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By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News
As March Madness looms, a religious news website has created its own bracket for the papal conclave featuring not basketball teams but a "Sweet Sistine" of cardinals who could become pope.
A week before Pope Benedict retires, there is still no clear candidate to succeed him. There is a possibility New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan, praised in Catholic circles for his efforts to revitalize the church, may be a frontrunner. TODAY's Anne Thompson reports.
The topical online contest was devised by the non-profit Religion News Service, part of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
They are expected to begin the process of choosing his successor at the Vatican from early next week.
By late Thursday more than 7,000 had 'played' in the first round of the poll, which pits New York's Archbishop, Cardinal Timothy Dolan against Boston?s Cardinal Sean O'Malley and Canada?s Marc Ouellet against Mexico's Norberto Rivera.
First round voting ends at midnight ET on Friday. You can play the game, and see the early results, here.
To boost your chances, there?s insight on some of the contenders here.
Related:
Inside Castel Gandolfo, Pope Benedict's spectacular temporary retirement home
'Amateur hour': Vatican conclave drama is one for the history books, experts say
Inside the Vatican: The $8 billion global institution where nuns answer the phones
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Feb. 28, 2013 ? New research has uncovered a mechanism that regulates the reproduction of plants, providing a possible tool for engineering higher yielding crops. In a study published today in Science, researchers from Monash University and collaborators in Japan and the US, identified for the first time a particular gene that regulates the transition between stages of the life cycle in land plants.
Professor John Bowman, of the Monash School of Biological Sciences said plants, in contrast to animals, take different forms in alternating generations -- one with one set of genes and one with two sets.
"In animals, the bodies we think of are our diploid bodies -- where each cell has two sets of DNA. The haploid phase of our life cycle consists of only eggs if we are female and sperm if we are male. In contrast, plants have large complex bodies in both haploid and diploid generations," Professor Bowman said.
These two plant bodies often have such different characteristics that until the mid-1800s, when better microscopes allowed further research, they were sometimes thought to be separate species.
Professor Bowman and Dr Keiko Sakakibara, formerly of the Monash School of Biological Sciences and now at Hiroshima University, removed a gene, known as KNOX2 from moss. They found that this caused the diploid generation to develop as if it was a haploid, a phenomenon termed apospory. The equivalent mutations in humans would be if our entire bodies were transformed into either eggs or sperm.
"Our study provides insights into how land plants evolved two complex generations, strongly supporting one theory put forward at the beginning of last century proposing that the complex diploid body was a novel evolutionary invention," Professor Bowman said.
While Professor Bowman's laboratory in the School of Biological Sciences is focused on basic research exploring the evolution and development of land plants, he said there were possible applications for the results as mutations in the gene cause the plant to skip a generation.
One goal in agriculture is apomixis, where a plant produces seeds clonally by skipping the haploid generation and thereby maintaining the characteristics, such as a high yielding hybrid, of the mother plant. Apomixis would mean crops with desirable qualities could be produced more easily and cheaply.
"Gaining a better understanding of the molecular basis of plant reproduction and the regulations of the alternation of generations could provide tools to engineer apomixis -- a breakthrough that would be highly beneficial, especially in developing countries," Professor Bowman said.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/RADtbMBx-xQ/130301123314.htm
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One year ago Los Angeles was blessed with a gift, so unassuming, so every day, some might just miss its presence altogether, which would be a?tragedy, because damn if it aint Handsome. Handsome Coffee Roaster opened it?s doors on a chilly February morning, bright eyed with wonder and adventure and hoping for the best. Apparently their best was more than good enough. Here they are, one year later, flourishing.
I am a lover of all things coffee, so when I moved to LA I made it my goal to seek out the best cup in the city; to be fair I should warn you that I am a self proclaimed coffee snob. That being said, Handsome has it, hands down. The espresso is smooth and pulled to perfection, I have yet to be disappointed? and you guys, I go there a lot? like, a-lot-a-lot.
The staff is friendly and knowledgable. I can not tell you how many times I have sat at the counter and heard them explain to a customer why they don?t carry any sweeteners or substitutes for milk, ?Sweeteners cover up faults in the coffee. The coffee, on it?s own, or combined with milk, should be smooth enough to drink with out having to cover any of the other flavors up. So if you don?t like it, or feel like it is too bitter, let us know and we would be more than happy to remake it for you.? I kid you not!
The energy and atmosphere are both calming and up beat. I can go there to meet a client or simply sit and work without feeling overwhelmed or rushed, even though they are consistently one of the busiest shops I have been to in Los Angeles (and I have been to the majority of them, my caffeine addiction knows no bounds).
This coming Friday, March 1st, Handsome will be throwing a block party at their space, 582 Mateo St. There will be plenty of conviviality to go around! Food, drinks, coffee, music, and general good times will be had with or with out you. But I think maybe it should be with you. So come down, get a drink and some food, toast to their anniversary and wish them another incredibly handsome year.
Source: http://www.laimyours.com/38123/damn-handsome/
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FILE - In this March 16, 2012 file photo, runners are seen passing the Tower of David during the second annual marathon in Jerusalem. The Palestinians called for a boycott since the route includes a segment in the walled Old City - part of their hoped-for capital - while hardline Israeli lawmakers are planning to run it for just the opposite reason, to assert Israeli sovereignty over the entire city (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)
FILE - In this March 16, 2012 file photo, runners are seen passing the Tower of David during the second annual marathon in Jerusalem. The Palestinians called for a boycott since the route includes a segment in the walled Old City - part of their hoped-for capital - while hardline Israeli lawmakers are planning to run it for just the opposite reason, to assert Israeli sovereignty over the entire city (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)
JERUSALEM (AP) ? It's the crown jewel of Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat's ambitious grand plan to promote his ancient city: a scenic, world-class marathon winding through historic hills and religious sites.
But like many things in Jerusalem, even Friday's marathon has become fraught with politics, a magnet for opposing claims by Israelis and Palestinians.
The Palestinians have called for a boycott of the race because the route goes through east Jerusalem, their hoped-for capital. On the other side of the political divide, a hard-line Israeli lawmaker plans to run the course to assert Israeli sovereignty over the entire city.
The competing claims, even over a seemingly innocuous sporting event, reflect the deep emotions over Jerusalem.
Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war and considers the whole city its capital, though the claim is not recognized internationally. The Palestinians say there cannot be peace without shared sovereignty in east Jerusalem.
The fate of the area, and particularly the ancient Old City, which is home to sensitive Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites, has long been the most explosive issue in peace efforts.
Since taking office 4 1/2 years ago, Barkat has looked to unite the city's Arab and Jewish residents by linking them with a light rail system and hosting sporting and cultural events.
"The Jerusalem International Marathon is a symbol of coexistence and of the unique power of sport to bridge social, ethnic, and political divides," his spokesman Barak Cohen said. "The marathon will cross through many neighborhoods of Jerusalem, on all sides of the city, and is open to all residents regardless of religion, race, politics or any other personal trait or belief."
Some 20,000 participants are expected to run in the third annual Jerusalem marathon, which will include a full marathon, which is 42 kilometers (26.2 miles), a half marathon and two shorter races. The event has attracted dozens of Arab residents and more than 1,750 runners from 54 countries.
The participants include Annalisa Minetti, a blind Italian model, singer, Paralympic medalist and recent parliamentary candidate for Mario Monti's party. Barkat, a 53-year-old running buff, plans to run the half marathon.
The city has been spiffed up for the occasion. The finish line at Jerusalem's main park has been adorned with flags and banners from the many sponsors. For the Palestinians, though, the event marks a provocation.
"This marathon is part and parcel of other Israeli policies and practices in Jerusalem that are aimed at exerting Israeli control over the occupied city and isolate it from the rest of Palestine," the Palestine Liberation Organization said in a statement. "Sponsoring or participating in the marathon implies recognition and active participation by the individual or company in Israel's illegal annexation and racist policies in Jerusalem."
On Thursday, two senior clerics, one Muslim and one Christian, voiced their opposition to the race. And Omar Shalabi, an official with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, said a group of activists would hoist Palestinian flags as runners pass through the Old City. He said there were no plans to block the runners.
Among the sponsors are U.S. footwear company New Balance and the Crowne Plaza hotel chain, which is owned by U.K.-based InterContinental Hotels Group PLC. New Balance did not immediately return a message seeking comment. A spokeswoman for InterContinental said the company was not aware of any boycott efforts. Adidas, which has sponsored the marathon before despite political pressure to drop its affiliation, is not sponsoring the event this year. A spokesman did not return a message asking why the company is no longer a sponsor.
Danny Danon, a hawkish lawmaker with the ruling Likud Party, said he was running to provide a counter statement to the Palestinians.
"I think it marks a clear message: When we talk about the city being united, we mean it," he told The Associated Press.
As Barkat himself can attest, any development in the city, no matter how well meaning, can be politically explosive. The new light rail was opposed by Palestinians as an encroachment because it included the eastern part of the city in its path, though Arab residents now heavily use the train service.
His plan to develop an Arab neighborhood outside the walls of the Old City also ran into fierce opposition from residents, while archaeological excavations and even road construction have frequently sparked religious or ethnic strife.
Since capturing east Jerusalem in 1967, Israel has ringed the sector with a series of settlements that are now home to roughly 200,000 Jews, in addition to about 300,000 Palestinians in the area.
The international community bitterly opposes these developments, saying they are illegal settlements on occupied land. Some 300,000 Jews live in the western part of Jerusalem. Under Israeli control, though, the city is open, and the lines between east and west have become blurred.
The marathon route will take the runners through the Old City, past the president's residence and past Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem to the campus of the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus.
One of the foreign participants is Raef Guirges, a 56-year-old Egyptian-American who plans to run draped in a tricolor flag bearing the message "God is love" in English, Hebrew and Arabic.
"I don't like politics. I am a very simple person with a very simple message: Let's try to love each other the same way God loves us," said Guirges, a Christian who has run more than 100 marathons worldwide.
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On the Web: http://www.jerusalem-marathon.com/
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Associated Press Writer Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.
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Follow Heller on Twitter (at)aronhellerap
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This essay is the fifth in a series about?Gay Marriage and Proposition 8.
Is the institution of marriage just about recognizing couples ?who have chosen to share one another?s lives in an intimate and committed relationship of mutual caring??
This is a central issue in the continuing legal debate over Proposition 8 in California. According to the marriage traditionalists who defend Proposition 8 in court, encouraging procreation in the context of a stable relationship has been a central historical purpose of marriage as an institution. While few in the United States today would challenge the legal right of men or women to pursue romantic relationships with members of the same sex, a procreation-centered definition of marriage makes the idea of gay marriage a contradiction in terms. If traditionalists? definition of marriage is valid and important, there?s also some risk that we?ll redefine a core purpose right out of marriage if we insist its two-gender history is just a matter of prejudice.
But according to Judge Vaughn Walker, the first judge to rule against Proposition 8, two counter-examples prove this thinking wrong:
1) Couples who have no intention to have children are allowed to marry.
2) Couples with no ability to have children are allowed to marry.
The initial court ruling against Proposition 8 (and in favor of gay marriage as a constitutional right) asserts that these examples prove that marriage is fundamentally about mutual caring and therefore not restricted by definition to couples who plan to bear children. Without procreation as a core purpose of marriage, there seems to be little rational basis for the exclusion of same-sex couples. If there is no rational basis for keeping marriage definitionally male-female, the judgment goes, then Proposition 8 is actually rooted in animus (prejudice) against the gay identity group, and so the court is simply fulfilling its 14th Amendment obligation to strike down measures that create undue legal burdens for persecuted minorities when it invalidates Proposition 8.
I think Vaughn Walker?s ruling against Proposition 8 is intellectually honest. But I also think that careful consideration of his counter-examples shows that his ruling rushes too quickly to conclusions. Simply showing that couples can marry without having children (whether because of personal preference or medical complication), doesn?t actually prove that procreation isn?t deeply connected to the institution of marriage.
Here?s why:
Up until fifty years ago or so, getting married with no intention to have children was unthinkable. For one thing, contraceptive technology was limited enough that it was logistically difficult to have a lifelong sexual relationship without an extremely high chance of pregnancy and childbirth. For another, social attitudes simply precluded it: if you got married, having children was taken for granted as a next step. So to say that the existence of modern couples who don?t intend to have children sheds light on the social purpose of marriage is misleading.
What about couples who can?t have children? Ample historical evidence reveals that in every culture where marriage had legal status, childlessness was considered an extreme tragedy. A marriage could be started without children, but was not considered complete in cases where no children came. A story like this is the basis of the religious beliefs of the majority of the people in the world to this day: Abraham and Sarah long for children and feel incomplete when children do not come.
Except, of course, that a child does come to Abraham and Sarah in the story. This reveals, incidentally, another flaw in Walker?s reasoning: it is medical hubris to believe we can tell with absolute certainty which male-female couples won?t be able to have children. I have two nephews, actually, whose mothers had been told by doctors they would be unable to bear children. But doctors do not know everything, and two surprised women in our family each gave birth to a boy.
Let?s call the relationship between two people of the same rough generation lateral and the relationship between generations vertical. If we go back more than a hundred years in history, I think it?s clear that marriage as an institution was considered primary vertical (that is, designed to protect the relationships between generations) and only secondarily lateral (that is, designed to protect the relationships between individual lovers). That?s why Alexander never would have thought of marrying Hephaestion. Even though the two men?s strongest lateral relationship was with each other, Alexander married at least two different women for the sake of his vertical relationships. Ancient Greeks seem to have valued both types of relationships, but would have considered it ridiculous to assume they were the same.
However, you don?t have to look only to the past to see the vertical dimension of marriage. Attend an ethnic wedding in the United States today and you?ll see largely neglected kinds of clothing, music, and traditions rise to prominence. Even assimilated, clean-shaven men from traditionally Sikh families typically grow beards for their weddings as a sort of nod to ancestors. Even very American Jews use the Hebrew mazel tov to congratulate a new couple, because there?s an unspoken feeling at a wedding that the new couple is standing in a chain of couples that goes back to days before ancestors ever set foot on English-speaking shores, and that the couple is going to continue that chain of descendants until long after today?s English is dead.
Now, over the past hundred years or so, it?s become increasingly common around the world to give the lateral elements of marriage more weight. Matches that start with love are now the norm rather than arranged marriages where love is a secondary feature the couple can choose to develop. Spouses are expected to be close friends in their personal lives as well as partners in an intergenerational enterprise. And even the most deeply pro-natal faith groups in America seem to support these trends and to feel good about a model of marriage that is equally vertical and lateral.
But those same groups are extremely uncomfortable with a definition of marriage that fully devalues the institution?s vertical elements. Don?t believe me? Go ask orthodox Jewish, LDS, Catholic, Muslim, Sikh, or Hindu religious figures sometime what they think about couples who plan not to have any children. I think you?ll see quickly that the old idea that marriage is complete only with the arrival of children is very much alive, and not just a pretense for homophobia as Judge Walker?s decision assumes.
Since few people organize to insist that it?s hateful to disapprove of couples who don?t want to have children, of course, and since it?s easy for couples who don?t want any children to simply change their minds, the erosion of the vertical dimension of marriage in their case hasn?t become a major political issue. But since most gay rights advocates insist that disapproval of same-gender sexual relationships comes from ignorance and hate rather than from different values, and because same-sex marriage is irreversibly distanced from at least biological vertical relationships, the underlying questions about the nature of marriage have become both political and heated.
Image credit: Keeping the Flame Alive, by Lars Justinen
Read the 6-part series
James Goldberg's family is Jewish on one side, Sikh on the other, and Mormon in the middle. Goldberg co-edits the Everyday Mormon Writer literary website, teaches composition and creative writing courses at BYU, and blogs at Mormon Midrashim. His debut novel, The Five Books of Jesus, was published in September 2012.Source: http://realintent.org/part-5-what-is-marriage/
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I realize that this is not always possible and generally out of foster parents? hands, but for my last placement the transition was very slow. We met with our new foster parents for a couple of hours one afternoon. Then a few days later stayed with them for a weekend and then a week later we moved in. That time taken with the transition really helped me feel comfortable with where we were going and who we were going to.
Adoption. What did you initially think of adoption when you first heard of it in a general way and how did that change when it was happening to you?
I don?t really remember when I first heard about the concept of adoption. I guess it wasn?t really something I thought about since I?didn't?know anyone who had been adopted and it was never discussed prior to the start of my adoption process. I remember my parents telling me that there was going to be a hearing where the judge was going to decide if my bio parents? rights would be terminated, meaning that we would never go back to live with them. I don?t remember if they talked about adoption at that point, but I very clearly remember when they asked us if we wanted to be adopted and live with them forever. I don?t think I could say ?yes? fast enough! Now it amazes me how many people I know who have been touched by adoption, whether they were adopted themselves, have a sibling or parent who was adopted or is a birth mother or father.
What did your adoptive family do to help you settle in and feel like a part of the family (if that happened)?
The first thing was the discussion of names. They made it clear that we could change our names if we wanted to. We could change our first name, last name, both or neither. I knew immediately that I wanted to change my last name. I wanted to ?belong? and to me that meant we all needed to have the same last name. I think it meant a lot to them too that we all had the same name, but I know they wanted us to feel comfortable with the decision. My brother and I both ended up keeping our original first and middle names and changed our last names to match our parents.
The second thing was the adoption party. My parents threw a huge party celebrating our adoption and welcoming us to the family. All of our relatives from both my mom and dad?s side of the family were there. I got two presents that day that now mean the world to me. My grandmother gave me a bible with a beautiful inscription and the date. And one of my dad?s relatives gave me a bracelet inscribed with my name and the date of my adoption. This dates means a lot to me and even though we don?t really celebrate it, I always call my parents on that day.
The biggest thing was just creating our own family traditions and memories that we still follow and talk about today. There?s the Summer Rain Dance, the Ice Cream Bowl Ceremony, and heart-shaped meatloaf and pink mashed potatoes on Valentine?s Day. There?s the time when my brother ate horseradish sauce for the first time, the time I got a new bike and proceeded to crash into our neighbor?s mailbox and the time we all dressed up in matching shirts to sing Happy Birthday to my dad at work. These are the things that create a family.
Did you ever have a CASA or someone that was a constant in your life?
I think at one point I had a CASA, but I don?t really remember. If I did, they?weren't?around enough to a make an impression. My social workers changed several times as well, so there was never really any adult who was a constant in my life. I have been a mentor myself (not a CASA) and know first-hand how having that special someone in your life can make a huge difference. I really wish that I had had someone like that to help me through the craziness my early childhood.
What did you find most helpful for healing? Did it help when your mother would talk about things with you and initiate the conversation? Or did you prefer to keep things to yourself and talk when you brought it up? What age were you when you first started "unpacking"?
When I was a kid (and even into adulthood), I was very unwilling to express my emotions. When I was upset, I would literally just shut down. I?wouldn't?talk, I?wouldn't?move, I?wouldn't?look at anyone. I?didn't?cry. I just held it all in. My last foster parents (later adoptive parents) never made me feel bad about my behavior. They quietly encouraged me to express myself in whatever way felt comfortable. They left a notebook next to me and encouraged me to write down what I was thinking. Once I was comfortable writing, they started to ask me to read what I had written. Once I felt comfortable reading it, then they started asking me to paraphrase what I had written. Once I felt comfortable with that, then they started asking me to just say whatever it was I was feeling. This took a long, long time for me to be able to do, but just that quiet encouragement set the foundation for me to feel comfortable and safe enough to express myself. This notebook process started pretty soon after I moved in with them, so I was probably 8 years old, but it took many years for me to be able to talk about things without writing them down. Even up to my early 20s, I had episodes when I would shut down, so truly being able to express myself was a long and arduous process, which I?m still working on because even though I was adopted over 20 years ago, I still often times doubt that the people who mean the most to me will stay in my life, since the lesson I learned so early on was that everyone leaves.
What would you do now to change "the system"?
Oh, this is a charged question!! ?Firstly, I think there have been a lot of changes made to the foster system since I was in care. And I do understand that ?the system? is different state to state, county to county and even social worker to social worker so it?s hard to make sweeping generalizations. I will say this: each child is so different and each child?s experiences are so different that making the CHILD the first priority should be the golden rule when it comes to placements. Not the foster parents, not the agency, not the birth parents. I know that this happens in theory and I?m sure it happens in more places than not, but it didn?t always happen for me and it was very detrimental.
If I had to take a stand on one policy change within ?the system?, and this is just my opinion based on my experiences, I would put a time limit on how long a bio family has to get their act together before their rights are terminated. In my case, I was in foster care for years when it was pretty obvious that my bio parents did not have and would not be able to learn the skills necessary to take care of a child. If their rights had been terminated earlier, I might have been spared years of foster care. But then again, I probably wouldn?t have been adopted by the family I was adopted by, and my life would still have been completely different.
In terms of the broader ?system,? I would love to really change the stereotypes and media portrayals of foster children. There are so many times I?m watching a TV show and the ?bad? person has been in and out of foster care. I know the statistics are staggering, but it?s already so hard for foster children to see their own self-worth without the media and broader society making them feel that they can never overcome their obstacles and that they?ll only ever ?bad.? One of my favorite TV show at the moment is Bones, mostly because two of main characters grew up in foster care and have become healthy, stable, wonderful people, providing a positive, if fictional, role models for any foster child.
Source: http://attemptingagape.blogspot.com/2013/02/virtual-interview-with-foster-alumni.html
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