Mars rover ‘shake and bake’ cooks up a carbon mystery

Curiosity has detected organic compounds on Mars, after cooking them up itself <i>(Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)</i>

Mars rover ‘shake and bake’ cooks up a carbon mystery

NASA’s Curiosity rover has tasted carbon in Martian soil, sparking speculation as to its origin, and has also found that Mars prefers its hydrogen heavy.
A TANTALISING whiff of carbon-based compounds has been picked up by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover. But it’s still not clear whether the eagerly awaited results are revealing the true chemical nature of Mars or are instead the products of Earthly contaminants.

One of the goals of the NASA rover, which landed on the Red Planet on 6 August, is to search for signs that Mars might once have had the means to support life. One clue would be organics – carbon-containing compounds that are the building blocks of life as we know it. During Curiosity’s first “meals” of Martian soil, baked inside the robot’s ovens, carbon and hydrogen were found to have reacted with chlorine, creating organic molecules.

This taste of carbon is intriguing, but it is a far cry from recent feverish speculation that the rover had found definitive evidence for organic compounds on Mars.
“The rover has made this detection of simple organic compounds,” says project scientist John Grotzinger of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. But crucially, the rover only detected them after cooking them up. The mystery now is: where did it find that key ingredient – carbon?

Read more:    http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21628944.000-mars-rover-shake-and-bake-cooks-up-a-carbon-mystery.html

 

Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses

Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses

Sweet Child O' Mine  Guns N' Roses

Sweet Child O’ Mine” is a power ballad by American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses, and the third from their 1987 debut studio album, Appetite for Destruction. Released on August 17, 1988, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart becoming the band’s first and only number-one single in the U.S. It reached number six on the UK Singles Chart, when re-released in 1989.
Lead guitarist Slash has been quoted as having a disdain for the song due to its roots as simply a “string skipping” exercise and a joke at the time In a VH1 special, it was stated that Slash played the riff in a jam session as a joke. Drummer Steven Adler and Slash were warming up and Slash began to play a “circus” melody while making faces at Steven. Rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin asked Slash to play it again. Meanwhile lead singer Axl Rose was upstairs in his room and heard the ‘jam session’ going on downstairs and couldn’t help but write lyrics. He based it on his girlfriend Erin Everly. With Steven’s added drum part, Izzy’s chords and Duff McKagan‘s bass line the harmony became the core of the song. Originally, there was a third verse to the song. However, this verse was later cut from recording as the band’s producer, Mike Clink, felt the song would carry on for too long. The final dramatic breakdown was not added until Clink suggested the band add one. They agreed, but weren’t sure what to do. Axl started saying to himself, “Where do we go? Where do we go now?” Clink suggested that he sing that, and “Sweet Child o’ Mine” was born.

Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Child_O%27_Mine

Picture Source: http://teacherweb.ftl.pinecrest.edu/snyderd/APHG/projects/Tour.htm

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Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen

Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

Bohemian Rhapsody” is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band’s 1975 album A Night at the Opera. The song has no chorus, instead consisting of four main parts: a ballad segment ending with a guitar solo, an operatic passage, and a hard rock section. At the time, it was the most expensive single ever made and remains one of the most elaborate recordings in popular music history. When it was released as a single, “Bohemian Rhapsody” became a commercial success, staying at the top of the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks and selling more than a million copies by the end of January 1976. It reached number one again in 1991 for five weeks following Mercury’s death, eventually becoming the UK’s third best-selling single of all time.  It topped the charts in several other markets as well, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and The Netherlands, later becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time. In the United States the song originally peaked at number nine in 1976; however, it returned to the chart at number two in 1992 following its appearance in the film Wayne’s World which revived its American popularity.

Although critical reaction was initially mixed, “Bohemian Rhapsody” remains one of Queen’s most popular songs. Rolling Stone ranked it as number 163 on their list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time“. “Bohemian Rhapsody” topped the list on an ITV nationwide poll to find ‘The Nation’s Favourite Number One’ over 60 years of music, with the TV programme airing on 15 July 2012. The poll was voted for by the British public and beat records such as Michael Jackson‘s “Billie Jean” (No.2), Adele‘s, “Someone like You” (No.3) and Oasis‘, “Don’t Look Back in Anger” (No.4). The single was accompanied by a promotional video, which many scholars consider ground-breaking.

Read More:    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Rhapsody
Picture Source: http://collider.com/queen-freddie-mercury-biopic-we-will-rock-you-adaptation/

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Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana

Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana

Michael Jackson - Dirty Diana

“Dirty Diana” is a song by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson featuring guitarist Steve Stevens. It is the ninth track from Jackson’s seventh studio album, Bad. The song was released by Epic Records on April 18, 1988 as the fifth single from the album. The song presented a harder rock sound similar to that of “Thriller. “Dirty Diana” was written and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones. The song’s lyrics pertain to groupies. “Dirty Diana” has a moderate tempo and is played in the key of G minor.
“Dirty Diana” was generally well received by contemporary music critics. The song was also a commercial success worldwide in 1988, charting at number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100. The song also charted within the top ten in multiple countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy and New Zealand. “Dirty Diana” was the fifth and final number-one single on the Hot 100 from Bad. In 2009, after Jackson’s death in June, the song re-entered charts, mainly due to digital download sales. A music video for “Dirty Diana” was filmed in front of a live audience and was released in 1988.

“Dirty Diana” was written and co-produced by Michael Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones. It appeared on Jackson’s seventh studio album, Bad. The song was released by Epic Records on April 18, 1988 as the fifth single from Bad. After “Beat It“, “Dirty Diana” was the second hard rock song of his solo career, more specifically a hard rock ballad, with lyrics about a persistent groupie.  Jackson hired Billy Idol‘s guitarist Steve Stevens to back him on the track.  Initial reports at the time suggested the song was a poke at his close friend Diana Ross, however this was later denied.  In fact, Ross started using the song as an overture at her concerts shortly before she appears on stage. In an interview from the special edition of Bad, Jones later confirmed that the song’s lyrics were about groupies. Jackson also confirmed this during an interview with Barbara Walters, adding that it was not about Diana, Princess of Wales, though he was told personally by the Princess that it was her favourite among his songs.

Bio source…..wikipedia.org

Picture source…..www.michaeljackson-7.com

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Six tips to survive Christmas (without having to strangle anyone)

Six tips to survive Christmas without having to strangle anyone

Forget peace on earth and goodwill to all men: Christmas can be a nightmare. Here’s how to rise above the pressure:

Shop smart

  1. Resist the temptation to spend, spend, spend. Do-it-yourself gifts, like a framed photo or homemade jam, not only save you money, they mean more than shop-bought items. Other money-saving ideas include having the family agree that you’ll only buy presents for children and giving ‘time vouchers’ instead, such as one hour’s babysitting, an afternoon’s weed-pulling).
  2. Aim for relative peace
    One reason Christmas is so tense is that it’s often one of the few times the family gets together. The solution is to think through all the potential difficulties and challenges ahead of time. For example, if a ‘problem’ person is coming to visit, work out a coping strategy, such as doing safe things, like playing board games or cards, or going for a walk after lunch or dinner.
  3. Lower your expectations
    Don’t try to make Christmas perfect — it won’t be. Decide that you’ll be happy if you have a nice day with good food and a few laughs. If things end up better than you expected, that’s a bonus. Keep it simple — you don’t need to have a huge tree, design your own greeting cards, and bake your own mince pies. Settle for a big bunch of flowers, some scented candles and a sentimental favourite like Nat King Cole on the CD player.
  4. Pamper your partner
    Any problems bubbling under the surface of your relationship will inevitably come to a head at Christmas — your partner still won’t help around the house and you still won’t get on with your in-laws. Make the most of the holidays by setting aside time for activities to do together as a couple.
  5. Delegate
    There’s no reason why everyone in the house shouldn’t help out. Decide in advance whose job it is to wrap presents or set the table. If everyone knows what their task is, there will be fewer arguments. If you’re hosting Christmas dinner, ask guests to bring the starter and/or a salad or dessert, so you only have to tackle the main course. If you just can’t cope with cooking, organise to eat out.
  6. Run away
    Not spending the day with parents or relatives can be interpreted as not loving them enough, but if you really want to escape, don’t feel guilty: reassure them that you’ll see them before you go and when you get back. If you are separated from family and friends through work or distance, helping out in a shelter for the homeless or delivering meals for the elderly can be very rewarding when everything seems so commercial.

http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/dietandhealth/healthnews/786408/six-tips-to-survive-christmas-without-having-to-strangle-anyone

 

Ten Tips For A Calm Christmas

Don’t we adore tips for the holiday season? And no wonder really. Most of us are breathless just thinking about all we have to do and how little time is left in which to do it.

Ten Tips For A Calm Christmas

These 10 tips are brief enough to consider in a moment. And big enough to make a difference.

1. Do less. Whenever people get together, it’s atmosphere that matters most, not that impressive menu.

2. Drink less. Alcohol can lift people’s spirits – but only in small amounts. Too much – and old resentments will come pouring out.

3. Check your expectations. Not just of other people. Also of yourself. Are they the slightest bit unreasonable? Sometimes we set ourselves up for disappointment by expecting the impossible. Be realistic. Yet always ready to be enchanted.

4. Focus on what’s going well right now. Or what’s most uplifting. Forget the rest.

5. Speak up. Let people know how much you appreciate them, even when their choice of gifts, or their habits or views, leaves much to be desired. “I really love the way you…” opens hearts and mends all kinds of bridges.

6. Give thanks. Be lavish in your gratitude that there are people in your life to care about. They are imperfect, of course. Isn’t everyone? Give thanks, too, that you and yours have somewhere safe to sleep at night and food and funds to share.

7. Re-value silence. This is not the time to be honest if that means being critical, undermining or telling anyone what they “need to hear”. Biting back any words that are less than encouraging is a lasting act of love.

8. Re-value forgiveness. Yourself, others, God, or life itself? Learning something from what went wrong, giving new value to the present moment, it becomes possible to move forward.

9. Re-value good humour. Become someone who’s easy to be around. And even easier to like. It’s the best gift you will ever give. And it’s certainly the best gift your dear ones will ever receive.

10. Give pleasure, great memories, generosity of spirit, laughter, music, silly hats and games, and little acts of constant kindness. ‘Tis the season of joy, indeed. And of peace.

By Stephanie Dowrick

December 21, 2011

Riverside County Firefighters Offer Christmas Tree Safety Tips

The following is a news release from CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department:

A lot of work goes into preparing for the holiday season; baking, decorating, shopping for gifts. Why not take a little extra time to make your home safe during the holidays by following some easy tips for purchasing, decorating and disposing of your holiday tree? According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA):

  • U.S. Fire Departments responded to an estimated annual average of 240 residential structure fires that began with Christmas Trees. These fires caused an annual average of 13 civilian fire-related deaths, 27 civilian fire-related injuries and nearly $16.7 million dollars in direct property damage.
  • Electrical problems were factors in 33% of residential Christmas Tree structure fires.
  • 13% of home Christmas Tree fires involved decorative lights.
  • Candles started 11% of home Christmas Tree structure fires.
  • 39% (or two out of every five) home Christmas Tree fires started in the living room, family room or den.
  • 18% of home Christmas Tree structure fires were intentionally set. Half of the intentional Christmas Tree fires occurred in January and may have been related to disposal.

“These are staggering statistics”, said CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Chief John R. Hawkins. “If you opt to purchase a live tree, a few simple actions can protect your family from an improperly selected, maintained and disposed of live tree and it becoming the culprit of a dangerous and deadly fire.”

We invite you to view a video clip, also available on YouTube (CAL FIRE TV), with some very important tips on selecting, decorating, maintaining and disposing of live Christmas Trees.

CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department wishes all of our residents and visitors a very happy and fire safe holiday season!

Riverside County Firefighters Offer Christmas Tree Safety Tips

Related Topics: Christmas Trees and Fires

Make your own Christmas lantern

Make your own Christmas lantern

Francine Raymond explains how to make a pretty Christmas lantern this festive season and gives tips on what to forage for other decorations.

As a child, my party piece was a recitation of The Ant and The Grasshopper by La Fontaine, a French fable eulogising the hardworking and forward-thinking ant, to the detriment of the merry grasshopper who sang all summer instead of hoarding food for the winter. This summer, I may not have been singing, but I wasn’t squirrelling aside my usual baskets of seed heads, berries and fruits for my Christmas decoration bonanza. The weather hasn’t helped. The wind and the rain have put pay to many of my usual sources, so it has been slim pickings.

Luckily, florists Jen Stuart-Smith and Bek Bibby of Blooming Green are wise and provident, and grow flowers, berries and seed heads to pick all the year through on their plot at Loddington Farm in Kent.This year they ran a course on Christmas decoration making, teaching students how to make a fabulous table lantern, decorated with twigs and berries, that readers could adapt to make at home (see instructions, below). The provident will book in for one of their courses in time for next year.

Local florist Anna Evans (annascountryflowers.co.uk) also grows her floral ingredients on the family fruit farm in Chilham, Kent. She suggests a pretty pair of hydrangea lollipop trees in painted pots to set on either side of the mantlepiece. Starting with two dry oasis balls (available from floristsuppliesuk.com), small bunches of dried hydrangea florets are poked into the ball until it is covered. Attach the ball to a hazel stick or ribbon-covered length of bamboo, and anchor into a flowerpot (filled with gravel) that has been spray-painted or covered in découpage. Alternatively, wet oasis balls could be festooned with bunches of bay leaves, or sweet-smelling herbs for festive topiaries.

How to make a Christmas lantern

For this project you will need:

Make your own Christmas lantern

• Copper florists’ mesh (from rainbowfloristsupplies.co.uk) or any mesh – even sprayed chicken wire would do.

• A large tin or straight-sided container to use as a former.

• A coordinated coloured candle – keep it in a jam jar to be on the safe side.

• A bunch of hazel, red, yellow or lime green dogwood, willow, birch or any garden twigs you can find.

• A selection of berries: cotoneaster, rose hips, Chinese lanterns, spindle berries, sprayed ivy berry clusters, crab apples, catkins, honesty coins, or cranberries threaded on wire.

To make your lantern:

1 Roll the florists’ mesh around your former to create a well. Use florists’ snips to cut the wire.

2 Thread the twigs through the mesh to make an attractive shape.

3 Thread berries or seed heads onto lengths of wire to attach them to the twigs, then incorporate into the design. Set the arrangement safely on a table. Don’t leave candles unattended.

For more inspiration:

• Elspeth Thompson and Ros Badger’s book, Homemade, has been abridged for celebratory projects: Christmas and Festive Decorations, full of lovely home-craft projects.

 essentialscompany.co.uk sells an array of dried pods and seed heads, cedar roses and cones (pine, alder, larch maritima and plumosum), also dried citrus fruit, tiny pumpkins and artificial berries. W & M Smith in Suffolk stocks everything a crafty florist could need (see wandmsmith.co.uk).

 

Not all my garden foraging projects were a complete disaster, I’ve been a busy bee and managed a few decorations:

• A garland of tiny dried artichoke heads, past their prime, sprayed gold and threaded evenly (spaced every 6in) on garden twine, to hang above my French windows.

• A bunch of dried allium (Cristophii and Schubertii) heads sprayed in pastel colours, ends tipped with crystals from a car boot necklace.

• A wreath of dried eucalyptus leaves in pale blue/green that have been pressed flat between sheets of newspaper then glue gunned onto a wire frame; and another of heart-shaped purple Cercis canadensis mixed with butter yellow moth-shaped Ginkgo biloba leaves.

• This year, my tree will be a piece of fig bough sprayed flat white, decorated with little birds (floristsuppliesuk.com), dried kumquats and rosehips.

• Blooming Green sells hand-picked, seasonal, eco-friendly organically grown flowers. For courses, events, wedding flowers and online bouquets, see bloominggreenflowers.co.uk

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/9735713/Make-your-own-Christmas-lantern.html

 

Beach campsites closed for Christmas

Beach campsites closed for Christmas

Beach campsites closed for Christmas

The sand dunes on Newcastle’s Stockton Beach will remain off limits for camping this Christmas and New Year period, as the area continues to recover from storm damage.

The Worimi Conservation Lands area suffered severe erosion during a storm in June this year, forcing the closure of all camping areas.

National Parks and Wildlife Service region manager, Robert Quirk, says while people are still able to visit the beach, the damage to the frontal dunes means it is too dangerous for camping.

“They’re recovering and they’re recovering well, but they haven’t recovered sufficiently to put campers back on them,” he said.

“Both the pressures of vehicles and people, and also the risk from another storm event.

“(In) August the sea broke through again and I think a large storm event could still break through.

“So many of the places where people used to camp are now still prone to flooding under large storm events.”

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-11/beach-campsites-closed-for-christmas/4420148

 

7.2 magnitude earthquake hits Indonesia, no immediate tsunami warning

7.2 magnitude earthquake hits Indonesia, no immediate tsunami warning

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake has been reported off the coast of Indonesia.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck offshore, 129 miles (208 kilometers) northwest of the city of Saumlaki. The quake was reported at a depth of 96 miles (155 kilometers).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has no immediate tsunami warning.The quake hit shortly before 1700 GMT.

Indonesia is located in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where earthquakes and volcanic activity are common.