Goose flying upside down captured in slow-mo movie

Sandrine Ceurstemont, editor, New Scientist TV It's a move that's sure to impress even the most skilled circus contortionists. During flight, geese can twist their necks to flip their bodies upside down, while keeping their heads upright.

Now amateur videographers Hans de Koning and Lodewijk van Eekhout have captured the first slow-mo video of the manoeuvre, winning a prize in a competition organised by the Flight Artists group at Wageningen University. Known as whiffling, the move is often performed before landing as a means of braking. Upside down wings generate more drag causing a goose to slow down quickly, just like what happens when a plane is inverted during flight.?

According to Paul Stancliffe from the British Trust for Ornithology, who has observed this manoeuvre several times in nature, what makes the move impressive is the way it allows a goose to quickly lose height. "I like the fact that this clip shows the birds turning completely upside down," he says. "It's difficult to see this happening in real time."

A picture of a flipped goose was captured by wildlife photographer Brian Macfarlane a few years ago, attracting a lot of attention since the pose has rarely been photographed. Although the twist is most common in geese and ducks, it's also used by other species of birds. "In the UK, I've observed cormorants and grey herons whiffling as well as pelicans and cranes in the Middle East," says Stancliffe.

If you enjoyed this post, watch smoke flow over an aerofoil to illustrate how wings create lift or check out a somersaulting fly captured in slow-mo, one of the other competition winners.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1c21243b/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cnstv0C20A120C0A10Cfirst0Eslow0Emo0Evideo0Eof0Egoose0Eflying0Eupside0Edown0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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Gingrich vows to establish a colony on the moon

Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks to members of the media after an event at a Holiday Inn, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Cocoa, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks to members of the media after an event at a Holiday Inn, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Cocoa, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

COCOA, Florida (AP) ? Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is promising to establish a permanent base on the moon by 2020 if he's elected.

Gingrich, the former House speaker, told an overflow crowd gathered on Florida's space coast Wednesday that he wants to develop a robust commercial space industry in line with the airline boom of the 1930s. He also wants to expand exploration of Mars.

The pronouncements appeared to thrill the crowd of roughly 700 people. Florida's space coast is still suffering from a recent round of federal cuts to the space program.

But how would Gingrich pay for it?

The Republican presidential contender says he wants to offer prizes to help stimulate investment by the private sector.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-25-Gingrich-Moon/id-668f4c7e013d4060812cd9992fc66e66

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Long-term-care insurance: Right for some, but not all ? Health ...

In the last years of Martin Privot?s life, his family had to start selling his assets to pay for his nursing home costs. ?He needed 24-hour care and couldn?t be left alone,? recalls his daughter Toni Footer. ?My biggest fear was we would run [through his money] and wouldn?t be able to provide the care that he needed.?

Privot died in 2008, from post-surgical complications and other ailments, before all his assets were depleted. Yet Footer, 61, says her dad?s experience ?reinforced my already strong feelings that long-term-care (insurance) is a necessity.? The Rockville, Md., resident says she pays about $2,500 every year for such coverage for herself. ?It?s expensive ? in fact, it?s gone up twice ? but it?s worth every penny. It provides a peace of mind that my family won?t have to struggle to find money to pay for my care.?

Mary McClelland came to the opposite conclusion after seeing how her mother?s expenses were often deemed exempt from coverage.

Her mother, Ruth Mezick, purchased long-term-care, or LTC, insurance in 1990 at age 78 when she was in fairly good health, paying an annual premium of $2,827 until she died 11 years later. In her mid-80s, her health began to deteriorate and she spent time in a nursing home, at home with help and in assisted living. But her policy ? which promised to pay $100 a day ? failed to cover much of those expenses because it kicked in only after she had been in one institution more than 100 days.

?She was never in one place long enough to qualify. She ended up getting about 10 days? coverage, worth about $1,000,? says McClelland, who lives in Arlington, Va. ?That was a lesson to me; I decided it doesn?t always pay off.?

The question of whether to get LTC insurance bedevils consumers and their advisers. Unlike medical insurance, it is intended primarily to cover people who need assistance with so-called activities of daily living ? for example, the care of a dementia patient or someone recovering from a broken hip. It can be expensive: Premiums range from $1,000 to $5,000 a year, depending on the age, sex and health of the purchaser as well as the extent of the coverage. And policy details can be confusing.

Even advocates acknowledge that it isn?t for everyone. Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, an industry group, sums it up well: ?Long-term care is a universal issue facing all Americans who are getting older. But long-term-care insurance is not a universal solution.?

So how great is the need for such coverage? It depends on how you look at the data. ?One in two Americans are likely to need long-term-care services sometime in their lives,? says Amy Pahl, a consulting actuary for Milliman Inc, a leading actuarial and consulting company. However, Pahl adds, of those who might need long-term care, about a third will not meet the most common deductible period of 90 days because they will either die or recover before then.

To determine if a long-term-care policy makes sense for you, it is important to understand how the coverage works and what?s available.

Medicare is not the answer

Most standard health insurance plans do not cover long-term care. Nor does Medicare or insurance policies that supplement Medicare.

Medicaid, however, is the largest source of coverage for long-term care. The program pays for more than two-thirds of nursing home residents, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

But Medicaid comes with significant limitations. The choice of facilities that accept Medicaid is narrow, and the program is restricted to people with extremely limited income and virtually no resources, which forces middle-income consumers to spend down their assets if they want to qualify.

?Medicaid is supposed to be a safety net, but unfortunately it rests just about a half-inch off the floor,? says Tom West, a Northern Virginia financial adviser and long-term-care expert.

Yet Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger cautions that LTC policies may not be a good investment for some people. ?It?s mostly a policy to protect your assets (so you don?t have to sell everything to pay for care) in case you get sick. If you don?t have assets to protect, then you shouldn?t be buying it.? Unfortunately, that can leave those consumers with limited flexibility if they do need long-term care.

How the coverage works

Typically, a policy pays a fixed daily benefit ($150 is common) for a certain period of time (often three to five years) starting at a specified time (90 days is common) after the beneficiary becomes disabled. The policy covers nursing home expenses, assisted living charges or less costly in-home-care bills.

Many policies also allow the initial fixed daily benefit to rise 3 or 5 percent annually to keep up with health-care costs. The policyholder agrees to a premium that can increase only if the change is approved by state regulators. Such increases have occurred frequently in recent years and, as a result, once-flat premiums have risen sharply. So have nursing home costs, which averaged about $214 a day ? or more than $78,000 annually ? for a semi-private room last year, according to a national survey by the insurer MetLife.

As people?s needs have changed, LTC policies have expanded to cover assisted living and home care; some new policies are flexible enough to anticipate technologies that don?t yet exist, such as robotic care.

?The policies have become very innovative,? says Slome. ?Today you can go in and design coverage for particular needs and desires; you can even buy long-term-care insurance to enable you to get your care on a cruise line if you want it ? and can afford it.?

Today?s policies can also allow couples to share benefits, so a husband and wife can each buy a shorter-term policy, for example three years of benefits. About 70 percent of coverage today is sold to couples, Slome said. If it turns out that the husband needs more than three years? coverage, he can tap into his wife?s benefit pool. And in some policies, if the husband completely exhausts the couple?s coverage, the wife may still receive some nominal benefits if she needs care, too.

At the end of 2010, about 7 million Americans had LTC insurance, according to LIMRA, an association of life insurance and financial service companies. About 422,000 new policies were written in 2010.

The 2010 health-care law has a provision creating a voluntary program of LTC insurance. However, in October, the Obama administration announced it would not implement the provision because it was financially unsustainable.

According to Slome, the average age of the buyer is 57, with three-quarters of the policies written when purchasers are between 45 and 64.

When buying insurance, the younger the consumer, the lower the annual premiums. Today, according to Slome?s association, a 55-year-old couple in generally good health can expect to pay $2,675 a year for $338,000 of benefits; that figure would grow to $800,000 by the time they reach 80 if the policy contained a 3 percent annual compounded escalation clause. If they are 65, however, that same policy would cost $4,660 a year and grow to only $527,000 in coverage when they are 80.

Steep rate increases

One of the key concerns among consumers is the rise of premiums.

?It?s probably the most frequent complaint I hear,? says Praeger, who heads the National Association of Insurance Commissioners? health and managed care committee. ?The problem is, the older policies weren?t priced right to begin with. Companies expected about 8 percent of customers to stop paying their premiums, when, in fact the lapse rate is closer to 2 percent.? That meant the insurers had to cover more beneficiaries than they expected at a time when the economic downturn has meant less return on their investments.

Praeger acknowledges that rate increase requests have posed a dilemma for insurance commissioners. ?If we don?t give them the rate increase they need, the insurance carriers could become financially impaired, and that doesn?t help people,? she says. In fact, in recent years, a number of companies have stopped selling policies. As a result, she adds, it?s hard to turn the increases down.

The policies can be very complicated, and Praeger advises consumers to consult with their accountant, attorney or other trusted financial adviser before purchasing a policy.

This article was produced in collaboration with Kaiser Health News. KHN is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan health-policy research and communication organization not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Source: http://bangordailynews.com/2012/01/25/health/long-term-care-insurance-right-for-some-but-not-all/

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Just Show Me: How to clear your browser history in Chrome (Yahoo! News)

Welcome to?Just Show Me on?Tecca TV, where we show you tips and tricks for getting the most out of the?gadgets in your life. In today's episode we'll show you how to clear your history in?Google's Chrome web browser.

Clearing your history is a good idea if you're ever on a public computer or use a system that could be viewed by someone else. Your browser history tells people a lot, perhaps more then you'd like them to know! Clearing it is easy, and we'll walk you through the steps in our video.

Take a look at these other episodes of Just Show Me that'll help you use your Chrome web browser to the full potential:

For even more episodes of Just Show Me,?subscribe to Tecca TV's YouTube channel and?check out all our Just Show Me episodes. If you have any topics you'd like to see us cover, just drop us a line in the comments.

This article originally appeared on Tecca

More from Tecca:

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/techblog/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20120125/tc_yblog_technews/just-show-me-how-to-clear-your-browser-history-in-chrome

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Big East, Navy announce Middies getting on board (AP)

NEW YORK ? Navy accepted an invitation to play football in the Big East, starting in 2015.

The service academy has been a football independent since the program began in 1879. The Midshipmen have been thriving over the last decade. They played in eight straight bowl games before slipping to 5-7 this season and have won a record 10 straight games against rival Army.

"While our independent status has served Navy football well to date, Big East conference affiliation will help ensure our future scholar-athletes and athletic programs remain competitive at the highest levels for the foreseeable future," said Vice Admiral Michael Miller, superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy.

Big East Commissioner John Marinatto was to hold a conference call Tuesday afternoon with Miller, athletic director Chet Gladchuk and football coach Ken Niumatalolo.

In December, the Big East added Boise State and San Diego State as football-only members and SMU, Houston and Central Florida in all sports. Those schools will join in 2013.

The Big East is trying to build a 12-team football conference with an eastern and western division and a league championship game. The conference is losing Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the Atlantic Coast Conference and West Virginia to the Big 12, but it's unclear when.

West Virginia filed a lawsuit against the Big East so it can join the Big 12 in 2012. The Big East sued West Virginia to make the school abide by the league's 27-month notification period, which would keep the Mountaineers in the Big East through the 2013-14 school year.

A Rhode Island judge has ordered West Virginia and the Big East to enter nonbinding mediation to resolve their competing lawsuits.

Pitt, Syracuse and the ACC have said they will not challenge the Big East bylaws.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_sp_co_ne/fbc_big_east_navy

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[OOC] Group 1 intro: Jo and David

Forum rules
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Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This group will be starting in Briggsdale, Colorado (I just couldn't help it...) -- directly east of Fort Collins on 14.

Places of interest:
- Briggsdale Elementary School
- Briggsdale Undivided Highschool
- Briggsdale Market
- US Post Office
- Pawnee Sportsman Center (quite a distance from Briggsdale)

Environment:
Briggsdale is largely rural, with few places of interest.
The climate is dry, with dirt roads and rough vegetation.
A majority of Briggsdale is open and flat, with only the center of the city sporting buildings and homes.
There was a population of approximately 586 people.
With no nearby hospitals, many individuals bunked down in their homes to try and escape the reaches of the infection.

~*Do not frown, you never know who is falling in love with your smile*~

StrawberryFoxglove

Member for 1 years

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Giants lead 49ers 10-7 at half in NFC title game

San Francisco 49ers' Anthony Davis (76) loses his helmet as he scuffles with New York Giants' Michael Boley (59) during the first half of the NFC Championship NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

San Francisco 49ers' Anthony Davis (76) loses his helmet as he scuffles with New York Giants' Michael Boley (59) during the first half of the NFC Championship NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

New York Giants tight end Bear Pascoe, right, celebrates with tight end Jake Ballard after scoring on a six-yard touchdown pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of the NFC Championship NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

New York Giants' Henry Hynoski (45) is tackled by San Francisco 49ers' Tarell Brown (25) during the first half of the NFC Championship NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Eli Manning threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Bear Pascoe and expertly led New York to a field goal in the closing seconds of the first half to give the Giants a 10-7 lead over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game Sunday.

Pascoe, a former 49ers draft pick and practice squad player, caught his first career TD pass to cap a 69-yard drive early in the second quarter that included a 36-yard reception by Victor Cruz.

Cruz then caught four passes for 56 yards after New York took over at its 36 with 1:36 to go to set up Lawrence Tynes' 31-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining.

Manning was 16 for 27 for 181 yards in the first half, while Cruz had eight receptions for 125 yards.

Vernon Davis caught a 73-yard touchdown pass from Alex Smith midway through the first quarter to give the Niners the early lead. But Smith didn't complete another pass in the half.

The game was played in a steady rain and with strong winds, and each team fumbled once in a first half that was controlled mostly by the defenses. New York offensive lineman Kareem McKenzie recovered a fumble by Manning, and San Francisco receiver Kyle Williams recovered his own fumble later in the quarter on a reverse.

Davis gained more than half of San Francisco's first-half yardage total on his one big play. Smith completed only one other pass the entire half, a 6-yarder to Frank Gore on the second play from scrimmage.

Davis picked up where he left off last week, when he set a playoff record for tight ends with 180 yards receiving and caught two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 9 seconds remaining in a 36-32 victory over New Orleans.

On the second play of San Francisco's second drive, Davis beat safety Antrel Rolle and got loose down the sideline. He pulled down the pass from Smith and raced into the end zone. He then jumped up onto a camera stage and posed, drawing a personal foul for excessive celebration.

Davis appeared as if he might have stepped on the sideline, but after a review, referee Ed Hochuli said there was not indisputable evidence and ruled that the touchdown would stand.

Davis got called for another personal foul in the second quarter for unnecessary roughness for jumping on Deon Grant's back after a skirmish between New York's Michael Boley and San Francisco's Anthony Davis.

After the 49ers scored, the Giants drove to the San Francisco 34 before stalling. Manning threw incomplete on third-and-1, then linebacker NaVorro Bowman stuffed Brandon Jacobs on fourth down.

The Niners were looking to make it to the Super Bowl for the first time in 17 seasons. Under rookie coach Jim Harbaugh, they won the NFC West with a 13-3 regular-season record to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

The Giants won their final two regular-season games to clinch the NFC East, then knocked off Atlanta at home and won at top-seeded Green Bay last week to make it to the conference title game.

The day got off to a bad start for the Harbaugh family, who had been hoping for a "Superbaugh" in two weeks in Indianapolis. John Harbaugh's Baltimore Ravens lost the AFC championship game 23-20 to the New England Patriots.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-22-FBN-NFC-Championship/id-837ff911bfa544a5870579f4a57d190f

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