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Saturday, August 10, 2013

Homer United Methodist Church ? Pleasant Visit

Solstice Surprise Visit
In late June, I visited Homer United Methodist Church at the conclusion of a pleasant solstice weekend celebration with friends. There was a decided lack of parking, and I ended up parking on the grass. The visitor parking was full, having only a couple of parking spaces.

I was a bit confused about where to enter as there was no Main Entrance sign, but there were three entry points in the front of the church.

It was a beautiful June day but no one was greeting at the main outside door which remained closed. I waited for a preoccupied greeter inside who cheerfully greeted me with ?Are you a first time visitor?? These words cause first time guests to cringe as it?s a phrase that singles out and separates. All a greeter needs to say is ?Welcome! We?re glad you?re here.? I was asked to sign the guest book but I declined.Homer United Methodist Sanctuary & Pastor

Long Time, One Person
Inside the church the seating was very tight. Seats were located in the small balcony but the seating made it hard to see. A member led out a very long period of announcements culminating with the introduction of a North Carolina mission?s team. Unfortunately, no other welcome was extended to any other guests, of which there were many. After the announcements, the service followed the traditional form of Methodist liturgy. The church was beautiful inside, but a bit crowded for the 100 or so worshipers. This was a special Sunday for this church as it was Reverend Lisa Marie Talbott?s first Sunday with them as their new pastor. She was officially greeted by the church and a prayer was offered for her.

Music Most Pleasing
From the initial Introit music from their bell choir, to the four congregational hymns, to the choral special choral anthem, ?Love Lifted Me? by Maynard and friends, I could tell this church is blessed with great musical talent and love for music.

Good Sermon
Pastor Lisa?s sermon was titled ?That Small, Still Voice?, based on a poignant reminiscence of the emerging illness and ultimately death of a step-daughter. She?s a good speaker and it appears her sermons will be enjoyed by this congregation.

Unusual Serving of Communion
When it came time for the communion, Pastor Lisa and her husband Joe were the sole servers. It was a nice gesture, very personalizing, but significantly slowed the delivery of the communion to the congregation.

Although I was only spoken to by one other person, I could tell this was a warm and collegial congregation. Almost to a person, everyone went downstairs to the fellowship hall for refreshments and fellowship after the service. As I had a long drive ahead of me, I did not stay to partake.

A couple of men in safety vests could have done much to ease the parking congestion outside, and some minimal training on greeting guests might work some wonders. Most importantly, I would revisit this church on subsequent visits to Homer.

Source: http://community.adn.com/node/163695

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Monday, August 5, 2013

Nation Ford Falcons counting on air superiority this season

FORT MILL --?

With rising senior quarterback Dalton Helms under center, the Nation Ford Falcons will again be looking to air things out this fall.

The Falcons are trying to make it back to the playoffs for the third consecutive year after ending last year with a loss to North Augusta in the opening round of the 4A state playoffs.

Offensively, Nation Ford should be led again by Helms, who passed for 2,440 yards and 24 touchdowns last year.

Helms, who is in the midst of deciding between football and baseball once he gets to college in 2014, will have two key targets in senior Riley Hilton and sophomore Hank Tuipulotu when throwing the ball this year. Hilton and Tuipulotu will take the place of AK McCoy and Dijuan Ussery, both of whom the Falcons lost to graduation.

?We are progressing and working hard in the off season,? said head coach Michael Allen. ?We are going to have a different type of football team.?

One thing that Allen is referring to is the fact that when it comes to moving the ball on the ground, Nation Ford will have a running back by committee system. The Falcons also lost Daniel Jackson, who took the majority of the team?s carries over the past two seasons. to graduation.

?We are always going to try and establish the run and add a wrinkle here or there,? Allen said.

Allen will have more of an opportunity to manage the entire program as he has given more responsibility to his defensive coordinators and offensive coordinators.

?I will still have my eyes and ears on everything,? he said.

Allen said he is also looking forward to the new AstroTurf installation being installed on the Nation Ford field.

?It?s going to be a good change for us,? he said. ?The turf will have more benefits overall. It will be a nice change.?

Nation Ford kicks off its season Aug. 23 at Forestview High School. It will also be playing in the Battle of the Border scrimmage Aug. 17 at Fort Mill High School.

Source: http://www.fortmilltimes.com/2013/07/30/2852304/nation-ford-falcons-counting-on.html

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The Passionate Foodie: Rant: Making Food & Drink Taste Better

Wines with corks tend to taste better than wines with screw caps. If you placed the same exact wine into two bottles, one with a cork and the other with the screwcap, the wine with the cork will more likely be preferred by wine lovers. The explanation has nothing to do with the amount of oxygen that reaches the wine. The reason for the taste difference is not restricted to wine closures, but affects many different foods and drinks. ?

Here are a few examples of similar situations. Saying grace, a blessing, before dinner will tend to make the food taste better. Having someone else pour your cup of Sake, the custom of oshaku, tends to make it taste better. Selectively choosing which body part of a gingerbread man to eat first tends to make the cookie taste better.

What is the common element in all of these situations? These are but a few examples illustrative of a greater principle, showcasing the power of ritual.

"Rituals have a surprising degree of influence over how people experience what comes next."

In the July 17 edition of the journal?Psychological Science, Kathleen Vohs, Yajin Wang, Francesca Gino, and Michael I. Norton published the results of a study based on four experiments analyzing the effect of rituals on food and drink consumption. Their experiments involved items including chocolate, lemonade and carrots, though they believe their results extend to all types of food and drink.

They concluded that: "Rituals enhance consumption enjoyment due to the greater involvement they prompt in the experience." In addition, personal involvement in the specific ritual generally garners more enhanced pleasure than merely observing the ritual. That provides a fascinating insight into our eating and drinking habits, one which I believe has validity.

Removing a cork from a wine bottle is a long standing ritual, and people emotionally react to the pop of the cork once it is finally removed. Opening a screw cap lacks that same ritual, and thus the wine may not taste as good due to the lack of such ritual. There is less personal involvement in opening a screw cap. You could try to make the opening of a screw cap more ritualistic, but it might take time before people accept the validity of such a new ritual.

Taste does not contain only a sensory aspect. Part of our appreciation of the taste of food and drink is psychological. It is why eating and drinking with friends is usually better than doing it alone. It is why wine you drink on vacation can sometimes taste so much better than the same wine you later have at home. It seems logical then that rituals, which can build a deeper emotional connection, will make food and drink taste better. Such rituals involve you more closely to the entire experience, investing yourself deeper into everything. And rituals are often easy to do, requiring only a little time and effort.

What food and drink rituals do you perform? What is your favorite ritual?

Source: http://passionatefoodie.blogspot.com/2013/08/rant-making-food-drink-taste-better.html

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'Star Wars' Set In Tunisian Desert Threatened By Sand Dunes

PROVO, Utah ? Time may be running short for hardcore "Star Wars" fans to see the real-life set used to portray Anakin Skywalker's childhood home of Mos Espa on the planet Tatooine.

Brigham Young University planetary scientist Jani Radebaugh said new research shows a fast-moving sand dune is spilling onto streets of the set in the Tunisian desert and will eventually bury buildings.

The dune was measured at 20 feet tall and 300 feet wide in 2009, and it's been moving toward the set about 50 feet per year since 2002, she said. Research by her and two colleagues was recently published in the journal Geomorphology.

"In terms of geologic time scales, it's one of the fastest things we see happen, aside from lava flows and landslides," Radebaugh said. "You can compare it to some glaciers, but even most glaciers tend to move slower."

The set began attracting tourists in 1999 following release of "Episode 1: The Phantom Menace." Before that, fans had visited some of the 1970s-era sets of later episodes, which have since been overrun by dunes.

The set, a fictional spaceport left behind after filming at the request of Tunisian tourist officials, draws about 100,000 visitors annually.

Radebaugh said bulldozing the dune to save the set isn't an option because a larger dune follows behind. The most feasible plan to save the site would require moving everything 650 feet to the south, she added.

But it may be too late for a rescue because one dwelling and a pair of other structures already are partially buried.

"Sometimes we just have to move out of the way," Radebaugh said. "The sand people in Star Wars are nomads, right? Maybe they are nomads because the sand moves."

Ironically, she credits the Star Wars films for sparking her interest in planetary science. Radebaugh, an associate professor of geological sciences, usually teams up with NASA to study moons of Saturn and Jupiter. But a visit to Tunisia with other planetary scientists prompted the dune research.

"It's so fun to see geology in action," she said. "We live on a dynamic planet."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/04/star-wars-set-tunisian-desert_n_3704713.html

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Tony Clement gets into fight online with union

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OTTAWA - Many Canadians relaxed on what is an August long weekend for most, but instead of taking it easy in his Ontario cottage country riding, Treasury Board president Tony Clement got into an online spat with a public-sector union Saturday.

When Ontario's tourism minister took to Twitter to promote a news story about his plea to the federal government to settle with striking foreign service officers who have shut down some visa processing, Clement responded through the same social networking site.

"Where's your plea to the union?" Clement shot back, adding that he'd made a fair offer to strikers.

That's when the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) jumped in.

"If your offer is so fair, why have you refused to present it to an arbitrator without paralyzing preconditions?" PAFSO President Tim Edwards said via Twitter.

By then, Clement was fully engaged in a virtual sparring match over strikers' grievance that they're paid less than others who do similar work.

"Tim, let's sit down to resolve," Clement said. "My 'conditions' are reasonable, fair to everyone and allow us to do proper research on issues."

Saying he'd "heard that tune before," Edwards said he'd wait for a ruling on his accusation of bad-faith bargaining by the feds.

"I regret your intransigence," Clement tweeted, while also challenging postal worker Toni MacAfee.

She chastised Clement as a "bad employer" when he said foreign service officers are well paid and hold highly sought after jobs.

"What you just said is what all bad unionists say," he said in response, before the online chatter died down.

Source: http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/08/03/tony-clement-gets-into-fight-online-with-union

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Woods just ordinary, still up by 7 at Bridgestone

Fans celebrate with Tiger Woods, center, after Woods chipped in for birdie from off the 13th green during the third round of the Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013, at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Woods leads the tournament by seven shots at 15-under par. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Tiger Woods hits from the sand to the seventh green during the third round of the Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Tiger Woods reacts to an errant drive on the fourth hole during the third round of the Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Tiger Woods looks over his putt on the third hole during the third round of the Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Tiger Woods acknowledges applause from the gallery after a birdie on the first hole during the third round of the Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

AKRON, Ohio (AP) ? With an elite field chasing the lead, Tiger Woods decided to play keep-away.

Already up by a staggering seven shots through 36 holes thanks to a career-tying best of 61 in the second round, Woods shot a solid 2-under 68 on Saturday in the Bridgestone Invitational to maintain that same seven-stroke lead.

It was as if he was turning around and daring the world's best players to come after him. No one really could.

"You know, today was a day that I didn't quite have it," said Woods, who was at 15-under 195. "But I scored. And that's the name of the game, posting a number, and I did today. I grinded my way around that golf course."

Now he's only 18 holes away from making even more history in a career of historic accomplishments. He'll be competing against the record book as much as the elite field.

"It's kind of tough to pick up seven or eight shots on Tiger around here," said Henrik Stenson, a distant second after a 67. "It would take something spectacular on my behalf or any of the other guys around me, and obviously a very, very poor round for him."

Woods, by the way, is 41-2 when leading after 54 holes in a PGA Tour event.

A victory would be his eighth at Firestone Country Club and in the Bridgestone and its forerunner, the NEC Invitational. That would match the tour-record eight he already has at Bay Hill and the eight wins Sam Snead had at the Greater Greensboro Open.

Woods also could capture his 79th victory on the PGA Tour, drawing him within three of Snead's record of 82.

"I'll just go out there and execute my game plan," he said. "It all starts with what the weather is doing, and then I build it from there. We'll see what I do tomorrow."

Unlike in a second-round 61 that could easily have been a 59 or even lower, Woods didn't recover from all of his errant shots. He bogeyed the ninth, 14th and 16th holes, failing to bounce back from wayward shots.

Yet he still was good enough to put himself in position for yet another lopsided victory, one that will likely mark him as the player to beat next week in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

"Any time you can go into a major tournament or any tournament with a win under your belt, it's nice," Woods said. "It validates what you're working on and you have some nice momentum going in there."

Of course, Woods has failed to win his last 17 major championships. No longer is it a lock that, with 14, he'll surpass the mark of 18 by Jack Nicklaus.

Woods began the third round with a seven-shot lead after rounds of 66 and the career-best 61 ? the fourth time he has gone that low, also matching the tournament record originally set by Jose Maria Olazabal in 1990.

Jason Dufner was third, eight strokes back after a 67, and Luke Donald (68), Bill Haas (69) and Chris Wood (70) followed at 6 under.

Dufner said Firestone isn't all that unique because it is just one of a number of places where Woods dominates.

"Yeah, he has a pretty good track record here," he said. "There's quite a few events out here that he does really well. Torrey Pines comes to mind, Bay Hill comes to mind, the Memorial. So he obviously feels comfortable on those courses, and it's our job to try and chase him down if we can."

Defending champ Keegan Bradley, with a 71, was another shot back along with Miguel Angel Jimenez, who put up a 65. Rounding out the top 10 were 2011 Bridgestone winner and reigning Masters champ Adam Scott and Zach Johnson.

Woods has overwhelmed everyone in a glittering field that includes 48 of the top 50 players in the world ranking.

Much like he did a day earlier, Woods started out fast. He birdied the first two holes (he had also eagled No. 2 in the second round). He rolled in a 12-footer at No. 1 and then two-putted from 40 feet at No. 2, most likely causing the rest of the players to just shake their heads.

From there, however, he proved merely human. He parred the next six holes and then drove into the sheer face of a fairway bunker and took a bogey at the ninth hole.

He played the back nine 1-under par ? including yet another shot for the highlight reel.

At the par-4 13th, he airmailed his iron shot over the green and into heavy, grabby rough. But he got a sand wedge under the ball, popping it straight up. It landed on the green and rolled right to the pin, clanging off it and into the hole for birdie from 40 feet away.

"Certainly, it wasn't a shot I was trying to make. I was just trying to get it down there where I could get a par and get out of Dodge and dodge a bullet," he said. "It just happened to go in."

Of course, the ball often happens to just go in for Woods at World Golf Championship events like the Bridgestone.

He has won 17 times in 41 starts ? a success rate of 41 percent ? while finishing in the top 10 an amazing 32 times in WGC events.

At Firestone, he's had winning streaks of four (2005-09) and three (1999-2001), and also has a tie for second and two fourth-place finishes.

Woods looked back on his round and gave it a thumbs-up.

"It ended up being a dead push for the day," he said about hanging on to the same lead he began the day with. "That's not too bad, either."

Not too bad at all.

___

Follow Rusty Miller on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RustyMillerAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-08-03-GLF-Bridgestone-Invitational/id-abde35afa8174335b4be1bf1c1811997

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Considering Buying Commercial Real Estate? Read These Tips

Buying or selling your first commercial property isn?t as tough as it may seem. There are, however, a few things you need to know about a property before making any transaction. The information and tips from this article are offered in the hopes that they can help you gain success in the real estate market.

To prepare for any sizable investment in commercial real estate, investigate indicators of fiscal health around the property in question, such as average income levels for nearby residents, rates of employment and unemployment, and whether jobs in the area are rising or falling. If you?re house is close to a university, hospital, or large employment center, they sell quick and at increased values.

Be calm and patient when looking at commercial real estate. Do not be hasty about making a investment decision. If you buy a property that doesn?t meet your needs, you?ll sorely regret it. You should be prepared to wait an entire year before a worthy investment becomes available to you.

If you are looking to lease or rent, the issue of pest control is a critical one to address. This is especially true when renting in an area that has a lot of bugs or rodents, so be sure to talk to the rental agent about some pest control policies.

Residential property transactions are much less intricate and protracted than are commercial transactions. Keep in mind, though, that the complexity is required to ensure that your real estate investment gives you a high return.

Remember that buying a commercial property and everything that goes along with it can take a lot of time. Finding a good opportunity, going through the transaction and making any necessary repairs to the property takes time. You should never give up because it is time consuming. It will pay off in the long run.

You need to think over the community any commercial property is in before you commit to it. If the property is located in a prosperous area, your business is more likely to succeed because your potential customer base is going to be wealthier. If your business services will do better in a poor neighborhood, buy property there!

If you want to sell a property, advertise it locally and on a wider level too. A lot of sellers fall into the misconception that only the local buyers are interested parties in potential purchase. Some private investors will be interested in properties outside of their areas if the price is low.

As stated earlier, you will need to prepare yourself extensively before pursuing commercial real estate. The above advice should put you on the right track when it comes to working the real estate market efficiently.

Tagged as: commercial property, commercial real estate, pest control, real estate market

Source: http://www.tripsforkidssa.org/considering-buying-commercial-real-estate-read-these-tips-2

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Sunday, August 4, 2013

Browns give the ball to a 5-year-old cancer patient | ProFootballTalk

Cleveland Browns celebrate the fans, practice Aug, 3, 2013

Ryan Encinas had the best play of the Browns? scrimmage on Saturday, taking a handoff from quarterback Brandon Weeden, running behind a lead block from Trent Richardson, and rumbling for a 40-yard touchdown. And if Encinas is a player you hadn?t heard of before, that?s because it was his first time on a football field.

Encinas is a 5-year-old who was given the opportunity to take the field with the Browns thanks to the team?s work with the Littlest Heroes, a charity that helps families who have had a child diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Angela Bozic, Ryan?s mother, said it was a significant highlight for her son.

?My favorite part was when he asked one of the players to race him and he took off racing down the field,? she said. ?I don?t know if you can comprehend how amazing that is. This is a kid who underwent all that treatment, who suffered surgery that left him with half of a lung on his left side, who has undergone so much. It?s amazing.?

Encinas is making progress in recovery, but he still has at least three more years of regular tests before he?ll be out of the woods. He?s not enjoying a typical childhood, but he did get to enjoy something few kids experience, thanks to the Browns.

Here?s a video of the touchdown.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ObrNewswire/~3/3Kzb3VTrJYg/

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White House prospects mix at governor's meeting (The Arizona Republic)

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Man buried when tunnel on Ore. mountain collapses

In this undated photo provided by the Hood River County Sheriffs Office a hiker stands at the entrance to an ice tunnel that collapsed, trapping a snowboarder at Oregon's Mt. Hood Saturday Aug. 3, 2013. Rescue crews early Sunday morning will resume the search for a snowboarder who was trapped under the collapsing ice tunnel. The snowboarder has not been identified. He was traveling with five companions on Saturday afternoon when the tunnel collapsed. The five were uninjured and called police. (AP Photo/Hood River County Sheriffs Office)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) ? A snowboarder traveling through an ice tunnel on Oregon's Mount Hood with five companions was buried Saturday when the tunnel collapsed, officials said.

Rescuers quickly responded but halted efforts after dark Saturday night, and said they will resume the search around dawn Sunday.

The other five were uninjured in the collapse Saturday afternoon and called police. They also attempted to dig the man out, but were unable to break through thick snow and ice.

"They tried digging for an hour, but the problem is the stuff is so thick that they couldn't get through it," Hood River Sheriff's Office Sgt. Pete Hughes said. "We're getting chainsaws, if that's any indication."

Early reports from police incorrectly stated there were seven people in the group. The initial reports also referred to an avalanche, but it was not immediately clear if one had occurred.

The man was trapped on the White River Glacier, which begins about 6,000 feet up the south side of the mountain.

"It trapped one person in the tunnel, (but) we're not sure if he was the last one out or it just caught him," Hughes said. "It sounds like there's a significant amount of ice and snow that fell."

An airplane was dispatched to survey the area, along with crews from local sheriff's offices.

Seven rescuers, including five members of an all-volunteer group called the CragRats, were on the mountain on Saturday night.

Hughes said it will "take some doing" to reach the area where the snowboarder was buried. Companions took pictures of the area just before the tunnel collapsed, Hughes said, giving searchers a better idea of where to search.

Warm temperatures made snow on the mountain slushier and more easily sloughed off the surface, adding to the challenge of attempting to reach the snowboarder.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-08-04-Buried%20Climber-Mount%20Hood/id-c245054c1f324253ba75408c86a2710d

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What's the Deal with Windows 8.1?

ABOUT SCOTT

I'm a teacher. I speak all over to whoever will listen. I have written code that you've used. I've been blogging for over a decade and podcasting for about half that. I speak, code, write, empower, promote, braid, learn and listen - usually not in that order.

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NASA turns 55. What's next for the space agency?

Fifty-five years ago Monday, President Eisenhower signed the Space Act, authorizing the creation of NASA. Since then, the space agency has grown from its Sputnik-shaded beginnings to studying the full scope of the heavens. What will the next 55 years bring?

By Liz Fuller-Wright,?Correspondent / July 31, 2013

Information from three telescopes was combined to create this image of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way located about 160,000 light years from Earth. X-rays from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue) show hot regions created by these winds and shocks, while infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope (red) outline where the dust and cooler gas are found. The optical light from the 2.2-m Max-Planck-ESO telescope (yellow) in Chile shows where ultraviolet radiation from hot, young stars is causing gas in the nebula to glow.

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics/Reuters

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Fifty-six years ago, civilian pilots and military rocket scientists had little in common. And then, on October 7, 1957,?came Sputnik.

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Within a year, the?National Aeronautics and Space Administration?(NASA) began operations as a hastily cobbled-together mix of civilian aeronautics and military intercontinental ballistic missile research. Now, it's a federal agency examining the entire sweep of the sky.

From its hasty beginnings, NASA has flown 157 missions???86 still ongoing ??visiting almost every large heavenly body between the Sun and Pluto, monitoring Earth from space, peering into the heart of our galaxy's central black hole, and looking out to distant stars and galaxies. NASA has sent 301 astronauts into space, and is currently training another nine?who will soon fly.

We have a permanent human presence in orbit and 12 men have left footprints on the Moon. NASA's satellites have orbited Mercury, Venus, Earth, the Moon, Mars, the asteroid Vesta, Jupiter, and Saturn; flown by Uranus and Neptune; and another is en route to Pluto. NASA's telescopes are listening to every corner of the universe and looking at billions of stars; they have found hundreds of planets orbiting other stars, plus countless pulsars, black holes, supernovae, and more. NASA and its sister organizations around the world are examining the secrets of the universe, from tiny grains of space dust to dark matter to unthinkably enormous galaxies.

"The 20th?century was quite an amazing time for advances in science and technology, particularly in spaceflight," says Bill Barry, NASA's chief historian. Just 55 years before NASA's creation, in 1903, the Wright brothers flew the first airplane in Kitty Hawk, N.C. And now, 55 years later, we've visited the moon, "reconnoitered the solar system ? and revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos and our place in it," he says.

"Apollo, getting to the moon, developing industries and building infrastructure, exploring our solar system, the Earth, and the larger universe ? that's a pretty good list of accomplishments for 55 years," says Dr. Barry. "It's a pretty good investment for the chunk of money we spent in the '60s plus the maintenance-level investment we've made since then."

The price of exploration

Space spending in 1957 had amounted to around $35 million ($282 million in 2013 dollars), but Sputnik fears loosened federal purse strings. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration officially began its mission October 1, 1958, after President Dwight Eisenhower signed it into law on July 29. In its first year, NASA's budget was about 10 times the 1957 space budget, and it grew rapidly.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/T24XvrD_ox0/NASA-turns-55.-What-s-next-for-the-space-agency

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Latvian distiller owner tries to defuse boycott

RIGA, Latvia (AP) ? Many gay bars in North America have stopped selling the famous Stolichnaya vodka brand to protest Russia's crackdown on the gay community. But the vodka's maker has joined forces with Latvia's leading gay rights group to say that the boycott is misplaced.

Though Stolichnaya is an historic Russian brand and some of its ingredients come from Russia, virtually all of the Stoli sold in the west is made in Latvia, a former Soviet republic that is now part of NATO and the European Union. It's the perception that it's Russian that's prompted the boycott ? Russia recently introduced a law that bans so-called "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" and imposes hefty fines on those holding gay pride rallies.

The vodka is produced in Latvia by Latvijas Balzams, which has 600 employees and is one of the nation's biggest exporters. However, Latvijas Balzams is nearly 90 percent owned by Luxembourg-based SPI Group, which in turn is controlled by Yury Shefler, a Russian-born billionaire who left Russia a decade ago after falling out with the Kremlin over his support of opposition political parties.

SPI said it was "very optimistic" that there would be a breakthrough in talks with activists advocating the boycott.

"We have been active in setting the records straight ? that we stand on the same side and that we hate to be associated with the attitude and actions of the Russian government on this issue," SPI told The Associated Press in an email response Friday

And Mozaika, Latvia's homosexual rights group, appealed to organizers of the "Dump Stoli! Dump Russian Vodka!" to drop their campaign.

"This campaign will only harm Latvia, Latvia's economy and employees of the company Latvijas Balzams," Mozaika said in a statement Thursday.

Despite the boycott, Latvijas Balzams officials said the distillery saw no reason to consider decreasing Stolichnaya output in light of the boycott and that production of the vodka was up 10 percent in the first six months of the year.

As yet, there's no sign that the boycott will be called off. One group, Queer Nation, contended that SPI remained an appropriate target for a boycott.

"Though the company claims to be friend to our community, it was silent as the Russian government considered this horrific law, and it said nothing after the law was enacted," Queer Nation said in a statement. "Stolichnaya only spoke up after the boycott was announced. Friends do not keep silent when those they claim to value are under attack."

Queer Nation urged Mozaika to put pressure on SPI to take action in Russia seeking repeal of the legislation that's caused such outrage.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/latvian-distiller-owner-tries-defuse-boycott-170650467.html

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Exclusive: Christopher Nolan casts 'Game of Thrones' actor in 'Interstellar'

By Jeff Sneider

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.como) - British actor Elyes Gabel, who stars on ABC's "Body of Proof" and played Rakharo on HBO's "Game of Thrones," has landed a part in Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar," an individual familiar with the secretive project has told TheWrap.

Paramount, Warner Bros. and a representative for Nolan did not respond to a request for comment, though the three parties haven't confirmed any "Interstellar" casting to TheWrap.

He joins a jaw-dropping cast led by Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain.

The epic sci-fi movie also features Topher Grace, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck and Mackenzie Foy, as well as David Oyelowo, John Lithgow, Ellen Burstyn, Bill Irwin, David Gyasi and Timothee Chalamet, whose castings were first reported by TheWrap.

The hush-hush plot follows a heroic group of explorers who travel through a wormhole and into another dimension.

Nolan is producing with Emma Thomas and Lynda Obst. The start of production is hardly light years away.

Gabel recently appeared in Paramount's "World War Z" and the James McAvoy movie "Welcome to the Punch."

He's repped by Paradigm, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Troika.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-christopher-nolan-casts-game-thrones-actor-interstellar-234853145.html

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The Moto X Is Probably Getting a Cheaper Little Brother

The long-fabled Moto X has finally arrived, and even with less than top of the line specs, we're fans. The $200 on-contract price has been a bit of sticking point for folks who were hankering for a real bargain offering. But don't worry, there's something on the way.

Reexamining the Definition of Cancer

A viewpoint published in The Journal of the American Medical Association recommended refining the definition of cancer and reexamining how the disease is detected and treated. Laura Esserman, one of the authors, and Larry Norton, from Memorial Sloan-Kettering, discuss what a new definition would mean.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/08/02/208270038/reexamining-the-definition-of-cancer?ft=1&f=1007

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How 'junk DNA' can control cell development

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Researchers have confirmed that, far from being "junk," the 97 percent of human DNA that does not encode instructions for making proteins can play a significant role in controlling cell development. And in doing so, the researchers have unraveled a previously unknown mechanism for regulating the activity of genes, increasing our understanding of the way cells develop and opening the way to new possibilities for therapy.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/Nl4Q1Sm5SCo/130802101900.htm

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Saturday, August 3, 2013

No prison for woman whose baby died after she ate rat poison while ...

By Susan Guyett, Reuters

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana prosecutors have dropped murder and attempted feticide charges against an Indianapolis woman who tried to kill herself by eating rat poison near the end of her pregnancy.

Bei Bei Shuai, 36, was charged in March 2011 with knowingly killing a viable fetus, prosecutors said.

Shuai walked out of Marion County Superior Court in Indianapolis a free woman on Friday after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal recklessness for the death of her newborn daughter, Angel.

She had been released from prison on bond in May 2012. Under the plea agreement, she did not have to serve more jail time.

"I have to say thank you to everyone who supported me before because without them, I'm not going to be able to continue to today," Shuai told reporters in footage posted on the Indianapolis Star website.

Shuai consumed rat poison while 33 weeks' pregnant in December 2010, prosecutors said. She was taken to a hospital where she admitted to attempting to kill herself after her boyfriend left her, according to a police statement.

Shuai's baby girl, Angel Shuai, was born alive, but died a few days after being taken off life support.

Shuai is from China and has no family members in the United States, according to her lawyer, Linda Pence.

Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said his office had always been willing to resolve the case for lesser charges. Earlier proposed deals had been rejected by the defense.

Curry said decisions by the trial judge about what could and could not be entered into evidence at the trial played a role in the negotiations.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/03/19849310-no-prison-for-woman-whose-baby-died-after-she-ate-rat-poison-while-pregnant

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Grand Jury Probes Firm That Cleared Snowden (WSJ)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/323649444?client_source=feed&format=rss

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NYC Mayor Bloomberg: More NC, SC guns used in crimes

ROCK HILL, SC (WBTV)- Are guns from other states to blame for crimes in New York City?

According to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, that answer is yes and he says guns from both of the Carolinas are a major contributing factor.

?"Unfortunately it's very easy to carry a gun from one state to another and so we really do have an interest and what goes on in the rest of this country," said Mayor Bloomberg.

Mayor Bloomberg says 90% of guns used in crimes in the city's five boroughs come from out of state.

2011 statistics from Bloomberg's camp show Virginia, North and South Carolina as the top three sources for out-of-state guns.

"Despite all we do to keep our city safe, we're increasingly at the mercy of weak national gun laws and weak gun laws in other states," said Mayor Bloomberg.

One South Carolina gun dealer says he makes sure guns get into the right hands from his shop.

"If they're having problems with coming into their state, then they need to stop it at the border. It has nothing to do with the other states," Sportsman Inc. Owner Blair Wisher.

Wisher says he follows strict federal laws before selling guns, including performing national background checks.

Mayor Bloomberg is calling for other states to have tighter background checks, better reporting of lost or stolen guns and limiting the number of firearms a person can buy.

"It's pretty convenient for them to point the finger at someone else instead of pointing at themselves," said Wisher.

"To those who say stay out of our state, our answer is we'd love to. Just as soon as you stop letting guns seep into the black market land in the hands of criminals and be used to murder our citizens," said Mayor Bloomberg.

Mayor Bloomberg says there were more than 2,000 out of state guns used in crimes in New York City in 2011. That's a 4% increase from a year earlier.

Source: http://lincolncounty.wbtv.com/news/news/106022-nyc-mayor-bloomberg-more-nc-sc-guns-used-crimes

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