SpaceX rocket goes for 12-story-high hop

A SpaceX video shows the Grasshopper prototype rocket taking a 12-story leap toward full rocket reusability in a Dec. 17 test flight.

By Alan Boyle

SpaceX's prototype Grasshopper rocket took one giant leap last week, rising to a 12-story height and settling back down safely on its landing legs at the company's Texas rocket test facility. Just for fun, the engineers let a dummy cowboy go along for the ride.

The Dec. 17 test flight at the pad in McGregor, Texas, was documented in a YouTube video released today ? and discussed in a?series of lighthearted tweets from SpaceX's billionaire founder, Elon Musk.

"To provide a little perspective on the size of Grasshopper, we added a 6-ft cowboy to the rocket. ... Then we took him for a ride," Musk wrote. So how did the cowboy fare? "No problemo," said Musk.

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The 10-story-tall Grasshopper rocket is designed to take off and land vertically, as part of Musk's plan to develop a rocket capable of returning itself to a launch pad for rapid reusability. Today's vertical-takeoff launch systems generally rely upon expendable lower stages ? although the space shuttle's solid rocket boosters could be recovered from the Atlantic Ocean and refurbished for reuse. If a rocket stage can return to its launch facility intact and ready to go again, that could significantly lower the cost of spaceflight. That's what Musk is shooting for.

SpaceX says the Grasshopper consists of a Falcon 9 rocket first stage, a Merlin 1D engine, four steel landing legs with hydraulic dampers, and a steel support structure. During the prototype's first flight test on Sept. 21, the Grasshopper rose 6 feet into the air. The second test, on Nov. 1, lasted 8 seconds and lifted the Grasshopper 17.7 feet (5.4 meters) off the pad.?The company said last week's third test went for 29 seconds, during which the Grasshopper rose 131 feet (40 meters) into the air, hovered and landed safely back on the pad, using closed-loop thrust vector and throttle control.

SpaceX

A dummy cowboy is perched on SpaceX's Grasshopper rocket for a Dec. 17 test.

In addition to the Grasshopper, SpaceX is sending its Dragon capsules to resupply the International Space Station, working on a version of the Dragon that could carry astronauts into orbit sometime soon, and developing a Falcon Heavy rocket that could conceivably power flights to the moon. But Musk's long-range goal is even more ambitious: getting settlers to Mars. He has said Grasshopper-style rocket reusability is a key part of that long-term strategy.

"If it does works, it'll be pretty huge," he said last year during a speech at the National Press Club in Washington. ?

More on the commercial space race:

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Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the?Cosmic Log?community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space,?sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/23/16114180-spacex-launches-its-grasshopper-rocket-on-12-story-high-hop-in-texas?lite

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Sonic's Health & Nutrition Tips: SOYA ISOFLAVONES

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SOYA ISOFLAVONES

Isoflavones are naturally occuring non-steroidal compounds of plant origin,found primarily in soyabeans, generally classified as Phytoestrogens,meaning that their chemical structure are similar to estrogen. The main isoflavones in soy are Genistein, Daidzein, Glycitein and Genistin. Isoflavones are beneficial for reducing the risk of hormone related problems because they have a structure similar to that of (real) estrogen produced by the body.

1), A Non Nutrient Cancer Fighting Anti- oxidant,Protect against Cancers:

Isoflavones are similar in structure to estrogen, compete with estrogen for attachment to the receptors, reducing the amount of estrogen. This in turn reduces the risk of hormone related cancers,namely breast, ovarian, cervical, uterine, colon and prostate cancers.

2) Reduces Menopausal Symptoms: Menopausal symptoms brings plenty of discomfort with it , i.e. ranging from hot flashes, very dry skin & rashes, headaches, muscle aches, weight gain, mood swings, vaginal dryness and hair loss. Isoflavones reduces hot flashes by 50 % including night sweats and help maintain normal sleep without carrying any significant side effects including gastrointestinal discomfort or weight gain.

3) Help Prevent Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is a silent disease that progresses without any symptom i.e. until irreversible pain, loss of height and bone fracture occur. Women are more likely to develope osteoporosis because of their relatively weaker bones and the hormonal changes that accompany menopause. Isoflavones promotes bone health by increasing bone density.

4) Lowers the Risk Of Heart Diseases: It has been found that constituents of soy isoflavones are associated with significant decrease in serum cholesterol,LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides and increases the HDL.

5) Promotes immunity enhancement.

Acts as an anti-coagulant- inhibits the action of thrombin.

Have an anti- angiogenic effects.

Have pro-estrogenic and Anti-estrogenic action.

6) Advantages Over Other Therapy / Drugs

ERT- a preventive aid of bone loss in post-menopausal women increases the risk of breast and uterine cancers and vascular thrombosis.

Isoflavones have no side effects as bisphosphonates have in treatment of osteoporosis.

Source: http://sonicbiochem.blogspot.com/2012/12/soya-isoflavones.html

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Happy birthday, Lady Bird (Offthekuff)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/272543711?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Internet Marketing Rules Blog: Articles And Press Releases To Get ...

Most people online aren?t making money at all in their internet business. This can happen for a number of reasons. They may lack the discipline to keep going when times are tough. They don?t see ?instant? results so they quit. They don?t implement backend marketing into their mix. And they refuse to seek help from others who have been down their same path.

You can?t be this way. If you?re struggling online, you need to get as much help as possible if you want to remain competitive in your niche. If you?re currently on the edge of giving up and you?re tired of marketing online with no sales coming in, then you should re-evaluate what you are doing, and how you can make it better.

In today?s lesson, I want to share with you 2 internet marketing tips that you can use to bring your business back to life, and start getting the sales and profits that you are looking for. I assure you that these techniques are very easy, and they take no more than 30 minutes out of your day to do. Here?s the first thing that you can do to start taking your sales to the next level:

1) Submit articles

When you write up articles online, you give yourself a voice. Many people will ?hear? this voice and will follow you and read your articles on a weekly basis because they like what they read. Writing and submitting articles is one of the best ways that you can start getting traffic to your website immediately.

So where do you submit articles to? You should submit them to the article directories. I personally submit to only 2 article directories, as they are the top article directories on the net. It doesn?t make sense to submit to a massive amount of article directories because your efforts will end in futility.

People start their search at the search engines and type in a certain query. You want your articles to be found on the first page of the search engines - so that you can get this traffic to your articles. Here?s another great way to take your sales to the next. It?s just as easy as submitting articles:

2) Press releases

There?s a major press release company on the internet called ?PRweb? that offers a magnificent press release package to their consumers. Unfortunately, if you want to submit your press releases here, it will cost you $80 or more just for 1 press release. If you don?t want to spend that much on a press release, there are other options.

You could submit to the free press release websites. There are many of them online, and alot of them are very effective. Some of them offer paid services, but I think you can get your money?s worth if you just stick with the free submissions. You can definitely get traffic back to your website because of it.

These 2 marketing tips are things that you need to know if you want to have the thriving and successful internet business that you are looking for online. Articles and press releases are effective, and you should consider using them today.

Good luck with using these 2 strategies in your internet business now.

For more internet marketing secrets, simply visit the website below:
http://www.internetmarketing-rules.com/internetmarketing.html

Source: http://blog.internetmarketing-rules.com/2012/12/articles-and-press-releases-to-get-you.html

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Pet Talk: How to help animals of all stripes this holiday season ...

If the holiday spirit has inspired you to do something nice for animals this season, there are lots of lonely shelter pets that could use any help they can get.

Adoption is one option, of course, but make sure you?re prepared for a new pet. Also, keep in mind that many experts advise against giving someone a live animal as a holiday gift.

Volunteering is a great way to help, and most shelters can always use more foster caregivers. If you?re busy but still want to help, you can donate money, food or other items on your favorite shelter?s wish list.

Whatever species you prefer, there is surely a homeless animal that could benefit from your benevolence. Area animal shelters have shared with us what they need the most help with right now.

Birds: Exotic Bird Rescue of Oregon urgently seeks financial donations in order to provide food and veterinary care for the ever-growing flock of exotic birds seeking homes.

The organization is taking more birds under its wing as owners lose homes, expect a new baby or adopt a bird without understanding what caring for one entails.

The rescue doesn?t have a facility, so it relies strictly on foster caregivers to help feed and house the birds they take in. Additional foster homes that can provide adequate seed, pellets and produce are needed, says Christine Pulsinelli, a volunteer, board member and foster care provider.

Exotic Bird Rescue also seeks volunteer grant writers and donations of large, macaw-sized cages.

Cats: At Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood, ?Our biggest priority is to get people trained as adoption counselors,? says volunteer manager Nancy Puro, ?because the more adoption counselors we have, the more kitties we can send home.?

Adoption counselors play matchmaker by familiarizing themselves with shelter cats and then placing them with the right people, so ideally counselors will work well with both cats and humans.

If you want to focus on felines, you can play with them, clean their cages or provide foster care.

Folks who don?t live near the shelter can still help by volunteering at one of the shelter?s eight offsite locations, donating to CAT?s food bank or helping with donation drives and special events.

Foster homes are also needed for cats at Southwest Portland-based Animal Aid, especially special-needs cats or those ?overwhelmed by the shelter environment.

Dogs: If you dig dogs, Clackamas County Dog Services could use your help.

?One of our greatest needs right now is canned food,? says manager Diana Hallmark.

Wet food is used in a number of ways, including aiding medication administration, stuffing Kong toys, or feeding to dogs with dental issues.

Drop off canned food at the shelter between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday at the shelter, 13141 S.E. Highway 212 in Clackamas.

You can also donate from the comfort of your living room. Search for the shelter?s wish list, listed under ?Clackamas Dogs,? on Amazon.com, and select whichever items your budget allows.

Ferrets: Ferret fanciers can help the Oregon Ferret Shelter by donating high-quality ferret or kitten food (Costco cat food works just fine) and fleece fabric to make sleep sacks and hammocks. Gift cards to PetSmart and Petco are also welcome, as are laundry soap, paper towels and bleach.

The shelter, which has struggled to provide care for a flood of ferrets this year, also needs money for microchips, vaccinations and veterinary care. You can make a deposit at one of the shelter?s veterinary clinics: Milner Veterinary Hospital, Full Circle Veterinary Care, Northwest Exotic Pet Vet and Southwest Animal Hospital.

Horses: Horse lovers can help by donating money, stable blankets, saddles, or other horse tack to Sound Equine Options, which provides food, veterinary care and training for neglected horses.

The organization has also launched a Global Giving campaign, which matches donations to help pay for hay and medical care.

You can also help by providing foster care or adopting a horse.

Rabbits: Rabbit Advocates needs bunny buffs who can foster - or permanently adopt - a rabbit. Foster caregivers should have adequate time and space in their home, be willing to work with a mentor and read up on the organization?s adoption guidelines, says Mary Huey, a co-founder of the group.

The nonprofit may be able to provide some support with supplies and medical care, and it offers a mentoring program for new foster volunteers.

Oregon Humane Society: Donations of high-quality dry and canned food for dogs and cats top the Northeast Portland shelter?s wish list. Shelter pets can also use dog treats; enrichment toys such as rubber chew toys, rawhide chews, Nylabones, rodent chew toys and cat toys (but no loose catnip).

Washington County's Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter: People can offer help to homeless pets at the Washington County shelter in three ways, says Deborah Wood, animal services manager for Washington County: ?time, talent or treasure.?

The shelter relies on an army of about 160 active volunteers who walk dogs, clean kennels, provide adoption counseling, help in the surgical room or assist with administrative tasks. Training is provided at regularly offered volunteer orientations.

Those with special skills such as photography and writing can advertise shelter pets on Petfinder.com, while there?s always a place for folks with a background in veterinary medicine or professional dog training.

The shelter also welcomes donations of money or high-quality pet food.

***

Volunteer information and applications are usually available online (as are wish lists), so the easiest way to get started is to click on the ?volunteer? tab on the website of the shelter of your choice.

Where you can help:

Animal Aid:?animalaidpdx.org; 503-292-6628

Cat Adoption Team: catadoptionteam.org; 503-925-8903

Exotic Bird Rescue of Oregon: rescuebird.com; 541-461-4333

Clackamas County Dog Services: clackamas.us/dogs; 503-655-8628

Oregon Ferret Shelter: oregonferretshelter.org; 503- 557-8369

Oregon Humane Society: oregonhumane.org; 503-285-7722

Rabbit Advocates: adoptarabbit.org; 503-617-1625

Sound Equine Options: soundequineoptions.org; 503-328-9053

Washington County Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter: co.washington.or.us/pets; 503-846-7041

--Monique Balas

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/pets/index.ssf/2012/12/pet_talk_how_to_help_animals_o.html

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Consumer spending rises by most in three years

22 hrs.

Reuters

Consumer spending rose in November by the most in three years and a gauge of planned business spending jumped, signs that households and companies are shrugging off some of the fears tighter fiscal policy could cause a recession.?

The Commerce Department said on Friday inflation-adjusted consumer spending rose 0.6 percent, while after-tax income climbed 0.8 percent when adjusting for changes in prices.?

Many economists think business and consumers are wary of automatic government spending cuts and tax increases scheduled to kick in early next year, a scenario known in Washington as the "fiscal cliff."?

"The economy is holding in here at the end of the year despite the concerns about the fiscal cliff," said Gary Thayer, an economic strategist at Wells Fargo Advisors in St. Louis.?

Economists have been expecting economic growth will slow in the fourth quarter as companies slow the pace at which they re-stock their shelves, but the data on spending suggests consumers are offsetting some of that drag.?

Consumer spending grew at just a 1.6 percent annual rate in the third quarter. Real spending declined in October, but November's gain was the strongest since August 2009.?

That suggested purchases by consumers were not taking the hit many expected due to growing fears that going over the fiscal cliff will push the economy into recession. However, consumer confidence declined sharply in early December.?

Late on Thursday, a Republican proposal for averting the fiscal cliff was abandoned, further eroding optimism that a deal would be reached quickly.?

U.S. stocks were sharply lower after the proposal was dropped.?

Spending before taking into account changes in prices rose 0.4 percent. Economists polled by Reuters had expected nominal consumer spending would rise 0.3 percent last month.?

In a separate Commerce Department report, a gauge of planned U.S. business spending rose much more than expected in November, a hint that worries over tighter fiscal policy may not be holding back the factory sector as much as feared.?

Non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for investment plans, jumped 2.7 percent last month, the second straight month of solid gains.?

Economists had expected so-called core capital goods orders to rise just 0.3 percent. The reading for October was upwardly revised to a 3.2 percent gain from a previously reported 2.9 percent increase.?

Shipments of non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, used to calculate equipment and software spending in the gross domestic product report, gained 1.8 percent.?

Many economists believe businesses, wary of the fiscal cliff, have been cutting back on capital spending.?

Going over the cliff could drain about $600 billion from an already fragile economy.?

Overall durable goods orders rose 0.7 percent in November, with increases posted for machinery, fabricated metal products, and computer and electronic products offsetting a drag from aircraft.?

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast orders for durable goods, items from toasters to aircraft that are meant to last at least three years, rising 0.2 percent last month.?

Excluding transportation, orders rose 1.6 percent in November. Transport orders were down 1.1 percent. Previously, U.S. manufacturer Boeing reported new orders for its aircraft fell in November to 124 from 152 in the prior month.?

New orders for autos jumped 3.5 percent. U.S. auto sales in November raced to a five-year high for that month on a rebound from storm-ravaged October and the need to replace aging vehicles.?

The Commerce Department gave no indication that Superstorm Sandy, which lashed the East Coast in late October, had any impact on either of the economic reports.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/consumer-spending-rises-most-three-years-1C7659307

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Boehner on averting fiscal cliff: 'God only knows'

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, speaks to reporters about the fiscal cliff negotiations at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Hopes for avoiding the "fiscal cliff" that threatens the U.S. economy fell Friday after fighting among congressional Republicans cast doubt on whether any deal reached with President Barack Obama could win approval ahead of automatic tax increases and deep spending cuts kick in Jan. 1. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, speaks to reporters about the fiscal cliff negotiations at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Hopes for avoiding the "fiscal cliff" that threatens the U.S. economy fell Friday after fighting among congressional Republicans cast doubt on whether any deal reached with President Barack Obama could win approval ahead of automatic tax increases and deep spending cuts kick in Jan. 1. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, joined by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., left, speaks to reporters about the fiscal cliff negotiations at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Hopes for avoiding the "fiscal cliff" that threatens the U.S. economy fell Friday after fighting among congressional Republicans cast doubt on whether any deal reached with President Barack Obama could win approval ahead of automatic tax increases and deep spending cuts kick in Jan. 1. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, center, departs, with reporters nearby after a House Republicans meeting on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012 in Washington. Confronted with a revolt among the rank and file, House Republicans abruptly put off a vote Thursday night on legislation allowing tax rates to rise for households earning $1 million and up.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters about the fiscal cliff negotiations at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. She is joined by House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., left, and Assistant Minority Leader James Clyburn, D-S.C., right. Hopes for avoiding the "fiscal cliff" that threatens the U.S. economy fell Friday after fighting among congressional Republicans cast doubt on whether any deal reached with President Barack Obama could win approval ahead of automatic tax increases and deep spending cuts kick in Jan. 1. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, speaks to reporters about the fiscal cliff negotiations at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Hopes for avoiding the "fiscal cliff" that threatens the U.S. economy fell Friday after fighting among congressional Republicans cast doubt on whether any deal reached with President Barack Obama could win approval ahead of automatic tax increases and deep spending cuts kick in Jan. 1. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Stocks fell, congressional leaders squabbled and the fiscal cliff drew implacably closer.

"How we get there, God only knows," said House Speaker John Boehner, referring Friday to the increasingly complicated attempts to beat the Jan. 1 deadline and head off the perilous combination of across-the-board tax hikes and deep spending cuts that threaten to send the economy into recession.

Progress was invisible one day after House Republican rebels thwarted Boehner's plan to prevent tax increases for all but the nation's million-dollar earners. And while neither House is expected to meet again until after Christmas, officials in both parties said there was still time to prevent the changes from kicking in with the new year.

Yet they pointedly disagreed which side needed to make the first move.

"It's time for the speaker and all Republicans to return to the negotiating table," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Late Friday, Reid was meeting with Obama at the White House, and Obama was to make a statement.

He said that, for now, Boehner should allow a vote on legislation that would block all tax increases except for individuals making more than $200,000 and couples making $250,000 ? the position that Obama carried through his successful campaign for re-election.

Reid said it would pass the House with votes from lawmakers from both parties, and, separately, some Democrats said it was possible similar legislation may yet be launched in the Senate.

Moments later, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Democrats had "spent all day yesterday defeating" the legislation in the House ? even though Boehner himself said it had been deep-sixed by GOP opposition.

Countering Reid's offer, McConnell said the Senate should pass legislation extending tax cuts at all income levels and requiring a comprehensive overhaul of the tax code. Beyond that, he said, ""Look: It's the president's job to find a solution that can pass Congress. He's the only one who can do it."

Rhetoric aside, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 121 points in what analysts said was a reaction to the events in the capital.

The developments marked yet another baffling turn in a week that began with news that Obama and Boehner had significantly narrowed their differences on a plan to erase the cliff. Both were offering a cut in taxes for most Americans, an increase for a relative few and cuts of roughly $1 trillion in spending over a year. Also included was a provision to scale back future cost-of-living increases for Social Security recipients ? a concession on the president's part as much as agreeing to higher tax rates was for the House speaker.

GOP officials said some senior Republicans balked at the emerging terms.

Boehner stepped back and announced what he called Plan B, legislation to let tax rates rise on incomes of $1 million or more while preventing increases for all other taxpayers.

Despite statements of confidence, he and his lieutenants decided late Thursday they were not going to be able to secure the votes needed to pass the measure in the face of opposition from conservatives unwilling to violate decades-old party orthodoxy never to raise tax rates.

Officials said as many as two dozen rank-and-file Republicans had made it clear they would oppose the bill, more than enough to send it to defeat given unanimous Democratic opposition.

At his Friday morning news conference several hours later, Boehner dismissed suggestions that he was concerned the turn of events could cost him his speakership.

"No, I am not," he said.

"While we may have not been able to get the votes last night to avert 99.81 percent of the tax increases, I don't think ? they weren't taking that out on me," Boehner said of the Republican rank and file. "They were dealing with the perception that somebody might accuse them of raising taxes."

Boehner also said that last Monday he had told Obama he had submitted his bottom line proposal.

"The president told me that his numbers ? the $1.3 trillion in new revenues, $850 billion in spending cuts ? was his bottom line, that he couldn't go any further."

That contradicted remarks by White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, who said on Thursday that Obama has "never said either in private or in public that this was his final offer. He understands that to reach a deal it would require some further negotiation. There is not much further he could go."

___

Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor, Alan Fram and Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-12-21-Fiscal%20Cliff/id-3375c6352be742e0a27c2c234ad1ee48

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