Want to Launch A Rocket? Don't Forget Your Lucky Tux

The third time was a charm for twin NASA radiation-tracking probes, which launched into space today (Aug. 30) in a dazzling predawn display. And the succesful blastoff just might have received a boost by a handy "good-luck" tuxedo worn by the mission's project manager.

After two delays last week, NASA's?Radiation Belt Storm Probes lifted off ?on a mission to study the Van Allen radiation belts that encircle Earth. The probes, dubbed?RBSP for short, launched?atop an unmanned Atlas 5 rocket a week late due to technical glitches and foul weather from Tropical Storm Isaac. But when the countdown clock ran out at?4:05 a.m. EDT (0805 GMT) today, the booster roared into space from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a flawless liftoff.

Who knows if the fancy duds worn by Rick Fitzgerald, mission project manager from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, played a part?

"This is my good-luck tux," Fitzgerald said of his outfit at NASA's post-launch press conference. "I wore this 10 years ago for the GRACE [Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment] mission launch, where I was the mission manager. That mission is 10 years still on orbit, so I'm hoping for the same for RBSP." [Launch Photos: NASA's Radiation Probes Blast Off]

All kidding aside, a successful launch was no guarantee.

Earlier this month, a Russian Proton rocket failed during liftoff in a launch that ultimately left two new satellites stranded in useless orbits. Last year,?NASA's?Glory satellite, intended to study Earth's climate, crashed into the ocean after its Taurus XL rocket failed to reach orbit in March 2011.?

So this morning's launch was a definite relief to the scientists who planned the $686 million?RBSP mission.

"Today, 11 years' hard work was realized by the science team as we stood together watching the rocket lift off the pad. It was the most spectacular sight," said Nicky Fox, RBSP deputy project scientist at the Applied Physics Lab. "They're now at home in the Van Allen belts where they belong, and we've all actually now finally breathed out now that the four solar panels are out on both of them."

Scientists will take any advantage they can get to help their missions go off without a hitch.

For example, flight controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California wouldn't dream of carrying out a crucial mission phase without eating peanuts for good luck. The traditional nuts were passed around just before the agency's new Mars rover Curiosity rover landed on the Red Planet's surface on Aug. 5, for instance.

According to JPL lore, six Ranger moon missions in the 1960s failed to achieve their goals until one mission manager brought a jar of peanuts to his shift managing Ranger 7, which finally succeeded in 1964.?

Follow Clara Moskowitz on Twitter?@ClaraMoskowitz?or SPACE.com?@Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook?&?Google+.?

Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/want-launch-rocket-dont-forget-lucky-tux-212255146.html

nascar chris christie little league world series us open tennis us open tennis aaliyah Empire State Building shooting

Rapper Beanie Sigel arrested for drug, gun possession: report

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel was arrested on Wednesday on drug and gun possession charges, celebrity website TMZ.com reported, days before he was headed to prison for tax evasion.

The rapper, whose real name is Dwight Grant, was arrested during a traffic stop during which police found prescription pills, marijuana, a gun and cash in his car, TMZ.com said.

Sigel, 38, best known for his collaborations with rapper Jay-Z and R&B artist R. Kelly, was sentenced to prison last month after owing more than $728,000 in back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service, Philadelphia's local Fox affiliate said.

A judge ordered Sigel to pay all taxes, penalties and interest, which officials said he failed to do. The rapper was due to report to prison on September 12.

Representatives for Sigel and the Philadelphia police could not be reached for comment.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rapper-beanie-sigel-arrested-drug-gun-possession-report-003246705.html

London 2012 shot put London 2012 Track And Field Jordyn Wieber michael phelps Kerri Strug Ledecky Nadia Comaneci

Arizona is one of the few to still be enforce immigration laws | The ...

by THEUNHIVEDMIND, theunhivedmind.com
October 7th 2011

I am somewhat conflicted about the tactics being used by Arpaio as of late but with the extreme amount of violence coming from the Mexican cartels and illegal immigrants as well as the fact that these people know very well what they are doing is illegal. I have no problem with legal immigration. Due to recent actions by Barack Obama in regards to immigration, Arizona might be giving the anti-immigrant attacks a rest in its legislature, but out on the streets not much has changed. On Tuesday Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio announced the launch of ?Operation Desert Sky,? an airborne version of his controversial crime sweeps. This time he wants to send 30 pilots into the air with M-16s and a .50-caliber machine gun so they can intercept people trying to illegally cross the border.

?We?re going to use our automatic weapons if we have to, and I?m tired of my deputies having to chase these people and I?m sure the air posse will be able to spot these guys running as they do constantly from us,? Arpaio told Phoenix?s KSAZ.

Background:
Mexico on Tuesday asked a federal court in Arizona to declare the state?s new immigration law unconstitutional, arguing that the country?s own interests and its citizens? rights are at stake. Lawyers for Mexico on Tuesday submitted a legal brief in support of one of five lawsuits challenging the law. The law will take effect July 29 unless implementation is blocked by a court. The law generally requires police investigating another incident or crime to ask people about their immigration status if there?s a ?reasonable suspicion? they?re in the country illegally. It also makes being in Arizona illegally a misdemeanor, and it prohibits seeking day-labor work along the state?s streets.

Arizona?s policy, which President Felipe Calderon derided during a recent U.S. trip as ?discriminatory,? states police can?t randomly stop people and demand papers, and the law prohibits racial profiling. Mexican law, however, requires law enforcement officials ?to demand that foreigners prove their legal presence in the country before attending to any issues.?

Original Page: http://theunhivedmind.com/wordpress/?p=4803

Shared from Read It Later

Source: http://powersthatbeat.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/arizona-is-one-of-the-few-to-still-be-enforce-immigration-laws/

UFC 151 empire state building Todd Akin Hurricane prince harry dallas cowboys WWE

U.S. federal court blocks Texas voter ID law (reuters)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/244727380?client_source=feed&format=rss

being human chicago news chicago news golden girls robert e lee golden globe winners the express

MacBreak Weekly 314: It's Made of Cookies

I jumped on MacBreak Weekly today, as the show was already in progress, to talk about the Apple versus Samsung verdict, iPhone 5 and iPad mini rumors galore, the latest Java security hole, and Retina Macs with hosts Leo Laporte and Andy Ihnatko, and fellow guest Rich Siegel of Bare Bones software, makers of BBEdit, which I use all day, every day, and my main Mac text editor.

Check out the video above, or for more streaming and download options, audio and video, hit the link below.

Show: MacBreak Weekly 314

Macbreak Weekly

Apple Vs Samsung

retina mac

Iphone 5

Ipad Mini

Featured Video

Podcast

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/VMPyuFacWsA/story01.htm

daniel tosh kate upton Jason Kidd All Star Game 2012 directv rashard lewis frank ocean

Outsource office work, increase productivity!

Your time is your money.

If you?re like many businesses these days, you?re probably up to your eyeballs in work with a small staff. Your time is limited and you don?t have the time or resources to waste on tasks that can be outsourced.

That?s where I come in.

Virtual assistants are a godsend to business owners these days. We can work around the clock remotely on office tasks that you?d otherwise have to have someone in person to tackle. This increases your business productivity tenfold, which frees you up to handle more important tasks.

Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed with the work piling up on your desk? It?s no problem at all for me, because I?ve been doing this full time online since 1998 and can take away some of your burden. Not only will I be able to take away stress, we?d be working together in an independent contractor capacity, so there?s no need to worry yourself with full-time salary, benefits, health insurance or costly training sessions.

Virtual office assistants are often more skilled than typical assistants also. For instance, many are well-versed in WordPress design, SEO practices, desktop publishing, graphics and more and can do it faster and more efficiently. This means you have a greater variety of work that can be passed along.

As time goes on, we?re becoming an increasingly digital society. People are conducting more business than ever online and with cell phone and tablet apps. When?s the last time you went to the bank? I?ll bet that you conducted business via ATM or online rather than spending time speaking with a teller and filling out forms. The internet has afforded us the convenience of streamlining our typical life practices to free up time for other activities.

Hiring a virtual assistant is no different. You?re hiring an independent contractor that likely earns a full-time living from home and whom you?ll likely never meet in person! While this is the case, this person completes just as much work, if not more than a traditional office assistant would.

Business productivity is not something that should be compromised. Every minute wasted is a potential dollar squandered. In order to keep up with the competition and your own standards, increasing productivity is a must. The world and business climate are rapidly changing, so the idea of hiring a virtual assistant will likely become the norm sooner than later. Outsourcing projects/tasks?has always been a business practice, this is just the new format.

Think of a virtual assistant as a value-added asset. Contact Office To-Go today so you can focus on your clients, your strengths and building your business.

Source: http://officeto-go.com/outsource-office-work-increase-productivity/

nfl news tebow tebow jets romney etch a sketch jeb bush sherry arnold snooty fox

Republicans launch convention assault on Obama

TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Republicans launched a sharp assault on President Barack Obama's economic record on the first full day of their convention on Tuesday and praised Mitt Romney as a leader who could rein in big government and kick-start a stagnant economy.

After a storm threat delayed the gathering one day, Republicans formally nominated Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, to challenge Obama for the White House in a November 6 election that polls show is tight.

Republicans repeatedly accused Obama of being hostile to small business owners, burying them under high taxes and excessive regulations that stunted job growth. His signature healthcare overhaul, they said, was big government run amok.

"It's time to end this era of absentee leadership in the Oval Office and send real leaders to the White House. America needs Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and we need them right now," said Chris Christie, the combative New Jersey governor who delivered the convention's keynote address.

"Mitt Romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to put us back on the path to growth and create good-paying private sector jobs again in America," he said.

Republicans are using the convention to make the case for booting Obama from office while presenting a softer side of Romney, who has struggled to overcome a "likability gap" with the president and refute critics who paint him as a job-killing, out-of-touch former private equity executive.

Obama, campaigning in Iowa and Colorado, dismissed the Republican attacks and told a rally in Ames, Iowa, that the agenda his political foes were rolling out in Tampa made for a "pretty entertaining show."

He also accused Republicans of stretching the truth in a multi-million-dollar ad effort to get him out of the White House.

"They'll just make stuff up if they have to. They're doing it already," he said at an event in Fort Collins, Colorado. "Sometimes -- how do I put this nicely? -- they will just fib."

Polls show Romney trails Obama badly with women, and the convention featured a series of women speakers capped by Romney's wife, Ann. She said her husband had attacked every challenge - from reviving the struggling Salt Lake City Olympics to helping her battle multiple sclerosis and breast cancer.

"At every turn in his life, this man I met at a high school dance has helped lift up others," Ann Romney told the convention. At one point she shouted to fans: "I love you, women."

"A storybook marriage? Nope, not at all. What Mitt Romney and I have is a real marriage," she said in a speech timed to air during the one hour of prime-time coverage by U.S. broadcast television networks. "You can trust Mitt."

The former Massachusetts governor, who flew to Tampa earlier in the day, came onstage and gave his wife a kiss after her speech, getting a rousing reception from delegates.

But even as Republicans tried to show a united front against Obama, it was clear the bitter party divisions evident in the long and bruising presidential primary battle have not been resolved.

'DISENFRANCHISED'

Supporters of libertarian congressman Ron Paul of Texas and other conservative activists briefly disrupted the opening session, booing a decision to unseat Paul delegates from Maine and institute rules changes they believe will weaken their power in the next election cycle.

The rules changes, approved by the convention on a voice vote, will bind delegates to the results of a statewide vote and reduce the role of smaller state-level conventions where Paul had success.

Opponents of the move said Romney's operatives and the party's establishment were trying to freeze them out. Some noted that during the state-by-state roll call of delegates to count votes for the nomination, only Romney's vote totals were announced from the podium.

"We were disenfranchised by our party. We won't participate with this chaos," said Russell Montgomery, 52, of St. George, Maine. "We won't legitimize this fiasco. This is as bad as the other party - the corruption."

Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, Romney's chief rival in the primaries and a favorite of social conservatives who have had trouble warming to the former Massachusetts governor, addressed the convention but mentioned Romney by name only three times.

"Under President Obama, the dream of freedom and opportunity has become a nightmare of dependency with almost half of America receiving some government benefit," Santorum said.

Republicans painted Obama as a force for expanding government and said his policies had failed to bring down high unemployment or control budget deficits and federal debt.

The theme for the night, "We Built It," was a reference to Obama's "you didn't build that" comment in July that Republicans have used as an attack line against him. The comment referred to the government help that business owners receive.

"We can do better. We can do a lot better. It starts with throwing out the politician who doesn't get it, and electing a new president who does," House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said.

Republicans hope the convention will not be overshadowed by Hurricane Isaac, which hit the Louisiana coast not far from New Orleans on Tuesday night, just before the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's deadly strike on the city. They also worry about being seen celebrating Romney's nomination while swathes of the Gulf Coast are under storm threat.

While Tampa was spared the brunt of Isaac, a destructive landfall in Louisiana could create uncomfortable split-screen television images of the convention juxtaposed with the hurricane.

The Republicans used the first night to highlight some of their rising stars. Christie's speech, aimed at firing up the party's conservative base, offered plenty of lessons he learned as a Republican governor in Democratic New Jersey who has become known for his in-your-face style.

"I know this simple truth and I'm not afraid to say it: our ideas are right for America and their ideas have failed America," Christie said. "We win when we make it about what needs to be done; we lose when we play along with their game of scaring and dividing."

Delegates said Christie's speech set the right tone for the gathering, which concludes on Thursday with Romney's nationally televised acceptance speech.

"It was powerful. The message was on target, reducing the deficit, reducing unemployment," said David Rusate, from Southbury, Connecticut, said of Christie. "He's a real people's man."

Artur Davis, a black former Democratic congressman from Alabama who switched to a Republican, said he had been fooled by Obama's promises in 2008.

"But dreams meet daybreak: the jobless know what I mean, so do the families who wonder how this administration could wreck a recovery for three years and counting," Davis said.

(Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Andy Sullivan, Sam Youngman, Patricia Zengerle and Sam Jacobs; Editing by Alistair Bell and Jim Loney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/republicans-nominate-romney-bash-obama-convention-005651405.html

great expectations jake owen oosthuizen louis double eagle bubba masters winner instagram facebook