mistime alabamian: May 2013

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Everyday Carry Bag ? Dave Rees

This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/05/21/everyday-carry-bag-dave-rees/

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Parents face tough choice when tornadoes bear down

In this image made from video, Amy Sharp, right, hugs daughter Jenna Dunn, 10, a day after she picked up her children from Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., which was leveled by a tornado packing winds of up to 200 mph. on Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Okla. (AP Photo/P. Solomon Banda)

Rebekah Stuck hugs her son, Aiden Stuck, 7, after she found him in front of the destroyed Briarwood Elementary after a tornado struck south Oklahoma City and Moore, Okla., Monday, May 20, 2013. Aiden Stuck was inside the school when it was hit. (AP Photo/ The Oklahoman, Nate Billings)

Parents reunite with their children at Briarwood Elementary school after a tornado destroyed the school in south Oklahoma City, Monday, May 20, 2013. Near SW 149th and Hudson. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Paul Hellstern)

MOORE, Okla. (AP) ? With an ominous storm approaching, the Moore Public School District flashed a text alert to parents: "We are currently holding all students until the current storm danger is over. Students are being released to parents only at this time."

Parents had a gut-wrenching choice, and only a few minutes to make it. Trust the safety of the seemingly solid school buildings and the protection of trained teachers and staff. Or drive frantically ahead of a massive tornado and attempt to take their children safely home.

"Something clicked in my head and said that my children would be afraid and they would be safer with me," said Amy Sharp, who jumped in her pickup, peeled off through pounding rain and hail, and pulled her 10- and 12-year-old daughters out Plaza Towers Elementary School.

Sharp survived with her children. But seven of the many remaining students died when the twister ripped down the school's roof and walls.

Exactly how do desperate parents like those in the path of the powerful Oklahoma tornado know when it's best to leave their children in a presumably safe place or race into the face of danger?

"You have that parent-child draw. That protective factor, where they want to go at any cost, no matter what. The options aren't very good in a tornado if you're thinking about going to rescue your children," said Ronald Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center that provides training to schools around the country.

"Which way is the wind going to twist? What's it going to pick up? What won't it pick up? Until someone becomes all-powerful, all-knowing and all-perceiving, it is tough to expect 100 percent perfection from schools and parents," he said.

The Oklahoma tornado provides a good example of the unpredictable death toll that disasters can inflict. Before it flattened Plaza Towers Elementary, the tornado also tore through Briarwood Elementary and ? though the roof collapsed ? everyone at Briarwood appears to have survived. Both schools lacked tornado safe rooms, and at both, students initially were sent to the halls before some teachers squeezed them into seemingly safer places such as closets and bathrooms.

David Wheeler would have liked to race to have rescued his 8-year-old son, Gabriel, before the tornado reached Briarwood. But Wheeler had to remain at a separate school where he worked. So he waited until the tornado cleared, then sped down the highway as far as he could and fibbed about being a first-responder so he could hitch a ride with a sheriff's deputy headed into the disaster zone. Once he got there, he slogged through broken glass and raw sewage to try to get to the school.

Wheeler ended up more injured than his son, who climbed from the rubble with scrapes and bruises after being sheltered by a teacher. Wheeler, meanwhile, had a large red rash on his legs ? he thinks from the sewage ? and multiple cuts and scrapes that required him to get a tetanus shot Tuesday.

"It was just kind of a surreal moment. I didn't know if my son was alive ? it was the worst moment of my life," Wheeler said.

Stephens, a former school administrator who lives in Westlake Village, Calif., said the biggest challenge for parents who are racing the clock in a disaster is holding emotions in check.

"You're not going to be any good to your child if you take such great risk that you lose your life in the pursuit of attempting to save them when there are others who are onsite who hopefully will also use good judgment," Stephens said.

Simply showing up isn't enough.

"You want to have an entrance plan but also a completion plan. Can you make it out? Can you make it to safety?" he asked rhetorically.

Officials at the Moore School District choose not to dismiss students early. But that, too, is a tough call.

Troy Albert, a principal at Henryville Junior-Senior High in southeastern Indiana, let students out for the day on March 2, 2012, just moments before tornado sirens went off. No injuries were reported among the few staff, students and parents who remained at the school when a tornado packing 175 mph winds destroyed the building. School officials halted people from leaving only when they figured the tornado was within 10 minutes of hitting, fearing that wouldn't allow enough time for people to make it to safety.

"We trusted our protocols and it worked," Albert said. "I was questioned about whether we should dismiss school or whether we should bunker down here. Our decision to do that was based on the fact of the size of the tornado and what was coming. And we figured if you got them a mile away from our school you had a chance for survival."

With about 30-45 minutes of lead time on a potential tornado last year, Julie Hubbard jumped in her car and signed her son out of a Tennessee middle school ahead of the storm.

"There were just dozens of parents who went to pick up their kids that day. I don't know if they just tended to freak out more or what," said Hubbard, who now lives in Fort Gibson, Okla. "Growing up in Oklahoma, we have so many tornadoes. I just wanted to be home with my children."

A couple of hours before deciding to pick up her children before the tornado barreled through Moore on Monday, Sharp said she called the school office at Plaza Towers Elementary and asked if it was safe for them there. She said the receptionist replied: "They're pretty safe here."

___

Associated Press writers Tom Coyne in South Bend, Ind.; Leanne Italie in New York; and Justin Juozapavicius in Tulsa, Okla., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-05-22-Oklahoma%20Tornado-A%20Parent's%20Choice/id-67e6be31d0a848629f239853da95215a

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On Using Your iPhone Abroad Without Getting Totally Screwed

When I stepped off the plane in Mexico I got that sinking feeling. My iPhone wasn't going to work.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Measles surges in UK years after flawed research

In this photo Thursday, April 25, 2013 Lucy Butler,15, getting ready to have her measles jab at All Saints School in Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, England, as a national vaccination catch-up campaign has been launched to curb a rise in measles cases in England. More than a decade ago, British parents refused to give measles shots to at least a million children because of a vaccine scare that raised the specter of autism. Now, health officials are scrambling to catch up and stop a growing epidemic of the contagious disease. (AP Photo/Owen Humphreys, PA) UNITED KINGDOM OUT - NO SALES - NO ARCHIVES

In this photo taken on Thursday, May 9 2013, Ellen Christensen poses for a photograph with her six-week-old son Remy at the Ann Tayler Children Centre in east London. More than a decade ago, British parents refused to give measles shots to at least a million children because of a vaccine scare that raised the specter of autism. Now, health officials are scrambling to catch up and stop a growing epidemic of the contagious disease. This year, the U.K. has had more than 1,200 cases of measles, after a record number of nearly 2,000 cases last year. The country once recorded only several dozen cases every year. It now ranks second in Europe, behind only Romania. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

LONDON (AP) ? More than a decade ago, British parents refused to give measles shots to at least a million children because of now discredited research that linked the vaccine to autism. Now, health officials are scrambling to catch up and stop a growing epidemic of the contagious disease.

This year, the U.K. has had more than 1,200 cases of measles, after a record number of nearly 2,000 cases last year. The country once recorded only several dozen cases every year. It now ranks second in Europe, behind only Romania.

Last month, emergency vaccination clinics were held every weekend in Wales, the epicenter of the outbreak. Immunization drives have also started elsewhere in the country, with officials aiming to reach 1 million children aged 10 to 16.

"This is the legacy of the Wakefield scare," said Dr. David Elliman, spokesman for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, referring to a paper published in 1998 by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues that is widely rejected by scientists.

That work suggested a link between autism and the combined childhood vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, called the MMR. Several large scientific studies failed to find any connection, the theory was rejected by at least a dozen major U.K. medical groups and the paper was eventually retracted by the journal that published it.

Britain's top medical board stripped Wakefield of the right to practice medicine in the U.K., ruling that he and two of his colleagues showed a "callous disregard" for the children in the study, subjecting them to unnecessary, invasive tests. As part of his research, Wakefield took blood samples from children at his son's birthday party, paying them about 5 pounds each ($7.60), and later joked about the incident.

Still, MMR immunization rates plummeted across the U.K. as fearful parents abandoned the vaccine ? from rates over 90 percent to 54 percent. Wakefield has won support from parents suspicious of vaccines, including Hollywood celebrities like Jenny McCarthy, who has an autistic son.

Nearly 15 years later, the rumors about MMR are still having an impact. Now there's "this group of older children who have never been immunized who are a large pool of infections," Elliman said.

The majority of those getting sick in the U.K. ? including a significant number of older children and teens ? had never been vaccinated. Almost 20 of the more than 100 seriously ill children have been hospitalized and 15 have suffered complications including pneumonia and meningitis. One adult with measles has died, though it's unclear if it was the disease that killed him.

The first measles vaccines were introduced in the 1960s, which dramatically cut cases of the rash-causing illness. Since 2001, measles deaths have dropped by about 70 percent worldwide; Cambodia recently marked more than a year without a single case.

Globally, though, measles is still one of the leading causes of death in children under 5 and kills more than 150,000 people every year, mostly in developing countries. Measles is highly contagious and is spread by coughing, sneezing and close personal contact with infected people; symptoms include a fever, cough, and a rash on the face.

Across the U.K., about 90 percent of children under 5 are vaccinated against measles and have received the necessary two doses of the vaccine. But among children now aged 10 to 16, the vaccination rate is slightly below 50 percent in some regions.

To stop measles outbreaks, more than 95 percent of children need to be fully immunized. In some parts of the U.K., the rate is still below 80 percent.

Unlike in the United States, where most states require children to be vaccinated against measles before starting school, no such regulations exist in Britain. Parents are advised to have their children immunized, but Britain's Department of Health said it had no plans to consider introducing mandatory vaccination.

Last year, there were 55 reported cases of measles in the United States, where the measles vaccination rate is above 90 percent. So far this year, there have been 22 cases, including three that were traced to Britain. In previous years, the U.K. has sometimes exported more cases of measles to the U.S. than some countries in Africa.

Portia Ncube, a health worker at an East London clinic, said the struggle to convince parents to get the MMR shot is being helped by the measles epidemic in Wales.

"They see what's happening in Wales, so some of them are now sensible enough to come in and get their children vaccinated," she said.

Clinic patient Ellen Christensen, mother of an infant son, acknowledged she had previously had some "irrational qualms" about the MMR vaccine.

"But after reading more about it, I know now that immunization is not only good for your own child, it's good for everyone," she said.

___

Online:

Public Health England's Measles website:

http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/Measles/

___

AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-05-20-Britain%20Measles/id-7c53569ea3844d5ba7db189c45e9beab

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Type A Machines previews aluminum-framed Series 1 Pro 3D printer

If you've navigated through the endless sea of 3D printers at this weekend's Maker Faire, you may well have caught a glimpse of the Series 1 Pro, the latest offering from San Francisco-based Type A Machines. The printer, which is still in the "engineering concept" phase," trades its predecessor's wood frame for a more solid aluminum version. The WiFi-compatible device has a build volume of around 18 liters, according to the company, and will be available in the third quarter of this year. That's the printer up top, pictured alongside Mark II, a little robot printed on the original Series One. Down below, you'll find a short press release.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/20/type-a-machines/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Women's reproductive ability may be related to immune system status

Monday, May 20, 2013

New research indicates that women's reproductive function may be tied to their immune status. Previous studies have found this association in human males, but not females.

The study appears in the American Journal of Human Biology.

An animal's energetic resources must be carefully allocated, said University of Illinois anthropology professor Kathryn Clancy, who led the new research. The body's first priority is maintenance, which includes tasks inherently related to survival, including immune function, she said. Any leftover energy is then dedicated to reproduction. There is a balance between resource allocation to maintenance and reproductive efforts, and environmental stressors can lessen available resources, said Clancy, who co-directs the Laboratory for Evolutionary Endocrinology at Illinois.

The study participants were a group of healthy, premenopausal, rural Polish women who participate in traditional farming practices. The researchers collected the women's urine and saliva samples during the harvest season, when physical activity levels are at their peak. This physical work constrains available energetic resources. In previous studies, the highest levels of ovarian suppression occurred during the harvest season.

Researchers measured participants' salivary ovarian hormone levels daily over one menstrual cycle. They also tested urine samples for levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a commonly used marker of inflammation.

"Depending on the other factors that you look at alongside it, CRP can tell you about immune function or it can tell you about psychosocial stress, because CRP has been correlated to both of those things in other populations," Clancy said.

The researchers observed a negative relationship between CRP and progesterone in the Polish women ? in women with high CRP, progesterone was low. Further, the researchers found that estradiol and the age of first menstruation were the strongest predictors of CRP levels.

Clancy noted that it is too early to tell whether these correlational relationships indicate a causal relationship in which inflammation suppresses ovarian hormones. However, she believes that there are two possible pathways that explain these results.

"One is that there is an internal mechanism, and this local inflammation drives higher levels of CRP, and that is what's correlating with the lower progesterone," she said. "The other possibility is that there is an external stressor like psychosocial or immune stress driving allocation to maintenance effort, which in turn is suppressing ovarian hormones."

Clancy believes that her research will help women "understand their bodies better."

"From an anthropological perspective, these trade-offs are really important because they help us understand the timing of different life events: Why does someone hit puberty when they do, why do they begin reproducing when they do, why do they space babies the way they do?" Clancy said.

"It's really interesting to see the interplay between a person's intentions about when and why to have children, and then their own body's allocations to reproduction or not," Clancy said.

###

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: http://www.uiuc.edu

Thanks to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 44 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128305/Women_s_reproductive_ability_may_be_related_to_immune_system_status

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R&B Singer Miguel hurts fan in crowd surf fail

Music

Ashley Majeski TODAY contributor

3 hours ago

Singer Miguel literally kicked the 2013 Billboard Music Awards into high gear Sunday night when, during a soulful performance of his song "Adorn," he decided to surf across the heads of audience members below.

Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Singer Miguel tries to leap over the crowd during the 2013 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 19.

What appeared to be an attempt to jump from one part of the stage to another, over fans, resulted in Miguel landing directly on the head of a woman, causing her neck to snap back.

Within minutes of the freak accident, the Internet was buzzing with GIFs and memes, many likening Miguel's performance to an episode of WWE Smackdown. Miguel quickly took to his Twitter account to address the accident.

The R&B singer was later photographed backstage with the injured girl, who was holding an ice pack. However, the Twitterverse was already having a field day.

Watch the painful performance below.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/miguel-wipes-out-fan-during-crowd-surfing-fail-billboard-music-6C9993634

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Monday, May 20, 2013

It?s Over! Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson Split!

It’s Over! Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson Split!

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson pics Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have split after nearly four years together, after trying to work things out after Kristen’s cheating scandal with her married director. Insiders said the “Twilight” couple decided to call it quits, with sources wondering if their romance is over for good. A source close to the couple said, “Both Rob ...

It’s Over! Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson Split! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/05/its-over-kristen-stewart-robert-pattinson-split/

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Kanye's 'Yeezus': Album Name And June 18 Release Date Confirmed

Fresh off debuting a new music video via 66 guerrilla style projections shown on buildings all around the world, Kanye West has some more news to share with the music-listening community. West's sixth studio album will be released June 18 (as previously hinted in West's tweet) and be titled "Yeezus."

Rap-Up confirmed the news on Saturday. West is due to perform two songs on "Saturday Night Live," and sources tell The Huffington Post that he'll debut a previously unheard song as part of the show.

This isn't the first time "Yeezus" has been tossed around. Kid Cudi (formerly signed to Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music label) coined the term well over a year ago (a tip of the hat to Complex for the find). West also famously posed for a Rolling Stone cover wearing a crown of thorns.

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Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/18/kanye-yeezus-album-name-june-18_n_3300017.html

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Sunday, May 19, 2013

Nixon?s IRS (Powerlineblog)

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Saturday, May 18, 2013

GPS 'improves early tsunami alerts'

17 May 2013 Last updated at 09:51 ET By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC World Service

Scientists say they have found a way to provide faster and more accurate early warning systems for tsunamis.

A German team says GPS satellite-based positioning could offer detailed information about the events within minutes of an earthquake occurring.

They believe the technology could have improved alerts issued when the devastating tsunami hit Japan in 2011.

The study is published in Natural Hazards and Earth Systems Sciences.

When an underwater earthquake happens, with the power to generate a tsunami, every second counts.

The shifting tectonic plates can generate giant walls of water that can travel towards land in minutes, giving little time to put evacuation plans into action.

Precise measurements

Existing early warning systems use seismological data, measuring the waves of energy that are generated as the earth moves and shakes.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

You can predict the tsunami and see how high a wave could be expected, with some accuracy?

End Quote Dr Andreas Hoechner GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences

But in the vital first stages of an earthquake, this is not always reliable.

Now a team from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences says that satellite navigation technology could help.

GPS sensors placed around the coastlines of vulnerable countries could make highly precise measurements of how underwater tremors shift the ground.

Lead researcher Dr Andreas Hoechner explained: "In case of a subduction earthquake, one plate slips under another plate.

"It is measured in terms of relative displacement. This deformation is mostly above the source, but the coastal area is also deformed and this can be picked up by GPS."

He said that this information could be used to reconstruct the source of the earthquake and calculate its magnitude.

"Then you can then predict the tsunami and see how high a wave could be expected, with some accuracy."

This process would take a matter of minutes, which would allow alerts to be issued extremely quickly.

Disseminate warnings

In the case of the 2011 tsunami that killed 16,000 people in Japan, the technology could have made a significant difference.

Although the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a warning three minutes after the earthquake hit, it underestimated the scale of the event.

It suggested that the quake was 7.9 magnitude; it was actually 30 times more powerful.

By looking at data collected by GPS stations in Japan - which at the time were not used to measure earthquakes - the researchers calculated that this would have provided an accurate estimate of the magnitude within three minutes.

A number of countries are now installing GPS networks, including Chile and the US.

But Dr Hoechner said that as well as having accurate alert systems, well thought-out evacuation plans were also essential.

He said: "One point is to have the technology to realise what the earthquake is and where tsunami will be. But it is at least as important is to disseminate the warning.

"You have to have the infrastructure to transmit this information to the population, and the population has to be ready to know what to do."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22572096#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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The Popular Mechanics Side Effects Blu-ray Combo Pack Giveaway Official Rules

May 17, 2013 4:13 PM Text Size: A . A . A

No purchase necessary to enter or win. The Side Effects Blu-ray Combo Pack Giveaway. Sponsored by Hearst Communications, Inc. All entrants must have or create a Twitter account. If you are not an existing member of Twitter, you will be required to follow the directions and join Twitter. When you join Twitter, you are indicating that you have read and agree to accept the Twitter Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Membership to Twitter.com is free. To enter, you must sign in to Twitter.com using your Twitter account on May 21, 2013 at 2 p.m. E.T. and tweet I want to win a Side Effects Blu-ray Combo Pack to hashtag #popmechdvd. The first 10 entries received by Sponsor will receive a Side Effects Blu-ray Combo Pack (ARV: $34.98). One giveaway per person. While supplies last. Once all ten Combo Packs have been distributed, there will be no substitute product given away. Winners will be notified by a Twitter message. A notice will be posted on twitter.com/popmech when Sponsor has received 10 entries. Please allow four weeks for delivery. Must be 18 years or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or Canada. Void in the Province of Quebec and where prohibited by law.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/digital/dvds/side-effects-blue-ray-giveaway-official-rules?src=rss

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Jays to launch a-JAYS Five earbuds with dedicated iOS, Windows and Android versions

Does your Android sound different from your iOS or WP? Perhaps a little, but each has their own quirks when it comes to audio output and hands-free kits. To that end, Jays will launch the a-JAYS Five earphones this summer with a separate version for each. The new buds will draw from the company's experience with the a-JAYS Four, bringing its Swedish design flair along with revised ergonomics, refined sound, an updated version of its flat, tangle free cables, a new cable clip and a premium MEMS microphone. It'll carry a three-button control setup similar to the last model, but will be optimized work differently depending on whether you have the iOS, Windows Phone or Android version -- a concept the company calls "iWA." We're not sure if that'll simmer down any flame wars, but you'll be able to grab one for €90 in black or €100 in white sometime this summer, with US pricing to come soon.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Wearables

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Friday, May 17, 2013

8 Objects That Signal a New Industrial Revolution

Are we on the verge of a third industrial revolution? The editors at The Economist certainly think so. But while rapid prototyping and the open source movement have been around for decades now, we had yet to see anyone take a truly comprehensive look at the transformation in manufacturing. That is, until the New Museum's latest show, Adhocracy, came along.

Google launches All Access music-streaming service in the US: $9.99 monthly fee

And now, one of the most anticipated I/O announcements. As rumored, Google has been working toward the launch of its own music-streaming service, and the official unveiling came today. Dubbed Google Play Music All Access, the product has a strong focus on personalized recommendations via the so-called Explore feature. As with Spotify and other services, All Access will let you start a radio station while listening to a particular track, and in-depth tweaking controls allow you to nix songs that don't suit your fancy. Another feature demoed onstage is Listen Now, which highlights new releases and content Google thinks you'll enjoy.

As anticipated, All Access will require a monthly fee. A subscription costs $9.99 in the US, and all users will get a 30-day free trial. The service is launching stateside today, and if you sign up before June 30th, you'll get $2 off the monthly fee. We'll be taking All Access for a test drive as soon as possible -- check back for our initial impressions.

Gallery: Google I/O 2013: Google Play Music All Access