Clipmarks | ljgriffin's Pops

Michael J Fox Returns to TV

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:53:35 GMT

clipped by: Jenhahaha
clipper's remarks: I hope he's doing as well as can be expected. I don't watch Rescue Me, but I think I"ll tune in for this episode.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Michael J. Fox will return to series TV with a four-episode guest role on FX's "Rescue Me."

On "Rescue Me," which stars Denis Leary as troubled firefighter Tommy Gavin, Fox will play a "very funny, very original character," said John Landgraf, president and general manager of FX Networks.

Fox's character, who uses a wheelchair, is the new boyfriend of Tommy's estranged wife Janet (Andrea Roth) and will be introduced in the fifth-season premiere in spring 2009. The episode's air date was not announced.

The star of TV's "Family Ties" and "Spin City" and the "Back to the Future" films was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991 and revealed his condition publicly in 1998.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, founded by the actor, has raised millions of dollars, and Fox has been a vocal supporter of stem cell research.

Tags: television, denis leary, michael j fox, parkinson's

Jewish temple renovated in Afghanistan

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:39:31 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: ismailimail.wordpress.com

Jewish temple renovated in Herat. A general view of a Jewish temple, which was renovated by the Herat cultural department in collaboration with Aga Khan Trust, in the old part of Herat city north east of Kabul, Afghanistan, 10 July 2008. The conservation of historical places is part of a wider rehabilitation project implemented by the Historical Cities Support Programme of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme (HCP) promotes the conservation and re-use of buildings and public spaces in historic cities in the Muslim World. EPA/JALIL REZAYEE

http://www.akdn.org/agency/aktc_hcsp.html
AKTC Afghanistan Newsletter #11 (January/February 2008)

Tags: afghanistan, jews, architecture, conservation

Rationalization drives the culture war

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:17:10 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: "According to Dr. Jack Kevorkian, for example, all those reluctant to participate in his rationalization for killing people (including, it turns out, some who are not even ill) are the real problem; the judicial system is "corrupt," the medical profession is "insane," and the press is "meretricious." Of the coroner who found nothing medically wrong with several of his victims, Dr. Kevorkian said that he is a "liar and a fanatical religious nut."

Clip Source: www.orthodoxytoday.org

The power of rationalization drives the culture war, gives it its particular revolutionary character, and makes its advocates indefatigable.

Since failed rationalization means self-recrimination, it must be avoided at all cost. For this reason, the differences over which the culture war is being fought are not subject to reasoned discourse. Persons protecting themselves by rationalizing are interested not in finding the truth, but in maintaining the illusion that allows them to continue their behavior.

For them to succeed in this, everyone must accede to their rationalization. This is why revolutionary change is required. The necessity for self-justification requires the complicity of the whole culture.

We've seen the future ... and we may not be doomed

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:06:53 GMT

clipped by: Lexica

Clip Source: www.independent.co.uk

Humanity stands on the threshold of a peaceful and prosperous future, with an unprecedented ability to extend lifespans and increase the power of ordinary people – but is likely to blow it through inequality, violence and environmental degradation. And governments are not equipped to ensure that the opportunities are seized and disasters averted.

So says a massive new international report

Backed by organisations ranging from Unesco to the US army, the World Bank to the Rockefeller Foundation, the 2008 State of the Future report runs to 6,300 pages and draws on contributions from 2,500 experts around the globe.

Its warning is all the more stark for eschewing doom and gloom. "The future continues to get better for most of the world," it concludes, "but a series of tipping points could drastically alter global prospects."

the report warns "half the world is vulnerable to social instability and violence due to rising food and energy prices, failing states, falling water tables, climate change

Tags: preparedness, sustainability

A New Clue to Predicting Earthquakes

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:20:02 GMT

clipped by: willhelm

Clip Source: www.time.com

An accidental discovery has brought seismologists one step closer to being able to predict earthquakes. As part of an unrelated effort to measure underground changes caused by shifts in barometric pressure, a team of researchers found that increases in subterranean pressure preceded earthquakes along California's San Andreas Fault, by as much as 10 hours. If follow-up tests advance the findings, seismologists may eventually be able to provide a few hours' notice for people to find safe haven prior to quakes.

"Predicting earthquakes is the final goal for seismologists," says Fenglin Niu

For two months beginning in late 2005, researchers transmitted pulse signals three times per second, from the speaker to the measuring device, calculating travel time between the two stations. Surprised scientists learned the seismic waves slowed dramatically on only two occasions: two hours prior to a magnitude-1 temblor, and a startling 10 hours before a magnitude-3 quake.

What We Say Without Words

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:52:28 GMT

clipped by: missjackson
clipper's remarks: How our torsos, hands, feet and legs frequently communicate emotions that are not put into words.

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Former FBI agent Joe Navarro describes how our torsos, hands, feet and legs frequently communicate emotions that are not put into words.

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Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

All of these individuals are carrying on a dialogue in nonverbals. The socially adept will learn to read and interpret the signs accurately. Others will make false steps or pay a high price for not being observant.

This brings me back to my friend and his new wife, who are on this wonderful voyage. They have been on board for four days, and they are a delight individually and together. He lovingly looks at her; she stares at him with love and admiration. When she holds his hand at dinner, she massages it ever so gently. Theirs is a strong marriage. They don't have to tell me. I can sense it and observe it. I am happy for them and for myself. I can see cues of happiness, and they are unmistakable. You can't ask for more.

» LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY

World's oldest blogger signs off at age 108

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:50:35 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

An Australian woman renowned as the world's oldest blogger has died at the age of 108, with her last posting talking about her ailing health but also how she still sings a happy song every day.

Olive Riley, of Woy Woy about 50 miles north of Sydney, began blogging in February last year, sharing stories from her life during the two world wars, raising three children on her own, and working as a station cook in the outback.

The physically frail but mentally alert Riley won an international audience with her blog, The Life of Riley (www.allaboutolive.com.au), and series of videos posted on YouTube with her talking and singing.

"She enjoyed the notoriety -- it kept her mind fresh," her great-grandson Darren Stone of Brisbane told local newspapers.

In her last and 74th post (http://worldsoldestblogger.blogspot.com) on June 26 she spoke of moving into a nursing home and of her ill health, saying: "I still feel weak and can't shake off that bad cough."

Tags: blogger, blogging, internet, youtube

Bush on Conservation

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:27:20 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: He forgets that there is a third of the country that needs guidance and a baby-sitter.

Clip Source: www.politico.com

" They're smart enough to figure out whether they're going to drive less or not. I mean, you know, it's interesting what the price of gasoline has done," Bush said at a news conference in the White House press room, "is it caused people to drive less. That's why they want smaller cars: They want to conserve. But the consumer's plenty bright. The marketplace works ."

"You noticed my statement yesterday, I talked about good conservation and — you know, people can figure out whether they need to drive more or less," he said. "They can balance their own checkbooks."

"It's a little presumptuous on my part to dictate how consumers live their own lives," the president added. "I've got faith in the American people."

elliot - the cutest primate!

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:58:31 GMT

clipped by: boozich

Clip Source: muzich.blogspot.com

Elliott with Safari Park keeper Emma Gatcliffe

Clip Source: muzich.blogspot.com

The hand-reared marmoset with his stuffed monkey

The Role of Light on Human Health

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:07:47 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: Rea envisions "real-time light prescriptions" to help people receive or avoid light at the appropriate times. Simple measures to control when and how much circadian light we receive could help nightshift workers stay alert on the job and sleep more effectively during the day, help cure jet lag, decrease depression, and generally help everyone get a proper night's sleep.
The ability to modify circadian rhythm could potentially mitigate the negative health effects that some researchers believe are brought on by disruptions to the light-dark cycle. Recent studies have found a link between health and changes in the natural circadian rhythm. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published a series of articles, for example, that showed night shift workers had a higher incidence of breast cancer; and, last year, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer cited night work as a potential breast cancer risk factor.

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

During a 24-hour period humans experience a rise and dip in the production of most hormones and neurotransmitters (the chemicals that relay signals between nerve cells). This daily cycle is referred to as the body's circadian rhythm and is regulated by both internal systems and external stimuli, the most powerful of which is visible light.

Small and ear-mounted—like a wireless cell phone headset—it has three sensors that measure head movement, bright light (or lux, a measurement of the light used for daytime vision), and blue visible light (also known as circadian light). Circadian light—radiated by the sun as well as computer and television screens—helps balance certain hormones and neurotransmitters in the body, but only in specific doses and at certain times of day. Too much of this light can throw off the body's internal clock, which researchers believe leads to problems such as fatigue and poor health.

Tags: light, health

Achilles Heel Of HIV Found?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:54:51 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: “Unlike the changeable regions of its envelope, HIV needs at least one region that must remain constant to attach to cells. If this region changes, HIV cannot infect cells. Equally important, HIV does not want this constant region to provoke the body’s defense system. So, HIV uses the same constant cellular attachment site to silence B lymphocytes - the antibody producing cells. The result is that the body is fooled into making abundant antibodies to the changeable regions of HIV but not to its cellular attachment site. Immunologists call such regions superantigens. HIV’s cleverness is unmatched. No other virus uses this trick to evade the body’s defenses.”
Paul’s group has engineered antibodies with enzymatic activity, also known as abzymes, which can attack the Achilles heel of the virus in a precise way. “The abzymes recognize essentially all of the diverse HIV forms found across the world. This solves the problem of HIV changeability. The next step is to confirm our theory in huma

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston believe they have uncovered the Achilles heel in the armor of the virus that continues to kill millions.

The weak spot is hidden in the HIV envelope protein gp120. This protein is essential for HIV attachment to host cells, which initiate infection and eventually lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Normally the body’s immune defenses can ward off viruses by making proteins called antibodies that bind the virus. However, HIV is a constantly changing and mutating virus, and the antibodies produced after infection do not control disease progression to AIDS. For the same reason, no HIV preventative vaccine that stimulates production of protective antibodies is available.

The Achilles heel, a tiny stretch of amino acids numbered 421-433 on gp120, is now under study as a target for therapeutic intervention.

Tags: aids, hiv

2063 A.D.

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:43:57 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: www.paleofuture.com

Due to popular demand, I have uploaded a free PDF of the book 2063 A.D. in its entirety. To purchase a print copy of the book you can find it at my Lulu storefront.

For those just joining us, 2063 A.D. was a book published in 1963 by General Dynamics Astronautics. The book asked politicians, military commanders and scientists to speculate as to where humanity would be, a hundred years hence, in the great push towards space.

A copy of the limited print book (only 200 are believed to have been produced) was included in the time capsule at General Dynamics Astronautics headquarters in San Diego. The building was torn down in the late 1990s and the time capsule is believed to have perished. The book gives some great insight into the general sense of optimism that so typifies 1960s futurism. Space colonies? Sure! Martian life? Why not! Teleportation? Easier than commercial space flight!

What's your love style

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:15:48 GMT

clipped by: magicaldroplets

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

Love styles are models of how people love, originally developed by John Lee (1973, 1988). He identified six basic love theories -- also known as "colors" of love -- that people use in their interpersonal relationships:

Eros — a passionate physical and emotional love based on aesthetic enjoyment; stereotype of romantic love
Ludus — a love that is played as a game or sport; conquest
Storge — an affectionate love that slowly develops from friendship, based on similarity
Pragma — love that is driven by the head, not the heart; undemonstrative
Mania — highly volatile love; obsession; fueled by low self-esteem
Agape — selfless altruistic love; spiritual; motherly love

Tags: love, psychology