It's not often that I'm at a loss for words. But this is just so awesome I'm going to let it stand on its own merits. Congrats to Android Forums member scoty024 for being quite the artiste, and to his wife for being so ... forgiving. Even I couldn't get away with doing this. Pretty sure you just signed up for the first 1,000 diaper changes, dude. (The good news: That's only a two-week sentence.)
Dive on into the forums at the link below and give scoty024 a major high five for pulling this off.
It's not often that I'm at a loss for words. But this is just so awesome I'm going to let it stand on its own merits. Congrats to Android Forums member scoty024 for being quite the artiste, and to his wife for being so ... forgiving. Even I couldn't get away with doing this. Pretty sure you just signed up for the first 1,000 diaper changes, dude. (The good news: That's only a two-week sentence.)
Dive on into the forums at the link below and give scoty024 a major high five for pulling this off.
There must be a pregnancy bug floating around the Victoria's Secret dressing room. Or at least a lot of cuddling (ahem) when the ladies finish strutting their stuff on the runway and head home to their men.
E! News has exclusively learned that lingerie model Lily Aldridge and her Kings of Leon hubby, Caleb Followill, are expecting their first child together.
MORE: Model Mom: Alessandra Ambrsio Pregnant With Baby No. 2
According to the source, the brunette beauty is said to be approximately three months along.
Aldridge and the band's frontman tied the knot last May in Santa Barbara, Calif., after Caleb proposed to his then-girlfriend of more than two years in September of the previous year.
Call us crazy, but we're going to bet that this little tot is going to have some insanely awesome genes.
Congrats!
PHOTOS: 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
? 2011 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Source: www.donanimhaber.com --- Wednesday, December 28, 2011 Galaxy S ve Galaxy S II ile 30 milyondan fazla satarak ?st seviye ak?ll? telefon pazar?nda ?nemli bir ba?ar?ya imza atan Samsung, yeni duyuraca?? modellerle bu ba?ar?s?n? 2012'ye yaymay? planl?yor. ...
On Thursday night, while working on a project, I caught glimpses of the USC vs. Kansas men's basketball game on TV. Suddenly I saw No. 2 on USC -- 6-foot-3 junior guard Greg Allen -- nail a 3-pointer from the corner. I smiled as I thought, ?I've seen that guy make that shot a few times before.?
Allen, who played prep basketball for Eureka High and then went on to Navarro College in Texas for two years, is now at USC. Last year Allen started all 31 games -- and averaged 11 points per game -- for the Bulldogs (20-11). Now in his first season at Southern California, he has started four of 11 games and is averaging 3.2 ppg in 17 minutes. Allen has nailed 8 of 24 attempts from downtown, including a trio of 3-pointers in both his 14 point-performance in the Trojans' 65-62 win over Morgan State, and in his team-high 11-point performance in USC's 56-35 win over UC Riverside.
What about other recent Humboldt-Del Norte prep athletes playing NCAA Division I sports?
Well, here's what my research has uncovered about how 10 other athletes -- in alphabetical order -- have been doing:
Andrew Ayers (St. Bernard's) showed his versatility in his second season on the baseball diamond for Sacramento State last spring. Ayers started 55 games -- 28 in right field, 24 at second base and three in center field -- and won the team's Gold Glove Award after committing just one error all season. At the plate, Ayers stroked 50 hits, batting .249. His best game may have
been in March against Cal State Northridge when he batted 4-for-4 (two singles, a double and a homer) plus a walk. As a member of the Humboldt Crabs, Ayers scored 25 runs and knocked in 23 while hitting .259.
Tara Boynton (Ferndale) played her second year with the Fresno State varsity soccer team. Boynton started 16 games and played 1,191 minutes for the Bulldogs (11-5-5), members of the Western Athletic Conference. As a sophomore forward, Boynton launched 13 of her 21 shots on goal, for a solid .619 percentage, the highest among all Bulldogs who scored goals during the season. Boynton booted in the game-winning goal in the 1-0 win over Idaho. She added three assists for a total of five points during the Bulldogs' season.
David Del Grande (St. Bernard's) joined Ayers on the Sacramento State baseball team and won the Hornet's Most Improved Player award after playing in 56 games. The redshirt freshman started 50 games -- 30 at first base and 14 at second base -- and committed just nine errors out of 364 chances (.975 fielding percentage). At the plate, his .260 average was second-highest on the team. Del Grande was successful in all six of his stolen base attempts. He had a great year with the Crabs, being voted the team's Offensive Player of the year on the merits of his .340 batting average and other team-highs in hits (54) and RBIs (26).
Mallorie Franco (Fortuna) has started all 13 games for the Sacramento State varsity basketball team (5-8), who competes in the Big Sky Conference. The 5-foot-10 junior averages 23.1 minutes, and is sixth on the team in scoring (6.0 ppg). She has the team's second-highest field goal percentage (.434) among all starters. She is fourth in rebounding average (4.0 rpg), and second on the team with 23 offensive boards. Franco also has handed out 32 assists, third most on the team. She has scored 11 points in three different games, including the 89-85 home win over Eastern Illinois.
Kelsy Hintz (Del Norte) who set the all-time H-DN girls pole vault record of 12-06, is still vaulting skywards at San Diego State. After she redshirted in the 2008-09 season, Hintz finished in the top 10 in every meet she participated in during the 2009-10 season. On April 23, 2011, Hintz vaulted 13-7.25 at the UCSD Triton Invitational, tying for third place, establishing a personal best, and providing the fourth best vault in Aztecs' women's history. One week later, Hintz took first at the Steve Scott Invitational at UC Irvine with a 13-2.25. Two weeks after that, Hintz finished first at the Mountain West Conference championships at Colorado State University with a 13-04.50. On May 27, Hintz's 13-3.25 at the NCAA preliminary rounds in Eugene, Oregon qualified her for the NCAA championships in Des Moines on June 8. Although Hintz did not place, she had a fantastic season.
Kelsey Jacobs (Fortuna) has been playing as a redshirt freshman in 11 games for Wichita State (6-5) University in the Missouri Valley Conference. Jacobs recovered from the extensive ACL injury she sustained during her senior season with Fortuna, but missed most of last season with another injury. This year, the 6-foot-2 forward has averaged 3.5 rebounds, and is tied for the Shockers' team lead with 18 offensive boards despite playing just 14 minutes per game. In WSU's 64-56 home loss to the No. 20 ranked LSU Tigers, Jacobs pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds (five offensive) in just 20 minutes on the floor. She has continued to be a shot-blocking threat, with has the second most rejections on the team. Jacobs is averaging 2.9 ppg on 15-of-38 shooting (.395).
Cody Hoffman (Del Norte) has continued to put up big numbers during his sophomore year on the Brigham Young University (9-3) football team. The 6-foot-4 wide receiver has led the Cougars this year in pass receptions (53), receiving yards (821), yards/game (68.4), and hauled in 7 TD passes. On special teams, Hoffman returned 33 kickoffs for 838 yards (an average of 25.4 yards), including a 93-yard runback against Central Florida for BYU's first TD return in 13 years (158 games). As a freshman, Hoffman had 42 receptions, 527 yards and 7 TDs -- including 3 against UTEP in the New Mexico Bowl. Hoffman and the Cougars will face Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 30.
Mike Larson (McKinleyville) is ranked No. 18 among 184-pound wrestlers in D-I. As a junior at the University of Missouri --the No. 10 ranked D-I team -- Larson is 9-1, and leads the Tigers with 22 points in dual meets. On Dec. 4, Larson captured first place at the Kaufman-Brand Open in St. Louis. Last year, Larson won five matches and took the fourth-place medal out of 32 wrestlers in the 184-pound bracket at Northwestern University's prestigious 48th annual Midland Championships. Larson ended up 21-15 for the season, a year after he finished second in the Pac-10 championships while a redshirt freshman at CSU Bakersfield.
Sage Romberg (McKinleyville) is second in rebounding (4.5 rpg) and fourth in scoring (7.8 ppg) for Washington State. The 6-foot-1 sophomore is also second in blocked shots and third in steals for the Cougars (6-6). Romberg has started 8 of 12 games and averages 21.4 minutes. On Nov. 24, she tossed in a game-high 19 points, pulled down a team-high 8 rebounds and blocked two shots in WSU's 65-52 win over Marquette at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. As a freshman, when she led the Cougars in scoring (9.5 ppg), Romberg was selected to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team and an honorable mention pick for the All-Pac-10 team.
Soma Vainuku (Eureka) followed up on his fantastic senior season (38 rushing TDs) for the 2009 North Coast Section Division II champion Loggers by heading south to USC. After sitting out in 2010, the 6-foot-2, 255-pound freshman did not carry the ball this year. But Vainuku, listed as the No. 3 fullback on the Trojan's depth chart (usc.rivals.com), should see plenty of action next year considering the fact that the two fullbacks ahead of Vainuku on the depth chart were both seniors. One of Vainuku's duties this year was playing the role of Notre Dame's junior middle linebacker Manti Te'o -- a finalist for The Butkus Award given to colleges' best linebacker -- for the USC scout team. The Trojans (10-2) subsequently beat the Irish 31-17.
Note: Due to time constraints, I focused this column on recent H-DN prep athletes playing NCAA Division I sports. In researching and writing about these 11 athletes playing in seven different sports, if I have inadvertently omitted any person, I apologize. Please contact me (707-441-0579 or ntarpey@times-standard.com) so I can include their information in a future column.
EDMONTON - It would be more comforting for Canada's fans if it was obvious who their starting goaltender is for the first game of the 2012 world junior hockey championship.
But it isn't obvious.
Since a 5-3 pre-tournament loss to Sweden on Friday, there's been a question mark hanging over the host country's goaltending situation. Canada opens the tournament Monday against Finland.
Head coach Don Hay said prior to the team's practice Sunday he'd made his choice, but he didn't reveal it to reporters.
Mark Visentin and Scott Wedgewood practised without knowing, although Hay planned to inform his goalies after a team meeting later which one would get the coveted start in the tournament opener.
"I feel good about which guy I'm going to pick," Hay declared. "I know right now who it's going to be and I'll let them know later."
Hay has maintained since selection camp earlier this month that Visentin is his No. 1 goalie because of Visentin's experience playing in the 2011 tournament in Buffalo, N.Y.
But after Visentin gave up four goals on 17 shots and Wedgewood stopped all 10 shots he faced before the Swedes scored an empty-net goal, questions arose over which goalie was the most ready for the tournament.
Hay did say he plans to play both goalies in the tournament. That's not unusual.
The backup often gets a game in the preliminary round against the weaker country promoted from the second-tier world championship, which would be Thursday's game against Denmark.
"Both goalies feel, at least I feel that way right now, is that both goalies feel there's confidence coming from me to them," Hay said. "No matter who we play, no matter what time of the game it is, or against whoever, I think the goalies should have a lot of confidence."
The U.S. meets Denmark in the later Pool A game in Edmonton. Latvia and Sweden open Pool B games in Calgary on Monday afternoon, followed by defending champion Russia versus Switzerland at night.
The top team in each pool earns byes to the semifinals. The second and third seeds cross over to meet in the quarter-finals.
Canada has won a medal in this tournament 13 straight years, including five gold from 2005 to 2009, and has played in the final every year for the last decade. Canada took silver the last two years.
Securing the bye to the semifinals provides rest and an extra day of preparation to the countries who earn them, but in recent tournaments, the bye hasn't been that much of an advantage.
Three of the last four winners have come through a quarter-final ? Canada in 2008, the U.S. in 2010 and Russia in 2011.
Canada opens against the Finns after beating them 3-1 in an exhibition game Dec. 19. Finland played hard in that game despite having just recently arrived in Canada.
"We were in that game," Finnish coach Raimo Helminen said. "I don't know if we can be better but I hope so (that) we can compete against the big favourite."
Helminen, too, was secretive on the subject of his starting goalie. Chris Gibson, who plays for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Chicoutimi Sagueneens, was outstanding his two periods of the exhibition game against Canada.
Sam Aittokallio played the last period and the Colorado Avalanche prospect has the experience of playing one game in the tournament in Buffalo.
The Finns last won this tournament in 1998 and are looking for a bounce-back year after finishing sixth in Buffalo. They have six returning players, as well as a player who is considered the best one outside the NHL this season in Mikael Granlund.
The first-round pick (ninth overall) of the Minnesota Wild is a player Canada must pay attention to, says Hay.
"The Granlund line is a very talented line," Hay said. "They're very explosive and they're the key I feel to their team and we have to make sure we limit their offensive opportunities."
Canada went 2-1 in pre-tournament play. Visentin of the Niagara IceDogs made 22 saves in the exhibition games versus the Finns. The first-round pick of the Phoenix Coyotes is more conservative in his movements in net than the acrobatic Wedgewood.
Visentin was handed the starting job for the medal round in Buffalo and backstopped Canada to wins in the quarter-final and semifinal. Canada was leading 3-0 heading into the third period of the gold-medal game, but Russia scored five unanswered goals on Visentin to take the title.
He's never shirked from addressing his role in the collapse. The maturity and experience he gained through that experience is considered valuable to Canada's chances in this tournament.
"My mentality is the same as the team's," Visentin said Sunday. "We want to get better each and every day and once the tournament starts we need to bring our 'A' game every day so that's what I'm going to do."
Wedgwood, who plays for the Plymouth Whalers, stopped 24 of 25 shots in Canada's 7-1 victory over Switzerland on Thursday. The third-round pick of the New Jersey Devils was a standout in selection camp.
"The coaches are going to make a decision they feel comfortable with and as a goalie you've got to deal with it," Wedgewood said. "When you get your opportunity, take it."
The Canadian team spent Christmas Eve at the home of Edmonton Oilers president of hockey operations Kevin Lowe and then received Christmas gifts from Hockey Canada back at their hotel.
"The last week has been fun, we worked on a lot, I think we got a lot better and we became closer as a team, but the tournament is finally here and the atmosphere is going to be great," Canadian captain Jaden Schwartz said. "Finland is going to be a first tough contest for us so we're real excited."
Madison Mayor Paul Soglin and Eugene, Ore., Mayor Kitty Piercy have made a friendly wager on the Rose Bowl that will make either community a winner pending the outcome of the Wisconsin Badgers and Oregon Ducks match up.
"We wanted to develop a wager that could benefit our entire community and particularly those most in need," Soglin said in a news release.
Each mayor has committed to privately raising $500 if their team loses. The money will then be used for tools for Habitat for Humanity organizations in either Madison or Eugene.
"Each of us will raise the money privately and no city funds are involved," Soglin said. "This is a great program and we both want to support it."
Both mayors said they are aware of the growing need for shelters and services for the homeless. They each credit Habitat for Humanity for the work it is doing. But each also is rooting on their favorite teams in the Rose Bowl.
"I am looking forward to our local workers benefiting from new tools because I truly expect our Badgers to win," Soglin said.
Piercy replied, "In your dreams Mayor Soglin, but seriously, whoever benefits from this wager serves those in need in our country and that?s what it?s all about."
The Badgers and the Ducks kick off the 2012 Rose Bowl on Jan. 2 at 4 p.m.
They?re fired! Donald Trump has officially left the Republican Party, changing his voter registration to ?unaffiliated.? An aide said that Trump switched ?in order to preserve his right to run for president as an independent if he?s not satisfied with who the Republicans nominate.? The aide added that Trump was ?disgusted? with the GOP?s handling of the payroll-tax-cut extension.
HONOLULU, Hawaii (Reuters) - President Barack Obama spent a low-key Christmas Day with his wife and daughters in Hawaii, going to church and thanking U.S. troops for their service before hosting friends for dinner at the first family's rented beach house.
The Obamas started opening gifts around 8 a.m. on Sunday and then ate breakfast and sang carols together before heading to the chapel at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii for a Christmas service, the White House said.
Far from Washington officialdom, and making the most of a bright, warm day, Obama dressed casually in a polo shirt and khaki pants to church and Michelle and their daughters Sasha and Malia wore summer dresses.
After a few hours back at their multi-million-dollar temporary home, the president and Michelle Obama returned to the base to shake hands, hold babies and pose for pictures with hundreds of sailors and marines stationed there.
"In the evening, the First Family and friends will celebrate with a Christmas dinner at home," a White House official said. Sam Kass, the White House chef, is spending the holidays with the Obamas and was expected to do the cooking.
(Reporting By Travis Quezon; Writing by Laura MacInnis; Editing by Todd Eastham)
When Michael Downes began his Frisbee golf career at the age of 16, he never thought it would take him this far.
On the weekend of Dec. 3 and 4, Downes and 11 teammates from all parts of Arizona claimed the Southwest Invitational Tournament Disc Golf Championship at Balboa Park in San Diego.
Downes and his team are the first Arizona squad to ever claim the tournament trophy in its 26 years of existence.
?The Southwest Invitational Tournament trophy has never crossed the California border in 26 years of the tournament,? Downes said proudly.
Downes, who is originally from Newark, Del., currently lives in Cottonwood and works in Sedona at a local resort.
The 32-year-old Verde Valley Frisbee golf star moved to Arizona in 2003 to attend Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
After getting his degree in parks and recreation management, Downes did an extra year of service in community and commercial development, which is the job he currently holds.
At the Southwest Invitational Tournament, which can compare to the Ryder Cup in professional golf regarding how it?s played, Downes needed to beat the best two players from the Santa Cruz team, which won the Southwest title in 2010.
The best two players also won the World Championships the last two years, meaning Downes had to basically beat the best players in the world to help his Arizona team win.
?It was something else. Those guys were good, and I played well,? Downes said.
With the 2012 World Championships scheduled for August in Charlotte, N.C., Downes can?t wait to participate.
?I?m actually heading on a plane this week to go there. My sister lives there and I?m going to play the course and see how well I do,? Downes said.
In Frisbee golf, or disc golf, participants use a Frisbee instead of a 9-iron and a little white ball.
Holes are generally 325 feet instead of 325 yards, and players need to throw a Frisbee into a big metal basket.
?When we were in San Diego, that tournament is brutal. We needed to play 60 holes the first day,? Downes said. ?Then we played 24 on day two.?
Downes plays his disc golf at Riverfront Park in Cottonwood.
?There are courses popping up everywhere around the country. It?s a big East Coast sport, but I think it?s growing everywhere now,? Downes said.
There are over 3,000 courses nationwide, and the sport is still growing.
?It was something special to win in San Diego earlier this month. We celebrated a team victory. I hope we can do the same in North Carolina in a few months,? Downes said.
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
It may be Christmas Eve Eve and the fourth day of Hannukah, but so far, this has felt like just another week in the consumer electronics biz. Another loco crazy, pre-CES, sink-or-swim, walk-a-dozen-miles-to-charge-your-cell kind of week. But that doesn't mean we don't have a couple of nice presents for you...including, of course, your very own Engadget Podcast.
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace
Send your questions to @tim_stevens. Leave us a voicemail: (423) 438-3005 (GADGET-3005) E-mail us: podcast at engadget dot com Twitter: @bheater, @timstevens
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) ? A resident of a city in western Libya says at least two people were killed after gunmen ransacked a home in search of a regime figure once loyal to Moammar Gadhafi.
Basem al-Tarhoni says angry residents in Tarhouna retaliated by torching the headquarters of some 100 fighters who helped topple the longtime leader from power.
Tarhouna was widely seen as a Gadhafi favorite, and its dominant tribe, also called Tarhouna, held many positions in the Libyan military. The city's residents are viewed with suspicion by former rebels.
Such clashes are a major challenge for Libya's new rulers.
The clashes took place on the same day security ministers announced a program for integrating former rebels in civil institutions. The ministers gave few details and offered no timetable for disarming fighters.
AIR Zimbabwe has suspended flights to South Africa fearing its aircraft could be seized for outstanding debts.
Acting chief executive officer Innocent Mavhunga confirmed the decision, adding that the airline could not make the payments on its US$140 million debts.
?We are trying to secure funding to pay our debts in South Africa,? he added.
Earlier in December, South African ground handler Bid Air forced the grounding of an Air Zimbabwe aircraft in Johannesburg over non-payment of a $500,000 debt.
In the UK at London Gatwick Airport another company ? American General Supplies ? also forced the grounding of an Air Zimbabwe aircraft over debts of $1.2 million for aircraft spares. That has now been released over a week later, but Air Zimbabwe's regional manager for Europe and the America?s, David Mwenga, said the company does not have enough funds for compensation.
A federal judge in Arizona heard arguments Thursday in a lawsuit in which Hispanic plaintiffs contend Sheriff Joe Arpaio is ignoring constitutional probable cause standards by targeting Latinos with traffic stops.
In Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Maricopa County, his critics say, the otherwise innocent tableau of Spanish speakers hanging out in front of a convenience store is probable cause for a police officer to approach and ask for identification.
Skip to next paragraph
So, apparently, is cruising down the street, according to a suit filed in federal court in Phoenix. The suit?s Hispanic plaintiffs contend that Sheriff Arpaio is ignoring constitutional probable cause standards by targeting Latinos with traffic stops, during which they are asked about their immigration status.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Murray Snow heard arguments in the case, with the options of allowing the suit to go to trial, throwing the suit out, or declaring that Arpaio uses racial profiling in the enforcement of immigration laws. The judge is considering whether the acknowledged shredding of documents by the Sheriff?s Department would enable a judge or jury to infer that deputies targeted Latinos.
But the suit is just one of a growing mass of legal challenges confronting the maverick sheriff. Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice cited Arpaio for racially profiling Latinos through the Sheriff Department?s frequent ?sweeps? of Hispanic neighborhoods in suburban Phoenix.
The death this week of a Hispanic inmate at a Maricopa County jailhouse following a scuffle with Arpaio's deputies is adding to the sheriff's troubles.
The Maricopa County lawsuit and others were bolstered by the Justice Department allegations of racial profiling. One concrete outcome this week of those allegations: 90 of Arpaio's deputies had to turn in federal badges that allowed them to carry out immigration work, including checking suspects' immigration status.
Both the DOJ report and the lawsuit heard Thursday focus on Arpaio's use of large-scale neighborhood ?sweeps? where 1,500 people, mostly Hispanics, have been arrested in the last three years alone, with illegal immigrants accounting for 57 percent of those arrested. The DOJ's report, based on a three-year investigation, accused Arpaio's department of using military-style patrols to confront people based on ?racially charged? citizen complaints about Latinos participating in what some call a ubiquitous "storefront culture."
The DOJ investigation identified other problems with Arpaio's definition of probable cause, noting that the Sheriff's Department has allegedly tried to silence critics by arresting them without cause. Moreover, the report said Latinos are up to 9 times more likely to be stopped than whites, with many of them arrested without ?good cause.?
But legal experts say the allegations against Arpaio's department are hardly slam dunks. For one, state and federal courts tend to give police officers the benefit of the doubt when they're involved in street arrests. Moreover, Supreme Court precedents require very specific, provable allegations to determine constitutional overreach on the parts of police officers on the beat.
"In essence, you've got three Mexican-American men hanging out on the street, and the question is whether that's probable cause for police to believe something is up?" says Norm Pattis, a criminal defense lawyer in Connecticut. "The police officers are going to say, 'We observed three men in a known narcotics area, we suspected foul play, and we went to talk to them.' "
Moreover, many Americans, including presidential candidates like Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann, consider Arpaio a ?hero? for doing the job critics claim US immigration authorities won't do. Others see the DOJ allegations against Arpaio as a politicized attack from the Justice Department, intended to bolster President Obama's relationship with Hispanic voters.
Arpaio ?takes great pains to make sure that he doesn't discriminate against people based on race,? Rep. Steve King (R) of Iowa, vice-chairman of the House Immigration subcommittee, said this week. ?It's not a profiling operation going on that I can see.?
Besides Thursday?s court hearing in Phoenix, another federal judge will hear the DOJ's case against Arpaio unless he decides by Jan. 4 to work out a settlement on the racial profiling charges. A federal grand jury has also been investigating whether Arpaio and his deputies abuse their power.
UT-ORNL research reveals aquatic bacteria more recent move to landPublic release date: 22-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Whitney Heins wheins@utk.edu 865-974-5460 University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Research by University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists has discovered that bacteria's move from sea to land may have occurred much later than thought
Research by University of Tennessee, Knoxville, faculty has discovered that bacteria's move from sea to land may have occurred much later than thought. It also has revealed that the bacteria may be especially useful in bioenergy research.
Igor Jouline, UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory joint faculty professor of microbiology and researcher at ORNL's Joint Institute for Computational Sciences, performed a genome sequence analysis of the soil bacteria Azospirillum, a species' whose forbearers made the sea-to-land move. The analysis indicates the shift may have occurred only 400 million years ago, rather than approximately two billion years earlier as originally thought.
Published in the journal PLoS Genetics, Jouline calculated the timing of the sea-land transition through studies of genome sequences of two species of Azospirillum, a terrestrial genus with almost exclusively aquatic relatives.
Jouline conducted his research with Kristin Wuichet and Leonid Sukharnikov of the Department of Microbiology, Gladys Alexandre of Department of Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology, and Kirill Borziak, a graduate student in the ORNL-UT Genome Science and Technology program.
"In the absence of fossil records for bacteria, it is hard to estimate when and how bacteria transitioned from sea to land," said Jouline. "Using genome sequencing and analysis of bacteria of the genus Azospirillum, which colonizes roots of important cereals and grasses, we show that these organisms transitioned from aquatic environments to land approximately at the same time that plants appeared on land400 million years ago."
Jouline said the Azospirillum lineage the team studied has obtained nearly half of its genome from terrestrial organisms, which suggests the much later water-land transition, which coincides with the first appearance of plants on land.
The study is of interest to researchers beyond its evolutionary significance. Azospirillum is currently used as a biofertilizer for grasses and some other plants. Commercial fertilizers containing the bacteria are available worldwide.
"Because these bacteria colonize roots of grasses and improve their growth and development, they might be important for bioenergy research," Jouline said.
"Switchgrass is one of the most important potential sources of bioethanol. In this study, we have shown that genomes of Azospirillum contain as many cellulolytic enzymes as those from known effective cellulose degrading bacteria," he said. "We have also demonstrated experimentally that azospirilla do degrade cellulose, especially the strain that can penetrate grass roots."
###
The team also included Greg Hurst of the ORNL Chemical Sciences Division; research groups from Pasteur Institute in Paris, France, Universities of Lyon and Toulouse in France, University of Sydney in Australia and the National University of Mexico; and Florence Wisniewski-Dye from the University of Lyon.
The research was supported with funding from the National Science Foundation and the DOE Office of Science.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
UT-ORNL research reveals aquatic bacteria more recent move to landPublic release date: 22-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Whitney Heins wheins@utk.edu 865-974-5460 University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Research by University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists has discovered that bacteria's move from sea to land may have occurred much later than thought
Research by University of Tennessee, Knoxville, faculty has discovered that bacteria's move from sea to land may have occurred much later than thought. It also has revealed that the bacteria may be especially useful in bioenergy research.
Igor Jouline, UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory joint faculty professor of microbiology and researcher at ORNL's Joint Institute for Computational Sciences, performed a genome sequence analysis of the soil bacteria Azospirillum, a species' whose forbearers made the sea-to-land move. The analysis indicates the shift may have occurred only 400 million years ago, rather than approximately two billion years earlier as originally thought.
Published in the journal PLoS Genetics, Jouline calculated the timing of the sea-land transition through studies of genome sequences of two species of Azospirillum, a terrestrial genus with almost exclusively aquatic relatives.
Jouline conducted his research with Kristin Wuichet and Leonid Sukharnikov of the Department of Microbiology, Gladys Alexandre of Department of Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology, and Kirill Borziak, a graduate student in the ORNL-UT Genome Science and Technology program.
"In the absence of fossil records for bacteria, it is hard to estimate when and how bacteria transitioned from sea to land," said Jouline. "Using genome sequencing and analysis of bacteria of the genus Azospirillum, which colonizes roots of important cereals and grasses, we show that these organisms transitioned from aquatic environments to land approximately at the same time that plants appeared on land400 million years ago."
Jouline said the Azospirillum lineage the team studied has obtained nearly half of its genome from terrestrial organisms, which suggests the much later water-land transition, which coincides with the first appearance of plants on land.
The study is of interest to researchers beyond its evolutionary significance. Azospirillum is currently used as a biofertilizer for grasses and some other plants. Commercial fertilizers containing the bacteria are available worldwide.
"Because these bacteria colonize roots of grasses and improve their growth and development, they might be important for bioenergy research," Jouline said.
"Switchgrass is one of the most important potential sources of bioethanol. In this study, we have shown that genomes of Azospirillum contain as many cellulolytic enzymes as those from known effective cellulose degrading bacteria," he said. "We have also demonstrated experimentally that azospirilla do degrade cellulose, especially the strain that can penetrate grass roots."
###
The team also included Greg Hurst of the ORNL Chemical Sciences Division; research groups from Pasteur Institute in Paris, France, Universities of Lyon and Toulouse in France, University of Sydney in Australia and the National University of Mexico; and Florence Wisniewski-Dye from the University of Lyon.
The research was supported with funding from the National Science Foundation and the DOE Office of Science.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
Passer cette ?tape
Connexion
Connexion
Rejoignez Twitter !
#Truckers look for alternative routes into #London @TfLoffical announced A4 Hammersmith Flyover closed until early Jan - structural defectIl y a environ 2 heuresvia TweetDeckRetweeted by 1 person
If Mitt Romney is elected president in 2012, one thing that will be discussed is his net worth. The Los Angeles Times reports Dec. 22 that Romney hasn't divulged his income tax returns and doesn't plan on doing so while he is running for president. The New York Times reported Dec. 11 that Romney has been criticized for offering a $10,000 bet on his position regarding health care. That amount of money struck a nerve with voters who feel Romney is out of touch with Americans who are suffering because of the economic recession.
Here's a look at how Romney's finances and wealth stack up to presidents of the past.
Romney's Income
Romney started his path to riches when he became vice president of Bain & Co. in 1978. CNN reported he earned and MBA at Harvard and then latched on with Boston Consulting Group before going up the corporate ladder.
Six years after learning the ins and outs of the investment industry, Romney started his own company in 1984 called Bain Capital. The company is a private equity company spun off from the Bain Company. Romney spent 15 years at Bain Capital. When he had political ambitions in Massachusetts, Romney quit his job but was able to put a lot of his wealth into investments as he retired from a private sector job.
His net worth in in 2007 was calculated at $202 million. He makes cash when he sells stock. The Boston Globe reported in August that the presidential candidate was going to bulldoze his $12 million beachfront mansion in La Jolla, Calif., and replace it with an 11,000 square-foot home that is nearly quadruple in size from the older one.
Past Presidents
In terms of past presidents who have actually held office, Romney's wealth pales in comparison to some famous names. The Atlantic Monthly reported on the wealth of presidents in May 2010. Romney's wealth nearly exceeds all of the previous nine presidents combined, including Barack Obama. John F. Kennedy's family estate was valued at $1 billion in today's dollars, the last president to be worth more than Romney's $202 million figure.
George Washington, based upon his family's land ownership and wealth accumulation, was worth around $525 million. Thomas Jefferson, despite his opulent mansion at Monticello, was worth around only $212 million. Abraham Lincoln owned less than $1 million in assets with his home in Illinois.
Should Romney be elected president, his personal assets will be on the side of one of the wealthiest presidents to hold office in United States history.
William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.
Galaxy S ve Galaxy S II ile 30 milyondan fazla satarak ?st seviye ak?ll? telefon pazar?nda ?nemli bir ba?ar?ya imza atan Samsung, yeni duyuraca?? modellerle bu ba?ar?s?n? 2012'ye yaymay? planl?yor. ...
On the weekend of Dec. 3 and 4, Downes and 11 teammates from all parts of Arizona claimed the Southwest Invitational Tournament Disc Golf Championship at Balboa Park in San Diego.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 22-Dec-2011
Share ] 
ChurchTechToday 
VolvoTrucksUK