norm slashdot: July 2012

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Paterno, in letter, defended Penn St. football

In this photo combo, at left, in an Oct. 8, 2011 file photo, Penn State president Graham Spanier walks on the field before an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa. At right, former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky leaves the Centre County Courthouse in custody after being found guilty of multiple charges of child sexual abuse in Bellefonte, Pa., Friday, June 22, 2012. A potentially explosive report into whether football coach Joe Paterno and other top Penn State officials took steps to conceal that Sandusky was a child molester will be released Thursday _ online for all to see, officials said Tuesday, July 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - In this March 7, 2007, file photo, Penn State University president Graham Spanier speaks during a news conference at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa. Former Penn State president Graham Spanier told investigators hired by the university that he was never informed that former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was spotted molesting a boy in a school shower, his lawyers said Tuesday, July 10, 2012, as they rebutted reports that indicate the deposed official could have tried to cover up the abuse that ultimately led to coach Joe Paterno's firing. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2011 file photo, Penn State coach Joe Paterno stands on the field before his team's NCAA college football game against Northwestern, in Evanston, Ill. Paterno's family is calling on the Pennsylvania attorney general and former FBI Director Louis Freeh to release all emails and records related to their investigations into the Penn State child sex abuse scandal. Family lawyer Wick Sollers' statement Monday, July 2, 2012, comes after reports of leaked emails between administrators about a graduate assistant's account in 2001 of an encounter between former defensive coordinator Sandusky and a boy in the showers. Sollers represents the family of former coach Paterno, who was fired and died in January. Sollers says it's clear someone in authority was not interested in a thorough investigation, given the leaks of selective emails. Freeh is leading the school's internal investigation. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching, File)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) ? Joe Paterno defended his football program's integrity in a 7-month-old letter released Wednesday, a day ahead of a report that could forever mar his legacy.

In the letter, written shortly before his death and confirmed as legitimate by his family, Paterno rejected the notion that Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse of boys amounted to a "football scandal" or in any way tarnished the accomplishments of his players or Penn State's reputation as a whole.

The results of Penn State's internal investigation into the Sandusky scandal are set to be released Thursday in a report that should answer many of the troubling questions swirling around one of the worst scandals in sports history.

A team led by former federal judge and FBI ex-director Louis Freeh interviewed hundreds of people to learn how the university responded to warning signs that its once-revered former assistant football coach ? a man who helped Paterno win two national titles for a university that touted "success with honor" ? was a serial child molester.

Sandusky was convicted on 45 criminal counts last month at a trial that included gut-wrenching testimony from eight young men who said he abused them as boys. By contrast, the Freeh report, to be released online at 9 a.m. Thursday, will focus on Penn State and what it did ? or didn't do ? to protect children.

Eight months after Sandusky's arrest, it remains unclear how top university officials handled reports dating back at least 14 years that Sandusky was behaving inappropriately with boys he met through his charity, bringing them on campus and forcing them into sex acts.

Among those who will be scouring the Freeh report are school officials trying to repair Penn State's shattered reputation and ex-players and alumni who remain outraged over Paterno's ouster in the wake of Sandusky's arrest. The Hall of Fame coach died from lung cancer in January, two months after school trustees fired him for what they called a failure of leadership.

Paterno himself offered a passionate defense of the university and its football program in the letter that surfaced for the first time Wednesday.

The Paterno family said the letter was given in draft form to a few former players around December. One of the ex-players circulated it to other former players on Wednesday, and it was posted on the website FightonState.com, which covers the team.

"Over and over again, I have heard Penn State officials decrying the influence of football and have heard such ignorant comments like Penn State will no longer be a 'football factory' and we are going to 'start' focusing on integrity in athletics," Paterno wrote. "These statements are simply unsupported by the five decades of evidence to the contrary ? and succeed only in unfairly besmirching both a great university and the players and alumni of the football program who have given of themselves to help make it great."

Paterno also wrote, "This is not a football scandal and should not be treated as one."

Among those receiving Paterno's 712-word missive Wednesday was former linebacker Brandon Short, now an investment banker in Dubai. He told The Associated Press that he will be looking to the Freeh report to find "some clarity, hoping that it is a fair assessment of what happened, and we would love to see answers."

He added, "Let's see the report and save all judgment and innuendo until after we've read it."

Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, an alumni watchdog group that has been highly critical of the school's board of trustees, issued a 95-point checklist of issues it said it expects to be covered in Freeh's report "in order for it to be considered a credible, valid summary of the case."

Lawyers for the young men who testified against Sandusky, and others planning lawsuits, will be reading the findings for what it might mean regarding civil litigation.

Joel Feller, part of a legal team that represents several victims in the case, including three who testified against Sandusky, said Wednesday he will look for clues about "who knew what and when."

"I think the Freeh report will be a good starting point to allow the plaintiffs' lawyers to determine who the key people are and what information they had," he said. "An important part of that is to figure out when they knew it, and more importantly why appropriate steps were not taken to stop this ongoing conduct of Sandusky."

The Freeh report is expected to delve deeply into the handling of a 2001 report from Mike McQueary, a graduate assistant who told Paterno he had seen Sandusky with a young boy in the football team shower. Paterno, in turn, alerted athletic director Tim Curley, who investigated the report along with Gary Schultz, a university vice president who oversaw the campus police department. Curley and Schultz ultimately decided not to alert law enforcement or child welfare authorities.

Curley, who's on leave, and the now-retired Schultz are awaiting trial on charges they lied to a grand jury investigating Sandusky and failed to report the McQueary complaint to civil authorities as required.

After a 50-minute meeting in Harrisburg with the judge overseeing their case, Schultz's lawyer said Wednesday he won't be among those who call up the Freeh report the minute it is posted.

"I don't expect I'll be reading it for a while," said Pittsburgh attorney Tom Farrell. "I've got other things to do."

The NCAA, meanwhile, said Wednesday that it will decide on whether to take action at the "appropriate time." The governing body said it has already been collecting information from Freeh's probe, and that Penn State will have to formally respond to questions from NCAA President Mark Emmert after Freeh reveals his findings.

The NCAA is reviewing how Penn State exerted "institutional control" in relation to the Sandusky matter, and whether university officials complied with policies that pertain to honesty and ethical conduct. The NCAA could open a more formal investigation that may expose Penn State to sanctions.

___

Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pa. Associated Press writer Michael Rubinkam contributed to this report.

___

Online:

http://www.TheFreehReportonPSU.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-07-11-Penn%20State-Abuse/id-d9d4cc734ada4ce4950fd5946583ed7b

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Florida A&M president resigns in wake of scandal

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.?? The president of Florida A&M University submitted his resignation Wednesday, the same day the university was sued by parents of a drum major who died during a hazing. It was unclear if the two events were related.

James Ammons announced the resignation, which takes effect Oct. 11, in a letter to the chairman of the university's governing board. He said his decision came after "considerable thought, introspection and conversations with my family."

The school's trustees gave Ammons a vote of no-confidence in June, after questioning his leadership in several areas, including what some saw as his lax attitude toward hazing and management of the band prior to Robert Champion's death in November.

At the time, Ammons said he would stay on the job, and he immediately recommended stringent new eligibility requirements for membership in The Marching 100 band, which has played at Super Bowls and inauguration ceremonies.

Champion died in November after being beaten by fellow band members during a hazing ritual aboard a bus parked outside an Orlando hotel following a football game against the school's archival.

Eleven FAMU band members face felony hazing charges, while two others face misdemeanor counts for alleged roles in the hazing. They have pleaded not guilty. Their trial is scheduled to begin the same month as Ammons' resignation, in October.

Champion's death put a spotlight on hazing at the school and led to the suspension of the band until at least next year.

The lawsuit brought by Champion's parents claims Florida A&M University officials did not take action to stop hazing even though a school dean proposed suspending the band because of hazing concerns three days before their son died. School officials also allowed nonstudents to play in the band, fell short in enforcing anti-hazing policies and did not keep a close eye on band members to prevent hazing, the lawsuit said.

School officials "failed to properly supervise, train, discipline and control the FAMU Band," the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit seeks damages greater than $15,000, but does not give a specific amount.

Champion's parents, Robert and Pamela, have already sued the bus company, claiming the driver stood guard outside while the hazing took place. The company said the driver was helping band members with their equipment.

Florida A&M University trustees were added as defendants to the lawsuit, which was to be refiled later Wednesday. Under state law, Champions parents had to wait six months before they could include the university in the lawsuit since it's a state entity.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48151915/ns/us_news-life/

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Thursday, July 5, 2012

?In the Studio,? Heroku?s Mattt Thompson Wants to ?Automate Away? Web Development

"In the Studio" barrels through the summer months by welcoming a hacker from the rustbelt, a former mobile lead at a company acquired by the world's largest social network, and now, having relocated to the Bay Area, leads mobile and design efforts for one of the Valley's great web development platforms. Mattt Thompson (yes, there are three T's in Mattt) is currently focusing on mobile and design for Heroku, a company he joined after his previous employer -- Gowalla -- was acquired by Facebook. And in his free time, he's either toying with some of his new projects or thinking deeply about the future of web development and its relationship to mobile.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ZJICS4uzNqE/

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Seabirds study shows plastic pollution reaching surprising levels off coast of Pacific Northwest

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Plastic pollution off the northwest coast of North America is reaching the level of the notoriously polluted North Sea, according to a new study led by a researcher at the University of British Columbia.

The study, published online in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, examined stomach contents of beached northern fulmars on the coasts of British Columbia, Canada, and the states of Washington and Oregon, U.S.A.

"Like the canary in the coal mine, northern fulmars are sentinels of plastic pollution in our oceans," says Stephanie Avery-Gomm, the study's lead author and a graduate student in UBC's Department of Zoology. "Their stomach content provides a 'snapshot' sample of plastic pollution from a large area of the northern Pacific Ocean."

Northern fulmars forage exclusively at sea and retain ingested plastics for a long period of time, making them ideal indicators for marine littering. Analysis of beached fulmars has been used to monitor plastic pollution in the North Sea since the 1980s. The latest findings, when compared to previous similar studies, indicate a substantial increase in plastic pollution over the past four decades.

The research group performed necropsies on 67 beached northern fulmars and found that 92.5 per cent had plastics ? such as twine, Styrofoam and candy wrappers ? in their stomach. An average of 36.8 pieces per bird were found. The average total weight of plastic was 0.385 grams per bird. One bird was found with 454 pieces of plastic in its stomach.

"The average adult northern fulmar weighs five pounds, or 2.25 kilograms," says Avery-Gomm. "While 0.385 grams in a bird may seem inconsequential to us, it's the equivalent of about five per cent of their body mass. It would be like a human carrying 50 grams of plastic in our stomach ? about the weight of 10 quarters."

"Despite the close proximity of the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch,' an area of concentrated plastic pollution in the middle of the North Pacific gyre, plastic pollution has not been considered an issue of concern off our coast," says Avery-Gomm, "But we've found similar amounts and incident rates of plastic in beached northern fulmars here as those in the North Sea. This indicates it is an issue which warrants further study."

The researchers propose annual monitoring of trends in plastic pollution and the effectiveness of marine waste reduction strategies.

"Beached bird surveys are providing important clues about causes and patterns of sea bird mortality from oil spill impacts, fisheries by-catch and now plastic ingestion," says co-author Karen Barry with Bird Studies Canada, a not-for profit organization that helped facilitate the study.

###

University of British Columbia: http://www.ubc.ca

Thanks to University of British Columbia for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/121471/Seabirds_study_shows_plastic_pollution_reaching_surprising_levels_off_coast_of_Pacific_Northwest

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Wednesday, July 4, 2012

After year of peace, trickier times ahead for Thai PM

BANGKOK (Reuters) - With the help of her photogenic looks, disarming personality and popular appeal, Thailand's first female prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, has helped maintain a fragile peace since being swept to power in a divided country one year ago.

The political neophyte, who leapt from running a boardroom to governing the country in less than three months, has surprised critics and reassured investors by rebounding from devastating floods and building ties with the top brass of a military entrenched in Thailand's rough-and-tumble politics.

But the honeymoon might not last much longer and the reason for that lies with her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former premier whose political machine catapulted her to power.

Thaksin, a former telecoms tycoon, was toppled by the army in 2006 and has chosen to live in exile rather than serve a two-year jail term for graft. He is loved by the working class but loathed by Thailand's royalist military and conservative elite.

The big policy pledges that got Yingluck elected - minimum wage increases and rice price guarantees for farmers - have sparked an outcry from exporters and businesses, but the tension is all about her Puea Thai party's unspoken election platform: the return of Thaksin absolved of his graft conviction.

"She came into politics at a difficult time. She's managed pretty well, considering what she's been up against," said a Western diplomat in Bangkok. "But no one is in any doubt that Thaksin is in charge."

Thaksin is widely believed to sign off on virtually every move his sister makes, including cabinet appointments. On one occasion, he lectured her ministers in a teleconference and party officials frequently fly out to see him in Dubai, where he is based, or elsewhere.

Yingluck's coalition has control of three-fifths of parliament, which has given Thaksin the breathing space to try to consolidate power from behind the scenes, shoring up old allegiances in the police, business and the bureaucracy after a purge in the wake of his 2006 ouster.

His allies have played a shrewd game in carefully managing Yingluck's image to show the 45-year-old as down-to-earth, flexible and able to reach out to her brother's enemies.

She has held ostensibly friendly meetings with top army generals and a royal adviser accused by Thaksin's "red shirt" supporters of masterminding his overthrow.

NO QUARRELS

Chaturon Chaisaeng, a former minister close to Thaksin and widely credited with playing a part in Yingluck's rise, rejects the assertion that she is Thaksin's puppet, holding the fort until he comes home.

"She's very quick to learn and it's been her strength all along that she doesn't quarrel with anyone. It wouldn't do her or the government any good if she fought back," he told Reuters

"She's followed her plan: 'Thaksin thinks, Puea Thai does'," he said, citing a party slogan in last year's election. "There's nothing wrong with that - it's undeniable that people still like Thaksin's ideas, especially his policies."

But some of the economic policies have been described as reckless and two other ideas Thaksin is credited with have caused old rivalries to resurface in the past two months.

Two bills being pushed through the normally sluggish parliament at extraordinary speed have triggered a brawl among members, a blockade of the assembly by anti-Thaksin "yellow shirt" activists and a court-ordered suspension on the grounds that the legislation could be a plot to overthrow the monarchy.

The parliamentary opposition says the bills - one to set up an elected assembly to amend an army-drafted constitution and the other a reconciliation plan all but certain to involve a general amnesty - are designed to clear Thaksin's name and return $1.5 billion of assets confiscated from him.

Yingluck denies it is all tailored to benefit Thaksin, while in speeches to supporters the ex-premier himself has vented his anger at what he calls a "judicial coup" in the making, accusing Constitutional Court judges of bowing to pressure to thwart moves to amend the charter.

A final ruling is due this month and Thaksin's supporters have threatened to hold protests if amendment efforts are blocked. Anti-Thaksin "yellow shirts", whose protests shut down airports and government offices and helped undermine two governments he led or backed in 2006 and 2008, say they will try to block the reconciliation bills.

"Yingluck has been transformed in the shadow of brother Thaksin, inheriting his support and popularity, but it's not going to be easy for her now," said Somjai Phagaphasvivat, a professor of politics at Bangkok's Thammasat University.

"The polarization remains in Thailand, there's no long-lasting solution, no end in sight, and she may not be able to overcome that."

Yingluck's rivals see her as a novelty people will grow tired of if more problems arise from the government's pursuit of reconciliation and constitutional changes, and bringing Thaksin back, that she has managed to distance herself from up to now.

Former finance minister and opposition Democrat Party heavyweight Korn Chatikavanij said Yingluck was a proxy presented to the public like a soap opera star and it was pointless to criticize her.

"Yingluck is certainly not comfortable. She doesn't answer questions posed to her by the press, she feigns ignorance of all issues that typical prime ministers should be right on top of," Korn told Reuters.

"We stay out of it because, frankly, whatever she does is not really relevant. Her job is to look pretty and smile and be as photogenic as possible, and she's done that job very well."

(Additional reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Alan Raybould and Robert Birsel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/peace-trickier-times-ahead-thai-pm-210358574.html

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