Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard Welcome Daughter Gloria Ray

The couple welcomed daughter Gloria Ray on April 19 in New York City, her rep confirms to PEOPLE.

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Tree cricket's song in tune with temperature

Among many male crickets, larger body size means a lower pitched song and more attention from the lady crickets. But male tree crickets break this rule: The pitch of their song changes with temperature.?

The basic mechanics are straightforward, according to new research that explores tree crickets' unusual song. Tree crickets have more elongated wings than other species, particularly field crickets, and tree crickets vibrate their entire wing when they call, rather than just part of it, as other crickets do.

But the discovery points to another, trickier question: Why?

The variability in male tree crickets' call creates a problem. Normally, female crickets find their mates by tuning into the precise frequency at which the males broadcast their chirpy song, tuning out other noise. But if males' calls aren't finely tuned, how do females home in on them? [ Cricket Sets Testicle Size Record ]

This unusual feature of tree crickets' song was first reported in 1962. To get a handle on how and why tree crickets' pitch varies due to temperature, a British and Indian team closely examined the movements of the insects' wings, using computer modeling to better understand them.

"If you look at a tree-cricket wing, they are longer than they are wide. What that does is it makes them ring not a one single note, but at a range of notes closer to each other in pitch," said lead researcher Natasha Mahtre, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.?

The body temperature of crickets, as with all insects, depends on the temperature of their environment. In warmer weather they are more active, and bring their wings together more quickly. As a result, the frequency of the vibration increases and the pitch ? the perceptual quality associated with frequency ? becomes higher. The opposite happens in cooler weather.

For example, the tree cricket Oecanthus henryi calls at 3.6 kilohertz when it?s 81 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) and a deeper 2.3 kHz when it?s 64 degrees F (18 degrees C) out.

Among field crickets, the frequency of the vibration is so finely tuned that the change in wing speed does not change it.

But the biggest mystery remains.

"There is no biological reason we can think of for them to want this geometry, or to want this frequency variation," Mahtre said of tree crickets.

It's possible that females can use the variation to pick up on clues to the attractiveness of the male cricket ? such as how much he's recently eaten or whether he is located in a desirably warm spot, Mahtre explained to LiveScience. But most likely, the variation originated as an unintended consequence.

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"They would want to be loud, and I think this is a byproduct of wanting to be loud," Mahtre said.

Tree crickets achieve more volume by having elongated wings and vibrating the whole wing, rather than part of it. But both of these traits prevent their calls from being finely tuned, their research indicated.

The study, funded by a U.K. India Research and Education Initiative, an EU Marie Curie fellowship grant and a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council grant, was published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

You can follow LiveScience senior writer Wynne Parry on Twitter @Wynne_Parry. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience? and on Facebook.

? 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

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Boy Scouts board member quits to back ousted lesbian

By Sevil Omer, msnbc.com

The ouster of an Ohio scouts leader because of her sexual orientation has prompted a Boy Scouts of America board member in West Virginia to quit, ending his family?s long-standing tradition with the service organization.

Courtesy of Jennifer Tyrrell

Jennifer Tyrrell and her son Cruz.

West Virginia lawyer David J. Sims resigned on Friday from the Ohio River Valley Council of the Boy Scouts of America in Wheeling, W. Va., in support of Jennifer Tyrrell, a 32-year-old Ohio mom whose membership was revoked in April 10 because she is a lesbian.

?I had not been aware of what was going on and when I did, I felt that it was not a decision that was fair and not one that I necessarily agreed with,? Sims told msnbc.com on Monday. ?I think the policy is wrong.?

---

Confirming the resignation, the Boy Scouts of America on Monday maintained it has the right to ban gays and atheists from its service organization, a stance upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000. A scouts official also defended the organization's actions against Tyrrell.

Story: Gay mom upset after dismissal from Boy Scouts

?Scouting, and the majority of parents it serves, does not believe it is the right forum for children to become aware of the issue of sexual orientation, or engage in discussions about being gay,? Boy Scouts spokesman Deron Smith said in an email to msnbc.com. ?Rather, such complex matters should be discussed with parents, caregivers, or spiritual advisers, at the appropriate time and in the right setting.?

?We fully understand and appreciate that not everyone will agree with any one position or policy. To disagree does not mean to disrespect and we respect everyone's right to have and express a different opinion. Scouting will continue to teach our members to treat everyone with courtesy and respect,? Smith said in the email.

Watch the Top Videos on msnbc.com

Sims said he could not in good faith carry on his duties with the scouts, a post he has held for four months, and had to take a stand.

A copy of his resignation letter was also emailed to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation on Monday.

?It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I write to you today to inform you that I am resigning as a member of the Board of Directors of the Ohio River Valley Council of the Boy Scouts of America,? Sims wrote in his letter, according to the gay-rights advocacy group.

Sims continued: ?My grandfather was an Eagle scout, my father was an Eagle scout and I am an Eagle Scout. Other than his family and his Christian faith, the most important thing in my father?s life was the Boy Scouts. He lived and breathed scouting. That is what makes this decision so exceedingly difficult and emotional. However, I know that my father would support my decision.?

Tyrrell said the support has been overwhelming, adding that her petition for the scouts to change policy has gained more than 250,000 signatures.

?I?ve been touched by the long list of supporters who, like me, believe that discrimination should not be a part of the Boy Scouts of America?s policies,? she said.

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UnitedHealth shares fall after Humana 1Q report

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Translationista: Pedagogies of Translation Conference at Barnard

The Center for Translation Studies at Barnard College is hosting a two-day conference about teaching translation this coming Thursday and Friday, organized by Peter Connor and Lawrence Venuti. According to the program, a range of approaches to translation will be represented, from the theoretical to the artistic, along with a comparison of the many different contexts in which translation is taught (certificate, translator training, and MFA programs, as well as foreign language and comparative literature departments). The roster of speakers includes many of the most prominent teachers of translation in the country, along with colleagues from Canada, Ireland and Northern Ireland. I myself will be speaking about the sorts of supplementary materials (theoretical and otherwise) I use in my translation classroom. If you are at all interested in the issues involved in the pedagogy of translation, this is certainly one of the best chances you'll ever have to hear them discussed in depth.

Here's the program:

Friday May 4, 2012

Session 1: 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Translation in the Translator Training Program
1. Luise von Flotow, School of Translation and Interpretation, University of Ottawa
2. Fran?oise Massardier-Kenney, Institute for Applied Linguistics, Kent State University
3. John Balcom, Program in Translation and Interpretation, Monterey Institute for International Studies

Session 2: 3:45-5:15 p.m.
Teaching Translation as Creative Writing
1. Stefania Heim, Creative Writing, Columbia University
2. Peter Filkins, Creative Writing, Bard College
3. Sidney Wade, Department of English, University of Florida at Gainesville

Session 3: 5:30-7:00 p.m.
The Place of Translation Theory, Commentary, and Research
1. Sean Cotter, Center for Translation Studies, University of Texas at Dallas
2. Susan Bernofsky, MFA Program in Creative Writing and Literary Translation, Queens College, CUNY
3. Michael Cronin, School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies, Dublin City University

Saturday May 5, 2012

Session 1: 9:30-11:00 a.m.
Translation in Foreign Language Departments
1. Catherine Porter, Emerita, Department of Modern Languages, SUNY-Cortland
2. Karen Van Dyck, Program in Hellenic Studies, Columbia University
3. Ronald Meyer, Harriman Institute, Columbia University

Session 2: 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Translation in Comparative Literature Departments and Programs
1. Maria Tymoczko, Department of Comparative Literature, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
2. Rosemary Arrojo, Department of Comparative Literature, SUNY-Binghamton
3. Leah Middlebrook, Department of Comparative Literature, University of Oregon

Session 3: 2:30-4:00 p.m.
The Certificate Program
1. David Bellos, Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication, Princeton University
2. Ignacio Infante, Comparative Literature Program, Washington University in St. Louis 3. Emanuelle Ertel, Department of French, New York University

Session 4: 4:15-5:45 p.m.
Where We Are, Where We Might Go: A Roundtable Discussion
1. Russell Valentino, Department of Cinema and Comparative Literature, University of Iowa
2. David Johnston, School of Modern Languages, Queens University, Belfast
3. Natalia Teplova, Department of French Studies, Concordia University, Montreal

All events will be held in the James Room on the 4th floor of Barnard Hall. For more information, see Barnard's Center for Translation Studies website.

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Video: Four years later, has hope abated?

A Second Take on Meeting the Press: From an up-close look at Rachel Maddow's sneakers to an in-depth look at Jon Krakauer's latest book ? it's all fair game in our "Meet the Press: Take Two" web extra. Log on Sundays to see David Gregory's post-show conversations with leading newsmakers, authors and roundtable guests. Videos are available on-demand by 12 p.m. ET on Sundays.

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