XIAM007

Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Thursday 21 July 2011

UK scientists want human-animal tests monitored - tests on animals that use human DNA should be monitored -

UK scientists want human-animal tests monitored -  tests on animals that use human DNA should be monitored - 


British scientists say a new expert body should be formed to regulate experiments mixing animal and human DNA to make sure no medical or ethical boundaries are crossed.
In a report issued on Friday, scientists at the nation's Academy of Medical Sciences said a government organization is needed to advise whether certain tests on animals that use human DNA should be pursued.
Tighter regulation isn't needed for most such experiments, said Martin Bobrow, chair of the group that wrote the report. "But there are a small number of future experiments, which could approach social and ethically sensitive areas which should have an extra layer of scrutiny," he told reporters in London.
The group analyzed evidence from academics, the U.K. government, animal welfare groups and others. An independent survey was also conducted to gather public opinion. It found people were mostly supportive as long as the work might contribute to the development of medical treatments that would be widely available.
Scientists have long been swapping animal and human DNA. Numerous tests on mice with human genes for brain, bone and heart disorders are already under way and experiments on goats implanted with a human gene are also being done to study blood-clotting problems.
Controversy erupted several years ago in Britain after scientists announced plans to make human embryos with the nucleus removed from cow and rabbit eggs. Authorities allowed limited experiments and ruled the embryos should not be allowed to develop for more than two weeks.
In the latest report, Bobrow and colleagues concluded some experiments should only be allowed under additional monitoring from the new expert body and that a very small number of experiments should not be done at all.
Among experimentation that might spark concern are those where human brain cells might change animal brains, those that could lead to the fertilization of human eggs in animals and any modifications of animals that might create attributes considered uniquely human, like facial features, skin or speech.
Some disagree. "We think some of these should be done, but they should be done in an open way to maintain public confidence," said Robin Lovell-Badge, head of stem cell biology and developmental genetics at Britain's Medical Research Council, one of the expert group members. He said experiments injecting human brain cells into the brains of rats might help develop new stroke treatments or that growing human skin on mice could further understanding of skin cancer.
Other experts said such issues needed to be debated in Parliament and that any advisory body must have a diverse membership. "The danger is you could get scientists effectively regulating scientists," said Dr. Peter Saunders, chief executive of the Christian Medical Fellowship, a group that opposes the creation of human and animal embryos. He said most experiments on animals with human DNA were OK, but that any tests that aim to enhance animals with human material are not acceptable.
Bobrow warned altering animal brains with human brain cells shouldn't be done just yet. "The closer (an animal brain) is to a human brain, the harder it is to predict what might happen," he said.
Read more - http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/ap/eu_med_animal_human_experiments

Rick Perry Accuses Obama Of Leaving Astronauts To 'Hitchhike Into Space' -

Rick Perry Accuses Obama Of Leaving Astronauts To 'Hitchhike Into Space' - 


As America bids farewell to the space shuttle era on Thursday, likely presidential candidate Rick Perry appears none too pleased with the Obama administration, accusing the president of “leaving American astronauts with no alternative but to hitchhike into space.”
In a sharply worded statement issued by the governor of Texas -- the state is home to the Johnson Space Center -- Perry charges that the Obama Administration “continues to lead federal agencies and programs astray, this time forcing NASA away from its original purpose of space exploration, and ignoring its groundbreaking past and enormous future potential.”
Thursday marked the final flight of the space shuttle as the Shuttle Atlantis landed before dawn at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Shuttles flew 135 flights over the last three decades. Americans will still live on the International Space Station, but they will have to use Russian craft and private companies for transportation to and from space.
The International Space Station is expected to remain in use until 2020.
Near the end of the statement from Perry’s office is a note that the Johnson Space Center employs 3,000 people and draws in the business of about 50 outside companies and 12,000 contract positions. “An estimated 4,000 contract positions will be lost due to the end of the shuttle program," according to the statement.
Perry, who appears to be laying the groundwork to enter the 2012 presidential race, did not mention President George W. Bush's role in the end of the space shuttle era. In 2004 at a speech at NASA headquarters, Bush laid out what the White House called his "New Vision For Space Exploration," which called for the retirement of the space shuttle. 
Back then, Bush called for the space shuttle to be taken out of service in 2010.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was asked about the job losses accompanying the end of the shuttle program at his regular press briefing on Thursday. Here's the exchange:
Q: Really quickly, back on the space shuttle program, of course, the program essentially ends today, and with it thousands of people -- NASA employees, contractors -- will be out of work.  What’s the President’s message, Jay, to those folks down on Florida, Texas and Alabama who are going to be out of work now with the space shuttle program ending and very confused as to why the shuttle program is ending without any replacement for the shuttle there to replace it?
CARNEY:  Well, as you know, the President has laid out an ambitious vision for human space flight that will take American astronauts beyond where we’ve ever been before with the ultimate goal being a human mission to Mars. The President’s vision, negotiated with bipartisan support from Congress, allows NASA to focus its resources on exploration and innovation while leveraging private sector resources to continue taking Americans to the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit, whose mission has been extended until at least 2020. 
Read more - http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/07/rick-perry-accuses-obama-of-leaving-astronauts-to-hitchhike-into-space.html

Casey Anthony gets job offers, taxpayers get legal bill - state has reimbursed her defense lawyers $119,000 in expenses -

Casey Anthony gets job offers, taxpayers get legal bill - state has reimbursed her defense lawyers $119,000 in expenses - 




The $537 balance Casey Anthony received from her jail canteen fund is hardly enough to live on, but the Florida woman seems to be managing fine since her release from custody on Sunday.
Her lawyers won't reveal where she went or who is funding her new life on the outside, but say the 25-year-old Anthony is safe and has received hundreds of job and housing offers.
Florida taxpayers will receive the bill for Anthony's high-profile prosecution, which ended on July 5 with a jury acquitting her of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee in 2008.
Taxpayers began picking up Anthony's legal expenses in March 2010 after she ran out of money and was declared indigent by the courts.
So far, the state has reimbursed her defense lawyers for $119,000 in expenses, according to the Justice Administrative Commission. Another $5,800 bill from the defense is pending, records show.
Prosecutors have not finalized their overall expenses but have identified at least $91,000 in costs, State Attorney's Office spokeswoman Danielle Tavernier said.
Still being calculated are the costs of the massive, three-year police investigation that began in July 2008 when Caylee Anthony was reported missing. Casey Anthony falsely claimed her daughter had been kidnapped by a nanny.
The toddler's skeletal remains were found in December 2008 in woods near the Anthony family's home.
Casey Anthony was convicted of misdemeanor charges of lying to detectives during the investigation and sentenced to the maximum four years in jail. But with credit for time served awaiting trial and good behavior while in jail, she spent less than two weeks more behind bars after her sentencing.
Anthony has indicated she will appeal her convictions and is requesting that the state continue to fund her defense.
An August 25 hearing is scheduled for Judge Belvin Perry to decide what portion of the trial and investigative costs Anthony should bear. After that, the question will be whether she is able to pay up.
Anthony's defense attorneys have not returned calls for comment from Reuters.
Taxpayers aren't the only ones with a stake in Anthony's financial resources. Lawyers for a woman suing Anthony for defamation filed a motion on Wednesday demanding information about any book, movie or interview deals she has been offered.
Read more - http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/21/us-crime-anthony-idUSTRE76K7GP20110721

Tiger's ex-caddy rips golfer - says he 'lost respect' for golfer during sex scandal -

Tiger's ex-caddy rips golfer - says he 'lost respect' for golfer during sex scandal - 


Tiger Woods' former caddie Steve Williams said Thursday that he lost respect for his partner of 12 years when details of the golf superstar's repeat adultery emerged.
The New Zealander, 47, made no public judgement as he stood by the 14-time major champion when he apologized for his widespread infidelities 18 months ago.
But a day after Woods made the surprise announcement that he had parted ways with Williams, the bagman admitted that he, too, saw golf's phenomenon in a dimmer light.
"Well, I think when you're great friends with somebody and a situation like this occurs, you obviously lose some kind of respect," Williams told CNN affiliate Mediaworks.


Williams was unhappy to have been dropped by Woods and felt the decision was scant reward for his loyal service.
"I've stuck by him through and through," Williams told 3 News. "Now he decides things aren't going well for him, and I'm down the road, so the timing's very disappointing."
He suggested that Woods would need to work hard to rebuild their friendship.
"First of all, the person has to gain your respect, and that's something that I feel Tiger has to work hard on," he added, while confirming he will choose his words carefully when he comes to tell his side of golf's most famous modern partnership.
"You know, when I write my book, it'll be the time I decide what I write," Williams said. "It'll just be one of those interesting chapters in the book."
Woods named no replacement during his announcement Wednesday confirming his split from Williams.
"I want to express my deepest gratitude to Stevie for all his help, but I think it's time for a change," he said in a statement on his website. "Stevie is an outstanding caddie and a friend and has been instrumental in many of my accomplishments. I wish him great success in the future."




Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/tiger_former_caddie_says_scandal_zO3GdMW2pGSGVPnafCIceK

San Francisco Bars Are Streaming Online Footage of You Getting Drunk - live footage online -

San Francisco Bars Are Streaming Online Footage of You Getting Drunk - live footage online - 



The East Bay Express had an excellent and eye-opening item this week about an iPhone app called BarSpace. 

According to Express writer Ellen Cushing:


Founded by a handful of Sonoma County entrepreneurs, the app, BarSpace, and its related Website, BarSpace.tv, employ a simple concept: Install cameras in bars and nightclubs and then streams that video live through a free iPhone app, as well as through the company's Website. The cameras are installed and paid for by BarSpace; each bar decided the hours between which they'd like to transmit a video stream.
It's ostensibly designed so users can check out the scene at a bar while still at home. Your favorite dive too crowded? Maybe there's an open table somewhere else. Still, we feel a little creeped out by the entire concept -- especially when we saw how many bars in San Francisco are already streaming live drunks.
The app developers claim the cameras are mainly placed at a high, wide angle, which means individual faces are hard to pick out. Still the idea that some creeper could be watching streaming footage -- however grainy and indistinct -- of us dancing at the Make Out Room after a beer (or seven) gives us the serious heebie-jeebies.
Read more - 
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/07/these_san_francisco_bars_are_s.php



Irish Taxpayers foot MASSIVE BILL for Obama's 1-day visit - cost the taxpayer $16.5million, much of it in overtime -

Irish Taxpayers foot MASSIVE BILL for Obama's 1-day visit -  cost the taxpayer $16.5million, much of it in overtime - 


President Barack Obama’s one day visit to his ancestral homeland of Moneygall in Ireland cost the taxpayer $16.5million – much of it in overtime.
Irish Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has revealed the full breakdown of the $36million security costs for the recent visits by Obama and the Queen.
Shatter has confirmed to the Irish parliament that travel and subsistence allowances worth close to $5million were paid to police on duty in May.
Other unspecified ‘other costs’ for police work around the visits amounted to almost $6million, according to the final figures.
The Queen’s four-day visit resulted in a security bill of $34million while $16.5million was spent on Obama’s one-day visit.
“All Garda (police) leave and rest days were cancelled for this period and members on duty were required to work longer than normal shifts,” revealed Minister Shatter.
“Movements of several thousand Garda (police) members over a number of days had to be arranged, involving the hiring of transport and the provision of accommodation.
“A range of security-related equipment also had to be purchased or hired.”
Shatter has been informed by the police authorities that expenditure to date on payroll costs including overtime was $44million: $30million for the Queen’s visit and $14 million for Obama’s trip.
Read more - http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Final-security-bill-for-Obamas-Moneygall-visit-tops-16million-125943723.html

Doesn't Taste Like 'Apple': Fake Stores Rise in China - China has reached a new piracy milestone -- fake Apple stores -

Doesn't Taste Like 'Apple': Fake Stores Rise in China - China has reached a new piracy milestone -- fake Apple stores - 




At first, it looks like a sleek Apple store. Sales assistants in blue T-shirts with the company's logo chat to customers. Signs advertising the iPad 2 hang from the white walls. Outside, the famous logo sits next to the words "Apple Store."
And that's the clue it's fake.
China, long known for producing counterfeit consumer gadgets, software and brand name clothing, has reached a new piracy milestone -- fake Apple stores.


An American who lives in Kunming in southern Yunnan province said Thursday that she and her husband stumbled on three shops masquerading as bona fide Apple stores in the city a few days ago. She took photos and posted them on her BirdAbroad blog.
The three stores are not among the authorized resellers listed on Apple Inc.'s website. The maker of the iPhone and other hit gadgets has four company stores in China -- two in Beijing and two in Shanghai -- and various official resellers. Apple's Beijing office declined to comment.
The proliferation of the fake stores underlines the slow progress that China's government is making in countering a culture of a rampant piracy and widespread production of bogus goods that is a major irritant in relations with trading partners.
China's Commerce Minister promised American executives earlier this year that the latest in a string of crackdowns on product piracy would deliver lasting results.
The 27-year-old blogger, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the set-up of the stores was so convincing that the employees themselves seemed to believe they worked for Apple.
"It looked like an Apple store. It had the classic Apple store winding staircase and weird upstairs sitting area. The employees were even wearing those blue T-shirts with the chunky Apple name tags around their necks," she wrote on her blog.
"But some things were just not right: the stairs were poorly made. The walls hadn't been painted properly. Apple never writes 'Apple Store' on its signs -- it just puts up the glowing, iconic fruit."
A worker at the fake Apple store on Zhengyi Road in Kunming, which most of the photos of the BirdAbroad blog show, told The Associated Press that they are an "Apple store" before hanging up.
The manager of an authorized reseller in Kunming, who gave only his surname, Zhang, said most customers have no idea the stores are fake.




Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/07/21/entire-apple-stores-being-faked-in-china/

Stupid thief vs owners tractor - Thief steals from a store and his "getaway" car gets pierced by the owners tractor -

Stupid thief vs owners tractor - Thief steals from a store and his "getaway" car gets pierced by the owners tractor -



Police arrive at 2:00.

Dutch tourists are filming and talking.

65 kids told to lower swimsuits after feces found in pool... -

65 kids told to lower swimsuits after feces found in pool... - 


About 65 children attending summer camp at the Robert K. Fox Family Y were told Tuesday to lower their bathing suits so counselors could visually inspect the suits after feces was found in the swimming pool.
That upset parent Ibrahim Y. Haroon, who said his 9-year-old son came home traumatized. He filed a complaint with the Lancaster police.
Now the Y is investigating what happened and reviewing its policies, Executive Director Mike Lieber said today.
Feces also was found in the pool on Monday and two other times within the last couple of weeks, he said. That could sicken the campers and the counselors in the water with them, he said.

Race intensifies to $1,000 human gene machine - a low-cost semiconductor-based gene sequencing machine -

Race intensifies to $1,000 human gene machine - a low-cost semiconductor-based gene sequencing machine -


Personal genomics, medicine tailored to patient's particular genes, may have come a step closer to the $1,000 genome.

And it is starting with Intel co-founder, Gordon Moore, the man behind the famed "Moore's Law" prediction of exponentially growing computer power.

News of a low-cost semiconductor-based gene sequencing machine comes Wednesday in the journal Nature, reported by a team led by Jonathan Rothberg of Ion Torrent by Life Technologies in Guilford, Conn.

"DNA sequencing and, more recently, massively parallel DNA sequencing has had a profound impact on research and medicine. The reductions in cost and time for generating DNA sequence have resulted in a range of new sequencing applications in cancer, human genetics, infectious diseases, and the study of personal genomes,, as well as in fields as diverse as ecology, and the study of ancient DNA,. Although de novo (new) sequencing costs have dropped substantially, there is a desire to continue to drop the cost of sequencing at an exponential rate consistent with the semiconductor industry's Moore's Law as well as to provide lower cost, faster and more portable devices. This has been operationalized by the desire to reach the $1,000 genome," begins the study.

The team reports the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) "ion chip" based sequencing machine unraveled the genomes of both bacteria and a person, identified as "G. Moore" of European ancestry, better known as Gordon Moore, the man behind "Moore's Law." (Hat tip to Nature News for noting this celebrity genome.)

Intel:  Moore's Law

"We have demonstrated the ability to produce and use a disposable integrated circuit fabricated in standard CMOS foundries to perform, for the first time, 'post-light' genome sequencing of bacterial and human genomes. With fifty billion dollars spent per year on CMOS semiconductor fabrication and packaging technologies, our goal was to leverage that investment to make a highly scalable sequencing technology. Using the G. Moore genome we demonstrated the feasibility of sequencing a human genome," says the study.

Most genome sequencers rely on expensive fluorescent dyes. Moving genome sequencing into semiconductor technology promises to speed genomics, the researchers conclude, saying, "our work suggests that readily available CMOS nodes should enable the production of one-billion sensor ion chips and low-cost routine human genome sequencing."

Read more - http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2011/07/race-to-1000-human-genome-machine-intensifies/1

U.S., Canada power grids ready for heatwave - as consumers crank up their air conditioners to escape a brutal heatwave -

U.S., Canada power grids ready for heatwave - as consumers crank up their air conditioners to escape a brutal heatwave - 


Power grid operators in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest and Ontario, Canada, said they have enough power resources to meet expected high demand on Thursday as consumers crank up their air conditioners to escape a brutal heatwave.
Power usage this week has already been higher than the grids expected for this summer and set a new demand record in the Midwest but was not expected to break records in the U.S. Northeast or Ontario set in 2006 before the economic recession, the grids said.
In the U.S. Midwest, the Midwest ISO said demand for power on Wednesday reached 103,975 megawatts, breaking the 12-state region's previous record of 103,246 MW set in July 2006.
Power companies across the region said they had enough electricity to meet the demand, but warned heavy usage could stress some power lines and generating facilities, which could leave some customers in the dark temporarily.
The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) issued excessive heat warnings and watches for cities from the Midwest to the East Coast with temperatures expected to top 100 degrees F in many places.
The mercury in New York City, the biggest metropolitan center in the United States, was expected to reach 100 degrees F, which matches the record set on this day in 1991. The humidity meanwhile will make it feel more like 108 degrees, according to weather forecaster AccuWeather.com.
Thunderstorms on Friday will break the heatwave in the Midwest, while the East Coast will have to wait until Sunday for temperatures to return to near normal levels in the upper 80s and low 90s, AccuWeather said.
Read more - 
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/21/us-utilities-northeast-midwest-heatwave-idUSTRE76K4K820110721



Physicists at Fermilab Discover New Subatomic Particle - a heavier relative of the familiar neutron -

Physicists at Fermilab Discover New Subatomic Particle - a heavier relative of the familiar neutron - 


High-speed collisions at a giant atom smasher have produced what physicists say is a new particle, a heavier relative of the familiar neutron.
The particle is called the neutral Xi-sub-b. When it's formed in the Fermilab Tevatron particle accelerator in Batavia, Ill., the neutral Xi-sub-b lasts just a mere instant before decaying into lighter particles. Scientists at Fermilab uncover these ephemeral particles by racing particles around a 4-mile (6.3 km) ring at near light speed. When the particles collide, the outpouring of energy disintegrates them into other particles.



Physics theory called the Standard Model predicted that the neutral Xi-sub-b should exist, but this is the first time researchers have seen it firsthand. The particle is a baryon, meaning it consists of three fundamental particles called quarks. Protons and neutrons, which make up the nucleus of atoms, are baryons. Protons contain two "up" quarks and one "down," while neutrons have two "down" quarks and an "up."
The newly discovered particle contains a strange quark, an up quark and a bottom quark. The bottom quark is called a heavy bottom quark, making the neutral Xi-sub-b about six times heavier than a proton or neutron. [Read Wacky Physics: The Coolest Little Particles in Nature]
Measuring the properties of tiny particles like the neutral Xi-sub-b, allows physicists to understand how quarks interact to form matter, according to Fermilab. Physics models predict that several more baryons have yet to be discovered.




Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/07/21/physicists-at-fermilab-discover-new-subatomic-particle/?test=faces

Florida made $63 million last year selling personal information - names, addresses, dates of birth... -

Florida made $63 million last year selling personal information - names, addresses, dates of birth... - 

The state of Florida made $63 million last year selling what many think is personal information.
Local 10 has learned the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is selling people's names, addresses, dates of birth, a list of the vehicles they drive, and it's legal.
"Per federal mandate, there are companies that are entitled to this information. Insurance companies, for example, are entitled to this information. Employers are entitled to this information," said Ann Howard of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
The state is currently selling this information to companies including Lexus Nexus and Shadow Soft. Those companies gather data on people and then sell that data. The companies must sign contracts with state claiming they won't harass people.
"This information cannot be sold to a company that plans to solicit business, such as companies that want you to come to their ice cream store or companies that want you to buy their vehicles," Howard said.
The state does not sell Social Security numbers or driver's license numbers, and a Florida judge said what the state is doing is legal.
No one outside the driver's license office in Lauderhill believed it.
"This is my own personal information, and I don't think it should be out there," said John Platt.
"You're kidding me," said Bebe Neice
"That's crazy. I didn't have a clue about it," said Mischka Peralto.
The state said selling the information is also a matter of public safety. There are 15.5 million registered drivers in Florida, and the state charges companies 1 cent per electronic file. If a vehicle is recalled, the state of Florida has the latest and most current information on who owns that vehicle, so the manufacturer can notify the owners of the recall.
Only judges and law enforcement officers can request their personal information not be sold.
"If a company violates the Federal Driver Privacy Protection Act, they do face federal charges and federal fines," Howard said.


Read more - http://www.local10.com/news/28600374/detail.html

Dissatisfaction and anger with the federal government are at a nearly 20-year high -

Dissatisfaction and anger with the federal government are at a nearly 20-year high - 


Dissatisfaction and anger with the federal government are at a nearly 20-year high, according to the results of a new ABC News/Washington Post poll released Wednesday.
When asked how they felt about the federal government, 80 percent of poll respondents said that they felt dissatisfied or even angry about the work the government is doing. The last time such a peak of ill will was felt was during 1992's economic slump, under President George Bush's leadership.
The public's slumping opinion of the country's political class can be actively attributed to the negotiations surrounding the debt ceiling: The dissatisfaction numbers rocketed up 11 points between this month and last.
Indeed, congressional Republicans are facing the fire of poor public opinion. The ABC News/Washington Post poll shows a 28 percent approval rating for them, with 77 percent of participants saying the Republican leadership is unwilling to negotiate, further slowing debt talks.
CBS poll released earlier this week is even darker for the Republicans — they garnered only a 21 percent approval rating in that poll.
President Barack Obama and the Federal Reserve have declared a rapidly approaching August 2 deadline for a solution to the nation's debt.
Read more - 
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/07/20/anger-at-government-highest-in-19-years-poll/