"I was out of line for calling the woman the 'b' word and I was wrong for that," Lawal told CSN California. "I was kind of mad about the comments, I was offended by the comments made towards me and I was out of line. I was too emotional. I apologize for that. With that being said, I still feel that I was offended, but I'm in the wrong for what I said."
Lawal has not changed his stance on Lundvall's tone towards him. In the end, it does not matter if anyone else but Lawal found her questioning racist, because it was directed at Lawal. Based on his experiences in his life, he found it to be racist and was offended, and he has a right to feel that way. Lashing out against Lundvall with that language wasn't the best move, which is why he apologized.
Apologizing was a smart thing for Lawal to do because he can now move on from this incident. It won't continue to hang over his head as he continues to rehabilitate from knee surgery and a life-threatening staph infection.
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Donovan McNabb was a failure playing for Mike Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan in Washington, and McNabb thinks Robert Griffin III will be a failure in the Shanahans? offense, too. But that won?t be Griffin?s fault.
Asked on ESPN First Take if Griffin is a good fit with the offense the Shanahans run in Washington, McNabb answered, ?No.?
McNabb, who was benched in his only season playing for the Redskins, said that if the Redskins, as expected, take Griffin with the second overall pick in the NFL draft, the father-and-son Shanahan combination will try to force Griffin into their own offensive system, rather than modifying their offense to capitalize on Griffin?s strengths.
?A lot of times ego gets too involved when it comes to being in Washington,? McNabb said.
Where ego comes into play, McNabb said, is that the Shanahans think a quarterback has to fit himself into their offense ? the same offense that Kyle Shanahan ran when he was the Houston Texans? offensive coordinator ? rather than tailoring their offense to accentuate the quarterback?s strengths.
?Here?s a guy coming out who?s very talented, mobile, strong arm, we?ve already heard he?s intelligent, football mind,? McNabb said of Griffin. ?Are you going to cater the offense around his talent, and what he?s able to do, or are you going to bring the Houston offense with Matt Schaub over to him and have him kind of be embedded in that??
McNabb then took a shot at both Mike Shanahan and the other quarterbacks who have played for them, saying that Shanahan hasn?t had success with a quarterback since John Elway in the 1990s.
?We talk so much about Mike Shanahan and the things he was able to do in Denver,? McNabb said. ?Well, I have a couple of names for you that Mike Shanahan ? quarterbacks he?s coached ? and the lack of success that he?s had.?
At that point, McNabb ran down the last decade of quarterbacks Shanahan has coached (although McNabb curiously excluded himself from the list) and proceeded to suggest that the win-loss record proves Shanahan had failed with all of them.
?We had John Beck, who was 0-4,? McNabb said. ?Rex Grossman: 6-11. Jay Cutler, who was his prize possession: 17-20. Jake Plummer, a guy who had success, led them to the AFC Championship against Pittsburgh, as we know, and then benched him the next year, because he wouldn?t do what he wanted him to do. Brian Griese, who was supposed to be the heir apparent to John Elway, hasn?t had a lot of success.?
McNabb then suggested that if Shanahan can?t make the offense work with Griffin, Shanahan could be fired at the end of the season.
?I don?t think it?s a good fit,? McNabb said. ?If this doesn?t work this year, if we don?t see a splash like a Cam Newton splash, this could be it. . . . How long does he have with RG3? The seat is hot right now.?
McNabb compared his own talents to Griffin?s talents, and McNabb indicated that Shanahan doesn?t know how to use a quarterback with those talents.
?I was misused,? McNabb said. ?Absolutely, I was misused.?
Batman and Spider-Man had better watch their backs ? these potential hits are ready to steal away audiences.
With ?The Hunger Games? having just enjoyed one of the biggest opening weekends ever (it pulled in a whopping $155 million domestically), Hollywood proved that tentpole films don?t have to be released in the summer. But that doesn?t mean the warmer seasons aren?t still the chief sources for soon-to-be blockbusters ? the usual mega-budget genre fare and effects extravaganzas. This spring and summer will see the releases of ?The Avengers,? ?Men in Black III,? ?Prometheus,? ?The Amazing Spider-Man,? and ?The Dark Knight Rises,? to name a few.
But what about the underdogs? For every Batman installment, there?s a modestly budgeted dramedy ready to court its own audience. The buzz-builders of 2011 included ?Midnight in Paris? and ?Bridesmaids.? Here?s what could follow suit in ?12:
?
High School
(April 20)
Never underestimate a good stoner comedy. ?High School? is the feature debut of filmmaker John Stalberg, Jr., and it features Adrien Brody as Psycho Ed, an extreme pothead who, in aiding a high school valedictorian, strives to intoxicate every student. Early buzz out of Sundance is overwhelmingly positive, and the film could prove to have crossover between critics and the key demographic of young men.
LOL
(May 4)
A remake of a ?08 French film, ?LOL? promises to be an ultra-contemporary coming-of-age flick, with Miley Cyrus sowing her oats as a young girl coping with break-ups and mommy issues. Squarely targeted at the texting generation, the film also stars ?Twilight? alum Ashley Greene, and it?s backed by new ?Hunger Games? super-studio, Lionsgate. If nothing else, fans will want to catch Cyrus behaving badly, in the film that cut pot-smoking scenes after related video of the starlet circulated two years back.
The Dictator
(May 11)
The third film from cha-meleonic provocateur Sacha Baron Cohen, ?The Dictator? is reportedly inspired by Saddam Hussein?s novel ?Zabibah and the King,? and features Baron Cohen as Admiral General Aladeen, a leader ?heroically? saving his people from democracy. Directed by ?Borat? and ?Br?no? helmer Larry Charles, ?The Dictator? offers another edition of its star?s gonzo, subversive brand, and its political nature may just push the right box office buttons.
Bachelorette
(June 1)
?
Following in the footsteps of ?Bridesmaids? is ?Bachelorette,? another wedding-themed femme comedy about three mean girls (Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher and Lizzy Caplan) taking on wedding-party duties for the engaged frenemy (Rebel Wilson) they tortured in high school. Written and directed by Leslye Headland and produced by Will Ferrell, the vicious indie is bound to thrive on word of mouth.
Bel Ami
(June 8)
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TheDude said...
Mandy Moore is pretty smokin. I wish I was cool enough to date her. Does anybody know how I can get her number?
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ZURICH (AP) ? FIFA's executive committee has met Brazil's replacements for former soccer leader Ricardo Teixeira at a session of the governing body's committee overseeing the 2014 World Cup.
FIFA says Marco Polo del Nero, newly appointed to the executive panel, and Jose Maria Marin, now chairman of the 2014 local organizing team, attended the meeting Wednesday in Zurich.
Del Nero and Marin have taken positions vacated by Teixeira this month.
Teixeira resigned citing unspecified health and personal reasons, though he has also faced unproven allegations of financial wrongdoing.
FIFA's full 2014 committee met for the first time, two weeks after FIFA President Sepp Blatter had talks in Brazil with state president Dilma Rousseff to mend a rift between the two sides.
An Israeli pharma company is testing an advanced compound that blocks a tumor's blood supply. Used with standard chemo, it obliterates the growth. Tiltan COO Dan Goldstaub, PhD.
Last year, about 44,000 Americans were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a notoriously resistant cancer to treat and the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death for men and women.
The prognosis for these patients could improve drastically if a compound developed by Israel's Tiltan Pharma continues to succeed in clinical trials.
The compound, dubbed TL-118, comes from the labs of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It's now undergoing its second phase of tests after proving effective against pancreatic tumors first in mice and then in more than 100 humans.
Chief operating officer Dan Goldstaub explains that the company's approach is based on a relatively new understanding of how cancerous tumors grow. Through an abnormal process called angiogenesis, the tumors "recruit" blood vessels from neighboring tissue. Anti-angiogenic therapy is a revolutionary approach aimed at disrupting this process by blocking the tumor's blood supply.
"Theoretically, we can treat all solid tumors this way," Goldstaub tells ISRAEL21c. "However, some tumors are more susceptible to angiogenesis inhibition, and each tumor uses different mechanisms of angiogenesis." Several other drug developers have developed anti-angiogenic agents that block a single biological pathway. Tiltan's approach is more aggressive. "Our product inhibits four different pathways, so even if we achieve mild inhibition on each pathway, the cumulative effect is broader," says Goldstaub.
This breakthrough came out of a decade of research by Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School Prof. Muli Ben-Sasson, scientific founder of Tiltan Pharma. Ben-Sasson worked for years with Judah Folkman, the Harvard professor who discovered the process of tumor angiogenesis.
"Dr. Ben-Sasson realized years ago what we now know for certain: that angiogenesis is too complex a mechanism to disrupt with a single agent," says Goldstaub, "so he came up with the idea of taking a few agents and combining them together. He looked for components of the angiogenic process and searched for drugs already approved for other indications that might inhibit those mechanisms."
After many attempts, Ben-Sasson hit upon the winning formula for TL-118. Based on preliminary results in animals and humans, Tiltan Pharma decided to test it specifically on people with pancreatic and prostate cancer.
Works together with standard chemo
In pre-clinical trials, TL-118 inhibited tumor growth significantly, compared to the standard-of-care chemotherapy. When it was combined with chemotherapy, it really packed a punch, abolishing the tumors completely in all treated animals.
The Phase 2 study in three Israeli oncology centers will follow the same model. Forty patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer not yet treated by chemotherapy will get the standard chemo. Forty others will have TL-118 added to their regimen as once-daily oral solution.
"We don't want to deprive patients of their chemotherapy, yet we do need to have a control for comparison, to show that we are better than the standard of care," says Goldstaub.
Trials have already begun at Hadassah Medical Center and at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. Other sites will be added as more participants are recruited. At the same time, about 50 prostate cancer patients are also involved in Phase 2 TL-118 trials in Israel.
The US Food and Drug Administration has given its approval for Tiltan to test TL-118 in the United States, and the compound may also be tested in Eastern Europe soon. This will happen "when we complete another round of investment," says Goldstaub, a molecular geneticist who previously headed clinical programs for Teva Pharmaceuticals' Innovative R&D Division.
The small biotechnology company is located on the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University and is jointly owned by Yissum, the university's technology transfer company; its entrepreneurs; and Israeli and Canadian investors. Tiltan's research and development team includes pharmacists, pharmacologists, CMC (chemistry, manufacturing, and control) specialists and a clinical research associate.
Tiltan Pharma will be one of the portfolio companies of Integra Holdings, now being formed by Yissum. As Goldstaub explains "The holding company allows for financing Yissum's daughter companies and [simultaneously] allows investors to invest in a whole basket of development companies."
Georgetown M.D./Ph.D. student awarded international recognition for cancer researchPublic release date: 27-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karen Mallet km463@georgetown.edu Georgetown University Medical Center
WASHINGTON -- David A. Solomon, who will graduate from Georgetown University School of Medicine this year with M.D. and Ph.D. degrees, has been designated one of four outstanding early-career scientists by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) -- a highly prestigious honor. Solomon will present his work at a special symposium, Future Leaders in Basic Cancer Research, on April 2nd at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 in Chicago.
The four honorees were nominated by their institutions and were chosen by AACR through a competitive and stringent review process. They will speak before an audience of potentially thousands of researchers and physicians who attend the meeting from around the world. This year, more than 17,000 are expected to attend the meeting.
The four scientists were chosen for work that "reflects innovation, scientific independence, motivation, and creativity," according to AACR.
Solomon, who will speak about his search for new cancer genes and new treatments, is the only student and the only American selected. He is also the first person from Georgetown University to receive this award. He has already had numerous research studies published, including one he authored in the journal Science.
Two of the other awardees are postdoctoral researchers who have been doing research fulltime, one from the University of Toronto, and the other from the London Research Institute, of Cancer Research UK. The fourth winner is a clinical fellow at Technische Universitt Mnchen in Germany.
"These outstanding young investigators are among those who represent the future of basic science in cancer," says Margaret Foti, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the AACR. "It is a pleasure to see these scientists recognized, as our future accomplishments in the cancer field will depend on the innovation and passion of our talented early-career scientists to conduct excellent research, and discover and develop cutting-edge preventive and treatment strategies against this disease."
Solomon attended the College of William and Mary, graduating with majors of Chemistry and Molecular Biology. He worked two years as a research assistant at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, studying regulation of cell growth by the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor, before entering the MD/PhD program at Georgetown in 2004. He is in his 8th and final year of the program.
He completed his PhD in 2010 in the Tumor Biology Training Program, in the lab of Todd Waldman, M.D., Ph.D., and researching ways to target and treat glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer.
"David's contributions to the field of molecular biology already have been notable," says Waldman. "He is passionate about science and fearless in his approach. Add his remarkable intelligence and strong work ethic, and it is easy to see the potential of this young scientist to be a 'future leader.'"
Solomon's research has focused on the identification of new cancer genes in human tumor samples and the translation of these findings into new-targeted therapies. His work has led to the identification of CDKN2C and PTPRD as important tumor suppressor genes in glioblastoma multiforme as well as advancement of the small molecule cdk4/6 inhibitor PD-0332991 into a clinical trial in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. He recently discovered recurrent somatic mutations of the STAG2 gene in multiple human tumor types and found that STAG2 inactivation is a genetic cause of aneuploidy in human cancer.
This work includes a first-author paper in the journal Science, five first-author papers in the journal Cancer Research, and several additional co-author publications in journals including Clinical Cancer Research, Oncotarget, and Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Solomon continues to actively pursue his research in addition to working at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital full-time in order to complete his remaining clinical clerkships required to receive his M.D. degree this May. His ongoing research has demonstrated that the STAG2 gene is genetically inactivated by mutation at high frequency in an additional common tumor type and is significantly correlated with lymph node invasion, cancer recurrence after surgical resection, and decreased survival. Solomon says this research is currently being prepared for publication and may result in STAG2 being used as a prognostic biomarker in human tumors in the near future.
In July, Solomon plans to start a two-year residency program in Surgical Pathology followed by a two-year Neuropathology Fellowship at the University of California San Francisco. "I hope to also continue to make strides in cancer research," he says. "I am very interested in the future of molecular diagnostics for cancer pathology and the prospect of personalized targeted therapeutics based on the genetic profile of individual tumor specimens."
###
About Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Georgetown University Medical Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, seeks to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer through innovative basic and clinical research, patient care, community education and outreach, and the training of cancer specialists of the future. Georgetown Lombardi is one of only 40 comprehensive cancer centers in the nation, as designated by the National Cancer Institute, and the only one in the Washington, DC, area. For more information, go to http://lombardi.georgetown.edu.
About Georgetown University Medical Center
Georgetown University Medical Center is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through MedStar Health). GUMC's mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing & Health Studies, both nationally ranked; Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute; and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization (BGRO), which accounts for the majority of externally funded research at GUMC including a Clinical Translation and Science Award from the National Institutes of Health. In fiscal year 2010-11, GUMC accounted for 85 percent of the university's sponsored research funding.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Georgetown M.D./Ph.D. student awarded international recognition for cancer researchPublic release date: 27-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karen Mallet km463@georgetown.edu Georgetown University Medical Center
WASHINGTON -- David A. Solomon, who will graduate from Georgetown University School of Medicine this year with M.D. and Ph.D. degrees, has been designated one of four outstanding early-career scientists by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) -- a highly prestigious honor. Solomon will present his work at a special symposium, Future Leaders in Basic Cancer Research, on April 2nd at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 in Chicago.
The four honorees were nominated by their institutions and were chosen by AACR through a competitive and stringent review process. They will speak before an audience of potentially thousands of researchers and physicians who attend the meeting from around the world. This year, more than 17,000 are expected to attend the meeting.
The four scientists were chosen for work that "reflects innovation, scientific independence, motivation, and creativity," according to AACR.
Solomon, who will speak about his search for new cancer genes and new treatments, is the only student and the only American selected. He is also the first person from Georgetown University to receive this award. He has already had numerous research studies published, including one he authored in the journal Science.
Two of the other awardees are postdoctoral researchers who have been doing research fulltime, one from the University of Toronto, and the other from the London Research Institute, of Cancer Research UK. The fourth winner is a clinical fellow at Technische Universitt Mnchen in Germany.
"These outstanding young investigators are among those who represent the future of basic science in cancer," says Margaret Foti, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the AACR. "It is a pleasure to see these scientists recognized, as our future accomplishments in the cancer field will depend on the innovation and passion of our talented early-career scientists to conduct excellent research, and discover and develop cutting-edge preventive and treatment strategies against this disease."
Solomon attended the College of William and Mary, graduating with majors of Chemistry and Molecular Biology. He worked two years as a research assistant at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, studying regulation of cell growth by the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor, before entering the MD/PhD program at Georgetown in 2004. He is in his 8th and final year of the program.
He completed his PhD in 2010 in the Tumor Biology Training Program, in the lab of Todd Waldman, M.D., Ph.D., and researching ways to target and treat glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer.
"David's contributions to the field of molecular biology already have been notable," says Waldman. "He is passionate about science and fearless in his approach. Add his remarkable intelligence and strong work ethic, and it is easy to see the potential of this young scientist to be a 'future leader.'"
Solomon's research has focused on the identification of new cancer genes in human tumor samples and the translation of these findings into new-targeted therapies. His work has led to the identification of CDKN2C and PTPRD as important tumor suppressor genes in glioblastoma multiforme as well as advancement of the small molecule cdk4/6 inhibitor PD-0332991 into a clinical trial in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. He recently discovered recurrent somatic mutations of the STAG2 gene in multiple human tumor types and found that STAG2 inactivation is a genetic cause of aneuploidy in human cancer.
This work includes a first-author paper in the journal Science, five first-author papers in the journal Cancer Research, and several additional co-author publications in journals including Clinical Cancer Research, Oncotarget, and Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Solomon continues to actively pursue his research in addition to working at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital full-time in order to complete his remaining clinical clerkships required to receive his M.D. degree this May. His ongoing research has demonstrated that the STAG2 gene is genetically inactivated by mutation at high frequency in an additional common tumor type and is significantly correlated with lymph node invasion, cancer recurrence after surgical resection, and decreased survival. Solomon says this research is currently being prepared for publication and may result in STAG2 being used as a prognostic biomarker in human tumors in the near future.
In July, Solomon plans to start a two-year residency program in Surgical Pathology followed by a two-year Neuropathology Fellowship at the University of California San Francisco. "I hope to also continue to make strides in cancer research," he says. "I am very interested in the future of molecular diagnostics for cancer pathology and the prospect of personalized targeted therapeutics based on the genetic profile of individual tumor specimens."
###
About Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Georgetown University Medical Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, seeks to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer through innovative basic and clinical research, patient care, community education and outreach, and the training of cancer specialists of the future. Georgetown Lombardi is one of only 40 comprehensive cancer centers in the nation, as designated by the National Cancer Institute, and the only one in the Washington, DC, area. For more information, go to http://lombardi.georgetown.edu.
About Georgetown University Medical Center
Georgetown University Medical Center is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through MedStar Health). GUMC's mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing & Health Studies, both nationally ranked; Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute; and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization (BGRO), which accounts for the majority of externally funded research at GUMC including a Clinical Translation and Science Award from the National Institutes of Health. In fiscal year 2010-11, GUMC accounted for 85 percent of the university's sponsored research funding.
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Saturday it will hold a special parliamentary session next month during which the reclusive country's new young leader, Kim Jong-un, is expected to be given a top title aimed at consolidating his grip on power.
The North has planned a series of events next month to mark the centenary of the birth of the state's founder, Kim Il-sung, including a rare ruling party conference and the controversial launch of a ballistic rocket it says will carry a satellite.
Experts say the young Kim, believed to be in his mid to late 20s, could be given two of the countries' senior most titles during the celebrations -- secretary general of the party and chairman of the defense commission.
The North's state media said on Saturday the Supreme People's Assembly, which has the formal mandate to appoint the chief of the National Defence Commission, the state's supreme military body, would meet on April 13.
The Workers' Party conference is also scheduled for the middle of next month.
The young Kim's appointment to the top posts would cement his position as paramount leader and ease lingering fears of a power struggle plunging the country into turmoil.
Kim took power after his father died in December and many analysts had feared a chaotic succession.
The young Kim only holds a military post in the ruling party. His father was chief commander of the 1.2 million-strong armed forces and general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.
ROCKET LAUNCH WARNING
The United States has warned that the North's rocket launch next month will impact an area between Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines, an Australian newspaper reported on Saturday.
The Sydney Morning Herald said that U.S. envoy Kurt Campbell on Friday briefed Australia's Foreign Minister Bob Carr on the ballistic missile's southward trajectory from a North Korean launch pad.
"If the missile test proceeds as North Korea has indicated, our judgment is that it will impact in an area roughly between Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines," the paper quoted Campbell, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, as saying.
"We have never seen this trajectory before. We have weighed into each of these countries and asked them to make clear that such a test is provocative and this plan should be discontinued."
The North has said the rocket's trajectory will be southwards and that will not impact neighboring countries.
North Korea wants to use the celebrations around Kim Il-sung's birthday on April 15 to showcase its emergence as a "strong and prosperous nation", even as millions go hungry and it begs for international aid.
Its vow to fire a rocket carrying a working satellite has put in jeopardy a deal struck in February with the United States to get food aid in return for a moratorium on long-range missile and nuclear tests.
The North's Foreign Ministry warned that it was "intolerable double standards" for some countries to assert that the North was the only nation not allowed to launch satellites while for the same countries, satellite launches were commonplace.
"If there will be any sinister attempt to deprive the (North) of its independent and legitimate right and put the unreasonable double standards upon it, this will inevitably compel the (North) to take countermeasures," the ministry said in a statement late on Friday.
PHILIPPINES ON ALERT
An Australian foreign ministry official told Reuters Canberra has expressed concern about the flight path which "suggest a southerly trajectory for the missile, with booster rockets landing in the Yellow Sea and off the coast of the Philippines".
Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said this week the North's launch was "unacceptable", and that it was relying on U.S. help to track it. Indonesia has also condemned it.
North Korea has conducted two similar launches. The last one, in 2009, provoked outrage in Tokyo because the rocket flew over Japan. As it did three years ago, Japan says it is prepared to shoot the rocket down if it threatens its territory.
The rocket launch, which the United States and other countries say is the same as a ballistic missile test, is banned under U.N. resolutions.
Even China, North Korea's main ally, has expressed its worry over the launch, scheduled for between April 12 and April 16, and has urged the North to "stay calm and exercise restraint and avoid escalation".
The secretive North has twice tested a nuclear device, but experts doubt whether it yet has the ability to miniaturize an atomic bomb to fit inside a warhead.
The North's rocket launch is expected to be one of main issues up for discussion when about 50 world leaders gather in Seoul on Monday for Nuclear Security Summit. Among those attending are China's president, Hu Jintao, and U.S. President Barack Obama.
(Additonal reporting by Manila, Canberra and Jakarta bureaus; Editing by Jack Kim and Robert Birsel)
Top news coming in to San Francisco today is about the bodies that have been found in San Francisco, near the City College.
News is that five bodies had been found in the house and there are 3 women and 2 men in those five.? The house is said to be located just across from San Francisco's City College in the Ingleside District.
"Well I hope they find out quickly what happened.? Although they say nobody else is at risk, it's still worrying for those who go to school at City College or those who live in the area," says San Francisco resident, Carol Atwood.
According to local San Francisco news station, ABC 7 News, the SF chief of police, Greg Suhr, said the public is not in danger.
The police have not said why this is the case and they have not said if the person who shot all five of the victims is himself or herself one of those who died. All the five victims were of Asian descent and it's believed they all resided in the home.
The bodies were discovered by a woman who entered the house early this morning. She left immediately and called the police.
"I want to assure the public that we don't believe we have anybody at large that is going to be doing random acts. We believe that this act was specific to this residence," said Suhr.
ScienceDaily (Mar. 23, 2012) ? At the heart of the immune system that protects our bodies from disease and foreign invaders is a vast and complex communications network involving millions of cells, sending and receiving chemical signals that can mean life or death. At the heart of this vast cellular signaling network are interactions between billions of proteins and other biomolecules. These interactions, in turn, are greatly influenced by the spatial patterning of signaling and receptor molecules. The ability to observe signaling spatial patterns in the immune and other cellular systems as they evolve, and to study the impact on molecular interactions and, ultimately, cellular communication, would be a critical tool in the fight against immunological and other disorders that lead to a broad range of health problems including cancer. Such a tool is now at hand.
Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley, have developed the first practical application of optical nanoantennas in cell membrane biology. A scientific team led by chemist Jay Groves has developed a technique for lacing artificial lipid membranes with billions of gold "bowtie" nanoantennas. Through the phenomenon known as "plasmonics," these nanoantennas can boost the intensity of a fluorescent or Raman optical signal from a protein passing through a plasmonic "hot-spot" tens of thousands of times without the protein ever being touched.
"Our technique is minimally invasive since enhancement of optical signals is achieved without requiring the molecules to directly interact with the nanoantenna," Groves says. "This is an important improvement over methods that rely on adsorption of molecules directly onto antennas where their structure, orientation, and behavior can all be altered."
Groves holds joint appointments with Berkeley Lab's Physical Biosciences Division and UC Berkeley's Chemistry Department, and is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. He is the corresponding author of a paper that reports these results in the journal NanoLetters. The paper is titled "Single Molecule Tracking on Supported Membranes with Arrays of Optical Nanoantennas." Co-authoring the paper were Theo Lohmuller, Lars Iversen, Mark Schmidt, Christopher Rhodes, Hsiung-Lin Tu and Wan-Chen Lin.
Fluorescent emissions, in which biomolecules of interest are tagged with dyes that fluoresce when stimulated by light, and Raman spectroscopy, in which the scattering of light by molecular vibrations is used to identify and locate biomolecules, are work-horse optical imaging techniques whose value has been further enhanced by the emergence of plasmonics. In plasmonics, light waves are squeezed into areas with dimensions smaller than half-the-wavelength of the incident photons, making it possible to apply optical imaging techniques to nanoscale objects such as biomolecules. Nano-sized gold particles in the shape of triangles that are paired in a tip-to-tip formation, like a bow-tie, can serve as optical antennas, capturing and concentrating light waves into well-defined hot spots, where the plasmonic effect is greatly amplified. Although the concept is well-established, applying it to biomolecular studies has been a challenge because gold particle arrays must be fabricated with well-defined nanometer spacing, and molecules of interest must be delivered to plasmonic hot-spots.
"We're able to fabricate billions of gold nanoantennas in an artificial membrane through a combination of colloid lithography and plasma processing," Groves says. "Controlled spacing of the nanoantenna gaps is achieved by taking advantage of the fact that polystyrene particles melt together at their contact point during plasma processing. The result is well-defined spacing between each pair of gold triangles in the final array with a tip-to-tip distance between neighboring gold nanotriangles measuring in the 5-to-100 nanometer range."
Until now, Groves says, it has not been possible to decouple the size of the gold nanotriangles, which determines their surface plasmon resonance frequency, from the tip-to-tip distance between the individual nanoparticle features, which is responsible for enhancing the plasmonic effect. With their colloidal lithography approach, a self-assembling hexagonal monolayer of polymer spheres is used to shadow mask a substrate for subsequent deposition of the gold nanoparticles. When the colloidal mask is removed, what remains are large arrays of gold nanoparticles and triangles over which the artificial membrane can be formed.
The unique artificial membranes, which Groves and his research group developed earlier, are another key to the success of this latest achievement. Made from a fluid bilayer of lipid molecules, these membranes are the first biological platforms that can combine fixed nanopatterning with the mobility of fluid bilayers. They provide an unprecedented capability for the study of how the spatial patterns of chemical and physical properties on membrane surfaces influence the behavior of cells.
"When we embed our artificial membranes with gold nanoantennas we can trace the trajectories of freely diffusing individual proteins as they sequentially pass through and are enhanced by the multiple gaps between the triangles," Groves says. "This allows us to study a realistic system, like a cell, which can involve billions of molecules, without the static entrapment of the molecules."
As molecules in living cells are generally in a state of perpetual motion, it is often their movement and interactions with other molecules rather than static positions that determine their functions within the cell. Groves says that any technique requiring direct adsorption of a molecule of interest onto a nanoantenna intrinsically removes that molecule from the functioning ensemble that is the essence of its natural behavior. The technique he and his co-authors have developed allows them to look at individual biomolecules but within the context of their surrounding community.
"The idea that optical nanoantennas can produce the kinds of enhanced signals we are observing has been known for years but this is the first time that nanoantennas have been fabricated into a fluid membrane so that we can observe every molecule in the system as it passes through the antenna array," Groves says. "This is more than a proof-of-concept we've shown that we now have a useful new tool to add to our repertoire."
This research was primarily supported by the DOE Office of Science.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
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Journal Reference:
T. Lohm?ller, L. Iversen, M. Schmidt, C. Rhodes, H.-L. Tu, W.-C. Lin, J. T. Groves. Single Molecule Tracking on Supported Membranes with Arrays of Optical Nanoantennas. Nano Letters, 2012; 12 (3): 1717 DOI: 10.1021/nl300294b
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.
PITTSBURGH - A southeastern Pennsylvania church subjected members of a youth group to a mock kidnapping and interrogations without telling them it was staged, and the outraged mother of one 14-year-old girl has filed a complaint with police.
The pastor of the Glad Tidings Assembly of God in Middletown said the church is "so saddened" that the girl was traumatized at the Wednesday evening youth meeting.
But the pastor, John Lanza, said Friday there have been emails of support from other students at the church, about 10 miles southeast of Harrisburg, because the intent was to prepare them for what they might encounter as missionaries. He didn't disclose the names of those involved but said the mock kidnappers included an off-duty police officer and a retired Army captain.
"It was a youth event, to illustrate what others have encountered on a regular basis," he said, adding that the focus of the lesson was "the persecuted church" in other countries.
Lanza said there were about 17 students at the meeting and the mock kidnappers covered the students' heads, put them in a van and interrogated them. Neither the students nor their parents were told about the raid beforehand, he said, though it was discussed with the parents of one youth who might have health issues.
TV station WHTM interviewed the girl who complained.
"They pulled my chair out from underneath me, and then they told me to get on the ground," she told the station. "I had my hands behind my back. They said, `Just do as I say, and you won't be hurt.'"
The girl said the teens were taken to the pastor's house, where it appeared he was being assaulted. Eventually, she said, the adults in charge revealed it was a staged event.
"They heard me crying," the girl said. "Why not right then and there tell us it was a joke, when you see me crying?"
Lanza said the church has conducted similar events at least twice before, adding that "there was much thought given to the safety aspect."
"If anyone was ever uncomfortable, they would be removed" from the exercise, Lanza said, though part of the idea was to shock the students with the experience.
Lower Swatara Township police Chief Richard Wiley declined to comment until an investigation into the raid is complete. The names of the mother and daughter who complained haven't been made public.
There could be consequences if the teens didn't know what was going to happen and didn't agree to be a part of the event, Dauphin County First Deputy District Attorney Fran Chardo said.
"It's extremely disturbing," Chardo told WHTM.
Tom Copeland, who studies international affairs and terrorism at Geneva College, a Beaver Falls school that emphasizes a "Christian worldview," questioned the wisdom of submitting a youth group to a mock kidnapping.
"It just seems inappropriate for that age group. You would think there would be permission from the parents," Copeland said, adding that he's never heard of anything like that happening at a church.
He said that while there have been highly publicized episodes of violence directed against Christian missionaries in other countries, it seems those countries' local religious groups are more at risk.
One security expert said role-playing training is sometimes conducted "at the quasi-military level" for groups that are going to work in war zones.
Daniel Karson, chairman of business intelligence and investigations at Kroll, a worldwide risk consulting company with headquarters in New York, said the idea of conflict zone training "is to acclimate someone to a possible situation that might arise." The training might involve everything from what items they should take to the country to a review of who they're meeting and security conditions there, he said.
Lanza said members of the church have made numerous mission trips overseas and have learned to be cautious. He said they were planning a trip to Mexico but reviewed current news and advisories and decided it was unsafe.
Lanza said he "would love to" apologize to the girl and her mother but feels he can't until the police investigation is done. He said the church wants to keep doing the program but would make changes.
"I would find a way that we could continue to keep the shock value," he said, "but I would find a way to inform the parents (beforehand)."
'Unfortunately, she's the closest to breaking my record for the last 10 years,' singer says of Adele catching up with his chart record. By Jocelyn Vena
Usher and Adele Photo: Getty Images
Usher has a confession to make. He really loves Adele, even if she's threatening his position as an album-sales record holder.
"If I have to confess, I have to confess that I have told a few people not to go and buy Adele's album because I don't want her to go and break my record," he joked to Capital FM in the U.K. The 21 singer's record-setting album has come close to beating the record held by his own album Confessions for most albums sold in one year.
"No, actually, I love her. Unfortunately, she's the closest to breaking my record for the last 10 years. So now, guys, don't go and buy that album right now."
But if he can't beat her, he'll join her. He hinted in the same interview that he would love the chance to collaborate with the broken-hearted songstress. "I think the world deserves an Usher and Adele record," he said. "That's what I think."
Well, Usher will get his chance to prove his chart dominance once again when he drops his new album later this year. He's currently out promoting its lead single, the sexy, sultry, Diplo-produced "Climax."
The singer released a video for the track earlier this month. The sexy clip follows two lovers engaged in a hot, steamy love affair. Usher wrestles with the ramifications of their relationship, pondering it all in his car, with a gun not far away.
Leading to the video's climax, Usher watches his lady with her other man, then runs in the house, fires off his gun and runs away. Viewers are left wondering if it was nothing more than a daydream as the video ends with the singer once again sitting in his car, still reflecting, as he pulls away from the supposed crime scene.
Woody Harrelson is no stranger to eccentric characters; he's played serial killers, pornographers, vigilante superheroes, and stoic zombie hunters. In The Hunger Games, he's Haymitch Abernathy, an alcoholic former Hunger Games winner who mentors two young participants in the fine art of gladiatorial survival. In an interview with RT, the Oscar-nominated actor shared his favorite movies, and discussed his aversion to movie franchises and hi-jinks on the set of Hunger Games.
Probably my favorite is Cool Hand Luke. That's kind of been my favorite for a while. I just love that movie.
It's funny because Josh Hutcherson also said Cool Hand Luke is one of his favorites.
Oh, he did? Yeah, I think he's got good taste.
And then, probably Harold and Maude. I just think it's this beautiful, complex love story between this kid and a much older lady. Just the performances, the direction... I don't know, definitely one of the great movies. It's wonderful, funny, emotional.
Then The Graduate. It's just one of the greatest comedies of all time. The way Dustin Hoffman is... You know, I guess that was his first big break and he just blew me away when I first saw that. Extraordinary performance, and you know, Mike Nichols. Just amazing, the way it's shot; it's just absolutely beautiful. And also, an incredible, quirky kind of love story.
And then I love The Lives of Others. That's just a powerful, riveting movie.
And I'd put One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest on the list. I think it's one of the great performances of Jack Nicholson. And also, kind of being up against the system, and trying to fight the system, the power structures that exist around him, and his fight for integrity and to bring some positivity to the other... I guess you'd call them inmates, in a sense, in the loony bin. I mean, to me, it's just some of the best acting and some of the most inspiring -- you know, with Milos Forman at the helm -- one of the most inspiring stories.
Next, Harelson talks about hijinks on the set and his aversion to movie franchises.
We?ve all been subjected to the trials of helping friends in relationships that are not stable. We have all coached friends through the lonely first few days of singledom, only to see them run straight back to their former partner when the chance comes around.
While I have been that friend, I have also been the sad, confused soul curled up in bed because of another break-up with the same person.
Research done by Amber Vennum, assistant professor of family studies and human services, shows that this is not an uncommon form of dating. According to the research, about 40 percent of people in college are currently in a cyclical relationship.
?As researchers, we feel that is a decently large number simply because we didn?t realize that people were doing this as frequently as they were,? Vennum said.
The common reference to cyclical relationship is ?on-again, off-again.? The parameters for defining a cyclical relationship are more simplistic than people think.
?At this point, the definition that we have been using and researchers have been using is that they break up and get back together at least once with no further parameters on that,? said Vennum.
One time is all it takes to become another member of the cyclical relationship club. But Vennum did say that the average people in cyclical relationships break up two to three times.
Alexandra Chaffin, junior in human resources management, said that breaking up once is normal but thinks the time frame in which the break-ups happen is important.
?If you break up once and get back together, I think that is normal for everyone to have a little fight. It depends on how often, too. If you break up three times in a month, that?s a little different than three times in 15 years,? Chaffin said.
Part of Vennum?s research focuses on what brings about break-ups in early romantic relationships.
?One of the related concepts to this is sliding through relationship transitions. Which means you are just not considering the implications of them and making a decision based on that,? Vennum said.
In her research, Vennum cites Scott Stanley, Galena Rhoades and Howard Markman?s relationship model which finds, ?sliding through relationship transitions creates risk for future relationship distress by increasing constraints in the relationship without necessarily increasing partners? dedication to one another.?
Relationships are often affected by sliding.
?Partners who had been cyclical prior to marriage entered marriage in a state of lower relationship quality than those who had not had that previous history of instability. They were more likely to experience trial separation during the first three years,? Vennum said.
Tracy Orchester, licensed psychologist in Missouri and Kansas, said that cyclical relationships can feel like a roller coaster.
?When you find yourself back in the same boat you jumped, or were pushed out of again and again, it may mean that you are repeating a pattern that is ultimately dissatisfying to one or both partners,? Orchester said.
When I see my friends struggle with cyclical relationships, I can?t help but think about their health. Orchester said that for most people, living a balanced life and trying to stay away from extremes is important.
Orchester?s advice is simple.
?Sometimes making a positive change feels like bungee jumping. If you stay too long on the platform thinking about it you will psych yourself out. If you want to improve the relationship, it?s important to talk about it,? Orchester said.
Orchester also said that it is important for people in relationships to remember that you can not be responsible for the other person?s behavior.
?You can?t change your partner, but you can ask for change,? Orchester said.
Caroline Sweeney is a senior in English. Please send all comments to edge@kstatecollegian.com.
BANGKOK (AP) ? Asian stock markets were muted Thursday after mixed U.S. housing data and a subdued day on Wall Street kept investors on the sidelines
Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.4 percent to 10,126.71 as its battered export sector clawed back gains. Hong Kong's benchmark struggled for direction. After a higher open, the Hang Seng fell 0.1 percent to 20,832.82.
South Korea's Kospi lost 0.2 percent to 2,022.35. Financial companies helped lead Australia's S&P/ASX 200 into positive territory with a gain of 0.4 percent to 4,269.40.
Benchmarks in New Zealand, Malaysia and Taiwan also rose. Mainland China and Singapore fell.
On Wednesday in the U.S., the National Association of Realtors released a mixed report about the state of the housing market. Sales of previously occupied homes dipped last month, but the sales pace for the winter was the best in five years, NAR said.
Housing has been dragging on the economic recovery. An oversupply of homes has weakened construction and other trades in many parts of the country.
Wall Street reacted with caution. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 0.4 percent to 13,124.62. The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed down 0.2 percent at 1,402.89. The Nasdaq composite average closed up marginally at 3,075.32.
Other important data due out of the U.S. this week includes weekly jobless claims and the release of leading indicators by the Conference Board in Washington. On the corporate side, both FedEx Corp. and Nike Inc. will report quarterly financial results.
Benchmark oil for May delivery was down 19 cents to $107.08 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.20 to finish at $107.27 per barrel in New York.
In currencies, the euro rose to $1.3242 from $1.3204 late Tuesday in New York. The dollar fell to 83.26 yen from 83.47 yen.
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This product photo provided by United Online Inc., shows the NetZero 4G HotSpot. The NetZero 4G HotSpot simultaneously supports up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices, including tablets and smartphones, within a 150-foot range, which means families, friends and co-workers can tap the service without being tethered. AP Photo/United Online Inc.)
This product photo provided by United Online Inc., shows the NetZero 4G HotSpot. The NetZero 4G HotSpot simultaneously supports up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices, including tablets and smartphones, within a 150-foot range, which means families, friends and co-workers can tap the service without being tethered. AP Photo/United Online Inc.)
This product photo provided by United Online Inc., shows the NetZero 4G Stick. The NetZero 4G Stick supports one a single laptop or netbook through via USB. (AP Photo/United Online Inc.)
NEW YORK (AP) ? It's like the '90s never left: Billy Crystal hosted the Oscars. Internet IPOs are back. And NetZero is returning with free Internet service ?only this time it's wireless.
United Online Inc. announced Monday that it will offer free wireless Internet service under its NetZero brand, the one that started the free dial-up phenomenon in 1998. The company is backing up the plan with TV, print and online advertisements.
There are plenty of catches with the free plan. United Online isn't offsetting its costs by making users look at advertising, as it did with its original offer of free dial-up Internet access. The "free" users will be money-losers for the company, United Online Chairman and CEO Mark Goldston said. That means United Online is using the free plan as a way to lure customers with the hope of upselling them to paying plans, which start at $9.95 per month.
To take advantage of the offer, consumers will need to buy a $50 antenna stick that plugs into a laptop, or a $100 "mobile hotspot" that allows any Wi-Fi equipped device to connect to the Internet. United Online will be selling the devices on the NetZero website.
The free accounts are limited to 200 megabytes of data per month? enough for some email and Web surfing, but little else. Half an hour of full-screen streamed video will eat up the whole month's allotment. By comparison, AT&T Inc.'s cheapest wireless data plan costs $14.95 per month for slightly more data ? 250 megabytes per month ? but that plan is only available for tablets with built-in cellular modems.
When the monthly traffic allotment is exhausted, NetZero cuts off Internet access until the start of the next month, and users are prompted to upgrade to the paid plan.
NetZero will only let users ride free for a year. If they switch to a paid plan, they won't be able switch back to the free one.
The $9.95 plan will provide 500 megabytes of traffic for a month. For $50 per month, subscribers get 4 gigabytes of data per month. That's enough for some video watching, but not enough to replace a household's cable or DSL modem. A Verizon Wireless plan that's contract-free, like NetZero's, provides 1 gigabyte for the same price.
United Online doesn't have a wireless broadband network of its own. Instead, it's renting capacity on Clearwire Corp.'s network. It's the same network used by Sprint Nextel Corp. to provide "Sprint 4G" data service. Several cable companies, including Comcast Corp., also resold access to Clearwire's network under their own brand. However, they've pulled out of that deal to focus on a partnership with Verizon Wireless.
Clearwire's network has a few problems: it's based on a broadband technology that the rest of the industry has bypassed, which means the selection of compatible devices is limited. Because of the frequency it uses, the signal has difficulty penetrating into buildings. Both Sprint and the cable companies used Sprint's slower cellular data network as a fallback option, but NetZero's devices rely only on Clearwire, which means coverage at decent signal strength may be spotty.
Clearwire has stopped investing in this network and is instead raising money for a new network that uses the industry-standard "LTE" technology.
According to Clearwire's financial statements, it received an average of $6.34 per month in the fourth quarter for each wholesale subscriber, most of whom are "Sprint 4G" smartphone users.
United Online, which is based in Woodland Hills, Calif., has about 750,000 dial-up subscribers left, Goldston said. Internet service is a minor part of its overall business: it makes more from owning flower-delivery service FTD and "online nostalgia services" like Classmates.com.
Focused on what women never hear, this series expanded. Today the teens, tomorrow the parents. I hope to show that greater dependence on the nature of males and females provides a far better foundation to prepare parents for exposure to teen life. Today we look at teens? and their reactions to some internal and external pressures.
Before puberty both girls and boys confirm, enhance, and enlarge their self-image through accomplishments. After puberty, boys continue the same; they seek to win admiration for accomplishments. However, girls shift their ambitions somewhat. They seek to confirm their importance through accomplishments that solidify the wanted and nullify unwanted relationships.
Hormones propel puberty. The presence or absence of values in the teen psyche governs the personal growth that follows. Parental nurturing insults a teen. Tight leadership earns teen disdain. Personal independence in decision-making crowns the teen persona. Parents are left with one effective influence method, coaching.
When puberty hits boys and girls who don?t believe in themselves, they desert parents when in need of approval and guidance. They look for someone else?s belief in them, because what went before can no longer fill their ambitions and need for their larger role in life. A stronger sense of independence compels them to suspect parental wisdom and applicability to their forthcoming ?new life?. They default to teen associates for approval and guidance.
Belief in oneself comes from one source: several or many years of successful accomplishments. That is, feats attempted and completed; fears faced and conquered; obstacles detected and overcome; judgments proven correct; mistakes dodged or forgiven through recovery; promises kept; beliefs confirmed; responsibilities accepted; and even a bittersweet conscience scalded by few or many lies, failures, and broken promises.
Lack of belief in oneself comes from inadequate upbringing before puberty. Parents fail to make it habitual for children to take advantage of opportunities that can deliver a sense of accomplishment. Achievement denied because?of tasks never given, responsibilities not clarified, parental expectations not verbalized, routine duties?never assigned, or?childish excuses accepted in lieu of doing what one should do.
The more mature the mind of a boy, the better he feels about himself doing adult-like things that teach how better to produce, provide, protect, and problem solve. Also, by virtue of less interest until he feels better qualified to do well at it, the pursuit of sex has a low or even insignificant priority. His sexual identity isn?t confused; his adult persona isn?t developed as he wishes it.
Boys tease girls primarily to elicit smiles, which boys take as signs of approval. Modern girls dislike being teased; they scowl because feminists taught females to disrespect males. As a result, modern boys tease disrespectfully and girls dislike it even more. The cultural tradition of pleasant, innocent, and frequent intersex recognition and approval thus fades away.
Their nature doesn?t encourage girls to have sex. It stirs them to exploit their ultimate asset, as males view females, to get what they want.
Boys seek admiration. Less time at home applies pressure for them to win it among others. However, if the lure of winning admiration at home exists, ambitions weaken to seek it elsewhere.
Boys want to learn about girls but they don?t know how. Modern girls substitute sex. They don?t recognize that boys aren?t being taught lessons vital to the future well-being of females. In only one way do boys learn the truth about fulfilling the hopes and dreams of females: denial of sex by many girls. Yielding teaches boys the wrong things. Only by girls refusing to yield do masculine dreams, hopes, and curiosity stir the male imagination to honor female uniqueness and respect the promises of marriage.
The teen pecking order builds primarily on age. Teen life changes so rapidly that one year doesn?t seem that important compared to other years. However, a year?s difference between teens of the same sex is very significant. It generates a respect gap and the younger ends up with less than his due. Among teen unmarried couples, girls can?t respect a younger boy with enough energy to stifle older boys from stealing the girl away. Such relationships don?t last. Greater age gaps generate even greater respect gaps.
Girls find out about boys by refusing to have sex with them. Each must do it alone to get a dependable and predictable picture of what men will be like in her life.
WADWMUFGAO, that is, we all do what makes us feel good about ourselves. Teens eagerly imagine teen life as their exclusive domain and a top priority. Learning about the opposite sex tops the ways in which they exchange knowledge and interest to feel good about themselves. Results aren?t always as imagined, but teens aren?t deterred. They keep?trying. They shun the wisdom of the ages; teen life is their exclusive domain to live and shape it?as they sense they should. But still, parents play a major role. Their dilemmas come up tomorrow at post 1572.
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Public release date: 27-Mar-2012
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