Syria, Iran say Assad to remain in power till 2014

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, left, and his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi, shake hands, at the conclusion of their press conference, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 2, 2013. The Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers on Saturday accused the United States of double standards over the Obama administration's decision to provide aid to rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad, saying this will only prolong the conflict. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, left, and his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi, shake hands, at the conclusion of their press conference, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 2, 2013. The Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers on Saturday accused the United States of double standards over the Obama administration's decision to provide aid to rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad, saying this will only prolong the conflict. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, right, attends a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi, unseen, as an Iranian Foreign Ministry official adjusts a Syrian flag, at left, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 2, 2013. The Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers on Saturday accused the United States of double standards over the Obama administration's decision to provide aid to rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad, saying this will only prolong the conflict. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi speaks during a joint news conference with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem,unseen, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 2, 2013. The Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers on Saturday accused the United States of double standards over the Obama administration's decision to provide aid to rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad, saying this will only prolong the conflict. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) ? Iran and Syria condemned a U.S. plan to assist rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad on Saturday and signaled the Syrian leader intends to stay in power at least until 2014 presidential elections.

The remarks came against the backdrop of a strategic victory for the regime as the military regained control over a string of villages along a key highway to open a potential supply route in Syria's heavily contested north.

The army command boasted of the achievement in a statement, saying it had eradicated the remnants of "terrorist agents and mercenaries" in the area that links the government-controlled central city of Hama with Aleppo's international airport.

The reversal of gains, confirmed by Syrian activists, has the potential to change the outcome of the battle in Aleppo, Syria's largest city where government troops and rebels have been locked in a stalemate for months.

Syrian rebels have long complained that they are hampered by the world's failure to provide heavier arms to help them battle Assad's better-equipped military. The international community is reluctant to send weapons partly because of fears they may fall into the hands of extremists who have been gaining influence among the rebels.

But U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Thursday that the Obama administration was giving an additional $60 million in assistance to Syria's political opposition and would, for the first time, provide non-lethal aid directly to the rebels.

In their first official statements on the U.S. decision, the Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers accused Washington of having double standards and warned it will only delay an end to the civil war.

Iran is a staunch ally of the Syrian regime and has stood by the embattled Assad throughout the conflict.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem and his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, also set clear parameters for any future talks with the opposition, saying that whether Assad stays or goes will be decided in presidential elections scheduled for next year. Salehi went further to say Assad may run for another term.

"Assad is Syria's legal president until the next elections. Individuals have the freedom to run as candidates. Until that time, Assad is Syria's president," Salehi said at a joint news conference in Tehran. Al-Moallem said the Syrian people have the right to choose their leaders through the ballot box.

The remarks are likely to complicate already faltering diplomatic efforts to start a dialogue between the government and the opposition, which has offered to join talks with regime elements but insists that Assad must step down.

The U.N. estimates that 70,000 people have died since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011.

Syria's opposition chief has offered to sit down for talks with regime elements, but insists that Assad must step down.

Al-Moallem said it was inconceivable that Washington would allocate $60 million in assistance to Syrian opposition groups while it continues to "kill the Syrian people" through economic sanctions imposed against the country.

"If they truly wanted a political settlement, they wouldn't punish the Syrian people and finance (opposition) groups with so-called non-lethal aid," he said. "Who are they kidding?"

The Damascus official called Syria's sovereignty a "red line."

He directly accused Turkey and Qatar and other countries he did not name of supporting and funding "armed terrorist groups" operating in Syria, using the regime's terminology for the rebels. Both countries are strong rebel backers and have offered logistical and other assistance to Syrian opposition groups.

His Iranian host, Salehi, said "double standards were being applied by certain countries that serve to prolong and deepen the Syrian crisis" and lead to more bloodshed.

Syrian rebels control large swaths of land in the country's northeast, including several neighborhoods of Aleppo.

For weeks they have been trying to storm the Aleppo airport, a major prize in the battle for Syria's commercial capital. The rebels ousted troops from several bases protecting the facility and cut off a major highway the army used to supply its troops inside the airport complex.

Syrian army officials said troops had secured the facility and regained control of several villages along the highway leading to the airport after days of fighting.

An opposition spokesman, Rami Abdul-Rahman, director the Britain-based anti-regime activist group the Observatory for Human Rights, confirmed the army's victory Saturday, calling it a "significant achievement."

"Securing these villages, assuming the regime can hang on to them, has the potential to turn around the direction of the conflict in Aleppo," Abdul-Rahman said.

In other violence Saturday, clashes broke out in the northeastern Raqqa province, and activists said dozens of people on both sides were reported dead or wounded.

Ahrar al-Sham Movement, a militant Islamic brigade fighting with the rebels, announced in an online video posted Saturday that it was starting a wide scale operation against military and infrastructure targets in the area along with other extremists including Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaida-affiliated group designated by the U.S. as a terrorist group.

Sporadic clashes also continued near Syria's Rabiya border crossing with Iraq. Syrian fighter jets fired at least two missiles and rebels on the ground fired at the jets, according to a witness on the Iraqi side of the border.

The fighting comes a day after Iraqi officials said a Russian-made rocket fired from Syria slammed into Iraqi territory, intensifying concerns that violence from Syria's civil war could spill across the border. No one was injured in the strike.

A police officer at the Iraqi Rabiya border crossing said five Syrian soldiers and one officer fled the clashes into Iraqi territory. Three of the soldiers were wounded and evacuated to a hospital in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, he said. A doctor confirmed the figure.

Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information to the media. They didn't say what happened to the other three who fled.

The chief of Syrian rebel forces, Salim Idris, accused Iraqi soldiers of firing at rebel positions inside Syrian territory and claimed Iraq's government was backing Assad's regime.

Iraq's Defense Ministry denied that Iraqi forces were backing the Syrian army during clashes with rebels. A statement said Iraqi forces are deployed in the border regions only for routine duties and one Iraqi soldier was wounded during the exchange of fire.

___

Karam reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Barbara Surk in Beirut, Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran and Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-02-Syria/id-33c47fdb876148a397c0d11d299d6cbe

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Frustrated McIlroy walks off course at Honda

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, watches his tee shot on the 10th hole during the first round of the Honda Classic golf tournament, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, watches his tee shot on the 10th hole during the first round of the Honda Classic golf tournament, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) ? Whether his pain was mental or dental, Rory McIlroy walked off the course in the middle of his round Friday at the Honda Classic and invited even more scrutiny of golf's No. 1 player.

McIlroy already was 7-over par through eight holes when he hit his second shot into the water on the par-5 18th and didn't bother hitting another shot. He shook hands with Ernie Els and Mark Wilson, turned in his scorecard and walked straight to the parking lot.

McIlroy told three reporters who followed him that he's "not in a good place mentally."

An hour later, his management company issued a statement that the 23-year-old McIlroy couldn't concentrate because of a sore wisdom tooth.

His abrupt departure only added to the sloppy start to his young season, and raised concerns with the Masters just more than a month away. In three tournaments, he has missed the cut in Abu Dhabi, lost in the first round of the Match Play Championship and withdrew after 26 holes at PGA National.

"His demeanor looks a little different," said Graeme McDowell, one of his best friends. "I felt like he was a little off with his golf swing on the range. There were a few moans and groans coming from the bay next to me. It's normally a display. It's normally a clinic. It's superlatives coming from the coach and the caddie. That's the sign of a guy who's lacking a little technique in his swing and a little belief in his game."

In the parking lot, McIlroy was asked three times if anything was wrong physically and he said no. Golfweek magazine reported he was near tears.

"There's not really much I can say, guys," McIlroy said. "I'm not in a good place mentally, you know?"

Els also hit into the water on the 18th and was complaining to a rules official about the muddy conditions of the fairway when he figured out McIlroy was through.

"I was dropping my ball and I realized he wasn't dropping his ball," Els said. "I thought maybe his ball crossed further up (the hazard). When I hit my fourth shot, he just came up and said, 'Here's my card. I'm out of here.'"

McIlroy, who last year won the Honda Classic to go to No. 1 in the world for the first time, apologized to the tournament for his "sudden withdrawal."

"I have been suffering with a sore wisdom tooth, which is due to come out in the near future," McIlroy said. "It began bothering me again last night, so I relieved it with Advil. It was very painful again this morning, and I was simply unable to concentrate. It was really bothering me and had begun to affect my playing partners."

He was seen eating a sandwich on the 18th fairway.

"I'm a great fan of Rory's, but I don't think that was the right thing to do," Els said.

Told about McIlroy's statement about the sore wisdom tooth, Els softened his stance, not wanting to judge another player's pain.

"I didn't see anything, but if he had a toothache, that's what it is, you know?" Els said. "Hey, it's tough. If you ask him how he's feeling now, he's obviously feeling terrible for what's happened this morning."

"I didn't notice anything," Wilson said. "He wasn't playing the way the world No. 1 plays normally. Didn't hit the ball where he wanted to, and he's a true gentleman, though. He ... wasn't treating Ernie and myself in a different way. He was upset with his golf and I guess he had enough for the week."

Tiger Woods understand better than anyone in golf what it's like to have every move judged, though for Woods it started not long after he turned pro in 1996.

"You've just got to ... think about it a little bit more before you say something or do something," Woods said. " It can get out of hand, especially when you get into social media and start tweeting and all those different things that can go wrong. Jokingly saying something doesn't always come off as saying that, even though the intent was different."

McIlroy, coming off a year in which he won a second major with a record, already set himself up for scrutiny when he left Titleist to sign an equipment deal with Nike that was said to be worth upward of $20 million a year. Instead of taking a long winter break, he spent much of December trying to adjust to his new clubs. McIlroy said Tuesday it wasn't the clubs; his swing was out of sorts.

"I'm sure the guy has got a lot on his mind," McDowell said. "When you start trying to prove things to other people and you stop playing for yourself, it's a dangerous place to be. ... Any player would have did what he's done with regard to the equipment change. He's one of the most talented players I've ever seen. Once he starts believing in himself, he'll be back."

McIlroy won the PGA Championship by a record eight shots last year, making him the youngest player since Seve Ballesteros in 1980 to win two majors. McIlroy won the U.S. Open in 2011 by eight shots with a record score.

Nike introduced him with blaring music and a laser show in Abu Dhabi, but it's been all downhill from there.

After rounds of 75-75 in Abu Dhabi, he took a four-week break and spent time with tennis girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki. He was eliminated at Match Play in a sloppy performance by both of them. McIlroy returned to Florida and played 36 holes with Woods at The Medalist.

He said on Tuesday that it was no time to panic so early in the season.

"Even though my results haven't revealed it, I really felt like I was rounding a corner," McIlroy said. "This is one of my favorite tournaments of the year and I regret having to make the decision to withdraw, but it was one I had to make."

It looked more like McIlroy was sinking than rounding the corner, not difficult to do on a course with so many water hazards. And he found plenty of them.

McIlroy, who opened with a 70, hit two poor chips that led to double bogey on No. 11, and a wild tee shot to the right led to a bogey on the 13th. His round really unraveled on the par-4 16th, when he hit his tee shot to the right and into the water, took a penalty drop and then came up short of the green and into the water again on his way to a triple bogey. He three-putted from 40 feet on the 17th, running his first putt about 10 feet by the hole, for a bogey to go 7 over.

And then came the approach on the 18th that found water for the third time on his short day.

McIlroy is scheduled to play next week in the Cadillac Championship at Doral, which has no cut, and then the Houston Open. But on the first day of March, he left having completed only round of competition.

"I didn't think much of the equipment change. We've all made equipment changes before," said Els, who has used three brands of clubs to win majors. "I think there was a bit of criticism somewhere, and then I think he's further responding to that, and I think he's got a bit of pressure coming on him that way. I thought he played quite well yesterday. I thought he was pretty close to playing good golf, and unfortunately this morning ... hopefully he gets it together. We've got next week, got four rounds there. Such a talented player. He'll get it figured out."

Geoff Ogilvy always preached caution about rushing to judgment of Boy Wonder. A year ago, McIlroy missed the cut in four out of five tournaments, including the U.S. Open. He won four times from August to November, including the PGA and two FedEx Cup playoff events.

"Everyone is being a little hard on the equipment," Ogilvy said. "He has a plan. He had a plan last year, and it all worked out for him. He had a rubbish year, really, until late summer. In May, everyone was throwing him under the bus and everyone was claiming him at the end of the year.

"He'll probably go win the Masters by eight and we'll all go, 'He knew what he was doing.' "

It was the second straight year one of golf's biggest stars failed to finish a tournament on the Florida swing. Woods withdrew after 11 holes on the final round at Doral last year because of tightness in his Achilles tendon, raising questions about the seriousness of his recurring leg injuries. He won Bay Hill two weeks later.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-01-GLF-Honda-Classic-McIlroy/id-9c7e2ddada8340118a3392ef9c7d4003

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Health, Fitness, Wellness: Commit To A Lifestyle

Health, fitness, and wellness are not about any?particular collection of recipes or about any particular exercise DVD. They are collectively about a lifestyle, a commitment. In other words, commit to nutritional awareness, to good eating habits, to exercise awareness, to adequate and frequent exercise, to reduced stress, and so on.? Recipes, DVDs, etc., might serve as tools or implements at any given point in time. But the commitment, the awareness, the lifestyle mean that you will eat right and exercise ? recipes or no recipes, DVD or no DVD. And for the long term.

The following is one of my quotes which appears on the ?Robert?s Quotes? page of this website:

People often talk about discipline when they talk about exercise or good nutrition. I prefer the word ?commitment?. You?re committed elsewhere in your life, why not commit to your own health, fitness, and wellness?

My eBook, ?AGE RE-DEFINED: Take Control of Your Health, How You Feel, And How You Look ? Even In Your Forties & Fifties?, is an example of a resource which is intended to promote awareness of health, fitness, exercise, nutrition, and the mind-body connection, as well as an enduring commitment to a healthy, fit, and well lifestyle.

Whether you read my eBook or not, think lifestyle. You?re not giving up anything ? except maybe unwanted body weight, low energy, and the like.

So,?again: ?You?re committed elsewhere in your life, why not commit to your own health, fitness, and wellness? Ask yourself if you?re committing to a lifestyle, to health, fitness, and wellness -to yourself, to a new and improved you, to an improving you. ?The commitment can be in stages, in increments. But, ultimately, and for lasting effects,?it should be to more than just a DVD or a particular collection of recipes.

And speaking of exercise DVDs, here?is a link to?one Yahoo News Contributor?s thoughts about why hiring a personal trainer is a good investment:

http://news.yahoo.com/3-reasons-why-helps-hire-personal-trainer-175600971.html

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Source: http://www.roberthenryfitness.com/health-fitness-wellness-commit-to-a-lifestyle/

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Everyone hates the sequester, but it's here

By Walter Shapiro

The most ominous sign in Washington this week? The speechwriters have simply given up.

There is nary a new argument, thought or metaphor to emerge from the White House or Capitol Hill as the dreaded sequester?D.C.?s version of a slasher movie?is slated to take effect late Friday night. With the indiscriminate slice-and-dice power of a Veg-O-Matic, Congress will chop $85 billion from the current federal budget, affecting everything from the Pentagon to the Centers for Disease Control.

In a rare show of political unity, no major figure in either party believes that this complete abdication of priorities (federal meat inspectors are treated the same as tourism planners at the Commerce Department) is a sane way to do budgeting. And in a typical show of Washington paralysis, no one seems willing to do anything about it.

Instead of round-the-clock negotiations, we get round-the-clock talking points. In his opening statement at his Wednesday briefing, White House press secretary Jay Carney sang nine times about the virtues of a ?balanced? plan to reduce the deficit. In a Wednesday night speech to the Business Council, Barack Obama warbled about, yes, ?a balanced approach to deficit reduction.?

John Boehner is equally culpable in abandoning any attempt at originality. In his press conferences and TV appearances, the House speaker keeps harping on the same argument that he used with reporters on Tuesday:? ?Where?s the president?s plan to avoid a sequester? Have you seen one? I haven?t seen one. All I?ve heard is that he wants to raise taxes again.?

Wow. An oratorical choice worthy of Churchill: ?A balanced approach? versus ?Where?s the plan?? Small wonder that Washington is far more riveted by journalist Bob Woodward?s exaggerated claim that he felt threatened by a White House economic adviser than the debate over the looming budget sequester.

Beyond the well-deserved ridicule and the pointless suffering (fewer air traffic controllers are a real but over-hyped example), there are serious factors here that are apt to cast a pall over the next four years in Washington. The budgetary thicket seems inescapable. And neither party is likely to gain enough seats in the 2014 elections to cut through the underbrush.

So, what we are left with are these dismal realities:

Both parties have abandoned economic growth: More than a half century ago John Kennedy ran on the slogan we need to revive in 2013: ?Let?s get America moving again.? Now, sadly enough, that line sounds more closely connected with Michelle Obama?s anti-obesity initiatives than economic policymaking.

All the tedious green-eyeshade arguments over budget arithmetic totally neglect economic growth. A sharp drop in the unemployment rate would do far more to reduce the deficit than all the current fiscal shell games in Washington.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testifying this week before Congress warned that the economy would face a ?significant headwind? from the draconian budget cuts, especially since they come so soon after year-end tax increases. Companies like Wal-Mart have already cited the end of the temporary 2 percent payroll tax holiday as a cause of diminished profit estimates. And the consensus of private forecasters is that actions by the government (the automatic spending cuts and the tax increases) could slice as much as 1.5 percent from 2013 economic growth projections.

It would be bad enough if Washington (the Federal Reserve aside) were doing nothing to aid the sputtering economic recovery. But what is actually happening is far worse?the deadlock of democracy pitting the White House against Congress is destroying jobs rather than creating them.

In truth, the blame falls more heavily on congressional Republicans than it does the White House. Peddling tax cuts as a solution for all human maladies including writer?s block, the GOP has thwarted every effort by Obama since the 2010 elections to stimulate the economy. Oddly enough, the Republicans were happy to join with the White House in jettisoning the one tax break that helped all working Americans?that 2 percent payroll tax cut that expired at the end of 2012.

But Obama does not deserve a free pass, either. Too often the White House has appeared more interested in scoring political points than in negotiating. The president is also complicit in accepting the idea that a grand bargain on long-term spending cuts is somehow necessary before the economy gets back on its feet.

The result is a bipartisan doctrine of austerity that has enshrined budget cutting as a major activity of government. Too often the political argument is over what to cut rather than whether such slash-and-burn tactics are appropriate at this moment. The problem with austerity is that it creates an austere future for millions of Americans. It is tragic that the unemployment rate remains at nearly 8 percent four long years after the financial meltdown.

Democrats are from Jupiter, Republicans are from Saturn: The sequester was calibrated with the precision of jewel thieves constructing an explosive charge to blow up a bank vault. The theory was that there were enough ticking time bomb provisions in the legislation to make both parties recoil in horror. Democrats supposedly would agree to anything to prevent the cuts in domestic spending from taking effect while Republicans would wave the white flag before sacrificing the Pentagon budget.

This 2011 deal?hammered out against the backdrop of the irresponsible GOP-inspired debt-ceiling crisis?was based on faulty assumptions. Since entitlements like Social Security and Medicare were protected from the budget knife, Democrats have been so far willing to grit their teeth and accept automatic trims in domestic spending. For their part, Republicans have proved less wedded to protecting every line item in the Defense budget than Democrats ever anticipated.??

As a consequence, both sides are going through the motions and negotiating only when the cameras are rolling. The no-chance-it-will-actually-happen sequester will have become the law of the land by the weekend. What started out as a poison pill has become the Washington blue-plate special.

The larger implications are that Democrats and Republicans not only disagree but they also completely fail to understand each other. Maybe this is a reflection of the polarization in Washington or the decline of negotiation as a way to pass legislation in Congress. But in a crisis, nothing is as potentially scary as misreading the intentions of your opponents.

In the end, the most dangerous implications of the sequester are psychological rather than budgetary. During all economic confrontations in the past four years, there was always a last-minute settlement or, at least, a postponement. When the curtain came down, invariably the debt ceiling was lifted and the government was funded. The preliminaries were often ugly and the economic consequences were sometimes depressing, but there was a semblance of rationality to the exercise.

This weekend, as the government arbitrarily cuts funding for domestic and military programs?regardless of merit or logic?it can truly be said that the inmates are now running the asylum.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/the-sequester--how-a-poison-pill-became-a-delicious-blue-plate-special-100730021.html

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Attempting Agape: Virtual Interview with Foster Alumni, Lisa

I realize that this is not always possible and generally out of foster parents? hands, but for my last placement the transition was very slow. We met with our new foster parents for a couple of hours one afternoon. Then a few days later stayed with them for a weekend and then a week later we moved in. That time taken with the transition really helped me feel comfortable with where we were going and who we were going to.

Again, also not always possible, but in that transition, we had our own room. It was so great to have a safe place that I felt was all mine and only mine, especially after living in an overcrowded home just before. Our foster parents had spent time to personalize it as well. A small box of new toys, a book that they knew I liked. Those things were small, but made a huge difference because it showed that they took the time to know me and that they cared for me. That I wasn?t just another kid in their home, another mouth to feed or another bed filled.

Adoption. What did you initially think of adoption when you first heard of it in a general way and how did that change when it was happening to you?
I don?t really remember when I first heard about the concept of adoption. I guess it wasn?t really something I thought about since I?didn't?know anyone who had been adopted and it was never discussed prior to the start of my adoption process. I remember my parents telling me that there was going to be a hearing where the judge was going to decide if my bio parents? rights would be terminated, meaning that we would never go back to live with them. I don?t remember if they talked about adoption at that point, but I very clearly remember when they asked us if we wanted to be adopted and live with them forever. I don?t think I could say ?yes? fast enough! Now it amazes me how many people I know who have been touched by adoption, whether they were adopted themselves, have a sibling or parent who was adopted or is a birth mother or father.

What did your adoptive family do to help you settle in and feel like a part of the family (if that happened)?
The first thing was the discussion of names. They made it clear that we could change our names if we wanted to. We could change our first name, last name, both or neither. I knew immediately that I wanted to change my last name. I wanted to ?belong? and to me that meant we all needed to have the same last name. I think it meant a lot to them too that we all had the same name, but I know they wanted us to feel comfortable with the decision. My brother and I both ended up keeping our original first and middle names and changed our last names to match our parents.

The second thing was the adoption party. My parents threw a huge party celebrating our adoption and welcoming us to the family. All of our relatives from both my mom and dad?s side of the family were there. I got two presents that day that now mean the world to me. My grandmother gave me a bible with a beautiful inscription and the date. And one of my dad?s relatives gave me a bracelet inscribed with my name and the date of my adoption. This dates means a lot to me and even though we don?t really celebrate it, I always call my parents on that day.

The biggest thing was just creating our own family traditions and memories that we still follow and talk about today. There?s the Summer Rain Dance, the Ice Cream Bowl Ceremony, and heart-shaped meatloaf and pink mashed potatoes on Valentine?s Day. There?s the time when my brother ate horseradish sauce for the first time, the time I got a new bike and proceeded to crash into our neighbor?s mailbox and the time we all dressed up in matching shirts to sing Happy Birthday to my dad at work. These are the things that create a family.

Did you ever have a CASA or someone that was a constant in your life?
I think at one point I had a CASA, but I don?t really remember. If I did, they?weren't?around enough to a make an impression. My social workers changed several times as well, so there was never really any adult who was a constant in my life. I have been a mentor myself (not a CASA) and know first-hand how having that special someone in your life can make a huge difference. I really wish that I had had someone like that to help me through the craziness my early childhood.

What did you find most helpful for healing? Did it help when your mother would talk about things with you and initiate the conversation? Or did you prefer to keep things to yourself and talk when you brought it up? What age were you when you first started "unpacking"?
When I was a kid (and even into adulthood), I was very unwilling to express my emotions. When I was upset, I would literally just shut down. I?wouldn't?talk, I?wouldn't?move, I?wouldn't?look at anyone. I?didn't?cry. I just held it all in. My last foster parents (later adoptive parents) never made me feel bad about my behavior. They quietly encouraged me to express myself in whatever way felt comfortable. They left a notebook next to me and encouraged me to write down what I was thinking. Once I was comfortable writing, they started to ask me to read what I had written. Once I felt comfortable reading it, then they started asking me to paraphrase what I had written. Once I felt comfortable with that, then they started asking me to just say whatever it was I was feeling. This took a long, long time for me to be able to do, but just that quiet encouragement set the foundation for me to feel comfortable and safe enough to express myself. This notebook process started pretty soon after I moved in with them, so I was probably 8 years old, but it took many years for me to be able to talk about things without writing them down. Even up to my early 20s, I had episodes when I would shut down, so truly being able to express myself was a long and arduous process, which I?m still working on because even though I was adopted over 20 years ago, I still often times doubt that the people who mean the most to me will stay in my life, since the lesson I learned so early on was that everyone leaves.

What would you do now to change "the system"?
Oh, this is a charged question!! ?Firstly, I think there have been a lot of changes made to the foster system since I was in care. And I do understand that ?the system? is different state to state, county to county and even social worker to social worker so it?s hard to make sweeping generalizations. I will say this: each child is so different and each child?s experiences are so different that making the CHILD the first priority should be the golden rule when it comes to placements. Not the foster parents, not the agency, not the birth parents. I know that this happens in theory and I?m sure it happens in more places than not, but it didn?t always happen for me and it was very detrimental.

If I had to take a stand on one policy change within ?the system?, and this is just my opinion based on my experiences, I would put a time limit on how long a bio family has to get their act together before their rights are terminated. In my case, I was in foster care for years when it was pretty obvious that my bio parents did not have and would not be able to learn the skills necessary to take care of a child. If their rights had been terminated earlier, I might have been spared years of foster care. But then again, I probably wouldn?t have been adopted by the family I was adopted by, and my life would still have been completely different.

In terms of the broader ?system,? I would love to really change the stereotypes and media portrayals of foster children. There are so many times I?m watching a TV show and the ?bad? person has been in and out of foster care. I know the statistics are staggering, but it?s already so hard for foster children to see their own self-worth without the media and broader society making them feel that they can never overcome their obstacles and that they?ll only ever ?bad.? One of my favorite TV show at the moment is Bones, mostly because two of main characters grew up in foster care and have become healthy, stable, wonderful people, providing a positive, if fictional, role models for any foster child.

Source: http://attemptingagape.blogspot.com/2013/02/virtual-interview-with-foster-alumni.html

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DirecTV acquires 4K trademarks | Advanced Television

By Chris Forrester

There?s no comment and absolutely nothing official but it seems that DirecTV, the US-based giant DTH broadcaster, is at least preparing for the introduction of something in Ultra-HDTV (or 4K for broadcast).

DirecTV has filed with the US Patent & Trademark Office a bunch of new applications in readiness for this new transmission method. The names registered include: 4K, 4KN, 4KNET, 4K Network and 4KNetwork.

Filing a trademark need only cost $149 a time (plus legal fees), so securing the terms seems a modest investment for what might be extremely valuable terms in a few years.

Source: http://advanced-television.com/2013/02/28/directv-acquires-4k-trademarks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=directv-acquires-4k-trademarks

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Preserving Richard the Lionheart's heart

Philippe Charlier

The dusty remains of Richard I's heart now rest in this crystal box.

By Stephanie Pappas
LiveScience

The heart of Richard the Lionheart was preserved with mercury, mint and frankincense, among other sweet-smelling plants, a new study finds.

The study is the first biochemical look at the heart of Richard I, who died in 1199. As was common practice at the time, the king's heartwas removed and mummified separately from the rest of his body. It rested in a reliquary at Notre Dame in Rouen for centuries before its rediscovery in 1838.

Now, for the first time, the chemical composition of the substances used to preserve the heart has been revealed. These substances were directly inspired by biblical texts, said study leader Philippe Charlier of University Hospital R. Poincar?.

"The aim was to approach the odor of sanctity," Charlier told LiveScience.

The life and death of Richard I
Richard I of England began his rule in 1189. He spent two years in captivity in Europe, much of that time being held for ransom by the Holy Roman Emperor. Later, the tale of Richard I's ransom would be folded into folk tales about Robin Hood, casting Richard I as a benevolent absent monarch and his brother John as a tax-happy usurper.

(Richard I came centuries before Richard III, the English monarch whose bones were discovered in a Leicester parking lot in September 2012. Richard III died in 1485.)

Mus?e d?partemental des Antiquit?s (c) Yohann Deslandes/CG76

The box that contained Richard the Lionheart's preserved heart. Translated, the inscription reads "Here is the heart of Richard, King of England."

On March 25, 1199, years after the kidnapping, Richard sustained a crossbow wound in Chalus, France, and died 12 days later of gangrene. His abdominal organs were removed and interred in Chalus, while his body went to rest at Fontevraud Abbey in France. His heart was embalmed and placed in its own casket and taken to Notre Dame in Rouen. [The 10 Weirdest Ways We Deal With the Dead]

This division of the body was used to symbolize and mark Richard I's territory, Charlier said. However, no ancient texts remain to record how the embalming process was done.

The heart rested in Rouen until July 1838, when a local historian discovered a lead box inscribed, "Here is the heart of Richard, King of England." The heart itself had been reduced to dust in the preceding centuries; all that the box contained was a brownish-white powder.

Spiritual and practical
It was this powder that Charlier and his colleagues tested. They found a variety of compounds, including traces of the proteins found in human heart muscle. They also observed tiny fragments of linen, suggesting that the heart was wrapped before placement in the box.

Some metal compounds, including lead and tin, likely seeped into the powder from the lead box. Others were probably used in the embalming process. In particular, the researchers detected mercury, which has been found in other medieval burials and was probably used as an embalming agent.

The analysis also turned up pollen from a variety of plants: myrtle, daisy, mint, pine, oak, poplar, plantain and bellflower. Some of these, including poplar and bellflower, would have been blooming in April when Richard the Lionheart died; their pollen may have simply settled out of the air into the casket.

Other plants were probably used to preserve the heart. Myrtle, daisy and mint would not have been in bloom at the time, the researchers found, and probably would have been part of the embalming process. Frankincense, a tree resin, would also have been useful for both its preservation and its symbolic properties.

"This symbolic substance appeared at both extremities of the Christ life," the researchers wrote online Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports. "Presented by the Biblical Magi at His birth, and used during His external embalming after the Passion."

Preserving the heart would have been important, because the journey to Rouen from Chalus was about 330 miles (530 kilometers), the researchers wrote. But Richard I's contemporaries may have also seen the process as one of "theological transformation," Charlier said.

Indeed, contemporary wisdom seems to have held that Richard I needed all the spiritual help he could get. In the 1200s, the bishop of Rochester announced that the king had only made it to heaven in 1232, having spent the intervening 33 years in purgatory, repenting his Earthly sins.

Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappas?or LiveScience @livescience. We're also on Facebook?and Google+.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/28/17133165-how-king-richard-the-lionhearts-heart-was-preserved?lite

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