Article 1: (source: Online Wall Street Journal)Forget the Old College Try, Ring the ConciergeStudents Hire Pros to Do Their Bidding; Getting a Bidet in a HurrySalvador Neme needed some help, and fast.The 22-year-old Babson College junior was throwing a last-minute party at his Boston apartment and wanted to add a few special touches. So he rang his personal concierge. "I had no idea where to start," says Mr. Neme, who decided that an authentic mariachi band would be just the thing for his Mexican Independence Day soiree.No worries. For $300 a month, Mr. Neme has unlimited access to the seven full-time employees of Boston Collegiate Consulting Group, a local concierge company that helps today's moneyed students live like the privileged young swells of the Golden Age. BCCG helps its clients find and decorate apartments, get academic tutoring, snag coveted restaurant reservations and handle a litany of other bothersome chores.College used to be a great equalizer: No matter their parents' social status, students who came to campus tended to deal with basic life skills on their own. That was before companies like BCCG made it possible to summon butlers, drivers and gofers with a click or a call.Such assists raise some eyebrows. Parents are "breeding ineptitude," by allowing—and in some cases encouraging—children to hand off those jobs, says Hara Estroff Marano, editor-at-large at Psychology Today. Figuring out how to do the laundry, cook a basic meal or even wait for a handyman "are not crippling responsibilities" but rather "minor life skills" that can prove useful if the housekeeper cancelsAt the same time, such surrogate servers also allow helicopter parents to hover a bit too closely. Sue Battani, founder of Cville Concierge LLC in Charlottesville, Va., says some students are chagrined by their parents' delegating.Tensions brewed, for instance, when she organized a golf-themed 21st-birthday party for a student at University of Virginia—under orders from his mother in Epsom, England. The mother, Lindsay Smart, says her son Henry was initially wary of the party plan, but "as it got nearer, I think he warmed to the idea." He directed her not to do anything "over the top."Despite their offerings, even concierges concede that some parents could profit from a few boundaries. Ms. Chaplin from BCCG recalls getting daily phone calls from the Saudi Arabian mother of one Suffolk freshman because her son's off-campus apartment lacked a bidet. She was "frantic," Ms. Chaplin says, and expressed concern that "it would be bordering on unhealthy and unsafe" if a bidet wasn't installed immediately.Still, some demands simply can't be met. "They don't make extra-long twin [sheets] in 900 thread count," Ms. Chaplin jokes.Article 2: (source: Online USA Today)More employers setting up nap rooms for weary workers Some employees find a 20-minute nap during the day will boost their productivity.(Michael L. Diamond, Asbury Park (N.J.)To help its 20 employees in the office fight through a wave of afternoon fatigue, NationwidePlanning Associates Inc. remodeled an unused closet with a recliner, a fountain and a bamboo rug. Nap time these days isn't just for preschoolers.Employees of the Paramus, N.J., investment firm sign up for 20-minute blocks of restorative time twice a week and emerge energized, as if hitting the restart button.Workers can be forgiven if they look at the company with envy. Armed with technology and operating in a global economy, they are a tired lot. Without the benefit of a brief afternoon nap, they have turned to habits both healthy and unhealthy to fight their fatigue, only to be faced with the same early-morning wake-up call the next day.Many workers throughout the nation may feel particularly groggy Monday morning. They lost an hour by setting their clocks ahead over the weekend for the annual ritual of daylight saving time.New Jersey Shore-area workers arrived at the Middletown, N.J., train station one recent Monday for a trip to northern New Jersey or New York that would take upward of an hour, trudging along the sidewalk, coffee and smartphones in hand, while they waited for the train.While some commuters scoffed at the idea that they were sleep-deprived, others flashed a knowing smile at the question. Jessica Chepauskas, 23, of Middletown, was one of them. She used to drive part of the way to her job, but recently changed her routine and now takes NJ Transit "so I get an extra hour of sleep," she said.Technology may be getting faster and the world may be getting smaller, but the number of hours in the day hasn't changed. American workers emerging from the recession have been under pressure to work harder, with fewer hands on deck. They've been handed technology to help them remain in constant touch.It seems odd. Employers, trying to rein in soaring health care costs, have increasingly taken on more oversight of their workers' wellness. They have prodded their workers to exercise. They have encouraged them to keep their blood pressure, cholesterol and weight in check. But they don't think twice about asking them to be on call 24/7.Meanwhile, until the fourth quarter of last year, employers recovering from the recession had tried to stay afloat with gains in productivity, squeezing more work from their existing staff, according to U.S. Labor Department statistics.Article 3: (source: )Golden Gate's grey stepsister dresses up in lightsBy Ronnie CohenThe San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge moved out of the shadow of its more famous sibling, the Golden Gate, to dazzle on Tuesday night when a high-tech artist turned it into a sculpture of moving lights. Some 25,000 LED lights transformed the 1.8-mile long, 500-foot (152-meter) tall bridge into something of a giant lava lamp. Controlled by a computer, the white lights flickered on and off randomly in never-repeating patterns.New York artist Leo Villareal, 46, stood in the wind and rain on a pier facing the bridge and hit a key on a laptop to switch on what he called his fantasy project."I'm pinching myself," he said.Organizers of the privately funded project say it turned the Bay Bridge into the world's biggest illuminated sculpture."This is monumental public art," Villareal said. "It's abstract. Everyone will see something different in it.""I thought it looked like waves," said jeweler Sandra Sevil, 27, who said she had come from Peru to view the installation, called "Bay Lights".San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said around 50 million people are expected to visit the Bay Area over the next two years to witness the $8 million privately funded project on the western side of the bridge connecting Oakland to San Francisco.When it opened in 1936, the bridge was celebrated as a testament to American perseverance. But six months later, the orange Golden Gate Bridge opened, and the gray span to the east came to be seen as a dull workhorse. If the Bay Bridge was a neglected Cinderella, Davis was looking for a glass slipper to give it new life. "I wanted to find a way to let the bridge shine in the region's consciousness once more," he said. He also wanted to be the spark for art that lasted. A friend pointed him to Villareal.Davis and Villareal said they have been inspired by Burning Man, an annual counterculture festival in the Nevada desert that revolves around the ritual burning of a gigantic human effigy. Villareal said that, like Burning Man, the bridge project is "about creating communal experience."Philanthropists donated $6 million. Davis expects to receive the other $2 million still needed to maintain the lights to arrive now that the project is visible. The project has permits from state and local officials for two years. Already, though, admirers of the work are asking if it can stay up longer, and Mayor Lee has said that could happen.Article 4: (source: CNN)Texas police shoot woman, 93By Vivian Kuo, CNN(CNN) -- Texas Rangers are investigating why police in a small central Texas town fatally shot a 93-year-old woman at her home.Pearlie Golden, a longtime resident of Hearne, a town of approximately 4,600 people about 150 miles south of Dallas, was shot multiple times Tuesday.A man believed to be a relative of Golden's made the 911 call asking for help from police, Robertson County District Attorney Coty Siegert said."What I understand is (Hearne police) were called out because a woman was brandishing a firearm," Siegert said."An officer asked her to put the handgun down, and when she would not, shots were fired."Hearne City Attorney Bryan Russ Jr. said Officer Stephen Stem told Golden to drop her weapon at least three times.Stem fired three times, and Golden was hit at least twice, he said.She was transported to a local hospital, where she died.The Hearne Police Department placed Stem on administrative leave pending the inquiry."We're very saddened by this. Everybody in the city government is deeply disappointed that this lady was killed," Russ said. "Now, the investigation is out of our hands. It's under the Texas Rangers, which is where we want it to be."According to police, the Texas Rangers have a revolver believed to have been in Golden'spossession at the time of the shooting.Community members told CNN affiliate KBTX that Golden, known affectionately as "Ms. Sully," was a sweet woman."Even if she did have a gun, she is in her 90s," Lawanda Cooke told KBTX. "They could have shot in the air to scare her. Maybe she would have dropped it. I don't see her shooting anyone."The case will eventually be presented to a grand jury, which is standard procedure when dealing with officer-involved incidents, Russ said.In the meantime, Hearne City Council members will meet Saturday to discuss Stem's employment or whether any disciplinary action will be taken."I would expect people to be upset about this, a young police officer shooting a 93-year-old lady," Russ said. "I'm upset about it. Most of our citizens are upset but at the same time I don't believe all the facts have come to the surface yet."Article 5: (source: online USA Today)Congress panel says U.S. must push harder in UkraineOren Dorell, USA TODAYMembers of Congress Thursday urged stronger economic sanctions against Russia for causing a worsening situation in Ukraine as two State Department officials sat to explain the U.S. efforts to influence Russian policy on it neighbor."Despite the warnings issued and sanctions imposed by the U.S. and our allies, Russia continues its aggression against Ukraine," said Rep. Ed Royce of California, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in his prepared opening remarks.Despite a weakening Russian economy due to U.S. and European sanctions over Ukraine, the situation remains "a crisis, with violence intensifying," Royce said.The violence and Western sanctions have caused $63.7 billion in capital to flee the country in the first quarter, the committee said. The Russian stock market has lost 25% of its value and the World Bank has warned that Russia's growth rate could become negative in the coming year.Yet, Putin has said that "the cost is bearable," Royce said."We must stop reacting to Putin's moves, while waiting patiently for the Europeans to join us," Royce said. "Instead, we must adopt a proactive strategy that will convince Putin that his aggression will have a significant and lasting cost to the Russian economy."Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., described armed clashes in the streets between pro-Russian militants and Ukrainian security forces, the shoot-down of three military helicopters and a pending sovereignty referendum scheduled for May 11."The situation in Ukraine has taken a grave turn for the worse in recent days," Connolly said. And despite the protestations of Russian President Vladimir Putin that he's lost control over the separatists, Russia bears responsibility for what's happening, Connolly said."The Russian President cannot reasonably expect the world to divorce Russian intervention from the violence we are seeing in Ukraine," Connolly said.Rep. Eliot Engel of New Jersey, the ranking Democrat on the committee, agreed that the United States needs to back Ukraine more strongly."The people of Ukraine are looking to us for support," said . "We need to have their back.President Putin has to understand that his actions will have consequences. If Russia continues to increase pressure on Ukraine we need to ratchet up sanctions further."The hearing occurs as a Ukrainian security official Thursday pledged to continue its fight against pro-Russian separatists after a council of the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk voted to go ahead with a referendum on secession from Ukraine Sunday despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's call for a delay.Andriy Parubiy , Ukraine's Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, told journalists minutes later the announcement in Donetsk that Ukraine's anti-terrorist operation will continue in the country's eastern regions.A new report released Thursday by Pew Research shows a majority of Ukrainians — 77% —want their country to remain a single, unified nation. That holds true even in the largely Russian-speaking east, according to the survey, conducted by Pew in Ukraine.Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., questioned the costs to the USA of getting involved in what he described as a conflict between what he said are two undemocratic forces in Ukraine.The situation in Ukraine "is a lot murkier" than "a simple case of Russian aggression," Rohrabacher said. "We should not …go into debt in order to borrow more money to help Ukraine."Article 6: (source: )China blames Vietnam for sea collisions, but calls for talksBY BEN BLANCHARD AND NGUYEN PHUONG LINH(Reuters) - China accused Vietnam on Thursday of intentionally colliding with its ships in the South China Sea, but called for talks to end a bitter row sparked by Beijing's parking of a giant oil rig in contested waters.A senior foreign ministry official in Beijing demanded that Vietnam withdraw its ships after its southern neighbor asserted that Chinese vessels used water cannon and rammed eight of its vessels at the weekend near the rig. Hanoi said two vessels were badly damaged and six people were wounded in the worst setback to ties between the two Communist nations in years.China said the drilling operations were being carried out in its territory and it had acted with the "utmost restraint" in using water cannons in response to rammings it blamed on Vietnam.Yi Xianliang, deputy director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, said China had only sent civilian vessels to the area while Hanoi sent several armed ships."Our aim, our only aim, is to guarantee our reasonable, legal, normal drilling operations," Yi said, adding China had no choice but to increase its security measures in response to what he said was Vietnam's provocations."The operations by China in the waters off Triton Island in the Paracel Islands are China's sovereign right and have nothing to do with Vietnam," he told reporters at a hastily-arranged press briefing, referring to the part of the South China Sea where the rig has been operating.China has parked about 80 ships around the rig, Vietnamese officials have said, adding that seven of them were military. Its foreign ministry has shown reporters what it said were video clips of Chinese ships hitting Vietnamese Seaguard vessels."We don't care about what China said," Ngo Ngoc Thu, vice commandant of Vietnam's coastguard, told Reuters on Thursday."We have been only doing our job which is protecting our territory and sovereignty. We only sent ships following the laws but China has missile ships supporting its civilian ships."Yi's comments were a departure from earlier remarks by Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping, who said he believed there had been no "clash" at sea, although he said he did not have detailed knowledge of what had happened.China was willing to try and resolve the issue with Vietnam via talks, but Hanoi had to withdraw its ships, Yi added."We can appropriately resolve this issue. We have the ability, the confidence and the wisdom to do so," he said.The two Communist nations have sought to put aside border disputes and memories of a brief border war in 1979. Vietnam is usually careful about comments against China, for which it relies on for political support and bilateral trade that surpassed $50 billion in 2013.Still, Hanoi has strongly condemned the operation of the drilling rig, the first such action by Beijing in contested waters, and told the owners, China's state-run oil company CNOOC, to remove it.News Headlinesfrom China DailyOne bird flu death reported in Central ChinaDPRK sentences US citizen to 15-yr laborMan commits suicide after killing 2 in S ChinaMore suspects arrested for Boston bombingChinese companies increase stake in USProsecutors to add staff to tackle Net crimesChina launches communications satelliteNew law helps reduce 'unwanted treatment'from The TimesStuart Hall admits sex offences on young girlsIndia spy’s death threatens Delhi-Islamabad linksPoker player jailed for wife’s murderWhite Brit ons expected to be ‘in minority by 2070’Last rhinos in Mozambique killed by poachersAfghanistan cargo plane crash caught on cameraDavid Cameron to take on the 'Ukip fruitcakes’ with EU referendumNew Zealand says no to bizarre baby names 4Real, Juztice and Lucifer。
