2011 Conrad Spirit of Innovation Awards

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Conrad Foundation Spirit of Innovation People's Choice Awards - Everyone Has a Chance to Vote

"We need your vote! The annual Spirit of Innovation Awards is kicking off a two-week People's Choice competition (http://www.conradawards.org/competition) that challenges high school students to solve real-world problems by creating commercially viable science and technology based products. 27 teams of high school students have created unique inventions in the categories of aerospace exploration, clean energy, and cyber security. From Space Sleeping Pods to Solar Wind Power Generators to Parabolic Stoves and mobile apps that signal for help during times of duress, the 2011 Spirit of Innovation Awards high school student competitors have risen to the challenge and need your vote."

More Shuttle Layoffs Ahead

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NASA Space Shuttle Contractor Announces Layoffs for 2,800 Workers, Space.com

"The NASA contractor responsible for most of the work of maintaining the space shuttles announced Friday (April 15) that it will have to lay off almost 50 percent of its employees - up to 2,800 workers - after the shuttle program shuts down this year."

Shuttle prime contractor details major layoffs, SpaceflightNow

"Through earlier layoffs and attrition, USA's workforce in Florida, Texas and Alabama has dropped from around 10,500 in October 2009 to a current level of around 5,600. In late July or early August, the company will implement another major workforce reduction, affecting between 2,600 and 2,800 employees across the company. Of that total, 1,850 to 1,950 job losses are expected in Florida, 750 to 800 in Texas and 30 to 40 in Alabama."

USA Announces End-of-Program Workforce Reduction, USA

"USA currently employs approximately 5,600 employees at its Florida, Texas and Alabama sites. The reduction in force will affect multiple disciplines and multiple organizations across the company. The reduction is expected to impact between 2600-2800 company-wide, including 1850-1950 employees in Florida, 750-800 employees in Texas, and 30-40 in Alabama."

Houston and New York Fight Over Shuttle

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Texas lawmakers introduce bill to bring space shuttle to Houston, CNN

"Two Texas lawmakers, upset that Houston was not picked as one of the retirement homes for NASA's space shuttles, introduced legislation [H.R. 1590] Friday that would bring the Discovery shuttle to the city for 15 years."

No retired shuttle for Houston? Not without a fight, Florida Today

"U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said he heard an outcry -- "Earth to NASA" -- from congressional colleagues who thought the home of Mission Control and the Astronaut Corps was snubbed in its failed bid to land an orbiter. So Chaffetz introduced a bill [H.R. 1536] that seeks "to restore common sense and fairness to the space shuttle retirement home debate.""

Houston says NY shouldn't get shuttle; NY says it isn't, Seattle Post Intelligencer

"When the United States won the race to the moon in 1969, the first word on the moon was, 'Houston,' not 'New York City,'" [Rep.] Poe ranted on the House floor after Tuesday's NASA announcement, referring to the fact that mission control is in Houston, which is also where astronauts train."

New York deserves better than fake Enterprise shuttle prototype while L.A., VA get the real thing, NY Daily News

"The Enterprise didn't have an engine and never went on a space mission. After all those months of press conferences, photo ops and lobbying, the best Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand could get us was a prototype. What's worse is that L.A. is getting a real one: The Endeavour. Where are they gonna put it, Disneyland? And someplace called Chantilly, Va., gets the Discovery."

War Of Words Erupts Between NYC And Houston Over Shuttle Enterprise, CBS

"But to use another Texas phase, "that dog won't hunt," Poe's efforts to derail the shuttle wont work according to New York Sen. Schumer. "I would say to Congressman Poe what we say in Brooklyn, 'fuhgettaboutit,'" Schumer told Kramer."

Schizophrenia in a Dish? Skin Cells Reprogrammed as Neurons Model the Disease | 80beats

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What’s the Context:
What’s the News: Researchers have grown neurons from the cells of people with schizophrenia, in a study published online yesterday in Nature, the first time a complex mental illness has been modeled with living cells in a lab. This approach provides a new way to probe the little-understood biological processes underlying the disease and to test potential drug treatments. In preliminary experiments, the researchers found that the neurons weren’t as interconnected as healthy neurons are, and that individual patients’ neurons differ in their reaction to various drugs used to treat schizophrenia.

How the Heck:

The researchers took small samples of skin cells from four patients with schizophrenia, and programmed the cells to become induced pluripotent stem cells, a process that turns tissue-specific adult cells into undifferentiated stem cells. By treating those stem cells a certain way and putting them in a particular medium, the researchers nudged the stem cells to turn into neurons.
By infecting the cells with ...


Trump on Hannity: Discusses Obama’s missing Birth Certificate

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Highlights:

"A certificate of live birth is a big, big step down, from a birth certificate..."

"Why did he spend millions of dollars to try to stay away from this issue?"

"Look, he's got a grandmother in Kenya who says he was born in Kenya at the hospital. Then there was bedlam in the room, bedlam. I don't mean like a little. I mean cause he was close to becomming president, and there were a lot of people in that room. And she was talking to a reporter with a lot of handlers. So, they have the grandmother, she is Kenyan. Then all of a sudden 51 seconds later he asked the question again and you hear people saying No, no Hawaii, Hawaii. Okay, gimmee a break."

"It's one of two things. Either he wasn't born in the country, or there's something on the certificate he doesn't want people to know... Maybe it says he's Muslim."

Tariffs: Burden or Benefit?

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Some magnesium fabricators are roiling at tariffs to prevent dumping of the material on the U.S. market. Others say the impact is minimal if you use "more intelligent" processes that consume less raw material. Which is it (and why)?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Metals & Alloys, a ne

Gravity-defying Fiat 500 does a complete vertical loop [Video]

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Is there a better way to advertise your increasingly expensive product while promoting the 2011 Autorai show than having British stuntman Steve Truglia do a complete 360 degree loop in a Fiat 500? Shell couldn't think of one, which explains the video you see here. Even though the only English to be found in this video comes from the British stuntman, weird car stunts clearly transcend language barriers. More »


Cybersecurity Pros Hard to Find

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Cybersecurity is one area that didn't make the list for potential government budget cuts — because it's high priority. In fact, the U.S. government can't find enough security pros with government security clearances because most work in the private sector. The issue of not enough qualified per

Is Nuclear Power Getting an Unfair Black Eye?

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Decades after the Chernobyl disaster, nuclear power seemed to be on the verge of finally shedding its negative public image and being embraced as a cleaner energy alternative to fossil-based energy. Then the Japanese earthquake and tsunami happened, and experts are predicting a shift away from nucle

Cyathostemma micranthum (A.DC.) J. Sincl.(Norn Maeo)

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Medicinal Plants in Thailand.

Cyathostemma micranthum (A. DC.) J. Sincl

ANNONACEAE

Thai name: Norn Maeo

Climber; young branches rusty-brown-tomentose. Leaf simple, alternate, oblong-lanceo­late, 2-3.5 cm wide, 6-14 cm long. Inflorescence in terminal or axillary, 2-5-flowered cyme; corolla greenish-yellow, tomentose. Fruit aggregate, globose, turned yellow when ripe.

Roof: grind with small amount of water and topically apply for insect bites.

By: Medicinal Plants in Thailand
Volume 2

AyurGold for Healthy Blood

Video: Lower a Mustang and Install LEDs

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In this episode, Chris Duke from Motorz TV shows you how to lower a Ford Mustang GT with coilovers, and how to install LED lights on both a Toyota Tundra and a Chevy 1500. Although Chris has lowered a Mustang on the show before, this episode features an Eibach kit for an adjustable ride height,

The most Anti-Freedom Legislator in America?

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Socialist, Nanny-Stater, Islamist and a Black Panther Party aligned, Rapper Thug

Meet Rep. Jamilah Nasheed, a Democrat from St. Louis. She's been in the news of late for a verbal brawl with another legislator, ironically, a fellow Democrat at a rap concert.

From KPLR11, St. Louis, April 11:

"She clearly threatened me," said Nasheed, who represents part of St. Louis city. "She threatened me, she said 'If I had a knife I would cut your throat, your f-ing throat.' That's what she said to me."

But Chapelle-Nadal denies it, saying that Nasheed came into the corporate suit where the senator and some friends were watching a concert by hip-hip star Lil' Wayne at Scottrade Center.

"I tried to ignore her," said [Sen.] Chapelle-Nadal, whose senate district covers a part of St. Louis County. "She had said I was mentally unfit, so I turned around and said listen, if I was as mentally unfit as you say I am, then I would have done something as criminal as you did when you stabbed someone."

Nasheed has often spoken about how she was a gang member in high school, and once went to jail for stabbing someone in a fight.

Former state representative Jim Avery, a friend of both women, was in the suite at the time, and supports Chapelle-Nadal's version of events. "Jamilah came into the suite where we were from an adjoining suite to confront Maria..."

At issue is a dispute over local control over the city police department.

But on a whole range of issues she is what you might call a libertarian Republican's worst nightmare.

Nasheed was the keynote speaker last Saturday at a Pro-Sharia Law rally for Muslims at the State Capitol in Jefferson City.

From ColumbiaMissourian.com "Eastern Missouri ACLU hosts first Muslim Day at Capitol" April 15:

Rep. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis City, spoke at a press conference for Muslim Day. She greeted the crowd in Arabic and went on to encourage them all to be active as Muslims in state government.

"[Islam] is about peace and harmony," Nasheed said. "Exercise your right at the polling places in November of 2012 because we can no longer allow for individuals to attack Islam in the way Islam has been attacked at the state Capitol."

The rally was organized to protest a Bill by two Republican State Reps. to block the institution of Sharia Law in Missouri courts.

She is a staunch supporter of Public Workers Unions, Teachers Unions, and compulsory education. (Insider Politics TheSource). She has also been a solid "Yes" vote on socialized health care, minimum wage increase, and increases funding for social services (Project Vote Smart).

On civil liberties issues she has proved just as bad. Rep. Nasheed is the prime sponsor of legislative efforts to hike taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products statewide in Missouri.

Watch a video or YouTube video of Rep. Nasheed advocating higher taxes on cigarettes.

Photos of Nasheed at a rally with the Black Panther Party and with 2008 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (MO Political News svc.)

Utah YR Chair expresses high hopes for Rand movie

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"too much government" doing too many things

From ABC4.com Salt Lake City, "Cautionary tale hits the big screen" April 16:

Chair of the Utah Young Republicans Daniel Burton says, “We've heard it's low budget but we still hope the principals that Ayn Rand talked about in her book are well displayed in the movie.”

Principals held strong by Utah’s Republican party; that a society where the individual is not free to create is doomed; that civilization cannot exist where there is too much government control. Burton says, “It's a cautionary tale. It's a metaphor for what can happen when too much government gets involved in doing too much for everybody.”

Editor's note - The Utah YRs website is headlining the premiere of Atlas Shrugged in SLC with a special exclusive showing for Young Republicans tonight, Mega-Plex Jordan Commons in Sandy , Theater #8, at 7:30 PM on Saturday, april 16.

Angry slippers are angry | Bad Astronomy

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It’s Caturday, and I have decided to expand my definition once again to include not just animals but also things that aren’t alive that look like things that are alive.

So I present to you angry slippers yelling at you:

What are they yelling about?

"C’mon, man, wash your feet first!"
"Keep us off the cold tile floor you jerk!"
"Store us next to those yakkity flip-flops again and we’ll make sure the cat leaves you a ‘present’ before you stick your feet in us next time!"
"We’re a pair of slippers, not a pareidolia of slippers!"
"Wear socks with us again and we swear we’re calling Stacey London!"

These slippers were a gift from my mother-in-law to The Little Astronomer, which just goes to show you the world’s a pretty funny place if you keep your eyes open and sense of humor primed.

Related posts:

- Xtolocaturday
- Caturday nights all right for fighting
- A foxy Caturday
- Languid Caturday


Atlas Shrugged highly inspirational for "parts of the Republican Party"

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An Ayn Randian wing of the GOP

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer Cleveland.com "‘Atlas Shrugged’ Movie Is a Dream Come True for Sarah Palin" April 16:

The movie comes amid strong support nationally for many of its themes today – the dangers of an invasive government and the rights of the individual – that are at the core of movements like the Tea Party and parts of the Republican Party.

Long influential in the Libertarian Party and part of the Republican Party, sales of “Atlas Shrugged” have surged in recent years. According to the Ayn Rand Institute, the novel sold 500,000 copies in 2009 – well over the previous high of 200,000 in a single year – and more than 1 million have been sold since that year.