Bombing the Test

President Obama speaks at the UN General Assembly meeting on Sept. 25, 2012 in New York City

Photograph by John Moore/Getty Images.

This article arises from Future Tense, a project of Slate, the New America Foundation, and Arizona State University that explores emerging technologies and their implications for policy and society. On Oct. 9, Future Tense will host an event on the presidential election and science and technology policy. For more information and to RSVP, visit New America?s website.

It is the home stretch of election season, and with the conventions completed, the Democratic and Republican campaigns are each gearing up for the finish line. By now the platforms of each campaign and each candidate are fairly well staked out. But what are the candidates and their parties saying about science and technology issues? Frustratingly little?and what they are saying is sometimes frustratingly out of touch.? ?

Take ScienceDebate2012, a project that posed 14 specific questions to the Obama and Romney campaigns. (I have been involved with ScienceDebate for many years.) Mitt Romney?s responses to the 14 questions were much more comprehensive than his colleague John McCain?s were four years ago, and indeed were on the whole more detailed than Barack Obama?s. For me the biggest surprises were:

1. Romney admitted there that the world is getting warmer and that human activity contributes to that warming. Nevertheless, he repeats the some of the misinformation that has been promulgated about climate change: that there is a lack of scientific consensus both on the extent of the human contribution and on the severity of the possible risks associated with climate change. The former is definitively out of touch with reality. The latter is less so. The severity of the effects of climate change are indeed model dependent, but no one doubts that the possible risks are huge. The question is whether one is willing to take the risks, aware of what they might be. In any case, while he doesn?t get perfect grades for this, it is markedly better than the 31,000-word Republican Party platform, which mentions climate change in only one sentence, criticizing Democrats for considering it an issue of national security.
2. Barack Obama talks about space policy. But his plans to sponsor human space flight seem unrealistic, given both current budget constraints and disorder at NASA. Nevertheless, this is better than the 70-page Democratic Party platform, which does not mention space policy a single time.

While the candidates? responses to our 14 questions were clearly designed to demonstrate serious consideration to science issues, the party platforms were not, and the omissions and obfuscations are glaring. The two most remarkable statements I found were in the Republican platform, which argues that our oil and natural gas reserves can provide a bounty ?for many generations to come.? Even more surprising was this claim: ?Experience has shown that, in caring for the land and water, private ownership has been our best guarantee of conscientious stewardship, while the worst instances of environmental degradation have occurred under government control.? ?

But perhaps the most significant area not covered by the 14 Questions, and one of the most urgent long-term technological challenges facing our nation and the world, is the problem of nuclear weapons. Here there is a clear divergence between the goals of the two parties. The Democratic platform explicitly recognizes that reliance on nuclear arms is a strategic chimera and that a reduction in nuclear weapons should be a central goal achieved by international treaties where possible, including signing on to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The Republican platform, by contrast, focuses on modernizing our strategic nuclear arsenal and promotes missile defense as a key strategic tool, criticizing the Democratic administration for laxness in both areas.

But recent news suggests that neither party?s positions regarding nuclear weapons strategies are fully tenable. ?

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=45cf6bf5eb174df06ea20e732da57419

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94% Side by Side

For film tech nerds the world over, this documentary about the advent of digital filmmaking and what it means for the old school film purists is an engaging must-see. Keanu Reeves narrates and interviews an impressive roster of directors, cinematographers, editors, actors, and execs through this highly technical history and many of the subjects are truly game. I think their candidness is largely due to Reeves being there. Most seem to feel really comfortable around him, which is essential to getting some of the gold that comes out of the likes of Steven Soderbergh and David Fincher in particular. Editor Anne Coates, the 86-year-old editor of such classics as LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) and OUT OF SIGHT (1998) brings a refreshing and surprising perspective. Just when you expect the film vs. digital argument to have lines drawn depending on age, Ms. Coates shows a delightful openness to the new technology. This is an astounding time capsule piece which demonstrates how truly far we've come in digital image quality, particularly just in the past few years. There are times where you'll go back and forth about how you feel, because ultimately, both sides make great points. I couldn't believe how terrible some of the earlier digital films looked (TADPOLE or CHUCK AND BUCK anyone?). This may feel really too inside baseball for the layperson, but if you have any interest in how we experience filmed stories, this is essential viewing.

September 10, 2012

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/side_by_side_2012/

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Billionaire battles pro-Western incumbent in Georgia

Georgy Abdaladze / AP

Billionaire and opposition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili, left, and his wife Ekaterine Khvedelidze pray in a church in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday.

By NBC News' Alastair Jamieson and wire reports

Voters went to the polls on Monday in Georgia, a key ally of the United States neighboring Russia that faces a choice between the incumbent pro-Western party and an opposition alliance led by one of the world?s richest businessmen.

Georgians waited in line to vote for a new parliament in what is being seen as the biggest test of President Mikheil Saakashvili's grip on the Caucasus Mountain nation after nearly a decade in power.

Saakashvili, a pro-Western leader who swept to the presidency after the bloodless Rose Revolution of 2003 and fought a five-day war with Russia in 2008, hopes his United National Movement can head off a challenge from the six-party Georgian Dream movement.

Denis Sinyakov / Reuters

View some of the troop movements, destruction and refugees from the Georgia-Russia crisis.

Georgian Dream says Saakashvili?s regime remains undemocratic despite post-Soviet-era reforms, with undue government pressure on courts and control of the media. Video footage showing the abuse and rape of inmates at a prison in the capital, Tbilisi, has boosted the alliance.

It is led by Bidzina Ivanishvili, 56, a once-reclusive tycoon listed by Forbes as the 153rd richest person alive having made a fortune, estimated at $6 billion, from investments across the border in Russia.

Living in a palatial $50 million glass residence overlooking Tbilisi, he previously used his wealth - equivalent to half the GDP of the country he hopes to run - to support local arts and culture before deciding to enter politics.

Kremlin stooge?
Along with supporters, he has been pressing his case in Washington by spending more than $1 million in recent months on a U.S. lobbying campaign, according to a Washington Post report citing disclosure records.

Saakashvili, 44, argues voters should choose the West-leaning agenda ? it has close relations with NATO - and his supporters accuse Ivanishvili of being a Kremlin stooge that would allow the former Soviet outpost to be dominated by Russia.

Voting in the election, which got under way at 12 a.m. ET, was brisk, with lines forming outside several polling stations in the capital Tbilisi, a Reuters correspondent observed.

David Mdzinarishvili / Reuters

Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili talks to the media at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Tbilisi on Monday.

"Besides being a contest for parliament, it is also a shadow leadership election," said Thomas de Waal, a Caucasus expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. He said the vote "marks a turning point for Georgia".

The West wants a stable Georgia because of its role as a conduit for Caspian Sea energy supplies to Europe and its pivotal location between Russia, Iran, Turkey and Central Asia.

"Political leaders should be chosen through the ballot box and not on the streets," parliamentary delegation heads from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe, NATO and the European Parliament said on Saturday.

"The most important thing is that those who are dissatisfied should not create disorder," said voter Yelena Kvlividze, 45.

Ivanishvili told a rally on Saturday "this regime's hours are numbered", but has also said Georgian Dream would accept any outcome deemed legitimate by international observers.

A poll by the U.S. National Democratic Institute in August?gave UNM 37 percent support against 12 percent for Georgian Dream but showed 43 percent of respondents could vote either way. There have been no major polls since the abuse scandal.

The prison abuse video, aired on two channels opposed to Saakashvili including one owned by Ivanishvili, has undermined the president's image as a reformer who imposed the rule of law and rooted out post-Soviet corruption.

"I'm voting against violence and abuse - how can I do otherwise after what we have all seen on TV?" Natela Zhorzholia, 68, said outside a polling station at a school in the capital, Tbilisi. She said she would vote for Georgian Dream.

Ivanishvili hopes the scandal will convince swing voters that Saakashvili has become an undemocratic leader who tramples on rights and freedoms.?

Human Rights Watch also said Wednesday that Saakashvili's?government had used 90-day prison sentences against protesters and political activists, a situation it said ?violates the country?s international commitments to safeguard against arbitrary detention?. Earlier this year, it issued a report slating the lack of due process and fair trial rights for those accused of ?administrative offenses? such as minor breaches of public order.

'Peace and stability'
Many Georgians just want political and economic stability. The economy, hit by the 2008 war and the global financial crisis, has been growing again since 2010 but inflation is likely to hit 6-7 percent this year.

"I voted for peace and stability," said Georgy Ugrekhelidze, 76. "I want this government to carry out what it has started."

Elected in 2004 after the Rose Revolution protests toppled president Eduard Shevardnadze, a former Soviet foreign minister, Saakashvili cultivated close ties with Europe and the U.S. and sought to bring Georgia into NATO.

He curbed police bribe-taking, made frequent power outages a thing of the past and presided over an economic resurgence. But opponents say he has curtailed democracy, persecuting opponents, and he faces criticism for leading Georgia into the 2008 war with Moscow in which Russian forces routed his army.

In a recent analysis of the campaign, Shaun Walker of the U.K.'s Independent newspaper wrote:

Saakashvili's people talk of a thriving democracy knocking on Europe's door, with the old Soviet mentality erased by efficient reforms and replaced with an effervescent meritocracy. Ivanishvili's brigade declare Georgia a totalitarian state, controlled by a ruthless cartel of a few men around Saakashvili who have scooped up all the economic and political resources for themselves, control the majority of media and are painfully sensitive to even the smallest criticism. The truth, unsurprisingly, is somewhere between the two extremes.

In a blog posted on the Financial Times website, Georgia analyst?Michael Cecire observed?that?Saakashvili's reforms have turned Georgia from one of the most corrupt of the ex-Soviet regimes to the least in the space of less than a decade through measures such as the decision in 2005 to sack the entire traffic police force and replace it with university graduates.?

Georgia is one of 15 former republics of the Soviet Union that gained independence when country the fell apart in 1991. The Soviet collapse ended nearly two centuries of almost continuous dominance of Georgia by Russia and the Soviet Union.?

Tension with Russia erupted into a five-day war in August 2008, when Saakashvili's government launched an offensive on South Ossetia. Russian forces drove Georgian forces out of the region and penetrated deep into Georgia before withdrawing.?

Umit Bektas / Reuters

View images of victims, soldiers and world leaders embroiled in the Georgia conflict.

Other parties include the Christian Democratic Party, led by former journalist Georgy Targamadze, which calls for a greater role for the dominant Georgian Orthodox Church.?

Polls close at 8 p.m. local time Monday (12 p.m. ET).

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/01/14166710-billionaire-tycoon-battles-pro-western-incumbent-as-key-us-ally-georgia-votes?lite

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A step towards the prevention of collagen-related diseases

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) ? A collaboration between groups from France and the UK, led by researchers from the Institut de Biologie et Chimie des Prot?ines (CNRS/Universit? Claude Bernard Lyon 1), have just determined the three-dimensional structure of a key region of the procollagen molecule, the precursor form of collagen, the most abundant protein in the body. This region, called the C-propeptide domain, plays an extremely important role in collagen assembly, defects in which can lead to serious, often lethal diseases.

This work is published on the 23 September 2012 in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology.

Collagens make up a quarter of all protein mass in the body, where their role is to provide structural and functional integrity to all tissues and organs. As the major component of the extracellular matrix, these proteins are essential for the formation of several tissues, including skin, cornea, bone, cartilage, lungs and the cardiovascular system. However, excessive amounts of collagen deposition, or mutations in collagen genes, can result in numerous severe diseases.

Collagen precursor molecules consist of three procollagen strands that are synthesized then subsequently assemble within the cell. These molecules are then secreted into the extracellular matrix where, following a process of maturation, they themselves assemble to form long collagen fibers. These two processes, assembly of the molecule and assembly of the fiber, are both controlled by the C-propeptide, a domain consisting of 245 amino acids and found at the end of each procollagen strand. Mutations in procollagen genes, including the C-propeptide region, result in numerous pathologies, often lethal, such as osteogenesis imperfecta or chondrodysplasias (1).

In order to design new therapeutic strategies and to better understand the mechanism of action of the C-propeptide, the researchers (2) have determined its three-dimensional structure, by X-ray crystallography. This has enabled them to map the numerous mutations present in the C-propeptides of the different genetic types of procollagen and to correlate this information with the severity of the associated diseases. Thus the 3D structure could become a prognostic tool for predicting a priori the consequences of such mutations.

Knowledge of the 3D structure of this domain could also make it possible in the future to control the formation of collagen fibers in the extracellular matrix. In order for these fibers to form, the C-propeptides must first be removed from the rest of the molecule by specific enzymes. Therefore, if one could prevent or slow down the removal of the C-propeptide, the production of collagen fibers could also be reduced. In addition, a better understanding of the mechanism of action of the C-propeptide could help to prevent the association of the three procollagen strands within the cell. Such strategies could thus prevent the many different kinds of fibrosis, a group of serious and often fatal disorders that result from an excessive accumulation of collagen in several organs including the heart, kidneys, liver and lungs.

This work, supported by the Fondation de France and by the French National Research Agency, represents an important step towards the development of therapeutic molecules and is also the subject of a patent application.

(1) Disorders of bone and cartilage development that result in skeletal malformations

(2) Laboratories: Tissue biology and therapeutic engineering (CNRS/Universit? Claude Bernard Lyon 1), Structural and molecular basis of infectious diseases (CNRS/Universit? Claude Bernard Lyon 1), Unit for virus host cell interactions (CNRS/Universit? Joseph Fourier/EMBL,Grenoble), Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics (University of Oxford).

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by CNRS (D?l?gation Paris Michel-Ange).

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Journal Reference:

1. Jean-Marie Bourhis, Natacha Mariano, Yuguang Zhao, Karl Harlos, Jean-Yves Exposito, E Yvonne Jones, Catherine Moali, Nushin Aghajari, David J S Hulmes. Structural basis of fibrillar collagen trimerization and related genetic disorders. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2389

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/52l7hQxvZSo/121001095519.htm

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Braves beat Mets, up their Medlen streak to 23

By CHARLES ODUM

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 5:12 p.m. ET Sept. 30, 2012

ATLANTA (AP) - Kris Medlen did his part to ensure Chipper Jones' last regular-season home game was a win.

Then again, all of the Atlanta Braves have been winning a lot with Medlen on the mound.

The Braves won for a major league record 23rd straight time in games started by Medlen, beating the New York Mets 6-2 on Sunday as a sellout crowd cheered Jones' every move.

Medlen (10-1) gave up one unearned run and three hits in six innings, adding to his momentum heading into the postseason. The Braves have already clinched an NL wild-card spot and are on track to host the one-game playoff, which Medlen would start.

"I think the best part about it is my name is in the history books, but it's a team thing," Medlen said. "It's a really cool feeling. Like I said, we're not done. I hope we keep going."

According to STATS LLC research going back to 1921, only two other teams won 22 straight starts by a pitcher: the New York Giants with Carl Hubbell (1936-37) and the Yankees with Whitey Ford (1950-53). Ford's streak was interrupted by military service.

With Washington's 10-4 loss to St. Louis, the Braves gained a game in the NL East and trail the first-place Nationals by three games. The Nationals have a magic number of one for clinching the division. The Braves close the regular season with three games at Pittsburgh.

The Mets (73-86) topped 2011's loss total and ensured their most losses since a 70-92 record in 2009.

Atlanta is 12-0 in Medlen's starts this season after he moved to the rotation on July 31. The team's streak of 23 straight wins in Medlen's starts began in 2010.

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said he was thinking of the postseason by limiting Medlen to six innings.

"If we were able to do that, get him the win, get the team the win and keep him right where we wanted in terms of pitches and innings, that was a good day," Gonzalez said.

The Mets' only run off Medlen was set up by first baseman Freddie Freeman's throwing error on Justin Turner's grounder in the third. The wild throw to Medlen, who was covering first base, allowed Ruben Tejada, who singled, to score from second.

David Ross hit a three-run homer in the second off Jenrry Mejia (1-2). Jones had a single and two walks and wouldn't agree to come out of the game early.

"I tried to pinch-hit for him, get a big ovation for him," Gonzalez said. "He said, `I want to finish this.' That's just the way he is."

Jones' parents were in Atlanta for the series.

"To be honest with you, I saw us winning this game early and I wanted to go give my mom and dad a hug after the game," Jones said. "If I had taken myself out of the game, I'd be in (the clubhouse) watching fantasy football."

The retiring 40-year-old slugger said he had "a lot of relief" the weekend was over.

"I'm glad it's over and we can go to Pittsburgh and finish out the year and get ready for the next one back here when all the fun is going to start," Jones said.

Jones' teammates stayed behind in the dugout as he ran onto the field to a standing ovation to start the game. The Braves joined the ovation, and even some New York players applauded him. Mets third base coach Tim Teufel walked over and shook Jones' hand, and finally the Braves joined Jones on the field.

"It's a well-deserved tribute," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "We all salute him in his career. He's a great, great player."

Jones was immediately tested as he made a dive to his left to make a stop on a grounder from Mets leadoff hitter Ruben Tejada. The All-Star third baseman made a one-hop throw to first base from his knees for the out. He made another diving stop on a sharply hit grounder by Scott Hairston to end the inning.

Braves chanted "Let's go, Chipper!" when he batted in the second, and booed Mejia for walking him.

Jones' first hit of his final regular-season home series came with his third-inning single, ending a 0-for-13 drought that included four walks. He tipped his helmet to the fans before his at-bats in the first and seventh innings. With fans standing in the seventh, Jones walked again.

Jones received another loud ovation when he took the field in the ninth. Fans chanted "Thank you, Chipper" as the inning started and then "Chipper! Chipper!" with two outs.

The Braves scored a run in the fifth on doubles by Michael Bourn and Jason Heyward. Andrelton Simmons doubled in Dan Uggla in the sixth off Collin McHugh and scored on Bourn's single.

Mejia gave up four runs on six hits in five innings.

"I thought he threw the ball good today," Collins said. "He made a real bad throw to Ross, right down the middle. But his two-seamer was the best one I've seen him have."

The Mets scored one run off Cory Gearrin in the ninth on a double by Ike Davis, a walk to Lucas Duda and a single by Andres Torres.

Closer Craig Kimbrel recorded the final out on a grounder by Fred Lewis for his 42nd save.

Bourn was a late addition to Atlanta's lineup after missing six games with a sprained left thumb.

Medlen lined a foul ball into the Mets' dugout in the fourth, hitting catcher Josh Thole. Thole's right ear was red and swollen but he said he passed a concussion test.

"I just saw the doctor and there's no issue, other than this big ear I have," Thole said.

"It got me more on the cartilage of my ear, I think. That's what saved me. It definitely could have been worse."

NOTES: The sellout crowd of 50,635 raised the Braves' attendance for the season at 2,420,171, a slight increase from their 2011 total. ... Following Collins' lead, the Mets had a theme dress day, with all the players and coaches wearing football jerseys - NFL or college - to the park. The team had a similar hockey jersey day earlier in the season. ... Mets rookie RHP Jeurys Familia will make his first career start Monday against Florida's Josh Johnson. Familia has an 8.64 ERA in seven games in relief. R.A. Dickey is scheduled to start on Tuesday. ... LHP Paul Maholm will face Pirates LHP Jeff Locke on Monday night in Pittsburgh.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Yanks, O's both win, remain tied

HBT: After the Orioles closed out the Red Sox 6-3 to finish a three-game sweep Sunday, the Yankees completed their comeback on the Blue Jays, winning 9-6 to preserve the tie atop the AL East.

Angels edge Rangers, boost wild-card hopes

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Torii Hunter hit a two-run double with two outs in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Angels boosted their wild-card chances by rallying past the AL West-leading Texas Rangers 5-4 in the opener of a day-night doubleheader Sunday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/49232540/ns/sports-baseball/

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Apple?s Reported Indian Retail Store Plans Run Up Against Local Sourcing Roadblock

Apple is reportedly considering the opening of physical Apple Retail locations in India, but the WSJ reports that that could be a problem because of an Indian regulation that says foreign retailers have to source 30% of the value of the goods they sell from Indian firms. That would be very hard for Apple to manage, since its components come primarily from Chinese suppliers. But if it can get on the ground somehow, it stands to gain a lot in a market where it's currently trailing Samsung and others.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/IUd7aDwrzQY/

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Vermont man recreates Willie Mays? catch with lawn art

(Seven Days)

Every September for the last few years, drivers along a stretch of road in northern Vermont are greeted with some unusual lawn art commemorating what many consider to be one of the greatest defensive plays in baseball history: Willie Mays' over-the-shoulder catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.

Large wooden cutouts featuring paintings of Mays' remarkable grab are displayed in sequence by Rich Tarrant Jr., CEO of MyWebGrocer.com and former Republican Senatorial candidate. (Tarrant lost to Bernie Sanders in 2006.)

Tarrant's friend, the artist Thom Ross, created the cutouts in 2004 for the 50th anniversary of "The Catch." Ross displayed them at the site of the old Polo Grounds in New York where Mays, the Giants' Hall of Fame centerfielder, made the Sept. 29. 1954 catch.

The San Francisco-born artist eventually gave them to Tarrant, who now displays them every fall along the South Burlington, Vt., road.

Burlington's Seven Days newsweekly described a recent drive-by:

As you approach and clear a grove of pine trees, the first figure appears: a baseball player, clad in a gleaming white uniform with black and orange trim, his back bearing the number 24, seeming to run at full gait toward the road. Then another figure emerges, glove outstretched to the sky as a ball rockets downward. The ball disappears into the glove of a third figure. A fourth has wheeled and is turned toward an imaginary ball field. The fifth fires the ball, seemingly into oncoming traffic, losing his hat from the force of his throw.

"When I look at that play, I always think one of these days the ball is going to go over his head," Ross told the paper. "But he catches it every damn time."

"I got an email from a guy who passes it every day driving his kid to school," Tarrant added. "One day his son said, 'Hey dad, it's going to be a good day.' When he asked why, his son said incredulously, 'Well, the baseball players are out.'"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/willie-mays-catch-lawn-art-225233871.html

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