Joyce Banda?s bad example for Africa

President Joyce Banda, 62, emerged as Africa?s second female president on April 7th 2012 after her predecessor, Malawian President Bingu Wa Mutharika, died of heart attack. She promised to shake things up and improve relations with aid donor countries.

One of the steps she took recently was the decision not to extend invitation to President Omar Al Bahsir of Sudan, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for gross human rights abuses. But the more controversial of her agenda to restore the flow of foreign aid to one of the world?s poorest countries is her determination to approach the parliament to quash a legislation outlawing gay marriage in Malawi.

Malawi, a country of about 15 million people, 60 per cent of whom are living below the poverty level, is one of the embarrassments of the African continent where dependence on foreign aid has for long been accepted as part of the nation?s fate.

A country that earned its independence in 1964 has, through its age-old dependence on foreign aid, shown its inability to defend its independence, especially on the economic front.

The decision of President Banda to reverse the ban of same-sex marriage to please Western aid donors is a total betrayal of a country with a proud pre-colonial past which saw the Maravi (?rays of light?) Empire steeped in advanced iron work.

Thus, the president has thrown the dignity of the Malawian people through the window because of filthy foreign aid. She is willing to allow unnatural and abominable practices that have helped to compromise the social and moral substance of Western societies to be foisted on her country.

The late Mutharika was guilty of so many sins, including the misuse of the foreign aid, but at least he firmly upheld the dignity of his country and let Malawians ?go hungry? rather than being subjected to the indignity of imposed Western values.

We call on Malawian people as well as other Africans to rise up against the betrayal of Malawian independence. Banda should borrow a leaf from Nigeria, whose president and parliament boldly rejected same-sex marriage and the foreign aid the West used as an instrument of blackmail.

Surely, Malawians can follow the example of Lee Kwan Yew?s Singapore and pull themselves out of the poverty trap. Unlike Singapore, Malawi is blest with some natural resources including land. Let the Asian countries example of rapidly exiting the indignity of foreign aid through internal re-engineering be the guidepost for struggling African countries.

Homosexuality is a taboo all over Africa. Let Africans, like the Arab/Muslim world, reject any foreign influence that can undermine our social fabric and take away our cultural identity.

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Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/06/joyce-bandas-bad-example-for-africa/

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Davis first to Hornets, then what in NBA draft?

NEW YORK (AP) ? Once Anthony Davis slips on a Hornets hat above basketball's most celebrated eyebrow Thursday night, the NBA draft really starts.

Davis will head to New Orleans with the No. 1 pick, even if the college player of the year is reluctant to guarantee it.

After that, nobody can be sure what will happen.

"I don't know," said Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a fellow freshman from national champion Kentucky. "I have no clue."

Well, here's how the first round might go at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

___

1. NEW ORLEANS (21-45)

ANTHONY DAVIS, F, KENTUCKY

Davis said he hasn't been told he's the Hornets' guy, but he shouldn't need to ask. Teams don't pass up his mixture of size, skill and defensive dominance.

2. CHARLOTTE (7-59)

THOMAS ROBINSON, F, KANSAS.

Michael Jordan has botched a No. 1 pick (Kwame Brown) and a No. 3 (Adam Morrison) and now his Bobcats are at No. 2 after slipping in the lottery following the worst season in NBA history. Charlotte needs some toughness, and Robinson can provide it.

3. WASHINGTON (20-46)

MICHAEL KIDD-GILCHRIST, F, KENTUCKY

John Wall and Kidd-Gilchrist would look great in Kentucky, and fans in Washington should like the idea of that combination, too.

4. CLEVELAND (21-45)

BRADLEY BEAL, G, FLORIDA

The Cavaliers rebounded as well as they could from losing LeBron James by taking eventual Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving last year with the No. 1 pick. Next up is trying to find him the kind of help they could never provide for James.

5. SACRAMENTO (22-44).

HARRISON BARNES, G, NORTH CAROLINA.

Another top-five pick, another chance to add another good, young piece to follow Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins.

6. PORTLAND (28-38, from Brooklyn)

DAMIAN LILLARD, G, WEBER STATE

First of two lottery picks for the Trail Blazers. Plenty of buzz that they'll take Lillard, but given their injury woes, they should be happy if whoever they take just stays healthy.

7. GOLDEN STATE (23-43)

ANDRE DRUMMOND, F/C, CONNECTICUT

Even if Drummond falls over questions about everything from his offensive skills to his desire, it's hard to imagine his athleticism and defensive prowess let him go any lower than here.

8. TORONTO (23-43)

DION WAITERS, G, SYRACUSE

With Jose Calderon battling injuries in recent years and headed for a long summer with Spain's national team, it seems time to look for another point guard.

9. DETROIT (25-41)

JEREMY LAMB, F, CONNECTICUT

The Pistons won a title in 2004 with Richard Hamilton, and now they could grab another swingman from Connecticut with a similar game.

10. NEW ORLEANS (21-45, from Minnesota via Clippers).

AUSTIN RIVERS, G, DUKE

Because this pick came in the deal that sent Chris Paul out, how about bringing another point guard in?

11. PORTLAND (28-38)

TYLER ZELLER, C, NORTH CAROLINA

After addressing a backcourt need with their first pick, the Trail Blazers can go big with this one.

12. HOUSTON (34-32, from Milwaukee)

KENDALL MARSHALL, G, NORTH CAROLINA

If the Rockets keep all of them, this starts a run of three picks in the next seven selections. That wouldn't be the preferred plan, as the Rockets hope to package the picks in a deal to land an elite player.

13. PHOENIX (33-33)

JOHN HENSON, F/C, NORTH CAROLINA

The Suns have forever been looking for someone who can provide some interior defense. By picking yet another North Carolina player, they can find the two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

14. MILWAUKEE (31-35, from Houston)

MEYERS LEONARD, C, ILLINOIS

After trading former No. 1 pick Andrew Bogut last season, the Bucks could use another big body to replace him.

15. PHILADELPHIA (35-31)

TERRENCE JONES, F, KENTUCKY

The 76ers are building a nice, deep team, and a versatile player like Jones would fit in nicely.

16. HOUSTON (34-32, from New York)

PERRY JONES, F, BAYLOR

If the Rockets kept multiple picks, they could afford to take some risks. Jones has the talent to be gone before here if he'd ever figured out how to use it.

17. DALLAS (36-30)

TERRENCE ROSS, G, WASHINGTON

The Mavericks are much more interested in free agency, hoping to bring home Deron Williams to Dallas or land another big piece. In the meantime, getting younger sure would help, too.

18. HOUSTON (34-32, from Minnesota)

JARED SULLINGER, C, OHIO STATE

One more risk for the Rockets, if they're still at this spot, by taking a chance on the draft's biggest health concern. If Sullinger's back holds up, he'd be a steal here.

19. ORLANDO (37-29)

FAB MELO, C, SYRACUSE

Even if the Magic don't decide it's time to trade Dwight Howard, it would still be worth having another big man around while their All-Star center recovers from back surgery.

20. DENVER (38-28)

WILL BARTON, G, MEMPHIS

The Nuggets are so deep that's hard to tell exactly what they need. A player who fits multiple spots always works in that situation.

21. BOSTON (39-27)

ROYCE WHITE, F, IOWA STATE

While they await difficult decisions on Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, the Celtics get back-to-back picks blend in some youth if their aging core sticks around.

22. BOSTON (39-27, from Clippers via Oklahoma City)

ARNETT MOULTRIE, F/C, MISSISSIPPI STATE

With no other options, the Celtics eventually moved Garnett to center last season. They may prefer to return to a conventional style whether he sticks around or not.

23. ATLANTA (40-26)

MOE HARKLESS, F, ST. JOHN'S

Josh Smith's name always seems to be linked to trade speculation, and if they do ever move him, the Hawks would want to have another athletic forward in place.

24. CLEVELAND (21-45, from Lakers)

ANDREW NICHOLSON, C, ST. BONAVENTURE

Small with their first pick, the Cavs look to the interior now.

25. MEMPHIS (41-25)

TONY WROTEN, G, WASHINGTON

After falling short against Chris Paul in the playoffs, the Grizzlies might want to look at adding another point guard for any future matchups.

26. INDIANA (42-24)

DRAYMOND GREEN, F, MICHIGAN STATE

Larry Bird, Donnie Walsh and Kevin Pritchard deciding on a pick? Whatever the Pacers do, there will certainly be some good thought being put into it.

27. MIAMI (46-20)

FESTUS EZELI, C, VANDERBILT

The Heat threw out the center position and went with Chris Bosh in the middle during their championship run. The search continues for a true man in the middle.

28. OKLAHOMA CITY (47-19)

DORON LAMB, G, KENTUCKY

Way easier said than done, but the Thunder needed a perimeter defender to cover LeBron James in the NBA Finals and keep Kevin Durant out of foul trouble. Better keep looking, because a finals rematch wouldn't surprise anyone.

29. CHICAGO (50-16)

MARQUIS TEAGUE, G, KENTUCKY

With Derrick Rose likely out all next season after tearing up his knee, point guard is the need for the Bulls.

30. GOLDEN STATE (23-43, from San Antonio).

EVAN FOURNIER, G/F, FRANCE

The Spurs have always been good at finding a quality international player around this spot, so perhaps the Warriors can do the same with San Antonio's pick.

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Carnegie Mellon roboticist 'Red' Whittaker to receive 2012 IEEE Simon Ramo Medal

Public release date: 25-Jun-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Byron Spice
bspice@cs.cmu.edu
412-268-9068
Carnegie Mellon University

Cited for developing robots that work in challenging, dangerous places

PITTSBURGHWilliam "Red" Whittaker, who has repeatedly developed robots to work in such inhospitable places as contaminated nuclear plants, abandoned mines, active volcanoes, Antarctic glaciers and the moon, has been awarded the 2012 Simon Ramo Medal by IEEE, the world's largest technical professional organization.

Whittaker, a University Professor in Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, will receive the medal at the IEEE Honors Ceremony in Boston, Mass., on June 30. The medal, sponsored by Northrop Grumman Corporation, recognizes Whittaker for his pioneering contributions to mobile autonomous robotics, field applications of robotics and systems engineering.

"For decades now, Red has been the leader in moving robots out of laboratories and factories and into unpredictable, sometimes hazardous environments," said Matt Mason, director of the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute. "His combination of engineering insight, technical rigor and audacity has enabled him to make things as complex as robots work, and work well, in places as varied as deserts, mines, nuclear plants, ice sheets and other planets."

Whittaker's reputation as the father of field robotics began to grow in the mid-1980s, when he and his CMU team developed robots to inspect and perform repairs in the basement of the damaged Three Mile Island nuclear reactor near Harrisburg, Pa. He overcame challenges including the extreme environment and the high level of reliability needed because of the inability of humans to enter the contaminated area if robot maintenance was required. These efforts led to the creation of the Robotics Institute's Field Robotics Center, which Whittaker directs.

He has developed more than 60 robots, including Dante II, a walking robot that explored an active volcano; Nomad, which searched for meteorites in Antarctica; and Tugbot, which surveyed an 1,800-acre area of Nevada for buried hazards. He led CMU's Tartan Racing team that developed the self-driving SUV called Boss that won the 2007 Urban Challenge road race for robots. He has pioneered the locomotion technologies, navigation and route-planning methods and advanced sensing systems that make these robots successful.

His current focus is Astrobotic Technology, a CMU spinoff firm that is developing space robotics technology to support planetary missions and organizing a commercial venture to land a robot on the moon in 2015. He also founded two other spinoff companies RedZone Robotics and Workhorse Technologies and the Robotics Institute's National Robotics Engineering Center.

Earlier this year, the American Society of Civil Engineers awarded Whittaker its 2012 Columbia Medal, which recognizes sustained outstanding contributions to the advancement of aerospace engineering. Last year, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence presented him its inaugural Feigenbaum Prize for his work in autonomous vehicle research. Other honors include Fortune magazine's Hero of Manufacturing (1999), the Joseph Engelberger Award for Achievement in Robotics (2006) and the Carnegie Science Center Catalyst Award (2006).

Whittaker received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Princeton University, and master's and doctorate degrees in civil engineering from Carnegie Mellon. In 2007, he was named a University Professor, the highest distinction faculty can achieve at Carnegie Mellon.

###

About Carnegie Mellon University: Carnegie Mellon (www.cmu.edu) is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 11,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon's main campus in the United States is in Pittsburgh, Pa. It has campuses in California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. The university is in the midst of "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University," which aims to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Public release date: 25-Jun-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Byron Spice
bspice@cs.cmu.edu
412-268-9068
Carnegie Mellon University

Cited for developing robots that work in challenging, dangerous places

PITTSBURGHWilliam "Red" Whittaker, who has repeatedly developed robots to work in such inhospitable places as contaminated nuclear plants, abandoned mines, active volcanoes, Antarctic glaciers and the moon, has been awarded the 2012 Simon Ramo Medal by IEEE, the world's largest technical professional organization.

Whittaker, a University Professor in Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, will receive the medal at the IEEE Honors Ceremony in Boston, Mass., on June 30. The medal, sponsored by Northrop Grumman Corporation, recognizes Whittaker for his pioneering contributions to mobile autonomous robotics, field applications of robotics and systems engineering.

"For decades now, Red has been the leader in moving robots out of laboratories and factories and into unpredictable, sometimes hazardous environments," said Matt Mason, director of the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute. "His combination of engineering insight, technical rigor and audacity has enabled him to make things as complex as robots work, and work well, in places as varied as deserts, mines, nuclear plants, ice sheets and other planets."

Whittaker's reputation as the father of field robotics began to grow in the mid-1980s, when he and his CMU team developed robots to inspect and perform repairs in the basement of the damaged Three Mile Island nuclear reactor near Harrisburg, Pa. He overcame challenges including the extreme environment and the high level of reliability needed because of the inability of humans to enter the contaminated area if robot maintenance was required. These efforts led to the creation of the Robotics Institute's Field Robotics Center, which Whittaker directs.

He has developed more than 60 robots, including Dante II, a walking robot that explored an active volcano; Nomad, which searched for meteorites in Antarctica; and Tugbot, which surveyed an 1,800-acre area of Nevada for buried hazards. He led CMU's Tartan Racing team that developed the self-driving SUV called Boss that won the 2007 Urban Challenge road race for robots. He has pioneered the locomotion technologies, navigation and route-planning methods and advanced sensing systems that make these robots successful.

His current focus is Astrobotic Technology, a CMU spinoff firm that is developing space robotics technology to support planetary missions and organizing a commercial venture to land a robot on the moon in 2015. He also founded two other spinoff companies RedZone Robotics and Workhorse Technologies and the Robotics Institute's National Robotics Engineering Center.

Earlier this year, the American Society of Civil Engineers awarded Whittaker its 2012 Columbia Medal, which recognizes sustained outstanding contributions to the advancement of aerospace engineering. Last year, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence presented him its inaugural Feigenbaum Prize for his work in autonomous vehicle research. Other honors include Fortune magazine's Hero of Manufacturing (1999), the Joseph Engelberger Award for Achievement in Robotics (2006) and the Carnegie Science Center Catalyst Award (2006).

Whittaker received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Princeton University, and master's and doctorate degrees in civil engineering from Carnegie Mellon. In 2007, he was named a University Professor, the highest distinction faculty can achieve at Carnegie Mellon.

###

About Carnegie Mellon University: Carnegie Mellon (www.cmu.edu) is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 11,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon's main campus in the United States is in Pittsburgh, Pa. It has campuses in California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. The university is in the midst of "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University," which aims to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

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Asheville adds more jobs, but more unemployed join ranks in May

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Moving from Cupertino to Mountain View? Samsung's here to help (update: UK only)

Moving? We all have our reasons, but if you're transferring your stuff from iOS to a Galaxy device, Samsung and Media Mushroom are there to help with the Easy Phone Sync app. The free software installs on your Galaxy product and a PC or Mac, then shleps your stuff wholesale -- media, contacts and all -- from iTunes over to your chosen Samsung Android slate or phone. It even lets you continue to use iTunes to manage music, photos and videos, while keeping everything sync'd up with the non-Cupertino devices. We're sure that Samsung is just trying to lend a hand, and doesn't have any (ahem) other purposes in mind. Check the PR after the break to see for yourself.

Update: To be clear, Easy Phone Sync's only for Galaxy-toting folks living in the UK.

Continue reading Moving from Cupertino to Mountain View? Samsung's here to help (update: UK only)

Moving from Cupertino to Mountain View? Samsung's here to help (update: UK only) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: ?Florida, Florida, Florida?

Sandusky found guilty on 45 of 48 counts

??Jerry Sandusky was convicted Friday of sexually assaulting 10 boys over 15 years, accusations that had sent shock waves through the college campus known as Happy Valley and led to the firing of Penn State's beloved Hall of Fame coach, Joe Paterno.

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AFL-CIO To Counteract Negative TV Ads With New Social Approach

WASHINGTON -- To counteract the influx of spending by Republican-allied super PACs, the AFL-CIO is stepping up its ground game for the 2012 elections.

Its strategy is to implement a new campaign ad strategy while still using more traditional, grassroots methods. It says it will focus on how person-to-person communication can push back on the conservative-heavy attack ads dominating local television.

Labor unions argue that Gov. Scott Walker?s (R-Wis.) recent victory over Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) in the Wisconsin recall election served as a prime example of money defeating democracy. The resulting challenge for activists is to prevent a similar occurrence from transpiring on a national scale this November, in what has already been branded as the most expensive election in American history.

?Barrett was outspent by a margin that if that happens on a national scale, this is really not a democracy anymore,? Mike Podhorzer, the AFL-CIO's political director, said in a press briefing at the union's Washington, D.C. headquarters on Wednesday. ?We expect that candidates we support will be outspent, but if they're outspent 7-1 across the board in November, then this is not the America of the last 200 years.?

Part of the AFL-CIO?s new approach is engaging its activists with local consumers who are affected by negative television ads. The labor federation says that after a series of tests, it has concluded that voters who discussed negative ads with their peers, or a credible source on politics, were more likely to be skeptical of their content. Those who did not discuss the ads appeared to take them more at face value. The organization aims to fuel those conversations to create a more aware electorate.

?Starting in Ohio and going onto Wisconsin, we've been working to perfect and improve a different kind of ground game to address the challenges raised by the television advantage that the Republicans are going to have,? Podhorzer said. ?What is innovative, and what really addresses the television advantage, is adding quality to quantity in the conversation, so that the ground game goes from being thought of as these top-down calling centers or marches through neighborhoods to what politics should be, which is people talking to their friends about politics -- people talking to people who they have credibility with about politics.?

The AFL-CIO will continue to utilize traditional grassroots efforts, such as phone banks and door-to-door canvassing, but hopes its new emphasis on enhancing dialogue will help activists develop their own response to negative ads that they can share within their communities. This, according to the federation, will be more potent than simply handing volunteers a script and assigning them to mostly unknown targets.

?Our deeper understanding of the power of social networks to counteract TV ads helps us empower our grassroots activists to engage in much deeper grassroots conversations than ever before,? Podhorzer told The Huffington Post in an email.

Although the AFL-CIO launched its own super PAC, Workers? Voice, last year, its spending has been focused on organizing digital tools -- mainly email and social media -- to connect to voters, as opposed to TV ads. The nation's largest labor-affiliated super PAC, Workers' Voice had has raised $5.1 million as of April.

The labor group, which represents 57 unions and about 12 million workers, first announced its massive ground operation in March. At the time, the AFL-CIO said it planned to enlist as many as 400,000 of its members for a grassroots effort that would persuade voters to support President Barack Obama and other Democratic candidates at the federal, state and local levels.

?Our activists will be facing an unprecedented challenge as the previous waves of dishonest right wing TV ads become a tsunami of lies, but working people will have the tools to engage in the necessary pushback,? Podhorzer wrote in an email. ?It?s a rigged contest instead of the fair fight we?d win easily, but it?s a fight we can and must win.?

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Employment - Wisconsin.gov - Employment - Job Seeker - Detail Page

Job Details ? Council for the Spanish Speaking, Inc. ? Job Title Early Head Start Program Manager - Bilingual? ? H.R. Contact Robert Conrad? ? Contact Phone (414)384-5122 ? Job Description The Early Head Start Program Manager is responsible for overall management of the Early Head Start Program under the supervision of the Head Start Director. PRIMARY DUTIES: 1. Has the lead role among members of the Head Start management team for the development of Early Head Start goals, objectives, action plans, and procedures to achieve full compliance with the federal Head Start Performance Standards. 2. Oversees all Early Head Start program functions and operations, providing supervision and leadership for staff as well as responsive and informative communication with parents and community partners. 3. Implements a system for continuous monitoring and evaluation of Early Head Start program activities to assure ongoing program improvement for effective high quality services. 4. Provides training and technical assistance for home-base and center-base staff. This includes assisting teaching staff in curriculum implementation, lesson plan development, room arrangement, classroom management, home visit and parent conference techniques and strategies, parent communication, effective teacher roles, safety and sanitation, and the various other early childhood development topics. 5. Assists with coordination and completion of developmental screens wide with the Disabilities and Mental Health Coordinators. 4. Plans and implements in-service training in collaboration with other management team members which is appropriate to the needs of the Early Head Start staff. 5. Completes monthly reports that identify progress in achieving unit and program goals. Collects and analyzes data, as requested. Coordinates computer tracking of services and data, as requested. Participates in management meetings and in Head Start program staff meetings. 6. Continues professional growth by participating in training programs and workshops/conferences, as the budget allows.? ? Qualifications ? Minimum of a Bachelor?s Degree in Early Childhood Education, or a related field, and three years professional leadership/management and supervisory experience. Head Start or Early Head Start experience is preferred. ? Strong knowledge of theories and practices of Early Childhood Education/Development and Family/Social Services with focus on Infant/Toddler development. ? Fully fluent in Spanish and English. ? Intermediate to advanced computer skills, including internet and e-mail. ? Must have a valid driver's license and proof of insurance and provide own vehicle. ? Pediatric CPR/First Aid certification? ? How to Apply email cover letter and resume to: guadalupe.hs@spanishcenter-milw.org ? ? Job Type Employee? ? Status Full Time? ? Shift First ? ? Salary/Pay Range $ 37,000 to $43,000 ? ? Employer Council for the Spanish Speaking, Inc. Guadalupe Head Start 1648 S 37th Street Milwaukee, WI 53215? ? Job Address Same as the employer address. ? Website http://www.spanishcenter-milw.org ? ? Description The Council for the Spanish Speaking (also known as El Centro Hispano) is Milwaukee's oldest Latino nonprofit community based organization. The Council operates a variety of educational programs and provides a range of services for families and individuals. The Guadalupe Head Start program is a federally funded child development and early childhood education program serving over six hundred children ages birth to five.? ? ?

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Video: Tennis match ends with angry kick

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Apple posts new iPad ad

Ham in the Fridge, those responsible for the well received if a bit disturbing 5 Minutes to Kill (Yourself), have been up to something. They?ve been lurking in the shadows, left to their own devices, doing something altogether unseemly. They?ve been Bumpin? Uglies. I?ve recently had the chance to talk a bit with Brett Hummel (Creative Director)... | Read more ?

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[NFL News] Packers QB Aaron Rodgers Says 'Not Much More You Can Do' For Player Safety

---

Last weekend during a panel discussion with four other quarterbacks who have been Super Bowl MVPs, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers addressed the topic of providing for the long-term health of players, Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. In his remarks he said the helmet he now wears, compared to the one he wore when he started in the league in 2005, has prevented him from "a couple" of concussions, including one against the New York Giants in a playoff game last season. During the 2010 season, Rodgers missed a game against New England on Dec. 19 after suffering a concussion Dec. 12 when he was tackled in a game against the Detroit Lions (left). "It's a difficult topic," Rodgers said.. "But I know the risks I'm taking, stepping onto the field. I've had a couple of head injuries. I talked to Steve (Young) about the second one because I know he dealt with similar things. "It does start to bring your own mortality to the forefront in your mind, thinking about what your post-career will look like," Rodgers said. "That being said, there's not a whole lot more we can do. The helmet I started my career with in 2005 is no longer allowed because the safety requirements on those helmets is so high now. I feel confident the helmet I'm wearing has kept me from a couple concussions in the last year, especially one hit in particular I took in the Giants' playoff game." Rodgers said Commissioner Roger Goodell has "done a good job of making guys who take cheap shots or shots above the neck or below the knee intentionally to injure people, he's fining those guys and suspending them for games." "I think our league needs to continue to realize the impact we can have on setting the standard for the kids who are wanting to play," Rodgers said. "Having said that, it's a collision sport, and you have to realize that going in. Guys are bigger, stronger and faster every year. But there's not much more you can do to make it safe. "It's just in this era, as opposed to when the three of you (Montana, Young, Plunkett) played, every injury is highlighted more," Rodgers said. "Every little ding to the head is labeled as a concussion." "The protocol for concussions cannot be any more difficult to get back on the field," Rodgers said. "And I don't know if you've had this, Tom (Brady), but it is incredible the process and the tests you have to go through to get back on the field. So something is being done. It's unfortunate that we've had to go through some years of learning what those steps look like, but I don't think there's a whole lot more that can be done." Source: The Redzone ?

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UN chief calls for 'sustained pressure' on Assad

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Canadian teen moms run higher risk of abuse, depression than older mothers

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

Contact: Bryan Alary
bryan.alary@ualberta.ca
780-492-0436
University of Alberta

(Edmonton) Teen mothers are far more likely to suffer abuse and postpartum depression than older moms, according to a study of Canadian women's maternity experiences by a University of Alberta researcher.

Dawn Kingston, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Nursing, analyzed data from the Maternity Experiences Survey, which asked more than 6,400 new mothers about their experiences with stress, violence, pre- and postnatal care, breastfeeding and risky behaviour like smoking and drug use before, during and after pregnancy.

Kingston said the survey offers the first nationwide view of maternity experiences and many risk factors affecting maternal and infant health. Knowing that teens are most at risk of abuse and depression, for example, helps public health policy makers and providers target care and support where it's needed most, she said.

"If we don't intervene early, the abuse and depression can continue into the postpartum period and the child's early developmental years," she said. "Women that have mental health issues in pregnancy and postpartum have children that are at greater risk of having mental health problems and developmental problems."

The study, published in the May issue of Pediatrics, compared maternity experiences of women at various ages: teens (15 to 19 years), young adults (20 to 24) and adults (25 and older).

The data showed that 41 per cent of teen moms had experienced physical abuse in the previous two yearsdouble the rate among women in their early 20s and five times that among adult women.

"We had no idea that the risk was as high as it is in adolescents," Kingston said.

Nearly a quarter of teens indicated they had been abused more than three times during that span. One-fifth said they'd been abused by a family member, compared with 14 per cent of young adults and 9.5 per cent of adult women.

Some 14 per cent of teens experienced symptoms of postpartum depression, compared with 9.3 per cent of women in their early 20s and 6.9 per cent of adult women.

Such results suggest a need for screening for depression and violence among pregnant women, Kingston said. Few pregnant and postpartum women are routinely screened for violence at present in Canada, something that is mandatory in Australia and the U.K.

"Women often don't tell their provider they're suffering, whether it's depression or domestic abuse," she said. "That's why there needs to be a routine screening process. If you don't screen, the need may not be identified and women are not linked to resources like counselling and other help that's available."

Teens later to start prenatal care

The data also showed that teen moms were more likely to start prenatal care late, more likely to engage in risky behaviour like smoking, and less likely to breastfeed.

Some 15.5 per cent of teen moms started prenatal care late, double the rate for moms in their 20s and nearly four times that for adult mothers.

Fewer teens reported initiating breastfeeding than older women. Just 19 per cent breastfed for three months or more, compared with 30 per cent of moms in their 20s and 41 per cent of adult women.

Teens were also far more likely to smoke during and after pregnancy (29 per cent and 50.9 per cent, respectively) than women in their 20s (23.6 per cent and 33.9 per cent) and adult women (7.8 per cent and 12.7 per cent).

Such results might not be surprising given the nature of unplanned teen pregnancies, but the high smoking rates among young adults was a surprise, Kingston said, as was the decision of moms to continue smoking after delivery.

"That suggests there's considerable opportunity for teaching, identifying needs and linking women to services they need through prenatal and postpartum care."

###

The study was commissioned by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

---

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?

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

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

Contact: Bryan Alary
bryan.alary@ualberta.ca
780-492-0436
University of Alberta

(Edmonton) Teen mothers are far more likely to suffer abuse and postpartum depression than older moms, according to a study of Canadian women's maternity experiences by a University of Alberta researcher.

Dawn Kingston, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Nursing, analyzed data from the Maternity Experiences Survey, which asked more than 6,400 new mothers about their experiences with stress, violence, pre- and postnatal care, breastfeeding and risky behaviour like smoking and drug use before, during and after pregnancy.

Kingston said the survey offers the first nationwide view of maternity experiences and many risk factors affecting maternal and infant health. Knowing that teens are most at risk of abuse and depression, for example, helps public health policy makers and providers target care and support where it's needed most, she said.

"If we don't intervene early, the abuse and depression can continue into the postpartum period and the child's early developmental years," she said. "Women that have mental health issues in pregnancy and postpartum have children that are at greater risk of having mental health problems and developmental problems."

The study, published in the May issue of Pediatrics, compared maternity experiences of women at various ages: teens (15 to 19 years), young adults (20 to 24) and adults (25 and older).

The data showed that 41 per cent of teen moms had experienced physical abuse in the previous two yearsdouble the rate among women in their early 20s and five times that among adult women.

"We had no idea that the risk was as high as it is in adolescents," Kingston said.

Nearly a quarter of teens indicated they had been abused more than three times during that span. One-fifth said they'd been abused by a family member, compared with 14 per cent of young adults and 9.5 per cent of adult women.

Some 14 per cent of teens experienced symptoms of postpartum depression, compared with 9.3 per cent of women in their early 20s and 6.9 per cent of adult women.

Such results suggest a need for screening for depression and violence among pregnant women, Kingston said. Few pregnant and postpartum women are routinely screened for violence at present in Canada, something that is mandatory in Australia and the U.K.

"Women often don't tell their provider they're suffering, whether it's depression or domestic abuse," she said. "That's why there needs to be a routine screening process. If you don't screen, the need may not be identified and women are not linked to resources like counselling and other help that's available."

Teens later to start prenatal care

The data also showed that teen moms were more likely to start prenatal care late, more likely to engage in risky behaviour like smoking, and less likely to breastfeed.

Some 15.5 per cent of teen moms started prenatal care late, double the rate for moms in their 20s and nearly four times that for adult mothers.

Fewer teens reported initiating breastfeeding than older women. Just 19 per cent breastfed for three months or more, compared with 30 per cent of moms in their 20s and 41 per cent of adult women.

Teens were also far more likely to smoke during and after pregnancy (29 per cent and 50.9 per cent, respectively) than women in their 20s (23.6 per cent and 33.9 per cent) and adult women (7.8 per cent and 12.7 per cent).

Such results might not be surprising given the nature of unplanned teen pregnancies, but the high smoking rates among young adults was a surprise, Kingston said, as was the decision of moms to continue smoking after delivery.

"That suggests there's considerable opportunity for teaching, identifying needs and linking women to services they need through prenatal and postpartum care."

###

The study was commissioned by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

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Aurora makes the sky sing the blues

Brad Goldpaint

Photographer Brad Goldpaint captured this view of the northern lights over Crater Lake, Ore., early Sunday.

By Alan Boyle

A double-burst of solar particles?sparked auroral lights over the weekend, as expected?? but at least in some parts of the world, the colors were not what you'd expect. Instead of the typical greenish glow, observers reported seeing reds, pinks, violets and even blues.

"It's been many years since I saw the blue in our auroras, but Saturday night they came back," John Welling reported in a note accompanying the photo he posted to SpaceWeather.com.

Pinks, reds and blues also dominated the scene captured on camera early Sunday by Brad Goldpaint, from a vantage point above Oregon's Crater Lake. In an email, Goldpaint told me the opportunity came about "by pure coincidence."

---

"Capturing this famous light show had been a dream of mine for several years, but I could not have imagined the lights showing up in my own backyard!" Goldpaint wrote. "After setting up near the Rim Village Visitor Center lookout area, I began to notice a faint band of moving light slowly making its way from behind the Watchman Tower, around 1:30 a.m. My camera began picking up bright pink bursts of light towards the north, with what also looked like unfamiliar vertical bands of light stretching upwards from the horizon. I quickly changed my camera?s white balance to confirm I was not picking up some random light pollution, or hallucinating in my drowsy state. Following additional exposures, I came up with the same amazing results. The magical shifting scene continued until sunrise, and like most days in the wilderness, I was awed and humbled by true nature personified."

The photo now graces Brad's portfolio at GoldpaintPhotography.com.

The colors of the aurora depend on the wavelength of the light emitted when fast-moving, electrically charged particles from the sun interact with different types of atoms and ions in Earth's upper atmosphere. If the particles hit mostly oxygen atoms, the light will be in the greenish-yellowish-reddish range. Collisions with nitrogen atoms produce the blue, purple and deep red hues.

The altitude of the auroral glow also affects the color: At altitudes between 60 and 120 miles (100 and 200 kilometers), the oxygen emissions tend toward the green side of the spectrum. At higher altitudes, you'll see more red. Blend all those colors, and you get a beautiful, wide-ranging palette.

The "Causes of Color" website provides a fuller spectrum of information. And speaking of a fuller spectrum, here are more of the weekend's colors, plus a bonus video:

Stephen Voss

Stephen Voss snapped pictures of the southern lights from a spot near Invercargill in the south of New Zealand. "A dull arc hung around for a couple of hours before suddenly exploding with a mixture of rays and curtains," Voss told SpaceWeather.com. Check out Voss' gallery at Deep South Astrophotography.

Scott Lowther

Scott Lowther snapped this panoramic picture of Saturday night's auroral display as seen from Tremonton, Utah. The shot was taken with a Nikon D5000 and a 55mm lens at f/1.4 with 6-second exposures. For more of Lowther's photos, check out the Art by Earthlings website.

Shawn Malone / LakeSuperiorPhoto.com

Shawn Malone snapped this picture before dawn on Sunday morning from Marquette, Mich. "Got to witness the tail end of aurora activity as the skies cleared about 15-20 minutes before the sunrise light moved in," Malone told SpaceWeather.com. "Photos taken between 3:50 a.m. and 4:15 a.m. Bright aurora, with rays of light overhead, almost forming a corona. Beautiful purples came through on the exposures, but only light visible to the eye, as is typical with auroras right before sunrise." Check out LakeSuperiorPhoto.com for more of Malone's work.

Here's a 13-minute recap of three winters' worth of auroral imagery from Sweden. It's all part of "Light Over Lapland: The Aurora Borealis Experience" from Chad Blakley of LightsOverLapland.com on Vimeo. For best results, go full screen and HD. "The movie is a compilation of many thousands of still images captured in Abisko National Park," Blakley writes. "By my calculation I have spent no less than 2,000 hours pointing my camera at the sky recording the northern lights to create this film. ... I am enjoying the midnight sun and all of its warmth, but I am ready for the darkness and the auroras to return."

More auroral glories:

---

Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

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Pope to Irish: Child abuse by clergy 'a mystery'

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during the Angelus prayer from his studio overlooking St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Sunday, June 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during the Angelus prayer from his studio overlooking St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Sunday, June 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI told Irish Catholics on Sunday it is a mystery why priests and other church officials abused children entrusted in their care, undermining faith in the church "in an appalling way."

By describing the decades of child abuse in Catholic parishes, schools and church-run institutions and parishes in Ireland as a "mystery," the pontiff could further anger rank-and-file faithful in Ireland.

Benedict commented on the scandals of sexual abuse and cover-ups by church hierarchy in a pre-recorded video message for an outdoor Mass attended by 75,000 Catholics, many from overseas, in Ireland's largest sports stadium. Ireland's prime minister and president attended the Mass, the final event of a Eucharistic Congress aimed at shoring up flagging faith.

The weeklong Eucharistic Congress, held by the Vatican every four years in a different part of the world, took place against a backdrop of deep anger over child abuse cover-ups and surveys showing declining weekly Mass attendance in Ireland, where church and state were once tightly entwined.

"How are we to explain the fact that people who regularly received the Lord's body and confessed their sins in the sacrament of Penance have offended in this way?" said the pope, referring to church staff who abused children.

"It remains a mystery," he said. "Yet evidently their Christianity was no longer nourished by joyful encounter with Jesus Christ. It had become merely a matter of habit."

Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has said the church in Ireland is facing a grave fight for survival.

"Your forbears in the church in Ireland knew how to strive for holiness and constancy in their personal lives," Benedict said in his message.

In a reference to the Vatican's insistence on Sunday Mass attendance, Benedict said Catholic faith "is a legacy that is surely perfected and nourished" at Mass.

Yet, he said, "thankfulness and joy at such a great history of faith and love have recently been shaken in an appalling way by the revelation of sins committed by priests and consecrated persons against people entrusted to their care."

"Instead of showing them the path towards Christ, toward God, instead of bearing witness to his goodness, they abused people and undermined the credibility of the church's message," the pope said.

For more than a decade, advocates for those abused by clergy have been demanding that church leaders in Ireland and at the Vatican accept blame for protecting pedophile priests.

Four state-ordered investigations have documented how tens of thousands of children from the 1940s to the 1990s suffered sexual, physical and mental abuse at the hands of priests, nuns and church staff in three Irish dioceses and in a network of workhouse-style residential schools.

In Ireland, the United States and many other countries, bishops and other church leaders have been accused of systematically covering up pedophile priests, often by shuffling them from parish to parish without telling the faithful about the abuse.

Benedict's evoking "mystery" disappointed the victims' advocacy group SNAP, or Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. A SNAP official, Barbara Dorris, said the pope was speaking in "platitudes, refusing to even accurately name the crisis."

" The pontiff's wrong: there's little mystery here," said Dorris in an emailed statement.

She cited priests' having "sometimes almost absolute power, over devout and defenseless kids," as well as bishops who abuse power and "ignore, hide and enable heinous crimes against kids."

___

Benedict's video address, http://bit.ly/NCdhvm

Eucharistic Congress, http://www.iec2012.ie/

Associated Press

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Four Fun Ways to Fund Writing Projects at Kickstarter

by Alissa Lukara

Once upon a time, you had to rely on grants from literary organizations to support your writing projects-in-progress, your own funds or generous family member donations. Or, you had to wait for even ?more elusive advances from publishers.

Today, you no longer have to depend only on publishers for advances or squeeze yourself into the boxes of literary organization?s deadlines, tight requirements and crunched arts funding budget availability.

You can empower your own writing project and yourself with needed support starting today by initiating a fundraising campaign for your writing on Kickstarter.com.

Kickstarter is the world?s largest funding platform for creative projects ? whether you are writing and publishing a book or literary magazine or funding a film or visual art project. Writers have raised money for editing, self-publishing, e-publishing, research, illustration, design, education and more on Kickstarter. And anyone can start a Kickstarter campaign ? published or not.

Most Kickstarter campaigns for writing projects raise less than $5000, and many have goals of $2000 or under, but two campaigns have exceeded the $1 million mark. (Read about comic book artist Rick Burlew?s The Order of the Stick Reprint Drive in Forbes Magazine?s, ?Million Dollar Book Proves Kickstarter Model, Now Authors Just Need The Reach?)

Posting a writing project or goal on Kickstarter.com does not mean you do not have to be as clear and specific in your presentation as you would be if you were approaching a granting organization or publisher. The best and most effective presentations are both. You have to know what your goal is and clearly define it. And your project needs an end point. Funding your writing career in general is not going to achieve the result that funding a specific project or piece of a project with a specific culmination will.

If you want to discover what gets results in a Kickstarter campaign, read and explore:

You will also want to read this comprehensive article by filmmaker and media artist Nathaniel Hansen on ?7 Things to Consider BEFORE you Launch your Kickstarter Project.?

Nathaniel, who has raised more than $350,000 dollars for himself and clients on Kickstarter, said this about running a successful campaign. ?At the end of the day, two things are really all that?s required: a good idea and A LOT OF HARD WORK. Ok, maybe three ? a decent network that supports what you do.?

One piece of that hard work includes creating an effective video that explains the project you want to fund and fun rewards for your backers ? that escalate in value and access to you, depending on how much they contribute. These rewards can range from signed copies of books to choosing how a character named after you in a crime novel dies to one-on-one consultations with authors and filmmakers. You also want to keep your backers in the loop with updates on your project?s progress and completion.

Here are four recent successful Kickstarter campaigns by authors, writers and filmmakers.

1. Jack Palms II. Seth Harwood, the author of This is Life, Young Junius and Jack Wakes Up, as well as the podcasts In Broad Daylight, A Long Way from Disney, and Triad Death Match, has since 2006, been giving away his work as free serialized audio books through his website, on iTunes and at podiobooks.com. His goal was to release five titles as eBooks and through Print On Demand over a six month period. He focused his Kickstarter campaign on raising funds for fixed publishing costs such as copy-editing, proofreading, cover design and layout. He raised $7,167 pledged on a $4,000 goal from 92 backers.

His rewards included everything from inclusion in the acknowledgements and a personal thank you note to being a character in his book to having a short story or novella written with you as the main character. Read about his campaign and rewards at Jack Palms II: This Is Life and Other eBooks.

2. The Afterlife Series. Mur Lafferty, an award-winning author of ?Playing For Keeps,? ?Marco and the Red Granny,? podcaster and editor of Escape Pod magazine, felt certain she would get a mainstream publisher for her novellas, The Afterlife Series: Heaven, Hell, Earth, Wasteland and War, which she had given away for years for free as an audio series. But she did not.

She took epublishing on herself with a Kickstarter campaign goal to raise $2000 for ebook conversion, book design and cover design. Two hours after her campaigns started, she reached her goal and at bedtime the first day, she had $5000. By the end of the campaign, she had raised $19, 370. Watch her video and read more about her project and creative rewards for backers at The Afterlife Series: Heaven, Hell, Earth, Wasteland, War

((Note: Both Seth and Mur are also great examples of how fiction writers today are creating platforms ? audiences for their writing.)

3. Impasse. One day, screenwriter Jeanne Veillette Bowerman (@jeannevb ), who also created the #scriptchat hashtag on Twitter, was struck by a lover?s quarrel she witnessed in a coffeeshop. ?She tweeted the event, even though she could not hear anything said in the argument. She also knew it was the inspiration she and director Michael Bekemeyer had hoped to find for a short film. They set a Kickstarter campaign goal of $12, 500 and highlighted their heartfelt dedication and passion for the film project, Impasse: When the Cold War of Love Meets the Moment of Truth. And they promised to share the journey with video clips, blog posts and a ritual shaving of the director?s head at film completion, that made backers feel like an appreciated and included part of the film?s community. They raised $15, 680 from 314 backers. Check out their campaign here.

4. Type Rider. One more fun and successful writing project completed on June 13 is TYPE RIDER: Cycling the Great American Poem. This Poetry project by writer Maya Stein ? was a 40 day bicycle ride from Massachusetts to Milwaukee. She celebrated turning 40 and the spirit of creativity by pulling a typewriter (Milwaukee is its birthplace) behind her bicycle and creating poetry community with Type-ins and other events along the way. She raised $16, 427 from 208 backers, who at various higher donation levels could travel with her up to 5 or 10 days.

One final comment, what I also love about Kickstarter campaigns is that their creators often ?pay-it-forward? on Kickstarter. All these artists have also backed other artists? campaigns.

Welcome to the new world of writing and publishing. As certain doors narrow or close for writers, others swing open and breathe new life and community to empower your creative life. Kickstarter is one of your new wide open doors.

I would love to know what you think. What have your or your writer friend?s experiences been with Kickstarter or with granting organizations? What do you think about these new opportunities for writers? I want to hear from you.

Alissa Lukara, the author of the memoir, Riding Grace: A Triumph of the Soul, supports writers to write and complete their books in her online writing workshop, Writing Books that Transform Lives. Find out about the next session that begins July 2nd.? Early registration ends Thursday, May 31. Meanwhile, find out how writing can change your life by registering here for the free eCourse, Complete Your Book ? Transform Your Life: 7 Key Steps on the Writer?s Journey. Registering for it automatically subscribes you to Transformational Writers updates.

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Account Executive - Workers' Comp - IN Job for Insurance Sales ...

Overview:

Strategic Comp has an intriguing leadership opportunity for a high level Account Exec (AE). Responsibilities would include an assigned book of workers' compensation business in a specific geographic territory, with overall goals of managing the existing book to an appropriate level of profitability and achieving a high level of renewal retention. The AE will be able to communicate effectively and conduct presentations to business owners, demonstrate utmost professionalism and industry knowledge to win the confidence of producers and insureds, develop a strong relationship with key decision-makers within an organization, direct effective service, and coordinate a team of service professionals. AEs are required to clearly and professionally articulate the intricacies of the Strategic Comp product. (The function of marketing to our agents and managing their submissions for new business and renewals is an important one to Strategic Comp; however, those duties are handled by our marketing staff and are not a part of this AE position.)

The person hired for this position will primarily work from their home and will be required to travel up to 60% of the time including some overnight travel. A company car is provided.

Here's who we are. Our division, Strategic Comp, is part of Great American Insurance Company established in and based in Cincinnati, OH. Established in 1872 and based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the operations of Great American Insurance Group are engaged primarily in property and casualty insurance, focusing on specialty commercial products for businesses, and in the sale of annuities and supplemental insurance products. The members of the Great American Insurance Group are subsidiaries of American Financial Group, Inc. AFG's common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") and NASDAQ under the symbol "AFG".

Here's information about how we operate. Our employees at Strategic Comp know that they make a difference to us, and they feel appreciated for it. In fact we received 98% rating for overall job satisfaction from those taking our last employee survey, making it no surprise that our employee turnover is less than 3%. This clearly indicates the passion and energy our staff has for the job they do? and they seldom want to work anywhere else! The few that have left did so by telling us that this was the best company they had ever worked for. A big reason for these successes is due to our careful matching of the right job with the right person.

Here's what we do. We insure workers' compensation coverage for large companies, using our deductible program and working through the independent agency system. Our service in claims and loss control is second to none. The difference our employees feel about us translates over to our customers, too. Our renewal retention is 90+%, meaning our customers, don't want to leave us either. Our reputation and results are the envy of many competitors.

To apply, please send a resume along with a cover letter explaining why you feel that you are the one to fill this opening.

Responsibilities:

Here's what you would be doing. The AE's responsibilities include the following: (1) Leading the team of service professionals (claims and loss control) who will service the book; (2) Directing roll-out of program and service plans; (3) Monitoring accounts for trends and reacting appropriately when action needs to be taken; (4) Communicating relevant information about individual accounts to the marketing and underwriting departments; (5) Building strong contacts with insureds' senior management and being their primary relationship contact. 6) Performing other duties as directed.

Qualifications:

Here are the qualifications. A Bachelor's degree and at least 10 years of experience in account management, production, and/or managing a loss control department for a commercial insurance company, (preferably in workers' compensation), is required. Additional experience in underwriting, loss control, or claims is a plus. You must have strong analytical and math skills and be proficient in Word, Excel, and working with loss runs.

Requisition #: 14349

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