Tag Archives: Education

PostPartisan – Sec. Gates’s blunt message to the Senate and Sen. McCain

My editor popped into my office to ask “What's the headline?” out of the release of the long-awaited report on the repeal of don't ask don't tell. The answer was pretty easy. Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants the Senate to repeal don't ask don't tell before the courts force him to eliminate the policy. He urged that it be done during the lame-duck session and that those standing in the way “are rolling the dice that this policy will not be abruptly overturned by the courts.” Got that, John McCain? added by: mik661

Researchers Ditch Toxic Nanoparticle Chemicals for Delicious Cinnamon

Nanoparticles these days are quietly being slipped into products and processes as diverse as electronics, healthcare products (like sunscreen), and pharmaceuticals to fight cancer. http://www.dailytech.com/Arsenic+Nanoparticle+Fights+Breast+Cancer/article19058…. But for all that promise, there's a dark side. In order to make nanoparticles like tiny gold nanoparticles( http://www.dailytech.com/Gold+Nanoparticles+Dont+Just+Look+Pretty+They+Fight+Can… ) or titanium dioxide nanoparticles, caustic chemicals frequently are required. Scientists are concerned that minute quantities of those chemicals could harm the human body( http://www.dailytech.com/Nanotech+the+New+Asbestos+Carbon+Nanotube+Toxicity/arti… ), causing cancer or other diseases. But a University of Missouri research team, led by MU Physics and Radiology Professor Kattesh Katti thinks they have a solution — cinnamon. The team mixed gold salts in water with cinnamon and discovered that they remarkably formed nanoparticles. Typically such particles form only when exposed to an electric field or when toxic chemicals are added to the mix. Fellow radiology professor Raghuraman Kannan, who participated in the study, comments, “The procedure we have developed is non-toxic. No chemicals are used in the generation of gold nanoparticles, except gold salts. It is a true 'green' process.” Professor Katti adds, “From our work in green nanotechnology, it is clear that cinnamon — and other species such as herbs, leaves and seeds — will serve as a reservoir of phytochemicals and has the capability to convert metals into nanoparticles. Therefore, our approach to 'green' nanotechnology creates a renaissance symbolizing the indispensable role of Mother Nature in all future nanotechnological developments.” More serendipitous yet, the cinammon nanoparticles were found to release phytochemicals found in cinnamon debris. These phytochemicals have been shown to kill or reduce the growth of certain types of cancer cells. So not only are these particles non-toxic, but they also fight cancer. Professor Katti elates, “Our gold nanoparticles are not only ecologically and biologically benign, they also are biologically active against cancer cells.” It all sounds too good to be true, but the team insists that the approach is reliable. They hope to ready it for production so that the new cinnamon-gold nanoparticles can replace existing toxic varieties. The study on the work was published in the journal Pharmaceutical Research. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20872051 added by: toyotabedzrock

WikiLeaks Suffers a Second More Powerful DoS Attack

The WikiLeaks Twitter account displays the messages, “We are currently under another DDoS attack,” and “DDoS attack now exceeding 10 Gigabits a second,” which dwarfs the 2-4 Gbps attack perpetrated by self-proclaimed “patriot hacker” known only as The Jester (th3j35t3r)… https://www.infosecisland.com/blogview/9896-WikiLeaks-Suffers-a-Second-More-Powe… added by: Paisano1

Kelli Space Has a $189,182.39 Outstanding Student Loan Debt

On her website Kelli Space confesses to having $189,182.39 outstanding in student loans from her undergraduate days at Northeastern University. She set up that site to ask your help in paying the loans off. Space, who's 23, did get a job after she received her bachelor's degree. But she lives with her parents because the monthly nut on the loans is $891. In November 2011, that monthly bill will be $1600 monthly for 20 years, reports Gawker. Space explains the mess she got into as the result of being the first in her family to attend college. Therefore, she was not properly tuned into how much debt to take on and what kind of income she could anticipate earning with a college degree. As of today, the public has pitched in about a $1,951.40 toward retiring Space's debt. Space's ultimate goal is to raise $200K so that makes only $198,048.60 to go. I am quoting the words/views of Kelly on her website Kelli Space “Hi all, While I’m extremely grateful to everyone who’s donated, I fear I’ve misrepresented myself in one way or another, as there have been many misconceptions the past couple of days. I never intended to pass my loans along to someone else and absolve myself of all responsibility. I also never intended to come across as a “beggar.” This website was about putting it out there that I made a mistake, letting people know the extent of the debt burden I’m under because of it that I’m not the only one in this position and asking for help if anyone was so inclined to give it. If not, absolutely fine. If this is what it took to address the issues of student loan practices, I’m happy to have helped get the dialogue going, as obviously I’m an extreme case. My loans are absolutely my cross to bear alone, and I’ve been making regular payments since I began my payment plan. I never intend to default, and since I have such a small chance of declaring bankruptcy, I don’t intend to take that “easy way out” either. I don’t believe my college years were in any way glamorous, though I do realize I chose to give myself an experience that many other people can not and will not experience for themselves. It is MY fault, and mine alone, then, that I am in this debt due to “needing” to attend Northeastern 5 years ago. My gross abuse of finances to pay for my education should not be passed along to anyone else. I do not expect donations from anyone — how could I? There was no way for me to know the kind of response I’d receive. Those who have donated have shown their support and that has encouraged me a great deal. People have provided me with various links, causing me to look deeper into legislation on student loans; people have asked questions to understand student loan situations better; and people have shared their own related issues, and I absolutely feel for them as well. I admire those who have told me they’ve paid off their loans, or those who didn’t take out more than they could handle from the onset. By all means, please donate to any of the many causes out there over me. I’m aware that my issue will remain an issue for some 20 years due to my own poor decision-making, and other immediate causes deserve any amount you can give. Please, do not think I expect anyone’s money, particularly over any other cause. Thank you to everyone who has been open and honest on how they feel. I appreciate all conversation on the topic and, trust me, no one has been harder on me than myself. Thanks again, Kelli “November 24, 2010” ** Link to her page ** http://twohundredthou.com/ added by: KSirys

Giant Extra-Galactic Planet Found

Astronomers discovered a gaseous planet which is atleast 25 percent heavier than Jupiter and 400 times heavier than Earth. The planet reportedly orbits … http://bit.ly/ealwMJ added by: itgrunts

WikiLeaks next target – the banks

Just a day after their big scoop WikiLeaks announced plans to release tens of thousands of internal documents from a major US bank. The revelations will be made public early next year, according to Forbes Magazine.WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange declined to identify the bank, but he said that he expected that the disclosures, which follow his group's release of U.S. military and diplomatic documents, would lead to investigations, Reuters reports. Bank revelation will be a “megaleak” Talking to Forbes, Assange said: “We have one related to a bank coming up, that's a megaleak. It's not as big a scale as the Iraq material, but it's either tens or hundreds of thousands of documents depending on how you define it.”He declined to identify the bank, describing it only as a major U.S. bank that is still in existence.Asked what he wanted to be the result of the disclosure, he replied: “I'm not sure. It will give a true and representative insight into how banks behave at the executive level in a way that will stimulate investigations and reforms, I presume.”He compared this release to emails that were unveiled as a result of the collapse of disgraced energy company Enron Corp.”This will be like that. Yes, there will be some flagrant violations, unethical practices that will be revealed, but it will also be all the supporting decision-making structures and the internal executive ethos … and that's tremendously valuable,” Assange said.”You could call it the ecosystem of corruption. But it's also all the regular decision making that turns a blind eye to and supports unethical practices: the oversight that's not done, the priorities of executives, how they think they're fulfilling their own self-interest,” he said.Assange also told Forbes that WikiLeaks has material on many businesses and governments, including Russia, and that it has some documents on pharmaceutical companies, which he did not identify. added by: sbacker

Touch Paw – iPad Game for Cats & Dogs to Play

Touch Paw is two video games in one – One for dogs. One for cats. That's right… The games are for dogs & cats. To play. On your iPad. Touch Paw Dogs animates through a series of “positive” & “negative” images. If the image on the screen is positive touch the screen with your nose or paw. You receive one point for each correct answer. You lose one point for each incorrect answer. Ask your human to give you a treat when you get an answer right. Touch Paw Cats is a virtual fish tank. Tap the screen with your paw to startle & scare the fish. Eventually the fish will calm down so you can scare them again. Don't worry, they won't mind – They're virtual! Touch Paw is really goofy, fun and best of all, free. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/touch-paw/id403294344 added by: mjn

France, Ireland and Hungary seize pensions to fill "short-term deficits"

France is apparently following the example of Ireland and Hungary and seizing pension funds. According to eFinancialNews, the French parliament passed a law last week allowing 36 billion Euros to be seized from the French reserve pension fund to be used to pay off the debts of France’s welfare system. As eFinancialNews notes: “The move reflects a willingness by governments to use long-term assets to fill short-term deficits, including Ireland’s announcement last week that it would use the country’s €24bn National Pensions Reserve Fund “to support the exchequer’s funding programme” and Hungary’s bid to claw $15bn of private pension funds back to the state system.” There have been unsubstantiated rumors for years that the American government will also seize 401(k) money. added by: maasanova

Eternal Youth Potion Discovered

Harvard University researcher Ronald A. DePinho has discovered a way to reverse age degeneration for the first time. His experiments on mice have demonstrated that you can return individuals to a younger state, with new growth on brain and improved fertility. While scientists knew about the role of telomerase—an enzyme that adds DNA sequence repeats at the end of chromosomes—in body decadence and experiments were made with extremely simple organisms, this is the first time that this breakthrough has been achieved in complex mammals. While it's not human testing, this discovery could be an amazing weapon to fight Alzheimer and other degenerative diseases. According to DePinho: We wanted to know: If you could flip the telomerase switch on and restore telomeres in animals with entrenched age-related disease, what would happen? Would it slow down aging, stabilize it, or even reverse it? It was akin to a Ponce de Le

Iranian nuclear scientist killed in motorbike attack !

Lets all say it together now! Mossad! added by: kennymotown