Deep Underground, Miles of Hidden Wildfires Rage - TIME

Deep Underground, Miles of Hidden Wildfires Rage - TIME:

"According to a review by the Department of Interior's Office of Surface Mining Enforcement and Reclamation, more than 100 fires are burning beneath nine states, most of them in Colorado, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Utah and West Virginia. But geologists say many fires go unreported, driving the actual number of them closer to 200 across 21 states. Most have burned for years, if not decades. Pennsylvania's three dozen underground fires include America's most notorious subterranean blaze, a 48-year-old fire in Centralia, whose noxious emissions sickened residents and eventually prompted the federal government in the late 1980s and early '90s to evict homeowners and pay them a collective $40 million for what is now a virtual ghost town.

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At 80, the 'Iron Nun' Prepares for Her Next Triathlon - Healthy Living on Shine

At 80, the 'Iron Nun' Prepares for Her Next Triathlon - Healthy Living on Shine

Lead on:

"...on July 24, Sister Madonna will celebrate her 80th birthday. Then, just over a month later, she'll compete in the Ironman Canada, and should she finish it, she'll break her own record as the oldest woman to complete an Ironman — one she initially set in 2005, as triathlons try to keep up with her by opening up new age groups."

Brain fitness program study reveals visual memory improvement in older adults

Brain fitness program study reveals visual memory improvement in older adults:

"The research is being published in the journal PLoS One on July 14, 2010.

'This confirms our understanding that the brains of older adults, like those of young people, are 'plastic' - the brain can change in response to focused training,' said Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD, director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center at UCSF and senior author of the research paper. Gazzaley is associate professor of neurology, physiology and psychiatry at UCSF.

'The study shows that perceptual improvements with simple discrimination training can transfer to improved working memory in older adults, and it also shows that this increase in memory accuracy is linked to changes at the neural level.'"

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• Brain training - maybe a little effective? (blogs.nature.com)

Op-Ed Columnist - The Medium Is the Medium - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - The Medium Is the Medium - NYTimes.com:

"What matters is the way people think about themselves while engaged in the two activities. A person who becomes a citizen of the literary world enters a hierarchical universe. There are classic works of literature at the top and beach reading at the bottom.

A person enters this world as a novice, and slowly studies the works of great writers and scholars. Readers immerse themselves in deep, alternative worlds and hope to gain some lasting wisdom. Respect is paid to the writers who transmit that wisdom.

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Boys & Girls Club Hoping for Money from Lebron James Announcement|ABC 13

Boys & Girls Club Hoping for Money from Lebron James Announcement|ABC 13:

"The Boys and Girls Club’s national headquarters will make millions from Thursday’s announcement that will come from James’ announcement show on ESPN.

The hoops superstar made it clear that all proceeds raised from the ads sold in the one hour show, will support operation of Boys and Girls Clubs

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If you happen to find yourself in a bad mood, watch this

It's a Wonderful Life (the ending).





While a Christmas movie, I felt like watching it now.

Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong and Doping Allegations - WSJ.com

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Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong and Doping Allegations - WSJ.com:

"During this conversation, Mr. Landis said, Mr. Bruyneel also told him that before the Tour, Mr. Landis would have some blood extracted—blood that would then be put back in his body during the race. That process would boost his blood's ability to carry oxygen to his muscles.

Both testosterone patches and blood transfusions are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which oversees drug testing in many international sports. If evidence of their use is found in the blood or urine of a cyclist, it usually results in a two-year suspension.

Mr. Landis said the conversation with Mr. Bruyneel didn't come as a surprise, and that he agreed without hesitation. He said he was motivated by the prospect of making more money as a racer, and was happy he was being introduced to doping by somebody he trusted.

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• Lance Armstrong dismisses Floyd Landis' latest accusations (sports.espn.go.com)
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• Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong and Doping Allegations (ballhype.com)

When equilibrium's off, doping cyclists come forward - latimes.com

When equilibrium's off, doping cyclists come forward - latimes.com:

"According to Landis, the performance-enhancing drugs of choice are recombinant erythropoietin to artificially stimulate the production of oxygen carrying red blood cells; steroids and human growth hormone for recovery and the development of lean muscle mass; and blood boosting, the withdrawing of your own blood early in the season and then re-injecting it during the tour to boost your red blood cell count. After the scandals of the last dozen years, most people — reluctantly, me included — believe that many, if not most, professional cyclists dope. The deeper question is why? And why did Landis come clean after all these years of vociferous denials?

The answer comes from game theory and something called the Nash equilibrium, conceived by the Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Nash (of 'A Beautiful Mind' fame), in which two or more players reach an equilibrium when none has anything to gain by unilaterally changing his or her strategy, as long as the other players do not change their strategies.

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A Very Scary Fireworks Show: Exploding H-Bombs In Space : NPR

A Very Scary Fireworks Show: Exploding H-Bombs In Space : NPR:

"Back in the summer of 1962, the U.S. blew up a hydrogen bomb in outer space, some 250 miles above the Pacific Ocean. It was a weapons test, but one that created a man-made light show that has never been equaled — and hopefully never will. Here it is:

nuclear bomb

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• Image from the Only Nuke Ever Detonated in Space (neatorama.com)

The Oscar Schindler Story

The Oscar Schindler Story:

"To more than 1200 Jews Oscar Schindler was all that stood between them and death at the hands of the Nazis. A man full of flaws like the rest of us - the unlikeliest of all role models who started by earning millions as a war profiteer and ended by spending his last pfennig and risking his life to save his Jews. An ordinary man who even in the worst of circumstances did extraordinary things, matched by no one. He remained true to his Jews, the workers he referred to as my children. In the shadow of Auschwitz he kept the SS out and everyone alive.

Oscar Schindler and his wife Emilie Schindler were inspiring evidence of courage and human decency during the Holocaust. Emilie was not only a strong woman working alongside her husband but a heroine in her own right. She worked indefatigably to save the Schindler-Jews - a story to bear witness to goodness, love and compassion.

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Switching off your lights has a bigger impact than you might think, says new study

Switching off your lights has a bigger impact than you might think, says new study:

"Switching off lights, turning the television off at the mains and using cooler washing cycles could have a much bigger impact on reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power stations than previously thought, according to a new study published this month in the journal Energy Policy. The study shows that the figure used by government advisors to estimate the amount of carbon dioxide saved by reducing people's electricity consumption is up to 60 percent too low."