Friday, July 27, 2012

Video: Valencia: Financial Pain in Spain

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/48333069/

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More Evidence That Shift Work Might Raise Heart Risks

THURSDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) -- People working evening shifts, irregular shifts, night shifts and rotating shifts are at an increased risk for heart attack and stroke, a large, new review finds.

The best way to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke associated with shift work is to keep the usual risk factors -- such as blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and diabetes -- under control, experts say.

"Given the commonness of shift work in modern industrialized nations, and industrializing nations, many heart attacks and strokes are likely directly attributable to the effects of shift work," said lead researcher Dr. Daniel Hackam, a clinical pharmacologist at the Stroke Prevention and Atherosclerosis Research Centre in London, Ontario, Canada.

Employers and employees must be aware of this problem, as should doctors and others who see shift workers, he said.

"Shift workers should receive cardiovascular risk factor screening and prevention, and this should be ongoing and regular," Hackam added.

Particular attention should be paid to risk factors that may be worsened by shift work, such as blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes, he noted.

"Since we are now in a 24/7 society, this problem is not likely to go away any time soon," Hackam pointed out.

The report was published online July 26 in the BMJ.

To look at the connection between heart attack, stroke and shift work, Hackam's group analyzed 34 studies that included more than 2 million people.

This process of pooling results from different studies is called a meta-analysis, and is used by researchers to uncover patterns that are consistent across a large population.

Among the people in these studies, more than 17,000 had some kind of cardiovascular problem. More than 6,500 had heart attacks and almost 1,900 had strokes, the research showed.

Hackam's team found that shift workers had a nearly 25 percent increased risk of having a cardiovascular problem, a 23 percent increased risk of a heart attack and a 5 percent increased risk of a stroke when compared to non-shift workers.

People working night shifts had the highest risk of a coronary event (41 percent), they added.

Although the increased risks are small, because many people are shift workers the number of people at risk is substantial, the researchers explained.

In Canada, for example, almost 33 percent of workers were shift workers in 2008-2009. In all, during that time, 7 percent of heart attacks, 7 percent of all coronary events and almost 2 percent of strokes could be attributed to shift work, the investigators noted.

While this type of study can show an association between two factors, it does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that "a number of prior studies have suggested that working outside of regular daytime hours may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and stroke."

This new study finds shift work is associated with a higher risk of coronary events and stroke, he noted. But an increase in all-cause mortality with shift work was not seen.

"While the increase in cardiovascular risk was modest, with as many as 15 million Americans working full-time on evening shift, night shift or other irregular schedules, these findings may have important public health implications," Fonarow said.

"Individuals with these types of work schedules should recognize the potential increase in risk for cardiovascular events and stroke, and take proactive steps to improve their cardiovascular health," he added.

More information

For more on heart disease, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/more-evidence-shift-might-raise-heart-risks-231132831.html

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The Looming Threat To Facebook That No One Is ... - Business Insider

Here's another big difference between Google and the company that was supposed to become the next Google, Facebook.

Facebook seems to be much less recession-resistant than Google.

Facebook, which sells ads to marketers hoping to create demand, rather than fullfill that demand the way Google search ads do, may be much more vulnerable.

Google actually fared OK during the most recent US downturn. It fared well throughout 2008 and 2009 and?only truly suffering a little in Q1 and Q2 2010.

If the US economy slows more than it already has ? down from 2% growth earlier this year to 1.5% today ? Facebook could face a painful shortage in demand from big brand marketers.

That's the last thing Facebook needs as it desperately tries to reacclerate flagging growth with new ad products.

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Watch the video below to see other reasons why Facebook is not likely to become the next Google.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-huge-threat-to-facebook-that-no-one-is-talking-about-2012-7

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Obama, Romney differ over guns after Colo. attack

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The politics of guns leapt to the top of the presidential race Wednesday, as President Barack Obama embraced some degree of control of weapons sales and Republican Mitt Romney seemed to suggest an alleged mass killer in Colorado had obtained his weapons illegally even though he hadn't.

Speaking to a mostly black audience in New Orleans, Obama said he would seek a consensus on combating violence. He said some responsibility also rests with parents, neighbors and teachers to ensure that young people "do not have that void inside them."

Obama's remarks came five days after the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., that left 12 dead and dozens wounded. He pledged to work with lawmakers of both parties to stop violence ? not only the sudden massacres that have bedeviled the nation, but also the steady drip of urban crime that has cost many young lives.

The president called for stepped-up background checks for people who want to buy guns and restrictions to keep mentally unbalanced individuals from buying weapons. He said those steps "shouldn't be controversial, they should be common sense."

Romney, meanwhile, said many of the weapons deployed by the shooting suspect in Colorado were possessed illegally and that changing laws wouldn't prevent gun-related tragedies. His comments added a confusing layer to the debate because authorities say the firearms that James Holmes allegedly used to kill 12 people were obtained legally.

"This person shouldn't have had any kind of weapons and bombs and other devices, and it was illegal for him to have many of those things already," Romney told NBC News in an interview in London. "But he had them. And so we can sometimes hope that just changing the law will make all bad things go away. It won't."

Authorities say Holmes broke no laws when he bought an assault-style rifle, a shotgun and Glock handgun, and he passed the required background checks.

Aides to Romney said the former Massachusetts governor was alluding only to homemade bombs, reportedly used as attempted booby-traps in Holmes' apartment, when he spoke of items "illegal for him to have."

"The illegality the governor is referencing is the ordinances, the devices that were in the home," said campaign spokesman Danny Diaz. "He was not referencing the weapons carried to the theater."

In a separate interview with KRNV-TV in Nevada, Romney seemed more precise. He said Holmes "had various incendiary devices, bombs of some kind. The idea that saying those things, of course, were illegal, but he had them, simply passing laws does not make the threat of an individual who is deranged, disappear."

Romney's campaign acknowledged Wednesday that Holmes' gun purchases apparently were legal.

Aurora authorities disassembled the booby traps in the apartment, and they did not explode. It's unclear if the suspect obtained the bomb materials illegally, but it's against Colorado law to build an explosive device.

NBC News anchor Brian Williams pressed Romney about his tenure as Massachusetts governor, when the presumptive GOP nominee signed a bill that banned some assault weapons like the type Holmes is alleged to have used. At the time, Romney described such guns as "instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people."

Asked if he stood by those comments, Romney mentioned the Massachusetts ban but said he didn't think current laws needed to change.

"I don't happen to believe that America needs new gun laws. A lot of what this ... young man did was clearly against the law. But the fact that it was against the law did not prevent it from happening," Romney said.

Obama, speaking to the National Urban League, said, "We should leave no stone unturned and recognize that we have no greater mission that keeping our young people safe."

"We must also understand that when a child opens fire on other children, there's a hole in his heart that no government can fill," he said.

___

Julie Pace reported from New Orleans. Associated Press writers Kasie Hunt in London and Jim Kuhnhenn in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-romney-differ-over-guns-colo-attack-020902934.html

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Empower and encourage, not one or the other. ? writemegirl online

Their noses wrinkled, eyes squinted, mouths puckered as if they?d just licked the salt, drank the shot of tequila, and sucked a sour lemon. They despised the word empower because they?d heard it for years in the workforce. ?

?We should encourage,? they said. ?We?should encourage others to succeed, never quit, to go for what they want.??

?Okay,? I replied, ?consider the proverb ?Give a man a fish and feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.? I can encourage anyone to fish, but if they don?t have the resources to learn how, they can?t feed themselves. I empower them by teaching them how to fish and obtain the resources they need; thereby, enabling them to feed themselves. During the learning process, I?m encouraging each step of the way. We should do both.?

*crickets chirping*

When we speak of empowering people, we give them authority or power to do something, or enable them to do something. By giving someone a rod and reel, a little bait, and instructions on how to fish, we?re enabling them to feed themselves . . . they have authority and power to do something about their circumstances.

Encouragement, on the other hand, provides hope or confidence, or support and advice to someone. In essence, we?re ?encouraging results.? ?While they?re learning to fish, we encourage them to continue on, imparting confidence that they can do it.

Throughout my career, I?ve considered my role as a technical trainer and professional educator to be that of a conduit who provides the tools and information learners need, whether I?m teaching adults or teenagers. I help to empower people with knowledge and the necessary skills, and encourage them to apply what they?ve learned to the job or their studies.

I see encouragement as a complement to empowerment, knowing that the two go hand-in-hand.

Empower or encourage? I say we do both.

Resources

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empower

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encourage

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Source: http://writemegirl.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/empower-and-encourage-not-one-or-the-other/

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Learning How To Become A New Person

To stay true to your goals, enlist the help of a friend or join an online support group. It helps to have support from people who are going through the same thing. You will be surprised how much an ?atta boy? or ?way to go? can lift your spirits and keep you motivated through rough patches.

Educate yourself. Reading books is a great way to keep your mind exercised as you work towards your self-improvement goals. You can find classic books on the subject of self-help, but even reading books about your country?s history or your favorite hobby can do wonders. Not only will you gain knowledge, but your mind will also remain sharp.

When trying to cope with depression, try turning to people you trust, like friends and family members. Share with them what it is that you?re going through. Ask them for the support and help that you need. Despite making yourself a bit of a recluse, you can get through this rough time with some love and help.

Most people don?t make an effort to nag others ? it just comes naturally. Unfortunately, nagging can have quite the opposite effect: building resentment and sacrificing productivity. You may find that your requests can be summed up tidily in an one-word reminder instead of a long rant about how angry you will be if your spouse forgets to pick up milk at the store. You might shorten it to a single word: ?Milk!? Even though this is a minor change it can get to the point very quick.

Personal development is hard work, so remember to recharge your personal battery. Take time to be with yourself. Exercising is an excellent way to clear your mind of the stress of day to day life, and allows you to practice self-discipline. You?ll feel better about yourself and build greater endurance to get through your day!

Identify your current strengths before you try to change your perceived weaknesses. A key component of personal development is having a true understanding of your whole self. Unfortunately, personal development often focuses only on weaknesses. Often, improving an already developed strength may be more helpful to achieving your long-term goals.

Take time out of your busy day to listen to what your mind and your body are trying to tell you. If you stop for a little while each day, you are going to find that there are many things that your body is telling you that you were not hearing before, and you can make changes to improve the situation.

For many people, retreating from a conflict is the standard response. Unfortunately, this habit does nothing to resolve the problem or prevent similar issues in the future. Try to practice keeping yourself in the conflict while continuing to engage the other party with questions that can help to resolve the problem. Unlike simply retreating and giving someone the famous ?cold shoulder?, this approach forces you to work through your concerns and avoid creating further resentment.

Try new things. It is important to never be afraid to try things that are new and exciting. Expand your horizons. Pick up a new hobby or skill. Travel as much and as often as you can and expose yourself to different cultures. The more you know about the world, the more you can evolve as a person.

Try to make time to socialize. You should not sacrifice your social and family life for work, pain or anxiety. Getting a break to relax with people you like to be around can really do wonders for you. It can refresh and recharge you so that you can accomplish much more. You may even get some pointers while you?re chatting with other people.

Carry yourself with pride. Personal development may be an intimate process, but you will find yourself walking with more confidence if you present a cohesive image to the world around you. Trying on new ways to project your true self allows you to toy with self-expression and builds your self confidence in the process.

While re-planning your life seems like a lot of fun, you should feel better that you know how to do it. You can now apply your newly acquired knowledge to making positive changes to live your life and to become a better person. Now is the perfect time for you to change things.

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Source: http://socialmediaaz.org/social-media-marketing/learning-how-to-become-a-new-person/

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Balancing A Busy Schedule And A Work Out Plan : Premier Diet and ...

Posted by haleyjonas on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 ? Leave a Comment?

Do not think of your workout sessions as hard and sweaty work. Using those words can make you become less motivated. Try using the actual name of the activity you are doing, like swimming or cycling.

TIP! Your strength training frequency will depend on what you want to get out your training routine. If you are looking to build large, strong muscles you will want to workout every other day.

If you want to get in shape, but you aren?t sure what to do, you have found the right article. When you?re trying to get fit, it?s beneficial to become motivated. This is accomplished by learning different ways to become fit. Using different techniques will help to keep things interesting, making you less bored and more likely to keep at it.

You do not have to go to the gym to work out. Some companies will have a gym room that employees can have access to. If you can find a convenient place to work out, you are more likely to stick with your program. The nearer the gym is to your home, the greater the likelihood you will pay regular visits.

TIP! Your front and your back should be balanced. By only working out one side, you are more prone to injuries and pain.

Wear clothes that are comfortable when you?re working out. There?s a lot of pressure out there, especially at gyms and fitness centers, to wear the trendiest workout clothes around. The clothing you wear should permit you to move freely without embarrassment. Good workout attire will help you pay attention to getting into shape and not how bad the clothes look or feel.

Test any workout bench before using it. Check the padding on the bench by putting pressure on the seat with your thumb. Find a different bench if you feel any hard surface beneath the padding.

TIP! When you are first starting a weight-lifting regimen, begin with lighter weights. Your smaller muscles get tired before larger ones do, so it makes sense to start with dumbbells or barbells before the bigger machines, for example.

Try to get 30 minutes of cardio exercises in daily. This can strengthen your muscles, even your heart, while improving your health and contributing to weight loss. Remember, the longer and harder you work, the longer you will need rest to recuperate.

A great method of building fitness is to workout every day. You will not be exercising and be putting in hard work for no reason. This will allow exercising to become more of a habit as well. In order to keep from over-exerting yourself, though, spread a few lighter workout routines out over your weekly schedule.

TIP! Believe or not, you can develop all of the stamina you need by simply jogging. Begin slowly and build up the amount of time you jog weekly.

The best time of day to shop for exercise shoes is in the evening hours. This is because throughout the day your feat expand a little bit, so you want to get the shoe size that is perfect for your foot.

Record everything you do daily. This includes items like food, drinks, exercise, and everything else. If you really want to be a completionist, record the weather, too. This will allow you to get an objective view of your behavior. When you can?t exercise on a day, be sure to record why not.

TIP! Drink milk when your workouts are completed. This delicious drink offers the perfect amount of protein.

Try recorded workouts for some inspiration. Find exercise shows that can help your workout from the comfort of home. Trying new movements or working out to random shows can keep you motivated and curious. If you do not have access to these programs, try finding some online or looking for videos.

A gym is great, but you should certainly invest in a piece of good exercise equipment. That investment will help you feel committed to being fitter, and is super-convenient for you to exercise. Do your research to find out which company offers the best price for the equipment you want. Just make sure that you get something that is going to last you a long time.

TIP! The following tip is a great exercise for improving one?s agility for sports. Pick up your left foot and touch it using your right hand, lowering it when finished.

Do not try to work out when you are ill. When you are ill, your body needs time to heal and recuperate. Exercising strenuously during this time can hinder the natural healing process. Your body won?t be able to endure and build muscle at this time. With this in mind, avoid exercising too strenuously until you are fully recovered. Also, you will want to eat great and get extra sleep.

The benefits of fitness are not only physical. If you start a new workout routine, your mental health will improve as well. The endorphins released during a workout can lead to a feeling of well being. Working out also helps your self-image as well as your confidence level. You can become happier by just working out a couple times.

TIP! You can always ask friends and relatives to exercise with you and help you stick with your fitness plan. Getting fit with a buddy can provide you with the extra motivation needed to reach your goals.

Do want your legs to look perfect? In that case, think about lower leg raises, both seated and standing. As your calves have two separate muscle segments, you need to work your calf muscles in different ways to get the maximum results.

Remember to stay hydrated throughout all of your workouts. Start hydrating an hour before you even begin your workout and continue for another hour after your workout is over.

Try lifting weights while running. This is why some runners should consider lifting weights. Studies show that those runners that lift weights regularly can run farther and faster without getting tired.

TIP! Exercise isn?t the only important aspect of a healthy fitness plan, stretching is just as important. Stretching helps warm and loosen muscles and get them ready for your routine.

As you exercise the bicep muscles, make certain you lift weights correctly. Not only can you strain your arms and muscles, but you could injure yourself. To do it properly, you must extend wrists backwards a bit, and hold it for a few seconds. Then, release the wrists slowly into their normal position. This helps to build up your bicep muscles correctly and reduce risk of injury.

Most exercise programs do not burn the amount of calories most people think, so they exercise to the extreme. You will be in danger of hurting yourself, heart issues, dehydration, and you will not benefit from it.

TIP! Cutting out refined sugar is the greatest thing to do to get healthy. If you?re addicted to sugar, you most likely drink soft drinks often.

Strength training is a great way to create lean muscle mass and to reshape your body. If you have strength training as part of your exercise routine, it will help increase metabolism, muscle mass, and burn off excess calories, even while resting. You need to give each group of muscles at least 24 hours off before exercising it again.

You will want to take your time when you start an exercise program. Taking the time to learn how to do the exercise properly, including form and breathing, will pay dividends later. Utilizing proper form will allow you to improve your body without suffering any serious injuries.

TIP! It can be helpful to commit yourself to working out at a fixed time of day if you find that you often make excuses to yourself for avoiding exercise. You will then realize it was just an excuse.

Try out rollerblading to burn a lot of calories. Although rollerblading isn?t too popular anymore, it is still fun to do and can help you lose a lot of weight. Rollerblades are typically very easy to find at stores like Walmart, Target and recreational sport stores.

Change up the exercises you do on a regular basis. This keeps you motivated to workout every day. This also uses different areas of muscles so your body does not become accustomed to it and not benefiting from the exercise anymore.

TIP! Develop a fitness log that lists the exercises that you completed throughout your day. Keep track of all the workouts you do.

When you?re stretching, take care not to bounce. This causes your muscles to strain when they do not have to. Despite what most people think, bouncing during stretching does not boost your flexibility. In fact, you are actually opening yourself up to potential injury and harm by doing this. Keep in mind that correct stretches are stable and not bouncy.

Donkey calf raises is a great way to help build up calf muscles when trying to become more fit. These calf raises are an awesome way to effectively build up your calves when you?re exercising. Enlist the help of another person to hold their weight against your back as you lift your calves.

During a bicep workout, to get a better routine, make sure you bend your wrists. Let your wrists fall backwards slightly. Then from this position do your normal bicep routine. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but your body will get used to it.

With everything that you learned in this article, it should give you a boost of confidence knowing that there are many ways that you can achieve your fitness goals. Keep in mind that part of getting fit is putting the advice you are given to good use.

Source: http://pdfbox.org/balancing-a-busy-schedule-and-a-work-out-plan/

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Stay Focused And Keep Shipping: What Is Facebook Thinking With Its Phone Folly?

displaymediaEarlier today, I?wrote?about Facebook designers asking, ?What would you do if you weren?t afraid?? Apparently, Facebook?s answer is ?build a phone.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/4ImlofqE_h0/

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Ecstasy harms memory with one year of recreational use

ScienceDaily (July 25, 2012) ? There has been significant debate in policy circles about whether governments have over-reacted to ecstasy by issuing warnings against its use and making it illegal. In the UK, David Nutt said ecstasy was less dangerous than horseback riding, which led to him being fired as the government's chief drug advisor. Others have argued that ecstasy is dangerous if you use it a lot, but brief use is safe.

New research published online July 25 by the scientific journal Addiction, gives some of the first information available on the actual risk of using ecstasy. It shows that even in recreational amounts over a relatively short time period, ecstasy users risk specific memory impairments. Further, as the nature of the impairments may not be immediately obvious to the user, it is possible people wouldn't get the signs that they are being damaged by drug use until it is too late.

According to the study, new ecstasy users who took ten or more ecstasy pills over their first year of use showed decreased function of their immediate and short-term memory compared with their pre-ecstasy performance. These findings are associated with damage of the hippocampus, the area of the brain that oversees memory function and navigation. Interestingly, hippocampal damage is one of the first signs of Alzheimer's disease, resulting in memory loss and disorientation.

The study participants took an average of 32 pills each over the course of the year, or about two and a half pills per month. Some participants took as few as ten pills over the year and still showed signs of memory impairments.

Lead author Dr. Daniel Wagner says: "This study was designed to minimize the methodological limitations of earlier research, in which it was not possible to say whether cognitive impairments seen among ecstasy users were in place before drug use began. By measuring the cognitive function of people with no history of ecstasy use and, one year later, identifying those who had used ecstasy at least ten times and remeasuring their performance, we have been able to start isolating the precise cognitive effects of this drug."

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120725200258.htm

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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Landsat celebrates 40 years of Earth-watching

NASA highlights the top five "Earth as Art" images from Landsat satellite, as determined by more than 14,000 Internet votes.

By Alan Boyle

Forty years ago today, the first in a string of Landsat satellites was launched to keep continuous track of our planet?? and on the 40th birthday, Landsat's handlers demonstrated that satellite observations are the gifts that keep on giving. But for how much longer?

"Landsat has really become the gold standard of remote sensing from space," Anne Castle, the Interior Department's assistant secretary for water and science, said during a birthday celebration at the Newseum in Washington. "It's provided an invaluable, indelible record of the recent history of our planet."


From the beginning, Landsat was designed as a system that would provide freely available data about Earth's condition ??documenting agricultural shifts, urban development,?deforestation, floods and the impact of climate change and natural disasters. On the flip side, Landsat has chronicled the planet's ability to bounce back from disaster.

The Mount St. Helens eruption of 1980 serves as a perfect example: The time-lapse video below shows how the blast created a dead zone around the volcano in Washington state, and how Mother Nature slowly crept in to reclaim the gray terrain. You'll also see how Landsat tracked the rise of Beijing, the shrinkage of the Aral Sea and other "top 10" changes in our planet's landscape.

Castle said Landsat has provided a "thoroughly objective, continuous look at ourselves in the mirror since 1972," when the first Landsat satellite was launched into polar orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base on July 23. In a NASA news release, she went even further, calling Landsat's data archive "the world's free press, allowing any person, anywhere, to access vital information without charge."

The Interior Department's Anne Castle traces 10 important environmental phenomena documented by the 40-year-old Landsat satellite constellation.

Landsat's past and future
This "free press" is paid for by the federal government, at an estimated cost of 80 cents per person per year. The seven-satellite Landsat project is the result of a long-term collaboration between NASA and the Interior Department's U.S. Geological Survey as well as the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"Landsat has given us a critical perspective on our planet over the long term and will continue to help us understand the big picture of Earth and its changes from space," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in the news release. "With this view we are better prepared to take action on the ground and be better stewards of our home."

The eighth satellite in the series, now known as the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, is due for launch from Vandenberg in February 2013. Once it's in orbit, LDCM is to be renamed Landsat 8, joining the 28-year-old Landsat 5 and the 13-year-old Landsat 7 spacecraft on the job.

And then what? That's the problem. The most important benefit of the Landsat program is the continuous, long-term monitoring of the planet's ups and downs?? and some observers worry that not enough money or attention has been devoted to what comes after Landsat 8. If, heaven forbid, one or both of the other satellites should go on the blink before LDCM is launched, a 40-year-plus chain would be broken. And Landsat 5 is?already faltering.

In May, the National Research Council issued a report saying that U.S. earth observation systems were in an increasingly precarious position due to budget shortfalls, launch failures and shifts in mission plans. "The projected loss of observing capability will have profound consequences on science and society," University of Washington atmospheric scientist Dennis Hartmann, the chair of the committee that wrote the report, warned at the time.

Even during today's Newseum celebration, concerns about the future cast a bit of a pall over the party. Tom Loveland, a USGS senior scientist at the Earth Resources Observation and Science Center in Sioux Falls, S.D., acknowledged during the press briefing that LDCM was currently cast as the last of the Landsat line.

"We still are on a tenuous path, in which we don't know when the next mission takes place," Loveland said.

New ways to use the data
Amid Landsat's midlife crisis, scientists keep finding new ways to use the database that's been built so far. Waleed Abdalati, chief scientist at NASA Headquarters, touted the NASA Earth Exchange, or NEX, which can help scientists easily put together mosaics of satellite imagery "like a giant jigsaw puzzle."

Google is in on the celebration as well: On its Lat Long Blog, the company highlighted its work with USGS and Carnegie Mellon University to create a monster series of interactive time-lapse videos.?"With them you can travel through time, from 1999 to 2011, to see the transformation of our planet ... whether it?s deforestation in the Amazon, urban growth in Las Vegas or the difference in snow coverage between the seasons," Google's Eric Nguyen and CMU visiting scholar Randy Sargent wrote.

Google video traces the history of the Landsat program.

The Google Earth Engine?is among the new?tools being developed for mining the quadrillions of bytes of data in the Landsat archive.

Will Landsat still be going 40 years from now? Maybe there'll be a whole new approach to Earth observation that will make the current system and data set look laughably obsolete. But for at least the next couple of decades, if we're going to chronicle the effects of climate change on Earth's surface in a methodical manner, we're going to need Landsat.

"I don't think it's an overstatement to say the success of humanity hangs in the balance," NASA's Abdalati said. Do you agree? Feel free to weigh in with your views, or birthday wishes, in the comment space below.

More from Landsat:


Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/23/12907797-landsat-celebrates-40-years-of-photographing-our-planet?lite

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Now in the UFC, Ulysses Gomez is sticking with Justin Bieber music

Ulysses Gomez is headed to the UFC, and he's bringing Justin Bieber with him. The veteran fighter, who has posted a 9-2 record while fighting for Bellator and Tachi Palace Fighting, will make his UFC debut at UFC? on Fox 4 against John Moraga. He is known to use a certain walkout song that isn't always popular among MMA fans, and he intends to keep it.

This is a man with the nickname "Useless," so some walkout song hate will not bother him. Justin Bieber has attended UFC shows in the past, so maybe Bieber will be at this show. He'll be so honored by Gomez's choice of music, he'll have to perform a special, impromptu concert just for fight fans. Who DOESN'T want that to happen?* And it will all be because of Gomez.

*Probably nobody wants that to happen.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/now-ufc-ulysses-gomez-sticking-justin-bieber-music-131607764--mma.html

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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Artifical mother of pearl follows nature's recipe

Jacob Aron, technology reporter

featuredimage.jpg(Image: Nature)

Researchers have made an artificial version of mother of pearl - a material found on the inner shell of some molluscs that forms the outer coating of pearls - by mimicking the way it is created in nature, paving the way for tough coatings made using low-cost materials.

Mother of pearl, also known as nacre, is a composite material made from inorganic layers of calcium carbonate separated by organic polymers such as chitin. This structure gives nacre its iridescent sheen and makes it resilient to damage.

The breakthrough could perhaps give firms a way of coating smartphones or other gadgets that are shiny and nice to look at - but are still incredibly tough.

Previous attempts at creating artificial nacre have mimicked these properties, but have not used the materials that make up the genuine article. These efforts have resulted in something that was strong - and which could be used to provide lighter body armour, for example - but which never looked anything like real nacre. Now, researchers at the University of Cambridge, UK, have created their own calcium carbonate-based nacre by copying the way it grows naturally, publishing details today in the journal Nature Communications.

First, they repeatedly dipped a glass slide in two solutions of organic polymers to create a thin film, which then underwent another process to create tiny pores within the material. Next, they dipped the slide in an organic polymer solution containing calcium and magnesium ions in a similar ratio to those present when nacre forms naturally, creating the calcium carbonate layer.

Finally, they crystallised both materials, and repeated the process to create a stack of alternating organic and inorganic layers, much like natural nacre.

Journal ref: Nature Communications DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1970

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Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/21a9fdc0/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Conepercent0C20A120C0A70Cartifical0Emother0Eof0Epearl0Efoll0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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Monday, July 23, 2012

European Stock Markets Plunge on Renewed Debt Fears

European stocks plunged the most in three months on Monday as concern grew that Greece will default and more Spanish regions will follow Valencia in seeking a bailout.

BNP Paribas SA and HSBC Holdings Plc contributed the most to a selloff by a gauge of bank shares. BHP Billiton Ltd., the world?s largest mining company, retreated 2.8 percent as a policy maker in China warned of slowing growth. Groupe Eurotunnel SA slumped 5.4 percent after earnings missed analysts? estimates. Royal Philips Electronics NV, the biggest lighting company, advanced 4.8 percent as profit increased.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index tumbled 2.5 percent to 251.8 at 4:35 p.m. in London, the biggest retreat since April 10. The benchmark measure had climbed for the last seven weeks, its longest winning streak in more than six years, as central banks from Europe to China eased monetary policy to help support economic growth.

?The market has had a reality check, making it impossible to justify higher stock prices on so-so company reporting,? said Henrik Drusebjerg, who helps oversee $230 billion as senior strategist at Nordea Bank AB in Copenhagen. ?Concern over Greece and the situation in Spain, with Valencia signing up for a bailout, are part of the reality check -- but investors are also catching up with a string of bad data from the U.S. last week and generally disappointing macro news from Europe."

Short Ban

National benchmark indexes fell in all of the 18 western European markets. Germany?s DAX sank 2.7 percent and the U.K.?s FTSE 100 lost 2 percent. Spain?s IBEX 35 dropped 0.4 percent and Italy?s FTSE MIB slid 2.2 percent, paring earlier declines of more than 5 percent after the nations? market regulators introduced short-selling bans. Greece?s ASE sank 7.1 percent, its biggest drop since 2008.

The troika of Greece?s international creditors -- the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund -- will arrive in Athens Tuesday amid doubts that the country will meet its bailout commitments. Germany?s Vice Chancellor, Philipp Roesler, said he?s ?very skeptical? that the euro area?s leaders will rescue Greece.

The IMF will stop paying further rescue aid to Greece, making the country?s insolvency in September more likely, Der Spiegel magazine reported, citing unidentified European Union officials.

Spain?s 10-year bond yield climbed 23 basis points to 7.50 percent Monday, the highest since the euro began in 1999, after El Pais reported that six Spanish regions may ask for aid from the central government.

?Palliative Care?

?A cacophony of bad news from Europe was released on Friday and over the weekend as a stark reminder that the euro zone still needs palliative care,? said Jonathan Sudaria, a trader at Capital Spreads in London.

BNP Paribas, France?s biggest lender, sank 5.2 percent to 27.04 euros and HSBC, Europe?s largest lender, retreated 3.3 percent to 515.5 pence. National Bank of Greece SA, the country?s largest lender, tumbled 11 percent to 1.10 euros.

Spanish and Italian lenders reversed their losses after regulators imposed bans on short selling. Banco Santander SA, Spain?s biggest bank, rose 1 percent to 4.23 euros. Bankia SA advanced 7.3 percent to 66.3 euro cents after earlier dropping as much as 9.6 percent. UniCredit SpA gained 1.2 percent to 2.47, after tumbling as much as 7.5 percent.

Italy?s market regulator, Consob, introduced a week-long ban on short selling shares of some banking and insurance companies because of the ?recent performance of stock markets.? Spain banned short-selling of all shares for three months.

Mining Companies

A gauge of commodity producers in the Stoxx 600 lost 3.5 percent as metal prices fell in London. BHP Billiton sank 2.8 percent to 1,766.5 pence. Petropavlovsk Plc, a producer of gold in Russia, retreated 3.6 percent to 386 pence. Lonmin Plc, the third-biggest platinum producer, slumped 5 percent 672.5 pence.

China?s economic expansion may cool for a seventh straight quarter to 7.4 percent in the three months to September, said Song Guoqing, a member of the monetary-policy committee of the People?s Bank of China.

A July 27 report may show the U.S. economy grew at the slowest pace in a year in the second quarter. Gross domestic product rose at a 1.4 percent annual rate after a 1.9 percent gain in the previous quarter, according to the median forecast of 70 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. Factory orders softened and new-house sales were little changed, other releases may show this week.

Eurotunnel Drops

Eurotunnel plunged 5.4 percent to 5.94 euros. The company that operates the rail tunnels beneath the English Channel reported first-half earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of 205 million euros. That missed the average analyst estimate of 224 million euros in a Bloomberg survey.

Wereldhave NV plummeted 15 percent to 44.53 euros, the largest drop since at least 1989. The Dutch real estate company abandoned its dividend targets for this year and next as Chief Executive Officer Hans Pars quit.

Philips climbed 4.8 percent to 17 euros. The company reported an increase in second-quarter profit as Chief Executive Officer Frans van Houten extended a savings program into a second year. Ebita rose to 504 million euros compared with 395 million euros a year earlier, the company said. Sales of 5.89 billion euros beat the 5.58 billion-euro average analyst prediction in a Bloomberg survey.

? Copyright 2012 Bloomberg News. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.moneynews.com/Markets/european-stock-markets-spain/2012/07/23/id/446195

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Beneficial bacteria may help ward off infection

Monday, July 23, 2012

While many bacteria exist as aggressive pathogens, causing diseases ranging from tuberculosis and cholera, to plague, diphtheria and toxic shock syndrome, others play a less malevolent role and some are critical for human health.

In a new study, Cheryl Nickerson and her group at ASU's Biodesign Institute, in collaboration with an international team* including Tom Van de Wiele and lead author Rosemarie De Weirdt at Ghent University, Belgium, explore the role of Lactobaccilus reuteri?a natural resident of the human gut?to protect against foodborne infection.

Their results demonstrate that this beneficial or probiotic organism, which produces an antimicrobial substance known as reuterin, may protect intestinal epithelial cells from infection by the foodborne bacterial pathogen Salmonella.

The study examines for the first time the effect of reuterin during the infection process of mammalian intestinal cells and suggests the efficacy of using probiotic bacteria or their derivatives in future therapies aimed at thwarting Salmonella infection.

Members of the Nickerson lab at the Biodesign Institute's Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology involved in this study were Shameema Sarker and Aur?lie Crabb?.

Results of the new study recently appeared in the journal PloS ONE.

Cell cultures: now in 3-D!

Over the past decade, the Nickerson group and their colleagues have developed organotypic three-dimensional (3-D) tissue culture models of the small and large intestine, lung, placenta, bladder, neuronal tissue and vaginal epithelium that mimic key characteristics of the parental tissue, and applied them to study the infectious disease process. Such models offer exciting new insights into host-pathogen interactions, cell proliferation, differentiation and immune function, and are providing a platform to understand normal tissue homeostasis and transition to disease.

For the current study, 3-D colon epithelial cells were used. Nickerson explains that cells derived for study through this technique more faithfully approximate key in vivo responses to S. Typhimurium infection, compared with the traditional monolayer methods, making such cells an ideal model to observe infection processes.

3-D cell culture models are cultured in a special environment within a device known as a Rotating Wall Vessel bioreactor? a cylindrical, rotating apparatus, filled with a culture medium supplying essential nutrients, oxygen and physical forces to the cells. Within the reactor, the natural sedimentation of cells due to gravity is balanced by the bioreactor's rotation, resulting in a gentle tumbling of cells within the media in the chamber.

During the culturing phase, cells attach themselves to tiny porous beads, termed microcarriers, or other scaffolding. Under these conditions, cells are able to respond to molecular and chemical gradients in three-dimensions in a way that approximates their behavior under in vivo conditions, causing the cells to aggregate based on natural cellular affinities and form 3-D tissue-like structures.

"In previous studies, we applied our 3-D intestinal cell cultures as human surrogates to further our understanding of how Salmonella interacts with the intestinal epithelium to cause gastrointestinal disease," Nickerson explains. "We found that these models were able to respond to infection in key ways that mimicked the parental tissue in vivo and which conventional models could not recapitulate. We are excited to advance the use of our 3-D models in the current work to study how commensal intestinal microbes and their products can protect against Salmonella-induced foodborne infection. The results of this study may provide fundamental knowledge for development of new probiotics and other functional food based strategies."

Bacterial Blizzard

A swarm of some hundred trillion bacteria occupies the human body, outnumbering human cells by about 10 to 1. Among these are members of the genus Lactobacilli, some of which have been associated with therapeutic, probiotic properties, including anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity.

The current study zeros in on Lactobacillus reuteri?one of the more than 180 species of Lactobacilli. The group investigated the potential of this bacterium to inhibit the early stages of Salmonella infection, seeking to identify plausible mechanisms for such inhibitory effects.

Intestinal infections by non-typhoidal Salmonella strains induce diarrhea and gastroenteritis, and remain a leading source of foodborne illness worldwide. Such infections are acutely unpleasant but self-limiting in healthy individuals. For those with compromised immunity however, they can be deadly and the alarming incidence of multi-drug resistant Salmonella strains has underlined the necessity of more effective therapeutics.

The use of benign microorganisms offers a promising new approach to treating infection from pathogens like Salmonella and indeed, L. reuteri has been shown to help protect against gastrointestinal infection and reduce diarrhea in children.

Safeguarding cells

The origin of L. reuteri's protective role still remains unclear, and the present study investigated whether reuterin, a metabolite produced by L. reuteri during the process of reducing glycerol in the gut, could be one of the keys to protection. While it has been speculated that reuterin acts by regulating immune responses or competing with Salmonella for key binding sites, the current study represents the first in vitro examination of host-pathogen interactions using human intestinal epithelium in the presence of reuterin-producing L. reuteri.

Two approaches were used to study host-pathogen interactions. In the first, 3-D intestinal epithelial cell aggregates were seeded into 24-well plates. Salmonella was added to these intestinal cells along with supernatant of L. reuteri?that is, cell-free culture medium in which the Lactobacillus grew and produced reuterin (obtained by filtering out the bacteria).

In the second approach, L. reuteri was first allowed to produce reuterin in the presence of the 3-D colon cells (seeded into the wells), after which the cells were exposed to Salmonella. Here, the L. reuteri bacteria (in the presence of glycerol) produced reuterin in situ. In both approaches, non-reuterin exposed controls were also tested, and the effect of reuterin on a Salmonella population in the absence of host cells was assessed as well.

L. reuteri regulates response to infection

The results showed a reduction in the Salmonella population (without host cells) after one hour of exposure to a diluted supernatant containing reuterin. Further, the reuterin-containing ferment of L. reuteri was shown to significantly reduce adhesion, invasion and intracellular survival of Salmonella to 3-D colon cells, compared with an untreated control.

In an unexpected twist, the application of L. reuteri supernatant lacking glycerol actually stimulated adhesion, invasion and intracellular survival of Salmonella. The authors speculate that the stimulatory effect observed may have been due to low concentrations of acetic acid, previously shown to stimulate expression of Salmonella virulence-related genes.

Applying the second approach, live L. reuteri were incubated with 3-D epithelial cells and the medium supplemented with glycerol, allowing for in situ production of reuterin. The presence of L. reuteri was shown to reduce the population of Salmonella by diminishing their capacity for adhesion, invasion and intracellular survival and this effect increased when L. reuteri were producing reuterin.

Another interesting detail uncovered in the study is that the effects of reuterin on Salmonella's infectious capacity are increased in the presence of host cells, suggesting that some type of synergistic protection occurs during epithelial infection, potentially involving the combined activity of reuterin and host cell gene-related responses.

Prolonged exposure (of 24 hours or more) to the reuterin-containing supernatant solutions caused a loss of viability in host cells, though shorter exposure times did not appear to adversely affect them. Importantly, the introduction of L. reuteri strains in vivo have been safely carried out in infants and even immuno-compromised adults, indicating that other cell types, host factors or the complex gut microbiota in vivo could counteract the observed cytotoxic effects of reuterin in vitro.

While the authors stress that much work remains, particularly in terms of understanding reuterin's role in the context of a complex gut microbiome, the results are encouraging and suggest a new avenue for fighting Salmonella infection, through the process of glycerol conversion to reuterin by L. reuteri.

###

Arizona State University: http://asunews.asu.edu/

Thanks to Arizona State University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/121907/Beneficial_bacteria_may_help_ward_off_infection

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Official: Assault rifle jammed in Colorado attack

AURORA, Colo. (AP) ? The semiautomatic assault rifle used by the gunman in a mass shooting at a midnight showing of the latest Batman movie jammed during the attack, a federal law enforcement official told The Associated Press, which forced the shooter to switch to another gun with less fire power.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to in order to discuss the investigation, said the disabled weapon had a high-capacity ammunition magazine. Police have said that a 100-round drum magazine was recovered at the scene and that such a device would be able to fire 50 to 60 rounds a minute.

That account of what happened inside the Century 16 theater emerged with other details of a suspect described as a budding scientist, brimming with potential, who pursued a graduate program even as he planned the attack with "calculation and deliberation," police said Saturday.

James Holmes, 24, received shipments that authorities believe armed him for battle and were used to booby trap his home with dozens of bombs.

In Aurora, investigators spent hours Saturday removing explosive materials from inside Holmes' apartment a day after police said he opened fire and set off gas canisters in a theater minutes into a premiere of the "The Dark Knight Rises." The massacre left 12 people dead and 58 injured.

His apartment was rigged with jars of liquids, explosives and chemicals that were booby trapped to kill "whoever entered it," Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said, noting it would have likely been one of his officers.

Holmes received several mail deliveries over four months to his home and school and bought thousands rounds of ammunition on the Internet.

"He had a high volume of deliveries," Oates said. "We think this explains how he got his hands on the magazine, ammunition," he said, as well as the rigged explosives in his apartment.

"What we're seeing here is evidence of some calculation and deliberation," Oates added.

Inside the apartment, FBI Special agent James Yacone said bomb technicians neutralized what he called a "hypergolic mixture" and an improvised explosive device containing an unknown substance. There also were multiple containers of accelerants.

"It was an extremely dangerous environment," Yacone said at a news conference, noting that anyone who walked in would have sustained "significant injuries" or been killed.

By late Saturday afternoon, all hazards had been removed from the Holmes' apartment and residents in surrounding buildings were allowed to return home, police said.

The exception was Holmes' apartment building, where authorities were still collecting evidence. Inside the apartment, authorities covered the windows with black plastic to prevent onlookers from seeing in. Before they did, a man in an ATF T-shirt could be seen measuring a poster on a closet that advertised a DVD called "Soldiers of Misfortune." The poster showed several figures in various positions playing paintball, some wearing masks.

About 8 p.m. Saturday, police left the apartment building carrying a laptop computer and a hard drive.

While authorities continued to refuse to discuss a possible motive for one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history, details about Holmes' background as a student and would-be scientist trickled out.

Holmes had recently withdrawn from a competitive graduate program in neuroscience at the University of Colorado Denver, where he was one of six students at the school to get National Institutes of Health grant money. He recently took an intense three-part, oral exam that marks the end of the first year of the four-year program there, but university officials would not say if he passed, citing privacy concerns. The university said Holmes gave no reason for his withdrawal, a decision he made in June.

"The focus of the program is on training outstanding neuroscientists and academicians who will make significant contributions to neurobiology," the university said. The doctoral program usually takes five to seven years to complete, it said.

In a resume posted on Monster.com, Holmes listed himself as an "aspiring scientist" and said he was looking for a job as a laboratory technician.

The resume, first obtained in Holmes' home state of California by The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, paints a picture of a brilliant young man brimming with potential: He worked as a summer intern at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla in 2006 and mapped the neurons of Zebra finches and studied the flight muscles of hummingbirds while an undergraduate at the University of California, Riverside.

He also worked as a cabin counselor to underprivileged children at a summer camp in Los Angeles in 2008. In a statement, Camp Max Straus confirmed Holmes had worked there for eight weeks. The camp provided no other detail about Holmes but said such counselors are generally responsible for the care and guidance of roughly 10 children.

Neighbors and former classmates in California said although Holmes was whip-smart, he was a loner who said little and was easily forgotten ? until this week.

Mary Muscari, a criminology professor at Regis University in Denver who studies mass killings, said she was not surprised Holmes was studying neuroscience and mental disorders.

"It could be he was interested in that because he knows there's something different in him," she said.

Holmes was in solitary confinement for his protection at a Denver-area county detention facility, held without bond on suspicion of multiple counts of first-degree murder. He was set for an initial hearing on Monday and has been appointed a public defender.

Among the deceased victims was a 6-year-old girl and a man who died on his 27th birthday and a day before his wedding anniversary. Families grieved and waited at hospitals, which reported at least seven still in critical condition Saturday and others with injuries that likely are permanent.

Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6, had gone to the movies with her mother, who was drifting in and out of consciousness in a hospital intensive care unit, bullets lodged in her throat and a gunshot wound to her abdomen.

"Nobody can tell her about it," Annie Dalton said of her niece, Ashley Moser. "She is in critical condition, but all she's asking about is her daughter."

Veronica had just started swimming lessons on Tuesday, Dalton said.

"She was excited about life as she should be. She's a 6-year-old girl," her great aunt said.

Another victim, 27-year-old Matt McQuinn, was killed after diving in front of his girlfriend and her older brother to shield them from the gunfire, said his family's attorney, Rob Scott of Dayton, Ohio.

Alex Sullivan had planned a weekend of fun, first ringing in his 27th birthday with friends at the special midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" and then celebrating his first wedding anniversary on Sunday.

"He was a very, very good young man," said Sullivan's uncle, Joe Loewenguth. "He always had a smile, always made you laugh. He had a little bit of comic in him."

President Barack Obama, who called in his weekly radio address for prayer and reflection on the rampage, was scheduled to travel to Colorado on Sunday to visit with the families of victims.

During the attack early Friday, Holmes used the military-style semiautomatic rifle, a shotgun and a pistol to open fire on the unsuspecting theater-goers, Oates. Holmes had bought the weapons at local gun stores within the past two months. He recently purchased 6,000 rounds of ammunition over the Internet, the chief said.

Holmes also bought an urban assault vest, two magazine holders and a knife for just over $300 on July 2 from an online supplier of tactical gear for police and military personnel, according to the company.

Chad Weinman, CEO of TacticalGear.com, said his company processes thousands of orders each day, and there was nothing unusual in the one that Holmes placed.

"Everything Mr. Holmes purchased on July 2 is commercially available," Weinman said, adding he was "appalled" that the material was sold to Holmes before the shooting.

The Batman movie, the last in the trilogy starring Christian Bale, opened worldwide Friday with midnight showings in the U.S. "The Dark Knight Rises" earned $30.6 million in Friday morning midnight screenings and according to industry estimates roughly $75 million on that day. That put it on track for a weekend total of around $165 million, which would be the second-highest opening weekend ever, following "The Avengers."

The shooting was the worst in the U.S. since the Nov. 5, 2009, attack at Fort Hood, Texas. An Army psychiatrist was charged with killing 13 soldiers and civilians and wounding more than two dozen others.

_____

Associated Press contributors to this report include Thomas Piepert, Kristen Wyatt, Steven K. Paulson, Ivan Moreno, P. Solomon Banda and Gillian Flaccus in Aurora; Dan Elliott, Nick Riccardi and Colleen Slevin in Denver; AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle in New York; M.L. Johnson in Chicago; Brian Skoloff in Salt Lake City; Monika Mathur and Jennifer Farrar at News Research Center in New York; and Eileen Sullivan in Washington.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-source-assault-rifle-jammed-colo-attack-121634899.html

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Sunday, July 22, 2012

Arab nations urge Assad to give up power

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arab-nations-call-syrias-assad-step-down-qatar-225421617.html

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Sheets extends streak, Braves beat Nationals 4-0

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Ben Sheets is giving the Atlanta Braves an unexpected lift in the pennant race.

Then again, it's not that surprising. The four-time All-Star has turned in stellar outings before.

Sheets pitched six shutout innings, Brian McCann and Chipper Jones homered and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 4-0 on Saturday in the opening game of a day-night doubleheader.

Washington removed Bryce Harper from the game after two innings with a left ankle bruise. The rookie outfielder was out of the starting lineup for the nightcap.

Outdueling Nationals starter Edwin Jackson (5-6), Sheets (2-0) extended his scoreless innings streak to 12 in his return after missing last season because of Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. The victory pushed the Braves' winning streak to three and moved them within 1? games of the NL East-leading Nationals.

"It's been a huge pickup for us," McCann said of adding Sheets to Braves rotation. "To come out here for his two starts and pitch the way he has. Hasn't given up a run, he's pounding the zone and the more you're around him the more you know why he's so successful. He's a competitor, he knows what he's doing."

The Nationals have lost three straight, including the series opener Friday night, blowing a 9-0 lead before falling 11-10 in 11 innings.

The 19-year-old Harper fouled a bunt off his left ankle. MRI exam revealed no break.

"(Bryce) was down hitting, trying to swing with it, and Michael Morse and LaRoche saw him and said he can't even swing. So, that's why I took him out," Johnson said.

McCann's solo homer in the second inning, his 16th of the season and seventh in his last 10 games, gave the Braves their first run. Atlanta added another in the eighth as Michael Bourn scored on a wild pitch by reliever Henry Rodriquez.

Jones, entering as a pinch-hitter in the ninth with a runner on, clobbered the first offering from Ryan Mattheus over the right field wall.

In his second start of the season and with light rain falling intermittently, Sheets threw 91 pitches, allowing five hits with six strikeouts and three walks.

"If you're asking me if I'm surprised I haven't given up a run, yeah," Sheets said. "I'm not surprised that I'm getting people out. I wouldn't have come back if I didn't think I could get anybody out."

The Nationals put runners on in five of the opening six innings. Three times, they had two men on base, but could not capitalize.

Sheets threw a fastball past Adam LaRoche, striking out the slugger with two on to end the first. With runners on the corners and one out in the third, he induced Michael Morse into a double-play grounder.

After allowing a single and one-out walk in the sixth, the 33-year-old nimbly recorded the final two outs, including another strikeout of LaRoche.

"I had a couple of chances to drive some guys in," said LaRoche, who denied any carryover factor from Friday's stunning loss. "(Morse) hits a ball on the screws into a double play. One of those nights, just didn't get enough going."

Washington finished 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position, all against Sheets. Kris Medlin and Chad Durbin combined for three scoreless innings of relief.

Jackson struck out nine to match his season high while allowing five hits and two walks over seven innings. His one mistake, McCann's homer as the high drive landed over the right-center wall. The Braves catcher has homered in three straight games.

"Once I found it, I knew," McCann said of his recent power surge and 11-game hitting streak. "I haven't felt like this since 2008, really."

Bourn finished with two of the Braves' nine hits and had two stolen bases. He swiped third as the front end of a double steal in the eighth inning before scoring on the wild pitch.

Harper's failed bunt attempt came in the bottom of the first inning. Limping and doubled over in pain for several moments, the first time All-Star completed the at-bat by striking out. Harper returned to center field in the second inning, but Roger Bernadina replaced him on defense for the top of the third with the Nationals trailing 1-0.

Bernadina had two hits and threw out Paul Janish attempting to move from first to third on Michael Bourn's one-out single in the fifth.

The opening game was a makeup for the June 1 rainout. Considering the Braves recent run, one might call the timing of the makeup fortuitous.

"Certainly last night's game you chalk up as a fluke because that doesn't happen very often," Jones said of the nine-run rally. "But to back it up with a solid performance today, now we get some momentum going. I can't think of a better day to have a doubleheader, as nice a roll as we're on."

NOTES: Braves second baseman Dan Uggla finished 0 for 4, all on strikeouts, three coming against Jackson. . With two RBIs, Jones has 1,600 for his career. ... Nationals OF Steve Lombardozzi and Braves 1B Freddie Freeman had their hitting streaks end at 13 and 11 games, respectively. ... The Braves recalled RHP Randall Delgado to start the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader against John Lannan, making his 2012 debut.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sheets-extends-streak-braves-beat-nationals-4-0-202538773--mlb.html

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Hot A's beat?Yankees

By JOSH DUBOW

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 12:17 a.m. ET July 21, 2012

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Brandon Moss hit a game-ending RBI single with one out in the ninth inning to give Oakland another dose of late-inning dramatics as the Athletics beat the New York Yankees 3-2 on Friday night for their seventh win in eight games.

Yoenis Cespedes singled with one out in the ninth off Cody Eppley (0-1) for his fourth hit of the game and went to second on Jonny Gomes' infield hit. Moss, who left the bases loaded twice earlier in the game, lined a single to right field and Cespedes slid in safely ahead of Andruw Jones' throw.

That gave Oakland its 10th walk-off win of the season and seventh in its past 14 home games, bailing out All-Star closer Ryan Cook, who allowed a game-tying homer to Robinson Cano in the top of the ninth.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Big rally by the Braves

HBT: Down 9-0 after five innings, Atlanta stormed back?to beat Washington 11-10 in 11 innings and cut the Nationals' NL East lead to 2 1/2 games on Friday.

Hot A's beat?Yankees ? |? Angels knock off Rangers

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Brandon Moss hit a game-ending RBI single with one out in the ninth inning to give Oakland another dose of late-inning dramatics as the Athletics beat the New York Yankees 3-2 on Friday night for their seventh win in eight games.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/48267443/ns/sports-baseball/

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Saturday, July 21, 2012

Ancient DNA Research Revolutionizes Scientists Understanding of Extinct Animals (preview)

Feature Articles | Evolution Cover Image: August 2012 Scientific American MagazineSee Inside

Biotechnology reveals how the woolly mammoth survived the cold and other mysteries of extinct creatures


Image: Bryan Christie

In Brief

  • Scientists' understanding of extinct creatures has long relied almost entirely on fossils of their bones and teeth.
  • But recent advances in ancient DNA research are revolutionizing studies of ancient beasts.
  • Researchers can now re-create the genes of these animals and study the proteins they encoded.
  • That scientists might one day be able to study such paleophysiology was unthinkable just a decade ago.

For more than 150 years scientists have primarily relied on fossilized bones and teeth to reconstruct creatures from deep time. Skeletons divulge the sizes and shapes of long-ago animals; muscle markings on bones indicate how brawny the creatures were and how they may have moved; tooth shape and wear attest to the kinds of food eaten. All in all, researchers have managed to extract extraordinary quantities of information from these hard parts. On rare occasions, they have chanced on exquisitely preserved mummies and frozen carcasses that have allowed them to add more detail to their reconstructions, such as the length of the fur, the shape of the ears, the specific contents of an animal's last supper. Yet for all that scientists have been able to deduce about the physical characteristics of life-forms from past eras, we know very little about the physiological processes that sustained them.

That gap is closing, however. Recent advances in biotechnology now allow us to reassemble ancient genes from extinct animals and resurrect the proteins those genes encode?proteins that both form and drive the cellular machinery that underlies life-giving processes. The work heralds the dawn of a thrilling new scientific discipline: paleophysiology, the study of how the bodies of bygone organisms functioned in life. We are still in the earliest days of this research, but already we have gained stunning insights into how one iconic beast of prehistory?the woolly mammoth?adapted to the brutal conditions of its Ice Age world. Although the Jurassic Park dream of cloning prehistoric animals remains out of reach, our work has demonstrated the feasibility of observing key physiological processes that took place in creatures that have long since vanished from the face of the earth.


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Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=b583c80dae5c41bf47b199d66717689f

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