Moments of Awareness

Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

We listen to music and talk to people. Watch live on cable or on-line and give us a call tonight between 10 and 11PM MT. Watch previous shows on YouTube  here , and check out the backgrounds on YouTube  here . Check out  Avenpitch  &  Illicit  representin' for Minneapolis and Maryland, as well as Boise's own  Garden City Limits  & Clarified Butter on tonight's show. More info at  reverbnation.com   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

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The Stone is a forum for contemporary philosophers on issues both timely and timeless. The Stone is featuring occasional posts by Gary Gutting, a professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, that apply critical thinking to information and events that have appeared in the news. As our electoral process has begun to accelerate, questions about religious affiliation and calls for candidates to sign pledges supporting religious stances are in the news.  Here are some reflections on the general question of the role of religion in our political life. One view, attractive to many Americans, holds that religion has no place at all.  Roughly, the idea is that religion concerns the private sphere: what pertains to me as an individual or as a member of a voluntary community of like-minded individuals (e.g., a church).  Political life, by contrast, concerns the public sphere: what pertains to me as a member of a wider community (a city, state or nat...

Andrea Morash CREDIT: Andrea Morash View full size image As primitive, tubelike scavengers that feed on dead and dying animals, hagfish are hardly charismatic or appealing, so the discovery that at least 12 percent of hagfish species face an elevated risk of extinction may not tug on the heartstrings. But conservationists are concerned.  "Hagfish are a great example of one of those 'not-so-cute' species that play a vital role in ecosystem health," said Cristiane Elfes, a program officer with a unit of the Global Marine Species Assessment, a joint initiative of several groups. The study was produced as part of this initiative. "This study highlights the impact we have on hagfish and the importance of protecting them to maintain the stability of ocean ecosystems." [...] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can follow LiveScience writer Wynne Parry on Twitter @Wynne_Parry . Full article at  livescience.com   Posted via ...

Made in Space team members with their 3-D printer hang on during a zero-g test flight. CREDIT: Made in Space View full size image 3-D printers that could crank out parts for spacecraft and space stations – from wrenches to screws – all while in orbit is becoming one step closer to reality. A company called Made in Space has completed a successful testing period of two 3-D printers on multiple NASA flights, with a scaled-down wrench becoming the first-ever tool printed in partial zero gravity. Printing out parts in space could eventually be transplanted to other worlds such as the moon, where it could help human colonies gain a foothold by printing out robot parts or buildings, piece by piece. [...] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reach TechNewsDaily senior writer Samantha Murphy at smurphy@techmedianetwork.com . Follow her on Twitter @SamMurphy_TMN . Full article at  space.com   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness...

Already incredibly useful for helping us get directions, find the nearest grocery store and find out our state capital, Google Maps is now becoming the hot way to display enterprise or organizational data that’s associated with particular places. As a data visualization method, the timing of this trend isn’t surprising. The concept of big data has opened organizations’ eyes to the value of their myriad data sources — many of which are tagged with geo-location information — and now is opening up new ways to process and display that data. IBM’s Jeff Jonas described the importance of geospatial data at our Structure: Data conference in March, calling it “prediction super-food.” You can watch the video below to get the full (and rather entertaining) explanation, but here’s a summation: geospatial, or space-time, data adds context to the information we already have, allowing us to make better decisions. Using a puzzle a...

Scientists have shown that as the planet warms water vapor, and thus clouds, will increase, trapping even more heat. One scientist, however, suggests random events drive clouds, which then drive warming. CREDIT: Nicolle Rager Fuller, National Science Foundation View full size image New research suggesting that cloud cover, not carbon dioxide, causes global warming is getting buzz in climate skeptic circles. But mainstream climate scientists dismissed the research as unrealistic and politically motivated. "It is not newsworthy," Daniel Murphy, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) cloud researcher, wrote in an email to LiveScience. The study, published July 26 in the open-access online journal Remote Sensing, got public attention when a writer for The Heartland Institute, a libertarian think-tank that promotes climate change skepticism , wrote for Forbes magazine that the study disproved the global warming worries of cl...

Of those taking cranberry capsules, 78% had at least one UTI during the study, versus 71% in the antibiotics group. ( Health.com ) -- Women have long relied on cranberry juice or supplements to prevent painful urinary tract infections. But a new study from Europe suggests this widely used natural remedy is considerably less effective than low-dose antibiotics, another common preventive measure for recurrent UTIs. Women with a history of recurring UTIs who took cranberry supplements for one year had an average of four infections during that time, compared with 1.8 infections in a similar group of women who took a daily low-dose antibiotic, the study found. Using antibiotics rather than cranberry products isn't a clear-cut decision for women, however. Doctors and patients need to balance the comfort of the patient against the growing problem of drug-resistant bacteria, the authors say. [...] Full article at  cnn.com   Posted via email f...

Rescue workers search for survivors in the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York. New York (CNN) -- Workers who were involved in the response to the World Trade Center attack will not have their cancer treatments compensated under a program set up after September 11, according to a controversial decision released Tuesday by the World Trade Center Health Program. There is inadequate "published scientific and medical findings" that a causal link exists between September 11 exposures and the occurrence of cancer in responders and survivors, program Administrator John Howard said in a statement. The decision forms part of the first periodic review of what the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act will provide. After a lengthy battle, President Obama signed the $4.2 billion legislation in January to provide health care for those who helped clear the rubble and search for human remains at the World Trade Center site in New York. [...] ...

Joe Dragon lost 130 pounds. Scroll down to see what he looks like after his weight loss. (CNN) -- Multiple chins, bulging tummies and flabby arms: It's easy to see where fat accumulates on the body. When a person starts losing weight, where does the fat go? And what parts of the body can you expect to see results? Headlines from fitness magazines promise exercises to blast away belly fat and activities to spot-reduce flab. The scientific evidence, unfortunately, doesn't back those sexy headlines. Here are three things to know about weight-loss and body fat. [...] Full article at  cnn.com   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

  We are so lucky to be living in an era of law when it's no longer common for, say, suspects to be interrogated with live cobras tied to the ends of nightsticks. Unfortunately, there are still many colorful ways the police can royally screw you while Lady Justice shrugs. For instance, you might be surprised to learn that right now in the U.S., it's actually legal for the cops to... #6. Steal Your Stuff Imagine you had your car stolen, but then fortune smiles upon you and the cops find it after the thief used it to smuggle 200 pounds of cocaine across the border, running over 30 children in the process while sexually assaulting the car itself. [...] Full article at  cracked.com Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

The history of cocaine (CNN) -- Long before drug cartels, crack wars and TV shows about addiction, cocaine was promoted as a wonder drug, sold as a cure-all and praised by some of the greatest minds in medical history, including Sigmund Freud and the pioneering surgeon William Halsted. According to historian Dr. Howard Markel, it was even promoted by the likes of Thomas Edison, Queen Victoria and Pope Leo XIII. It was an explosive debut that would be echoed a century later, when cocaine re-emerged as a different kind of miracle drug, the kind that could let you party all night long with no ill effects and no risk of addiction. Each time, the enthusiasm was misplaced and the explosion left a wreckage of human lives behind. [...] Full article at  cnn.com What are the side effects of chewing coca leaves? Or of smoking opium from poppies? When the active compounds in cannabis have been isolated, refined, and synthesized I wonder if their side ...

Six members of the Summerwind Skippers Jump Rope Team will perform live on "America's Got Talent" Tuesday night, according to a family member of one of the jumpers. The members of the team competing in the TV talent show are: Shane Winsor, 25; Kelsy Moe-Porter, 27; Calli McKenney, 23; Lee Reisig, 26; Billy Jackson, 22; and Jeremy Lindstrom, 25. [...] Full article at  idahostatesman.com   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

From: YouTube Service Date: Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 4:20 PM Education, "Race to the Bottom" and Corporate Blackmail FYI -- Please send to others. Mirroring or subscribers welcome. Corporate Blackmail & Education The Race to the Bottom between State Governments to get or retain corporate jobs. © 2011 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066 Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

America is aging. We know it. We must face it. Forty may be the new 30 in some people's minds and 59 the new 50 -- or in nip-and-tuck Hollywood, they imagine it to be 40. Your body, though, sometimes tells you that the new 59 is 60. A reality is that every day more than 7,000 Americans turn 65. By 2030, 18 percent of Americans will be senior citizens, up from 12 percent today. That trend is true for the majority of nations. I am often asked to share my tips on "aging gracefully," an expression I don't like. "Aging with attitude" is what I believe in. "Dying gracefully" is a different and perhaps apt phrase, though only if it is "noble and brave" in Hemingway's words. But who wants to talk about dying? Approaching the inevitable is as much a mental exercise as a physical reality, and I want to talk about living with style, perhaps some elegance and certainly with pleasure. So, it's good to have a plan -- a strategy base...

Here’s a reminder that we know more about the topography of Mars than that of the Earth’s ocean-covered regions and that there is much remaining to be discovered here on our home planet. Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey, filling a gap in seabed charts near Antarctica, have found a dozen undersea volcanic cones , some the size of Mount Fuji, near the South Sandwich Islands in the far reaches of the South Atlantic Ocean. [...] Full article at  dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

Artist’s impression of how the surface of Pluto might look. The image shows patches of pure methane on the surface. CREDIT: ESO/L. Calçada View full size image The discovery of a fourth moon around Pluto — which astronomers announced Wednesday (July 20) — is just the latest twist in the dwarf planet's convoluted story, one that's packed full of surprises and drama. Pluto was once thought to be as big as the Earth. It was regarded as a full-fledged planet for three-quarters of a century, only to be demoted to a new category, "dwarf planet," in 2006. Pluto was not known to have any moons until 1978, and now scientists have found four satellites around the frigid, distant body — more than circle Mars, Earth, Venus and Mercury combined. In short, scientists' understanding of Pluto, while improving, has always been fuzzy. And the picture likely won't really begin coming clear until NASA's New Horizons spacecraft makes the...

Profile Music Photos   A Message from Jeff Mallon Hi,   I've released "The Best Of" on iTunes, amazon, etc. It marks the end of my solo music. Thanks to anyone who has listened to my music over the past ten years.   Thank you!   Jeff :)   Click the pic below to check out "The Best Of".   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

A western spruce budworm outbreak in Idaho is weakening fir and spruce trees across the state. The Forest Service reports that more than 500,000 acres were defoliated by the native western insect in southern Idaho last year. Aerial surveys show this year may be just as bad or worse. The McCall area and the Payette National Forest is one of the areas hardest hit. There people will see the defoliated trees turn reddish-brown on hillsides. Normally, spruce budworm does not kill trees, but may cause them to have reduced growth and dead tops. Other outbreaks include the Boise, Sawtooth and Salmon-Challis national forests and the Coeur d'Alene National Forest up north. The last time Idaho experienced a spruce budworm outbreak it lasted for 15 years. Smaller trees die more than larger trees because larvae drop from the large trees and collect and feed on them. [...] Full article at  voices.idahostatesman.com   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness ...

From: Mario Batali Date: Mon, Jul 25, 2011 at 3:09 PM Dear Friend, In recent years I've been more aware of how much my food choices impact our planet. I was introduced to the Meatless Monday campaign and realized that eating a little less meat makes a big impact, both when it comes to losing weight and getting healthier, as well as relieving some of the tremendous burden on our environment. And I'm talking about a big impact. According to EWG's Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change + Health, if everyone in the U.S. skipped eating meat and cheese just one day a week for a year, it would be like pulling 7.6 million cars off the road. At the same time, people -- especially kids -- would be less likely to develop health problems such as obesity and heart disease. That's why I am such a big fan of EWG and the Meatless Monday movement in their work to get people to eat less meat and more fruits and vegetables. So will you join me a...

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From: Corinne Ball, Change.org Date: Sun, Jul 24, 2011 at 2:40 PM Tell Georgia Judge by Tuesday: Don't jail grieving mother for son's hit-and-run death Dear Peace, A.J. Nelson was just four years old when he was killed in a hit-and-run by an intoxicated driver in Atlanta.  Now his own mother, Raquel Nelson -- who was also hit by the car while trying to save her son -- faces up to three years in prison for A.J.'s death. Raquel and her three children got off a bus and -- with several other passengers -- attempted to cross a five-lane highway to get to her apartment across the street. Standing at the median, little A.J. reportedly saw someone else jaywalk and ran out into the street to follow. Raquel ran out after him to stop him. But it was too late. Both Raquel and A.J. were hit by a vehicle, and A.J. died in the hospital a few hours later. The driver, who admitted having a few beers and pain medication that afternoon, spent just...