ishansharma: March 2013

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Americans and religion increasingly parting ways

Mar. 12, 2013 ? Religious affiliation in the United States is at its lowest point since it began to be tracked in the 1930s, according to analysis of newly released survey data by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and Duke University. Last year, one in five Americans claimed they had no religious preference, more than double the number reported in 1990.

UC Berkeley sociologists Mike Hout and Claude Fischer , along with Mark Chaves of Duke University, analyzed data on religious attitudes as part of the General Social Survey, a highly cited biannual poll conducted by NORC, an independent research institute at the University of Chicago.

Results of the survey -- which looked at numerous issues, including attitudes about gun ownership and how tax dollars should be spent, and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation -- are being released now and in coming weeks.

On American attitudes toward religion, UC Berkeley researchers found that 20 percent of a nationally representative group reported no religious preference. That's a jump from 1990 when all but 8 percent of Americans polled identified with an organized faith.

"This continues a trend of Americans disavowing a specific religious affiliation that has accelerated greatly since 1990," said Hout, lead author of the study.

Hout and Fischer are authors of the General Social Survey study that in 2002 first identified a rise in the number of "unchurched." They are careful to distinguish the survey category of "no religion," which means individuals who are not part of an organized religion, from "atheists," who do not believe in God and made up just 3 percent of those interviewed last year. Meanwhile, just 8 percent of those surveyed said they were raised with no religion.

Responses in the survey were to the question, "What is your religious preference? Is it Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, some other religion, or no religion?"

An analysis of the results suggests the following:

Liberals are far more likely to claim "no religion" (40 percent) than conservatives (9 percent)
Men are more likely than women to claim "no religion" (24 percent of men versus 16 percent of women).
More whites claimed "no religion" (21 percent) compared to African Americans (17 percent) and Mexican Americans (14 percent).
More than one-third of 18-to-24-year-olds claimed "no religion" compared to just 7 percent of those 75 and older.
Residents of the Midwestern and Southern states were least likely to claim "no religion" compared to respondents in the Western, Mountain and Northeastern states. But Midwesterners and Southerners are catching up, Hout said.
Educational differences among those claiming "no religion" are small compared to other demographic differences.
About one-third of Americans identify with a conservative Protestant denomination, one-quarter are Catholics (although 35 percent were raised Catholic) and 1.5 percent are Jewish.

The General Social Survey has been tracking major social and cultural trends in American society since 1972, when only 5 percent of those polled claimed no religion. Since 1990, an uptick in those identifying themselves as following no particular religion has progressed steadily with 18 percent identifying as such in 2010 and 20 percent in 2012.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Berkeley. The original article was written by Yasmin Anwar.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/lXNf0B9KZEw/130313100438.htm

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Martha Plimpton gets dirty at Tampa family's home - Washington ...

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Emmy winning actor Martha Plimpton ? who plays a no-nonsense housekeeper on the hit TV comedy "Raising Hope" ? got her hands dirty at a Tampa home Tuesday, doing laundry and scrubbing the family's tub.

Plimpton and co-star Garret Dillahunt helped clean the family's home as part of a Fox network promotion.

The stunt was Plimpton's idea for a Fox network promotion for the show, which has been renewed for a fourth season. The sitcom is about a man in his 20s who lives with his parents and gets a serial killer pregnant. The entire family then raises the baby girl after her mother is sentenced to death.

Ben Waberman, who is 26 and lives with his mom, dad, sister and nephew, entered and won an online contest by writing an essay about how his family was similar to the Chance clan on the TV show ? except for the serial killer part.

Waberman said he works at a call center and recently had to move home with his parents. His dad is self-employed, just like the TV dad, and his sister works at a grocery store, just like a character on the show. All of the adults in his home are pitching in to help raise his sister's 3-year-old son.

He added that he's a big fan of "Raising Hope" and he thought it would be exciting to have TV stars come to his home and clean.

"I think we could use a visit from them because the house is a mess, the pool is green and we could all use a break," he wrote in his winning essay.

Plimpton arrived in the pink housekeeper's uniform that she wears on the show, and after greeting and laughing with the family, stripped Waberman's bedsheets and took them to the washer. As she fiddled with the washer settings, she told local reporters about her laundry secrets.

"Everyone in the world uses too much detergent," she said.

Dillahunt, who plays Plimpton's TV husband, skimmed leaves out of the family's pool.

Waberman's parents said they were shocked when their son won the contest.

Elizabeth Waberman, Ben's mom, added that she cleaned the house thoroughly before the TV stars arrived.

"Ben kept saying, 'leave it dirty, leave it dirty," she said, laughing. "I said, no, they're coming with a camera crew!"

Although Plimpton did don some gloves and use some elbow grease on the family's tub, the network hired actual housekeepers and landscapers to give the Waberman home a deep scrubbing.

The one-hour "Raising Hope" season finale is scheduled for March 28.

___

Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush

Source: http://washingtonexaminer.com/martha-plimpton-gets-dirty-at-tampa-familys-home/article/feed/2078894

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Detroit-Area Teachers Sue Over Union Contract

Three teachers in Taylor, Michigan, a Detroit-area suburb, are suing the Taylor School District, the Taylor Federation of Teachers union, and the Board of Education over a recently ratified collective bargaining agreement. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy Legal Foundation filed on behalf of plaintiffs Angela Steffke, Rebecca Metz, and Nancy Rhatigan over what it calls a violation of Michigan's right-to-work law. That law, signed in December 2012, doesn't take effect until later in March.

Michigan Educator Contracts

The Detroit Free Press reports that Taylor Public Schools' roughly 500-member union approved two separate contract issues earlier this month. They approved a four-year contract that included a 10-percent cut in pay, health insurance changes, and out-of-pocket health care costs. That vote was passed 365-79. In a second vote, teachers agreed by 362-83 vote to a 10-year union security clause.

Teacher Contract Objections

It's the security clause that suing educators object to. This clause guarantees union membership rights and responsibilities. The Mackinac Center contends that this clause is invalid under Michigan's new right-to-work law, passed in the December lame-duck session of the Michigan Legislature. The RTW law prohibits employers and unions from inking contracts that require financial support (union dues) as a condition of employment.

The law didn't get two-thirds support from both houses, required in Michigan for a law to take immediate effect. Without that majority, the waiting period for new laws approved by the governor to go into effect is 91 days from the close of that legislative session. RTW takes effect March 28, 2013.

The Mackinac Center says that the law also exempts contracts in place before that date. Taylor teachers' legal advisors maintain that stand-alone security agreements that extend beyond the date of other contracts are an attempt by unions to lock teachers into paying union dues and fees to the union for 10 years. They say the purpose is to circumvent the part of the law that makes right-to-work effective anytime a contract is extended, renewed, or amended. Legal advisors say stand-alone security agreements are illegal under Michigan's Public Employment Relations Act. Steffke said it's a civil rights issue. She said, "This is about fighting for our freedom of association and fighting against coercion in the workplace," reports the Detroit Free Press.

Teachers Union Stance

Taylor's teachers union is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers-Michigan. AFT-M president David Hecker said the Mackinac Center's lawsuit has no legal ground. "It's obviously a tactic on their part to try to scare employers and unions, which obviously isn't going to work. These contracts were negotiated between the school district and the union. They were ratified overwhelmingly by the school board and the federation of teachers. It's totally 100-percent legal." He added that RTW isn't the law in Michigan yet and that legislators had the option to give it immediate effect but didn't.

The Oakland Press says educators at Wayne State University passed similar long-term contracts just before right-to-work takes effect.

A certified special needs and K-8 teacher, former homeschool parent, and native of Michigan, Marilisa Sachteleben writes about educational issues in her state's most pivotal city of Detroit.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/detroit-area-teachers-sue-over-union-contract-175000564.html

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Monday, March 11, 2013

No. 2 Indiana beats No. 7 Michigan 72-71 for title

Michigan guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) walks off the court as Indiana celebrates a 72-71 win over Michigan in an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, March 10, 2013, in Ann Arbor, Mich. The win gave the Hoosiers their first outright Big Ten title in two decades.(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Indiana forward Derek Elston, right, hugs guard Kevin Ferrell after Indiana's 72-71 win over Michigan to capture the Big 10 title during an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, March 10, 2013, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Michigan guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) takes a shot against Indiana forward Cody Zeller (40) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, March 10, 2013, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Indiana defeated Michigan 72-71 to win the Big Ten title. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Indiana coach Tom Crean, right, hugs guard Jordan Hulls (1) after a come-from-behind, 72-71 win over Michigan in an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, March 10, 2013, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Indiana forward Cody Zeller (40) defends against the last shot of the game by Michigan guard Trey Burke (3) in an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, March 10, 2013, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Burke missed the shot to give Indiana a 72-71 win. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) ? Cody Zeller squeezed the basketball as the final seconds ticked off the clock, sealing Indiana's first outright Big Ten title in two decades.

It was a fitting finish, for sure. Because without some huge plays by their 7-foot center, the second-ranked Hoosiers would've had to share the conference championship.

Zeller made a go-ahead layup with 13 seconds left and altered Trey Burke's shot at the other end, lifting Indiana to a 72-71 victory over No. 7 Michigan on Sunday.

After falling out of bounds on the final sequence, Zeller got up quickly and gave teammate Christian Watford someone to save the ball to at the end.

"We've been working on that all year ? closing out games," said Zeller, who had 25 points and 10 rebounds.

The Hoosiers (26-5, 14-4) trailed by five in the final minute but took advantage when the Wolverines (25-6, 12-6) were unable to close it out at the foul line, costing themselves a piece of the Big Ten title.

Jordan Morgan had a fairly easy tip-in attempt of Burke's miss that could have won it for Michigan, but the ball rolled tantalizingly around the rim and off.

"It just hung there," Burke said.

Watford got to the rebound ? Indiana had 23 more boards than Michigan ? with 4 seconds left and threw it back in bounds to Zeller.

"Christian made a great play at the end that people might not realize, saving the ball to Cody," Hoosiers guard Jordan Hulls said.

A couple of Michigan's rivals surely wish the Wolverines had won.

Ohio State, which beat Illinois on Sunday, needed an Indiana loss to earn a share of the conference championship. Michigan State was in the same position before defeating Northwestern later in the day.

The Hoosiers had already clinched a share of the title, for the first time since 2002, but needed another victory to finish alone atop the conference for the first time since 1993.

"In retrospect, that'll be good and that'll sink in," Indiana coach Tom Crean said.

Indiana's 26th victory, and the fact that it withstood test after test in the highly competitive Big Ten, might have earned the Hoosiers a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. They will be the top-seeded team at this week's Big Ten tournament in Chicago.

"We're not done yet," Hulls said.

When the Hoosiers finished off Michigan and the teams shook hands along the sideline, Crean and Michigan assistant Jeff Meyer, a former Hoosiers assistant, had a heated exchange.

"I'm not talking about any of that," Crean said. "Ask him."

A message seeking comment from Meyer was left with a Michigan spokesman.

The Wolverines blew a chance to win a share of the Big Ten title for a second straight year for the first time since the 1985 and 1986 seasons.

"This really hurts," Burke acknowledged. "This was for a championship."

Morgan made a tiebreaking putback with 1:35 left, teammate Tim Hardaway followed with a layup on the Wolverines' next possession and Glen Robinson III made the first of two free throws with 52 seconds to go to give the Wolverines a 71-66 lead.

After Zeller made a shot on the ensuing possession, Hardaway missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Zeller then connected on two free throws and Burke couldn't convert at the line, missing the front end of another haunting 1-and-1.

"This game wasn't blown on the free throw line," Michigan coach John Beilein insisted. "Those two are our leaders, and they've won a lot of games for us. We're never going to put this on them."

Zeller hit another big shot down low, a double-pump layup, for the 14th lead change in the game.

Burke and Indiana's Victor Oladipo, both of whom are Big Ten and national player of the year candidates, struggled to make shots all game at Crisler Center.

Zeller, meanwhile, made sure no one forgot about him.

"I've been saying all year long, he should be the player of the year," Oladipo said. "If you don't give it to him, something's wrong with y'all."

Oladipo had 14 points on 7-of-18 shooting and a career-high 13 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.

"We gave up 24 offensive rebounds," Hardaway said. "That's a disgrace."

Will Sheehey scored 10 points, six of which came on key 3-pointers, for the Hoosiers.

Burke scored 20 points on 7-of-20 shooting. Robinson added 13 points, Nik Stauskas had 10 of his 12 points in the first half and Hardaway scored 11. The Wolverines were 7 of 13 at the foul line.

Indiana, looking as though it didn't want to give any other team a piece of the Big Ten championship, got off to a strong start and led 10-3 when Yogi Ferrell's field goal followed a pair of 3-pointers from Hulls.

The Wolverines took control in the first half with a 12-0 run, but faded toward halftime and led 33-30 after 20 minutes.

Michigan led by as many as 11 points ? matching the biggest lead any team has had against the Hoosiers ? and looked as though it was going to be on the winning end of a closely contested game until it simply could not make key free throws or stop Zeller.

"There was a strong belief (in a comeback), but obviously they had to miss some shots with the free throws to make that happen and they did," Crean said.

___

Follow Larry Lage on Twitter: http://twitter.com/LarryLage

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-10-T25-Indiana-Michigan/id-ea0d1a4ca5f2422e979dccb80680f2f0

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President Obama, the Democrats? big 2014 obstacle (Powerlineblog)

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Palm Top Theater turns your iPhone into a mini-3D display

"Pepper's ghost" isn't the sort of phrase you hear very often at a show like SXSW. In amongst all the latest-generation technology, there aren't too many folks discussing optical concepts hundreds of years old. But the idea's a driving force in the Palm Top Theater, an iPhone case that turns smartphone videos into a miniature 3D-viewing experience. The peripheral utilizes three small drop-down displays -- the rear is a full mirror with two half mirrors in front it, reflecting images from the phone display into what appears to be a three-dimensional object -- and really, it a stunning little effect.

The Palm Top requires the use of a proprietary file format that essentially splits the displayed image or video into three parts. The company's providing some video for users, as well as a converter app to make custom footage. The device is available now for around $36 -- not super expensive, though it's hard to see such a device as anything but a niche product, especially since the opening makes for a fairly limited viewing space. It would be extremely cool to see this on a larger space, but in the meantime, you're stuck with a little window into the technology.

Gallery: Palm Top Theater for iPhone hands-on

Filed under: Mobile, Apple

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/10/palm-top-theater/

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Funeral held for Mozambican taxi driver

MATOLA, Mozambique (AP) ? Mourners in Mozambique have held a funeral for a taxi driver who died in a South African police cell after he was dragged from a police vehicle in a shocking incident that was filmed by onlookers.

A coffin bearing Mido Macia was lowered into the ground on Saturday before a crowd that included his distraught wife and parents. The burial happened in Matola, west of the capital, Maputo.

Ana Carlos Maposse, a resident of Matola, said the community does not feel compassion for those who killed Macia.

Nine South African police officers were charged with the murder of the taxi driver, who allegedly had blocked a road with his vehicle. They appeared in court on Friday and their bail hearing continues on Monday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/funeral-held-mozambican-taxi-driver-163958343.html

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