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Friday, July 27, 2012

New York's JFK Airport top germ spreader: study

New York's John F. Kennedy Airport is a teeming hub for international flight -- and globe-trotting germs, a new study says.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology paper published this week named JFK as the top of a list of "super-spreaders" in contagious diseases.

Next in the list came Los Angeles International, Honolulu, San Francisco, Newark Liberty, Chicago O'Hare and Washington Dulles, MIT said.

Top germ hub status doesn't actually mean the airports are disease-ridden themselves.

The study instead measured a wide variety of factors contributing to the airports' role in the spread of infectious disease. These include travel patterns, geographic location and waiting times.

The idea was to help understand and predict how viruses like SARS and bird flu get around and prompt epidemics in an ever-more connected world.

"Our work is the first to look at the spatial spreading of contagion processes at early times, and to propose a predictor for which 'nodes' -- in this case, airports -- will lead to more aggressive spatial spreading," said Ruben Juanes, an energy studies professor.

"The findings could form the basis for an initial evaluation of vaccine allocation strategies in the event of an outbreak, and could inform national security agencies of the most vulnerable pathways for biological attacks in a densely connected world."

The findings can be counter-intuitive.

The likes of Los Angeles and Chicago are well known for their heavy traffic, but Honolulu gets just 30 percent as much air traffic as New York's JFK. However, the island airport is "nearly as influential in terms of contagion, because of where it fits in the air transportation network," the report said.

"Its location in the Pacific Ocean and its many connections to distant, large and well-connected hubs gives it a ranking of third in terms of contagion-spreading influence."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/yorks-jfk-airport-top-germ-spreader-study-153440650.html

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China demanded removal of Taiwan flag at Olympics

Olympic organisers said on Thursday that Taiwan's flag had been taken down from a London display at the request of the Chinese embassy.

The banner was removed from a row of national flags hanging over Regent Street, one of London's busiest shopping roads, and replaced on Wednesday with that of Taiwan's Olympic committee.

This flag has been used by Taiwan at Olympic Games since the 1980s, when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled that the island could not compete under its formal name, the Republic of China.

Games organisers LOCOG said they had advised the Regent Street Association, which represents retailers and is in charge of the display, to remove the Taiwan flag after a complaint from China's embassy.

"The Chinese Embassy informed us that the incorrect flag was on display, and we passed this information on to the Regent Street Association," a LOCOG spokesman told AFP.

The Chinese embassy in London did not respond to repeated requests to comment.

China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still claims sovereignty over the island and has vowed to bring about reunification even if it means war.

Taiwan's representative in Britain, Shen Lyushun, insists that the IOC ruling on its flag only applies to Olympic venues and has demanded an explanation.

A spokesman for Shen said: "This agreement doesn't prevent us from using our national flag outside Games venues -- and this flag is in a business area, not a venue.

"We do hope our national flag will be put back in its original place."

The row comes after a mix-up over North Korea's national flag prompted its women's football team to walk off the pitch on Wednesday in an embarrassing start to the Olympics.

London organisers apologised after the North Korean squad were pictured next to the flag of South Korea -- with whom the North is officially still at war -- at their opening match against Colombia at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

The North Koreans left the pitch in protest but were persuaded to return an hour later after the mistake was rectified, and went on to win the match 2-0.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-demanded-removal-taiwan-flag-olympics-175837390.html

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HR Senior Specialist (Team Member Development) - ASTD Job Bank

Minimum Qualifications/Requirements:

Education: Bachelor?s Degree required with an emphasis in Business Administration or Management ? Human Resources or Organizational Development, Training, or Learning related degrees preferred. Master?s Degree in related field a plus. Designation as Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) or Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) preferred.

Experience:

? Greater than 10 years of progressive HR work in a training and development capacity. ? Greater than eight (8) years of experience in leading or supporting an Organizational Development and Training function in a corporate or multi-site manufacturing setting preferred. ? Experience and working knowledge of talent management practices and processes to ensure linkage of development programs with succession planning. ? Expertise and experience in building leadership development programs for multiple levels within an organization including high potential talent, senior leaders, and front line supervisory talent. ? Experience at an Automotive OEM and/or Tier 1 supplier to Japanese automaker helpful.

Personal/Technical Skills: ? Experience with eLearning and instructional design including delivery of education and training programs to adult professionals. ? Ability to influence executive management and provide thought leadership. ? Excellent platform and facilitation skills; ability to engage an audience. ? Action oriented with ability to get large projects done with limited resources. ? Ability to work effectively in both strategic and tactical roles. ? College level mathematical skills with understanding of general business applications. ? Ability to perform basic data analysis, financial calculations and reasoning analysis. ? Ability to communicate and work well with others in a multi-cultural environment. ? Strong organization and planning skills required. ? Detail oriented, logical, and methodical approach to problem solving. ? Ability to provide vision and leadership. ? Ability to plan, schedule, and evaluate the work of others. ? Demonstrated capability to interface and maintain effective relationships with all departments and team members in a team oriented environment.

Language Skills:

? Ability to communicate effectively--both written and oral. Ability to write speeches and articles for publication. Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups and or boards of directors.

Computer/Software: ? Solid working knowledge and experience with common computer applications (e.g., MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Project, Lotus Notes, etc.). ? Working knowledge of, and experience with, Talent Management Suites including implementation and administration.

Work Environment/Conditions:

Office: Open Office Environment Travel: Up to 10% throughout North America. Occasional travel to Latin America and South America may occur.

Physical Demands:

? Ability to sit and work on a computer for extensive periods of time is required. ? Ability to stand for extensive periods of time during instruction.

Disclaimer: This job description is intended to identify the general nature and level of work performed by team members within this classification, as well as certain essential job functions. It is not intended, and should not be interpreted, as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of team members assigned to this job. To qualify for this job, however, a team member must be able to perform its essential functions with or without reasonable accommodation. Under no circumstances may this job description be construed as altering the at-will nature of the employment relationship between TBA and any team member. EOE

ASTD Membership preferred

Source: http://jobs.astd.org/jobs/4858116/hr-senior-specialist-team-member-development

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Your Fetus Is an Alien

Another theory comes from Koji Yoshinaga, the program director of the reproductive sciences branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Yoshinaga has been studying, among other things, BIEFs, or blastocyst implantation essential factors?the factors that impact the interaction between embryo and uterus. He believes?as he writes in a scientific paper in the Journal of Reproduction and Development?that these factors signal to the mother that her body must provide nutrients without attacking. As he sees it, pregnancy is a huge balancing act between the mother?s body revving up certain systems to nourish the baby and stanching other systems that could hurt the baby. It?s a complex dance between hormones and the immune system. For instance, Yoshinaga says that prolactin?the hormone that stimulates milk production?also revs up T-cell production. But progesterone, another key pregnancy hormone, triggers something called PIFB, pregnancy-induced binding factor, which seems to protect the embryo from those revved up cells. Still, we really don?t know precisely how progesterone does the trick.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=c75ed994691bad9524590e9221ecb901

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Female space shuttle commanders remember Sally Ride (+video)

Two women who became space shuttle commanders after seeing Sally Ride's historic flight in 1983, reflect on the legacy of the first American woman in space.

By Clara Moskowitz,?Space.com / July 24, 2012

This undated file photo astronaut Sally Ride. Ride, the first American woman in space, died Monday, July 23, 2012. Ride flew twice in space, both times aboard the Challenger shuttle.

(AP Photo/NASA, File)

Enlarge

The news of Sally Ride's death yesterday (July 23) has impacted many around the globe, most especially those who traveled directly in her footsteps.

Skip to next paragraph

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'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // --> Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut in space, died at the age of 61 of cancer in her home in California. Seth Doane takes a look back at her remarkable life and legacy.

Sally Ride became the first American woman in space when she flew on the space shuttle Challenger in 1983. Since then, dozens of U.S. females have made spaceflights. Two of them, Eileen Collins and Pamela Melroy, achieved another historic milestone, becoming the only women to command a space shuttle mission.

"I knew I wanted to be an astronaut from watching the Apollo astronauts land on the moon, but Sally cemented the belief inside me that I could do it," Melroy wrote in an email to SPACE.com. "She paved the way for women to work in space and made it so much easier for other women to follow where she led."

Collins became the first female space shuttle commander when she led the STS-93 flight of the shuttle Columbia in July 1999, just 16 years after Ride's first flight. Melroy then commanded the space shuttle Discovery in 2007, becoming the last woman to command a shuttle before the fleet retired in 2011. [Sally Ride: 1st American Woman in Space (Pictures)]

"I am surprised and saddened by the news of Sally Ride?s passing," Collins wrote in an email yesterday.?"She was such a wonderful role model and source of inspiration to me.? People around the world still recognize her name as the first American woman in space, and she took that title seriously even after departing NASA.? She mentored me several times during my astronaut career, leaving me with many cherished memories."

Collins, who retired from NASA in 2006, said Ride inspired by example.

"She never sought media attention for herself, but rather focused on doing her normally outstanding job," Collins said.?"Her 'Sally Ride Science' programs have reached thousands of middle school girls, giving them the confidence to stay focused on math and science, even when the mass media message was otherwise. She also played a notable role in both the Challenger and Columbia accident investigations.? Sally left us too soon. God Speed Sally, you will be greatly missed."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/RN3VtFDvXjM/Female-space-shuttle-commanders-remember-Sally-Ride-video

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Police, Gun Control Advocates Push Washington for Action

Police and gun control advocates today sounded a louder call for politicians to take a stand against gun violence - despite Congress's lack of political will to touch the issue, or the White House's affirmation that President Obama had no plans to put new gun laws on the books.

"We have refused to accept silence from the candidates for the highest office in our land," Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, told reporters today at the National Press Club.

"The American people have shown overwhelmingly that they are ready to have a real conversation about how to prevent gun violence, and we are demanding the same from our elected representatives: Not to play politics but to lead."

The nation's largest anti-gun violence group, the Brady Campaign, was founded by President Reagan's press secretary, Jim Brady, who was confined to a wheelchair after he took a bullet to the head in a Reagan assassination attempt in 1981.

The group supports broadening the Brady Law, enacted in 1994, which requires federally licensed firearms dealers to run background checks on would-be buyers to weed out felons, drug addicts or others who might prove dangerous. But today, the group put policy on hold and instead urged Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney to take the lead in discussing ways to end gun violence, whatever they might be.

Get more pure politics at ABC News.com/Politics and a lighter take on the news at OTUSNews.com

"It is time for all of us to come together - Republicans, Democrats, blue states, red states, people who own guns and people who don't - to have a meaningful national conversation about what we can do about it," Gross said. "I think it's shameful that our political leaders would play politics when there are lives that can be saved."

More than 30 people die of gun-related violence every day in the U.S., according to the Brady Campaign. If that number holds steady, 48,000 Americans will be victims of gun violence during the next presidential term.

"We truly believe, as a nation, we are better than this," Gross said.

Less than a week after a movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colo., left 12 dead and 58 injured, a national group of police associations also took to Washington, D.C., to drum up support for more gun control measures.

The National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence, a group of nine national police associations, today echoed its demands for background checks on all firearms purchasers.

"America, we are not doing enough to keep guns out of the wrong hands," said James Johnson, Baltimore county chief of police and incoming chairman of the partnership. "We are long past the point of saying 'enough is enough.' The mantra has grown old. It's time to take action to keep firearms from dangerous people."

The Brady Law applies only to federally licensed gun dealers - which accounts for 60 percent of all U.S. firearm transactions, according to the partnership. People who buy assault-style guns or high-capacity ammunition online, or through a classified ad, for example, might not be subject to those background checks.

Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes did pass background checks to purchase his guns legally, partnership president Hubert Williams acknowledged. But broadening the law would help close a "gaping hole" that illegal buyers can still exploit, he said.

"We're not asking for new laws. We're asking for existing laws to be enforced on all people that are purchasing these weapons," Williams said. "We're just saying that the law has a loophole in it that needs to be plugged."

Gross, of the Brady Campaign, said it's important for politicians to talk about gun control - but just paying lip service isn't enough.

"A speech is not a plan. An endorsement of a measure is not a solution," he said. "We want a plan with solutions."

Easy Ways To Quickly Improve Your Memory

Everybody is forgetful. What did I just say? And most people would like to have a better memory. When was the last time you were at some kind of social gathering, and you saw somebody that you just met, yet you couldn't remember their name? This happens to all of us all the time. If there were only an easier way. Maybe you've gone to the store, only to come home to realize you'd forgotten the one thing you went there for. This can be terrible. The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to improve your memory. When you practice these on a regular basis, you'll notice your memory getting better every single day.

One of the most important things to realize is that your memory is not passive. Would you passively sit and listen to a lecture in school, and then not study for a test? Of course not. But that's exactly what you do when you learn people's names, or try to remember phone numbers. If you want to remember something, you've got to put in a little bit of effort. Short term memory is called that because everything vanishes after a couple minutes. But when you take the time to remember something, it is stored as long term memory.

A great way to remember something is to create a vivid, mental picture. This will go a long way in helping you recall something later on. For example, if you meet somebody at a party, notice something unique about that person. When they tell you their name, create some mental image connecting their name to that unique thing about them. You don't need to use their name exactly, just a word their name reminds you of. This will be enough to help you recall their name next time you see them.

A great way to remember lists of things is to associate them with parts of your body. For example, if you are remembering a list of things to take to the store, then make a mental image of each one associated with a body part. Remember, you aren't going to describe these images to anybody, so the more crazy you make them, the easier you'll remember them. A tip is to include anything sexual or painful in your pictures. If it's vivid enough, you'll never forget them.

One powerful way to train your memory is to create something called an "ABC List." Just choose any category, like musical instruments, and then think of an instrument for each letter of the alphabet. If you do this once a day, you will be creating a powerful memory trap between your ears.

Naturally, what you eat has a big impact on how strong your memory is. Avoid alcohol and tobacco. Take plenty of vitamins. Avoid eating complex carbohydrates, especially in the afternoon. If you know you are going to need your noggin later on, then make sure to eat some lean protein. Also consider taking some fish oil supplements. These have been known to boost mental power.

When you realize that having a strong memory takes a little bit of effort, you are halfway there. Just do some of these exercises every day, and your mind will become a steel trap in no time.

The best way to improve your memory is with personal mind control. If you control your own mind, life is much easier, and you can unlock your potential and achieve a lot more. To find out about the latest mind control techniques, please visit our site today. You'll be glad you did.

Source: http://articles.submityourarticle.com/easy-ways-to-quickly-improve-your-memory-284462

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