Windows 8 off to a slow start, first sales reports suggest

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Rosa Golijan , NBC News

We know that Windows 8 is critical for Microsoft. The Redmond-based software giant needs its latest operating system to do well. Unfortunately, a research firm's?report shows that Windows 8 is off to a slow start?? and it may be contributing to the ongoing weakness of the Windows tablet and?PC market.

According to the NPD Group, a?market research firm, "Windows device sales have fallen 21 percent versus the same period last year"?since the launch of Windows 8?on Oct. 26.?Notebook sales dropped 24 percent, while desktop sales saw a dip of "just" 9 percent.

"After just four weeks on the market, it?s still early to place blame on Windows 8 for the ongoing weakness in the PC market," NPD Group's?vice president of industry analysis?Stephen Baker cautions. "We still have the whole holiday selling season ahead of us, but clearly Windows 8 did not prove to be the impetus for a sales turnaround some had hoped for."

Despite Baker's gentle hedging, his company's calculations aren't the first indication that Windows 8 is off to a weak start. A report from Microsoft-focused blogger?Paul Thurrot explains that one of his trusted sources within Microsoft has revealed that the company has failed to meet its internal projections for Windows 8 sales.?

NPD Group's latest numbers support that claim by showing that, since its launch, "Windows 8 has? captured just over half (58 percent) of Windows computing device unit sales, compared to the 83 percent Windows 7 accounted for four weeks after that launch."

And as if that isn't enough bad news, Windows 8 tablet sales have been "almost non-existent," according to NPD Group. The new unit sales represent "less than 1 percent of all Windows 8 device sales to date."

Given these details, it's no surprise that Digitimes???a publication with a hit-and-miss track?record on reports based on anonymous sources???found someone with knowledge of supply chain details who says that ?"Microsoft originally expected to ship four million Surface RT devices by the end of 2012, but has recently reduced the orders by half to only two million units."

While all these reports and suggestions are flying around, Microsoft's focusing on the best statistic it can offer: That 40 million Windows 8 licenses have been sold in the month since the operating system launched. Based on this number,?Tami Reller, finance and marketing head of the Windows business, explained at an investor conference held by Credit Suisse, Windows 8 is actually outpacing the sales of Windows 7.

But here's the kicker, as?Reuter's Bill Rigby explains:?the "bulk of those sales are to PC manufacturers, who in turn sell many machines to companies, very few of which are using Windows 8 yet."?Selling 40 million Windows 8 licenses doesn't mean that Microsoft's got 40 million Windows 8 users. And it doesn't make the operating system the success it needs to be just yet.

Want more tech news?or interesting?links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/research-firm-windows-device-sales-down-21-percent-last-year-1C7316740

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Three ways to make college more affordable - The Term Sheet ...

FORTUNE ? While Americans are paying down most of their debt these days, student debt remains a huge burden. Some are even questioning if it has become too easy to take out an education loan.

Outstanding loan balances for the third quarter of 2012 grew to $956 billion, a 4.6% jump from the previous quarter, according to a report released this week by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Meanwhile, total consumer debt, which, unlike student debt, can be discharged in bankruptcy, fell during the same period.

Nearly all student loans are made directly by the government. Some lawmakers argue that the government doesn't ask enough questions to determine a borrower's ability to repay an education loan. The government demands no collateral and has no underwriting requirements, as Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee noted in July. "What we're really doing is piling up debt down the road the same students are going to have to pay off," Corker said at a Senate Banking Committee hearing, as reported by?The Wall Street Journal.?

MORE:?Where's the stimulus, Obama?

In a way, it all plays out like a vicious cycle. Governments make student loans widely available. And the increase availability of loans, in turn, gives universities an incentive to spend more. Increased spending certainly doesn't help steady tuition rates.

Student loans are a problem, but it would be short-sighted to tighten lending standards on one of the few means by which young people can move up in the world. The crash of the U.S. housing market proved that banks issued mortgages all too easily without sufficient credit checks and such. And, as home prices plummeted, many Americans learned that owning a home was more of a hindrance than a path to prosperity. College, however, is still worth it; those with a degree earn more, as many studies have shown.

So rather than ask why it's so easy to take out student loans, the more relevant question to ask is what are U.S. universities doing to reduce costs? Rising costs have outpaced inflation. Over the past decade, average annual tuition for a year of community college has increased by 40% to $3,122, according to the College Board. At four-year public universities, the cost has risen by 68% to $7,692 a year during the same period.

Universities must change the way they do business. As a starting point, here are three ways campuses can make higher education more affordable.

Take the classroom online

Technology has altered countless industries. It has made everything from music to health care devices more affordable and easier to access. The business of education has been slower to catch on, but calls to make college more affordable might soon change that.

One way to teach more students without necessarily having to build more classrooms or hire more faculty is by offering more courses online, says Jeff Selingo, who makes the point in his forthcoming book, College Unbound.? This doesn't mean days spent in the classroom will disappear. Students would still have face-to-face time with their professors, but they'll also learn online.

A growing number of universities currently offer so-called "hybrid" courses, such as the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Here's how it could work: Say a calculus class meets three days a week. Instead of spending all those days in a classroom, students would listen to lectures or take quizzes online for two of those days. The third day would be spent in the classroom with a professor, who would lead discussions and take questions.

This way, on days students aren't in class, the professor would spend it teaching other students. "If a university can serve more students with the same number of instructors, it can actually reduce costs,"?Selingo says.

MORE:?BlackRock's new bond plan

Admittedly, most professors probably won't like the idea, since it would leave them with less time to write books, conduct research, and attend conferences -- all things that contribute to a university's prestige. Then again, how students fare in the years after graduation also influence a college's reputation.

Transfer credits made easy

Many students end up paying more for their degree than they have to. They take far more credits than required to earn a bachelor's degree, partly because colleges often refuse to accept credits from other institutions. To save students from having to retake similar courses, universities should make transferring credits easier.

President Obama touted the idea during his re-election campaign in his promise to cut college tuition by half over the next decade. He has proposed a grant program which would reward universities for coming up with new ideas to cut costs -- one of which could include making it easier to transfer credits from a more affordable community college toward a university degree. The president, however, will need Congress to approve such a plan.

Cut administration costs

U.S. universities have far too many administrators. Between 1993 and 2007, the number of full-time administrators per 100 students at major U.S. universities rose by 39%, while the number of employees who teach and do research rose by only 18%, according to a report by the Goldwater Institute. Spending on administration per student increased by 61% during the same period, while spending on instruction per student rose only 39%.

MORE:?The fiscal cliff and private equity

To be sure, students pay only a small part of administration costs, the institute notes in a report. Much of it comes from private gifts, fees, and funds from the federal and state governments.

Wherever the funds come from, it's hard not to wonder why the millions spent on administrator salaries aren't going toward scholarships or lowering tuition.

Source: http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/29/college-affordability-student-loans/

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Breakthrough in the understanding of embryonic stem cells

ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2012) ? A significant breakthrough in the understanding of embryonic stem cells has been made by scientists from the Smurfit Institute of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin. The Trinity research group led by Dr Adrian Bracken and funded by Science Foundation Ireland, has just published their findings in the journal, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

The new research describes the process whereby genes that are 'on' in embryonic stem cells are switched 'off'. This process is essential in order to convert embryonic stem cells into different cell types such as neurons, blood or heart cells and therefore represents an important breakthrough in the area of regenerative medicine.

The research encompasses both embryonic stem cell research and epigenetics. Embryonic stem cell research is focused on a particular type of cell that is capable of generating the various tissues in the body; for example, muscle, heart or brain. It is particularly relevant due to its potential for regenerating diseased tissues and organs and for the treatment of a variety of conditions including Parkinson?s disease, diabetes and spinal cord injury

Epigenetics explains how cells in your body with exactly the same genes can be so different functionally. For example, a neuron and a muscle cell look and act very differently, yet contain exactly the same genes. The study of epigenetics has helped us understand that every type of cell has its own unique pattern of genes that are either switched 'on' or 'off'. Different types of cells arise therefore due to these differences.

This new research explores the role of a protein termed a ?Polycomb group protein? called PHF19 in mouse embryonic stem cells. Gerard Brien, the lead author on the paper, and PhD student in the laboratory of Dr. Adrian Bracken demonstrated that without PHF19, embryonic stem cells are incapable of generating specialised cells such as those of the heart, lung or brain. He next established that PHF19 plays a critical role in switching the embryonic stem cell genes from an 'on' to an 'off' state during conversion into specialised cells. PHF19 does this by reading an ?epigenetic mark? called H3K36me3, which is only found on genes that are 'on'. It then recruits additional ?Polycomb? and other proteins, which replace H3K36me3 with another mark, H3K27me3, that is found on genes that are 'off'.

Commenting on the findings, Dr. Bracken stated: ?This discovery about PHF19 is an important step forward in our understanding of how stem cells specialise. In addition to its relevance in regenerative medicine, it may also have implications in future cancer therapies. We are also studying a related ?Polycomb group protein? called EZH2, which is mutated in lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. Several new drugs have been developed to target EZH2 and treat these patients. Our new results suggest that these patients could also be treated by inhibitors of PHF19. This ongoing work is supported by funding from Science Foundation Ireland?.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Trinity College Dublin, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Gerard L Brien, Guillermo Gambero, David J O'Connell, Emilia Jerman, Siobh?n A Turner, Chris M Egan, Eiseart J Dunne, Maike C Jurgens, Kieran Wynne, Lianhua Piao, Amanda J Lohan, Neil Ferguson, Xiaobing Shi, Krishna M Sinha, Brendan J Loftus, Gerard Cagney, Adrian P Bracken. Polycomb PHF19 binds H3K36me3 and recruits PRC2 and demethylase NO66 to embryonic stem cell genes during differentiation. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2449

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/nxt6FidvQA4/121130110547.htm

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Ex-BP workers plead innocent to Gulf manslaughter

BP agreed to pay the largest criminal fine ever brought against a single corporation; the U.S. government in turn agrees not to press more charges against the oil company responsible for the 2006 oil spill. NBC's Pete Williams reports.

By NBC News staff and wire services

Two former BP employees were charged Wednesday with manslaughter in the 2010 Gulf spill disaster, while BP itself was blocked from bidding for U.S. government contracts until it shows it no longer lacks "business integrity". BP responded by saying it was working with the Obama administration to do just that.?

Gerald Herbert / AP

Robert Kaluza, a BP well site leader from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, talks with his attorneys outside court on Wednesday in New Orleans, La.

In New Orleans, a BP rig supervisor said he is innocent of manslaughter in the deaths of 11 workers in the 2010 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig that started the spill disaster.

"I think about the tragedy of the Deepwater Horizon every day," Robert Kaluza told reporters just before his arraignment. "But I did not cause this tragedy. I am innocent and I put my trust, reputation and future in the hands of the judge and the jury."

Kaluza and Donald Vidrine, both BP well site leaders, were indicted earlier this month on manslaughter charges. The federal indictment accuses them of disregarding abnormal high-pressure readings that should have been clear indications of trouble just before the explosion.

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Kaluza's attorney, Shaun Clarke, said the men are scapegoats.

"Bob and Don did their jobs," Clarke said. "They did them correctly and they did them in accordance with their training."

BP announced earlier this month that it will plead guilty to manslaughter, obstruction of Congress and other charges and pay a record $4.5 billion in penalties to resolve a Justice Department criminal probe.

Attorneys for BP and the Justice Department are scheduled to meet Dec. 11 with a federal judge to discuss a date for BP pleading guilty.

Matthew Hinton / AP

Donald Vidrine arrives at court Wednesday in New Orleans.

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig, owned by Transocean Ltd. but operated on behalf of BP, was drilling in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast on April 20, 2010, when it was rocked by an explosion.

The bodies of 11 workers were never recovered.

Former BP executive David Rainey was charged separately Wednesday with concealing information from Congress about the amount of oil that was leaking from the well. Millions of gallons of crude oil spewed from BP's well for months.

Also Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency?banned BP from new federal contracts over its "lack of business integrity".

BP and its affiliates must demonstrate they can meet federal business standards, the EPA said. The suspension is "standard practice" and BP's existing U.S. government contracts are not affected, it said.?

On the docks in Louisiana, fishermen and oystermen say the effects of the BP oil spill remain today. NBC's Anne Thompson has more.

In a statement, BP said it has been in "regular dialogue" with the EPA, and that the agency has informed BP that it is preparing an agreement that "would effectively resolve and lift this temporary suspension." The EPA has notified BP that the draft agreement will be available soon, BP said.

The U.S. government could use the suspension as leverage to pressure BP to settle civil charges, which could top $20 billion if BP is found to be grossly negligent for the spill under the U.S. Clean Water Act.?

The Justice Department says it intends to prove in a court case set to get underway in February that BP was grossly negligent, a claim the company has adamantly refuted.

BP and the U.S. government likely worked out a deal on the timing of the suspension before BP agreed to sign off on the Nov. 15 criminal plea deal, said Samuel Buell, a Duke University Law School professor and former federal prosecutor.?

"It's just inconceivable to me that BP's lawyers, that their board of directors would have entered into that agreement last week without the issue of a suspension or debarment having been addressed," Buell said.

One long-time critic of BP applauded the decision.?

"After pleading guilty to such reckless behavior that killed men and constituted a crime against the environment, suspending BP's access to contracts with our government is the right thing to do," U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said in a statement.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/28/15519254-ex-bp-workers-plead-innocent-to-gulf-disaster-manslaughter?lite

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Nationwide Internet blackout in Syria

BEIRUT (AP) ? Two US-based Internet-monitoring companies say Syria has shut off the Internet nationwide.

Activists in Syria reached Thursday by satellite telephone confirmed the unprecedented blackout, which comes amid intense fighting in the capital, Damascus.

Renesys, a U.S.-based network security firm that studies Internet disruptions, says Syria effectively disappeared from the Internet at 12:26 p.m. local time.

Akamai Technologies Inc., another U.S-based company that distributes content on the Internet, also confirmed a complete outage for Syria.

Syria has partially cut Internet connections during the 20-month uprising against President Bashar Assad but a nationwide shutdown is unprecedented.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nationwide-internet-blackout-syria-151512176--finance.html

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Cancer and Metabolism 2013

This meeting will cover the field of cancer metabolism and discuss the link between cell signalling and metabolism, as well as metabolic adaptations of cancer cells to autonomous proliferative demands and environmental stresses.

Event website

• Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Organisers: Eyal Gottlieb, Karen Vousden and Christian Frezza
• Event dates: 24-25 June 2013

Source: http://www.ecco-org.eu/Global/Events/Other-Events/Cancer-and-Metabolism-2013.aspx

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How To Be Successful In Internet Marketing

Affiliate promotion is an ever-changing strategy in the online world. Many website owners have benefited from their involvement in web marketing programs. You will find that there is a plethora of online marketing out there because of how fast it has developed and how long it has been around. Regardless of whether or not you are just starting out in internet marketing, or are already doing it successfully, these tips may be useful to you.

Build up trust with your readers. Readers support authors who provide them with quality contact by purchasing through your affiliates.

Knowing your audience will make you successful through internet marketing. Meet the needs of your audience. Find out why they visit your site in the first place. What are your visitors viewing?

Only keep the affiliates that are extremely profitable, to make the most of your affiliate marketing. Make sure to review your affiliates to see their performance. Taking out the least effective affiliate partners makes room for better ones.

TIP! Understand that simply reading good tips does nothing for you; rather you should select a few to act on. Even after all the time you?ve invested, without compensation, you still run the risk of not turning a profit.

Don?t become complacent just because your affiliate site is highly successful. It is still important to carefully research new partners. The new ones may hold your future success. You need to be sure you can market the product easily and without problems.

Affiliate Programs

Joining several different affiliate programs that share one target customer base can be a way to get better results out of your web marketing campaign. Implementing several affiliate programs that are related gives your target audience a greater selection of products to choose from.

Banner ads can be used creatively to encourage more users to visit your webpage. Include an interesting trivia question in the ad and entice users to visit your website to find the answer. You will have people who will just have to click through on that banner advertisement to find the answer. If someone answers correctly, give them a freebie.

TIP! Do everything you can to make your readers trust you. If the readers really like what you produce, they will uphold you by finding referral links and following them should they want to buy the product still.

You should focus on using positive, assertive language in the content that you create for your marketing program. Wording that has negative connotations (for example empty.

If you live in California and had an affiliate program that was suspended, you can now replace those links on your website. Amazon is again able to participate in the program in California after the law that resulted in the dropping of clients changed. Be certain to do so if you were impacted by the developments.

Asses the products you might link to and be sure they are the right fit for what you trying to accomplish. It may take you a while to learn the best way to arrange your site?s affiliate links, but once you?ve struck upon a successful formula, your profits will rise accordingly.

In order to increase your sales volume, consider creating a special website solely for affiliates. If you put pride and effort into your affiliate promotions, you?ll have no trouble finding good partners. Affiliates who are unaware about your product can be attracted by using SEO in the proper manner.

TIP! Before you sign up with an affiliate, get confirmation that you will get a commission for all sales that you generate regardless of how the purchases were made. Does your affiliate enable tracking of telephone orders, mail orders or faxed in orders? You must be sure to be compensated appropriately for your efforts.

Finding the affiliate advertisements that work most effectively for your audience will take time. Some people will click on glitzy ads, while others want something a bit more subtle. When creating your ads, be sure to remember who is going to be seeing them.

Try writing an ad out on paper, then scan it into the computer as an image file. Upload the image to your website. Personal touches are welcomed by consumers. They increase business and make your site feel ?real?, appealing to a diverse audience. If you do not have good handwriting, ask a friend or a family member to help you design your ad.

Do not allow yourself or your partners in internet marketing to take advantage of that fact. In the best case, it irritates your customers. In a worst case scenario, cookie stuffing can spread a nasty virus and lose you your whole customer base.

Affiliate marketers have to be honest about their business. If you are endorsing a product that you are profiting from, let the audience know and don?t attempt to mislead their choices. When visitors feel that you are dishonest about the relationship you have with your retailers, they may bypass your site, purchasing the product they desire directly from the merchant.

TIP! Find a affiliate that is always putting out new items. You are more likely to earn repeat business when you use reputable companies that create a multitude of products which are interesting to your consumers.

Google Plus

Build your followers on Google Plus to get a head start on the competition. Link your Google Plus information to your other social media sites, and add a Google Plus icon next to your other links. Great content will get you followers!

Employing online marketing strategies can enable you to generate more online sales. Affiliates can drive visitors to your site, more than any other technique. When evaluating an affiliate program, check to see how much money you get per referral, as well as the reputation and design of the vendor?s site.

Tell your readers right from the start that you receive a commission from the your affiliate link sales. Your readers aren?t stupid; they?ll recognize affiliate marketing links when they see them, and pretending you?re not doing it will just make you seem dishonest. If you are honest you are more apt to get visitors that will come back to you.

TIP! Use a multitude of mediums when promoting your products. Lots of people prefer the convenience of online shopping.

Constant communication between you and your affiliates can build a solid working relationship. Building relationships through communication is an important part of ensuring continued profitability. Lucrative affiliate partnerships are invaluable, and therefore it makes sense to do everything possible to keep them happy.

Once you have generated a good amount of sales as an affiliate promoter, consider asking for a higher commission percentage from the affiliate program you belong to. If you are a star performer and convert lots of customers, the company may be very willing to pay you more to keep you happy.

Affiliate Promotion

Use the power of stealth links. Methods exist that permit you to place affiliate links into your content in an inconspicuous way. If you do this, make sure your readers understand what?s going on. Inform your site visitors what will happen if they click on a link.

TIP! Use reviews from individuals that have tried these products and make sure you use shots of the product. You are more like to sell a product to an interested buyer if you provide detailed information on the products you sell.

Be upfront about your use of affiliate promotion, and observe the impact it has on the behavior of your audience. Being upfront and truthful regarding your affiliate promotion is the best approach. If your visitors see that you are using affiliate marketing in a positive way, they will mostly respond in a positive way as well.

You will be a more prosperous affiliate when you learn proper marketing techniques. There are many people that will use the first free program that they find. Some free methods are very good; however, do your homework to find out which ones really work well before you waste a lot of time and energy.

Do not be tricked into using another person?s tracking program. This fiasco can be avoided by simply using a reliable tracking system.

One way for affiliate marketers to see success is by creating a contest or giveaway. This is a great way to get your visitors to return.

TIP! Avoid depending on just a handful of affiliate partners to support your entire marketing campaign. Use a wide range of vendors, and offer a diversity of products, as well.

You should always try and connect with affiliates that sell products that you are interested in selling. Using a variety of affiliate networks increases your chance of earning more income. Thoroughly investigate the reputation and past performance of any affiliate before signing on the dotted line.

You can make a lot of money with internet marketing. It is just like any other marketing venture in the sense that research, education, and knowledge are the keys to developing a proficient grasp of the inner workings of the business and maximizing your profit potential.

Source: http://www.monopolizingmarketing.com/459/how-to-be-successful-in-internet-marketing/

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British company claims biggest engine advance since the jet

By Chris Wickham

LONDON | Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:39am EST

LONDON (Reuters) - A small British company with a dream of building a re-usable space plane has won an important endorsement from the European Space Agency (ESA) after completing key tests on its novel engine technology.

Reaction Engines Ltd believes its Sabre engine, which would operate like a jet engine in the atmosphere and a rocket in space, could displace rockets for space access and transform air travel by bringing any destination on Earth to no more than four hours away.

That ambition was given a boost on Wednesday by ESA, which has acted as an independent auditor on the Sabre test program.

"ESA are satisfied that the tests demonstrate the technology required for the Sabre engine development," the agency's head of propulsion engineering Mark Ford told a news conference.

"One of the major obstacles to a re-usable vehicle has been removed," he said. "The gateway is now open to move beyond the jet age."

The space plane, dubbed Skylon, only exists on paper. What the company has right now is a remarkable heat exchanger that is able to cool air sucked into the engine at high speed from 1,000 degrees Celsius to minus 150 degrees in one hundredth of a second.

This core piece of technology solves one of the constraints that limit jet engines to a top speed of about 2.5 times the speed of sound, which Reaction Engines believes it could double.

SHROUDED IN SECRECY

With the Sabre engine in jet mode, the air has to be compressed before being injected into the engine's combustion chambers. Without pre-cooling, the heat generated by compression would make the air hot enough to melt the engine.

The challenge for the engineers was to find a way to cool the air quickly without frost forming on the heat exchanger, which would clog it up and stop it working.

Using a nest of fine pipes that resemble a large wire coil, the engineers have managed to get round this fatal problem that would normally follow from such rapid cooling of the moisture in atmospheric air.

They are tight-lipped on exactly how they managed to do it.

"We are not going to tell you how this works," said the company's chief designer Richard Varvill, who started his career at the military engine division of Rolls-Royce. "It is our most closely guarded secret."

The company has deliberately avoided filing patents on its heat exchanger technology to avoid details of how it works - particularly the method for preventing the build-up of frost - becoming public.

The Sabre engine could take a plane to five times the speed of sound and an altitude of 25 km, about 20 percent of the speed and altitude needed to reach orbit. For space access, the engines would then switch to rocket mode to do the remaining 80 percent.

IT COULD EVEN MAKE THE TEA

Reaction Engines believes Sabre is the only engine of its kind in development and the company now needs to raise about 250 million pounds ($400 million) to fund the next three-year development phase in which it plans to build a small-scale version of the complete engine.

Chief executive Tim Hayter believes the company could have an operational engine ready for sale within 10 years if it can raise the development funding.

The company reckons the engine technology could win a healthy chunk of four key markets together worth $112 billion a year, including space access, hypersonic air travel, and modified jet engines that use the heat exchanger to save fuel.

The fourth market is unrelated to aerospace. Reaction Engines believes the technology could also be used to raise the efficiency of so-called multistage flash desalination plants by 15 percent. These plants, largely in the Middle East, use heat exchangers to distil water by flash heating sea water into steam in multiple stages.

The firm has so far received 90 percent of its funding from private sources, mainly rich individuals including chairman Nigel McNair Scott, the former mining industry executive who also chairs property developer Helical Bar.

Chief executive Tim Hayter told Reuters he would welcome government investment in the company, mainly because of the credibility that would add to the project.

But the focus will be on raising the majority of the 250 million pounds it needs now from a mix of institutional investors, high net worth individuals and possibly potential partners in the aerospace industry.

STANDING START

Sabre produces thrust by burning hydrogen and oxygen, but inside the atmosphere it would take that oxygen from the air, reducing the amount it would have to carry in fuel tanks for rocket mode, cutting weight and allowing Skylon to go into orbit in one stage.

Scramjets on test vehicles like the U.S. Air Force Waverider also use atmospheric air to create thrust but they have to be accelerated to their operating speed by normal jet engines or rockets before they kick in. The Sabre engine can operate from a standing start.

If the developers are successful, Sabre would be the first engine in history to send a vehicle into space without using disposable, multi-stage rockets.

Skylon is years away, but in the meantime the technology is attracting interest from the global aerospace industry and governments because it effectively doubles the technical limits of current jet engines and could cut the cost of space access.

The heat exchanger technology could also be incorporated into a new jet engine design that could cut 5 to 10 percent - or $10-20 billion - off airline fuel bills.

That would be significant in an industry where incremental efficiency gains of one percent or so, from improvements in wing design for instance, are big news.

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/RaOlB-NJ5tM/us-science-spaceplane-idUSBRE8AR0V220121128

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Researchers synthesize new kind of silk fiber, and use music to fine-tune material's properties

ScienceDaily (Nov. 28, 2012) ? Pound for pound, spider silk is one of the strongest materials known: Research by MIT's Markus Buehler has helped explain that this strength arises from silk's unusual hierarchical arrangement of protein building blocks.

Now Buehler -- together with David Kaplan of Tufts University and Joyce Wong of Boston University -- has synthesized new variants on silk's natural structure, and found a method for making further improvements in the synthetic material.

And an ear for music, it turns out, might be a key to making those structural improvements.

The work stems from a collaboration of civil and environmental engineers, mathematicians, biomedical engineers and musical composers.?

"We're trying to approach making materials in a different way," Buehler explains, "starting from the building blocks" -- in this case, the protein molecules that form the structure of silk. "It's very hard to do this; proteins are very complex."

Other groups have tried to construct such protein-based fibers using a trial-and-error approach, Buehler says. But this team has approached the problem systematically, starting with computer modeling of the underlying structures that give the natural silk its unusual combination of strength, flexibility and stretchiness.

Buehler's previous research has determined that fibers with a particular structure -- highly ordered, layered protein structures alternating with densely packed, tangled clumps of proteins (ABABAB) -- help to give silk its exceptional properties. For this initial attempt at synthesizing a new material, the team chose to look instead at patterns in which one of the structures occurred in triplets (AAAB and BBBA).

Making such structures is no simple task. Kaplan, a chemical and biomedical engineer, modified silk-producing genes to produce these new sequences of proteins. Then Wong, a bioengineer and materials scientist, created a microfluidic device that mimicked the spider's silk-spinning organ, which is called a spinneret.

Even after the detailed computer modeling that went into it, the outcome came as a bit of a surprise, Buehler says. One of the new materials produced very strong protein molecules -- but these did not stick together as a thread. The other produced weaker protein molecules that adhered well and formed a good thread. "This taught us that it's not sufficient to consider the properties of the protein molecules alone," he says. "Rather, [one must] think about how they can combine to form a well-connected network at a larger scale."

The results are reported in a paper published in the journal Nano Today.

The team is now producing several more variants of the material to further improve and test its properties. But one wrinkle in their process may provide a significant advantage in figuring out which materials will be useful and which ones won't -- and perhaps even which might be more advantageous for specific uses. That new and highly unusual wrinkle is music.

The different levels of silk's structure, Buehler says, are analogous to the hierarchical elements that make up a musical composition -- including pitch, range, dynamics and tempo. The team enlisted the help of composer John McDonald, a professor of music at Tufts, and MIT postdoc David Spivak, a mathematician who specializes in a field called category theory. Together, using analytical tools derived from category theory to describe the protein structures, the team figured out how to translate the details of the artificial silk's structure into musical compositions.

The differences were quite distinct: The strong but useless protein molecules translated into music that was aggressive and harsh, Buehler says, while the ones that formed usable fibers sound much softer and more fluid.

Buehler hopes this can be taken a step further, using the musical compositions to predict how well new variations of the material might perform. "We're looking for radically new ways of designing materials," he says.

Combining materials modeling with mathematical and musical tools, Buehler says, could provide a much faster way of designing new biosynthesized materials, replacing the trial-and-error approach that prevails today. Genetically engineering organisms to produce materials is a long, painstaking process, he says, but this work "has taught us a new approach, a fundamental lesson" in combining experiment, theory and simulation to speed up the discovery process.

Materials produced this way -- which can be done under environmentally benign, room-temperature conditions -- could lead to new building blocks for tissue engineering or other uses, Buehler says: scaffolds for replacement organs, skin, blood vessels, or even new materials for use in civil engineering.

Elliott Schwartz, professor emeritus of music at Bowdoin College, says: "For centuries, mathematics, logic and science have provided important models for musical structures, processes, and our understanding of sonic materials. The present research may well lead to one more important chapter in this ongoing story of mutual interaction."

It may be that the complex structures of music can reveal the underlying complex structures of biomaterials found in nature, Buehler says. "There might be an underlying structural expression in music that tells us more about the proteins that make up our bodies. After all, our organs -- including the brain -- are made from these building blocks, and humans' expression of music may inadvertently include more information that we are aware of."

"Nobody has tapped into this," he says, adding that with the breadth of his multidisciplinary team, "We could do this -- making better bio-inspired materials by using music, and using music to better understand biology."

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Journal Reference:

1. Joyce Y. Wong, John McDonald, Micki Taylor-Pinney, David I. Spivak, David L. Kaplan, Markus J. Buehler. Materials by design: Merging proteins and music. Nano Today, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.nantod.2012.09.001

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/biochemistry/~3/JH39QKo8_v8/121128112157.htm

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BlackBerry Patagonia 9620 leaks, says hola Nextel

BlackBerry 10 may be just around the bend, but it seems that's not going to stop RIM from launching a new handset. A leaked document posted by Crackberry has revealed the specs of the QWERTY-toting BlackBerry Patagonia 9620 -- there's BB OS 7.1 running the show with a 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor under the hood, mated with 768MB RAM. Par for the course, the display is a 2.44-inch, 480 x 360 affair, and you can also find 2GB of storage augmentable via microSD, a 5-megapixel rear snapper, GPS, WiFi and PTT support along for the ride -- if the source is to be believed. Info on pricing and the exact release date of the apparently budget smartphone is MIA as yet, but Nextel Mexico has it pegged for a December outing. You can sign up for a release notification if you're covered and can't curb your buying itch before BB10's entry-level offerings land.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, RIM

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Chicago Fed: US economy at near-recession level

The Chicago Federal Reserve National Activity Index fell notably in October 2012, slumping to?a near-recessionary level of -0.56.

By SoldAtTheTop,?Guest blogger / November 26, 2012

This graph shows the Chicago Federal Reserve National Activity Index since 2000. The index indicated pronounced weakness for the US economy in October 2012.

SoldAtTheTop

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The latest release of the?Chicago Federal Reserve National Activity Index (CFNAI)?indicated pronounced weakness for the national economy with the index falling notably from the prior month to stand at a near-recessionary level of -0.56 while the three month moving average also slumped to -0.56.?

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Writer, The PaperEconomy Blog

'SoldAtTheTop' is not a pessimist by nature but a true skeptic and realist who prefers solid and sustained evidence of fundamental economic recovery to 'Goldilocks,' 'Green Shoots,' 'Mustard Seeds,' and wholesale speculation.

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The CFNAI is a weighted average of 85 indicators of national economic activity collected into four overall categories of ?production and income?, ?employment, unemployment and income?, ?personal consumption and housing? and ?sales, orders and inventories?.?

The Chicago Fed regards a value of zero for the total index as indicating that the national economy is expanding at its historical trend rate while a negative value indicates below average growth.?

A value at or below -0.70 for the three month moving average of the national activity index (CFNAI-MA3) indicates that the national economy has either just entered or continues in recession.?

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here.To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on paper-money.blogspot.com.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/EyEvO4nV7eo/Chicago-Fed-US-economy-at-near-recession-level

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Wall Street falls on caution after rally, retail drags

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks eased on Monday as a mixed start to the holiday shopping season, caution over Greek aid talks and budget discussions in Washington gave investors reason to pause after Wall Street posted its best week in over five months.

While holiday shopping appeared to be off to a good start, analysts cautioned against reading too much into one weekend's numbers. Retailers need to sustain the initial burst through the November-December holiday season, which can account for a third of annual sales and 40 to 50 percent of profits for the year.

Shares in department store operator Macy's Inc , which offered consumers deep discounts on Black Friday, fell 3.6 percent to $40.22. The SPDR S&P retail exchange-traded fund fell 1.3 percent to $62.39.

"The underwhelming performance of retailers in general is hurting the market," said Michael James, a senior trader at Wedbush Morgan in Los Angeles. "Retail is certainly seeing a mixed bag."

Investors continued to chew over two of the greatest overhangs for markets. Euro zone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund will seek to unfreeze the second bailout package for Greece on Monday. At the same time, U.S. lawmakers have made little progress in the past 10 days toward a compromise to avoid the harsh tax increases and government spending cuts schedule to start in January.

"Friday was a big day in the stock market," said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer at Solaris Group in Bedford Hills, New York. "So it's not surprising at all to see some profit-taking on that."

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> dropped 88.58 points, or 0.68 percent, to 12,921.10. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> fell 8.40 points, or 0.60 percent, to 1,400.75. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> lost 5.84 points, or 0.20 percent, to 2,961.01.

Total spending for the Black Friday long weekend rose 12.8 percent from last year, to $59.1 billion, from last year, according to the National Retail Federation. That pace was down from the prior year's 16.4 percent increase.

Black Friday's online sales topped $1 billion for the first time ever as more consumers used the Internet do their early holiday shopping, comScore Inc said on Sunday.

Major indexes ended last week with gains of 3 to 4 percent, recovering some of their losses following an 8 percent correction since September. The Dow and S&P 500 both closed above key technical levels for the first time since November 6, which could provide additional support. The Dow ended above 13,000, while the S&P broke above 1,400.

In company news, shares of Knight Capital Group Inc jumped 10.4 percent to $2.75. A source familiar with the matter on Saturday said the company is in talks about possibly selling its market-making operation, its largest and most profitable business, but it is not known if a deal will happen. Knight's chief executive, in an internal memo, said the company currently is in talks with at least two firms on the possible sale of its largest business unit, but would only pursue a deal if it created value for its shareholders and clients.

Qatar has cashed in its remaining warrants in Britain's Barclays Plc , a move that should yield a $280 million profit. The warrants have not yet been converted, but conversion would dilute the holding of shares by other investors. U.S.-listed shares of Barclays fell 5.6 percent to $15.37.

Apple Inc has asked a federal court to add six more products to its patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics Co , including the Samsung Galaxy Note II, in the latest move in an ongoing legal war between the two companies. Apple shares were up 1.7 percent at $581.

(Additional reporting by Gabriel Debenedetti; Editing by Kenneth Barry and Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-index-futures-signal-early-losses-091313774--finance.html

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After Sandy?s deluge, mold and dust pose threats

John Makely / NBC News

Ken Court removes sheetrock and plywood damaged by the floodwaters of Hurricane Sandy from his home in Breezy Point.

By Maggie Fox, NBC News

From his perch on top of his father?s house in Breezy Point, N.Y., Ken Court can see an array of health disasters in the making.

?There are asbestos roofs that have collapsed near the ocean,? says Court, a 52-year-old roofer. ?There is a lot of dust. You see people walking around with masks on. You use the hand cleaners all day long.?

Breezy Point sits at the tip of the peninsula jutting into the waters south of Brooklyn where Jamaica Bay, New York Bay and the Atlantic Ocean come together. Much of the close-knit, blue-collar neighborhood was destroyed when Superstorm Sandy hit three weeks ago ? swamped in the storm surge, roofs ripped by flailing winds or burned to the ground?in a six-alarm fire that took out block after block of homes.

Now it?s one of the last places left without power or clean water, with no ETA on when either will be restored. And as Court works day in and day out to clean up the mess, he sees long-term trouble wherever he looks.

"You should really wear masks. I remember that everyone in 9/11, when they went there to help, they got sick,? Court told NBCNews in a telephone interview.

Asbestos and other chemicals from the collapsed World Trade Centers created a pall of dust that persisted in lower Manhattan for months after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Firefighters, police and other rescue workers are eligible for federal compensation for the illnesses they have developed since the cleanup ? most recently 50 different types of cancer.

People who were in the area have higher death rates in general than similar populations, and were especially likely to develop respiratory diseases and asthma. Asbestos can cause a rare type of lung cancer called mesothelioma.

While the dust caused by the Sandy cleanup isn?t nearly as bad, Court isn't taking chances. Asbestos is only a problem if it is kicked up in dust and breathed in ? but he?s seeing plenty of dust being generated as wrecking crews pile up and remove the debris. "Those corrugated roofs on the houses down by the ocean ? they?re all asbestos,? he said.

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene advises on its website that "While Sandy has not caused problems with outdoor air quality, indoor dust, mold, fumes from temporary heating sources and the use of strong cleaning products can be irritating to the eyes, throat, and lungs. Dust can also be produced by repair and debris removal. In addition, debris removal and repair work can lead to injuries of various types.?

John Makely / NBC News

Breezy Point residents clean up after Hurricane Sandy
Kate Sisk. at her summer home at 21 Jamaica Walk in white jump suit trying to remove the fiberglass in the crawlspace before mold starts to grow.

What concerns Court most, however, is mold. His 79-year-old father, Rod, has emphysema ?and needs supplemental oxygen. ?We got a foot of water up into the first floor. We are just ripping everything out and starting fresh,? said Court, who grew up in Breezy Point and who now lives in Port Jefferson Station on Long Island.

?Right now I have men ripping out the tile. We can?t take a chance with mold with my dad,? Court added. ?Now that we took up the tile floor, it?s all wet under there and it?s black.?

Health officials say Court?s doing the right thing. Anything that might turn moldy should be removed or cleaned with a bleach solution. Mold spores can cause allergic reactions or asthma in people who are sensitive to them.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has done many studies on the health dangers that linger after hurricanes, but the CDC's parent agency, the Health and Human Services Department, is not making federal officials available to talk about Sandy's aftermath.

Still no clean water
Despite the flooding that swamped water treatment plants, poured into subway tunnels and flushed raw sewage into rivers, most of New York City?s tapwater supply remained clean. But Breezy Point?s water pipes were damaged so badly that the water still isn?t safe to drink, according to local authorities.

?Breezy Point Cooperative is in the process of re-establishing its internal drinking water system and the City will meet with the Breezy Point Cooperative to ensure that it can safely and reliably provide potable water to its residents," the New York health department said in a statement.

?DO NOT drink the water from the faucets. Do not use this water to cook, wash yourself or wash food, make ice, brush teeth or for any other activity involving consumption of water,? the Breezy Point Cooperative web site advises. It?s not even okay to boil it ? meaning chemicals could be contaminating the water, also.

Andrew Juhl, an ecologist and oceanographer at Columbia University, has been testing the waters around New York City for years and knows well what could have seeped into the broken water pipes at Breezy Point.

?With the hurricane there was this enormous flood of water that came into the city and flooded sewage treatment plants and also damaged pipes,? Juhl told NBCNews. ?It is possible that there was a lot of sewage released. We don?t really know. No one was out sampling at that time.?

Related stories

Love among the ruins: Sandy decimates community, but wedding goes on

'What Thanksgiving is all about': Breezy Point teen raises $80K, lifting spirits in devastated hometown

His tests the days after Sandy hit showed lots of bacteria in the water, however ? enough to where people shouldn?t touch the water without washing afterwards.

?We measure Enterococcus,? he said. It?s found in the guts of warm-blooded animals, including people. ?If you find it in the environment, you know it was recently in the body of a warm-blooded animal.? While enterococci are not themselves a big threat to health, if they?re in the water, so are other germs. These include anything that the people and animals in the area contribute to sewage, from hepatitis to parasites such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia lamblia that may cause diarrhea and stomach cramps.

One thing that people may fear is cholera, but cholera isn?t commonly found in New Yorkers, and so it?s very unlikely to be in the sewage or water.

?The most common illness that people get is gastrointestinal problems,? Juhl says. ?They get nausea, diarrhea, cramping, skin rashes, eye infections -- that kind of thing.?

You don?t have to drink the water to get ill ? people who touch the water can touch their eyes, mouths and noses and become infected. Juhl?s team sampled flooded basements in Queens and found the water was teeming with bacteria commonly found in sewage. They also found germs all over dried-out storm debris.

?The stuff we sampled up in Rockland County had been sitting around dry for a week and it still had really high (bacterial) counts. That actually surprised me,? Juhl said. ?We haven?t done that kind of sampling before and we don?t have a context for it.? Maybe there are really high counts there all the time.?

Nonetheless, it could make people handling it sick. ?They should wear gloves. They should wear face masks. They should make sure they clean themselves really well before they eat. We don?t know what the specific threat is. l would be prudent,? Juhl advises.

Court?s doing just that. ?Most people are wearing protective equipment when they are working in the basements,? he said. ?You wear boots.?

Related stories:

?

Source: http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/25/15341592-after-sandys-deluge-mold-and-dust-are-the-threats?lite

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Society International Day to end Violence against Women

UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women Announces over US$8 million in grants: Malawi among beneficiaries

Today is the United Nations International Day to End Violence Against Women to mark the Day, 25 November 2012, the UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet has called on all heads of state and government to make new commitments and take strong national action to protect women and girls. The UN gender entity and women's empowerment chief acknowledged that the world community has already come a long along way with national laws, international treaties, and widespread and growing awareness on ending violence against women. But she says this it is not enough.

She said Government promises must be translated into concrete actions, such as providing new safe houses, free hotline services, and free legal and medical aid to survivors. "The time for complacency has run out. Together, it is possible to stop the violence against women and girls, Mrs. Bachelet said in a televised speech made available around the world.

To assist government s in their various campaigns to end the scourge of violence against women, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, which is administered by UN Women announced this past week that over US$8 Million in grants have been disbursed to 12 initiatives in 18 countries. The initiatives taking center-stage were those that are dealing with women in conflict and transitional countries.

In ten countries funds will be used to address violence against women in conflict, post conflict and transitional settings. Malawi is among the ten countries and will use the funds to work among communities with the ending violence in the school environment. Libya received funds also for the first time. This is the Fund's 16th year to disburse funds in the campaign to end violence against women and according to UN Women the funds allocated have been received by more than 350 initiatives in 128 countries over the course of the UNTF?s 16-year history.

Another first for the Fund has been the contribution of significant support from countries in Africa, Latin America and the Arab States region, which is seen as a testament to the growing mobilization to address violence against women globally. Statistically, up to seven in ten women are targeted for physical and or sexual violence in their lifetime and 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is still not considered a crime.

?The UN Trust Fund shows what works to prevent violence against women, to end impunity and to provide services and support to survivors,? said Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women. ?I appeal to governments, business and foundations to support the work of this fund and make a strong contribution to ending violence against women and girls.?

This year?s announcement marks the 16th annual grant-making cycle of the UN Trust Fund. The new grantees will spearhead pioneering approaches worldwide aimed at transforming the lives of women and girls:

In Malawi, Concern Worldwide, an international non-governmental organization, received funds from the UNTF and will promote safe learning environments for girls in primary schools, institutionalizing good practices to end school-related gender-based violence.

The absence of school facilities and overcrowded classrooms in the majority of schools, are not the only problems children face. There are perverse levels of abuse and violence within the schools themselves, of which girls are often the target, are a hidden horror that Concern and other actors are working to end, not only in Malawi but other countries as well.

An example has been highlighted inKenya for where a government report published in November 2009 revealed that some 12,660 girls were sexually abused by their teachers over a five-year period. In some cases, teachers abused as many as 20 girls in a single school before they were reported to authorities.

Typically, girls in all these countries, have less of a voice socially and culturally than their male peers, and are often forced to have sex in exchange for good grades?a practice know as ?sexually transmittable grades.? The report revealed that in its worst form, gender-based violence in schools can leave girls as young as 12 years old pregnant, HIV positive, and homeless.

Ensuring that schools are a safe learning environment for boys and girls is of critical importance both economically and socially, and Concern has made it an urgent priority.

Seventeen percent of all girls in Malawi do not attend as a result of forced marriages and in Nsanje, where Concern is working, this scenario has abruptly cut short the dreams of many young girls. Some 12 percent of all females in the Malawi are aged between 6-13 years, and approximately 74 percent of the population live below the poverty line. Furthermore, approximately 17 percent of girls drop out of school as a result of forced marriages, and schools are not safe for girls due to sexual abuse by male teachers and men at large.

The twin evils of poverty and traditional customs has compelled parents, in a bid to raise finances to maintain their families, and married off their daughters when they think they have come of age. Because the suitor pays a bride price, in an ironic twist, the trend has now developed whereby the younger the girl, the higher the bride price. Concern relates the story of 12 year old Martha, and many young girls like her in Nsanje that are have been caught in the vicious child marriage trap, and sold off before they have finished their schooling.

"Their dreams, hopes and aspirations have been destroyed by these negative cultural practices or by the pervasive daughter- with-cash bartering," Concern reports.

The cultural practices, which unfortunately, are widespread, have been the major contributing factor in preventing girls from receiving an education. For instance, it is believed that girls will gain respect if they marry early and have children. Concern is hosting discussions with community leaders and education officials in Malawi to highlight the importance of education for all children.

At the United Nations where during the United Nations General Assembly Committee work (October to December), in line with the UN.secretary-General Ban Ki-moon call to a global fight to end child marriages, stern language has been incorporated into a draft resolution to eliminate child forced marriages.

In Malawi, the President, Her Excellency Mrs. Joyce Banda to commemorate the first International Day of the Girl Child (that was celebrated around the world on 11 October, 2012), has called for the increase of the age of marriage of girls to 21 years. This will allow the girl child to complete her education as well as delay the first time she starts bearing children.

As the world commemorates this day and the 16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women, it is essential that families, communities and governments join hands in ending violence against women, paving the way to equality of women and thereby "unlocking progress across board."

Source: http://www.maravipost.com/malawi-news/society/2326-international-day-to-end-violence-against-women.html

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Congo rebels advance as regional leaders seek cease-fire

The war continues to expand in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with rebels vowing to extend the gains they've made in the east of the country as more civilians are forced to flee their homes.

By Max Delaney,?Correspondent / November 23, 2012

Refugees flee the town of Sake in Congo after the government failed to liberate the town from the M23 rebel movement.

Jerome Delay/AP

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As regional leaders talked peace in plush hotel rooms a country away, fighting between rebels and government troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo's east rumbled on.

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On Friday, civilians carrying meager bundles of their belongings continued to stream out of the town of Sake a day after the Congolese national Army and an allied local militia tried ? and failed ? to retake the town from the M23 rebels.

Where those fleeing can go is unclear. Already tens of thousands of people displaced by the swirl of fighting are struggling to survive in makeshift camps studding the stony countryside.

The rebels pushed on with their offensive, capturing towns and villages around the regional capital Goma ? which they have controlled without challenge since seizing it from Congo's ragtag military on Tuesday. Buoyed by their victory the rebels said they were going much farther ? Congo's capital Kinshasa, a thousand miles to the west.

The continuing advance comes despite a flurry of diplomatic efforts to end the fighting.

As Goma fell, the three men who are widely seen as having played a central role in creating the conflict ? and could play the key role to end it ? met for talks at a luxury hotel on the shores of lake Victoria outside Uganda's capital Kampala.

On the one side was Congo's beleaguered president Joseph Kabila ? who had just seen his army melt away and angry protestors torch his party offices in several cities. On the other side was Rwandan President Paul Kagame ? the man whose own defense minister is in de facto command of the M23 rebels, according to the UN and Congo.

And somewhere in the middle was Uganda's wily leader Yoweri Museveni, a compromised mediator given that some senior Ugandan officials, including Mr. Museveni's own younger brother, have been accused by the UN of supporting the rebels.

Backing DRC?

At a hastily convened press conference on Wednesday the three presidents, looking weary after hours of talks, demanded the rebels stop fighting and pull out of Goma, while Museveni and President Kagame said they could not ?entertain the idea of overthrowing the legitimate government of the DRC or undermining its authority.?

"Wherever they [M23] are we shall tell them to go back. The region is saying to them to go back ... and I can assure you they will go back," Museveni said.

For its part, the government of Congo said it would ?look expeditiously into the causes of [the rebels'] discontent and address them as best as it can.? Mr. Kabila was noncommittal when asked about the possibility of direct negotiations ? the rebels' major demand.

While the presidents seemed confident about stopping the violence, no one seemed to have told the rebels to stop fighting. Rebel leaders said they would not be withdrawing from Goma any time soon.

Museveni reportedly sent a chopper down to the Congo border on Thursday to spirit M23's political chief to Kampala for talks, and Kagame and Kabila are expected back in town over the weekend.

But whether Kabila will agree to negotiate face-to-face with the rebels remains the big question, say analysts.

?Given that the FARDC [Congo's Army] is not strong enough to defeat M23 it's not clear that he is in a position to block such an agreement. It may be his only choice,? says Laura Seay, a regional expert at Morehouse College in the US. ?That said, Kabila only wants to deal with Rwanda, not the M23, as he sees Kigali as the source of M23's strength.?

And despite intense international pressure to find a solution, both sides remain far apart.

?It's hard to see what a negotiated solution would look like at this stage,? Ms. Seay says

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/fnbkVWhjiOE/Congo-rebels-advance-as-regional-leaders-seek-cease-fire

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PHOTO: Florida State Fan Tried To Apply Face ... - Business Insider

This poor Florida State fan just wanted to show her support for the Seminoles with some face paint. There was just one small problem: she apparently didn't realize the view in the mirror is reversed. Luckily for us, the view on the television is not...

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/photo-florida-state-fan-tried-to-apply-face-paint-and-failed-2012-11

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Trial of Ukraine's sick Tymoshenko delayed again

KIEV (Reuters) - Jailed Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko's trial for tax evasion was adjourned again on Friday until December 18 because the former prime minister, hospitalized for back trouble, could not attend.

Tymoshenko, the main political foe of President Viktor Yanukovich, was sentenced to seven years in prison in October last year on abuse-of-office charges. Her second trial, for alleged tax dodging and embezzlement, was originally meant to commence in April but has been repeatedly postponed.

The 51-year-old denies wrongdoing and says she is being persecuted by Yanukovich in revenge for her role in the 2004 "Orange Revolution" which derailed his first presidential bid.

Tymoshenko has been in a state hospital since May, receiving treatment for back pains. Her health was also harmed, her family says, by an 18-day hunger strike she called off on November 16.

Judge Kostyantyn Sadovsky postponed the trial again.

"The court rules it impossible to consider the case in the absence of the accused, Tymoshenko, and her defense counsel. An adjournment is ordered until December 18," Sadovsky said, according to Interfax news agency on Friday.

The abuse of office charge for which Tymoshenko was jailed stems from a gas deal she brokered with Russia in 2009 as prime minister. The new tax evasion and embezzlement charges relate to events in the 1990s when she ran a major gas trading company.

The European Union has supported Tymoshenko, calling her case an example of selective justice, and shelved agreements on free trade and political association with Ukraine.

(Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; editing by Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trial-ukraines-sick-tymoshenko-delayed-again-134720986.html

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