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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50328937/
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Monday, December 31, 2012
As climate warms, bark beetles march on high-elevation forests
Dec. 31, 2012 ? Trees and the insects that eat them wage constant war. Insects burrow and munch; trees deploy lethal and disruptive defenses in the form of chemicals.
But in a warming world, where temperatures and seasonal change are in flux, the tide of battle may be shifting in some insects' favor, according to a new study.
In a report published today (Dec. 31, 2012) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison reports a rising threat to the whitebark pine forests of the northern Rocky Mountains as native mountain pine beetles climb ever higher, attacking trees that have not evolved strong defenses to stop them.
The whitebark pine forests of the western United States and Canada are the forest ecosystems that occur at the highest elevation that sustains trees. It is critical habitat for iconic species such as the grizzly bear and plays an important role in governing the hydrology of the mountain west by shading snow and regulating the flow of meltwater.
"Warming temperatures have allowed tree-killing beetles to thrive in areas that were historically too cold for them most years," explains Ken Raffa, a UW-Madison professor of entomology and a senior author of the new report. "The tree species at these high elevations never evolved strong defenses."
A warming world has not only made it easier for the mountain pine beetle to invade new and defenseless ecosystems, but also to better withstand winter weather that is milder and erupt in large outbreaks capable of killing entire stands of trees, no matter their composition.
"A subject of much concern in the scientific community is the potential for cascading effects of whitebark pine loss on mountain ecosystems," says Phil Townsend, a UW-Madison professor of forest ecology and also a senior author of the study.
The mountain pine beetle's historic host is the lodgepole pine, a tree common at lower elevations. Typically, the insects, which are about the size of a grain of rice, play a key role in regulating the health of a forest by attacking old or weakened trees and fostering the development of a younger forest. However, recent years have been characterized by unusually hot and dry summers and mild winters, which have allowed insect populations to boom. This has led to an infestation of mountain pine beetle described as possibly the most significant insect blight ever seen in North America.
Because lodgepole pine co-evolved with the bark beetle, it has devised stronger chemical countermeasures, volatile compounds toxic to the beetle and other agents that disrupt the pine bark beetle's chemical communication system.
Despite its robust defense system, the lodgepole pine is still the preferred menu item for the mountain pine beetle, suggesting that the beetle has not yet adjusted its host preference to whitebark pine. "Nevertheless, at elevations consisting of pure whitebark pine, the mountain pine beetle readily attacks it," says Townsend.
The good news, he adds, is that in mixed stands, the beetle's strongest attraction is to the lodgepole pine, suggesting that, at least in the short term, whitebark pine may persist in those environments.
The study, conducted in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the last nearly intact ecosystems in the Earth's northern temperate regions, also revealed that the insects that prey on or compete with the mountain pine beetle are staying in their preferred lodgepole pine habitat. That, says Townsend, is a concern because the tree-killing bark beetles "will encounter fewer of these enemies in fragile, high-elevation stands."
Whitebark pine trees are an important food source for wildlife, including black and grizzly bears, and birds such as the Clark's nutcracker, named after the famed explorer and which is essential to whitebark pine forest ecology as the bird's seed caches help regenerate the forests.
With their broad crowns, the high-elevation whitebark pines also act as snow fences, helping to slowly release water into mountain streams and extending stream flow into mountain valleys well into the summer.
"Loss of the canopy will lead to greater desiccation during the winter and faster melting in the summer due to loss of tree canopies for shade," according to Townsend. "This is possibly a short-term effect of the loss of whitebark pine," he explains "If -- and it is a big if -- other tree species replace it, eventually this service may be replaced."
The new study was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Wisconsin-Madison. The original article was written by Terry Devitt.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Kenneth F. Raffa, Erinn N. Powell, and Philip A. Townsend. Temperature-driven range expansion of an irruptive insect heightened by weakly coevolved plant defenses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1216666110
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/top_news/~3/aS3JdueesYI/121231161015.htm
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Ex-president Bush rallies, out of intensive care
WASHINGTON: Former US president George H.W. Bush is on the mend and has been released from intensive care, a spokesman said Saturday.
"President Bush's condition has improved, so he has been moved today from the intensive care unit to a regular patient room at The Methodist Hospital to continue his recovery," spokesman Jim McGrath said.
"The Bushes thank everyone for their prayers and good wishes."
Earlier in the week, McGrath said Bush had taken a turn for the worse, with a "series of setbacks" sending the 88-year-old to the intensive care unit at the Houston, Texas hospital with a "stubborn fever."
Bush, the oldest surviving former US president, was first admitted to the hospital on November 7 for bronchitis treatment and released on November 19. But he was readmitted four days later after his cough flared up again.
Doctors had hoped to have the elder statesman home for Christmas, but he was instead forced to spend the holiday in the hospital, where he was joined by his wife Barbara, son Neil and grandson Pierce.
Bush, a Republican, served just a single term in the White House from 1989 to 1993, despite sending US troops to victory in Iraq in the first Gulf War and expelling Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait.
The decorated World War II veteran served in a number of top government posts, including as vice president to Ronald Reagan, director of the Central Intelligence Agency and US ambassador to the United Nations.
He was also chief of the US Liaison Office in China at a time Washington had official ties with Beijing's foe Taipei. This made Bush the unofficial US ambassador to Beijing.
His son George W. Bush served two terms as president and also went to war with Iraq, this time sending US-led troops all the way to Baghdad to overthrow Saddam, whom he had wrongly accused of hoarding weapons of mass destruction.
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Former President George H.W. Bush Remains In Houston Hospital
HOUSTON (AP) ? Former President George H.W. Bush remains hospitalized in Houston recovering from an illness that began with a bronchitis-related cough.
There was no update on his condition Sunday, but a family spokesman said Saturday that the 88-year-old had been moved back to a regular room at Methodist Hospital.
Bush had spent a week in intensive care in order to knock down a fever.
Family spokesman Jim McGrath said Saturday that former?President?Bush continued to improve and he and his family thanked everyone for their prayers and good wishes.
Bush was hospitalized Nov. 23 and moved to the intensive care unit Dec. 23 after developing a fever.
Bush, the 41st president, is the country?s oldest living former president by a few months.
(?2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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Source: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/12/30/former-president-george-h-w-bush-remains-in-houston-hospital/
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PFT: Sparano won't return to Jets in 2013
Getty ImagesEvery week we?ll bring you all the inactives from the early games in one post, constantly updated with the latest information. So check back often to see the full list as it becomes available.
Buccaneers at Falcons
Buccaneers:?CB Eric Wright, RB Michael Smith, LB Jacob Cutrera, G Roger Allen, WR Chris Owusu, DT Corvey Irvin, DT Matthew Masifilo
Falcons: CB Christopher Owens, S William Moore,?QB Dominique Davis, C Joe Hawley, G Phillipkeith Manley, G Harland Gunn, DE Travian Robertson
Jets at Bills
Jets:?QB Greg McElroy, CB Ellis Lankster, LB Bryan Thomas, C Caleb Schlauderaff, TE Dustin Keller, WR Chaz Schilens
Bills: DE Mark Anderson, S Da?Norris Searcy, QB Tarvaris Jackson, WR Kevin Elliot, OL Keith Williams, DL Jay Ross, OL Chris Scott
Ravens at Bengals
Ravens: LB?Ray Lewis, LB Terrell Suggs, DT Haloti Ngata, WR Anquan Boldin, G Marshal Yanda, S Bernard Pollard, WR Tandon Doss
Bengals: WR Dane Sanzenbacher, CB Terence Newman, CB Jason Allen, S George Iloka, DT Devon Still, DT Brandon Thompson, TE Richard Quinn
Bears at Lions
Bears: S Chris Conte, LB Blake Costanzo,?QB Josh McCown, T Cory Brandon, DT Nate Collins, LB Brian Urlacher, RB Armando Allen
Lions: QB Kellen Moore, RB Kevin Smith, CB Drayton Florence, S Ricardo Silva, OL Jason Fox, OL Corey Hilliard, DL Ronnell Lewis
Texans at Colts
Texans: CB Alan Ball,?LB Brooks Reed, CB Stanford Routt, OL Andrew Gardner, OL Cody White, NT Terrell McClain, OL Antoine Caldwell
Colts: C Samson Satele, DE Cory Redding, DT Antonio Johnson, RB Delone Carter, S Tom Zbikowski, WR Nathan Palmer, T Tony Hills
Panthers at Saints
Panthers: QB Jimmy?Clausen, WR Joe Adams, RB Jonathan Stewart, LB James Anderson, OL Geoff Hangartner, DE Greg Hardy
Saints: CB Jabari Greer, DT Akiem Hicks, LB?Scott Shanle, WR Saalim Hakim, G Ricky Henry, DT Tyrunn Walker, TE Michael Higgins
Eagles at Giants
Eagles: LB Mychal Kendricks, DT Fletcher Cox, WR Greg?Salas, RB Chris Polk, G Danny Watkins, T Matt Kopa, TE Evan Moore
Giants: WR Ramses?Barden, CB Jayron Hosley, S Tyler Sash, RB Ryan Torain, DE Adewale Ojomo, TE Adrien Robinson, DT Chris Canty
Browns at Steelers
Browns: RB Trent Richardson, QB Brandon Weeden, QB Colt McCoy, TE Jordan Cameron, CB Sheldon Brown, LB Adrian Moten, OL Jarrod Shaw
Steelers:?QB Byron Leftwich, NT Alameda Ta?amu, LB Marcus McFadden, NT Hebron Fangupo, CB Justin King, WR David Gilreath, DE Al Woods
Jaguars at Titans
Jaguars: G Uche Nwaneri, RB Montell Owens, CB Antwaun?Molden, OL Eben Britton, TE Allen Reisner, DL John Chick, DE Austen Long
Titans: QB?Rusty Smith, C Kevin Matthews, T Daniel Baldridge, TE Craig Stevens, WR Damian Williams, CB Ryan Mouton, DT DaJohn Harris
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High School Sports Spotlight
Nicole Jeffrey, of Romeoville
storyidforme: 42297061
tmspicid: 15644524
fileheaderid: 6803538
Updated: December 30, 2012 5:53PM
Nicole Jeffrey
Sr., Bowling, Romeoville
On Dec. 22, Jeffrey won the Joliet Central Invitational for the second straight year. She?s hoping it bodes well.
?My goal as an individual is to make all-conference and ... All-State,? she said. ?For our team, I want us to keep improving and have more points in conference than we did last season.?
Jeffrey said her family has bowled ?forever,? adding, ?I?ve just been into it ever since I was little.?
Jeffrey?s favorite music includes One Direction, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.
Steve Millar
Dan Oldendorf
Sr., Swimming, Lockport
Oldendorf reached state last season in the 200- and 500-yard freestyles.
?I definitely want to be All-State in the 500,?? Oldendorf said of making the top 12 at the state meet in February. ?That?s basically my individual goal, but we want to win sectional as a team. That?s our big goal. We?ve never done that before.??
Oldendorf said his individual goal for a time is ?to go 4:35 in the 500, which would be dropping 10 seconds.?
Tim Tierney
Katy Dyer
Sr., Cheerleading, L-W West
The Warriors finished 23rd in the state meet medium school division in 2011 and 16th in ?12.
Dyer has an eye on a top-10 finish in February.
?I love how a team can come together ? it?s not like an individual sport,? she said. ?It?s great to work together and accomplish something as a team, like making it down state.?
She conceded she likes the attention she gets as a flyer, saying ?flying is what everyone watches. It?s exciting but if you mess up, people notice.?
Jeff Vorva
Miguel Silva
Jr., Wrestling, Plainfield S.
A returning regional and Southwest Prairie Conference champion, Silva is ranked as one of the top 106-pounders in Class 3A.
?I call my wrestling shoes my work boots,? Silva said. ?When I strap them on, I like to go to work.?
This season, Silva won at the 18-team Plano Reaper Classic, helping the Cougars to a third-place finish.
Silva comes from a family of wrestlers. His father, also Miguel, wrestled at North Central College.
Logan Malloy
Source: http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/sports/17271669-419/high-school-sports-spotlight.html
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Sunday, December 30, 2012
The WWE Universe is invited for a New Year's toast on Monday's Raw
All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2012 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2012 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.
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GOP governors walk balance beam on health care law
ATLANTA (AP) ? Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who made a fortune as a health care executive, long opposed President Barack Obama's remake of the health insurance market. After the Democratic president won re-election, the Republican governor softened his tone. He said he wanted to "have a conversation" with the administration about implementing the 2010 law. With a federal deadline approaching, he also said while Florida won't set up the exchange for individuals to buy private insurance policies, the feds can do it.
In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie held his cards before saying he won't set up his own exchange, but he's avoided absolute language and says he could change his mind. He's also leaving his options open to accept federal money to expand Medicaid insurance for people who aren't covered. The caveat, Christie says, is whether Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius can "answer my questions" about its operations and expense.
Both Republican governors face re-election in states that Obama won twice, Christie in 2013 and Scott in 2014. And both will encounter well-financed Democrats.
Their apparent struggles on the issue, along with other postures by their GOP colleagues elsewhere, suggest political uncertainty for Republicans as the Affordable Care Act starts to go into effect two years after clearing Congress without a single Republican vote. The risks also are acute for governors in Democratic-leaning or swing-voting states or who know their records will be parsed should they seek the presidency in 2016 or beyond.
"It's a tough call for many Republican governors who want to do the best thing for their state but don't want to be seen as advancing an overhaul that many Republicans continue to detest," said Whit Ayers, a consultant in Virginia whose clients include Gov. Bill Haslam of Tennessee, a Republican who didn't announce his rejection of a state exchange until days before Sebelius's Dec. 14 deadline.
Indeed, cracks keep growing in the near-unanimous Republican rejection of Obama's health care law that characterized the GOP's political messaging for the last two years. Five GOP-led states ? Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah ? are pressing ahead with state insurance exchanges. Ongoing monitoring by The Associated Press shows that another five Republican-led states are pursuing or seriously a partnership with Washington to help run the new markets.
Democrats, meanwhile, hope to use the law and Republican inflexibility to their advantage, betting that more Americans will embrace the law once it expands coverage. The calculus for voters, Democrats assume, will become more about the policy and less about a polarizing president.
"It shouldn't be complicated at all," said John Anzalone, an Obama pollster who assists Democrats in federal races across the country. Anzalone said Republicans could use their own states-rights argument to justify running exchanges. Instead, he said, "They are blinded by Obama-hatred rather than seeing what's good for their citizens."
Governors can set up their own exchanges, partner with Sebelius' agency or let the federal government do it. The exchanges are set to open Jan. 1, 2014, allowing individuals and businesses to shop online for individual policies from private insurers. Low- and middle-income individuals will get federal premium subsidies calculated on a sliding income scale. Eighteen states plus Washington, DC, most led by Democrats, have committed to opening their own exchanges.
The law also calls for raising the income threshold for Medicaid eligibility to cover people making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line, or about $15,400 a year for an individual. That could add more than 10 million people, most of them childless adults, to the joint state-federal insurance program for low-income and disabled Americans. Together, the exchanges and the Medicaid expansion are expected to reduce the number of uninsured by about 30 million people within the next decade.
A Supreme Court ruling last summer made the Medicaid expansion voluntary, rather than mandatory for states. At least eight governors, all of them Republicans, have already said they have no plans to expand Medicaid.
The complexity is obvious.
National exit polls from last month's election showed that 49 percent of voters wanted some or all of Obama's signature legislative achievement rolled back. Among self-identified independents, that number was 58 percent. Among Republicans, it spiked to 81 percent. When asked about the role of government, half of respondents said the notion that government is doing too much fits their views more closely than the idea that government should do more.
Before the election, a national AP-GfK poll suggested that 63 percent of respondents preferred their states to run insurance exchanges, almost double the 32 percent who wanted the federal government to take that role. And the same electorate that tilts toward repealing some or all of the new law clearly re-elected its champion.
That's not the most important consideration for governors who face re-election in Republican states. Georgia's Nathan Deal and Alabama's Robert Bentley, who also face 2014 campaigns, initially set up advisory commissions to consider how to carry out the health care law, but they've since jumped ship. But, unlike others, Deal and Bentley aren't eyeing national office.
Three Republicans who are viewed as potential national candidates ? Rick Perry of Texas, Nikki Haley of South Carolina and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana ? were full-throated opponents. Jindal, the only one of the three who is term-limited, is the incoming chairman of the Republican Governors Association. In that role, he has co-signed more conciliatory letters to Sebelius asking questions to flesh out how the designs might work.
Republican governors also are feeling quiet pressure from hospitals and other providers.
Deal, the Georgia governor, offers the typical argument for saying no: "We can't afford it." But the law envisions the new Medicaid coverage more or less as a replacement of an existing financing situation that pays hospitals to treat the uninsured. The law contemplates cuts in that program, which already requires state seed money. The idea was that expanding Medicaid coverage would reduce "uncompensated care" costs.
"Some of those cuts were made with the expectation that Medicaid would be expanded and that hospitals would be paid for portions of business that we are not being paid for now," said Don Dalton of the North Carolina Hospital Association.
Dalton's Governor-elect, Republican Pat McCrory, said as a candidate that he opposed Medicaid expansion. Dalton said his industry is leaning on McCrory and legislative leaders, though he commended "their deliberate approach." Similar efforts are underway in South Carolina, Georgia, Missouri and elsewhere.
For Democrats, Anzalone said the framing will be simpler: "You don't want to take a 9-to-1 match? That's a pretty easy investment. These governors who aren't expanding Medicaid, they're basically giving taxpayer money to the states that do."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gop-governors-walk-balance-beam-health-law-150134024--politics.html
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Two killed as Russian passenger plane splits apart after landing
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian passenger plane with up to 12 people on board split into three pieces after sliding off a runway and crashing into a highway outside a Moscow airport on Saturday, officials said.
State-run RIA news agency said two people were killed.
A photograph posted on the Internet showed a wrecked plane on a highway outside Vnukovo airport, with smoke billowing from the back end and only a mangled part of the front half visible.
"After a hard landing, the plane split into three pieces," Yelena Krylova, chief spokeswoman for the airport, said in televised comments.
She said there were 11 people on board, all crew, and that nobody was killed, but RIA cited police as saying two people were killed.
An Emergency Situations Ministry official said on television that 12 people were aboard.
The Tupolev-204 passenger plane was operated by the Russian airliner Red Wings and traveling from Czech Republic, Krylova said.
(Writing by Alissa de Carbonnel and Steve Gutterman; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/two-killed-russian-passenger-plane-splits-apart-landing-135518719.html
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Saturday, December 29, 2012
Road trip on tap for NASA's Mars rover in new year
FILE - This Dec. 12, 2012 file image provided by NASA shows the Mars rover Curiosity at a pit stop, a shallow depression called "Yellowknife Bay." It took the image on the 125th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (Dec. 12, 2012), just after finishing that sol's drive. The Sol 125 drive entered Yellowknife Bay and covered about 86 feet (26.1 meters). The descent into the basin crossed a step about 2 feet (half a meter) high, visible in the upper half of this image. Curiosity will now head for Mount Sharp in mid-February after it drills into its first rock. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL-Caltech, File)
FILE - This Dec. 12, 2012 file image provided by NASA shows the Mars rover Curiosity at a pit stop, a shallow depression called "Yellowknife Bay." It took the image on the 125th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (Dec. 12, 2012), just after finishing that sol's drive. The Sol 125 drive entered Yellowknife Bay and covered about 86 feet (26.1 meters). The descent into the basin crossed a step about 2 feet (half a meter) high, visible in the upper half of this image. Curiosity will now head for Mount Sharp in mid-February after it drills into its first rock. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL-Caltech, File)
FILE - This file image provided by NASA shows the base of Mount Sharp on Mars. The Curiosity rover is set to drive toward the mountain in mid-February after drilling into a rock. The image was taken by Curiosity's 100-millimeter Mast Camera on Aug. 23, 2012. Scientists enhanced the color in one version to show the Martian scene under the lighting conditions we have on Earth, which helps in analyzing the terrain. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS, File)
FILE - This file image provided by NASA shows a color self-portrait of the Mars rover Curiosity. It is set to drive toward a Martian mountain in mid-February after drilling into a rock. On the 84th and 85th Martian days of the NASA Mars rover Curiosity's mission on Mars (Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 2012), NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) to capture dozens of high-resolution images to be combined into self-portrait images of the rover. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS, File)
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) ? Since captivating the world with its acrobatic landing, the Mars rover Curiosity has fallen into a rhythm: Drive, snap pictures, zap at boulders, scoop up dirt. Repeat.
Topping its to-do list in the new year: Set off toward a Martian mountain ? a trek that will take up a good chunk of the year.
The original itinerary called for starting the drive before the Times Square ball drop, but Curiosity lingered longer than planned at a pit stop, delaying the trip.
Curiosity will now head for Mount Sharp in mid-February after it drills into its first rock.
"We'll probably be ready to hit the pedal to the metal and give the keys back to the rover drivers," mission chief scientist John Grotzinger said in a recent interview at his office on the sprawling NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory campus 15 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
The road trip comes amid great expectations. After all, it's the reason the $2.5 billion mission targeted Gale Crater near the Martian equator. Soaring from the center of the ancient crater is a 3-mile-high peak with intriguing layers of rocks.
Curiosity's job is to figure out whether the landing site ever had the right environmental conditions to support microbes. Scientists already know water flowed in the past thanks to the rover's discovery of an old streambed. Besides water, life as we know it also needs energy, the sun.
What's missing are the chemical building blocks of life: complex carbon-based molecules. If they're preserved on Mars, scientists figure the best place to hunt for them is at the base of Mount Sharp where images from space reveal hints of interesting geology.
It's a six-month journey if Curiosity drives nonstop. But since scientists will want to command the six-wheel rover to rest and examine rocky outcrops along the way, it'll turn into a nine-month odyssey.
Before Curiosity can tackle a mountain, there's unfinished business to tend to. After spending the holiday taking measurements of the Martian atmosphere, Curiosity gears up for the first task of the new year: Finding the perfect rock to bore into.
The exercise ? from picking a rock to drilling to deciphering its chemical makeup ? is expected to last more than a month.
"We have promised everybody that we're going to go slowly," said Grotzinger, a geologist at the California Institute of Technology.
Curiosity's low-key adventures thus far are in contrast to the drama-filled touchdown that entranced the world in August. Since the car-size rover was too heavy to land using a parachute and airbags, engineers invented a daring new way that involved lowering it to the surface by cables. The risky arrival proved so successful and popular that NASA is planning an encore in 2020.
Curiosity joined another NASA rover, Opportunity, which has been exploring the Martian southern hemisphere since 2004. Opportunity's twin, Spirit, stopped communicating in 2010.
After nailing the landing, Curiosity fell into a routine. The first month was dominated by health checkups ? a tedious but essential prerequisite before driving. A chemistry laboratory on wheels, it's the most high-tech spacecraft to land on another planet so extra care was taken to ensure its tools, including its rock-zapping laser and robotic arm, worked.
Once it got the green light, it trundled to a waypoint that's home to three unique types of terrain to perform science experiments. Every time Curiosity roves, it leaves Morse code tracks in the soil, providing a visual signal between drives. The message spells out JPL, short for Jet Propulsion Lab, which built the rover.
So far, its odometer has logged less than a mile. Despite the slow going, scientists have been smitten with the postcards it beamed home, including a stylish self-portrait and tantalizing glimpses of Mount Sharp.
Huge expectations weigh on the mission with NASA balancing the need to feed the public's appetite while pursuing discoveries at its own pace. Last month, the space agency quashed Internet speculation that Curiosity had detected complex carbon compounds in a pinch of Martian soil by issuing a statement ahead of a science meeting where the team was due to present the latest findings.
American University space policy professor Howard McCurdy said Curiosity is currently in a transition, caught between the viral landing and the scientific payoff expected at Mount Sharp.
"It is interesting, but slow," he said in an email. "I expect public interest will rise as the rover gets closer to its destination."
Curiosity's prime mission lasts two years, but NASA expects the plutonium-powered rover to live far longer. A priority for its human handlers is to learn to operate it more efficiently so that it becomes second nature. Before heading to Mount Sharp, engineers plan a software update to Curiosity's computers to fix remaining bugs.
"We'll need to be pretty careful," project manager Richard Cook said of the upcoming drive. "We may find terrain that we're not comfortable driving in and we'll have to spend time driving around stuff."
___
Follow Alicia Chang at http://twitter.com/SciWriAlicia
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Consulting Income Report: December 2012 - Start My Consulting ...
As many of you know,?I share my consulting income details?for a few reasons:
If you?re just starting out, building a business will take hard work, patience, and persistence. But the rewards can be far beyond what being an employee can provide.
Lastly, yes, this report is a bit late. Like most people, December tends to be a crazy month for me. Add to that, all the time I?ve been spending creating Breakthrough Consulting, and it?s been an incredibly busy month.
You?ll notice that my consulting income was significantly lower compared to prior months, primarily?due to the great deal of time I?ve spent building Breakthrough Consulting?including the video lessons, homework, 1-on-1 calls with students, etc. Creating Breakthrough Consulting has taken a significant amount of time, but has been well worth it, since gives participants a complete foundation to launch a profitable consulting business.
As some of you might remember, Breakthrough Consulting?started last month, and it?s been really exciting to see the students? incredible progress.
Anyway, here are the numbers:
- Total worked: $11,152.50
- Average hourly rate: $178.44
- Number of clients billed: 9
- Average days to bill (this is the average number of days between when I actually do the work and when I bill the client): 11
With the exception of the total worked amount, those numbers have been pretty similar over the past several months.
Currently, my hourly rate is $165 for existing clients and $175 for new clients. However, this month?s average hourly rate was $178.44.
Huh?
Well, a couple of interesting things happened this month:
- As I mentioned, I launched Breakthrough Consulting here on the blog?which took a heap of time.
- The time spent on?Breakthrough Consulting here on the blog meant I spent less time my hourly consulting.
- BUT, even though I spent LESS time consulting,?my average consulting rate INCREASED.
What?s up with that? I:
- worked less (well, technically, I BILLED fewer hours?I was still working, but working much more on blog-related stuff),
- earned roughly the same, and
- boosted my rate?
Here?s what happened. I have 2 products I created for clients a couple years ago that could be used by other clients. This past month, I ended up selling those pre-created products to a few clients, and that?s what boosted my rate for the month.
Pretty cool. Like I mentioned last month, it?s not quite passive income, but I?ll take it.
Like I mentioned in last month?s income report, some of you have asked what my expenses are, and to include them in the monthly income reports. I?m happy to do that. A couple things to keep in mind:
- Some of my expenses are only paid annually; I?ll report those as they come up. But in the meantime, you can get a sense of how much I pay in expenses each month.
- I pay myself a salary as an employee (and take distributions from my s-corp). For now, I?m omitting how much in taxes I pay (federal withholding, state withholding, Social Security, and Medicare), since depending on your situation, where you live, how many exemptions you claim, etc., your taxes are virtually guaranteed to vary wildly from mine. One thing I find helpful is claim 0 exemptions and also withhold extra federal and state income taxes; that way, I don?t have a huge tax bill come April when I file my personal income taxes. So far, I?ve been pretty accurate at estimating how much I?ll need to pay, and then pro-rate how much I need to withhold each month.
- Likewise, I haven?t included health insurance premiums in the total. I currently pay $1,207 each month in health insurance premiums (which covers myself plus my family). However, depending on your circumstances, what you pay for health insurance may vary wildly from what I pay.
Anywho, here?s the expense total for the prior month: $1,114.34. This was a few hundred dollars higher than last month, mainly due to some additional business books I purchased, a state tax payment, etc.
That expense total includes things like:
- rent
- internet
- cellphone
- accountant fees
- Skype service renewal
- subcontractor payments (for services which I billed and was paid by clients)
- business-related books, and
- business coaching.
Keep in mind though, when I first started my consulting business, my expenses were MUCH lower?probably in the range of under $100 per month.
Source: http://startmyconsultingbusiness.com/consulting-income-report-december-2012/
US leaves C. African Republic amid security woes
BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) ? Security concerns deepened in the capital of Central African Republic on Friday after the U.S. ambassador and his diplomatic team were evacuated out of the country by plane overnight amid fears rebels could try to take the capital.
U.S. officials said about 40 people were evacuated on an U.S. Air Force plane bound for Kenya. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the details of the operation.
The evacuation came after President Francois Bozize on Thursday urgently called on former colonial ruler France and other foreign powers to help his government fend off rebels who are quickly seizing territory and approaching the capital.
The U.N.'s most powerful body condemned the recent violence and expressed concern about the developments.
"The members of the Security Council reiterate their demand that the armed groups immediately cease hostilities, withdraw from captured cities and cease any further advance towards the city of Bangui," the statement said.
Central African Republic has a history of violent change in government. The current president himself came to power nearly a decade ago in the wake of a rebellion in this resource-rich yet deeply poor country.
Speaking to crowds in Bangui, a city of some 600,000, Bozize pleaded with foreign powers to do what they could. He pointed in particular to France, Central African Republic's former colonial ruler. About 200 French soldiers are already in the country, providing technical support and helping to train the local army, according to the French defense ministry.
"France has the means to stop (the rebels) but unfortunately they have done nothing for us until now," Bozize said.
French President Francois Hollande said Thursday that France wants to protect its interests in Central African Republic and not Bozize's government. The comments came a day after dozens of protesters, angry about a lack of help against rebel forces, threw rocks at the French Embassy in Bangui and stole a French flag.
Paris is encouraging peace talks between the government and the rebels, with the French Foreign Ministry noting in a statement that negotiations are due to "begin shortly in Libreville (Gabon)." But it was not immediately clear if any dates have been set for those talks.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius spoke via phone with Bozize, asking the president to take responsibility for the safety of French nationals and diplomatic missions in Central African Republic.
Bozize's government earlier reached out to longtime ally Chad, which pledged to send 2,000 troops to bolster Central African Republic's own forces.
This landlocked nation of some 4.4 million people has suffered decades of army revolts, coups and rebellions since gaining independence in 1960 and remains one of the poorest countries in the world.
The rebels behind the most recent instability signed a 2007 peace accord allowing them to join the regular army, but insurgent leaders say the deal wasn't fully implemented. The rebel forces have seized at least 10 towns across the sparsely populated north of the country, and residents in the capital now fear the insurgents could attack at any time, despite assurances by rebel leaders that they are willing to engage in dialogue instead of attacking Bangui.
The rebels have claimed that their actions are justified in light of the "thirst for justice, for peace, for security and for economic development of the people of Central African Republic."
Despite Central African Republic's wealth of gold, diamonds, timber and uranium, the government remains perpetually cash-strapped. Filip Hilgert, a researcher with Belgium-based International Peace Information Service, said rebel groups are unhappy because they feel the government doesn't invest in their areas.
"The main thing they say is that the north of the country, and especially in their case the northeast, has always been neglected by the central government in all ways," he said.
The rebels also are demanding that the government make payments to ex-combatants, suggesting that their motives may also be for personal financial gain.
___
Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Sarah DiLorenzo in Paris contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-leaves-c-african-republic-amid-security-woes-110411810.html
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Russia: Vladimir Putin Signs Bill Banning Americans From Adopting Russian Children
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What?","slideshow_id":"259450","vertical":"world"},{"entry_id":"2374740","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/12\/28\/johann-breyer-probe_n_2374740.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/24642\/slide_24642_278201_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/24642\/slide_24642_278201_small.jpg","title":"Recent German Prosecutions Of Nazi War Criminals","slideshow_id":"24642","vertical":"world"},{"entry_id":"2369613","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/12\/27\/nelson-mandela-johannesburg_n_2369613.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/261443\/slide_261443_1723466_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/261443\/slide_261443_1723466_small.jpg","title":"Nelson Mandela 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India","slideshow_id":"272028","vertical":"world"},{"entry_id":"2369972","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/12\/27\/kenya-hospital-imprisons-mothers_n_2369972.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/267885\/slide_267885_1844496_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/267885\/slide_267885_1844496_small.jpg","title":"Forbes 2012 Most Powerful Leaders","slideshow_id":"267885","vertical":"world"},{"entry_id":"2371914","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/12\/27\/mubarak-military-hospital_n_2371914.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/267664\/slide_267664_1839920_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/267664\/slide_267664_1839920_small.jpg","title":"Bad Year?","slideshow_id":"267664","vertical":"world"},{"entry_id":"2369675","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/12\/27\/egypt-opposition-probe_n_2369675.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/269874\/slide_269874_1883616_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/269874\/slide_269874_1883616_small.jpg","title":"Egypt Constitution Protests","slideshow_id":"269874","vertical":"world"},{"entry_id":"2371969","entry_url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/12\/27\/mexico-city-urban-renewal-public-space_n_2371969.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/271954\/slide_271954_1925286_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/271954\/slide_271954_1925286_small.jpg","title":"Mexico City's Makeover","slideshow_id":"271954","vertical":"world"}]
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R3hab Tops Off Stellar Year With ZROQ Collabo 'Skydrop'
Track was released last week on Tiësto's Musical Freedom label.
By Sarah Harper
R3hab
Photo: MTV News
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1699455/r3hab-skydrop-zroq-tiesto.jhtml
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Cough syrup suspected in 33 deaths in Pakistan
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) ? Pakistani authorities are investigating allegations that cough syrup has killed 33 people over the past three days, a government official said Saturday, the second time in recent months medicine is suspected of causing multiple deaths.
Also Saturday, an explosion ripped through a passenger bus while it was at a terminal in the southern city of Karachi, killing six people and wounding 52 others, police and hospital officials said. It's unclear if the blast was caused by a bomb or a gas canister exploding.
The deaths from the cough syrup occurred in the eastern city of Gujranwala and nearby villages, said local official Abdul Jabbar Shaheen. Another 54 people thought to have consumed the syrup are also being treated at city hospitals. Officials believe the victims drank the syrup to get high, he added.
Tests show the victims' stomachs contained dextromethorphan, a synthetic morphine derivative used in cough syrup that can have mind-altering effects if consumed in large quantities, said Shaheen. Investigators are trying to determine if the victims drank too much syrup, or whether there was a problem with the medicine itself, he said.
Twenty-three people died in the nearby city of Lahore in November after drinking bad cough syrup sold under the brand name Tyno. They were also described at the time as people who consumed the drug to get high.
Shaheen said the cough syrup involved in the incidents in and around Gujranwala was not sold under a single brand. He said some people in the city make cough syrup to sell specifically to drug addicts, and officials are trying to arrest them.
Officials temporarily closed one Lahore-based pharmaceutical company whose cough syrup was found in the possession of some affected in Gujranwala. They are investigating whether it caused any of the deaths, said Shaheen.
The blast that ripped through the bus in Karachi on Saturday set the vehicle on fire and reduced it to little more than a charred skeleton. Police were trying to determine whether the explosion was caused by a bomb or a gas canister, said police spokesman Imran Shaukat. Many buses in Pakistan run on natural gas.
The explosion killed six people and wounded 52 others, some of whom were in critical condition, said Seemi Jamali, a doctor at the hospital in Karachi where they were being treated.
Karachi has a long history of political, ethnic and sectarian violence. It is also believed to be home to many Taliban militants who have fled U.S. drone attacks and Pakistani army operations in the country's northwest.
Also Saturday, gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying police officers in the southwestern city of Quetta, killing three of them, senior police officer Hamid Shakil said. No one claimed responsibility but authorities have blamed local insurgents for such previous attacks.
____
Associated Press writers Adil Jawad and Abdul Sattar contributed to this report from Karachi and Quetta, Pakistan.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cough-syrup-suspected-33-deaths-pakistan-145959879.html
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Survey finds increase in e-reading, drop in paper
NEW YORK (AP) ? The tastes of the reading public are turning digital.
A Pew Internet Research Center survey released Thursday found that the percentage of Americans aged 16 and older who read an e-book grew from 16 percent in 2011 to 23 percent this year. Readers of traditional books dropped from 72 percent to 67 percent. Overall, those reading books of any kind dropped from 78 percent to 75 percent, a shift Pew called statistically insignificant.
Those owning an e-book device or tablet jumped from 18 percent to 33 percent, with much of that increase coming from last year's holiday season, when millions received Kindles, Nooks and other e-readers as gifts.
Awareness that libraries offer digital texts grew from 24 percent to 31 percent.
The telephone survey of 2,252 people aged 16 and older was conducted from Oct. 15 to Nov. 10. It has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/survey-finds-increase-e-reading-drop-paper-152743022.html
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Thursday, December 27, 2012
Rihanna, Chris Brown cuddle courtside in L.A.
By Us Weekly
Courtside Christmas! Rihanna and Chris Brown?celebrated Christmas together by attending the Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks game at the Staples Center Tuesday, Dec. 25.
PHOTOS: On again couples
They were "laughing and chatting" an eyewitness tells Us Weekly. The twosome, who sat courside together, "looked happy together," the source adds.
PHOTOS: Rihanna through the years
Rihanna, 24, wore a midriff-baring black top to the game and black pants. Brown, 23, also dressed in all black with a leather jacket.
PHOTOS: Rihanna's sexy bikini body
The exes have been spending more time together recently and tweeting Instagram photos together. But the "We Found Love" singer alluded she was single on Twitter Dec. 18 by tweeting an E-card that read, "Being single sucks. The only thing I get to do anymore is whatever the [expletive] I?want to do."
Danny Moloshok / Reuters
Rihanna, right, leans her head on Chris Brown as they sit together at the NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Dec. 25.
Danny Moloshok / Reuters
Alex Gallardo / AP
More in TODAY Entertainment:
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THE END OF SMARTPHONES: The Latest Rumor ... - Business Insider
Long before Apple ever revealed its latest iPhones and iPads to the public, we knew almost exactly what they would look like and what kind of features they would have thanks to rumors emanating from Apple's Asian supply chain.
Now similar sources are gossiping about a new Apple product.
It's not an Apple TV.
It's a watch.
Two sources tell Tech163.com that Intel and Apple are working on a Bluetooth-enabled iOS watch with a 1.5 inch screen.
Translating, Mobilegeek writes: "The device in question has a 1.5 OLED display with indium tin oxide, or ITO coated glass."
Obviously, we should all read mysterious reports out of Asia with caution.
But, consider the following?
The detail that makes us most skeptical in all the reports on this Intel-Apple watch is that, supposedly, Intel came up with the concept and Apple is now "interested" in building it out. Typically, Apple designs its products and finds suppliers who can fill its orders.
Another question: Apple's current iOS devices (the iPad, the iPhone, etc) use microchip designs from ARM, not Intel. Why would Apple switch?
Big picture, it makes sense that Apple is working on something like this. As Munster points out, Apple has, in recent years, only become the world's most valuable company because it is willing to cannibalize its own product lines. The iPhone ate into the iPod business, and now iPads are replacing Mac desktops and laptops.
Eventually, Apple will find a way to replace the smartphone (or someone else will first).?Maybe that's this watch.
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Rihanna & Chris Brown Are Back On? Our Advice to Her
Hey, Rihanna, it's nice to see you shining so bright. The last time we've seen you this happy in the public eye is when you were first dating Chris Brown -- which is fitting, because the two of you have made it no secret that you're on-again. From being photographed together at the Lakers game on Christmas Day (pictured) to posting Instagram pictures of one another with captions like "ThugLife," it's clear to see your relationship is back up and running.
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Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Editorial: All I want for Christmas is a new HTC Nexus
To this day, I remain in love with my HTC One X, but its fate has already been sealed. Soon enough, this fast and beautiful smartphone is going to find a new life in a drawer that holds my spare change, sunglasses, checkbook and various receipts. Is it wrong to relegate one of the best phones on the planet to my stash of odds and ends? Perhaps, but the past few months have taught me that excellent hardware alone doesn't make a device that's sufficient for enthusiasts.
Like many, I've been waiting for an upgrade to Jelly Bean ever since HTC first promised it back in July. I have no doubt that the company is working hard to prepare the Android 4.1 update for its customers, but the software is already past its expiration date. Google has moved onto something better. Quite frankly, I'm no longer willing to perpetually live behind the curve. I want to play with new toys as they come out, and that's wholly impossible outside of the Nexus ecosystem.
Why should HTC care about my personal revelation, or the desire of anyone else who wants to stay on the cutting edge? Well, I'd like to offer the simple suggestion that enthusiasts matter. Take any introductory marketing class and you'll learn the early adopters -- in other words, the nerds who like playing with the very latest stuff -- set trends and influence others. Companies should be falling over themselves to cater to this influential segment, and yet within the Android ecosystem, that's the exception to the rule. There's only one device for sale today that's suitable for enthusiasts, and it's high time for that to change.
Continue reading Editorial: All I want for Christmas is a new HTC Nexus
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/P-xdsG3oRX8/
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Good Winter Travel Season Deals Still Available | Gadling.com
Before, during or after winter travel season, the nation's regions offering ski adventure travel options have something for everyone. The idea of climbing, hiking, camping or trekking through diverse areas had many travelers planning a 2013 winter vacation about this time last year. But those with no plans have options too.
"Put in now for end-of-January trips, but don't expect deals around Presidents' Day weekend," says travel expert Pauline Frommer in a Reuters article.
President's Day, like many other holidays, is a popular time for leisure travel and a peak booking of snow and cold-related adventures. The best hotel and resort rooms and money-saving packages, offered far in advance to jump-start bookings, are gone. Other discounted promotions will be few but some suggested sources can help.
"Check ski package deals from Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines," says Frommer. "They both offer good lift ticket and lodging deals - especially if you're willing to go mid-week instead of weekend."
Looking to go away from the snow and cold? Land-based resorts, some all-inclusive, are a possible choice along with cruise vacations where unpacking once, we see several destinations on our floating hotel. The winter season brings cruise ships from Europe and around the world to luxuriate in the Caribbean sun. Still, the Caribbean is not the only warm place open for business over the next few months."I've found some of the best values to be in Central America," suggests Frommer. "There are fairly decent air fares there. They've risen less than other parts of the world. Guatemala and Belize have some good hotel deals and there are some great adventures to be had there."
Want to find specific ski adventure locations? This video may help:
Filed under: North America, Canada, United States
Source: http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/24/good-winter-travel-season-deals-still-available/
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Comfort Dogs from Chicago in Newtown, Miss Meowsky's Award ...
By , today at 2:47 am
Listen HERE to this WGN Radio PETCAST, taking you to Newtown, Connecticut in an emotional interview....and Miss Meowsky makes a special?announcement!
Newtown, Connecticut received support after the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School ? some of that assistance arrived with four paws and tails, a group of comfort dogs from Lutheran Church Charities, Addison, IL.
Tim Hetzner, president of Lutheran Church Charities, talks with me from Newtown. The conversation offers great insight into what people in the city are really feeling and saying. And he explained who these dogs are, and what they do...and how if a community cries out for help a?contingent?of Golden Retrievers are there to answer the call.
It?s an annual tradition, The Barker & Meowsky Pet Person of the Year. Stop the presses, hold your horses (or dog collars) ? here, exclusively, Miss Meowsky?s big announcement: The 2012 Person of the Year is Chicago Veterinary?Emergency ?& Specialty Center. Come into see Miss Meowsky, and purchase Three Emergency Squirrels in a Log in 2013 (or remainder of this year) and a portion of the proceeds will those who can't afford emergency care for pets.
Filed under: dogs, pets
Tags: Barker & Meowsky, Chicago Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center, Golden Retrievers, K9 Comfort Dogs, Lutheran Church Charities, Miss Meowsky, Newton, Petcast, Sandy Hook Elementary School, Squirrels in a log, Steve Dale archives
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Monday, December 24, 2012
Vikings deny Texans home-field playoff advantage
HOUSTON (AP) ? The Minnesota Vikings don't need record-setting days from Adrian Peterson to stay in the playoff race.
Peterson rushed for 86 yards, falling far short of the 2,000-yard mark, yet helping the Vikings (9-6) keep their postseason chances alive with a 23-6 upset of the Texans on Sunday. Christian Ponder threw a touchdown pass, Toby Gerhart added a score and Blair Walsh kicked three field goals as the Vikings won their third straight.
The win raises the stakes for the Vikings, who host Green Bay next Sunday in the regular-season finale.
"We obviously have a big one next week, and if we don't win that one, this one doesn't mean anything," Ponder said. "Our No. 1 goal is to make the playoffs."
The loss kept the Texans (12-3) from clinching home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. They would still claim home-field advantage with a win next week at Indianapolis.
"Very disappointing because we had a chance to line up here and get something done today," coach Gary Kubiak said. "That doesn't mean we still can't get it done. That's the most important thing."
Peterson had his lowest rushing total since getting 79 yards on Oct. 14 in a loss at Washington, breaking a streak of eight 100-yard games. Peterson, who is from Palestine, Texas, had more than 100 family and friends at the game.
"We knew they were going to focus on the run, which is OK," Peterson said of the Texans. "It felt good to see other guys get involved and us continue to move the ball down and score some points."
He has 1,898 this season and needs 208 yards to break the NFL single-season rushing record held by Eric Dickerson. Minnesota coach Leslie Frazier said he took Peterson out late as a precaution because he has a sore abdomen.
"I'll get some rest and be ready to get a W and break that record," Peterson said.
The Vikings took a 10-3 lead when Walsh kicked a 56-yard field goal. The kick gave Walsh, a rookie, the NFL record with nine field goals of 50 yards or longer this season.
The Texans failed to score a touchdown for the first time since 2006.
"We didn't play well," Kubiak said. "I think we battled defensively, but offensively we probably played as bad as we've played. I take full responsibility for that. It's a huge, huge disappointment. We've got to get over it really quick."
J.J. Watt had a sack to leave him with 20 ? this season.
Houston got within 10 points before Gerhart's 3-yard run extended the lead to 23-6 with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter. That drive was helped by a 29-yard run by Ponder.
Ponder, who got married on Monday, was 16 of 30 for 174 yards to help the Vikings pile up 345 yards. He finished with seven rushes for 48 yards ? 14 more yards rushing than the Texans had.
"Christian had a terrific day throughout, playing with a lot of poise, a lot of control ? he did all the things we needed," Frazier said. "But it was all set up by our run game."
Arian Foster had 10 rushes for 15 yards before leaving with about nine minutes left in the third quarter with an irregular heartbeat. Kubiak said he is OK, but he was taken out as a precaution.
"I'll be fine," he said. "I'll be OK. It's a very minor situation."
Ben Tate took over and didn't fare much better with four carries for 17 yards.
The Texans were foiled by their inability to convert third downs, going 1 of 11. Quarterback Matt Schaub went 18 of 32 for 178 yards.
Houston got to the Minnesota 1 with a 12-yard reception by Kevin Walter late in the third quarter. Then came an incomplete pass followed by a run for no gain by Tate. Schaub was sacked by Fred Evans for a loss of 14 yards to make the Texans settle for a 33-yard field to cut the lead to 16-6.
Houston had to punt on its first possession of the third quarter, but got the ball right back when Watt sacked Ponder and forced a fumble. Bradie James recovered, but the Texans had to punt again.
The Vikings extended their lead to 16-3 when Walsh made a 39-yard field goal on the first drive of the second half. That series was helped when Ponder found Jarius Wright on a 15-yard reception, and the Vikings got 15 more yards when Whitney Mercilus was flagged for unnecessary roughness on Ponder.
Houston was on the Minnesota 28 early in the second quarter when Jasper Brinkley forced Foster's fumble, which was recovered by A.J. Jefferson.
A 41-yard field goal by Walsh left Minnesota up 13-3 at halftime.
Peterson ran for 20 yards to get Minnesota's offense going. The Vikings took a 7-3 lead when Kyle Rudolph grabbed a 3-yard touchdown reception. Rudolph also had a 27-yard catch that drive.
Houston's Andre Johnson had seven receptions for 97 yards.
NOTES: The Texans wore decals with the initials S.H.E.S. as a tribute to the school shooting victims at Sandy Hook. ... Playing in his 137th game, Johnson got his 800th career reception on his first catch, making him the second-fastest player to reach the milestone. Marvin Harrison did it in his 131st game. ... Johnson has 100 catches this season, making him the fifth player in NFL history to have at least 100 catches in four or more seasons.
___
Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vikings-deny-texans-home-field-playoff-advantage-212819044--spt.html
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Sunday, December 23, 2012
SURVEY: "Mobile First" Is A Bad Strategy - Business Insider
There has been a lot of talk over the past couple of years about how laptops and desktops are toast and everything's going mobile.
As a result, the prevailing wisdom is that companies should become:
- "Mobile Only" (just forget big screens, keyboards, and mice--they're dead)
Or, at least,
- "Mobile First" (design everything for smartphones first and big screens as an afterthought)?
For some mobile-centric companies--Instagram, location-based apps, mobile games--these strategies obviously make sense. The applications the companies offer are centered on mobile gadgets.
For other companies, however--including some news and information companies that are frantically redesigning their businesses to focus on "Mobile First"--the strategy seems misguided.
The smarter strategy, I think, is this:
With the explosive growth of smartphones, tablets, and super-sleek laptops, mobile usage continues to grow as a percentage of overall Internet usage. In some countries, moreover, smartphones have already vaulted past laptops and desktops to become the dominant personal-computing device. In these countries, companies should obviously focus on mobile first.
But in the developed world, which already has a massive installed base of desktops and laptops, bigger screens are still extremely important. And they are likely to remain so, even when everyone who uses them also owns a smartphone and tablet.
Critically, the users of big screens, smartphones, and tablets access much of the same information and services across all these devices--they don't adopt separate (and largely duplicative) services for each.
The "Wikipedia for smartphones," for example, already exists: It's called "Wikipedia."
The "Amazon for smartphones" also exists: It's called "Amazon."
And the "Google for smartphones" exists: It's called "Google."
In short, in developed markets, the reality is that we live in a multi-screen world, not a "mobile world" that operates parallel to a "desktop world."
And for some services, such as news and information, the laptop/desktop screen is still by far the most dominant screen. So abandoning that screen, or designing for another screen first, just doesn't make sense.
To illustrate this, I recently published a picture of the Business Insider newsroom, which is populated by ~50 of the most digitally savvy mobile information consumers on earth. The folks in our newsroom are nuts about mobile gadgets. And yet, there is not a single person in the newsroom whose primary office device is a smartphone (or even tablet).
And why would it be?
We all work for 8-12 hours a day at a desk. Why would we spend that time staring at a tiny mobile screen?
(Yes, some of us power our big screens with portable laptops and Minis, but we still use keyboards and mice. And if any of us ever decide to make a tablet or smartphone our primary office gadget, we'll almost certainly attach it to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Would you type on a smartphone keyboard all day if you didn't have to?)
We all also have smartphones, of course.
And many of us have tablets.
And we use those devices, too.
When we're walking around, we use our smartphones.
When we're at home, we use laptops or tablets.
Then, when we get into the office, we fire up our big screens again.
In short, we use all of our gadgets. And we read Business Insider and other publications on all of them.
So the idea that we would suddenly drop everything and design Business Insider for, say, smartphones first just doesn't make any sense.
If we did that we would annoy the millions of readers who read Business Insider through laptops, desktops, and tablets every month.
Almost 30% of our readership now comes through tablets and smartphones. That's why we have a mobile site that is designed to be read on smartphones. And it's also why we give our mobile readers the ability to use the full site--or a dedicated iPhone and Android app--if they want. Mobile is growing rapidly, and we want our readers to be able to read us wherever they are: Home, work, on the road, and everywhere in between. So our strategy is to provide a good BI experience on every screen -- a.k.a., "Mobile, Too."
We often talk about our mobile strategy internally, though, and we certainly want to give you--our readers--what you want.
So if you ever want "mobile first," that's certainly what we will give you.
For now, however, "mobile first" is not what you, our readers, seem to want.
Rather, you want "Mobile, Too."
How do we know this?
Because we asked you!
Earlier this week, we asked our readers for their help in answering 6 questions relevant to this discussion. Here are the answers we got.
QUESTION 1: Which of the following devices do you use regularly?
The goal here was to figure out what devices our readers are using. The answers match our internal site logs. Laptops/Desktops are the most popular, followed by smartphones and tablets.
?
QUESTION 2: Which of these devices do you use to read news and information?
The answer here is simple: All of them.
?
QUESTION 3: Which of these devices do you use to read the MOST news and information?
This one should rattle folks who are designing for "mobile first." Desktops and laptops are still by far the predominant devices through which news and information is consumed.
?
QUESTION 4: When you read digital news and information, which of the following do you do regularly?
The next question is HOW people read news and information on their gadgets. And the key question is whether people use browsers and web sites or "apps"--and, if apps, what kind of apps. The answer, again, is clear:
News web sites are still the predominant means by which people consume news and information. Social media and other referral links are also important. Apps from news sites are used by about 30% of readers. "Aggregation" apps are used by less than 20%.
?
QUESTION 5: When you read news and information on your SMARTPHONE, which of the following do you do regularly?
One key question for news and content sites is whether they should emphasize "apps" or the web when delivering their content to readers over smartphones. For now, the answer is "both." Readers access content over smartphones using both dedicated site apps and the web. "Aggregation apps" are less popular.
QUESTION 6: When you read news and information on a TABLET, which of the following do you do regularly?
The tablet is a hybrid device, and it's primarily used for consumption. People use tablets differently than smartphones, desktops, and laptops, so it makes sense to direct a question specifically to tablet usage. The browser is the dominant "app" for information consumption on tablets, followed by dedicated apps.
CONCLUSION
Where things stand now, therefore, is that we're in a multi-screen world: In developed countries, people consume news and other content through all devices, and laptops and desktops are still dominant.
Usage by Business Insider readers, by the way, isn't substantially different from broader surveys: If anything, Business Insider readers are more mobile-centric than typical readers--and yet news consumption from mobile gadgets is still a minority of overall consumption. (This Pew study, for example, found that 15% of Americans access news from mobile phones, while 46% access it "online.")
The percentage of usage from mobile gadgets will obviously continue to increase, especially when one considers tablets "mobile."
But as long as there are offices and desks, it seems highly unlikely that big screens, keyboards, and touchpads/mice are going to become an afterthought. And with about 60% of mobile phones in America already smartphones, it also seems unlikely that smartphone content consumption will eclipse laptop/desktop consumption, at least not anytime soon.
The bottom line is this:
For news and information companies, at least those that primarily serve developed markets, the smart strategy is not "Mobile Only" or even "Mobile First."
It's "Mobile, Too."
SEE ALSO: Facebook Unveils A Sexting App
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/survey-mobile-first-bad-strategy-2012-12
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