Flashback! Remember this one? Last year, Apple filed a trademark lawsuit against Amazon, claiming that Amazon's use of the term "App Store" (as in "Amazon Appstore") could contribute to confusion among consumers as it was not, as Amazon believes, "a generic term." Other app store providers like Microsoft and Google have made a point to brand their app stores differently?by calling them the Windows Marketplace and the Android Market (now Google Play), respectively, just to be on the safe side. But Amazon has stuck to its guns, saying that the phrase should not be subject to trademark protection. The case is still underway, and in a filing on Wednesday with the U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, Amazon has asked a federal judge to reject Apple's "false advertising" claim.
If you imagined selling real estate was difficult, just Nike Air Max try out getting it. You can go broke in a rush should you don?t understand what you?re doing. This short article will clarify some great ideas for those who are available in the market and thinking about purchasing real-estate. Be sure to go through these pointers before buying.
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ScienceDaily (Sep. 25, 2012) ? Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique to identify the proteins secreted by a cell. The new approach should help researchers collect precise data on cell biology, which is critical in fields ranging from zoology to cancer research.
The work is important because cells communicate by secreting proteins. Some of the proteins act on the cell itself, telling it to grow or multiply, for example. But the proteins can also interact with other cells, influencing them to perform any biological function.
Traditionally, scientists who wanted to identify these proteins cultured cells and then used mass spectrometry to determine which proteins appeared in the medium the cell was grown on. This has drawbacks, because the proteins of interest are fairly rare compared to the proteins that are already in the medium -- which are used to grow and support the cells in the first place. Further, any attempts to culture the cells without these background, supporting proteins affects cell behavior -- skewing the sample.
The new approach takes advantage of the fact that each cell "packages" its proteins in its "secretory pathway." Each cell synthesizes the protein and passes it through this pathway, essentially placing it in a bag-like membrane before it is passed out of the cell.
In their new technique, researchers take a sample of cells and isolate the secretory pathway organelles, which contain the proteins. The researchers then use mass spectrometry to analyze the contents of the organelles, in order to see which proteins were being secreted by the cell. Using this approach, the researchers were able to identify proteins that are secreted by human embryonic stem cells.
"This gives us a snapshot of exactly what a cell was secreting at that point in time," says Dr. Balaji Rao, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the work.
This new method eliminates the problems related to the proteins found in cell culture media. But it also allows researchers to track changes in the proteins released by a cell in response to a stimulus, such as exposure to a chemical. This can be done by taking samples at various points in time after cells have been exposed to the stimulus.
And, in principle, this technique would also allow researchers to identify which proteins any specific type of cell is secreting when in a mixed population of cells.
"As long as you can separate the cells you are interested in, this should be possible," says Rao. "And that is important, because most tissues are made up of heterogeneous populations of cells -- and communication between those cells is biologically significant."
The paper, "Targeted proteomics of the secretory pathway reveals the secretome of mouse embryonic fibroblasts and human embryonic stem cells," was published online Sept. 15 in the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. Lead author of the paper is Prasenjit Sarkar, a Ph.D. student at NC State. Co-authors are Rao; NC State Ph.D. student Shan Randall; and Dr. David Muddiman, a professor of chemistry at NC State. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation.
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Journal Reference:
P. Sarkar, S. M. Randall, D. C. Muddiman, B. M. Rao. Targeted proteomics of the secretory pathway reveals the secretome of mouse embryonicfibroblasts and human embryonic stem cells.. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, 2012; DOI: 10.1074/mcp.M112.020503
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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
NEW YORK (AP) ? The NFL conceded Tuesday that a bad call cost the Green Bay Packers the game ? yet still upheld the Seattle Seahawks' victory.
While coaches, players and fans ? even athletes in other sports ? ripped the use of replacement refs, the league met with its locked-out officials Tuesday in an attempt to resolve the impasse.
Two people with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press that the sides were meeting Tuesday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were not made public.
The NFL said Seattle's last-second touchdown pass of the "Monday Night Football" game should not have been overturned in the 14-12 victory ? but acknowledged Seahawks receiver Golden Tate should have been called for offensive pass interference before the catch.
Frustrations over the replacements have mounted through the first three weeks of the season and reached an apex Monday when a highly questionable call decided the outcome of a game.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, normally a soft-spoken player who didn't say much after the game, lashed out on his radio show a day later.
"First of all, I've got to do something that the NFL is not going to do: I have to apologize to the fans," he said.
Even President Barack Obama got in on the conversation Tuesday, tweeting: "NFL fans on both sides of the aisle hope the refs' lockout is settled soon."
The controversy began on the final play when Russell Wilson heaved a 24-yard pass into a scrum in the end zone with Seattle trailing 12-7. Tate shoved away a defender with both hands, and the NFL acknowledged Tuesday he should have been penalized, which would have clinched a Packers victory. But it was not called and cannot be reviewed by instant replay.
Tate and Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings then both got their hands on the ball, though the Packers insisted Jennings had clear possession for a game-ending interception.
"It was pinned to my chest the whole time," Jennings said.
Instead, the officials ruled on the field that the two had simultaneous possession, which counts as a reception. Once that happened, the NFL said, the referee was correct that no indisputable visual evidence existed on review to overturn the touchdown call.
"The NFL Officiating Department reviewed the video today and supports the decision not to overturn the on-field ruling following the instant replay review," the league said in a statement.
Saying there was no indisputable evidence, though, is not the same as confirming the initial call was correct. Simultaneous possession can be reviewed only on plays in the end zone.
On his weekly appearance on Seattle radio station 710 KIRO-AM, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll made no apologies Tuesday, saying, "The league backed it up and game over. We win."
"Golden makes an extraordinary effort. It's a great protection. It's a great throw. It's a great attempt at the ball and he wins the battle," he said. "They were right on the point looking right at it, standing right over the thing and they reviewed it. Whether they missed the push or not ? obviously they missed the push in the battle for the ball ? but that stuff goes on all the time."
But Rodgers, in a reference to referee Wayne Elliott not seeing indisputable evidence, said: "I mean, come on, Wayne. That's embarrassing."
The NFL locked out the officials in June after their contract expired. Unable to reach a new collective bargaining agreement, the league opened the season with replacements, most with experience only in lower levels of college football.
Coaches and players began griping about the replacements in the preseason, but the frustration seemed to boil over in Week 3 this past weekend.
Scuffles after the whistle were frequent with players appearing to test the limits of the new officials and coaches were fined for berating them.
Las Vegas oddsmakers said $300 million or more changed hands worldwide on Monday's call. The Glantz-Culver line for the game opened favoring the Packers by 4?. Had the play been ruled an interception, Green Bay would have won by 5.
The call also found its way into Wisconsin politics, with Republican Gov. Scott Walker tweeting for the regular officials to return. Opponents noted that he seemed to be supporting the referees union after going after public employee unions last year, though Democratic state Sen. Jon Erpenbach added: "We're all fans, first and foremost."
___
AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner in New York, AP Sports Writer Tim Booth in Seattle and Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis., Ken Ritter in Las Vegas, and Oskar Garcia in Honolulu contributed to this report.
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is headed to rehab. Armstrong will be treated for substance abuse, according to a statement from the band released Sunday. The announcement comes just two days after the singer had an on-stage meltdown at iHeart Radio Music Festival at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas--and two days before the [...]
I have an auto loan (a balance of $22,000 with an interest rate of 2.69%) and a student loan ($6,500 at a 3% rate). If I put extra money each month towards one of these loans, which should it be? ? Andrea V.
On a purely mathematical basis, you're better off focusing your efforts on first paying off the loan with the highest interest rate. Over time, that strategy will save you the most money because you won't be spending so much on interest payments. On a psychological basis, that may not necessarily be true; personal finance guru Dave Ramsey, for example, argues that paying off the smallest debt first, by giving you a quick victory in the debt-elimination process, better motivates you to pay off all your loans.
In your case, the higher-interest debt and the lower-balance debt are the same one, making the decision easy: Direct your extra payments to paying down the student loan with the 3% interest rate. "While the rate difference between the two isn't huge, it has the higher interest rate and you'll get the satisfaction of having one bill paid off," says Neil Collins of Collins Financial Advisors in Melrose, Mass.
That said, Collins notes that both loans have very favorable rates, and suggests considering other ways to use the extra cash in your budget. For instance, boosting your contributions to retirement savings accounts such as your 401(k) or IRA may provide more bang for your buck than accelerating payments on your student loan or car loan. "At the very least, make sure you're saving the minimum to take advantage of any 401(k) match," he says. "And if you have a little extra, you can put it in an IRA or a Roth IRA."
??Austin Kilham
Got a question for the Help Desk? Send it to?helpdesk@cnnmoney.com.
Fueling the fleet, Navy looks to the seasPublic release date: 24-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Daniel Parry nrl1030@ccs.nrl.navy.mil 202-767-2541 Naval Research Laboratory
WASHINGTON--Refueling U.S. Navy vessels, at sea and underway, is a costly endeavor in terms of logistics, time, fiscal constraints and threats to national security and sailors at sea.
In Fiscal Year 2011, the U.S. Navy Military Sea Lift Command, the primary supplier of fuel and oil to the U.S. Navy fleet, delivered nearly 600 million gallons of fuel to Navy vessels underway, operating 15 fleet replenishment oilers around the globe.
From Seawater to CO2
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory are developing a process to extract carbon dioxide (CO2) and produce hydrogen gas (H2) from seawater, subsequently catalytically converting the CO2 and H2 into jet fuel by a gas-to-liquids process.
"The potential payoff is the ability to produce JP-5 fuel stock at sea reducing the logistics tail on fuel delivery with no environmental burden and increasing the Navy's energy security and independence," says research chemist, Dr. Heather Willauer.
NRL has successfully developed and demonstrated technologies for the recovery of CO2 and the production of H2 from seawater using an electrochemical acidification cell, and the conversion of CO2 and H2 to hydrocarbons (organic compounds consisting of hydrogen and carbon) that can be used to produce jet fuel.
"The reduction and hydrogenation of CO2 to form hydrocarbons is accomplished using a catalyst that is similar to those used for Fischer-Tropsch reduction and hydrogenation of carbon monoxide," adds Willauer. "By modifying the surface composition of iron catalysts in fixed-bed reactors, NRL has successfully improved CO2 conversion efficiencies up to 60 percent."
A Renewable Resource
CO2 is an abundant carbon (C) resource in the air and in seawater, with the concentration in the ocean about 140 times greater than that in air. Two to three percent of the CO2 in seawater is dissolved CO2 gas in the form of carbonic acid, one percent is carbonate, and the remaining 96 to 97 percent is bound in bicarbonate. If processes are developed to take advantage of the higher weight per volume concentration of CO2 in seawater, coupled with more efficient catalysts for the heterogeneous catalysis of CO2 and H2, a viable sea-based synthetic fuel process can be envisioned. "With such a process, the Navy could avoid the uncertainties inherent in procuring fuel from foreign sources and/or maintaining long supply lines," Willauer said.
NRL has made significant advances developing carbon capture technologies in the laboratory. In the summer of 2009 a standard commercially available chlorine dioxide cell and an electro-deionization cell were modified to function as electrochemical acidification cells. Using the novel cells both dissolved and bound CO2 were recovered from seawater by re-equilibrating carbonate and bicarbonate to CO2 gas at a seawater pH below 6. In addition to CO2, the cells produced H2 at the cathode as a by-product.
These completed studies assessed the effects of the acidification cell configuration, seawater composition, flow rate, and current on seawater pH levels. The data were used to determine the feasibility of this approach for efficiently extracting large quantities of CO2 from seawater. From these feasibility studies NRL successfully scaled-up and integrated the carbon capture technology into an independent skid to process larger volumes of seawater and evaluate the overall system design and efficiencies.
The major component of the carbon capture skid is a three-chambered electrochemical acidification cell. This cell uses small quantities of electricity to exchange hydrogen ions produced at the anode with sodium ions in the seawater stream. As a result, the seawater is acidified. At the cathode, water is reduced to H2 gas and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is formed. This basic solution may be re-combined with the acidified seawater to return the seawater to its original pH with no additional chemicals. Current and continuing research using this carbon capture skid demonstrates the continuous efficient production of H2 and the recovery of up to 92 percent of CO2 from seawater.
Located at NRL's Center for Corrosion Science & Engineering facility, Key West, Fla., (NRLKW) the carbon capture skid has been tested using seawater from the Gulf of Mexico to simulate conditions that will be encountered in an actual open ocean process for capturing CO2 from seawater and producing H2 gas. Currently NRL is working on process optimization and scale-up. Once these are completed, initial studies predict that jet fuel from seawater would cost in the range of $3 to $6 per gallon to produce.
How it Works: CO2 + H2 = Jet Fuel
NRL has developed a two-step process in the laboratory to convert the CO2 and H2 gathered from the seawater to liquid hydrocarbons. In the first step, an iron-based catalyst has been developed that can achieve CO2 conversion levels up to 60 percent and decrease unwanted methane production from 97 percent to 25 percent in favor of longer-chain unsaturated hydrocarbons (olefins).
In the second step these olefins can be oligomerized (a chemical process that converts monomers, molecules of low molecular weight, to a compound of higher molecular weight by a finite degree of polymerization) into a liquid containing hydrocarbon molecules in the carbon C9-C16 range, suitable for conversion to jet fuel by a nickel-supported catalyst reaction.
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Fueling the fleet, Navy looks to the seasPublic release date: 24-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Daniel Parry nrl1030@ccs.nrl.navy.mil 202-767-2541 Naval Research Laboratory
WASHINGTON--Refueling U.S. Navy vessels, at sea and underway, is a costly endeavor in terms of logistics, time, fiscal constraints and threats to national security and sailors at sea.
In Fiscal Year 2011, the U.S. Navy Military Sea Lift Command, the primary supplier of fuel and oil to the U.S. Navy fleet, delivered nearly 600 million gallons of fuel to Navy vessels underway, operating 15 fleet replenishment oilers around the globe.
From Seawater to CO2
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory are developing a process to extract carbon dioxide (CO2) and produce hydrogen gas (H2) from seawater, subsequently catalytically converting the CO2 and H2 into jet fuel by a gas-to-liquids process.
"The potential payoff is the ability to produce JP-5 fuel stock at sea reducing the logistics tail on fuel delivery with no environmental burden and increasing the Navy's energy security and independence," says research chemist, Dr. Heather Willauer.
NRL has successfully developed and demonstrated technologies for the recovery of CO2 and the production of H2 from seawater using an electrochemical acidification cell, and the conversion of CO2 and H2 to hydrocarbons (organic compounds consisting of hydrogen and carbon) that can be used to produce jet fuel.
"The reduction and hydrogenation of CO2 to form hydrocarbons is accomplished using a catalyst that is similar to those used for Fischer-Tropsch reduction and hydrogenation of carbon monoxide," adds Willauer. "By modifying the surface composition of iron catalysts in fixed-bed reactors, NRL has successfully improved CO2 conversion efficiencies up to 60 percent."
A Renewable Resource
CO2 is an abundant carbon (C) resource in the air and in seawater, with the concentration in the ocean about 140 times greater than that in air. Two to three percent of the CO2 in seawater is dissolved CO2 gas in the form of carbonic acid, one percent is carbonate, and the remaining 96 to 97 percent is bound in bicarbonate. If processes are developed to take advantage of the higher weight per volume concentration of CO2 in seawater, coupled with more efficient catalysts for the heterogeneous catalysis of CO2 and H2, a viable sea-based synthetic fuel process can be envisioned. "With such a process, the Navy could avoid the uncertainties inherent in procuring fuel from foreign sources and/or maintaining long supply lines," Willauer said.
NRL has made significant advances developing carbon capture technologies in the laboratory. In the summer of 2009 a standard commercially available chlorine dioxide cell and an electro-deionization cell were modified to function as electrochemical acidification cells. Using the novel cells both dissolved and bound CO2 were recovered from seawater by re-equilibrating carbonate and bicarbonate to CO2 gas at a seawater pH below 6. In addition to CO2, the cells produced H2 at the cathode as a by-product.
These completed studies assessed the effects of the acidification cell configuration, seawater composition, flow rate, and current on seawater pH levels. The data were used to determine the feasibility of this approach for efficiently extracting large quantities of CO2 from seawater. From these feasibility studies NRL successfully scaled-up and integrated the carbon capture technology into an independent skid to process larger volumes of seawater and evaluate the overall system design and efficiencies.
The major component of the carbon capture skid is a three-chambered electrochemical acidification cell. This cell uses small quantities of electricity to exchange hydrogen ions produced at the anode with sodium ions in the seawater stream. As a result, the seawater is acidified. At the cathode, water is reduced to H2 gas and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is formed. This basic solution may be re-combined with the acidified seawater to return the seawater to its original pH with no additional chemicals. Current and continuing research using this carbon capture skid demonstrates the continuous efficient production of H2 and the recovery of up to 92 percent of CO2 from seawater.
Located at NRL's Center for Corrosion Science & Engineering facility, Key West, Fla., (NRLKW) the carbon capture skid has been tested using seawater from the Gulf of Mexico to simulate conditions that will be encountered in an actual open ocean process for capturing CO2 from seawater and producing H2 gas. Currently NRL is working on process optimization and scale-up. Once these are completed, initial studies predict that jet fuel from seawater would cost in the range of $3 to $6 per gallon to produce.
How it Works: CO2 + H2 = Jet Fuel
NRL has developed a two-step process in the laboratory to convert the CO2 and H2 gathered from the seawater to liquid hydrocarbons. In the first step, an iron-based catalyst has been developed that can achieve CO2 conversion levels up to 60 percent and decrease unwanted methane production from 97 percent to 25 percent in favor of longer-chain unsaturated hydrocarbons (olefins).
In the second step these olefins can be oligomerized (a chemical process that converts monomers, molecules of low molecular weight, to a compound of higher molecular weight by a finite degree of polymerization) into a liquid containing hydrocarbon molecules in the carbon C9-C16 range, suitable for conversion to jet fuel by a nickel-supported catalyst reaction.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Former President Bill Clinton speaks with "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer.
A month and a half before Election Day, President Obama is winning, former President Bill Clinton said Sunday, citing a raft of recent polls that show Obama widening a lead in several key swing states.
But Clinton warned Romney?s money advantage and Republican efforts in states around the country to put more restrictions on voting still threaten Obama?s chances.
?Assuming the debates are even a draw, I think the president will win,? Clinton said CBS? ?Face the Nation? with Bob Schieffer. ?But I think you can?t know because of the enormous financial advantage that Citizens United gave to these Republican super PACs and because of the work they have done and will do on Election Day to try to reduce the number of young people, first-generation immigrants, and minorities voting.?
Clinton said Republicans are counting on lower turnout that will match 2010, when Republicans scored major gains in the midterm elections, retaking control of the House and nearly retaking the Senate.
PHOTOS: Best of the Republican, Democratic conventions
?They have a theory that if ? the people who vote in 2012 look more like the 2010 electorate, then the folks that elected the president in the first place in 2008, that if they can get? enough of those folks to stay home, they can still win. So that?s why we got to keep working on it.?
Clinton also predicted that if Obama wins, Republicans and Democrats will work together to avert a major budget crisis.
?As soon as this election?s over, the incentives for gridlock will go way down and the incentives for action will go way up,? he said, noting the imperative of acting to avoid tax hikes and major cuts in federal spending that threaten the economy, the so-called fiscal cliff.
?It will force them to concentrate and I believe there will be a lame-duck session of Congress in which they will either reach the beginnings of a budget deal or more likely agree to some sort of period of time to avoid the fiscal cliff and make the budget deal then.?
INTERACTIVE: Spending during the 2012 election
Looking forward to the election after this one, Clinton said he had ?no earthly idea? whether his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, will run for president in 2016. She already has said she does not intend to serve a second term heading the State Department if Obama is elected.
?She?s tired. She?s really worked hard,? Clinton said. ?She wants to take some time off, kind of regroup, write a book.?
"We got a lot of able people in our party who want to be president,? Clinton said. ?Got a lot of bright young governors, we?ve got a lot of other people will probably run out of the Congress," but, he added, Hillary Clinton is ?an extraordinarily able person.?
"I just think, you know, it?s a decision she?ll have to make. But whatever she does, I?m for her first, last and always."
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. (AP) ? New Mexico Tourism Secretary Monique Jacobson says it will be New Mexico's Sydney Opera House. Virgin Galactic Chairman Richard Branson has hinted it will host the first of his new brand of lifestyle hotels. And the eclectic hot springs town of Truth or Consequences has been anxiously awaiting all the economic development the nearly quarter-of-a-billion-dollar project is supposed to bring to this largely rural part of southern New Mexico.
But as phase one of Spaceport America, the world's first commercial port built specifically for sending tourists and payloads into space, is nearing completion, the only new hotel project that has been finalized is a Holiday Inn Express here in Truth or Consequences, about 25 miles away. And three key companies with millions of dollars in payroll have passed on developing operations in the state.
The lagging development, along with competition from heavy hitters like Florida and Texas, is raising new questions about the viability of the $209 billion taxpayer-funded project ? as well as the rush by so many states to grab a piece of the commercial spaceport pie. To date, nine spaceports are planned around the United States, mostly at existing airports, and another 10 have been proposed, according to a recent report from the New Mexico Spaceport Authority.
"Right now, the industry is not there to support it," Alex Ignatiev, a University of Houston physics professor and adviser to space companies, said of the list of planned and proposed spaceports across America.
Andrew Nelson, COO of XCOR Aerospace, disagrees, saying "in the next couple to three years, there's going to be a demonstrative reduction in the cost to launch stuff ... so we are going to have a lot more people coming out of the woodwork."
Currently, the Spaceport can count on two rocket companies that send vertical payloads into space and Virgin Galactic, the Branson space tourism venture that says it has signed up more than 500 wealthy adventurers for $200,000-per-person spaceflights. Other leaders in the race to commercialize the business and send tourists into space have been passing on New Mexico.
For example, XCOR Aerospace, which manufactures reusable rocket engines for major aerospace contractors and is designing a two-person space vehicle called the Lynx, has twice passed over New Mexico in favor of Texas and Florida. Most recently, it announced plans to locate its new Commercial Space Research and Development Center Headquarters in Midland, Texas.
Another company, RocketCrafters, Inc., passed over New Mexico for Titusville, Fla. And the space tourism company of SpaceX, is looking at basing a plant with $50 million in annual salaries to Brownsville, Texas.
Locally, officials blame the lack of new businesses on the legislature's refusal to pass laws that would exempt spacecraft suppliers from liability for passengers should the spacecraft crash or blow up. When New Mexico was developing Spaceport in partnership with Virgin Galactic, it passed a law to exempt the carrier through 2018, but not parts suppliers. Colorado, Florida, Texas and Virginia have adopted permanent liability exemption laws for both carriers and suppliers. The laws, called informed consent, are much like those that exempt ski areas from lawsuits by skiers, who waive their rights for claims when they buy a ski pass. Spaceport officials emphasize the carriers and suppliers would not be exempt from damage on the ground, or in cases of gross negligence.
"The issue is informed consent legislation," said Truth or Consequences Mayor John Mulcahy. "We need to get that passed."
Companies make no secret of the fact that the liability laws have played a role in their decision to go elsewhere. But they also cite Spaceport America's remote location ?45 miles from Las Cruces and 200 miles from Albuquerque ? and a failure by the state to offer competitive incentives as factors.
"We worked with (former Gov. Bill) Richardson's people as well as (Gov. Susana) Martinez," Nelson said. "They are all fine. They have been great. But they couldn't deliver the package that was necessary to get across the goal line."
Spaceport's success is tied largely to Virgin Galactic, which signed a 20-year lease to operate its commercial space tourism business from the site. Over the next two decades, the company's lease payments and user fees are expected to generate $250 million and more. But the terms of the lease or what penalties might be imposed if Branson pulls out are not publicly known. And the facility was planned with the idea that at least one new major tenant would move in by 2016.
"We are so happy we have Virgin Galactic as anchors," said Christine Anderson, executive director of the New Mexico Space Authority, which is lobbying lawmakers to approve informed consent. "But we want to attract more tenants. ... I think this is really a critical piece of legislation that New Mexico has to have."
Nelson says his company hasn't ruled out one day flying his Lynx aircraft in New Mexico. But he says the legislature's wavering on the liability exemptions "sends a message that we cannot expect a consistent response," he said.
Meantime, Branson's estimate for a first manned flight has been pushed back until late 2013 at the earliest. And questions remain about the facility's tourism draw.
Tourism and Spaceport officials have estimated as many as 200,000 people a year would visit the futuristic center. Branson told a national hotel conference in 2011 that he might put one of his still to be developed Virgin hotels in the area. But there has been no further word on that hotel, or others that have been rumored to cater to the space crowd.
Ignatiev estimates it will be 10 years before the commercial space business really takes off, "And I don't know how many states or commercial entities can sit around for 10 years and wait for business to show up. They are going to have a problem staying viable."
___
Follow Jeri Clausing on Twitter at http://twitter.com/(hash)!/jericlausing
Lakeland High School is located in Shrub Oak, NY. Along with its sister school, Walter Panas, it attracts a diverse student body from over 40 square miles in Northern Westchester.?
LHS is accredited by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. The school has a rich variety of academic programs, ranging from AP and honors level coursework to programs for the disabled. ?
Students are encouraged to participate in the most appropriately challenging academic work as well as become active members of the community through the athletic and co-curricular programs.?
The Principal of the school is Cheryl Champ; Christopher Cummings and Lorrie Yurish are Assistant Principals.?
Dennis Robinson is the high school's Athletic Coordinator. He can be reached at 914-528-0600 ext. 225 or drobinson@lakelandschools.org.
Article by By Dan Fenstemaker, Inventor of the Original INTELETOOL
If you go to a typical home and garden store, you may get the impression you need dozens of tools to keep your home in good shape. After all, there are literally thousands of outdoor tools and other pieces of equipment for sale. Well, you simply don?t.
I love to do small jobs that make a big difference. Granted, some big repairs can?t be avoided, but I am going to give you what is probably considered the three most basic outdoor improvements you can make with the biggest return, and they require very few outdoor tools or no equipment.
Spruce Up Your Yard
1. Edging. With a decent manual or power edger, you can make your yard look noticeably nicer in just a few minutes. Edging your sidewalks and driveway is one of those things that is so simple, yet makes such a great visual improvement. Clean lines make a whole yard look cleaner and crisper, and the only thing you?re doing is clipping blades of grass in a straight line!
Tools needed? A lawn edger. And you can spend as little as $ 20 or up to $ 400 for a new one. For twenty bucks and about 10 minutes, your yard can look much more manicured than ever before.
Better yet, buy a weed whacker that can both edge your walks and driveway and also trim high grass along fences and brick work. It?s that easy.
2. Weeding and Trimming. Another yard-sprucing-up technique is simple weeding and trimming. When you hear this, you may question the word ?simple? as you conjure up negative pictures of big, time consuming jobs. But, actually, if a little weeding and trimming happens each week, you very seldom, if ever need to experience long, hard work.
The key is to do a little bit a lot of times. Yep. That?s the key. When a yard or landscaping bed is overgrown with weeds, you?re in for some work, but if you pull just a few weeds out each week, there are far less to pull, and they come out easily because they haven?t had time to grow deep, tough roots.
Trimming can also be easy if you don?t let hedges, bushes and trees get out of control. It?s amazing how the identical home can look amazingly better with well trimmed bushes and shrubs. It not only makes your landscaping look better, it makes the whole house look better. Well maintained landscaping somehow transfers to the actual house. It?s that simple.
Tools needed? Not much. There are a few variations on the standard hand-tool weeder, and you can spend as little as $ 5 and up to $ 30. Newer ?twister? designs and even stand-up designs with foot plungers make weeding easier, and will cost you just a little more.
For trimming, you have a whole host of options, but you don?t have to spend a lot. Basic pruners and clippers are inexpensive, and again, the key is to keep on top of the growth.
De-Clutter Your Yard
I?ve always been amazed how the beauty of a property can be improved by simply keeping it clean and clutter free. Garden hoses, yard knick-knacks, and other stuff lying around makes a yard look cheap and poorly maintained. Even simply sweeping or blowing away leaves, clippings and other debris makes a driveway, garage floor or sidewalk surprisingly more beautiful in just moments.
Tools Needed? Well, you might invest in a decent quality gas blower. I did almost 20 years ago (won?t mention the brand, but my father-in-law convinced me to buy good quality and I?m really glad I did.)
Even if I barely move anything in my garage, just taking two minutes to blow out dust and leaves off the garage floor makes the whole thing look better. And taking three minutes to blow the grass clippings and other stuff off my driveway and sidewalks does the same thing. A good blower can cost you $ 300 or more, but like I mentioned, I?ve had mine for twenty years and I love it.
Other than a blower, de-cluttering your yard just requires you and maybe a broom. And, as you can see from above, edging, trimming, weeding and basic de-cluttering takes surprisingly little investment by way of outdoor tools and equipment, so save your money, consistently put in little bits of labor, and you will keep your yard both beautiful and inviting to everyone passing by.
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Dan Fenstemaker is an outdoor tools and equipment expert. For more great information on outdoor tools and equipment, visit http://www.inteletool.com.
About the Author
Inteletool inventor Dan Fenstemaker hails from Ohio. A painting contractor, Fenstemaker wondered why other tool heads weren?t available for his telescopic paint handle, so he designed then patented his own. At the 2009 National Hardware Show, the DIY television crew chose Inteletool to feature as one of its hot new tools on its ?Cool Tools? show, which aired multiple times throughout the 2009 Thanksgiving weekend.
Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author?s information and copyright must be included.
CHESTER, Pa. (AP) - Lionard Pajoy scored in the 67th minute to lead D.C. United to a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union on Thursday night.
D.C. (14-10-5) moved into fourth place in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of Houston and two ahead of Columbus.
Philadelphia (7-14-6) remained ninth in the East, one point behind New England. The Union's stretched their winless streak to eight matches, falling to 0-4-4 since beating the Revolution 2-1 on July 29 - and have scored just four goals in that span.
United scored after Chris Pontius approached the box and drew Union goalie Zac MacMath out of the goal. Pontius passed it to Pajoy, who stopped the ball and sent it into the wide-open net for his seventh goal of the season - and second since being traded from Philadelphia to D.C. on Aug. 16.
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Uncertainty is the top problem faced by small business owners, a National Federation of Independent Business survey says.
The cost of health insurance was a major driver of this uncertainty, with 52.3 percent of small businesses considering it a ?critical? concern.
?Fears over increasing health insurance costs continue to dominate the list of concerns for small businesses, very much in spite of the president?s health insurance reform law ? certainly not an endorsement of the policy, nor a good sign for the future of the sector,? said?Holly Wade, senior policy analyst and author of the recent NFIB survey on the topic.
NFIB joined the multi-state lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act, which was decided by the Supreme Court in favor of the Obama administration this summer.
A separate study by online service company Thumbtack.com and the the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management revealed similar concerns in the small business world during this fall campaign season.
Small business owners agree that job creation and the economy are the most important issues when it comes to picking their president. Ethics, honesty and corruption in government rank next.
?Six thousand small business owners have told an unusually nuanced story about the factors that drive their political decisions,? said Sander Daniels, co-founder of Thumbtack.com. ?When job creators speak, we need to listen.?
The Small Business Administration defines small businesses as a business with no more than 500 employees for manufacturing or mining, or $7 million in annual receipts for non-manufacturing.
?According to US Census data, 91.6% of small businesses have between one and five workers,? this new survey notes.
The slow economic recovery has been very hard on small businesses, despite the stimulus and other programs the Obama administration has implemented.
?My self-employed business is completely dependent upon the economy,? said one survey respondent from New York City. ?I?m a marriage officiant, and many wedding plans fail to carry through because of job loss and change in economic status.?
?I am very angry that there are zillions of dollars for the US to wage war and prepare for future wars but none for federal investment in infrastructure that will create millions of jobs!? the respondent said.
?Small businesses are deeply attuned to the effect of politics on job creation and the economy,? said Dr. David Rehr, a lead researcher on the study with the George Washington University?s Graduate School of Political Management. ?Entrepreneurs are feeling squeezed by the tight lending environment and want their political leaders to curb the influence of money in politics.?
Access to loans was also a major issue for Thubmtack users.
?Personally, I have lost complete faith in our government,? said one Las Vegas, N.V. small business owner.?We have thousands of choices for products, yet we have two lousy choices for our leaders.?
?Our government serves big businesses and big businesses only. Our votes don?t matter. The whole system is corrupt,? the disheartened citizen said.
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It looks like competition in the mobile space is heating up in the Philippines. The competition, however, isn?t between mobile giants Apple and Samsung. Nor is it about patents. The local war in the mobile scene is between Pangilinan-owned SMART Communications and Ayala-owned Globe Telecom and is about which mobile network is superior.
Yesterday, Globe Telecom issued a press release hailing its ?legacy? network as being superior to SMART Communication?s upgraded network based on a network benchmark test conducted by the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC).
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Globe legacy network better than Smart?s upgraded network
NTC test results show Globe 2x better in grade of service
A recent network benchmark test conducted by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), comparing the Grade of Service and overall signal quality of both Globe Telecom and Smart Communications against NTC Cellular Mobile Telephone System (CMTS) standards showed the Globe legacy network outperforming competition?s recently modernized network in terms of grade of service. ??The Globe legacy network also performed at parity with the upgraded network of Smart in almost all other metrics.
In the most important benchmark where the NTC has an applied industry standard consisting of Grade of Service or Call Setup Failure Rate (CSFR), Globe Telecom?s legacy network outperformed its competition who has widely announced its network upgrade completion.? With the Grade of Service or CSFR standard set by the NTC at 4%, Globe recorded a nearly identical 4.45% while Smart registered a distant 9.95% (closer to the industry standard is better).? This means that call success rates are higher using the Globe legacy network at 95.55%.? For consumers, the experience is that it is easier to call using the Globe legacy network with more calls getting connected even at first try.
For Drop Call Rate, the NTC standard is 2%, and test results showed both telcos performed within the standard with Globe registering 1.6% at parity with Smart?s 1.5%.? Clearly, the results belie the claims made by Smart in its multi-million negative advertising campaigns pointing out drop calls and difficulty in making calls within the Globe legacy network.
In terms of Call Set Up Time, both telcos performed within the acceptable standard of below 14 seconds.? The Globe legacy network performed at parity with 11.9 seconds versus the Smart upgraded network at 11.74 seconds.? This is a measure of how fast domestic calls get connected from one number to the other.
Other metrics in the study included Average Signal Quality with a minimum acceptable range of 0-4, the closer to 0, the better.? The telcos performed at parity, both performing above 0.50.? ??The final metric is the Average Receive Signal Level with a minimum acceptable range of -85 dBm. Both telcos did not make it to the standard.
The NTC benchmark study was conducted during the second quarter of 2012 in sixteen cities in Metro Manila, through network drive tests using prepaid SIMs of both telcos with a sample size of over 3,000 test calls.
NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba earlier called the attention of both Globe Telecom and Smart Communications on what he referred to as increasing complaints from customers about drop calls and undelivered text messages, asking both firms to explain the causes for the disruptions and to give a timetable for completion of their network modernization programs.
Globe Telecom President and CEO Ernest Cu in his reaction to the recent NTC benchmark results said, ?It is now clear who is telling the truth and really giving good service to the public even with just our legacy network.? Competition has claimed they are done with their upgrade and there?s no denying the official results from NTC quality tests show their upgraded network performs even below NTC standards. As soon as we fully fire up our brand new network, our subscribers and the entire nation will enjoy a whole new mobile experience that is once again pioneered by Globe Telecom.?
Globe announced recently that its $700-million network modernization program is more than 50% done and is progressively rolling out ahead of schedule for change-out completion nationwide within the first quarter of 2013.? Cu said that unlike other transformation programs that involve merely upgrades, Globe is building a brand-new network that is future-proof and built to provide higher call quality, pervasive 3G and 4G coverage, and faster mobile internet experience.
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SMART Communications quickly responded with a statement today accusing Globe Telecom of?attempting to turn the results of the NTC?S Quality of Service Benchmarking Test upside down.?Citing to the same NTC network benchmark test, SMART Communications pointed out that its mobile?network rated higher in four of the five parameters that had been defined by the NTC in consultation with all three mobile phone operators.
SMART Communications, Inc.?s Statement on the NTC?s Q2 network quality tests
[20 September 2012]?Yesterday, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) confirmed the network superiority of Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) following the release of the results of its network quality tests for the second quarter of this year which showed Smart posting significantly better test results than Globe Telecom.
Globe, however, issued a statement that attempted to turn the results of the NTC?S Quality of Service Benchmarking Test upside down.
According to that test, Smart?s network rated higher in four of the five parameters that had been defined by the NTC in consultation with all three mobile phone operators. These four important parameters where Smart posted better scores are: 1) Drop Call Rate; 2) Call Set Up Time; 3) Average Signal Quality; and 4) Average Receive Signal Level.
In its statement, however, Globe conveniently downplayed or disregarded these parameters and focused on the ?blocked call? parameter, which was the only test that showed better results for Globe. On that basis, Globe said that its ?legacy network? was better than that of Smart.
This is the same legacy network that Globe officials have admitted, in several recent occasions, to be congested.
This selective reading of the test results defies arithmetic, and, more importantly, flies in the face of consumer experience.
Globe?s press statement also contains a substantive misinterpretation of the test results in one of the key parameters ? the Average Receive Signal Level.? Globe said in its statement that: ?The final metric is the Average Receive Signal Level with a minimum acceptable range of -85 dBm.? Both telcos did not make it to the standard.?
The truth, however, is quite different: Both carriers actually passed the standard. Globe registered a score of -69.83 dBm. But Smart delivered lopsidedly better results: -62.63 dBm.?In this parameter, the lower the negative number is, the better the signal.
Translated into layman?s terms, what this result means is that Smart?s signal level is up to five times stronger than Globe?s.? In terms of customer experience, a stronger signal level means better indoor coverage, resulting in better voice quality, less drop calls, faster and more reliable SMS and higher data speeds.
Though we are encouraged by the?NTC test which validates our network superiority, Smart continues to work hard in order to provide our customers superior service. By completing our network transformation in mid-2012, we are now moving on to deliver to our subscribers next generation services such as the Long Term Evolution, or LTE.
This is vital because we realize that, in the end, it is the satisfaction and judgment of our customers that really matter.
So who do you think is telling the truth? Are you happy with the service you?re getting from your telecom provider? Sound off in the comments below.
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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) ? It's big money and Godzilla in Maine's six-way race for retiring Sen. Olympia Snowe's seat.
The campaign cash, more than $1 million in attack ads, comes from Republicans trying to paint front-runner Angus King, a former two-term independent governor, as an unpredictable spender of taxpayer money.
"Mainers can't afford to send this King to Washington," says one ad, sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is spending more than $500,000 in TV advertising in the state.
King says they're trying to make him look like a scary monster in a race the GOP never expected and, seven weeks before Election Day, look poised to lose.
"You know better," King, 68, tells voters in his own ad, touting his fiscal track-record over footage of Godzilla stomping through a town. "Folks from away," King says of outside interest groups pumping cash into the race, "might think we were born at night up here, but it wasn't last night."
King supports President Barack Obama's re-election, but what scares Senate Republicans most is that if King wins the election, he will align himself with Democrats. King has not committed to caucusing with either party, and the state's largest voter bloc has no party affiliation.
The GOP was virtually assured of keeping the Senate seat before Snowe abruptly abandoned the race, causing a complication in the party's broader drive to gain four seats and control of the chamber. That goal seemed in reach a few months ago, but developments in other Senate races have clouded the GOP's chances of attaining it in the Nov. 6 elections. Maine's multiple-candidate race does nothing to improve the prospects.
So conservatives are pumping money into the state, attacking King as a Democrat in an independent's clothing. In addition to the chamber of commerce, Senate Republicans are adding about $600,000 to help GOP Secretary of State Charlie Summers keep the seat in the party's hands.
"Angus talks about being an umpire or a referee," Summers, 53, said of King's vow to start the process of repairing the polarized Congress. "Umpires and referees don't win games. People who stand for something do."
Also in the Senate race are Democrat Cynthia Dill, 47, who says she is the best candidate to represent the middle class, and three other independents.
That there is a competitive race at all in Maine was a surprise to the political world. Snowe is retiring after this year. She is one of the few centrists left in the Senate, where, she said, partisanship often trumps good policymaking.
"She left in complete and utter frustration. When she said that, it struck me that we have to try it a different way," King, formerly a Democrat, said in debate Monday night. Earlier, he described how that different way would work: "As an independent, I'll be able to choose my positions based on the facts, the science and the data, not what someone tells me is the party line," King said.
It's a potent prospect after years of partisan gridlock that has dropped Congress' approval ratings to record lows. But independent senators traditionally choose a party to caucus with, in a give-and-take relationship that gives them a shot at influence in the sharply divided, seniority-driven chamber. Currently, independent Sens. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders of Vermont caucus with majority Democrats ? who, in turn, made Lieberman chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.
Forced into a race they didn't expect, Republicans are pounding King. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce aired ads during NBC's prime-time Olympics coverage calling him "king of spending." The National Republican Senatorial Committee's ads accuse him of exploiting political connections to secure federal loan guarantees for a wind power project. And another GOP-led super PAC, Maine Freedom, took a different tack, spending more than $300,000 on TV ads urging Democrats to stick with Dill, a "bold progressive," in hopes of taking votes from King.
Dill isn't getting similar financial backing from Democratic groups.
Despite the attacks, King is considered the front-runner.
After the June primaries, King was favored by 55 percent of surveyed voters, compared with 27 percent support for Summers and 7 percent for Dill in a poll commissioned by The Portland Press Herald. Nine percent were undecided.
The GOP cites internal polling that suggests King may be losing ground.
King's message of political independence rings true with many in a state that has twice elected independent governors.
And for his part, King touts his record for cutting taxes, making targeted infrastructure investments, bolstering the state's rainy day fund, setting aside land for conservation and winning high marks for Maine's bond rating.
Republicans, meanwhile, say King expanded state spending during the dot-com bubble and left the next governor with what would've been a $1 billion shortfall without budgetary adjustments.
Summers said voters aren't talking so much about politics as their fears of growing debt. They're connecting, he said, with his story as a one-time a motel manager, a widower and father, state lawmaker and a Navy reservist who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"When I'm out on the campaign trail, people aren't talking about the process. They're talking about getting spending under control," Summers said.
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Follow David Sharp on Twitter at http://twitter.com/David_Sharp_AP
Politicians who lie and cheat are being held to account by the social network tools that spread half-truths in the first place
FOR those who care about truth, politics has become a depressing spectacle. Politicians have always bent and spun the facts, but the barefaced lying of recent years is especially difficult to swallow.
The US presidential campaign is a case in point, with both sides apparently ready to lie and lie again for political gain. When Republican vice-presidential hopeful Paul Ryan implied in his speech to the convention that the car factory in his hometown was shut down under Barack Obama's watch, he must have known it wasn't true. The plant closed before Obama's inauguration.
Ryan's Democrat counterpart Joe Biden was also at it during his convention speech, repeatedly lying about Republican Medicare plans and tax policy, according to FactCheck.org, a nonpartisan scrutineer of political spin.
Perhaps politicians are simply reflecting the times in which we live, where outlandish lies and conspiracy theories spread more easily than ever. If so, there are welcome signs of a change in the atmosphere.
The same social media technologies that lubricate the spread of nonsense are being recruited to fight back. When a politician deviates from the truth, instant rebuttals are increasingly circulated around social networks. If those refutations spread far enough, the mainstream media are forced to take notice. Ryan, for example, had his convention speech picked apart line by line.
Organisations like PolitiFact and FactCheck.org are also fuelling this wave. They put in the legwork scrutinising disputed political claims, then publish their findings. There are even plans to annotate the whole web with fact checks - displayed as "layers" over websites such as The New York Times or Fox News (see "Reality checker: How to cut nonsense from the net").
These efforts will not purge the online world of lies, but are part of an escalating arms race between those who care about the truth and those who don't. At least they should raise the level of discourse above which set of lies to believe. The great political challenges of our time, from food and energy security to climate change, cannot be solved or wished away with lies and spin. Those who aspire to lead must be held to the highest standards of truth.
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Ringed seals are currently under consideration for threatened species listing.
By Live Science Staff / September 18, 2012
A ringed seal peaks out from its snow cave.
Brendan Kelly, NSF
Enlarge
Arctic-dwelling ringed seals build snow caves on top of sea ice so they can shield their pups from freezing temperatures and predators. But shrinking snow cover could threaten the seals' ability to make these icy lairs, researchers warn.
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The seals need at least 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow cover to make their shelters. While the mid-winter snowfall rate is expected to increase slightly by the end of the century,?Arctic sea ice?is expected to start forming later in the season. This means that heavy snow falling earlier in the winter will drop into the ocean instead of piling up on the ice, the researchers said.
Drawing on 10 different climate models, the researchers predicted that the area of the Arctic that gets 8-inch accumulations of snow will drop by almost 70 percent during the 21st century. This would significantly reduce the area where?ringed seals?can build sufficient caves. Earlier snowmelts and increased rainfall will also threaten to dissolve the seals' caves before the pups are ready to venture outside on their own, the researchers said.
Ringed seals are currently under consideration for threatened species listing. In fact co-researcher Brendan Kelly of the National Science Foundation was interested in the trend in snow depth because he was contributing to a government report related to the petition to get the ringed seals listed.?
In addition to its importance to the health of ringed seals, the snow cover is also critical to sea-ice thickness, which, in turn, is critical to the livelihoods of animals like?polar bears?and walruses that use the ice as habitat. Since snow is more reflective than ice, it also has a cooling effect on the surface. "So the presence of snow helps sustain the icepack into spring time," Hezel said.
The study was led by researchers at the University of Washington and published Sept. 15 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Follow LiveScience on Twitter?@livescience. We're also on?Facebook?&?Google+.
Flashback! Remember this one? Last year, Apple filed a trademark lawsuit against Amazon, claiming that Amazon's use of the term "App Store" (as in "Amazon Appstore") could contribute to confusion among consumers as it was not, as Amazon believes, "a generic term." Other app store providers like Microsoft and Google have made a point to brand their app stores differently?by calling them the Windows Marketplace and the Android Market (now Google Play), respectively, just to be on the safe side. But Amazon has stuck to its guns, saying that the phrase should not be subject to trademark protection. The case is still underway, and in a filing on Wednesday with the U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, Amazon has asked a federal judge to reject Apple's "false advertising" claim.
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Public release date: 24-Sep-2012
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