The best laid plans? Women's choices, expectations and experiences in childbirth

Impact Factor:1.137 | Ranking:21/36 in Social Sciences, Biomedical | 81/136 in Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | 5-Year Impact Factor:1.396Source:2012 Journal Citation Reports® (Thomson Reuters, 2013)
The past decades have seen a drastic increase in the medicalization of childbirth, evidenced by increasing Caesarean section rates in many Western countries. In a rare moment of congruence, alternative health-care providers, feminist advocates for women’s health and, most recently, mainstream medical service providers have all expressed serious concerns about the rise in Caesarean section rates and women’s roles in medicalization. These concerns stem from divergent philosophical positions as well as differing assumptions about the causes for increasing medicalization. Drawing on this debate, and using a feminist and governmentality framing of the problem, we interviewed 22 women who have recently had children about their birthing choices, their expectations and their birth experiences. The women’s narratives revealed a disjuncture between their expectations of choosing, planning and achieving as natural a birth as possible, and their lived experiences of births that did not typically go to plan. They also reveal the disciplining qualities of both natural and medical discourses about birth and choice. Furthermore, their narratives counter assumptions that women, as ideal patient consumers, are driving medicalization.

© 2013 SAGE Publications. Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC

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SAIL plans Rs. 5,000-crore auto steel mill at Rourkela plant

SAIL plans Rs. 5,000-crore auto steel mill at Rourkela plant - The Hindu var _comscore = _comscore || [];_comscore.push({ c1: "2", c2: "11398210" });(function() {var s = document.createElement("script"), el = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.async = true;s.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})(); Follow Today's Paper Archive Subscriptions RSS Feeds Site Map ePaperMobileApps Social SEARCHHome News Opinion Business Sport S & T Features Books In-depth Jobs Classifieds Shopping Bus tickets National Andhra Pradesh Karnataka Kerala Tamil Nadu Other States National» Other StatesNew Delhi, October 29, 2013 Updated: October 29, 2013 14:27 IST
SAIL plans Rs. 5,000-crore auto steel mill at Rourkela plantPTIShare  ·   Comment  ·  print  ·   TweetTOPICS Orissa Rourkela
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The state-run company floats a global tender, inviting bids from potential partners Steel Authority of India (SAIL) plans to set up a 1.2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) cold rolling mill at its Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), which may entail an investment of around Rs. 5,000 crore, through a joint venture.

The state-run company, which is ramping up its steel making capacity to 24 mtpa from 14 mtpa now, has already floated a global tender, inviting bids from potential partners. The proposal is to install a 1.2 mtpa cold rolling mill complex at RSP though the venture to cater to the auto sector, a source said. The “strategic” partner should have experience and expertise in the field, he added.

“SAIL believes that there is a huge potential for such sheets in India and the demand is only going to go northward in the coming days. However, it does not have the necessary technology and the plan is thus to rope in a partner which has the necessary technology for producing such sheets,” the sources said. The source said that the SAIL and its proposed joint venture partner might have to invest around Rs. 5,000 crore for the cold rolling mill.

“It would be divided among the two in the ratio of their stake holding in the proposed venture,” he said.

The domestic auto sector, which has been running through a prolonged bad patch, has started looking up in the last two months. Industry experts opined that Indian automotive market has the potential to grow multi-fold in the coming years.

“SAIL knows it and that is why in order to produce high quality rolled sheets for the auto sector, it is proposed to install a new 1.2 mtpa cold rolling mill complex at Rourkela Steel Plant in strategic partnership with an established global player,” he said.

The company’s Board Sub-Committee on strategic alliance and joint venture has also approved the proposal, he said.

Keywords: Steel Authority of India, SAIL, auto steel mill, Rourkela

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American Airlines plans to hire 1,500 pilots

Sept 30 | Mon Sep 30, 2013 9:56am EDT

Sept 30 (Reuters) - American Airlines plans to hire 1,500 new pilots over the next five years and has offered to recall all pilots who are currently furloughed, it said in a U.S. regulatory filing on Monday.

The AMR Corp unit, which has been operating under Chapter 11 protection since late 2011 and is looking to emerge from bankruptcy by merging with US Airways Group Inc, said it would start recruiting later in the fall.

"We are building a strong, competitive and profitable new American which will create more opportunity for our people," AMR Chief Executive Officer Tom Horton said in a message to staff that was included in the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Horton added that the carrier was still open to talks to settle the U.S. Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block the merger with US Airways. A federal judge will hear the case without a jury in November and decide whether the deal can go forward.

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Ask 4 Questions About College Savings Plans at Banks

Parents shouldn’t pick a college savings plan solely because it’s sold by their bank.

Parents shopping for a college savings account have at least one place they can visit: a local bank. But before putting their money into an account offered by a bank, there are a few things they should know.

"Your bank may say, 'We have a college savings plan,' which may be true and legal and okay," says College Savings Plans Network Chairman Mike Fitzgerald, but it may or not be a tax-advantaged 529 plan.

Only six states offer 529 plans where banks act as the program manager, the direct contact for consumers: Arizona, Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, Alabama and Illinois.

[Understand how to juggle multiple 529 plans.]

But even outside of those six states, banks could still offer an adviser-sold 529 plan, experts say. An adviser-sold plan is a 529 plan that is sold through financial advisers instead of directly through a state agency or program manager. The drawback is that these plans generally have higher fees, but the plans offer more investment choices and one-on-one help from a financial adviser.

Parents who want to find out what the bank is really offering should ask these questions recommended by Fitzgerald and Rob Seltzer, a California-based certified public accountant and personal financial specialist.

1. Is it a 529 plan? The first question a parent should ask is whether the product the bank is offering is a 529 plan. A college savings plan that isn't a 529 plan can have all the same investment ingredients such as savings, certificates of deposits and mutual funds. But because it's not an official 529 plan, it doesn't qualify for federal tax benefits, state matching grants or state tax credits and deductions, says Fitzgerald.

[Learn how to earn high interest with a 529 plan.]

The other drawback of a college savings account that's not a 529 plan is that the account could have a larger effect on a student's financial aid award if it's in the student's name, he says. This is because children's assets and income impact financial aid awards more than a parent's income and assets. If a parent starts a 529 plan for a child, the money in the account is counted as parental assets.

2. Is it a direct-sold plan? A direct-sold plan is a plan offered directly by the state, and which generally has lower fees on investments, Fitzgerald says. The alternative to a direct plan is an adviser-sold plan that generally has commission fees built into the cost because the investment plans are sold by advisers. Banks can run a direct-sold program on behalf of the state.

First National Bank of Omaha, for example, is the program manager for Nebraska's direct-sold 529 plan. Parents can find out who manages their state's 529 plans at collegesavings.org.

3. Is the bank affiliated with a brokerage? Banks generally handle college savings plans that aren't 529 plans, whereas affiliate brokerages sometimes sell the 529 plans. If a 529 plan is an adviser-sold plan, your bank could have investment advisers who can enroll you in a 529 plan or have a business relationship with a brokerage that will sell you a 529 plan product, Seltzer says.

This doesn't mean parents will pay higher fees than they would with another adviser-sold plan, but it can mean your bank may be splitting the commission on your investments, he says.

That could give the bank a reason to encourage the individual to choose that brokerage over another or instead of a direct plan that has lower fees.

Corrected 6/26/13: A previous version of this article misstated Mike Fitzgerald’s position.

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Jump-start SAT and ACT Study Plans With Free Apps

Built-in competition via social media is one way students can benefit from SAT or ACT prep apps.

Preparing for college entrance exams like the SAT and ACT can be a lonely, time-consuming process. While there's no substitute for sitting down with a practice test or study guide, tablets and smartphones offer plenty of ways to study on the go and – in some cases – to connect and compete with other test-takers.

There's no shortage of test preparation apps on the market, but the four listed below offer unique and highly effective ways to augment your existing study routine. These apps go the extra mile to make it easy for you to keep review sessions fresh and learn from your mistakes.

[Follow a summer study plan to maximize SAT preparation.]

1. ACT Question of the Day: Available for Android users, ACT Question of the Day presents a daily question for both the mathematics and verbal section of the exam. It also provides a short explanation of the correct answer, which can be useful for improving future results. Although these explanations are short, they aim to provide the user with useful bits of information that ease memory recall.

The ACT Question of the Day is the perfect way to get in a quick review session during your commute. If you need a little more practice, the app will randomize questions from the last 30 days for you to practice.

[Follow these six tips for ACT success.]

2. ACTStudent: This is the official app for ACT test takers, and is available for iOS users. Students can use this app to register for tests, view past scores and practice four of the five sections on the exam.

Like ACT Question of the Day, ACTStudent explains the reasoning behind the correct answer, as well as how to reach it. While the app includes science questions – a rarity in the app world – it does not offer practice for the writing section of the exam.

3. SATLadder: One of the best ways to prepare for the SAT is to compete against fellow students. SATLadder is available to iOS users and tests critical reading, mathematics and writing. Head-to-head competitions allow you to challenge friends or strangers to climb the ladder with correct answers.

But this app is not all about play. SATLadder stores answered questions for later review, and allows users to earn points to unlock explanations for the challenges that troubled them. SATLadder is an excellent option for students who are motivated by a little competition.

4. SAT Up: SAT Up integrates social media elements into the study experience. By completing banks of questions, users can earn achievement badges such as "See the Light," awarded for 10 correct responses, and allow SAT Up to predict SAT scores.

[See how teachers are incorporating online tools into classrooms.]

The iOS app uses this information to personalize suggestions for future practice areas and provide data about where scores fall relative to those of other users. SAT Up can even set daily reminders for you to review test material. Its longer test sections means the app isn't engineered for studying between classes or on the bus, but it's powerful and fun nonetheless.

If you are glued to that mobile device of yours most of the time anyway, make better use of your technology and start studying with simple and free test prep apps.

Caroline Duda is a professional SAT tutor with Varsity Tutors. She earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor's degree from Saint Lawrence University.

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