SpaceX's Reusable 'Grasshopper' Rocket Soars in Highest Test Flight Yet (Video)

An experimental reusable rocket prototype built by the private spaceflight company SpaceX has made its highest leap yet, soaring more than 2,000 feet above its Texas proving ground  as a camera captured the eye-popping test.

SpaceX's Grasshopper rocket made the giant leap on Oct. 7 and climbed 2,441 feet (744 meters) into the air before safely landing back on its launch pad in McGregor, Texas. SpaceX officials unveiled the amazing video of Grasshopper's highest hop yet on Saturday (Oct. 12).

The video shows Grasshopper flying high into the air while the hexacopter, already aloft, records the flight with video camera eye. The multirotor, unmanned drone captures an incredible shot of the rocket as it begins its descent. The entire test takes less than 1.5 minutes from liftoff to landing. [SpaceX's Grasshopper, the Amazing Reusable Rocket (Photos)]

"While most rockets are designed to burn up on atmosphere reentry, SpaceX rockets are being designed not only to withstand reentry, but also to return to the launch pad for a vertical landing," SpaceX officials wrote in a video description. "The Grasshopper VTVL [Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing] vehicle represents a critical step towards this goal."

A Grasshopper launch in August demonstrated the reusable vehicle's ability to hop sideways while in midair.  For that test, the experimental rocket launched to an altitude of 820 feet (250 m), hovered, moved 328 feet (100 m) sideways and then returned to the launch pad.

The most recent test is only the latest in a series of ever-higher flights for Grasshopper. Previous launches took place in September, November and December of 2012. During those flights, Grasshopper reached altitudes of 8.2 feet (2.5 m), 17.7 feet (5.4 m) and 131 feet (40 m) respectively. Its highest hops in March and April of 2013 took the reusable rocket to peak altitudes of 263 feet (80 m) and 820 feet (250 m). In June, Grasshopper climbed to an altitude of 1,066 feet (325 m) before safely maneuvering back to the ground.

The Grasshopper rocket, known at SpaceX as the Falcon 9 test rig, is about 10 stories tall. It uses the first-stage tank of the Falcon 9 — the rocket used to launch the company's Dragon capsule to the International Space Station. Grasshopper only uses one Merlin engine unlike the Falcon 9, which sports nine of the privately developed rocket engines as its name suggests.

The Hawthorne, Calif.-based private spaceflight company holds a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to make 12 unmanned supply runs to the station. SpaceX has flown two of those cargo missions for NASA already, with the next visit to the station scheduled for early 2014.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spacexs-reusable-grasshopper-rocket-soars-highest-test-flight-192109510.html
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'Fashion Police' Writer Expelled From WGA Accuses Guild of 'Smear Campaign'

Fashion Police writer Larry Amoros reacted Monday after being kicked out of the Writers Guild of America by labeling the organization's actions a "smear campaign," adding that he did not participate in a trial concerning charges again him because "I am allergic to kangaroos."

His reference is to a kangaroo court, which is a term for a mock court where principles of law and justice are disregard or perverted.

STORY: WGA Expels and Fines 'Fashion Police' Writer for Writing During Strike

The WGA board expelled Amoros as a member for providing "scab" writing services to E! Entertainment's Fashion Police show while the guild was striking the program -- a violation of the guild's Working Rule 8 -- and fined him about $14,000.

Amoros countered in his statement that he isn't a member of the guild: "How can the WGA throw me out of a club I am not a member of? Next week, I look forward to being expelled from the NFL for not being a football player."

He said he has not been an active member of the WGA since 1998 and, with the exception of a "nominal dues payment" three years ago, has not paid dues for the past 15 years.

Under guild rules and legal precedent, according to a labor lawyer, Amoros can still be fined even if he did resign, so long as the alleged misconduct occurred before he resigned.

Amoros said he formally resigned last month in a letter to WGA president Chris Keyser after the WGA threatened to expel him if he did not meet with Keyser. Amoros described what the guild wanted as "ratting out the other writers on Fashion Police."

That may reflect guild Working Rule 9, which provides that "It shall be the responsibility of every member to report, in confidence to the Guild office, for appropriate action, any violation or abuses of the terms and working standards established by the current Minimum Basic Agreements and Code of Working Rules."

He said the WGA wanted information from him on the eve of its trial against host Joan Rivers. Those charges were later resolved.

Amoros said the guild held a trial against him for failing to participate in what the guild said was an investigation during a strike on a nonunion show.

VIDEO: Striking 'Fashion Police' Writers Slam Joan Rivers: 'We Were Shot Down'

He said that, as a nonmember, he felt he had no obligation to participate in what he calls "a witch hunt." He said he had a right not to walk off Fashion Police when the strike was called April 17, which he says was his right under NLRB rules.

"I didn't attend because I am allergic to kangaroos," said Amoros, adding: "The purpose was transparent -- throw the striking writers, who have been out of work for more than six months, a bone."

"I'm saddened that my talented colleagues are being used as pawns by the WGA West leadership in its war against E! and that this never- ending folly has cost them work and deprived people of their talent and humor," Amoros said. "The WGA West has been carrying on like this for months, and it seems that all it has done is wasted time, money, cost writers work, created ill will."

The WGA responded: "When the strike at Fashion Police was sanctioned by the WGAW on April 17 and the work stoppage order was issued, Mr. Amoros was a current member who, as he noted, was behind in his dues. That did not excuse him from the obligations laid out in the Guild's constitution and Working Rules. We acknowledge that he submitted a resignation e-mail on Sept. 21, 2013, however, the disciplinary action was based on conduct he committed before he decided to resign."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/television/~3/5CUxsT_oxxM/story01.htm
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Tennessee GOP chairman accuses ACLU of 'scare tactics' on football game prayer issue

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney

Poll

Should prayer be allowed before high school football games?

NASHVILLE — State Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney is accusing the American Civil Liberties Union Tennessee of using “scare tactics” to “intimidate” public schools on the issue of prayer at high school football games.

After the ACLU-Tennessee last week sent a letter to school superintendents warning about reports of “school-sponsored prayer in numerous” football programs, Devaney today fired off his own letter to the superintendents, calling the ACLU a “far left” organization.

He also says he’s started a petition.

“With a new week of football games set to kick off, we write today to tell you we stand with you and the millions of Tennesseans who want to express their rights and not cower to the liberal self-interests of a leftwing organization,” Devaney says in the letter.

He charges the ACLU-Tennessee letter “misses a very basic principle about the First Amendment: It was written—not to protect government from religion—but to ensure religious freedoms are not violated by the government.”

Moreover, Devaney said, the ACLU-TN willfully misrepresents a point in the U.S. Supreme Court case Sante Fe Independent School District v. Doe case it cites. The Court has found "(n)othing in the Constitution…prohibits any public school student from voluntarily praying at any time before, during, or after the schoolday," Devaney said.

Last week, ACLU-Tennessee Executive Director Hedy Weinberg announced the organization had sent a letter to superintendents in response to what she said were reports of school-sponsored prayer.

“Our experience is that many public school administrators and educators struggle with how the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom apply to prayer during their school-sponsored events,” she said in a news release at the time. “Our goal is to make sure that school systems statewide understand these First Amendment guarantees and commit to protecting religious freedom for all students, including athletes, and for their families who attend the games.”

The ACLU-TN letter went out to explain the U.S. Supreme Court held in Lee v. Weisman that school faculty, coaches, administrators and invited clergy may not lead students in prayer or conduct a prayer during a school event.

She said that in regard to the specific practice of prayer at public school football games, the Supreme Court established in Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe that a Texas school district policy permitting its student body to vote at the beginning of each school year whether or not to have prayers before football games also violates the Establishment Clause.

But in her actual letter to superintendents, Weinberg said “contrary to protests voiced by those who desire to use the public schools as a forum for promoting their particular religious beliefs, the Supreme Court’s holding in Sante Fe is not anti-religious and does not interfere with the rights of students, guaranteed by the Free Exercise Clause, to worship and pray according to the dictates of their own consciences.”

Absence of school-endorsed prayer from a public school’s athletic event “does not impose any burden on the ability of students to personally affirm their religious beliefs,” she wrote.

about Andy Sher...

Andy Sher is a Nashville-based staff writer covering Tennessee state government and politics for the Times Free Press. A Washington correspondent from 1999-2005 for the Times Free Press, Andy previously headed up state Capitol coverage for The Chattanooga Times, worked as a state Capitol reporter for The Nashville Banner and was a contributor to The Tennessee Journal, among other publications. Andy worked for 17 years at The Chattanooga Times covering police, health care, county government, ...

Source: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/oct/10/gop-chairman-accuses-aclu-scare-tactics-issue-pray/
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The New Rules Of The Modern Cover Letter - Business Insider

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It used to be that your cover letter was all about you. But things have changed.

The modern cover letter should focus first and foremost on the company it's directed to, career experts say. Gone are the days where you could spend a few paragraphs detailing your own accomplishments. Today, you also need to demonstrate a genuine interest in the company and prove you know how to help it.

"People need to focus their cover letters on the company they’re applying to, not on themselves," says Dan Schawbel, author of best-selling book "Promote Yourself" and managing partner of consultancy Millennial Branding. "Show how you can make a difference for that company."

That's easier said than done, especially when you're trying to distinguish yourself among dozens or hundreds of other applicants. Below, career experts weigh in on the new essential guidelines to writing a successful cover letter.

1. Keep your letter short enough for someone to read in 10 seconds. 

Three paragraphs is the ideal length, says Vicki Salemi, a career expert and author of "Big Career in the Big City." Use the first paragraph as an intro, the second for the meat, and the third to wrap up. The hiring manager giving a first read to your letter is probably going to spend 10 seconds or less on it, Salemi adds. They want to read something succinct.

2. Hook your reader's interest in the first sentence. 

"It is with great interest that I write to apply for the position of..." is a great first line if you want to lose your reader's interest. It's dreadfully boring. Assuming you applied to the job online, the hiring manager already knows what the position is and that you're writing to apply. Instead, try a professional but bold statement that catches the reader's eye. Salemi suggests opening with a pitch, such as: "Looking for a dynamic marketing guru? Look no further. Here I am."

3. Pick two or three skills from the job description and show you have them. 

Read the job description carefully and identify the top two or three qualities the company wants in a candidate, Salemi says. Then use your cover letter to demonstrate you have those skills, giving examples of when and how you've used them in the past. Show that you're equipped to make a difference from day one.

4. Use numbers and statistics to back up your claims. 

It's good to say you're experienced with social media. But it's much, much better to say you led a successful social media campaign that generated 3.2 million followers and increased revenue by 3%. The goal, Schawbel says, is to present yourself as a proven results-getter and show that you can replicate your past successes at a new company. 

4. Don't just rehash your résumé in paragraph form.

The cover letter is designed to showcase your interest in the company and your best attributes for the position. That doesn't mean it needs an itemized list of your every job and achievement. To be sure, if you won an exceptional award or executed a stunning project, then make sure to highlight it in the letter. You should also discuss previous work that relates specifically to skills and experiences the hiring manager is looking for. But as a general rule of thumb, if it doesn't jump off the page, leave it out. 

5. Address your cover letter directly to the hiring manager or recruiter. 

Nothing says "I don't care about your company" like an opening of "To Whom It May Concern." That may have been OK before the advent of modern technology, but today it generally takes as little as a Google search or a phone call to figure out the name of the hiring manager. Addressing your letter to the correct person (and spelling their name correctly!) will automatically ingratiate you to the reader and show that you've spent some time researching the company and position.

6. Customize your tone for the company culture.

You might be applying to a Fortune 500 company, a startup, or something in the middle. No two companies are alike, not just in mission but also in culture. An important part of tailoring your cover letter to the company is striking the right tone, Schawbel says. If you know the place you're applying to has a casual vibe, then your letter can reflect that with pithy sentences and fun anecdotes that show an easygoing side of your personality. On the other hand, if the company seems to have a formal culture, it's probably best to use traditional phrases like "Dear Mr./Ms." and straightforward prose. 

7. Proofread carefully, and consider getting a second pair of eyes. 

How you absolutely don't want to be remembered is as the person that submitted the sloppy cover letter. So proof, proof, and proof again, or enlist a friend to look at your document with a fresh set of eyes. A typo, grammar mistake, misspelling, or other error can "leap off the page in a bad way," Salemi says, and is the easiest way to let a hiring manager knock your application straight from their desk to the trash bin. Don't give them the chance.

 

What are your most pressing workplace challenges or concerns? What questions do you have on how to get ahead in your career today? Email the Business Insider Careers team at careers@businessinsider.com, and we’ll find the answers.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-new-rules-of-the-modern-cover-letter-2013-10
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Home Improvement & Appliances - Free Website Submission ...

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Source: http://www.humansthink.com/content/home-improvement-appliances-free-website-submission-directory-listing

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Air Jordan XX8 First Look: HAHAHA These Are the New Air Jordans, Suckas!

Here they are, ladies and gentlemen. The Jordan XX8 aka the new freaking Air Jordans that acclaimed movie director Spike Lee and legendary Nike designer Tinker Hatfield just unveiled in New York. Here's a first look at the kicks sneakerheads worldwide will be dying to get their hands on. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/411uX8YlxOY/nike-jordan-xx8-first-look-james-bond-inspired-michael-jordans-latest-kicks

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How copper restricts the spread of global antibiotic-resistant infections

ScienceDaily (Dec. 4, 2012) ? New research from the University of Southampton has shown that copper can prevent horizontal transmission of genes, which has contributed to the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant infections worldwide.

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in bacteria is largely responsible for the development of antibiotic resistance, which has led to an increasing number of difficult-to-treat healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs).

The newly published paper, which appears in the journal mBio, shows that while HGT can take place in the environment, on frequently-touched surfaces, such as door handles, trolleys and tables, which are made from stainless steel -- copper prevents this process from occurring and rapidly kills bacteria on contact.

Lead author Professor Bill Keevil, Chair in Environmental Healthcare at the University of Southampton, explains: "Whilst studies have focussed on HGT in vivo (an experiment that is done in the body of a living organism), this work investigates whether the ability of pathogens to persist in the environment, particularly on touch surfaces, may also play an important role. Here we show prolonged survival of multidrug resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae on stainless steel surfaces for several weeks. However, rapid death of both antibiotic-resistant strains and destruction of plasmid and genomic DNA was observed on copper and copper alloy surfaces, which could be useful in the prevention of infection spread and gene transfer."

Showing that horizontal transmission of genes (for example, those governing antibiotic resistance) occurs on touch surfaces, supports the important role of the environment in infection prevention.

Professor Keevil summarises: "We know many human pathogens survive for long periods in the hospital environment and can lead to infection, expensive treatment, blocked beds and death. What we have shown in this work is the potential for strategically-placed antimicrobial copper touch surfaces to not only break the chain of contamination, but also actively reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance developing at the same time. Provided adequate cleaning continues in critical environments, copper can be employed as an important additional tool in the fight against pathogens."

Beyond the healthcare environment, copper also has a wider role to play in infection control. Professor Keevil explains: "Copper touch surfaces have promise for preventing antibiotic resistance transfer in public buildings and mass transportation systems, which lead to local and -- in the case of jet travel -- rapid worldwide dissemination of multi-drug resistant superbugs as soon as they appear.

"People with inadequate hand hygiene could exchange their bugs and different antibiotic resistance genes just by touching a stair rail or door handle, ready to be picked up by someone else and passed on. Copper substantially reduces and restricts the spread of these infections, making an important contribution to improved hygiene and, consequently, health."

Installations of copper touch surfaces have already taken place across the UK and around the world, harnessing copper's ability to continuously reduce bioburden and consequently the risk of HCAI transmission. This research offers additional evidence to deploy copper (and copper-containing alloys that benefit from the metal's antimicrobial properties) in the form of touch surfaces to provide extra protection alongside standard hygiene practices.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/eAwySOsdCY8/121204081150.htm

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