Woman says suspect in theft of Tim Allen's car stalked, sexually ...

Posted on: 6:21 am, November 29, 2012, by David Mitchell, updated on: 07:15am, November 29, 2012

DENVER ? A Denver woman says the man accused of stealing Comedian Tim Allen?s car stalked and sexually abused her.

The woman told FOX31 Denver in an exclusive interview that she wants the man off the streets for good. She?s asking the TV and movie star for help doing that.

Faustino Ibarra is in jail in Denver. He?s suspected of taking Tim Allen?s prized 1996 Chevrolet Impala and driving it from Los Angeles to Denver.

People who know Ibarra say his obsession with Allen goes back a long way.

Reporter Justin Joseph spoke with Ibarra inside Denver?s jail. The suspect will likely face charges related to stalking the actor and stealing his car on Thanksgiving.

?He left the keys so that I could get the car and drive it Denver,? Ibarra says.

The special car turned up Friday outside Ibarra?s home in Denver.

The woman, who doesn?t want to be identified, came forward and says Ibarra stalked her. ?He sexually abused me for a very long time.?

?He?s insane. I don`t know how to explain it except that he?s very crazy and needs to be removed from society where he?s a threat,? she says.

The stalking stopped years ago after she says Ibarra moved to Los Angeles where he lived in his car near the Hollywood sign.

Though he remembers differently, witnesses say he set up home just outside Allen?s gates.

?He took me in as his own pretty much? especially at the start of his career,? Ibarra claims.

We asked Ibarra?s family about a call from Allen?s security team, demanding they bring him home. ?He?s not dangerous, he?s just crazy,? one of them told us.

But the woman FOX31 Denver spoke to says Ibarra is both dangerous and crazy. She?s pleading with Tim Allen to press charges against the suspect.

?I want to beg and plead with Mr. Allen to not give him a chance to come out again and harm me and stalk me and give him that chance for me to fear for my life.?

Tim Allen?s publicist says she can?t comment on the situation because it?s an ongoing investigation.

The Denver District Attorney?s office says Ibarra will be extradited to California to face charges.

Source: http://kwgn.com/2012/11/29/woman-says-suspect-in-theft-of-tim-allens-car-stalked-sexually-abused-her-2/

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PFT: Denver wants to host a Super Bowl

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With 176 games completed, the gap has been cut from seven to two.

After a four-game sweep of our disagreements in Week 11, MDS posted another 3-1 mark in Week 12, making it very interesting over the final five weeks.

This week, we have only one disagreement.? So it?ll be down to one or back to three by Monday.? (I are good at the math.)

Of course, that doesn?t mean we?ll be right on the picks on which we agree.? But we?re doing OK.? MDS was 11-5 for Week 12, and I was 9-7.? For the season, I?m at 112-63-1, a 63.6 percent accuracy rate.? MDS is 110-65-1, which equates to 62.5 percent.

Saints at Falcons

MDS?s take: It sounds crazy to say this about a 5-6 team facing a 10-1 team, but right now the Saints are playing better football than the Falcons. Having said that, I have a hunch the Falcons will turn in their best effort of the season at home against the team that gave them their only loss.

MDS?s pick: Falcons 28, Saints 21.

Florio?s take:? An already contentious rivalry will become even more contentious now that eggs have flown into the Saints bus and former Falcons linebacker Curtis Lofton has declared that his new team, the Saints, don?t regard the rivalry as a rivalry, given that the Saints have won 11 of 13.? With the Falcons closing in on a playoff berth and sensitive about the perception that they can?t win big games at home, it?s time to drop the Saints? mark against the Falcons to 11 of 14.

Florio?s pick:? Falcons 27, Saints 24.

Jaguars at Bills

MDS?s take: Jaguars quarterback Chad Henne has been impressive enough since replacing Blaine Gabbert that I?m tempted to pick the Jags to pull off a home upset. But these are still the Jaguars, and even if Henne has improved the offense, they still have a terrible defense, plus the Bills have a big special teams edge.

MDS?s pick: Bills 27, Jaguars 23.

Florio?s take:? The Jags are riding a rare one-game winning streak.? The Bill are trying to break a not-so-rare one-game losing streak.? Home team gets the advantage, even though the Jaguars are better with Chad Henne at quarterback.

Florio?s pick:? Bills 24, Jaguars 17.

Seahawks at Bears

MDS?s take: This might be the day?s most interesting game, especially if you enjoy watching teams that play tough, physical defense. I think Seattle?s defensive front has the potential to make life a nightmare for Jay Cutler playing behind the Bears? woeful offensive line, and yet the Seahawks have struggled so much away from home that I?m taking the Bears in a close one.

MDS?s pick: Bears 14, Seahawks 13.

Florio?s take:? It?s chicken salad time for the Chicago offensive line, with failed first-round tackle Gabe Carimi being pressed into service at guard.? But Jay Cutler knows how to avoid the pressure and deliver the ball, and the Seahawks still haven?t learned how to win on the road.

Florio?s pick:? Bears 23, Seahawks 13.

Colts at Lions

MDS?s take: The Lions are playing better football than their record suggests, while the Colts are playing worse football than their record suggests. I still think Indianapolis will be a wild card team, but in this game Calvin Johnson will have a huge day against a weak secondary.

MDS?s pick: Lions 31, Colts 20.

Florio?s take:? Assuming that the Lions haven?t folded the tents after a season-crushing Thanksgiving loss, they?ve got the horses to hold off a Colts team that has yet to learn how to win away from Indy consistently.

Florio?s pick:? Lions 27, Colts 20.

Vikings at Packers

MDS?s take: Green Bay had a letdown against the Giants last week, but that won?t happen again. This is the game when the Packers pull ahead of the pack in the NFC wild card race, as well as staying within striking distance of the Bears in the NFC North.

MDS?s pick: Packers 34, Vikings 13.

Florio?s take:? Minnesota has embarked on its long-expected late-season collapse, and the Packers will be extra salty after getting peppered by the Giants.? This one could get ugly.

Florio?s pick:? Packers 34, Vikings 13.

Panthers at Chiefs

MDS?s take: It?s too late for the Panthers to get back in the playoff race, but I do see them going on a little bit of a late-season run. With Cam Newton playing well, they?ll easily win in Kansas City.

MDS?s pick: Panthers 27, Chiefs 9.

Florio?s take:? The Chiefs can?t lose every game the rest of the season, can they?? Carolina is on the road after a Monday night on the road, cramming two rounds of travel into a short week after a game in which they are feeling better about themselves than they should.? The Chiefs, if they don?t win this one, may not win another.? Ever.

Florio?s pick:? Chiefs 20, Panthers 16.

Patriots at Dolphins

MDS?s take: I like a lot about the way the Dolphins are playing, especially defensively. And the Patriots? secondary has a bad tendency to leave receivers wide open, so Ryan Tannehill may have a decent statistical game. But New England?s offense is such a well-oiled machine that I like the Patriots to get into the end zone five or six times.

MDS?s pick: Patriots 38, Dolphins 28.

Florio?s take:? The Dolphins will win if the sprinklers come on again.? And if the are loaded with hydrochloric acid and aimed at the eyes of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.? Otherwise, advantage Pats.

Florio?s pick:? Patriots 35, Dolphins 24.

Cardinals at Jets

MDS?s take: This is a stinker of a game between two teams with all kinds of problems at the quarterback position, but it says something about how far the Cardinals have sunk that Mark Sanchez is easily the top quarterback in this game.

MDS?s pick: Jets 20, Cardinals 10.

Florio?s take:? It?s easy to assume the Jets will continue their implosion.? The schedule suggests they could win five in a row.? They may not get to 9-7, but 5-7 is looking pretty promising.

Florio?s pick:? Jets 30, Cardinals 17.

49ers at Rams

MDS?s take: I don?t think this game is going to be easy for the 49ers because St. Louis isn?t an easy place to play anymore, but in the end San Francisco just has too much power on both sides of the ball for the Rams to have much of a chance.

MDS?s pick: 49ers 24, Rams 13.

Florio?s take:? They pick up where they left off after five quarters that ended in a tie.? The Rams try to extend their 3-0-1 record in the NFC West.? The Niners are simply a better team with Colin Kaepernick at quarterback.

Florio?s pick:? 49ers 31, Rams 23.

Texans at Titans

MDS?s take: The Titans fired offensive coordinator Chris Palmer this week, as if that will fix anything. The Titans? problems go much deeper than the offensive playcalling, and the Texans ? getting a well deserved three extra days of rest following their back-to-back overtime games the last two weeks ? will look fresh and win this one handily.

MDS?s pick: Texans 41, Titans 20.

Florio?s take:? Yes, before the season I thought the the Titans, who were unexpectedly 9-7 in 2011, were poised to topple the Texans.? It hasn?t happened.? And it won?t happen for the Titans on Sunday, not with the Texans closing in on their second straight playoff berth.

Florio?s pick:? Texans 27, Titans 14.

Buccaneers at Broncos

MDS?s take: The Bucs are thin in the secondary after trading away Aqib Talib and losing Eric Wright to a suspension, and Peyton Manning is the last quarterback you want to face when you?re thin in the secondary. Manning will pick the Bucs? defense apart. The best chance the Bucs have of keeping this game close is to control the ball by running Doug Martin, but in the end Manning will just have too much for Tampa Bay.

MDS?s pick: Broncos 35, Buccaneers 24.

Florio?s take:? With Eric Wright suspended and Aqib Talib long gone, it?ll be a long day for the Bucs? porous pass defense.

Florio?s pick:? Broncos 31, Buccaneers 21.

Steelers at Ravens

MDS?s take: The Steelers need this one, but they?re not going to get it. Without Ben Roethlisberger the Steelers just aren?t a very good team, and I expect the Ravens to earn a big win that helps them pull away in the AFC North.

MDS?s pick: Ravens 23, Steelers 7.

Florio?s take:? With or without Ben Roethlisberger, the Ravens are tough to beat at home.? And even though it would be fitting for the Steelers to win in Baltimore after the Ravens won in Pittsburgh, the Ravens are the better team ? and the Steelers are on the verge of a late-season implosion.? All that?s left is for coach Mike Tomlin to vow to ?unleash hell.?

Florio?s pick:? Ravens 19, Steelers 13.

Browns at Raiders

MDS?s take: Both teams are 3-8, but they?re a different 3-8. The Browns are a 3-8 team that is playing competitive football and has a lot of young guys who look hungry. The Raiders are a 3-8 team that just wrapped up an 0-4 November in which their four losses came by a total of 90 points. The Browns will go into the Black Hole and come out with their first road win of the season.

MDS?s pick: Browns 21, Raiders 17.

Florio?s take:? The Browns are better than their record suggests.? The Raiders are worse.? With Browns players trying to save the job of their head coach (and in turn their own jobs), Cleveland has more incentive to try to emerge with a win.

Florio?s pick:? Browns 17, Raiders 13.

Bengals at Chargers

MDS?s take: The Bengals are rolling and the Chargers are reeling. Marvin Lewis will take another step toward the playoffs while Norv Turner takes another step toward the unemployment line.

MDS?s pick: Bengals 24, Chargers 14.

Florio?s take:? San Diego?s AFC North tour continues, and they wish it wouldn?t.? After losing to the Browns and to the Ravens, a surging Cincinnati team is ready to keep pushing toward their first consecutive playoff appearances in non-strike years.

Florio?s pick:? Bengals 27, Chargers 17.

Eagles at Cowboys

MDS?s take: The Eagles have given up on the season. At this point I don?t think I?d pick them to beat anyone, and I certainly won?t pick them to win on the road against a Cowboys team that still has slim playoff hopes.

MDS?s pick: Cowboys 28, Eagles 20.

Florio?s take:? Philly is in a full-blown free fall.? After seeing them lose to the lowly Panthers, I?m done picking them until next September at the earliest.? The Cowboys aren?t much better, but they?re good enough (and sufficiently healthier) to get it done.

Florio?s pick:? Cowboys 34, Eagles 20.

Giants at Redskins

MDS?s take: The Redskins have done a great job of pulling themselves back into NFC East contention, and if you want to see an interesting playoff race in December you should be rooting for the Redskins to beat the Giants on Monday night. But Robert Griffin III playing so well as a rookie has masked the fact that the Redskins have big problems on both sides of the ball. The Giants will be too much for them.

MDS?s pick: Giants 34, Redskins 17.

Florio?s take:? The Giants have awoken from their slumber.? That may not be enough to contain a streaking RG3 in his Monday night debut.? Forced to make a choice, however, let?s stick with the team that has shown that it still has the ability to periodically play up to its potential.? Especially when it has to.

Florio?s pick:? Giants 31, Redskins 27.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/11/29/denver-wants-to-host-a-super-bowl/related

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The Half-Full Desktop

Flickr user Sebastian Holm Nielsen wanted something minimal but informative for his desktop?something that brought in useful information but kept it all out of the way so he could work. The end product is useful, minimal, and attractive.

Want the same look and feel for your Windows desktop? Here's how to make it happen:

• The wallpaper from wallbase.cc
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• The Encoded skin pack for Rainmeter to create all of the boxes and system monitors across the bottom of the screen as well as the time/date, weather, and "now playing" displays
• The Social Launcher skin for Rainmeter to create the quick-launch bar at the top of the screen

That's all there is to this one. The Encoded skin is pretty versatile, and can be used to create really unique and interesting views on different systems. Having trouble getting everything working just the way you like? Head over to Sebastian's Flickr page to ask your questions!

Do you have a beautiful, creative, and functional desktop to share with the world? Now we have two ways for you to send it in to us!

Whichever you do, please include a description of how you made it - without that, we can't tell others how to make it for themselves. Do these things, and it may just be the next featured desktop!

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/85o6oBNLmO8/the-half+full-desktop

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Timer 2.0 brings same great timers, new great expansion options

Timer by App Cubby launched as an inexpensive way to quickly and easily set single or multiple count-down timers on the iPhone. Since Apple's built-in Clock app only allows for a single timer at once, Timer was well worth the $0.99 it originally cost. Recently, however, App Cubby made it free. And now they're further upping the ante with Timer 2.0. It's still free, but the new version comes with the option to add even more features via in-app purchase.

Thanks to the iPhone 5 and iPod touch 5 16:9 display, you still get the same 12 pre-set timers, as well as 2 customizable timers. Any of them, and all of them, available at the tap of a button.

Among the options for Timer 2.0 are theme packs at $0.99 each, including anodyne, halcyon, dulcet, incandescent, brazen, clicky, midnight, glimmer, and gallery. Sound packs, also at $0.99 each, include serene, nature, and future. The glyph pack is $1.99 and includes 400 symbols to use in your timer labels. If a la carte feels too expensive or too involved, you can also pick up all sound bundles for only $1.99, all themes for only $4.99, or the ultimate bundle for only $9.99. And bundles include not only current content, but future content as well. Buying any of the in-app purchases also removes the ad (an icon, middle bottom, that suggests other apps you might like to try).

The free version of Timer, without a single in-app purchase, is fully functional. The in-app purchases are just icing on the cake -- a way to liven up the app after having used it for a while, and to tip the developers for a job well done.

Timer 2.0 is a great app and an interesting App Store experiment. It lets users try before they buy, removing the fear of purchasing, and still gives them an option to pay real money to support the developer and ensure work on the app continues.

I had a chance to talk to David Barnard, App Cubby's producer, about all the work and the thought process that went into making Timer 2.0, and into how to best sell it on the App Store. If you're interested in development and the App Store economy, it's a must-listen:

Download MP3

Timer 2.0 is available now on the App Store at the low, low price of free. Give it a try.

• Free - Download now

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/2kWOZG0YI50/story01.htm

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Gas explosion in Springfield points to ageing pipes

Human error and corroded pipes were a catastrophic combination on 23 November when a natural gas explosion in Springfield, Massachusetts, injured 21 people and damaged more than 40 buildings.

Gas company officials attributed the incident to an employee puncturing a high-pressure pipeline with a metal probe while looking for a leak. However, the steel pipeline was highly corroded, making it susceptible to damage, according to Mark McDonald, president of the New England Gas Workers Association. "You would have to be Superman to go through steel pipe in good condition," he says.

Ageing natural gas pipelines in the US are increasingly coming under scrutiny. A recent study found 3356 leaks from pipelines under Boston alone. Twenty-five thousand leaks have been reported throughout Massachusetts, some of which have been leaking continuously for more than 20 years, McDonald says. "Enough is enough," he says. "We have to fix the leaks and maintain the gas lines."

The leaks raise safety concerns, and have implications for global warming. Methane is thought to be more than 20 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a 100 year period.

Incidents involving natural gas pipelines in the US cause an average of $133 million in property damage each year according to data collected by the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Even accounting for inflation, annual damages are several times higher today than they were 20 years ago.

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

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Debt Crisis Solutions are Leaving Investors Behind

Bullion Vault Article of the Week

by Ben Traynor, Bullion Vault

How the losses are being paid for...

It used to be taken for granted that you could put aside some money and earn enough interest to be better off than when you started.

As the world continues to struggle with the aftermath of an enormous credit boom and its subsequent bust, though, this kind of objective seems hopelessly na?ve. Events in Europe and the US this week are the latest reminder of this. To see why, let's start with a riddle:

If I owe you ?10,000, and the amount of money I have is zero, is it possible to let me off the hook without you taking a loss?

Follow up:

The question is rather silly, yet it is analogous to the one facing policymakers in Europe right now as they decide what to do about Greece.

Here's the problem in a nutshell: Greece was tasked with reducing its debt-to-GDP ratio to a 'sustainable' 120% by 2020 (by complete coincidence the ratio for the Eurozone's biggest debtor Italy at the time the target was set last year). That wasn't not enough time, Euro politicians decided last week, so they extended the deadline to 2022.

Christine Lagarde, managing director at the International Monetary Fund, was not happy about this. She would rather see the deadline stay as 2020, with the debt being reduced directly by further write downs. Germany and other Euro members are averse to this since it would impose further losses on creditors. Private sector Greek bondholders were burned back in February, compelled to take losses as part of a restructuring deal.

A further write down might also hit the European Central Bank, which has already agreed to forego profits on its Greek bonds. If the ECB takes actual losses, would this not amount to central bank financing of government debt - something prohibited by European treaty? According to Germany, it would.

So we have a problem where a debtor cannot pay and creditors don't want to take a hit (and in the case of the ECB may not legally do so, many argue). Naturally the first maneuver is to give the debtor a bit more time, which is exactly what Eurozone politicians did last week.

This will only achieve so much though. The latest figures show the Greek economy is still contracting; policymakers will have to buy an awful lot of time if Greece is to pay down the debt through economic growth alone.

So what else can be done? This is where the people at the top are yet to reach agreement. One of the suggestions doing the rounds is to lower the interest rate Greece pays on its bailout loans, a classic move to lower the real, inflation-adjusted value of debt.

Just ask Ben Bernanke. In a speech given this week the Federal Reserve chairman reiterated the need to maintain loose monetary policy for the foreseeable future.? He said:

"A highly accommodative stance of monetary policy will remain appropriate for a considerable time after the economic recovery strengthens."

Bernanke also repeated his call for US lawmakers to sort out the deficit, arguing that monetary policy can only provide a supportive environment; it cannot solve fiscal problems. Note that Bernanke is a deficit hawk:

"Even as fiscal policymakers address the urgent issue of longer-run fiscal sustainability, they should not ignore a second key objective: to avoid unnecessarily adding to the headwinds that are already holding back the economic recovery."

In other words, the US government should maintain borrowing near record levels, while also trying to get borrowing onto that sustainable path.

It's a tricky balance, but Bernanke seems confident America's politicians can pull it off:

"Fortunately, the two objectives are fully compatible and mutually reinforcing. Preventing a sudden and severe contraction in fiscal policy early next year will support the transition of the economy back to full employment; a stronger economy will in turn reduce the deficit and contribute to achieving long-term fiscal sustainability. At the same time, a credible plan to put the federal budget on a path that will be sustainable in the long run could help keep longer-term interest rates low and boost household and business confidence, thereby supporting economic growth today."

He may be proven right. But whether he is or not, that "accommodative" policy of below-inflation interest rates is here to stay.

That should give continued support to the gold price. The chart below is from a presentation by Charlie Morris, head of global asset management at HSBC, given at last week's London Bullion Market Association annual conference:

Morris points out that when the annual real rate of interest (i.e. how much you make adjusted for inflation) has been below 2%, gold has tended to do well:

Many investors today would be happy with a real return of flat zero - at least they wouldn't be losing ground.

As the world grapples with the plight of sovereign debtors, though, the idea of getting a reliable real return from an investment is sadly starting to seem rather out-of-date. Moody's downgraded France this week; here's one of the reasons it gave in its ratings rationale:

"...unlike other non-euro area sovereigns that carry similarly high ratings, France does not have access to a national central bank for the financing of its debt in the event of a market disruption."

In other words, if France could just print what it owes, it could probably still be rated triple-A. Creditors would get back the money they lent out, and there would only be the small matter of it being worth a lot less than when they lent it.

That is today's reality. It may be unavoidable given the sheer size of the debt problems affecting much of the globe; but it's a pretty raw deal for those trying to grow or even hang onto the value of their savings.

Please Note: This article is to inform your thinking, not lead it. Only you can decide the best place for your money, and any decision you make will put your money at risk. Information or data included here may have already been overtaken by events - and must be verified elsewhere - should you choose to act on it.

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About the Author

Editor of Gold News, the analysis and investment research site from world-leading gold ownership service BullionVault, Ben Traynor was formerly editor of the Fleet Street Letter, the UK's longest-running investment letter. A Cambridge economics graduate, he is a professional writer and editor with a specialist interest in monetary economics. Ben writes and presents BullionVault's weekly gold market summary on YouTube and can be found on Google+

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Source: http://econintersect.com/b2evolution/blog4.php/2012/11/28/debt-crisis-solutions-are-leaving-investors-behind-1

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Record-setting X-ray jet: X-rays from supermassive black hole 12.4 billion light years from Earth

ScienceDaily (Nov. 28, 2012) ? A jet of X-rays from a supermassive black hole 12.4 billion light years from Earth has been detected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This is the most distant X-ray jet ever observed and gives astronomers a glimpse into the explosive activity associated with the growth of supermassive black holes in the early universe.

The jet was produced by a quasar named GB 1428+4217, or GB 1428 for short. Giant black holes at the centers of galaxies can pull in matter at a rapid rate producing the quasar phenomenon. The energy released as particles fall toward the black hole generates intense radiation and powerful beams of high-energy particles that blast away from the black hole at nearly the speed of light. These particle beams can interact with magnetic fields or ambient photons to produce jets of radiation.

"We're excited about this result not just because it's a record holder, but because very few X-ray jets are known in the early universe," said Teddy Cheung of the National Academy of Sciences, resident at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC, and lead author of the paper describing these results.

As the electrons in the jet fly away from the quasar, they move through a sea of background photons left behind after the Big Bang. When a fast-moving electron collides with one of these so-called cosmic microwave background photons, it can boost the photon's energy into the X-ray band.

"Since the brightness of the jet in X-rays depends, among other things, on how fast the electrons are moving away from the black hole, discoveries like the jet in GB 1428 tell us something about the environment around supermassive black holes and their host galaxies not that long after the Big Bang," said co-author Lukasz Stawarz from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in Kanagawa, Japan.

Because the quasar is seen when the universe is at an age of about 1.3 billion years, less than 10% of its current value, the cosmic background radiation is a thousand times more intense than it is now. This makes the jet much brighter, and compensates in part for the dimming due to distance.

"We're lucky that the universe gives us this natural amplifier and lets us detect this object with relatively short exposures," said co-author Aneta Siemiginowska, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, MA, "Otherwise we might miss important physical processes happening at very large distances from Earth and as far away as GB 1428."

While there is another possible source of X-rays for the jet -- radiation from electrons spiraling around magnetic field lines in the jet -- the authors favor the idea that the cosmic background radiation is being boosted because the jet is so bright.

Prior to the discovery of the jet in GB 1428, the most distant X-ray jet known was 12.2 billion light years away, and another is located at about 12 billion light years, both discovered by authors of the GB 1428 paper. A very similar shaped jet in GB 1428 was also detected in radio waves with the NSF's Very Large Array (VLA).

The particle beams that produce these three extremely distant X-ray jets appear to be moving slightly more slowly than jets from galaxies that are not as far away. This may be because the jets were less energetic when launched from the black hole or because they are slowed down more by their environment.

The researchers think the length of the jet in GB 1428 is at least 230,000 light years, or about twice the diameter of the entire Milky Way galaxy. This jet is only seen on one side of the quasar in the Chandra and VLA data. When combined with previously obtained evidence, this suggests the jet is pointed almost directly toward us. This configuration would boost the X-ray and radio signals for the observed jet and diminish those for a jet presumably pointed in the opposite direction.

Observations were also taken of GB 1428 with a set of radio telescopes at different locations around Earth that allows details to be resolved on exceptionally small scales. They revealed the presence of a much smaller jet, about 1,900 light years long, which points in a similar direction to the X-ray jet.

This result appeared in the September 1st, 2012 issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Other co-authors of the paper are Doug Gobeille from University of South Florida in Tampa, FL; John Wardle from Brandeis University in Waltham, MA; and Dan Harris and Dan Schwartz from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

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Journal Reference:

1. M. A. Guerrero, N. Ruiz, W.-R. Hamann, Y.-H. Chu, H. Todt, D. Schoenberner, L. Oskinova, R. A. Gruendl, M. Steffen, W. P. Blair, J. A. Toal. Rebirth of X-ray Emission from the Born-Again Planetary Nebula A 30. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, September 1st, 2012 [link]

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/uVK7pvqWqWM/121128121508.htm

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Walmart, Amazon see record Cyber Monday sales

2 hrs.

NBC News staff and wire reports

Internet sales jumped more than 30 percent on Cyber Monday, making it the biggest online shopping day ever, according to data released on Tuesday.?

Walmart.com, the online division of Walmart U.S., had its best sales day in history, a spokeswoman said.

Cyber Monday also was a record day for sales of Amazon.com's Kindle devices, the online retailer said, without specifying the number sold.

Still, eBay, operator of one of the largest online marketplaces, outperformed its arch rival Amazon.com over the crucial first five days of the holiday shopping season, according to one closely watched measure.

Research company comScore had forecasted that Cyber Monday sales this year would top?$1.5 billion.

Cyber Monday has been the biggest online shopping day in recent years, as workers return to offices and make holiday purchases on their computers. This year, the boom in smartphone and tablet adoption has added extra fuel to online shopping.

The kickoff to the holiday shopping season was intensely competitive, with retailers offering price-matching and pricing merchandise aggressively. Shoppers spent?$59.1 billion total both online and in stores?over Black Friday weekend, according to the National Retail Federation.

Cyber Monday sales online jumped 30.3 percent from the same day last year, according to International Business Machines Corp., which analyzes transactions from 500 U.S. retailers.

Mobile devices accounted for 18 percent of visits to retailer websites and 13 percent of sales on Cyber Monday. That was up 70 percent and 96 percent, respectively, compared with the same day last year, IBM reported.

To that end, Walmart.com said Cyber Monday online traffic from Walmart's mobile apps jumped 280 percent versus a year ago.

On Monday, when retailers offered big Cyber Monday online deals, web shopping peaked at 11:25 a.m. EST, IBM said. That timing suggests shoppers continue to check out online offers while still at work, even though more people have high-speed Internet access at home than in previous years.

Amazon's Kindle deal
Amazon.com cut the price of its 7-inch Kindle Fire tablet by $30 to $129 on Monday, and it was the company's most successful Cyber Monday deal ever, the retailer said.

Nine of the top 10 best-selling products on Amazon.com have been Kindles, Kindle accessories and digital content since the company unveiled new devices on Sept. 6, it said.

Worldwide sales of Kindle devices more than doubled during the Thanksgiving weekend from the 2011 period, Amazon said.

"Demand for Kindle Fire is stronger than expected," said Chad Bartley, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities. "This suggests Amazon is competing effectively against Apple and Google in the near term, and increased device ownership could drive sales of digital media and physical products over the long term."

Related: Want to buy a big-screen TV? Don't wait too long

Bartley raised his estimate for fourth-quarter Kindle Fire unit sales to 8 million from 5.5 million and increased his forecast for Amazon's fourth-quarter revenue to $22.75 billion from $22.25 billion.

Shares of Amazon closed down almost 0.1 percent at $243.40 on Nasdaq. Stock in Wal-Mart Storesshed 0.6 percent to close at $69.50.

A first for eBay
Still, eBay sales may have outperformed Amazon during the early part of the holiday shopping season, according to ChannelAdvisor, which helps third-party merchants sell more via websites including eBay.com and Amazon.com.

ChannelAdvisor data excludes sales specifically by Amazon, so the data does not capture Kindle device revenue and many other transactions. About 60 percent of Amazon's unit sales are generated by the company itself, while 40 percent come from third parties operating on its platform.

ChannelAdvisor said client sales -- sales generated by third-party merchants using the company's service?--?soared 55.2 percent on eBay.com on Cyber Monday from a year earlier. That was about five times faster than last year's growth.

For the five-day period from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, which ChannelAdvisor calls the "Cyber Five," client sales on eBay.com rose 38.3 percent compared with the same days in 2011.

ChannelAdvisor said client sales on Amazon.com jumped 42.4 percent on Cyber Monday compared with a year earlier. Over the "Cyber Five," client sales on Amazon.com rose 37.7 percent, the firm said.

This is the first time since at least 2007 that client sales on eBay.com have grown faster than client sales via Amazon.com during the holiday season, according to Scot Wingo, chief executive of ChannelAdvisor. The firm started tracking this in 2007, he noted.

EBay shares lost 0.5 percent to close at $51.15 on Tuesday. The stock rose almost 5 percent to a new multi-year high on Monday after ChannelAdvisor released its early Cyber Monday results.

EBay's holiday advertising campaign, which included TV commercials, likely attracted more shoppers to its online marketplace, Wingo said.

EBay was also "aggressive" with holiday promotions and gift guides, and the company's category-specific websites focused on things like fashion and electronics, were well integrated with the broader holiday promotions, unlike last year, Wingo explained.

However, the main driver may have been mobile shopping, an area in which eBay and its payments division PayPal invested early and heavily, Wingo added.

"With less than 10 percent of commerce coming from mobile devices and far higher levels ahead, we believe this trend will carry eBay Marketplace and PayPal for the next few years," Gil Luria, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, wrote in a note to investors on Tuesday.

Information from Reuters was included in this report.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/walmart-amazon-report-record-cyber-monday-sales-1C7290627

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News Summary: Web access fight brews before summit

Country music titan Dolly Parton is anything but shy.In an exclusive interview with "Nightline," Parton dished about her love life (including those rumors that she is secretly gay), losing a drag queen lookalike contest and building a multimillion-dollar entertainment empire.Watch the full story on "Nightline" tonight at 11:35 p.m. ETIn her long reign as a country music legend, Parton, now 66, has done it all. In her new motivational memoir, "Dream More," which will be released on Nov. 27, Parton talks about growing up dirt poor in Sevierville, Tenn., in a cabin with 11 siblings. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/news-summary-access-fight-brews-summit-210645242--finance.html

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When your boss doesn't have a clue ? Business Management Daily ...

An incompetent boss?one who is functionally inadequate or insufficient in knowledge, skills, judgment or strength?is annoying at best and damaging to your career at worst.

To keep your career moving forward in spite of a clueless boss, Dorothy Tannahill-Moran recommends that you:

• Manage yourself. You don?t need a title to be a leader. If you know your stuff, you can chart your own path toward objectives that will have a positive effect on your department and the company. Just remember to keep your boss in the loop.
• Identify the pain points. Figure out the main negative effects of your boss?s incompetence and come up with a plan to overcome them.
• Become a teacher. Sometimes you have to train a boss to get him up to speed, so share your knowledge.
• Find a mentor. Pick someone more competent in your company and ask him to be your mentor.
• Get a new job. When you think you?ve tried everything, it may be time to find a new job and move on.

? Adapted from ?5 Ways to Deal With an Incompetent Boss,? Dorothy Tannahill-Moran, Careerealism.

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We believe great content should be read and passed around. After all, knowledge IS power. And good business can become great with the right information at their fingertips. If you'd like to share any of the insightful articles on BusinessManagementDaily.com, you may republish or syndicate it without charge.

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Cyber Monday set to be biggest online sales day

Cyber Monday expected to rack up $1.5 billion in sales, up 20 percent from last year's Cyber Monday.

By Mae Anderson,?AP Retail Writer / November 26, 2012

In this 2008, file photo, an Amazon.com employee grabs boxes off the conveyor belt to load in a truck at the company's Fernley, Nev., warehouse. Cyber Monday, coined in 2005 by a shopping trade group that noticed a spike in online sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving, is expected to be the biggest online shopping day of the year for the third year in a row.

Scott Sady/AP/File

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Black Friday is a distant memory. Small Business Saturday is long gone. Now, it's?Cyber?Monday's?turn.

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Weekly Digital Edition

Cyber?Monday, coined in 2005 by a shopping trade group that noticed a spike in online sales on the?Monday?following the Thanksgiving holiday, is the next in a series of days that retailers are counting on to jump-start the holiday shopping season.

It's estimated that this year's?Cyber?Monday?will be the biggest online shopping day of the year for the third year in a row: According to research firm comScore, Americans are expected to spend $1.5 billion, up 20 percent from last year on?Cyber?Monday, as retailers have ramped up deals to get shoppers to click on their websites.

Amazon.com, which is starting its?Cyber?Monday?deals at midnight on?Monday, is offering as much as 60 percent off a Panasonic VIERA 55-inch (140-centimeter) TV that's usually priced higher than $1,000. Sears is offering $430 off a Maytag washer and dryer, each on sale for $399. And Kmart is offering 75 percent off diamond earrings and $60 off a 12-in-1 multigame table on sale for $89.99.

Retailers are hoping the deals will appeal to shoppers like Matt Sexton, 39, who for the first time plans to complete all his holiday shopping online this year on his iPad tablet computer. Sexton, who plans to spend up to $4,000 this season, already shopped online on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday and found a laptop from Best Buy for $399, a $200 savings, among other deals.

"The descriptions and reviews are so much better online so you can compare and price shop and for the most part get free shipping," said Sexton, who lives in Queens, New York, and is a manager at a utility company.

Sexton also said it's easier to return an online purchase to a physical store than it had been in previous years. "That helps with gifts," he said.

How well retailers do on?Cyber?Monday?will offer insight into Americans' evolving shopping habits during the holiday season. With the growth in high speed Internet access and the wide use of smartphones and tablet computers, people are relying less on their work computers to shop than they did when Shop.org, the digital division of trade group The National Retail Federation, coined the term "Cyber?Monday."

As a result, the period between Thanksgiving and?Cyber?Monday?has become busy for online shopping as well. Indeed, online sales on Thanksgiving Day, traditionally not a popular day for online shopping, rose 32 percent over last year to $633 million, according to comScore. And online sales on Black Friday were up 26 percent from the same day last year, to $1.042 billion. It was the first time online sales on Black Friday surpassed $1 billion.

For the holiday season-to-date, comScore found that $13.7 billion has been spent online, marking a 16 percent increase over last year. The research firm predicts that online sales will surpass 10 percent of total retail spending this holiday season. The National Retail Federation estimates that overall retail sales in November and December will be up 4.1 percent this year to $586.1 billion

But as other days become popular for online shopping,?Cyber?Monday?may lose some of its cachet. To be sure,?Cyber?Monday?hasn't always been the biggest online shopping day. In fact, up until three years ago, that title was historically earned by the last day shoppers could order items with standard shipping rates and get them delivered before Christmas. That day changes every year, but usually falls in late December.

Even though?Cyber?Monday?is expected to be the biggest shopping day this year, industry watchers say it could just be a matter of time before other days take that ranking.

"Of all the benchmark spending days, Thanksgiving is growing at the fastest rate, up 128 percent over the last five years," said Andrew Lipsman, a spokesman with comScore. Many major retail chains such as Walmart opened their doors to offer special doors Thursday evening, getting a head start on Black Friday.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/j6IgcyI-D8s/Cyber-Monday-set-to-be-biggest-online-sales-day

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Watch YouTube And Other Online Streaming Video Files Direct ...

November 25th, 2012 | Tags: Media Player, Multimedia, player, Tools, Utilities, Videolan, videos, VLC, VLC Player | Category: Technology, Website, You Tube

Today?s Top Posts & Pages

Source: http://lamp.sangkrit.net/2012/11/25/how-to-watch-online-streaming-video-files-on-vlc-player/

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Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart: Expecting a Baby?!?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/11/robert-pattinson-and-kristen-stewart-expecting-a-baby/

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What Are Some of the Best Mobile Accessories that Fit The Personality

The ever-changing and also highly competitive mobile phone communication industry necessitates business people to become knowledgeable about the features and equipment available to cell phone consumer. A overwhelming assortment of network technologies in addition to applications are available-everything out of Bluetooth, Blackberries, the Razr, The company devices and of course the actual intriguing I-phone. Finding the best gadgets, even something as simple as a new ringtone for cellular, can be difficult. The names of the most extremely popular carriers for instance Motorola, T-Mobile, Verizon, Nextel, Nokia and Sprint, are usually as familiar so that you can us as the companies of automobiles. Merchandise such as ringtones and also wallpapers are entertaining, and allow customers to personalize their cellphone while making which important call.Because of the fun and beauty of ringtones and wallpapers, computer technicians and also manufacturers are easy to design software and gadgets that will help within the simple installation of these things. This gave rise to a ringtone ripper tools. The converter will assist you to transfer ringtones from one phone to another. These kind of converters also help in downloading it ringtones from personal computers and internet sites in addition to support manual input. Ringtone transfer by way of SMS is also possible. A converter can also be of use when switching a ringtone using their company manufacturers. There are people that do not support converters. It can be, however, possible that the product has a built in ringtone which will help create a sensible persona for you.Determined by what kind of cell phone you?ve got, and how often you choose it, you?ll have to impose it every day or two or so. People who appear to always be on the phone often times carry the chargers with them so that they are able to charge their phone at work, in the deli or wherever now there happens to be an outlet. You are able to additionally purchase a motor vehicle charger, which is helpful if you are driving a lot. These often times stopper into the cigarette lighter weight socket inside your car and presently increasing numbers of people are probably using this intended for charging phones as well as other mechanisms, rather than regarding lighting cigarettes! With long trips as part of your car, or must travel for your work, a cell phone replenisher for your car is an essential accessory to have.Mobile phone straps are gadgets that make it easier to keep your phone, but you are used mainly regarding fashion purposes. If you love to put your own stamps on your things, a strap can help you achieve that in several ways. A new colorful cell phone secure is practical in some methods, but by and large it?s really something to personalize your phone along with. If you choose a outdoors and colorful cellular telephone strap, then you will be competent to locate it a little bit easier if your spot tends to be cluttered and you simply often need a moment to find your cell phone. Many phone ties are very decorative, and many have themes related to celebrities or animated characters. This is a excellent example of a cellphone accessory that is in essence pure ?fun?There is a lot concern about health and mobile radiation, so certainly there is the radiation protect which was develop responding. Yes, there is a few debate about the health hazards of high mobile phone use, and just what has been stated may be the risks involve the mind such as tumors. Radiation shields are systems you attach to any cell phone that save you from any radiation it would be emitting. These defends are not hard to find, and the best thing is to carry out some shopping and read more about them if you?re concerned. However, it doesn?¡¥t harm to take every care with children and cell phone use, and has now been said that children are more prone to issues with the radiation emission damage. Since mobile phones get more superior, new cell phone add-ons are made available constantly. From cheap plus practical to the the most recent design and architectural technology, you?ll find it along with accessories. These gadgets are great for people who love little gadgets that really serve a very helpful purpose.

Source: http://headlinenews.talkposts.com/2012/11/24/what-are-some-of-the-best-mobile-accessories-that-fit-the-personality/

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Source: http://mrpingali.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/what-are-some-of-the-best-mobile-accessories-that-fit-the-personality.html

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Metamaterials manipulate light on a microchip

ScienceDaily (Nov. 23, 2012) ? Using a combination of the new tools of metamaterials and transformation optics, engineers at Penn State University have developed designs for miniaturized optical devices that can be used in chip-based optical integrated circuits, the equivalent of the integrated electronic circuits that make possible computers and cell phones.

Controlling light on a microchip could, in the short term, improve optical communications and allow sensing of any substance that interacts with electromagnetic waves. In the medium term, optical integrated circuits for infrared imaging systems are feasible. Further down the road lies high-speed all-optical computing. The path forward requires some twists on well-known equations, and the construction of structures smaller than the wavelength of light.

Light bends naturally as it crosses from one material to another, a phenomenon called refraction that can be seen in the way a stick seems to bend in water. Illusions, such as mirages in the desert or the shimmer of water on the road ahead on a hot day, are caused by a difference in the refractive index of layers of warmer and cooler air. The new field of transformation optics (TO) uses this light-bending phenomenon in a rigorously mathematical way by applying the 150-year-old Maxwell equations describing the propagation of light onto structures known as metamaterials, artificial constructs with custom-designed refractive indexes. The most famous applications of metamaterials are cloaking devices and perfect lenses, but those are just the tip of the optical iceberg.

In a paper in a new online journal, Light: Science and Applications, published by Nature Publishing Group, Douglas Werner, professor of electrical engineering, and his post-doc Qi Wu and Ph.D. student Jeremiah Turpin present a unified theory for designing practical devices on a single platform using transformation optics. "This field (transformation optics) is in its early stages, so there are many contributions to be made," Werner says. "Our big contribution is in figuring out how to develop TO designs with the simplest material parameters without impacting performance, and linking the devices together to form an on-chip integrated photonic system."

Among their designs are light collimators, which take light from a source and focus it into one or more tightly focused beams, waveguide couplers, which connect different sized waveguides, TO splitters, which divide power from an input waveguide to two or more output waveguides, waveguide crossings, which routes light in compact spaces without loss or crosstalk, and TO benders, which turn the light around corners without loss. These devices are only five to ten microns in size, and therefore many of them could fit on a centimeter-sized chip.

"It has been a joint effort to develop these transformation optics tools and designs," Werner says. "Jeremy wrote the algorithms behind the simulation tools. Qi is developing the designs to be simulated. In order to get the best design for a targeted application, thousands of simulations may have to be performed using powerful optimization techniques developed in our group."

Transformation optics devices that perform diverse, simple functions can be integrated together to build complex photonic systems for optical communications, imaging, computing, and sensing, say the authors. The current, non-TO approach is to design each device using different methods and materials that may not be compatible on a single platform. The Werner group's technique, on the other hand, employs graded index metamaterial structures, such as patterned air holes or rods, on a silicon-on-insulator platform that can be easily integrated into on-chip photonic systems, providing broad bandwidth and low losses.

In order to keep their designs grounded in reality, the group works closely with nanofabricators at Penn State's Nanofabrication Laboratory who are themselves developing new approaches to implement the Werner group's designs. All of the designs described in the paper can be realistically built with current fab processes, says Werner. "It's like a CAD tool," he explains, citing the computer-aided design tools used in manufacturing. "We've developed customized transformation optics simulation and optimization tools for designing optical devices. Beyond that," he continues, "TO is flexible enough that it opens up the possibility of creating all sorts of new devices that don't currently exist."

Partial support for this work was provided by the NSF MRSEC.

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Journal Reference:

1. Qi Wu, Jeremiah P Turpin, Douglas H Werner. Integrated photonic systems based on transformation optics enabled gradient index devices. Light: Science & Applications, 2012; 1 (11): e38 DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2012.38

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/technology/~3/ArFNdUrAf5g/121124090509.htm

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Stratosphere-Dwelling Microbes Could Inform Mars Life Hunt

The parachuting thrill-seeker Felix Baumgartner is not the only living thing to plunge through the jet stream.

Recent studies have confirmed that microbes exist in the stratosphere,the atmospheric region between about 11 and 31 miles (18 and 50 kilometers) in altitude. (Baumgartner leaped into history from a balloon about 24 miles, or 39 km, above Earth's surface.)

Biologists had once thought this zone was uninhabitable due to its low pressure, high radiation and absence of water and nutrients.?

"Life surviving at high altitudes challenges our notion of the biosphere boundary," said David Smith of the University of Washington in Seattle. [Extremophiles: World's Weirdest Life]

Smith is trying to take a more complete census of life in the stratosphere using mountaintop observatories and high-altitude balloons (although he admits being jealous of the lift capacity of Baumgartner?s balloon). With funding from the NASA Astrobiology Institute, he and his colleagues hope to say where these high-flyers come from, where they are going and what their evolutionary trajectory has been.

The research should provide insights into a class of hardy microorganisms that can survive at the fringes of what we Earthlings consider habitable, both here and elsewhere.

"The stratosphere is very similar to the surface of Mars," Smith said. "There is no better place on our planet to match Martian conditions, except inside environmental chambers."

The life forms adapted to sailing the high winds of Earth may give scientists clues on what to look for in the soils of Mars.

A hint of life in the air

Reports of life in the upper atmosphere go back as far as the 1930s. Studies conducted on samples collected on high-altitude balloon and rocket flights claimed to find microbes as high as 48 miles (77 km), but it?s uncertain whether the bugs really came from high up, or were the result of surface contamination.

"I am skeptical of the pioneering flights," Smith said. "Almost no controls for sterilization are reported in the papers." [Infographic: Earth's Atmosphere Top to Bottom]

Getting reliable samples from the upper atmosphere is difficult and expensive. Researchers must process huge volumes of air to catch a single microbe, since the estimated concentrations are only a few microbes per cubic meter. Smith believes the first solid evidence of life in the stratosphere was a 2002 balloon study, which collected viable cells at altitudes between 12 and 25 miles (20 and 41 km) above tropical India.

How microbes reach high altitudes is not entirely clear. A small group of researchers contend that the microbes could be coming down from space. But the organisms are more plausibly swept up in dust storms, hurricanes or other weather patterns, Smith said. Some microbes may even make the trip aboard commercial airplanes flying in the lower stratosphere.

Born to spore

The observed microbes do not appear to be actively growing at high altitude.

"Our best picture is that microbes are simply enduring the upper atmosphere," Smith says. "They are hitching a ride on prevailing winds until landing in a distant environment, sometime later."

Many of these globetrotters are spore-forming bacteria. When placed under stress, these bacteria shut down their metabolism and shrink down in size. They form a hard shell-like shield around their exterior, while turning on internal defense mechanisms against UV damage to DNA.

"One could argue that the spore is an adaptation that evolved, in part, because of airborne transport," Smith said.?

If a spore can land in a hospitable environment (and if it hasn?t been damaged during its high-altitude voyage), it can reanimate itself. Researchers have typically relied on this reanimation to identify the organisms that use air travel. They place atmospheric samples in a nutrient-filled petri dish and then see what grows.

Smith thinks these "search and revive" missions have only scratched the surface of what is up there. "Only about 1 percent of microorganisms can actually be cultured in the laboratory," he said.

To see the beyond these one-percenters, Smith and his colleagues have begun using molecular-based techniques to identify biological material (both living and dead). Their atmospheric samples come from a "laboratory in the sky" at Mt. Bachelor Observatory in central Oregon, which rises 1.7 miles (2.7 km) above sea level. Smith says this altitude gives them reliable access to the upper troposphere, which is just below the stratosphere.

Instead of trying to grow organisms in a petri dish, Smith and his colleagues extract DNA that they can match to a genomic library containing 60,000 microbial taxa. Preliminary results have shown microbes from every major domain of life can be found in the upper troposphere.

Jet stream feeds gene pool?

The data from Mt. Bachelor will improve estimates of the concentration of microbes in the upper atmosphere. It should also give the first long-term observations on how microbial counts vary with season and other weather patterns.

In order to sample higher altitudes, Smith is also working with engineers from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on a balloon mission called MIST (Microorganisms in the Stratosphere).

"We still have no idea where to draw the altitude boundary of the biosphere," Smith said. Experiments like MIST will "address how long life can potentially remain in the stratosphere and what sorts of mutations it may inherit while aloft."

Those mutations could potentially act like tiny "seeds" that fall down randomly over the face of Earth and potentially take root in a favorable environment.

"It is conceivable ? though difficult to prove ? that the evolution of complex life on our planet is owed, in part, due to airborne transport," Smith said.?

This story was provided by?Astrobiology Magazine, a web-based publication sponsored by the NASA astrobiology program.

Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stratosphere-dwelling-microbes-could-inform-mars-life-hunt-152514485.html

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Obama In 2004: 'We're Not Fighting Terrorists, We're Fighting People Who Engage In Terrorism'

During a November 2004 reading and Q&A session to promote his memoir, "Dreams From My Father," President Obama, then a senator-elect, detailed his views on the motivations behind terrorism and the role U.S. foreign policy plays in such situations.

The comments, unearthed by MSNBC's "Up W/Chris Hayes," came when Obama was asked about terrorism at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in New York City. In his answer, Obama advocated for more of a "soft power" approach, or using attraction rather than coercion or force when dealing with foreign powers.

"Ultimately, terrorism is a tactic. We're not fighting terrorists, we're fighting people who engage in terrorism, but have a whole host of rationales and excuses for why they do this," Obama said. "And to the extent that we can change the sense of opportunity in many of these countries, we can change the manner in which we function in these countries in more positive, proactive ways, then we're not going to eliminate terrorism entirely but we're at least going to be able to make more of a dent than if all we're resorting to is military firepower."

Eight years later, Obama's past comments are particularly notable in the context of his approach to counterterrorism as president. As The Huffington Post's Joshua Hersh reported, Obama's response to terrorism -- particularly through the use of drone strikes -- will be a major challenge in his second term:

As it stands now, the Obama administration, which vastly stepped up the use of drones and targeted killings over the past four years, has done little to assuage the concerns of outsiders about the program's legality or utility. Indeed, the drone program's components are so secret that the administration routinely refuses to acknowledge that it even exists.

In a second term, that stonewalling may no longer be possible, particularly as new questions are raised about whether the program is legal, or if it even works. The fact that administration officials have offered justifications for the program in narrow speeches and interviews only adds to that sense of inevitability.

"It's very unclear what the United States is actually doing in Yemen other than they carry out bombings and people on the ground are dying," said Gregory Johnsen, an expert on Al Qaeda in Yemen and the author of a new book on the subject. "Who's dying, whether or not they're actually Al Qaeda -- we just don't know."

Obama's 2004 comments have resurfaced just days after deadly fighting between Israel and Hamas temporarily halted in a ceasefire agreement. Some, including the Jerusalem Fund's Yousef Munayyer, have argued that American policies toward Israel and Palestine have sent the wrong message about using violence.

"The failure of America?s approach toward the Israelis and the Palestinians, much like its flawed policies toward the region in general, is founded on the assumption that American hard power, through support for Israel and other Middle Eastern governments, can keep the legitimate grievances of the people under wraps," Munayyer wrote in a New York Times op-ed. "By constantly condemning Palestinian armed resistance, and failing to condemn Israeli settlement expansion and repression of nonviolent Palestinian dissent, the message the United States is sending the Palestinian people is this: All resistance to occupation is illegitimate."

Prior to the ceasefire agreement, Obama said the United States is "fully supportive of Israel's right to defend itself."

The full report will air on Sunday's edition of "Up W/Chris Hayes."

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/24/obama-terrorism-2004_n_2185106.html

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