scurvy byplay: 2012

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Saturn mission: Cassini instrument learns new tricks

Dec. 20, 2012 ? For seven years, a mini-fridge-sized instrument aboard NASA's Cassini spacecraft reliably investigated weather patterns swirling around Saturn; the hydrocarbon composition of the surface of Saturn's moon Titan; the aerosol layers of Titan's haze; and dirt mixing with ice in Saturn's rings. But this year the instrument -- the visual and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIMS) -- has been testing out some new telescopic muscles.

This Friday, Dec. 21, the spectrometer will be tracking the path of Venus across the face of the sun from its perch in the Saturn system. Earthlings saw such a transit earlier this year, from June 5 to 6. But the observation in December will be the first time a spacecraft has tracked a transit of a planet in our solar system from beyond Earth orbit.

Cassini will collect data on the molecules in Venus's atmosphere as sunlight shines through it. But learning about Venus actually isn't the point of the observation. Scientists actually want to use the occasion to test the VIMS instrument's capacity for observing planets outside our solar system.

"Interest in infrared investigations of extrasolar planets has exploded in the years since Cassini launched, so we had no idea at the time that we'd ask VIMS to learn this new kind of trick," said Phil Nicholson, the VIMS team member based at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., who is overseeing the transit observations. "But VIMS has worked so well at Saturn so far that we can start thinking about other things it can do."

VIMS will be able to complement exoplanet studies by space telescopes such as NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. VIMS scientists are particularly interested in investigating atmospheric data -- such as signatures of methane -- from far-off star systems in near-infrared wavelengths.

The pointing has to be very accurate to get one of those extrasolar planets in VIMS's viewfinder, but the instrument has had lots of practice pointing at other stars. Earlier this year, VIMS obtained its first successful observation of a transit by the exoplanet HD 189733b. Scientists want to improve these observations by reducing the amount of noise in the signal.

In April, VIMS demonstrated another kind of flexibility by turning its eyes to the warm fissures slashing cross the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus. VIMS is particularly good at taking thermal data in temperatures around minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit (200 kelvins). So while it is good at tracking hotspots and turbulent clouds on Saturn, VIMS is generally unable to detect thermal emission from Titan, the icy satellites or the rings, since their temperatures are much colder than that.

But the fissures on Enceladus, which scientists have called tiger stripes, are just hot enough for VIMS to detect heat coming from them.

"For the first time, we were able to see that the jets coming from the surface of Enceladus originated in very small, very hot spots," said Bonnie Buratti, a VIMS scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "This new observation is good evidence for liquid water underneath the surface."

VIMS is one of 12 instruments on Cassini, which launched in 1997 and began orbiting Saturn in 2004. "We built Cassini to be hardy, and we're pleased that the spacecraft has been weathering the extreme conditions of the Saturn system remarkably well," said Robert Mitchell, Cassini program manager at JPL. "It isn't too tired to try something new."

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The visual and infrared mapping spectrometer team is based at the University of Arizona, Tucson.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/cJW9AiR7EPo/121220210415.htm

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State Dept security chief resigns after Benghazi

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, speaks to reporters following a closed-door briefing on the investigation of the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012. An Accountability Review Board's report indicates serious bureaucratic mismanagement was responsible for the inadequate security at the mission in Benghazi where the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - In this April 11, 2011, file photo, then U.S. envoy Chris Stevens attends meetings at the Tibesty Hotel where an African Union delegation was meeting with opposition leaders in Benghazi, Libya. An independent review board is set to reveal its findings on the Sept. 11 attack in Libya that killed a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans, a report the administration hopes will bolster its assertion that diplomats took all reasonable measures to anticipate and respond to the violence, and end months of finger-pointing and recriminations over whether the deaths could have been avoided. Diplomats and intelligence officers alike have testified to the rising risk in Benghazi and growing debate over how to improve security prior to the attack, set against Ambassadors Chris Stevens' decision to keep the Benghazi diplomatic post open and even visit there on Sept. 11. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, pauses as he speaks to reporters following a closed-door briefing on the investigation of the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012. An Accountability Review Board's report indicates serious bureaucratic mismanagement was responsible for the inadequate security at the mission in Benghazi where the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Three State Department officials resigned under pressure Wednesday, less than a day after a damning report blamed management failures for a lack of security at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, where militants killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans on Sept. 11.

The resignations came as lawmakers expressed anger and frustration over the findings of an independent review panel, and the State Department struggled to find a balance between protecting its diplomats while allowing them to do their jobs connecting with people in high-risk posts.

An Obama administration official said Eric Boswell, the assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security, Charlene Lamb, the deputy assistant secretary responsible for embassy security, and an unnamed official with the Bureau of Near East Affairs, had stepped down. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss personnel matters publicly.

The department declined immediate comment on the resignation of the officials whose decisions had been criticized in the unclassified version of the Accountability Review Board's report that was released late Tuesday.

The board's co-chairman, retired Adm. Mike Mullen, told reporters that the board had not determined that any officials had "engaged in willful misconduct or knowingly ignored his or her responsibilities,"

But Mullen, a former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, added, "We did conclude that certain State Department bureau level senior officials in critical levels of authority and responsibility in Washington demonstrated a lack of leadership and management ability appropriate for senior ranks in their responses to security concerns posed by the special mission."

Mullen said the mission's security fell through bureaucratic cracks caused in part because buildings were categorized as temporary. The report said that budget constraints had caused some officials to be more concerned with saving scarce money than in security.

Co-chairman Thomas Pickering, a retired ambassador, said the personnel on the ground in Benghazi had reacted to the attack with bravery and professionalism. But, he said, the security precautions were "grossly inadequate" and the contingent was overwhelmed by the heavily armed militants.

"They did the best they possibly could with what they had but what they had wasn't enough," Pickering said.

Pickering and Mullen spoke shortly after briefing members of Congress in private. Lawmakers from both parties emerged from the sessions with harsh words for the State Department.

"My impression is the State Department clearly failed the Boy Scout motto of be prepared," said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo.

"They failed to anticipate what was coming because of how bad the security risk already was there. ... They failed to connect the dots," he said. "They didn't have adequate security leading up to the attack and once the attack occurred, the security was woefully inadequate."

Rep. Adam Schiff, a member of the House intelligence committee, said security was "plainly inadequate, intelligence collection needs to be improved, and our reliance on local militias was sorely misplaced.

"These are not mistakes we can afford to make again," he said.

The House intelligence committee chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said the report laid bare "the massive failure of the State Department at all levels, including senior leadership, to take action to protect our government employees abroad," and complained that no one was being held accountable.

Rogers also said he was dissatisfied with the lack of progress in finding the attackers.

Lamb, the deputy assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security who was in charge of embassy protection, testified in October before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and defended the security measures.

"I made the best decisions I could with the information I had," Lamb said at the time. "We had the correct number of assets in Benghazi at the time of 9/11."

She also told Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., that she rejected requests for more security in Benghazi, instead training "local Libyans and army men" to provide security, a policy in force at U.S. diplomatic facilities around the world.

Pickering and Mullen set the stage for public hearings set for Thursday on Capitol Hill., Scheduled to testify were Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, who is in charge of policy, and Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides, who is in charge of management.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was to have appeared at Thursday's hearings, but canceled after fainting and sustaining a concussion last week while recovering from a stomach virus. Clinton is under doctors' orders to rest.

Senate Republicans and Democrats said they hoped Clinton would testify on the Hill even though she is planning to step down from her Cabinet post.

In a letter that accompanied the transmission of the report to Capitol Hill, Clinton thanked the board for its "clear-eyed, serious look at serious systemic challenges" and said she accepted its 29 recommendations to improve security at high-threat embassies and consulates.

She said the department had begun to put in place some of the recommendations. They include increasing by several hundred the number of Marine guards stationed at diplomatic missions throughout the world; relying less on local security forces for protection at embassies, consulates and other offices; and increasing hiring and deployment of highly trained Diplomatic Security agents at at-risk posts.

Clinton agreed with the panel's finding that Congress must fully fund the State Department's security initiatives. The panel found that budget constraints in the past had led some management officials to emphasize savings over security, including rejecting numerous requests from the Benghazi mission and the embassy in Tripoli for enhanced protection.

House and Senate negotiators working on a defense bill agreed on Tuesday to fund 1,000 more Marines at embassy security worldwide.

The report singled out the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the Bureau of Near East Affairs for criticism. It said there was a lack of cooperation and confusion over protection at the mission in Benghazi, a city in eastern Libya that was relatively lawless after the revolution that toppled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

But it broke little new ground about the timeline of the Benghazi attack. Killed were U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, information specialist Sean Smith, and former Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods ? who were contractors working for the CIA. Stevens was the first U.S. ambassador killed since 1988.

The board determined that there had been no immediate, specific tactical warning of a potential attack on the 11th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. But the report said there had been several worrisome incidents before to the attack that should have set off warning bells.

It did confirm, though, that contrary to initial accounts, there was no protest outside the facility.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, administration officials linked the attack to the spreading protests that had begun in Cairo earlier that day over an American-made, anti-Islamic film. Those comments came after evidence already pointed to a distinct militant attack in Benghazi.

U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice appeared on numerous TV talk shows the Sunday after the attack and used the administration talking points linking it to the film. An ensuing brouhaha in the heat of the presidential campaign eventually led her to withdraw her name from consideration to replace Clinton as secretary of state in President Barack Obama's second term.

Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., emerging from the Senate briefing on the report, kept up the congressional criticism of Rice.

"Now we all know she had knowledge. She knew what the truth was. It was a cover-up," he said.

While criticizing State Department management in Washington along with the local militia force and contract guards that the mission depended on for protection, the report said U.S. personnel on the ground in Benghazi "performed with courage and readiness to risk their lives to protect their colleagues in a near-impossible situation."

It said the response by Diplomatic Security agents on the scene and CIA operatives at a nearby compound that later came under attack itself had been "timely and appropriate" and absolved the military from any blame. "There was simply not enough time for armed U.S. military assets to have made a difference," it said.

The report also discounted speculation that officials in Washington had refused appeals for additional help after the attack had begun.

The report said the evacuation of the dead and wounded 12 hours after the initial attack was due to "exceptional U.S. government coordination and military response" that helped save the lives of two seriously wounded Americans.

___

Associated Press writers Donna Cassata and Kimberly Dozier contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-12-19-US-Libya%20Attacks/id-d5367e0345cf4674baf93094ba83fac6

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On Pro Football: Ryan?s Cold Shoulder Leaves Tebow Baffled

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Source: www.nytimes.com --- Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Tim Tebow appeared troubled and deflated Wednesday, one day after Jets Coach Rex Ryan named Greg McElroy the starting quarterback for Sunday?s game. ...

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/sports/football/ryans-cold-shoulder-leaves-tebow-baffled.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Sony Announces Soul Sacrifice Pre-Orders to Get Upgraded to Premium Edition

Get extra stuff for ordering early (likely only in Japan at the moment)

Soul Sacrifice?is getting a good amount of hype. The upcoming 4-player co-op game for the Vita has the interesting premise that great power can only be obtained through severe sacrifice, as players will have to sacrifice pieces of their avatar's body to cast spells. A demo for Japanese users was recently announced, and now details on a special pre-order incentive have surfaced.

Austin Dillon tests at Mid-Ohio ahead of the Car Course's NASCAR ...

Austin Dillon tests at Mid-Ohio ahead of the Car Course?s NASCAR debut in 2013 ? NASCAR news

The 22-year-old NASCAR Nationwide driver Austin Dillon got a taste of driving at Mid-Ohio, the race course which will be hosting Nationwide Children?s Hospital 200 on August 17 next year. 2013 Children?s Hospital 200 will be the first NASCAR event to be held at Mid-Ohio.

The Mid-Ohio test was aimed at two things. To get information about the performance of Chevrolet Camaro, the car that Dillon will be driving in 2013, on 13 turns of the Mid-Ohio road course and to get some seat time for Dillon.

?We came over here mainly to understand the basic characteristic of what we need in a Nationwide Series car on this track,? racing veteran Max Papis said. ?It?s something I really pushed Richard Childress Racing to do, especially for Austin to get acquainted to the track and learn his way around.?

Mid-Ohio, the 2.4-mile road course in Lexington awaits the Nationwide Series drivers scheduled to race at Mid-Ohio in August next year. According to Jesse Ghiorzi, Mid-Ohio spokesman, with only 12 more days to go until the start of 2013, Dillon became the first and may very well be the last driver to have made a test run in Lexington because NASCAR drivers are not allowed to do test runs at tracks which are on the current year?s schedule.

Ghiorzi further added that Mid-Ohio may make an exception from NASCAR?s rule that disallows drivers from making in-year test runs at on-schedule tracks for the current year because 2013 will be the first year a NASCAR race is being held at Mid-Ohio. If that happens, the tests could include multiple cars which in turn would make it easier for drivers to get a feel of the 13 turns and 150-foot elevation changes at the Mid-Ohio race course.

It is a common fact that every track has its own conditions and the challenges that each track presents for the drivers is different than the other.

According to the Mid-Ohio spokesman, ?Any kind of road course can have different types of turns, speeds and elevations,? Ghiorzi said. ?They all are a little bit different.?

So it will be in the best interest of the sport if in-year tests are allowed by NASCAR at Mid-Ohio.

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Austin-Dillon-tests-at-Mid-Ohio-ahead-of-the-Car-Courses-NASCAR-debut-in-2013-NASCAR-news-a209738

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Monday, November 26, 2012

Five reasons America won't fall off the 'fiscal cliff'

The political and economic ramifications are too big for Washington to let the large tax increases and spending cuts take effect. But this doesn't necessarily mean lawmakers will craft a decisive solution to the nation's fiscal woes.

By David Grant,?Staff writer / November 25, 2012

This is the cover story from the Nov. 26 edition of The Christian Science MonitorWeekly.

Zina Saunders illustration

Enlarge

Relax, America. You can put your parachutes away. Washington isn't likely to take the country over the dreaded "fiscal cliff." Even a capital city as deadlocked and dysfunctional as Washington has been in recent years is not likely to risk a move that has so many economic and political ramifications, according to a wide range of experts.

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That is not to say the journey won't be contentious and perhaps a cliffhanger. Don't forget, the same cast of characters is starring in this big-screen epic ? either a dark comedy or a thriller, take your pick ? that has brought Americans to this point before: Democrats ruling the White House and Senate, and Republicans, including a clique of unyielding conservatives, in power in the House.

Yet analysts on both sides of the aisle believe that doing nothing, which on Jan. 1 would trigger the beginning of $600 billion in tax increases and large cuts to the federal budget, would inflict too much damage on individuals' wallets, on the economy, and on America's standing in the world.

The fiscal cliff, after all, was never intended to be a serious option. The elements of it grew out of years of debt avoidance and budget gimmickry that finally peaked in 2011 with the impasse over raising the federal debt ceiling. After a bipartisan congressional panel failed to agree on spending cuts, Republicans and Democrats added the infamous "sequestration" portion ? a series of automatic spending cuts that were so distasteful that lawmakers would be forced to agree on more sensible trims.

While an agreement to avoid the cliff could still prove elusive, many veteran Washington-watchers believe a compromise will be worked out to avoid plunging into the abyss on New Year's Eve.

"America's reputation and its economic stability are threatened dramatically by inaction," says Dan Glickman, a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center who previously served as President Clinton's secretary of Agriculture. "Except for a few zealots, most people aren't going to want to see that happen."

Some even believe that the looming fiscal cliff will eventually lead to a grand bargain between the White House and Capitol Hill on reforming America's tax code and entitlement programs ? setting the tone, perhaps, for other agreements over the next few years on issues from immigration to energy. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Here are five reasons America won't ? or let's say shouldn't ? plunge off the fiscal cliff on Jan. 1.

Because of the "R" word.

Many believe the specter of a double-dip recession remains the most important reason that Congress and the president will reach some sort of accommodation by Jan. 1. It's something that neither party wants to see ? or be blamed for.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that with the massive spending cuts and tax increases imposed by the cliff, US gross domestic product would shrink by a half percentage point in 2013. (Some private sector forecasters believe the hit could be even more severe.) That amounts to 2.7 million fewer jobs than the economy would otherwise create by year's end, the CBO says, which would push the unemployment rate, now at 7.9 percent, above 9 percent.

1?|?2?|?3?|?4?|?5

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/E6JdO1QLCzA/Five-reasons-America-won-t-fall-off-the-fiscal-cliff

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deliver wilburn: Why You Should Get Insect Pets for Your Future ...

We all know that nature has had millions of years to adapt, and we have 100s of thousands of species on Earth which have adapted to specific niches to exploit what?s available; Life will always find a way. Perhaps, it is for this reason that so many of our technological advances are based on our observations of nature. After all, it?s had quite a head start and adaptation and evolution are a brilliant master of engineering.So much so, that I?d like to make a recommendation for you if you are a parent with a curious child who you?d like some day to grow up and become a top rated engineer amongst the human civilization. My recommendation is this; when considering a pet why not consider an arthropod, or arachnid. Say what ? you ask? Why not get them an exotic type insect?Now you think I?ve totally lost it right. Well, I haven?t and let me explain. In finding an early curiosity and interest in the movements of insects, your child may develop a better sense of engineering our future robotics. You see, nature has already figured out many of the most efficient ways of moving around, and evolution has had a lot more practice at designing things than humans have. Borrowing ideas and concept for engineering from nature makes sense.It?s a good place to start. It is possible to better nature?s designs. In fact, we are already making more efficient solar cells than the photosynthesis process used by the leaves on trees. Now then, did you know that spider?s webs pound for pound are stronger than steel? Did you know that there are beetles species which can live where there is no rain or water by collecting the moisture from the morning dew as it rolls off their backs?Have you ever marveled at the giant ant colonies and how they build their habitat, consider this for a moment. How is it that all these creatures are so highly adapted? What can your child learn from observing them, the way they walk, hunt, operate ? their structure, mobility, strength, etc? There is a lot to be learned and if your child studies these pets and thinks about it, I just bet they?ll come up with future designs which will best the best that mankind has yet to come up with on our own.Indeed, I hope you will please consider all this and think on it. Maybe I?ve convinced you, maybe I haven?t, but it?s something worth your consideration.

Source: http://channel9.eduspeaks.com/2012/11/17/why-you-should-get-insect-pets-for-your-future-engineering-student/

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Source: http://deliver-wilburn.blogspot.com/2012/11/why-you-should-get-insect-pets-for-your.html

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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Capital Business ? Emirates adds Windows 8 Business App to boost ...

KIS application will now run on the soon-to-be-launched HP ElitePad 900 business tablets and will enable Emirates to continue to deliver extraordinary customer service and experiences/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 20 ? Emirates, one of the fastest-growing airlines in the world, has announced the development of a line-of-business application for Window 8 called Knowledge Driven Inflight Service (KIS).
An in-flight communication and customer relationship management device first introduced by Emirates for its pursers in 2004, the KIS application will now run on the soon-to-be-launched HP ElitePad 900 business tablets and will enable Emirates to continue to deliver extraordinary customer service and experiences.

?At Emirates, we strive to deliver the world?s best in-flight experience,? said Khalid Bel Jaflah, Vice President for East Africa Region. ?We constantly invest in the best aircraft, products and service. To support our crew, we have created an application on Windows 8 that delivers a unique, personalised experience with the necessary information for our cabin crew to better serve the needs of customers. The Windows 8 platform running on HP ElitePad 900 devices gave us this option, allowing us to create the KIS app that enables our crew to offer an experience not available on other airlines.?

Pursers on the flight use the KIS application to brief the cabin crew before every flight and understand how to best meet the personal preferences and needs of passengers. The crew can also use the application to easily conduct in-flight upgrades to business class or first class for Emirates Skywards members, as well as customer feedback that is immediately routed to headquarters upon landing.

As the first global customer of the HP ElitePad 900, Emirates is creating a new KIS tablet that is light, attractive and has a long battery life, ideal for nonstop flights. The device, announced by HP in October and available to customers in January 2013, is built specifically for business users, offering Windows 8 optimization and a beautiful lightweight design. Combined with Windows 8?s touch-optimized user interface, which quickly shows the most important information via Live Tiles, the crew can spend more time interacting with customers in a unique and efficient way.

When deployment across its fleet is complete, Emirates will have 1,000 HP ElitePad 900 devices running the KIS application on Windows 8. More information on the KIS application running on Windows 8 is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qghgj2mNXN8&feature=youtu.be

Author: CORRESPONDENT
CORRESPONDENT has written 458 posts

Source: http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2012/11/emirates-adds-windows-8-business-app-to-boost-inflight-experience/

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SEO tips & SEO Google updates: Online Behavior and Small Business

Online Behavior And Small Business (InfoGraph)

When it comes to small businesses, the online world is becoming increasingly significant. Not only for small business owners ? 90% of whom say having an online presence is important ? but also for their customers, who are using the Internet to perform key actions such as search for local businesses, and (hopefully) purchase. In fact, of Internet users, 97% say they search for local businesses online, with 61% of local searches resulting in phone calls. And nine out of 10 people call or visit a business when found via local search.

Online Behavior And Small Business

Source: http://top-page-google.blogspot.com/2012/11/online-behavior-and-small-business.html

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Rice: Defections On The Left?

By MICHAEL FALCONE ( @michaelpfalcone ) and AMY WALTER ( @amyewalter )

NOTABLES:

HILLARY CLINTON HEADS TO THE MIDDLE EAST: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hastily departed Cambodia and is headed to the Middle East to deal with the escalating violence that has gripped the region for the last week, reports ABC's Reena Ninan, Mary Bruce, Matt Gutman and Anthony Castellano. Clinton is scheduled to arrive in Jerusalem later tonight to meet with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes. Clinton will also meet with Palestinian officials in Ramallah before heading to Cairo to meet with leaders in Egypt. A senior Israeli government official told ABC News that Netanyahu has decided to hold off on a ground invasion for a "limited time" in favor of a diplomatic solution. http://abcn.ws/QrpqVZ

CLINTON'S MESSAGE: ABC's Dana Hughes hears from a State Department official that Clinton's visit "will build on American engagement with regional leaders over the past days - including intensive engagement by President Obama with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Morsi - to support de-escalation of violence and a durable outcome that ends the rocket attacks on Israeli cities and towns and restores a broader calm. ? She will emphasize the United States' interest in a peaceful outcome that protects and enhances Israel's security and regional stability; that can lead to improved conditions for the civilian residents of Gaza; and that can reopen the path to fulfill the aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis for two states living in peace and security. She will continue to express U.S. concern for the loss of civilian life on both sides."

NOTED: OBAMA UP UNTIL 2:30AM MAKING MIDDLE EAST CALLS: President Obama was on the phone until 2:30 am with leaders in the region trying to de-escalate the violence, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters traveling with the president in Asia. ABC's Mary Bruce reports, the president spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Egyptian President Morsi.

THIS WEEK ON "THIS WEEK" - SUNDAY SHAVE-OFF: What does a pair of buzz shears have to do with bringing bipartisanship to Washington? ABC's Z. Byron Wolf reports that this Sunday on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," the top spokesmen for the Republican and Democratic National Committees will set aside their differences to settle a political bet - and it all benefits a good cause. Before the presidential election, Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse made a bet with his Republican counterpart, Sean Spicer, who's spokesperson for the Republican National Committee. The deal: Whoever's candidate won the election would shave the loser's head, on national television. But rather than let Spicer go bald alone, the pair decided to team up to support the St. Baldrick's Foundation, a national group that raises money for childhood cancer research grants by shaving the heads of volunteers. They've both agreed to lose their locks for charity, and - with a little razor help from ABC's Jon Karl - you can catch their hair-raising transformation Nov. 25 on "This Week." HOW TO DONATE: http://bit.ly/TU4m7b

FROM THE LEFT: "After the election, I was excited that I'd be shaving Sean's head instead of him shaving mine," Woodhouse wrote on his online fundraising page. "But, when we learned about St. Baldrick's, we decided that we should BOTH shave, making our bet pay off for kids fighting cancer." FROM THE RIGHT: Spicer, who lost the bet after Republican presidential contender Gov. Mitt Romney conceded the election to President Barack Obama, said the shave-off is about more than just politics. "We're not just honoring a bet," Spicer wrote on his fundraising page. "We're having our heads shaved to stand in solidarity with kids fighting cancer, but more importantly, to raise money to find cures."

THE NOTE:

It was President Obama at his most fired up.

The question, from ABC's Jonathan Karl at his news conference last week, was about threats from Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham indicating they favored Watergate-style hearings about the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi - with U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice at the center of that inquiry.

Would those threats deter the president from naming Rice his next Secretary of State, Karl asked?

"For them to go after the U.N. Ambassador, who had nothing to do with Benghazi, and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence that she had received, and to besmirch her reputation is outrageous," Obama said, adding: "When they go after the U.N. Ambassador, apparently because they think she's an easy target, then they've got a problem with me."

But just yesterday nearly 100 Republican members of the House co-signed a letter opposing Obama's possible nomination of Rice as the nation's top diplomat.

"Though Ambassador Rice has been our Representative to the U.N., we believe her misleading statements over the days and weeks following the attack on our embassy in Libya that led to the deaths of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans caused irreparable damage to her credibility both at home and around the world," according to the letter.

And there's more for President Obama to worry about than just the upset on the right. Some left-leaning voices are also warning the president too.

Over the weekend, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd argued that Rice, who "who has a bull-in-a-china-shop reputation ? would have been wise to be more bull-in-a-china-shop and vet her talking points, given that members of the intelligence and diplomatic communities and sources in news accounts considered it a terrorist attack days before Rice went on the shows." http://nyti.ms/U72mdX

And Washington Post scribe Dana Milbank criticized Rice's "shoot-first tendency" and her "pugilism."

"[The] nation's top diplomat needs to show more sensitivity and independence - traits Clinton has demonstrated in abundance," Milbank opined. "Obama can do better at State than Susan Rice." http://wapo.st/RHCT8U

To be sure, Rice continues to enjoy powerful defenders within Democratic ranks. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee stood up for the embattled U.N. Ambassador while speaking to reporters on Friday.

"We have seen wrong intelligence before, and it all surrounded our going into Iraq, and a lot of people were killed based on bad intelligence," Feinstein said. "I don't think that's fair game. I think mistakes get made - you don't pillory the person."

Last week, President Obama struck a note of defiance, but said he had yet to make up his mind about who he wants to fill Hillary Clinton's shoes.

Referring to Rice, Obama said: "If I think that she would be the best person to serve America in the capacity of the State Department, then I will nominate her. That's not a determination that I've made yet."

As Time Magazine's Jay Newton-Small wrote today, in the end it may come to a cost-benefit calculation: "With a high-risk, high-reward nomination like Rice, Obama must ask himself if he's willing to spend the political capital. Is she worth it? These are questions only he can answer." http://ti.me/Wg93Ii

THE BUZZ:

with ABC's Elizabeth Hartfield ( @LizHartfield)

SPINNERS AND WINNERS: A GOP PLAN FOR 2016. In the latest episode of his ABC/Yahoo! Power Players series "Spinners and Winners" ABC's Jonathan Karl interviews Kentucky Senator Rand Paul about his future ambitions, and his thoughts on a new direction for the GOP. Though Paul's father Ron, the frequent presidential candidate, is retiring at the end of the year, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) says he may follow in his father's footsteps and run for president in 2016. "I'm not going to deny that I'm interested," Sen. Paul tells ABC's Jonathan Karl about his presidential aspirations. While Paul is quick to add that he isn't ready to make a decision about a presidential bid yet, he is not hesitant to say that the Republican Party needs a new message. "I think we have to go a different direction because we're just not winning and we have to think about some different ideas," says the senator. http://yhoo.it/XwjI8b

IN CAMBODIA, OBAMA HAILS 'CONSTRUCTIVE' US-CHINA RELATIONSHIP. President Obama today said the United States and China have taken a "cooperative and constructive approach" to their relationship, as he came face-to-face with the rising economic power that his administration is trying to counter-balance in the region reports ABC's Mary Bruce. Meeting with outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit, Obama reiterated his commitment to working with China, despite the tenuous relationship between the two economic superpowers. In his first post-election meeting with a Chinese leader, Obama stressed that "we work to establish clear rules of the road internationally for trade and investment, which can increase prosperity and global growth." http://abcn.ws/Q7jos7

ANALYSIS: PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS SMALL EDGE ON 'FISCAL CLIFF' LEVERAGE. The Wall Street Journal's Gerald Seib reports: "Any negotiator will tell you that the key in a bargaining session is knowing at the outset who has leverage, and where it comes from. So it is in the great deficit-cutting showdown now under way between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans. The problem the GOP face is relatively simple: In the aftermath of the election, the leverage in this negotiation has shifted, slightly but perceptibly, toward the president. Top White House officials insist that they will be careful not to over-read their advantage or their electoral mandate and say they realize the need to avoid hubris. And indeed, at a time when political power is so evenly balanced between the two parties, neither side has a huge amount of leverage. Advantages can be fleeting." http://on.wsj.com/100OBQn

AFTER OBAMA, CHRISTIE WANTS A G.O.P. HUG. The New York Times' Michael Barbaro reports: "A few days after Hurricane Sandy shattered the shores of New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie picked up the phone to take on a different kind of recovery work: taming the Republican Party fury over his effusive embrace of President Obama. On Nov. 3, Mr. Christie called Rupert Murdoch, the influential News Corporation chief and would-be kingmaker, who had warned in a biting post on Twitter that the governor might be responsible for Mr. Obama's re-election. Mr. Christie has been explaining himself to Republicans ever since." http://nyti.ms/UFtkph

BOEHNER TIGHTENS GRIP ON GOP RANK AND FILE AHEAD OF DEFICIT TALKS. The Hill's Molly K. Hooper reports: "Speaker John Boehner is tightening his grip on the House Republican Conference weeks before an anticipated vote on a deficit deal. The Ohio Republican has smoothed over differences with Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), expanded his powers on the panel that doles out plum committee assignments, shot down a challenge to his earmark moratorium and worked behind the scenes to ensure that Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) would win her leadership contest. All of Boehner's moves are aimed at shoring up his influence over the GOP conference, which in turn maximizes the Speaker's leverage with President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Senate." http://bit.ly/USxfoI

POLL: MORE FOLLOWING 'FISCAL CLIFF' DEBATE THAN PETRAEUS SCANDAL. A new poll from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that nearly identical percentages of Republicans (36%) and Democrats (35%) say they very closely followed the debate over the automatic spending cuts and tax increases that will take effect at the beginning of next year unless the president and Congress act. Fewer Republicans and Democrats are interested in the Petraeus investigation - 28% to 21% respectively. http://bit.ly/T97NGj

ALLEN WEST CONCEDES IN FLORIDA. The AP's Matt Sedensky reports: "Tea party freshman Allen West gave up his fight to remain in Congress on Tuesday after two weeks of recount battles in court. The first-term Republican said in a statement he was conceding the race to Democrat Patrick Murphy, a 29-year-old political newcomer. Murphy had held the lead in the race since the wee hours of Election Night, but West's campaign questioned the voting results in South Florida's District 18. After several appearances in court and two partial recounts in St. Lucie County, West said his fight was over." http://apne.ws/WsTwtI

MARCO RUBIO TALKS RAP, EMINEM, AND HIS BEST FRIENDS. A self-proclaimed "hip-hop fan," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has never hidden his love of music, and in an interview with GQ Magazine, he talked bout his respect for the lyrics of Eminem and revealed his top three favorite rap songs - "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A., "Killuminati" by Tupac, and Eminem's "Lose Yourself." ABC's Arlette Saenz reports, Rubio is considered a likely contender for the 2016 presidential race, but while he is far from making any official announcement about a 2016 bid, he has started to boost his profile in some of the early primary states. Over the weekend, Rubio attended a fundraiser and birthday party in honor of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad. http://abcn.ws/WgDuya

FIRST LADY HONORS TOP AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS. Pairing Mariachi professionals with students, putting young journalists on the radio and preserving Chinese oral traditions; the nation's top extracurricular programs for the arts and humanities were honored today in an awards ceremony at the White House. First Lady Michelle Obama, who is honorary chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, presided over the event, ABC's Matt Larotonda reports. Twelve programs from around the country were recognized for what Mrs. Obama called, "those pushing and inspiring" children, "revealing their boundless promise, and teaching them to believe in themselves." http://abcn.ws/WsO4H4

WHO'S TWEETING?

@mlcalderone: How many journalists in Gaza? Over 170 entered through Israel; unclear how many through Egypt: http://huff.to/TVI1pX

@daveweigel: Bogus schadenfreude for Dems: The Allen West strategist promising to fight on was Chris LaCivita, of Swift Boat fame.

@SJLorber: Defense cuts looming, a struggle to save $3 bill in govt contracts to workers w/ severe disabilities http://roll.cl/T0O4Zg

@SabrinaSiddiqui: Messina says the dumbest move the Romney campaign ever made was the Jeep ad - put them on the defense in the last few weeks.

@ArletteSaenz: Happy 70th Birthday to @VP @JoeBiden!

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

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Debt crisis: live

Speaking to the Guardian after his speech, he said:

European governments should be given some time ? If you ask the Greek people to slash their spending by 30-40pc, it's not possible. So there should be some tolerance, but the determination to carry on austerity should not be relaxed. It is only the issue of how you can balance one against the other.

12.29 Greece's PM is to embark on a tour of the Middle East, China and Russia to try to attract investment into the embatlled country, according to reports.

The ANA news agency said:

Samaras will travel to Qatar on November 27 and (his office) is planning journeys to China and Russia with the aim of attracting investors.

A government source also told AFP:

The Qatar trip will definitely be held but as regards the others we are awaiting an official confirmation.

12.04 More than one in twenty public sector workers in Portugal were sacked in the first nine months of the year, according to the country's finance ministry.

Public sector staff fell by 5.1pc to 581,444 as the government chose not to renew many temporary teaching contracts at the end of the school year.

The reduction is well ahead of the 2pc cut demanded by European debt inspectors as part of Portugal's ?78bn bail-out package.

The unemployment rate in Portugal has jumped by almost a percentage point to 15.8pc since the start of the year.

11.36 Italy's finance minister is confident that a deal will be reached on Greece next week.

Vittorio Grilli told Bloomberg TV:

We know that there are several options for helping Greece get through this very important challenge [...] I am clearly optimistic that we can come to a decision.

11.31 Mr Weidmann has admitted that Greece will need another debt writedown "to regain access to capital markets," but added that this could only be offered once the country had implemented harsh reforms.

He added that two questions needed to be addressed:

1.) How big was the black hole in Greek finances?

2.) How can Europe make the country's debt sustainable again?

Mr Weidmann said:

One should ask, if it would create trust if Greece were to receive a debt writedown today, or would it not make more sense to give the prospect of a writedown that one would need to regain market access when the reforms are actually carried out.

11.27 More from Mr Weidmann, who has been speaking at a panel discussion in Berlin this morning.

Mr Weidmann repeated that price stability should be the ECB's "primary goal and everything else must be subordinate."

There is unity on the council on this aim," he said.

Mr Weidmann also said that comparisons between the ECB, Bank of England and Federal Reserve, the latter of which have unleashed waves of unsterilised bond purchases (or QE) into the market, were unhelpful.

11.02 Commenting on the trade data, Howard Archer at IHS Global Insight, said:

While the Eurozone?s overall export performance in the third quarter was encouraging, there remains a significant danger that exports will be limited in the near term at least by weakened global growth. Worryingly for Eurozone exporters, the export orders index of the Eurozone manufacturing purchasing managers' survey points to activity contracting appreciably in recent months which reflects soft global demand as well as reduced intra-Eurozone trade. While the rate of decline eased to a six-month low in October, it was still marked.

10.47 On the data front, it's a mixed bag this morning:

The eurozone's current account surplus sunk to ?800m in September from ?10.9bn in August, according to the ECB.

The measure includes imports and exports in both goods and services plus all other current transfers, and tracks the ability of a country or area to pay its way in the world.

Meanwhile, the eurozone recorded a trade surplus of ?9.8bn in September, following at ?5.2bn surplus in August, although this was mainly due to countries importing fewer goods, rather than an export boom.

September exports fell by 1.1pc on a monthly basis, while imports were down 2.7pc, according to Eurostat.

10.30 On the subject of "legacy risks", Mr Weidmann said that countries should deal with past problems, because they created them.

10.23 Speaking of angry Germans, Jens Weidmann, the head of Germany's central bank, has warned that putting the ECB in charge of eurozone bank supervision risks compromising its primary goal of price stability.

Writing in German daily Handelsblatt, Mr Weidmann warned that forming a "hasty" bank union would be counterproductive, and that leaders should opt for "thoroughness over speed".

Mr Weidmann also said that a union would require a mechanism to wind down and restructure banks that should be funded by the lenders themselves.

10.12 Angry Germans have filed a lawsuit at the European Court of Justice in an attempt to block the European Central Bank's latest plan to buy-up the debt of struggling countries.

Around 4,800 people are represented by the lawsuit, filed by German protest group Zivile Koalition e.V., which claims that the ECB?s OMT programme violates the central bank?s own statutes and has an "immediate influence on monetary stability in the euro area".

For the German speakers among you, you can find out more about the Zivile Koalition here.

Beatrix von Storch, the group?s spokeswoman, has even put together this video message.

The press office of the EU court in Luxembourg declined to comment to Bloomberg.

10.02 More from BoA:

For both the current cycle and the longer-term, we think the economic outlook is more favourable in France, compared to Italy and Spain. Structurally, France is endowed with a larger potential output than Spain and Italy, and even Germany.

For France, a highly educated workforce and strong innovation is helpful. France also has a much stronger and dynamic demography compared to Germany, Italy and Spain, which is a long-term benefit. Overall, therefore, both demographics and the firm structure of the economy suggest that France will likely keep higher trend growth than Italy and Spain over the next five to ten years, in our view.

The bottom line, in our view, is that France?s growth outlook remains fundamentally higher than that for Italy and Spain. However, with the country lagging behind Spain and Italy in the reform process, we see the potential for markets to remain nervous on the fate of France, and for volatility to remain potentially high.

09.52 So how bad are things in France? According to analysts at Bank of America, there are good and bad parts, but nothing ugly - yet.

In a note today, Laurence Boone and her team highlight that although France is more like Germany than Spain and Italy, the country's bloated public sector is currently "impeding" the economy:

France?s performance has been fairly measured in the current cycle, with the trough of the recession being more muted than for other euro zone countries, especially Germany, but the rebound also remaining on the modest side. This reflects the combination of France?s economic strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand a large public sector and tightly regulated labour market provide an efficient cushion in a downturn, but also act as a brake on growth in a rebound.

However, the large presence of the public sector in all aspects of the economy, along with high labour costs and costly labour regulation, impede performance in France (Chart 15).

_{French public spending is among the highest in Europe (Source: BoA Merrill Lynch)}

09.46 The report itself is well worth a read. Here's an extract:

France still has many strengths, but its weaknesses have been laid bare by the euro crisis. For years it has been losing competitiveness to Germany and the trend has accelerated as the Germans have cut costs and pushed through big reforms. Without the option of currency devaluation, France has resorted to public spending and debt. Even as other EU countries have curbed the reach of the state, it has grown in France to consume almost 57% of GDP, the highest share in the euro zone. Because of the failure to balance a single budget since 1981, public debt has risen from 22% of GDP then to over 90% now.

The business climate in France has also worsened. French firms are burdened by overly rigid labour- and product-market regulation, exceptionally high taxes and the euro zone?s heaviest social charges on payrolls. Not surprisingly, new companies are rare. France has fewer small and medium-sized enterprises, today?s engines of job growth, than Germany, Italy or Britain. The economy is stagnant, may tip into recession this quarter and will barely grow next year. Over 10% of the workforce, and over 25% of the young, are jobless. The external current-account deficit has swung from a small surplus in 1999 into one of the euro zone?s biggest deficits. In short, too many of France?s firms are uncompetitive and the country?s bloated government is living beyond its means.

This feature by John Peet is also worth reading.

09.35 A bit of controversy surrounding France this morning. The fuss is over this:

...which French PM Jean-Marc Ayrault described last night as the newspaper "resorting to excess" to boost sales.

He added: "I can tell you that France is not at all impressed."

Yesterday, France's finance minister insisted that the country was not the "sick man of Europe", adding that the measures that the country was taking would restore the country's competitiveness on the global stage. Pierre Moscovici told the Financial Times (?):

No, we are not implementing the same reforms as Italy and Spain because we are not Italy or Spain. We don?t have the same weaknesses. So we will implement reforms ? la Fran?aise. They will be more ambitious than any [French government] before us.

09.10 The protesters were from the Freedom from Debt Coalition, which organised a demonstration in solidarity with people in the eurozone.

09.08 Here's how some of the locals greeted Ms Lagarde:

_{Activists wear zombie masks while holding placards to condemn the visit of IMF Managing Director Lagarde during a protest in Manila on Friday (Photo: Reuters).}

09.05 Next week's meeting of eurozone finance ministers will be crucuial to getting Greece "back on its feet", IMF chief Christine Lagarde has said. She told a press conference in Manila:

You know, it's not over until the fat lady sings, as the saying goes. It's a question of working hard, putting our mind to it, making sure that we focus on the same objective, which is that... Greece can operate on a sustainable basis, can recover, can get back on its feet, can re-access markets as early as possible. That is what is driving the IMF's determination.

Eurozone leaders will meet next Tuesday to discuss progress in Greece. The meeting will pave the way for the payment of its next bail-out tranche, although it still needs to be approved by national governments - mainly Germany.

On Monday, Ms Lagarde openly disagreed with Jean-Claude Juncker, the head of the Eurogroup of finance ministers, over a critical target for reducing Greek debt levels.

The EU wants to give Greece an extra two years to meet its debt reduction target of 120pc of GDP by 2022 instead of 2020. The IMF doesn't.

The 2020 ?debt sustainability? target was a condition for the IMF?s involvement in the second Greek bail-out.

_{Christine Lagarde (C) waves to photographers as she boards her car after a press conference at Malacanang Palace in Manila (Photo: AFP).}

08.50 Good morning and welcome to another day of live coverage of Europe's debt crisis.

Source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/579300/s/25a4f85a/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cfinance0Cdebt0Ecrisis0Elive0C96815670CDebt0Ecrisis0Elive0Bhtml/story01.htm

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Friday, November 16, 2012

Video: PFT Live: Dolphins-Bills tonight actually matters

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/49842427#49842427

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[Birth Mother,] First Mother Forum: International Adoption: The Abuse ...

Just after I wrote the previous post, "Utah agency places cast-off international adoptees" about Wasatch International, which places, or attempts to place, foreign adoptees who have been rejected by their adoptive families, one of our readers, Sara, sent us a link to a horrific case of abuse of foreign adopted children by their adopters.

According to reporters Molly Born and Paula Reed Ward of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Kristen and Douglas Barbour adopted two Ethiopian children in March. By October--five months later--the Barbours were in court, charged with "starving their six-year-old son and leaving him with lesions from being kept in urine-soaked clothing for long periods of time." As for the girl, the charge read, "The 18-month-old girl will likely be blinded in one eye and paralyzed after suffering head trauma."

The Barbours started the adoption process through Bethany Christian Services, at the same time they started their biological family. Their two biological children, ages 2 and 4, were unharmed.

REPORTS OF ABUSE OF FOREIGN ADOPTIONS
Media reports of abuse of foreign adopted children abound. On November 8, the Portland Oregonian? reported on Nikolina Stoyanova, adopted from Bulgaria by Justin Smith and Janis Kuchler of Pendleton, Oregon through an adoption agency, All God's Children. Smith and Kuchler "abused her--eventually pleading guilty to to criminal sexual abuse." Stoyanova was sent to a state mental institution, Oregon State Hospital-Portland, where she choked to death due to the negligence of the staff.

A couple of our readers took me to task for noting that some international adoptees are abused, pointing out ?that abuse in not unique to adopted children. Reader Robin responded?succinctly:

"Adopted children are PURPOSEFULLY placed into an adoptive family to get a BETTER life. There are supposed to be oversights, a thorough investigation of prospective adoptive parents, home visits, legal procedures, etc. No child who is INTENTIONALLY placed in an adoptive home should suffer abuse ever....

"I have heard this argument too many times that because there are kids who are abused by their bio-parents that this somehow rationalizes adoptee abuse."

A reader pointed out that anecdotes about abuse cannot substitute for sound data. True, but to my knowledge no one collects data documenting all the cases of abuse of foreign adopted children and compares it to abuse of children adopted domestically, or children abused by natural parents. The Russian government did collect data showing that 17 children adopted from Russia were murdered by their adoptive parents and many others were abused. While hard data is lacking, I believe that families who adopt internationally fare less well than those who adopt children from foster care.

BAD BEHAVIOR MAY BE PAR FOR THE COURSE
Of my friends and acquaintances who have adopted internationally, the overwhelming majority have had serious problems with their children. To my knowledge, none of these adoptive parents have abused their children, but all have resorted to sending their children sent away for treatment, putting therm on behavior-modifying drugs, or placing them in special education programs. As adults, some of these the children have committed crimes; others rely on their adoptive parents for support.

BAD BEHAVIOR NO JUSTIFICATION
Of course bad behavior on the part of the children does not justify abuse, but it does help explain it.?It's logical that children adopted from foreign countries are more likely to misbehave than children adopted domestically. In addition to the trauma of losing their original parents, they also must deal with the sense of displacement due to losing everything that was familiar--even if what was familiar was pretty bad. Furthermore, these children may grieve for their first families, and unlike children adopted domestically, they know they are almost certainly unlikely to ever see their families again. And it's well documented that child welfare experts recognize the importance of the birth family to adopted children, particularly those adopted at a later age.

PREPARATION IS IMPERATIVE
The Barbours, devout Christians, had an idealized vision of adoption. Douglas Barbour wrote on their blog, Our Adoption Journey: "Adoption by Christians brings children into the covenant community and thereby enables them to enjoy the blessings associated with that connection." Kristen Barbour wrote?of the bond "already forming between her biological and adopted children" before the children had ever met. Things changed quickly.?Kristen Barbour wrote about the children's first few days in the US: "'In the last week, we have cuddled up with a child and gotten puked on. Caught puke in our hands.... Sometimes when people think of adoption, they don't think about the nitty gritty, get down and dirty hard times. And we are in the depths.'"

Interviewed by the?Post-Gazette, Adam Pertman, the Executive Director of the E. D. Donaldson Adoption Institute, did not comment on the case but stated, "The greatest predictor of success in adoption is appropriate parental expectations....You've got to prepare yourself for the kid you're going to get.'"?Since Bethany Christian Services has refused to comment or even acknowledge that the Barbours were clients, we do not know what they told the Barbours about possible behavior issues. However, Bethany, like all adoption agencies, makes its money on parental expectations. It has little incentive to tell prospective adoptive parents anything which might cause them to back away from adopting. Conversely,? parents who adopt from foster care are required by state law to take classes to prepare them for what may lie ahead, and how best to deal with it.

POST-ADOPTION COUNSELING IS ESSENTIAL
Pertman also stressed that follow-up education is "essential to having successful family integration." While adoption agencies may provide post-adoption counseling for adoptive?parents--Bethany claims it it conducts post-placement visits in the first year and refers families who are struggling to additional services--agencies do not provide counseling, respite care, or other services provided by state child welfare agencies.

When state authorities place a child in an abusive home or fail to remove a child from one, there are consequences. The media is all over it.?Workers are punished--some have been charged with crimes--administrators are booted, legislators hold hearings, laws are passed, budgets are adjusted.

Not so with private adoption agencies. All God's Children is still in business. In fact, it is receiving getting kudos because it, along with a couple who also adopted child from Bulgaria, have started fund-raising for a scholarship??in Stoyanova's name?at a local community college.

Another reader suggested the answer is "to have more realistic and stringent controls on who is fit to adopt." The Barbours were extensively screened by Bethany through "essay questions, hours of interviews, with their caseworker, child abuse clearances, medical testing and a home study." Douglas Barbour worked as a deputy attorney general for the state. Kristen Barbour was a college-educated stay-at-home mom "who blogged about cooking and craft projects and lavished words of love and praise on her family and God." They lived in a two-story home with a big backyard. In short, the perfect couple.

A SITUATION PRIMED FOR FAILURE
The only possible red flag was that the Barbours planned to start their biological family at the same time they began the adoption process. Bringing two strange children into the home while trying to meet the demands of young children would likely create a stressful situation. Bethany either didn't see the potential problems or chose to ignore them. Bethany, like other adoption agencies place children as well as screen prospective adoptive parents. This is a built-in conflict of interest. Although agencies charge for home studies, the real money comes from placing children with adoptive parents. Although states license adoption agencies, it's unlikely that states would require agenciesto have more stringent controls. Adoption agencies would raise the specter of worthy couples unable to adopt and children left in orphanages because of red tape. Even if states strengthened requirements, many would lack the funds to enforce the rules.

Another reader points out that her two adopted daughters would have ended up on the streets and likely faced a life of destitution and prostitution if she hadn't adopted them. These girls' good fortune was only the luck of the draw. Adopted into a different home, they could have ended up sexually abused like Stoyanova. Adoption is a lottery as John Sayles forcibly depicts in his 2003 film, Casa de los Babys. And of course, saving two girls from prostitution did nothing for the many poor girls in the world who are forced into prostitution every day.

--jane
--------------------------------------------

Sources:
Adoption saga ends with charges for Franklin Park couple
Scholarship fund created in memory of Nikolina Stoyanova, Oregon State Hosptial-Portland patient who died
Abuse case jeopardizes adoption agreement between Russia and US
Creating a Healthy Adoption with an Older Adopted Child
Casa de los babys
Half The Sky Movement

Casa de los Babys
"...The story of six women who go to a Latin American country to adopt babies. As in other films by this master of cinema [John Sayles], it is not a simple story with a simple ending. Instead, it is a complex political and social tale that can be viewed on many levels."--Amazon reviewer.

As a first mother, I found the movie riveting and telling, as I seem to know way too many people who have adopted from Central and Latin America; I could not help relating to the poor women who were giving up their babies. Highly recommended. The link above will let you watch the film for $2.99 or you can buy it for $4.99. Someone gave me a disk and I am glad to have it on my shelf. --lorraine
--lorraine

From FMF:
Can International Adoption Be fixed? As Well as The Drug Trade
Joyce Maynard's adoption "disruption"
Returning a Child: It Happens More than You Think
Foreign Adoptions Aren't Plunging Fast Enough
Reproductive exploitation--one more way to abuse women

Foreign Adoptions Aren't Plunging Fast Enough
Reproductive exploitation--one more way to abuse women
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Source: http://www.firstmotherforum.com/2012/11/international-adoption-abuse-continues.html

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Good Reads: ugly oil harvests; dueling environmentalists; and morality in animals

This week's long-form good reads look at 'out of sight, out of mind' environmental costs of energy extraction, animals' 'moral' behavior, and the hard work of a luxury repo man.

By Gregory M. Lamb,?Staff writer / November 2, 2012

The US presidential campaign kept a laser focus on ?jobs, jobs, jobs? that left environmentalists wondering if anyone still cares about the condition of the planet. A remarkable photo essay in the Daily Mail puts the need for economic development versus the preservation of wild places in high relief. Aerial photos of the mining of tar sands in northern Alberta ? the world?s third-largest oil reserve ? reveal how a landscape of what was once lush green forests, an area larger than England, is being turned into an oily, nightmarish desert.

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Thursday, November 15, 2012

Will Apple or Google Be Kodak?s Savior?

Eastman Kodak has won time until February to negotiate a reorganization plan that would allow the company to exit bankruptcy. As part of the plan, the photography company is hoping to sell its patent portfolio to a list of potential buyers that include Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG).

Kodak remains confident that its patents will bring in the minimum amount of $500 million that is required under the terms of a $793 million loan package, and is still in talks with both Apple and Google despite several setbacks and delays. While separate groups led by the two tech companies submitted their bids for Kodak?s digital imaging patents in August, the conclusion of the auction was delayed indefinitely because of differences. The main problem centered on the fact that the bids were worth between $150 million and $250 million, much below Kodak?s original estimates of $2.6 billion.

Our 20-page proprietary analysis of Apple?s stock is ready. Click here and to get your Cheat Sheet report now!

On Thursday, Judge Alan Gropper of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan granted Kodak until February 28, 2013, to finalize its plans.

Kodak plans to sell its portfolio of patents and some businesses to exit bankruptcy by the middle of next year and emerge with a new focus on its commercial printing division. ?Kodak has stabilized its global cash position, its core commercial imaging business is performing well, and Kodak anticipates being global operating cash flow positive upon emergence from Chapter 11,? spokeswoman Stefanie Goodsell told Reuters.

Don?t Miss: Apple is Spreading Its Retail Wings.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WallStCheatSheetEconomy/~3/uHWVRQVkOA4/

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