Harvard University will be stripped of four national quiz championship titles after organizers found a competitor from the Ivy League school inappropriately accessed information about questions used in the tournament.
The National Academic Quiz Tournaments said that a security review found that Harvard competitor Andy Watkins accessed pages on its administrative Website just before the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Intercollegiate Championship Tournaments or "Quiz Bowls".
"We can't have that happen," said Robert Hentzel, NAQT president said on Friday.
The quiz organizers said their review found that Watkins accessed Web pages that showed the first 40 characters of questions to be asked at the tournaments, though it said it had no direct or statistical evidence that Watkins and three others took advantage of their prior access in game situations.
Hentzel, the group's president, said sometimes even the first 40 characters of a question can be telling.
At the time of the review, Watkins was working for the quiz organizer as question writer for high-school level contests. The NAQT said Watkins has been terminated as a question writer.
Watkins denied any wrongdoing.
"My immaturity damaged my much-prized relationship with NAQT and cast undue doubt on three remarkable accomplishments by three Harvard teams," said Watkins, in a statement issued by the organization. "I regret my breaches of question security .... Though I know everyone will make their own judgments, I did compete in good faith."
A Harvard spokesman declined to comment on the news.
The academic setback for the prestigious New England school came a day after Harvard scored a rare athletic triumph -- winning its first-ever game in the national college basketball championships.
It follows an incident last year when dozens of students were forced to withdraw temporarily from the university after cheating on a final exam in the largest academic scandal to hit the nearly four-century-old school in recent memory.
The National Academic Quiz Tournaments said they would vacate all of Harvard's wins at the Division I events in 2009 through 2011 and recognize other teams as national champions.
It named the University of Minnesota as undergraduate champion in 2009; the University of Chicago as Division I champion in 2010; the University of Minnesota as Division I champion in 2011, and Virginia Commonwealth University as undergraduate champion in 2011.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
100,000 Portuguese sign petition to keep ex-PM Socrates off TV
Portuguese state television channel RTP's plan to give former premier Jose Socrates a weekly commentary spot has sparked outrage, with 100,000 people signing a petition citing his "bad management" that led the country to take a bailout in 2011.
"We, citizens and tax-payers, declare that we reject the presence of former Prime Minister Jose Socrates on any program at RTP, television paid for by public funds of taxpayers suffering from the bad management of this gentleman," the Internet petition said.
Many comments said the plan was "shameful".
A counter-petition in favor of Socrates' TV commentary, to start next month, and defending the democratic right to free expression, garnered around 5,300 signatures on Friday.
That view was also backed by RTP director Paulo Ferreira who said he understood the controversy but "the pluralism of opinions in public media" was an important democratic principle.
He would not reveal the details of the deal, but Diario de Noticias newspaper said Socrates would be working for free.
By gathering more than 4,000 signatures, both petitions will have to be discussed by parliament.
Socrates' Socialist government collapsed two years ago amid an escalating debt crisis, and one of his last decisions was to request a bailout from the European Union and IMF, forcing the country to implement tough austerity and structural reforms.
Since then, Socrates has mostly lived in Paris, attending a university course.
The big tax hikes and spending cuts applied by the present center-right government of Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho as part of the bailout have pushed the country into its deepest recession since the 1970s and brought the new administration's popularity down towards record lows.
Although the main opposition Socialists are ahead in opinion polls, many Portuguese still associate them with the bailout and the party has largely failed to capitalize on the disappointment with the new administration. Opinion polls show the Socialists would not be able to form a majority government.
"We, citizens and tax-payers, declare that we reject the presence of former Prime Minister Jose Socrates on any program at RTP, television paid for by public funds of taxpayers suffering from the bad management of this gentleman," the Internet petition said.
Many comments said the plan was "shameful".
A counter-petition in favor of Socrates' TV commentary, to start next month, and defending the democratic right to free expression, garnered around 5,300 signatures on Friday.
That view was also backed by RTP director Paulo Ferreira who said he understood the controversy but "the pluralism of opinions in public media" was an important democratic principle.
He would not reveal the details of the deal, but Diario de Noticias newspaper said Socrates would be working for free.
By gathering more than 4,000 signatures, both petitions will have to be discussed by parliament.
Socrates' Socialist government collapsed two years ago amid an escalating debt crisis, and one of his last decisions was to request a bailout from the European Union and IMF, forcing the country to implement tough austerity and structural reforms.
Since then, Socrates has mostly lived in Paris, attending a university course.
The big tax hikes and spending cuts applied by the present center-right government of Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho as part of the bailout have pushed the country into its deepest recession since the 1970s and brought the new administration's popularity down towards record lows.
Although the main opposition Socialists are ahead in opinion polls, many Portuguese still associate them with the bailout and the party has largely failed to capitalize on the disappointment with the new administration. Opinion polls show the Socialists would not be able to form a majority government.
Tunisian rapper gets jail term for calling police dogs in song
A Tunisian court has sentenced a rap singer to two years in jail in absentia for insulting the police in a case likely to fuel debate over free speech under the Islamist-led government.
The singer, known as Weld el 15, is on the run. Two of his associates, singers Mohamed Hedi Belgueyed and Sabrine Klibi, were in court when they received suspended sentences of six months each, a Justice Ministry source said on Friday.
Belgueyed and Klibi were arrested earlier this month for a music video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6owW_Jv5ng4) in which lyrics sung by Weld el 15 describe police as dogs and accuse them of using violence unjustifiably.
The two men asked the judge to pardon them before the sentences were handed down at Thursday's court proceedings.
"I was only using the language of the police. They have harassed me verbally and physically. As an artist, the only way I could answer them is through art. I gave them a violent art," Weld el 15 said in a video posted on Facebook.
Secular groups say freedom of creativity and expression are threatened under a coalition led by Tunisia's moderate Islamist Ennahda party, a charge the government denies.
In particular, they accuse authorities of failing to prevent attacks by militant Islamist Salafis on cultural institutions and individuals. Salafis disrupted several concerts and plays last year, saying they violated Islamic principles.
They also ransacked the U.S. embassy in September during worldwide Muslim protests over an Internet video.
The singer, known as Weld el 15, is on the run. Two of his associates, singers Mohamed Hedi Belgueyed and Sabrine Klibi, were in court when they received suspended sentences of six months each, a Justice Ministry source said on Friday.
Belgueyed and Klibi were arrested earlier this month for a music video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6owW_Jv5ng4) in which lyrics sung by Weld el 15 describe police as dogs and accuse them of using violence unjustifiably.
The two men asked the judge to pardon them before the sentences were handed down at Thursday's court proceedings.
"I was only using the language of the police. They have harassed me verbally and physically. As an artist, the only way I could answer them is through art. I gave them a violent art," Weld el 15 said in a video posted on Facebook.
Secular groups say freedom of creativity and expression are threatened under a coalition led by Tunisia's moderate Islamist Ennahda party, a charge the government denies.
In particular, they accuse authorities of failing to prevent attacks by militant Islamist Salafis on cultural institutions and individuals. Salafis disrupted several concerts and plays last year, saying they violated Islamic principles.
They also ransacked the U.S. embassy in September during worldwide Muslim protests over an Internet video.
Swiss court jails "healer" for infecting 16 with HIV
A self-styled healer was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in jail on Friday after a Swiss court found the acupuncturist guilty of infecting 16 people with HIV.
A Berne court found the man guilty of causing bodily harm and spreading the virus which can cause Aids, court secretary Rene Graf told Reuters. He did not give any further details.
Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 15 years in jail, according to media reports.
"The accused and nobody else is responsible for infecting the 16 people," Swiss news agency SDA quoted court president Urs Herren as saying, adding the man's motive could have been to seek attention, exact revenge, or prove his omnipotence.
The 54-year-old from the Swiss capital Berne had consistently denied the charges, blaming the victims for contracting HIV through unprotected sex and intravenous drug use, Swiss media reported.
They did not reveal the man's identity or nationality, in accordance with rules on Swiss criminal proceedings.
The case came to the attention of the authorities after an HIV-positive patient told a hospital he suspected his infection was linked to acupuncture treatments he received from the man.
The majority of the infected individuals were students of a music school run by the man, who also had an acupuncture practice. Some of the victims told the court he stabbed them with a needle from behind during treatment, SDA reported.
Police stormed the man's home a week ago after he stopped coming to the trial. The man, who was free on bail, had barricaded himself inside and was armed with a knife, issuing threats to police, according to media reports.
A Berne court found the man guilty of causing bodily harm and spreading the virus which can cause Aids, court secretary Rene Graf told Reuters. He did not give any further details.
Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 15 years in jail, according to media reports.
"The accused and nobody else is responsible for infecting the 16 people," Swiss news agency SDA quoted court president Urs Herren as saying, adding the man's motive could have been to seek attention, exact revenge, or prove his omnipotence.
The 54-year-old from the Swiss capital Berne had consistently denied the charges, blaming the victims for contracting HIV through unprotected sex and intravenous drug use, Swiss media reported.
They did not reveal the man's identity or nationality, in accordance with rules on Swiss criminal proceedings.
The case came to the attention of the authorities after an HIV-positive patient told a hospital he suspected his infection was linked to acupuncture treatments he received from the man.
The majority of the infected individuals were students of a music school run by the man, who also had an acupuncture practice. Some of the victims told the court he stabbed them with a needle from behind during treatment, SDA reported.
Police stormed the man's home a week ago after he stopped coming to the trial. The man, who was free on bail, had barricaded himself inside and was armed with a knife, issuing threats to police, according to media reports.
Russian serial killer sentenced to life for nine murders
A Russian serial killer who butchered his nine victims with a knife and hammer, and said he ate the hearts of two of them, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday.
Prosecutors said Alexander Bychkov targeted alcoholics and the homeless out of disdain for their way of life, lured them into deserted areas, killed them, dismembered them and hid the body parts.
They said he described all nine killings in a journal with the words: "The bloody hunt of a predator born in the year of the dragon," state-run news agency RIA reported.
A court in the Penza region convicted the 24-year-old, who sometimes called himself "Rambo", of nine murders between September 2009 and January 2012.
Bychkov was arrested last year on suspicion of stealing 10,000 roubles ($320) and merchandise from a hardware store, but was charged with the murders after investigators found evidence.
RIA said he told authorities he had eaten the hearts of two victims, but he was not charged over that because there was no evidence to prove it. ($1 = 30.8955 Russian roubles)
Prosecutors said Alexander Bychkov targeted alcoholics and the homeless out of disdain for their way of life, lured them into deserted areas, killed them, dismembered them and hid the body parts.
They said he described all nine killings in a journal with the words: "The bloody hunt of a predator born in the year of the dragon," state-run news agency RIA reported.
A court in the Penza region convicted the 24-year-old, who sometimes called himself "Rambo", of nine murders between September 2009 and January 2012.
Bychkov was arrested last year on suspicion of stealing 10,000 roubles ($320) and merchandise from a hardware store, but was charged with the murders after investigators found evidence.
RIA said he told authorities he had eaten the hearts of two victims, but he was not charged over that because there was no evidence to prove it. ($1 = 30.8955 Russian roubles)
Manual to "goblinproofing" chicken coops named Oddest Book Title
A book offering advice on how to protect chicken coops from goblins has won the Oddest Book Title of the Year award, organizers of the contest said on Friday.
"Goblinproofing One's Chicken Coop" by Reginald Bakeley and Clint Marsh attracted 38 percent of 1,225 online votes to beat craft manual "How Tea Cosies Changed the World" with 31 percent to win the 35th annual Diagram Prize.
Third place went to a book by Tom Hickman titled "God's Doodle: The Life and Times of the Penis".
Also shortlisted for the award this year was a study of Adolf Hitler's health titled "Was Hitler Ill?", "Lofts of North America: Pigeon Lofts", and a guidebook titled "How to Sharpen Pencils".
Philip Stone, coordinator of the prize run by industry publication the Bookseller, said the award might seem just fun but publishers and booksellers were well aware that a title can make all the difference to the sales of a book.
"It spotlights an undervalued art that can make or break a work of literature," Stone said in a statement.
He cited books such as "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian", "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" and "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" as owing part of their success to odd titles.
"The kind of niche, off-beat publications that often appear on the Diagram Prize shortlist might not make their writers or publishers rich beyond their wildest dreams, but the fact writers still passionately write such works and publishers are still willing to invest in them is a marvelous thing that deserves to be celebrated," Stone added.
The Diagram Prize was founded at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1978, and past winners include "Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice" and last year's "Cooking with Poo", a Thai cookbook by Bangkok resident Saiyuud Diwong whose nickname is Poo.
"Goblinproofing One's Chicken Coop" by Reginald Bakeley and Clint Marsh attracted 38 percent of 1,225 online votes to beat craft manual "How Tea Cosies Changed the World" with 31 percent to win the 35th annual Diagram Prize.
Third place went to a book by Tom Hickman titled "God's Doodle: The Life and Times of the Penis".
Also shortlisted for the award this year was a study of Adolf Hitler's health titled "Was Hitler Ill?", "Lofts of North America: Pigeon Lofts", and a guidebook titled "How to Sharpen Pencils".
Philip Stone, coordinator of the prize run by industry publication the Bookseller, said the award might seem just fun but publishers and booksellers were well aware that a title can make all the difference to the sales of a book.
"It spotlights an undervalued art that can make or break a work of literature," Stone said in a statement.
He cited books such as "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian", "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" and "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" as owing part of their success to odd titles.
"The kind of niche, off-beat publications that often appear on the Diagram Prize shortlist might not make their writers or publishers rich beyond their wildest dreams, but the fact writers still passionately write such works and publishers are still willing to invest in them is a marvelous thing that deserves to be celebrated," Stone added.
The Diagram Prize was founded at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1978, and past winners include "Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice" and last year's "Cooking with Poo", a Thai cookbook by Bangkok resident Saiyuud Diwong whose nickname is Poo.
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