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The Parents & Science initiative, launched by The Rockefeller University in 2007, is a unique resource for New York area parents who are interested in learning more about how scientific research is transforming our understanding of childhood health and behavior. P&S strives to build bridges between The Rockefeller University and local schools and parents, promoting scientific literacy and education at all levels. The Parents & Science Discovery Fund provides vital resources to Rockefeller investigators exploring human development and childhood diseases. This fund also supports the P&S lecture series and year-round, hands-on science education programs for students and educators in the New York area.
Each year, Parents & Science sponsors a complimentary lecture series that showcases important science related to child and adolescent health and development. These multidisciplinary programs bring Rockefeller's distinguished scientists together with eminent psychologists, social scientists, clinicians, and medical practitioners. Check out our upcoming events.
Parents & Science also partners with the University's Science Outreach Program to host the annual Science Saturday festival for children and families each May, opening the campus to the community for a fun-filled day of hands-on experiments, fascinating talks, and interactive demonstrations with Rockefeller scientists. This event is designed to engage the youngest generation in the exciting world of science and to inspire a lifelong interest in scientific research and discovery. Watch the video below about the Science Saturday festival:
Thursday, March 9, 20176:00 – 8:00 p.m. Spring Evening ProgramStress and the City: The Overachiever Epidemicand When to Slow Down Speakers: Richard A. Friedman, M.D. Professor of Clinical Psychiatry Director, Psychopharmacology ClinicWeill Cornell Medicine Bruce S. McEwen, Ph.D. Alfred E. Mirsky Professor Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of NeuroendocrinologyThe Rockefeller UniversityRegistration will open closer to event
Saturday, May 6, 201710:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. SCIENCE SATURDAYHosted by Parents & Science and the Science Outreach Program Join us for a fun-filled day of scientific talks, demonstrations, and hands-on activities designed to engage and inspire children grades K-8, and their families and teachers. Rockefeller scientists will be on hand throughout the day to guide and educate families at more than 25 learning stations.For more information, visit:rockefeller.edu/sciencesaturday
Tickets will go on sale in spring 2017
The prize, given by Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, recognizes women with outstanding research accomplishments who have also made significant contributions to mentoring other women in science. Fuchs is being honored for her innovative use of reverse genetics to understand skin diseases and cancer stem cells. More »
Sifting soil from city parks, scientists have found microbial genes capable of making compounds whose potent effects can make them valuable tools in the fight against disease. Their research suggests that many more await discovery, even in a place as mundane as urban dirt. More »
High school students designed research projects to investigate the role that microscopic organisms play in cheeses and other foods. The program aims to let students experience the scientific method firsthand. More »
Given by Inserm, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, the Grand Prix honors researchers whose work has contributed to the institute's scientific excellence. Casanova is being recognized for his work on the genetic basis of infectious diseases. More »
As head of the Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function, Maimon uses flies to study the computations with which the brain estimates values like angles and time. His promotion is effective January 1. More »
The award, given by Columbia University, recognizes outstanding research contributions in neuroscience. Freiwald, who shares the prize with his long-time collaborator Doris Y. Tsao of Caltech, will present an award lecture on November 1 at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. More »
Given by the NIH, the Director's New Innovator Award recognizes early-career investigators with five-year grants of up to $1.5 million. The award is designed to encourage recipients to pursue projects that have the potential for unusually high impact. Klinge is one of 48 recipients of the prestigious award this year. More »
Daniel Kronauer, Luciano Marraffini, Agata Smogorzewska, and Sohail Tavazoie are among 84 researchers nationwide selected as the first HHMI Faculty Scholars. The new Faculty Scholars program, established by the HHMI, the Simons Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, supports early-career scientists who have potential to make unique contributions to their fields. More »
Bargmann will oversee a multi-billion dollar effort over the coming years to develop and implement a strategy to unlock understanding of the human body down to the cellular level. She will also continue as a tenured professor conducting research at Rockefeller. More »
This year's Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award honors Charles M. Rice, who developed a system to study the replication of the virus that causes hepatitis C, an advance that has led to safe and powerful new drugs that cure the disease. The award, considered the most coveted American prize in medical science, will be presented on September 23 in New York City. More »
A combination of rare and common genetic variants can cause the bones at the top of the head to unite prematurely, resulting in deformities and, in some cases, neurodevelopmental problems. This discovery will help to diagnose the condition and identify families at risk, while advancing the understanding of complex genetic traits. More »
A physician-scientist widely recognized for uncovering the underlying causes of hypertension and other diseases, Lifton takes office on September 1. He replaces Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who left to lead Stanford University. More »
Erich Jarvis, currently a professor at Duke University, uses songbirds as a model to study the mechanisms that underlie how individuals learn spoken language. He will be joining Rockefeller as a professor this fall. More »
Priya Rajasethupathy, currently a postdoc at Stanford, is working to understand how molecules and neural circuits interact to store and retrieve information. She will join the faculty in May 2017 as an assistant professor. More »
Biophysicist Gregory Alushin studies how cells use their structural filaments to respond to forces generated as the cells move about, or by movements in the surrounding tissue. He will relocate his lab to Rockefeller early next year. More »
One of the largest barge-mounted cranes on the East Coast will lift the extension's structural skeleton into place, one section at a time. For safety reasons, the FDR Drive and East River Esplanade will be closed during lift operations, which will occur this summer during overnight hours. More »
On a recent Saturday, the Rockefeller campus was transformed into a vast science exhibit with more than 35 interactive stations. Each year, this popular event draws families from across New York City to experience the authentic process of science. More »
An evolutionary biologist, Li Zhao is interested in how new genes arise and spread within a population. She will join the faculty in March 2017 as an assistant professor. More »
Rockefeller has the highest percentage of frequently cited scientific publications among 842 leading universities worldwide, according to a survey created by the Center for Science and Technology Studies of Leiden University. The ranking is based on publications indexed in a Thomson Reuters database between 2011 and 2014. More »
Allis shares the award with Michael Grunstein of UCLA for identifying the critical role of histones and histone modification in regulating gene activity. The prize is awarded by The Gruber Foundation of Yale University and honors scientists whose work inspires fundamental shifts in knowledge and culture. More »
The Rockefeller University today announced that its Board of Trustees has elected Richard P. Lifton to be the 11th president of the university, effective September 1, 2016. Lifton, 62, Sterling Professor of Genetics and chair of the Department of Genetics at Yale University, will succeed Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who is leaving Rockefeller to become Stanford University's next president. More »
Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Ph.D., will step down from his position as president of The Rockefeller University September 1, 2016, to become the 11th president of Stanford University, it was announced today. More »
"Science is on the march in the heart of New York City. With five Nobel Laureates on its faculty, Rockefeller University scientists are working to unlock the mysteries of dreaded diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's. Rockefeller's President, Dr. Marc Tessier-Lavigne, tells Jim Zirin of some of Rockefeller's breakthrough discoveries, and updates the prospects for further advances in the service of humanity." More »
Researchers have, for the first time, described the pivotal changes responsible for controlling the formation of the part of the brain that allows us to learn and execute complex movements. These changes involve modifications to chromatin, which is DNA packaged with protein. More »
Gabriel Victora, an immunologist who studies the processes by which the immune system refines its response to an infection, will establish the Laboratory of Lymphocyte Dynamics in September of 2016 where he will study antibody responses at the levels molecules, cells, and whole organs. More »
With his election, Casanova, who investigates the genetic underpinnings of unusual vulnerability to specific infectious diseases among young people, receives one of the highest honors within the field of medicine. Seventeen Rockefeller scientists are currently members of the academy of medicine. More »
The Pew program provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. Kronauer will be using ants as a model system to study how the structure of social networks influences the spread of infections. More »
Membership in this honorary society recognizes outstanding accomplishments within a member's field. Hudspeth has worked toward a deepened understanding of the receptor cells of the inner ear, and how they contribute to hearing and hearing loss. More »
Marc Tessier-Lavigne, president of The Rockefeller University, today announced a leadership gift of $100 million from The Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Foundation to help create a new laboratory building that will be the centerpiece of the University's major planned campus extension. More »
Vosshall, who investigates how sensory stimuli are perceived and processed, and Casanova, who studies the genetics of infectious disease susceptibility in children, are among the new members and foreign associates to be inducted into the Academy in 2015. With Vosshall and Casanova's election, Rockefeller now boasts 36 members or foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences among its current faculty. More »
Intellectual property resulting from the discovery of specific DNA mutations linked to a rare and often deadly type of adolescent liver cancer, fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, has been dedicated to the public by the institutions that made the discovery, The Rockefeller University and the New York Genome Center, in the hope of accelerating progress toward the delivery of diagnostics and therapies for the devastating disease. More »
Rockefeller University scientists Jeffrey M. Friedman and Leslie B. Vosshall have been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow. Election as a fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. More »
Marc Tessier-Lavigne, president of The Rockefeller University, today announced two leadership pledges of $75 million each from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and David Rockefeller to launch a major extension of the University's campus on the East River. Designed by Raphael Viñoly Architects, the project will add two acres to the existing 14 acres of the campus by building over the FDR East River Drive, enabling the creation of several new buildings with state-of-the-art laboratories, administrative space, a conference facility, a dining commons, and an outdoor amphitheater. More »
Allis is recognized for his foundational research on the unexpected regulation of gene activation by modifications to proteins that package DNA, work with implications for many diseases including cancer. The Breakthrough Prize is worth $3 million, making it the richest prize in the life sciences, roughly double the Nobel Prize. More »
Casanova is recognized for discovering "holes" in the immune systems of otherwise healthy children that make them susceptible to specific, sometimes life-threatening infectious diseases. More »
Speaking at a hearing on public versus private contributions to medical breakthroughs, Rockefeller's president explained the ecosystem responsible for taking a biological insight on, for example, how tumors spread, and turning it into a treatment that improves or saves lives. He also offered suggestions for how the federal government could further encourage such breakthroughs. More »
Joseph Gleeson, a neurogeneticist, has left the University of California, San Diego, to establish his lab at Rockefeller, where he will continue hunting down the single-gene mutations responsible for an array of neurodevelopmental disorders. More »
The Rockefeller University has the highest percentage of frequently cited scientific publications of 750 top universities worldwide, according to ranking created by the Center for Science and Technology Studies of Leiden University in The Netherlands. More »
Science for the Benefit of Parents at The Rockefeller University
In the race for better treatments and possible cures, rare diseases are often left behind. In a collaboration of researchers at The Rockefeller University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the New York Genome Center, an unusual mutation has been found that is strongly linked to one such disease: a rare liver cancer that affects teens and young adults. More »
December 6, 2013 Pearl Meister Greengard prize winner followed a gut feeling for 16 years
"Pediatric neurologist and neuroscientist Huda Y. Zoghbi won Rockefeller University's 10th annual Pearl Meister Greengard Prize, which on Thursday night she attributed in part to following 'a gut feeling.' For 16 years, she tracked down a gene mutation that causes Rett Syndrome, a form of autism that only affects girls. None of her male colleagues supported her hunch that Rett Syndrome could be a genetic disorder."
This week's announcement that two physicists have received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of the Higgs boson is also a victory for thousands of scientists, including several from Rockefeller, who worked to collect data and analyze results from particle collisions. More »
A collaboration between researchers in Hermann Steller's Strang Laboratory of Apoptosis and Cancer Biology and Elaine Fuchs's Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development has revealed a new function for a gene previously shown to prevent stem cells from turning cancerous. The gene, Sept4/ARTS, has now been shown to regulate programmed death in skin stem cells, a finding that may have implications for wound healing, regeneration and cancer. More »
Casanova, whose research established for the first time that a predisposition to infectious diseases in children can be genetically determined, has been named one of 27 new investigators with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His appointment brings the total number of Rockefeller scientists supported by HHMI to 16. More »
An international team of scientists led by Rockefeller University researchers has identified the defective gene responsible for a rare disorder in which children are born without a spleen, which makes them susceptible to life-threatening bacterial infections early in life. The findings may lead to new diagnostic tests and raises new questions about the role of this gene in the body's protein-making machinery. More »
April 2, 2013 Obama to Unveil Initiative to Map the Human Brain
President Obama on Tuesday will announce a research initiative, starting with $100 million in 2014, to invent and refine new technologies to understand the human brain. Rockefeller's Cori Bargmann will help lead a study of the brain in action.
February 21, 2013How Stress Gets Under the Skin: Q&A With Neuroscientist Bruce McEwen
In a Q&A for Time Magazine, RU's Bruce McEwen counters the notion that all stress is bad, and says some individuals are genetically inclined to thrive in a stressful environment.
February 20, 2013 |science news Cori Bargmann, Titia de Lange win inaugural Breakthrough Prizes worth $3 million
Two Rockefeller University scientists are among 11 winners of the first annual Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, an award established by six tech entrepreneurs dedicated to advancing breakthrough research. At $3 million each, the prizes are worth more than twice the amount of the Nobel. They were created to recognize excellence in research aimed at curing intractable diseases and extended human life.
Administered by a new non-profit organization, the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation, the prize is founded by Art Levinson, chairman of the board of Apple and former CEO of Genentech; Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google Inc.; Anne Wojcicki, co-founder of 23andMe; Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, and his wife Pricilla Chan; and Yuri Milner, founder of the Russian internet company Mail.ru.
January 26, 2013Scarred for life? The biology of childhood hardship
"Elsewhere, research by one of us, Bruce McEwen, has closed in on how pre- and postnatal stress affects a complex set of interactions between the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland and the adrenal glands (the HPA axis). These are all part of the body's neuroendocrine system, which controls our reactions to stress and regulates many things, including digestion, the immune system, emotions, sexuality and the storage and expenditure of energy."
November 28, 2012 |campus news Robert Darnell named president of New York Genome Center
Darnell will direct all aspects of the NYGC, including its scientific and research activities, and the recruitment and development of a world-class scientific team in genomic research and medicine. Founded in 2010, the NYGC will be one of the largest genomics research facilities in North America, integrating sequencing, bioinformatics and data management.
October 25, 2012 |science news Neurotransmitters linked to mating behavior are shared by mammals and worms
New research from Rockefeller University has shown that chemicals in the brain — neuropeptides known as vasopressin and oxytocin — play a role in coordinating mating and reproductive behavior in animals ranging from humans to fish to invertebrates.
October 20, 2012Cuddle Your Kid!
Columnist Nicholas Kristof writes in support of parents showing physical affection toward their children, citing studies of rat families conducted by Michael Meaney, a McGill University neurologist and former RU postdoc.
September 28, 2012Have Researchers Found the 'Mom Gene'?
'Good Morning America' segment highlights new RU 'Mom Gene' study.
September 25, 2012'Mom gene' discovered in mice: Do you have it?
Researchers at RU have identified a gene, which could be responsible for a woman's maternal feelings towards her children.
July 1, 2012Sweet Smell of Success
With persistence and pluck, Leslie Vosshall managed to snatch insect odorant receptors from the jaws of experimental defeat.
June 14, 2012 |awards and honors Vanessa Ruta named Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences
Vanessa Ruta, head of the Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, has been chosen as a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences by The Pew Charitable Trusts. She is among twenty-two early-career researchers who are being honored for showing outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health.
July 2, 2012Waging a losing war against mosquitoes
"We had no winter in the Northeast this year, and so there's a lot of predictions from mosquito control experts that we're going to have a really huge season of high populations of mosquitoes, and so with that, more disease transmission," said Leslie Vosshall, who runs Rockefeller University's Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior in New York City. Along with her staff, she's trying to find out exactly how mosquitoes hunt humans."
May 31, 2012 |awards and honors Cornelia Bargmann receives Kavli Prize in Neuroscience
Bargmann is among the first women scientists to receive the prize, which is awarded biennially for outstanding achievement in advancing our knowledge and understanding of the brain and nervous system.
May 20, 2012Out for Blood
"'They're hunters,' says Leslie Vosshall, the Robin Chemers Neustein Professor at the Rockefeller University of New York, an expert on the science of smell and someone who is not afraid to put her arm into a chamber of mosquitoes and get bitten a lot. 'And they've adapted to be very sensitive to the smell of their prey, be it birds or humans.'"
May 15, 2012 |awards and honorsVanessa Ruta honored with McKnight Scholar Award
Vanessa Ruta, assistant professor at The Rockefeller University and head of the Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, has been honored with a McKnight Scholar Award for her research on the functional organization of the neural circuits underlying olfactory learning. The 2012 awards, presented by the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience, were given to six early-career scientists who have established their own independent laboratories and who have demonstrated a commitment to neuroscience.
May 4, 2012 |awards and honorsAmerican Philosophical Society elects Cori Bargmann to membership
Cori Bargmann, Torsten N. Wiesel Professor at The Rockefeller University and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, has been elected to the American Philosophical Society in the biological sciences. The Society elects new members each year who have shown extraordinary accomplishments in their fields. Founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743, it is the United States' first learned society, and unique among its peers for the wide variety of academic disciplines represented by its membership.
April 9, 2012 |awards and honorsCori Bargmann honored with Dart/NYU Biotechnology Achievement Award
Cori Bargmann, head of the Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, is being recognized for her work in deciphering the neural networks that define individual and group behaviors. The Dart/NYU Biotechnology Achievement Award recognizes the role of pure science in the development of pharmaceuticals and honors those scientists whose work has led to major advances to improving care provided at the patient's bedside.
March 28, 2012 'Towering Figures' in Cell Research to Share America's Most Distinguished Prize in Medicine
Two New York City scientists whose pioneering achievements in understanding how our genes are regulated and expressed have helped medical professionals and researchers improve health and combat diseases are the recipients of the 12th annual Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research. The two recipients, both from The Rockefeller University, will share the $500,000 award, the largest in medicine and science in the United States. They are: James E. Darnell Jr., M.D., who is considered the "father" of RNA processing and cytokine signaling, and; Robert G. Roeder, Ph.D., a pioneer in the field of gene transcription in animal cells.
March 21, 2012 |awards and honors Jeffrey V. Ravetch and Michael W. Young to receive Canada Gairdner International Awards
The Gairdner Foundation is recognizing Jeffrey V. Ravetch for his work demonstrating how our immune system can be both protective and harmful and Michael W. Young for his nearly three decades of research on circadian rhythms, the biological clocks that regulate our bodies' patterns of sleep and wakefulness, metabolism and response to disease. The Gairdner, which is Canada's highest scientific award, is considered among the top ten most prestigious international prizes in science. The scientists will each receive $100,000 from the Gairdner Foundation.
March 19, 2012 |awards and honors Marc Tessier-Lavigne to receive Friesen International Prize
President Marc Tessier-Lavigne will receive the Henry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research, established by the Friends of Canadian Institutes of Health Research in collaboration with the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences to recognize exceptional innovation by a visionary health leader of international stature.
March 15, 2012 |awards and honors Titia de Lange to receive Heineken Prize
De Lange is honored for her work on telomeres, the protective DNA sequences located at the tips of chromosomes which play a crucial role in such processes as ageing and cancer.
March 1, 2012 |awards and honors Elaine Fuchs to receive 2012 March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology
The award recognizes Fuchs's contributions to our understanding of skin biology and skin stem cells, including discoveries that have led to advancements in treating skin cancer and severe burns.
February 27, 2012 |grants and gifts $15 million gift from Helmsley Trust to fund research on digestive diseases
Funds will establish a new center, to be known as the Center for Basic and Translational Research on Disorders of the Digestive System, which will support interdisciplinary basic research and foster collaborations among some 20 Rockefeller labs that study biological processes related to the digestive system.
February 24, 2012
Charlie Rose: The Cost of Alzheimer's
In this three-minute video clip from last night's episode of Charlie Rose Brain Series 2, titled "Generalized Defects in Cognition," Marc Tessier-Lavigne and Eric Kandel were featured prominently. The full discussion aired on Charlie Rose. view full episode
December 1, 2011
Barcode High
The story of a group of high school students who, with the help of a Rockefeller University researcher, conducted and published studies on the biological provenance of sushi and teas from around New York City.
November 9, 2011
The Two Year Window
The new science of babies and brains—and how it could revolutionize the fight against poverty. P&S Faculty Advisor, Bruce McEwen, is quoted.
November 3, 2011 |campus news University joins 10 leading medical and research institutions to form New York Genome Center
The New York Genome Center, which will become one of the largest genomic facilities in North America, will begin operations as early as spring 2012 in its 120,000 square foot Manhattan facility
October 24, 2011
Seven Billion
Can humanity handle the unprecedented rise in population? In this op-ed pieceRockefeller professor, Dr. Joel E. Cohen, calls for global investments in children, stressing the importance of pre-natal and early childhood care as well as access to good nutrition.
October 17, 2011 |&honors and awards Marc Tessier-Lavigne elected to Institute of Medicine
A world leader in the study of brain development, Tessier-Lavigne has pioneered the identification of the molecules that direct the formation of connections among nerve cells to establish neuronal circuits in the mammalian brain and spinal cord. Tessier-Lavigne is among 65 new members and five foreign associates elected to the Institute this year.
October 3, 2011 |&honors and awards Rockefeller University scientist Ralph Steinman, honored today with Nobel Prize for discovery of dendritic cells, dies at 68
Rockefeller University cell biologist Ralph M. Steinman, who discovered the immune system's sentinel dendritic cells and demonstrated that science can fruitfully harness the power of these cells and other components of the immune system to curb infections and other communicable diseases, is this year's recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden, announced today. He shares half the prize with Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann.
September 20, 2011 | gifts and grants Papavasiliou and Stavropoulos receive "transformative" NIH grant
Rockefeller University's Nina Papavasiliou will receive a grant from the National Institutes of Health under a program designed to encourage high-risk, high impact research. The grant will fund efforts to develop new ways of engineering therapeutic antibodies that could lead to novel vaccines for a number of communicable diseases ranging from HIV to flu as well as non-communicable diseases, such as various cancers, neurodegenerative diseases and drug addiction.
September 19, 2011
Across town at the Rockefeller University, the new science facility, by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects, exists for no other purpose than to bring people out of isolation. It's an addendum, a voluptuous glass link, seven stories high, interposed between two preexisting laboratory buildings. You enter what appears to be a modest lobby, and ahead of you the space opens up, Guggenheim-like, into an atrium whose floorplan is elliptical and whose side elevation is shaped like an hourglass. Everything about this unusual building tells you that scientific research can be conducted in an environment of both zest and dignity
July 22, 2011 | grants and gifts Rockefeller University receives $36.1 million to help translate science into cures
Rockefeller University's Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), a center aimed at accelerating the pace of translating science into real-life solutions for patients, has received $36.1 million from the National Institutes of Health to expand its work over the next five years. The CCTS is among 10 institutes nationwide to receive the renewed funding, in recognition of their successes during the first five years of the NIH's Clinical and Translational Science Awards program.
July 21, 2011 DNA testing by high school students shows many teas contain unlisted ingredients
Unlisted ingredients identified by DNA barcoding technology include weeds such as annual bluegrass and herbal plants such as chamomile. Though mostly harmless, the surprise ingredients could affect a tiny minority of consumers with acute allergies.
July 5, 2011 Less-Educated Women Have More Children. Or Is It the Other Way Around?
It makes sense that education would impede childbearing. In nearly every country, women with more education tend to have fewer children than less-educated mothers. But new research, led by Rockefeller's Joel Cohen, suggests it may actually work the other way around: having more children hamstrings women's education.
May 18, 2011 | science news Genes help worms decide where to dine
A recent study by Rockefeller University researchers identifies natural variations in several genes that help determine when and where microscopic C. Elegans worms feast. The impact of the gene variants on the worms' foraging behavior was the most significant in borderline decisions, the researchers says, when the bacteria available to eat were neither scarce nor plentiful.
May 5, 2011 | honors and awards Jean-Laurent Casanova honored with Belgium's highest scientific prize
Jean-Laurent Casanova has received the 2011 InBev-Baillet Latour Health Prize, Belgium's most important scientific prize, for his pioneering work on the identification of genes that predispose for human infectious disease.
May 3, 2011 | honors and awards Michel C. Nussenzweig elected to National Academy of Sciences
Michel C. Nussenzweig, Sherman Fairchild Professor and head of the Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences at the Academy's annual meeting today, in recognition of his deep contributions to our understanding of the workings of the innate and adaptive immune systems.
April 27, 2011
To tell different wines apart, a good memory is required,' says Leslie Vosshall, a professor at Rockefeller University. 'It would be like going to a museum where someone shows you 10 paintings and then you have to express some preference about them. It would help if you could say, well in the first painting, I really liked the way the skirts were painted, and in the second, the facial expressions were really good.
April 25, 2011 | science news Anti-inflammatory drugs reduce effectiveness of SSRI antidepressants
Scientists have shown that anti-inflammatory drugs, which include ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen, reduce the effectiveness of the most widely used class of antidepressant medications, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, often prescribed for depression and obsessive-compulsive and anxiety disorders.
April 4, 2011 | science news Researchers put potent staph killer to the test, hope for new drug treatment
The ever escalating war between evolving bacteria and antibiotics could be taking a promising turn in favor of the humans. Scientists have genetically engineered a powerful killer of one of the most dangerous bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). It's been tested on MRSA in the test tube, on infections in mice and a clinically trial has begun to probe its ability to kill MRSA infected cells from psoriasis lesions in people. Next up, per the recommendation of the FDA, is a test in minipigs. "It's the start of a new class of drugs," says the lead researcher, and early signs suggest it's stronger than anything of its kind currently on the market.
March 29, 2011 | honors and awards Bruce S. McEwen to receive Scolnick Prize for research on brain hormones
Bruce S. McEwen, a pioneer in understanding how hormones affect the brain, will receive the 2011 Edward M. Scolnick Prize in Neuroscience from the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT. McEwen is being honored for research on how hormones affect the brain's structure, how they shape responses to stress, how they contribute to sexual differences and how they affect our health and well-being.
March 25, 2011 | science news Bullying alters brain chemistry, leads to anxiety
March 16, 2011 | campus news Marc Tessier-Lavigne becomes Rockefeller's tenth president
Marc Tessier-Lavigne, a leading neuroscientist and the former chief scientific officer of Genentech, takes over as president of The Rockefeller University today, replacing Paul Nurse, who has left to become president of the Royal Society in London.
January 20, 2011 LHS Senior Daniel Kramer Named Intel Semifinalist
Daniel Kramer earned a semifinalist spot in prestigious Intel Science Talent Search science research competition after spending the past summer conducting research at Rockefeller University under the guidance of Alex Proekt, a visiting fellow in Donald Pfaff's laboratory.
January 18, 2011 | science news Research shows when stem cell descendants lose their versatility
The precocious progenitors of every cell in the body — stem cells — have commitment issues. They must remain unattached to maintain the versatility they need to respond to injuries, regenerate tissues and do their other jobs. New research defines the point at which a developing lineage of hair follicle stem cells do settle down, however, and commit to their mission to grow new hair. The findings also reflect a new concept in stem cell biology: that the newly specialized cells send signals back to the stem cells from which they originated, regulating their behavior.
January 11, 2011
"Donald Pfaff, a professor at the Rockefeller University, provides some interesting context for the battle of the sexes. His main idea is that the sex differences in our brains and our behavior are caused by X and Y chromosomes, hormones and the environment. For instance, testosterone can trigger male aggression, but a different cocktail of hormones reliably incites females to protect their young — by violent means, if necessary."
January 10, 2011
"Modern society has resulted in a round-the-clock lifestyle, in which natural connections between rest-activity cycles and environmental light-dark cycles have been degraded or even broken," wrote researchers led by neuroscientist Bruce McEwen of Rockefeller University in a Dec. 11 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study. "However, the ramifications of chronic disruption of the circadian clock for mental and physical health are not understood."
December 29, 2010
"The story of sex determination starts with DNA, since your genes launch you onto a male or female trajectory. But as Donald Pfaff explains, if for any reason your hormones fail to follow suit, you can grow up assuming the other gender. Even if your genes and hormones are in synch, environmental factors can reroute the gender train. ... What's more, the process of sex determination is not over by birth, but continues into life, up to and including puberty. And, when it comes to humans and sex, variety is infinite."
November 12, 2010 | campus news New Rockefeller University lab building opens
The Collaborative Research Center, a 125,000 square foot, $500 million building designed specifically to help foster scientific collaboration and encourage interactions between scientists, has opened on Rockefeller's campus.
October 14, 2010 | science news Gene identified that prevents stem cells from turning cancerous
Stem cells have tremendous regenerative power, but their potency can also be lethal. Now researchers have identified a gene that prevents stem cells from turning into tumors in mice by regulating the process of programmed cell death, or apoptosis. The work is the first to show that interfering with the programmed death of stem cells can have fatal consequences.
October 11, 2010
"One of the most striking new buildings to be completed in Manhattan this year is hidden from public view. On the gated campus of Rockefeller University between York Avenue and the East River, a renovated research center includes a new building with a curving, five-story glass facade that leans forward like the side of an inverted cone. The new glass building is the centerpiece of the Collaborative Research Center, a $380 million renovation effort that grew out of years of deliberation over how to modernize the historic university's research facilities."
October 11, 2010 | honors and awards Two Rockefeller scientists elected to Institute of Medicine
Rockefeller University scientists Robert B. Darnell, head of the Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-oncology, and Titia de Lange, head of the Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics, have been elected to the Institute of Medicine, the health and medicine branch of the National Academy of Sciences.
September 21, 2010 | honors and awards Jeffrey M. Friedman receives Albert Lasker Award for discovery of leptin
This year's Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, the most prestigious American prize in science, honors Rockefeller University's Jeffrey M. Friedman, who discovered leptin, a hormone that regulates food intake and body weight.
September 9, 2010
"The No. 2 research official at Genentech will become the next president of Rockefeller University, in the first departure from the company's top scientific ranks since its acquisition by Roche in March 2009. Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who is executive vice president for research and the chief scientific officer at Genentech, will become the first president of Rockefeller University to come from industry, Russell L. Carson, the chairman of the university's board of trustees, said in an interview Wednesday."
September 8, 2010 | campus news Marc Tessier-Lavigne named Rockefeller University's tenth president
The university's Board of Trustees has elected Tessier-Lavigne to succeed Paul Nurse on March 11, 2011. A leader in the study of brain development, he is currently executive vice president for research and chief scientific officer at Genentech, one the world's leading biotech companies.
August 9, 2010 | campus news Ted Scovell named director of university's science outreach program
A former high school teacher himself, Scovell works to give new generations of young scientists access to the facilities — and mentors —that can take them well beyond the frogs and earthworms of their high school classrooms.
July 27, 2010 | science news Protein found to control the early migration of neurons
Long before our nervous system is able to see, smell, touch, hear or speak, the earliest neurons that make it up must be precisely guided to the proper layers in the developing brain. Exactly how this early neuron migration happens has been elusive, but a better understanding of it could lead to insight into myriad developmental problems, including autism and schizophrenia. New research identifies a gene that works behind-the-scenes to control a closely related adhesion gene that helps keep young neurons on the right track.
July 2, 2010 | science news New HIV vaccine trial first to target dendritic cells
HIV has been able to outmaneuver every vaccine that's been tried on the virus since it was first discovered in 1981. But no vaccine has yet to directly employ what is arguably the most powerful weapon the human immune system, the dendritic cells that orchestrate the body's response to infection. Now that's about to change. Researchers at Rockefeller University, where dendritic cells were discovered in 1973, are building on decades worth of research to launch a novel vaccine trial in hopes of mustering an immune response strong enough to defeat the deadly virus. It's the first clinical trial of a dendritic cell based vaccine against infection, and researchers hope it will mark a turning point in the battle against AIDS.
June 18, 2010 | science news New research shows how experience shapes the brain's circuitry
The adult brain, long considered to be fixed in its wiring, is remarkably dynamic, according to new research by Rockefeller University scientists. The finding explains how the circuitry of a region of the mouse brain called the somatosensory cortex, which processes input from the various systems in the body that respond to the sense of touch, is continually modified by experience.
June 18, 2010 | appointments and promotions Microbiologist to join Rockefeller faculty
Rockefeller's newest faculty member is Luciano Marraffini, a microbiologist who studies how bacterial pathogens modulate the transfer of foreign DNA into their genomes. His work sheds light on how bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus evolve, including how they gain the ability to resist antibiotic drugs.
May 25, 2010 | honors and awards Donald W. Pfaff and Bruce S. McEwen will share 2010 Foundation Ipsen Neuronal Plasticity Prize
Donald W. Pfaff and Bruce S. McEwen share the 2010 Foundation Ipsen Neuronal Plasticity Prize for their studies on the neuroendocrine control of behavior. The French foundation presents the award to researchers who publish remarkable, pioneering studies.
May 12, 2010 | grants and gifts Rockefeller immunologist receives Gates Foundation Grand Challenges grant
Jean-Laurent Casanova will launch a new project aimed at understanding how a collection of genetically diverse errors in immunity leads to susceptibility to tuberculosis in children under 15 years old.
April 23, 2010 | campus news Paul Nurse to resign as Rockefeller president to become president of Royal Society of London in December Paul Nurse, a Nobel Prize-winning biologist, has served as Rockefeller University's president since 2003.
April 21, 2010 | honors and awards Titia de Lange receives AACR Clowes Award
Titia de Lange is the 50th annual recipient of the American Association of Cancer Research's award to an individual with outstanding recent accomplishments in basic cancer research.
March 29, 2010 "Children, Elaine Fuchs says, have a natural fascination with science. She remembers that she did. 'I think like many of the children in our world, I got interested in science just from having a butterfly net and from having a few strainers and some boots and going down to the streams and creeks and being out in the fields,' says Fuchs."
March 27, 2010
"Forget the sweet smell of success. When it comes to scents in the city, New Yorkers rank vanilla as the most pleasant. That's according to Dr. Leslie Vosshall, who led a five-year study of what smells please or annoy New Yorkers, how we interpret odors and 'how does smell affect our daily experiences.' Isovaleric acid — the odor of sweaty socks — has the baddest bouquet, according to New Yorkers who rank it as the least pleasant essence. They also find the smell of buttered popcorn 'pretty unpleasant,' Vosshall said." March 23, 2010 | books New book by population biologist asks why we educate children
Rockefeller University's Joel E. Cohen hopes to launch an international conversation on the rationales for educating children, informed by diverse perspectives on why education should be a goal at all
March 14, 2010 "Why do some people succumb to whatever illness is going around while other soldier on, seemingly unaffected? It's all in the genes. Research from the Rockefeller University in New York presented at the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia annual conference recently revealed a strong genetic link to a person's ability to survive infection. 'There is solid evidence which shows that during the course of an infection some people remain asymptomatic, while others may end up with a life-threatening disease,' said pediatrician and immunologist Jean-Laurent Casanova. 'That is to do with a number of known factors, such as family background and the population the person is living in. However, now we have proven the genetic link, too.'"
March 10, 2010 | science news Scientists track variant of gene-regulating protein in embryonic stem cells
The path to fully developed cells from embryonic stem cells requires that the right genes are turned on and off at the right times. New research from Rockefeller University shows that tiny variations between gene-regulating histone proteins play an important role in determining how and when genes are read. The finding shows that each region of the genome may be even more specialized than previously expected and may open a new avenue of investigation regarding the mysterious causes of the human genetic disease known as ATR-X syndrome.
February 22, 2010 | science news Mouse model reveals a cause of ADHD
New research in a mouse model of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder suggests that the root of the psychiatric disorder might be the over-activity of a protein that regulates the brain's reward-motivation system. The work suggests a path toward new treatments for symptoms including inattentiveness, over-activity and impulsivity.
February 9, 2010 | science news Research identifies gene with likely role in premenstrual disorder
Some women are especially sensitive to the natural flux of hormones in the menstrual cycle. New research points to a gene that likely influences how women respond to swings in estrogen levels and could help diagnose and treat premenstrual dysphoric disorder, a condition marked by extreme mood swings and irritability. The work also provides insight into the historically understudied area of medically relevant differences between men and women.
January 27, 2010 | science news Brain arousal heightens sexual activity in male mice
Ever since the dawn of time, teenage boys have been defined by their sexual urges. Stereotype or not, the same fate has now befallen male mice. In new research that harkens back to those awkward high school moments and uncomfortable coming-of-age memories, scientists now show that male mice genetically selected for high levels of nervous energy act like sex-crazed teenage boys: highly motivated, but awkward and inefficient.
January 8, 2010 | science news Loss of epigenetic regulators causes mental retardation New findings, published in recent issues of Neuron and Science, indicate that malfunction of a protein complex that normally suppresses gene activation causes mental retardation in mice and humans and may even play a role in promoting susceptibility to drug addiction.
December 26, 2009
"Few of Brenda Tan's classmates at Trinity School in Manhattan understood what she was doing when she went around requesting a single strand of hair from each of them. But after subjecting the hair to DNA testing and research, she was able to repay their trust with a reassuring conclusion. 'They were all human,' Ms. Tan said. The test was part of a project that Ms. Tan, 17, and another Trinity student, Matt Cost, 18, conducted with Rockefeller University and the American Museum of Natural History to study DNA barcoding. That process involves identifying species based on a single gene rather than the compete set of genes in a cell or organism."
November 23, 2009 science news
Acute stress leaves epigenetic marks on the hippocampus Scientists are learning that the dynamic regulation of genes — as much as the genes themselves — shapes the fate of organisms. Now the discovery of a new epigenetic mechanism regulating genes in the brain under stress is helping change the way scientists think about psychiatric disorders and could open new avenues to treatment.
November 3, 2009 "More new research also confirms the negative effects of changing the timing of sleep—which happens in jet lag and shift work — by looking at how this affects mice. Rockefeller University researchers found that mice which had their biological clocks disrupted by shifts in exposure to light became more impulsive, were slower to learn a maze and gained weight after only six to eight weeks of exposure to less light."
October 28, 2009 "A new study presented at the 2009 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience shows how disrupting your sleep cycle can interfere with your health and cognitive function. Researchers from Rockefeller University disrupted the circadian rhythms of mice by exposing them to 10 hours of light followed by 10 hours of darkness. After two months of this, the mice were in need of more than a little nap. They had difficulty learning. They were more impulsive. And they got fat, thanks in part to changes in appetite hormones and metabolism." October 7, 2009
"2008 National Medal of Science to Dr. Elaine Fuchs, The Rockefeller University, for her pioneering use of cell biology and molecular genetics in mice to understand the basis of inherited diseases in humans and her outstanding contributions to our understandings of the biology of skin and its disorders, including her notable investigations of adult skin stem cells, cancers, and genetic syndromes."
October 5, 2009 | science news Transgenic songbirds provide new tool to understand the brain
Over the decades, scientists have learned a lot about the basic life processes shared by many animals — including people — by manipulating the DNA of the "lower" species, such as mice and worms. But to date, they have been unable to readily probe the genetic contribution to one higher cognitive capacity of particular interest — the ability to learn language from one another. Now scientists have worked out a method for altering the genes of the zebra finch, one of the handful of social animals that learn to "speak" in a way that is analogous to humans.
September 28, 2009 | honors and awards Obesity researcher wins Keio Medical Science Prize
Jeffery Friedman shares the 14th Keio Medical Science Prize, awarded annually to researchers for outstanding achievements in the fields of life sciences and medicine, for the "discovery of leptin and the study of its physiological functions."
September 17, 2009 | honors and awards Elaine Fuchs receives 2008 National Medal of Science Elaine Fuchs, Rebecca C. Lancefield Professor, is being honored "for her pioneering use of cell biology and molecular genetics in mice to understand the basis of inherited diseases in humans and her outstanding contributions to our understanding of the biology of skin and its disorders, including her notable investigations of adult skin stem cells, cancers and genetic syndromes."
September 10, 2009 Jeffrey Friedman: "So if you are thin, it might be more appropriate for you to thank your own 'lean' genes and refrain from stigmatizing the obese. A broad acceptance of the biologic basis of obesity would not only be fair and right, but would also allow us to collectively focus on what is most important—one's health rather than one's weight."
August 17, 2009
"As though it weren't bad enough that chronic stress has been shown to raise blood pressure, stiffen arteries, suppress the immune system, heighten the risk of diabetes, depression and Alzheimer's disease and make one a very undesirable dinner companion, now researchers have discovered that the sensation of being highly stressed can rewire the brain in ways that promote its sinister persistence. ... According to Bruce S. McEwen, head of the neuroendocrinology laboratory at Rockefeller University, the new findings offer a particularly elegant demonstration of a principle that researchers have just begun to grasp. 'The brain is a very resilient and plastic organ,' he said. 'Dendrites and synapses retract and reform, and reversible remodeling can occur throughout life.'" July 22, 2009 | science news New imaging studies reveal mechanics of neuron migration In the developing brain, generations of young neurons undergo a staged migration, with the earliest-born cells staying relatively close to their birthplace and subsequent generations traveling further, ultimately stratifying into six neuronal layers in the mature brain. For the first time, imaging studies have identified the "motors" that propel this unique form of cell migration, giving insight into the delicate layering of the brain that underlies the formation of synaptic circuitry.
July 1, 2009 | honors and awards Michael Young receives Gruber Foundation's 2009 Neuroscience Prize Michael W. Young, Richard and Jeanne Fisher Professor and head of the Laboratory of Genetics at Rockefeller University, has received the 2009 Neuroscience Prize of the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation for groundbreaking discoveries of the molecular mechanisms that control circadian rhythms in the nervous system.
June 16, 2009 | honors and awards Jeffrey Friedman receives Shaw Prize for discovery of leptin Jeffrey Friedman, Marilyn M. Simpson Professor and head of the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics at Rockefeller, received the 2009 Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine. He shares the $1 million award, known as the Nobel Prize of the East, with the Jackson Laboratory's Douglas L. Coleman for their work leading to the discovery of leptin, a hormone that regulates food intake and body weight.
June 2, 2009 | science news Report identifies early childhood conditions that lead to adult health disparities The origins of many adult diseases can be traced to early negative experiences associated with social class and other markers of disadvantage. Confronting the causes of adversity before and shortly after birth may be a promising way to improve adult health and reduce premature deaths, researchers argue in a paper published today in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.
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French in Africa is present and spoken by many people. As of 2006 an estimated 115 million African people spread across 31 francophone African countries can speak French either as a first or second language, making Africa the continent with the most French speakers in the world.<ref name=2007_report>Template:Fr icon La Francophonie dans le monde 2006-2007 published by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Nathan, Paris, 2007</ref> French arrived in Africa with colonisation from France and Belgium. These African French speakers are now an important part of the Francophonie.
French is mostly a second language in Africa, but in some areas it has become a first language, such as in Réunion or in the region of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.<ref>Template:Fr icon Le français à Abidjan : Pour une approche syntaxique du non-standard by Katja Ploog, CNRS Editions, Paris, 2002</ref> In some countries it is a first language among some classes of the population, such as in Tunisia and Morocco where French is a first language among the upper classes (many people in the upper classes are simultaneous bilinguals Arabic/French), but only a second language among the general population.
In each of the francophone African countries French is spoken with local specificities in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary.
- 1 French African varieties
- 2 Pronunciation
- 3 Vocabulary
- 4 African member states of La Francophonie
- 5 See also
- 6 References
- 7 External links
French African varieties
There are many different varieties of African French, but they can be broadly grouped in three categories:
- the French spoken by black Africans in Western, Central, and East Africa - about 75 million first and second language speakers of this French variety
- the French variety spoken by the Arabs and Berbers in Northwest Africa (see Maghreb French) - about 36 million first and second language speakers of this French variety
- the French spoken by Creoles in the Indian Ocean (Réunion, Mauritius, and Seychelles) - about 1.6 million first and second language speakers of this French variety, not to be confused with French-based creole languages which are also spoken in the area.
All the African French varieties differ from standard French both in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary.
Differences in pronunciation between varieties of African French can be quite important (e.g. pronunciation of French in Morocco is quite different from the pronunciation of French in Senegal). Despite these significant regional variations, there exist some trends among African French speakers, such as the pronunciation of the letter R which tends to be pronounced like a trilled r instead of the guttural R of standard French (although some African speakers also pronounce R as a guttural R).
In most cases, however, it is not possible to make general rules about the pronunciation of French in Africa, each local pronunciation of French being influenced by the African languages spoken locally.
In terms of vocabulary, there exist three phenomena in African French. First, the presence of words which do not exist in standard French. These words were either coined locally or borrowed from local African languages. As a consequence, each regional variety of African French has its own local words that are not the same as in other varieties of African French, although this local vocabulary only constitutes a small part of the overall vocabulary which for the most part is identical to standard French. When talking to people from other regions or countries, African French speakers often switch to a more standard form of French avoiding this local vocabulary. However, there also exist some African French words that are found across many African countries (see for example chicotter in the Abidjan French vocabulary section below).
A second phenomenon is the use of some words with a meaning different from standard French. For example, the word présentement (which means "at the moment" in standard French) is used a lot in sub-Saharan Africa (but not in the Maghreb) with the meaning of "as a matter of fact", "as it were" and not "at the moment".
A third phenomenon is hypercorrection, which is found especially among the educated and upper classes of sub-Saharan Africa. Educated people there tend to speak a very formal sort of French which may sound a bit old fashioned and conservative to European and North American French speakers. This is somewhat similar to the way English is spoken by people of the upper class in India.
The local African French vocabulary not found in standard French ranges from slang frowned upon by educated people, to colloquial usage, to words that have entered the formal usage (such as chicotter). The French spoken in Abidjan, the largest city of Côte d'Ivoire, offers a good example of these contrasting registers.
Abidjan French vocabulary
According to some estimates, French is spoken by 75% to 99% of Abidjan's population,<ref>Template:Fr icon Template:Cite web</ref> either alone or alongside indigenous African languages. There are three sorts of French spoken in Abidjan. A formal French is spoken by the educated classes. Most of the population, however, speaks a colloquial form of French known as français de Treichville (after a working-class district of Abidjan) or français de Moussa (after a character in chronicles published by the magazine Ivoire Dimanche which are written in this colloquial Abidjan French). Finally, an Abidjan French slang called nouchi is spoken by people in gangs and also by young people copying them. New words usually appear in nouchi and then make their way into colloquial Abidjan French after some time. <ref name=Abidjan_varieties>Template:Fr icon Template:Cite web</ref>
Here are some examples of words used in the African French variety spoken in Abidjan (the spelling used here conforms to French orthography, except ô which should be read as -aw in the English word "law"):<ref>Template:Fr icon Template:Cite web</ref>
- une go is a slang word meaning a girl or a girlfriend. It is a loanword either from the Mandinka language or from English ("girl").
- un maquis is a colloquial word meaning a street-side eating joint, a working-class restaurant serving African food. This word exists in standard French too but its meaning is "maquis shrubland", and by extension "guerilla", see Maquis (World War II). It is not known exactly how this word came to mean street-side restaurant in Cote d'Ivoire.
- un bra-môgô is a slang word meaning a bloke or a dude. It is a loanword from the Mandika language.
- chicotter is a word meaning to whip, to beat, or to chastise (children). It is a loanword from Brazilian Portuguese where it meant "to whip (the black slaves)". It has now entered the formal language of the educated classes.
- un braiseur is a colloquial word meaning an arsonist or someone who kills a person by burning that person alive (usually during a lynching). This word exists in standard French too but its meaning is "someone who grills or roasts meat". The local meaning proper to Ivory Coast was first recorded in 1993.
- le pia is a slang word meaning money. It comes perhaps from the standard French word pièce ("coin") or pierre ("stone").
When speaking in a formal context, or when meeting French speakers from outside Ivory Coast, Abidjan speakers would replace these local words with the French standard words une fille, un restaurant or une cantine, un copain, battre, un incendiaire, and l'argent respectively. Note that some local words are used across several African countries. For example chicotter is attested not only in Ivory Coast but also in Senegal, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Central African Republic, Benin, Togo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.<ref name=Abidjan_varieties />
As already mentioned, these local words range from slang to formal usage, and their use therefore vary depending on the context. In Abidjan, this is how the sentence "The girl stole my money." is constructed depending on the register:<ref name=Abidjan_varieties />
- formal Abidjan French of the educated people: La fille m'a subtilisé mon argent.
- colloquial Abidjan French (français de Moussa): Fille-là a prend mon l'argent. (in standard French, the grammatically correct sentence should be "La fille a pris mon argent.")
- Abidjan French slang (nouchi): La go a momo mon pia. (momo is an Abidjan slang word meaning "to steal")
Kinshasa French vocabulary
With more than 7 million inhabitants, Kinshasa is the largest francophone city in the world after Paris. It is the capital of the second most populated francophone country in the world, the Democratic Republic of Congo, where an estimated 24 million people (40% of the total population) can speak French (essentially as a second language).<ref name=2007_report /> Contrary to Abidjan where French is the first language of a large part of the population, in Kinshasa French is only a second language, and its status of lingua franca is shared with Lingala. People of different African mother tongues living in Kinshasa usually speak Lingala to communicate with each other in the street, but French is the language of businesses, administrations, schools, newspapers and televisions. French is also the predominant written language.
Due to its widespread presence in Kinshasa, French has become a local language with its own pronunciation and some local words borrowed for the most part from Lingala. Depending on their social status, some people may mix French and Lingala, or code switch between the two depending on the context. Here are examples of words particular to Kinshasa French. As in Abidjan, there exist various registers and the most educated people may frown upon the use of slangish/lingala terms.
- cadavéré means broken, worn out, exhausted, or dead. It is the local pronunciation of the standard French word cadavre whose meaning in standard French is "corpse". The word cadavéré has now spread to other African countries due to the popularity of Congolese music in Africa.
- makasi means strong, resistant. It is a loanword from Lingala.
- anti-nuit are sunglasses worn by partiers at night. It is a word coined locally and whose literal meaning in standard French is "anti-night". It is one of the many Kinshasa slang words related to nightlife and partying. A reveler is known locally as un ambianceur, from standard French ambiance which means atmosphere.
- casser le bic, literally "to break the Bic", means to stop going to school.
- merci mingi means "thank you very much". It comes from standard French merci ("thank you") and Lingala mingi ("a lot").
- un zibolateur is a bottle opener. It comes from the Lingala verb kozibola which means "to open something that is blocked up or bottled", to which was added the standard French ending -ateur.
- un tétanos is a rickety old taxi. In standard French tétanos means "tetanus".
- moyen tê vraiment means "absolutely impossible". It comes from moyen tê ("there's no way"), itself made up of standard French moyen ("way") and Lingala tê ("not", "no"), to which was added standard French vraiment ("really").
African member states of La Francophonie
Membership of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie does not require or imply that the French language is a primary language, or even a widely understood language, in a particular country. The names of countries that were never ruled by a Francophone colonial power are italicised. Note that Algeria, a former part of metropolitan France and the second largest francophone country in Africa, has so far refused to join the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie due to political tensions with France.
- Benin (official language)
- Burkina Faso (official language)
- Burundi (official language, with Kirundi)
- Cameroon (official language, with English)
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic (official language, with Sango)
- Chad (official language, with Arabic)
- Comoros (official language, with Shikomor and Arabic)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (official language)
- Republic of the Congo (official language)
- Côte d'Ivoire (official language)
- Djibouti (official language, with Arabic)
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea (official language, with Spanish and Portuguese)
- France (official language)
- Gabon (official language)
- Guinea (official language)
- Guinea-Bissau
- Madagascar (official language)
- Mali (official language)
- Mauritania (French is commonly used)
- Mauritius (official language)
- Morocco (French is commonly used)
- Niger (official language)
- Rwanda (official language, with Kinyarwanda and English)
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Senegal (official language)
- Seychelles (official language, with English and Creole)
- Togo (official language)
- Tunisia (French is commonly used)
African countries with the largest numbers of French speakers
According to the 2007 report by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie,<ref name=2007_report /> the African countries with more than 5 million French speakers are:
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: 24,320,000 people can speak French either as a first or second language
- Algeria (not a member of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie): 19,000,000<ref name=Algeria>Template:Fr icon Template:Cite web</ref>
- Côte d'Ivoire: 12,740,000
- Morocco: 10,131,000
- Cameroon: 7,343,400
- Tunisia: 6,360,000
- Guinea: 6,000,000
African countries with the largest percentages of French speakers
According to the 2007 report by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie,<ref name=2007_report /> the African countries where more than 50% of the population can speak French are:
- Réunion (France): 94.5% of the population can speak French either as a first or second language
- Gabon: 80%
- Mauritius: 72.7%
- Côte d'Ivoire: 70%
- São Tomé and Príncipe: 65%
- Tunisia: 63.6%
- Guinea: 63.2%
- Seychelles: 60%
- Republic of the Congo: 60%
- Equatorial Guinea: 60%
- Mayotte (France): 59%<ref>Template:Fr icon Template:Cite web</ref>
- Algeria (not a member of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie): 57%<ref name=Algeria />
See also
Template:Clear Template:Reflist

subset: commoncrawl


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Stocks Cautious on Eve of Fed Meeting as Apple Reports
NEW YORK (TheStreet) - Markets finished little changed on Monday as investors await the latest decisions by the policy-making arm of the Federal Reserve, which is scheduled to begin two days of meetings tomorrow.
The S&P 500 added 0.13% to close at 1,762.11 while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.01% to 15,568.93 and the Nasdaq lost 0.08% to 3,940.13.
"It's just kind of a ho-hum day, but that's not a bad thing all the time just given the run we've had recently," Matt McGeary, portfolio manager at Eagle Asset Management, said in a phone interview. "You can't be up 1% every day." McGeary said Eagle Asset, which has $29.8 billion in assets under management, has viewed this quarter as a "reasonably good" earnings season.
"Markets are overbought after a good run and investors are still nervous about earnings," Raymond James chief investment strategist Jeffrey Saut said in a phone interview. But he noted about 64% of S&P/500 companies had beaten earnings expectations and suggested investors would pay little attention to economic reports in the coming six weeks due to the one-off impact from the partial government shutdown. Saut helps oversee $400 billion in assets.
For the third quarter, analysts on average are expecting S&P 500 earnings to increase 4.5% year-over-year, with EPS of $27.23, Christine Short, a senior manager at S&P Capital IQ, wrote in a daily report. Short's note also shows that analysts are anticipating that nine sectors will post earnings growth in the third quarter, with the telecom and consumer discretionary sectors leading the growth at 27.48% and 12.28% respectively. The sector expected to become biggest laggard of this quarter is energy, with a contraction of 7.49%.
Guidance for the fourth quarter has been provided by 57 companies. Of those companies, 45 are negative in their guidance, 8 are positive and 4 are in-line, according to Short.
In company news, JCPenney
Shares of Roper Industries


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These two RS 4 Avants from Audi go at it in a head-to-head paintball match complete with paint grenades. Take that, action movie car fights – an actual car fight.
I love viral advertising. Any time a company does something like this that's out-of-the-box and designed to entertain and get people talking it makes me extremely happy that brands connect with the 21st century and how my generation thinks. This shows the car's abilities off without being just a standard commercial.


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Stefanie Meyer
I am in my third year studying Biology at Wilfrid Laurier graduating with a Chemistry minor. In my directed studies I take a closer look at Cuscuta tinctoria clade ultimately trying to understand the species limits within this group. When I'm not engulfed with school work I enjoy photography, video games, and cooking.


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Dodgers seeing Snakes. Kemp and Vin Scully Videos!
Dodgers seeing Snakes.
A good matchup with Clayton Kershaw and Dan Haran turned the Snake way. Kershaw was so wild in the 2nd inning with a 35-pitch four-run inning that included three walks, two wild pitches and three hits including one an RBI single by pitcher Dan Haren. He did struck out nine in 4 1/3 innings.
HBP: Reynolds got hit by Bellisario. Ethier got hit by Haran. Both clubs were warned.
Torre: Why is Kemp hitting 7th??. If you had Kemp and Manny back to back we could have had more runs. Why is Russell hitting 2nd?? You just got to bat Russell and Loney lower.
Donny: Are you working with these guys (Russ and Loney)? These two need to step it up and start hitting!
Manny got 2 singles and a double while Matt Kemp got a HR and a double! Way to go boys! Speaking of Matt Kemp, here is a picture I spotted at Union Station:
Check out Lil Matt cool video:
Check out Vin Scully in this vintage commercial in the 60's in the popular show back then of Bewitched
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I also thought that the batting order was a little screwed up!
Really cool poster!
Thanks The3rs! I'd like to know what they do with the posters after they replace them. Maybe I should inquiry at Union Station. hmmm. And yes, Torre needs to work on that batting order.
Great commercial! And no Yankee hat for me! That wasn't part of our wager this time. And my neighbors did get a little concerned when they saw the flag! lol!
I love your flat stanley on that post! Good idea givin a little history while driving around with the Yankee flag.
Emma, that commercial with Vin and Elizabeth Montgomery was priceless. Good find! Hard to believe he's still broadcasting and doing it so well. His voice hasn't changed at all.
I'm planning a heist! Hahahaha (evil laugh)
That Matt Kemp poster will be mine!!! Thanks
for the post Emma.
Kershaw and Haren will probably be the biggest matchup of this series and we may see who will come out on top just from this game alone.
Howyadoin, Kid.
Things are getting rough, the competition seems a lot better than it did earlier in the season.
The Dodgers have to stay loose, and not think about where they are in the standings and don't add pressure on themselves.
Just play the game as they've been doing all year and enjoy it.
I think that's their best bet.
If they don't make it, there's always next year.
It's all in the mind.
Joe Pierre.
So Emma, are you ready for the playoffs? I know it's a bit off – but you have to prepare sooner or later – at least look ahead!🙂
Dodgertown USA used to be in New York, and now it belongs to Los Angeles. Honestly it doesn't matter to me how the Dodgers' batting order is set up, they can hit in all cylinders.
Plus Vin Scully is the best play by play announcer in all of Major League Baseball.
Matthew Tang
Yes, that commercial is priceless! That was 1967 or 1966. Vin is wearing a ring on the right hand. I wonder if is the 1965 W.S. ring.
You want a partner in crime? lol. As you can see I did not take as good a picture as you take.
If you take away the 2nd inning, Kershaw did good. It was a good matchup.
Hey Joe Pierre!
How is New Yawk? Did you get to see Tommy there? Have you gone to his blog? Last time I checked I was the only one that posted there. Yeah, the boys should be playing the way they started. Heck! at the beginning Billz was 5-0! I don't want to wait till next year! BTW, great book "Wait Till Next Year" with Doris Goodwin.
That is why I did not go to Arizona, because next month we should be getting a bill for post season tickets. I know sometimes we get it all back, other time is a partial but this year I want to go all the way! Well, I want the Dodgers to go all the way.
We have a couple of guys strugling right now like Russ and Loney. I hope they snap out of it. We need them to hit! that is why Loretta is in today's game istead of Loney. Ausmus is playing for Russ but it could also be that Ausmus will catch the knuckleballer Haeger who will make his debut on Monday. The catchers did not even have knuckleball mitts.
OMG! Hiroki Kuroda has been hit on the head by a line drive.
God, please let him be OK.


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All About Pie Crusts
Pie Storage
Whether you're making a pie or tart ahead of time or storing a few extra pieces, here are a few golden rules of pastry storage:
- Fruit pies may stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Cover and refrigerate for longer storage.
- Custard and cream pies should be served as soon as they are cool, or covered lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to two days. Don't freeze cream or custard pies.
- To freeze unbaked fruit pies, treat any light-colored fruit with an ascorbic-acid color keeper. Assemble the pie in a metal or freezer-to-oven pie plate. Place it in a freezer bag; seal, label, and freeze. Frozen pies should be used within two to four months. To bake a frozen pie, unwrap it and cover with foil. Bake in a 450°F oven for 15 minutes; reduce the temperature to 375°F and bake another 15 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 55 to 60 minutes more or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.
To freeze baked fruit pies, bake and cool the pie completely. Place it in a freezer bag, seal, label, and freeze for up to 8 months. To use it, thaw, covered, at room temperature. If desired, cover and reheat in a 325°F oven until warm.


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Pamela J. WeberMay 06,2013Pamela J. Weber
BENNINGTON Pamela Joyce (Dennison) Weber, 58, died Saturday, May 4, 2013, of cancer.
She was born in Saratoga, N.Y., Nov. 10, 1954, the daughter of Norma Jean (Arthurs) and Wayne Dennison, and received her education in Saratoga Springs.
She was employed at Walmart, Southwestern Vermont Supervisory Union, Stanley Tools and General Cable.
Survivors include her significant other, Mark Leonard; four children, Tammy, Julie, Sally and Katie; seven grandchildren and a great-grandson; eight siblings, Willy, Wayne, Mart, Donnie, Joy, Ann, Pattie and Barbie; her stepmother, Judy; many nieces, nephews and cousins.
The celebration of her life will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, at American Legion Post 90 in Pownal, with the Rev. Gary Rogers of North Pownal Congregational Church officiating.
Memorial contributions may be made to VNA and Hospice, in care of Mahar and Son Funeral Home, 628 Main St., Bennington, VT 05201.
For online condolences, visit www.maharandsonfuneralhome.net.MORE IN ObituariesWilliam A. Spanos Rites
MENDON The prayer service for William A. Full StoryJoseph A. Teer Sr. Full StoryMarguerite Hoose
Marguerite Peg Hoose, 90, of Rutland died Dec. Full Story
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12 dreamy pictures of Ireland
With its remote beauty, rugged landscapes and windswept coastlines, Ireland is a photographer's dream. Here, Philip Joyce shares some of his best pictures of…23 Aug 2016 • Philip Joyce insert_drive_file Article
To the east of Castlepollard off the R195 Oldcastle road, the Fore Valley is a charming, bucolic spot, sheltered between two ranges of low, green hills and dotted with some impressive Christian ruins. Around 630, St Fechin founded a monastery here, which had grown into a community of three hundred monks by the time he died in 665. Over the centuries since, various sites in the valley have become associated with Fechin's miraculous powers, known as the Seven Wonders of Fore, though in truth they're far from jaw-dropping – it's unlikely that you'll be converted to this brand of folk religion, but the wonders add some fun and interest to an exploration of the locale. The historical and supernatural sites are all within walking distance of the village of FORE at the heart of the valley.
To the west of the village, on the south side of the road, stands St Fechin's Church, now roofless, the oldest remaining building in the valley, dating probably from the tenth century. Over its main entrance there's a massive lintel inscribed with a small cross-in-circle: the first wonder, the stone raised by St Fechin's prayers. Up the slope and across from the church, you'll find the Anchorite's Cell, a fifteenth-century tower to which the mausoleum chapel of the Greville-Nugent family was added in the nineteenth century. Practising an extreme form of asceticism that was popular in the early and high Middle Ages, anchorites would stay in the tower, meditating and praying alone, with food brought to them by local people, until they died. Inside the chapel, an inscription commemorates the last hermit of Fore, and probably of all Ireland, Patrick Beglin, whose body is "hidden in this hollow heap of stones" – the second wonder, the anchorite in a stone. Like the other hermits, Beglin had vowed to remain in the cell until he died: in 1616, he fell trying to climb out, and broke his neck – thus enacting his promise.
Back down the slope and across the road you'll see the water that will not boil, a holy well known to cure headaches and toothaches, where in the nineteenth century rites were performed on St Fechin's Day (January 20). In the spring stands a dead ash tree, gaily festooned with sweet wrappers, stockings, knickers and coins (which caused the copper poisoning that killed the tree) – the fourth wonder, the wood that will not burn. Nearby, a stream that runs underground from Lough Lene to the south resurfaces at the ruined St Fechin's Mill – the mill without a race.
A couple of hundred metres across the marshy valley floor rise the substantial but compact remains of Fore Priory – the monastery built on a bog. It was erected in the early thirteenth century, one of very few in Ireland to follow the rule of St Benedict, the fifth-century Italian ascetic. Attached to the central cloister, of which several Gothic arches remain, you'll find the church to the north, the chapterhouse to the east, with the dormitory above, and the refectory to the south. A little away from the main buildings, up a small slope, there's a circular, thirteenth-century columbarium, where the monks kept doves, an efficient source of meat in the Middle Ages.
The seventh wonder is a little removed from the others to the south of the village – ask for directions at the coffee shop. A short woodland walk will bring you down to the attractive shore of Lough Lene, which is dotted with small, green islands. A stream flows out of the lake, apparently in the wrong direction, passing under an overgrown arched bridge, before disappearing into a sink hole (to emerge at St Fechin's Mill) – the water that flows uphill.
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With its remote beauty, rugged landscapes and windswept coastlines, Ireland is a photographer's dream. Here, Philip Joyce shares some of his best pictures of…23 Aug 2016 • Philip Joyce insert_drive_file Article
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Couture Pink Cardi
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Couture Pink cardi is snapped with antique-inspired silvertone buttons. In a sophisticated pink, key to summer prints. 71% Rayon, 29% Nylon. Hand wash. Imported.
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Hi there. I'm really hoping for some help as I'm desperate. My son is 10 wks old now and I've had mastitis 7 times (or the same infection recurring). Of those times, 5 were just on the left, once on both, and once just on the right. The first time was 1 week after he was born. I got it once a week after that for the first month. I used homepathic remedies and lots of rest to get better. The 5th time it was on the right side and very severe and I just couldn't take it anymore so I went on antibiotics. The doc at urgent care was a jerk and told me it could be cancer and I would lose my breast. He said I should be hospitalized and I said no. The antibiotics worked right away. He gave me an IV of them while there and then 10 days of Ammoxicillin. The infection came back 1 week after I stopped the antibiotics. I saw a breast specialist who has to date seen me 3 times now and has said it does not seem like inflammatory breast cancer (had 3 ultrasounds). She gave me Keflex for 14 days, but when I saw her after 7 days, she told me to stop them since it looked better. I kept taking some for a few more days because I knew it wasn't totally gone. Again, one week after I stopped, it came back. I called her and told her I had 3 days of antibiotics left and she didn't want to call in more. She told me to go the weekend with the 3 days worth and call her Monday to see how it went. Again, the antibiotics worked right away. I called Monday to say that I was much improved, but it wasn't gone yet. She told me I didn't need anymore antibiotics since it had improved. What? Stop after only 3 days? So I got the rest of the rx from my regular GP. I have 1 week left on antibiotics.
When I get mastitis, it's the typical redness, pain, swelling, fever, chills, shakes, and feeling awful. I also get horrible joint pain.
My current theory is that I get it from a cracked nipple because I've never had a clogged duct I don't think. The mastitis starts as joint pain and then the fever and THEN the breast turns red. I've not had the redness of a clogged duct to warn me or anything like that. I try to take it easy, but the mastitis seems to come after small outings or activities such as going to the grocery store and hanging up laundry in the same day. We're not talking marathons here.
I think I get the cracked nipple from poor latch because of oversupply and he slides down to the nipple to slow the flow. I have done block feeding which helps with the very well and I just take him off after let down to let it spray a bit before putting him back on. That works, but I don't want to not empty the breast often either to avoid a build up of bacteria. Catch 22. My plan is to work on the oversupply while on antibiotics and just not let that breast get too full.
I have hired a lactation consultant and been to a LLL meeting. I got good suggestions for better latch and healing the nipple.
So here I am 7 days into the second round of Keflex (3 round of antibiotics) and my breast is still pink, but it doesn't hurt and the redness is gone. It just sometimes looks pink. However, the other one sometimes looks pinkish too. The breast specialist said that sometimes nursing moms have pink breasts? Is that true? I mean the skin of the breast, not the nipple area. Also, I still feel run over...achy and weak. Actually, even when I felt much better after the last round, I was still achy and weak. I don't know if it's the infection still in there or something else since I have thyroid issues.
If you have any suggestions of how I can avoid more episodes, I'd be so appreciative. I take soy lecithin even though I think that's mostly for clogged ducts. I have taken astragalus and poke root during an acute episode. It was suggested I try poke root as a preventative measure too and just take a little each day. Is that okay? Also, a LLL leader told me about something called Wishgarden mastitis tincture which could help. I'm going to try that. I've also tried phytolacca and hepar sulphur.
I am determined to nurse my son, but I am getting so frustrated with these repeated infections. I can't live my life the way I want. I'm either in bed with a fever or avoiding any activity to avoid re-infection, and I'm so achy all the time.
Please help! Thanks for reading my novel.