robinthomasgg: December 2012

Monday 31 December 2012

Vikings RB Peterson finishes 9 yards shy of record

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, left, runs from Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Genevieve Ross)

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, center, runs from Green Bay Packers defenders B.J. Raji (90), Ryan Pickett and Dezman Moses, right, during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) runs from Green Bay Packers inside linebacker Brad Jones (59) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Genevieve Ross)

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, left, tries to break a tackle by Green Bay Packers free safety M.D. Jennings, right, during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson catches a two-yard touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Genevieve Ross)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ? Adrian Peterson's remarkable comeback season now has a magic number to punctuate it.

Peterson became the seventh player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, plowing through the Green Bay Packers for a 20-yard gain that put him over the top in the third quarter Sunday. He finished with 199 yards and a touchdown in the 37-34 victory, leaving him nine yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season record.

Peterson needed 208 yards when the day began to break Dickerson's record of 2,105 yards set in 1984. His 26-yard run late in the fourth quarter set up Blair Walsh's winning field goal, a kick that clinched a playoff berth for the Vikings. He'll have to settle for the second-best total ? 2,097 yards ? and a trip to Lambeau Field for a playoff rematch next week.

"Ultimately we got the 'W,'" Peterson said after carrying the ball a career-high 34 times. "We said during the week, if it happens, it happens. Don't focus on it."

Peterson came in 102 yards shy of joining O.J. Simpson, Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, Jamal Lewis and Chris Johnson in the 2,000-yard club. Peterson is the only one to do it after reconstructive knee surgery.

The Vikings punted a few plays after Peterson's big run, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation when the achievement was announced. Peterson took it all in stride, waving politely, but otherwise not making anything special out of it in a game the Vikings needed to win to make the playoffs. He simply didn't have time to reflect on the long, arduous path it took for him to get there after tearing the ACL in his left knee.

It was only last December when Peterson crumpled to the turf in Washington, two ligaments torn, leaving many to wonder if his career would ever be the same.

Well, it hasn't been.

Peterson vowed from the very beginning to return better than ever from an injury that has ended the careers of so many before him. There weren't many believers, including in his own locker room.

But a combination of uncommon genetics, unshakable determination and a smart rehabilitation plan from Vikings athletic trainer Eric Sugarman had Peterson back in the starting lineup on opening day.

Peterson scored two touchdowns in the opener, but didn't top 100 yards in a game until Week 4 when he went for 102 against the Lions. As the season went on, the scar tissue in his knee started to break up and Peterson took off like a purple rocket.

His cuts are sharper, his vision better and his patience is making the difference between a 4-yard plunge through the line and a 40-yard dash down the sideline.

He went on a breathtaking eight-game run, amassing 1,313 yards and topping 200 yards twice in four games to vault into the MVP discussion and make 2,000 yards a possibility.

When asked this week to describe his running style in one word, Peterson replied: "Vicious."

That certainly sums it up.

He got off to a fast start with 61 yards and a touchdown on the first two drives, hearing chants of "MVP! MVP!" just before he surged into the end zone for a 7-yard score and a 10-0 Vikings lead. He also had runs of 12 and 21 yards early to get the Vikings going in this win-and-they're-in game.

The Vikings have followed Peterson's lead in what most observers expected to be a rebuilding year. Peterson has carried the offense on his broad shoulders, turning the Vikings into a throwback attack that relies almost exclusively on the run for its big plays.

With second-year quarterback Christian Ponder going through some highs and lows, and the Vikings missing top receiver Percy Harvin with an ankle injury, the passing offense has ranked last in the league. Peterson is averaging more yards per rush than Ponder does per pass and his seven rushes of 50 yards tied him with Sanders in 1997 for the NFL record.

All the while, Peterson has said he'd take the first postseason berth in three years over 2,000 yards any day. But it was no secret that the individual achievement was important to him.

Unlike baseball, the NFL has few numbers that immediately grab the public's attention. One of those is 2,000 yards, especially in this new pass-happy league. Peterson entered the game with 1,898 yards, more than 400 better than Seattle's Marshawn Lynch, who was in second place.

"I definitely want to keep the running backs highlighted," Peterson said this week. "It's started to turn into more of a spread, quarterback-friendly NFL. But just keep letting them know that there are going to be running backs that can do this."

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-30-Vikings-Peterson-2000/id-380c85ff367a4b498fee685a1c7c971c

news 12 world series giants Natina Reed Sandy Hurricane flight tracker Marina Krim

Democrats, Republicans apart on key "fiscal cliff" issues: Reid

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The FBI is still searching for one of two convicted bank robbers who escaped last week from a high-rise jail in downtown Chicago by lowering themselves on a makeshift rope nearly 20 stories to the street. Kenneth Conley, 38, and his cellmate, Joseph Jose Banks, 37, escaped from the Metropolitan Correctional Center early on the morning of December 18. The pair apparently broke a window in the cell they shared, squeezed through the opening and lowered themselves to the street. They then hailed a cab to make their getaway. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/democrats-republicans-apart-key-fiscal-cliff-issues-reid-192740673--business.html

Pacific Rim tumblr anne hathaway Ravi Shankar Geminid meteor shower right to work Clackamas Town Center

2012 review: The year in health science

Read more: "2013 Smart Guide: 10 ideas that will shape the year"

The first half of 2012 will be remembered for the saga over whether or not to publish controversial research involving versions of the H5N1 bird flu virus engineered to spread more easily in mammals. In the end openness won out, and both contentious studies did finally see the light of day.

This was also the year that saw the battle to eradicate polio reach its crucial endgame ? just as another problem, in the form of totally drug resistant tuberculosis, reared its head.

Away from infectious disease, 2012 brought us a theory on the link between Tutankhamun, epilepsy and the first monotheistic religion, and an insight into the perils of premature ageing in Italy's ominously named Triangle of Death. Here are 10 more of the year's memorable stories.

Babies are born dirty, with a gutful of bacteria
Far from being sterile, babies come complete with an army of bacteria. The finding could have implications for gut disorders and our health in general

Forensic failure: 'Miscarriages of justice will occur'
Our survey of UK forensic scientists reveals that many are concerned that closure of the Forensic Science Service will lead to miscarriages of justice

Scandal of an underfunded and undertreated cancer
Lung cancer in those who have never smoked is on the rise ? but they face the same stigma as their smoking counterparts

Ovarian stem cells discovered in humans
Stem cells capable of forming new eggs could promise limitless eggs for IVF treatments, and the rejuvenation of older eggs

Paralysis breakthrough: spinal cord damage repaired
An implant helping paralysed people stand unaided suggests the spinal cord is able to recover function years after severe damage

A real fMRI high: My ecstasy brain scan
Graham Lawton reports the highs, lows and psychedelic purple doors involved in taking MDMA while having his brain scanned

You may carry cells from siblings, aunts and uncles
Male cells found in the umbilical cord blood of baby girls with older brothers suggests fetal cells cross between mother and baby more than once thought

Can we deter athletes who self-harm to win?
The Paralympics may encourage a debate on a dangerous practice ? and potential ways to prevent it

First non-hormonal male 'pill' prevents pregnancy
A non-hormonal drug that temporarily reverses male fertility appears to have few side effects in mice

Mining MRSA genetic code halts superbug outbreak
Whole genome sequencing of an MRSA outbreak has identified the person who unwittingly spread the bacteria around a hospital, stopping further infection

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

Have your say

Only subscribers may leave comments on this article. Please log in.

Only personal subscribers may leave comments on this article

Subscribe now to comment.

All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.

If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/2714a91f/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn230A110E20A120Ereview0Ethe0Eyear0Ein0Ehealth0Escience0Bhtml0Dcmpid0FRSS0QNSNS0Q20A120EGLOBAL0Qonline0Enews/story01.htm

eddie long ufc 143 weigh ins micron ceo glenn miller who do you think you are superpac steve appleton

Sunday 30 December 2012

Beyonce Super Bowl Halftime Contest For Fans

Want to join Beyonce at her Super Bowl halftime show? Well thanks to Pepsi 100 lucky fans of the singer will get to be on stage with Bey as she struts her stuff during the infamous game. On February 3rd Beyonce will perform at the Super Bowl halftime show and although we don’t know who will play in the big game yet we do know that 100 fans will get to join her on stage. Here is what you need to know if you want the chance to participate it what will no doubt be the opportunity of a lifetime for some very lucky people. You need to submit a photo or photos of yourself in specific poses outlined by Pepsi in the official rules, which are listed on the website. The soda company is reportedly looking for some head bopping, toe tapping, jamming photos that will stand out. Pepsi will then choose the winners who will get to be with Beyonce onstage in New Orleans. Like I said you can go to Pepsi to get the official rules and regulations and all that good stuff. Along with the fabulous prize of getting to hang with Bey the winning photos [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/TyGAI6TLfVg/

david lee honduras prison fire do not call list sports illustrated westminster dog show 2012 words with friends words with friends

Russian FM says Assad won't go

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and U.N. envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi meet in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and U.N. envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi shake hands during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, welcomes U.N. envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and U.N. envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi talk during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and U.N. envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi meet in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

MOSCOW (AP) ? Russia's foreign minister said Saturday that Syrian President Bashar Assad has no intention of stepping down and it would be impossible to try to persuade him otherwise.

After a meeting with Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N.'s envoy for the Syrian crisis, Lavrov also said that the Syrian opposition risks sacrificing many more lives if it continues to insist on Assad leaving office as a precondition for holding talks on Syria's future.

Assad "has repeatedly said publicly and privately, including in his meeting with Lakhdar Brahimi in Damascus not long ago, that he does not intend to leave for anywhere, that he will stay to the end in his post, that he will, as he expressed it, defend the Syrian people, Syrian sovereignty and so forth," Lavrov said. "There's no possibility to change this position."

Brahimi warned that the country's civil war could plunge the entire region into chaos by sending hundreds of thousands of refugees into neighboring nations, but his talks in Moscow produced no sign of progress toward settling the crisis.

Brahimi and Lavrov both said after their meeting that the 21-month-old Syrian conflict can only be settled through talks, while admitting that the parties in the conflict have shown no desire for compromise. Neither official hinted at a possible solution that would persuade the Syrian government and the opposition to agree to a ceasefire and sit down for talks about a political transition.

Brahimi, who arrived in Moscow on a one-day trip following his talks in Damascus with Assad this week, voiced concern about the escalation of the conflict, which he said is becoming "more and more sectarian."

The envoy warned that "if you have a panic in Damascus and if you have 1 million people leaving Damascus in a panic, they can go to only two places ? Lebanon and Jordan," and those countries may not be able to endure half a million refugees each.

Brahimi said that "if the only alternative is really hell or a political process, then we have got all of us to work ceaselessly for a political process."

Russia has been the main supporter of Assad's regime since the uprising began in March 2011, using its veto at the U.N. Security Council along with China to shield its last Mideast ally from international sanctions.

Lavrov said Russia would continue to oppose any U.N. resolution that would call for international sanctions against Assad and open the way for a foreign intervention in Syria. And while he again emphasized that Russia "isn't holding onto Bashar Assad," he added that Moscow continues to believe the opposition demand for his resignation as a precondition for peace talks is "counterproductive."

"The price for that precondition will be the loss of more Syrian lives," Lavrov said.

Both Brahimi and Lavrov insisted that efforts to end the civil war must be based on a peace plan that was approved at an international conference in Geneva in June.

The Geneva plan calls for an open-ended cease-fire, a transitional government to run the country until elections, and the drafting of a new constitution. But it was a non-starter with the opposition because of Russia's insistence that the plan leave the door open for Assad being part of the transition process and the fact that it didn't mention possible U.N. sanctions.

Brahimi said that while some "little adjustments" could be made to the original plan, "it's a valued basis for reasonable political process."

With the opposition offensive gaining momentum in Syria, there is little hope that the initiative would have any more chance of success than it had when it was approved.

Lavrov has said that Moscow is ready to talk to the main Syrian opposition group, even though it had earlier criticized the United States and other Western nations for recognizing the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

On Friday, coalition leader Mouaz al-Khatib rejected the Russian invitation for talks and urged Moscow to support the opposition's call for Assad's ouster. Lavrov said Saturday that al-Khatib's statement was surprising after his earlier contacts with Russian diplomats in Egypt during which the opposition tentatively agreed on a meeting in a third country.

Lavrov said the coalition leader should "realize it would be in his own interests to hear our analysis directly from us."

Lavrov rejected the opposition claim that Russia's continuing weapons supplies to Assad's regime make it responsible for mass killings in Syria, saying that Moscow bears no responsibility for the Soviet-era weapons in Syrian arsenals. He said that defensive weapons such as anti-aircraft missiles that Russia has continued to supply to Damascus couldn't be used in the civil war.

"We aren't providing the Syrian regime with any offensive weapons or weapons that could be used in a civil war," Lavrov said. "And we have no leverage over what the regime has got since the Soviet times."

Georgy Mirsky, a leading Mideast expert with the Institute for World Economy and International Relations, a top foreign policy think tank, said President Vladimir Putin's stand on Syria is rooted in fear that joining international calls for Assad's resignation would make him look weak at home.

"It would look like an inadmissible concession to America, a virtual surrender. The Kremlin would lose its face, look like a loser," said Mirsky.

He wrote in his blog that Putin is resigned to Assad's eventual collapse and the loss of any Russian influence in a future Syria, but firmly opposes international sanctions. That stand allows Putin to tell his domestic audience that Russia has defended its ally until the end against overwhelming odds, said Mirsky.

Jim Heintz contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-29-Russia-Syria/id-f589ab2d0e81416fb27cc4d7b41c48b1

grammy nominations lil boosie bobbi kristina brown new edition austerity rihanna and chris brown back together pebble beach

India files murder charges in gang rape

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: The suspects already faced rape charges
NEW: A medical team in Singapore is conducting an autopsy
Gang rape of a 23-year-old in New Delhi galvanizes the nation
Police brace for more protests after her death

New Delhi (CNN) -- Indian authorities added murder charges Saturday for suspects in the brutal gang rape that led to the death of a 23-year-old woman and sent outraged protesters to the streets.

The suspects already faced rape charges.

Six people, including a minor and a bus driver, have been arrested in connection with the rape, which occurred in New Delhi this month.

Throngs of protesters have taken to the streets for days, demanding more protection for women and punishment for those behind the assault.

Fearing massive protests following the death, police tightened security in the capital city of New Delhi and barricaded some sites of previous rallies.

India rape protest

HIDE CAPTION

Authorities said demonstrations are only allowed at Jantar Mantar observatory and the Ram Lila grounds, which were the scenes of previous rallies.

Police banned protests in Raisina Hills and closed roads leading to the area, fearing a possible repeat of the furious, large-scale demonstrations that occurred last weekend. Ten metro stations also were ordered closed, authorities said.

The woman was airlifted to Singapore this week after she was treated for injuries in a New Delhi hospital.

Singapore doctors said she died "peacefully" early Saturday surrounded by her family and Indian Embassy officials. A medical team in Singapore is conducting an autopsy.

The woman had been in "extremely critical condition" since her arrival at the Singapore hospital Thursday, and took a turn for the worse, said Dr. Kelvin Loh, chief executive officer at Mount Elizabeth Hospital.

"She had suffered from severe organ failure following serious injuries to her body and brain," Loh said. "She was courageous in fighting for her life for so long against the odds, but the trauma to her body was too severe for her to overcome."

Authorities have not released the name of the woman, but Indian protesters are calling her Damini, which means "lightning" in Hindi.

"Damini" is also a 1993 Bollywood film whose lead female character fights for a housemaid, a victim of sexual assault.

India's ambassador to Singapore said her relatives, who are Hindus and live in New Delhi, have asked for privacy.

Attackers assaulted the woman and her male companion on a bus on December 16, robbing them of their belongings before dumping them at the side of a road, police said.

The male companion was eventually discharged from a hospital.

Last week, police said the woman recovered enough to give a statement to a magistrate from her hospital bed. But on Sunday, she underwent another surgery to wash out infection in her abdomen, her doctors said.

The death spurred an outpouring of sadness and calls for action to ensure change and punishment of her rapists.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offered his "deepest condolences."

"We have already seen the emotions and energies this incident has generated," he said, referring to widespread protests calling for justice and reforms since the attack. "It would be a true homage to her memory if we are able to channel ... these emotions and energies into a constructive course of action."

Reported rape cases in India -- where a cultural stigma keeps many victims from reporting the crime -- have increased drastically over the past four decades -- from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011, according to official figures.

New Delhi alone had 572 rapes reported last year and more than 600 in 2012.

One such recent case involved a girl, 17, who said she was gang-raped during the Hindu festival of Diwali on November 13. A formal case wasn't registered by police until 14 days later.

The girl committed suicide Wednesday by ingesting poison, according to authorities in the Patiala district of Punjab, in northern India.

In her suicide note, she blamed her alleged rapists. Three suspects -- including a female accomplice -- have been arrested.

Most women in India have stories of sexual harassment and abuse on public transportation, on the streets and elsewhere, said Seema Sirohi of the Indian Council on Global Relations.

"There are a lot of reasons why this happens, but the patriarchal system is one, a lack of policing is another and general treatment of women is not equal to men, even though it may be so under the law," Sirohi said.

The Indian government announced plans Thursday to "name and shame" convicted rapists by posting their names, images and addresses on official websites, according to the Times of India.

And the Cabinet plans to set up a commission to look into rape cases and suggest measures to improve women's safety. This group has three months to submit its report to the government.

CNN's Greg Botelho contributed to this report from Atlanta.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/29/world/asia/india-rape-victim/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

giants score 2012 golden globe nominations texans lana del rey snl enemy of the state golden globe nominees joe philbin

Saturday 29 December 2012

The Best Search Engine Optimization Tips Online | Goozleology ...

It becomes harder and harder to get people to notice and visit your site as the web gets bigger and bigger. Using the tips in this article can help you remain ahead of the curve. You could have the best website in the world, but it doesn?t matter if you only get 10 unique visitors a day. Here are a few great pointers about how to boost the presence of your site.

You can get many more links that lead to your site by making comments on blogs that relate to your business.

If you want to view the rest of this excellent content plus all of our site's content please share our link via one of the sites below.

Source: http://goozleology.com/the-best-search-engine-optimization-tips-online.html

Colorado Shooting News joe paterno British Open MC Chris Colorado shooting suspect accuweather Finding Nemo 2

Gay marriage at Supreme Court: Will military couples get more benefits?

Same-sex military couples are not eligible for many benefits that heterosexual married couples in the military receive, including housing and medical care. But the Supreme Court could redefine the federal status of gay marriage next year.

By Anna Mulrine,?Staff writer / December 28, 2012

Matthew Wiltse, right, and Jonathon Bashford, left, hold hands as they are married at the Thurston County Courthouse just after midnight on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, in Olympia, Wash.

Rachel La Corte/AP

Enlarge

When Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan returned from a year-long deployment to Kuwait with the New Hampshire National Guard in 2010, her doctor didn?t have good news. The breast cancer thought to be in remission, the physician said, had returned, and the diagnosis was terminal.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

That?s when Morgan began a new battle ? to make sure her wife and their daughter receive the same survivor benefits that would go to any other married couple with children.

The US Supreme Court?s decision to take up the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) could have a considerable impact on the benefits of same-sex spouses of service members, who were largely invisible to the military until the repeal of ?don?t ask, don?t tell? (DADT).

So far, the DADT repeal has simply meant that US troops no longer face being forced out of the military for their sexual orientation.

But for the partners of gay troops, the impact of the repeal has been less sweeping and more ambiguous.

Even when gay couples are legally married under state law, for example, Section 3 of DOMA forbids the US government from treating such military couples as married.

And so they are not eligible for the kinds of benefits that heterosexual married couples receive in the military, including housing, medical care, and in the case of Morgan and others, survivor benefits should they die while serving their country.

DOMA Section 3 is the specific measure that will be reviewed by the Supreme Court in March.?

Passed by Congress in 1996, the law declares that the word ?marriage? means only a legal union between one man and one woman and that the word ?spouse? refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is also a husband or wife.

As a result, under federal law, the benefits of marriage can go only to a person of the opposite sex, regardless of state law.

DOMA Section 3 has been declared unconstitutional by eight federal courts.?

The Obama administration said last year that it would enforce the law, but would no longer defend it in court.

Should DOMA Section 3 be struck down by the Supreme Court, ?My sense is that same-sex couples who are married under state law would be treated exactly the same as married couples are for the purposes of treatment on military installations and for benefits,? says Robert Tuttle, a law professor at George Washington University.

Currently, there is an ?exhaustive list? of benefits that same-sex spouses do not receive, says Zeke Stokes, spokesman for OutServe-Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an advocacy organization in Washington.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/k0HAmZmdOvs/Gay-marriage-at-Supreme-Court-Will-military-couples-get-more-benefits

goundhog day punxsutawney facebook ipo facebook ipo egypt soccer riot mike kelley puxatony phil

Newtown Scam Arrest: Nouel Alba Busted For Starting Bogus Funeral Fund

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/12/newtown-scam-arrest-nouel-alba-busted-for-starting-bogus-funeral/

university of kentucky ncaa oakland news alec baldwin alec baldwin college basketball oakland

Friday 28 December 2012

Worms turn metal into semiconductors

13 hrs.

Jesse Emspak, LiveScience Contributor

Worms are useful in the garden and great for fish bait, but one of their talents has remained hidden ? until now. Scientists have discovered that worms can manufacture tiny semiconductors. ?

At King's College in London, researchers fed an ordinary red worm, Lumbricus rubellus, soil laced with metals. The worm produced quantum dots, nano-sized semiconductors that are used in imaging, LED technologies and solar cells. The experiment was published in the Dec. 23 issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

The worms created these electronic components because of their ability to detoxify their body tissue. When worms ingest the metals, proteins in their body shuttle these "toxins" to tissues called chloragogen cells that are similar to a liver in mammals. In the case of?cadmium, a molecule called?metallothionein attaches to it to take it away.?Through several chemical steps the worm separates the metals from the organic molecules they are attached to and stores them in tiny cavities its body, but not forever: eventually whatever toxic metals the worm eats are excreted.?

Squirmy semiconductor factories
In the experiment the scientists spiked soil with cadmium chloride and sodium tellurite (sodium, telluride and oxygen). The ability of worms to process cadmium is well known, but it wasn't clear what they would do with the tellurium in the sodium tellurite.

The worms ended up making tiny particles of cadmium telluride, a crystalline compound that is also a semiconductor. Those tiny particles ? called quantum dots ? were then taken out of the worms' tissue. The dots themselves are only nanometers across. [Twisted Physics: 7 Mind-Bending Findings]

In biological imaging, quantum dots are used in place of dyes because they can be "tuned" to glow at specific wavelengths. Cadmium telluride dots, for example, glow green when hit with blue light. The researchers tested the dots on animal cells and found they worked as well as the ones created in laboratories.

The success doesn't mean that thousands of worms are to be sacrificed for dot-making, said co-author Mark Green, a reader in nanotechnology at King's College.

"The interesting bit is that semiconductor quantum dots, which emit light, were made in a living animal," he told Livescience via email. "The aim of the work wasn?t to come up with a new synthetic process of making dots that are better than bench-synthesized materials, it was just to see if we could do solid-state chemistry in a living animal ? and it appears we can!"

A dotty idea
Green said the idea occurred to him several years back when he was an Oxford University post-doctoral researcher. He heard a lecturer note that animals use certain proteins to get rid of toxic metals such as cadmium. Green realized he was doing something similar to make cadmium telluride quantum dots in the lab, sans worms.

He wondered if some extra chemical might spur worms to make their own cadmium telluride quantum dots.

"The big problem," he said, "was that I didn't know enough biology, and I could see immediately that trying to get the dots out of an animal would be a problem."

So Green shelved the idea for a few years, until he met Stephen St?rzenbaum, the lead author of the paper. St?rzenbaum told Green that he knew exactly where cadmium given to worms went: to the detoxifying chloragogen cells. Since the cadmium ? and thus the nanoscale dots ? would end up there, it would be relatively easy to get them out of the worm.

So they tried it. It worked.

"We were very surprised, didn't really expect it to work that easily," Green said.

The quantum dots Green and his team made aren't quite the quality of the lab-bench versions. That may change, though. "We'd like to think we can play around with some of the chemistry and make them better," Green said.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook?& Google+.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/worms-turn-metal-semiconductors-1C7753891

apple stock pilar sanders andrew young real life barbie zipper armenian genocide asteroid mining

How Social Media Works, or What I Learned from a Banana Slicer ...

The story you are about to read is true. None of the names have been changed, but a few of the facts might be fuzzy. Nevertheless, this is how social media REALLY works.

December 10, 2012

2:08 p.m. ? Final day of teaching my social media marketing class at PCA&D. Two of my students, Patrick & Nick, tell me they have a great viral/Internet link they need to share with me. They forget.

5:17 p.m. ? I remember that they forgot, so I post a note on my Facebook wall about it, and tag them in it.

Banana slicer 1

9:24 p.m. - One of the students posts this ?viral internet sensation? as a comment. I immediately click on the link and proceed to laugh. A lot.

9:27 p.m. - I repost the link and immediately begin getting likes, comments, and shares. Lots of them.

Banana slicer 2

The link in question is for an item on Amazon known as the Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer. And what?s more amazing than the fact that this product even exists, are the hundreds of hilarious product reviews that go along with it.

My sharing of the link continues to get comments and likes as much as ten days after I posted it. The engagement I have gotten comes from quite a few states and even a few other countries.

December 16, 2012

5:45 p.m. - Six days after the original posting, my friend Hope sees the link and comments back that she actually has one of these, still in its package, and that she?d like to send it to me. Hope and I met more than a dozen years ago when I was working in NYC, and have since reconnected on Facebook. While I now live in Pennsylvania, she lives in California. (Since I didn?t ask Hope?s permission to user her comment, I took the liberty of obscuring both her last name and her eyes. It adds something to the mystique of this story, don?t you think?)

hope comment

By the way, check out Hope?s business on Etsy, Vintage Rescue Shop. You might find some cool things on there!

December 17, 2012

7:05 p.m. - I send Hope my address.

December 18, 2012

6:58 p.m. - Hope tells me my package is on the way.

December 20, 2012

12:34 p.m. - The banana slicer arrives! Not the Hutzler 571, but one of the many similar brands that can be found online, although this one doesn?t even have a brand name on it

How Social Media Works, or What I Learned from a Banana Slicer

In just ten days, not including the years of reviews and whatever else happened before I first became aware of this wonderful item, I went from my first exposure to the project to actually having one shipped to me (for free!) from across the country

This is how social media works.

Compelling content is posted online. People engage with that content and share it. And then the magic happens.

Word of mouth. Online.

Now, what can you and your business learn from this wonderful story of the banana slicer?

Source: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/how-social-media-works-or-what-i-learned-from-a-banana-slicer-0362692

joe oliver joba chamberlain new york mega millions jetblue jetblue michelle malkin october baby

Video: Little evidence of deal-making on "fiscal cliff" (cbsnews)

Share With Friends:

| Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273499682?client_source=feed&format=rss

Jon Lord Colorado shootings dark knight rises Aurora shooting James Eagan Holmes jeremy lin Sage Stallone

Thursday 27 December 2012

Worms turn metal into semiconductors

1 hr.

Jesse Emspak, LiveScience Contributor

Worms are useful in the garden and great for fish bait, but one of their talents has remained hidden ? until now. Scientists have discovered that worms can manufacture tiny semiconductors. ?

The success doesn't mean that thousands of worms are to be sacrificed for dot-making, said co-author Mark Green, a reader in nanotechnology at King's College.

He wondered if some extra chemical might spur worms to make their own cadmium telluride quantum dots.

"The big problem," he said, "was that I didn't know enough biology, and I could see immediately that trying to get the dots out of an animal would be a problem."

So they tried it. It worked.

"We were very surprised, didn't really expect it to work that easily," Green said.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook?& Google+.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/worms-turn-metal-semiconductors-1C7753891

easter bunny navy jet crash virginia beach isiah thomas passover easter recipes live free or die hard carlos pena

Observatory: Volunteers Helped Piece Together an Asteroid?s Story

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The fast-moving fireball seen over Nevada and California in April was a small asteroid from the inner region of the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars, scientists have concluded.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/25/science/space/an-asteroids-fast-fiery-introduction-to-earth.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

seattle mariners geraldo rivera supreme court health care joe oliver joba chamberlain new york mega millions jetblue

Birdsong study pecks theory that music is uniquely human

Dec. 27, 2012 ? A bird listening to birdsong may experience some of the same emotions as a human listening to music, suggests a new study on white-throated sparrows, published in Frontiers of Evolutionary Neuroscience.

"We found that the same neural reward system is activated in female birds in the breeding state that are listening to male birdsong, and in people listening to music that they like," says Sarah Earp, who led the research as an undergraduate at Emory University.

For male birds listening to another male's song, it was a different story: They had an amygdala response that looks similar to that of people when they hear discordant, unpleasant music.

The study, co-authored by Emory neuroscientist Donna Maney, is the first to compare neural responses of listeners in the long-standing debate over whether birdsong is music.

"Scientists since the time of Darwin have wondered whether birdsong and music may serve similar purposes, or have the same evolutionary precursors," Earp notes. "But most attempts to compare the two have focused on the qualities of the sound themselves, such as melody and rhythm."

Earp's curiosity was sparked while an honors student at Emory, majoring in both neuroscience and music. She took "The Musical Brain" course developed by Paul Lennard, director of Emory's Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology program, which brought in guest lecturers from the fields of neuroscience and music.

"During one class, the guest speaker was a composer and he said that he thought that birdsong is like music, but Dr. Lennard thought it was not," Earp recalls. "It turned into this huge debate, and each of them seemed to define music differently. I thought it was interesting that you could take one question and have two conflicting answers that are both right, in a way, depending on your perspective and how you approach the question."

As a senior last year, Earp received a grant from the Scholars Program for Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Research (SPINR), and a position in the lab of Maney, who uses songbirds as a model to study the neural basis of complex learned behavior.

When Earp proposed using the lab's data to investigate the birdsong-music debate, Maney thought it was a great idea. "Birdsong is a signal," Maney says. "And the definition of a signal is that it elicits a response in the receiver. Previous studies hadn't approached the question from that angle, and it's an important one."

Earp reviewed studies that mapped human neural responses to music through brain imaging.

She also analyzed data from the Maney lab on white-throated sparrows. The lab maps brain responses in the birds by measuring Egr-1, part of a major biochemical pathway activated in cells that are responding to a stimulus.

The study used Egr-1 as a marker to map and quantify neural responses in the mesolimbic reward system in male and female white-throated sparrows listening to a male bird's song. Some of the listening birds had been treated with hormones, to push them into the breeding state, while the control group had low levels of estradiol and testosterone.

During the non-breeding season, both sexes of sparrows use song to establish and maintain dominance in relationships. During the breeding season, however, a male singing to a female is almost certainly courting her, while a male singing to another male is challenging an interloper.

For the females in the breeding state every region of the mesolimbic reward pathway that has been reported to respond to music in humans, and that has a clear avian counterpart, responded to the male birdsong. Females in the non-breeding state, however, did not show a heightened response.

And the testosterone-treated males listening to another male sing showed an amygdala response, which may correlate to the amygdala response typical of humans listening to the kind of music used in the scary scenes of horror movies.

"The neural response to birdsong appears to depend on social context, which can be the case with humans as well," Earp says. "Both birdsong and music elicit responses not only in brain regions associated directly with reward, but also in interconnected regions that are thought to regulate emotion. That suggests that they both may activate evolutionarily ancient mechanisms that are necessary for reproduction and survival."

A major limitation of the study, Earp adds, is that many of the regions that respond to music in humans are cortical, and they do not have clear counterparts in birds. "Perhaps techniques will someday be developed to image neural responses in baleen whales, whose songs are both musical and learned, and whose brain anatomy is more easily compared with humans," she says.

Earp, who played the viola in the Emory orchestra and graduated last May, is now a medical student at the Cleveland Clinic.

So what music makes her brain light up? "Stravinsky's 'Firebird' suite," Earp says.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Emory University. The original article was written by Carol Clark.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Sarah E. Earp, Donna L. Maney. Birdsong: Is It Music to Their Ears? Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience, 2012; 4 DOI: 10.3389/fnevo.2012.00014

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/NQfpAL3gUUg/121227080110.htm

hippocrates andrew breitbart red wings penguins the band colton dixon houston weather

antonycarrickxx: victorrusso23: Shopping And Product Reviews ...

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Source: http://matkopliza9.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/shopping-and-product-reviews-toys-article-category-by-elleeatist.html

affordable care act the line us soccer bobby brown arrested the happening black panthers mauritania

Source: http://victorrusso23.blogspot.com/2012/12/shopping-and-product-reviews-toys.html

daytona artie lange nascar daytona 2012 kasey kahne angelina jolie right leg saving face academy award winners

Source: http://thermophile-kenny.blogspot.com/2012/12/victorrusso23-shopping-and-product.html

Lilit Avagyan Nashville TV Show VP debate drew brees drew brees sandusky Sam Champion

Source: http://antonycarrickxx.blogspot.com/2012/12/victorrusso23-shopping-and-product.html

adam levine 9/11 Memorial Google Docs 911 masterchef Dictionary.com Chicago teachers strike

Wednesday 26 December 2012

Check This Out If You Wish To Learn How To Improve Your Home ...

Warning: Missing argument 2 for wpdb::prepare(), called in /home/kityorg/kity.org/wp-content/plugins/ninja-forms/includes/display_functions.php on line 11 and defined in /home/kityorg/kity.org/wp-includes/wp-db.php on line 990

When you use these details you will discover every piece of information you have to start off. Redecorating may be doubly hard and boring with out reliable information for direction. Using the appropriate understanding, your own home enhancement tasks are manufactured easier, so explore the ideas listed below for a few helpful information.

If you work with a licensed contractor, maintain mindful records. You are unable to keep this obligation as much as the professional. Keep copies of each invoice or commitment regarding the task. This can help you and also the service provider remain focused on the job.

If you are looking for your upcoming home improvement undertaking, painting the outside of your property may be the most sensible thing. There is absolutely no way to really make it a lot more like new than by utilizing a new paint task. Explore exciting colours that will make your home seem like a whole new one.

When a contractor provides an income low cost, you need to go with a various 1. You won?t have papers trail if you are paying with funds, so you consequently won?t have recourse if he will take your cash leaving you with no home improvements done.

Placing dazzling blooms looking at your own home can rapidly increase its external surfaces look. Opt for plant life that will grow in every single year. Too, make your hedges and bushes trimmed, and every week mow and manicure your lawn. By performing these simple projects, you can actually keep your house importance developing.

When you are performing your upcoming improvement task, reserve space for the debris you create. Ridding yourself of all that dirt can come upon a major expense, so it is crucial that you plan in advance so that you can economize and steer clear of slow downs with regard to your project.

You may have to repaint a deck. Be sure to utilize an exceptional exterior paint product or service. Ensure that the bases from the aged and new paints complement. Which means utilizing essential oil-centered painting when the current fresh paint is essential oil-centered, as well as the identical for drinking water-structured paints. Gas-centered color will work for clip, because it endures lengthier, but really should not be utilized on a deck or flooring in the open air, mainly because it becomes quite slippery with snowfall.

It could be needed so that you can provide a patio a whole new layer of paint. Use fresh paint that may be specific for exteriors and it is of great high quality. Make sure you paint using a base of the same variety as being the older type use oils for oils or water for water. A long-sustained essential oil-structured fresh paint works well on toned, but is not great for exterior flooring or decks simply because damp conditions makes it really slick.

In order to swap the exterior siding on the house, take care to take advantage of the suitable insulation. There are many different types you can pick from, including permeable residence place, rigorous foam heat retaining material, and techniques that totally guard a wall. Figure out the costs for each option, and choose exactly how much you need to spend.

Before beginning a house enhancement project, it is very important think about neighborhood conditions. When the place you live in is windy, an outdoor patio might not be the most effective concept. Not considering things like this may help make your redesigning endeavours be ineffective mainly because they will not be the best fits for your house.

It really is possible to at low costs cleanup the style of alert appliances. Steel may be well-liked, but why trash can your family fridge that is nevertheless functioning because it is not much of a ?cool? shade? You can purchase some very affordable appliance apply paint and paint your home appliances any color of your picking. You may make positive changes to home in certain hrs!

When you make home improvements, there are many of anchoring screws you can utilize. It?s a good idea to know which kind of attach is perfect for what sort of undertaking you possess planned. Timber anchoring screws are fantastic for projects that entail wood mainly because they could easily proceed through it. Sheet metallic assignments demand sheet metallic screws.

Your sight of new home improvements might be transformed into actuality, by using the recommendation earlier mentioned. The self-confidence you need to convert your home ought to now be something you have.

For additional points on uk only wall stickers see Kristle F. DeOrion?s site there is a lot of details not covered in this article, take a look at Author?s blog to uncover further details.

Source: http://kity.org/check-this-out-if-you-wish-to-learn-how-to-improve-your-home-2/

johnny depp jerry sandusky raul ibanez completely wrong hayden panettiere mila kunis stacey dash

Beauty and Size: The Wild Sex Merry XXXMas Marathon Continues...

By Carin Bondar?| December 26, 2012 |??

Share ? Share Email ? Print Print

The next two episodes of Wild Sex are by far the most popular. In the first, aptly titled ?Beach Babes and Boob Jobs?, I look at the concept of beauty in the animal kingdom and how this concept does not really apply to the human animal. In ?Size Matters?, we take a look at some of the largest penises in the natural world, and scale them up for some pretty crazy visual drama. Can we say 40 foot long penis?! We also compare and contrast the evolutionary history of male primates when it comes to both penis length and testicle size. You might be surprised at how different apes ?measure up? to each other.

About the Author: Carin Bondar is a biologist, writer and film-maker with a PhD in population ecology from the University of British Columbia. Find Dr. Bondar online at www.carinbondar.com, on twitter @drbondar or on her facebook page: Dr. Carin Bondar ? Biologist With a Twist. Follow on Twitter @drbondar.

More??

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=13de5cd329fa463d377765f12ce3e1df

ozzie guillen ozzie guillen buster posey eric holder eric holder carole king crystal renn

CFT: Eagles want Chip Kelly? |? Vick to start finale

Getty Images

With the holiday season fast approaching, how about a little Christmas cheer to end the year?

In early November cornerback D.J. Hayden collided with a Houston teammate and tore?the inferior vena cava, the major vein that carries blood from the lower half of the body to the heart. ?The injury, normally associated with high-speed vehicle crashes, carries a 95-percent fatality rate. ?Thanks to ?the quick action of UH?training staff and hospital personnel,? it wasn?t fatal in Hayden?s case.

Following emergency surgery to repair the damage and a week-long hospital stay to begin what was expected to be a lengthy rehab process, Hayden was released. ?Six weeks later, Hayden is progressing more rapidly than expected as he was cleared Friday, FOX26 in Houston reports, to begin light workouts.

While working on a?stationary bike and the elliptical machine might not seem like a lot, it was a significant step in the player?s recovery.

?It definitely is one of the biggest days of my life,? Hayden told the television station. ?It meant a lot to me because I?ve been in the house watching everybody else work out and I?ve been itching to do something because I really can?t sit still.

?It meant that I?m healing and getting better.?

While it took some time for him to come to grips with how close to death he actually came ? ?I was crying. I was just thanking God.? ? Hayden doesn?t consider it a miracle that he survived such a devastating injury.

?People remind me every day that I?m a miracle, I?m a miracle. I don?t feel like I?m a miracle.,? Hayden said. ?I?m just regular, silly D.J., but yea I do have some who believe I?m somewhat of a miracle. At the end of the day it happened, people can learn from it, get inspired by it and I?m here and we?re still breathing.?

The station writes that ?Hayden hopes to begin backpedaling drills in two weeks? [and] should be completely recovered in six months and ready for football activities at some point during the summer.?

Despite how the injury took place, Hayden?s goal remains the same: playing in the NFL. ?Seeing how he?s fought back against these long odds, I?m not betting against him.

Source: http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/24/report-eagles-to-make-heavy-push-for-chip-kelly/related/

celiac disease san francisco giants Medal of Honor Warfighter Richard Mourdock d t p

Tuesday 25 December 2012

Food Discovery App Burpple Adds Photo-Editing With Six Filters

Right on the heels of the kerfuffle over Instagram's privacy policy, food journaling and discovery app Burpple has released its new Burpple Camera, which features six filters (named Tapas, Loco Moco, Tiramisu, Teriyaki, Masala and Latte) specifically designed to enhance photos of food and a tilt-shift blur effect.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/MBuCAmz0IYQ/

dishonored april 18 delonte west vanessa williams nicklas backstrom discovery shuttle allure

Google vs. Microsoft: Santa-trackers out of sync

9 hrs.

Alan Boyle , NBC News

Not even Santa Claus can avoid getting drawn into the tech clash between Google and Microsoft: The two companies have set up separate online systems to track where the Jolly Old Elf has been on Christmas Eve?? but they show him simultaneously at widely separated locations, delivering presents at a dramatically different rate.

On the official "NORAD Tracks Santa" website, powered this year by Microsoft, Santa Claus was in Rome, well past the 3-billion-present mark in his holiday rounds. At the same time, Google's Santa Tracker showed him buzzing through Agadez in the African country of Niger, not quite up to the 1-billion-present mark.

They can't both be right. Can they? Here's the word from Search?Engine?Land's Danny Sullivan, who has been tracking the discrepancy in this year's?Santa-tracking software:

"NORAD explains that it uses everything from radar to jets to track Santa. Google doesn?t explain its technology, but I suspect it tries to triangulate Santa using his cell phone signal or use of wifi hotspots.
"As for why NORAD shows Father Christmas delivering three?times the number of gifts that Google is listing, perhaps NORAD?s radars can better pinpoint presents while Google might be doing estimating.?Meanwhile? both services sometimes show presents being delivered over oceans! And why is NORAD showing Santa arriving in some places at 9pm rather than midnight, as has been the case in the past?"

Maybe this is just the sort of thing that happens when you switch software: NORAD (also known as the North American Aerospace Defense Command) has been monitoring Santa's flight as a public service since 1955, and five years ago, it teamed up with Google to keep up with the crush of Web traffic. This year, however, the NORAD Santa operation parted ways with Google and partnered with Microsoft instead.

Google stayed in the Santa game by setting up its own tracking system for "Santa's Dashboard" and Google Maps?? a system that doesn't make use of NORAD's tracking data.

Today, Canadian Maj. Gen. Andre Viens, a spokesman for NORAD, declined to intervene in the Santa-tracking war.

"It's not affecting our tracking," Viens told MSNBC. "We're not in competition with anyone. Our role, and we've been doing that for more than?50 years, is to track Santa and make sure that he has a safe and secure journey throughout the world, and throughout North America in particular."

TODAY:?Follow Santa's Christmas Eve flight

PhotoBlog: Inside NORAD's command center

Maybe it shouldn't be surprising to find?that it's so difficult to get a firm fix on Santa's position, considering how many presents he has to deliver in so little time. Some experts have speculated that the only way Santa could ?deliver gifts (or lumps of coal) to billions of homes in the course of just a few hours would be if he somehow harnessed quantum teleportation. And once you accept that, it's not that big of a leap to detect Santa in two places at once.

Alan Boyle is the science editor for NBC News Digital, and has been tracking NORAD's Santa tracker since 1998.?Boyle's usual online?hangout is over at Cosmic Log.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/google-vs-microsoft-santa-tracking-systems-go-out-sync-1C7657754

avatar the last airbender david wright cory booker cubs cj wilson ellsbury brad pitt and angelina jolie