Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/267345900?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Friday, November 30, 2012
iPad Pinball Game Console - Headlines & Heroes
Arcade Fire
Between the Throwdown Bed and Brew Cave Walk-In Beer Cooler & Kegerator you?re running out of space in your pad. As much as you love the old school pinball machine you inherited from your frat house, something has to go. Fortunately, you can still get the same jollies from the iPad Pinball Game Console ($60.00) without giving up any real estate. The wireless controller features a spring-loaded plunger and flipper buttons that recreate the arcade experience with your iPad. You can tilt the screen to get the most pinball-friendly angle and the console also adds bump and tilt mechanisms during gameplay. The Duo Pinball works in conjunction with the free Pinball HD Collection app, which comes with 5 free pinball tables ? Play Wild West, The Deep, Snow, DaVinci, and Jungle Style, all stacked with rich audio and visuals. The only downside is that you can?t play flip cup on it or use it as an impromptu make out spot?but that?s what the Throwdown Bed is for.
Source: http://headlinesandheroes.com/gadgets/ipad-pinball-game-console/
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Video: How Mo. Powerball winner may have picked numbers
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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/50014757/
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YouTube Online Video Marketing - Sheer Social
You?ve shot the video and posted it to YouTube in hopes of ?informing people about your product, service, or event. Now that it?s published to the world, have you done everything needed to make sure that video gets views?? The second largest search engine in the world, there are millions of videos uploaded to YouTube already. How will yours stand out? Most don?t! So here?s nine YouTube online video marketing tips that will help your videos separate from the pack organically.
What does organically mean? It means without buying hits or views from those ?fake social media marketers? I mentioned previously. ?As a business or individual, you posted that video in hopes of reaching people that are genuinely interested in your content. Remember, you are not merely seeking hits, you?re aiming for product or service awareness, potential business leads and sales, or industry authority status, etc. ?Views or hits are just one way to initially measure whether your video has served its purpose.
1. Use proper keywords in your title, description, tags:? What words would people use to search for your content? These words are ?keywords.? ?Use product names, services, people?s names, etc. ?If your video is instructional use words like ??how-to? ?ways? ?tips? that also clue viewers into what they are about to see. It?s also best to use the main keyword first in your title.
Properly utilizing these keywords will increase the changes of your video being seen, not only on the YouTube platform, but also in Google search.
2. Add A Transcript: This might take some pre-production of your videos because it relies on the script or narration of your video. ?If there?s to be narration in your video, include keywords in the script. ?When you transcribe your videos, those keywords will be naturally included.? Below is an example of a YouTube transcription with listed time codes.
YouTube transcript/caption example
Unsure what keywords or phrases you should add to your script? Do a search on YouTube and see what your competition is using. Secondly, Use?Google?s Keyword Tool?to help you choose popular keywords and phrases related to your video.
Admittedly, transcribing your videos does take some extra work, but adding it to your YouTube videos will also increase its chances of being seen in search results. Need help to do the task? ?Enlist help of interns or online services like HireMyMom.com, TenBux.com, or Craigslist.com that will do the job inexpensively. ?The final product will need to be in a plain text file. ?To read more of what your transcript will need and how to upload it click HERE.
3. Embed In Your Blog/Website: ?Use the embed code provided by YouTube to embed your video into your website or blog. That may sound like common sense, but many leave their content on YouTube without thinking where else the video could strategically be used to increase visibility and views.
When embedding in your blog or website be sure to write key word rich text around it with a CALL TO ACTION such as ?watch?, ?see?, ?view,? ?or ?leave a comment.? ?Instruct site visitors exactly what you want them to do concerning your content.
4. Use Annotations: ?Got a series of videos? Use YouTube annotations to link to other YouTube videos or your channel. Annotations can be edited to pop up anytime while the video is playing and add an element of interactivity to your video. For example if there is a part 2 of your video or an alternative ending, use annotations in one video to draw viewers to the next one.
5. InVideo Programming:? This nifty and new tool introduced recently by YouTube allows you to feature a video ?picture-in-picture? style across all videos on your channel.? Once enabled you can feature a lesser viewed video within one that receives more views. Read more about it HERE.
6. Video Responses: See a video on YouTube that is related to yours and has lots of views and comments? That?s the kind you want to respond to. So choose one of your videos to do that. ?Once approved by that video uploader, your video will appear beneath theirs. This tactic can bring not only more awareness of your content, but also more views.
Videos that have 1 or less video responses are best to use because your response will be seen more prominently. Generally the first 2 responses are the most visible. ?Also, leave a text comment or even go the extra step and contact the uploader via the information provided.
7. Tweet, Post, and Pin It: ?This should go without saying, but I?m going to say it anyway! Share your videos on your social profiles, but don?t throw it up on your profiles all willy nilly. Be strategic! ?Find where the audience is for your content on Facebook, Twitter, bookmarking sites, and Pinterest then share it, not spam it!
Share your video within your online groups and forums where you have a presence. Share with the entire network or a few targeted individuals.
8. Create Playlists: Grouping your videos into a playlist helps improve your videos search engine optimization aka visibility in search. Again, when titling your playlist remember step 1 in using the appropriate keywords in describing your playlist.
9. Post Regularly: ?The more quality content you create the better according to YouTube?s algorithm. Consequently, you increase the chances your content will be seen and engaged with. Timely and fresh content is key to building an audience so think long term in developing your content, not short one hit wonders.
BONUS TIP Be Sheer, Be Social: Remember YouTube is not only a video hosting site, the second largest search engine on the internet, it?s also a social platform. Comment, respond to comments, like, share, and have an active presence there. Basically, ?do unto others? as the saying goes and it will be returned. ?Encouraging engagement, such as likes and comments. These actions increases your search rank, and thus your video?s visibility on the platform.
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Source: http://sheersocial.com/2012/11/28/youtube-online-video-marketing/
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Thursday, November 29, 2012
Protesters fill Tahrir as Egypt's President Morsi stands firm (+video)
Angry protests, with attacks on Muslim Brotherhood offices in some Egyptian cities, didn't convince President Mohamed Morsi to backtrack on the sweeping powers he awarded himself over the weekend.
Egyptian protesters attend an opposition rally on Tuesday in Tahrir Square in Cairo.
Khalil Hamra/AP
EnlargeTens of thousands of Egyptians packed into Cairo's Tahrir Square today to protest a move by President Mohamed Morsi to remove most checks on his power.
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In other cities, protesters clashed with the president's supporters, and broke into or set fire to the local headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood or its political party, the Freedom and Justice Party, in at least three cities.
The Tahrir demonstrations, the biggest since President Morsi took office, were a powerful rejection of the president's decision to sideline the judiciary, which had remained nearly the only check on his power. He already holds both executive and legislative authority.?
"This decision is unjust. It makes Morsi into anther dictator," says Rabab el Khatib, a doctoral student in economics, in Tahrir. She said the large turnout would force Morsi to retract the decision. "The Muslim Brotherhood must know that they are not the only ones in Egypt," she says, referring to the Islamist movement Morsi hails from. "The Egyptian people are much more than the Brotherhood. We are here, and we are strong, and we will not accept this decision."
Morsi has signaled that he won't back down, with a presidential spokesman insisting to reporters that the president's new powers are temporary and necessary to allow a constitution to be written and a parliament election.
Demonstrators reveled in the fact that they had achieved such high turnout without Islamist participation. Since Mubarak's fall, protests that do not include the Muslim Brotherhood have struggled to match the turnout of those promoted by the highly organized group. Tonight, vendors sold roasted sweet potatoes and koshari, an Egyptian pasta dish, to the crowds that included men, women, and children from across the spectrum of Egyptian society. Some said the protest reminded them of the days of the uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.?
Protesters repeated the same chant that became famous during those protests: "The people want the fall of the regime." Some demonstrators said they had one main demand: that the president revoke the constitutional declaration that expands his power. But others called for his ouster, changing the chant to "The people want the end of Morsi's rule."
Morsi issued a constitutional declaration last week that shields his decisions from judicial review until a new constitution is in place. He also declared that the committee drafting a new constitution is immune from court rulings that might dissolve it. The president says his decision was the only way to keep Egypt on the path toward stability, and emphasized that his powers are only temporary.
Protester Ahmed Salah, a lawyer, said the decree is an assault on judicial independence. He says it concentrates too much power in Morsi's hands.
"He will be worse than Mubarak, because he wants to use his power to benefit the Muslim Brotherhood and make sure they stay in power for 50 years," he says.
Some of those in the square voted for Morsi when he ran for president against Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister under Mubarak. Hisham Ali said he did so because he thought it was the only way to keep the revolution alive. Now, he says, Morsi has turned against the very essence of that uprising.?
"He has turned into a dictator, like the one we came here to get rid of," he says.?
Rumors spread in the crowded square that the minister of justice or the minister of interior had resigned, and protesters called friends to check the news, shouting into their phones to be heard above the din.?
Wary of being cast as as supporters of the old regime, others chanted slogans against the "feloul," a word that literally means "remnants" and has come to represent those who were a part of or supporters of Mubarak's regime.?
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The Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 3PM ET!
Today Joseph joins Myriam and Brad on the Engadget Mobile Podcast. We'll learn his thoughts, feelings and deepest desires -- or we'll discuss the latest in the world of cellular telephony. At least one of those two things will happen, but if you're lucky you'll get a little of both. Listen in, it'll be a hoot! (If it's not, we'll just blame Joseph.)
If you haven't already, make sure to login to Ustream before the show so you can participate in our chat room!
November 28, 2012 3:00 PM EST
Filed under: Announcements, Mobile
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/28/engadget-mobile-podcast-live/
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UN nuclear chief urges more cooperation from Iran
VIENNA (AP) ? The head of the U.N. nuclear agency says he cannot provide a "credible assurance" for Tehran's claims that all of its atomic activities are peaceful.
Speaking Thursday at a board meeting of the 35-country International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano also expressed concern over Iran's "activities" at Parchin, southeast of Tehran.
His experts want to visit the site amid suspicions that it was used for secret tests related to nuclear weapons developments. His language is diplomatic shorthand for an alleged cleanup at the site.
Iran denies any interest in nuclear weapons and says it never tried to develop them. It dismisses concerns that it is enriching uranium for possible use as the core of a warhead, saying it wants only to produce reactor fuel.
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Intramural Racquetball Tournament at the SRC
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Top Android Apps for Personal Finance - November 2012
Following on the heels of the Top iPhone Apps for November, 2012, I just put together my first monthly list of the Top Android Apps.
Each month, I'll be selecting three or four apps for managing money on Android devices to let you all know about the great variety of personal finance apps that are available. The apps will be highly rated by users in the Google Play store, and I'll tell you why these apps make it easier to manage your money on your Android device.
The top Android Apps for November, 2012 are:
- MoneyWise Pro, a beyond-basic personal finance app with great budget reports.
- Google Wallet, which takes that clump of credit cards out of your wallet and stores them along with debit and rewards cards. Tap your phone to a terminal at check out to use.
- Mileage Tracker uses GPS for real-time mileage tracking and has other great features for tracking mileage expenses, even for multiple vehicles.
Have you used any of these apps? Use the comments to let me know how you like them. (Please reserve comments for these three apps, do not pitch other apps. Thank you.)
Image: MoneyWise Pro Android app from Handy North
Source: http://financialsoft.about.com/b/2012/11/27/top-android-apps-for-personal-finance-november-2012.htm
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Hampton Roads' Small Business Saturday | WAVY.com | Hampton ...
HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) - Saturday was all about small businesses when Mom and Pop shops hoped to cash in on the holiday buying rush.
Green Life Adventure Sports in Norfolk had some shoppers who wanted to show their small business support.
?It?s nice to be able to come up here,? said Beth Studer. ?It?s five minutes away as opposed to Janaf or someplace like that. We can shop here and keep them open, that?s good.?
On High Street in Portsmouth, the local businesses depend on foot traffic, which was scarce on Saturday.
?More feet on the street, that?s what I was hoping for,? shop owner Kas Liffa told WAVY.com. ?I was hoping more people would come in. We had a few that have been coming in, that?s what I was hoping for.?
Owners hope to see more customers during the rest of the holiday shopping season.
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Source: http://www.wavy.com/dpp/holiday_guide/hampton-roads-small-business-saturday
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Tips on how to Keep A Long-Distance Relationship at College (or ...
Not really long distance, but distance in time
When you enter college, many of you are leaving behind your best friends, family and your relationships. Despite the heartache you know that comes with long distance relationships, you still want to try it out with your boyfriend/girlfriend.
Honestly, long-distance relationships suck. I should know. My boyfriend and I have maintained a long-distance relationship for three years. We attend different colleges in different states. I even studied abroad in London for a semester. I have seen many of my friends? long distance relationships struggle, fail, and succeed.
Long-distance relationships are hard, but it can be very rewarding for the relationship and for your self if you can endure the distance. Here are some tips that have worked for me:
Schedule Skype Dates
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Photo Credit:?Brianna Goldberg
Skype is your best friend. If you and your partner don?t have it, download it now for free on their website. Skype is an easy way to have video chats via the Internet. This will be the best way to effectively speak with your loved one when you guys can?t see each other.
I usually plan to speak to my boyfriend 2-4 nights per week for about 30 minutes depending on our schedules. Make sure to discus with your partner ahead of time when you want to talk.
Don?t forget headphones. You don?t want your roommate to hear all the embarrassing pet names your ?boo? calls you.?
Text often
Texting is a great way to tell each other about the little things going on in your daily lives. Nothing like a cute text from your partner to brighten up your day. Be careful not to text ALL the time. It can turn your partner off and you can be missing out on opportunities to meet new friends at college.
Care packages
Care packages are the best. Surprise care packages are even better. Get a box and fill it with your partner?s favorite candies, homemade cookies, stuffed animals, CD?s, DVD?s, inside jokes, etc. Sending a care package tells your partner that you are thinking about them even though your miles away.
Plan visits
My boyfriend visited me while I was in studying in London.
It is really important that you and your partner plan to see each other eventually. Physically being together builds reassurance in the relationships. Plus, it?s just nice to hold hands.
It is also good to learn how to use public transportation and develop a sense of street smarts. And always tell somebody where you are going just in case.
Megabus and Boltbus are the best ways to travel between cities and college campuses for as cheap as $1! The earlier you get your tickets the cheaper the price. As seats fill up the price for tickets get more expensive. So plan ahead.
Give space
One of the great things about long-distance relationships is the space it allows you to grow as a young adult. Long-distance relationships take a lot of patience and maturity
With today?s technologies like Skype, cell phones, and Facebook, it has become easier more than ever to communicate with loved ones far away. Although you have the ability to communicate every second with your partner, just don?t do it. Give each other space to meet new friends and experience new things. College is a great time to realize your passions and career paths.
Don?t forget to be flexible. If he/she doesn?t answer your text within an hour, don?t expect that he/she is cheating. Trust your partner to be true. In most cases, they were probably were stuck in class or they forgot to charge their phone last night from staying up all night talking to you.
Remember the Time Traveler?s Wife could do it ?so can you!
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Monday, November 26, 2012
Retirement home builder in review ? Shropshire Star
The UK's biggest builder of retirement homes could be sold or listed on the stock market as part of a review of the group.
Bournemouth-based McCarthy & Stone has appointed investment bankers at Moelis & Co to look at its future options following the recent appointment of chief executive Mark Elliott.
Mr Elliott, the former boss of Doncaster Racecourse owner Arena Leisure, joined on November 1 and the group last month revealed a sales and earnings bounce back in its best annual results since the financial crisis.
McCarthy & Stone, which sold nearly 1,400 properties in its last financial year, was taken private in an ill-fated ?1.1 billion deal led by Scottish entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter and billionaire brothers David and Simon Reuben in 2006.
A debt-for-equity swap three years later left the group 25% owned by its lender, Lloyds Banking Group.
The review of the business comes ahead of a refinancing of about ?500 million in debt that is due by April 2014 and the company is taking the opportunity to look at its options after a recent improvement in performance.
Figures for the results to the end of August show underlying earnings rose 10% to a five-year high of ?39.9 million after sales jumped 12% to ?257.7 million.
On posting the figures, McCarthy & Stone chairman Alan Bowkett said the group was "starting to look at strategic options to accelerate the achievement of our goals and take full advantage of the growth in our market".
Options being considered include a sale of the business, flotation or a refinancing.
The group was founded by John McCarthy and Bill Stone in 1963 and began specialising in building retirement homes in the 1970s. It employs around 700 people and has developed homes for around 45,000 retired residents.
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UW poll shows disapproval of health care law - KOTA Territory News
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - A University of Wyoming poll shows that a strong majority of residents continue to disapprove of the federal Affordable Care Act.
The health care reform law is opposed by 66% of the poll respondents, compared to 24% who approve.
The law was enacted in 2010. A similar survey conducted two years ago showed almost identical results.
UW political science director Jim King says the poll indicates that support for the health care law remains more unpopular in Wyoming than in the U.S. as a whole.
The statewide telephone survey of 668 Wyoming citizens was conducted in October by UW's Survey Research Center. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4%age points.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.kotatv.com/story/20178737/uw-poll-shows-disapproval-of-health-care-law
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Mortgage Refinancing and Debt Consolidation Loans Now Made ...
Simpsonville, SC (PRWEB) November 16, 2012
Finding the right loan for the right price can be a difficult process, especially in the current condition of the credit populous. Credit debt is higher than ever, and loan corporations are either shutting people out, or doing their best to imprison clients with staggering fees and interest rates. Before attempting to refinance a mortgage, or purchase a home, shoppers must be sure to have the best possible loan provider. And if they, like so many others are attempting to dig their way out of loan or credit debt, it is infinitely more essential to be secure with an excellent lender to keep oneself from falling into even more debt.
Debt consolidating can be a useful tool in a battle against debt or outstanding loans. If someone is trying to handle multiple loans with varying interest rates and fees, then consider debt consolidation. The concept of debt consolidation is to take a loan to pay off multiple loans, after this they are left with but one loan. This also means that one can negotiate lower interest rates and secure a fixed interest rate that better suits their needs and budget.
All of these concepts boil down to one major issue however. Most good lenders reject any without an excellent credit score, something most who need a loan don?t possess. There are many lenders that advertise loans distributed to those with bad credit, but in the end reject clients or create much worse debt.
Whether one needs to escape the crushing weight of credit debt, or if they are trying to refinance their mortgage or purchase a home with a loan, one can only succeed once they have an able loan company to back them up. A company that holds both respect and care for its clients as a priority is hard to find, but that is exactly what loandepot.com claims to be, and frankly, there isn?t evidence to claim otherwise. This is why Valley Auto Loans has decided to help spread the word of this great company.
?Responsible lending means always putting customers first. We?ve been doing this for years and will continue to innovate, educate and drive positive change for our customers? -Anthony Hsieh, CEO of Loan Depot.
About Valley Auto Loans
Valley Auto Loans is the leading auto and cars finance provider in USA fully dedicated to help its customers acquire national car and auto financing. It designs and develops customized no credit auto and car loans, bad credit auto and car loans, and good credit auto and car loans easily. Voted the best for its Quality Customer Service; Best National Auto Loans Service by thousands of people, its finance experts consistently focus in providing its customers information and various tools available for different auto loan offers, help them to choose the best that fits their budget as well as the related eligibility guidelines in detail.
Cash Cow Advances offers cash cow loans and payday loans to people who need money fast.
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Sunday, November 25, 2012
McIlroy, Donald share lead after Round 3 in Dubai
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) ? Rory McIlroy sank a short birdie putt on the 18th hole Saturday to remain tied with Luke Donald as the world's two top-ranked golfers pulled three shots clear of a star-studded field after the third round of the Dubai World Championship.
The top-ranked McIlroy, who has already wrapped up the European and PGA Tour money titles, struggled early when he bogeyed the first hole and missed several makeable birdie putts. But he improved on the back nine, sinking a 30-foot eagle putt on 14 to go with three birdies for a 6-under 66.
Donald also had a 66 and is tied with McIlory with a 17-under total of 199.
"I've done a majority of my scoring this week on the back nine and that's the way it went today," McIlroy said. "Took me a few holes to adjust. But once I got comfortable, I started to hit some good shots and give myself opportunities for birdies."
Donald had his third consecutive bogey-free round and has now gone 100 holes at the Dubai tournament without one. If he wins Sunday without carding a bogey, he will match the feat of Sweden's Jesper Parnevik, who won the 1995 Scandinavian Masters without dropping a shot.
"I was, again, just trying to play solid golf, minimize mistakes," said Donald, who won in Japan last week to overtake Tiger Woods for the No. 2 spot in the rankings. "I guess it's a testament to how I play the game. I kind of keep the ball in front of me and, when I get in trouble, I've got a good short game to bail myself out."
South Africans Louis Oosthuizen (68) and Charl Schwartzel (67) are three shots back, while compatriot Branden Grace and Joostis Luiten of France are a further two shots behind. Seven others are six shots off the pace, including Scotsman Marc Warren, who started the day tied with McIlroy and Donald but had three bogeys on his first 12 holes to fall out of contention.
The round of the day, however, went to Jeev Milkha Singh. Still recovering from a hand injury and worried about his mother, who was hospitalized after a fall, the Indian golfer shot a 64 to match the course record and move into a tie for 25th. He strung together three consecutive birdies on the front nine and four straight after the turn in a round that included a total of nine birdies to go with a lone bogey on the 10th.
"I dedicate this round to my mother," Singh said. "She was in the ICU yesterday. I learned about it just before I teed off."
Though McIlroy and Donald didn't play together, it seemed the world's top golfers were having a duel of sorts all day.
Donald struck first, sinking two birdie putts on the first three holes, while McIlroy hit his opening drive into a bunker and settled for a bogey. McIlroy pulled a shot back with a birdie on No. 3 and then sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the sixth hole before Donald sank birdies on 7 and 9 to extend his lead.
But just when it seemed Donald might pull away, McIlroy made consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th. With Donald extending his lead by two with a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 14, McIlroy needed something special to keep pace.
On the par-5 14th, McIlroy hit what he called a "great drive" followed by a 4-iron that landed in the middle of the green. He curled the 30-foot putt to draw even with Donald.
"I was just trying to hit it on the green somewhere and give myself at least a chance for eagle and probably a two-putt birdie," McIlroy said. "But I got up there and it was 25, 30 feet away and I guess it was a downhill putt that I was just trying to get close. It was on a good line and it was a good speed and it was a bonus that it went in. Obviously, it got me tied, which was nice."
Donald and McIlroy were not alone at the top all day. Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, made a run midway through his round with four birdies over five holes before cooling off and three-putting for par on the 18th.
Oosthuizen's playing partner, 2011 Masters champion Schwartzel, also started strong with two birdies on the first three holes and had the shot of the day when his second on the par-5 7th almost went in. But then he fell back with a bogey on 8 and 10 and missed a birdie putt on 18.
"Nearly albatross there, wasn't it?" Schwartzel said. "If there was ever going to be a flag that you've got a good chance to eagle, it was going to be the 7th today. Great tee shot, hit a 4-iron in there and caught that bowl and came funneling down. From where I could see it, it must have been really close to going in."
Donald and McIlroy both birdied the 18th to set up a season-ending duel between No. 1 and No. 2 ? something not seen since last year when Donald won the BMW PGA Championship in a playoff with Lee Westwood to replace him at the top.
Though the Northern Irishman has the top ranking locked up, a victory on Sunday would affirm his claim as the world's best golfer heading into 2013.
"It's very important no matter what happens tomorrow," McIlroy said. "I guess I'm No. 1 going into next year. But it will be nice to put an exclamation mark on, if you want."
For Donald, a victory would serve as a revenge of sorts. McIlroy took the No. 1 ranking from him earlier this year and then went out and matched the Englishman's feat of winning both tour money titles in 2011. The two haven't played in a final round together since 2007 and that was when Donald was ranked 17th and McIlroy 233rd.
"In terms of my own confidence, it would be a great way to finish off the year," Donald said. "Any time you're playing against the best player in the world, if you can go head-to-head and come out on top, yeah you're going to come away feeling good about things."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mcilroy-donald-share-lead-round-3-dubai-132201093--golf.html
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Automotive History: 1960 Chevrolet Corvair ... - Curbside Classic
Every silver lining has a cloud, and the Corvair?s is a deadly thunderhead. We?ve reveled in our love for the Corvair on these pages repeatedly, (here, here, and here), and shown how the 1960 Corvair sparked a global design revolution. But for all of our silver-tongued love sonnets for the most unique and refreshing car to escape Fortress Detroit in decades, we?ve so far avoided its very controversial shadow side. No longer; get out your umbrellas, for a hard rain?s gonna? fall.
The most fundamental question has to do with the decision to make the Corvair a rear-engined car, as all of its issues ultimately stem from that. According to the oft-repeated story, in 1955 Chevrolet Chief Engineer Ed Cole asked Maurice Olley, the division?s Director of Research, to analyze the various engine-drive train variations for a small car, including conventional front engine-rear wheel drive, FWD, and rear engine variations. A number of small European cars were tested and examined, and the rear-engine configuration as used by VW and the smallest Renaults and Fiats was determined to be the most advantageous for a number of reasons.
Those were its light steering (power assist not necessary), a flat floor, a relatively quiet and comfortable ride, and excellent traction. It?s important to keep in mind that at this stage, the Corvair was envisioned as a more compact and cheaper alternative to the full-sized Chevrolet, not the sporty car that it eventually evolved to be.
Specifically, the Corvair project was to take up where the 1947 Chevrolet Cadet had failed: to be a profitable compact car. And the way that ?compact? was defined then was for the car to be shorter and lighter, but still be able to accommodate six. That presented inherent challenges in packaging the drive train.
The solution then was Cadet Engineer Earl MacPherson?s use of his eponymous struts at both front and rear, combined with an independent rear suspension and the transmission under the front seat. A rather brilliant solution from a brilliant engineer, but this was not France or Germany where such an advanced car could be priced accordingly. The Cadet suffered from a recurring GM malady: technical overkill, given the cost structure of the US market. Wouldn?t a more conventional car seating perhaps merely five have been adequate?
The also-brilliant Ed Cole fell for similar trap, although in terms of construction costs, the Corvair probably was presumably profitable to build, despite the huge investment in unique facilities to build its engine. By trap, I mean the hubris of being convinced that he could find a low-cost solution to the problems that had long stood in the way of building a six-passenger rear-engine car.
The rear engine was the hot new thing in the early thirties, along with aerodynamics. Tatra epitomized and popularized both of those, and others quickly took them up too, at their peril. The first large V8 Tatra streamliner, the 77 (above) suffered from very severe handling problems, and was built in only limited numbers.
Its successor, the 87? (above) was shorter and lighter and had a smaller 3.0 L air cooled V8 in its tail, but its snap oversteer at the limit?thanks to its rear-weight bias and swing axles?was still deadly. So much so, that Hitler banned his top officers from driving it, after a number were killed in high speed accidents. It was dubbed ?The Czech Secret Weapon?.
Mercedes, that paragon of engineering prowess, also took up the rear engine, but more cautiously. Its 130H, 150H and 170H (above) were built alongside conventional models. They sold poorly, in part due to a smaller luggage area, noisy engine, and bad handling vices. The positive rear camber clearly visible in this picture is a tip-off to that.
Mercedes dropped the rear engine, but did adopt swing axles, and eventually made them work quite successfully thanks to the better weight distribution of front engines and constant improvements in their geometry. By the late fifties, Mercedes had tamed it almost completely, with its exclusive ?low-pivot? variation, but that was not suitable for a rear-engine car.
Of course it was the Volkswagen that popularized the rear engine, and the even-smaller Renault 4CV and Fiat 600 followed in its swing-axle tracks. But these were all small cars, with low power outputs. Even then, they were still susceptible to the dreaded effects of snap-oversteer and rear-wheel jacking. Needless to say, the early Porsche 356s were famous for their oversteer, but that was tamed to various degrees by initial negative camber, and in 1959, a revised rear end with softer torsion bars and a camber compensating spring.
When the rear end of a swing-axle car approaches or exceeds its limits, the centrifugal forces acting on the rear of the car causes the outside wheel to tuck it under the body, which results in the rear rising and drastically exacerbating the intrinsic oversteer of a rear-engined car. This picture shows a front-engined Triumph Spitfire; rear engined cars can respond even more violently because of the high percentage of weight in the back. It?s very easy to lose control, unless one can anticipate the event, or forestall it with deft counter-steering. But that isn?t always possible, even in the hands of experienced drivers.
Maurice Olley, who was charged by Ed Cole to evaluate the various configurations, had written about the intrinsic limitations of the rear-engine format. From Ralph Nader?s ?Unsafe At Any Speed?:
(Olley?s) field of specialization was automobile handling behavior. In 1953 Olley delivered a technical paper, ?European Postwar Cars,? containing a sharp critique of rear-engined automobiles with swing-axle suspension systems. He called such vehicles ?a poor bargain, at least in the form in which they are at present built,? adding that they could not handle safely in a wind even at moderate speeds, despite tire pressure differential between front and rear. Olley went further, depicting the forward fuel tank as ?a collision risk, as is the mass of the engine in the rear.? Unmistakably, he had notified colleagues of the hurdles which had to be overcome.
So why did Cole go for the rear engine anyway? Despite the rep engineers have for being objective, it seems quite likely he wasn?t in this particular case. Cole had been intrigued with both rear-engines for some time, having been involved with an experimental rear engined Cadillac that had dual rear wheels to help deal with its severe intrinsic challenges. He also was involved with the M41 Light Tank that used an air-cooled flat six. Undoubtedly, he was prejudiced to some degree, and convinced himself of the rear-engine?s assets.
Seeing that this was the mid-late fifties?and GM?there was another important factor: trendy good looks. Which meant a very low car, among other things.
In January 1960, (Corvair project head) Kai Hansen told a meeting of the Society of Automotive Engineers: ?Our first objective, once the decision was made to design a smaller, lighter ear, was to attain good styling proportions. Merely shortening the wheel base and front and rear overhang was not acceptable. To permit lower overall height and to accommodate six adult passengers, the floor hump for the drive shaft had to go. Eliminating the conventional drive shaft made it essential then that the car have either rear-engine, rear-drive or front-engine, front-drive. Before making a decision, all types of European cars were studied, including front-engine, front-drive designs. None measured up to our standards of road performance.?
?The result was a total height of 51.3 inches?extremely low for a six-passenger sedan?and lower than a current Porsche 911 Carrera. It?s quite clear that the rear engine configuration ultimately was selected for the sake of stylistic vanity, or in their words ?the most aesthetically pleasant? way to achieve the desired space. And once that? ill-advised decision was made, GM was not prepared to spend the money to make it work properly.
All of the European rear-engined sedans GM had evaluated were much smaller four-passenger cars, with very small and light four-cylinder engines. A four-cylinder was originally considered for the Corvair, but abandoned for a six because of its greater smoothness. A boxer four is intrinsically a balanced design, but is prone to some exhaust growl due to its firing order. But that can be mitigated by exhaust system tuning.
Ed Cole?s initial plans and calculations were for the Corvair to use aluminum cylinders with a high-silicon alloy, similar to that later used in the Vega. Perhaps from a durability point of view, it was for the best that it was not feasible then, and individual finned cast iron cylinders were ultimately used. This contributed to the production Corvair engine weighing 78 lbs more than initial projections. Needles to say, in a rear engine car the greater the weight in the back, the greater the challenges and risks, due to the intrinsic influence of centrifugal force in a curve. Production Corvairs had up to 64% of their weight on the rear wheels, a problem only exacerbated when the spare was moved from the front trunk to the engine compartment in 1961. Complaints about trunk space trumped handling considerations.
Without going into all the technicalities of the specific choices made by the Chevrolet engineers, it is apparent that one over-riding criteria was predominant: cost control. David Rubly, a Corvair engineer, made the following comment at an SAE meeting in April 1960:
Another question that no doubt can be asked is why did we choose an independent rear suspension of this particular type? There are other swing-axle rear suspensions, of course, that permit transferring more of the roll couple to the front end. Our selection of this particular type of a swing-axle rear suspension is based on: (1) lower cost, (2) ease of assembly, (3) ease of service, and (4) simplicity of design. We also wished to take advantage of coil springs ?? in order to obtain a more pleasing ride ??
Having made their decision on the basic configuration, there were several ways available to mitigate the intrinsic tendencies of the Corvair?s suspension design. A front roll bar (estimated to cost $4) was originally intended to be used, for its (debatable) effect? in compensating to some degree.
More critically, a rear camber-compensating spring was not used, despite the adoption of one by Porsche, and a large aftermarket for that developed for VWs, Renaults and older Porsches. This device had come to be seen as the most critical element in taming the vices of rear-engined swing-axle suspensions.
Given the $19.95 retail price of the EMPI Camber Compensator, it probably would have cost Chevrolet some $15 or less in mass volumes. A whole industry grew around Corvair chassis improvements, as serious Corvair driver were all-too aware of its limitations:
By 1963, sports car racer and writer Denise McCluggage could begin an article on Corvair handling idiosyncrasies with words that assumed a knowing familiarity by her auto buff readers: ?Seen any Corvairs lately with the back end smashed in? Chances are they weren?t run into, but rather ran into something while going backwards. And not in reverse gear, either.?
Then Miss McCluggage went on to describe a phenomenon she termed a ?sashay through the boonies, back-end first.? ?The classic Corvair accident is a quick spin in a turn and swoosh! ? off the road backwards. Or, perhaps, if half- corrective measures are applied, the backward motion is arrested, the tires claw at the pavement and the car is sent darting across the road to the other side. In this case there might be some front end damage instead.?
And noted race driver and Corvair-tuner John Fitch had this to say: ?I didn?t want a race car,? he said: ?if I did, I?d buy something for that purpose. But I did want to feel more confident when behind the wheel that the car would go where I pointed it.?
Instead, Chevrolet jiggered with the tire pressure differential, arriving at a somewhat ludicrous 15 lbs front, 26 lbs rear recommendation. The benefits of the differential were known, as the lower front pressure increased understeer to counteract the oversteer. But there were several fatal flaws in these numbers, which were obviously arrived at in a desperate attempt to maintain the vaunted GM soft ride.
To start with, 15 lbs in the small 6.50 x 13? front tires reduced their load capacity precariously low, again considering the six-passenger seating and luggage capacity. But the more critical issue was the 24lbs in the rear, as they were also technically overloaded with just two passengers. And 24lbs was not enough to ensure that the tubeless tires would resist deflection to the point of popping off the rims under the extreme pressures in a critical handling situation; specifically an oversteer/jacking up incident.
Shortly after the 1960 Corvair was released, a number of tragic accidents occurred, and it was noted that the pavement often showed severe gouging. This was the result of the rear tire popping off the rim, which then contacted the pavement and had the effect of drastically escalating the incident into a severe or deadly accident.
Popular entertainer Ernie Kovacs was killed in his 1961 Corvair Lakewood wagon (which had an even more exaggerated rear-weight bias) when he lost control on a rainy evening in Los Angeles (picture at top of article). Note the right rear tire that is off the rim; it?s possible that happened from the curb, but it is typical of numerous similar incidents where the rear tire rolled off the rim during an emergency maneuver and caused the Corvair to be essentially uncontrollable.
Corvair engineers knew about this problem and considered raising the recommended rear tire pressures. Once again, however, they succumbed to the great imperative-a soft ride. Rubly recounts it plainly enough: ?The twenty-eight psi would reduce the rear-tire deflection enough but we did not feel that we should compromise ride and add harshness because under hot conditions tire pressures will increase three to four psi.?
Even if the recommended inflation numbers had been increased with a similar differential, say 19/28, there was still another huge obstacle: essentially no one in America was used to the concept of a differential tire pressure. When I was a gasoline station attendant in 1968-1970, we inflated all tires to 24-26 lbs, unless told otherwise.? Which we never were, except the occasional sports car fanatic who knew and cared about such things.
Chevrolet made no effort to educate its dealers and the public on the importance of these differential tire inflation recommendations. As well, there was no reference to ?oversteer? and how to identify it and compensate for it by counter-steering in the Corvair Owner?s Manual or elsewhere. This was an innately counter-intuitive thing to do for Americans that had grown up with understeering cars, and were repeatedly told in Driver?s Ed to ?steer into the skid?, not against it.
The question of undersized tires has been a recurring one (and one we?ve covered here). VW, Porsche and Renault used 15? tires on their rear-engine cars. And interestingly enough, the 1961-1963 Pontiac Tempest, which used a modified version of the Corvair?s swing axle rear suspension (but with a front engine), bucked the trend and was the only GM car during that era to use 15? tires exclusively. That looked rather odd at the time, but undoubtedly was a conscious decision at Pontiac based on the belief that larger diameter tires would mitigate the swing axle?s tendencies.
Pontiac had been on track to have its own version of the Corvair for 1961, dubbed Polaris (above, and which also looks to have substantially larger tires that the Corvair). The division had already spent some $1.3 million in adapting the Corvair, before John DeLorean pulled the plug. He was convinced by his top engineers, including Advanced Engineering Chief Albert Roller, who had come from Mercedes-Benz: ?(he) tested the car (Corvair) and pleaded with me not to use it at Pontiac?he said that Mercedes had tested similarly-designed rear-engine swing-axle cars and had found them too unsafe to build?.
DeLorean got approval to dump the Polaris project, and instead adapted the front engine Buick-Olds compact, but not without some creative engineering, including the swing axle rear suspension. And as it turned out, even the Tempest came in for criticism due to its turning nasty in extreme situations. It was a short-lived experiment.
DeLorean also alleges in his book ?On A Clear Day You Can See GM? that the problems with the Corvair?s handling were all-too well known inside GM. He says that Frank Winchell, then a Chevy engineer, flipped one of the first prototypes, and others followed. A huge internal fight ensued, with Ed Cole and his camp on one side, and a number of top engineers on the other, including Charles Chayne VP of Engineering, and Von D. Polhemus, GM Chassis Development head. Their efforts to keep the Corvair from production, or change its suspension was a lost cause, as ?Cole?s mind was made up?.
A number of GM executives were directly affected by the Corvair, including the death of the son of Cadillac General Manager Cal Werner, and the critically-injured son of Exec. VP Cy Osborne. Of course these represent just a small sampling of the accidents that the public was experiencing, and which soon led to a spate of lawsuits against GM, most of which were quickly settled.
Undoubtedly, driver negligence was involved in some of these cases, but there?s also no doubt that the Corvair?s unique response to sudden steering, brakes or other inputs created a situation the general public was unfamiliar with.And one that could be exacerbated by incorrect tire pressure.
In a partial response, for 1961 Chevrolet made available an optional RPO 696 sports suspension, which included stiffer springs and shocks, the previously-missing front anti-roll bar, a negative initial camber setting for the rear wheels, and rear-axle rebound straps to reduce tuck under, all for some $10 or so. My 1962 Monza four-speed had it, and it performed admirably enough under lots of spirited cornering. But then I also knew of the ultimate danger and respected the Corvair?s limits. Nevertheless, the camber-compensating spring was still not installed or available.
And the sports suspension had its limitations too, reducing rear wheel travel due to the negative camber and stiffer springs. This made it less than ideal for the kind of use a family sedan might typically get, with heavy loading and such. Chevrolet had put themselves between a rock and a hard place with the Corvair?s suspension design.
DeLorean says that after Bunkie Knudsen took over at Chevrolet in 1961, he was so concerned about the Corvair?s handling issues that he demanded that the camber-compenstor be made standard. The roughly $15 cost to make and install it was deemed too expensive by the ?Fourteenth Floor?, and he was turned down. Eventually he gave the top brass an ultimatum: either he would be allowed to improve the Corvair?s suspension, or he would very publicly resign from GM over it. They relented, and that led to the camber compensating spring in 1964, and the complete redesign of the rear suspension for 1965, which essentially eliminated the issues altogether.
Ralph Nader?s ?Unsafe At Any Speed? is commonly blamed for the Corvair?s demise, but that already happened years before its publication in 1965. By that time, the Corvair was already on artificial life support. Within two months of its introduction in the fall of 1959, Ed Cole realized that the Corvair was not really the right formula for what America was looking for in a compact sedan. The Falcon instantly outsold it two-to-one, and Cole ordered a crash program to develop the very pragmatic Chevy II.
From that point forward, the Corvair?s future was in its new role as a sporty coupe, and the bucket-seat Monza immediately became the best selling version after it was introduced in the spring of 1960. The Monza pioneered a whole new market segment that would be taken over by the Mustang in 1964.
Given how obviousness that was by mid-1960 makes it even odder that GM resisted the efforts to adopt wholesale the suspension improvements readily available. One thing is clear: Ed Cole did not set out to design a sporty car. The up-scale Monza coupe was shown as a show-car concept in January of 1960 to generate some interest in the coupe version due shortly (in 500 and 700 trim levels), but the public response to the Monza was so favorable, it was rushed into production.
The Monza inadvertently created and opened a huge market segment (we covered that here) which led to bucket seat versions of its competitors, as well as the Mustang. But a flat floor and seating for six was certainly not in the brief for a sporty coupe or convertible, as the Mustang proved convincingly. Unless you like your passenger to squeeze left.
The Monza may have pulled some of the Corvair?s fat out of the fire, but that doesn?t negate the fact that Ed Cole?s Corvair was a fatally flawed design for its intended role.? In fact it?s tempting (and fairly easy) to speculate that if Chevy?s 1960 compact had arrived in more conventional front-engine form, like the related B-O-P 1961 compacts, that it would have just as readily (and likely) spawned a sporty coupe variant with V8 power, one that would have largely usurped or dampened the Mustang?s huge success.
The Corvair was the product of GM?s repeated tendencies to go off in directions that were an engineer?s dream, but were either flawed from the initial concept, or diminished by the bean counters. In the case of the Corvair, it was both. But for us lovers of the Corvair, like the lovers of the 1966 Toronado, the Vega, and other GM Deadly Sins, it was a huge boon. Suspension mods are easy to effect, and Corvairs are now safely in the hands of those that understand and respect its limitations (and tire pressures). But that was not the case in 1960 or so, and too many paid the price, unnecessarily so.
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Gas explosion in Mass. levels building, injures eight
(Reuters) - An explosion triggered by a gas leak destroyed a building in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, on Friday, injuring at least eight people although none seriously, police said.
Springfield Police Captain William Collins said the building, a gentleman's club, exploded at about 5:25 p.m. as the gas company was looking for a leak under the road.
"The whole building is completely gone," Collins told Reuters by telephone. "The building was leveled ... there was extensive damage to a building across the street.
Eight people injured in the explosion were taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, but none was in critical condition, said hospital spokeswoman Jane Albert.
The medical center did not expect to receive any more people injured in the explosion, Albert said.
Images on a local CBS affiliate showed buildings with shattered windows, debris scattered in the street, and emergency services entering the area.
A representative of the Columbia Gas company told television station 22News that two employees had been injured in the explosion, but were both expected to survive. Columbia Gas could not be reached for comment.
Witnesses described to local media a massive explosion that shook the ground and sent up a huge cloud of smoke.
(Reporting By Tim Gaynor, Alex Dobuzinskis and Nick Carey; Editing by Peter Cooney and Bill Trott)
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The White Noise of Smell
White noise is actually not perceptually neutral noise. It's mathematically random noise, with a flat power spectrum, meaning that for example the sound energy between 25-75 Hz is the same as that between 15000-15050 Hz. But because the human ear's perceptual loudness curve is not flat, the perceptual frequency distribution of white noise is not actually flat. To produce perceptually neutral noise, you need to apply the inverse of the human ear's perceptual loudness curve to white noise, which results in grey noise [wikipedia.org].
But beyond that, it seems they actually mean something different, more like "perceived as indistinct background noise". That's a wider range of things, and has to do with being able to resolve specific, distracting components, not necessarily with mathematical definitions of noise.
Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/BwfjcQ5jbAQ/story01.htm
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Fab's Mobile Sales Grow On Thanksgiving - Business Insider
Fab, the high-design e-commerce site, did 40 percent of its Thanksgiving Day sales through mobile devices, CEO Jason Goldberg reports.
The trend highlights two things: the explosive growth of mobile commerce overall, and the increasing importance of gatekeepers who can drive shoppers to apps.
It also reflects shifting consumer behavior.
"It makes sense," Goldberg?wrote on his Betashop blog. "Fewer people are sitting around in front of computers on Thanksgiving day. Instead, they are with family, showing them their favorite apps on their phones and tablets."
It also didn't hurt, Goldberg noted, that Apple also promoted Fab's app with a post on its App Store's Twitter account.
Fab had previously been doing about 30 percent of its revenues through mobile, hitting 33 percent for a period in September.
Goldberg didn't give sales figures for Thanksgiving, but he's previously said he expects the company to do about $150 million in annual sales.
Fab was one of a handful of companies Facebook tapped to experiment with an advertising feature that encourages mobile users to download apps.
Apple's tweet, as well as its all-important App Store rankings and featured listings, shows that it, too, has the power to make or break apps.
Apps specifically optimized for mobile shopping and checkout seem to be key for making commerce work on smartphones and tablets. So app gatekeepers like Facebook, Amazon, and Apple will play a bigger role in e-commerce as this trend continues. ?
One area where Fab has struggled is signing up Android users. But that doesn't seem to have hurt its holiday sales, and it also seems to be an industrywide conundrum: Android device users are far less prone to spend online than iPhone or iPad users. That's a real headache for Google.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/fab-mobile-commerce-thanksgiving-2012-11
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Chemical "Soup" Clouds Connection between Toxins and Poor Health
CHEMICAL CRUSADER: Through her leadership at NIEHS and NTP over the past three years, Linda Birnbaum has pursued a broad vision of environmental health that incorporates gene?environment interactions along with the impacts of disease, diet, stress and other factors. Image: Courtesy of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)/Steve McCaw
From plastics to flame retardants, the ubiquitous chemicals of our daily lives have raised public health concerns like never before. Inside the Beltway, however, data-crunching scientists are often no match for industry lobbyists and corporate lawyers. The exception, no doubt, is Linda Birnbaum, the toxicologist who leads, two little-known scientific agencies, the National Institute of Environmental Health Services (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP).
Last April, Birnbaum sat inside a Capitol Hill conference room packed with poker-faced chemical industry executives ready for a showdown. The NTP had recently issued its report on carcinogens?a sort of name-and-shame list of chemicals on which no company wants to find its products. Charles Maresca of the Small Business Administration?taking a stand for the maligned styrene industry?argued that the report was "based on inaccurate scientific information" and faulty peer review.
North Carolina congressman Brad Miller (D) was unimpressed. He took the microphone and described Birnbaum's resume of more than 700 publications in public health, toxicology and environmental science. Removing his black reading glasses, he glanced at Maresca, and delivered the fatal blow with relish: "And you're a lawyer. Isn't that right?"
If Birnbaum got a kick out of the put-down, she didn?t show it. After 33 years working as a federal scientist at both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the NIEHS, Birnbaum's career is a study in the way science becomes law and the ways lobbyists subvert science. She has watched her contributions to an EPA report on dioxin sit in limbo for 20 years, she has worked to study the health impacts of types of asbestos that are not legally recognized as asbestos and she has challenged the chemical industry in her pursuit for answers about the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA).
Through her leadership at NIEHS and NTP over the past three years, she has pursued a broad vision of environmental health that incorporates gene?environment interactions along with the impacts of disease, diet, stress and other factors. She has also tried to make the NIEHS quick on its feet: After the 2010 BP oil spill, she initiated the Gulf Long-Term Follow-Up (GuLF) study, the first extended review of the health effects of an oil spill.
Scientific American sat down with Birnbaum in Washington, D.C., to learn more about environmental health, toxic chemistry and the politics of chemical regulation.
[An edited transcript of the interview follows.]
How did you become interested in toxicology?
When I was in eighth grade at Benjamin Franklin Junior High School in Teaneck, New Jersey, I had a science teacher who was an attractive, peppy, young blonde woman who was also the cheerleading coach. I was a cheerleader, and that positive reinforcement made it okay to like science.
I became interested in thyroid hormones. I can't tell you exactly why, but I had written to a local pharmaceutical company and asked if they could give me some rats and some chemicals. That's something that would never happen easily today?but they did it! I got a letter from them that said, "Please come. We'd like to talk to you." The next thing I knew, I had 40 rats in four cages and feed and bedding and everything else, along with thyroid hormone and chemicals that block thyroid hormone.
They let you keep the rats at your house?
Yeah. We had them in my basement.
What did your parents say about that?
My parents were really incredibly supportive?even when one escaped. I eventually found its body and put it in the freezer figuring I'd dissect it at some point. But my grandmother went in thinking it was a package of ground beef. She had a little bit of a fright.
How much of human disease is due to environmental exposures?
The estimates vary, and it depends on how you define environment. People often say it's about 30 percent. I think that's defining environment fairly narrowly, considering only environmental chemical exposures, but your environment includes the food you eat, the drugs you take, the psychosocial stress you're exposed to and so forth. After all, what's the difference between a drug and an environmental chemical? One you intentionally take and the other one you don't. Considering all that, I would say then the environment is much more than 30 percent.
We also know?especially from studies of identical versus fraternal twins?that for many different diseases, genetics is not the whole story. Actually, I think it's time to stop asking, "Is this caused by genes or is this caused by the environment?" because in almost all cases, it's going to be both.
Why has it been so difficult to link environmental exposures to specific health consequences?
Nobody is exposed to one chemical at a time, right? I mean we live in a soup of chemicals and we live in a soup of exposures. Here, I'm having a lemonade. Well, it's not only lemon in here. I'm sure there's some sugar. There might be a preservative or something. I don't know what's in this. So think of all those things interacting, but when we test chemicals in the lab we tend to test them one at a time.
I guess we don't consider these other types of exposures.
Right. A high-fat diet, for example, can completely change the way your body handles chemicals. Exposure to a certain chemical may lower your ability to respond to an infection. At EPA we did a lot of studies exposing rats and mice to air pollutants and then to bacterial infections or influenza infections. Those who were exposed to pollution were more likely to die, whereas those in clean air recovered.
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=a172208ddb15188888d98401476a9509
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Saturday, November 24, 2012
Trouble not over for Jesse Jackson Jr.
CHICAGO (AP) ? Jesse Jackson Jr.'s resignation from Congress might end his once-promising political career but it doesn't mark the end of troubles for the civil rights icon's son.
Just two weeks after voters re-elected him to a ninth full term, Jackson on Wednesday sent his resignation letter to House Speaker John Boehner, citing his ongoing treatment for bipolar disorder and admitting "my share of mistakes" while confirming publically for the first time that he's under a federal probe and cooperating with investigators.
The federal investigation is reportedly into possible misuse of campaign funds, but Jackson was also under a House Ethics Committee investigation over dealings with imprisoned ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but it was unclear how the committee would proceed with the resignation. The committee could still decide to release a final report with their findings, but they no longer have the power to punish him.
Jackson, 47, was never charged with wrongdoing and in his resignation letter wrote, "they are my mistakes and mine alone."
The letter also immediately prompted his attorneys to come forward also though they offered few details of the probe reportedly into misuse of campaign funds.
"Mr. Jackson is cooperating with the investigation. We hope to negotiate a fair resolution of the matter but the process could take several months," said a statement from Jackson attorneys including former U.S. Attorney in Chicago Dan Webb. "During that time, we will have no further comment and urge you to give Mr. Jackson the privacy he needs to heal and handle these issues responsibly."
Experts said confirmation by Jackson of the federal investigation and his resignation signaled more details are likely to follow.
"I think it won't be too long before we hear an announcement of a plea agreement," said Bruce Reinhart, a white-collar defense lawyer in West Palm Beach, Fla., who was a federal prosecutor for 19 years. "The government doesn't like people who are going to plead guilty to abusing public office to remain in a position of public trust. ... Resignation would be a significant bargaining chip for Congressman Jackson in order to get a better deal from the government."
Late Wednesday the longtime Chicago congressman's father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., told reporters his son resigned because he didn't believe he could continue to serve effectively while also trying to get well.
"He made the decision to choose his health," Jackson said.
He also said there is no way of knowing how long it will take for his son to recover from what he characterized as an "internal unresolved challenge."
"It's not the kind of illness you can put a timetable on," Jackson said, adding that he is confident that his son "will get well in time."
Jackson first took office in 1995 after winning a special election in a largely urban and Democratic district and began his career in Washington with a star power and pedigree that set him apart from his hundreds of other House colleagues.
But despite high expectations, he largely went unnoticed as a policymaker.
Jackson went on medical leave in June, though his office was never forthcoming about details about his condition, his whereabouts or if he would return.
It was later revealed that he was being treated at the Mayo Clinic for bipolar disorder and gastrointestinal issues. He returned to his Washington home in September but went back to the clinic the next month, with his father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, saying his son had not yet "regained his balance."
Jackson has not detailed what his treatment entails. Attempts by The Associated Press to locate Jackson were unsuccessful, and family members either declined to comment or could not be reached.
In the letter Jackson said that he returned to Washington the first time against the recommendations of his doctor and then needed to return. He said over the months as his health had "deteriorated" his ability to serve his constituents had "diminished."
"My health issues and treatment regimen have been incompatible with service in the House of Representatives," he wrote.
Bipolar disorder used to be known as manic-depression and it can cause severe mood swings that interfere with the ability to handle daily tasks. Prescription drugs including the mood stabilizer lithium and antidepressants can help manage the symptoms, but it often takes time to find the right drug, or combination of drugs, to be effective.
Fellow congressman said that Jackson had difficulty in the decision to resign.
Rep. Bobby Rush, a fellow Chicago Democrat, told reporters that he spoke to a melancholy Jackson on the phone early Wednesday morning ? hours before Jackson submitted his resignation letter.
"He sounded very sorrowful ? in so much pain . . . that he wouldn't be able to serve in Congress anymore," Rush said.
Voters in the Chicago area district had been largely supportive of Jackson, who has easily won every election since winning a special election in 1995. But as Jackson's medical leave was prolonged and new details released, there were cracks in that support.
Voter Rodney Butler said Jackson had not handled his leave of absence well. The 62-year-old retiree described the congressman's approach as "hush-hush" and said it made Jackson seem like he did something wrong.
The timing of Jackson's leave and the way it was handled invited more scrutiny. Jackson's leave was announced just after a former fundraiser connected to the Blagojevich allegations was arrested on unrelated medical fraud charges.
The vacancy left by Jackson's departure creates a rare opportunity for someone else to represent his district, which is made up of South Side Chicago neighborhoods, several southern suburbs and rural areas.
Even before the resignation the gambit of potential successors floated around Chicago. Prominent Chicago attorney Sam Adam Jr., a onetime attorney for Blagojevich and R&B singer R. Kelly, said he'd be interested. Other names circulating are Chicago Aldermen Sandi Jackson and Anthony Beale, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and former one-term U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, a Democrat, will schedule a re-election in the coming days. He said he planned to set both a primary and a general election.
___
Henry C. Jackson reported from Washington. Associated Press Special Correspondent David Espo in Washington and Associated Press writers Sara Burnett in Chicago and Pete Yost in Washington contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trouble-not-over-jesse-jackson-jr-081047159.html
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