Sunday, February 3, 2013

Thousands of locally packed meals to be shipped around the world ...

Read?more: Local, Economy, Health, Community, Consumer, News, Kiwanis, Kids Against Hunger, Thousands of Meals, Feed the Needy, Helping, Around the World, Shipped, Packed, Grand Traverse, Traverse City Central, Pillsbury, Cargill, General Mills, Archer Daniels Midland, Food Packing, Mobile Food Pantry, Donations, Volunteers

GRAND TRAVERSE -- For the seventh year, the Kiwanis family of Traverse City is packaging nearly 15,000 meals to be shipped to hungry people around the world, and locally.

The project teams up with Kids Against Hunger Coalition of Michigan.? Kids Against Hunger supply the mobile food packaging equipment.

Today, more than 75 Kiwanis volunteers will meet inside of Traverse City Central High School's cafeteria to assemble these food packages.

Each package contains six nutritious meals, developed by scientists at Cargill, Pillsbury, General Mills, and Archer Daniels Midland.

The Kiwanis clubs sponsored youth clubs from area schools are also taking part in the project.

A total of $4,200 was raised?to support the packaging of the meals

7&4's Meghan Morelli will have more on this story today.

Source: http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=855602

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See the Super Bowl Ads?Before the Super Bowl

You used to have to wait for Super Bowl Sunday to see the Super Bowl ads?and many viewers still tune in to see which celebrity will be endorsing which product in an innovative and outrageous way that just might justify the millions of dollars companies spend on 30-second spots. These days, however, advertisers are increasingly debuting advertisements well before the big game, which makes the products and commercials topics for discussion long before kickoff.

Our ad critic, Seth Stevenson, prefers to view the ads within the context of Super Bowl evening, so he'll be weighing in with his reviews first thing Monday morning. Until then, check out some of the spots that have debuted early and either air your thoughts in the comments section or email them to seth@sethstevenson.com?he'll factor your reactions into his post.

Beck?s Sapphire
?Serenade?
A computer-animated fish lovingly sings a cover of Blackstreet?s ?No Diggity? to a bottle of Beck?s Sapphire.

Pepsi Next
?Party?
Parents come home to a party being hosted by their teenage son and join in after sampling the product.

Taco Bell
?Viva Young?
A group of senior citizens indulge in a boisterous night of clubbing set to a Spanish rendition of ?We Are Young? by fun.

Toyota
?Wish Granted?
Kaley Cuoco is a genie who grants a family multiple wishes after bringing home their new Toyota RAV4.

Hyundai
?Stuck?
A couple driving on the highway is stuck behind various obstacles including an overloaded moving vehicle, a trailer transporting horses, and a semi hauling hazardous waste before speedily passing ahead to the front.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=15f8005ecb14585c7c79c7fba44e851a

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Yemini military: Town seized from al-Qaida

SANAA, Yemen (AP) ? The Yemeni military says it has wrested control of a southern town from al-Qaida fighters after three days of clashes that killed 17 people.

Military officials say 12 al-Qaida fighters were killed and five soldiers and members of local tribes fighting alongside the army died in the clashes. Local militiamen had joined the military offensive to push al-Qaida out of the mountainous al-Maraksha in Abyan province.

Tribal sources say the al-Qaida fighters fled al-Maraksha Saturday to East Ahwar, about 80 kilometers outside the Abyan provincial capital of Zinjibar.

All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

Last year, Yemen's army, backed by the United States, drove militants out of southern areas that al-Qaida had seized during Yemen's 2011 uprising.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/yemini-military-town-seized-al-qaida-194127875.html

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NASA marks 10 years since loss of Columbia, crew

Evelyn Husband-Thompson, left, widow of Colonel Rick Husband, space shuttle Columbia commander, speaks at a remembrance ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the loss of space shuttle Columbia crew at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. On the memorial, in upper left of photo, is the name of her late husband and the other astronauts that lost their lives in the accident.(AP Photo/John Raoux)

Evelyn Husband-Thompson, left, widow of Colonel Rick Husband, space shuttle Columbia commander, speaks at a remembrance ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the loss of space shuttle Columbia crew at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. On the memorial, in upper left of photo, is the name of her late husband and the other astronauts that lost their lives in the accident.(AP Photo/John Raoux)

FILE - This photo provided by NASA in June 2003 shows STS-107 crew members,from the left (bottom row), wearing red shirts to signify their shift?s color, are astronauts Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; Rick D. Husband, mission commander; Laurel B. Clark, mission specialist; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist. From the left (top row), wearing blue shirts, are astronauts David M. Brown, mission specialist; William C. McCool, pilot; and Michael P. Anderson, payload commander. The astronauts were killed on Feb. 1, 2003, in the final minutes of their 16-day scientific research mission aboard Columbia. Altogether, 12 children lost a parent aboard Columbia. The youngest is now 15, the oldest 32. (AP Photo/NASA, File)

A wreath placed at the Space Mirror Memorial is seen during a remembrance ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the loss of space shuttle Columbia crew at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Ten years ago, the space shuttle Columbia and its seven astronauts were lost. They were returning from a 16-day mission and were just 16 minutes from home when the shuttle disintegrated on Feb. 1, 2003. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Sandra Anderson, left, widow of astronaut Michael P.Anderson, and Evelyn Husband-Thompson, widow of Colonel Rick Husband, space shuttle Columbia commander, embrace in front of a memorial wreath during a remembrance ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the loss of space shuttle Columbia crew at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Evelyn Husband-Thompson, left, widow of Colonel Rick Husband, space shuttle Columbia commander, speaks at a remembrance ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the loss of space shuttle Columbia crew at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. To her right is NASA Kennedy Space Center director, Bob Cabana and NASA Human Exploration and Operations associate administrator, William Gerstenmaier. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

(AP) ? Schoolchildren joined NASA managers and relatives of the lost crew of space shuttle Columbia on Friday to mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy and remember the seven astronauts who died.

More than 300 people gathered at Kennedy Space Center for the outdoor ceremony, just a few miles from where Columbia was supposed to land on Feb. 1, 2003, following a 16-day science mission. It never made it, bursting apart in the sky over Texas, just 16 minutes from home.

Representing the families of the Columbia seven, the widow of commander Rick Husband told the hushed audience that the accident was so unexpected and the shock so intense, "that even tears were not freely able to fall."

"They would come in the weeks, months and years to follow in waves and in buckets," said Evelyn Husband Thompson.

She assured everyone, though, that healing is possible and that blessings can arise from hardships. She attended the ceremony with her two children, her second husband and Sandra Anderson, widow of Columbia astronaut Michael Anderson.

"God bless the families of STS-107," said Thompson, referring to the mission designation for Columbia's last mission. "May our broken hearts continue to heal and may beauty continue to replace the ashes."

A pair of songs added to the emotion of the day. The young nephew of a NASA worker performed a song he wrote, "16 Minutes from Home," on the keyboard, along with a vocalist. And Grammy award-winning BeBe Winans, an R&B and gospel singer, performed "Ultimate Sacrifice," which he wrote for soldiers serving overseas.

As it turns out, Anderson had taken a CD of Winans' music into orbit with him. It was recovered in the debris that rained down on East Texas that fateful morning. Winans did not know that until it was mentioned at Friday's ceremony.

"I honor you today, I really do honor the families and those who have given the ultimate sacrifice," he added. Some in the crowd wiped away tears as he sang.

Also present were 44 students from Israel, the homeland of Columbia astronaut Ilan Ramon. He was Israel's first astronaut.

The teenagers were proud to note that they go to the same school as Ramon once did. They wore white sweat shirts with an emblem of their nation's first spaceman and the religious items he took into orbit.

"He represented Israel in the best way possible, so I think it's an honor for us to be here," said Eden Mordechai, 15.

The other Columbia crew members were co-pilot William McCool, Kalpana Chawla, Dr. Laurel Clark and Dr. David Brown.

NASA's human exploration chief, Bill Gerstenmaier, said no single person or event caused the Columbia disaster. Rather, "a series of technical and cultural missteps" were to blame, dating back to the first shuttle launch in 1981 when fuel-tank foam insulation started coming off and doing damage.

A chunk of foam punched a hole in Columbia's left wing during liftoff, leading to the catastrophic re-entry.

The astronaut who led the charge back to shuttle flight two years later, Eileen Collins, stressed that the 30-year shuttle program had its share of successes along the way and achieved its ultimate goal, building the International Space Station. The shuttles were retired in 2011.

"We still miss you," Collins said of the Columbia seven. "How can we ever thank you for your contributions to the great journey of human discovery."

The hourlong ceremony was held in front of the huge black granite monument bearing the names of all 24 astronauts who have died in the line of NASA duty. The three-man crew of Apollo 1 died in the Jan. 27, 1967, launch pad fire. The Challenger seven were killed Jan. 28, 1986, during liftoff. Husband and his crew honored them during their own flight, just four days before dying themselves.

On Friday, the names of each of the dead were read aloud. Afterward, mourners placed carnations and roses on the grating in front of the mirror-faced monument.

"I felt compelled to be here to memorialize those who were a big part of my life," said David Nieds, 39, a grocery store manager who got up early to drive from Fort Lauderdale with his mother and 16-year-old nephew.

He attended dozens of launches. Some people like sports, he explained, while he follows the space program.

Memorial services also were held at Arlington National Cemetery, where three of the Columbia crew are buried; in East Texas, where the shuttle wreckage fell; and in Israel.

"Space exploration and the sacrifice these pioneers made benefits us all," President Barack Obama said in a statement. "Today, we honor their lives and recommit ourselves to living up to their shining example."

___

Online:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-01-Columbia%20Anniversary/id-dc2b2d83976d42e484cbf50c659472e1

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Saturday, February 2, 2013

Gene finding may lead to treatments effective against all MRSA strains

Jan. 31, 2013 ? In the last decade, a new strain of MRSA has emerged that can spread beyond hospital walls, putting everyone at risk of contracting the dangerous bacterial infection. This particular strain of MRSA -- known as USA300 -- contains a chunk of genes not shared by any other strains, though it is unclear how this unique genetic material enables the bacteria to survive and persist in the community.

Now, research from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine has pinpointed a gene that causes the infection to linger on the skin longer than other strains, allowing it to be passed more readily from one person to the next.

The gene makes this strain of MRSA resistant to specific compounds on the skin called polyamines that are toxic to other forms of the bacteria. In uncovering this property, researchers have identified a novel target for developing new treatments against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, particularly the USA300 strain that accounts for the vast majority of MRSA skin and soft tissue infections seen in emergency rooms.

"The problem is by the time you figure out how one strain comes into dominance, it often fades away and a new strain comes in. But because these compounds occur naturally and are so toxic, we still think they can lead to treatments that are effective against all MRSA. We will just have to put in a little extra work to block the gene and make this particular strain of MRSA susceptible to polyamines," said senior study author Anthony Richardson, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the UNC School of Medicine.

The UNC study, published Jan. 16, 2013, in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, follows an attribute of MRSA previously unexplored by other scientists -- its sensitivity to the naturally occurring compounds called polyamines.

Polyamines are critical to wound repair because they are anti-inflammatory and promote tissue regeneration. Scientists first observed that MRSA infections were killed by polyamines in the 1950s, but no one followed up until recently, when Richardson decided to twist this scientific observation into a treatment option.

He and his colleagues tested hundreds of MRSA strains and found that all of them except one -- USA300 -- were sensitive to polyamines. When they looked to see what was different about this particular strain, they found that it contained a chunk of 34 genes, called the arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME), that none of the other strains possessed.

Then the researchers mutated each of these genes, one by one, until they created a strain that could be killed off by the polyamines. To confirm that they had the right gene, the researchers added a normal, non-mutated version of the gene -- named SpeG -- to other strains of MRSA and showed that it could make them resistant to these compounds.

Finally, Richardson wanted to know if the gene exerts the same effects in the context of a real infection. Using mouse models of MRSA infection, he and his colleagues showed that the presence of the SpeG gene helped the potent USA300 strain to stay on the skin for anywhere from a day to a week, giving the infection time to spread to the next host.

"Previously, the field tried to understand MRSA by focusing on attributes that we already knew were important, such as the amount of toxins or virulence factors a given strain makes. Those elements may explain why the disease is so bad when you get it, but they don't explain how a particular strain takes over. Our work uncovers the molecular explanation for one strain's rapid and efficient spread to people outside of a crowded hospital setting," said Richardson.

The research was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Study co-authors from UNC include Lance R. Thurlow, PhD; Gauri S. Joshi, PhD; Justin R. Clark; Jeffrey S. Spontak; Crystal J. Neeley; and Robert Maile, PhD.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Lance?R. Thurlow, Gauri?S. Joshi, Justin?R. Clark, Jeffrey?S. Spontak, Crystal?J. Neely, Robert Maile, Anthony?R. Richardson. Functional Modularity of the Arginine Catabolic Mobile Element Contributes to the Success of USA300 Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Cell Host & Microbe, 2013; 13 (1): 100 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2012.11.012

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/Kl7bU7lGzLw/130131120632.htm

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Friday, February 1, 2013

My current feelings on the skeptical movement and blogging ? Blag ...

I must not be the only one feeling disenchanted, since all of these other people can speak perfectly for me. From PZ, in response to Steven Novella?s piece about the scope of skepticism:

As for that awful, dishonest, destructive claim that ?Political, moral, and social ideology are ?outside the scope? of skepticism because they remove objectivity? ? I ask, OK, so would you claim that there is no rational, evidence-based argument against, say, slavery? That it is impossible to make an objective argument in any domain against treating people as property?

If that?s the case, well then, fuck skepticism. It isn?t relevant or useful anymore. It has abstracted itself into the realm of a private academic circle-jerk, and we can stop arguing, because just maybe atheists, who apparently have more rational minds, can just leave the party voluntarily.

Improbable Joe responds to the second paragraph with this comment:

A-fucking-men! If all that skepticism is for is dismissing the same silly claims that have been dismissed for sometimes hundreds of years, and not for creating positive change in the world, then what goddamned use does it have? ?Hey, let?s all get in a room once a week and talk about how homeopathy is still quackery, and that Bigfoot is a hoax! And then we can pat each other on the back for still not believing the same daffy shit we didn?t believe last week, and didn?t believe the week before either!? Wow, yeah, that?s really inspiring me to join a ?movement? that seems to be fixated on not moving, not budging a single solitary inch, if in doing so it moves beyond smug self-congratulation.

And to close, sawells perfectly summarizes why I?m sick of dealing with the skeptic movement:

I think there are two unspoken arguments which people want to make and can?t (publicly).

Argument 1: skepticism is fine if you point it at things which very few people really believe (bigfoot;alien abduction) because if they get angry we can laugh at them. Don?t point it at things which lots of people believe! There are lots of them and if they get angry that might be scary!

Argument 2: skepticism is fine if you point it at other people who are wrong. Don?t point it at me! I?m not wrong!

Hence the massive pushback against applying basic skepticism to things like mainstream religious claims and mainstream gender stereotypes.

This. Oh, so much this.

I?ve grown reluctant to deal with the egos of skeptic celebrities and politics of skeptical organizations who, frankly, aren?t the great skeptics they think they are. But I?ll still keep writing and speaking about science and skepticism because, well, I find them important and interesting. I?ve realized I don?t need to be an official part of a group or a movement to do those things, nor am I personally responsible for spending my time and energy in improving a movement that is so stubbornly resisting improvement.

Because when my time and energy is spent on repeatedly explaining why diversity matters, why harassment policies are good to have and are already widely implemented at other events, why Obviously Sexist Statement from Skeptic Pope X is problematic, and why certain topics are not exempt from skepticism?then I don?t have the time to write about those certain topics that matter to me. I don?t have time to create unique material about science and skepticism when I?m stuck meta-blogging about how some atheist yet again told me to go kill myself on twitter because I?m an ugly bitch who?s ruining skepticism.

And I didn?t realize how obnoxious this meta-blogging was until I took a break from blogging and spent some time as just a blog reader. All of the blogs I had once loved now hardly ever produce unique material about atheism or skepticism because they?re too busy reacting to trolls or debating some ?big name skeptic? (who is really just some shmuck* only known to a small group of people whose opinions have little effect on the world at large). Even the rare unique posts are frequently filled with snide offhand remarks about people they don?t like or vague comments alluding to past drama. And you know, if that?s what they want to do, that?s fine. One of my main pet peeves as a blogger is when people tell you what you should be writing about, when it?s a blogger?s prerogative to write about whatever they find interesting.

I personally no longer find the meta-blogging interesting.

So consider this meta-meta-blogging my long-winded way of saying that my attitude toward blogging is changing. From now on, trolls and haters will be ignored instead of further publicized, and I encourage my readers to do the same in the comments. I will not feel guilty about moderation or banning in order to make a harassment-free environment for me and my readers. I will only comment on controversies if I feel that they have effects outside of our tiny little skeptical bubble. And most importantly, I will concentrate on writing unique material about the topics I care about instead of just endlessly replying to blogs, comments, and tweets.

That?s what I want to spend my time and energy on, not fixing a stubborn skeptical movement?s academic circle jerk.

*I count myself in the category of ?random shmuck that other people care way too much about.? I wish my haters would spend less time obsessing over what?s effectively an open access creative writing journal for a random grad student, and maybe take up some sort of constructive hobby, like actually promoting science and skepticism, or at the very least, knitting.

Source: http://freethoughtblogs.com/blaghag/2013/01/my-current-feelings-on-the-skeptical-movement-and-blogging/

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Android games console GameStick ends Kickstarter ... - The Next Web

GameStick, the tiny indie games console has come to the end of its run on Kickstarter and managed to raise more than six times its original goal.

The company was aiming for $100,000 and has closed at $647,658. Not a bad round and one that appears to point toward support for independent games consoles with big backers as well as a much wider audience.

gamestick kickstarter Android games console GameStick ends Kickstarter round with over six times its original goal

The taste for indie games consoles has grown over the past twelve months with contenders such as Ouya managing to nail down $7 million in funding and partner with iHeartRadio, VEVO and OnLive.

As we mentioned in January, GameStick reached its funding target in just 30 hours. The product supports?XBMC media hub software and the DLNA media sharing spec.

GameStick is described as ?The Most Portable TV games Console Ever Created? and will cost $79. Essentially a 2-inch stick that fits inside a controller, users will be able to play games on a regular TV.

On the company?s Facebook page it is clear that the team is very excited to have come this far with its Kickstarter campaign.

gamestick fb Android games console GameStick ends Kickstarter round with over six times its original goal

For those who want to join the community supporting GameStick, the Facebook fans are also being challenged to choose colour schemes for the console. So far, those polled appear to have a soft spot for Nintendo or SNES controller styles.

gamestick poll fb Android games console GameStick ends Kickstarter round with over six times its original goal

So, are GameStick supporters all retro gaming fans?

It will be interesting to see how the company grows and what form the product will take when it ships.

Source: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/02/01/android-games-console-gamestick-finishes-kickstarter-round-with-over-six-times-its-original-goal/

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