Barbara Greenberg: When the Coach Is the Bully

Yep, it may be the coach who is your teen's bully. Coaches, in a misguided attempt to motivate your child to run faster, be more alert, more aggressive, or even more involved may use harsh tactics. We have all observed coaches yelling, criticizing, and publicly embarrassing team members especially in the middle of a heated game. While I like to think that most coaches are inspiring and supportive it is high time to address the subgroup of coaches who are intimidating our kids and unknowingly chipping away at their self-esteem and desire to continue the sport.

First, it is my hope that if a number of parents observe a coach behaving in a demeaning manner that they try to address this as a group so that no single child gets singled out. It certainly is possible that the coach is well-intentioned and has little awareness of how s/he is affecting the kids. Perhaps, the coach will change her behavior and use more effective techniques to motivate the kids and promote team spirit.

If the coach continues to be a bully despite an intervention, perhaps it is possible to get your teen on a different team. You certainly don't want your teen to quit the activity because of the coach. If this coach and this team is the only game in town then you may want to help your teen try a different strategy which will help her build mental resilience. Suggest that she focus on the game rather than on the coach's behavior.

Ultimately, your teen may develop a skill -- learning how to deal with difficult people. However, if the coach's behavior becomes too degrading or belittling I would never coerce a child to continue with this activity. Sports are supposed to build skill, confidence, and team spirit rather than b e a source of anxiety, fear, and dread.

Good luck.

Do you have coach stories that you'd like to share?

?

Follow Barbara Greenberg on Twitter: www.twitter.com/talkingteenage

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-greenberg/youth-coaches_b_1238179.html

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Merkel to urge China to cut Iran oil imports: source (Reuters)

BERLIN (Reuters) ? German Chancellor Angela Merkel will use an upcoming visit to China this week to encourage Beijing to reduce its imports of Iranian oil, a German government source said on Tuesday.

The European Union will implement an embargo on Iranian oil by July as it tightens sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program.

(Reporting by Matthias Sobolewski)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/wl_nm/us_germany_iran

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Ask Engadget: Best HD LED Pico Projector for a small room?

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Ellio, who fancies switching up his home entertainment kit with a HD LED projector. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"I'm looking to buy a small HD LED projector to use at home for movies and games etc. I'd prefer it to be small to avoid having another large black box cluttering up the place and LED because of the decent lifetime compared to traditional projectors. I'd be happy with a 720p resolution device, but a lot of pico projectors are under 30 lumens, is this level sufficient for a decent size-display in a dim room? Thanks a bunch!"

So, what's it gonna be dear friends? If you don't know the drill: it's a jump to your left, a step to your right, put your hands on your hips and leave a comment below.

Ask Engadget: Best HD LED Pico Projector for a small room? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/28/ask-engadget-best-hd-led-pico-projector-for-a-small-room/

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Strike on summit day shows task at hand

BRUSSELS (AP) ? German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European leaders meeting for a summit will only have to look out of the window to see the biggest problem with their steady diet of austerity and belt-tightening to fix the financial crisis: disgruntled workers organizing a nationwide strike to protest the direction in which Europe is heading.

That is, if the 27 government leaders can even get to European Union headquarters in time for Monday's meeting.

Belgium's three main unions are joining hands as of late Sunday in a 24-hour strike to protest national budgetary measures that have in part been imposed on Belgium by the EU. If the country hadn't met cost-cutting targets, financial sanctions would have been imposed.

Instead of a beacon for a better future, many Europeans are starting to see the EU as a death knell, one that is suffocating them with austerity instead of supporting them with job-boosting measures.

"We fully understand the sentiments of all Europeans, especially here in Belgium, where we are so close, the frustrations and doubt and the worries," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said.

The question is where to find money to boost growth when debt is preoccupying everyone. The austerity measures raise taxes and cut benefits for hundreds of thousands of workers in Belgium. And Monday's strike has been mirrored in many other member states.

Overall, 23 million people are jobless across the EU, 10 percent of the active population.

"Europe has to offer jobs, social protection and perspective for the future. Otherwise it risks losing the support of its citizens," said the strike manifesto of the ACV union.

For Monday, Thalys and Eurostar bullet trains to Brussels have already been cut, one airport has been closed and Brussels international airport is expecting heavy disruption. Contingency plans have been made to get the 27 European leaders to the center of Brussels, but even then convoys could end up in choking traffic if workers block the capital's beltway during morning rush hour.

No major demonstrations are planned but the union leaders will head to the summit site to deliver a symbolic "eurobond" ? pressing for a joint pooling of debt in the eurozone, a measure that has been steadfastly opposed by Germany.

The noise of workers and lack of growth is having a profound impact on Monday's summit.

Even if the debt crisis in Greece will take center stage for part of the meeting, "at the same time, we need to take active measures to enhance growth and competitiveness and above all create jobs," EU president Herman van Rompuy said.

The leaders, though, will be happy to learn that Greece and investors who own its bonds have reached a tentative deal to significantly reduce the country's debt and pave the way for it to receive a much-needed euro130 billion bailout.

Negotiators for the investors announced the agreement Saturday and said it could become final within the next week. If the agreement works as planned, it will help Greece remain solvent and help Europe avoid a blow to its already weak financial system, even though banks and other bond investors will have to accept multibillion-dollar losses.

Still, it doesn't resolve the weakening economic conditions in Greece and other European nations as they rein in spending to get their debts under control.

Under the agreement, investors holding euro206 billion in Greek bonds would exchange them for new bonds worth 60 percent less.

Without an agreement, bankruptcy would loom large for Greece and raise a big question mark over the euro currency shared by 17 nations.

Another divisive issue is a German proposal that debt-ridden Greece temporarily cede sovereignty over tax and spending decisions to a powerful eurozone budget commissioner before it can secure further bailouts.

The idea was quickly rejected by Barroso's Commission and the government in Athens, both insisting the budget remain a national prerogative.

At the same time, the EU also has to deal with an increasingly tough labor market.

Spain's brutal unemployment rate has soared to nearly 23 percent and closed in on 50 percent for those under age 25, leaving more than 5 million people ? or almost one out of every four ? out of work as the country slides toward recession.

To help jump-start the EU toward more growth and employment, the EU Commission is proposing to the summit leaders to redirect euro82 billion in existing funds toward countries in dire need of help to fix their labor market.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-29-EU-EU-Summit/id-878dfc713fc942588ff2279c059ee0ea

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Sunday Morning Open Thread: The Perfect Dog (Balloon Juice)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/192898054?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Facebook poised to file for IPO next week

Paul Sakuma / AP

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg could be worth $20 billion if current estimates hold true.

By msnbc.com staff and wire

Updated at 5:25 p.m. ET

Facebook is poised to file papers as early as next week for an initial public offering that could be one of the biggest in history, creating hundreds if not thousands of instant millionaires, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The highly anticipated IPO will value the world's largest social networking site?at between $75 billion and $100 billion, the Journal reported on its website. So far the Journal appears to be alone with the report. Facebook declined to comment.

Founded in a Harvard dorm room in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and his friends, Facebook has grown into the world's biggest social network with over 800 million members. Facebook earned roughly $1.5 billion in operating profits on $3.8 billion in revenues last year, CNBC's Julia Boorstin reported, citing unidentified sources.

The impending IPO -- expected to raise $10 billion -- is a prized trophy for investment banks, setting up a fierce competition on Wall Street, particularly between Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, which are expected to be the two lead underwriters.

The IPO could come about three to four months after the filing, which likely would put it sometime in May. Facebook is under legal pressure to go public this year because of the so-called ?500 shareholder rule,? which requires companies to disclose financial information by the end of the first quarter the year after the company tops 500 shareholders.

Information about Facebook's ownership structure and employee compensation packages is hard to come by, since the still-private company discloses very little. But that could all change next week if the company files documents required by the Securities and Exchange Commission to offer stock to the public.

It is clear that Facebook's earliest employees, who were given ownership stakes, and early venture capital investors -- such as Accel Partners, Greylock Partners and Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel -- will see the biggest paydays.

The Journal reported that Accel could see a return of $9 billion on an initial investment of $12.7 million. Several other venture capital firms would see their stakes grow to over $1 billion in value. Thiel's current stake could not be determined.

Zuckerberg, 27, is estimated to own a little over a fifth of the company, according to "The Facebook Effect" author David Kirkpatrick, meaning he could be worth $20 billion. The latest Forbes 400 list estimated Zuckerberg was worth $17.5 billion, making him No. 14 on its list of richest Americans.

The wealth will trickle down to engineers, salespeople and other staffers who later joined the company, since most employees receive salary plus some kind of equity-based compensation, such as restricted stock units or stock options.

Facebook's headcount has swelled from 700 employees in late 2008 to more than 3,000 today. Given its generous use of equity-based compensation in past years, people familiar with Facebook say that even by conservative estimates there are likely to be well over?1,000?people who will become instant millionaires, at least on paper,?when the company goes public.

"There will be thousands of millionaires," said a former in-house recruiter at Facebook, who did not want to be identified because of confidentiality agreements.

Would you buy Facebook stock? Vote below and then?share on your thoughts on -- where else? -- Facebook.

{"contentId":"10252182","totalVotes":"9551"}

Would you buy stock in Facebook?

?

Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/27/10252182-facebook-poised-to-file-for-ipo-next-week

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Positive economic signs extend commodities rally (AP)

Most commodities rallied for a second day Thursday on the latest signs that the U.S. economy is building momentum.

Investors were encouraged by an increase in orders for long-lasting manufactured goods. But a primary driver of the rally was the Federal Reserve's announcement Wednesday that it will keep interest rates near zero until 2014 to aid the economic recovery.

The policy is expected to cause the dollar to weaken against other currencies. Commodities are priced in dollars so a weaker dollar makes them cheaper for investors who use other currencies.

Metals, wheat, beans and most energy products rose. Natural gas fell 4.2 percent.

The Commerce Department said orders for products expected to last at least three years rose 3 percent in December. That could mean stronger demand for materials used to manufacture products, including copper, platinum and palladium.

In addition, the department said its index of leading economic indicators, a gauge of future economic activity, rose 0.4 percent last month, compared with a 0.2 percent increase in November.

However, the U.S. economy still faces challenges related to Europe's debt crisis and slower growth in Asia. The Federal Reserve expects the U.S. economic recovery to continue at a slow pace.

Country Hedging LLC analyst Sterling Smith said the central bank's policy will prompt investors to step up their search for ways to make profits because low-interest rates typically push bond yields lower. That should benefit commodities.

"It appears if we can avoid any major financial hiccups, we could be looking at a strong (commodities) market for throughout the balance of the year," he said.

In metals trading, gold for February delivery rose $26.60 to finish at $1,726.70 an ounce. April platinum increased $37.20 to end at $1,616.80 an ounce.

In March metals contracts, silver rose 62.2 cents to $33.743 an ounce, copper increased 7.2 cents to $3.9015 per pound and palladium ended up $1.10 at $694.45 an ounce.

Benchmark oil increased 30 cents to end at $99.70 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Heating oil rose 3.42 cents to finish at $3.0446 per gallon, gasoline futures rose 1.34 cents to $2.8508 per gallon and natural gas fell 11.5 cents to $2.654 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In March agriculture contracts, wheat rose 12.25 cents to end at $6.535 per bushel, corn was unchanged at $6.345 per bushel and soybeans increased 9.25 cents to $12.2275 per bushel.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_bi_ge/us_commodities_review

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Summary Box: UK Petroplus refinery in operation (AP)

UP AND RUNNING: The British refinery owned by collapsed Swiss energy company Petroplus Holdings has resumed shipments to customers, while authorities in France investigate possible misuse of funds.

INVESTIGATING: An investigation's under way into suspected bankruptcy through misuse of funds at a French unit of Petroplus. There are suspicions that a bank account of Petroplus-France was stripped of about $129 million.

MONEY WOES: Petroplus, Europe's largest independent refiner, filed for insolvency after failing to agree with its lenders on its $1.75 billion credit line. The company had a loss of $413 million in the first nine months of last year.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_petroplus_summary_box

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MacJordaN: BBC Africa Debate: Is an ?African Spring? Looming on the 2012 Horizon? - http://t.co/yFWLQsd8 | www.macjordangh.com #BBCAfricaDebate #Ghana

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BBC Africa Debate: Is an ?African Spring? Looming on the 2012 Horizon? - goo.gl/38xKe | www.macjordangh.com #BBCAfricaDebate #Ghana Il y a environ 7 heures via TweetDeck Retweeted by 2 people

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Bucs hire Rutgers' Greg Schiano as new coach

FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2010 file photo, Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano listens to a question during a news conference in Piscataway, N.J. A person familiar with the negotiations says the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in talks with Schiano to become the team's next coach. The 46-year-old Schiano has been with the Scarlet Knights for 11 seasons, taking them from college football laughingstock to a program that has had winning records in six of the last seven years. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2010 file photo, Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano listens to a question during a news conference in Piscataway, N.J. A person familiar with the negotiations says the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in talks with Schiano to become the team's next coach. The 46-year-old Schiano has been with the Scarlet Knights for 11 seasons, taking them from college football laughingstock to a program that has had winning records in six of the last seven years. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2006 file photo, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano leads his team onto the field before a football game against Syracuse in Piscataway, N.J. A person familiar with the negotiations says the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in talks with Schiano to become the team's next coach. The 46-year-old Schiano has been with the Scarlet Knights for 11 seasons, taking them from college football laughingstock to a program that has had winning records in six of the last seven years. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, file)

FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2009 file photo, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano reacts to play during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, in Piscataway, N.J. A person familiar with the negotiations says the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in talks with Schiano to become the team's next coach. The 46-year-old Schiano has been with the Scarlet Knights for 11 seasons, taking them from college football laughingstock to a program that has had winning records in six of the last seven years. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, file)

FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2008 file photo, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano shouts to his players during an NCAA college football game against North Carolina in Piscataway, N.J. A person familiar with the negotiations says the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in talks with Schiano to become the team's next coach. The 46-year-old Schiano has been with the Scarlet Knights for 11 seasons, taking them from college football laughingstock to a program that has had winning records in six of the last seven years. (AP Photo/Mel Evans,file)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? The Buccaneers are counting on Greg Schiano to lead them back to respectability and transform Tampa Bay into consistent winners ? much in the same way he made Rutgers matter again.

The 45-year-old former Scarlet Knights coach was hired Thursday, more than three weeks after the Bucs fired Raheem Morris following a 4-12 finish.

The team scheduled a press conference for Friday to introduce Schiano, who inherits a team that allowed the most points in the NFL this season.

"Coach Schiano is a bright, meticulous teacher who knows how to get the most out of his players," general manager Mark Dominik said. "He built and ran a pro-style program at Rutgers, and he's a defensive-minded coach whose teams have always been characterized by toughness and a physical style of play."

Schiano was at Rutgers for 11 seasons, taking them from college football laughingstocks to a program that has had winning records in six of the last seven years. He was an assistant coach in the NFL with Chicago from 1996-98.

The Scarlet Knights appointed offensive line coach Kyle Flood as interim head coach while the school searches for Schiano's replacement.

The Bucs fired Morris on Jan. 2 after Tampa Bay lost 10 straight to end the season, most of them by double-digit margins. The collapse following a promising 4-2 start came only a year after the NFL's youngest team went 10-6 and narrowly missed the playoffs.

The Glazer family that owns the team interviewed at least 10 candidates for the opening, including Oregon's Chip Kelly, who was offered the position before turning it down earlier this week.

The Bucs also talked to former NFL head coaches Mike Sherman, Brad Childress and Marty Schottenheimer; Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski; Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray; Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer; Green Bay quarterbacks coach Tom Clements and former Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, who accepted the head coaching opening with the Miami Dolphins.

An 11th known candidate, ex-Dallas Cowboys coach and current Houston defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, canceled a scheduled interview with the Bucs that would have taken place while the Texans were in the playoffs.

Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said the club was thrilled to entrust the team's rebuilding project to Schiano.

"During our thorough search, we met with numerous impressive candidates, but coach Schiano surely distinguished himself," Glazer said. "From his leadership skills to his considerable track record, he is, simply put, the right man for the job."

It's not the first exhaustive search the Glazers have conducted for a coach.

The Bucs pursued Steve Spurrier before hiring Tony Dungy in 1996, then tried to lure Bill Parcells and Steve Mariucci to Tampa Bay before trading two first-round draft picks, as well as a pair of second-rounders and $8 million cash to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for the opportunity to negotiate a contract with Jon Gruden after the 2001 season.

Gruden led the Bucs to their only Super Bowl title the following season, but Tampa Bay hasn't won a playoff game since. The Glazers fired him three weeks after the Bucs lost the final four games of 2008 to miss the playoffs, and promoted Morris as his successor.

Tampa Bay went 17-31 under Morris, who served as his own defensive coordinator. The Bucs allowed a franchise-record 494 points in 2011, including 31 of more in seven of the last eight games.

In addition to fixing a defense that's been rebuilt over the past two drafts, getting young quarterback Josh Freeman back on track will be a priority this offseason.

Freeman threw for 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 2010, his second year in the league and his first as a full-time starter. The 24-year-old passed for 16 TDs vs. 22 interceptions this season.

The timing of the move could put Rutgers in a bind with national signing day less than a week away. This is a pivotal time in the recruiting process, with coaches locking up commitments from high school prospects who make those agreements official by signing national letters of intent starting Wednesday.

Schiano's contract with Rutgers runs through 2016 and pays him around $2.35 million per year.

He played linebacker at Bucknell, but never in the NFL. His first big break in coaching came at Penn State, where Joe Paterno hired him to coach defensive backs in 1991. He was at Penn State through 1995, before being hired by the Bears.

Because of his success at Rutgers, there had often been speculation for years about Schiano possibly replacing Paterno when the Hall of Famer was done coaching. But when Penn State was looking for a replacement after firing Paterno amid a child sex-abuse scandal involving one of his former longtime assistants, the school hired Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien.

Schiano has been courted by several other colleges during his time at Rutgers, most notably Miami in 2006 and Michigan in 2007.

"I've had several opportunities over the years and none of them felt right," Schiano told The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., as he left Rutgers' football facility Thursday night "This time, this one felt right."

Schiano's first four seasons at Rutgers produced losing seasons, but the program he took over was practically at rock bottom in major college football. Before he was hired, the Scarlet Knights played in only one bowl game in their history.

Schiano brought structure and discipline to a program that sorely lacked both on every level. Not only has Rutgers become a consistent winner in the Big East, but the Scarlet Knights have regularly been among the top teams in the country when it comes to graduating players. He also encouraged the school to secure funding for multimillion dollar upgrades to Rutgers' facilities, including a major stadium renovation.

In 2005, Rutgers went 7-5 and the next season the Scarlet Knights were 11-2. They played in six bowls under Schiano, winning five, including a victory over Iowa state in the Pinstripe Bowl to cap a 9-4 season in 2011.

___

AP College Football Writer Ralph Russo in New York contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-26-FBN-Buccaneers-Schiano/id-f0ab2a3c45ed4f12ab9c5bbe005d55b8

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Wife: Imprisoned Belarus politician seeks pardon (AP)

MINSK, Belarus ? The wife of a jailed former presidential candidate in Belarus says her husband is seeking a pardon from the country's authoritarian leader because he fears for his life.

Andrei Sannikov is serving a five-year prison term on a conviction of organizing riots following the presidential election in December 2010. He was one of seven candidates arrested at or following a massive demonstration on election night protesting alleged vote fraud.

Sannikov's wife Irina Khalip spoke to reporters Wednesday in Minsk.

She says that she saw Sannikov on Tuesday, their first visit in three months. He looked frail and held up a message to the glass in the visiting area saying "They could kill me at any moment."

He applied to President Alexander Lukashenko for a pardon in November, she said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_re_eu/eu_belarus_imprisoned_politician

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Man convicted in Travolta car theft ordered to pay (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? A man who stole John Travolta's vintage 1970 Mercedes-Benz convertible is serving a jail term and been ordered to pay the actor $50,000 in restitution, court records show.

D L Rayford Jr. was sentenced to serve 16 months in jail after pleading no contest to grand theft auto on Jan. 5, nearly three weeks before authorities announced his arrest on Wednesday. Rayford and Michael T. Green were arrested last month on suspicion of taking the car and each was charged with grand theft auto.

Travolta parked the convertible on a residential street in Santa Monica, Calif., for about 10 minutes in September when it was stolen. The Oscar-nominated actor had the car keys with him while he stopped in at a nearby Jaguar dealership and returned to find the car missing.

Santa Monica Police Sgt. Richard Lewis said Travolta's car had been dismantled by the time it was recovered. Among the pieces recovered by authorities were seats, the speedometer, hubcaps and other assorted parts from the vehicle.

Lewis said authorities waited to announce the arrests because their investigation into Rayford and Green had been ongoing. He said Santa Monica Police were able to clear eight stolen car cases after their arrests.

Police recovered the pieces after arresting Rayford and Green, who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of grand theft auto. Robert Conley, a public defender representing him, said he could not comment on the case.

An email message sent to Travolta's publicist Samantha Mast was not immediately returned.

Rayford, 52, has a previous conviction for robbery and Green, 58, have prior convictions, court records show. Green is due back in court on Feb. 8.

___

Follow Anthony McCartney at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_en_ot/us_john_travolta_mercedes_stolen

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Fielder saga nearing end?

January 23, 2012, 1:51 pm

Trying to decipher fact from fiction in the ongoing Prince Fielder saga is like trying to drink coffee with a fork. You can certainly try, but your chances for success are minimal.

As each day this month passes, it becomes more and more difficult to figure out what exactly is going on in Fielder's quest to sign with some major-league club. The handful of people actually in the know are saying very little -- if anything at all -- leaving the rumor mill to sustain itself through all manner of reports ... some of them legitimate, many of them not.

The saga reached perhaps a new low point late Sunday night, when two obscure Twitter users posted fairly emphatic reports about Fielder having signed -- except one report said he had signed with the Nationals while the other claimed he had signed with the Rangers. That set off a chain of retweets and unsubstantiated rumor spreading, including from a handful of professional journalists who never bothered to check the validity of either report before passing it along as fact.

In the end, of course, neither report was accurate. As of this afternoon, Fielder remains unsigned, and no reputable baseball reporter has offered any substantial new information to suggest a deal has been reached with anyone.

That said, it does appear we're inching ever so slowly toward a resolution to this matter at long last. A handful of clubs have been identified by multiple reporters as contenders to acquire Fielder, including the Nationals, Rangers and possibly the Dodgers and Orioles.

No one is suggesting a final decision has been made, and Nationals sources continue to insist nothing has changed from their perspective. But we've probably reached the final leg of this unprecedented ordeal. At this point, agent Scott Boras is merely trying to milk whatever few dollars more he can get out of the contending clubs, trying to play them off each other. Soon enough, those offers will be final and Fielder will have to make his choice.

No free agent has ever gone this deep into the off-season before signing a nine-figure contract. Fielder will be the first to do that. But he probably won't make everyone wait too much longer. Which means we won't be subjected to these wild (and usually unreliable) rumors anymore, a fact reporters and fans alike will certainly appreciate.

Source: http://www.csnwashington.com/blog/nationals-talk/post/Fielder-saga-nearing-conclusion?blockID=636600&feedID=6458

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The Bachelor Ratings: Climbing Fast!

Ben Flajnik's season of The Bachelor is coming on strong after a slow ratings start.

The season launched to franchise-low ratings, but things are looking up after a steady dose of bikini skiing, cat fights and surprising, contrived plot twists.

Averaging 8.2 million overall viewers, and a 2.7 rating among 18-to-49-year-olds, last night's episode marked a season high for the ABC guilty pleasure.

Four episodes in, Ben Flajnik's Bachelor is fast approaching Brad Womack's season a year ago. Just wait until we get to the good stuff a few weeks from now.

How will it end? Read The Bachelor spoilers here for insight on how we believe the 16th season plays out ... or watch in video form below, if you dare.

REPEAT: Mega-spoiler alert for the link above and video below!

The Bachelor Spoilers: How Will It End?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/the-bachelor-ratings-climbing-fast/

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Supreme Court says police need warrant for GPS tracking (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that police cannot put a GPS device on a suspect's car to track his movements without a warrant, a test case that upholds basic privacy rights in the face of new surveillance technology.

The high court ruling was a defeat for the Obama administration, which had argued that a warrant was not required to use global positioning system devices to monitor a vehicle on public streets.

The justices unanimously upheld a precedent-setting ruling by a U.S. appeals court that the police must first obtain a warrant to use a GPS device for an extended period of time to covertly follow a suspect.

The high court ruled that placement of a device on a vehicle and using it to monitor the vehicle's movements was covered by U.S. constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures of evidence.

There are no precise statistics on how often police in the United States use GPS tracking in criminal investigations. But the Obama administration told the court last year it was used sparingly by federal law enforcement officials.

The American Civil Liberties Union rights group hailed the ruling as an important victory for privacy. "While this case turned on the fact that the government physically placed a GPS device on the defendant's car, the implications are much broader," Steven Shapiro of the ACLU said.

"A majority of the court acknowledged that advancing technology, like cell phone tracking, gives the government unprecedented ability to collect, store, and analyze an enormous amount of information about our private lives," he said.

SUSPECTED DRUG TRAFFICKER

The case began in 2005 when police officers went to a public parking lot in Maryland and secretly installed a GPS device on a Jeep Grand Cherokee used by a Washington, D.C. nightclub owner, Antoine Jones.

Jones was suspected of drug trafficking and the police tracked his movements for a month. The resulting evidence played a key role in his conviction for conspiring to distribute cocaine.

The appeals court had thrown out Jones's conviction and his

life-in-prison sentence, and ruled prolonged electronic monitoring of the vehicle amounted to a search.

All nine justices agreed in upholding the appeals court decision, but at least four justices would have gone even further in finding fault not only with the attachment of the device, but also with the lengthy monitoring.

In summarizing the court's majority opinion from the bench, Justice Antonin Scalia said attachment of the device by the police was a trespass and an improper intrusion of the kind that would have been considered a search when the Constitution was adopted some 220 years ago.

The administration argued that even if it were a search, it was lawful and reasonable under the Constitution. Scalia said his opinion did not decide that issue and some more difficult problems that may emerge in a future case, such as a six-month monitoring of a suspected terrorist.

Joining Scalia's opinion were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Sonia Sotomayor.

Sotomayor wrote separately to say the case raised difficult questions about individual privacy expectations in a digital age, but said the case could be decided on narrower grounds over the physical intrusion in attaching the device.

LONG-TERM MONITORING

Justice Samuel Alito wrote a separate opinion that Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan joined. He wrote that he would have decided the case by holding that Jones's reasonable privacy expectations were violated by long-term monitoring of his vehicle's movements.

Alito said in recent years many new devices have emerged that track a person's movements, including video surveillance in some cities, automatic toll collection systems on roads, devices on cars that disclose their location, cell phones and other wireless devices.

"The availability and use of these and other new devices will continue to shape the average person's expectations about the privacy of his or her daily movements," he wrote.

One law professor said those four justices were clearly concerned about the potential impact of new technologies and believed extended monitoring likely required a warrant so law enforcement should "be on the safe side and get a warrant."

"This is an indication that there are justices who are recognizing that privacy norms are shifting but the fact that people's lives take place increasingly online does not mean that society has decided that there's no such thing as privacy anymore," said Joel Reidenberg, a law professor at Fordham University in New York.

The Supreme Court case is United States v. Antoine Jones, No. 10-1259.

(Reporting By James Vicini; Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/us_nm/us_usa_police_gps

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Boehner: State of Union speech may be `pathetic' (AP)

WASHINGTON ? House Speaker John Boehner doesn't sound like he's going to have a fun time listening to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night.

Obama is expected to outline an economic blueprint built around manufacturing, energy and education, and officials have said he'll propose fresh ideas to try to get the wealthy to pay more in taxes.

Boehner says it sounds to him like "the same old policies" of more spending, taxes and regulations that have hurt the economy.

The Ohio Republicans tells "Fox News Sunday" that if that's what Obama is going to talk about, then "I think it's pathetic."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_on_el_pr/us_state_of_the_union_boehner

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Carbon dioxide is 'driving fish crazy'

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Rising human carbon dioxide emissions may be affecting the brains and central nervous system of sea fishes with serious consequences for their survival, an international scientific team has found.

Carbon dioxide concentrations predicted to occur in the ocean by the end of this century will interfere with fishes' ability to hear, smell, turn and evade predators, says Professor Phillip Munday of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University.

"For several years our team have been testing the performance of baby coral fishes in sea water containing higher levels of dissolved CO2 ? and it is now pretty clear that they sustain significant disruption to their central nervous system, which is likely to impair their chances of survival," Prof. Munday says.

In their latest paper, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, Prof. Munday and colleagues report world-first evidence that high CO2 levels in sea water disrupts a key brain receptor in fish, causing marked changes in their behaviour and sensory ability.

"We've found that elevated CO2 in the oceans can directly interfere with fish neurotransmitter functions, which poses a direct and previously unknown threat to sea life," Prof. Munday says.

Prof. Munday and his colleagues began by studying how baby clown and damsel fishes performed alongside their predators in CO2-enriched water. They found that, while the predators were somewhat affected, the baby fish suffered much higher rates of attrition.

"Our early work showed that the sense of smell of baby fish was harmed by higher CO2 in the water ? meaning they found it harder to locate a reef to settle on or detect the warning smell of a predator fish. But we suspected there was much more to it than the loss of ability to smell."

The team then examined whether fishes' sense of hearing ? used to locate and home in on reefs at night, and avoid them during the day ? was affected. "The answer is, yes it was. They were confused and no longer avoided reef sounds during the day. Being attracted to reefs during daylight would make them easy meat for predators."

Other work showed the fish also tended to lose their natural instinct to turn left or right ? an important factor in schooling behaviour which also makes them more vulnerable, as lone fish are easily eaten by predators.

"All this led us to suspect it wasn't simply damage to their individual senses that was going on ? but rather, that higher levels of carbon dioxide were affecting their whole central nervous system."

The team's latest research shows that high CO2 directly stimulates a receptor in the fish brain called GABA-A, leading to a reversal in its normal function and over-excitement of certain nerve signals.

While most animals with brains have GABA-A receptors, the team considers the effects of elevated CO2 are likely to be most felt by those living in water, as they have lower blood CO2 levels normally. The main impact is likely to be felt by some crustaceans and by most fishes, especially those which use a lot of oxygen.

Prof. Munday said that around 2.3 billion tonnes of human CO2 emissions dissolve into the world's oceans every year, causing changes in the chemical environment of the water in which fish and other species live.

"We've now established it isn't simply the acidification of the oceans that is causing disruption ? as is the case with shellfish and plankton with chalky skeletons ? but the actual dissolved CO2 itself is damaging the fishes' nervous systems."

The work shows that fish with high oxygen consumption are likely to be most affected, suggesting the effects of high CO2 may impair some species worse than others ? possibly including important species targeted by the world's fishing industries.

###

ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies: http://www.coralcoe.org.au/

Thanks to ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116913/Carbon_dioxide_is__driving_fish_crazy_

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Cooling semiconductor by laser light

ScienceDaily (Jan. 22, 2012) ? Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute have combined two fields -- quantum physics and nano physics -- and this has led to the discovery of a new method for laser cooling semiconductor membranes. Semiconductors are vital components in solar cells, LEDs and many other electronics, and the efficient cooling of components is important for future quantum computers and ultrasensitive sensors. The new cooling method works quite paradoxically by heating the material! Using lasers, researchers cooled membrane fluctuations to minus 269 degrees C.

The results are published in the journal Nature Physics.

"In experiments, we have succeeded in achieving a new and efficient cooling of a solid material by using lasers. We have produced a semiconductor membrane with a thickness of 160 nanometers and an unprecedented surface area of 1 by 1 millimeter. In the experiments, we let the membrane interact with the laser light in such a way that its mechanical movements affected the light that hit it. We carefully examined the physics and discovered that a certain oscillation mode of the membrane cooled from room temperature down to minus 269 degrees C, which was a result of the complex and fascinating interplay between the movement of the membrane, the properties of the semiconductor and the optical resonances," explains Koji Usami, associate professor at Quantop at the Niels Bohr Institute.

From gas to solid

Laser cooling of atoms has been practiced for several years in experiments in the quantum optical laboratories of the Quantop research group at the Niels Bohr Institute. Here researchers have cooled gas clouds of cesium atoms down to near absolute zero, minus 273 degrees C, using focused lasers and have created entanglement between two atomic systems. The atomic spin becomes entangled and the two gas clouds have a kind of link, which is due to quantum mechanics. Using quantum optical techniques, they have measured the quantum fluctuations of the atomic spin.

"For some time we have wanted to examine how far you can extend the limits of quantum mechanics -- does it also apply to macroscopic materials? It would mean entirely new possibilities for what is called optomechanics, which is the interaction between optical radiation, i.e. light, and a mechanical motion," explains Professor Eugene Polzik, head of the Center of Excellence Quantop at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen.

But they had to find the right material to work with.

Lucky coincidence

In 2009, Peter Lodahl (who is today a professor and head of the Quantum Photonic research group at the Niels Bohr Institute) gave a lecture at the Niels Bohr Institute, where he showed a special photonic crystal membrane that was made of the semiconducting material gallium arsenide (GaAs). Eugene Polzik immediately thought that this nanomembrane had many advantageous electronic and optical properties and he suggested to Peter Lodahl's group that they use this kind of membrane for experiments with optomechanics. But this required quite specific dimensions and after a year of trying they managed to make a suitable one.

"We managed to produce a nanomembrane that is only 160 nanometers thick and with an area of more than 1 square millimetre. The size is enormous, which no one thought it was possible to produce," explains Assistant Professor S?ren Stobbe, who also works at the Niels Bohr Institute.

Basis for new research

Now a foundation had been created for being able to reconcile quantum mechanics with macroscopic materials to explore the optomechanical effects.

Koji Usami explains that in the experiment they shine the laser light onto the nanomembrane in a vacuum chamber. When the laser light hits the semiconductor membrane, some of the light is reflected and the light is reflected back again via a mirror in the experiment so that the light flies back and forth in this space and forms an optical resonator. Some of the light is absorbed by the membrane and releases free electrons. The electrons decay and thereby heat the membrane and this gives a thermal expansion. In this way the distance between the membrane and the mirror is constantly changed in the form of a fluctuation.

"Changing the distance between the membrane and the mirror leads to a complex and fascinating interplay between the movement of the membrane, the properties of the semiconductor and the optical resonances and you can control the system so as to cool the temperature of the membrane fluctuations. This is a new optomechanical mechanism, which is central to the new discovery. The paradox is that even though the membrane as a whole is getting a little bit warmer, the membrane is cooled at a certain oscillation and the cooling can be controlled with laser light. So it is cooling by warming! We managed to cool the membrane fluctuations to minus 269 degrees C," Koji Usami explains.

"The potential of optomechanics could, for example, pave the way for cooling components in quantum computers. Efficient cooling of mechanical fluctuations of semiconducting nanomembranes by means of light could also lead to the development of new sensors for electric current and mechanical forces. Such cooling in some cases could replace expensive cryogenic cooling, which is used today and could result in extremely sensitive sensors that are only limited by quantum fluctuations," says Professor Eugene Polzik.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Copenhagen.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. K. Usami, A. Naesby, T. Bagci, B. Melholt Nielsen, J. Liu, S. Stobbe, P. Lodahl, E. S. Polzik. Optical cavity cooling of mechanical modes of a semiconductor nanomembrane. Nature Physics, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nphys2196

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122152546.htm

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Android Central 84: CES wrap-up, in-car Android, the trouble with Lightsquared

Podcast MP3 URL: 

http://traffic.libsyn.com/androidcentral/acpc84.mp3

Thing 1: CES recap

• Android Central staff's best of CES picks
• All of our CES coverage

Thing 2: 11 billion downloads, Google Wallet still alive

• Google: Quarter-billion Android devices worldwide, 11 billion downloads
• Google: We will continue to invest in Google Wallet

Thing 3: Ice Cream Sandwich updates

• Ice Cream Sandwich for the Motorola Xoom appears to be rolling out now to everyone
• The complete Motorola Xoom Wifi Ice Cream Sandwich changelog

Thing 4: Other random stuff

• HTC confirms it's pulling Carrier IQ from Sprint ROMs in future updates
• LightSquared claims government testing 'rigged' by GPS industry insiders
• Android A to Z
• Calling all Developers: Want to create the next generation of the Android Central App?
• Editorial: Everybody always is working on better battery life

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/xnYErzBzz24/story01.htm

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Paperlinks business-friendly QR code service hits Android | Android ...

Paperlinks, the popular business-friendly QC code scanner and generator has just landed on the Android Market. Starting today users can download this free app and have complete access to multiple types of QR code services. Another unique offering with Paperlinks is the inclusion of NFC support for Android.

With the new app for Android users can quickly and effectively create and scan QR codes. From there they offer a full history of created and scanned codes, and you can even share information using the NFC capabilities of Android. One of the main features of Paperlinks is the option to customize the QR codes and even add company logo?s and other designs into the code.

FEATURES:

? Instant Scan ? no touching, tapping or clicking. Unlike other QR reader apps, you just open Paperlinks and scan!
? Fast ? go from app to content in a split second.
? History ? Access to a complete list of all previous scans.
? Full Paperlinks integration with QR codes generated through Paperlinks.com.

Looking through the Android market their new app doesn?t seem to be compatible with a wide array of devices yet but it was just launched today. It appears to only install on NFC equipped devices. Using Paperlinks as a simple QR scanner is also extremely quick and easy as it launches faster than any other app I?ve used thus far.

You can download the new Paperlinks app today from the market link below. Give it a test, then head to their official site to create your own free and custom QR codes.

Market Link

Source: http://androidcommunity.com/paperlinks-business-friendly-qr-code-service-hits-android-20120120/

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3 shark attacks in Australia in less than 3 weeks (AP)

SYDNEY ? A 10-foot (3-meter) tiger shark has attacked a swimmer off a remote beach in Australia's third attack this month. That's as many attacks as the country generally sees in an entire year.

Western Australia Police Sgt. Gerry Cassidy says the man was swimming in a lagoon at Western Australia's Coral Bay on Thursday when the shark bit the man's arm. The attack left the swimmer with severe lacerations.

Royal Flying Doctor Service spokeswoman Joanne Hill says a doctor was assessing the 26-year-old man, but his injuries were not life-threatening and he was in a stable condition.

The attack comes one day after a surfer was bitten by a shark at a beach off Australia's east coast. Another surfer was attacked at a beach north of Sydney on Jan. 3.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_shark_attack

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Sony unveils Walkman B170 Series, promises to boost your bass

Sony has unveiled a slate of new Walkman MP3 players today, with the launch of its B170 Series. Available in both 2GB and 4GB varieties, these new devices weigh in at just 28 grams, but apparently pack plenty of punch, providing up to 18 hours of listening on a full charge. If you're pressed for time, though, you can just plug it in for three minutes, which, in turn, will give you a full 90 minutes of listening time. There's also an onboard equalizer, voice recorder and USB port, as well as a dedicated "Bass Boost" that, as you may have guessed, will boost your bass. No word yet on pricing, but Sony says its new Walkmans will be available sometime this month. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Sony unveils Walkman B170 Series, promises to boost your bass

Sony unveils Walkman B170 Series, promises to boost your bass originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/hH_cGx9k5Kg/

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Exclusive: Turkey works to cut dependence on Iranian oil (Reuters)

GENEVA/LONDON (Reuters) ? Turkish refiner Tupras plans to cut its dependence on imports of Iranian oil and will meet Saudi Arabian authorities this month, industry sources familiar with the company's strategy said on Thursday, as Western powers crack down on Iran's oil sales.

Turkey imports more than 30 percent of its daily consumption from Iran and has so far given no indication that it will comply with a planned European Union import embargo on Iranian crude.

But one of the sources said that Iranian threats to shut down the world's most important oil export route, the Strait of Hormuz, had helped push Turkish oil officials to try to reduce the country's heavy dependence on Iran's oil.

Iran has made no move to shut the world's most important oil export route, which had a daily flow of almost 17 million barrels last year, but has threatened action if Europe implements new sanctions.

Another of the sources said Tupras officials were planning to meet Saudi Arabian oil authorities this month, with a view to switching to alternative sources of crude by the summer.

Tupras declined to give an immediate comment.

"I think the meeting is to learn the supply capacity ahead of (state oil company Saudi) Aramco's other clients," said the first source, adding that other oil producing countries would also be contacted.

"I don't think Saudi can cover all of the import requirements. You must consider demands made by China, Korea, India, Japan also," he said

"Maybe at most, half of its Iran imports may be substituted," he estimated.

A Saudi source said the kingdom's oil authorities were getting more orders to replace Iranian crude but declined to comment on specific requests.

The first source said Turkey was also planning to meet with oil suppliers from Russia, Azerbaijan and West Africa.

According to sources familiar with the Russian oil market, Turkey has begun to show an increased interest in its crude supplies.

"Tupras has been recently buying more Urals. I guess right now everyone is trying to diversify from Iran one way or another," one trader said.

SANCTIONS

The Obama administration is mulling its options to make countries cut their imports of Iranian crude, without driving oil prices higher and risking hurting the U.S. economy in an election year.

Tensions in the Gulf have caused occasional spikes in oil prices in recent weeks, and major importers of Iranian oil have opposed an embargo on Iranian crude, fearing this would send oil prices rocketing at a time when they can least afford it.

Officials in Saudi Arabia, however, have signaled they are ready to fill a supply gap.

U.S. officials have travelled to China, South Korea and Japan to persuade some of Iran's biggest customers in Asia to cut purchases.

The European Union is likely to agree on an oil embargo against Iran Monday, France's foreign minister said on Thursday.

Real cuts in Europe will take time, however. The countries that are most reliant on imports from Iran are also those most exposed to the euro debt crisis.

Italian, Greek and Spanish companies have already said they planned to extend most of their oil supply deals with Iran and expected to win a sanctions reprieve from the EU for six months or longer.

But even if the West implements sanctions, it is unclear whether it will succeed in choking off a vital source of income for Iran.

China, the biggest buyer of Iranian crude, has stepped up opposition to an embargo in recent weeks. India, which relies on Iran for around 12 percent of its crude, has said it will continue to do business with the Islamic Republic.

(Reporting by Emma Farge in Geneva and Jessica Donati in London; additional reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov, Amena Bakr and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Jane Baird)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120119/wl_nm/us_turkey_iran_oil

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Intel offers overclocking protection plan, takes Cash4CPUs

For a certain subset of tech geeks, it can be hard to live with the knowledge that raw processing power lies untapped within their machines. And it's typically those users that indulge in a bit of overclocking, pushing their CPUs to the limit, often resulting in unstable performance or even a fried processor. Give a hand, then, to the folks over at Intel, who have heard your nerd pleas and are offering up an extended safety net so you can continue to code dangerously. Dubbed the Performance Tuning Protection Plan, this optional add-on for unlocked processors (ending in X or K) reaches beyond the standard three year warranty to give users a one-time replacement. You'll still have to cough up some cash -- about $20 to $35 depending on what your computer's packing -- but that's still a small price to pay for a second chance at silicon thrills.

Intel offers overclocking protection plan, takes Cash4CPUs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/19/intel-offers-overclocking-protection-plan-takes-cash4cpus/

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Lead poisoning common in Burmese refugee kids (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) ? Many Burmese refugee children bound for the U.S. may have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood, a new government study finds.

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that of 642 U.S.-bound Burmese children, 90 percent had some amount of lead in their blood. Overall, 5 percent had lead poisoning -- including nearly 15 percent of children younger than 2.

High lead exposure is especially dangerous for young children, since it can permanently damage their developing brains.

In the U.S. and other developed countries, children's lead exposure dropped substantially after the heavy metal was removed from gasoline, house paints and other products. But studies have found that lead poisoning is still fairly common among refugee children who come from countries where lead exposure is a bigger problem.

For the new study, CDC researchers focused on Burmese children who were living in one of three Thailand refugee camps before coming to the U.S.

In 2008, there had been reports of high lead poisoning rates among children who were resettled in the U.S. after living in those camps -- suggesting that at least some of their lead exposure happened in the camps.

The CDC researchers found that of 642 refugee-camp children tested over two months in 2009, nearly all had some detectable lead in their blood. And the number with lead poisoning was several times higher than what's seen in U.S. children.

Of children younger than 6 -- the most at-risk age group -- about 7 percent had lead poisoning. In the U.S., it's estimated that 1 percent of kids in that age range suffer lead poisoning.

What's more, refugee children younger than 2 had a lead poisoning rate of 14.5 percent.

Children were considered to have lead poisoning if their levels were at least 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood. That's the CDC's current threshold.

A federal advisory panel, however, just recommended that the threshold be lowered to 5 micrograms. It has long been known that even lead exposures lower than 10 micrograms per deciliter are linked to lower IQ in children.

The CDC already recommends that all refugee children have their lead levels checked within three months of arriving in the U.S.

CAR BATTERIES, REMEDIES, ANEMIA AT FAULT?

The current study is the first to test children's lead concentrations before they come to the U.S., according to the CDC researchers, led by Dr. Tarissa Mitchell.

And the findings point to some factors that put children at particular risk while they're still in refugee camps.

Many children with lead poisoning were exposed to car batteries in their homes, which families used to generate power for electronic items. Children younger than 2 were particularly likely to have touched or "mouthed" the batteries.

Young children who'd been given traditional remedies at the camps were also at increased risk of lead poisoning, the researchers found.

Past studies have found that some traditional medicines are contaminated with lead. When Mitchell's team tested seven remedies sold at the Thai refugee camps, they found that one -- a "multipurpose infant remedy" called Gaw Mo Dah -- had lead levels far above what's considered acceptable in foods in the U.S.

But the biggest factor seemed to be anemia, which is most often caused by iron deficiency. Anemia is known to make children more vulnerable to lead poisoning.

The CDC recommends that when refugee children in the U.S. are tested for lead levels, they also be screened for anemia and have a "nutritional assessment."

But the current findings also show that efforts are needed in the refugee camps themselves, according to Mitchell's team.

The Thai camps, they say, have already started educational campaigns to warn families about the dangers of lead exposure.

Once children are in the U.S., the CDC researchers say, families should be placed in "lead-safe" housing. And after their first lead test, children younger than 6 should be re-tested within six months of settling into permanent housing.

Burma, also known as Myanmar, was under military rule until last year, when a civilian government was installed following elections. Each year since 2007, up to 15,000 Burmese refugees have resettled in the U.S. from camps in Thailand.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/zNNv7x Pediatrics, online January 16, 2012.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120117/hl_nm/us_lead_poisoning

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