Friday, December 30, 2011

Bailey: Fenway the best park in baseball

BOSTON -- Newly acquired Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey is an East Coast native who spends his winters in Connecticut, so playing in Boston had extra allure. But the idea of taking that walk from the bullpen to the mound at Fenway Park is what excites him the most.

?There?s nothing like the atmosphere of running into the game from the bullpen at Fenway Park,? said Bailey, who has pitched at Fenway numerous times during the last three seasons as a visitor. ?You can?t change it and you can?t put it into words. It?s something I look forward to doing day in and day out in a Red Sox uniform. It?s something I?ll always remember and it?s up there with my major-league debut. That?s how it is and Fenway is the greatest stadium in baseball and being able to pitch in that uniform and in that stadium is something I?ll never forget.?

?

Bailey There's nothing like the atmosphere of running into the game from the bullpen at Fenway Park. You can't change it and you can't put it into words. It's something I look forward to doing day in and day out in a Red Sox uniform.

? -- New Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey
During an introductory conference call Wednesday night, Bailey talked extensively about the trade that brought him and teammate Ryan Sweeney to Boston from the Oakland Athletics.

Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington completed the deal on Wednesday that sent Red Sox outfielder Josh Reddick and a pair of minor leaguers to the A?s in exchange for Bailey and Sweeney.

?I?m excited,? Bailey said of playing for the Red Sox. ?It?s an organization that continues to win each and every year, and they?re definitely a contender each and every year. Speaking with [A?s GM] Billy Beane today, obviously with the trades the A?s have already made this offseason, that organization is heading down a different road where they?re trying to get younger and build for a future in San Jose.

?I?m grateful for the fact that the Red Sox saw value in me,? added Bailey. ?I would be lying if I said I wasn?t excited about being a Red Sox.?

Bailey grew up in New Jersey, went to Wagner College in New York and now lives in Connecticut.

He admitted that he grew up a Philadelphia Phillies fan and now it?s kind of ironic that he?ll be replacing former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, who signed a long-term contract with the Phillies as a free agent in November.

Bailey has a total of 75 saves during his three seasons in Oakland, but pitching in the AL East will be completely different for the 27-year-old right-hander.

?The AL East is one of the biggest divisions, and obviously with the additions that the Angels and Rangers have made they?re up there as well,? Bailey said. ?But the AL East is one of the toughest divisions in baseball. It?ll be a challenge to keep the ball in the park and stay down in the zone.?

During his time in Oakland, the former Rookie of the Year (2009) and two-time All-Star never experienced pitching in the postseason. Now he?ll have a better chance of reaching that goal.

?I haven?t experienced it yet, and I?m looking forward to experiencing it,? Bailey said. ?It?s something that every kid out there playing T-ball strives to pitch in the postseason and in meaningful games in September, and ultimately the World Series. I?m going to welcome that with open arms, but it?s not going to change the way I attack the hitters. I?m aggressive and like to go right after guys, so as long as I stick to my guns and trust in my stuff I?ll be fine. I?m a guy who is easygoing and likes to go after guys and get people out. It?s the same three outs in April as it is in September, so you?ve just got to make your pitches.?

SportsNation: Bailey to the Red Sox

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? Cast your votes!

Now that he?s switching teams and changing divisions, Bailey has no intentions of changing the way he pitches. His mindset is simple.

?Stay healthy is No. 1. That?s the key to success,? he said. ?Then don?t shy away from who you are. I?m not going to blow it by you at 98 or 99, I?m not that type of guy. I usually sit in the low 90s and rely on control and get ahead of guys. The motto I live by is ?Strike 1 is the best pitch in baseball.? As long as you stick with that, you?ll be fine. Obviously pitching, closing for that matter, is bigger in Boston.

?The market?s a lot bigger and I?ll be fine with that. The last three years have been great, being able to close against the teams that I?m going to be closing against in the same league. It?s not like I?m going into different territory or a new league where I need to know all the hitters, it?s the same guys I?ve faced the last three years, just with a different uniform on. The only thing I can work on is staying healthy, and sticking to my guns and staying who I am."

Bailey finished his physical and medical testing on Wednesday before the trade was complete and all signs point to him being healthy heading into spring training. He?s dealt with a number of injuries over the last few years, but for the first time in a long time he?s healthy during the winter months.

?I?m feeling good, man, ?Bailey said. ?To be honest with you, this is my first healthy offseason I?ve had since I?ve been in the big leagues.?

He had Tommy John surgery five years ago that he?s fully recovered from. He dealt with a minor knee issue in 2009 and had a procedure to fix the problem. He also had bone chips removed from his elbow last winter and struggled at the start of the 2011 season. But he was healthy and pitched well down the stretch, and the Red Sox are confident he will perform in Boston.

Bailey also has a close relationship with Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, who?s a native of Connecticut.

?Bobby and I are good friends,? Bailey said. ?We do a lot of charity work together in Connecticut. He does a lot with the foundation I?m a part of. Bobby and I have a good relationship and he?s excited to have me on board, and I?m excited to be there for him. We spoke about how this is his first year as manager and mine over there as a pitcher, so we?re both looking forward to it. It also helps knowing someone going in.?

Bailey and former A?s teammate Craig Breslow, who is a native of Connecticut, formed the Strike 3 Foundation, which raises money for pediatric cancer research, and Valentine was the emcee for its annual event the past two years.

?It?s a good relationship. He?s a great guy,? Bailey said. ?He brings a lot of energy to anything he does. He?s very engaging and he?s going to do great with the bunch of guys in Boston. I don?t know them too well, but he?s hard not to like. I?m sure everyone will get along well with him.?

Growing up in New Jersey, going to school in New York and now living in Connecticut, Bailey is thrilled to finally be a part of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.

?Going to college in Staten Island, I?ve already gotten a lot of my buddies texting me and they?re die-hard Yankee fans,? he said. ?It?ll be fun and I?m looking forward to it. I have a lot of friends that are Red Sox fans, as well. It?ll be fun to be a part of the rivalry, especially me growing up in New Jersey, I know a lot about it. I?m looking forward to being a part of it.?

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/red-sox/post/_/id/15914/bailey-fenway-the-best-stadium-in-baseball

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Energy fuels another Alberta boom

tamara gignac
postmedia news

CALGARY - Albertans know all about the B-word: boom.

For much of the past decade the economic pace was blistering, led by massive projects in the oilsands. The result was scores of high-paying jobs, a red hot real estate market and an influx of thousands of new migrants.

The party was good while it lasted.

But in 2008, Albertans were blindsided by another B-word: bust.

A collapse in energy prices, the result of the U.S. financial crisis, took the steam out of Alberta's once-buoyant economy.

The oilpatch shelved or cancelled billions of dollars worth of projects, jobs evaporated virtually overnight and ordinary Albertans struggled to pay their mortgages.

But after sputtering for much of the last three years, Alberta appears poised to regain its position as Canada's economic juggernaut.

All signs suggest prosperity is sweeping the province. Unemployment is low, cash registers are ringing and the energy sector is once again on a hiring spree.

It begs the question: is Alberta headed for another overheated economy?

Economists are certainly bullish when it comes to the province's prospects.

The Royal Bank of Canada predicts that Alberta's rate of growth - four per cent this year and 3.9 per cent in 2012 - will outpace all provinces except Saskatchewan.

"Oilsands megaprojects will continue to generate tremendous economic activity and will be a boon to Alberta's economy for years to come," says RBC chief economist Craig Wright.

"The boom entirely emanates from the private sector - the source of an astounding 116,000 new jobs this year," Wright said.

Improved employment prospects have translated into a record quarter for Sharlene Massie's local recruiting firm, About Staffing.

Alberta is bucking the national trend, a welcome relief from the hiring freezes of recent years.

As long as there's continued growth in oilsands production and Alberta's unemployment rate holds steady at about five per cent, the good times should continue, Massie says.

But she admits the spectre of an overheated economy could spoil the party and usher in a labour shortage similar to that of 2006.

In the worst-case scenario for employers, Alberta's jobless rate would return to levels seen in the last boom, driving skilled and unskilled wages to unprecedented levels.

"We're not there right now. We're comfortable," Massie says. "There's enough jobs out there and everybody's happy. Let's hope we can stay this way."

A report this year warned that a looming labour shortage is the Achilles heel of the provincial economy and that industry should brace for a chronic scarcity of workers in the years ahead.

It comes as Calgary's oilpatch, and the rest of the natural resources sector, is set to lead the nation with the highest projected salary increases in the year ahead.

But boom or bust, Alberta's shifting demographics will probably require a new approach to labour issues in the coming years, suggests Calgary Chamber of Commerce CEO Adam Legge.

The province has repeatedly looked to the federal government to change immigration policies so Alberta can hire the workers it needs.

There's expected to be a shortage of everything from tradespeople and health-care workers to financial service employees, retail staff and public service jobs.

"We're going to face a labour shortage whether we have a strong economy or not because there aren't enough workers to backfill the retiring baby boomers," says Legge.

He says he believes inflation pressure associated with rising labour costs could prove troublesome for Alberta.

"As soon as you see wages being driven up - as they are right now - people have more spending power and are able to bid up prices on everything from houses to goods and services," Legge says.

"The Bank of Canada will want to keep an eye on Alberta because we will have stronger inflation in our economy than the rest of Canada."

A heated labour market is only one indicator of Alberta's changing economic fortunes.

Figures from Statistics Canada show a three per cent increase in retail sales in October compared with the month before - the largest increase in Canada.

It comes as more Albertans purchase new vehicles, electronics and clothing - a welcome prospect for local retailers, who saw cash register receipts dwindle during the recession.

Discretionary spending is on the rise in the province.

Recent reports suggest people are choosing to dine in restaurants more frequently, purchase a morning latte or even fly away on a holiday.

Alberta's housing industry also got a much-needed boost in 2011.

"The strength in our economy, combined with affordability levels that outperform most major centres, will continue to attract migrants to the city and spur further growth," says Sano Stante, president of the Calgary Real Estate Board.

But along with an economic boom comes social challenges, as cities and smaller communities struggle to meet infrastructure pressures caused by an influx of new workers.

Todd Hirsch, senior economist with ATB Financial, says he doesn't expect to see a repeat of 2006, when "people lived in tents by the river" due to lack of affordable housing.

"I think you can call this a 'mini-boom,' at least relative to everywhere else in the country and even the industrialized world," Hirsch said.

"(But) if we did see a major collapse in Europe or a real calamity, that could knock the stuffing out of oil prices pretty quickly."

Hirsch is keeping an eye on developments with the Keystone XL project. The $7-billion Alberta-to-Texas pipeline proposed by TransCanada Corp. has been held up by a political battle in Washington.

The fate of Keystone XL could be a "harbinger of a more challenging environment" for Alberta's energy industry, he says. "My feeling is this is not just one project we're talking about. It indicates we are in a whole new world in which putting pipelines in the ground is not going to be as easy or straightforward as it was in the past."

So far, the province's fortunes have been mostly insulated from global economic turmoil relative to other regions.

But some observers, like Leonard Waverman, wonder if sluggish growth for Alberta's biggest trading partner - the United States - will eventually hit home.

The dean of the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business chooses a weather analogy to characterize Alberta's economic prospects in 2012.

"I'd suggest we have an economic chinook," Waverman says. "One must remember that chinooks are very capricious. They come in and move out very quickly."

But even as Alberta prepares for a new round of prosperity and good times, some still struggle to make ends meet after the recession.

During the last three years Alberta recorded the country's second-highest increase in food bank usage, according to a recent HungerCount survey.

Talk of an economic boom is probably meaningless for the many households still trying to find a way out of the last economic bust, says Kathryn Sim a spokeswoman for the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank.

"We're seeing people bouncing back and they are coming to us as donors, which is lovely to see," she says.

"But it's hard to dig out of the hole. It's taking a longer time for people to get out of the situation they found themselves in when the economy crashed."

Source: http://www.canadaeast.com/rss/article/1466891

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Understanding left-handedness

ScienceDaily (Dec. 27, 2011) ? Left-handedness is sometimes the expression of a genetic defect or an early developmental disturbance. In this issue of Deutsches ?rzteblatt International, Stefan Gutwinski and coauthors present the current scientific understanding of left- and right-handedness.

Left-handedness is found in all cultural groups. It arose early in the course of human evolution and played a key role in the development of higher cognitive functions. Human speech, for example, is thought to have arisen as an outgrowth of the unilateral cerebral control of manual communication by gesticulation. Likewise, it was only after handedness had become well established that very fine motor functions of the human hand could develop.

Most of the time, left-handedness is simply a naturally occurring, normal variant. In some cases, however, it is disadvantageous and may well reflect a genetic defect or early developmental disturbance. Thus, both left-handedness and extreme right-handedness seem to be more common among persons suffering from certain diseases.

This phenomenon can be observed, for example, in epilepsy, schizophrenia, and autism. Furthermore, current research suggests that diminished activity of the left cerebral hemisphere compared to the right may lead to depression, and the opposite imbalance to mania.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Deutsches Aerzteblatt, via AlphaGalileo.

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Journal Reference:

  1. Gutwinski S, Lo?scher A, Mahler L, Kalbitzer J, Heinz A, Bermpohl F. Understanding left-handedness. Dtsch Arztebl Int, 2011; 108(50): 849%u201353 DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.2011.0849

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

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

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111227092931.htm

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

FilmIn.com gibt College Football- und Basketball-Kan?le f?r das Internet bekannt

FilmOn macht den Spitzen-Sport-Networks der Branche durch die Schaffung neuer Paradigmen im Live-Sportfernsehen direkte Konkurrenz

BEVERLY HILLS, Kalifornien--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FilmOn.com Inc., die US-Abteilung des weltgr??ten Internet-basierten HD-Fernsehdiensteshttp://www.FilmOn.com, hat eine Partnerschaft mit XOS Digital, dem f?hrenden Provider von Content-Management-Redaktionssysteml?sungen f?r Colleges und professionelle Sportorganisationen bekannt gegeben. Die Partnerschaft wird zwei neue erstklassige College Sport-Networks f?r FilmOn ins Leben rufen.

"Wir sind h?chst begeistert dar?ber, unserem Sportangebot nunmehr auch NCAA Spiele hinzuzuf?gen. Die Liste wird Football und Basketball der laufenden Saison und Archiv-Spiele in den FilmOn College-Sport Networks anbieten", sagte Gr?nder und Gesch?ftsf?hrer Alki David.

"Fr?her in diesem Jahr starteten wir den ersten Internet-Fu?ballkanal zusammen mit der britischen UK Premiership und der Football Association. Wir erkennen den fantastischen Wert des Sports im Online-Fernsehen, und wir werden 2012 weiterhin wachsende Angebote mit hochaktuellem Sport Live zur Verf?gung stellen. Das beginnt jede Woche mit russischem Live-Fu?ball der russischen Premier League. Wir konkurrieren direkt mit den f?hrenden Sportprogrammen der Branche und schaffen neue Paradigmen im Internet-Fernsehmarkt."

?ber FilmOn.com Inc.

FilmOn.com wurde durch den Medienmogul Alki David als eine Bezahlfernsehplattform mit hochdefiniertem HD IPTV-Streaming f?r Computer, Tablets und mobile Ger?te, einschlie?lich Roku und andere Set Top Boxes gegr?ndet. FilmOn bietet auch schl?sselfertige Internetprovider-L?sungen in der Content- und Technologie-Markenbildung.

FilmO.com Plc. ist ein in Frankfurt ans?ssiges Unternehmen (Firmensymbol ist FMX), betrieben durch US- und britische Managementteams mit B?ros in Beverly Hills und London und mit Datenzentren in Los Angeles, New York, Amsterdam und Genf.

?ber XOS Digital, Inc.

{ut} Gegr?ndet 1999, ist XOS Digital der f?hrende Provider digitaler Aktivmanagementl?sungen f?r Hochschul- und professionelle Sportorganisationen. Offizielle Pers?nlichkeiten der beteiligten Organisationen, Liga-B?ros, Trainings-Expertenst?be und Athletik-Abteilungen verlassen sich auf das Produktangebot und auf Dienste von XOS, um ihre digitalen Aktivposten zu managen, zu analysieren, zu archivieren, zu verteilen, zu sch?tzen und zu Geld zu machen.

Photos/Multimedia?Galerie verf?gbar: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50116471&lang=de

Die Ausgangssprache, in der der?Originaltext ver?ffentlicht wird, ist die offizielle und autorisierte Version. ?bersetzungen werden?zur besseren Verst?ndigung?mitgeliefert.?Nur die Sprachversion, die im Original ver?ffentlicht wurde, ist rechtsg?ltig. Gleichen Sie deshalb ?bersetzungen mit?der originalen Sprachversion der Ver?ffentlichung ab.

Source: http://feeds.businesswire.com/click.phdo?i=e3ff9c2398cf4dab5485457d25c66680

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Sale - Squirrel Art Watercolor Print Chipmunk Grandpa Winter for Kids Woodland Animal 10"x10" Christmas Gift Under 25 USD

10"x10" Watercolor Archival Print on 100% Cotton Paper Chubby Grandpa Wild Creature Walking on a Rainy Spring Day By Laberge on Etsy

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Source: http://www.etsy.com/listing/81330554/sale-squirrel-art-watercolor-print

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

(Dec 22) Lenox Solitaire Platinum China Service For 12, Serving Pieces

Do You Have Questions?
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The nation's weather (AP)

The nation's most active weather feature Sunday will be prompted by a low pressure system moving over the Gulf of Mexico. This storm will produce widespread rain from eastern Texas through Alabama. A mix of rain and snow cannot be ruled out in the cold air over and eastern New Mexico in the afternoon and evening.

Elsewhere, a Pacific storm will slam into the Northwest sometime Sunday afternoon or evening, producing rain and high-elevation snow in what has been a very dry month for the West Coast. This precipitation will struggle to make its way into the intermountain West, but a few snow showers are possible in Idaho into Monday.

In the East, a cold storm will move into the upper Midwest and Northeast, but it won't be a rainmaker. Instead, it will act to cool temperatures to below normal into Monday though some snow in the region can't be ruled out.

Temperatures in the Northeast will rise into the 20s and 30s, while the Southeast will see 60s and 70s. Readings in the upper Midwest will rise into the 30s and 40s, while the Northwest will see temperatures in the 30s and 40s. The Southwest will rise into the 60s and some 70s.

Temperatures in the lower 48 states Saturday ranged from a morning low of minus 20 degrees in West Yellowstone, Montana, to a high of 82 degrees in Tampa, Fla.

___

Online:

Weather Underground: http://www.wunderground.com

National Weather Service: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov

Intellicast: http://www.intellicast.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111225/ap_on_re_us/us_weatherpage_weather

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Monday, December 26, 2011

Russian billionaire completes Monaco takeover

Associated Press Sports

updated 4:25 p.m. ET Dec. 23, 2011

MONACO (AP) -Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev completed his takeover of Monaco on Friday and promised to invest a minimum of ?100 million ($130 million) in the struggling club over the next four years.

Monaco announced on its website that Rybolovlev's company Monaco Sport Invest (MSI) had become majority shareholder with 66.67 percent.

"I think this club has enormous potential," Rybolovlev said of the seven-time French champion which is currently bottom of the second tier with one win in 18 games.

"I hope that it will be able to realize that potential fully and completely, at both national and European level."

Rybolovlev is among the world's 100 richest people with a net worth estimated at $9.5 billion. He made his money in fertilizer products.

Rybolovlev bought U.S. businessman Donald Trump's Palm Beach mansion for $100 million in 2008, and his 22-year-old daughter recently purchased a New York apartment that was listed at $88 million.

The new owner has a huge task to revive Monaco's fortunes. The club won the last of its French league titles in 2000 and was Champions League runner-up in 2004, losing to Jose Mourinho's Porto.

An 18th-place finish last season saw the club lose its place in the top flight and Rybolovlev may have to start spending straight away with Monaco now in danger of a second straight relegation.

"I am a fervent football fan," Rybolovlev said. "Having lived long enough in Monaco, I realize that AS Monaco isn't just one of the principality's sporting teams, but also represents one of the principal symbols of the principality, its pride and its traditions."

Rybolovlev has been elected president of the board of directors. He is joined on the board by five representatives of MSI and three members of l'Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club, which has kept 33 percent of the shares.

Prince Albert of Monaco, who takes a keen interest in the running of the club and regularly attends games at Stade Louis II, said he was hopeful Rybolovlev was the right man to turn Monaco around.

"The agreement that has been reached opens a new page in the history of a football team that is so dear to the principality, and that I hope will progressively regain the position which in the past made it one of the jewels of sporting life in Monaco."

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Tanier: Brees already belongs among all-time greats

Saints QB under the radar, but he's Hall of Famer even if he quits today

Image: BreesGetty Images

Everyone seems to overlook Drew Brees as being a product of today's pass-happy game, but he's a legitimate Hall of Famer, NBCSports.com contributor Mike Tanier writes.

updated 4:22 p.m. ET Dec. 25, 2011

Mike Tanier

If you have felt underappreciated during the holiday season, remember that it could be worse. You could be Drew Brees.

Brees is just 304 yards shy of Dan Marino?s single-season passing record of 5,084 yards, meaning that he might break the record by the fourth quarter of Monday night?s game against the Falcons. Ho-hum, you say: Passing records fall every season. Except that Marino?s standard has held for 27 years, and only one other quarterback has ever surpassed 5,000 yards: None other than Brees, who threw for 5,069 yards in 2008.

Brees? pursuit of Marino?s milestone has gotten the ?oh, by the way? treatment from some outlets, while a few analysts cared just enough to give Bress the Roger Maris brush-off. ?Brees' record will be severely watered down. So much so, that it almost deserves an asterisk," wrote Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com, alluding to today?s liberal passing rules and strategies.

Last week, Brees became the 13th quarterback in NFL history to surpass 40,000 career passing yards. You might have missed the fanfare and the parade: The story got buried in the stats ?n? notes section of most sports sections outside of Louisiana. Brees will pass Johnny Unitas on the all-time yardage list before breaking Marino?s record, and he could also pass Joe Montana by season?s end. It?s not clear what punctuation marks he must use as apologies for passing those legends: Maybe an ampersand and a pound sign, harsh symbols for our ?severely watered down? times.

When not cruising past Marino, Unitas, and Montana, Brees is being a solid citizen about his contract situation. He becomes a free agent in March, but negotiations on a new deal have been tabled until the offseason. Saints president Mickey Loomis has praised Brees for not letting the slow/nonexistent negotiations become a distraction, but Loomis has not exactly sped things along, either. Apparently, things have become so severely watered down 31-year old all-time record holders just grow on trees.

Granted, Brees is getting some props: He is often mentioned as this year?s ?runner-up MVP,? and the Saints are quietly 11-3, in the playoffs, and in good position to wrap up the second seed in the NFC. But Brees deserves to be seen as more than a runner-up. He deserves a heck of a lot better than the asterisk treatment. Brees is a future Hall of Famer, and he should be acknowledged as one of the best quarterbacks, not just of this generation, but of any generation.

In good company
Yes, Brees is a Hall of Famer. He?s not a Hall of Famer if he wins another Super Bowl, or if he has three more good years, or if he breaks the right combination of records. He is a Hall of Famer even if he announces before kickoff Monday that he is giving up football for tiddlywinks. Brees is not ?on his way.? He is there.

Brees is about to be named to his sixth Pro Bowl and has led his team to a Super Bowl victory. Every eligible quarterback in history with six Pro Bowls and a ring has made the Hall of Fame. In fact, the only quarterback in history with six Pro Bowl selections who is not in the Hall of Fame is John Hadl, the Chargers legend who earned much of his all-star notice in the wild-and-woolly days of the early AFL. Brees? record blows away top Hall of Fame argument starters such as Ken Stabler (four Pro Bowls, one ring) and Ken Anderson (four Pro Bowls, zero rings). Brees fits much more comfortably among second-tier Hall members such as Dan Fouts (six Pro Bowls, zero rings) and Bobby Layne (five Pro Bowls, two rings), well above the Joe Namath-George Blanda class of quarterbacks who made the cut for other contributions. You can argue that multiple Pro Bowl appearances were harder for old-time quarterbacks to achieve, because careers were shorter, but Brees is only 31 years old, and we are giving him zero credit for what he might accomplish in the next decade.

Counting Super Bowls and all-star appearances is a rather simple-minded way of ranking quarterbacks. But we cannot use statistics, because Brees blows the field away. He has the highest career completion percentage in history of any quarterback with over 3,000 pass attempts. He is two touchdowns away from passing Montana for 10th on the all-time touchdown list. Brees, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are carving the record book up in unequal thirds, or at least all the parts of the record book that Favre didn?t shred by trying to play until the sun went nova. Give Brees five more modest seasons in the 3,000-yard, 20-touchdown range (and account for Brady's having similar production), and Brees will retire among the top five quarterbacks in every meaningful category. And despite our ?watered-down? times, Brees? totals will stick: Other than Brady, other quarterbacks in Brees? age group (Tony Romo, Eli Manning, and the like) are thousands of yards and many touchdowns behind.

Brees lacks an MVP award, but he has a shelf full of everything else: the Bert Bell Award, Offensive Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Super Bowl MVP and the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which acknowledges community service as well as on-field success. This is not the resume of a borderline Hall of Fame candidate; it is overwhelming evidence of greatness, a slam dunk that is only going to rattle backboards even harder after a few more seasons like the past five.


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PFT: Yes, Chicago has only an outside shot at the playoffs, but the last week has shown us anything is possible.

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

6 die in latest school bus accident in China

At least six people have been killed in the latest crash involving students in China when their overloaded van plunged off a mountain road, state media said Sunday.

The official Xinhua News Agency said an overloaded van taking 12 students home crashed into a 195-foot (60-meter) deep valley in southwest China on Saturday. It said the eight-seat van was carrying 14 people and the other eight, including six students, were all hurt.

The report did not give the ages of the students or the cause of the accident. Xinhua said the crash happened on a mountainous road in Yunnan province. A local government official confirmed the accident but would not give any details. A local news portal in Yunnan showed a picture of the van, with all its sides and roof crushed in.

Badly maintained school transport has been the focus of public anger in recent weeks after a series of accidents in which children were killed on their way to and from school, leading China's safety regulator to demand immediate action to improve safety aboard frequently overloaded and badly maintained school buses.

Earlier this month, a school bus taking primary students home slipped off a country road into an irrigation ditch in the eastern province of Jiangsu, killing 15 children. Officials later acknowledged the bus was overloaded.

In the worst recent accident, 19 children and two adults were killed last month when a nine-seat private kindergarten van packed with 62 students crashed head-on with a truck in northwest Gansu province.

The crashes came amid a national debate over the poor condition of Chinese school buses and chronic underfunding of public schools, particularly in rural areas, which have lagged far behind cities over the past three decades of rapid economic development.

Road safety is also a serious problem in China, with many accidents caused by poorly maintained roads and bad driving habits.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/24/2561148/6-die-in-latest-school-bus-accident.html

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Sports News: Ferguson backs Suarez decision

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has broken his silence over Luis Suarez's ban for allegedly racially abusing Patrice Evra.

The Liverpool striker was suspended for eight games and fined ?40,000 after being found guilty of using insulting words towards the United full-back, with reference to Evra's skin colour.

"Our support of Patrice was obvious right from the word go and that's still the same," said Ferguson, in comments reported by the Guardian. "The matter is over and I think we're satisfied that they [the Football Association's independent commission] found the right decision."

Liverpool responded with a strongly-worded statement in which they criticised the FA and claimed Evra should also face charges after he admitted insulting Suarez during the altercation, while their players wore T-shirts in support of the Uruguayan before their draw with Wigan.

Ferguson initially insisted he had "nothing to say" about the T-shirts, but implied the Reds should back down and accept the sanction.

He added: "This wasn't about Manchester United and Liverpool at all. It was nothing to do with that. This was an individual situation where one person was racially abused."

The Scot also drew parallels with Evra's four-game ban in 2008 following an incident involving Chelsea groundsman Sam Bethell.

"Patrice got that suspension for the incident down at Chelsea when no-one was there, just a groundsman and our fitness coach," he said.

"He got a four-match ban and we had to wait two weeks for the evidence to come through.

"We were quite astounded at that. A four-match ban? We thought it was well over the top for a trivial incident. But it happened and there's nothing you can do about it, you know."

Source: http://www.people.co.uk/sport/sports-news/2011/12/24/ferguson-backs-suarez-decision-102039-23657849/

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Friday, December 23, 2011

Second air drop for stricken Russian fishing ship (AP)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand ? A New Zealand air force cargo plane flew to Antarctica on Wednesday to drop sea pumps and hull patches to a leaking Russian fishing vessel, stuck in the frigid waters after hitting sea ice last week.

The vessel Sparta, with 32 crew in board, hit underwater ice Friday that tore a 1-foot (30-centimeter) hole in the hull and caused it to list at 13 degrees. Rescue ships, hampered by heavy sea ice, were still several days away from the Ross Sea shelf area of northern Antarctica where the stricken ship sits immobilized.

Maritime New Zealand, which is coordinating rescue attempts, said Wednesday this second air drop of vital pumps and patches will help the crew in their fight to keep the ship afloat after it was damaged below the waterline.

Search and rescue mission coordinator John Dickson said the crew's efforts over the past few days meant the vessel was now back on an even keel and "the crew only needs to resume pumping occasionally to keep ahead of the water ingress."

A New Zealand Defense Force C-130 plane was scheduled to drop the extra equipment, including patches for its torn hull, to the vessel later in the day.

Weather conditions in the area were reasonably good, with occasional snow showers and clouds, but were forecast to worsen Thursday, Dickson said.

The crew is made up of 15 Russians, 16 Indonesians and one Ukrainian, the agency said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111220/ap_on_re_as/as_new_zealand_stricken_ship

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The Culture Gabfest, ?Tinker Tailor Soldier Fry? Edition

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner ponder the mysteries of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and demonstrate the verbal tic known as ?vocal fry.? For their final segment, they are joined by Slate?s chairman Jacob Weisberg to discuss the legacy of essayist, literary critic, and Slate contributor Christopher Hitchens, who died last week at the age of 62.

Here are some links to the things we discussed this week:

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=e7787f6d5ed3d65f7dd714c5313c0796

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

First Earth-sized planets spotted

The planets may once have harboured conditions favourable to life

Astronomers have detected the first Earth-sized planets, which are orbiting a star similar to our own Sun.

In the distant past they may have been able to support life and one of them may have had conditions similar to our own planet - but they now lie outside their star's "habitable zone".

They have described their findings as the most important planets ever discovered outside our Solar System.

Details of the discovery are outlined in the journal Nature.

Dr Francois Fressin, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in Cambridge, US, who led the research, said that the discovery was the beginning of a "new era" of discovery of many more planets similar to our own.

Both of the newly discovered planets are now thought to be too hot to be capable of supporting life.

But according to Dr Fressin, the planets were once further from their star and cool enough for liquid water to exist on their surface, which is a necessary condition for life.

"We know that these two planets may have migrated closer to their Sun," he told BBC News. "(The larger of the two) might have been an Earth twin in the past. It has the same size as Earth and in the past it could have had the same temperature".

Rock and a hard place

One of the planets, named Kepler 20f, is almost exactly the size of the Earth. Kepler 20e is slightly smaller at 0.87 times the radius of Earth and is closer to its star than 20f.

Continue reading the main story

Kepler Space Telescope

  • Stares fixedly at a patch corresponding to 1/400th of the sky
  • Looks at more than 155,000 stars
  • Has so far found 2,326 candidate planets
  • Among them are 207 Earth-sized planets, 10 of which are in the "habitable zone" where liquid water can exist

They are both much closer to their star than the Earth is to the Sun and so they complete an orbit much more quickly: 20e circles its star in just six days, 20f completes an orbit in 20 days whereas the Earth takes a year.

Dr Fressin says that the planets' composition may be similar to Earth's with a third of it consisting of iron core and the remainder consisting of a silicate mantle. He also believes that the outer planet (Kepler 20f) may even have developed a thick, water vapour atmosphere.

The discovery is important because it is the first confirmation that planets the size of Earth and smaller exist outside our Solar System. It also shows that the Kepler Space Telescope is capable of detecting relatively small planets around stars that are thousands of light-years away.

The telescope has spotted more than 2,300 planet candidates, which must then be confirmed by other telescopes in space and back on Earth.

Of the 36 of these that have now been confirmed, only Kepler 20e is smaller than Earth.

Up until now, the most significant discovery, also by a group including Dr Fressin, was of a planet nearly two-and-a-half times the size of Earth that lay in the so-called "Goldilocks zone".

This is the region around a star where it is neither too hot, nor too cold, but just right for liquid water and therefore life to exist on the planet.

But Dr Fressin believes that the two new planets are a much more important discovery.

The telescope is scanning 150,000 stars and Professor Andrew Coates of the Mullard Space Science Laboratory in Surrey believes that they will soon find a planet that is not only the size of Earth, but is also in the Goldilocks zone - and perhaps even Earth-like in its composition and atmosphere.

"With every new discovery we're getting closer to the 'holy grail' of an Earth-like planet around a Sun-like star," he said.

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/science-environment-16268950

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Monday, December 19, 2011

Remembering Christopher Hitchens (The Week)

New York ? The vaunted intellectual and contrarian charmer has died at the age of 62 after battling esophageal cancer

On Thursday, prolific polemicist Christopher Hitchens died from complications of esophageal cancer. He was 62. A Vanity Fair contributing editor, Slate columnist, and regular essayist for The Atlantic, Hitchens was the author of numerous books, including the 2007 bestseller God Is Not Great. He was known for his sharp wit, avowed atheism, love of the drink, and contrarian stance on subjects ranging from Mother Theresa (against) to the Iraq war (for). Today, colleagues, friends, fellow writers, and world leaders are remembering the late great. Here, a sampling:

His editors
"He was a man of insatiable appetites ? for cigarettes, for scotch, for company, for great writing, and, above all, for conversation," says Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. "That he had an output to equal what he took in was the miracle in the man. You'd be hard-pressed to find a writer who could match the volume of exquisitely crafted columns, essays, articles, and books he produced over the past four decades."

SEE ALSO: The 'most expensive car crash in history': By the numbers

?

"Editing Christopher Hitchens... was the easiest job in journalism," says June Thomas at Slate. "He had a prodigious memory... Shortly after the news of Sen. Larry Craig's arrest in an airport men's room broke, Hitchens filed the piece that for me best exemplifies the breadth of his interests and the completeness of his recall ? it contained quotes from an obscure academic work, recollections of hilariously profane bathroom graffiti, remembered conversations with British politicians, and lines of satirical verse published decades earlier."

"Like his hero, Orwell, Christopher prized bravery above all other qualities ? and in particular the bravery required for unflinching honesty," says Benjamin Schwarz at The Atlantic. "This most intellectual of men valued intelligence, but valued courage far more ? or rather, he believed that true intellect was inseparable from courage."

SEE ALSO: The Korean apartments that look like exploding Twin Towers

?

His friends and contemporaries
"Lunch ? dinner, drinks, any occasion ? with Christopher always was [bracing]," says Christopher Buckley in The New Yorker. "One of our lunches, at Caf? Milano, the Rick's Caf? of Washington, began at 1 P.M., and ended at 11:30 P.M. At about nine o?clock (though my memory is somewhat hazy), he said, 'Should we order more food?' I somehow crawled home, where I remained under medical supervision for several weeks, packed in ice with a morphine drip. Christopher probably went home that night and wrote a biography of Orwell. His stamina was as epic as his erudition and wit."

"Goodbye, my beloved friend," says novelist Salman Rushdie via Twitter. "A great voice falls silent. A great heart stops."

SEE ALSO: Should the U.S. use foreign aid to promote gay rights?

?

He was the "finest orator of our time" and a "valiant fighter against all tyrants including God," says writer Richard Dawkins, a vocal atheist like Hitchens.

The press
"I knew Hitchens only by reading him. To read him was to be deeply impressed ? envious, if you were a writer yourself ? and at some point to have been deeply pissed off by him," says James Poniewozik at TIME. "Hitchens knew when to care greatly about the larger world, and when, therefore, not to give a rat's ass what the larger world thought of him. It's one thing for a writer to be principled, and it's one thing for a writer to be a jerk; it?s a rare thing to be a principled jerk, and that's what Hitchens was."

SEE ALSO: Queen Elizabeth's royal pay cut: By the numbers

?

"Religion, he wrote is 'violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism, tribalism, and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive towards children,'" says Roy Greenslade at The Guardian. "Thinking back to the 1970s, I can hear him saying that, with many adjectives and expletives thrown in for good measure. And that's how I wish to remember him."

"The world has lost one of its most outstanding and prolific journalists and a wonderful polemicist, orator and bon vivant," says George Eaton at New Statesman. "In his later years, Hitchens was fond of quoting his late mother's assertion that 'the one unforgivable sin is to be boring'. Today, as I realise I will never hear that resonant baritone again, that Hitchens' mighty pen is still, I feel certain in saying that the world has become a more boring place."

Politicians
"Christopher Hitchens was a complete one-off, an amazing mixture of writer, journalist, polemicist, and unique character," said former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. "He was fearless in the pursuit of truth and any cause in which he believed. And there was no belief he held that he did not advocate with passion, commitment and brilliance."

"Christopher Hitchens was everything a great essayist should be: infuriating, brilliant, highly provocative and yet intensely serious," says Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who interned for Hitchens years ago and was charged with fact-checking his articles. "He had a photographic memory and an encyclopedic mind," he recalls. "It was the easiest job I've ever done."

View this article on TheWeek.com
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    Sunday, December 18, 2011

    Jury begins deliberations in Mass. terror trial (AP)

    BOSTON ? A jury has begun deliberations in the trial of a Massachusetts man accused of conspiring to help al-Qaida.

    Tarek Mehanna, a 29-year-old American from Sudbury, is accused of traveling to Yemen to try to find a terrorist training camp with the intention of going to Iraq to fight against U.S. soldiers. Prosecutors say that when he was unable to find a camp, he returned home and began translating and distributing online materials promoting violent jihad.

    During closing arguments Friday, defense attorneys said that although Mehanna expressed anger about the U.S. invasion of Iraq, he never planned to go there to fight American soldiers. They said he wanted to study Islam and went to Yemen looking for religious schools.

    Prosecutors argued that Mehanna "was motivated by and inspired by" al-Qaida leaders.

    Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_re_us/us_massachusetts_terror_charge

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    Man United to face Ajax in Europa League

    By GRAHAM DUNBAR

    updated 7:53 a.m. ET Dec. 16, 2011

    NYON, Switzerland - Former European champions Manchester United and Ajax will meet in the last 32 of the Europa League.

    The two were drawn to face each other Friday.

    Defending champion FC Porto will take on Manchester City, while 2010 Europa League champion Atletico Madrid will face Lazio.

    In other matches, it's: Stoke vs. Valencia; Udinese vs. PAOK; and Locomotiv Moscow vs. Athletic Bilbao.

    The first legs will be played Feb. 16, with the return matches scheduled for Feb. 23.

    Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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    Broken leg for Villa

    David Villa broke his left leg, marring Barcelona's 4-0 victory over Qatar's Al-Sadd on Thursday night that advanced the European champions to the Club World Cup final against Brazil's Santos.

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    Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45695539/ns/sports-soccer/

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    Researchers demonstrate an almost noiseless nanomechanical microwave amplifier

    Thursday, December 15, 2011

    Physicists in Aalto University, Finland, have shown how a nanomechanical oscillator can be used for detection and amplification of feeble radio waves or microwaves. A measurement using such a tiny device, resembling a miniaturized guitar string, can be performed with the least possible disturbance. The results were recently published in the most prestigious scientific arena, the British journal Nature.

    The researchers cooled the nanomechanical oscillator, thousand times thinner than a human hair, down to a low temperature near the absolute zero at -273 centigrade. Under such extreme conditions, even nearly macroscopic sized objects follow the laws of quantum physics which often contradict common sense. In the Low Temperature Laboratory experiments, the nearly billion atoms comprising the nanomechanical resonator were oscillating in pace in their shared quantum state.

    The scientists had fabricated the device in contact with a superconducting cavity resonator, which exchanges energy with the nanomechanical resonator. This allowed amplification of their resonant motion. This is very similar to what happens in a guitar, where the string and the echo chamber resonate at the same frequency. Instead of the musician playing the guitar string, the energy source was provided by a microwave laser.

    Microwaves get amplified by interaction of quantum oscillations

    Researchers from the Low Temperature Laboratory, Aalto University, have shown how to detect and amplify electromagnetic signals almost noiselessly using a guitar-string like mechanical vibrating wire. In the ideal case the method adds only the minimum amount of noise required by quantum mechanics.

    The presently used semiconductor transistor amplifiers are complicated and noisy devices, and operate far away from a fundamental disturbance limit set by quantum physics. The Low Temperature Laboratory scientists showed that by taking advantage of the quantum resonant motion, injected microwave radiation can be amplified with little disturbance. The principle hence allows for detecting much weaker signals than usually.

    Any measurement method or device always adds some disturbance. Ideally, all the noise is due vacuum fluctuations predicted by quantum mechanics. In theory, our principle reaches this fundamental limit. In the experiment, we got very close to this limit, says Dr. Francesco Massel.

    The discovery was actually quite unexpected. We were aiming to cool the nanomechanical resonator down to its quantum ground state. The cooling should manifest as a weakening of a probing signal, which we observed. But when we slightly changed the frequency of the microwave laser, we saw the probing signal to strengthen enormously. We had created a nearly quantum limited microwave amplifier, says Academy Research Fellow Mika Sillanp?? who planned the project and made the measurements.

    Certain real-life applications will benefit from the better amplifier based on the new Aalto method, but reaching this stage requires more research effort. Most likely, the mechanical microwave amplifier will be first applied in related basic research, which will further expand our knowledge of the borderline between the everyday world and the quantum realm.

    According to Academy Research Fellow Tero Heikkil?, the beauty of the amplifier is in its simplicity: it consists of two coupled oscillators. Therefore, the same method can be realized in basically any media. By using a different structure of the cavity, one could detect terahertz radiation which would also be a major application.

    ###

    Aalto University: http://www.aalto.fi/en/

    Thanks to Aalto University for this article.

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

    This press release has been viewed 63 time(s).

    Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116057/Researchers_demonstrate_an_almost_noiseless_nanomechanical_microwave_amplifier

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    Saturday, December 17, 2011

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    Sales jump for books written by Hitchens

    FILE - Essayist Christopher Hitchens speaks during a debate on Iraq and the foreign policies of the United States and Britain, in this Sept. 14, 2005 file photo taken in New York. Vanity Fair reports Hitchens died on Thursday Dec. 15, 2011 at the age of 62 from complications of cancer of the esophagus his magazine. The magazine reports he died in the presence of friends at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. (AP Photo/Chad Rachman)

    FILE - Essayist Christopher Hitchens speaks during a debate on Iraq and the foreign policies of the United States and Britain, in this Sept. 14, 2005 file photo taken in New York. Vanity Fair reports Hitchens died on Thursday Dec. 15, 2011 at the age of 62 from complications of cancer of the esophagus his magazine. The magazine reports he died in the presence of friends at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. (AP Photo/Chad Rachman)

    NEW YORK (AP) ? Fans of Christopher Hitchens are doing more than mourning his death: They're buying his books.

    "Arguably," an essay collection released in September, and "God is Not Great," his 2007 best-seller, were both in the top 100 on Amazon.com as of Friday afternoon. Three of his books, including the memoir "Hitch-22," were in the top 6 on Amazon's list of "Movers and Shakers," the fastest sellers.

    Hitchens died Thursday at age 62 after an 18-month battle with cancer of the esophagus. He was known for his fiery and eloquent rhetoric, for his militant atheism and defiance of political category.

    Publisher Twelve Books announced Friday that a memoir about his illness he had been working on, "Mortality," would come out next year.

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-12-16-Books-Hitchens/id-6d349c06d641455e89c19ac2d3232742

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    Foo Fighters concert sets off volcanic activity detectors (Yahoo! News)

    New Zealand concert creates devastation unseen since The Scorpions rocked them like a hurricane

    Don't be alarmed if you feel the ground shaking ? that may just be a rock?concert in progress. Two different seismic stations in Auckland, New Zealand measured ground tremors consistent with?volcanic activity that actually originated from a?Foo Fighters concert a mile away.

    It is believed the vibrations were caused not by the Foo Fighters' music, but by the continued force of the estimated 50,000 attendees dancing and jumping. The vibrations were first picked up when the Foo Fighters' opening act,?Tenacious D, hit the stage, but didn't peak until the headliners played.?There were brief lulls in geologic activity in between?songs and sets.?The geological-level shaking ceased sometime around 11PM, when the concert ended.

    Certainly, ground tremors are no laughing matter for New Zealand???the country was devastated earlier this year when an?earthquake hit Christchurch. And Japan suffered an earthquake so severe this year that it?shifted the Earth's gravitational field. Thankfully, in terms of real destruction, the only ones who suffered from this concert were the ones in attendance who actually had to sit through an entire Foo Fighters concert (kidding, of course!).

    [Image credit:?NRK P3]

    Geonet via?Geekosystem

    This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca

    More from Tecca:

    Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/techblog/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20111216/tc_yblog_technews/foo-fighters-concert-sets-off-volcanic-activity-detectors

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    Friday, December 16, 2011

    Video: Joe Jonas and Community Cast stop by The Soup!

    Don?t forget to watch an all new?The Soup?tonight at 10pm! Watch Joel?s imagination run wild as he dreams up all sorts of crazy characters ? including his entire?Community?cast. Then, see all the SOUPER fun you can have on the go with the show?s new?iPhone app?commercial, featuring?Joe Jonas!   THE SOUP Wednesdays at 10pm EST on [...]

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    APNewsBreak: Man charged in attack on Simmons site (AP)

    LOS ANGELES ? A Connecticut man affiliated with a hacking group was arrested Tuesday on federal charges for an attack on a website belonging to Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, authorities said.

    Kevin Poe was indicted in Los Angeles on two counts: conspiracy and unauthorized impairment of a protected computer. Poe made his initial appearance in court in Hartford, Conn., and was released on $10,000 bond.

    If convicted of both charges, the Manchester man faces up to 15 years in prison. An email message left for deputy federal public defender Deirdre Murray was not immediately returned.

    Poe and others linked to the Anonymous hacking group conducted a "denial of service" attack over a five-day period last October against Simmons' computer systems, sending tens of thousands of electronic requests designed to overload the server and render www.GeneSimmons.com useless.

    Poe used a computer program favored by Anonymous that sends extremely large requests over a network in an attempt to overwhelm a target computer, according to the indictment.

    Authorities didn't say why Simmons was targeted, but he made comments against copyright infringement at a convention in Cannes, France, days before the cyber attack.

    No other arrests have been made.

    Anonymous' targets have included MasterCard, Visa and the Church of Scientology. The group has turned its focus to law enforcement, intelligence and military-related sites.

    Representatives for Simmons declined comment. The 62-year-old rocker was at a courthouse Tuesday for jury duty, according to his Twitter account.

    Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111214/ap_en_ce/us_cyber_attack_gene_simmons

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    Wednesday, December 7, 2011

    Do presidents really age faster than rest of us?

    FILE - This July 16, 1992 file photo shows then Democratic presidential nominee Gov. Bill Clinton shaking hands with supporters as he arrives at the Hotel Inter-Continental in New York. A new study shows that contrary to the idea that being president speeds up the aging process, many U.S. commanders in chief have lived longer than their peers. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, file)

    FILE - This July 16, 1992 file photo shows then Democratic presidential nominee Gov. Bill Clinton shaking hands with supporters as he arrives at the Hotel Inter-Continental in New York. A new study shows that contrary to the idea that being president speeds up the aging process, many U.S. commanders in chief have lived longer than their peers. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, file)

    FILE - This Jan. 19, 1999 file photo shows President Clinton giving his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill. A new study shows that contrary to the idea that being president speeds up the aging process, many U.S. commanders in chief have lived longer than their peers. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, file)

    FILE - This Aug. 3, 2000 photo shows then presidential candidate George W. Bush and his wife Laura giving a thumbs up to the crowd after making an acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in the First Union Center in Philadelphia. A new study shows that contrary to the idea that being president speeds up the aging process, many U.S. commanders in chief have lived longer than their peers. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, file)

    FILE - This Jan. 28, 2008 file photo shows President Bush delivering the State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington. A new study shows that contrary to the idea that being president speeds up the aging process, many U.S. commanders in chief have lived longer than their peers. (AP Photo/Tim Sloan, Pool)

    FILE - This Aug. 28, 2008 file photo shows Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., giving his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver. A new study shows that contrary to the idea that being president speeds up the aging process, many U.S. commanders in chief have lived longer than their peers. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)

    (AP) ? White House wannabes take note: Contrary to the idea that being president speeds up aging, a study shows that many U.S. commanders in chief have actually lived longer than their peers.

    Using life expectancy data for men the same age as presidents on their inauguration days, the study found that 23 of 34 presidents who died of natural causes lived several years longer than expected.

    The four former presidents still alive have already lived longer than predicted, or likely will because they're in good health, the study said.

    "The graying of hair and wrinkling of the skin seen in presidents while they're in office are normal elements of human aging," said study author S. Jay Olshansky, a researcher on aging at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

    Stress can speed up those two outward signs of aging, and it's possible that job stress has made some presidents appear to age quickly. But the study shows that doesn't mean being doomed to an early grave.

    "We don't actually know if they get more gray hair or more wrinkles" than other men their age. "But even if they did, we don't die of gray hair and wrinkles," Olshansky said.

    Given that most of the 43 men who have served as president have been college-educated, wealthy and had access to the best doctors, their long lives are actually not that surprising, he said.

    His study is published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

    The idea that presidents age quickly comes from casual observation and more studious assessments. Promoters of that idea include Dr. Michael Roizen, chairman of Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute and co-founder of RealAge, Inc. The "real age" concept suggests that age depends partly on lifestyle factors including stress and diet that either keep people young or prematurely age them. Roizen theorizes that presidents age twice as fast while in office.

    Roizen said Olshansky's study doesn't disprove that idea and only shows "that in order to run for president you tend to be incredibly healthy."

    Olshansky stands by his findings.

    The 34 presidents who died of natural causes were aged 73 on average at death, a few months less than Olshansky's' life expectancy estimate. But under the accelerated aging theory, their average age of death would have been 68, he said.

    The 23 presidents who lived longer than Olshansky's projections died at an average age of 78, 11 years later than under the accelerated aging theory.

    The four presidents who were assassinated ? Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy ? were aged 52 on average at death.

    The first eight presidents were almost 80 years old on average when they died, at a time when the average life expectancy for men was less than age 35.

    "It's absolutely extraordinary that they lived this long," Olshansky said.

    That includes John Adams, who died at 90; James Madison, 85; and Thomas Jefferson, 83.

    Ditto the last eight presidents who died ? seven lived longer than expected; Lyndon Johnson was the only one who didn't. He died of a heart attack at age 64, 10 years less than his projected life expectancy and five years less than his life expectancy with accelerated aging, Olshansky said.

    Among the more recent presidents, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford both died at 93. Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush are both 87.

    Olshansky has even done some projecting about 50-year-old President Barack Obama. Given his age when inaugurated, Obama's life expectancy would be 79, but Olshansky estimates that Obama will live to at least 82 because of his education, wealth and access to top-notch health care.

    ____

    Online:

    JAMA: http://www.jama.ama-assn.org

    ___

    AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-06-Presidents-Aging/id-00d5cba9ea5e4e4abeeb4f2b5ddf4420

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