Skills development: Rethinking the future | Coordination R?gionale ...

OECD ObserverBy Alessio J.G. Brown, Executive Director, Global Economic Symposium (GES), and Dennis J. Snower, President of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and Director of the GES. Global competition and the global financial crisis have put additional pressures on education programmes around the world. Radically new approaches to learning are now needed. A new wave of globalisation is under way, in which outsourcing and offshoring no longer just affect unskilled and manufacturing jobs, but also skilled and service sector jobs. This trend has put new demands on education and training systems around the world, because in this new wave of globalisation, education and skills will be key, in particular those skills that emphasise flexibility and the ability to cope with change.
The trouble is, many existing educational systems are not equipped to face these challenges. The current standard model of learning fits neither people?s diversity of talents and attitudes nor the demands of employers. Schools and universities in many countries, despite recent reforms, still focus on developing traditional cognitive skills, teaching narrow facts and solving routine problems with rules-based solutions. Policies put too much emphasis on secondary and tertiary education, and too little on early childhood education and family and social environments. How can conventional approaches be reformed? This is a major question and a source of much debate, but at the Global Economic Symposium (GES), an annual forum of leaders in policymaking, academia, business and civil society, three approaches were highlighted as necessary for addressing these challenges.
A first step is to make educational systems more flexible in scheduling and timing throughout life, and to refocus on ?learning to learn? and solving sometimes novel problems. Current educational systems must be reformed to enable people to take more personal responsibility for their own and their children?s education and development. This could involve providing more courses that are flexible in time scheduling and spreading educational expenditure across people?s careers. It would also mean raising spending on lifelong learning to keep it at least in line with the extra tax revenues such learning would be expected to generate.
Skills development should not be restricted to schools and universities, but should extend from early childhood to old age, from families to school and university, to business, government entities and society at large. A more participatory learning process that features ?learning to learn? and ?learning by doing? should be emphasised. Active learning, based on student participation and taking initiatives, matters more for student potential than passive learning. Educators, especially in primary and secondary schools, should focus more heavily on developing students? imagination, creativity, inventiveness, spontaneity, interaction, social abilities and communication skills, which will become ever more important for individuals to become competitive in the globalised service economy.
Schools must stimulate a child?s ability to solve new, non-routine problems, to combine different bodies of knowledge and to interact productively with others. In science classes, students should be encouraged to run experiments on their own, rather than sticking strictly to textbooks. This would require changes in school curricula and in the ways of testing and grading students, for example, involving more open-ended questions and presenting them with ill-defined problems with no simple answers. It could mean organising more group activities and grading the performance of the group, rather than that of the individual. The UK?s SPRinG (Social Pedagogic Research into Group-work) Programs, which develop group-work skills in primary schools, are shown to have a positive effect on children?s academic progress because children are also encouraged to learn to think independently of the group, and to be self-confident and self-critical when facing different challenges.
A second step is to invest in early childhood education. Any reform of the education system has to pay particular attention to preschool and elementary school education. Some countries lag behind in making early childhood education available to all children, yet it is the key to equal opportunity and achievement later in life. Investment in pre-schooling provides not only high returns throughout the education cycle?approximately 7?10% returns per annum, according to some studies?but boosts achievement levels among children from disadvantaged families. Early education must be tied closely to complementary family support. This aspect is highlighted by the experience of Finland, which leads in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) rankings: although formal school starts later in Finland than in most countries, learning benefits from strong family support.
Cognitive and emotional difficulties often emerge early in life, usually before schooling, and are difficult to correct later on. Family and social factors may be at play, which in turn influence classroom performance. That means that education policies should be complemented by family and social policies that provide support for disadvantaged families, help integrate immigrants, improve urban neighbourhoods and reduce rural poverty. One example is New Zealand?s Ministry of Education?s Early Childhood Education (ECE) Participation Program, which targets Maori and Pasifika children and children from underprivileged communities and includes subsidies, community participation projects, playgroups, and flexible and responsive home-based early childhood education. Financial assistance should be properly targeted and subject to conditions, to ensure that it really is used for the early education of children.
A third step is to reinvent education by using new technologies and e-learning tools. Information and communication technologies are the key driver of productivity growth and social change, yet there is a worldwide gap in educating professionals with these so-called ?e-skills?. In particular, traditional curricula should be redesigned to allow a more efficient integration of e-learning materials into traditional paper-based methods. Learners should be taught not only how to use information and communication technologies (ICT) in a narrow sense, but also how to harness ICT as tools to help them to learn and think independently. They should be allowed to wander off the set learning path, to follow their own interests, and information search on the Internet or via integrated packages of e-learning materials, and be guided back along the learning path.
Open access repositories for educational resources and open fora?such as that provided by the Funda??o Getulio Vargas (FGV), a foundation in Brazil, or the worldwide open educational resources clearinghouse currently provided by the African Virtual University (AVU) and Utah State University?s Center for Open and Sustainable Learning, for example?should be established and made available so as to enlarge the scope and scale of educational resources that can be provided to all interested learners. Open fora provide more opportunities for users to act independently, as well as interact and discuss with users interested in the same topics, thereby increasing the depth and intensity of their learning. This partially dissolves the boundaries between teachers and learners, and increases the efficiency of knowledge transfer and knowledge diffusion. Open fora can also benefit poorer countries, where the likes of community radio, audio and mobile phones combine to produce clear education and training value. For inspiration, policymakers could look to the ?Text2Teach program?, a partnership of telephone companies, content providers, business corporations, and education ministries which has helped to improve science teaching and student learning at elementary school in the Philippines, Indonesia, and some African countries.
Whether improving ICT in education means investing in state-of-the-art hardware and software, or simply getting the most out of older, affordable, equipment, the lesson is the same: the new globalisation wave is transforming the world and so education must evolve too. Policies that put more focus on individual flexibility in learning, early childhood education and e-technology in learning environments would be a smart step in the right direction.
See:
Baines, Ed, P. Blatchford and A.Chowne (2007), ?Improving the effectiveness of collaborative group work in primary schools: effects on science attainment?, British Educational Research Journal, Vol 33, No 5, pp. 663- 680, London.
Heckman, J., S. H. Moon, R.Pinto, P. A. Savelyev and A. Yavitz (2010), ?The rate of return to the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program?, Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, No 94, pp. 114-128, New York.
Hwang, D-J., H-K. Yang and H. Kim (2010), ?E-Learning in the Republic of Korea?, UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, Moscow, Russian Federation.
?Global Economic Solutions: Proposals from the Global Economic Symposium (GES) (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)?, Kiel Institute for the World Economy, www.global-economic-symposium.org
See also:
New Zealand?s Ministry of Education?s Early Childhood Education (ECE) Participation Program
The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa)

The Brazilian?Funda??o Getulio Vargas
.

Source: http://blog.univ-provence.fr/blog/coordination-rgionale-paca/international/2012/12/01/skills-development-rethinking-the-future

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Real estate lights up in the Myrtle Beach area - The Sun News

MYRTLE BEACH -- Business is so good at Classic Homes that Berkley White, its vice president, is about ready to declare victory over the Great Recession.

?(This year) is significantly better than 2011,? said White, who is also president of the Horry-Georgetown Homebuilders Association, ?and I think 2013 will be better than 2012.?

In fact, he said if business continues to improve at that rate, home construction in just a couple of years should be at the same level as it was in 2003-04, when it was very good. He said, on average, builders are reporting a 30 percent to 40 percent increase in business from last year to this year.

Those numbers are in line with the 41.9 percent increase in residential construction nationally in October 2012 versus October 2011 recently reported by the U.S. Commerce Department. Housing starts, which rose to their highest rate in more than four years, are now about 40 percent of where they were in January 2006, shortly before the industry began its slide.

Real estate activity also showed a one-year comparative growth in October, although at rates below those reported for construction, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Existing home sales ? those where closings have taken place ? rose 10.9 percent in October over the previous year to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 4.79 million completed transactions. Distressed homes ? foreclosures and short sales ? accounted for 24 percent of the activity this October versus 28 percent in October 2011.

Among other things, the Realtors association attributes the increased sales to steady job creation and rising consumer confidence, two factors that were key in the decision of Lauren Clever and her husband to start construction on a new home for them and their family.

Clever said the decision was helped, at least in part, by the increase in home construction in Berkshire Forest, the community where she lives in Carolina Forest.

?It was quiet,? Clever described the lack of home building in the neighborhood until recently. ?You didn?t see anything and all of a sudden all sorts of trucks were coming through (on the way to building sites).?

The Clevers left Myrtle Beach a few years ago for Charleston where they rented and continued payments on a home they had built when they first moved to the Grand Strand. Then the economy fell into a hole, and double housing payments became too burdensome, forcing them to sell their house here through a short sale. They continued to rent when they moved back to Horry County.

After paying off bills and a new job for her, Lauren Clever and her husband felt their finances were back on a solid foundation. The time was right to take advantage of record low financing rates and buy a permanent home. Lauren Clever said they at first looked at existing homes, but found that all the choices needed updating. Then they happened on a neighborhood in Carolina Forest that matched their tastes and started the process.

Lauren Clever said their new home is in the permitting process now and should be ready to move in about 16 weeks after construction starts.

?I can?t tell you how excited I am,? she said.

While White and Clever are nothing but positive about the direction of the economy, not all share the same level of enthusiasm, despite improved business for them as well.

?We?re busier than we?ve been in a long time,? said Lee Hewitt, a former chairman of the Coastal Carolinas Association of Realtors. But, he added, ?There?s still a lot of uncertainty because we don?t know where we?re going to be next year.?

Hewitt said worry about the fiscal cliff and what Congress might to do to avoid it dampens his enthusiasm. He wonders if second home interest deduction will be eliminated, if flood insurance costs will increase and if middle class taxes will go up.

He said that Realtors should have a much better idea in the spring what the immediate future holds for them.

White, though, sees nothing but optimism for the future.

He said that the current surge in activity seems to be fueled by the same people who propelled the area?s homebuilding in 2003-04: retirees.

White said the stock market?s rebound to near pre-recession levels and an improved home market in the Northeast has palms itching to move South.

?They decided they?re ready to retire,? White said.

Most homes now going up are in the $300,000 to $700,000 range, White said. Most people who can afford to build a home at that price don?t really need to borrow money to do it, but at least some are because the cost of borrowing now is less than what they could make by putting the same money into investments.

White said that there are about 100 people who work on every home in the $300,000 to $500,000 range.

The National Association of Realtors reported that the median existing home price was $178,000 in October, 11.1 percent above last year, and the eighth consecutive monthly year-to-year increase.

The last time that happened?

October 2005 to May 2006.

Source: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/12/01/3196996/real-estate-lights-up-in-the-myrtle.html

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Timely Assistance From Property Managers | Bantry Pylon Protest

Property Management Plano A property management and maintenance company will be a positive resource for people who own real estate of all varieties. These companies work in the same way as management in other industries by monitoring the care and financial requirements of any property. We will work to find quality residents who pay promptly and care for your property. We will act as a liaison between you and your renters alleviating the burden of busy owners. Hiring a reputable property manager can make the real estate process simple. Our company have the experience and knowledge to make every aspect of the process simple and pain-free. Take comfort in knowing that we will always treat your real estate as if we own it ourselves.

This entry was posted in Property. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://www.bantrypylonprotest.com/timely-assistance-from-property-managers-6/

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Oliver Stone, Benicio del Toro visit Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) ? Benicio Del Toro didn't wait long to collect on a favor that Oliver Stone owed him for working extra hours on the set of his most recent movie, "Savages," released this year.

The favor? A trip to Del Toro's native Puerto Rico, which Stone hadn't visited since the early 1960s.

"I told him, you owe me one," Del Toro said with a smile as he recalled the conversation during a press conference Friday in the U.S. territory, where he and Stone are helping raise money for one of the island's largest art museums.

Del Toro, wearing jeans, a black jacket and a black T-shirt emblazoned with the name of local reggaeton singer Tego Calderon, waved to the press as he was introduced.

"Hello, greetings. Is this a press conference?" he quipped as he and Stone awaited questions.

Both men praised each other's work, saying they would like to work with each other again.

"I deeply admire him as an actor, the way he thinks, the way he expresses himself," Stone said. "Of all the actors I've worked with, he's the most interesting."

Stone said Del Toro always delivers surprises while acting, even when it's as something as subtle as certain gestures between dialogue.

"I think Benicio is the master of keeping you watching," he said.

Stone said he enjoys meeting up with Del Toro off-set because he's one of the few actors in Hollywood who can talk about something other than movies.

"He is very interested in the world around him," Stone said, adding that the conversations sometimes center around politics and other topics.

Del Toro declined to answer when asked what he thought about Puerto Rico's referendum earlier this month, which aimed to determine the future of the island's political status. He said the results did not seem to point to a clear-cut outcome.

Del Toro then said he would like the island's movie business to grow, especially in a way that would encourage learning.

"I'm talking about movies in an educational sense, as a way to discover other parts of the world," he said. "Create a film class. You'll see; kids won't skip it."

Del Toro also shared his thoughts on being a father after having a daughter with Kimberly Stewart in August 2011.

He said the girl is learning how to swim and is discovering the world around her.

"She has her own personality," Del Toro said. "She's not her mother. She's not me."

Both Del Toro and Stone are expected to remain in Puerto Rico through the weekend to raise money for the Art Museum of Puerto Rico, which is hosting its annual movie festival and will honor Stone's movies.

Museum curator Juan Carlos Lopez Quintero said the money raised will be used to enhance the museum's permanent collection, especially with Puerto Rican paintings from the 19th century and early 20th century.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oliver-stone-benicio-del-toro-visit-puerto-rico-193440674.html

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Settle Down, Facebook, ?Cause You?re Not Getting $1M For Sharing A Pic Of A Fake Lottery Ticket

705372_10151174983342730_1814883642_oIn today's edition of Facebook scams comes the story of Nolan Daniels and his $1M lottery ticket picture. "Looks like I won't be going to work EVER!!!! Share this photo and I will give a random person 1 million dollars!", says the Facebook pic. Of course this is legit. It's on Facebook. Never mind that the numbers on the ticket are out-of-order.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Gzoe3thWXrI/

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Strike slows activity at busy Calif. port complex

A strike has dramatically slowed activity at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach ? the nation's busiest cargo complex ? despite renewed efforts to end the walkout.

By Robert Jablon, Shaya Tayefe Mohajer,?Associated Press / December 1, 2012

Striking workers walk the picket line outside the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles. A strike at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach entered its fourth day on Friday despite efforts to end the walkout that has idled most of the nation's busiest cargo complex

Nick Ut/AP

Enlarge

A strike dramatically slowed activity at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach ? the nation's busiest cargo complex ? despite renewed efforts to end the walkout.

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Seven of eight terminals in Los Angeles and three of six in Long Beach were closed to cargo container traffic Friday, the fourth day of the walkout, as dockworkers refused to cross picket lines set up by union clerical workers who claim shippers are outsourcing their jobs.

Officials said labor talks were being held but there's been no indication a deal is imminent.

The walkout involves clerical workers from a chapter of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, who typically make more than $160,000 a year. Dockworkers are a separate unit of the same union.

The clerical workers' contracts with 14 terminal operators expired 2? years ago. Ongoing contract talks broke off on Monday then resumed on Thursday, ran until midnight and were scheduled to continue on Friday.

The chief negotiator for the shippers remained hopeful about a resolution, saying the talks have been professional and courteous.

"There's a mutual commitment to go forward," said Stephen Berry of the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employers Association. "The employers remain hopeful that there will be a quick resolution and we can get the cargo flowing again."

There were a handful of picketers at each terminal on Friday, said Phillip Sanfield, Los Angeles port spokesman.

Combined, Los Angeles and Long Beach handle 40 percent of the nation's import trade.

At least 18 cargo ships have been unable to load or unload since workers began the strike on Tuesday. A handful of vessels that were anchored offshore apparently left for other ports, Sanfield said.

There was no immediate word on how much the strike is costing the ports. November generally is a slower time for the ports because most holiday goods already have been handled.

However, there were concerns that a continued widespread strike could prompt retaliation from terminal operators. A bitter 10-day lockout at a number of West Coast ports in 2002 caused an estimated $15 billion in losses.

"Both sides in this dispute understand the critical importance of keeping cargo moving through the San Pedro Bay complex," said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz. "Time is of the essence and we urge a mutually agreeable resolution as soon as possible so that we can return to full operations."

At issue is the union's contention that terminal operators have outsourced local clerical jobs out of state and overseas ? an allegation the shippers deny.

Shippers deny outsourcing and have offered lifelong job security to the 600 or so full-time clerical workers, Berry said.

They also have offered to boost average annual pay from $165,000 to $195,000 and grant 11 weeks of paid vacation, he said.

The shippers claim the union wants contract language to permit "featherbedding" ? the practice of requiring employers to call in temporary employees and hire new permanent employees even when there is no work to perform

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/8E4fQzfKOO4/Strike-slows-activity-at-busy-Calif.-port-complex

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Source: http://annearundel.patch.com/events/rbi-baseball-winter-workouts-sign-ups

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The Best Picks From The CFDA Target Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection (VIDEO)

www.fabsugar.com:

Nothing gets us quite as excited as a new designer collaboration, and today, we can finally get our hands on the Target and Neiman Marcus holiday collection. The iconic retailers have teamed up with 24 CFDA designers to create one epic lineup. The likes of Proenza Schouler, Jason Wu, and Prabal Gurung, to name a few, lent their designer clout to create a truly covet-worthy collection. Available at Target and Neiman Marcus stores -- and online! -- this collection does not disappoint. Watch on to see our favorite picks from the line, and don't forget to snag your favorites today.

Read the whole story at www.fabsugar.com

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/01/the-best-picks-from-the-c_n_2224420.html

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Toastmasters - Testing public speaking away from 'production'

Every Wednesday lunch (pretty much) there's a Toastmasters meeting at the company where I'm working. After having been there a year, I finally got around to turning up a couple of weeks ago. Hey, they also have live music on Wednesday lunch. It's a busy place.

As with a test environment, you're expected to have a few "does not meet requirements" incidents. That's why it is there. You can experience those, and learn from them, and repeat with improvements. And none of that damages "production". It is a dedicated, safe environment for rehearsals.

I can't speak for all groups, but in the couple of meetings I have attended, as a guest, I've seen positive and constructive criticism. As well as learning to speak, others are evaluating...which means listening. The talks are only a few minutes, so I don't bore people with techy details. There's no sign of Powerpoint either, so it isn't quite a conference rehearsal.?

Again, like testing, this means you are using 'test' data, rather than volume testing. You can focus on the fundamentals of communicating rather than on content.?

I plan to sign up fully in the near future, so there might be more coming in this blog, or it might come through in my Google Plus posts (apparently I am in the circles of over a thousand people, but I'm none the wiser on how many actually read?anything I post).

Source: http://blog.sydoracle.com/2012/12/toastmasters-testing-public-speaking.html

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Marine pioneering effort to move women into combat

SAN DIEGO (AP) ? Marine 1st Lt. Brandy Soublet is about as far from the war front as possible at her desk in the California desert, but she's on the front lines of an experiment that could one day put women as close to combat as their male peers.

The Penfield, N.Y. woman is one of 45 female Marines assigned this summer to 19 all-male combat battalions. The Defense Department in the past year has opened thousands of combat positions to women to slowly integrate them and gauge the impact such a social change would have on the military's ability to fight wars.

No branch is likely to feel that change more than the Marine Corps.

The small, tight-knit force is the most male of the armed services and prides itself on having the toughest and most aggressive warriors. The Corps historically has higher casualty rates because it is considered to be the "tip of the spear," or the first to respond to conflicts. It also was among the last military branches to open its doors to women, forming the first female Corps in 1943, according to the Women's Memorial in Washington D.C.

But changing times are challenging the traditions of the force, long likened to a brotherhood.

Modern warfare has put women in combat like never before over the past decade, even though a 1994 policy bars them from being assigned to ground combat units below the brigade level, which were considered too dangerous since they are often smaller and closer to combat for longer periods.

Already under pressure to provide the same opportunities for women, the Defense Department was hit Tuesday with a second lawsuit by female service members ? including two Marines ? charging that the gender barriers unfairly block them from promotions open to men in combat.

The lawsuits are intended to accelerate the military's slow march toward lifting the ban that plaintiffs allege has barred women from 238,000 positions.

Defense officials say they recently opened 14,500 jobs to women, and they need to move cautiously to ensure the change will not disrupt wartime operations. Soublet and the other 44 women are part of the quiet, slow transformation. Women make up about 7 percent of the Marine Corps compared to about 14 percent overall among the military's 1.4 million active military personnel.

She said some Marines initially eyed her pioneering presence in the all-male battalion with skepticism.

"The way that I would describe it to friends and family was it was kind of like I showed up to work in a costume," the 25-year-old logistics officer said in a phone interview from Twenty-Nine Palms, a remote desert base east of San Diego. "They stared a little bit but after a while it wasn't like that anymore."

That experience may play out on bases and boats worldwide as the Pentagon levels the battlefield.

The Corps earlier this year opened its grueling infantry officer training school to female Marines and surveyed 53,000 of its troops with an anonymous online questionnaire about the impact of erasing gender barriers. Survey results are expected to be released soon after review by the defense secretary.

Only two female Marines volunteered for the 13-week infantry training course at Quantico, Va., and both failed to complete it this fall. No women have volunteered so far for the next course offered in January, officials said.

Soublet said she was nervous she would feel unwelcome in the combat engineer battalion.

Six months into her historic assignment, she said she has been treated equally.

"I have heard, you know, whisperings, like 'Hey, before you got here we decided to maybe take down some pictures and clean up our language a little bit,' but other than that, they haven't really expressed anything to me," said Soublet, who will remain two years in her battalion and is expected to deploy with them to Afghanistan this spring.

The Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos said he met with the top leaders of the 19 battalions and told them to establish the proper command climate. The early steps of assigning females to artillery, tank, combat engineer and other all-male battalions have been successful, but there may be some anxiety if women join infantry, Amos said.

Camp Pendleton combat Marine Carlos Laguna, who left the Corps in 2011, agreed.

"The screams of women, they have a big psychological effect on men. A woman just has a different pitch," said Laguna, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after two tours in Iraq. "If we're in a firefight and a woman is shot or lost her arm, male Marines like me would want to stop and help. It's our nature to help women."

The survey addressed those concerns, asking males if they would be distracted or "feel obligated to protect female Marines." It also asked whether women would be limited because of pregnancy or personal issues.

Female Marines were asked if they would feel pressured to suppress their femininity.

Former Marine Capt. Kristen Kavanaugh, who runs The Military Acceptance Project, a San Diego-based organization promoting equality in the services, found those questions offensive.

"I don't think women who signed up to give their life for their country are worried about the appearance of their femininity," she said.

Former Camp Pendleton Marine Capt. Anu Bhagwati was only the second woman to complete a martial arts instructor training school, earning a black belt in close combat techniques. But she said years of discrimination caused her to quit in 2004.

"I learned early on that the Marine Corps will expect you to fail if you are a woman," said the head of the Service Women's Action Network, which helped the women file the lawsuit. "I faced so much discrimination and sexual harassment that it made me wonder why I was serving."

Soublet said in her three years in the Corps she has found her fellow Marines to be respectful and professional.

"This isn't a big deal," she said. "We're Marines, we're here to do a job and it doesn't matter what our gender is."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/marine-pioneering-effort-move-women-combat-171651995.html

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