By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

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Dragon cargo ship attaches to the International Space Station

The California SpaceX company has seen its unmanned Dragon cargo ship attach successfully to the International Space Station (ISS).

Astronauts onboard the platform used its robotic arm to grasp the vehicle and attach it to a berthing port.

Dragon is the first commercial vessel to visit the space station.

It is also the first American ship to go to the orbiting laboratory since the US space agency (Nasa) retired its shuttles last year.

US astronaut Don Petit was inside the ISS at the controls of the Canadarm2.

He reached out with the robotic appendage and grabbed the Dragon capsule at 13:56 GMT (14:56 BST).

"Houston, looks like we got us a Dragon by the tail," he radioed to Nasa mission control in Texas.

The capture was met by applause from controllers, at the Nasa centre and at the SpaceX HQ in Hawthorne, California, where Dragon's flight is also being overseen.

Just under two hours later, Petit used the arm to position the Dragon under the ISS's Harmony connecting node. A good seal was confirmed at 16:02 GMT (17:02 BST).

The ISS crew will go inside the ship on Saturday to unload its stores.

The attachment of Dragon to the platform marks a significant milestone in the history of human spaceflight.

Traditionally, this field of endeavour has been the preserve of government-owned and operated vehicles.

But the US space agency (Nasa) is looking to save money that it can then re-invest in some of its other programmes far beyond Earth, at asteroids and at Mars.

It believes this can be achieved by contracting out the more routine tasks in low-Earth orbit to the private sector.

To that end, it is providing seed funding of approximately $800m to SpaceX and another company, Orbital Sciences Corporation, to help them develop new rocket and cargo vehicles.

Orbital's rocket is called Antares, and its freighter is known as Cygnus. The pair should go into space together for the first time before the end of the year.

Once these companies have proved the performance of their systems, they will start to receive lucrative ISS re-supply payments.

For SpaceX, its contract is valued at $1.6bn (?1bn) and calls for a minimum of 12 Dragon cargo missions to the ISS.

But freight is just the start. The ferrying of crews to and from the ISS will be the next service Nasa buys in.

SpaceX wants this business as well, and is developing the safety and life-support equipment that would allow Dragon to double up as an astronaut taxi.

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter

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David Rockefeller was the Chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank until 1981. I remember him as a formidable global statesman and financier. I also remember my immediate boss telling me that it was not a good idea to piss David off; that he had some very strong ideas when it came to hedging the bank?s exposures. To this day, I can still hear my boss saying, ?It does not matter what others choose to do, when it comes to hedging, David does not want any surprises.?  David did not believe in speculation?or what he would consider to be the implementation of ?protective? actions?hedges?on a case-by-case basis; namely, so-called ?selective hedging.? While we certainly gave selective hedging advice to our clients?there would be no such selective actions when it came to covering the material exposures of the bank. David Rockefeller, as long as he was Chairman, wanted quarter-to quarter growth in earnings-per-share and surprises were just not part of that plan.  David would not be happy with banking today.  Expressed as an oxymoron, banking has become a business of ?predictable surprises.? These surprises? in terms of their magnitude, frequency and systemic reach?come with a certainty never seen before. They emerge from a wide-range of banking practices; but, are mostly caused by diminished behaviors. Such sub-optimal behaviors have to do with how we manage people, our professional responsibilities and our customer relationships. These diminished behaviors frequently hide behind a veil of misunderstanding, confusion and complexity. They are highly damaging to businesses, investors, customers and the banking profession.  Surprises, Speculation and JP Morgan Chase  Let me get my bias straight out on the table. Chase was, and probably still is, a great place to work. As a kid from Brooklyn, I joined Chase to see the world?and they kept their promise. Moreover, great comrades abounded not to mention amazing client relationships and an executive dining room second to none. Chase gave me the opportunity to experiment?to grow as a banker. These were good years for me. I am not ungrateful.  However, after saying this, it is ironic that this series of blogs?The Trouble with Banking?should be inspired by the recent events surrounding the $2billion (and still counting) of trading losses incurred by the bank I have admired the most, JP Morgan Chase.  But admiration, like trust, must not only be earned it must be sustained. In this latter sense, many are beginning to question the leadership and market actions of an organization they had little to question just a few short weeks ago. Here are just two examples from the American Banker:  May 22, 2012??Lots of ink has been spilled over the loss of at least $2billion in JP Morgan? Chase?s Chief Investment Office in London. And nothing, so far, has been learned. Indeed even Jamie Dimon hasn?t  1  See the end of this blog for more about the series.  been able to articulate what, if anything he will do differently to avoid larger explosions?.?  May 17, 2012??When is a hedge not a hedge? Most of the talk about the losing JPMorgan derivatives trade has been nothing but trader chatter?long on speculation and short on facts. CEO Jamie Dimon may be spinning the trades as a ?hedge? but there?s no hedge here for financial reporting purposes?.?  Clearly, the first of these comments focuses on the leadership response of JP Morgan Chase; while the other focuses on the more ?technical? question of whether the bank was ?hedging? or speculating. Both of these quotes are worthy of consideration. Unfortunately, I don?t think neither gets at the heart of the problem?or the Trouble with Banking.  Speculation?Not the Trouble with Banking  My experience with both corporations and financial organizations is that when all is said and done speculation is largely in the eyes of the beholder. Everyone speculates in one way or another?it?s the fuel of the financial system. Without speculation we would not have liquid and efficient markets. Without speculation?and the secondary markets it gives rise to?we would not have the ability to change our minds relating to the transformation of business exposures based on changing business circumstances or market views. Without speculation we would lose market liquidity?our fund-raising possibilities?in the primary markets for there would be limited exit strategies for investors.  Beyond Speculation?Leadership, Norms and Behavior  Put another way, the main cause for today?s predictable surprises has less to do with speculation and more to do with a breakdown of behavioral norms?the foremost of these being the idolization of the individual star; the latter having accountability only to and for their own interests. For these individual stars the invisible hand of Adam Smith has nothing to do whatsoever with the interests of the organization they work for or greater society. Their actions are solely focused on self-aggrandizement? and their egos are literally unfettered by limitations or the keen oversight of their bosses.  To be more specific, for years I have watched experienced bankers, including CEOs, allowing themselves to be intimidated by those who make impressive gains from their trading or deal-making prowess. Frequently this intimidation comes from a fear of being seen as irrelevant?experience no longer being respected as much as technical know-how. Sometimes it comes from sheer ambition?fueled by shareholder performance demands?and an unwillingness to question a ?good thing.? They, as we do, find ourselves star dazed by bigger than life personas such as ?Blow them away Ollie? or the now infamous ?Whale of London?; the latter no doubt soon coming to a theatre near you and in most likely in 3D. There is even a former Galleon Group trader out there named Adam Smith?but in this case blame his parents for giving him that name; and, not his convicted insider-trading boss Raj Rajaratnam.?a former Goldman and McKinsey guy. Clearly, intimidation and bullshit can take you a long way in this business. This is the stuff Hollywood movies could only make-up?you would think?  Banking is not Hollywood  But banking is not Hollywood?and the walk of fame all too frequently ends up in a walk of shame. (Some young bankers suggested I should start a Hall of Shame.) But the list of fallen stars is too long for these pages?and they probably have already had too much attention? It?s time to bring our stars back down to earth and begin promoting a culture in banking that encourages mutual accountability and trust. In this sense, there is no better control and oversight practice than comradeship?a sense of belonging to something bigger than yourself. Fix this one thing and the predictable surprises of banking will once again begin to become unpredictable?no longer the norm but the exception. I know it will work. I have seen it work.  Starting from the Beginning  Moreover, the defenses for this troublesome behavior have become predictive in terms of their articulation?and this is true for postulated solutions as well. The industry?the profession--won?t be saved by increased capital requirements, rationalization strategies, internal controls, more regulatory oversight or cost-cutting initiatives. The truth is we must look toward ourselves as an industry?as a profession?and do some risk management of our own?for example, take what I call ?unpredictable actions? of leadership to offset the predictable surprises (caused by failures of leadership, norms and values) we have created. To do this we must start from the beginning and face some unpleasant realities.  Child Rearing Practices?Whales and Breeding Bulls  This brings us back to whales. They are a fascinating species. I don?t want them extinct. But whales that behave like sharks are very dangerous to others2?to an organization. They do not see themselves as having organizational accountability but are above this. They are stars. Much behavioral modification? of both the stars and those who fear and/or create them?is clearly needed in the banking industry.  To do this, there must certainly be controls?limits that are clearly defined and understood. However, these controls must go beyond such questions as acceptable positions or the separation of execution from oversight. The latter controls are necessary but have little to do with building organizational trust or mutual accountability; or, most importantly, the need or desire to care for others?the belonging to something greater than one?s self.3 And forget about hiring former SEC oversight guys?they are  The fact that whales can become dangerous was recently evidenced by Tilikum the star Whale and his 2010 drowning of his trainer in SeaWorld?s Shamu Stadium. Of course Tilikum was a shark of a whale?a killer whale. Who would know that Iksil, the Whale of London, would try to do the same to his trainers? 3 We should take note of the behavioral psychologist Abraham Maslow. He depicted human needs as a pyramid? with survival and safety at the bottom. Recognition by others is certainly a human need but only as a prelude to the more important need of belonging to something greater than yourself. As bankers we tend to focus on the bottom of the pyramid?largely ignoring the higher needs of belonging or actualization?the legacy we leave behind. Of course, Maslow was talking about individuals?but it does not take a great leap of imagination to see the organizational or societal implications of his observations.  2  only salad dressing. To create trust and mutual accountability we must go back to basic child rearing practices?this was the observation shared with me years ago by the CEO of Harley-Davidson.  Specifically, I was writing a book on the role of finance in the empowered organization 4. In our discussion together, CEO Rich Teerlink made it clear that empowering people did not equate to anarchy. He referred to the child rearing work of Dr. Spock5?not a Star Trek guy?and the importance of encouraging freedom and growth within the context of moveable fences. Moreover, the stars must understand that their contributions are appreciated; however, they must learn to play with others? and within acceptable limits and norms of behavior. As trust and comradeship grow?the fences can be moved outward but within a context of mutual accountability and interdependency. Loners?those who isolate themselves because of our actions or their own?are more likely to go astray than those who see their actions affecting the lives of others they care about?and vice versa. This is the comradeship and values I remember at Chase?the bank I admired the most.  There is a powerful message here for the leaders of the banking industry;6 namely; we no longer listen to our customers. Specifically, they have good ideas and want to do business with good bankers. Like the message from Harley-Davidson, we can learn a lot from watching and listening to others?especially our customers. But unfortunately, the industry has become self-absorbed and in many cases today considers itself as the most important customer of all. This misplaced customer, or internal absorption, aspect of the Trouble with Banking will be covered in a subsequent blog.  Unpredictable Actions?The New Risk Management  Applying these observations to the business of banking we must stop encouraging star-like behavior.? perhaps a very unpredictable (and even unpopular) action in most organizations. Specifically, we must stop using excuses?such as unauthorized trading?to hide the truth of what we ourselves have created. We must stop using complexity and the misunderstanding of market practices?such as speculation? to take the attention away from those who are truly responsible for the predictable surprises that have become synonymous with the banking industry.  Such predictable surprises have certainly harmed many; however, misplaced regulations based on misunderstood market practices will only be further damaging. Expressed in less politically correct terms, you can blame the gun (speculation or the derivative markets) all you want; however, how that gun is used depends upon the values and related behavior of the shooter.  4  The Empowered Organization: Redefining the Roles and Practices of Finance, published by the Financial Executives Research Foundation. 5 Dr. Benjamin Spock wrote his famous Baby and Childcare in 1946. It has sold more than 50 million copies and has been published in 42 languages?but apparently not well read by bankers. 6 Fences are catching on--so bankers better start building their own soon?for both whales and breeding bulls! Maybe we all need to go to agricultural school? You can learn a great deal from nature. For example, in speaking about breaking up the banks, FRB President Fisher has recently stated, ?Here's my simple analogy because I'm a Texan and because our family has a ranch. We have longhorns and we have a breeding bull and we run Heinz 57 variety cattle on our property. If we didn't have a fence line they'd run all over the place. There has to be some kind of definition that allows our breeding bull to do what he does for a living with our cows, but he can't just wander off and do whatever it is he wants to do with somebody else's cows.?  Unpredictable surprises are the result of a failure in leadership and in oiurselves?not a failure of the markets or market instruments. Facing the whales, especially those with shark-like behavior, takes a great deal of courage. However, until that courage is engendered and demonstrated?through a commitment that encourages mutual accountability and interdependence predictable surprises will be the norm of the industry.  There is only one way out. Predictable surprises, a trouble with banking, call for unpredictable actions- --unexpected steps that are less the expectation of our times. This is the risk management we really need from the banking industry?both its leaders and practitioners. We must begin to look toward risk management as the culture of an organization and add to its reach the importance of mutual accountability and belonging. There is much that can be done in banking to make this happen. I am optimistic that it will?if not by this generation of leaders then definitely by the next. I know this for I teach some of the best minds in business and finance. They are genuinely embarrassed by the current behaviors of the banks they work for?or would like to work for. They clearly want to belong to something greater than themselves. Good for them. Good for us all!  Frederick C. Militello (FCM)  Copyright 2012, Future Change Management  The Trouble with Banking: Future Feature Blogs  The Return of the Banker (Part One)?Risk as a Culture not a Silo  The Return of the Banker (Part Two)?Advocate and/or Counter-Party?  The Truth about Products and Services?Stop Selling Them  The Customer?Will the Real Customer Please Stand-up?  Please feel free to submit suggestions?or guest blog contributions?to this series.

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This computer generated image provided by SpaceX shows their Dragon spacecraft with solar panels deployed. The world's first private supply ship flew tantalizingly close to the International Space Station on Thursday, May 24, 2012 but did not stop, completing a critical test in advance of the actual docking scheduled for Friday, May 25, 2012. (AP Photo/SpaceX)

This computer generated image provided by SpaceX shows their Dragon spacecraft with solar panels deployed. The world's first private supply ship flew tantalizingly close to the International Space Station on Thursday, May 24, 2012 but did not stop, completing a critical test in advance of the actual docking scheduled for Friday, May 25, 2012. (AP Photo/SpaceX)

FILE - In this Tuesday, May 22, 2012 file photo, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from space launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The privately built space capsule that's zipping its way to the International Space Station has also launched something else: A new for-profit space race. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) ? The world's first private supply ship flew tantalizingly close to the International Space Station on Thursday, acing a critical test in advance of the actual docking.

The unmanned SpaceX Dragon capsule flew within 1? miles of the orbiting lab as it performed a practice lap and checkout of its communication and navigation systems.

Officials at NASA and the SpaceX company declared the rendezvous a success and said the historic linkup is on track for Friday.

It is the first U.S. vessel to visit the space station since NASA's shuttles retired last summer ? and the first private spacecraft to ever attempt a delivery. The Dragon is carrying 1,000 pounds of provisions.

Thursday's accomplishment "is a big confidence boost. Everyone's very excited," said SpaceX mission director John Couluris. After working all night and into the wee hours, he urged his team to go home and rest up for Friday. "It's exciting to be an American and part of putting American spacecraft into orbit, and we're very proud right now."

NASA flight director Holly Ridings said the mood is upbeat on her side as well, but noted "there's still a lot of really new things that the teams need to perform and the vehicles, frankly, need to perform" on Friday.

"This is still definitely a demonstration flight," she said at a news briefing.

As the pre-dawn hours of Thursday unfolded, the space station astronauts struggled with bad computer monitors and camera trouble as the Dragon zoomed toward them, but the problem did not hold up the operation. Indeed, all of the tests appeared to go well.

The astronauts successfully turned on Dragon's strobe light by remote control, but could not see it because of the sun glare and distance of several miles. The Dragon finally popped into camera view about 10 minutes later, appearing as a bright speck of light against the blackness of space, near the Earth's blue horizon. The two solar wings were clearly visible as the Dragon drew closer.

"Can nicely see the vehicle," Dutch spaceman Andre Kuipers said.

SpaceX's near-term objective is to help stockpile the space station, joining Russia, Europe and Japan in resupply duties. In three or four more years, however, the company run by the billionaire who co-founded PayPal, Elon Musk, hopes to be launching station astronauts.

It is the cornerstone of President Barack Obama's strategy for NASA: turning over orbital flights to private business so the space agency can concentrate on destinations farther afield, like asteroids and Mars. Several U.S. companies are vying for the opportunity.

Obama called Musk on Wednesday, a day after Dragon's flawless launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard the company's Falcon 9 rocket.

"The President just called to say congrats. Caller ID was blocked, so at first I thought it was a telemarketer," Musk said via Twitter early Thursday. He ended his tweet with a smiley emoticon.

Musk monitored Thursday's operation from the SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, where the company is based.

On Friday morning, two of the space station's six astronauts, Kuipers and Donald Pettit, will use the space station's robot arm to grab the Dragon and attach it to the complex. The crew will have just under a week to unload the contents before releasing the spacecraft for re-entry next Thursday. It is the only supply ship designed to return to Earth with experiments and equipment; the others burn up in the atmosphere.

SpaceX wants to provide regular service at much faster flight rates than the government-sponsored cargo ships, Couluris said. Two more supply trips are planned by year's end.

The space shuttles used to be the primary means of getting things to and from the space station. Shuttle Discovery is now a museum relic, with Endeavour and Atlantis soon to follow.

Aboard the bell-shaped Dragon is food, clothes, batteries and other space station gear.

The space station and Dragon may be visible to Earthlings in select locations in the pre-dawn hours Friday, while flying tandem just prior to their linkup 250 miles (400 kilometers) above the planet. Among the many U.S. cities with viewing opportunities if skies are clear: New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago and Jacksonville, Florida.

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COMBO - This combination of three photos shows Egyptian presidential candidates, from left, Ahmed Shafiq, Hamdeen Sabahi and Mohammed Morsi. The candidate of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood won a spot in a runoff election, according to partial results Friday, May 25, 2012 from Egypt's first genuinely competitive presidential election. A former prime minister and a leftist were in a tight race for second place and a chance to run against him to become the country's next leader. (AP Photo/STR; Amr Nabil; Nasser Nasser; )

COMBO - This combination of three photos shows Egyptian presidential candidates, from left, Ahmed Shafiq, Hamdeen Sabahi and Mohammed Morsi. The candidate of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood won a spot in a runoff election, according to partial results Friday, May 25, 2012 from Egypt's first genuinely competitive presidential election. A former prime minister and a leftist were in a tight race for second place and a chance to run against him to become the country's next leader. (AP Photo/STR; Amr Nabil; Nasser Nasser; )

Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohammed Morsi, casts his vote inside a polling station, in Zakazik 80 Kilometers (50 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. On Wednesday morning, Egypt commenced two days of presidential voting after 16 months of interim rule by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces. This election is the first free and fair race since the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak. (AP Photo/Ahmed Gomaa)

An Egyptian election official counts the ballots following the presidential election in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, May 24, 2012. As vote-counting began, exit polls by several Arab television stations suggested the Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi was ahead of the pack of 13 candidates. The reliability of the various exit surveys was not known, and a few hours after the end of two days of voting, only a tiny percentage of the ballots had been counted. (AP Photo/Fredrik Persson)

Egyptian election workers count the ballots following the end of the two day presidential election in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, May 24, 2012. As vote-counting began, exit polls by several Arab television stations suggested the Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi was ahead of the pack of 13 candidates. The reliability of the various exit surveys was not known, and a few hours after the end of two days of voting, only a tiny percentage of the ballots had been counted. (AP Photo/Fredrik Persson)

U.S. Congressman David Dreier, R-Calif.,top right facing to camera, and former U.S. Congressman Jane Harman, at left to Dreier observe the vote counting at the presidential election, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, May 24, 2012. As vote-counting began, exit polls by several Arab television stations suggested the Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi was ahead of the pack of 13 candidates. The reliability of the various exit surveys was not known, and a few hours after the end of two days of voting, only a tiny percentage of the ballots had been counted. (AP Photo/Fredrik Persson)

CAIRO (AP) ? The candidate of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood won a spot in a runoff election, likely against a veteran of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak's regime in what would be a deeply divisive battle to become the new president of Egypt, according to partial results Friday from the first round of voting.

The race for the second spot in the runoff was startlingly tight. Former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq appeared to be ahead. But a dark horse leftist candidate was close on his tail, and hundreds of thousands of still-uncounted votes from the capital Cairo and its sister city Giza gave him at least a theoretical chance to overtake Shafiq.

The runoff will be held on June 16-17, pitting the two top contenders from the first round of voting held Wednesday and Thursday. The victor is to be announced June 21.

Nearly complete results showed the Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi rising into the second round with a plurality of the votes, around 26 percent.

Morsi and Shafiq are the country's most polarizing candidates, each loathed by significant sectors of the population. A head-to-head match between them is the most heated imaginable scenario ? ironically, recreating the pattern of the past three decades, when the Brotherhood was the Mubarak regime's top opponent.

The Brotherhood, which already dominates parliament, has promised to implement Islamic law in Egypt, alarming moderate Muslims, secular Egyptians and the Christian minority who fear restrictions on many rights. Morsi's first place win was based on the Brotherhood's ability to bring out its fiercely loyal base. But he garnered only half the vote that the Brotherhood raked in during parliament elections late last year, a sign of public disenchantment with the group.

Shafiq's strong showing, in turn, would have been inconceivable a year ago amid the public's anti-regime fervor. He was Mubarak's last prime minister and was himself forced out of office by protests several weeks after his former boss was ousted.

A former air force commander and personal friend of Mubarak, he campaigned overtly as an "anti-revolution" candidate in the presidential election, criticizing the revolutionary protesters. He still inspires venom of many who believe he will preserve the Mubarak-style autocracy that the popular revolt sought to uproot. He has been met at public appearances by protesters throwing shoes.

But his rise underlines the frustration with the revolution felt by many Egyptians. The past 15 months have seen continuous chaos, with a shipwrecked economy, a breakdown in public services, increasing crime and persistent protests that turned into bloody riots. That has left many craving stability.

In a runoff, the Brotherhood will likely try to drum up anti-Mubarak fervor among the public, while Shafiq will play on fears of an Islamist takeover. Each has repeatedly spoken of the danger if the other becomes president. Morsi has said there would be massive street protests if Shafiq wins, arguing it could only be the result of rigging ? though there were no reports of major violations in the first round.

Already, the two campaigns tried to appeal to the millions who voted for the two main alternative candidates, Hamdeen Sabahi and Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh, whose supporters saw them as more "pro-revolution." Both Shafiq and Morsi aides tried to claim revolutionary credentials for their man.

"We know the Muslim Brotherhood stole the revolution from the youth," said Shafiq's spokesman, Ahmed Sarhan, who said the candidate aimed to restore the principles of a civil state. "Our program is about the future. The Muslim Brotherhood is about an Islamic empire. That is not what (the youth groups) called for" in the revolution.

A top Brotherhood lawmaker, Mohammed el-Beltagy, said Shafiq's showing was a "shock" that "reflected the ability of the old regime to reproduce itself."

"This represents a complete threat to the revolution and the nation. Shafiq represents the pre-Jan. 25 Revolution state," he added, referring to the date last year when the uprising against Mubarak began.

Political analyst Bashir Abdel-Fatah noted that the first round results showed the drop in the Brotherhood's popularity since the parliament voting because of their reversals of political positions, poor performance in parliament and moves that people saw as "hunger for power."

"Citizens felt that the Brothers are not really carriers of a message but they want to hijack power," he said.

By mid afternoon Friday, counting had been completed in at least 25 of the country's 27 provinces, representing more than half the votes cast. The election commission said turnout in the election's first round was about 50 percent of more than 50 million eligible voters.

Morsi was in the lead with 26 percent, according official reports compiled from counting stations by the independent newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm.

But the race for second place was neck-and-neck between Shafiq with 23 percent and the leftist Sabahi with 20 percent.

Cairo and Giza, where around 20 percent of the votes nationwide were cast, were likely to be decisive in determining the second-place finisher. The vote counting there was expected to be finished late Friday or early Saturday.

Sabahi was a dark horse during months of campaigning but had a surprising surge in the days before voting began as Egyptians looked for an alternative to both Islamists and the former regime figures known as "feloul" or "remnants." Campaigning on promises to help the poor, Sabahi claimed the mantle of the nationalist, socialist ideology of Gamal Abdel-Nasser, Egypt's president from 1956 to 1970.

"The results reflect that people are searching for a third alternative, those who fear a religious state and those who don't want Mubarak's regime to come back," said Sabahi campaign spokesman Hossam Mounis.

Not far behind him was Abolfotoh, with around 19 percent. A moderate Islamist, Abolfotoh had appealed to a broad spectrum, including Islamists disenchanted with the Brotherhood and liberals.

The biggest fall in the race ? which had a field of 13 candidates, most of them minor ? was former foreign minister Amr Moussa, who for months led in opinion polls. He had a similar pro-stability appeal as Shafiq and a softer image. But it appeared Shafiq and Sabahi siphoned off much of his vote and the results so far showed him last among the five most prominent candidates.

Egypt's Christian minority, at least 10 percent of the population of 82 million, went strongly for Shafiq, who depicted himself as the man to prevent an Islamist takeover, according to Abdel-Fatah, who works for Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. In one village in southern Egypt, Aziziya, the entire voting population of 4,000 Christians cast ballots for Shafiq, according to a private TV station Al-Nahar.

Shafiq also rallied former members of Mubarak's party, who feel threatened by the rise of either the Islamists or the revolutionaries. Analysts said Shafiq has also gained support from the families of security men? as security personnel themselves are not allowed to vote.

If the runoff is between Shafiq and Morsi, a major question will be who will get the votes of those who backed the two "alternative candidates" Abolfotoh and Sabahi.

Mohamed Sayid, a young janitor at an Alexandria hotel, said he backed Sabahi because he promised to reform the widely hated police forces. If Sabahi doesn't make the runoff, he said he would turn to Morsi.

"He said he is a villager like us. He understands the people," said Sayid, who is engaged and struggling to make enough to buy an apartment, a prerequisite in Egypt for grooms ahead of a wedding.

The Brotherhood is hoping for a presidential victory to seal its political domination of Egypt, which would be a dramatic turnaround from the decades it was repressed under Mubarak. It already holds nearly half of parliament after victories in elections late last year.

The group has promised a "renaissance" of Egypt, not only reforming Mubarak-era corruption and reviving decrepit infrastructure, but also bringing a greater degree of rule by Islamic law.

"I think we are on the verge of a new era. We trusted God, we trusted in the people, we trusted in our party," prominent Brotherhood figure Essam el-Erian said at a news conference late Thursday night, just hours after polls closed, when the group first claimed a Morsi victory.

___

AP correspondents Lee Keath and Aya Batrawy contributed to this report.

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An expanding family comes with an expanding range of responsibilities as well. As your family grows, even from one to two people, you will need to start thinking about financial security and where your priorities really lie. This article considers some of the ways you can improve the standing of your family unit and keeping everyone in it healthy and safe.

Save
The most important element of improving your family?s situation is saving. A portion of every pay cheque should be taken aside as savings each month and this should be invested so that it can grow. Whether it is invested as a deposit on a house or in stocks and shares or simply in a savings account, it is important to aim to see your wealth grow consistently.

Life and Home Insurance
Insurance is a very important responsibility for every head of a family. Whether you are male or female, if you are earning then your contribution to the family needs to be protected. Life insurance is a vitally important aspect of any relationship because if one partner should pass away, then the grief should not be added to by financial difficulty and/or the loss of a home. Home insurance is also a hugely important aspect of ownership because otherwise an accident could cause you to lose all that you have worked for.

Health Insurance
Health insurance is vitally important and each family member should be comprehensively covered. No matter how healthy you may feel, it is always possible to be struck down by a serious illness. Health insurance will assist you getting through an illness and with access to healthcare you will often receive significant rebates on your medical bills. Pet insurance is another insurance to be considered if you own a pet as veterinary bills can reach significant amounts as well. Protecting your family is the most important part of caring for them and health insurance is an essential part of that.

Personal Development
As your family grows it often becomes clear how significant qualifications and skills really are. Despite having finished schooling years before, it is always possible to improve your existing level of knowledge. Enrolling in educational courses is a great way to improve your job prospects and possibly your earning capacity. It is often possible to take a course through your current employer and this is a great option as the course is paid for by the company and your career scope within the company is increased as they are investing in you.

Invest in Education
Investing in the education of your children is the most important thing you can do to improve their chances in life. Investing in education requires time, not just money. Spending half an hour or more teaching your children something new every day is an investment that will greatly benefit your child?s development as well as your familial relationships. Remember that learning can be fun so make use of educational games to stimulate learning.

Earnest Parenting: help for parents who want to be prepared for life?s changes.

Image courtesy of MarkyBon via Creative Commons license, some rights reserved.

Earnest Parenting: Encouraging heroes. You can be one, too.

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El concursante Phillip Phillips en esta fotograf?a de archivo del 25 de abril de 2012 y difundida por la cadena Fox, mientras interpreta una canci?n en el programa "American Idol", en Los Angeles. (Foto AP/Fox, Michael Becker, Archivo)

El concursante Phillip Phillips en esta fotograf?a de archivo del 25 de abril de 2012 y difundida por la cadena Fox, mientras interpreta una canci?n en el programa "American Idol", en Los Angeles. (Foto AP/Fox, Michael Becker, Archivo)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Phillip Phillips, a bluesy Georgia guitar man, was crowned the new "American Idol" on Wednesday after defeating teenager Jessica Sanchez in record viewer voting. He was the fifth male "Idol" winner in a row.

Phillips, 21, a pawn shop worker from Leesburg, Ga., looked stunned after host Ryan Seacrest announced his name, then wordlessly accepted a hug from Sanchez and congratulations from his fellow finalists.

He dissolved into tears as he sang "Home," the song that may be his first single.

Phillips received the winning share of the record-high 132 million votes cast after Tuesday's final showdown with high school student Sanchez, 16, of Chula Vista, Calif. The vote count was not announced.

His victory extended the "American Idol" winning streak for men to five consecutive seasons. The last female to win, and the last non-white, was Jordin Sparks in 2007.

Phillips has more in common with the last four winners than gender. Like them, he is a young Caucasian guitar player, also known to "Idol" watchers as WGWGs ? white guys with guitars.

Last year's winner was Scotty McCreery, preceded by Lee DeWyze, Kris Allen and David Cook.

Sparks, 22, was among the guest stars who helped fill out the two-hour finale show, among them Rihanna, Neil Diamond, Reba McEntire, Chaka Khan and John Fogarty. "American Idol" judges Steven Tyler, with his band Aerosmith, and Jennifer Lopez also performed, but it was Sanchez and Jennifer Holliday who stood out with a powerhouse duet on "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going."

Besides music, there was a marriage proposal for the season 11 finale: Former contestants Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo got engaged on stage.

Young, 31, a season five finalist, told Seacrest that he and DeGarmo, 24, had just moved in together. Then Young got down on one knee and popped the question to her.

"I love you to death. You're my best friend," Young said in his proposal, which included a jarring credit for the jeweler who made the engagement ring he was offering. DeGarmo, a runner-up in season three, tearfully accepted, her head bobbing up and down.

But the point of the finale, saved for the final minutes and the highest possible ratings, was anointing the newest Idol and winner of a record contract.

During the three-song showdown Tuesday between Phillips and Sanchez, the show's judges praised his performance across the board. Sanchez was faulted for a lackluster rendition of her third song, "Change Nothing."

Although some critics dismissed Phillips as a Dave Matthews clone, viewers embraced him for his humility, his on-camera mugging and his memorable acoustic covers of songs like Usher's "U Got It Bad." In weekly tallies, Phillips never fell among the low vote-getters.

On Tuesday, he earned consistently high marks from the show's judges, while Sanchez faltered on "Change Nothing," the song that could serve as her first release.

The teenager agreed with panelists Randy Jackson, Lopez and Tyler, saying she should have gone more "urban" with her song choice.

Phillips had better luck with the slow-tempo, acoustic tune "Home," which the judges said recalled artists like Fleet Foxes, Paul Simon and Mumford and Sons. At one point during Phillips' final performance, the pawn shop worker was accompanied by a marching band.

It was a hit with the panel. Jackson, beaming, exclaimed: "I love the song. I love you. I love the production. I love the marching band. Everything about that was perfect."

Last year's contest between McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina drew more than 122 million votes, the record that was broken Wednesday.

___

Fox is a unit of News Corp.

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By coughlinlaura on May 23, 2012 in Reader's Workshop, Reflection?and tagged inventory, middle school, reading, relationship, scholastic, sri, student, teacher

School?s out. All 120 of my 8^th grade reading students have moved on to summer, and then high school. We did an awful lot of fantastic stuff this year, and I got to know a TON of great kids, but now that school is out there are 6 I can?t stop thinking about. Six out of 120 who I think I let down ? and I have the data to prove it.

All teachers have students they instantly click with and those with which they have to work to build hard-won relationships. But for me, seeing 120 students a day, there was a third category this year ? a few students I spent 9 months with but never really got to know at all. We smiled at each other, they showed up on time, turned in there work, and left at the bell. I wasn?t worried about them. They seemed to be doing well enough. These are the kids I let down.

When talking about relationships in schools it is mostly a discussion of gut feelings ? a contrast to the mountains of hard data that we accumulate in every school year. But at the end of this school year I saw a convergence of these two things. We bookend our year by taking the Scholastic Reading Inventory to get a general idea of whether our students have a minimal, basic, proficient, or advanced reading level for their grade. As you can imagine, by 8^th grade most have a fairly steady reading level. If they began the school year as advanced readers, they left as advanced readers. If they came in as basic readers, they left as basic readers. This year, in my classes, nearly 20% of students raised up a band (most from basic to proficient), which is great, but 5% moved down a band.

This upsets me, of course. No teacher wants any of his or her students to leave the school year without moving forward. But the real lesson I learned analyzing this data wasn?t from the numbers, it was from the names. The students who moved down were the students I would describe as ?ok? ?nice? ?fine?? they were the kids I didn?t know.? The kids I hadn?t formed a true relationship with, the ones I never found extra time for, were the ones I let slide.

My goal for next school year is not to be neutral with anyone. Not to be satisfied with a mutual smile and nod relationship. I?ve always known the importance of building positive relationships with kids, but this year it has become obvious to me that a general positive feeling towards all my students isn?t enough. I need to know and enjoy them all as individual people to give them the best school experience possible.

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