A near-Earth asteroid – called 2012 DA14 by astronomers – will pass very close to Earth on February 15, 2013 -

A near-Earth asteroid – called 2012 DA14 by astronomers – will pass very close to Earth on February 15, 2013 - 



A near-Earth asteroid – called 2012 DA14 by astronomers – will pass very close to Earth on February 15, 2013. Astronomers estimate that, when it’s closest to us, the asteroid will be about 21,000 miles (35,000 kilometers) away – much closer than Earth’s moon (about 240,000 miles away) – and closer even than some of our own orbiting satellites. Astronomers’ calculations of asteroid orbits can be trusted. After all, even decades ago, they knew enough about calculating orbits to send people to the moon and bring them safely back, and today we are able place our space vehicles in orbit around objects as small as asteroids. So, no, 2012 DA14 won’t strike us in 2013. There was a remote possibility it might strike us in 2020, but that possibility has been ruled out also.


Earlier this year, when a collision between 2012 DA14 and Earth in 2020 was still possible, I asked astronomer Donald Yeomans to clarify the risk. Yeomans is, among other things, manager of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program Office at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In March 2012, he told EarthSky that a 2020 collision between Earth and asteroid 2012 DA14 was only a “remote possibility.”

… approximately one chance in 83,000, with additional remote possibilities beyond 2020. However, by far the most likely scenario is that additional observations, especially in 2013, will allow a dramatic reduction in the orbit uncertainties and the complete elimination of the 2020 impact possibility.

It turned out they didn’t have to wait until 2013. By May, 2012, astronomers had ruled out even the remote possibility of a 2020 collision.

Still, 2012 DA14 and asteroids like it are sobering.

Read more - 
http://earthsky.org/space/asteroid-2012-da14-will-pass-very-close-to-earth-in-2013

In 59 Philadelphia wards, Mitt Romney did not get one single vote... - Zero. Zilch. -

In 59 Philadelphia wards, Mitt Romney did not get one single vote... - Zero. Zilch. - 


It's one thing for a Democratic presidential candidate to dominate a Democratic city like Philadelphia, but check out this head-spinning figure: In 59 voting divisions in the city, Mitt Romney received not one vote. Zero. Zilch.

These are the kind of numbers that send Republicans into paroxysms of voter-fraud angst, but such results may not be so startling after all.

"We have always had these dense urban corridors that are extremely Democratic," said Jonathan Rodden, a political science professor at Stanford University. "It's kind of an urban fact, and you are looking at the extreme end of it in Philadelphia."

Most big cities are politically homogeneous, with 75 percent to 80 percent of voters identifying as Democrats.

Cities are not only bursting with Democrats: They are easier to organize than rural areas where people live far apart from one another, said Sasha Issenberg, author of The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns.

"One reason Democrats can maximize votes in Philadelphia is that it's very easy to knock on every door," Issenberg said.

Still, was there not one contrarian voter in those 59 divisions, where unofficial vote tallies have President Obama outscoring Romney by a combined 19,605 to 0?

The unanimous support for Obama in these Philadelphia neighborhoods - clustered in almost exclusively black sections of West and North Philadelphia - fertilizes fears of fraud, despite little hard evidence.

Upon hearing the numbers, Steve Miskin, a spokesman for Republicans in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, brought up his party's voter-identification initiative - which was held off for this election - and said, "We believe we need to continue ensuring the integrity of the ballot."

The absence of a voter-ID law, however, would not stop anyone from voting for a Republican candidate.

Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia who has studied African American precincts, said he had occasionally seen 100 percent of the vote go for the Democratic candidate. Chicago and Atlanta each had precincts that registered no votes for Republican Sen. John McCain in 2008.

"I'd be surprised if there weren't a handful of precincts that didn't cast a vote for Romney," he said. But the number of zero precincts in Philadelphia deserves examination, Sabato added.

"Not a single vote for Romney or even an error? That's worth looking into," he said.

In a city with 1,687 of the ward subsets known as divisions, each with hundreds of voters, 59 is about 3.5 percent of the total.

In some of those divisions, it's not only Romney supporters who are missing. Republicans in general are nearly extinct.

Take North Philadelphia's 28th Ward, third division, bounded by York, 24th, and 28th Streets and Susquehanna Avenue.

About 94 percent of the 633 people who live in that division are black. Seven white residents were counted in the 2010 census.

In the entire 28th Ward, Romney received only 34 votes to Obama's 5,920.

Although voter registration lists, which often contain outdated information, show 12 Republicans live in the ward's third division, The Inquirer was unable to find any of them by calling or visiting their homes.

Four of the registered Republicans no longer lived there; four others didn't answer their doors. City Board of Elections registration data say a registered Republican used to live at 25th and York Streets, but none of the neighbors across the street Friday knew him. Cathy Santos, 56, founder of the National Alliance of Women Veterans, had one theory: "We ran him out of town!" she said and laughed.

James Norris, 19, who lives down the street, is listed as a Republican in city data. But he said he's a Democrat and voted for Obama because he thinks the president will help the middle class.

A few blocks away, Eric Sapp, a 42-year-old chef, looked skeptical when told that city data had him listed as a registered Republican. "I got to check on that," said Sapp, who voted for Obama.

Eighteen Republicans reportedly live in the nearby 15th Division, according to city registration records. The 15th has the distinction of pitching two straight Republican shutouts - zero votes for McCain in 2008, zero for Romney on Tuesday. Oh, and 13 other city divisions did the same thing in 2008 and 2012.

Read more - 
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20121112_In_59_Philadelphia_voting_wards__Mitt_Romney_got_zero_votes.html

Edible deodorant: Perfume candy to cure body odor? -

Edible deodorant: Perfume candy to cure body odor? - 



We all know what to do when we encounter someone with bad breath. Politely give 'em a breath mint and perhaps extol the virtues of flossing, right? But what about a person with B.O. so funky it could peel wallpaper off the wall? Then what?
Simple. Give them a few pieces of Deo Perfume Candy, a new confection billed as edible deodorant.
Beneo, an American nutrition and health company partnered with Bulgarian candy maker, Alpi, to develop sweets that will leave you smelling like a bed of roses.
"The innovative technology behind Deo Perfume Candy is based on research by Japanese scientists," explains Deo's website. "Their studies showed that when ingested, rose oil exudes aromatic compounds, such as geraniol, through the skin. When evaporating through the skin, geraniol aromatizes it with a beautiful rose fragrance."
One serving size (four pieces) contains 12 mg of geraniol. While the strength and duration of the perfume depends on body weight, developers say one serving size eaten by a person weighing 145 pounds could last up to six hours.
While this all sounds like something whipped up in Willy Wonka's dream factory, the science is nothing new. Anyone who's ever chowed down on garlic, asparagus or cumin know how easily different foods can effect body odor and fluids.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/11/12/edible-deodorant-perfume-candy-to-cure-body-odor/

Theme park devoted to Toilets takes off in South Korea -

Theme park devoted to Toilets takes off in South Korea - 



Spot the odd one out: museum, paintings, sculptures, toilets.

Sorry, trick question.

Earlier this year, the South Korean city of Suwon opened a theme park devoted exclusively to the culture of toilets.

It has bronze figures in various positions and various facial expressions answering the call of nature, a bowl-shaped exhibition hall, toilet-themed paintings, poop-shaped souvenirs and “Washroom” signs from around the world.

The museum used to be a house built by Suwon’s former mayor, Sim Jae-duck, reportedly born in his grandmother’s toilet. He is said to have been so embarrassed with South Korea’s backward public conveniences that he turned his obsession with them into a campaign for improvement in the 1980s.

About 16 of Suwon’s public toilets are listed as tourist sites on the city’s website and are part of a “Beautiful Public Restroom Tour” program. And yes, it attracts tourists from all over the world.

The theme park is not about scatological humour, though. It has messages of health, sanitation and water conversation.

Read more - 
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1286322--theme-park-devoted-to-toilets-takes-off-in-south-korea

Sex Robot 'Longevity Orgasms' May Help Extend Human Life Spans, Futurists Suggest -

Sex Robot 'Longevity Orgasms' May Help Extend Human Life Spans, Futurists Suggest - 



Could sex with robots help extend human life spans? Some futurists seem to think so.

A Nov. 7 article on the futurist website Transhumanity argues that robot lovers could help extend life spans by giving users mind-blowing "longevity orgasms" far superior in quality to those from human "meat-bag" partners.

The link between orgasms and health is not unexplored. Some have argued that orgasms have significant health benefits, and "The Longevity Project," a book about an eight-decade study of long-life factors, observed that women with higher frequency of orgasm during sex lived longer.

But assuming robots can do it better than humans, is there necessarily a correlation between the quality of orgasm and longevity? Or is frequency of climax the most important factor?


If the latter is the case, then a sex robot's superior skills in the sack might be less of a game changer than the fact that a sexbot will never be too tired or unwilling to get it on.

Still, the futurist scouting report on longevity orgasms sounds pretty complex.

Transhumanity elaborates: 
"[Sexbots will] be more desirable, patient, eager, and altruistic than their meat-bag competition, plus they’ll be uploaded with supreme sex-skills from millennia of erotic manuals, archives and academic experiments, and their anatomy will feature sexplosive devices... They’ll offer us quadruple-tongued cunnilingus, open-throat silky fellatio, deliriously gentle kissing, transcendent nipple tweaking, g-spot massage & prostate milking dexterity, plus 2,000 varieties of coital rhythm with scented lubes."
At the moment, it appears humanity will have to wait and see if "shrieking, frothy, bug-eyed, amnesia-inducing orgasms" administered by sex robots provide the key to longevity.

But it won't have to wait too long. A scenario envisioned by Victoria University researchers plots the rise of robot prostitutes by 2050, the Dominion Post notes.

Read more -
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/09/sex-robot-longevity-orgasms-futurists_n_2101893.html

5-year-old apparently caused deadly helicopter crash by kicking flight controls, report says -

5-year-old apparently caused deadly helicopter crash by kicking flight controls, report says - 



A federal accident report says a billionaire food-services company owner let his 5-year-old daughter sit on his lap in his helicopter's co-pilot seat and she apparently caused a 2010 crash near Phoenix that five people by kicking the flight controls.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the crash that killed Services Group of America owner Thomas J. Stewart for nearly three years before releasing its report Wednesday.
The report says it's "highly likely" the little girl suddenly pushed down on a control and either Stewart or his company pilot then quickly pulled up. That made the rotor blades bend and strike the tail boom.
The conclusion is being disputed by the lawyer for the pilot's family and by Stewart's privately held company. SGA moved to Arizona from Seattle in 2006.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/11/5-year-old-apparently-caused-deadly-helicopter-crash-by-kicking-flight-controls/?test=latestnews

Study: Meth Can Help Fight The Flu -

Study: Meth Can Help Fight The Flu - 



 There might be a reason why no one on “Breaking Bad” gets the flu. Recent experiments with the drug methamphetamine shows that the drug acts as an inhibitor to the influenza virus.

Scientists in Taiwan were curious on how meth  interacts with the influenza virus.

Using tissue samples of lung cells the scientists exposed them to different amounts of meth, and the results were surprising. Scientists found that the meth-exposed tissue samples had a reduction of the influenza virus.

The virus that was used was the H1N1 flu, or what is commonly known as “swine flu.”

Although the results could lead to new flu treatments it’s not good to self-medicate. Meth still reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and previous studies found that meth reduces the body’s ability to fight off diseases, such as HIV.

Meth is also extremely addictive and leads to tooth decay.

Nevada is leading the nation in meth addiction. Meth use in the state is 180 percent higher than the national average.

The study was published in PLOS One.

Read more -
http://lasvegas.cbslocal.com/2012/11/08/study-concludes-meth-can-fight-the-flu/

A motel in Montreal is one of several motels across Canada showing traces of C. difficile and MRSA -

A motel in Montreal is one of several motels across Canada showing traces of C. difficile and MRSA - 




A motel in Montreal is one of several motels across Canada showing traces of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to a CBC Marketplace investigation.

The investigation found traces of Clostridium difficile — better known as C. difficile — and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in major hotel chains in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

Traces of the bacteria were found in the Super 8 in Vaudreuil.

"We're very disappointed in the results … all of our hotels are going to take a very close look at their policies and procedures, particularly in cleaning," said William Brown, executive vice-president of the Montreal Hotel Association.

According to University of Montreal biochemistry department chair Christian Baron, the bacteria are not a cause for panic, but they could be a problem for people with weakened immune systems and the elderly.

Microbiologist Keith Warriner, who did the tests for Marketplace, called the findings as “alarming.”

“It was a surprise at the start, but amazing that all these hotels had superbugs,” he said. “When you get … the antibiotic-resistant bacteria we're finding, that's not scare-mongering, that's real. These are real pathogens that can cause real illnesses.”

Using an ultraviolet flashlight and an adenosine triphosphate (ATP) meter that measures microbial contamination, Warriner found the worst bacterial hot spots in the hotel rooms.

Comforters proved the dirtiest, while faucets, remote controls, bed throws, bathroom sinks and toilet bases were the most commonly contaminated spots.

Hidden cameras in the rooms also captured maids using cleaning techniques that would actually help spread bacteria.

One camera captured a maid using a toilet brush to clean a sink, and another using the same rag to wipe a toilet seat and then a faucet.

Wyndham Hotels, which owns the Super 8 franchise, replied with written a statement that its hotels are all independently owned and operated, but all franchises will face action if they compromise quality or customer safety.

Read more -
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2012/11/09/montreal-hotels-bacteria.html

Did Paula Broadwell’s Cuckolded Husband Write a Letter to Chuck Klosterman in the The New York Times? -

Did Paula Broadwell’s Cuckolded Husband Write a Letter to Chuck Klosterman in the The New York Times? - 



In the July 13th edition of Klosterman's The Ethicist advice column for the New York Times, an anonymous reader wrote in seeking advice about an affair his wife was having with a "government executive" whose job "is seen worldwide as a demonstration of American leadership." The anonymous reader went on to praise the government executive as "gracious" and "absolutely the right person for the job." He then asked if he should acknowledge the affair or let it continue until the project succeeds. Sounds like the government executive could hold a position like, say, the director of the CIA, right? In other words, did Paula Broadwell's husband know about her affair with David Petraeus and then turn to, of all people, Chuck Klosterman for advice? Maybe!

Let's look at the facts. The reader says he's "watched the affair intensify over the last year," which matches the Wall Street Journal's timeline of the affair (August 2011 until "several months ago"). It also makes sense that Broadwell's husband would have some idea about the affair considering she apparently was always off jogging with Petraeus, not to mention the fact that she's spent a good deal of her career worshipping/writing "fan fiction" about the former general.

And since the reader asked Klosterman for help, we have to assume he'd at least consider the writer's advice, which was:

Don't expose the affair in any high-profile way. It would be different if this man's project was promoting some (contextually hypocritical) family-values platform, but that doesn't appear to be the case. The only motive for exposing the relationship would be to humiliate him and your wife, and that's never a good reason for doing anything. This is between you and your spouse. You should tell her you want to separate, just as you would if she were sleeping with the mailman. The idea of "suffering in silence" for the good of the project is illogical. How would the quiet divorce of this man's mistress hurt an international leadership initiative? He'd probably be relieved.

So maybe that's why the affair ended several months ago? Because of Chuck Klosterman? Did Chuck Klosterman's wisdom trigger a series of events that would eventually lead to the resignation of the director of the CIA?

It should be noted that Klosterman was suspicious of the letter writer's motives: "I halfway suspect you're writing this letter because you want specific people to read this column and deduce who is involved and what's really going on behind closed doors (without actually addressing the conflict in person). That's not ethical, either."

If any of this story is true, and I vote yes, it is all true, then one thing is for sure: Chuck Klosterman is an American hero.

Read more -
http://gawker.com/5959398/did-paula-broadwells-cuckolded-husband-write-a-letter-to-chuck-klosterman-aka-the-new-york-times-ethicist

'Up' adventurer plans flight across Atlantic with 365 helium balloons -

'Up' adventurer plans flight across Atlantic with 365 helium balloons - 



Jonathan Trappe, 38, plans to fly 2,500 miles across the pond next summer in a seven-foot lifeboat carried by the balloons.
Mr Trappe has harnessed the huge public interest in his previous adventures to launch a $300,000 appeal to crowd-fund online the expensive helium and special UV resistant balloons he will need for his record-breaking flight. He has already invested $170,000 into the mission.
The Atlantic crossing has presented a challenge to balloonists for decades. Five others have died attempting it, and none have achieved the crossing attached to cluster balloons.
In 2010, Mr Trappe made global headlines when he flew from England to Belgium dangling from scores of helium balloons - just like the Disney character Carl Fredricksen from the film "Up".
The balloonist, from Raleigh, North Carolina, is learning to sail a lifeboat, in case he needs to ditch into the ocean during the mission.


The unique gondola will have an open roof for take-off but a canopy to protect its pilot from high-altitude winds and frostbite during the crossing.
If something goes wrong, Mr Trappe will change out of his UV protection suit into a cold water suit, pop enough balloons to bring the gondola close to the water, and attempt to land in the ocean.
Mr Trappe will float at between 18,000ft and 25,000ft, beating his previous world altitude record of 21,600ft. Previously the furthest distance he had flown uninterrupted was a world record 230 miles. To achieve the crossing, he must fly ten times that.
Mr Trappe plans to set off from Maine, USA, and set a course for Paris, France. He will be at the mercy of the elements, however, and could have to land anywhere from Norway to North Africa, or be forced to abort and ditch into the ocean.

Read more - 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/9663681/Up-adventurer-plans-flight-across-Atlantic-with-365-balloons.html