Hang Up and Listen: The Rhodes to Nowhere Edition

In this week?s episode of Slate?s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca discuss Novak Djokovic?s marathon win over Rafael Nadal, Victoria Azarenka?s blowout of Maria Sharapova, and other Australian Open doings with Sports Illustrated?s S.L. Price. They also talk about the New York Times? report on the sexual assault allegation against Yale quarterback (and one-time Rhodes scholarship candidate) Patrick Witt. Finally, they evaluate the HBO documentary Namath: Beaver Falls to Broadway.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=41857d99a96d6cd5f686e82522230e75

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Pentagon prepares for new military talks with Iraq

FILE - In this March 16, 2011 file photo, Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Obama administration is preparing to begin talks with Iraq on defining a long-term defense relationship that may include expanded U.S. training help, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta?s chief policy aide. Flournoy, who is leaving her Pentagon post to return to private life, said in an interview with a small group of reporters that the administration is open to Iraqi suggestions about the scope and depth of defense ties. "One of the things we?re looking forward to doing is sitting down with the Iraqis in the coming month or two to start thinking about how they want to work with" the U.S. military to develop a program of exercises, training and other forms of security cooperation, Flournoy said. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

FILE - In this March 16, 2011 file photo, Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Obama administration is preparing to begin talks with Iraq on defining a long-term defense relationship that may include expanded U.S. training help, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta?s chief policy aide. Flournoy, who is leaving her Pentagon post to return to private life, said in an interview with a small group of reporters that the administration is open to Iraqi suggestions about the scope and depth of defense ties. "One of the things we?re looking forward to doing is sitting down with the Iraqis in the coming month or two to start thinking about how they want to work with" the U.S. military to develop a program of exercises, training and other forms of security cooperation, Flournoy said. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Obama administration is preparing to begin talks with Iraq on defining a long-term defense relationship that may include expanded U.S. training help, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's chief policy aide.

Michele Flournoy, who is leaving her Pentagon post on Friday to return to private life, said in an interview with a small group of reporters that the administration is open to Iraqi suggestions about the scope and depth of defense ties.

"One of the things we're looking forward to doing is sitting down with the Iraqis in the coming month or two to start thinking about how they want to work with" the U.S. military to develop a program of exercises, training and other forms of security cooperation, Flournoy said.

The U.S. military completed its withdrawal from Iraq in December after nearly nine years of war. Both sides had considered keeping at least several thousand U.S. troops there to provide comprehensive field training for Iraqi security forces, but they failed to strike a deal before the expiration of a 2008 agreement that required all American troops to leave.

As a result, training is limited to a group of American service members and contractors in Baghdad who will help Iraqis learn to operate newly acquired weapons systems. They are part of the Office of Security Cooperation, based in the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and headed by Army Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen.

Additional and more comprehensive training is a major issue because Iraq's army and police are mainly equipped and trained to counter an internal insurgency, rather than deter and defend against external threats. Iraq, for example, currently cannot defend its own air sovereignty. It is buying ? but has not yet received ? U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets.

In a new report on conditions in Iraq, a U.S. government watchdog agency said the Iraqi army is giving so much attention to fighting the insurgents that it has had too little time to train for conventional combat.

"The Iraqi army, while capable of conducting counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations, possesses limited ability to defend the nation against foreign threats," said the report submitted to Congress Monday by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Stuart W. Bowen, Jr.

In an introductory note, Bowen wrote that while Iraq's young democracy is buoyed by increasing oil production, it "remains imperiled by roiling ethno-sectarian tensions and their consequent security threats."

Iraq has seen an upswing in violence since the last U.S. troop left, but senior U.S. officials have remained in touch in hopes of nudging the Iraqis toward a political accommodation that can avert a slide into civil war.

Vice President Joe Biden spoke by phone on Saturday with Osama Nujaifi, speaker of the Council of Representatives. And Biden spoke on Friday with a key opposition figure, Ayad Allawi, a former interim prime minister and a secular Shiite leader of the Iraqiya political bloc. Allawi has said Iraq needs to replace its prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, or hold new elections to prevent the country from fracturing along sectarian lines.

In a positive sign, Iraq's Sunni leaders announced on Sunday that they will end their boycott of parliament. That may have paved the way for the political leadership to hold a national conference led by President Jalal Talabani to seek reconciliation and to end a sectarian political crisis.

George Little, the Pentagon press secretary, said Sunday that Panetta remains optimistic about the outlook in Iraq despite worsening violence.

"The secretary believes that the Iraqi people have a genuine opportunity to create a future of greater security for themselves, and that senseless acts of violence will not deter them from pursuing that goal," Little said. "The United States remains committed to a strong security relationship with Iraq."

U.S. officials have said they aim to establish broad defense ties to Iraq, similar to American relationships with other nations in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

Flournoy, 51, is stepping down from her position as undersecretary of defense for policy on Friday after three years in the job. She is the first woman to hold that post. Her chief deputy, Jim Miller, has been picked to succeed her.

In the interview last week, Flournoy reiterated that she is leaving government to focus more on her family. She and her husband, W. Scott Gould, have three children aged 14, 12 and nine.

She came to the Pentagon in February 2009 from the Center for a New American Security, where she was the think tank's first president. She had served in the Pentagon in the 1990s as a strategist.

Flournoy said in an Associated Press interview in December when she announced her decision to quit that she intends to play an informal role this year in supporting President Barack Obama's re-election effort. She was a member of his transition team after the November 2008 election.

___

Robert Burns can be reached on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/robertburnsAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-30-US-Iraq/id-d8b8bacb808240c995737b5b76d6023a

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Actress clarifies remark about being gay by choice

FILE - This is a Tuesday, May 25, 2010 file photo of actress Cynthia Nixon attending the Designing Women Awards in New York. Gay rights activists say actress Cynthia Nixon's insistence she chose to be a lesbian gives fodder to those who argue gays don't deserve marriage rights. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, file)

FILE - This is a Tuesday, May 25, 2010 file photo of actress Cynthia Nixon attending the Designing Women Awards in New York. Gay rights activists say actress Cynthia Nixon's insistence she chose to be a lesbian gives fodder to those who argue gays don't deserve marriage rights. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, file)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Actress Cynthia Nixon is trying to clarify her earlier remarks that got her in hot water with some fellow gay rights activists.

The "Sex and the City" star's personal life became an exercise in the politics of sexual orientation last week when The New York Times Magazine quoted Nixon saying that for her, being gay was a conscious choice. Nixon has been in a relationship with a woman for eight years. Before that, she spent 15 years and had two children with a man.

After some gay rights activists complained that Nixon's remarks could be used to deny a biological basis for homosexuality, the actress on Monday released a statement to The Advocate magazine explaining she is technically bisexual, and not by choice.

Nixon told the magazine: "What I have 'chosen' is to be in a gay relationship."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-31-Cynthia%20Nixon-Gay%20By%20Choice/id-6f9f04da9da14c3eaf67cbf495b5e3ea

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Bioethics boot camp for reporters and editors

Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Turton
turtonm@thehastingscenter.org
845-424-4040 x242
The Hastings Center

Panelists include leading journalists, bioethicists, scholars and scientists

(Garrison, NY) Science Writers in New York (SWINY), The Hastings Center, and City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Journalism present a unique, one-day workshop "Bioethics Boot Camp: Finding the Must-Read Angle for Science and Medical Stories."

The Boot Camp will be held on Friday, March 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, 219 West 40th Street, New York City.

A series of panel discussions and question-answer sessions will feature leading journalists, bioethicists, scholars and scientists exploring specific, sensitive issues, ranging from conflicts of interest and genetics to human life from beginning to end and emerging biotechnology. In the closing panel, editors from scientific, business, and consumer media will share their criteria and considerations for health or medical topics with a bioethical aspect.

Attendees and panelists are invited to mingle from 4:30 onward at a wine and cheese reception. Panelists and moderators include:

Journalists

• Jeff Kluger, Senior Editor, TIME Magazine;
• Emily Laber-Warren, Director of the Health & Science Reporting Program, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism;
• Doug Levy, Executive Director, Communications and Public Affairs, Columbia University Medical Center;
• Brendan Maher, Features Editor, Nature;
• Robin Marantz Henig, Contributing Writer, The New York Times Magazine;
• Ivan Oransky, Executive Editor, Reuters Health;
• Charles Ornstein, Senior Reporter, ProPublica;
• Jennifer Rainey Marquez, Senior Editor, Parade Magazine;
• Andrew Revkin, Former New York Times environmental reporter and founder, DotEarth blog; Senior Fellow for Environmental Understanding, Pace University;
• Beth Schachter, Science Communications Consultant;
• Nancy Stedman, Deputy Editor, Health, More Magazine;
• Ron Winslow, Health Editor, The Wall Street Journal

Bioethicists

• Daniel Callahan, Co-founder, Senior Research Scholar, President Emeritus, The Hastings Center;
• Mary Crowley, Director of Public Affairs and Communications, The Hastings Center;
• Susan Gilbert, Public Affairs Editor and Editor of Bioethics Forum, The Hastings Center;
• Michael Gusmano, Research Scholar, The Hastings Center;
• Josephine Johnston, Research Scholar, The Hastings Center;
• Gregory E. Kaebnick, Research Scholar and Editorial Director, The Hastings Center; Editor, The Hastings Center Report;
• Karen Maschke, Research Scholar, The Hastings Center; Editor, IRB Ethics & Human Research;
• Thomas H. Murray, Senior Research Scholar, President, CEO, The Hastings Center;
• Rosamond Rhodes, Bioethicist and Professor of Medical Education, Mount Sinai Medical Center

Additional panelists will be announced soon.

Who should attend?

Bioethics Bootcamp is designed for science and medical reporters and editors, other professional science writers, public information officers, journalism students, and concerned physicians and scientists. Special rates for students and members of SWINY or NASW. Each participant will receive the Hastings Center Bioethics Briefing Book for Journalists and Policymakers, a $35 value. Register Now: Participation Limited to 60 Journalists

How to Register

Register now and save! Members of SWINY and NASW who register by March 1 pay only $70; non-members pay $95. After March 1, registration fees increase to $90 for members and $115 for non-members. Walk-in registration is $115 for members and $135 for non-members.

Bioethics Boot Camp is funded by a grant from the National Association of Science Writers (NASW)

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Turton
turtonm@thehastingscenter.org
845-424-4040 x242
The Hastings Center

Panelists include leading journalists, bioethicists, scholars and scientists

(Garrison, NY) Science Writers in New York (SWINY), The Hastings Center, and City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Journalism present a unique, one-day workshop "Bioethics Boot Camp: Finding the Must-Read Angle for Science and Medical Stories."

The Boot Camp will be held on Friday, March 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, 219 West 40th Street, New York City.

A series of panel discussions and question-answer sessions will feature leading journalists, bioethicists, scholars and scientists exploring specific, sensitive issues, ranging from conflicts of interest and genetics to human life from beginning to end and emerging biotechnology. In the closing panel, editors from scientific, business, and consumer media will share their criteria and considerations for health or medical topics with a bioethical aspect.

Attendees and panelists are invited to mingle from 4:30 onward at a wine and cheese reception. Panelists and moderators include:

Journalists

• Jeff Kluger, Senior Editor, TIME Magazine;
• Emily Laber-Warren, Director of the Health & Science Reporting Program, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism;
• Doug Levy, Executive Director, Communications and Public Affairs, Columbia University Medical Center;
• Brendan Maher, Features Editor, Nature;
• Robin Marantz Henig, Contributing Writer, The New York Times Magazine;
• Ivan Oransky, Executive Editor, Reuters Health;
• Charles Ornstein, Senior Reporter, ProPublica;
• Jennifer Rainey Marquez, Senior Editor, Parade Magazine;
• Andrew Revkin, Former New York Times environmental reporter and founder, DotEarth blog; Senior Fellow for Environmental Understanding, Pace University;
• Beth Schachter, Science Communications Consultant;
• Nancy Stedman, Deputy Editor, Health, More Magazine;
• Ron Winslow, Health Editor, The Wall Street Journal

Bioethicists

• Daniel Callahan, Co-founder, Senior Research Scholar, President Emeritus, The Hastings Center;
• Mary Crowley, Director of Public Affairs and Communications, The Hastings Center;
• Susan Gilbert, Public Affairs Editor and Editor of Bioethics Forum, The Hastings Center;
• Michael Gusmano, Research Scholar, The Hastings Center;
• Josephine Johnston, Research Scholar, The Hastings Center;
• Gregory E. Kaebnick, Research Scholar and Editorial Director, The Hastings Center; Editor, The Hastings Center Report;
• Karen Maschke, Research Scholar, The Hastings Center; Editor, IRB Ethics & Human Research;
• Thomas H. Murray, Senior Research Scholar, President, CEO, The Hastings Center;
• Rosamond Rhodes, Bioethicist and Professor of Medical Education, Mount Sinai Medical Center

Additional panelists will be announced soon.

Who should attend?

Bioethics Bootcamp is designed for science and medical reporters and editors, other professional science writers, public information officers, journalism students, and concerned physicians and scientists. Special rates for students and members of SWINY or NASW. Each participant will receive the Hastings Center Bioethics Briefing Book for Journalists and Policymakers, a $35 value. Register Now: Participation Limited to 60 Journalists

How to Register

Register now and save! Members of SWINY and NASW who register by March 1 pay only $70; non-members pay $95. After March 1, registration fees increase to $90 for members and $115 for non-members. Walk-in registration is $115 for members and $135 for non-members.

Bioethics Boot Camp is funded by a grant from the National Association of Science Writers (NASW)

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/thc-bbc013012.php

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Boatright attorney blasts NCAA after probe (AP)

HARTFORD, Conn. ? A lawyer representing the mother of Connecticut guard Ryan Boatright says the family is considering legal options after the NCAA detailed its investigation into the freshman's eligibility.

The NCAA has cleared Boatright to play, but said Saturday he and his mother had accepted more than $8,000 in impermissible benefits from at least two people.

Attorney Scott Tompsett issued a statement Sunday calling the NCAA's news release false and misleading. He said the people providing the benefits were friends of the Boatright family and had "no expectation of repayment or reciprocation."

Boatright has missed nine games this season as a result of the investigation, including a six-game suspension to start the season, and is repaying $4,500 in benefits.

The 6-foot Boatright was back in uniform Sunday as UConn hosted Notre Dame.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_sp_co_ne/bkc_uconn_boatright

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Raul Castro defends Cuba's one-party system

Cuba's President Raul Castro, right, and Cuba's Vice-President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura attend the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Conference in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2012. Cuba's Communist leaders vowed not to cede any ground to "the enemy," even as they pledged to fight corruption and continue overhauling the island's listing Marxist economy with an injection of free market reform. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Prensa Latina)

Cuba's President Raul Castro, right, and Cuba's Vice-President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura attend the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Conference in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2012. Cuba's Communist leaders vowed not to cede any ground to "the enemy," even as they pledged to fight corruption and continue overhauling the island's listing Marxist economy with an injection of free market reform. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Prensa Latina)

Cuba's President Raul Castro speaks during the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Conference in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2012. Cuba's Communist leaders vowed not to cede any ground to "the enemy," even as they pledged to fight corruption and continue overhauling the island's listing Marxist economy with an injection of free market reform.(AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Prensa Latina)

Members of the Communist Party attend the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Conference in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2012. Cuba's Communist leaders vowed not to cede any ground to "the enemy," even as they pledged to fight corruption and continue overhauling the island's listing Marxist economy with an injection of free market reform.(AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Prensa Latina)

Members of Cuba's Communist Party raise their hands to approve the final document of the Communist Party Conference in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2012. Cuba's Communist leaders vowed not to cede any ground to "the enemy," even as they pledged to fight corruption and continue overhauling the island's listing Marxist economy with an injection of free market reform. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Prensa Latina)

HAVANA (AP) ? President Raul Castro delivered a full-throated defense of Cuba's one-party political system on Sunday, and a sharp warning to Communist Party delegates to fight corruption he said was a greater threat to the revolution than anything the United States could dream up.

In a stern closing speech to the party's national conference, Castro reiterated a pledge to institute term-limits for Cuban officials, saying a constitutional amendment would be required but that leaders should begin to adopt the practice even before it is formalized.

Castro has spoken previously about limiting high-ranking officials including himself to two, 5-year terms.

The U.S. threat to Cuba and the limits it placed on reform was a continuing theme of the speech. Cuba's president upbraided those who were hoping to see more fundamental changes come out of the two-day meetings ? or any new faces amid the aged upper ranks of the party and government hierarchy.

"There has been no shortage of criticism and exhortations by those who have confused their intimate desires with reality, deluding themselves that this conference would consecrate the beginning of the dismantling of the political and social system the revolution has fought for for more than half a century," he said.

The Cuban leader said those who want to see Cuba restore a multiparty system are forgetting that it is under siege from a Goliath to the north that would stop at nothing to destroy it.

"To renounce the principle of a one-party system would be the equivalent of legalizing a party, or parties, of imperialism on our soil," he said.

Castro was sharply critical of the United States' democratic system, which he said only concentrated power in the hands of the wealthy. He said that while Cuba had only one party, it sought the participation of all citizens through party and workplace meetings.

"We must promote democracy in our society, starting with the party," he said, urging rank-and-file members to speak up when they disagree with something.

The speech included denunciations of Washington's 50-year trade embargo, its support for dissidents and its imprisonment of Cuban agents who had infiltrated anti-Castro groups in Miami.

Castro also poured water on hopes that a new generation of Cuban politicians were any closer to the brass ring of power, saying the island remained without a backbench of young leaders.

The conference was presided over by the 80-year-old Castro and his 81-year-old chief deputy, Jose Ramon Machado Ventura. The island's third ranking leader, Ramiro Valdes, is 79.

Castro and his brother Fidel, now retired, have ruled Cuba since their 1959 revolution. There was no sign of the elder Castro at the confab, which was closed to foreign journalists.

Raul Castro has pushed a series of dramatic economic reforms since taking power in 2008, legalizing the sale of private homes and used cars, allowing hundreds of thousands to go into business for themselves, turning fallow government land over to small-time farms, and extending bank loans to entrepreneurs and others.

But many social and political reforms have not materialized. After promising in July to study changes to immigration laws that keep most Cubans from ever leaving the country, Castro told the nation in December that the time was not yet right, citing the continued threat from Washington.

At a Communist Party Congress in April, Castro and brother Fidel raised hopes that a new generation of leaders would soon appear on the horizon. Nine months later, there have been few visible changes.

A Cuban official told The Associated Press recently that despite the lack of movement among cabinet ministers and other senior leaders, many midlevel government posts have quietly changed hands, with younger officials moving up. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, and his assertions could not be independently confirmed.

Castro spent a large part of his 40-minute speech warning delegates about the evils of corruption, saying graft was "the principal enemy of the revolution, much more damaging than the multimillion-dollar subversive and interfering programs of the U.S. government and its allies."

He said the Interior Ministry was in the midst of several high-profile investigations of graft and other violations, which would become known at the appropriate time.

"To win the battle against corruption we must first stop it and then liquidate it," Castro said. "We have warned that within the law, we will be implacable."

___

Follow Paul Haven at www.twitter.com/paulhaven/

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-29-CB-Cuba-Communist-Party-Conference/id-7b716e7284ba47089d0ed83cbafa7c5f

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UCLA Professor Says Conventional Wisdom on Study Habits Is All Washed Up

An anonymous reader writes "Taking notes during class? Topic-focused study? A consistent learning environment? According to Robert Bjork, director of the UCLA Learning and Forgetting Lab, distinguished professor of psychology, and massively renowned expert on packing things in your brain in a way that keeps them from leaking out, all are three are exactly opposite the best strategies for learning."

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/_EMqyL7aatY/ucla-professor-says-conventional-wisdom-on-study-habits-is-all-washed-up

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Dates set for elections to replace Giffords (AP)

PHOENIX ? Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has picked dates in April and June for the special elections to choose a replacement for Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Brewer on Friday set the primary election for Tuesday, April 17. The general election will be held on Tuesday, June 12.

Several Democrats are considering running for the seat representing District 8, which includes parts of Tucson and Santa Cruz County and all of Cochise County.

One Republican is formally in the race, and two others have assembled exploratory committees.

Giffords resigned Wednesday, a little over a year after she was severely wounded while meeting with constituents at a Tucson supermarket. Six people were killed and 12 others wounded.

She said she needed more time to recover from the traumatic brain injury she suffered.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_el_ho/us_giffords_seat

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Laura Flores Shaw: Montessori: The Missing Voice in the Education Reform Debate

Over a century ago, Dr. Maria Montessori discovered through scientific observations of children that they are not empty vessels to be filled -- they are intrinsically motivated doers. She saw that providing a hands-on learning environment that valued choice, concentration, collaboration, community, curiosity, and real-world application produced lifelong learners who viewed "work" as something interesting
and fulfilling instead of drudgery to be avoided. Now, research in psychology and neuroscience continually validates Dr. Montessori's conclusions about children and learning, and Montessori schools are flourishing -- not just preschools but, increasingly, elementary, middle and secondary schools. So as the education reform debate thunders on, with the many sides agreeing on little beyond the fact that our schools as they are currently designed are failing our children, I can't help but wonder: Where is the voice of the Montessori movement in the American school reform conversation?

I first learned about Dr. Maria Montessori's approach to human development while in graduate school to become a therapist. At that time, I was struck by the similarities between some of Montessori's tenets and the theories and practices of therapeutic intervention for children. Choice, a key Montessori tenet, is at the heart of child therapy. Children's emotional, social, and academic development improve when they are empowered through choice. At the same time, children, according to the psychological literature, need to have appropriate boundaries and limits to feel safe and secure. Montessori's "freedom with discipline" (where "discipline means "to teach") for children ages 3-6 and "freedom with responsibility" for children ages 6 and up align with this literature.

My passion for Montessori, however, really ignited while I was interning as a school therapist in a suburban public school district. Taking students out of a classroom where they had very little choice and bringing them into a small office where I empowered them with choices seemed counterproductive, a short-term fix. That's when I realized I no longer wanted to provide interventions for children experiencing social, emotional, and behavioral issues. Instead, I wanted to be involved in the prevention of such issues. That, I knew, was happening in Montessori environments. So, I changed career course and became the Head of School at a growing accredited Montessori school for children ages 18 months to (soon to be) 15 years old.

Over the past five years, I've seen firsthand how powerful and effective the Montessori method is with children of varying temperaments and from varying backgrounds. I've seen children with severe developmental delays improve significantly because of how Montessori teachers are trained to interact with their students. And I've seen elementary-aged children from conventional schools who abhor learning have their love of learning reignited in a Montessori classroom.

Why is Montessori so effective? We know there is an indisputable link between movement and cognition, with the former actually enhancing the latter. We know that people of all ages need to feel a sense of control over their lives and that lack of control leads to depression and learned helplessness, which inhibits learning. We know from a huge body of research that extrinsic rewards and punishments don't work and can actually adversely affect intrinsic motivation. Research tells us all of these things, yet students at conventional schools are still confined to their desks, with rigidly scheduled days, receiving grades for every aspect of their learning and behavior. Is it any wonder that the public school district needs therapists?

In contrast, students in a Montessori classroom are free to move about the room and are provided varying types of work spaces -- tables, floor mats, and low-lying tables called "chowkies." They're given large blocks of time -- generally around three hours -- in which they choose their work and participate in one-on-one presentations (at the preschool level) or small group lessons (in elementary). There are no grades or tests. Instead, assessments are occurring daily through the teachers' keen observations of the children. (The children are taught how to test themselves or each other so they can know if they've really mastered something, such as math facts. There are some things that do need to be memorized!) Ultimately, it is expected that the children will use their time in a productive way, balancing their subjects and being responsible for their learning, and what we see daily in our classrooms is that they are. At the end of each semester, teachers provide each student and his or her parents with an overview of the student's progress, pointing out areas that need improvement.

Education reformers these days cast their nets far and wide to try to find a solution to the current malaise in our schools. They look to Finland, or to digital learning models. Why is Montessori
ignored? At a recent Los Angeles public school district teachers meeting where school reform was discussed, one teacher asked, "Have we ever considered Montessori? My sister is a Montessori teacher, and it seems to work really well for kids." His question, another teacher told me, was dismissed.

Maybe it's because people are simply most comfortable with the familiar. Maybe it's because many mistakenly think Montessori education is a model only suitable for preschool-age or privileged
children. I'm convinced, however, that the greatest impediment to Montessori entering this conversation is that there are so many special interests -- from textbook and test publishers to educational entrepreneurs -- who profit from the system as is.

I can tell you that the solutions we are all looking for are both simpler and more radical than the noisy debaters would have you believe. We need to do more than reform education. We need to transform it.

We need to talk about Montessori.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-flores-shaw/montessori-education-debate_b_1237451.html

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Costa to offer 11,000 euros to passengers on Concordia (Reuters)

ROME (Reuters) ? Several of Italy's consumer groups signed an agreement with Costa Cruises to offer about 11,000 euros ($14,500) to each of the more than 3,000 passengers aboard the Costa Concordia when it hit a rock and capsized near the Italian island of Giglio on January 13, a statement from the consumer groups said.

The company has agreed to pay 11,000 euros for items lost and any psychological damages to each passenger who suffered no physical injuries. In addition, the cost of the cruise and all transportation will be covered. Passengers injured while abandoning the ship will be dealt with individually.

Those who accept the offer must agree to drop all future legal actions against Costa Cruises, according to the agreement. Children will receive the same financial settlement as adults, and passengers will be paid within a week of accepting the offer.

Codacons, a consumer group that did not sign the agreement, recommended that passengers not accept it and urged them to undergo a check to see if they suffered any psychological trauma as a result of the shipwreck, according to Carlo Rienzi, the group's president.

Codacons is collecting names to file a class action suit in Miami against parent company Carnival Plc, requesting 125,000 euros for each passenger.

($1 = 0.7601 euros)

(Reporting by Steve Scherer)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/wl_nm/us_italy_ship

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Governor's Weekly Message ? Budget Priorities: Growing Jobs ...

DOVER ? ?In his?weekly message, Governor Markell talks about the priorities reflected in the?balanced budget proposal he unveiled this week.? The proposed Fiscal Year 2013 budget invests in jobs and public education, keeps the state?s commitment to critical areas like public health and safety and balances without the need to raise taxes or add new fees.

?Budgets are about priorities ? our budget proposal makes clear that our top priorities are encouraging economic growth, making our public schools stronger, and ensuring that we are governing effectively,? said Markell.

With jobs remaining the Governor?s top priority, the budget proposal makes several investments in economic growth, including replenishing the Strategic Fund to help attract new employers and expand efforts to grow small businesses.

?Our focus on getting people back to work is why our budget replenishes the strategic fund so we can have more stories to tell like the expansions at places like Amazon, Mountaire, Johnson Controls or PBF Energy. It?s why we?ve focused the investments in our capital budget on projects that both get people to work building them and improve our quality of life, so our state can remain a great place to build a business and raise a family.?

The budget proposal includes significant investments in education, including additional state funding for 111 new teacher units in schools, step increases for school employees, salary increases for paraprofessionals, and continued efforts to improve early education. The budget also continues years of efforts to govern responsibly by finding ways to cut costs.

?I look forward to working with the members of the General Assembly, particularly the members of the Joint Finance Committee, over the coming months to make progress on these shared priorities and to enact a reasonable, responsible budget, one that rises to meet some of the challenges we face and positions our state well ? to help people get back to work, invest in stronger public schools, govern responsibly, and keep Delaware, moving forward.?

About the Governor?s Weekly Message:

At noon every Friday, the Governor?s office releases a new Weekly Message in video, audio, and transcript form.? The message is available on:

YouTube: http://youtu.be/RE4BM3HJaYM
Delaware.Gov: http://governor.delaware.gov/information/podcast_video.shtml
By email: Please?contact our press team to subscribe to our press list
Facebook: www.facebook.com/governormarkell
Twitter: www.twitter.com/governormarkell

Transcript of the Governor?s Weekly Message:?Budget Priorities: Growing Jobs, Investing in Education, Governing Responsibly

Source: http://news.delaware.gov/2012/01/27/governor%E2%80%99s-weekly-message-budget-priorities-growing-jobs-investing-in-education-governing-responsibly/

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Pre-debate: Romney hit by Gingrich; targets Obama (AP)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. ? Pointing toward an evening debate, Mitt Romney jokingly urged supporters Tuesday to "just storm in" and support him even if they lacked tickets. Newt Gingrich warmed up with a particularly strong attack on Romney.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul also were sharing the stage for the second debate of the week and the last before the Florida primary next Tuesday.

Opinion polls show a close race between Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, and Gingrich, who was House speaker for two terms in the 1990s, and the two clashed repeatedly in Monday night's encounter in Tampa.

Gingrich's unexpected victory in the South Carolina primary last weekend upended the race to pick a Republican opponent for Democratic President Barack Obama in the fall, and Romney can ill afford another setback.

In the days since his loss, he has tried to seize the initiative, playing the aggressor in the Tampa debate and assailing Gingrich in campaign speeches and a TV commercial.

An outside group formed to support Romney has spent more than his own campaign's millions on ads, some of them designed to stop Gingrich's campaign momentum before it is too late to deny him the nomination.

Campaigning Thursday at a factory that is scheduled to close, Romney criticized Obama and avoided mentioning Gingrich.

But the evening debate was on his mind ? particularly the makeup of the audience in the hall.

"There may be some give and take. That's always entertaining," he said. "If you all could get in there we'd love to see you all there cheering."

A voice from the audience responded that there were no more tickets, and Romney replied: `No tickets? Just storm in."

Gingrich seemed far less confident as he unleashed an attack reminiscent of his rhetoric a month ago when he was being outspent heavily on television and falling sharply in the polls just before the Iowa caucuses.

He accused Romney and Restore Our Future, the independent group, of dishonest ads, and said, "This is the desperate last stand of the old order. This is the kind of gall they have, to think we're so stupid and we're so timid."

He later told reporters he decided to sharpen his criticisms after Romney released his tax returns. "Here's a guy who owns Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae stock," Gingrich said. "He owns a Goldman Sachs subsidiary, which is foreclosing on Floridians. And on that front he decides to lie about my career? There's something about the hypocrisy that should make every American angry."

Romney released his income tax returns for 2010 and an estimate for 2011 after declining to do so in South Carolina.

Gingrich, also under pressure, disclosed the consulting contract one of his firms had with Freddie Mac, the government-backed mortgage giant that played a role in the foreclosure crisis that hit Florida especially hard. It showed payments of $300,000 in 2006 for unspecified consulting services.

Romney has pummeled Gingrich in the days since, calling him an influence peddler and a lobbyist who was taking money from the very organization that was harming Floridians.

___

Associated Press writers Brian Bakst and Kasie Hunt contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_el_ge/us_republicans_debate

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'Parks & Recreation': Ron Tries Out Tom's Between The Legs Bowling Technique (VIDEO)

It was a field trip of sorts on this week's installment of "Parks & Recreation" (Thu., 8:30 p.m. EST on NBC). After a single person in a focus group says that Leslie doesn't seem like the kind of person he would go bowling with, she typically obsesses over it. So much that she orchestrates a fun bowling night out for the campaign, and secretly invites the man.

The two compete brutally and Leslie beats him, but the man doesn't change his opinion of her. Or maybe he does, going from not wanting to bowl with her to calling her a b***h to her face. Rushing to her defense, much to his own surprise, Ben punches the guy and knocks him down.

A subsequent focus group of the press conference where Leslie decided not to apologize for the incident because the man was a jerk and got what was coming to him proved to be far more in her favor. The people of Pawnee like a woman who is tough.

It's a good thing Tom isn't running, then. While he looked fly, his bowling technique was a joke. He bowled by swinging the ball between his legs two-handed like a child, which made it worse when he actually beat Ron. At one point, he smashed a finger and literally cried like a little kid about it, whining afterwards incessantly.

Later, Ron went back to the bowling alley incognito and tried out Tom's ridiculous technique. To his surprise and horror, it proved effective. He bowled a 300, but refused to even tell his name to the bowling attendant who came up and offered to honor him on the wall.

Ron Swanson line of the night: "When I eat, it is the food that is scared."

The campaign continues on "Parks & Recreation," Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. EST on NBC.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Related on HuffPost:

MONDAY, JANUARY 23: "Gossip Girl"

1? of ?19

"Gossip Girl" (8 p.m. EST, The CW) "Clueless" writer/director Amy Heckerling makes her first foray into TV directing since 2005 for Blair's bachelorette party, as others scheme behind Queen B's back to make it a night to remember. After discovering the truth behind Chuck and Blair's car accident, Nate joins forces with a surprising ally to gather the evidence, while Serena and Dan pretend to be dating again to protect Blair's secret. "Gossip Girl" (8 p.m. EST, The CW)
"Clueless" writer/director Amy Heckerling makes her first foray into TV directing since 2005 for Blair's bachelorette party, as others scheme behind Queen B's back to make it a night to remember. After discovering the truth behind Chuck and Blair's car accident, Nate joins forces with a surprising ally to gather the evidence, while Serena and Dan pretend to be dating again to protect Blair's secret.

MORE SLIDESHOWS NEXT?> ??|?? <?PREV

MONDAY, JANUARY 23: "Gossip Girl"

"Gossip Girl" (8 p.m. EST, The CW) "Clueless" writer/director Amy Heckerling makes her first foray into TV directing since 2005 for Blair's bachelorette party, as others scheme behind Queen B's back to make it a night to remember. After discovering the truth behind Chuck and Blair's car accident, Nate joins forces with a surprising ally to gather the evidence, while Serena and Dan pretend to be dating again to protect Blair's secret. "; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/parks-recreation-ron-between-the-legs-bowling-video_n_1235816.html

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Starbucks profit beats, Europe weakness hurts (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Starbucks Corp reported a quarterly profit that topped Wall Street's view, but its shares fell as investors in the world's biggest coffee chain focused on softness in Europe rather than strength in the United States.

The company's shares, up roughly 45 percent from a year ago and hovering near all-time highs, were off 2.2 percent at $47.26 in extended trading after closing at $48.34.

Starbucks and other top-performing restaurant chains like McDonald's Corp have been on a tear and their stocks often sell off on anything but absolutely pristine results.

Sales from cafes open at least 13 months were up just 2 percent for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, versus the 9 percent gain for the much larger America unit, chiefly from the United States.

Chief Financial Officer Troy Alstead said on a webcast that Starbucks has been underperforming internal targets in Europe -- where debt worries and high unemployment weigh heavily on consumers -- and that the company has taken steps to improve results there.

Operating margin for the EMEA unit was 6.5 percent in the first quarter, down from 9.7 percent a year earlier.

Starbucks said the margin contraction was primarily due to higher distribution costs related to moving to a consolidated distribution center in its UK market.

Britain's recovery from the 2008/2009 recession - the deepest since the depression-hit 1930s - has been sluggish.

Edward Jones analyst Jack Russo said results from Europe were weaker than expected, but that they needed to be seen in context.

"A 2 percent comp is still pretty good considering what's going on over there," Russo said, referring to Europe's sales at established restaurants.

Based on its better-than-expected fiscal first-quarter results, the company raised the low end of its full-year profit forecast to a range of $1.78 to $1.82 per share from $1.75 to$1.82.

"They're being conservative. It's so early in the year," Lazard Capital Markets analyst Matthew DiFrisco said when asked about the company's revised fiscal 2012 forecast.

When asked if the company has noticed any evidence of softening consumer demand due to the still volatile economic conditions around the world, CFO Alstead said: "We haven't seen it."

Global sales at established Starbucks cafes jumped 9 percent, helped by an increase in customer visits and spending per transaction. That beat the 7.7 percent gain analysts, on average, expected, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Net income was $382.1 million, or 50 cents per share, for the quarter ended January 1. That was up from $346.6 million, or 45 cents, in the year earlier period.

Analysts, on average, were looking for a profit of 49 cents per share in the latest quarter, according to Thomson Reuters

I/B/E/S.

Total revenue rose 16 percent to $3.4 billion.

The Seattle-based company has been raising prices on some drinks to help offset higher costs for commodities like coffee and milk.

Starbucks expects new products to build sales as the year progresses.

In November it started selling its coffee and Tazo tea for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc's popular Keurig machines, which control about 80 percent of the fast-growing North American single-serve brewing segment.

It then expanded its coffee lineup in January with "Blonde," the company's lightest roast to date. That new coffee is widely seen as an answer to McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, which each brew lighter roasts than Starbucks. Those chains also have gone after Starbucks' core business by introducing drinks such as lattes and frappes.

Starbucks, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panera Bread Co cater to relatively upscale consumers and have been outperforming the broader restaurant industry, whose overall sales are expected to lag population growth this decade.

(Reporting By Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; editing by Andre Grenon, Phil Berlowitz)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/bs_nm/us_starbucks

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Physicists Hope to Catch Neutrons in the Act of Jumping from Our Universe to Another

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Physicists Hope to Catch Neutrons in the Act of Jumping from Our Universe to Another
The notion of multiple universes is one that cosmologists like to theorize about but generally don?t relish proving, mainly because doing so would be very difficult. But a team of researchers that showed a few years ago how matter might travel between our universe and others now think they ought to be able to observe this phenomenon in action using existing technology, lending credence to the multiverse theory. All they need is a neutron bottle, some neutrons, and a year.

Source: POPSCI
Posted on: Tuesday, Jan 24, 2012, 8:19am
Views: 23

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116995/Physicists_Hope_to_Catch_Neutrons_in_the_Act_of_Jumping_from_Our_Universe_to_Another

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Romney campaign touts his tax return transparency (AP)

TAMPA, Fla. ? Advisers to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney say more than 500 pages of his 2010 and 2011 income tax returns show "full compliance" with U.S. tax laws.

Romney released two large sets of documents Tuesday on his campaign website. The 2010 federal return shows that he paid about $3 million on nearly $22 million in income. The 2011 return indicates he will pay $3.2 million on nearly $21 million income. Much of Romney's earnings came from investments made by his blind trust and associated with his long career as a private equity manager.

Benjamin Ginsberg, a legal adviser to the Romney campaign, said the documents showed the candidate's effort to be transparent. Romney had declined to disclose any tax information until he came under mounting criticism from his rivals.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney paid about $3 million in federal income taxes in 2010, having earned more than seven times that from his investments. Those earnings, $21.7 million, put him among the wealthiest of American taxpayers.

At the same time, Romney gave nearly $3 million to charity ? about half of that amount to the Mormon Church ? which helped lower his effective tax rate to a modest 14 percent, according to records his campaign released early Tuesday.

For 2011, he'll pay about $3.2 million with an effective tax rate of about 15.4 percent, the campaign said. Those returns haven't yet been filed yet with the Internal Revenue Service.

The former Massachusetts governor had been under pressure in recent weeks to release his tax returns, his GOP opponents casting him as a wealthy businessman who slashed jobs in the private sector. Rival Newt Gingrich made public his returns on Saturday, showing he paid almost $1 million in income taxes ? a tax rate of about 31 percent.

Romney's campaign confirmed the details of his tax information after several news organizations saw a preview of the documents. He had said he planned to release his returns in full Tuesday morning, and campaign officials would be prepared to discuss them in detail with reporters.

"You'll see my income, how much taxes I've paid, how much I've paid to charity," Romney said during Monday night's debate in Tampa. "I pay all the taxes that are legally required and not a dollar more. I don't think you want someone as the candidate for president who pays more taxes than he owes."

Romney's 2010 returns show the candidate is among the top 1 percent of taxpayers. The returns showed about $4.5 million in itemized deductions, including $1.5 million to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Before the tax records were released, Romney's old investments in two government-backed housing lenders stirred up new questions at the same time his campaign targeted Gingrich for his work for Freddie Mac.

Gingrich earned $1.6 million in consulting fees from Freddie Mac. Romney has as much as $500,000 invested in the U.S.-backed lender and its sister entity, Fannie Mae.

The fight over releasing the tax information highlighted an argument that Democrats are already starting to use against Romney ? that he is out-of-touch with normal Americans. And it probably hurt him in the South Carolina primary, where he lost by 12 percentage points to Gingrich after spending several days resisting releasing the returns.

On Monday, Romney would not answer questions from debate moderator Brian Williams about just what pieces of his tax returns could cause political headaches. But they will shine the spotlight on a fortune estimated at between $190 million and $250 million, and could raise questions about where he keeps his money and how he earns it.

For example, Romney keeps some of his personal fortune in investments that are domiciled in the Cayman Islands, where many international investors shelter their income from American taxes. Romney aides say he doesn't use the funds to avoid or put off paying the appropriate taxes.

The returns could also reveal more details about his annual take as founder of the Bain Capital private equity firm.

But it's clear that Romney's campaign is bracing for an onslaught of criticism of his personal fortune. His wife, Ann, has started talking about the returns during campaign appearances. She told supporters at a Florida rally Sunday: "I want to remind you where we know our riches are. Our riches are with our families."

Most of Romney's vast fortune is held in a blind trust that he doesn't control. A portion is held in a retirement account.

___

Gillum reported from Washington.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_el_pr/us_romney_taxes

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5 countries with the longest ongoing US sanctions

The gradual implementation of sanctions on Myanmar (Burma) began in 1988 under President Ronald Regan, who suspended all aid to the country. It wasn?t until May 1997 that President Bill Clinton issued?comprehensive sanctions???which included additional restrictions ending all non-humanitarian assistance, banning entry visas for Myanmar government officials, and instituting a moratorium on new investments in Myanmar by US citizens ??after determining that Burma was repressing democracy on a large scale.

In 1988 a group of generals deposed Myanmar?s Ne Win (who had ruled since a military coup in 1962), suspended the constitution, and established a ruling military junta. The junta suppressed public demonstration and an estimated 3,000 people were killed and thousands fled into border areas or left the country in the immediate aftermath.

By 1997 when the sanctions were implemented, the junta had spent a decade tightening its grip on public dissent. The junta placed politician Aung San Suu Kyi, who went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize, under house arrest soon after coming to power, and annulled 1990 elections won by her National League for Democracy.

After years of isolation, the regime embarked on an aggressive reform agenda starting in 2011. One democratic opening: The junta allowed the National League for Democracy to legally register.

The US and Myanmar re-initiated diplomatic relations on Jan. 13 after the regime released hundreds of political prisoners and signed a cease-fire agreement with the Karen rebel group, reports the Monitor. Despite the warming relations, US sanctions have not been lifted.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/FugF8RILDro/5-countries-with-the-longest-ongoing-US-sanctions

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Giffords' decision to resign sets stage for free-for-all with high stakes in House race (Star Tribune)

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2 more bodies found, fuel removal to begin on ship

Italian Navy scuba divers return after working on the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. Italian officials were clearing hurdles Monday to begin pumping some half a million gallons of fuel from the capsized Costa Concordia that threaten an environmental catastrophe, as divers continued the search for 19 people known missing. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

Italian Navy scuba divers return after working on the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. Italian officials were clearing hurdles Monday to begin pumping some half a million gallons of fuel from the capsized Costa Concordia that threaten an environmental catastrophe, as divers continued the search for 19 people known missing. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

Oil recovery technicians work in the harbor of the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, where the cruise ship Costa Concordia run aground, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. Italian officials were clearing hurdles Monday to begin pumping some half a million gallons of fuel from the capsized Costa Concordia that threaten an environmental catastrophe, as divers continued the search for 19 people known missing. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

The cruise ship Costa Concordia lies on its side off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Rescuers on Sunday resumed searching the above-water section of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise liner, but choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part, where officials have said there could be bodies. Civil protection officials said that until the waves slack off, divers would not swim into the submerged part of the vessel just off the port of Giglio, a tiny Island off the Tuscan coast. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

The cruise ship Costa Concordia lies on its side off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Rescuers on Sunday resumed searching the above-water section of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise liner, but choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part, where officials have said there could be bodies. Civil protection officials said that until the waves slack off, divers would not swim into the submerged part of the vessel just off the port of Giglio, a tiny Island off the Tuscan coast. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

Workers of the Costa Crociere company place messages outside the company headquarters, during a march in downtown Genoa, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Rescuers on Sunday resumed searching the above-water section of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise liner, but choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part, where officials have said there could be bodies. Civil protection officials said that until the waves slacken off, divers will not swim into the submerged part of the vessel near the port of Giglio, a tiny island off the Tuscan coast. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

ROME (AP) ? Nudged gently by the tides off Tuscany, the capsized Costa Concordia has been deemed stable enough on its rocky perch for salvagers to begin pumping fuel oil from its giant tanks as early as Tuesday.

The cruise liner, its hull gashed by a reef and pocked by holes blasted by divers searching for the missing, yielded two more bodies Monday, 10 days after the accident. The corpses of two women were found in the luxury liner's Internet cafe, now 55 feet (17 meters) underwater.

Tables, desks, elegant upholstered armchairs and cabinets bobbed in the sea as divers guided the furniture out of the holes to clear space for their exploration inside.

So far, the bodies of 15 people have been found, most of them in the submerged portion of the vessel, while 17 others remain unaccounted for. Authorities said earlier reports that an unregistered Hungarian woman had called friends from the ship before it flipped over turned out to be groundless.

The Concordia rammed a reef and capsized Jan. 13 off the tiny Tuscan island of Giglio as it was carrying 4,200 passengers and crew on a Mediterranean cruise.

Salvage experts received the green light Monday to start pumping fuel soon from the double-lined tanks of the Concordia. The weekslong fuel-removal operation aims to avert a possible environmental catastrophe in the waters off Giglio, part of a protected seven-island marine park.

Officials said the pumping would be carried out as divers continue the search for the missing since instrument readings have determined the Concordia was not at risk of sliding into deeper waters and being swallowed by the sea.

"The ship is stable," said Franco Gabrielli, head of the national civil protection agency. "There is no problem or danger that it is about to drop onto much lower seabed."

Meanwhile, an oily film was spotted about 300 yards (meters) from the capsized vessel by officials flying in a helicopter and by residents of Giglio, Gabrielli's office said. Samples were being analyzed, but preliminary observations indicated the slick is a light oil and not from heavy fuel inside the Concordia's tanks.

Absorbent panels put around the area seem to have at least partially absorbed the oil, authorities said.

The ship's Italian captain, Francesco Schettino, is under house arrest near Naples, facing possible charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his vessel while some people were still aboard. He has insisted that he was coordinating rescue operations from a lifeboat and then from shore.

The ship's operator, Costa Crociere SpA, has distanced itself from the captain, contending he made an unauthorized detour from the ship's authorized route. Schettino, however, has reportedly told investigators that Costa officials requested that he sail close to Giglio in a publicity move.

Schettino's lawyer, Bruno Leporatti, told reporters Monday that tests on urine and hair samples showed his client was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs before the crash. Prosecutors are not allowed to discuss the investigation while it is under way and it was impossible to confirm the report.

Despite earlier fears, officials said the crippled cruise ship, with a 230-foot (70-meter) gash in its hull, is not expected to roll off its rocky seabed perch and be swallowed by the sea.

An Italian geologist on Giglio monitoring the ship's movements said the Concordia was not so much moving as "responding to the tides."

"It is moving at the rate of about one or two millimeters an hour," Nicola Casagli told Sky TV TG24.

The sea has been calm for several days but was expected to become choppy in the next few days.

Islanders have been pressing for removal of the heavy, tar-like fuel from the ship's 17 tanks to avert a possible catastrophic leak.

"They should start the oil drainage operations on the ship. At this point those who died will not come back to life. Even if they pull them out later, unfortunately it won't make a difference," Giglio resident Andrea Ginanneschi told The Associated Press.

Five miles (eight kilometers) of oil barriers have been laid to protect marine life and the pristine waters, which are prime fishing grounds and a protected area for dolphins and whales.

Recovery experts from the Dutch salvage company Smit have said they will create holes in the top and the bottom of each tank, heating the fuel so it flows more easily and pumping from the top while forcing air in from the bottom. For the underwater tanks, sea water will be used to displace the fuel, which becomes thick and gooey when cooled.

Besides some 2,200 metric tons of heavy fuel oil, there are 185 metric tons of diesel and lubricants on board, as well as chemicals including cleaning products and chlorine. Some diesel and lubricants have leaked into the water near the ship, probably from machinery on board, officials have said.

"Smit has been ready for a week to begin pumping fuel from the tanks, awaiting only the go-ahead," said a company statement. "For this purpose, Smit has mobilized an oil tanker with emergency response equipment, including sweeping arms, booms and a skimmer."

Seven bodies still await identification. Gabrielli said officials have DNA from the relatives of all of the missing passengers and are working to confirm their names.

On Monday, the body of a woman found in the ship a few days earlier was identified as that of a 30-year-old Italian woman, a new bride who was on the Mediterranean cruise with several family members.

__

Barry reported from Milan. Andrea Foa reported from Giglio.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-23-EU-Italy-Cruise-Aground/id-c53948d4a542445abe7e10b512c2f219

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