LOS ANGELES ? Finally, an awards show with some surprises and spontaneity.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards featured some unexpected winners, including "The Help" for best overall cast performance and Jean Dujardin for best actor in "The Artist" alongside some of the longtime favorites in movies and television.
But there was a looseness and a playfulness that permeated the Shrine Exposition Center Sunday night ? maybe because it was a room full of people who love to perform, without the rigidity of one single host to lead them.
Unlike the great expectations that came with the sharp-tongued Ricky Gervais' reprisal at the Golden Globes a couple weeks ago or the much-anticipated return of Billy Crystal to the Academy Awards next month, there was no master of ceremonies at the SAG Awards. The presenters and winners seemed to have more room to improvise and put their own spin on the evening ? but mercifully, the show itself still managed to wrap up on time after just two hours.
And so we had three of the stars of best-cast nominee "Bridesmaids" ? Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy ? introducing their comedy with a joke about turning the name "Scorsese" into a drinking game, which became a running gag throughout the night. When HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" won the award for best drama series cast, among the first words star Steve Buscemi uttered in accepting the prize were "Martin Scorsese" ? he just happens to be one of the show's executive producers.
One of the more exciting moments of the night was the announcement of Dujardin's name in the best-actor category for his performance in the silent, black-and-white homage "The Artist." In winning the award for his portrayal of a silent-film star who finds his career in decline with the arrival of talkies, Dujardin definitely boosts his chances at the Oscars on Feb. 26. Little-known in the United States before this, the French comic bested bigger names like George Clooney ("The Descendants"), Brad Pitt ("Moneyball") and Leonardo DiCaprio ("J. Edgar").
If he follows this up with an Academy Award, Dujardin would become the first French actor ever to take the prize. Asked backstage how it would feel, Dujardin launched into a jaunty rendition of "La Marseillaise," the French national anthem.
"Pressure, big pressure," Dujardin then added in his halting English. "It's unbelievable. It's amazing already. Too early to tell."
Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer continued to cement their front-runner status in the actress and supporting actress categories, respectively, for their formidable work in "The Help." Both women play black maids in 1960s Mississippi who dare to go public about the bigotry they've endured.
"I just have to say that the stain of racism and sexism is not just for people of color or women. It's all of our burden, all of us," Davis said, accepting the ensemble prize on behalf of her "The Help" co-stars.
Backstage, Davis said of her own victory: "A few more people checked my name in the box for whatever reason. This time I kind of fooled them."
Meanwhile, Christopher Plummer picked up yet another supporting-actor prize for his lovely turn as an elderly widower who finally comes out as gay in "Beginners." Plummer won at the Golden Globes and is nominated for an Oscar. He would become the oldest actor ever to win an Academy Award at age 82, two years older than Jessica Tandy was when she won best actress for "Driving Miss Daisy."
Backstage, Plummer joked when asked if he would like to win an Oscar, an honor so elusive during his esteemed 60-year career that he did not even receive his first Academy Award nomination until two years ago, for "The Last Station."
"No, I think it's frightfully boring," Plummer said. "That's an awful question. Listen, we don't go into this business preoccupied by awards. If we did, we wouldn't last five minutes."
The win for overall cast for "The Help," when "The Artist" and "The Descendants" have been the favorites all along, makes the conversation more interesting but it isn't necessarily an indicator of how the film will do come Oscar time.
The guild's ensemble prize, considered its equivalent of a best-picture honor, has a spotty record at predicting what will win the top award at the Oscars. While "The King's Speech" won both honors a year ago, the SAG ensemble recipient has gone on to claim the top Oscar only eight times in the 16 years since the guild added the category.
The winners at the SAG ceremony often do go on to earn Oscars, however. All four acting recipients at SAG last year later took home Oscars ? Colin Firth for "The King's Speech," Natalie Portman for "Black Swan" and Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for "The Fighter."
On the television side, comedy series awards went to "Modern Family" for best ensemble; Alec Baldwin as best actor for "30 Rock"; and Betty White as best actress for "Hot in Cleveland."
"You can't name me, without naming those other wonderful women on `Hot in Cleveland,'" the 90-year-old White said. "This nomination belongs to four of us. Please, please know that I'm dealing them right in with this. I'm not going to let them keep this, but I'll let them see it."
The TV drama show winners were: Jessica Lange as best actress for "American Horror Story"; and Buscemi as best actor for "Boardwalk Empire."
For TV movie or miniseries, Kate Winslet won as best actress for "Mildred Pierce," while Paul Giamatti was named best actor for "Too Big to Fail."
The guild gave its lifetime achievement award to Mary Tyler Moore, presented by Dick Van Dyke, her co-star on the 1960s sit-com "The Dick Van Dyke Show."
Moore recalled that when she entered show business at age 18 in 1955, there were already six others Mary Moores in the Screen Actors Guild. Told to change her name, she quickly added Tyler, the middle name she shares with her father, George.
"I was Mary Tyler Moore. I spoke it out loud. Mary Tyler Moore. It sounded right so I wrote it down on the form, and it looked right," she said. "It was right. SAG was happy, my father was happy, and tonight, after having the privilege of working in this business among the most creative and talented people imaginable, I too am happy, after all."
___
AP writers David Germain and Beth Harris contributed to this report.
Survey of 900 nurses provides valuable information for tackling global nursing shortage
If organisations want to retain qualified nurses they need to tackle the different work factors that are important to the three key age groups and build on the strong attachment that many nurses feel to the profession. Those are the key messages to emerge from a large-scale survey of nurses published in the January issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.
Australian researchers surveyed 900 nurses from seven private hospitals in four states, breaking them down into Baby Boomers (44 to 46 years), Generation X (29 to 43 years) and Generation Y (under 29).
The sample was representative of the nursing population in Australia. Most were women (96%), over 42 years of age, working as Registered Nurses (RNs) and doing between five and eight shifts a week.
"Our findings, which we believe may be applicable to many international hospitals, show that there is no single driver behind nurse retention" says co-author Dr Kate Shacklock, Senior Lecturer in Employment Relations and Human Resources at Griffith University, Queensland.
"Older nurses were more likely to be influenced by a larger number of factors than younger nurses and flexible working arrangements, which have been suggested by some as a possible solution to retention issues, were not deemed significant by any of the three age groups.
"However, one clear message emerged, that nurses feel a strong attachment to healing and to working in the nursing profession. This was the only variable identified by all three age groups. We believe that strategies that build on this and the other variables identified in our study may improve hospital retention rates."
Developed countries around the globe are currently suffering nurse shortages. For example, latest figures show that of the qualified nurses currently working in Australia, only 73% were employed in nursing. The Canadian Nurses Association has predicted a shortfall of 60,000 RNs by 2022 and the American Nurses Association reports that only 80% of those educated and licensed to practice are working as RNs, meaning that 480,000 are not.
"These well documented shortages are due to fewer people entering and staying in the profession and the increase in demand for nurses as health services expand to meet the needs of an ageing population" says Dr Shacklock.
Key findings of the survey include:
Six independent variables had an important influence on the nurses' intentions to continue nursing and between them these accounted for 21% of the variations in these intentions.
Being committed to healing and nursing was the only independent variable identified in the youngest Generation Y age group.
Two independent variables were identified in the Generation X nurses: being committed to healing and nursing and the quality of their relationship with their supervisor.
Five independent variables were identified in the oldest Baby Boomer group: being committed to healing and nursing, work-family conflict, being allowed to decide how and when to carry out tasks, how well they got on with colleagues and the importance of working.
The only factor tested that did not prove a significant influence in any of the age groups was flexible working arrangements.
The data was collected from anonymous surveys sent to the seven hospitals and the 900 completed surveys represented a response rate of 36%.
Over half of the respondents (54%) were Baby Boomers, 38% were Generation X and 8% were Generation Y. Seven out of ten (69%) were RNs and the sample also included nurse unit managers, enrolled nurses and endorsed enrolled nurses. A third (33%) had worked at their hospital for more than 15 years and 59% had worked at their hospital for more than five years. More than half (58%) worked part time, 28% full time and the rest on a casual basis.
"The results of our study provide compelling arguments for changes to how Governments and healthcare providers tackle the growing challenges posed by the global nursing shortage" concludes co-author Dr Yvonne Brunetto, Associate Professor in the School of Commerce and Management at Southern Cross University, New South Wales.
"Our findings confirm that there is no single driver behind nurse retention and that further research is necessary. However, one clear message emerges that nurses feel a strong attachment to healing and to the nursing profession and this is a key factor influencing their intention to continue nursing.
"We believe that the secret to improving hospital nurse retention rates is to build on this commitment to the nursing profession and to tackle the specific variables identified by our study for the three generations of nurses. Trying to tackle retention using a one-size-fits-all policy is clearly not the way forward."
###
The paper is free online at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05709.x/pdf
Notes to editors
The intention to continue nursing: work variables affecting three nurse generations in Australia. Shacklock K and Brunetto Y. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 68.1, pp36-46. (2012) doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05709.x
The Journal of Advanced Nursing (JAN) is an international, peer-reviewed, scientific journal. JAN contributes to the advancement of evidence-based nursing, midwifery and healthcare by disseminating high quality research and scholarship of contemporary relevance and with potential to advance knowledge for practice, education, management or policy. http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/JAN
Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world's leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit www.wileyblackwell.com or our new online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), one of the world's most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Retention study identifies key factors affecting 3 generations of nurses Public release date: 17-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Survey of 900 nurses provides valuable information for tackling global nursing shortage
If organisations want to retain qualified nurses they need to tackle the different work factors that are important to the three key age groups and build on the strong attachment that many nurses feel to the profession. Those are the key messages to emerge from a large-scale survey of nurses published in the January issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.
Australian researchers surveyed 900 nurses from seven private hospitals in four states, breaking them down into Baby Boomers (44 to 46 years), Generation X (29 to 43 years) and Generation Y (under 29).
The sample was representative of the nursing population in Australia. Most were women (96%), over 42 years of age, working as Registered Nurses (RNs) and doing between five and eight shifts a week.
"Our findings, which we believe may be applicable to many international hospitals, show that there is no single driver behind nurse retention" says co-author Dr Kate Shacklock, Senior Lecturer in Employment Relations and Human Resources at Griffith University, Queensland.
"Older nurses were more likely to be influenced by a larger number of factors than younger nurses and flexible working arrangements, which have been suggested by some as a possible solution to retention issues, were not deemed significant by any of the three age groups.
"However, one clear message emerged, that nurses feel a strong attachment to healing and to working in the nursing profession. This was the only variable identified by all three age groups. We believe that strategies that build on this and the other variables identified in our study may improve hospital retention rates."
Developed countries around the globe are currently suffering nurse shortages. For example, latest figures show that of the qualified nurses currently working in Australia, only 73% were employed in nursing. The Canadian Nurses Association has predicted a shortfall of 60,000 RNs by 2022 and the American Nurses Association reports that only 80% of those educated and licensed to practice are working as RNs, meaning that 480,000 are not.
"These well documented shortages are due to fewer people entering and staying in the profession and the increase in demand for nurses as health services expand to meet the needs of an ageing population" says Dr Shacklock.
Key findings of the survey include:
Six independent variables had an important influence on the nurses' intentions to continue nursing and between them these accounted for 21% of the variations in these intentions.
Being committed to healing and nursing was the only independent variable identified in the youngest Generation Y age group.
Two independent variables were identified in the Generation X nurses: being committed to healing and nursing and the quality of their relationship with their supervisor.
Five independent variables were identified in the oldest Baby Boomer group: being committed to healing and nursing, work-family conflict, being allowed to decide how and when to carry out tasks, how well they got on with colleagues and the importance of working.
The only factor tested that did not prove a significant influence in any of the age groups was flexible working arrangements.
The data was collected from anonymous surveys sent to the seven hospitals and the 900 completed surveys represented a response rate of 36%.
Over half of the respondents (54%) were Baby Boomers, 38% were Generation X and 8% were Generation Y. Seven out of ten (69%) were RNs and the sample also included nurse unit managers, enrolled nurses and endorsed enrolled nurses. A third (33%) had worked at their hospital for more than 15 years and 59% had worked at their hospital for more than five years. More than half (58%) worked part time, 28% full time and the rest on a casual basis.
"The results of our study provide compelling arguments for changes to how Governments and healthcare providers tackle the growing challenges posed by the global nursing shortage" concludes co-author Dr Yvonne Brunetto, Associate Professor in the School of Commerce and Management at Southern Cross University, New South Wales.
"Our findings confirm that there is no single driver behind nurse retention and that further research is necessary. However, one clear message emerges that nurses feel a strong attachment to healing and to the nursing profession and this is a key factor influencing their intention to continue nursing.
"We believe that the secret to improving hospital nurse retention rates is to build on this commitment to the nursing profession and to tackle the specific variables identified by our study for the three generations of nurses. Trying to tackle retention using a one-size-fits-all policy is clearly not the way forward."
###
The paper is free online at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05709.x/pdf
Notes to editors
The intention to continue nursing: work variables affecting three nurse generations in Australia. Shacklock K and Brunetto Y. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 68.1, pp36-46. (2012) doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05709.x
The Journal of Advanced Nursing (JAN) is an international, peer-reviewed, scientific journal. JAN contributes to the advancement of evidence-based nursing, midwifery and healthcare by disseminating high quality research and scholarship of contemporary relevance and with potential to advance knowledge for practice, education, management or policy. http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/JAN
Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world's leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit www.wileyblackwell.com or our new online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), one of the world's most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
NEW YORK ? Friday the 13th turned out to be a lucky night at the opera for fans of Joseph Calleja.
After missing part or all of two previous performances because of illness, the Maltese tenor was back in golden voice to take over the title role in Gounod's "Faust" at the Metropolitan Opera.
From his opening phrases as the aged scientist who sells his soul to the devil to regain his youth, Calleja displayed the quality that makes his voice instantly recognizable ? a warm, sun-kissed sound enhanced by a rapid vibrato that focuses his tone rather than spreading it.
There's an ease and a generosity in his vocalism as well. When he took a diminuendo, gradually lowering the volume on the high C that caps the aria "Salut, demeure chaste et pure," his face glowed with a sense of pride and pleasure in sharing the rare accomplishment with his rapt audience.
Stepping into the Des McAnuff production late in the run, Calleja had a rumpled, slightly bemused look and was a bit of a cipher dramatically. But what does that really matter, when he is able to communicate so thrillingly with his voice?
Calleja was part of an almost entirely new cast for "Faust," the only holdover from the opening being soprano Marina Poplavskaya, who repeated her vocally flawed but dramatically compelling performance as Marguerite.
The other most notable newcomer was bass Ferruccio Furlanetto, who sounded in astonishingly robust voice as Mephistopheles for someone who began singing major roles at the Met more than 30 years ago.
Furlanetto, sporting a Van Dyke beard that made him resemble a silent movie villain, brought a dark, menacing sound to the role ? very different from the suave and silky tones of his predecessor, Rene Pape. His mocking serenade to Marguerite had a nasty bite to it, and his powerful outbursts in the church scene sounded, well, downright diabolical.
The bright-voiced mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey did a fine job with the trousers role of Siebel; as Marguerite's implacable brother, Valentin, baritone George Petean failed to make much impact in his aria or his death scene.
The orchestra played well for conductor Alain Altinoglu, but his reading of the score was oddly fitful, buoyant at times, but also dragging in spots.
There are two more performances with the same cast this week.
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A local athlete from Aquinas Institute of Rochester had an opportunity Saturday to show off his talents on the football field. YNN's Kate McGowan caught up with those who spent the afternoon cheering on defensive tackle, Jarron Jones, at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in Texas.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- At 6'6 and 300 lbs., Jarron Jones brought force to the field at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio.
Jones is the only player in the history of the bowl to come from Rochester.
One of his fans said, "He had a couple tackles, some big tackles. He's a big guy so if he came at me, I'd be running too!"
More than 100 gathered together Greece to watch the big game Saturday.
The Army All-American Bowl has been a tradition for more than a decade and invites top prospects from the nation in high school football to face off.
Players must excel in and off the field.
"It's a guy who's good at football, he's got a high GPA, he's got a very promising future in football. Like Jarron Jones, he's supposed to be going to Notre Dame, which is pretty prestigious, so good for him," said Sergeant Gregory Funk of the U.S. Army.
The U.S. Army is a title sponsor of the All-American Bowl. Each player is matched with a soldier hero from the Army, and mentored throughout the week-long camp at the Bowl.
Jones' hero, Staff Sergeant David Wilkins is also a Rochester native.
Sergeant Wilkins spoke with YNN from the game in San Antonio and said he is extremely proud of what Jones demonstrated on the football field.
"He's just an extremely humble, young individual. He has such a great talent and he's one of the ones who can really go all the way and he's just extremely humble," Sgt. Wilkins said.
He said the Army supports all the football players, as they display discipline, determination, and courage. Characteristics the Army stands for.
"We are a team, and that's kind of, we have a natural affinity for team sports, and that's why the football game kind of showcases talent and scholastic athletes," said Captain Joseph Cosci of the U.S. Army Recruiting Company in Rochester.
Many future soldiers gathered to root Jones on. These future soldiers have enlisted and are waiting for basic training.
One young woman, who enlisted in August said, "I'm so proud of him (Jones) that he's actually following his dreams and it's something like we're doing."
Although Jones' team lost in the Bowl, Sergeant Wilkins said he remained positive.
"They held their heads high and they were just excited to be there."
Jones' mentor said Jones has committed himself to a future at Notre Dame. Sgt. Wilkins said Jones now looks forward to what the future has in store.
Netflix had a rough 2011. Between its ill-conceived price hike and its even more ill-conceived DVD spin-off company, Qwikster, the movie rental company couldn't win. And now external factors (read: the studios) are making things even worse—not only for them, but also Blockbuster and Redbox—by delaying new releases. More »
HARTFORD, Conn. ? A prominent former advertising executive declared that he has hired an "assassin" to kill his ex-wife just before being sentenced Wednesday to 70 years in prison for holding her hostage for more than 13 hours and burning down the Connecticut home they once shared.
Richard Shenkman, 62, was sentenced in Hartford Superior Court, where a jury convicted him in October of 10 charges including kidnapping, arson, assault and threatening. He faced a potential of nearly 80 years in prison.
Shenkman and his ex-wife, Nancy Tyler, were in the middle of divorce-related court hearings when he abducted her from her office's parking garage in downtown Hartford on July 7, 2009, and forced her at gunpoint to drive about nine miles to the home in South Windsor.
Authorities said Shenkman and Tyler were due in court for a divorce-related hearing later that morning, and he was supposed to turn over the house to her or face jail time for contempt of court.
Tyler testified that Shenkman threatened to kill her, fired a gun near her head and threatened to blow up the house. She escaped unharmed during a standoff with police, and he was arrested after running out of the burning house.
During Wednesday's sentencing hearing, Shenkman told Judge Julia Dewey that he has hired an experienced killer to murder Tyler. The judge had rejected a motion by Shenkman's attorney to delay sentencing for further psychological evaluation of his client.
"When Nancy Tyler's lifeless body is lying in the morgue ... I will have made my point," Shenkman said. "There is nothing this system can do to prevent Nancy Tyler's murder."
Shenkman is the brother of Mark Shenkman, founder and president of one of the nation's largest money management firms, Shenkman Capital Management. Richard Shenkman's former advertising firm, Primedia, produced the "Gayle King Show" in 1997, starring Oprah Winfrey's best friend.
Shenkman wore an orange prison jumpsuit and his hands and legs were shackled. Dewey rejected his request to have the handcuffs taken off for the hearing. He had also grown a full gray beard since he was convicted, and his shoulder-length hair that was in a ponytail during the trial was untied.
Defense attorney Hugh Keefe said Shenkman's remarks show his client is mentally ill.
"I've never seen a defendant say things like that at sentencing," Keefe said. "He demonstrated he was off the reservation big time."
Keefe called the prison term "ridiculously stiff" and said he will appeal the convictions.
Tyler had urged the judge to impose the maximum prison sentence, saying Shenkman has terrorized her, her family and her friends for years. She begged the judge to "give us some peace."
"Mr. Shenkman's campaign of destruction has been devastating," Tyler said. She said after the hearing that she wasn't worried about the murder threats.
"I am very relieved and planning to go back to my life with my family and friends in safety," she said.
Prosecutor Vicki Melchiorre told the judge that Shenkman "will never stop trying to destroy" Tyler, and she asked for the maximum sentence.
"He got exactly what he deserved," Melchiorre said later. "I think he was pathetic. I think this was his last opportunity to terrorize her and he took it."
Dewey called Shenkman a narcissistic and self-centered man who would do anything to get his way.
"You are never going to be rehabilitated," the judge said before announcing the sentence, which also included an order for Shenkman to pay $100,000 restitution to Tyler.
Shenkman had mounted an insanity defense, but Tyler testified that her ex-husband often acted "crazy" to get his way.
Tyler testified at the trial about her harrowing ordeal, saying Shenkman handcuffed himself to her, fired a handgun twice near her head, prepared a noose for her and claimed to have rigged the house with explosives as swarms of police surrounded the home. Tyler had called a friend on her cellphone in concern over seeing Shenkman's minivan near her office and urged her to call police just before she was kidnapped.
Tyler said Shenkman handcuffed her to an eyebolt in a basement wall at one point, and that she managed to unscrew the bolt and run outside when Shenkman went upstairs to check on police activity.
Shenkman talked on the phone to dispatchers and police officers several times during the ordeal. The jury listened to the recorded conversations, in which Shenkman sometimes sounded frantic, screamed, used profanity and several times counted down the seconds to his threatened killing of Tyler.
Tyler described how Shenkman became increasingly enraged at police during the ordeal for not meeting his demands, which included having a priest administer Tyler last rites and having authorities fax over a marriage license so he and Tyler could get remarried.
Police testified that the nearly 15-hour standoff ended when Shenkman came out of the burning home, which was uninsured at the time, and pointed a handgun at his own head. Minutes later, officers shot Shenkman with rubber bullets and used a stun gun on him twice before subduing him and taking him into custody.
Shenkman and Tyler married in 1993, and she filed for divorce in 2006. A judge approved the divorce in 2008, but court proceedings continued as Shenkman appealed.
He also is charged with burning down his and Tyler's beachfront home in East Lyme in 2007 just before he was to hand it over to Tyler as part of their divorce. He awaits trial on those charges.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. ? Keith Little envisioned a place that would house the stories of the Navajo Code Talkers and where people could learn more about the famed World War II group who used their native language as a weapon.
His family now hopes to carry out his dream of a museum near the Arizona-New Mexico border that also will hold wartime memorabilia and serve as haven for veterans. Little, one of the most recognizable of the remaining Code Talkers, died of melanoma Tuesday night at a Fort Defiance hospital, said his wife, Nellie. He was 87.
Little was 17 when he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, becoming one of hundreds of Navajos trained as Code Talkers. They used a code developed by 29 tribal members that was based on the then-unwritten Navajo language. Their code helped confound the Japanese and win the war.
"My motivation was to fight the enemy with a gun or whatever," Little told The Associated Press in a July 2009 interview. "When I went into the Marine Corps ... I knew nothing about the Navajo code. It was really astonishing to me to get to Camp Pendleton and there were a bunch of Navajos there, and they were working with a Navajo code."
Little, the longtime president of the Navajo Code Talkers Association until his death, traveled the country seeking funding for the museum and veterans center that is expected to cost nearly $43 million. He preached about the preservation of Navajo traditions, culture and the language that the federal government tried to eradicate before he and others were called on to use it during the war.
It was a story he never tired of telling, association secretary Yvonne Murphy said.
"That was his life. That was the drive behind him," Murphy said Wednesday. "It didn't matter where he was. If there were people who came and wanted to sit and talk with him, he would share with them."
Nellie Little said her husband hoped the museum would be open by 2014 at its proposed location just outside the Navajo Nation capital of Window Rock. But she said more money is needed.
She is asking people to send museum donations rather than flowers for his memorial.
Keith Little's health had been deteriorating over the past year, as he went in and out of hospitals between speaking engagements and appearances in parades ? the last time in New York in November for Veterans Day, the association said. When he wasn't traveling, he was tending to his family's ranch in Crystal, N.M.
A video on the association's website features Keith Little speaking about the importance of the unbreakable code. Fellow platoon members referred to the Navajos as "walking secret codes," with each message having to be memorized and destroyed after it was sent or received, Keith Little says.
"That is something that in itself was marvelous," he said in the AP interview. "It was so proficient and safe."
A public memorial is planned for Friday in Window Rock, with funeral services scheduled Saturday in nearby Fort Defiance. Navajo President Ben Shelly has ordered flags lowered across the reservation from Thursday through Sunday in Keith Little's honor.
It's been out for almost a year on the iPhone, and longer than that as a web app. Now Google Translate has been enlarged for the iPad. The app can translate between 63 languages via text. Will talk to you in 24, and can understand 17 languages if spoken too. If you're traveling in a far-off land and you want to communicate, you can display your translation in full screen mode. You could hold your iPad up and tell the natives that their country is awesome. Or you could use it to hail a cab. Your choice. [iTunes] More »
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians need to take care when prescribing seizure medication to HIV/AIDS patients to prevent harmful interactions between drugs, experts warn.
The cautionary note from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has led to the issuance of a new AAN guideline, which was developed in consultation with the International League Against Epilepsy.
"It is important that patients know exactly which drugs they are taking and provide that information to all prescribing health care providers caring for them," lead guideline author Dr. Gretchen L. Birbeck, of Michigan State University in East Lansing, said in an AAN news release.
"Doctors may need to watch and adjust drug doses in people with HIV/AIDS who take seizure drugs," added Birbeck, who is also an AAN fellow.
Seizures and related disorders are not uncommon among HIV patients, according to Birbeck and colleagues. It is estimated that at least 10 percent of HIV patients experience seizures, they noted.
In the new guideline, which is published in the Jan. 4 online editions of both Neurology and Epilepsia, the research team cautioned that effectiveness of either set of drugs can be compromised when specific seizure medications are taken alongside certain HIV/AIDS treatments. Increased toxicity is another potential issue.
For example, levels of certain HIV medications -- such as phenytoin, phenobarbital and carbamazepine -- actually drop off when they come in contact with seizure drugs. The risk: an HIV drug regimen might fail, the authors pointed out.
One way Birbeck's team hopes to mitigate against such risk is to outline the correct dosages of seizure drugs. They noted that dangerous drug interactions may be avoidable if medications are prescribed in the right amounts.
The team also acknowledged that the threat of harmful drug interactions is highest where drug choices are the most curtailed. That means that patients in poorer countries, where most HIV/AIDS patients now live, are particularly vulnerable to this dynamic.
"Future research should target epilepsy and HIV/AIDS drug combinations where choices are limited, such as in developing countries, to better understand the risk of these drug interactions," Birbeck said in the news release.
More information
For more on seizures, visit the Epilepsy Foundation.
I'm finally jealous of the French. To promote the re-release of The Phantom Menace in THREE DEE, French fast food chain Quick is making a Darth Vader Burger complete with a black bun. A BLACK BUN. On a burger! More »
According to the Wikipedia entry, smoking a shisha (or hookah) is sooo 16th century. Fire, smoke, water, trees and tobacco–the experience is almost elemental. But the Shishavac wants to brings things up to date, shopping-channel style. A shisha is a water pipe used to smoke flavored tobacco. Similar in principle to a water bong, the shisha [...]
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HOUSTON ? The Tennessee Titans barely got the victory they needed, then began sweating out their nervous afternoon.
Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes and the Titans kept alive their playoff hopes with a 23-22 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday.
The Titans (9-7) earned their first winning record since 2008 in Mike Munchak's first season, but their postseason fate depended on the outcome of later games in Cincinnati, Oakland and Denver. Tennessee got some early help when the New York Jets lost in Miami.
Houston (10-6) will head into its first postseason on a three-game losing streak. The Texans were locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs and coach Gary Kubiak played mostly reserves in the second half.
Rookie starter T.J. Yates left the game after one series and was replaced by Jake Delhomme. Coach Gary Kubiak said Yates had a bruised left shoulder but could've returned if necessary.
The 36-year-old Delhomme, signed Nov. 29 in the wake of season-ending injuries to starter Matt Schaub and backup Matt Leinart, completed 18 of 28 passes, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to Bryant Johnson with 14 seconds left.
Kubiak called for a 2-point conversion at the end. But after an illegal motion penalty, backup center Thomas Austin snapped the ball over Delhomme's head and the game was over.
Chris Johnson ran for 61 yards to go over 1,000 for the fourth consecutive season, and Rob Bironas kicked three field goals for Tennessee. The Titans needed a Bengals loss and victories by Oakland and Denver to earn a postseason rematch with the Texans back in Houston next week.
Tennessee rallied for two straight wins after a crippling loss to Indianapolis on Dec. 18.
The Texans had other concerns after Sunday's defeat.
Yates was sacked on Houston's first snap by Jurrell Casey and Derrick Morgan. He completed passes to Joel Dreessen and James Casey for first downs, before Tate and Derrick Ward started alternating touches for the rest of the drive.
Tate plowed into the end zone with 5:15 left in the first quarter, but Yates came off the field favoring his left shoulder and went to the locker room. Kubiak said Yates would undergo more tests Monday.
Delhomme, meanwhile, saw his first NFL action since December 2010 when he played for Cleveland.
Yates jogged back to the Houston sideline for the start of the second quarter. But after Bironas kicked a 21-yard field goal, Delhomme returned for the Texans' next possession.
Titans defensive end Dave Ball sacked Delhomme and knocked the ball loose, and safety Chris Hope recovered at the Texans 33. Hasselbeck threw a 25-yard pass to Jared Cook, then found Donnie Avery in the corner of the end zone to move Tennessee in front.
Hasselbeck completed 22 of 35 passes for 297 yards without an interception.
Delhomme threw a 16-yard pass to Andre Johnson to get Houston moving again. Johnson caught two passes and sat out the second half after missing the previous three games with a strained left hamstring.
Neil Rackers kicked a 52-yard field goal with 1:09 left in the first half, but Bironas booted a 43-yarder on the final play before the break to put Tennessee up 13-10. Bironas extended his own NFL record by kicking a field goal of 40 yards or longer for the 10th consecutive game.
The Texans rallied to tie it at 16-all, but Kubiak had most of his defensive starters on the bench in the fourth quarter. Nate Washington got behind rookie cornerback Brandon Harris and third-string safety Quintin Demps for a 23-yard touchdown with 4:31 remaining.
Texans linebacker Jesse Nading recovered a fumble by Ahmard Hall with under two minutes left, and Delhomme completed 5 of 6 passes to drive Houston for the late touchdown.
GSMarenas Battery test for the Lumia 800 are in; and the results are bittersweet. Just to keep?things?in?perspective for everyone; the main comparison should?be between the Lumia 800 and the N9, considering that they both have the same battery, same type of screen and almost the same screen size (Lumia 800 is .2 inches smaller screen-wise).
3G talk time:
Ooooo Pretty colors!
As you can tell from the graph above the 800 did quite decent in regards to 3G talk time, scoring the 4th highest battery life on leaderboard, with almost an hour and a half more talking time than it?s twin the N9. In fact according to GSM arena the 800 was the WP device with the longest talk-time.
?The Lumia 800 also outdid the other Windows Phone smartphones we have tested so far ? HTC Radar and Samsung i937 Focus S.?
Video playback:
Unfortunately the 800 didn?t do as well in video playback scoring a?meager ?5:52? while the slightly larger screened N9 scored ?8:40?. that?s almost 2 hours more!!
Web Browsing:
Even worse is the web browsing times, the 800 barely lasted 4 hours! ?(N9 was about 30 minutes more), of course this is mainly due to Amoled screens not playing nice with Web page backgrounds; but still kinda sad.
Find the full review over at GSM Arena:?http://blog.gsmarena.com/nokia-lumia-800-battery-test-now-over-see-how-it-did-test/
Side Note: after testing the 800 GSM arena did the battery tests on Androids latest flagship ?The Galaxy Nexus?? (which if you recall beat out the 800 for?gizmodos gadget of the year) the Nexus scored almost the same as the 800 when it came to Talk Time and Video playback, but if you thought the 4 hours on the 800 was bad, well then? the Nexus just?scraped 3 hours of browsing time! That?s just?embarrassing?
*Note: I?m not sure what the status of the 800 they tested on is but I?m assuming that it wasn?t suffering any severe undercapacity issues, still there is hope for the 800 once Nokia release the battery fix (rumored to be Jan 18th)
Thanks to Vikas for the tip, Source: GSMarena 1?, 2
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Public release date: 17-Jan-2012
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