Online Journal

Fossil from northwestern China is new species of meat-eating dinosaur

admin — Mon, 06 May 2013 22:21:01 +0000

A fossil uncovered in northwestern China has been identified as a new species of small bipedal theropod dinosaur, probably carnivorous, researchers said.

George Washington University biologist James Clark and a team of international researchers, found the dinosaur specimen in a remote region of Xinjiang province in China in 2006.

Writing in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, Clark and fellow GWU researcher Jonah Choiniere the skull, mandible and partial skeleton of the dinosaur showed the new theropod was just more than 3 feet long and probably weighed about 3 pounds, walking on its hind legs.

Members of the new species, dubbed Aorun zhaio, weren’t necessarily small dinosaurs, they said, because the fossil uncovered was that of a youngster.

“We were able to look at microscopic details of Aorun’s bones and they showed that the animal was less than a year old when it died on the banks of a stream,” Choiniere said.

“All that was exposed on the surface was a bit of the leg,” Clark said. “We were pleasantly surprised to find a skull buried in the rock, too.”

Aorun lived more than 161 million years ago and its small, numerous teeth suggest it would have eaten prey such as lizards and small relatives of modern mammals, the researchers said. Most species of theropods were carnivorous, although some were herbivores.

Survey finds more households renting and at high costs

admin — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:45:01 +0000

Rental vacancy rates in the United States fell from 2009 to 2011, while the share of households renting homes rose, the Census Bureau said Tuesday.

Rental vacancy rates fell from 8.4 percent to 7.4 percent in two years, the American Community Survey stated.

Vacancy rates dropped while the share of U.S. households “that rent rather than own” a home increased from 34.1 percent to 35.4 percent.

The survey also found that “more renters are spending a high percentage of their household income on rent.”

“In this report, renters spending 35 percent or more of household income on rent and utilities are considered to have high rental costs,” the Census Bureau said.

And that percentage rose. In 2009, 42.5 percent of renters were considered to be categorically paying high housing costs. By 2011, that had grown to 44.3 percent, the report said.

“While we saw a decrease in rental vacancy rates and pricing in some areas, the burden of rental costs on households increased across many parts of the nation,” said Arthur Cresce, assistant division chief for housing characteristics at the Census Bureau in a statement.

“Factors such as supply and demand for rental housing and local economic conditions play an important role in helping to explain these relationships,” Cresce said.

Heavy texting linked to lesser ethics, greater prejudice, study finds

admin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:47:01 +0000

Young people who send more than 100 texts a day are more likely than others to be shallow and uninterested in living an ethical life, Canadian researchers said.

Psychologists in Winnipeg, Manitoba, conducted surveys for three consecutive years with freshmen psychology students at the University of Winnipeg. They found people who said they text more than 100 times per day are 30 percent less likely to feel strongly about leading an “ethical, principled life” than those who send 50 or fewer text messages per day, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said Thursday.

Heavy texters — 30 percent of respondents reported sending at least 200 texts per day; 12 percent said it was 300 or more — are also statistically more likely to hold ethnic prejudices, the study found.

“The values and traits most closely associated with texting frequency are surprisingly consistent with Carr’s conjecture that new information and social media technologies may be displacing and discouraging reflective thought,” said psychologist Paul Trapnell, one of the study’s authors. “We still don’t know the exact cause of these modest but consistent associations, but we think they warrant further study. We were surprised, however, that so little research has been done to directly test this important claim.”

17 soldiers, 4 children killed by bombs

admin — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:45:01 +0000

A car bomb killed at least 17 soldiers in Pakistan and four children died in an explosion in Afghanistan, officials said.

The car bomb was detonated close to an army post near the town of Miranshah in North Waziristan, Pakistan, Saturday night, killing the soldiers and the driver of the car and injuring more than a dozen security personnel, Khaama Press reported.

Officials said the explosion went off next to two tankers that were supplying fuel to the post. The blast set the tankers on fire and destroyed a nearby barracks.

No group had claimed responsibility for the attack.

An explosion in the Mianshin district of the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan killed at least four children and injured two others, Khaama Press said.

Local government officials said militants planted an improvised explosive device that was meant to kill security forces.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai called the explosion an inhumane act, Khaama Press said.

Cage didn’t know ‘Croods’ clan before film

admin — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 08:36:02 +0000

Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage says he didn”t meet his co-stars in the animated caveman comedy “The Croods,” until after the movie had wrapped.

“This is the very first day I have ever met Ryan [Reynolds,]” Cage told United Press International at a press conference in New York Friday, when asked if he taped his voice performance alone in a studio or alongside the actors who play his prehistoric family members.

“We just met now,” Reynolds confirmed.

“I am a huge fan,” Cage added.

“Ditto,” Reynolds said.

“But we just met today. That is the absolute truth. Emma [Stone] and I met in Berlin [at the film festival where the movie premiered,]” Cage went on. “So, to answer your question, we didn”t get to interact with each other while making the movie, but we could imagine what each of us were doing and sometimes [writer-directors Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco] would do playbacks and we could riff off of that.”

Cage told the reporters at the news conference he loved how the DreamWorks Animation feature is appealing to audience members of all ages.

“I don”t see it as a children”s movie. I see it as a family movie and children are invited,” he noted. “There is something in the movie for everyone and that”s one of things I really adore about the picture. My youngest son [Kal-El, 7,] can see it and my oldest son [Weston, 22,] can see it, and everyone is going to get something out of it. … What makes it work is it doesn”t condescend to children. We know how intelligent children are. We know they appreciate good music and drawings and so I think any family film that has worked with the community of children is one that doesn”t talk down to children.”

Cage also said he was also “blown away” by how visually stunning the film is.

“All of it. The animals in the movie. The spectacular landscapes. The collaborative works of art that joined together to make the movie and I was very happy with all the performances.”

Featuring the voice talents of Catherine Keener, Clark Duke and Cloris Leachman, “The Croods” opens in U.S. theaters March 22.

China announces plans for grain farming

admin — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:45:01 +0000

China announced it plans to secure over 1.67 billion mu (275 million acres) of land for grain farming this year.

Agriculture Minister Han Changfu said different regions in the country will take advantage of their agricultural features to increase the acreage of high-yield crops, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Han called on agricultural departments at all levels to increase subsidies for farmers and take steps to reduce grain output losses from unfavorable factors, such as weather-related disasters.

Weather forecasters have said a lack of rainfall could result in a spring drought. Taking note of that, the Agriculture Ministry is encouraging earlier planting this year and putting more young laborers to work, the report said.

Raising grain output and increasing farming subsidies are the focus of this year’s first official government document under the country’s new leaders.

China’s grain output rose 3.2 percent year-on-year to a record 590 million tonnes (metric tons), the ninth straight year of growth, Xinhua said. A metric ton is about 2,204.62 pounds.

Venezuela to devalue the bolivar

admin — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:27:01 +0000

Venezuelan Finance Minister Jorge Giordani said the country will devalue its currency 32 percent as part of an attempt to close a budget deficit.

The devaluation, set for Feb. 13, will increase the amount of currency in circulation.

Election-year spending that supported President Hugo Chavez’s re-election bid in 2012 nearly tripled the government’s annual budget deficit, Mercopress reported Saturday.

Giordani said Chavez ordered the devaluation — the fifth in nine years — from Cuba, where he is recovering from his fourth cancer surgery.

“We’ve got to do more with less,” said Vice President Nicolas Maduro on state television before the devaluation was announced.

Giordani said the devaluation “isn’t a change that was done for fiscal reasons.”

“We have sufficient revenue but we need to adjust the accounts,” he said. “We need an increase in efficiency and efficiency means spending less.”

Devaluing a currency decreases the standard of living, as it makes imports more expensive, but exports become more affordable in foreign markets — which would give Venezuela’s oil-export oriented economy a boost.

COL BKB: La Salle 54, Butler 53

admin — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 08:35:01 +0000

Ramon Galloway made a layup to finish off an end-to-end drive with 3 seconds remaining Wednesday, giving La Salle a 54-53 upset victory over No. 9 Butler.

The Bulldogs had won 13 games in a row since Nov. 21, but let a five-point halftime lead slip away and fell for the first time in Atlantic 10 Conference play.

La Salle took a 52-51 lead with 32 seconds to play on jumper by Sam Mills, but Butler moved back in front with 8 seconds left on Andrew Smith’s layup.

Galloway then took the inbounds pass and drove the length of the floor to produce the winning points.

Tyreek Duren led the Explorers with 16 points, five rebounds and six assists. La Salle hit just 41 percent of its shots, made only four free throws and was outrebounded as well. The Explorers, however, forced 13 turnovers and committed just eight.

La Salle improved to 13-5 for the season and to 3-2 in conference play. The Explorers had not defeated a team from the Top 10 in 33 seasons.

Butler (16-3, 3-1) got 16 points from Smith and 15 from Kellen Dunham.

NYC settles lawsuit over subway dancing

admin — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:24:01 +0000

New York City has agreed to pay $75,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a couple arrested for dancing on a subway platform, officials said.

The settlement puts an end to the lawsuit Caroline Stern, 55, and her boyfriend, George Hess, 54, filed last year for their July 2011 arrest, for which they spent 23 hours in custody, the New York Post reported.

On the night of their arrest, Hess and Stern danced while waiting at the Columbus Circle subway station after a jazz show at Lincoln Center. Two police officers told them dancing was not allowed on subway platforms and arrested the couple after Stern could not produce a photo ID.

Stern said she and Hess were happy about the settlement, but said their arrest could have been avoided.

“I’m kind of glad it’s over,” she said. “At the same time, with all the issues with the stopping and frisking people, I think the cops really have to be better trained in dealing with various situations. This was a huge waste of money and time for everybody involved.”

New York City lawmakers have criticized the city’s record of settling lawsuits, particularly ones dealing with the police department, with taxpayer money.

“At $75,000 a dance, the city’s going to go bankrupt sooner than we thought,” said city Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., D-Astoria. “Here, it looks like it was the taxpayers who got served.”

The city paid out more that $185.6 million in fiscal year 2011, settling suits against the NYPD.

“Their policy is to settle regardless of the guilt and just throw taxpayer money out there,” said Vallone.

Boeing CEO confident in Dreamliner

admin — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:34:01 +0000

Boeing Co. Chief Executive Officer Jim McNerney says he is confident the U.S. company can soon return the grounded 787 Dreamliner to service.

The Federal Aviation Administration took the rare step this week of grounding the entire fleet of the new jet after a series of incidents in which Dreamliners have been forced to make emergency landings or react to smoking-filled planes on the ground due to problems with lithium batteries.

The New York Times reported Saturday the FAA has not grounded an entire fleet of planes since 1979, when it ordered the cessation of McDonnell Douglas DC-10 flights after a crash.

Boeing”s 787 Dreamliner was launched in 2011 after the initial delivery date was postponed by more than three years due to a series of production and engineering setbacks.

In a memo sent Friday to company employees, McNerney said: “Despite the negative news attention over the past several days, I remain tremendously proud of the employees across the company for the decade of effort that has gone into designing, developing, building and delivering the most innovative commercial airplane ever imagined.”

McNerney noted the Dreamliner has been in service for 15 months, during which time it has “completed 18,000 flights and 50,000 flight hours with eight airlines, carrying more than 1,000,000 passengers safely to destinations around the world.”

The Hill newspaper reported McNerney considered the Dreamliner”s launch to be “on par with the best-in-class introduction of the 777,” although he added, “We will not be satisfied until the 787 meets the even higher standard of performance we set for it and promised to our customers.”

Analysts say the setback could take weeks to correct if it”s a local problem or it could takes months to fix if it involved the entire electrical system in the jets.

CNN reported that grounding the entire Dreamliner fleet was reflective of the “zero tolerance” for safety risks that has contributed to an improved crash record for U.S. airlines — which have not experienced a fatal incident since a February 2009 passenger jet crash in Buffalo, N.Y.

The Dreamliner incidents have been comparatively minor, but alarming. In one recent incident, one of the plane”s two lithium batteries caught fire in a plane with no passengers on board, while crews in Boston were getting the plane ready for a flight. In the other incident, also involving a lithium battery, a plane was forced to make an emergency landing after a smoke alarm in the cockpit went off.

Jets owned by Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, United Airlines and Qatar Airways have all had similar problems, CNN reported.