Samsung Electronics has released its Q1 2013 numbers and as it predicted a few weeks ago, business continues to boom. Operating profits are 8.78 trillion won as predicted, while net profit is up to 7.15 trillion won ($6.4 billion), up sharply from the same quarter last year when its net profit was 5.50 trillion won. Last year at this time we were still anticipating details on the Galaxy S III, but this time around Samsung is on the eve of its worldwide launch for the Galaxy S 4, which should push sales even higher. According to the documents, it's maintained a "steady pace" for Galaxy S III sales, while Note II sales increased and the Tab2 series increased momentum. The news isn't as good for PCs, shipments decreased due to weak demand. earnings in its TV business were also down from last quarter, blamed on the same lower overall market demand noted by LG in its earnings. We're listening in on the earnings call now, we'll have more information on just how it made all that cash (hint: lots of Galaxy phones) in a moment.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - AT&T Inc reported a net loss of cellphone subscribers in the first quarter as it lost market share to bigger rival Verizon Wireless, sending its shares down about 2 percent.
As a result AT&T's revenue missed Wall Street expectations as its subscriber growth was driven by tablet computer users who pay lower monthly fees than phone users.
Since most U.S. consumers already have smartphones, the No. 2 U.S. mobile service provider and its rivals are rushing to put wireless connections in everything from tablet computers and consumer electronics to medical devices and home security systems.
But while customers with devices like tablets are less costly to attract than smartphone users, which require hefty subsidies, tablet customers bring in less revenue, raising analyst concerns about AT&T's prospects for top-line growth.
"It's going to take so many connected devices to make up for losing a phone subscriber," said Nomura analyst Michael McCormack, adding that slowing phone customer growth is also a concern for smaller rivals such as Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA, a unit of Deutsche Telekom.
AT&T maintained its target for 2013 overall revenue growth of 2 percent and said it still expects net additions of phone customers for the full year due to a boost in sales in launch quarters for popular phones like Apple Inc's iPhone.
But Susan Johnson, senior vice president for investor relations, said other devices would be increasingly important.
"It's not just about smartphones any more," Johnson told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday after the company's quarterly conference call during which analysts peppered executives with questions about the net loss of phone customers.
AT&T said it added 296,000 subscribers in the quarter, ahead of Wall Street expectations for just over 195,000, according to six analysts contacted by Reuters. But this included a net addition of 365,000 subscribers using tablet computers, implying a net loss of 69,000 higher-value phone subscribers.
In comparison its bigger rival Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc, said last week that it added 677,000 subscribers in the first quarter.
Sprint, the No.3 U.S. mobile service provider, is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings on Wednesday.
Nomura's McCormack said AT&T's 0.9 percent growth in average monthly revenue per user (ARPU) missed his expectation for 1.9 percent growth.
"The concern's going to be how we should be thinking about ARPU going forward," the analyst said.
AT&T's revenue fell to $31.36 billion from $31.82 billion in the year-ago quarter, before the company sold its telephone directory business. Analysts, on average, had expected revenue of $31.74 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
While AT&T's wireless profitability was better than analysts expected, McCormack said that a 29.5 percent profit margin for its wireline business missed his expectation for 30.4 percent.
AT&T Chief Financial Officer John Stephens told analysts on the conference call that the wireline business was hurt by weak demand from business and customers who are slowing spending due to concerns about the economy.
"The economy continues to be the issue," Stephens said.
AT&T's overall profit rose to $3.7 billion, or 67 cents per share, from $3.58 billion, or 60 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.
It reported a wireless service margin of 43.2 percent based on earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, up from 42.3 percent in the year-ago quarter and beating the six analysts' expectations for 42.3 percent.
On the plus side AT&T cut its capital spending target for 2014 and 2015 to $20 billion each year from its previous expectation for $22 billion as a network upgrade it is working on will cost less than it had previously expected.
The company kept its capital spending budget for 2013 in the $21 billion range.
It ended the quarter with 8.7 million U-verse high-speed Internet and television subscribers. It added 731,000 U-verse Internet subscribers, which was a record for the company, and 232,000 U-verse TV subscribers - its strongest growth rate in nine quarters.
AT&T shares fell about 2 percent to $38.24 in after-hours trade from their $39 close in the regular New York Stock Exchange session.
(Reporting by Sinead Carew; Editing by Jim Marshall, Tim Dobbyn and Phil Berlowitz)
A California assemblyman has an ambitious plan to found a fourth system of higher education in California. The New University of California is proposed in addition to the existing University of California, California State University, and California Community College systems. This New University would not actually offer classes but instead, would award degrees based on one's abilities in a skill or subject.
Details of the Bill
Bill AB 1306 was proposed by Republican Assemblyman Scott Wilk from Santa Clarita, who wants to make college more accessible to Californians. The goal of the proposed university would be to allow students to gain the required knowledge via online courses or any other source before taking a university-administered exam. Upon passing, the student would receive credit for the course, and with enough credit, the appropriate degree could be conferred. "This bill would allow students to use whatever approach works best for them to obtain the knowledge needed to receive a college education, whether that is online courses, paid courses, or self-directed study," said a statement from Wilk's office.
Possible Effect on Education Costs
The cost of education under this proposed plan would be greatly lowered, as students would only be required to pay an examination fee, as well as a few minimal administration fees in order to receive credit and a degree. The costs of public education have risen in California, with UC in-state tuition topping $13,000 per year, CSU tuition at $7,000, and even California Community College tuition above $1,000 per year for the first time in history. The New University of California system could significantly lower the cost of obtaining a college degree.
The New University of California would be organized in a manner similar to the University of California, with a board of 11 trustees and a chancellor. Exam development would likely be contracted to other organizations and would hopefully follow other pre-established exam criteria. The bill was introduced in February and will go before the Committee on High Education for hearings on April 23.
Ignoring Bigger Problems in Education?
Although no definitive statements have been made by lawmakers or prominent educators, several students at the University of California have expressed their trepidation over the creation of such a university system. ASUC Senator and CalSERVE external affairs vice presidential candidate Nolan Pack told The Daily Californian, "I think the problem is that, while there may be arguments saying that it is cheaper, it circumvents the problem that we are not currently funding our higher education system to where it should be."
While it would provide cheap education, the New University potentially circumvents the problems the current California education system is having. Underfunding and misappropriation of funds are just some of the many issues plaguing the various higher education systems in the state.
Mostly known for its extravagant speaker systems, KEF is finally taking a whack at ear gear. Today, the company announced two new types of HiFi headphones, known as the M Series, which include a pair of on-ear cups (M500) and a set of in-ear buds (M200). Priced at $300, the M500 sports a full aluminum frame and sweat resistant padding, along with a 10mm driver for lows and a 5.5mm driver for mids and highs in each earcup. If enclosed head gear isn't your thing, the $200 M200 offers an aluminum housing and a pair of silicone ear tips with an adjustable arm for improved comfort. Like their pricer sibling, these earphones also feature a dual-driver system. While we've yet to spend time with the M500 or M200, their press pictures and specs aren't too shabby. Call it a hunch, but we doubt they'll need any celebrity endorsements. For more info on KEF's new headphone line, hit the presser after the break.
One child's playground snack can cause anaphylaxis in another.
Photo by Joe Raedle/Newsmakers/Getty Images
Spring came to St. Louis a little later this year than it usually does, and the playgrounds where I go with my children are finally overrun with joyful kids. They?re also overrun with food. Other parents may not notice that fact, but I do: My 2-year-old daughter, Claire, is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and dairy, and many common playground snacks would be dangerous to her if she ate them.
I don?t think it?s an overstatement to say that allergic families live in a parallel universe in which what is harmless to everyone else requires extreme vigilance from us. In the months after Claire?s diagnosis, my relationship to food changed so much that I felt as if I had woken up one day, still living in the same country I'd always lived in, but that I could no longer speak the language. Around other families?at a picnic for my husband?s colleagues and their families, for example?when I watched other children handle food, I felt like they were holding tiny snakes. Maybe the snakes were poisonous and maybe they weren?t; maybe they?d escape, and maybe they wouldn?t. But this is the comparison that?s ultimately stayed with me: Being the parent of a child with food allergies is like someone suddenly telling you the colors orange and gray are harmful to your child. I can guarantee that you'd soon realize orange and gray are everywhere.
On a recent afternoon trip to the playground, I noticed the Goldfish crackers first. They were sprinkled, some already crushed to a powder, between a climbing toy and the swing set?presumably a snack that some kid had spilled. When we got home, my husband told me he?d also seen an almond by one of the slides. The next weekend, at a different playground, two open containers of melting milkshakes sat on the miniature metal picnic table, and leftover Easter candy dotted the mulch. After my 4-year-old daughter, who doesn?t have allergies, kept trying to surreptitiously pocket little chocolates, I finally picked them up with a tissue?I didn?t know if they contained nuts?and threw them away myself.
One of the first things that I realized after Claire?s allergies were diagnosed, shortly before her first birthday, was that I had to accept the fact that the world is full of people who just ate a peanut-butter sandwich and didn?t wash their hands. There?s a lot I can?t control. But I am hopeful that if parents of nonallergic kids had a better understanding of how scary their children?s ostensibly harmless snacks are, they might act differently.
So here is my plea: If your child snacks at the playground, please don?t let her run around while she?s eating. Please don?t leave the food unattended and accessible to other kids. If your child spills, help her clean it up. And after she?s finished, please use wipes to wash her hands, not antibacterial gel; hand sanitizer doesn?t kill the proteins in most foods that cause allergic reactions, and tiny amounts of such proteins can literally be lethal.
How much of a threat does, say, a little boy munching yogurt-covered pretzels really pose to Claire? The biggest risk, of course, is that she?ll get hold of one and eat it, which would likely cause her to break out in hives; my great fear, the great fear of any parent of an allergic child, is that it would result in fatal anaphylaxis. (Among the many confusing aspects of food allergies is that previous reactions aren?t necessarily predictors of subsequent reactions in terms of severity.) Claire also has a contact reaction to dairy, meaning that her skin breaks out in a rash in the places where dairy has touched it without her having ingested any. If I thought the chances of any of these reactions occurring were truly high, I wouldn?t take Claire to playgrounds in the first place. But still, whenever allergenic food is present, it?s nerve-wracking.
The eight most common allergens, accounting for as many as 90 percent of all allergies, are peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish. As every parent of an allergic child knows, these ingredients hide in surprising places?there can be milk in potato chips, say, and manufacturers often make dried fruit on the same equipment with nuts?and I don?t think it?s realistic to expect people to pore over ingredient labels if they don?t need to. That?s why my preference would be for kids to avoid eating food at playgrounds altogether, but I understand this possibility is probably about as likely as my laundry washing itself or me having a moms? night out with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. If you do bring snacks, something like fresh fruit is statistically less likely to cause problems than donuts or cheese sticks?though of course statistics aren?t much comfort to the dad of a kid who?s allergic to strawberries. ?
If I seem here like a particular kind of parent?a fussy, hovering, self-righteous priss?let me say this: I kind of am. But the fact that we live in the Age of the Irritating Parent shouldn?t be conflated with the rise of allergies. According to the advocacy organization Food Allergy Research and Education, 1 in 13 American children under age 18 now has a food allergy, as does 1 in 10 preschoolers. The food-allergy rate in the U.S. rose 18 percent between 1997 and 2007. It?s true that I happen to be a neurotic mom. It?s also true, as demonstrated by skin tests, blood tests, food challenges in the doctor?s office, and accidental exposures, that my daughter has a serious medical condition.
So the fact that I wish parents wouldn?t let their newly walking toddler stagger around the sandbox with that sloshing sippy cup of milk or their 7-year-old practice his throw with Ritz Bits?I promise it?s not that I?m trying to tell them how to raise their kids. They probably just want to keep them fed to prevent a meltdown, which I sympathize with. (For the same reason, we bring fruit squeezers for the ride home.) And I wouldn?t presume to instruct parents what to do at their own house. You do not need to bake and serve a vegan cake at a birthday party. (Claire brings her own cupcake.) I realize all bets are off at a restaurant, which is why our family doesn?t go to them. But in the communal space of a playground, food isn?t the main attraction.
Many times since I became a mother, I?ve been struck by the effortless bonding among parents. On an airplane when Claire was about 7 months old, she had a disgustingly messy diaper on a bumpy flight during which passengers weren?t supposed to get up from their seats. The woman next to me, rather than holding her nose and glaring, offered to hold Claire?s head and torso while I changed her. As it happens, the woman didn?t speak fluent English, but she managed to convey that she, too, had a daughter.
It is this spirit of generosity and compassion that I hope to appeal to in persuading parents to handle food at playgrounds more carefully.? Obviously, the circumstances of our lives vary widely, but all of us with children are trying in our own best way to look out for them. The next time you bring food to the playground, please think about what you would hope other people would do if your child was in Claire?s situation.
Update, 3:52 p.m.: This article's headline was changed from "Please Don't Bring Snacks to the Playground" to more accurately reflect its overall argument.
CINCINNATI ? Dale Sveum didn?t take much heat for last year?s 101-loss season, but another bad start has him wondering about his future.
The Cubs manager carries himself likes he?s done this job forever, and his fingerprints are all over the organization. But a sloppy 5-13 start has tested everyone?s patience, and it?s not so much the record as the way his team has been losing.
?I?d be lying if you didn?t think about yourself through some of this stuff, too,? Sveum said Monday. ?That?s stuff you don?t have control over. I got control over my job and the coaching staff to prepare everybody every day. ? That?s all I can do.?
[BOX SCORE: Cubs fall to Reds in extras]?
Sveum then had to watch from the dugout at Great American Ball Park as his team went 13 innings before absorbing a 5-4 walk-off loss to the Cincinnati Reds, with ex-Cub Cesar Izturis lining a two-out single into left field off Michael Bowden.
The rollercoaster lasted four hours and 35 minutes and went like this: The Cubs wasted another good start by Travis Wood, two gutsy innings from Carlos Marmol, a bases-loaded chance in the 11th and Luis Valbuena?s go-ahead, two-run homer in the 13th.
To be clear, Sveum is not the scapegoat here. Ownership has instituted an austerity program at the big-league level, turning the Cubs into a mid-market team waiting for the Wrigley Field renovation and a new television contract after the 2014 season.
The baseball operations department is focused on the June draft and developing a critical mass of prospects. But as the manager likes to say: This is a performance-based business.
[MORE: The entertainer - Brandon Phillips says whatever's on his mind]?
The Cubs could have gone with a more experienced high-profile manager, but the front office wanted a teacher who would oversee this rebuilding project and grow with the organization.
Sveum was asked if he feels the support from president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer.
?Oh yeah, no doubt,? Sveum said.
Epstein and Hoyer structured Sveum?s contract ? a three-year deal that contains a club option for 2015 ? with the understanding that the Cubs were building for the future and he wouldn?t be judged on wins and losses right away.
During the offseason, Hoyer put it this way: ?The 101 losses ? it?s on Theo and it?s on me. That?s not on Dale.?
Sveum?s initial job description became establishing ?The Cubs Way,? stressing fundamentals and creating a professional culture where young players could develop. From April through September last year, the team played hard and maintained a drama-free clubhouse. The players also took advantage of the video/advance scouting systems pushed by his staff.
But the Cubs have committed 17 errors through 18 games this season, leading to 14 unearned runs and more questions about the organization?s overall direction.
?Nobody?s exempt,? Sveum said.
Sveum?s frustration could be sensed during Sunday?s pregame media session in Milwaukee, where he repeatedly wouldn?t rule out the idea of sending core players Anthony Rizzo and/or Starlin Castro to Triple-A Iowa.
?Well, you guys asked me if (they) couldn?t get sent down. I just said nobody was exempt (from) it,? Sveum said. ?They?re not the only ones. You guys were pushing them towards that question.?
The Cubs didn?t give in on Monday night and hung with a team that has World Series ambitions. Sveum doesn?t hide out in his office. He walks through the clubhouse and connects with players. So far, 15 of their 18 games have been decided by three runs or less.
?It?s easy to be down, but also hard to be down,? Wood said. ?It?s not like we?re getting blown out every game. We?re right there every game. We just got to come together as a team and figure out how to pull them out.
?You just got to hang in there and ride it out. Tides will turn.?
In the fall of 2011, the Cubs said they wanted to hire the next Terry Francona, who guided the Boston Red Sox to two World Series titles and kept in contact with Epstein throughout the search process.
The front office believes Sveum will be there when the Cubs are contenders again. His influence has only grown stronger, from making staffing decisions to watching video of potential draft picks to recruiting free agents. Win or lose, this team will be shaped in his image.?
?I?m not pointing fingers at (Rizzo and Castro) or anything,? Sveum said. ?I?m just (saying): Hey, we?re all (accountable for) this. I?m (not) exempt (from) being fired, so is my coaching staff. We all are in this together as a team. And as coaches, managers, we try and get people better in any manner we can.??
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) ? A federal official says the man charged with sending poison letters to President Barack Obama, a U.S. senator and a Mississippi judge has been released from jail.
Jeff Woodfin, chief deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service in Oxford, Miss., says Paul Kevin Curtis has been released from custody.
Woodfin says he doesn't know if there were any conditions on the release.
The development comes hours after officials canceled a detention and preliminary hearing on Tuesday.
Curtis was arrested Wednesday at his house in Corinth, Miss., and charged with sending ricin-laced letters to Obama, Sen. Roger Wicker and a Lee County, Miss., judge.
Through an attorney, the 45-year-old Curtis has said he is innocent.
Obviously the city of Boston has had a pretty rough and weird month. But the city?s never been one to sit back and take all the horrible things life has to offer without fighting back and carrying on. Boston is tough and so is the Independent Film Festival of Boston, which kicks off Wednesday, April 24 as planned. The fest, which runs through Tuesday, April 30, will take place all over Boston and features over 1300 film screenings, 105 films, filmmaker Q&A sessions, panel discussions, visiting filmmakers, parties and events. Not to mention the IFFBoston has been recognized as the premiere film festival of Boston.
I should be there throughout the festival and there are many films I?m excited to see. As you may have heard via the Film Threat Podcast, I?ve never attended IFFBoston but have long respected the hard-working people who run the fest, as well as their smart move of cherry picking the best films from the festival circuit and adding in some nice premieres as well. The festival should be a great chance to see some films I?ve heard great things about as well as meet filmmakers and fellow movie geeks who want to have a good time in one of America?s most awesome cities. Yeah, I?ve always wanted to go and I?m excited to finally get a chance.
Every year there are films at festivals that I really want to see and always manage to miss. For instance, on this year?s festival circuit, I?ve missed the heavily lauded films ?Sightseers,? ?The Spectacular Now,? Touchy Feely,? ?Frances Ha? and ?Computer Chess,? and they?re all playing at IFFBoston. Films I saw this year and liked such as ?The East,? ?Prince Avalanche? and ?V/H/S/ 2? are also programmed, and I can vouch that all three are worth checking out. I think the film I?m most excited to see is Bobcat Goldthwait?s found-footage Bigfoot movie ?Willow Creek.? Yeah, Bobcat Goldthwait made a found-footage Bigfoot movie. Need I say more?
I?ll include the full list of films (shorts, features and docs!) and panels below and if you see me at the fest, be sure to say hello!
Narrative Features
BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO directed by Peter Strickland COMPUTER CHESS directed by Andrew Bujalski CONCUSSION directed by Stacie Passon CRYSTAL FAIRY directed by Sebastian Silva THE DIRTIES directed by Matt Johnson THE EAST directed by Zal Batmanglij EXIT ELENA directed by Nathan Silver FRANCES HA directed by Noah Bumbauch A HIJACKING directed by Tobias Lindholm HOUSTON directed by Bastian Gunther THE HUNT directed by Thomas Vinterberg THE ICEMAN directed by Ariel Vromen IN A WORLD? directed by Lake Bell THE LAND OF EB directed by Andrew Williamson THE LAST DAY OF AUGUST directed by Craig DiFolco LAURENCE ANYWAYS directed by Xavier Dolan LONELY BOY directed by Dale Fabrigar MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING directed by Joss Whedon PRINCE AVALANCHE directed by David Gordon Green SIGHTSEERS directed by Ben Wheatley SOFT IN THE HEAD directed by Nathan Silver SOME GIRL(S) directed by Daisy Von Scherler Mayer THE SPECTACULAR NOW directed by James Ponsoldt THIS IS MARTIN BONNER directed by Chad Hartigan TOUCHY FEELY directed by Lynn Shelton V/H/S 2 directed by Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard, Eduardo Sanchez, Gregg Hale, Timo Tjahjanto, Gareth Huw Evans, and Jason Eisener WASTELAND directed by Rowan Athale WILLOW CREEK directed by Bobcat Goldthwait
Documentary Features
12 O?CLOCK BOYS directed by Lotfy Nathan THE ACT OF KILLING directed by Joshua Oppenheimer THE BEAUTIFUL GAME directed by Victor Buhler BEFORE YOU KNOW IT? directed by PJ Raval BEST KEPT SECRET directed by Samantha Buck BLACKFISH directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite BLOOD BROTHER directed by Steve Hoover CASTING BY directed by Tom Donahue THE DEFECTOR: ESCAPE FROM NORTH KOREA directed by Ann Shin DIRTY WARS directed by Richard Rowley DOWNLOADED directed by Alex Winter THE ELDERS directed by Nathaniel Hansen THE FINAL MEMBER directed by Jonah Bekhor & Zach Math FUTURE MY LOVE directed by Maja Borg THE GARDEN OF EDEN directed by Ran Tal THE GENIUS OF MARIAN directed by Banker White & Anna Fitch GIDEON?S ARMY directed by Dawn Porter GOLD FEVER directed by JT Haines, Tommy Haines, & Andrew Sherburne GOOD ?OL FREDA directed by Ryan White & Jessica Lawson GORE VIDAL: THE UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA directed by Nicholas Wrathall HERE ONE DAY directed by Kathy Leichter MUSCLE SHOALS directed by Greg Camalier NARCO CULTURA directed by Shaul Schwarz NIGHT LABOR directed by David Redmon OUR NIXON directed by Penny Lane OXYANA directed by Sean Dunne PERSISTENCE OF VISION directed by Kevin Schreck THE PLEASURES OF BEING OUT OF STEP directed by David Lewis THE PUNK SINGER directed by Sini Anderson REMOTE AREA MEDICAL directed by Farihah Zaman & Jeff Reichert REWIND THIS! directed by Josh Johnson SECUNDARIA directed by Mary Jane Doherty STORIES WE TELL directed by Sarah Polley SUITCASE OF LOVE AND SHAME directed by Jane Gillooly TINY: A STORY ABOUT LIVING SMALL directed by Merete Mueller & Christopher Smith TOKYO WAKA: A CITY POEM directed by John Haptas & Kristine Samuelson TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM directed by Morgan Neville
Short Films
AFTER YOU directed by Damien O?Connor THE ATTENDANT directed by Ian Beattie BEN: IN THE MIND?S EYE directed by Iva Radivojevic BETTER PEOPLE directed by Mark O?Brien THE BIRDMAN directed by Jessie Auritt BLACK METAL directed by Kat Candler DEAR VALUED GUESTS directed by Jarred Alterman DIE LIKE AN EGYPTIAN directed by Matt Mamula THE END OF THE COUNTER directed by Laura McGann FERAL directed by Dan Sousa THE GAMBLING MAN directed by Aron Gaudet GOLD PARTY directed by Nellie Kluz HOME directed by Aoife Kelleher INSTALL: LIGHT, SOUND, & CRAIG COLORUSSO directed by Kevin Belli IRISH FOLK FURNITURE directed by Tony Donoghue JESUS FISH directed by Bryce James McGuire THE LAST ICE MERCHANT directed by Sandy Patch MAGNESIUM directed by Sam De Jong MARCEL, KING OF TERVUREN directed by Tom Schroeder OH WILLY? directed by Marc James Roels & Emma De Swaef PARADISE directed by Nadav Kurtz POUTERS directed by Paul Fegan THE PROFESSOR directed by Alison Maclean THE RANCHER directed by Kelly Lynn Sears REBORNING directed by Helen Hood Scheer & Yael Bridge REINDEER directed by Eva Weber SEE THE DIRT directed by Chelsea Hernandez & Erik Mauck SKIN directed by Jordana Spiro SLOMO directed by Josh Izenberg SOCIAL BUTTERLFY directed by Lauren Wolkenstein A STORY OF THE MODLINS directed by Sergio Oksman TRACK BY TRACK directed by Anna Moot-Levin TWO HEARTS directed by Darren Thornton TWO WHEELS, GOOD directed by Barry Gene Murphy VLADMIR PUTIN IN DEEP CONCENTRATION directed by Dana O?Keefe & Sasha Kliment WE WILL LIVE AGAIN directed by Josh Koury & Myles Kane WHEN THE ZOMBIES COME directed by Jon Hurst WORLD FAIR directed by Amanda Murray
Panels include Meet The Insiders: Film Distribution featuring David Laub of Oscilloscope Laboratories, Matt Grady of Factory 25, and Jonthan Marlow of Fandor; The Art of Documentary Editing: Case Studies featuring Francisco Bello (OUR NIXON and BEST KEPT SECRET) and Pola Rapaport (HERE ONE DAY); and The Art & Politics of End Credits featuring Matthew Miller (THE DIRTIES), Tom Donahue (CASTING BY) and Danielle DiGiacomo (BEST KEPT SECRET).
Additional information about the festival is available at http://www.iffboston.org.
Posted on April 23, 2013 in Festivals by Don R. Lewis
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Moms more likely than other employees to leave male-dominated jobs with long hoursPublic release date: 23-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Tracy James traljame@iu.edu 812-855-0084 Indiana University
As demands for long work hours continue to increase, an Indiana University study found that mothers are more likely than other employees to leave jobs in male-dominated fields. This trend was not seen in balanced or female-dominated occupations.
"Mothers were 52 percent more likely than other women to leave their jobs if they were working a 50-hour week or more, but only in occupations dominated by men," said Youngjoo Cha, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at IU Bloomington. "Many of these are lucrative fields, such as law, medicine, finance and engineering."
Her findings, published in the journal Gender & Society, reveal how overwork contributes to occupational segregation and stalled efforts to narrow the gender gap in white-collar workplaces. Many of the mothers who leave these jobs exit the job market entirely because of the lack of suitable part-time positions in these fields.
The study analyzed data collected from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, a national longitudinal household survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It included 382 occupations, 173 of which were considered male-dominated, where men made up 70 percent or more of the workforce.
Cha said workplaces dominated by men tend to operate on outdated assumptions about "separate spheres" marriage -- families with a homemaking woman and a breadwinning man. Yet today, both partners are employed in nearly 80 percent of American couples.
Here are more findings from "Overwork and the Persistence of Gender Segregation in Occupations," which is available online at http://gas.sagepub.com/content/27/2/158.full?keytype=ref&siteid=spgas&ijkey=an5gkkROnpdx2:
In male-dominated occupations, overwork was more likely than in balanced fields or female-dominated fields.
Mothers in male-dominated occupations were more discouraged despite the fact that the women who survived in those more masculine fields may on average be more committed to work than overworking women in other jobs.
Higher education levels make it more likely that women stay in their jobs, but not enough to overcome the discouraging effect of being an overworking mother.
Meanwhile, men (whether fathers or not) and women without children were not more likely to leave their jobs in overworking fields.
When mothers left their jobs, some moved to less male-dominated professions; others entirely left the labor force.
Cha advocates labor policies that can reduce work-family conflicts and benefit women, men, families and firms. In her article, she recommends promoting workplace policies that minimize the expectation for overwork, such as setting the maximum allowable work hours, prohibiting compulsory overtime, expanding the coverage of the Fair Labor Standards Act's overtime provisions, and granting employees the right to work part-time hours without losing benefits.
More than one-third of men and nearly one-fifth of women in professions work more than 50 hours a week. While men and women have adjusted their ability to share domestic caregiving in recent years, these more extreme situations of overwork demonstrate the limits of the flexibility that men and women often aim for but can't always achieve.
Cha has found in her earlier research that when husbands overwork, it limits their contributions to home responsibilities and restricts the wife's time for work outside the home. When the wife overworks, according to her research, it rarely affects the husband's work.
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To speak with Cha, contact Tracy James at 812-855-0084 or traljame@iu.edu. The Department of Sociology resides in the College of Arts and Sciences. The Gender & Society news release about this study includes additional resources and contact information for other experts on workplace and gender issues.
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Moms more likely than other employees to leave male-dominated jobs with long hoursPublic release date: 23-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Tracy James traljame@iu.edu 812-855-0084 Indiana University
As demands for long work hours continue to increase, an Indiana University study found that mothers are more likely than other employees to leave jobs in male-dominated fields. This trend was not seen in balanced or female-dominated occupations.
"Mothers were 52 percent more likely than other women to leave their jobs if they were working a 50-hour week or more, but only in occupations dominated by men," said Youngjoo Cha, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at IU Bloomington. "Many of these are lucrative fields, such as law, medicine, finance and engineering."
Her findings, published in the journal Gender & Society, reveal how overwork contributes to occupational segregation and stalled efforts to narrow the gender gap in white-collar workplaces. Many of the mothers who leave these jobs exit the job market entirely because of the lack of suitable part-time positions in these fields.
The study analyzed data collected from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, a national longitudinal household survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It included 382 occupations, 173 of which were considered male-dominated, where men made up 70 percent or more of the workforce.
Cha said workplaces dominated by men tend to operate on outdated assumptions about "separate spheres" marriage -- families with a homemaking woman and a breadwinning man. Yet today, both partners are employed in nearly 80 percent of American couples.
Here are more findings from "Overwork and the Persistence of Gender Segregation in Occupations," which is available online at http://gas.sagepub.com/content/27/2/158.full?keytype=ref&siteid=spgas&ijkey=an5gkkROnpdx2:
In male-dominated occupations, overwork was more likely than in balanced fields or female-dominated fields.
Mothers in male-dominated occupations were more discouraged despite the fact that the women who survived in those more masculine fields may on average be more committed to work than overworking women in other jobs.
Higher education levels make it more likely that women stay in their jobs, but not enough to overcome the discouraging effect of being an overworking mother.
Meanwhile, men (whether fathers or not) and women without children were not more likely to leave their jobs in overworking fields.
When mothers left their jobs, some moved to less male-dominated professions; others entirely left the labor force.
Cha advocates labor policies that can reduce work-family conflicts and benefit women, men, families and firms. In her article, she recommends promoting workplace policies that minimize the expectation for overwork, such as setting the maximum allowable work hours, prohibiting compulsory overtime, expanding the coverage of the Fair Labor Standards Act's overtime provisions, and granting employees the right to work part-time hours without losing benefits.
More than one-third of men and nearly one-fifth of women in professions work more than 50 hours a week. While men and women have adjusted their ability to share domestic caregiving in recent years, these more extreme situations of overwork demonstrate the limits of the flexibility that men and women often aim for but can't always achieve.
Cha has found in her earlier research that when husbands overwork, it limits their contributions to home responsibilities and restricts the wife's time for work outside the home. When the wife overworks, according to her research, it rarely affects the husband's work.
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To speak with Cha, contact Tracy James at 812-855-0084 or traljame@iu.edu. The Department of Sociology resides in the College of Arts and Sciences. The Gender & Society news release about this study includes additional resources and contact information for other experts on workplace and gender issues.
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Last year, Olympus' release schedule danced around the E-P3: the camera maker launched the semi-pro OM-D E-M5 and refreshed its smaller PEN bodies, but didn't touch its original mirrorless form factor. We know the company won't be forgetting its roots this year, as its Chinese branch has posted a teaser for a next-generation, flagship PEN camera. There are no official details beyond superlatives about "classic" textures and "unprecedented control," but rumors suggest it will be called the E-P5 (E-P4 skipped due to superstitions) and might be joined by the mid-tier E-PL6. We won't have long to learn the full story when Olympus is showing off its new PEN in four Chinese cities between May 11th and June 1st -- in-person demos require more than just a silhouette, after all.
Apr. 24, 2013 ? In an advance toward coping with bacteria that shrug off existing antibiotics and sterilization methods, scientists are reporting development of a new family of selective antimicrobial agents that do not rely on traditional antibiotics. Their report on these synthetic colloid particles, which can be custom-designed to recognize the shape of specific kinds of bacteria and inactivate them, appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Vesselin Paunov and colleagues point out that many bacteria have developed resistance to existing antibiotics. They sought a new approach -- one that bacteria would be unable to elude by mutating into drug-resistant forms. Their inspiration was the antibodies that the immune system produces when microbes invade the body. Those antibodies patrol the body for microbes and bind to their surfaces, triggering a chain of events in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys the microbes.
Paunov's team describes development and successful tests of synthetic colloid particles, called "colloid antibodies." Colloids are materials in which tiny particles of one material are dispersed in another material. Milk is a colloid in which globules of fat are spread throughout water and other materials. The colloid antibody particles are shells packed with a killing agent. They are designed to recognize and bind to specific bacteria.
Laboratory experiments showed that the colloid antibodies attached to and inactivated only their intended targets without harming other cells. "We anticipate that similar shape selective colloid antibodies can potentially become a powerful weapon in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria," say the researchers. "They can also find applications as non-toxic antibacterial agents, preventing growth of harmful bacteria in various formulations."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Chemical Society.
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Journal Reference:
Josef Borovi?ka, William J. Metheringham, Leigh A. Madden, Christopher D. Walton, Simeon D. Stoyanov, Vesselin N. Paunov. Photothermal Colloid Antibodies for Shape-Selective Recognition and Killing of Microorganisms. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2013; 135 (14): 5282 DOI: 10.1021/ja400781f
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
NEW YORK (AP) ? The deadly Boston Marathon bombings and the massive manhunt for two suspects helped television news, with Fox News Channel leading all cable networks in prime-time ratings for the first week since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Fox averaged 2.87 million viewers in prime time last week, topping the USA network, which had 2.62 million viewers. CNN finished in third place, the Nielsen ratings company said. MSNBC was No. 19 for the week.
The story, which began with two bombs exploding near the marathon's finish line on April 15, also brought more people to the broadcast network evening newscasts. The ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts, totaled together, averaged 25.6 million viewers last week. The week before, the three newscasts had 22 million viewers.
The networks stretched their normally half-hour newscasts to an hour on April 15 and on Friday, when the second of the two suspects, holed up in a tarp-covered boat outside a suburban Boston home, was captured by police during prime time. The first suspect, his older brother, had died after a shootout with police about a day earlier.
Meanwhile, NBC's "The Voice" seems to be settling into a position of eclipsing television's longtime leader, Fox's "American Idol." Both episodes of "The Voice" had larger audiences than "American Idol" last week.
CBS won the week in prime time, averaging 8.3 million viewers (5.3 rating, 9 share). A ratings point represents 1,147,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 114.7 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.
ABC was second with a 6.6 million average (4.3, 7), Fox had 5.6 million (3.4, 6), NBC had 5.56 million (3.5, 6), the CW had 1.2 million (0.7, 1) and ION Television had 1.1 million (0.8, 1).
Among the Spanish-language networks, Univision led with 3.4 million viewers (1.8, 3). Telemundo had 1.6 million (0.8, 1), UniMas had 510,000 (0.3, 0), Estrella had 210,000 (0.1, 0) and Azteca had 90,000 (also 0.1, 0).
NBC's "Nightly News" topped the evening newscasts with an average of 9.8 million viewers (6.6, 13). ABC's "World News" was second with 8.5 million (5.8, 12), and the "CBS Evening News" had 7.3 million viewers (4.9, 9).
For the week of April 15-21, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: "The Voice" (Monday), NBC, 14.45 million; "The Voice" (Tuesday), NBC, 14.16 million; "Dancing With the Stars," ABC, 13.4 million; "Dancing With the Stars Results," ABC, 12.73 million; "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 12.71; "NCIS" (Tuesday, 9 p.m.), CBS, 12.61 million. "American Idol" (Thursday), Fox, 12.42 million; "60 Minutes," CBS, 11.91 million; "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 11.43 million; "The Big Bang Theory" (Thursday, 9 p.m.), CBS, 10.89 million.
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ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co. CBS is owned by CBS Corp. CW is a joint venture of Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corp. Fox is a unit of News Corp. NBC and Telemundo are owned by Comcast Corp. ION Television is owned by ION Media Networks. Azteca America is a wholly owned subsidiary of TV Azteca S.A. de C.V.
Doctors-in-training spend very little time at patient bedside, study findsPublic release date: 23-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Stephanie Desmon sdesmon1@jhmi.edu 410-955-8665 Johns Hopkins Medicine
Time with patients seems 'squeezed out' of training, investigator says
Medical interns spend just 12 percent of their time examining and talking with patients, and more than 40 percent of their time behind a computer, according to a new Johns Hopkins study that closely followed first-year residents at Baltimore's two large academic medical centers. Indeed, the study found, interns spent nearly as much time walking (7 percent) as they did caring for patients at the bedside.
Compared with similar time-tracking studies done before 2003, when hospitals were first required to limit the number of consecutive working hours for trainees, the researchers found that interns since then spend significantly less time in direct contact with patients. Changes to the 2003 rules limited interns to no more than 30 consecutive hours on duty, and further restrictions in 2011 allow them to work only 16 hours in a row.
"One of the most important learning opportunities in residency is direct interaction with patients," says Lauren Block, M.D., M.P.H., a clinical fellow in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and leader of the study published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. "Spending an average of eight minutes a day with each patient just doesn't seem like enough time to me."
"Most of us went into medicine because we love spending time with the patients. Our systems have squeezed this out of medical training," says Leonard Feldman, M.D., the study's senior author and a hospitalist at The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH).
For the study, trained observers followed 29 internal medicine interns doctors in their first year out of medical school at JHH and the University of Maryland Medical Center for three weeks during January 2012, for a total of 873 hours. The observers used an iPod Touch app to mark down what the interns were doing at every minute of their shifts. If they were multi-tasking, the observers were told to count the activity most closely related to direct patient care.
The researchers found that interns spent 12 percent of their time talking with and examining patients; 64 percent on indirect patient care, such as placing orders, researching patient history and filling out electronic paperwork; 15 percent on educational activities, such as medical rounds; and 9 percent on miscellaneous activities. The researchers acknowledge that it's unclear what proportion of time spent at the bedside is ideal, or whether the interns they studied in the first year of a three-year internal medicine training program make up the time lost with patients later in residency. But 12 percent, Feldman says, "seems shockingly low at face value. Interns spend almost four more times as long reviewing charts than directly engaging patients."
Studies in 1989 and 1993 found that interns still spent more time documenting than seeing patients, but they spent between 18 and 22 percent of their time at the bedside. In those studies, however, researchers found that a large chunk of time was spent sleeping at the hospital, something rarely seen today. Reduced intern work hours were designed to lessen trainee fatigue and improve patient safety.
Feldman says questions raised by his study aren't just about whether the patients are getting enough time with their doctors, but whether the time spent with patients is enough to give interns the experience they need to practice excellent medicine. With fewer hours spent in the hospital, protocols need to be put in place to ensure that vital parts of training aren't lost, the researchers say.
"As residency changes, we need to find ways to preserve the patient-doctor relationship," Block says. "Getting to know patients better can improve diagnoses and care and reduce medical errors."
The researchers say better electronic medical records may help reduce time spent combing through patient histories on the computer. Another improvement could be made by grouping an intern's patients together on the same hospital unit so the intern doesn't have to race from floor to floor to see patients, wasting time in transit.
Block says she would like to know how patients feel about how little time they see with interns, who generally are charged with overseeing many aspects of their care. Studies have shown that only 10 percent of hospitalized patients know who their resident doctors are.
"It's not an easy problem to solve," Feldman says. "All of us think that interns spend too much time behind the computer. Maybe that's time well spent because of all of the important information found there, but I think we can do better."
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The study was funded by the Osler Center for Clinical Excellence at Johns Hopkins and the Johns Hopkins Hospitalist Scholars Fund.
Other Johns Hopkins researchers involved in the study include Albert W. Wu, M.D., M.P.H.; Sanjay V. Desai, M.D.; Kevin Wang and Timothy Niessen, N.D., M.P.H. University of Maryland researchers Robert Habicht, M.D.; Kathryn Novello Silva, M.D.; and Nora Oliver, M.D. also contributed.
Media Contacts: Stephanie Desmon
410-955-8665; sdesmon1@jhmi.edu
Helen Jones; 410-502-9422; hjones49@jhmi.edu
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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.
Doctors-in-training spend very little time at patient bedside, study findsPublic release date: 23-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Stephanie Desmon sdesmon1@jhmi.edu 410-955-8665 Johns Hopkins Medicine
Time with patients seems 'squeezed out' of training, investigator says
Medical interns spend just 12 percent of their time examining and talking with patients, and more than 40 percent of their time behind a computer, according to a new Johns Hopkins study that closely followed first-year residents at Baltimore's two large academic medical centers. Indeed, the study found, interns spent nearly as much time walking (7 percent) as they did caring for patients at the bedside.
Compared with similar time-tracking studies done before 2003, when hospitals were first required to limit the number of consecutive working hours for trainees, the researchers found that interns since then spend significantly less time in direct contact with patients. Changes to the 2003 rules limited interns to no more than 30 consecutive hours on duty, and further restrictions in 2011 allow them to work only 16 hours in a row.
"One of the most important learning opportunities in residency is direct interaction with patients," says Lauren Block, M.D., M.P.H., a clinical fellow in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and leader of the study published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. "Spending an average of eight minutes a day with each patient just doesn't seem like enough time to me."
"Most of us went into medicine because we love spending time with the patients. Our systems have squeezed this out of medical training," says Leonard Feldman, M.D., the study's senior author and a hospitalist at The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH).
For the study, trained observers followed 29 internal medicine interns doctors in their first year out of medical school at JHH and the University of Maryland Medical Center for three weeks during January 2012, for a total of 873 hours. The observers used an iPod Touch app to mark down what the interns were doing at every minute of their shifts. If they were multi-tasking, the observers were told to count the activity most closely related to direct patient care.
The researchers found that interns spent 12 percent of their time talking with and examining patients; 64 percent on indirect patient care, such as placing orders, researching patient history and filling out electronic paperwork; 15 percent on educational activities, such as medical rounds; and 9 percent on miscellaneous activities. The researchers acknowledge that it's unclear what proportion of time spent at the bedside is ideal, or whether the interns they studied in the first year of a three-year internal medicine training program make up the time lost with patients later in residency. But 12 percent, Feldman says, "seems shockingly low at face value. Interns spend almost four more times as long reviewing charts than directly engaging patients."
Studies in 1989 and 1993 found that interns still spent more time documenting than seeing patients, but they spent between 18 and 22 percent of their time at the bedside. In those studies, however, researchers found that a large chunk of time was spent sleeping at the hospital, something rarely seen today. Reduced intern work hours were designed to lessen trainee fatigue and improve patient safety.
Feldman says questions raised by his study aren't just about whether the patients are getting enough time with their doctors, but whether the time spent with patients is enough to give interns the experience they need to practice excellent medicine. With fewer hours spent in the hospital, protocols need to be put in place to ensure that vital parts of training aren't lost, the researchers say.
"As residency changes, we need to find ways to preserve the patient-doctor relationship," Block says. "Getting to know patients better can improve diagnoses and care and reduce medical errors."
The researchers say better electronic medical records may help reduce time spent combing through patient histories on the computer. Another improvement could be made by grouping an intern's patients together on the same hospital unit so the intern doesn't have to race from floor to floor to see patients, wasting time in transit.
Block says she would like to know how patients feel about how little time they see with interns, who generally are charged with overseeing many aspects of their care. Studies have shown that only 10 percent of hospitalized patients know who their resident doctors are.
"It's not an easy problem to solve," Feldman says. "All of us think that interns spend too much time behind the computer. Maybe that's time well spent because of all of the important information found there, but I think we can do better."
###
The study was funded by the Osler Center for Clinical Excellence at Johns Hopkins and the Johns Hopkins Hospitalist Scholars Fund.
Other Johns Hopkins researchers involved in the study include Albert W. Wu, M.D., M.P.H.; Sanjay V. Desai, M.D.; Kevin Wang and Timothy Niessen, N.D., M.P.H. University of Maryland researchers Robert Habicht, M.D.; Kathryn Novello Silva, M.D.; and Nora Oliver, M.D. also contributed.
Media Contacts: Stephanie Desmon
410-955-8665; sdesmon1@jhmi.edu
Helen Jones; 410-502-9422; hjones49@jhmi.edu
[ | 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.
GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran's nuclear program poses the greatest threat to the credibility of the global pact aimed at halting the spread of atomic weapons, a senior U.S. arms control official said on Monday.
The Islamic Republic has a "long history" of deceiving the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its nuclear enrichment program far exceeds that needed for civilian use, said Thomas Countryman, Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation.
Two-week talks that opened in Geneva on Monday to review progress in implementing the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) were taking place in a difficult environment, he said.
North Korea, which is not attending the global talks having announced its withdrawal from the treaty a decade ago, presents a "dangerous challenge to regional peace", he said. North Korea conducted its third test of a nuclear weapon in February.
"The actions of Iran and North Korea should concern every member of this conference," Countryman told a news briefing.
"It is clear that if Iran succeeds in the project of constructing nuclear weapons, then it is not only the Helsinki meeting that becomes irrelevant, but it is in fact the entire credibility of this treaty."
Countryman was referring to a decision last November to put off talks on banning atomic bombs in the Middle East that were due to have taken place in Helsinki in December.
Iran blamed the United States at the time for a "serious setback" to the NPT.
"The possession of such weapons by Iran constitutes a threat to the entire region and an impetus for greater proliferation, lateral proliferation of weapons, than we have ever seen."
Iran's acquisition of a nuclear weapon would be a "genuine tipping point and would cause more damage to the treaty than anything else that has occurred in its history", he added.
Mohammad-Mehdi Akhondzadeh, Iran's deputy foreign minister, addressed the talks on Monday on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement of developing nations and reaffirmed the right of all nations to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
The U.N. nuclear agency, the IAEA, is talking with Iran to set a date for discussions on resuming an investigation there, it said on Monday.
The IAEA-Iran talks are separate from, but have an important bearing on, diplomatic negotiations between Tehran and six world powers aimed at a broad settlement to the decade-old dispute and reduce the risk of a new Middle East war.
"We remain committed to seeking a diplomatic solution with the Iranians for as long as that remains possible, but at the same time using the tools of diplomacy which include talking in order to show the Iranians that the world is united in its demand that they come back into compliance with their obligations," Countryman said.
The European Union, in its address to the NPT talks, voiced concern at "current non-proliferation challenges" in North Korea and Iran, as well as in Syria, specifically long-standing suspicions linked to Deir al-Zor and other sites.
The EU said it aimed to reach a comprehensive long-term settlement to restore international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program, ensuring Tehran's compliance with its obligations under the NPT as well as Security Council and IAEA resolutions.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; editing by Mike Collett-White)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Airline passengers will have to leave their knives at home after all. And their bats and golf clubs.
A policy change scheduled to go into effect this week that would have allowed passengers to carry small knives, bats, and other sports equipment onto airliners will be delayed, federal officials said Monday.
The delay is necessary to accommodate feedback from an advisory committee made up of aviation industry, consumer, and law enforcement officials, the Transportation Security Administration said in a brief statement. The statement said the delay is temporary, but gave no indication how long it might be.
TSA Administrator John Pistole proposed the policy change last month, saying it would free up the agency to concentrate on protecting against greater threats. TSA screeners confiscate about 2,000 small folding knives from passengers every day.
The proposal immediately drew fierce opposition from flight attendant unions and federal air marshals, who said the knives can be dangerous in the hands of the wrong passengers. Some airlines and members of Congress also urged TSA to reconsider its position.
The delay announced by TSA doesn't go far enough, a coalition of unions representing 90,000 flight attendants nationwide said Monday.
"All knives should be banned from planes permanently," the group said in a statement.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who opposed the policy, said TSA's decision is an admission "that permitting knives on planes is a bad idea." He also called for a permanent ban.
Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., another opponent, said he will continue to push TSA to drop the proposal entirely.
"People with radical ideas can use everyday objects to cause great harm," Markey said. "If there is an opportunity to decrease risks to Americans, we have a duty to protect our citizens and disallow knives from being taken onto planes."
The proposed policy would have permitted folding knives with blades that are 2.36 inches (6 centimeters) or less in length and are less than 1/2-inch (1-centimeter) wide. The policy was aimed at allowing passengers to carry pen knives, corkscrews with small blades and other small knives.
Passengers also would have been be allowed to bring onboard as part of their carry-on luggage novelty-sized baseball bats less than 24 inches long, toy plastic bats, billiard cues, ski poles, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks and two golf clubs, the agency said.
Security standards adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. agency, already call for passengers to be able to carry those items. Those standards are non-binding, but many countries follow them.
The proposal didn't affect box cutters, razor blades and knives that don't fold or that have molded grip handles, which are prohibited.
Passengers were prohibited from carrying the small knives onboard planes after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Some of the terrorists in those attacks used box cutters to intimidate passengers and airline crew members.
It's unlikely in these days of hardened cockpit doors and other preventative measures that the small folding knives could be used by terrorists to take over a plane, Pistole told Congress last month.
There has been a gradual easing of some of the security measures applied to passengers after the 9/11 attacks. In 2005, the TSA changed its policies to allow passengers to carry on airplanes small scissors, knitting needles, tweezers, nail clippers and up to four books of matches. The move came as the agency turned its focus toward keeping explosives off planes, because intelligence officials believed that was the greatest threat to commercial aviation.
And in September 2011, the TSA no longer required children 12 years old and under to remove their shoes at airport checkpoints. The agency recently issued new guidelines for travelers 75 and older so they can avoid removing shoes and light jackets when they go through airport security checkpoints.
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Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy
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Public release date: 23-Apr-2013
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