Da Vinci genius brought to life

Five-hundred-year-old drawings by the grand master of art and science, Leonardo da Vinci, have been brought to life in an interactive and informative exhibition which opened in Perth yesterday.

More than 60 of da Vinci's famous works, including the tank, the hangglider and the spring-powered car, have been carefully constructed in raw materials by world renowned group the Artisans of Florence.

Other models are concept designs of the modern bicycle, parachute, helicopter, lifebuoy, paddle boat and scuba gear, which da Vinci reportedly created while working in Venice.

Exhibition manager and Australian member of the group Thomas Rizzo has travelled the world exhibiting the works inside a theatrical tent modelled on da Vinci's Ideal City concept.


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Assess farm financial performance now

BROOKINGS, S.D. - Now is a good time for producers to assess farm financial position and performance, a South Dakota State University specialist said."It is important to remember that if a cost can be measured, it can be managed. Start your farm's benchmarking and profit improvement by taking the first step: Measure your costs to know where you are," SDSU Extension area management specialist Jack Davis said.SDSU has online resources available to help producers measure costs and returns for last year, and prepare a budget for this year. Use a Farm Enterprise Budget available from SDSU Extension at http://econ.sdstate.edu/.Use the "Extension" pulldown bar, then click on "Management tools and links" to find the budget appropriate to your operation.Davis said machinery, labor and management costs account for 30 percent of total costs and may provide an opportunity for helping control costs.


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Outdoors: New contour maps reveal lakes’ secrets

New high-tech contour maps are providing more accurate information in attempts to catch fish and restore lakes.

Data have been collected through the use of special sonar equipment on 44 publicly owned lakes in the state, said fisheries biologist Mike Hawkins of Spirit Lake.

Hawkins said contour maps of Iowa lakes have not been made since the 1970s, when they were hand-drawn. Many lake beds have changed, and in some lakes new structure has been added.

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As economy slows, some locals hope for the best

Raymond Porco said he's thankful he has a paycheck.

His wife just lost her job in the financial services industry. The dollar's low value alarmed him greatly on a recent trip to Mexico.

And he's worried about his ability to fund his 9-year-old twin daughters' college education.

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Your Office Coach: Reprimand calls for intense focus on goal

Q. On her recent performance review, my sister was rated "below expectations." Her boss said she took too long to complete a major project. However, this really wasn't her fault.

During that time, she had a lot of computer problems. Also, management changes created some confusion, and her co-workers weren't very cooperative. But she still got a bad review.

Now she's on three months' probation with a warning that her current project must be completed on time. It's not clear what will happen if she doesn't meet the deadline.

I don't think this is fair, because many things are out of her control. And the rules seem to be different for her. My sister tries hard, despite getting little cooperation from others. I feel that "below expectations" should be for people who goof off all day.



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Eighth-grade girls from St. Gregory�s and Maryville Middle school participated in a job shadowing experience March 19.

This is the 16th year the event has been sponsored by the Maryville branch of the American Association of University Women. Job Shadow Day started as a response to an AAUW-sponsored study and report titled �Shortchanging Girls, Shortchanging America.� One of the missions of AAUW is to promote lifetime education and self-improvement for girls and women. �Job shadowing is an opportunity to encourage young women in our area to pursue as much education and training as possible,� said Bridget Brown, the event�s co-chairwoman. �It also influences young women to think about their futures and to take steps to accomplish their career goals.� The 54 eighth-graders were matched with a professional woman in the community based on student essays about careers they would like to learn more about.


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Coach's Speech Impediment No Obstacle

This is the life Jeff Walz has chosen.

First impressions mean everything. Opinions are sometimes shaped by slick sound bites.

This is his world, where players seek affirmation, where media members demand explanation, where fans want sideline entertainment.

Walz is the University of Louisville's women's basketball coach.

And he stutters.

Sometimes, painfully so.

"I know the words I want," said Walz, in his first season after serving as Maryland's chief assistant for five years. "Sometimes, it just takes me a little longer to get them out."

The spotlight has grown larger - No. 4-seeded Louisville, reaching the first Sweet 16 in program history, faces No. 1 North Carolina today in the NCAA Tournament South Region semifinals - creating a potentially uncomfortable situation, one filled with microphones and flood lights.


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Facing a travail with panache

Today is a good day for Tracy Ayers.

But then, every day is a good day for the Manhattan Middle School theater and dance teacher.

It's not that she's always happy or feeling well; she has metastatic malignant melanoma -- an advanced form of cancer with a low survival rate -- and she recently endured the hardest week of an aggressive four-week biochemotherapy program that left her sick, tired and weak.

But she's alive, and she's learned her tumor is shrinking.

"I have this overwhelming gratitude for people and life and family and sunshine," she said.

And the 39-year-old mother of two said she's never been panged by the question, "Why me?"

"Why anyone?" she said. "I try not to let my mind go negative."

That philosophy -- along with Ayers' energy, openness and grace as she struggles for her life -- have carried into Manhattan, although she's had to take medical leave.


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LWR: Florida's largest green community

In 2003, the idea of green building confused consumers who often pictured a land of futuristic homes.

"People didn't understand. They were thinking it would be dome houses or grass roofs," said Bob Sisum, director of builder programs for LWR Communities.

Risking the chance of confusion and countering it with education, Sisum introduced the idea of green building to attract a niche market and raise the bar in quality building at Lakewood Ranch. The Ranch is now the largest green community in Florida.

The Green Gallery at the Lakewood Ranch Information Center offers an educational and interactive self-guided tour of a green home's features that save money and also look attractive.

The display offers comparisons of different kinds of insulation, flooring and tile made of recycled materials and energy efficient appliances.


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Moro women, second to none

(This was originally published in the March 28, 2008 issue of the Moro Times, a monthly supplement of The Manila Times. MindaNews was given permission by Moro Times editor in chief Amina Rasul to disseminate this).As we celebrate Women’s Month, we honor the struggle of Moro women to right wrongs, fight poverty, injustice and discrimination, and find peace and development for their homeland. Here are the stories of outstanding Moro women who have broken the glass ceiling in their respective fields. Second to none, veiled or not, these Muslim women have gained the respect and following of their people proving that In Islam, men and women are equal not only in rights but also in shouldering responsibility to the ummah. They are mothers and daughters, peace advocate and mujahideen, educator and politician, aleema and labor leader, journalist and community worker. Above and beyond, they are exemplars of the Muslimah, proof that Islam supports the leadership of women, not subjugate them.


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Students awarded at Pugwash high

PUGWASH - During the 2007-2008 school year, the Pugwash Co-op is sponsoring the Student of the Month award. Each month students and teachers will be asked to nominate worthy candidates from the student body and an awards committee will select two winners from the entries.

Each student will receive a certificate, a letter of congratulations, a complimentary pass to a future school dance, a prize from the Co-op, a PDHS sweatshirt and their name engraved on a special student of the month plaque.

February Students of the Month

Jordain Fredericks and Brad Elliott

Jordain Fredericks is the 17-year-old daughter of John and Kelly Fredericks of West Pugwash. Jordain is an organized, self-motivated, dedicated member of the PDHS Students' Council.


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Sticking it to the pain

Thomas D. Sparrow exudes the quiet, easy, no-mountain-is-too-high confidence of a long-time farmer steeped in years of self-reliance.

Being sidelined by chronic pain has been difficult — frustrating, irritating, depressing — for the 61-year-old resident of Ridgway, Ill.

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MayoClinic.com Features New Strength Training Videos

For the best results with strength training, proper technique is vital. MayoClinic.com has a new series of online strength training videos that help individuals maximize their strength training program. The new series includes detailed instruction on more than 30 strength training exercises, including body weight, resistance tubing, free weight and weight machine exercises.

When done correctly, strength training can help people lose fat, increase strength and muscle tone, and improve bone density. But if done incorrectly, strength training won't provide these benefits -- and may even lead to injury.

Here are some simple tips to help individuals maximize their strength training program:

-- Lift an appropriate amount of weight. Start with a weight you can lift comfortably 12 to 15 times.


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Fesoterodine Provides Significant And Rapid Improvement In Multiple Subgroups With Overactive Bladder

In most subpopulations of patients with overactive bladder (OAB), the percentage of patients who respond positively to treatment is significantly higher in those who receive fesoterodine 4 or 8 mg or tolterodine extended release (ER) versus those treated with placebo, investigators announced here at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the European Association of Urology (EAU).

Importantly, the response was seen as early as two weeks and was usually maintained at the end of the 12-week treatment period.

Andrea Tubaro, MD, with Sant Andrea Hospital in Rome, Italy, and colleagues elsewhere assessed the efficacy of fesoterodine as measured by self-reported treatment response rates at two and 12 weeks in all subjects with OAB drawn from a recent phase III trial and in subpopulations stratified by sex, age, and incontinence status.


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Fitness column: Overweight, obese women improve quality of life with a little exercise

The American Heart Association shared the following information in the Web site ScienceDaily on March 17, 2008. Fitness column: Overweight, obese women improve quality of life with a little exercise Todd Smoot The American Heart Association shared the following information in the Web site ScienceDaily on March 17, 2008.

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Speaker inspires packed room

Inspirational speaker Bryan Dodge encouraged a packed audience Thursday during the Keene Chamber of Commerce's monthly luncheon to make 2008 the best year they've ever had for themselves, their businesses and their city."Reach down and grab the reins of your life," Dodge said to the 110 people at the meeting. "Decide where you want to go." Dodge, speaking at the Senior Center, emphasized personal development and goal setting during his speech to an increasingly enthusiastic audience.He encouraged audience members to write down their goals and pursue them."Goals are a responsibility," he said. "They're not an option." He pulled five cards out of his pocket, one for each member of his family. Written on each of the cards were 18 goals for him, his wife and his three children. He said setting those goals had helped bring him and his family to where they are today.Dodge said audience members had 48 hours to write their goals down, according to the rule of diminishing intent."What you do today, you'll do," he said.


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Speaker inspires packed room

Inspirational speaker Bryan Dodge encouraged a packed audience Thursday during the Keene Chamber of Commerce's monthly luncheon to make 2008 the best year they've ever had for themselves, their businesses and their city."Reach down and grab the reins of your life," Dodge said to the 110 people at the meeting. "Decide where you want to go." Dodge, speaking at the Senior Center, emphasized personal development and goal setting during his speech to an increasingly enthusiastic audience.He encouraged audience members to write down their goals and pursue them."Goals are a responsibility," he said. "They're not an option." He pulled five cards out of his pocket, one for each member of his family. Written on each of the cards were 18 goals for him, his wife and his three children. He said setting those goals had helped bring him and his family to where they are today.Dodge said audience members had 48 hours to write their goals down, according to the rule of diminishing intent."What you do today, you'll do," he said.



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The Jacoby Factor

As a Native American warrior, your ultimate triumph in battle was not to kill your enemy. It was to use your speed and your smarts and your wiles to get close enough to touch him, and then to slip away. The message was irrefutable: There was still breath in his chest only because you allowed it. Talk about power. Talk about speed. Talk about pride. Native Americans had a term for their definition of victory. They called it counting coup. When Billy Mills was 8, his mother died. His father, a member of the Lakota nation in South Dakota, stroked the boy's arms and told him, "You have broken wings." He used a stick to draw a circle in the dirt. "Step inside your soul," he said. "It is the pursuit of the dream that will heal you."

He encouraged his son to find his dream in sports, which were providing the Indian with a new way to compete against the white man after centuries of slaughter and treacherous treaties.



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Namibia: Johannes Keeps Flag Flying High

Sport competitions are much more essential than the physical action that fans watch on the field of play, because sports is all about friendship, understanding and respect for rules, improvement of athletes' health, self-confidence, the provision of role models and the enhancement of peaceful co-existence amongst individuals and nations globally where peace is lacking.

These were the words of the Minister of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture John Mutorwa in his opening remarks at the 2nd AIBA African Olympic Games qualifying tournament at the University of Namibia Gymnasium in Windhoek on Monday.

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Corrie McDermott: An inspiring example of faith, love and self-sacrifice

HESPERIA — Mothers show their love in countless ways.

In the meals they cook. In the way they soothe skinned knees and hurt feelings.

But Corrie McDermott, a 25-year-old student teacher from Hesperia, showed her love by making the ultimate sacrifice — giving her life so her unborn baby would live.

In 2002, the future looked bright for Corrie and Donnie McDermott. They had a wonderful little daughter, Rachelle. And Corrie, who graduated with honors from Hesperia High School in 1997, was pursing a bachelors degree and enjoying her work with special education kids at Maple Elementary School in Hesperia.

But months into her pregnancy with her second daughter, Corrie was diagnosed with melanoma. The undetected cancer was hidden by the aches and pains of pregnancy and had spread quickly, fed by the rising levels of estrogen in her body.


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Biofuels: can they really save the planet?

Among green innovations, powering buses with old chicken legs is one of the more inventive. The use of 100% sustainable biodiesel made from tallow (rendered animal fat) and used cooking oil has certainly caught the imagination of passengers on Stagecoach's Stewarton-Darvel service. "We've seen an increase in the number of passengers travelling on the route," says Stagecoach spokesman Steven Stewart. The six-month trial has had another green spin-off: in the first two months, 5000 containers for used cooking oil were issued to households along the route, which could then be taken to an East Ayrshire Council recycling centre in return for money-off bus vouchers. Eight tonnes of oil were collected, giving the whole enterprise a pleasingly self-sustaining nature.

The biodiesel comes from Argent Energy near Motherwell, which was the first large-scale biodiesel plant in the UK when it opened in 2005.


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Sacramento doctor takes unconventional approach to autism

In the controversial world of autism treatment, mainstream medical doctors are increasingly pitted against alternative providers in the quest to figure out causes and develop treatments.

Dr. Michael Chez, a neurologist specializing in child autism, likens talking about the neurodevelopmental disorder to discussing politics or religion.

"Many times, I have wanted to give it up, because it's hard to keep your ego from being beaten up all the time," said Chez, who practices at Sutter Health and holds a teaching position at UC Davis. "You're portrayed as part of the Evil Empire of the Darth Vader Medical Society."

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Montessori home to skilled chess players

Tucker Price, 12, a sixth-grader at Franciscan Montessori Earth School in southeast Portland, and Sean Richardson, 9, a fourth-grader, spend a lot of time staring at tables.

Their concentration paid off last weekend at the Chess for Success State Championship Tournament at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, March 21-22.

Tucker – the 2005 state champion in the elementary division – tied for fourth place in the sixth grade division, and Sean tied for sixth in the elementary, or kindergarten-through-fourth division. Meanwhile, Nathan Smith, a third-grader at Franciscan, tied for fourth place in the elementary division.

Prior to the tournament, Montessori's two chess teams placed second in the K-5 and 6-8 divisions respectively in prior regional Chess for Success tournaments.


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