Yoga has long been praised for helping people improve their flexibility and core strength. But one Florida yoga instructor believes that the popular practice can also be used to help women conceive.
Sherry Longbottom, a registered nurse and yoga instructor, has developed fertility yoga.? In her classes she is careful to avoid yoga poses that could strain the body; instead, she favors simple gentle poses that help lessen anxiety.
?Our goal is to get blood flow in the pelvic area,? said Longbottom. ?I?m very excited to be helping these women, it?s so rewarding?
While practicing fertility yoga is not exactly as beneficial as in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments or hormone therapy, Longbottom said yoga can help women trying to conceive by helping them take a moment to relax and calm down.
?We live in fight or flight mode,? said Longbottom. ?That kind of life goes completely against what we?re trying to look for in creating a fertile environment.?
Many of the women attending Longbottom?s class started after they were recommended by the Reproductive Medicine Group in Tampa, Fla., to help them cope. ?She estimates about half of the attendees are receiving some kind of fertility treatment.
?[Yoga] still can?t correct a tubal issue or necessarily correct an egg issue,? Dr. Betsy McCormick of the Reproductive Medicine Group told ABCNews.com affiliate WFTS-TV. ?But what they can do is help someone get through that process.?
Dr. James Goldfarb, the director of infertility and in-vitro fertilization at University Hospital Cleveland, said he approves of patients trying safe alternative therapies such as yoga or acupuncture as long as the patient feels better after a session.
?The bottom line I always tell patients is, it certainly can?t hurt,? said Goldfarb. ?We?re very encouraging [that they] try whatever they find relief through.?
While fertility treatments such as IVF have helped millions of women conceive, Goldfarb said these women often have a tremendous amount of anxiety at the same time.
?To say someone is going through IVF is going to be stressed is like saying someone is going to hit their thumb with their hammer and it?s going to hurt,? said Goldfarb. ?It?s incredibly stressful.?
Longbottom said that the ability of yoga to help with a person?s mental health in addition to their physical health was one reason she wanted to start the fertility yoga class.
?Mind, body and spirit are all tied together; once you address those areas, you?re taking care of your whole body,? said Longbottom.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China accused the Philippines on Friday of trying to legalize its occupation of islands in the disputed South China Sea, repeating that Beijing would never agree to international arbitration.
Frustrated with the slow pace of regional diplomacy, the Philippines in January angered China by asking a U.N. tribunal to order a halt to Beijing's activities that it said violated Philippine sovereignty over the islands, surrounded by potentially energy-rich waters.
Claims by an increasingly powerful China over most of the South China Sea have set it directly against U.S. allies Vietnam and the Philippines. Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also claim parts of the waters and China has a separate dispute with Japan in the East China Sea.
Manila said on Thursday that a U.N. arbitration court had set up the tribunal which would hear Manila's complaint, but China said this was an attempt to steal Chinese territory.
"The Philippine side is trying to use this to negate China's territorial sovereignty and attach a veneer of 'legality' to its illegal occupation of Chinese islands and reefs," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website (www.mfa.gov.cn).
The Philippines must immediately withdraw personnel and facilities from the islands, the ministry added, listing those which it said Manila was occupying.
Manila asked the tribunal of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to order a halt to China's activities.
But the convention did not apply in this case as what the Philippines was actually asking for was a decision on sovereignty, the ministry said.
"China's refusal to accept the Philippines' request for arbitration has full grounding in international law," it said.
China had always believed that the two countries should resolve their dispute through direct talks, the ministry added.
Southeast Asian nations stepped up efforts on Thursday to engage China in talks to resolve maritime tensions, agreeing to meet to try to reach common ground on disputed waters ahead of planned discussions in Beijing later this year.
Efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to craft a code of conduct to manage South China Sea tensions all but collapsed last year at a summit chaired by Cambodia, a close economic ally of China, when the group failed to issue a closing statement for the first time.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Apr 15 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $4,139,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $3,137,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,442,389 4. Adam Scott (Australia) $2,100,469 5. Steve Stricker $1,935,340 6. Phil Mickelson $1,764,680 7. Dustin Johnson $1,748,907 8. Jason Day $1,659,565 9. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 10. Keegan Bradley $1,430,347 11. Charles Howell III $1,393,806 12. John Merrick $1,375,757 13. Russell Henley $1,331,434 14. Michael Thompson $1,310,709 15. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 16. Bill Haas $1,271,553 17. Billy Horschel $1,254,224 18. ...
Back in November last year image giant Corbis acquired Demotix, the crowd-sourced breaking news picture and video agency which had launched in 2008. We present for you a lighting fast 'exit Q&A' with founder and former CEO Turi Munthe, who has since left to pursue new projects.
U.S. says agrees with China on peaceful North Korea solution
BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States said on Saturday that China had agreed to help rid North Korea of its nuclear capability by peaceful means, but Beijing made no specific commitment in public to pressure its long-time ally to change its ways. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met China's top leaders in a bid to persuade them to push reclusive North Korea, whose main diplomatic supporter is Beijing, to scale back its belligerence and, eventually, return to nuclear talks.
Thatcher death "party" in London draws small crowd
LONDON (Reuters) - Only about 200 people turned up for a "party" in central London on Saturday to celebrate the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as a mass protest predicted by some failed to materialize. The British capital's mayor had warned of potential rioting as organizers promised thousands of opponents of Thatcher, who died aged 87 on Monday, would descend on London's Trafalgar Square to mark the passing of a leader who was loved and loathed in equal measure.
Russia bars 18 Americans in retaliation for Magnitsky List
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow said on Saturday that Washington had dealt a severe blow to relations by barring 18 Russians from the United States over alleged human rights abuses, and in retaliation it banned 18 Americans from entering Russia. U.S. President Barack Obama's administration had on Friday issued a list of 18 people subject to visa bans and asset freezes in the United States under the Magnitsky Act legislation passed by Congress late last year.
Pro-Chavez Venezuelans mark coup anniversary on eve of election
CARACAS (Reuters) - Hugo Chavez loyalists on Saturday on the eve of a presidential vote celebrated across Venezuela a milestone in the late leader's socialist revolution, irking the opposition that complained of a campaign tipped in favor of the government. Saturday marked the 11th anniversary of Chavez's return to power after a two-day coup tacitly backed by the United States. The event galvanized support for the former paratrooper and prompted him to push ahead with increasingly radical policies that further polarized Venezuela.
Frustration as retrial of Egypt's Mubarak aborted
CAIRO (Reuters) - The retrial of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was aborted on Saturday when the presiding judge withdrew from the case and referred it to another court, causing an indefinite delay that sparked anger in the courtroom. Lawyers said that while the transfer would give prosecutors more time to draw on new evidence in an unpublished fact-finding commission's report into the repression, it could delay the case by months, increasing the risk that Mubarak, 84, may never be finally convicted and sentenced.
Libya coastguard rescues 89 migrants from drifting boat
TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's coastguard has rescued 89 sub-Saharan African migrants who had been drifting in a boat for five days and had to dump the bodies of five people who died on the journey overboard, the state news agency said on Saturday. The Libyan authorities were alerted by a fisherman that the boat was adrift off the western port of Zawiyah, naval official Colonel Ayub Omar Gacem was quoted as saying by the Libyan news agency LANA.
Palestinian president accepts PM Fayyad's resignation
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Saturday, the official Palestinian news agency said. Fayyad had offered his resignation in a letter to Abbas following weeks of sparring over Fayyad's handling of the government and an economic crisis afflicting the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Italy's Berlusconi says he would be PM candidate if new vote held
ROME (Reuters) - Italy's four-time Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Saturday he would stand to lead the country for a fifth time if a snap vote is called after center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani again rejected forming a government with his rival. The February election left parliament split between three hostile blocs, none of which can govern alone, making an early return to the polls a growing possibility.
Guards, prisoners face off in Guantanamo cell sweep
MIAMI (Reuters) - Guards swept through communal cellblocks at the Guantanamo detention camp on Saturday and moved the prisoners into one-man cells in an attempt to end a hunger strike that began in February, a U.S. military spokesman said. "Some detainees resisted with improvised weapons, and in response, four less-than-lethal rounds were fired. There were no serious injuries to guards or detainees," Navy Captain Robert Durand said in a news release.
Bulgarian leftists see broad coalition as better alternative
SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria's Socialists said on Saturday they would form a broad coalition if they win a parliamentary election on May 12 and cut taxes for the lowest earners to try to raise living standards. Thousands of supporters of the Bulgarian Socialists Party (BSP) waved red flags and balloons, and chanted "Victory", filling a park in Sofia at the start of the election campaign.
TIP! You shouldn?t trash bedroom doors simply because of some dirt. Remove your door from the frame, and sand it down until the bare wood is exposed.
Working with friends and family can make the most onerous home improvement job more fun. Make it into a weekend project and work together to get the job done. Think of all the money you?re saving doing the job yourselves. All the tips here will help you get your project in order so that you can get a running start.
TIP! Using high-gloss paint on your shutters and front door will make your house look more attractive. Homes that are made of light colored brick are a perfect candidate for a deep tone on the front door.
If a lock is having problems, you can change out the entire thing or look to change out only the cylinder. This part actually does the locking. If you have lost your house key, you can change the cylinder without having to change whole lock. If you want the door to look better or want added security, just go ahead and replace the whole unit.
TIP! If you shorten the hose on your dryer, you can save money on energy. The first step is removing the dryer hose and cleaning it.
Switching out doorknobs adds a modern feel and can boost your home?s safety too. This kind of a project generally takes less than an hour to do. All you need to start is a screwdriver. Go to the closest hardware store and find a knob you like.
TIP! Before you start enjoying your backyard this summer, it is a good idea to evaluate the condition of your deck. There could be rotting wood that needs to be fixed.
You may need permission to complete large projects like digging a pool. If you aren?t aware of local regulations or you don?t undertake structural property changes, try hiring pros to help you assess items to avoid extra costs or fines later.
TIP! When was your home painted last? A paint job is a quick, easy and fairly affordable way to make your house look much better. Brightening up dingy, outdated siding can give you that fresh new look you are craving.
To catch potential problems before they get out of control, just take a short walk through your house on a monthly basis, looking for things that could use some improvement. Identifying air leaks is one such example. Sealing and insulating the leaks is a quick and simple repair that will reduce your heating bill.
TIP! Check the adequacy of your deck?s water resistance by wetting it down some after hot weather. If the water is soaked up by the wood, you must treat the wood with a water repellent product.
You need to include some dry days into your painting projects. Success only comes when you keep this in mind. Days of high humidity increase the time it takes for your painting project to dry. By painting on drier days, you will reduce the time between coats. This will make your project go much faster.
TIP! Have you thought about putting vinyl siding on your home? Vinyl siding will help to increase the value of your home. As much as eighty percent of the cost can be recovered upon selling the home.
Try a decorative paint finish on your walls for a unique look for your room. Applying the same color paint in both a glossy and flat finish to your walls offers an attractive appearance that has a lot of rich texture. Put two flat paint coats on the wall, then stencil on glossy paint in unique designs. Interest will be piqued by the glossy paint.
TIP! You should always be sure to cover your floors before you start to paint a room. It can be hard to clean paint from hardwood or carpeted floors.
If you?re in the home improvement mindset, look into checking your air conditioner filters. Your HVAC system will function less efficiently with clogged, dirty filters. Your air conditioner uses more energy to keep the house cool when it works harder. This means higher electricity bills.
TIP! When you?re doing significant interior painting, it?s absolutely vital to put down drop cloths. (Old sheets can work in a pinch.
You need to think about more than cost when you are looking for contractors to help out your home improvement. There are other things you need to consider like the time line, labor cost, warranties, and how long the company has been in business. Factor all that into your decision.
TIP! Use a water heater blanket to increase the efficiency of this appliance. Such blankets successfully trap heat that would otherwise be lost, reducing the energy required to heat your water.
Try to reuse what you can, for the environment, and for your pocketbook. Why not paint your cabinet for a fresh, new look? Replace the handles and knobs, too. Try painting instead of replacing to freshen up a room.
TIP! You can get a lot of enjoyment out of doing home improvement projects yourself. Staying positive will make them even more so.
When you buy supplies for home improvement, get some safety equipment too. This includes steel-toed boots, hard hats, safety glasses, and gloves. If you get hurt during your project, you?re going to be kicking yourself. Wear the equipment throughout the project.
TIP! The best home improvement projects are sown from a single bright idea. Talk to interior designers to learn about some modern ideas.
Developing a solid plan makes it easier to succeed at home improvement. When you do your home improvement project with a friend, you will enjoy the task and share happy memories. It is sure to be rewarding to look at what you have accomplished and consider what you have saved.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) ? Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad resigned on Saturday, leaving the Palestinians without one of their most moderate and well-respected voices just as the U.S. is launching a new push for Mideast peace.
A statement from the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said President Mahmoud Abbas met with Fayyad late in the day and accepted his resignation, thanking him for his service. According to the statement, Abbas asked Fayyad to continue to serve in his post until Abbas forms a new government.
Abbas was expected to name a new prime minister within days, according to Palestinian officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Abbas and Fayyad had been locked in an increasingly bitter dispute over the extent of the prime minister's authority. Fayyad offered his resignation on Thursday, but Abbas did not respond to Fayyad's offer until Saturday.
His departure could spell trouble for Abbas. Fayyad, a Western-trained economist, is well respected in international circles, and he is expected to play a key role in U.S. efforts to revive peace talks.
As part of that effort, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said he plans to announce a series of measures to boost the West Bank economy in the coming days. Fayyad, a former official at the International Monetary Fund with expertise in development, would be key to overseeing such projects.
Fayyad has served since mid-2007 as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, the self-rule government that administers roughly 40 percent of the Israeli-controlled West Bank. The 61-year-old political independent has focused his efforts on developing the foundations of an independent Palestinian state.
A squeaky-clean public image and willingness to take on entrenched interests has often landed him in trouble with Abbas' long-ruling Fatah movement.
The relationship between Fayyad and Abbas has been tense for some time, and the prime minister told Abbas already late last year that he wanted to quit.
Abbas told Fayyad repeatedly to wait. But the conflict between the two escalated last month over the resignation of Fayyad's finance minister, Nabil Kassis. Fayyad accepted the resignation, but Abbas then overruled the prime minister, effectively challenging his right to hire and fire Cabinet ministers.
Fayyad told confidants in recent days that he was determined to leave. The prime minister also complained about what he said was an attempt by leading Fatah members to undermine him.
Fayyad has good ties with the U.S. and is credited with cracking down on public corruption, securing foreign aid and preparing the groundwork and infrastructure for a future Palestinian state.
The White House said it appreciates the efforts of Fayyad and Abbas in working with the U.S. and other nations to support the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
"Prime Minister Fayyad has been a strong partner to the international community and a leader in promoting economic growth, state-building, and security for the Palestinian people," National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said Saturday. "We look to all Palestinian leaders to support these efforts."
Backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in international aid, Fayyad has built roads and schools and promoted transparency in the government's finances. With the Palestinian Authority stuck in a financial crisis, Fayyad has come under public criticism for the cash-strapped government's failure to pay the salaries of teachers and civil servants on time.
Fayyad has been in office since being appointed in June 2007 by Abbas, following the takeover of Gaza by the rival Islamic militant Hamas. Fayyad's authority is largely limited to the West Bank, while Hamas continues to control Gaza.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum criticized rival Fayyad in a statement following his resignation, saying he and his government "worked to protect the Zionist occupation and U.S. interests."
____
Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
Contact: Mari N. Jensen mnjensen@email.arizona.edu 520-626-9635 University of Arizona
A new chemical process can transform waste sulfur into a lightweight plastic that may improve batteries for electric cars, reports a University of Arizona-led team. The new plastic has other potential uses, including optical uses.
The team has successfully used the new plastic to make lithium-sulfur batteries.
"We've developed a new, simple and useful chemical process to convert sulfur into a useful plastic," lead researcher Jeffrey Pyun said.
Next-generation lithium-sulfur, or Li-S, batteries will be better for electric and hybrid cars and for military uses because they are more efficient, lighter and cheaper than those currently used, said Pyun, a UA associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry.
The new plastic has great promise as something that can be produced easily and inexpensively on an industrial scale, he said.
The team's discovery could provide a new use for the sulfur left over when oil and natural gas are refined into cleaner-burning fuels.
Although there are some industrial uses for sulfur, the amount generated from refining fossil fuels far outstrips the current need for the element. Some oil refineries, such as those in Ft. McMurray in Alberta, are accumulating yellow mountains of waste sulfur.
"There's so much of it we don't know what to do with it," said Pyun. He calls the left-over sulfur "the garbage of transportation."
About one-half pound of sulfur is left over for every 19 gallons of gasoline produced from fossil fuels, calculated co-author Jared Griebel, a UA chemistry and biochemistry doctoral candidate.
The researchers have filed an international patent for their new chemical process and for the new polymeric electrode materials for Li-S batteries.
The international team's research article, "The Use of Elemental Sulfur as an Alternative Feedstock for Polymeric Materials," is scheduled for online publication in Nature Chemistry April 14. The National Research Foundation of Korea, the Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the American Chemical Society and the University of Arizona funded the research.
Pyun and Griebel's co-authors are Woo Jin Chung, Adam G. Simmonds, Hyun Jun Ji, Philip T. Dirlam, Richard S. Glass and rpd Somogyi of the UA; Eui Tae Kim, Hyunsik Yoon, Jungjin Park, Yung-Eun Sung, and Kookheon Char of Seoul National University in Korea; Jeong Jae Wie, Ngoc A. Nguyen, Brett W. Guralnick and Michael E. Mackay of the University of Delaware in Newark; and Patrick Theato of the University of Hamburg in Germany.
Pyun wanted to apply his expertise as a chemist to energy-related research. He knew about the world's glut of elemental sulfur at fossil fuel refineries -- so he focused on how chemistry could use the cheap sulfur to satisfy the need for good Li-S batteries.
He and his colleagues tried something new: transforming liquid sulfur into a useful plastic that eventually could be produced easily on an industrial scale.
Sulfur poses technical challenges. It doesn't easily form the stable long chains of molecules, known as polymers, needed make a moldable plastic, and most materials don't dissolve in sulfur.
Pyun and his colleagues identified the chemicals most likely to polymerize sulfur and girded themselves for the long process of testing those chemicals one by one by one. More than 20 chemicals were on the list.
They got lucky.
"The first one worked and nothing else thereafter," Pyun said.
Even though the first experiment worked, the scientists needed to try the other chemicals on their list to see if others worked better and to understand more about working with liquid sulfur.
They've dubbed their process "inverse vulcanization" because it requires mostly sulfur with a small amount of an additive. Vulcanization is the chemical process that makes rubber more durable by adding a small amount of sulfur to rubber.
The new plastic performs better in batteries than elemental sulfur, Pyun said, because batteries with cathodes made of elemental sulfur can be used and recharged only a limited number of times before they fail.
The new plastic has electrochemical properties superior to those of the elemental sulfur now used in Li-S batteries, the researchers report. The team's batteries exhibited high specific capacity (823 mAh/g at 100 cycles) and enhanced capacity retention.
Several companies have expressed interest in the new plastic and the new battery, Pyun said.
The team's next step is comparing properties of the new plastic to existing plastics and exploring other practical applications such as photonics for the new plastic.
Related Web sites:
Jeffrey Pyun
http://www.cbc.arizona.edu/facultyprofile?fid_call=Pyun
[ | 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.
Contact: Mari N. Jensen mnjensen@email.arizona.edu 520-626-9635 University of Arizona
A new chemical process can transform waste sulfur into a lightweight plastic that may improve batteries for electric cars, reports a University of Arizona-led team. The new plastic has other potential uses, including optical uses.
The team has successfully used the new plastic to make lithium-sulfur batteries.
"We've developed a new, simple and useful chemical process to convert sulfur into a useful plastic," lead researcher Jeffrey Pyun said.
Next-generation lithium-sulfur, or Li-S, batteries will be better for electric and hybrid cars and for military uses because they are more efficient, lighter and cheaper than those currently used, said Pyun, a UA associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry.
The new plastic has great promise as something that can be produced easily and inexpensively on an industrial scale, he said.
The team's discovery could provide a new use for the sulfur left over when oil and natural gas are refined into cleaner-burning fuels.
Although there are some industrial uses for sulfur, the amount generated from refining fossil fuels far outstrips the current need for the element. Some oil refineries, such as those in Ft. McMurray in Alberta, are accumulating yellow mountains of waste sulfur.
"There's so much of it we don't know what to do with it," said Pyun. He calls the left-over sulfur "the garbage of transportation."
About one-half pound of sulfur is left over for every 19 gallons of gasoline produced from fossil fuels, calculated co-author Jared Griebel, a UA chemistry and biochemistry doctoral candidate.
The researchers have filed an international patent for their new chemical process and for the new polymeric electrode materials for Li-S batteries.
The international team's research article, "The Use of Elemental Sulfur as an Alternative Feedstock for Polymeric Materials," is scheduled for online publication in Nature Chemistry April 14. The National Research Foundation of Korea, the Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the American Chemical Society and the University of Arizona funded the research.
Pyun and Griebel's co-authors are Woo Jin Chung, Adam G. Simmonds, Hyun Jun Ji, Philip T. Dirlam, Richard S. Glass and rpd Somogyi of the UA; Eui Tae Kim, Hyunsik Yoon, Jungjin Park, Yung-Eun Sung, and Kookheon Char of Seoul National University in Korea; Jeong Jae Wie, Ngoc A. Nguyen, Brett W. Guralnick and Michael E. Mackay of the University of Delaware in Newark; and Patrick Theato of the University of Hamburg in Germany.
Pyun wanted to apply his expertise as a chemist to energy-related research. He knew about the world's glut of elemental sulfur at fossil fuel refineries -- so he focused on how chemistry could use the cheap sulfur to satisfy the need for good Li-S batteries.
He and his colleagues tried something new: transforming liquid sulfur into a useful plastic that eventually could be produced easily on an industrial scale.
Sulfur poses technical challenges. It doesn't easily form the stable long chains of molecules, known as polymers, needed make a moldable plastic, and most materials don't dissolve in sulfur.
Pyun and his colleagues identified the chemicals most likely to polymerize sulfur and girded themselves for the long process of testing those chemicals one by one by one. More than 20 chemicals were on the list.
They got lucky.
"The first one worked and nothing else thereafter," Pyun said.
Even though the first experiment worked, the scientists needed to try the other chemicals on their list to see if others worked better and to understand more about working with liquid sulfur.
They've dubbed their process "inverse vulcanization" because it requires mostly sulfur with a small amount of an additive. Vulcanization is the chemical process that makes rubber more durable by adding a small amount of sulfur to rubber.
The new plastic performs better in batteries than elemental sulfur, Pyun said, because batteries with cathodes made of elemental sulfur can be used and recharged only a limited number of times before they fail.
The new plastic has electrochemical properties superior to those of the elemental sulfur now used in Li-S batteries, the researchers report. The team's batteries exhibited high specific capacity (823 mAh/g at 100 cycles) and enhanced capacity retention.
Several companies have expressed interest in the new plastic and the new battery, Pyun said.
The team's next step is comparing properties of the new plastic to existing plastics and exploring other practical applications such as photonics for the new plastic.
Related Web sites:
Jeffrey Pyun
http://www.cbc.arizona.edu/facultyprofile?fid_call=Pyun
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Apr. 13, 2013 ? College athletes are not the only ones who sometimes suffer at the hands of higher ups. A new report brings to light a more hidden and pernicious problem -- the psychological, physical and sexual abuse of students in the field of biological anthropology working in field studies far from home.
The report is based on an online survey and telephone interviews that, in a period of less than two months, elicited accounts of abuse from dozens of women and men working in the field of biological anthropology.
This is a first attempt to systematically document the harassment, abuse or assaults young researchers sometimes face in the course of doing anthropological fieldwork at remote sites, said University of Illinois anthropology professor Kathryn Clancy, one of four researchers to present the new findings at the 2013 meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropology.
Most students and postdoctoral researchers consider field research a stepping stone to a better career, Clancy said.
"This is something that most biological anthropologists, cultural anthropologists and archeologists see as a fairly necessary experience," she said. "Some people can do an entirely lab-based project or a computer modeling project or a local project, but most of us need to go into the field."
The team recruited subjects through outreach on social media and websites devoted to researchers in biological anthropology. They heard from 122 men and women, more than half of whom had experienced or witnessed sexual harassment, physical abuse or sexual assault at the hands of site managers, project directors or peers living and working at field research sites. The researchers defined sexual assault as "any kind of inappropriate physical contact, unwanted physical touching, assault, all the way up to rape," Clancy said.
"Overwhelmingly, we're seeing junior women being targeted by senior men," Clancy said. "59 percent of respondents have experienced sexual harassment. Women are 3 times more likely to experience harassment than men. And 19 percent of respondents have been sexually assaulted."
The perpetrators of the harassment and assaults were usually men, but some women also abused their students. One female site director, for example, refused to let women leave the work site to urinate.
The researchers did not directly ask the respondents if they had been raped, but some of the respondents volunteered that they had been raped by research leaders or peers at fieldwork sites. Others reported that they had witnessed the systematic targeting of junior members of the research team for harassment or assault.
Such working conditions can have devastating effects on the health and wellbeing of those who are targeted and those who witness the abuse, Clancy said. They also force students to choose between their career goals and their desire to speak up for themselves or others.
Clancy and her colleagues noticed that larger, more organized research sites tended to have fewer incidents of abuse, harassment or assault than smaller, less formal fieldwork sites. Those who worked on teams that included women in leadership positions also reported less harassment and abuse. Some respondents said they noticed an uptick in abusive behavior when female leaders were absent.
"The larger a field site, the more organized you have to be, so you're more likely to actually have ground rules or a code of conduct, or a chain of command that prevents people from feeling they can get away with bad behavior," Clancy said.
The researchers are proposing that funding agencies like the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health require the same kinds of protocols and oversight of researcher safety in the field that are routine in the laboratory.
"If we want to fund a postdoctoral researcher, we have to write a postdoc mentoring plan so that we prove that this postdoc isn't just going to be a lackey for us and that we're actually going to mentor them and train them and help them get a job," Clancy said. "I have to make sure my students have access to certain kinds of vaccines if they're working with blood. We have to go through Institutional Review Boards to protect our research subjects. We have to go through animal protocols to protect our animals. But we don't have to protect our researchers in the field."
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BERLIN, April 12 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes said he will not ask former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola for advice ahead of their Champions League semi-final with the Spanish giants. Guardiola will take over from Heynckes at the German champions next season, having led Barcelona to 14 trophies in four seasons before taking time out and signing for Bayern earlier this year. "Respect me and my work," Heynckes curtly told reporters on Friday. "I have never consulted anyone or asked for advice. "I do not need anyone to study an opponent. ...
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) ? A chilly spring storm was making its way eastward Wednesday after heavy snow and freezing rain prompted hundreds of flight cancellations, stranded motorists and knocked out power to thousands in several Western states.
Officials in South Dakota warned residents to prepare for the worst by staying home and keeping off roads as the system moved through the eastern part of the state.
"We need to hunker down," Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether said Tuesday. "This one is going to last a while."
The storm crawled eastward Tuesday night from Colorado and Wyoming, with moderate snowfall forecast overnight from the Dakotas to Wisconsin. Nebraska, where strong winds caused a train derailment in the eastern part of the state earlier in the day, also was expecting more snow.
Freezing rain, low temperatures and strong thunderstorms were forecast elsewhere in the Midwest.
Officials in Wyoming and South Dakota closed portions of major highways as blowing snow decreased visibility and freezing rain made roads treacherous. Up to a foot of snow fell in southwestern North Dakota on Monday, causing several vehicle accidents.
"Spring storms are not unusual, but they can be very dangerous," said Greg Fuller, operations director for the Transportation Department.
April snowstorms aren't unusual in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West, but the storm comes after a rather tame winter in many areas. The National Weather Service said Cheyenne's high of 12 degrees Tuesday was the coldest on record for April 9. The previous record was 23 degrees set in 1997.
"I'm pretty confident that this particular storm is more widespread and has caused more travel problems and closures than any storm we've had this calendar year certainly," said Bruce Burrows, spokesman for the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
The storm hit California and Arizona on Monday with strong wind and rain, knocking out power to thousands and kicking up a dusty haze in the metropolitan Phoenix area. It moved into Colorado, where two unconfirmed tornadoes were reported near Akron and strong gusts felled trees and power lines. More than six inches of snow fell at Denver International Airport, where hundreds of flights were cancelled and others were delayed.
Wind rolled a trailer home onto its top and a roof blew off a barn, Washington County undersheriff Jon Stivers said. A motorcycle dealership partially collapsed in Pueblo, Colo., where winds gusted to 64 mph.
In Wyoming's Sweetwater County, gusts up to 71 mph damaged a marina at Flaming Gorge Reservoir and broke windows at the Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, according to the National Weather Service.
In parts of the Dakotas, officials cancelled classes and many local governments closed offices. In South Dakota, Secretary of State Jason Gant said more than two dozen cities and school districts informed him they were delaying elections for a week.
Up to a foot of snow fell in southwestern North Dakota, along with freezing rain and sleet. An oil tanker crashed near South Heart, just south of Interstate 94 west of Dickinson, and spilled what authorities called a minimal amount of oil into the ditch.
Interstate 90 was closed between Rapid City and Sioux Falls, and transportation officials will determine which, if any, stretches can reopen.
Weather Service meteorologist Todd Heitkamp in Sioux Falls said that office had reports of ice accumulations from one-quarter of an inch up to nearly half an inch, leading to power outages and widespread tree damage. As much as 10 to 16 inches of snow was expected north and west of the city.
"That's going to add to the weight of the trees, to the power lines," Heitkamp said. "Then we get the wind on top of that and then we get the snow on top of that. You can envision what can possibly occur."
As many as 14 people were hurt and two are in critical condition after calls flooded into 911 with reports of multiple people stabbed. NBC's Janet Shamlian reports.
By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC News
At least 14 people were hurt Tuesday in a stabbing spree at a Texas community college apparently carried out by a student, authorities said. Sheriff?s officials said the suspect was in custody.
At least two victims were in critical condition. It was not immediately clear how severe the other injuries were. The stabbing happened at the CyFair campus of Lone Star College, in the Houston suburb of Cypress.
Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle
Life Flight personnel rush a stabbing victim off a helicopter at a Houston hospital after a stabbing spree Tuesday near Lone Star College in Cypress, Texas.
The school said the attack happened ?in and around? its health science building. Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia said that authorities were not certain what the weapon or motive was. He said the suspect was 21 years old.
Memorial Hermann Texas Trauma Institute said it had two patients in critical condition and six in all, including four flown there by helicopter.?Three patients were upgraded to good condition Tuesday evening?and one had been discharged.
A spokeswoman for another hospital, North Cypress Medical Center, said it had taken six stabbing victims who were in stable condition.
Two other victims were treated at the scene and declined to be taken to the hospital, the sheriff said.
The school closed for the day and ordered students to find shelter somewhere safe. Campus police caught the suspect, the Harris County Sheriff?s Office said. The school planned to open Wednesday.
The stabbing happened just after 11 a.m., a college official said. The school had warned students that a second suspect might be at large, but sheriff?s officials said later that they believed they had the only suspect in custody.
In January, three people were shot at a separate campus of the same college. A federal official said that those shootings appeared to be gang-related. A 22-year-old man was charged with aggravated assault.
The Lone Star system of colleges has 90,000 students in all.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published on Tue Apr 9, 2013 1:19 PM EDT
If you're a small local business, having a Google+ Local profile is imperative to putting your brand ? quite literally ? on the map. Google Places was recently replaced with Google+ Local ? a merging of Places and Plus that serves up your Google+ Local listing in Search and Maps results on mobile devices and traditional browsers. Whereas Places was a static listing, Local is dynamic and social.
A well-optimized Google+ Local page can benefit your digital marketing strategy in the following ways:
Outrank your competitors in local search.
Build the authority of your brand through +1's and user reviews.
Drive traffic to your website.
Convert more visitors into leads and clientele.
Quick stats about local mobile use:
50 percent of mobile search is local.
61 percent of local searches result in purchases.
50 percent of smartphone shoppers use a GPS/mapping app to find a retail location.
Only 33 percent of advertisers have a mobile optimized website (Read more mobile statistics for local business).
With more than 1 billion smartphone users around the world, a number expected to reach 2 billion by 2015, it's no surprise that mobile search is quickly becoming the number one way users search. And, when people search with their smartphones, they're looking for something local.
How do you unlock the full potential of +Local? Follow these six steps to learn the dance.
Step 1: Claim Your Google+ Business Page
In order to set up your Google+ Local account, you need a Google+ Business Page. If you haven't yet claimed your Google+ Business page, I recommend John Haydon's short video tutorial on how to do it, here.
However, if you have a +Business Page which doesn't have a Local page category, unfortunately it can't be upgraded yet. (The new +Local Dashboard was recently rolled out, however only available in the U.S. for now).
If you already set up a Google+ Business page in the category Local Business, then you have the option to merge your business page with your Google+ local page. For a video tutorial on merging your Business and Local pages, check out Matthew Hunt's video here.
Now, it's time to populate your +Local Page.
Step 2: Update Your Google+ Local Page
The process for updating your Google+ Local page is pretty straightforward. On the left panel you have a series of icons (just like Google+). Hit the Profile icon and update your About section, cover photo, company photos, videos, etc.
The key is to build a strong local page that includes all pertinent business information (address, contact information, operating hours), engaging content (photos, positive reviews) and to keep it actively updated.
Step 3: Disseminate Structured and Unstructured Citations
Let's start by outlining the difference between a structured and unstructured citation. A structured citation is a mention of your business' NAP (business name, address, phone number) on an IYP (Internet Yellow Pages) or directory website (e.g., Yahoo Directory, ODP).
Generally, a structured citation has the schema.org mark-up, which allows the search engine spiders across Google, Bing and Yahoo to read the data. (To learn how to add schema location markup check out Carrie Hill's step-by-step article. )
An unstructured citation is more of a casual mention of your business' NAP that appears anywhere that's not an official directory provider, for example, a blog, social media profile, newspaper (online/print) etc.
Having a healthy mix of both structured and unstructured citations is really important for both SEO and conversions. Tools like Whitespark's local citation finder can help you to identify structured citation providers in your area.
Some ideas for getting unstructured mentions include:
Event citations (local social event, meetups, seminars/workshops)
Job boards (local job posting sites like elance, odesk, freelancer)
Facebook Deals (Facebook Deals also have potential virality by inviting vetted Friends of Fans to participate in deals)
Give away websites (Freecycle, Fiverr, mom blogs?)
Leveraging these structured and unstructured opportunities will definitely contribute to moving your rankings up and achieving your digital targets.
Step 4: Build Rank for Your Google+ Local Page
Google's previous local algorithm for Places was weighted on three main factors:
Location
Relevance
Prominence
With the updated +Local, the algorithm has become as complex as Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's relationship.
(Fun Fact: Ask.com's Top Question in 2012 was: Will Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart Get Back Together?)
But back to what really matters: What's affecting the positioning of a +Local listing on the SERP? The most up-to-date and comprehensive ranking factor analysis I've come across so far, is from the big wig of local search engine marketing, David Mihm. He's analyzed and written extensively about the top factors that affect the rank of your Google+ Local page. And he just did a Whiteboard Friday about the evolution of the local algorithm.
(Note: This analysis was performed in June 2012, just after the Places/Plus merge, so there may be some new factors that come into play ? and others whose influence will increase or decrease when 2013's assessment is ready.)
Here's a very condensed breakdown of the top five factors that drive Google's local search algorithms:
1. +Local Page Criteria
Physical address in city of search
Proper business categories
Proximity of address to city center (centroid)
Local area code on +Local Page
2. On-site factors
Domain Authority of website
City/state/province in +Local landing page title
HTML/schema NAP matches +Local page NAP
Page Authority of landing page specified in +Local
Product/service keyword in website URL
3. Off-site factors
Quantity of structured citations (IYPs, data aggregators)
Quality/authority of structured citations
Quality/authority of unstructured citations
Quality/authority of inbound links to domain
4. Review factors
Quantity of native +Local reviews
Product/service keywords in reviews
Quantity of third-party reviews
Keyword(s) location in reviews
Velocity of native +Local reviews
(Note: velocity refers to the speed at which a local listing or a website accumulates outside references, such as links, citations, reviews, or check-ins.)
5. Social/Mobile factors
Number of +1's on website
Number of adds/shares on Google+
Click-through rate from search results
Authority of +1's on website
Velocity of adds/shares on Google+
Now we know what performance indicators to put the bulk of our efforts into; it's time to find out what local region searchers are looking for.
Step 5: Perform a Local/Hyper-Local Keyword Research
Doing keyword research for local business is a challenging but high return activity. By tapping into what searchers are looking for in your local region, you open yourself to continuous discovery of quality, targeted keyword prospects, that will give your local business a competitive advantage.
You can use keyword tools such as AdWords, Wordtracker, WordStream and ?bersuggest to generate an exhaustive list of as many possible relevant keywords. You can also use a fantastic local keyword tool that allows to you to include cities, state abbreviations and zip codes in your search.
Once you've analyzed and prioritized your keyword list, assigned them to the best pages (landing page, blog, mobile site, micro-site), you're ready to start building your first-class content.
Step 6: Create Value-Charged Local and Hyper-local Content
The ongoing sharing of valuable, relevant content that caters to the specific interests and intents of users on each platform you have a presence on, can have significant impact on the visibility and prominence of your brand.
It's a matter of "getting" your audience, and crafting meaningful copy that provides real value, answers questions and engages people to act. Author Rank is going to continue to give real estate to the content creators with a strong identities and that means it's more crucial than ever to build your following (Google+, +1s, reviews) and maintain your most important channels: your website, blog, social profiles, job profiles, forums, etc. with rich content including videos, images, social posts, that again, give searchers something to come back to.
Remember to keep your content cycle turning by revisiting and rejuvenating your most valuable local and hyperlocal content.
Local is ?Where it's At?
The forward path of mobile search, increased local search, the influence of Google+, as well as user reviews, makes Google+ Local an invaluable platform for small businesses to utilize. Helping to drive relevant traffic and generate more qualified leads, now is the best time to do the "Localmotion" and capitalize on all the search that +Local has to offer.
To sum up, here are the key ways that will help you maximize the power of Google+ Local:
Make sure you have a Google+ Business Page for entry into the Local space
Once its claimed, merge your Business Page with your Google+ Local Page
Update it with marked up business information + engaging content
Build rank for your Google+ Local Page by optimizing the most important ranking factors (on-site/offsite factors, social media/mobile factors, reviews)
Disseminate structured and unstructured citations (IYPs, directories, blog mentions etc.)
Build the most comprehensive list of local/hyper-local keywords
Consistently publish value-charged content and engage with your online communities
Mary Monserrat-Howlett of nvi contributed to this post.
Drummer image source: http://fark.com
Convergence Analytics: Digital Measurement in Transition This joint report by ClickZ and Efectyv Marketing seeks to identify how the evolution of digital analytics affects and challenges practitioners, vendors, and investors.Download it today!
Mozilla today launched the second beta of its Persona authentication system, which now allows anybody with a Yahoo.com email address to sign up and log in to any Persona-enabled site without the need to create a new account for Persona or a new login or password for the site that uses it. Mozilla plans to add support for additional webmail providers in the coming month. With Persona, Mozilla wants to get rid of as many site-specific online passwords as possible. The goal of Persona is to ensure that users can sign in to websites without having to set up a new user account and without having to remember a new password. Users simply use their existing email account to identify themselves and the service will automatically redirect them to their webmail provider to type in their password and sign in. Thanks to the new identity bridging with Yahoo the organization announced today, hundreds of millions of new users can now use Persona to sign in to sites that support this new system already. Mozilla also set up a demo site for those who may want to give it a try. The Mozilla team, however, also used today’s announcement to stress that Persona is an open system and that “any domain can now become a Persona Identity Provider so users can reuse their existing accounts on any site that uses Persona.” As Mozilla noted last month, Persona is meant to give administrators a lot of flexibility. “If example.com wants to use 2-digit passwords, they can. If they want to use retinal scans powered by your webcam, they can. It?s up to them.” Adding Persona support to an existing site, Mozilla says, can take as few as 15 minutes. Persona is not bound to any specific browser and works on both desktop and mobile (as long as you don’t insist on using Internet Explorer 7 or below). With the release of this second beta, Persona is now also integrated into Firefox OS, Mozilla’s attempt at launching a new mobile operating system based on HTML5. The Persona team also worked hard on improving performance and the service now loads twice as fast as the last beta.
"I like small penises," said no women interviewed for an actually scientific study released Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, or PNAS. Yes, PNAS is a funny sounding acronym, and, yes, PNAS has found that size does matter ? and that women prefer "showers" to "growers."
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) ? A car bomb rocked a busy residential and commercial district in central Damascus on Monday, killing at least 15 people and sending a huge cloud of black smoke billowing over the capital's skyline, Syrian state-run media said.
The explosion came as U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said inspectors were ready to deploy within 24 hours to Syria to investigate reports of chemical weapon attacks but have not yet received permission from President Bashar Assad's government.
Monday's blast, described by state-run Syrian TV as a terrorist suicide bombing, went off near the Sabaa Bahrat Square, one of the capital's biggest roundabouts. The Syrian central bank, the state-run investment agency, a mosque and a school are located nearby.
The explosion also wounded at least 53 people, according to Syrian state TV.
It was the latest in a series of car bombs and suicide bombings to hit the Syrian capital in recent months as the two-year civil war becomes increasingly chaotic. The U.N. says the conflict has killed more than 70,000 people.
TV images showed thick black smoke billowing in a wide street with several cars on fire. At least six bodies were seen lying in the pavement. Paramedics carried a young woman lying on a stretcher, her face bloodied, into an ambulance.
Shaken teenage students holding their backpacks were seen walking away. The TV said the blast occurred near the Bukhari School.
According to the footage, the dead included a young man whose face was blown off by the force of the blast. Shortly after, another man is seen covering the victim's head with his T-shirt.
Nearby, several men are seen twisting the wreckage of a car, trying to rescue a man who appears motionless in the back seat of a car.
Fire fighters struggled to extinguish flames that engulfed the two buildings near the site of the explosion as well as a row of cars near the roundabout.
The last large explosion in central Damascus was on Feb. 22, when a suicide car bombing near the ruling Baath Party headquarters killed 53 people and wounded more than 200, according to state media.
Anti-regime activists at the time put the death toll at 61, which would make it the deadliest bombing in the capital in the two-year Syrian civil war.
Last month, a suicide bomb ripped through a mosque in the heart of the capital, killing a top Sunni Muslim preacher and outspoken supporter of Assad and 41 others in one of the most stunning assassinations of the war.
The violence has shattered the sense of normalcy that the Syrian regime has desperately tried to maintain in Damascus, a city that was until recently mostly insulated from the bloodshed and destruction that has left other urban centers in ruins.
The anti-Assad rebels launched an offensive on Damascus in July after a stunning bombing on a high-level government crisis meeting that killed four top regime officials, including Assad's brother-in-law and the defense minister. Following that attack, rebel groups that had established footholds in the suburbs pushed in, battling government forces for more than a week before being routed and swept out.
Since then, government warplanes have pounded opposition strongholds on the outskirts, and rebels have managed only small incursions on the city's southern and eastern sides.
Assad's government has asked the U.N. chief to investigate an alleged chemical weapons attack by rebels on March 19 on a village in northern Syria. Both the rebels and the regime traded blame for the alleged attack, which has not been confirmed.
ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis was formally installed as bishop of Rome on Sunday and he urged lapsed Catholics not to be afraid to return to God.
Francis celebrated a Mass before thousands of people in the Rome Basilica of St. John in Lateran to formally take possession of the cathedral in his capacity as bishop of the Italian capital, his other major role along with the papacy.
Francis, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, has indicated that he intends to embrace his role as Rome's bishop as well as leader of the 1.2-billion-member Catholic Church.
Since his election on March 13, he has referred to himself more often as "bishop" than "pope" and is expected to visit many of Rome's parishes, a practice he maintained in Buenos Aires.
In his homily in St. John's, whose adjoining palace was the residence of most popes until the 14th century, Francis urged Catholics who had strayed from their Church to have the courage to return.
"God's patience has to call forth in us the courage to return to him, however many mistakes and sins there may be in our life," he said, speaking in Italian.
Francis has inherited a Church weakened by sexual abuse of children by priests in many countries and allegations of corruption in the Vatican.
Many have said their faith was shaken by the scandals. Francis, who is expected to make new appointments to clean up the Vatican's often dysfunctional bureaucracy, urged Catholics to let God back into their lives.
"We hear many offers from the world around us; but let us take up God's offer instead: his is a caress of love. For God, we are not numbers, we are important, indeed we are the most important thing to him; even if we are sinners, we are what is closest to his heart," he said.
Thousands of people who could not get into the packed basilica gave Francis a rousing welcome outside as he rode around a large square in an open jeep.
They applauded as he unveiled a plaque re-naming part of the square after Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005.
(Reporting by Philip Pullella; editing by Mark Heinrich)
(Reuters) - A man who took several hostages in 2007 at a New Hampshire presidential campaign office for then-U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton was reported missing Sunday from a halfway house, authorities said.
Leeland Eisenberg, 52, has been serving a 3 1/2- to 7-year sentence for the incident in Rochester, New Hampshire, in which he claimed to be wearing a bomb that turned out to be road flares.
Eisenberg was not in his room at the Calumet Transitional Housing Unit, a halfway house in Manchester, when a regular headcount was taken, the New Hampshire Department of Corrections said in a statement.
Eisenberg is eligible for parole in August and his maximum release date is February 2017, the department said.
(Reporting by David Bailey; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
Research examines corporate communications in the 'gilded age' of free speechPublic release date: 8-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dawn Fuller dawn.fuller@uc.edu 513-556-1823 University of Cincinnati
An analysis of U.S. Supreme Court decisions suggests "historical amnesia" regarding the growing power of speech rights for corporations in electronic media, versus the First Amendment rights of individuals. Jeff Blevins, associate professor and head of the University of Cincinnati's Department of Journalism, will present his research on Tuesday, April 9, at the 58th annual convention of the Broadcast Education Association in Las Vegas.
Blevins' presentation, titled "Historical Amnesia in First Amendment Jurisprudence on Corporate Power and Electronic Media," suggests that recent decisions from the nation's highest court have "allowed corporations' power to speak to become even greater than that of human citizens."
Blevins examined eight U.S. Supreme Court cases over a 30-year period that defined speech rights for corporations.
The study analyzed:
Corporate speech in campaigns and elections
Corporations and commercial speech
Corporations and conflicts of speech and privacy
"In a bygone era, the U.S. Supreme Court had once predicated commercial speech rights on the public's right to receive information, and also understood the need to limit corporate speech even in the political arena in the interest of protecting the integrity of the public's electoral process," says Blevins. "However, the court's most recent decisions have dramatically extended power under the First Amendment and have marked a new, gilded age of free speech."
The research examined the following court cases:
Buckley v. Valeo (1976) A challenge to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 which limited the amount of money that individuals could contribute to election campaigns. The court made the distinction between contributions and expenditures, lifting limitations on expenditures. The ruling resulted in significant growth of Political Action Committees (PACs.)
Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce (1990) The challenge involved a Michigan state law that prohibited corporations from using money from their general treasuries to support or oppose candidates in state elections. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce challenged the law because of its interest in purchasing newspaper advertisements in support of a particular candidate running for state office. The Supreme Court ruled that limiting speech based on corporate identity was permissible under the law and that the law did not silence corporate speech.
McConnell v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) (1990) The campaign finance case, brought by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, was a challenge to the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002, which banned campaign advertising by corporations and other organizations 30 days prior to a primary election and 60 days prior to a general election. The ruling upheld most of the act, including prohibitions on corporate advertising during pivotal periods of political campaigns.
Citizens United v. FEC (2010) The case involved a challenge to the BCRA in that a nonprofit wanted to release a documentary a movie holding negative criticism of Hillary Clinton via on-demand cable television, 30 days before the primary election in which Clinton was seeking the Democratic Party's nomination for U.S. President. Citizens United opposed the BCRA in that it wanted to advertise the film within 30 days of the primary. The organization appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court after a lower court found Citizens United in violation of the federal rules. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the lower court's decision, stating the ban on corporate independent expenditures violated the First Amendment. Blevins cited the ruling as a case of "historical amnesia," in that the ruling appeared to be in contradiction to the high court's decision in the case of McConnell v. FEC. The decision also contradicted the high court's judgment in Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
Virginia State Board of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council (1976) A consumer group challenged a rule by the Virginia State Board of Pharmacy that forbade pharmacists to advertise the price of prescription drugs a rule aimed at discouraging price wars among drug companies.
Blevins states that in this case, the high court brought commercial speech under First Amendment protections, but found commercial speech deserves less protection than political speech.
Central Hudson Electric and Gas v. Public Service Commission of New York (1980) This involved a challenge to the Public Service Commission of New York's order to cease all utility company advertising that promoted the use of electricity, an effort to conserve energy amid concerns that consumer demand would grow greater than the energy supply. The order was upheld under the New York Court of Appeals and then reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which found that the commission's order unduly burdened free speech.
Sorrell v. IMS Health (2011) The challenge was against a Vermont State law prohibiting pharmaceutical "detailing," on drugs that doctors prescribed to their patients, allowing marketers and manufacturers to gather that information for their own marketing strategies. The case was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court by William Sorrell, Virginia State Attorney General. Several information mining companies challenged the law, citing it was a violation of their freedom of speech under the First Amendment. After conflicting rulings in the lower courts, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the law as an unconstitutional restriction of corporate speech.
FCC v. AT&T (2011) Under the Freedom of Information Act, government records and documents can be made publicly available, unless those records result in an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. This case resulted in action from AT&T, after a trade organization requested documents from an FCC action on AT&T. AT&T filed to have the Freedom of Information Act apply to both individuals and the corporation, which was upheld by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals but struck down by the Supreme Court, which found that the Freedom of Information Act only applied to individuals.
Blevins suggests the rulings indicate that the court actions imply that more speech is better, yet Blevins emphasizes that the First Amendment was written at a time when only humans, not corporations, were doing the communicating. "The real value of commercial speech resides in the receiver's interest and not the speaker's. It is the interest of humans to receive information that is more important than the speaker's self interest," writes Blevins.
"Through the evolution of Supreme Court jurisprudence, it seems that corporations' limited right to speak to serve the people has become an interest superior to that of the people it purports to serve," concludes Blevins.
The paper was awarded first place in the Broadcast Education Association's History Division open paper competition.
Blevins' research focuses on U.S. telecommunication law and policy, and engages critical political economy theory. His research has examined media ownership regulation, First Amendment jurisprudence on media ownership regulation, Internet media policy and the politics of the telecommunication policymaking process.
###
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Research examines corporate communications in the 'gilded age' of free speechPublic release date: 8-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dawn Fuller dawn.fuller@uc.edu 513-556-1823 University of Cincinnati
An analysis of U.S. Supreme Court decisions suggests "historical amnesia" regarding the growing power of speech rights for corporations in electronic media, versus the First Amendment rights of individuals. Jeff Blevins, associate professor and head of the University of Cincinnati's Department of Journalism, will present his research on Tuesday, April 9, at the 58th annual convention of the Broadcast Education Association in Las Vegas.
Blevins' presentation, titled "Historical Amnesia in First Amendment Jurisprudence on Corporate Power and Electronic Media," suggests that recent decisions from the nation's highest court have "allowed corporations' power to speak to become even greater than that of human citizens."
Blevins examined eight U.S. Supreme Court cases over a 30-year period that defined speech rights for corporations.
The study analyzed:
Corporate speech in campaigns and elections
Corporations and commercial speech
Corporations and conflicts of speech and privacy
"In a bygone era, the U.S. Supreme Court had once predicated commercial speech rights on the public's right to receive information, and also understood the need to limit corporate speech even in the political arena in the interest of protecting the integrity of the public's electoral process," says Blevins. "However, the court's most recent decisions have dramatically extended power under the First Amendment and have marked a new, gilded age of free speech."
The research examined the following court cases:
Buckley v. Valeo (1976) A challenge to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 which limited the amount of money that individuals could contribute to election campaigns. The court made the distinction between contributions and expenditures, lifting limitations on expenditures. The ruling resulted in significant growth of Political Action Committees (PACs.)
Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce (1990) The challenge involved a Michigan state law that prohibited corporations from using money from their general treasuries to support or oppose candidates in state elections. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce challenged the law because of its interest in purchasing newspaper advertisements in support of a particular candidate running for state office. The Supreme Court ruled that limiting speech based on corporate identity was permissible under the law and that the law did not silence corporate speech.
McConnell v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) (1990) The campaign finance case, brought by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, was a challenge to the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002, which banned campaign advertising by corporations and other organizations 30 days prior to a primary election and 60 days prior to a general election. The ruling upheld most of the act, including prohibitions on corporate advertising during pivotal periods of political campaigns.
Citizens United v. FEC (2010) The case involved a challenge to the BCRA in that a nonprofit wanted to release a documentary a movie holding negative criticism of Hillary Clinton via on-demand cable television, 30 days before the primary election in which Clinton was seeking the Democratic Party's nomination for U.S. President. Citizens United opposed the BCRA in that it wanted to advertise the film within 30 days of the primary. The organization appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court after a lower court found Citizens United in violation of the federal rules. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the lower court's decision, stating the ban on corporate independent expenditures violated the First Amendment. Blevins cited the ruling as a case of "historical amnesia," in that the ruling appeared to be in contradiction to the high court's decision in the case of McConnell v. FEC. The decision also contradicted the high court's judgment in Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
Virginia State Board of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council (1976) A consumer group challenged a rule by the Virginia State Board of Pharmacy that forbade pharmacists to advertise the price of prescription drugs a rule aimed at discouraging price wars among drug companies.
Blevins states that in this case, the high court brought commercial speech under First Amendment protections, but found commercial speech deserves less protection than political speech.
Central Hudson Electric and Gas v. Public Service Commission of New York (1980) This involved a challenge to the Public Service Commission of New York's order to cease all utility company advertising that promoted the use of electricity, an effort to conserve energy amid concerns that consumer demand would grow greater than the energy supply. The order was upheld under the New York Court of Appeals and then reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which found that the commission's order unduly burdened free speech.
Sorrell v. IMS Health (2011) The challenge was against a Vermont State law prohibiting pharmaceutical "detailing," on drugs that doctors prescribed to their patients, allowing marketers and manufacturers to gather that information for their own marketing strategies. The case was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court by William Sorrell, Virginia State Attorney General. Several information mining companies challenged the law, citing it was a violation of their freedom of speech under the First Amendment. After conflicting rulings in the lower courts, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the law as an unconstitutional restriction of corporate speech.
FCC v. AT&T (2011) Under the Freedom of Information Act, government records and documents can be made publicly available, unless those records result in an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. This case resulted in action from AT&T, after a trade organization requested documents from an FCC action on AT&T. AT&T filed to have the Freedom of Information Act apply to both individuals and the corporation, which was upheld by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals but struck down by the Supreme Court, which found that the Freedom of Information Act only applied to individuals.
Blevins suggests the rulings indicate that the court actions imply that more speech is better, yet Blevins emphasizes that the First Amendment was written at a time when only humans, not corporations, were doing the communicating. "The real value of commercial speech resides in the receiver's interest and not the speaker's. It is the interest of humans to receive information that is more important than the speaker's self interest," writes Blevins.
"Through the evolution of Supreme Court jurisprudence, it seems that corporations' limited right to speak to serve the people has become an interest superior to that of the people it purports to serve," concludes Blevins.
The paper was awarded first place in the Broadcast Education Association's History Division open paper competition.
Blevins' research focuses on U.S. telecommunication law and policy, and engages critical political economy theory. His research has examined media ownership regulation, First Amendment jurisprudence on media ownership regulation, Internet media policy and the politics of the telecommunication policymaking process.
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The Broadcast Education Association is the professional association for educators, industry professionals and graduate students who are interested in teaching and research related to electronic media and multimedia enterprises.
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Public release date: 14-Apr-2013
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Mozilla today launched the second beta of its Persona authentication system, which now allows anybody with a Yahoo.com email address to sign up and log in to any Persona-enabled site without the need to create a new account for Persona or a new login or password for the site that uses it. Mozilla plans to add support for additional webmail providers in the coming month. With Persona, Mozilla wants to get rid of as many site-specific online passwords as possible. The goal of Persona is to ensure that users can sign in to websites without having to set up a new user account and without having to remember a new password. Users simply use their existing email account to identify themselves and the service will automatically redirect them to their webmail provider to type in their password and sign in. Thanks to the new identity bridging with Yahoo the organization announced today, hundreds of millions of new users can now use Persona to sign in to sites that support this new system already. Mozilla also set up a demo site for those who may want to give it a try. The Mozilla team, however, also used today’s announcement to stress that Persona is an open system and that “any domain can now become a Persona Identity Provider so users can reuse their existing accounts on any site that uses Persona.” As Mozilla noted last month, Persona is meant to give administrators a lot of flexibility. “If example.com wants to use 2-digit passwords, they can. If they want to use retinal scans powered by your webcam, they can. It?s up to them.” Adding Persona support to an existing site, Mozilla says, can take as few as 15 minutes. Persona is not bound to any specific browser and works on both desktop and mobile (as long as you don’t insist on using Internet Explorer 7 or below). With the release of this second beta, Persona is now also integrated into Firefox OS, Mozilla’s attempt at launching a new mobile operating system based on HTML5. The Persona team also worked hard on improving performance and the service now loads twice as fast as the last beta.