Iowa State researchers: Information flow can help farmers cope with climate change

Public release date: 18-Feb-2012
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Contact: Steven Fales
slf@iastate.edu
515-294-3917
Iowa State University

AMES, Iowa The instant communications technology that nurtured grassroots revolutions in the Arab world could also help farmers cope with climate change, according to Iowa State University researchers.

And so the researchers Steven Fales, a professor of agronomy; and Gene Takle, director of Iowa State's Climate Science Program, a professor of agronomy and of geological and atmospheric sciences are organizing a symposium to explore that idea during the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Feb. 16-20 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The theme of this year's meeting is "Flattening the World: Building a Global Knowledge Society."

The Iowa State researchers are working on the symposium with Mannava Sivakumar, director of climate prediction and adaptation for the World Meteorological Organization based in Geneva, Switzerland.

They're calling their session "Enhancing Information Flow for Global Food Security in the Face of Climate Change." The symposium will be 1:30-4:30 p.m. Feb. 18 in Room 214 of the Vancouver Convention Centre's West Building.

"This whole climate change debate has gotten to be monotonous," Fales said. "Many of us are saying it's time to forget about the naysayers and go into action, which will require adaptation and resilience."

The symposium will consider an action plan that calls for developing global systems that distribute information about crops and climate change through local networks and cell phones. Fales figures such a system would move information far more quickly than the current system of studying, discovering, publishing and then communicating to farmers via extension systems.

"In these unstable climate conditions, the situation can change rapidly from season to season," Fales said.

And when the latest climate model indicates a change in growing conditions, Fales said there should be a way to quickly notify a region's farmers that wheat, for example, may be the best crop for the year.

The researchers also see information flowing back from the farmers: "The farmers' observations could be transferred back to a database so we could see trends emerging," Fales said. "And that could actually happen in the upper Midwest of the U.S. or in Uganda."

Takle, who studies climate change on a regional scale, said the symposium will consider strategies and technologies that would work around the globe. Speakers will also consider how research can be organized to encourage the timely flow of data to and from farms.

The ultimate goal, he said, is "getting knowledge to the people who need it."

Speaking during the symposium will be Augustine Langyintuo, officer in charge of policy and partnerships for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa based in Nairobi, Kenya; L.S. Rathore, the head of Agro-Meteorological Advisory Service of the India Meteorological Department based in New Delhi; Bruce Campbell, program director of the Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research and the University of Copenhagen; and William Easterling, dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State University.

Fales said he and other symposium organizers are serious about moving beyond ideas and talk.

"We're focusing on action," he said. "We hope to come out of the symposium with a set of specific recommendations for the policy and scientific communities."

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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.

Public release date: 18-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Steven Fales
slf@iastate.edu
515-294-3917
Iowa State University

AMES, Iowa The instant communications technology that nurtured grassroots revolutions in the Arab world could also help farmers cope with climate change, according to Iowa State University researchers.

And so the researchers Steven Fales, a professor of agronomy; and Gene Takle, director of Iowa State's Climate Science Program, a professor of agronomy and of geological and atmospheric sciences are organizing a symposium to explore that idea during the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Feb. 16-20 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The theme of this year's meeting is "Flattening the World: Building a Global Knowledge Society."

The Iowa State researchers are working on the symposium with Mannava Sivakumar, director of climate prediction and adaptation for the World Meteorological Organization based in Geneva, Switzerland.

They're calling their session "Enhancing Information Flow for Global Food Security in the Face of Climate Change." The symposium will be 1:30-4:30 p.m. Feb. 18 in Room 214 of the Vancouver Convention Centre's West Building.

"This whole climate change debate has gotten to be monotonous," Fales said. "Many of us are saying it's time to forget about the naysayers and go into action, which will require adaptation and resilience."

The symposium will consider an action plan that calls for developing global systems that distribute information about crops and climate change through local networks and cell phones. Fales figures such a system would move information far more quickly than the current system of studying, discovering, publishing and then communicating to farmers via extension systems.

"In these unstable climate conditions, the situation can change rapidly from season to season," Fales said.

And when the latest climate model indicates a change in growing conditions, Fales said there should be a way to quickly notify a region's farmers that wheat, for example, may be the best crop for the year.

The researchers also see information flowing back from the farmers: "The farmers' observations could be transferred back to a database so we could see trends emerging," Fales said. "And that could actually happen in the upper Midwest of the U.S. or in Uganda."

Takle, who studies climate change on a regional scale, said the symposium will consider strategies and technologies that would work around the globe. Speakers will also consider how research can be organized to encourage the timely flow of data to and from farms.

The ultimate goal, he said, is "getting knowledge to the people who need it."

Speaking during the symposium will be Augustine Langyintuo, officer in charge of policy and partnerships for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa based in Nairobi, Kenya; L.S. Rathore, the head of Agro-Meteorological Advisory Service of the India Meteorological Department based in New Delhi; Bruce Campbell, program director of the Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research and the University of Copenhagen; and William Easterling, dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State University.

Fales said he and other symposium organizers are serious about moving beyond ideas and talk.

"We're focusing on action," he said. "We hope to come out of the symposium with a set of specific recommendations for the policy and scientific communities."

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/isu-isr020712.php

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Marketing Esl And Other Language Programs: The Importance Of ...

In my work as an educational consultant who specializes in working with language schools, one question I am often asked is: How do you find a reputable educational agent?

Part of the answer is to avoid wasting your time with unproductive potential agents. That may sound harsh, but it isn?t when you consider that your reputation as a school is on the line. If youve ever been in the classroom, chances are that youve had a student who wants to monopolize your time in ways that dont contribute to the overall lesson or are just plain distracting or even bothersome.

As teachers, we learn how to handle students with all kinds of personalities and motives of their own. We learn to set boundaries with them while keeping the lesson focussed and hopefully avoid too much disruption in the classroom. That?s effective classroom management. We try to achieve this in ways that allow us to avoid embarrassing the student, if possible, while making it clear that as the teacher, were the one in control of the class and thats the way it should be. In fact, if we dont do that as teachers, we may lose others respect and not be taken as seriously.

The same idea applies to business relationships, particularly when it comes to others outside your school who want to work with you or represent you. The larger your program grows, the more people you will have knocking on your door wanting to work with you. Annoying though it may be, this is a good sign. It means you are being noticed and your image is one of success.

One of the ways that businesses get more business is to let the world know who their partners are. If an educational agent or tour operator can say they are working with ABC Language School and that school is well known in the community, either locally or internationally, then it lends them credibility and prestige.

Thats precisely why you want to take your time establishing new business relationships. It just may be that you dont want your name associated with that business.

One tactic that I learned while managing a university ESL program was to ask prospective new business partners or agents for a package in writing. Sometimes if the person was in the same city, either living here or just passing through, they would insist on a personal meeting first. I would gently but firmly state, in every case, that it was our policy to consider written proposal first, before a meeting. The reality was that the first few times I said that, I was fibbing. We didnt actually have such a policy. Having said that, we quickly created an internal policy that stated we had to receive all proposals in writing before a telephone or an in-person meeting.

Once everyone in the office knew the policy, we all stuck by it, asking frontline clerical staff to help prevent such calls coming through to us. One polite way for an administrative staff member to do this is to say, If you send the written proposal to my attention, I promise that will hand-deliver it to our manager to ensure she receives it. Anyone who took the time to send a proposal even a one-page, detailed letter would gain our attention, at least long enough for us to review the proposal.

If they couldnt deliver, we would gently but firmly stand our ground and move on. I was able to stop wasting time on agents and others who may or may not have had good intentions. And it also set out from the beginning who was in charge of our programs: we were.

That was the first step. From there, we requested references and examples of previous work done. If this caused our prospective business partner distress or caused them to become uncomfortable, we eliminated them from our list of possibilities.

Sometimes, the prospect would say, Oh, well our partners are located in a foreign country and no one here speaks the language. We would always reply that we were prepared to hire professional, accredited translators to check references. Very rarely did we ever hire a translator to check anyones references.

The steps we followed were:

* Insist on a written proposal first.
* If you receive a form letter or pre-made package, request more details on how exactly they would propose that you work together. Get this information in writing.
* Insist on references. If they cant or wont give these to you, the process ends there.
* Arrange a phone or in-person interview during which they do most of the talking. Ask about the history of the business, the persons credentials, and examples of experiences they have had working with other language schools.
* Close the meeting saying that you will consider their proposal and you will get back to them within a fixed amount of time (usually not more than one week, unless youre about to leave on a trip). Never agree to anything on the spot.

Part of the process involved abiding by our policies and the next step was to gauge the reaction of our prospective partners at certain points along the way. It became like a behavioral interview. If the other party wanted to bend our rules from the very beginning, insisted on doing things their way instead of ours or if they became frustrated, aggressive or unwilling to cooperate with us at any time, we knew we didnt want to work with them.

In the end, there can be any number of reasons why you would choose not to pursue a business relationship, including (but not limited to):

* The relationship may not be mutually beneficial.
* What the prospective agent wants to provide for you is not something you need at the moment (i.e. not a good fit from a business point of view.)
* The timing of the proposal is off. This can happen if you are undergoing changes in your organization. You can always ask the other party to check back with you again in six months.
* Your gut tells you that working with the other party would be a bad decision.

Although we sent some policies and procedures in place for dealing with prospective new business partners, the bottom line was for us to feel comfortable with the new person. You want your business partners to respect how you run your organization, be willing to provide you with what you need and be as interested in your success as you are.

Remember the 80/20 rule. 80% of your business will come from 20% of your clients. You want to ensure you have the time and energy to cultivate strong relationships with your top 20%. Part of being able to do this is to avoid those who have big ideas and good intentions, with no way of ever realizing their goals or yours. Be polite, be considerate and be firm.

Want to cite this article in your own research? Here?s the citation information for you:

Eaton, Sarah Elaine. (2010). Marketing ESL and other Language Programs: The Importance of Working with Excellent Agents? Retrieved from: ArticleSnatch.com

Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Calgary. She has worked as a marketing consultant for language schools since 2000. She?s also a dynamic and engaging speaker who has presented on her work in 7 countries. Book Dr. Sarah to speak at your next educational event! Check out her website at: http://www.eatonintl.com or follow her blog at http://www.drsaraheaton.wordpress.com

Source: http://www.1directory.net/writing-speaking/marketing-esl-and-other-language-programs-the-importance-of-working-with-excellent-agents-5510.html

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Convenient, Nutritious Foods For The Family On The Go | New ...

New Health And Fitness.Org - Health Information You Can Use

Do you want to eat better, but do not know how to do it? You can stop your search right now. This article will explain things about nutrition you might have never known. Don?t use these tips as a temporary fix.

It is important to consciously make healthy food choices throughout the day. g. choose the low fat options (for milk, sour cream, yogurt, etc.) in place of the ones that have more fat. Dairy products will do wonders for your bone health along with your joint strength, though if you are not careful in your selection, you will be consuming a lot of unneeded fat.

A truly healthy diet includes reasonable portions of foods, regardless of whether or not the food is deemed healthy. Knowing how much food you can eat is key to a successful weight loss plan. Larger portions equal more calories.

If you are feeling unmotivated, take a little time to ponder your reasons for wishing to eat healthy foods. Reviewing your goals is different for everyone, but it can help you get back on the right track to meet your goals.

Watching you sugar intake is a great way to stay healthy. Some people think that drinking fruit juice is somehow better than drinking soda. This is not always true considering many fruit juices have a higher sugar content than soda. Many of the ingredients in the products you eat will surprise you, so pay attention to labels to find out what hidden dangers are in them.

Have fun when trying new foods by encouraging your kids to tell you what they think of the foods they are trying. Letting them know what the texture is like, for example, might make them curious enough that they?ll want to take a bite.

Ask friends to help you reach your health goals. It?s always easier to achieve those goals when you have the support of your loved ones. Having a supportive friend will help motivate you, and also allow you to have an easier time reaching your goals.

It is wise to have an egg or two on a daily basis in order to gain a healthy dose of dietary protein. If you?re trying to watch your fat and cholesterol, eating the egg whites and skipping the yolks is a good idea. The egg whites have many nutrients without fat or cholesterol.

Good health depends on the addition of fiber in your diet, it can help with heart disease and diabetes. Fat and cholesterol are absorbed by soluble fiber, which helps your body get rid of these unhealthy substances before they can produce any negative effects. For daily fiber consumption, 20 grams for women and 30 grams per day for men are the recommended requirements. To get the right amount of fiber, eat a diet of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. If you worry that you are not getting enough fiber, there are a number of over-the-counter supplements available.

This grain contains 14 grams of nutrient-rich protein for every 100 grams. Quinoa can be included in lots of different dishes, too. You can serve it in a pilaf, or you can make a tasty breakfast dish with apples and brown sugar.

Eating oatmeal in the morning will start your day off right. The grains that are in oatmeal will keep you satiated for a longer period of time.

As you can see, eating a balanced, nutritious diet is easy and fun. There is a lot of room for creativity in the world of food, so it is a wonderful way to enhance your quality of life without limiting yourself. These tips are only the beginning to a new, healthier you!

Cookie tins are great gift packages. Here are some cookie tins.

Source: http://newhealthandfitness.org/2012/02/16/convenient-nutritious-foods-for-the-family-on-the-go/

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Nanosecond Trading Could Make Markets Go Haywire

Link Information - Click to View

Nanosecond Trading Could Make Markets Go Haywire
The afternoon of May 6, 2010 was among the strangest in economic history. Starting at 2:42 p.m. EDT, the Dow Jones stock index fell 600 points in just 6 minutes. Its nadir represented the deepest single-day decline in that market?s 114-year history. By 3:07 p.m., the index had rebounded.

Source: Wired
Posted on: Thursday, Feb 16, 2012, 8:07am
Views: 17

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117672/Nanosecond_Trading_Could_Make_Markets_Go_Haywire

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Smart Communities: Redefining Education for the 21st Century ...

Yes, the American government?s efforts to raise our children?s reading and math levels are valid.? Without a solid understanding of these elementary skills, a child will most likely be unable to progress to higher education.? But how will he/she fare in the longer run?? By obsessing over standardized test scores, we may be putting blinders on our children, denying them the stimulants that ignite their curiosity.? A country--in or out of a recession--thrives on creativity.? New ideas formulate new jobs and new industries, ensuring that our country not only stays afloat but enabling us to make discoveries.? If we restrain our children?s academic focus, we subsequently are limiting the growth and prosperity of our country?s future.?

In trying to figure out what should define American education, let?s take a look at our options:

Data

Since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the U.S. government has focused on yearly statistics to determine the success of children?s education.? Government officials have set a goal for every American student to reach grade level reading and math scores by 2014.? But as of December 2011, half of the country?s schools failed to reach these standards.? Even if it is possible to eventually reach this quantitative standard, it may not be a good use of our time.? Many states have already concluded that the NCLB does not match their educational aims, and they in turn are pursuing waivers to the act.

Intellectual Curiosity

In addition to the recession, the government?s fixation with reading and math scores has stripped art, music, and other specialized departments from our nation?s schools.?? By replacing cultural and recreational activities with a focus on basic skills, are we actually doing the children a favor?? Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan argues, ?when you eliminate extra curriculars and art and P.E. and music, you absolutely hurt your children and ultimately you hurt your state.?? We need to integrate the importance of raw curiosity into the curriculum.? ?Motivating a child to pursue his/her interests is far more beneficial than forcing skill sets on unwilling students.? We nourish our youth?s enthusiasm for it will spawn far greater results than those measured by test scores.

Awareness of Surroundings

?Don?t ever let school get in the way of education? said one mother to another.? It was a crisp winter day and snow had blanketed the town overnight.? The first mother had dressed her children in snow gear and was excited to share her passion for the outdoors with her children.? On the contrary, the second mother feared missing a day of reading and math classes was one day too many. ?But when comparing the sublime, snowy mountainside to arithmetic exercises, which will inspire a child more?

By simply observing her surroundings, one student at the Royal College of Art imagined a way to improve the world around her.? Ariane Prin witnessed loads of waste exiting RCA?s art rooms and cafeterias every day. ?I believe design is about exploring the social and natural opportunities around us, taking advantage of every situation by connecting human activities with environmental principles.?? With such an optimistic mindset, Prin soon invented a way to break down these scraps of clay and flour and recycle them into tools used by every student both today and in the future: pencils.? Let us look to this innovative artist for inspiration.

As some voices in the United States have already expressed, it is pertinent that we re-assess our definition and approach to education.? We must get our hands off of the calculators and our heads out of the computer data. After all, it was Albert Einstein who said, ?Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.? ??Instead, we need to breathe in our surroundings and listen to our instinctive yearnings.? By fostering our children?s fervor, they will learn to direct their own education and, finally, our future.

Guest Contributor: Burgess Rice

Source: http://smartcommunities.typepad.com/suzanne/2012/02/redefining-education-for-the-21st-century-going-beyond-tests-and-measurements.html

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New iPad 3 rumor hints that 4G LTE is in the cards (Yahoo! News)

The Wall Street Journal reports that Verizon and AT&T will sell iPads for their 4G networks

Harder, better, faster, stronger? The?new iPad 3 devices on their way to store shelves could be all of those, with emphasis on faster. According to the?Wall Street Journal, the new iPad 3 will come ready to run on fourth-generation?LTE networks.

Specifically, according to the report, both AT&T and Verizon will be getting iPads capable of running on their faster?4G wireless data networks. These iPads will also be capable of running on 3G networks ? an absolute necessity, given the number of people still outside of 4G network range.

It's unknown whether or not Sprint and T-Mobile will be getting a version of the iPad as well. Both carriers declined to comment for the?WSJ story.

While the?WSJ has proven a reliable source of insider Apple info in the past, it's important to keep in mind that this information has not yet been confirmed by?Apple. Until we have confirmation, any report on the next generation of the hit tablet should be taken with a grain of salt.

[Image credit:?Apple]

(Source)

This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca

More from Tecca:

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20120214/tc_yblog_technews/new-ipad-3-rumor-hints-that-4g-lte-is-in-the-cards

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Apple may face iPad export ban in China trademark row

By Artemisia Ng and Melanie Lee

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A Chinese tech firm that claims it still owns the iPad trademark will seek a ban on exports of Apple Inc's computer tablets from China, which could deal a blow to the U.S. technology giant's sales worldwide.

Proview Technology (Shenzhen) Co Ltd is petitioning Chinese customs to stop shipments of Apple's popular iPads in and out of China, but has not received a response, lawyer Xie Xianghui told Asian Legal Business, a Thomson Reuters publication.

Apple said it bought Proview's worldwide rights to the trademark in 10 different countries several years ago, including

rights to the iPad name from a Taiwan subsidiary. However, Proview claims the sale did not cover the trademark's use in China.

"Proview refuses to honor their agreement with Apple in China and a Hong Kong court has sided with Apple in this matter," an Apple spokeswoman said.

Customs officials could not be reached for comment, and Proview declined to comment.

Apple could be in a very difficult situation if it had mistakenly bought rights from the wrong Proview subsidiary, said Thomas Chan, a Los Angeles-based attorney who has represented companies in trademark licensing negotiations with Apple.

"They've got a real, real problem," Chan said. "They're going to pay through the nose."

Apple's legal tussle with Proview Technology (Shenzhen) over the trademark name iPad, is emerging as the latest headache for the U.S. giant in a booming market and highlights the legal challenges facing foreign multinationals operating in China.

Not only is China a huge consumer market but it is also a major production base for the U.S. company's iconic products including the iPad, iPhone and iPod media player.

This week Apple announced it had agreed to an outside inspection of working conditions at its main contract manufacturers, including Foxconn's plants in southern China.

Apple lost a case to Proview Technology (Shenzhen) in a Shenzhen court in southern China late last year when the court agreed that Proview owned the iPad trademark.

Apple has appealed the decision and a final hearing is due to start in the southern Guangdong High Court on Feb 29. This court's decision will be final under the Chinese legal process.

Proview's latest salvo comes a day after media reports that authorities in some Chinese cities had ordered retailers to stop selling Apple's iPad due to the dispute.

Proview has also filed lawsuits against Apple in Shanghai and Shenzhen, and retailers selling iPads in Futian and Huizhou, located in the south of the country.

Apple's options are limited to either settling with Proview Technology (Shenzhen), appealing to a higher court, or facing devastating enforcement actions in China, legal experts said.

"There are two views we can take here. One view is, Apple was not sufficiently prudent and therefore, this was missed by Apple and its attorneys," said Elliot Papageorgiou, a Shanghai-based partner and executive at law firm Rouse Legal (China).

"A more charitable view would be that, Apple said that for business reasons we need to use this brand and as far as the name in China is concerned, let's cross the bridge when we come to it," he said.

Proview lawyer Xie, partner of Grandall Law Firm's Shenzhen office, said Apple is not in negotiations with the Chinese firm.

Local media reported recently that Proview was taking legal action, seeking up to 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) in compensation from Apple for trademark infringement.

"Without a win in that Shenzhen case, all the other actions, whether it is administrative or with different courts, customs, Apple is not in a good position at all," said Stan Abrams, an IP law professor at Beijing's Central University of Finance and Economics.

(Additional reporting by Lee Chyen Yee in Hong Kong and Dan Levine in San Francisco; Editing by Neil Fullick and Richard Chang)

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-may-face-ipad-export-124858131.html;_ylt=AqTp5iR0.oYwTCeI0sEDuGD4uYdG;_ylu=X3oDMTQ3MWM0cmZtBG1pdANUb3AgU3RvcnkgTGlzdCAgTm8gQ29sbGVjdGlvbgRwa2cDZmI1ODY4NDQtY2I5OS0zY2U0LWFmOTAtZGU2NzQzZDRjYzNiBHBvcwM0BHNlYwN0b3Bfc3R

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