06.03.12

Review: A Cat in Paris

"Children watching “A Cat In Paris” may experience a few moments of fright and sorrow — there is gunfire, and Dino’s murder of innocent lizards is celebrated rather than condemned — but they are also likely to be captivated by its elegant mixture of gravity and mischief.

"As are adults, since there is very little of the noisy, sentimental pandering that is too often a feature of kid-targeted entertainment nowadays. This movie is graceful, subtle and sure-footed, much as its English title implies.

" “A Cat in Paris” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). Some scary, sad stuff."

Accessed @ NY Times

Digital Afterlife: 
What happens to your online accounts when you die?
Fri Jun 1, 2012 10:53 AM EDT  By Jessica Hopper

"Only five states currently have estate laws that include digital assets -- Connecticut, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Indiana and Idaho – and the laws vary among them. Some states’ statutes, for instance, just relate to email, with only Oklahoma and Idaho clearly including social networking and blogging as part of an estate.

“Legally it is unclear exactly what you can do in the 45 states -- and Washington, D.C. -- that do not have these laws that address this situation,” Cahn said. “Even in those states where there are laws, we’re still in the process of testing how those laws operate. They don’t cover all Internet accounts and the laws are new enough that they’re just in the process of being worked out....

"The growing murkiness over digital assets recently prompted the federal government to post a blog  (How and Why You Should Write a Social Media Will) encouraging people to create social media wills. "

Accessed at:  http://rockcenter.msnbc.msn.com

Where's My Bailout? Artistist Rescue Funds
By Caitlin Kelly Published: June 2, 2012

"Self-employed artists, whatever their specific field or previous level of financial success, cannot collect unemployment benefits and often face restricted access to traditional forms of capital, like bank loans or lines of credit. And their contributions to the nation’s economic life are sometimes dismissed.

Yet a 2008 study by the National Endowment for the Arts, called “Artists in the Workplace,” found that artists, athletes and museums contributed $70.9 billion to the economy annually. Artists are twice as likely as other American workers to be college-educated and 3.5 times as likely to be self-employed. No matter how successful they’ve been, many creative people can run into financial trouble if their work falls out of favor, if they lose clients, if arts budgets wither or if they have a health crisis."

Accessed at: http://www.nytimes.com/business

Crackdown on Chinese Bloggers Who Fight the Censors With Puns

By Michael Wines  Published: May 28, 2012

"BEIJING — One of China’s largest hosts of Twitter-like microblogs decreed new punishments on Monday for users who post comments that its editors — and by extension, China’s government censors — deem inappropriate.

The service, Sina Weibo, imposed “user contracts” that award each of its 300 million microbloggers a starting score of 80 points.

Points can be deducted for online comments that are judged to be offensive. When a blogger reaches zero, the service stated, a user’s account will be canceled. Users who suffer lesser penalties can restore their 80 points by avoiding violations for two months."

Accessed at NY Times


Judge revokes bail for George Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin case

By NBC's Jamie Novogrod

"A Florida judge on Friday revoked the bail for George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case, saying he had misled the court about his finances, and ordered him to present himself to the court within 48 hours.

"Prosecutors alleged in a court filing that Zimmerman, 28, hid from the court the fact that he had raised $135,000 on a website he set up before he was granted $150,000 bail on April 20. Zimmerman is facing second-degree murder charges in the shooting death of Martin, 17, in February.

"In a hearing in Sanford, Fla., that Zimmerman did not attend, Judge Kenneth Lester said Zimmerman engaged in a "material falsehood" about his finances.

"Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda  said Zimmerman's wife, Shelly, led the court to believe they were penniless, which he called a “blatant lie.

"De la Rionda said the Zimmermans spoke in "code" about moving finances around during telephone calls while George Zimmerman was in custody.

Accessed at usnews.msnbc.msn.com


U.N. Rights Body Condemns Syria Over Houla Massacre

"The U.N.’s top human rights body voted overwhelmingly Friday to condemn Syria over the slaughter of more than 100 civilians last week, but Damascus appeared impervious to the crescendo of global condemnation following a string of horrific massacres."

Accessed @ Washington Times


Go Google! Google Adds Feature to Help China Searchers


"BEIJING (AP) - Google has fired a new salvo in a censorship battle with Beijing by adding a feature that warns users in China who enter search keywords that might produce blocked results and suggests they try other terms.


Google’s announcement Thursday described the change as a technical improvement and made no mention of Beijing’s extensive Internet controls. But it comes after filters were tightened so severely in recent weeks that searches fail for some restaurants, universities or tourist information. Authorities were trying to stamp out talk about an embarrassing scandal over the fall of a rising Communist Party star."  Accessed at: Washington Times

Thai Message Board Manager Is Given Suspended Prison Sentence

By Thomas Fuller & Kevin Drew

"BANGKOK — A Thai court sentenced the manager of an Internet message board to a one-year suspended prison term on Wednesday for comments posted by users that insulted the Thai royal family. The sentence was immediately condemned by Google and human rights groups....

"The manager of the site, Prachatai, a popular forum for discussions about politics and culture, was convicted of lèse-majesté, as royal insults are known, under Thailand’s Computer Crimes Act. Courts in Thailand have jailed people convicted of lèse-majesté with increasing frequency in recent years, but the verdict on Wednesday was unusual in that the defendant, Chiranuch Premchaiporn, was not the author of the offending comments; she was just the Web master of the site that hosted them.

"Taj Meadows, a spokesman for Google, said in an e-mailed statement that the verdict was “a serious threat to the future of the Internet in Thailand...

”The Computer Crimes Act is controversial in Thailand partly because it was enacted by an un-elected government installed after the military coup in 2006."

Accessed at NY Times



Sometimes Less is Just Less
By Kim R. Holmes

"Economic austerity has hit the armed forces of the U.S. and Europe, and military leaders are trying to make the best of tight budgets.

"Unfortunately a misleading narrative has crept into their explanations: The claim that more, somehow, can be done with less. 

"The poster boy of this narrative is NATO’s Smart Defense Initiative highlighted at its summit last week in Chicago. The approach is to pool and share military resources through a series of multinational projects. The idea, as NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says, is to “enable allies to do more together than each can afford to do on their own.”


"A laudable idea on its face. And it has some good plans. It makes sense, for example, to more efficiently use resources to improve access to munitions, use of ground and air surveillance, and airlift capability. There are 20 approved projects in NATO’s Smart Defense Initiative, and they are certainly well intended.


"But any time the word “smart” is formally attached to a government initiative, my skeptical antennae go up.


"...here’s the most salient fact: Europe is slashing its defense capabilities from an already very low level....Second, this initiative actually “nationalizes” certain kinds of military capability in the name of collectivizing them in pools...


"But there is a hitch in this approach. As the Heritage Foundation’s Luke Coffey argues, a “shared” capability which belongs largely to a single NATO member may not be shared when it is needed....


"So beware of “smart” claims that less is more. Less usually is what it is — less."
Read Complete Article @ Washington Post


A climate of hypocrisy:
Liberals live it up while preaching austerity



"There’s nothing so profitable as being among the concerned climate experts who preach austerity. These enlightened few hector ordinary Americans into sacrificing their functional light bulbs, toilets and sport utility vehicles so the planet can be preserved. According to them, failure to give up these luxuries will overheat the globe and provoke devastating floods and hurricanes.


"The peddlers of such apocalyptic tales rarely practice austerity themselves. Earlier this month, Rep. Darrell E. Issa, California Republican, asked Michael J. Ahearn, chairman of the board for First Solar Inc., to come and testify before a congressional oversight panel about his solar-panel business....


"An impious Mr. Issa, however, couldn’t help but inquire about how Mr. Ahearn made the journey from Tempe, Ariz., to Washington. According to liberals, carbon dioxide - the odorless gas that makes respiration possible - is destroying the Earth itself. So instead of driving an SUV, we’re all supposed to take the bus, ride a bicycle or even walk. Mr. Ahearn did none of these. “I flew in yesterday on a Challenger,” he explained. “A 300,” referring to the model.


"According to data from Bombardier, the manufacturer of the $20 million luxury jet, the round trip would have produced about 21.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide. That’s equal to five years’ worth of per-person emissions from the average household, by the Environmental Protection Agency’s reckoning. There’s no telling how many thousands of households would have to turn down the thermostat to offset the emissions from the annual travel of just one green-energy CEO."


Accessed @ Washington Times

Google's World Wonders Project

From the archaeological areas of Pompeii to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, Google’s World Wonders Project aims to bring to life the wonders of the modern and ancient world.
      
What is the World Wonders Project?


The Google World Wonders Project is a platform which brings world heritage sites of the modern and ancient world online. Using Street View, 3D modeling and other Google technologies, we have made these amazing sites accessible to everyone across the globe. With videos, photos and in-depth information, you can now explore the world wonders from your armchair just as if you were there.


Why is Google doing this?


Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. With this project we want to make the world heritage sites available to everyone and to digitally preserve them for future generations. We believe that the World Wonders Project can be especially useful for students, scholars and teachers to engage in an innovative and interactive way of learning.


Who is involved?


We are working with partners including UNESCO and World Monuments Fund to support us in providing valuable information to our users.


How do I get started?


Start exploring world heritage sites by either flicking through the picture carousel on the homepage or play with the globe to discover random sites from all over the world. You can also find places by themes or locations chosen over the drop-down panel on the top of the homepage. For more guidance, please watch the website demo that can be found when you click on the “i”-icon on the homepage.

92 Theses of Business:

Point-By-Point Takedown Of AOL Management

Starboard Value, a fund that owns 5.3% of AOL, wants other shareholders to vote out several board members at the company's upcoming June annual meeting.

To make the case, it has released a brutal, point-by-point takedown of AOL management.

The document is highly critical and its getting coverage all over.

Accessed @ www.businessinsider.com

Before Working @ Microsoft....

The 10 Most Important Companies In Cloud Computing

Accessed @ Business Insider

Successfactors Alumni

Accessed @ All Things D

An Issue of Trust

America’s Women Can’t Be Trusted:

When you strip everything away, that’s the root of the GOP’s campaign against abortion, contraception, and laws that protect women from domestic violence.

"...what’s so striking about so many of the GOP initiatives that implicate women this year is that they betray not a deep suspicion of “politicians who say we should be dependent on government programs,” but rather a deep suspicion of other women. Underpinning virtually every changed rule and policy, every effort to defund and repeal, lies an argument about the ways in which women are trying to defraud the government and simply can’t be trusted....

"I am always, deeply worried about the attempt to pit women against women for political gain. But I think we at least need to be honest about the fact that so many of the current GOP initiatives that seek to free women from the clutches of big government are rooted in the idea that women are systematically trying to cheat the system to get free stuff. You can argue all you want about whether it’s better for women to have access to health care, child care, maternity leave, equal pay, and preventive medicine. But when you base those arguments on rickety old Elizabethan stereotypes about deceitful women and their lying ways, it becomes harder to call yourself the party of women."

From Slate, Written By Dahlia Lithwick  Posted Thursday, May 17, 2012, at 6:54 PM ET

04.28.12

Promise of the American Dream is Broken

"...Millions of Americans are just giving up on the possibility of ever rejoining the workforce. These frustrations reflect a reality that is unraveling the American identity. One of the most fundamental dictates in achieving the "American Dream" has always been a good job that pays wages decent enough to care for our families, buy a car and a home, and live reasonably comfortable lives."

By Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, Special to CNN

New Data Reveals Artists Aren’t Gettin’ Paid

"...Everybody keeps shifting the responsibility of sustaining artists (the real lifeblood of the arts) to some other group; meanwhile, the money keeps finding its way into the coffers of the few who hold the most power and the purse strings.

"As the NEA said in its own 2008 report, Artists in the Workforce: “The time has come to insist on an obvious but overlooked fact—artists are workers.”  By Alexis Clements @ hyperalleric

Why Are (Most) Artists (So Fucking) Poor?

"On Friday evening W.A.G.E. presented the results of its 2010 survey of payments received by artists who exhibited with nonprofit art institutions in New York City between 2005 and 2010. The survey found that 58% of artists who responded received “no form of payment.”  The audience, including Artists Space director Stefan Kalmár, asked questions critical of the survey methodology, but did not refute the group’s findings. W.A.G.E. has partnered with Artists Spaceto explore the development of a self-regulatory model, mandating the implementation of a fee schedule within the institution. Presenter A.K. Burns explained one of the rationales for artists fees, “nonprofits get money from different sources for public education, and the artist is the educator. We are wondering why the artist isn’t being paid?”  That artists should be remunerated for their cultural value in capital value is one of W.A.G.E.’s positions from its statement and one that remains controversial."  by William Powhide @ hyperallergic

White House: Obama Would Veto GOP Student Loan Plan

"...Obama favors extending the current lower interest rates on student loans but would seek a different way to pay the $6 billion cost.

"A proposal by Senate Democrats would pay for the measure by ending some tax loopholes for corporations, a move opposed by Republicans. The House plan would instead take the money from the health care fund, which is part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act detested by Republicans...." 

By Deirdre Walsh, Brianna Keilar and Tom Cohen @ CNN

An Artist Goes Undercover at a JC Penney Portrait Studio

"Studio portraits don’t document an event; the making of the photograph is the event. In order to create a series titled Free Sitting, artist Nora Herting got a job as a trade photographer at a portrait studio in a JC Penney department store in Ohio....

"The ubiquitous photos generated from portrait studios reveal a great deal about how we choose to portray our relationships and ourselves. This was part of Herting’s investigation when she began the project. The portrait serves a testament to the subjects’ prosperity and personal relations, and yet, despite the time and care people take when having their pictures taken at commercial studios, the resulting photographs are rarely considered aesthetic objects. They are documentation. Herting’s work questions what, exactly, we are documenting in this benign, constructed way."  By Sarah Walko @ hyperallergic

How CISPA Would Affect You: FAQ

"CISPA may have cleared the U.S. House of Representatives, but the fight isn't over. It's shifted to the U.S. Senate. Here's CNET's FAQ on what you need to know about this particularly controversial Internet bill."  By Declan McCullagh @ CNET

How To Get Food on Every Table

"There are extremely cost-effective ways to respond to the problem of hunger and malnutrition. But which ones should be the top priority for policymakers and philanthropists? How could limited money best be spent to combat global challenges? Have your say by voting below. Tomorrow, we look at the ways we can respond to chronic disease—and how a rethinking of development aid spending may be required."  By Bjørn Lomborg @ Slate

Where Did All the Accomplished People Go?

"...My head is filled with pathetically stupid thoughts about inconsequential people, and so, quite frankly, is yours. We are all in the same boat. And why on earth do we privilege the most superficial idiocies of popular culture over more substantial fare? The answer is simple: We have lost our fascination with accomplishment."  By Simon Doonan @ Slate

04.23.12

U.S. Government Can Seize Any Domain

"According to a representative for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the US can seize the domains because the root infrastructure of those top-level domains is controlled by the US-based Verisign. The government intends to do it from the root on its home turf because it doesn't trust the authorities in foreign countries to comply with its desire"

blog maverick: Some Olympic Thoughts

"The Olympics are a business, plain and simple. A tax-free juggernaut called the International Olympic Committee that generates revenues, on average, of over $1.4 billion a year. In fact, the IOC’s 2010 tax return shows a $1.4 billion net balance — as in cash in the bank.

And if Wade, and other Olympians don’t ask for and get a share, then who does?"

Say What??? Governor of Illinois Calls This Week's Events "Epic"

Started with a paid by the government of Illinois visit from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. According to the article, "Walker, who faces a recall election this summer, earned renown and notoriety by spearheading the end of collective bargaining for Wisconsin’s public-sector unions last year. Walker’s visit was sponsored by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and National Federation of Independent Business. His appearance drew throngs of pro-union protesters, while Quinn used the opportunity to ask for campaign donations via email."  

Another 'epic' event was the return of indicted state Rep. Derrick Smith's return to the Illinois House today for the first time since his arrest on a federal bribery charge.

The State of Illinois is also working at scrapping a scholarship program:

"Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno on Wednesday questioned why three proposals to eliminate the state’s legislative scholarship program are bottled up in a subcommittee — despite a majority of senators being co-sponsors on the bill."

Governor Quinn’s is also proposing to generate $2.7 billion through savings and reductions to prevent the collapse of the state’s Medicaid program, on which 2.7 million Illinoisans rely. His suggestions include:

Cutting 58 Medicaid line items totaling $1.35 billion

Reducing rates to Medicaid providers totaling $675 million

Increasing the state’s cigarette tax by $1 per pack, to $1.98, raising $337.5 million, plus a federal match of the revenue from the cigarette tax increase — $337.5 million

Ending the Illinois Cares Rx prescription program for 180,000 people, eliminating adult dental care for 172,000 patients and a moratorium on new admissions to intermediate care nursing facilities are among the 58 items Quinn targeted for cuts and reductions.

I find it interesting that "his plan, the product of a Medicaid working group he assembled earlier this year, does not address the $1.9 billion in overdue Medicaid bills the state is pushing off until next year."

He also is making changes to retirement plans which according to public worker's union officials say violate the Illinois Constitution.

I'm not a political expert, but it sounds as if he is laying the foundation for some more 'epic' weeks in Illinois government.

"Street Art" Revival Planned for Manchester

Community activists who brought public artistic expression to areas as diverse as a skateboard park, the back alleys of urban neighborhoods and a passageway near City Hall plan to renew their call for young people to become involved in “street art'' projects this spring.

The controlled painting on public buildings began a few years ago as a way to both channel youthful expression and behavior into a positive format and to create a type of street art distinguished from the malicious defacing of property by vandals.

This jazz mural is located on Litchfield Lane in Manchester.

THOMASROY/UNIONLEADER

Anacostia School Included in Pilot Arts Program

"The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, working with the Education Department, will announce a plan Monday to infuse art, music, dance, theater and other forms of creative expression into the schools over a two-year period.

"Officials involved in the project want to prove a theory: Robust art, music, dance and theater can set failing schools on a path to academic success....

"New research indicates that students from low-income families who attend arts-rich schools are three times more likely to earn a college degree, and those who earn arts credits in high school are five times more likely to graduate than those who took few or no arts classes."

Despite opposition, paddling students allowed in 19 states

"That use of corporal punishment is rooted in a strong Bible Belt belief in the proverbial "spare the rod and spoil the child," says George Holden, a Southern Methodist University psychology professor. It's reinforced by Southern sensibilities that favor obedience and respect for authority, he says. "Most people were spanked when they were kids, and they think that's the proper way to discipline," says Holden, chairman of the 2011 Global Summit on Ending Corporal Punishment and Promoting Positive Discipline. "They make the erroneous correlation that spanking equals good discipline and if a child isn't behaving, he must not have been spanked enough — that's fallacious." "

Study Questions Value of Early Exposure to Algebra

"Separate studies of urban middle schoolers in California and in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., schools suggest that placing struggling math students in algebra class does not improve their test performance on state math tests, and significantly hurts their grade point averages and the likelihood of their taking and passing higher math courses in high school."

04.04.12

iBrain: A Mind Reading Machine

The iBrain is part of a new generation of portable neural devices and algorithms intended to monitor and diagnose conditions like sleep apnea, depression and autism.


The iBrain is part of a new generation of portable neural devices and algorithms intended to monitor and diagnose conditions like sleep apnea, depression and autism. Invented by a team led by Philip Low, a 32-year-old neuroscientist who is chief executive of NeuroVigil, a company based in San Diego, the iBrain is gaining attention as a possible alternative to expensive sleep labs that use rubber and plastic caps riddled with dozens of electrodes and usually require a patient to stay overnight.

“The iBrain can collect data in real time in a person’s own bed, or when they’re watching TV, or doing just about anything,” Dr. Low said.

Why the Coming Patent Crisis is Inevitable



 "At some point in the future, a company is going to skip the settlement and use the courts to shut down a popular and universal feature on the Web's top domains, simply because it has a patent that says it came up with the notion first. It will be a shock that reverberates all the way to the U.S. government and the World Trade Organization.

I suspect a patent crisis is both necessary and inevitable. The reason is simple: there isn't enough political will or pressure to institute massive patent reform without a crisis to rally around."




GSA chief gone: fallout continues in wake of lavish expense

"Tangherlini said in a letter of introduction to GSA employees that the agency was taking some immediate action "to ensure that our customers maintain their faith in our services." Those measure include a review of planned conferences and meetings that involve travel or substantial expenditures of public funds and the cancellation of a number of conferences that only or primarily involved staff, he said in the letter."

Groupon Sued by Shareholder over Financial Revisions

" "Groupon's internal controls were so poor and inadequate that Groupon's reported results were not reliable," shareholder Fan Zhang alleged, according to Bloomberg review of the complaint filed in federal court in Chicago....The lawsuit comes a day after reports that Groupon's revision of its first set of financial results as a public company had attracted the attention of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, although the commission has reportedly not yet elected to launch a formal investigation of the company."

Big Society Fund Launches with £600m to Invest

"Big Society Capital has £600m, of which the majority comes from unused cash in bank accounts that had been dormant for more than 15 years.  The fund will back social enterprises that prove they can repay an investment through the income they generate.  "This is about supplying capital to help society expand," said Prime Minister David Cameron."

Facebook Counters Yahoo's Legal Action with a Lawsuit

"In its lawsuit, Yahoo claimed that Mark Zuckerberg's company's "entire social network model" was based on its technology, and infringed its rights to innovations involved in messaging, privacy controls, advertising, customisation and social networking.

Facebook is preparing for initial public offering on a stock market that could value Facebook at $100bn (£64bn).  Yahoo, which has struggled in recent years against competition from both Facebook and Google, has a market value of $18.3bn.  On Wall Street, Yahoo shares fell 28 cents on Tuesday to close at $15.18."

FSA Fines JP Morgan Banker Ian Hannam for Market Abuse

"One of the City's top bankers, Ian Hannam, has been fined £450,000 by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) for providing inside information to a prospective client.  Mr Hannam has resigned as chairman of Capital Markets at JP Morgan Cazenove, and is appealing against the decision.  A former captain in the territorial SAS, he said the FSA's conclusion was wrong and he had acted with integrity.

The FSA said that while Mr Hannam had not deliberately set out to commit market abuse, his failings were serious because of his experience and senior position at JP Morgan.  It claims he disclosed inside information in two emails sent to a prospective client towards the end of 2008."

Europe Opens Patent Investigations Into Motorola Mobility

"BRUSSELS — The European Union’s competition office on Tuesday opened two antitrust cases against Motorola Mobility for possibly abusing its patents following complaints by two rivals, Microsoft and Apple.

The cases are the latest stage in what has become a full-blown battle over the ownership of essential technologies that help power mobile and gaming devices, a fight that has engulfed Google and virtually all the other major players in the industry."

The Met, the ‘Ring’ and the Rage Against the Machine

"Peter Gelb has both raised expectations and invited criticism by calling Robert Lepage’s $16 million production of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle for the Metropolitan Opera revolutionary. He used the word again in a recent interview at his office, as he spoke of the “trials and tribulations” of executing Mr. Lepage’s “superhuman,” technically daunting concept in a repertory theater “against amazing odds.”

"...But Mr. Gelb, the Met’s general manager since 2006, has been living it, attending every stage rehearsal and “complaining bitterly,” he said, about the persistent clankiness of the so-called machine, the 45-ton set of movable planks that dominate the production.He could be right....But for many people, making the set a character is the problem. The machine imposes itself and distracts us from Wagner’s music drama."

Bryn Terfel and Deborah Voigt in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2011 production of “Die Walküre,” on the machine, the 45-ton set of movable planks.



So, is this statistical debate over whether the poverty line is too high or too low missing the real issue?

What Does India’s Poverty Line Actually Measure?

Jean Drèze, an economist and former member of the National Advisory Council, certainly thinks so. “What is really shocking is not that the official poverty line is abysmally low, but that even with that abysmal benchmark, so many people are below it,” he told us. “The belated discovery that it is impossible to have a dignified life on the official poverty line draws our attention to the appalling living conditions of the Indian poor.” Taking a position diametrically opposed to Mr. Bhalla and Mr. Panagariya, Mr. Drèze argues, “The message about the terrifying nature of ‘hidden poverty’ in India has been somewhat lost in the din of the recent debate.”

NEW ORLEANS — Rarely has a national title seemed to yield so little to celebrate. The starting five for the champion Kentucky Wildcats — a mix of freshmen and sophomores — are expected to enter the N.B.A. draft, and never again play for the college they ever so briefly attended....

"Mark Emmert, the president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, had already expressed regret that the N.B.A.’s so-called “one-and-done” rule allows universities to recruit athletes who show little interest in getting an education.

Arizona Law to Censor the Internet

"...The rule is actually enforced by the N.B.A., which has no plans to change it. It was put in place in 2005 as part of the league’s collective bargaining agreement, after teams spent years investing in athletic but unproven teenagers who were jumping straight to the N.B.A. from high school. Some, like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett, turned into stars. Others flopped.

"Technically, the rule does not force talented players like Kentucky’s Anthony Davis to go to college, but it states that they must be one year removed from their graduating high school class to be eligible for the N.B.A. draft. Academics have criticized the rule and the N.C.A.A. has complained, but neither had the power to make any changes. Even a former Kentucky president, Lee T. Todd Jr., has expressed uneasiness with the situation, one which can give players little incentive to attend class, let alone excel academically, after a certain point in the season."

"First Amendment rights group Media Coalition, which represents the Motion Picture Association of America, the Recording Industry Association of America, the Association of American Publishers and other related groups, says the bill is not only a violation of the First Amendment, but is so far-ranging as to be preposterous.


In a letter to the governor, the coalition said while government can criminalize speech "that rises to the level of harassment, and many states have laws that do so," Arizona's legislation:


... takes a law meant to address irritating phone calls and applies it to communication on web sites, blogs, listserves and other Internet communication. H.B. 2549 is not limited to a one to one conversation between two specific people. The communication does not need to be repetitive or even unwanted. There is no requirement that the recipient or subject of the speech actually feel offended, annoyed or scared. Nor does the legislation make clear that the communication must be intended to offend or annoy the reader, the subject or even any specific person."

Failing to provide Facebook password gets teacher's aide fired

“(Superintendent Colby) asked me three times if he could view my Facebook and I repeatedly said I was not OK with that,” Hester told WSBT.


In a letter to Hester from the Lewis Cass ISD Special Education Director, he wrote “…in the absence of you voluntarily granting Lewis Cass ISD administration access to you[r] Facebook page, we will assume the worst and act accordingly.


Hester is currently on unpaid leave, collecting workman's compensation while legally battling the school district. "I stand by it," Hester told WSTB News. "I did nothing wrong. And I would not, still to this day, let them in my Facebook.  And I don’t think it’s OK for an employer to ask you.”

Getting Personal About Aung San Suu Kyi

03.31.12

Prolific Forger Gets an Exhibition with His Name Attached - NYTimes.com

"One of the most prolific art forgers in America is getting a show this weekend at the University of Cincinnati. Curators say they are putting on display more than 90 forgeries by Mark A. Landis, an eccentric painter who donated dozens of phony works to museums around the country for more than 25 years before being found out in 2008."

On the Rules of Literary Fiction for Men and Women: NY Times

"The truth is, women who write literary fiction frequently find themselves in an unjust world, even as young single women are outearning men in major American cities and higher education in the United States is skewing female. As VIDA, a women’s literary organization, showed in February in its second annual statistical roundup, women get shockingly short shrift as reviewers and reviewees in most prestigious publications. Of all the authors reviewed in the publications it tracked, nearly three-fourths were men. No wonder that when we talk about today’s leading novelists — the ones who generate heat and conversation and are read by both men and women — we are talking mostly about men."

Study Questions Reasons for Increase in Autism Diagnosis: NY Times

"The frequency of autism spectrum diagnoses has been increasing for decades, but researchers cannot agree on whether the trend is a result of heightened awareness, an expanding definition of the spectrum (emphasis is mine: the current definition of autism now includes introverted (shy) people. Apparently, extroverts only are accepted as normal, although I hear they are going to get a mental illness diagnosis just to make things "fair" for the newly autistic), an actual increase in incidence or some combination of those factors. Diagnosing the condition is not an exact science. Children “on the spectrum” vary widely in their abilities and symptoms, from mute and intellectually limited at one extreme to socially awkward at the other.

Children with such diagnoses often receive extensive state-financed support services — which some experts believe may have contributed to an increase in the numbers."



Bully: A Documentary by Lee Hirsch


"'Bully', Lee Hirsch’s moving and troubling documentary about the misery some children inflict upon others, arrives at a moment when bullying, long tolerated as a fact of life, is being redefined as a social problem. “Just kids being kids” can no longer be an acceptable response to the kind of sustained physical and emotional abuse that damages the lives of young people whose only sin is appearing weak or weird to their peers.
And while the film focuses on the specific struggles of five families in four states, it is also about — and part of — the emergence of a movement."

Art & Art Education

Researchers say long-lost Leonardo may have been found

At the start of the 16th century, Florence's leaders commissioned Leonardo, then at the height of his career, to paint a massive fresco celebrating the Florentine Republic's victory over the Milanese in a battle on the plains of Anghiari that took place on June 29, 1440.

Leonardo, who loathed war as "a most beastly madness," depicted a group of horses and riders furiously fighting.

He abandoned the project a year after he started, probably because a new experimental technique for frescoes failed. But some of his preparatory studies remain, as well as other artists' copies of the original fresco.

All traces of the original were lost more than 50 years later when Giorgio Vasari renovated the great Sala dei Cinquecento in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio and was ordered to paint a new fresco, "The Battle of Marciano," to accommodate the higher walls.

Read original article @ Reuters

See more photos @ Washington Post's The Style Blog

Are video games art? Draw your own conclusions

Are video games worthy of being counted, like movies and paintings, among accepted art forms?

The 120,000 Americans who work at creating games probably would argue yes. And many of the 100-million-plus who spend upward of $20 billion a year to play them would concur — if they ever looked up from their screens and joysticks long enough to think about it.

On the other side fall writers such as film critic Roger Ebert, who famously said several years ago that video games weren't comparable to great paintings, poetry, films and novels and could never be considered art.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum, which houses such masters as Georgia O'Keeffe and John Singer Sargent, steps right into the middle of the argument with a new exhibit, The Art of Video Games. It begins a six-month stay at the Washington museum Friday before going on a national tour.  Read original article @ USA Today Life Section

Photos of Exhibit 

 

The Smithsonian American Art Museum has the details:

"The Art of Video Games is one of the first exhibitions to explore the forty-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects and the creative use of new technologies. It features some of the most influential artists and designers during five eras of game technology, from early pioneers to contemporary designers. The exhibition focuses on the interplay of graphics, technology and storytelling through some of the best games for twenty gaming systems ranging from the Atari VCS to the PlayStation 3. Eighty games, selected with the help of the public, demonstrate the evolution of the medium. The games are presented through still images and video footage. In addition, the galleries will include video interviews with twenty developers and artists, large prints of in-game screen shots, and historic game consoles. Chris Melissinos, founder of Past Pixels and collector of video games and gaming systems, is the curator of the exhibition."

                                         Smithsonian Museums and Zoo Website




Academy of Art University and NASA Announce Design Partnership


This semester, Academy of Art University Industrial Design students will collaborate with the NASA Ames Research Center (Moffett Field, California) to design a user interface that will allow future astronauts in space to remotely operate a robot on Earth. A number of thesis level students have been chosen and will use a variety of design skills to complete the project, including storyboarding, task analysis, ideation, brainstorming, sketching and rendering. The students' work will be used to create the user interface elements, including icons wireframes and glyphs. Simultaneously the team is identifying opportunities for additional design disciplines to be integrated into the experience. Already the team is starting conceptual work on interior architecture, product design, and apparel.

Read original article @ 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/03/12/prweb9267620.DTL#ixzz1p0pR2hhl

Art Education Needs to be Protected

Why invest in arts education at a time when schools seem laser-focused on improving performance in reading and math skills?

Evidence shows that the arts matter. Arts have a positive impact on student achievement, motivation and engagement, critical and creative thinking, collaboration and team work skills.

Read Original Article @ The Boston's Globe: The Podium:  http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/blogs/the_podium/2012/03/arts_education_needs_to_be_pro.html

02.25.201

"Corrections Corporation of America, the nation's largest operator of for-profit prisons, has sent letters recently to 48 states offering to buy up their prisons as a remedy for "challenging corrections budgets." In exchange, the company is asking for a 20-year management contract, plus an assurance that the prison would remain at least 90 percent full" This is a bit scary: having to make prisoner quotas.

For-Profit Prisons: Private Prison Corporation Offers Cash In Exchange For State Prisons

In their efforts to win a multi-million dollar contract, the corporations—CCA, GEO Group, MTC, and LaSalle—told some real whoppers.  Here are our favorites, plus the truth that they are trying to hide.

Top 10 Lies Told By Private Prison Corporations at the Arizona Hearings

"While most folks are suffering under the economy, many billions of dollars are being funneled into this sinister conniving alliance of capitalist and statist forces," stated a message on the hacked site. "What they did not figure into their plans was a determined effort to shut them down."

Anonymous Hacks Private Prison Company Website: Huffington Post

"Veterans’ advocates say Captain Carlson stumbled upon evidence of something they had long suspected but had struggled to prove: that military commanders pressure clinicians to issue unwarranted psychiatric diagnoses to get rid of troops. “Her records suggest an attempt by her commander to influence medical professionals,” said Michael J. Wishnie, a professor at Yale Law School and director of its Veterans Legal Services Clinic....For years, veterans’ advocates have said that the Pentagon uses the diagnosis to discharge troops because it considers them troublesome or wants to avoid giving them benefits for service-connected injuries."
NY Times: A Military Personality Diagnosis Is Challenged

NY Times: A New Study Gives Scope and Costs of Combat Related Conditions Among Veterans  "In patients diagnosed with P.T.S.D., the first year of treatment with the P.T.S.D.-specific therapy averaged $4,100, or nearly half of the $8,300 spent in total. In the second, third and fourth years of treatment, the average costs per patient went down, but the P.T.S.D. therapy continued to account for about half. The same pattern prevailed generally for patients with T.B.I. or with both problems – the highest costs come in the first year of treatment, costs generally decline in the next few years (once some technical wrinkles in the data are ironed out) and a significant portion of overall treatment costs are for these two conditions."

NY Times: Guantanamo Conditions Have Fallen, Military Lawyers Say  "It also said that some of the changes “appear to coincide with the arrival” last summer of the current prison commander, Rear Adm. David B. Woods.  The letter contends that conditions at Camp 7 fall short of the minimum guarantees of humane treatment under the Geneva Conventions. The lawyers asked for the letter to be treated as a report of a possible “violation of the law of war.” Under military policies, that sets off a requirement to investigate and remedy any problems."

NY Times: Settlements Without Admissions Get Scrutiny:  "Judge Bumb ordered both the commission and the company to justify why she should approve the proposed $11.5 million settlement when the lack of an admission by the company and the executive of any wrongdoing left her with no facts with which to judge whether the negotiated deal was fair, adequate and in the public interest."

NY Times: Small Companies Create More Jobs? Maybe Not:  

The figures cover employment from April 1990 — one month after employment reached a high for that economic cycle — through March 2011, just over a year after employment hit bottom after the 2007-9 recession.Over that entire period, employment at large companies — defined as those having at least 500 employees — rose 29 percent, while employment at smaller companies rose by less than half as much.At small companies, defined as those with fewer than 49 employees, the total number of jobs rose by just 10.5 percent over the period. Had the entire private sector grown at that pace, rather than rising by more than 19 percent, as it actually did, there would have been nearly eight million fewer people with jobs last March, and the unemployment rate would have been around 14 percent.

USA Today: Calif. lawyer sentenced in international baby-selling scam  "With her guilty plea, Theresa Erickson acknowledged that she and two other women used numerous surrogate mothers to create an inventory of unborn babies that they would sell for more than $100,000 each, federal prosecutors said."

Book Description: 

A chic and humorous visual homage to two of the world's most iconic cities.

When Vahram Muratyan began his online travel journal, Paris versus New York, he had no idea how quickly it would become one of the most buzzed-about sites on the Internet-it garnered more than a million and a half page views in just a few months, and the attention of savvy online critics. Now Muratyan presents his unique observations in this delightful book, featuring visually striking graphics paired with witty, thought-provoking taglines that celebrate the special details of each city. Paris versus New York is a heartfelt gift to denizens of both cities and to those who dream of big-city romance.