The bookend to Yahoo's Big News Day -- a major refresh of its photo sharing site Flickr -- will see the company drop is Flickr Pro pricing tiers as part of a bid to compete better with Facebook/Instagram and the rest of the crowded market in the online photo space. But it is not getting rid of paid tiers altogether: it's keeping an ad-free tier, called Ad Free, as well as a tier for power users, doublr, respectively priced at $49.99 and $499.99 for a year of use.
Jeffrey Beall, a US academic librarian who uses his Scholarly Open Access blog to write about publishers? dubious practices, is being threatened with a $1 billion lawsuit by an Indian publishing group.
Beall keeps a running list, known as ?Beall?s list,? of journals and publishers who do fishy things such as spamming scholars or charging bogus fees.
As Ars Technica?s Nathan Mattise tells it, Beall?s work has earned him notice from the likes of the New York Times.
In an April 7 article, the NYT tells of one such fishy scheme in the ?exploding world of pseudo academia.?
After signing up for what they thought was a prestigious entomology conference, scientists recruited for ?Entomology-2013? (lose the hyphen and you?ve got the name of a legitimate, academically sanctioned conference) found that they had been recruited by email, as opposed to being vetted by leading academics.
To add insult to injury, those who agreed to appear were charged ?a hefty fee? for the privilege of appearing on a podium and being able to pad their resume with the negligible accomplishment, according to the NYT.
It?s one example of ?a parallel world of pseudo-academia, complete with prestigiously titled conferences and journals that sponsor them,? the NYT?s Ginan Kolata reports, with many journals and meetings adopting names that are ?nearly identical to those of established, well-known publications and events.?
Usher in Beall, the watchdog who keeps tabs on the publishing end of this predatory phenomenon.
Beall maintains a blacklist of what he calls ?predatory open-access journals.?
The list enumerated 20 publishers in 2010 and has since grown to more than 300.
Speaking with the NYT, Beall estimated at least 25 percent of the total number of open-access journals published today are predatory?as many as 4,000.
In fact, a clear example of predatory publishers? spamming ways are emails Beall gets from publishers asking to be added to his list of predators.
Beall writes here about one such email, wherein a correspondent who describes himself as ?a internee for International Journal of Biology? asks that the journal be listed.
Beall investigated this one in particular and found deceit:
?The new journal [claims to have] ?published? four issues, but upon closer examination, it really hasn?t. It?s a ruse. Among the four issues, there are only six articles. At least some of them are copied from the former BioMed Central (BMC) journal called the Journal of Biology. In 2010, this journal merged with BMC Biology, and the merged journal is called BMC Biology.?
?The publisher of the new journal has taken previously-published articles and edited them, changing some of the words, and published them as new original articles in the journal.?
It is this kind of detective work that?s raised the ire of the OMICS Publishing Group, based in India.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, Beall on Tuesday received a letter from an IP management firm?s lawyer, warning him that he could be imprisoned for up to three years under India?s Information Technology Act.
Beall has accused OMICS of spamming scholars with invitations to publish, quickly accepting their papers, then charging them a nearly $3,000 publishing fee after accepting a paper.
The Chronicle of Higher Education calls the six-page letter ?rambling?.
In the letter, the IP management firm calls Beall?s blog ?ridiculous, baseless, impertinent,? and says that it ?smacks of literal unprofessionalism and arrogance.?
Here?s an excerpt, all nonstandard English being sic:
?All the allegation that you have mentioned in your blog are nothing more than fantastic figment of your imagination by you and the purpose of writing this blog seems to be a deliberate attempt to defame our client. ? Our client perceive the blog as mindless rattle of a incoherent person and please be assured that our client has taken a very serious note of the language, tone, and tenure adopted by you as well as the criminal acts of putting the same on the Internet.?
Is Beall in danger?
In India, Section 66A of the Information Technology Act makes it illegal to use a computer to publish ?any information that is grossly offensive or has menacing character? or to publish false information. The punishment can, in fact, be as much as three years in prison.
According to the Chronicle, were the lawsuit to go forward, Beall would likely win in a US court, if the statements on his blog are in fact true. Were the suit filed in India, the situation gets hazier.
As it is, Section 66A has led to public pushback in India, which in turn has led to the government modifying the law such that complaints must now first be approved by a police deputy commissioner or inspector general.
If the suit does go to litigation, will Beall be looking at paying the Dr. Evil-ish sum of one billion dollars?
Beall thinks the idea is ?silly?:
?The amount is silly?I haven?t done any damage to their operation. ? The case has no merit, in my opinion.?
Good luck with the situation, Mr. Beall.
May you and other watchdogs not get hounded into silence by vindictive litigation, which this certainly sounds to me like it might be.
Images of lawsuit papers and gavel courtesy of Shutterstock.
May 21, 2013 ? Lipids (right panel first three tubes) derived from grapefruit. GNVs can efficiently deliver a variety of therapeutic agents, including DNA, RNA (DIR-GNVs), proteins and anti-cancer drugs (GNVs-Drugs) as demonstrated in this study.
Grapefruits have long been known for their health benefits, and the subtropical fruit may revolutionize how medical therapies like anti-cancer drugs are delivered to specific tumor cells.
University of Louisville researchers have uncovered how to create nanoparticles using natural lipids derived from grapefruit, and have discovered how to use them as drug delivery vehicles. UofL scientists Huang-Ge Zhang, D.V.M., Ph.D., Qilong Wang, Ph.D., and their team today (May 21, 2013), published their findings in Nature Communications.
"These nanoparticles, which we've named grapefruit-derived nanovectors (GNVs), are derived from an edible plant, and we believe they are less toxic for patients, result in less biohazardous waste for the environment, and are much cheaper to produce at large scale than nanoparticles made from synthetic materials," Zhang said.
The researchers demonstrated that GNVs can transport various therapeutic agents, including anti-cancer drugs, DNA/RNA and proteins such as antibodies. Treatment of animals with GNVs seemed to cause less adverse effects than treatment with drugs encapsulated in synthetic lipids.
"Our GNVs can be modified to target specific cells -- we can use them like missiles to carry a variety of therapeutic agents for the purpose of destroying diseased cells," he said. "Furthermore, we can do this at an affordable price."
The therapeutic potential of grapefruit derived nanoparticles was further validated through a Phase 1 clinical trial for treatment of colon cancer patients. So far, researchers have observed no toxicity in the patients who orally took the anti-inflammatory agent curcumin encapsulated in grapefruit nanoparticles.
The UofL scientists also plan to test whether this technology can be applied in the treatment of inflammation related autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
A Common Sense Approach
Zhang said he began this research by considering how our ancestors selected food to eat.
"The fruits and vegetables we buy from the grocery today were passed down from generation to generation as favorable and nutritious for the human body. On the flip side, outcomes were not favorable for our ancestors who ate poisonous mushrooms, for example," he said. "It made sense for us to consider eatable plants as a mechanism to create medical nanoparticles as a potential non-toxic therapeutic delivery vehicle."
In addition to grapefruit, Zhang and his team analyzed the nanoparticles from tomatoes and grapes. Grapefruits were chosen for further exploration because a larger quantity of lipids can be derived from this fruit.
NEW DELHI (AP) ? The leaders of India and China played down their recent border dispute and other tensions Monday, pledging to work together for regional stability and the economic growth of the world's two most populous nations.
Friction has been building between the Asian giants in recent years as they vie for regional influence and access to fuel needed to feed their growing economies. Li Keqiang's trip to India, his first visit abroad since becoming Chinese premier, seems intended to minimize those tensions.
The three-day visit is part of an outreach mission by the new Chinese leadership to large emerging economies aimed at balancing Beijing's fraught ties with the United States.
In that vein, Li ? and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ? sought Monday to focus on the opportunities for cooperation between their nations.
"Both the prime minister and I believe that there are far more shared interests between China and India than the differences we have," Li said at a joint news conference.
"Without the common development of China and India, Asia won't become strong and the world won't become a better place," he said.
The summit was far heavier on symbolism than substance. The two sides signed eight minor agreements. But both leaders insisted the cooperation was important, and they promised to build on it, announcing that Singh would make a visit to China later in the year.
"I shared with Premier Li my view that the rise of China and India is good for the world and that the world has enough space to accommodate the growth aspirations of both our peoples. To make this a reality, it is important to build understanding between our two peoples," Singh said.
"We agreed that both sides must work to strengthen greater trust and confidence, which, in turn, will permit much larger cooperation," he added.
But the two nations have deep disputes, including China's unwavering support of India's archrival, Pakistan. The presence in India of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile are a constant irritant to China.
China already sees itself as Asia's great power, while India hopes its increasing economic and military might ? though still far below its neighbor's ? will eventually put it in the same league.
While China has worked to shore up relationships with Nepal and Sri Lanka in India's traditional South Asian sphere of influence, India has been venturing into partnerships with Southeast Asian nations.
Even their $61.5 billion in trade last year was a source of tension because it was heavily skewed in favor of China. Singh said he spoke to Li about getting greater access to Chinese markets for Indian goods.
Their most volatile dispute remains their border disagreement, which led to a bloody war in 1962 and flared up last month, just weeks before Li's planned visit.
India said Chinese troops crossed the de facto border on April 15 and pitched camp in the Depsang Valley in the Ladakh region of eastern Kashmir. New Delhi responded with diplomatic protests and then moved its soldiers just 300 meters (yards) from the Chinese position.
The two sides negotiated a peaceful end to the standoff three weeks later by withdrawing troops to their original positions in the Ladakh area.
Li said they spoke candidly about the dispute. Both leaders said they agreed that preserving peace along the border was crucial to maintaining growth and asked mediators from both countries to work toward a framework for reaching a settlement.
During the talks, both sides agreed that Indian National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon will visit China within weeks to discuss the border issue, Indian Ambassador to China S. Jaishankar told reporters. He said Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony is also scheduled to visit China soon.
Indian media reports said a border cooperation agreement under negotiation proposes a freezing of troop levels in the disputed border region as the two countries make efforts to settle the issue.
India says China is occupying 38,000 square kilometers (15,000 square miles) of its territory in the Aksai Chin plateau in the western Himalayas, while China claims around 90,000 square kilometers (35,000 square miles) in India's northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. The two sides have held 15 rounds of fruitless border talks over the past decade.
In a joint statement, the two sides agreed to cooperate on energy and environmental conservation and disaster management and to address their trade imbalance while trying to increase trade to $100 billion by 2015.
Li's Indian mission is part of China's broader international outreach intended to balance its relations with Washington.
"As the two largest economies of the world and the most important political powers of the Asia-Pacific region, China-U.S. relations in every respect still remain the pivot of China's foreign policies," said Wang Lian, an international relations scholar at Peking University in Beijing. But, Wang said, "as China's political and economic influence increase continuously, China needs to boost its bilateral and multilateral relations with developing countries so as not to totally rely on its relations with the U.S."
Chinese state media heralded Li's India visit with headlines that the "Dragon and elephant dance together" and coverage that emphasized common interests ? trade and regional peace ? and played down divisions.
Ultimately, Beijing hopes that making common cause with India and the other big emerging economies will help them rewrite the rules of the U.S.-dominated international order. Li's boss, Communist Party chief Xi Jinping, made his first overseas trip to Russia and then to South Africa for a summit of those new big economies, the BRICS nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
In an interview with the Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Ambassador to India Wei Wei said Beijing and Delhi are working together on climate change, world trade rules and revising the international finance system. The cooperation "shows the two countries' crucial role on major issues of global governance," the ambassador was quoted as saying.
Li is to visit Pakistan, Switzerland and Germany after leaving India.
___
Associated Press researcher Yu Bing in Beijing contributed to this report.
___
Follow Ravi Nessman on Twitter at twitter.com/ravinessman
TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - As final ballots come in on a proposal to strip JPMorgan Chase & Co Chairman and Chief Executive Jamie Dimon of his chairman title, some worry about what will happen if shareholders win what will likely be a close vote.
JPMorgan's annual meeting on Tuesday will bring to head a months-long and bitter shareholder campaign demanding more oversight of Dimon, who has suggested that he may eventually leave the bank if he loses the vote.
Investors say that while Dimon, 57, may need more oversight after the bank posted $6.2 billion in losses from failed derivative trades last year, they do not want him to quit.
Among big bank CEOs, Dimon ranks first for stock returns and has been praised for leading the bank through the financial crisis with no quarterly losses and a strong balance sheet.
If Dimon were to leave, the bank's shares could fall as much as 10 percent and erase about $20 billion of market value, according to Mike Mayo, a bank analyst with brokerage CLSA.
JPMorgan also has no ready replacement for Dimon, Mayo wrote in a research note, adding that the two lieutenants best positioned to succeed him - Matt Zames, 42, and Mike Cavanagh, 47 - seem to be about three years short of being ready for the job.
Zames became sole chief operating officer of the largest U.S. bank in April. Last year, Cavanagh became co-CEO of the company's reconstituted corporate and investment banking segment following a stint as head of treasury and securities services and several years as chief financial officer.
JPMorgan was not immediately available for comment.
"Take a winning football team. One could always ask the question whether the team would have been as effective without the quarterback," said Benjamin Ram, a co-manager of the $1.6 billion Oppenheimer Main Street Select fund.
"The team gets part of the credit, but Jamie Dimon as the leader also gets the credit," Ram added.
Ram's fund has 6.4 percent of its assets in JPMorgan shares, more than any other diversified fund, according to Lipper, a Thomson Reuters company.
The shareholder proposal is non-binding, meaning the bank's board does not have to follow through with the recommendation even if the measure gets majority shareholder support. Still, a defeat would be an unpleasant rebuke for Dimon.
A similar shareholder proposal last year won 40 percent of the vote, before most of the trading losses from the so-called "London Whale" imbroglio came to light.
JPMorgan's board has recommended that shareholders vote against the proposal and the bank has been lobbying hard against the measure, with tensions rising in the run-up to the meeting.
Proponents of the independent chair proposal said that if the measure gets 40 percent or more of the vote for a second consecutive year that the board should feel obligated to make at least some changes to increase its oversight of management.
Last week, the company that collects votes from investors, Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc, stopped telling shareholders how votes had been cast so far for this and other measures. Investors use this information to determine how to tailor their campaigns.
JPMorgan decided to release the results to shareholders after the New York Attorney General's office intervened over the weekend, a source familiar with the situation said on Monday.
"We were cut off from the tallies during the crucial week leading up to the meeting," said Dieter Waizenegger, executive director of the CtW Investment Group, which advises pensions that were voting against the bank in a separate measure regarding the reelection of directors.
Waizenegger said receiving the information at this late stage was of limited use.
The vote comes amid a growing trend in U.S. corporate governance to have an independent chairman lead the board. Many investors believe that doing so ensures that the chief executive does not have too much sway over the board and leads to better outcomes for shareholders overall. The debate, however, is far from settled.
Even if Dimon wins the vote, some shareholders plan to keep the pressure on the bank's board. Two major JPMorgan investors have told Reuters that they will continue to press directors behind the scenes to increase their oversight over management.
One investor said that they will likely encourage the bank to give more authority to its lead independent director, former ExxonMobil Chief Executive Lee Raymond.
A deadly tornado that was reportedly 2 miles wide hit Oklahoma at around 3 p.m. today, leaving a trail of devastation behind. There were initial reports that 51 people were confirmed dead, 20 of which are children. But the Oklahoma medical examiner, Amy Elliott, revealed at least 91 people are dead. UPDATE: The Moore, Oklahoma ...
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) ? An official says a hot air balloon has crashed in central Turkey, killing one person and injuring 24 others on board.
Hasan Unver, the mayor Nevsehir province told NTV television that the balloon was flying above volcanic cones of the Cappadocia region when it crashed on Monday.
He said none of the injured passengers were in serious condition.
There was no information on the passengers' nationalities.
Cappadocia is a popular tourist destination famed for its volcanic cones called "fairy chimneys" and subterranean cities carved out of soft stone.
At some point in the last five years, you realised that all the old rules had changed in terms of your pregnancies, terminations or children. This also applies strongly to your godchildren, if you have them, and your young relatives. Finally, since 2008, when Pluto changed signs, there have been deep questions about the balance of power in relationships which might end in pregnancy, adoption, step-parenting ? or the acquisition of younger family members, via your partner?s own relatives. Some Virgo people have been pursuing their karma with the next generation by making professional or charity commitments to those born 20 years or more after them ? but in all cases, the message has been the same. You will never be empowered, unless you ?do? the issues surrounding the next generation, or relationships which could bring it closer to you. What happens at the Uranus-Pluto clash near Tuesday 21st May is a case in point. Something or someone has dominated, for far too long. There will be a moment of truth when everything alters, and at that moment, you must negotiate your fair share of the controls. This process is arduous, but completely worthwhile. The person, organisation or situation which unfairly loomed large, will shrink. This reshapes everything, in terms of the amount of available power, and you must plunge in and make the necessary compromise, to take your share. The eclipse on Saturday may be part of the story, because it falls in your house of family, property and domestic life. It also impacts your professional, charity or academic existence. Whether these issues are all connected, or separate and parallel, to say that late May is a time of decisions is the understatement of the month! The final comment on your horoscope this week? You cannot put a price tag on freedom. No amount of dollars, pounds or euros will pay for independence. Despite the fact that you must be awfully tired with your world turning upside-down every so often, you should also embrace the fact that every single time it has happened, the revolution has set you free.
For a precise prediction, blend your Sun Sign horoscope (above) with your Rising Sign too. If you don?t know it, enter your time, place and date of birth at?Astrodienst?and look for the sign in the 9pm position on the ?clock? of the horoscope wheel. By combining both signs in one reading you will end up with a personalised prediction that only 1 in 144 other people could have. A fingerprint forecast. If you would like a lifetime horoscope, there is a waiting list, but I still have a few places available. Register your interest at [email?protected] Thank you.
Gather hundreds of celebrities and film executives on the French Riviera for the Cannes Film Festival and naturally, they need their glitter and glam.
One way the famous end up looking so good and so trendy is that often, they don't have to bring, or buy, their own fabulousness: They get special invitations to luxury "gifting suites" set up in hotel rooms at the film festival and can walk out with thousands of dollars of clothes and jewelry.
These rooms of swag aren't the only places where there's bling-related excitement to be found -- someone stole jewels meant for celebrities to wear on the red carpet straight from a hotel room very early on in the festival.
The Hollywood Reporter took a look inside some of these swag rooms stocked by famous brands including Chanel, Swarovski, Dior, and Jimmy Choo to find out what's up for grabs -- if you've got the right A-list name. Check out the video!
ROME (AP) ? A union of Italian metal workers has led thousands of people in a march through the heart of Rome to press the new government for measures to spur job creation.
FIOM union leader Maurizio Landini said Saturday's protest was held because Italy is "going nowhere" in terms of signs of economic growth amid a stubborn recession. The union is aligned with a left-wing labor confederation.
After weeks of political paralysis following inconclusive elections in February, Italy now has a "grand coalition" government, including bitter rivals from the center-left and center-right blocs in Parliament.
Unemployment for young people is at about 39 percent, while the overall jobless rate is 11.5 percent.
The previous government used spending cuts and higher taxes to battle Italy's debt. Italians are demanding job creation measures soon.
If you had been looking up at the moon at the right moment on March 17, you could have seen a one-second burst of heat caused by the impact of a large meteoroid.
By Mark Trumbull,?Staff writer / May 18, 2013
Hundreds of meteoroid impacts on the moon, detected by NASA's lunar monitoring program, are pictured in this undated NASA handout photo. The brightest, detected on March 17, 2013, in Mare Imbrium, is marked by the red square.
NASA/Handout/REUTERS
Enlarge
If you had been looking up at the moon at the right moment on March 17, you could have seen an unusual flash of light ? a one-second burst of heat caused by the impact of a large meteoroid.
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
NASA researchers who monitor the Moon for meteoroid impacts have detected the brightest explosion in the history of their program.
No telescope required.
?For about one second, the impact site was glowing like a 4th magnitude star,? NASA said in reporting the news Friday.
This meteoroid was the size of a small boulder, and was travelling very fast. NASA estimates the size at 0.3 to 0.4 meters wide, and the speed at 56,000 m.p.h.?
The resulting explosion? delivered a force equal to 5 tons of TNT.
NASA puts a footnote on the word ?explosion.? The bright light wasn?t combustion, since the moon has no oxygen atmosphere. Rather, it was the glow of molten rock and hot vapors after an impact of large kinetic force.
That said, this was the biggest such ?explosion? in eight years of close monitoring of the moon?s surface.
And it?s not that meteoroids on the lunar surface are rare.
The moon lacks a protective atmosphere like Earth?s, in which meteoroids typically burn up. Lunar meteor showers have turned out to be more common than expected, with hundreds of detectable impacts per year.
On March 17, the pyrotechnics on the moon coincided with an active night for meteors in Earth?s atmosphere as well.
NASA?s Space Exploration Policy eventually calls for extended astronaut stays on the moon, so tracking meteor activity has long-term relevance.
?Identifying the sources of lunar meteors and measuring their impact rates gives future lunar explorers an idea of what to expect,? the space agency said in announcing the bright explosion Friday. ?Is it safe to go on a moonwalk, or not?? The middle of March might be a good time to stay inside.??
By Lynn Zimmerman Associate Editor Editor, Teacher Education
As a teacher educator, I am concerned that I am training my students how to teach yesterday?s students rather than tomorrow?s. Therefore, I was interested in seeing what T. Mills Kelly had to say, in Teaching History in the Digital Age (2013), about best practice for today?s and tomorrow?s students. As it happens, I also recently read?The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, by Nicholas Carr, which is going to be my university?s One Book next year. Carr focuses on how the Internet has shaped how we think and view the world. Carr points out that, according to recent brain research, how we access and store information alters the physical properties of the brain. He contends that the practice of getting small amounts of information from a variety of sources may help us be more efficient information gatherers but at the cost of the ability to concentrate and reflect on what we are gathering.
Carr?s argument seems to parallel and support Kelly?s ideas in several ways.?Traditionally, history teaching has relied on imparting knowledge and analysis, usually in the form of lectures, which research has shown is not the most effective approach. Perhaps partly because of this method of teaching, history is often seen by students as the acquisition of facts and not as a process of gathering and analyzing data. Also, Kelly says that the notion of perspective is often ignored, e.g., what is included, what is left out, why it is included or left out.
Kelly contends that the digital age offers historians the opportunity to help their students become historians, analysts, not just fact collectors. Not only do more students go to online sources rather than print, but today?s students are used to creating on the Internet ? not just consuming. Kelly asserts that educators need to take advantage of this tendency in order to create learning opportunities that promote active engagement and not just passive acquisition through lectures and reading. He?does?caution that instructors must teach students that their role is not to remix or remake history. They should not give in to their desire to change primary sources so that they are ?better,? a tendency that Web 2.0 savvy students may have. However, this type of engagement with history gives the instructor and students opportunities to examine the ethics of a variety of issues that can come up in projects, from plagiarism to the manipulation of information to support one?s point.?
Digital literacy is also an issue: What is good info? What are reliable sources? The Internet has made available an abundance of primary source material. However, just because a site is popular or comes up in the first few hits on Google does not mean it is a reliable source. Students must learn to work with a variety of sources and to be critical users of these sources. According to Kelly, historians have to teach students how to use information and Web 2.0 resources to prevent projects from becoming mere collections of facts.?Digital literacy includes learning to use various tools to locate information in time and space, and can provide different perspectives for analyzing the material. Kelly suggests that even sources such as comments on Flickr and Wikipedia can be useful if used appropriately. He?offers some simple exercises that instructors can use with?students to demonstrate how Wikipedia entries evolve, how Google customizes hits for the user, and how to use reference management packages.
Kelly points out that historians not only study history but they also present what they have learned in various formats, especially essays. Instructors of history know that the process of writing, of making the abstract concrete, helps writers examine and analyze in ways they may not otherwise, using critical thinking skills. Kelly states that, according to neuroscience, there is a cognitive gain from the process of preparing information for presentation to others.
Writing in the digital environment requires different expectations from the instructor, but it is still presentation of material. In order to be an effective learning activity, it must require collaboration among students. This means that students must be taught how to work with others online, how to become a community of practice ? not just a social network. Calling on the expertise of others is an important skill that students can and should learn through these projects. By using Web 2.0 to ?make history? that can be seen by a larger audience rather than just writing a paper to be read by the instructor, students have the opportunity to engage with others beyond the classroom walls. Kelly asserts that a more active approach to history learning will result in students who not only know about history but understand it. He refers to Wiggins and McTighe?s ?backwards design? approach, which is actually the creation of higher order learning objectives for what students will learn and be able to do.
One of Kelly?s major concerns is that students can and do use digital media. He contends that it is up to educators to help them use it in a way that enhances their educational experience, in a way that is fun, comfortable, and familiar to them while giving them the critical thinking skills to use it appropriately in historical (or other) contexts so that they become historians themselves and not just consumers of historical facts. For example, he explains that students who create their own blogs, rather than blogs that begin and end with a course, are more engaged with them. It not only gives them the chance to document their work with links, videos, etc. but also the opportunity to interact with others in the creation and maintenance of their projects. He also?points out that a by-product of the use of technology is that it provides students with prompts, links, etc. that can help them develop better analytical reading strategies.
After reading these two books, I am convinced that I need to rethink how I am teaching my students if I want them to be 21st century educators. This type of open-ended teaching will turn off those students who want to be traditional teachers. However, if word gets out that teaching really is cool, up-to-date, and creative, we might attract a new breed of teachers who can and do think outside the box and are able to educate students who do more than score well on standardized tests.
Emma Watson and her cast mates from "The Bling Ring," along with director Sofia Coppola, made a splash on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.
While we're sad we can't bring you a new disco GIF of Watson, you should at least enjoy another stylish turn from the actress as she rolls out her latest film with all the required French flair.
AFP - Getty Images
Emma Watson poses at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.
Getty Images
Watson blows a kiss as Katie Chang, left, and Sophia Coppola look on.
Watson, who rose to fame as Hermione Granger in the "Harry Potter" film series, said at a Cannes news conference that those days seem "like such a long time ago."
"I enjoy the chance to transform into new roles and work with new creative people," the 23-year-old actress said of her turn in the film about a gang of celeb-robbing teens.
"The Bling Ring" opens in theaters in the US next month.
Getty Images
Bling ring, indeed. A detail view of the earrings worn by Watson on Thursday.
Getty Images
"The Bling Ring" stars, from left, Claire Julien, Taissa Fariga, Katie Chang, Israel Broussard, Watson and director Sophia Coppola.
The price of oil rose to near $96 a barrel on Friday ahead of the release of Conference Board's index of leading indicators for the U.S. economy.
By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark oil for June delivery was up 45 cents to $95.61 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 86 cents on Thursday.
The Conference Board's index attempts to gauge what's coming over the next several months ? investors will watch it for clues about the strength of the recovery in the world's largest economy.
Analysts, however, say the upward momentum in oil prices may be limited amid signs that the U.S. and European economies still face considerable challenges.
Applications for U.S. unemployment aid rose last week by 32,000 to a seasonally adjusted 360,000, the highest in six weeks, the Labor Department said this week. A report on housing was neutral, while manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region fell.
That data came on top of confirmation that the 17-nation euro region remained in recession after contracting for a sixth-straight quarter in the January-March period.
"Several forces should keep the region in recession, including continued fiscal austerity, poor credit conditions in peripheral economies and weak external demand," analysts at Capital Economics said in a market commentary.
"The U.S. is the only major advanced economy to have achieved steady growth since 2009. The latest data have been mixed, but the fundamentals look strong enough to sustain a solid, if unspectacular, recovery."
Oil prices are likely to be limited also by a stronger dollar, which makes crude more expensive for traders using other currencies, and reports showing U.S. stockpiles of crude are near all-time highs.
"It is questionable whether the oil prices will be able to defy a stronger U.S. dollar for any length of time in view of the oversupplied market," said a report from analysts at Commerzbank in Frankfurt. "It is estimated that OPEC is producing approximately 1 million barrels of crude oil per day more than is needed at present."
Brent crude, a benchmark for many international oil varieties, was up 71 cents to $104.49 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.
In other energy futures trading on Nymex:
? Wholesale gasoline rose 2.17 cents to $2.8846 a gallon.
? Heating oil added 2.42 cents to $2.9329 a gallon.
? Natural gas gained 1.1 cents to $3.943 per 1,000 cubic feet.
___
Pamela Sampson in Bangkok contributed to this report.
USSR and the USA. Batman and Joker. Christoph Waltz and... well, everyone. It's pretty tough to look at the world's best-known rivalries and exclude one of history's finest -- that being, of course, Sonic and Mario. The gritty battle between Nintendo and Sega gave fans on both sides plenty to converse about over the years, and one might say that the video game industry as a whole benefited from the back-and-forth. Now that Sega is a shell of its former self, though, the company's most iconic character is turning to its archrival in search of shelter. On the console side, Nintendo will be the exclusive home for Sonic games going forward, with the Wii U and 3DS set to become the homes for the next three titles -- details of which should be revealed "in the coming weeks." (Update: Looks as if Nintendo has outed a few more details. Sonic Lost World and Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games have been name-checked in particular.)
Meanwhile, Android users will be pleased to know that Sonic the Hedgehog was released today in the Google Play store. It's available for $2.99, while iOS users are also being granted a free update to coincide.
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) ? Soldiers in northeast Nigeria shelled suspected camps of Islamic extremists in the first military action of a new offensive against the insurgents, killing at least 21 people, a security official said Friday.
The fighting was in the Sambisa Forest Reserve, just south of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, which soldiers previously raided on the hunt for fighters belonging to the extremist network known as Boko Haram. Meanwhile, gunmen launched an assault on the hometown of one of Nigeria's former military rulers hundreds of miles (kilometers) away, attacking a police station and banks.
Soldiers started the attack on Sambisa Forest Reserve on Thursday, having previously converged in the area in advance of President Goodluck Jonathan's state of emergency decree affecting three states in the nation's northeast, a security official said. The shelling killed at least 21 suspected Islamic extremists, the official said. There was no independent confirmation of the assault or casualties.
"We are not going to leave the forest until it's over," the official said, referring to the emergency rule.
The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing military operation. Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade, a military spokesman based in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, could not be immediately reached for comment Friday.
In a related development, mobile phone service returned Friday morning to parts of northeast Nigeria after being cut Thursday. The security official told the AP that the service cut came on the orders of Nigeria's government and security forces as soldiers moved into the northeast to begin operations. The official said service likely would be shut off again.
Mobile phones have become the only real communication device in Nigeria for both voice calls and the Internet, as the state-run telephone company collapsed years ago. By cutting off service at towers, the military could stop extremists from receiving warnings or intelligence ahead of their operations. Authorities said Thursday they had no information about the service cutoff or refused to comment.
Nigeria's military and security forces have tracked fighters by their mobile phone signals in the past as well, prompting extremists from Boko Haram to attack mobile phone towers in the region.
Under the president's directive, soldiers have ultimate control over security matters in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. Over the last few days, witnesses and AP journalists have seen convoys of soldiers in trucks and buses moving through the region, as well as trucks carrying armored personnel carriers. Jet fighters also have been seen flying low over Yola, the capital of Adamawa state.
This new military campaign comes on top of a previous massive deployment of soldiers and police to the region. That deployment failed to stop violence by Islamic extremists, who have killed more than 1,600 people since 2010, according to an AP count.
Jonathan's emergency decree, declared on Tuesday, allows civilian governments to remain in place. Adamawa state Gov. Murtala Nyako, who belongs to Jonathan's ruling People's Democratic Party, criticized the president's decision in a radio address Thursday night.
"I believe that the declaration has been a shock to the people of the state and others," Nyako said. "True, this state has witnessed a few criminal activities by armed hoodlums in the last few years, but so (have) other states in the federation."
That could be seen Thursday night in Daura, a rural town in Katsina state that's the home of former military ruler and perennial presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. There, far from the states under emergency rule, gunmen attacked a police station and at least two banks, witnesses said. Police officials declined to immediately comment about the attack Friday.
__
Associated Press writers also contributing to this report include Jon Gambrell in Lagos, Nigeria; Ibrahim Abdul in Yola, Nigeria; and Muawiya Garba Funtua in Katsina, Nigeria.
You may have started a business in a EU country which involves importing goods and even services to your country but if your know your customs and excise duties before you begin importing goods then you can save lots of money and hassle. It is extremely vat validation important that you be aware of exact duty rates including vat rates if you want to extract the best profits out of your sales, and purchases.
Each country possesses its own specific customs and excise rules, and countries which have adopted vat or vat have their own vat rules that should be followed with perfect precision. As an example if your import organization is based in the UK then you?ll need to follow hm customs and excise rules while importing your goods while following hmrc vat rules for import as well as for selling your products or services in the local market.
You may first need to verify as to which of the over 14,000 classifications pertain to your specific product that you intend to import into the UK. While customs duties pertain to virtually all imported products, excise duties in the united kingdom usually apply to most tobacco and alcohol products. Again, for example if you plan to import a product to the UK from Sweden where local vat is already paid then you may qualify to reclaim that vat amount in Sweden. This would be possible if only you?re vat registered trader in the UK and supply enough documentary proof in Sweden to show that you?ve sold the item locally and also have paid vat in UK for the same.? ?
You will thus need to know all customs and excise vat rules and rates in greater detail before you start importing and selling any services or goods imported originating from a member EU state or other country. You need to engage the services of a dependable vat agent that is not only conversant with uk vat but also be amply trained in eu vat since you will need to make an application for vat refund in the nation of origin while filing vat returns regularly in your own country. Additionally, there are certain custom duties and vat exemptions that can help you save on taxes but as long as you know about them.?? ?
Once you get your company vat registration you will then be allotted a vat number and will have to issue vat invoices whilst selling your services and goods. If you intend to export the items outside your country then you?ll also have to be conversant with export laws of your own plus the destination country. Since vat customs and excise rules and rates keep changing at regular intervals it is crucial that you and your vat agent know the latest rules so that you avoid getting a rude shock when your goods reach your country?s dock or airport. ?
It is extremely crucial that you cover every aspect of one?s business including purchase, sales, and all sorts of related duties and taxes before you decide to actually implement your plans website. This move includes scrutinizing all customs and excise duties related to your products or services so your final product costs tally exactly against your predictions since this is the only way you can start your enterprise on firm ground.
GRANBURY, Texas (AP) ? Residents whose homes were torn apart or blown away by a North Texas deadly tornado can soon return to retrieve what belongings may be left and start cleaning up, authorities said Friday.
In Granbury, the area hardest hit by Wednesday night's exceptionally strong tornado, workers are trying to restore water service, raise electrical lines and clear debris piles filled with insulation, roof tiles, pieces of carpet, a shoe, a teddy bear, a woman's purse.
Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said authorities will only allow residents of the Rancho Brazos Estates neighborhood back in to survey things starting Saturday morning.
But Jerry Shuttlesworth won't be one of them. He doesn't know where his mobile home ended up, but he finally has his only treasured possession: his bull-terrier mix, Junior, who had been missing since the tornado that left six people dead swept through the city 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
Shuttlesworth, 53, broke three bones in one of his feet and suffered a 2-inch gash in his forehead.
Friends helped spread the word about his dog through social media. On Friday, someone found Junior and took him to a shelter, where a worker called Shuttlesworth.
"You could call it a miracle," he said. "He's scratched up and a little traumatized, but he's eating. He's my baby. I don't care about anything else."
Gov. Rick Perry and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Friday toured Granbury, which bore the brunt of the damage during Wednesday's outbreak of 16 tornadoes in North Texas.
Perry said the devastation is almost incomprehensible. Abbott urged residents to be cautious of those who might try to scam them as they rebuild.
The National Weather Service said Friday that the Granbury tornado was an EF-4, based on the Fujita tornado damage scale. Winds in an EF-4 tornado are between 166 and 200 mph. An EF-5 is the most severe.
Earlier Friday, the Hood County Sheriff's Office said the death toll is unlikely to change, as those who were reported missing were with relatives or friends and are safe.
Workers on Friday cleared debris in nearby Cleburne, where a tornado cut a mile-wide path through part of the city Wednesday and damaged about 600 homes. The weather service said it was an EF-3, which has winds between 136 and 165 mph. No deaths or severe injuries were reported.
___
Associated Press writer Jamie Stengle in Granbury also contributed to this report.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Women's rights protesters disrupted the opening of a giant pink doll's house in Berlin on Thursday, saying the Barbie "Dreamhouse Experience" objectified women. Promoting the doll made by Mattel Inc, the house allows paying visitors to try on Barbie's clothes, play in her kitchen and have a go on her pink piano. The exhibition will be open until August 25. A handful of protesters gathered outside the shocking pink house that has been erected in one of central Berlin's greyest areas. ...
Beautiful 'flowers' self-assemble in a beakerPublic release date: 16-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Caroline Perry cperry@seas.harvard.edu Harvard University
Elaborate nanostructures blossom from a chemical reaction perfected at Harvard
"Spring is like a perhaps hand," wrote the poet E. E. Cummings: "carefully / moving a perhaps / fraction of flower here placing / an inch of air there... / without breaking anything."
With the hand of nature trained on a beaker of chemical fluid, the most delicate flower structures have been formed in a Harvard laboratoryand not at the scale of inches, but microns.
These minuscule sculptures, curved and delicate, don't resemble the cubic or jagged forms normally associated with crystals, though that's what they are. Rather, fields of carnations and marigolds seem to bloom from the surface of a submerged glass slide, assembling themselves a molecule at a time.
By simply manipulating chemical gradients in a beaker of fluid, Wim L. Noorduin, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and lead author of a paper appearing on the cover of the May 17 issue of Science, has found that he can control the growth behavior of these crystals to create precisely tailored structures.
"For at least 200 years, people have been intrigued by how complex shapes could have evolved in nature. This work helps to demonstrate what's possible just through environmental, chemical changes," says Noorduin.
The precipitation of the crystals depends on a reaction of compounds that are diffusing through a liquid solution. The crystals grow toward or away from certain chemical gradients as the pH of the reaction shifts back and forth. The conditions of the reaction dictate whether the structure resembles broad, radiating leaves, a thin stem, or a rosette of petals.
It is not unusual for chemical gradients to influence growth in nature; for example, delicately curved marine shells form from calcium carbonate under water, and gradients of signaling molecules in a human embryo help set up the plan for the body. Similarly, Harvard biologist Howard Berg has shown that bacteria living in colonies can sense and react to plumes of chemicals from one another, which causes them to grow, as a colony, into intricate geometric patterns.
Replicating this type of effect in the laboratory was a matter of identifying a suitable chemical reaction and testing, again and again, how variables like the pH, temperature, and exposure to air might affect the nanoscale structures.
The project fits right in with the work of Joanna Aizenberg, an expert in biologically inspired materials science, biomineralization, and self-assembly, and principal investigator for this research.
Aizenberg is the Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science at Harvard SEAS, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the Harvard Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and a Core Faculty Member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard.
Her recent work has included the invention of an extremely slippery material, inspired by the pitcher plant, and the discovery of how bacteria use their flagella to cling to the surfaces of medical implants.
"Our approach is to study biological systems, to think what they can do that we can't, and then to use these approaches to optimize existing technologies or create new ones," says Aizenberg. "Our vision really is to build as organisms do."
To create the flower structures, Noorduin and his colleagues dissolve barium chloride (a salt) and sodium silicate (also known as waterglass) into a beaker of water. Carbon dioxide from air naturally dissolves in the water, setting off a reaction which precipitates barium carbonate crystals. As a byproduct, it also lowers the pH of the solution immediately surrounding the crystals, which then triggers a reaction with the dissolved waterglass. This second reaction adds a layer of silica to the growing structures, uses up the acid from the solution, and allows the formation of barium carbonate crystals to continue.
"You can really collaborate with the self-assembly process," says Noorduin. "The precipitation happens spontaneously, but if you want to change something then you can just manipulate the conditions of the reaction and sculpt the forms while they're growing."
Increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide, for instance, helps to create 'broad-leafed' structures. Reversing the pH gradient at the right moment can create curved, ruffled structures.
Noorduin and his colleagues have grown the crystals on glass slides and metal blades; they've even grown a field of flowers in front of President Lincoln's seat on a one-cent coin.
"When you look through the electron microscope, it really feels a bit like you're diving in the ocean, seeing huge fields of coral and sponges," describes Noorduin. "Sometimes I forget to take images because it's so nice to explore."
In addition to her roles at Harvard SEAS, the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and the Wyss Institute, Joanna Aizenberg is Director of the Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology at Harvard and Director of the Science Program at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.
Coauthors included Alison Grinthal, a research scientist at Harvard SEAS, and L. Mahadevan, who is the Lola England de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics at SEAS, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and of Physics, and a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute.
###
The project was supported by National Science Foundation grants to the Harvard Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (DMR-0820484) and the Harvard Center for Nanoscale Systems (ECS-0335765); and by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.
[ | 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.
Beautiful 'flowers' self-assemble in a beakerPublic release date: 16-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Caroline Perry cperry@seas.harvard.edu Harvard University
Elaborate nanostructures blossom from a chemical reaction perfected at Harvard
"Spring is like a perhaps hand," wrote the poet E. E. Cummings: "carefully / moving a perhaps / fraction of flower here placing / an inch of air there... / without breaking anything."
With the hand of nature trained on a beaker of chemical fluid, the most delicate flower structures have been formed in a Harvard laboratoryand not at the scale of inches, but microns.
These minuscule sculptures, curved and delicate, don't resemble the cubic or jagged forms normally associated with crystals, though that's what they are. Rather, fields of carnations and marigolds seem to bloom from the surface of a submerged glass slide, assembling themselves a molecule at a time.
By simply manipulating chemical gradients in a beaker of fluid, Wim L. Noorduin, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and lead author of a paper appearing on the cover of the May 17 issue of Science, has found that he can control the growth behavior of these crystals to create precisely tailored structures.
"For at least 200 years, people have been intrigued by how complex shapes could have evolved in nature. This work helps to demonstrate what's possible just through environmental, chemical changes," says Noorduin.
The precipitation of the crystals depends on a reaction of compounds that are diffusing through a liquid solution. The crystals grow toward or away from certain chemical gradients as the pH of the reaction shifts back and forth. The conditions of the reaction dictate whether the structure resembles broad, radiating leaves, a thin stem, or a rosette of petals.
It is not unusual for chemical gradients to influence growth in nature; for example, delicately curved marine shells form from calcium carbonate under water, and gradients of signaling molecules in a human embryo help set up the plan for the body. Similarly, Harvard biologist Howard Berg has shown that bacteria living in colonies can sense and react to plumes of chemicals from one another, which causes them to grow, as a colony, into intricate geometric patterns.
Replicating this type of effect in the laboratory was a matter of identifying a suitable chemical reaction and testing, again and again, how variables like the pH, temperature, and exposure to air might affect the nanoscale structures.
The project fits right in with the work of Joanna Aizenberg, an expert in biologically inspired materials science, biomineralization, and self-assembly, and principal investigator for this research.
Aizenberg is the Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science at Harvard SEAS, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the Harvard Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and a Core Faculty Member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard.
Her recent work has included the invention of an extremely slippery material, inspired by the pitcher plant, and the discovery of how bacteria use their flagella to cling to the surfaces of medical implants.
"Our approach is to study biological systems, to think what they can do that we can't, and then to use these approaches to optimize existing technologies or create new ones," says Aizenberg. "Our vision really is to build as organisms do."
To create the flower structures, Noorduin and his colleagues dissolve barium chloride (a salt) and sodium silicate (also known as waterglass) into a beaker of water. Carbon dioxide from air naturally dissolves in the water, setting off a reaction which precipitates barium carbonate crystals. As a byproduct, it also lowers the pH of the solution immediately surrounding the crystals, which then triggers a reaction with the dissolved waterglass. This second reaction adds a layer of silica to the growing structures, uses up the acid from the solution, and allows the formation of barium carbonate crystals to continue.
"You can really collaborate with the self-assembly process," says Noorduin. "The precipitation happens spontaneously, but if you want to change something then you can just manipulate the conditions of the reaction and sculpt the forms while they're growing."
Increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide, for instance, helps to create 'broad-leafed' structures. Reversing the pH gradient at the right moment can create curved, ruffled structures.
Noorduin and his colleagues have grown the crystals on glass slides and metal blades; they've even grown a field of flowers in front of President Lincoln's seat on a one-cent coin.
"When you look through the electron microscope, it really feels a bit like you're diving in the ocean, seeing huge fields of coral and sponges," describes Noorduin. "Sometimes I forget to take images because it's so nice to explore."
In addition to her roles at Harvard SEAS, the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and the Wyss Institute, Joanna Aizenberg is Director of the Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology at Harvard and Director of the Science Program at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.
Coauthors included Alison Grinthal, a research scientist at Harvard SEAS, and L. Mahadevan, who is the Lola England de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics at SEAS, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and of Physics, and a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute.
###
The project was supported by National Science Foundation grants to the Harvard Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (DMR-0820484) and the Harvard Center for Nanoscale Systems (ECS-0335765); and by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.
[ | 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.
The bookend to Yahoo's Big News Day -- a major refresh of its photo sharing site Flickr -- will see the company drop is Flickr Pro pricing tiers as part of a bid to compete better with Facebook/Instagram and the rest of the crowded market in the online photo space. But it is not getting rid of paid tiers altogether: it's keeping an ad-free tier, called Ad Free, as well as a tier for power users, doublr, respectively priced at $49.99 and $499.99 for a year of use.
Jeffrey Beall, a US academic librarian who uses his Scholarly Open Access blog to write about publishers? dubious practices, is being threatened with a $1 billion lawsuit by an Indian publishing group. 
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, Beall on Tuesday received a letter from an IP management firm?s lawyer, warning him that he could be imprisoned for up to three years under India?s Information Technology Act. 
A deadly tornado that was reportedly 2 miles wide hit Oklahoma at around 3 p.m. today, leaving a trail of devastation behind. There were initial reports that 51 people were confirmed dead, 20 of which are children. But the Oklahoma medical examiner, Amy Elliott, revealed at least 91 people are dead. UPDATE: The Moore, Oklahoma ...
By Lynn Zimmerman
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 16-May-2013
Share ]