Transparent material developed that’s twice as strong as Kevlar, infinitely weirder
October 29, 2010 No Comment
Scientists in Israel have developed a transparent material with “the hardest organic nanostructure known to man,” according to Discovery News . Based on artificial proteins similar to (and simpler than) the beta-amlyoid proteins that have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, and covered with transparent nanospheres, the new material is very, very strong: in order to cut it, a diamond-tipped probe would have to apply twice the pressure it would take to cut Kevlar . Researchers see it being used for anything from bulletproof armor to reinforced steel — but don’t throw out your old body armor yet! It could be years (if not decades) before this comes to market. Transparent material developed that’s twice as strong as Kevlar, infinitely weirder originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Labeling Bias from Balt Sun: ‘Ehrlich Wants Tax Cuts; O’Malley Wants More Investment’
October 29, 2010 No CommentLiberal Democrats love to couch increased government spending as “investments.” It's smart political marketing, but it's a less-than-truthful spin on what government spending is or does. When's the last time you got a dividend check from your state government giving you your share of the “profit” from a road or bridge project? But it's when journalists buy into that spin that we at NewsBusters really have a problem. Take the Baltimore Sun, which today told readers that while rivals Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) and former Governor Bob Ehrlich (R) are focused on the economy in their closing campaign pitches, “Ehrlich wants tax cuts; O'Malley wants more investment.” Noted Annie Linskey in a story filed on BaltimoreSun.com last evening (emphasis mine): read more
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Like a well-financed and politically powerful parent, the European Union has agreed to implement tougher rules for euro zone countries who overspend and over-borrow as the European body implements guards to “deter bad budgetary behavior” that could lead the euro into yet another crisis. —JCL Al-Jazeera English: EU leaders have agreed on tougher rules for nations whose overspending threatens Europe’s single currency and risks triggering another financial crisis. Herman Van Rompuy, the EU president, said on Friday that the bloc was planning for a “robust and credible permanent crisis mechanism to safeguard the stability of the euro zone as a whole”. The point of the economic governance measures was to “deter bad budgetary behaviour by fining countries that run excessive deficits and debts much earlier than now. Also their budgets will come under review by the EU”, he said. Read more Related Entries October 29, 2010 U.S. Economy Quickens Its Pace October 28, 2010 Obama Does ‘The Daily Show’
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Photo: Rosalind Jackson, Vote Solar The World Series & Prop 23: Giants vs. Rangers, CA vs. Texas Oil? This year’s World Series, as you’re likely aware, features a showdown between the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers. It’s an interesting matchup — neither team has made it this far in years, and the Rangers never have. The last time the Giants won a World Series was over 50 years ago — before they moved to SF from New York. But there’s another reason folks are excited about the series: Clean energy activists have honed in the event to draw a parallel between Texas-based oil c… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Authorities on three continents are investigating whether suspicious packages shipped to the United States aboard cargo planes could be part of a terrorist plot. (Oct. 29)
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It may not be quite the same obvious transition that Netflix made, but it looks like DVD kiosk company Redbox will soon be making a push of its own into the streaming business. That word comes straight from the CEO of parent company Coinstar, Paul Davis, who told listeners to the company’s recent earnings call that it is in “detailed negotiations with a number of highly interested parties” to launch a “Redbox-branded” streaming service sometime next year. That would seem to suggest that Redbox will be relying on a partner already established in the field rather than rolling its own service, but Davis was otherwise light on details, adding only that streaming represents a “significant opportunity” for the company. That doesn’t mean Redbox will be getting out of the kiosk business anytime soon, though — according to Davis, there’s still a “long, profitable life ahead” there. Redbox announces plans to enter streaming business next year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Osama bin Laden is doing his part for the midterm election.
Continue reading …This is kind of surprising: Hispanics are growing more divided about how they view illegal immigration, and native-born Hispanics aren’t as convinced of the contributions of illegal immigrants as they used to be, according to a study released Thursday. Hispanics are split when asked to assess the effect of illegal immigration on Hispanics living in the United States: 29% say it has had a positive impact, 31% negative and 30% believe it made no difference, according to the study by the non-partisan Pew Hispanic Center. That is a sharp decline from a 2007 survey, when 50% of Hispanics said illegal immigrants were having a positive impact. If anyone was counting on this issue to help swing Hispanics to Democrats they may have miscalculated. It could be backfiring on them.
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AP Television has obtained exclusive access to dramatic video of the moment the tsunami struck Indonesia, filmed by a Chilean surfer who was on North Pagai in the Mentawai island chain on Monday when the wall of water slammed ashore. (Oct. 29)
Continue reading …New York’s Fresh Bodegas Program Brings Farmers’ Market Produce to Inner City Food Desert
October 29, 2010 No Comment
In wealthier NYC neighborhoods, bodegas often stock a wide range of healthy produce, but in poorer areas your options are generally limited to four food groups: Sugary, highly processed, alcohol and tobacco. Photo: Paul Lowry / Creative Commons . The phenomenon of healthy food deserts existing in America’s poor communities is well documented. In New York City, Grow… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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