Fat Cyclist ? Blog Archive ? Buy My Book, Fight Cancer, Win a ...

11.3.2011 | 9:53 am

201111030640.jpgMaybe it?s time I admit I have a problem.

I have this plan, see? And it?s a good plan: take my best work from the first two years of this blog, then add a bunch of fun new stuff to it: absurd footnotes, details about the inspiration for each of the posts, new organization, and a hilarious set of forewords from the core team. Get an awesome designer to lay it out and create a cover for me, get a terrific editor to edit it for me, and I?ve got a book. (Click here to learn more about Comedian Mastermind.)

Then I start pre-orders for that book, with the plan to use the proceeds to finance my dream: research and write The Cancer Caretaker?s Companion, a book project that?s going to require my full-time attention for several months.

Even more importantly, this book will be my foot in the door when I try to get a mainstream publisher to take note of The Cancer Caretaker?s Companion. ?Look,? I?ll say, impressively, as I produce spreadsheets and bar charts and pie graphs. ?Using nothing but my own bare hands? (and here I?ll show my bare hands to emphasize the point) ?I wrote and published a book that sold pretty darned well. And that was just a comedy book, to be read for entertainment.?

?Imagine,? I?ll conclude, in a hushed, dramatic voice, ?how many books I?d sell if my book were in actual bookstores and were marketed by people who market things for a living.?

In my imagination, at this point, the publisher swoons and my agent stands up, applauding wildly ? while simultaneously wiping a tear from his eye.

So far, so good, right? But that?s where things go wrong for me.

?Why just sell a book?? I say to myself. ?Everyone sells books, every day. People who come to my blog aren?t going to expect something that ordinary.?

?Why not,? I reason to myself, ?make things a little more interesting? As in, give people a little nudge toward buying my book, just in case they?re on the fence? Add a little incentive, as it were.?

By the way, I say this to myself in a calculating, wily voice. The voice Otto from A Fish Called Wanda might use. Except more sincere, and less likely to torture you.

Buy My Book, Win a Dream Bike

Once I finished talking to myself (try to think of this habit as a charming idiosyncrasy, rather than as a sign of mental illness, thanks), I made a couple of calls.

First, I called my friend Chuck Ibis, shown here looking as startled as I am bewildered:

IMG_3569.JPG

?Chuck,? I said, ?I?d really love to give away a sexy, high-end bike to a random person who buys my book.?

?The Ibis Silk SL is sexy,? Chuck replied.

And you know what? Chuck?s right. Check it out:

201111030843.jpg

The winner of the bike will get to choose either Siberian White, or Matt Matte. Let?s take a look at some of the frame details, because Ibis has stepped up its graphics game in a huge way lately. Here?s Siberian White:

201111030848.jpg

And here?s Matt Matte:

201111030849.jpg

201111030905.jpgBut don?t look at the components on that Matt Matte bike up there, because they?re all wrong. The winner of this bike is gonna get something quite a bit sweeter, because the next call I made was to Dustin Brady.

You know, the marketing guy at Shimano who inspired everyone with his incredible determination to fulfill a promise.

?Dustin,? I said, ?Chuck?s helping me out with a super-sweet Ibis frame. I?d like to turn this awesome bike into a full-on dream bike.

?That sounds like a problem a nice Shimano Dura-Ace build will solve,? Dustin replied.

?Wwwwhaaa?? I replied, because I was just getting ready to start my spiel on what I wanted to do and what I wanted him to give me (I was going to ask for an Ultegra build).

?Yeah,? said Dustin. ?If it?s a dream bike, it?s gotta have Dura-Ace. Components and wheels.?

I admit, I had to sit down. Then I asked, ?Full-on Dura-Ace? Shimano?s top-of-the line road components, top to bottom?

201111030919.jpg

?Yeah,? said Dustin. ?Let?s go with the C35 clinchers for this bike?s wheels, OK??

201111030921.jpg

?OK,? I said. ?If you say so.?

How it Works

So, this is really pretty simple. If you?d like a chance at winning an Ibis Silk SL with Shimano Dura-Ace components and wheels, buy a book (or more than one) during the pre-order period, which ends a week from today (the order form?s a little further down this post).

For every buck you spend (rounded up and including money you spend on shipping) on buying my book, you get a row on my magical spreadsheet. So if you buy one book at the ?I Need a Serious Bargain? price of $9.95 + $3.00 shipping, you get thirteen rows on my spreadsheet. If you buy a book at the ?I Like Fatty? price of $19.95 + $3.00 shipping, you get 23 rows on my spreadsheet.

And if you buy 719 copies at the ?I REALLY Love Fatty? price of $39.95, you get 28,728 rows on my spreadsheet.

And of course, even if you don?t win the bike, you still bought the book, which will arrive in time for Christmas (in fact, it should arrive in time for you to ship it elsewhere and still have it arrive by Christmas). But wrapping is up to you.

I?ll choose the winner randomly November 10 at midnight, Mountain Time, and will notify her or him by email.

But What If You Already Bought a Book?

Of course, if you already bought a book before I ever even announced this contest, your past purchase counts toward the contest too.

Cuz if it didn?t, that would totally suck.

How to Order

As always, I?m letting you select how much you want to pay for this book (though I?ve changed the name of one of the options). You can get more details about that here.

I have added a new price option, called ?I Need a Bargain,? for $11.95, so that ? with shipping ? your total outlay for the book is under $15.00.

This option?s essentially like the ?I Need a SERIOUS Bargain? option, except I was worried that people weren?t choosing the $9.95 option because they didn?t like the idea of me not getting a cut. With the $11.95 option, you can rest easy, knowing that you?ve got a great deal while still contributing a couple of bucks toward my Cancer Caretaker?s Companion project.

So, choose your option below, click Add to Cart, and then complete the sale at Paypal.

Thanks tons. I hope you enjoy this book. . .and I hope you win the bike, too.

No purchase Necessary: To be entered into the drawing for the Ibis Silk SL without purchasing a book, handwrite your name, address and phone number on a 3?5 card, write ?Ibis Silk SL / Shimano Dura-Ace Giveaway? on the reverse side, enclose the card in a hand-addressed envelope and mail it to Elden ?Fatty? Nelson, Ibis Silk SL / Shimano Dura-Ace Giveaway, 407 Quincy Ct., Alpine, UT 84004. One card per mailed envelope.

-->

Source: http://www.fatcyclist.com/2011/11/03/buy-my-book-fight-cancer-win-a-dream-bike/

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Motorola Facebook phone resurfaces as Motokey Social, destined for Telus? (Update: official product page found)

If you thought we'd forgotten all about Motorola's little Facebook Phone that could, you'd be incorrect. Only known previously as the EX225, it appears the portrait QWERTY may have a final destination and name. According to YS Tech, the device seems set for a collision course with Telus as the Motokey Social, a prepaid feature phone that offers basic access to Gmail, Facebook and Twitter. The leaked specs are right on the money with what we've heard already: 2.4-inch touchscreen, 3MP camera and a proprietary platform (read: not Android), which means this could be an inexpensive option to appease the kiddies during the holidays. No official announcement has been made yet, so we don't have any idea of pricing or availability. Time will tell, as always.

Update: It turns out that Motorola does, in fact, have an official product page up for the Motokey Social. We've added the link to our sources below, so feel free to peruse the specs if you're so inclined. [Thanks, Faaris]

Motorola Facebook phone resurfaces as Motokey Social, destined for Telus? (Update: official product page found) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceYS Tech, Motorola  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/pZyxw2YjwPA/

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1st-degree murder conviction in yoga shop killing

Phyllis Murray leans her head against her husband's shoulder as he speaks to the media after Brittany Norwood was convicted of first degree murder in the bludgeoning death of their daughter, Jayna Murray, in March inside the Lululemon Athletica shop in Bethesda, at Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Phyllis Murray leans her head against her husband's shoulder as he speaks to the media after Brittany Norwood was convicted of first degree murder in the bludgeoning death of their daughter, Jayna Murray, in March inside the Lululemon Athletica shop in Bethesda, at Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Defense Attorney Douglas Wood speaks to the media after his client Brittany Norwood was convicted of first degree murder in the bludgeoning death of Jayna Murray in March inside the Lululemon Athletica shop in Bethesda, at Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Montgomery County States Attorney John McCarthy speaks to the media after Brittany Norwood was convicted of first degree murder in the bludgeoning death of Jayna Murray in March inside the Lululemon Athletica shop in Bethesda, at Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Margaret Wheeler with Lululemon, left, hugs Phyllis Murray, mother of Jayna Murray, after Brittany Norwood was convicted of murder in the first degree in the bludgeoning death of Jayna Murray in March inside the Lululemon Athletica shop in Bethesda, Md., at Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Phyllis Murray, left, and David Murray, speak to the media after Brittany Norwood was convicted of first degree murder in the bludgeoning death of their daughter, Jayna Murray, in March inside the Lululemon Athletica shop in Bethesda, at Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

(AP) ? A woman who killed her co-worker in an upscale suburban Washington yoga clothing shop was convicted of first-degree murder Wednesday and faces the prospect of life in prison.

The Montgomery County jury deliberated for a little more than an hour before returning the verdict against 29-year-old Brittany Norwood, who showed no expression as the decision was read.

There was no dispute in the weeklong trial that Norwood had killed 30-year-old Jayna Murray inside the Lululemon Athletica shop in affluent Bethesda on the night of March 11. The only question for jurors was whether the killing was premeditated and an act of first-degree murder.

Prosecutors portrayed Norwood as a calculating and ruthless murderer who lured Murray back to the store after closing and attacked her with about a half dozen instruments ? including a hammer, knife and wrench ? then doctored the crime scene and concocted an elaborate fable that pinned the blame on two masked men.

Her lawyers said Norwood, a former college soccer player who had only recently started working at the store, had simply snapped during a heated argument and spun a series of "delusional" lies as a result.

The distinction was crucial because a second-degree murder conviction would have carried a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, far shorter than the punishment of life without parole now being sought by prosecutors.

In the end, the jury appeared swayed by the prosecution's description of Norwood as a cunning criminal. Juror Donny Knepper said he was struck by the sheer number of wounds Murray suffered; a medical examiner counted at least 331 separate injuries, including a fatal knife wound to the brain.

"How could that be anything but premeditation?" said the 36-year-old Knepper.

A judge's ruling prevented both sides from discussing the reason for the fight, but prosecutors have said Murray caught Norwood with stolen merchandise from the store and that Norwood stood to lose her job if the theft was reported.

The crime attracted immediate attention because it occurred in a bustling, high-end commercial thoroughfare.

Based on Norwood's account that she and Murray had been attacked by robbers, police spent time hunting down leads and residents and shoppers in a county where murders are relatively rare were rattled by the thought that two dangerous men were on the loose. Those fears proved misplaced.

Norwood, who was interviewed multiple times over the next week at the hospital, her home and at the police station, emerged as the sole suspect as her story unraveled. She was arrested seven days after the killing.

"The case that we tried and the person we tried was not the case we got involved in initially," Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy, who prosecuted Norwood, said after the verdict.

Murray's family choked back tears as the verdict was read and a "yes" sounded from their side of the courtroom. Norwood's family sat impassively and declined to comment afterward.

"More than anything, I know the trauma our family has gone through," said Murray's mother, Phyllis. "I want no other family to go through this."

Norwood's attorney Doug Wood said he was disappointed at the speed of the verdict and said he expects to appeal. Sentencing is set for Jan. 27.

"I think that we were surprised that this happened so (fast). I thought we had established a pretty good case for second-degree murder."

Jurors heard from detectives who interviewed Norwood and initially believed her story; from Apple employees who testified that they heard two women loudly arguing next door; from a nurse who examined Norwood at the hospital; and from a constellation of forensics experts whose testimony linked Norwood to the slaying.

McCarthy told jurors during closing arguments that there was abundant evidence of premeditation, from the number of wounds and weapons to the elaborate cover-up. After the two women had closed the store for the night, Norwood called Murray and asked her to return, saying she had left her wallet inside and needed help getting back in.

He said however long the attack lasted, there was enough time for Murray to plead for mercy ? she cried out for help and beseeched Norwood to "talk to me," according to testimony ? and for Norwood to grab at least five different weapons inside the store to use against her victim. A medical examiner testified Wednesday that Murray was alive for the duration of the attack.

"This crime took an enormous amount of time, and there were dozens of opportunities ? multiple times ? when she could have stopped this," McCarthy said.

In the 10 hours after the attack, prosecutors say, Norwood used a size-14 shoe to track blood around the store. She cut herself, even making a slit in her the crotch of her pants to support the allegation that she was raped with a coat hanger, and bound her hands above her head.

When police arrived the next morning, a dazed Norwood told police her concocted story. Detectives testified that they initially believed Norwood and treated her as a victim.

Wood, her lawyer, said it was ridiculous to think the killing was premeditated because her narrative was so inconsistent and riddled with holes. If she were so methodical, he said, she would have left the store after the killing instead of sticking around to stage the scene. And he said it defied reason for her to claim she had been raped when she had to have known that an examination would swiftly debunk that accusation.

"Is that the story of someone who is cunning?" Wood asked incredulously. "That's the story of someone who is the exact opposite of cunning. That's the story of someone who is delusional, lost."

.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-02-Yoga%20Shop%20Killing/id-d4cb4dd07c15467fa302ba9545ccc0db

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iControlPad Ships At Last

The long-awaited iControlPad adds a proper hardware controller to any smartphone, no hacking required. And ironically, it might just prove to be a great reason to jailbreak your device. The iControlPad was conceived way back in 2008, and back then used the iPhone’s dock connector. It later switched to Bluetooth to avoid Apple’s approval process, and [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/rqxZxFKZomg/

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Senators: US losing sway in Africa as China rises (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Senators voiced concern Tuesday that the United States has lost influence with African governments as China has emerged as the continent's main trading partner and a major source of investment for infrastructure development.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations African affairs subcommittee, said the U.S. goal of promoting open societies in Africa was being challenged by China offering no-strings-attached investment for repressive regimes.

Coons said about 70 percent of Chinese assistance to Africa comes in the form of roads, stadiums and government buildings, often built with Chinese material and labor, while 70 percent of U.S. government spending there goes toward crucial but less visible support for people, particularly to fight AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases.

"We may be winning the war on disease, while losing the battle for hearts and minds in Africa," Coons told a subcommittee hearing on China's role in Africa and its implications for U.S. policy.

Coons' comments echo a common theme among U.S. policymakers, that China's rise as an economic and political power challenges America's global predominance.

Lawmakers criticized China's state-backed support for governments with poor human rights records.

"China is interested in their own goals and has very little concern about the governance of the countries that they deal with," Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md.

But experts told the panel that by supplying loans for infrastructure development, often in return for exports of commodities China needs for its own economic growth, the Asian power was responding to what African governments want, and filling a need unmet by Western nations.

David Shinn, adjunct professor at George Washington University and former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, gave the example of Angola, which had unsuccessfully sought Western investment after its civil war, and instead turned to China, which helped develop infrastructure in return for the promise of oil exports.

Deborah Brautigam, a professor at American University, said Chinese investment was often perceived to have a negative impact on human rights and democracy, principally because of Beijing's support of Zimbabwe and Sudan. But she said there was no evidence that political rights and freedom had declined in general across the continent.

Shinn, however, believed Chinese investment had to some degree undermined Western goals of promoting democracy, good governance and human rights. He said there also was evidence of Chinese companies importing technology to enable certain governments, such as Zimbabwe and Ethiopia, to restrict the flow of information on the Internet.

He said China passed the United States as Africa's most important trade partner in 2009. In 2010, China-Africa trade totaled $127 billion, compared with U.S.-Africa trade of $113 billion. China also possibly is investing more in Africa than any other single country, he said.

Stephen Hayes, president of the Corporate Council on Africa, a group representing U.S. businesses in Africa, told the hearing that U.S. embassies should do more to advance American commercial interests. He also wanted the U.S. aid program to promote U.S. businesses as a partner in African development.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111102/ap_on_go_co/us_us_africa_china

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Mysterious absorption lines could illuminate 90-year puzzle

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 2-Nov-2011
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Contact: Susan Gawlowicz
smguns@rit.edu
585-475-5061
Rochester Institute of Technology

RIT professor co-authors Nature article and Gemini Observatory's 1,000th paper

The discovery of 13 diffuse interstellar bands with the longest wavelengths to date could someday solve a 90-year-old mystery.

Astronomers have identified the new bands using data collected by the Gemini North telescope of stars in the center of the Milky Way.

Nature reports on its website today findings that support recent ideas about the presence of large, possibly carbon-based organic molecules"carriers"hidden in interstellar dust clouds. The paper will also appear in the Nov. 10 print issue of the journal.

"These diffuse interstellar bandsor DIBshave never been seen before," says Donald Figer, director of the Center for Detectors at Rochester Institute of Technology and a co-author of the study. "Spectra of stars have absorption lines because gas and dust along the line of sight to the stars absorb some of the light."

"The most recent ideas are that diffuse interstellar bands are relatively simple carbon bearing molecules, similar to amino acids," he continues. "Maybe these are amino acid chains in space, which supports the theory that the seeds of life originated in space and rained down on planets."

"Observations in different Galactic sight lines indicate that the material responsible for these DIBs 'survives' under different physical conditions of temperature and density," adds Paco Najarro, scientist in the Department of Astrophysics in the Center of Astrobiology in Madrid.

The low-energy absorption lines Figer and his colleagues discovered provide constraints for determining the nature of diffuse interstellar bands. Future theoretical models that predict wavelengths absorbed by these mysterious particles now must accommodate these lower energies, Figer notes.

"We saw the same absorption lines in the spectra of every star," Figer says. "If we look at the exact wavelength of the features, we can figure out the kind of gas and dust between us and the stars that is absorbing the light."

Diffuse interstellar bands have remained a puzzle since their initial discovery 90 years ago. The 500 bands identified before this study mostly occur at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The observed lines do not match predicted lines of simple molecules and cannot be pinned to a single carrier.

"None of the diffuse interstellar bands has been convincingly identified with a specific element or molecule, and indeed their identification, individually and collectively, is one of the greatest challenges in astronomical spectroscopy," says lead author Thomas Geballe, from the Gemini Observatory. "Recent studies have suggested that DIB carriers are large carbon-containing molecules."

The newly discovered infrared bands can be used as probes of the diffuse interstellar medium, especially in regions in which thick dust and gas obscure observations in the optical and shorter wavelength bands.

Studying the stronger emissions in the group may lead to an understanding of their molecular origin. Some day laboratory spectroscopy could be used to identify the infrared diffuse interstellar bands. No one has been successful yet at reproducing the interstellar bands in laboratory, Figer notes, due to the multitude of possibilities and the difficulty of reproducing the temperatures and pressures the gas would experience in space.

In addition to Geballe, Najarro and Figer, co-authors of the paper included Najarro's student Diego de la Fuente and former Gemini science intern Barrett Schlegelmilch.

###

About the Center for Detectors: Imaging detectors reaching the edge of outer space and deep into the inner space of the human body inspire scientists and engineers in the Center for Detectors at Rochester Institute of Technology's College of Science. Research at the center extends the possibilities of photon sensors in fields as diverse as astrophysics, biophotonics and defense.

About RIT: Rochester Institute of Technology is internationally recognized for academic leadership in computing, engineering, imaging technology, sustainability, and fine and applied arts, in addition to unparalleled support services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. RIT enrolls 17,500 full- and part-time students in more than 200 career-oriented and professional programs, and its cooperative education program is one of the oldest and largest in the nation.

For two decades, U.S. News & World Report has ranked RIT among the nation's leading comprehensive universities. RIT is featured in The Princeton Review's 2012 edition of The Best 376 Colleges as well as its Guide to 311 Green Colleges. The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2012 includes RIT among more than 300 of the country's most interesting colleges and universities.

About the Gemini Observatory: The Gemini Observatory is an international collaboration with two identical 8-meter telescopes. The Frederick C. Gillett Gemini Telescope is located on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, (Gemini North) and the other telescope on Cerro Pachn in central Chile (Gemini South); together the twin telescopes provide full coverage over both hemispheres of the sky. The telescopes incorporate technologies that allow large, relatively thin mirrors, under active control, to collect and focus both visible and infrared radiation from space.

The Gemini Observatory provides the astronomical communities in seven partner countries with state-of-the-art astronomical facilities that allocate observing time in proportion to each country's contribution. In addition to financial support, each country also contributes significant scientific and technical resources. The national research agencies that form the Gemini partnership include: the U.S. National Science Foundation, the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council, the Canadian National Research Council, the Chilean Comisin Nacional de Investigacin Cientifica y Tecnolgica, the Australian Research Council, the Argentinean Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientficas y Tcnicas and the Brazilian Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfico e Tecnolgico. The observatory is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Inc. under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation, which also serves as the executive agency for the international partnership. For more, go to www.gemini.edu.


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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 2-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Susan Gawlowicz
smguns@rit.edu
585-475-5061
Rochester Institute of Technology

RIT professor co-authors Nature article and Gemini Observatory's 1,000th paper

The discovery of 13 diffuse interstellar bands with the longest wavelengths to date could someday solve a 90-year-old mystery.

Astronomers have identified the new bands using data collected by the Gemini North telescope of stars in the center of the Milky Way.

Nature reports on its website today findings that support recent ideas about the presence of large, possibly carbon-based organic molecules"carriers"hidden in interstellar dust clouds. The paper will also appear in the Nov. 10 print issue of the journal.

"These diffuse interstellar bandsor DIBshave never been seen before," says Donald Figer, director of the Center for Detectors at Rochester Institute of Technology and a co-author of the study. "Spectra of stars have absorption lines because gas and dust along the line of sight to the stars absorb some of the light."

"The most recent ideas are that diffuse interstellar bands are relatively simple carbon bearing molecules, similar to amino acids," he continues. "Maybe these are amino acid chains in space, which supports the theory that the seeds of life originated in space and rained down on planets."

"Observations in different Galactic sight lines indicate that the material responsible for these DIBs 'survives' under different physical conditions of temperature and density," adds Paco Najarro, scientist in the Department of Astrophysics in the Center of Astrobiology in Madrid.

The low-energy absorption lines Figer and his colleagues discovered provide constraints for determining the nature of diffuse interstellar bands. Future theoretical models that predict wavelengths absorbed by these mysterious particles now must accommodate these lower energies, Figer notes.

"We saw the same absorption lines in the spectra of every star," Figer says. "If we look at the exact wavelength of the features, we can figure out the kind of gas and dust between us and the stars that is absorbing the light."

Diffuse interstellar bands have remained a puzzle since their initial discovery 90 years ago. The 500 bands identified before this study mostly occur at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The observed lines do not match predicted lines of simple molecules and cannot be pinned to a single carrier.

"None of the diffuse interstellar bands has been convincingly identified with a specific element or molecule, and indeed their identification, individually and collectively, is one of the greatest challenges in astronomical spectroscopy," says lead author Thomas Geballe, from the Gemini Observatory. "Recent studies have suggested that DIB carriers are large carbon-containing molecules."

The newly discovered infrared bands can be used as probes of the diffuse interstellar medium, especially in regions in which thick dust and gas obscure observations in the optical and shorter wavelength bands.

Studying the stronger emissions in the group may lead to an understanding of their molecular origin. Some day laboratory spectroscopy could be used to identify the infrared diffuse interstellar bands. No one has been successful yet at reproducing the interstellar bands in laboratory, Figer notes, due to the multitude of possibilities and the difficulty of reproducing the temperatures and pressures the gas would experience in space.

In addition to Geballe, Najarro and Figer, co-authors of the paper included Najarro's student Diego de la Fuente and former Gemini science intern Barrett Schlegelmilch.

###

About the Center for Detectors: Imaging detectors reaching the edge of outer space and deep into the inner space of the human body inspire scientists and engineers in the Center for Detectors at Rochester Institute of Technology's College of Science. Research at the center extends the possibilities of photon sensors in fields as diverse as astrophysics, biophotonics and defense.

About RIT: Rochester Institute of Technology is internationally recognized for academic leadership in computing, engineering, imaging technology, sustainability, and fine and applied arts, in addition to unparalleled support services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. RIT enrolls 17,500 full- and part-time students in more than 200 career-oriented and professional programs, and its cooperative education program is one of the oldest and largest in the nation.

For two decades, U.S. News & World Report has ranked RIT among the nation's leading comprehensive universities. RIT is featured in The Princeton Review's 2012 edition of The Best 376 Colleges as well as its Guide to 311 Green Colleges. The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2012 includes RIT among more than 300 of the country's most interesting colleges and universities.

About the Gemini Observatory: The Gemini Observatory is an international collaboration with two identical 8-meter telescopes. The Frederick C. Gillett Gemini Telescope is located on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, (Gemini North) and the other telescope on Cerro Pachn in central Chile (Gemini South); together the twin telescopes provide full coverage over both hemispheres of the sky. The telescopes incorporate technologies that allow large, relatively thin mirrors, under active control, to collect and focus both visible and infrared radiation from space.

The Gemini Observatory provides the astronomical communities in seven partner countries with state-of-the-art astronomical facilities that allocate observing time in proportion to each country's contribution. In addition to financial support, each country also contributes significant scientific and technical resources. The national research agencies that form the Gemini partnership include: the U.S. National Science Foundation, the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council, the Canadian National Research Council, the Chilean Comisin Nacional de Investigacin Cientifica y Tecnolgica, the Australian Research Council, the Argentinean Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientficas y Tcnicas and the Brazilian Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfico e Tecnolgico. The observatory is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Inc. under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation, which also serves as the executive agency for the international partnership. For more, go to www.gemini.edu.


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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/riot-mal110211.php

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[OOC] Pure and dirty angels from Above

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This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.

Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!

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--> Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.


Can I reserve a pure girl angel?

Am I crazy? Well, that depends. Define crazy.

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MotherDragons
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Can I reserve a bad male angel?

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Winterwolf
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Can i reserve a human

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Insurer Humana's 3Q profit climbs 13 percent (AP)

INDIANAPOLIS ? Humana Inc.'s third-quarter net income jumped 13 percent after another strong quarter of Medicare Advantage enrollment growth. The health insurer's shares hit a new 52-week high Monday after it also gave a better 2012 forecast than some analysts expected.

The Louisville, Ky., company said it expects 2012 earnings between $7.40 and $7.60 per share, which would lead to a drop from its projection for this year. But Humana typically starts with conservative earnings forecasts.

Many analysts expected an initial forecast from the company of $7 per share or less, Citi analyst Carl McDonald said in a research note. Health insurers have been helped the past several quarters by medical costs that have grown more slowly than expected. If that trend continues, the analyst said Humana earnings could top $9 next year.

Analysts expect, on average that the insurer will actually deliver earnings of $7.79 per share next year, according to FactSet.

The price of Humana shares hit $87.32 Monday, while broader trading indexes fell about 2 percent.

The managed-care sector is heading into 2012 buoyed by optimism. Cigna Corp. and WellPoint Inc. have both said they expect their earnings to grow next year. Aetna Chief Financial Officer Joe Zubretsky has said he's "bullish" on his company's prospects.

Health insurers entered 2011 uncertain about the impact of a new health care overhaul rule governing medical-loss ratios, which essentially measure the percentage of premiums insurers spend on care. The impact of that rule has turned out to be manageable and insurers face no such uncertainties heading into 2012

"Next year is sort of a quieter year in terms of regulatory issues, hopefully," Susquehanna analyst Chris Rigg said.

For the third quarter, Humana earned $444.7 million, or $2.67 per share. That compares with earnings of $393.2 million, or $2.32 per share, in the same quarter last year. Revenue climbed 11 percent to $9.3 billion.

Adjusted income was $2.54 per share, which easily beat Wall Street expectations. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected, on average, earnings of $2.03 per share on $9.26 billion in revenue.

Humana is the second-largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, privately run versions of the government's Medicare program. Subsidized by the government, the plans offer basic Medicare coverage topped with extras like vision or dental coverage or premiums lower than standard Medicare rates. Medicare accounts for 64 percent of Humana's revenue.

The company said individual Medicare Advantage membership climbed 10 percent compared with last year's quarter to 1.6 million people, mainly because of a successful enrollment season last fall. The insurer's Medicare prescription drug coverage enrollment also jumped 47 percent to 2.5 million people, helped by a low-cost drug plan it offers with retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

While Medicare Advantage enrollment grew, the company's commercial membership tumbled 9 percent in the third quarter to about 2.5 million people. Humana attributed that mainly to disciplined pricing, which means the insurer avoided dropping prices too low to boost enrollment.

Humana became the latest in a series of big health insurers to raise 2011 forecasts this month, following UnitedHealth Group Inc., WellPoint Inc., Humana Inc. and Cigna Corp. It now expects 2011 earnings of $8.35 to $8.40 per share. That's up from previous guidance of $7.50 to $7.60 per share. Analysts expect $7.69 per share.

The insurer's third-quarter performance and new 2011 forecast confirm "what was pretty much already known: 2011 has been an extremely strong year," Goldman Sachs analyst Matthew Borsch said in a research note.

Humana shares fell back slightly from their 52-week high and closed at $84.89 Monday. That's up nearly 6 percent, or $4.54, from the previous trading day's close. The shares have climbed more than 55 percent so far this year.

The company's all-time high price at closing was $86.98, set Jan. 14, 2008.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111031/ap_on_bi_ge/earns_humana

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