Pandigital Personal Scanner/Converter?5x7 PanScn04

The Pandigital Personal Scanner/Converter?5x7 PanScn04 ($99.99 direct) is one of about 10 scanners Pandigital sells that are basically variations on a theme, with some branded with the Pandigital name and others branded as Kodak. The models vary primarily in the maximum size photo each can scan and whether they can scan strips of film and slides as well as prints. The PanScn04 is one of two models that scans prints only but can scan at up to 5 by 7 inches, making it the obvious choice if your collection of photos includes 5 by 7 inch prints, and you don't need to scan film.

The PanScn04 is nearly identical to the Kodak P570 Personal Photo Scanner ($99.99 direct, 3 stars) that I recently reviewed. In fact, the two differ even less than the Pandigital Personal Photo & Negative Scanner/Converter PanScn05 ($109.99 direct, 4 stars) and it's near twin, the Kodak P460 Personal Photo Scanner ($99.99 direct, 4 stars). At least the PanScn05 and P460 come in different colors, one black and one white. The only obvious physical difference between the PanScn04 and the P570 is the name on the front panel.

This isn't to say that there aren't any differences at all. The PanScn05 comes with a 1GB memory card to scan to instead of the P570's 2GB card. It also comes without Kodak EasyShare, which is basically a photo album program. EasyShare includes commands to print, send to email, and send to Kodak's Creative Center, where you can order photo books, photo mugs, and other products with your photos on them, as well as turn your photos into greeting cards and other items you can print yourself.

Whether Kodak EasyShare comes with your scanner or not isn't much of a difference, however, given that you can download the program from Kodak for free. In every other way, the two scanners seem to be almost identical. I saw little to no difference for setup or scan quality, although I saw a slight difference in speed.

Setup and Scanning
The PanScn04 measures just 1.8 by 7.6 by 3.3 inches (HWD) and offers a 5-inch-wide manual-feed slot in the front with a straight-through path to the back. Setup consists of inserting the supplied 1GB memory card in the front slot and plugging in the power cable.

To scan, you turn the scanner on, optionally set the resolution using a button that toggles between 300 and 600 pixels per inch (ppi), put a photo in one of the two supplied protective sleeves, and insert the sleeve into the input slot. Everything else is automatic, with the scanner grabbing the photo, feeding it, and scanning it to a JPG file, automatically cropping and otherwise choosing settings.

After you finish scanning, you can move the files to your computer on the memory card or connect to your system with the supplied USB cable, wait for the computer to see the memory card as a USB drive, and copy the files. You can also optionally install a utility that will let you scan directly to your computer.

As with the P570, the PanScn04 comes without a photo editor. However, that's consistent with the emphasis on ease of use, since having a photo editor would mean having to invest some time in learning how to use it. The assumption is that you can use the built in tools in your operating system, like the Windows ability to manage, print, and, to some minor extent, edit photos.

Scan Speed
The PanScn04 shares the P570's ability to let you scan almost as fast as the scanner can go. This is usually not true for manual-feed scanners, because the timed speed doesn't include the extra time you'll spend preparing each original or carefully feeding it so it will go in straight.

The PanScn04 eliminates that extra time by coming with two protective sleeves. Start scanning with the photo inserted into one, and you'll have plenty of time to remove the photo from the other sleeve, put the photo away, insert a new photo in the sleeve, and have it ready when the first scan finishes. You'll need a little extra time to insert each photo, but that shouldn't be more than a second or two per photo.

In my tests, whether scanning to its memory card or to a computer, the PanScn04 took a consistent 15 to 17 seconds to scan at 600 ppi, and 15 to 16 seconds at 300 ppi. These times are essentially the same as for the P570 with one exception. Scanning to a computer at 600 ppi took almost twice as long for the P570, a result that was surprising enough so that I retested both scanners to confirm that I had the times right. There are several possible reasons for the difference, including both hardware and software issues, but Pandigital was unable to provide an explanation.

Also, to put these speeds in context, note that the P460 and PanScn05, which both use a smaller sleeve because of their 4 by 6 maximum scan size, took 10 seconds with the same photos at 300 ppi. Even so, the key point is that the PanScn05 is fast enough so it won't leave you feeling like your waiting for it.

Scan Quality
Scan quality, unfortunately, is a close match to the P570's quality, which means it shares the same limitations, with a loss of resolution that comes out as soft focus if you reprint the scans and a loss of both shadow detail (detail based on shading in dark areas) and detail based on shading in bright areas. As with the P570, however, the quality is good enough for casual photographers who just want to get their snapshots into digital format, and don't mind losing some quality in the process.

If you care more about good quality than ease of scanning, you should consider a flatbed scanner, like the Editors' Choice Epson Perfection V300 Photo ($99.99 direct, 4 stars). However, scanning with a flatbed is more cumbersome than using a sheet feeder. Lower quality is the tradeoff you get for the easier scanning. As with the Kodak P570, if you don't mind losing a little image quality and want an easy way to scan your 5- by 7-inch photos, the Pandigital Personal Scanner/Converter?5x7 PanScn04 can do the job, and it may well be the right scanner for your needs.

More Scanner Reviews:

??? VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Jr. PDS-ST510-VP
??? VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand PDS-ST415-VP
??? Pandigital Personal Scanner/Converter-5x7 PanScn04
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??? Kodak i2600
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/zn3dvGnM1Hk/0,2817,2397974,00.asp

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Stanford archives offer window into Apple origins

In this photo taken Oct. 18, 2011, processor Dennis Sparhawk checks items on shelves at a Stanford University Silicon Valley Archives storage facility in an undisclosed location in California. Historians and entrepreneurs who want to understand the rise of Apple Inc. and its founder Steve Jobs will find a treasure trove of clues in Stanford University's Silicon Valley Archives. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

In this photo taken Oct. 18, 2011, processor Dennis Sparhawk checks items on shelves at a Stanford University Silicon Valley Archives storage facility in an undisclosed location in California. Historians and entrepreneurs who want to understand the rise of Apple Inc. and its founder Steve Jobs will find a treasure trove of clues in Stanford University's Silicon Valley Archives. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

In this photo taken Oct. 25, 2011, curator Henry Lowood is shown looking at an old photograph of Steve Jobs at Stanford's Green Library in Stanford, Calif. Historians and entrepreneurs who want to understand the rise of Apple Inc. and its founder Steve Jobs will find a treasure trove of clues in Stanford University's Silicon Valley Archives. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

In this photo taken Oct. 25, 2011, a photo of an old keyboard is shown next to a letter written about Steve Jobs at Stanford's Green Library in Stanford, Calif. Historians and entrepreneurs who want to understand the rise of Apple Inc. and its founder Steve Jobs will find a treasure trove of clues in Stanford University's Silicon Valley Archives. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

In this photo taken Oct. 25, 2011, curator Henry Lowood holds up an old Apple 1 operation manual at Stanford's Green Library in Stanford, Calif. Historians and entrepreneurs who want to understand the rise of Apple Inc. and its founder Steve Jobs will find a treasure trove of clues in Stanford University's Silicon Valley Archives. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

PALO ALTO, Calfornia (AP) ? In the interview, Steve Wozniak and the late Steve Jobs recall a seminal moment in Silicon Valley history ? how they named their upstart computer company some 35 years ago.

"I remember driving down Highway 85," Wozniak says. "We're on the freeway, and Steve mentions, 'I've got a name: Apple Computer.' We kept thinking of other alternatives to that name, and we couldn't think of anything better."

Adds Jobs: "And also remember that I worked at Atari, and it got us ahead of Atari in the phonebook."

The interview, recorded for an in-house video for company employees in the mid-1980s, was among a storehouse of materials Apple had been collecting for a company museum. But in 1997, soon after Jobs returned to the company, Apple officials contacted Stanford University and offered to donate the collection to the school's Silicon Valley Archives.

Within a few days, Stanford curators were at Apple headquarters in nearby Cupertino, packing two moving trucks full of documents, books, software, videotapes and marketing materials that now make up the core of Stanford's Apple Collection.

The collection, the largest assembly of Apple historical materials, can help historians, entrepreneurs and policymakers understand how a startup launched in a Silicon Valley garage became a global technology giant.

"Through this one collection you can trace out the evolution of the personal computer," said Stanford historian Leslie Berlin. "These sorts of documents are as close as you get to the unmediated story of what really happened."

The collection is stored in hundreds of boxes taking up more than 600 feet of shelf space at the Stanford's off-campus storage facility. The Associated Press visited the climate-controlled warehouse on the outskirts of the San Francisco Bay area, but agreed not to disclose its location.

Interest in Apple and its founder has grown dramatically since Jobs died in October at age 56, just weeks after he stepped down as CEO and handed the reins to Tim Cook. Jobs' death sparked an international outpouring and marked the end of an era for Apple and Silicon Valley.

"Apple as a company is in a very, very select group," said Stanford curator Henry Lowood. "It survived through multiple generations of technology. To the credit of Steve Jobs, it meant reinventing the company at several points."

Apple scrapped its own plans for a corporate museum after Jobs returned as CEO and began restructuring the financially struggling firm, Lowood said.

Job's return, more than a decade after he was forced out of the company he co-founded, marked the beginning of one of the great comebacks in business history. It led to a long string of blockbuster products ? including the iPod, iPhone and iPad ? that have made Apple one of the world's most profitable brands.

After Stanford received the Apple donation, former company executives, early employees, business partners and Mac enthusiasts have come forward and added their own items to the archives.

The collection includes early photos of young Jobs and Wozniak, blueprints for the first Apple computer, user manuals, magazine ads, TV commercials, company t-shirts and drafts of Jobs' speeches.

In one company video, Wozniak talks about how he had always wanted his own computer, but couldn't get his hands on one at a time when few computers were found outside corporations or government agencies.

"All of a sudden I realized, 'Hey microprocessors all of a sudden are affordable. I can actually build my own,'" Wozniak says. "And Steve went a little further. He saw it as a product you could actually deliver, sell and someone else could use."

The pair also talk about the company's first product, the Apple I computer, which went on sale in July 1976 for $666.66.

"Remember an Apple I was not particularly useable for too much, but it was so incredible to have your own computer," Jobs says. "It was kind of an embarkation point from the way computers had been going in these big steel boxes with switches and lights."

Among the other items in the Apple Collection:

? Thousands of photos by photographer Douglas Menuez, who documented Jobs' years at NeXT Computer, which he founded in 1985 after he was pushed out of Apple.

? A company video spoofing the 1984 movie "Ghost Busters," with Jobs and other executives playing "Blue Busters," a reference to rival IBM.

? Handwritten financial records showing early sales of Apple II, one of the first mass-market computers.

? An April 1976 agreement for a $5,000 loan to Apple Computer and its three co-founders: Jobs, Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, who pulled out of the company less than two weeks after its founding.

? A 1976 letter written by a printer who had just met Jobs and Wozniak and warns his colleagues about the young entrepreneurs: "This joker (Jobs) is going to be calling you ... They are two guys, they build kits, operate out of a garage."

The archive shows the Apple founders were far ahead of their time, Lowood said.

"What they were doing was spectacularly new," he said. "The idea of building computers out of your garage and marketing them and thereby creating a successful business ? it just didn't compute for a lot of people."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-29-Apple%20Archives/id-fbbc6ab9247341c29920707ebfa8e2f4

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Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Business 2011 - 2 Licenses $219.99

Work More Efficiently

Make the Most of Every Minute
Create documents from polished templates. Rely on Outlook for Mac for your e-mail needs and more. And use the Office for Mac ribbon interface that gives you the tools you need at your fingertips and a familiar Office experience across PC and Mac. What could be more efficient than that?

Template Gallery: More themes, more templates, more customizable.
Easily access thousands of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel 2011 themes and templates, and use them to create beautiful, professional-looking documents. Quickly find recent documents so you can get right back to work. You can also customize and preview any theme or template before selecting it?so you know youve got what you need on the first try.

New Database and Conversation View: Consolidate and easily access your e-mail.
Office for Mac 2011 delivers a new application for all your mission-critical e-mails, scheduling, contacts, and more ? Outlook for Mac 2011. The new database stores data in individual, accessible files, making Outlook for Mac compatible with Spotlight and Time Machine. The new Outlook for Mac also enables you to manage long e-mail conversations into a simple, compact form?so you can quickly get up to speed on the whole story.

Perform common tasks, fast.
Office for Mac 2011 features a dynamic ribbon interface that puts commonly used features right where you need them, in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook for Mac. Weve translated the ribbon for the Mac to help streamline the creation of polished documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and e-mail. Office for Mac 2011 feels familiar, whether you are a longtime Mac user or use Office on a PC.

More Polished Docs

Rely on professional, polished results
Make your documents as professional as the great ideas behind them. Easy-to-build visuals and graphics underscore ideas and data to make your reports and presentations pop. And you can rely on your documents looking and behaving as you designed them?whether they are viewed on a Mac or a PC.

Excel: Smarter, sharper ways to visualize and present your data.
In Excel 2011, Sparklines give you the ability to easily create charts and graphs that quickly summarize your data. With Sparklines, also available in Windows-based Office 2010, you can see?and show?the story your data is telling, in a compact space. And Excel 2011 PivotTables are easily manipulated and highly compatible with the Windows version?making working with your data even easier and more intuitive.

Photo Editing: Give your projects more visual impact.
Edit images from within Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. Recolor photos and images, apply filters and corrections, and even remove extraneous background imagery, right from the application itself. Theres no need to leave the Office applications to create visuals that impress.

Compatibility: You look more professional when youre compatible.
Office for Mac 2011 delivers reliable compatibility between Mac- and Windows-based computers, ensuring that your work looks the way you intended when its opened by teachers, your boss, or your customers. Shared tools and file formats between Office for Mac and Windows-based Office mean that your polished reports, presentations, and spreadsheets look and behave just as you designed them.

Work Better Together

Be more efficient, wherever you are
Work together easily and efficiently, with cloud-hosted Web Apps that let individuals and businesses share, edit, and interact with Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents. Collaboration has never been easier?wherever you, your colleagues, and your clients are located.

Coauthoring: One document, multiple writers.
Coauthor documents in real time, with as many contributors as you like. Office for Mac 2011 gives you better ways to work together?so that you never have to worry about version control again. Its compatible with Office for Windows", so you can share with virtually anyone. And if your team needs to meet, quickly transition to a video or live chat with Messenger for Mac.

Outlook: See your invitations and your calendar, at a glance.
Inline calendaring now happens right in your inbox?so you dont have to switch back and forth from your calendar to e-mail. When you get a meeting invitation, you can instantly see if you have a conflict. You can also see custom calendar views based on categories. And easily plan your day to get more done.

PowerPoint: Put on a show?anywhere?with Broadcast Slide Show.
Now you can remotely present your PowerPoint slides to anyone with an Internet connection. Your viewers dont even need to have PowerPoint installed to view your show. You control the pace and the flow of your presentation, just as if you were meeting face to face. And you dont need to worry about e-mailing big files; just send the URL generated by PowerPoint and let the show begin.

Why you're going to love Office 2011

Office 2011: Our favorite features
Office for Mac 2011 is built to keep up with you and your work. Across the suite, applications launch faster and are ready to get to work when you are. Reorder Objects enables the rearrangement of layers of graphics in Word or PowerPoint with a stunning interactive interface. And Full-Screen View in Word allows you to focus on your work, and lets the interface controls and the distractions of instant messages and email fade way.

Performance improvements: Faster, smoother, better.
Office for Mac 2011 gives you an enhanced user experience overall, as performance and launch times have been improved in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Your documents feel ?lighter,? since they load fast, and respond quickly to your commands. And searching text within documents has never been faster.

Reorder Objects: Move objects and data around, and through, your documents.
Word and PowerPoint give you the ability to create rich documents, by layering text, shapes, pictures, SmartArt, animations, and charts. With Office for Mac 2011, you can now easily reorder all these elements with a stunningly simple visual interface that make the management of your sophisticated designs not so complex.

Word Full-Screen View: Let your content be front and center.
Now you can tailor your use of Word depending on whether you want to write your document, or read it. Full-Screen View gives you a limited user-interface and blocks interruptions from email and instant messages, helping you to keep your focus on your content.

Source: http://www.macmall.com/p/Microsoft-Business-Software/product~dpno~8189693~pdp.gcbggdg

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Mel and Robyn Gibson Finalize Divorce; $850 MILLION Split Evenly

Often forgotten during the Mel Gibson-Oksana Grigorieva drama of recent years was the fact that he and wife Robyn were married, albeit separated, the whole time.

No longer.

Mel's net worth of $850 million will be divided evenly between the pair, who were married for 28 years, according to those familiar with their divorce settlement.

The dissolution of their marriage was finalized late last week. Robyn filed for divorced in April 2009, but she and Mel, who have seven children, remain close.

Gibson split with Robyn after announcing he was having a baby with Oksana Grigorieva. Gibson's baby Lucia with Oksana was born October 30, 2009.

That couple split a short time later as documented in the now-infamous Mel Gibson rants. Gibson has since worked out a custody deal with Oksana.

Robyn has asked that her maiden name of Moore be legally restored, but there is clearly much more than restoring her good name involved here.

Believed to be by far the largest divorce settlement in Hollywood history, the actor's payout to Robyn dwarfs others in the nine-figure range even.

Challenge extended, Vanessa Bryant.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/12/mel-and-robyn-gibson-finalize-divorce-850-million-split-evenly/

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German industry mogul Werner Otto dies at 102 (AP)

BERLIN ? Werner Otto, the founder of the mail-order company that bears his name and a prominent figure in West Germany's post-World War II economic resurgence, has died. He was 102.

The company, Otto Group, said Tuesday that he died in Berlin on Dec. 21 in the presence of his family.

Otto opened a shoe factory in Hamburg in 1945, but it didn't last long in the face of tough competition from southern Germany.

So in 1949, with four employees, he turned to selling shoes by mail order ? the start of what became Otto Group, which now employs 50,000 people and has annual revenues of euro11.4 billion ($14.9 billion).

Its first, hand-produced, catalog appeared in 1950, offering 28 styles of shoes. The business then grew rapidly during the 1950s, expanding its range and establishing itself with the help of shoppers from outside major cities who didn't have ready access to stores; in 1963, Otto introduced telephone orders and went online in 1995.

Otto handed over the company's operational management in 1965 and founded another enterprise, ECE, which builds and manages shopping malls in Europe.

He also set up Paramount Group, Inc., to invest in U.S. real estate.

Otto dedicated himself to a range of social causes, including his Werner Otto Foundation, founded in 1969, which supports medical research.

Among other projects, his company said he also donated a new museum building to Harvard University, the Werner Otto Hall, to showcase expressionist art from the German-speaking world.

Otto was born in the eastern German town of Seelow on Aug. 13, 1909, the son of a merchant.

He is survived by his third wife, Maren, and his five children. His oldest son, Michael, is now Otto Group's supervisory board chairman and his youngest son, Alexander, is the chief executive of ECE.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111227/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_germany_obit_otto

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Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding is top moment for Prince Charles' family in their Storify top 10 review of 2011

Prince William and his bride Kate Middleton leave Westminster Abbey on their wedding day

Prince Charles' family have shown once again they are the internet-savvy branch of the royal family by producing a Storify top 10 review of their year.

Clarence House showed its determination to be very 21st century when news of Prince William and Kate Middleton's engagement was put out through the household's official Twitter account last year.

And the royal wedding became an internet event, with 71 million live YouTube streams - currently a record - as well as an official website and behind the scenes photos on Flickr.

As William and Kate spend their first Christmas together at Sandringham, and the Duchess of Cambridge experiences a royal Christmas for the first time, Clarence House has chosen their wedding in April as the top moment of the year for Prince Charles' immediate family in a Storify review.

Storify is an internet service which allows users?to combine text, tweets, images and internet-hosted videos. ?

Other highlights include their royal tour of Canada and Prince Charles and Camilla's visit to Africa. The royals' religious and charity interests, including Prince Harry's time on the Walking With The Wounded expedition to the North Pole are also included.

Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/12/25/prince-william-and-kate-middleton-s-wedding-is-top-moment-for-prince-charles-family-in-their-storify-top-10-review-of-2011-115875-23658843/

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UK's Prince Philip remains in hospital (omg!)

LONDON (AP) ? Britain's Prince Philip will spend a fourth night in hospital Monday, as he recovers from treatment for a blocked coronary artery.

Queen Elizabeth II's 90-year-old husband is making "good progress," but will remain under observation at Papworth, a specialist heart hospital in Cambridge, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said Monday.

The spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with policy, said there are no details on when Philip may be released.

Philip underwent a successful coronary stent procedure at the specialist hospital, where he was taken Friday after complaining of chest pains.

"The Duke of Edinburgh continues to make good progress from the procedure. He remains in hospital under observation and in good spirits," the spokesman said.

It was the most serious health scare suffered by Philip, who is known to be active and robust. He has continued to appear at many engagements, most recently taking a 10-day tour of Australia with the queen.

He missed the Royal Family's traditional Boxing Day shooting party on Monday at the queen's private Sandringham estate in Norfolk, an event he usually leads.

Six of Philip's grandchildren, including Princes William and Harry, visited him Sunday in the hospital.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_uks_prince_philip_remains_hospital100212215/44007052/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/uks-prince-philip-remains-hospital-100212215.html

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Your Top Ten Posts of 2011 (talking-points-memo)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/178667314?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Waves: Sports TV/Radio listings for Saturday, Dec. 24-Sunday, Dec. 25

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Source: jacksonville.com --- Friday, December 23, 2011
Listings for Jacksonville Comcast cable system and subject to change without notice. (*-indicates a channel only available on digital cable and satellite systems.) Sports TV Channel Guide for the Jacksonville area SATURDAY, DEC. 24 read more ...

Source: http://feeds.jacksonville.com/~r/JacksonvillecomSports/~3/THAwGLXcOI8/waves-sports-tvradio-listings-saturday-dec-24-sunday-dec

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APNewsBreak: Yankees hit with $13.9M luxury tax (AP)

The New York Yankees were hit with a $13.9 million luxury tax bill Thursday, their lowest since 2003.

The fee, assessed by Major League Baseball under its labor contract, is down from $18 million last year and $25.7 million in 2009, when the Yankees won the World Series.

Boston, which missed the playoffs for the second straight season, is the only other team that will have to pay a tax. The Red Sox received a bill for $3.4 million, up from last year's $1.5 million.

Season-ending payroll information and the tax was sent to teams and obtained by The Associated Press.

According to the collective bargaining agreement, checks to pay the tax must be sent to the commissioner's office by Jan. 31.

New York has paid the tax in all nine years since it began, $206 million of the $227 million raised under the penalty for high payrolls. The only other teams to pay have been the Red Sox (a total of $18.8 million), Detroit ($1.3 million) and the Los Angeles Angels ($927,000).

The Yankees pay at a 40 percent rate on the amount of their payroll over $178 million, a figure that includes the average annual values of contracts plus benefits. Boston, which exceeded the threshold for the second straight year, pays at a 30 percent rate. For purposes of the tax, New York's final payroll was $212.7 million and Boston's was $189.4 million.

Under the new labor contract, the Yankees' rate would increase to 42.5 percent next year and 50 percent in 2013 if they continue to exceed the threshold, and Boston's rate would go up to 40 percent next season.

But if in any year a team goes under the threshold, its rate decreases to 17.5 percent the next time it pays the tax.

As an added incentive for the high-spenders to decrease payroll, if they get under the threshold they will become eligible to get back some of the money they contribute in revenue sharing. The tax threshold stays at $178 million through 2013, then goes to $189 million in each of the following three years.

New York's payroll under the conventional method of calculation ? salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses ? increased from $215 million to $216 million, still below its high of $222.5 million in 2008.

Boston remained second and finished at $174 million, an increase of $3 million. Philadelphia stayed third at $165 million, a rise of nearly $20 million.

Even before adding Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, the Angels were fourth at $143 million, followed by the financially troubled New York Mets at $142 million, an increase of $14 million and a figure that likely will drop by $30 million or more next season. They were followed by the Chicago teams, who both missed the playoffs, with the Cubs at $141 million and the White Sox at $126 million.

World Series champion St. Louis was 11th at $113 million, and AL champion Texas was 13th at $104 million. Milwaukee (16th at $93 million), Arizona (24th at $66 million) and Tampa Bay (29th at $45 million) made the playoffs from the bottom half of payrolls, while the 2010 champion San Francisco Giants ($125 million) and Minnesota ($115 million) were among the high-spending teams to miss the postseason.

The Marlins, who have added free agents Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell as they prepare to open their new ballpark, were 25th at $62 million. The Los Angeles Dodgers kept their payroll steady at $110 million as owners Frank and Jamie McCourt argued in divorce proceedings that helped cause the team to file for bankruptcy. The Dodgers' payroll had been $132 million in 2009.

Kansas City dropped from $77 million to last at $45 million. Houston, sold during the season, fell to $81 million from $90 million last year and $108 million in 2009.

Overall payroll was $43,000 shy of the $3 billion mark, up from $2.91 billion last year.

Payroll figures are for 40-man rosters and include salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses, earned incentive bonuses, non-cash compensation, buyouts of unexercised options and cash transactions, such as money included in trades. In some cases, parts of salaries that are deferred are discounted to reflect present-day values.

The commissioner's office computed the average salary at a record $3,039,161, up 3.6 percent from last year's $2,932,162. The players' association, which uses a slightly different method, pegged the average at $3,095,183 earlier this month, up 2.7 percent from $3,014,572.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111223/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbo_luxury_tax

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harrisj: RT @nytjim: Like. RT @Slate: @NyTimes collected final tweets of celebrities who died in 2011: http://t.co/eGnEhOjn #Twitter

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California winds of up to 70 mph forecast

Wind gusts of up to 70 mph were are forecast for parts of Southern California Thursday, bringing fears of damage to trees and power lines weakened by similar Santa Ana wind storms late last month.

The northeast winds could reach 65 mph in many mountain areas and 40 mph in the valleys, the National Weather Service warned.

High wind warnings are in effect from 1 a.m. PT Thursday to 1 p.m. PT Friday in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, it said.

"Isolated gusts greater than 70 mph possible below the Cajon and Banning passes" in the Santa Ana Mountains, it added.

"The winds will make driving difficult, especially for motorists with high profile vehicles ... watch for broken tree limbs and downed power lines," it said.

In a Nov. 30 windstorm that spawned gusts approaching 100 mph , trees were toppled, power poles snapped, homes were damaged and electricity was cut to nearly 650,000 homes and business.

Southern California Edison on Wednesday night alerted customers to take precautions because of powerful winds that are expected to blow across Southern California, the LA Times reported.

The utility reminded customers to be prepared for power outages and to stay clear of downed power lines. People should use flashlights if their power dies and not rely on candles, Edison said.

? 2011 msnbc.com

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45762078/ns/weather/

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Paint-on solar cells developed

ScienceDaily (Dec. 21, 2011) ? Imagine if the next coat of paint you put on the outside of your home generates electricity from light -- electricity that can be used to power the appliances and equipment on the inside.

A team of researchers at the University of Notre Dame has made a major advance toward this vision by creating an inexpensive "solar paint" that uses semiconducting nanoparticles to produce energy.

"We want to do something transformative, to move beyond current silicon-based solar technology," says Prashant Kamat, John A. Zahm Professor of Science in Chemistry and Biochemistry and an investigator in Notre Dame's Center for Nano Science and Technology (NDnano), who leads the research.

"By incorporating power-producing nanoparticles, called quantum dots, into a spreadable compound, we've made a one-coat solar paint that can be applied to any conductive surface without special equipment."

The team's search for the new material, described in the journal ACS Nano, centered on nano-sized particles of titanium dioxide, which were coated with either cadmium sulfide or cadmium selenide. The particles were then suspended in a water-alcohol mixture to create a paste.

When the paste was brushed onto a transparent conducting material and exposed to light, it created electricity.

"The best light-to-energy conversion efficiency we've reached so far is 1 percent, which is well behind the usual 10 to 15 percent efficiency of commercial silicon solar cells," explains Kamat.

"But this paint can be made cheaply and in large quantities. If we can improve the efficiency somewhat, we may be able to make a real difference in meeting energy needs in the future."

"That's why we've christened the new paint, Sun-Believable," he adds.

Kamat and his team also plan to study ways to improve the stability of the new material.

NDnano is one of the leading nanotechnology centers in the world. Its mission is to study and manipulate the properties of materials and devices, as well as their interfaces with living systems, at the nano-scale.

This research was funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences.

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Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Matthew P. Genovese, Ian V. Lightcap, Prashant V. Kamat. Sun-BelievableSolar Paint. A Transformative One-Step Approach for Designing Nanocrystalline Solar Cells. ACS Nano, 2011; 111214102150001 DOI: 10.1021/nn204381g

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/WC7ldM-q1-A/111221211324.htm

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Philippines revises up missing from floods to 1,000 (Reuters)

MANILA (Reuters) ? The Philippines disaster agency said Friday more than 1,000 people were missing from a storm and flash floods last week, sharply raising the number of victims unaccounted for as the true extent of the disaster became known.

Typhoon Washi and the flash floods it caused on the southern island of Mindanao are known to have killed 1,080 people, the national disaster agency said.

The agency said Thursday dozens of people were missing but Friday it revised that figure to more than 1,000, saying more complete data had come in and people were reporting the disappearance of relatives.

Most of the casualties were in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, where hundreds of thousands of people were displaced. Many of them are sheltering in schools, churches, gymnasiums and an army base.

Benito Ramos, head of the national disaster agency, said authorities had expanded the search in light of the new tally of missing and because some bodies had been found on shores nearly 100 km (60 miles) from the disaster area.

"We've deployed helicopters to help navy ships scour the seas further away," Ramos told reporters.

The number of missing was put at 1,079, he said.

The disaster had caused damage of 1 billion pesos ($22.92 million) to highways, bridges, schools and other infrastructure, the agency said.

The agriculture department estimated 310.2 million pesos worth of crops, including 703 metric tons of unmilled rice and 7,751 metric tons of corn were destroyed.

Ramos said the situation for survivors was slowly getting back to normal though the displaced needed sustained help.

Two navy ships and aircraft from the main island of Luzon had been deployed to help in the search and relief operations, he said.

"We're not taking any Christmas break," Ramos said.

Some families have moved home and are trying to pick up their pieces of their lives.

"We only need something on top of our heads this Christmas," villager Teresita Bragas told a television station, as she and some neighbors tried to rebuild amid mounds of logs and debris in their coastal village.

Aid agencies have appealed for $28.6 million aid to ease overcrowding at shelter areas.

($1 = 43.6350 pesos)

(Reporting By Manuel Mogato; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111223/wl_nm/us_philippines_typhoon

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Israel completes swap for captured soldier (AP)

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip ? Israel is releasing 550 Palestinian prisoners in the second and final phase of a swap with Hamas militants that brought home an Israeli soldier after five years in captivity.

Their release Sunday night completed the deal to exchange 1,027 Palestinian prisoners for Sgt. Gilad Schalit, who was captured by Gaza militants in June 2006. Schalit returned home in October when Israel freed the first batch of prisoners.

That group included many Palestinians serving life sentences for involvement in bus bombings and other deadly attacks on Israeli civilians that killed hundreds.

Most of the prisoners released in the second phase were serving light sentences. They were freed at Israeli crossings into the West Bank and Gaza.

The release late Sunday set off celebrations in the Palestinian territories.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel was wrapping up preparations to release 550 Palestinian prisoners late Sunday, in the second and final phase of a swap with Hamas militants that brought home an Israeli soldier after five years in captivity.

Under the Egyptian-brokered deal, Israel has agreed to exchange a total of 1,027 prisoners for Sgt. Gilad Schalit, who was captured by Gaza militants in June 2006. Schalit returned home in October when Israel freed the first batch of 477 prisoners. Sunday's release will complete the swap.

The release, expected to take place late Sunday, was not infused with the same drama as the first phase since the most significant players in the trade have already been released.

The Oct. 18 return of Schalit, who appeared pale and thin but otherwise healthy, was the first public sighting of him since his capture, and the plight of the young man had captured Israel's attention for years.

The prisoners freed in the first round included dozens of militants serving life sentences for involvement in deadly attacks. Their releases set off ecstatic celebration in the Palestinian territories, particularly Hamas' Gaza stronghold.

Under the terms of the deal, Israel chose the prisoners to be freed Sunday. Prison officials said most were serving light sentences or near the end of their terms, and only 41 were returning to Gaza.

More than 500 were being sent to the West Bank, which is ruled by Hamas' rival, President Mahmoud Abbas, and most of them were believed to be linked to Abbas' Fatah movement. Israel is interested in bolstering Abbas at a time when Islamic groups like Hamas are gaining in power throughout the Middle East. Hamas enjoyed a huge boost of popularity following the October release.

The Palestinians have been divided between two rival governments since Hamas expelled Abbas' forces and seized control of Gaza in 2007. Abbas, who favors a negotiated peace settlement with Israel, has governed only in the West Bank since then.

"This phase of the swap is shallow, because most of those coming out had served short sentences," said Issa Karake, the prisoners affairs minister in the West Bank government. "It did not live up to the expectations of the Palestinians."

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the movement welcomed the release of all prisoners, regardless of their political affiliation. "We are proud of this great achievement," he said.

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been frozen for three years, in part because of continued Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians claim both territories, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as parts of a future state.

On Sunday, Israel's Housing Ministry published advertisements seeking contractors to build some 1,000 apartments in both areas.

The apartments were approved long ago. Last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered construction to be sped up after the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO granted the Palestinians membership. Israel opposes Palestinian efforts to join the U.N. in the absence of a negotiated peace deal.

Also Sunday, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression condemned the militant Islamic group Hamas for cracking down on journalists in Gaza.

The official, Frank La Rue, said that Hamas security forces arbitrarily arrest and hit journalists and beat Palestinian demonstrators.

La Rue also spoke out over allegations that Israeli soldiers fire tear gas directly at Palestinian protesters in the West Bank, which is against Israeli military regulations and can be lethal.

___

Daniella Cheslow contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111218/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

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Elisabeth R?hm?s Blog: Love Hurts So Good

In her latest blog, R?hm finds her daughter dealing with all the emotions of having a new best friend, and starts thinking about her own childhood.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/wve1YI61AXE/

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Elated, last US troops leave Iraq, ending war

A soldier gestures from the gun turret of the last vehicle in a convoy of the US Army's 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division crosses the border from Iraq into Kuwait, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. The brigade's special troops battalion are the last American soldiers to leave Iraq. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

A soldier gestures from the gun turret of the last vehicle in a convoy of the US Army's 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division crosses the border from Iraq into Kuwait, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. The brigade's special troops battalion are the last American soldiers to leave Iraq. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

The last convoy of solders from the US Army's 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division crosses the border from Iraq into Kuwait, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. The brigade's special troops battalion are the last American soldiers to leave Iraq. The U.S. military announced Saturday night that the last American troops have left Iraq as the nearly nine-year war ends. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

The last vehicle in a convoy of the US Army's 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division crosses the border from Iraq into Kuwait, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. The brigade's special troops battalion are the last American soldiers to leave Iraq. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Inthis Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, photo taken on an iPhone, the last convoy of U.S. Soldiers leaves Iraq and enters Kuwait at the Khabari border crossing. The U.S. military announced Saturday night that the last American troops have left Iraq as the nearly nine-year war ends. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

In this Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, photo taken on an iPhone, the last convoy of U.S. Soldiers leaves Iraq and enters Kuwait at the Khabari border crossing. The U.S. military announced Saturday night that the last American troops have left Iraq as the nearly nine-year war ends. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

KHABARI CROSSING, Kuwait (AP) ? The last U.S. soldiers rolled out of Iraq across the border into neighboring Kuwait at daybreak Sunday, whooping, fist bumping and hugging each other in a burst of joy and relief. Their convoy's exit marked the end of a bitterly divisive war that raged for nearly nine years and left Iraq shattered and struggling to recover.

The war cost nearly 4,500 American and well more than 100,000 Iraqi lives and $800 billion from the U.S. Treasury. The question of whether it was worth it all ? or whether the new government the Americans leave behind will remain a steadfast U.S. ally ? is yet unanswered.

The 5-hour drive by the last convoy of MRAPS, heavily armored personnel carriers, took place under cover of darkness and under strict secrecy to prevent any final attacks on the withdrawing troops. The 500 soldiers didn't even tell their Iraqi partners they were leaving before they slipped out of the last American base and started down the barren desert highway to the Kuwaiti border before dawn Sunday.

The atmosphere was subdued inside one of the vehicles as it streamed down the highway, with little visible in the blackness outside through the MRAP's small windows. Along the road, a small group of Iraqi soldiers waved to the departing American troops.

"My heart goes out to the Iraqis," said Warrant Officer John Jewell, acknowledging the challenges ahead. "The innocent always pay the bill."

But after crossing the berm at the Kuwaiti border, lit with floodlights and ringed with barbed wire, the troops from the 3rd brigade of the Army's 1st Cavalry Division were elated. They cheered, pumped fists in the air and gave each other chest bumps and bear hugs. "We're on top of the world!" shouted one soldier from the turret of his vehicle.

"It's just an honor to be able to serve your country and say that you helped close out the war in Iraq," said Spc. Jesse Jones, a 23-year-old who volunteered to be in the last convoy. "Not a lot of people can say that they did huge things like that that will probably be in the history books."

The quiet withdrawal was a stark contrast to the high-octane start of the war, which began before dawn on March 20, 2003, with an airstrike in southern Baghdad where Saddam Hussein was believed to be hiding, the opening shot in the famed "shock and awe" bombardment. U.S. and allied ground forces then stormed from Kuwait across the featureless deserts of southern Iraq toward the capital.

Saddam and his regime fell within weeks, and the dictator was captured by the end of the year ? to be executed by Iraq's new Shiite rulers in 2006. But Saddam's end only opened the door to years more of conflict as Iraq was plunged into a vicious sectarian war between its Shiite and Sunni communities. The near civil war devastated the country, and its legacy includes thousands of widows and orphans, a people deeply divided along sectarian lines and infrastructure that remains largely in ruins.

In the past two years, violence has dropped dramatically, and Iraqi security forces that U.S. troops struggled for years to train have improved. But the sectarian wounds remain unhealed. Even as U.S. troops were leaving, the main Sunni-backed political bloc announced Sunday it was suspending its participation in parliament to protest the monopoly on government posts by Shiite allies of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

President Barack Obama stopped short of calling the U.S. effort in Iraq a victory in an interview taped Thursday with ABC News' Barbara Walters.

"I would describe our troops as having succeeded in the mission of giving to the Iraqis their country in a way that gives them a chance for a successful future," Obama said.

In the final days, U.S. officials acknowledged the cost in blood and dollars was high, but tried to paint a picture of victory ? for both the troops and the Iraqi people now freed of a dictator and on a path to democracy. But gnawing questions remain: Will Iraqis be able to forge their new government amid the still stubborn sectarian clashes? And will Iraq be able to defend itself and remain independent in a region fraught with turmoil and still steeped in insurgent threats?

"We are glad to see the last U.S. soldier leaving the country today. It is an important day in Iraq's history, but the most important thing now is the future of Iraq," said 25-year-old Said Hassan, the owner of money exchange shop in Baghdad.

"The Americans have left behind them a country that is falling apart and an Iraqi army and security forces that have a long way ahead to be able to defend the nation and the people."

Some Iraqis celebrated the exit of what they called American occupiers, neither invited nor welcome in a proud country. Others said that while grateful for U.S. help ousting Saddam, the war went on too long. A majority of Americans would agree, according to opinion polls.

Iraq's military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Babaker Zebari said Sunday that his troops were up to the task of uprooting militant groups. Sunni militants continue to carry out bombing and shooting against police, soldiers and civilians, and Shiite militias continue to operate.

"There are only scattered terrorists hiding here and there and we are seeking intelligence information to eliminate them," Zebari said. "We are confident that there will be no danger."

The U.S. convoys Sunday were the last of a massive operation pulling out American forces that has lasted for months to meet the end-of-the-year deadline agreed with the Iraqis during the administration of President George W. Bush.

As of Thursday, there were two U.S. bases and less than 4,000 U.S. troops in Iraq ? a dramatic drop from the roughly 500 military installations and as many as 170,000 troops during the surge ordered by Bush in 2007, when violence was at its worst. As of Saturday night, that was down to one base ? Camp Adder ? and the final 500 soldiers.

On Saturday evening at Camp Adder, near Nasiriyah, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, the vehicles lined up in an open field to prepare and soldiers went through last-minute equipment checks to make sure radios, weapons and other gear were working.

Gen. Lloyd Austin, the commanding general for Iraq, walked through the rows of vehicles, talking to soldiers over the low hum of the engines. He thanked them for their service and reminded them to stay vigilant on their final mission.

"I wanted to remind them that we have an important mission left in the country of Iraq. We want to stay focused and we want to make sure that we're doing the right things to protect ourselves," Austin said.

The commander of the Special Troops Battalion, Lt. Col. Jack Vantress told his soldiers, "We are closing the book on an operation that has brought freedom to a country that was repressed. When the sun comes up, we'll be across the berm."

He added a warning to watch out for any final attacks. "Laser focus. Laser focus. You've got time, hours of road to go. There are people out there who still want to hurt you."

Early Saturday morning, the brigade's remaining interpreters made their routine calls to the local tribal sheiks and government leaders that the troops deal with, so that they would assume that it was just a normal day.

"The Iraqis are going to wake up in the morning and nobody will be there," said Spc. Joseph, an Iraqi American who emigrated from Iraq in 2009 and enlisted. He asked that his full name be withheld to protect his family.

In a guard tower overlooking a now empty checkpoint at the base, Sgt. Ashley Vorhees and another soldier talked about what they looked forward to most in getting home. The 29-year-old Vorhees planned to go for Mexican food at Rosa's, a restaurant in Killeen, Texas. Another joy of home, she said: you don't have to bring your weapon when you go to the bathroom.

At its height, Camp Adder boasted a Taco Bell, a KFC, an Italian restaurant and two Green Beans coffee shops. On Saturday, it felt empty, with abandoned volleyball and basketball courts and a gym called "House of Pain." Hundreds of vehicles ? trucks, buses ? waited in a lot to be handed over to the Iraqi military, which is taking over the site. With the Americans gone, the base reverts to its former name, Imam Ali Air Base.

Despite Obama's earlier contention that all American troops would be home for Christmas, at least 4,000 forces will remain in Kuwait for some months. The troops could also be used as a quick reaction force if needed.

The U.S. plans to keep a robust diplomatic presence in Iraq, hoping to foster a lasting relationship with the nation and maintain a strong military force in the region. Obama met in Washington with Prime Minister al-Maliki last week, vowing to remain committed to Iraq as the two countries struggle to define their new relationship.

U.S. officials were unable to reach an agreement with the Iraqis on legal issues and troop immunity that would have allowed a small training and counterterrorism force to remain. U.S. defense officials said they expect there will be no movement on that issue until sometime next year.

Capt. Mark Askew, a 28-year-old from Tampa, Florida who was among the last soldiers to leave, said the answer to the question of whether the Iraq war was worth the cost will depend on what type of country and government Iraq ends up with years from now, whether they are democratic, respect human rights and are considered an American ally.

"It depends on what Iraq does after we leave," he said, speaking before the final convoy departed. "I don't expect them to turn into South Korea or Japan overnight."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-18-ML-Iraq/id-499e36d1b0a64e98a8b19aa2be114b3c

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'Tis the Season to Visit Antarctica (LiveScience.com)

If the talk about the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the South Pole has given you the travel bug, go ahead and cast your gaze south ? all the way south. Right now is the middle of the Antarctic tourism season.

One hundred years ago on Dec. 14, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first human to reach the South Pole. Today, 30,000 people travel to Antarctica each year during the continent's summer tourism season. As little as $3,000 will get you to the frozen continent; for $30,000, you can get there in style.

The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators has more than 100 international companies that ferry adventurous passengers to one of the harshest environments on Earth.

Antarctica's wonders ? the physical isolation, extreme climate and stunning wilderness ? lure tourists from around the globe. Antarctica's modern tourist industry began in 1966, and that early model of linking tourism with education is still followed today by the majority of companies running tours to Antarctica.

According to the Antarctic tour group, 33,824 tourists visited Antarctica in 2010-2011. Americans had the biggest case of Antarctic fever, with 12,629 U.S. tourists traveling to the continent, 37 percent of the total trips. Australia was second, with 9.5 percent of the total trips, and Canada was third at 7.5 percent.

Education mission

Tourism in Antarctica began in the 1950s when guides from Chile and Argentina took more than 500 paying customers to the South Shetland Islands aboard a naval transportation ship. Education was a major theme then, and that emphasis drove Lars-Eric Lindblad to launch the first traveler's expedition to Antarctica in 1966. His tours gave a first-hand experience to tourists about the ecological sensitivity of Antarctic and how it influences the rest of the world.

"You can't protect what you don't know," Lindblad once said.

In 1969, Lindblad built the "Lindblad Explorer," dubbed the world's first expedition ship. It was ?designed for carrying tourists to the Antarctic, and gave rise to the continent's modern tourism industry. Before the Lindblad ship, the only people on the continent were the early explorers, scientists and those seeking their fortune in the exploitation of seals and whales. [Infographic: Antarctica ? 100 Years of Exploration]

By air or by sea

Today, tourism companies must have a permit to visit Antarctica, as required by the Antarctic treaty.Tourism season generally runs from November to late February, summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

Cruises are the most popular way to arrive. Most tourists depart from Ushuaia, Argentina. Some leave from New Zealand aboard an ice-breaker research vessel.

But passengers can't stroll off the cruise ship onto the continent; a raft or helicopter is usually required as a shuttle.

Flying straight to Antarctica is another option. Antarctica Sightseeing Flights, operated by Croydon Travel, have taken more than 30,000 people to Antarctica since 1994. Passengers fly aboard a Qantas Airbus A380 or 747-400 aircraft.

Once on the island, there isn't much to do except explore. Most people mountain climb, ski or visit the South Pole. Every year an adventure race is held on the frozen desert.

One unique experience awaits revelers aboard a New Year's Eve flight to Antarctica.

"On our New Year's Eve Midnight Sun Party Flight passengers will be the first to see the sun in the New Year," according to the Antarctica Sightseeing Flights website. "It is daylight at 12:01 a.m. as we sing "Auld Lang Syne" over the ice and dance in the aisles to a live jazz band."

You can follow OurAmazingPlanet staff writer Brett Israel on Twitter:?@btisrael.?Follow OurAmazingPlanet for the latest in Earth science and exploration news on Twitter?@OAPlanet?and on?Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20111217/sc_livescience/tistheseasontovisitantarctica

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Drug Users With HIV at Much Higher Overdose Risk (HealthDay)

FRIDAY, Dec. 16 (HealthDay News) -- HIV-infected drug users are 74 percent more likely to have an overdose than those without HIV, a new evidence review finds.

Behavioral and biological factors may be among the reasons for this increased risk, according to the Rhode Island Hospital researchers. Drug overdose is a frequent cause of non-AIDS death among people with HIV.

The link between HIV infection and drug use is well documented, but the association between HIV and overdose has received less attention and was the focus of this study, which involved a review of 24 previous studies.

"Over the past 30 years, we have made impressive strides in caring for and prolonging the lives of people with HIV. Our study found that premature death by overdose is an issue that affects people with HIV disproportionately," study leader Traci Green, a researcher with Rhode Island Hospital and the Lifespan/Tufts/Brown Center for AIDS Research, said in a hospital news release.

"It is not entirely clear why the risk is greater, and few studies have endeavored to figure out why this might be happening," she added.

Biological factors may include clinical status, weakened immune systems, opportunistic infections and poorer physical health among HIV-infected drug users. Some research has suggested that hepatitis C infection and other conditions that affect metabolic ability may also increase the risk of overdose, according to the release.

Behavioral factors -- such as high-risk lifestyles and an increased rate of psychiatric conditions -- may also contribute to the higher risk of overdose among HIV-infected drug users, Green said.

Other possible factors could include homelessness and poverty, and poor access to medications and therapy used to treat opioid dependence, she suggested. Many HIV patients take opioid painkiller drugs as part of their treatment, while others use illegal opioids.

The study appears online in advance of print in the journal AIDS.

"Bringing overdose awareness and prevention into the HIV care setting is critical to reducing overdose deaths," Green said.

"Health care providers who treat HIV-infected patients with a history of substance abuse or who are taking opioid medications should consider counseling patients on how to reduce their risk of overdose. They may also consider prescribing naloxone (Narcan) to patients, or offering a referral to MAT (medication-assisted therapy) to reduce the risk of overdose," she advised.

Naloxone is a prescription medication that reverses an opioid overdose and has no abuse potential.

More information

The New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center has more about recreational drugs and HIV.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/aids/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111216/hl_hsn/druguserswithhivatmuchhigheroverdoserisk

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CarrierIQ execs meet with FTC and FCC officials to address privacy concerns

CarrierIQ is having a difficult time making friends. Nearly two weeks after Massachusetts congressman Edward Markey asked the FTC to open an investigation on the data collection company, it appears his wish may be granted. According to anonymous government officials close to the Washington Post -- and confirmed by CarrierIQ itself -- senior officials from the company visited the nation's capital yesterday to discuss the matter with representatives from the FTC and the FCC, as well as a few congressional staffers. The Federal Trade Commission itself hasn't confirmed that it's opening a probe into the situation; regardless, it's certainly evident that the government's beginning to look very close at the company's practices. It's great news for privacy advocates, but whether it amounts to any changes remains to be seen.

CarrierIQ execs meet with FTC and FCC officials to address privacy concerns originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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