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POPSCitrus surprise: Vitamin C boosts the reprogramming of adult cells into stem cells "Our results highlight a simple way to improve iPSC generation and provide additional insight into the mechanistic basis of reprogramming," concludes Dr. Pei. "It is also of interest that a vitamin with long-suspected anti-aging effects has such a potent influence on reprogramming, which can be considered a reversal of the aging process at the cellular level. It is likely that our work may stimulate further research in this area as well." More information: Esteban et al.: “Report: Vitamin C Enhances the Generation of Mouse and Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.” Publishing in Cell Stem Cell, January 8, 2010. http://www.cellstemcell.com Source: Cell Press (new
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POPSblistering indictment leveled against obama over his handling of bush-era war crimes yep- no accountability here- seems like- just set the tolerance level a whole lot lower- so we can cover up- hide and presumably get away with all the b.s. we are planning to do and are doing now- charging the past with accountability- opens a window into what the administration is working on now- i imagine.........and if they ok bush's war crimes- well we must really be up to no good.....and no! "i don't feel safer from the threat of terrorism- by means of torture-etc.......not anymore now than i did during the "daze" of bush"
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POPSThe Something Awful/Paypal fiasco
More: I'm not going to tell people to close their Paypal accounts. I'm not going to say all their actions were completely unwarranted. I'm just presenting my experience with them and will allow you to draw your own conclusions. However, I harbor a fundamental disagreement with their business practice of assuming all their clients are filthy criminals who must repeatedly prove their innocence to a series of unmanned servers and computer systems. I do not support their ability to freeze entire accounts, take money from whoever they want at whatever time they want, and impose whatever arbitrary rules and regulations they deem necessary without having to answer to any organization. Every single cent in every single Paypal account is earning their company ungodly amounts of interest in their central bank account. They offer users credit cards and the chance to put your money into interest-generating accounts. So exactly why are they not under banking and FDIC rules again?
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POPSThe U.S. Needs to Open Up to the World It's better for everybody to have a stake in society than to have a resentful underclass bent on wrecking things. To many Americans, this sounds like socialism, big government, the nanny state. But so what? The result is: Europe has less gun crime and homicide, less poverty and arguably a higher quality of life than the U.S., which makes a lot of us wonder why America doesn't want some of what we've got. America as a gated community won't work, because not even the world's sole superpower can build walls high enough to shield itself from the intertwined realities of the 21st century. There's a better form of security: reconnect with the rest of the world, don't shut it out; stop making enemies and start making friends. Perhaps it's asking a lot to expect America to act differently from all the other empires in history, but wasn't that the original idea?
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POPSClimategate: Science corrupted Here is an example how scientific collisions spilled out onto unsuspecting public. Excessive public (read journalists and even paparazzi) attention in science is always leading to speculations and manipulations. And usually difficult to say who manipulating by whom: scientists by politicians or vice versa. I believe scientists must carefully follow each rule of scientific ethic and be scrutinized in this matter every time they attracting interest of wide auditorium. The main question here: Is it new trend or ordinary fluctuations? And polar bears soon will not be able to float around on a floes. As is their custom on the North, they said... ;)
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POPSIs Intelligence Sexy? <<<Many traits in many species have evolved through sexual selection specifically to function as fitness indicators that reveal good genes and good health. Sexually selected fitness indicators typically show (1) higher coefficients of phenotypic and genetic variation than survival traits, (2) at least moderate genetic heritabilities and (3) positive correlations with many aspects of an animal's general condition, including body size, body symmetry, parasite resistance, longevity and freedom from deleterious mutations. These diagnostic criteria also appear to describe human intelligence (the g factor).>>> (from abstract). So then, is there some sort of mirror neuron circuitry in the brain that excites a cortical g spot?
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POPSHere Are Some Important Passages in the 2,000 Page Legislation.
Eviscerating Medicare: In addition to reducing future Medicare funding by an estimated $500 billion, the bill fundamentally changes how Medicare pays doctors and hospitals, permitting the government to dictate treatment decisions. Sec. 1302 (pp. 672-692) moves Medicare from a fee-for-service payment system, in which patients choose which doctors to see and doctors are paid for each service they provide, toward what's called a "medical home." (The bill specifies that patients may have to settle for a nurse practitioner rather than a physician as the primary-care provider.) Sec. 1114 (pp. 391-393) replaces physicians with physician assistants in overseeing care for hospice patients. • Secs. 1158-1160 (pp. 499-520) initiates programs to reduce payments for patient care to what it costs in the lowest cost regions of the country. Sec. 1161 (pp. 520-545) cuts payments to Medicare Advantage plans (used by 20% of seniors). Advantage plans have warned this will result in . . . .
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POPSThe value of cord blood—even greater than once imagined! Families who have banked your child’s cord blood (or are considering it) take note -you may have access to “ready-to-use” stem cell therapies that are greater than we imagined. This includes treatments that may help restore, repair and regenerate various tissues and organs that may have been damaged through injury or illness.
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POPSUrge World Leaders: Vote No to Biased Goldstone Report I'm here at the emergency session of the U.N. Human Rights Council, facing a draft resolution by the Arab and Islamic blocs that seeks to endorse the biased Goldstone Report"a 500-page document that falsely accuses Israel of “deliberate attacks” against civilians during its defensive war against Hamas rocket attacks last January. (For details, see www.unwatch.org/goldstone.) Adoption of this dangerous text will trigger proceedings toward the indictment and prosecution of Israeli leaders and officers in the International Criminal Court. What’s at stake is the very survival of democratic societies under the assault of terrorists"enemies of human rights who cynically invoke its protective cover. The debate began yesterday and reaches its climax today. UN Watch will be there to address the assembled delegates. Representing us will be none other than Col. Richard Kemp, former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan,
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POPSPlanet Robo: Population Will Exceed 1 Million Worldwide by 2010 "DO NOT TAKE A BATH WITH YOUR ROBOT WHILE JUGGLING CHAINSAWS." Best advice I’ve heard all year. But where are all of these robots? Mostly they are things like those little Roombas and Robomowers that creep in and around tech-savvy homes. The author identifies a looming problem, with military contractors driving the manufacture and spread of Robosapiens, we need to begin focusing on the ethics of their use for civilian applications. Getting a robot to identify the enemy under military situations is quite different from relying on them to patrol civilian streets. It’s no longer a great stretch to imagine robocops in patrol cars in the near future.
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POPS Obama as Dr. Evil Part of this was due to opposition to specific policies, and a belief that on certain critical issues, America has acted unilaterally, without regard for the interests of others. This has fed an almost reflexive anti-Americanism, which too often has served as an excuse for our collective inaction. Like all of you, my responsibility is to act in the interest of my nation and my people, and I will never apologize for defending those interests. But it is my deeply held belief that in the year 2009 " more than at any point in human history " the interests of nations and peoples are shared. It irks me that Obama believes that our interests are shared. Our interests could be shared, if Iran didn’t want to obliterate Israel, for example. However, presently that is not a shared interest of the United States. Obama courts the world, telling them how he appeases them"closing Guantanamo Bay, ending torture, ending weapons systems, ridding the world of nuclear weapons, and so on . .
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POPSAdministration Will Cut Border Patrol Deployed on U.S-Mexico Border A Department of Homeland Security annual performance review updated by the Obama administration on May 7 said the Border Patrol “plans to move several hundred Agents from the Southwest Border to the Northern Border to meet the FY 2010 staffing requirements, with only a small increase in new agents for the Southwest Border in the same year.” Easterling said on Tuesday that in fiscal 2009, 17,399 Border Patrol agents have been deployed on the U.S.-Mexico border. In fiscal year 2010, the Border Patrol plans to decrease that by 384 agents, leaving 17,015 deployed along the Mexican frontier. At the same time, the number of Border Patrol agents deployed on the U.S.-Canada border will be increased by 414, from a fiscal 2009 total of 1,798 agents to a fiscal 2010 total of 2,212. Read full article: By Terence P. Jeffrey, Editor-in-Chief CNS NEWS.COM http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/54514
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POPSBin Laden Message to Europe: Withdraw from Afghanistan I clipped the most intriguing phrases. Go to clip source to read entire message. The closing paragraph: His message seems to be Europe, you still have a chance. Don't go down with the American ship. Happy is whoever learns a lesson from the mistakes committed by others. Modest precautions are better than expensive follow-up care. Returning to truth is better than insisting on falsehood. And peace be upon those who follow the path of righteousness.
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POPSThe Other Ongoing World Shame: Darfur As the author indicates, when you have lots of "show," there is often very little "go." Take away all the glitter and false starts and Darfur is still one of the leading killing grounds in the world. Is Sudan's oil worth that much?
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POPSCOERCIVE CARE: Real Concerns About the Health Care Bill, The Tyranny of Good Intentions
The health care bill is all about Federal control over every "free" American. Insurance would be mandatory and compulsory and the government gives you "options" through coercion, including the IRS leaning on you ("penalty") if you try to "opt out" and retain your basic human rights, i.e. private property (how you spend your own money), control of your body, and freedom of choice. Then your entire privacy is jeapordized as the Federal government becomes your legal guardian and Nanny, supervising, monitoring, and tracking (in real electronic time) every health procedure and examination of every minutia of your life. So much for "freedom" then. Moreover, information is power, and this personal information on you provides the government the means of coercing you into what Big Brother thinks is "in your best interest", i.e. really the interest of the Collectivist State. A Healthcare National ID card has been discussed. The principle is nothing other than Communism.
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POPSThere is Now a Scientific Way to Measure Smelly Farts "The contraption could even have use outside of fraternity houses, Clain says, as a biosensor for harmful hydrogen-sulfide-producing bacteria in hospitals. Or dentists could use it to measure oral malodor. They’ve also received some interest from doctors with four-legged patients. “You can test the health of livestock through the quality of their farts,” Salas says. “Smell and sound can tell you a lot about their bowel movements.” When it came time to present the invention in class, though, Clain and Salas had to test their detector by making raspberry sounds and breathing on it—human exhalations contain enough hydrogen sulfide to trigger the sensor. “It’s hard to fart something really smelly on command,” Clain laments. “Besides, it provided a nicer atmosphere for those around us.” Still, their professor saw fit to award the project a well-deserved A."
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POPSAn enemy of today's capitalistic economic system..... QFS: Hitler was intent on having a community of mutual interest that desired mutual success instead of one that was divided over the control of money or differing values. THE COMMON INTEREST BEFORE SELF-INTEREST - THAT IS THE SPIRIT OF THE PROGRAM. BREAKING OF THE THRALDOM OF INTEREST - THAT IS THE KERNEL OF NATIONAL SOCIALISM. In these straightforward statements of intent, Hitler translated his ideology into a plan of action which would prove its popularity with the German people throughout the coming years. For many, the abruptness of its departure from the tradition of politics as practiced in the western world was as much of a shock as its liberal nature and foresight of the emerging problems of western democracy.
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POPSSuper Bacteria Check this baby out ! Deinococcus radiodurans is a fabulous bacteria. It may well be our servant to help us explore new worlds. These are the same bacteria you may have already heard of, but have forgotten. Back in the '70s they were adapted to help clean uo those nasty oil spills. Now we are heading into new territories, such as cleaning water & oxygen, and adapting to humans for survival on other planets. If you really want to see what's going on click on the links to further your education about them and your curiosity.
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POPSPepsiCo Chooses to Continue Using GE Ingredients Despite Evidence of Harm
The list of evil corporations grows longer. What else would you label a corporation that continues to use ingredients proven to cause toxicity in the kidney and liver? They sure as hell cannot be considered beneficial or benevolent. US law does not require GE foods be tested for toxicity so PepsiCo will continue to use the material without conscience. To quote Pepsi's response to the proposal: "We believe that genetically-modified products can play a role in generating positive economic, social and environmental contributions to societies around the world; particularly in times of food shortages." PepsiCo’s belief system (making money no matter what) doesn’t fit in with lab test results therefore disregard the tests. Incredibly, Monsanto had this to say: "Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA's job." That’s my definition of an evil corporation.
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POPSWelcome To Documentary Heaven, Feed Your Brain Documentary Heaven was set up early July 2009 to provide the public with a vast collection of documentaries spanning across every genre out there. We intend on continuously updating the site on a daily basis to bring you nothing but the very best. The Idea Behind This Site: We understand that the internet can be a very interesting place filled with much to do, but have you ever had one of those days where there seems to be absolutely nothing amongst that vast collection of websites out there that could possibly interest you? Well now there is documentaryheaven.com. So whenever your bored, just relaxing or simply in the mood to watch something interesting, why not pop onto our site and find a documentary that takes your interest! There is no hidden agenda here, you see we simply just want to freely entertain the masses!!
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POPSPresident Pantywaist in Retreat: Obama Hoists The White Flag Over Stalinist Health Care Proposals it might persuade them to buy into his socialist scheme, the primary objective of which was not relief of suffering but expansion of Big Government. Now that is in tatters. Politically, it is interesting to analyse why. Obama has no notion of cautious, consensual reform: he wants a Union of Soviet States of America and he wants it now. A realist would have taken up the existing reform proposals, perhaps radicalised them a little, and tried to take them forward. Above all, he would not have alienated the pro-life lobby by rolling abortion into the plan. But not Obama. He brings to the White House the abilities and experience of a Chicago community organiser. As Sarah Palin witheringly said: “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organiser’ except that you have actual responsibilities.”
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POPSThe evolution of religion "Religion arose out of a hodgepodge of genetically based mental mechanisms designed by natural selection for thoroughly mundane purposes," he writes. Those mechanisms include conformist bias (believing what your peers believe, in order to get along), a tendency to explain events in terms of personal agency (since our mental machinery for thinking about causality evolved in the context of social interaction), and interest in remote control (a bias toward beliefs that promise influence over predators, diseases, and bad weather). Given these biases, we're prone to believe in powerful, jealous, tempestuous personal deities.
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