Socastee special education teacher wins Horry's Teacher of the Year

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Charles Slate ? cslate@thesunnews.comBuy Photo

MYRTLE BEACH ? Jennifer Ainsworth gave credit to her classroom team, principal and students, as well as the people in her life who have never been bystanders on Monday night, as she accepted the mantle of the 2013-14 Horry County Schools Teacher of the Year, the county?s top educator honor.

Ainsworth was among five finalists honored during the district?s annual banquet at the Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort and Spa at Grande Dunes. The other finalists were Robin Hardwick, Black Water Middle School; Lindy Williams, Loris Middle School; Shannon DuBose, Ocean Bay Elementary School and Amanda Williams, River Oaks Elementary School.

Ainsworth, a special education teacher at Socastee High School, has taught for seven years, all with Horry County Schools. She has a Bachelor of Science in special education from Presbyterian College and is National Board certified.

In her acceptance speech, she talked about the influence of her grandmother and parents, who always told her she was born to work with special kids. She also held up the jacket of Miss Peggy Blaine, her assistant who recently died on April 13.

?You can see it?s worn; you can see the love of our children all over this jacket,? Ainsworth said. ?This is the Miss Peggy that helped mold me into the teacher I am tonight.?

She thanked Principal Paul Browning for taking a chance on hiring her after she unceremoniously dropped off her resume on a Friday afternoon and unknowingly gave it to him. She said her classroom is a team, and they all love what they do.

?My 14 students ? their family is my family,? Ainsworth said. ?They give me unconditional love every day.?

Teacher of the Year entrants submit written applications that cover teacher biographies, their philosophy of teaching, advocacy and evaluation of teaching techniques. Each school selects its Teacher of the Year, and 10 semifinalists are chosen for interviews before the list is narrowed to five finalists.

Each finalist undergoes a series of classroom observations by an evaluation team ? made up of teachers, district staff, former teachers of the year and principals ? which then determines the winner.

The HCS Teacher Forum, made up of former teachers of the year, also awarded three scholarships to students who are pursuing careers in education.

First-place winner was Jacquelyne Barnett from Socastee High School, who was awarded $4,000. Second place went to Stephanie Lynn Pacheco from North Myrtle Beach High School, who was awarded $2,000, and Caroline Nicole Rogers of North Myrtle Beach High School won third place, with an award of $1,000.

Contact VICKI GROOMS at 443-2401 or follow her at Twitter.com/TSN_VickiGrooms.

Source: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2013/05/06/3474093/socastee-special-education-teacher.html

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Genome sequencing provides unprecedented insight into causes of pneumococcal disease

Genome sequencing provides unprecedented insight into causes of pneumococcal disease

Monday, May 6, 2013

A new study led by researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the UK has, for the first time, used genome sequencing technology to track the changes in a bacterial population following the introduction of a vaccine. The study follows how the population of pneumococcal bacteria changed following the introduction of the 'Prevnar' conjugate polysaccharide vaccine, which substantially reduced rates of pneumococcal disease across the U.S. The work demonstrates that the technology could be used in the future to monitor the effectiveness of vaccination or antibiotic use against different species of bacterial pathogens, and for characterizing new and emerging threats.

The study appears online May 5, 2013 in Nature Genetics.

"This gives an unprecedented insight into the bacteria living and transmitting among us," said co-author William Hanage, associate professor of epidemiology at HSPH. "We can characterize these bugs to an almost unimaginable degree of detail, and in so doing understand better what helps them survive even in the presence of an effective vaccine."

Pneumococcal disease is caused by a type of bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is present in many people's noses and throats and is spread by coughing, sneezing, or other contact with respiratory secretions. The circumstances that cause it to become pathogenic are not fully understood. Rates of pneumococcal disease?an infection that can lead to pneumonia, meningitis, and other illnesses?dropped in young children following the introduction of a vaccine in 2000. However, strains of the bacteria that are not targeted by the vaccine rapidly increased and drug resistance appears to be on the rise.

The research, led by HSPH co-senior authors Hanage; Marc Lipsitch, professor of epidemiology; and Stephen Bentley, senior scientist at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, aimed to better understand the bacterial population's response to vaccination. Whole genome sequencing?which reveals the DNA code for each bacterial strain to an unprecedented level of detail?was used to study a sample of 616 pneumococci collected in Massachusetts communities from 2001 to 2007.

This study confirmed that the parts of the bacterial population targeted by the vaccine have almost disappeared, and, surprisingly, revealed that they have been replaced by pre-existing rare types of bacteria. The genetic composition of the new population is very similar to the original one, except for a few genes that were directly affected by the vaccine. This small genetic alteration appears to be responsible for the large reduction in the rates of pneumococcal disease.

"The widespread use of whole genome sequencing will allow better surveillance of bacterial populations ? even those that are genetically diverse ? and improve understanding of their evolution," said Lipsitch. "In this study, we were even able to see how quickly these bacteria transmit between different regions within Massachusetts and identify genes associated with bacteria in children of different ages."

"In the future, we will be able to monitor evolutionary changes in real-time. If we can more quickly and precisely trace the emergence of disease-causing bacteria, we may be able to better target interventions to limit the burden of disease," said Bentley.

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Harvard School of Public Health: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu

Thanks to Harvard School of Public Health for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128136/Genome_sequencing_provides_unprecedented_insight_into_causes_of_pneumococcal_disease

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Senate passes bill allowing online sales tax

By Kim Dixon and Patrick Temple-West

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Monday to give states the power to enforce their sales tax laws on online purchases, but the legislation faces a tougher fight in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 69 to 27 to back the measure, which pits brick-and-mortar stores like Wal-Mart Stores Inc and cash-hungry state governments against such Web retailers as eBay Inc and Republicans wary of new tax measures.

"Call me a conservative, but I believe the right approach to tax fairness is to reduce rates ? not force higher rates onto others," said Tom Graves, a House Republican from Georgia.

House Speaker John Boehner plans to send the bill to the House Judiciary Committee, a senior Republican aide said. That will mean hearings ahead. The Senate uncharacteristically bypassed this step.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Goodlatte, a Republican, has reservations about the legislation, including its complexity and potential impact on small businesses, a spokeswoman said.

Goodlatte has yet to schedule any hearings on it, she said.

Backers of the measure include major traditional retailers Wal-Mart and Best Buy Co Inc, as well as e-tailing giant Amazon.com Inc, which wants to simplify its U.S. state sales tax payments.

Opponents include many other online merchants such as eBay, Overstock.com Inc and anti-tax activist Grover Norquist. Lawmakers from states without sales taxes - like Montana, Oregon and New Hampshire - largely oppose the measure.

States that charge sales tax have largely been unable to require e-tailers to collect it from purchasers unless the e-tailer had a physical presence in the state. Otherwise, consumers are supposed to pay the tax, but very few do.

Some states have made separate arrangements with Amazon on the issue, while others have not.

The bill would let states require out-of-state retailers to collect sales tax on purchases made over the Internet, even if the e-tailer has no physical presence in the purchaser's state.

The bill would allow states to do this but not require them to do so. It would also exempt merchants with online annual out-of-state sales of $1 million or less.

"We place a 30 percent probability that the bill is signed into law by the end of the year" primarily due to opposition in the House, said Guggenheim Securities analyst Chris Krueger.

"Our odds will increase following passage of this bill in the Senate provided it receives a big vote of support," he said.

The online sales tax bill debate is moving on a separate track from efforts in Congress on a broader tax overhaul.

The main obstacle on that front remains the dispute between Republicans who refuse to consider new federal revenue from ending tax breaks that would be part of tax reform, and Democrats who insist that such new revenue is vital.

(Reporting By Kevin Drawbaugh, Patrick Temple-West, Kim Dixon and Nanette Byrnes; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh, Steve Orlofsky and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/online-sales-tax-bill-seen-stalling-republican-led-190216860.html

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MET Gala Fashion Face-Off: Nina Dobrev vs. Julianne Hough

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/met-gala-fashion-face-off-nina-dobrev-vs-julianne-hough/

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MG Siegler Interview - Business Insider

MG Siegler, the TechCrunch columnist and venture capitalist known best for his unabashed pro-Apple bias, spurred a lot of discussion (and mockery) Monday when he announced he was departing Michael Arrington's VC firm CrunchFund for Google Ventures.

The irony wasn't lost on us: the idea of a part-time Apple blogger with a full-time job in Google's venture arm borders on the insane. But it's happening.

We had a quick email chat with Siegler Monday afternoon following the news to get a better idea of what's ahead, especially when it comes to his continued work writing for TechCrunch and his views on Apple.

Here's a (lightly edited) Q&A:

Business Insider:?First, the obvious question: Why go to Google, especially when you've been so critical of the company in the past??

MG Siegler:?First of all, obviously, Google Ventures is not Google. Yes, they're directly connected, but the opportunity to work with Google Ventures specifically, given all their resources, talent, and vision for the industry was something I could not pass up. While I've been critical of Google, I've always appreciated their willingness to reach out to me and in some cases work with me despite the criticism. It has always seemed to me that they've wanted my honest opinions on some things and were actually listening in many cases. It's hard not to respect that. And there are a number of things Google has done recently that I really love, like self-driving cars, Google Fiber, and Google Now. If you had known me 10 years ago, you would have called me a Google fanboy. This tech space in general is very fluid. The worst thing you could do is not have an open mind.

BI:?Why are you leaving CrunchFund??

MG:?Because I felt like the opportunity at Google Ventures was too good to pass up. It seems impossible that an opportunity like this would ever come around again.?

BI:?Was it a significant pay bump?

MG:?No comment. ? Sent from my ruby-encrusted Galaxy 17.

BI:?What's your relationship with Michael Arrington like now?

MG:?It's great. It has always been great. I anticipate it will always be great. We've worked together for a long time. We're very different people, but I think that's part of the reason why we've gotten along so well. A professional change won't change that. And I'm sure we're going to continue to work together collaborating on deals going forward.

BI:?Where do you see CrunchFund in five years?

MG:?Starting to show handsome returns to the CrunchFund LPs.?

BI:?As you continue to write for TechCrunch, how can you keep your knowledge of Google's investments and future plans separate from your reporting?

MG:?I have had plenty of training with that over the past year and a half that I've been investing. Obviously, I learn a lot about a wide-range of startups. If I shared any of that confidential information, I would be the worst investor ever. Google is bigger, but it's no different. I'm not a reporter anymore. I haven't been for a while. I'm an investor first and a writer second. The lines are clear.

BI:?You're TechCrunch's Apple guy. You do all the gadget reviews, etc. Is this going to change your close relationship with Apple?

MG:?I review Apple products first and foremost because I love Apple products. I'd do it even if it wasn't in a professional capacity. As you might imagine, this is probably a discussion to have, but I don't anticipate much change, if any. It's important to note that TechCrunch has many other writers who are great at covering Apple too. I haven't been on the day-to-day Apple beat in a year and a half.?

BI:?Has Google given you any directive on what you can and can't write for TechCrunch or your personal blog now that you're an employee?

MG:?There's no specific guidance. But as I said, there will be things that I'm privy to at Google that I will not talk about in the same way there's stuff I see everyday in my investor capacity that I I do not mention. It's really just common sense.

BI:?Many of Google's investments will be in mobile and most of those companies will compete with Apple. Doesn't investing in Apple's competitors contradict with your assertion that Apple is the best in the space?

MG:?If you assume a zero sum game, I suppose. But if you assume a zero sum game in anything, you should not be an investor. Along those lines, just because I have my own preferences, I'm one person. Millions will disagree with me on any number of things. If you can't understand that very obvious reality, you should not be an investor.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/mg-siegler-interview-2013-5

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Carchaeology: 1986 Buick Riviera Introduces the Touchscreen

Touchscreen displays are common features in modern cars, but many add frustration instead of easing it. The default explanation is that the technology is new (some of it is), but the first touchscreen system available in a production car dates back to the 1986 Buick Riviera's Graphic Control Center. Unlike contemporary LCD screens with high-resolution graphics and colors, the GCC was a cathode-ray tube with a green-and-black screen reminiscent of an old ATM's. The 3 x 4?inch display allowed the driver to control electronic settings such as the trip, radio, and climate with just a touch. While the GCC was undeniably ahead of its time and spread to the Buick Reatta, the carmaker dropped the system in 1990 after owners found it onerous and distracting. When PM reviewed the 1986 Riviera T Type and its touchscreen display, we were impressed with the technology but found that it "violates the First Commandment of ergonomics?you must take your eyes off the road to make any adjustments." Sound familiar?

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/auto-blog/carchaeology-1986-buick-riviera-introduces-the-touchscreen-15437094?src=rss

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The Weekly Roundup for 04.29.2013

You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/00ARqNiUvHI/

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