Sunday, November 14, 2010
Waffles for any time of day
Think beyond breakfast with a steak sandwich on bacon waffle bread or a ricotta version with spicy jam.
Also: Best car for teenagers
Not many models offer top safety features, low ownership costs — and a high cool factor.
Also: Helpful Hints
A spray typically used for clothing can keep your blinds from getting too dusty.
Also: Obscure $1 mil businesses
Most were born of inspiration — and some required very little start-up cash.
Also: True costs of your debt
Even a balance of $5,100 can add up to a shocking amount in interest costs.
Also: Renovations that pay off
The likely winners boost your house's curb appeal or add more living space cheaply.
Also: 
Organic Beer Must Be Brewed With Organic Hops (Because it Wasn't Before)
Photo: izik
The USDA has announced after much grassroot support for the change, that organic beer most be brewed with organic hops, according to a story on EcoCentric. One would beg to question why beer, which is traditionally made of just water, hops, malt, and yeast could be made with non-organic hops and still be called organic in the first place. Article continues: Organic Beer Must Be Brewed With Organic Hops (Because it Wasn't Before)
Fast food turned gourmet
Erik Trinidad turned a Jack in the Box meal into a bento box with "sushi rolls."
Also: McDonald's and KFC to help write UK health policy
The Department of Health is putting the fast food companies McDonald's and KFC and processed food and drink manufacturers such as PepsiCo, Kellogg's, Unilever, Mars and Diageo at the heart of writing government policy on obesity, alcohol and diet-related disease.
In an overhaul of public health, said by campaign groups to be the equivalent of handing smoking policy over to the tobacco industry, health secretary Andrew Lansley has set up five "responsibility deal" networks with business, co-chaired by ministers, to come up with policies. Some of these are expected to be used in the public health white paper due in the next month.
Professor Tim Lang, a member of the government's advisory committee on obesity, doubted the food and drink industry's ability to regulate itself. "In public health, the track record of industry has not been good. Obesity is a systemic problem, and industry is locked into thinking of its own narrow interests."
Jeanette Longfield, head of the food campaign group Sustain, said: "This is the equivalent of putting the tobacco industry in charge of smoke-free spaces. We know this 'let's all get round the table approach' doesn't work, because we've all tried it before, including the last Conservative government. This isn't 'big society', it's big business."
In an overhaul of public health, said by campaign groups to be the equivalent of handing smoking policy over to the tobacco industry, health secretary Andrew Lansley has set up five "responsibility deal" networks with business, co-chaired by ministers, to come up with policies. Some of these are expected to be used in the public health white paper due in the next month.
Professor Tim Lang, a member of the government's advisory committee on obesity, doubted the food and drink industry's ability to regulate itself. "In public health, the track record of industry has not been good. Obesity is a systemic problem, and industry is locked into thinking of its own narrow interests."
Jeanette Longfield, head of the food campaign group Sustain, said: "This is the equivalent of putting the tobacco industry in charge of smoke-free spaces. We know this 'let's all get round the table approach' doesn't work, because we've all tried it before, including the last Conservative government. This isn't 'big society', it's big business."
Middle class children suffering rickets
Middle class children in the south of England are suffering from the '17th century disease' rickets as parents cover them in sunscreen and limit time outside in the sunshine, a leading doctor has warned. The disease, caused by low levels of vitamin D generated in the body from sunshine and certain foods, had died out around 80 years ago but is now coming back. Cases of rickets in children have occurred in northern England and Scotland where there are fewer months of the year with sufficient sunshine to obtain enough vitamin D but now doctors are seeing it on the South coast as well.
It is thought extensive use of sunscreen, children playing more time on computer games and TV rather than playing outside and a poor diet are to blame. Professor Nicholas Clarke, consultant orthopedic surgeon at Southampton General Hospital and professor of pediatric orthopedic surgery at the University of Southampton, said: "The return of rickets in northern parts of the UK came as a surprise despite the colder climate and lower levels of sunshine in the north, but what has developed in Southampton is quite astonishing."
Children from all backgrounds are being affected now and the disease is not limited to the poor as it was in Victorian times. He added: “In my 22 years at Southampton General Hospital, this is a completely new occurrence in the south that has evolved over the last 12 to 24 months and we are seeing cases across the board, from areas of deprivation up to the middle classes, so there is a real need to get national attention focused on the dangers this presents.” Professor Clarke says he and colleague Dr Justin Davies, a consultant pediatric endocrinologist, have checked over 200 children for bone problems and more than 20 per cent of them have significant deficiencies.
“A lot of the children we’ve seen have got low vitamin D and require treatment,” he said. “This is almost certainly a combination of the modern lifestyle, which involves a lack of exposure to sunlight, but also covering up in sunshine, and we’re seeing cases that are very reminiscent of 17th century England.” He added: “We are facing the daunting prospect of an area like Southampton, where it is high income, middle class and leafy in its surroundings, seeing increasing numbers of children with rickets, which would have been inconceivable only a year or so ago.”
It is thought extensive use of sunscreen, children playing more time on computer games and TV rather than playing outside and a poor diet are to blame. Professor Nicholas Clarke, consultant orthopedic surgeon at Southampton General Hospital and professor of pediatric orthopedic surgery at the University of Southampton, said: "The return of rickets in northern parts of the UK came as a surprise despite the colder climate and lower levels of sunshine in the north, but what has developed in Southampton is quite astonishing."
Children from all backgrounds are being affected now and the disease is not limited to the poor as it was in Victorian times. He added: “In my 22 years at Southampton General Hospital, this is a completely new occurrence in the south that has evolved over the last 12 to 24 months and we are seeing cases across the board, from areas of deprivation up to the middle classes, so there is a real need to get national attention focused on the dangers this presents.” Professor Clarke says he and colleague Dr Justin Davies, a consultant pediatric endocrinologist, have checked over 200 children for bone problems and more than 20 per cent of them have significant deficiencies.
“A lot of the children we’ve seen have got low vitamin D and require treatment,” he said. “This is almost certainly a combination of the modern lifestyle, which involves a lack of exposure to sunlight, but also covering up in sunshine, and we’re seeing cases that are very reminiscent of 17th century England.” He added: “We are facing the daunting prospect of an area like Southampton, where it is high income, middle class and leafy in its surroundings, seeing increasing numbers of children with rickets, which would have been inconceivable only a year or so ago.”
Health clues in your hair
If your locks feel finer and lack body, an underactive thyroid may be to blame.
Also: 
The Controversial Kilogram
The kilogram really sticks in the craw of metrologists. Six of the seven fundamental units of the metric system have 'operational' definitions - you can define them purely in words, by describing a physical process that produces something of exactly one meter, or whatever.
But the kilogram has resisted all attempts to define it that way. It's like a feeling everyone knows and shares but cannot quite articulate. Instead, the kilogram is the last metric standard still bound to a human artifact.
Space secrets revealed in map?
A new way of studying dark matter may shed light on why the universe is expanding so rapidly.
Also: 
Peru contacts unknown Amazon tribe
Peruvian authorities have presented video footage of a previously uncontacted Amazonian tribe. The footage was taken in the Kugapakori Nahua Nanti reserve in the country's southeast by members of the government-run National Institute of Development of Andean, Amazonian and Afro-Peruvians (Indepa).
They saw the indigenous group while monitoring area checkpoints that have been installed to prevent entry of unauthorized persons, specifically illegal loggers. The video - which was presentation at the National Museum and viewed by various government representatives - shows indigenous tribes interacting with Indepa workers. It also shows a series of rustic huts made from palm leaves and cane that were discovered in August 2009.
Indepa president, Mayta Capac Alatrista, explained how they had been able to gain an insight into their unknown way of life. "With work that has been done from the five monitoring posts in the Kugapakori Nahua Nanti reserve, we have been able to find and casually meet with voluntarily isolated populations or initiate first contact. We suppose this contact has been made because they went down to the streams in search of food because they are nomads.
"We have photographic record and have even been able to interact with them to see how they go about their daily lives. We have been able to bring them some tools that they have used to hunt, to fish and cook," said Capac Alatrista. A small exhibition of tools, arrows and handmade pottery, along with skeletons of hunted animals, was also on display.
They saw the indigenous group while monitoring area checkpoints that have been installed to prevent entry of unauthorized persons, specifically illegal loggers. The video - which was presentation at the National Museum and viewed by various government representatives - shows indigenous tribes interacting with Indepa workers. It also shows a series of rustic huts made from palm leaves and cane that were discovered in August 2009.
Indepa president, Mayta Capac Alatrista, explained how they had been able to gain an insight into their unknown way of life. "With work that has been done from the five monitoring posts in the Kugapakori Nahua Nanti reserve, we have been able to find and casually meet with voluntarily isolated populations or initiate first contact. We suppose this contact has been made because they went down to the streams in search of food because they are nomads.
"We have photographic record and have even been able to interact with them to see how they go about their daily lives. We have been able to bring them some tools that they have used to hunt, to fish and cook," said Capac Alatrista. A small exhibition of tools, arrows and handmade pottery, along with skeletons of hunted animals, was also on display.
Trosky - The Two Towers Of The Czechs
Deep in the Czech Republic, south of Semily, stands something which at first sight seems as if it would be more at home in a Tolkien novel such is its unusual shape, size and structure. Erected on two basalt outcrops - volcanic plugs - is one of the more bizarre castles of Europe.
What If The Largest Countries Had The Largest Populations?
Click here for larger image
This map rearranges the world by correlating the population of a country to actual size. Some countries (the United States, Yemen, Brazil and Ireland) remain in their original location. 
Indian sloth bears evacuated on fears of Maoist threat
Fearing Maoists attacks, Indian forest officials have moved 22 sloth bears from West Bengal to the south. It took four days for the 12 male and ten female bears to be brought from Purulia to the Bennerghatta national park, near Bangalore, some 2000km away. Forest officials decided to rescue the animals because they felt they were under threat, the zoo's director said.
The bears were moved after warnings from a conservation group who feared they were at risk from Maoist rebels. "The threat was real," SOS Wildlife's founder, Kartick Sathyanarayan, said. "The Maoists had put up a poster saying: 'Leave the forest if you want to remain safe'," he said.
Maoists, he said, were believed to be behind a 2009 attack on Jhargram Zoo, in West Bengal, during which many animals were burnt alive. A vet from the group said the bears had initially been placed under quarantine as a precautionary measure. "They were evacuated with the help of three large trucks. A team of about 12 trained staff with a veterinary doctor travelled with the bears to ensure their safety and to keep a check on their health," Dr Arun A Sha said.
Mr Kartick said the evacuation was carried out with the help of the communist-ruled West Bengal government. "It is heartening that the animals have been saved. Authorities realised the gravity of the threat," he said. The Bannerghatta National Park, home to tigers, lions, and elephants, now has a total of 117 sloth bears, with the arrival of the rescued bears from West Bengal. The park is also considered an important corridor for elephants migrating between the eastern and western mountain ranges of southern India.
The bears were moved after warnings from a conservation group who feared they were at risk from Maoist rebels. "The threat was real," SOS Wildlife's founder, Kartick Sathyanarayan, said. "The Maoists had put up a poster saying: 'Leave the forest if you want to remain safe'," he said.
Maoists, he said, were believed to be behind a 2009 attack on Jhargram Zoo, in West Bengal, during which many animals were burnt alive. A vet from the group said the bears had initially been placed under quarantine as a precautionary measure. "They were evacuated with the help of three large trucks. A team of about 12 trained staff with a veterinary doctor travelled with the bears to ensure their safety and to keep a check on their health," Dr Arun A Sha said.
Mr Kartick said the evacuation was carried out with the help of the communist-ruled West Bengal government. "It is heartening that the animals have been saved. Authorities realised the gravity of the threat," he said. The Bannerghatta National Park, home to tigers, lions, and elephants, now has a total of 117 sloth bears, with the arrival of the rescued bears from West Bengal. The park is also considered an important corridor for elephants migrating between the eastern and western mountain ranges of southern India.
Loudest animal in the world
Howler monkeys can be heard 10 miles away, but a tiny sea creature is much noisier.
Also: Saturday, November 13, 2010
The Daily Drift
The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:Your latest wish is a big one, but it could come one giant step closer to becoming a reality.
Give it some nudges here and there and see what develops.
If you've done the proper groundwork, things could finally start happening.
The littlest efforts you make can create a major result, so write off any suggestions that get thrown your way.
You're known for keeping an open mind in tough situations, so live up to your reputation and consider all input equally.
Some of our readers today have been in:
Edithvale, Victoria, Australia
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Rio De Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Bangkok, Krung Thep, Thailand
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia
Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Oxford, England, United Kingdom
Genoa, Liguria, Italy
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Malmo, Skane Lan, Sweden
Zagreb, Grad Zagreb, Croatia
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
London, England, United Kingdom
Sittard, Limburg, Netherlands
Paderborn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Penang, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
as well as Singapore, Colombia, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and in cities across the United States such as Bear, Katy, Sandy, Kalamazoo and more.
Today is:
Today is Saturday, November 13, the 317th day of 2010.
There are 48 days left in the year.
Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:
World Kindness Day.
Don't forget to visit our sister blog!
For all our daily readers: Yesterday was a very busy day - opening a new business and spending the night in the ER ... all in all just a typical day around here - but we missed updating this blog yesterday mainly due to the night at the hospital.
President Obama's Weekly Address
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
November 13, 2010
This weekend, I’m concluding a trip to Asia whose purpose was to open new markets for American products in this fast-growing part of the world. The economic battle for these markets is fierce, and we’re up against strong competitors. But as I’ve said many times, America doesn’t play for second place. The future we’re fighting for isn’t as the world’s largest importer, consuming products made elsewhere, but as the world’s largest manufacturer of ideas and goods sold around the world.Weekly Address
November 13, 2010
Opening new markets will not only help America’s businesses create new jobs for American workers. It will also help us reduce our deficits – because the single greatest tool for getting our fiscal house in order is robust economic growth. That kind of growth will require ensuring that our students are getting the best education possible; that we’re on the cutting edge of research and development; and that we’re rebuilding our roads and railways, runways and ports – so our infrastructure is up to the challenges of the 21st century.
Given the deficits that have mounted up over the past decade, we can’t afford to make these investments unless we’re also willing to cut what we don’t need. That’s why I’ve submitted to Congress a plan for a three-year budget freeze, and I’m prepared to offer additional savings. But as we work to reform our budget, Congress should also put some skin in the game. I agree with those Republican and Democratic members of Congress who’ve recently said that in these challenging days, we can’t afford what are called earmarks. These are items inserted into spending bills by members of Congress without adequate review.
Now, some of these earmarks support worthy projects in our local communities. But many others do not. We can’t afford Bridges to Nowhere like the one that was planned a few years back in Alaska. Earmarks like these represent a relatively small part of overall federal spending. But when it comes to signaling our commitment to fiscal responsibility, addressing them would have an important impact.
As a Senator, I helped eliminate anonymous earmarks and created new measures of transparency so Americans can better follow how their tax dollars are being spent. As President, time and again, I’ve called for new limitations on earmarks. We’ve reduced the cost of earmarks by over $3 billion. And we’ve put in place higher standards of transparency by putting as much information as possible on earmarks.gov. In fact, this week, we updated the site with more information about where last year’s earmarks were actually spent, and made it easier to look up Members of Congress and the earmarks they fought for.
Today, we have a chance to go further. We have a chance to not only shine a light on a bad Washington habit that wastes billions of taxpayer dollars, but take a step towards restoring public trust. We have a chance to advance the interests not of Republicans or Democrats, but of the American people; to put our country on the path of fiscal discipline and responsibility that will lead to a brighter economic future for all. And that’s a future I hope we can reach across party lines to build together.
Thanks everybody, and have a great weekend.
U.S. World Cup bid in doubt
A surge of support may have a small Middle Eastern country in line to host the 2022 World Cup.
Also: Extravaganza for Asian Games
More than 10,000 athletes gather in China for the world's second-biggest multisports event.
Also: Hotel built in just 6 days
A soundproofed, thermal-insulated building is constructed in a remarkable feat of speed.
Also: Revolt against the TSA looms as full-body scanners, 'grope-downs' earn disdain
As we expected a while ago, things are coming to a head over the new full-body scanners that show just about everything to viewers of the scan. The idea of a revolt against the TSA, including an "opt out" day, is circulating, with a Facebook group and a webpage.Bad Cops
Former New York City police officer arrested for phony 911 calls
New Jersey cop is arrested for stalking his ex-wife
Kentucky sheriff arrested for abusing public trust and evidence tampering
Newly hired Tennessee sheriff’s deputy arrested on drug charges
Oregon police pay $4K to settle lawsuit over bogus arrest of man who flipped off cops
Woman sentenced to death for blasphemy
A Pakistani court has sentenced to death a Christian mother of five for blasphemy, the first such conviction of a woman and sparking protests from rights groups overnight.
Asia Bibi, 45, was sentenced on Tuesday by a local court in Nankana district in Pakistan's central province Punjab, about 75km west of the country's cultural capital of Lahore.
Pakistan has yet to execute anyone for blasphemy, but the case spotlights the Muslim country's controversial laws on the subject which rights activists say encourages Islamist extremism in a nation wracked by Taliban attacks.
Asia's case dates back to June 2009 when she was asked to fetch water while out working in the fields.
But a group of Muslim women laborers objected, saying that as a non-Muslim, she should not touch the water bowl.
The only 'Blasphemy' here is the kangaroo court and the ridiculous farce this is - just another example of why religion is a bad, a very, very bad thing.
Asia Bibi, 45, was sentenced on Tuesday by a local court in Nankana district in Pakistan's central province Punjab, about 75km west of the country's cultural capital of Lahore.
Pakistan has yet to execute anyone for blasphemy, but the case spotlights the Muslim country's controversial laws on the subject which rights activists say encourages Islamist extremism in a nation wracked by Taliban attacks.
Asia's case dates back to June 2009 when she was asked to fetch water while out working in the fields.
But a group of Muslim women laborers objected, saying that as a non-Muslim, she should not touch the water bowl.
The only 'Blasphemy' here is the kangaroo court and the ridiculous farce this is - just another example of why religion is a bad, a very, very bad thing.
Chinese man's shackles have grown into his skin
Astonished doctors are trying to save the hands of tormented Zhang Chuanqiu who was chained so tightly in an illegal prison that his flesh grew over his shackles.
Zhang, 27, had been chained to a cowshed in Hunan, southern China, in 2005 after falling out with village officials over a loan to build his house. But his chains had been so agonizingly tight that Zhang's own flesh began to absorb them.
"The only person who did not give up on me was my mother who waited for her time and rescued me," he explained. Now Zhang is trying to raise the £1,000 surgeons have told him he needs for an operation to remove the chains and save his hands from further infection.
"They cause me a lot of pain. They are always inflamed and ooze pus all the time. But we have no money so I have to rely on charity or the good heart of a hospital or doctor to save my hands," he said.
Zhang, 27, had been chained to a cowshed in Hunan, southern China, in 2005 after falling out with village officials over a loan to build his house. But his chains had been so agonizingly tight that Zhang's own flesh began to absorb them.
"The only person who did not give up on me was my mother who waited for her time and rescued me," he explained. Now Zhang is trying to raise the £1,000 surgeons have told him he needs for an operation to remove the chains and save his hands from further infection.
"They cause me a lot of pain. They are always inflamed and ooze pus all the time. But we have no money so I have to rely on charity or the good heart of a hospital or doctor to save my hands," he said.
When bargains are bonanzas
At garage sales and flea markets, one person's junk can become another's treasure.
$4 purchase led to $2.4 million
Also:
$4 purchase led to $2.4 million
Also:
Vase fetches record sum
The 18th-century Chinese artifact is valued at $1.9 million but sells for many times that amount.
Also: Find your top place to retire
Before making a move, consider areas with the strongest economies and job growth.
Also: Where jobs are returning
These businesses are growing confident about the economy and hiring again.
Also: 
Life-size Gingerbread House
For the third year in a row, the Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, Canada is putting together 600 pounds of gingerbread, 1,000 pounds of icing, 2,000 chocolate wafers, 750 cookies, and 4,900 pretzels to make a gingerbread house you can stand up in! It will take about two weeks to complete, and then patrons will be invited to dine inside -but you’ll have to make reservations in advance, as it will have only one table. The $20 reservation charge will go to help abused children through a local charity. Manager Keith Simmonds says the structure is extremely popular -and yes, people do occasionally snag a bite of it.He said it happens about every five minutes.The gingerbread house will remain up until January.
“We do a lot of repairs on the fly and overnight. We try to keep people off as much as we can, but it’s part of the fun. I mean, it is a totally edible structure.”
Once the house is finished in early December, it will accept reservations for one table of six. Families will be able to order off the same menus offered in other restaurants inside the lodge, including breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. And of course, there’s a dessert menu — separate from what’s seen on the surrounding walls.
Turkey price hits a record
You'll probably pay 20% more than last year, due to rising costs for raising the birds.
Also: Healthiest U.S. frozen treats
These treats are nutritionally superior — plus they taste great and are widely available.
Also: Eight ways to stay full longer
Healthy fats, like those in avocados and olive oil, help stave off the munchies.
Also: 
HMO Doctor Job Application Form
1. Are you an MD or DO?(if not, do you look a lot like one?)
2. Your annual salary should be based on which factor?
A. Age
B. Experience
C. Number of privately insured patients referred to hospital in calendar year
D. Quality of care
(if you answered A, C, or D do not complete the rest of this form)
3. Did you receive a grade higher than C+ in your biomedical Ethics class?
(if yes, do not complete the rest of this form)
4. How many patients can you see in your office in one hour?
(if number is less than sixty, do not complete the rest of this form)
5. Which factor do you consider more heavily in deciding whether to admit a patient to your hospital:
A. Vital signs
B. Clinical condition
C. Credit rating
D. Insurance status
(if you answered either A or B, do not complete the rest of this form)
6. Do you understand the concept of Omerta and agree to this as a condition of employment?
7. A patient complains about being left in the hallway for 9 hours. As his physician, the proper response is:
A. Complain to administration
B. Refer the matter to the nurse
C. Direct patient accounts to invoice Medicare or private insurance for an extra-wide semiprivate room.
(if you answered A, do not complete the rest of this form)
8. An elderly man visiting his wife trips in the hallway and you catch him, preventing him from injuring himself. You ask him if he is okay, and he says yes. The proper thing to do is now:
A. Bill for preventative orthopedic consult
B. Bill for psychiatric consult (He did say he was okay)
C. Hospitalize the patient as a danger to himself and others
D. Go on your way
(if you answered D do not complete the rest of this form)
9. A patient who was previously reported to be insured has now been discovered to lack insurance. He is on the ventilator with an assist control rate of 22 and an oxygen percentage of 90%, PEEP of 10. The proper course of action is now to:
A. Reduce his to IMV
B. Reduce the oxygen percentage
C. Extubate and discharge very very quickly
(if you answered A or B do not complete the rest of this form)
Are daydreams bad for you?
Aided by an iPhone app, researchers uncover a surprising side effect of daydreaming.
Also: The Insanity Virus
Is schizophrenia caused by genetics or environment? The answer may be both, but in a way you’d never imagine. The culprit may be a virus! The good news is that you don’t have to worry about catching this virus. The bad news is that we all carry it in every cell of our bodies.Sixty million years ago, a lemurlike animal—an early ancestor of humans and monkeys—contracted an infection. It may not have made the lemur ill, but the retrovirus spread into the animal’s testes (or perhaps its ovaries), and once there, it struck the jackpot: It slipped inside one of the rare germ line cells that produce sperm and eggs. When the lemur reproduced, that retrovirus rode into the next generation aboard the lucky sperm and then moved on from generation to generation, nestled in the DNA. “It’s a rare, random event,” says Robert Belshaw, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Oxford in England. “Over the last 100 million years, there have been only maybe 50 times when a retrovirus has gotten into our genome and proliferated.”This virus was long thought to be “junk DNA”, which makes up a fair amount of our genetic material, but doesn’t affect us. The new line of research says that this virus, if it is activated at a certain age under the right conditions, may cause changes to human immune systems that lead to the development of not only schizophrenia, but multiple sclerosis and possibly other diseases. The story of how this discovery came about is a fascinating read at Discover magazine.
But such genetic intrusions stick around a very long time, so humans are chockablock full of these embedded, or endogenous, retroviruses. Our DNA carries dozens of copies of Perron’s virus, now called human endogenous retrovirus W, or HERV-W, at specific addresses on chromosomes 6 and 7.
Eris: One weird little dwarf planet
Earlier this week, we learned that the dwarf planet Eris is probably smaller, in diameter, than Pluto, but is simultaneously 27% more massive. That's pretty nifty. But it's also pretty strange. The going theory, prior to this, was that Pluto and Eris were basically twins—similar size, similar composition. Imagine you had a pair of identical twin children, and one was 100 pounds heavier than the other.
Both Pluto and Eris are Kuiper belt objects, masses of rock and ice that coagulated together on the outskirts of our solar system. The ice-to-rock ratio—and, with it, mass—varies a lot from one Kuiper belt object to another, says astronomer Mike Brown.
But, it was previously assumed that, by the time smaller objects had coalesced into something as large as Pluto or Eris, their composition would be about the same as any other Kuiper object in the same size category. Instead, this new data suggests that Eris contains a lot more rock, or Pluto contains a lot more ice, or a little bit of both. And it throws our entire understanding of Kuiper belt objects out of whack.
No answer is immediately obvious, but it is immediately obvious that one or more of the assumptions of the standard scenario are going to have to be discarded. Earlier this summer I had constructed a new hypothesis that did an adequate (though, frustratingly not great) job of explaining some of the crazy variability in the Kuiper belt as being due to a random series of giant collisions which knocked the ice off of some objects, leaving just the rocky cores. I gave a couple of talks on the hypothesis, and even wrote the first draft of a scientific paper describing the details. But I fear now that the draft is going to have to go to the recycle bin. Even in my hypothesis once things grow to a certain size they should be more or less the same. Eris and Pluto are just too big to be different.
So what happened instead? Did they form in different places? In different solar systems? Did Eris spend time close to the sun? None of these hypotheses is immediately appealing, but somewhere in there there must be a kernel of what really happened. Pluto and Eris and all of the rest of the dwarf planets must have a widely divergent set of histories of formation or evolution or interaction or all of the above.
Mike Brown's Planets: Dwarf Planets are Crazy
Robo-Deer Protects Innocent Wildlife From Poachers
Photo: Stephen Messenger
Wildlife in Florida have an unlikely new ally in the fight against poaching -- a remote-controlled buck lovingly known as Robo-deer. Although he can do little more than flick his tail and turn his head, Robo-deer is so convincingly lifelike that some illegal hunters can't help but take a shot at him. But when they do, those poachers end up getting served something a lot worse than steel veal -- that's because Robo-deer works for the cops.Article continues: Robo-Deer Protects Innocent Wildlife From Poachers
Triceratops 'Never Existed'
Three-horned fossils are actually juvenile torosauruses
One of the best-known dinosaur species may not have really been a dinosaur species at all, according to new research. Scientists compared triceratops skulls to those of a lesser-known species, the torosaurus, and concluded that the triceratops were actually young torosauruses, New Scientist reports. They believe the three-horned dinosaur's skull changed shape as it aged.
Researchers say the bones of the horns and neck frill in the young dinosaurs remained spongy until they became full adults. "Even in the most mature specimens that we've examined, there is evidence that the skull was still undergoing dramatic changes at the time of death," one of the researchers says. Torosaurus and triceratops will now likely be reclassified as a single species—but don't shed a tear just yet: The name "triceratops" will be the one that stays, the scientists say.
Porpoises save Dick Van Dyke
Mary Poppins star Dick Van Dyke says porpoises saved his life - by pushing him back to shore after he fell asleep on his surfboard.
The veteran actor, 84, told reporters how his ordeal began during an ill-fated trip to his local beach.
"I woke up out of sight of land," he said. "I started paddling with the swells and I started seeing fins swimming around me and I thought 'I'm dead!' They turned out to be porpoises. And they pushed me all the way to shore."
As well as Mary Poppins, Van Dyke's film credits include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Dick Tracy. In recent years he has appeared on screen in Night at the Museum and its 2009 sequel.
The veteran actor, 84, told reporters how his ordeal began during an ill-fated trip to his local beach.
"I woke up out of sight of land," he said. "I started paddling with the swells and I started seeing fins swimming around me and I thought 'I'm dead!' They turned out to be porpoises. And they pushed me all the way to shore."
As well as Mary Poppins, Van Dyke's film credits include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Dick Tracy. In recent years he has appeared on screen in Night at the Museum and its 2009 sequel.
Hungry Shark
An underwater photographer got the fright of his life when a shark snatched the camera from his hands.
The diver was left shaking while the tiger shark swam off with the camera between its teeth.
The 2m creature later dropped the camera several meters away on the sea bed off the Bahamas.
Squid May Alter Body Coloration to Communicate with Others
Many squid are able to change the appearance of their skin in order to camouflage themselves when they encounter predators. It’s been suggested that the polarization of light on the skin of squid may be a form of communication. Now, for the first time, researchers have uncovered evidence for this property among the longfin inshore squid:While the notion that a few animals produce polarization signals and use them in communication is not new, Mäthger and Hanlon’s findings present the first anatomical evidence for a “hidden communication channel” that can remain masked by typical camouflage patterns. Their results suggest that it might be possible for squid to send concealed polarized signals to one another while staying camouflaged to fish or mammalian predators, most of which do not have polarization vision.
Mäthger notes that these messages could contain information regarding the whereabouts of other squid, for example. “Whether signals could also contain information regarding the presence of predators (i.e., a warning signal) is speculation, but it may be possible,” she adds.
Cats' amazing drinking skills
It took a team of researchers with high-speed video cameras to unlock the feline secret.
Also: Mountain lion trapped up tree by Jack Russell
A mountain lion found it was no match for a Jack Russell terrier which trapped it up a tree on a farm in the US state of South Dakota. The dog's owner, Chad Strenge, heard frantic barking near the family's farm in Colman, Moody County.
He discovered the 150lb (68kg) male lion, also known as a cougar, clinging to the top of a tree with 17lb (8kg) terrier Jack at the bottom. Mr Strenge, helped by his dog, chased the mountain lion and shot it dead. "He trees cats all the time," Mr Strenge said. "I suppose he figured it was just a cat."
Professor Jonathan Jenks, an expert on cougar migration, said hunters usually needed two or three hounds to chase a lion up a tree. He said the cougar was probably not hungry enough to attack Jack. "It very well could have lost a territory and decided to take off from the Black Hills and head this way," he said.
Arden Petersen, of the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks department, told said that no charges would be filed for shooting the animal. People in South Dakota have the right to kill mountain lions which they feel are a threat to themselves, their livestock or their pets. The lion was taken to South Dakota State University, where it will be studied.
He discovered the 150lb (68kg) male lion, also known as a cougar, clinging to the top of a tree with 17lb (8kg) terrier Jack at the bottom. Mr Strenge, helped by his dog, chased the mountain lion and shot it dead. "He trees cats all the time," Mr Strenge said. "I suppose he figured it was just a cat."
Professor Jonathan Jenks, an expert on cougar migration, said hunters usually needed two or three hounds to chase a lion up a tree. He said the cougar was probably not hungry enough to attack Jack. "It very well could have lost a territory and decided to take off from the Black Hills and head this way," he said.
Arden Petersen, of the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks department, told said that no charges would be filed for shooting the animal. People in South Dakota have the right to kill mountain lions which they feel are a threat to themselves, their livestock or their pets. The lion was taken to South Dakota State University, where it will be studied.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The Daily Drift
The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:Do you wish your town had a Ferris wheel?
Because you'd love to head out to it on autumn evenings, go up in the sky in those brightly colored seats, maybe see the moon rise over a cornfield, perhaps feel a crisp breeze in your hair -- and, once in awhile, take somebody to hold hands with you while you're up there?
Petition the mayor!
And if you're having some other great idea, do what it takes to make that a reality too.
Some of our readers today have been in:
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Bangkok, Krung Thep, Thailand
Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany
La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sittard, Limburg, Netherlands
London, England, United Kingdom
Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia
Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Kallax, Kronobergs Lan, Sweden
Edithvaile, Victoria, Australia
as well as Serbia & Montenegro, Gibraltar, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Russia, Slovenia, India, Colombia, Brazil and in cities across the United States such as Tellico Plains, Gretna, Ephrata, Aberdeen and more.
Today is:
Today is Thursday, November 11, the 315th day of 2010.
There are 50 days left in the year.
Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:
Origami Day.
Don't forget to visit our sister blog!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
