Virginia's 'hybrid' surveillance strategy aided response to contaminated steroid outbreak

Public release date: 30-May-2013
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Contact: Connie Hughes
connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com
646-674-6348
Wolters Kluwer Health

Innovative approach relied on coordination between public health and clinical partners, says report in Journal of Public Health Management and Practice

Philadelphia, Pa. (May 30, 2013) An innovative "hybrid" surveillance strategyhighlighted by close cooperation between public health officials and clinical partnershelped Virginia mount an efficient and effective response to the ongoing outbreak of fungal meningitis and other infections, according to a report in the July/August issue of Journal of Public Health Management and Practice . The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) "worked closely with clinical partners, combining assessment, referral to care and public health surveillance methodologies in a hybrid surveillance model," according to the article by Dr. Laurie Forlano and colleagues. They believe their strategyinvolving "intensive collaboration" between public health officials and hospitals and doctors serving the affected communitiesis a promising model for responding to future public health threats.

'Hybrid' Surveillance Response to Contaminated Steroid Crisis

The VDH implemented the hybrid strategy in response to the 2012 outbreak of meningitis and other fungal infections, which was traced to contaminated steroid products supplied by a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy. Virginia was one of the hardest-hit states, with 53 affected patientsincluding two deathsover a six-month period. Two Virginia healthcare facilitiesboth free standing pain/interventional radiology clinics in the southwest region of the statereceived the contaminated products.

Because of the subtle symptoms, potentially long incubation period, and the risk of serious illness and death, Virginia public health officials decided that intensive, active surveillance was needed to contact and track nearly 700 exposed residents. The VDH rapidly developed a "hybrid" active surveillance strategy, reflecting a combination of traditional active surveillance performed by public health personnel, and additional surveillance and clinical follow-up performed by health care providers and hospitals.

In the hybrid surveillance model, public health personnel took the lead in contacting potentially exposed patients who may have received spinal injections with the contaminated steroids. Telephone follow-up included weekly calls to assess for new signs and symptoms of possible infection, and to refer patients to clinical care if indicated.

'Excellent Partnership' between Public Health and Clinical Partners

Once patients had received testing and care from clinical partners, responsibility for further tracking and follow-up was passed on to the treating physicians. If the patient was diagnosed with a fungal infection, the doctor reported the suspected case back to the VDH. The VDH maintained close contact with partner hospitals to keep up with evolving clinical information.

"It was a division of labor of sorts, as the volume of patients requiring close follow up was just so large," Dr. Forlano explains. "In most cases, if a patient with symptoms sought medical attentionwhether from an emergency room, primary care doctor, infectious disease specialist, or elsewherethat exposed person became the responsibility of the clinical team.

"Both the clinical teams and the public health team provided weekly follow up on the people for whom they were responsible," Dr. Forlano adds. "It was an excellent partnershipthe clinicians were willing to do follow up even on patients who didn't meet the VDH definition of 'cases' so we could focus on the exposed persons who hadn't yet developed symptoms."

From the start of October through the end of November, 2012, the VDH documented nearly 3,100 patient contacts. The initial surveillance program was stopped after eight weeks, based on evidence suggesting that any infections caused by the contaminated steroids would have developed within that time.

One-on-one contact was essential to the success of the hybrid surveillance approach, according to Dr. Forlano and her colleagues at the VDH. They believe their experience highlights the need to address key areas of communication with exposed patients and between public health and clinical personnel.

Dr. Forlano and coauthors also believe their hybrid model could be usefully applied to future large-scale health threats, whether natural or man-made. They conclude, "It should be used as a basis for planning the response to events requiring time-sensitive, active follow-up of a large number of exposed individuals that could be required after an intentional or unintentional community wide exposure to a biologic, radiologic or chemical agent."

###

About Journal of Public Health Management and Practice

Journal of Public Health Management and Practice publishes articles which focus on evidence based public health practice and research. The journal is a bi-monthly peer-reviewed publication guided by a multidisciplinary editorial board of administrators, practitioners and scientists. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice publishes in a wide range of population health topics including research to practice; emergency preparedness; bioterrorism; infectious disease surveillance; environmental health; community health assessment, chronic disease prevention and health promotion, and academic-practice linkages.

About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes.

LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2012 annual revenues of 3.6 billion ($4.6 billion).

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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.

Public release date: 30-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Connie Hughes
connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com
646-674-6348
Wolters Kluwer Health

Innovative approach relied on coordination between public health and clinical partners, says report in Journal of Public Health Management and Practice

Philadelphia, Pa. (May 30, 2013) An innovative "hybrid" surveillance strategyhighlighted by close cooperation between public health officials and clinical partnershelped Virginia mount an efficient and effective response to the ongoing outbreak of fungal meningitis and other infections, according to a report in the July/August issue of Journal of Public Health Management and Practice . The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) "worked closely with clinical partners, combining assessment, referral to care and public health surveillance methodologies in a hybrid surveillance model," according to the article by Dr. Laurie Forlano and colleagues. They believe their strategyinvolving "intensive collaboration" between public health officials and hospitals and doctors serving the affected communitiesis a promising model for responding to future public health threats.

'Hybrid' Surveillance Response to Contaminated Steroid Crisis

The VDH implemented the hybrid strategy in response to the 2012 outbreak of meningitis and other fungal infections, which was traced to contaminated steroid products supplied by a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy. Virginia was one of the hardest-hit states, with 53 affected patientsincluding two deathsover a six-month period. Two Virginia healthcare facilitiesboth free standing pain/interventional radiology clinics in the southwest region of the statereceived the contaminated products.

Because of the subtle symptoms, potentially long incubation period, and the risk of serious illness and death, Virginia public health officials decided that intensive, active surveillance was needed to contact and track nearly 700 exposed residents. The VDH rapidly developed a "hybrid" active surveillance strategy, reflecting a combination of traditional active surveillance performed by public health personnel, and additional surveillance and clinical follow-up performed by health care providers and hospitals.

In the hybrid surveillance model, public health personnel took the lead in contacting potentially exposed patients who may have received spinal injections with the contaminated steroids. Telephone follow-up included weekly calls to assess for new signs and symptoms of possible infection, and to refer patients to clinical care if indicated.

'Excellent Partnership' between Public Health and Clinical Partners

Once patients had received testing and care from clinical partners, responsibility for further tracking and follow-up was passed on to the treating physicians. If the patient was diagnosed with a fungal infection, the doctor reported the suspected case back to the VDH. The VDH maintained close contact with partner hospitals to keep up with evolving clinical information.

"It was a division of labor of sorts, as the volume of patients requiring close follow up was just so large," Dr. Forlano explains. "In most cases, if a patient with symptoms sought medical attentionwhether from an emergency room, primary care doctor, infectious disease specialist, or elsewherethat exposed person became the responsibility of the clinical team.

"Both the clinical teams and the public health team provided weekly follow up on the people for whom they were responsible," Dr. Forlano adds. "It was an excellent partnershipthe clinicians were willing to do follow up even on patients who didn't meet the VDH definition of 'cases' so we could focus on the exposed persons who hadn't yet developed symptoms."

From the start of October through the end of November, 2012, the VDH documented nearly 3,100 patient contacts. The initial surveillance program was stopped after eight weeks, based on evidence suggesting that any infections caused by the contaminated steroids would have developed within that time.

One-on-one contact was essential to the success of the hybrid surveillance approach, according to Dr. Forlano and her colleagues at the VDH. They believe their experience highlights the need to address key areas of communication with exposed patients and between public health and clinical personnel.

Dr. Forlano and coauthors also believe their hybrid model could be usefully applied to future large-scale health threats, whether natural or man-made. They conclude, "It should be used as a basis for planning the response to events requiring time-sensitive, active follow-up of a large number of exposed individuals that could be required after an intentional or unintentional community wide exposure to a biologic, radiologic or chemical agent."

###

About Journal of Public Health Management and Practice

Journal of Public Health Management and Practice publishes articles which focus on evidence based public health practice and research. The journal is a bi-monthly peer-reviewed publication guided by a multidisciplinary editorial board of administrators, practitioners and scientists. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice publishes in a wide range of population health topics including research to practice; emergency preparedness; bioterrorism; infectious disease surveillance; environmental health; community health assessment, chronic disease prevention and health promotion, and academic-practice linkages.

About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes.

LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2012 annual revenues of 3.6 billion ($4.6 billion).

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

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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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/wkh-vs053013.php

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Threatening letters sent to New York candidate, police say

By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two threatening letters, one apparently smeared with blood, were mailed during the last week to the New York City office of Bill de Blasio, the city's public advocate and a Democratic candidate for mayor, New York police said on Thursday.

The letters were written in Spanish, said police, who would not disclose the contents other than to call them "rambling" and to say that the writer claimed they were stained with blood.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly on Thursday told reporters that de Blasio received "a threatening letter that appeared to have blood on the letter" and a second letter, "apparently from the same person."

News of the letters came in the same week as ricin-laced letters were sent to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and a similar envelope was sent to U.S. President Barack Obama.

Those letters contained warnings against taking away people's guns, officials said.

Police said there was no obvious link between the two sets of letters but said they were continuing to investigate before ruling out that possibility.

The first letter to arrive at de Blasio's office in the Manhattan Municipal Building came late last week or early this week, and the second, apparently from the same sender, arrived on Thursday, said a New York Police Department spokesman.

No harmful substance was found in either letter in initial tests, police said.

De Blasio is one of a half dozen mainstream candidates seeking to win the Democratic nomination in the contest to succeed Bloomberg, who is scheduled to leave office at the end of the year.

Recent polls put de Blasio roughly at the middle of the pack, which is so far led by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

(Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Bob Burgdorfer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/threatening-letters-sent-york-candidate-police-225823162.html

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Rabbit wears contact lenses with light-emitting diode: New class of transparent, stretchable electrodes

May 30, 2013 ? Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology (UNIST) has demonstrated that a live rabbit could wear contact lenses fitted with inorganic light-emitting diode with no side effects. This new class of hybrid transparent and stretchable electrode paves the way for flexible displays, solar cells, and electronics.

The scientists have combined graphene with silver nanowires to form a thin, transparent and stretchable electrode which overcome the weaknesses of each individual material, resulting in a new class of electrodes with widespread possible applications including picture taking and scanning using soft contact lenses.

Transparent electrodes have been widely used in things like touch screens, flat-screen TVs, solar cells and light-emitting devices. Commonly made from indium tin oxide(ITO), it is brittle and cracks thus losing functionality if flexed. It also degrades over time, and is expensive due to the limited quantities of indium metal.

As an alternative, the networks of randomly distributed mNWs have been considered as promising candidates for next-generation transparent electrodes, due to their low-cost, high-speed fabrication of transparent electrodes. However, the number of disadvantages of the mNW networks limited their integration into commercial devices. They have low breakdown voltage, typically high NW-NW junction resistance, high contact resistance between network and active materials, material instability and poor adhesion to plastic substrates.

Graphene is also well known as good a candidate for transparent electrode because of their unique electrical properties and high mechanical flexibility. However, scalable graphene synthesis methods for commercialization produces lower quality graphene with individual segments called grains which increases the electrical resistance at boundaries between these grains.

Silver nanowires, on the other hand, have high resistance because they are randomly oriented like a jumble of toothpicks facing in different directions. In this random orientation, there are many contact between nanowires, resulting in high resistance due to large junction resistance of nanowires. Due to these drawbacks, neither is good for conducting electricity, but a hybrid structure, combined from two materials, is.

The hybrid material presents a high electrical and optical performance with mechanical flexibility and stretchability for flexible electronics. The hybrid transparent electrode has a low "sheet resistance" and high transmittance. There's almost no change in its resistance when bent and folded. Where the ITO is bent, its resistance increases significantly. Additionally the hybrid material preserve its electrical and optical properties against thermal oxidation condition

The graphene-mNW hybrid structure developed by the UNIST research team is a new class of electrodes and may soon find use in a variety of other applications. The research team demonstrated Inorganic light-emitting diode (ILED) devices fitted on a soft eye contact lens using the transparent, stretchable interconnects of the hybrid electrodes as an application example.

As an in vivo study, this contact lens was worn by a live rabbit eye for five hours and no abnormal behavior, such as bloodshot eye or the rubbing of eye areas were observed in the live rabbit. Wearing eye contact lenses, picture-taking and scanning, is not science fiction anymore.

The research was led by Jang-Ung Park, professor of the School of Nano-Bioscience and Chemical Engineering at UNIST. "We believe the hybridization between two-dimensional and one-dimensional nanomaterials presents a promising strategy toward flexible, wearable electronics and implantable biosensor devices, and indicate the substantial promise of future electronics," said Prof. Park.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/electronics/~3/OpOIdbClOGU/130530110959.htm

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Federer advances to 3rd round at French Open

PARIS (AP) ? Roger Federer walked onto Court Suzanne Lenglen, smiled when greeted with applause and looked up into the stands, where three youngsters waved a banner that read, "Roger 4 Ever."

Forever? Probably not, but Federer easily outlasted qualifier Somdev Devvarman in the second round of the French Open, winning 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 Wednesday.

As a sign of his staying power, Federer moved ahead of Budge Patty into third place on the men's list for match victories at Roland Garros with 56. Guillermo Vilas and Nicola Pietrangeli share the record of 58.

Seeded second behind Novak Djokovic, Federer has yet to win a tournament this year, the first time he has arrived at Roland Garros without a title since 2000. But he's rested and healthy, and his vast repertoire of shots was on full display against the overmatched Devvarman, who is ranked 188th and now 0-9 against top-10 players.

Federer glided across the clay, hitting winners from all over the court ? even beyond the alleys ? and looking at ease on a surface that once vexed him. When he finally took the Roland Garros title in 2009, Federer completed a career Grand Slam and tied Pete Sampras' record of 14 major titles.

Federer now seeks a record 18th major title, and his first since Wimbledon last year. Through two matches, both against qualifiers, he has lost only 11 games.

American Sam Querrey, seeded 18th, reached the third round at Roland Garros for the first time by sweeping Jan Hajek 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.

Jamie Hampton earned her first career French Open victory, an upset of No. 25 Lucie Safarova 7-6 (5), 3-6, 9-7, as American women went 10-5 in the first round. Hampton hit seven aces and overcame 50 unforced errors to outlast Safarova in the 2?-hour match.

Also part of the resurgence in U.S. fortunes was No. 29 Varvara Lepchenko, who reached the third round by whacking 22 forehand winners to defeat Elina Svitolina 7-6 (5), 6-1.

"A couple years ago, we weren't even in the scene," Hampton said. "There wasn't even a group of us. We've progressed, and I think the whole group will continue to progress. We've all got really good games. We're just trying to find our way on the clay right now."

Stumbling in the second round were Americans Mallory Burdette and Shelby Rogers. Burdette lost to No. 4-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 6-2, and Rogers squandered a lead against No. 20 Carla Suarez Navarro, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

No. 3 Victoria Azarenka filled a mostly empty stadium court with her familiar shrieks and beat Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-1, 6-4 in a first-round match postponed one day because of rain. That meant Azarenka reached the second round 72 hours after some players.

"I felt like I'm one of the last ones to start," she said. "It was a long wait, but I think performance-wise it was a good match."

Azarenka waited in vain to play for much of the day on a rainy Tuesday, but said she wasn't flustered by the delay.

"I just really was chilling the whole day, watching 'The Voice,'" she said. "It was incredible. I was so entertained. There's this girl, her name is Judith. She was a duet singer with Michael Jackson. She's absolutely incredible. I mean, I have no idea how sounds like that can come out of somebody's mouth. It's just, wow."

Fans might say the same thing about Azarenka, who wore down Vesnina with her noisy but steady baseline game, committing only 13 unforced errors.

In other men's second-round play, No. 4 David Ferrer broke serve eight times and beat fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-2, 6-1, 6-3. No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France eliminated Jarkko Nieminen 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-3. No. 10 Marin Cilic defeated 18-year-old Australian Nick Kyrgios 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

No. 24 Benoit Paire of France delighted a partisan crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen by rallying past Marcos Baghdatis in a rain-interrupted first-round match, 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-4.

Paire, 24, acknowledged the pressure of being seeded at Roland Garros, where no Frenchman has won the title since 1983.

"Many TV channels are following me now," he said. "Also, in the past I could walk around with my parents and watch a few matches. It's no longer the case. People now tend to recognize me. It's Roland Garros, you know. They want me to go far. Does that mean more pressure on me? Yeah."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/federer-advances-3rd-round-french-open-171619589.html

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Obama's likely pick to head FBI widely praised

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republicans said Thursday they see no major obstacles to Senate confirmation of James Comey, the former deputy attorney general in the Bush administration who is expected to be nominated by President Barack Obama as the next FBI director.

Comey, who would replace Robert Mueller as head of the national security organization, is certain to face tough questions about his work as a counsel for a major hedge fund and his ties to Wall Street as well as how he would handle current, high-profile FBI investigations.

But Republicans and Democrats said the former prosecutor's strong credentials and sterling reputation suggest his path to confirmation should be relatively smooth.

"I think he'll be confirmed" by the Senate, said former Attorney General John Ashcroft, a Missouri Republican who served in the Senate from 1994-2000.

Comey "is an extraordinary individual and I don't know why you wouldn't want a person like this," Ashcroft said of his onetime deputy. As a leader, Comey "welcomes diverse discussions. When he makes a decision and an institution decides a course of action, he is not to be dissuaded by irrelevant or political considerations."

Former Solicitor General Theodore Olson, who served with Comey at the Justice Department and whose opinion carries considerable weight with Republicans, said Comey is "very smart. He's a very straight shooter. He's the FBI's kind of person."

Republican and Democratic congressional aides said they didn't see any looming problems with Obama's likely choice a day after three people with knowledge of the selection said Obama planned to nominate Comey. The aides Thursday spoke on condition of anonymity because the initial internal reactions were private.

Several Democratic senators, including Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont, had no immediate comment as they awaited official word from the White House.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest on Thursday declined to comment on Comey's impending nomination, nor would he discuss the timing of any announcement.

Sen. Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Judiciary panel, said he appreciated that Comey has "a lot of experience on national security issues, which is one of the most important focuses for the FBI in the aftermath of 9/11, and has shown integrity in dealing with these matters."

The Iowa senator said Comey would have to answer questions about his work as counsel for Connecticut-based hedge fund Bridgewater Associates from 2010 until earlier this year.

"The administration's efforts to criminally prosecute Wall Street for its part in the economic downturn have been abysmal, and his agency would have to help build the case against some of his colleagues in this lucrative industry," Grassley said.

Grassley's mix of praise and questions were in sharp contrast to the reaction to another Republican tapped by Obama for a national security job.

When former GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel's name emerged late last year as a possible candidate for defense secretary, outside groups and opposition on Capitol Hill immediately revved up in a concerted effort to scuttle the nomination.

Hagel's votes and statements on Israel, Iran and nuclear weapons drew immediate scrutiny and circulated on Capitol Hill. Some Senate Republicans said flatly they would oppose the selection even before Obama officially announced his choice on Jan. 7.

Hagel, a two-term Nebraska senator, had angered some of his former colleagues when he became an outspoken critic of the Iraq war and President George W. Bush's handling of the conflict.

After a bruising confirmation fight, the Senate approved Hagel's nomination in February.

Comey would be more than a Cabinet pick in a president's second term. If confirmed, the former U.S. attorney would serve a 10-year tenure overseeing an organization responsible for both intelligence and law enforcement with more than 36,000 employees.

Matthew Orwig, a former U.S. attorney, called Comey "an inspired choice. He will run the FBI with the independence required. He's his own man."

"He's not intimidated by anybody; that's something you need in an FBI director," said Mark Corallo, a Justice Department spokesman at the time Comey was deputy attorney general.

Comey would be coming into the FBI at a critical time, with the agency conducting a politically sensitive investigation of the Internal Revenue Service and a probe of the Boston Marathon bombings that have raised some doubts about the FBI's ability to prevent terrorist attacks.

In addition, it is the FBI that is carrying out the Justice Department's aggressive use of subpoenas and in at least one instance, a search warrant, to gather the phone records and emails of some journalists. The aggressive stance has triggered an outcry from the news media and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle.

The Obama administration's actions in the war on terror have drawn scrutiny in Congress and likely will be raised at any confirmation hearing.

Comey was the public face of the Bush administration in defending the military detention of U.S. citizen Jose Padilla. In 2004, Comey was the No. 2 official in the Justice Department when he held a news conference to call Padilla a trained terrorist who met with top al-Qaida leaders, discussed detonating a nuclear bomb in the United States and accepted an assignment to use natural gas to blow up high-rise apartment buildings.

The following year, facing an imminent Supreme Court hearing about whether Americans may be detained without charges, Bush had Padilla moved out of a military brig, and federal prosecutors indicted him on unrelated terrorism support charges in South Florida. He was convicted.

But the sensational accusations Comey made at the Justice Department in 2004 were dropped.

Comey became a hero to Democrats for the central role he played in holding up Bush's warrantless wiretapping program, one of the administration's great controversies and an episode that focused attention on the administration's controversial tactics in the war on terror.

In dramatic testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2007, Comey said he thought Bush's no-warrant wiretapping program was so questionable that Comey refused for a time to reauthorize it, leading to a standoff with White House officials at the hospital bedside of an ailing Ashcroft.

Comey said he refused to recertify the program because Ashcroft had reservations about its legality.

Senior government officials had expressed concerns about whether the National Security Agency, which administered the warrantless eavesdropping program, had the proper oversight in place. Other concerns included whether any president possessed the legal and constitutional authority to authorize the program as it was carried out at the time.

Comey was deputy attorney general in 2005 when he unsuccessfully tried to limit tough interrogation tactics against suspected terrorists. He told then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that some of the practices were wrong and would damage the department's reputation.

Some Democrats denounced those methods as torture, particularly the use of waterboarding, which produces the sensation of drowning.

Earlier in his career, Comey served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, one of the nation's most prominent prosecutorial offices and one at the front lines of terrorism, corporate malfeasance, organized crime and the war on drugs.

As an assistant U.S. attorney in Virginia, Comey handled the investigation of the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers housing complex near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 U.S. military personnel.

He led the Justice Department's corporate fraud task force and spurred the creation of violent crime impact teams in 20 cities, focusing on crimes committed with guns.

If nominated, Comey is likely to get a warm greeting from at least one member of the Judiciary Committee ? Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

When Comey testified on June 8, 2011, about extending Mueller's term, Klobuchar said in her introduction that she and Comey were in the "same law school class, graduated together and we've known each other for a long time."

Comey and Klobuchar graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 1985.

___

Associated Press writers Pete Yost, Mark Sherman, Alan Fram and Nedra Pickler contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-05-30-Obama-FBI%20Chief/id-b14d03ea788446db8735027832038151

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Hader: Stefon probably won't be on 'SNL' again

TV

Matt Murray TODAY

10 hours ago

Eight years, countless strangely named nightclubs and a "human roomba" later, Bill Hader sayshe doesn't think Stefon will be back any time soon.The "Saturday Night Live" actor announced earlier this month that the season 38 finale of 'SNL' would be his laston the show, and he sat down with Willie Geist and Megan Colarossi to talk about Hader's fan-favorite character.

Willie: So how does it feel to be done with 'SNL'?

Bill: I feel good. It was more like my wife and I decided we were moving to California because we were flying out there a lot. So it was like, "Can I still do 'SNL' and live in LA?" and it wasn?t going to work out.

Willie: Was there any trepidation about stepping away from 'SNL'?

Bill: No, because to me it was like "I did SNL." I mean, getting "SNL" was pretty amazing so just to be able to have an eight-year career there and be really happy with everything I did, it was pretty big.

Megan: I heard there's an interesting story about you and Andy Samberg auditioning at the same time?

Bill: We both were auditioning at the same time and he was the guy next to me and he had a backpack full of props, not like Carrot Top-style, but people bring props, a lot of people do that. But I looked over and I was going, "I didn?t bring anything, I'm an idiot. Why didn't I think to bring any props or anything?" And he said he was looking at me and thinking, "Oh, he didn't bring any props, why did I?" We were both just wrecks.

Watch: Bill Hader's best celeb impressions on SNL

Willie: The big question everyone wants to know, will we ever see Stefon again?

Bill: That might have been it.

Willie: No Stefon movie?

Bill: No, probably not. Lorne (Michaels) talked about (a movie), and me and John Mulaney who I write that with, we talked about it and said, no I don?t really think there?s a movie there. I mean, it barely worked as a sketch! We couldn?t do it as a sketch, that?s why we put it on "(Weekend) Update." I was like, "Unless I break during the movie, I don?t think people are gonna watch."

Willie: The hands coming to the face, did that come from you laughing?

Bill: No, that was a part of the character, him being nervous. And then it helped when (John Mulaney) would start changing the cue cards and I'd laugh. The cue-card changing, it was really only two or three times where they?d change it and it?d be something completely different that I didn?t know about. Most of the time when I would start laughing was something that we wrote that week and I still couldn?t keep it together, like the Human Roomba joke. But sometimes as I?m walking out, John Mulaney would say, "Oh I changed the club promoter to Gay Liotta. Have fun!"

Willie: It seems like there was a competition to see who could come up with the most obscure reference.

Bill: We?d try to take the Stefon pitches to the amazing writing table at "SNL" and we?d say, "OK, what club should this take place in?" and people would say really funny stuff, but then John would go, "A haunted diaper" and I?d agree and say, "Yeah, a haunted diaper." And eventually the writers just said, "Yeah, go away, we can't." And we don?t really laugh that much while we?re writing it. It?s just kind of sitting there, long stretches of silence. Most of the time it was just slamming your head against the wall. I think with that writers' room thing, it was hard to give notes on Stefon as far as what to cut and what not to cut because it was like, "I don?t know what any of this means."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/bill-hader-says-we-probably-wont-see-stefon-again-6C10116962

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Suu Kyi opposes 2-child limit for Myanmar minority

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) ? Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Islamic leaders expressed dismay over decisions by authorities in western Myanmar to restore a two-child limit on a Muslim minority group, a policy that does not apply to Buddhists and follows accusations of "ethnic cleansing."

The order makes Myanmar perhaps the only country in the world to level such a restriction against a particular religious group, and is likely to bring further criticism that Muslims are being discriminated against in the Buddhist-majority country. Some Buddhists, however, welcomed the plan for addressing their fear of a population explosion among the Muslim minority known as Rohingya.

Authorities in strife-torn Rakhine state said this past weekend that they were restoring a measure imposed during past military rule that banned Rohingya families from having more than two children. Details about the policy and how it will be enforced have not been released, sparking calls for clarity and concerns of more discrimination against a group the U.N. calls one of the world's most persecuted people.

"If true, this is against the law," said Suu Kyi, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Suu Kyi has faced criticism for failing to defend the Rohingya following two waves of deadly sectarian violence last year. She told reporters Monday that she had not heard details of the latest measure but, if it exists, "It is discriminatory and also violates human rights."

The policy applies to two Rakhine townships that border Bangladesh and have the highest Muslim populations in the state. The townships, Buthidaung and Maungdaw, are about 95 percent Muslim. Nationwide, Muslims account for only about 4 percent of Myanmar's roughly 60 million people.

The central government has not made any statement about the two-child policy since Rakhine state authorities quietly enacted the measure a week ago. Calls seeking comment from government spokesmen were not returned.

The U.S. government also registered deep concern. In Washington, State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said Tuesday the U.S. opposes coercive birth limitation policies and urges Myanmar "to eliminate all such policies without delay."

Those comments come just a week after President Thein Sein visited the White House and President Barack Obama called for an end to violence against the Muslim group and for their rights and dignity to be recognized.

Longstanding antipathy toward the Rohingya erupted last year into mob violence in which Rakhine Buddhists armed with machetes razed thousands of Muslim homes, leaving hundreds of people dead and forcing 125,000 to flee, mostly Muslims. The New York-based group Human Rights Watch has accused the government and security forces in Rakhine of fomenting an organized campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against the Rohingya, who are regarded as aliens.

Since the violence, the religious unrest has expanded into a campaign against Muslim communities in other areas, posing a serious challenge to President Thein Sein's reformist government as it attempts to implement democratic reforms after nearly half a century of harsh military rule.

Myanmar's government does not include the Rohingya as one of its 135 recognized ethnic minorities. It considers them to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and denies them citizenship. Bangladesh says the Rohingya have been living in Myanmar for centuries and should be recognized there as citizens.

Rakhine state spokesman Win Myaing said over the weekend the policy was meant to stem population growth in the Muslim community, which a government-appointed commission last month identified as one of the causes of the sectarian violence. He said authorities have not determined how the measure will be enforced, but it will be mandatory.

"This is the best way to control the population explosion which is a threat to our national identity. If no measure is taken to control the population, there is a danger of losing our own identity," said National Affairs Minister for the Yangon Region Zaw Aye Maung, an ethnic Rakhine member of parliament. He said restricting the number of children in the poorer Muslim community will benefit them because smaller families are better able to feed, clothe and educate their children.

A Buddhist monk in Maungdaw township was also enthusiastic.

"It's a good idea. If the government can really control the Bengali population in the area, the other communities will feel more secure and there will be less violence like what happened in the past," said monk Manithara from the Aungmyay Bawdi monastery, using the name "Bengali" that most Buddhists prefer to "Rohingya." ''It's also a good step to develop the living standards of the people in the region. China also has this kind of policy."

China has a one-child policy, but it is not based on religion and exceptions apply to minority ethnic groups.

"This restriction violates human rights," said Nyunt Maung Shein, head of Myanmar's Islamic Religious Affairs Council. "Even if it existed under the military regime, it should be considered inappropriate under the democratic system."

"The authorities should be very cautious," he said. "If this is a step to ease tension between the communities, it will not produce the desired effect."

Others echoed that concern, including Muslim lawmaker Shwe Maung, who represents Buthidaung, where the measure will be applied.

"Many people from my constituency have expressed concern about the new policy, and complained that this is discrimination," Shwe Maung told the AP. "This order might ease tension among the Rakhine (Buddhist) community but it will increase the tension felt by Muslims."

For years, the Rohingya in Myanmar have faced a variety of heavy-handed restrictions. They needed permission to travel outside their villages, couples were required to have permission to marry, and were then limited to having two children. Any offspring that exceeded the regulation were "blacklisted" and refused birth registrations, and denied the right to attend school, travel and marry, according to a report by the Arakan Project, a Thailand-based advocacy group for the Rohingya. The report said that by 2012 Myanmar officials had taken some steps to allow blacklisted children to be registered.

Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch called the latest development "outrageous," noting that the commission's report stated that any form of population control must be "voluntary" and conform to human rights standards.

"This is a step precisely in the wrong direction ? going exactly the wrong direction from reconciliation and respect for human rights," he said.

____

Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suu-kyi-opposes-2-child-limit-myanmar-minority-045709990.html

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Eric Holder Signed Off On Decision To Subpoena Fox News Telephone Records

* Fox News phone records sought in North Korea leak probe
* Holder's approval of phone subpoena not disclosed earlier (Adds Justice Department confirmation, quote)
By Mark Hosenball
WASHINGTON, May 28 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder personally approved a decision to subpoena Fox News telephone records as the Justice Department investigated an unauthorized leak regarding North Korea, officials said on Tuesday.
The Justice Department did not mention the subpoena when it issued a statement on Friday describing how Holder had vetted a decision to seek a search warrant for the contents of an email account used by Fox News reporter James Rosen.
The revelation that Holder approved subpoenas that sought Fox News phone records shows that his involvement was broader than the Justice Department had earlier acknowledged publicly, as details continue to emerge in the controversy.
Rosen reported in June 2009 that U.S. intelligence officials believed North Korea would conduct more nuclear tests in response to U.N. sanctions.
Stephen Kim, a former State Department analyst who was Rosen's alleged source, is scheduled to go on trial as soon as next year on charges that he violated an anti-espionage law. Rosen has not been charged.
"In the investigation that led to the indictment of Stephen Kim, the government issued subpoenas, with approval from the attorney general as required by Justice Department guidelines, for toll records for five phone numbers associated with the media over a two-day period," a Justice Department official said.
The Obama administration has also been under fire for a separate subpoena of Associated Press phone records as part of a different investigation of an alleged unauthorized leak.
Both incidents have sparked an outcry from journalists, but the Fox News case has proved more concerning to some because investigators described Rosen as a suspected "co-conspirator" in the leak of secret government information.

ACCUSED OF INTIMIDATION
Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes said in a statement on Thursday that the Obama administration was attempting to intimidate Fox News and its employees.
A law enforcement official said that subpoenas issued for Fox News covered telephone records for two days during 2009. The official said that a certified letter and fax notifying the general counsel of News Corp, parent of Fox News, about the subpoenas was sent on Aug. 27, 2010, the day Kim was indicted.
Authorities emailed Rosen at his work address with a similar notification, the official said. News Corp has said that it has found no record of such notifications, though it is not disputing government officials' accounts.
Mark Corallo, a Justice Department spokesman between 2002 and 2005, said that during his tenure, any request from any part of the Justice Department for the issuing of subpoenas against a news organization had to be submitted to his office for approval.
Corallo said that of "dozens" of requests from prosecutors for subpoenas directed against news organizations, he approved only one during his tenure.
President Barack Obama said last week that Holder would begin a review of Justice Department procedures related to media records. Holder, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, said he hopes to meet this week with media organizations about the review.
"We're going to have a real frank, good conversation about this," Holder said. "And I think we're going to make some changes. I'm not satisfied with where we are." (Reporting By Mark Hosenball; Additional reporting by David Ingram; Editing by Karey Van Hall and Eric Beech)

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/29/eric-holder-fox-news_n_3349945.html

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'Voice' singer wants to be Bond Girl for Levine

TV

Brittany Frederick TODAY contributor

6 hours ago

When Adam Levine told Amber Carrington she?d be singing the James Bond theme ?Skyfall? on Monday night?s ?The Voice,? she feared that she was done for.

?When Adam gave me that song I was kind of mad at him,? the Texas-born country artist told TODAY.com, ?because it's Adele. (I was like) 'Do you not want me to succeed at all or something???

Yet she had nothing to worry about. Amber?s performance of the Academy Award-winning title track from Daniel Craig?s latest 007 outing won her unanimous praise from the coaches. She also got to show off a Bond Girl-worthy look, slinking across the stage in a bejeweled black dress. It was no surprise that ?Voice? producers chose Amber to fill the show?s coveted closing spot.

How did Amber turn her initial concerns into such a strong finished product? She credited the ?Voice? choreographers with helping her get into character. ?They're like 'Listen, you have to get in the (right) mode (for the song), like a James Bond girl. We need to give you a name, like an alter-ego,?? she recalled.

?They were like, 'Your new name is Diamond,? and I was like, 'I can own this.' When I went up there (Monday night), I was Diamond.?

The name choice ended up being unintentionally amusing, as four of Amber?s fellow artists -- including her teammates Sarah Simmons and Judith Hill -- performed Rihanna?s ?Diamonds? earlier in the evening. That led to some playful confusion.

?Everybody kept talking about ?Diamonds,?? Amber quipped, ?and I was like, ?What? Are you talking about me??"

Amber?s performance marked the first time a ?Voice? artist has performed a song written specifically for a feature film. The fact that she did well by one of the best-loved Bond themes is even more impressive considering that she wasn't even a fan of the film franchise.

?I haven't seen the movie. I'm aware of Adele's version of the song because I've heard it, but I haven't seen any James Bond movie in my life,? she admitted. ?But I'll go watch them now.?

She could even consider it research. During last week?s show, Amber?s coach confessed that he?s always wanted to be a secret agent. So would she be open to being Adam Levine?s Bond Girl?

?I would love that!? she enthused.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/voices-amber-carrington-would-love-be-bond-girl-agent-adam-6C10087244

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Ke$ha's 'Crazy Kids' Music Video: Watch It Now!

Ke$h gets krazy in her brand-new clip, which premiered Tuesday night during 'MTV First: Ke$ha.'
By James Montgomery

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1708137/kesha-crazy-kids-music-video-premiere.jhtml

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Impact Of Assessment For Learning Education Essay

This paper considers the impact of Assessment for Learning on children?s progress in a particular strand of the Primary Maths Curriculum. It does so firstly through a review of the relevant literature, and then employs some empirical examples to illustrate how the cycle had helped to secure learning points in a particular context. The specific strand under consideration is the solving of multi-step problems, ??and problems involving fractions, decimals and percentages; choose and use appropriate calculation strategies at each stage, including calculator use.? (DCFS 2009).

Literature Review

Changes in the professional framework for the teaching and assessment of Primary maths have been reflected in a constantly expanding literature. This is now so expansive, that it can only really be reviewed here through some representative examples. There are two principal sub-genres which feature here: specifically, these are official publications, and range of commercially produced texts which may be characterised as critical, professional, or vocational self-help literature. It is also the case that some generic texts on the subject of Primary Assessment for Learning may be pertinent here, although they do not relate specifically to mathematics.

The official literature emphasises the holistic nature of assessment by asserting that ??assessment of children's achievements and progress should be based on the expected learning outcomes identified through the learning objectives. In mathematics, assessing children's progress in a core strand of learning should be informed by the objectives in the strand.? (DCFS 2009). The fruition of this process may be visualized in the motivation and empowerment of the learners themselves, supported by ??Constructive feedback that identifies how children's work and responses have led to success?? this, it advises, should provide a ??shared understanding of the achievements on which to build to make further progress. It helps children to see how the next steps take account of this success and are attainable.? (DCFS 2009). There is a sense in which this acknowledges that Assessment for Learning has an importance, over and above what is revealed in outcome-based results, i.e. those from standardised tests. In other words, the latter no longer implies that it can stand as ??proxy for other kinds of learning.? (Campbell et al. 2004: p.119)

The commercially published literature is constantly being updated by texts which engage with official policy and curriculum changes, interpreting them for practitioners and parents. However, the majority of these, although they make some reference to assessment, do not do so in the terms now prescribed by the DCFS, i.e., day-to-day and periodic assessment. This is possibly because these models have only been operating in the official discourse for a relatively short period. Overall, this genre may itself be split into sub-groups, the most significant of which are the reflective or critical genre, and the vocational or self-help group. One of the most prolific authorities within this group is Sharon Clarke, whose Targeting Assessment in the Primary Classroom: Strategies for Planning, Assessment, Pupil Feedback and Target Setting (1998), Unlocking Formative Assessment: Practical Strategies for Enhancing Pupils? Learning in the Primary Classroom, (2001), and Active Learning Through Formative Assessment (2008) straddle successive developments in the teaching and assessment of Primary mathematics. Also helpful in these areas is Hansen?s Primary Mathematics: Extending Knowledge in Practice (Achieving QTS Extending Knowledge in Practice) (2008), and David Clarke?s Constructive Assessment in Mathematics: Practical Steps for Classroom Teachers (Key Resources in Professional Development), (1999).

As Shirley Clarke indicates, the ??sharing of a learning intention is?more complex than simply repeating what is in the teacher?s plan?In order for the learning intention to be shared effectively, it needs to be clear and unambiguous, so that the teacher can explain it in a way which makes sense.? (2001: p.20) This may be taken as supportive of the official position: it endorses the idea that planning should draw not only on the learning outcome, but also on the prior knowledge of the students in question. If they are expected to objectively assess their own progress, they must understand the frame of reference, and be able to envisage the learning outcome, even if they haven?t yet attained it. This idea is also implicit in the ideas of David Clarke: as he points out, earlier approaches to assessment focussed on ??measuring the extent to which students possess a set of tools and?the extent to which they can apply them.? However, he further indicates that ??to be mathematically equipped, a student must also understand the nature of mathematical tools and be able to select the correct tool for a given problem-solving situation.? (1999: p.11) This perspective is also endorsed in the reflections of Hansen, who argues that, ??it is possible to help children to learn mathematical content through effectively integrating problem-solving, reasoning and communication into mathematics lessons.? (Hansen 2008: p.5)

Texts such as Gardner?s edited collection, , Assessment and Learning, (2006), Gipps and Murphy?s A Fair Test? Assessment, Achievement and Equity, (1994), and Taber?s Classroom-based research and evidence-based practice, (2007), go some way to bridging the gap between the official and the educational literature, specifically by looking at how policy and curriculum matters are linked by research and ideology. These are, however, not specifically devoted to Primary mathematics, and neither are they wholly accepting of the orthodoxies which pervade the official literature. Gipps and Murphy make the point that evaluating assessment is ??not just a question of looking at the equity in the context of assessment but also within the curriculum, as the two are intimately related.? (1994: p.3) As Taber points out, practitioners are at the end of a very long and often remote supply chain when it comes to weighing the evidence on what is ?best practice?. As they put it, ??teachers are told what research has found out during their initial ?training?, and are updated?through courses and staff development days, but largely through centralised official ?guidance?.? (2007: p.4) This is reinforced by commentators such as Rist, who argues that, ?We are well past the time when it is possible to argue that good research will, because it is good, influence the policy process.? (2002: p.1002).

These are academic but not unimportant points in terms of the overall discussion, even if they are not particularly prominent in the day to day responsibilities of the class teacher. The point is that, as reflective practitioners, we might all benefit from some awareness of what shapes the frameworks which inform our approach to teaching and learning. With regard to the current Assessment for Learning conventions, the ideas in Assessment for Learning, Beyond the black box

(Assessment Reform Group, 1999), are acknowledged by the QCA to have been constructive of the whole approach. (QCA 2003: p.1). As the latter state, ?The study posed three questions: is there evidence that improving formative assessment raises standards?; is there evidence that there is room for improvement in the practice of assessment?; and is there evidence about how to improve formative assessment? This research evidence pointed to an unqualified ?yes? as the answer to each of these questions.? (QCA 2003: p.1). These are important points, as the teaching, learning and assessment frameworks which define contemporary practice are profoundly adaptive of them.

Discussion/Example from Experience.

A strand of the Primary curriculum where day to day and periodic assessment was found to be particularly important in the overall Assessment for Learning approach, was securing number facts, relationships and calculating. The examples used here are from Year 6 block E, especially Ma2, Written and calculator methods, and Ma2, solving numerical problems from Unit One, and focused on dealing with errors and misconceptions. One context where assessment was found to be particularly relevant was in dealing with upper school (i.e. Years 4, 5 and 6) learning of multiplication and division. The assessment process had to be multi-faceted, taking in all of the associated knowledge and skills, the errors and misconceptions which arose, and the modelling of questions to identify the origin of such problems. This may be illustrated by focusing on one example, taken from Year 6 Key Objective 2, Multiplying and dividing by powers of ten and the associative law, where commonly, the unprepared or confused learner ??Misuses half understood rules about multiplying and dividing by powers of ten and the associative law?? (2009). The important thing about multiplication and division through successive addition or subtraction respectively, is that, once mastered, they can demonstrate to learners that the application of basic skills will enable them to break down seemingly complex problems into a manageable format. Multiplying or dividing a three digit number by a two digit number depends on the use of a number of skills: knowledge of number facts, i.e. times tables, place value, to quickly assess the viability of an answer, and organisational skills, i.e. being able to apply the correct steps in the appropriate order. It may also be useful to augment these with calculator use, in order to verify answers.

The important point here is that day to day and periodic assessment - and reflective feedback from the learners themselves ? was indispensable in the planning, pitching and delivery of this input. The interdependence of each step in these calculations meant that the failure to execute one step, often resulted in the failure to complete the overall objective. For example, if times tables and multiplication by 10 and 100 were not securely in place, the learner would get bogged down in the arithmetic. Conversely, the securing of one of the incremental skills involved in these calculations was a positive factor in the learners? overall approach: i.e., if they knew their times tables facts, place value, or multiplication by 10 and 100 were in place, it gave them a starting point from which to analyse errors or problems. For some learners, this had the generic effect of making them realise that their long-term work in achieving these positions of strength had a positive outcome, rather than being an abstract, stand-alone process. This in turn made them more interested in acquiring other general mathematics skills. Looking beyond specific mathematics skills, this may also have the propensity to develop the students? own capacities for self-realisation and self-motivation. As the QCA points out, ??In many classrooms, pupils do not perceive the structure of the learning aims that give meaning to their work. Therefore they are unable to assess their own progress.? (QCA 2003: p.3) Achievement in a multi-step process such as long multiplication or division might therefore enable them to map out where they are within the overall standards.

However, it was only through a combination of day to day and periodic assessment that the practitioner could be confident of planning effectively with regard to these tasks. There was no point in assembling sessions which relied on a range of skills when they were not secure, either in individual learners, or sufficiently across the cohort as a whole. In mixed ability groups, this approach was obviously the key the necessary differentiation. The logical corollary to this is that discursive feedback from the learners themselves was also important in defining the next stage of planning, i.e. what worked, what didn?t, who tried which method, were there any preferences etc. The appeal of this activity also lays in its fine balance of mental and pencil and paper methods, and the way in which estimation is the necessary accompaniment to concrete calculation. Overall, these experiences may be deemed supportive of the proposals of commentators such as Clarke and Hansen, (see above) in that they emphasize the need for the continuous reinforcement of planning with assessment.

Summary, Analysis and Reflection: Implications for Future Teaching.

In summary, the conclusion of this paper is that both the literature and practical experience discussed here are mutually supportive of the need for complimentary assessment and planning. Outcome orientated results can illustrate individual and whole school performance in certain contexts, but practitioners need to be aware of assessment in a holistic way, as a daily part of their approach to teaching and learning. As the QCA expresses it, ??Teachers are experiencing an increased sense that pupils are working with them rather than for them. For example, pupils are asking for more questions or examples to practice applying their understanding of a topic or to repeat homework or tests if they have not met the standard and the objectives that they and the teacher have set.? (QCA 2009: p.48). Whilst this dynamic sounds very positive, practitioners have new and different responsibilities within it. In terms of assessment, these can be itemised in the following ways?

Day to day: within this level of assessment, specific learning objectives should explicitly communicated, and augmented with both peer and self assessment as appropriate.

Periodic: ideally, this should assemble a broader overview of progress across the subject for both learner and teacher. It is also an opportunity to interweave the national standards in a sensitive way with classroom practice. The practitioner can use the insights gained from this process to inform both long and medium term planning.

Overall, it should be recognised that the ideal situation, i.e. of self-motivated, self-actuating learners, involved in their own self-assessment, is unlikely just to ?happen?. Considered superficially, it might seem that the practitioner?s role in assessment has lessened, whilst the remainder has been taken up by the learners themselves. The reality is rather different: pupils will only become adequate and effective assessors of their own progress if they are provided with the appropriate support and guidance. In a sense, this facilitating role is a much more challenging and subtle one than that implied in a more top-down, didactic model. Also, there are obvious problems in considering the ?learner? as a passive or generalised aspect of this approach: it is much more likely that there is a staggered and variegated uptake of the model, as different learners are engaged at their own pace and level. This in turn indicates that, as with all aspects of the curriculum, the social and emotional aspects of learning should be taken into consideration.

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Source: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/impact-of-assessment-for-learning-education-essay.php

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Aqua is a major international Earth Science satellite mission centered at NASA.

Aqua is a major international Earth Science satellite mission centered at NASA. Launched on May 4, 2002, the satellite has six different Earth-observing instruments on board and is named for the large amount of information being obtained about water in the Earth system from its stream of approximately 89 Gigabytes of data a day. The water variables being measured include almost all elements of the water cycle and involve water in its liquid, solid, and vapor forms. Additional variables being measured include radiative energy fluxes, aerosols, vegetation cover on the land, phytoplankton and dissolved organic matter in the oceans, and air, land, and water temperatures. The primary science objective of the Earth Observing System (EOS) Aqua mission is the study of Earth's interrelated physical processes with an emphasis on the water cycle. Primary variables of interest include: ocean evaporation, atmospheric water vapor, clouds, terrestrial snow, land ice, sea ice, sea surface temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture. Additional variables include: radiative energy fluxes, atmospheric temperatures, humidities, aerosols, land vegetation cover, and ocean productivity.

Read more...

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Legal Highs Sent Teen On Rampage | Stuff.co.nz

An enraged teen in withdrawal from legal highs went crazy last week, using his push-scooter to smash up cars in a city car park.

The 17-year-old's rampage, which began when his father refused to give him money to buy NotPot, is being cited by police as an example of the ravaging effects on the community from legal highs.

The toll is of concern to Taranaki police - and there are still more than two months to go before the law to control them comes into effect.

The Psychoactive Substances Act does not become law until August 1. It is expected to remove the legal artificial cannabis products now on the shelves because sellers will be required to prove the product is safe.

In the meantime, police and schools are dealing with an increase in crime and out-of-control behaviour across the board they believe is directly related to artificial cannabis products.

The damage the youth caused during his destructive tirade would cost about $10,000 to repair, New Plymouth community policing boss Senior Sergeant Terry Johnson said.

Grabbing his scooter, he used it like a softball bat to smash cars in the KFC carpark then the Burger King car park across the road.

His actions, before noon on Tuesday, had traumatised the elderly people whose cars were wrecked, as well as the children who witnessed the violence.

"He threatened a woman in her car. Two young children, aged 11 and 6, also witnessed their family's car being destroyed. It had only just been bought the day before. One child was still having nightmares," Mr Johnson said.

"That's the aftermath that people don't see."

Police caught up with him 20 minutes later in Young St and he was locked up for the night.

The youth was still "bouncing off the walls" of his cell the next morning, Mr Johnson said. He pleaded guilty in court last week to four charges of wilful damage and is to be sentenced on August 5.

"We accept that legislative change is going to make a difference but we have still got two months to go," Mr Johnson said.

About 20 legal highs have been tested and banned by the government but manufacturers are merely reinventing and rebranding the drugs.

He said there could be "fire sale" selloffs of the drugs before they become illegal.

Mr Johnson said the police were concerned that, despite knowing the harm being caused, dairies and other outlets would continue to sell the drugs because they are driven by the high profit margins.

The wholesale cost of a packet was about $3 and it was being sold by retailers for $20, he says.

He praised the action of a Stratford dairy owner Peter Chen, who removed the legal highs from his shelves after being the focus of community protests.

- ? Fairfax NZ News

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/8719695/Legal-highs-sent-teenager-on-rampage

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'Zulu' At Cannes: Forest Whitaker Film Closes The Film Festival

CANNES, France -- Academy award-winner Forest Whitaker turns in a solid performance as a cop searching for the murderer of a white teenager in the movie "Zulu," a violent and often shocking portrayal of South African gang culture where traces of apartheid still linger.

The film premiered at the close of the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday and is directed by "Largo Winch'"s Jerome Salle, co-starring Orlando Bloom as a free-wheeling white officer, as well as South African actor Conrad Kemp.

As a child, Whitaker's character Ali narrowly escaped being murdered by Inkhata, a militant political party at war with Nelson Mandela's anti-apartheid ANC. Now, as chief of Cape Town's homicide branch, his quest to bring the perpetrator to justice leads him on a path that uncovers the unhealed wounds of post-apartheid South Africa.

"Zulu'"s explcit, and, at times even gratuitous, depiction of violence and inter-human relations, paints a highly cynical picture of post-colonial Cape Town, one in which authorities are corrupt and vigilante justice is king.

Whitaker won the Oscar for his mesmerizing portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in 2006's "The Last King of Scotland," and is known for adopting a method-acting approach to his roles. In preparation for "Zulu," he met with real-life Zulu gang members ? some just out of prison ? and went inside local communities to immerse himself in the character who suffers personal tragedies both in childhood and as an adult.

"I met the actual gang members from the different communities: the Zulu gang leaders, and the different members out of the prisons... I find that it helps to find the source of the character," the actor said.

"The violent crimes unit took me around quite a bit ... which helped me understand what it was like to be around the townships," he said, adding that he also learned Zulu and Afrikaans in the weeks up to filming.

Though the film's barbaric depiction of torture and murder has been panned by some critics as too showy ? severed heads, rapes and graphic mutilations ? Whitaker said the film is accurate in its portrayal of gangland violence.

"There were a number of "necklacings" in Khayelitsha, even while we were there," said Whitaker, referring to the shocking method of summary execution and torture carried out by forcing a rubber tire, filled with petrol, around a victim's chest and arms, and setting it on fire.

"There is that bubbling undercurrent exploding in different ways," he added, saying that while filming in South Africa he saw communities losing faith with local law enforcement and taking justice into their own hands. This mirrors very closely the denouement of the film, where Ali is gripped by thirst for revenge and bloody personal justice.

In preparation for the role, "I was dealing with officers, and people in the community were saying: "They're not listening to us. They're not helping us. They're allowing people to do these horrible things in our neighborhood. We have to take charge. We are the elders of this community, and we are not going to allow certain things to happen."

"And where does all that come from? Where is the pain that brings out these things? I think that's what's going to have to be addressed," he said.

Conrad Kemp, the film's only South African actor, said vigilante justice is widespread in the country, and linked to people thinking that regular justice is simply failing them.

For Whitaker, however, the real picture is not as bleak as the film might make out. He said slow, apartheid-related forgiveness is occurring.

It's related to the history of colonialization ? "those issues which have to do partly with forgiveness and being able to move forward," the actor said.

"It is slow ... (but) the continent is full of potentiality, it's growing, it's changing, it's moving."

____

Thomas Adamson can be followed at Twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/26/zulu-cannes-forest-whitaker-film-festival_n_3339843.html

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Texas Budget Restoring Funds Cut From Schools Approved By State Lawmakers

By Corrie MacLaggan
AUSTIN, Texas, May 26 (Reuters) - Texas lawmakers on Sunday gave final approval to a two-year budget that restores money cut from schools in 2011, adds funds for mental health services and calls for an 8.3 percent increase in state spending over the previous cycle.
The Republican-majority House on Sunday voted, 118-29, to send Governor Rick Perry the $94.6 billion spending plan for 2014-2015. The Senate, which also has a Republican majority, approved it on Saturday on a 27-4 vote. The total budget, including federal funds, is $196.9 billion, a 3.7 percent increase.
"It's a great budget," House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts, a Republican, said after the vote. "We gave money to public education, we gave more money to higher education, we gave state employees a pay raise. The thing we're most proud of is what we've done for mental health."
Lawmakers have said that the nearly $300 million extra for mental health came in light of recent school shootings, including the December massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.
The budget debate was less contentious than in 2011, when lawmakers cut $4 billion from schools because of a budget shortfall. The new budget - a compromise between the House and Senate - includes an additional $3.4 billion for schools.
When the Legislature convened in January, state comptroller Susan Combs said that lawmakers would have more revenue to spend than they did in the previous cycle thanks to higher-than-expected tax collections boosted by economic growth.
Lawmakers were expected to consider more than $1.3 billion in tax cuts and rebates late on Sunday before the conclusion of the biennial legislative session on Monday. That includes about $1 billion in tax cuts for businesses and about $300 million in electricity rebates.
Perry, a Republican, has called on lawmakers to pass tax cuts for businesses. He has the option of vetoing specific items in the budget.
In another bill passed by both houses Sunday, lawmakers approved taking $3.9 billion from the state's economic stabilization fund - known as the rainy-day fund. That will leave an estimated $8 billion in the fund, which is generated mostly from oil and gas production taxes, by the end of the 2014-2015 cycle.
The bill, which also will be sent to the governor, calls for spending $2 billion from the rainy-day fund to finance water infrastructure projects in a state suffering from two years of widespread drought, assuming Texas voter approval of that money this fall.
It also calls for spending $185 million from the rainy-day fund to pay mostly for fighting wildfires in 2011. Of that, $15 million would go to a disaster fund to which certain communities - including the city of West, site of a fertilizer plant explosion in April - could apply.
In addition, the measure would take $1.75 billion from the rainy-day fund to pay for a deferral in payments to schools, a budget tool used during the 2011 crunch.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation, an Austin-based think tank that advocates for small government, criticized the state's spending plan and said lawmakers should not have tapped the rainy-day fund.
"Texans ought to be concerned about traveling down the road of unsustainably high government spending, dealing a blow to the prosperity that has sustained our homes and communities as the rest of the nation has suffered the worst economic times since the Great Depression," Chuck DeVore, the foundation's vice president for policy, said in a statement.
Texas' rapid growth - including 80,000 new public-school students each year - puts enormous demands on the state's infrastructure and budget, said Republican Senator Robert Duncan, who supported the spending plan.
"The good news is, we're growing faster probably than any other state," Duncan told fellow senators on Saturday. "The bad news is, we're growing." (Reporting By Corrie MacLaggan; Editing by Bill Trott)

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/26/texas-budget_n_3340949.html

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