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  VANCOUVER, Wash. – Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and its incidence is increasing. Although new information is released frequently about the disease, there is much to learn. Zebrafish provide a great study model.
 
The melanophore cells in the fish are genetically very similar to human melanocytes.  Human melanocytes are responsible for hair, eye and skin color, said Cynthia Cooper, assistant professor of molecular biosciences at Washington State University Vancouver. Melanoma is a malignant tumor of the melanocytes.
 
“As we learn more and more about what maintains normal melanocyte properties and inhibits the development of melanoma, were going to be able to develop more specific treatments for this disease,” Cooper said.
 
Her Zebrafish Genetics Lab is lined with specially designed tanks, home to hundreds of the tiny fish. Their darting shimmer is highlighted by horizontal stripes along each side.
Since zebrafish melanophores use many of the same genes as their human counterparts, we think we can learn a lot about the biology of human melanoma by studying these cells, Cooper said.
 
She intends that her research will contribute to the understanding of melanoma and the efforts to combat it.
 
Finding new genes and mechanisms that help these cells remain normal in humans could be very instrumental in understanding and preventing this disease” she said.
 
To learn more about Coopers research, click here. 

There has been the “silver bullet” debate, the “secret sauce” battle, the “demonize teacher” tirades, and the “cracking the code” kerfuffle over Waiting for Superman. Now, according to Diane Ravitch, it’s the miracle workers perfidy. Sinners, get ye to your rosary beads – and fast!

According to Ravitch, writing in a recent New York Times op-ed essay, titled, of course, Waiting for a School Miracle, all these high-powered education reformers, from President Obama to Arne Duncan to Jeb Bush to Michael Bloomberg, are claiming “miracles” for their reform efforts; and Ravitch is there, a one-woman Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Devil’s Advocate, to throw some almighty holy water on the hype fires.

The problem is that slippery rhetoric is as unhelpful as saucy statistics.  In her Times essay Ravitch very clearly cites four speeches (including a press conference) and four schools,  to illustrate her point that “the accounts of miracle schools demand closer scrutiny”:  Obama in his 2011 State of the Union praises the Bruce Randolph School in Denver;  then, it’s Duncan addressing the 20^th Anniversary Teach for America celebration last February commending Urban Prep Academy in Chicago; then Bush (and Obama and Duncan) at a Miami High School event in March, before a crowd of adoring high schoolers being extolled for their progress; finally, Bloomberg gushing over PS-33 in New York at a 2005 news conference. (Sorry, I don’t have a cite to the press conference; I will assume, perhaps too boldly, that Bloomberg praised the schools improvement and that its probably true, as Ravitch says, the school fell back to earth.)

“[T]he only miracle at these schools was a triumph of public relations,” says Ravitch.  But the only person calling these improvements miraculous is Diane Ravitch.  None of the reformers use the word; I suspect because they know what it means. I suspect that Ravitch also knows what it means, which is why she employs it in order to continue her seemingly relentless attack on the reform movement. But these kinds of rhetorical gimmicks are unfortunate, especially if the intent is to improve education opportunities for America’s children. (I had a similar bone to pick recently with the Cato folks over their insistence on calling a “common” curriculum a “nationalized” curriculum. See my War of Words ) Indeed, we always need scrutiny of claims. But if we are accusing folks of claiming miracles, then the standards of scrutiny demand that those folks should at least have used the word.  You’ve either been to Medjugorje or you haven’t.

Ravitch has the same problem with poverty.  “To prove that poverty doesn’t matter,” she writes in the Times essay, “political leaders point to schools that have achieved stunning results in only a few years despite the poverty around them.” Who is claiming that “poverty doesn’t matter?” Again, there is not a single quote from any of the high-powered people Ravitch attempts to skewer that claims “poverty doesn’t matter.” Why? Because those are Ravitch’s words, not theirs.

Skepticism  about claims of success is always a good thing, as Liam suggested earlier, but Ravitch undermines her credibility by inventing these weak-kneed and flammable straw men to set fire to. And her cherrypicking of schools that don’t match the hype is not helpful or productive to school improvement efforts either.  Facts still matter – but so do words.  And if no one is claiming a miracle cure for bad schools or saying that poverty doesn’t count, then let’s not put those words in their mouths.

Praise the Lord!

Peter Meyer, Bernard Lee Schwartz Policy Fellow

College hairstyles are all about looking fantastic with minor work. From short hair to lengthy hair, you will find types that can be carried out with a handful of bobby pins plus a hair tie, leaving you with just enough time for you to look above your notes and run to class.

Beachy Waves It is possible to accomplish beachy waves by taking one-inch sections of ones hair and wrapping them about a curling iron. Usually do not clamp down the curling iron, as an alternative maintain the ends of your hair to maintain the hair wrapped round the barrel for thirty to 45 seconds. Carry on right up until youve finished curling all of your hair. Spray your entire head with has a light hairspray and let the type set for 3 to five minutes. Run your fingers by means of your hair to upset the curls and also have then commence to take it easy into waves.

Slip on the Headband For an elegant design that is so Blair on Gossip Girl, smooth out your hair using a brush, then pull on the broad headband to cover up messier strands and glimpse instantly polished. Try a shiny patent leather headband in an outfit-coordinating shade for the super-trendy glimpse that is extremely right-now.

Do a Messy Bun This can be the fundamental go-to staple for most university girls because it takes two seconds. Collect your hair on top rated of ones head and wrap an elastic band all around 2-3 occasions. Next, form the bun having a number of bobby pins that match your hair shade, pull out a few ends to generate it messier, and end with a spray of hairspray.

Hair Poof This really is a great way to conceal bangs that may be at that awkward stage when you are developing them out. Separate the section of hair from a single temple to an additional and tease it which has a rat-tail comb. Now, lay it on the top of your head and push it somewhat ahead to make the poof. Safe it with two bobby pins in an X-form about the back again on the poof.

The effortless simple fact is often that virtually any hairstyle which you basically are comfy with may well be worn within a school setting. This permits you to produce your personal kind whilst nevertheless turning into wanting to shell out a great deal much more time on your own scientific studies and significantly less time worrying about your hair..

Choosing a college handbag that fits your needs can be difficult. In various department shops and online shops, there are different types of college handbags that a student can choose in terms of design, style, and volume capacity. But for a college student, a good handbag for school use should be able to contain some book, notebook, pen, mobile phone, little make-up kit, and other things like organizers, net book, PDAs, or music players.

What to look for in a handbag?

For someone who is in school, it is not advisable to buy designer handbags that are very expensive. It is suggested that you buy affordable handbags that are durable enough for regular usage and as container for heavy objects like books or net books. Later on when you finish college and got a hype job, then it’s the moment you can invest on expensive bags.

Consider a tote bag rather than a handbag

A tote bag made out of genuine leather that can anything because it has many side pockets and inside pockets. A leather bag looks neat for any college student and whatever outfit your wearing, you don’t have to deal with your bag if they match or not because a black leather bag can be paired up with anything.

If your budget is limited and into fashion, you might as well purchased designer-inspired bags. They look glamorous enough but sometimes quality can be sacrificed. Just choose well.

Top 5 Handbags

Classic Black Large Bowknot Ruffle Double Handle Leatherette Satchel Hobo Handbag

This bag is for the lady-like. It has a ruffle design and comes in sophisticated black. It comes in oval handles that makes it very classy. This is made out of thick cloth. This is perfect for a college night-out and strut your way while your friends look at your bag in awe.

Red Large Vicky Giraffe Print Faux Leather Satchel Bag Handbag Purse

This bag is made out of faux leather. It is has very neat sewn stitches, and can be worn daily or regularly because of its durability. The handle is color read with a body of a giraffe print. It’s very stylish that can be worn most of your college errands.

Foley + Corinna Mid City Tote

This bag is both elegant and laid-back. It a convertible bag; it has a fold-over feature and an attachable strap. This is perfect on-the-job trainings or inside the campus because of its sophisticate design.

Beige Tan Soft Embossed Ostrich Double Handle Oversized Hobo Satchel Purse Handbag

This comes bag is classic. It brown handles with zippered top that makes it easier to open in the interior; it is spacious that compliments your daily necessities.

Pallie Bags Honee Hobo

This bag has a cork lining with super-soft textured leather that makes it comfortable to carry. It‘s design is chic that comes in a color of pale orange.

      PULLMAN, Wash. – Fresh out of college, horticulture degree in hand, Wayne Shull was gung-ho, and wanted to solve the worlds food problems. Gary Collins found himself energized by John F. Kennedys call to action: ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.   Shull and Collins recently joined fellow WSU employees Sara Schofield and Doug Young to share their Peace Corps experiences with about a dozen prospective WSU student volunteers.   After watching a video and learning some facts about the Peace Corps – it is 50 years old this year, the average age of volunteers is 28, more than 200,000 people have served; there are 42 WSU volunteers serving – the audience listened and asked questions about the real life experiences of the WSU staff and faculty panelists.  

A gain, not a loss

  Dont think of the experience as two years that will be lost out of your life, cautioned Collins, who served in Lome, the capital city of Togo, 1966-68. Instead, Look at the time as a stepping stone to the rest of your life.   These sentiments were echoed by Young, who served in Kenya 1968-1970. He said the experience is the start of the rest of your life. It makes your life richer.   It certainly was a life enriching experience for Young, who met his future wife on a blind date on a street corner in Nairobi. She was serving with the Norwegian Volunteer Service in Kenya.  

Adjusting to a slower pace

  What does it take to be a successful Peace Corps volunteer? Literature handed out at the meeting used terms such as flexibility, adaptability, patience and resourcefulness – to handle scenarios such as: two years of showering in cold water in the Andes, living without a hair dryer, using yardsticks and buckets to do science experiments, and setting up for a 10 a.m. meeting and not having anyone show up until noon.   Wanting to help people grow and eat better food, Shull worked with large seed manufacturers in the United States to acquire seeds and also got lentils from the Palouse. The Colombian farmers enthusiastically grew the fruits and vegetables and sold them at the market, but continued to eat a diet of beans and rice.   Shull had to temper his gung-ho attitude, learning to be “tranquilo,” patient, about what he could realistically accomplish.   Getting used to a different concept of productivity and time meant that there was a lot of unbusy time. Volunteers used that time to read, often by lantern or candlelight, and reflect on their lives. Each had periods of adjustment from the fast-paced life in America to the slower rural pace of their host countries.   Schofield stopped wearing a watch during her service in Banjul, the capital of The Gambia, in 2002-2004. She laughed as she spoke of the fact that they were on GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), which she and other volunteers dubbed Gambia Mean Time.  

Modern communication eases isolation

  Communication for the volunteers serving in the 1960s and 70s differed greatly from Schofields. The major form of communication for the earlier volunteers was letter writing, which meant about a month turnaround from writing the letter to receiving a reply. Often there was only one phone in the village and calls were very expensive.   Schofield was able to communicate daily via text messages so she did not have to be out of touch with people at home or other volunteers in-country.   Re-entry to the United States was a reverse culture shock for the older volunteers. They experienced anti-war protests, seeing TV again, and driving a car after two years of not doing so. It was like learning to drive all over again, said Shull.  

Able to relate to international students

  When asked what impact the experience had on their careers at WSU, the common theme was improved ability to relate to international students and their challenges in a country where they are non-native speakers in a different culture. Because of the number of international students at WSU, this understanding has especially helped Schofield, who works in the Athletic Department and Health and Wellness Services, and Young, who has mentored many of these students during his career.   Collins returned to the U.S. energized to enter graduate school. Schofield said her supervisor, Dennis Garcia, told her that her Peace Corps experience got her the interview for her job.   She was coming from New York, and the search committee did not believe she would move to Pullman. Garcia convinced the committee that if she could survive in West Africa for two years, she could handle Pullman.   Shull was able to take advantage of the non-competitive status the Peace Corps service afforded him for government jobs, landing a position with the U.S.  Department of Agriculture on campus.   Young, who worked on a United Nations Kenya government livestock survey project, got an opportunity to spend 18 months in Brazil because of his Peace Corps experience. After that stint, he came to WSU and said his experience as a minority in another culture helped him to be a more effective faculty advisor to international students.  

Encouraging today’s volunteers

  The consensus of these Peace Corps volunteers is that their lives are better for having served for two years in a different country. Shull gives talks to Peace Corps volunteers who are about to leave for their assignments and is considering returning to South America when he retires from WSU. No longer the gung-ho 20-something he was in 1978, he is looking forward to the slower pace of life – tranquilo.

William Damon, professor of education at Stanford and a Hoover Institution fellow, has written a book, Failing Liberty 101, about young Americans’ ignorance or eschewal of civic virtue and the extreme danger for the United States such disregard engenders. The threat of an uneducated citizenry, writes Damon, is “a threat far more serious than any foreign enemy could ever pose” and is “the most serious danger Americans now face—greater than terrorism.”

To get directly to the point, young people who are unexcited by George Washington are not a danger graver than foreign enemies or terrorists. Such an assertion itself indicates a poverty of historical understanding; the ascension of Nazism, communism, and radical Islamism were and are indisputable, clear, potent threats to the United States. It is not dramatic or demagogic to further note that tens of thousands of Americans died while doing battle against these very real, very un-theoretical threats. It is frankly bizarre to claim that such noxious ideologies and their offspring are superseded in menace by young Americans’ lack of civic awareness.

And yet, it is not so bizarre. To deploy “crisis” rhetoric when describing educational setbacks is now de rigueur. Generally, it’s annoying; usually, it’s dishonest; frequently, it’s harmful. But at what point does it become simply tasteless?

It’s too bad, because Damon doesn’t need to call up the eschatological stuff to make his point, which is, basically, that a citizenry uneducated in history and virtue and “citizenship” will be less likely to recognize or defend America against “the encroachments on liberty that regularly arise in the normal throes of social life.” This seems true. Damon, however, fails to convince that young Americans today are so much less educated in this regard than young Americans 25, 50, or 75 years ago.

Was civic virtue higher in the U.S. in 1960, when black Americans were widely disenfranchised and abused, than it is today, when the country is led by a black president? Was knowledge of American history higher in the U.S. in 1920, when 6 percent of Americans (and 23 percent of black Americans) were illiterate, than it is today? Was patriotism among young Americans higher in 1968, when U.S. soldiers were not infrequently met with jeers and insults and dirty looks, than it is today? Perhaps. But one would like to see some compelling data proving it.

Furthermore, Damon writes, “A student can learn how to be a good American citizen only by learning the particular rights and obligations that United States citizenship entails. Students can understand the meaning of these rights and obligations only by learning about the American constitutional tradition as it has evolved since the nation’s founding.” This assumes that American-ness, so to speak, derives purely from the philosophical and political documents derived in the late-18th century. But is that so? Does American-ness, our national character, really remain so fully dependent on the Constitution; or has it not, in the 220-odd years since that document’s invention, grown and changed and sprouted numerous different forms unrelated to the Constitution and, while retaining its ancestral genes, become varied and complex? Does Damon suggest than an American who knows little to nothing about the convention of 1787 can never be a real American? One wonders how many young people fighting in Afghanistan have never read the Constitution—do they lack patriotism or civic virtue? It is not a glib question but a serious and considered one.  

None of this is to say that it isn’t better to know about James Madison than to be ignorant of the man, but it is to say that America’s future may not hinge on such knowledge. Surely Chomsky has read The Federalist.