Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Teen Choice Awards honor 4 Nashville recording acts

Swift claimed six statues, including the organization’s most prestigious, The Ultimate Choice Award, to make her the most awarded winner in the show’s history. In addition, Swift won Choice honors for female artist, female country artist, country single, breakup song and red carpet fashion icon female.

Paramore collected trophies for Choice Music rock group and rock track. Urban won male country artist; Lady Antebellum won country group.

The evening’s other big winners included Selena Gomez, who took home five awards, and her boyfriend, Justin Bieber, who picked up four nods.


Kanye West,Jay-Z live up

How confident are Kanye West and Jay-Z in their abilities? Confident enough to call their first full-fledged venture together Watch the Throne without fear that snarky critics and Internet commenters might suggest that the hotly hyped endeavor is worthy of being flushed.

And the self-assurance of the hip-hop kingpins, it turns out, is not misplaced.

Watch the Throne (Roc-A-Fella *** ½), which went on sale exclusively on iTunes on Monday and will be sold on CD solely at Best Buy starting Friday, is the rare, surprisingly serious-minded superstar collaboration that plays to both parties' strengths.

The duo first worked together when West provided beats for "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)," two standout cuts on Jay-Z's 2001 album The Blueprint. They'll tour together this fall as The Throne, including a date at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia on Nov. 2, for which tickets went on sale Monday.

Despite being as highly anticipated as any album this year, Watch the Throne wins the expectations game. And that's a surprise. Neither "H.A.M.," the operatic boast included as a bonus track on the deluxe edition, nor "Otis," the fun but frivolous cut that samples Otis Redding and was released a few weeks back, suggested that Jay-Z and West would bring out the best in each other.

Happily, evidence of such is plentiful throughout. It starts with the opening track, "No Church in the Wild," in which Frank Ocean of the hip-hop collective Odd Future sets a soul-searching, spiritually inclined tone. Before the marquee attractions are heard, Ocean, in a quietly commanding voice, sings the hook: "What's a king to a God? What's a God to a king? What's a God to a nonbeliever?"

Those questions set the stage for a winning tag-team affair in which two heavy hitters share equal time on the mike, with West's more impetuous yet self-scrutinizing rhymes giving way to Jay-Z's seemingly offhand master-class deliveries.

A thoughtful and effectively playful Watch the Throne track is "New Day," produced by the Wu Tang Clan's The RZA. It finds the MCs musing about growing up fatherless, and promising to do better for their as-yet-unborn sons.

"I'll never let my son have an ego, he'll be nice to everyone wherever we go," West rhymes. In the next couplet, referencing his telethon remarks criticizing George Bush after Hurricane Katrina, he adds: "I'll even make him be a Republican, so everyone knows he like white people."

Jay-Z, 41, insouciantly joshes about the super-celebrity he enjoys with his wife, Beyoncé - who puts her four-alarm voice to work on the party track "Lift Off." "Sorry junior, I already ruined ya," he rhymes. "Ain't even been born yet, paparazzi already pursuing ya."


Mysterious Orange Goo in Alaska Tiny Eggs of Unknown Species

he mysterious orange colored goo that washed upon the shores of an Alaskan village last week has been identified. Denying rumors that suggested that the orange stuff was a form of alien life, Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) lab said on Monday that it was a mass of microscopic eggs filled with fatty droplets, most likely to be of a small crustacean.

"We now think these are some sort of small crustacean egg or embryo, with a lipid oil droplet in the middle causing the orange color," Jeep Rice, a lead NOAA scientist at the Juneau lab, said in a release.

"So this is natural. It is not chemical pollution; it is not a man-made substance," Rice added.

Scientists believe that the substance is some kind of crustacean eggs; however, they are not sure enough about the species. They also don't know whether the substance is poisonous. This is what makes the residents of Kivalina, an Inupiat Eskimo community, worried.

"Certain organisms can produce toxins, and you can't tell if that's the case (here) until you know what species it is," said Emanuel Hignutt, analytical chemistry manager for the state Environmental Health Laboratory.

"It was easy to see cellular structure surrounding the lipid droplet, and to identify this as 'animal'," said Rice. "We have determined these are small invertebrate eggs, although we cannot tell which species."

According to Janet Mitchell, Kivalina city administrator, the substance may have rained down on the village Wednesday evening as it was found in buckets used by some residents to collect rainwater that night.

The samples of the mysterious substance have sent to the Institute for Marine Science at the University of Alaska Fairbanks on Monday.


DNA building blocks found in meteorites

For 50 years, scientists have debated whether the components of DNA — the molecule central to all life on Earth — could spontaneously form in space. A new analysis of a dozen meteorites found in Antarctica and elsewhere presents the strongest evidence yet that the answer is yes.

Meteorites are space rocks that have fallen to the ground, and the new report bolsters the notion that heavy meteorite bombardment of the early Earth may have seeded the planet with the stuff of life. While life has not been found beyond Earth, all earthly plants and animals rely on DNA to store genetic information. At the center of the ladder-like DNA molecule lie ring-like structures called nucleobases.

Perry to test GOP interest

Leaning toward a presidential run, Texas Gov. Rick Perry will visit at least two early primary states -- South Carolina and New Hampshire -- on Saturday at the same time most of his would-be GOP opponents are competing in an important test vote in Iowa.

A Republican with links to the governor said Perry won't go forward if he can't secure enough financial commitments by this weekend.

Spokesman Mark Miner said Monday: "The governor is not a candidate for office at this time. Stay tuned."

House page program ending

Leaders are ending the page program that began in the 1820s, allowing high school students to serve as messengers while getting a behind-the-scenes look at Congress that few Americans ever get.

Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wrote House members Monday that the Internet and email have left the pages with little to do. Their message — delivered via mail — said the House could no longer justify the $5 million annual expense.

Pages, usually high school juniors, live in their own dorm, have their own school and at times party like — well, like teenagers whose parents are away. The program, which has adult supervision, has nonetheless been touched by a few sex scandals.

But most of the time, the pages could be seen around the Capitol complex with their dark blazers and neatly trimmed hair, running at warp speed when summoned by a member of Congress. They all were smart, needing a minimum 3.0 grade average in core school subjects to get into the program.

The problem, Boehner and Pelosi said, is they now have little to do. The stacks of bills and the packages they carried, the messages transmitted from one lawmaker to another, can all be delivered electronically.

The House program will end by Aug. 31, although the Senate page program will continue.

In 1983, the House censured Republican Rep. Dan Crane of Illinois and Democratic Rep. Gerry Studds of Massachusetts for sexual relationships with pages — Crane with a young woman and Studds with a young man.

More recently, in 2006, Republican Rep. Mark Foley of Florida resigned in disgrace after it was learned he had sent sexually suggestive electronic messages to former male pages. That scandal, and the failure of Republican leaders to act after they learned what Foley was doing, helped the Democrats regain the House that year.

After the Foley case, the House overhauled the board that supervised pages, including giving both parties an equal say in overseeing the program. The Republican chairman of the board during the Foley scandal had failed to notify other board members of Foley's questionable emails. The board also was expanded to include a former page and the parent of a page.

One former page, Rep. John Dingell, said "It's very sad" that the program is ending.

Dingell, 85, went on to win election to Congress in 1955, and the Michigan Democrat is now the longest serving member of the House.

Latin American Stocks Fall Sharply

Latin American stocks fell sharply as part of a global sell off following the downgrade of the United States' credit rating and the debt crises afflicting some European countries.

On Monday, Brazil's Bovespa stock index dropped below 50,000 points for the first time since July 2009, losing more than 8 percent of its value. The Brazilian currency, the real, fell to 1.6 against the U.S. dollar. Shares of mining giant Vale and the state-owned oil company, Petrobras, also traded more than 5 percent lower.

President Dilma Rousseff has said Brazil is strong enough to confront this hurdle. Brazil is Latin America's biggest economy and is now considered one of the world's major emerging economies.

Elsewhere, Mexico's stock index was down about 5 percent. Mexico is particularly dependent on the U.S. economy, sending about 80 percent of its exports to its northern neighbor.

Chile's key IPSA index was also down several percentage points Monday.

Tiger Woods Back in Action After Nearly 3 Months

Former world number-one golfer Tiger Woods of the United States is back in competition after an 11-week break to heal injuries to his left leg.

Woods teed it up Thursday at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, and finished his first round at 2-under-par-68. He said he "hit the ball really flush" and that the hardest part was controlling the distance.

Woods is tied for 18th, six shots behind leader Adam Scott of Australia who fired a brilliant 8-under-par 62.

This had been the third-longest layoff of Tiger's career, during which he fired his longtime caddie, saying it was time for a change And on Monday he dropped to number-28, his lowest world ranking in 14.5 years.

It has been more than 20 months since Tiger's last victory, was which at the Australian Masters, shortly before he was exposed for having multiple extramarital affairs that led to his divorce.

Woods is playing a Firestone course where he has been quite successful. He has won seven times there, matching the most he has won on any course as a pro. However, he was at his low point on the course in the Bridgestone Invitational last year when he finished 78th in an 80-man field. Before that, Woods had never finished out of the top five on the course.

Ice Hockey a Hit in Beijing

When one thinks of the sports in which China excels, swimming, gymnastics or track and field usually come to mind. But ice hockey? While the sport may not have as big a following as soccer or basketball, there are an increasing number of youngsters who are learning about slap shots, hat tricks and teamwork.



Flying Tigers

Nestled in a newly built neighborhood on the northwest side of Beijing, high up on the fourth floor of a massive shopping complex, is one of this city's newest ice rinks. It is also the site of an ice hockey camp for young, talented players.

For several weeks last month, the Flying Tigers hosted a summer camp for these young players. Most were from Beijing, but some came from as far away as Hong Kong and the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.

“Initially coming to China where hockey isn't their main focus, I was very impressed with the skill level of the kids right from the 04-05s, right up to the big kids," said Kevin Masters, one of several coaches flown in from Canada. "The specifics of the skating and the individual type skills are absolutely comparable to what we see back home in Canada.”

Potential Malaria Vaccine Protects Against Different Strains

A team of U.S. scientists has shown how a malaria vaccine could be more effective by making it work against different strains of the malaria parasite.

The discovery may help develop more effective vaccines for other diseases, too.

Many vaccines are administered in a serum contain adjuvants - substances that enhance the protective effect of the vaccine itself.

Vaccines normally stimulate the production of antibodies which attach to the surface of a bacteria or virus. But if the infection mutates, the antibodies may not be able bind to it, and the immunization won't be effective.

To get around that problem, the researchers focused on finding a malaria vaccine adjuvant that would produce antibodies against numerous strains of the parasite.

Darrick Carter of the non-profit Infectious Disease Research Institute in Seattle, Washington, explained that antibodies become more effective as the body mounts its immune response, a process called antibody maturation.

"And what we found is that certain adjuvants cause maturation at a much higher rate than if you do not include the adjuvant," he says. "And this maturation gives you a diverse set of antibodies that not only protect you against the strains you've been vaccinated against, but that diverse set also seems to start recognizing related sequences."

Using advanced genetic sequencing equipment, the researchers tested a number of adjuvants to identify the one which would result in the most diverse antibody response. More diverse antibodies should be able to fight off more strains of malaria.

Human trials could start next year, and if successful, the adjuvant may also find its way into other vaccines, Carter says.

"So we're working on both pandemic and seasonal flu. We're working on TB and a number of other diseases where we can use the same adjuvant."

Carter and his colleagues are working on a vaccine that is aimed at one of four main types of malaria, caused by the Plasmodium vivax parasite. It's one of the two most common strains but is relatively benign compared to the deadly Plasmodium falciparum.

Fears of Suicide Surge in Japan's Tsunami Zone

Months after Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami, mental health experts say the psychological effects of the disaster might only now be coming to the surface. Phone counseling services are building up their presence along Japan's northeast coast for fear of increased suicides and other mental health problems.
s excavators continue to clear the wreckage along the Tohoku coastline, the physical impact of the tsunami is still clear to see. But as reconstruction efforts proceed, there is growing concern over the mental scars the tsunami has left behind.

More than 430,000 people were forced into emergency shelters. Homes were destroyed. Communities cut off.

The phone counseling service ‘Inochi no Denwa’ in Sendai, one of the worst hit cities, is beefing up its services to deal with an anticipated rise in the number of calls.

UN: 'Alarming' Measles Outbreak Among Drought-Stricken Somali

The United Nations and Ethiopia's government are beginning a massive vaccination campaign against measles for Somali refugee children as fears rise about an outbreak effecting those already weakened by famine.

The U.N. refugee agency chief in Ethiopia, Moses Okello, said in a statement Saturday he was "shaken" by the situation he saw during a visit this week to the Dollo Ado refugee camps in south-eastern Ethiopia. He said it was urgent to act immediately.

The statement said on Thursday alone, around 13 people are believed to have died from measles in the Kobe refugee camp, and more cases have been reported in other camps nearby.

Measles is not typically deadly for people who are otherwise healthy, but the highly contagious virus is far more dangerous for people suffering from severe malnutrition. The U.N. said children are the most affected.

The U.N. says it has begun efforts to vaccinate children between six months and 15 years old - so far about 300 children received the shot as they were transferred from a transit center to a new camp. The refugee agency says it, along with government and NGO partners, will begin a major campaign Tuesday to vaccinate all children at the Kobe camp, which has been most affected. Health workers have also created an "isolation ward" for those suspected to be infected, in the hopes of containing the disease's spread.

The vaccine provides immunity starting 14 days after being administered.

The U.N. has declared a famine in five regions of southern Somalia, and it predicts famine conditions will spread to more areas and could last until December.

Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have fled to Somalia's capital or to crowded camps in Kenya and Ethiopia in search of food and water.

The United Nations says drought has left more than 12 million people across the Horn of Africa in need of food aid. The U.N. has appealed for $1.4 billion to help the victims.

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish backs James Collins to win fitness race ahead of Fulham clash

The new Villa boss is hopeful that the Wales international will be fit in time for their Craven Cottage opener on Saturday, despite injuring his back in training last week

Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has backed center-back James Collins to be fit for its clash with Fulham.

The former West Ham defender injured his back in training last week, but McLeish believes his strong character means he will do all he can to be fit for the Craven Cottage clash.

"James has injured his back. He did it a few days ago to be fair and he thought he was okay in training on Friday,” McLeish was quoted as saying by the club’s official website.

“I think the intensity of training over the last few days just flared it up and he was a bit stiff. Therefore, we didn't want to risk him. It's a worry - but knowing the type of character James is, I'm sure he'll be determined to be on that pitch at Craven Cottage."

As a result of the injury, Collins has been forced to pull out of the Wales squad for their midweek friendly against Australia.

Villa will have to deal with a number of its players being called up for midweek friendlies. Barry Bannan has been named in the Scotland squad to play Denmark, Richard Dunne, Shay Given and Ciaran Clark have all been called up to the Republic of Ireland squad to face Croatia at the Aviva Stadium, while Stiliyan Petrov has been named in the Bulgaria squad to play Belarus.

Although the situation is not ideal, McLeish insists he is ready for the new season.

"We'll put some more practice in during the coming week, although some players are away on international duty which prevents me from doing it the way I would have liked to prepare," said McLeish. "But I'm ready to go now - no turning back, we've got to go and look forward to the whole campaign and trust the guys that go out on the pitch to do it for Aston Villa."



England friendly against the Netherlands in doubt as police advise postponement of Carling Cup ties due to London riots

Wembley match could be called off, with West Ham United vs Aldershot Town and Charlton vs Reading to be rearranged as violence spreads across England's capital city

Wednesday's friendly between England and the Netherlands looks unlikely to go ahead after the Metropolitan police advised the postponement of two Carling Cup ties.

West Ham has confirmed that its meeting with Aldershot Town on Tuesday in the first round of the Carling Cup will not go ahead, due to the widespread riots in London.

A statement from the club's official website reads: "The club were contacted this evening and told that all major events in London were to be rearranged because of the need to focus police resources elsewhere."

"Whilst neither club or police anticipate any issues around the game itself, the club has to comply with the police request."

"No date has yet been set for the rearranged match, but the club will be in contact with the Football League and Aldershot."

The match between Charlton and Reading has also been postponed, while Crystal Palace's clash with Crawley Town also looks set to be rearranged.

Police are yet to comment on whether the Wembley friendly, which is scheduled for Wednesday, will go ahead.


London riots: live

Rolling coverage as the Prime Minister returns to Britain after night of violence, looting and arson causes chaos across capital and other cities.

More than 150 young rioters were causing disruption in the areas of St Paul's and Stokes Croft, the scene of rioting earlier this year amid anger over a new Tesco store.

People were warned to stay clear of the city centre as police launched efforts to bring the scenes under control.

A number of shops and vehicles have been damaged, an Avon and Somerset police spoke



Everton's Tim Cahill: Low expectations could be key to successful season

The midfielder believes too much has been expected of the club over recent years, and says with no money being spent at Goodison Park this summer the team could do better than ever

Tim Cahill believes the lack of expectation at Everton this summer could be the key to a successful campaign.

While the Toffees were tipped as potential Champions League contenders by Sir Alex Ferguson just 12 months ago, this summer there have been no new first-team arrivals and the club are fighting to keep hold of Arsenal target Phil Jagielka.

But Cahill believes having no pressure on the team can only be a good thing, following a number of poor starts to the season in the past.

“I’m not putting any expectations on us this season because I think it was a problem last season, we called Europe and called a very high finish,” Cahill told reporters.

“Expectations are a big thing – especially when you pile the pressure on yourself. At the moment we have no pressure. What’s the point of putting expectations on ourselves if clubs are spending hundreds of millions?

The Australian contests that despite the inactivity in the transfer window, the club is in good shape.

“We’ve got something special here and the main thing is that we try to start on fire and the first game will say a lot about how the season will start.”

Cahill was speaking following his side’s 1-0 home defeat to Villarreal, a game which saw Seamus Coleman taken to hospital nursing an ankle injury following a poor challenge from Carlos Marchena.

Tottenham target Giuseppe Rossi scored the only goal of the game in the second half.



Barcelona is the best team in the world, says Real Madrid target Neymar

The Brazil international believes the Champions League holders are the planet's finest and is looking forward to meeting Pep Guardiola's side at the Club World Cup with Santos

Santos attacker and Real Madrid target Neymar claims Barcelona is the best side in the world and says he is eager to take on the Champions League holders later this year.

The Brazilian side won the 2011 Copa Libertadores to qualify for the Club World Cup and it could end up meeting Barcelona in the final.

"Barcelona are the best team in the world and they’ve got the world’s best player in their side, but we’re going to play our own football when we meet them," Neymar told www.fifa.com in an interview.

"If we do end up playing Barcelona, we’d like to go toe-to-toe with them. Taking on Barcelona is a very tough task. I don’t think there’s any particular tactics you can use. We’ll just have to pray, ask for God’s help and give it our best shot."

The Brazil international was quick to point out that Santos will have to survive the semifinal first, though.

"Before we can even think about the final or possibly playing Barcelona, we’ll have to play another very important and risky game first. Of course we want to get to the final."

The 19-year-old is continually being linked with a move away from Santos and Real Madrid is keen to lure the attacker to the Santiago Bernabeu. Nevertheless, his current club are determined to hold on to the player until after the Club World Cup.


Javier Pastore: I joined Paris Saint-Germain to win titles

The Argentina midfielder revealed that he joined the oil-rich Parisian outfit in order to win some silverware and thanked the fans for their reception at the Park des Princes

Paris Saint-Germain's 42 million euro recruit Javier Pastore has said that he left Palermo for the French capital in order to win trophies.

The 22-year-old spent two seasons with the Sicilian side, netting 17 goals in 79 matches and garnering attention from some of the biggest clubs in the world. The Parisians eventually beat Chelsea in the race for the Argentina international's signature and Pastore expressed his delight at joining the French side.

"I'm very happy to be in Paris. The city is great, and the club is important in world football," he said during a press conference at the Camp des Loges. "I'm also very happy to be in a team with great players. I already discovered Europe by coming from Argentina and I adapted well in Palermo. The club and my team-mates did all they could for my integration."

The former Huracan man went on to say that he appreciated the reception he received from the supporters at the Parc des Princes on Saturday.

"It was very moving. It was just the first match. We are a competitive team, my teammates are the best known players in France," he added. "For me, we are capable of being at the top. I came here in search of titles, I haven't won any important titles, but I'm in football for that."

Pastore also said that he is unfazed by the 42 million euro price tag on his head.

"I have nothing to say about the price of the transfer. It's not a source of pressure. I've had the good fortune to come to a very important club. My program now is to get in shape. I finished the season late because of the Copa America, and I had only 15 days of holiday," he said.

PSG started its Ligue 1 campaign with a surprise 1-0 loss at home to Lorient.

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce criticizes 'meaningless' friendlies

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has branded the scheduling of this week's international friendlies as meaningless and ridiculous.

Several Premier League players have been called up just days before the season kicks off, while the England friendly against the Netherlands on Wednesday has seen several players back out with niggling injuries.

"We've got seven away in meaningless friendlies, it's a bit ridiculous," the manager of the Wearside team told BBC Newcastle. "I can't understand friendly internationals days before the start. Knowing our luck in games over the last year, plans may be laid to rest. I've never been a fan [of preseason], I always despised it as a player."

So far, the Black Cats have escaped any major pre-season injury setbacks and will be hopeful they can improve on their tenth place finish last year as they start their campaign against Liverpool on Saturday.

"Apart from John O'Shea, who is touch and go for next week, everyone's come through it," Bruce confirmed. "We had some big players needing a preseason, [Michael] Turner, [Titus] Bramble, [Kieran] Richardson and [Lee] Cattermole who all came through it, and David Meyler joined in as well the last week which is excellent after all the problems we had last year."

Former 'Idol' Jordin Sparks Gets Personal on New Album

Singing star Jordin Sparks rose to fame in 2007 on the popular television show American Idol. After winning the title at age 17 Jordin has scored three Top 10 Billboard Chart hits and appeared in a Broadway musical. Now at 21 Jordin is putting the final touches on her third album.

Many artists who gain fame on the U.S. television show American Idol fade quickly into obscurity. Not so for Jordin Sparks, who defeated thousands of other contestants during the show’s sixth season to become the youngest winner ever. Jordin’s life has been a whirlwind ever since.

“It has been nonstop ever since, it has been a steady rise and really cool," Sparks says. "I am just glad that four or five years later people still want to talk to me and want to hear me sing. It is just awesome … I love being able to do what I do.”

Just getting into the contest was a daunting task. Jordin was rejected by the judges the year before she won the show.

“I auditioned in L.A. [Los Angeles, California] and I was told [by the judges] ‘no’ and I was 16 [years old] so it was fine," recalls Sparks. "I thought there was something that needs to happen and I can always audition next year because I was in the youngest age group at the time.”

US Woman Treks Across Africa for Clean Water

Amy Russell hopes her 12,000-kilometer walk will raise money and awareness

Every day, in rural areas across Africa, millions of women and girls walk for hours to fetch water. An American woman is also walking for the same reason.

Amy Russell hopes her 12,000-kilometer, two-year long trek across Africa will raise money for and awareness of the need for clean water.

So far she's walked across the northeastern U.S. state of Connecticut and plans to tread across 800 kilometers in California.

Russell is getting in shape for an even longer walk - her African trek.

Walking for water

“We’ll be going through seven different countries," says Russell. "South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.”



Amy Russell

Three years ago, while still in college, the 22-year-old founded the non-profit, Walk4Water. Russell says she realized that in order to tackle the big social causes of the day such as poverty, she'd have to get to the root of the issue.

Archaeologists Hope to Solve Ancient Mystery

Many archaeologists believe humans first migrated to North America over the Bering Strait 15,000-to-18,000 years ago. They lived a nomadic lifestyle of hunting and gathering. Then, starting about 2,000 years ago, some of them settled in large, permanent villages.

An on-going excavation to find out why this fundamental transformation occurred has archaeologists focusing on an ethnographic group in the Pacific Northwest called the Coast Salish people.

The skyscrapers of Vancouver, Canada twinkle across the water while tall Douglas firs shade the excavation squares and sifting stations as researchers from Washington State University and the University of British Columbia kneel in pits, carefully scraping away with trowel or brush.

At Dionisio Point Provincial Park on Galiano Island in British Columbia, WSU archaeologist Colin Grier leads a 10-member crew probing what he considers one of the best preserved early village sites of the Coast Salish people. Grier hopes this place can answer a burning question about what caused previously nomadic bands to advance into a more complex society.

Teen Actors Make Portraits Come Alive

Unique summer job has students portraying historical figures
Taylor Marsh performs for visitors at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Teenagers are making portraits come alive this summer at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., this summer.

They put on makeup and make final alterations to their costumes. It’s like being backstage in a theater, but in this case the stage is the museum itself.

Dressed in a blue velvet suit and carrying a cane, just like the woman in the portrait behind her, Taylor Marsh looks like a younger version of educator and civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune.

She's one of 10 students participating in "Portraits Alive!" at the National Portrait Gallery. Like most of the students, she came to the program because she's interested in theater.


Monday, August 8, 2011

Studies: How Whales, Fish Might Adapt To Warming Ocean

Gray whales might be adapting while fish populations are shiftin.
Two new science studies provide a glimpse of how some important Pacific Ocean sea creatures could adapt to a changing climate.
One study describes how gray whales successfully adapted to previous cycles of global warming and cooling. The second predicts a fish shift on the west coast of North America. The study suggests that some West Coast fishermen will need to pursue different prey if the Pacific Ocean warms as projected over the next 50 years. “I've noticed in the last 12-13 years, we've been starting to see some marlin off and on out there and we've hooked them a few times," says Waddell.

Blue fin tuna is another possible newcomer that could fill the vacancy if, say, salmon left for cooler waters off Canada. Waddell is optimistic the local fishing fleet can adapt.

"People will make adjustments," he says. "Fifty years from now, we might be the marlin capital of the world. You never know."

Juno Spacecraft Launches Toward Jupiter

The U.S. space agency launched the Juno spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Friday, beginning a five-year journey to Jupiter.

"3,2,1. Ignition and liftoff of the Atlas 5 [rocket] with Juno on a trek to Jupiter, a planetary piece of the puzzle on the beginning of our solar system," said a NASA commentator.

Juno is now on its way toward Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. NASA scientists hope this $1.1 billion mission will help them answer some key questions about the way Jupiter - and the solar system - evolved.

Jupiter is believed to have been the first planet to form in our solar system. Juno's eight instruments will study Jupiter's magnetic and gravity fields, as well as the composition of the planet's atmosphere and its core.

Water is a varying factor in many theories about the way planets formed, and, by knowing the amount of water in Jupiter's planetary makeup, scientists can rule out some existing theories of planetary evolution.

Scientists Think Earth Once Had 2 Moons

A new theory by planetary scientists says the Earth may once have been orbited by two moons, which formed early in the history of the solar system and collided slowly into one another to form a single Moon.

Collision course

Scientists believe the Moon was formed when a Mars-sized object crashed into Earth some 4.5 billion years ago and the debris accreted, or came together to form the Moon.

But to Erik Asphaug a planetary scientist at the University of California Santa Cruz, that does not address what astronomers call the lunar dichotomy between the visible side of the moon, marked by craters and a thin crust, and the far side of the moon, known to contain a thicker crust and mountain ranges topping 3,000 meters.

Using a computer model, Asphaug and Martin Jutzi of the University of Bern in Switzerland devised a scenario of what might have caused the geographic dichotomy between the visible and far sides of the Moon. They believe it was caused by a slow-moving collision, less than 2.5 kilometers per second, by a nearby smaller moon.

“It turns out when the impact that is striking the moon comes from right next door to the moon, it doesn’t have a lot of velocity - it’s a pretty slow collision," said Asphaug. "And by the time it hits the moon, it doesn’t have enough energy to excavate a big crater. All it has the velocity to do is squash itself flat as a big pancake. And that was a real surprising finding of the result, and when we saw that in the renderings of the computer simulations, we knew we were on to something pretty interesting.”

European Markets Remain Volatile

European stock markets were volatile Monday despite the European Central Bank saying it intended to buy up government debt.

European Commission spokesperson Ollie Bailly said Monday that the measures taken by the European Central Bank should calm investors' jitters.

"All of the messages that came over the weekend from the G20, the G7, the different member states and the European Central Bank go in the right direction, in the good, in the same direction, and send a strong message of confidence to the markets and to the key players," Bailly said.

The European Central Bank, or ECB, announced Sunday that it would buy Spanish and Italian bonds in order to stabilize the markets. The move was designed to allay fears that two of Europe’s largest economies might default on their debts.

Already, the eurozone has bailed out three of its member nations -- Greece, Ireland and Portugal - to prevent them from defaulting.

S&P lists 5 pillars in its Sovereign Rating Framework as:

  • Institutional effectiveness and political risks, reflected in the political score
  • Economic structure and growth prospects, reflected in the economic score
  • External liquidity and international investment position, reflected in the external score
  • Fiscal performance and flexibility, as well as debt burden, reflected in the fiscal score
  • Monetary flexibility, reflected in the monetary score

    (Source: Standard & Poor's Sovereign Rating Framework)


On Monday, dealers said the ECB began buying Italian and Spanish debt as soon as European bond markets opened.

Initially the plan seemed to be working. Yields on 10-year Italian and Spanish bonds fell dramatically, and the euro rose against the dollar.

Nick Parsons, an economist at National Australia Bank, said the ECB had made the right move.

"It has been an absolutely critical decision, and I think we are going to have to see much more of this in the future if we are going to continue
this spread tightening," Parsons said.

But the gains were unstable; European markets slipped back in the afternoon.

Analysts say part of the problem is that investors are worried about the U.S. economy. On Friday, the U.S. credit rating was downgraded, and on Monday, Wall Street stocks tumbled.

The U.S. is the world’s largest economy, and the state of its finances has global repercussions. Shares in Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea also plunged Monday.

Analysts say the problem in Europe is domestic as well. The ECB and European leaders still, they say, have not made a concrete plan about what they will do next to cope with the European sovereign debt crisis and stagnating economies.

Vanessa Rossi from London’s Chatham House is an expert on the European economy.

She says, in the first place, it is not clear that the ECB has enough funds to keep Spain and Italy clear of the brink.

“I would have serious concerns that the amount of funding they would need to be able to make a real impact there will perhaps be more than the resources they wish to allocate,” Rossi said.

Government policy, she says, is not aimed at creating economic growth, and nations are relying on exports to keep their economies afloat.

"The difficulty is that governments virtually have no fire power left to provide any stimulus," Rossi said.

On Friday, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced plans to balance the country's budget by 2013 - a year earlier than planned - while Spain has also promised to speed up cost-saving measures.

Zambia Court Unlikely to Prevent Banda Re-Election Bid, says Activist

A Zambian activist says it is unlikely the main opposition Patriotic Front (PF) party will succeed in its legal challenge seeking to prevent President Rupiah Banda from seeking re-election in September.

Lee Habasonda, executive director for the Southern African Center for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes, said Zambians do not think the judiciary is “totally” independent of the executive.

He adds it’s within the opposition party’s rights to challenge in court its concerns about the origins of Mr. Banda’s parents.

“It’s a good thing that they are testing the law, but we don’t think much of the case,” said Habasonda. “It will end up with the judiciary, which incidentally is not given the sort of confidence that one would want from many politicians. They believe it serves the interests of the executive, and it’s very unlikely the case will be given the sort of attention it needs.”

Zambia’s current constitution, which was amended in 1996, bars citizens with foreign parents from competing in a presidential election. The measure prevented former president Kenneth Kaunda from seeking a return to power.

The main opposition party contends President Banda’s parents are not Zambian citizens. Habasonda said the opposition would have to prove the allegation.

“They are trying to produce evidence that Rupiah Banda does not qualify [to be president] based on the precedent that was set in 1996,” said Habasonda.

Today (Wednesday) is the deadline for political parties to file papers with the electoral commission today (Wednesday). Habasonda says people are anxious to see how the chief justice rules on the legality of the papers.

Habasonda said the legal challenge seems to be an attempt by the opposition party to derail the campaign of the ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) in the run up to the polls.

“Obviously, while many Zambians are very passionate about issues [regarding the] origins and parentage of our president, they are questioning why the PF did not do this in 2008. And therefore, it is being seen as one way of trying to keep the MMD from focusing on their campaign and to get them disoriented as we go towards the election,” said Habasonda.

An Interior Design Deal-Maker Leaves His Mark


Keith Granet, a management consultant for the design industry, with a client at the Fortuny showroom in Manhattan.


THE blond, brainy young decorator Celerie Kemble often seems to be everywhere on the Manhattan society circuit, but her name is not yet echoing outside its crown-molded corridors or emblazoned on bathmats of Midwestern housewives.

That’s where Keith Granet, 53, a licensing agent and management consultant for the design industry whom Ms. Kemble hired in 2008, enters the picture.

“Fashion designers have lines that allow them to reach a large market,” Ms. Kemble said in a phone interview last month. “But for interior designers who do bespoke work for wealthy clients, licensing is the only avenue for broadening. And as decorators have enough trouble running their regular businesses, that’s why they need Keith.”

Who knew that it’s not just Anne Hathaway and Danielle Steel who need representation? These days, apparently, so does the woman who does the drapes.

Mr. Granet — a tall, broad, poker-faced man unknown outside the home industry and polarizing within it — has become to decorators what Swifty Lazar was to screenwriters and starlets. To name just a handful of Mr. Granet’s clients: Rose Tarlow (Oprah’s reported designer), Thad Hayes (Leonard Lauder), Monique Gibson (Elton John) and Timothy Corrigan (Sarah Jessica Parker).

Ms. Gibson, a k a the “rock star decorator,” who has a new range of pillows with Fortuny fabrics thanks to Mr. Granet, said she hired him to negotiate such deals and to help with her general operations.

“When the man I was in business with left to become a monk — that’s not a joke — I needed help navigating,” Ms. Gibson said recently from her New York apartment. “Keith gave me a road map. Against his better judgment, John Mellencamp and I work on a handshake. But handshakes aside, Keith’s done all my contracts in the last 10 years.”

Mr. Granet also helped arranged Ms. Kemble’s rug collection with Merida, which previews in stores this fall, and is working on a half-dozen other licensing deals for her. Ms. Kemble is poised to conquer, her agent said, having authored “Black and White (And a Bit in Between),” to be published in November, and having appeared in the J. Crew “Who’s That Girl?” series.

She has also been seen in an ad campaign for Benjamin Moore paints (along with another decorator Mr. Granet has steered, Jamie Drake, who chooses the lampshades for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg).

While Mr. Lazar possessed immense charisma and personal style, Mr. Granet is beyond low-key and favors conservative pickings from Façonnable. But what he lacks in flash, apparently, he makes up for in cash.

“There are other people who do what we do, but no one’s ever owned our space, which is high end,“ Mr. Granet said in June. He was sitting in his apartment/office in SoHo (which had a look that strained to register, perhaps because he had just moved in), discussing a successful agreement he had brokered between Suzanne Kasler, an apple-cheeked darling of the shelter magazines, and Ballard Designs. Ms. Kasler’s first line for Ballard, the catalog behemoth, including leather-clad staplers and wire models of the Eiffel Tower, was introduced last year.

“I said to Suzanne, ‘This could be your Target,’ ” Mr. Granet recalled. “But we were very cautious. We didn’t want to go too low. I have a rule: not too low, not too fast.’ ”

'The next Chicharito' - why Real Madrid and Barcelona are fighting it out for Carlos Fierro

The Guadalajara forward starred in Mexico's Under-17 World Cup win earlier this summer and has caught the attention of Spain's big two, as well as both Tottenham and Arsenal.

Carlos Fierro's rapid ascent to stardom could not have been possible without the splendid summer that he has enjoyed along with the rest of Mexico's star-studded Under-17 World Cup-winning roster.

While originally billed in Mexico as a Jared Borgetti-type striker - lanky, powerful and most likely to add to his goalscoring tally via his aerial ability, Fierro showed the world that his speed, instinct and finishing qualities were second to none in the recent youth championship on home soil.

The youngster's understanding with fellow Chivas product Giovani Casillas, who was also close to signing with Real Madrid in 2009, is unique. The wide man Casillas can easily exchange positions with Fierro on the pitch to provide a confusing yet lethal combination for opposing defenders.

With four goals in Mexico's seven-game road to the championship, Fierro raised eyebrows from the beginning, attracting reported interest from teams such as Premier League rivals Arsenal and Tottenham. His speed, skill set, tactical flexibility and killer instinct made him hot property over the summer.

The Bronze Ball winner was then linked to Barcelona, a development confirmed exclusively to Goal.com by Fierro's agent, Marc Salicru.


Nicklas Bendtner hopes to leave Arsenal soon

Nicklas Bendtner hopes to wrap up his Arsenal exit soon as he targets regular first team soccer.

The Gunners have so far held on to their big name players, with manager Arsene Wenger keen to hold onto the likes of Samir Nasri and captain Cesc Fabregas.

Bendtner, however, has been unhappy at the club for some time but has not been able to leave due to a prolonged injury.

Now fit, the Dane is still determined to exit the club after being linked with several sides this summer, including Stoke City.

"Hopefully it will be sorted soon but as I said to the Danish press, when I know something they will," Bendtner told reporters. "I would like to play at a place where you are happy and play every week, that is the most important thing for any football player and hopefully that will happen soon."

Denmark manager Morten Olson has stressed the importance of Bendtner getting regular first team football, suggesting that the forward isn't getting any younger.

"It is good for himself if he plays first-team football. You don't play football for 50 years, you have to enjoy it as long as possible," Olson said. "Of course it is also a money question but a national player has a lot of ambition and wants to play football. Nicklas has been injured for a year but he can be a good player again."

Hopefuls Sing Out From Afar as Broadway Scouts Go Online

Julia Tan, a 10-year-old actress who dreams of belting like Barbra, auditioned for her first Broadway show last month — 2,500 miles away, in her family room in Kuna, Idaho. As her older sister fumbled with a video camera and her mother beamed nearby as a cue (keep smiling!), Julia performed “Born to Entertain” from the musical “Ruthless!” for one of the three-minute audition tapes that little girls worldwide are sending in to the online casting call for the 2012 revival of “Annie.”

“I did two takes,” Julia admitted by telephone, “but only because the camera cut off my head and then my feet the first time around.”

A rite of passage for young actors — waiting in long lines to be seen by Broadway casting directors, clutching head shots with I-hope-I-get-it fervor — has faded, as more producers and directors have abandoned the long-held assumption that they need to be in the room to assess stage presence and other qualities. While some casting directors have looked at audition tapes here and there over the years, the advent of YouTube, Skype, Facebook, Flip cameras and widely available video equipment has recently given technology a greater role in theater casting, providing a foot in the stage door for the technically savvy.

So far 320 young actresses have auditioned by video for “Annie” and 20 of them have been picked for in-person auditions by the casting director, Bernard Telsey, who has shepherded countless careers in the theater. (The online call for Annie and her fellow orphans is open through the fall.) While those numbers are smaller than the 1,250 girls who jammed the June open auditions in Manhattan and the 140 who received callbacks, Mr. Telsey said the taped auditions, which he collected with the aid of a specialist agency, ActorCast, were nevertheless a growing way for actors to become breakouts stars.

Another major musical revival, of the Streisand vehicle “Funny Girl,” also held an online call this summer and received 308 videos from women in the United States, Britain, France, Israel, Vietnam and elsewhere, though the title role ended up going to the television and stage actress Lauren Ambrose, the producers announced last week.

Such formal casting searches are still rare online compared with the hours that casting offices and some directors spend surfing the Internet nowadays for fresh faces. While no breakout theater star has been discovered solely through online auditions, several casting directors said it was only a matter of time. Mr. Telsey recently helped cast an inexperienced actor, Derek Klena, in the coming Off Broadway revival of the musical “Carrie” after Mr. Klena sent in a video for another job, as an understudy in “Catch Me if You Can.” The “Catch Me” creative team liked his tape, so he flew in from Los Angeles for a live audition; while he didn’t land the understudy part, the process led to a plum supporting role in “Carrie.”

“Many talented and hardworking actors, people we want to cast, are increasingly shrewd about using technology to get in front of us,” Mr. Telsey said.

Down Two Players, and Four Runs, Mets Rally to Win

Lucas Duda being mobbed by teammates after his single drove in the tying and winning runs in the ninth.
Suzy Allman for The New York Times

Lucas Duda being mobbed by teammates after his single drove in the tying and winning runs in the ninth.

The Mets began their day by announcing the latest batch of grim injury news only to end it, hours later, with the exuberance of a victorious dogpile out near second base.

Groups Call for Scientists to Engage the Body Politic

When asked to name a scientist, Americans are stumped. In one recent survey, the top choice, at 47 percent, was Einstein, who has been dead since 1955, and the next, at 23 percent, was “I don’t know.” In another survey, only 4 percent of respondents could name a living scientist.

While these may not have been statistically rigorous exercises, they do point to something real: In American public life, researchers are largely absent. Trained to stick to the purity of the laboratory, they tend to avoid the sometimes irrational hurly-burly of politics.

For example, according to the Congressional Research Service, the technically trained among the 435 members of the House include one physicist, 22 people with medical training (including 2 psychologists and a veterinarian), a chemist, a microbiologist and 6 engineers.

Now several groups are trying to change that. They want to encourage scientists and engineers to speak out in public debates and even run for public office. When it comes to global warming and a host of other technical issues, “there is a disconnect between what science says and how people perceive what science says,” said Barbara A. Schaal, a biologist and vice president of the National Academy of Sciences. “We need to interact with the public for our good and the public good.”

Dr. Schaal heads the academy’s new Science Ambassador Program in which researchers will be recruited and trained to speak out on their areas of expertise. The effort will start in Pittsburgh, where scientists and engineers who specialize in energy will be encouraged to work with public organizations and agencies.

“We are looking for people who are energy experts and who have a real desire to reach out,” Dr. Schaal said.

Separately, a five-year-old nonprofit group called Scientists and Engineers for America, or Sefora, offers guidance and encouragement to researchers considering a run for public office — from local school boards to the House and Senate. With more scientists involved in the legislative agenda, the group maintains, there can be better decision making in things like research financing, math and science education and national infrastructure problems.

“Just get involved, the country needs your expertise, your analytical thinking and your approach to issues,” Vernon Ehlers, a physicist who came to Congress in 1993, says in a video on the Sefora Web site. “If you can learn nuclear physics, you can learn politics.”

In a telephone interview, Dr. Ehlers, a Michigan Republican who retired this year, said he thinks a kind of “reverse snobbery” keeps researchers out of public life. “You have these professors struggling to write their $30,000 grant applications at the same time there are people they would never accept in their research groups making $100-million decisions in the National Science Foundation or the Department of Energy,” he said. He said it was “shortsighted” of the science and engineering community not to encourage “some of their best and brightest” into public life.

Until this year, Dr. Ehlers was part of a three-man physics caucus in the House, along with Rush Holt, Democrat of New Jersey, who was elected to Congress in 1998, and Bill Foster, Democrat of Illinois, who won his seat in 2008 but lost it last year to a Republican with Tea Party support.

This year, Dr. Ehlers and Dr. Foster formed a bipartisan political action committee they called Ben Franklin’s List, whose goal was to offer engineers and scientists the credibility and money they need to win office. “Scientist, politician, patriot,” Dr. Foster said of Franklin. “It’s all on-message.”

Ben Franklin’s List was to be modeled on Emily’s List, a group organized in 1985 to advance the cause of female candidates who supported abortion rights. But Ben Franklin’s List would have no ideological litmus test.

In a sense, however, the project is suffering from its own ethos: Dr. Foster, its major organizer, announced in May that he was a candidate for Congress again and therefore would have to withdraw from the effort.

“There’s no way I can run a nonpartisan organization the same time I am running for Congress,” he said.

Dr. Foster, a onetime physicist at Fermilab, said he feared his departure for the campaign trail would be “a mortal blow” to Ben Franklin’s List. But Dr. Ehlers would not declare it dead, even though the project is more than he can run himself, especially since he is out of Washington now. He said he hoped others would embrace the idea.

“I would be willing to join forces with them,” he said. “I am happy to help out.”

Generally, hopes for technical bipartisanship rest in part on the belief — widespread among researchers — that the nation’s engineers, as a group, tend to be Republicans while its academic scientists tend to be Democrats. And in theory, as Dr. Foster put it, if people on both sides of the aisle can agree on “the quantitative facts” of an issue, policy differences need not inevitably lead to bitter partisan gridlock.


A Brief Dry Spell for the U.S.S. Monitor

IRONCLAD The U.S.S. Monitor, designed by John Ericsson, was not just the Union's first ironclad vessel but an entirely new kind of warship. Here, conservators work in the upside-down turret.
Steve Earley/The Virginian-Pilot

IRONCLAD The U.S.S. Monitor, designed by John Ericsson, was not just the Union's first ironclad vessel but an entirely new kind of warship. Here, conservators work in the upside-down turret.

The technology that changed naval warfare started with a five-sentence ad in 1861, and resulted in the U.S.S. Monitor less than six months later.

The technology that revolutionized naval warfare began with a five-sentence message delivered to The New York Times 150 years ago, on Aug. 9, 1861, and the information was not exactly classified. It was an advertisement placed by the Union Navy, to appear the following six days, under the heading “Iron-Clad Steam Vessels.”

“The Navy Department will receive offers from parties who are able to execute work of this kind,” the ad announced, describing its desire for a two-masted ship “either of iron or of wood and iron combined. The plans had to be submitted by early September, giving designers less than a month.

Less than six months later, a shipyard in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, launched not merely an ironclad but an entirely new kind of warship. The U.S.S. Monitor had no masts and no line of cannons. It was essentially a submarine beneath a revolving gun turret, something so tiny and bizarre-looking that many experts doubted the “cheese box on a raft” would float, much less fight.

But somehow it survived both the Navy bureaucracy and a broadside barrage to become one of the most celebrated ships in the world. Its designer and crew were the 19th-century celebrity equivalent of astronauts. Long after the ship sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras, N.C., the turret remained a cultural icon: an “armored tower” in Melville’s poetry, an image on book covers and film posters, a shape reproduced in items from toys to refrigerators.

Now the original turret, which was recovered from the ocean floor nine years ago and placed in a freshwater tank to protect it from corrosion, is on display again. It has been temporarily exposed to the air so that it can be scraped clean — very carefully, in front of museum visitors and a live webcam — by a team of researchers at the U.S.S. Monitor Center of the Mariners’ Museum here in Newport News. The team expects to have nearly all the barnacles and sediment removed by the end of this month, giving the public a new look at the dents from the Confederate cannonballs and shells that would have sunk any ordinary ship of its day. Then the turret will be submerged again in fresh water for 15 more years, until enough ocean salt has been removed from the metal to allow it to face the air permanently.

The more that researchers examine the turret and about 1,500 other artifacts from the Monitor, the more impressed they are with its designer, John Ericsson. Besides the 360-degree rotating turret, there were dozens of other patentable inventions in the ship, including a new type of compact engine and a new toilet that could be flushed below the waterline.

“What makes the Monitor so remarkable is that she’s almost a stealth vessel because all the systems except the ordnance are below the waterline,” said Anna Holloway, the curator at the Monitor Center. “Keeping the engine safe from attack was a big breakthrough. Not only did Ericsson create this radically new type of vessel, but his designs were so nearly flawless that foundries and contractors from around the Northeast could fabricate the parts, and they all fit together when the ship was assembled in Greenpoint. It boggles the mind.”

The Monitor has been so familiar for so long that it is hard to realize just how radical it seemed at the time — and how much luck was involved in building it. The ship’s history is a case study in the difficulties of technological innovation. The Monitor had a genius for a designer and a lobbyist so well connected that President Abraham Lincoln made a personal plea for it, yet when a scale model was first presented in Washington, the members of the Navy’s Ironclad Board rejected it.

“Take the little thing home and worship it,” one board member said disdainfully, “as it would not be idolatry because it was made in the image of nothing in the heaven above or the earth below or the water under the earth.”

The Monitor’s designer might have taken that as a compliment. Mr. Ericsson once described himself in a letter to President Lincoln as having “practical and constructive skill shared by no engineer now living.” But skill was no guarantee of success, as he knew from bitter experience.

A native of Sweden, Mr. Ericsson moved to London and produced one innovation after another, including a screw propeller to replace the paddle wheel on the steam-powered warship. But the British Admiralty was too conservative to adopt it, and he foundered financially. After a stint in debtors’ prison, he found a new patron and moved to New York.

The United States Navy commissioned a warship, the Princeton, that proved to be one of the most advanced in the world, thanks to a screw propeller and other innovations by Mr. Ericsson. But after its success, he was pushed aside by his partner in the project, Robert F. Stockton, an American naval officer (and future United States senator from New Jersey) who took public credit for Mr. Ericsson’s inventions — until a public disaster.

Plastic Surgery

There are as many reasons for getting plastic surgery as there are older patients, experts say. Some people are living longer and remaining healthier, and they want their physiques to align with their psyches. Some are preening for potential mates and want their feathers to look their freshest. Some are still working or looking for jobs and want to be seen as more youthful contenders.

And some are simply sick of slackened jowls, jiggly underarms and saggy eyelids. Gilbert Meyer, a retired film producer in Boynton Beach, Fla., who gave his age only as “over 75,” saw Dr. Jacob Steiger, a facial plastic surgeon in Boca Raton, Fla., for an eye and neck lift last year. He spent $8,000.

“I was looking at myself in the mirror and didn’t like what I was starting to see and did something about it,” Mr. Meyer said. “Why not look as good as you can when you can?”

Mary Graham, a 77-year-old restaurant owner in Thomasville, Ga., got a face-lift and breast implants earlier this year. “The only time I go to the doctor is for plastic surgery,” she said.

Ms. Graham plans to open another restaurant in Tallahassee, Fla., in the fall. “I work seven days a week,” she said. “I wanted to look as young as I feel.”

Her plastic surgeon, Dr. Daniel Man of Boca Raton, Fla., who said he is seeing increasing numbers of patients over age 70, said, “These people are healthy and want to be an active part of society.”

Any operation poses risks, but surprisingly few studies have focused on older patients and cosmetic enhancements. One report, published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in June, found that the hazards in people over age 65 are no greater than in the younger population.

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic reviewed the medical records of 216 face-lift patients over the course of three years. The researchers found no significant difference in the instances of minor or major complications between one group of patients whose average age was 70 and another group whose average age was 57.6.

“We’re saying it’s not chronologic age that’s so important, but it really is physiologic,” said Dr. James E. Zins, the senior author of the study and chairman of the department of plastic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.

All patients in his study were screened for such health problems as lung and heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as use of medications, like anticoagulants, that could have complicated the operations. But not all older patients may be so thoroughly screened, , so his findings don’t necessarily mean the risks are minimal in an older population.

“Is there a theoretical age upon which complications do become more likely?” he mused. “Does that mean that patients 70 and 75 years and over can safely undergo a face-lift with the same complication rate as young patients? We didn’t have enough numbers to answer that question.”

The Golden Years, Polished With Surge

At age 83, Marie Kolstad has a rich life. She works full time as a property manager and keeps an active social calendar, busying herself with 12 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Stephanie Diani for The New York Times

Marie Kolstad, 83, a widow who lives in Orange County, Calif., underwent a three-hour breast lift with implants.


“Physically, I’m in good health, and I just feel like, why not take advantage of it?” said Ms. Kolstad. “My mother lived a long time, and I’m just taking it for granted that that will happen to me. And I want my children to be proud of what I look like.”

What's wrong with the New York Red Bulls?

Despite having a star-studded roster, Hans Backe's team has struggled to deliver this season.

Winless in their last five matches, the New York Red Bulls continue to astound Major League Soccer fans as the league’s most disappointing team.

Barely holding on to a playoff spot in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 6-12-6 record wasn’t what team GM Erik Soler and head coach Hans Backe pictured when assembling a star-studded roster featuring international stars like Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez, along with United States internationals Tim Ream and Juan Agudelo.
Last year, the only team that was close to the Red Bulls points-wise was the Columbus Crew and both teams had a double-digit advantage over third place.

This season, the team has the resilient Philadelphia Union, the recently in-form Sporting KC and the always consistent Crew along with former MLS champions Houston Dynamo in the conference. Things are much tighter.

The team has to do a better job at home where it has dropped a total of 14 points in 11 matches. With only one win on the road, it is crucial that it doesn’t drop any more points at Red Bull Arena.

There are a few weeks left until the trade deadline and Soler has to look for deals to bring in more depth on the roster, especially with the injury to hard-working forward Luke Rodgers. If he can add some role players, it might help in improving overall performance as there will be depth on the squad.


Agent: Bob Bradley is a candidate for the Egypt position

Bradley's agent confirmed to Goal.com that the former U.S. boss is a candidate for the North African team.


Former U.S. coach Bob Bradley is one of the top candidates to take over the Egyptian national team position, Goal.com has confirmed.

"Bob is indeed a candidate for the Egypt national team job," Bradley's agent Ron Waxman wrote in an email to Goal.com.

Former Montenegro manager Zoran Filipovic and former Trinidad and Tobago coach Francisco Maturana are also vying for the position, according to Egyptian newspaper

If hired, Bradley would replace long-serving manager Hassan Shehata, who bowed out in June in the wake of the Pharaohs' recent troubles in qualifying for the 2012 African Cup of Nations. Shehata had won the African Cup of Nations three times during his seven-year tenure.

Bradley, who was relieved of his duties by the United States Soccer Federation last week, has yet to interview for the vacant position.

Pharaohs press officer Azmi Megahed told Major League Soccer's official site that the former Chivas USA tactician is likely to be top contender because the Egyptian federation had been impressed with his United States' exploits in the 2009 Confederations Cup, where it beat Egypt 3-0 in the final group match and finished as runner-up in the tournament.

Bradley would be the first American-born coach to lead an African national team.

Egypt is at the bottom of Group G with two points from four matches in the 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, with hopes of reaching the finals hanging by a thread.


AC Milan supports Save The Children

Millions of children are facing starvation right now – this doesn't have to happen. Save The Children has launched an emergency aid response in Africa. Please watch this video, share with friends and download Bob Marley & The Wailer's single 'High Tide or Low Tide' with all the proceedings going to the East Africa food crisis appeal. You can help now.

How Not To Jump Into A Pool

How Not To Jump Into A Pool
How Not To Jump Into A Pool

Girl tries to jump off the top of a fence into the family pool but lands just as few inches short of the water.

Mexicans Abroad 2011-2012

Check out the latest stats and results of the top Mexican players in the top leagues around the world.


Pablo Barrera

Age: 24

Club: West Ham United

Season Stats: none
Position: Midfielder

Last Game: Barrera entered in the 82nd minute in West Ham's eventual 1-0 loss at home to Cardiff City.

Next Game: Aug. 9, vs. Aldershot Town (League Cup)

Comment:
Barrera struggled in his first season at West Ham, but should get a chance to shine in the Championship this year.

Omar Bravo


Age: 31

Club: Sporting Kansas City

Season Stats: 16 games, 6 goals, 2 assists
Position: Forward

Last Game: Omar Bravo started but was ejected in the 59th minute for a two-footed tackle in Kansas City's 2-1 loss to Seattle.

Next Game: Aug. 17, vs. Vancouver (will be suspended).

Comments:
Bravo has been a big factor in Sporting's recent good form, but could face strong punishment for an alleged dive and his two-footed tackle in the game against Seattle.
Nery Castillo

Age: 27

Club: Aris

Season Stats: None
Position: Forward

Last Game:
None

Next Game: at PAS Giannina, TBD (Greek season will start late August/early September)

Comments:
Castillo has terminated his contract with Shaktar Donetsk and signed a two-year deal with Aris, where he will try and turn his career around.
Giovani dos Santos

Age: 22

Club: Tottenham

Season Stats: None
Position: Midfielder

Last Game:
None

Next Game: Aug. 13, vs. Everton


Comments:
Dos Santos' club situation is still very much in the air, as he appears to be on his way out at Spurs.
Jonathan dos Santos

Age: 21

Club: FC Barcelona

Season Stats: none
Position: Midfielder

Last Game: None

Next Game: Aug. 14 at Real Madrid (Spanish Super Cup)

Comments:
Giovani's younger brother also faces an uncertain club future, as he seems to be behind several players in competition for playing time at the Nou Camp.
Andres Guardado


Age: 24

Club: Deportivo La Coruña

Season Stats: none
Position: Midfielder

Last Game: None

Next Game: Aug. 21, at FC Cartagena

Comments:
Guardado is drawing interest from several La Liga clubs after Deportivo's relegation last season. He figures to be moving on before the season starts.
Javier Hernandez

Age: 23

Club: Manchester United

Season Stats: None
Position: Forward

Last Game:
Did not dress due to injury in United's 3-2 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield.

Next Game: Aug. 14, at West Brom

Comments:
Coming off a Gold Cup win, Chicharito is looking to build upon his fantastic debut season at Old Trafford. However, he could miss the beginning of the Premier League season after suffering a concussion during United's preseason tour of the U.S.
Guillermo Franco

Age: 34

Club: Velez Sarsfield

Season Stats: None
Position: Forward

Last Game:
Played 29 minutes as a substitute in Velez's 1-1 draw with Godoy Cruz on Aug. 6.

Next Game: Aug. 15, vs. Banfield.

Comments:
The veteran striker is set to begin his first full season with Velez Sarsfield of the Argentine Primera Division.
Efrain Juarez

Age: 23

Club: Real Zaragoza (on loan from Celtic)

Season Stats: None
Position: Midfielder

Last Game: None

Next Game: Aug. 21, at Levante

Comments:
After falling out of favor at Celtc, Juarez will join Zaragoza on a season-long loan, where he will play for former Mexico national team coach Javier Aguirre.
Rafa Marquez

Age: 32

Club: New York Red Bulls

Season Stats: 10 games, 0 goals, 1 assist
Position: Defender

Last Game: Marquez started and played the full match in New York's 3-0 loss at Real Salt Lake and earned a yellow card.

Next Game: Aug. 13, vs. Chicago

Comment:
Marquez is back in the Red Bulls' starting lineup after missing a few weeks with a hamstring injury after the Gold Cup.

Hector Moreno


Age: 23

Club: RCD Espanyol

Season Stats: None
Position: Defender

Last Game: None

Next Game: Aug. 21, vs. Granada

Comments:
Moreno joined La Liga side Espanyol in the offseason on a five-year deal from AZ of Holland.
Guillermo Ochoa

Age: 26

Club: AC Ajaccio

Season Stats: None.
Position: Goalkeeper

Last Game:
Started and played all 90 minutes in Ajaccio's 2-0 loss to Toulouse.

Next Game: Aug. 13, at Lyon.

Comments:
The Mexico keeper made his move from Club America to recently-promoted Ajaccio in France's Ligue 1.
Pavel Pardo

Age: 35

Club: Chicago Fire

Season Stats: 1 goal, 0 assists, 1 game
Position: Midfielder

Last Game:
Went 90 minutes and scored as Chicago tied Philadelphia 1-1.

Next Game: Aug 7, at Vancouver Whitecaps

Comments:
Pardo was recently signed by the Fire, and will step into a defensive midfielder role hoping to help the club to the playoffs.
Carlos Salcido

Age: 31

Club: Fulham

Season Stats: none
Position: Defender

Last Game: None

Next Game: Aug. 13, vs. Aston Villa.

Comments:
Salcido should be a regular starter at left back again this season for the Cottagers.

Francisco Rodriguez

Age: 29

Club: VfB Stuttgart

Season Stats: 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 game
Position: Defender

Last Game: Started and played the whole match, grabbing an assist in a 3-1 win vs. Schalke.

Next Game: Aug. 13 at Borussia Monchengladbach

Comment:
Maza made his move to the Bundesliga in July, signing for Stuttgart from PSV Eindhoven.
Carlos Vela

Age: 22

Club: Arsenal FC

Season Stats: None
Position: Forward

Last Game: None

Next Game: Aug. 13, vs. Newcastle

Comment:
After spending the last half of the 2010-11 season on loan at West Brom, Vela is back with the Gunners, and faces more uncertainty over his playing time.