WcP Blog

Today the U.S. marks 40 years since the assassination of Senator Robert F Kennedy, known as Bobby, as he campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination.

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Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who was Maryland's first female lieutenant governor, is still moved by the strangers who approach her to describe how her father inspired them. "Not a day goes by that someone doesn't come up to me and say they were affected by my father's legacy in some way," Townsend, now 56, said during an interview this week at a Lutherville coffee shop.

Forty years ago, Kennedy was leaving a victory celebration at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles when he was felled by an assassin's bullets. Kennedy had just won the California Democratic primary for president. He died on June 6, 1968 at age 42. His death shattered his family, people across the nation and a generation of young idealists who had looked to him with hope during a decade of great upheaval. Though shaken, many went on to follow his path. Today, notable Marylanders point to his legacy of social justice, integrity and courage as an enduring inspiration for their lives and deeds.

Robert Kennedy's death came two months after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and five years after his brother, President John F. Kennedy, was slain in Dallas. Tydings, a former U.S. attorney for Maryland, worked closely with Kennedy when he was U.S. attorney general in his brother's administration. Of all the Kennedy memorabilia lining the walls of his Washington office, Tydings cherishes a photo of him and RFK taken during a hearing of the Senate Committee of the District of Columbia. Home improvement operators were preying on city dwellers, remembers Tydings. In the photo, Kennedy is staring ahead, his eyes penetrating. "If you look at him, that's the real Bobby Kennedy," he said. "Really worried about protecting those who needed to be protected; willing to wade in where angels fear to tread. Well, there were not many like him."

When her uncle was assassinated, Kathleen was 12. Shortly after, her father wrote her a letter she has framed and hung in her front hall. It said: "As the eldest of the Kennedy grandchildren, you have a special responsibility to Joe and John and to all the grandchildren and the country. Be kind to others and serve our country. Love, Daddy." "What's interesting and really amazing about that letter is the lack of bitterness and anger and resentment," she said. "What is more compelling about that letter, even more so than 'work for your country' is 'move forward.' Don't choose anger. It is a very strong message."

Now a married mother of four daughters, Townsend lives in Baltimore County. She teaches at Georgetown University, serves on various boards and remains fixed on her father's belief in politics as the highest of callings. "What I was most struck with was his notion of democracy," she said. "His notion that government is not something that does things to you, but for you. He had this wonderful heart, but what he understood is if you are going to have real change, you need to change the laws, you need to change politics."

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Photos courtesy of Twp

Original Source: Baltimore Sun

Footage: Bobby Kennedy's last speech

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CAMBRIDGE - Acclaimed author J.K. Rowling, whose boy wizard captured the interest of countless readers with the "Harry Potter" series, urged Harvard graduates yesterday to use their imaginations to create a better world. In an earnest, personal speech, the British author reminded students that their talents and opportunities carry "unique status and unique responsibilities," and challenged them to use their gifts for the greater good.

"That is your privilege and your burden," she said. "If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice, if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless, if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped transform for the better." "We do not need magic to change the world," she continued. "We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: We have the power to imagine better."

Recalling her work in her 20s at Amnesty International, where she heard the experiences of political prisoners under totalitarian regimes, the 42-year-old Rowling extolled the transformative "power of human empathy" to forge collective action. "Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation," she said. "In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared." "Those who choose not to empathize enable real monsters," she added.

Rowling, who was awarded an honorary doctor of letters degree, also stressed what she called the "benefits of failure," recalling a dark period in her late 20s, that while painful was also liberating. "I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea," she said. "And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."

Rowling began her remarks in light-hearted fashion, quipping that the invitation to speak was not only a great honor, but had helped her lose weight through the anxiety of preparation. "A win-win situation!" she said. "Now all I have to do is take deep breaths, squint at the red banners, and fool myself into believing I am at the world's best-educated Harry Potter convention."

Rowling was introduced by Harvard president Drew Faust, who welcomed "witches, wizards, and muggles of all ages" and, with a chuckle, said she recognized she was merely "the warm-up act." Some 7,000 students received diplomas yesterday morning in a ceremony marked by tradition and jubilant celebrations. Harvard Yard was thronged for the graduation, which featured a lengthy address in Latin and marshals dressed in coats and tails and black top hats.

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Photos courtesy of AP Photo/Lisa Poole and Boston Herald/Stuart Cahill

Original Source: Boston Globe

The entire text, video and audio of J.K. Rowling Harvard Commencement speech can be found online at The Leaky Cauldron.

"Madrid and Tokyo would seem to be the cities to beat in the race for the 2016 Olympics following the release of the short list determined Wednesday by the IOC Executive Board meeting in Athens. Cut from the field of seven cities were Baku, Doha and Prague. The EB decided on the short list after receiving a report on the seven cities prepared by a panel of IOC experts. The cities were scored by the experts on a 10-point scale across 11 categories. Based on the maximum score received in each category, Madrid and Tokyo ranked consistently higher than the rest of the field and tied in some categories.

In the category of government support, legal issues and public opinion, Madrid scored 9, followed by 8.8 for Rio de Janeiro, 8.5 for Tokyo and 7.9 for Chicago. For general infrastructure, Madrid and Tokyo tied with 8.9, followed by Chicago at 7.4 and Rio de Janeiro with 7.2. Sports venues scores put Madrid at the top with 8.8, followed by 8.7 for Tokyo. Rio de Janeiro scored 7.4 and Chicago 7.2. Tokyo took top spot for its Olympic Village – 8.9 -- with Madrid next at 8.7, Chicago following with 8.6 and Rio de Janeiro trailing with 7.7. In environmental conditions and impact, Madrid and Tokyo tie at 8.8, Chicago scored 8 and Rio de Janeiro 7.6.

Tokyo claims the only 10 in the report, for accommodations. Chicago is second with 9.8 and Madrid follows with 8.8. Rio de Janeiro scored 6.4. Under transportation concept, Madrid scored best with a 9.0, Tokyo an 8.5, Chicago 7.8 and Rio de Janeiro at 7.5. Tokyo wins 9 points for safety and security, with Chicago second at 8.2. Madrid is at 7.9 and Rio de Janeiro receives a 7. Madrid and Tokyo tie at 8.5 in the finance category, Chicago scores 8 and Rio de Janeiro a 7.7. In the category of overall project and legacy, Madrid and Tokyo score 9, while Chicago and Rio de Janeiro tied for second with 8."

Photos courtesy of AP Photos/Getty Images and Agencies

Original Source: Around The Rings

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Barack Obama, who clinched the Democratic presidential nomination after a historic insurgent campaign, faces a new challenge: uniting the party and responding to growing pressure to choose rival Hillary Clinton as his running mate.

Obama, 46, last night passed the threshold of 2,118 delegates needed for the nomination. Throughout a five-month campaign spanning 54 contests, he shattered fundraising records, and galvanized millions of new voters. Still, Clinton, 60, refused to concede and has put out the word that she is open to a vice presidential nomination. She also attracted important party constituents, such as older women and working-class voters, and won nine of the last 16 contests, giving her leverage as Obama heads into the general election against Republican John McCain.

Although there are indications that Obama isn't enthusiastic about choosing her as his running mate, the Illinois senator reached out to Clinton and her supporters in his victory speech. "Because of this primary, there are millions of Americans who have cast their ballot for the very first time," he said at a rally in St. Paul, Minnesota. "Let us unite in a common effort to chart a new course for America."

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Photos courtesy of AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster and AP Photo/LM Otero

Original Source: Bloomberg

"PARIS (Reuters) - World number one Roger Federer will face Chile's Fernando Gonzalez as he bids to join Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the French Open on Wednesday.

The Swiss top seed has been shunted onto Court Suzanne Lenglen with Centre Court honours going to local favourite Gael Monfils, who will take on Spanish fifth seed David Ferrer in the other quarter-final in the top half of the draw.

Federer should advance having lost only once in 11 meetings with the Chilean, but that one defeat came in their last encounter at the Masters Cup in Shanghai in 2007. Monfils will be hoping to become the first Frenchman to reach the last four at Roland Garros since Sebastien Grosjean in 2001."

Photos courtesy of AP Photo/David Vincent and Reuters/Francois Lenoir

Original Source: Reuters

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After investigating his options with his trademark intensity, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy underwent 3 1/2 hours of risky and exquisitely delicate surgery Monday to cut out as much of his cancerous brain tumor as possible. "I feel like a million bucks. I think I'll do that again tomorrow," the 76-year-old Massachusetts Democrat was quoted by a family spokeswoman as telling his wife immediately afterward.

The sole surviving son of America's most glamorous and tragic political family was diagnosed last month with a malignant glioma, an often lethal type of brain tumor discovered in about 9,000 Americans a year. Cutting a tumor down to size — or "debulking" it — is extremely delicate because of the risk of harming healthy brain tissue that governs movement and speech. But Friedman, who is the top neurosurgeon at Duke and an internationally known tumor surgeon, said Kennedy should not experience any permanent neurological effects. Doctors said Kennedy was awake for much of the surgery, which begins with opening the scalp and removing a piece of the skull to expose the brain. Sometimes, to avoid damaging areas that control speech, surgeons use a probe to stimulate parts of the brain, then hold a conversation with the patient.

Monday's operation "spells nothing but hope," Duke's Sampson said from Chicago, where he was attending a conference of 30,000 cancer specialists. "What we're seeing with the surgery and this conference is that there's hope for patients with this kind of cancer."

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Photos courtesy of AP Photo/Getty Images

Original Source: Associated Press

Related Link: Photo Gallery: Ted Kennedy Through the Years

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Angela Belcher
Edge work: “Programming” viruses to perform useful tasks
Why? It is clean and efficient.
Where? MIT
Initial response: “I was called insane.”

In a series of experiments at MIT, Belcher, working with a team of about 30 students and postdocs, has successfully programmed viruses to incorporate, then grow, a variety of inorganic materials, including nanoscale semiconductors, solar cells, and magnetic storage materials. Separately, she is using yeasts as scaffold organisms because of their abil­ity to grow many different materials. “We look at yeasts as factories,” she explains. “Instead of Budweiser, there’s Nanoweiser.” Belcher has begun working with the U.S. Army on nanoscale batteries that would weigh a fraction of what current batteries weigh and be woven into a soldier’s uniform. She is also training viruses to “find mistakes in materials and give off a signal.” One possible application: spraying viruses on an airplane fuselage to check for microscopic defects. In addition, the National Cancer Institute is funding Belcher to use viruses to find peptides that can specifically identify cancer cells.

Dimitar Sasselov
Edge work: Finding life on planets outside our solar system
Why? We have to know.
Where? Harvard University
Initial response: “People are always very excited.”

The alien life we are most likely to find will be micro­bial, Sasselov explains. In fact, he expects that the first living planet we discover will resemble what Earth looked like a billion years ago, when life had not yet evolved beyond bacteria, simple algae, and other microorganisms. “But Earth is just one possible pathway for the emergence of viable bio­mole­cules from chem­istry,” he says. “Are there multiple pathways? Do all chemical pathways converge to one or two or three possible ones to produce life?” Sasselov is working with planetary scientists and cosmochemists to answer these questions by analyzing concentrations of molecules in the universe and on the extrasolar planets they suspect may harbor life.

Gilles Brassard
Edge work: Using quantum mechanics to protect our privacy
Why? It will make electronic communications more secure.
Where? Université de Montréal
Initial response: “Very few people took it seriously.”

Quantum cryptography ensures complete privacy because any attempt to observe the transmission will change the message. It is a basic principle of quantum mechanics: The act of observing affects the thing observed. “If I send you information in the form of quantum signals and someone tries to eavesdrop on that signal,” Brassard explains, “the act of eavesdropping will disturb the signal. It will also alert the recipient if the transmission has been compromised.”

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Illustrations by Riccardo Vecchio

Original Source: Discover Magazine