#SciAmBlogs Wednesday - Sequester, spiral-toothed shark, social octopus, blue marble, alcohol+caffeine, and more.

By Bora Zivkovic?| February 27, 2013 |??

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Bora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web. Follow on Twitter @boraz.

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Bora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web. Follow on Twitter @boraz.

More??

#SciAmBlogs Wednesday ? Sequester, spiral-toothed shark, social octopus, blue marble, alcohol+caffeine, and more.

About the Author: Bora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web. Follow on Twitter @boraz.

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The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=453a392e68f79fb10d303a73039439f1

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Praising children for their personal qualities may backfire

Feb. 27, 2013 ? Praising children, especially those with low self-esteem, for their personal qualities rather than their efforts may make them feel more ashamed when they fail, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

"This type of personal praise may backfire. What may seem like common sense can sometimes lead adults astray in their attempts to help children with low self-esteem feel better about themselves," said lead researcher Eddie Brummelman, MS, of Utrecht University in the Netherlands. The study was published online in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

The study found that children with low self-esteem often received praise for their personal qualities, and that type of praise can trigger greater feelings of shame from failure and may lead to a diminished sense of self-worth.

In one experiment, 357 parents in the Netherlands, ranging in age from 29 to 66, read six descriptions of hypothetical children -- three with high self-esteem (e.g., "Lisa usually likes the kind of person she is,") and three with low self-esteem (e.g., "Sarah is often unhappy with herself"). The participants were told to write down the praise they would give the child for completing an activity, such as drawing a picture. On average, the parents gave children with low self-esteem more than twice as much praise directed at personal qualities (e.g., "You're a great artist!") than they gave to children with high self-esteem. They also were more likely to praise children with high self-esteem for their efforts. (e.g., "You did a great job drawing!")

"Adults may feel that praising children for their inherent qualities helps combat low self-esteem, but it might convey to children that they are valued as a person only when they succeed," Brummelman said. "When children subsequently fail, they may infer they are unworthy."

A second experiment illustrated that point. The researchers recruited 313 children (54 percent girls) ranging in age from 8 to 13 from five public elementary schools in the Netherlands. Several days before the experiment, the students completed a standard test that measures self-esteem. For the experiment, the children were told they would play an online reaction time game against a student from another school and that a webmaster would be monitoring their performance via the Internet. In reality, the computer controlled the outcome of the game, and the children were divided into winners and losers, including groups that received praise for themselves, praise for their efforts, or no praise.

In the group where the children were praised for their personal qualities, the webmaster wrote, "Wow, you're great!" after the students completed one round of the game, whereas the children whose actions were praised were told, "Wow, you did a great job!" The group that received no praise served as a control. After a second round, the children were told they either won or lost the game, and they completed a survey about their feelings of shame. Children who lost the game experienced a sharp increase in shame if they had been praised for their personal qualities, especially if they had low self-esteem, compared to the other groups.

The researchers theorized that children who are praised for their efforts may not associate their self-worth with success, so failure is viewed as a temporary setback or a lack of effort rather than a flaw in their character. Brummelman said the study results may apply generally to children from most Western countries, including the United States, but the results may be less applicable to Eastern countries, such as China, where adults may use different approaches for praising children.

The differences between praising a person and praising his or her efforts may be very subtle, but those differences can have a big impact on children's self-esteem, said study co-author Brad Bushman, PhD, a communication and psychology professor at The Ohio State University. Therefore, parents and teachers should focus on praising children for their efforts rather than their personal qualities, he added.

"In general, it is better to praise the behavior rather than the individual," Bushman said. "If you praise the individual and he fails, it can cause shame and may inadvertently send the message, 'I am a bad person.'"

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Psychological Association (APA), via Newswise.

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. Eddie Brummelman, Sander Thomaes, Geertjan Overbeek, Bram Orobio de Castro, Marcel A. van den Hout, Brad J. Bushman. On Feeding Those Hungry for Praise: Person Praise Backfires in Children With Low Self-Esteem.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2013; DOI: 10.1037/a0031917

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/top_news/top_health/~3/Z265gvNvFew/130227183316.htm

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Census Bureau Reports Decline in Employment-Based Health ...

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February 27, 2013 by admin?

The rate of employment-based health insurance coverage declined from 64.4 percent in 1997 to 56.5 percent in 2010, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report,?Employment-Based Health Insurance: 2010,?released February 27, 2013.

Among employed individuals, employment-based coverage declined from 76.0 percent in 1997 to 70.2 percent in 2010. During this time period, the employment-based coverage rate for those not in the labor force declined from 45.4 percent to 38.6 percent and for unemployed individuals declined from 33.5 percent to 30.8 percent. Individuals not in the labor force are people without jobs who are not currently looking for work, while unemployed individuals are people without jobs who are actively seeking employment.

During the same period, among employed individuals without coverage the rate increased from 14.7 percent to 18.0 percent, and the rate for those not in the labor force increased from 12.4 percent to 14.4 percent. A higher proportion of unemployed individuals were uninsured in 2010 (46.2 percent) than in 2005 (39.8 percent) and 2002 (43.1 percent).

?The report highlights the prevalence of employment-based health coverage among various socio-economic groups including coverage obtained outside the workplace,? said Hubert Janicki, an economist with the Census Bureau?s Health and Disability Statistics Branch. ?Unemployed and individuals not in the labor force with employment-based coverage were generally covered by a previous employer?s plan or someone else?s, such as a spouse?s or a parent?s employer.?

Today?s report uses data from the?Survey of Income and Program Participation to examine the characteristics of people with employer-provided health insurance coverage as well as the characteristics of employers that offer health insurance. The economic and demographic characteristics studied in this report include sex, race and ethnicity, age, family income and insurance status.

The report finds that the likelihood of working for an employer that offers any health insurance benefits increased with family income. Individuals with family income less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level were the least likely to work for an employer that offered health insurance benefits. Among these low-income workers, 43.3 percent were employed in firms that offered health insurance benefits. In comparison, workers with family income 401 percent and above of the federal poverty level were the most likely to work for an employer that offered health benefits (80.9 percent). For reference, 100 percent of the federal poverty level for a family of four was $22,113 in 2010.

The report details reasons for nonparticipation in an employer?s health insurance plan. The report finds that the fraction of workers that?reference ?ineligibility? as the main reason for nonparticipation in an employer?s health insurance plan decreased from 37.1 percent in 1997 to 32.2 percent in 2010. Nonparticipating employees were not?eligible to participate in the employer?s health insurance plan typically because they were temporary, worked part time or had not completed their probationary period.

Other highlights:

?In 2010, 71.1 percent of employed individuals age 15 and older worked for an employer that offered health insurance benefits to any of its employees.

?42.9 percent of individuals who did not complete high school worked for an employer that offered health insurance to any of its employees, compared with 78.9 percent for individuals with a college degree.

?75.7 percent of workers age 45 to 64 worked for an employer that offered health insurance benefits, compared with 60.0 percent for workers 19 to 25.

?Among married couples with only one member employed in a firm that offered health insurance benefits, 68.7 percent of married couples provided coverage for the spouse.

?While 37.6 percent of firms with 0 to 24 employees offered more than one health insurance plan, 65.6 percent of firms with 1,000 or more employees offered more than one plan.

?About 1.1 percent of nonparticipating workers whose employer offered health insurance benefits were not insured by their employer because they were denied coverage.

?Among nonparticipating workers whose employer offered health insurance benefits, approximately half (50.4 percent) declined coverage by choice.

?The two most common reasons among workers who chose not to obtain health insurance coverage through their employer were health insurance obtained through another source (66.4 percent) and cost (27.4 percent).

?

Source: http://www.northdenvertribune.com/2013/02/census-bureau-reports-decline-in-employment-based-health-insurance/

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Winans scion gets nearly 14 years in prison

DETROIT (AP) ? A judge sentenced a member of gospel music's Winans family to nearly 14 years in prison Wednesday for an $8 million financial scam that was promoted in church pulpits.

Two of Michael Winans Jr.'s victims spoke in federal court, telling a judge that the scheme to sell Saudi Arabian oil bonds robbed some people of their life savings, caused divorces and fractured many families.

"I want to apologize to everyone. ... These were decisions that were negligent and irresponsible," said Winans, of Jessup, Md.

He said he had no "malicious intent" but acknowledged that he continued to collect money even after he learned that the bonds were bogus.

Winans attracted more than 1,000 investors in 2007 and 2008, although he didn't know them all because many were recruited by others through word of mouth. He promised 100 percent returns in two months, then used the money for personal expenses or to pay off earlier investors. About 600 people are still owed $4.7 million.

Winans, 30, is a third-generation member of one of gospel music's first families. He's the grandson of Delores "Mom" Winans and David "Pop" Winans Sr., and the son of Michael Winans Sr., a member of The Winans, a quartet of brothers. His uncle, Marvin Winans, gave the eulogy at Whitney Houston's funeral.

Winans has performed with his cousins as Winans Phase II. He released his own album in 2011, "My Own Genre."

Winans relied on unwitting friends to round up investors, a trait of a classic Ponzi scheme. When the bonds turned out to phony, investors angrily turned on the people who recruited them.

"There are lots of marriages that have been destroyed. I know family members who aren't speaking to each other," Tara Hurt told the judge. The Detroit-area resident declined further comment outside court.

U.S. District Judge Sean Cox read from some of the 50 letters written by victims. He said a young woman joined the Army because her family had lost money that was intended for her college education. He noted that Winans made his pitch from church pulpits.

"Fraud on good, decent church-going people ? that was very, very troubling to me," Cox said.

Cox chose a sentence that was in the guideline range of 12 ? years to 15 ? years in prison.

"Investor fraud schemes like this one are just a fancy way to steal other people's money," U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said.

___

Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-27-Money%20Probe-Winans/id-501153a198644a9284e43b102175d7c3

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No Health Insurance? No Classes. Wait? what? | UNLV CSUN

No Health Insurance? No Classes. Wait? what?
Student Body President Mark Ciavola
February 26, 2013

For years, UNLV students have had to deal with a bad economy and job market, budget cuts, tuition and fee increases, less than stellar student services, a lack of class sections, GAs teaching instead of professors, and more. But nothing comes close to the staggering audacity of ?Mandatory Health Insurance as a Condition of Enrollment.?

When the NSHE Board of Regents meet this Thursday, they will be considering a proposal which ? if passed ? would allow institutions in Nevada to require that students prove they have health insurance in order to enroll in classes. What?s worse? They?d have to prove it every single semester.

As if this wasn?t outrageous enough, the reasons don?t add up.

In a committee meeting, held to determine the effects of this policy on various UNLV departments, I was told that the reasons were as follows:

Reasons vs. Reality

Reason #1. In order to offer a low-cost Student Health Insurance Plan at UNLV, there need to be more students enrolled in the plan to lower premiums.

Reason #2. The new national health care law requires everyone to have health insurance, so this policy would be in line with the new law.

Reason #3. Having students without insurance on campus, or not offering students health insurance on campus, could result in increased liability for the university.

Here?s the reality:

Reality #1: Most students don?t know about the Student Health Insurance Plan because it isn?t advertised. Until it is advertised, it?s difficult to complain about low enrollment and be taken seriously. I suggested to the committee that we add a page during enrollment on MyUNLV that advertises the health insurance plan, with an opt-in/opt-out feature. That way, it is guaranteed to be advertised to every student.

Reality #2: It is not UNLV?s responsibility to enforce the new federal health care law. Furthermore, if a student chooses to pay the penalty ($750) rather than purchase health insurance ($2,000), they should still be able to take classes at UNLV. Under this new measure they wouldn?t be able to. That?s just wrong.

Reality #3: The opt-in/opt-out feature during enrollment will solve this problem. However, the fact that options like an opt-in/out and advertising to students were not considered prior to jumping to mandatory health insurance as a condition of enrollment is disturbing.

I?m happy to say that the CSUN Senate, last Thursday, unanimously passed a resolution opposing Mandatory Health Insurance as a Condition of Enrollment. Furthermore, I will be contacting all of the NSHE Board of Regents regarding this issue, and speaking out against it at their meeting this Thursday.

I will keep students up to date on this issue, as it is an important one that affects us all. The cost of education is high enough without adding this unnecessary burden. I, for one, am tired of the quality of our education and student services decreasing while our tuition and fees continue to rise. We?ve been fortunate that tuition has remained steady for the past year and that we have been able to stop certain fees from being passed. However, we need to continue that fight and ensure that the students are represented properly on these issues.

Stay tuned!

Source: http://unlvcsun.com/no-health-insurance-no-classes-wait-what/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=no-health-insurance-no-classes-wait-what

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Groupon shares dive 24 percent on "underwhelming" forecast

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Groupon Inc lost almost a quarter of its market value on Wednesday after the company began to take a smaller cut of revenue on daily deals, sacrificing revenue and profits to attract and keep merchants.

"This raises questions about how these guys are going to be able to scale the business," said Tom White, an analyst at Macquarie. "The forecast is underwhelming."

Groupon shares fell 22 percent to $4.65 in after hours trading on Wednesday.

The Chicago-based company started sharing more money from its deals with merchants early in the fourth quarter to persuade them to run an offer for the first time or work on another offer.

That dented revenue and profit in the fourth quarter, Chief Financial Officer Jason Child said in an interview.

"We are focused on driving growth," he said. "We will make the investments we feel we need to optimize for growth and merchant profitability."

Fourth-quarter revenue rose to $638.3 million from $492.2 million in the year-ago period. The company also reported a net loss and an operating loss in the latest period.

Groupon was expected to make 3 cents a share on revenue of $638 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

The company forecast first-quarter revenue of $560 million to $610 million. This is sharply below the $650 million average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Groupon Goods, the company's discounted product sales business, generated a lot of the fourth-quarter revenue growth. However, sales growth will slow in the first quarter, as is typical with other e-commerce businesses, Child said.

The Goods business also has lower margins than Groupon's original daily deals business, he noted.

The cut in its so-called "take rate", which many analysts had speculated was necessary to revive participation among merchants in its Internet offers, contributed to weak fourth-quarter results. That was also partly behind the disappointing first-quarter revenue forecast.

A larger-than-expected seasonal decline in the company's Goods e-commerce business also drove the weaker first-quarter forecast.

(Reporting by Alistair Barr; Editing by David Gregorio and Richard Chang)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/groupon-revenue-climbs-30-percent-forecast-weak-211450103--sector.html

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Novel combination therapy shuts down escape route, killing glioblastoma tumor cells

Novel combination therapy shuts down escape route, killing glioblastoma tumor cells

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Glioblastoma, the most common and lethal form of brain tumor in adults, is challenging to treat because the tumors rapidly become resistant to therapy. As cancer researchers are learning more about the causes of tumor cell growth and drug resistance, they are discovering molecular pathways that might lead to new targeted therapies to potentially treat this deadly cancer.

Scientists at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in San Diego worked collaboratively across the laboratories of Drs. Paul Mischel, Web Cavenee and Frank Furnari to investigate one such molecular pathway called the mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR. This signaling pathway is hyperactivated in close to 90 percent of glioblastomas and plays a critical role in regulating tumor growth and survival. Therapies that inhibit mTOR signaling are under investigation as drug development targets, but results to date have been disappointing: mTOR inhibitors halt the growth but fail to kill the tumor cells.

A study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences uncovers an unexpected but important molecular mechanism of mTOR inhibitor resistance and identifies a novel drug combination that reverses this resistance.

The story begins with a closer look at a gene-encoded protein called promyleocytic leukemia gene or PML. The study investigators explored the role of PML in causing resistance to mTOR inhibitor treatment. They found that when glioblastoma patients are treated with drugs that target the mTOR pathway, the levels of PML rise dramatically. Further, they showed that PML upregulation made the tumor cells resistant to mTOR inhibitors, and that if they suppressed the ability of the tumor cells to upregulate the PML protein, the tumor cells died in response to the mTOR inhibitor therapy.

"When we looked at cells in in vivo models and patients treated in the clinic, it became clear that the glioblastoma cells massively regulated PML enabling them to escape the effects of mTOR inhibitor therapy," reported senior author Paul Mischel, MD, Ludwig Institute member based at the University of California at San Diego.

"Our team hypothesized that if we could use a pharmacological approach to get rid of PML and combine it with an mTOR inhibitor, it could change the response from halting growth to cell death. The question was how?" added Mischel.

Previous research had shown that the use of low-dose arsenic could cause degradation of the PML protein in patients with leukemia. The team hypothesized that if arsenic could degrade PML, it may reverse resistance to mTOR inhibitors. The combination of mTOR and low-dose arsenic in mice indeed showed a synergistic effect, with massive tumor cell death along with very significant shrinkage of the tumor in mice with no ill side effects.

"Current therapy upregulates PML, turning off the mTOR signaling pathway. The tumor cells hide, waiting for the target signal to return," said Mischel. "When low-dose arsenic is added, not only does it stop the cell from returning, it shuts down the escape route killing the tumor cell."

These results present the first clinical evidence that mTOR inhibition promotes PML upregulation in mice and patients, and that it mediates drug resistance. The clinical relevance was confirmed when researchers looked at before- and after-treatment tissue samples from patients treated with mTOR inhibitors, confirming that PML goes up significantly in post treatment of mTOR inhibitors.

"These data suggest a new approach for potential treatment of glioblastoma," said Mischel. "We are moving forward to test that possibility in people."

Post-doctoral students Akio Iwanami and Beatrice Gini from the Mischel lab as well as Ciro Zanca from the Furnari/Cavenee lab, also contributed significantly to this paper.

###

Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research: http://www.licr.org

Thanks to Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127038/Novel_combination_therapy_shuts_down_escape_route__killing_glioblastoma_tumor_cells

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Adobe Debuts Photoshop Touch For Phones, Bringing The Full Power Of The Tablet Version To Your Pocket

Adobe mobile Photoshop strategy has so far kept more heavyweight editing to tablets with Photoshop Touch, and left the iPhone with Photoshop Express. But today the company has officially released Photoshop Touch for iPhone and Android smartphones, which inherits virtually all of the functionality of the more powerful tablet app, with an interface tailored to the smaller screens.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Wgk9cGmwQgk/

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Razer Edge Windows 8 gaming tablet up for pre-order March 1st ...

Razer?s Edge tablet is a 10 inch Windows 8 tablet aimed at gamers. It has the guts of a mid-range PC gaming laptop, including an Intel Ivy Bridge processor and discrete graphics. Razer will also offer optional accessories including a game controller that add buttons and D-pads on the sides of the tablet.

Razer introduced the Edge at CES in January, and now the company says it will be available for pre-order starting March 1st for $999 and up.

At that price you get a model with an Intel Core i5 processor, a 1366 x 768 pixel display, 64GB of storage, and NVDIA GeForce GT640M graphics.

Razer will also offer optional upgrades including a Core i7 processor and 128GB or 256GB solid state disks.

Razer will offer three different optional accessories for the gaming tablet:

Prices for the tablet alone can go as high as $1449 if you get a top-of-the-line model, which may seem like a lot of money for a tablet that gets about 3 hours of battery life during normal use and half that while playing demanding PC games.

But the Razer Edge is the first tablet of its type that?s actually capable of playing many of the latest PC games with graphics quality set to medium.

The Razer Edge is sort of like a Microsoft Surface Pro, and it?s priced like one. But while Microsoft?s $999 tablet comes with a digital pen and a pressure-sensitive screen, the Razer Edge comes with discrete graphics. If the Surface Pro is aimed at business and artistic applications, the Razer Edge is designed from the ground up for gaming.

via SlashGear

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• key specs
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• TypeTablet
• Form factorSlate
• Screen size10.1 inches
• Screen resolution1366 x 768
• Bundled OSWindows (8)
• Processor speed1.7 GHz
• System RAM4 GB
• Released01/08/2013

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Source: http://liliputing.com/2013/02/razer-edge-windows-8-gaming-tablet-up-for-pre-order-march-1st.html

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John Kerry busts out his French-speaking skills

Secretary of State John Kerry busted out a bit of the language of Moli?re and G?rard Depardieu on Wednesday as he met in Paris with his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius. How?d he do?

Pas mal du tout, Monsieur Kerry. Not bad at all.

The Democratic former senator from Massachusetts learned French while attending a boarding school in Switzerland starting when he was 11. And he spent many childhood summers in the Atlantic coast region of Brittany with French relatives.

Those days are long gone ? but while Kerry seemed a bit rusty, his opening remarks at a joint press conference with the French foreign minister sounded pretty solid to this native speaker (he starts at 4:51 in the video above, and a transcript is at the bottom of this post). And he poured on the charm to please his audience.

?We?ve just finished one of those wonderful French lunches that have never ceased drawing Americans to Paris for centuries,? he said, seemingly reading from notes or prepared remarks. And he also joked about anti-French sentiment in the United States. ?And now I?ll speak in English because otherwise they won?t let me return home.?

Kerry?s gesture thrilled the French, who appreciate it when visiting dignitaries make an effort to speak their hosts? language. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius celebrated Franco-American cooperation on a range of foreign policy struggles like the bloodbath in Syria and Iran?s nuclear program -- and hailed Kerry as ?someone who is known to be a friend of France? (?quelqu?un qui est connu pour ?tre un ami de la France.?)

It was just a couple of weeks ago that the newly minted secretary of state, meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird, had declined a reporter?s request for ?a little bit of French, please, maybe?? (?un peu de Fran?ais s?il vous plait, peut-etre?? she asked).

?Not today ? I?ve got to refresh myself on that,? Kerry said, drawing chuckles from his audience.

The French question is a vexing one for Kerry. During the 2004 presidential campaign, The New York Times raised eyebrows by granting anonymity to a ?Bush adviser? who wanted to snipe from behind cover that the Democratic candidate ?looks French.? That cheap shot, apparently code for ?elitist,? caught fire in the media, stoked by perennial anti-French sentiment and still-fresh frustration that the government in Paris opposed the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was the era of renaming ?French fries? as ?Freedom Fries? in the congressional cafeteria (the French consider fries Belgian) and calling the ?French kiss? something more acceptable to American audiences, ?The Patriot Act.? (OK, that last one was, ahem, tongue-in-cheek.)

Times have changed. Somewhat. Throughout the 2012 campaign, Mitt Romney unhesitatingly spoke French to people he met on the trail (and he took crap for it. Even from Democrats.). Romney, who learned French when he lived in France as a Mormon missionary, does really well on his feet, has good sentence structure, and, likey Kerry, his mild accent doesn?t make him hard to understand.

Does any of this matter? Peut-?tre/Maybe. Diplomacy is often a language of symbolism and nuances, after all.

And an old story, handed down to by foreign language professors, may illustrate another usefulness.

The story goes that, in the early computer era, the CIA spent a fortune on a device that could translate intercepted messages. The chairman of the congressional committee that funded the project, on a tour, was invited to submit a phrase that would be translated from English, into French, then into German, then into Russian, then into Chinese, and back into English. The lawmaker thought a moment, then suggested ?out of sight, out of mind.?

The machine clacked and whirred and spat out a strip of paper. On it was the result: ?Invisible. Insane.?

Kerry's remarks in French:

"Merci beaucoup, Monsieur le Ministre. Vraiment, c?est chaleureux, et je vous remercie beaucoup pour votre accueil aujourd?hui. C?est un tr?s grand plaisir pour moi d??tre en companie du ministre des affaires ?trang?res, Fabius. Nous venons de conclure un de ces merveilleux d?jeuners fran?ais qui n?ont cess? d?attirer les Am?ricains ? Paris depuis des si?cles. Bien entendu, c?est un privil?ge de pouvoir partager tout repas avec Laurent. Il est un ami de confiance, un alli? fid?le et un partenaire appr?ci?, et je veux ? je le remercie pour tout ?a. La France, comme vous savez, est vraiment ? c?est le plus ancien des alli?s des Etats-Unis. On vous remercie pour ?a aussi. Et maintenant je parle en anglais parce qu?autrement on me laisse pas rentrer chez moi."

Translation:

"Thank you very much, Mister Minister. Really, that was [a] warm [welcome], and I thank you very much for your welcome today. It?s a great pleasure for me to be here with the minister of foreign affairs, Fabius. We just finished one of those wonderful French lunches that have never ceased drawing Americans to Paris for centuries. Of course, it?s a privilege to share any meal with Laurent. He is a trusted friend, a faithful ally, and a valued partner. and I want to thank him for all of that. France, as you know, is really - it's the oldest ally of the United States, so we would like to thank you for that, too. And now I'll speak in English, because otherwise they won?t let me return home.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/john-kerry-french-pas-mauvais-not-bad-190702655--politics.html

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Fox News legal analyst suggests impeaching Obama over ...

By David Edwards
Tuesday, February 26, 2013 10:44 EST

?

Fox News Senior Legal Analyst Andrew Napolitano on Tuesday suggested that President Barack Obama could be impeached for implementing automatic spending cuts in the so-called ?sequestration? in a way that embarrassed Republicans.

?If you?re talking about the military, for example, the president wants to hire another 100 soldiers, can he only hire 98? Of course not,? Napolitano explained to the hosts of Fox & Friends. ?He can hire all 100, and he can take that 2 percent cut in decreased spending and apply it somewhere else in the Defense Department.?

?The president has an obligation under the Constitution to make the federal government work, and to make it do the things that we have hired it to do,? he continued. ?You can?t get on an airplane without going through the TSA. The plane can?t get in the air without an air traffic controller. The country will not stay safe and free without soldiers. These are far more important than other operations of the government, from which he could cut in order to keep those operations that we rely on every day at full force!?

Fox News host Steve Doocy noted that instead of making reductions in spending ?as easy as possible,? Obama and his administration were ?scaring the living daylights out of people? He?s become President Panic.?

?This is almost an impeachable offense,? Napolitano agreed. ?If the president is deciding how to spend money in order to hurt us, rather than in order to provide us with the services for which we have paid and for which we have hired him, he is doing the opposite of what he has taken an oath to do.?

?He has taken an oath to uphold the laws. That means make the government work. Don?t make it painful, find a way to make it work on 2 percent less.?

The former judge concluded: ?That?s the way the constitution works!?

Watch this video from Fox News? Fox & Friends via Media Matters, broadcast Feb. 26, 2013.

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Source: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/26/fox-news-legal-analyst-suggests-impeaching-obama-over-sequester-spending-cuts/

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Vt. lye victim gets new face at Boston hospital

BOSTON (AP) ? Loved ones knew it was her at the hospital when they saw her teeth.

Carmen Blandin Tarleton's face was unrecognizable after the lye attack, burned away in the frenzy of an estranged husband's rage.

Nearly six years later, the Vermont nurse is celebrating a gift that has given her a new image following a full facial transplant this month.

Doctors at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston said at a Wednesday news conference that the 44-year-old's surgery included transplanting a female donor's facial skin to Tarleton's neck, nose and lips, along with facial muscles, arteries and nerves.

"I know how truly blessed I am, and will have such a nice reflection in the mirror to remind myself what selfless really is," Tarleton wrote on her blog Wednesday.

She did not attend the news conference but watched it during a live web broadcast. The hospital said it was not releasing a current picture of her.

Tarleton's sister, Kesstan Blandin, shared a statement from Tarleton that said she felt "really good and happy."

"I want to convey to the donor's family what a great gift they have given to me," the statement said. "...I feel strong and I am confident that I have the strength to deal with whatever comes my way."

The Thetford, Vt., woman suffered burns on more than 80 percent of her body and was left blind after her attacker beat her with a baseball bat and doused her with the industrial strength chemical in June 2007.

Tarleton, who once worked as a transplant nurse, has undergone more than 50 surgeries since then. The operations included skin grafts and work that has restored vision to one eye.

The latest surgery took 15 hours and included a team of more than 30 medical professionals. The lead surgeon, Bohdan Pomahac, called her injuries among the worst he's seen in his career.

"Carmen is a fighter," the doctor said. "And fight she did."

Pomahac's team has performed five facial transplants at the hospital. He said his team's latest patient is recovering well and is in great spirits as she works to get stronger.

Before the transplant, Tarleton drooled constantly because of scar tissue in her mouth. She also couldn't turn her head from side to side or lift her chin.

Pomahac said Tarleton was pleased when she saw her new face for the first time. Her appearance will not match that of the late donor's face, he said.

"I think she looks amazing, but I'm biased," the surgeon said with a smile.

The donor's family wants to remain anonymous now, but released a statement through a regional donor bank saying that her spirit would live on through Tarleton and three other organ recipients.

In 2009, Tarleton's now ex-husband Herbert Rodgers pleaded guilty to maiming her in exchange for a prison sentence of at least 30 years.

Police previously said Rodgers believed his wife was seeing another man and went to her house to attack him. Tarleton mistook the intruder for a burglar at first and told him he could have whatever he wanted. Then Rodgers launched into a fury, fracturing one of Tarleton's eye sockets and breaking her arm with the bat.

He had brought lye with him in a squeeze bottle and he poured it on Tarleton.

When police arrived, the brunette's heart-shaped face already was distorted, her skin turning brown. She was trying to crawl into a shower to wash away the chemical.

But now, the mother of two daughters talks about forgiveness and has a newly-published book called "Overcome: Burned, Blinded and Blessed."

"Forgiveness is about helping ourselves, not the people who hurt us," read an image on a website Wednesday that promotes her book.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vt-lye-victim-gets-face-boston-hospital-142851289.html

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Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287652025?client_source=feed&format=rss

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H+K Strategies UK's Blog ? Blog Archive ? An Apple a Day

In the past week, there have been a number of interesting healthcare stories that have been making noise in the digital world.

As we?ve seen on this blog, the number of healthcare apps are ever increasing and now this growth has been truly cemented and recognised by none other than Apple. For a while, Apple has been creating lists of its favourite apps for specific demographics, including children, parents and film lovers. The new Healthcare Professional (HCP) list categorises apps that HCPs can use for reference, medical education, imaging, patient education, personal care and patient monitoring. Although iTunes have only made these available in the US, what?s interesting is that the list includes apps from pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis and Medtronic. Understanding and keeping track of how to get onto the list could be crucial for pharma companies to gain more visibility for their apps and help bring greater HCP engagement?to mainstream attention.

Another story that garnered significant attention was that of the world?s first live-tweeted C-section. The Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston tweeted the whole C-section surgical procedure from beginning to end, with followers able to see the process in real time. Essentially an educational procedure, this garnered a large amount of traction, with an estimated 72,000 people watching the C-section live on Twitter and an additional 11,000 viewing it in another format. This is not the first time a surgical procedure has been live-tweeted, with the same hospital carrying out a live brain surgery and live heart surgery last year. The popularity of this is a clear sign of ?the educational value this type of digital format offers as well as perhaps whetting the (somewhat gory) appetite of many online.

As communicators, when creating campaigns we know how important it is to target the right audience with the right message. Previously, studies have shown women to be the influencers and decision makers in the household, and the results of recent survey have now shown that women are more likely than men to search for health information and advice online. According to a survey from the Pew Research Centre, 79% of female internet users vs 65% of male internet users went online to look for health information. These percentages overall are quite high, proving the potential reach an online campaign can have. This also demonstrates that when considering a digital campaign, it is important to think about whether it is right for your target audience, and the stats below, although US focused, provide a useful breakdown of which demographics are most likely to engage in the online space.

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Source: http://blogs.hillandknowlton.com/hank/?p=6776

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Japan government taps Kuroda for BOJ in battle for economic revival

TOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nominated an advocate of aggressive policy action to head the Bank of Japan, challenging the opposition to back his push for radical action as officials warned a nascent economic upturn could easily be derailed.

By choosing Asian Development Bank President Haruhiko Kuroda to take over at the central bank, Abe is looking to deliver on an election pledge of overhauling monetary policy to revive the economy after nearly two decades of mild deflation and lackluster growth.

"The new BOJ needs to accelerate its pace of asset accumulation and extend the maturities of government debt that it is buying," said Masayuki Kichikawa, chief Japan economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

"By strengthening monetary easing, the BOJ be able to stabilize the yen exchange rate. Then we will begin to see some positive impact on consumer prices from next year."

Academic Kikuo Iwata, who supports unconventional monetary policy, and BOJ official Hiroshi Nakaso, who has hands-on knowledge of the central bank's inner workings, were nominated as BOJ deputy governors on Thursday.

Abe has already successfully pushed for changes at the central bank, which last month doubled its inflation target to 2 percent and agreed to an open-ended asset buying program from 2014, and the new leadership team is expected to push for even more aggressive action.

The nominations were no surprise to investors, having been well flagged recently, and so there was little market reaction.

The three men need to be approved by both houses of parliament, which will vet them in coming days. Abe does not have a majority in the upper house, and so needs opposition support for his BOJ picks to take office next month.

Soon after the nominations were announced, the challenge facing the three was laid out as the Finance Minister and a BOJ board member both said that despite positive signs, a recovery in the world's third-largest economy was by no means certain.

WATCHING THE YEN

Japan's economy has contracted for the past three quarters, but there have been some signs of life in recent data, including consecutive rises in factory output and signs of a pick-up in the export engine.

A major factor behind hopes of the recovery has been the sharp fall in the yen against the dollar to near three-year lows this month, which was driven by Abe's promises of radical fiscal and monetary stimulus.

However, a 3 percent jump in the yen on Monday, as worries about Italy's election drove investors back to the safe haven of the Japanese currency, has alarmed policymakers who are concerned about the fragility of the economic recovery.

Finance Minister Taro Aso said he was keeping a close eye on the yen, and a BOJ board member said there was uncertainty that the economy would make a full-fledged recovery.

"We will continue to monitor currency moves and make sure the economy recovers by encouraging private investment, jobs growth and an expansion in wages," Aso told parliament.

A weaker yen benefits Japan as it makes exports more competitive and eases deflation by pushing up import prices, although it does weaken its trade and current account balances.

BOJ board member Takahide Kiuchi told business leaders that future stimulus would most likely be through expanding the BOJ's current asset-buying and lending program, although other measures being proposed in markets, such as buying riskier assets, could be examined.

"We will strive to achieve our new target, including through taking additional easing steps boldly when necessary," said Kiuchi, who was one of two board members to vote against adopting the 2 percent inflation target last month.

POLICY LEANINGS

Kuroda, 68, would replace current BOJ governor Masaaki Shirakawa, 63, who is due to leave office on March 19 along with the two deputy governors.

A former finance ministry bureaucrat who oversaw yen-selling intervention from 1999 to 2003, Kuroda has said the BOJ should not buy foreign currency bonds as that constituted currency policy.

On Thursday, Aso was also cautious on such a policy, saying it could be seen as currency intervention and in breach of agreements with other governments.

Kuroda does support increased purchases of government bonds and other domestic assets, such as corporate bonds or exchange traded funds (ETFs), to pump cash into the economy. He has suggested two years as an appropriate amount of time for the BOJ to meet its 2 percent inflation target.

In contrast, Iwata prefers buying more longer-dated government bonds over purchases of corporate bonds or ETFs. Nakaso, who currently oversees the BOJ's international operations, may not feature prominently in policy setting.

(Additional reporting by Stanley White; Editing by John Mair)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/japan-government-taps-kuroda-boj-battle-economic-revival-062036711--business.html

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GSLIS Jobs and Opportunities Blog ? Coordinator of Library ...

Coordinator of Instruction provides leadership in the organization and direction of the Library?s Information Literacy programs. The Coordinator of Instruction collaborates with Library faculty and discipline faculty to provide course-related instruction and is responsible for scheduling the instruction and assigning Library faculty to teach classes. Administers the credit-bearing instruction program. Teaches both course related classes and credit-bearing courses. Responsible for formal assessment of the instruction programs. Participates in the development of new courses and teaching pedagogy, makes recommendations for the development of new courses instructional programs, and mentors librarians new to teaching. Investigates and keeps current with developments in information literacy instruction, pedagogical theory and practice, and assessment of instruction. Communicates with Library faculty about instruction issues, learning outcomes, goals and objectives at Instruction meetings or by other means. Responsible for liaison work with subject-departments and represents the Library on the College-wide Curriculum Committee. Supervises support staff. Participates in the Library?s Reference services programs. Reports to Library Department Chair.

Supports a college library through providing in-depth consultation with students and faculty and collaboration for the ongoing improvement of instructional programs and practices. Pursues an active scholarly agenda, performs supervisory duties, and participates in college-and university-wide programs and committees as assigned.

LaGuardia Community College located in Long Island City, Queens, was founded in 1971 as a bold experiment in opening the doors of higher education to all, and we proudly carry forward that legacy today. LaGuardia educates students through over 50 degree, certificate and continuing education programs, providing an inspiring place for students to achieve their dreams. Upon graduation, LaGuardia students? lives are transformed as family income increases 17%, and students transfer to four-year colleges at three times the national average. Part of the City University of New York (CUNY), LaGuardia is a nationally recognized leader among community colleges for boundary-breaking success educating underserved students. At LaGuardia, we imagine new ideas; create new curriculum and pioneer programs to make our community and our country stronger. Visit www.laguardia.edu to learn more.

QUALIFICATIONS
ALA accredited MLS degree plus second Master?s degree or doctorate required for an appointment as an Assistant Professor. Candidate should have two years of working experience in an academic library. Should also have a minimum of two years of teaching experience at the college level and be familiar with theory and practice of information literacy instruction. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills a must. Ability to work with a diverse faculty, staff and students and to work as part of a team also a must. Experience with course development, assessment of instruction, and mentoring will be a plus. Supervisory experience also a plus.

COMPENSATION
CUNY offers faculty a competitive compensation and benefits package covering health insurance, pension and retirement benefits, paid parental leave, and savings programs. We also provide mentoring and support for research, scholarship, and publication as part of our commitment to ongoing faculty professional development. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY ? We are committed to enhancing our diverse academic community by actively encouraging people with disabilities, minorities, veterans, and women to apply. We take pride in our pluralistic community and continue to seek excellence through diversity and inclusion. EO/AA Employer.

Salary Range: $42,873 ? $81,645

HOW TO APPLY
From our job posting system, select ?Apply Now?, create or log in to a user account, and provide the requested information. If you are viewing this posting from outside our system, access the employment page on our web site and search for this vacancy using the Job ID or Title.

https://home.cunyfirst.cuny.edu/psp/cnyepprd/GUEST/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?FolderPath=PORTAL_ROOT_OBJECT.HC_HRS_CE_GBL2&IsFolder=false&IgnoreParamTempl=FolderPath%252cIsFolder

Candidates should provide a CV/resume and statement of scholarly interests.

CLOSING DATE
04/14/2013

Source: http://alanis.simmons.edu/blogs/jobs/2013/02/26/coordinator-of-library-instruction-laguardia-community-college-of-the-city-university-of-new-york-long-island-city-ny/

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DGA Awards date set for 2014

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Clamoring for more awards-show news after the Oscars? Yeah, us neither, but here's some anyway: The 66th Annual DGA Awards will take place January 25, 2014, the Directors Guild of America, which holds the ceremony, said Wednesday.

The ceremony will again take place at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at the Hollywood & Highland complex in Los Angeles.

The most recent ceremony, which was hosted by "Boss" star Kelsey Grammer, took place on February 2. A host for next year's ceremony was not named in Wednesday's announcement, but maybe Seth MacFarlane will be available to class things up a little.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dga-awards-date-set-2014-215537878.html

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Mamaa: Reflection of Ethnomathematics February, 20th 2013.

Rachma Hanan Tiasto

11313244020

International Mathematics Education

***************************************************************************

Life is fluid, flexible and soft. Life is fluid and relative. Today you get zero point to know that zero point should not be obtained from integral, calculus, differential and etc. but from ethnomathematics you can get zero point. This proves that in the social sciences if you are not diligent to read, it will be difficult to get a good mark or score.

The element of ethnomathematics is innovative. Get zero point was fair because everything need process not instant. But everything need signs. If a person has no sign, there is no manners, there is no culture, there is no science. Signs in here is the guidelines to want to read. Then don?t ever rely on gambling or speculation. Because if you only memorized the science and not understand, it will be useless.

Ethnomathematics is mathematical contextual in ethnicity. Like street math of Theresia Nunes from San Paulo, Brazil.

Question :

1.????? Hildegradis

How teacher do implement innovative learning methods without having collided with a system- oriented education with a national exam?

Answer :

That should be innovative is yourself, which traditionally is yourself, which is your own authoritarian, democratic is yourself. And so mathematics is yourself, my students. So I will not give ethnomathematics because ethnomathematics is myself. Then each instance or use the online reference for reference. Problems got fortune that one or more of each if it endeavor.

Mathemathics should not be enforced, so please read the references or the articles on my blog. If I associate with the ideology before, mathematics is your activities, students.

So here teacher facilitate students to implement mathematics activities, here I also do ethnomathematics activities and also apllies to all sciences.

This means, whether in teaching to be seen by the minister, there should be CCTV or by the school principal. So if given two hours lesson, then use it to show who you are and based on may articles, you are the student recognition.

Education system that is not conductive to innovative, it is a test for teachers or people who have a strong vision and mission. How liberating education as an investment or education as needed. Just ask elementary school students, junior high school if they think the investment? Of course not. People who think about it are the parents, the owners of capital and etc.

2.????? Nawangwulan

What should be used to evaluate student learning outcomes, if only the national exam cause failure in these areas or in the city? In fact one can not at school graduating students. It's called complications. Our society is experiencing complications. Experiencing an anomalous situation since our society mismanagement. Why are mismanagement? ?Because the leader not think about how Indonesia next 100 years. The first president was temted to become president for his entire life, the second was temted by his children and grandchildren and etc.

President Obama when his inauguration and speech ? Hei my brother, there is still a lots of stars that you will find and they waiting you to get name?. With this speech, he directly invites people to continue to move forward. That is the difference with Indonesia. Now the condition of Indonesia is complicated. The teacher Teachers can not be trusted. Instead of teachers, officials or ministers could not be trusted. We become confused. So now we need a revolution. Required buzz from national figures who know about education, psychology and dare to continue to move forward.?

The destruction of this nation because they do not have a vision as to what Indonesia 100 years. As a result, we are struck by the progress of other nations, capitalism. Usually people who suffer are the people who live on the border or in the suburbs. We are in the estuary between Australia and Asia. This resulted in us confused or do not have a concept for building country.? Especially with the inconsistent leadership and legislative.

So the ideal school graduation should be submitted to the mechanism. Now this impressed all corruption because corrupt otherwise deemed fair.

3.????? Dyah Purboningsih

????????? What is the basic concept of ethnomathematics?

????????? What is the purpose of ethomathematics?

Answer:

????????? The basic concept of ethnomathematics is contextual based on ethnicity.

????????? The purpose of the study is you can use mathematics contextually for innovative learning. Ethnomathematics self just for innovative teacher.

4.????? Venti Indiani

What is street math ?

Answer:

Street math, theresia Nunes performed by observing researching ang publishing. On the street of San Paulo, Brazil apparently there are traders who use mathematics in their own way with fast and accurate result in the calculation. This is be expressed by using a case study.

Source: http://rachmahanan.blogspot.com/2013/02/reflection-of-ethnomathematics-february.html

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Hagel: Time to 'turn the page' on decade of war

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013, file photo, Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Hagel is expected to be sworn in as Secretary of Defense Wednesday Feb. 27, 2013 and is likely to address the staff in his first day as defense secretary. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013, file photo, Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Hagel is expected to be sworn in as Secretary of Defense Wednesday Feb. 27, 2013 and is likely to address the staff in his first day as defense secretary. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

Former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., salutes Marine Corp. Lt. Gen. Tom Waldheuser as he arrives at the Pentagon to be sworn-in as Secretary of Defense, in Arlington, Va., Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. Waldheuser will be Hagel's Senior Military Assistant. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

New Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaks to service members and civilian employees at the Pentagon, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, after being sworn-in. Hagel took charge of the Defense Department Wednesday after a bruising confirmation fight _ and two days before billions in budget cuts are scheduled to hit the military. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

New Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel bows as he concludes his remarks to service members and civilian employees at the Pentagon, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, after being sworn-in. Hagel took charge of the Defense Department Wednesday after a bruising confirmation fight _ and two days before billions in budget cuts are scheduled to hit the military. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Chuck Hagel was sworn in Wednesday as defense secretary ? President Barack Obama's third in just over four years and the first who really wanted one of Washington's toughest jobs.

Introducing himself to Pentagon workers shortly after taking the oath of office, Hagel said he was humbled by the opportunity and ready for the challenge. He survived a contentious confirmation process in which some Republican senators questioned his suitability for the job and suggested he lacked the character to lead the military.

"I'll be honest, I'll be direct, I'll expect the same from you," he told a standing-room-only audience of several hundred civilian Defense Department workers and members of the military. "I'll never ask anyone to do anything I wouldn't do."

He called the automatic budget cuts due to take effect on Friday ? to include $46 billion in Pentagon reductions ? "a reality" that "we need to deal with."

He'll also have to deal with the complexities of winding down the war in Afghanistan. U.S. combat troops are to fully withdraw by the end of next year, but Obama has yet to announce how many troops may stay to continue training and advising the Afghan army and targeting al-Qaida and affiliated extremist groups.

Hagel made no explicit mention of Afghanistan, but in a written statement to Pentagon employees he mentioned that 34,000 U.S. troops will come home over the coming year.

"As we turn the page on more than a decade of grinding conflict, we must broaden our attention to future threats and challenges," he said, citing cyber warfare as an example. He also emphasized the importance he places on alliances like NATO.

Hagel succeeds Leon Panetta, who had hoped to retire from public service after serving as Obama's first CIA director but was talked into taking over last July for Robert Gates, a holdover from President George W. Bush's Pentagon. Gates made a point of carrying a "countdown clock" tracking the time until he could retire.

Panetta had already retreated to his home in California last weekend to follow the outcome of Senate votes Tuesday that granted Panetta his wish not to have to return to Washington. He had packed his bags, boxed up his office and said his final farewells days earlier.

Hagel was confirmed on a Senate vote of 58-41, with four Republicans joining the Democrats in backing him. Hagel's only GOP support came from former colleagues Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Dick Shelby of Alabama and Mike Johanns of Nebraska ? all three had announced their support earlier ? and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

The vote came just hours after Republicans dropped their unprecedented delay of a Pentagon choice and allowed the nomination to move forward on a 71-27 vote.

Hagel, 66, has said he did not ask for the Pentagon job but has embraced the opportunity.

"I will do everything in my power to be the kind of leader that you expect and you deserve, also, the kind of leader the country expects and deserves," the Vietnam combat veteran said in 15 minutes of remarks in which he struck a tone of humility.

A two-term Republican senator from Nebraska, Hagel was introduced to his Pentagon audience by a fellow Nebraskan ? Sgt. 1st Class John Wirth, of Gordon, Neb., an 11-year Army veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq.

Wirth was a reminder that Hagel is one of only a few defense secretaries who served in the military's enlisted ranks. He was an Army sergeant in 1967-68 and was wounded in Vietnam. He served in the Senate from 1997-2009 and more recently was chairman of the Atlantic Council, a prominent think tank in Washington.

With a touch of humor, Hagel alluded to his days in the enlisted ranks, where grunts rarely come in contact with four-star generals like Ray Odierno, the Army's top general, who was among the military brass sitting in Hagel's audience.

"He makes me shake a little, being an old Army sergeant," Hagel said with a chuckle.

Hagel said that after taking the oath of office he spent a few minutes walking through an outdoor memorial to victims of those killed at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. He recalled that he was on Capitol Hill at the moment a hijacked American Airlines jet slammed into the Pentagon not far from the defense secretary's suite, killing 125 people inside the building and all aboard the plane.

He said he "reflected a bit on what happened that day," when nearly 3,000 people were killed in New York City, Washington and in rural Pennsylvania. Quoting the late British leader Winston Churchill, Hagel called the terrorist attack a "jarring gong." It set in motion dynamics "that we are living with today," Hagel said.

Hagel said he felt it important to take time out of his first day as defense secretary to tell the entire workforce that he looks forward to leading in tough times.

"Now I've got to go to work," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Donna Cassata and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-27-Hagel/id-63f43435807a43e7bbfa4f51062b8c8c

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