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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/OTzB0UVw8Mc/story01.htm
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Saturday, December 31, 2011
Daily Apps: Microsoft Lync 2010 for iPad, Particlescape, PhotoString, Ideal Me, Newser Tablet
Microsoft Lync 2010 for iPad: Extends the power of Lync to your mobile device ? including rich presence, instant messaging, audio conferencing, and calling features from a single, easy-to-use...
Santorum defends his use of pork-barrel spending (AP)
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa ? Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum pushed back Friday against criticism from a rival for his pursuit of funding for home-state projects during his tenure in Congress.
As he campaigned in Iowa, Santorum vowed to push for deep cuts in federal spending should he win the White House, but that pledge drew only renewed scorn from another candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
Perry took a jab at Santorum while promoting himself as a Washington outsider. He labeled Santorum a "serial earmarker," a charge he's made before, and ticked off pork-barrel projects like an indoor rain forest and the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" in Alaska.
Santorum, who has surged in many polls in Iowa, was asked about the criticism at a town hall meeting in Marshalltown.
"I see a little bit of hypocrisy," said the former congressman and senator from Pennsylvania. "He had a paid lobbyist in Washington looking for earmarks."
Santorum said he's already apologized for the use of earmarks, but he also defended them as a tool to force bureaucrats to follow the will of Congress. The right thing to do, he said, is to listen to constituents about their priorities for spending federal money.
"You can't just trust the bureaucracy to make the right call," he said.
Throughout his campaign day, Santorum focused on stepping up his grassroots efforts, turning his attention to delivering backers to next week's caucuses.
Santorum worked his way through a noisy sports bar in Ames to watch Iowa State play Rutgers in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
Followed by a mob of cameras, Santorum said his campaign is working hard on turnout efforts and has in place 1,000 precinct captains to make the case for him Tuesday.
Santorum has sent out a fundraising appeal on the heels of his improvement in polls and said he just had his best fundraising day ever. He gave no details but said he'll go on the air in New Hampshire on Monday.
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Friday, December 30, 2011
tllanes: RT @JohnFugelsang: Poor Newt - he was faithful to the Iowa GOP and they abandoned him; proving you can't win a debate with Karma.
RT @: Poor Newt - he was faithful to the Iowa GOP and they abandoned him; proving you can't win a debate with Karma. Source: http://twitter.com/tllanes/statuses/152144716463484929
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Christmas carol lands subway worker in hot water
BOSTON ? A MBTA sign hacked by one of its own workers has caused quite a stir, NBC affiliate WHDH-TV reports.
A dispatcher programmed an LED message board in Park Street station to say lyrics of the popular Christmas carol, ?Deck the Halls,? instead of the typical informational announcements.
On Christmas night the robo-voice and standard signage spoke, and read, ?Deck the halls with boughs of holly fa la la la la la la la la.?
Most riders enjoyed the unexpected Christmas prank, but MBTA officials initially threatened punishment for the dispatcher, a veteran ?T? employee with a perfect record, who did it.
On Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Richard Davey addressed the prank after joking about it himself.
?The only thing I said this morning was Mele Kalikimaka would have been a lot harder to spell than fa la la la la,? said Davey.
While Davey says the rules will be explained to the dispatcher loud and clearly, he doesn?t expect serious punishment for the holiday prank.
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
A Sword and Sorcery Classic.
It seems Roleplaying has changed alot over recent years, genres like Anime, romance and modern style 'Teen' RP's have grown in popularity while the Older school of good ole fantasy style Hack 'N' slash through a dungeon full of Horrors on some quest for a bag of gold and a pint of ale seem to be on the decline!
In fact these days I find I have almost stopped Roleplaying altogether, being a more 'Classic Style' fan of the Fantasy genre, the Stories that got me into Roleplaying in the first place seem to have all but vanished-
However I still feel there's much fun to be had in getting a group of adventurers together in a seedy, Medieval style Tavern and setting out on a quest to change, conquor or save the world!
So I'm looking to get just such an RP started, I have a land to set it in and am thinking of a broad, sprawling adventure full of possibilities, adventure and danger!
I was thinking recent games and Films like Skyrim or the new Conan may have interested a new generation of Roleplayers in the style, or perhaps inspired some of the older adventurers with a desire to dust off their swords, either way, all are welcome providing they can stick to the basic rules and common courtesies of Roleplaying.
More information is available, I'm just doing a quick interest check at the moment, but if anyone out there is interested in stepping into a whole new world to cross swords with a band of savage Greenskins or a deranged Necromancer bent on World Domination and Immortality, just say the word!
Thanks for reading.
Rill.
'I had to be a Warrior, a slave I could not be! A Soilder and a Conqueror, fighting to be free!'
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/Hi7NmtcjaeA/viewtopic.php
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Australian military 'to recruit UK soldiers facing redundancy'
Home
Britain News.Net
Wednesday 28th December, 2011 (ANI)
Australia is planning to recruit up to 1,000 British soldiers facing redundancy as part of defence cuts.
According to The Telegraph, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has sent a delegation to Britain to investigate the plan, which would look to recruit some of the 5,000 Royal Navy staff due to lose their jobs over the next four years.
The Australian navy would directly contact redundant sailors and offer them "career transition options," the report said.
Australia's Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, promised his British counterpart, First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, that Australia would not recruit personnel needed by the British.
But Royal Navy officers have told the Australians they were "very comfortable" with the plan, the paper said.
"The plan is that the British navy would be contacting people being made redundant and telling them that there is an option for them to extend their career and giving them our contact details," the paper quoted an Australian military spokesman, as saying.
"The navy is happy for us to put out their feelers for our personnel," the spokesman added.
British Royal Navy has already announced plans to cut about 1,020 sailors, a third of whom are being made redundant compulsorily.
But the Australian navy has struggled to fill positions in recent years, particularly skilled maintenance workers who have been lured by lucrative positions in the booming mining industry. (ANI)
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Source: http://www.britainnews.net/story/202192531
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
If you have an iPhone, would you get rid of the Facebook app?
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Berkshire completes deal to buy Omaha World-Herald
OMAHA, Nebraska (AP) ? Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has completed the purchase of Berkshire chairman Warren Buffett's hometown newspaper, the Omaha World-Herald.
The $200 million deal announced Nov. 30 included $50 million in debt. Under the agreement, Berkshire acquires the World-Herald and daily newspapers in Kearney, Grand Island, York, North Platte and Scottsbluff in Nebraska; the Council Bluffs Nonpareil in Iowa; a number of weekly newspapers; and World Marketing, a direct-mail company with operations in Omaha, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
World-Herald spokesman Joel Long said Monday that the deal closed Friday. He says World-Herald shareholders ? about 275 employees and retirees and the Peter Kiewit Foundation ? approved the sale by an overwhelming vote.
Buffett has said the World-Herald "delivers solid profits and is one of the best-run newspapers in America."
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Monday, December 26, 2011
Photos: 10 great gifts for college students
Having a hard time coming up with Christmas presents for college students? No worries, here are 10 great Christmas gifts that your favorite college student would be thrilled to get.
Dressed in a Christmas tree outfit, Stephen Oparka, of Arlington, Va., walks past the White House as party of "Santarchy" in Washington, on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. During "Santarchy," an annual holiday event, groups of people wear Santa suits and holiday themed attire and rove the city. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
khou.com
Posted on December 18, 2011 at 5:11 PM
(MoneyWatch)? Having a hard time coming up with Christmas presents for college students? No worries, here are 10 great Christmas gifts that your favorite college student would be thrilled to get.
1. Jambox speakers ($200)
These are incredibly small wireless speakers and speakerphone that you can carry in any room to enjoy streaming audio from a phone, computer or Bluetooth devices. With one of these speakers, which looks like a colorful block of cheese, you can have an instant dance party with music on your iPhone.
2. Roku ($49)
College students love watching South Park, Scrubs and their other favorite TV shows via Hulu, Netflix and Amazon, but it can be a pain to watch shows and movies on a small laptop screen. That's no longer necessary, however, with an amazing streaming media device called Roku. Plug the device into your television and watch your streaming video on a larger TV screen. It's that simple.
3. Livescribe smart pen ($99)
Smart phones are ubiquitous on college campuses, but smart pens can also be incredibly valuable. The Livescribe smartpen will make sitting through lectures much easier. With the pen, a student can record lectures while taking notes on special paper. Tap on the notes later and the pen will play back the appropriate audio.
4. Terrarium (Nearly free)
Terrariums are hot. You can buy them online, but it can be more fun to put one together and it will cost you next to nothing. Find a jar with a lid -- a quart size is great - and put pebbles on the bottom. Take a walk in a forest and find some small fern or other tiny plants, along with some hunks of moss and place them in the terrarium.
5. Zeo Sleep Manager ($99)
It's tough maintaining good sleep habits when you're a college student. Zeo Sleep Manager can help by tracking your sleep and alerting you in the morning to the quality of your slumber. You can sync the gadget to your smart phone.
6. DVDs of favorite TV shows ($20 - $30)
Give your college student DVD's of Dexter, True Blood, Entourage or whatever their favorite cable shows happen to be.
7. Electric tea kettle ($14 and up)
An electric tea kettle is perfect to fix a cup of tea on cold winter days or to heat water for ramen or a cup of soup. If you want to splurge, buy some Tevana tea to go along with it. My son loves Teavana's Jasmine pearls.
8. Fitbit Ultra ($99)
Perfect gift for any college students battling the freshmen 15. You may lose weight, despite dorm food, if you use the Fitbit Ultra, which looks like a thumb drive. The gadget, which clips onto your waistband, records your steps, flghts of stairs, calories burned and more data, which is automatically synced to your computer when the device is nearby. It also tracks how well you are sleeping.
9. Noise cancelling headphones ($30 - $300)
Help your favorite college student drown out noise in the dorm with noise canceling headphones. The best are going to be pricey.
10. Stocking stuffers
Skip the candy canes: What college students would like to see in their stockings are extra ear buds, thumb drives, packs of their favorite gum, beef jerky (big hit with my son), camera memory cards and gifts cards.
Source: http://www.khou.com/news/slideshows/Photos-10-great-gifts-for-college-students-135831108.html
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Video: Video: Will Peterson be ready for 2012?
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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/45788887#45788887
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
Christmas community lunch success
A CHRISTMAS Day lunch in Wash Common for the elderly proved a festive feast today (Dec 25).
Around 85 people, mostly local elderly, who would otherwise have been alone on Christmas Day, tucked into turkey with all the trimmings, prepared and dished up by volunteer helpers, at St George's Church Hall, Wash Common, at the Communities Christmas event.
In charge of the kitchen this year was Heidi Woodham, of Speen, who said afterwards everything had gone smoothly:
"It went very well,everything was done on time," said Ms Woodham.
"Most of the preparation was done yesterday," she added.
A total 20 kilos of potatoes and 400 sprouts were prepared in advance for the meal:
"Five of us sat peeling sprouts!" said Ms Woodham.
Among those appreciating their efforts was John Dudley, aged 65, of Shaw, who said: "It was brilliant," and measured up to last year's meal, supervised by an army chef, from Denison Barracks, Hermitage, who was this year unavailable, as many of those based at the barracks are serving in Afghanistan.
Equally impressed was 92-year-old Eunice Collins of Newbury, who said it had been: "A jolly good lunch, addng:"It's much better than sitting on your own."
Organisers, Clare Serraya and her husband, Adam, were also relieved, after Ms Woodham stepped in at the last minute to oversee kitchen preparations:
"It went very smoothly," said Mrs Serraya.
Musical entertainment was provided by the Turton family of Newbury and playing a range of instruments, including brass, drums, violin and piano.
Source: http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article.aspx?articleID=18737
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Saturday, December 24, 2011
The winner of 'The X Factor' is ...
By Craig Berman, TODAY.com contributor
Michael Becker / FOX
Melanie Amaro was crowned the first "X Factor" champ on Thursday night.
Melanie Amaro was crowned the winner of ?X Factor? on Thursday, surprising almost nobody and completing the journey that nearly ended before it began.
Amaro famously wasn?t one of judge Simon Cowell?s original four female finalists, but got called back into the competition when he either changed his mind or decided that the charade had gone on long enough, depending on how cynical you are. Once she got that second chance, she immediately became the favorite among the women, sailing through the competition and earning the $5 million recording contract.
She fell to her knees in prayer after hearing the news, overwhelmed enough to resist host Steve Jones? numerous attempts to get something resembling a sound bite out of her. She choked up several times during her show-closing number, but presumably will recover in time to record what everyone at Fox hopes?will be?a monster album that sells millions of downloads.
Josh Krajcik, the former burrito maker and champion of the 30-somethings, came in second, with Chris Rene having been eliminated earlier in the evening as the third-place finisher.
The result capped an evening that was more of a holiday special than a coronation. The three finalists all sang Christmas tunes, as did Justin Bieber in a duet with Stevie Wonder. Bieber than sang a few notes with Drew, the teenager eliminated earlier in the competition who auditioned with Bieber?s ?Baby? and seemed as overwhelmed by the opportunity as any girl her age would.
?She is a very special girl and she will go far,? Bieber said, though he did not indicate that he was prepared to fulfill Drew?s fantasy of a date with him at the beach.
The show also featured the snippets of interviews with friends and family members that tug at the heartstrings and are a staple of all reality competitions, or so it seems.
?We used to complain about you singing all the time, and now look at you singing in front of millions of people,? Amaro?s brothers said.
?I?m not really surprised we?re here right now. I want you to know that I love you so much, and I don?t think I say that enough,? said Krajcik?s daughter.
The night also saw the rivalry between Simon and judge?L.A. Reid depicted as a battle of heavyweights, while judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Adbul had the ?Cry-Off? clip show instead. This concept was brought to you by the 1950s, which wants its gender roles back.
Rachel Crow made her return, two weeks after her elimination in what was called the most shocking moment of the season. She didn?t seem to have any lingering scars from that experience.
?I?m gonna steal your job,? she told Steve.
It was a tough night for the host in general, who was often stymied in his attempts to talk with the contestants and had Nicole whiff on a punchline several times before he finally threw up his hands and gave up.
Other acts included 50 Cent, who tested the Fox censors and was accompanied by some of the less-heralded members of the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as Ne-Yo and Pitbull. Also singing was Leona Lewis, who won the British version of the show and is what the folks at Fox are desperately hoping that Amaro becomes. That, as much as anything else, will determine whether this becomes the next ?American Idol? or just one of the countless shows stuck in its wake.
Did the right contestant win?
?
More in The Clicker:
Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/22/9645437-the-winner-of-the-x-factor-is
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Friday, December 23, 2011
Winter solstice means 'illumination' at California mission
Reporting from San Juan Bautista, Calif. -- On the darkest day of the year, a hushed crowd in a dim church awaited a few minutes of sheer brilliance.
It was just after dawn Wednesday, the day of the winter solstice. Outside the 200-year-old mission at the heart of tiny San Juan Bautista, Native American drummers sang, urging the sun to rise. Inside, dozens of parishioners rubbed the sleep from their eyes. A woman stood up and sang in cadences haunting and solemn ? phrases in no known tongue, she said, but "the language of the heart."
They were gathered for what has come to be known as an "illumination," a brief, breathtaking interval when a sunbeam penetrates the church's front window to bathe the altar and the sacred objects around it in a blazing patch of light. The mission perched at the edge of the San Andreas fault sees it but once a year.
As roosters crowed, a luminous rectangle appeared on the wall just to the left of the altar. Turning gold and then fiery, it slowly moved over the altar. At that moment, someone threw open the church's great double doors and a river of light shot down the 188-foot-long main aisle. One by one, parishioners were led to the altar for their moment in the sun.
It was a spectacular moment ? but what it means is an open question. Some researchers say the illuminations at San Juan Bautista and other missions are nothing more than great special effects.
But for Ruben Mendoza, an archaeologist who teaches at Cal State Monterey Bay, they're more significant. According to Mendoza, Franciscan architects carefully engineered the luminous event for the sun-worshiping local Indians they sought to convert.
"For many Native American groups," he said, "the solstice was the most dreaded day of the year. They believed the sun was dying and only its rebirth could ensure their survival."
Mendoza has been researching illuminations for years. He saw his first one 11 years ago, and it moved him deeply. At the time, he was both a worshiper at San Juan Bautista and a researcher supervising an archaeological dig on the mission's grounds.
In 1997, the mission's priest spotted an illumination while opening the church for a small group of post-dawn pilgrims. After that, he held a number of solstice observances, hoping the Central Coast's morning fog wouldn't seal out the sun.
Both as a Catholic and as a scientist, Mendoza was eager to see it.
The son of a Spanish-language radio announcer, he grew up in Fresno but fell in love with history on a fourth-grade field trip to San Juan Bautista. As a student and then as head of his university's Institute of Archaeology, he poured himself into Aztec cosmology, archaeoastronomy and, most recently, the solar geometry of California's missions.
On that morning in 2000, Mendoza saw the light.
"As I approached the altar-borne tabernacle with camera at the ready, I was smitten by the most unusual sensation that I was soon to share two centuries of a most esoteric and spiritual experience," he later wrote in the mission's newsletter. "I couldn't help but feel what many describe when in the course of a near-death experience ? they see the light of the great beyond."
Since then, he has toted his cameras, compasses and computers throughout the West, chasing sunbeams into California's 21 missions, as well as dozens of other churches built by early Spanish friars throughout the Southwest and Mexico.
So far, he says, he has found "solstice, equinox and feast day solar illuminations of main altar tabernacles" at 60 sites.
In California, Old World diseases devastated the Native Americans who lived and toiled at the missions. Native languages and cultures died as well. But Junipero Serra's Franciscan monks were so intent on winning new souls that, according to Mendoza, they precisely oriented at least 13 missions and an old Spanish chapel to capture illuminations ? some on days that would have been sacred in Native American faiths.
The buildings functioned as "ecclesiastical computers," he said ? much like cathedrals built in Europe centuries before the missions. Those great, vaulted, dark spaces also served as observatories, with astronomers focusing sunbeams through strategically carved openings to make a variety of calculations ? from the date of Easter Sunday to the diameter of the sun.
At San Juan Bautista, the science was focused on the solstice, according to Mendoza. With ancient building techniques and the kind of instruments mariners had been using for centuries, the friars, he said, created the kind of solar spectacle that wouldn't have been out of place at Stonehenge or in ancient Rome.
Over the last decade, Mendoza has seen other such moments. At Mission San Carlos Borromeo in Carmel, it's on the summer solstice. At Mission San Miguel, statues of saints are illuminated on a series of their feast days in October. In San Jose, the illumination occurs at sunset on the spring and fall equinoxes.
Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-illuminations-20111222,0,328880.story?track=rss
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Kickstarter: spnKiX Are Motorized Shoes ? Yes, Motorized Shoes
Some projects you want to succeed just because they're something the world should have. Even if they'd be expensive, dangerous, and probably not as cool as you want them to be. Case in point: spnKiX, a pair of battery-powered skates that scoot you around at up to 10MPH, and look as futuristic as they sound. They do indeed look like something from the future, though after a few hours of racing through trash and dust, they'll look like a little more 21st century. I'm not a fan of the stylized name, but maybe in the future vowels are precious and the letter C has been eliminated. So I'll let it fly.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/CrIcayoDL5g/
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Sunday, December 18, 2011
Pope visits Rome jail, decries overcrowding (Reuters)
ROME (Reuters) ? Pope Benedict brought tears to the eyes of hardened criminals Sunday, telling them in a visit to one of Italy's toughest prisons that overcrowding was a "double sentence" and whatever their offence, it could not erase their dignity.
His Christmas visit to Rebibbia prison on the outskirts of Rome took place two days after Italy's new government announced extraordinary measures to improve prison conditions.
The 84-year-old pope appeared in good form, reading an address to inmates and delivering unscripted answers to their questions for about half an hour. He greeted a number of them personally in the prison's church.
"I know that overcrowding and degradation in prison can make detention even more bitter," he told representatives of several hundred inmates of the prison, which has 500 more inmates than the 1,240 it was built to hold.
"Prisoners are human beings who are worthy, despite their crime, of being treated with respect and dignity," he said.
He said overcrowding and poor conditions were tantamount to serving "a double sentence" and that authorities should do everything possible to improve the situation.
New Justice Minister Paola Severino, who attended the meeting, announced on Friday a decree that would ease overcrowding by allowing many prisoners to serve the last 18 months of their sentences under house arrest.
Italy has some 68,000 inmates, 24,000 more than normal capacity, among the worst rates of overcrowding in Europe.
"A VERY DIFFICULT SITUATION"
"I know that you live in a very difficult situation that often, instead of helping to renew your friendship with God and humanity, makes the situation worse," he told a prisoner named Rocco who asked him if politicians knew what prisoners endure.
He heard one African, Omar, speak of "our suffering and that of our families." Another African, Okai, asked: "Does God listen only to the rich?"
An Italian inmate named Federico complained that inmates who are HIV positive are looked at "ferociously."
The pope told him: "People speak ferociously even against the pope, but nonetheless we have to move on."
One prisoner read "The prayer from behind bars" which he had composed.
Alberto, an Italian inmate, told the pope he felt he was a new man who had paid his debt to society. He wanted to know why he could not go home to his 2-month-old daughter. He showed the pope a picture of the girl, named Gaia, and her mother.
Tears welled up in Alberto's eyes when the pope told him: "I am happy that you consider youself a new man and that you have a splendid daughter ... I pray and hope that you can soon embrace your daughter and wife and form a splendid family."
Severino, the justice minister, acknowledged in her address to the pope that he was visiting "a place of profound suffering" and that statistics could not do justice to the "terrible conditions of persons who keep their experiences, sufferings in their hearts."
There have been calls in Italy for the government to proclaim a general amnesty for those jailed for minor crimes and the pope heard the prisoners' views on this.
As he left the complex, they chanted "amnesty, amnesty, amnesty."
(Editing by Alistair Lyon)
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Saturday, December 17, 2011
Glimmers of Hope in the Senate: Renewed Optimism on Payroll-Tax Cut Deal (ABC News)
NASA's RXTE detects 'heartbeat' of smallest black hole candidate
Friday, December 16, 2011
An international team of astronomers has identified a candidate for the smallest-known black hole using data from NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The evidence comes from a specific type of X-ray pattern, nicknamed a "heartbeat" because of its resemblance to an electrocardiogram. The pattern until now has been recorded in only one other black hole system.
Named IGR J17091-3624 after the astronomical coordinates of its sky position, the binary system combines a normal star with a black hole that may weigh less than three times the sun's mass. That is near the theoretical mass boundary where black holes become possible.
Gas from the normal star streams toward the black hole and forms a disk around it. Friction within the disk heats the gas to millions of degrees, which is hot enough to emit X-rays. Cyclical variations in the intensity of the X-rays observed reflect processes taking place within the gas disk. Scientists think that the most rapid changes occur near the black hole's event horizon, the point beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape.
Astronomers first became aware of the binary system during an outburst in 2003. Archival data from various space missions show it becomes active every few years. Its most recent outburst started in February and is ongoing. The system is located in the direction of the constellation Scorpius, but its distance is not well established. It could be as close as 16,000 light-years or more than 65,000 light-years away.
The record-holder for wide-ranging X-ray variability is another black hole binary system named GRS 1915+105. This system is unique in displaying more than a dozen highly structured patterns, typically lasting between seconds and hours.
"We think that most of these patterns represent cycles of accumulation and ejection in an unstable disk, and we now see seven of them in IGR J17091," said Tomaso Belloni at Brera Observatory in Merate, Italy. "Identifying these signatures in a second black hole system is very exciting."
In GRS 1915, strong magnetic fields near the black hole's event horizon eject some of the gas into dual, oppositely directed jets that blast outward at about 98 percent the speed of light. The peak of its heartbeat emission corresponds to the emergence of the jet.
Changes in the X-ray spectrum observed by RXTE during each beat reveal that the innermost region of the disk emits enough radiation to push back the gas, creating a strong outward wind that stops the inward flow, briefly starving the black hole and shutting down the jet. This corresponds to the faintest emission. Eventually, the inner disk gets so bright and hot it essentially disintegrates and plunges toward the black hole, re-establishing the jet and beginning the cycle anew. This entire process happens in as little as 40 seconds.
While there is no direct evidence IGR J17091 possesses a particle jet, its heartbeat signature suggests that similar processes are at work. Researchers say that this system's heartbeat emission can be 20 times fainter than GRS 1915 and can cycle some eight times faster, in as little as five seconds.
Astronomers estimate that GRS 1915 is about 14 times the sun's mass, placing it among the most-massive-known black holes that have formed because of the collapse of a single star. The research team analyzed six months of RXTE observations to compare the two systems, concluding that IGR J17091 must possess a minuscule black hole.
"Just as the heart rate of a mouse is faster than an elephant's, the heartbeat signals from these black holes scale according to their masses," said Diego Altamirano, an astrophysicist at the University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands and lead author of a paper describing the findings in the Nov. 4 issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
The researchers say this analysis is just the start of a larger program to compare both of these black holes in detail using data from RXTE, NASA's Swift satellite and the European XMM-Newton observatory.
"Until this study, GRS 1915 was essentially a one-off, and there's only so much we can understand from a single example," said Tod Strohmayer, the project scientist for RXTE at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "Now, with a second system exhibiting similar types of variability, we really can begin to test how well we understand what happens at the brink of a black hole."
Launched in late 1995, RXTE is second only to Hubble as the longest serving of NASA's operating astrophysics missions. RXTE provides a unique observing window into the extreme environments of neutron stars and black holes.
###
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center: http://www.nasa.gov/goddard
Thanks to NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116101/NASA_s_RXTE_detects__heartbeat__of_smallest_black_hole_candidate
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Saturday, December 3, 2011
Stocks waver, a day after biggest rally in 2 years (AP)
NEW YORK ? Stock indexes are edging lower in midday trading Thursday, a day after the market had its biggest gain in two and a half years. Bank stocks and energy companies fell the most.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 40 points, or 0.3 percent, at 12,005 as of 12:10 p.m. JPMorgan Chase & Co., fell 2.6 percent, the most in the Dow, followed by Alcoa Inc., which dropped 2.5 percent.
The Dow soared 490 points Wednesday, its largest gain since March 2009, after central banks around the world slashed borrowing costs to shore up European banks and avert a deeper credit crisis.
The S&P 500 index fell 4 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,242. The Nasdaq composite edged up 1 point to 2,621.
Another rise in applications for weekly unemployment benefits dampened the mood. The Labor Department said initial applications rose to 402,000 last week. The government's monthly labor report comes out Friday. Economists forecast that the unemployment rate will remain at 9 percent.
Investors often turn cautious following giant leaps, said Sam Stovall, chief equity strategist at S&P Capital IQ. The Dow shot up 813 points in the first three days of the week as fears ebbed that Europe's debt crisis would escalate into a global panic.
"It's almost like rooting for a football team that won by a very big score," Stovall said. The next day, people are likely wondering whether the big victory was a one-off event or the start of a lasting trend.
"Lately, it seems like nothing lasts that long," Stovall said. News out of Europe has sent stocks swinging from large gains to deep losses. One week ago, the S&P 500 was down 7.9 percent for 2011. After the rally Wednesday, the index is within 20 points of breaking even for the year.
Daily moves in the S&P 500 index have been three times more volatile in the past 13 weeks compared with their long-term average, Stovall said. Since 2000, the S&P 500 index jumped up or down by 2 percent an average of 14 days every three months. Over the past 13 weeks, that's happened 45 times.
Traders took little encouragement Thursday from a stronger manufacturing report. The Institute for Supply Management said that manufacturing grew last month at the fastest pace since June.
The euro moved higher against the dollar as investors became less fearful about Europe's financial problems. Borrowing rates for France and Spain eased after both countries had successful auctions of new debt.
Macy's Inc., Costco Wholesale Corp., Limited Brands Inc. and other retailers reported sales gains Thursday that surpassed Wall Street estimates. Costco gained 1.6 percent.
Kohl's Corp. fell 7 percent after the department store chain reported that a key revenue measure dropped sharply in November and fell far below Wall Street forecasts. Sales at stores open at least a year fell 6.2 percent; analysts had been expecting an increase of 2 percent.
Barnes & Noble dropped 17 percent after the bookseller posted a third-quarter loss instead of the slight profit analysts had expected. Sales also fell below analysts' estimates.
Finisar Corp. lost 9 percent after the maker of fiber-optics components reported revenue that was lower than analysts were expecting.
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Friday, December 2, 2011
Gingrich trails in organizing in early-voting Iowa
Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich talks to supporters Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011, during a campaign stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)
Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich talks to supporters Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011, during a campaign stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)
Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gives an interview Wednesday Nov. 30, 2011, during a campaign stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa.(AP Photo/Dave Weaver)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ? Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich leads the 2012 pack in buzz but trails his rivals in just about every other category in Iowa.
The former House speaker is striving for a remarkable comeback with the smallest staff and the fewest precinct-level campaign backers of the seven candidates competing in the Jan. 3 presidential caucuses that kick off voting in the fight for the GOP nomination.
Gingrich, who casts himself as the idea candidate bucking convention, is betting that his prescriptions for what ails America ? more so than tried-and-true campaign tools ? can help him win in Iowa, a state where a stellar organization traditionally has been the key to turning out supporters to local political meetings called caucuses on a cold, Midwestern winter night.
"The traditional ways might not be the most efficient way. Newt has shown us campaigning now is different," said Katie Koberg, Gingrich's deputy Iowa caucus director. "It's not about how you many staff you can hire."
Can it work? It's a gamble.
Gingrich's task was made more difficult this year after his campaign imploded and Iowa moved its caucuses earlier in the year, on the heels of the holiday season.
But Koberg says a combination of traditional staff work and online recruiting could help Gingrich piece together an organization that could harness the momentum he has gathered.
With just four staff members ? a fifth is scheduled to come aboard Friday ? Gingrich's team in Iowa is at once reaching out through traditional methods, attending party functions and signing up supporters in person, and reaching out in less conventional ways.
Adding to Gingrich's structural challenges in the state, rivals are beginning to criticize him directly. Texas Rep. Ron Paul's campaign released an Internet video that cast Gingrich as a Washington insider who has profited personally from his stature in government. The ad specifically criticized Gingrich for money his consulting firm was paid by the federally backed mortgage company Freddie Mac.
For months, Gingrich has led a campaign on life support, raising money on the Internet by capitalizing on highly praised debate performances that, in turn, helped him finance his trip to the next debate.
Gingrich often repeats his campaign's website address during nationally broadcast interviews and debates, which has drawn Iowans into his organization. Interested Iowans get a call back from Koberg or one of her aides, are put on the mailing list, and are asked about volunteer work and, importantly, whether they will caucus for Gingrich.
There are risks to Gingrich's shoestring Iowa campaign. He holds few of his own events, choosing instead to appear at businesses or Republican Party functions. The events don't cost his campaign money to set up, but the audiences may be less reliably interested in hearing him.
For example, more than 150 western Iowa and Omaha-area Republicans packed the meeting room in a pizza restaurant in Council Bluffs on Wednesday night to hear Gingrich. On Thursday, he was expected at an insurance company, an association meeting and a county GOP function in the Des Moines area.
In Council Bluffs, Gingrich was asked to explain his immigration position, which has sparked criticism from some of his GOP rivals. He has called for allowing some established illegal immigrants to remain in the country ? his opponents argue that he favors a type of amnesty ? and he described deporting all the millions of people in the United States illegally as unrealistic.
"I don't want to start down the road toward policies that are hopeless," Gingrich said, prompting light applause. "There is a middle road that gets us to legality without citizenship."
Such events are all he can do, given that there are only five weeks until the caucuses. And the approach fits with Gingrich's confidence that his appeal as a tested congressional leader with an array of post-congressional career policy hallmarks will attract Republicans searching for an alternative to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has been a leader in national polls and in Iowa, despite a less aggressive Iowa campaign.
There's also a recent precedent for a successful, unconventional approach in Iowa.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee vaulted to the top of the polls in Iowa four years ago on a shoestring budget and little organizational structure. However, Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, made deep inroads with Iowa's conservative evangelical clergy and Christian home-school advocates, giving him key niches.
Gingrich, on the other hand, is cobbling together a coalition of evangelicals, with supporters such as longtime social conservative Loras Schulte, and establishment Republicans such as the Iowa House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer.
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PFT: 'Garbage' questions about Colts irk Belichick
APBills coach Chan Gailey praised the work of WR Brad Smith.
The Dolphins? recent winning ways killed their chances to draft Stanford QB Andrew Luck, but USC?s Matt Barkley, Oklahoma?s Landry Jones and Baylor?s Robert Griffin all could be draft-day options in Miami.
Former Patriots WR/DB Troy Brown likes what he sees in current Patriots WR/DB Julian Edelman.
Said Jets QB Mark Sanchez of the way the team played in the win over the Bills, ?We play like that again, lose the turnover battle, lose time of possession, all those stats ? I think our chances of winning the game were probably somewhere like 20, 30 percent chance. Maybe less. Maybe in the teens. Because you can?t win like that. That?s not a winning formula.?
Asked about offensive coordinator Cam Cameron?s play calling, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said, ?I think all of our coaches have done a great job. I think Cam has done a great job.?
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has a 5-13 career record against the Steelers.
The Browns seem to be heading toward another Top 10 pick.
Said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin of the team?s struggles on third down, ?We need more separation. We need to make more competitive catches in order to keep the chains moving and keep ourselves on the field.?
Texans coach Gary Kubiak calls QB Jake Delhomme a good fit for the offense.
Colts QB Dan Orlovsky, who just became the team?s starter, has started seven games in his career, all for the 0-16 Lions.
Here?s a look at new Jaguars interim head coach Mel Tucker.
Titans coach Mike Munchak says he?s just taking care of his own business, and not worrying about whether the Texans? quarterback situation will allow Tennessee to catch up in the AFC South.
Some in Denver think Tim Tebow should be a Pro Bowler.
What the Chiefs have got here is a failure to communicate.
Raiders RB Michael Bush was on the field for 68 of 71 offensive plays against the Bears.
Said Chargers DB Eric Weddle of the team?s playoff chances, ?It?s like Dumb and Dumber, where the guy says, ?So I have a chance???
In Dallas, there?s talk that Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan could leave to become a head coach.
The Giants are bringing back LB Chase Blackburn.
The Eagles insist they?re not quitting on their season.
Redskins FB Darrel Young is expected to play this week despite suffering a concussion Sunday against the Seahawks.
There?s optimism in Chicago that QB Caleb Hanie will be better in his second start for the Bears than he was in his first.
Asked about Lions DT Ndamukong Suh, Mean Joe Greene said, ?If you haven?t played interior defensive line, you won?t know and you?ll never know what it?s like in there. I don?t think anything that happens on the field is dirty, but Suh shouldn?t have done what he did. He let the moment get away.?
Packers G Evan Dietrich-Smith hasn?t talked to the media about the Suh suspension.
Viking QB Christian Ponder will see Broncos QB Tim Tebow again on Sunday; when they met in college Tebow?s Florida Gators whipped Ponder?s Florida State Seminoles 45-15.
Injuries are forcing the Falcons to shuffle their secondary.
Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski says he sees improvement in the running game.
Asked if he thinks about breaking Dan Marino?s passing yardage record, Saints QB Drew Brees said, ?Absolutely. But only in the framework of winning.?
Bucs QB Josh Freeman says the cut he suffered on his thumb while shooting a gun was ?just cosmetic.?
The Cardinals think they have a bright future, given how young their roster is.
Asked about the fans in St. Louis booing, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said, ?I?d rather have that than people not caring. I want to thank the fans for their passion, and I mean that sincerely. I know with that it goes both ways. Frustration and disappointment, and their reactions to that. I understand it. I get it.?
Long snapper Brian Jennings is the only player left who?s been to the playoffs with the 49ers.
Seahawks DE Chris Clemons is having a big season but not getting much attention.
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States suing over health care law collect funding
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Federal officials announced Tuesday they are awarding more money to help states carry out President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. So what's the surprise?
Seven states that are suing to overturn the landmark law are also on the list for funding.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said 13 states will split grants totaling nearly $220 million to help set up health insurance exchanges. Millions of uninsured Americans will be able to buy private coverage through these online supermarkets starting in 2014, with taxpayer-provided assistance to cover the cost of premiums.
"States are moving at their own pace to get their exchanges up and running," said Sebelius. "This is a natural result of a process that gives states maximum flexibility."
The exchanges represent half of Obama's strategy for expanding coverage to more than 30 million uninsured people. While the middle-class uninsured will pick a plan through their state exchange, low-income people will be covered through an expanded Medicaid program.
Although opponents challenge the constitutionality of "Obamacare," some states led by conservatives are hedging their bets.
The seven that are suing and also getting money are: Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Michigan and Nebraska. Three other plaintiff states ? Indiana, Mississippi and Nevada ? previously got funding.
Accepting the money does not commit a state to follow through and actually establish a health insurance exchange.
But it is a sign that federal officials recognize a state is making significant progress. The money can be used for a variety of purposes, including tackling such challenges as the kind of technology a state will use to sign up its citizens.
Under the law, if a state fails to set up an exchange, the federal government will step in and do it for them.
"We continue to encourage all states to establish their own exchanges," said Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, HHS director of coverage policy. "We think states are in the position of understanding best what they need for their own residents."
States are all over the place in their preparations for the health overhaul.
Some are on the sidelines, waiting for the Supreme Court to rule. Others, like California, are forging ahead to set up their exchanges. Vermont even wants to run a statewide single-payer system loosely modeled on Canada's. Many have made varying degrees of progress. In most states, pivotal health care decisions will be made in next year's legislative sessions.
Also receiving grants Tuesday were Delaware, Hawaii, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Vermont.
Rhode Island earned the distinction of becoming the first "Level Two" grant recipient, meaning the state has made a formal commitment to set up an exchange and is receiving multi-year funding.
Counting those that previously got funding, a total of 29 states have now received advanced planning grants.
Also Tuesday, federal officials released guidance for the states on technical issues involving coordination between different levels of government in running the exchanges.
___
Online:
HHS guidance to states - http://tinyurl.com/cvpn3ms
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Thursday, December 1, 2011
Peanut butter fudge
Amazingly simple to put together and makes a great addition to any holiday treat collection.
When I was younger, my family had an Irish Wolfhound as a pet. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Irish Wolfhound breed, they are, on average, the tallest breed of dog. They are the size of small pony, with the most gentle, protective, and obedient personalities. Our Irish Wolfhound?s name was Gideon, named for the angel, Gideon, in the 1985 movie, One Magic Christmas. Sadly, as with many large dog breeds, their lifespan is not long and we lost him long before anyone was ready.?It was an honor to have Gideon in our lives.
Skip to next paragraph Amy DelineAmy Deline is a stay at home mom to two little boys, with another baby on the way. She?s a former early childhood educator with a lifelong passion for home-cooking. Amy is the author and photographer behind The Gourmand Mom, a blog which celebrates food through simple and perfectly seasonal recipes, fit for a gourmet feast among friends or a relaxed family dinner.
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My siblings and I remember the day our family first met Gideon. He was a few months old at that point. The breeder, an older woman, had initially planned on keeping him, but quickly realized she didn?t have the stamina for another pony-sized puppy. As my parents and the breeder sat inside to discuss the purchase details, my siblings and I were send outside to play with the ?puppy?. This ?puppy? was already the size of a full grown German Shepherd with all of the energy of an 8-week-old Labrador. He wanted nothing more than to romp around that yard and tackle me and my sisters. We shrieked and screamed and laughed. ?And when the negotiations were complete, we took our new puppy home.
But this post isn?t really about Gideon. It?s about Gideon?s fudge. My mom has been making this fudge at Christmastime for as long as I can remember. Each year, she?d make a two-pound batch of the fudge, package it in a tin or plastic container, and place the fudge on a counter, along with the other annual Christmas goodies. Well, Gideon?s head was easily counter-height, a fact we too often forgot.
You can imagine what happens next. My family arrived home one day to find Gideon, lying on the living room floor, moaning as his stomach furiously growled. It didn?t take long to find the empty container of peanut butter fudge. Thankfully, a call to the veterinary poison control center assured us that a dog his size would need to consume at least nine pounds of the chocolate-glazed peanut butter fudge to be in any real trouble. His bellyache eventually subsided and we all learned a valuable lesson about safe places to store food.
The origin of this recipe has long been forgotten, but to us, it will always be Gideon?s fudge. I?ve doubled the original recipe, since what are you going to do with an open can of undiluted evaporated milk anyway?? Otherwise, the recipe is the same as the fudge Gideon enjoyed years ago. It?s amazingly simple to put together and makes a great addition to any holiday treat collection. Store in an airtight container in a high place, safe from dogs, who will find the scent irresistible.
One more little note? I haven?t tried it yet, but I suspect this recipe would easily make a nice chocolate fudge by substituting chocolate chips for the peanut butter chips.
Gideon's Peanut Butter Fudge
Makes 4 pounds
3-1/3 cups sugar
1-1/3 cups undiluted evaporated milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups mini marshmallows
3 cups peanut butter chips
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips
Lightly butter two 8-?8-inch baking dishes or one 13-?9-inch baking dish.
Combine sugar, milk, butter, and salt in pan over medium heat. Bring to a full boil. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low if the mixture bubbles up too vigorously. Remove from heat. Stir in the marshmallows, peanut butter chips, and vanilla until melted.
Pour the fudge into the baking dish(es) and cool completely at room temperature. Slowly melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double-boiler. Pour the melted chocolate over the fudge.
Refrigerate until firm. Remove the fudge from the baking dish and cut into small squares. Store in an airtight container in a cool place.
The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of food bloggers. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by The Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own and they are responsible for the content of their blogs and their recipes. All readers are free to make ingredient substitutions to satisfy their dietary preferences, including not using wine (or substituting cooking wine) when a recipe calls for it. To contact us about a blogger, click here.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/tsJpawaAWjE/Peanut-butter-fudge
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American Eagle pulls Boise to Los Angeles flight
BOISE, Idaho?? Officials with an American Airlines affiliate say they are canceling nonstop flights from Boise to Los Angeles starting in February.
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American Eagle made the announcement this week after the airline failed to draw enough interest to support continued service.
The airline began nonstop routes from Boise to Los Angeles seven days a week in April. The flight has attracted about 2,600 passengers per month, but totals dropped sharply in October.
Airline spokesman Ed Martelle says the company had great hopes at the outset, but he says the marketplace dictated the decision to pull out of Boise. The last flight is scheduled for Feb. 8.
It marks the second time American Eagle has pulled a Boise flight. In 2002, the airline flew jets from Boise to Dallas for eight months.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45508432/ns/travel-news/
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