MindMover
MindMover's JournalAstronomers hear 'death cry' of star shredded by black hole
A team of astronomers has detected the "death cry" of a star being devoured by a supermassive black hole. The black hole had been sitting quietly -- almost lying in wait, as it were -- until its gravity reached out and shredded a passing star, pulling the star into its death grip and causing it to emit a characteristic signal. "You can think of it as hearing the star scream as it gets devoured, if you like," said astronomer Jon Miller of the University of Michigan, lead author of a report appearing in Science Express.
The black hole, identified as Swift J1644+57, lies 3.9 billion light-years away in the constellation Draco. That name arises from its discovery on March 28, 2011, by NASA's Swift satellite, which searches the universe for gamma-ray bursts. At first, astronomers thought the signal was a common gamma-ray burst, but the gradual fade-out of the signal matched nothing that had ever been seen before from such a source. Closer observation of the object with the orbiting Suzaku and XMM-Newton X-ray telescopes ultimately revealed a faint, periodic signal that, Miller said, corresponds in frequency to an ultra-low D-sharp.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-shredded-star-cry-20120803,0,2245446.story?
Does Cybercrime Really Cost $1 Trillion?
Gen. Keith Alexander is the director of the National Security Agency and oversees U.S. Cyber Command, which means he leads the government’s effort to protect America from cyberattacks. Due to the secretive nature of his job, he maintains a relatively low profile, so when he does speak, people listen closely. On July 9, Alexander addressed a crowded room at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., and though he started with a few jokes — his mother said he had a face for radio, behind every general is a stunned father-in-law — he soon got down to business.
Alexander warned that cyberattacks are causing "the greatest transfer of wealth in history," and he cited statistics from, among other sources, Symantec Corp. and McAfee Inc., which both sell software to protect computers from hackers. Crediting Symantec, he said the theft of intellectual property costs American companies $250 billion a year. He also mentioned a McAfee estimate that the global cost of cybercrime is $1 trillion. "That’s our future disappearing in front of us," he said, urging Congress to enact legislation to improve America’s cyberdefenses.
These estimates have been cited on many occasions by government officials, who portray them as evidence of the threat against America. They are hardly the only cyberstatistics used by officials, but they are recurring ones that get a lot of attention. In his first major cybersecurity speech in 2009, President Obama prominently referred to McAfee’s $1 trillion estimate. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the main sponsors of the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 that is expected to be voted on this week, have also mentioned $1 trillion in cybercrime costs. Last week, arguing on the Senate floor in favor of putting their bill up for a vote, they both referenced the $250 billion estimate and repeated Alexander’s warning about the greatest transfer of wealth in history.
A handful of media stories, blog posts and academic studies have previously expressed skepticism about these attention-getting estimates, but this has not stopped an array of government officials and politicians from continuing to publicly cite them as authoritative. Now, an examination of their origins by ProPublica has found new grounds to question the data and methods used to generate these numbers, which McAfee and Symantec say they stand behind.
http://www.propublica.org/article/does-cybercrime-really-cost-1-trillion
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Just saying that everytime I put on one of these overbloated security software sysems my computer gets nauseated and starts to vomit .... 
The butcher of Damascus fires cluster bombs into civilian population ...
Regime Fires Mortars Into Syrian Streets As U.S. Plans For Post-Assad EraSyrian President Bashar al-Assad reportedly is firing mortars and cluster munitions on his own citizens as his forces and rebel elements continue a bloody civil war. Instead of stepping in to drive Assad from power even as more and more civilians die, however, Washington and its allies continue to work toward setting up a government to eventually replace him.
Cable news outlets aired video Friday supposedly showing mortars fired by regime forces into the streets of the nation's capital city of Damascus. Assad's alleged use of mortars comes days after Human Rights Watch released a statement saying the organization had reviewed evidence of "identifiable cluster bombs and submunitions."
Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has left his role as the U.N.'s special envoy to broker some kind of a peace deal. And there are fresh reports from the ground of rebel forces clashing with Syrian Kurdish groups, longtime allies of Assad.
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/dotmil/2012/08/03/regime-fires-mortars-into-syrian-streets-as-us-plans-for-post-assad-era
Email that I got from a veteran friend of mine ...
EXTREEMLY IMPORTANT read, pass onto your friends, family and anyone owning or wanting to own a gun!Don't know if it's is true but be Aware, Eric Holder & Oboma don't want Americans or Patriots to have guns!
Do you have a gun in the house?
When I had my gallbladder taken out and spent 10 days in the hospital for what should have been an overnight stay the insurance company kicked me out. I had home nurse visits for two weeks and was asked if I had guns in the house. I respond that if I did I would not tell them. So the below has some merit.
FYI, I am passing this along... there are comments from two other people I have also been asked if we keep guns in the house. The nurse just kinda slipped it in along with all the other regular questions. I told her I refused to answer because it was against the law to ask.
Everyone, whether you have guns or not, should give a neutral answer so they have no idea who does and who doesn't. My doctor asked me if I had guns in my house and also if any were loaded. I, of course, answered yes to both questions. Then he asked why I kept a loaded gun close to my bed. I answered that my son, who is a certified gun instructor and also works for Homeland Security, advised me that an unloaded, locked up gun is no protection against criminal attack.
The Government now requires these questions be asked of people on Medicare, and probably everyone else.
Just passing this along for your information: I had to visit a doctor other than my regular doctor when my doctor was on vacation.. One of the questions on the form I had to fill out was: Do you have any guns in your house?? My answer was None of your damn business!!
So it is out there! It is either an insurance issue or government intervention. Either way, it is out there and the second the government gets into your medical records (as they want to under Obamacare) it will become a major issue and will ultimately result in lock and load!!
Please pass this on to all the other retired guys and gun owners... Thanks, from a Vietnam Vet and retired Police Officer: I had a doctor's appointment at the local VA clinic yesterday and found out something very interesting that I would like to pass along. While going through triage before seeing the doctor, I was asked at the end of the exam, three questions: 1. Did I feel stressed? 2. Did I feel threatened? 3. Did I feel like doing harm to someone?
The nurse then informed me that if I had answered yes to any of the questions I would have lost my concealed carry permit as it would have gone into my medical records and the VA would have reported it to Homeland Security.
Looks like they are going after the vets first. Other gun people like retired law enforcement will probably be next. Then when they go after the civilians, what argument will they have? Be forewarned and be aware. The Obama administration has gone on record as considering veterans and gun owners potential terrorists. Whether you are a gun owner, veteran or not, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED !
If you know veterans and gun owners, please pass this on to them. Be very cautious about what you say and to whom.
They are coming for us, so unless you're an ostrich, do not stick your head in the sand ..........
Mars dust storm, minor wobble give Curiosity scientists pause
Source: LA Times
A dust storm on Mars and a minor wobble in the spacecraft's trajectory have given scientists something to think about, but leaders of NASA'sCuriosity mission said Thursday that they are on track for a Sunday landing — the delivery of the largest and most ambitious machine ever sent to another planet.
"Things are almost too quiet," Pete Theisinger, the mission's project manager, said Thursday at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge as Curiosity barreled toward Mars at 7,987 mph. "I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop."
Curiosity, a roving lab that will scour Mars for the ingredients of life, is scheduled to land at 10:31 PDT Sunday in an ancient geological feature known as the Gale Crater. It is a complex operation. At 1,982 pounds, Curiosity is five times heavier than previous Mars rovers. Its landing requires a dizzying sequence of pyrotechnics and on-the-fly adjustment, all done automatically because Mars is 154 million miles distant, too far for the swift communication needed to guide the landing from Earth.
PHOTOS: A rover called Curiosity
At a briefing Thursday, scientists said satellites had discovered a dust storm swirling south of Gale Crater. Earlier this week, the storm was more than 600 miles from Curiosity's landing site but large enough that it could kick up a pesky cloud of dust.
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0803-mars-curiosity-20120803,0,1349831.story?track=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=104530
Yeah right, casinos do not have hookers in every color, shape, and size ...
and Sheldon is innocent of any wrongdoing ....
Inside the Investigation of Leading Republican Money Man Sheldon Adelson
A decade ago gambling magnate and leading Republican donor Sheldon Adelson looked at a desolate spit of land in Macau and imagined a glittering strip of casinos, hotels and malls.
Where competitors saw obstacles, including Macau's hostility to outsiders and historic links to Chinese organized crime, Adelson envisaged a chance to make billions.
Adelson pushed his chips to the center of the table, keeping his nerve even as his company teetered on the brink of bankruptcy in late 2008.
The Macau bet paid off, propelling Adelson into the ranks of the mega-rich and underwriting his role as the largest Republican donor in the 2012 campaign, providing tens of millions of dollars to Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and other GOP causes.
http://www.propublica.org/article/inside-the-investigation-of-leading-republican-money-man-sheldon-adelson
Heh Mittens, the house painted white does not need to tell Harry anything ....
You are doing enough already ....
Romney: Reid Should ‘Put Up Or Shut Up’
Mitt Romney on Thursday responded to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s allegation that the Republican nominee has not paid taxes over the last ten years.
“It’s time for Harry to put up or shut up,” Romney said on Sean Hannity’s radio show, according to CNN.
“Harry’s gonna have to describe who it is he spoke with because of course that’s totally and completely wrong,” Romney continued. “It’s untrue, dishonest and inaccurate. It’s wrong. So I’m looking forward to have Harry reveal his sources and we’ll probably find out that it’s the White House.”
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/romney-reid-should-put-up-shut-up
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SELL, SELL, SELL for the love of God, SELL ...
Knight Capital Says Trading Glitch Cost It $440 Million
$10 million a minute.
That’s about how much the trading problem that set off turmoil on the stock market on Wednesday morning is already costing the trading firm.
The Knight Capital Group announced on Thursday that it lost $440 million when it sold all the stocks it accidentally bought Wednesday morning because a computer glitch.
Documents: Knight Capital's statement
Runaway Trades Spread Turmoil Across Wall St.
The losses are threatening the stability of the firm, which is based in Jersey City. In its statement, Knight Capital said its capital base, the money it uses to conduct its business, had been “severely impacted” by the event and that it was “actively pursuing its strategic and financing alternatives.”
The losses are greater than the company’s revenue in the second quarter of this year, when it brought in $289 million.
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/08/02/knight-capital-says-trading-mishap-cost-it-440-million/?hp
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And you thought it only happens in the movies .....
Looking at who Dr. Fenton is ....
Fenton is the director of student mental health services at the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, and an assistant professor, according to a resume posted on the school's website.
As director, a position she's held since 2009, Fenton sees between 15 and 20 graduate students per week for medication and psychotherapy, coordinates a team of four mental health clinicians, supervises some residents who treat students, and lectures. She also serves as a psychiatrist for between five and 10 patients, the resume states.
http://articles.cnn.com/2012-07-27/us/us_colorado-theater-shooting-psychiatrist_1_fenton-psychiatric-patient-colorado-s-anschutz-medical-campus
That is more than a plateful to me ...
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