Tuesday, February 26, 2013

'Argo' Is Great, But 52 American Hostages Are Still Looking for Justice

Army Col. Leland Holland would sometimes talk about his 444-day hostage ordeal in Iran ?like it was a good old fish story,? says his son, John. But other times, recalling how he was beaten with rubber hoses and telephone books, he?d get angry. The memory of picking a lock with a paper clip, making his way to the roof, and breathing fresh air could bring him to tears. Three times after he retired from active duty, his family found him kneeling in the corner of the basement, face to the wall, hands clasped together over his head as if handcuffed, reliving in his nightmares the ordeal of being interrogated.

Ben Affleck?s celebrated film, Argo, has spotlighted a desperate CIA scheme that enabled six U.S. Embassy employees to escape post-revolutionary Iran disguised as a Canadian film crew. Holland was part of a far less fortunate group, the 52 Americans who didn?t make it out of the embassy when militants stormed it on Nov. 4, 1979, and were held hostage for 444 days.

Argo has been showered with honors, topped by a best-picture Oscar at the Academy Awards. There?s no dispute that it is historically inaccurate and ignores a larger tragedy to focus on a tiny sliver of success associated with a humiliating chapter in the nation?s history. But give Argo its due. The film is serving to remind the country of a time, a place, and a debacle at what could be a pivotal moment in the history of the Iranian hostage crisis.

The former hostages and their advocates are mobilizing for a Capitol Hill push that they hope will be the final chapter in a 33-year quest for relief and for justice. In a few weeks, members of Congress will receive a packet of information that includes powerful statements and videos from the former hostages and their survivors. Some will be telling their stories publicly for the first time. One of them is Steven Lauterbach, whose written account opens with this sentence: ?I slashed my wrists while in captivity in Iran.?

The hostages were among the first victims of Islamic terrorism -- yet unlike subsequent victims, they have never received the satisfaction of a court judgment against a state sponsor of terrorism, or financial compensation drawn from its assets. For decades they have tried and failed to navigate a web of conflicting legal opinions, court reversals, and changing terrorism policies. And for decades they have been thwarted by the 1981 Algiers Accords, in which Iran agreed to release the hostages and President Carter agreed to bar lawsuits by them and their families. One Congress after another has been unable or unwilling to surmount presidential administrations and court rulings that have kept the accords in force.The Supreme Court last year ended the possibility of suing under current law, leaving Congress to find a solution.

With its suspected march to nuclear weaponry and broad sponsorship of global terrorism, Iran presents America and the world with problems much deeper than how to tie up the loose ends of a 1980 crisis. Yet the dark details of their captivity and its long-term impact ? ?the depression, the nightmares, flashbacks, divorces, and physical illnesses? are bound to add urgency to the former hostages? cause, as is their advancing age (a dozen of the 52 have since died).?

Nor does it hurt that the cinematic spotlight on Iran has coincided with two related tragedies. Argo opened a few weeks after murderous militants attacked another U.S. mission, this one in Benghazi, Libya, igniting intense concern on Capitol Hill about diplomatic security. The film opened the same month that one of the 52 former hostages, former CIA agent Phillip Ward, killed himself. He had returned home covered with scars from torture, a reclusive, alcoholic ruin who couldn?t hold a normal job -- who couldn?t even hold a cup of coffee, his hands shook so badly. ?He took his life, but in reality his life was taken from him 33 years ago in Tehran, Iran,? attorney Tom Lankford, who has been trying since 2000 to win justice for the former hostages,?wrote in a tribute to Ward in Roll Call last fall.

?Raped Of Our Freedom?

Lankford has lived intimately for years with the disquieting tales of former hostages and their families, and punctuates his conversations with graphic images and details ? the cells fouled with excrement, the diplomat?s wife who still has anxiety attacks, the retired Air Force colonel who in his nightmares hears the hoses being forced down the throats of Iranian political prisoners as they were suffocated outside his cell.

Most of the former hostages functioned well in productive careers after they returned ? including Leland Holland, who died in 1990, and Tom Schaefer, the retired colonel who remains haunted by the suffocations. They and many others became public figures, giving speeches and media interviews about their experience. Yet few if any former hostages escaped life-altering changes wrought by 444 days of terror, boredom, hope, and hopelessness.?

Rodney ?Rocky? Sickmann, a 22-year-old Marine charged with guarding the embassy door, was one of the youngest hostages. For the first month in captivity, he says, he slept with his wrists tied to his ankles and sat during the day with his hands and feet tied to a chair, a shotgun pointed at his head, and was blindfolded whenever he left the room. ?You think of your past. That?s all you had,? he recalls. He heard cars beeping, birds chirping, ?life going on without you,? and wondered if anyone besides his parents cared. ?It was so lonely,? he says.?

And often so terrifying. Sickmann says he and other hostages were shown videos of people being dropped in boiling tar, of people shot in the head after being ordered to strip and face a courtyard wall. He himself was blindfolded and told to undress and turn his back, and he heard three rifles bolted behind his head. ?It was a mock execution, but I didn?t know that,? he says. ?You dreamt, you cried, you prayed for the opportunity of a second chance.?

Sickmann did get that chance. When he came home, he found that his parents had kept their 1979 Christmas tree up and decorated for the whole 444 days. He married his girlfriend and went to work at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis. He had three children and rose through the company, where he now has what he calls ?a wonderful job? as director of military sales. Through a chance meeting at a family wedding, Sickmann even ended up on the set of Argo, and his son had a bit part.

Despite flashbacks, dreams, and problems with noises and being alone, Sickmann was convinced he was fine. But his wife thought otherwise and after many years persuaded him to get help. ?You never forget it,? he now says of his captivity. He repeatedly says that Iran ?raped us of our freedom? and has never paid for that in any way. He often wonders, even now, if he should have disobeyed orders and shot at the militants and the women who were their human shields.

Lauterbach, a small, slight man who was the assistant general services officer at the embassy, had no experience or training as a soldier or spy when he was taken hostage. ?It was my first time as a Foreign Service officer. I didn?t volunteer for it,? he says. It was a menacing environment; there were crowds on the streets and bodies hanging from construction cranes, just like in Argo, he says. Looking back at when he slashed his wrists, he says ?it?s hard for me to really know what my motive was.? His plan, he says, was to ?hurt myself bad enough that they would panic? and take him out of solitary confinement. He was covered with blood and prepared to die, he says, but his captors rushed him to the hospital for stitches. And they did take him out of solitary.

Now 61, Lauterbach was 28 when he was captured and says he was ?more mentally and emotionally damaged than I wanted to admit? by the experience. He met his wife at his next posting in France, had two children, pursued a successful Foreign Service career, and now consults for the State Department. Yet he still has a recurring nightmare that ?somehow the agreement to release us has been rescinded and we have to go back.? He believes he is a more pessimistic, fatalistic person as a result of the ordeal. ?It?s never completely in the past,? he says. ?You?re always in the shadow of it psychologically.?

Bill Daugherty?s captors quickly identified him as CIA and treated him accordingly. He spent 425 of his 444 days in solitary confinement, and endured interrogation sessions 12 hours long. Unlike some of the embassy hostages, he was used to risk and adversity. At 31, his resume included military school, Marine boot camp, flight school, a stint as an air traffic controller, and a tour flying off an aircraft carrier in Vietnam. ?My whole life up to that time was dealing with stress,? he says. He also had received military training in subjects like how to survive in captivity and how to defeat interrogation.

Like Sickmann and Lauterbach, Daugherty believed he was in good shape after his release. He says he never had nightmares or other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet he was troubled. His cover was blown ? he was known worldwide to be a CIA agent ? and he stumbled about trying to find a new career path. On the personal side, he says he felt lost and ?addled? at times. In 1986 he entered into what he calls an ?unwise marriage? that ended in divorce. He also made some bad career choices before landing in the CIA?s counter-terrorism unit. In 1996 he became a college professor, and a few years later met the nurse practitioner who is now his wife.

?I didn?t start understanding what I wanted and what my life should be until 12 to 15 years? after returning from Iran, says Daugherty, who worked as a consultant on Argo. ?If I came back in better mental shape than a lot of (the other hostages), I can?t imagine how they dealt with it.?

Rough Justice

Terry Reed, another attorney for the former hostages, calls his clients ?the only victims of Iran?s hostage-taking and terrorism that have been left behind.? Others who are not bound by the Algiers Accords have gone to court and won judgments against Iran. They include former journalist Terry Anderson, held for seven years by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, who collected some $26 million taken from frozen Iranian assets; victims of the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon, whose lawyers are trying to seize Iranian assets frozen in U.S. institutions to collect on tens of millions of dollars in court awards; and victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, who last year won what will likely turn out to be a largely symbolic $6 billion award against Iran, al-Qaida, and the Taliban.

The disturbing details of the hostages? lives during and after captivity have been no match for successive administrations determined to uphold an international deal, even though it was necessitated by a host government that failed to protect an embassy and allowed militants to hold hostages for month after month. And even though it was signed almost literally at the point of a gun, with Iran threatening ?serious consequences? for the hostages if billions in frozen Iranian assets weren?t released.

Brokered between Iran and the United States by the government of Algeria, the Algiers Accords were hailed as the catalyst for ending the protracted crisis. The executive agreement allowed for commercial claims against Iran to be paid out of Iranian assets frozen when the hostages were taken, but it barred any attempt by the hostages to bring suit against Iran in a U.S. court. Since Iran already enjoyed sovereign immunity against such claims, the State Department did not see that as a concession at the time. In addition, the Justice Department?s Office of Legal Counsel concluded in a Nov. 13, 1980 memo that Congress had the power to ?constitutionally override? the Algiers Accords and reinstate the former hostages? right to sue Iran for damages.

In January 1984, Iran was added to the State Department?s list of state sponsors of terrorism. Twelve years later, Congress passed the Antiterrorism Act, removing the sovereign immunity of countries on the list, and eventually made it retroactive so the former hostages could sue Iran. The former hostages and their families did just that in 2000, and won a default liability ruling the next year in federal court after Iran failed to mount a defense.

The State Department, worried about the implications of violating an international deal signed by a president, argued the case should be dismissed. Congress tried again to help in 2002, writing into a conference report that the former hostages had a valid claim against Iran under the 1996 act. But U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, in a decision later upheld by an appeals court, dismissed the claim in 2002. Congress did not specifically invalidate the Algiers Accords, he said, so he had no choice.?

??Were this Court empowered to judge by its sense of justice, the heart-breaking accounts of the emotional and physical toll of those 444 days on plaintiffs would be more than sufficient justification for granting all the relief that they request,? Sullivan wrote. ?However, this Court is bound to apply the law that Congress has created, according to the rules of interpretation that the Supreme Court has determined. There are two branches of government that are empowered to abrogate and rescind the Algiers Accords, and the judiciary is not one of them.?

Congress tried yet again in 2008, inserting a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act allowing Americans to sue countries that sponsor terrorism. It specifically mentioned the Iranian hostages, so the former hostages filed a new lawsuit citing that section of the new law. But the Obama administration Justice Department urged that the case be dismissed. In September 2010, Sullivan again cited the hostages? ?tremendous suffering? but again ruled against them. Congress had failed to ?expressly? nullify the Algiers Accords or create an unambiguous cause of action against Iran for the 1979 hostage-taking, he said. Last year, the Supreme Court declined to review the case.

Rather than ask Congress at this point to repeal the Algiers Accords, which would trigger years of legal activity with no guaranteed outcome, the former hostages, their advocates, and their Capitol Hill allies have settled on different course: a surcharge on fines and penalties paid by companies that do business with Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. The money would be put into a compensation fund for the hostages. Mike Smith, the hostages? lobbyist, says such a plan will pass overwhelmingly if it comes to a vote, as he expects it will this year. If the State Department has an alternate plan, he adds, ?we?re flexible as long as it brings relatively speedy relief to the former hostages.??

Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, whose constituents include former hostage Kathryn Koob, was the lead sponsor last year on a sanctions surcharge bill that attracted 69 cosponsors. He disagrees with the State Department view that the Algiers Accords are binding; he says agreements negotiated under duress are revocable and further, he says, it?s a violation of the Geneva Conventions to make agreements that don?t allow people to seek compensation from their captors. But Braley plans to reintroduce the sanctions bill this year with as many cosponsors as he can find, ?to try to provide some measure of justice to people who?ve been denied justice all these years.? He says more than $400 million could be available, and hostages held the full 444 days would receive a ?significant settlement.?

Daugherty estimates that he and the other former hostages are due quite a lot. Based on compensatory and punitive damages to other victims of terrorism, he puts the total at nearly $18 million per hostage. ?I don?t expect to get anywhere near that,? he says, but suggests it would be rough justice for a country that has paid very little for the hundreds of U.S. dead and wounded in attacks linked to Iran over the years.

As time runs out for many of the former hostages, and even some of their children, they have become less intent on holding Iran accountable and more interested in compensation and some measure of closure. ?At this point in time, that?s about 89 percent of justice right there,? says John Holland. ?The other 11, I?d still like to see somebody do some physical time themselves for what they did.?

Under Siege

Iranian militants supportive of the new revolutionary government first overran the embassy in Tehran on Feb. 14, 1979, and staff there ? led by Leland Holland ? were told to give them some ground and then talk them into leaving. Miraculously, it worked. But what followed was a cascade of missteps and misjudgments that still evoke anger and frustration among the hostages seized in the subsequent Nov. 4 attack.

After the Valentine?s Day breach, some officials in Washington believed that the militants would move on to other targets or activities, says Daugherty, who was stationed in Washington at the time. He and others, including embassy personnel in Tehran, assumed the opposite: that the militants would be back with more force. The message from the embassy to Foggy Bottom for months after that first breach, says John Holland, Leland?s son, was ?get us out of here,? that Iran was in such disarray that the government could not ensure physical security.?

But the embassy continued to operate. Nine months later, Carter let the deposed shah of Iran into the United States for medical treatment, setting off unrest in Tehran that culminated in the hostage crisis. Daugherty said in a 2003 article in the journal American Diplomacy that the State Department had information at the time that the shah was not at death?s door and could have been treated where he was, in Mexico, rather than in the United States. ?I don?t know how that story changed,? he says now about the factors that led to Carter?s decision.

The shah was about to arrive in the United States when U.S. charge d?affaires Bruce Laingen went to the Iranian foreign ministry to notify his counterpart and ask for protection. Though Carter and others later asserted that assurances had been given, Daugherty wrote in his 2003 article that Laingen did not report any response at all to his request for protection. Daugherty still is incredulous that Carter did not evacuate the embassy the minute he decided to let the shah into America, about two weeks before the militants attacked. The way it played out, he says, ?We never had a chance.??

The grim history that began to unfold at the moment of capture was nothing like Argo, with its focus on can-do American (and Canadian) nerve and creativity. The hostages were taken just a few years after the hasty, ignominious U.S. exit from Vietnam, and overnight, it seemed that Iran had brought America to its knees.

That perception was fueled, perhaps even created, by a nightly ABC News program that later became Nightline. Initially called America Held Hostage, it launched four days after the embassy takeover and included a countdown that underscored the country?s helplessness: Day 11, Day 49, Day 266, Day 365, and on and on. The national feeling of impotence intensified after a tragic April 1980 rescue attempt resulted in the deaths of eight U.S. troops and the loss of U.S. helicopters and classified material to Iran.

That sense of American powerlessness pervaded the household of every hostage. Weeks after the failed rescue, just before Father?s Day, Bruce German?s teenage daughter wrote a 7-page letter to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, pleading for German?s release. ?Dear Ayatollah,? it began, in round, girlish script. ?I wish you could convince your people to let my dad come home to his family ? It is very difficult for me not having my dad around.?

German, a State Department budget officer, had arrived in Tehran five weeks before the embassy takeover. His family learned of his abduction from a church member who saw news of it on TV.

In censored letters every couple of weeks, he urged his daughter and two sons to keep sending him mail, keep praying, and keep doing their schoolwork. Once he wrote that he was ?staying at the lovely resort of Lorton,? recalls the daughter, Deborah Firestone. ?So we knew he was in a prison.? When he did come home, he didn?t talk to his children about what he?d been through, but ?I heard things,? Firestone says, including that his Iranian captors had played Russian roulette with him.?

German, now 76, describes ?constant threat? from the day he was taken captive. ?We didn?t know from day to day if it was our last day because they kept threatening us with guns,? he says. He recalls the hostages being forced awake at 3 a.m., blindfolded, and ?paraded in our underwear into a cold hallway,? where they would hear the ?unmistakable? sound of guns being cocked, and wonder if they were about to be executed. Outside his cell at the notorious Evin prison, German heard ?moaning and screaming and carrying on? as Iranians were tortured. Prayer and mental toughness got him through, German says.

While Firestone says German had flashbacks and nightmares after his release, German says he chose not to the see ?the shrinks? offered by the government. ?I didn?t need that,? he says. He did make what he calls changes ?for the better? after conversations with friends. ?I just took their advice and decided to get on with my life, move ahead, and that I?d try not to look back. So I don?t dwell on that at all anymore,? he says. ?I just put the hostage crisis behind me.?

German?s life is divided into distinct pre-Iran and post-Iran chapters. Within a year of his return, he moved away from his family. Within a few years, he had divorced his wife and left the State Department. He moved to rural northeastern Pennsylvania and reconnected with a woman he knew in high school. He has little contact with his children and grandchildren, a subject he declines to discuss.

Before the Iran crisis, says Firestone, an elementary school teacher, her parents? marriage was ?rock-solid? and she was a ?daddy?s girl.? But since a few months of family closeness right after he returned, she says, contact with her father has increasingly ebbed. He missed her college graduation, her 1993 wedding, and her brother?s wedding last summer. At this point, she hasn?t seen him for eight years. He last saw her youngest child, almost 12, when she was 3.

While it?s impossible to gauge the role of German?s captivity on his choices, Firestone has no doubts. ?He?s pretty much fallen off the face of the earth as far as his family is concerned,? she says. ?Our lives have been irreparably damaged because of what happened.?

Hero and Victim

Fresh off 444 days as victims, the hostages returned to a nation that was more than ready to move on from nightly doses of America Held Hostage. They were celebrated as heroes with a full-blown ticker tape parade in New York ? the kind usually reserved for astronauts, military veterans, and champion sports teams. Ronald Reagan had just taken the oath of office. People desperately wanted it to be a new morning in America, as Reagan?s reelection campaign would put it in a TV ad four years later.

?We had been so embarrassed by the Iranians holding power over us,? says Lankford. ?We didn?t want to hear about how the hostages were kept in freezers with no clothes on, kept in cells with their own excrement. America in 1981 needed heroes, and these folks as a group were presented as heroes. It was really in many respects to wash away the bad feeling of Vietnam. Heroes you give medals to. You don?t compensate them.?

In truth, each hostage was both a hero and a victim, a dual identity epitomized by Leland Holland. He was an Army intelligence officer in Berlin during the Cold War, served two tours in Vietnam, and became a parachutist at the ripe age of 46 before going to Tehran as the Army attach? for the embassy. He returned to active duty and a top Pentagon job when he was released, gave talks about his ordeal at various military bases, and made Army training films based on his experience ? films his son says are still in use. In a measure of his reputation, shortly after he died, the Army bestowed his name on an 11-building complex at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. And yet in retirement, when he was no longer too busy to keep memories at bay, he relived his interrogations in nightmares.

The ordeal that left an indelible mark on so many lives has not only receded in time, it has been overwhelmed and overshadowed by the many terrible terrorist acts that followed, most notably the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center. Still, Firestone says she was shocked to find the Iran hostage crisis distilled to one paragraph in her son?s history book. In Lankford?s conference room one recent day, she gazed at hostage photos on a 2001 trial exhibit headlined ?52 Faces We Won?t Forget,? and remarked, ?It seems like everybody has forgotten.?

In the view of many former hostages, that forgetfulness extends to the failure of the U.S. government to learn from what what they endured amid the anarchic tumult of a country that had just been through a revolution. They shook their heads last Sept. 11 when terrorist attacks killed U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans at the consulate in Benghazi. It was happening again ? a host government unable to protect diplomatic personnel, and pleas for help that went unheeded. ?Nothing?s changed over all these years,? German says.

But change may be coming at last. In the wake of the Benghazi tragedy, the Obama administration and Congress appear determined to improve protection of U.S. personnel overseas. And the former hostages, who have long been able to count on bipartisan goodwill in Congress, now have a new strategy and new prominence. Thanks to a popular film, Americans have been given a fresh reminder that Islamic terror has plagued the country beyond this generation, and 52 of its earliest victims may finally get their due. It?s no Hollywood ending, but it could be a last act.

Multimedia produced by Cory Bennett

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/argo-great-52-american-hostages-still-looking-justice-211834586--politics.html

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Future evidence for extraterrestrial life might come from dying stars

Feb. 25, 2013 ? Even dying stars could host planets with life -- and if such life exists, we might be able to detect it within the next decade. This encouraging result comes from a new theoretical study of Earth-like planets orbiting white dwarf stars. Researchers found that we could detect oxygen in the atmosphere of a white dwarf's planet much more easily than for an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star.

"In the quest for extraterrestrial biological signatures, the first stars we study should be white dwarfs," said Avi Loeb, theorist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) and director of the Institute for Theory and Computation.

When a star like the Sun dies, it puffs off its outer layers, leaving behind a hot core called a white dwarf. A typical white dwarf is about the size of Earth. It slowly cools and fades over time, but it can retain heat long enough to warm a nearby world for billions of years.

Since a white dwarf is much smaller and fainter than the Sun, a planet would have to be much closer in to be habitable with liquid water on its surface. A habitable planet would circle the white dwarf once every 10 hours at a distance of about a million miles.

Before a star becomes a white dwarf it swells into a red giant, engulfing and destroying any nearby planets. Therefore, a planet would have to arrive in the habitable zone after the star evolved into a white dwarf. A planet could form from leftover dust and gas (making it a second-generation world), or migrate inward from a larger distance.

If planets exist in the habitable zones of white dwarfs, we would need to find them before we could study them. The abundance of heavy elements on the surface of white dwarfs suggests that a significant fraction of them have rocky planets. Loeb and his colleague Dan Maoz (Tel Aviv University) estimate that a survey of the 500 closest white dwarfs could spot one or more habitable Earths.

The best method for finding such planets is a transit search -- looking for a star that dims as an orbiting planet crosses in front of it. Since a white dwarf is about the same size as Earth, an Earth-sized planet would block a large fraction of its light and create an obvious signal.

More importantly, we can only study the atmospheres of transiting planets. When the white dwarf's light shines through the ring of air that surrounds the planet's silhouetted disk, the atmosphere absorbs some starlight. This leaves chemical fingerprints showing whether that air contains water vapor, or even signatures of life, such as oxygen.

Astronomers are particularly interested in finding oxygen because the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere is continuously replenished, through photosynthesis, by plant life. Were all life to cease on Earth, our atmosphere would quickly become devoid of oxygen, which would dissolve in the oceans and oxidize the surface. Thus, the presence of large quantities of oxygen in the atmosphere of a distant planet would signal the likely presence of life there.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scheduled for launch by the end of this decade, promises to sniff out the gases of these alien worlds. Loeb and Maoz created a synthetic spectrum, replicating what JWST would see if it examined a habitable planet orbiting a white dwarf. They found that both oxygen and water vapor would be detectable with only a few hours of total observation time.

"JWST offers the best hope of finding an inhabited planet in the near future," said Maoz.

Recent research by CfA astronomers Courtney Dressing and David Charbonneau showed that the closest habitable planet is likely to orbit a red dwarf star (a cool, low-mass star undergoing nuclear fusion). Since a red dwarf, although smaller and fainter than the Sun, is much larger and brighter than a white dwarf, its glare would overwhelm the faint signal from an orbiting planet's atmosphere. JWST would have to observe hundreds of hours of transits to have any hope of analyzing the atmosphere's composition.

"Although the closest habitable planet might orbit a red dwarf star, the closest one we can easily prove to be life-bearing might orbit a white dwarf," said Loeb.

Their paper has been accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) is a joint collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory. CfA scientists, organized into six research divisions, study the origin, evolution and ultimate fate of the universe.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Abraham Loeb, Dan Maoz. Detecting bio-markers in habitable-zone earths transiting white dwarfs. Arxiv, 2013 [link]

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225131618.htm

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Health Benefits of Clary Sage Essential Oil: Uses in Aromatherapy

Clary Sage Essential Oil

As an Aromatherapist, I have a special love and predilection for Clary Sage. This particular oil is as magical as it is versatile ? I have used it to help my clients with relationship problems, self-esteem issues, emotional turmoil and even gynaecological disorders. I frequently use Clary Sage in homemade shampoos and it is the key ingredient in ALEGRIA, my best selling aromatherapy blend!

Through this article, I want to share with you the multiple benefits of this amazing oil.

What is Clary Sage?

Clary Sage is a perennial herb with greyish, velvety heart-shaped leaves and numerous pale-blue violet-pink flowers. Although the plant is native to the Mediterranean region, it is widely cultivated across central Europe, Russia, England, Morocco and the USA for its essential oil. The oil finds various applications in the liquor and perfume industries, apart from aromatherapy.

The English name ?clary? is derived from the Latin word ?sclarea?, which in turn is derived from ?clarus?, meaning ?clear?.? The name ?clary? was gradually modified to Clear Eye, possibly because the mucilaginous seeds of the herb were once used for removing foreign bodies from the eyes.

Clary Sage Essential Oil ? Uses in Aromatherapy

Clary Sage is an excellent relaxant having somewhat aphrodisiac, euphoric, and antidepressant characteristics. Rich in plant estrogen, it is especially helpful in treating women-specific conditions. From asthma and insomnia to indigestion and hypertension, the remarkable therapeutic qualities of Clary Sage make it an all-in-one tonic for the whole body.

Clary Sage Essential Oil for Hormonal Balance

Clary Sage?s is effective against PMS, painful periods, menstrual irregularity, symptoms of menopause and labor. A clinical trial involving the use of essential oils being used during labor revealed that Clary Sage?s relaxing and analgesic effects contributed to its ability to accelerate labor. [1] Yet another study conducted at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford reported that Clary Sage assisted contractions, making labor shorter and less painful for mothers. [2]

Clary Sage is also a uterine stimulant and an emmenagogue that promotes menstruation when delayed, scanty or completely absent. When massaged over the abdomen during periods, its spasmolytic and analgesic action on the uterus can relieve menstrual cramps.

Clary Sage Essential Oil for Nervous Equilibrium

Clary Sage is a powerful nerve tonic, valuable for all types of nervous debility and states of exhaustion. Furthermore, people who are prone to paranoia and panic attacks are likely to benefit from its anxiolytic properties. A clinical trial carried out by an Italian group who have been researching the anti-inflammatory and peripheral analgesic effects of Clary Sage, has demonstrated the oil?s anti-convulsion effect in animals. Specific conditions of neurasthenia or hyperactivity in children also respond well to Clary Sage. [2]

Clary Sage Essential Oil for Emotional Well-Being

Clary Sage has mild narcotic properties, which spark creativity and vivid imagination. Its herby scent can also relieve feelings of tension and anxiety that are so typical during exams or interviews. Clary Sage is a calming oil that kindles both mind and spirit, and can induce a kind of euphoria or a feeling of elation, although in some cases it simply causes drowsiness. It may be used in a massage blend or in the bath to treat nervous exhaustion and depression. [3]

Clary Sage Essential Oil for Sexual Health

Clary Sage?s stress-busting and deeply relaxing properties make it a powerful natural aphrodisiac. While it fuels desire and masculinity in men, its profound characteristics stimulate sexual appetite and confidence in women. The oil also helps overcome frigidity, inhibition or anxiety that may come in the way of a fulfilling man-woman relationship. [4]

Clary Sage Essential Oil For Skin and Hair Care

Clary Sage is used in several skin and hair care products owing to its hydrating, antimicrobial and anti-dandruff properties. It is known to revitalize the scalp and clear dead skin, thus reducing flakiness and itching commonly associated with dandruff.

Have you ever used Clary Sage essential oil? Share your experience with us!

References:

[1] The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy, Salvatore Battaglia

[2] Aromatherapy for Health Professionals, 3edition, Len and Shirley Price

[3] Aromatherapy and the Mind, Julia Lawless

[4] Aromantics

? 2013, Cristina Proano-Carrion, Aromandina LLC

This information is based on traditional use of aromatherapy and it does not intend to diagnose or treat any condition. This information should not be used as a substitute for medical counseling with a health care professional. No part of this article may be reproduced in whole or in part without the explicit written permission of Aromandina.

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Source: http://thearomablog.com/clary-sage-tonic-for-mind-body-and-soul/

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Saturday, February 23, 2013

STATE PROPERTY: Another Sale Of A Taxpayer-Backed Business To China?

fisker-china

Republican senators complained Wednesday that U.S. taxpayer dollars could end up boosting the Chinese economy, following reports that a Chinese firm is leading the pack of companies bidding for a majority stake in government-backed Fisker Automotive.

The troubled California-based electric car maker, which was backed by U.S. taxpayers to the tune of nearly $530 million, for months has been looking for a financial partner. Reuters reported earlier this week that China?s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group is favored to take over, though Fisker is also reportedly weighing a bid from another Chinese auto maker.

The development comes after Fisker?s main battery supplier ? U.S. government-backed A123 Systems ? was recently purchased by a separate Chinese firm.

Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, voiced concern Wednesday that Chinese companies are benefiting from U.S. taxpayers? investment.

?Obama?s green energy investments appear to be nothing more than venture capital for eventual Chinese acquisitions,? Thune said in a statement. ?After stimulus-funded A123 was just acquired by a Chinese-based company, it?s troubling to see that yet another struggling taxpayer-backed company might be purchased under duress by a Chinese company.?

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Source: http://www.secretsofthefed.com/state-property-another-sale-of-a-taxpayer-backed-business-to-china/

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Mystery Nokia Lumia appears with Verizon bands at FCC

Mystery Nokia Lumia appears at FCC with Verizon bands

Can you smell it? Smartphone season is in the air. Along with recent leaks for the Lumia 720 and Lumia 520, another handset from Nokia was just tipped -- this time at the FCC. The phone in question is known only as the RM-860, but with support for LTE bands 4 and 13, it carries the telltale marks as a Verizon smartphone. As you may recall, Nokia revealed earlier this year that it aims to bring high-end, mid-range and low-end Lumia smartphones to AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Given the relatively blah Lumia 822 that's already at Big Red, could this be a sign that Verizon is set to gain its own iteration of the Lumia 920? Or, might it be that the carrier is aiming for lower hanging fruit?

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: FCC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/22/mystery-nokia-lumia-for-verizon/

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Cookbook helps breast cancer patients

by TERRI GRUCA / KVUE News

Bio | Email | Follow: @TerriG_KVUE

kvue.com

Posted on February 22, 2013 at 6:51 PM

Updated today at 7:07 PM

AUSTIN -- Somewhere between the pictures and the people, Bill Bastas found his purpose.

"We want to make a bigger impact on the breast cancer community," Bastas said.

For years he?s turned his passion for photography into a money-making mission, raising more than $21,000 for local breast cancer charities with his 'Smile Never Fades' organization.

It's why no one should be surprised Bastas cooked up his latest venture - a cookbook featuring breast cancer survivors and their families.

"I think this is going to be a good seller," said Bastas.

Kristene Edwards counted on her quiche to get her through breast cancer.?

"I was diagnosed in May of 2011. This is my go-to comfort food,? Edwards said.

She was diagnosed ten years after her younger sister battled the same disease.

After a lumpectomy, months of chemotherapy and radiation, Edwards is cancer-free and sees this as her opportunity to give back.

"I'm not a big cook, but I am honored to be part of helping raise money for something that's dear to my heart," she said.

It's a sentiment shared by everyone who has been asked to submit a recipe, Terri Gruca?s mom included.

"It's just a blessing to be alive and to do something like this,? said Hedy Gruca.

Hedy just celebrated four years of being cancer-free.

"I always loved to cook and am always looking for a new cookbook and I can't wait to see all the other recipes," said Hedy.

Bastas hopes to have 200 survivors, recipes and inspiring stories on every page.

"It's our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our wives, the best of our society. It's not acceptable," said Bastas.

Bastas knows this better than most. He lost his own wife to breast cancer eight years ago.

"It solidifies my mission," he said.

His recipe: to make a difference in the lives of breast cancer patients.

Proceeds from the "Comfort Cooking - Recipes To Make You Smile" cookbook will pay to provide concierge care for patients undergoing breast cancer treatment. It will start next year by providing things like housecleaning services.

Bastas is still looking for survivors to feature in the cookbook which he hopes to have out in time for Christmas.

Click here to contact Bill Bastas.

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Source: http://www.kvue.com/news/health/Comfort-Cooking-Cookbook-to-help-Breast-Cancer-Patients-192609691.html

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Former Pittsburgh Steeler, Army veteran Rocky Bleier to lead Myrtle Beach Memorial Day parade

MYRTLE BEACH -- Former Pittsburgh Steeler and U.S. Army veteran Rocky Bleier will be this year?s grand marshal at Myrtle Beach?s Memorial Day weekend parade, the city announced Thursday.

Bleier played one season for the Steelers before being drafted by the Army in December 1968. While serving in Vietnam in 1969 he was wounded during an ambush and awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, according to a press release from the city.

He returned to the Steelers the next year and played for the team until 1980, retiring with four Super Bowl wins.

The parade, which will take place at 10:30 a.m. May 25, is the highlight of a month?s worth of activities for the city?s Military Appreciation Days.

The city?s Military Appreciation Days Committee met Thursday afternoon to work toward finalizing the rest of the month?s events and activities.

New this year will be a Veterans Beard and ?Stache Beach Bash, where participants will compete in a number of facial hair categories ? including one for women.

Men entering the competition need to be veterans. To broaden the contest, organizer Dana King said women who would like to participate don?t have to be veterans.

?Ladies just have to be a lady and show up,? he said at the committee meeting. ?Generally that is a bigger draw than a bunch of hairy dudes on stage.?

King said he believes the event will be the first-ever veteran-exclusive beard and mustache competition.

?[The committee was] looking for different things we could do,? he said. ?I was looking for something unique, something that hadn?t been done before and is fun.?

Other activities shaping up to take place in May include a ?meals ready-to-eat? tasting and cooking contest, 5K road race and band concerts. The committee has worked with local businesses who will give a discount to members of the military throughout May.

As grand marshal, Bleier will lead the parade on Ocean Boulevard and mingle with people at the Military Appreciation Days Family Picnic that same day.

Previous grand marshals include astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Sen. John McCain.

For more information about this year?s military days events, visit www.militaryappreciationdays.com.

Source: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2013/02/21/3341523/former-pittsburgh-steeler-army.html

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Monday, February 18, 2013

17Feb2013:- Saudi oil output declines

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Source: http://www.saudinf.com/display_news.php?id=8310

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Mitsui To Launch Power-Saving Service In India

Monday, February 18, 2013

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Mitsui & Co. (8031) will start a power conservation service in India, beginning with a test run at upscale residences in Delhi.
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Source: http://e.nikkei.com/e/app/fr/gateway/rss_news.aspx?URL=/e/ac/tnks/Nni20130217D1702F05.htm

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UK Nike salesman sacked for trying to sell old trainers on Facebook

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Source: http://www.aninews.in/newsdetail8/story98790/UK-Nike-salesman-sacked-for-trying-to-sell-old-trainers-on-Facebook.html

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Sunday, February 17, 2013

How to use your iPhone or iPad to help you eat better

How to use your iPhone or iPad to help you eat better

February is Fitness Month at iMore and Mobile Nations, and that means our whole community is involved -- readers, listeners, viewers, and most of all, forum members. All week you've been sharing how you use your iPhone and iPad to stay in shape, and the apps and accessories you use along with it. Sure, we sweetened the deal by putting a $100 iTunes gift card up for grabs -- and we'll do it again next week -- but you guys brought serious game.

So what did you tell us?

Our winner, mjcostajr, had this to say:

Keep track of your nutrition can be cumbersome and disconnected, but there are definitely some great apps/devices which can make it quite simple.

  • Evernote Food: Not just a great app for keeping track of what you've eaten at a restaurant. It's great to remind yourself of what ingredients you used, how you cooked the meal and when you ate during the day. Of course since it syncs with Evernote, it's a great food journal that's accessible everywhere. Also, if you're busy and unsure of calories, serving sizes, etc, you can always use this to snap a picture of the meal quickly and enter the details into other apps (MyFitnessPal, Lose It) later in the day when you are winding down.

  • RunKeeper: Manual data entry is a must! It's crazy that Nike+ still doesn't natively offer this option. Also, RunKeeper lets you distinguish between different activities: running, elliptical, rowing, etc! Of course, when the weather is beautiful and you are ready to hit the pavement, the GPS records all your running stats quite nicely!

  • Withings WS-30: Keep track of your weight without writing anything down! Just simply step onto the scale and let it record your weight and BMI. Doesn't get much easier than this!

Definitely looking forward as Health/Fitness apps/gear continues to integrate and make staying healthy easier!

Thanks mjcostajr! We also had great tips from many of the other entrants.

Fausty82, among others things, likes to track food intake:

  • MyFitnessPal: I love this app, for many reasons, but primarily because it?s so easy to use. I use it on both my iPhone and my MacBook Pro. The iPhone version has a barcode scanner for entering packaged food items. But whether you use the scanner or not. MyFitnessPal has a very extensive database of foods with their nutritional values. The database also contains a good assortment of menu items from popular restaurants, which allows me to choose healthy (ier?) meals when my wife wants to go out for a meal.

iDonev, among other things, tries for caloric restriction.

  • Calorie Counter: Even though recent studies show restricted caloric intake doesn't affect longevity, I restrict mine as a part of a two-year plan to bring down my weight. Here I'm heavily invested in Calorie Counter by Viaden. Their iPhone and iPad app is quite pleasant to work with and is bursting with options. In the app I have set up a personal plan by inputting my biometrics and setting a goal for the summer of 2014. The app calculated my needed caloric intake based on my lifestyle (mostly seated and actively training).

djayme7, among other things, like getting help with recipes.

VeganXpress and the Vegetarian How to Cook Everything: These apps help me eat right the low fat veggie way! The fitness buddy and full fitness apps help me keep my bod looking Aotay! I highly recommend all four of these apps and a vegetarian diet to look and feel the best you ever have for 2013!

We had a lot of other great posts as well, and a lot of great recommendations, so make sure you check them all out, and if you haven't already, please add yours to the thread!



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/8_IwvzT5I0g/story01.htm

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Realtors Defend Homeowner Benefits

Did you know ?

  1. The Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction (MID) helps mostly middle- and lower-income families? 91% of those who took the MID make less than $200,000 a year?
  2. Capital Gains Exclusion allows you to exclude up to $500,000 from capital gains?
  3. Federal Housing Administration loans help put home ownership within reach for millions of homebuyers at no cost to tax payers?

Home ownership is important to your local economy, and we at the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS? are working hard to make home ownership more affordable for more Americans every day.

Across the country, families are benefiting from federal programs that help not just home owners, but also their loved ones and communities. And right now, these programs are at risk.

Is your real estate agent a REALTOR??? They should be.? Make it part of your decision process when choosing an agent.

DreamsBanner

Source: http://nwdwellings.com/2013/02/15/realtors-defend-homeowner-benefits/

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Saturday, February 16, 2013

Hungry Labrie provides jolt of energy in return to the Syracuse Crunch


You've got to feed the big dog to keep him happy.

As usual, Syracuse Crunch forward P.C. Labrie was smiling on Friday night.

He patted roommate Eric Neilson on the back, complimenting his cooking. Labrie apparently misses that up in Tampa Bay.

"This guy can cook,'' Labrie said. "He does like 40 appetizers before we have a dinner. By the time we have dinner, we're full.''

Labrie will have to shovel it in while he can. Since he's here on a conditioning assignment from Tampa Bay, he can only stay up to two weeks before he'd have to clear NHL waivers.

Friday's 7-1 win over Binghamton was Labrie's first game back, and it was typical of the popular grinder. He scored an ugly goal off a centering pass that deflected in off Sens defenseman Danny New, and he fought to defend a teammate.

"It feels good to be back with the boys,'' Labrie said. "It's my family. I've been with them for three years. They all know I'm happy to be here.''

Labrie, who has played in just three games with the Lightning, said his main objective is to regain his feel for the puck, but there's certainly nothing rusty about his protective instincts. He fought Binghamton's Mark Borowiecki on Friday after Labrie didn't like a hit Borowiecki put on Syracuse's Philip-Michael Devos.

"It's just a reaction,'' Labrie said. "He was hitting a lot tonight. At some point I don't have to worry about the score and protect my teammates.''

twitter_pshockey_badge.jpg

Source: http://blog.syracuse.com/crunch/2013/02/hungry_labrie_provides_jolt_of.html

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Ford Thailand gets new MD

BANGKOK: Ford has promoted Yukontorn ?Vickie? Wisadkosin to the post of managing director, Ford Thailand, with immediate effect.

She will continue to report directly to Ford Asean president Matt Bradley.
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As managing director, Yukontorn officially assumes overall responsibility for day-to-day operations of the Ford Thailand business, including marketing, sales and service, dealer relations, finance, human resources, government affairs, and general administration.


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Yukontorn joined Ford Thailand in September as vice president, marketing, sales and service.

She was formerly the CEO of HICOM-Chevrolet Sdn Bhd in 2008. HICOM-Chevrolet was the former distributor of Chevrolet cars before the franchise was taken over by Naza Quest Sdn Bhd in 2010.

Ford Thailand reported its best-ever January performance with sales that rose 74 percent year-over-year.

This followed a record full-year for Ford in Thailand in 2012, with overall sales that jumped 88 percent to 54,865 units.
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Ford also reaffirmed its plans to expand its nationwide dealer network to 140 locations by the end of 2013.
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Source: http://star-motoring.com/News/2013/Ford-Thailand-gets-new-MD.aspx?feed=StarMotoringNewsFeed

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Monday, February 11, 2013

Seeking a Duke for Regency Romance

Hello there and thank you for stopping by!

What we are looking for . . .

We are a small group of two Role Players in love with the Regency Era. We are looking for one more player to play the Duke of St Albans to our two heroines. We need someone who is equally as knowledgeable and who loves the Regency Era to play an accurate and fascinating character.

This is a long term commitment. I think it is very important to point this out. Thus we need somebody who will be able to keep up with us and also be able to be there till the end. If you know you cannot keep this promise, please do not apply.

However, if you know you are able to commit and like the premises then by all means apply and we would love for you to join our little team.

We do have a story line set out but you will be free to be as creative as you wish with the Duke as long as it complies with the set guidelines we have for the story and we are also open to any idea's you may wish for the characters and contribute to the story.

Here is the link to the Role Play page. Duty & Honor Before Love Please read it thoroughly so you understand what we are asking and looking for.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact myself or Xistinna at any time by PM.

Again thank you for stopping by and we hope to see you soon at Duty & Honor Before Love!

Kind Regards,

Scarlett DuBois x

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/7hgHJt5i9nc/viewtopic.php

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Israel Ride Info Session: Baltimore

Discover how the?Israel Ride?can be your next adventure

Wednesday, April 17th, 7:00 pm
Race?Pace?Bicycles
1410 Key Highway
Baltimore, MD 21230

RSVP

Rabbi Michael Cohen with his son, Roi

What does it feel like to cycle on the?Israel Ride?? Hear from Rabbi Michael Cohen-?Director of Development for Friends of the Arava?and?Israel Ride alum- ?about cycling through Israel, the Middle East?s environmental challenges, and the potential for regional cooperation at the Arava Institute.

Bring your friends with you ?| ?All are welcome at this event.

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Source: http://www.hazon.org/28376/

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No date for Valentine's Day? New apps may help

TORONTO (Reuters) - Singles who believe in love at first sight can turn to new apps that will match them with potential dates in time for Valentine's Day, but only if each person has expressed an interest.

With the new dating apps, users simply flip through photos of people in nearby locations and express their interest in dating someone. If there's a mutual attraction, the app connects them for a conversation. If not, their feelings remain anonymous.

"It limits the conversations to people you've actually expressed an interest in. So each of those conversations starts at a very deep level," said Sean Rad, co-founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based company Tinder, which developed the app of the same name.

Makers of the Tinder app, which is available worldwide for iPhone, said it has matched more than 10 million couples since it was launched in September.

The app pulls in member photos of people from Facebook, and then it's as simple as anonymously indicating interest in that person. If both people like each other, messages can be sent between the two users.

Rad said most users are between 18 and 30 years old.

Let's Date, which was released across the United States last week for the iPhone, is a similar app. But rather than simply focusing on the photo, the app provides the person's interests from Facebook for a broader view of the potential date.

"Our goal was to create an app that replicated the real world experience of going to a party or bar full of potentially eligible people," said Sean Suhl, founder of Let's Date.

"You're put into a crowd of people and if someone catches your eye and they catch your eye, then a conversation is struck up and then someone might ask the other person out on a date," he added.

The app resulted from a frustration with other dating apps, according to Suhl, who described them as "artificial and laborious".

"We're just presenting you the daters and you're just saying yes or no," he added.

Both apps require a login with Facebook, so people must use their real identity. Let's Date also stipulates that users must have been active on Facebook for a year, and have at least 50 friends before signing up.

Although the apps can set people up quickly, it still could take a while to find the right person.

"People are literally getting dates the same night, but you might want to give yourself enough time to find the right Valentine," Rad said.

Both companies plan to release Android apps.

(Editing by Patricia Reaney; and Peter Galloway)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/no-date-valentines-day-apps-may-help-161008287--finance.html

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Friday, February 8, 2013

The God of Thunder, and Momentum

Thor?Norse god, Marvel superhero, and Hollywood eye candy?presents those of us living in the real world with a few problems. Thor is a ?demigod,? and any attempt to scientifically explore his otherworldly abilities can be dismissed as such. But with his resurgence in The Avengers last year, and seeing that today is Thor?s Day, the time has come to discuss in real terms his most prized possession: Mjolnir (literally, ?that which smashes?)?his hammer.

The argument about Thor?s hammer usually revolves around its role in Thor?s ?flight.? Some argue that Thor can summon storms, and therefore wind, to keep himself aloft. Others point out that he merely keeps himself hovering by spinning the hammer like a helicopter blade. But the most common explanation is that Thor?s hammer, being tremendously massive, is used to propel Thor into the sky in a suitably beefy exhibition of momentum.

In The Avengers and the comics, Thor?s main mode of transportation is spinning and then throwing the hammer, and hanging on for dear physics. With the help of Neil deGrasse Tyson, there are numbers and assumptions we can make to see just how demigodly you would have to be to wield such a power. With enough strength to literally toss billions of pounds around, you would be ?worthy? indeed.

The Amazing?Mass of Thor?s Hammer

Recently, the world?s favorite astrophysicist tweeted this out to his million followers:

Neutron stars are the tiny (in astronomical terms) remnants of once massive stars. Though a neutron star could fit within the borders of Philadelphia, it?s not the size that?s important. A neutron star is so dense that a teaspoon of it would weigh about as much as a good-sized mountain.

I?ll give NdGT the benefit of the doubt and assume that he made correct assumptions about the dimensions of Thor?s hammer. As for the weight, ?a herd of 300-billion elephants? (of the African variety) would weigh in the neighborhood of A LOT. We are talking nine times the total biomass of the Earth. I guess those Chris Hemsworth muscles ain?t just for show.

Now we have to invoke the demigod excuse a bit here, as it would be impossible to lift such a weight. Thor is ?worthy,? so I guess he can lift it. But no matter how he can lift it, I sure hope he holds on, as something so dense would sink all the way through the Earth if he let it hit the ground.

Conservation of Demigod Momentum

It turns out that while nerds like myself have been arguing the mechanics of Thor?s flight, the comics have at least tried to resolve the issue:

Of course, sometimes we see Thor fly in the comics without spinning the hammer and apparently he can control the flight of it with magic demigod powers, but we?ll stick to the explanation we can explore?throwing and then hanging onto Mjolnir.

Any object with mass gains momentum as it moves. This value is simply the product of mass and velocity. Likewise, when an object with mass moves around some axis, it gains angular momentum.

Both kinds of momentum are conserved. You don?t create or destroy momentum; you just transfer it from one place to another. Think of cracking two billiard balls together. When one travels towards the other, it has momentum. When it hits the other ball, some (or all) of that momentum is transferred and the other ball moves. Angular momentum is conserved in the same way. A figure skater can increase the speed of her spin by bringing her arms closer to her chest?by moving mass closer to the axis of her spin, speed increases to conserve momentum. Conservation of momentum also explains why Newton?s cradles work (they would go forever if they didn?t lose energy to heat and air resistance).

Thor?s flight is a souped-up version of Newton?s cradle or the billiard balls. As explained in the comic panel above, the demigod takes to the skies by first hurling his hammer and then quickly grabbing onto the ?indestructible? strap. Flight is only possible because momentum is conserved.

If you spin some object around in a circle and then let go, it will fly off in a straight line from where you let it go. The path of the hammer will be some straight line coming off a circular path?a tangent?into the sky. So while angular momentum would explain the ridiculous energies and forces created by spinning the hammer, linear momentum will explain how Thor flies.

Time for some numbers. The Marvel Wiki puts Thor?s weight at a massive 291 kilograms, or 640 pounds. And, I?ll assume that Thor can spin his hammer as fast as a major league pitcher can throw?around 100 miles per hour or 45 meters per second.

If you let go of a hammer spinning at 100 mph, it will fly off in a straight line (at least until gravity takes over) at that speed. To calculate its momentum, we multiply its mammoth mass by this speed. The calculation results in 3.0*10^16 Newton-seconds of momentum (that?s a lot of zeroes). If Thor quickly grabs onto the hammer with this momentum, he adds mass to the system (his body+the hammer). If the mass changes, the velocity also has to change to conserve momentum.

It?s an odd conclusion: the speed that Thor releases the hammer is the speed at which Thor and the hammer will travel. But it makes sense from the math. Because the hammer is so incredibly heavy, a tiny addition to its mass won?t slow it down at all.

It would be like jumping onto a space shuttle while it?s taking off: with so much mass and speed, the addition of your tiny body won?t exactly change much.

And you might have tested this principle for yourself. As a kid, that merry-go-round on the playground was only fun if you could get it spinning quickly first. Try as you might, no matter how fast it went, once you jumped on it would slow down. This is because the mass of the system increased, so the velocity of the system had to decrease. But in Thor?s case the hammer outweighs him by astronomical factors. The mass increases and the velocity decreases, but by an insignificant amount.

If you could throw something as massive as Thor?s hammer around, not much will stop it. Wind resistance and other factors would have a hard time slowing it down, making ?flying? with it (more like hanging on to a ballistic missile) plausible.

The kinetic energy alone is out-of-this-world huge. Throwing the hammer at 100 mph (45 m/s) gives it 688,500,000,000,000,000 Joules of energy. That is almost three times the yield of the largest nuclear bomb ever exploded, Tsar Bomba, which shook the Earth with an equivalent of 57 megatons of TNT. Needless to say, with this kind of energy, Tony Stark should have asked Thor to simply throw his hammer at the alien ship at the end of The Avengers and watched the fireworks.

The only way around a mass heavy enough to sink through the Earth, and to pick it up and swing it no less, is to invoke the demigod excuse. But applying real-world physics to his flight only makes Thor that much more v?ndr bacraut (the closest I could find in old Norse to badass). Not only would he be able to ?fly,? but Thor could nearly vaporize a mountain with a single throw of his hammer.

Images: Tor?s Fight with the Giants, 1872 by M?rten Eskil Winge, Comic Panel found on Scifi+Fantasy Stack Exchange?Can anyone identify the issue? Thor meme on Meme Center

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=c4f67e6f78d150646614dba39da49161

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Hot-shooting Arkansas downs No. 2 Florida 80-69

Arkansas' Jacorey Williams, right, and Anthlon Bell celebrate with fans after their 80-69 win over No. 2 Florida in an NCAA college basketball game in Fayetteville, Ark., Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Arkansas' Jacorey Williams, right, and Anthlon Bell celebrate with fans after their 80-69 win over No. 2 Florida in an NCAA college basketball game in Fayetteville, Ark., Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Florida's Erik Murphy (33) dribbles around Arkansas' Coty Clarke (4) during the first half an NCAA college basketball game in Fayetteville, Ark., Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Arkansas' Marshawn Powell, right, celebrates with fans after their 80-69 win over No. 2 Florida in an NCAA college basketball game in Fayetteville, Ark., Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Arkansas fans storm the court as they celebrate after their 80-69 win over No. 2 Florida in an NCAA college basketball game in Fayetteville, Ark., Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Arkansas' Jacorey Williams, right, and Anthlon Bell celebrate with fans after their 80-69 win over No. 2 Florida in an NCAA college basketball game in Fayetteville, Ark., Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

(AP) ? Arkansas' Rickey Scott walked to the sideline, gasping for air before lying down in an attempt to catch his breath.

And that was less than 4 minutes into the Razorbacks' shocking 80-69 victory over No. 2 Florida on Tuesday night, giving second-year coach Mike Anderson the signature win had he been looking for in an electric Bud Walton Arena.

BJ Young led three players in double figures with 13 points as the Razorbacks (14-8, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) opened quickly and never let up, fueled by a raucous crowd of 13,816. It was an energy-filled arena that reminded Anderson of the Arkansas of old ? when he was an assistant to former coach Nolan Richardson when the Razorbacks were among the nation's best, winning the 1994 national championship.

"If I gave two game balls tonight, one would certainly go to our fans," Anderson said. "This place was lively tonight. It brought back a lot of memories for myself, especially sitting on that bench and seeing our fans so engaged in the game."

The win improves the Razorbacks to 14-1 at home this season, and it snaps a 10-game winning streak for the Gators ? who had ascended to the No. 2 spot in The AP Top 25 one day earlier.

Arkansas opened the game 15 of 20 from the field. Michael Qualls and Marshawn Powell added 11 points each and 11 players scored for the Razorbacks in their first win over a top 10 team since early in 2008-09.

Mike Rosario led Florida (18-3, 8-1) with 15 points, while Scottie Wilbekin added 14, Michael Frazier 11 and Kennny Boynton 10. The Gators hit just 4 of their first 15 shots, 7 of 24 in the first half, and never recovered in suffering their first loss since a 67-61 setback at Kansas State on Dec. 22.

That loss was also the most points Florida had allowed in a game this season before Tuesday night.

"Clearly we did not play the level of defense that we had played," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "A combination of I didn't think we did a very good job and a combination of I thought they did do a very good job.

"They made some shots there early in the game and got themselves going."

After trailing by as many as 23 points in the first half, the Gators cut the lead to 43-26 at halftime.

The Razorbacks didn't give Florida a chance to come up for air to open the second half, forcing turnovers on two straight possessions to open the second half and extending the lead 49-26 following a jumper by Qualls.

Florida had one final run in it ? responding with an 11-2 stretch to cut the deficit to 51-37 after an inside basket by Frazier.

The Gators did close the lead to 11 points, but by then it was too late against an Arkansas team in desperate need of a signature win, one that hasn't reached the NCAA tournament since 2008. The Razorbacks were then coached by current Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey, who entered Bud Walton Arena to handshakes and hugs Tuesday night before walking off the court with a stunning loss in his second return to his former home.

"They had that lead and we just kept trying to chip away, but they kept coming at us and eventually time just ran out," Florida's Erik Murphy said.

The win was Arkansas' first over a team ranked in the top 10 since victories over No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 7 Texas early in 2008-09, Pelphrey's second season.

Anderson took over last season, and his previous best win was over then-No. 15 Mississippi State. Tuesday's game was the third in six days for the Razorbacks, who have yet to win a game away from home this season.

"They were ready to play," Anderson said. "And I don't think it was just one game. Hopefully, I think, they want to continue to build on what's been taking place with this team."

Hunter Mickelson responded to Florida's second-half run with a putback for the Razorbacks, beginning a 16-3 run that opened the lead to 67-40 and put the game well out of reach. Coty Clarke closed out the run in emphatic fashion for Arkansas, flying high on the fast break to put down a one-handed dunk off an alley-oop pass from Ky Madden.

Arkansas, whose only home loss this season was to No. 9 Syracuse, owned the first half. The Razorbacks entered the game 12th in the SEC in 3-point shooting at 29.8 percent, but they opened the game 5 of 6 from behind the arc and built a 36-13 lead midway through the half.

Mardracus Wade and Young hit 3-pointers in the half for Arkansas, which easily sent Florida to its largest deficit of the season at 36-13. The most the Gators had trailed before Tuesday was 11 points in the first half of the loss to Kansas State.

Florida's winning streak was the school's longest since 2008-09. That included four straight SEC road games, and the Gators were attempting to win five straight conference games away from home for the first time in a season.

The Razorbacks scored 21 points off 16 Florida turnovers, and their bench outscored Florida 40-12. Clarke finished with nine points for Arkansas, while Mickelson and Madden each added eight as the Razorbacks finished 28 of 57 (49.1 percent) from the field.

"This is our house, so we're used to shooting in it," Powell said. "... It's just showing us what we can do. I mean, of course, we've got to take it on the road, but it just shows you the level of potential that we have and how hard we work every day."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-05-BKC-T25-Florida-Arkansas/id-f7056e9e74c947dfacd00082466b1530

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