The Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has announced that it is back in business checking out the new habitable exoplanets recently discovered by NASA’s Kepler space telescope to see if they might be home to alien civilisations. The cash needed to restart SETI’s efforts has come in part from the US Air Force Space Command, who are interested in using the organisation’s detection instruments for space situational awareness
— via redwolf.newsvine.com
Matt Glover, the Lilydale Baptist pastor who supports gay marriage, has been sacked at a secret church meeting to which he was not invited.
The Lilydale church office yesterday confirmed that Mr Glover was no longer senior pastor, but said the congregation had been instructed to remain silent.
The Age reported last week that the church was in turmoil over Mr Glover’s support for same-sex marriage on a gay website two months ago.
Mr Glover, who has a young family, has worked with members of the gay and lesbian community for 15 years — via redwolf.newsvine.com
An over-reliance on coy terms such as family jewels
, back door
and front parlour
has won acclaimed American novelist David Guterson the dubious accolade of the Literary Review’s bad sex in fiction award.
Guterson, who took the literary world by storm in 1994 with his bestselling debut Snow Falling on Cedars, snaffled the bad sex prize for his fifth novel, Ed King, a modern reimagining of the Oedipus myth. His win was announced in the apt setting of the In & Out Club in London by Carry On star Barbara Windsor; although the American writer was unable to accept his award of a plaster foot in person, he took his triumph in good spirits, saying in response that Oedipus practically invented bad sex, so I’m not in the least bit surprised
— via redwolf.newsvine.com
One in three people in Switzerland download unauthorised music, movies and games from the Internet and since last year the government has been wondering what to do about it. This week their response was published and it was crystal clear. Not only will downloading for personal use stay completely legal, but the copyright holders won’t suffer because of it, since people eventually spend the money saved on entertainment products — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Research is beginning to indicate that the culprit in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other diseases is the activity of tiny bits of misfolded amyloid-beta protein (small protein aggregates), which have a toxic, destructive effect on neurons.
Now a team of researchers in Berlin have found that orcein, historically a red lichen-derived food and fabric colour, appears to reduce the abundance of these toxic bits (called precursors because they eventually lead to large plaques). Both orcein and O4, a small blue pigment molecule similar to one in the complex 14-molecule orcein compound, bind to the pre-fibrous amyloid-beta aggregates, transforming them to large plaques which are not thought to be neurotoxic — via redwolf.newsvine.com
June Gilbank of Planet June just posted this beautiful beaded poinsettia tutorial over on her blog. This is a holiday project that would stand the test of time, and would be lovely to bring out and use in your décor year after year. Her step-by-step pictures are highly detailed, and make the project look very manageable — via CRAFT
A new arrival is delighting keepers at Austria’s Zoo Vienna. On Sunday, the 27 November, a baby Giant Anteater was born and dubbed Hombrecito
by zoo veterinarians. Immediately following the birth, mother and child were allowed much needed rest and privacy. Visitors are now able to see the little one clinging tightly to his mother’s back — via ZooBorns
A team of researchers has confirmed five astronauts who stayed long-term at the International Space Station were able to prevent bone density loss by taking osteoporosis drugs.
The finding is expected to draw attention as something to help astronauts maintain their health when in space for long periods — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Fraudsters are increasingly using social engineering techniques to steal mobile phone numbers and intercept their owners’ online banking verification codes, according to an investigation published in the inaugural Australian print edition of SC Magazine.
With the country’s police forces too stretched to investigate and telcos unwilling to accept responsibility for the problem, Australia’s banks have been forced to wear the risk and cost of the fraud as they look to new methods of protecting online accounts — via redwolf.newsvine.com
— via See Mike Draw
Two angry farmers have let loose dozens of snakes, including deadly cobras, in a government office in northern India.
The farmers were reportedly fed up after officials demanded bribes in exchange for their tax records.
They dumped about 40 snakes on the floor of the tax office, sending panicked officials scrambling on top of their desks — via redwolf.newsvine.com
In late 2009, Lynn Zwerling stood in front of 600 male prisoners at the Pre-Release Unit in Jessup, Maryland. Who wants to knit?
she asked the burly crowd. They looked at her like she was crazy.
Yet almost two years later, Zwerling and her associates have taught more than 100 prisoners to knit, while dozens more are on a waiting list to take her weekly class. I have guys that have never missed one time in two years,
Zwerling says. Some reported to us that they miss dinner to come to class
— via redwolf.newsvine.com
Bridge over the Vlaardingervaart, originally uploaded by Theo Lagendijk.
The bridge’s strong three-dimensional character not only adds to the design’s expressiveness, but also has functional purposes. Made of square steel elements it twists on a horizontal axis, and the constantly changing sections are the perfect format to absorb vibrations, thus reinforcing the bridge’s movement, when a cyclist crosses.
The bridge was designed by West 8 Architects with structural engineers ABT — via Amusing Planet
The New South Wales Government has proposed a radical overhaul of organ donation rules to stop families overruling their relatives’ wishes.
The Government says it is acting because the state has the lowest organ donation rate in Australia.
More than two million NSW residents have indicated via their driver’s licence that they wish to donate at least some of their organs if they die.
But Health Minister Jillian Skinner says in many cases the families of potential donors are vetoing that decision — via redwolf.newsvine.com
8×10″ gouache and ink on Canson paper — via CrashOctopus Blog
Adelaide police are combing through loam at Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens after the discovery of a second human leg bone.
A human leg bone was found last week by gardeners in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens in the city while they were spreading mulch which had been mixed at the Mount Lofty Gardens site.
A second bone was found on Monday morning.
Detective Sergeant Malcolm Williams says the loam is from one of two quarries used south of Adelaide.
He says police are treating the discovery as suspicious, although the bone could be anything from decades to centuries old — via redwolf.newsvine.com
There has been an unusual response to October’s devastating oil spill in New Zealand, with many pulling out their knitting needles.
When the container ship Rena ran onto a reef in early October, spilling 350 tonnes of oil into the wildlife rich waters of the Bay of Plenty, the word went out for a dozen jumpers for little penguins.
The jumpers are often needed after oil spills to stop the birds from preening their feathers until they are properly cleaned, otherwise they ingest toxic oil which at best makes them sick and at worst kills them.
Maree Buskey, a local craft identity from a Napier yarn store organised what she thought was a small knitting circle.
Next thing you know it went quite viral and we now have 1,500 to 2,000 jerseys,
she sais — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Primates have a face recognition system that enables them to distinguish between individuals, and now it seems some wasps do too.
But the new study has also found wasps are likely to have evolved their ability quite separately and it may work in a different way.
Michael Sheehan, a PhD student at the University of Michigan in the USA, and his supervisor, Dr Elizabeth Tibbetts, report their discovery in the latest issue of Science — via redwolf.newsvine.com
— via BrickHut
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