Matt Wallaert, Behavioral Scientist for Bing Skypes with Westwood Students – Video

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Matt Wallaert, Behavioral Scientist for Bing Skypes with Westwood Students
Matt Walleart Skypes with the 2nd period Intro to Computer Science class with teacher Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher and her students. They talk about behavior ...

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Matt Wallaert, Behavioral Scientist for Bing Skypes with Westwood Students - Video

Comets – Crystalinks

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Comets

A comet is basically a ball of ice and dust that looks like a star with a tail. Some comets do not have tails, looking like hazy, round spots of light.

A comet is a small body in the solar system that orbits the Sun and (at least occasionally) exhibits a coma (or atmosphere) and/or a tail - both primarily from the effects of solar radiation upon the comet's nucleus, which itself is a minor body composed of rock, dust, and ice. Comets' orbits are constantly changing: their origins are in the outer solar system, and they have a propensity to be highly affected (or perturbed) by relatively close approaches to the major planets.

Some comets are moved into sun grazing orbits that destroy the comets when they near the Sun, while others are thrown out of the solar system forever. A new comet may be discovered photographically using a wide-field telescope or visually with binoculars. However, even without access to optical equipment, it is still possible for the amateur astronomer to discover a sun grazing comet online.

Most comets are believed to originate in a cloud (the Oort cloud) at large distances from the Sun consisting of debris left over from the condensation of the solar nebula; the outer edges of such nebulae are cool enough that water exists in a solid (rather than gaseous) state. Asteroids originate via a different process, but very old comets which have lost all their volatile materials may come to resemble asteroids.

Historically, comets were thought to be unlucky, harbingers of destruction by anthropomorphic gods, or aliens, against humans. People are programmed to fear the unknown, but through scientific discovery, as with everything else along the way to enlightenment, there is always a physical explanation.

While hundreds of tiny comets pass through the inner solar system every year, very few are noticed by the general public. About every decade or so, a comet will become bright enough to be noticed by a casual observer - such comets are often designated Great Comets. In times past, bright comets often inspired panic and hysteria in the general population, being thought of as bad omens. More recently, during the passage of Halley's Comet in 1910, the Earth passed through the comet's tail, and erroneous newspaper reports inspired a fear that cyanogen in the tail might poison millions, while the appearance of Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997 triggered the mass suicide of the Heaven's Gate cult. To most people, however, a great comet is simply a beautiful spectacle.

Predicting whether a comet will become a great comet is notoriously difficult, as many factors may cause a comet's brightness to depart drastically from predictions. Broadly speaking, if a comet has a large and active nucleus, will pass close to the Sun, and is not obscured by the Sun as seen from the Earth when at its brightest, it will have a chance of becoming a great comet. However, Comet Kohoutek in 1973 fulfilled all the criteria and was expected to become spectacular, but failed to do so. Comet West, which appeared three years later, had much lower expectations (perhaps because scientists were much warier of glowing predictions after the Kohoutek fiasco), but became an extremely impressive comet.

The late 20th century saw a lengthy gap without the appearance of any great comets, followed by the arrival of two in quick succession - Comet Hyakutake in 1996, followed by Hale-Bopp, which reached maximum brightness in 1997 having been discovered two years earlier. The first great comet of the 21st century was Comet McNaught, which became visible to naked eye observers in January 2007. It was the brightest in over 40 years.

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January 19, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets The Utica Comets finally made their way back to the win column as they ended a six game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs. With the win, Utica claimed the season series from Hamilton, with five points over the quartet of games, as opposed to four points for the Bulldogs.

Joe Cannata bounced back in a big way after a rough two game stretch with 32 saves on 33 shots, en route to a first star nomination. Benn Ferriero scored twice for the Comets, while Pascal Pelletier netted assists on all three Utica goals. Winger Alexandre Grenier also scored for Utica, which moved to 12-20-2-3 on the season.

Ferriero got Utica on the board first, as he redirected a shot home to open the scoring. Peter Andersson's wrist shot from the point found its way through heavy traffic, off Pascal Pelletier's stick and onto Ferriero's stick, which jolted past Dustin Tokarski to make it 1-0 Comets. Ferriero's goal extended his point streak to five games.

The Comets doubled their margin 13:43 into the first as Grenier tipped a rocket of a slapshot from Henrik Tommernes past Tokarski, for the games only power-play goal. Pascal Pelletier and Henrik Tommernes picked up points for the Comets, which extended Ferriero's point streak to five games. Grenier leads all Utica skaters with three goals against their divisional rivals this season.

Hamilton peppered Cannata with 12 shots during the middle stanza, but was only able to beat the Wakefield, MA native once, as Maxime Macenauer scored 2:07 into the period. The Bulldog winger came straight out of the penalty box and found himself in alone on Cannata shorthanded and finished shortside to cut the Utica lead in half.

A tightly contested third period went back and forth with few whistles for much of the frame. With Tokarski on the bench, winger Benn Ferriero found loads of open ice off of a pass from Pelletier and buried it into the gaping net to ice the game. Brandon DeFazio also picked up an assist on the play.

With the victory, the Comets once again move into a tie with the Hartford Wolf Pack in an effort to get out of the league's basement. Both teams now sit with 29 points. Cannata earned his fourth victory of the season and moved to 1-0-0-1 against Hamilton. Ferriero finished as the leading scorer during the four game series between Utica and Hamilton, as his two goals gave him a total of seven points (2-5-7).

The Comets have two days off, before they return to the ice on Tuesday with the Chicago Wolves coming to the Mohawk Valley for the first ever meeting between the two teams. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday is both College Night and Winning Tuesday at The AUD! College students can get a $12 dollar ticket with a valid student ID and fans can enjoy beer specials at all concession stands. If the Comets defeat the Wolves, all fans in attendance will also receive a free ticket to the following Tuesday's game against Lake Erie.

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L.A. Times Travel Show: 5 travel tips for music festival fans

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Music insiders offered insights and travel tips about the world of music festivals at a Saturday panel at the L.A. Times Travel Show called "On the Road: Traveling for Music & Festivals." The panel returns noon Sunday.

Times staff writer Jessica Gelt led the discussion with Betto Arcos, host of KPFKs Global Village; Rick Farman, creator of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and Outside Lands; and Nigel Dick, filmmaker.

Secrets to tickets

If tickets sell out quickly, Farman recommended companies that sell packages, noting most are VIP packages. Bottom line: Be prepared to spend more if you really want in to a particular festival.

If you miss out on buying tickets to the multi-day Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts in England or other big festivals, Nigel Dick suggests checking out smaller festivals in Europe, even if there are no big acts. It's still a chance to have a cool cultural experience.

Navigating a festival

Do not get overwhelmed by all there is to see and do. "Festivals are not programmed for people to see everything. Theyre for people to have lots of different experiences, Farman said.

Arcos said to spend some time looking at the program, highlight those shows you have to see and then if you feel youve seen enough you can leave and go see another act.

Farman recommends that you budget more than half of your time for just wandering around. That is how you learn about new artists and acts, he said.

Split time between city and festival

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L.A. Times Travel Show: 5 travel tips for music festival fans

Travel Channel’s "Hotel Fixer" Anthony Melchiorri Kicks Off The New Year With Six Covert-Style "Hotel Impossible …

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Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. WorldNow and this Station make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you have any questions or comments about this page please contact pressreleases@worldnow.com.

SOURCE Travel Channel

New Specials Lead In To The Compelling Fourth Season Of "Hotel Impossible" On Monday, January 27 At 10:00 p.m. ET/PT

CHEVY CHASE, Md., Dec. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As host of Travel Channel's popular series "Hotel Impossible," "hotel fixer" Anthony Melchiorri is relentless when it comes to getting struggling hotels all over the world back on their feet and on the path to success. His no-nonsense approach may put some owners off, but his advice can transform even the most down-and-out properties. Yet it's ultimately up to the hotel owners to implement and maintain his changes. On "Hotel Impossible Undercover," a series of six half-hour specials premiering Monday, January 6 at 10:00 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. ET/PT with back-to-back episodes, Melchiorri returns to check up on six properties he previously overhauled on past seasons of "Hotel Impossible." Following the run of specials, a compelling new fourth season of "Hotel Impossible" premieres on Monday, January 27 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. With thirteen hour-long episodes, Melchiorri's management skills, emotions and patience are put to the test once again.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/64287-travel-channels-hotel-impossible-anthony-melchiorri-undercover-specials

(Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131210/MM28535)

"Each hotel presents its own set of challenges whether it's strong personalities, conflicting goals or just plain physical neglect of the hotel. For me, it can be emotionally exhausting to become so deeply invested in all of these properties, with only a short window of time to help them," said Melchiorri. "However, I'm addicted to the excitement of pushing through these obstacles and leaving the owners with a newfound sense of hope and confidence for their future."

Melchiorri makes himself available to clients long after the cameras leavebut what really happens when he packs up and checks out? Did the hotel owners heed his advice? Did renovations continue or fall to the wayside? Have reviews and profits improved, or did the hotel return to its previous state? In each half-hour episode of "Hotel Impossible Undercover," Melchiorri visits hotels from seasons past, sending in a team of undercover investigators from Coyle Hospitality prior to his visit. Pretending to be guests, they are armed with the latest technology in hidden cameras to record secret footage so Melchiorri can see how business is really going. In the premiere, airing on Monday, January 6 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, Melchiorri checks back in to Alaska's Glacier Bear Lodge. After reviewing findings from the undercover operation, he confronts the general manager about a few shocking discoveries including dirty rooms and poor food service. In the second episode airing at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, Melchiorri returns to California's Hotel Leger where he discovers poor housekeeping practices and even more surprising new owners! Featured properties Melchiorri returns to in "Hotel Impossible Undercover" include Casa Verde (Puerto Rico), Holbrooke Hotel (Sacramento, CA), Ocean Manor (Fort Lauderdale, FL) and Triangle T Ranch (Dragoon, AZ).

After the final special airs, an all-new season of "Hotel Impossible" begins on Monday, January 27 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The premiere episode brings Melchiorri back to Alaska to help save the Alaskan Hotel & Bar, which is celebrating its 100th year. The hotel is the oldest, continually-operated hotel in the state. After forty years, the hotel's current owner, Bettye, is ready to hand over managerial duties to her son, despite how they often feud over management styles. Years of cosmetic neglect have left the property and guest rooms in less-than-desirable conditions; and the hotel's security systems are dangerously lackingboth bears and humans have snuck into the property! The rowdy bar the hotel's biggest moneymaker is still a draw for the local crowd. But an uncooperative, belligerent bar manager is less-than-thrilled to see Melchiorri and the TV crew arrive, and is insistent that his services are neither needed nor welcome. Melchiorri brings in designer Blanche Garcia to help with much-needed renovations, along with a respected bar consultant to pinpoint the bar's major areas for improvement. When resistance from the bar manager stalls the proper course of change, a face-off ensues. Additional locations featured in the fourth season of "Hotel Impossible" include Estes Park, CO; Hollywood, CA; Homestead, FL; Islamorada, FL (Florida Keys); Las Vegas, NV; Myrtle Beach, SC; New Brunswick, Canada; St. John, USVI and more.

"Hotel Impossible" is produced by Atlas Media Corp. for Travel Channel. For Atlas, executive producers are Bruce David Klein, Lorri Leighton and Rob Green. Anthony Melchiorri is a co-executive producer. For Travel Channel, the executive producer is Brian Leonard.

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Travel Channel's "Hotel Fixer" Anthony Melchiorri Kicks Off The New Year With Six Covert-Style "Hotel Impossible ...

Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos: Super Bowl Spread Analysis and Prediction

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It's the No. 1 defense against the No. 1 offense in Super BowlXLVII, as the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks meet the AFC Champion Denver Broncos.

The NFC has covered five of the last six Super Bowls, while underdogs are also on a 5-1 against-the-spread run in those games and have won four of them outright. All those scenarios point to a Seattle win if those trends repeat themselves on Feb. 2.

Defense wins championships and nobody does defense better than Seattle, though nobody does offense better than Peyton Manning.

Broncos vs. Seahawks point spread: Broncos opened as 1-point favorites; the total was 47.5. (Line updates and matchup report)

Odds Shark computer prediction: 34.8-33.6 Broncos

Why the Seahawks can cover the Super Bowl spread

Seattle's lock-down cornerback Richard Sherman and the team's power running back Marshawn Lynch are the keys to a win. While Lynch will help the Seahawks control the clock and keep the ball out of Denver's hands, Sherman will be tabbed with making things tough on the Broncos' explosive passing game.

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Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos: Super Bowl Spread Analysis and Prediction

How Spirituality Protects the Brain Against Depression

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By Traci Pedersen Associate News Editor Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on January 19, 2014

Engaging in regular meditation or another spiritual practice is linked to a thickening of the brain cortex, according to new research published in JAMA Psychiatry.

This discovery could lead to new insights as to why these activities help guard against depression, particularly in those who are genetically predisposed to the mental health disorder.

Major depression is characterized by a depressed mood for most of the day and a loss of interest in normal activities and relationships. The disease affects about 6.7% of the U.S. population over age 18, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

This is the first published study investigating whether there is any physical evidence in the brain linked to the protective effects of spirituality and religion against depression.

Theresearch involved 103 adults at either high or low risk of depression, based on family history. Magnetic resonance imaging findings revealed thicker cortices in those participants who placed a high importance on religion or spirituality than those who did not.

Furthermore, the relatively thicker cortex was found in exactly the same regions of the brain that had otherwise shown thinning in people at high risk for depression.

The new study links this extremely large protective benefit of spirituality or religion to previous studies which identified large expanses of cortical thinning in specific regions of the brain in adult offspring of families at high risk for major depression, said Dr. Lisa Miller, professor and director ofClinical Psychologyand director of theSpirituality Mind Body InstituteatTeachers College, Columbia University.

Prior research conducted by Miller and her team revealed a 90 percent decrease in major depression in adults who placed spirituality or religiosity at high importance and whose parents suffered from depression.

The findings showed that although regular attendance at church was not necessary, a strong personal importance placed on spirituality or religion was most protective against major depression in people who were at high familial risk.

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How Spirituality Protects the Brain Against Depression

Kerbal Space Program Gravity Ring, Legit Launch (with mechjeb) – Part One. Orbit – Video

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Kerbal Space Program Gravity Ring, Legit Launch (with mechjeb) - Part One. Orbit
Going for a geostationary space station, capable of going interplanetary. So this is phase one, getting the thing to orbit. Phase two is refueling and adding...

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Kerbal Space Program Gravity Ring, Legit Launch (with mechjeb) - Part One. Orbit - Video