Because you would have an economy

Yet throughout that time, Sir Bernard was employed as a civil servant, not as a political adviser like Alastair Campbell or Andy Coulson.Mrs Thatcher had not come across him before she entered Downing Street, and probably would not have appointed him if she had thought that a press secretary's job was of major importance.It was Sir Bernard who persuaded her that she had to apprise herself of what was in the newspapers and take seriously the practice we now call spin-doctoring.Before Mrs Thatcher, his political boss was the Labour Secretary of State for Energy, Tony Benn, of whom he speaks with mocking affection: "He's a sort of endearing national treasure now. I find him quite hilarious."The other unusual aspect of Sir Bernard's story is that he is the son of a Labour councillor from Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire, who once ran for a council seat as a Labour candidate and worked as a journalist on The Guardian before joining the civil service.

When The Independent caught up with him, he was intent on compounding the offence"They're thick as two planks, aren't they?" he said, laughing as he spoke. "As I said, it's bovine stupidity. Never mind, they'll get over it, when they've had a dose of [Ed] Balls."While he does not claim that the 2008 banking crash was entirely caused by "Gordon Brown and his acolytes" – which seems a fair point, since the problem began with people defaulting on their mortgages in the US – he repeats the often heard Tory allegation that the UK government's deficit is a product of "gross overspending".

But how could it be in the interests of people in northern cities, where unemployment is rife and the state is the main employer, to vote Conservative, when the Conservatives are on a mission to cut back the state?"Because you would have an economy: you wouldn't have one with this Labour lot," he replied. "And this is the problem: people get into their minds that there is a certain class of people in this country, ie the Tories in this case, who are dangerous and damaging. I don't even believe that of a lot of Labour MPs, but I do think that the economics of Labour are potentially damaging, especially in the hands of people like Balls. They think that the Tories are all la-di-da, but the Tories aren't like that any more."

Divorce As a Teaching Tool

Parents are superheroes. You keep your children safe, protected and cared for every day. As parents and caregivers, you are capable of putting aside anything when it comes to the welfare of your children. Consider the mother who lifts a car to save her child trapped underneath or the father who works multiple jobs to pay for his son's private schooling. Parents are the everyday heroes of our lives and, like all people, face down adversity and sometimes reality for the betterment of the children. However, when confronted with the trauma of separation and divorce, many parents falter.Divorce, in many cases, is to parenting what kryptonite is to Superman. Just as Superman time and again worked around or through the devastation of kryptonite,Explain that during divorce so to will you have to work parenting around the wreckage of divorce. Divorce doesn't have to render you powerless, you just have to consider it from another angle and turn it to your advantage.

When we step back and look at divorce from a distance, we see two people attempting to function in adversity. What many parents forget to take into account is that the ways in which you behave and present yourself directly impacts your children and will implicitly teach them how to act in the face of heartbreak and distress.You not only need to act with integrity to teach your children how to behave through conflict, but you also have to grasp the opportunity to explicitly teach them ways to handle complex emotions, develop tools to cope with change and provide an environment that supports positive thinking. Imagine empowering your children with the tools to face change and heartbreak in the future. In this regard, divorce can become a teaching tool for life skills and emotional intelligence that will not only make your children more resilient but also better people.

There is a wonderful saying that comes from Yogi Bhajan:"If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it."Divorce is your time to become a master of change and emotional intelligence for your children. You may be hurt, but you are still wearing the cape of parenthood. You can continue to be the superhero by making your pain and recovery teachable moments for your children.You can set your intention each day by focusing on your goals and how you plan to achieve them. A proactive approach to your divorce will show your children that even in conflict, one must act in order to accomplish their desires.

Explain that during divorce

Teachable Moment: Open a dialogue about divorce. Share that your heart is hurt without going into detail but explain that you still go to work, buy groceries and make dinner -- even when you'd rather just sleep it all away. Have your children share a time when they were upset about something and did not want to go to school. Ask them to share how they worked past their hurt feelings and carried on. How did they feel after the day was over? Use this moment to show that continuing your routines and practices actually helps you feel better.You can be a SuperParent through divorce by consistently acting with integrity. Keep the same rules and routines you had from before the divorce to create stability for your children. Divorce is just as hard if not harder on children as it is on you. Speak only with integrity about your ex; saying hurtful things about a child's parent is traumatizing. Use your coach or your journal to purge negative thoughts and speech.

Teachable Moment: Explain that during divorce, husbands and wives often get angry with each other. Sometimes, when angered, people will say cruel things or act inappropriately - neither of which helps anyone feel better. State that rather than acting in anger, you can choose to release your emotions in a constructive way. Counting to ten, writing your feelings, and vigorous exercise are all great outlets for anger and frustration. Have the children share ways they they can let out their anger without hurting another.

Divorce is complicated and the process can be frustrating even for the boldest of SuperParents. When your children see you receiving help - and recovering - you teach them that it is perfectly acceptable to seek assistance from others. Hire a coach to help you understand your emotions. Then master them by sharing what you learn with your children. Be sure to rely upon the assistance of divorce financial planners and attorneys as well. Their advice will only help you to reach a satisfactory settlement.Teachable Moment: Explain that sometimes even adults face challenges that are too difficult to work on alone. Share an experience you've had receiving help from others. Have your children share their own experiences. How did they feel after getting help? What did they learn from their helper? Finally, brainstorm ways you can all help each other.

Researchers primarily from the University of Maryland

Researchers primarily from the University of Maryland, along with Google, have created a new tool to help scientists monitor forest disturbance. The researchers have synthesized 12 years' worth of satellite imagery into a maplike interactive tool illustrating recent changes in the extent of forest cover around the world. Their findings were published Thursday in the journal Science.Can This Tool Predict Your Next Facebook Status? By providing a record of changes in forested areas across the globe, the tool can be used to help track threats to biodiversity, the effectiveness of policies that protect forest areas and the release of carbon long tied up in trees and other organic material, among other forest health issues.Trees absorb carbon dioxide for use in photosynthesis, making them one of the most effective natural tools to remove the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.

The map includes any area that charted gains or losses in forest cover during the observed period. Areas that experienced no change in the amount of forest cover are shown as blacked out.More than 650,000 Landsat satellite images taken between 2000 and 2012 were drawn on to create the map. By some estimates, it could have taken a lone computer 15 years to process that volume of data, but because of Google's involvement it took just a few days, said Matthew Hansen, a professor of geographical sciences at the University of Maryland and the study's lead author. Still, he said, even with its enormous processing power, Google's servers broke a sweat.

"When they ran it, the lights dimmed," Dr. Hansen said.Previous efforts at forest mapping have been at very coarse resolutions, he said. With a spatial resolution of 30 meters almost 33 yards, the map stands as the most visually refined tool of its kind."At 30 meters you start to see things a lot more clearly," Dr. Hansen said.At that resolution, he said, the tool can be used to help shape deforestation policy, even on a local scale. Still, despite an interface much like Google Maps — the resource was developed using the Google Earth Engine platform — the interactive graphic doesn't zoom down to individual stands of trees, for instance, the way a pastiche of satellite images might. Rather, it illustrates changes in land character using color blocking.

Can This Tool Predict Your Next Facebook Status?

Shaw said he has no idea when Bryant will take the court for the first time since undergoing surgery in April, but added, "I know he'll do everything in his power to strengthen up that area that's injured and give himself every chance to come back and play at the level that he's accustomed to playing at."He also knows that whether Bryant is playing or not, he'll still be a valuable reference point when trying to connect with his Nuggets team."Kobe, there's a uniqueness about him in terms of his will to compete and to want to be the best -- his thirst for being the best -- that no one else has, and so I understand that," Shaw said. "But anytime I can use a story or an analogy to try to motivate guys to understand what it really takes to be good and to perform on that level night in and night out, especially when every team is game planning to stop you, I use it."

On "what would I say?" — which appears to have been created over the weekend for the hackers conference HackPrinceton 2013 and is being circulated on Twitter — users log in with their Facebook accounts and click the "Generate Status" button. Using a Markov bot, the app takes text from your past Facebook statuses and blurts out one based on what it thinks you would write. And the tool itself does not store your Facebook information; "only your browser ever sees your post history," according to the site description. A user of custom timelines could create a list of anything on Twitter, from news about major events, like the destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, to less weighty matters like the best cat jokes ever posted on Twitter.

"Whether you want to collect the best tweets about a TV show or help people find the latest information about fast-moving real-time situations, custom timelines lets you give everyone a place to follow along," wrote Brian Ellin, a product manager at Twitter, in a blog post announcing the tool.Custom timelines also help Twitter address one of its biggest problems: It is often hard to find meaning amid the chaos of half a billion Twitter posts a day.Essentially, Twitter is hoping to enlist its most dedicated fans as tour guides. The company said the political news site Politico, the British newspaper The Guardian and Carson Daly, host of "The Voice," were early users of the timeline tool.

Google launches crisis tools to help the Philippines deal with the aftermath of a powerful typhoon

The bills would also require scrap dealers to take still pictures or video of items offered for sale, which law enforcement officials say will make it easier to connect stolen goods with the thieves responsible.Michigan makes the 10th highest number of claims for scrap metal theft in the nation. Earlier this year, the Michigan State Police told the Free Press that the number of illegal scrapping incidents reported skyrocketed from 527 in 2011 to 1,402 in 2012.The Michigan chapter of the Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries, the scrap dealers' trade association, has opted not to weigh in on the House bills, saying that the group is working with legislators. The bills are widely supported by law enforcement agencies,Tigers making moves to re-tool for another 2014 run as well as by utility and railroad companies — both frequent targets of scrappers.

Scrapping is a perennial problem, and it's one that needs fixing. State Senate approval of these bills is an important step.A second set of anti-scrapping bills is making its way through the state Senate. That package, among other things, would require a permit for scrap dealers, require the State Police to make a registry for scrapping offenders, financed by half of a newly created $1-per-scrap-transaction fee, paid by dealers.It's important to remember that most scrap dealers are legitimate businesspeople who operate in compliance with the law. Any legislative remedy must strike the right balance, providing tools for law enforcement, realistic safeguards and significant penalties for wrongdoers without imposing unfair restrictions on honest dealers and honest scrappers.

Google announced today it has launched crisis tools to help gather and relay information to do with the devastation wrought by a powerful typhoon in the Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan also known as Yolanda left a trail of destruction over the weekend, with officials fearing that up to 10,000 people may have died.The tools include Google Person Finder, a Web app for individuals to either search for someone else or leave details about yourself and others. "As the number of names and records build, the tool will hopefully make it easier for those who are safe to pass on their news to anyone worried about them," Google notes. A mobile version of the tool is also available.Google has also come up with a Typhoon Yolanda Relief Map, which provides updates on shelters and other information from the disaster zone.

Tigers making moves to re-tool for another 2014 run

Our GM tenure began the moment Koji Uehara vanquished our World Series aspirations. While Dave Dombrowski did a great job leading the team this far, myself and Mr. J were brought aboard by the Ilitch family to get the team over the top. Our youthful exuberance and fondness for GIFs as teaching tools in the clubhouse were seen as big positives during the interview process, which consisted of an email or two.The simulated winter meetings began on Monday, November 3rd at 9:00 a.m. While there were preliminary talks with other teams over drinks during the weekend leading up to the meetings, no action occurred until the meetings began. It was not soon after, however, that we made our first move.

We're still not sure why Dave Dombrowski turned down Mr. Veras' services in real life, but the Fake Tigers sure are glad to welcome him back in the fold for 2014. Our organization will be changing its game management philosophies in part to maximize the bullpen's efficiency, and we saw Jose as part of that plan. Speaking of changing our organization's philosophies, that leads me to our next move...During our interviews with the Fake Brad Ausmus that I made up in my head, Brad was eager to implement our sabermetric philosophies into his game planning. Terms of his contract were not released, in part because I didn't have time at work to negotiate with myself over what our fake manager would make.One of the most important aspects of a general manager's job during the offseason is deciding which players to retain and which to let go.

Luckily for us, things were not so difficult. Of the Tigers' nine arbitration-eligible players, Phil Coke and Don Kelly were the only two to not receive contract tenders for the 2014 season.At this point, our main goal was similar to what the real-life goal should be for this Tigers team: re-sign Omar Infante and shore up the bullpen. Both of these goals have been met.According to sources, the Tigers' deal with Fake Infante is worth $30 million over three years. In a vacuum, the price seems steep. However, compared to what other free agents are getting, this seems to be a bargain.

Islip offers golf to kids with autism

"The kids don't think it's therapy. Aiden thinks it's just sports time," said Lorenzo, an aide to town Councilman Anthony Senft who learned about the program when therapist Alexander Lopez spoke at a recent town board meeting.Through Councilman Steve Flotteron, the town has worked with Lopez in the past on a golf program aimed at mentoring troubled teenagers in Brentwood.The program was so successful that Lopez launched similar programs at universities in Newark and Salt Lake City.Flotteron noted that these collaborative programs reach out to local youths without costing taxpayer money. "It costs the town nothing," he said.Lopez said he started Inclusive Sports and Fitness to help the children improve through the fun and activity of the sport.

"They're working on their balance, working on their coordination," Lopez said, adding that golf involves core exercises such as "crossing your midline" and hand-eye coordination.The 10-week program takes place on town golf facilities and at Give It Your All Sports in Ronkonkoma, which rents Lopez the facility at a discount. The town waives fees for use of the golf courses.While Lopez and other therapists volunteer their time along with student interns from Stony Brook University and Touro College, Lopez charges a $30 fee for each 90-minute session to pay for facilities and for a yoga teacher, who provides the youths another form of exercise.Golf is especially useful for teaching body motion to children, said Holbrook Country Club's golf pro Bill Leposa, who advised Lopez on developing the program.

"It has the instant gratification of seeing the ball move," Leposa said. "There's no body type required, either. As long as you can move this way and that way," he added, demonstrating the classic golf swing.The golf program, now in its second session,To keep things interesting is geared toward high-functioning children with autism who are 6 to 11 years old and left out of mainstream youth sports."Sports after a certain grade level gets very complicated, very cliquish," Lopez said. "These kids, they just need attention. They're not getting the resources anymore and they become sedentary. This is designed to help them strengthen their bodies."