Fireflies

In the early evening, flashing lights can often be seen cruising around in the forest. These are the little lanterns on the underside of the abdomen of a carnivorous beetle of the family Lampyridae. These beetles have been misnamed fireflies. It is believed that the flashing light is used by males and females to attract each other. The light is created by an enzyme (luciferase) which reacts with other chemicals in the insect's body to produce light energy. The firefly regulates the emission of light by controlling the amount of air supplied to the cells. The regularity and intensity of the flashing may help fireflies identify males and females. Both the firefly larvae and wingless females can also be also known as glow worms. The larvae of the firefly have a flat, segmented body resembling a kind of serrated flatworm. This larva has two little 'windows' at the back end of the body through which a pale green glow is seen. Why the larva also glows is unknown. (The ability of plants, fungi or animals to "glow" is called bioluminescence.

All about Beetles

Muellers Stag Beetle

Muellers Stag Beetle is rarely seen in the rainforest even though it has a highly polished, metallic exoskeleton. The larvae of this beetle are a large white, rather unattractive grub which lives in rotting logs. It feeds on the disintegrating wood pulp for many years before emerging to take on its spectacular adult, winged form. Both males and females have 'staghorns' but the males are much larger.The overall length of Mueller's Stag beetle is 5 cm (2 inches) or more.

The Rhinoceros Beetle

Commonly seen in Tropical North Queensland is another large beetle whose males have a single protruding horn in front of the head. Far from the stunning metallic sheen of Mueller's Stag beetle, the Rhinoceros beetle is a solid, shiny black. It is also about 5 to 7 cm long, very thickset and is often found on suburban streets during the day crawling along on the side of the road or flying around well lit areas at night. When disturbed, they emit a loud hiss. The Rhinoceros beetle is in the scarab family which is known for its C-shaped, plump white grubs which live in the soil. (Some scarab beetle larvae feed on dung but others will eat roots. A few grubs in the garden will not do any damage but large numbers can affect the lawn and other plants.) The Rhinoceros Beetle's larvae are just as imposing as the adult beetle measuring in at 6 cm (2.5 inches) long by about 2 cm in diameter.

The Jewel Beetle

The Jewel beetle group is very large with over 1,200 species throughout Australia.Some spectacular patterns and colors appear on the wing covers of these beetles including metallic sheens. The larvae are usually wood borers and the adults are usually nectar feeders but there are exceptions, of course.

They are beautiful SAVE them

The endangered mission blue butterfly inhabits Milagra Ridge in Pacifica, Sweeney Ridge in San Bruno, Twin Peaks, and portions of the Marin Headlands. One of the first invertebrates to be protected under the Endangered Species Act, this small butterfly is an important component of area grasslands. Its host plant is silver-leaf lupine, and it is only in its mature flight stage for three weeks. Several butterfly habitat restoration projects are currently underway in the park involving non-native plant removal and native plant restoration. Threats to this species include development, trampling by excessive foot traffic, illegal off-road vehicles, and non-native plant invasion.

The endangered San Bruno elfin butterfly occurs at Milagra Ridge and Montara Mountain near Pacifica, San Bruno Mountain in San Francisco, and near Alpine Lake and Dillons Beach in Marin County. Its host plant is stonecrop. Young larvae are tended by several species of ants that protect them from predators. These ants also groom the larvae and feed on a honeydew substance produced by the larvae. Threats to this species include non-native plant invasion, trampling by people, lack of proper fire management, and development.

The Bay checkerspot butterfly inhabits Edgewood Park in the San Francisco Watershed. It has a wing span of little more than 2 inches. The forewings have black bands along all the veins on the upper surface, contrasting sharply with bright red, yellow and white spots. Their habitat is on serpentine soild where their host plant, dwarf plantain, grows. Males typically emerge four to eight days before females. Males can mate many times, while most females mate only once. Threats to this species include development and non-native plant invasion.

Pollinators play a crucial role in flowering plant

Pollinators, such as bees, birds, bats and insects, play a crucial role in flowering plant reproduction and in the production of most fruits and vegetables.

Examples of crops that are pollinated include apples, squash, and almonds. Without the assistance of pollinators, most plants cannot produce fruits and seeds. The fruits and seeds of flowering plants are an important food source for people and wildlife. Some of the seeds that are not eaten will eventually produce new plants, helping to maintain the plant population. Over 75% of all flowering plants are pollinated by animals.

Studies say that Honey bees pollinate approximately $15 Billion worth of crops in the U.S. each year. The value of pollination services provided by native bees and other wildlife is even greater. It is estimated that honeybees only pollinate 15% of the most common food crops worldwide.

A recent study of the status of pollinators in North America by the National Academy of Sciences found that populations of honey bees (which are not native to North America) and some wild pollinators are declining. Declines in wild pollinators may be a result of habitat loss and degradation, while declines in managed bees are linked to disease (introduced parasites and pathogens).

West Nile Virus

West Nile virus (WNV) is a newly emergent virus of the family Flaviviridae, found in both tropical and temperate regions. It mainly infects birds, but is also the cause of a number of conditions in humans, horses, and some other mammals. It is transmitted by bites of infected mosquitoes. This disease has recently become a concern for researchers because of its increased virulence and emergence in new geological locations, such as North America.

In the Old World, disease due to WN has been reported only in one Rock Dove (pigeon) found in Egypt. Fatal disease was produced experimentally in Hooded Crows. Many species of birds and mammals have antibodies against the virus, which indicates that infection is quite common. Disease appears to be very rare. However, in North America, the virus has proven to cause fatal disease in many species of native birds and a few species of mammals. Hundreds of thousands of American Crows have died of WN infection and other members of the crow family also appear highly susceptible to severe disease when they become infected. On the other hand, many species clearly survive infection with little or no evidence of disease and, in many species, some individuals become ill and may die when infected while many other infected individuals suffer no illness at all. A regularly up-dated list of animal species for which at least one individual is known to have died with West Nile virus infection is provided by the U.S. National Wildlife Health Laboratory.

U.S Top-secret military base located-Area 51

The Groom Lake Base is this confidential military support located 90 miles north of Las Vegas (which is in Nevada). It's in network number 51 of the Nevada Test Site, so it's called Area 51. The United States Air Force Flight Test Center runs the base. It's best known for experimenting exotic aircraft and arms.

The base was formed in 1954 as a place to test the top secret U-2 spy plane that was used to fly missions over the Soviet Union. Then it started to house the SR-71, A-12 and D-21 drone. The F-117A was tested there, also. In the 1980's the base improved in size, all along with the runway (which increased to the present 6 miles). Then, strange lights began to emerge, and armed guards known as the common fellows started patrolling the limit. The government blocked numerous viewpoints from which the Area 51 base might be seen. In 1989, a "physicist" named Bob Lazar claimed that he worked at a base south of Area 51 and also claimed that Area 51 was testing really advanced aircraft and UFO's they got by dealing with the aliens. Since then, Area 51 has been considered as the test core of captured UFOs because of the lights in the night sky.

He will always be remembered . .

Manjunath Shanmugam a sales manager in the Indian Oil Sales Corporation, Shanmugam was trying to stop the corruption of oil when he was killed. He was 27 years old when he died.

On November 19, 2006 Manjunath’s first death anniversary the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust has undertaken following initiatives:
1) Start of a national helpline with the intention of helping people across the nation in using the Right To Information Act (RTI).
2) Manjunath Shanmugam Integrity Award.

The objective of Manjunath Shanmugam Integrity Award is to respect and encourage person/s or institutions who are working to support the principles of truth and honesty in the Indian public life.
The nominees will be evaluated on the basis of:
1. Gravity of the circumstances and its impact.
2. Corrective action undertaken, not just reporting the situation.
3. Extent of difficulty faced by nominee in correcting the situation.

The first Manjunath Shanmugam Integrity Award was delivered on 24/03/07 at IIM Bangalore. The award is for deserving candidates who have reported and worked to rectify corrupt practices in government, public or corporate life. The honorary Chief Guest N. Narayana Murthy awarded the award of a citation and a cash prize of Rs. One Lakh to Prof. R. P Singh, Vice Chancellor, Lucknow University.

Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti president Akhil Gogoi received the esteemed 2nd Shanmugam Manjunath Integrity Award from the iron lady Kiran Bedi at a function held on March 28, 2008 at the IIT Delhi Seminar Hall. Mr Akhil Gogoi who hails from upper Assam’s Golaghat district has been awarded for his fight against corruption.

World's Smallest Radio Fits in the Palm of the Hand . . . of an Ant

Single carbon nanotube is fully functional radio, receiving music over standard radio bandwidth

Harnessing the electrical and mechanical properties of the carbon nanotube, a team of researchers has crafted a working radio from a single fiber of that material.

Fixed between two electrodes, the vibrating tube successfully performed the four critical roles of a radio--antenna, tunable filter, amplifier and demodulator--to tune in a radio signal generated in the room and play it back through an attached speaker.

Functional across a bandwidth widely used for commercial radio, the tiny device could have applications far beyond novelty, from radio-controlled devices that could flow in the human bloodstream to highly efficient, miniscule, cell phone devices.

"This breakthrough is a perfect example of how the unique behavior of matter in the nanoworld enables startling new technologies," says Bruce Kramer, a senior advisor for engineering at NSF and the officer overseeing the center's work. "The key functions of a radio, the quintessential device that heralded the electronic age, have now been radically miniaturized using the mechanical vibration of a single carbon nanotube."

The source content for the first laboratory test of the radio was "Layla," by Derek and the Dominos, followed soon after by "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys.

BINGHAM CANYON COPPER MINE, UT, USA

Located near Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, Bingham Canyon celebrated its 100th anniversary in June 2003. The Bingham Canyon mine, Copperton concentrator and Garfield smelter comprise one of the largest and most up-to-date integrated copper operations in the world: major investments during the past 15 years have ensured economically and environmentally sound operation. Cumulative copper output is now about 15Mt, more than any other mine.

For much of its life, Bingham Canyon was owned by Kennecott Copper Corp. However, during the post-1973 oil crisis shake-out, the company was acquired by British Petroleum, then sold on to Rio Tinto, which operates Bingham Canyon through its 100% subsidiary, Kennecott Utah Copper Corp. The facilities employ about 1,400 people.

In early 2005, Rio Tinto committed $170 million to the East 1 pushback project, which will extend the life of the open pit at Bingham Canyon until 2017. Various open-pit and underground alternatives will also be considered in relation to development of the mine after that.

Source : http://www.mining-technology.com/projects/bingham/

Second Life founder steps down from CEO postion

Some interesting news, the founder of Second Life, Philip Rosedale [wikipedia], stepped down from the role of CEO and will become Chairman of the Board at Lindin Labs.

Second Life is a virtual world where people interact, chat, and create. It's not generally considered a game. As there's no specific goal and no dragons to fight, it's really just a place to explore and meet people. The Second Life website has an article describing what it is. You may also find this video helpful in describing SL.

Here at Voluntary Planning we've been keeping an eye on Second Life. We've considered using it to host an online virtual meeting. We always strive to reach as many citizens as we can when we're working on a project. Hosting a meeting in Second Life may help us tap into an audience that we might not otherwise see in real world meetings. SL continues to be an interesting place and with a change in CEO it will be interesting to see where it goes.

USDA ANNOUNCES NEW OFFICE OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND MARKETS

Secretary Ed Schafer announced the intention to establish a new USDA Office of Ecosystem Services and Markets and the creation of a federal government-wide Conservation and Land Management Environmental Services Board to assist the Secretary of Agriculture in the development of new technical guidelines and science-based methods to assess environmental service benefits which will in turn promote markets for ecosystem services including carbon trading to mitigate climate change.

"Our Nation's farms, ranches and forests provide goods and services that are vital to society - natural assets we call "ecosystem services," said Schafer. "The Office of Ecosystem Services and Markets will enable America's agriculture producers to better compete, trade their services around the world, and make significant contributions to help improve the environment."

Agriculture producers provide many ecosystem services which have historically been viewed as free benefits to society - clean water and air, wildlife habitat, carbon storage, and scenic landscapes. Lacking a formal structure to market these services, farmers, ranchers and forest landowners are not generally compensated for providing these critical public benefits. Market-based approaches to conservation are proven to be a cost-effective method to achieve environmental goals and sustain working and natural landscapes. Without financial incentives, these ecosystem services may be lost as privately-owned lands are sold or converted to development.

Human Impacts on Coral Reefs of Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Revealed

In the current issue of the journal Coral Reefs, authors Kimberly Selkoe and Benjamin Halpern, both of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at the University of California at Santa Barbara, explain how maps of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI)--a vast area stretching across more than 1,200 miles of Pacific Ocean--can be used to make informed decisions about protecting the world's fragile coral reefs.

"Our maps of cumulative human impacts are a powerful tool for synthesizing and visualizing the state of the oceans," said Selkoe, who is also affiliated with Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii.

"The maps can aid in zoning uses of the oceans in an informed way that maximizes commercial and societal benefits, while minimizing further cumulative impact."

President George W. Bush declared the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a National Monument in 2006, "in part because it is one of the last places in the oceans that have not been heavily altered by human activities," said Halpern.

Human-induced climate change threats were also studied, including increased ultraviolet radiation, ocean acidification, ocean temperature anomalies relevant to disease outbreaks and coral bleaching, and sea level rise.

Increased rates of coral disease due to warming ocean temperatures were found to have the highest impact, along with other climate-related threats.

Earth Day

Earth Day, April 22, is the annual celebration of the environment and a time to assess the work still needed to protect the natural gifts of our planet. It affirms that environmental awareness is part of our consciousness and that the idea of protecting the environment has moved into the mainstream.

NASA’s Earth Science Mission seeks to understand Earth’s systems and their responses to natural and anthropogenic (human-made) changes. A fleet of satellites in NASA’s Earth Observing System gives scientists the global, long-term measurements they need to connect the atmosphere (air), lithosphere (land), hydrosphere (water), cryosphere (snow/ice), and biosphere (life) as a single system.

NASA works with many other partners from government, industry, academia, and international space agencies on the 17 satellite missions that make up the EOS series. Each of these satellites gathers a unique set of measurements for studying Earth. These measurements are used to improve weather forecasts, understand natural disasters, manage agriculture and forests, and predict how climate will change.

submarine

Meet John P. Holland, photographed emerging from the hatch of his invention, the USS Holland submarine. Born on the Irish coast in 1841, he had a fascination with both science and sea travel. At a young age, he became convinced that underwater vehicles could be useful in naval warfare. He developed his first draft for a submarine design in 1859. He later moved to the United States and submitted his design to the US Navy, which initially rejected it as a "fantastic scheme of a civilian landsman." Undaunted and supported by funds from the Fenian Movement, a secret revolutionary society organized in Ireland and the United States to achieve Irish independence from England, John continued his efforts. He eventually launched his first submarine - the Holland Number 1 - in 1877 on the Passaic River in New Jersey. Only 14 feet long and powered by a 4 horsepower engine, this model made several successful dives. He went on to produce larger versions with modifications and revisions. Early in 1900 the U.S. Navy purchased the Holland Number 6 for $150,000 and on October 12, 1900 commissioned it-- the first United States Navy submarine. Holland died in 1914 with little recognition for his work, but is now widely recognized as the inventor of the modern submarine.

Clinton Reassures Mexico About Its Image

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, continuing her show of solidarity with Mexicans in their struggle against drug trafficking, toured a high-tech police base in Mexico City on Thursday and greeted diplomats from the American Consulate in this northern city, which was sprayed with gunfire last fall by a suspected drug gang member.

But Mrs. Clinton was nearly upstaged by reports that the United States planned to nominate a Cuban-born American diplomat who has written extensively about “failed states” as the next ambassador to Mexico.

The State Department declined to comment on reports that the diplomat, Carlos Pascual, a former ambassador to Ukraine who is currently the director of foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, would be nominated.

But a person familiar with the administration’s deliberations said Mr. Pascual was President Obama’s choice for the post. Mr. Pascual did not respond to an e-mail message asking for comment.

The Mexican daily newspaper El Universal, citing unnamed sources, reported Thursday that the United States had submitted Mr. Pascual’s name to the Mexican government.

The paper noted that Mr. Pascual’s specialty was in dealing with conflict-ridden states. He served as the coordinator for reconstruction and stabilization in the State Department, a post that involved working with several agencies to develop strategies for broken countries like Afghanistan.

That could raise hackles among some Mexicans, who take umbrage at recent assertions by American analysts that drug-related violence has so destabilized Mexico that it is danger of becoming a failed state.

Jorge G. Castañeda, a former Mexican foreign minister, said he was pleased that the administration was reaching outside the pool of Latin American specialists at the State Department. But he said he was concerned that Mr. Pascual did not have close ties to either Mr. Obama or Mrs. Clinton.

On Thursday, Mrs. Clinton noted that no official of the Obama administration had ever used the phrase “failed state.” She said Mexico faced a “public safety challenge,” likening it to the surge of drug violence in American cities in the 1980s. And she lavished praise on the Mexican president, Felipe Calderón, for taking strong measures against the drug cartels.

At the Ixtapalapa police station, Mrs. Clinton was shown two Black Hawk helicopters that the Mexican federal police uses to track drug smugglers. She also watched police squads stage a mock rescue of a hijacked passenger plane.

The Obama administration appears sensitive that the discussion of Mexico’s instability in Washington may have gone too far. Dennis C. Blair, the director of national intelligence, said in testimony in Congress recently that the cartels controlled parts of Mexico, a comment that drew an angry reaction in Mexico.

But on Thursday, he sought to tamp down those fears.

“Mexico is in no danger of becoming a failed state,” Mr. Blair said in a discussion with reporters in Washington. He then repeated the phrase for emphasis.

Speaking to students at a technology university here, Mrs. Clinton also sought to play down a dispute over Mexican trucks’ using American highways, which has set off a trade dispute. Congress canceled financing for a pilot program for the trucks, and Mexico responded by imposing $2.4 billion in tariffs.

Mrs. Clinton said she was confident that the countries would find a solution to the dispute. But she said, “We shouldn’t just take Mexican trucking and act as though that is the only issue.”

A much bigger threat, Mrs. Clinton said, was smuggling across the border. “If there are legitimate questions about how we move goods and services and people, we have to answer all of them,” she said.

Source http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/world/americas/27mexico.html?ref=americas

Arctic and Antarctic-themed Activities to Bring a Breath of Polar Air to Baltimore

The Maryland Science Center in Baltimore will be the focal point of a range of public events April 4 and 5 that highlight federally funded Arctic and Antarctic research programs. The public events are being held in conjunction with a meeting on the international treaty governing international cooperation and scientific research in Antarctica.

The Science Center events will include an unprecedented exhibit of collected art, film, poetry and prose created by world-class artists to interpret the nation's Antarctic heritage, the public unveiling of a unique film that shows the global importance of the world's Polar Regions to multimedia and hands-on demonstrations of polar science and cultures. The science center events are scheduled in conjunction with a two-week-long Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM), attended by delegates from more than 40 countries.

The exhibit and many of the related events are funded jointly by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Office of Polar Programs (OPP) and its Education and Human Resources Directorate's Informal Science Education (ISE) program. NSF manages the U.S. Antarctic program, which coordinates all U.S. research on the southernmost continent. NSF's director also chairs the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC).

The programs are designed to give the public, including young children, a glimpse into both the lives of those who make their homes in the Polar Regions and those who conduct cutting-edge science there. They also focus attention on the importance of U.S. government-supported polar research-in fields as diverse as climate sciences, oceanography, and astrophysics-in a global context.

The Maryland Science Center at Baltimore's Inner Harbor was named one of the nation's ten best science centers for families" by Parent's Magazine in 2008. It is visited by 500,000 people annually.

The weekend also will highlight the uniqueness and importance of the Antarctic Treaty.

The Treaty-which was signed in the U.S. 50 years ago-begins with the words "recognizing that it is in the interest of all mankind that Antarctica shall continue forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes ..." It uniquely guarantees freedom of scientific investigation on the southernmost continent. Treaty protocols also prohibit such activities as oil and gas and mineral exploration. The Treaty was also the first multilateral arms-control agreement, banning nuclear explosions and military activity.

This Treaty meeting will also be unusual because it will be attended by senior diplomats and scientists from the Arctic Council nations, many of which are also parties to the Antarctic Treaty. Significantly, the meeting will convene a century to the day after Maryland-born Arctic explorer Matthew Henson, an African-American, became the first person to reach the North Pole.

The Baltimore meeting also occurs at the official close of the International Polar Year (IPY), which concentrated deployment into the polar regions by scientists from more than 60 countries, NSF was the lead U.S. agency for IPY, in which many federal agencies, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) participated.

The U.S. Department of State is organizing the Baltimore meeting, the 32nd since the Treaty was signed, but only the first in the United States since the 1970's. The working meeting, which is being held at the Baltimore Convention Center, is closed to the public.

Other federal agencies including NSF, which manages the U.S. Antarctic Program, NASA and NOAA planned and executed the public-outreach events.

Cassini Swaps Thrusters

PASADENA, Calif. – Early this morning the Cassini spacecraft relayed information that it had successfully swapped to a backup set of propulsion thrusters late Wednesday.

The swap was performed because of degradation in the performance of the primary thrusters, which had been in use since Cassini's launch in 1997. This is only the second time in Cassini's 11 years of flight that the engineering teams have gone to a backup system.

The thrusters are used for making small corrections to the spacecraft's course, for some attitude control functions, and for making angular momentum adjustments in the reaction wheels, which also are used for attitude control. The redundant set is an identical set of eight thrusters. Almost all Cassini engineering subsystems have redundant backup capability.

Cassini has successfully completed its original four-year planned tour of Saturn and is now in extended mission operations.

Ultra-Fast Camera Captures How Hummingbirds Hover

Hummingbirds are masters of the air--unique among birds for their ability to hover for long periods of time. Using a sophisticated digital imaging technique, scientists have now determined the aerodynamics of hummingbird flight. These latest data disprove conclusions from numerous earlier studies that hummingbirds hovered like insects despite their profound muscle and skeletal differences.

The team found that hummingbirds support 75 percent of their weight during the wing's down stroke and 25 percent on the up stroke--in contrast to insects, which produce equal amounts of lift during their down and up strokes.

Researchers from Oregon State University, University of Portland and George Fox University published the new findings in the June 23 issue of the journal Nature.

Co-author Bret Tobalske said, "We were surprised to find that the up stroke in the hovering hummingbird was much less active than the down stroke. This finding provides new insight into evolutionary trends that led to sustained hovering in birds."

This allocation of wing workload differs from that of other birds, which use the down stroke to support 100 percent of their weight during slow flight and short-term hovering.

Insects support 50 percent of their weight with each stroke. Tobalske pointed out that despite different ancestries hummingbirds seem to have adapted insect flight performance using a bird-like wing that flexes, twists and arches in ways that the rigid insect wing cannot.

Previous research to determine how hummingbirds stayed aloft employed high-speed video, but motion analysis alone was not sufficient to fully reveal the underlying aerodynamics.

In this study, the researchers applied "digital particle imaging velocimetry" (DPIV) to follow the flapping wings. DPIV is used in various applications to study flow characteristics of liquids and gases. By taking pictures with a special computer-coupled camera lighted with a laser, the distance traveled by individual particles seeded in a liquid or gas can be tracked through successive images. Hence, DPIV allows the researchers to follow the particles' movement image by image, like looking through the pages of a high-tech flipbook.

To observe the hummingbird in flight, the air in a wind tunnel was seeded with microscopic particles of olive oil, and digital images were captured every 300 microseconds as the bird hovered at a feeder. The wing beats caused the air to circulate, which in turn caused the floating oil particles to move. Computer-aided image analysis of each oil particle's position in consecutive frames allowed the scientists to reconstruct the lift and characteristics associated with each up and down wing movement.

It is said Igor Sikorsky, a name synonymous with the invention of the helicopter, considered the flight of hummingbirds while going through numerous design modifications. So, according to Tobalske, it is fitting that this new description of hummingbird aerodynamics will provide engineers with a refined model for developing future miniature autonomous flying vehicles.

Hummingbirds seem to garner a universal appeal, something that was largely spurred by former DuPont company president, Crawford Greenewalt, who, in the 1960s, used novel strobe-flash technology to capture the birds in color photographs--leading to popular theories about their extreme hovering ability and numerous National Geographic articles.

"You would be hard-pressed to find someone who isn't amazed by hummingbirds," said H. Ross Hawkins, founder and executive director of The Hummingbird Society. "Perhaps it's their iridescent coloration and miniature size, or their ability to drop their heart rate from 500 beats per minute during the day to 40 beats per minute at night."

Hawkins commented that it was logical, but perhaps naïve, for scientists and bird-lovers alike to postulate that hummingbirds flew like insects of similar size. "Fascinating!" he said of the findings.

The National Science Foundation's division of Integrative Organismal Biology supported this research.

European Stocks Retreat, Led by Rio Tinto; Asian Shares Advance

By Daniela Silberstein

Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- European stocks declined, led by commodities producers as metals dropped and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. recommended selling Rio Tinto Group and Norsk Hydro ASA. Asian shares rose, while U.S. index futures fluctuated.

Rio Tinto, the world’s third-biggest mining company, and Norsk Hydro, the fifth-largest aluminum producer, retreated more than 2 percent. Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. added 2.7 percent as people familiar with the matter said the U.S. will require Citigroup Inc. to raise private capital to strengthen the bank. Citigroup was little changed in Germany.

Europe’s Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index fell for the fifth time in six days, decreasing 2 percent to 172.63 at 8:11 a.m. in London. The regional gauge has lost 13 percent this year as companies from Anglo American Plc to Cie. de Saint-Gobain SA posted disappointing result and the economic crisis in eastern Europe deepened.

The World Bank, the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank will provide $31 billion over two years to bolster banks and businesses in central and eastern Europe, the Washington Post reported. The aid will come in the form of equity and debt financing, credit lines and political risk insurance, the newspaper said.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index advanced 1 percent today, helping the regional gauge pare its worst start to a year since 1990, as brokerages upgraded technology companies and a weaker yen boosted Japanese exporters’ earnings prospects.

U.S. GDP

Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fluctuated between gains and losses before a report that may show the economy shrank in the fourth quarter at a faster pace than previously estimated as companies trimmed inventories.

Rio Tinto slipped 2.9 percent to 1,819 pence, while Norsk Hydro slid 3 percent to 24.1 kroner. Goldman Sachs downgraded the shares to “sell” from “neutral,” citing a reduction in its base metals price forecasts. Copper, lead and nickel fell today.

The Obama administration will require Citigroup to raise private capital and make changes to its board of directors as part of an effort to strengthen the bank, according to people familiar with the matter.

The plan, which may be announced today, will involve the Treasury Department converting preferred shares into common stock. The government doesn’t immediately intend to provide additional money after channeling $45 billion to the bank last year, the people said. Citigroup added 2 cents to $2.48 in Germany.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, Japan’s biggest bank, climbed 2.7 percent to 454 yen, rallying from an earlier drop of 1.1 percent. Westpac Banking Corp., Australia’s largest bank by value, gained 1.4 percent to A$16.89.

Lloyds Earnings

Lloyds Banking Group Plc slipped 11 percent to 66.4 pence. The lender’s full-year net income dropped 75 percent to 819 million pounds ($1.2 billion). Lloyds’ HBOS unit posted a 7.5 billion-pound loss for 2008 after bad loans at the bank’s corporate lending arm increased.

Europe’s Stoxx 600 has tumbled 53 percent since the start of last year as credit-related losses at financial firms worldwide climbed to $1.1 trillion and Europe, the U.S. and Japan fell into the first simultaneous recessions since World War II.

Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany wants the European Union to arrange a package of as much as 180 billion euros ($230 billion) to help east European economies, banks and companies weather the financial crisis.

A “European Stabilization and Integration Program” would include short-term financing for governments, coordinated restructuring for private debt, the recapitalization of banks and liquidity for companies in as many as 12 countries, Gyurcsany, 47, said in an interview in Budapest yesterday. He will present the plan at a March 1 EU summit in Brussels.

Hungary’s Budapest Stock Exchange Index dropped 0.6 percent today, while Poland’s WIG20 Index declined 0.3 percent.

Source www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aJyRkERf91hA&refer=home#

Sunny Bay Station

The MTR Disneyland Resort Line, which comprises two stations, viz. Sunny Bay Station and Disneyland Resort Station and whimsical Disney-themed trains, are exclusively designed by the MTR Corporation in conjunction with Disney's Imagineers and is the very first dedicated train line for a Disney theme park anywhere in the world. The Line takes visitors on a journey through time from Hong Kong's modern MTR network to the Victorian-themed Disneyland Resort Station. The 3.5-minute train journey is not to be missed for Hong Kong Disneyland guests wishing to enjoy the full theme park experience. It will be a ride to enjoy and remember.

To get there :
Passengers taking MTR can reach Sunny Bay Station from any stations of the MTR system. After arriving at the Station, passengers take only a short walk across the platform to begin their magical journey to Disneyland Resort Station which is just in front of Hong Kong Disneyland.

Opening hours : Around 6:00am to 1:00am

Online Encyclopedia Wikipedia Transforms Research

San Francisco — The world’s largest and most popular online encyclopedia is changing the way knowledge is disseminated and used, but not without objections.

Wikipedia, launched in 2001, ranks among the top 10 most-frequented sites and boasts more than 13 million articles in 250 languages as of September.

Jay Walsh, spokesman for the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia’s parent organization, said the online reference source owes its success to the fact that it is the first living encyclopedia. Its content is in constant flux as anonymous volunteers write new articles and edit, often repeatedly, many of the existing ones. Some topical articles are updated in nearly real time, often by hundreds of people, to reflect ongoing developments. That is why many new entries related to the 2008 U.S. elections met with great interest immediately after they had been posted, according to Walsh.

He said not-for-profit organizations were among the first to see the benefits of the online encyclopedia. Being able to educate themselves quickly about a variety of issues and locations, “has changed the way they tactically approach different issues and situations,” he said.

Wikipedia also is sneaking into mainstream media and college classrooms. Some argue that the sheer magnitude of information, its accessibility and frequent updates make it potentially useful to journalists and students who work under time pressure.

However, most newspapers and magazines and many universities have kept their distance from the encyclopedia; they ban attributions to it or citations from it because they consider it unreliable. Phillip Blanchard, a Washington Post copy editor, calls it “junk.” But other editors and writers use it as a source guide or a road map to more reliable sources.

Wikipedia itself acknowledges that its articles are not always complete or accurate, although, it says, it constantly works to increase the accuracy of information, prevent editorial vandalism and delete the least-trusted entries.

Walsh said that Wikipedia has some ground rules. It excludes original research and depends instead on reliable published sources, and its articles must present a neutral point of view. Those principles have been vigorously enforced by contributors and registered editors, who correct or remove errors from articles sometimes within hours of their publication, he said.

College students have been much quicker to embrace Wikipedia than have journalists. But many professors refuse to allow students to cite it in their papers.

Sharman Lichtenstein, an associate professor at Deakin University in Australia, told the online magazine Techworld Australia that the reliance by students on Wikipedia as a primary source for research is “crowding out” valuable knowledge and creating a generation unable to source views of “credible experts.”

But Wikipedia has found defenders in academia. For example, some Harvard professors and teaching fellows incorporate it into their syllabi. They argue that some Wikipedia articles are extremely useful, according to the Harvard Crimson, a Harvard University daily publication.

Scholars who distrust Wikipedia often say it is because the site is error-prone and devalues the notion of expertise by relying on “amateurs.”

But that perception may not be entirely true. A 2005 study by the science journal Nature concluded that Wikipedia, at that time, came close to the Encyclopedia Britannica in the accuracy of its science entries. And the late Roy Rosenzweig, who was a history professor at George Mason University, found that Wikipedia’s coverage of history was almost as factually accurate as Microsoft Corporation’s commercial online encyclopedia, Encarta.

Cathy Davidson, a professor at Duke University, cited in a 2008 American Journalism Review article, suggests that the media and academia distrust Wikipedia because they have not yet figured out how to use the Internet to their advantage.

Walsh said that Wikipedia has been trying to encourage scholars to contribute to the encyclopedia to improve its quality, an effort that so far has not produced many recruits. Scholars who hone their expertise do not have much time for writing for an encyclopedia that does not bring them recognition, he said. And experts who contribute to Wikipedia often do not advertise themselves as experts, he added.

Leaders of Wikipedia want to preserve the unique, democratic character of the encyclopedia to which anyone — expert or not — can contribute. Wikipedia welcomes more professors, as long as they do not denigrate other contributors, Jimmy Wales, the online encyclopedia’s co-founder, told the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Two other online encyclopedias compete directly with Wikipedia — Citizendium, started by Larry Sanger, a co-founder of Wikipedia, and Knol, launched by Google. Both rely on experts and expert editors rather than knowledgeable enthusiasts.

But Wikipedians, as contributors to Wikipedia call themselves, believe that the strength of an encyclopedia derives from its reliance on the knowledge of many rather than that of a selected few. And they may be right, says Gregory Crane, editor-in-chief of the Perseus Digital Library at Tufts University. In a 2005 article, he said the Oxford English Dictionary was written over a period of 70 years by thousands of people, including “an inmate at an asylum for [the] criminally insane.”

Obama picks New Hampshire senator as Commerce chief

Judd Gregg described as "extraordinary," President Obama named the New Hampshire Republican as his nominee for secretary of Commerce, rounding out his economic team and filling one of the last vacancies in the Cabinet.

"He's seen from all angles what makes our economy work for communities, businesses and families -- and what keeps it from working better," Obama said in his remarks Tuesday morning. Obama went on to praise his nominee for his fiscal conservatism and for "reaching across the aisle to get things done." Gregg will be the third Republican addition to the Cabinet, following Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Gregg served four terms in the House and two as New Hampshire's governor before running for Senate in 1992. He currently sits on the Commerce Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, a point Obama made during his introductory remarks.

Gregg spoke sharply about Obama during the campaign but Tuesday called the president's economic plan "bold and aggressive, comprehensive and effective." As the Commerce Department's "steward," Obama said, Gregg will "defy the winds of this crisis" by guiding his team to rebuild infrastructure, create jobs, promote industry and retain U.S. leadership in science and technology developments.

The nomination of the 61-year-old senior senator comes almost a month after the original nominee, Gov. Bill Richardson (D) of New Mexico, bowed out, citing a pending investigation into his administration's possible involvement with lucrative contracts to a political donor.

The news of Gregg's potential nomination had Democrats exulting over a chance to add another Senate seat to their caucus, giving them a supermajority there if they are officially awarded the disputed Minnesota contest. But Gregg proved unwilling to give up the seat if it would tip the Senate's balance further in the Democrats' favor. "I have made it clear to the Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle and to the governor that I would not leave the Senate if I felt my departure would cause a change in the makeup of the Senate," he said earlier this week.

In his acceptance comments Tuesday, Gregg thanked New Hampshire's Gov. John Lynch (D) for "courtesy and courage in being willing to make this possible" by agreeing to appoint a Republican as Gregg's Senate successor.

Sure of the Senate balance remaining stable, Gregg turned to bipartisanship appeals in his final remarks. "This is not a time when we should stand in our ideological corners and shout at each other. This is a time to govern and govern well," he said, accepting the nomination. "It was my obligation to say yes."

Email attachments be dangerous

Some of the characteristics that make email attachments convenient and popular are also the ones that make them a common tool for attackers:

• Email is easily circulated - Forwarding email is so simple that viruses can quickly infect many machines. Most viruses don't even require users to forward the email—they scan a users' computer for email addresses and automatically send the infected message to all of the addresses they find. Attackers take advantage of the reality that most users will automatically trust and open any message that comes from someone they know.


• Email programs try to address all users' needs - Almost any type of file can be attached to an email message, so attackers have more freedom with the types of viruses they can send.


• Email programs offer many "user-friendly" features - Some email programs have the option to automatically download email attachments, which immediately exposes your computer to any viruses within the attachments.

Landmark Completion of South Pole Telescope to Help Scientists Learn What the Universe Is Made of and How it Got Here

Just days before nations around the world were set to begin a coordinated global research campaign called the International Polar Year (IPY); scientists at the South Pole aimed a massive new telescope at Jupiter and successfully collected the instrument's first test observations.

Soon, a far more distant quarry will enter the South Pole telescope's (SPT) sights, as a team of researchers from nine institutions tackles fundamental mysteries of modern cosmology and the nature of the universe: What, for example, is dark energy, the force that dominates the universe?

The $19.2 million telescope is funded primarily by the National Science Foundation (NSF), with additional support from the Kavli Foundation of Oxnard, Calif., and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation of San Francisco.

"The telescope, camera and optics are all working as designed," said John Carlstrom, the S. Chandrasekhar distinguished service professor in astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago, who heads the SPT team that tested the scope on Feb. 26. "SPT's first light is a major milestone for the project and a fitting conclusion to a remarkably productive summer at the South Pole station. We now look forward to fully characterizing the instrument and beginning cosmological observations."

"First light" is the scientific term for the time when a telescope becomes operational.

The telescope stands 75 feet (22.8 meters) tall, measures 33 feet (10 meters) across and weighs 280 tons (254 metric tons). It was assembled in Kilgore, Texas, then taken apart, shipped across the Pacific Ocean to New Zealand, and flown from there to the South Pole. Since November, the SPT team under the guidance of project manager Steve Padin has worked furiously to reassemble and deploy the telescope.

As with any construction project at the Earth southern extremity, SPT was supported by a long and complex logistical chain stretching around the globe. All cargo to the South Pole is delivered by ski-equipped LC-130 aircraft, and the components must be able to be broken down to fit into the aircraft cargo bay. Flown by the N.Y. Air National Guard, the aircraft are elements of Operation Deep Freeze, the military support arm of the U.S. Antarctic Program, which also includes Air Force cargo jets and U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers, Navy cargo handlers and many other logistical and personnel assets.

Raytheon Polar Services Co, of Centennial, Colo. is NSF's logistics contractor in Antarctica. RPSC personnel played a variety of essential roles in the successful completion of the SPT project, NSF officials noted.

Astrophysicists know that the universe has been expanding since the Big Bang occurred 13.8 billion years ago. In the late 1990s, astronomers using exploding stars as cosmic tape measures discovered that the expansion of the universe is accelerating. This led them to the idea that dark energy pushes the universe apart, overwhelming gravity, the attractive force exerted by all matter in the universe.

"We would like to know what makes the universe evolve," said Stephan Meyer, professor in Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Chicago.

WHITE ASH - Fraxinus americana, Linn

ALMOST EVERY AMERICAN boy knows a great deal about white ash wood. He has felt the familiar "tock" and tingling jolt which accompanies the swinging of the ball bat made from white ash. White ash grows over most of the state on moist, deep, well-drained soils in small isolated stands. Other relatives found in Missouri are blue, green and pumpkin ash.

Winged seeds are borne in clusters on the twig. These are spread by wind or water or a combination of both.Leaves are opposite and compound with 5 to 7 leaflets which are oval and usually smooth-edged.

Smaller branches are stout, round and smooth. At the tip of the twig there are always three buds, the large, brown, pyramidal terminal and two small lateral buds. On older portions of the tree, bark is thick, dark brown, or gray and broken into flat ridges.

Because of its toughness, strength, and flexibility, the wood is used in the manufacture of athletic equipment, machinery, tools and furniture. It is a beautiful, light-colored wood with a distinctive grain.

In Missouri, white ash seldom exceeds 100 feet in height and 2 1/2 feet in diameter. Because it is so hardy and has good form, it has been widely planted as an ornamental tree. It is rarely planted in forest plantations.

Ash is a lover of light, therefore it will not grow rapidly under shaded conditions.

Coating to Keep Apple Slices Crisp, Fresh, Gains Popularity

Sliced applies, protected by an invisible, vitamin- and mineral-based coating, can keep their appealing color and texture for up to 28 days in the refrigerator, home cooks and gourmet chefs alike are discovering. The invisible coating—an easy-to-apply dip—was patented by ARS and co-investigators at Mantrose-Haeuser, Co., Inc., Westport, Conn., several years ago.

Today, marketed as NatureSeal, it's used in homes, school cafeterias, supermarket delicatessens, upscale restaurants and in fast-food restaurants nationwide. Some supermarkets sell packets of NatureSeal for home use. It's also available on the World Wide Web.

Unlike lemon juice—a traditional option for keeping apple slices from turning mushy and brown—the coating doesn't change the crisp texture and natural flavor of freshly sliced apples.