Topps Lineage 9-27-11 Chipper Jones signing autographs 2011 Topps Marquee Case Group Break Box 11 Chipper Jones Tony Perez Tha_Real_HP says: CHIPPER JONES #GoSitInTheCorner
Continue reading …The Boston Red Sox are in the record books and out of playoff contention after a terrible night capped a terrible September. The Red Sox allowed two ninth-inning runs in a 4-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday night, the AP reports. Minutes after the Red Sox trudged off the…
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Michael Cohen, 42, is stable in hospital after attack by great white shark off Fish Hoek beach in South Africa A British shark attack victim whose leg was bitten off was saved by bystanders who applied a makeshift tourniquet from a wetsuit and two belts, a surgeon has said. Michael Cohen, 42, was attacked by the great white while swimming at Fish Hoek beach in Cape Town, South Africa. He emerged from the water bleeding profusely from his right thigh and left ankle which was also bitten through. A surgeon, Prof Andrew Nichol, said Cohen was critical but stable in hospital after receiving more than seven litres of blood. He paid tribute to those who saved Cohen’s life, saying: “That tourniquet has consisted of a wetsuit applied around the thigh and wrapped around with two belts very, very tightly. It was an amateur tourniquet but it had almost completely resulted in a cessation of blood loss. “I just want to commend the first aid work of those on the beach. The tremendous way in which they responded actually saved the life of this patient.” It is thought those responsible for saving Cohen left the beach without passing on their details. Cohen is believed to be a part-time accountant living in the Cape Town suburb of Plumstead. He was airlifted to Constantiaberg Medi-Clinic where he arrived fully conscious. Medics stabilised him and battled to save his life, taking him into surgery where the tourniquet was removed. Nichol said: “We continued with the resuscitation and stabilisation. In theatre it was fairly obvious that nothing could be done as there was no right lower leg so we just formalised the amputation on that site surgically.” An orthopaedic team was called in to look at Cohen’s left leg because there were worries about blood flow to it, said the professor. Despite the shark cutting through Cohen’s left ankle, painstaking work was done to treat the wound and clean his foot, which was still present. “It is a major injury to his left lower leg,” said Nichol. “With him having lost the right leg it is absolutely imperative we do everything in our power to ensure that left leg remains viable and we will continue to go flat out on that.” Cohen will go back into theatre in 24 hours for his wounds to be assessed and ensure no infection is setting in. The surgeon said he had spoken to Cohen’s parents. “They are obviously extremely traumatised by the whole episode,” he said. It was reported that the beach was closed when Cohen went for a swim and a shark flag, indicating the presence of a great white, was flying. He was said to be the only person in the water. South Africa Wildlife Animals Africa guardian.co.uk
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Figures show gaps in achievement persist between boys and girls, and between poor and more affluent Tens of thousands of seven-year-olds are struggling to master the three Rs, official figures show . The new statistics reveal that after three years of schooling many children can read only the easiest words, such as “cat” or “dog”, and do the very simplest sums. Almost 106,000 seven-year-olds have failed to reach level 2 – the standard expected of the age group – in writing. More than 83,000 pupils have a reading age of a five-year-old or lower. And over 58,000 children are falling behind the expected standard in maths. The figures, published by the Department for Education, are based on teachers’ assessments of pupil achievement at the age of seven. They show that 85% reached the expected level or higher in reading, 81% achieved it in writing, 90% made at least level 2 in maths and 89% reached it in science. These figures are broadly the same as last year. The percentages of pupils achieving level 3 – one above the required standard – in each of these subjects has also remained static this year, except in science, where it dropped from 21% to 20%. The statistics also show that boys are still lagging behind girls. Nearly nine in 10 (89%) seven-year-old girls reached level 2 or higher in reading, compared with 82% of boys. In writing, 87% of girls scored at least level 2 compared with three-quarters (76%) of boys, and in maths there was a gap of three percentage points, with 91% of girls achieving the expected level against 88% of boys. Schools minister Nick Gibb says: “These figures show that many children are doing well. But it is worrying that there are still so many who are behind just three years into their school careers. “Success in later life is founded on an understanding of the 3Rs in the first few years of school. Problems must be identified at a young age and rectified before it is too late.” There is also a gap in achievement between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their more affluent classmates. Just two-thirds (67%) of pupils on free school meals (FSM) – a measure of poverty – reached level 2 in writing, compared with 85% of all other pupils. And while 88% of all other pupils reached the expected standard in reading, the same was true for only 73% of children eligible for free dinners. In maths, 81% of FSM pupils reached level 2 compared with 92% of other youngsters. Gibb says: “The overriding objective of the government is to close the attainment gap between those from poorer and wealthier backgrounds. “Today’s key stage 1 figures, revealing that a third of boys eligible for free school meals are not reaching the expected level in reading, demonstrates the scale of the challenge and why tackling poor reading is such an urgent priority.” Primary schools The gender gap Schools guardian.co.uk
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A Massachusetts man was arrested Wednesday and accused of plotting an assault on the Pentagon and US Capitol using remote-controlled aircraft armed with explosives. (Sept. 29)
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Jordan Jefferson Arrives at Courthouse for Grand Jury Proceeding (REPORT) LSU QB Jordan Jefferson Indicted on Simple Battery Charges (VIDEO) Jordan Jefferson, great teammate IMTaTTedPreTTy says: RT @ LSUfball : Both Jordan Jefferson and Josh Johns have been reinstated to the team. They will practice tomorrow.
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Tiangong-1 will be launched over Gobi desert and is a stepping stone towards a bigger, fully-fledged orbiting platform China is preparing to take its building boom into space on Thursday night by putting a first research module – the “Heavenly Palace” – into orbit The unmanned Tiangong-1 laboratory, which will be launched into the skies above the Gobi desert, is a stepping stone towards a bigger, fully-fledged orbiting platform that China expects to be cheaper than the US and European-backed International Space Station. The 10.5m-long cylinder will ride around 220 miles (350km) into space on board a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan satellite launch centre and remain in orbit for two years. It will be used by Chinese scientists and astronauts to practice the rendezvous and docking techniques needed to construct bigger structures in space. The first trial will come later this year, with the launch of another vessel, Shenzhou 8, which will attempt to link up with the lab. If this is successful and life-support systems within the module remain stable, manned missions will be attempted next year and yuhangyuan (astronauts) will spend two weeks inside the narrow structure. Wu Ping, a spokeswoman for China’s manned space programme, said these missions may include the country’s first female astronauts. Following China’s first manned space flight in 2003, the launch of the Tiangong-1 is the second stage in a 10-year programme to build a manned 60-tonne platform, scheduled to come into operation in 2020. This may leave China with the largest mannable presence in space. That title currently belongs to the International Space Station, which is supported by the US, Europe, Russia, Japan and Canada. Although much bigger at 400 tonnes, its future is in doubt due to the high cost of ferrying supplies through space and the economic problems faced by its principle funders. Hopes to draw China into this international programme have so far made little progress due to political differences with the US. When the current commitments expire in 2020, Russian scientists have proposed that it is left to fall into the ocean. Beijing claims its programme is cheaper. While Russia and the US initially practiced docking by sending up two vessels for each trial, China said it saves money by leaving one in space for an extended time. “Tiangong-1′s cost is similar to that of a spaceship. We only need four launches and can experiment with rendezvous and docking three times,” space programme chief designer Zhou Jianping told The China Daily. “The US is still ahead. They sent a man to the moon 40 years ago,” said Fu Song, a professor at the School of Aerospace in Tsinghua University. “But there is the advantage for latecomers. The cost is less and wrong turns can be avoided. If the Tiangong is successful, it will be a significant symbol for the Chinese space industry.” Though based primarily on Russian technology, Chinese scientists say they have enhanced navigation and other systems. The country also has ambitions for a moon landing and deep-space exploration. The Tiangong-1 will provide useful preparation for both, according to Ping. China Space International Space Station Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk
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Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn leaves a Paris police station after confronting a writer who accuses him of attempted rape. (Sept. 29)
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Supermodel Heidi Klum promotes her new fragrance ‘Shine’ at a hotel in Hollywood, where she posed with a giant replica of the perfume bottle. (Sept. 29)
Continue reading …Life of George melds Legos with iOS for ‘digital-to-physical’ gameplay, captures our hearts
September 29, 2011 No Comment
There isn’t much that can’t be done with some Mindstorming and plenty of Legos , so color us intrigued by the Lego Group’s new game, Life of George. Using a free EyeCue-enabled iOS app, players are tasked with recreating George’s photographs using 144 included Legos on a specialized “green screen-like” gaming mat. Once the model is complete, you’ll take a photo with your iDevice to be scored based on your building speed and accuracy to the original picture. The $30 kit promises 12 levels featuring 10 photos each, and varying difficulty levels. For added replay value, there’s a two player game and a creation mode which lets you create playable models out of your own snapshots . To sweeten this story even more, you’ll also be able to keep up with George at his eponymously titled Facebook page, I am George. If the Lego-builder inside of you is itching to snag one, it’ll be available from Lego on October 1st. In the meantime, you’ll find more details in the PR after the break. Continue reading Life of George melds Legos with iOS for ‘digital-to-physical’ gameplay, captures our hearts Life of George melds Legos with iOS for ‘digital-to-physical’ gameplay, captures our hearts originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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