As some of you have read I recently had a miscarriage. It was horrid but it has been one of my greatest lessons.
I thought I wanted a baby, but actually, when I was faced with the reality I freaked out.
I didn't enjoy being pregnant at all. The romantic ideal of a blossoming mother-to-be was very opposite of my bloated, nauseous and pale self. In truth, I felt out of control, as if I'd been invaded by an alien. I ate like a pig, farted like one too. I felt fat and ugly -- so dressed for 8 months when it was only 2. I have a whole range of baggy leggings and t-shirts now that I hope never to wear again.
Since then it prompted lots of soulsearching.
I now realize I needed the miscarriage to work through some of these feelings before it happens again. I just wasn't ready.
The big question now is when will I be ready?
The odds are a bit against me if you read baby books. I'm not far off 40, everyone tells me my body clock is about to go ping and yet I still feel young and carefree. I want to live my life still. To walk across Paris at dawn or go to Ibiza on a whim for a mad 24 hour clubathon. I am also so happy and in love with my beau. I don't need any more. And maybe at a subconscious level I'm scared a baby would change that. Our love life would somehow suffer.
I love children. But I have seen myself as one of them. I love my husband's kids but I enjoy the upside -- the fun, playtime yet little responsibility. I have also never needed to have kids. I have friends with such a strong maternal instinct that they had decided names and schools before they'd left school themselves.
But if you push me I know deep down I'd love a baby. A child of love. I know it will make me a better person. Clearly that's not a reason to have one, but I know that I will stop fannying around and step up to the plate. Instead of fretting about being a few pounds overweight I will have flesh and blood to worry about.
They key for me is that I have to stop thinking that I am not good enough and that I somehow need to turn into a supermom. Stewing prunes, knitting booties and hypnobirthing kinda mom.
When I was pregnant I stopped all things bad and nasty. Not a single chemical passed my mouth. I also stopped enjoying things I loved. Sex. Sport. Dancing.
In my head, moms meant no more vibrant me. It was about baby first even if I suffered as a result. As my therapist has explained feelings of abandonment have created a desire for hyperprotection. I need to let go of that.
Being me needs to be good enough. Otherwise I guess it will never work. The baby will sense my insecurity and the cycle will repeat.
I guess am letting all of this settle in or in technical terms "integrate." Time is against me. But happiness is more important in the long run. Here's hoping that I can find my groove as a mom.
Groovy mom, groovy baby.
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Follow BritChick Paris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/britchickparis
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Actress Cynthia Nixon is trying to clarify her earlier remarks that got her in hot water with some fellow gay rights activists.
The "Sex and the City" star's personal life became an exercise in the politics of sexual orientation last week when The New York Times Magazine quoted Nixon saying that for her, being gay was a conscious choice. Nixon has been in a relationship with a woman for eight years. Before that, she spent 15 years and had two children with a man.
After some gay rights activists complained that Nixon's remarks could be used to deny a biological basis for homosexuality, the actress on Monday released a statement to The Advocate magazine explaining she is technically bisexual, and not by choice.
Nixon told the magazine: "What I have 'chosen' is to be in a gay relationship."
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.?? Authorities investigating a robbery at a house in Birmingham found five people dead in the home on Sunday.
Sgt. Johnny Williams says officers arrived at the house around 3:30 a.m. Sunday after getting a call that a robbery was in progress.
The officers soon discovered the five victims inside.
The victims were not identified.
Police have launched a homicide investigation, but there have been no arrests or charges filed in the case.
Brenda Houston, who lives across the street from the west Birmingham house where the bodies were found, said the house had been rented for about a year and a half by a woman in her late 40s and her son and brothers.
"They would speak to us, and that's all we knew," she said. "We didn't know their names but they were always friendly."
Houston, 64, said her street was a quiet one filled with older residents who were friendly with each other. She said there was a constant stream of visitors coming in and out of the home, but that the residents never seemed to cause any disturbances.
"Most people are in a state of shock. They never had any trouble over there," Houston said. "I never seen the police over there. This was really strange that this happened. It wasn't like they were real rowdy."
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Very good experiences don't just happen for patientsPublic release date: 28-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Nancy Jean njean@lifespan.org Lifespan
Rhode Island Hospital's new simulation-based customer service training program for emergency department staff makes it CLEAR
PROVIDENCE, R.I. A new training program for emergency department staff at Rhode Island Hospital (www.rhodeislandhospital.org) teaches communication skills by having staff take part in simulations of real patient experiences. The goal is to improve the patient experience by standardizing both team and patient communication in an emergency department (ED) setting. The program will be presented at the 12th Annual International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) in San Diego, Calif.
Principal investigator and lead author Lynn Sweeney, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at Rhode Island Hospital, is a member of the hospital's Simulation Center. Sweeney and her colleagues developed Project CLEAR! (Communication Leading to Excellence and Ameliorating Risk) to give structure and consistency to the manner in which staff communicate with each other and with patients. "This is the first program that we know of its kind to combine traditional teamwork training with simulation-based customer service training," Sweeney says.
"Excellence in health care is no longer defined merely by the quality of clinical care offered, but also by the superiority of service provided to those who seek care. The importance of patient satisfaction has grown over the past decade," she adds. "To be recognized as a top-quality organization, we have to not only provide exceptional care, but our patients and their families have to truly feel how much we care about them."
Project CLEAR! has provided training for a staff of nearly 400, including nurses, physicians, medical assistants and secretaries in one of the busiest emergency departments in the country. The CLEAR! training day includes a 7-hour interactive experience that features three medical simulation scenarios using both standardized patients and high-fidelity manikans, to teach both Crew Resource Management concepts and customer-service. The simulation scenarios are used to elicit specific teaching points that will impact quality of care, safety and service.
The CLEAR! team formed a unique collaboration with the Texas Tech University College of Mass Communications aimed at sustainment of the lessons taught during the training day. The TTU team assisted in designing a logo to give a brand identity to the project, and on creating a variety of visual messaging instruments placed throughout the ED to reinforce the lessons learned during the training. "The goal of the collaboration, in essence, was to create an internal public relations campaign promoting the program's message," Sweeney says.
Sweeney concludes, "We believe Project CLEAR! will have a dramatic impact on the way our ED staff works with patients to provide not only the best possible care, but also an exceptional patient experience as well."
Sweeney's principal affiliation is the Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University, where she serves as assistant professor of emergency medicine. The project is funded by a grant from Lifespan's Department of Risk Management and supported by the University Emergency Medicine Foundation, which staffs the emergency departments at Rhode Island, The Miriam and Hasbro Children's hospitals.
###
Other researchers involved in Project CLEAR with Sweeney include Leo Kobayashi, M.D., David Lindquist, M.D., Adam Rojek, R.N., and Linda Dykstra, R.N., all of Rhode Island Hospital and Alpert Medical School, and Coy Callison, Ph.D., of Texas Tech University College of Mass Communications.
About Rhode Island Hospital:
Founded in 1863, Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, R.I., is a private, not-for-profit hospital and is the principal teaching hospital of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. A major trauma center for southeastern New England, the hospital is dedicated to being on the cutting edge of medicine and research. Last year, Rhode Island Hospital received more than $55 million in external research funding. It is also home to Hasbro Children's Hospital, the state's only facility dedicated to pediatric care. For more information on Rhode Island Hospital, visit www.rhodeislandhospital.org, follow us on Twitter @RIHospital or like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/rhodeislandhospitalpage.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.
Very good experiences don't just happen for patientsPublic release date: 28-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Nancy Jean njean@lifespan.org Lifespan
Rhode Island Hospital's new simulation-based customer service training program for emergency department staff makes it CLEAR
PROVIDENCE, R.I. A new training program for emergency department staff at Rhode Island Hospital (www.rhodeislandhospital.org) teaches communication skills by having staff take part in simulations of real patient experiences. The goal is to improve the patient experience by standardizing both team and patient communication in an emergency department (ED) setting. The program will be presented at the 12th Annual International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) in San Diego, Calif.
Principal investigator and lead author Lynn Sweeney, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at Rhode Island Hospital, is a member of the hospital's Simulation Center. Sweeney and her colleagues developed Project CLEAR! (Communication Leading to Excellence and Ameliorating Risk) to give structure and consistency to the manner in which staff communicate with each other and with patients. "This is the first program that we know of its kind to combine traditional teamwork training with simulation-based customer service training," Sweeney says.
"Excellence in health care is no longer defined merely by the quality of clinical care offered, but also by the superiority of service provided to those who seek care. The importance of patient satisfaction has grown over the past decade," she adds. "To be recognized as a top-quality organization, we have to not only provide exceptional care, but our patients and their families have to truly feel how much we care about them."
Project CLEAR! has provided training for a staff of nearly 400, including nurses, physicians, medical assistants and secretaries in one of the busiest emergency departments in the country. The CLEAR! training day includes a 7-hour interactive experience that features three medical simulation scenarios using both standardized patients and high-fidelity manikans, to teach both Crew Resource Management concepts and customer-service. The simulation scenarios are used to elicit specific teaching points that will impact quality of care, safety and service.
The CLEAR! team formed a unique collaboration with the Texas Tech University College of Mass Communications aimed at sustainment of the lessons taught during the training day. The TTU team assisted in designing a logo to give a brand identity to the project, and on creating a variety of visual messaging instruments placed throughout the ED to reinforce the lessons learned during the training. "The goal of the collaboration, in essence, was to create an internal public relations campaign promoting the program's message," Sweeney says.
Sweeney concludes, "We believe Project CLEAR! will have a dramatic impact on the way our ED staff works with patients to provide not only the best possible care, but also an exceptional patient experience as well."
Sweeney's principal affiliation is the Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University, where she serves as assistant professor of emergency medicine. The project is funded by a grant from Lifespan's Department of Risk Management and supported by the University Emergency Medicine Foundation, which staffs the emergency departments at Rhode Island, The Miriam and Hasbro Children's hospitals.
###
Other researchers involved in Project CLEAR with Sweeney include Leo Kobayashi, M.D., David Lindquist, M.D., Adam Rojek, R.N., and Linda Dykstra, R.N., all of Rhode Island Hospital and Alpert Medical School, and Coy Callison, Ph.D., of Texas Tech University College of Mass Communications.
About Rhode Island Hospital:
Founded in 1863, Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, R.I., is a private, not-for-profit hospital and is the principal teaching hospital of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. A major trauma center for southeastern New England, the hospital is dedicated to being on the cutting edge of medicine and research. Last year, Rhode Island Hospital received more than $55 million in external research funding. It is also home to Hasbro Children's Hospital, the state's only facility dedicated to pediatric care. For more information on Rhode Island Hospital, visit www.rhodeislandhospital.org, follow us on Twitter @RIHospital or like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/rhodeislandhospitalpage.
[ | 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.
Twenty-seven? Yikes, you're actually older than me, but you're not the oldest member of the site, if that makes you feel any better. We have a few people in their thirties, namely AzricanRepublic and Entity of Sin, and Skallagrim is old enough to have kids that are on here. (He doesn't, but he's in his forties, so it's still true.)
I'm sure your life experience means you have a dozen stories waiting for people to help you tell them, so you've come to the right place.
The only people that extol the virtues of war are those that calculate its cost in material things.
'Dateline NBC,' the signature broadcast for NBC News in primetime, premiered in 1992. Since then, it has been pioneering a new approach to primetime news programming. The multi-night franchise, supplemented by frequent specials, allows NBC to consistently and comprehensively present the highest-quality reporting, investigative features, breaking news coverage and newsmaker profiles.
People gather at the scene of a car bomb attack in Zafaraniyah, Baghdad, on Friday.
By msnbc.com staff and news services
Updated at 4:46 a.m.: The blast outside a hospital struck a funeral procession for Mohammed al-Maliki, a real estate agent who was killed with his wife and son on Thursday, a doctor and interior ministry official tells AFP news agency. Both speak on condition of anonymity.
Published at 4:17 a.m.: BAGHDAD -- Twenty-six people were killed on Friday when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed car in southeastern Baghdad, Iraqi officials said.
The attack occurred at 11:00 a.m. (3:00 a.m. ET) in the Iraqi capital's predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Zafaraniyah, police said. They said 53 people were wounded in the attack.
Hospital officials confirmed the death toll to The Associated Press.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Insurgents have stepped up violence in Iraq since the U.S. military withdrawal last month. More than 200 people have been killed since the beginning of the year.
Msnbc.com staff and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
State of the Union coverage in the world's newspapers says as much about the specific concerns of other countries as it does about what President Obama actually said.
When journalists from around the world report on a speech by a sitting US president ? such as President Obama?s state of the union speech last night ? they do so with their own particular reading public in mind. The effect, for a global reader, can be confusing. Did Mr. Obama really say all of this in one speech?
Skip to next paragraph
For Chinese readers, Obama is reported to have boasted that the US is not, repeat not, declining.
For Indian readers, Obama promised to take on China and other nations that were engaged in theft of US intellectual property.
For Israelis, Obama promised an ?ironclad? commitment to the state of Israel, as well as promises to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
For South Africans, Obama gave a feisty speech, but was largely ignored by a Republican Congress who headed for the exits.
For the French, Obama was announcing his roadmap for reelection, while for the British he gave a populist speech promising a fairer America.
From a closer reading of his one hour and six minute speech, Mr. Obama does appear to have said all of these things, and a few more. But the fact that the press in each country has its own idea of what is newsworthy in a state of the union should not be surprising. It speaks volumes about how US foreign and economic policy affects that country, for better or worse.
China?s interest in America?s future makes sense. China is the US?s second-largest trading partner, and America?s ability to kickstart its economy is crucial for China?s own prosperity. US economic weakness is bad for Chinese business.
Small wonder, then, that the China Daily ? Beijing?s main English-language newspaper ? focused its attention on Obama?s confident statement, ?The renewal of American leadership can be felt across the globe."
"Anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn't know what they're talking about," he said in his prime-time address.
Indian papers, meanwhile, saw in Obama?s tough words against intellectual piracy a reflection of its own rivalry with China. Both India and China have emerged as new economic and manufacturing bases, as more established economic powers in Europe and the America?s have slowed down. Both India and China have been competing for business and for resources in Africa, and both see themselves as the voice of the world?s impoverished, symbolized in their membership in the BRICS group of new economic powers (including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa).
But for India and China, power is a zero-sum game, and India revels in any sign of trouble for China.
MOGADISHU (Reuters) ? U.S. special operations forces swooped into Somalia on Wednesday and rescued two hostage aid workers after killing their nine kidnappers, a rare and daring raid in the Horn of Africa nation to free foreign captives.
American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Poul Hagen Thisted, 60, of Denmark, humanitarian aid workers for a Danish demining group, were rescued three months after they were kidnapped on October 25 in the town of Galkayo in the semi-autonomous Galmudug region of the Horn of Africa country.
"The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice," Obama said in a statement.
The rescue was carried out by forces that included members of the same elite Navy SEAL unit that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden last year in a raid on his compound in Pakistan, a U.S. official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Other U.S. military services formed part of the assault team, and it was not clear that any of the same SEALs were involved in both the Somalia and bin Laden raids even if they came from the same unit, known as SEAL Team Six.
Members of the unit parachuted into a location near the town of Gadaado in central Somalia and then hiked to the encampment where the two foreign hostages were being held by their nine abductors, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity.
The raiding party arrived prepared to detain the kidnappers but was not able to do that and all nine were killed, Pentagon officials said. The kidnappers were heavily armed and had explosives nearby, they said. None of the U.S. forces were hurt.
Obama authorized the raid on Monday and military commanders gave the final go-ahead on Tuesday, Pentagon officials said.
They said a confluence of factors, from the health of the hostages to the available intelligence and operational conditions, gave Obama a window of opportunity to act and prompted Washington to move ahead with the raid.
Buchanan was suffering from a possible kidney infection, according to people involved with the hostages. New evidence obtained last week suggested her health was deteriorating, said Pentagon officials, who would not elaborate on her condition.
"We're confident that there was enough of a sense of urgency, there was enough actionable intelligence to take the action that we did, for the president to make the decision that he did," said Navy Captain John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman.
Buchanan and Thisted were flown to neighboring Djibouti, home to the only U.S. military base in Africa and France's largest base on the continent, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity. They were under the care of U.S. military doctors, officials said.
Obama was overheard congratulating Panetta on the success of the operation as the president entered the U.S. House of Representatives chamber on Tuesday for his annual State of the Union speech.
Panetta had been at the White House before the speech and had been monitoring the progress of the operation. The raid was still being wrapped up when the president spoke to him.
"Leon. Good job tonight. Good job tonight," Obama said.
The Pentagon said there were no known links between the kidnappers and Islamic militant groups in the region. Kirby said the U.S. military had no evidence to connect them to piracy.
But Obama called them "criminals and pirates" in his statement, as did local officials.
"About 12 U.S. helicopters are now at Galkayo. We thank the United States. Pirates have spoilt the whole region's peace and ethics. They are mafia," Mohamed Ahmed Alim, leader of the Galmudug region, told Reuters.
He was speaking from Hobyo, a pirate base north of Haradheere, where he said he was negotiating the release of an American journalist seized on Saturday, also from Galkayo.
Somali pirate gangs typically seize ships in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden and hold the crews until they receive a ransom. The kidnapping of the aid workers in Galkayo would be an unusual case of a pirate gang being behind a seizure on land.
U.S. and French forces have intervened to rescue pirate hostages at sea, but attacks on pirate bases are rare.
Pirates and local elders say the American journalist and a number of sailors from India, South Korea, the Philippines and Denmark are being held by pirate gangs.
A British tourist kidnapped from Kenya on September 11, 2011 is also still held captive in Somalia.
Somalia's government applauded the mission and said it welcomed any operation against pirates.
U.S. special forces killed senior al Qaeda militant Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in a raid in southern Somalia in 2009. Several other al Qaeda or al Shabaab officials have been killed in U.S. drone strikes in Somalia over the past few years.
Panetta visited U.S. troops in Djibouti last month on his way to Afghanistan and Iraq, in a stopover that reflected Obama's growing focus on the militant and piracy threats from Yemen and the eastern edge of Africa.
In Djibouti, the United States has a platform to monitor al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen and Somalia's al Shabaab, a hardline rebel group with links to al Qaeda.
(Additional reporting by Mohamed Ahmed in Mogadishu, John Acher and Mette Fraende in Copenhagen, David Clarke in Nairobi, Phil Stewart and David Alexander in Washington; Writing by Richard Lough and David Clarke; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Eric Walsh)
The iPad is Apple's tablet computer, unveiled in January, 2010, and launched in April, 2010. The second generation of the iPad -- the iPad 2 -- was unveiled on March 2, 2011. It will be available for sale in the U.S. on March... More ?
WELLINGTON, New Zealand ? A mass-stranding of whales on a New Zealand beach has left 36 of the creatures dead and threatens 40 more.
Department of Conservation area manager John Mason said 99 pilot whales stranded themselves Monday on Farewell Spit on the South Island. By Tuesday, 36 whales had died and another 40 remained stranded and were still in danger.
Mason said conservation staff and volunteers had successfully refloated 17 whales, which had swum out to deeper water. Another six whales remained unaccounted for.
The 40 beached whales were briefly swimming in shallow water early Tuesday afternoon but became stranded again by the evening as the tide went out. Mason said volunteers would try to keep the whales cool and wet until dark. He said after that, all they could hope for was that the whales would swim away on the next high tide during the night.
Pilot whales grow to about 20 feet (6 meters) and regularly strand themselves in large numbers during the New Zealand summer months.
Experts describe Farewell Spit as a whale trap due to the way its shallow waters seem to confuse whales and diminish their ability to navigate.
The 7th Annual Spring Value Investing Congress takes place on May 6 and 7 in Omaha, NE, at the CenturyLink Center and Benzinga readers can save money if you register by this Friday, January 27.
The Spring Congress, which is scheduled to follow the Berkshire Hathaway Annual meeting, costs $4,595 but you can save $1,600 if you register here and enter the discount code O12BZ1.
According to the website, ?The Value Investing Congress is one of the only events that features money managers who have already achieved stellar returns for their clients and themselves. That's why CNBC dubbed it ?The Super Bowl of Value Investors'.?
It certainly looks like being an event well worth attending. The list of key speakers is truly impressive, reading like a who's who of big leaguers.
Included on that list is Douglass Kass, President of Seabreeze Partners Management, David Nierenberg who runs D3 Family Funds, Advisory Research Managing Directors Bruce Zessar and Matthew Swaim, GoodHaven Capital Management founders and Managing Partners Larry Pitkowsky and Keith Trauner, T2 Partners Managing Partners Whitney Tilson and Glenn Tongue, Carlo Cannell of Cannell Capital, and Thomas Russo of Gardner Russo & Gardner, among other successful and respected investors.
Two days in the company of those financial heavyweights will provide invaluable knowledge, and should improve your profitable investing in the future. For the discount price of $2995, this is an event that cannot be missed, so register now.
(c) 2011 Benzinga.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published in its entirety or redistributed without the approval of Benzinga.
State-run TV marked Chinese New Year with a video of US billionaire Warren Buffett singing and playing a ukulele.?
I can think of any number of curious aspects of Warren Buffett's transmogrification into a Chinese pop star, but perhaps the oddest is that state-run TV here is using the 81-year-old Sage of Omaha to draw younger viewers.
Skip to next paragraph
Mr.?Buffett, widely admired in China for his wealth, his investment instincts, and his charitable donations (probably in that order), made a cameo appearance playing a ukulele and singing "I've Been Working on the Railroad"?as part of a marathon Chinese New Year gala aired Sunday.
The annual Spring Festival TV gala on the lunar New Year?s Eve is watched by hundreds of millions of Chinese viewers. But its heavily scripted diet of moralizing comedy sketches, spandexed acrobats, magicians, and goldfish showing off their synchronized swimming skills (one of last year?s highlights) no longer appeals to young people?s more sophisticated tastes.
So state-run CCTV decided to air a hipper extended gala show online, and that is where?Buffett comes in.
?We all know that?Buffett?is good at investment, but few knew he also did well in singing,? Wang Pinjiu, one of the show?s producers, told a press conference earlier this month, according to Xinhua, the government news agency.
The video clip is one he made for a charity dinner last year organized by media investor Wu Zheng and his TV presenter wife Yang Lan, according to a spokeswoman for Mr. Wu.
When CCTV asked Wu to rope some international talent into the online gala he asked?Buffett?for permission to air the video, and he agreed, the spokeswoman said.
Buffett?is not shy about his musical talents; he has been heard playing the ukulele at Berkshire Hathaway events, and he appears in a US TV commercial for an insurance company that he owns, masquerading as Axl Rose. Not, to be frank, that his appearance offers much evidence of ?doing well in singing.?
He is also well known in China, both as a major investor in BYD, a Chinese firm hoping to spearhead the electric car revolution here, and as an investment guru whose books are popular with local businessmen.
Buffett?caused something of a stir in 2010 when he visited China with Microsoft chairman Bill Gates in a bid to rustle up support from Chinese billionaires for charitable work, which is still in its infancy among the super-rich here. It took a while for some of the guests to accept his invitation to a banquet; it seemed they were nervous about being hit up for donations at the dinner.
BERLIN (Reuters) ? The head of the IMF called on European governments to boost the size of their rescue fund and consider financial risk-sharing steps like common euro zone bonds as a way out of their sovereign debt crisis.
In a speech at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin on Monday, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde said the world economy faced a "defining moment" that required quick, collective action.
To help meet the challenge, she urged leading powers to back an increase in resources for the Washington-based lender to help fill a global financing hole that the IMF believes could reach $1 trillion over the coming years.
"The longer we wait, the worse it will get. The only solution is to move forward together," Lagarde said, according to an embargoed copy of her remarks provided by the IMF before delivery.
"We must all understand that this is a defining moment. It is not about saving any one country or region. It is about saving the world from a downward economic spiral."
The IMF has helped fund a series of euro zone bailouts over the past two years, but with big European countries like Italy now under threat, it wants to boost its lending capacity, currently estimated at around $380 billion.
Members of the single currency bloc have agreed to inject close to $200 billion, but countries like the United States, Canada, China and Japan have been cool on channeling more funds to the IMF. Many are keen for Europe to take more decisive steps to resolve its debt crisis first.
Lagarde said the IMF was seeking to increase its lending resources by up to $500 billion, including the funds already pledged by Europe. The Fund estimates that up to $1 trillion in global financing could be needed over the coming years.
"I am convinced that we must step up the Fund's lending capacity," Lagarde said.
SOLVENCY CRISIS RISK
She praised decisions by euro zone governments to enforce stricter fiscal discipline and a move by the European Central Bank to provide long-term liquidity to banks, but said these steps formed mere "pieces" of a comprehensive crisis solution.
Lagarde warned specifically about the risks that higher funding costs for Italy and Spain lead to a solvency crisis, saying this would have disastrous consequences for systemic stability.
"Adding substantial real resources to what is currently available by folding the EFSF into the ESM, increasing the size of the ESM, and identifying a clear and credible timetable for making it operational would help greatly," Lagarde said, referring to the euro zone's current and future rescue funds.
She urged European leaders to complement the "fiscal compact" they agreed last month with some form of financial risk-sharing, mentioning euro zone bonds or bills, or a debt redemption fund as possible options.
Lagarde also called for bolder steps from countries outside of Europe, saying the United States had a special responsibility as the world's largest economy.
She said emerging and advanced countries with large current account surpluses should take steps to encourage domestic demand as a way to support global growth.
In an apparent reference to Germany, she said there was a "large core" in Europe where fiscal consolidation could be more gradual. Lagarde also stressed the need for timely easing of monetary policy as euro zone economies and inflation fall.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) -Police say a footballer who played five times for South Africa was stabbed to death in a nightclub.
Jeffrey Ntuka was killed in the early hours of Saturday.
Michael Hughes, a representative of Ntuka's agent, Stella Africa, told football website Kickoff.com the player was killed in the central South African town of Kroonstad.
The 26-year-old defender had been in the squad of local giants Kaizer Chiefs for two years but was without a club this season after his contract with Supersport United expired.
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Balotelli lifts Man City
Mario Balotelli scored a stoppage-time penalty kick Sunday to give first-place Manchester City a 3-2 victory over Premier League title rival Tottenham.
Mike Hewitt / Getty Images
Hat trick
Clint Dempsey became the first American to score a hat trick in England's Premier League, helping Fulham rally from a halftime deficit to rout Newcastle 5-2 Saturday.
The GOP presidential candidates race has been nothing short of displays of the strange, bizarre and unexpected. This includes their penchant to invoke pop culture references from Pokemon to Tim Tebow while debating or campaigning.
Here are some of the most memorable quotes, from the remaining list of candidates as well as those who are no longer running:
* "The next generation deserves trust in government. We have no trust left. The next generation deserves a Congress with term limits. We need a candidate who's going to lead a Grateful Dead tour of this country, who rallies the support of the American people in getting term limits and closing the revolving door of lobbyists." -- Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, during a campaign rally earlier this month in Hampstead, N.H., according to Mother Jones.
* "There are a lot of folks that said Tim Tebow wasn't going to be a very good NFL quarterback. There are people that stood up and said, 'Well, he doesn't have the right throwing mechanisms, or he's not playing the game right.' And he won two national championships, and that looked pretty good. We were the national champions in job creation back in Texas. And so, am I ready for the next level? Let me tell you, I hope I am the Tim Tebow of the Iowa caucuses." -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry, during a debate in Iowa last month, according to the Los Angeles Times.
* "I believe these words came from the "Pokemon" movie. I'm not sure who the original author is, so don't go write an article about the poet, but it says a lot about where I am- where I am with my wife and my family, and where we are as a nation. Life can be a challenge. Life can seem impossible. It's never easy when there's so much on the line. But you and I can make a difference. There's a mission just for you and me." -- Herman Cain, during his withdrawal speech last month, according to the HuffPost Entertainment.
* "Mr. Speaker, you have a super PAC ad that attacks me. It's probably the biggest hoax since Bigfoot. The people who have looked at it have said this ad is entirely false." -- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaking to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich during a debate Jan. 16, according to Fox Nation.
* "I think he compared that to Pearl Harbor? I think it's more like Lucille Ball at the chocolate factory." -- Romney, describing Gingrich's failure to get on Virginia primary ballot, according to CBS News' Political Hotsheet.
* "They said that the way they're looking at this is sort of like "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." You have one candidate who is just a little too radioactive, little too hot....And then we have another candidate who's just too darn cold?We need someone who is just right." -- Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, while campaigning in Lexington, S.C., on Friday, according to Politico.
A facelift for iBooks wasn't the only change on Apple's agenda today, as the company's SVP Eddy Cue has just announced an overhaul of iTunes U. The service, mostly used as a means of delivering lectures to college students, has seen over 700 million downloads since its launch and is now gearing up to offer full online courses from the likes of Duke University, Yale, MIT, amongst others.
As an example of this new remote method of learning, the company demoed a Chemistry course at its event, showing an overview, syllabus, credits and even the professor's office hours. Tabs are placed along the right side of page with options for Info, Posts, Notes and Materials, allowing teachers to send updates direct to the app and students the ability to jot down important highlights. Wondering about integration? A simple tap on these pushed assignments will transport students direct to iBooks, where their specific coursework lies in wait and, once completed, can be crossed off on the provided task list.
The app can even be used for course registration, eliminating the frenzied rush typically associated with such events. It's all available to download on the App Store right now at no cost in 123 countries. So, if you're on Apple's participating list of schools and you're rocking an iPad, go ahead and get to virtually cracking those books.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? In a ripped-from-the-headlines story, the new movie "Miss Bala," which opens in limited U.S. release on Friday, tells the harrowing tale of a small-town Mexican beauty named Laura who inadvertently becomes involved with a violent drug lord.
Directed and co-written by Gerardo Naranjo and executive produced by Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal of "Y Tu Mama Tambien" fame, the film takes a cold, hard look at Mexico's devastating drug war and its effect on the country and people.
Naranjo and Luna talked to Reuters about making the film and its message.
Q: Is it true that this film was inspired by a newspaper story you read?
Naranjo: "Yes, I saw this story about drugs and weapons smuggling and this beautiful young woman who was accused of working for a drug cartel. And then we started researching about how you can smuggle guns from the U.S. to Mexico so easily. No one will search your car coming that way."
Luna: "And when we shot the scene where Laura drives across the border with all this money hidden under her dress, we had a camera and shot with no permits or anything, and nobody stopped her. That tells you everything. You don't even have to hide the weapons in the trunk. When you cross into Mexico, it's no problem."
Naranjo: "Going the other way, into the U.S., you just have to pay more money, but it's still possible. Otherwise, how do all these drugs get across the border?"
Q: This was Stephanie Sigman's (Laura) first starring role. Were you nervous about casting a newcomer in the lead role?
Naranjo: "No, as I felt she had this inner strength that was right for the role. She has a lot of dignity, even when she's abused. Some people have told me she's too passive -- why doesn't she just grab a gun and shoot them? But that's just ridiculous. I think movies have mis-educated us about violence. We think we can fight back against gangs and criminals in these situations, but you can't. It's not realistic, and I wanted to make a realistic film about a real problem.
Q: That begs the question, what sort of film did you set out to make? Simply a crime thriller, or was there something more? As you say, it's a real problem.
Naranjo: "At the start I wanted to show it all -- the terrible violence, the beheadings, the dismemberments, all the inhumanity (of the drug wars). But then I realized that was just too much. If I'd shown you all the dead bodies and all the drugs, it'd be just like any other movie."
Luna: "So we never show you any actual drugs. But you understand what's going on, and Gerardo gives you enough information for you to create a whole world in your head and live through the struggles Laura goes through."
Q: Were you worried that a film dealing with such serious issues could easily end up being preachy?
Naranjo: "Of course, and I didn't want that, so that's why I cut down the dialogue to a minimum. When a robber's robbing a bank, he's not explaining what he's doing. He just does it. So we didn't want to over-explain things. We just wanted to show the problems and the criminal activity without being tempted to draw conclusions about it. I don't know the answers, and we didn't want to say, these guys are the guilty ones, or the government is guilty. But I do know certain things, like if you're caught in a shoot-out, you're very afraid, and ordinary civilians are having their lives destroyed by these drug wars. In the last five years, it's escalated and now the violence is everywhere."
Q: Can you see any solution to the current situation?
Naranjo: "No, because it's a buyer's market for the drugs. If they make the border wall eight times bigger, they'll still get the drugs in by planes or tunnels or by boat. You'll never stop it while there's the demand."
Luna: "And there's so much talk about corruption in Mexico, but it's also huge here in the States -- just on different levels. And the drug business is so huge now and so easy. It gives you all the economic chances your country doesn't give you."
Naranjo: "The big difference is we have very well-known criminals in Mexico, but once the drugs cross the border, it seems like they distribute themselves magically. They're no famous drug dealers in the U.S."
(Reporting by Iain Blair, Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
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Public release date: 28-Jan-2012
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