http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/ http://www.eblah.com en http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1213216521/ http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1213216521/#num1
Way to go, California! I hope many more states will follow suit. ]]> Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:35:21 Mairi http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1212091992/ http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1212091992/#num1 Fri, 30 May 2008 00:13:12 aspinall_lover http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1211777898/ http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1211777898/#num1

Mars Craft Succeeds in Soft Landing
Phoenix to Begin Search for Signs of Life Beyond Earth

By Marc Kaufman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 26, 2008; Page A01

The spacecraft Phoenix landed safely on Mars yesterday, making a hazardous soft landing on the planet's far north with all its scientific systems apparently intact and ready to begin an intensive new search for life beyond Earth.

After counting down the last stage of the descent by hundreds and then tens of nerve-racking meters, officials at Mission Control in Pasadena, Calif., announced that "Phoenix has landed," setting off a joyous celebration by the mission team.

"It could not have gone better, not in my dreams," said Barry Goldstein, NASA's project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

The touchdown, at about 8 p.m. Eastern time, was the first successful soft landing on the Red Planet -- using a parachute and thrusters rather than protective air bags -- since the twin Viking missions in 1976. In all, six of 11 similar attempts by the United States, Russia and England ended in failure, so the Phoenix team awaited with enormous apprehension the outcome of the spacecraft's approach and landing.

Phoenix plunged into the thin Martian atmosphere traveling at more than 12,000 mph. Over the next seven minutes, friction -- which raised the temperature on the heat shield to 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit -- slowed it enough to deploy the parachute.

About half a mile from the surface, and with only seconds remaining before touching down, 12 small rocket thrusters fired to slow the lander's descent speed to 5 mph. Before it landed, however, Phoenix had to orient itself toward the sun to ensure that its solar panels could pick up enough light to generate the power it will need on the surface.

Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, lead investigator for the mission, said earlier that the entry would amount to "seven minutes of terror" for the scientists.

Like the Viking landers, Phoenix is designed to look for organic material and other signs that life has existed on Mars, or could exist on the planet. Unlike the two rovers that have been exploring the Martian surface for nearly five years, Phoenix is built to stay in one place and use its robotic arm to dig into the soil and ice. The vehicle is equipped with several miniature chemistry labs to analyze the material it digs up.

The lander touched down further north on Mars than any previous lander. NASA scientists think the frozen water on or near the surface may tell them whether the minerals and organic compounds needed for life as we know it exist, or have ever existed, on the planet.

Throughout the descent and landing, NASA engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory were receiving data on the spacecraft's progress 15 minutes after events occurred -- helpless to intervene if anything went wrong. Transmissions were sent from Phoenix to the orbiting Mars Odyssey spacecraft, then relayed back to Earth at the speed of light over the 171 million miles between the planets.

Phoenix, named for the mythological bird reborn from its ashes, was assembled largely from parts manufactured for other spacecraft. After two Mars mission failures in 1999, the space agency scrapped a lander mission planned for 2000 and recycled some of the hardware.

One of those failures was the last time NASA tried a soft landing on Mars. The Mars Polar Lander was angling for the south pole when it prematurely shut off its engine and crashed to the surface below. The other failure involved a spacecraft that was supposed to go into orbit around Mars; NASA lost contact with it during the approach, and its fate is unknown.

The 900-pound, three-legged Phoenix lander, which cost $457 million, traveled a circuitous path of 423 million miles over almost 10 months to reach Mars. A rocket-and-parachute landing system -- like that of the Viking landers of 32 years ago -- was chosen because it allowed NASA to better pinpoint the landing location. The system is also a prototype of one that NASA hopes will one day land astronauts on Mars.

The later Mars Pathfinder and the two robot rovers, Opportunity and Spirit, which have been exploring the planet's equatorial region, landed using air bags to cushion the impact. Air bags are not practical for heavier craft such as the Phoenix because the weight of bigger bags reduces the amount of scientific equipment that can be carried.

The Phoenix was targeted at the north polar region because that is where some form of water (in the form of ice) is most likely to be present, and scientists believe that a form of water is necessary for life. They are convinced that surface water flowed on Mars billions of years ago, a conclusion reached by studying geologic features of the Martian landscape. Today, conditions on Mars do not allow for liquid water, in large part because the atmosphere is only 1 percent as dense as Earth's.

In 2002, however, the Mars Odyssey orbiter discovered that large amounts of water ice lay just beneath the surface in the permafrost that covers much of far northern Mars. Scientists say the region, which is notably flat and smooth, may have once been the bottom of a large ocean.

They are also intrigued that the surface shows polygonal patterns remarkably similar to some seen in Antarctica. Scientists speculate that they could be the result of cycles of freezing and thawing.

In addition to its sophisticated cameras, soil retrievers and mini-laboratories, Phoenix carried on its journey a mini-DVD created by the Planetary Society called "Visions of Mars." It holds a library of science fiction stories and art, as well as the names of more than 250,000 people.

The DVD, featuring the likes of Carl Sagan, Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Bradbury, is made of material designed to last for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/25/AR2008052502289.html?hpid=topnews





]]> Mon, 26 May 2008 08:58:18 Geoff http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1208430945/ http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1208430945/#num1 Apparently it's an ilegal fight between two men , who basically kick hell out of each other , and is really popular in the North of England ,as anyone else heard of this sick sport ?
]]> Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:15:45 DaveRam http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1207372444/ http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1207372444/#num1
Here's the article. I think the creator sounds very creepy. I love how he justifies what he's doing when really, he knows he's wrong. Money is king I guess. Whatever.


Online Game Lets Users Get Breast Implants, Take Diet Pills
Users as Young as 8 Years Old Can Make Their Virtual Bimbos as Sexy as They Like
By EMILY FRIEDMAN
March 25, 2008


Boob jobs, diet pills and boyfriends are the name of the game for many girls joining a new online game that allows users to do whatever it takes to become "the most famous, beautiful, sought-after bimbo across the globe."
miss bimbo
(ABCNews Photo Illustration)

"Miss Bimbo's" users — who are primarily teenagers but are as young 8 — create virtual characters known as bimbos, dress them, groom them and can even navigate them right onto a plastic surgeon's operating table.

Launched by business partners Chris Evans and French entrepreneur Nicholas Jacquart two months ago in Great Britain, "Miss Bimbo" has already attracted more than 200,000 users in Britain. The French version, created a year ago, boasts more than 1.2 million users.

Described by Evans as a cross between "Barbie" and "Tamagotchi," the virtual pet game created in Japan, "Miss Bimbo" hinges on users creating bimbos and then making sure they're taken care of.
Related

"It's a virtual reality fashion game," Evans told ABCNEWS.com. "[Users] create a bimbo, buy her clothes, send her to university and love her and nurture her."

But it's the kind of loving and nurturing available in the game that has alarmed many body image experts who charge that the site is sending a bad message to young girls about what it means to be attractive and sexy.

"The fact that the game is encouraging girls to get boob jobs or go to the tanning salon or nab a rich boyfriend to make them more attractive or happier is just a sad awful message," said Leslie Goldman, the American author of "Locker Room Diaries: The Naked Truth About Women, Body Image." "It's a horrible example to set for girls in terms of what is fun and cool and what it means to be a woman."

Virtual Game Emulates Real Life – Boob Jobs Included – Says Creator

Evans said that before now, he'd never considered the possible negative impact that game could have on young teens, and told ABCNews.com that he and his business partner are "looking into" the critics' claims.

But Evans also says that users want the game to be as real as possible – breast implants included.

"In real life there is the option of getting a boob job," said Evans. "Yes, there are negative elements to the game. We can't ignore that life is sometimes rough. Relationships end or you can't afford the apartment you want," said Evans, who explained that earning enough money to buy a nice apartment is one of the game's challenges.
Related
WATCH: Boosting Teen Body Image

The money used in the game to buy things such as an apartment or a gym membership or diet pills is referred to as "Bimbo Money," and can be either be bought through a $3 text message or earned by users who succeed at games such as Sudoko. While users can register to play for free, the site's profits depend on users paying for the money rather than playing the games.

In addition to learning money management skills, Evans points out that there are other important lessons learned by playing the game.

"But there are lots of positive lessons that replicate messages in real life."

While feeding your bimbo too much chocolate has added virtual pounds to the animated girls' hips, feeding her fruits and vegetables will improve her health, Evans points out.

But body image guru Goldman isn't so sure that's the message users will pay attention to.

"I think we all know in life that certain things appeal more, things that make you seem more hip and cooler, and these things are aesthetically based services and goods like diet pills and boob jobs," said Goldman.

"I don't think a girl logging on one time will mean she'll necessarily get breast implants, but what a game like 'Miss Bimbo' does is add to the onslaught of images and messages that young girls get at such a young age of change this, improve that, make this smaller, make this bigger," said Goldman. "This is another tool in the arsenal of bad body image."

U.K.-based groups share Goldman's concern, and told ABCNews.com that "Miss Bimbo" is not helping to promote good body image to young girls already struggling with their self-esteem.

"It's all to do with body image these days and how young people are bombarded with unrealistic images about what's supposed to be the ideal body image," said Mary George, spokesperson for BEAT, a British organization that provides help and support for people with eating disorders. "Showing and emphasizing how body shape and sizes can be manipulated is very unhelpful."

Evans isn't worried, though, and says no matter what the message his game sends, it's unlike the user will listen to any of them anyway.

"I don't think the game influences [players'] every day lives," said Evans. "I'm not 100 percent sure that young users will rush out and get a boob job and I don't think they'll play the game and say I want to eat some vegetables, either."

"They get on to play the game and then they go off to school," said Evans. ]]> Sat, 5 Apr 2008 09:14:04 Sandra