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Apple has been teasing an extra level of integration with cars beyond the likes of iPod Out or Siri Eyes Free, and it just gave us substantially more today. A new iOS in the Car feature will directly link iOS 7 with cars' infotainment systems, giving drivers an optimized interface for maps, messages and music. They'll be waiting awhile to plug in, however, as a number of automakers (including Ferrari) only expect to implement iOS in the Car sometime in 2014.

Follow all of our WWDC 2013 coverage at our event hub.

Gallery: WWDC 2013: iOS in the Car

Filed under: Transportation, Apple

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/10/ios-in-the-car/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Apple's new Mac Pro is a radical departure from previous versions, and a redesign that in many ways has to be seen to believed. Which is why we've put together this gallery of the new pro desktop for power users, which is clad in black aluminum and houses not one but two workstation graphics cards along with PCI Express flash storage, Thunderbolt 2, Xeon processors and 4k video output for up to three monitors at 4K resolution.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/vGVKEKU9m-o/

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While Microsoft busies itself trying to explain away a series of really bad decisions, Sony swoops in with a perfectly executed haymaker straight to the chin.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/IKGFNDLE7GU/

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A woman covers her nose to block out the smell of decomposing bodies as people in the background identify bodies at a makeshift morgue where victims of the collapse of a garment factory buildings are brought Friday, May 3, 2013 in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh. Authorities suspended the mayor of the suburb of Savar, where the building was located, and arrested an engineer who called for the building?s evacuation last week but was also accused of helping the owner add three illegal floors to the eight-story structure. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

Women cover their noses as they look through body bags in hopes of identifying a family member, a victim of the garment factory building collapse, in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, May 3, 2013. More than 500 victims bodies have been recovered from the Bangladesh garment-factory building that collapsed last week, authorities said Friday. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

A Bangladeshi woman, holding a photo of her missing son, cries at a graveyard after a garments factory building collapse in Savar near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday May 3, 2013. Authorities suspended the mayor of the suburb of Savar, where the building was located, and arrested an engineer who called for the building?s evacuation last week but was also accused of helping the owner add three illegal floors to the eight-story structure. (AP Photo/Palash Khan)

A woman holds a photo of her missing sister after a garment factory building collapsed last week in Savar near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday May 3, 2013. Authorities suspended the mayor of the suburb of Savar, where the building was located, and arrested an engineer who called for the building?s evacuation last week but was also accused of helping the owner add three illegal floors to the eight-story structure. (AP Photo/Ismail Ferdous)

A woman is comforted by family members and others after she identified the body of her relative recovered from the rubble of the garment factory building which collapsed last week, in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, May 3, 2013. Authorities suspended the mayor of the suburb of Savar, where the building was located, and arrested an engineer who called for the building?s evacuation last week but was also accused of helping the owner add three illegal floors to the eight-story structure. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) ? Bangladesh's finance minister downplayed the impact of last week's factory-building collapse on his country's garment industry, saying Friday he didn't think it was "really serious" hours after the 500th body was pulled from the debris.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith spoke as the government cracked down on those it blamed for the disaster in the Dhaka suburb of Savar. It suspended Savar's mayor and arrested an engineer who had called for the building's evacuation last week, but was also accused of helping the owner add three illegal floors to the eight-story structure. The building owner was arrested earlier.

The government appears to be attempting to fend off accusations that it is in part to blame for the tragedy because of weak oversight of the building's construction.

During a visit to the Indian capital, New Delhi, Muhith said the disaster would not harm Bangladesh's garment industry, which is by far the country's biggest source of export income.

"The present difficulties ... well, I don't think it is really serious ? it's an accident," he said. "And the steps that we have taken in order to make sure that it doesn't happen, they are quite elaborate and I believe that it will be appreciated by all."

The government made similar promises after a garment factory fire five months ago that killed 112, saying it would inspect factories for safety and pull the licenses of those that failed. However, that plan has yet to be implemented.

Asked if he was worried that foreign retailers might pull orders from his country, Muhith said he wasn't: "These are individual cases of ... accidents. It happens everywhere."

Muhith, a long-time government official from a prominent family, has been criticized for insensitive comments in the past ? even by his own party. Last year when thousands of small investors lost their savings and poured into the streets seeking government intervention, Muhith said it wasn't responsible and the investors were at fault.

The official death toll from the April 24 collapse reached 512 Friday and was expected to climb, making it likely the deadliest garment-factory accident in world history. It surpassed long-ago disasters such as New York's Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, which killed 146 workers in 1911, and more recent tragedies such as a 2012 fire that killed about 260 people in Pakistan and one in Bangladesh that same year that killed 112.

At the site of the collapse, workers carefully used cranes to remove the concrete rubble and continue the slow task of recovering bodies. The official number of missing has been 149 since Wednesday, though unofficial estimates are higher.

"We are still proceeding cautiously so that we get the bodies intact," said Maj. Gen. Chowdhury Hassan Suhwardy, the commander of the area's army garrison supervising the rescue operation.

A government investigator said Friday that substandard building materials, combined with the vibration of the heavy machines used by the five garment factories inside the Rana Plaza building, led to the horrific collapse.

Mainuddin Khandkar, the head of a government committee investigating the disaster, said substandard rods, cement, bricks and other weak materials were used in the building's construction.

About 15 minutes before the collapse, the building was hit by a power blackout, so its heavy generators were turned on, shaking the weakened structure, Khandkar said.

"The vibration created by machines and generators operating in the five garment factories contributed first to the cracks and then the collapse," he said, adding that a final report would be soon submitted to the government.

Police official Ohiduzzaman said Friday that engineer Abdur Razzak Khan was arrested a day earlier on a charge of negligence. He said Khan worked as a consultant to Rana Plaza owner Mohammed Sohel Rana when the illegal three-floor addition was made to the building.

Rana called Khan to inspect the building after it developed cracks on April 23, local media reported. That night Khan appeared on a private television station saying that after his inspection he told Rana to evacuate the building because it was not safe.

Khan, a former engineer at Jahangirnagar University near Savar, said he told government engineers the building needed to be examined further.

Police ordered the building evacuated, but witnesses say Rana told people gathered outside the next morning that the building was safe and that garment factory managers told their workers to go inside. It collapsed hours later.

Authorities also suspended the mayor of Savar, Mohammad Refatullah, for alleged negligence, said Abu Alam, a top official of the local government ministry.

Alam said an official investigation had found that the mayor ignored rules in approving the design and layout of the doomed building. The mayor is from the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which has criticized his suspension as politically motivated.

The government also effectively suspended Kabir Hossain Sardar, the top government administrator at Savar, following reports that he declared the building safe after inspecting the cracks a day before the collapse. Sardar had close links with Rana. Alam said the government was taking action against everyone involved with Rana and his building.

Rana was arrested earlier and is expected to be charged with negligence, illegal construction and forcing workers to join work, crimes punishable by a maximum of seven years in jail. Authorities have not said if more serious crimes will be added.

The Bangladesh High Court has ordered the government to confiscate Rana's property and freeze the assets of the owners of the factories in Rana Plaza so the money can be used to pay the salaries of their workers.

Among the garment makers in the building were Phantom Apparels, Phantom Tac, Ether Tex, New Wave Style and New Wave Bottoms.

___

AP Videojournalist Archana Thiyagarajan in New Delhi contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-03-Bangladesh-Building%20Collapse/id-22cf182d6600491da2433ed520fe34d6

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Blaine+Gabbert+Indianapolis+Colts+v+Jacksonville+IxW4_2r3NUfl

Getty Images

The Jaguars have stood pat at quarterback in the offseason, good news for third-year pro Blaine Gabbert, who thus gets another chance to show he can be the club?s long-term answer at the position.

Whether Gabbert can seize the opportunity remains to be seen. But this is much is clear ? the Jaguars believe improving the pass protection even just a little bit could help Gabbert, and they have data that suggests as much.

In a story published Friday, Jaguars general manager David Caldwell told NFL.com?s Albert Breer that data provided by senior vice president of football technology and analytics?Tony Khan in the pre-draft process helped show how Gabbert?s performance related to the time he had to throw. Khan?s data, Breer reported, showed that?Gabbert ranked among the ?top-third? of the NFL at his position when he had 2.6 seconds before throwing.

In two NFL seasons, Gabbert has been sacked 62 times in 25 games (24 starts), and though he?s thrown more TDs than interceptions (21-17), he?s completed just 53.8 percent of his throws, and his play has come under criticism.

The statistics provided by Khan, Caldwell told NFL.com, did help the Jaguars decide to take an offensive tackle second overall.?According to Caldwell, the Jaguars had decided two weeks before the draft that they would be taking either Texas A&M?s Luke Joeckel or Central Michigan?s Eric Fisher with the No. 2 overall pick if Kansas City took one of the tackles first.

?What we did was fill a need where the value met the need,? Caldwell told NFL.com. ?It became clear two weeks prior, after we met with the scouting staff, the personnel staff, got their feedback, that the two highest-rated guys were the tackles. The coaches told us we needed to upgrade the line. So this was gonna be a solid pick; we felt we?d get a cornerstone, a pillar for the team.?

The Chiefs, of course, took Fisher, leaving Joeckel for the Jaguars. Joeckel is expected to ply right tackle for Jacksonville as a rookie, with veteran Eugene Monroe on the left side. Monroe, per Pro Football Focus statistics, gave up just five sacks a season ago, but Cameron Bradfield and Guy Whimper, who combined to start all 16 games at right tackle for Jacksonville in 2012, surrendered a combined 11 sacks, according to PFF.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/03/packers-shuffling-line-putting-bulaga-sitton-on-left-side/related/

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Friday, May 3, 2013

A University of Iowa undergraduate student has discovered that a process occurring in Saturn's magnetosphere is linked to the planet's seasons and changes with them, a finding that helps clarify the length of a Saturn day and could alter our understanding of the Earth's magnetosphere.

Saturn's magnetosphere is the third largest structure in the solar system, eclipsed only by the magnetic fields of the sun and Jupiter. Unlike Earth, which has a visible rocky surface and rotates once every 24 hours, Saturn is composed mostly of clouds and liquid gas layers, each rotating about the planet at its own rate of speed. This variation in rotation made it difficult for scientists to pin down time for the planet.

Decades ago, a strong and naturally occurring radio signal, called Saturn kilometric radiation (SKR), was believed to give an accurate measurement of a Saturn day. But data gathered by an ESA/NASA spacecraft proved otherwise.

Now, using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which entered orbit around Saturn in 2004, UI space physicist Donald Gurnett and other scientists showed that the north and south poles have their own SKR "days" that vary over periods of weeks and years. How these different periods arise and are driven through the magnetosphere has become a central question of the Cassini mission, according to NASA officials.

The discovery by Tim Kennelly, a UI junior majoring in physics and astronomy, is one of the first direct observations of seasonal changes in Saturn's magnetosphere. In addition, the finding carries over to all planets having a magnetosphere, including Earth.

"I'm pleased to have contributed to our understanding of Saturn's magnetosphere so early in my career," says Kennelly, the lead author of the paper published online in the American Geophysical Union's (AGU) Journal of Geophysical Research. "I hope this trend continues."

Scientists have known for some time that Saturn's magnetospheric processes are linked together, from the activity generating the SKR emission relatively near the planet to the periodic signatures in Saturn's magnetosphere stretching millions of miles downstream in the planet's magnetotail. But they didn't know how they were linked.

Kennelly analyzed phenomena recorded between July 2004 and December 2011 by Cassini's UI-built Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) instrument and came to some novel conclusions about how the events are linked. First, he looked at inward-moving "flux tubes" composed of hot, electrically charged gas, called plasma. Focusing on the tubes when they initially formed and before they had a chance to dissipate under the influence of the magnetosphere, he found that the occurrence of the tubes correlates with activity in the northern and southern hemisphere depending upon the season.

Kennelly found that during winter in the northern hemisphere, the occurrence of flux tubes correlates with SKR period originating in the northern hemisphere. A similar flux tube and SKR correlation was noted for the southern hemisphere during southern winter. The events are strongly ordered, he says, and follow Saturn's seasonal changes.

This finding may alter how scientists look at the Earth's magnetosphere and the Van Allen radiation belts that affect a variety of activities at Earth ranging from space flight safety to satellite and cell phone communications.

Commenting on his research experience, Kennelly says, "I'm really happy with the support I've received from Don Gurnett's group. They let me do a lot of the research on my own. I'm really appreciative." He adds that he will begin applying to graduate schools next semester and plans to earn his doctorate in plasma physics.

###

University of Iowa: http://www.uiowa.edu

Thanks to University of Iowa for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128124/Telling_time_on_Saturn

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Acorn image editor gets UI overhaul, non-destructive filters Flying Meat Software (a.k.a. Gus Mueller) has released Acorn 4, the latest major update to its image editing software for OS X. Acorn 4 sports a new user interface, support for non-destructive filters, dramatically improved vector tools and enhancements to performance, among many other changes.

Acorn 4 is aimed at Mac users who need to edit images but don't necessarily need the extensive (and expensive) capabilities of Adobe Photoshop. It sports support for Macs with Retina displays, features masking, text tools, "Instant Alpha" for removing backgrounds and other content, multistop gradients, lots of nifty vector tools, PSD import and export and more.

To incorporate non-destructive filters, Mueller has merged layer styles and filters together. You can create chains of filters just like before, but you can remove them later if you change your mind, without altering the base image. And if you like to manipulate image tone and colors using curves, that's a new feature of Acorn 4 as well. New shape tools have been added, and a new filter HUD lets you manipulate radius and center points for filters.

Acorn 4 is normally $49.99, but Flying Meat is offering the app for $29.99 through May to give people an excuse to upgrade. The software's available both in the Mac App Store and direct from Flying Meat's web site.

If you've given it a try, let me know how you think it compares to the previous version, and to other photo editors you've used.

$29.99 - Download Now

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/c9WzlCPYXSE/story01.htm

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Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/dzhokhar-tsarnaev-out-of-hospital-into-prison/

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Virtual reality is the next big thing in gaming, and the Oculus Rift is a VR headset which promises to bring immersion to the next level. Overall, the Rift looks like a cool experience?but as this this video by Brendan Caldwell shows, people can look quite silly while using it.

The video comes from EVE Fantast 2013 ?that's the "massive celebration of the virtual world of EVE Online." People from all over the world come to Iceland to celebrate EVE, basically. CCP, the developers behind EVE, made an experimental dogfighting game for the Oculus Rift, and that's what is presumably being played in the video.

S

Now take a virtual reality headset, and add a virtual reality treadmill. ...yup, the future of gaming looks rather absurd, don't you think? Not that motion-control gaming looks any better, I'm sure.

Oculus Rift at EVE Fanfest [MrBrendyC]

We've seen plenty of video demos of the new Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, from the? Read?Valve have been talking a lot lately about virtual reality, and in particular, how Team Fortress 2? Read?Remember Omni, the virtual reality/treadmill hybrid that allows you to walk and look around? Read?

Source: http://kotaku.com/the-future-of-gaming-sure-looks-silly-483066498

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BOSTON (AP) ? Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhohkar Tsarnaev was moved from a hospital to a federal prison medical center while FBI agents searched for evidence Friday in a landfill near the college he was attending.

Tsarnaev, 19, was taken from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he was recovering from a throat wound and other injuries suffered during an attempt to elude police last week, and was transferred to the Federal Medical Center Devens, about 40 miles from Boston, the U.S. Marshals Service said. The facility, at a former Army base, treats federal prisoners.

"It's where he should be; he doesn't need to be here anymore," said Beth Israel patient Linda Zamansky, who thought his absence could reduce stress on bombing victims who have been recovering at the hospital under tight security.

Also, FBI agents picked through a landfill near the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where Tsarnaev was a sophomore. FBI spokesman Jim Martin would not say what investigators were looking for.

An aerial photo in Friday's Boston Globe showed a line of more than 20 investigators, all dressed in white overalls and yellow boots, picking over the garbage with shovels or rakes.

U.S. officials, meanwhile, said that the bombing suspects' mother had been added to a federal terrorism database about 18 months before the deadly April 15 attack ? a disclosure that deepens the mystery around the Tsarnaev family and marks the first time American authorities have acknowledged that Zubeidat Tsarnaeva was under investigation before the tragedy.

The news is certain to fuel questions about whether President Barack Obama's administration missed opportunities to thwart the marathon bombing, which killed three people and wounded more than 260.

Tsarnaev is charged with joining with his older brother, now dead, in setting off the shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bombs. The brothers are ethnic Chechens from Russia who came to the United States about a decade ago with their parents. Investigators have said it appears that the brothers were angry about the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Two government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation, said the CIA had Zubeidat Tsarnaeva's name added to the terror database along with that of her son Tamerlan Tsarnaev after Russia contacted the agency in 2011 with concerns that the two were religious militants.

About six months earlier, the FBI investigated mother and son, also at Russia's request, one of the officials said. The FBI found no ties to terrorism. Previously U.S. officials had said only that the FBI investigated Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

In an interview from Russia, Tsarnaeva said Friday that she has never been linked to terrorism.

"It's all lies and hypocrisy," she said from Dagestan. "I'm sick and tired of all this nonsense that they make up about me and my children. People know me as a regular person, and I've never been mixed up in any criminal intentions, especially any linked to terrorism."

Tsarnaeva faces shoplifting charges in the U.S. over the theft of more than $1,624 worth of women's clothing from a Lord & Taylor department store in Natick in 2012.

Earlier this week, she said she has been assured by lawyers that she would not be arrested if she traveled to the U.S., but she said she was still deciding whether to go. The suspects' father, Anzor Tsarnaev, said that he would leave Russia soon for the United States to visit one son and lay the other to rest.

A team of investigators from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow has questioned both parents in Russia this week, spending many hours with the mother in particular over two days.

Meanwhile, New York's police commissioner said the FBI was too slow to inform the city that the Boston Marathon suspects had been planning to bomb Times Square days after the attack at the race.

Federal investigators learned about the short-lived scheme from a hospitalized Dzhokhar Tsarnaev during a bedside interrogation that began Sunday night and extended into Monday morning, officials said. The information didn't reach the New York Police Department until Wednesday night.

"We did express our concerns over the lag," said police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who with Mayor Michael Bloomberg had announced the findings on Thursday.

The FBI had no comment Friday.

___

Eileen Sullivan reported from Washington. Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Rodrique Ngowi in Boston, Colleen Long in New York and Julie Pace in Washington.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boston-suspect-moved-fbi-searches-landfill-191408451.html

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Click hereto read online and see our archives.

WHAT'S NEWS

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) "is ratcheting up pressure on lawmakers by launching a new system to grade them based on their votes and statements on gun issues" (Washington Post)
"An arbitrator has denied" Organizing for Action's "effort to obtain the domain name organizingforaction.net, registered by a quick-moving computer technician in Castle Rock, Colo., on Jan. 18, when the news broke that Obama's former advisors were launching the group" (Los Angeles Times). Pres. Obama himself "will appear at a cozy reception for fewer than 65 guests with tickets priced at $32,400 per couple at the Manhattan home of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and his designer wife Georgina Chapman on May 13" (New York Post)
NJ GOV '13: "One New Jersey," a group "formed to push back" on Gov. Chris Christie?s (R) record, "is launching a $500,000 cable ad buy in the state" today (Politico)
Boston Mayor '13: City Councilor Felix Arroyo "is expected to launch a bid" today, "making him the first Latino candidate to run for the office" and "the sixth major candidate" in the race (Boston Globe)
IA SEN: Mixed martial artist/ESPN commentator/ex-UFC champion Pat Miletich (R) "says he is considering a bid," but "said it was possible he could run as an independent." He "tweeted last week that people could pencil his name in next year for Senate, adding 'Bruce Braley cannot win that seat.'" (Quad City Times)
KY SEN: Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell (R) raised $1.8M in the 1stQ and has $8.6M CoH (AP)
LA SEN: Ex-Rep. Jeff Landry (R) said the launch of his super PAC "doesn?t necessarily close other doors for his political future. But he emphasized that the super PAC is a long-term project, which most likely lowers the odds of a challenge" to Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) (Politico)
MA SEN: Reps. Ed Markey (D) and Stephen Lynch (D) "sparred on drone strikes, student debt, health care and campaign spending during a debate Monday" (AP). Meanwhile, state Rep. Dan Winslow (R) filed a request with the FEC Monday "for guidance on whether his campaign can accept contributions from same-sex married couples as they are allowed to for straight couples" (Time)
WY SEN: Dick Cheney daughter Liz Cheney (R) "is still seriously considering running," although over the weekend, Sen. Mike Enzi (R) "told a meeting of the GOP state party committee that he is looking forward to running for re-election" (Daily Caller)
ME GOV: '10 candidate Eliot Cutler (I) "is headed to D.C. in May to raise money from a pretty ritzy list" of DC lobbyists. The invitation "lists about 20 former Carter Administration officials, lobbyists and Democratic Party and campaign officials as 'hosts.'" (Bangor Daily News)
NM GOV: Gov. Susana Martinez (R) "has stockpiled" nearly $1.5M for her re-election campaign, "far more" than AG Gary King (D), who has $103K CoH (AP)
PA GOV: Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D) "launched her campaign" Monday, declaring that Gov. Tom Corbett's (R) "failed leadership" has crippled the PA economy. "Her staff said that $3.1 million in her congressional campaign account would be transferred" to her GOV campaign cmte (Philadelphia Inquirer).
WH '16: Ex-Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) "will speak at the 13th Annual Spring Kick Off of the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition" April 15 in Urbandale, IA. His "remarks will focus on the future of the Republican Party and what must be done to ensure our party's future viability" (Sioux City Journal)

NUMBER BRUNCHING

According to a new CNN/ORC Int'l poll of nat'l adults, conducted 4/5-7, 51% approve of the way Obama is handling his job as POTUS, while 47% disapprove. In the previous poll, conducted 3/15-17, 47% approved of Obama, and 50% disapproved (release).

OUR CALL

Hotline editors weigh in on the stories that drive the day

? Schwartz's decision to jump into the PA GOV race emphasizes just how vulnerable Democrats think Gov. Tom Corbett is. A favorite of leadership, Schwartz has seen her power grow in the House Democratic Caucus, but she's giving up her increasingly prominent role in DC for a shot at the Governor's Mansion, even though she could face multiple credible foes in the Democratic primary.

? With Dems desperate to avoid a primary in SD, it appears Brendan Johnson's supporters have determined it's more important to claim frontrunner status (and potentially head off former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin) than to avoid charges of political nepotism. Nearly all of the state's Dem leaders have been approached by the "Draft Brendan" campaign, and the rapid gathering of support suggests the movement has been in the works for some time. If Herseth Sandlin is serious about a bid, she doesn't have long to make her own show of strength.

? The looming CO-06 battle between Rep. Mike Coffman (R) and Andrew Romanoff (D) looks like an early front-runner to be 2014's most expensive congressional race. It has plenty of key ingredients so far: a closely divided electorate, a big media market, a state with plenty of up-ballot activity, and, most importantly, two seasoned candidates who are both fundraising like incumbents, with each bringing in over $500,000 in the first quarter of 2013.

HAIR OF THE DOG

FRESH BREWED BUZZ

Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) "became the latest prominent Democrat to declare his support Monday for same-sex marriage," leaving "only three of 53 Democrats in the Senate" who do not: Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Mark Pryor (D-AR), and Joe Manchin (D-WV) (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)
"Right now I?m grateful to live in a city, in a state, in a country where I strongly support my mayor, my governor and my president and my senators and my representative. If at some point that weren?t true and I thought I could make a meaningful and measurably greater impact, you know, I?d have to ask and answer that question." -- Chelsea Clinton, on possibly running for office (New York Daily News)
"The Emanuel brothers -- Ari, Rahm and Zeke -- crack Town & Country?s new list of America?s most powerful families ranking ahead of the Kennedys, McCains and Pritzkers. (The trio sits at No. 4 while the Bush family?s perched on top.)" (New York Post)
"If she were here today, she would have read 'Fifty Shades of Grey.'" -- Susan Ford Bales, on her mother/ex-FLOTUS Betty Ford (Grand Rapids Press)
"With the Alaska GOP set to meet Monday evening to decide the fate of party chairwoman Debbie Brown of Kasilof, she has seized the Republican headquarters in Anchorage and is threatening to arrest anyone who tries to enter the building" (Alaska Dispatch)
"I think you?ll see, hopefully, a chastened Supreme Court is not going to make the same mistake in the (current same-sex marriage) cases as they did in Roe v. Wade" -- Ex-Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) (Des Moines Register)
Ex-Rep. Merrill Cook (R-UT) "will participate in a mock hearing with several other former Congress members to explore the subject of UFOs. Cook says he skeptical, but open minded" (Salt Lake Tribune)
"Candidate says Haitian Vodou being used to get her to drop out of North Miami mayoral race" (Miami Herald)
"Bob Seger fan, 79, ready to see rocker after awakening from five-year coma" (Flint Journal)
"I'm going to go there just like I went to Calcutta and Japan ... to sense the dynamism. They're building stuff, 5,000 miles of high-speed rail, and 100 years ago the British were feeding them opium." -- CA Gov. Jerry Brown (D), who left CA for China on Monday, talking recently to the Financial Times of London (Sacramento Bee)
"TaB turns 50 and those who love the fizzy diet cola celebrate" (Lexington Herald-Leader)

SWIZZLE CHALLENGE

Zachary Taylor and Franklin Pierce are the two generals that served in the Mexican-American War and later became President.
The winner is Sam Kaplan , and here's his Swizzle Challenge: "Which Presidents of the United States were generals in the Civil War?" The 3rd correct e-mailer gets to submit the next question.

NJ'S EARLY BIRD SPECIALS

SHOT...

"I don't want to pay for a sex change operation. I'm not interested. I like being a boy." -- GA SEN candidate/Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) (Barrow County Times)

...CHASER

"I Enjoy Being a Girl" -- Flower Drum Song, Rodgers & Hammerstein

Sarah Mimms, Editor
Quinn McCord, Guest Editor

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bloomberg-develops-gun-scorecard-ofa-gets-cyber-squatted-090038631--politics.html

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By Andrea Shalal-Esa

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado | Tue Apr 9, 2013 2:21pm EDT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force will likely opt for a mixed approach for a next-generation weather satellite that includes smaller spacecraft, according to top Air Force officials.

The Air Force plans to finish a review of possible approaches for the satellite early this summer following the collapse of the previous program due to technical and cost issues.

"It will be a much smaller satellite. We will press for that for lots of reasons," General William Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, told a space conference hosted by the Space Foundation on Tuesday. He underscored the need for more affordable satellites given expected declines in U.S. military spending.

Lieutenant General John Hyten, vice commander of Air Force Space Command, told reporters after a speech at a space and cyber conference on Monday that the analysis of alternatives was going "extremely well" and should be done in coming months.

The review followed the 2010 collapse of a multibillion-dollar weather satellite program known as National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System, or NPOESS, that was being built by Northrop Grumman Corp for the Air Force, NASA and the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The White House dismantled the NPOESS weather satellite program in 2010 after significant cost overruns and technical problems, arguing that it was far too complex to be efficient.

Northrop, Boeing Co, Lockheed Martin Corp, and smaller players like Harris Corp, Moog Inc, ITT Exelis Corp and Orbital Sciences Corp are keeping a close eye on how the Air Force decides to structure the follow-on weather satellite program.

With Pentagon spending due to decline from projected levels, many companies are exploring ways to meet the government's emerging need for a larger number of small satellites, and far fewer of the bigger and far more expensive satellites.

Hyten said the follow-on weather program would likely include a variety of options rather than relying on a single, highly complex and large-scale satellite packed full of a variety of different sensors as NPOESS had done.

The new approach, which Air Force officials call "disaggregation," is aimed at avoiding the problems that plagued NPOESS and nearly every major satellite program in recent years.

This approach could include partnerships with commercial satellite operators, hosted payloads on other satellites, pay-for-service contractors instead of procurement of satellites, and construction of smaller, less complex satellites that could be built and launched more quickly, and at lower cost.

The Air Force still has two more of the current weather satellites that were built by Lockheed, which recently upgraded the sensors on one of the two spacecraft, which is due to be launched over the next year. Lockheed is looking at possible additional upgrades before those satellites are launched.

Boeing on Monday announced it planned to build a family of smaller satellite prototypes that could be quickly and affordably manufactured and configured for specific missions.

It said one possible use might be the follow-on weather satellite program. The new line of Boeing Phantom Phoenix satellite ranges in size from 4 kilograms to 1,000 kilograms.

Moog has invested in PlanetIQ, a start-up company that aims to launch 12 small 75-kilogram satellites that would provide highly accurate and real-time temperature and other weather data. Instead of selling the satellites to the government, PlanetIQ plans to sell the data collected to the U.S. and other governments around the world.

ITT Exelis Chief Executive David Melcher told Reuters that his company, which builds payloads, or instruments, for a variety of satellites, including weather missions, was trying to position itself to participate in whatever follow-on weather satellite programs the Air Force decided to pursue.

(Reporting By Andrea Shalal-Esa; editing by Andrew Hay)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/aUGd5aBxcAU/story01.htm

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Apr. 8, 2013 ? When renowned explorer Richard E. Byrd returned from the first-ever flight to the North Pole in 1926, he sparked a controversy that remains today: Did he actually reach the pole?

Studying supercomputer simulations of atmospheric conditions on the day of the flight and double-checking Byrd's navigation techniques, a researcher at The Ohio State University has determined that Byrd indeed neared the Pole, but likely only flew within 80 miles of it before turning back to the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen.

Gerald Newsom, professor emeritus of astronomy at Ohio State, based his results in part on atmospheric simulations from the 20th Century Reanalysis project at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The study appears in a recent issue of the journal Polar Record.

"I worked out that if Byrd did make it, he must have had very unusual wind conditions. But it's clear that he really gave it a valiant try, and he deserves a lot of respect," Newsom said.

At issue is whether Byrd and pilot Floyd Bennett could have made the 1,500-mile round trip from Spitsbergen in only 15 hours and 44 minutes, when some experts were expecting a flight time of around 18 hours.

Byrd claimed that they encountered strong tail winds that sped the plane's progress. Not everyone believed him.

"The flight was incredibly controversial," Newsom explained. "The people defending Byrd were vehement that he was a hero, and the people attacking him said he was one of the world's greatest frauds. The emotion! It was incredibly vitriolic."

Newsom was unaware of the debate, however, until Raimund Goerler, now-retired archivist at Ohio State, discovered a flight journal within a large collection of items given to Ohio State by the Byrd family at the naming of the university's Byrd Polar Research Center. In 1995, Goerler opened a previously overlooked cardboard box labeled "misc." In it, he found a smudged and water-stained book containing hand-written notes from Byrd's 1926 North Pole flight and his historic 1927 trans-Atlantic flight, as well as an earlier expedition to Greenland in 1925.

Goerler looked to Newsom for help interpreting the navigational notes. "Given the strong opinions on both sides from people in the polar research community, we thought an astronomer who had no prior opinion about the flight would have the skills to do an assessment, and the neutrality to do it in an unbiased way," he said.

In fact, Newsom had helped teach celestial navigation during his early days as a graduate student, and still had an interest in the subject. With the help of current Byrd Polar archivist Laura Kissel, he pored over copies of the notebook and other related writings, including the post-flight report by Byrd's sponsors at the National Geographic Society.

Newsom was particularly curious about the solar compass that Byrd used to find his way to and from the pole. The compass was state-of-the-art for its time, with a clockwork mechanism that turned a glass cover to match the movement of the sun around the sky. By peering at a shadow in the sun compass, Byrd gauged whether the plane was heading north.

Among the artifacts in the Byrd Polar Research Center is a copy of the barograph recording made during the flight, showing atmospheric pressure. A small calibration graph was labeled with altitudes for different pressures, allowing Byrd to determine how high the plane flew throughout the flight. Byrd used the altitude to set a device mounted over an opening in the bottom of the plane, and with a stopwatch he timed how long it took for features on the ice below to move in and out of view. The stopwatch reading then gave the plane's ground speed.

Byrd could then calculate the distance traveled, and know when he and Bennett had traveled far enough to reach the pole. He would also be able to tell if a crosswind was nudging the plane off course. And he would have had to repeat the calculations every few minutes for the entire trip north.

The partially open cockpit would have been very loud, Newsom explained, so Byrd wrote messages in the book so Bennett could read his suggested course corrections. For example, there was a note from Byrd to Bennett asking for a three-degree correction to the west, to counter a crosswind.

The problem, Newsom quickly found, is that the notebook didn't contain any calculations of ground speed, only the results of the calculations. "I would have thought he'd have pages and pages of calculations," Newsom said. "Without that, there's no way of knowing for sure, but deep down there's a worry I have -- that he did it all in his head."

Newsom found that the barograph recording and calibration graph were remarkably small. A change of atmospheric pressure of one inch of mercury would equal only one quarter of an inch on the barograph record. "That's tiny," he said. "If Byrd was off by even a tenth of an inch on the barograph recording, then his altitude would be off 18 percent, and that means his ground speed would be off by 18 percent. And he had the same chance for error every time he took a reading throughout the flight."

Changes in the atmosphere at different latitudes meant that Byrd's calibration graph lost accuracy during the duration of the flight. Newsom calculated that this could have led Byrd to believe that he had reached the pole when he was still as much as 78 statute miles away, or caused him to overshoot the pole by as much as 21 statute miles.

As he wrote in the Polar Record paper: "This type of analysis by itself will not resolve any controversy over whether Byrd reached the pole. But it does indicate that he was considerably more likely to have ended up short of his goal than to have exceeded it."

Next, Newsom decided to test whether Byrd could have experienced strong tailwinds as he claimed, and to do that, the astronomer turned to an unbiased resource of his own: NOAA's 20th Century Reanalysis dataset.

Using U.S. Department of Energy supercomputers, NOAA calculated likely atmospheric conditions all over Earth for every six hours between 1870 and 2010. The data used a computer model that calculated 56 plausible scenarios for every six-hour interval, and the results of the 56 model atmospheres were averaged together to arrive at the most likely conditions.

The model winds did not appear consistent with what Byrd said, so Newsom examined each of the 56 scenarios individually, to see if even one of them allowed for strong tailwinds during the trip. They didn't.

"For the most part, he probably had a headwind going north, and a tailwind going south. But there's no evidence of the winds shifting as much as he described. Of course, the models are NOAA's best guesses for what the conditions were that day, not an actual measurement, so Byrd could have had strong tailwinds just like he said. But the simulations suggest that if he did have strong tailwinds that day, he was very lucky."

It's easy to forget, he continued, how difficult and dangerous navigation was before modern altimeters and GPS. Byrd was under a tremendous amount of pressure: he'd overloaded the plane with fuel to make sure he and Bennett wouldn't run out over the Arctic (they would likely have died in that circumstance), but the extra load made the plane hard to control; he had to calculate the plane's location constantly for nearly sixteen hours, in a screaming-loud cockpit while worried about frostbite; and partway through the trip, one of the plane's engines sprang an oil leak and seemed likely to stop working.

"That they returned at all is a major accomplishment, and the fact that they arrived back where they were supposed to -- that shows that Byrd knew how to navigate with his solar compass correctly," Newsom said.

And, since the plane was theoretically high enough to see nearly 90 miles to the horizon, Byrd may not have reached the pole, but even in the worst-case scenario, he almost certainly saw it through his cockpit window.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Ohio State University. The original article was written by Pam Frost Gorder.

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

Journal Reference:

G.H. Newsom. Byrd's Arctic flight in the context of model atmospheres. Polar Record, 2012; 49 (01): 62 DOI: 10.1017/S0032247412000058

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://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/LD-EWzV1Qaw/130408142642.htm

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CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- The state of New Hampshire is looking for a lot of money and a scapegoat in its lawsuit against Exxon Mobil over the use of the gasoline additive MTBE, attorneys for the oil company said Monday to close out a marathon trial.

Jurors were hearing from both sides as they edge closer to the start of deliberations in the longest state trial in New Hampshire history.

The state is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars from the Irving, Texas-based company to detect and remediate groundwater contaminated with MTBE.

Exxon Mobil Corp. attorney James Quinn told jurors Monday that his client acted responsibly and in response to federal Clean Air Act mandates in adding MTBE to its gasoline between 1988 and 2005. He cited experts who said there were significant benefits in reducing smog.

"What is the case really all about?" Quinn asked jurors. "It's about hind-sighting, scapegoating, second-guessing and muddling."

In wrapping up three hours of arguments for Exxon Mobil, attorney David Lender asked jurors if MTBE contamination is as pervasive and prevalent as the state claims, why is this trial the first time they have heard of it.

Lawyers for the state will make their arguments Monday afternoon.

The state is seeking more than $240 million from Exxon Mobil ? the only defendant of the 26 the state sued 10 years ago that didn't reach a settlement.

New Hampshire banned the use of MTBE ? methyl tertiary butyl ether ? in 2007.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exxon-mobil-nh-looking-scapegoat-144935092.html

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The death of Margaret Thatcher brought an onslaught of tweets airing both grievances and support for the former Prime Minister. While some remember her as an iconic feminist, others have been holding grudges against her going back decades.

It's safe to say there's no consensus on Thatcher's legacy, but it's clear she left a lasting impression that spanned several generations.

Several American politicians, including President Barack Obama, Speaker of the House John Boehner and others, have shared their condolences about the Iron Lady's passing:

"She stands as an example to our daughters that there is no glass ceiling that can't be shattered." -Obama on Margaret Thatcher's passing

? Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 8, 2013

RIP Margaret Thatcher, one of the great leaders of the 20th century

? John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) April 8, 2013

Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul and Ronald Reagan changed history. The world would be a much different place without them.

? Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) April 8, 2013

In an official statement, former President Bill Clinton said the following of Thatcher's passing:

Lady Thatcher understood that the special relationship which has long united our two nations is an indispensable foundation for peace and prosperity. Our strong partnership today is part of her legacy. Like so many others, I respected the conviction and self-determination she displayed throughout her remarkable life as she broke barriers, defied expectations, and led her country. Hillary, Chelsea, and I extend our condolences to her family and to the people of the United Kingdom.

Former Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin also spoke positively of Thatcher on her Facebook page :

We're deeply saddened at the loss of Margaret Thatcher. While the Iron Lady is sadly gone, her iron will, her unfailing trust in what is right and just, and her lessons to all of us will live on forever. She was a trailblazer like no other. We lost an icon, but her legacy, as solid as iron, will live on in perpetuity.

Palin consistently compared herself to Thatcher and said she was inspired by the Iron Lady while running for vice president in 2008.

Thatcher's close relationship with the late President Ronald Reagan was mentioned in a statement from former first Lady Nancy Reagan:

It is well known that my husband and Lady Thatcher enjoyed a very special relationship as leaders of their respective countries during one of the most difficult and pivotal periods in modern history. Ronnie and Margaret were political soul mates, committed to freedom and resolved to end Communism. As Prime Minister, Margaret had the clear vision and strong determination to stand up for her beliefs at a time when so many were afraid to "rock the boat." As a result, she helped to bring about the collapse of the Soviet Union and the liberation of millions of people.

However, news of Thatcher's passing was not a somber moment for everyone. People from both sides of the pond were quick to critique the memory of the conservative politician.

Okay, what did the #ironlady do to advance Great Britain and the world? Did she leave lasting footprints for women in politics? #justsayin

? Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) April 8, 2013

Thatcher is dead, but unfortunately Thatcherism lives on. Let's bury it with her: ow.ly/1ULU0T ow.ly/1ULU0S @ occupylsx

? Occupy Wall Street (@OccupyWallSt) April 8, 2013

Condolences to two children who have lost a mother but I shed no crocodile tears for Thatcherism mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/m?

? Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) April 8, 2013

Margaret Thatcher gave Ronald Reagan the courage of his misguided conviction.

? Robert Reich (@RBReich) April 8, 2013

Margaret Thatcher suffered a stroke and died this morning in London. She was 87 years old.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/americans-thatcher-controversial-even-death-182607756--abc-news-politics.html

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News

The Associated Press

2 hours ago

AP, file

Designer Lilly Pulitzer is pictured in this April 2004 image. She passed away Sunday at the age of 81.

Lilly Pulitzer, a Palm Beach socialite turned designer whose tropical print dresses became a sensation in the 1960s and later a fashion classic, died Sunday. She was 81.

Pulitzer, who married into the famous newspaper family, got her start in fashion by spilling orange juice on her clothes. A rich housewife with time to spare and a husband who owned orange groves, she opened a juice stand in 1959, and asked her seamstress to make dresses in colorful prints that would camouflage fruit stains.

The dresses hung on a pipe behind her juice stand and soon outsold her drinks. The company's dresses, developed with the help of partner Laura Robbins, a former fashion editor, soon caught on.

"Lilly has been a true inspiration to us and we will miss her," according to a statement on the Lilly Pulitzer brand Facebook page. "In the days and weeks ahead we will celebrate all that Lilly meant to us. Lilly was a true original who has brought together generations through her bright and happy mark on the world."

Her death was confirmed by Gale Schiffman of Quattlebaum Funeral and Cremation Services in West Palm Beach. She did not know Pulitzer's cause of death.

Image: Designer Lilly Pulitzer prepares a model

Getty Images

Designer Lilly Pulitzer prepares a model backstage at the Lilly Pulitzer Couture Spring 2005 fashion show in September 2004 in New York City.

Jacqueline Kennedy, who attended boarding school with Pulitzer, even wore one of the sleeveless shifts in a Life magazine photo spread, and matriarch Rose Kennedy and one of her teenage granddaughters were once reported to have bought nearly identical versions together.

The signature Lilly palette features tongue-in-cheek jungle and floral prints in blues, pinks, light greens, yellow and orange ? the colors of a Florida vacation.

"I designed collections around whatever struck my fancy ... fruits, vegetables, politics, or peacocks! I entered in with no business sense. It was a total change of life for me, but it made people happy," Pulitzer told the The Associated Press in March 2009.

The line of dresses that bore her name was later expanded to swimsuits, country club attire, children's clothing, a home collection and a limited selection of menswear.

"Style isn't just about what you wear, it's about how you live," Pulitzer said in 2004.

"We focus on the best, fun and happy things, and people want that. Being happy never goes out of style," she said.

In 1966, The Washington Post reported that the dresses were "so popular that at the Southampton Lilly shop on Job's Lane they are proudly put in clear plastic bags tied gaily with ribbons so that all the world may see the Lilly of your choice. It's like carrying your own racing colors or flying a yacht flag for identification."

But changing taste brought trouble. Pulitzer closed her original company in the mid-1980s after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The label was revived about a decade later after being acquired by Pennsylvania-based Sugartown Worldwide Inc.; Pulitzer was only marginally involved in the new business but continued reviewing new prints from Florida.

"When Lilly started the business back in the '60s, she targeted a young customer because she was young," the company's president, Jim Bradbeer, told the AP in 2003. "What we have done is target the daughter and granddaughter of that original customer."

Sugartown Worldwide was bought by Atlanta-based Oxford Industries in 2010.

AP

In this March 1965 file photo, Palm Beach fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer, wears her own design and creation of the Lilly shift.

Pulitzer herself retired from day-to-day operations in 1993, although remained a consultant for the brand.

Pulitzer was born Lilly McKim on Nov. 10, 1931, to a wealthy family in Roslyn, N.Y.

In 1952, she married Pete Pulitzer, the grandson of newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, whose bequest to Columbia University established the Pulitzer Prize. They divorced in 1969. Her second husband, Enrique Rousseau, died in 1993.

"I don't know how to explain what it was like to run my business, the joy of every day," she told Vanity Fair magazine in a story in 2003. "I got a kick every time I went into the shipping department. ... I loved seeing (the dresses) going out the door. I loved them selling in the shop. I liked them on the body. Everything. There's no explaining the fun I had."

Pulitzer, who was known for hosting parties barefoot at her Palm Beach home, also published two guides to entertaining.

"That's what life is all about: Let's have a party. Let's have it tonight," she said.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2a6f7401/l/0L0Stoday0N0Cstyle0Clilly0Epulitzer0Efashion0Edesigner0Eknown0Efloral0Eprints0Edies0E1B9252290A/story01.htm

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U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs

Carlos Figueroa monoskis in Aspen Snowmass on Thursday as part of a VA sports clinic for disabled veterans.

By Bill Briggs, NBC News contributor

An Iraq war veteran who yearns to snowboard next March at the Sochi Paralympics recently told a priest he would give his left leg to compete for his country. And then, he did.

Six weeks ago, retired Army Sgt. Carlos Figueroa allowed a surgeon to amputate below his left knee ? 10 years after an IED blast rendered the limb nearly useless. The decision was surprisingly simple, he said, because it sliced away a decade of mounting pain. Yet he also acknowledged: ?I did give it up because I want to get into the Paralympics.?

?When I went in, my doctor asked me: ?What?s your biggest goal?? I told him: ?Be on my board within three months.? He just said, ?Dude, most people aren?t walking within three months,? ? Figueroa recalled.?

Walking will come. What he can do ? already ? is carve down a mountain, the lone place Figueroa, 34, feels at peace: ?Up there, I?m no different from anybody. No PTSD. I?m at my happiest.? On Thursday, Figueroa beamed while manhandling an Aspen, Colo., slope atop a monoski at a sports clinic for disabled veterans. As a familiar, cool breeze brushed his face, he also dreamed?about racing in Russia.

?My love for snowboarding is about loss, the loss of what I had in the military, where you?re used to being on the move, on patrols, on raids. That?s how I treat my races. The moment that gate drops, it?s like the door opening on a raid. I go full blast. I?m able to get something back that I felt was taken away. That rush. I love it.?

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs

"Up there, I'm no different from anybody. No PTSD. I'm at my happiest," said Carlos Figueroa of the feeling of carving down slopes.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have borne a bittersweet byproduct: scores of American Paralympic hopefuls. The Sochi Paralympics, to be held just after the 2014 Winter Games in that city, marks the inaugural Paralympic snowboarding event for disabled athletes. The U.S. men?s Paralympic snowboarding squad will consist of five members.

'Slim chance'
Figueroa (and those close to him) knows he?s the longest of long shots. His own coach, Mike Shea, estimates he took two years to, literally, make the leap from his own leg amputation to landing jumps. The raw nerve endings in an amputated limb must become desensitized to the harsh pounding. When the board hits the snow, the stump pushes into the prosthetic leg, ?sending chills up your spine,? Shea said. ?It doesn?t feel good.?

Then there?s the calendar. If Figueroa is indeed back on his board by autumn, he?ll have a limited number of sanctioned races ? beginning in January 2014 ? to rack up enough points to rank among the top five American men. And the U.S. Paralympic snowboarders, including Shea, compose the world?s deepest talent pool in that sport. The roster likely will be named in February.

?It?s a slim chance, a super, super small window,? Figueroa said, ?but we?re still going to push.?

He needs only a sliver of possibility to kindle his hope ? or better yet, someone telling him he can?t. He certainly doesn?t need two legs.

The Feb. 15 amputation came 10 years after a bomb detonated beneath his armored vehicle, ejecting him through an open roof hatch. A decade spent lugging a useless left limb (with no heel), suffering increasing back and knee pain, instantly convinced him to say ?Let?s do it,? when an orthopedic surgeon in San Diego suggested, ?Let?s cut.? He was done, he said, wasting another day ?in a bubble? due to his injury, calling the operation ?liberating.?

'Go fast and have fun'
Nobody who has heard that account is betting against Figueroa.

?With any military athlete, you can definitely see that sense of pride and determination above and beyond what you see with other athletes. Part of it is just a chance to represent their county again,? said Kevin Jardine, high performance director of Parlaympic alpine skiing and snowboarding for the U.S. Olympic Committee. ?They?re willing to sacrifice a lot.?

Added Shea, who lost his leg in a 2002 wake-boarding accident: ?Anything you tell Carlos, he?ll get it done. He always seems to find a way. He has no fear up there. He has passion. And I?ve learned from him the smiling gets you a long way in life.?

This week at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Aspen, organized by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Figueroa has been tempted to grab a board and shred. This is his fourth year attending. As a testament to his disregard for other people?s timelines, he couldn?t even stand on a snowboard four years ago due to his injury, yet he competed in a World Cup event for disabled snowboarders not long after that.

Until his prosthetic leg arrives, he?ll stick to monoskiing, during which he sits in a ?bucket? atop one ski, using his arms to hold smaller, balancing skis.

?The first run, I took it slow. After that, I opened it up,? Figueroa said. ?I just want to go fast and have fun.?

When the instructor noticed his raw speed, he warned Figueroa: ?You do realize if you go down, you may peel off half your face.?

Figueroa simply grinned: ?That?s alright.?

On the 10th anniversary of the war in Iraq, a special group of people in Vail, Colo., are also marking the tenth anniversary of their unique program designed to help war amputees regain independence through skiing. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports.

Related:?

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2a683190/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C0A60C175898670Eonly0Eweeks0Eafter0Eamputation0Ecombat0Evet0Eswoops0Eslopes0Ewith0Esochi0Edreams0Dlite/story01.htm

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April 5th, 2013 | 2 Comments
Written by Mandy
Posted in Activism, Arts and Crafts, Ecological Responsibility, Environmentalism, Featured, Green Living, Healthy Eating, Healthy Living, Homeschooling, Keeping Active, Love of Nature, Natural Learning, Playtime, Reading

Spring is upon us, with warmer weather, singing birds, and rabbit poop. There are many great things about spring, and one of those is the ability to do some more activities outdoors and elsewhere. Check out our extensive list of fun things to do with your family this spring!

Fly a kite Spring is the perfect time to go fly a kite. Make your own or purchase one and work together to get it flying up in the air.
Launch rockets Building and launching rockets is a lot of fun for children and adults.
Go barefoot With warmer weather, spend some time outdoors barefoot. Feel the new grass underfoot and play around.
Adopt a tree Help out wildlife by adopting a tree. You can add a bird feeder or just leave some food out for the birds.
Take family pictures The years pass by quickly. Take some family photos, and be certain to include yourself in them.
Go to a cultural festival Celebrate a culture dear to you or learn about a new one at a cultural festival.
Go skating Try your hand, or foot as the case may be, with some in-line skating.
Go swimming Depending on where you live, it may be warm enough to swim outside. If not, head to an indoor pool for a chance to swim before the heat arrives.
Make popsicles Homemade popsicles are a great way to make a healthy treat. Try making them with various fruits and vegetables.
Pick your own produce Visit a pick-your-own fruit or vegetable place and pick your food as a family.
Go to a farmer?s market Visit your local farmer?s market and get to know the people who grow your food while finding affordable healthy fruits and vegetables (maybe with a scavenger hunt!).
Go stargazing Watch the stars. You may need to head out to the country to do this if there is too much light pollution where you live.
Play hopscotch You can play hopscotch just about whever you are.
Play ball Get outside with your kids and play ball with them.
Have a movie night Stay home and have a movie night with a family favorite.
Have family game night Introduce family game night to your family. Bored with typical board games? Check out serious board games for an entirely new, and incredibly fun, family experience.
Practice random acts of kindness Spend a day, or spread it out, practicing random acts of kindness. The kindness keeps on going.
Create a fairy garden or secret garden Create a fairy garden complete with a little fairy house or a secret garden known just to your family.
Deliver handmade goodies or flowers to the neighbors Take a treat to the neighbors, and make their day a little brighter.
Adopt an honorary grandparent Adopt an older person to have as an honorary grandparent. You will be enriching each other?s lives.
Make play dough Homemade play dough is smoother and more economical than its commercial cousin. Enhance the experience by adding essential oils or Kool-Aid for a scent-sationally good time.