Saturday, June 30, 2012

ADEC sends students to Pembroke College's summer internship program

Official nameOxford
Native name
Nickname"the City of Dreaming Spires"
Settlement typeCity
Motto"Fortis est veritas" "Truth is strength"
Blank emblem typeCoat of arms of Oxford City Council
Map captionShown within Oxfordshire
Map caption1
Coordinates regionGB
Subdivision typeSovereign state
Subdivision nameUnited Kingdom
Subdivision type1Constituent country
Subdivision name1England
Subdivision type2Region
Subdivision name2South East England
Subdivision type3Ceremonial county
Subdivision name3Oxfordshire
Subdivision type4Admin HQ
Subdivision name4Oxford City Centre
Government typeCity
Leader titleGoverning?body
Leader nameOxford City Council
Leader title1Lord Mayor ? Deputy Lord Mayor
Leader name1Cllr Elise Benjamin (2010?2011) (Green Party)
Leader title2Sheriff of Oxford
Leader name2Jean Fooks (LD)
Leader title3Executive ? Council Leader
Leader name3Labour Cllr Bob Price
Leader title4MPs
Leader name4Nicola Blackwood (C)Andrew Smith (L)
Established titleFounded
Established date8th century
Established title2Town charter
Established title3City status
Established date31542
Unit pref
Area total km245.59
Area land km2
Area blank1 sq mi
Population as of
Population total (ranked of )
Population density km23270
Population blank2 titleEthnicity(2005 estimates)
Population blank273.0% White British9.1% Other White 5.7% South Asian3.0% Black2.9% Chinese2.7% Mixed Race1.9% Other 1.8% White Irish
Population demonymOxonian
TimezoneGMT
Utc offset0
Timezone dstBST
Utc offset dst+1
Elevation footnotes
Elevation ft
Postal code typePostcode
Postal codeOX
Area code01865
Blank nameISO 3166-2
Blank infoGB-OXF
Blank1 nameONS code
Blank1 info38UC
Blank2 nameOS grid reference
Blank2 info
Blank3 nameNUTS 3
Websitewww.oxford.gov.uk
Footnotes}}

Oxford is a city in central southern England, the home of the University of Oxford. The city is the county town of Oxfordshire, and forms a district within the county. It has a population of just under 165,000, of whom 153,900 live within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles (80 km) north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames (also sometimes known as the Isis locally) run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre.

Oxford has a diverse economic base. Its industries include motor manufacturing, education, publishing and a large number of information technology and science-based businesses.

Buildings in Oxford demonstrate an example of every English architectural period since the arrival of the Saxons, including the iconic, mid-18th century Radcliffe Camera. Oxford is known as the "city of dreaming spires", a term coined by poet Matthew Arnold in reference to the harmonious architecture of Oxford's university buildings. The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world.

History

Oxford was first settled in Saxon times, and was initially known as "Oxenaforda", meaning "Ford of the Oxen"; fords were more common than bridges at that time. It began with the foundation of an oxen crossing in the early 900 AD period. In the 10th century Oxford became an important military frontier town between the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex and was on several occasions raided by Danes.

Oxford was heavily damaged during the Norman Invasion of 1066. Following the conquest, the town was assigned a governor, Robert D'Oyly, who ordered the construction of Oxford Castle to confirm Norman authority over the area. The castle has never been used for military purposes and its remains survive to this day. D'Oyly set up a monastic community in the castle consisting of a chapel and living quarters for monks (St George in the Castle). The community never grew large but it earned its place in history as one of the oldest places of formal education in Oxford. It is there that in 1139 Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote his History of the Kings of Britain, a compilation of Arthurian legends.

In 1191, a city charter stated in Latin,

Oxford's prestige was enhanced by its charter granted by King Henry II, granting its citizens the same privileges and exemptions as those enjoyed by the capital of the kingdom; and various important religious houses were founded in or near the city. A grandson of King John established Rewley Abbey for the Cistercian Order; and friars of various orders (Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, Augustinians, and Trinitarians), all had houses at Oxford of varying importance. Parliaments were often held in the city during the 13th century. The Provisions of Oxford were instigated by a group of barons led by Simon de Montfort; these documents are often regarded as England's first written constitution.

The University of Oxford is first mentioned in 12th century records. As the University took shape, friction between the hundreds of students living where and how they pleased led to a decree that all undergraduates would have to reside in approved halls. Of the hundreds of Aularian houses that sprang up across the city, only St Edmund Hall (c 1225) remains. What put an end to the halls was the emergence of colleges. Oxford's earliest colleges were University College (1249), Balliol (1263) and Merton (1264). These colleges were established at a time when Europeans were starting to translate the writings of Greek philosophers. These writings challenged European ideology ? inspiring scientific discoveries and advancements in the arts ? as society began to see itself in a new way. These colleges at Oxford were supported by the Church in the hope of reconciling Greek Philosophy and Christian Theology. The relationship between "town and gown" has often been uneasy ? as many as 93 students and townspeople were killed in the St Scholastica Day Riot of 1355.

The sweating sickness epidemic in 1517 was particularly devastating to Oxford and Cambridge where it killed half of both cities' populations, including many students and dons.

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford is unique in combining a college chapel and a cathedral in one foundation. Originally the Priory Church of St Frideswide, the building was extended and incorporated into the structure of the Cardinal's College shortly before its refounding as Christ Church in 1546, since when it has functioned as the cathedral of the Diocese of Oxford.

The Oxford Martyrs were tried for heresy in 1555 and subsequently burnt at the stake, on what is now Broad Street, for their religious beliefs and teachings. The three martyrs were the bishops Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, and the Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. The Martyrs' Memorial stands nearby, round the corner to the North on St. Giles.

During the English Civil War, Oxford housed the court of Charles I in 1642, after the king was expelled from London, although there was strong support in the town for the Parliamentarian cause. The town yielded to Parliamentarian forces under General Fairfax in the Siege of Oxford of 1646. It later housed the court of Charles II during the Great Plague of London in 1665?66. Although reluctant to do so, he was forced to evacuate when the plague got too close. The city suffered two serious fires in 1644 and 1671.

In 1790, the Oxford Canal connected the city with Coventry. The Duke's Cut was completed by the Duke of Marlborough in 1789 to link the new canal with the River Thames; and in 1796 the Oxford Canal company built its own link to the Thames, at Isis Lock. In 1844, the Great Western Railway linked Oxford with London via Didcot and Reading, and other rail routes soon followed.

In the 19th century, the controversy surrounding the Oxford Movement in the Anglican Church drew attention to the city as a focus of theological thought.

Oxford Town Hall was built by Henry T. Hare; the foundation stone was laid on 6 July 1893 and opened by the future King Edward VII on 12 May 1897. The site has been the seat of local government since the Guild Hall of 1292 and though Oxford is a city and a Lord Mayoralty, the building is still called by its traditional name of "Town Hall".

By the early 20th century, Oxford was experiencing rapid industrial and population growth, with the printing and publishing industries becoming well established by the 1920s. Also during that decade, the economy and society of Oxford underwent a huge transformation as William Morris established Morris Motors Limited to mass produce cars in Cowley, on the south-eastern edge of the city. By the early 1970s over 20,000 people worked in Cowley at the huge Morris Motors and Pressed Steel Fisher plants. By this time Oxford was a city of two halves: the university city to the west of Magdalen Bridge and the car town to the east. This led to the witticism that "Oxford is the left bank of Cowley". Cowley suffered major job losses in the 1980s and 1990s during the decline of British Leyland, but is now producing the successful Mini for BMW on a smaller site. A large area of the original car manufacturing facility at Cowley was demolished in the 1990s and is now the site of the Oxford Business Park.

The influx of migrant labour to the car plants and hospitals, recent immigration from south Asia, and a large student population, have given Oxford a notable cosmopolitan character, especially in the Headington and Cowley Road areas with their many bars, cafes, restaurants, clubs, ethnic shops and fast food outlets. Oxford is one of the most diverse small cities in Britain with the most recent population estimates for 2005. showing that 27% of the population were from ethnic minority groups, including 16.2% from non-white ethnic minority ethnic groups (ONS). These figures do not take into account more recent international migration into the city, with over 10,000 people from overseas registering for National Insurance Numbers in Oxford in 2005/06 and 2006/07.

On 6 May 1954, Roger Bannister, a 25 year old medical student, ran the first authenticated four-minute mile at the Iffley Road running track in Oxford. Although he had previously studied at Oxford University, Bannister was studying at St Mary's Hospital Medical School in London at the time.

Oxford's second university, Oxford Brookes University, formerly the Oxford School of Art, then Oxford Polytechnic, based at Headington Hill, was given its charter in 1991 and has been voted for the last ten years the best new university in the UK. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Henry Brookes.

Geography

Oxford's latitude and longitude are or (at Carfax Tower, which is usually considered the centre).

Location

Climate

Oxford has a maritime temperate climate ("Cfb" by the K?ppen system). Precipitation is uniformly distributed throughout the year and is provided mostly by weather systems that arrive from the Atlantic. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Oxford was in January 1982. The highest temperature ever recorded in Oxford is in August 2003 during the 2003 European heat wave.

The average conditions below are from the Radcliffe Meteorological Station. It boasts the longest series of temperature and rainfall records for one site in Britain. These records are continuous from January, 1815. Irregular observations of rainfall, cloud and temperature exist from 1767.

Economy

Oxford has a diverse economy, which includes manufacturing, publishing and science-based industries as well as education, research and tourism.

Carmaking

Oxford has been an important centre of motor manufacturing since Morris Motors was established in the city in 1910. The principal production site for Mini cars, now owned by BMW, is in the Oxford suburb of Cowley.

Publishing

Oxford University Press, a department of the University of Oxford, is based in the city, although it no longer operates its own paper mill and printing house. The city is also home to the UK operations of Wiley-Blackwell, and several smaller publishing houses.

Science and technology

The presence of the university has given rise to many science and technology based businesses, including Oxford Instruments, Research Machines and Sophos. The university established Isis Innovation in 1987 to promote technology transfer. The Oxford Science Park was established in 1990, and the Begbroke Science Park, owned by the university, lies north of the city.

Brewing

There is a long history of brewing in Oxford. Several of the colleges had private breweries, one of which, at Brasenose, survived until 1889. In the 16th century brewing and malting appear to have been the most popular trades in the city. There were breweries in Brewers Street and Paradise Street, near the Castle Mill Stream.

The development of Oxford's railway links after the 1840s and the rapid expansion of Oxford supported expansion of the brewing trade in Oxford. As well as expanding the market for Oxford's brewers, railways enabled brewers further from the city to compete for a share of its market. By 1874 there were nine breweries in Oxford and 13 brewers' agents in Oxford shipping beer in from elsewhere. The nine breweries were: Flowers & Co in Cowley Road, Hall's St Giles Brewery, Hall's Swan Brewery (see below), Hanley's City Brewery in Queen Street, Le Mills's Brewery in St. Ebbes, Morrell's Lion Brewery in St Thomas Street (see below), Simonds's Brewery in Queen Street, Weaving's Eagle Brewery (by 1869 the Eagle Steam Brewery) in Park End Street and Wootten and Cole's St. Clement's Brewery.

The Swan's Nest Brewery, later the Swan Brewery, was established by the early 18th century in Paradise Street, and in 1795 was acquired by William Hall. The brewery became known as Hall's Oxford Brewery, which acquired other local breweries. Hall's Brewery was acquired by Samuel Allsopp & Sons in 1926, after which it ceased brewing in Oxford.

Morrell's, the Oxford based regional brewery was founded in 1743 by Richard Tawney. He formed a partnership in 1782 with Mark and James Morrell, who eventually became the owners. After an acrimonious family dispute this much-loved brewery was closed in 1998, the beer brand names being taken over by the Thomas Hardy Burtonwood brewery, while the 132 tied pubs were bought by Michael Cannon, owner of the American hamburger chain Fuddruckers, through a new company, Morrells of Oxford. The new owners sold most of the pubs on to Greene King in 2002. The Lion Brewery was converted into luxury apartments in 2002.

Bellfounding

The Taylor family of Loughborough had a bell-foundry in Oxford between 1786 and 1854.

Shopping

  • Broad Street
  • Clarendon Shopping Centre
  • Cornmarket Street
  • George Street
  • Golden Cross
  • The High Street
  • Little Clarendon Street
  • Queen Street, Oxford
  • The Covered Market
  • Turl Street
  • Westgate Shopping Centre
  • Oxford Castle
  • Gloucester Green
  • Outside the City Centre:

  • Banbury Road, Summertown, Oxford
  • Botley Road, Oxford
  • Cowley Retail Park, Cowley, Oxford
  • Cowley Road, Oxford
  • Iffley Road, Oxford
  • London Road, Headington, Oxford
  • North Parade, Oxford
  • St Clement's, Oxford
  • Templars Square shopping centre, Cowley, Oxford
  • Walton Street, Jericho, Oxford
  • New Botley
  • Theatres and cinemas

  • Burton Taylor Theatre, Gloucester Street
  • New Theatre, George Street
  • Odeon Cinema, George Street
  • Odeon Cinema, Magdalen Street
  • Old Fire Station Theatre, George Street
  • Oxford Playhouse, Beaumont Street
  • Pegasus Theatre, Magdalen Road
  • O'Reilly Theatre, Blackhall Road
  • Phoenix Picturehouse, Walton Street
  • Ultimate Picture Palace, Cowley Road
  • Vue Cinema, Grenoble Road
  • Landmarks

    Oxford has numerous major tourist attractions, many belonging to the university and colleges. As well as several famous institutions, the town centre is home to Carfax Tower and the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, both of which offer views over the spires of the city. Many tourists shop at the historic Covered Market. In the summer punting on the Thames/Isis and the Cherwell is popular.

    The University of Oxford

    The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English speaking world and one of the most famous and prestigious higher education institutions of the world, averaging five applications to every available place, and attracting 40% of its academic staff and 15% of undergraduates from overseas. It is currently ranked as fifth-best university in the world, according to QS World Rankings, behind its main UK rival, Cambridge, in first place.

    Oxford is renowned for its tutorial-based method of teaching, with students attending an average of one one-hour tutorial a week.

    The city centre

    As well as being a major draw for tourists (9.1?million in 2008, similar in 2009), Oxford city centre has many shops, several theatres, and an ice rink. The historic buildings make this location a popular target for film and TV crews.

    The city centre is relatively small, and is centred on Carfax, a cross-roads which forms the junction of Cornmarket Street (pedestrianised), Queen Street (semi-pedestrianised), St Aldate's and The High. Cornmarket Street and Queen Street are home to Oxford's various chain stores, as well as a small number of independent retailers, one of the longest established of which is Boswells, which was founded in 1738. St Aldate's has few shops but has several local government buildings, including the Town Hall, the city police station and local council offices. The High (the word street is traditionally omitted) is the longest of the four streets and has a number of independent and high-end chain stores, but mostly University and College buildings.

    There are two small shopping centres in the city centre: The Clarendon Centre and The Westgate Centre. The Westgate Centre is named for the original West Gate in the city wall, and is located at the west end of Queen Street. It is quite small and contains a number of chain stores and a supermarket. The Westgate Shopping Centre is to undergo a large and controversial refurbishment; the plans involve tripling the size of the centre to , a new 1,335 space underground car park and 90 new shops and bars, including a John Lewis department store. There is to be a new and improved transport system, a complete refurbishment of the existing centre and the surrounding Bonn Square area. The development plans include a number of new homes, and completion is expected in 2011, although this is being delayed due to the current financial climate.

    Blackwell's Bookshop is a large bookshop which claims the largest single room devoted to book sales in the whole of Europe, the cavernous Norrington Room (10,000 sq ft).

    Other attractions

  • Ashmolean Museum
  • Bodleian Library
  • Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
  • The Headington Shark
  • Modern Art Oxford
  • Museum of the History of Science
  • Oxford Botanic Garden
  • Pitt Rivers Museum
  • Sheldonian Theatre
  • St. Mary The Virgin Church
  • Parks and nature walks

    Oxford is a very green city, with several parks and nature walks within the ring road, as well as several sites just outside the ring road. In total, 28 Nature Reserves exist within or just outside of Oxford ring road, including:
  • University Parks
  • Mesopotamia
  • Rock Edge Nature Reserve
  • Lye Valley
  • South Parks
  • C. S. Lewis Nature Reserve
  • Shotover Nature Reserve
  • Port Meadow
  • Urban redevelopment

    The Westgate redevelopment is just part of a wider scheme proposed by the city council. This scheme includes a total redesign of the centre of Oxford to "pedestrianise" the city. The scheme, entitled Transform Oxford, is only a blueprint for public consultation at this stage, but county council officials are confident it will go ahead.

    One of the key elements is the pedestrianisation of Queen Street, with bus stops removed next summer to make way for the eventual complete removal of buses from the street.

    Pedestrianisation schemes in George Street and Magdalen Street should follow in the summer of 2010, with the removal of traffic from Broad Street the same year a possibility.

    In 2011, highways engineers plan to remodel the Frideswide Square junctions near the railway station, removing traffic lights and introducing roundabouts to improve the traffic flow.

    Transport

    Air

    In addition to the larger airports in the region, Oxford is served by nearby London Oxford Airport, in Kidlington. The airport is also home to Oxford Aviation Academy, an airline pilot flight training centre, and several private jet companies.

    Buses

    The bus services are mainly provided by the Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach Oxfordshire. Other operators include Thames Travel, Arriva Shires & Essex and several smaller companies.

    Oxford has 5 park and ride sites with bus links to the city centre:

  • Pear Tree (bus 300)
  • Redbridge (bus 300)
  • Seacourt (bus 400)
  • Thornhill (bus 400)
  • Water Eaton (bus 500)
  • There are also bus services to the John Radcliffe Hospital (from Thornhill/Water Eaton) and to the Churchill and Nuffield Hospitals (from Thornhill).

    Hybrid buses, which use battery power with a small diesel generator, began to be used in Oxford on 15 July 2010, on Stagecoach Oxfordshire's Route 1 (Cowley, Blackbird Leys), followed by other routes.

    Coach

    The Oxford to London coach route offers a frequent coach service to London. The X90 (formerly the Oxford Espress ) is operated by the Oxford Bus Company. The Oxford Tube is operated by Stagecoach Oxfordshire. The Oxford Bus Company also runs the Airline services to Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

    There is a bus station at Gloucester Green, used mainly by the London and airport buses, National Express coaches, and other long-distance buses including route X5 to Milton Keynes and Cambridge.

    Rail

    In 1844, the Great Western Railway linked Oxford with London (Paddington) via and ; in 1851, the London and North Western Railway opened their own route from Oxford to London (Euston), via Bicester, and Watford; and in 1864 a third route, also to Paddington, running via , and , was provided; this was shortened in 1906 by the opening of a direct route between High Wycombe and London (Paddington) via . The distance from Oxford to London was via Bletchley; via Didcot and Reading; via Thame and Maidenhead; and via Denham. Of these, only the original route via Didcot is still in use for its full length, although portions of each of the others remain.

    There were also routes to the north and west. The line to was opened in 1850, and was extended to Birmingham in 1852; a route to Worcester opened in 1853. A branch to Witney was opened in 1862, which was extended to in 1873. The line to Witney and Fairford closed in 1962, but the others remain open.

    Oxford has had three main railway stations. The first was opened at Grandpont in 1844, but this was a terminus, inconvenient for routes to the north; it was replaced by the present station on Park End Street in 1852 with the opening of the Birmingham route. Another terminus, at Rewley Road, was opened in 1851 to serve the Bletchley route; this station closed in 1951. There have also been a number of local railway stations, all of which are now closed.

    Oxford railway station is half a mile (about 1?km) west of the city centre. The station is served by numerous routes, including CrossCountry services to as far away as Manchester and Edinburgh, First Great Western (who operate the station) services to London Paddington and other destinations such as Worcester and occasional Chiltern Railways services to Birmingham. The present station opened in 1852. Oxford is the junction for a short branch line to Bicester, which is being extended to form the East-West Rail Link to Milton Keynes, providing a passenger route avoiding London. The Varsity Line between Oxford and Cambridge is planned to link Bedford with a short gap to be reconstructed to Sandy then a rail link between the two cities will be restored via Hitchin.

    River and canal

    Oxford was historically an important port on the River Thames, with this section of the river being called The Isis; the Oxford-Burcot Commission in the 17th century attempted to improve navigation to Oxford. Iffley Lock and Osney Lock lie within the bounds of the city. In the eighteenth century the Oxford Canal was built to connect Oxford with the Midlands.

    Commercial traffic has given way to recreational use of the river and canal. Oxford was the original base of Salters Steamers and there is a regular service from Folly Bridge downstream to Abingdon and beyond.

    River Thames

    A roads

    The city has a ring road that consists of the A34, the A40, A4142 and the A423. It is mostly dual carriageway and was completed in 1966.

    The main roads that lead out of Oxford are: A34 ? which leads to Bicester, the M40 north, Birmingham and Manchester to the north (although since the M40's completion it has disappeared north of Oxford and only re-emerged some northwards at Solihull), and Didcot, Newbury and Winchester to the south. Since the completion of the Newbury by-pass in 1998, the A34 has been entirely grade separated dual carriageway all the way from Bicester to Winchester.

  • A40 ? which leads to London and High Wycombe (as well as the M40 motorway south) to the east, and Cheltenham, Gloucester and south Wales to the west.
  • A44 ? which begins in Oxford and leads to Worcester, Hereford and Aberystwyth.
  • A420 ? which also begins in Oxford and leads to Bristol passing Swindon and Chippenham.
  • Motorway

    The city is served by the M40 motorway, which connects London to Birmingham. The M40 approached Oxford in 1974 (the first section through Buckinghamshire opened in 1967) and went from London to Waterstock where the A40 continued to Oxford. When the M40 extension to Birmingham was completed in January 1991, a mile of the old motorway became a spur as the extension curved sharply north. The M40 comes no closer than away from the city centre, curving to the east of Otmoor. The M40 meets the A34 to the north of Oxford, the latter now being in two parts, the A34 restarting near Solihull, while the A41 (which previous passed through Banbury and Warwick) restarts in the same area.

    Education

    Schools

    Oxford is home to wide range of schools many of which receive pupils from around the world. There are two University choral foundation schools, Christ Church Cathedral School and New College School, established to educate the boy choristers of the chapel choirs, and have kept the tradition of single sex education. Magdalen College School was also a school for choristers but later became a grammar school and then independent school. St Edward's is another leading independent HMC member school and is the one of the few fully co-educational public schools in the county. Other independent schools in Oxford include Oxford High School, Rye St Antony School and Headington School (all girls only), St. Clare's, Oxford (co-ed, international school), Greene's Tutorial College (post-GCSE) and two prep schools, Dragon School and Emmanuel Christian School.

    Examination results in state-run Oxford schools are consistently below the national average and regional average. However, results in the city are improving with 44% of pupils gaining 5 grades A*-C in 2006. The city and its suburbs are served by two academies, three state schools and a voluntary-aided Catholic school.

    Tertiary

    There are two universities in Oxford, the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, as well as the further education institution Ruskin College. Oxford is also now home to the international headquarters of the SAE Institute, the world's largest creative media college.

    Media

    As well as the BBC national radio stations, Oxford and the surrounding area has several local stations, including BBC Oxford, Heart Thames Valley, Glide FM and Jack FM on 106.8 along with Oxide: Oxford Student Radio (which went on terrestrial radio at 87.7?MHz FM in late May 2005). A local TV station, Six TV: The Oxford Channel was also available but closed in April 2009. The city is home to a BBC TV newsroom which produces an opt-out from the main South Today programme broadcast from Southampton.

    Popular local papers include The Oxford Times (compact; weekly), its sister papers The Oxford Mail (tabloid; daily) and The Oxford Star (tabloid; free and delivered), and Oxford Journal (tabloid; weekly free pick-up). Oxford is also home to several advertising agencies.

    Daily Information (known locally as Daily Info) is an events and advertising news sheet which has been published since 1964 and now provides a connected website.

    Nightshift is a monthly local free magazine that has covered the Oxford music scene since 1991.

    In 2003 DIY grassroots non-corporate media has begun to spread. Independent and community newspapers include the Jericho Echo and Oxford Prospect.

    Culture

    Literature and film

    Well-known Oxford-based authors include:
  • Oscar Wilde a nineteenth century poet and author who attended Oxford from 1874 to 1878.
  • John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir attended Brasenose College. Best known for his The Thirty-nine Steps, authored 32 novels and many more volumes of history, poetry and essays.
  • Susan Cooper who is best known for her The Dark Is Rising Sequence
  • Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), Student and Mathematical Lecturer of Christ Church.
  • Colin Dexter who wrote and set his Inspector Morse detective novels in Oxford. Colin Dexter still lives in Oxford.
  • John Donaldson (d.1989), a poet resident in Oxford in later life.
  • Siobhan Dowd Oxford resident; who was an undergraduate at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.
  • Kenneth Grahame educated at St. Edward's School, Oxford
  • Michael Innes (J. I. M. Stewart), of Christ Church.
  • P. D. James who lives part-time in Oxford.
  • T. E. Lawrence, "Lawrence of Arabia", Oxford resident, undergraduate at Jesus, postgraduate at Magdalen.
  • C. S. Lewis, student at University College and Fellow of Magdalen.
  • Alex Ryan, formerly an Oxford resident for many years.
  • Iris Murdoch, Fellow of St Anne's.
  • Iain Pears, undergraduate at Wadham and Oxford resident, whose novel An Instance of the Fingerpost is set in the city.
  • Philip Pullman who was an undergraduate at Exeter.
  • Dorothy L. Sayers who was an undergraduate at Somerville.
  • J. R. R. Tolkien, undergraduate at Exeter and later professor of English at Merton
  • John Wain, undergraduate at St John's and later Professor of Poetry at Oxford University 1973?78
  • Charles Williams, editor at Oxford University Press.
  • Brian Aldiss who lives in Oxford.
  • Oxford appears in the following works:
  • "The Scarlet Pimpernel"
  • "Harry Potter" (all the films to date)
  • The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James A. Owen
  • Jude the Obscure (1895) by Thomas Hardy (in which Oxford is thinly disguised as "Christminster").
  • Zuleika Dobson (1911) by Max Beerbohm.
  • Gaudy Night (1935) by Dorothy L. Sayers.
  • Brideshead Revisited (1945) by Evelyn Waugh.
  • A Question of Upbringing (1951 ) by Anthony Powell
  • Second Generation (1964 novel) by Raymond Williams
  • Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) by Steven Spielberg
  • Where The Rivers Meet (1988) trilogy set in Oxford by John Wain
  • All Souls (1989) by Javier Mar?as
  • The Children of Men (1992) by P. D. James.
  • Doomsday Book (1992) by Connie Willis
  • His Dark Materials (1995 onwards) by Philip Pullman
  • "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997)
  • "The Saint" (1997)
  • "102 Dalmatians" (2000)
  • Endymion Spring (2006) by Matthew Skelton
  • The Oxford Murders (2008)
  • The Oxford Virus (2010) by Adam Kolczynski
  • Mr. Nice (2010) The story of Howard Marks
  • X-Men: First Class (2011)
  • Music

    Oxford, and its surrounding towns and villages, have produced many successful bands and musicians. The most notable Oxford act is Radiohead, who hail from nearby Abingdon, though other well known local bands include Supergrass, Ride, Swervedriver, Talulah Gosh and more recently, Young Knives, Foals and Stornoway. These and many other bands from over 30 years of the Oxford music scene's history feature in the documentary film Anyone Can Play Guitar.

    In 1997, Oxford played host to Radio 1's Sound City, with acts such as Bentley Rhythm Ace, Embrace, Spiritualized and DJ Shadow playing in various venues around the city.

    Sport

    The town's leading football club, Oxford United, are currently in League Two, the fourth tier of league football, and have enjoyed great success in the past in the upper reaches of the football league. They were elected to the Football League in 1962, reached the Third Division after three years and the Second Division after six, and most notably reached the First Division in 1985 ? a mere 23 years after joining the Football League. They spent three seasons in the top flight, winning the Football League Cup a year after promotion. The next 18 years that followed relegation in 1988 saw their fortunes decline gradually, though a brief respite in 1996 saw them win promotion to the new (post Premier League) Division One in 1996 and stay there for three years. They suffered relegation to the Football Conference in 2006, staying there for four seasons before returning to the Football League in 2010. They play at the Kassam Stadium (named after former chairman Firoz Kassam), which is situated near the Blackbird Leys housing estate and has been their home since relocation from the Manor Ground in 2001. The club's notable former managers include Ian Greaves, Jim Smith, Maurice Evans, Brian Horton and Denis Smith. Notable former players include John Aldridge, Ray Houghton, Tommy Caton, Matt Elliott, Nigel Jemson and Dean Whitehead.

    Oxford City F.C. is a semi-professional football club, separate from Oxford United. It plays in the Southern Football League Premier Division. Oxford City Nomads F.C. are another semi-professional football club, who ground share with Oxford City F.C. and play in the Hellenic league. Oxford Harlequins RFC is the city's main rugby team and plays in the National 3 South West league.

    Oxford Cheetahs motorcycle speedway team has raced at Cowley Stadium on and off since 1939. The Cheetahs competed in the Speedway Elite League and then the Speedway Conference League until 2007, when stadium landlords Greyhound Racing Association apparently doubled the rent. Speedway is not currently running in Oxford.

    There are several field hockey clubs based in Oxford. The Oxford Hockey Club (formed after a merger of City of Oxford HC and Rover Oxford HC in 2011) plays most of its home games on the pitch at Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, and also uses the pitches at Headington Girls' School and Iffley Road. Oxford Hawks has two astroturf pitches at Banbury Road North, by Cutteslowe Park to the north of the city.

    Oxford City Stars is the local Ice Hockey Team which plays at Oxford Ice Rink. There is a senior/adults? team and a junior/children?s team.

    Oxford is also home to the Oxford City Rowing Club which is situated near Donnington Bridge.

    International relations

    Oxford is twinned with:
  • Bonn, Germany
  • Grenoble, France
  • Leiden, Netherlands
  • Le?n, Nicaragua
  • Perm, Russia
  • Ume?, Sweden
  • Saskatoon, Canada
  • See also

  • Bishop of Oxford
  • Earl of Oxford
  • List of Oxford architects
  • Oxfam
  • Oxford bags
  • Oxford comma
  • Gallery

    References

    ;Notes

    ;Bibliography

    ;Further reading

    External links

  • Oxford ? 1911 Encyclop?dia Britannica article
  • Oxford City Council official website
  • School of Architecture website
  • Oxford From Above BBC program
  • Category:Articles including recorded pronunciations (UK English) Category:Cities in South East England Category:County towns in England *Oxford Category:Local authorities adjoining the River Thames Category:Local government in Oxfordshire Category:Populated places established in the 8th century *Oxford Category:University towns in the United Kingdom Category:Non-metropolitan districts of Oxfordshire Category:Local government districts of South East England

    af:Oxford ang:Oxnaford ab:??????? ar:??????? an:Oxford roa-rup:Oxford az:Oksford bn:????????? zh-min-nan:Oxford be:????? ??????? be-x-old:??????? bg:??????? bs:Oxford br:Oxford ca:Oxford cs:Oxford cy:Rhydychen da:Oxford de:Oxford et:Oxford el:??????? es:Oxford eo:Oksfordo eu:Oxford fa:??????? fr:Oxford fy:Oxford ga:Oxford gd:?th nan Damh gl:Oxford ko:???? hi:????????? hr:Oxford io:Oxford id:Oxford ie:Oxford is:Oxford it:Oxford he:???????? kn:??????????? ka:???????? kw:Rysoghen sw:Oxford ku:Oxford la:Oxonia lv:Oksforda lb:Oxford lt:Oksfordas hu:Oxford mr:????????, ??????? ms:Oxford my:??????????????? nah:Oxford, Oxfordshire nl:Oxford (Engeland) ja:???????? no:Oxford nn:Oxford nrm:Oxford oc:Oxford pnb:??????? pl:Oksford pt:Oxford ro:Oxford qu:Oxford ru:??????? se:Oxford sc:Oxford sco:Oxford scn:Oxford simple:Oxford sk:Oxford sl:Oxford sr:??????? fi:Oxford sv:Oxford tl:Oxford te:??????????? th:?????????? tg:??????? tr:Oxford uk:??????? ug:Oksford vi:Oxford vo:Oxford war:Oxford yi:??????? bat-smg:Oksfuords zh:??

    Source: http://article.wn.com/view/2012/06/29/ADEC_sends_students_to_Pembroke_Colleges_summer_internship_p/

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    Pranab Mukherjee on his bid for President: Highlights

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    Sunglass Launches With New API, Dropbox Integration To Democratize 3D Design

    Screen-Shot-2012-06-20-at-5.51.28-PM yoda-2Cloud-based computer-aided design (CAD) collaboration tool Sunglass, which debuted at TechCrunch Disrupt NYC in May, is today officially announcing its public launch and is unveiling a new API for direct integration with major CAD design tools, like SolidWorks, SketchUp, Processing, and Rhino. The CAD ecosystem now also integrates with cloud storage players, like Box and Dropbox, which combined with its hooks into design tools, makes it far easier for users to add projects or initiate new collaboration sessions in the cloud.

    Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/biAsmyZbFdc/

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    jason_omara: Nintendo President takes huge pay cut after company posts 1st loss. They really did beat the boss at the end of the level.

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    Source: http://twitter.com/jason_omara/statuses/218712338273026048

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    Friday, June 29, 2012

    Motherhood Moment: Thrifty Thinking: Women and Financial Literacy

    - Women are falling further behind in many key areas of financial planning, most notably in two critical areas: money management, which is the foundation of all financial planning, and investing, which is crucial to women being able to build wealth.
    - Women?s confidence in their retirement preparedness has slipped and they are still behind men in terms of how much they are saving for retirement, but the gender gap in retirement planning is smaller than most other areas, with virtually no gap between men and women with respect to participating in 401(k) plans or IRAs.
    - In general, women are doing a better job at planning for longer term goals and protecting their wealth, but are having a harder time with basic money management skills and investing, both of which are more transactional in nature and often entail more hands-on management and quick decision making.

    I had the chance to interview Diane Winland, CFP and Resident Financial Planner with Financial Finesse.

    ?

    1) What are some of the reasons women lag behind men in money management and investing?

    ?

    In general the gap may be part societal and part financial. Although about 40% of women are the primary breadwinners in their households, women have traditionally not been the financial person in the family structure. Historically women have been raised to care for the household and family member and not concentrate on financial matters. However women are now a majority of college graduates in the U.S., so maybe we will see more of a shift in this dynamic.?

    ?

    As for the financial part, we usually see a gap in terms of income with women on the lower end. Since many of them may be the financial head of the household, it may be that there is less money to spread around. Couple a limited budget with women's tendency to put their own needs at the end of the "list" and you have a situation where caring for parents or children take precedence over saving and investing.?????

    ?

    2) What are some easy way for women to become more involved in household money decisions?

    ?

    Even if a woman is not the main financial person in the house, she can most certainly be involved with financial decisions and monitor normal monthly expenses. One way that lots of couples make sure they stay on the same page is to have a monthly money meeting, or a financial summit. During this time each person can review income and expenses, check on debt and progress toward reducing it, and make sure that things like retirement savings are on track. One thing for women may want to watch for is depending too much on their spouse or partner. As an example, if one person? is the predominantly the saver for things like retirement then a major change in the house (death, divorce, serious illness or injury) can put that goal in serious jeopardy.

    ?

    3) Why is it important for women to share responsibility in financial matters?

    ?

    Women face more challenges when it comes to overall financial planning than men do. Women tend to live longer resulting in not only a longer potential retirement but also an increasing probability that they will be solely responsible for financially supporting themselves for at least some portion of their lives. Combined with higher lifetime healthcare costs and lower pension and Social Security payments (due to lower salaries or interruptions in their careers to care for family members) the need for saving and investing for retirement becomes an important part of a woman's overall financial plan.??

    ?

    4) How can women improve their own financial literacy if they have no idea where to start?

    ?

    This is where the good news comes in. The best thing to do is seek out information, and women in our Gender Gap study are doing just that - at about twice the rate as their male counterparts. Seek information from a financial planner, a CPA, or better yet ask your employer about the education program at work. You never know, you might just be able to learn from experts life the CFP professionals at Financial Finesse with no fear of bias or embarrassment.???

    Source: http://motherhood-moment.blogspot.com/2012/06/thrifty-thinking-women-and-financial.html

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    Small business happy with health care?ruling

    By John W. Schoen

    Tammy Krings doesn?t understand what the fuss is all about.

    The small business owner from New Albany, Ohio thinks the Affordable Care Act the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Thursday will help lower the cost of providing health care to the 160 employees at her corporate travel agency, TS24.

    ?I was very happy about it,? Krings?said after the court's decision. ?It will be positive for our organization.?

    That puts her in stark contrast to small business advocacy groups, which argue that?it will raise costs, add uncertainty to their businesses and put a damper on job creation.

    Not so, says?Krings. She said?her company?s health insurance premiums will rise much more slowly than the 30 percent a year increases she?s been paying in recent years. By prodding younger, healthier workers to sign up for coverage, she said, the law will help offset the cost of covering older workers who consume more care.

    ?We don?t have the balance of healthy people on our program,? she said. ?Our little business is, I think, a very micro example of what the country faces at large.?

    Business groups reacted viscerally to the news that the high court upheld the law.

    ?Small-business owners are going to face an onslaught of taxes and mandates, resulting in job loss and closed businesses,? according to Dan Danner, President and CEO of the National Federation of Independent Business, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, which sought to strike down the law. ??

    ?Left unchanged, (the law) will cost many Americans their employer-based health insurance, undermine job creation, and raise health care costs for all," said U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue.

    ?This law will have a dramatic, negative impact on every employer and employee in the United States and further constrain job creation and economic growth,? according to Matthew Shay, CEO of the?National Retail Federation.

    With Thursday?s ruling, the 2010 health care law will continue to be phased in over the next five years. When fully implemented, it?s expected to provide health coverage to about 30 million currently uninsured people, extending coverage to more than 9 in 10 eligible Americans.

    Click here to read the full ruling.

    Some provisions are already in effect. Young adults can stay on their parents' insurance up to age 26. Insurers can't limit how much a policy pays to each person over a lifetime. Co-payments for preventive care have been eliminated.

    For months, small business groups have complained that uncertainty about the health care law had produced a chilling effect on job growth, as employers postponed hiring decisions until the law?s legal foundation was settled.

    To be sure, some uncertainty remains. Various specific regulations, for example, have yet to be written by the Department of Health and Human Services.

    GOP vows to press for repeal
    Republicans have vowed to continue to press for the law?s repeal, a prospect that will depend heavily on the outcome of the November election. Even if they fail in that effort, the sweeping scope of the law makes it likely that Congress will make changes in the next few years as its wider impact is felt.

    "There have to be some tweaks,? said Mike McAllister, CEO of Humana, one of the country?s largest health insurers. ?This is a big bill and in these cases there are things that have to be done in the next handful of years to make it better.?

    One of those ?tweaks? will likely center on the tax breaks the bill provides for the smallest businesses, who have complained loudly about the $2,000 per worker penalty that the law imposes on companies that?don?t provide health coverage. That fee is partially offset by a tax credit for companies with 25 or fewer workers.

    Some opponents of the bill have argued the tax credit provision could prompt very small companies to stop hiring once they reach 25 employees, or even fire workers to take advantage of the credit.

    Under the health car law, all businesses with 50 or more employees must provide health care benefits to those employees by 2014. MSNBC"s JJ Ramberg joins NewsNation to discuss.

    ?

    Krings said that argument doesn?t make much sense. ?Maybe I?m just not as smart as these other guys,? she said. ?But the fact is when I need people I hire them regardless of a tax credit or a tax break. A tax itself does not dictate how I manage my business.?

    Newly created insurance markets are expected to make it easier for individuals and small businesses to buy affordable coverage.

    The law also includes provisions to shift some of the cost of health care from employers to their employees, who will spend more of their own money when they seek medical care. The goal is to prompt patients to shop around for care rather than consume health products and services without regard for cost.

    ?People will have cost sharing, which they will manage out-of-pocket,? said Robert Kocher, a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution. ?That?s going to lead to market-based competition and tools coming on the market that show you the price that you'll pay for different providers. Those will vary by as much as 300 to 400 percent. That allows consumers to move towards the lower-priced, better-quality providers.?

    Krings said she expects that cost sharing will help contain the overall cost of care and save money for companies like hers.

    ?Once ?you create that kind of transparency, that?s going to cause the consumer to take pause and? say 'Wow: why is this so expensive?'? she said. ?That?s part of what is broken. There hasn?t been this transparency. There hasn?t been the personal responsibility to care so much about it."

    More money and business news:

    Follow msnbc.com business on Twitter and Facebook

    "We need to move beyond politics and get on with trying to make the health care system work and make it cost-competitive," says Bill George, former Medtronic chairman & CEO, weighing in on the high court's health care ruling and what companies must do ...

    Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/28/12461371-small-business-sees-advantages-in-health-care-ruling?lite

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    Merkel stands ground ahead of euro summit

    BERLIN/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU leaders arrived for a Brussels summit on Thursday more openly divided than at any time since the euro crisis began, with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel showing no sign of relenting in her refusal to back other countries' debts.

    Merkel is being urged at home to hang tough and reject all efforts to make Germany underwrite European partners' borrowing or banks, while her European Union partners say that may be the only way to save the single currency.

    "Nein! No! Non!" shouted a headline splashed across the front page of the normally sober German business daily Handelsblatt, with a commentary by its editor-in-chief saying Merkel must remain firm at the two-day summit.

    Spain and Italy, the latest euro zone countries in financial markets' firing line, are pleading for emergency action to bring down their spiraling borrowing costs before they are forced out of the bond market. They want the euro zone's rescue funds or the European Central Bank to intervene fast.

    A senior German government source, briefing reporters in Berlin before the summit, due to start at 0900 EDT, played down the leap in Spanish and Italian borrowing costs.

    "We would warn against exaggerated panic-making," he said.

    European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso proposed in a report creating a euro zone treasury to issue joint bonds in the medium-term, and establishing a banking union with central supervision, a joint deposit guarantee and a resolution fund.

    Merkel insists that fundamental reforms to give European Union authorities power to override national budget and economic policies must come before any further shared liability.

    "Now she must explain to our friends at the summit that it would help no one if Germany lavishly handed out the fruit of its labor. It is even the other way around: 'yes' to Europe means 'no' to Barroso's ideas," Handelsblatt's Gabor Steingart wrote.

    His comment reflected widespread public views in Germany, which has enjoyed an export boom while Greece, Ireland and Portugal and now Spain and Cyprus have needed bailouts. The economic crisis is only just starting to pinch in Germany, where growth is slowing and unemployment crept up unseasonally in June.

    Hans-Werner Sinn, head of the Ifo economic research institute and a leading Eurosceptic, said in a working paper: "Had we known 20 years ago what difficulties the euro zone would be mired in today, and what pressures we would face, Germany would never in its life have agreed to the euro, at least not with all those who are members today."

    TURMOIL

    The meeting is the 20th summit of leaders of the 27 EU states since the crisis erupted in early 2010, giving them a reputation for failing to match their talk with the sort of decisive action needed to resolve it.

    The euro hit a three-week low and European shares fell as investors bet that this latest summit would fail to produce concrete measures to tackle the crisis, sending 10-year Spanish government bond yields above the danger level of 7 percent.

    Italy had to pay its highest yield since December of 6.19 percent to sell 10-year debt on Thursday, helped by domestic demand and a smaller-than-average sale.

    Many international investors have deserted Spanish and Italian debt, pushing yields to levels that Madrid at least cannot afford for long as it tries to save banks ravaged by a property market collapse and rein in an overshooting deficit.

    European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said the summit would work on unspecified "short-term measures" to stabilize markets. Merkel has brushed aside demands from Rome and Madrid for rapid measures to support their bonds.

    French President Francois Hollande is championing joint "eurobonds", which would bring down borrowing costs for the weaker euro zone countries because the pool of guarantors would include the strongest - principally Germany.

    EU leaders agree in theory that addressing the euro zone's imbalances must involve "more Europe" - greater coordination of financial affairs among countries that share the common currency. But they disagree sharply about how to get there.

    France's Hollande argues that Europe must show greater "solidarity" - support for weaker members - before it asks them to give up independent policy powers. Germany, by contrast, does not want to use its credit rating to support others unless they share control of tax and spending powers first.

    Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen, one of a handful of Merkel allies from north European creditor states, said on arrival in Brussels: "We cannot create a Europe which is based on mutualised liabilities or new structures just for having new payers for the current bill."

    Hollande and Merkel met in Paris on Wednesday evening to try to narrow their differences.

    While they agreed on a package of measures to promote growth trumpeted as being worth 130 billion euros - the first item on Thursday's summit agenda - there was little sign of a meeting of minds on the thornier crisis-resolution issues.

    ECB governing council member Christian Noyer of France told Le Monde that Europe had reached a crossroads where monetary union was no longer sufficient and a step towards federalism was needed, including closer budgetary union, adding he was "very open" to eventually pooling debt in a later stage.

    Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann said the 17-nation currency bloc's permanent rescue fund, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), due to start operating next month, should be turned into a bank and allowed to borrow from the ECB, which could quadruple its 500 billion euro ($625 billion) warchest.

    "We need a banking license for the ESM, a debt reduction fund, strict rules for banks with more intervention rights for supervision," he told Austria's Kleine Zeitung daily.

    That backed proposals by Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti to leverage up the rescue funds to underpin troubled countries' bonds. But ECB chief economist Peter Praet said he was "very skeptical" of Monti's idea, which would greatly increase the central bank's exposure.

    "The funds would guarantee part of the risks, and we would take the rest on our books," Praet told Financial Times Deutschland.

    The senior German source said the EU already had instruments to handle all crisis scenarios, and Berlin was skeptical about developing yet another tool to solve Italy's problem.

    Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Merkel said she considered joint euro bonds and bank deposit guarantees illegal, economically wrong and politically counterproductive. Even Europe's strongest economy must not be overburdened, she said.

    Rehn said euro zone leaders would work at their own mini-summit on Friday afternoon on steps to relieve market pressure on countries at risk.

    "We are working with euro area member states in order to enable convincing decisions for the short-term stabilization of the financial markets, especially bond markets of euro area member states under particular market pressure," he said.

    Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he would ask other EU leaders to allow the bloc's bailout funds or the European Central Bank to stabilize financial markets.

    "The most urgent issue is the one of financing. We can't keep funding ourselves for a long time at the prices we're currently funding ourselves," he told parliament.

    (Additional reporting by Gernot Heller in Berlin, Lorraine Turner in Dublin, Julien Toyer, Jan Strupczewski and Luke Baker in Brussels, Georgina Prodhan in Vienna, Catherine Bremer and Vicky Buffery in Paris; Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Michael Roddy)

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    World awaits latest in hunt for Higgs particle

    LONDON/GENEVA | Thu Jun 28, 2012 6:54am EDT

    LONDON/GENEVA (Reuters) - Scientists hunting the Higgs subatomic particle will unveil results next week that could confirm, confound or complicate our understanding of the fundamental nature of the universe.

    Seldom has something so small and ephemeral excited such interest. The theoretical particle explains how suns and planets formed after the Big Bang - but so far it has not been proven to exist.

    The CERN research centre near Geneva will on July 4 unveil its latest findings in the search for the Higgs after reporting "tantalizing glimpses" in December.

    Scientific bloggers and even some of the thousands of physicists working on the project are speculating that CERN will finally announce proof of the existence of the Higgs.

    "It's still premature to say anything so definitive," says CERN spokesman James Gillies, adding the two teams involved are still analyzing data and even CERN insiders won't know the answer until the results from both are brought together.

    But with plans for a news conference that will be beamed live around the world and coincide with a major particle physics conference in Melbourne, Australia, anticipation of a significant announcement is hard to avoid.

    For Jordan Nash, a professor at London's Imperial College and a member of one of the teams looking for the Higgs, the excitement around the experiment is justified.

    "We're trying to understand the fabric of the universe itself," he told Reuters. "It's a hugely fundamental piece of the mystery of how the universe is put together."

    SMASHING WATERMELONS

    A definitive 'we've found it' would be a surprise and a major scientific milestone.

    "We too are holding our breath," says Pauline Gagnon, a Canadian physicist on one of the teams, in her latest blog.

    The action takes place in the Large Hadron Collider, the world's biggest and most powerful particle accelerator, a 27-km (17-mile) looped pipe that sits in a tunnel 100 meters underground on the Swiss/French border.

    Two beams of energy are fired in opposite directions around it before smashing into each other to create many millions of particle collisions every second in a recreation of the conditions a fraction of a second after the Big Bang.

    The vast amount of data produced is examined by banks of computers. But it's a messy process. For all the billions of collisions, very few of them are just right for revealing the Higgs particle.

    "It's like smashing watermelons together and trying to achieve a perfect collision for two of the pips inside," says Nash.

    Last year's "glimpses" of the Higgs were from just a handful of collisions out of the many millions that were analyzed. Since then, the power inside the collider has been ramped up to increase the intensity of the particle smashing. This threw off more data between April and June than in the whole of last year.

    "We're looking for something so rare, it's a sifting experiment," Nash said. "We just made a gigantic haystack and now we are looking for the needle".

    IT'S A BIG UNIVERSE

    The Higgs particle is a crucial plank of the Standard Model, which is the best explanation physicists have of how the universe works at the most fundamental level.

    But the particle is theoretical, first posited in 1964 by British scientist Peter Higgs as the way matter obtained mass after the universe was created 13.7 billion years ago.

    Without it, according to the theory, the universe would have remained a giant soup of particles. It would not have coalesced into stars, planets and life.

    Even if its existence is finally proven, it will only apply to the relatively small part of the universe explained by the Standard Model. It won't tell us about so-called dark matter or dark energy, which scientists believe make up about 96 percent of the cosmos.

    It could, however, be a step towards a theory of everything that encompasses dark matter and energy, as well as the force of gravity, which the Standard Model also does not explain.

    Those early glimpses may of course not be borne out in the latest data, which would provoke serious head-scratching and debate about where to look next. They may discover the Higgs exactly as postulated.

    But scientists say the most exciting news from CERN, whether it comes next week or later this year, would be the discovery of a type of Higgs particle but not quite as described in the Standard Model.

    This, they say, could provide a road sign on where to look for answers on dark matter, dark energy and even esoteric concepts like parallel universes.

    "Something more exotic could take us beyond the Standard Model and into the rest of the universe that we currently know nothing about," said James Gillies.

    He said just as Albert Einstein's theories enveloped and built on the work of Isaac Newton, the work being done by the thousands of physicists at CERN has the potential to do the same. "It's where we'd like it to take us," he said.

    WHO CARES?

    In a hard-up world paying the bill for multiple financial crises, some question the value of big science projects like the Large Hadron Collider and scientists feel an ever increasing pressure to justify the expense to policymakers. The LHC cost about 3 billion euros to build.

    CERN's highest profile gift to the real economy was the source code for the World Wide Web, written by scientist Tim Berners-Lee when he worked at the research centre in the 1990s.

    Asked what the Higgs hunt could bestow on the world, Nash says the research is too leading edge and too nascent to say. At this point it's about the thirst for knowledge, something he argues the public well understands.

    "We do bring a lot of things back," he says. "But when I talk to taxi drivers or builders they never ask that."

    (Editing by Janet Lawrence)

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    Thursday, June 28, 2012

    NJ Gov. Christie: Romney didn't ask him to be VP (The Arizona Republic)

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    Modbook teases a 'Pro' announcement on Facebook

    DNP ModBook teases a 'Pro' return on Facebook

    Modbook -- now there's a portmanteau we haven't heard in a while. Looks like that'll change this week, however. The company has offered up the intriguing promise that "imagination goes pro. Tomorrow," alongside the image of the edge of a slick looking device and some familiar OS X icons. Color us modtrigued.

    Modbook teases a 'Pro' announcement on Facebook originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 17:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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