Monthly Archives: July 2018

LeBron James Joins Other Celebrities Who Launched Schools

With the launch of a public school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, LeBron James has joined a long list of celebrities who have sought to leave their mark on education centers.

The NBA star, who recently left the Cleveland Cavaliers and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, was on hand Monday to welcome children to the I Promise School, built in a partnership with the LeBron James Family Foundation and Akron City Schools. The school launches with a group of third- and fourth-graders and plans to expand to serve first through eighth grades by 2022.

James has said the school, with a non-traditional schedule and year-round programming, can have a lasting impact for children facing the kinds of challenges he faced during a rough childhood. James grew up without a father, and he missed a lot of school because he and his mother lacked transportation.

Here is a look at some of the other celebrities who have been involved in creating schools, sometimes with mixed results:

Deion Sanders

The NFL Hall of Famer co-founded a multi-campus charter school called Prime Prep Academy in Texas in 2012. He coached there and served in other capacities but had a rocky relationship with administrators and was twice fired and rehired. The school’s enrollment slid amid financial and administrative problems, and it closed in early 2015.

Shakira

The singer has funded at least a half-dozen schools for children in her native Colombia over the past two decades with her foundation, Pies Descalzos, which means Barefoot in Spanish. Those institutions included a $6 million school she dedicated in 2009 in her hometown, Barranquilla, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. She said then that her foundation’s work is about “breaking the myth that quality education is the privilege of the few.”

Magic Johnson

The Lakers legend announced in 2011 that he was partnering with for-profit EdisonLearning Inc. to lend his name and business skills to promote dropout recovery centers. The effort expanded to at least 17 Bridgescape schools in six states within a couple years with the goal of reducing school dropout rates in urban areas. The company and Johnson parted ways after five years, but EdisonLearning says four Bridgescape Learning Academies still operate with the Chicago Public Schools.

Tony Bennett

The singer and his wife, teacher Susan Benedetto, founded the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in 2001 in New York, naming it after the legendary singer, who was Bennett’s best friend. The public performing arts high school in Queens, which gets support from Bennett’s nonprofit group, admits students based on auditions. It boasts a high graduation rate, with alumni who have gone on to study at a variety of top arts colleges. 

Will Smith

The actor-rapper and his actress wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, founded the private New Village Academy in the Los Angeles area in 2008. Pinkett Smith said she was moved to start the school after developing home-schooling programs for their own children, but it was embroiled in controversy over rumors the curriculum used instructional methods developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. The couple and school leaders denied any connection to the church. The school reportedly closed in 2013. Representatives for the couple couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Andre Agassi

The tennis great ran the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy for at-risk youth in his hometown, Las Vegas. In 2016, the academy was turned over to an out-of-state operator, and it has been rebranded Democracy Prep at Agassi Campus. The school change was compelled by a Nevada state initiative that targeted low-performing schools. The Andre Agassi Foundation for Education also is tied to an investment fund that helps charter school operators get access to buildings and facilities around the country.

Sean “Diddy” Combs

The performer and entrepreneur added another role in 2016 as founder of the Capital Preparatory Harlem Charter School in the New York neighborhood where he was born. He said it was a dream come true to create the school, which is part of a group of schools aimed at supporting historically disadvantaged students.

Pitbull

The rapper, whose real name is Armando Christian Perez, has been a celebrity ambassador for the Sports and Leadership Academy, which has locations in Miami and Henderson, Nevada. He’s appeared at ceremonies for the schools, which focus on sports medicine, marketing, business and management. The academy is overseen by the Sports and Leadership Academy Foundation, and he is not a financial donor.

Madonna

The pop star founded the charity Raising Malawi in 2006 to help vulnerable children in that impoverished southern African nation. Its work has included helping to build schools there. It also funded a children’s wing at a hospital that opened last year.
…

Study: Heat Deaths to Jump in Absence of Changes

The number of people dying from heat waves is likely to rise sharply in some regions by 2080 if policymakers fail to take mitigating steps in climate and health policies, according to the results of a study released Tuesday.

Deaths caused by heat waves could increase dramatically in tropical and subtropical regions, the study found, followed closely by Australia, Europe and the United States.

Published in the journal PLOS Medicine, the study’s results suggest stricter mitigation policies should be applied to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, because lower greenhouse gas emissions are linked with fewer deaths due to heat waves.

Antonio Gasparrini, an expert from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who co-led the research, noted that several countries around the world are currently being hit by deadly heat waves and said it was “highly likely” that heat wave frequency and severity would increase under a changing climate.

“The good news is that if we mitigate greenhouse gas emissions … then the projected impact will be much reduced,” he said.

The researchers said they hoped their research, which used mathematical modeling, would help decision-makers in planning strategies for climate change.

Different scenarios

The model used different scenarios characterized by levels of greenhouse gas emissions, preparedness and adaption strategies, as well as population density to estimate the number of deaths related to heat waves in 412 communities across 20 countries from 2031 to 2080.

The results found that compared with the period 1971 to 2020 and under the extreme scenario, the Philippines would suffer 12 times more excess deaths caused by heat waves in 2031 to 2080.

Under the same scenario, Australia and the United States could face five times more excess deaths, with Britain potentially seeing four times more excess deaths from heat waves in the same period.

These predictions improved, however, when scenarios were modeled with policies implemented to fulfill the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Under the least extreme scenario, and compared with the period 1971 to 2020, the study predicted that Britain would see only around double the number of excess deaths caused by heat waves in 2031 to 2080.

The researchers note that their work had some limitations, since it could model only relatively simple assumptions of how countries may or may not adapt climate policies.

The findings “should therefore be interpreted as potential impacts under hypothetical scenarios, and not as projections of [the] future,” they said in a statement.
…

Cases of Tick-Borne Meat Allergy May Be on the Rise

As Americans head outdoors for barbeques or hiking in the woods, danger might be lurking in the grass. The bite of the lone star tick, which lives in many eastern U.S. states, has been known to cause an allergic reaction to red meat. New research suggests that meat allergy may be on the rise.

Mammalian meat allergy, also known as the alpha-gal allergy, refers to an allergic reaction caused by a complex sugar found in many mammalian cell membranes. The galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose sugar isn’t found in primates (including humans), but is common to red meats such as pork and beef.

Symptoms of meat allergy can include hives, stomach trouble, and a sudden drop in blood pressure. It can lead to anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. New research by Dr. Jay Lieberman at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center finds one-third of anaphylaxis cases in a recent 10-year period were caused by this arachnid-induced allergy.

Lieberman and his co-authors were interested in assessing the breakdown of various causes of anaphylaxis, including the alpha-gal (red meat) allergy.

Anaphylaxis is usually defined as a reaction involving at least two different organ systems.

“For example, if you have full body hives and you vomit,” Lieberman said, “that can be anaphylaxis, as long as you know that it’s not associated with an infection or virus.”

The researchers evaluated 218 cases of anaphylaxis in patients ranging from as young as 9 years old to 78-year-old retirees who visited their university-affiliated Tennessee clinic over a 10-year period.

By reviewing the patients’ medical records, the doctors could identify the cause of the allergic reactions with high certainty in 85 of the cases and relative certainty in an additional 57 cases.

Researchers found that of the 85 highly certain cases, 28 — or about one-third — were caused by the tick-bite-induced alpha-gal allergy, more than any other source including other food allergies like peanuts or shellfish.

In the 57 cases where the researchers were less certain of the cause of the allergic reaction, they found more than a quarter of the cases were most likely caused by alpha-gal. Taken together, the meat allergy was the most commonly identified source of anaphylaxis in those 142 cases.

Lieberman told VOA not every tick bite leads to an immune system reaction and not everyone with antibodies caused by the tick bite ends up with this meat allergy. “Clearly there are many people who get bitten by ticks that probably never develop the allergy to alpha-gal.”

However, experts say that knowledge of the tick-borne allergy since its formal recognition in the early 2000s, as well as an antibody blood test that helps identify it, has helped spread awareness about it. This comes as the range of the lone star tick is also spreading, north and west from the eastern United States and Mexico.

Lieberman noted that while the number anaphylaxis cases caused by alpha-gal has increased, the number of unidentified cases has also decreased.

“These patients were there before and we didn’t know what it was,” he said. Lieberman further explained that with the advent of a testing method for alpha-gal allergy, these patients are now getting the diagnosis they would have missed before.

Researcher Onyinye Iweala, at the University of North Carolina Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, who was not involved in the study, said the findings might be due to two reasons.

“I think [the alpha-gal allergy] has been present for a while, but it’s increasing in its prevalence,” Iweala told VOA. “And also we have better diagnostics to identify that people have this condition.”

However, Lieberman warns it can be hard for an afflicted person to recognize the symptoms because they have up to several hours delayed onset.

Speaking on the uniqueness of the alpha-gal allergy, he said, “It’s the only one we know of that’s a delayed allergy, so it can even present in the middle of the night. You eat dinner at 8 p.m., you go to bed at 11 and you wake up at 1 a.m. with these symptoms.”

 

Although Lieberman’s research was conducted in the heart of lone-star tick country in Tennessee, Iweala notes that the meat allergy isn’t a uniquely American problem.

“Meat allergy has been discovered in multiple countries in Europe, Australia, Japan and also in South Africa,” she said. “They’re different tick species that have been identified in Europe and in Australia that have been associated with the alpha-gal allergy,” but the resulting allergy to red meat remains the same.

While people affected can still eat fish and poultry, the allergy might make neighborhood barbecues with hotdogs and hamburgers less enjoyable. Researchers note that the allergy can lessen or even disappear in some people over time. Still many questions remain, including why the allergy seems to be on the rise.

This research was published Monday by the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, where Dr. Lieberman is the vice chair of the food allergy committee.
…

Israel Jails Arab Poet for Online ‘Incitement to Terrorism’

An Israeli court jailed an Israeli Arab poet for five months on Tuesday after convicting her of incitement to terrorism for a poem and remarks she posted on social media during a wave of Palestinian street attacks.

Dareen Tatour, 36, posted on Facebook and YouTube a video of herself reading out her poem “Resist, My People, Resist”, as a soundtrack to footage of masked Palestinian youths throwing stones and firebombs at Israeli soldiers.

Tatour published her poem in October 2015 during a spate of deadly Palestinian stabbing, shooting and ramming attacks on Israelis. She was arrested a few days later, and prosecutors said her post was a call for violence. She denied this.

Her case became a cause celebre for freedom of speech advocates in Israel and abroad. It drew attention to the advanced technology used by Israeli security agencies to trawl through social media to identify and arrest users suspected of incitement to violence, or of planning attacks.

Tatour said her poem was misunderstood by the Israeli authorities as it was not a call for violence, rather for non-violent struggle.

U.S.-backed negotiations on a Palestinian state in territory Israel captured in a 1967 war have been stalled since 2014.

Tatour was also charged with supporting a terrorist group. Prosecutors said she had expressed support for the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad’s call for an uprising.

“I wasn’t expecting justice to be done. The case was political from the start, because I am Palestinian and support freedom of speech,” she told reporters at the Nazareth Magistrate’s Court in northern Israel.

Arab minority

Tatour belongs to Israel’s Arab minority, which comprises mainly descendants of the Palestinians who remained on their land after the 1948 Arab-Jewish war that surrounded the creation of the state of Israel. Hundreds of thousands fled or were driven from their homes.

The court added a six-month suspended sentence to Tatour’s jail time, according to the official minutes distributed by the Justice Ministry. Her lawyer, Gaby Lasky, said Tatour would appeal both the verdict and the sentence.

Israel says the string of Palestinian attacks that began in 2015 was fueled by online incitement and it has launched a legal crackdown to curb it.

Indictments for online incitement have tripled in Israel since 2014. Prosecutions by the Israeli military have also increased in the occupied West Bank – most of those charged are young Palestinians.

The campaign against alleged incitement has raised questions about the balance between security and free speech.

On July 18 the Israeli parliament was set to pass legislation that would have empowered the justice system to order Internet providers, such as Facebook and Google, to take down social media posts in Israel deemed as incitement.

But hours before the scheduled vote Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shelved the bill. An adviser to Netanyahu, Jonatan Urich, said the law was open to a too-wide interpretation that could allow cyber-censorship and harm freedom of speech.

 
…

Israel Jails Arab Poet for Online ‘Incitement to Terrorism’

An Israeli court jailed an Israeli Arab poet for five months on Tuesday after convicting her of incitement to terrorism for a poem and remarks she posted on social media during a wave of Palestinian street attacks.

Dareen Tatour, 36, posted on Facebook and YouTube a video of herself reading out her poem “Resist, My People, Resist”, as a soundtrack to footage of masked Palestinian youths throwing stones and firebombs at Israeli soldiers.

Tatour published her poem in October 2015 during a spate of deadly Palestinian stabbing, shooting and ramming attacks on Israelis. She was arrested a few days later, and prosecutors said her post was a call for violence. She denied this.

Her case became a cause celebre for freedom of speech advocates in Israel and abroad. It drew attention to the advanced technology used by Israeli security agencies to trawl through social media to identify and arrest users suspected of incitement to violence, or of planning attacks.

Tatour said her poem was misunderstood by the Israeli authorities as it was not a call for violence, rather for non-violent struggle.

U.S.-backed negotiations on a Palestinian state in territory Israel captured in a 1967 war have been stalled since 2014.

Tatour was also charged with supporting a terrorist group. Prosecutors said she had expressed support for the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad’s call for an uprising.

“I wasn’t expecting justice to be done. The case was political from the start, because I am Palestinian and support freedom of speech,” she told reporters at the Nazareth Magistrate’s Court in northern Israel.

Arab minority

Tatour belongs to Israel’s Arab minority, which comprises mainly descendants of the Palestinians who remained on their land after the 1948 Arab-Jewish war that surrounded the creation of the state of Israel. Hundreds of thousands fled or were driven from their homes.

The court added a six-month suspended sentence to Tatour’s jail time, according to the official minutes distributed by the Justice Ministry. Her lawyer, Gaby Lasky, said Tatour would appeal both the verdict and the sentence.

Israel says the string of Palestinian attacks that began in 2015 was fueled by online incitement and it has launched a legal crackdown to curb it.

Indictments for online incitement have tripled in Israel since 2014. Prosecutions by the Israeli military have also increased in the occupied West Bank – most of those charged are young Palestinians.

The campaign against alleged incitement has raised questions about the balance between security and free speech.

On July 18 the Israeli parliament was set to pass legislation that would have empowered the justice system to order Internet providers, such as Facebook and Google, to take down social media posts in Israel deemed as incitement.

But hours before the scheduled vote Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shelved the bill. An adviser to Netanyahu, Jonatan Urich, said the law was open to a too-wide interpretation that could allow cyber-censorship and harm freedom of speech.

 
…

Запрошення на навчання в Україні отримали понад 25 тисяч іноземців – Міносвіти

Офіційне запрошення на навчання в Україні з січня до липня 2018 року отримали 25 тисяч 263 студенти-іноземці, повідомив 31 липня Український державний центр міжнародної освіти МОН України.

За цими даними, найбільший попит на українську освіту є серед громадян Марокко, вони отримали 4 тисячі 254 запрошення.

«Оприлюднені дані свідчать про те, що цьогоріч можливість навчатися в Україні отримали більше іноземців, ніж у попередні роки. Для порівняння – за сім місяців 2017 року було зареєстровано 18 тисяч 214 запрошень, а у 2016-му кількість запрошень склала близько 12 тисяч», – розповіла директор центру Олена Шаповалова.

Друга за чисельністю група студентів планує прибути з Індії (3 тисячі 210), третя – з Нігерії (1 тисяча 987). Також понад тисячу студентів в Україну планують відправити Туркменистан, Єгипет, Гана та Алжир.
…

Запрошення на навчання в Україні отримали понад 25 тисяч іноземців – Міносвіти

Офіційне запрошення на навчання в Україні з січня до липня 2018 року отримали 25 тисяч 263 студенти-іноземці, повідомив 31 липня Український державний центр міжнародної освіти МОН України.

За цими даними, найбільший попит на українську освіту є серед громадян Марокко, вони отримали 4 тисячі 254 запрошення.

«Оприлюднені дані свідчать про те, що цьогоріч можливість навчатися в Україні отримали більше іноземців, ніж у попередні роки. Для порівняння – за сім місяців 2017 року було зареєстровано 18 тисяч 214 запрошень, а у 2016-му кількість запрошень склала близько 12 тисяч», – розповіла директор центру Олена Шаповалова.

Друга за чисельністю група студентів планує прибути з Індії (3 тисячі 210), третя – з Нігерії (1 тисяча 987). Також понад тисячу студентів в Україну планують відправити Туркменистан, Єгипет, Гана та Алжир.
…

50 Years on, McDonald’s and Fast-Food Evolve Around Big Mac

McDonald’s is fighting to hold onto customers as the Big Mac turns 50, but it isn’t changing the makings of its most famous burger.

The company is celebrating the 1968 national launch of the double-decker sandwich whose ingredients of “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions and a sesame seed bun” were seared into American memories by a TV jingle. But the milestone comes as the company reduces its number of U.S. stores. McDonald’s said Thursday that customers are visiting less often. Other trendy burger options are reaching into the heartland.

The “Golden Arches” still have a massive global reach, and the McDonald’s brand of cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets and french fries remains recognizable around the world. But on its critical home turf, the company is toiling to stay relevant. Kale now appears in salads, fresh has replaced frozen beef patties in Quarter Pounders, and some stores now offer ordering kiosks, food delivery and barista-style cafes.

The milestone for the Big Mac shows how much McDonald’s and the rest of fast-food have evolved around it.

“Clearly, we’ve gotten a little more sophisticated in our menu development,” McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook said in a phone interview.

As with many of its popular and long-lasting menu items, the idea for the Big Mac came from a franchisee.

In 1967, Michael James “Jim” Delligatti lobbied the company to let him test the burger at his Pittsburgh restaurants. Later, he acknowledged the Big Mac’s similarity to a popular sandwich sold by the Big Boy chain.

“This wasn’t like discovering the light bulb. The bulb was already there. All I did was screw it in the socket,” Delligatti said, according to “Behind the Arches.”

McDonald’s agreed to let Delligatti sell the sandwich at a single location, on the condition that he use the company’s standard bun. It didn’t work. Delligatti tried a bigger sesame seed bun, and the burger soon lifted sales by more than 12 percent.

After similar results at more stores, the Big Mac was added to the national menu in 1968. Other ideas from franchisees that hit the big time include the Filet-O-Fish, Egg McMuffin, Apple Pie (once deep-fried but now baked), and the Shamrock Shake.

“The company has benefited from the ingenuity of its small business men,” wrote Ray Kroc, who transformed the McDonald’s into a global franchise, in his book, “Grinding It Out.”

Franchisees still play an important role, driving the recent switch to fresh from frozen for the beef in Quarter Pounders, Easterbrook says. They also participate in menu development, which in the U.S. has included a series of cooking tweaks intended to improve taste.

Messing with a signature menu item can be taboo, but keeping the Big Mac unchanged comes with its own risks. Newer chains such as Shake Shack and Five Guys offer burgers that can make the Big Mac seem outdated. Even White Castle is modernizing, recently adding plant-based “Impossible Burger” sliders at some locations.

A McDonald’s franchisee fretted in 2016 that only one out of five millennials has tried the Big Mac. The Big Mac had “gotten less relevant,” the franchisee wrote in a memo, according to the Wall Street Journal.

McDonald’s then ran promotions designed to introduce the Big Mac to more people. Those kind of periodic campaigns should help keep the Big Mac relevant for years to come, says Mike Delligatti, the son of the Big Mac inventor, who died in 2016.

“What iconic sandwich do you know that can beat the Big Mac as far as longevity?” said Delligatti, himself a McDonald’s franchisee.
…

WHO: Breastfed Newborns Get Best Start in Life

Breastfeeding babies within an hour of birth significantly increases their chances of survival, the World Health Organization reports, citing data from 76 countries that find that mother’s milk is rich in health-giving nutrients and antibodies.

However, only 40 percent of infants are breastfed in the first hour of life, according to WHO’s infant and young child feeding specialist, Laurence Grummer-Strawn.

“The delay of breastfeeding puts the babies at increased risk of infection and ultimately increases their risk of death. Just delaying beyond the first hour can increase mortality by about one-third, and waiting until the second day doubles the rate of mortality,” he said.

The worst rates are found in East Asia and the Pacific, where only 32 percent of babies are breastfed in the first hour after birth, Grummer-Strawn said. He added that the numbers are much better in Africa, with eastern and southern Africa seeing average rates of 65 percent.

“What is interesting is this varies tremendously from country to country,” he said. “As we look across Africa, you can see some countries that have very low rates, as low as 20 percent, but other countries, as high as 90 percent. Similarly, in Asia, a substantial difference from one country to another country in these rates.” 

Grummer-Strawn says the difference in rates is not driven by regional patterns, but is mainly driven by the kind of education and medical care prevalent within a country.

The report warns that formula or other drinks must not be given to newborns unless absolutely necessary. It says formula can be dangerous because it sometimes is mixed with contaminated water and delays the infant’s first critical contact with his or her mother.
…

WHO: Breastfed Newborns Get Best Start in Life

Breastfeeding babies within an hour of birth significantly increases their chances of survival, the World Health Organization reports, citing data from 76 countries that find that mother’s milk is rich in health-giving nutrients and antibodies.

However, only 40 percent of infants are breastfed in the first hour of life, according to WHO’s infant and young child feeding specialist, Laurence Grummer-Strawn.

“The delay of breastfeeding puts the babies at increased risk of infection and ultimately increases their risk of death. Just delaying beyond the first hour can increase mortality by about one-third, and waiting until the second day doubles the rate of mortality,” he said.

The worst rates are found in East Asia and the Pacific, where only 32 percent of babies are breastfed in the first hour after birth, Grummer-Strawn said. He added that the numbers are much better in Africa, with eastern and southern Africa seeing average rates of 65 percent.

“What is interesting is this varies tremendously from country to country,” he said. “As we look across Africa, you can see some countries that have very low rates, as low as 20 percent, but other countries, as high as 90 percent. Similarly, in Asia, a substantial difference from one country to another country in these rates.” 

Grummer-Strawn says the difference in rates is not driven by regional patterns, but is mainly driven by the kind of education and medical care prevalent within a country.

The report warns that formula or other drinks must not be given to newborns unless absolutely necessary. It says formula can be dangerous because it sometimes is mixed with contaminated water and delays the infant’s first critical contact with his or her mother.
…

Lindsay Lohan to Make US TV Comeback in MTV Reality Series

Lindsay Lohan, whose promising movie career crashed in a string of legal woes and substance abuse, is returning to U.S. television in a reality series about her night club ventures in Greece.

MTV said on Monday that “Lohan Beach Club” will follow the actress as she works to expand a recently launched nightclub and restaurant business in Greece.

The TV network said the show, expected to air in 2019, will see Lohan, 32, lead a team of “brand ambassadors” who will help promote her business “while striving to rise above the temptations the Mykonos night life scene has to offer.”

Lohan, once one of Hollywood’s most-sought after young actresses after starring roles in “The Parent Trap” and “Mean Girls,” went to rehab six times between 2007 and 2013, and was in and out of jail and court repeatedly for offenses ranging from theft to drunken driving and drug possession.

Her last feature movie was the 2013 low-budget thriller “The Canyons” after which she moved to London, and later Dubai. Her biggest acting job since then is dark British TV comedy “Sick Note,” in which she plays a supporting role in the second season that began airing last week.

The Mykonos beach club is Lohan’s third business venture in Greece following the 2016 opening of a nightclub bearing her name in Athens and a beach house in Rhodes which is due to open this summer.
…

Study: World’s Largest King Penguin Colony Declines Sharply

The world’s largest colony of king penguins has declined by nearly 90 percent in 35 years, according to an alarming study published in Antarctic Science.

In the 1980s the colony on Pig Island in the sub-Antarctic archipelago of Crozet, about halfway between the tip of Africa and Antarctica, was estimated to contain some two million of the flightless birds.

But recent satellite images show the “colony has declined by 88 percent, from about 500,000 breeding pairs to 60,000 pairs,” the study found.

“It is completely unexpected, and particularly significant since this colony represented nearly one third of the king penguins in the world,” said lead author Henri Weimerskirch, an ecologist at the Center for Biological Studies in Chize, France, who first saw the colony in 1982.

The reason for the dramatic decline is still a mystery to the scientists.

Weimerskirch speculated that it could have been affected by a particularly strong El Nino weather event that warmed the southern Indian Ocean in 1997. The event temporarily pushed the fish and squid on which king penguins depend beyond their foraging range.

“This resulted in population decline and poor breeding success” for all the king penguin colonies in the region, Weimerskirch said.

While the other colonies in the region have bounced back, the one on Pig Island continues to decline, stumping scientists.

But until Weimerskirch and other researchers return to Pig Island — hopefully, he said, in early 2019 — they won’t know for sure.
…

Study: World’s Largest King Penguin Colony Declines Sharply

The world’s largest colony of king penguins has declined by nearly 90 percent in 35 years, according to an alarming study published in Antarctic Science.

In the 1980s the colony on Pig Island in the sub-Antarctic archipelago of Crozet, about halfway between the tip of Africa and Antarctica, was estimated to contain some two million of the flightless birds.

But recent satellite images show the “colony has declined by 88 percent, from about 500,000 breeding pairs to 60,000 pairs,” the study found.

“It is completely unexpected, and particularly significant since this colony represented nearly one third of the king penguins in the world,” said lead author Henri Weimerskirch, an ecologist at the Center for Biological Studies in Chize, France, who first saw the colony in 1982.

The reason for the dramatic decline is still a mystery to the scientists.

Weimerskirch speculated that it could have been affected by a particularly strong El Nino weather event that warmed the southern Indian Ocean in 1997. The event temporarily pushed the fish and squid on which king penguins depend beyond their foraging range.

“This resulted in population decline and poor breeding success” for all the king penguin colonies in the region, Weimerskirch said.

While the other colonies in the region have bounced back, the one on Pig Island continues to decline, stumping scientists.

But until Weimerskirch and other researchers return to Pig Island — hopefully, he said, in early 2019 — they won’t know for sure.
…

Free Camps Help Level Playing Field for Future US Soccer Stars

The happy shouts of children participating in a summer soccer camp emanate from the Tubman Elementary School playing field in Washington D.C.

Pay-to-play soccer structures can make it challenging for kids from low-income families to play competitive, organized soccer in the United States. DC Scores, a nonprofit organization, tries to help level the playing field by offering free high-quality soccer camps like this one to disadvantaged children.

“DC Scores has given me lots of chances in life,” says Christopher, 10, who has been with DC Scores for three years.

DC Scores provides various opportunities to children from low-income families, serving close to 3,000 kids annually. Its programs can be found in more than 42 designated Title I schools in the Washington area. Schools receive Title I classification when they serve a large number of children from low-income families.

Students between the third and eighth grades can join DC Scores’ after-school programs at their respective elementary and middle schools. In fall and spring, participants practice soccer twice a week and have a game at the end of the school week.

On non-soccer days, kids either write slam poetry or participate in service learning projects such as neighborhood cleanups, awareness campaigns, or raising money for the homeless.

During the summer, camps run for six weeks. DC Scores also offers outside opportunities for its participants to join competitive teams.

Meaningful partnerships

Christopher, who skillfully dribbles down the field, bypassing four players on the opposing team to score a goal, is considered one of the most talented players by coaches, who say the boy has a knack for scoring goals.

“They gave me the chance to practice with D.C. United,” Christopher says when discussing soccer opportunities in the program.

DC Scores has an official partnership with D.C. United, Washington’s professional soccer club, and DC Scores’ participants have attended D.C. United tryouts.

The non-profit also has a partnership with the Stoddert Club, a youth travel and recreational soccer club in the nation’s capital that offers financial assistance to DC Scores kids who wish to play in their league.

These partnerships enable DC Scores participants to pursue soccer more seriously if they choose to. However, the organization’s impact stretches way beyond the soccer field.

Challenging start in life

Some of the Individuals who participate in DC Scores come from unstable homes.

“Twenty percent of kids in the program move houses during the year,” says Bethany Henderson, executive director of DC Scores.

Rob was accepted into the program as an elementary school student. He’s now on the DC Scores coaching staff and expects to join a semi-professional team.

“I grew up in a broken home. DC Scores provided me with a way out…There are lots of drugs in these areas,” he says, adding that, for many kids, this is their first time playing sports in an organized environment.

“To have that little structure, I think the majority of our kids haven’t had that before joining our program,” says Michael Goldstein, director of marketing and communications.

Mentors For life

DC Scores places a strong emphasis on building strong relationships between coaches and players. Every year, coaches receive 17 hours of soccer and youth development training.

“The priority of this training is to ensure DC Scores kids build deep relationships with their coaches,” says Henderson, the DC Scores executive director.

Coach Popsie Lewis stands out among his peers in this regard. In 2016, he was selected as a 2016 MLS WORKS Community MVP for his mentorship efforts.

“Moments like that tell you to keep doing what you are doing,” Lewis says.

A widely popular coach in the program, Lewis is adored by players for his ability to connect with them.

“He has charisma and an ability to make anyone feel comfortable. He’s got that special something that draws people to him,” says Goldstein. “When they go to high school, he continues to keep in touch and serve as a mentor for his kids.”

Shared experiences

“One of my favorite things about DC Scores is being able to make new friends from new teams,” says Christopher, the talented 10-year-old who has been in the program for three years.

In general, there is a strong camaraderie among DC Scores kids.

“DC Scores is like a brotherhood. Once a part of DC Scores, always a part of it,” says Rob.

Henderson isn’t surprised that the children develop a huge attachment to the program.

“By designing a fun and safe space for the kids, DC Scores becomes an important part of kid’s identity,” she says.
…

Free Camps Help Level Playing Field for Future US Soccer Stars

The happy shouts of children participating in a summer soccer camp emanate from the Tubman Elementary School playing field in Washington D.C.

Pay-to-play soccer structures can make it challenging for kids from low-income families to play competitive, organized soccer in the United States. DC Scores, a nonprofit organization, tries to help level the playing field by offering free high-quality soccer camps like this one to disadvantaged children.

“DC Scores has given me lots of chances in life,” says Christopher, 10, who has been with DC Scores for three years.

DC Scores provides various opportunities to children from low-income families, serving close to 3,000 kids annually. Its programs can be found in more than 42 designated Title I schools in the Washington area. Schools receive Title I classification when they serve a large number of children from low-income families.

Students between the third and eighth grades can join DC Scores’ after-school programs at their respective elementary and middle schools. In fall and spring, participants practice soccer twice a week and have a game at the end of the school week.

On non-soccer days, kids either write slam poetry or participate in service learning projects such as neighborhood cleanups, awareness campaigns, or raising money for the homeless.

During the summer, camps run for six weeks. DC Scores also offers outside opportunities for its participants to join competitive teams.

Meaningful partnerships

Christopher, who skillfully dribbles down the field, bypassing four players on the opposing team to score a goal, is considered one of the most talented players by coaches, who say the boy has a knack for scoring goals.

“They gave me the chance to practice with D.C. United,” Christopher says when discussing soccer opportunities in the program.

DC Scores has an official partnership with D.C. United, Washington’s professional soccer club, and DC Scores’ participants have attended D.C. United tryouts.

The non-profit also has a partnership with the Stoddert Club, a youth travel and recreational soccer club in the nation’s capital that offers financial assistance to DC Scores kids who wish to play in their league.

These partnerships enable DC Scores participants to pursue soccer more seriously if they choose to. However, the organization’s impact stretches way beyond the soccer field.

Challenging start in life

Some of the Individuals who participate in DC Scores come from unstable homes.

“Twenty percent of kids in the program move houses during the year,” says Bethany Henderson, executive director of DC Scores.

Rob was accepted into the program as an elementary school student. He’s now on the DC Scores coaching staff and expects to join a semi-professional team.

“I grew up in a broken home. DC Scores provided me with a way out…There are lots of drugs in these areas,” he says, adding that, for many kids, this is their first time playing sports in an organized environment.

“To have that little structure, I think the majority of our kids haven’t had that before joining our program,” says Michael Goldstein, director of marketing and communications.

Mentors For life

DC Scores places a strong emphasis on building strong relationships between coaches and players. Every year, coaches receive 17 hours of soccer and youth development training.

“The priority of this training is to ensure DC Scores kids build deep relationships with their coaches,” says Henderson, the DC Scores executive director.

Coach Popsie Lewis stands out among his peers in this regard. In 2016, he was selected as a 2016 MLS WORKS Community MVP for his mentorship efforts.

“Moments like that tell you to keep doing what you are doing,” Lewis says.

A widely popular coach in the program, Lewis is adored by players for his ability to connect with them.

“He has charisma and an ability to make anyone feel comfortable. He’s got that special something that draws people to him,” says Goldstein. “When they go to high school, he continues to keep in touch and serve as a mentor for his kids.”

Shared experiences

“One of my favorite things about DC Scores is being able to make new friends from new teams,” says Christopher, the talented 10-year-old who has been in the program for three years.

In general, there is a strong camaraderie among DC Scores kids.

“DC Scores is like a brotherhood. Once a part of DC Scores, always a part of it,” says Rob.

Henderson isn’t surprised that the children develop a huge attachment to the program.

“By designing a fun and safe space for the kids, DC Scores becomes an important part of kid’s identity,” she says.
…

Держкіно оприлюднило трейлер військової драми «Позивний Бандерас»

Події фільму відбуваються восени 2014 року в зоні бойових дій на Донбасі
…

Держкіно оприлюднило трейлер військової драми «Позивний Бандерас»

Події фільму відбуваються восени 2014 року в зоні бойових дій на Донбасі
…

Parrots For the Price of a Car at Exotic Bird Store in Virginia

It would be easy to imagine yourself in a tropical jungle when you walk into Ed Willis’ store. The room is filled with whistles, chirps and shrieks, made by dozens of bright-colored parrots, from chatty cockatoos to giant macaws to tiny parakeets.

In case you’re still not sure what’s for sale here, the store is called “Parrots, Parrots, Parrots, just Parrots.” Opened in 1988, it is one of just two shops in the D.C. area that specialize exclusively in parrots, which have become the third most popular pet in America.

Ed Willis got his first parrot when he was 18, and never spent another day without one. He says parrots make wonderful pets and get very emotionally attached to people. He calls it a unique partnership. “They are independent, but they are still needy. They are happy to see you when you come home. It’s a really special pet relationship.”

However, not everyone is a good candidate for that relationship. These intelligent, playful and social birds need — and demand — daily interaction and mental stimulation. With a lifespan of 50 years or longer, parrots often outlive their owners. Even if they don’t, many end up abandoned when an owner has to move, gets married and has children, or simply loses interest in the parrot as a pet. Since parrots bond with their owners, they suffer immensely when surrendered to a rescue or put up for sale. Having a parrot is a multi-decade, potentially life-long commitment.

 
…

Parrots For the Price of a Car at Exotic Bird Store in Virginia

It would be easy to imagine yourself in a tropical jungle when you walk into Ed Willis’ store. The room is filled with whistles, chirps and shrieks, made by dozens of bright-colored parrots, from chatty cockatoos to giant macaws to tiny parakeets.

In case you’re still not sure what’s for sale here, the store is called “Parrots, Parrots, Parrots, just Parrots.” Opened in 1988, it is one of just two shops in the D.C. area that specialize exclusively in parrots, which have become the third most popular pet in America.

Ed Willis got his first parrot when he was 18, and never spent another day without one. He says parrots make wonderful pets and get very emotionally attached to people. He calls it a unique partnership. “They are independent, but they are still needy. They are happy to see you when you come home. It’s a really special pet relationship.”

However, not everyone is a good candidate for that relationship. These intelligent, playful and social birds need — and demand — daily interaction and mental stimulation. With a lifespan of 50 years or longer, parrots often outlive their owners. Even if they don’t, many end up abandoned when an owner has to move, gets married and has children, or simply loses interest in the parrot as a pet. Since parrots bond with their owners, they suffer immensely when surrendered to a rescue or put up for sale. Having a parrot is a multi-decade, potentially life-long commitment.

 
…

Japan Scientists to Use ‘Reprogrammed’ Stem Cells to Fight Parkinson’s

Japanese scientists said Monday they will start clinical trials next month on a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, transplanting “reprogrammed” stem cells into brains, seeking a breakthrough in treating the neurodegenerative disorder.

Parkinson’s is caused by a lack of dopamine made by brain cells, and researchers have long hoped to use stem cells to restore normal production of the neurotransmitter chemical.

The clinical trials come after researchers at Japan’s Kyoto University successfully used human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) to restore functioning brain cells in monkeys last year.

So-called iPS cells are made by removing mature cells from an individual — often from the skin or blood — and reprogramming them to behave like embryonic stem cells. They can then be coaxed into dopamine-producing brain cells.

“This will be the world’s first clinical trial using iPS cells on Parkinson’s disease,” Jun Takahashi, professor at Kyoto University’s Centre for iPS Cell Research and Application, told a news conference.

The center is headed by Shinya Yamanaka, who in 2012 shared a Nobel Prize for medicine with a British scientist, John Gurdon, for the discovery that adult cells can be transformed back into embryo-like cells.

“We intend to carry on conducting our research carefully, yet expeditiously, in coordination with Kyoto University Hospital, so that new treatment using iPS cells will be brought to patients as soon as possible,” Yamanaka said in a statement.

The fact that the clinical trial uses iPS cells rather than human embryonic cells means the treatment would be acceptable in countries such as Ireland and much of Latin America, where embryonic cells are banned.
…