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Source: http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20130219/NJNEWS/302190039/1001/rss
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বুধবার, ২০ ফেব্রুয়ারী, ২০১৩
How classroom technology can benefit your child's education | Life ...
(BPT) ? Historically, the term ?digital divide? has referred to the gap in technology levels between developing and first world countries; however, it?s truly the divide between the more affluent and the underprivileged. While the divide has a worldwide reach, it?s important to remember that the gap is growing in America, too. Improving technology in schools ? and how it?s used in learning ? is an important topic because it offers students a more effective way to achieve, fully preparing them to be skills-ready for a successful future.
Today, the majority of schools in America have computers of some kind. Still, many schools, particularly rural schools and those with a high percentage of minority students, lack reliable Internet access or have old computers that aren?t compatible with current software. Concerned parents, teachers and educational leaders are rallying for change.
Providing students with modern, mobile computers and access to the Internet at school and at home promotes hands-on learning that engages students. When children are interested and excited, the learning process comes naturally. Across the country, one-to-one programs ? meaning one computer is supplied for each student ? are gaining interest and receiving funding. Some districts have even approved BYOD programs, or bring your own device programs, that allow students to bring their own technology (i.e. laptops, tablets, smartphones) from home to use in the classroom.
These technology enhancements are creating a 21st century classroom environment that focuses on today?s students? needs. Rather than the teacher lecturing at the front of the classroom, students are taking the lead by exploring different topics, answering their own questions, and interacting with peers and their teachers by accessing information through technology. Benefits abound: According to Project RED, an education research organization that analyzes technology in the classroom, schools with one-to-one programs have higher test scores, better graduation rates and fewer discipline problems. ?
Students aren?t the only ones that come out ahead ? teachers benefit from technology, too. It actually enhances the teacher?s ability to connect with students, expands access to instructional material and allows the teacher to facilitate a richer, more meaningful classroom experience.
For all the benefits of better classroom technology, funding can be an issue. While adding computers, maintaining hardware and software, and funding ongoing technology support can be costly, there is also the potential to save money through improved efficiency. In fact, according to Project RED, adding effective classroom technologies can result in increased efficiency and cost reductions ? even when maintenance costs are included.
For example, instructional materials contribute to this cost savings. Traditional paper textbooks can be costly and become outdated quickly. Digital content offers one effective solution to this problem by giving students and teachers access to the most up-to-date materials online, bringing the world into the classroom and often at a fraction of the cost. Online courses, assessment and professional development are additional areas where cost savings can quickly add up.
How to spearhead a technology change in the classroom
Whether you are a parent who wants computer access in your child?s classroom or you?re an educator who wants to enable an improved learning experience through better technology, here?s how you can start the conversation and make a difference:
1. Use the K-12 Blueprint. Found at www.K12blueprint.com and sponsored by Intel Corporation, this website is a free resource for planning and implementing technology initiatives in districts. You?ll find a plethora of useful information, including practical guidelines, funding advice, curriculum considerations and real-world success stories.
2. Involve the people who care. Start discussions with fellow parents, teachers, principals and even the educational board to create a vision and plan. Discuss specific reasons for the technology improvements and benefits for the students as well as staff.
3. Explore professional development opportunities. How we teach with technology is just as important as having technology in the classroom. Ensure teachers in your community have the professional development opportunities they need so their students are learning with technology in the most effective way possible.
4. Be patient to overcome challenges. Technology isn?t a one-time investment ? computer maintenance, software upgrades and continued professional development are important. Providing teachers training and creating a support network can be a time commitment. Patience and persistence are key to the success of eager students.
Technology in the classroom can help close the digital divide within the U.S., but it?s up to parents, grandparents, teachers, schools and entire communities to work together to make change a reality. ?When used properly, technology can provide students with a stronger education, paving the way for future innovations and research.
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Por Karl TobinMotor vehicle loans really are a good way to initiate strong relationships, specially using a car dealer. An automobile loan is argued on grounds of unfortunate necessary together with an indispensable technique to ease the traveling chore,...
Source: https://n-1.cc/blog/view/1600010/ethical-online-search-engine-advertising-3-ethical-seo-techniques
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মঙ্গলবার, ১৯ ফেব্রুয়ারী, ২০১৩
FOSSC-Oman' 2013 highlights avenues for free and opens source ...
A number of Information & Communications Technology (ICT) professional, academics, students and broader FOSS community from Oman and abroad are attending the two day conference in order to share their experiences and discuss potential implementations of FOSS.
Speaking on the occasion, H.E. Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi underscored the need to promote awareness on open source software in the current era pointing out that most of the modern communication devices including smart phones are using open source software.
Popular social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are also based on FOSS. He lauded the efforts of ITA and SQU in promoting awareness on the use and development of FOSS in the Sultanate.
Prof. Amer bin Ali Al Rawas, SQU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies & Research, in his address at the opening ceremony, said, "Oman can do a lot with regard to the use of FOSS in the country and the region through capacity building initiatives and creating new opportunities."
"SQU is keen to spread the culture of FOSS in the region and is supporting the national free and open source software initiative launched in the Sultanate between CIRC & ITA. SQU has signed an agreement with ITA to promote the use of FOSS in the country and a lot of joint activities and training have been implemented since the signing of an MoU in Spring 2010. This conference is a culmination of the cooperation between ITA and CIRC at SQU. The need of the hour is to spread more awareness among students and computer users at large to use open source software in the Sultanate. SQU is keen to associate with more local, regional and international organizations in this regard," added Prof. Al Rawas.
Dr. Salim Sultan Al Ruzaiqi, CEO of ITA said, "FOSSC-Oman' 2013 is the first edition of this event which will be held in every two years in the Sultanate."
"ITA has been involved in raising awareness on the importance of open source software, which is an effective and free alternative to the proprietary software. This area has the potential to create avenues for several small and medium enterprises and related job opportunities in the Sultanate. This conference is part of ITA's efforts towards capacity buildingto transform the Sultanate into a knowledge-based society. ITA has signed four MoUs with different educational institutions to spread the free & open source culture in the Sultanate and we are glad to announce today the launch of two main projects. The first project is FOSS laboratories in three main educational institutions that are: Higher College of Technology, Nizwa University, and SQU. The labs are equipped with the latest instruments to help students and researchers who use the services. The second project is FOSS portal; hosted by SQU to facilitate access to open source software," Dr. Al Ruzaiqi added.
As a keynote speaker in the FOSSC-Oman'2013, Jim Lacey, CEO of Linux Professional Institute (LPI), in his speech, discussed his institute's focus on open source careers.
"Big dagta and cloud computing are central themes in today's IT environment, and connection to Open Source and those who certify on LPI is critically important for the future of innovation and growth. LPI continues to bring value to certification holders through strategic initiative," Lacey said. Emphasizing the importance of acquiring FOSS skills, Lacey stated, "Last year 1.5 million cloud computing jobs went unfilled because people lack the skills in FOSS."
During the opening ceremony, the winners of the Oman Open Source Challenge have been announced and honored. The first place went to Ahmed Al Jafari, Bishr Al Busaidi, and Kinana Al Hinai. Hamed Al Harmaly from Ministry of Tourism won the second place and the third place went to Khalid Al Tamimi. Additionally, the Intel Middle East Challenge winner was also announced in the conference and the winning team, which consists of Haifa Al Hasni, Shaima Al Hasni, and Asma Al Dhakri, will compete internationally.
After the opening ceremony, H.E. Dr. Ahmed Al Futaisi opened the exhibition which includes different companies and organizations that support FOSS, such as RedHat, Intel, Linux Professional Institute, FOSS Students Society, Omani Inventors, SOD Technologies, Qurum Business Group, CITRIX, IBM/GBM, and Rafeed.
The organizations participating in the exhibition explained to the visitors the uses of FOSS and the opportunities that FOSS can provide for Omani youth. After that, the Chief Guest launched the FOSS Lab at SQU located in the Languages Center. FOSSC-Oman'2013 continued with different speakers showcasing FOSS experience in different countries.
Source: http://www.ameinfo.com/fossc-oman-2013-highlights-avenues-free-source-330185
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সোমবার, ১৮ ফেব্রুয়ারী, ২০১৩
Red Brick Bench Press Championship X Raises Weights, Funds for Military Families
Dennis Brochey is a well-known mechanic, a Kiwanis Club member and a Village of Lewiston trustee.
He can also bench press more than most of the WGRZ audience.
On Saturday, Feb. 16, Brochey will host the 10th annual USPA Red Brick Bench Press Championship. The event, the largest one-day bench press-only meet in the U.S., is a fundraiser for the Friends and Families of Western New York Military organization. It begins at 10 a.m. at the New York State Armory, 184 Connecticut St., Buffalo.
The Red Brick Bench Press Championship X is open to youth, men and women. It features more than 22 divisions. Competitors are separated into groups based on age and weight. Each lifter has three attempts to raise the bar one time. Sort of like a game of pool, each person calls their shot - the amount of weight to be lifted - and then has to follow through with that attempt. Each lift has to surpass the previous one in terms of weight on the bar.
Participants can compete in either USPA-sanctioned or non-sanctioned categories. The greatest lift (i.e. the most weight pressed) in each one wins, and the lifter takes home a trophy.
In the championship's first nine years, Brochey has raised more than $80,000. He said he hopes to get to the $100,000 mark this year. In the event's early years, funds went to bolster the weight room inside the Red Brick Municipal Building gym in Lewiston. With that project in hand, subsequent funds have gone to support local military families.
"It was during the summertime, I read an Ann Landers article about troops needing phone cards and stuff from home, and how the families have to pay for it," Brochey said. "I decided, 'Well, why don't we (see what) we can raise for the military.' "
When lifters got wind of Brochey's plan, they started to attend en masse.
"At our first competition, we had 23 members. As soon as people heard it was for the military, it went up to I think 43, and actually almost doubled the first year," Brochey said. "And then word got around, got around, and last year we had 148 competitors."
Brochey anticipates around 150 lifters will participate this year - including Jim Phraner, who is expected to try and bench 800 pounds.
If Brochey nets the same number of participants as in 2012, he may compete (benching around 300 pounds), because, "I always have to break last year's (mark)!"
For those tagging along with the weightlifters, and for those coming to watch, the Red Brick Bench Press Championship X offers a plentiful basket auction, T-shirts and refreshments for sale. There is a $4 general admission fee.
Almost two-dozen Gold Star parents will be recognized. They are individuals who have lost a child in service to the armed forces. Plaques will be presented in honor of the departed heroes.
"I just came up with the idea, a couple years ago, 'How can we make the Red Brick better?' " Brochey said. "One night I just said, 'We should honor the fallen troops from Western New York.' "
He explained, "I spend hours trying to locate the families; each one," to make them aware of the Red Brick Bench Press Championship, and to provide them the opportunity to pay tribute to their deceased loved ones.
Brochey recalled watching as Vietnam veterans were mistreated when they returned from war. He said he didn't think that was right, and believes we should "stand by the troops, whether (the war) is right or wrong. They should've stood behind the troops in Vietnam, because they did what was expected of them."
The deadline to enter the Red Brick Bench Press Championship was Feb. 9. While that time period has passed, Brochey will accept donations for the basket raffle up until Saturday. For more information, call 716-200-3533.
The Red Brick Bench Press Championship X is sponsored, in part, by the Lewiston Lions Club, the VFW and the Lewiston Kiwanis Club.
"I think what causes us to support this effort is it helps us to be more aware of the tremendous sacrifice that our soldiers and their families make in order that we can enjoy the freedoms that we do in our country," said Kiwanis Club President Jeff Sanderson. "Often times, the families are in need of various support in dealing with the grief that they experience in losing a son or daughter as a consequence of war. Of all the causes that we do support, this one is one that really evokes a lot of emotion, I think, for our club because of the gravity of what is at hand."
"It's a time in our country where we've just been through many, many years of war, and have seen many, many people from our communities go to Iraq and Afghanistan and other places in the world and, unfortunately, sometimes a person is killed in the line of duty," he added. "It's a small thing that we can do. And I think, mainly, because of ... Dennis and his efforts to identify the families of fallen soldiers and to seek them out, offer them support, honor their loved ones and bring them to the attention of their communities so that we can appreciate and respect what they've done, this is a very worthy cause. That's why we choose to support it."
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2013 Writers Guild Winners
The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced the winners for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during 2012. Winners were honored at the 2013 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 17, 2013, during simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York.
Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1926865/news/1926865/
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Criminals offer reward for information identifying a social media user who reports on violence in Mexico
A Mexican?criminal organization is offering a reward for information about the administrator of a Facebook page and Twitter account, who over the last year has been reporting on violent crime in the state of Tamaulipas, one of the areas most affected by the country?s drug war, according to the magazine Proceso.
The criminals advertised a reward of over $47,000 on flyers and signs in the street for information leading to the person behind the ?Valor por Tamaulipas? account. The citizen journalist uses social media to report shoot-outs, highway blockades, disappearances and other dangerous situations. The social media reporter has over 150,000 Facebook fans and another 21,000 Twitter followers.
The person behind the accounts responded to the threats in a statement published by Proceso, asking not to involve their family. ?I know that by starting this, I decided that my life was going to end much earlier than those who meet it naturally,? the administrator wrote, ?I?m certainly not a hero, I do what I can as an involved citizen against the challenge that organized crime presents to the stability of our state and country.?
In an email, the Facebook administrator said that his wife and children have fled to the United States but stated that he would continue updating the social media feeds?in Tamaulipas, according to the newspaper El Pa?s.
In an interview with the website Sin Embargo, the man responsible for Valor por Tamaulipas said that this was the second threat he has received. Before, the Gulf Cartel created the website ?Anti-valor por Tamaulipas? to threaten him. He suspects that members of the Zetas criminal organization or corrupt state officials are behind the threatening flyers.
Journalists and citizens face serious threats in Tamaulipas. In 2011, a journalist was decapitated for her anonymous denouncements of crime online in the border city of Nuevo Laredo. That same year, mutilated and hanged bodies wore signs threatening social media users who report on crime in the city.?
Recently, a study from Microsoft Research reported that social media users in Mexico are helping to fill the gap left my local media organizations censored by criminal gangs. Another report by a Knight Foundation International Journalism Fellow said that 85 percent of journalists in Mexico are unfamiliar with online security tools.?
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রবিবার, ১৭ ফেব্রুয়ারী, ২০১৩
Obama, Tiger Woods Play Golf Together
President Obama is in the middle of spending a three-day weekend at a posh Florida golf and yacht club. And if taking private training lessons on the links from Tiger Woods' old coach Saturday wasn't enough, today the Tiger himself has joined Obama on the links. This is the first time the two played together.
A White House official confirmed to the press that the president was playing with Woods, although media have not been allowed on the resort since the president's Friday arrival to view any activity.
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and the property's owner, Jim Crane, were also on the course, according to the official. Crane is a former Obama donor and the owner of the Houston Astros baseball team.
Woods, who is among the world's top professional golfers, was the first person to hold all four major championship titles simultaneously. By contrast, Obama, who only took up the sport in recent years, has previously described himself as only an average duffer. His love of the game is well known however; as of last summer he had played more than a hundred rounds since obtaining the presidency.
Obama has occasionally drawn criticism from opponents for the amount of time he's spent on golf courses, mostly complaints that it is time wasted away from the Oval Office. But he is far from the golf record holder among U.S. presidents. That goes to Woodrow Wilson, who historians note played 1,200 rounds during his presidency. Former President Dwight Eisenhower takes second place at 800, according to his memorial commission.
Woods is currently the second highest ranking golfer in the world, although his career suffered in 2009 when a messy extramarital affair came to the public eye.
Also ReadSource: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-tiger-woods-play-golf-together-202954202--abc-news-politics.html
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Bowling Green coach accepts apology over graffiti
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) - Bowling Green men's basketball coach Louis Orr says he's accepted apologies from two boys who scribbled racist graffiti on a sidewalk in front of his house.
A judge ordered the two teens to perform community service and put them on probation Friday after finding them delinquent of criminal mischief.
Authorities say the boys wrote "white power" and drew a swastika with chalk in front of the black coach's house last October.
Orr recently met with both of them. He tells The Blade newspaper in Toledo (http://bit.ly/XMP1Jy ) that he hopes the boys will learn from what happened.
He says young people don't always understand the consequences of their actions.
Orr has been Bowling Green's coach since 2007. His son Chauncey is a starter on this year's team.
Information from: The Blade, http://www.toledoblade.com/
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.fox19.com/story/21224261/bowling-green-coach-accepts-apology-over-graffiti
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NFL 2012: Good riddance - (Narcotics For Leatherheads (NFL) )
Eric Golub
LOS ANGELES, February 17, 2013 ? Normally late February and early March are the worst weeks of the year. The Super Bowl is over and the NFL Draft is not until April. Sure there is the Scouting Combine, but even many leatherheads cannot feign excitement for that. There is no sport at a critical juncture. Fans are forced on Sunday to go and "do things," perhaps even outside.
So in a typical year, the end of the NFL season would be a sad affair. Yet for the first time in my lifetime, the passing of football season brings relief. The end of NFL 2012 brings two words that should never be associated with the game of football: Good riddance.
This column was delayed out of respect for the greatest game in the world bringing America one of the most exciting Super Bowls in history. Yet now a couple weeks removed from the confetti, it is a relief that NFL 2012 will never be played again. One of the best Super Bowl games cannot paper over the worst season in the history of the National Football League.
It began in July with the suicide of former star Junior Seau. Dave Duerson also killed himself. Jovan Belcher murdered the mother of his child before taking his own life in front of his coach. Josh Brent was involved in a drunk driving accident that killed his teammate. Before the season was over, another one of Brent's teammates would be arrested for drunk driving.
The New Orleans Saints began the year with players and coaches suspended for instituting a bounty program designed to deliberately injure opposing players. While former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue overturned the suspensions of the players, this was not an exoneration. The bounty program did exist, and Commissioner Roger Goodell was right to crack down hard.
Even the Super Bowl was not immune from unfortunate circumstances. Linebacker Ray Lewis was asked about being involved in a double homicide twelve years earlier and about using illegal substances in the 2012 season. While Mr. Lewis was innocent in both cases, the questions cast a pall and reflected poorly on the media. This was before a 34 minute delay in the actual game because the lights in the Superdome could not even stay on properly.
This was only a few weeks after Robert Griffin III reinjured his knee without being touched. This is part of the game, but still grisly to watch. It was not as bad as Joe Theisman a quarter of a century earlier, but it still turned stomachs.
On the eve of the glorious Hall of Fame celebration, potential nominee Tim Brown accused former Oakland Raiders Coach Bill Callahan of throwing the Super Bowl. Brown quickly backtracked from this ludicrous statement, but the damage was done.
The NFL decided to sabotage its own awards show at the end of the season by revealing the names of the winners before the show even aired. The NFL Network could not even get the time right for the champion Ravens victory parade, listing the time after it had already ended.
Even fans who can never get enough football rejected having Thursday Night Football every week instead of just to open the season and on Thanksgiving Day. The games were terrible, and television revenues will keep the NFL from pulling the plug on an unnecessary expansion of games during the week.
From beginning to end, everything bad about this season washed over what was good.
Commissioner Goodell is heavily promoting the NFL's "Heads Up" youth football program to teach coaches how to show kids the right way to play football. Even kids now know to lead with their shoulders, not their chests. Advancements in medicine could show if players have CTE while they are currently playing. This may prevent 2013 from being as miserable a year as this past one.
The National Football League is the king of all sports. It remains the game I love. Yet next year must be better if this game is to survive into the future. As for now, at least the misery that is 2012 is gone.
Good riddance.
Brooklyn born, Long Island raised, and now living in Los Angeles, Eric Golub is a columnist, blogger, author, public speaker, satirist and comedian who is obsessed with the National Football League. There is no offseason. Every February he pretends to care about other sports while sobbing uncontrollably each Sunday until September.?Eric is the author of the book trilogy "Ideological Bigotry, "Ideological Violence," and "Ideological Idiocy."?
Follow Eric on Twitter @TYGRRRREXPRESS Eric Golub is an independent writer for the Communities. Read more from Eric at his TYGRRRR EXPRESS blog.
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Travel & Leisure Blog's: Best Services That Travel Management ...
By Abigail Roberts
A typical corporate travel agency is expected to do the booking of flights and hotels as well as to arrange activities and schedule to give clients an organized and convenient itinerary. They are also responsible in making sure that the traveler is properly informed so he or she can get to a particular destination safe and on time. But these typical services may not be enough as far as today's businesses' needs to save on costs is concerned. This is particularly true for large companies that constantly send employees to different for important business transactions.An ideal travel management company takes part in identifying and finding solutions to their client's travel needs, the budget these companies are willing to allot for a particular corporate travel, the options they can choose from, and the method they can use for tracking of expenses. Simply put, a corporate travel company provides significant contributions in developing policies for efficient and cost-effective business travels.
The abovementioned responsibilities are quite big and a corporate travel management company can fulfill them by providing a team of business travel specialists. Both the experience and expertise of each member of the team make the agency competent in catering to their clients' varying needs.
Moreover, travel agent specialists can penetrate travel suppliers and vendors that provide great deals because of their varied connections. Their experience in negotiating with different businesses catering to corporate travel needs helps them establish a professional network which they can tap when they need to.
Furthermore, an ideal business travel company would recognize the need to use tools like management software for business travels. This software will be used in recording and retrieving information like a list of traveler's name, expenses, reimbursements, and so on. Since management software is interactive, employees from different departments can access the data stored in it simply by signing in.
Of course, clients can only appreciate these must-have qualities of a corporate travel management company when they think of business travels as a type of investment. A business will not bother to find the kind of travel management company that can provide the abovementioned services unless they want to make sure that their money is well spent.
Source: http://travel-leisure-blogs.blogspot.com/2013/02/best-services-that-travel-management.html
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How life on run ended for California police killer
FILE - In this Friday Feb. 15, 2013 file photo, Rick Heltebrake with his dog Suni looks over the burned-out cabin where Christopher Dorner's remains were found after a police standoff Tuesday near Big Bear, Calif. Dorner took his pickup during his escape attempt. Heltebrake, a ranger who takes care of a Boy Scout camp, was checking the perimeter of the camp for anything out of the ordinary when he saw Dorner emerge from behind some trees. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, FIle)
FILE - In this Friday Feb. 15, 2013 file photo, Rick Heltebrake with his dog Suni looks over the burned-out cabin where Christopher Dorner's remains were found after a police standoff Tuesday near Big Bear, Calif. Dorner took his pickup during his escape attempt. Heltebrake, a ranger who takes care of a Boy Scout camp, was checking the perimeter of the camp for anything out of the ordinary when he saw Dorner emerge from behind some trees. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, FIle)
FILE - This Wednesday Feb. 13, 2013 file photo shows Karen Reynolds, 57, and her husband, Jim Reynolds, 66, during a news conference in Big Bear Lake, Calif. recounting their experience of being held captive by fugitive Christopher Dorner inside a condo unit they own at Mountain Vista Resort. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Brian van der Brug, File) NO FORNS; NO SALES; MAGS OUT; ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER OUT; LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS OUT; VENTURA COUNTY STAR OUT; INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT, TV OUT
This combination of photos shows, from top row left, NCCA college basketball coach Monica Quan, USC Department of Public Safety Officer Keith Lawrence, San Bernardino Sheriff's Deputy Jeremiah MacKay and Riverside Police Department Officer Michael Crain, bottom row right, who were killed by rampage suspect, former Los Angeles Police Department officer Christopher Dorner. (AP Photo/Cal State Fullerton, USC Department of Public Safety, San Bernadino Sheriff's Department via The Press-Enterprise, Riverside Police Department)
FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2013 file photo, San Bernardino Sheriff's Department offices stand guard at a check point during the search for fired Los Angeles Police Department officer Christopher Dorner in Big Bear Lake, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)
FILE - This Feb. 7, 2013 file photo shows a bullet-damaged Los Angeles Police vehicle in Corona, Calif after suspect, former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner, shot at two LAPD officers in the vehicle who were sent to Corona to protect someone Dorner threatened in a rambling online manifesto. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)
BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (AP) ? As soon as he heard officers were chasing the suspected cop killer in a stolen truck, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputy Roger Loftis was certain: His buddy Jeremiah MacKay would be there.
In 15 years with the department, "Jer" had earned about a dozen and a half awards for 10851s ? the California penal code for grand theft auto. Once, while heading to a bar to celebrate another award, MacKay noticed there were no keys in the ignition of the car next to him at a traffic light, and he veered off.
He waltzed into the bar two hours later, a grin stretched across that fair, freckled face, a copy of an auto recovery record in his hand.
Last week, Loftis called his fishing, drinking and golfing buddy to see how he was doing. He knew the 35-year-old detective had been working around the clock, scouring the San Bernardino Mountains in the search for former Los Angeles Police Officer Christopher Dorner.
"If that guy's still on this mountain," MacKay told him, "I'm going to find him."
When the announcer reported that two deputies had exchanged fire with the suspect, Loftis got a sick feeling in his stomach. The 54-year-old corrections officer sent his friend a text.
"I know you're busy," he typed. "But let me know you're OK. ASAP."
There was no answer.
About an hour later, a colleague called with the news: MacKay, husband and father of two, was dead. Soon, so would be his killer.
Like the Unabomber and other mass killers, the 33-year-old former cop wrote a "manifesto." And, like so many others, Dorner's perceptions of the world and its supposed injustices against him seem out of sync with reality.
Why now?
Was it the supposed institutional racism that cost him his LAPD badge? That was four years ago.
Was it, as he once suggested, residual trauma from his military service in the Middle East? Records show a relatively benign tour of duty, well outside the war zone.
One marriage fell apart; a second went no further than the license application. This, too, he seemed to blame on others ? anyone but himself.
"I never had the opportunity to have a family of my own," he wrote to his targets. "I'm terminating yours."
Even his boasts of paramilitary prowess and promise to "bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare" to southern California evaporated in a cavalcade of broken-down vehicles, failed hijackings and a botched hog-tying. His weeklong stint as America's most wanted fugitive ended in a shootout with police, and then what officials said was a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.
___
At 6 feet and 270 pounds, Christopher Jordan Dorner looked every inch the college football player he once was.
Melinda Yates befriended Dorner when they attended Southern Utah University together in Cedar City, a small town northeast of Las Vegas. She remembers him as "kind of like a big teddy bear," always smiling.
Apparently, behind that sweet smile there was rage.
Dorner claimed his earliest experience with racism was in first grade at a Christian school, when he punched and kicked a fellow student who'd called him a "nigger" on the playground. The principal "swatted" the other boy for the slur, then struck Dorner for failing to "turn the other cheek as Jesus did."
"That day," he would write in the now infamous manifesto, "I made a life decision that i will not tolerate racial derogatory terms spoken to me."
Dorner joined the Navy in July 2002. He told a reporter that he wanted to fly SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk helicopters on special operations and search-and-rescue missions ? but later told an acquaintance that a problem with vertigo killed those dreams.
So he went into the Navy Reserve doing mostly administrative work after his active-duty stint ended in June 2004.
Soon afterward, he shifted his sights to the LAPD.
He entered the academy on Feb. 7, 2005.
Like the other cadets, Dorner went through the department's rigorous six-month, 920-hour academy training. Upon completion, he joined a training officer on the street, working regular 12-hour shifts. There was at least one bump in the road: He was suspended for two days for accidental discharge of his firearm.
A year after Dorner became a police officer, he rose to the rank of lieutenant in the Navy on Aug. 1, 2006 ? his last promotion.
He was called up in the Reserve and left on a six-month deployment to Bahrain on Nov. 3, 2006. He worked mostly providing port protection, earning an Iraq Campaign Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Dorner returned to the LAPD in 2007 and resumed his training. That is when his career ? and life ? went off the rails.
Sgt. Teresa Evans, his training officer, said Dorner repeatedly asked why he was being put back on patrol without reintegration training. On one occasion, she said, he began weeping in the patrol car and demanded to go back to the academy.
Dorner told Evans that he "might have some issues regarding his deployment," she told investigators.
A day after Evans submitted a poor review, Dorner told internal affairs that she had kicked a mentally ill man in the chest and left cheek during an arrest. He was relieved of duty on Sept. 4, 2008.
A police review panel ultimately found the allegation untrue. He was officially fired on Jan. 2, 2009.
There were already hints of a troubled personal life; Dorner married April Carter in April 2007 and bought a home a few miles from the Las Vegas Strip. Less than a month later, the couple filed for a divorce.
(More than five years later, on Oct. 19 of last year, Las Vegas records show that he and Ali Kristine McDonald obtained a marriage license. But there is no indication they actually married.)
Months after he was fired, Dorner filed a writ in Los Angeles Superior Court against the LAPD, alleging wrongful termination. He continued filing appeals in different courts up until 2011.
But why Dorner unleashed his revenge now is unclear. Former roommate J'Anna Viskoc has a theory.
For about two months in the summer of 2008, the Las Vegas manicurist rented a room in Dorner's home. Aside from all the guns ? which were "on the floor, under the cushions" ? she remembers the uniformed portraits and framed displays of his medals.
"I feel like being a police officer and being in the military, that was his identity," she said. "That was who he was."
On Feb. 1, Dorner received an honorable discharge, ending his lackluster 11-year Navy career.
"Maybe that's what set him off," Viskoc wondered. "That he couldn't win."
___
Dorner claimed his first victims on Feb. 3.
Monica Quan, 28, was an assistant women's basketball coach at California State University, Fullerton. She was also the daughter of retired LAPD Capt. Randal Quan ? the man who had represented Dorner in his disciplinary hearings.
She lived in an Irvine condominium with boyfriend Keith Lawrence ? a former basketball player and University of Southern California cop whose shoes and buckles she had stayed up until the wee hours polishing when he was at the police academy. On Jan. 26, Lawrence, 27, had strewn the apartment floor with rose petals, gotten down on one knee and proposed, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Just over a week later, at 9:10 p.m., Quan and Lawrence were found slumped in their car in the parking lot of their condo complex. They were fatally shot.
The next morning, an employee emptying the trash behind a San Diego-area auto parts store spotted some military gear in a trash bin. Around that same time, Dorner posted his 11,000-word screed entitled "Last Resort" on Facebook.
"This was a necessary evil that had to be executed in order for me to obtain my NAME back," Dorner wrote. "The only thing that changes policy and garners attention is death."
The rambling post went on: "When the truth comes out, the killing stops."
The document would lurk in cyberspace for two more days before police discovered it and connected it to the Irvine killings. They held a news conference to name Dorner as a suspect.
The next day, Feb. 7, Dorner struck again.
Around 1:30 a.m. two LAPD officers assigned to protect one of the people named in Dorner's manifesto spotted him in the Riverside County community of Corona. During a shootout, one officer was grazed on the forehead.
A short while later in nearby Riverside, SWAT team Officer Michael Crain and trainee Andrew Tachias were in the middle of a graveyard shift.
The 34-year-old former Marine had served two tours of duty in Kuwait before joining the Riverside force in 2001. As a Marine, Crain had once taught urban warfare tactics, but on this day he had no time to react.
The two were waiting at a stoplight when someone ? believed to be Dorner ? raced up and opened fire on them. Tachias, 27, was critically wounded; Crain was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Before dawn, freeway signs lit up statewide with a description of Dorner and his pickup, and a warning that he should be considered armed and extremely dangerous.
Later that morning, authorities found a burned-out pickup truck near the Bear Mountain ski area in the San Bernardino Mountains. The truck, which had a broken axle, was loaded with weapons and camping gear.
Police later confirmed it was the black Nissan Titan Dorner had so religiously buffed and polished.
Tips poured in, topping 1,000 after a $1 million reward was posted on Feb. 9. The Mexican navy went on alert following a report that Dorner had attempted to steal a yacht in San Diego.
Other suspected sightings of Dorner over the week led to authorities mistakenly firing on two newspaper carriers, shutting down a Navy base in San Diego, evacuating a Los Angeles area home improvement store, and raiding at a low-budget motel across the border in Tijuana, Mexico. But the manhunt was centered on the mountains. That was Jeremiah MacKay's territory.
___
MacKay's father, Alan, is something of a legend in these hills.
A former captain with the San Bernardino County Fire Department, the elder MacKay had played a key role during the 2003 "Old Fire," which burned more than 91,000 acres, killed five people and destroyed more than 1,000 homes. The Redlands resident put in 15-hour days, fighting the fire and acting as a department spokesman when needed.
Loftis says the son had initially planned to follow in the father's footsteps. But a few ride-alongs with deputies patrolling the waters of Lake Arrowhead convinced him to go for another type of badge.
The younger MacKay had been putting in 12-hour days searching for Dorner. On Feb. 9, an Associated Press reporter ran across him during a patrol around the lake.
Despite having been on duty since 5 a.m., MacKay and his partner were in good spirits. Standing by the car door in full tactical gear, MacKay tucked the stock of his Mini-14 rifle against his shoulder and practiced sighting down the barrel, aiming playfully at a snowdrift.
"This one, you just never know if the guy's going to pop out or where he's going to pop out," he told a reporter, crinkling his brow and shaking his head. "We're hoping this comes to a close without any more casualties. The best thing would be for him to give up."
The next day, MacKay was excited to see his photo on the front page of the Los Angeles Times. But he chided himself, cousin Kelly Mitchell says, for having what he considered "a smug look" on his face.
Jeremiah and Lynette MacKay married in late 2011. Lynette had a 7-year-old daughter from a previous relationship; about four months ago, she gave birth to a son.
As a bagpiper for the Inland Empire Emerald Society, MacKay had played at many memorials and funerals for fallen officers. He knew this hunt was perilous, but he knew just as well that Dorner had to be stopped.
And he was determined to be the one who did it.
___
Jim and Karen Reynolds were in the process of refurbishing their condo near Big Bear, working on it off and on through the winter season. They had last been there on Feb. 6 and weren't planning to come back until Valentine's Day, but decided to check in early after learning that Dorner's truck had been abandoned nearby.
When they walked into the upstairs living room Tuesday morning, Dorner was waiting for them with his gun drawn. He had been there at least five days ? within shouting distance of a command post set up by the people hunting him.
"Stay calm," he shouted. When Karen Reynolds turned to run out, he grabbed her from behind.
Karen Reynolds said Dorner was calm and "very methodical" as he instructed them to sit, then tied their hands and legs.
"I don't have a problem with you," he told the couple. "I just want to clear my name."
Dorner moved the couple to a bedroom and shut the door.
When they felt he had gone, Karen Reynolds managed to get to her feet and, with her hands still tied behind her back, open the door. To her amazement, Dorner had left her cell phone on the living room table.
She picked it up and dialed 911. It was 12:22 p.m. Tuesday.
Dorner had taken off in the couple's purple Nissan SUV. It wasn't long before officers, now alerted, spotted the fugitive.
Dorner managed to evade a group of wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and some sheriff's deputies. But he later crashed the Nissan and struck out on foot.
Rick Heltebrake was driving the perimeter of a Boy Scout camp he watches over when Dorner ? his bulletproof vest bristling with rifle magazines ? emerged from the tree line.
"I don't want to hurt you," Dorner said in a calm, businesslike voice as he pointed his rifle at the 51-year-old Heltebrake. "Start walking and take your dog."
Heltebrake sensed that Dorner, who stole his truck, was on a mission, and that he wasn't part of the agenda. Suni took his 3-year-old Dalmatian and walked away.
Heltebrake had just called police when he heard gunfire.
___
When he left the house that morning, MacKay told his wife that he'd never been happier, Mitchell, his cousin, said. He called her the love of his life.
Hours later, he was on the trail of the stolen pickup.
The fugitive raced 25 miles down the mountain as officers converged. MacKay and his partner, Alex Collins, responded.
Not far up the road from where Dorner had left Heltebrake, some game wardens spotted the white truck speeding erratically. Dorner opened the window and fired.
According to sheriff's department officials, MacKay and his partner followed where they believed the truck had gone. They were unaware that Dorner had crashed it. They spotted tracks in the snow leading to a cabin and got out of their cruiser.
The pair stopped about 30 yards from the cabin to devise a plan when shots were fired. Neither deputy had a chance to return fire. Both were hit multiple times. A doctor told Loftis death for MacKay came instantly or in "just seconds."
Collins survived but has undergone multiple surgeries. A SWAT team arrived quickly and laid down covering fire to allow the officers to be airlifted.
Dorner set off some smoke grenades and prepared to make his last stand. His end game would play out on live television.
Officers from across the region converged on the cabin, cutting off all escape. Four hours after the chase Tuesday, police launched tear gas through the windows.
Around 4:45 p.m., flames and smoke began billowing from the house. Officers then heard the single gunshot from inside.
The manhunt was over.
___
In the end, Dorner fell blessedly short of his stated goals.
Despite declaring war on "those in LAPD uniform whether on or off duty," the only victim with a direct link to the department was Monica Quan. And it is more than a little ironic that a man lashing out against racial injustice should murder the daughter of the LAPD's first Chinese-American captain.
A joint memorial service for Quan and Lawrence is planned for Feb. 24 at Irvine's Concordia University, where they met. Lawrence ? at the request of his father ? will be buried in his public safety officer's uniform, said his training supervisor Capt. David Carlisle.
The service had been on hold while Quarn's father was in custody to protect him from Dorner's rampage.
On Wednesday, Crain ? the father who loved attending his 4-year-old daughter's dance recitals and coaching his son's baseball team ? was buried with full honors. His 10-year-old son, Ian, joined officers carrying his father's casket out of the church to the mournful drone of bagpipes.
MacKay's funeral is scheduled Thursday at San Bernardino's San Manuel Amphitheater. The Los Angeles Police Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, with whom he'd often played, will be there to send him off.
Loftis is having trouble imagining life without his friend. Coming to grips with the depth of Dorner's betrayal is even harder.
"He got the best of us. He took one of the best that we have," he said ruefully. "He lost a job because he didn't deserve it, and he takes these officers' lives, really, for nothing. It was stupid and senseless."
___
Julie Watson and Tami Abdollah reported from California; A. Breed reported from Raleigh, N.C. Associated Press writers Greg Risling, Gillian Flaccus, Robert Jablon in Los Angeles; Elliot Spagat in San Diego; Ken Ritter in Las Vegas; and researchers Rhonda Shafner and Susan James in New York contributed to this report.
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শনিবার, ১৬ ফেব্রুয়ারী, ২০১৩
Canada's aboriginal affairs minister quits over inappropriate lobbying
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan resigned unexpectedly on Friday after admitting he had inappropriately interceded with tax authorities on behalf of a constituent.
Duncan leaves a month after thousands of unhappy natives mounted protests across Canada about poor living conditions.
Duncan is the first minister to resign on a point of accountability since the federal Conservatives came to power in early 2006 vowing to clean up government.
He said he had written a character reference letter to the Tax Court of Canada in June on behalf of a constituent who was dealing with the Canada Revenue Agency.
"While the letter was written with honorable intentions, I realize that it was not appropriate for me, as a Minister of the Crown, to write to the Tax Court. I have therefore offered my resignation," Duncan said in a statement.
Heritage Minister James Moore will take over Duncan's duties until a new minister can be named. Duncan, who had heart valve replacement surgery in December 2010, will continue to serve as a legislator representing a constituency in British Columbia.
Last month Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty apologized for breaking ethics rules when he lobbied on behalf of a constituent who wanted to set up a radio station.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by David Brunnstrom)
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শুক্রবার, ১৫ ফেব্রুয়ারী, ২০১৩
Bilingual babies know their grammar by 7 months
Feb. 14, 2013 ? Babies as young as seven months can distinguish between, and begin to learn, two languages with vastly different grammatical structures, according to new research from the University of British Columbia and Universit? Paris Descartes.
Published February 14 in the journal Nature Communications and presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston, the study shows that infants in bilingual environments use pitch and duration cues to discriminate between languages -- such as English and Japanese -- with opposite word orders.
In English, a function word comes before a content word (the dog, his hat, with friends, for example) and the duration of the content word is longer, while in Japanese or Hindi, the order is reversed, and the pitch of the content word higher.
"By as early as seven months, babies are sensitive to these differences and use these as cues to tell the languages apart," says UBC psychologist Janet Werker, co-author of the study.
Previous research by Werker and Judit Gervain, a linguist at the Universit? Paris Descartes and co-author of the new study, showed that babies use frequency of words in speech to discern their significance.
"For example, in English the words 'the' and 'with' come up a lot more frequently than other words -- they're essentially learning by counting," says Gervain. "But babies growing up bilingual need more than that, so they develop new strategies that monolingual babies don't necessarily need to use."
"If you speak two languages at home, don't be afraid, it's not a zero-sum game," says Werker. "Your baby is very equipped to keep these languages separate and they do so in remarkable ways."
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of British Columbia, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Judit Gervain, Janet F. Werker. Prosody cues word order in 7-month-old bilingual infants. Nature Communications, 2013; 4: 1490 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2430
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/hCbF39lpOK4/130214111606.htm
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Chief Rabbi defends Rupert Murdoch during Israel tour
Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks made an unexpectedly robust defence of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch this week, declaring that Israel did not have ?a better or more significant friend in the world? than Mr Murdoch.
Lord Sacks spoke during his last official visit to Israel as chief rabbi, in a mission to the northern projects of the UJIA.
Speaking at the Tel Hai academic college in Kiryat Shemona, he identified the ?number one problem? facing the Jewish world as the return of antisemitism to Europe.
He gave a downbeat assessment of the future for European Jewry, with Norwegian Jews leaving that country, Dutch Jews departing, and with so many French Jews now in London that a French minyan had been set up at St John?s Wood Synagogue.
Lord Sacks described antisemitism as ?a set of contradictions. Jews were hated in the 19th century because they were rich.
And because they were poor. Because they were capitalists, because they were communists. Like a virus, the chief rabbi observed, ?antisemitism mutates? and we are living through one of the great mutations.?
Jews could not fight antisemitism alone, the chief rabbi said. ?How do we persuade the non-Jewish world to see antisemitism not just as a Jewish problem, but as their problem? A civilisation or a country that has no room for Jews has no room for humanity.?
The UJIA mission, which included visits to a Galilee yeshiva for Orthodox boys who do army service, an Ethiopian absorption centre, and the Bar-Ilan medical school, was paralleled by the annual study trip of the UK Task Force, led by Labour peer Lord Beecham.
The Task Force works in Jewish and Arab sectors of Israel. This year?s programme included sessions with the Kadi of Jerusalem, Dr Iyad Zahalka, and the chief executive of the Jerusalem YMCA, Forsan Hussein.
Last updated: 4:45pm, February 14 2013
Source: http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/102474/chief-rabbi-defends-rupert-murdoch-during-israel-tour
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Saints could be shifting RB coach Bret Ingalls to offensive line
Getty ImagesThe New Orleans Saints may not be looking very far to fill their need for an offensive line coach caused by Aaron Kromer?s departure this off-season.
According to Pete Roussel of coachingsearch.com, the Saints are planning to shift running backs coach Bret Ingalls to the offensive line. Per Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Saints have already lined up several interviews this week for candidates to fill Ingalls? position as running backs coach.
Former Jacksonville Jaguars assistant Ron Prince interviewed for the job on Wednesday while Michigan State offensive coordinator Dan Roushar and former Kansas City Chiefs assistant head coach Maurice Carthon are also expected to interview this week.
Ingalls had previously worked as an offensive line coach at Northwestern before joining Sean Payton?s staff in 2009.
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'American Idol' Recap: Ladies Get 'Psycho' During Hollywood Week
Wednesday night's episode introduces viewers to the 'crazy' and quirky Kez Ban, one of 76 contestants to make the cut.
By Adam Graham
Contestants perform during Hollywood Week on "American Idol"
Photo: Fox
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1701994/american-idol-recap-hollywood-week-kez-ban.jhtml
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Wellness Carrots & Sticks
Health Incentives Cut Healthcare Costs
By Elizabeth Weinstein
At the Council on Foreign Relations, a non-profit think tank based in New York, getting employees to leave their desks, stretch, or even duck out for a quick lunch can be an uphill battle. So to get heart rates rising and competitive juices flowing among its highly educated workforce, the Council?s wellness team crafted a ?Stairwell Challenge.?
At each floor in the Council?s stairwells (six in New York and eight in the Washington, D.C. office) workers encounter an unmarked photo of a famous bridge, such as London?s Tower Bridge or the 16th century ?Stari Most? in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Next to the bridges are motivational statements like ?Walking down improves strength and muscles.? The stair climber who identifies the most bridges correctly can win prizes that range from a coffee gift card to fitness accessories.
This creative fitness challenge is just one element of an overall wellness strategy the 300-person organization uses to keep workers healthy and health care costs under control. Like a growing number of companies nationwide, it uses incentive-based programs like the stair challenge, personalized health care tools, and health and fitness resources and discounts to encourage employees to take a personal stake in their health and ultimately, their health care costs. It?s a strategy that?s paying off. Last year the Council?s overall health premiums declined a half percent?savings it passed on to employees. By contrast, annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage rose 4 percent nationally in 2012, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey.
Incentives for wellness programs?
Using incentives?and sometimes?disincentives?to motivate employees to improve their health isn?t just a fad; it?s soon to be part of federal health law. Under a provision of the Affordable Care Act that goes into effect January 1, 2014,?employer health plans?that offer reward-based wellness programs will be able to discount up to 30 percent from employees? health benefit costs if they participate in a wellness program and/or meet specified health goals. The law gives the federal government the discretion to raise this amount up to 50 percent in the future. Employers seem to be getting the message. A?survey?of 1,800 organizations by human resources consulting firm Aon Hewitt found that the number of employers embracing wellness incentives programs increased to 54 percent in 2012, up from 49 percent two years earlier.
But employers must think beyond simply offering prizes to get employees motivated, something Arlington County, Virginia learned since starting its wellness program in 1994. Indeed, thinking creatively and preventatively about workplace wellness can net real results, says Katie Sweeney, Arlington County?s employee wellness manager.
?The programs that are most successful are group oriented and have a relatively short time frame ? they?re also the easiest to implement,? Sweeney says.
She points to Arlington?s ?Maintain, Don?t Gain? program around the holidays, which featured healthy cooking demonstrations and a simple box for employees to check to track weight gain from week to week. This month, Arlington kicks off its ?28-Day Yoga Challenge,? which encourages employees to reduce stress by taking free yoga workshops, trying yoga poses, and recording them in an online ?Feel Great Tracker.? At the end of the month, participants who tried a pose for 20 out of 28 days qualified for free yoga classes.
In past years, Arlington has held pedometer challenges and a ?HealthSmart Idol? competition where participants competed against each other to reach personal health goals.
Additionally, the county performs annual confidential health assessments and uses the resulting data to determine which wellness programs it offers.?In the past two years, Arlington has given employees a $40 one-time premium reduction for taking the voluntary assessment, but the county does not tie wellness program participation to ongoing premium reductions.?Wellness specialists visit worksites annually to take confidential blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol screenings, among other measures. Today, 95% of the county?s 3,800 employees know their blood pressure readings, Sweeney says. The combination of these programs has helped decrease the county?s health costs.?In fiscal year 2013, premiums for Arlington?s two health plans rose only 3% or?not at all?a substantial reduction from the 5 to 11 percent increases the county had seen in past years.
Real change takes time?
Though incentive-based wellness programs are growing in popularity, studies are still inconclusive about whether they work long term. A 2009 study by University of Pennsylvania researchers found that financial incentives got employees to stop smoking?and remain smoke free?up to 18 months after they started the study. Still, another 2011 study by Carnegie Mellon researchers of overweight veterans found that financial incentives resulted in significant weight loss at first, but that participants regained weight after the intervention. And enticing workers with financial rewards worth more than $450 has little additional effect on participation rates in wellness programs, according to research by a St. Paul, Minnesota health management company.
?You have to change behavior intrinsically, and changing it over time can take years,? says Stephen Musgrave, president of the Wellness Council of Northeast Ohio. ?It?s not accomplished by the whip?the whip is to be used only once you get your employees? attention.?
As employers find their way in developing the most effective wellness programs for their workers, the mind-body connection to overall health is gaining prominence in programming, says Robert Duggan, author of ?Breaking the Iron Triangle: Reducing Health-Care Costs in Corporate America.?? Duggan, an acupuncturist and co-founder of the Tai Sophia Institute in Laurel, Md., advises companies nationwide on wellness programs.
He says corporations are shifting their health care strategy from one that attends to workers? piecemeal health problems to models that emphasize wellness and disease prevention.? That means workers can expect more in-house yoga classes, acupuncture, massage, and an emphasis on modest behavioral changes ? like drinking more water and walking. Learning about how the body works and how it generates its aches and pains can make a significant dent in the $8,000 annually companies spend per employee on health care.
?We have a fair amount of research over the years showing that if you treat somebody and their symptoms go away, they?re not satisfied,? Duggan says. ?Satisfaction is correlated when a patient says ?I?ve learned how to control my symptoms.??
______________________________________________
Elizabeth Weinstein is an Alexandria, Virginia-based journalist.
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Source: http://fruitguys.com/almanac/2013/02/13/wellness-carrots-sticks
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