Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pictured at right with former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in 2012, told Congress in June that the U.S. military has 'inadequate protections' for screening out enlistees with criminal records.
By M. Alex Johnson and Jim Miklaszewski, NBC News
Military officials confirmed Friday that 60 service members have been dismissed or suspended this year as recruiters, drill instructors or sexual assault counselors because a review of their records found previous violations for offenses from public drunkenness to sexual assault.
"The purpose of this review was to remove anyone with any blot on their service record, no matter how minor, to ensure the trust that comes with these positions," a military official told NBC News.
That trust has been called into question by a reported 35 percent rise in sexual assaults within the military from 2010 to 2012.
Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before Congress in June that "there are currently, in my judgment, inadequate protections for precluding" people with histories of sexual misconduct from enlisting in the military.
The review, which was first reported Friday by USA Today, was ordered in May by Defense Decretary Chuck Hagel in May as part of a Pentagon push to address sexual assault in the military. It took a second look at the records of about 35,000 recruiters, drill sergeants and sexual assault recruiters, the newspaper said, citing military sources.
So far, 60 have been dismissed or suspended from their jobs, military officials told NBC News ? 55 in the Army and five in the Navy. The Air Force and the Marines reported that none of their personnel were disciplined, according to USA Today.
Neither the Army nor the Navy broke down what specific offenses that led to the disciplinary actions against their personnel, who would represent 0.17 percent of those whose records are under review. The U.S. military reported a total active-duty roster of slightly more than 1.4 million in its 2010 census.
Pentagon officials said the offenses covered in the review included not only sexual assault but also public drunkenness ? the most common violation among young service members.
Courtney Kube of NBC News contributed to this report.
United States' bench players congratulate teammate Brad Evans, who lies on the pitch, after scoring the winning goal in the second half of the 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match against Jamaica in Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, June 7, 2013. The US won 2-1. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
United States' bench players and Graham Zusi (19) pile up on top of teammate Brad Evans, obscured, to congratulate his for scoring the winning goal in the second half of the 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match against Jamaica in Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, June 7, 2013. The US won 2-1. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Brad Evans
United States' Brad Evans covers his head with the shirt to celebrate after scoring the winning goal in the second half of the 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match against Jamaica in Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, June 7, 2013. The US won 2-1. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Clint Dempsey, Rodolph Austin, Daniel Gordon
United States' Clint Dempsey, center, is challenged by Jamaica's Rodolph Austin, left, and Daniel Gordon during their 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match in Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, June 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Jozy Altidore, Graham Zusi
United States' Jozy Altidore, right, celebrates with teammate Graham Zusi after scoring in the first half of the 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match against Jamaica in Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, June 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Graham Zusi, O'Brian Woodbine
United States' Graham Zusi, left, is challenged by Jamaica's O'Brian Woodbine before passing the ball to teammate Jozy Altidore, unseen, who scored in the first half play of their 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match in Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, June 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Jozy Altidore
United States' Jozy Altidore celebrates after scoring in the first half of the 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match against Jamaica in Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, June 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Jozy Altidore, Donovan Ricketts, Alvas Powell
Jamaica's goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, right, fails to block a shot by United States' Jozy Altidore, second from left, as Jamaica's Alvas Powell, left, looks on in the first half of a 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match in Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, June 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Jozy Altidore
United States' Jozy Altidore celebrates his goal against Jamaica in the first half of a 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match in Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, June 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Jozy Altidore, Graham Zusi
United States' Jozy Altidore, right, celebrates with teammate Graham Zusi after scoring during a 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match against Jamaica in Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, June 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Jozy Altidore
United States' Jozy Altidore celebrates after scoring in the first half of the 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match against Jamaica in Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, June 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
U.S. soccer fans cheer before the start of the 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match between Jamaica and the United States in Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, June 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
U.S. soccer fans cheer before the start of the 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match between Jamaica and the United States in Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, June 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
A Jamaica soccer fan waves his national flag before the start of a 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match between Jamaica and the United States in Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, June 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Marvin Elliot #4 of Jamaica battles for a ball with Graham Zusi #19 of the USA during the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Teammate Jozy Altidore #17 celebrates with Graham Zusi #19 of the USA after Zusi assists on a goal to Altidore during the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Teammates Clint Dempsey #8 and Graham Zusi #19 of the USA celebrate after Zusi assists on a goal during the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Jozy Altidore #17 of the USA scores a goal against Jamaica during the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Marvin Elliot #4 of Jamaica battles for a ball with Clint Dempsey #8 of the USA during the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Fans react in the stands before the USA takes on Jamaica in the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Brad Evans #6 celebrates after scoring the game winning goal to beat Jamaica 2-1 during the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Teammates pile onto Brad Evans #6 after scoring the game winning goal to beat Jamaica 2-1 during the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Clint Dempsey #8 of the USA celebrates after defeating Jamaica 2-1 during the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Clint Dempsey #8 of the USA watches as Donovan Ricketts #1 and Adrian Mariappa #19 of Jamaica try to stop a shot at the goal during the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Teammates Michael Bradley #4 and Graham Zusi #19 celebrate with Brad Evans #6 of the USA celebrates after scoring the game winning goal to beat Jamaica 2-1 during the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Brad Evans #6 celebrates after scoring the game winning goal to beat Jamaica 2-1 during the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Teammates pile onto Brad Evans #6 after scoring the game winning goal to beat Jamaica 2-1 during the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Tim Howard warms up before the team takes on Jamaica in the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Tim Howard warms up before the team takes on Jamaica in the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: A fan waves a flag before the USA takes on Jamaica in the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: A fan waves a flag before the USA takes on Jamaica in the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: A young fan watches on from the stands before the USA takes on Jamaica in the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: A group of men prepares to sell goods outside the stadium before the USA takes on Jamaica in the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Clint Dempsey of the USA warms up before the team takes on Jamaica in the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Clint Dempsey of the USA warms up before the team takes on Jamaica in the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
United States v Jamaica - FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JUNE 07: Fans react in the stands before the USA takes on Jamaica in the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at National Stadium on June 7, 2013 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Christopher Meloni got into a sticky situation on Thursday night when he suffered a wardrobe malfunction during an appearance on ?Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.?
The man behind "Law & Order: SVU's" beloved Det. Stabler, who was visiting "Late Night" to promote his upcoming movie ?Man of Steel,? agreed to play Sticky Balls with his host. The game, which Fallon has played with former guests including Channing Tatum and Elijah Wood, is a form of dodgeball in which Fallon and his guest don Velcro suits and attempt to peg each other with foam balls and get them to stick to the other man?s suit -- sometimes in rather private areas.
Thursday's game got so intense that Meloni didn?t even seem to notice that he had split his pants midgame! The actor, who starred on "True Blood" last season pummeled Fallon with balls and ended up winning by a landslide. Afterward, he proudly showed off his split pants to the crowd.
Before the game, the Emmy-nominated actor traded ?stitches? stories with Fallon during the interview portion of the show. Meloni regaled the audience with the tale of how he once had to get stitches after being bit on the head by a St. Bernard as child. Fallon revealed he recently required stitches after accidentally cutting himself while making salsa.
June 7, 2013 ? A German-French research team has constructed a new model that explains how the so-called pseudogap state forms in high-temperature superconductors. The calculations predict two coexisting electron orders. Below a certain temperature, superconductors lose their electrical resistance and can conduct electricity without loss.
"It is not to be excluded that the new pseudogap theory also provides the long-awaited explanation for why, in contrast to conventional metallic superconductors, certain ceramic copper oxide bonds lose their electrical resistance at such unusually high temperatures," say Prof. Dr. Konstantin Efetov and Dr. Hendrik Meier of the Chair of Theoretical Solid State Physics at the Ruhr-Universit?t Bochum. They obtained the findings in close cooperation with Dr. Catherine P?pin from the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Saclay near Paris. The team reports in the journal Nature Physics.
Transition temperature much higher in ceramic than in metallic superconductors
Superconductivity only occurs at very low temperatures below the so-called transition temperature. In metallic superconductors, this is close to the absolute zero point of 0 Kelvin, which corresponds to about -273 degrees Celsius. However, crystalline ceramic materials can be superconductive at temperatures up to 138 Kelvin. For 25 years, researchers puzzled over the physical bases of this high-temperature superconductivity.
Pseudogap: energy gap above the transition temperature
In the superconducting state, electrons travel in so-called Cooper pairs through the crystal lattice of a material. In order to break up a Cooper pair so that two free electrons are created, a certain amount of energy is needed. This difference in the energy of the Cooper electrons and the so-called free electrons is called an energy gap. In cuprate superconductors, compounds based on copper oxide bonds, a similar energy gap also occurs under certain circumstances above the transition temperature -- the pseudogap. Characteristically the pseudogap is only perceived by electrons with certain velocity directions. The model constructed by the German-French team now allows new insights into the physical inside of the pseudogap state.
Two competing electron orders in the pseudogap state
According to the model, the pseudogap state simultaneously contains two electron orders: d-wave superconductivity, in which the electrons of a Cooper pair revolve around each other in a cloverleaf shape, and a quadrupole density wave. The latter is a special electrostatic structure in which every copper atom in the two-dimensional crystal lattice has a quadrupole moment, i.e. two opposite regions of negative charge, and two opposite regions of positive charge. d-wave superconductivity and quadrupole density wave compete with each other in the pseudogap state. Due to thermal fluctuations, neither of the two systems can assert itself. However, if the system is cooled down, the thermal fluctuations become weaker and one of the two systems prevails: superconductivity. The critical temperature at which this occurs can, in the model, be considerably higher than the transition temperature of conventional metallic superconductors. The model could thus explain why the transition temperature in the ceramic superconductors is so much higher.
Cuprates
High-temperature copper oxide superconductors are also called cuprates. In addition to copper and oxygen, they can, for example, contain the elements yttrium and barium (YBa2Cu3O7). To make the material superconducting, researchers introduce "positive holes," i.e. electron holes into the crystal lattice. Through these, the electrons can "flow" in Cooper pairs. This is known as hole doping. The pseudogap state only sets in when the hole doping of the cuprate is neither too low nor too high.
DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh's finance minister promised on Thursday to improve working conditions in the garment industry after a deadly factory collapse, but he spurned calls for new public money to construct safer buildings.
Abul Maal Abdul Muhith's 2013/14 budget aims to bolster faltering economic growth to 7.2 percent after political unrest and strikes for better pay and conditions in the clothing industry hit output this year.
The government will raise public spending by 16 percent to 2.22 trillion taka ($28 billion), he said.
A senior finance ministry official suggested this week that some of those funds would go towards addressing a critical shortage of building inspectors and buying land to relocate dangerous garment factories to a planned industrial park.
The industry said it had requested $40 million in the budget to improve safety standards.
But Muhith announced no new spending for factory safety, drawing strong criticism from an employers' representative.
"I am disappointed," said Mohammad Fazlul Hoque, the president of Bangladesh Employers' Federation. "Norway and Britain committed to assist the sector, but our government has no feelings."
Britain announced 18 million pounds for worker safety and training in Bangladesh on Wednesday, two days after Norway said it would donate $2.5 million.
The collapse in April of the Rana Plaza complex killed 1,129 people, making it one of the world's worst industrial accidents.
It put the government, industrialists and the global brands that use the factories under pressure to reform an industry that employs four million and generates 80 percent of Bangladesh's export earnings.
A fire in another factory last year killed 112.
"In order to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future, we pledge to take all possible measures for improvement of working conditions and safety standards in factories in conjunction with all stakeholders," Muhith told parliament.
LOWER IMPORT DUTIES
The minister did pledge a 20 percent cut in import duties on woven fabrics, a significant boost to the garment sector.
The combination of opposition-led political protests and worker strikes have hurt the garment industry, the main driver of the economy. GDP growth was about 6 percent in the current financial year which ends on June 30, the lowest since 2009/10.
Clashes between anti-government and Islamist activists and police have also claimed dozens of lives this year.
Bangladesh is to elect a new government by next January and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina needs to keep the economy growing to offset the rising anger at poor working conditions in the garment sector.
On Wednesday, police used tear gas and fired rubber bullets to disperse former Rana Plaza workers who were protesting to demand compensation, local media reported.
The April 24 collapse of the building, constructed on swampy ground outside Dhaka with several illegal floors, has galvanized brands to look more closely at their suppliers.
Very low labor costs and, critics say, shortcuts on safety, makes the country of 160 million the cheapest place to make large quantities of clothing.
Companies are split over how to improve conditions. Big European names signed an accord that would make them legally responsible for safety. U.S. firms like Wal-Mart Stores Inc have broken ties with non-compliant factories.
Inspections of about 150 buildings housing garment factories since the disaster found many with serious faults, such as cracks and floors built without permits, said Mujibur Rahman, who leads a team of 30 civil engineers at the Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology.
"There are buildings that have approval for six floors, but then they built one or two more, this is an overload problem," Rahman said. "We are recommending that they should immediately relocate their industries."
Plans to move factories crammed along Dhaka's teeming streets to an industrial park to the south have foundered as suitable land is scarce in low-lying and flood-prone Bangladesh.
Other initiatives include plans to raise the monthly minimum of $38, and to make it easier to form trade unions.
(Additional reporting by Serajul Quadir; Editing by Ron Popeski, John Stonestreet)
This week's round-up of Good Reads includes a look at elusive and isolated Amazon tribes, signs of progress across Africa, the well-being of Americans, and the savvy of US voters.
By Marshall Ingwerson,?Managing editor / March 15, 2013
A couple runs at dusk along the shore of Lake Hefner, outside Oklahoma City.
Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman/AP
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The Amazon Basin is often cited as a global repository of biodiversity. But it?s also the last bastion, perhaps, of human cultural diversity. In Smithsonian magazine, Joshua Hammer recounts the recent spotting of what may be the last two isolated tribes in the Colombian Amazon: the Yuri and the Pass?. They were spotted from airplanes by experts seeking to confirm their existence and to strengthen protections against outside intrusion.
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Mr. Hammer points out that the common term ?uncontacted tribes? is not strictly accurate. These tribes first encountered Spanish explorers seeking gold some 500 years ago. They fled deeper into the jungle to avoid slave traders. Around 1900, the rubber boom brought new slave traders into the rain forest and the tribes fled farther.
They were thought to be extinct, but when a jaguar hunter and his guide disappeared in 1969, the search party ran into a village of people painted with zebralike stripes. None of the native guides could recognize their language, but an expert in the United States identified them as Yuri. Then they disappeared again.
Ironically, for governments to protect the privacy of these native peoples, they must know where they are. Roberto Franco, the Colombian historian who was in the airplane that spotted the Yuri and Pass? settlements, says: ?We must respect their decision not to be our friends ? even to hate us.?
Where Africans make strides
Meanwhile, one continent over, Africa has been shedding its isolation posthaste. The Economist takes a survey of the growing dynamism in the region that still populates the bottom of development rankings.
Life expectancies have increased by 10 percent. Foreign investment has tripled in the past decade. In the next 10 years, consumer spending is expected to triple. Average growth of gross domestic product is running about 6 percent, more African children than ever are in school, cellphones are everywhere, and the countries hit worst with the AIDS crisis have seen infections fall by three-quarters.
The Economist gives the main credit to African people themselves. ?They are embracing modern technology, voting in ever more elections and pressing their leaders to do better. A sense of hope abounds.?
One sign that governance is improving, too: The correspondent visited 23 African countries to research the survey and wasn?t once asked for a bribe ? ?inconceivable only ten years ago.?
?Hey America, how ya doin???
Back in these United States, every year Gallup asks hundreds of thousands of Americans to rate their own well-being from emotional and physical health to their work environment and overall life evaluation. The top-ranked state? Hawaii, for the fourth year in a row. (And Gallup didn?t even ask about the weather. The next two states, after all, are Colorado and Minnesota.) Hawaii residents were most likely to ?experience daily enjoyment and least likely to have daily worry or stress,? says Alyssa Brown in Gallup?s new report. They also most often rated their lives as ?thriving.?
West Virginians were the least ?thriving? in the nation, and ranked lowest in overall well-being. Hawaiians also rated their work environments more highly than did residents of any other state. The lowest? Rhode Island. When it comes to healthy eating, getting exercise, and not smoking, Vermont rules and Kentucky takes the hindmost position. For access to basic services, from affordable food to a safe place to exercise, Massachusetts leads and Mississippi lags.
What the pundits don?t know
If you are tempted to argue with TV political pundits, you?re in good company. Morris Fiorina, a prominent political scientist at Stanford University, says his wife hates political season because of his running argument against what he sees as misinformed cable commentators. In The Forum, a political science quarterly, Professor Fiorina outlines what he, as a political scientist, wishes media talking heads could learn:
?US voters are not becoming more polarized. Congress is. Cable TV and talk radio are. But the moderate middle among voters is not shrinking. ?Most Americans are not ideologues and do not hold extreme views.? Voters have re-sorted themselves: Conservatives have left the Democratic Party for the GOP and liberals have fled the other way. But that?s a shift of parties, not a shift of views.
?The US electorate is closely divided, but there is little evidence that the divide has grown deeper. Fiorina suspects that when the data is available, the 2012 election will prove to have been less intensely divided than the elections in 2008 or 2004.
?The hundreds of millions of dollars spent on political advertising ?probably does not make much difference.? You would never know it from watching TV, but scholars find little evidence of any impact.
?Finally, voters are not stupid. They may be often uninformed and distracted. ?Yet the collective electorate manifests a degree of knowledge and wisdom that gives those of us who have studied that electorate for decades some cause for optimism.?
When I was named as one of the 100 Women Leaders in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in 2012, I was thrilled by the honor of being named to the list, but troubled by the need for the list itself. Sadly, women are vastly underrepresented in the ranks of STEM professionals. In general, we aren't graduating enough qualified professionals in STEM in the United States, and women are an even smaller percentage of this group. While this is a complex problem, I believe that one of the biggest challenges is a lack of credible mentors in the field to excite and inspire students and young employees about the myriad career opportunities that can result from a STEM education.
For me, as a high school graduate, I didn't have a clear picture of what I could do with a math or engineering degree as I was trying to decide on the right education to fit my passions and talents. When I think about the amazing experiences and opportunities I've had working on innovation in highly scientific and technical environments throughout my entire career, it strikes me how lucky I am to have taken this career path. But I had no idea what was possible as I was making big life decisions 20 years ago.
Before I started university, I did a two year on-the-job training as a lab technical assistant at a large food company in Germany. A female mentor encouraged me and helped me make the connection between science, technology and innovation. She explained how my work could help companies grow the top and bottom line and build a sustainable future. We had weekly meetings where she showed me the eventual impact of the work I was doing. This hands-on experience and close working relationship with my mentor made clear the dynamic path ahead of me with my degrees in food science, food technology and nutrition.
Mentors play a critical role in bringing new people -- and particularly women -- to careers in STEM. Female leaders must be role models to advocate for the possibilities of STEM education and support programs that inspire more of our best and brightest students, especially those from underrepresented or disadvantaged groups, to study in STEM fields. In my role, I am able to mentor young employees and encourage students to see STEM in a different light.
I lead teams of food scientists, engineers, inventors, statisticians, nutritionists and product designers, so I know the critical importance of continuing to fill our talent pipeline with high caliber STEM-educated talent. My team develops new, delicious and innovative snacks that consumers enjoy every day. When I talk to students, they are excited by the idea of working on our brands, but they don't make the connection to the need for science, math and engineering to make and deliver foods that are convenient, shelf-stable, safe, and most importantly, taste good. This is the role that mentors in the industry must play: encouraging students to pursue STEM by showing the creative, diverse and unexpected career paths that can result from degrees in these fields.
Industry mentors -- particularly women in positions of influence - are one important link to increasing the pipeline of talent. To encourage more mentors and to help solve the pipeline issue, I -- along with other leaders -- am working to create a STEM Innovation Taskforce. The taskforce is comprised of some of the most experienced and talented professionals in innovation. Members of the taskforce will be asked to act as champions for their focus areas and to help mentees understand the process behind innovation. We are building a network so that connectivity will be a driver of success as young people advance through the program. With the proper resources and the passion driving our members, we believe the task force will create programs that unlock the change needed to develop future STEM leaders.
Throughout my career I have seen the importance of innovation as way to improve many aspects of our everyday lives. And I know from my experience that a STEM education is the foundation of my success. My colleagues and I must return the favor and help develop future generations of leaders by helping them connect the dots from a STEM education to rewarding and impactful careers.
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The business of SXSWi is business: There are panels and attendees focused on such broad topics as disaster relief and the future of creativity, but the dominant theme is how to launch and grow companies. The Collegiate Digital Media Entrepreneurial Tournament is a good place to see this preoccupation in practice. I attended the final round, which featured three student teams being grilled, none too gently, by a panel that included Jim McKelvey, the founder of Square, an engineering director at Google, and executives at smaller companies. Here are the three last finalists, which were whittled down from an initial 64.
RentLingo, a Stanford University project, provides a social way to look for apartments for rent, as well as roommates. The site helps you know where your friends and their connections live, and provides demographic information (from gender split to interests to ages) for distinct neighborhoods drawn from the service's larger database. The ideal user is recently post-college and looking to move to a new city. As a New Yorker, I found the service to make perfect sense. The up-and-coming, affordable-but-cool neighborhood of the moment changes rapidly. This service came in third in the competition. The company's first monetization strategy is lead generation, I was told by cofounder Dan Laufer later in the day. (I ran into him at a PopMech phone charging station across town, where he was getting ready for another entrepreneurs' competition.)
Traverie, an entry from the University of California at Berkeley, taps into social networks for travel recommendations. The idea is have ready access to the insights of your trusted sources for tips on where to go, how to go, and when to go. The site will scour your Facebook friends' photo albums for travel shots, provide forums for asking and answering questions, and give you tools for building up a bucket list. How attractive this is may depend on how broadly your friends have traveled, and your goals. Traverie won't help you become the first person in your circle to ever visit a spot, but that's not important to everyone. #firstworldproblems
TempoRun is a mobile app meant to improve a runner's experience by using music to help him or her maintain a desired pace. The team was from Michigan State University. The app scans the user's music library, and assigns a tempo value, from one through 12, to each one. The app then allows the user to choose playlists grouped by playlist; it will also provide cloud-based music if you prefer. Company founder Joshua Leider (standing on the right in the photo) says that competitive apps speed or slow the tempo of a song to match your running pace. This app does the opposite, hopefully keeping the runner on the tempo of the song. The judges gave this company the win. My analysis: I'd use it, and the nice thing about it is that it is so focused. Like most successful apps, it tries to do one thing well. Leider spun out some potential social functionalities, which aren't hard to guess, but the company is wisely leaving most of that for later releases. TempoRun is only for iOS right now; the plan is for it to become available in mid-April.
Photo by Elina Berzins, a senior at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications Graphic Design
Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for March 5, 2013Public release date: 4-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Megan Hanks mhanks@acponline.org 215-351-2656 American College of Physicians
A special supplement on patient safety strategies will be published with the March 5 issue. In addition to the 10 articles included in the supplement, Annals of Internal Medicine also will publish a special five-page graphic narrative on the topic of medical errors. Please see summaries at the bottom of the page for information. Full text of the graphic novel and articles in the supplement are available upon request.
1. Screening with Colonoscopy May Reduce Risk for Late-stage Cancer By 70 Percent
Screening with sigmoidoscopy yields similar results in cancer of the left colon, but not the right
Using colonoscopy to screen average-risk adults for colorectal cancer (CRC) reduces the risk for diagnosis of late-stage CRC by about 70 percent for both the right- and left-sided disease. Previous trials and observational studies have shown that screening with fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) and sigmoidoscopy reduce the risk for CRC incidence and death, but evidence of the effectiveness of screening colonoscopy has been limited. Researchers reviewed health records for 1,012 average-risk adults between the ages of 55 and 85 to examine the association between screening colonoscopy and incident late-state CRC risk. Case patients (n = 474), or those with advanced CRC at the time of diagnosis, were compared to 538 control patients. Those screened with colonoscopy had a significant overall reduction in the risk for late-stage colorectal cancer diagnosis. The authors simultaneously examined the association between screening sigmoidoscopy and late-state CRC risk. They found that screening sigmoidoscopy was associated with a reduction in risk similar to that of colonoscopy for left-sided late-stage CRC, but showed a modest, statistically nonsignificant effect on risk for right-sided colon cancer, which accounts for about 50 percent of new CRC cases in the United States. A link to this article will be live at 5:00 p.m. on March 4 http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/0003-4819-158-5-201303050-00001.
Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. To speak with the author, please contact Katie Delach at 215-349-5964 or katie.delach@uphs.upenn.edu.
2. Mailings Linked to Electronic Health Records Double Colorectal Cancer Screening Adherence Rates
Sending automated mailings linked to electronic health records (EHR) led to twice as many persons adhering to colorectal cancer (CRC) screening recommendations compared to usual care. CRC is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Screening has been proven to reduce morbidity and mortality, but fewer than 60 percent of Americans aged 50? (the recommended age range for screening) report being current for screening. According to the authors, interventions to increase adherence to recommendations for CRC screening are needed. The researchers sought to determine if interventions using EHR, automated mailings, and stepped increases in support could improve CRC screening adherence over two years. They randomly assigned 4,675 adult Group Health patients aged 50 to 73 years who were not current on CRC screening to one of four interventions: usual care; EHR-linked mailings that included a letter, a pamphlet, and a fecal occult blood testing kit ("automated"); automated plus telephone assistance ("assisted"), or automated and assisted plus nurse navigation to testing completion or refusal ("navigated"). These same interventions were repeated in year two. Compared with usual care, patients in the automated group, where letters, pamphlets, and fecal occult blood tests were mailed, completed recommended screening twice as often, for less cost. Patients in the assisted and navigated groups had additional but smaller incremental improvements in adherence. A link to this article will be live at 5:00 p.m. on March 4 http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/0003-4819-158-5-201303050-00002.
Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. To interview the lead author, please contact Rebecca Hughes at hughes.r@ghc.org or 206-287-2055.
3. Atrial Fibrillation Associated with Higher Risk for Cognitive Impairment, Dementia
Atrial fibrillation is associated with a higher risk for cognitive impairment and dementia, with or without stroke. AF is the most common arrhythmia in the United States, affecting more than 2.7 million Americans in 2010. Three known risk factors for AF heart failure, diabetes, and hypertension are also risk factors for cognitive impairment. Mild cognitive impairment may affect long-term memory, but does not adversely affect daily living. However, dementia is associated with memory and other cognitive impairments that may have a substantial impact on patients, families, and the health care system. For this reason, finding and addressing major risk factors is imperative. Researchers reviewed 21 published studies to assess the association between AF and cognitive impairment. The studies revealed a strong association between AF and cognitive impairment or dementia independent of stroke. The authors suggest that these findings should inspire future research that carefully distinguishes types of dementia. Investigators also should consider cognitive function as a new outcome to be assessed in studies about treatments for AF. A link to this article will be live at 5:00 p.m. on March 4 http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/0003-4819-158-5-201303050-00007.
Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. To interview the lead author, please contact Ryan Donovan at rcdonovan@partners.org or 617-724-6433.
*Special Section/Supplement
4. Comics Offer an Innovative Way to Enhance Medical Training
Comics, or graphic narratives, may be an effective way to share important medical experiences with physicians in training. The graphic narrative, "Missed It" is being published in Annals of Internal Medicine to illustrate how creative learning tools can enhance medical training by adding an emotional and visual component. "Missed It" tells the story of a medical resident dealing with a seemingly routine case of COPD in the emergency room. The five-page story unfolds in a dramatic and emotionally compelling fashion. According to the author, graphic narratives are not always silly or frivolous, as some may say. They can be used to tell incredibly moving stories about serious topics. A link to this article will be live at 5:00 p.m. on March 4 http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/0003-4819-158-5-201303050-00013
Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. To interview the lead author, please contact Scott Gilbert at sgilbert1@hmc.psu.edu or 717-531-1887.
5. Special Supplement Focuses on Top 10 Strategies to Improve Patient Safety Now
Between 44,000 and 80,000 patients die each year in the United states from diagnostic errors. Another 68,000 patients die of bed sores, and many thousands of patients die from teamwork and communication errors or failure to receive evidence-based interventions. Patient safety is a significant public health issue that requires strategic intervention. In 2000, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) commissioned a report analyzing and rating nearly 80 different patient safety strategies (PSSs). Since the report was issued, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers gained a greater understanding of the epidemiology of errors and preventable harms. The burden is larger than previously thought. In a major effort to help health care systems protect the safety of patients, the AHRQ developed a report identifying the top 10 patient safety strategies ready for immediate use. If widely implemented, these 10 strategies have the potential to vastly improve patient safety and save lives, according to the report. Making Health Care Safer II: An Updated Critical Analysis of the Evidence for Patient Safety Practices assess the evidence for 41 patient safety strategies and strongly encourages that 10 be adopted now. The strategies can help prevent harmful events such as medication errors, bed sores, and healthcare-associated infections. Ten of the 41 strategies are being published in a special supplement to Annals of Internal Medicine at http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/0003-4819-158-5-201303050-00010.
Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. To interview the lead author, please contact Alison Hunt at alison.hunt@ahrq.hhs.gov or 301-427-1244.
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for March 5, 2013Public release date: 4-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Megan Hanks mhanks@acponline.org 215-351-2656 American College of Physicians
A special supplement on patient safety strategies will be published with the March 5 issue. In addition to the 10 articles included in the supplement, Annals of Internal Medicine also will publish a special five-page graphic narrative on the topic of medical errors. Please see summaries at the bottom of the page for information. Full text of the graphic novel and articles in the supplement are available upon request.
1. Screening with Colonoscopy May Reduce Risk for Late-stage Cancer By 70 Percent
Screening with sigmoidoscopy yields similar results in cancer of the left colon, but not the right
Using colonoscopy to screen average-risk adults for colorectal cancer (CRC) reduces the risk for diagnosis of late-stage CRC by about 70 percent for both the right- and left-sided disease. Previous trials and observational studies have shown that screening with fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) and sigmoidoscopy reduce the risk for CRC incidence and death, but evidence of the effectiveness of screening colonoscopy has been limited. Researchers reviewed health records for 1,012 average-risk adults between the ages of 55 and 85 to examine the association between screening colonoscopy and incident late-state CRC risk. Case patients (n = 474), or those with advanced CRC at the time of diagnosis, were compared to 538 control patients. Those screened with colonoscopy had a significant overall reduction in the risk for late-stage colorectal cancer diagnosis. The authors simultaneously examined the association between screening sigmoidoscopy and late-state CRC risk. They found that screening sigmoidoscopy was associated with a reduction in risk similar to that of colonoscopy for left-sided late-stage CRC, but showed a modest, statistically nonsignificant effect on risk for right-sided colon cancer, which accounts for about 50 percent of new CRC cases in the United States. A link to this article will be live at 5:00 p.m. on March 4 http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/0003-4819-158-5-201303050-00001.
Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. To speak with the author, please contact Katie Delach at 215-349-5964 or katie.delach@uphs.upenn.edu.
2. Mailings Linked to Electronic Health Records Double Colorectal Cancer Screening Adherence Rates
Sending automated mailings linked to electronic health records (EHR) led to twice as many persons adhering to colorectal cancer (CRC) screening recommendations compared to usual care. CRC is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Screening has been proven to reduce morbidity and mortality, but fewer than 60 percent of Americans aged 50? (the recommended age range for screening) report being current for screening. According to the authors, interventions to increase adherence to recommendations for CRC screening are needed. The researchers sought to determine if interventions using EHR, automated mailings, and stepped increases in support could improve CRC screening adherence over two years. They randomly assigned 4,675 adult Group Health patients aged 50 to 73 years who were not current on CRC screening to one of four interventions: usual care; EHR-linked mailings that included a letter, a pamphlet, and a fecal occult blood testing kit ("automated"); automated plus telephone assistance ("assisted"), or automated and assisted plus nurse navigation to testing completion or refusal ("navigated"). These same interventions were repeated in year two. Compared with usual care, patients in the automated group, where letters, pamphlets, and fecal occult blood tests were mailed, completed recommended screening twice as often, for less cost. Patients in the assisted and navigated groups had additional but smaller incremental improvements in adherence. A link to this article will be live at 5:00 p.m. on March 4 http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/0003-4819-158-5-201303050-00002.
Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. To interview the lead author, please contact Rebecca Hughes at hughes.r@ghc.org or 206-287-2055.
3. Atrial Fibrillation Associated with Higher Risk for Cognitive Impairment, Dementia
Atrial fibrillation is associated with a higher risk for cognitive impairment and dementia, with or without stroke. AF is the most common arrhythmia in the United States, affecting more than 2.7 million Americans in 2010. Three known risk factors for AF heart failure, diabetes, and hypertension are also risk factors for cognitive impairment. Mild cognitive impairment may affect long-term memory, but does not adversely affect daily living. However, dementia is associated with memory and other cognitive impairments that may have a substantial impact on patients, families, and the health care system. For this reason, finding and addressing major risk factors is imperative. Researchers reviewed 21 published studies to assess the association between AF and cognitive impairment. The studies revealed a strong association between AF and cognitive impairment or dementia independent of stroke. The authors suggest that these findings should inspire future research that carefully distinguishes types of dementia. Investigators also should consider cognitive function as a new outcome to be assessed in studies about treatments for AF. A link to this article will be live at 5:00 p.m. on March 4 http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/0003-4819-158-5-201303050-00007.
Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. To interview the lead author, please contact Ryan Donovan at rcdonovan@partners.org or 617-724-6433.
*Special Section/Supplement
4. Comics Offer an Innovative Way to Enhance Medical Training
Comics, or graphic narratives, may be an effective way to share important medical experiences with physicians in training. The graphic narrative, "Missed It" is being published in Annals of Internal Medicine to illustrate how creative learning tools can enhance medical training by adding an emotional and visual component. "Missed It" tells the story of a medical resident dealing with a seemingly routine case of COPD in the emergency room. The five-page story unfolds in a dramatic and emotionally compelling fashion. According to the author, graphic narratives are not always silly or frivolous, as some may say. They can be used to tell incredibly moving stories about serious topics. A link to this article will be live at 5:00 p.m. on March 4 http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/0003-4819-158-5-201303050-00013
Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. To interview the lead author, please contact Scott Gilbert at sgilbert1@hmc.psu.edu or 717-531-1887.
5. Special Supplement Focuses on Top 10 Strategies to Improve Patient Safety Now
Between 44,000 and 80,000 patients die each year in the United states from diagnostic errors. Another 68,000 patients die of bed sores, and many thousands of patients die from teamwork and communication errors or failure to receive evidence-based interventions. Patient safety is a significant public health issue that requires strategic intervention. In 2000, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) commissioned a report analyzing and rating nearly 80 different patient safety strategies (PSSs). Since the report was issued, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers gained a greater understanding of the epidemiology of errors and preventable harms. The burden is larger than previously thought. In a major effort to help health care systems protect the safety of patients, the AHRQ developed a report identifying the top 10 patient safety strategies ready for immediate use. If widely implemented, these 10 strategies have the potential to vastly improve patient safety and save lives, according to the report. Making Health Care Safer II: An Updated Critical Analysis of the Evidence for Patient Safety Practices assess the evidence for 41 patient safety strategies and strongly encourages that 10 be adopted now. The strategies can help prevent harmful events such as medication errors, bed sores, and healthcare-associated infections. Ten of the 41 strategies are being published in a special supplement to Annals of Internal Medicine at http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/0003-4819-158-5-201303050-00010.
Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. To interview the lead author, please contact Alison Hunt at alison.hunt@ahrq.hhs.gov or 301-427-1244.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
NEW YORK (AP) ? A baby delivered after his parents were killed in a Brooklyn hit-and-run accident died early Monday, a community spokesman said.
Isaac Abraham, who serves as a spokesman for the family's Orthodox Jewish community, said the child died around 5:30 a.m.
Police were searching for the driver of a BMW and a passenger who fled on foot after slamming into a livery cab, killing the young pregnant woman and her husband.
"This guy's a coward and he should pay his price," said Abraham, adding that the community wants a homicide prosecution.
Nachman and Raizy Glauber, both 21, were looking forward to welcoming their first child into their tight-knit community of Orthodox Jews.
The horrific crash happened in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn as the couple headed to a hospital.
The engine of the livery car ended up in the backseat, where Raizy Glauber, who was seven months pregnant, was sitting before she was ejected, Abraham said. Her body landed under a parked tractor-trailer, said witnesses who raced to the scene after the crash. Nachman Glauber was pinned in the car, and emergency workers had to cut off the roof to get him out, witnesses said.
The Glaubers both were pronounced dead at hospitals, and the medical examiner said they died of blunt-force trauma. Doctors had delivered the baby by cesarean section.
Neighbors and friends said the boy weighed only about 4 pounds. The Glaubers' livery cab driver was treated for minor injuries at the hospital and was later released. Both the driver of the BMW and a passenger fled and were being sought, police said.
Meanwhile, police said the registered owner of the BMW, who was not in the car, was charged with insurance fraud. Police said Takia Walk, 29, was arrested Sunday. They did not have any details regarding the charge.
On Saturday, Raizy Glauber "was not feeling well, so they decided to go" to the hospital, said Sara Glauber, Nachman Glauber's cousin. Abraham said the Glaubers called a car service because they didn't own a car, which is common for New Yorkers.
The Glaubers were married about a year ago and had begun a life together in Williamsburg, where Raizy Glauber grew up in a prominent Orthodox Jewish rabbinical family, Sara Glauber said.
Raised north of New York City in Monsey, N.Y., and part of a family that founded a line of clothing for Orthodox Jews, Nachman Glauber was studying at a rabbinical college nearby, said his cousin.
Brooklyn is home to the largest community of ultra-Orthodox Jews outside Israel, more than 250,000. The community has strict rules governing clothing, social customs and interaction with the outside world. Men wear dark clothing that includes a long coat and a fedora-type hat and often have long beards and ear locks.
Jewish law calls for burial of the dead as soon as possible, and hours after their deaths, the Glaubers were mourned by at least 1,000 people at a funeral outside the Congregation Yetev Lev D'Satmar synagogue.
Afterward, the cars carrying the bodies left and headed to Monsey, where another service was planned in Nachman Glauber's hometown.
Casey Anthony is protected from the media by her attorney Cheney Mason as she arrives at the United States Courthouse for a bankruptcy hearing Monday, March 4, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. Anthony has not been seen in public since being acquitted in 2011 of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Casey Anthony is protected from the media by her attorney Cheney Mason as she arrives at the United States Courthouse for a bankruptcy hearing Monday, March 4, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. Anthony has not been seen in public since being acquitted in 2011 of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Casey Anthony is protected from the media by her attorney Cheney Mason as she arrives at the United States Courthouse for a bankruptcy hearing Monday, March 4, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. Casey has not been seen in public since being acquitted in 2011 of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
FILE -In this July 17, 2011 file photo, Casey Anthony, center, walks out of the Orange County Jail with her attorney Jose Baez, left, during her release in Orlando, Fla. Anthony comes out of seclusion for a meeting with the creditors in her bankruptcy case in Tampa Monday March 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Red Huber, Pool, File)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? After 19 months of seclusion, Casey Anthony emerged into the public spotlight once again on Monday for a meeting with creditors in her bankruptcy case.
Dressed all in black, Anthony arrived at the federal courthouse in Tampa with her attorney, Cheney Mason, several hours early for the bankruptcy meeting. The pair was mobbed by photographers as they made a short walk to the courthouse.
Anthony's hair was long and dark and she wearing a sunglasses, black heels and stockings and carrying a black hat. She appeared flustered and hurried and did not address the media.
Anthony, 26, has not made any public appearances since she left jail in July 2011 after being acquitted of murder in the death her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.
Anthony filed for bankruptcy in Florida in late January, claiming about $1,000 in assets and $792,000 in liabilities. Court papers list Anthony as unemployed, with no recent income.
Her listed debts include $500,000 for attorney fees and costs for her criminal defense lawyer during the trial, Jose Baez; $145,660 for the Orange County Sheriff's office for investigative fees and costs; $68,540 for the Internal Revenue Service for taxes, interest and penalties; and $61,505 for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for court costs.
The filling also stated that she was a defendant in several lawsuits, including one brought by Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez for defamation in Orange County Circuit Court.
Fernandez-Gonzalez said her reputation was damaged by Anthony telling detectives that a baby sitter by the same name kidnapped Caylee. The detectives were investigating the 2008 disappearance of the girl, who later was found dead. Anthony's attorney said details offered by Anthony did not match Fernandez-Gonzalez and clearly showed Anthony wasn't talking about her.
Anthony had not been seen in public since she left an Orange County jail on July 16, 2011, 12 days after she was acquitted of murdering Caylee but convicted of lying to investigators and sentenced to four years in jail. With credit for the nearly three years she spent in jail since August 2008 and good behavior, she had to serve only several days when she was sentenced July 7.
Leaving jail just after midnight, Anthony was hustled into an SUV by her then-attorney, Jose Baez, and drove off, disappearing from public view.
The case drew national attention ever since Caylee was reported missing. Cable network HLN aired the entire trial, with pundit and former prosecutor Nancy Grace sharply criticizing Anthony nightly. Vitriol poured into social networking sites after the acquittal, with observers posting angry messages on Twitter and Facebook's "I Hate Casey Anthony" page.
Outraged lawmakers in several states responded by passing so-called Caylee's laws that allow authorities to prosecute parents who don't quickly report missing children. And many still speculate about what really happened to Caylee: Was she suffocated with duct tape by her mother, as prosecutors argued? Or did she drown in an accident that snowballed out of control, as defense attorneys contended?
Caylee's remains were found in December 2008 in woods near the home Casey Anthony shared with her parents.
NEW YORK (AP) ? Gay advocacy group GLAAD says Madonna will present CNN's Anderson Cooper with an award for openly gay media professionals.
GLAAD told The Associated Press on Saturday that the singer has been chosen to give Cooper the Vito Russo Award at the 24th annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York City on March 16.
GLAAD President Herndon Graddick says Madonna and Cooper are longtime friends who have both used their careers to support lesbian, gay and transgender people.
Cooper declined to speak publicly about his sexuality for years. But last July he gave blogger Andrew Sullivan permission to publish an email in which Cooper said he was gay and "couldn't be more happy."
Russo helped found GLAAD and wrote a book about gay people in the movies called "The Celluloid Closet."
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama has phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin, welcoming Russian cooperation on international efforts to confront Iran's nuclear ambitions. The White House says the two men also discussed the ongoing violence in Syria, a topic that still divides Washington and Moscow.
The White House says Putin and Obama agreed to hold their own meeting in June on the sidelines of the upcoming meeting of leading industrial nations in Northern Ireland. Obama also told Putin he looked forward to visiting St. Petersburg for the meeting of leading rich and developing nations in September.
The White House says Putin and Obama welcome "substantive and constructive consultations" by Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov over a political transition in Syria.
Identity theft is a huge black market industry, costing US consumers $1.52 billion in 2011 and stealing headlines all last year. Here are five habits that all but guarantee you'll become just another statistic in 2013—and how to break them. More »
CARACAS (Reuters) - Ailing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been undergoing "tougher" new treatment for cancer, including chemotherapy at the military hospital where he has been for the past two weeks, his vice president said.
Speaking after a Catholic Mass to pray for Chavez's health, Nicolas Maduro described how the socialist president had personally given the order to leave Cuba in mid-February, two months after his latest cancer surgery there.
"He said, 'I've taken the decision to return to Venezuela, I'm going to enter a new phase of complementary treatments, tougher and more intense, I want to be in Caracas,'" Maduro said in the comments late on Friday.
"Do you know what the complementary treatments are? They are the chemotherapies applied to patients after operations," he added outside a chapel in the Caracas military hospital.
Apart from one set of photos showing Chavez in a Havana hospital bed, he has not been seen or heard from in public since the December 11 surgery in Cuba, his fourth operation since the disease was detected in mid-2011.
Chavez had previous rounds of chemo- and radiotherapy, which at times left him bald and bloated. He twice wrongly declared himself cured.
Furious at rumors swirling all week that Chavez may have died, Maduro said chemotherapy was only possible because his condition had actually improved in January after a delicate few weeks following the December operation.
Chavez's No. 2 urged Venezuelans to be on guard against "rumor-mongers" and "destabilizes," saying right-wing politicians in the United States were in league with Venezuela's opposition to spread lies about his boss.
"Sadly, the opposition live in a world of hatred, wrongdoing, bad feelings and bad desires," Maduro said, adding that Chavez had become sick from overworking.
"He neglected his own body to give our people his work, his love, his life," Maduro said, confirming Chavez was still using a tracheal tube to breathe and was communicating with family and aides through written messages and other "creative" means.
'THEY MUST SHOW HIM'
Opposition leaders have accused Maduro of lying about Chavez's condition. Several dozen anti-government students have chained themselves up in public to demand proof that the president is alive and in Venezuela.
"We challenge Nicolas Maduro to say where Hugo Chavez is. They must show him," opposition leader Pablo Medina said during a visit on Saturday to the students in Caracas.
Chavez's family and supporters are smarting at the crescendo of rumors that surfaced this week in news media and on the Internet. They have ranged from a claim by a Panamanian diplomat that Chavez's family had switched his life support off, to a Spanish newspaper report he had gone to die on an island refuge.
"Let's see, let's see, gentlemen in the laboratory, what rumors have you prepared for us today?" said Information Minister Ernesto Villegas.
Chavez's daughter, Maria Gabriela, complained about the media scrutiny of her face during the Mass on Friday night. Her somber expression was interpreted by some on Twitter as a sign her father was near death.
"I can't be happy if my father is ill ... In the next Mass, I'll have to dance and laugh," she tweeted.
Should Chavez die or step down, a vote would be held within 30 days, probably pitting Maduro against opposition leader and state governor Henrique Capriles for leadership of a nation that holds the world's biggest oil reserves. Capriles lost to Chavez in last year's election.
The stakes are also high for the region. Chavez has been the most vocal Latin American critic of Washington and financed hefty aid programs for leftist governments from Cuba to Bolivia.
(Additional reporting by Mario Naranjo; Editing by Peter Cooney)
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc will unveil a new look for its popular "newsfeed" next week, the latest move by the Web company to revamp key elements of its 1 billion member social network.
Facebook will showcase the newsfeed makeover at a media event on March 7 at its Menlo Park, California headquarters, the company said in an emailed invitation to reporters on Friday.
The event will be Facebook's second high-profile product event this year, following the rollout of its social search feature in January.
Facebook's newsfeed, which displays an ever-changing stream of the photos, videos and comments uploaded from a user's network of friends, is one of the three "pillars" of the service, along with search and user profiles, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has said.
The last major update to Facebook's newsfeed was in September 2011. Since then, the company has incorporated ads directly into the feed and the company has shifted its focus to creating "mobile first experiences," as more people now access the social network every day on mobile devices than on desktop PCs.
The mobile version of Facebook still lacks many of the features available on the PC version, said Brian Blau, an analyst with industry research firm Gartner. "So maybe this is a way to bring some of that together," he said.
Shares of Facebook, the world's No.1 social network, were up nearly 2 percent, or 52 cents, at $27.77 in midday trading on Friday.
(Reporting By Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio)
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