains. Half of these musicians began musical training before age seven, while the other half began at a later age, but the two groups had the same number of years of musical training and experience. These two groups were also compared with individuals who had received little or no formal musical training.
When comparing a motor skill between the two groups, musicians who began before age seven showed more accurate timing, even after two days of practice. When comparing brain structure, musicians who started early showed enhanced white matter in the corpus callosum, a bundle of nerve fibres that connects the left and right motor regions of the brain. Importantly, the researchers found that the younger a musician started, the greater the connectivity.
Interestingly, the brain scans showed no difference between the non-musicians and the musicians who began their training later in life; this suggests that the brain developments under consideration happen early or not at all. Because the study tested musicians on a non-musical motor skill task, it also suggests that the benefits of early music training extend beyond the ability to play an instrument.
"This study is significant in showing that training is more effective at early ages because certain aspects of brain anatomy are more sensitive to changes at those time points," says co-author, Dr. Zatorre, who is also the co-director of the International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research.
But, says Penhune, who is also a member of the Centre for Research in Human Development, "it's important to remember that what we are showing is that early starters have some specific skills and differences in the brain that go along with that. But, these things don't necessarily make them better musicians. Musical performance is about skill, but it is also about communication, enthusiasm, style, and many other things that we don't measure. So, while starting early may help you express your genius, it probably won't make you a genius."
###
Related Links:
Cited study
Concordia's Department of Psychology
Centre for Research in Human Development
Laboratory for Motor Learning and Neural Plasticity
Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University
International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research
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.
Colton Johnson shows off Swagger, an Old English Sheep Dog, winner of the hearding group, during the Westminster Kennel Club dog show Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, at Madison Square Garden in New York.(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Colton Johnson shows off Swagger, an Old English Sheep Dog, winner of the hearding group, during the Westminster Kennel Club dog show Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, at Madison Square Garden in New York.(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Honor, a Bichon Frise, and winner of the non-sporting group, is held by handler Lisa Bettis during the Westminster Kennel Club dog show Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, at Madison Square Garden in New York.(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Jewel, an American Foxhound and winner of the hound group, leaves the competition area during the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Banana Joe, an Affenpinscher and winner of the toy group, is shown by Ernesto Lara during the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
A handler shows a standard poodle in the ring during the 137th Westminster Kennel Club dog show, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013 in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Scissors, blow dryers, bobby pins ? they're as much a part of the Westminster dog show as commands, crates and treats.
Take Sophie, for example. With perfectly trimmed pompoms and fluffed out fur, she's the very essence of poodle pulchritude.
What Westminster won't tolerate, though, are PEDs ? performance-enhanced dogs.
That means no tattooing a boxer's nose to make it more black, no braces for a pointer to straighten its teeth, no removing a basset hound's inner eyelid to improve its appearance.
"It goes against the spirit of showing dogs in their appropriate state," Westminster President Sean McCarthy said Monday, the opening of the two-day show.
Cosmetic surgery isn't permitted, either, along with steroids. Yet detecting illegal drugs is virtually impossible while a dog has its few minutes in the ring.
"Our judges are not all veterinarians," longtime Westminster television host and breeder David Frei said. "They can't tell if a dog is on greenies."
There were 2,721 entries this year, though some missed out after getting stranded by the recent blizzard that hit the Northeast. The 137th Westminster features dogs in 187 breeds and varieties with a pair of newcomers, the treeing Walker coonhound and the Russell terrier.
A highly ranked American foxhound known as Jewel that likes vanilla milkshakes won the hound group Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
"I call her my tomboy princess," co-owner, breeder and handler Lisa Miller said.
A bichon frise called Honor won the nonsporting group. He is co-owned by Ellen Charles, also the co-owner of Jewel.
"My lucky night," Charles said.
An affenpinscher called Banana Joe took the toy group. Known for his monkeylike face, he earlier won best of breed honors for the third straight year.
An old English sheepdog earned herding honors. It was quite a surprise by Westminster standards ? 90-pound Swagger is just 20 months old and had only entered three previous dog shows.
"Such a cool dog," breeder-owner-handler Colton Johnson said.
The top working, sporting and terriers come Tuesday, and judge Michael Dougherty was set to pick the best in show shortly before 11 p.m. on the USA Network. Jewel, plus a Doberman playfully called Fifi and a big-winning wire fox terrier called Sky were among the favorites to walk off with prized silver bowl.
Sophie the standard poodle did her best, yet didn't advance. She sure got a lot of attention backstage, with little girls petting her white coat and nuzzling her muzzle. When co-owner Jay Ponton of Norfolk, Va., moved close, Sophie chawed on his nose and licked his face.
There were pump and spritz sprays on the tables in the poodle grooming area, but none of the heavy-duty aerosol hairspray cans that are a no-no. It takes plenty of primping to get poodles ready to compete, though there are limits.
"If you're putting in teeth, that's a different beast. It's a different animal," said Roxanne Wolf of Baltimore. She's the fiancee of Sophie's handler, Kaz Hosaka, who guided a miniature poodle to the 2002 Westminster crown.
Some things are OK. Corn starch is often used to get water off a coat, and that helped on a rainy Monday as dogs piled into the halls on the Hudson piers for early judging.
Crufts, which expects to show 25,000 dogs next month in Birmingham, England, might change regulations that have been in place for nearly a century.
"The Kennel Club set up a working party to look at the rules surrounding the use of hairspray, chalk and other products at dog shows, and whilst this review goes on the strict prohibition of these substances remains in place, including for Crufts 2013," club secretary Caroline Kisko said.
"The Kennel Club regulations state that the use of products that could 'alter the natural color, texture or body of the coat' may not be used," she said.
___
Associated Press writer Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.
Just a little less than a month ago the NCAA announced it's proposals to change their rule book in an effort to not only slim down the ridiculous amount of rules already on paper, but to make enforcement of the rules easier. That's an admirable goal to say the least, but just because it's an admirable goal doesn't make their proposals smart either. On Monday afternoon the Big Ten announced they opposed the rule changes currently under consideration and are asking that they be tabled for further exploration.?
Of course within minutes twitter, Facebook, or whatever other medium out there began their roast of the Big Ten as behind the times and as a league without the cojones to get into the murky waters of recruiting like the SEC does on an annual basis. They also call the league hypocritical and other such things.?
Before we go any further here is the full statement from the the league in it's entirety:
?
Statement by Big Ten Football Coaches and Athletic Directors
Park Ridge, Ill. ? The Big Ten Football Coaches and Athletic Directors met today in Park Ridge for a regularly scheduled meeting and subsequently issued the following statement with regard to pending NCAA DI legislation impacting college football:
We reviewed the 26 Rules Working Group proposals acted upon by the NCAA Board of Directors in January, some of which will become effective as early as July 1, 2013.? While we applaud the work that has been done to date, we are very concerned that the timeline proposed for implementation of the proposals does not allow sufficient time for the Football Recruiting Subcommittee of the NCAA Leadership Council to thoughtfully consider the impact of the proposals.?
We are specifically concerned with the following three proposals and ask that they be tabled along with Proposal 13-2:
Proposal 11-2: Athletics Personnel ? Limitations on the Number and Duties of Coaches ? Elimination of Recruiting Coordination Functions
Proposal 13-3: Recruiting ? Deregulation of Modes and Numerical Limitations on Communication
Proposal 13-5-A:? Recruiting ? Elimination of Printed Recruiting Materials and Video/Audio Legislation
We have serious concerns whether these proposals, as currently written, are in the best interest of high school student-athletes, their families and their coaches.? We are also concerned about the adverse effect they would have on college coaches, administrators and university resources.?
We look forward to working with the NCAA toward improving the game, the recruiting process and the overall college football experience for all student-athletes.
Now, I ask those critics to tell me where they don't have a right to be concerned. Is is that they are too worried about a recruit getting 54 pieces of mail from every university, every day? 'Cause that's exactly what one SEC school (cough, cough Ole Miss) is already doing with just one recruit.?
Is it too much to ask the NCAA to rethink a proposed change or to ask for more time to study what could and couldn't be enforced in this area? It's already getting to creepy levels that a lot of coaches can't really stand. I mean, it's as if these guys are forced into stalking kids all over the place via Facebook, twitter, text messaging, etc. - it's becoming an ever increasing part of their day.?
Do you really trust the SEC, or for that matter any other conference to police itself when it comes to these types of things??
Come on. Let's be real here - they don't follow most of the basic rules the NCAA has set in front of them to begin with and anyone that tells you otherwise is simply naive.?
Look, I get it, it's the popular thing to bash anything and everything the Big Ten does these days, but is it really that bad that they ask for a truly extensive study of the effects of proposed rule changes really be done? After all, it's not just self-serving, it's taking a stand for the kids.?
Sure, you could argue that if the kids get sick of all the mail, messages, etc. they eventually turn schools away, but without a viable alternative out there to pursue their dreams, what choice do they have but to be subjected to what will amount a 24/7 exercise in harassment??
Does anyone really think that coaches are going to police themselves and adhere to the rules they set forth? Give me a break. It doesn't happen now with the simple rules the NCAA has in place, even after they get caught once.?
I applaud the NCAA for attempting to streamline what is a seriously flawed group of rules, however perhaps this set of rule changes have some really bad consequences for the people that the NCAA is out to protect (allegedly) - the children. If asking for and taking some extra time to make sure all the t's are crossed and the i's dotted and the consequences of change are thought out, I consider that a good thing.?
Of course, I'm probably just some old stodgy dude that isn't hip to the times, so what do I know, right?
JOHANNESBURG, Feb 10 (Reuters) - A hamstring injury has ruled Nigeria striker Emmanuel Emenike out of Sunday's African Nations Cup final, denying him a chance to finish as the tournament's outright leading scorer. But Victor Moses, who had been doubtful for the match, will play for Nigeria against Burkina Faso at Soccer City. Emenike suffered a hamstring injury in Nigeria's 4-1 semi-final win over Mali after he had scored his fourth goal of the tournament giving him the same number as Ghana striker Mubarak Wakaso, who played his last game on Saturday. ...
FISHKHABOUR, Iraq (Reuters) - Kurds on either side of the river Tigris that runs between Syria and Iraq are linked by kinship, a history of oppression and now by fuel lines and boats ferrying food and medical aid across the waters that divide them.
The lifeline thrown by Iraqi Kurdistan to its neighbor extends the influence of Masoud Barzani, the autonomous region's President, over Kurds in Syria as civil war threatens to dismember the country.
For Syrian Kurds the conflict presents an opportunity to win the kind of rights enjoyed by their ethnic kin in Iraq, who live autonomously from Baghdad with their own administration, armed forces and an increasingly independent foreign policy.
"Besides the humanitarian dimension there is a political dimension (to the aid) as well," said historian Jordi Tejel Gorgas, an expert on Syrian Kurds based in Switzerland. "The KRG (Kurdistan regional government) and Barzani, as leader of a de facto Kurdish state, are showing they are committed patriots."
It is not clear what exactly Barzani may hope to gain, but the aid consolidates his involvement with Kurds in Syria, to whom he has already provided political support in preparation for a future power transition.
KRG spokesman Safeen Dizayee denied there was any ulterior or political motive to the aid, calling it an obligation.
Kurdish areas in Syria's northeastern corner have been spared the worst of the fighting between rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, but are nonetheless suffering from severe food and fuel shortages.
On the Iraqi side of the river, white pick-up trucks reverse down to the water's edge and men heave sack after sack of flour, tinned tomatoes and ghee into the hull of a motor boat waiting to speed over to Syria. The Kurdish flag flies overhead.
"They are our brothers and a shared fate binds us together," Barzani was quoted as saying in the bi-monthly newspaper of a Syrian Kurdish party close to his own.
Divided between Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Iran, the Kurdish people number around 25 million and are often described as the world's largest ethnic group without a state of their own.
In Syria, where they make up about 10 percent of the population, Kurds have been systematically discriminated against under Assad and his father before him, who stripped more than 100,000 of their citizenship.
Kurdistan's approach to Syria contrasts sharply with the central government's. Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki says Iraq's policy is "non-interference" in Syria, but his interests are closely aligned with those of Iran, which backs Assad.
"The central government has not objected so far," said the head of the crossing, Shawkat Berbehari, a framed portrait of Barzani's father Mulla Mustafa hanging on the wall behind him.
The Fishkhabour crossing opened in mid-January and the authorities are constructing a floating bridge over the river to make it easier to traverse.
"We are helping our brothers and sisters in Western Kurdistan," Berbehari said, using the term by which Kurds refer to the area of Syria they lay claim to as part of their rightful homeland: "Greater Kurdistan".
"OINTMENT"
Around one million liters of diesel and a thousand tonnes of flour as well as medical supplies have been donated so far by the KRG in northern Iraq to their fellow Kurds across the river.
Once laden, each boat takes less than a minute to reach the other side.
"We thank God and we thank the president of Kurdistan for this aid which is an ointment for our wounds," said 49-year-old Amin Ahmed, one of tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds who have sought refuge in the autonomous region.
After being unloaded in Syria, the aid is distributed to Kurds and Arabs alike by committees operating under the "Higher Kurdish Council", a body formed last year at Barzani's insistence to unite rival Syrian Kurdish factions.
The dominant Kurdish group on the ground in Syria is the Democratic Union Party (PYD), aligned with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought a 28-year-old insurgency against the Turkish state.
Weaker but more palatable to the international community is the Kurdish National Council (KNC), itself an umbrella for more than a dozen smaller parties, several of which are tied closely to Iraqi Kurdish groups.
Both the PYD and the KNC are wary of the Arab-dominated Syrian opposition, which they see as inherently hostile to their interests, but they differ on how best to capitalize on the civil war.
The KNC has accused the PYD of colluding with Assad in return for him letting the group's supremacy in Syria's Kurdish areas go unchallenged. That serves Assad's interests by unnerving Turkey, which has supported the uprising against him.
UPPER JAZIRA
The outcome of the Syrian conflict is still highly uncertain, but analysts say Barzani may be looking to strengthen his foothold on the other side of the border.
"All options are open in Syria and since anything is possible, Barzani might have an eye on Upper Jazira," said Gorgas, referring to the territory where Syrian Kurds are concentrated.
But he said any future government in Syria is unlikely to willingly cede much control over an area with one of the country's few oilfields, and nor would Turkey countenance too strong a Kurdish entity on its southern frontier.
Iraqi Kurdish politicians say their main concern is to prevent Syrian Kurds from repeating the mistakes of the 1990s, when Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) fought a bloody civil war against the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by Jalal Talabani.
Although they buried the hatchet to form a shared administration, friction between the KDP and PUK remains, and in Syria they back different Kurdish parties within the KNC.
"One might assume that the PUK will try to undermine Barzani's moves in Syria," Gorgas said, noting that those parties associated with Talabani have tended to lean towards the PYD.
A senior Kurdish politician said Barzani's objectives were to ensure Kurdistan's border with Syria was secure and to contain the PYD: "We want to keep them in the tent," he said on condition of anonymity.
The KRG has cultivated close ties with neighboring Turkey and does not want the PYD to complicate that strategic relationship, analysts say.
"My sense is that there isn't an over-arching strategy. It's more a reactive response to changing events, with a focus on protecting what they have already gained," said Crispin Hawes, director of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group's Middle East and North Africa practice.
"The ambitions are clearly there to expand but the core desire is that nothing gets rolled back."
With the Patriots tepid on the topic of keeping cornerback Aqib Talib with a multi-year deal, his former college coach has offered a surprisingly strong assessment in response to the notion that Talib doesn?t work hard enough.
?[H]e loves to play football,? Mark Mangino recently told Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.? ?He enjoyed practice time.? He hustled, made plays, did all of his drill work full speed, played hard in the games, did what was asked of him in the weight room, got bigger and stronger when he was with us.? I find that a little hard to believe.
?Things can change, obviously, but I stopped into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp [last summer]. I visited with several members of the staff, front office people, strength coaches, trainers, assistant coaches. To the person, they told me what a great job Aqib was doing. ?He is showing leadership. He is working his tail off in the [OTAs].? He?s been a leader.? He is really busting his butt, and he is really working hard.?
?That doesn?t always happen. I have been to training camps in the past where I?ve had a former player that I?ve coached, and the coaches have come up to me and say, ?This player doesn?t work hard. He?s not into it.?? They?ll tell you the truth. When you go to these NFL places, they don?t mince any words.?
The Bucs may not have minced words, but they eventually traded Talib.? And it?s no surprise.? As coach Greg Schiano tries to build a roster of players of high character, Talib was one of several who simply didn?t fit.
That said, Talib possibly was working hard; it could be that his four-game suspension for violating the league?s policy regarding performance-enhancing substances prompted the trade.? And it could be that an Adderall-free Talib doesn?t work as hard as he does when taking the banned stimulant.
Still, it seems a little odd Mangino is singing Talib?s praises.? Throughout Talib?s various on-field and off-field struggles, Mangino has not been a particularly vocal defender.? Also, it was widely known during the weeks preceding the 2008 draft that Kansas coaches were not saying flattering things about Talib to scouts.
The question now for the Pats is whether they can strike a deal that will extend Talib?s stay beyond a handful of 2012 games.? If he leaves, they won?t have gotten much in return for the fourth-round pick they sent to Tampa.
But at least they got a seventh-round pick back in return.
Gen. John Allen, left, the outgoing U.S. and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander in Afghanistan stand with Gen. Joseph Dunford who replaced him during a changing of command ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday.
By Patrick Quinn, The Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan -?Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford took over Sunday as the new and probably last commander of all U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan.?
The American-led NATO coalition is entering the final stretch of its participation in a war that will have lasted more than 13 years when most foreign combat troops pull out at the end of 2014.?
Dunford took over leadership of the International Security Assistance Force, and a smaller but separate detachment of American troops, from Marine Gen. John Allen, who had led them for the past 19 months.?
"Today is not about change, it's about continuity," Dunford told a gathering of coalition military leaders and Afghan officials. "What's not changed is the growing capability of our Afghan partners, the Afghan national security forces. What's not changed is our commitment, more importantly, what's not changed is the inevitability of our success."?
He takes charge at a critical time for President Barack Obama and the military. NATO decided at its 2010 summit in Lisbon to withdraw major combat units, but to continue training and funding Afghan troops and leave a residual force to hunt down al-Qaida and other terrorist groups.?
Aref Karimi / AFP - Getty Images
More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said "much work lies ahead" for Dunford as he tries to meet those objectives while at the same time withdrawing about 100,000 foreign troops, including 66,000 from the United States.?
Dunford, from Boston, Massachusetts, will face serious challenges as he tries to accommodate an accelerated timetable for handing over the lead for security responsibility to Afghan forces this spring ? instead of late summer as originally planned.?
"I told him our victory here will never be marked by a parade or a point in time on a calendar when victory is declared. This insurgency will be defeated over time by the legitimate and well-trained Afghan forces that are emerging today and who are taking the field in full force this spring," Allen said.?
He added that success would be described as an "Afghan force defending Afghan people, and enabling an Afghan government to serve its citizens. This is victory; this is what winning looks like."?Although the Afghan security forces are almost at their full strength of 352,000, it is unclear if they are yet ready to take on the fight by themselves.?
Also attending the ceremony were U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, Commander, U.S. Central Command, and Gen. James Amos, head of the Marine Corps. President Hamid Karzai?did not attend.?
More work needed Before departing, Allen admitted that the Afghans still need much work to become an effective and self-sufficient fighting machine, but he said a vast improvement in their abilities was behind a decision to accelerate the timetable for putting them in the lead nationwide this spring when the traditional fighting season begins.?
Obama said last month that the Afghans would take over this spring instead of late summer ? a decision that could allow the speedier withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.?
It is also unclear when the remaining 66,000 U.S. troops would return home, or how many American soldiers will remain after the end of 2014.?
Obama may use his State of the Union address on Tuesday to announce the next steps for concluding the war and a timetable for withdrawal along with plans for a residual force post-2014.?
Much of that depends on the U.S. negotiating a bilateral security agreement with the government that includes the contentious issue of immunity from Afghan prosecution for any U.S. forces that would remain here after 2014. ?Karzai has said he will put any such decision in the hands of a council of Afghan elders, known as a Loya Jirga.?
Although Dempsey said earlier in the week that the United States had plans to leave a residual force, a failure to strike a deal on immunity would torpedo any security agreement and lead to a complete pullout of U.S. forces after 2014 ? as it did in post-war Iraq.
It is widely believed that no NATO-member nation would allow its troops to remain after 2014 to train, or engage in counterterrorism activities, without a similar deal.?
The head of NATO joint command in Europe, German Gen. Hans-Lothar Domrose, said the alliance was already making plans for a post-2014 presence, plans he said that were "all well advanced."?
Related:?
Two more Marines charged in scandal over Afghan urination video
Afghanistan's Karzai on Prince Harry's bravado, Britain's involvement in war
Ten Afghan police officers killed in suicide attack
? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The N.C. Comedy Arts Festival and The Carolina Theatre presented ?The Second City: Laughing Matters? at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8th, in Fletcher Hall in The Carolina Theatre in the heart of downtown Durham
The most interesting part of the moments before a show starts are the snippets of conversation you pick up from the audience members around you. On Friday night, the audience at The Carolina Theatre appeared quite familiar with the comedians called The Second City, who were about to entertain as part of the 12th anniversary of the North Carolina Comedy Festival. Some asked each other, ?Is this the first time you?ve seen them?? Others regaled their friends with tales of the days when cast members from ?Saturday Night Live? had been ensemble members of The Second City. Those audience members who were newbies to performances by this 50-year-old comedy company were promised they were in for a treat. And they were.
The Second City, which is based in Chicago, has 11 touring troupes, and has theaters in Chicago, Toronto and Hollywood, where their particular brand of sketches and improv have been the training ground for such comedic greats as Gilda Radner, Alan Arkin, John Belushi, Tina Fey, and Martin Short. The training centers work with more than 13,000 students a year who graduate into all types of media performers: stage, screen, television, and the corporate sector. Their list of alumni rivals any other center for the study of the comedic arts.
The troupe that performed at the Carolina on Friday included Shad Kunkle (a four-year veteran of Second City), Abby MeEnany (a member of the critically acclaimed all-female improve troupe Sirens), Asher Perlman (a member of Second City?s NCL Epic, the comedy troupe that performs on the Norwegian Cruise Lines), Tim Ryder (a graduate of Duke University and founder of the college?s first improve troupe, DICEY), and Sarah Shook (a performer with Second City?s House Ensembles). This is Second City?s third collaboration with the North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival, and this particular troupe has worked together for two years.
In their introduction to the evening?s entertainment, The Second City explains that the combination of written sketches and improvisational moments will depend on audience participation; but it was clear they had no idea that Durham?s audience was more than happy to challenge the troupe with both local and esoteric suggestions. One of the first improvs ? an ?improv in a square? ? required that the audience supply a place for the event (Bull City Burger was one audience member?s suggestion), a pair connected by a relationship (grandmother/grandchild was chosen), a profession (pilot), and a type of person (losers). As the square ?turned,? controlled by The Second City member who directed the troupe to shift left or right, then to perform their sketch in pairs based on their word suggestion, the improvisational skills of the troupe drew guffaws from the audience (and sometimes even caused the troupe members themselves to giggle).
The Bull City Burger improv grew from a play on words to a slapstick routine that moved so quickly, the players almost became tongue-tied; and the audience, thrilled with the troupe?s willingness to devise a new identity for the popular dining spot, roared when the sketch reached a fever pitch.
As is typical of Second City?s history, some of the sketches touched on political or personal topics, such as a sketch which included Kunkle, Perlman, and Ryder as three gay men who had decided since they weren?t allowed to get married, ?We?re coming after your women.? Their argument was that they, as gay men, know wives much better than the husbands do. In the audience, women glanced over at the men they came with when the troupe began to list all the ways that gay men are better able to please women than straight men, starting with the knowledge of how to buy clothing to the willingness to sit and watch ?Housewives? with those women. By the end of the skit, women everywhere nodded their heads while the men looked rather sheepish or laughed nervously.
Another skit about a woman meeting a man in a laundry room who turns out to be an admitted serial killer had people squirming in their seats a bit since it hit close to home. Many murmured that they would be as blind to the signals a serial killer sends out as the woman in the skit.
And that?s what makes comedy funny. It?s the ways in which the troupe connected with the audience ? either by asking for suggestions in their improv skits or by hitting on tough and timely topics in their sketches. For years, The Second City has made inroads by creating hysterical comedy delivered by comedians well known for their radical approaches to sensitive topics. From the spot-on impersonations done by comedy legend Tina Fey to the frantic and irreverent work of John Belushi, performers from The Second City?s troupes have delighted audiences for the past 50 years. And if the troupe that visited The Carolina Theater in Durham on Friday night is any indication, they will continue to delight audiences for another 50 years.
The North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival continues to celebrate its 13th year through Sunday, February 17th, with performances at five venues throughout the Durham/Chapel Hill/Carrboro region. For more information about events and performers, visit http://www.nccomedyarts.com/tickets.
THE SECOND CITY: LAUGHING MATTERS (North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival and The Carolina Theatre, Feb. 8 at The Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC.
The Second City: http://www.secondcity.com/ (official website) and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Second_City (Wikipedia).
The Second City (tour): http://www.secondcity.com/performances/ontheroad/ (official web page).
EDITORS NOTE:
Dawn Reno Langley is a Durham, NC-based author who writes novels, poetry, children?s books, and nonfiction books on many subjects, as well as theater reviews. She is also Dean of General Education and Developmental Studies at Piedmont Community College in Roxboro, where she oversees the theater program at the Kirby Cultural Arts Complex, and a member of the Person County Arts Council. To read all of Dawn Langley?s Triangle Review reviews online at Triangle Arts & Entertainment, click http://triangleartsandentertainment.org/author/dawn-reno-langle/.
This review is reprinted with permission from Triangle Review. To start your FREE subscription to this newsletter, e-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type SUBSCRIBE TR in the Subject: line.
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Tagged as: Fletcher Hall, N.C. Comedy Arts Festival, The Carolina Theatre, The Second City, The Second City: Laughing Matters
OSAKA, Japan (AP) ? Two-time world champion Mao Asada won figure skating's Four Continents on Sunday, leading a Japanese sweep.
After reintroducing her trademark triple axel in Saturday's short program, Asada was downgraded on the jump in Sunday's free skate but was solid in her other elements to finish with 205.45 points. Akiko Suzuki was second with 190.08 points while Kanako Murakami finished third with 181.03.
Christina Gao of the United States finished fourth while Li Zijun of China was fifth.
"The short program exceeded expectations and the free met my expectations," said Asada, who skated to Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake." ''I am happy I was able to challenge the triple axel and that has given me confidence."
Canadians Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford won the pairs event, with U.S. champions Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir third.
In the ice dance final, world silver medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the U.S. won the gold medal. Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates were third.
Asada had been struggling with the triple axel since the Vancouver Olympics but was able to win four events this season without it. She pulled it off to perfection Saturday when she finished first in the short program. Despite being downgraded on the jump Sunday, Asada plans to attempt it at the world championships in London, Ontario, next month, hoping to "build on the success I've had here."
The Four Continents is the last major event before the March 11-17 worlds, where Asada will renew her rivalry with South Korean skater Kim Yu-na.
Suzuki, who was second after the short program, turned in a strong performance to music from Cirque du Soleil. She under-rotated a double axel on her second element and was deducted points on a triple lutz but was solid otherwise to hold on to second place ahead of Murakami, who won her first medal at a senior International Skating Union event.
Murakami was downgraded on a triple flip earlier in her routine but had no major mistakes in the free skate.
"I missed out on a podium at last year's Four Continents because of a poor free skate so I was thinking about that today," Murakami said. "It's great to see a Japanese sweep of the podium.
In pairs, Duhamel and Radford won with 199.18 points, edging compatriots Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch, who finished with 196.78. Moore-Towers and Moscovitch won Sunday's free skate but couldn't overtake Duhamel and Radford, who built a lead in winning the short program. Castelli and Shnapir were third with 170.10 points.
In the ice dance final, Davis and White finished with 187.36 points, beating world champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada, who had 184.32. Chock and Bates were third with 160.42.
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Public release date: 12-Feb-2013
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