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Monday, November 28, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
'Apology communications' the way to go in solving business crisis ...
MANILA, Philippines - Say goodbye to corporate secrecy and censorship, sincere apology is the way to go, according to the latest Asia-Pacific Corpoate Social Media Study 2011.
The study, conducted by global public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, showed that Asia is now leading the so-called "apology communications" practice in the corporate world when dealing with a business crisis and it proved to be an effective strategy.
Compared to the 2010 APAC corporate social media study, the present findings revealed that the practice of holding secrets or statements by companies experiencing crises is now "outdated" since it only looks weak and defensive, projecting a very negative image in social media.
"Holding statements today by companies is like hiding behind a shield," said Bob Pickard, president and CEO of Burson-Marsteller in APAC.
He adviced that apologies nowadays by companies must be "sincere and genuine" taking into consideration an organization's reputation in today's digital or cloud era.
Pickard shared everything that famously goes wrong is now called a "PR disaster", citing the BP oil spill, Toyota recall, and the Tiger Woods spectacle as few examples. He said that companies, whether they like it or not, will sooner or later experience a crisis as depicted in the study.
Since the study has proven time and again that "crisis is part of a business" Pickard said there is a need to plan sufficiently on how to deal with it especially in communicating through social media.
?To reach and persuade stakeholders today, it is not just the vocabulary and tone of corporate marketing and communications that must evolve,? Pickard said. ?More important, companies must adopt a mindset that puts listening and acting genuinely and transparently front and centre. And, they must understand how to deal with negative feedback expressed publicly that could resonate and escalate.?
Pickard added that visits in corporate websites continue to decline yearly and it is now essential for businesses to embrace the new media to be able to deal well a business crisis.
The study showed Asia has dramatically improved its engagement in social media since last year. Figures revealed 80% of global companies went digital in 2010 compared to only 40% in Asia.
However, the 2011 figures showed a double increase in size of Asian companies that went digital, now pegged at 80% compared to 84% by global firms.
Pickard said almost any corporation or NGO now can become a media company and so there is now a dire need for more "professional story-tellers" or journalists within firms that could serve as members of a dedicated digital team.
This, as the sheer size of communities has become a communications management challenge and the key is to simplify the complexity of digital story-telling.
An exclusive affiliate of local PR firm Strategic Edge Inc., Burson-Marsteller's APAC social media study 2011 is a review and analysis of social media activity by 120 major companies across 12 markets in APAC, composed of Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=752250&publicationSubCategoryId=200
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Saturday, November 26, 2011
Brad Pitt Narrowly Missed Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux at Movie Theater (omg!)
It was bound to happen sooner or later.
For the first time since their 2005 divorce, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston nearly came face-to-face at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood Friday.
PHOTOS: Brad and Jen in happier times
Pitt, 47, took four of his children with Angelina Jolie --? Maddox, 10, Pax, 8, Zahara, 6, and Shiloh, 5 -- to see the 2:00 showing of Martin Scorsese's Hugo, starring Chloe Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen and Jude Law.
PHOTOS: Brad's new life without Jen
Once the family flick ended, Pitt and his brood headed to the parking garage just as Aniston, 42, and current love Justin Theroux entered the theater for a later showing.
"Justin and Jennifer skipped the popcorn and went straight in. Like five minutes later, Brad and the kids came out of the theater," a source tells X17. "They just missed each other!"
PHOTOS: Justin Theroux, Angelina Jolie -- separated at birth?
Perhaps it was a good thing the ex-spouses managed to steer clear of each other. "They don't talk," an Aniston insider told Us Weekly in September. "She will always think of him as a jerk."
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Top Marine spends Thanksgiving in Afghanistan (AP)
COMBAT OUTPOST HANSON, Afghanistan ? A turkey trot it was not.
The U.S. Marines' top general, James Amos, sprinted up and down the Helmand River Valley in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, visiting frontline Marines at nine remote outposts to share Thanksgiving and applaud their gains against the Taliban in a region where al-Qaida hatched the 9/11 plot a decade ago.
Traveling mostly in an MV-22 Osprey, the hybrid that flies like an airplane and takes off and lands like a helicopter, Amos began shortly after daylight and finished 14 hours later ? and, improbably, managed to confront just one turkey dinner.
At one point the 65-year-old Amos referred to his unusual daytrip as the "Bataan death march," a reference to the gruesome forced march of American POWs in the Philippines during World War II.
Amos shook hands with hundreds of Marines, all veterans of tough fighting in Helmand Province, which has been a focal point of the U.S.-led strategy to counter the Taliban and other insurgent groups. The Marines have vastly improved security in Helmand over the past year, but with President Barack Obama having ordered 33,000 U.S. troops to withdraw from Afghanistan by next September, the prospects for sustaining those gains are uncertain, and the subject of debate at home.
At each stop Amos struck similar themes in pep talks to his Marines: they are coming close to winning, and when the Marine Corps leaves Afghanistan it will shift its focus to the Pacific, where he said "a whole lot of opportunities" will await a Corps no longer bogged down by land wars in the greater Middle East. He also said Thanksgiving is a time for Marines to reflect on "the unique fraternal bond" among men and women at war.
Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael Barrett, the top enlisted Marine, who accompanied Amos, said that for most troops Thanksgiving was just another day at war ? until they finished their work.
"Then they'll have a meal of a lifetime," he said.
The feast was finally set for Amos when he arrived after dark at Camp Dwyer, the southern-most stop on his trip. He helped heap plates with roast turkey, baked ham and prime rib ? with all the traditional fixings ? and then sat amongst the troops to finish it off.
Amos said "Happy Thanksgiving" at each Marine outpost, but the troops did not seem in a festive mood ? at least in the presence of their commandant. The business of war does not take a holiday. When he asked the Marines what was on their minds, they asked about the future of the Corps, the latest of Washington's stalled budget debate, the possibility of seeing some of their retirement benefits go away, and internal Marine issues.
Some conveyed a sense of confidence that Afghanistan would soon be behind them.
At Combat Outpost Hanson, one member of the 3rd battalion, 6th Marine Regiment asked, "Who do you want us to fight next, sir?" Amos said he did not know, but he reassured the Marine that there would be no shortage of security crises in the years ahead.
At Combat Outpost Alcatraz, in Sangin district where fierce fights against the Taliban have waned only recently, the top overall commander of the war, Marine Gen. John Allen, joined Amos for a pep talk to several dozen Marines.
Allen said Marines will "go home under the victory pennant," but he stressed that the struggle to degrade Taliban influence and build up Afghan security forces ? in Helmand and throughout Afghanistan ? is far from over.
"As big as this is, and as hard as it has been, we are going to be successful here," Allen said. "We're going to win this. We're going to liberate these people, we're going to set this country up to be a free country in one of the toughest regions in the world."
There are now about 97,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. All are scheduled to leave by the end of 2014.
Amos clearly relished the chance to see so many combat Marines, but his trip was no joy ride. His itinerary was a closely-held secret, and the aircraft on which he flew was heavily armed.
As a CH-53 helicopter lifted off from a barren field across a dirt highway in the northern Helmand village of Puzeh, with Amos and part of his entourage aboard, a bearded special operations Marine quipped, "Cross your fingers." And then, as the chopper rose above a billowing wall of powdery dust, the Marine added, only half jokingly, "Whew! Getting the commandant shot down at your (outpost) would not be a good thing."
___
Robert Burns can be reached on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/robertburnsAP
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Friday, November 25, 2011
Video: MBA Face-Off: Portfolio Challenge
Insight on his team's strategy to get out of the bottom of the leader board, with Jenner Smith, UT-Austin MBA student.
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Author JK Rowling says "spiteful" UK press hounded her (Reuters)
LONDON (Reuters) ? "Harry Potter" author JK Rowling told a public inquiry into British media standards on Thursday she was forced to move house because of tabloid harassment and had been made to feel like a hostage in her home after she gave birth.
During two hours of evidence, Rowling revealed a note had been slipped into her young daughter's schoolbag by a journalist and that she had chased a paparazzo photographer down the street when he tried to take a picture of her with her children.
Rowling, who is protective of her three children's privacy and has regularly complained to the press, said if you did stand up to certain newspapers about their behavior, they could be "spiteful" and seek retribution.
"This doesn't apply to the whole of the press but the attitude seems to be utterly cavalier, indifference, what does it matter, you're famous, you're asking for it," she said.
The Leveson inquiry, held in London's High Court, has proved compelling viewing this week as a host of public figures from actor Hugh Grant to families involved in notorious murders have explained how they have suffered at the hands of newspapers.
It has shone a critical light on Britain's aggressive tabloid press, which engages in a ruthless hunt for stories to prop up otherwise flagging sales, splashing on the sex lives of politicians and the stars of film, TV and sport, to whet the appetite of celebrity-obsessed Britons.
Appearing nervous at first and speaking softly, Rowling revealed that two years after the launch of the first of the hugely successful Harry Potter books in 1997, she had been forced from her home.
UNTENABLE
"It had become untenable to remain in that house," she said, saying photographers and journalists had besieged her home, details of which had been published by papers. "I was a sitting duck for anyone trying to find me."
She spoke of her fury at finding a letter from a journalist in her 5-year-old daughter's schoolbag and her outrage when the headteacher at one of her children's schools was contacted to try to glean details about the final book in the Potter series.
Clearly what angered her most were photos taken of her children, particularly one of her eldest daughter in a swimsuit.
"A child, no matter who their parents are, deserves privacy," said Rowling, whose seven Harry Potter books have sold more than 400 million copies worldwide and spawned a record-breaking film franchise, and has been billed as the world's first author billionaire.
The inquiry was ordered by Prime Minister David Cameron after it emerged that people working for the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World tabloid had hacked into the phones of thousands to secure stories, prompting a national outcry.
But the probe has already broadened its focus to look at wider ethical issues. At the heart of the dispute between the press and those it reports on is what constitutes public interest and whether a person's presence in the public eye justifies a wider invasion of their privacy.
HYPOCRISY
The press argues that it needs minimal regulation to enable it to expose wrongdoing and hypocrisy, but those appearing have said that freedom of speech has been seen as a green light to report anything, so long as it boosts sales.
One of those most damaged by Britain's tabloid press was Max Mosley, the former head of Formula One, who appeared on the front page of the News of the World in 2008 engaged in what the paper falsely described as a Nazi-themed sex orgy.
Mosley, 71, later won a payout from the newspaper and has publicly led the debate on the right to privacy.
The result of the story, he said, was that his son returned to taking drugs and died in May 2009. Photographers then took pictures as he entered his son's house shortly afterwards.
"What to me was so horrifying was there was no sense that this matters," he said of the photographers, explaining that the story had severely affected his son, who was struggling with drug abuse. "They have no human feeling at all," he said.
Earlier actress Sienna Miller said she had been placed under a "web of surveillance" by a tabloid newspaper which listened into her messages and read emails, prompting her to accuse family and friends of leaking stories to the press.
The 29-year-old star of movies such as "Layer Cake" and "Alfie" whose on-off relationship with actor Jude Law became staple tabloid fodder said she had been spat at and abused by paparazzi seeking a reaction.
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Thursday, November 24, 2011
JK Rowling: UK press left me feeling under siege (AP)
LONDON ? Writer J.K. Rowling and actress Sienna Miller gave a London courtroom a vivid picture on Thursday of the anxiety, anger and fear produced by living in the glare of Britain's tabloid media, describing how press intrusion made them feel like prisoners in their own homes.
The creator of boy wizard Harry Potter told Britain's media ethics inquiry that having journalists camped on her doorstep was "like being under siege and like being a hostage." Miller said years of car chases, midnight pursuits and intimate revelations had left her feeling violated, paranoid and anxious.
"The attitude seems to be absolutely cavalier," Rowling said. "You're famous, you're asking for it."
The pair were among a diverse cast of witnesses ? Hollywood star Hugh Grant, a former soccer player, a former aide to supermodel Elle Macpherson and the parents of missing and murdered children ? who have described how becoming the focus of Britain's tabloid press wreaked havoc on their lives.
Rowling said she was completely unprepared for the media attention she began to receive when her first book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," became a sensation. The seven Potter books have sold more than 450 million copies, spawned a hit movie series and propelled Rowling from struggling single mother to one of Britain's richest people.
"When you become well-known ... no one gives you a guidebook," she said.
Prime Minister David Cameron set up the inquiry amid a still-unfolding scandal over illegal eavesdropping by the News of the World tabloid. Owner Rupert Murdoch closed down the newspaper in July after evidence emerged that it had illegally accessed the mobile phone voice mails of celebrities, politicians and even crime victims in its search of scoops.
More than a dozen News of the World journalists and editors have been arrested, and the scandal has also claimed the jobs of two top London police officers, Cameron's media adviser and several senior Murdoch executives.
It has also set off national soul-searching about the balance between press freedom and individual privacy.
Rowling, 46, said media interest in her began shortly after the publication of her first novel in 1997 and soon escalated, with photographers and reporters frequently stationed outside her home. She eventually moved after stories and photographs revealed the location of her house.
"I can't put an invisibility cloaking device over myself or my house, nor would I want to," Rowling said. But, she added, "it feels threatening to have people watching you."
Rowling said she had always tried to keep her three children out of the media glare, and was outraged when her eldest daughter came home from primary school with a letter from a journalist in her backpack.
"I felt such a sense of invasion," Rowling said. "It's very difficult to say how angry I felt that my 5-year-old daughter's school was no longer a place of complete security from journalists."
By the time her younger children were born in 2003 and 2005, Rowling said, the scrutiny was "like being under siege and like being a hostage."
She also described how, early on in their relationship, her now-husband Neil Murray gave personal details over the phone to a reporter who was pretending to be a tax official. An article about him duly appeared in a tabloid paper.
"That was a not-very-nice introduction to being involved with someone famous," Rowling said.
Rowling told the inquiry she had gone to court or to Britain's press watchdog more than 50 times over pictures of her children or false stories, which included a claim by the Daily Express that unpleasant fictional wizard Gilderoy Lockhart had been based on her first husband.
Before the final Potter book appeared in 2007, a reporter even phoned the head teacher of her daughter's school, falsely claiming the child had revealed that Harry Potter died at the end, in an apparent bid to learn secrets of the plot.
Miller, who became a tabloid staple when she dated fellow actor Jude Law, said the constant scrutiny left her feeling "very violated and very paranoid and anxious, constantly."
"I felt like I was living in some sort of video game," she said.
"For a number of years I was relentlessly pursued by 10 to 15 men, almost daily," she said. "Spat at, verbally abused.
"I would often find myself, at the age of 21, at midnight, running down a dark street on my own with 10 men chasing me. And the fact they had cameras in their hands made that legal."
The 29-year-old actress told the inquiry that a stream of personal stories about her in the tabloids led her to accuse friends and family of leaking information to the media. In fact, her cell phone voice mails had been hacked by the News of the World.
Miller, the star of "Layer Cake" and "Alfie," was one of the first celebrities to take the Murdoch tabloid to court over illegal eavesdropping. In May, the newspaper agreed to pay her 100,000 pounds ($160,000) to settle claims her phone had been hacked.
The newspaper's parent company now faces dozens of lawsuits from alleged hacking victims.
Also testifying Thursday was former Formula One boss Max Mosley, who has campaigned for a privacy law since his interest in sadomasochistic sex was exposed in the News of the World.
Mosley successfully sued the News of the World over a 2008 story headlined "Formula One boss has sick Nazi orgy with five hookers." Mosley has acknowledged the orgy, but argued that the story ? obtained with a hidden camera ? was an "outrageous" invasion of privacy. He said the Nazi allegation was damaging and "completely untrue."
Mosley said he has had stories about the incident removed from 193 websites around the world, and is currently taking legal action "in 22 or 23 different countries," including proceedings against search engine Google in France and Germany.
"Invasion of privacy is worse than burglary," Mosley said. "Because if somebody burgles your house ... you can replace the things that have been taken."
High-profile witnesses still to come include CNN celebrity interviewer Piers Morgan, who has denied using phone hacking while he was editor of the Daily Mirror newspaper.
The inquiry, led by Judge Brian Leveson, plans to issue a report next year and could recommend major changes to Britain's system of media self regulation.
Rowling said that she supported freedom the press, but that a new body was needed to replace the "toothless" Press Complaints Commission.
"I can't pretend that I have a magical answer," she said. "No Harry Potter joke intended."
___
Leveson Inquiry: http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/
Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://twitter.com/JillLawless
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Five fights that could still compete for ?Fight of the Year?
In a week's span, MMA fans were treated to three memorable fights. Dan Henderson's decision win over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Michael Chandler's upset of Eddie Alvarez, and Benson Henderson's win over Clay Guida are all Fight of the Year contenders. However, the year isn't over. These five fights all have a shot at blowing the fight world's mind.
Eduardo Dantas vs. Alexis Vila at Bellator 59: Vila was seen as "just" an Olympic-medal winning wrestler until he knocked Joe Warren stiff in the quarterfinals of Bellator's bantamweight tournament. Dantas, nicknamed Dudu, made it through Ed West and after beating Wilson Reis with a flying knee. This fight has fun written all over it. Plus, Dantas is nicknamed Dudu.
Mark Hominick vs. Chan Sung Jung at UFC 140: The man who fought through a lump on his head the size of a small child is taking on "The Korean Zombie." Neither fighter knows how to quit. Add in that Hominick will be fighting close to home and that this will be his first fight since his longtime coach Shawn Tompkins passed away, and this will be a fight you won't want to miss.
Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal at Strikeforce: Melendez was hoping that he would get the next UFC lightweight title shot, but that was earned by Benson Henderson. Melendez will both want to take his anger out on being passed over, and show the UFC that he is worthy.
Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz at UFC 141: When at lightweight, Nate Diaz's reach and grappling prowess usually give him an edge. Donald Cerrone's height, reach and jiu-jitsu can neutralize that advantage. Between the two fighters, they have 10 Fight of the Night bonuses. This bout has the chance to steal thunder from the headliner at UFC 141. Speaking of ...
Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem at UFC 141: Heavyweight bouts can be hit or miss, but this one is destined to be a hit. Overeem is finally in the UFC and has been training with Xtreme Couture to shore up his wrestling game. Lesnar will be back for the first time since losing his heavyweight title. Both can throw punches with the power of a Mack truck.
What fights are you most looking forward to as the year closes out? Tell us in the comments or on Facebook.
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Bee Gee Robin Gibb says he's improving
LONDON?? Bee Gee Robin Gibb says on his website that he is recovering from a serious illness.
The star says he has been "very unwell" but is now "on the road to recovery."
Story: Report: Bee Gees' Robin Gibb fighting liver cancerGibb's extremely gaunt appearance and the cancellation of several public appearances have sparked fears that he is seriously ill. He was hospitalized last month with colon inflammation and other problems but has been discharged.
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Does 'DWTS' need a complete ballroom reboot?
Blame the bickering. Blame the reality TV stars. Blame the judges (and then some). The truth is this isn?t the first time ...
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Does 'DWTS' need a complete ballroom reboot?
The 61-year-old Gibb thanked his fans Wednesday for their messages of support. He said he was grateful for their prayers and good wishes.
Story: Paris isn't alone: 5 celebrity interview walkoutsThe Bee Gees have sold millions of records and are best known for the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack which includes the hit "Stayin' Alive."
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Wednesday, November 23, 2011
[OOC] Brutal Food Chain
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This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "Brutal Food Chain"
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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Brutal Food Chain?. Anything posted here will also show up there.Topic Tags:
Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "Brutal Food Chain"
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"Go To Hell, D.W.!"
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JayZeroSnake - Member for 1 years
Make that the adventurer role...
If unclaimed that is...
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Jack Winters - Member for 0 years
Sorry, But I don't reserve roles: You have to make the sheet first. If it's good, I can give you the role.
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JayZeroSnake - Member for 1 years
Return to Out of Character
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Can Russia Reverse Severe Brain Drain of Scientists? (Time.com)
This post is in partnership with Worldcrunch, a new global-news site that translates stories of note in foreign languages into English. The article below was originally published in Kommersant.
Even before the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia was leaking its most qualified scientists. But when the Iron Curtain came down, the leak turned into a flood. Now the country that sent Sputnik into space and prides itself on scientific prowess is facing another wave of emigration, one that some warn might be a deathblow to scientific research and education in Russia.
In the middle of October, several hundred Russian scientists descended on Moscow, demanding changes in the way the Russian government supports scientific research. The organizers stressed that what they really want is freedom from the endless bureaucratic hoops they're required to jump through, not necessarily better pay. The protesters did, however, demand an increase in financing for the Russian Fundamental Science Fund (RFFI), which gives grants to Russian scientists. (See why young entrepreneurs are fleeing Russia.)
Among Russia's young scientists, many are not going to hold their breath for a change. According to them, a new wave of brain drain has already begun. "If the situation doesn't change, a year from now there won't be anyone left to come out and protest. Everyone will have left to work abroad," warned one of the demonstrators.
To support their demands, the protesters pointed to the general decrease in scientific activity in Russia. In 2006 the government published "The Strategy for the Development of Science and Innovation in the Russian Federation Through 2015." One of the standards set as a marker of success was the number of articles published by Russian scientists in the world's scientific journals. From 2006 to '09, the number of articles published did in fact rise, from almost 26,000 to 30,000. But then in 2010 the number dropped to 29,000, and it has continued to decrease. This year is expected to have only 27,000 scientific articles by researchers based in Russia.
"It turns out that in only two years the number of articles published by Russian scientists has dropped by 10%. That is unprecedented," said a researcher at a physics institute in Moscow, who like other protesters interviewed, asked to remain anonymous. "That hasn't happened in the United States, where funding is still plentiful for scientists; in Japan, which has suffered through several years of economic stagnation; or even in Greece, which is drowning in its own debt."
Fretting over Funds
The scientists insist they're working just as hard as ever, but that conditions ? particularly when it comes to funding ? have deteriorated and thus hampered their ability to come up with publishable findings. Scientists point specifically to changes that began in 2009, when the government started to limit the amount provided to RFFI for scientific research. At the same time, the portion of research funded through state purchase contracts increased substantially.
The RFFI has been the primary source of research funds for natural scientists since the 1990s (social scientists are supported by a separate fund). Before the crisis, the RFFI received about 6% of the total federal budget for research, but in 2009 the earmarks decreased and RFFI's share fell to 3.8%. (See a photographic timeline of nuclear disarmament.)
Scientists blame the Ministry of Education and Science for the shortage in funds, insisting the ministry does not adequately lobby for researchers when it comes time to divide up government funds. The Ministry of Education and Science, however, says that it was successful in securing a funding guarantee for the next three years. RFFI will receive slightly less then $200 million annually over the next three years. But scientists complain that the sum is inadequate, especially in the face of persistent inflation.
Scientists are also upset about an anticorruption law that requires government money to be spent only through an open bidding process, which in practice just bottlenecks grant requests.
Moving Whole Laboratories Abroad
"Scientists have always left our country, but now we are talking about a large increase in the number of people who are moving away. Nearly all of our friends have packed up their things," said one of the protest organizers. "Dissertation advisers don't discourage young scientist from choosing to leave. Now we're seeing a huge wave of people who are leaving the country. The only thing keeping most of them here is that they haven't defended their dissertation yet."
There are no specific statistics on the number of scientists who leave ? emigrants don't generally notify the Russian migration office that they are leaving. But this is not the first exodus. There was a massive wave of scientists who left Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. Mathematicians, physicists and biologists took whole laboratories to the U.S. The second most popular destination was Israel, where a previous wave of Russian scientists had already set up shop in the 1970s.
By the beginning of the 2000s, nearly all the top names from Soviet science field were working outside of Russia. According to the Russian-Speaking Academic Science Association, there are around 100,000 Russian-speaking scientists and researchers working outside of the Russian Federation, including those who left Russia before and after the fall of the Soviet Union. The Russian Ministry of Education and Science puts the number closer to 25,000. (See TIME's Russia covers.)
In its defense, the government has made efforts to stem the flow. One of the most ambitious scientific projects recently, a large scientific complex near Moscow meant to be a Russian Silicon Valley, was built precisely to entice scientists to stay in their home country. And since 2010, the Ministry of Education and Science has held a competition for megagrants. Each winner of a megagrant receives $4.8 million to establish a world-class laboratory in Russia. The government doesn't hide the fact that it hopes this will help lure back scientists who have left the country.
Regardless, Russian graduate students prefer just about any small, unknown laboratory in Europe over the brand-new Russian scientific complex. "A stable trend has been established: 100% of working young people who get the opportunity to work abroad leave Russia," said one scientific analyst. "If a young researcher gets the opportunity to enter the international arena, he or she will do it."
Indeed, the trend extends beyond scientists. In October 2011, a survey found that 22% of Russian citizens in general were prepared to leave the country. The only thing that sets the scientists apart is that they tend to be much more welcome by the receiving countries. "It's not even really about the lack of financing for scientific projects, but general quality of life," said one of the scientists. "If regular people are not coming back to Russia, then why would scientists do so?"
Read the original article in Russian.
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See photos of Russia's manned-rocket launch in a snowstorm.
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Police on leave after protesters pepper sprayed
SAN FRANCISCO ?? Viral videos of riot police repeatedly pepper spraying a row of seated, non-violent Occupy Wall Street protesters at a California university have sparked outrage, an investigation and calls for the college chancellor's resignation.
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They also set off a debate about how far officers can and should go to disperse peaceful demonstrators.
While many students, lawmakers and even the university's chancellor saw the officers' actions as excessive, some experts on police tactics say, depending on the circumstances, pepper spray can be a less violent crowd control measure than dragging protesters away or swinging at them with truncheons.
"Between verbalized commands and knock-down, drag-out fights, there's quite a bit of wiggle room," said David Klinger, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer and instructor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who reviewed the pepper spray footage.
"When you've got a bunch of people who are clearly noncompliant, locking arms, it doesn't look good (on camera)," he said.
Video: Did cops go too far in pepper-spraying students? (on this page)Soon after the incident on Friday at the University of California, Davis, video recordings spread across the Internet.
The footage of an officer casually spraying an orange cloud over protesters while spectators screamed in horror joined other much-discussed pepper-spray incidents, such as the 84-year-old activist hit in the face in Seattle and a Portland, Ore., woman who recently was sprayed in the mouth.
Images of the officer seen spraying the protesters became the subject of a blog, which featured him spraying famous figures, from Gandhi to John F. Kennedy.
The university announced Monday that it has placed the police chief and two officers on administrative leave to restore trust and calm.
Still, nearly 2,000 students and residents gathered at the main quad to hear speeches and chant slogans against police and university officials. Students who were pepper-sprayed opened the protest, saying they felt unsafe on campus with the chancellor in power.
"We were just kids sitting down in a circle singing," said student David Buscho, 22, of San Rafael, Calif. "It felt like hot glass ... I was paralyzed with fear."
Pepper spray is an inflammatory agent that derives its active ingredient from chili peppers. When the spray is deployed, it causes nearly instant inflammation, resulting in dilation of the capillaries in the eyes, paralysis of the larynx and a burning sensation on the skin.
Buscho said students were yelling at police Friday that they were peacefully protesting. One of the helmeted officers began pointing a spray can directly at protesters' faces, he said.
"I had my arms around my girlfriend. I just kissed her on the forehead and then he sprayed us," he said. "Immediately, we were blinded ... He just sprayed us again and again and we were completely powerless to do anything."
The protest was held in support of the overall Occupy Wall Street movement and in solidarity with protesters at the University of California, Berkeley who were struck by police with batons on Nov. 9.
The UC Davis footage shows two officers spraying students in the face with the chemical agent as the crowd cries out, then a slight delay before police start hauling off some of those seated while other protesters cough violently and try to crawl away.
The spray the officers used ranked about halfway between the highest and lowest concentrations of the commercially available substance.
Nine UC Davis students hit by pepper spray were treated, two were taken to hospitals and later released, university officials said. Ten people were arrested.
Since the video began circulating Friday night, UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi said she has been inundated with calls from alumni, students and faculty to speed up an investigation. Students and faculty have called for her resignation.
"I'm here to apologize," she told the crowd. "I really feel horrible for what happened on Friday."
The spraying has reverberated far beyond the university, spawning a debate about the officers' use of force.
Decisions on using pepper spray ranges by department and depends largely on the community and the police chief, Klinger said.
Klinger said the officers could have turned to other methods, such as a so-called pain compliance hold, but that would bring its own set of complications. A protester could receive a broken arm, he said, or an officer could pull a muscle.
Charles J. Key, a former lieutenant with the Baltimore Police Department who wrote the department's use-of-force manual, said that officers were clearly within their rights to use it.
After reviewing the footage, Key said he observed at least two cases of protesters actively resisting police. In one, a woman pulls her arm back from an officer. In the second, a protester curls into a ball. Each of those actions could have warranted more force, including baton strikes and pressure-point techniques, he said.
"What I'm looking at is fairly standard police procedure," Key said.
The federal courts have ruled on such cases. At the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers courts in nine Western states, the cases have centered on whether or not the protesters were involved in what is called "active resistance".
The court used the term in considering a case about another highly circulated video of a group of passive demonstrators being swabbed with pepper spray in 1997. The protesters had linked arms on the floor of a California congressman's office to protest the logging of old-growth redwood trees on California's North Coast.
Because demonstrators were using a metal sleeve to prevent police from separating them, police argued their "active resistance" left them no other way to disperse them than dabbing their eyes with Q-tips soaked in pepper spray, said Jim Wheaton, an attorney who assisted the prosecution of the civil case.
The 9th Circuit ruled that the protesters weren't in "active resistance," and because they were sitting peacefully, the use of pepper spray was excessive.
"Pepper spray is designed to protect people from a violent attack, to stop somebody from doing something," said Wheaton, senior counsel for the Oakland-based First Amendment Project.
UC Davis police used "it as a torture device to force someone to do something, and that's exactly what the 9th Circuit said was unreasonable and excessive."
Photoblog: Who is occupying Wall Street?
? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45385629/ns/us_news-life/
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'Wave Glider' drones zero in on ocean record
More than 500 years after Ferdinand Magellan's expedition crossed the Pacific Ocean on its way to circumnavigating the globe, robot explorers have also begun to leave their watery mark on the world. Four "Wave Glider" drones took aim at a new distance record for unmanned ocean vehicles by launching on a trans-Pacific voyage from San Francisco last Thursday.
The Wave Gliders could set a Guinness World Record by traveling across 33,000 nautical miles of the Pacific during a voyage expected to take more than 300 days. That would not only beat previous records set by underwater drones that have already crossed the Atlantic Ocean, but could also allow for new scientific discoveries in the largely unmapped ocean frontier.
Anyone can follow the journey virtually online courtesy of Liquid Robotics ? the company operating the Wave Gliders ? and Ocean in Google Earth. Liquid Robotics has also teamed up with Virgin Oceanic to begin exploring the deepest part of the world's oceans in the Mariana Trench.
"Most of the ocean remains unexplored with less than 10 percent of it mapped out," said Jenifer Austin Foulkes, Ocean in Google Earth manager. "This expedition creates an opportunity for students, marine researchers and aspiring oceanographers to follow these brave Liquid Robotics ocean robots as they cross the Pacific virtually through the Ocean Showcase on the Google Earth website."
Once the drones reach Hawaii, one pair will continue onward to Japan by crossing over the Mariana Trench. The other pair is scheduled to head for Australia.
Each drone consists of a floating section connected with a cable to an underwater glider, so that it can convert wave motion into forward thrust. Such self-sustaining design has already allowed Wave Gliders to complete individual voyages of more than 2,500 miles since 2008.
Solar panels on top of the floater can supply power to onboard sensors designed to track ocean salinity, water temperature, waves, weather, fluorescence and dissolved oxygen. The Wave Gliders can transmit the data to shore by passing it on to satellites.
The public can access such data for free if they register, but Liquid Robotics has also invited scientists to submit research proposals describing how they would use the data in a newly announced PacX Challenge. A grand prize winner chosen by ocean scientists will receive six months of free Wave Glider data services and help Liquid Robotic plan out the six-month deployment.
"These Wave Gliders are much like small 'spacecraft' that open up new opportunities for robotic exploration," said Ed Lu, chief of innovative applications at Liquid Robotics. "I challenge all scientists who are interested in advancing ocean exploration to take advantage of this unique opportunity."
Follow InnovationNewsDaily on Twitter @ News_Innovation, or on Facebook.
? 2011 InnovationNewsDaily.com. All rights reserved. More from InnovationNewsDaily.com.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45394819/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/
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Shares in Japan's Olympus jump on hopes it will avoid delisting (Reuters)
TOKYO (Reuters) ? Shares in Japan's Olympus Corp jumped more than 15 percent in early trade Monday on persistent speculation that the disgraced maker of cameras and endoscopes may avoid delisting despite the accounting scandal engulfing it.
Japanese police, prosecutors and the securities watchdog are investigating Olympus after the 92-year-old firm admitted this month that it had hid investment losses for decades, disguising some of them as merger and acquisition payments.
The scandal has raised the prospect of the company being delisted from the Tokyo stock exchange, but speculators who believe Olympus' core medical equipment business still has value have been buying shares on hopes that this won't happen.
Instead, they are betting that executives responsible for the scandal will bear the brunt of any punishment.
"It's been over a month since the scandal emerged. There hasn't been good news and the outlook for the company is still unclear, but the stock sometimes rises on buying by those who hope for short-term gains," said Masayoshi Okamoto, head of dealing at Jujiya Securities.
"I think fears of delisting are fading after foreign shareholders requested that the stock remain listed. The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) might be sensitive to outside pressure from foreign shareholders," he added.
The scandal at the once-proud firm has rekindled concerns about lax corporate governance in Japan. It has also revived worries about links between companies and organised crime, as investigators probe possible involvement by "yakuza" gangsters.
A unit from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's organised crime division has joined the investigation, a source familiar with the matter said Friday. But the source added that it was premature to say whether gangsters were involved.
Olympus has admitted to improperly accounting for part of $1.3 billion in M&A payments going back to 2006, although an independent panel commissioned by the firm to investigate the matter is still trying to get to the bottom of the issue.
A large share of these payments went to obscure Cayman Islands firms, making it difficult to trace the money.
Tokyo prosecutors, who Japanese media said had questioned Olympus ex-president Hisashi Mori on a voluntary basis on Friday, are expected soon to question the firm's former president, Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, and internal auditor Hideo Yamada over their role in the scandal.
The Hong Kong-based Asian Corporate Governance Association, whose members include institutional investors that collectively manage assets of more than $10 trillion, urged the Tokyo exchange Friday not to delist Olympus.
Institutional investors, however, have been reducing their stakes as the investigation progresses.
The Tokyo exchange has placed Olympus on a watch list as a possible prelude to delisting. If the firm misses a December 14 deadline for filing its financial statements for the six-months to September, it will be automatically delisted.
Even if Olympus meets the deadline, the bourse can still delist the stock depending on the scale of its past financial misstatements or if the firm is found to have done business with organised crime syndicates.
Olympus shares were up 14 percent at 712 yen at 8:15 p.m. EST, off a high of 725 yen. The stock was the fourth most heavily traded by turnover.
(Writing by Linda Sieg; Editing by Mark Bendeich)
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Monday, November 21, 2011
Overheard at the 39th annual American Music Awards (AP)
LOS ANGELES ? Overheard at the 39th annual American Music Awards, presented Sunday at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles:
? "We've never won an American Music Award, and it's wonderful to be acknowledged for our music. It's very sharp, though, so we'll have to be careful around the house." ? Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine backstage on the pyramid-shaped AMA trophy.
? "We just want to say thank you to the fans. It starts and ends with you and we just love you very, very much." ? Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum as she accepted the band's prize for favorite country band, duo or group.
? "Just chase your dreams. I never thought this could be possible. Shout out to all the female rappers, past present and future." ? Nicki Minaj, who beat out Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Jay-Z to win favorite hip-hop album for "Pink Friday."
"Heavy had a huge effect on all of us. He was inspiring and optimistic. He just always told us or gave us great advice. He always wanted us to do good. He was like a father figure for us." ? Mary J. Blige backstage on Heavy D, who died unexpectedly earlier this month and whom Blige honored on stage with her performance.
? "I just want to thank my family most of all, my beautiful babies, who just inspire me every day to be a better person." ? Jennifer Lopez accepting the award for favorite Latin music artist.
? "I think the two of us should just get on TV and let our hair fight each other." ? Pompadour-ed presenter Robin Thicke backstage on fellow fluffy-haired singer, Bruno Mars, who was named favorite male pop/rock artist.
? "This is like one of the craziest things that has ever happened to me." ? Taylor Swift accepting the award for artist of the year.
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Sunday, November 20, 2011
Balanced Budget Amendment fails in House vote (Los Angeles Times)
Actor Jeremy London sought in girlfriend's assault (omg!)
PALM SPRINGS, California (AP) ? Palm Springs police say they're seeking actor Jeremy London for questioning after receiving a call from his girlfriend alleging he assaulted her.
Sgt. Kyle Stjerne says the department received a call at about 10:30 a.m. Friday from London's girlfriend, alleging the actor assaulted her outside her Palm Springs home.
Stjerne says a verbal altercation over custody of the couple's child became violent and she suffered minor injuries. The woman's name wasn't released.
London's lawyer Catherine Lombardo denied allegations that the abuse occurred.
London's volatile relationship and addiction issues were broadcast to VH1 viewers during season four of the reality show "Celebrity Rehab" with Dr. Drew Pinsky.
London's most memorable performances include the slacker anti-hero lead role of TS Quint in "Mallrats" and roles on television's "7th Heaven" and "Party of Five."
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Saturday, November 19, 2011
Is economy best birth control? US births dip again (AP)
ATLANTA ? The economy may well be the best form of birth control.
U.S. births dropped for the third straight year ? especially for young mothers ? and experts think money worries are the reason.
A federal report released Thursday showed declines in the birth rate for all races and most age groups. Teens and women in their early 20s had the most dramatic dip, to the lowest rates since record-keeping began in the 1940s. Also, the rate of cesarean sections stopped going up for the first time since 1996.
Experts suspected the economy drove down birth rates in 2008 and 2009 as women put off having children. With the 2010 figures, suspicion has turned into certainty.
"I don't think there's any doubt now that it was the recession. It could not be anything else," said Carl Haub, a demographer with the Population Reference Bureau, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization. He was not involved in the new report.
U.S. births hit an all-time high in 2007, at more than 4.3 million. Over the next two years, the number dropped to about 4.2 million and then about 4.1 million.
Last year, it was down to just over 4 million, according to the new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For teens, birth rates dropped 9 percent from 2009. For women in their early 20s, they fell 6 percent. For unmarried mothers, the drop was 4 percent.
Experts believe the downward trend is tied to the economy, which officially was in a recession from December 2007 until June 2009 and remains weak. The theory is that women with money worries ? especially younger women ? feel they can't afford to start a family or add to it.
That's true of Mary Garrick, 27, an advertising executive in Columbus, Ohio. She and her husband, David, married in 2008 and hoped to start having children quickly, in part because men in his family have died in their 40s. But David, 33, was laid off that year from his nursing job and again last year.
He's working again, but worries about the economy linger. "It kind of made us cautious about life decisions, like having a family. It's definitely something that affected us," she said.
Kristi Elsberry, a married 27-year-old mother of two, had her tubes tied in 2009 after she had trouble finding a job and she and her husband grew worried about the financial burden of any additional children. "Kids are so expensive, especially in this day and age. And neither of us think anything's going to get better," said Elsberry, of Leland, N.C.
Many of the report's findings are part of a trend and not surprising. There was a continued decline in the percentage of premature births at less than 37 weeks. And ? as in years past ? birth rates fell in younger women but rose a little in women 40 and older, who face a closing biological window for having children and may be more worried about that than the economy.
But a few of the findings did startle experts.
One involved a statistic called the total fertility rate. In essence, it tells how many children a woman can be expected to have if current birth rates continue. That figure was 1.9 children last year. In most years, it's more like 2.1.
More striking was the change in the fertility rate for Hispanic women. The rate plummeted to 2.4 from nearly 3 children just a few years ago.
"Whoa!" said Haub, in reaction to the statistic.
The economy is no doubt affecting Hispanic mothers, too, but some young women who immigrated to the United States for jobs or other opportunities may have left, Haub said.
Another shocker: the C-section rate. It rose steadily from nearly 21 percent in 1996 to 32.9 percent in 2009, but dropped slightly to 32.8 last year.
Cesarean deliveries are sometimes medically necessary. But health officials have worried that many C-sections are done out of convenience or unwarranted caution, and in the 1980s set a goal of keeping the national rate at 15 percent.
It's too soon to say the trend has reversed, said Joyce Martin, a CDC epidemiologist who co-authored the new report.
But the increase had slowed a bit in recent years, and assuming the decline was in elective C-sections, that's good news, some experts said.
"It is quite gratifying," said Carol Hogue, an Emory University professor of maternal and child health and epidemiology.
"There are strong winds pushing against C-sections," she said, including new policies and education initiatives that discourage elective C-sections in mothers who have not reached full-term.
Hogue agreed that the economy seems to be the main reason for the birth declines. But she noted that it's possible that having fewer children is now more accepted and expected.
"Having one child may be becoming more `normal,'" she said.
___
Online:
CDC report:http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/
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Catchphrase "Yuuup!" In Legal Battle Between Singer And Reality ...
Yuuup!
Many Trey Songz fans might notice when the singer begins every song with the word.
Others might recognize the word from A&E's Storage Wars as star of the show Dave Hester uttered Yuuup! as well.
The two have been fighting it out to see who has legal copyright over the use of the word.
Songz has sent Hester a cease and desist letter to get the reality tv star to stop saying the word, claiming he's used it since late 2009.
But Songz hasn't trademarked Yuuup!
Hester has registered the catchphrase three times since May and he argues that Songz and his version sound completely different.
Songz apparently should've trademarked Yuuup! when he had the chance so he's probably kicking himself right now.
D'OH! (That's trademarked too.)
[Image via WENN.]
Tags: legal matters, reality tv, trey songz
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