All conversation between mammals is about relationship | Finn ...

Gregory Bateson was studying porpoise?communication when he realised that all conversation between mammals is about relationship.

(?Communication? here is meant in the widest sense, including gestures, movements and other types of non-verbal communication.)

At first the trainer would reward a porpoise?with a fish whenever it performed a particular trick. The porpoise learned what that meant, and this established a relationship between them.

Then the trainer made it more difficult: he wanted to reward the porpoise?only when it performed a new trick. But how could he communicate this?

At first the porpoise?did not understand the new rules. Indeed ?the experience of being wrong was so disturbing to the porpoise that in order to preserve the relationship between the porpoise and trainer it was necessary (in the trainer?s judgment) to give many reinforcements [fish] to which the porpoise was not entitled*.? When, eventually, the porpoise understood what was being asked of it, it ?put on an elaborate performance including eight conspicuous pieces of behaviour of which four were entirely new ? never before observed in this species of animal**.?

As Bateson subsequently realised, all communication between mammals is about relationship. The giving of ?undeserved? fish was about preserving the relationship. The putting on of an elaborate performance was about preserving the relationship. And when Bateson himself reported these findings in a lecture hall packed with other people interested in communication, the real communication that was going on was not about whales or porpoises but about the relationship between him and the people in the room. The ?speaker at the podium? was communicating in ways that asked for attention from the audience, and trying to them to see things in a new way. The audience in turn was showing respect for the speaker at the podium. And all within the ?rules? laid out for how to behave in a scientific conference about whales.

So what?

Things are not things, they are processes. Processes are relationships. Relationships are communication. Communication is about relationship.?The yellow duck is only yellow because we see it that way. It is our interaction with the world that shapes the way we see it.

So what? What does this have to do with strategy and sustainability?

Well, at a simple level, if all conversation between mammals is about relationship, then it means that when a manager asks (or tells) an employee to do something, what is really going on is that they are having a conversation about the relationship between them. The way the conversation happens (for example, asking or telling) communicates something about the relationship between them. And both parties will either agree or disagree with what is being unspoken about the relationship.

When twelve managers sit around a table discussing the monthly financial results, what they are really talking about is the relationship between them ? who has done ?well?, who needs to ?improve?.

When those managers talk about strategy, they are talking about the relationships between them and the outside world, which their strategy is going to interact with.

When people start looking for ?sustainable? ways of living and doing business, they are really looking for new ways to be in relationship with each other and with the world.

The story with the porpoise (*) illustrates that this can be a very tricky, and a very rewarding experience. In the first case,?severe pain and maladjustment can be induced by putting a mammal in the ?wrong? regarding its rules for making sense of an important relationship with another mammal. In the story above, it was?the porpoise who experienced upset when the trainer decided to change the rules. In our every day lives it is often the person who seeks to find a new way, a more ?sustainable? way, of relating who experiences rejection for being in the ?wrong? about his or her relationship with others.

But the story of the porpoise also shows (**) that if?this pain and maladjustment can be warded off, then the total experience may promote great creativity.

Tomorrow we look in a little more detail at what happens when we combine ?all conversation between mammals is about relationship? with ?the yellow duck is only yellow because we see it that way.?

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Panasonic TC-P55ST50

Panasonic plasma HDTVs have a well-deserved reputation for producing very dark black levels, and the TC-P55ST50 continues that trend. The 55-inch plasma panel not only delivers inky blacks, it's out of the box color accuracy is outstanding too. ?At $1,699.99 (list) it's not exactly a steal, but it's not quite as expensive as our reigning Editors' Choice plasma, last year's Samsung PN51D8000 ($2,299.99, 4 stars). The TC-P55ST50 is 3D ready, but it doesn't include glasses, which means you'll have to shell out upwards of $300 for active shutter 3D glasses for a family of four. You'll also pay more to run this set, since like many plasmas, it's not particularly energy efficient.

Design and Features
With the TC-P55ST50 Panasonic moves away from the glossy black bezel design used on earlier models, including the?Panasonic P50GT30 ($1,199.99, 3.5 stars) we reviewed last year. This time around the panel is framed by dark gray bezels with a slice of clear trim around the outer edge. A silver brushed aluminum base complements the cabinet and gives the set a touch of elegance. The stand does a fine job of supporting the 61-pound cabinet, but it doesn't swivel.

Behind the right-hand bezel are power, channel, and volume controls and an input select button that doubles as a menu button when you press and hold it. The rear of the cabinet holds all of the I/O connections; three HDMI ports, two USB ports, and an SD card slot are vertically mounted and face left for easy access. Ethernet, TV/antenna, and digital audio out connections sit horizontally under a recessed space notched into the back panel. Here you'll also find a proprietary mini-component video input port for use with the included component dongle. It's odd that Panasonic only equips this model with three HDMI ports considering most HDTVs have four, and in the case of the Sharp Elite Pro-60X5FD ($5,999, 4 stars), five.

The 9-inch remote has 43 buttons and a four-way directional rocker with an Enter button. The main keys have red backlighting that makes them easy to identify in a dark room. The three main keys (Menu, Internet, and Viera Tools) are situated above the rocker assembly, while the number keys and player controls are at the bottom of the remote along with a Help key that launches a built-in user manual.

There's also a 3D button that lets you view 2D content in a simulated 3D mode. As I found with the Sharp Elite Pro-60X5FD, converted 3D picture quality isn't up to snuff compared with true made-for-3D image quality. You don't get the depth and clarity that true 3D offers, and there's a good deal of crosstalk. As with the P50GT30, the P55ST50 does not include active shutter 3D glasses, so be prepared to part with an additional $80 per pair.

Image settings include five preset picture modes (Standard, Cinema, Custom, Vivid, Game) and your basics: Brightness, Contrast, Color, Tint, Sharpness, and Color Temperature. Panasonic's Pro settings allow you to adjust color space and set high and low white balance for reds, greens, and blues. Other Pro settings include panel brightness and gamma adjustment.

The Audio setting menu offers Bass, Treble, Balance, and Surround settings, as well as a volume leveler to keep those pesky commercials from blasting you out of your seat. The TC-P55ST50's 8-Train speaker system, consisting of eight mini domes and a slim but powerful subwoofer, provides a solid wall of sound with a good amount of bass, but the surround effect sounds thin.

Panasonic's selection of Web apps is top notch; streaming movie channels include Vudu, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant video, and CinemaNow, and you get Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and YouTube. Internet Sports channels include MLB, MLS, NBA, NHL, and Fox Sports. The Viera Market Connect menu offers plenty of free services as well as pay-for apps like Uno, Apple Muncher, and Let's Golf 2. And, there's a built-in Web browser.

Performance
I tested the TC-P55ST50 using images from the DisplayMate suite of HDTV diagnostic tests, SpectraCal's CalMAN software, and a CS-200 Chroma Meter. After a basic calibration the panel produced a nice dark black level reading of 0.02 cd/m², but it could only manage a peak brightness of 85.45 cd/m², which is tad darker than the P50GT30 (88.58 cd/m²) and quite dim compared with the Samsung PN51D8000 (244.92 cd/m²).

Out-of-the-box color accuracy was excellent. The panel practically hit the CIE (International Commission On Illumination) chromaticity coordinates for red, green, and blue on the nose, as shown in the CalMAN-generated diagram below. More importantly, the P55ST50 delivers an excellent picture; colors popped from the solid black background in the Seasonal Forests chapter of the BBC's Planet Earth Blu-ray, and shadow detail was outstanding in the darker Ocean Deep chapter. What's more, there was no evidence of the fringing effect that plagued the P50GT30. Off angle viewing was typical of a good plasma panel. There was no loss of luminance from an extreme side angle and colors remained bright and true.

3D performance was good, but not on a par with our Editors' Choice high-end LCD, the Sharp Elite Pro. I noticed some crosstalk while watching clips from IMAX Under The Sea 3D, but the artifacts were minor and didn't detract from the overall experience. Panasonic's glasses are lighter than most active shutter glasses, but aren't as comfortable as today's passive glasses, like the six pairs that come with the Editors' Choice Vizio M3D550KD ($1,429.99, 4 stars).

Plasma HDTVs aren't known for energy efficiency, and the P55ST50 is no exception. With Power Saving mode disabled, the set used 305 watts during my testing; that number dropped to 245 watts with it enabled. The P50GT30 averaged 225 watts, while the Samsung PN51D8000 used 105 watts in Standard mode. If energy efficiency is a deal breaker, consider an LED-backlit LCD model like the LG 55LM6700 ($2,299.99, 4 stars), which only consumed 67 watts.

Conclusion
The Panasonic P55ST50 is a tastefully designed 55-inch plasma HDTV that delivers very accurate colors, deep dark blacks, and wide off-angle viewing. Its $1,700 price tag is not unreasonable considering its performance, but you'll end up spending around $2000 if you need four pairs of 3D glasses. You don't get the brightness and superior image quality of the Samsung PN51D8000, but you do get a slightly bigger screen and a much smaller price tag.

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The Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog: BRCA Testing: What it ...

By: Brandy Korman

If you have a family history of breast cancer, chances are that you have been BRCA tested or are considering it.

BRCA is an acronym for BReast CAncer. Carrying the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutation can ultimately help determine a woman?s lifetime risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer. The likelihood that a breast and or ovarian cancer is associated with a BRCA 1 or 2 gene mutation is highest in families with a history of multiple cases of breast cancer.

Being a carrier of BRCA 1 or 2 however does not always mean that a woman will develop cancer, although research has shown that chances are five times higher in women who do carry the mutation. According to estimates of lifetime risk, about 12 percent of women (120 out of 1000) in the general population will develop breast cancer during their lives compared to about 60 percent of women who have inherited a BRCA 1 or 2 mutation.

BRCA testing is performed by blood tests which look for changes in DNA, as well as changes in proteins produced by these genes. Positive results generally indicate that a person has inherited a known harmful mutation and therefore has an increased risk of developing an associated cancer.

If you have received a positive BRCA test, you may be looking into options to help prevent cancer. Surveillance is extremely important even if you have not received a positive test result. Staying on top of mammograms and self-screening is crucial.

Some women may opt for prophylactic surgery which involves removing any at-risk tissue in order to reduce the chance of developing cancer. The option for immediate breast reconstruction has made prophylactic mastectomy a more desirable choice for some women.

Another option may be chemoprevention which essentially involves taking medication to reduce the risk of developing cancer. For example, the drug Tamoxifen has been shown in clinical trials to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer by about 50 percent in women who are at increased risk of developing cancer.

If you have tested positive for BRCA, or are interested in receiving more information on genetic testing, please visit www.cancer.gov. Learn more about reconstruction after prophylactic breast surgery here.

--

Thank you Brandy for this excellent article. Some great info here.

I'd like to add a couple of points...

BRCA gene mutations are associated with other forms of cancer too, not just breast and ovarian. Affected women can also have an increased risk of developing melanoma as well as cervical, uterine, pancreatic, gallbladder, stomach, and colon cancer (depending on the type of mutation).

BRCA gene mutations can also affect men and increase the risk of breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, testicular cancer, and prostate cancer. When it comes to testing other family members, I strongly recommend the men/boys are BRCA tested too.

I hope this info helps.

Dr C

*****

*****

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Clemens accuser says he 'misspoke' about evidence

After signing autographs, former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger?Clemens leaves federal court, Thursday, May 17, 2012, in Washington. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

After signing autographs, former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger?Clemens leaves federal court, Thursday, May 17, 2012, in Washington. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Former Major League baseball pitcher Roger Clemens' former trainer Brian McNamee leaves federal court in Washington, Thursday, May 17, 2012, after testifying in Clemens perjury trial. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Former Major League baseball pitcher Roger Clemens' former trainer Brian McNamee leaves federal court in Washington, Thursday, May 17, 2012, after testifying in Clemens perjury trial. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Autograph seekers wait for Former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger?Clemens to sign autographs after signing a newspaper , Thursday, May 17, 2012, in Washington, as his perjury trial concluded for the day. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger?Clemens autographs as baseball as he leaves federal court, Thursday, May 17, 2012, in Washington. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Roger Clemens' lawyer accused the baseball legend's former strength coach of changing testimony "on the fly," and the judge in the perjury trial imposed a time limit Friday on all future witnesses in an effort to speed things up.

Under relentless questioning in his fifth day on the stand, Brian McNamee admitted he "misspoke" while explaining some of the medical evidence he saved in a beer can.

"Isn't this a classic example of you making up this stuff on the fly?" asked attorney Rusty Hardin, who spent three days of cross-examination trying to portray McNamee as a serial liar.

McNamee is the main prosecution witness in the case against Clemens, who is accused of lying to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs. McNamee testified this week that he injected the seven-time Cy Young Award winner with steroids and human growth hormone.

Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton put both sides "on notice" that the trial needs to wrap up by June 8 ? or else it will have to recess for about a month because of various scheduling conflicts.

"And then we'll have some real unhappy jurors," Walton said.

The trial was supposed to last four to six weeks, but it's now wrapping up its fifth week ? and the government said Friday it still has nine witnesses to call. That's a decrease from the 14 witnesses the government stated on Thursday, but it wasn't enough to keep Walton from imposing a 90-minute limit for each side on each witness once McNamee is done.

"I've never done this, and I hate to," said Walton, who has been a judge for more than four decades.

Walton also said that closing arguments for each side will be limited to two hours.

McNamee has said he kept medical evidence after injecting Clemens with steroids in 2001 and stored some of the material in a Miller Lite beer can. But under cross-examination, he acknowledged that some of the items in the can were not in fact used on Clemens, such as a small bottle of human growth hormone, a needle to inject HGH and a bottle of saline solution used for such injections.

McNamee, Clemens' former strength and conditioning coach, also testified that a pin included in the beer can might not have been used on Clemens. He said it was either used on Clemens or another player, whom he did not name.

Hardin is trying to raise doubts about the integrity of the evidence.

"You were a police officer for three years, you know about chain of custody?" he asked.

"A little bit," McNamee replied.

"Haven't you testified that everything in the beer can was for Roger?" Hardin asked.

"Not everything," McNamee said. He added: "I've said that all along ? it could have been from three different players."

Although Hardin expressed shock that some items in the beer can were not used on Clemens, McNamee told congressional investigators the same thing in 2008, prior to the hearing in which he and Clemens testified.

An investigator questioned the source of the HGH in the beer can, because McNamee said he injected Clemens with HGH only in 2000, not 2001. The investigator asked if it was Chuck Knoblauch, who has admitted taking HGH.

"It can only be Knoblauch," McNamee replied.

Hardin angrily demanded to know how materials from other players "flew" into the beer can. When prosecutors objected, the lawyer said, "Well, how did they get in there?"

"I put them in the can that night" when he collected the items from Clemens, McNamee said.

When Hardin asked if McNamee ever told government investigators that he put the other players' material in the beer can that night, McNamee said: "It's never been asked that way before."

"I misspoke; I'm sorry," McNamee said.

___

Follow Fred Frommer at http://twitter.com/ffrommer

Follow Joseph White at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

Associated Press

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Nurses' pre-NATO rally expected to draw thousands

CHICAGO (AP) ? Thousands of anti-NATO demonstrators are expected to converge at a downtown plaza Friday for a rally that promises to be a prelude to a much larger march Sunday, when world leaders begin two days of talks. Meanwhile, many office buildings will be shuttered after workers were told to stay home amid warnings about heightened security, snarled transportation and the possibility of unruly protests.

National Nurses United officials have said they expect about 2,000 nurses to attend Friday's rally, where they will call for a "Robin Hood" tax on financial institutions' transactions to offset cuts in social services, education and health care. But city officials have said the rally likely will draw more than 5,000 because of a performance by former Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, an activist who has played at many Occupy events.

The union had scheduled the rally to coincide with the G-8 economic summit, which originally was to be held in Chicago but was moved to Camp David, Md. Midwest Director Jan Rodolfo said the nurses decided to go forward with the rally in the hope that their message would reach a worldwide audience.

"What we really hope for is a large, festive, hopeful, constructive tone regarding the Robin Hood tax and that everyone in attendance feels like they're part of a moment in history," Rodolfo said. She said the movement is much more momentum in other countries and "we're hoping to put it on the map" in the U.S.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. North American Aerospace Defense will hold training flights in downtown Chicago. Other small protests, including one targeting climate change, are planned.

Scattered protests over the past week have been relatively small, including a march through the "Magnificent Mile" shopping district that drew about 100 people Thursday.

But the much larger nurses' rally will mark a ramp-up to Sunday's anti-NATO march by underscoring that money spent fighting wars means less money for needs such as health care, education and other social programs, said Andy Thayer, an organizer of the anti-NATO march. His group ? Coalition Against the NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda ? has been working to draw those connections ever since President Barack Obama moved the G-8 summit, potentially dampening enthusiasm for a Chicago demonstration.

"I think it's really going to be big ... with the nurses," Thayer said. "That is going to be the 99 percent staking itself against the 1 percent, drawing the connections between the war abroad and the war on working people here at home.

"They are the front-line caregivers ... and the nurses to their credit understand the connections between NATO, G8 and the deplorable state of health care in our country and are speaking out about it."

Estimates of how many might show up Sunday have varied widely, from a couple thousand to more than 10,000. Busloads of demonstrators from around the country have begun arriving in Chicago, though some who had planned to come, including from the Occupy movement, have said they're staying home or going to an area near Camp David instead.

But some activists are anticipating they'll be joined by many more people than expected.

"Chicago has a reputation for resisting," including a 2003 demonstration against the Iraq War that flooded downtown Chicago with 10,000 people, said one of Thursday's protesters, Salek Khalid, a 21-year-old student at Northwestern University. "I feel comfortable saying Chicago will live up to its reputation, hopefully peacefully."

Police and the Secret Service have taken no chances, as Obama and 50 heads of state begin arriving for the NATO summit, where leaders will discuss the war in Afghanistan and European missile defense.

Security is high on trains. Barricades and fences have been erected around landmark buildings. Streets are being closed. And world-class museums are shutting down.

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said Thursday that the protesters so far "have been very well behaved." He said he did not anticipate that the tenor of Friday's rally would be different, but that if it is, "We are going to carry through with what we said we were going to do. We're going to facilitate the rights of these individuals while preventing criminal actions."

___

Associated Press Writer Jason Keyser contributed to this report.

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Russia vs Norway Live Stream Online, IIHF Ice Hockey QUARTER ...

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Bulgaria, Qatar, Turkey eye joint infrastructure projects

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