Saturday, June 30, 2012

Biological and Cybernetic Enhancements

Planetfall

Darkness is stirring. The calm before the storm is slowly ending. The world is now in the hands of the strong. This, is your legend. [UNDER CONSTRUCTION]

Owner:

Game Masters:

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Planetfall?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

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.

[PLACEHOLDER]

Look at your comment. Back to?? mine. Back to yours NOW BACK TO MINE.? Sadly, it isn't mine. But if you stopped trolling and? started posting legitimate crap it could LOOK? like mine. Look down, back up, where are you? You're scrolling through comments, finding? the ones that your comment could look like.? Back? at mine, what is? it?? It's a? highly effective counter-troll. Look again, MY COMMENT? NOW HAS MANY THUMBS UP.

Anything is possible when you? copy and paste.

I'm on a desktop

FUKKIRETA!
Why Hello Kitty?

User avatar
R.T.M.X.
Member for 2 years



Post a reply

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Who is online

Registered users: AceofSpade*, Adantas*, Akantha, Alasund De'astio, Alexa [Bot], Alexander_Right, AngelBell, Aniihya*, Arluar*, BekaL101, BelleOceane*, blackwolf*, BlueWind_22, BOO!*, c.allen2.11*, C4L3N*, cass-isnt-here*, cha-kun, Cheza*, Choclate~Pyrus*, col amrytile*, Coloratura, Cooper*, Cubs013*, Dante Angelico*, dark-alchemist*, DemonataQueen*, DuskFire35, Evita*, Finalhazard3*, freakofnature*, Freimeier*, Frog*, Gado, Gamer_Templar*, Gasmask, Gii*, Ginko*, Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], Google Feedfetcher, Hinasil*, Hingyou*, Hitomi-san*, HitoriRaven*, Hypnosis, Irish Wolf, jackrules158*, Jadeling Hawkins*, Jookia, jrobbins1993*, Kai*, kathrin, keima8D*, KILLERZARIC*, Kimberly, KrazyTigger, krumbla*, KulasLightShadow*, KuroRyu*, Lee, Leewar, Leli, Lingeringrepose*, Lloyd999, lom.conor*, Lord Saladin*, Majestic-12 [Bot], mechanimated*, Mela, MrJuon, MSNbot Media, Nannyhap, Nekohina*, Nevan*, NewKidOnTheBlock*, Nogond, Nori, OpalePhantasmagoria, Outlaw*, Patcharoo*, Porecomesis*, PreachingLegionary*, Princess Awinita*, Puppette*, R.T.M.X.*, raindrops_autumn*, RebornAncient12*, Rem?us*, SarahLiaa*, Shaodow*, shinen*, SkyRight*, Slump*, StandardFiend, Starryskies*, StefanLF, Steffix*, StitchSaysHi*, stormwolf321*, SukaiKori, SuperQ19, SushiKitten, TemplarWarden, The Angry Penguin, The Great Thundorz, The Illusionist*, The Sickness, Thorait, throne, Tiko*, tornadofan2*, Tsukiakari*, Ultramaegad, Vanillasugar41, Vestiline*, vintagedarksoul, VitaminHeart*, ViviOrunitiaFF9, Wing06Twilight, WingWinter*, XavierDantius32*, Xiiver, Yahoo [Bot], yamada*, ZeroTolerance, ~Living-Dead Doll~

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/jot34Y9vmb0/viewtopic.php

easter bunny navy jet crash virginia beach isiah thomas passover easter recipes live free or die hard carlos pena

Developers Confused As Apple Tweaks Its App Store Search Algorithm? Again

Sometime last week, it became apparent that Apple had tweaked its App Store search algorithm to display results in order of their user rankings and descriptions, rather than the names of the apps themselves. The change brought some confusion, not only to App Store customers, but also to developers, who found that their apps were no longer appearing under certain searches as they had been.

It now appears that Apple has backtracked on that change, however.

TechCrunch notes that App Store searches now seem to place a bigger emphasis on keywords and names again. As?Tomasz Kolinko, the developer behind Love Letter Writing and the founder of App Store analytics firm Appcode.es, discovered, searches appear to be working just as they did prior to Apple?s most recent changes.

Kolinko writes in a blog post:

[...] our app, ?Love Letter Writer?, had ?advice? in the keywords and the Apple?s search didn?t show it in the results.

Until today (Friday, 29th June)

We just checked, and this rule is no longer valid. ?Instagram Camera? shows up ?Instagram? again, and ?Writing Advice? shows up our ?Love Letter Writer? again. So do othersearches [sic] that we?ve tested.

Matth?us Krzykowski, cofounder of app search and data company?Xyologic, concurs.???The Appcod.es guys are right, things are back to ?normal,?? he told TechCrunch in an email.

It could be that Apple?s last change was simply a mistake, or that once the changes had rolled out, it felt they weren?t quite right. However,?Krzykowski believes that these frequent changes (there have been three within the past week) indicate that Apple is tweaking its App Store algorithm to improve search and discovery:

It?s hard to read Apple?s cards, of course. However we are not surprised to see Apple tweaking their algorithms. App Discovery on iOS, while still better than Google?s, continues to decrease. Less and less new apps and developers benefit from the current approach each month. They clearly know they need to tackle this and we are expecting them to continue to tweak their algorithm and test things out.

It could be that we see a lot more of the changes over the coming months, then, and that App Store searching continues to alter somewhat every so often as Apple irons out a better search and discovery system. While that may be somewhat inconvenient for App Store customers, it?s iOS developers who will feel the changes most.

As TechCrunch notes, these frequent changes to the search algorithm mean those developers who have relied on SEO to position their apps in the past can no longer be confident that they?ll show up where they used to. Of course, if that means they change from third position in a certain search to 30th position, it?s going to have a huge impact of revenues.

Kolinko told TechCrunch:

?In the past, you had a nice search position, and it was like a good real estate. You just profited from it. If Apple will now change the search more often, developers won?t feel as secure from now on.?

The problem is, until Apple completes its tweaking ? and who knows when that will be ? there?s little developers can do to tackle the changes.

Source: http://www.cultofmac.com/176400/developer-confusion-as-apple-tweaks-its-app-store-search-algorithm-again/

raspberry ketone ron burgundy millennial media nit championship transcendentalism bells palsy channel 5 news

Pottery 20,000 years old found in a Chinese cave

BEIJING (AP) -- Pottery fragments found in a south China cave have been confirmed to be 20,000 years old, making them the oldest known pottery in the world, archaeologists say.

The findings, which will appear in the journal Science on Friday, add to recent efforts that have dated pottery piles in east Asia to more than 15,000 years ago, refuting conventional theories that the invention of pottery correlates to the period about 10,000 years ago when humans moved from being hunter-gathers to farmers.

The research by a team of Chinese and American scientists also pushes the emergence of pottery back to the last ice age, which might provide new explanations for the creation of pottery, said Gideon Shelach, chair of the Louis Frieberg Center for East Asian Studies at The Hebrew University in Israel.

"The focus of research has to change," Shelach, who is not involved in the research project in China, said by telephone.

In an accompanying Science article, Shelach wrote that such research efforts "are fundamental for a better understanding of socio-economic change (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) and the development that led to the emergency of sedentary agricultural societies."

He said the disconnection between pottery and agriculture as shown in east Asia might shed light on specifics of human development in the region.

Wu Xiaohong, professor of archaeology and museology at Peking University and the lead author of the Science article that details the radiocarbon dating efforts, told The Associated Press that her team was eager to build on the research.

"We are very excited about the findings. The paper is the result of efforts done by generations of scholars," Wu said. "Now we can explore why there was pottery in that particular time, what were the uses of the vessels, and what role they played in the survival of human beings."

The ancient fragments were discovered in the Xianrendong cave in south China's Jiangxi province, which was excavated in the 1960s and again in the 1990s, according to the journal article.

Wu, a chemist by training, said some researchers had estimated that the pieces could be 20,000 years old, but that there were doubts.

"We thought it would be impossible because the conventional theory was that pottery was invented after the transition to agriculture that allowed for human settlement."

But by 2009, the team - which includes experts from Harvard and Boston universities - was able to calculate the age of the pottery fragments with such precision that the scientists were comfortable with their findings, Wu said.

"The key was to ensure the samples we used to date were indeed from the same period of the pottery fragments," she said.

That became possible when the team was able to determine the sediments in the cave were accumulated gradually without disruption that might have altered the time sequence, she said.

Scientists took samples, such as bones and charcoal, from above and below the ancient fragments in the dating process, Wu said.

"This way, we can determine with precision the age of the fragments, and our results can be recognized by peers," Wu said.

Shelach said he found the process done by Wu's team to be meticulous and that the cave had been well protected throughout the research.

The same team in 2009 published an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, in which they determined the pottery fragments found in south China's Hunan province to be 18,000 years old, Wu said.

"The difference of 2,000 years might not be significant in itself, but we always like to trace everything to its earliest possible time," Wu said. "The age and location of pottery fragments help us set up a framework to understand the dissemination of the artifacts and the development of human civilization."

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_OLDEST_POTTERY?SITE=PASCR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

what is autism the giver march 30 rimm george h w bush pauly d project faith hill

stuxnet420: #twitter Stuxnet ?????????????????????????? http://t.co/wIHwDnYH #fb http://t.co/Mmnx1M03

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://twitter.com/stuxnet420/statuses/218488224908193792

consumer financial protection bureau casey anthony video recess appointment eastman kodak eastman kodak richard cordray shannon de lima

Speed of light pictures displayed

Images taken by a revolutionary camera fast enough to capture light pulses moving through objects have been shown off at the TEDGlobal conference.

The so-called femto-camera can also take pictures around corners by collecting the tiny amounts of light that bounce around the scene.

Prof Ramesh Raskar showed a video of light travelling through a plastic bottle on stage.

The images may help develop new theories about how light travels.

"Einstein would have liked it," said Prof Raskar.

But taking images was not his first thought for the camera, which was developed at the MIT Media Lab in 2010.

X-ray replacement

"Initially I was obsessed with the camera seeing around corners and then I realised that we could use the data for pure visualisations," he told the BBC.

He has discussed the idea with scientists from around the world, including those at Cern - the base for the Large Hadron Collider.

"They have various ultra-fast events at the sub-atomic level which this has potential to help with," he said.

Other possible uses for the femto-camera include health imaging to offers views from inside the body without using x-rays.

An adapted device could also allow cars to "see" obstructions on the road ahead, while in disaster zones it could be used to see where people need help.

"It will challenge what we mean by a camera," said Prof Raskar.

He admitted that it would be some time before the huge device made it out of the laboratory but to help it on its way he has released details about the technology behind it.

"We are trying to start an open source movement," he said.

"All the interlocking parts are not fundamentally expensive so we want to start a femto-camera and femto-photography open source movement for science, art or just for curiosity."

Eye prescriptions

He also showed off a much smaller and cheaper device, part of a new start-up dubbed Eye Netra (Near Eye Tool for Refractive Assessment).

The clip-on eye-piece sits on a smartphone and acts in the same way as much more complex devices used by professional opticians.

"We are entering a world of hardware snap-ons that can change the functionality of phones," he told the BBC.

"It is an interesting contrast between the super-expensive technology and super-cheap technology for the masses."

He added that the devices could prove useful in the developing world where many people cannot secure an opticians appointment.

BACK {current} of {total} NEXT

?

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18636266#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

elisabeth shue avastin avastin robert wagner robert wagner live with regis and kelly heavy d funeral

Egypt president-elect to head to Tahrir Square

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's president-elect plans Friday to address thousands who have camped out in Cairo's Tahrir Square to demonstrate against the military's hold on power despite the election of a new civilian leader, a nod to the protesters who supported his bid for leadership.

Mohammed Morsi of the Islamist group, the Muslim Brotherhood, is the first president to be elected after the uprising that forced longtime leader Hosni Mubarak to step down. But he is already facing a serious challenge after the ruling generals who oversee the transition took a series of decisions that undermine the powers of his office before his swearing-in.

Morsi's spokesman, Yasser Ali, said the president-elect wants to stand with the thousands who have been in the square for over a week to express concern about the power grabs.

"He wants to confirm that people are the source of his power," Ali said. "He wants to show unity with his people over issues of the transition, which is now ending."

The ruling generals said they will transfer power to an elected president by July 1. But days before Morsi was declared winner, they gave themselves sweeping powers that undercut the authority of the president. The generals' constitutional declaration also designated them the country's legislature, following a court decision that dissolved the country's first freely elected parliament, which was dominated by Islamists.

Protesters took to the streets, demanding that the generals rescind the declaration and reinstate the parliament.

Morsi's first test in his power struggle with the generals will be the venue of his oath-taking ceremony.

He will be sworn in before a high court Saturday. Traditionally, presidents are to be sworn in before parliament. For many of the protesters, Morsi's swearing-in before the court, as dictated by the generals' constitutional declaration, was a concession to the military.

"We demand from the president of the republic that he calls off the constitutional declaration, reinstate the parliament as it was, and to stand here among us to be sworn in and swear he has all his powers," said a preacher in the square who addressed the crowd before Morsi arrived.

"From now on, we make our demands to the president of the republic, not the military council. The military council no longer rules Egypt."

Ali said Morsi's agreement to take oath before the court does not mean the battle to regain his powers is over.

"This is an affirmation that (Morsi) respects the law and constitution," he said. "It doesn't mean approval of the declaration."

Speaking to newspapers editors Thursday, Morsi said there are still discussions on how to on how to implement the law dissolving the parliament. The court decision declared a third of the elected seats unconstitutional and Brotherhood lawyers argue it is still possible to only dissolve that third. Morsi urged patience.

Morsi, the first elected Islamist leader of an Arab country, is also trying to reach out to many of the liberal and secular forces that were behind the uprising. They, along with Egypt's Coptic Christian minority, fear Morsi would work to establish a religious state. Most of those groups have stayed out of the protest in Tahrir.

However, the prominent April 6 youth movement took part in the square protest.

"We should be patient with one another, two, three or four years, and try to live together in this atmosphere of freedom and democracy after the revolution," he told the editors, according to comments published in the state-run Al-Ahram daily. "This is definitely a better atmosphere than before. But there are big challenges."

Before heading to Tahrir, Morsi prayed in Al-Azhar mosque. Al-Azhar is the Sunni world's most prestigious learning institution, and represents moderate Islam. Morsi's visit there is an acknowledgement of respect to the institution.

Protesters in the square chanted, "The military council should leave tonight," and, "The president takes the oath in the square."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-president-elect-head-tahrir-square-101728737.html

the weeknd payroll tax payroll tax aisha khan alanis morissette vanessa bryant vanessa bryant

Colorado Springs fire ranks as state's most destructive on record

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/monster-colorado-wildfire-rages-obama-plans-visit-015308406.html

toyota recall northern lights sign of the times keystone pipeline purim acc tournament big ten tournament

Friday, June 29, 2012

Ms Lurlene Nestor lives in America so does David Hinds

Daily Archive

Source: http://www.guyanatimesgy.com/2012/06/29/ms-lurlene-nestor-lives-in-america-so-does-david-hinds/

sheriff joe arpaio limbaugh aaron smith wilt chamberlain joe arpaio cat in the hat green eggs and ham

The Gift of Readiness ? My Perspective on Loving, Living, Learning ...

Melody Beattie is one of America's most beloved self-help authors and a household name in addiction and recovery circles. Her international bestselling book, Codependent No More, introduced the world to the term "codependency" in 1986. Millions of readers have trusted Melody's words of wisdom and guidance because she knows firsthand what they're going through. In her lifetime, she has survived abandonment, kidnapping, sexual abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, divorce, and the death of a child. "Beattie understands being overboard, which helps her throw bestselling lifelines to those still adrift," said Time Magazine.Melody Beattie writes:

?Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.??Step Six of Al-Anon.

We progress to the Sixth Step by working diligently, to the best of our ability, on the first five Steps. This work readies us for a change of heart, an openness to becoming changed by a Power greater than ourselves ? God.

The path to this willingness can be long and hard. Many of us have to struggle with a behavior or feeling before we become ready to let it go. We need to see, over and over again, that the coping device that once protected us is no longer useful.

The defects of character referred to in Step Six are old sur?vival behaviors that once helped us cope with people, life, and ourselves. But now they are getting in our way, and it is time to be willing to have them removed.

Trust in this time. Trust that you are being readied to let go of that which is no longer useful. Trust that a change of heart is being worked out in you.

God, help me become ready to let go of my defects of character. Help me know, in my mind and soul, that I am ready to let go of my self-defeating behaviors, the blocks and barriers to my life.??via June 28: The Gift of Readiness.

44.532117 -87.490109

Source: http://toddlohenry.com/2012/06/28/the-gift-of-readiness-2/

national book awards jessica sutta sexiest man alive 2011 ruben studdard ruben studdard black friday sales 2011 black friday sales 2011

History of Consoles-Studio II (1977) | Gamester 81

Console: Studio II

Manufactured By: RCA

Year Released: January 1977

Discontinued: 1979

Price: $149.95 ($568.66 w/inflation)

History:

Ralph Baer creator of the original Odyssey system had approached RCA initially about backing up his invention.? At that time RCA passed on the Odyssey, and Ralph Baer would eventually land a deal with RCA?s competitor Magnavox to release the Odyssey.? RCA noticed the success Magnavox was having with the Odyssey line of ?Pong clone? systems throughout the mid 1970?s, so they decided to create their own home video game console to compete with Atari, Magnavox, and many other ?Pong clone? manufacturers.

The RCA Studio II was released in January of 1977 and retailed for $149.95. RCA had hoped that would be the very first home video game console to have interchangeable rom carts, however the Fairchild had beat them only by a few months with the release of the Channel F.

Unfortunately for RCA the Studio II was obsolete by the time it hit the market.? It couldn?t display any color, and had built in controls unlike many consoles at the time, which had?separated?controls.? It also suffered the same fate as many other consoles when Atari released the Atari VCS (2600), and by 1979 RCA decided to discontinue support for the Studio II.

?

?

Even though the Studio II doesn?t?display any color, it actually was designed for color and there were some games designed to display color.? Several years later clone consoles in the UK called Sheen M1200 displayed colors with Studio II games, and Japan had a console called VISICOM Video Computer System also produced color for the Studio II games.

?

RCA Studio II Console

?

Console:

RCA?s main design influence for the Studio II were the many ?Pong clone? consoles already available during the time.? There are two nine button numbered key pads on both sides of the console used for the controls.? ?4? is for left, ?6? for right, ?2? for up, ?3? for up-right, etc. ?0? was often used for the action button.? There is also a ?clear? button to reset the game in the middle, a red power light above the ?clear? button, and a cartridge slot in the upper middle part of the console.? There is no on/off switch, and the console just automatically powers on when it?s plugged in.? There is a RF cord built into the back of the console that connects to a unique switch box that the 9v AC adapter plugs into (Atari would use a similar setup years later with the release of the Atari 5200).

?

?

The Studio II has five built in games including: Bowling, Freeway (car racing), Patterns, Doodles, and Math.? In total only 10 additional game carts were released in the lifetime of the console.

?


?

Personal Thoughts:

The RCA Studio II is one of my least favorite retro consoles.? RCA made a huge mistake by not making the console display any colors and by leaving the control buttons built into the console. For example for a two player game each player has to sit?uncomfortably?close to each other in order to play the games.? It also looks too much like a ?Pong clone? system which I?m sure most consumers during the time didn?t see the benefit of purchasing the Studio II if they already had a ?Pong clone? console.

Favorite Game:

I honestly don?t have one.

Rarity (1-10):

On a scale of 1-10 and 10 being the rarest, I give the Studio II an 5/10. ?Expect to pay around $40-$50 for a system with some games. ? It doesn?t show up too often on sites like eBay, but it?s probably more because there isn?t an interest in the system rather than it being super rare.

Fun Facts:?

  • RCA was founded in 1919 mainly to help out with World War I.
  • RCA stands for Radio Corporation of America.
  • RCA went defunct in 1986.
  • The console was called ?Studio II? because it referred to RCA?s then-famous recording studio.? The name Studio II was suppose to represent a second studio for artists to create productions for RCA.
John "Gamester81" Lester started playing video games at a very young age. His first ever console that he played was a Colecovision, quickly followed by an Atari 2600, and his passion for video games hasn't stopped. In 2008 John decided to start a video game review show on YouTube called Gamester81 by reviewing rare and retro video game systems and games. His show quickly grew in popularity, and he became friends with many other gamers in the YouTube community. He is also one of the hosts of the All Gen Gamers Podcast which is a weekly podcast for for people and video games of all generations. Some of John's other hobbies includes collecting Star Wars memorabilia (YouTube channel Starwarsnut77), playing classic arcade games (YouTube channel Gamester81Arcade), watching sports, and listening to music. John is a big fan of the 80's and 90's and in 2009 started a YouTube channel called NEStalgiaholic where he talks about nostalgic items and memories from his childhood. To see some of John's video's in 3D visit his YouTube channel Gamester81in3D. Favorite Systems: Colecovision, Commodore 64, NES, & SNES. Favorite Games: Donkey Kong Arcade, Atari Star Wars Arcade, Super Mario 3, Final Fantasy II, & Goldeneye 007

Source: http://gamester81.com/history-of-consoles-studio-ii-1977/

lyrid meteor shower hippocrates andrew breitbart red wings willie nelson penguins the band

How Pest Control Canberra Can Protect Your Home?


by aiden jeocob
Send Feedback to aiden jeocob
Request Reprint | Print | About Author | Report Problem | Tweet This

Pest Control Canberra More Details about Pest Control Canberra here.

Pest treatment should not be considered as an optional home improvement service; rather it should be taken as a serious compulsory work. If you are located at Canberra, getting the help of the Pest Control Canberra service provider regularly at least once in two months can ensure maximum protection to your home against any form of bugs. With regular activities, you will not only prevent dreaded pest creeping around your home, but will also ensure a health and clean home.

When a professional service provider is invited regularly, he can clearly identify the structural damage that can be caused by the pests well in advance in such a way that your building can be protected. Even though, most of the pests do not cause structural damage to the building, some of them can create problems in the electrical wiring of the home and some might cause some diseases to the incumbents of your home. Here are the reasons for considering the help of a pest control service provider regularly:

Early detection of problems created by pests: Most of the rodents and bugs reproduce rapidly once they have found a suitable place in your home thereby causing a snowball effect in the home. When seeking the help of a professional pest control firm, the firm will be sending a professional who can stop the pest infestations from growing and in addition to solving the existing pest problem; they can also identify the potential pest problems and can wade off the pests even before they enter into your home.

Prevention of fire accidents: Some of the gnawing mammals like hamsters, squirrels and rats, otherwise called as Rodents chew items for preventing their teeth from growing. If these rodents do not chew something, their teeth will grow to a length that would prevent them from eating. Therefore, these living organisms always look for some materials to chew and so there are chances that they damage the electrical settings in the home thereby exposing the home to electrical shocks resulting in fire accidents. Only a professional Pest Control Canberra service provider can protect your home and other property from rodents with the help of some techniques and they can also prevent the entry of rodents by using some equipment like door closes, steel wool, aluminum sheeting, bird wire, etc...

These professional firms can also offer other services like prevention of diseases and they can eliminate the risk of structural damage to the home caused by some types of pests.

Effective pest control services are available in the market that not only control the growth of pests but also eliminates their infestation to the core. Find the best Pest Control Service Providers, Termite control Canberra Experts, Rodent Pest Control service providers in and around Canberra at A1 Pest Control Canberra.

awesome comments

Contact the Author

aiden jeocob

aidenjeocob@gmail.com
More Details about Pest Control Canberra here.

Pest Control Canberra

Related Articles

Keywords: Pest Control Canberra,Termite control Canberra,Termite inspection Canberra,Termite treatment Canberra,Termites Canberra,Bed bug control Canberra,Roden

This article has been viewed 22 time(s).

Does this article infringe on your copyright?

It is a violation of our terms and conditions for writers to submit material which they did not write and claim it as their own. If this article infringes on your copyrights, you MUST either call us at 706-866-2295 or send proof of infringement along with the offending article's title, URL, and writer name to

IdeaMarketers.com
Attn: Marnie Pehrson - Copyright Concern
514 Old Hickory Ln
Ringgold GA 30736 USA
If you email us or use our problem submission form, we CANNOT guarantee we'll receive your notice!

?

?

zynga free shipping free shipping esophageal cancer marfan syndrome marfan syndrome britney spears engaged

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Why supermarket tomatoes taste lousy

Most supermarket tomatoes are flavorless at best, and a single gene mutation goes a long way toward explaining why.

The mutation arose as breeders cultivated tomatoes to ripen evenly, a trait that makes harvesting cheaper and more efficient. As pretty as they look, though, mutated tomato fruits are less efficient at photosynthesizing, found a new study. As a result, they make less sugar and other compounds, which means they often taste far worse than tomatoes that may look blotchy but are full of explode-in-your-mouth sweetness.

For consumers who like their Caprese salads rich and complex, the results suggest that, for now, heirloom varieties at co-ops and farmer's markets may be your best bet. Eventually, the findings could help breeders put more satisfying flavor profiles back into everyday grocery store tomatoes.

NEWS: Grocery Cart Suggests Better Food Choices

"When you have fruit or berries and you sprinkle sugar on top to accentuate the flavors, you can see how every little bit helps," said Ann Powell, a biochemist at the University of California, Davis. Our sensitivity to sweetness makes a gene for sugar production extra-important. "By knowing which gene it is, breeders can now select for varieties when plants are young."

For some 70 years, tomato breeders have worked to create fruits that are uniformly light green before they ripen. The advantage of this even coloring is that fruits become ripe all at once, instead of at the top end first. That makes it much easier for farmers to tell when it's time to harvest.

Motivated more by the question of why tomatoes bother being green in the first place than by the question of why tomatoes so often taste terrible, Powell went on a hunt for proteins inside the fruit called transcription factors, which direct the genes that code for various traits.

VIDEO: Why does fruit turn brown?

That search led her to a type of protein in tomatoes called GLK. When intact, she and colleagues reported Thursday in the journal Science, the protein makes pre-ripened fruits appear dark green at the shoulder, where flesh meets stem. With the mutation, on the other hand, fruits are light green all over before they turn red.

Scientists have known for a long time that two GLK proteins in the leaves of tomato and other plants direct the production of chloroplasts, which are responsible for photosynthesis, turning sunlight into sugars, and some of those sugars travel into the fruit to add sweetness.

Now it appears that the fruits of tomato plants also contain a GLK protein, which boosts sugar production just enough to make a real flavor difference. The dark green shoulder is a sign that extra photosynthesis is happening. Chemical analyses showed that tomatoes with normal GLK proteins also contained more lycopene, an antioxidant that gives tomatoes their red color.

  1. More science news from msnbc.com

    1. Human ancestor ate like a chimp

      Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Researchers use tooth analysis to conclude that a 2 million-year-old human ancestor followed a diet that was more typical for chimps than for early humans.

    2. Scientists marvel over Serbian mammoth mine
    3. Mysterious African 'fairy circles' stump scientists
    4. Sagan files donated, thanks to 'Family Guy'

HOWSTUFFWORKS: How to Pick Ripe Fruit

Once tomatoes turn red, though, it becomes impossible to tell which fruits have the mutation, making it highly unlikely that a supermarket shopper would be able to pick out tomatoes with naturally higher levels of sugar.

In fact, the chances of unmutated tomatoes showing up in any major grocery store are extremely slim. When Powell and colleagues looked at 25 commercial varieties of tomatoes from all over the world, they found the exact same mutation in all of them.

"The mutation they describe in their paper is in literally 100 percent of modern breeds sold in grocery stores today," said Harry Klee, a molecular geneticist at the University of Florida, Gainesville, who studies the chemistry and genetics of flavor in fruits and vegetables. "It's a really good illustration of some of the problems with modern breeding of tomatoes."

The GLK mutation isn't the only reason why supermarket tomatoes are so often tasteless, Klee added. But it's an important reason, and it demonstrates how focusing on aesthetics can end up sacrificing other important qualities in an entire generation of produce.

"When you focus on one thing and neglect the other ? the other being flavor ? you can have some really bad unintended consequences," Klee said. "The consumer is going to have to realize that their tomatoes may not look perfect. There may be a patch of green around the top of the fruit. But to me, I would say, if I see that a fruit is not perfectly red and perfectly uniformly ripened, maybe it's going to taste better."

? 2012 Discovery Channel

jeremy lin game winner chocolate covered strawberries shrimp scampi kate upton si cover lobster recipes hearts roses

U.S. To Mexico Weekly Livestock Export Summary

USDA ??|?? Updated: June 28, 2012

AL_LS635???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Las?Cruces,?NM????Thu,?Jun?28,?2012???USDA?Market?News?????????????????????????
US?to?Mexico?Weekly?Livestock?Export?Summary???????????????????????????????????
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
???????????????????????????Current?????Previous???Current?????Previous?????????
????????????????????????????Week?????????Week??????Y-T-D????????Y-T-D*?????????
Species???????????????????6/23/2012????6/16/2012???????????????????????????????
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Dairy?totals?include?61?head?of?Canadian?Dairy.????????????????????????????????
Hog?totals?include?968?head?of?Canadian?Hogs.??????????????????????????????????

Beef?Cattle????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
???Slaughter??????????????????????0???????????0????????0???????????0???????????
???Breeding?Males????????????????23???????????0??????318?????????356???????????
???Breeding?Females??????????????27???????????0????1,005?????????463???????????
???Total?Beef?Cattle?????????????50???????????0????1,323?????????819???????????

Hogs???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
???Slaughter??????????????????????0???????????0????????0???????????0???????????
???Breeding?Males???????????????108???????????0????1,157?????????555???????????
???Breeding?Females?????????????575?????????161????9,999???????3,133???????????
???Total?Hogs???????????????????683?????????161???11,156???????3,688???????????

Sheep??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
???Slaughter?Lambs????????????????0???????????0????????0???????????0???????????
???Slaughter?Ewes?????????????????0???????????0????????0???????8,925???????????
???Breeding?Males?????????????????0???????????0????????0??????????21???????????
???Breeding?Females???????????????0???????????0????????6???????????7???????????
???Total?Sheep????????????????????0???????????0????????6???????8,953???????????

Dairy?Cattle???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
???Breeding?Males?????????????????0???????????0???????18??????????18???????????
???Breeding?Females??????????????40???????????0????2,677???????6,975???????????
???Total?Dairy?Cattle????????????40???????????0????2,695???????6,993???????????

Goats??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
???Angora?????????????????????????0???????????0????????0???????????0???????????
???Spanish????????????????????????0???????????0????????0???????????0???????????
???Other??????????????????????????0???????????0????????0???????????0???????????
???Total?Goats????????????????????0???????????0????????0???????????0???????????

Horses?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
???Slaughter??????????????????2,191???????2,305???44,741??????28,336???????????
???Breeding?Males????????????????36??????????52????1,496???????1,582???????????
???Breeding?Females??????????????42??????????41????1,802???????2,219???????????
???Geldings???????????????????????8???????????9??????442?????????379???????????
???Burro/Mule/Pony???????????????17???????????8??????128??????????38???????????
???Total?Horses???????????????2,294???????2,415???48,609??????32,554???????????

Exotics???????????????????????????0???????????2??????108?????????178???????????

Grand?Total?All?Species???????3,067???????2,578???63,897??????53,185???????????

Source:???USDA?Market?News?Service,?Las?Cruces,?NM?????????????????????????????
??????????John?Langenegger?(575)527-6861??FAX(575)527-6868?????????????????????
??????????LasCruces.LGMN@ams.usda.gov??????????????????????????????????????????
??????????www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/AL_LS635.txt?????????????????

0821M?LG?????????????

bennett daniel day lewis patti stanger pasadena pasadena famu famu

Acclaimed screenwriter Nora Ephron dead at 71

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

chris anderson rondo suspended bay bridge raul ibanez downton abbey season 3 presidents day band of brothers

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Girls in science: Gender gaps still persist in STEM subjects

Girls in science and other STEM subjects ? technology, engineering, and mathematics ? are underrepresented compared to boys despite the progress made in the 40 years since Title IX was signed into law.

By Erik W. Robelen,?Education Week / June 27, 2012

Gender gaps in STEM subjects persist today despite gains made by female students in education and athletics during the 40 years since Title IX was signed into law. In this 2005 file photo, a female student takes a sample SAT test during her test prep class.

John Nordell/The Christian Science Monitor

Enlarge

Evidence abounds that women have made huge inroads in the academic and professional spheres since the federal Title IX law on gender equity in education was enacted 40 years ago.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "off"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

More than half those graduating from college each year are women. The percentage of law degrees earned by females climbed from 7 percent in 1972 to about 47 percent in 2011. Likewise, far more women are earning advanced degrees in business and medicine.

Despite the gains, experts say some gender divides are still apparent, especially with participation in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Long before women pick a college major or enter the workforce, their K-12 education sets the stage in level of interest, confidence, and achievement in STEM. There, data suggest, some barriers continue to block girls. Heavy gender imbalances persist as well in some areas of career and technical education, from cosmetology to automotive mechanics.

"Broadly speaking, girls and women have made great strides in education," said Lara S. Kaufmann, a senior counsel at the National Women's Law Center in Washington. "The days when girls were told blatantly that they can't take advanced math are over. ... But there are still challenges to equity."

In precollegiate education, the issue is more evident in some STEM disciplines than others.

Recent Advanced Placement data show representation of the sexes to be about the same ? or even higher for girls ? in certain courses, but some show striking gender contrasts.

For the class of 2011, boys dominated the computer-science course, representing 80 percent of test-takers, as well as the three AP physics courses. Boys accounted for 77 percent of those taking the physics exam for electricity and magnetism and 74 percent of mechanics exams. Also, 59 percent of those taking Calculus BC, the more advanced of two AP courses offered in the subject, were male.

Moreover, data from the AP and the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicate continued achievement gaps between boys and girls in STEM fields, especially science.

At a conference last month in Chicago, Russlynn H. Ali, the U.S. Department of Education's assistant secretary for civil rights, said she sees work to be done at the secondary level.

"Girls are underrepresented ... in those taking AP physics," she said, also noting disparities in math. "We want to study why that is. Obviously, there is ... recruitment that happens on AP. There is a kind of counseling that happens."

In fact, the office for civil rights is investigating a Colorado district to determine whether girls have fair and equitable access to AP math and science, and whether the district adequately prepares them in elementary and middle school for such courses.

Meanwhile, Title IX's restrictions on single-sex education continue to spark debate. The American Civil Liberties Union in May sent "cease and desist" letters to districts in six states, claiming their single-sex programs may violate Title IX. The Education Department's revision of Title IX regulations in 2006 was seen as making it easier for districts to offer single-sex classes.

Not Just Sports

2012 sports illustrated swimsuit same day flower delivery valentines day westminster dog show valentines day cards hallmark grammy winners

Five things to watch right after the health care decision

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

enquirer national inquirer knicks vs heat ash wednesday kate walsh cnn debate equatorial guinea

Male contraceptive shows promise

Hormone gels applied to skin sink sperm counts

Web edition : 2:04 pm

HOUSTON ? Guys might someday have a birth-control option that rivals the pill. Two gels applied to the skin deliver hormones that knock down a man?s sperm count, acting as a male contraceptive, researchers reported June 25 at the Endocrine Society?s annual meeting.

While women have had access to hormone-based contraceptives for decades, men have had few alternatives beyond condoms and vasectomies. In the new trial, scientists randomly assigned 99 men in the Seattle and Los Angeles areas to apply two unlabeled gels to their skin daily. Some men got gels containing testosterone and Nestorone, a synthetic hormone similar to progestin. Others got a testosterone gel and a placebo. ?

In all, 56 of the men completed at least 20 weeks of the regimen. By the end, 89 percent of men who got the dual hormone treatment saw their sperm counts plummet from about 15 million per cubic milliliter of ejaculate to less than 1 million. What?s more, a majority of those men made no detectable sperm at all, the researchers found.

?Less than 1 million is an arbitrary line, but it?s a threshold that we say is compatible with effective contraception,? said study coauthor Christina Wang, a physician at UCLA. ?There was very effective suppression of spermatogenesis.?

About 23 percent of men getting testosterone plus placebo saw their sperm counts drop below 1 million in response to that one-hormone treatment.

?This is an interesting and important clinical study showing that a transdermal male contraceptive may be possible in the future,? says James Dalton, chief scientific officer at GTx Inc., a biopharmaceutical firm in Memphis, Tenn. ?The use of transdermal gels for male contraception is a potentially meaningful advance compared to the prior approaches, which required intramuscular injection.?? This approach ?clearly?deserves further investigation,? he said, noting that the research would need to improve on the treatment?s 89 percent effectiveness rate.

The Nestorone-plus-testosterone treatment inhibits certain activities in the brain?s hypothalamus and in the pituitary gland that regulate sperm manufacture by the testes, largely shutting it down, Wang said. ?But the treatment is reversible: In all the men, sperm counts returned to normal by about 12 weeks of stopping the medications.

One-fifth of participants reported developing some acne during the study, apparently from the testosterone. And while 43 men left the study early, they did so mainly by failing to return for all the numerous blood tests required in the study protocol, not because of side effects, Wang said.

Large-scale testing of a single, combined gel ? possibly with lower doses of testosterone ? will be needed to get regulatory approval for the drug combination. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Population Council provided support for this study.


Found in: Body & Brain

somali pirates navy seals navy seal team 6 tim gunn tim gunn built to last obama state of the union address 2012

Floods cut part of I-10 as Debby storms over Fla.

Convenience store employee Lindsey Bennight watches floodwaters surround the store where she works in Crawfordville, Fla., Monday, June 25, 2012. Bennight had to walk through waist-deep water earlier in the day to leave the store after it was flooded by heavy rains caused by Tropical Storm Debby. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Convenience store employee Lindsey Bennight watches floodwaters surround the store where she works in Crawfordville, Fla., Monday, June 25, 2012. Bennight had to walk through waist-deep water earlier in the day to leave the store after it was flooded by heavy rains caused by Tropical Storm Debby. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Jesse Deese uses his skim board to shield from blowing sand in Panama City Beach, Fla., Monday, June 25, 2012. Tropical Storm Debby raked the Tampa Bay area with high wind and heavy rain Monday in a drenching that could top 2 feet over the next few days and trigger widespread flooding. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Cedar Key Fire Chief Robert Robinson walks on a section of a floating dock that broke loose during a storm surge from Tropical Storm Debby in Cedar Key, Fla., on Sunday, June 24, 2012. Slow-moving Tropical Storm Debby's outer bands lashed Florida with rain and kicked up rough surf off Alabama on Sunday, prompting storm warnings for those states. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Brad McClenny)

Cedar Key Police Chief Virgil Sandlin works on his hands an knees to secure a section of a floating dock as strong storm surge and flooding are felt from Tropical Storm Debby, in Cedar Key, Fla., Sunday, June 24, 2012. Sandlin said it was like riding a bronco trying to keep balance on the dock. Slow-moving Tropical Storm Debby's outer bands lashed Florida with rain and kicked up rough surf off Alabama on Sunday, prompting storm warnings for those states and causing at least one death. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Brad McClenny)

A message referring to rainfall from a tropical storm system is displayed at the San Jose Baptist Church on Monday, June 25, 2012, in Jacksonville, Fla. Tropical Storm Debby raked the Tampa Bay area with high wind and heavy rain Monday in a drenching that could top 2 feet over the next few days and trigger widespread flooding. (AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union, Kelly Jordan)

(AP) ? Parts of the main interstate highway across northern Florida were closed by flooding Tuesday as Tropical Storm Debby hung stubbornly offshore over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening up to two feet of rain in places.

After raking Florida's Gulf coast with high winds and heavy rain, Debby promised to bring more of the same in the coming days as it drifted on a path forecast to take it over the state and east into the Atlantic by Friday.

The National Hurricane Center said Debby was about 85 miles west of Cedar Key, Fla., and moving eastward near 3 mph. It had maximum sustained winds near 45 mph, barely tropical-storm status.

But the wind, high surf and relentless rain have made the storm's presence felt.

The Florida Highway Patrol closed portions of Interstate 10 in north Florida early Tuesday due to flooding caused by rain. Troopers reported several areas of flooding on a roughly 50-mile stretch of the east-west interstate east of where it crosses I-75 and the agency warned motorists to use extreme caution on other parts of the highway.

South of that stretch of I-10, four puppies and a young dog drowned when a swollen creek flooded an animal shelter in the city of Starke. The Florida Times-Union reported that officials placed sandbags and dug trenches outside to protect the shelter, but the water rose quickly Sunday night.

Farther south, in the Tampa Bay area, roads such as Tampa's Bayshore Boulevard were washed out. Residents tried to salvage belongings from flooded homes in low-lying areas. At one point Monday, high winds and flooding concerns prompted authorities to close two major routes over Tampa Bay into St. Petersburg.

A mother manatee was found dead in the water Tuesday off Bayshore Boulevard. Her two calves, which were still alive, washed ashore along the flooded road which runs along Tampa Bay. Members of the Tampa Police Marine Patrol called Lowry Park Zoo and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to help with the rescue of the baby manatees.

Forecasters were expecting the rains to continue, bringing another 4 to 8 inches across northern Florida. The storm could also bring up to 10 inches of rain to the Brunswick area in southeastern Georgia, forecasters said.

Torrential rains and flooding would continue across parts of the Florida Panhandle and northern Florida for several days, even though the storm wasn't expected to gain strength.

"The widespread flooding is the biggest concern," said Florida Emergency Operations Center spokeswoman Julie Roberts. "It's a concern that Debby is going to be around for the next couple of days, and while it sits there, it's going to continue to drop rain. The longer it sits, the more rain we get."

At least one person was killed Sunday by a tornado spun off by the large storm system.

WFLA-TV reported that a young mother, Heather Town, died Sunday when her Highlands County home was lifted off its foundation and she and her baby girl were thrown into nearby woods. The mother was found clutching the child, who survived.

Alabama authorities searched for a man who disappeared in the rough surf.

The bridge leading to St. George Island, a vacation spot along the Panhandle, was closed to everyone except residents, renters and business owners to keep looters out. The island had no power, and palm trees had been blown down, but roads were passable.

"Most true islanders are hanging in there because they know that you may or may not be able to get back to your home when you need to," said David Walker, an island resident having a beer at Eddy Teach's bar. He said he had been through many storms on the island and Debby was on the weaker end of the scale.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a statewide emergency, allowing authorities to put laws against price-gouging into effect and override bureaucratic hurdles to deal with the storm.

A tropical storm warning remained in effect Tuesday morning for about 450 miles of coastline, from Mexico Beach in the Panhandle to Englewood, south of Sarasota.

Forecasters cautioned that Debby is a large tropical cyclone spreading strong winds and heavy rains at great distances from its center.

They said it would crawl generally east, come ashore along Florida's northwestern coast Wednesday night and track slowly across the state, exiting along the Atlantic Coast by Friday and losing steam as it crosses land.

"We're not expecting the storm to intensify," said Ernie Jillson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Tampa, early Tuesday. "We're expecting it to stay a fairly weak tropical storm."

People in several sparsely populated counties near the crook of Florida's elbow were urged to leave low-lying neighborhoods because of the danger of flooding. Shelters opened in some places.

___

Lush contributed from St. Petersburg. Associated Press writers Freida Frisaro and Christine Armario in Miami; Gary Fineout in Tallahassee, Fla.; and AP Auto Writer Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit contributed to this report.

Associated Press

wilson chandler bristol motor speedway puerto rico prometheus grand canyon skywalk tonga pid