Monthly Archives: August 2012

NASA jets, tickets taking off for shuttle flight

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NASA is deploying a few high-flying paparazzi to Hollywood to scout out the best photo spots for next month's arrival of one of its biggest stars: space shuttle Endeavour.

Meanwhile on the East Coast, tickets have just gone on sale for the public to stake out their own photo ops to see Endeavour as it departs its Florida spaceport for the final time. Endeavour, which flew 25 times to space, is being ferried to Los Angeles for display at the California Science Center.

On Saturday, two NASA jets a T-38 astronaut trainer and an F-18 Hornet will circle the skies over Los Angeles at an altitude of approximately 1,500 feet. The jet flights, which are in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration, have been described by NASA as only "to capture photographic imagery."

Space news from NBCNews.com

Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Amateur photo wizards get their reward for bringing some of the Hubble Space Telescope's hidden treasures into the spotlight.

But it's no secret that the aircraft are part of the advance entourage for Endeavour. The retired orbiter, flying atop the space agency's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, is scheduled to land at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Sept. 20.

Before touching down, the jumbo jet carrying Endeavour is expected to make several scenic flyovers of the L.A. area, setting up the possibility for some iconic shots to be taken of the shuttle soaring past famous landmarks like the Hollywood sign. Saturday's jet flights will scope out the best flight paths to capture those photos. [ Photos: How Shuttle Endeavour Was Made ]

NASA photographers embarked on a similar set of flights before Endeavour's older sister, space shuttle Discovery, arrived in Washington, D.C. in April. Two T-38 training jets were dispatched to the nation's capital to plot the shuttle's path, which later led to photos of Discovery flying past the Capitol Building, Washington Monument, White House and other historic landmarks.

Fly-out photo ops Details on when, where and how to see Endeavour arrive in Los Angeles have not yet been announced, nor have any of the potential flyover locations along the shuttle's trip from Florida to California. Tickets however, went on sale Friday to see Endeavour depart its launch and landing site for a final time.

NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will host four days of activities leading up to the scheduled takeoff of Endeavour atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft on Sept. 17 at approximately 7:30 a.m. EST (1200 GMT).

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NASA jets, tickets taking off for shuttle flight

NASA postpones launch of space radiation probes

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NASA postponed launching two spacecraft into the harsh radiation belts around Earth Friday due to an apparent malfunction with a tracking system that monitors the mission's rocket.

The tracking beacon glitch popped up before dawn on Friday, late in the mission's final countdown, prompting NASA to delay the launch of its twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station by at least 24 hours. The unmanned Atlas 5 rocket carrying the two satellites is now slated to blast off at 4:07 a.m. EDT (0807 GMT) on Saturday, Aug. 25.

NASA launch director Tim Dunn said the launch countdown was going well until his team spotted a frequency drift in the tracking beacon used by the Air Force's Eastern Range to track the Atlas 5 rocket after liftoff.

"That's a mandatory safety item so that we could track the vehicle in flight," Dunn said in a NASA broadcast after the delay. "It certainly was a situation we wish we didn't have, but we wanted to err on the side of conservatism."

- NASA launch director Tim Dunn

Dunn said Saturday and Sunday are still good days to launch the space radiation mission. There is a 60 percent chance of favorable weather for Saturday's launch attempt.

The $686 million Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission is a two-year project to study the radiation environment around Earth in unprecedented detail. The twin spacecraft are designed to fly in formation to explore the Van Allen Belts of radiation that encircle the Earth.

The Van Allen Belts are two donut-shaped zones of radiation around Earth. They were first discovered in 1958 by scientist James A. Van Allen and his team using data from the first American satellite Explorer 1. The first belt stretches from the top of Earth's atmosphere out to about 4,000 miles (6,437 kilometers) above the planet. The second radiation belt extends from about 8,000 miles (12,874 km) to more than 26,000 miles (41,842 km) above Earth.

Scientists hope the Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission will help them solve the mystery of how the radiation is created and behaves inside the Van Allen Belts, as well as the regions' role in space weather events such as strong solar flares from the sun that can pose a danger to satellites and astronauts in orbit.

The two Radiation Belt Storm Probes are solar-powered and nearly identical. The octagon-shaped satellites are about 6 feet wide (1.8 meters) and just over 4 feet tall (1.3 m). They each carry a set of five instrument suites to study Earth's radiation belts.

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NASA postpones launch of space radiation probes

NASA again delays launch of probes

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NASA postponed launching two spacecraft into the harsh radiation belts around Earth Friday due to an apparent malfunction with a tracking system that monitors the mission's rocket.

The tracking beacon glitch popped up before dawn on Friday, late in the mission's final countdown, prompting NASA to delay the launch of its twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station by at least 24 hours. The unmanned Atlas 5 rocket carrying the two satellites is now slated to blast off at 4:07 a.m. EDT on Saturday.

NASA launch director Tim Dunn said the launch countdown was going well until his team spotted a frequency drift in the tracking beacon used by the Air Force's Eastern Range to track the Atlas 5 rocket after liftoff.

"That's a mandatory safety item so that we could track the vehicle in flight," Dunn said in a NASA broadcast after the delay. "It certainly was a situation we wish we didn't have, but we wanted to err on the side of conservatism." [ Photos: Inside NASA's Radiation Belt Mission ]

Dunn said Saturday and Sunday are still good days to launch the space radiation mission. There is a 60 percent chance of favorable weather for Saturday's launch attempt.

The $686 million Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission is a two-year project to study the radiation environment around Earth in unprecedented detail. The twin spacecraft are designed to fly in formation to explore the Van Allen Belts of radiation that encircle the Earth.

The Van Allen Belts are two doughnut-shaped zones of radiation around Earth. They were first discovered in 1958 by scientist James A. Van Allen and his team using data from the first American satellite Explorer 1. The first belt stretches from the top of Earth's atmosphere out to about 4,000 miles (6,437 kilometers) above the planet. The second radiation belt extends from about 8,000 miles (12,874 km) to more than 26,000 miles (41,842 km) above Earth.

Scientists hope the Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission will help them solve the mystery of how the radiation is created and behaves inside the Van Allen Belts, as well as the regions' role in space weather events such as strong solar flares from the sun that can pose a danger to satellites and astronauts in orbit.

The two Radiation Belt Storm Probes are solar-powered and nearly identical. The octagon-shaped satellites are about 6 feet wide (1.8 meters) and just over 4 feet tall (1.3 m). They each carry a set of five instrument suites to study Earth's radiation belts.

Space news from NBCNews.com

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NASA again delays launch of probes

NASA space radiation probes launch delayed 24 hours

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NASA launch director Tim Dunn said the launch countdown was going well until his team spotted a frequency drift in the tracking beacon used by the Air Force's Eastern Range to track the Atlas 5 rocket after liftoff.

NASA postponed launching two spacecraft into the harsh radiation belts around Earth Friday (Aug. 24) due to an apparent malfunction with a tracking system that monitors the mission's rocket.

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The tracking beacon glitch popped up before dawn on Friday, late in the mission's final countdown, prompting NASA to delay the launch of its twin Radiation Belt Storm Probesfrom Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station by at least 24 hours. The unmanned Atlas 5 rocket carrying the two satellites is now slated to blast off at 4:07 a.m. EDT (0807 GMT) on Saturday, Aug. 25.

NASA launch director Tim Dunn said the launch countdown was going well until his team spotted a frequency drift in the tracking beacon used by the Air Force's Eastern Range to track the Atlas 5 rocket after liftoff.

"That's a mandatory safety item so that we could track the vehicle in flight," Dunn said in a NASA broadcast after the delay. "It certainly was a situation we wish we didn't have, but we wanted to err on the side of conservatism." [Photos: Inside NASA's Radiation Belt Mission]

Dunn said Saturday and Sunday are still good days to launch the space radiation mission. There is a 60 percent chance of favorable weather for Saturday's launch attempt.

The $686 million Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission is a two-year project to study the radiation environment around Earth in unprecedented detail. The twin spacecraft are designed to fly in formation to explore theVan Allen Beltsof radiation that encircle the Earth.

The Van Allen Belts are two donut-shaped zones of radiation around Earth. They were first discovered in 1958 by scientist James A. Van Allen and his team using data from the first American satellite Explorer 1. The first belt stretches from the top of Earth's atmosphere out to about 4,000 miles (6,437 kilometers) above the planet. The second radiation belt extends from about 8,000 miles (12,874 km) to more than 26,000 miles (41,842 km) above Earth.

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NASA space radiation probes launch delayed 24 hours

NASA Going Social, Launching Probes – Good For Entrepreneurs And Inventors

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NASA will host an event for 65 of its social media followers on Oct. 15, 2012, at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California's Mojave Desert. You might call this a tweetup or social networking IRL, but either way, the space agency should be applauded for reaching out the community that cares about them. These new ?Socials? provide NASA followers with the opportunity to go ...

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NASA Going Social, Launching Probes - Good For Entrepreneurs And Inventors

Nanofibres 'may pose health risk'

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23 August 2012 Last updated at 22:27 ET

Inhaling tiny fibres made by the nanotechnology industry could cause similar health problems to asbestos, say researchers.

Some are similar in shape to asbestos fibres, which have caused lung cancers such as mesothelioma.

Research on mice, published in Toxicology Sciences, suggests the longer nanofibres are more dangerous.

Human and mouse lungs are different, but the researchers hope the study will help to design safer nanofibres.

Nanofibres are in a range of goods, from airplane wings to tennis rackets.

Ken Donaldson, professor of respiratory toxicology at the University of Edinburgh, said: "Concern has been expressed that new kinds of nanofibres being made by nanotechnology industries might pose a risk because they have a similar shape to asbestos."

Silver nanofibres of varying lengths were injected into the lungs of mice.

Those larger than five micrometres, or five-thousandths of a millimetre, tended to become lodged in the lungs and cause inflammation. The smaller ones were cleared from the lungs.

Prof Donaldson said: "We knew that long fibres, compared with shorter fibres, could cause tumours, but until now we did not know the cut-off length at which this happened.

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Nanofibres 'may pose health risk'

MarketsandMarkets: Sports Medicine Devices Market is expected to reach $5.7 billion by 2017

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DALLAS, Aug. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Sports Medicine Devices Market By Products & Application (2012 - 2017) [Bone, Cartilage, Ligament, Tendon Reconstruction & Repair, Braces, Hot & Cold Therapy, Topical Pain Relief, Compression Clothing, Bandages, Wraps & Tapes, Shoulder, Elbow-Wrist, Back-Spine, Hip-Groin, Knee, Ankle-Foot] Global Trends & Competitive Analysis" analyzes and studies the major market drivers, restraints, and opportunities in North America, Europe, APAC and Rest of the World.

Browse 128 market data tables & spread across 293 pages and in-depth TOC of "Sports Medicine Devices Market By Products & Application (2012 - 2017) [Bone, Cartilage, Ligament, Tendon Reconstruction & Repair, Braces, Hot & Cold Therapy, Topical Pain Relief, Compression Clothing, Bandages, Wraps & Tapes, Shoulder, Elbow-Wrist, Back-Spine, Hip-Groin, Knee, Ankle-Foot] Global Trends & Competitive Analysis". http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/sports-medicine-devices-market-751.html [http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/sports-medicine-devices-market-751.html] Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports.

This report studies the sports medicine devices market (2012 - 2017).

Modern sports medicine has evolved greatly and involves the usage of a variety of devices such as braces and splints to secure the injured area. The market for sports medicine involves implants used in repairing bone and cartilage reconstruction, such as artificial knee, cartilage, and meniscus in the knee. Ligament and tendon injuries are one of the most common soft tissue injuries in sports. These include sprains, strains, muscle pulls, cramps, muscle tears, ligament, and tendon tears, among others. The sports medicine market caters majorly to the soft injuries market and accounts for a significant share of the global sports medicine market. Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure, which has become popular in demand due to its minimally invasive nature and the fact that the procedure can be used as a system for diagnosing the condition of the joint. This has contributing significantly to the global sports medicine market.

The 2011 sports medicine devices market [http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/sports-medicine-devices-market-751.html] is estimated to be at $3.3 billion and is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 9.3% to reach $5.7 billion by 2017. Knee application still holds the largest share among others due to the high frequency of ACL injuries along with other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, meniscal cartilage damage, and patellar chondromalacia.

Basketball and soccer are two sports in the spotlight for an increase in the number of professional and non-professional players. These games, along with many other regional games, have increased in popularity in the past decade. This can be seen from almost a 5% to 8% rise in number of basketball players every year. These games, becoming popular in Asian countries such as China, Korea, India, and Eastern Bloc countries, can promote a very favourable outcome for the intensive sports medicine market. Research has shown that due to the large number of players and popularity of sports, the incidences of injury are high. This is predicted to propel the sports medicine market and create emerging markets in the growing economies of Asia and Latin America.

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets is a global market research [http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/] and consulting company based in the U.S. We publish strategically analyzed market research reports and serve as a business intelligence partner to Fortune 500 companies across the world. MarketsandMarkets also provides multi-client reports, company profiles, databases, and custom research services.

MarketsandMarkets covers thirteen industry verticals; including advanced materials, automotives and transportation, banking and financial services, biotechnology, chemicals, consumer goods, energy and power, food and beverages, industrial automation, medical devices [ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/medical-device-market-research-11.html [http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/medical-device-market-research-11.html] ], pharmaceuticals, semiconductor and electronics, and telecommunications and IT.

We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. To know more about us and our reports, please visit our website http://www.marketsandmarkets.com [http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/]

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MarketsandMarkets: Sports Medicine Devices Market is expected to reach $5.7 billion by 2017

Working With the Family of Family Medicine

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Working With the Family of Family Medicine

Did you know that twice a year the AAFP meets with six other family medicine organizations to discuss issues of importance to our specialty as well as the role that each organization can play in relation to those issues?

Don't let the name fool you. The Family Medicine Working Party is mostly about work.

The AAFP and other family medicine organizations started discussing the need to improve communication and maximize resources amongst the groups that work to promote, improve and sustain our specialty more than 30 years ago. The first working party-- which consisted of the Academy, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM), the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), and the AAFP Foundation -- was held in 1978. By 1981, the event had become biannual.

Along the way, the working party grew to include the Association of Departments of Family Medicine (ADFM), the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors (AFMRD) and the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG).

Meetings of the working party typically focus on the difficulties facing family physicians and the future of the profession. For example, the agenda at a recent meeting in Florida included discussions about the challenges we face in graduate medical education, student interest and health care reform. There also was an excellent discussion about the upcoming four-year residencytraining pilot.

In addition to improving communication and cooperation, the purpose of the working party is to avoid duplication of effort among the groups and to delineate areas of responsibility.

We know from communications with you that there is some confusion about these groups, their roles and how they work together. So here is a brief look at the other organizations in the working party.

These groups, working together with the AAFP, launched the Future of Family Medicine Project10 years ago to develop strategies to renew and transform the discipline to meet the needs of patients in a changing health care environment. That initiative led to the development of the patient-centered medical home model of care.

One of the most interesting things we discussed during our recent meeting was a consideration of an initiative that will serve as a follow up to the Future of Family Medicine Project. A planning committee will develop recommendations for consideration to present to the next working party meeting, which is scheduled for January in San Diego.

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Working With the Family of Family Medicine

Penn amps up role in Coursera online-education effort

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Two months ago, to take a course from the University of Pennsylvania's medical school, you needed to excel at a grueling admissions test and pray you were one of the few who got accepted - not to mention pay tuition once you got there.

Now you can stumble out of bed halfway around the world and still catch courses taught by Penn medical professors.

All for free, at the moment.

Both the medical school and the university are amping up their participation in the online education game. Fifteen Penn professors are now signed up to offer free classes over the online learning platform Coursera (www.coursera.org), including seven from the Perelman School of Medicine.

One is bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel, whose just-completed Health Policy and the Affordable Care Act class attracted more than 30,000 students - about 5,000 more than the Penn student body.

Emanuel's class is being outdrawn by Wharton School professor Kevin Werbach's Gamification, which starts Aug. 27 and will apply game-design techniques to business problems. Its 50,000 sign-ups top the Penn offerings so far.

Last month, Penn joined with the California Institute of Technology to invest $3.7 million in Coursera, which now offers 117 free courses from 16 official partners, including Stanford, Duke, and Princeton Universities. The University of California Berkeley and two Indian colleges also offer classes on Coursera but are not yet official partners.

The online courses mimic aspects of a traditional experience by having not only video lectures, but also strict class start and end dates, homework assignments, interactive quizzes, and discussion boards for students.

"Coursera feels like a good partner for us," said Deirdre Woods, interim executive director of Penn's Open Learning Initiative, which is for now primarily devoted to the Coursera project. "Penn is about rigor . . . and [Coursera's] philosophy was very much in line with that."

Of Penn's 16 online courses, two are currently in session and more will start up in the next several months.

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Penn amps up role in Coursera online-education effort

Regents discuss medical school, bonuses for admins

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University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa noted progress on the projects slated to directly impact South Texas including a regional medical school and independent UTB at a UT System meeting Thursday.

The UT System Board of Regents heard the first annual report on the plan Cigarroa presented one year ago. The Rio Grande Valley figures significantly in several components of UT Systems extensive undertaking known as A Framework for Advancing Excellence.

The UT System board also approved an incentive plan for university presidents, including University of Texas at Brownsville President Juliet V. Garcia.

The futures of our children and our grandchildren are at stake, Cigarroa wrote in his letter opening the progress report. How do we make higher education more accessible and affordable to an increasing number of students? How do we produce more doctors, nurses and health professionals and improve the quality of health care in Texas?

Part of the answer, Cigarroa wrote, is a team effort that includes not only UT System campuses, but experts and consultants, too.

Incentive plan

How well UTB transitions into an independent university could be a factor in a potential bonus for President Garcia based on the incentive plan the UT regents approved Wednesday. Administration executive officers also fall under the plan.

In 2011, Garcias salary was $304,179, and within that contract she also received a one-time merit award of $32,272.

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Regents discuss medical school, bonuses for admins

Austin Experts Weigh in on Medical School Job, Economic Predictions

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Is a forecast of 15,000 jobs and $2 billion in economic activity a year too sunny for a medical school, teaching hospital and research facility in Austin? Or is it on the money?

State Sen. Kirk Watson has touted those numbers for much of the past year and spotlighted them at a news conference Thursday, releasing a six-page report prepared by Jon Hockenyos, president of an economic analysis and consulting firm in Austin. Hockenyos said his research is the genesis of those numbers, and he came up with them about two years ago.

"We have the opportunity to truly be a contender ... in competition with regions from Houston to Hong Kong," Watson, D-Austin, said at Austin Community College's Eastview campus. He was referring to the biotechnology and life-science industries -- which can include pharmaceutical and medical device firms -- that he expects to spin off from a medical school in Austin.

But economic development experts said having a medical school, teaching hospital and research center is no guarantee that Austin would see that amount of new jobs and economic benefit.

"It depends on the size of the medical school and teaching hospital" and how much public funding they attract for research, said Ross DeVol, chief research officer at the Milken Institute, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based company that does a variety of economic analyses. "It does take decades to have that type of return on a medical school and teaching hospital."

Joe Cortright, president of Portland, Ore.-based Impresa, which specializes in regional economic analysis, innovation and industry clusters, thinks the public should take the numbers Watson trumpets with a heavy dose of skepticism. Most of the nation's largest cities have a medical school, teaching hospital and research facility, but only nine areas have sparked enough economic growth to become biotechnology/life-science hubs, he said. They are Boston; Los Angeles; New York; Philadelphia; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; and Washington/Baltimore.

"These nine areas account for more than three-fifths of all (National Institutes of Health) spending on research and for slightly less than two-thirds of all biotechnology-related patents," a 2002 report he co-wrote says.

"Austin is coming awful late to this dance," he said Thursday.

Hockenyos, who attended the news conference but didn't speak to the crowd, said he acknowledges it could take 15 to 20 years for the economic benefits he estimates to be realized.

But, he added, "I think this is the greatest economic development thing in this community in a long time."

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Austin Experts Weigh in on Medical School Job, Economic Predictions

Liberty Ross Is "Still Processing" Rupert Sanders' Kristen Stewart Fling

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Liberty Ross is staying strong post-scandal.

Although the British model, 33, hasn't been wearing her wedding ring since her husband Rupert Sanders, 41, was caught cheating with actress Kristen Stewart, 22, a source tells Us Weekly "no decisions have been made" about their 15-year relationship.

PHOTOS: Kristen and Rupert's affair

The Snow White and the Huntsman director Sanders was photographed engaged in a steamy makeout session with Snow White actress Stewart on July 17. Ross learned of her husband's affair the week before Us Weekly's exclusive photos emerged on July 24.

"Nothing has been filed. It's still too early to tell what will happen," the source tells Us. "She is talking to and seeing Rupert now for the kids, but as far as the marriage she's still processing everything that happened."

PHOTOS: Women who've been cheated on

The former British Vogue cover girl shares daughter Skyla, 7, and son Tennyson, 5, with Sanders. The director did issue a public apology to his wife in a statement to Us on July 25, saying, "I am utterly distraught about the pain I have caused my family."

As for the future of their relationship, the source tells Us, "No decisions have been made. It's been very hard on her dealing with this and all the media attention. She is very strong and working through it and keeping private about it."

PHOTOS: Kristen and Rupert's road to infidelity

Ross stepped out on the red carpet Wednesday for her first time since the scandal. Looking stylish in a silky green button-down shirt, Ross smiled for the cameras at the Hollywood premiere of Lawless. The only thing missing from her ensemble? Her wedding ring.

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Liberty Ross Is "Still Processing" Rupert Sanders' Kristen Stewart Fling

Sennen Responds to Desperate Plea From Liberty

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VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Aug. 24, 2012) - Sennen Resources Ltd. (SN.V) ("Sennen" or the "Company") comments on the News Release dated August 22, 2012 issued by Liberty Silver Corp ("Liberty") stating that Liberty intend to extend their hostile offer (the "Offer") to Sennen Shareholders until September 10, 2012.

Do not tender your Sennen Shares to the Liberty Offer. Sennen Shareholders are reminded that the Board of Directors have recommended REJECTION of the Liberty Offer for the reasons set out in the Director's Circular dated July 30, 2012. There is no need for Sennen Shareholders to do anything to REJECT the liberty Offer. Please refer to the Director's Circular, which is available on SEDAR, for more detailed reasons for REJECTION, and steps to take if you have already tendered your Sennen Shares.

It comes as no surprise that Liberty's efforts to make a 'cash-grab' of Sennen's treasury have failed. Also, as Liberty has 'sunk' costs into this irresponsible venture, they have little or nothing to lose by extending their bid deadline-possibly endlessly. Sennen Shareholders are justifiably outraged by what they consider to be continual harassment by Liberty, and by extending their offer, Liberty continue to alienate any microscopic support they may have achieved to date. Liberty continues to waste both their own, and unfortunately, the Company's time and money. Sennen Shareholders are not impressed with Liberty's strategy of 'value destruction'.

The facts have not changed:

Stated Ian Rozier, President and CEO, "Liberty continues to treat the Shareholders of Sennen with contempt. We have made our own feelings very clear to Liberty, as have our Shareholders, as to what we think of their Offer, their company, their management and their assets, but they, along with their various advisors, persist in continuing with this nonsense, and in doing so, waste everyone's time and money. Liberty have no credibility with the majority of Sennen Shareholders, and based upon written communication received by Sennen management from one of Liberty's own large shareholders, are rapidly eroding any they have amongst their own. Sennen has zero interest in doing any business whatsoever with Liberty Silver."

Do not tender your Sennen Shares to the Liberty Offer. Sennen Shareholders are reminded that the Board of Directors have recommended REJECTION of the Liberty Offer for the reasons set out in the Director's Circular dated July 30, 2012. There is no need for Sennen Shareholders to do anything to REJECT the liberty Offer. Please refer to the Director's Circular, which is available on SEDAR, for more detailed reasons for REJECTION, and steps to take if you have already tendered your Sennen Shares.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) has reviewed, nor do they accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of, this release.

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Sennen Responds to Desperate Plea From Liberty

Pondexter scores 31 to lead Liberty past Mercury

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PHOENIX (AP) -- Cappie Pondexter scored 31 points to lead the New York Liberty to an 89-77 victory over Phoenix on Thursday night, handing the Mercury their ninth straight loss.

Nicole Powell and Leilani Mitchell scored 13 points each, Plenette Pierson had 12 points and Kara Braxton added 12 points and nine rebounds to help the Liberty (9-13) win for the third time in four games since the league's month-long Olympic break.

''We've had injuries like Phoenix ... so we've been out of synch,'' Liberty coach John Whisenant said. ''Since the break we've been playing better because we got everyone healthy and we've been able to practice with healthy people... And we've been making shots. Coaching is a lot easier when we make shots.''

Pondexter shot 9 for 15 from the field - 5 for 9 on 3pointers - and was 8 for 8 from the free-throw line. New York shot 47 percent (30 for 64), including 13 for 27 on 3s, and moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Eastern Conference, one-half game ahead of Chicago and two games behind third-place Atlanta.

''We have to stay afloat,'' Pondexter said. ''Our goal is to win eight more games to be in a safe position.''

DeWanna Bonner scored 34 points for Phoenix (4-18), which continued to play without several of its injured regulars. Bonner shot 11 for 26 from the field, tying her career high for baskets made.

The Liberty led by 18 in the first half before Phoenix rallied to pull to 56-53 midway through the third period on Bonner's layup. However, Pondexter scored nine points over the next 6 minutes and New York took a 70-61 lead into the final period.

''I don't know if we just came out a little too passive,'' Bonner said. ''We're trying to figure things out and we end up digging ourselves a hole. With this team you can't do that. We have to come out aggressive and its hard to do that when you're down 15, 16 points.''

Sammy Prahalis added 12 points, four rebounds and four assists, and Krystal Thomas added a career-high 14 rebounds for the Mercury, who played only eight players.

Phoenix was without Olympic gold medalist Diana Taurasi, who was in warmups but said she felt lightheaded and did not play. She underwent a dental procedure last Friday. Before the Olympic break, Taurasi had missed 18 of Phoenix's 20 games with a hip flexor but then led the Americans in scoring during the Olympic tournament, averaging 12.4 points a game.

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Pondexter scores 31 to lead Liberty past Mercury

Liberty Ross not hiding after Kristen Stewart cheating scandal

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Liberty Ross is refusing to cower at home and hide from the Hollywood scandal over her director husband Rupert Sanders affair with Twilight star Kristen Stewart.

On Wednesday night, Ross stepped out without her wedding ring to the LA premiere of Lawless. She went with brother Atticus Ross, a member of rock band Nine Inch Nails. Observers said she looked gorgeous and relaxed," at the DeLeon Tequila event also attended by the movies stars, Shia LeBeouf and Guy Pearce.

Liberty, a model and mother of two, is friends with Susie Bick, the wife of Lawless writer and composer Nick Cave.

WireImage

Liberty Ross

After Sanders was caught on camera last month kissing Stewart, who starred in the Sanders- directed Snow White and the Huntsman, friends tell us Ross is refusing to let his infidelity tear her apart.

She wont hide at home, a source tells us. Liberty has shown incredible grace going through a difficult situation where all the intimate details are very public.

Friends say Ross and Sanders are having marriage counseling, and he is begging her to forgive him. But Liberty is taking her time to work out her feelings and to ultimately decide what would be best for their kids.

She is a very emotionally smart woman. She knows she can take her time and make her own decision, one that would be the best for her and her family, and not be persuaded by what other people, and the media, think of her and the situation, a source told us.

Our source added that its still unclear whether the couple will reconcile. One thing that is clear is that before this, Rupert and Liberty had a wonderful relationship . . . One affair does not erase a 10-year history and many shared experiences together. It is just whether they are strong enough to weather it.

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Liberty Ross not hiding after Kristen Stewart cheating scandal

Islands Spat Drags on as Japan Passes Resolution

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TOKYO--Tensions between Japan and South Korea showed no signs of easing on Friday as Japan's parliament passed a resolution denouncing Seoul's recent actions over a territorial dispute.

The move comes a day after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Seoul had "lost its cool" by attempting to send back a letter of protest he had written to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, following Mr. Lee's visit earlier this month to disputed islands claimed by both countries.

"It is extremely regrettable, and we will respond resolutely," Mr. Noda told parliament after the passage of the resolution, referring to Mr. Lee's visit to the islets, which are controlled by South Korea.

The resolution also demanded that Mr. Lee retract comments he made a few days after his visit that were seen as being offensive to Japan's emperor.

The lower house also voted on a separate resolution protesting the landing on another set of disputed islands by Hong Kong activists.

The resolutions wrap up a week that saw Tokyo putting pressure on Seoul over the dispute which flared up after Mr. Lee visited the Liancourt Rocks that lie between the two countries, and which are known as Takeshima by Japan and Dokdo by South Korea.

Mr. Noda is also set to hold a news conference later on Friday over the string of recent land spats with its Asian neighbors.

In the case of the landing of Hong Kong activists on a Japanese-controlled island, the prime minister has come under sharp criticism for his handling of the row with China, since Japanese authorities chose to deport, rather than prosecute the activists.

Analysts said that, with the likelihood of a general election in the coming months, Mr. Noda and his ruling Democratic Party of Japan cannot afford to be seen as taking a soft stance on territorial issues.

"They need to take a hard line. It's not the usual diplomatic stance of the DPJ," said Takehiko Yamamoto, a political science professor at Tokyo'sWaseda University. "It's because of the elections."

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Islands Spat Drags on as Japan Passes Resolution