Liberty begin key stretch in push for playoff spot

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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- The New York Liberty entered the weekend one-half game out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. With six of their last nine games at home, they know this is the time to make their big push.

The Liberty have struggled for consistency all season, winning three games in a row just once while losing at least three straight three times. However, this final stretch is their best chance for a run with six games against teams owning worse records, and one against Chicago - which is just ahead of them in the East.

''Washington might catch one of us but probably can't catch both of us,'' Liberty coach John Whisenant said. ''We've fought through a lot of our hard schedule.''

New York (9-16) has three games remaining with the Mystics, who are last in the East, starting Saturday at the Prudential Center. The Liberty also have two against Tulsa and one against Phoenix, and -along with the Mystics - those three teams are a combined 16-58.

''Sometimes we have as much trouble with Washington and Tulsa as we do with (first-place) Connecticut,'' Whisenant said. ''They're still hard to (beat). They have good players. They've had their own injury problems, their own karma problems, and if you catch them at the right time they'll get us. ... We've just got to keep plugging away.''

The Liberty came off a nine-day road trip in which they lost three of five, and opened a stretch of six straight at home with a 76-63 loss to second-place Indiana on Thursday night - giving them their latest three-game skid.

Cappie Pondexter pointed to fatigue from the travel in the recent road swing for the team's struggles against Indiana, in a game New York trailed by one early in the fourth quarter before being outscored 25-12 the rest of the way. New York's trip started in Connecticut on Aug. 18 and went through Chicago and Phoenix before finishing up with back-to-back games in Los Angeles and Seattle last weekend.

''Everybody looked a step slow,'' Pondexter said. ''It's hard coming off the road, from west to east, six games in nine days against great teams. ... We had one day to prepare for another great team.''

The star guard also knows this upcoming stretch is critical to the Liberty's postseason chances.

''We need all these games at home because playing at home is a different kind of energy because you're not travelling as much as the other team,'' she said. ''Next game against Washington, if we don't think they're going to come in and try to win and spoil our playoff hopes, we don't deserve to be there.''

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Liberty begin key stretch in push for playoff spot

43rd Pacific Islands Forum Communique

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Latest Press Statement 31 August 2012 43rd Pacific Islands Forum Communique PIFS(12)10 Forty-Third Pacific Islands Forum Rarotonga, Cook Islands 28 - 30 August 2012 Forum CommuniquThe Forty-Third Pacific Islands Forum was held in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, from 28 to 30 August 2012 and was attended by Heads of State and Governments of Australia, the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu. The Solomon Islands and the Republic of Vanuatu were represented by their respective Deputy Prime Ministers. The Republic of Palau was represented by its Minister of Justice. New Caledonia and French Polynesia attended the formal session as Associate Members. American Samoa, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna, the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group, Asian Development Bank, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the United Nations (UN), the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and the World Bank attended as Observers. The Forum Retreat was held on Tapuaetai Island in Aitutaki. 2. Leaders expressed their deep gratitude to the Prime Minister, the Government and people of Cook Islands for the excellent arrangements made in hosting the 2012 Leaders meeting, and for the kind hospitality extended to them during their stay in Rarotonga and Aitutaki. 3. Leaders expressed their condolences to Australia and New Zealand on the recent loss of lives in Afghanistan. PACIFIC PLAN 4. Leaders noted the Pacific Plan Annual Progress Report and its focus on the relationship between the Pacific Plan, the post-2015 development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, and further noted a number of achievements over the course of the last twelve months, including: (a) progress in implementing the Waiheke Declaration on Sustainable Economic Development, endorsed by Leaders at their annual meeting in Auckland in 2011, through initiatives in both productive and enabling sectors; (b) progress in implementing the Pacific Islands Framework for Action on Climate Change, including efforts towards integrating regional disaster risk management and climate change frameworks and improving access to and management of climate change finance; (c) implementing the Pacific Oceanscape Framework and other relevant ocean agreements, which has helped support international recognition of oceans in the PALM6 Declaration and the Rio+20 Meeting; and (d) successfully implementing the Forum Compact on Strengthening Development Coordination in the Pacific, including through peer reviews and public expenditure and financial assessments. 5. Leaders welcomed the Regional Legislative and Regulatory Framework for Deep Sea Minerals Exploration identified as a Pacific Plan priority action in 2009 and thanked the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the European Union (EU) for the assistance towards the Framework. Leaders recommended that Forum Island Countries (FICs) consider using the Framework in formulating relevant national policy noting it highlights the need for a precautionary approach and addresses economic, social and environmental aspects to ensure sustainable resource use prevails. 6. Leaders agreed that the medium-term priorities that they endorsed in 2009, including their subsequent decisions, remain relevant and should guide regional efforts until the outcomes of the review of the Pacific Plan are finalised. 7. Leaders considered the terms of reference for the Pacific Plan Review and agreed that the draft final report of the review, including a refreshed draft of the Pacific Plan, will be presented to Leaders at their meeting in 2013. Leaders agreed to the importance of the Review and that it would be led by Sir Mekere Morauta of Papua New Guinea. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FORUM COMPACT 8. Leaders considered and endorsed the 2012 Tracking the Effectiveness of Development Efforts in the Pacific Report, and the 2012 Pacific Regional Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Tracking Report. 9. Leaders considered the following key messages on achieving the MDGs: (a) there is an urgent need to accelerate progress and get behind a final push to achieve the MDGs by 2015; (b) efforts should focus on: targeting pro-poor economic growth; creating jobs and improving social safety nets; providing fee-free education to ensure universal primary education; addressing gender inequality, in particular gender-based violence; improving child and maternal health; (c) increased investment in basic infrastructure to improve access to water and sanitation and energy; and (d) strong political leadership is the catalyst for achieving the MDGs. 10. Leaders also considered the following key messages on improving effectiveness of development efforts in the region: (a) recognise the enhanced leadership of FICs in development coordination, supported by the Forum Compact, including through strengthened development planning and budgets, public financial and aid management systems; (b) acknowledge the need to improve the links between plans, budgets, and results; develop and implement aid policies; and better manage engagement with development partners, including the number of country missions; (c) while recognising the efforts of development partners to improve development coordination, urge them to continue to focus on: improving the predictability of their aid; reducing and coordinating the number of missions; improving risk sharing through the use of country systems; and accepting the need for FICs to manage aid to suit their capacity; and (d) develop inclusive and mutually accountable partnerships, recognising the important role of new and emerging development actors, as well as civil society and the private sector. 11. Leaders commended the active participation of Forum Members at the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan in 2011 and acknowledged the role of the Forum Compact as a regional platform for advancing aid effectiveness principles. Leaders also acknowledged the Pacifics representation on the newly formed global governance framework for effective development cooperation and welcomed in particular Samoa as the Pacifics representation on the Steering Committee of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. Leaders were encouraged by the expressions of interest by some development partners to be included in the peer review process. WAIHEKE DECLARATION ON SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 12. Leaders recalled the Waiheke Declaration on Sustainable Development adopted at their meeting in 2011. They also acknowledged progress made by Members, with the support of the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) agencies and development partners, towards sustainable economic development.

13. Leaders acknowledged and supported the Forum Economic Ministers appropriate recommendation for the establishment of the Technical Working Group on the Waiheke Declaration. 14. Leaders welcomed the offer from New Zealand to host a Pacific Energy Conference in April 2013. This Conference will showcase progress in the region towards the goal of improving access to clean affordable energy and will mobilise additional support to further reduce the Pacifics dependence on fossil fuels. ? THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (RIO+20) 15. Leaders welcomed the important outcomes of the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) for the Pacific, including reaffirmation of the special case for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), an emphasis on oceans, and the decision to develop Sustainable Development Goals. 16. Leaders welcomed the decision of the Rio+20 Conference to convene the Third International Conference on SIDS in 2014. They fully endorsed the hosting of the Conference in the Pacific region and gave their full support to the Pacific Island country selected as the venue for it. Leaders gave their strong support to the full and active participation of all Pacific Islands Forum members in the 2014 Conference and its preparatory process. 17. Leaders further recognised that the effectiveness of this important Conference would require a thorough, comprehensive and well focused preparatory process and adequate financing to enable strong national and regional participation. 18. Underlining the importance of the Conference, Leaders called on development partners and the wider international community to demonstrate their support for the success of the 2014 Conference and its preparatory process. 19. Leaders tasked the Forum Secretariat, in collaboration with CROP and UN agencies, to work closely with FICs to develop a Pacific position on the post-2015 development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, and to contribute effectively to the relevant global processes, including the 68th UN General Assembly in September 2013. 20. Leaders called on the UN system to clearly map out a merged process for the post-2015 development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals paths at the 67th UN General Assembly. Leaders also called for Pacific representation on the Sustainable Development Goals Working Group and the Finance Working Group proposed in the Rio+20 outcome document. Leaders acknowledged the importance of the review of the Pacific Plan in 2013 as an opportunity to encompass global developments and to better influence the post-2015 development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals in the Plan. REGIONAL FISHERIES 21. Leaders called for science-based management action to address overfishing, including the adoption of appropriate management measures by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission. Leaders called on Distant Water Fishing Nations (DWFNs) fishing within the Western and Central Pacific region to: (a) fully recognise and support the sovereign rights, national laws, and development aspirations of Small Island Developing States; and (b) ensure that Commission measures do not result in the transfer of a disproportionate burden of conservation responsibilities on such States. 22. Leaders noted progress in renegotiating the terms of the US Multilateral Treaty on Fisheries and directed officials to continue the negotiations on remaining outstanding issues with a view to seeking agreement on an appropriate level of payment for the fisheries resources of the region commensurate with their great value. Leaders also agreed that the current distribution formula for the internal distribution of the Treaty funds among Pacific Island Parties be maintained. 23. Leaders expressed concern over ongoing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Special Management Area of the eastern high seas pocket and the exclusive economic zones of the Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Kiribati. Leaders commended the efforts undertaken thus far by both Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) members and DWFNs to adhere to the principles of ensuring the long term sustainability of the highly migratory fish stocks in the Western and Central Pacific ocean, and urged continuation of such efforts. In that connection, closing off the Eastern high seas pocket to any form of fishing activity by the DWFNs in the foreseeable future would be a significant step in that direction. 24. Leaders expressed concern at the damaging effect of IUU fishing, and endorsed the need to continually enhance the effectiveness of monitoring, control, surveillance, and enforcement capabilities in the region. Leaders also acknowledged regional achievements supported by the FFA and the SPC, and recognised the need to support progress through devoting greater attention and resources to: (a) improving coastal fisheries management and development in support of food security and sustainable livelihoods; (b) encouraging increased investment in Pacific fisheries and oceans in alignment with national and regional priorities; and (c) securing region-wide market access for Pacific fisheries products through the active cooperation of relevant states 25. Leaders acknowledged the ongoing assistance provided by Australia and New Zealand to support the fisheries management work of the FFA and SPC. REGIONAL POLICIES ON OCEANS AND THE OCEANSCAPE INITIATIVE 26. Leaders welcomed the positive outcomes from Rio +20 on the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and fisheries, and agreed to use these outcomes to build global consensus on the importance of sustainable development of the Pacific Ocean for the benefit of the peoples of the Pacific. Leaders also welcomed the recent progress of the Oceanscape initiative, including the political commitments of Member states, supported by the efforts of the Secretary General of the Forum Secretariat as Ocean Commissioner and of the regional technical agencies. 27. Leaders welcomed Cook Islands theme for the 2012 Forum of Large Oceans Island States the Pacific Challenge aimed at striking a balance between sustaining the development of our marine resources with the interests of preservation and conservation. Leaders agreed that as Large Ocean Island States FICs have a leading role to play in management of the Pacific Ocean, building on Leaders aspirations to maximise sustainable economic returns for Forum Members from ocean resources, including fisheries and seabed minerals, in accordance with the precautionary approach of Rio Principle 15.Leaders also commended the progress made by individual FICs on the creation of Marine Protected Areas, in line with global goals, in the context of broader conservation and management efforts for responsible use of ocean resources. 28. Leaders welcomed the signing of the Maritime Boundary Delimitation Agreements by the following countries: Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Tokelau. 29. Leaders applauded increased interest in investment in Pacific fisheries and oceans, including in the context of the Global Partnership for Oceans, but reiterated the need for such investment to be designed and implemented to contribute to the achievement of national priorities and align with existing regional frameworks. Leaders endorsed the priorities identified in the Oceanscape Framework for initial funding support, including finalising national maritime boundary arrangements; developing marine spatial planning; and providing support to strengthen collaborative ocean governance. CLIMATE CHANGE 30. Leaders acknowledged the range of efforts undertaken to support improved FICs access to, and management of, climate change financing. Leaders also welcomed and supported Nauru in its current role as Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States; Samoa as the Pacific Small Island Developing States representative on the Green Climate Fund Board; and Fiji as Pacific Small Island Developing States representative on the Adaptation Fund Board and as the incoming Alternate Council member on the Global Environmental Facility Council. 31. Leaders acknowledged the important and collaborative work of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and SPC in the area of climate change. Leaders tasked the Forum Secretariat, in collaboration with other CROP agencies and development partners, to continue to assist FICs in effectively responding to climate change, including through adaptation measures, mitigation efforts, climate change financing, capacity building, and international negotiations. Leaders also noted that many challenges remain in realising benefits from the pledged new and additional climate change finance of the Copenhagen Accord. 32. Leaders welcomed Australias commitment of A$58m in new funding over four years to support FICs with improved data on weather, climate and sea levels to inform climate change adaptation planning, as well as new support for communities to build resilience to natural disasters.

33. Leaders urged development partners to fulfil their pledged finances and to work with FICs and CROP agencies to improve the accessibility of these resources, preferably through the use of national systems and modalities tailored to the special needs and unique constraints of Small Island Developing States.

BIODIVERSITY 34. Leaders reaffirmed the importance of dealing effectively with invasive species at both national and regional levels, and requested SPREP and SPC to increase their efforts in that regard, working with other actors as appropriate. REGIONAL TRADE 35. Leaders noted the positive developments in progressing the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus negotiations and other trade agreements. Leaders directed the Forum Secretariat and other regional organisations to support FICs in making further progress in trade negotiations, and in particular to support those countries yet to fully implement the Pacific Islands Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) to do so as soon as practicable. 36. Leaders supported increased engagement by FICs to make rapid progress on priority trade issues in PICTA, PACER Plus, and the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union. 37. Leaders welcomed the signing of the PICTA Trade in Services (TIS) Protocol as a significant achievement for FICs TIS in important key sectors including tourism, transport and business services. Leaders further noted that the PICTA TIS benefits are expected to be equally beneficial for Smaller Island States. REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE 38. Leaders reaffirmed the importance of infrastructure to the sustainable economic development of the region and encouraged CROP agencies and development partners to work closely together to resource and address key gaps in regional infrastructure. 39. Leaders emphasised the urgent need to implement submarine cable connectivity in the Pacific Islands region. Recalling early analytical work undertaken by SPC on submarine cable connectivity, Leaders requested that SPC and USP conduct further urgent analysis of the best options on submarine cable connectivity for PICs with the results to be presented to Leaders at the margins of the Special Pacific ACP Leaders Meeting to be convened in Papua New Guinea later this year. REGIONAL EDUCATION 40. Leaders noted the efforts made by regional organisations to align their support to the Pacific Education Development Framework, and highlighted its importance in achieving improved educational outcomes across the region. Leaders recognised the USPs Institute of Education as a lead regional institution for research on education policy, and encouraged development partners and other potential funders to consider ways to better partner with USP to strengthen their research and policy capacity. Leaders noted the continued contribution of the Australia-Pacific Technical College to regional Technical and Vocational Education and Training development. 41. Leaders thanked Australia for its commitment of A$85 million in new funding over four years to strengthen tertiary education across the region, including through IT and infrastructure upgrading of regional tertiary institutions, two thousand new places in tertiary bridging programmes and two thousand and three hundred new places, with a priority on engineering, construction, maritime transport, education and health. REGIONAL HEALTH INITIATIVES 42. Leaders recognised the increasing and collective efforts to tackle the challenge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the Pacific region. Leaders called on the region to intensify efforts and for development partners and all stakeholders to upscale efforts and direct resources to national and regional efforts to combat the NCDs pandemic. 43. Leaders acknowledged the urgent need for strategic investment in health system strengthening and in cross-sectoral, whole-of-country initiatives to achieve better health outcomes at the national level, supported by appropriate regional initiatives. Leaders called for an immediate analysis on what is needed to be undertaken at the national and regional levels to ensure a comprehensive health sector response. 44. Leaders acknowledged the investment made by the Australian Government in the sport for development programs for the Pacific region and in particular the Pacific Sports Partnership that aims to reduce non-communicable disease, promote gender equality and provide opportunity for people with disabilities. Leaders were pleased to note the ongoing work of the Australian Government to develop the next stage of the Partnership to improve lives and build healthier communities through sports. REGIONAL GENDER INITIATIVE 45. Leaders endorsed the Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration which is attached as Annex 1. Leaders committed to supporting womens political representation, including by: strengthening consultative mechanisms with civil society groups on key budget and policy issues; advocating for increased representation of women in the private sector and local level governance boards and committees; and considering specific legislative changes to allow temporary special measures such as reserved seats. Leaders committed to ensure that gender analysis is factored into sustainable development discussions, country programming, and policy decisions. 46. Leaders commended Australia on its Pacific Gender Equality Initiative and thanked Australia for its commitment of A$320m in new funding over ten years, with the objective of increasing the proportion of women in leadership and political roles, improved economic opportunities for women through better access to finance and markets; and improved safety for women through prevention of violence and access to justice. 47. Leaders agreed to adopt measures that eliminate all barriers preventing women from participating fully in the economic sphere, consistent with the decisions made by Forum Economic Ministers in July 2012. Leaders pledged to act to end violence against women by progressively implementing a set of essential services to women and girls who are survivors of violence, and enacting and implementing domestic violence legislation to protect women from violence and impose appropriate penalties for perpetrators of violence. REGIONAL SOCIAL POLICY 48. Leaders welcomed efforts by CROP agencies, UN agencies, and other partners to develop a Framework for Youth Development in the Pacific. Leaders also noted progress made on the implementation of their decisions regarding the PIFS-UNDP Youth Initiative. 49. Leaders noted work being done on youth employment and its importance to preventing social discord. 50. Leaders commended the excellent work achieved under the Pacific Regional Disability Strategy, while recognising that a long-term approach is required to support the rights of people with disability in the Pacific. Leaders encouraged Ministers responsible for disability, who will be meeting in Papua New Guinea in October 2012, to continue efforts to find concrete and practical ways to support disability inclusive development and to report to Leaders the outcomes of their meeting. REGIONAL ASSISTANCE MISSION TO SOLOMON ISLANDS (RAMSI) 51. Leaders noted the joint achievements made by the Solomon Islands Government and RAMSI, and commended progress made in 2011 in implementing the Partnership Framework as well as the ongoing commitment of both the Solomon Islands Government and RAMSI to the Partnership Framework. Leaders acknowledged the solidarity and cooperation of the Forum under RAMSI, which contributed to the achievements of RAMSI, including the planned withdrawal of the military component of RAMSI in the second half of 2013. 52. Leaders noted that the RAMSI Participating Police Force will need to continue supporting the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force. Leaders also noted the transition of assistance under RAMSIs three development pillars to bilateral and other donors by 1 July 2013, and acknowledged the leading role by the Solomon Islands Government in consultation and coordination through existing mechanisms, in mapping out development transition priorities and responsibilities. Leaders accepted the call by the Solomon Islands Government that the transition of RAMSI must be task-bound, not time bound, and that the pace of transition across the various sectors of government must be done in close consultation with the Government. 53. Leaders noted the 10th anniversary of RAMSI in 2013 and expressed the wish for participation at Leaders level to commemorate this very significant event. 54. Leaders endorsed the recommendation of the Forum Regional Security Committee for the Forum to continue to have oversight of RAMSI in the next phase of its activities and transition. FIJI 55. Leaders noted the Forums ongoing work to encourage and support Fijis return to parliamentary democracy in accordance with the Biketawa Declaration and reiterated the Forums intention to remain engaged with Fiji. Leaders welcomed the successful visit of the Forum Minister Contact Group (MCG) to Fiji on 1 May 2012 and noted the Groups report to Forum Leaders with its assessment of the situation in Fiji. 56. Leaders noted progress made in 2012 towards elections in September 2014, including the registration of voters and the establishment of the Constitutional Commission, and the assurances given to the MCG that there would be freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom for the media. Leaders reaffirmed their long standing offer to support Fijis early return to parliamentary democracy, including through the provision of appropriate assistance, consistent with the Forums underlying principles and values of respect for democracy, good governance and the rule of law. 57. Leaders also noted the deliberations of PACP Leaders with respect to the involvement of Fiji in purely PACP related activities and the intention of PACP Leaders to consider the matter further at a special meeting of PACP Leaders to be hosted by Papua New Guinea in the near future. REVIEW OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM SECRETARIAT 58. Leaders considered the Review Report of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and agreed that in light of the imminent review of the Pacific Plan in 2013, that the recommendations of the Review Report, in particular the restatement of the core business of the Secretariat and its senior management structure be considered as part of the review of the Pacific Plan. Leaders also urged the Secretariat to take into account the Review Report in its ongoing corporate and budget reform efforts. REVIEW OF THE CROP CHARTER 59. Leaders endorsed the revised CROP Charter 2012 which reaffirmed, inter alia, the continued validity of the existing CROP membership criteria with the addition of retirement clauses; the retirement of agencies which no longer meet the membership criteria (i.e. South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC), South Pacific Board for Education Assessment (SPBEA), and Fiji School of Medicine (FSMed)); and periodic reviews of the Charter which should be linked with the review of the Pacific Plan. TRANSNATIONAL AND BROADER SECURITY ISSUES 60. Leaders noted the activities and endorsed the objectives of the Working Group for Strengthening Information Management. Leaders encouraged those Members that have not ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to consider doing so. Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Forum Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Reference Group and its work in addressing SGBV in the region. 61. Leaders welcomed the development of the Human Security Framework for the Pacific developed as a strategic guide for FICs, the Forum Secretariat and other stakeholders to improve understanding, planning and implementation of human security approaches in stand-alone and broader peace, security and development initiatives in the Pacific. Leaders also noted the development of the Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security developed by the Pacific Regional Working Group on Women, Peace and Security. RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS 62. Leaders recognised the special circumstances pertaining to the continued presence of radioactive contaminants in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and reaffirmed the existence of a special responsibility by the United States of America towards the people of the Marshall Islands, who have been and continue to be, adversely affected as a direct result of nuclear weapons tests conducted by the United States during its administration of the Marshall Islands under the United Nations Trusteeship. 63. Leaders reiterated their call on the United States of America to live up to its full obligations on the provision of adequate compensation and commitment to its responsibility for the safe resettlement of displaced populations, including full restoration to economic productivity and human enjoyment of all affected areas. Leaders noted that the U.S. Government has taken a position that all avenues to respond to the Changed Circumstances Petition under the original Compact as well as the amended Compact have been exhausted, and considered submitting another letter to the U.S. Government urging the U.S. to take action to address meaningfully the lingering needs resulting from the U.S. Nuclear Testing Programme. Leaders encouraged Forum Members to lend their support to the Marshall Islands on these issues at the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Security Council, and other international fora, notably in September of this year when the Special Rapporteur presents his findings to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. PARTNERSHIP MECHANISMS INCLUDING THE POST-FORUM DIALOGUE (PFD) 64. Leaders thanked all PFD Partners who provided PFD membership reassessment reports for Leaders consideration. Leaders reaffirmed all existing PFD Partners remain strategic allies for the Forum through the PFD mechanism, and encouraged all PFD Partners to participate in this regular reporting process on a 3-yearly basis which will be aimed primarily at maintaining up to date and improved information on PFD Partners available through the PIFS website. 65. Leaders agreed that bilateral summitry between PFD Partners and the region should provide for sufficient time for Leaders consultation with the respective Partners, and that negotiation of the relevant outcomes documents are undertaken through a process that allows for full and effective participation of all member countries.

SIXTH PACIFIC LEADERS MEETING (PALM6) 66. Leaders expressed gratitude to Japan for hosting the Sixth Pacific Leaders Meeting (PALM6) from 25 - 26 May 2012 in Okinawa. They expressed deep appreciation for Japans commitment at PALM6 to making maximum efforts to provide the assistance of up to US$500m over the next three years when Japan itself is faced with enormous challenges of reconstruction from the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami. 67. Leaders reaffirmed the Kizuna (strong bond of friendship) with Japan in the aftermath of the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami, and welcomed Japans initiative to launch the Kizuna Project, which would invite over 300 young people from FICs to Japan. 2005 AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING THE PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM 68. Leaders encouraged remaining Members to ratify the 2005 Agreement Establishing the Pacific Islands Forum as soon as practicable. CANDIDACIES 69. Leaders noted the success of regional cooperation and solidarity in highlighting Pacific issues within United Nations fora. Leaders recognised the importance of Pacific representation on the UN Security Council (UNSC) in ensuring that the UNSC remained informed of international issues of concern to the region. In that regard, Leaders reaffirmed their strong and unanimous support for Australias candidature for the UNSC for the term 2013-2014 and New Zealands candidature for the term 2015-2016. FRENCH POLYNESIA 70. Leaders reiterated their support for the principle of French Polynesias right to self-determination. Leaders noted the election of a new French government that opened fresh opportunities for a positive dialogue between French Polynesia and France on how best to realise French Polynesias right to self-determination. Leaders encouraged French Polynesia and France to intensify their dialogue in the coming months and agreed to consider developments at their 2013 meeting. OUTCOMES OF THE SIS LEADERS MEETING 71. Leaders noted the outcomes of the SIS Leaders Meeting held in Rarotonga on 27 August 2012. OUTCOMES OF THE PACIFIC ACP LEADERS MEETING 72. Leaders noted the outcomes of the Pacific ACP Leaders Meeting held in Rarotonga on 28 August 2012. OTHER MATTERS 73. Leaders encouraged Forum Members to consider the International Disaster Response Law Guidelines developed by the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and to take appropriate measures to strengthen their national policy, and institutional and legal frameworks in collaboration with their National Red Cross Societies, IFRC, the United Nations and other relevant partners. VENUE FOR NEXT MEETING 74. Leaders welcomed the offer of the Republic of the Marshall Islands to host the 2013 Forum. Leaders also welcomed the offers from Papua New Guinea to host the 2015 Forum, Tuvalu in 2016, and Nauru in 2018. They also noted Solomon Islands interest to consider hosting the 2014 Forum. APPRECIATION 75. The Government of the Cook Islands expressed its appreciation to the Governments of Australia, the Peoples Republic of China and New Zealand for their assistance in hosting the Forum.

Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Aitutaki, Cook Islands 30 August 2012 ? Annex 1

PACIFIC LEADERS GENDER EQUALITY DECLARATION 30 August 2012, Rarotonga, Cook Islands The Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum met from 27 to 30 August 2012 in Rarotonga and brought new determination and invigorated commitment to efforts to lift the status of women in the Pacific and empower them to be active participants in economic, political and social life. Leaders expressed their deep concern that despite gains in girls education and some positive initiatives to address violence against women, overall progress in the region towards gender equality is slow. In particular Leaders are concerned that womens representation in Pacific legislature remains the lowest in the world; violence against women is unacceptably high; and that womens economic opportunities remain limited. Leaders understand that gender inequality is imposing a high personal, social and economic cost on Pacific people and nations, and that improved gender equality will make a significant contribution to creating a prosperous, stable and secure Pacific for all current and future generations. To realize this goal, Leaders commit with renewed energy to implement the gender equality actions of the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Revised Pacific Platform for Action on Advancement of Women and Gender Equality (2005 to 2015); the Pacific Plan; the 42nd Pacific Island Forum commitment to increase the representation of women in legislatures and decision making; and the 40th Pacific Island Forum commitment to eradicate sexual and gender based violence. To progress these commitments, Leaders commit to implement specific national policy actions to progress gender equality in the areas of gender responsive government programs and policies, decision making, economic empowerment, ending violence against women, and health and education: Gender Responsive Government Programs and Policies Incorporate articles from the Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) into legislative and statutory reforms and policy initiatives across government; Support the production and use of sex disaggregated data and gender analysis to inform government policies and programs; Strengthen consultative mechanisms with civil society groups, including womens advocacy groups, on key budget and policy issues of national and sub-national governments.

Decision Making Adopt measures, including temporary special measures (such as legislation to establish reserved seats for women and political party reforms), to accelerate womens full and equal participation in governance reform at all levels and womens leadership in all decision making. Advocate for increased representation of women in private sector and local level governance boards and committees (e.g. school boards and produce market committees). Economic empowerment Remove barriers to womens employment and participation in the formal and informal sectors, including in relation to legislation that directly or indirectly limits womens access to employment opportunities or contributes to discriminatory pay and conditions for women. Implement equal employment opportunity and gender equality measures in public sector employment, including State Owned Enterprises and statutory boards, to increase the proportion of women employed, including in senior positions, and advocate for a similar approach in private sector agencies; Improve the facilities and governance of local produce markets, including fair and transparent local regulation and taxation policies, so that market operations increase profitability and efficiency and encourage womens safe, fair and equal participation in local economies. Target support to women entrepreneurs in the formal and informal sectors, for example financial services, information and training, and review legislation that limits womens access to finance, assets, land and productive resources. Ending violence against women Implement progressively a package of essential services (protection, health, counselling, legal) for women and girls who are survivors of violence. Enact and implement legislation regarding sexual and gender based violence to protect women from violence and impose appropriate penalties for perpetrators of violence. Health and Education Ensure reproductive health (including family planning) education, awareness and service programs receive adequate funding support; Encourage gender parity in informal, primary, secondary and tertiary education and training opportunities. Leaders called on Development Partners to work in a coordinated, consultative and harmonised way to support national led efforts to address gender inequality across the region in line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and Cairns Compact on Strengthening Development Coordination in the Pacific. Leaders also requested Development Partners to increase financial and technical support to gender equality and womens empowerment programs, and to adopt strategies within their programs to provide employment and consultation opportunities for women in the planning and delivery of development assistance to the region. Leaders agreed that progress on the economic, political and social positions of women should be reported on at each Forum Leaders meeting. They directed the Forum Secretariat, with the support of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and Development Partners, to develop, as part of the Pacific Plan performance monitoring framework and annual report to Leaders on country progress in implementing the above commitments and moving towards achieving greater gender equality.

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43rd Pacific Islands Forum Communique

Health assessment will take community input

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August 29, 2012

Deena Dodd and Jim MIller from the Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) led discussion on the strengths and weaknesses the Bremen community has and noted key factors the public in attendance thought made the biggest impacts on health care choices. Photo by Angel Perkins

BREMEN A meeting to collect input about the health care needs of Bremen was well represented with town and community leaders, however, even more input is needed and requested by the areas emergency health care providers. Three facilitators (Jim Miller, Deena Dodd, and Ally Orwig) from the Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) led discussion on the strengths and weaknesses the Bremen community has and noted key factors the public in attendance thought made the biggest impacts on health care choices. Invited by Community Hospital of Bremens president and CEO Scott Graybill to conduct the study, IRHAs overall findings will be sent to the Internal Revenue Service to fulfill a requirement that says the needs of the community should be assessed every three years. Graybill said the last time Community Hospital of Bremen had one done was in 2007 (for its own inquiry) with one done prior to that in 2000. As a hospital were normally looking at illness, Graybill said. The assessments provide us with information about health care as a whole which then enables us to take action as a health care provider, and others to step up as well, to meet those needs. IRHA, a not-for-profit corporation developed for the purpose of improving the health of all Indiana citizens in rural settings, was organized in 1997 with its founding organizers being committed to impacting the health of citizens through the identification of rural health issues and through advocacy roles in both the public and private sectors. Data from the Centers for Disease Control determined the top 11 states with the most obesity problem included the state of Indiana, and recognized that more than 30 percent of the overall population is obese. Another study proved that 11 percent of the children in Marshall County presently live below the poverty level. Dodd invited those present, which included school and town officials, club and business leaders, health care providers and the general public, to list what factors determine whether or not a person gets good health care so the survey could be more area- and demographic-driven. Strengths offered included good schools, strong service groups, churches and their members strong faith, good work ethics, strong family units, plenty of youth sports and opportunities such as Scouts and the local Boys and Girls Club. Things lacking that might contribute to causing ill health included no public transportation, young people leaving the community after graduation or college, few services for the homebound, many single-parent families, unemployment, high costs for health care, and limited or no insurance coverage. The three IRHA representatives will compile the suggestions given Aug. 15 at CHoB to create a survey and will be back in mid-September to go door-to-door, business-to-business asking persons from every walk of life in Bremen what they think Bremen has to offer and what it lacks. We want to make sure the farmers are heard, the high schoolers the elderly and the Amish, said Graybill. The survey will be offered to the public online through the hospitals website for those that might miss being contacted (or for their convenience) and a Hispanic version of the survey will be offered for those whos second language is English. The results of the survey will be complied and then revealed to the public as well as sent in to the government (before March 2014 in order for each hospital to retain its non-for-profit status). The H.R. 3590 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act states that in order to maintain tax-exempt status, not-for-profit hospitals are required to conduct a community health needs assessment at least once every three years, and adopt an implementation strategy to meet the needs identified through the assessment. To meet the initial compliance obligation, hospitals are required to complete a needs assessment and adopt an implementation plan based on that assessment at some time during the period between the start with its first tax year that begins after March 23, 2010, and the end of its tax year that begins after March 23, 2012. A $50,000 penalty will be imposed on hospitals for failure to comply with the community needs assessment requirement in that initial and any subsequent applicable three-year period.

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CEOs say health merger means lower cost, better care

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by Elizabeth Stawicki, Minnesota Public Radio

August 31, 2012

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ST. PAUL, Minn. The CEOs for two Twin Cities major health care systems say their proposed merger will mean better quality health care for patients at a more affordable cost.

Bloomington-based HealthPartners and St. Louis Park-based Park Nicollet will combine operations Jan. 1 if regulators approve. Merging the two non-profits would create a massive health organization with annual revenues of about $5 billion.

The pursuit of high-quality care for patients while reining in costs is a common goal among health care organizations these days. That's partly due to changes enacted under the federal Affordable Care Act, but also has to do with economic realities than politics. Health care costs have been skyrocketing and most experts agree that those costs can't be sustained long-term. So, medical centers have collaborated to share expertise and resources. The latest combines HealthPartners, which is also an insurer, and Park Nicollet Health Services.

"The two organizations are very focused on great care, great experiences and affordable cost. And this will give us more capability for that," said Dr. David Abelson, Park Nicollet CEO.

"It was a sense that we share the same mission and vision and we could do better together; we could do more for the community," he said.

The combined operations will include Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, four HealthPartners hospitals: Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater, Hudson Hospital in Hudson, Wis., and Westfields Hospital in New Richmond, Wis. Officials say patients shouldn't notice any interruption and can expect to use their clinics and health plans as before.

HealthPartners' CEO Mary Brainerd says the two organizations are already using their individual experience to share best practices.

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CEOs say health merger means lower cost, better care

Dr M suggests closer look at ‘freedom’ in Third World nations

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Posted on September 1, 2012, Saturday

KUALA LUMPUR: The word FREEDOM in the background of the spectacular 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony on Aug 12, prompted former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to suggest a closer look at the lack of freedom many independent countries of the world experienced due to Western hegemony.

He said that although there was no indication as to whom it was directed and what the purpose was, he felt sure that the millions of audience immediate thoughts were the need for freedom in many third world countries.

The former prime minister said some of these countries had lost men and suffered much before winning what they believed was the freedom that came with their independence.

But are they free? It was Soekarno of Indonesia (the first President of Indonesia), who quickly realised that the decolonised independent nations were not really free, he said in his latest post titled Freedom on his blog, http://www.chedet.cc.

He said they (decolonised independent nations) had to do what the ex-masters told them or face either economic or political pressures, or pressure from the international media controlled by them (ex-masters) which Soekarno described as a new form of colonialism called Neo Colonialism.

He went on to scrutinise the present state of the countries of the world in particular those which became independent after the last Great War.

We cannot help but conclude that the so-called independent countries are still having to obey the orders of the former colonial powers headed by the super superpower which won the Cold War, he said.

He said it was not a bad thing for the independent countries to be told that the only system they could have was the democratic system.

Regime changes to install candidates friendly to the West changes to laws of the countries to serve the interests of the West were another matter, he added.

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Dr M suggests closer look at ‘freedom’ in Third World nations

Cyborg Central: Researchers Combine Electronics with Synthetic Tissue | 80beats

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An electronic scaffold for growing cyborg tissues

To craft synthetic flesh, all you need are seed cellsstem cells or cells from a specific organto form the basis of the material and a scaffold of biological material, which supports the cells as they grow into tissue for patching up hearts orartificial organs. But why grow boring old biological materials when you can create cyborg ones? In a new paper published in Nature Materials, researchers describe how to make synthetic tissues that integrate electronics.

Instead of growing cells on a purely biological scaffold, these researchers used nanowires to build electronic scaffolds and then coat them with biological materials like collagen, forming hybrid scaffolds that included both tissue and technology. With these scaffolds as a base, researchers successfully formed viable cyborg tissue from seed cells, including neurons, cardiac, and smooth muscle cells. The tissue remained viable for a few weeks, but the researchers still need to conduct extended studies to see how these tissues would fare as long-term implants.

So far, the researchers have used the electronics embedded in heart tissue to monitor the contractions of each cell, tracking how exposure to a stimulant made the cells beat faster. Instead of testing drugs on animals, scientists may some day be able to observe their effect on cyborg synthetic flesh.

What about putting cyborg implants into our bodies? The researchers tested scaffolds covered in muscle tissue and found that they could track changes in acidity nearbychanges that, in the human body, can signal inflammation or the presence of a tumor. In the future, implanted biomedical devices like these may let doctors diagnose ailments remotely in real time. Or perhaps the electronics could influence tissue as well as monitoring it, stimulating cell growth through machine-body communication.

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Beaches, Pools Open For Last Weekend Of Season

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Michael Clifford spotted dolphins at Rockaway Beach on Thursday.

The dad says he jumped in a kayak with his kids and grabbed a video camera to capture the moment.

"We went out about 100 yards out," he said. "It was maybe 20, 30 dolphins. It was a mother with the babies, all swimming right down the beach. The kids were very excited. I was paddling as fast as I can. They just kept moving down the beach. They're very curious, as were we following them as long as I could until I ran out of steam paddling."

Outdoor pools close for the season on Monday, and life guards will no longer be on duty at city beaches.

Untill then, beaches are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and pools are open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information, go online to nyc.gov/parks.

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Beaches, Pools Open For Last Weekend Of Season

Best beaches near Washington for Labor Day weekend

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Heather Wood looks for crabs and other creatures with her sons Collin, age 4 (left) and Austin, age 1 at the Flag Ponds State Park in Lusby, Md. Cliffs along this beach hold Miocene fossils and treasures like the shark teeth. (Linda Davidson - The Washington Post) Its almost over. Summertime is coming to its traditional close this weekend. Want one last try? Hop in the car and go to the beach. No, lets not talk of things such as loading up the car and sitting in Delaware traffic. Were talking beaches just an hour or so from downtown. Beaches with sand. And ice cream stands. And fossils. Places to take your dog and your kids. Places to crack open a crab or a dozen. Places to learn a few things and definitely places to hunker down with that last, lazy read.

So, enjoy.

Read more from the Going Out Guide: 2012 summer bucket list

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Best beaches near Washington for Labor Day weekend

Beaches expected to reopen to swimmers this weekend (SLIDESHOW)

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OKALOOSA ISLAND The surf remained rough Friday, and most local beaches were closed to swimmers following Hurricane Isaac.

However, residents and tourists should be able to enjoy the water over the Labor Day holiday weekend, as lifeguards and local officials expect conditions to improve enough to be able to reopen the beaches.

Overnight things are going to get much better, Tracey Vause, Okaloosa Countys beach safety division chief, said Friday afternoon. What were dealing with right now is multiple, multiple rip currents. We still have relatively heavy surf, but we have high water and outgoing tides and rip currents. Its a number of different things that create a highly hazardous situation.

Okaloosa Countys beaches have been closed to swimmers since Monday, but officials reopened beach accesses to the public Thursday. Walton County reopened its beach accesses at noon Friday.

This is what the beaches looked like Friday.

What they will be doing is monitoring the conditions of the beaches, said Wendy Ammons, public information officer for the Walton County Sheriffs Office. Theres a high surf advisory, and with the rip currents they will continue to monitor that and they can change it at any given point. We just want to keep people safe out there and have the double-red flags and continue to monitor.

Vause said he will be on the beach at 5 a.m. Saturday and will decide about 9 a.m. whether to reopen beaches.

In the event that we do come off the flags (today), we will likely still be under a red flag in the morning, which means the conditions are still highly hazardous and people need to be aware of that when theyre making a decision to come to the beach, Vause said

Even if the beaches are open, Vause said water conditions will likely require single red flags Saturday, which still warns swimmers to use caution. He recommended that beachgoers swim near lifeguards this weekend.

Santa Rosa County reopened its beaches to swimmers Friday. Joy Tsubooka, public information officer for the county, said the decision was made at 9:30 a.m. to switch to a single red flag.

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Beaches expected to reopen to swimmers this weekend (SLIDESHOW)

Beaches closed in Mississippi

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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- The state Department of Environmental Quality has closed all Mississippi beaches because of potential hazards with water quality and debris created by Isaac.

MDEQ officials say in a news release that there's uncertainty about water quality because of widespread flooding.

MDEQ says it will resume water quality testing when the debris has been cleared, and beaches will open to water contact when results show water quality standards have been met.

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Beaches closed in Mississippi

Shark sightings close beaches along eastern shores

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CHATHAM, Mass. Shark sightings off the eastern coast have beachgoers dealing with some disappointment this holiday weekend.

Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

All of Orleans' Atlantic Oceans beaches, an area on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, coast will remain closed to swimming throughout the Labor Day weekend, CapeCodTimes.com reports.

And the ban comes after Chatham officials placed a restriction on swimmers at the towns ocean-facing beaches for the rest of the season due to sharks.

Swimmers are warned to keep aware of their surroundings and stay at least 300 feet from any seals spotted.

Sightings of sharks, including great whites, have increased off Cape Cod in recent years along with an increase in the population of seals, which sharks feed on.

In July, a man was bitten on his legs by a great white shark while swimming of Ballson Beach in Truro, north of Chatam.

Beaches on Cape Cod Bay remain open, MyFoxBoston.com reports.

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Shark sightings close beaches along eastern shores

AI On The Rise: Defeating CAPTCHA, Combating Fruit Flies, Traffic Control Teaching Assistants

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Artificial intelligence is on the road to breaking the whole CAPTCHA system. The question that follows is: how are we going to prove we are humans then? According to a Forbes.com article, hackers who are trying to defeat CAPTCHAs are essentially creating programs to think like humans. To counter this, companies will tend to generate and invest on more sophisticated Turing tests in order to secure their sites to being invaded by bots. Although playing like antagonists, hackers and companies are pushing forward to the evolution of AI.

CAPTCHA which stands for CompletelyAutomatedPublic Turing test to tellComputers andHumansApart is the system that generates those distorted and blurry images and scribbles and asks you to solve for simple math problems before entering a particular website or verifying your log-ins. For those who have poor eyesight, this is no fun. But then again, there is the audio option. CAPTCHA is engineered to safeguard a site from malicious software or bots.

With extensive AI researches being funded, like the $15 million Series A round for Vicarious, we could be using blood samples, DNA tests or iris scanning just to ensure that our information will not be stolen. As for me, I just wish that CAPTCHA system get ahead of bots since using biological features as log-ins or passwords sounds really scarybrings back a lot of sci-fi flicks memories.

And when we talk of frightening futuristic sci-fi movies that move around AI, Terminator perhaps is at the forefront. I grew up with the Franchise from very unconvincing robot antics to shocks!-it-is-really possible-to-happen mentality. The man-made Skynet which was initially invented to eliminate human error turned to eliminating human (drop the error and replace it with race). How did this happen in the movie? With exponential growth of intelligence that outpaced human brains capacity. Day by day, with updates in AI, it seems that this is no fiction anymore. Paranoid as I may seem, I am not alone in this boat as a Sub-Reddit dedicated to preventing Skynet was set in place. The wide-ranging discussion contains uncanny and hilarious ideas from netizens. See the comments here.

Cloud-Based Teaching Assistant

Sooner or later, the many instances you see a teaching assistants along hallways rigorously checking essays of students will be a thing of the past. A Maryland psychology professor invented a cloud-based writing assignment evaluator to alleviate the workload of checking and grading student papers, which he called SAGrader.

Surprisingly, SAGrader was not made for English and journalism subject, but rather science and social science classes. The tool also is a time saver and engagement booster (professor-student) at the same time.

Students know exactly what they got right, what they got wrong, and what they need to do to improve, Swope said, adding that the programs best value is likely found in the planning time educators and their classroom assistants will have once essay grading is left to the cloud. With all the extra time on their hands, they can make themselves available to focus on the things in class that really matter.

SAGrader inventor Joe Swope designed the system to analyze student submissions using several artificial intelligence strategies. At a glance, this seems like an absurd idea since essays are largely subjective and dependent on a lot of factors including the students writing style, keywords, etc. But according to the website, SAGrader was built to model thousands of ways a student can express a concept, not just identifying keywords. It has a framework that could actually assess if the essay is correctly explaining relationships between concepts. The tool works with professors for each assignment to build an outline of the correct content of knowledge. If the answers do not match the pre-determined outline, SAGrader will then furnish a feedback and tell students what information are they missing.

Traffic Control

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AI On The Rise: Defeating CAPTCHA, Combating Fruit Flies, Traffic Control Teaching Assistants

Spirituality, not religion, health helpful

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Published: Aug. 30, 2012 at 5:35 PM

COLUMBIA, Mo., Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Catholics and Protestants with a degree of spirituality have better mental health, U.S. researchers say.

Dan Cohen of the University of Missouri said despite differences in rituals and beliefs among the world's major religions, spirituality often enhances health regardless of a person's faith.

"With increased spirituality people reduce their sense of self and feel a greater sense of oneness and connectedness with the rest of the universe," Cohen said in a statement. "What was interesting was that frequency of participation in religious activities or the perceived degree of congregational support was not found to be significant in the relationships between personality, spirituality, religion and health."

The researchers analyzed three surveys to determine if correlations existed among participants' self-reported mental and physical health, personality factors, and spirituality in Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Catholics and Protestants.

The study, published in the Journal of Religion and Health, found across all five faiths, a greater degree of spirituality was related to better mental health, specifically lower levels of neuroticism and greater extraversion. Forgiveness was the only spiritual trait predictive of mental health after personality variables were considered, the study said.

"Our prior research shows that the mental health of people recovering from different medical conditions, such as cancer, stroke, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury, appears to be related significantly to positive spiritual beliefs and especially congregational support and spiritual interventions," Cohen said in a statement. "Spiritual beliefs may be a coping device to help individuals deal emotionally with stress."

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Spirituality, not religion, health helpful

Stuck Bolt Forces Extra Spacewalk for Space Station Crew

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A stubborn bolt that prevented two spacewalking astronauts from properly installing a replacement power unit on the exterior of the International Space Station today (Aug. 31) will now require another spacewalk — possibly as early as next week — to attempt to resolve the problem, NASA officials said.

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Stuck Bolt Forces Extra Spacewalk for Space Station Crew

Stuck bolt on space station stymies spacewalkers

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA on Thursday halted attempts to replace a power distributor on the International Space Station after spacewalking astronauts were repeatedly stymied by a jammed bolt, officials said. NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and Japan's Akihiko Hoshide, both station flight engineers, had planned to spend 6.5 hours outside the orbital outpost to work on its power ...

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Virgin Airlines launches air miles competition to take lucky winner out of this world

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By Travelmail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 07:19 EST, 31 August 2012 | UPDATED: 07:19 EST, 31 August 2012

If the price of a ticket on Sir Richard Branson's planned Virgin Galactic space tourism programme seems a little out of your price range, don't despair.

Some 500 tourists have already signed up for the 128,000 two-hour flights, expected to launch next year, but Virgin Airlines' frequent flyers are being offered the chance to win a sub-orbital space flight.

Although it might take more than an annual holiday to Florida to clinch it.

Unearthly: An artist's impression of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, 'the world's first commercial spaceline'

Entrants to the competition - dubbed Mission: Galactic - are required to clock up as many air miles as possible on Virgin America, Virgin Atlantic, and Virgin Australia flights by August 7, 2013.

The 'total status points' will then be calculated, the winner reaching 'the ultimate status: Galactic.'

The runner-up will be rewarded with a zero-gravity flight on board a specially modified Boeing 727.

Tourist trips to space are on course to become a reality next year when the first of Sir Richard's flights soars 60 miles up into space on the SpaceShipTwo (SS2) aircraft.

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Virgin Airlines launches air miles competition to take lucky winner out of this world