Just reading the NY Times report on this (
http://goo.gl/IKmQy), which ends with a paragraph that says:
Since the accident, both Airbus and Boeing have modified stall-recovery procedures with guidance from safety regulators in the United States and Europe. Safety experts say those procedures now instruct pilots to first lower the nose of the aircraft, regardless of altitude, and, if necessary, reduce thrust to avoid excessive acceleration. Previously, the standard procedure when nearing a low altitude stall was to raise the nose by around 5 degrees and maintain thrust.
First, this just so elemental it seems to be rediculous. But that last sentence really surprised me. In my extremely limited experience as a GA pilot, I was always taught that the first thing you do when approaching a stall is lower the nose. Can someone explain why the "standard procedure" has been to raise the nose?