Marci and Me

A shift has taken place in the past few decades, though, one in which adoptees and parents have begun reframing the way we think about adoption. It's their own version of the civil rights battle, they say. Groups like Bastard Nation, an advocacy group for adoptee rights, have even tried to take back the slur against those born out of wedlock. ?Millions of North Americans are prohibited by law from accessing personal records that pertain to their historical, genetic and legal identities,? their mission statement reads. ?Such records are held by their governments in secret and without accountability, due solely to the fact that they were adopted.? Even worse, many adoptees' birth certificates, the legal document declaring their official existence, are effectively fraudulent, listing their adoptive parents as their birth parents. Until the 1970s and ?80s, adoption records were top secret, as a rule. Today 11 states have laws on the books giving every citizen access to his or her own birth documents. More states may follow. The suppression of birth-parent identity has become a lot harder with the flow of information online. No one has quantified the phenomenon, says Adam Pertman, author of Adoption Nation and executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, but ?the Internet is revolutionizing adoption in every way.? Social networking has made reunions exponentially more feasible. ?People who have wanted to find each other for a long time now have a process where what they wanted is far easier to achieve than ever,? he says, ?but we'll never have numbers because there is no reporting system.?

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=c776e85e190c375c772d68773c0d3183

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Calling all critters: Stand up and be counted (AP)

LONDON ? It's counting day at the London Zoo, and no one is exempt ? not even tarantulas.

Each year the London Zoo has to take a detailed census of every living thing in its care to comply with its license terms.

That means workers armed with clipboards and plenty of patience had to count every animal Wednesday.

It's not easy when there are more than 18,000 animals at the site, and every one has to be accounted for.

Zoo manager Mark Habben says the count is a challenging task because many of the animals are very fast moving and are adept at hiding in their enclosures.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120104/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_zoo_count

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Obama plan to boost teen employment could be an uphill battle

The national unemployment rate has fallen to 8.6 percent, but the level of teen joblessness has remained high.?So, on Thursday, President Obama encouraged the private sector to step up their hiring of young people.

Uncle Sam used to reach into his deep pockets to pay for programs to keep teens off the streets in the summer and instead get some work experience.

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But, with federal budget cutting the norm, those days are over.

So, on Thursday, the White House kicked off its efforts to encourage the private sector to step up their hiring of young people.

Called the ?Summer Jobs +? initiative, the White House urged corporations, nonprofits, and government to hire at least 250,000 teens this summer. So far the Obama administration says it has received commitments from such companies as AT&T, Bank of America, and CVS/Caremark to hire 180,000 youthful workers this summer. Included in that effort is hiring promised by such federal agencies at the Department of Agriculture, Department of Interior, and Department of Health and Human Services.

Even with those commitments, people involved in youth employment say jobs are likely to be tough to get this summer. States and cities continue to face budget challenges. Although companies are hiring, they are still skittish about the direction of the economy. And there is only so much federal agencies can do with Congress talking about the need for austerity.

?This summer is going to be a real challenge for young people who want a decent job or any job,? says Aaron Smith, executive director of Young Invincibles, a nonpartisan?nonprofit that tries to represent the views of people 18 to 34 years of age. ?I am glad we have some employers stepping up, but we will have millions of teens applying for these jobs and not enough positions.?

Even as the national unemployment rate has fallen to 8.6 percent, the level of teen joblessness has remained high. In November, teenage unemployment was 21.4 percent compared to 20.8 percent November, 2010. In August of 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for teens peaked at 24.9 percent.

Pent-up demand last summer was 3 million teens,?estimates Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston. And counting people in their early twenties, he says, increases the shortage to 5.5 million jobs.

?Every little bit helps but the magnitude of the problem is far greater,? says Mr. Sum who thinks getting private employers involved is a good idea since kids tend to get more training than if they work in the public sector. ?Quite frankly, the private sector is more demanding.?

Sum also says if a teen can get a foot in the door in the private sector, they have a greater likelihood of being kept on in the fall and winter.

For teens, finding work in the summer has never been easy. They lack experience and may not have much of a work history. In recent years, the task has gotten even harder as people over 55 years of age have returned to the workforce, taking many of the service sector jobs that used to go to teenagers.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/RRURdsDdnHc/Obama-plan-to-boost-teen-employment-could-be-an-uphill-battle

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Sydney Chinese New Year

The 2012 Chinese New Year ? the Year of the Dragon ? arrives in Sydney ? and the rest of the world ? on January 23.

A highlight of the Sydney Chinese New Year Festival in 2012, as on previous years, is the Chinese New Year parade on January 29.

The 2012 Sydney parade is scheduled to take place at twilight and starts at Sydney Town Hall, then proceeds through the streets of Chinatown.

A Chinese New Year fireworks display takes place after the parade.

Road closures

There are expected road closures along the route of the Sydney Chinese New Year twilight parade.

Dragon boat races

The traditional Chinese New Year dragon boat races are scheduled to be held at Darling Harbour's Cockle Bay on February 4 and 5.

The festival

The 2012 Sydney Chinese New Year Festival opens on January 20 with the holding of the Festival Markets at Belmore Park adjacent to Central Station until January 22. The year's festival ends on February 5.

Chinese New Year dates

The 2012 Chinese New Year of the Dragon begins on January 23. The 2013 Chinese New Year ? the Year of the Snake ? begins on February 10.

Source: http://goaustralia.about.com/od/eventsandfestivals/a/chinese-new-year.htm

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A first: Hybrid shark discovered off Australia

University of Queensland

This image shows a hybrid black tip shark containing both Common and Australian black tip DNA.

By John Roach

Hybrid sharks have been discovered swimming in the waters off Australia's east coast. The finding may be driven by climate change, a research team says, suggesting such discoveries could be more common in the future.

The hybridization is between the Australian black tip shark which favors tropical waters and the larger, common black tip shark, which favors sub-tropical and temperate waters.

While the distribution for the genetically distinct species overlaps along the northern and eastern Australian coastline, the finding that they mated and produced offspring is unprecedented, according to the discovery team from the University of Queensland.

"To actually find something like this and prove it genetically is unprecedented," Bob Hueter, director of the Center for Shark Research at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, told me Tuesday.

Hueter was not involved with the research, though one of the scientists responsible for the discovery used to work in his lab, which he said lends the finding credibility. The finding is based on genetic testing and body measurements and reported December 2011 in the journal Conservation Genetics.

The team identified 57 of the hybrids from five locations spanning 1,250 miles along the Australian coast.?

"Wild hybrids are usually hard to find, so detecting hybrids and their offspring is extraordinary," Jennifer Ovenden, an expert in genetics of fisheries species and team member, said in a news release.

The hybridization could be an adaptation to climate change, the team noted, allowing the tropical Australian black tip shark to live in the cooler, sub-tropical waters.?

It could also be a technique to survive in over-fished waters, speculated Hueter. As fisheries are depleted, hybridization is a way to keep reproducing.?

"In a sense, it is catching evolution in action," he told me.?

More stories on hybridization:


John Roach is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.

?

The modernist kitchens of Grant Achatz are known for using experimental equipment to produce unusual cuisine, thanks to an unusual partnership with PolyScience, a lab equipment.

Source: http://futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/03/9921974-a-first-hybrid-shark-discovered-off-australia

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Big iPhone sales crimp Verizon Wireless Q4 margins

Enlarge Image Verizon

Verizon's iPhone sales are dragging down its 4Q margins.

Verizon Communications said it sold 4.2 million of Apple Inc.'s iPhones in the fourth quarter, but that is going to shave its profit margins by about 6 percent points.

Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo told investors during a Web conference that the big iPhone numbers brought it "extremely close" to its target of 11 million sales in 2011, according to the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal.

But because it pays a big subsidy on each iPhone sold, he said that is bringing its profit margins down.

This would mean margins will drop to between 42 percent and 43 percent in the fourth quarter from 47.8 percent in the third quarter.

Earlier this month, the Business Journal reported that Verizon was rated as having the best overall service in Jacksonville among the major cell phone carriers.

Verizon Communications said it sold 4.2 million of Apple Inc.'s iPhones in the fourth quarter, but that is going to shave its profit margins by about 6 percent points.

Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo told investors during a Web conference that the big iPhone numbers brought it "extremely close" to its target of 11 million sales in 2011, according to the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal.

But because it pays a big subsidy on each iPhone sold, he said that is bringing its profit margins down.

This would mean margins will drop to between 42 percent and 43 percent in the fourth quarter from 47.8 percent in the third quarter.

Earlier this month, the Business Journal reported that Verizon was rated as having the best overall service in Jacksonville among the major cell phone carriers.

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Euro falls vs dollar on European debt worries

(AP)? NEW YORK ? The euro fell against the dollar Wednesday on renewed worries about Europe's debt crisis.

A Spanish newspaper reported that the country is thinking about applying for a bailout. Spain is the fourth-largest economy in the euro zone, and may be too big to be rescued by its European neighbors.

In Italy, UniCredit, the country's biggest bank, said it would offer stock at a 69 percent discount price to raise cash. The size of the discount escalated worries about the state of Europe's banking sector.

The euro fell to $1.2938 in late trading Wednesday from $1.3056 late Tuesday.

The dollar was also higher against most other currencies Wednesday. The British pound fell to $1.5612 from $1.5652.

The dollar rose to 0.9420 Swiss franc from 0.9321 Swiss franc, to 76.75 Japanese yen from 76.67 Japanese yen and to 1.0133 Canadian dollar from 1.0102 Canadian dollar.

Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsGamecore/~3/mdz91V-x6B4/

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Chinese video websites in court as industry grows (AP)

BEIJING ? China's two biggest video websites are fighting in court over accusations they are misusing each other's programming as rivalry heats up in an industry that is luring viewers from bland state TV.

The conflict between Youku.com Inc. and Tudou Inc. is part of a struggle for dominance in an online market with nearly 400 million viewers and dozens of privately owned outlets that might represent the future of China's video watching and a lucrative advertising stream.

"Everybody is shooting for that golden demographic ? the young people who are just out of school, have a lot of disposable income and that watch online video instead of television," said David Wolf, a marketing consultant in Beijing.

China's video websites started out imitating YouTube, relying on users to upload cat videos and other free material. But to lock in affluent viewers, the most ambitious started to imitate TV stations, paying to import foreign programs or create their own.

Still more viewers might be driven to video websites by a new government campaign to clean up China's airwaves and promote "socialist core values."

Rules that took effect Sunday strike at a hugely popular market segment for China's ambitious local broadcasters by slashing the number of reality, talent and dating shows they can show on satellite channels. State media say the number of prime-time entertainment shows plunged from 126 in December to just 38 this week.

That hurts local stations just as rising revenues allow online rivals to produce even more content, highlighted by the court fight between Youku and Tudou.

In a Dec. 16 lawsuit, Youku accused Tudou of stealing 60 of its programs including serials called "The Emperor's Harem," "Hip-Hop Office Quartet" and "Miss Puff."

Tudou says it has filed suit in Shanghai and Beijing accusing Youku of showing a Taiwanese series, "Kangxi Has Come," after Tudou obtained rights to it. The company claims Youku showed Japanese cartoons without the owner's permission.

The companies, both of which have shares traded on U.S. exchanges, accuse each other of trying to use legal claims to gain a competitive edge.

"Youku think they can live on free traffic without paying for the content," said Tudou CEO Gary Wang in a statement, "and they are trying to hide the fact that they are actually not as competitive as they pretend to be."

Both companies reject the accusations in the lawsuits.

"Tudou is playing games," said a Youku spokeswoman, Jean Shao.

Beijing has allowed such private companies to flourish with fewer of the controls imposed on China's entirely state-owned newspapers, TV and radio, possibly to avoid stifling what is seen as a promising high-tech industry.

Their surging popularity threatens to erode viewership for state TV, which Beijing sees as a tool to mold public opinion. That raises the threat communist leaders might tighten controls to protect their media presence.

Tighter regulation might "threaten private online video sites' very existence, and put investors at risk," said CMM Intelligence, a media consulting firm in Beijing, in a March report.

Chinese video websites make money from advertising and also have pay-per-view and other premium services. But while viewership and revenue are soaring, companies are losing money as costs for programs, marketing and Internet bandwidth rise.

The number of Chinese who watch online video jumped from 284 million in 2010 to 394 million in 2011, according to CMM Intelligence. It said the total might pass 445 million by the end of 2012.

Total industry revenue rose 139 percent over a year ago in the three months ending in September to 1.5 billion yuan ($238 million), according to Analysys International, a research firm. Youku had 25.6 percent of the market and Tudou 14.5 percent. Sohu Video, part of Internet portal Sohu Corp., was close behind at 13.3 percent.

Youku, founded in 2006, says it gets 200 million visitors a month. It reported quarterly revenues surged 129 percent over a year earlier but it still reported a 47.5 million yuan ($7.4 million) loss. Tudou, which says it has 90 million registered users, lost 55.6 million yuan ($8.7 million) despite a 52 percent jump in revenue.

Other outlets include Ku6.com, with shares traded in United States, and LeTV, listed on the Shanghai stock market.

Youku has a venture with state-owned China Telecom Ltd. to distribute video on mobile phones and announced a deal in August to show DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.'s "Kung Fu Panda" movies on its premium service. Tudou said in November it will show TV Tokyo Corp.'s animated series online one hour after they air in Japan.

Online video also gives foreign broadcasters access to China, where they are barred from most cable systems. Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks, the Discovery Channel and others have struck deals with partners such as search engine Baidu Inc. to distribute programs.

Managers of China Central Television and local state-owned broadcasters have tried to become more commercial. But the government bars foreign programs from prime time and any material deemed racy or vulgar, leading to a schedule heavy with family-friendly but dull historical sagas and variety shows.

Video websites, with looser controls, show dramas and comedies from the United States, Taiwan and Europe and their own programs. Viewers can download shows to watch on mobile phones during their morning subway ride.

Neither the government nor private researchers have reported on how many online viewers might have abandoned state TV outright.

"We all know it's taking place but nobody wants to go out and publicize the data," said Wolf, chairman of Wolf Group Asia. "The online video guys are terrified that if there are statistics that show the 'golden demographic' dropping TV to watch online video, then the government is going to come after them."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120105/ap_on_hi_te/as_china_online_video_battle

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Watch the Unbelievable Trailer of Nitro Circus The Movie (AKA the People Crazier Than Jackass) [Video]

If you're a fan of the silly hijinks of Jackass, you have to watch this upcoming Nitro Circus movie. Nitro Circus is the super crazy extreme group headlined by motocross legend Travis Pastrana and his friends that pull stunts that even Knoxville and his gang wouldn't even dare doing. More »


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