NEW YORK (AP) ? Prince is continuing to ramp up his public profile. This week, he'll make an appearance on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."
A rep for the late-night talk show confirmed the pop legend will appear on the show Friday and will perform two songs. It's not clear whether he'll perform new material or some of his classics.
The reclusive star has been back in the spotlight recently. He presented record of the year trophy at the Grammys, released the song "Screwdriver" on his new website and is due to perform several dates in Europe this summer.
___
Online:
Prince: http://www.prince2013.com
"Late Night with Jimmy Fallon": http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/
Lincoln Park Zoo awarded $3 million leadership gift for education Public release date: 25-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sharon Dewar sdewar@lpzoo.org 312-742-2246 Lincoln Park Zoo
Hurvis Center for Learning Innovation and Collaboration to develop, test and research innovative educational models; Deliver new programs starting this spring
This week, Lincoln Park Zoo rolls out several new educational initiatives designed by the newly created Hurvis Center for Learning Innovation and Collaboration. The center, an ambitious new endeavor made possible thanks to a $3 million leadership gift by the Hurvis Charitable Foundation, is poised to address the growing need within the zoo, museum and aquarium community nationwide to explore new approaches to effectively engage visitors in science learning.
Studies have demonstrated the profound effect that zoos and museums can have on science learners, and the National Research Council recommends cultural institutions to focus on developing new models of research and collaboration. While still in the early stages of development, the Hurvis Center is primed to become a leader in this area developing, testing and researching informal education concepts while simultaneously providing innovative educational programming.
"People expect novel experiences, but with limited resources many cultural institutions may shy away from new or unproven approaches to audience engagement because of the risk involved," explained the center's Senior Director Leah Melber, Ph.D. "That is where the Hurvis Center steps in. We have been provided the resources and support to take risks in order to develop and implement new programming approaches using the zoo and partner institutions as learning laboratories to test and measure the success of new models."
Melber, who brings more than two decades of experience with informal and formal science education, will lead her team in new approaches to deliverable programs. Every new initiative will be coupled with stringent research, measurement and evaluation so that concepts can be honed, sharpened and maximized to have the greatest impact the goal being to increase public understanding of, and engagement with, science. Collaboration with colleagues across the zoo and museum community is a critical part of the center's mission.
New Programs Now Available
This week, a free educational application for iPad created by the Hurvis Center called Observe to Learn goes live in the App StoreSM. This application is available for anyone to download and use to explore animal behavior in their backyard, a local zoo, or nearby nature area. The app and an associated curriculum guide were designed for use by informal learning institutions and schools nationwide to provide youth an opportunity to learn about the natural world through self-directed, animal behavior (ethology) studies. The application is also available in Spanish, and may potentially be translated into other languages as new partners from other nations express interest.
The aim of Observe to Learn, which evolved from Lincoln Park Zoo's successful program, Young Researchers Collaborative, is to provide technology that combines established approaches in animal behavior research with simplicity to allow any institution to implement the program in a way that will complement or enhance existing programs.
To date, Hurvis Center partners on using Observe to Learn include Roger Williams Park Zoo in New England, St. Louis Zoo, San Francisco Zoo and Columbia's Zoologico Santa Cruz.
Career programs for underserved Chicago-area teens
In addition to the launch of Observe to Learn, the Hurvis Center is now accepting applications from Chicago-area high schoolers for two newly created career-focused programs: Career Explorers and Research Apprenticeship Program.
Career Explorers is a two-week-long early exposure program focused on different career paths within a zoo, aquarium or museum to give youth a deeper understanding about a range of careers. The Research Apprenticeship Program will give select high schoolers an opportunity to spend four weeks working alongside a Lincoln Park Zoo scientist and engaging in authentic research experiences. These youth will continue their connection with the zoo after the project through follow-up activities throughout the school year.
There is no cost for students to participate in either program, but spaces are limited. Both career-focused programs are primarily aimed at underserved youth who might not otherwise receive specialized support regarding career choice due to socioeconomic status, ethnicity or other barriers.
###
Individuals, schools or cultural institutions interested in learning more about Hurvis Center programs may visit their Web site at www.lpzoo.org/Hurvis-Center or contact them directly at HurvisCenter@lpzoo.org.
ABOUT LINCOLN PARK ZOO
Lincoln Park Zoo, a historic Chicago landmark founded in 1868, is dedicated to connecting people with nature by providing a free, family-oriented wildlife experience. A leader in conservation science both globally and locally, the zoo exemplifies the highest quality animal care and educational outreach. The not-for-profit zoo, managed by The Lincoln Park Zoological Society, is a member-supported organization and one of the nation's only free, privately managed zoos. For more information, call 312 -742-2000 or visit www.lpzoo.org.
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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.
Lincoln Park Zoo awarded $3 million leadership gift for education Public release date: 25-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sharon Dewar sdewar@lpzoo.org 312-742-2246 Lincoln Park Zoo
Hurvis Center for Learning Innovation and Collaboration to develop, test and research innovative educational models; Deliver new programs starting this spring
This week, Lincoln Park Zoo rolls out several new educational initiatives designed by the newly created Hurvis Center for Learning Innovation and Collaboration. The center, an ambitious new endeavor made possible thanks to a $3 million leadership gift by the Hurvis Charitable Foundation, is poised to address the growing need within the zoo, museum and aquarium community nationwide to explore new approaches to effectively engage visitors in science learning.
Studies have demonstrated the profound effect that zoos and museums can have on science learners, and the National Research Council recommends cultural institutions to focus on developing new models of research and collaboration. While still in the early stages of development, the Hurvis Center is primed to become a leader in this area developing, testing and researching informal education concepts while simultaneously providing innovative educational programming.
"People expect novel experiences, but with limited resources many cultural institutions may shy away from new or unproven approaches to audience engagement because of the risk involved," explained the center's Senior Director Leah Melber, Ph.D. "That is where the Hurvis Center steps in. We have been provided the resources and support to take risks in order to develop and implement new programming approaches using the zoo and partner institutions as learning laboratories to test and measure the success of new models."
Melber, who brings more than two decades of experience with informal and formal science education, will lead her team in new approaches to deliverable programs. Every new initiative will be coupled with stringent research, measurement and evaluation so that concepts can be honed, sharpened and maximized to have the greatest impact the goal being to increase public understanding of, and engagement with, science. Collaboration with colleagues across the zoo and museum community is a critical part of the center's mission.
New Programs Now Available
This week, a free educational application for iPad created by the Hurvis Center called Observe to Learn goes live in the App StoreSM. This application is available for anyone to download and use to explore animal behavior in their backyard, a local zoo, or nearby nature area. The app and an associated curriculum guide were designed for use by informal learning institutions and schools nationwide to provide youth an opportunity to learn about the natural world through self-directed, animal behavior (ethology) studies. The application is also available in Spanish, and may potentially be translated into other languages as new partners from other nations express interest.
The aim of Observe to Learn, which evolved from Lincoln Park Zoo's successful program, Young Researchers Collaborative, is to provide technology that combines established approaches in animal behavior research with simplicity to allow any institution to implement the program in a way that will complement or enhance existing programs.
To date, Hurvis Center partners on using Observe to Learn include Roger Williams Park Zoo in New England, St. Louis Zoo, San Francisco Zoo and Columbia's Zoologico Santa Cruz.
Career programs for underserved Chicago-area teens
In addition to the launch of Observe to Learn, the Hurvis Center is now accepting applications from Chicago-area high schoolers for two newly created career-focused programs: Career Explorers and Research Apprenticeship Program.
Career Explorers is a two-week-long early exposure program focused on different career paths within a zoo, aquarium or museum to give youth a deeper understanding about a range of careers. The Research Apprenticeship Program will give select high schoolers an opportunity to spend four weeks working alongside a Lincoln Park Zoo scientist and engaging in authentic research experiences. These youth will continue their connection with the zoo after the project through follow-up activities throughout the school year.
There is no cost for students to participate in either program, but spaces are limited. Both career-focused programs are primarily aimed at underserved youth who might not otherwise receive specialized support regarding career choice due to socioeconomic status, ethnicity or other barriers.
###
Individuals, schools or cultural institutions interested in learning more about Hurvis Center programs may visit their Web site at www.lpzoo.org/Hurvis-Center or contact them directly at HurvisCenter@lpzoo.org.
ABOUT LINCOLN PARK ZOO
Lincoln Park Zoo, a historic Chicago landmark founded in 1868, is dedicated to connecting people with nature by providing a free, family-oriented wildlife experience. A leader in conservation science both globally and locally, the zoo exemplifies the highest quality animal care and educational outreach. The not-for-profit zoo, managed by The Lincoln Park Zoological Society, is a member-supported organization and one of the nation's only free, privately managed zoos. For more information, call 312 -742-2000 or visit www.lpzoo.org.
[ | 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.
Perfectly solving a problem that most of probably didn't realize we had, a Polish company has created the Miior—a full-sized bathroom mirror that extends from the wall so you don't have to lean over the sink to get a closer look. More »
The lead detective in the Oscar Pistorius murder case has been replaced. But can the South African police force recover from the mistakes made to date?
By Staff,?CSMonitor.com / February 21, 2013
Detective Hilton Botha sits inside the court witness box during the Oscar Pistorius bail hearing in Pretoria, South Africa. Botha is off the case, and now faces attempted murder charges himself over a 2011 shooting, police said Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013,
AP Photo/Themba Hadebe
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The lead investigator in the Oscar Pistorius murder case has been replaced. Why? Detective Hilton Botha himself now faces charges of attempted murder.
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Hilton Botha, the lead investigator in the Oscar Pistorius case was replaced Thursday. Botha faces attempted murder charges.
Yes, the detective investigating the murder of Reeve Steenkamp had attempted murder charges reinstated on Feb. 4 ? some 10 days before the Pistorius case. Botha and two other police officers face seven counts of attempted murder in a 2011 shooting incident. The drunk policemen allegedly fired at a minibus they were trying to stop.
In an attempt to rebound from this setback, South Africa's National Police Commission Riah Phiyega said Thursday that a team of "highly skilled and experienced' detectives will now take over the investigation. South African Olympic runner Pistorius faces a premeditated murder charge for the killing of his girlfriend Reeva SteenKamp.
But this sudden removal of Botha, in addition to his testimony during three days of bail hearings, is raising questions not only about the quality of the prosecution's case but the effectiveness of South Africa's judicial system.
During Thursday's bail hearing, Pistorius's defense attorney Barry Roux cast doubt on the version of events given by Botha on previous days.? Prosecutors claimed Steenkamp had fled to the bathroom after a fight, fearing an enraged Pistorius. But Pistorius's version of events was that she had gone to the bathroom to relieve herself, and he didn't know it was her behind the door when he fired the gun four times. He thought she was an intruder.
On Thursday, Botha conceded that the angle of the shots was consistent with Pistorius's version of events.
As The Guardian live blog on the case reported:
"Defence lawyer Barry Roux said that Steenkamp?s bladder was empty when she died, indicating she had indeed got up to use the toilet. Usually at 3am you would not find an empty bladder, Roux said. Roux said Steenkamp?s autopsy showed no sign of defensive wounds or an assault. Botha said that was correct. Roux said that Steenkamp might have locked the toilet door to protect herself when she heard Pistorius shouting that there was a burglar. And he said that Botha could not say for sure that the shots were fired from 1.5m away and at the angle he described ? and Botha admitted he couldn?t be sure about that. Roux also criticised Botha?s handling of the crime scene, saying the police had failed to find a bullet cartridge and that Botha had walked in to the house without protective feet covers on, contaminating the scene."
And there were other mistakes that came to light on Wednesday, as The Christian Science Monitor reported, "Police ... left a 9 mm slug from the barrage that killed Reeva Steenkamp inside a toilet and lost track of illegal ammunition found inside the house."
"Unfortunately there are too many instances of poor police work," Gerhard Kemp, a professor of criminal law at the University of Stellenbosch, told Reuters. "It's absolutely not CSI. It's a totally different world."
On Thursday, Desmond Nair, the magistrate in charge of the bail hearing, also raised questions about the competence of Botha's work, asking why the police hadn't acquired Steenkamp's phone records yet.
"Do you agree that [if] the deceased received SMSs or Phonecalls at 3 a.m., would it change the position of case?" the judge asked.
Pistorius's attroney, Roux pressed his advantage Thursday. "The poor quality of the evidence offered by investigative officer Botha exposed the disastrous shortcomings of the state's case," Roux said. "We cannot sit back and take comfort that he [Botha] is telling the truth."
Asked about Botha's court performance and handling of the investigation, National Police Commission Phiyega said South Africa's police force "can stand on its own" compared to others around the world, according to The Associated Press.
And Reuters reports:
With huge international media interest in the case against a global celebrity, many South Africans feel that apparent initial slip-ups by the police are hurting the country's image.
"Bring someone from outside to sort out this mess," said businessman Godfrey Baloyi. "The whole justice system needs an overhaul."
The bail hearing in Pretoria is scheduled to continue on Friday.
Playing off his?pre-Oscars prediction?that everyone would hate him at the Oscars, Seth MacFarlane spent the first 19 minutes of the Academy Awards on Sunday making sure everyone would, in fact, hate him.?After some real stinkers, the main conceit was William Shatner descending on a screen as Captain Kirk, from the future, to tell MacFarlane to do a better job of hosting, in a kind of alternate-reality bit that turned pretty sordid?and pretty fast. ...
SAN QUENTIN, California (Reuters) - One by one, the entrepreneurs, clad in crisp blue jeans and armed with PowerPoint presentations, stood before a roomful of investors and tech bloggers to explain their dreams of changing the world.
For these exuberant times in Silicon Valley, the scene was familiar; the setting, less so.
With the young and ambitious flocking again to northern California to launch Internet companies, there were signs one recent morning that startup mania has taken hold even behind the faded granite walls of California's most notorious prison.
"Live stream has gone mainstream. Mobile video usage went up and is expected to increase by 28 percent over the next five years," said Eddie Griffin, who was pitching a music streaming concept called "At the Club" and happens to be finishing a third stint for drug possession at San Quentin State Prison, near San Francisco, after spending the last 15 years behind bars.
Griffin was one of seven San Quentin inmates who presented startup proposals on "Demo Day" as part of the Last Mile program, an entrepreneurship course modeled on startup incubators that take in batches of young companies and provide them courses, informal advice and the seed investments to grow.
According to business news website Xconomy, incubator programs - which it tracks - have tripled in number for each of the past three years, proliferating from Sao Paulo to Stockholm at a pace that has fueled talk in tech circles of an "incubator bubble".
Last Mile founder Chris Redlitz, a local venture capitalist, says his goal was never to seek out a genuine investment opportunity inside a prison but to educate inmates about tech entrepreneurship and bridge the knowledge gap between Silicon Valley's wired elite and the rest of the region's population.
Inmates, after all, are not allowed to run businesses. They do not have access to cellphones ? much less Apple Inc's latest iPhone developer toolkits ? and they use computers only under close supervision.
A LOT TO LEARN
After his presentation in San Quentin's chapel, which received a rousing reception from an audience that included prison warden Kevin R. Chappell, Griffin told a reporter it was unlikely he would launch his startup idea immediately after being released this summer.
"I still have a lot to learn," said the soft-spoken Detroit native. "I've never used a cellphone. Technology is kind of foreign in this environment."
But to hear the inmates use jargon such as "lean startup" and "minimum viable product" speaks to an unmistakable truth about the Bay Area zeitgeist, where startups, for better or worse, have come to embody upward mobility, ambition, and hustle.
"If they were doing this in the '80s there may have been a different theme or model," said Wade Roush, Xconomy's chief correspondent. "But in this day and age, becoming an entrepreneur or starting a business is a form of self-actuation."
Situated on prime waterfront land, San Quentin is perhaps California's most storied prison and home to the state's only death row. But it has also kept a longstanding progressive reputation, boasting a rare college degree-granting program and vibrant arts courses.
The Last Mile accepted 10 inmates out of 50 applicants for its latest batch. The program, which graduated its first class of inmates last year, meets twice a week to discuss startups and lasts six months, although the most recent class took seven months due to a prison lockdown last year.
Some Last Mile participants, under official supervision, have also joined the online question-and-answer site Quora to respond to questions about prison life or describe what it felt like to commit murder.
The latest batch of startup ideas included a fitness app that would motivate drug addicts to exercise, a cardiovascular health organization, a social network for sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder, a food waste recycling program, and an e-commerce site for artists in prison.
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
Because the likelihood is not great that these companies will become funded and succeed, Redlitz said he was also working to place the inmates in jobs at tech companies after their release.
Rocketspace, a startup co-working space in downtown San Francisco, has agreed to host an internship. Rally.org, a crowd-funding site that counts Redlitz among its investors, said it hoped to begin a program to seek micro-investments from the public for the inmates' ideas.
Sitting in the Demo Day audience was John Collison, the 22-year-old co-founder of online payments startup Stripe, who noted some stark differences between the inmates' proposals and the fashionable startups du jour in Silicon Valley.
"What's frustrating is that all these companies in the Valley, they're ideas for the 1 or 10 percent," Collison said. "You have startups like Uber or Taskrabbit, that's like, ?Oh, here's something to help you find a driver or find someone to clean your house.' Are they solving real problems?"
The San Quentin inmates "were talking about urban obesity, or PTSD", Collison said. "It's a completely different perspective. We actually really need that."
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Public release date: 25-Feb-2013
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