Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/193732738?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Sunday, 29 January 2012
The working class rises up across Latin America (The Christian Science Monitor)
Mexico city; and Santiago, chile ? When parking attendant Hugo Enrique Vera was beaten by a wealthy client in Mexico, allegedly for refusing to show the man where to find the jack in his car, the surveillance camera captured a stereotype dating to colonial times: The wealthy resident asserts authoritarian control over the worker, who takes the beating without question.
But there was a twist: Mr. Vera filed a criminal complaint and condemned his perpetrator on national news, unleashing a charged debate about callousness toward the working class.
For two decades, social movements in Latin America have centered on indigenous rights. Today the indigenous have earned new political representation, and open mistreatment will draw complaints.
Yet daily life across Latin America is replete with symbols of stubborn class inequality that go unchallenged, such as condominium buildings that have separate elevators for domestic workers.
RELATED: Think you know Latin America? Take our geography quiz.
Such constant reinforcement of status differences helps to cement class privileges in what the United Nations has said is the world's most unequal region.
While maids in crisp uniforms and parking valets at every urban venue aren't about to disappear, they and other la-borers are increasingly better-educated and aspire to move into the middle class.
Less tolerant of abuse and discrimination, these maids and nannies, doormen and gardeners are demanding more pay and benefits and a baseline of respect.
"There's democratization in the political arena, participation, and citizenship rights ... [and] moderate economic development. So in this context, citizens start feeling they have the right to be seen as what they are ? citizens," says Florencia Torche, a sociology professor at New York University and Catholic University in Santiago, Chile.
An apology is offered
The parking attendant controversy, which went viral on YouTube and drew a public apology by perpetrator Miguel Sacal, wasn't an isolated event. Last summer, Mexicans were outraged after two upper-middle-class women in a rich district of Mexico City were caught on video calling a police officer a "crappy wage slave." The daughter of the leading presidential candidate caused an uproar in December after retweeting a message calling her father's opponents "a bunch of idiots who are part of the prole," a reference to the proletariat, or poor people.
"There is less tolerance for discrimination by society," says Ra?l Villamil Uriarte, an anthropologist at the Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City. In the case of the parking attendant who brought attention to his own case, he adds, the classic "victim" devictimized himself.
Changes in the maid's quarters
Nowhere is more change taking place than in the domestic sphere. While in the United States only the wealthy can afford live-in nannies and daily housecleaning, in Latin America, maid's quarters are ubiquitous, even in the homes of the middle class.
But newer apartments increasingly are built without such spaces ? reflecting upheaval in the structure of the home.
In Chile, maids and nannies are demanding bigger salaries and more benefits and insisting on living with their own families, says Monica Escandon, who runs the nanny and maid service Nana.cl in Santiago. "[Domestic workers] know that their work has a high value and that they are necessary, especially for young couples who both work," she says.
Salaries have risen to at least $500 a month for a nanny who works five days a week and as much as $800 a month for a live-in maid, she says. Employers are also responsible for taxes, food, and transportation. As in the US, wealthier Latin Americans now hire immigrants from poorer countries like Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay to get the same amount of work for lower prices.
The rising wages and greater emphasis on professionalization is resulting in greater respect. When a popular gossip magazine in Colombia recently ran a picture of servants in uniform standing behind their wealthy employer, the depiction set off a storm of rebuke.
In Chile, meanwhile, a country club last month barred nannies from entering the pool with their young charges and said they had to wear their uniforms while on the premises. The club owners have faced a barrage of recriminations, with critics calling them snobs and classists.
RELATED: Think you know Latin America? Take our geography quiz.
'Respect comes first'
Fighting back has come later for the working class in general than it did for the indigenous, says Christopher Sabatini, editor in chief of the policy journal Americas Quarterly in New York. For one thing, the working class did not have the advantage of identifying along ethnic and geographical boundaries.
But economics and the democratizing influence of social media have given them an edge: With positive economic growth across Latin America, poverty falling, more access to credit, and many entering the middle class ? 56 million households have joined the middle class in Latin America in the past decade and a half, according to the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean ? class is less static than it once was.
"The rigid status hierarchies of the past are starting to clash with notions of quality of opportunities," says Mr. Sabatini.
Pilar Montes, a maid who works in the upscale Santiago district of Las Condes, says that if she were mistreated, "I'd be out the door in a flash. Respect comes first."
Ms. Montes travels more than two hours each way to work for $700 a month ? better pay than she earned previously as a waitress, saleswoman, or cook. But she says she would discourage her children from choosing a similar career. They are all in school, with one studying accounting and another starting nursing school. "One has to keep moving up," she says.
That sentiment is reflected in data from Brazil, where 39 million people joined the middle class between 2003 and 2011. The government's economic research institute, IPEA, said in a May 2011 report that while domestic workers remain underpaid and undereducated, they are improving slowly on both fronts.
That fact might be behind a shift that shows that young people under 30 made up a smaller share of domestic workers in 2009 than they did in 1999, indicating that fewer young people are entering the field.
Marcelo Neri, an economist at the Getu?lio Vargas Foundation in Rio de Janeiro, says that the income of domestic workers increased 5.05 percent per year from 2003 to 2009, compared with 1.16 percent for employers; those receiving social security rose from 20 percent in 1995 to 31 percent in 2009. And they are not alone: From construction workers to waiters, all groups have seen improvement in their lives, from better pay to more respect.
Discrimination persists
The working class is still vulnerable. Arturo Alvarado, a sociologist at the College of Mexico in Mexico City, says that discrimination will persist as long as there is a supply of low-skilled labor working without proper contracts.
He says workers in many offices in Mexico must be submissive just to keep their jobs. But he agrees that changes are afoot.
Ms. Torche sees it as a longer-term dynamic toward more egalitarianism, but that it is fraught with contradictions, especially because political inclusion has outpaced economic equality.
"It is not going to be linear," she says. "[But] we have more political and economic integration and educational expansion. Many more people are exposed to the educational system and are learning what they deserve as citizens of a nation....
"Low-qualification labor is becoming scarce," she adds. "The Latin American elite will have to get used to it."
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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mexico/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20120128/wl_csm/453460
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Saturday, 28 January 2012
OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express SATA 3.0 SSDs doubles your (MacBook) Airspeed velocity
It's MacWorld, which means those providers of Apple gear are busting out wares for aftermarket insertion into your objects of desire. Other World Computing's latest offering is a slender solid-state drive ready to be crow-barred into last year's MacBook Airs. The bombastically named OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSD is a SATA Rev. 3.0 drive with a promised 6GB/s data speed at sizes of up to 480GB. Since the stock drives are limited to the 3GB/s SATA Rev. 2.0 (but the controllers run 3.0), you should find a significant performance bump when swapping in the new unit. The toggle-synchronous NAND drives come in a variety of sizes from 120GB ($260) all the way to 480GB ($1,150), but you'll get a three-year warranty for all that cash. We may never give you our money, nor our funny pages, but you can have the press release that's after the break.
Continue reading OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express SATA 3.0 SSDs doubles your (MacBook) Airspeed velocity
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Friday, 27 January 2012
Robert Hegyes, played Epstein on 'Kotter,' dies (omg!)
METUCHEN, N.J. (AP) ? Robert Hegyes, the actor best known for playing Jewish Puerto Rican student Juan Epstein on the 1970s TV show "Welcome Back Kotter" has died. He was 60.
The Flynn & Son Funeral Home in Fords, N.J., said it was informed of Hegyes' death Thursday by the actor's family.
A spokesman at JFK Medical Center in Edison, N.J., told the Star-Ledger newspaper that Hegyes, of Metuchen, arrived at the hospital Thursday morning in full cardiac arrest and died.
Hegyes was appearing on Broadway in 1975 when he auditioned for "Kotter," a TV series about a teacher who returns to the inner-city New York school of his youth to teach a group of irreverent remedial students nicknamed the "Sweathogs." They included the character Vinnie Barbarino, played by John Travolta.
The show's theme song, performed by John Sebastian, became a pop hit.
Hegyes also appeared on many other TV series, including "Cagney & Lacey."
He was born in Perth Amboy and grew up in Metuchen, the eldest child of a Hungarian father and Italian mother.
He attended Rowan University, formerly Glassboro State College, in southern New Jersey, before heading to New York City after graduation. He returned to Rowan on several occasions to teach master classes in acting, a university spokesman said Thursday.
"He was a good friend to the university," spokesman Joe Cardona said.
Hegyes continued to act after "Kotter" and was a regular on "Cagney & Lacey." He also guest-starred in shows including "Diagnosis Murder" and "The Drew Carey Show."
On his website, Hegyes wrote that he was inspired by Chico Marx, whom he had played in a touring production of a show about the Marx Bros. He also recalled how his mother encouraged him to get involved in theater as a teen.
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Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Europe should boost bailout fund, consider euro bonds: Lagarde (Reuters)
BERLIN (Reuters) ? The head of the IMF called on European governments to boost the size of their rescue fund and consider financial risk-sharing steps like common euro zone bonds as a way out of their sovereign debt crisis.
In a speech at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin on Monday, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde said the world economy faced a "defining moment" that required quick, collective action.
To help meet the challenge, she urged leading powers to back an increase in resources for the Washington-based lender to help fill a global financing hole that the IMF believes could reach $1 trillion over the coming years.
"The longer we wait, the worse it will get. The only solution is to move forward together," Lagarde said, according to an embargoed copy of her remarks provided by the IMF before delivery.
"We must all understand that this is a defining moment. It is not about saving any one country or region. It is about saving the world from a downward economic spiral."
The IMF has helped fund a series of euro zone bailouts over the past two years, but with big European countries like Italy now under threat, it wants to boost its lending capacity, currently estimated at around $380 billion.
Members of the single currency bloc have agreed to inject close to $200 billion, but countries like the United States, Canada, China and Japan have been cool on channeling more funds to the IMF. Many are keen for Europe to take more decisive steps to resolve its debt crisis first.
Lagarde said the IMF was seeking to increase its lending resources by up to $500 billion, including the funds already pledged by Europe. The Fund estimates that up to $1 trillion in global financing could be needed over the coming years.
"I am convinced that we must step up the Fund's lending capacity," Lagarde said.
SOLVENCY CRISIS RISK
She praised decisions by euro zone governments to enforce stricter fiscal discipline and a move by the European Central Bank to provide long-term liquidity to banks, but said these steps formed mere "pieces" of a comprehensive crisis solution.
Lagarde warned specifically about the risks that higher funding costs for Italy and Spain lead to a solvency crisis, saying this would have disastrous consequences for systemic stability.
"Adding substantial real resources to what is currently available by folding the EFSF into the ESM, increasing the size of the ESM, and identifying a clear and credible timetable for making it operational would help greatly," Lagarde said, referring to the euro zone's current and future rescue funds.
She urged European leaders to complement the "fiscal compact" they agreed last month with some form of financial risk-sharing, mentioning euro zone bonds or bills, or a debt redemption fund as possible options.
Lagarde also called for bolder steps from countries outside of Europe, saying the United States had a special responsibility as the world's largest economy.
She said emerging and advanced countries with large current account surpluses should take steps to encourage domestic demand as a way to support global growth.
In an apparent reference to Germany, she said there was a "large core" in Europe where fiscal consolidation could be more gradual. Lagarde also stressed the need for timely easing of monetary policy as euro zone economies and inflation fall.
(Reporting by Noah Barkin)
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Thursday, 19 January 2012
Christie to Romney: Release tax return immediately (AP)
WASHINGTON ? Gov. Chris Christie is urging political ally Mitt Romney to immediately release his tax returns rather than waiting until April.
The New Jersey governor tells NBC's "Today" that Romney should "put them out sooner than later because it's always better to have full disclosure."
Romney's taxes have emerged as an issue days before the South Carolina primary. He agreed in Monday night's debate to consider making his returns public, and then on Tuesday committed to releasing them in April. But the multimillionaire candidate now is on the defensive after acknowledging that his effective tax rate is 15 percent. He says most of his income came from investments and speeches rather than earned income. Christie says he wants to remain as governor, but he wouldn't rule out joining a Romney ticket.
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6waves Lolapps Acquires Its Way Into Mobile Gaming - Tricia ...
January 18, 2012 at 4:35 am PT
6waves Lolapps, one of the top game companies on Facebook, says it will start publishing Android and iOS games with the help of an acquisition. It is announcing today that it has acquired Dallas-based Escalation Studios. All combined, the company will have 230 employees spread across its offices in San Francisco, Dallas and multiple locations in Asia. Terms were not disclosed.
Source: http://allthingsd.com/20120118/6waves-lolapps-acquires-its-way-into-mobile-gaming/
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Wednesday, 18 January 2012
China policy easing ahead as growth hits 2-year low (Reuters)
BEIJING (Reuters) ? China's economy expanded at its weakest pace in 2-1/2 years in the latest quarter, with the sagging real estate and export sectors heralding a sharper slowdown in coming months and fresh pro-growth measures from the government.
Growth of 8.9 percent over a year earlier was slightly stronger than the 8.7 percent forecast by economists in a Reuters poll, but the data on Tuesday raised concerns about the immediate outlook and how much support China can offer a struggling global economy.
Gross domestic output rose just 2 percent from the previous quarter, suggesting to some economists that underlying momentum is slowing more rapidly than headline data implies.
A near 40 percent plunge in the annual pace of property investment in December versus November's rate underscored risks to China's domestic demand even as it is trying to cope with those emanating from debt-ridden Europe -- China's biggest export market.
"It indicates that in Q1 2012 the numbers will be very unpleasant. Policy easing will continue," said Yao Wei, an economist at Societe Generale in Hong Kong, who forecasts growth slowing to 8.3 percent in the first three months of 2012.
"It's a very significant slowdown already in China," she said.
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Growth for all of 2011 slipped to 9.2 percent, a pace last seen in 2009 during the global financial crisis, from 10.4 percent in 2010.
Beijing is likely to stick to what Premier Wen Jiabao has called "fine-tuning" of economic policy settings to counter the downturn for now, rather than adopting more aggressive measures such as a cut in interest rates.
December's retail sales growth of 18.1 percent on the year was well above forecasts and industrial production also staged a slight uptick in real terms in December versus November.
"On policy, we expect Beijing will read both positive and negative messages from the Q4 data and further adjust their policies," Ting Lu, China economist at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong wrote in a note to clients.
"Simply put, Beijing will continue its policy easing which was started in mid-October, though we should not expect a big-bang stimulus," he added.
China's policymakers have unveiled a series of policy tweaks from tax breaks for small firms, to a cut in the proportion of deposits the country's banks must hold as reserves in a bid to boost corporate credit and money supply.
A cut in the required reserve ratio (RRR) in November -- to 21 percent from a record 21.5 percent for big banks -- was the first in three years.
Analysts polled recently by Reuters forecast another 200 basis points of cuts in 2012, with many banking on one in the run-up to next week's Lunar New Year holiday to ease anticipated liquidity squeezes as demand for cash soars.
The pressure for another RRR cut has built as capital has started to flow out of China after years of inflows that allowed the country to amass the world's biggest store of foreign exchange reserves worth $3.18 trillion.
Reducing RRR keeps money supply -- which senior Chinese think-tank sources tell Reuters is targeted for 14 percent growth in 2012 -- stable in the face of capital outflows.
INVESTORS EXPECT POLICY EASING
Asian shares, the euro, industrial metals and commodity-linked currencies all rose as the data soothed investor worries that the euro zone debt crisis is dragging dangerously on the world's second-biggest economy.
Meanwhile, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rallied around 3 percent, reversing a 1.7-percent fall a day earlier, as investors priced in further policy easing and hopes that China would quicken the pace of approval for more foreign investors to trade Chinese stocks.
With Europe in danger of slipping into a recession and U.S. growth looking lackluster, China's role in the global economy is magnified.
Although economists widely expect China's 2012 growth will be the weakest in a decade, a more pronounced slowdown would put a major drag on already shaky global growth.
The fourth-quarter growth rate was the slowest pace since the second quarter of 2009, when the global economy stumbled out of a deep recession. It also marked the fourth straight quarter in which growth had slowed down.
Global miner Rio Tinto reported much lower than expected growth in iron ore production in the fourth quarter amid concerns that China's demand may be softening.
Ma Jiantang, the head of China's statistics agency, said China's economic growth was likely to slow further as Beijing tries to restructure the economy away from exports and towards domestic consumption -- something the United States and other trading partners have long pressed China to do.
Tuesday's data showed net exports subtracted from 2011 growth while consumption contributed more than half.
Annual growth in property investment at 12.3 percent in December, marked a sharp slowdown from November's 20.2 percent pace, a worrying signal for a sector worth some 13 percent of total economic output.
Housing investment dropped precipitously in December, and many property developers have warned that 2012 looks grim.
A booming housing market helped drive China's explosive growth in recent years, but Beijing has tried to cool prices in hopes of avoiding a devastating bubble and bust.
A modest housing market slowdown would be a welcome development, but a crash would be catastrophic, both for China and its trading partners around the world.
Some analysts think China's first-quarter growth will be below 8 percent threshold seen as the minimum for assuring sufficient job creation.
Europe is China's top export market, and all signs point to much of the continent falling into recession in coming months, with no end in sight as governments push austerity programs.
Mass ratings downgrades in the euro zone over the weekend and a breakdown in Greek bailout talks have added to financial market jitters.
LUNAR LIFT
An early Lunar New Year holiday on January 23-24 probably skewed the fourth-quarter data and the effect will likely linger through the first three months of the year.
Factories typically step up production to clear orders before the festive period, and then temporarily shut down as workers head home to visit family.
That means fourth-quarter growth probably benefited from the surge in manufacturing, while first-quarter activity will be even slower.
"What's happened in December is to some extent the pre-Lunar New Year bounce in activity and prices. What we're seeing in December is the seasonal effect. If it is just a seasonal effect then obviously what that means is January-February will be weaker," Michael Spencer, Deutsche Bank's Hong Kong-based chief economist in the Asia Pacific said.
"It's fair to say the economy is holding up better but it's hard to say if that's just a statistical artifact of the short calendar," he added. ($1=6.31 yuan)
(Additional reporting by China economics team: Writing by Nick Edwards and Emily Kaiser; Editing by Kim Coghill and Neil Fullick)
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Westbrook's 3s lead Thunder past Celtics 97-88
Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins, a former Boston Celtic, acknowledges fans' applause in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins, a former Boston Celtic, acknowledges fans' applause in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) and guard Thabo Sefolosha, left, stop Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen (20) on a drive to the basket in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Boston Celtics center Jermaine O'Neal (7) hangs on to the jersey of Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins (5) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins, right, blocks Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo (9) on a drive to the basket in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins, a former Boston Celtic, embraces Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers before an NBA basketball game in Boston, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
BOSTON (AP) ? Russell Westbrook hit a 3-pointer and then shimmied his hands down his torso, bent his body at the knees and strutted down the sideline in celebration.
Just 39 seconds later ? this time with less than a minute left in the game ? he did it all over again.
Westbrook scored 26 points, including two of Oklahoma City's four 3-pointers in the final 2 minutes, to help the Thunder beat the slumping Boston Celtics 97-88 on Monday night. Kevin Durant scored 28 with seven rebounds for Oklahoma City, which won its seventh consecutive game.
"They started doubling K.D. later in the game," Westbrook said. "I just tried to be aggressive and find my open spots."
Paul Pierce scored 24 points, Kevin Garnett had 12 points and 12 rebounds and Jermaine O'Neal had 12 points and 11 boards for the Celtics. Rajon Rondo scored 12 points with nine rebounds and nine assists for Boston, which lost a fifth straight game for the first time in the New Big 3 era.
"None of us likes to lose; that's the frustrating part," Pierce said. "I think I like where we are headed, there are just little things that are really killing us."
After trailing by 10 points to start the fourth quarter, the Celtics cut the deficit to two before Durant hit a 3 that made it 81-76 with 4:42 left. Garnett made a pair of free throws, then Durant threw down a tomahawk dunk.
Oklahoma City then hit four 3-pointers in a row ? one from Thabo Sefolosha, two from Westbrook and another from Sefolosha that made it 95-85 with 24 seconds left. The Thunder were 2 for 11 from 3-point range in the first three quarters and 5 for 8 in the fourth.
"We stayed with it," Durant said. "We made some good shots. Our offense is predicated on the drive-and-kick; that's what we work on every day."
Kendrick Perkins had seven points and five rebounds in his first game back in Boston since the trade that sent him to Oklahoma City and broke up the starting lineup from the Celtics' 2008 NBA championship team. In the first quarter, his old team played a video on the scoreboard with highlights from his 7? years in Boston.
"Mentally, I was out of it," said Perkins, the 27th pick in the 2003 draft. "It was unbelievable. I really appreciated it. It was something they didn't have to do."
Perkins went over to the Celtics bench before the opening tip to hug the coaches and chest-bump some of his former teammates, and midway through the first quarter a video tribute was played on the scoreboard. The crowd gave him a standing ovation, which Perkins acknowledged by walking to center court alone and waving.
"It was emotional for him. He grew up here," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "He's loved by his former coach, teammates and the fans, and rightfully so. He does everything that you want your player to do. ... That's a classy organization, for what they did on the scoreboard."
Boston cut the deficit to 83-80 with 2:25 to play, but Westbrook cut across the lane and whipped a two-handed pass to Sefolosha in the corner for the 3. After Rondo scored on a putback, Westbrook hit a 3-pointer of his own ? then celebrated by strutting down the sideline.
Garnett hit Mickael Pietrus to set up a Celtics 3-pointer, but Westbrook answered again to make it 92-85.
The Celtics had not had a five-game losing streak since they lost seven straight and eight of the last nine games of the 2006-07 season, a year when they also had an 18-game losing streak that was the longest in franchise history. That summer they began assembling the New Big 3 ? bringing in Garnett and Ray Allen to join Pierce, with Rondo and Perkins rounding out the lineup for a team that won the franchise's 17th NBA title.
Boston returned to the finals in 2010, but Perkins tore up his knee in Game 6 against the Lakers and missed Game 7, which Los Angeles won 83-79.
With Perkins' rehabilitation due to last well into the following season, general manager Danny Ainge signed Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal. Confident that they would remain healthy contributors, Ainge traded Perkins to Oklahoma City for Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green, but neither of them was able to remain in the lineup and the Celtics lost in the second round of the playoffs to Miami.
The trade looked even worse when Green was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, requiring surgery that put him out for this entire season. He is now a free agent.
Notes: New England Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty and receiver Julian Edelman took time off from their preparations for the AFC championship to attend the game. ... The teams split their games last year, each winning on the road. Durant missed the game in Boston with a sore left ankle. ... Thunder guard Reggie Jackson played at Boston College. ... The Celtics had 19 turnovers that led to 24 Thunder points; Oklahoma City had 13 turnovers that led to two Boston points.
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Tuesday, 17 January 2012
North Korea transition "smooth," economy the real test (Reuters)
SEOUL (Reuters) ? North Korea's new leadership under the inexperienced Kim Jong-un appears to be functioning "relatively smoothly," but he has to look beyond key ally China to rebuild its shattered economy, South Korea's senior most official on the North said on Monday.
Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik told Reuters that despite Kim Jong-il's sudden death last month, the secretive North had clearly been well prepared for the handover to a third generation of the Kim family.
"The succession of power has been stable and well prepared," Yu said in an interview.
"It's difficult to predict the future, but for the time being it is likely they will focus on consolidating power internally and to appear stable to the outside world."
Rumors swirled in markets this month about a possible coup in North Korea, but the South dismissed them as groundless. Yu said on Monday the new leadership appeared to be stable.
He, however, said that given Kim's age -- he is believed to be in his late 20s -- and inexperience there remained questions about whether he could do "the job right."
"But having lived as a successor in a regime like North Korea itself is a significant experience. He may be young, but age should not be a big problem," said Yu, although he conceded South Korea knows little about the man the North dubs the "supreme commander."
He said the North would seek to build a cult of personality around the young Kim, similar to that which made Kim Jong-il and the state founder's Kim Il-sung into god-like figures.
Yu said the young Kim did not yet appear to have the kind of absolute control that his father and grandfather wielded, saying a small band of trusted minders were playing an important role in supporting and influencing his leadership.
He did not elaborate on the makeup of the inner group of leaders, believed to include Jong-un's uncle and aunt and the military chief. A source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing told Reuters last month the North will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship.
"It's difficult to predict what form their role will take," said Yu. "What's important is to think about what sort of help we can offer to encourage them to make changes to stabilize itself."
SEOUL, NOT BEIJING, KEY TO ECONOMY
Yu said Kim's policy choices to stabilize the economy were more important than personal factors in cementing his grip.
Some 30 years ago, the North's centrally planned economy was more vibrant than that of the South, but since the disintegration of the North's then-ally and benefactor, the Soviet Union, the economy has all but collapsed.
North Korea's nominal gross national income (GNI) amounted to 30 trillion won (US$26.5 billion) in 2010 - only 2.56 percent of South Korea's GNI of 1,173 trillion won, South Korea's central bank says.
Yu questioned China's role in rebuilding the economy, saying its influence was limited to the political sphere. Only Seoul, he said, could help save the impoverished state from ruin.
Beijing, the North's main ally and benefactor, has encouraged the North to follow its model of economic reform.
"China obviously wants the North Korean regime to be stable ... To ensure the North's economy does not fall apart, China will invest in the border region and encourage trade, but it is difficult to believe that that will revive the economy."
Beijing provides more than 80 percent of the North's food and oil and has invested heavily as Pyongyang has been subject to international sanctions for nuclear and missile tests.
Over the past year, China has also backed Pyongyang's plans to open special economic zones on its border.
Yu said the North was well aware that only Seoul can offer substantive help, even though the Koreas remain technically at war, having signed only a truce to end the 1950-53 Korean War.
"It is South Korea that has the experience of rebuilding a shattered economy. It is South Korea that understands the risks of rebuilding, and is prepared to take that risk.
"There will be considerable political help from China, but I believe economic assistance will be limited."
HOSTILITIES OR DIALOGUE?
Yu said the North's new "great successor," appeared focused for now on building a militaristic image, and may stage a hostile act to firm up his power base.
"I think a military provocation is a possibility as a way to deflect responsibility if its failure to revive the economy is revealed," he said.
The North has stepped up its rhetoric against the South and Kim has been shown touring military sites in what analysts say is likely aimed at burnishing a hardline image with the army.
On Monday, the North's state media ridiculed South Korean officials, including Yu, as "confrontational fanatics" and "moral imbeciles" who missed the chance of engaging in dialogue when Pyongyang reached out last year for talks.
Yu dismissed the rhetoric and held out an olive branch to the North's leadership, saying Seoul would consider a resumption of food aid if Pyongyang returned to the negotiating table.
"We can discuss the matter of large-scale food aid, including rice, if North-South talks reopen," said Yu, adding no "meaningful" contact had occurred since Kim Jong-il's death.
The South's President Lee Myung-bak cut off all economic aid to the North upon winning office in 2008, demanding Pyongyang's complete denuclearization for the resumption of aid, which amounted to around $4.5 billion the preceding decade.
"The world is changing fast, and it's inconceivable that North Korea will do nothing to solve its problems by waiting," said Yu. "And I expect the North will make the right choice for our common future."
(Writing by Jeremy Laurence; Editing by Ron Popeski)
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Monday, 16 January 2012
Car bomb kills at least 8 in Iraq's Mosul: hospital (Reuters)
MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) ? A car bomb exploded inside a residential complex housing displaced Shi'ite Muslims in the Iraqi city of Mosul on Monday, killing at least eight people and wounding four, hospital and police sources said.
The bombing was the latest in a series of attacks on Shi'ite pilgrims and other targets since a political crisis erupted a month ago in Iraq's fragile power-sharing government, split among Shi'ite, Sunni Muslim and Kurdish blocs.
"The hospital received eight bodies including four women, three children and a man and another four wounded," said Laith Habbaba, manager of the Hamdaniya Hospital in Mosul.
Police confirmed the number of casualties.
On Saturday, a suicide bomber disguised as a policeman killed at least 53 people and wounded scores in an attack on Shi'ite pilgrims at a checkpoint in the southern city of Basra.
Political tensions in Iraq have been high since December when Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government ordered the arrest of a Sunni vice president, touching off a crisis that has many fearing a relapse into sectarian conflict.
Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, was once an al Qaeda stronghold, and witnessed some of the fiercest fighting during the war that followed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
(Reporting by Jamal al-Badrani; Writing by Suadad al-Salhy; Editing by Patrick Markey and Mark Heinrich)
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Homeless Student Is Intel Talent Search Semifinalist
An anonymous reader writes "Samantha Garvey, a senior at Brentwood High School, has managed to become one of the remaining 300 semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search this year. Her research focused on mussels and on her discovery that they change the thickness of their shells if a predator such as crabs are introduced. Why is Garvey's achievement so impressive? Because she and her entire family are homeless, and rely on a local homeless shelter. Such a situation would stop many students from being able to focus on studying, let alone a research project, but Garvey has instead used her situation as motivation."
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Saturday, 14 January 2012
Nigeria sect leader defends killings in video (Reuters)
ABUJA (Reuters) ? The leader of Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram said recent killings of Christians were justifiable revenge attacks and President Goodluck Jonathan had no power to stop the group's insurgency, in the first video of him posted online.
The 15 minute video of Abubakar Shekau posted on YouTube is similar in style to messages submitted by other Islamist groups like al Qaeda, a sign of the growing influence other jihadist movements are having on the sect.
Boko Haram, whose name translates from the northern Hausa language as "Western education is sinful," has been behind almost daily killings in its home base in the largely Muslim northeast, most recently targeting Christians.
"Christians, everyone knows what they have done to us and Muslims ... we were attacked and we decided to defend ourselves and, because we were on the right path, Allah has made us stronger," Shekau says in Hausa, sat in front of two Kalashnikov rifles and wearing a camouflage bullet proof jacket.
"Jonathan, (you) know full well that this thing is beyond your powers," he added, referring to the president.
Shekau is understood to have taken over control of Boko Haram, which wants sharia law more widely applied across Africa's most populous nation, after the sect's founder Mohammed Yusuf was killed in police custody in 2009 following an uprising in which 700 people were killed.
"Everyone knows how our leader was murdered and everyone knows the way the Muslims were killed," Shekau says, remaining stony faced and calm throughout.
"Catastrophe is caused by unbelief, unrest is unbelief, injustice is unbelief, democracy is unbelief and the constitution is unbelief."
DEVELOPING
Boko Haram's attacks began small scale - usually drive-by shootings on authority figures or drinking joints in their home town of Maiduguri, in the country's remote northeast corner - but lately have become increasingly sophisticated and ambitious.
In August last year, the sect carried out a suicide car bombing of the United Nations headquarters in the capital Abuja that killed 24 people. On Christmas Day it masterminded coordinated explosions against Christians, including one at a church near Abuja that killed at least 37 people.
The most recent attacks have targeted Christians but dozens of Muslims were killed by the sect last year.
"Anyone who attacks us, we will attack him back even if he is a Muslim. We shall kill anyone who works against Islam, even if he is a Muslim," Shekau said in the online tape.
Gunmen shot dead four people at a petrol station on Wednesday in the northeast Nigerian town of Potiskum, where on Tuesday suspected members of Boko Haram shot dead eight people.
Boko Haram's increasingly violent insurgency has become a major security problem for Jonathan's administration, also facing pressure from nationwide strikes and protests against fuel price increases.
"Four people were shot dead this afternoon but I cannot confirm whether the attackers were Boko Haram," said Tanko Lawal, police commander in Yobe state.
Yobe's government said on Wednesday it has banned the use of motorbikes, which have often been used in Boko Haram attacks, in volatile areas of the state.
(Additional reporting by Ibrahim Mshelizza in Maiduguri; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Peter Graff)
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Friday, 13 January 2012
CA-CANADA Summary (Reuters)
Republicans hope for "yes" on Keystone, prepare for "no"
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Congressional Republicans who are urging President Barack Obama to approve the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline have signaled they will not give up on the issue if the White House says no. After delaying the project, Obama has been compelled by Congress to decide by February 21 on whether to approve the project that would sharply boost the flow of oil from Canada'a oil sands.
Canada budget austerity yields lower fed spending
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Efforts to rein in Canada's budget deficit have resulted in a 3.0 percent decline in overall federal expenditures in the first half of the fiscal year, the office of the parliamentary budget officer said on Wednesday. "The spirit of austerity is beginning to take hold," said Jason Jacques, who prepared reports on the April-September period for the office. "Whatever they're doing, it's working."
British Columbia to repay C$1.6 billion to federal government
OTTAWA (Reuters) - British Columbia has agreed to repay the federal government over five years the C$1.6 billion ($1.57 billion) it received for harmonizing its provincial sales tax with a federal sales tax, the province announced on Wednesday. A referendum last year had forced the western Canadian province to get rid of the harmonized tax, which was extended to items such as restaurant bills.
Glyphosate-resistant weed spreads to Canada crop belt
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - A weed resistant to a widely used chemical to protect crops has spread for the first time to Western Canada, the country's grain and canola belt. Kochia weed turned up in three fields in Southern Alberta last August, despite the use of glyphosate, and Canadian government scientists have now confirmed that it is resistant to the farm chemical, seed company Monsanto Canada said on Wednesday.
EU launches WTO suit on Canadian renewable power
GENEVA (Reuters) - The European Union has escalated a trade dispute over Canadian provincial rules for solar and wind energy subsidies by asking the World Trade Organization to set up a panel to rule on the case, the WTO said on Wednesday. The EU's decision to resort to legal measures against Canada, after the failure of direct talks to settle the dispute, will come as little surprise because Japan has already trodden the same path in an identical case.
Ackman won't try to oust entire CP board: report
TORONTO (Reuters) - Activist investor William Ackman plans to propose a minority slate of alternate directors as he seeks to install a new boss to engineer a turnaround at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd, a newspaper reported on Wednesday. The Globe and Mail quoted Ackman as saying he would propose no more than two new directors to represent his Pershing Square Capital Management, on CP's 15-member board, plus two to three directors independent of both the hedge fund and Canada's second-largest railway.
MP switches parties, weakening opposition
OTTAWA (Reuters) - A legislator quit Canada's main opposition New Democrats on Tuesday, adding to the problems of a left-leaning party that has failed to impress since a record-breaking performance in the May 2011 election. Lise St-Denis, a parliamentarian from Quebec, said she was defecting to the centrist Liberals because she preferred the Liberal positions on the economy and the environment.
Canadian natives warn against pipeline to Pacific
KITIMAAT VILLAGE, British Columbia (Reuters) - Aboriginal leaders opposed to a C$5.5 billion ($5.4 billion) oil sands pipeline backed by Canada's government warned on Tuesday that the project could devastate fishing and traditional life on the rugged Pacific Coast and called for it to be stopped. As hearings into Enbridge Inc's proposed Northern Gateway pipeline opened with drumming and native singing, hereditary chiefs and elders of the Haisla First Nation told the regulatory panel their greatest fear was the potential impact of oil spills on their community of 1,500.
Bank of Canada seen on hold until 2013
TORONTO (Reuters) - A deteriorating European with slower growth and the longer we go without economy and weak global growth will keep the Bank of Canada from raising rates for at least another year, though an interest rate cut looks highly unlikely, according to a Reuters survey. The Reuters poll of 41 economists and strategists released on Tuesday showed the median forecast for the next interest rate hike was pushed back by three months to the first quarter of 2013 from the fourth quarter of 2012 projected in a November poll. The Bank of Canada's target for the overnight rate - its main policy rate - has been at 1 percent for more than a year.
Flaherty sees signs of moderate growth
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Finance Minister Jim Flaherty pointed on Wednesday to encouraging indications of growth in Canada, despite difficult economic times in Europe and elsewhere. "There are good signs of moderate growth across the Canadian economy, including in manufacturing - for example, the auto sector in Ontario, which has shown considerable strength in 2011 and is expected to do so in 2012 again," he told reporters on a cross-country tour ahead of the annual budget.
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NBA: New Orleans 94, Denver 81
Published: Jan. 10, 2012 at 12:22 AM
DENVER, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Carl Landry scored 21 points and Chris Kaman added 20 points plus seven rebounds Monday to lead the New Orleans Hornets past Denver 94-81.
Marco Belinelli added 19 points for the Hornets, who snapped a six-game losing streak.
Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson both had 15 points for the Nuggets, who have dropped two consecutive contests.
New Orleans took command in the second quarter with a 13-4 run that led to a 45-35 halftime lead. Belinelli scored 16 of his 19 in the first half.
The Hornets kept up the pressure by shooting 66.7 percent from the field in the third quarter, and led by as much as 21 in the fourth.
The Nuggets shot 40.8 percent from the field and went 8-of-23 from 3-point range.
Source: http://pheed.upi.com/click.phdo?i=6f8eee457f647c25f7837de62b01b1ab
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Thursday, 12 January 2012
California community colleges approve overhaul
SACRAMENTO -- Over the objections of angry college students and worried faculty members, California community college leaders voted Monday to support a systemwide overhaul that could end many free classes for older adults and squeeze out students who fail to move quickly through the system.
The 22 recommendations approved by the college system's Board of Governors are intended to address a devilish problem: Essential classes are in critically short supply and thousands of students are turned away from classes they need because of the state's economic crisis.
Board member Peter MacDougall, chairman of the Student Success Task Force that drew up the recommendations over the last year, said colleges can no longer afford to put out the welcome mat they have offered for generations.
"As wonderful as having open admission is, if it's a false promise, it fails," he said.
Under the new plan, all students will be expected to set up an education plan to move quickly toward an associate's degree or vocational certificate. If they linger too long or take too many classes unrelated to their goal, they lose registration priority. Others poor enough to quality for a fee waiver would lose that benefit after 110 credits, well beyond the 60 credits needed to transfer.
These changes, including a shift in key decision-making from the 112 campuses to the state chancellor's office, won't be automatic. Legislation is required for several of the proposals.
But Monday's vote, unanimous with two abstentions, was a significant step toward implementing them.
"This is the most significant issue that's come before the board," said Board of Governors President Scott Himmelstein.
Supporters include the Community College League of California and other groups that say the recommendations will focus more attention on students who fall through the cracks.
"It's unconscionable that community colleges have been cut $2 billion in the current fiscal year, but it's more unconscionable that we have a 20-point achievement gap between white and black students," said Scott Lay, president of the league. "We cannot ignore this any longer."
Dozens of opponents addressed the board, fearful that students who don't fall within the scope of the recommendations will be shut out.
Many said that 110 credits isn't enough time for some students, especially those who have had troubled childhoods, are single parents or former offenders.
"These recommendations are discriminatory," said Paul Munoz, who works with needy students at Ventura Community College.
Ed Murray, an instructor at City College of San Francisco, where many opponents were from, urged the board to oppose the recommendations.
"Don't cut out the poorest of our society. Where are they going to go if they can't go to community college? To prison?" Murray asked.
Several of the speakers oversee programs for older adults, which offer free classes from memoir writing to music appreciation.
The recommendations direct colleges to spend their dollars first on students with academic or vocational goals. Only then should scarce resources be spent on free enrichment classes.
Chancellor Jack Scott told the audience that he has nothing against older adults. "I happen to be one of them," said the white-haired former state senator.
Scott also addressed those who criticized the rationing of education, an expression he has used himself.
"We're already rationing education," he said. "We're just doing it haphazardly."
Abstaining from the vote were board member Natalie Berg, also a City College of San Francisco trustee, and Danny Hawkins.
As the board members voted, students stood, interrupting with "Mike check!" the Occupy movement's signature statement. They paused only long enough to allow the board to finish voting, then shouted:
"We'll be back! We shut down the Port of Oakland - twice - and we're coming for you!"
This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San?Francisco?Chronicle
Source: http://feeds.sfgate.com/click.phdo?i=736203b5acbfa8dbefb37763cf79a6db
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Furor in Greece over pedophilia as a disability (AP)
ATHENS, Greece ? Greek disability groups expressed anger Monday at a government decision to expand a list of state-recognized disability categories to include pedophiles, exhibitionists and kleptomaniacs.
The National Confederation of Disabled People called the action "incomprehensible," and said pedophiles are now awarded a higher government disability pay than some people who have received organ transplants.
The Labor Ministry said categories added to the expanded list ? that also includes pyromaniacs, compulsive gamblers, fetishists and sadomasochists ? were included for purposes of medical assessment and used as a gauge for allocating financial assistance.
But NCDP leader Yiannis Vardakastanis, who is blind, warned the new list could create new difficulties for disabled Greeks who are already facing benefit cuts due to the country's financial crisis.
"What's happened is incomprehensible. I think there is some big mistake. The ministry should have a different policy on disability," Vardakastanis told the Associated Press. "The list contains major changes to disability quotients, which could effectively remove many people from access to benefits."
The new list gives pyromaniacs and pedophiles disability pay up to 35 percent, compared to 80 percent for heart transplant recipients.
"It's really not serious to grant Peeping Toms a 20-30 percent disability rate, and 10 percent to diabetics, who have insulin shots four or five times a day," said Vardakastanis.
Greece has been fighting to avoid bankruptcy since 2009. Public spending on health and welfare programs has been sharply cut under austerity measures imposed as a condition for receiving emergency loans from the International Monetary Fund and other countries using the euro currency.
Independently run welfare programs that survived on state grants have been the hardest hit, leaving some disabled groups, including the deaf, facing sudden drops in their standard of care.
The government is also battling widespread abuse in the welfare system, forcing tens of thousands of disabled people to be reassessed.
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Wednesday, 11 January 2012
How Do I Select a Therapist or Counselor? [Ask Lifehacker]
Things have been really rough for me lately, and I'm thinking about talking to a professional. The trouble is, when I search for therapists and counselors, I get dozens of names with dozens of different titles, like "counselor," "psychologist," "psychiatrist," "therapist," "social workers," and more. How do I pick the right one, and how do I decide who to see?
Sincerely,
Need Help Getting Help
Photo by JD Hancock.
Dear Need Help Getting Help,
First of all, congratulations and more power to you for taking a very big and brave step. Deciding that the issues you face are more than you can handle alone is a a very difficult decision to make, but it ultimately puts you on the path to better mental health in general. You're making a big step to a happier, healthier you, and we support that. Now, let's help you get on your way, shall we?
What Do All of These Titles and Acronyms Mean?
It can be confusing when you initially search for counselors or therapists and you come up with a multiple titles, and people with different acronyms after their names, no doubt. Here's the breakdown of the ones you're probably seeing, and what they mean.
- Social Workers are a group of mental health professionals (often members of the National Association or Social Workers) who can have differing credentials and responsibilities depending on the type of social work they choose to do. In some cases, a social worker can be a volunteer or someone with minimal training, but more often, social workers has a masters degree in social work or a related field, and serve in many communities as the first line of mental health support where psychologists or counselors are hard to come by. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Licensed Social Worker (LSW) often works to support families hurt by domestic abuse, sexual abuse, substance abuse, and other issues. Social workers also assist individuals work employment related issues, financial trouble, or any other day-to-day stressors and issues that may be disruptive to your life and intersect with social issues, like the stress surrounding a foreclosure, job loss, death in the family, and more. In many cases, social workers are the first people available on crisis hotlines and company-offered mental health services.
- Counselors and Therapists are terms that are most often used interchangeably, and reference the same type or mental health professional. They usually describe someone who is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and has obtained a master's degree in counseling, psychology, or a related field. It's worth noting that the term "therapist" can describe any mental health professional that spends their time speaking to patients, regardless of their official title and qualifications.
- Psychologists are people who have a doctorate, are licensed and certified in the jurisdiction they choose to operate in, and you may see them with the acronym LCP (Licensed Clinical Psychologist) after their name in addition to a PhD or a PsyD. Psychologists are trained to work in clinical, research, and medical environments as well as with patients who need therapy. Don't think that when you see "psychologist" that they're someone who's out of reach when you're looking for someone to talk to. It's important to note that psychologists are the mental health personnel that are trained to test for and officially diagnose mental illnesses, whereas counselors and social workers can only suggest those conditions exist, and refer you to a psychologist for additional testing.
- Psychiatrists are medical doctors who also have doctorates, but differentiate themselves from psychologists because they are M.D.s and the ability to prescribe medication. Unlike psychologists, they may or may not be trained to provide therapy or to interact directly with patients. Psychologists often refer patient cases to psychiatrists when they believe that medication will help their condition, or at least ask a psychiatrist to prescribe medication on their behalf, even if the psychiatrist never actually speaks to the patient.
Photo by Athanasia Nomikou/Shutterstock.
Which Type of Provider Should I Make an Appointment to See?
The answer to this question depends heavily on the issues you're facing. If you feel like you're just really stressed out and you're having real difficulty dealing with the day to day, or if something specific has happened in your life that's turned your world upside down, your first and possibly best option may be to see a licensed social worker or counselor. Many social workers are available through company insurance programs, Employee Assistance Programs, and mental health hotlines.
In most cases, a social worker or counselor will be an affordable and qualified voice to listen to your issues and refer you for additional treatment if you need to see a psychologist or psychiatrist, or make an educated decision as to whether your condition is one that demands more intensive treatment or therapy. Again, it's important to note that the term "therapist" can apply to almost anyone (although it's most commonly used to describe a counselor), and social workers can also have office hours where you can schedule an appointment to sit down and talk.
Alternatively, if you're concerned that your issue is medical, like you're worried that you may be clinically depressed, have ADHD, or suffering from another disease that demands immediate treatment and not just therapy, you may want to skip the social worker or counselor (although they can still provide a valuable referral) and schedule an appointment to see a psychologist directly.
Photo by Becky Wetherington.
How Do I Choose a Provider?
Choosing a mental health professional to see is much like choosing a doctor. In some cases, it can come down to word of mouth?if you have a friend or family member who has had good experiences with a specific counselor or psychologist, it might be a good idea to contact them and see if they can assist you. Many of us however have to operate in the confines of what our health insurance will provide, and insurance coverage for mental health services can vary widely from provider to provider. Here's what you need to do.
Check your health insurance. What does your health insurance policy say? You may be limited to certain types of providers, and most insurance policies pay for mental health services on a sliding scale, where they'll pay more for the first few visits, and over time you take on more of the financial burden. Medications may be covered under your prescription plan, but you may want to check before you get anything filled at a pharmacy. Your insurance provider may also have a directory or search tool to help you find mental health professionals in your area that work with them to handle paperwork and payment. You can also check The American Psychological Association's psychologist locator to find professionals near you.
- If you don't have insurance, look into social workers and counselors available in your community at community health centers, local non-profits, and organizations that are able to help or centered around helping people with the issues you're facing, or nearby schools and universities. Keep in mind though that while these may be more affordable, their staffs are usually overloaded with cases and there may be long waiting lists before you can see someone. Don't be discouraged, keep looking, and broaden your search?treat your mental health like any other aspect of your health. If you had a disease, you wouldn't stop looking for someone to see you just because the doctor's in your town were unavailable?the same should be true for your mental health. Take it just as seriously.
- Make a short-list of counselors, social workers, or psychologists that you're thinking of seeing, either based on their proximity to your home or office, their office hours, their compatibility with your health insurance, or recommendations by others.
Pick up the phone. Now you want to speak to each candidate on your list, or at least someone from their office. If you're calling a practice that has several people working in it, expect your call to be handled like any other doctor's office. You'll likely get a receptionist or administrative staffer who can tell you when available appointments are, what you're looking at in terms of a co-pay, and how frequently you'd be able to meet with the specialist you want to speak to. You may also be able to give them a general idea of what your concern is, and they may be able to tell you if the person you'd like to see is experienced in that matter. If you're calling a private practice or a counselor who works from a home office, you'll likely have the opportunity to speak directly to them. Make sure you get the same answers when you do, especially with regard to whether or not they can work with your insurance (many private therapists leave the paperwork up to you) and whether they can help with your situation. Don't forget to ask about the details: the therapist's education and license, their experience and history, and their philosophies towards mental health and illness?specifically what you're dealing with.
- Make an educated decision. Once you've spoken to a few candidate, weigh your options like you would if you were interviewing someone for a job. After all, you're about to pay them money to help you with a task you need help with, they should all put their best foot forward, make you comfortable with the thought of speaking with them, and give you an idea whether or not they can help you or see you as often as you'd like. Then double-check with your insurance company that the nitty-gritty of payment and paperwork will either be easy for you to handle, or that they don't have a problem working with the therapist's office.
- If all else fails, go with your gut. If all of the data looks the same, pick the person you were the most comfortable talking to on the phone, or who seemed the most interested in you and your situation. After all, this person will be charged with helping you live a healthier, happier life?you definitely want to work with someone you're comfortable with, even if someone else may have more experience or better office hours.
Photo by Ken Banks.
Hopefully we've given you some information that can help you cut through the confusing names, titles, and the sometimes difficult process involved with finding someone to talk to, whether they're a social worker, counselor, or a psychologist. The process can be confusing, but that doesn't mean it should be a barrier to entry. Consider which type of professional is best qualified to meet your needs, and treat the process like you're hiring someone for a very important job?because that's exactly what you're doing.
Once you find a professional to see, you can make a judgement call as to whether or not they're the right professional. Sometimes you may need to part ways with a therapist and go back to step one and look for someone new. Don't let that discourage you?just like choosing a doctor, not all patients and therapists match up, and you may have to speak with or visit more than one before you find someone right for you. These suggestions from GoodTherapy.org can help you once you've made an appointment. Don't give up, and all the best to you!
Sincerely,
Lifehacker
PS - Do you have any additional tips for Need Help Getting Help? Are you a mental health professional with some additional suggestions to help them find the right person to work with? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/0EQ3v35S2Ek/how-do-i-select-a-therapist-or-counselor
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Tuesday, 10 January 2012
High Stakes
Under some circumstances, they can motivate people to vote. Before New York City?s 2005 mayoral election, Fordham University professor Costas Panagopoulos decided to take his curiosity about the effectiveness of signs to the streets. In the only known randomized academic experiment on the subject, Panagopoulos matched 14 pairs of Manhattan voting locations with similar turnout levels in previous elections. In each pair, he randomly designated one location as a control and the other as an experimental treatment: a small group of volunteers were dispatched to a nearby intersection, where they stood for 11 hours on election eve with white 2-foot -by-3-foot signs with ?VOTE TOMORROW? written in blue. Once the polls had closed, Panagopoulos checked the numbers of votes cast in each of the 28 districts, and found that the ones visited by his sign-wavers had 37 percent turnout, nearly four points higher than those that didn?t.? Panagopoulos attributed that boost to the value of a quick reminder and speculated that seeing one?s neighbors publicly promoting the cause might instill a sense of social pressure to vote. That?s why Panagopoulos designed his experiment to measure if signs could change behavior on the boulevard, rather than just inspiring an already convivial small-town Main Street. ?Detecting environmental effects in New York City, the epitome of urban anomie, would produce more convincing evidence,? Panagopoulos wrote.
Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=0a92a7c2cab846902e713537223cc9d6
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South Africa News: Mandela Miniseries In Production
NAIROBI, Kenya ? Nelson Mandela is to hit the, err, small screen.
A $20 million 6-part TV mini-series is in the pipeline that will tell the life story of Mandela from his early days in the village, through political awakening and activism, trial and subsequent 27-year incarceration, eventual freedom and election to president, retirement, international veneration and final elevation to the Godhead. That last bit's made up, but the 93 year old's still got time ...
The series, tentatively titled "Madiba" after the clan name by which he is known in South Africa, has apparently gained the approval of the former president and his grandson Kweku Mandela is one of the producers.
The BBC reports that when Kweku told his granddad about the series he joked, "How much am I getting paid?"
Casting has not yet been done but filming is scheduled to begin in South Africa later in the year.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/africa-emerges/south-africa-news-mandela-miniseries-production
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Monday, 9 January 2012
Consuelo Vallejo Cortez, 82, San Antonio, Texas
Cortez Consuelo Vallejo Cortez born June 27, 1929, went to be with our Lord January 6, 2012, at the age of 82. She was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. Consuelo is preceded in death by her loving husband Henry M. Cortez and her grandson Michael Anthony Cortez. She is survived by her sons Richard Albert Cortez and wife Deborah, Mario Albert Cortez and wife Denise and Albert Anthony Cortez; sisters and brothers all of Mexico; grandchildren Kenneth Michael Cortez, Laura Marie Cortez and Diane Cortez. Service Visitation will begin on Monday, January 9, 2012, from 4:00 - 9:00 PM with a rosary to be recited at 7:00 PM at Alamo Funeral Chapels. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, January 10, 2012, at 1:00 PM at St. Paul's Catholic Church ( 350 Sutton, Dr., SAT). Interment to follow at Mission Burial Park North.
Source: http://kens5.tributes.com/show/Consuelo-Vallejo-Cortez-93058186
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Texas teen deported to Colombia reunites with mom
Jakadrien Turner, age 15, center, walks with her grandmother Lorene Turner, left, and mother Johnisa Turner, right, all of Dallas, at DFW Airport in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday Jan. 6, 2012. Jakadrien Turner, was mistakenly deported to Colombia after Immigration and Customs Enforcement say she claimed to be Colombian woman named Tika Lanay Cortez, 21, when she was arrested in April for theft by Houston Police. She ran away from her Dallas home in November 2011. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)
Jakadrien Turner, age 15, center, walks with her grandmother Lorene Turner, left, and mother Johnisa Turner, right, all of Dallas, at DFW Airport in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday Jan. 6, 2012. Jakadrien Turner, was mistakenly deported to Colombia after Immigration and Customs Enforcement say she claimed to be Colombian woman named Tika Lanay Cortez, 21, when she was arrested in April for theft by Houston Police. She ran away from her Dallas home in November 2011. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)
Jakadrien Turner, 15, arrives at DFW Airport in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday Jan. 6, 2012. Turner, was mistakenly deported to Colombia after Immigration and Customs Enforcement say she claimed to be Colombian woman named Tika Lanay Cortez, 21, when she was arrested in April for theft by Houston Police. She ran away from her Dallas home in November 2011. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)
Cara Leising of Dallas, left, hugs Lorene Turner at Terminal D of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport before Turner's granddaughter, Jakadrien Lorese Turner, was reunited with her family Friday, January 6, 2012. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, G.J. McCarthy) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY
This undated file photo provided by WFAA-TV News shows Jakadrien Lorece Turner, a Texas teen who ran away more than a year ago, her family said. Immigration officials say they're investigating the circumstances under which Turner was deported to Colombia after providing a false identity. She was located in Bogota by Dallas police, with help from Colombian and U.S. officials. (AP Photo/Courtesy of WFAA-TV)
This undated file photo provided by WFAA-TV News shows Jakadrien Lorece Turner, a Texas teen who ran away more than a year ago, her family said. Immigration officials say they're investigating the circumstances under which Turner was deported to Colombia after providing a false identity. She was located in Bogota by Dallas police, with help from Colombian and U.S. officials. (AP Photo/Courtesy of WFAA-TV)
DALLAS (AP) ? A Texas teenager who was deported to Colombia in May after claiming to be an illegal immigrant was back in the United States on Friday and at the center of an international mystery over how a minor could be sent to a country where she is not a citizen.
Her family has questioned why U.S. officials didn't do more to verify her identity and say she is not fluent in Spanish and had no ties to Colombia. While many facts of the case involving Jakadrien Lorece Turner remain unclear, U.S. and Colombian officials have pointed fingers over who is responsible.
Jakadrien arrived in Dallas on Friday evening and was reunited with her family. She was flanked by her mother, grandmother and law enforcement when she emerged from the international gate at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport shortly before 10 p.m.
"She's happy to be home," the family's attorney, Ray Jackson, said, adding that the family would not be issuing any statements Friday night.
He said the family was "ecstatic" to have Jakadrien back in Texas and they plan to "do what we can to make sure she gets back to a normal life."
Immigration experts say that while cases of mistaken identity are rare, people can slip through the cracks, especially if they don't have legal help or family members working on their behalf. But they say U.S. immigration authorities had the responsibility to determine if a person is a citizen.
"Often in these situations they have these group hearings where they tell everybody you're going to be deported," said Jacqueline Stevens, a political science professor at Northwestern University, who is an expert on immigration issues. "Everything is really quick, even if you understand English you wouldn't understand what is going on. If she were in that situation as a 14-year-old she would be herded through like cattle and not have a chance to talk to the judge about her situation."
Jakadrien's saga began when the teen ran away more than a year ago. Jakadrien's family said she left home in November 2010. Houston police said the girl was arrested on April 2, 2011, for misdemeanor theft in that city and claimed to be Tika Lanay Cortez, a Colombian woman born in 1990. It was unclear if she has been living under that name.
Houston police said in a statement that her name was run through a database to determine if she was wanted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement but the results were negative. She was then turned over to the Harris County jail and booked on the theft charge.
The county sheriff's office said it ran her through the available databases and did the interviews necessary to establish her identity and immigration status in the country, with negative results. A sheriff's office employee recommended that an immigration detainer be put on her, and upon her release from jail she was turned over to ICE.
U.S. immigration officials insist they followed procedure and found nothing to indicate that the girl wasn't a Colombian woman living illegally in the country.
An ICE official said the teen claimed to be Cortez throughout the criminal proceedings in Houston and the ensuing deportation process, in which an immigration judge ultimately ordered her back to Colombia.
Standard procedure before any deportation is to coordinate with the other country in order to establish that person is from there, the ICE official said.
The ICE official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to not being authorized to discuss additional details of the case, said the teenager was interviewed by a representative from the Colombian consulate and that country's government issued her a travel document to enter Colombia.
Jakadrien was issued travel documents at the request of U.S. officials using information they provided, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Colombian officials are investigating what kind of verification was conducted by its Houston consulate to issue the temporary passport.
The girl was given Colombian citizenship upon arriving in that country, the ICE official said.
According to the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the girl was enrolled in the country's "Welcome Home" program after she arrived there. She was given shelter, psychological assistance and a job at a call center, a statement from the agency said.
"If she looked like an adult, and she told them she was a 21-year-old Colombian citizen, and she didn't show up in their databases, this was inevitable," said Albert Armendariz, an immigration attorney from El Paso.
Jakadrien's family says they have no idea why she ended up in Colombia. Johnisa Turner said the girl is a U.S. citizen who was born in Dallas and was not fluent in Spanish. She said neither she nor the teen's father had ties to Colombia. Jakadrien's grandmother, Lorene Turner, called the deportation a "big mistake somebody made."
"She looks like a kid, she acts like a kid. How could they think she wasn't a kid?" Lorene Turner asked on Thursday.
Lorene Turner, a Dallas hairstylist, said she spent a lot of time on the Internet trying to track down Jakadrien.
Ultimately, the girl was found in Bogota by the Dallas Police Department with help from Colombian and U.S. officials.
Dallas Police detective C'mon (pronounced Simone) Wingo, the detective in charge of the case, said she was contacted in August by the girl's grandmother, who said Jakadrien had posted "kind of disturbing" messages on a Facebook account where she goes by yet another name.
Wingo said the girl was located in early November through her use of a computer to log into Facebook. Relatives were then put into contact with the U.S. embassy in Bogota to provide pictures and documents to prove Jakadrien's identity.
Colombian officials said when the government discovered she was a U.S. citizen and a minor, it put her under the care of a welfare program.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the case was brought to the State Department's attention in mid-December.
"We didn't have any involvement at all in this case until it came to light that there may be a problem with an American minor in Colombia, and that ? and then we became involved both with Colombian authorities and with folks in Dallas," Nuland said.
Stephen Yale-Loehr, who teaches immigration law at Cornell Law School, said hundreds of U.S. citizens are wrongfully detained or deported each year.
"There are a variety of legitimate reasons why somebody might not appear to be a U.S. citizen at first glance." he said. "It's the duty of the U.S. federal immigration agency to make sure that we do not detain and deport U.S. citizens erroneously. And this, unfortunately happened in this case."
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