Monday, January 16, 2012

Fly named in honor of Beyonce

Fly named in honor of Beyonce [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 13-Jan-2012
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Contact: Andrew Warren
andrew.warren@csiro.au
61-738-335-747
CSIRO Australia

A previously un-named species of horse fly whose appearance is dominated by its glamorous golden lower abdomen has been named in honour of American pop diva, Beyonc a member of the former group Destiny's Child, that recorded the 2001 hit single, Bootylicious.

According to the Australian National Insect Collection researcher responsible for officially 'describing' the fly as Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae, CSIRO's Bryan Lessard, the fly's spectacular gold colour makes it the "all time diva of flies".

"It was the unique dense golden hairs on the fly's abdomen that led me to name this fly in honour of the performer Beyonc as well as giving me the chance to demonstrate the fun side of taxonomy the naming of species," Mr Lessard said.

"Although often considered a pest, many species of horse fly are extremely important pollinators of many plants," he said.

"Horse flies act like hummingbirds during the day, drinking nectar from their favourite varieties of grevillea, tea trees and eucalypts."

The rare Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae species of horse fly was collected in 1981, the year that Beyonc was born, from north-east Queensland's Atherton Tablelands together with two other previously unknown specimens.

"Most Australian Scaptia species have been described, however, these five 'new' species of a sub-group (Plinthina) have been housed in Australian collections since the group was last studied in the 1960's," Mr Lessard said.

According to Mr Lessard's paper, published in the Australian Journal of Entomology, this discovery has doubled the known size of the Scaptia (Plinthina) subgenus and extended the known distribution of Scaptia into the Northern Territory and north-western Australia where they were previously thought not to exist.

Almost 4400 species of horse flies have been described from all biogeographic regions of the world.

###


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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Fly named in honor of Beyonce [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 13-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Andrew Warren
andrew.warren@csiro.au
61-738-335-747
CSIRO Australia

A previously un-named species of horse fly whose appearance is dominated by its glamorous golden lower abdomen has been named in honour of American pop diva, Beyonc a member of the former group Destiny's Child, that recorded the 2001 hit single, Bootylicious.

According to the Australian National Insect Collection researcher responsible for officially 'describing' the fly as Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae, CSIRO's Bryan Lessard, the fly's spectacular gold colour makes it the "all time diva of flies".

"It was the unique dense golden hairs on the fly's abdomen that led me to name this fly in honour of the performer Beyonc as well as giving me the chance to demonstrate the fun side of taxonomy the naming of species," Mr Lessard said.

"Although often considered a pest, many species of horse fly are extremely important pollinators of many plants," he said.

"Horse flies act like hummingbirds during the day, drinking nectar from their favourite varieties of grevillea, tea trees and eucalypts."

The rare Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae species of horse fly was collected in 1981, the year that Beyonc was born, from north-east Queensland's Atherton Tablelands together with two other previously unknown specimens.

"Most Australian Scaptia species have been described, however, these five 'new' species of a sub-group (Plinthina) have been housed in Australian collections since the group was last studied in the 1960's," Mr Lessard said.

According to Mr Lessard's paper, published in the Australian Journal of Entomology, this discovery has doubled the known size of the Scaptia (Plinthina) subgenus and extended the known distribution of Scaptia into the Northern Territory and north-western Australia where they were previously thought not to exist.

Almost 4400 species of horse flies have been described from all biogeographic regions of the world.

###


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/ca-fni011212.php

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Sunday, January 15, 2012

Video: Paterno: 'Didn't know exactly how to handle it'



>>> coach joe paterno is telling his side of the story. speaking out for first time since the jerry sandusky sexual abu abuse accusations first broke. here is michael isikoff .

>> reporter: legendary penn state coach joe paterno was abruptly fired last november in the wake of the jerry sandusky sex abuse scandal, setting off a near riot by the penn state students. now the 85-year-old paterno speaks for the first time about the scandal in an interview with "the washington post ."

>> and then i called in my superiors and i said, hey, we've got a problem, i think. old you guys look into it. i had never had to deal with something like that. i didn't feel adequate.

>> reporter: paterno said he was confused in 2002 when mike mcqueary first told him he had seen sandusky fondling a young boy in the penn state locker room the night before. he reported this to tim curley, but acknowledges he never followed up. i didn't know exactly how to handle it he tells the post. in hindsight i wish i had done more. he said he had no inkling about any allegations about sandusky prior to that time. and was never told about a 1998 police investigation of him. his relationship with sandusky was professional, not social, he says. sources close to paterno say he was at first furious when he was fired in the phone call . but in the interview, paterno tried to stay positive.

>> i have had a wonderful experience here at penn state . i don't want to walk away from this thing bitter.

>> reporter: penn state 's new president rodney erickson said that the school will pay the legal fees in the probe and continue to pay out his contract even though he has been fired. penn state also wants to find a way to honor paterno for his past service. but not a spokesman says for his conduct in this matter.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46000011/

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Use a Muffin Tin to Freeze Huge Cubes of Stock for a Flavor Boost in Your Next Meal [Cooking Hacks]

Use a Muffin Tin to Freeze Huge Cubes of Stock for a Flavor Boost in Your Next Meal Making your own stock out of leftover veggies, herbs, or the bones of the Thanksgiving turkey is an old kitchen trick, and re-using the stock in soups, rice, or other dishes later is a great way to add a ton of flavor with a little liquid. If you've made your own stock, you probably know to freeze it so it keeps longer, maybe even in ice cube trays. America's Test Kitchen takes the idea a step further?freeze the stock in non-stick muffin tins for huge frozen stock cubes, perfect for big meals.

Whenever I make stock, I always freeze it in ice cube trays, and then pop the cubes out into a freezer bag (or just put the ice cube tray in a bag) for storage. The stock keeps in the freezer for ages, and I can always pop out a couple of cubes if I'm making rice or want a flavor boost in my pasta, a stew, or even a pot of ramen. America's Test Kitchen suggest pouring your stock into a muffin tin and putting that into the freezer so you have massive blocks of frozen stock for larger preparation needs, like a family dinner's worth or rice, or a pot of simmering veggies or stewed greens.

Do you make or freeze your own stock? Do you prefer the ice cube tray method or the muffin tin method? Share your opinion in the comments below.

4 Amazing Stock Tips | America's Test Kitchen

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/Q5DYClhd8CM/use-a-muffin-tin-to-freeze-huge-cubes-of-stock-for-a-flavor-boost-in-your-next-meal

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Saturday, January 14, 2012

California imposes energy-efficiency standards on battery chargers

Reporting from Sacramento?

California's cellphones, tablet computers, power tools and hundreds of other portable electronic devices will be required to have energy-stingy battery chargers beginning next year.

The California Energy Commission on a 3-0 vote Thursday approved first-in-the-nation efficiency standards targeting about 170 million so-called vampire charging systems that waste as much as 60% of the electricity they suck from outlets.

The regulations generated strong opposition from appliance and consumer products makers. But they are expected to save enough electricity to power 350,000 homes, equivalent to a city the size of Bakersfield. The rules also are projected to shave an estimated $306 million a year off residential and commercial electricity bills.

"This means that we can have the devices that we like in our lives and that make our lives easier," Commissioner Karen Douglas said. "But by taking a few relatively simple steps to improve battery chargers, we can save so much electricity, take care of the environment and save ratepayers money."

Many currently available battery chargers already comply with the new California standards, the Energy Commission said. Most of the new technology is off the shelf and inexpensive, Douglas said.

For example, consumers might pay an additional 40 cents for an electric toothbrush with an efficient battery charger, but would save $1.19 in electricity costs over the lifetime of the product, according to a commission staff report. An upgraded battery charger would boost the price of a laptop computer by 50 cents but would save $19 in power costs.

The new rules would take effect on Feb. 1, 2013, for chargers used with consumer goods, such as phones and power tools; on Jan. 1, 2014, for industrial chargers, such as forklifts; and on Jan. 1, 2017, for commercial equipment chargers, including walkie-talkies for emergency personnel and portable bar-code scanners.

The standards are part of a more than three-decade drive in California to make appliances and buildings more efficient to cut energy use, reduce pollution and save money. California's official energy policy gives efficiency the highest priority because it's far cheaper than developing solar, wind and other renewable power or construction of natural-gas-fired power plants.

The effort began with air conditioners in 1977, 13 years ahead of the U.S. government. Since then, state regulations have forced appliance and electronics makers to develop electricity-sipping refrigerators, lighting and, most recently, big-screen, flat-panel television sets in 2009.

The Energy Commission estimates that those initiatives have saved ratepayers about $36 billion. They've also helped California to keep its per-capita energy consumption flat over the last 30 years, while the rest of the country's power demand grew 50%.

The explosion of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices motivated state regulators to take aim at the millions of power cords feeding electricity to those devices.

The ubiquitous chargers ? the average California home has 11 of them ? have been dubbed "vampires" by energy experts. That's because they continuously draw small amounts of power from the grid when they're plugged into the wall, even if no device is connected to the charger or the device is attached but switched off.

So-called standby power consumption, which includes battery chargers, accounts for about 10% of residential electricity use nationally and 13% in California, said Allan Meier, a senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

California will soon be looking to go after even more wasteful vampires, such as cable television boxes, digital video recorders and video game consoles, Energy Commission spokesman Adam Gottlieb said.

According to the Energy Commission, battery chargers consume an estimated 8,000 gigawatt hours per year of electricity, roughly equivalent to 152 days of production at the massive San Onofre nuclear power plant in San Diego County.

Collectively, battery chargers in California can store only about 40% of the electricity they draw from the grid over a year's time. The balance is lost in the form of excess heat that dissipates once the battery is fully charged, commission staff wrote in a report issued in October.

"The difference of 5,100 GWH per year represents a significant potential for energy savings," commission scientists said.

Trade groups for manufacturers of battery operated consumer products say they agree with the commission's goal of making electronics more efficient. But they question the commission's energy and cost-saving estimates and challenge the need for a new state standard.

California, they contend, should drop its planned regulations and instead wait for the U.S. Department of Energy, which is in the early stages of setting national standards for battery chargers.

"This whole process is flawed," said Kevin Messner, vice president for governmental relations of the Assn. of Home Appliance Manufacturers in Washington.

"In already harsh economic times, manufacturers will ... redesign [their products] for the California standards" and they might have "to do it all again ? when the Department of Energy's become effective," Messner said.

State officials said there's nothing surprising about industry complaints. Manufacturers have griped about virtually every California efficiency mandate, but always managed to meet the new requirements.

Meanwhile, California has gotten accustomed to leading the nation, with the federal government adopting standards for appliances, lighting and electronic devices set by the Golden State years earlier.

"In a sense, the California tail has wagged the national dog," said Meier, the Lawrence-Berkeley Lab scientist. "The California market is so large that most manufacturers are ? compliant with the California standards."

marc.lifsher@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/Oa6ikipWo7I/la-fi-energy-vampires-20120113,0,5799467.story

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Thursday, January 12, 2012

Samsung reveals 15- and 17-inch Series 5 laptops to arrive during 'back-to-school season'

Is it ever too early to trot out back-to-school laptops? Not if you're Samsung. Here at CES, hidden among the company's razor-thin Series 9 laptops and bright yellow gaming rig we found two mid-range laptops built for students, and other folks who just want something affordable and capable. What we have here are a pair of redesigned Series 5 notebooks, with 15.6- and 17.3-inch displays, respectively. And particularly given that they'll start at about $799 and max out around $1,199, they're looking pretty tempting. At this early stage, Samsung won't say much about likely specs, but so far, it seems that the specs could be quite generous. Take the display, for example. Both have the same matte, 300-nit display used in the new company's Ultrabooks, and the resolution is fixed at 1600 x 900 for the 15-incher, and 1080p for the larger model. At the high end, they'll both be available with a Core i7 Ivy Bridge processor, JBL speakers, a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M card with Optimus, an optional Blu-ray drive and up to 1TB in storage (2TB for the 17-inch version). Not too shabby for a mid-range laptop, especially if Samsung keeps its word and caps the price at $1,200. Plus, if we do say so, the keys are sturdy and pillowy, and the whole package isn't bad-looking either, though we'll let you, dear readers be the judge.

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

Samsung reveals 15- and 17-inch Series 5 laptops to arrive during 'back-to-school season' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/10/samsung-reveals-15-and-17-inch-series-5-laptops-to-arrive-durin/

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Harmon ready to tangle with Curtis on 'NCIS'

Jamie Lee Curtis is gearing up to shake things up both romantically and professionally for Mark Harmon?s Leroy Jethro Gibbs on ?NCIS? later this season.

?We haven?t touched on his personal life in awhile and we?re about to introduce a woman that?s going to get people going,? show boss Gary Glasberg told AccessHollywood.com on Wednesday at the Television Critics Association Winter Session 2012, when asked about future plans for the popular character. ?Just look for Jamie Lee Curtis.?

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Mark Harmon & The Stars Of ?NCIS?

So far, the actress has signed on for two episodes, and it appears that there will be a some sort of spark between Curtis? unnamed character and Harmon?s Gibbs.

?We?re prepping that episode right now. She?s coming into our world from a very unique government perspective and she will spar with him in ways that people aren?t used to,? Glasberg told Access.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Getting Better With Age: Stars Over 50!

The show boss noted it is a case that brings the two characters together, and unlike some of the other women that have come across Gibbs? path ? like Lauren Holly?s Jenny Shepard ? the two won?t have a history.

?It?s gonna be fun,? Glasberg smiled. ?She?s really excited about that.?

When asked about Curtis coming to the ?NCIS? fold as a romantic interest by Access, Harmon turned to his boss.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: The Lovely Ladies Of Primetime Television

?A love interest? Is that what I am now with Curtis?? Harmon asked Glasberg.

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?There?s a spark,? Glasberg chimed in.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Primetime Hunks

Harmon, whose Gibbs? character has led the ?NCIS? team for (most of) nine seasons on CBS, said he hasn?t shot any scenes with Curtis yet, but he is looking forward to reuniting with his former ?Freaky Friday? co-star.

?Jamie?s great and I think we?re all glad that she?s coming to play with us in our little sandbox for a while and she?s fortunate to have [Glasberg] creating the character she?s playing,? he said. ?But I look forward to it, absolutely.?

Before that happens, ?NCIS? has another road to travel when the show celebrates its 200th episode.

Set to air on February 7 on CBS, the special episode will take a look at what could have happened if different decisions were made by the characters over the years.

Glasberg said Holly isn?t coming back for the episode, but he smiled and said to watch when a reporter asked if Sasha Alexander (who played Kate) would return for the special.

He also said the 200th episode will feature many eye-catching moments.

?There?s very much an ?It?s A Wonderful Life? quality to this story,? Glasberg said in response to another reporter?s question. ?People should watch this episode multiple times because there?s so much crossing and appearances that happen, that I highly recommend the DVR to be turned on.?

The show boss told Access that no one from ?JAG,? the show which spawned ?NCIS,? would appear.

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?That, I can tell you, isn?t happening, but a lot of people that go way back in the history of ?NCIS? [are in the episode],? Glasberg said. ?I?m not going to give you names, but there are heroes as well as villains.?

Nine seasons in, ?NCIS? has battled to the top of the television ratings, and it show no signs of stopping ? even threating to take out ?Gunsmoke?s? record for most years on the air for a dramatic television show (a record shared by ?Law & Order?).

?We?re certainly going to give it a try,? Glasberg said during the TCA panel when asked about taking over the record of 20 years.

?I like the idea of riding a horse if we?re gonna do that,? Harmon chimed in.

?We?ll all ride that horse with you,? Michael Weatherly (Tony DiNozzo) added.

What do you think of Jamie Lee Curtis as a love interest for Mark Harmon's Gibbs? Share your thoughts on the Facebook page for our TV blog, The Clicker!

Copyright 2012 by NBC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45966439/ns/today-entertainment/

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