Barangay Aides Boost Nutrition Drive

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SAN JOSE, Antique (PIA) Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) play a key role in the implementation of nutrition programs.

The BNS reach out to poor households in remote villages and upland areas to bring governments health and nutrition services, said Jemma M. Bacongallo, president of Provincial Association of Barangay Nutrition Scholars in Antique.

Crossing rivers, walking through slippery roads and steep slopes just to reach far-flung communities during Operation Timbang, Parents Nutrition Classes among other activities is a great challenge to us BNS, Bacongallo said.

She said the BNS are inspired most by the thought that we are not working just for our honorarium or reward, but we are on a mission to empower families to become more caring to their children by putting priority to their health, nutrition and education.

Antique has 642 BNS covering 590 barangays, 19 of which are in the island town of Caluya, 3 are in the island barangays of Culasi and most are in the upland areas of the province.

There are barangays especially with big populations that have two or more BNS but most have only one BNS with sitios (villages) located far from each other.

What made the Province of Antique more challenging is the fact that it ranked no. 1 in Region 6 in terms of malnutrition, said Bacongallo.

We have done our best, and remain committed to work hard, however, attending to the health and nutrition problems is no joke. We need more resources, health workers and most importantly cooperation of families, she added.

We are glad that the Department of the Interior and Local Government has issued a Memorandum Circular to all Punong Barangays not to replace us with their own appointees every time the new Punong Barangay is elected, if we are still active in performing our task, said Bacongallo.

As we pledged to do the best we can, she said, we appeal to the local officials to be kind and understanding to our needs, much more our safety while performing our duties.

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NUS researchers identify a novel double-stranded DNA structure

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This novel double-stranded DNA structure produced through mechanical stretching has been successfully demonstrated by researchers from the National University of Singapore. Credit: National University of Singapore

By way of mechanical stretching, National University of Singapore researchers identify a novel double-stranded DNA structure, thus successfully resolving a 16-year-old scientific debate over the existence of a double-stranded DNA structure.

Double-stranded DNA has often been described as a right-handed helical structure, known as B-DNA. To perform its multiple functions, double-stranded DNA has multiple structures depending on conditions. For example, the melted DNA bubble forms during transcription elongation and the left-handed helical Z-DNA forms hypothetically during transcriptional regulations.

Scientists have been proposing a novel form of double-stranded DNA structure since 1996. Referred to as 'S-DNA', it is produced from stretching the B-form DNA beyond a certain 'transition force' of around 65 pN to approximately 1.7-fold in length (termed as DNA overstretching transition). Its existence has sparked a 16-year scientific debate since it was proposed, as many other evidences suggested that DNA overstretching transition was merely a force-induced DNA melting transition, leading to peeled-apart single-stranded DNA.

At National University of Singapore (NUS), the research was led by Associate Professor Jie Yan, from the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Mechanobiology Institute, Singapore. It succeeded in demonstrating the intricacies of the DNA mechanics in highly sensitive single-DNA stretching experiments.

Assoc Prof Yan and his team found that DNA overstretching may involve two transitions that are distinct in their transition kinetics, namely, a slower hysteretic peeling transition to peeled-apart single-stranded DNA and a faster non-hysteretic transition to an unknown DNA structure. However, whether the unknown DNA structure produced from the non-hysteretic transition is the S-DNA or two single-stranded DNA strands through inside-DNA-melting, remains a question.

Their findings were published in Nucleic Acids Research.

In another recent work published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Assoc Prof Yan and co-researchers examined the thermodynamics associated with the two transitions. They found that the non-hysteretic transition was associated with a small negative entropy change, in contrast to the large positive entropy change found during the hysteretic peeling transition. This result strongly favors DNA re-arrangement into a highly ordered, non-melted state during the non-hyteretic transition. They also demonstrated that the selection between the two transitions was dependent on DNA base-pair stability and could be represented in a multi-dimensional phase diagram.

Their results not only brought clarity to the scientific debate of whether S-DNA exists, but also provided important insights to the possible structures and functions of the mysterious S-DNA.

Given its elongated structure, the S-DNA may be a potential binding substrate for DNA intercalators, including those used in chemotherapeutic treatment to inhibit DNA replication in rapidly growing cancer cells. In cells, many DNA-binding proteins utilize side chain intercalation to distort the DNA backbone. Therefore, the S-DNA may also be a potential binding substrate for these proteins that occur in living organisms.

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NUS researchers identify a novel double-stranded DNA structure

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Convicted cop’s DNA not on coat

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By Mike Wagner

The Columbus Dispatch Friday August 3, 2012 7:03 AM

On the day he was sentenced to life in prison for killing his ex-wife, Douglas Prade stood up in court, defiantly proclaimed his innocence and challenged the justice system to find the real killer.

God, Margo, myself and the person who killed Margo know that I am innocent, he said.

Now, 14 years later, lab-test results show that DNA recovered from the Summit County murder scene didnt come from Prade, a former Akron police captain convicted of killing Margo Prade, a prominent doctor and the mother of his two children.

Prade, 66 and serving a life sentence at the Madison Correctional Institution, was found guilty of shooting Margo six times after a struggle in her van in a parking lot outside of her office.

The DNA testing, conducted by DNA Diagnostics Center of Fairfield, north of Cincinnati, focused on the lab coat Margo Prade was wearing during the attack, and specifically a bite mark left on her arm by her killer.

Testing results found male DNA present within the bite mark, but it didnt match Douglas Prade. Further testing of the lab coat and other evidence conducted by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation also excluded Prades DNA.

The bite mark was pivotal in the prosecutions case against Prade. During his trial, an expert testified that the bite mark matched Prades teeth.

But Prade and his attorneys have argued that the bite mark testimony was based on junk science, and it misled the jury in a case that has received national attention.

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Convicted cop’s DNA not on coat

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DNA testing identifies NC woman missing since 1992

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Modern DNA testing has helped law-enforcement identify the remains of a Johnston County woman who disappeared in Virginia nearly 20 years ago, officials said Friday.

Angie Faye Toler left North Carolina in 1992 to move to Richmond, Va., and live with a boyfriend. The boyfriend returned to Smithfield, but Toler was never seen again. Her body was found near railroad tracks in November of that year. With no identification and no relatives around, her case was listed as an unidentified deceased.

Nona Best, supervisor of the N.C. Center for Missing Persons, attended an academy of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, last November. During a presentation by the VA Medical Examiner's Office, she noticed a picture that looked familiar. Best approached the instructor after his presentation and asked to see the picture again.

"Once I saw the picture up close I knew it was her," Best said. "She looked just like herself and her sister."

When Best returned to her office in Raleigh, she contacted the family and Lara A. Frame, an investigator with the chief medical examiner's office in Virginia. DNA from Toler's mother and sister was sent to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to compare with the unidentified body.

On Tuesday, Best was advised by Frame that the DNA was a positive match.

Best and Princeton Police Chief Tyrone Sutton informed Toler's sister, Cora Prince, and her mother, Deloris Sherod.

"The Lord answers prayers. I prayed I would find out what happen to her before I left this earth. I'm at peace now," Sherod said.

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DNA testing identifies NC woman missing since 1992

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DNA Clue Discovered For Why Women Outlive Men

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Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Seniors / Aging Also Included In: Men's Health;Biology / Biochemistry;Genetics Article Date: 03 Aug 2012 - 2:00 PDT

Current ratings for: DNA Clue Discovered For Why Women Outlive Men

4.5 (2 votes)

Researchers from Monash University in Australia and Lancaster University in the UK, write about their work in the 2 August online issue of Current Biology.

They found male fruit flies appear to have mutations in their mitochondrial DNA that affect how fast they age and how long they live.

Scientists use fruit flies as models for studies in genes and aging because their biological processes are remarkably similar to that of other animals, such as humans, and with a lifespan of about a month, it doesn't take too long to investigate generational effects.

Senior author Damian Dowling, a research fellow in the Monash School of Biological Sciences, told the press:

"All animals possess mitochondria, and the tendency for females to outlive males is common to many different species. Our results therefore suggest that the mitochondrial mutations we have uncovered will generally cause faster male aging across the animal kingdom."

"Intriguingly, these same mutations have no effects on patterns of aging in females. They only affect males," he added.

Mitochondria are special subunits of cells, about the same size as bacteria, that provide the energy for life. They combine sugar and oxygen into adenosine triphosphate or ATP, molecular packets of energy that are usable by cells.

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Novel double-stranded DNA structure produced through mechanical stretching

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ScienceDaily (Aug. 3, 2012) Researchers' findings address a scientific debate that had lasted for 16 years over the existence of a double-stranded DNA structure.

Double-stranded DNA has often been described as a right-handed helical structure, known as B-DNA. To perform its multiple functions, double-stranded DNA has multiple structures depending on conditions. For example, the melted DNA bubble forms during transcription elongation and the left-handed helical Z-DNA forms hypothetically during transcriptional regulations.

Scientists have been proposing a novel form of double-stranded DNA structure since 1996. Referred to as 'S-DNA', it is produced from stretching the B-form DNA beyond a certain 'transition force' of around 65 pN to approximately 1.7-fold in length (termed as DNA overstretching transition). Its existence has sparked a 16-year scientific debate since it was proposed, as many other evidences suggested that DNA overstretching transition was merely a force-induced DNA melting transition, leading to peeled-apart single-stranded DNA.

At National University of Singapore (NUS), the research was led by Associate Professor Jie Yan, from the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Mechanobiology Institute, Singapore. It succeeded in demonstrating the intricacies of the DNA mechanics in highly sensitive single-DNA stretching experiments.

Assoc Prof Yan and his team found that DNA overstretching may involve two transitions that are distinct in their transition kinetics, namely, a slower hysteretic peeling transition to peeled-apart single-stranded DNA and a faster non-hysteretic transition to an unknown DNA structure. However, whether the unknown DNA structure produced from the non-hysteretic transition is the S-DNA or two single-stranded DNA strands through inside-DNA-melting, remains a question.

Their findings were published in Nucleic Acids Research.

In another recent work published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Assoc Prof Yan and co-researchers examined the thermodynamics associated with the two transitions. They found that the non-hysteretic transition was associated with a small negative entropy change, in contrast to the large positive entropy change found during the hysteretic peeling transition. This result strongly favors DNA re-arrangement into a highly ordered, non-melted state during the non-hyteretic transition. They also demonstrated that the selection between the two transitions was dependent on DNA base-pair stability and could be represented in a multi-dimensional phase diagram.

Their results not only brought clarity to the scientific debate of whether S-DNA exists, but also provided important insights to the possible structures and functions of the mysterious S-DNA.

Given its elongated structure, the S-DNA may be a potential binding substrate for DNA intercalators, including those used in chemotherapeutic treatment to inhibit DNA replication in rapidly growing cancer cells. In cells, many DNA-binding proteins utilize side chain intercalation to distort the DNA backbone. Therefore, the S-DNA may also be a potential binding substrate for these proteins that occur in living organisms.

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3D movie at 'ultraresolution' shows how cell`s machinery bends membrane inwards

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Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have combined the power of two kinds of microscope to produce a 3-dimensional movie of how cells 'swallow' nutrients and other molecules by engulfing them. The study, published today in Cell, is the first to follow changes in the shape of the cell's membrane and track proteins thought to influence those changes. It also provides ample data to investigate this essential process further.

This 'swallowing', called endocytosis, is involved in a variety of crucial tasks. It is used by brain cells relaying information to each other, for instance, and is also hijacked by many viruses, which use it to invade their host's cells. When a cell is about to swallow some molecules, a dent appears in the cell's membrane, and gradually expands inwards, pinching off to form a little pouch, or vesicle, that transports molecules into the cell.

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Scientists at EMBL have combined the power of two kinds of microscope to produce a three-dimensional movie of how cells swallow nutrients and other molecules by engulfing them. The study is the first to follow changes in the shape of the cells membrane and track proteins thought to influence those changes. Credit: EMBL/W.Kukulski

The data used to make the video is freely available to the scientific community and will, Kaksonen and Briggs believe, provide valuable information to others trying to develop physical models of how this process works. The EMBL scientists themselves are probing the roles of individual proteins in this process, by perturbing them, and would like to extend the current work in yeast to human cells.

More information: Kukulski, W., Schorb, M., Kaksonen, M. & Briggs, J.A.B. Time-resolved electron tomography reveals how the plasma membrane is reshaped during endocytosis. Cell, 3 August 2012.

Journal reference: Cell

Provided by European Molecular Biology Laboratory

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3D movie at 'ultraresolution' shows how cell`s machinery bends membrane inwards

Ways to Reduce Body Odor

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You know you're slightly pungent after a hard Spinning class or garlicky dinner. But it turns out that some less expected factorslike how quickly you get dressed in the morning, the amount of carbs you eat, or whether you snorecan also affect your BO, breath, gassiness, and more.

Here's how to fix it, fast.

1. You Don't Towel Off After Showering A speedy post-shower rubdown may end up causing a problem later on. That's because moisture can get trapped between folds of skin, like below your breasts, under your love handles, or even between your toes, says Dr. Marina Peredo, a board-certified dermatologist in private practice in Smithtown, N.Y. "There's no access to air there, and it's easier for bacteria and fungi to multiply and mix with sweat, causing odor and irritation," she says.

Fix it: Peredo recommends this trick to her patients: "After you dry off, set a blow-dryer to cool and wave it over your belly, groin, feetanywhere that gets uncomfortably sweaty." You can also sprinkle an absorbent powder with antifungal properties onto your skin or in your shoes.

10 Worst Germ Hot Spots

2. You Love Spicy Foods Foods with pungent ingredients, such as curry, garlic, and other spices, can not only cause bad breath, but also a bit of a body odor.

When digested, these foods produce several stinky sulfur-containing gases. Most of these byproducts are metabolized in the intestines and liver, but some, such as allyl methyl sulfide, are absorbed into the bloodstream and released through your lungs and pores, an effect that can last for a few hours or more, says Dr. Debra Jaliman, assistant professor of dermatology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.

Fix it: You can temporarily mask bad breath with mouthwash or by chewing a bit of fresh parsley, mint, or fennel seeds, but you'll have to wait until your body is done digesting before all the odor is completely gone. Sit down to a spicy meal in good company; it's tough to smell it on others if you all eat the same thing, says Richard Price, DMD, spokesperson for the American Dental Association. Avoid garlic-rich chow in the hours before an important meeting or date.

3. You BrushBut Only Your Teeth Neglect your tongue, and your breath may not be as fresh as you'd like. Your tongue is covered with thousands of small hairlike projections called papillae, which can trap and harbor tiny scraps of food. So even if you brush and floss regularly, small remains from your meals can hang behind, collecting bacteria and emitting hydrogen sulfide vaporsaka bad breath.

Fix it: Mouthwashes may help, but the best way to remove bacteria, dead cells, and food debris from the crevices of your tongue is with an inexpensive tongue scraper. Brushing your tongue with a soft-bristled toothbrush works well too. Gently clean as far back as you can without gagging. Also, switch to a toothpaste that contains chlorine dioxide or tea tree oil, a powerful disinfectant with a pleasant, eucalyptus-like smell.

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New Pall GeneDisc System For Rapid Microbiological Monitoring Solution In Beer Production

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PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Pall Corporation (NYSE: PLL) announced today that it has launched a quick, easy and affordable test for beer-spoilage microorganisms based on its GeneDisc Rapid Microbiology System.

GeneDisc(R) Plate for Beer-spoilage Bacteria (Photo: Business Wire)

Utilizing real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology, Palls GeneDisc test provides a fast, reliable and user-friendly detection method to identify typical bacteria that are known to spoil beer. The system yields consistently repeatable results and virtually eliminates operator error. Test results from a beer sample are available after enrichment and DNA isolation within one hour.

"For the first time, the benefits of PCR technology are available to brewers for routine, day-to-day use, said Jonathan Pratt, president, Pall Food and Beverage. The new GeneDisc system offers breweries an extremely easy-to-use and rapid test method to better ensure that products at every stage of the production process are free of spoilage organisms."

The Pall GeneDisc system features an exceptionally robust PCR platform combined with ready-to-use GeneDisc test plates. Using the GeneDisc plate for beer-spoilage bacteria, the system simultaneously screens for the presence or absence of 20 critical beer-spoilage bacteria, including the relevant species of Lactobacillus, Megasphaera, Pediococcus and Pectinatus sp. beer-spoilage groups.

With its intuitive touch-screen interface, built-in software and barcode reader, the system enables minimally trained personnel to routinely perform sophisticated biological sample testing for rapid decision-making. The flexible GeneDisc system also helps optimize work flow and offers the capability to process multiple samples simultaneously.

Learn more about the GeneDisc Rapid Microbiology System and the Beer Spoilage Plate at the World Brewing Congress, an international gathering of brewing industry professionals, July 28-31, 2012 in Portland, Oregon, booth # 855.

About Pall Food and Beverage

Pall Food and Beverage serves the food and beverage industries with advanced membrane filtration technology and systems engineered for reliability and cost-effectiveness. Innovative filters, which are easy to install and simple to use, allow a cost-effective and well-controlled process operation. Visit us on the Web at http://www.pall.com/foodandbev.asp.

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DNA tests could help free man convicted of killing wife

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DNA tests could help free man convicted of killing wife

According to the Ohio Innocence Project, DNA testing has exonerated a man convicted of killing his ex-wife.

Former Akron police Capt. Doug Prade has consistently maintained he didn't kill Margo Prade as he served a life sentence for her 1998 murder.

Investigators said the killer bit Margo PRade and left saliva on the lab coat she was wearing, but tests performed before the trial were inconclusive.

"The DNA testing at the time of trial couldn't find the perpetrator's DNA," said Carrie Wood, of the Innocence Project. "The DNA technology available today found the perpetrator's DNA and it excluded Doug Prade."

A judge ordered the test two years ago, and researchers at a Fairfield laboratory released the results Thursday.

The state stands by the jury's verdict and cites eyewitness testimony placing Prade at the scene of the crime, but attorneys with the Innocence Project say such testimony is a factor in three of every four wrongful convictions.

"Now I just have stronger views on the use of DNA evidence and how strong it is when compared to any other types of evidence that are used in trials," said second-year law student Scott Leaman, who worked on Prade's case.

The state's brief indicates Margo Prade was fearful of her ex-husband, and her friends shared her concern and urged her to arm herself.

A hearing will be held in three weeks to determine what will happen next in the case.

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DNA tests could help free man convicted of killing wife

Posted in DNA

DNA clue to why women live longer

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2 August 2012 Last updated at 12:50 ET

Scientists believe they have discovered a clue to why women tend to live longer than men - by studying fruit flies.

Writing in Current Biology, they focus on mutations in mitochondrial DNA - the power source of cells.

Mitochondria are inherited only from mothers, never from fathers, so there is no way to weed out mutations that damage a male's prospects.

But one ageing expert said there were many factors that explained the gender difference in life expectancy.

By the age of 85, there are approximately six women for every four men in the UK, and by 100 the ratio is more than two to one.

And females outlive males in many other species.

In the research, experts from Australia's Monash University and the UK's Lancaster University analysed the mitochondria of 13 different groups of male and female fruit flies.

Mitochondria, which exist in almost all animal cells, convert food into the energy that powers the body.

I certainly don't think this is a discovery that explains why women live five-to-six years longer than men

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DNA clue to why women live longer

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DNA, fingerprint experts take stand in Oliver trial

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LAKEPORT, Calif. On Thursday the jury in the trial of a Lakeport man accused of stabbing his neighbor to death heard from DNA and fingerprint experts and a criminologist about the testing of evidence found at the crime scene.

California Department of Justice criminologist Richard Waller, DNA expert Stephanie Carpenter and latent fingerprint expert Terry Hamlin testified Thursday in the murder trial of 34-year-old Ivan Garcia Oliver.

Oliver is charged with murder, burglary, elder abuse and several special allegations for the stabbing death of 67-year-old Michael Dodele on Nov. 20, 2007, at Western Hills Mobile Home Park on Lakeshore Boulevard outside of Lakeport.

The prosecution is alleging that Oliver killed Dodele after finding out he was listed as a sex offender on the Megans Law Web site. Oliver mistakenly believed Dodele had molested children, which he hadnt, although he had done prison time for raping an adult female victim.

The trial began last week. On Wednesday the jury heard an audiotape of a jailhouse interview in which Oliver allegedly admitted to killing Dodele.

Thursdays testimony included DOJ criminologist Richard Waller, who was able to match a footprint made in blood in Dodeles kitchen to one of the shoes Oliver was alleged to have been wearing.

Afternoon testimony, which totaled about an hour, included DOJ DNA expert Stephanie Carpenter, who analyzed blood spots on the pants and sweatshirt Oliver allegedly was wearing at the time of Dodeles death. She also tested blood spots on a knife, bleach bottle, a bathroom water knob and a white rug.

Dodeles blood was found on Olivers sweat shirt, with Olivers blood found on the other items, according to testimony.

Carpenter offered the jury an explanation of what DNA is and how testing is conducted.

DNA is essentially a set of instructions that tells your body how to grow and develop, she said.

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bible.JPG

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This week's online religious reads raise questions about "biblical standards for marriage" (they might surprise some readers), whether the Internet is a blessing or curse when it comes to spirituality, the growth in the global middle class and its implications for social justice.

Esther J. Hamori, an associate professor of Hebrew Bible at Union Theological Seminary in New York, argues that a careful reading of what's often called the Old Testament yields some surprises about marriages and divine attitudes toward them.

"While the traditional view is that the Bible sets standards, and cultures either follow these standards or don't, the Bible itself shows us that cultural norms and biblical positions shifted in tandem," she writes in The Huffington Post.

This does not mean that anything goes; it's simply what we see in the biblical texts themselves. It does not mean that there are no standards; there were always incest taboos, for example, but what counts as incest is culturally dictated, and our society does not embrace many biblical perspectives on this (e.g., the ideal of marrying one's first cousin). It does not mean that God is a pushover; it shows, if anything, a God who will engage people in the world in which they live.

The marriage between the Internet and spirituality looks like it's going to last, according to the Rev. Paul Raushenbush, formerly of Princeton University and now religion editor of The Huffington Post. In a lecture recounted in The Chautauquan Daily, he observed:

In 2000, 21 percent of Internet users went online to find religious or spiritual information; in 2001, the percentage jumped to 25; and by 2004, 64 percent of Internet users were utilizing the Web to discover information about religion.

According to a poll administered by Pew Research Center in 2011, 79 percent of religiously active Americans use the Internet. Ninety-three percent of online community members said the Internet helps them stay informed about social issues.

And speaking of social issues, the middle class, threatened some say in the United States, may be growing from a global standpoint.

The National Intelligence Council projects that poverty "will be virtually eliminated by 2030" and the global middle class will grow to 2 billion people, according to an Associated Press story. What are the implications?

Governance will be increasingly difficult in countries with rising incomes . . . . middle-class people have middle-class values and aspirations for greater individual empowerment and are now armed with social media and other technological tools to bring that about, including the overthrow of repressive governments," an official said.

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Russian space craft docks in record time

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An unstaffed Russian spacecraft is reported to have docked with the International Space Station after making the trip from Earth in record time.

A new approach manoeuvre allowed the Progress M16-M vessel to reach the space station, 350 kilometres above the Earth, after fewer orbits, taking six hours instead of the usual two-plus days.

The cargo ship took off on board a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan carrying 2.6 tonnes of supplies, fuel, scientific equipment and gifts for the space station's crew.

It docked successfully on Thursday after four orbits round the Earth, several reports in Russian media quoted mission control as saying.

After further testing, the new approach could be used for crewed Soyuz capsules, cutting time and expense.

'If you can get the crew to orbit in six hours and onboard the International Space Station, that could be a tremendous benefit over the two-plus days it takes today,' Dan Harman, NASA's space station manager of operations and integration, told reporters last week.

The station has crew from Russia, the US and Japan.

It is also hosting two other cargo vessels, Japan's H-II Transfer Vehicle-3 and Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle-3, or Edoardo Amaldi.

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Russian space craft docks in record time

Cargo spaceship makes superspeed trip to space station

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An unmanned Russian cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station Wednesday, less than six hours after it launched into orbit. The successful maneuver marked the first time a same-day docking has ever been accomplished at the massive orbiting outpost.

The robotic Progress 48 cargo freighter automatically parked to the Pirs docking compartment on the Russian segment of the complex slightly ahead of schedule, at 9:19 p.m. EDT (0119 GMT Aug. 2), as both spacecraft flew over the Pacific Ocean. In addition to delivering fresh supplies to the space station, the spacecraft also tested the novel same-day rendezvous and docking procedure.

According to NASA officials, the docking test proceeded smoothly and the Progress vehicle's systems responded flawlessly throughout the shortened flight to the space station.

The Progress 48 launched into orbit atop a Soyuz rocket earlier today, at 3:35 p.m. EDT (1935 GMT), from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in central Asia. Roughly six hours later, the spacecraft arrived at the orbiting outpost.

- space station flight director Chris Edelen

Russia is aiming to eventually implement this same-day docking plan for future manned flights of Soyuz space capsules to the International Space Station.

"They're looking to eventually take this into the Soyuz phase," Dan Harman, NASA's space station manager of operations and integration, said in a news briefing last week. "If you can get the crew to orbit in six hours and onboard the International Space Station, that could be a tremendous benefit over the two-plus days it takes today." [Photos: Russia's 1st Same-Day Cargo Ship Flight to Space Station]

Shortening the orbital chase

Progress and Soyuz vehicles typically spend two days chasing the space station in orbit after launch. A quicker arrival to the orbiting complex could cut down the overall amount of consumables such as food, water and fuel needed for the onboard crew.

Docking to the station within hours of launch also minimizes the amount of time the astronauts spend inside the small Soyuz capsule, which could improve the comfort of the spaceflyers, said space station flight director Chris Edelen.

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FAA: Commercial Space Flight Lifting Off

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August 1-The opportunity to travel into space may be here sooner than many people thought according to a study the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Space Florida released today. Based on a market forecast for reusable suborbital rockets, more than 10,000 commercial opportunities may be available in the next decade for a person to experience weightlessness through space travel and to see the curvature of the earth.

Suborbital Reusable Vehicles (SRVs) are rockets designed to travel into space without achieving orbit. To date, existing types of suborbital vehicles have taken hundreds of component and test flights. Already, five new designs are being developed, with initial operations planned to begin in 2013 and 2014.

The FAA is responsible for licensing, regulating and inspecting SRVs. To help the industry, the FAA and other government agencies meet future SRV market demand, the "Ten Year Forecast of Suborbital Reusable Vehicles" analyzes emerging SRV markets and identifies drivers of growth.

The study includes three scenarios of demand for the SRV market based on modest, decreased and significant growth. Looking at the most favorable "Growth Scenario," the study finds the number of available seats would increase from 1,096 seats in the first year to 1,592 seats in the 10th year. The study also indicates that over a 10-year period, SRV flights could bring in an estimated $300 million to more than $1.6 billion in economic impact.

Based on the market study, SRVs have the potential to offer more than just opportunities for space tourism. Although the leading market is expected to be commercial human space flight, the study also shows that other potential markets include: aerospace technologies testing and demonstrations; educational opportunities; basic applied research; media and entertainment; as well as, small satellite deployment. In fact, one day SRVs may also help in earth imagery and point to point transportation.

A fact sheet on the study is available at http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=13792

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Stephen Colbert offers a tip of the hat to NASA's Mars Rover (+video)

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NASA administrator and veteran astronaut John Grunsfeld appeared on the Colbert Report on Wednesday, where he discussed the planned landing of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, which is scheduled to land on the Red Planet on Sunday night.

Even TV comedian Stephen Colbert isn't immune to the excitement surrounding the historic upcoming landing of NASA's newest rover on Mars.

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The huge Mars Science Laboratory, also known as theCuriosity rover, is slated to touch down on the Red Planet on Aug. 5 at 10:31 p.m. PDT (1:31 a.m. EDT Aug. 6; 0531 GMT). The rover's thrilling descent through the Martian atmosphere is so complex that it has been nicknamed "theseven minutes of terror."

John Grunsfeld, a former veteran astronaut and NASA's associate administrator for science missions, spoke to Colbert about the Curiosity rover's landing Wednesday (Aug. 1), during an appearance on Comedy Central's hit late-night faux-conservative news show "The Colbert Report."

With the help of an animated video of Curiosity's landing, Grunsfeld detailed the steps involved in the rover's harrowing journey to the surface of Mars.

"As it enters the atmosphere, it will start slowing down," Grunsfeld explained. "It will reach about 10 Gs of acceleration."

Before setting its wheels down on the Red Planet, a supersonic parachute, followed by a rocket-powered sky crane, will help slow the rover's speed from more than 13,000 mph (21,000 kilometers per hour) to zero in only seven minutes. [Photos: Stephen Colbert Visits NASA]

"That's not science fiction that's really going to happen on Monday," Colbert said following the animation.

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Will NASA's $2.5 billion Mars rover crash on Sunday? (+video)

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NASA's Curiosity Mars rover faces a terrifying seven-minute plunge through the Red Planet's atmosphere using a first-of-its-kind landing system involving a supersonic parachute and a 'sky-crane' that will lower the rover to the Martian surface.

Day by day, hour by hour, the tension is building. NASAs mega-mission to Mars and delivery of the Curiosity rover could be a smashing success or just smashing.

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The Mars Science Laboratorys 1-ton Curiosity rover is factory-equipped with science gear to delve into whether Mars ever was or might be today an eco-friendly setting able to sustain microbial life.

A seven-minute, terrorizing plunge through the planets atmosphere awaits the spacecraft. MSLs Curiosity rover is scheduled to touch down at Gale Crater at 10:30 p.m. PDT on Aug. 5 (1:30 a.m. EDT, 0530 GMT, Aug. 6).

At that moment, NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is to attempt imaging the final seconds of the robot's death-defying high dive.

"We will indeed be imaging the spot MSL is predicted to be about 60 seconds prior to landing, but the odds of capturing it are estimated at 60 percent," said Alfred McEwen at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He is principal investigator of the orbiter's super-powerful High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE). [Mars Rover Curiosity's Daring Landing in Pictures]

"The chips are really down on this one," said Robert Zubrin, president of the Mars Society, which is dedicated to the human exploration and settlement of Mars.

"If it succeeds, it will be far and away the best Mars mission ever. It will make extraordinary scientific discoveries and fire the public's imagination with the vision of exploring another world," he told SPACE.com.

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Will NASA's $2.5 billion Mars rover crash on Sunday? (+video)