Jason Mraz tops Myanmar anti-trafficking concert

American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, center, performs at the base of the famous hilltop Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. Mraz mixed entertainment with education to become the first world-class entertainer in decades to perform in Myanmar, with a concert to raise awareness of human trafficking. (AP Photo/Zin Chit Aung)

American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, center, performs at the base of the famous hilltop Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. Mraz mixed entertainment with education to become the first world-class entertainer in decades to perform in Myanmar, with a concert to raise awareness of human trafficking. (AP Photo/Zin Chit Aung)

American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz performs at the base of the famous hilltop Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. Mraz mixed entertainment with education to become the first world-class entertainer in decades to perform in Myanmar, with a concert to raise awareness of human trafficking. (AP Photo/Zin Chit Aung)

A young girl cheers while watching American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz perform at the base of the famous hilltop Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. Mraz mixed entertainment with education to become the first world-class entertainer in decades to perform in Myanmar, with a concert to raise awareness of human trafficking. (AP Photo/Zin Chit Aung)

American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, center, performs at the base of the famous hilltop Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. Mraz mixed entertainment with education to become the first world-class entertainer in decades to perform in Myanmar, with a concert to raise awareness of human trafficking. (AP Photo/Zin Chit Aung)

American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, center, performs at the base of the famous hilltop Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. Mraz mixed entertainment with education to become the first world-class entertainer in decades to perform in Myanmar, with a concert to raise awareness of human trafficking. (AP Photo/Zin Chit Aung)

(AP) ? American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz mixed entertainment with education to become the first world-class entertainer in decades to perform in Myanmar, with a concert to raise awareness of human trafficking.

Mraz's 2008 hit "I'm Yours" was the finale for Sunday night's concert before a crowd of about 50,000 people at the base of the famous hilltop Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, the country's biggest city.

Local artists, including a hip-hop singer, also played at the event organized by the anti-trafficking media group MTV EXIT ? for "End Exploitation and Trafficking" ?in cooperation with U.S. and Australian government aid agencies and the anti-slavery organization Walk Free.

Myanmar is emerging from decades of isolation under a reformist elected government that took office last year after almost five decades of military rule. It has been one of the region's poorest countries, and its bad human rights record made it the target of political and economic sanctions by Western nations.

But democratic reforms initiated by President Thein Sein have led to the lifting of most sanctions, and the country is hopeful of a political and economic revival. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy opposition leader, was released from house arrest in late 2010 and won a seat in parliament last April.

Mraz called his top-billed appearance at the concert a "tremendous honor."

"I think the country is, at this time, downloading lots of new information from all around the world," he said. "I've always wanted my music to be here, (for) hope and celebration, peace, love and happiness. And so I'm delighted that my music can be a part of this big download that Myanmar is experiencing right now."

Organizers said Mraz was the first international artist to perform at an open-air, mass public concert in Myanmar. Jazz artists Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Charlie Byrd visited the country under U.S. government sponsorship in the 1970s, when it was still called Burma, but played at much smaller venues.

Many in the crowd queued for two hours before being admitted to the concert site. Yangon native Sann Oo, 31, wearing a white T-shirt with a sketch of Mraz, said he was pleased that Mraz had come and that there would be a broadcast of the event.

"His visit can promote the image of Myanmar, because people outside have been seeing the country as an insecure place, and poor," he said. "Now they can see how we look like from the concert. It also opens the potential for more concerts by foreign artists."

Mraz has a history of involvement with human rights and other social causes.

But there was some criticism of his visit by campaigners for Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya community, which has been the target of ethnic-based violence this year that has forced tens of thousands of people from their homes into makeshift refugee camps. They feel Myanmar's government has been complicit in the discrimination, and that Mraz's visit provides it cover with the image of being a defender of human rights.

Mraz said he was aware of the issue, but that if he didn't come to do the concert because someone else had asked him to protest another problem, then that would not help tackle the exploitation and human trafficking issue.

"I understand that there is a lot of wrongdoing in this world," he said. "Today I'm here for this."

Walk Free used the occasion of Sunday's concert to launch a campaign calling on the world's major corporations "to work together to end modern slavery by identifying, eradicating and preventing forced labor in their operations and supply chains." They are seeking to have the companies make a "zero tolerance for slavery pledge" by the end of March next year.

"While many think of slavery as a relic of history, experts estimate that there are currently 20.9 million people living under threat of violence, abuse and harsh penalties," the Australia-based group said in a statement. "Within this massive number, the majority of people - more than 14.2 million - are in a forced labor situation, used to source raw materials, and create products in sectors such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing and domestic work."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-12-17-Myanmar-Jason%20Mraz/id-b649f1f0ec2c48e68aa39ebb17c9ea7c

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NASA administrator to be enshrined in NC's First Flight ceremony ...

Posted on: 6:04 am, December 17, 2012, by Ryan Sullivan, updated on: 06:08am, December 17, 2012

KITTY HAWK, N.C. (AP) ? North Carolina?s annual celebration of flight will honor NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Jr.

The First Flight Society said Bolden will be inducted Monday into the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine as part of the 109th celebration of powered flight at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills.

Bolden was commander of the 1994 Discovery flight, an eight-day mission that was the first joint U.S.-Russian shuttle mission. The mission involved a Russian cosmonaut as a mission specialist. The Columbia, S.C., native was chosen by President Barack Obama to be NASA?s 12th administrator. He assumed the post in 2009.

This year?s celebration recognizes the 100th anniversary of Marine Corps Aviation. Bolden is being honored for his accomplishments and as a representative of Marine Corps Aviation.

Credit: The Associated Press

Source: http://myfox8.com/2012/12/17/nasa-administrator-to-be-enshrined-in-ncs-first-flight-ceremony/

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Panasonic Toughbook CF-53

When you leave the comforts of the office for the rougher environs of the street or the great outdoors, you don't want your laptop to fail you when the ride gets bumpy or when things get messy. For anyone that works from their car or out in the field, Panasonic has the Toughbook line of semi-rugged laptops. The Toughbook CF-53 is a 14-inch laptop that can take a beating without missing a day's work, making it your ideal companion when you need a laptop that's as reliable as you are.

Design and Features
The Panasonic Toughbook has all the trappings of past Toughbooks, like the Panasonic Toughbook CF-31, from the inside and out magnesium alloy construction to locking port covers. Both the keyboard and touchpad are sealed to protect against moisture, and the hinges are both dust- and water-resistant. It's built to meet MIL-STD-810G certification standards for shock and vibration, extremes in temperature, and resistance to dust and moisture. The result is a laptop that can handle everything from a sloshed drink on the keyboard to a drop from waist height. Whether you're in the cab of a police cruiser, parachuting out of a C130, or off-roading to a remote construction site, the Toughbook CF-53 should shrug off whatever abuse it encounters.

As a result of all that rugged construction the Toughbook CF-53 isn't the slimmest or lightest laptop on the market. Its 2.2-inch thickness is equivalent to three ultrabooks stacked one atop another, and the beefy 2.2 by 13.4 by 11.1 inches (HWD) build makes for chunky weight, tipping the scales at 5.8 pounds. To help make it a little easier to tote around, it also sports a briefcase-style handle.

The Toughbook CF-53 has a 14-inch display, and while the 1,366-by-768 resolution won't be winning it any awards, it is readable in direct sunlight, and a preinstalled film protects the display from scratches and is replaceable by the user. The native brightness may be great in sunlight, but indoors you may want to dial it down for the sake of your eyeballs. The spill-resistant keyboard offers a fairly comfortable typing experience, but the touchpad is small (2.0 by 3.2 inches) and the right and left mouse buttons are rubbery and stiff.

Even the AC adapter cable for the Toughbook CF-53 is ruggedized, with four inches of ribbed reinforcement on the plug end (most laptops use a half inch). Along the back and sides of the Toughbook CF-53 are several locking covers which conceal two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, outputs for HDMI and VGA, a LAN connection, a Serial Port, and a card reader (SDXC). A case lock slot lets you physically secure the laptop, and a tray loading optical drive lets you read and burn DVD-RW discs and CDs. On the right, behind a locking cover, is an empty ExpressCard slot, while on the left, secured with screws, is a cover for an optional Smart Card slot.

The 500GB 7,200 rpm hard drive inside is shock mounted to cushion it against drops and vibration, and it uses a flexible connection so that force isn't transferred between the drive and the system board, protecting it further from damage. It's a larger capacity than the 320GB drive found in the HP EliteBook 8460p, but we actually might have preferred the faster solid-state drives seen in the Dell Latitude E6420 XFR and Dell Latitude E6430 ATG, which are smaller (128GB and 256GB, respectively) but more rugged by virtue of having no moving parts. Internally, the Toughbook CF-53 is equipped with 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a SIM card slot is available for optional 3G Gobi/4G LTE mobile broadband, with data available through AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon (pricing varies).

Built for business and government use, the Toughbook CF-53 is bloatware free, and comes with the 32-bit version of Windows 7 Professional already installed. Panasonic covers the Toughbook CF-53 with a three-year warranty.

Performance
Panasonic Toughbook CF-53 Rugged laptops generally follow a much slower product cycle than the average consumer systems, and since the last rugged laptop we've reviewed we revamped most of our tests, but we can still compare the most pertinent aspects of performance.

Panasonic Toughbook CF-53

The Toughbook CF-53 is outfitted with a 2.6GHz Intel Core i5-3320M with 4GB of memory. This processor is part of Intel's Ivy Bridge model-line, which already places it ahead of systems running older CPUs. For example, the Toughbook CF-53 scored 2,801 points in PCMark 7, while others, like the HP Elitebook 8460p (2,065 points), and the Panasonic Toughbook CF-31 (1,386 points), had lower scores due to their older processors. The Toughbook CF-53's Core i5 processor couldn't top the quad-core processors found in the Dell Latitude E6430 ATG (5,021) or the Latitude E6420 XFR (4,035 points).

Similar results were seen in Cinebench R11.5 speed tests, where the Toughbook CF-53 scored 2.88 points, ahead of the HP 8460p (2.44) and the Panasonic CF-31 (1,91), but fell behind the Dell E6430 ATG (3.43) and the Dell E6420 XFR (3.0 points).

The Toughbook CF-53 utilizes Intel's integrated graphics rather than a discrete GPU, but the performance should still be sufficient for moderately demanding graphics performance. It won't support high-end 3D gaming or modeling software used by engineers and architects, but for more basic applications, it should be more than enough.

Where the Toughbook CF-53 really stands out, however, is in battery life. When measured in our video rundown test, the T CF-53's 9-cell, 69Wh battery lasted an impressive 9 hours 6 minutes. Though the numbers aren't directly comparable between tests, when using our older MobileMark benchmark, the Panasonic CF-31 (6:08) and the Dell E6420 XFR (4:56) both fell well behind. Regardless, the test indicates that you'll be able to use the Toughbook CF-53 for hours on end without worry as to when you'll encounter an AC outlet.

For a rugged laptop that won't falter under the stresses of the great outdoors or the factory floor, the Panasonic Toughbook CF-53 is a solid performer with a full selection of armored ports and all-day battery life. Though it does stand out, it doesn't quite top the Dell Latitude E6430 ATG, which remains our Editors' Choice for rugged laptops due to its faster quad-core processor.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Panasonic Toughbook CF-53 with several other laptops side by side.

More laptop reviews:
??? Panasonic Toughbook CF-53
??? Lenovo ThinkPad Twist (3347-4HU)
??? Acer Iconia W700-6465
??? Acer C7 Chromebook (C710-2847)
??? Acer Aspire V5-571-6891
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/DcKfEQdgT-E/0,2817,2413315,00.asp

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Top 10 Best Skateboard Bearings

Here are the Top 10 Bestselling Skateboard Bearings at this hour!
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Source: http://www.squidoo.com/top-10-best-skateboard-bearings

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iPhone 5 gets compared to upcoming BlackBerry 10 L-Series phone

The upcoming BlackBerry L-Series phone and its next-genertaion BlackBerry 10 operating system got caught on video this weekend, and of course that means it was shown off next to the iPhone 5. The video comes by way of Tinhte, who have a history of getting access to pre-release and prototype hardware.

BlackBerry 10 remains a really interesting looking take on a modern mobile computing OS, gesture-centric like the PlayBook OS that preceded it, but molded to better suit the size and needs of a phone. And as to that phone, it's blacked out similar to the iPhone 5 (something BlackBerry's been doing for ages), and angles closer to the Porsche Design BlackBerry Bold.

Overall, it looks hot. Whether it's hot enough, however, to reverse BlackBerry's current misfortunes and beat back Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 to re-solidify them as the number three player in the space remains to be seen. BlackBerry has money, but they don't have much more time. Here's hoping the nail the landing.

BlackBerry should be formally announced the device at the end of the month, and CrackBerry.com will, as always, be all over it.

Source: Tinhte via CrackBerry

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/LC6L6dfy26k/story01.htm

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Nikkei hits eight and a half month high on yen, Asian shares ease

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan's electoral triumph propelled the yen to a 20-month low against the dollar that saw the Nikkei stock average touch a 8-1/2-month high on expectations of much better export earnings.

But MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.1 percent, after ending last week near 16-month highs which it had hit successively since December 5.

Regional bourses faced profit-taking from last week's rally as investors worried whether the U.S. could reach a compromise over its budget crisis before the end-of-year deadline.

Shanghai shares bucked the trend with a 0.8 percent jump after the official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday that China pledged to maintain steady economic policies in 2013, leaving room for maneuver in the face of global risks while deepening reforms to support long-term growth.

The Shanghai Composite Index soared 4 percent and Hong Kong shares rose to a 16-month peak on Friday.

In a likely effort to restore confidence in China's stock markets which have fallen by over 60 percent since November 2007 and have markedly lagged Asian peers in recent rallies, China's foreign exchange regulator has removed the $1 billion limit for foreign sovereign wealth funds, central banks and monetary authorities buying Chinese assets through the Qualified Institutional Investor Programme.

Global shares fell on Friday displaying investor unease over the lack of progress in the U.S. fiscal talks, amid signs of a deepening recession in the euro zone as disappointing German manufacturing sector figures and a rise in euro zone unemployment overshadowed a small pick-up in purchasing manager data.

Australian shares fell 0.2 percent in thin trade on uncertainty over the U.S. fiscal woes.

"The volumes are very tiny," Patersons Securities dealer Martin Angel of Australian stocks, adding many players were now out for the Christmas and New Year break. "There has been a lot of money sitting on the sidelines and people are just nibbling away at some quality stocks."

South Korean shares inched down 0.1 percent after a steep weekly rise of 1.9 percent last Friday.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner's offer to accept a tax rate increase for the wealthiest Americans knocks down a key Republican roadblock to a deal on the year-end "fiscal cliff," but a deal has yet to be done, despite the looming deadline.

Failure to avert some $600 billion of tax hikes and spending cuts scheduled to start in January could threaten to throw the U.S. back into recession and damage the fragile recovery taking place elsewhere, such as in No. 2 global economy, China.

CHANGE OF GUARD IN JAPAN

The LDP surged back to power in a landslide election victory on Sunday, giving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a chance to push his radical economic strategy calling for "unlimited" monetary easing and huge public works spending to bring the country out of decades-long deflation.

The Bank of Japan meets later this week and is widely expected to take further easing steps, but hold off from drastic measures until its next meeting after Japan's new cabinet is formed sometime later this month, analysts have said.

Analysts have predicted the yen will keep its weak trend underpinning equities, while the rise in stocks was unlikely to sharply raise the benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond yield.

The 20-year JGB yield rose to an eight-month high of 1.710 percent after the election.

The dollar rose as far as 84.48 yen in early Asia, its loftiest since April 2011, from around 83.50 late in New York on Friday. The euro jumped more than 1 yen to well above 111 yen, a 7-1/2-month high, early on Monday.

"I think that the policies that Abe plans to introduce will only serve to weaken the yen even further. If there is an unwinding opportunity, it will likely be short-lived, maybe falling back to 82 or so on the USD/JPY," said Neal Gilbert, market strategist at GFT Forex.

Gilbert said the yen weakness will continue because Abe is likely to choose a BOJ governor who shares his policy ideas when current governor Masaaki Shirakawa's term ends in April.

With the change of guard in Japanese politics drawing so much attention globally, some worry of the potential implications for financial relations between Tokyo and its key ally, the United States.

"What are the potential negative effects of decisive action to weaken the yen? How this impacts Japan's relationship with the U.S. directly, and China in a different complex way, will have to be defined as it evolves," said Richard Hastings, macro strategist at Global Hunter Securities.

U.S. crude was up 0.3 percent to $86.94 a barrel and Brent was steady around $108.19.

Asian credit markets were a touch safer as equities struggled to extend gains, widening the spreads on the iTraxx Asia ex-Japan investment-grade index by 1 basis point.

(Additional reporting by Victoria Thieberger in Melbourne; Editing by Eric Meijer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/yen-fall-boosts-nikkei-asian-shares-pause-fiscal-004452218--finance.html

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IBM: 'Cognitive computers' to use all 5 senses

15 min.

In five years, computers will have evolved from "large calculators" to more sophisticated machines that can?detect?and interpret?sensory data like smells and sounds, IBM researchers predict.?They call this development "cognitive computing."

Part of making computers smarter is giving them more and better information. Our desktops and laptops and phones can already see and hear, of course, but do they use that information intelligently? And what about the other senses? IBM's researchers sounded off on all five.?It's an idea they've been working on for some time, naturally, since large research centers like IBM's are where advances like cognitive computing are actually achieved. But it's not exactly that some revolutionary new kind of computer is under development ? it's more about computers acting with real intelligence instead of just crunching numbers faster than ever.

Sight is granted to our devices by cameras, but for the most part all that's done is recording an image. Work is being done that lets computers interpret images more intuitively, from telling whether a picture is on a beach or in a sandbox to whether a mole should be examined by a doctor. It's also what will let our cars and robots operate safely.

Sound has also been a part of our computers for many years, but again has been largely limited to things like chatting online and dictation. But by listening closely and adding context to sounds in the environment, a computer may be able to tell you whether your baby's cry means distress, hunger, or just a need for attention. And larger sonic patterns could be detected and shared among a network of computers to help predict disasters and weather patterns.

Touch means more than a touchscreen. Your device can feel your finger, but what do you feel? A glass or plastic screen. Researchers are working on creating?tailored vibrations that could let you feel textures instead, from clothing materials to someone else's skin.

Smell may seem like a strange thing for a computer to need, but the subtle chemical signals that we take for granted ? smoke, perfume, wet dog ? are powerful clues to what is happening in our surroundings. We all have simple smell sensors: Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in our homes. But more sophisticated sensors could detect alcohol on someone's breath in a car, sense early signs of infection or disease, or just let you know that the milk has gone bad.

Taste is another chemical sense, and in the future computers will be able to not just retrieve and display recipes, but compose them with consideration for the molecular level of food. A taste-aware computer could design?a school lunch or family dinner that has been adjusted for the dietary needs and restrictions of each individual. From obesity to diabetes to food intolerance, the problems of eating could be addressed logically and precisely.

If this all sounds a little far-fetched, consider that five years is a very long time in the world of advanced technology. Five years ago saw the introduction of the iPhone, for instance, and now smartphones are not only pervasive but far more powerful than they were then. In five more years, then, why shouldn't you have a chemical sensor on your phone that smells your dinner and suggests a pairing wine?

The examples given here are just food for thought, and what we use our devices for in five years may be totally different. But if you ask IBM, one thing you can rely on is that they'll be using all five senses with care and precision, hopefully to our benefit.

Much more information on IBM's cognitive computing work can be found at their Smarter Planet website.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBCNews Digital. His personal website is?coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/ibm-cognitive-computers-use-all-5-senses-1C7648130

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Colombia, rebels hope rising trust can yield peace

HAVANA (AP) ? While the angry rhetoric and bombs continue to fly back home, Colombian rebels and government negotiators in peace talks in the Cuban capital describe an increasingly collegial atmosphere and growing trust between otherwise mortal enemies.

Negotiators for the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, kibbutz about the latest soccer results and tease the unofficial timekeeper of the talks when it's time for a break. They share cigarettes and aromatic Cuban cigars, and even huddle around a computer screen to hash over design ideas for the website they've developed together for those seeking information about the negotiations.

Participants say it's arresting to see longtime foes who have spent the better part of half a century killing each other's friends and colleagues behaving so cordially ? and the best hope by far that they will find common ground.

Rodrigo Granda, a senior FARC commander who goes by the nom de guerre Ricardo Tellez, said the two sides "never forget that we come from opposing sides of a conflict which has not yet ended."

But he added: "There's still room for a joke, or a smile ... We have been building confidence and that is extremely important."

In interviews with The Associated Press, five participants provided the most extensive peek yet behind the curtain of the secret negotiations, which formally began in Oslo, Norway, in October and have been continuing at a convention center in Havana ever since. In addition, the two main rebel negotiators Ivan Marquez and Rodrigo Granda have spoken publicly about the growing atmosphere of trust.

Three of the participants who spoke to AP about specific details of the talks asked not to be identified because they did not want to risk destabilizing the fragile discussions, which are centered on halting the conflict, agrarian reform, drug trafficking, victim compensation and reinsertion of the rebels into society.

There has been no agreement yet on any of the points.

This is the fourth attempt since the 1980s to bring peace to Colombia, which has been at war even since before the rebels took up arms in 1964. A U.S.-backed military buildup that began in 2000 has reduced the FARC's ranks to about 9,000 fighters and killed several top commanders, though the rebels insist they are still strong.

Building trust is particularly important in these talks, given a history of betrayal on both sides. After a political wing of the FARC laid down its arms in the 1980s, 5,000 partisans were hunted down and killed. Meanwhile, the government accuses the rebels of taking advantage of a safe haven granted in failed peace negotiations a decade ago to strengthen themselves militarily and profit from protecting the drug trade.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has said the negotiations must bear fruit by November 2013 or he will call an end to the effort.

The FARC and government teams, consisting of 10 primary negotiators and about 20 support members for each side, are living in luxury houses on opposite sides of a one-time country club called El Laguito that the Cuban government now uses as a heavily-guarded official compound.

They have each others' phone numbers and often call at night to arrange details of the next day's agenda. At the meetings, both sides tap their wrists insistently to prod Jaime Avendano, a government negotiator who has become the unofficial timekeeper, when they get antsy for a break.

Participants say these 15-30 minute respites are when most informal interactions occur, with negotiators ducking out the back door of a pantry adjoining the meeting room to smoke and stretch their legs.

They talk about everything from the weather to the fortunes of Colombian soccer clubs such as Bogota's Millonarios, America of Cali and Medellin's Atletico Nacional, with sporting allegiances crossing the political boundaries.

"That's when we shoot the breeze," said one rebel negotiator at the table.

FARC and government officials also huddle in small groups with Colombian experts on land reform and other issues brought in to advise the sides, and the informal talks are a good way for both sides to hint at their positions without making formal concessions.

Former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, a driving force behind the U.S.-brokered Good Friday peace accord in Northern Ireland in 1998, said building personal relationships can help the process, but is not enough to wipe away decades of mistrust.

"Getting to know their opponents as human beings is helpful as a predicate for getting into serious discussions," Mitchell told AP in a phone interview. "But of course it doesn't by itself resolve the differences."

Mitchell, who also served as America's Middle East envoy from 2009-2011, cautioned that familiarity does not always lead to fondness, citing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an example.

"When people got to know each other it validated and fortified their mistrust," he said. "Rather than liking the other side they came to dislike them even more."

Rebels in the Cuban capital say that a small core of negotiators who spent seven months in Havana earlier this year secretly laying the groundwork for the peace process sometimes socialized with their government counterparts, including at cocktails organized by Norwegian diplomats acting as guarantors. The parties also dined together in Oslo.

But no such fraternizing has occurred since the talks returned to Havana, in part because of the large size of the groups and because it has taken time for relationships to develop between the newcomers.

"Like always, at first trust had not yet been built and perhaps there was some distance, but with time the gap has been closing," the rebel's chief negotiator, Ivan Marquez, whose real name is Luciano Marin Arango, said at a Nov. 29 press conference.

Tanja Nijmeijer, a Dutch woman who joined the rebels a decade ago and is one of the only women at the negotiating table, told the AP it was "not an atmosphere among friends, but it is pleasant."

That is a striking contrast to events back home, where the declaration of a unilateral cease-fire by the FARC has not brought a halt to hostilities.

In late November a rebel front destroyed two energy towers; guerrillas later said the front had not yet received word of the cease-fire announced the previous day. A week and a half later the Colombian military bombed a cluster of FARC camps and said at least 20 guerrillas were killed.

But even through those clashes, the negotiators have had kind words to say about each other.

Multiple participants described a striking exchange between Marquez and hardline Colombian army Gen. Jorge Enrique Mora that has come to define the respect between battlefield foes helping drive the negotiations.

While the two men were talking one morning, the former Colombian armed forces chief suddenly said to Marquez: "You know, we already know each other, you and I," before rattling off the names of several battles they had fought in over the decades.

The rebel commander agreed, but added the dates of several other fierce clashes. "You didn't know I was there, but I knew you were," he quipped, breaking the tension in the room.

When asked at a press conference what it was like to face his nemesis across the negotiating table, Marquez said he respected Mora and a former national police chief as adversaries whose experiences as men of the sword would be valuable.

"They have been good at war," Marquez said. "Perhaps they know how to find the path to peace."

___

Associated Press writers Andrea Rodriguez and Peter Orsi in Havana and Shawn Pogatchnik in Dublin, Ireland, contributed to this report.

___

Paul Haven on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/paulhaven

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/colombia-rebels-hope-rising-trust-yield-peace-185410260.html

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Good Friend Inc: A Spectrum of Friends

First, to honor the lives of the students and staff?lost in the Sandy Hook community in Connecticut ... ?There is no amount of explanation that will heal hearts, but we hope our prayers for the survivors and tears for the slain will resound across miles and time.

This week's topic was to be based on friendship in elementary school -- a follow-up to last week's thoughts regarding peer relationships in early childhood. ?It seems now, with these budding first grade friendships forever frozen, a respectful tribute of sorts.

There are three main considerations of peer relationships in elementary school as they apply to students with autism spectrum disorder?(ASD). ?First, that they are a necessary part of social-emotional development and mental health. ?Second, that they will exist, but perhaps to a differing depth and breadth than their neurotypical (NT) peers will experience. ?And finally, that they should be specifically developed and nurtured for mutual benefit.

As we look at the determinants of quality of life for adults living with autism, we notice that connections in the community are key. ?Jobs, recreational opportunities, and social/familial relationships help us, whether we have typically-wired brains or not. ?Learning to form and derive enjoyment from these connections starts in elementary school. ?Tony Attwood, author of The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome and a world-renowned clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of individuals with ASD, notes that the ages of 4 to 6 years are critical for motivating these early friendship skills. ?While social impairment is a diagnostic criteria for an ASD diagnosis, it doesn't mean that relationships are less important to the development of someone with autism. ?It helps to understand, however, that these relationships may look different than those between NT peers.

Many individuals with autism prefer to interact with people either younger or much older than they. ?In the case of elementary school students, the 3rd grader may gravitate toward 1st graders on the playground; or the 2nd grader may bond with his speech-language pathologist versus his classmate. ?In the case of the former, delayed social maturity may play a role, as well as a sense of competence around less-complicated unwritten social rules. ?For the student who prefers to socialize with adults, contributing factors could include a penchant for specialized conversational topics (i.e., migratory patterns of birds or dinosaurs of the Mesozoic Era), an acceptance or level of patience not experienced among peers, or a gravitation to the familiar (in the instance of children receiving many hours per week of adult-driven therapies and interventions).


Whatever those early connections are, channel them into platforms for generalizing positive social behaviors. ?Speech therapists can use the foundations of these friendships to seed new social skills, such as turn taking in conversation or noticing tone of voice and body language. ?Since words only account for (at best) a third of our communication, "speech" skills are inextricably tied to these social nuances so elusive to our friends with autism.

So maybe elementary school-aged children with autism might not have the quantity of friends their NT classmates have, but the quality of their early friendships is immeasurable. ?They are the building blocks of critical social development, eventually contributing toward peer acceptance?and positive self-image.

And we should not ignore the benefit that students with typical brain development derive from these opportunities to learn, relate, and grow. ?One of my son's very first friends was able to decrease his own school-related anxiety by focusing on the help he provided to my boy. ?Studies on Peer-Mediated Instruction and Intervention?programs have demonstrated that specifically-trained mentors achieve better academically and feel more fulfilled because of their engagement in these relationships. ?They become less self-absorbed and more empathetic. ?They develop leadership skills and flexibility -- traits which will eventually make them more employable, as well.

Ultimately, children with autism should have a spectrum of friends: ones they can share their special interests with, ones who help them be the best social being they can be by gently pushing development of new skills, ones they can feel competent with at their social-emotional level, and ones who accept them right where they're at, regardless of outward manifestations of their autism. ?Are we as NTs any different in our need for a diverse friend base?

Source: http://goodfriendinc.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-spectrum-of-friends.html

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