OPINION: In higher education, weve been talking about e-learning for years. But, in practice, we have mostly been teaching in the same way just through different mediums; that is, delivering one-way lectures online, posting digital lecture notes and occasionally innovating with quizzes.

Instead of students passively learning from a lecturer, imagine immersive online serious games where students can learn through practice.

Virtual patients now allow medical students at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) to develop diagnostic and clinical skills through online scenarios. They can learn from their mistakes with no adverse consequences for real life patients and without the need to be at the university.

This is the kind of big leap in higher education that adaptive e-learning can provide.

New generation of thinking

Its funny to think that the same basic idea that lets online gamers score points by shooting weapons in sci-fi worlds is the same that can now help medical students learn how to save real lives online.

Many of the next generation of our graduates will have honed their skills in simulated learning environments in much the same way that pilots train on simulators before they fly.

New technology is enabling students to learn in an interactive way, which will leave the YouTube clips and web course papers of todays online education light years behind.

Rapidly evolving online technologies, ubiquitous connectivity and powerful mobile devices mean educators all over the world are now scrambling to understand the profound disruption web-based mass online learning is ushering in.

And Australian universities are no exception. At UNSW, were starting to use an Adaptive e-Learning Platform which allows students to learn exactly the same things they did in a conventional laboratory, but more conveniently and cheaply. Teachers can now create their own lessons in interactive virtual worlds with different online scenarios.

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Online universities are the future of higher education

Ben Cousins ... 'I do miss it, I miss going to the footy club every day and knocking around with your mates.' Source: News Limited

Troubled former AFL great Ben Cousins has broken his silence after his latest run in with the law and spoken of his hope for a future coaching role with a footy club.

Cousins was last month fined $500 for possession of methamphetamine after an incident at Esperance Airport in Western Australia on March 27.

The one time West Coast Eagles star was in possession of 4.56g of methamphetamine when he flew into the town to return to a drug rehabilitation facility.

He was also fined a total of $300 for possession of cannabis and a smoking utensil.

An upbeat Cousins, 33, told Seven News he still loved football, missed being involved in the game, and said a future in coaching appealed to him.

"I do miss it, I miss going to the footy club every day and knocking around with your mates,'' he said.

"I guess the next best thing is probably having a coaching involvement with one of the sides.

"But whether that happens we'll have to wait and see.''

Perth-based Cousins, who has had a long and well-publicised battle with drugs, said he was trying yet again to rebuild his life.

Read the rest here:
Cousins eyes coaching role

Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Mike Pollitt is pleased with his new 12-month deal.

The Farnworth-born custodian has refused to confirm his latest deal will be his last, although he does admit he is already planning for life after playing.

"I'm no spring chicken anymore, I'm 40 now, and those things are at the back of mind increasingly," he told Wigan Evening Post.

"When I first joined Wigan, at 33, I thought I'd give it two years and then see what happens - and seven or eight years on I'm still here.

"Ideally I want to stay in the game when I do call it quits, but all I'm thinking about at the moment is keeping on playing for now.

"I've done my Level 3 coaching now, next up is the A-Licence, and I am enjoying it.

"It's a lot different from being a player - instead of just turning up for training, a coach has to plan the session, keep it fresh and so on.

"There's obviously a lot more responsibility being a coach, but it's something I'm looking forward to pursuing one day."

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Wigan keeper Pollitt has coaching plans

NEW YORK, July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --David J. Pecker, Chairman, President and CEO of American Media, Inc. (AMI), today announced the appointment of Dr. James Stray-Gundersen, M.D., as Executive Fitness Director of SHAPE, the leading active women's lifestyle magazine and global authority on fitness, nutrition and health.

A member of the American College of Sports Medicine, Dr. Stray-Gundersen is a world-renowned expert in the areas of exercise and sport performance, altitude training, anti-blood doping efforts, recovery and nutrition. For over 30 years, he has dedicated much of his career to working with numerous Olympic athletes across various sports, from skiing and speed skating to cycling, running and swimming. He holds multiple patents, including one for a fluid- and electrolyte-replacement beverage, and has also pioneered Human Performance Centers that focus on exercise and nutrition. Some of Dr. Stray-Gundersen's additional accomplishments include being the recipient of nine grants and awards, receiving merits from the Olympic Committee and the American Heart Association, and authoring more than 75 health and fitness articles in leading medical and scientific journals.

"Naming Dr. James Stray-Gundersen as the Executive Fitness Director of SHAPE is the first step in a major investment in the revitalization of the brand," says David Pecker, President, Chairman and CEO of AMI. "His extensive credentials, vast medical experience, and strong roots in sports will help take SHAPE to the next level."

Dr. Stray-Gundersen will be working hand-in-hand with the SHAPE's Editor-In-Chief, Tara Kraft, to continue to produce compelling editorial that's jam-packed with the latest fitness news and trends, plus dynamic workouts.

"At SHAPE it is our goal to deliver cutting-edge editorial," says Kraft. "With Dr. Stray-Gundersen's wealth of fitness, nutrition and health knowledge, as well as his incredible experience with Olympians, professional athletes and military Special Forces, I have no doubt that he will be a great asset to our team and the SHAPE brand."

"It is truly an honor to be named Executive Fitness Director of SHAPE Magazine, a landmark wellness and lifestyle guide," says Dr. Stray-Gundersen. "I consider it a privilege to work for the ultimate women's lifestyle publication."

About American Media, Inc.:

American Media, Inc. owns and operates the leading print and digital celebrity and health and fitness media brands in the United States. AMI's titles include Star, OK!, National Enquirer, Globe, Soap Opera Digest, Shape, Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Flex, Muscle & Fitness Hers, Fit Pregnancy and Natural Health. AMI also manages 18 different digital sites, including RadarOnline.com, OKmagazine.com, Shape.com, MensFitness.com, MuscleandFitness.com and FitPregnancy.com. AMI's magazines have a combined total circulation of almost 7 million and reach more than 55 million men and women each month. AMI's digital properties reach an average of 10 million unique visitors and 80 million page views monthly.

About SHAPE:

SHAPE, the flagship brand of AMI's Women's Active Lifestyle Group, reaches 6.2 million active readers and is number one in circulation, ad pages and worldwide editions. SHAPE connects with women throughout their daily lives with its innovative brand extensions, including online, email, mobile efforts and award-winning consumer events.

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SHAPE Magazine Names Dr. James Stray-Gundersen, M.D. Executive Fitness Director

INDIANAPOLIS, IN--(Marketwire -07/09/12)- The Meadows Community Foundation (MCF) announced today the development of a 70,000 square foot Health & Wellness Center in the Avondale Meadows Community on Indianapolis' northeast side. The nearly $20 million facility is part of a 100-acre neighborhood revitalization within the Meadows area.

A groundbreaking celebration for this event and facility is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 10th at Avondale Meadows near 38th Street & Meadows Drive.

The new Avondale Meadows Health & Wellness Center will include an 18,000 square foot health clinic operated by HealthNet and a 32,000 square foot YMCA. The Center will provide early learning classrooms for children, as well as youth mentoring and family programs. In addition, the facility will serve as headquarters for the United Northeast Community Development Corporation (UNECDC) and the Meadows Community Foundation (MCF).

John Neighbours, President of Meadows Community Foundation (MCF), said:

"The Avondale Meadows Health & Wellness Center will be unlike any in the country. Cutting-edge urban healthcare combined with state-of-the-art fitness and education programs will be transformative for this neighborhood and for the broader Indianapolis community. This health and wellness facility increases the recent investment in Avondale Meadows to nearly $70,000,000. Moreover, the building will be environmentally sustainable with an expected LEED Silver designation."

Avondale Meadows has been designated a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. The Avondale Meadows Health & Wellness Center will assist more than 16,000 people who live in the area and are at or below the federal poverty level. Funding partners include the City of Indianapolis (New Market Tax Credits), the United Way of Central Indiana, IU Health, the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, Methodist Health Foundation, Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County, Chase Bank and Purpose Built Communities.

The groundbreaking ceremony will include an overview of the new Avondale Meadows Health & Wellness Center and brief remarks from several prominent community partners and supporters including Booker Thomas of HealthNet, Eric Ellsworth of the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, Greg Giornelli of Purpose Built Communities, Ellen Annala of United Way of Central Indiana and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard.

"This innovative health and wellness center will provide outstanding services and resources to the Avondale Meadows Community," said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. "The holistic redevelopment approach demonstrates how public, private and non-profit entities can work together to achieve revitalization and stability in a community, and our success will serve as a model for other cities."

Avondale Meadows is one of several developments around the country that have partnered with Purpose Built Communities based in Atlanta, Ga. The organization -- founded by Tom Cousins, Julian Robertson and Warren Buffett -- seeks to reduce crime and rebuild and redevelop neighborhoods in economically disadvantaged communities. The Avondale Meadows development closely follows successful models established in Atlanta and New Orleans.

LINKS TO OTHER PURPOSE BUILT COMMUNITIES:

Original post:
Avondale Meadows Community Revitalization Successfully Continues With Addition of New Health & Wellness Center

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8wbe9KH9wA

09-07-2012 14:39 65 may no longer be the magic number when it comes to retirement. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux has more. For more CNN videos, check out our YouTube channel at Or visit our site at

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65 no longer the American retirement age - Video

Many of us think of retirement as the point at which weve made it financially. Retirement arrives, and its time to put our finances on autopilot and cruise through the rest of life, enjoying our hard-earned money.

Its not that simple, though. If you want to make sure your money lasts and that your assets are properly protectedand your spouse is protected tooyou need to continue to manage your money throughout retirement. Here are three financial moves that you shouldnt neglect during retirement:

1. Rebalance your portfolio. Even in retirement, you might still need to rebalance your portfolio. The economic situation is always changing, and the markets are always responding. While you dont want to completely overhaul your portfolio in the midst of retirement, it doesnt hurt to tweak it occasionally, and periodically assess what your portfolio is doing for you. Make sure you have the income streams you need, and reallocate assets as needed.

2. Consider life insurance. It seems strange to buy life insurance during retirement, especially since your kids are likely grown up. However, life insurance isnt just about making sure the kids are taken care of if you pass on while theyre young. Its about taking care of any dependents, and that includes your spouse. If your spouse would suffer from the lack of pension income if you passed on, or if you have other obligations, such as a mortgage that it would be nice to pay off with the life insurance, consider a policy that protects your spouse.

Additionally, its worth noting that your life insurance policy can be used by your heirs to pay funeral expenses and estate taxes. Before you shrug off the value of life insurance during retirement, consider those who will be left behind when you pass on.

3. Estate planning. During retirement, you need to keep up with your estate plan. Consider the items that will protect you and your assets. This includes setting up power of attorney and health care proxy situations so that you are properly taken care off and your wishes are followed if you become incapacitated.

You can also use trusts and other financial arrangements to ensure that your money passes smoothly. The structure of your estate and assets matters when your assets are transferred to heirs. Review these items regularly (at least once a year) to ensure that everything is in order.

Part of estate planning and smart finances during retirement also includes regularly checking your beneficiaries. You want to make sure beneficiary information is up to date because the information on your retirement accounts, pensions, bank accounts, and insurance policies supersedes what you have in your will. Regularly review your beneficiary information to make sure the money is going where you want it to go.

It doesnt take a lot of time each year to review your financial situation and make updates. Being on top of your situation will help you improve your finances and ensure that your retirement years truly are your golden years.

Jeff Rose is a certified financial planner and U.S. combat veteran. He blogs at Good Financial Cents and Soldier of Finance.

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3 Financial Moves to Make During Retirement

By Glenn Ruffenach

Yes, working beyond your planned retirement date might be the best way to secure your financial future. But you might not have to work for as long as you think or fear.

A new study from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College looks at how much longer households have to work beyond age 65 to be prepared for retirement. The finding: Over 85% of households would be prepared to retire by age 70. Put another way, many Americans who now fear they will have to work forever could enter retirement after working between one and six years beyond age 65, depending on the size of their nest eggs.

The results paint a different picture than recent opinion surveys, which find that people anticipate that they will have to work much longer, the report states.

The study is titled: National Retirement Risk Index: How Much Longer Do We Need to Work? The National Retirement Risk Index measures the share of U.S. households at risk of being unable to maintain their pre-retirement standard of living in retirement.

Currently, in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008-2009, just over half 51% of todays working households are at risk, according to the center. But an important assumption in calculating that number is that people retire at age 65. If people were to work longer, the percentage at risk would fall. Thus the question, as outlined in the report: At what age would the vast majority of households be ready to retire?

By estimating target replacement rates (retirement income as a share of wage-adjusted lifetime income) and calculating the age of readiness (the age at which a households projected replacement rate equals its target replacement rate), the center estimates that:

While the numbers suggest that todays workers will need to work longer than their parents, the study concludes, workers today are also healthier and better educated, generally have less physically demanding jobs, and can expect to live longer. In short, working longer is feasible for most households, and it does not mean working forever.

Read this article:
Is 70 the New Retirement Age?

One of the most memorable medals from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics wasnt actually issued until 16 months later. On December 6, 1993, Sylvie Frchette received the synchronized swimming gold medal shed initially been denied because of an error entering a judges score.

Sylvie Frechette with her silver medal which was eventually upgraded to gold. (The Canadian Press) It was a long-awaited gold for Frchette, and one made even more special by the tough circumstances she battled through to claim it; she lost her grandfather a few months before the Olympics, and her fiance and business manager, Sylvain Lake, committed suicide in their shared condo just a week before the Games. Frchette somehow managed to fight through those personal tragedies and give the performance of her career in the Barcelona pool.

Yet, that wasnt even enough at first. Frchette turned in a strong performance in the preliminary round of the solo competition, and she was rewarded for it with judges scores ranging from 9.2 to 9.6 all except one. That score, a shockingly low 8.7 for one of Frchettes compulsory scores from Brazilian judge Ana Maria da Silveira Lobo, stood out not just as an outlier, but as an accident.

Da Silveira Lobo had meant to give Frchette a 9.7, but misentered the score, pressed the wrong button when she tried to change it and couldnt explain what went wrong to the Japanese assistant referee, making the score permanent. Protests from the Canadian team were ignored, and that put Frchette at a huge disadvantage heading into the final. It didnt dissuade her from putting on an incredible show, though.

Despite Frchettes remarkable performance in the final round, the inadvertent preliminary 8.7 meant she finished second behind American swimmer Kristen Babb-Sprague. Even with her taking the still-impressive silver medal, it must have seemed like the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune were still dragging her down. Frchette had a powerful ally in her corner, though, and that led to a remarkable ending to her 1992 Olympic odyssey.

That ally was Dick Pound. Long before he was the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency and embroiled in countless conflicts with figures from sports ranging from hockey to cycling, Pound was a major Olympic power broker. He competed for Canada in swimming at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, then went on to several prominent roles with the Canadian Olympic Committee and eventually became its president. Pound was elected to the International Olympic Committee in 1978 and went on to take some of its most prominent roles, including negotiating the television and sponsorship deals that were crucial to making the Olympics the modern sporting force they are.

He was an IOC vice-president at the time of the 1992 Games and was soon to be seen as the front-runner to succeed president Juan Antonio Samaranch (that job eventually went to Jacques Rogge). It was no secret that Pound was one of the most influential figures in the IOC, and he put that influence to work to get Frchette the medal she had been robbed of by a technical judging mistake.

After 16 months, those efforts paid off. The international swimming federation, FINA, gave their blessing to awarding Frchette a gold medal, and the IOC eventually concurred. She finally put the long-awaited gold around her neck on December 6, 1993 in front of 2,000 supportive fans at the Montreal Forum. It wasnt the end of the line for Frchette, who made a remarkable comeback after two years away from the sport and was part of the Canadian synchronized swimming teams silver medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, but it was an amazingly upbeat finish to her tragedy-marred odyssey.

Whats perhaps most interesting about Frchettes story is the precedent it set. The IOCs decision to admit to a judging error and give Frchette a gold medal was a remarkable one; it meant Babb-Sprague was allowed to keep the initial gold she picked up in Barcelona, and both are considered gold medalists in the official books. Its a difficult situation to deal with, as downgrading a gold-winning performance 16 months after the fact would also be problematic, so the organization chose to attempt to rectify their mistake by boosting the athlete hurt by it without diminishing the one who benefited from it (a different approach from the one the IOC had taken in cases of positive drug tests, such as the 1988 one that saw the 100-metre gold medal stripped from Ben Johnson and given to Carl Lewis).

Whether one views the move to offer dual gold medals as laudable or disingenuous, its almost official IOC policy now, and has come up in subsequent Games, most famously when Canadian figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were awarded gold medals after the fact (to join the original winners, Russians Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze) in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics following a significant judging controversy.

The rest is here:
Sylvie Frechette's long wait for the gold she deserved

Spencer Platt/Getty Images; SAUL LOEB/AFP/GettyImages

Economic discontent and substantial dissatisfaction with Barack Obamas performance in office are keeping Mitt Romney competitive in the presidential race but not by enough of a margin to overcome Obamas stronger personal profile. The result: A dead heat in voter preferences at the midsummer stage, with the prospect of an epic battle ahead.

While most Americans continue to disapprove of Obamas handling of the economy, thats not his only problem. More than half fault him on health care and immigration as well. Sixty-three percent say the countrys headed in the wrong direction, an unhelpful view for an incumbent. And among groups, hes losing swing-voting independents by a record 14 percentage points.

See PDF with full results, charts and tables here.

Yet Romney faces significant challenges of his own in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll. His supporters are more apt to be against Obama than explicitly for Romney a negative vote that can be less compelling than an affirmative one. His supporters are less strongly enthusiastic than Obamas. While Obama is vulnerable on the economy, Romney is weakly rated on having offered a clear economic plan. And Obama leads on a range of personal attributes empathy, standing up for his beliefs and, especially, basic likeability.

Obama also continues to prevail in expectations: Despite his troubles, this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, finds that Americans by 58-34 percent expect him ultimately to defeat Romney and win a second term. Thats Obamas best on this gauge to date (previously measured against the Republican nominee), a sharp difference from last October, when, with economic discontent at a higher pitch, 55 percent thought Obama would lose. Today, even among Romneys supporters, a quarter think Obama will win.

With a 47-47 percent Obama-Romney contest among registered voters, the overall results point to a sharply defined race: On one hand Obama, the more personally popular candidate, with a larger and more energized partisan base, yet weak performance scores; on the other Romney, his opportunities to capitalize on Obamas vulnerabilities complicated by his difficulties in capturing the publics imagination.

Helpful to Obama, given the economy, is the fact that in deciding their vote, Americans by 51-33 percent are focused more on what hed do in his second term as president than on what hes done in his first. Among registered voters who are more concerned about what Obamas done so far, Romney leads by 18 points, 55-37 percent. Among those more focused on what hed do if elected to a second term, by contrast, Obama leads by 59-36 percent, a 23-point margin. It marks why hes trying to point ahead (Forward is the campaign slogan); Romney, back.

ROOM Theres room to move: One in five of Romneys current supporters, and one in six of Obamas, say theres a chance they could change their mind and support the other candidate. Very few, though, say theres a good chance they could shift a mere 4 percent of Obamas supporters, 8 percent of Romneys.

That suggests that more than changing minds, the contest likely is to be about motivating turnout and here Obama has an edge. Among registered voters, half of his supporters (51 percent) are very enthusiastic, vs. 38 percent of Romneys. It can matter: Strong enthusiasm is a measure on which Obama crushed John McCain in 2008, and on which George W. Bush beat John Kerry in 2004. Still, while lagging, Romneys strong enthusiasm has improved by a dozen points since spring.

Link:
Dead Heat for Obama, Romney in Voter Preferences