Airports challenging FAA's planned tower shutdowns

CHICAGO (AP) -- Airport operators are mounting a legal challenge to the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to cut funding for 149 air traffic control towers, accusing the agency of violating federal law meant to ensure major changes at airports do not erode safety.

Several airports are now asking a federal court to halt the plan and compel the FAA to more carefully study the potential safety impact, said Carl Olson, director of the Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington, Ill. He warned that without a more cautious approach, lives will be put at risk by cuts that he contends are arbitrary and the result of reckless political brinkmanship in Washington.

"I think everybody's going to realize what the industry knows, and that is there is a razor thin margin of error in aviation and any diminishment of safety is going to have an immediate and cascading effect," Olson said in an interview Friday. "And all the talk to the contrary won't change that fact."

Olson's airport is among the latest to file a lawsuit this week with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington. The others are Spokane Airports in Washington state, and the operators of Florida airports in Naples, Ormond Beach and Punta Gorda. The court combined the suits into a single case Thursday.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said Friday that the agency could not comment on the pending litigation.

The agency's administrator, Michael Huerta, has stressed that safety remains the FAA's top priority even as it is forced by the budget cutting known as sequestration to trim $637 million for the rest of the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.

The FAA said it had no choice but to subject most of its 47,000 employees, including tower controllers, to periodic furloughs and to close air traffic facilities run by contractors at 149 small airports with lighter traffic. The first of those closures will happen April 7. Olson's airport is slated to lose its funding May 5.

The tower shutdowns will not mean that airports have to close. All pilots are required to know how to land at un-towered airports and to practice those procedures, which include communicating with other pilots over a shared radio frequency.

But airport directors, pilots and others in the aviation sector say stripping away an extra layer of safety during the most critical stages of flight will elevate risks and at the very least slow years of progress that made the U.S. aviation network the safest in the world.

Lawrence Krauter, director of Spokane International Airport, said he expects more airports and possibly trade associations to join the legal challenge. He said the tower closures amount to one of the most significant changes to the national air system's safety network in recent history and deserve to be studied carefully.

"No one's going to tell you ... that there aren't some contract towers out there that could be closed," Krauter said. "What we're saying is that we think that there needs to be a more reasoned and appropriate process."

Spokane's second and smaller airport, Felts Field, is set to lose its tower funding May 5. Like many of the airports losing funding, it has a busy flight school and serves the area's medical air evacuation operation in addition to handling private aircraft.

Local airport authorities have been scrambling to find the money to keep their towers running once the federal funding runs out. And several of the airport operators wrote to Huerta to ask that he halt the plans and detail exactly what study and review processes, if any, the FAA has carried out.

Olson said he's gotten no response and suspects that no substantive review has been conducted.

"We're not aware of any," Olson said. "There doesn't appear to be any consideration for the individual operations, safety or environmental consequences."

The lawsuits specifically mention the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires extensive review of any airport changes, as well as the Safety Management Systems protocols requiring thorough risk analysis that the FAA must carry out.

"That requirement is not excused" by the budget cuts, Olson said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/airports-suing-faa-over-planned-193151827.html

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Services growth suggests Britain might just skirt recession

By William Schomberg and Olesya Dmitracova

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's dominant services industry grew at its strongest pace in five months in January, a small boost to chances the country might narrowly skirt a new recession.

Output in the sector, which accounts for more than three quarters of the economy, rose 0.3 percent in January from December, the Office for National Statistics said on Thursday.

That was its best performance since August although the data can often prove volatile.

Separate surveys showing that house prices posted their first annual rise in more than a year and consumer confidence held steady, albeit a low levels, added to a picture of a slow and delicate recovery.

Jens Larsen, chief European economist at RBC Capital Markets, said the services data suggested zero growth in the economy in the first quarter.

That would mean Britain escapes a recession - as defined by two consecutive quarters of contraction - by the narrowest possible margin.

Other economists thought Britain's economy shrank in the January-March period, an embarrassment for the government which is sticking to its fiscal austerity push.

"Today's data wasn't a disaster, but is it good enough?" said Alan Clarke, economist at Scotiabank. "It's a close call but my feeling is a triple-dip recession is more likely than not."

Weak as it is, Britain's economy is not as fragile as some in Europe, according to forecasts from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released on Thursday. They showed Britain was set to outperform France and Italy, but not Germany, in the first two quarters of 2013.

SERVICES FIRM, FACTORIES STRUGGLE

Thursday's services data feeds into the ONS's calculation of gross domestic product. A first reading of GDP in the January-March period is due to be released on April 25.

On a year-on-year basis, services output was up 0.8 percent, the ONS said.

A separate Purchasing Managers' Index survey of Britain's services industry released earlier this month also showed the sector holding up.

Its performance contrasts with a weaker picture in manufacturing. Official data showed earlier that manufacturing output fell in January at the fastest pace since June.

Helping services in January was activity in the transport, storage and communications sector as well as in business services and finance. Cold weather and snowfall in the month held back trade at some smaller retailers and at pubs and bars.

Another long spell of cold weather in March could prove the factor that pushes Britain's economy into a new recession.

In the three months to the end of January, services output was down 0.2 percent compared with the three months to the end of October when the London Olympics boosted the economy.

Separately, the ONS reported that productivity across all sectors of the economy, as measured by output per hour, fell 0.5 percent in the fourth quarter compared with the third quarter.

That was the sixth successive decline in British productivity by that measure. Britain has seen rising employment but falling output per worker, which many economists say could reflect companies' desire to keep employees on their books while offering them lower wage growth, rather than firing them.

But some say the productivity numbers might be a sign of something more worrying.

"There is a growing focus on 'zombie' companies that are essentially being kept alive by low interest rates and banks' reluctance to write off loans," said Howard Archer at IHS Global Insight, adding that would prevent new firms from succeeding.

Unit wage costs rose 0.5 percent in the October-December period compared with the previous three months.

(Editing by Jeremy Gaunt.)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-services-output-rises-january-easing-recession-fears-093418366--business.html

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Green Throttle expands Atlas Controller support to any device running ICS and above

Green Throttle, a start-up focused on bringing quality console-level controllers to Android devices, is announcing wider device compatibility of its app and Atlas Controller. The controller can now be used on any Android device running ICS (4.0.3) or later, although Green Throttle recommends you use a device with video-out support in order to play on a larger screen. After its installed, Green Throttle Arena lets you play games with up to four players on your Android device with a much better experience than using a touch screen.

The app is free, but the Atlas Controller itself will set you back $39.95 stand-alone, or $49.95 with a bundled Micro USB charger and HDMI cable. If you want to play with a friend, a two controller bundle runs $89.99. If you'd like to check them out for yourself, you can grab the app from the Play Store link above, and see more about the controller and technology at the link below.

More: Green Throttle

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/K7or35Pr5CM/story01.htm

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FBI comes clean on top X-File: 'We never investigated' Hottel UFO memo

FBI

The FBI says a 1950 flying-saucer memo rates as the most popular file in its online document repository.

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

The FBI says it never followed up on the most popular file in its online reading room ? a one-page UFO memo that passes along a second- or third-hand report about flying saucers and alien passengers that were supposedly recovered in New Mexico.

The memo, dated March 22, 1950, has been viewed almost a million times over the past two years, the FBI said this week in a blog posting. It was written by Guy Hottel, who was the head of the FBI's field office in Washington at the time, and addressed to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

---

In the memo, Hottel discusses an account provided to an FBI agent ... that was attributed to an informant ... who purportedly heard from an Air Force investigator ... that "three so-called flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico."

"They were described as being circular in shape with raised centers, approximately 50 feet in diameter," the memo read. "Each one was occupied by three bodies of human shape but only three feet tall, dressed in metallic cloth of a very fine texture. Each body was bandaged in a manner similar to the blackout suits used by speed fliers and test pilots."

Hottel said he was told that the saucers' control systems might have been disrupted by interference from "a very high-powered radar set-up" that the government had in the area. But he admitted in the memo that "no further evaluation was attempted" by the informant, whose name is blacked out in the online document.

The Hottel memo has been in the public record since the 1970s, but it created a huge splash in 2011 when it was added to the FBI Vault, an online repository of public records. Here's how The Sun, a British tabloid, characterized the memo in a headline from those days: "Aliens Exist, Say Real-Life X-Files."

Monday's posting was written to counter such characterizations. The FBI denied that the memo constituted evidence for the existence of extraterrestrial spacecraft ? and?said Hottel's report was never taken all that seriously. Instead, it was considered "an unconfirmed report that the FBI never even followed up on."

The FBI said there was no reason to believe that the memo referred to another famous UFO saga, the purported discovery of a crashed alien spaceship in Roswell, N.M., in 1947. "The Hottel memo is dated nearly three years after the infamous events in Roswell," it said.?

July 9, 2008: NBC's Willie Geist has a little fun with New Mexico flying saucers to mark the anniversary of the 1947 Roswell UFO incident.

The bureau acknowledged that for a few years after the Roswell incident, Hoover followed up on an Air Force request by ordering his agents to verify any UFO sightings. "That practice ended in July 1950, four months after the Hottel memo, suggesting that our Washington Field Office didn't think enough of that flying saucer story to look into it," the posting said.

There's an alternate explanation for the Hottel memo that makes a lot more sense. Two years ago, when the memo was added to the Vault, paranormal investigator Ben Radford noted that the informant's story matched the description of a UFO hoax that was concocted by a man named Silas Newton. In 1950, Newton was telling tales about flying saucers that had crashed at a radar station near the Arizona-New Mexico border. Newton was later convicted of fraud, and died in 1972.

Ironically, there's a whole different section of the FBI Vault that's devoted to Newton, whom the bureau described as "a wealthy oil producer and con man." To get the story about the connections between Newton's tales and the Hottel memos, check out this thorough debunking on the Above Top Secret forum.

Even though the FBI says the memo "does not prove the existence of UFOs," it's not confirming the Silas Newton story, either. "Some people believe the memo repeats a hoax that was circulating at that time, but the Bureau's files have no information to verify that story," it said.

What do you think FBI Agent Fox Mulder would say? "The truth is out there"? Or "Trust no one"? Feel free to weigh in with your own verdict in the comment section below. ?

Update for 6:35 p.m.: Mark Allin, chief operating officer for The Above Network, says the truth is out there, in the form of the Above Top Secret analysis that I mentioned earlier. "The short story is, without a doubt, 'Case Closed,'" Allin said today in an email. "The memo is based on a hoax that was carried out by a convicted con man named Silas Newton, and it was debunked years ago. It's a pretty good and interesting hoax story, to be certain, but there is no value in it beyond that."

More about UFOs:

---

Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2a114e78/l/0Lcosmiclog0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C270C174894410Efbi0Ecomes0Eclean0Eon0Etop0Ex0Efile0Ewe0Enever0Einvestigated0Ehottel0Eufo0Ememo0Dlite/story01.htm

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Strap a Tiny Toolbox To Your Zipper With Gerber's Daily Carry Accessories

Gerber's long been a name associated with those big multitools you carry in a nylon pouch on your belt. But as the company works to expand its brand, it's started to think on a smaller scale with its new Gerber Daily Carry—or GDC—tools. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/0yU2IkQ9CHM/strap-a-tiny-toolbox-to-your-zipper-with-gerbers-daily-carry-accessories

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Delinquent Balances on Home Equity Lines Drop 28 Percent ...

According to Equifax's latest National Consumer Credit Trends Report, severe derogatory or charged-off balances, the bulk of student loan write-offs, for the first two months of the year hit $3 billion, an increase of more than 36 percent from same time a year ago ($1.9 billion) while balances in bankruptcy remained level at $0.5 billion.?In the home finance department, severely delinquent balances on home equity lines of credit declined 28 percent from February 2012 to February 2013, from $14 billion to less than $10 billion.?Severely delinquent balances on closed-end home equity loans declined 25 percent from February 2012 to February 2013, from $6.6 billion to $5 billion.?In that same time, severely delinquent balances on first mortgages declined 23 percent, from $490 billion to $375 billion. Sixty-five?percent of total severely delinquent balances on first mortgages are tied to loans opened from 2005-2007.?Similarly, 73 percent of delinquent balances on home equity lines of credit were opened in that same time period.

"Driven heavily by economic factors, including unemployed or under-employed consumers going back to school along with the rising cost of tuition, student lending has demonstrated consistent, year-over-year growth," said Equifax Chief Economist Amy Crews Cutts. "Continued weakness in labor markets is limiting work options once people graduate or quit their programs, leading to a steady rise in delinquencies and loan write-offs. Many policy options are being discussed regarding how to reduce some of the burden, including graduated payments that reflect the lower starting salaries of new graduates, and improve the performance of these loans."

Other changes in student loan characteristics from February 2012 to February 2013:

?Balances outstanding on student loans increased more than 14 percent, from $746.3 billion to $852.7 billion.

?The number of student loans outstanding increased nearly 13 percent, from 108 million to more than 123 million.

"Student loans are unique today in that they are the only major form of credit that is not rigorously underwritten on either a past credit-performance basis (such as using credit scores) or ability to pay based in income," said Crews Cutts.

?

Source: http://nationalmortgageprofessional.com/news35818/student-loans-highlighted-recent-equifax-report

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Sea hares outsmart peckish lobsters with sticky opaline

Public release date: 27-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Nicola Stead
nicola.stead@biologists.com
44-012-234-25525
The Company of Biologists

Sea hares are not the favourite food choice of many marine inhabitants, and it's easy to see why when you find out about the chemical weapons they employ when provoked namely, two unpalatable secretions, ink and opaline, which they squirt at unsuspecting peckish predators. However, while much is known about the consequences of purple ink secretion, how the whitish and viscous opaline outsmarts a potential predator remains unknown. Charles Derby from Georgia State University, USA, wondered whether opaline could decrease the activity of a predator's sensory system. Along with his colleagues Tiffany Love-Chezem and Juan Aggio, he set out to test the effect of opaline on spiny lobsters, which occasionally try to snack on sea hares. The investigating trio find that it is opaline's sticky nature, rather than the chemicals present in the opaline, that is responsible for plugging their sense of smell and published their results in The Journal of Experimental Biology at http://jeb.biologists.org.

To begin, they extracted the water-soluble fraction of opaline, and although this lacks the amino acids and other chemical attractants that make up opaline, it is nonetheless just as sticky and possesses the physical properties of opaline. The team then painted this sticky, water-soluble fraction onto the tips of the lobsters' antennules, which act as the lobster's 'nose' and are important for motivation and ability to feed upon smelling a delicious treat. The trio then presented them with tasty smelling 'shrimp juice' and measured electrical activity in both chemosensory and motor neurons. Unlike lobsters with clean, gunk-free antennules, the shrimp juice failed to whet the appetite of opaline-treated lobsters, with the response of chemosensory and motor neurons being significantly reduced.

The team next wondered whether the amino acids present in opaline could also dampen neuronal activity. Mixing together the five most prominent amino acids found in opaline, they again painted the antennules and tempted the lobsters with the scent of shrimp juice. This time, however, the neurons fired robustly in reaction to the delicious shrimpy aroma. When the amino acids were mixed with the sticky substance carboxymethylcellulose, the neuron reactions were again inhibited. Furthermore, carboxymethylcellulose alone also stopped neurons firing. So, it seems that stickiness is the key to blocking neurons and allowing the sea hare to escape as the lobster preens and cleans itself of the gungy opaline.

###

IF REPORTING ON THIS STORY, PLEASE MENTION THE JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY AS THE SOURCE AND, IF REPORTING ONLINE, PLEASE CARRY A LINK TO: http://jeb.biologists.org/content/216/8/1364.abstract

REFERENCE: Love-Chezem, T., Aggio, J. F. and Derby, C. D. (2013). Defense through sensory inactivation: sea hare ink reduces sensory and motor responses of spiny lobsters to food odors. J. Exp. Biol. 216, 1364-1372. .

This article is posted on this site to give advance access to other authorised media who may wish to report on this story. Full attribution is required, and if reporting online a link to jeb.biologists.com is also required. The story posted here is COPYRIGHTED. Therefore advance permission is required before any and every reproduction of each article in full. PLEASE CONTACT permissions@biologists.com

THIS ARTICLE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL WEDNESDAY, 27 March 2013, 18:00 HRS EDT (22:00 HRS GMT)

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 27-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Nicola Stead
nicola.stead@biologists.com
44-012-234-25525
The Company of Biologists

Sea hares are not the favourite food choice of many marine inhabitants, and it's easy to see why when you find out about the chemical weapons they employ when provoked namely, two unpalatable secretions, ink and opaline, which they squirt at unsuspecting peckish predators. However, while much is known about the consequences of purple ink secretion, how the whitish and viscous opaline outsmarts a potential predator remains unknown. Charles Derby from Georgia State University, USA, wondered whether opaline could decrease the activity of a predator's sensory system. Along with his colleagues Tiffany Love-Chezem and Juan Aggio, he set out to test the effect of opaline on spiny lobsters, which occasionally try to snack on sea hares. The investigating trio find that it is opaline's sticky nature, rather than the chemicals present in the opaline, that is responsible for plugging their sense of smell and published their results in The Journal of Experimental Biology at http://jeb.biologists.org.

To begin, they extracted the water-soluble fraction of opaline, and although this lacks the amino acids and other chemical attractants that make up opaline, it is nonetheless just as sticky and possesses the physical properties of opaline. The team then painted this sticky, water-soluble fraction onto the tips of the lobsters' antennules, which act as the lobster's 'nose' and are important for motivation and ability to feed upon smelling a delicious treat. The trio then presented them with tasty smelling 'shrimp juice' and measured electrical activity in both chemosensory and motor neurons. Unlike lobsters with clean, gunk-free antennules, the shrimp juice failed to whet the appetite of opaline-treated lobsters, with the response of chemosensory and motor neurons being significantly reduced.

The team next wondered whether the amino acids present in opaline could also dampen neuronal activity. Mixing together the five most prominent amino acids found in opaline, they again painted the antennules and tempted the lobsters with the scent of shrimp juice. This time, however, the neurons fired robustly in reaction to the delicious shrimpy aroma. When the amino acids were mixed with the sticky substance carboxymethylcellulose, the neuron reactions were again inhibited. Furthermore, carboxymethylcellulose alone also stopped neurons firing. So, it seems that stickiness is the key to blocking neurons and allowing the sea hare to escape as the lobster preens and cleans itself of the gungy opaline.

###

IF REPORTING ON THIS STORY, PLEASE MENTION THE JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY AS THE SOURCE AND, IF REPORTING ONLINE, PLEASE CARRY A LINK TO: http://jeb.biologists.org/content/216/8/1364.abstract

REFERENCE: Love-Chezem, T., Aggio, J. F. and Derby, C. D. (2013). Defense through sensory inactivation: sea hare ink reduces sensory and motor responses of spiny lobsters to food odors. J. Exp. Biol. 216, 1364-1372. .

This article is posted on this site to give advance access to other authorised media who may wish to report on this story. Full attribution is required, and if reporting online a link to jeb.biologists.com is also required. The story posted here is COPYRIGHTED. Therefore advance permission is required before any and every reproduction of each article in full. PLEASE CONTACT permissions@biologists.com

THIS ARTICLE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL WEDNESDAY, 27 March 2013, 18:00 HRS EDT (22:00 HRS GMT)

---

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?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/tcob-sho032013.php

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AGU: Voyager 1 has left the solar system, sudden changes in cosmic rays indicate

Public release date: 20-Mar-2013
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Contact: Peter Weiss
pweiss@agu.org
202-777-7507
American Geophysical Union

WASHINGTON Thirty-five years after its launch, Voyager 1 appears to have travelled beyond the influence of the Sun and exited the heliosphere, according to a new study appearing online today.

The heliosphere is a region of space dominated by the Sun and its wind of energetic particles, and which is thought to be enclosed, bubble-like, in the surrounding interstellar medium of gas and dust that pervades the Milky Way galaxy.

On August 25, 2012, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft measured drastic changes in radiation levels, more than 11 billion miles from the Sun. Anomalous cosmic rays, which are cosmic rays trapped in the outer heliosphere, all but vanished, dropping to less than 1 percent of previous amounts. At the same time, galactic cosmic rays cosmic radiation from outside of the solar system spiked to levels not seen since Voyager's launch, with intensities as much as twice previous levels.

The findings have been accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.

"Within just a few days, the heliospheric intensity of trapped radiation decreased, and the cosmic ray intensity went up as you would expect if it exited the heliosphere," said Bill Webber, professor emeritus of astronomy at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. He calls this transition boundary the "heliocliff."

In the GRL article, the authors state: "It appears that [Voyager 1] has exited the main solar modulation region, revealing [hydrogen] and [helium] spectra characteristic of those to be expected in the local interstellar medium."

However, Webber notes, scientists are continuing to debate whether Voyager 1 has reached interstellar space or entered a separate, undefined region beyond the solar system.

"It's outside the normal heliosphere, I would say that," Webber said. "We're in a new region. And everything we're measuring is different and exciting."

###

The work was funded by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Notes for Journalists

Journalists and members of the public can download a PDF copy of this accepted article by clicking on this link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/grl.50383/abstract

Or, you may order a copy of the final paper by emailing your request to Peter Weiss at pweiss@agu.org. Please provide your name, the name of your publication, and your phone number.

Neither the paper nor this press release are under embargo.

Title:

"Recent Voyager 1 Data Indicate that on August 25, 2012 at a Distance of 121.7 AU From the Sun, Sudden and Unprecedented Intensity Changes were Observed in Anomalous and Galactic Cosmic Rays"

Authors:

W.R. Webber: New Mexico State University, Department of Astronomy, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA;

F.B. McDonald: University of Maryland, Institute of Physical Science and Technology, College Park, Maryland, USA. (Deceased)

Contact information for the authors:

W.R. Webber, Email: bwebber@nmsu.edu , Telephone: (575) 646-2007

AGU Contacts:

Peter Weiss
+1 (202) 777-7507
pweiss@agu.org

Kate Ramsayer
+1 (202) 777-7524
kramsayer@agu.org

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 20-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Peter Weiss
pweiss@agu.org
202-777-7507
American Geophysical Union

WASHINGTON Thirty-five years after its launch, Voyager 1 appears to have travelled beyond the influence of the Sun and exited the heliosphere, according to a new study appearing online today.

The heliosphere is a region of space dominated by the Sun and its wind of energetic particles, and which is thought to be enclosed, bubble-like, in the surrounding interstellar medium of gas and dust that pervades the Milky Way galaxy.

On August 25, 2012, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft measured drastic changes in radiation levels, more than 11 billion miles from the Sun. Anomalous cosmic rays, which are cosmic rays trapped in the outer heliosphere, all but vanished, dropping to less than 1 percent of previous amounts. At the same time, galactic cosmic rays cosmic radiation from outside of the solar system spiked to levels not seen since Voyager's launch, with intensities as much as twice previous levels.

The findings have been accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.

"Within just a few days, the heliospheric intensity of trapped radiation decreased, and the cosmic ray intensity went up as you would expect if it exited the heliosphere," said Bill Webber, professor emeritus of astronomy at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. He calls this transition boundary the "heliocliff."

In the GRL article, the authors state: "It appears that [Voyager 1] has exited the main solar modulation region, revealing [hydrogen] and [helium] spectra characteristic of those to be expected in the local interstellar medium."

However, Webber notes, scientists are continuing to debate whether Voyager 1 has reached interstellar space or entered a separate, undefined region beyond the solar system.

"It's outside the normal heliosphere, I would say that," Webber said. "We're in a new region. And everything we're measuring is different and exciting."

###

The work was funded by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Notes for Journalists

Journalists and members of the public can download a PDF copy of this accepted article by clicking on this link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/grl.50383/abstract

Or, you may order a copy of the final paper by emailing your request to Peter Weiss at pweiss@agu.org. Please provide your name, the name of your publication, and your phone number.

Neither the paper nor this press release are under embargo.

Title:

"Recent Voyager 1 Data Indicate that on August 25, 2012 at a Distance of 121.7 AU From the Sun, Sudden and Unprecedented Intensity Changes were Observed in Anomalous and Galactic Cosmic Rays"

Authors:

W.R. Webber: New Mexico State University, Department of Astronomy, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA;

F.B. McDonald: University of Maryland, Institute of Physical Science and Technology, College Park, Maryland, USA. (Deceased)

Contact information for the authors:

W.R. Webber, Email: bwebber@nmsu.edu , Telephone: (575) 646-2007

AGU Contacts:

Peter Weiss
+1 (202) 777-7507
pweiss@agu.org

Kate Ramsayer
+1 (202) 777-7524
kramsayer@agu.org

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/agu-av1032013.php

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APNewsBreak: Andy Griffith widow to raze his home

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) ? The widow of actor Andy Griffith has gotten a permit to tear down the house where he lived for many years on the North Carolina waterfront, upsetting friends who had hoped it would be preserved as a museum or Graceland-type estate.

Cindi Griffith obtained the demolition permit Monday, according to Dare County records. County officials and friends confirmed the permit is to demolish a smaller house along the Roanoke Sound that Griffith bought in the 1950s, not the larger house that he and Cindi built nearby several years ago.

William Ivey Long, the Tony Award-winning costume designer whose parents were friends with Griffith and his first wife, Barbara, said Griffith told him in 2007 that he wanted to preserve the older home as a museum. The two discussed the possibility when Long had an exhibit of his costumes at the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, Long said.

"We compared notes," Long said in a phone interview from his studio in New York City. "I had to fit mine into an existing museum. I told him, if you're doing yours, you can make it however you want it."

Griffith, who died last July, was best known for playing the wise Sheriff Andy Taylor on "The Andy Griffith Show" and folksy lawyer Ben Matlock on "Matlock." He starred as the manipulative Lonesome Rhodes in the movie "A Face in the Crowd." One of his last roles was as a cranky diner owner in the movie "Waitress."

Griffith wanted the museum to include items from his TV shows, along with memorabilia from his music career, Long said. They didn't discuss whether it would compete with the Andy Griffith Museum in Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, Long said.

Cindi Griffith didn't return messages Wednesday. Her husband's will doesn't mention a museum or the property. The will ? dated May 3, 2012, two months before Griffith died ? turns over most of his property and estate to the trustee of a trust, whose records aren't public. The attorney for the will declined to comment.

The demolition contractor, Calvin Gibbs, also didn't return a call. It wasn't clear Wednesday if the demolition had begun.

Della Basnight of Manteo, whose family was friends with Griffith since she was a child, said she understood that Cindi Griffith had the right to do whatever she wanted with the property.

But concerning the demolition, Basnight said, "When he gave her the power to do anything, I don't think he thought she would want to do that."

Many of Griffith's older friends met him while they worked in "The Lost Colony," an outdoor drama that tells the story of the 1587 colony on the North Carolina coast that mysteriously disappeared.

Ira David Wood III, who is the show's executive director this summer, first worked at "The Lost Colony" in 1968. He recalled going to Griffith's house and taking a pontoon boat to a sandbar where Griffith and his guests played volleyball for hours. "He hated to lose, and he did cheat," Wood said, laughing at the fond memory.

He said he was shocked to learn the house would be demolished. "I always assumed the property would be eventually preserved and opened to the public," Wood said, saying he thought it might be maintained like Elvis Presley's property Graceland in Memphis, Tenn. Just as Presley is buried at Graceland, Griffith is buried on the large piece of property he owned on the North Carolina coast. It was not immediately clear how far Griffith's grave is from his older house or the newer one.

"I imagine Cindi has her reasons, and I don't pretend to know what they are," Wood said. "It's a beautiful bit of property with a lot of memories attached to it. I just hope they're not moving too fast."

Griffith bought the house the first time he had any real money and raised his two children there, Basnight said.

"I had really sort of always thought it would be secured," she said. "I always thought it would remain."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apnewsbreak-andy-griffith-widow-raze-home-195852092.html

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Adding dependency to Apple

Apple, given their history, is acutely aware of the pain that can result when their destiny depends on companies outside their control. Microsoft, Adobe, Google, Hollywood, AT&T, Nuance, and the list goes on. In yet another thoughtful piece on his blog, Hypercritical, John Siracusa argues that despite all this, Apple might do well to consider a few more dependencies.

An unfortunate side effect of doing everything yourself is that every other company starts to look like an enemy. Realistically, Apple can?t do everything?or can?t do everything well, anyway. Online services are only going to become more important with time, so it?s understandable that Apple wants to be the master of its own destiny in this area. But it needs to improve much more quickly if it wants to even remain competitive, let alone catch up to Google. Failing that, it needs to find some partners that aren?t mortal enemies. (I?m sure Marissa Mayer would take Tim Cook?s call.)

It's an interesting quandary. Apple ultimately suffered from their partnerships with Microsoft, Google, and Samsung. In essence, they taught their partners how to become their competitors. Apple is currently partnering with Nuance for Siri's voice detection, yet Google's in-house voice services are providing far better service. If Apple had voice in-house, would it be more competitive? Is Apple's lack of experience with services in general better served by partnerships or acquisitions?

Siricusa looks at the history and the current situation, and also at Samsung and Google, their dependencies, and how they compare and contrast with Apple's.

It's great to see Siracusa blogging more regularly again, and as usual, the whole article is a fascinating read. check it out.

Source: Hypercritical

(Along with Marco Arment and Casey Liss, John Siracusa is also podcasting about technology again. You can find their new show -- which has been excellent, so far -- at Accidental Tech Podcast)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/GckaNjAdnwU/story01.htm

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Gold and Silver Investing 101: Physical, ETF, Paper and More ...

GE Christenson:?You want to buy silver and gold. There is much to consider:

Have you ever wondered how billionaires continue to get RICHER, while the rest of the world is struggling?


"I study billionaires for a living. To be more specific, I study how these investors generate such huge and consistent profits in the stock markets -- year-in and year-out."

CLICK HERE to get your Free E-Book, ?The Little Black Book Of Billionaires Secrets?



• Physical metal or paper promises?
• From which supplier will you buy it? Price is not the only consideration.
• Where do you store it? Your sock drawer, a safe, insured and secure vault, or in another country?
• How do you sell it and when?
• IRS Rules

There is much to consider, and no single answer that works for everyone. For additional information on the reasons for gold and silver purchases, read these articles:?Why Buy Gold??and?Why Buy Silver?. Let?s begin.

Physical, ETF, or Paper?

Do you want actual physical silver and gold that you can hold in your hand? If you do, then buy coins or bars and skip ahead.

If you want to buy and sell easily without taking delivery of actual metal, then perhaps you should invest in an ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) for gold and silver. The fees are minimal; ETFs are convenient and good for frequent trading. The two most popular are the SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:GLD) and iShares Silver Trust (NYSEARCA:SLV). They are also criticized by many analysts, so I encourage you to also consider PHYS, PSLV, GTU, and others.

If you want paper, then buy options or futures contracts and be careful. When elephants fight, the grass gets trampled ? and most of us are merely grass in the world of futures trading.

You Want to Buy Physical Gold and Silver Coins and Bars. Good! Where?

There are many dealers who will sell over the internet and ship to your home or to a secure storage vault. Their prices will vary slightly and so will their terms for payment and delivery. See the partial list and brief comments at the end of this article to get started. There are many other fine dealers in addition to the few examples I have listed.

Storage

More important than where you buy is whether you will buy for delivery to your home, delivery to a secure domestic storage facility, or for delivery to a vault outside of the United States.

Your home?? Convenient and close but vulnerable to fire and theft. Your sock drawer is not recommended ? buy a safe, hide it, and tell very few.

Safe deposit box at local bank?? Secure, less convenient, probably not insured, and vulnerable to a search warrant, court order, and banking shutdown. Use a local bank, not a branch of a huge mega-bank.

Secure storage in the USA?? Very secure and safe but may not be close or convenient. Are you comfortable with such storage? If so, then this is an excellent choice. Choose a vault OUTSIDE the banking system.

International Storage?? You can store in commercial vaults in London, Canada, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and other locations. The IRS?MAY?want to be told what you are storing and its value if you are an American citizen and storing internationally. See?IRS Rules.

How Do you Sell Your Gold and Silver?

If you are buying for insurance against devaluing paper currencies, perhaps you intend to hold it for a long time or expect to will it to your family. In either case, don?t sell it.

If your gold and silver coins are in your possession, then you can sell via the internet or take them to a local coin store. Most companies that will sell to you via the Internet or a phone call will also buy back at a slight discount to sales price (they have to sell at a mark-up to stay in business). You can also sell on eBay or to private individuals. There probably will be tax implications, so consult with your tax advisor.

When to Sell Gold and Silver?

Again, there is no right answer for everyone. Some will argue that gold and silver are essential insurance against unbacked paper currencies and so should never be sold. Investors may want to hold until they see some large price, say $150 silver and $4,000 gold. Others wish to trade in and out, buying low and selling high. Your choice will help determine if you want paper silver, an ETF, coins, or bars, stored domestically or offshore. It is easy to sell paper or an ETF. It may be less convenient to sell coins and bars that you have stored in a safe deposit box. It probably will be easy to sell gold stored in Switzerland.

Jim Sinclair, legendary gold trader and investor, says buy ?fish lines? and sell ?rhino horns.? What he means is that markets, especially gold and silver markets, often move too far, too fast, both up and down. The down moves ? the fish lines ? scare out leveraged speculators and ?weak hands? and usually indicate good buy points for long-term investors. When leveraged speculators, hot money, and the public drive the market higher in a parabolic spike upward, the chart looks like a rhino horn, and that often indicates a good time to sell. There will be many more signals, but most of us are overwhelmed by greed and fear, especially panic, and we often miss the signals. In 1929 the ?signal? was to sell when shoeshine boys were giving stock tips. Something similar will happen at the next panic high in gold and silver, but that may be years away.

IRS Rules

The IRS has instituted new rules for United States taxpayers. We are now required to report holdings of foreign assets on form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets) and form TD F 90-22.1. Consult with your tax attorney and financial advisor, but the simple interpretation is this:

If you own financial assets in another country worth more than certain amounts,?usually?you must report these assets on form 8938 with your federal tax return and on form TD F 90-22.1 due June 30 of each year. It is wise to comply with IRS requirements as the penalties can be severe. There may be exceptions that your professional advisor can discuss, but these relatively new requirements may influence your choice of investments and their storage locations.

Alphabetical (partial) list of gold and silver vendors with brief comments on each.

Please do your own research before making a purchase.

APMEX?? Large gold and silver bullion and coins dealer operating out of Oklahoma. They maintain a sizeable inventory and will buy and sell online in several currencies with reasonable commissions. Apmex will ?lock-in? a purchase price online and accept a personal check in payment (with delayed delivery). If you wish, they will also arrange for?secure storage?with a subsidiary company and ship directly to that insured storage facility. Apmex will assist with the purchase of silver and gold for investment in your qualified IRA.

Bullion Vault?? Secure insured vault storage in London, Zurich, and New York for both gold and silver. Purchases can be arranged quickly and online in different currencies with low costs for storage and insurance. It is easy to sell or take delivery of your metals.

Global Gold?? Secure insured vault storage in Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Singapore for both gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. Purchases can be arranged quickly and online with low costs for storage and insurance. It is easy to sell or take delivery of your metals. Ownership is physical and fully allocated.

GoldMoney?? Secure insured storage in the UK, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Canada, and Singapore for both gold and silver. Purchases can be arranged quickly and online in different currencies with low costs for storage and insurance. It is easy to sell or take delivery of your metals.

GoldSilver.com?? Large gold and silver coin and bullion dealer operating out of California. They maintain a sizeable inventory and will buy and sell online with reasonable commissions. GoldSilver.com will arrange storage in Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, or the USA. You can easily sell your gold and silver holdings or take delivery. They also will assist with purchasing gold and silver coins and bullion for your retirement accounts. If you have time, watch their instructional videos.

Hard Assets Alliance?? This is a relatively new company that attempts to meet many needs including convenient gold and silver purchases with secure insured and allocated storage for gold and silver. Silver can be stored in the US but currently only gold can be stored offshore in several countries. Their downloadable information booklet states:

?Exempt from US reporting requirements.?As a domestic institution, GBI?s US customers are exempt from both the FBAR and Form 8938 filing requirements if offshore metal storage is elected.?

In some circumstances, this exemption from US reporting requirements may be important in your decision-making process.

Lear Capital?? Large gold and silver coin and bullion dealer operating out of California. They maintain a sizeable inventory and will buy and sell online with reasonable commissions. Lear Capital will assist with purchasing gold and silver coins and bullion for IRA and 401k retirement accounts.

Liberty Gold and Silver?? A smaller gold, silver, and platinum coin and bullion dealer operating out of Oregon. Liberty Gold and Silver will assist with purchasing gold and silver coins and bullion for IRA accounts and can arrange secure allocated storage in the USA, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and Singapore.

Perth Mint?? Located in Australia, the Perth Mint has been in business for over 100 years and is owned by the Government of Western Australia. The mint refines and produces a variety of products, special coins, and commemoratives in gold, silver, and platinum. The Mint receives over 70,000 visitors each year. You can purchase coins and bullion for delivery and arrange for allocated or pooled storage of your metals.

SilverSaver?? Secure insured storage in the USA for gold and silver. You can make convenient periodic purchases by direct withdrawal from your checking account. This allows for a signup and forget ?dollar-cost averaging? purchase plan. You can also take delivery of your gold and silver or easily sell it back to SilverSaver.

The Ultimate Gold Trust?? Gold can be purchased and held in Switzerland. This storage solution is recommended by Julian D. W. Phillips, a frequent commentator on gold and gold storage options. Read his latest article on the?safety of offshore storage.

This article is brought to you ?courtesy?of?GE Christenson?from?Deviant Investor.

NYSE:GLD, NYSE:SLV

Source: http://etfdailynews.com/2013/03/20/gold-and-silver-investing-101-physical-etf-paper-and-more/

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Disease threatens garden impatiens

Surprising scientists and horticulturalists, once-mild downy mildew disease has struck the popular blooms in 33 states

Surprising scientists and horticulturalists, once-mild downy mildew disease has struck the popular blooms in 33 states

By Susan Milius

Web edition: March 20, 2013

Enlarge

Impatiens downy mildew, a disease that has recently become more aggressive in the United States, can turn a lush floral display (left) into sad stalks just five weeks later.

Credit: Margery Daughtrey/Cornell

A puzzling plant disease may dethrone one of the most popular and reliable flowerbed plants in North America, the garden impatiens.

A relatively benign condition known as impatiens downy mildew has recently turned ugly, for reasons under debate. For decades, U.S. gardeners rarely noticed downy mildew on their impatiens. But in the last two years, the disease has ravaged flower beds in some of the more humid parts of the country. After rain or fog followed by balmy nights, the disease can turn a lush flower border into a straggle of bare stalks that eventually collapse and die.

In recent years, aggressive impatiens downy mildew has flared up during disease-friendly weather in parts of Europe, South Africa and Australia. But the United States hadn?t seen more than a few scattered reports until widespread outbreaks began in 2011. By the end of 2012, pathologists had confirmed the disease in 33 states and Washington, D.C.

Since weather affects outbreaks, it?s hard to predict what 2013 will bring. But impatiens downy mildew was already active in Florida when the year began, says plant pathologist Colleen Warfield of Ball Horticultural Company, a Chicago-based company that breeds and distributes plants, including impatiens.

The disease is unlikely to eradicate the plants, but in some areas of the country, the risk can change a gardener?s mind about what to plant. Impatiens downy mildew ?thrives in our coastal climate,? says plant pathologist Nancy Gregory of the University of Delaware cooperative extension program in Newark. In advice that would have been shocking a decade ago, she suggests gardeners skip impatiens unless willing to cope with the risk of an unsightly die-off.

In New York, another state that has seen two years of mildew, floriculturist Nora Catlin of Suffolk County frets over giving such advice. ?I hate to tell people not to plant a plant,? she says, but this may be an opportunity to try growing something new.

Preventing an outbreak would require diligent pesticide treatment several times a month on the supposedly easy-care impatiens. Once the disease shows up in a plant, there?s no cure.

The pathogen can waft along on air currents, swim and perhaps survive the winter in soil. Gregory warns landscapers in her hard-hit state that even if they?re careful, ?chances are someone down the block or around the corner could have some infected plant material that could spread to your nice clean garden full of impatiens.?

Ned Chapman, owner of Sunnyside Gardens in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., says he and most other growers he talks with have either stopped growing garden impatiens or cut back by 75 percent or so. (In 2007, the most recent year for which data are available, growers sold $134 million of impatiens at wholesale.)

In Oregon, the disease has appeared only sporadically, says plant pathologist Melodie Putnam, who directs the Oregon State University Plant Clinic in Corvallis. The state does not have the summer humidity that encourages the mildew?s quick spread.

One peculiar aspect of this outbreak is that the pathogen that is thought to cause the disease has been reported in North America since the 19th century. Called Plasmopara obducens, it?s one of the oomycetes, or water molds, a group that includes the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine and the one wreaking havoc in California and Oregon with sudden oak death.

Until recently, P. obducens seemed relatively mild mannered, says Marco Thines, an evolutionary biologist at the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Frankfurt who has studied oomycetes. Cells of the pathogen whip through a film of water by lashing their propeller-like flagella. They colonize plant tissues by punching through cell walls and, once inside, poking nutrient-harvesting nubbins against the cell membrane like fingers squeezing a balloon.

Downy mildews can often attack only a restricted range of species, says plant pathologist Phil Jennings of the United Kingdom?s Food and Environment Research Agency. P. obducens strikes garden impatiens, Impatiens walleriana, and some cousins. It doesn?t destroy a related blooming annual, the New Guinea impatiens, I. hawkeri.

Delving into the genetics of the pathogen may clarify how the disease has changed to become more virulent. What has been considered one species may actually be several, and some variant may have evolved into an alarming form.

?I don?t think this is our grandfather?s Plasmopera obducens,? says plant pathologist and former U.S. national mycologist Joe Bischoff of the American Nursery & Landscape Association.

Preliminary analyses show at least three distinct genetic groups within P. obducens populations, Warfield says. In the lab, all three ?are equally destructive,? she reports. Each can wreak havoc in at least come gardens, but whether they survive equally well in varied environments remains to be seen.

Garden impatiens may come in an array of colors, but all commercial varieties of Impatiens walleriana and interspecific hybrids with an I. walleriana parent are susceptible to the disease, Warfield says. ?Developing a downy mildew?resistant garden impatiens is likely to take many years, and it may not even look like the garden impatiens of today.?

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/349064/title/Disease_threatens_garden_impatiens

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The art and science of Feng Shui | INDIGOMEMOIRS

March 19, 2013

Today, on my way to home from the gym, I stopped by the flower stand next to the station and bought a fresh bouquet of peachy orange tulips for home.

Each time I use the tube to travel around London the space is packed with passengers, shopping bags, briefcases, baby strollers but never with flowers, besides the occasional romantic who buys a bouquet for his sweetheart or that day that everyone?s To-Do list signals buy flowers for mum on Mothers Day.

But the tulips I bought today are just for myself, or rather, for my work desk, sending me radiant energy while I write.

The mere fact that we reside on mother earth also makes us full time recipients of her energy.

Energy moves constantly, through wind and water, while the spaces where we reside, work or play act as traffic lights that regulate her movement.

Many of us feel frustrated when we waste time blocked in traffic or when hanging around, waiting for the next train on a delayed service; with energy is the same- how we arrange our interior space can either foster or hinder movement.

Positive, fluid and unimpeded energy is not only vital for our health but also as a tool that extends the reach of our goals? I chose orange for the tulips because its fire ignites my ideas into action.

Feng Shui is a method that canalizes the mass of energy into most appropriate individual use.

Its principles teach us that our house, or the space where we work from or return to after work either energizes us or drains us, because objects and their position foster or impede the fluidity of movement.

The underlying theory emanates from ancient Oriental philosophy, particularly rooted in Yin and Yang or the two forces that simultaneously oppose and complement each other, ultimately creating universal harmony.

We know that yin and yang maintains balance once the energy force or chi passes through the natural five-element cycle of tree, fire soil, metal and water freely.

Once we understand the five element cycle and chi?s progressive transformation we can then adapt it holistically and hone it to build a home that will increase the quality of our existence dramatically;

one will find that each room and the objects residing in it actively take on the role they intended to take in the first place.

For example yang energies combined by sharp, rectangular, glass and metal pieces ideally suit an office space that in turn is especially energized when combined by a fiery element, such as orange tulips.

Moving on to the kitchen: wooden surfaces and earthenware create a sense of motherly groundness and add a loving touch to the food we prepare.

Sofas and armchairs made from soft natural materials in the living room bring a sense of yin, inviting us to calm down and unwind while the defined edges of white minimalist shelves implode our books with rapid dynamism.

The location where energy travels from also paints chi with distinctive qualities: East resonates with early spring while West, with late autumn.

Correspondingly, rooms and objects facing eastward take on active, yang quality while rooms and objects facing westward are introvert, calm or yin.

North, represented by an ivory white hue is creative and transformative while south, painted in purple, is social and pleasurable.

Last Thursday I went to the Conran shop to specifically choose a selection of Feng Shui-inspired pieces for the season ahead of us.

For someone who prefers minimalism, now is the best time to unleash its chi potential.

Thus we conclude the winter with objects that charge us with explosive energy that pave the path for a productive spring, a season that invites us to plant our seeds of labor into fertile soil.

As spring progresses, we can add green and blue details to transform the haphazard chi of minimalist surfaces into a continuous stream of stable energy.

If we choose soft materials for the interiors that make up the living room, then we add a spiritual and calming yin dimension.

I would choose a bold red ?thinking? chair to create a whirlpool of power in an otherwise serene setting.

Spring is the perfect time to fine tune or ?feng? tune our home.

Very few of us are awarded with the opportunity to build a Feng Shui space from scratch and yet many of us have been living at our home for such a long time that we?ve become oblivious of the bad energies that reside in it.

Feng Shui is the art and science of mindful living that once applied to our home, will project harmony to our work, relationships and wellbeing.

Tags: conran, feng shui, harmony, interiors, self improvement,

Source: http://www.indigomemoirs.com/2013/03/19/wind-and-water/

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SpaceX's Merlin 1D engine gets flight qualified, Musk expects launch this year (update)

It's been quite the eventful year for the team at SpaceX. A few weeks after sending a Dragon capsule to the International Space Station, Elon Musk's company announced that its Merlin 1D engine managed to snag flight qualification, thanks to 1,970 seconds of testing time at its McGregor, Texas facility. That adds up to more than 10 full mission durations. The engine scored a ratio of 4:1 for critical engine life parameters, well above the industry's 2:1 standard. SpaceX will waste little time in getting it off the ground -- Musk said the engine will be taking off this year, as part of a Falcon 9 flight.

Update: Now with more video.

Filed under: Science

Comments

Source: SpaceX

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/20/spacex-merlin/

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Diabetes, Eyesight, & Health - FRUGAL FITNESS

(NewsUSA) ? Diabetes is a serious disease that can affect many aspects of the body ? the heart and kidneys, blood circulation and even the eyes. In fact, diabetic eye disease increased in prevalence by 89 percent between 2000 and 2010 and is a leading cause of blindness among American adults. Despite this, vision care is often overlooked by people with diabetes as they work to manage the many other health problems the disease can cause.

According to a survey by the American Optometric Association, 55 percent of people are unaware that diabetic eye disease often has no visual signs or symptoms. Additionally, 44 percent of Americans don?t know that a person with diabetes should have a comprehensive eye exam once a year, including a retina (dilated) eye exam. Yet, these exams are the only way to diagnose serious eye diseases associated with diabetes at its early stage. Regular retina eye exams are critical for early detection and treatment of these progressive eye diseases that often begin without warning.

The longer a person has diabetes, the higher their risk for eye disease. Over time, diabetes may cause damage to the blood vessels in the back of the eye, known as diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to diabetic macular edema (DME). DME occurs when the damaged blood vessels leak fluid and cause swelling. Although symptoms are not always present, this swelling can cause blurred vision, double vision and patches in vision, which may appear as small black dots or lines ?floating? across the front of the eye.
Approximately 26 million Americans have diabetes and may be at risk for DME. More than 560,000 Americans have DME. Yet, approximately 55 percent are unaware that they have the disease. African Americans and Hispanics over the age of 40 are also at a higher risk for DME.

Prevent Vision Loss
* Getting an annual retina eye exam is the best way to help detect changes in vision
* Don?t wait ? make an appointment with a retina specialist today
* For more information about DME and tips for healthy vision, visit www.DiabetesEyeCheck.org.

?Stay Frugal & Fit My Friends!

Michael J. Schiemer B.S. CPT

CEO of FRUGAL FITNESS & Elite Cheapskate?

Certified Personal Trainer of RESULTS Private Fitness Boston, MA
Author of The Frugal Diet, The Frugal Workout, & Ultimate Fit Guides?
FRUGAL FITNESS TV??| ?Twitter??| ?Facebook??| ?FITNESS EBOOKS

Source: http://www.myfrugalfitness.com/2013/03/diabetes-eyesight-health.html

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