Thursday, October 31, 2013

Turning The Page On Illiteracy, Adults Go Back To Class


This is the first report of a four-part series on adult education.


The national debate around education usually focuses on children in school. But there are 30 million adults in the U.S. who have trouble with basic literacy — they struggle to read a menu, a pay stub or a bus schedule.


It also means it's difficult for them to get and hold onto the most basic jobs.


Tens of thousands of other adult learners are slowly and painstakingly trying to fill in the gaps of their rudimentary schooling. The long shadow of their unfinished education still follows them every day.


Learning Which Route To Take





Shirley Ashley, 55, never learned how to read. With classes, she is finally able to read her own bills.



Kavitha Cardoza/WAMU


Shirley Ashley, 55, never learned how to read. With classes, she is finally able to read her own bills.


Kavitha Cardoza/WAMU


Shirley Ashley flips through a folder of certificates she's received in her adult education class. She stops at one that says "Top Performer," points to the words and starts reading.


"I know this is 'top' something, that means I'm doing good," she says.


The word "performer" is still a jumble of letters because Ashley, at 55, never learned how to read. In school she was always in classes for students with learning disabilities, but Ashley says she wasn't learning anything.


"I felt as though they just passed me just to get me out of school," she says.


In the seventh grade, after one teacher told her, "Whether you learn to read or not, I still get paid," Ashley decided to drop out.


She learned how to give her mother medicine based on the colors of the bottles. To hide the fact she was illiterate, Ashley memorized Bible verses so no one at her church suspected. And she limited her travel to a familiar route.


"I couldn't read the name of the bus, but I learned that the left-hand side of the street would take me downtown and the right-hand side of the street was going to bring me back home," she says.


Ashley's inability to read has made it hard to find a job. She's also seen those closest to her take advantage of her illiteracy, especially when it came to money.


"I would have to pay them, my family members, to come over my house to do a money order," she says. "Sometimes I give them $25, sometimes I give them $30."


Ashley's attended classes at a nonprofit literacy center on and off for about eight years. She initially tested at the kindergarten level; she's now reading at the second-grade level.


"When my gas bill come to my house I'm learning how to read where it says 'pay by July 17th.' That makes me feel awesome," she says.


Getting To The Next Level


Ashley is at the "low end" of the literacy spectrum. Jason White, another adult learner is a little further along.





Marilyn Block tutors Jason White during a one-on-one session that is part of the Literacy Council of Montgomery County at a local library.



Kavitha Cardoza/WAMU

White is 35 and grew up in Louisiana. He dropped out in the 11th grade after years of sitting idle in a special education class. White found ways to cover up his reading struggles, from pretending he's forgotten his reading glasses to relying on computer's "auto-complete" function — even when he was out with friends.


"Say if you're at dinner with five people and you can't make out or read what's on the menu, someone says they're going to have the salmon filet, you say, 'Well I'll have the salmon filet,' " White says.


He works as a construction worker, and in a sense he's lucky. Adults who dropped out of school are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as high school graduates. For those who do get hired, it often means low-end jobs with no hope of advancing. In tough times, they're often the first ones laid off.


For White, not being able to read means his career has stalled. To advance, he needs a contractor's license, and he hopes he'll be able to pass the exam next month.


"I'm very handy, and we do terrific work, but I'm technically not a contractor until I pass that exam," he says. "So it's, it's a little nerve-wracking, you know?"


White has spent the past two years learning to read with a tutor. Now, he can write his own checks and has just finished reading his first novel. He marvels that he can now read street signs.


"If we're driving somewhere, I can't help but read every sign we pass," he says. "It's like a different world."


Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/31/241862699/turning-the-page-on-illiteracy-adults-go-back-to-class?ft=1&f=1013
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Bengals LT Whitworth inactive with knee injury

(AP) — Cincinnati Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth is inactive for Thursday night's game against the Miami Dolphins because of a right knee injury and will be replaced by Anthony Collins.

Whitworth, who had been questionable, was hurt in Sunday's victory over the New York Jets.

Bengals backup linebacker Michael Boley is inactive because of a hamstring injury.

Cornerback Jamar Taylor, the Dolphins' second-round draft pick, is active for only the fourth time this season. Rishard Matthews will make his first start of the year at receiver in place of Brandon Gibson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last week.

Dolphins right tackle Jonathan Martin, sidelined because of emotional issues, is inactive and will be replaced by Tyson Clabo.

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-10-31-Bengals-Dolphins%20Inactives/id-737265ceff3c48029fc2df0ba82b4241
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Kenya bombs Somali militant camp after mall attack

AAA  Oct. 31, 2013 4:58 PM ET
Kenya bombs Somali militant camp after mall attack
AP



FILE - In this Dec. 15, 2008 file photo, a Kenya AIr Force F5 jet fighter takes to the sky from the Moi International Airport in Mombasa, Kenya. Kenya's military said Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 that its air force has attacked a militant training camp in Somalia in retaliation for last month's al-Shabab assault on Nairobi's Westgate Mall. (AP Photo, File)







FILE - In this Dec. 15, 2008 file photo, a Kenya AIr Force F5 jet fighter takes to the sky from the Moi International Airport in Mombasa, Kenya. Kenya's military said Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 that its air force has attacked a militant training camp in Somalia in retaliation for last month's al-Shabab assault on Nairobi's Westgate Mall. (AP Photo, File)







FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011 file photo, two Kenyan army soldiers shield themselves from the downdraft of a Kenyan air force helicopter as it flies away from their base near the seaside town of Bur Garbo, Somalia. Kenya's military said Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 that its air force has attacked a militant training camp in Somalia in retaliation for last month's al-Shabab assault on Nairobi's Westgate Mall. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)







FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013, file photo, a woman who had been hiding during the gun battle runs for cover after armed police enter the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya after gunmen threw grenades and opened fire. Kenya's military said Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 that its air force has attacked a militant training camp in Somalia in retaliation for last month's al-Shabab assault on Nairobi's Westgate Mall. (AP Photo/Jonathan Kalan, File)







FILE - In this Dec. 15, 2008 file photo, Kenyan Air Force F5 jet fighters stand at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa, Kenya. Kenya's military said Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 that its air force has attacked a militant training camp in Somalia in retaliation for last month's al-Shabab assault on Nairobi's Westgate Mall. (AP Photo, File)







FILE - In this file photo taken from footage from Citizen TV, via the Kenya Defence Forces and made available Friday, Oct. 4, 2013, a man reported to be Umayr, one of the four armed militants, walks in a store at the Westgate Mall, during the four-day-long siege in Nairobi, Kenya which killed more than 60 people. Kenya's military said Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 that its air force has attacked a militant training camp in Somalia in retaliation for last month's al-Shabab assault on Nairobi's Westgate Mall. (AP Photo/Kenya Defence Force via Citizen TV, File)







(AP) — Kenya's military says its air force has attacked a militant training camp in Somalia in retaliation for last month's al-Shabab assault on Nairobi's Westgate Mall.

Col. Cyrus Oguna said Thursday the militants who carried out the Westgate attack received training at the camp, which he said was 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Binswor, Somalia.

Oguna said the military won't know how many of the 300 militants in the camp were killed or wounded until an assessment Friday. He said four military trucks were destroyed. Oguna said "many more" such attacks will be carried out.

The four-day siege of Westgate Mall began Sept. 21. The al-Qaida-affiliated al-Shabab said it carried out the attack, which killed at least 67 people, in retaliation for the Kenyan military's push into Somalia in 2011.

Associated Press



Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-10-31-Somalia-Kenya/id-2ad579ff147a40589214e13520e5de52
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Cellular tail length tells disease tale

Cellular tail length tells disease tale


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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

31-Oct-2013



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Contact: Carol Thorbes
cthorbes@sfu.ca
778-782-3035
Simon Fraser University







Simon Fraser University molecular biologist Lynne Quarmby's adventures in pond scum have led her and four student researchers to discover a mutation that can make cilia, the microscopic antennae on our cells, grow too long. When the antennae aren't the right size, the signals captured by them get misinterpreted. The result can be fatal.


In a newly published paper in the science journal Current Biology, the researchers discovered that the regulatory gene CNK2 is present in cilia and controls the length of these hair-like projections.


This discovery is important because cilia, or flagella, dangle from all of our cells. Their ability to propel some cells, such as sperm, and allow molecular communication in others, for example cellular responses to hormones, determines how we develop from embryos and how our bodies function in adulthood.


When cilia are too short or too long they cause various human hereditary diseases and deformities, such as too many fingers or toes, blindness and Polycystic Kidney Disease, which affects one in 600 people.


Quarmby and her doctoral student Laura Hiltonsenior and lead authors, respectively, on this paperare among the few scientists globally who study cilia-disassembly as opposed to -assembly.


A crucial part of all cells' lifecycle is their cilia's disassembly before cell division and assembly after it. The gene LF4 is a known assembly regulator, and, prior to this study, scientists thought that assembly speed controlled cilia's ultimate length or shrinkage. But Quarmby and Hilton have discovered that disassembly speed is also important, and that the regulatory gene CNK2 plays a key role in controlling it.


Similar to how a balance between water pressure and gravity determines the height of a fountain's stream, a balance of assembly and disassembly speed determines cilia's length. When growing and shrinking happen simultaneously cilia length remains constant.


Pond scum's algae make good lab models for analyzing this because they reproduce quickly, and they have cellular structure and cilia that closely parallel ours. Quarmby and Hilton have been mucking about with pond scum for years and recently started studying algae cilia with defective CNK2 and LF4 genes.


After discovering that cilia with either defective gene are abnormally long, they created an algae cell with four cilia, instead of the normal two, with two of the four engineered to glow green.


Along with two SFU undergrad students and a University of Toronto undergrad, Quarmby and Hilton watched as the fluorescent green tag began to appear at the tip of the untagged pair of cilia.


"We were able to deduce how the mutations affected the cilia's assembly and disassembly by measuring how much and how quickly green fluorescence appeared at the tip of the untagged cilia," explains Quarmby.


"We knew that we had something important when we saw that cells bearing mutations in both CNK2 and LF4 had the most extraordinarily long cilia. They were unlike anything anyone had ever seen before.


"My student Laura ran this experiment and oversaw our undergrad researchers. It gave us unique insights into the potentially key role disassembling cilia have in deciding the tails' length. Further investigation will help us understand how ciliary malfunction causes a progression of diseases."


The SFU undergrads working with Quarmby and Hilton were Kavisha Gunawardane and Marianne Schwarz. The UofT student was Joo Wan (James) Kim.


###

Simon Fraser University is Canada's top-ranked comprehensive university and one of the top 50 universities in the world under 50 years old. With campuses in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey, B.C., SFU engages actively with the community in its research and teaching, delivers almost 150 programs to more than 30,000 students, and has more than 120,000 alumni in 130 countries.



Simon Fraser University: Engaging Students. Engaging Research. Engaging Communities.




Simon Fraser University

Public Affairs/Media Relations (PAMR)

778.782.3210 http://www.sfu.ca/pamr


Contact:

Lynne Quarmby (West Van. resident), 778.782.4474, quarmby@sfu.ca

Laura Hilton (North Van. resident), 778.782.4598, lkh@sfu.ca

Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 778.782.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca


Photos: http://at.sfu.ca/UzEqCZ


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Cellular tail length tells disease tale


[ Back to EurekAlert! ]

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

31-Oct-2013



[


| E-mail

]


Share Share

Contact: Carol Thorbes
cthorbes@sfu.ca
778-782-3035
Simon Fraser University







Simon Fraser University molecular biologist Lynne Quarmby's adventures in pond scum have led her and four student researchers to discover a mutation that can make cilia, the microscopic antennae on our cells, grow too long. When the antennae aren't the right size, the signals captured by them get misinterpreted. The result can be fatal.


In a newly published paper in the science journal Current Biology, the researchers discovered that the regulatory gene CNK2 is present in cilia and controls the length of these hair-like projections.


This discovery is important because cilia, or flagella, dangle from all of our cells. Their ability to propel some cells, such as sperm, and allow molecular communication in others, for example cellular responses to hormones, determines how we develop from embryos and how our bodies function in adulthood.


When cilia are too short or too long they cause various human hereditary diseases and deformities, such as too many fingers or toes, blindness and Polycystic Kidney Disease, which affects one in 600 people.


Quarmby and her doctoral student Laura Hiltonsenior and lead authors, respectively, on this paperare among the few scientists globally who study cilia-disassembly as opposed to -assembly.


A crucial part of all cells' lifecycle is their cilia's disassembly before cell division and assembly after it. The gene LF4 is a known assembly regulator, and, prior to this study, scientists thought that assembly speed controlled cilia's ultimate length or shrinkage. But Quarmby and Hilton have discovered that disassembly speed is also important, and that the regulatory gene CNK2 plays a key role in controlling it.


Similar to how a balance between water pressure and gravity determines the height of a fountain's stream, a balance of assembly and disassembly speed determines cilia's length. When growing and shrinking happen simultaneously cilia length remains constant.


Pond scum's algae make good lab models for analyzing this because they reproduce quickly, and they have cellular structure and cilia that closely parallel ours. Quarmby and Hilton have been mucking about with pond scum for years and recently started studying algae cilia with defective CNK2 and LF4 genes.


After discovering that cilia with either defective gene are abnormally long, they created an algae cell with four cilia, instead of the normal two, with two of the four engineered to glow green.


Along with two SFU undergrad students and a University of Toronto undergrad, Quarmby and Hilton watched as the fluorescent green tag began to appear at the tip of the untagged pair of cilia.


"We were able to deduce how the mutations affected the cilia's assembly and disassembly by measuring how much and how quickly green fluorescence appeared at the tip of the untagged cilia," explains Quarmby.


"We knew that we had something important when we saw that cells bearing mutations in both CNK2 and LF4 had the most extraordinarily long cilia. They were unlike anything anyone had ever seen before.


"My student Laura ran this experiment and oversaw our undergrad researchers. It gave us unique insights into the potentially key role disassembling cilia have in deciding the tails' length. Further investigation will help us understand how ciliary malfunction causes a progression of diseases."


The SFU undergrads working with Quarmby and Hilton were Kavisha Gunawardane and Marianne Schwarz. The UofT student was Joo Wan (James) Kim.


###

Simon Fraser University is Canada's top-ranked comprehensive university and one of the top 50 universities in the world under 50 years old. With campuses in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey, B.C., SFU engages actively with the community in its research and teaching, delivers almost 150 programs to more than 30,000 students, and has more than 120,000 alumni in 130 countries.



Simon Fraser University: Engaging Students. Engaging Research. Engaging Communities.




Simon Fraser University

Public Affairs/Media Relations (PAMR)

778.782.3210 http://www.sfu.ca/pamr


Contact:

Lynne Quarmby (West Van. resident), 778.782.4474, quarmby@sfu.ca

Laura Hilton (North Van. resident), 778.782.4598, lkh@sfu.ca

Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 778.782.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca


Photos: http://at.sfu.ca/UzEqCZ


[ Back to EurekAlert! ]

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.




Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/sfu-ctl102913.php
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Driver expects to fight Google Glass ticket


LOS ANGELES (AP) — An early adopter of Google's Internet-connected eyeglasses plans to fight a citation for wearing the device while driving in San Diego, saying the technology makes navigation easier than smartphones and GPS devices.

Driver Cecilia Abadie was pulled over for speeding Tuesday evening, when a California Highway Patrol officer noticed she was wearing Google Glass and tacked on a citation usually given to drivers who may be distracted by a video or TV screen.

A challenge to what may be a first-of-its-kind citation could force authorities to re-examine laws and consider how best to regulate evolving gadgetry that will one day become mainstream.

The lightweight eyeglasses, which are not yet widely available to the public, feature a hidden computer and a thumbnail-size transparent display screen above the right eye. Users can scan maps for directions — as well as receive web search results, read email and engage in video chats — without reaching for a phone.

About 10,000 have been distributed so far in the United States to "explorers" like Abadie, and this week Google announced another 30,000 would be available for $1,500 apiece. Abadie, a software developer, got what she describes as the life-changing technology in May.

In an interview Thursday, she said she was not using her Google Glass when she was pulled over for allegedly going about 80 mph in a 65 mph zone on the drive home to Temecula after visiting a friend.

"The Glass was on, but I wasn't actively using it" to conserve the battery, she said. The device becomes inactive if it's not asked to perform a task.

Abadie expressed surprise that wearing the glasses while driving would be illegal and said she's "pretty sure" she will fight the ticket. First, she said, she needs to seek legal counsel. In the flurry of online commentary her traffic stop has generated, several people saying they are attorneys offered their services.

"The law is not clear, the laws are very outdated," Abadie said, suggesting that navigating with the device could be less distracting than with a GPS unit or phone because drivers don't have to glance down.

"Maybe Glass is more a solution to the cellphone problem than a problem," she said.

It's unclear whether a citation for Google Glass has been issued before. The CHP said it is not sure whether an officer within its own ranks has written one, and an agency spokesman pointed out hundreds of law enforcement agencies in California alone can write traffic tickets.

What is clear, CHP Officer Marc Hale said, is that drivers should not use Google Glass.

"Anything that takes your attention away from the motoring public in front of you is a distraction," Hale said.

Though Google Glass users can continue looking ahead, by glancing at the screen they still divert attention from the roadway and that can make the headgear dangerous, according to David Strayer, director of the University of Utah's Center for the Prevention of Distracted Driving.

"Your eyes aren't looking where they need to look," said Strayer, who has tried Google Glass (though not behind the wheel). Like Abadie, he noted that the law lags far behind the technology.

Legislators in at least three states — Delaware, New Jersey and West Virginia — have introduced bills that would specifically ban driving with Google Glass.

A spokesman for Google did not reply to a request for comment. On its website, Google says this about using the headgear while driving: "Read up and follow the law. Above all, even when you're following the law, don't hurt yourself or others by failing to pay attention to the road."

___

Associated Press researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.

___

Follow Justin Pritchard at https://twitter.com/lalanewsman

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/driver-expects-fight-google-glass-ticket-182118682--finance.html
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Driver expects to fight Google Glass ticket


LOS ANGELES (AP) — An early adopter of Google's Internet-connected eyeglasses plans to fight a citation for wearing the device while driving in San Diego, saying the technology makes navigation easier than smartphones and GPS devices.

Driver Cecilia Abadie was pulled over for speeding Tuesday evening, when a California Highway Patrol officer noticed she was wearing Google Glass and tacked on a citation usually given to drivers who may be distracted by a video or TV screen.

A challenge to what may be a first-of-its-kind citation could force authorities to re-examine laws and consider how best to regulate evolving gadgetry that will one day become mainstream.

The lightweight eyeglasses, which are not yet widely available to the public, feature a hidden computer and a thumbnail-size transparent display screen above the right eye. Users can scan maps for directions — as well as receive web search results, read email and engage in video chats — without reaching for a phone.

About 10,000 have been distributed so far in the United States to "explorers" like Abadie, and this week Google announced another 30,000 would be available for $1,500 apiece. Abadie, a software developer, got what she describes as the life-changing technology in May.

In an interview Thursday, she said she was not using her Google Glass when she was pulled over for allegedly going about 80 mph in a 65 mph zone on the drive home to Temecula after visiting a friend.

"The Glass was on, but I wasn't actively using it" to conserve the battery, she said. The device becomes inactive if it's not asked to perform a task.

Abadie expressed surprise that wearing the glasses while driving would be illegal and said she's "pretty sure" she will fight the ticket. First, she said, she needs to seek legal counsel. In the flurry of online commentary her traffic stop has generated, several people saying they are attorneys offered their services.

"The law is not clear, the laws are very outdated," Abadie said, suggesting that navigating with the device could be less distracting than with a GPS unit or phone because drivers don't have to glance down.

"Maybe Glass is more a solution to the cellphone problem than a problem," she said.

It's unclear whether a citation for Google Glass has been issued before. The CHP said it is not sure whether an officer within its own ranks has written one, and an agency spokesman pointed out hundreds of law enforcement agencies in California alone can write traffic tickets.

What is clear, CHP Officer Marc Hale said, is that drivers should not use Google Glass.

"Anything that takes your attention away from the motoring public in front of you is a distraction," Hale said.

Though Google Glass users can continue looking ahead, by glancing at the screen they still divert attention from the roadway and that can make the headgear dangerous, according to David Strayer, director of the University of Utah's Center for the Prevention of Distracted Driving.

"Your eyes aren't looking where they need to look," said Strayer, who has tried Google Glass (though not behind the wheel). Like Abadie, he noted that the law lags far behind the technology.

Legislators in at least three states — Delaware, New Jersey and West Virginia — have introduced bills that would specifically ban driving with Google Glass.

A spokesman for Google did not reply to a request for comment. On its website, Google says this about using the headgear while driving: "Read up and follow the law. Above all, even when you're following the law, don't hurt yourself or others by failing to pay attention to the road."

___

Associated Press researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.

___

Follow Justin Pritchard at https://twitter.com/lalanewsman

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/driver-expects-fight-google-glass-ticket-182118682--finance.html
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Hopi High in Ariz. becomes cross-country standout

(AP) — When it comes to consecutive high school cross-country championships, no boys team in the nation is as dominant as Hopi High School.

The Bruins are shooting for their 24th title in a row this year at the state meet.

Running is deeply rooted in the northern Arizona tribe's tradition as a way to carry messages from village to village and bless the reservation that gets little moisture with rain.

Coach Rick Baker insists there's nothing special about his program. He says he simply wants athletes who believe in themselves and the school, and who are disciplined and dedicated.

The girls team also is a source of pride for Hopi. It has the fifth most state championships in the country at 21, and is looking to earn a seventh consecutive this year.

___

Follow Felicia Fonseca on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/FonsecaAP

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-10-31-Tribal%20Running%20Tradition/id-452362e23acd464c8c31365f6dae8907
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The Last Days of River Phoenix

River Phoenix in his final film, Dark Blood.
River Phoenix in his final film, Dark Blood.

Photo courtesy of Cinemavault.
















River celebrated his 23rd birthday—on Aug. 23, 1993—and then flew down to Costa Rica with all his siblings and his father. John was opening a vegan restaurant, but his real agenda was to get his children, especially River, to leave behind the corruption of the USA and live by the Phoenix family values again. John explained, “The idea was for them to spend more time here, helping with the cooking, making music, writing, harvesting the organic fruit, and living off the land like we used to.”










John implored River to get out of the movie business before it ate him up. Eventually, River acceded, either because John had convinced him or because he was tired of arguing about it. But he had to fulfill his agreements, he told his father: He had signed contracts to appear in Dark Blood and Interview with the Vampire, and he had promised William Richert that he would be in his version of The Man in the Iron Mask. After he made those three films, he could quit and move down to Costa Rica.












“As it turned out,” John said, “that was too many.”










When River left Costa Rica, he said, “I’ll see you after this movie, Dad”—a commonplace sentiment that nobody would ever have remembered if things had turned out differently.










“Well, he did,” John said, “only he was in a box.”










George Sluizer, the director of Dark Blood, had heard rumors about River’s drug use, but he didn’t worry about them. “I knew of his drug habit,” he said. “The actors in Hollywood, at the top level, all are, I would say, drug addicts in some way or another. I worked with Kiefer Sutherland: He was a whiskey addict, two bottles a day. He wanted to compete with me: ‘You drink one bottle, I drink one bottle, let’s see if you’re drunk.’ I never on set noticed that he had drunk anything—in the morning, he was sober.”










Sluizer asked River to come out to the film’s desert location five days before everyone else. “I wanted him to breathe the Utah air, to readjust, and let him remember the relationship we had to build for the next seven weeks,” Sluizer said. Those five days also provided some time for River to detox, but apparently he arrived clean and healthy.










Actor and director went hiking in the Utah mountains, bringing a few sandwiches and spending all day tramping about: Breathing the fresh air, they attuned themselves to the desert landscape. River was gradually submerging himself in his character. More than ever, he liked shedding the person he had become so he could transform into somebody else’s invention. “That’s the only time I have security, he said. “Myself is bum! Myself is nothing!”










The movie was centered on the house of Boy, ramshackle but scenically located. Sluizer had found the location he thought was ideal visually, but it was far from any vestiges of civilization: “Maybe 20 miles from the nearest village,” Sluizer said. “I’m not like Werner Herzog, saying, ‘There’s a nice tree, but it’s 30 miles away,’ when the same tree is 1 mile away. But the location was important.”










Sluizer had actually worked with Herzog, the famously uncompromising German director, on his 1982 movie Fitzcarraldo, about a European rubber baron attempting to bring a steamer ship across land in the Peruvian jungle. The movie was originally intended to star Jason Robards and Mick Jagger, but Robards dropped out when he got dysentery, and Jagger then had to depart for Rolling Stone commitments. “All the Americans left,” Sluizer said dismissively. “That’s why they lost Vietnam.”










Sluizer took pride in working on that movie, as he did in the documentary he made for National Geographic in the ’60s that required him to spend five months in Siberia at temperatures reaching 70 degrees below zero (Celsius). “Very difficult, but I loved it,” he said. “There’s something that attracts me to extreme circumstances, the opposite of the Hollywood people who are used to a swimming pool and a shower.”










So Sluizer scoffed at the relatively mild deprivations of Dark Blood: The production booked a local motel and rented some nearby houses. The theme of Hollywood people being unable to cope with the real world is a major aspect of Dark Blood: A Hollywood couple drive their Bentley into the desert on a second honeymoon, and get in big trouble when it breaks down. The couple, Harry and Buffy, were played by British actor Jonathan Pryce and Australian Actress Judy Davis (Oscar-nominated for her work in David Lean’s A Passage to India and Woody Allen’s Husbands and Wives).










River played Boy, who takes them in, but develops an infatuation with Buffy, whom he recognizes from her days as a Playboy pinup, and becomes hostile when Harry attempts to leave. It emerges that Boy is mourning the death of his Native American wife (a motif overlapping with Silent Tongue). She died from cancer, a result of the fallout from the nuclear bombs the U.S. government had tested—and while Boy may be a prophet of the desert, he is also unbalanced. The movie ends in violence and fire: Harry kills Boy with an ax and Boy’s house burns down.










River revered Pryce: He had starred in River’s favorite movie, Brazil, the absurd urban dystopia directed by Terry Gilliam (formerly of Monty Python’s Flying Circus) that River had seen 13 times. Things were tougher with Judy Davis, who was brilliant, but famously acerbic. Dark Blood producer Nik Powell said, “Since David Lean could not get Davis to do what he wanted her to do in his film, it is no surprise that George Sluizer had difficulties.”










“We were not the best of friends, Judy and me,” Sluizer said. “She made my life very tough, and I have never had to deal with a person making it so difficult.” Having agreed to the script, he said, she started demanding various changes; as Sluizer told it, some were to correct what she saw as the screenplay’s antifeminism while others were to cater to her vanity.










River, used to playing the peacemaker, tried to intercede between Davis and Sluizer, only to find himself the object of her scorn: She nicknamed him “Frat Boy.” When River, trying to be friendly, asked Davis when her family would be visiting the set, she snapped, “What is this, Frat Boy’s question time?” She also believed River was using drugs. “I thought he was doing something when I first got there,” she said. “There was one day when he came in so out of it. River said he’d had too much sodium the night before. OK, I’ve never had a sodium overdose. Maybe that’s exactly what they’re like.”










“He did not use anything during the period we were in Utah,” Sluizer insisted. “I would put my hand in the fire and swear to it.”










River’s difficulty with the script derived from the quantity of Boy’s monologues; he was having a hard time memorizing them accurately, and would sometimes flip the word order. “He had difficulty with certain lines,” Sluizer said. “He asked me a few times in rehearsal if he could change the line—it’s too complicated or too long. I was strict. I said, ‘We’ve been thinking about the story and the character for two years now—we’re not going to change it because you’re dyslexic.’ And that might hurt a little bit—I’m saying, ‘I don’t care if you’re blind. You have to see anyway.’ ” Ultimately, Sluizer said, he consented to the modification of one line.










Davis’ version was that River was having problems with the character: “In my opinion, that was made more difficult by the director constantly telling him how he should play it. Whether he should be angrier, loonier, whatever. It was a difficult part because it could so easily be absurd. He had most of the dialogue in the film, huge speeches; he kept trying to cut the lines down. Any change freaked the director out. River said to me one day, ‘Maybe I should give up acting.’ ”


















Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2013/10/river_phoenix_s_death_the_star_s_last_film_dark_blood.html
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Kelly Ripa & Michael Strahan: Miley & Robin for Halloween!

They always have a blast at work, and Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan were definitely in the Halloween spirit this morning (October 31) in New York City.


The “Live with Kelly and Michael” co-hosts showed up at the studio as Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke from the notorious 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.


Meanwhile, Kelly was named the grand marshal of the 40th anniversary edition of New York City’s Village Halloween Parade.


She told press, "We have been taking our children to the Halloween Parade since they were born. This is a good vantage point because they are too big to sit on our shoulders! I am very proud to be a part of this event. The work to bring to Sandy Relief is never done."


Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/live-kelly-and-michael/kelly-ripa-michael-strahan-miley-robin-halloween-952965
Tags: liberace   Karen Black  

Kendra Wilkinson Confirms Second Pregnancy: "Round Two! Here We Go!"


It's official! Kendra Wilkinson has confirmed that she and her husband Hank Baskett are expecting their second child together. The former Playboy model announced the baby news via Twitter on Thursday, Oct. 31.


PHOTOS: Kendra's first pregnancy


"Round two. Here we go!!" the 28-year-old wrote to her over 2 million followers. Alongside the caption, the blonde beauty shared a picture of herself makeup-free holding up her pregnancy test marked "pregnant," with a big smile on her face.


Wilkinson also confirmed the news during a TODAY show appearance with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb the same day. "Kendra on Top, naughty, naughty, that's what got me pregnant with baby number two," she teased. "We planned this to be right after the season, so I'll have time to puke. You know, be in a cave." She added: "I'm really at a great stage. Not physically. I'm in the bathroom every 10 minutes," she said of her morning sickness.


PHOTOS: Stars without makeup!


Us Weekly exclusively broke news earlier this month that the reality star and 31-year-old former NFL player -- married since June 2009 — were expecting again. "She and Hank have been planning a second baby for a while," an insider revealed to Us, "and they are very excited."


PHOTOS: Kendra and Hank's wedding album


Wilkinson previously told Us in August they were ready to also give their son Hank Baskett IV, almost 4, a younger sibling. "We are trying, we are going to start now," she said at the Hollywood premiere of Disney's Planes on Aug. 5. "This is my first official announcement! We are very excited about making the decision to try!"


Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/kendra-wilkinson-confirms-second-pregnancy-round-two-here-we-go-20133110
Category: tlc   Healthcare.gov   vikings   houston texans   Amanda Dufner  

Pandora for iOS now pumps your radio stations to Chromecast

Google's Chromecast is a ridiculously cheap and easy way of getting content to your TV from your iPhone, but supported content is still extremely limited. One such service that has now been allowed through the gates is Pandora, with the switch flipped and now you're able to launch your Pandora stations on your TV from your iOS device.

The change seems to have been done server side, and all that's required is a copy of the latest version of Pandora – which you'll find at the handy download link below. It's a great addition to the Chromecast stable, though it is U.S. only. But then, so is the Chromecast itself, officially.

If you've already taken this for a test drive, let me know how you're finding it.

Source: Google via Android Central


    






Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/_HWUlR_-Pcg/story01.htm
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More power to you: Marines boost energy, lighten load

More power to you: Marines boost energy, lighten load


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Contact: Peter Vietti
onrpublicaffairs@navy.mil
703-696-5031
Office of Naval Research





ARLINGTON, Va.In an effort to move toward increased energy independence in the field, Marines used a wearable solar-powered system to extend the battery life of crucial electronic devices during a recent field exercise, officials announced Oct. 30.


Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and assembled at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, the Marine Austere Patrolling System (MAPS) combines solar power and an individual water purifier to help lighten the load of Marines conducting lengthy missions in remote locations with few or no options for resupply.


"The primary challenge facing the Marine Corps in expeditionary environments is that we're carrying too much weight," said Capt. Frank Furman, logistics program manager for ONR's Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare and Combating Terrorism Department.


MAPS gives individuals the ability to manage power and filter water on the move. A key features is a flexible solar panel, about the size of a piece of paper, made possible by breakthroughs at the Naval Research Laboratory.


The new gear proved to be a go-to power source to keep radio communications up and running during a field test with the 1st Battalion 5th Marines at the Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif. While in a remote mountainous area, company and platoon commanders had to rely on Marines using the MAPS gear because their radios were the only ones that still had power.


"As engineers, we rely heavily on Marine feedback to improve system function, form and fit," said Justin Miller, MAPS lead systems integrator. "Actually observing Marines use the system in this challenging terrain to sustain their gear is very positive, because we can incorporate their feedback into the design."


Marines use more electronic devices than ever before, including radios, night-vision goggles and GPS systems. Each comes with its own set of batteries and spares, which can add several pounds to what a Marine has to carry.


"Marines planning a 24-hour mission may need four batteries, but we bring eight as a safety factor, because we can never risk running out completely," said Furman, an infantry officer who served in two tours to Afghanistan. "MAPS provides two benefits. First, we can lessen the risk of batteries running out completely. Second, the weight of spare batteries and extra water is eliminated. This directly affects on our endurance and ability to move and stay alert."


For a 96-hour patrol, MAPS has the potential to reduce the weight of batteries and water carried by a Marine from more than 60 pounds to 13 pounds. The system's ability to sustain Marines for longer stretches reduces the need for dangerous logistics resupply operations, a goal stated in the Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Strategy and Implementation Plan.


This month's field evaluation followed on the heels of a similar evaluation in July by members of the 3rd Battalion 1st Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif.


The Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office continues to work with partner agencies to collect data from exercises and inform future development and fielding of subcomponent systems.

###


ONR provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel, with additional employees at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C.




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More power to you: Marines boost energy, lighten load


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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

30-Oct-2013



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Contact: Peter Vietti
onrpublicaffairs@navy.mil
703-696-5031
Office of Naval Research





ARLINGTON, Va.In an effort to move toward increased energy independence in the field, Marines used a wearable solar-powered system to extend the battery life of crucial electronic devices during a recent field exercise, officials announced Oct. 30.


Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and assembled at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, the Marine Austere Patrolling System (MAPS) combines solar power and an individual water purifier to help lighten the load of Marines conducting lengthy missions in remote locations with few or no options for resupply.


"The primary challenge facing the Marine Corps in expeditionary environments is that we're carrying too much weight," said Capt. Frank Furman, logistics program manager for ONR's Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare and Combating Terrorism Department.


MAPS gives individuals the ability to manage power and filter water on the move. A key features is a flexible solar panel, about the size of a piece of paper, made possible by breakthroughs at the Naval Research Laboratory.


The new gear proved to be a go-to power source to keep radio communications up and running during a field test with the 1st Battalion 5th Marines at the Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif. While in a remote mountainous area, company and platoon commanders had to rely on Marines using the MAPS gear because their radios were the only ones that still had power.


"As engineers, we rely heavily on Marine feedback to improve system function, form and fit," said Justin Miller, MAPS lead systems integrator. "Actually observing Marines use the system in this challenging terrain to sustain their gear is very positive, because we can incorporate their feedback into the design."


Marines use more electronic devices than ever before, including radios, night-vision goggles and GPS systems. Each comes with its own set of batteries and spares, which can add several pounds to what a Marine has to carry.


"Marines planning a 24-hour mission may need four batteries, but we bring eight as a safety factor, because we can never risk running out completely," said Furman, an infantry officer who served in two tours to Afghanistan. "MAPS provides two benefits. First, we can lessen the risk of batteries running out completely. Second, the weight of spare batteries and extra water is eliminated. This directly affects on our endurance and ability to move and stay alert."


For a 96-hour patrol, MAPS has the potential to reduce the weight of batteries and water carried by a Marine from more than 60 pounds to 13 pounds. The system's ability to sustain Marines for longer stretches reduces the need for dangerous logistics resupply operations, a goal stated in the Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Strategy and Implementation Plan.


This month's field evaluation followed on the heels of a similar evaluation in July by members of the 3rd Battalion 1st Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif.


The Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office continues to work with partner agencies to collect data from exercises and inform future development and fielding of subcomponent systems.

###


ONR provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel, with additional employees at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C.




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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/oonr-mpt103013.php
Similar Articles: Time Change 2013   Jenna Jameson   Ted Cruz   Nick Pasquale   Humble Bundle  

'Hunger Games: Catching Fire': Final Trailer Debuts (Video)












"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"



The Hunger Games fans got their first look at the final trailer for the sequel, Catching Fire, on Sunday night.



The trailer debuted during the fifth inning of Game 4 of the World Series on Fox. It contains very little dialogue, but does feature President Snow (Donald Sutherland) in voice-over saying: "Miss Everdeen, you fought very hard in the arena. But they were games. Would you like to be in a real war?" The clip then cuts to him watching Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) on a TV screen as she wields her bow and arrow in the Hunger Games arena.


PHOTOS: 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' Character Posters


The trailer also includes a glimpse at Katniss' and Peeta's (Josh Hutcherson) fiery costumes as well as some intense action inside the arena.


The Hunger Games: Catching Fire hits theaters Nov. 22. Watch the final trailer below.







Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/news/~3/8QfQpaJWlR8/hunger-games-catching-fire-final-651144
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NY bus driver saves woman from jumping off bridge

In an Oct. 28, 2013, photo provided by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, NFTA bus driver Darnell Barton poses in front of a bus in Buffalo, N.Y. On Oct. 18, 2103, Barton’s decisive action stopped a woman from leaping from a roadway bridge to her death on to the highway below. Caught between the rules of his job and his training as a first responder, Barton stopped his bus, grabbed the woman and brought her back over the rail to safety. (AP Photo/Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, Doug Hartmayer)







In an Oct. 28, 2013, photo provided by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, NFTA bus driver Darnell Barton poses in front of a bus in Buffalo, N.Y. On Oct. 18, 2103, Barton’s decisive action stopped a woman from leaping from a roadway bridge to her death on to the highway below. Caught between the rules of his job and his training as a first responder, Barton stopped his bus, grabbed the woman and brought her back over the rail to safety. (AP Photo/Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, Doug Hartmayer)







(AP) — A bus driver is being hailed as a hero for preventing a woman from jumping off a Buffalo highway overpass.

About 20 McKinley High School students had just stepped aboard Darnell Barton's Metro bus Oct. 18 when he spotted a woman who had climbed over a guardrail and stood leaning over the afternoon traffic zipping along the Scajaquada Expressway below.

With cars and an occasional pedestrian continuing to pass by her, Barton wasn't sure at first that the woman was in distress.

He stopped his bus, opened the door and asked if she needed help, at that moment conflicted between the rules of his job, which required him to call his dispatcher, and his training as a former volunteer firefighter and member of the Buffalo Special Police, which told him that if he made contact, he shouldn't break it.

"It was an interesting situation, knowing what you know and knowing what you have to do," he said by phone Wednesday. "Dispatch picked up. I remember giving my location and saying, 'Send the authorities, this young lady needs help' and then dashing the phone down."

The bus video system captures Barton, 37, leaving the bus and the 20-something woman looking back at him. Her gaze then returns to the traffic below.

"That's when I went and put my arms around her," said Barton, a father of two. "I felt like if she looked down at that traffic one more time it might be it."

With the woman in a bear hug, Barton asked if she wanted to come back over the rail. She hadn't spoken up to that point but said yes.

The video shows Barton tenderly helping her climb back over the guardrail and sit down. Then he sits next to her on the concrete. He asked her name and other questions to distract her, he said, learning she was a student.

"Then she said, 'You smell good,'" he said.

A corrections officer and a female driver who'd been behind the bus came to help, speaking to the woman until police and an ambulance arrived.

"While I was holding her, listening to their questions, I just prayed," the bus driver said. "Whatever was on her mind, it had her. It really, really had her."

When the ambulance drove away, Barton got back on his bus — and received a standing ovation from the high school students and other passengers who'd been watching through the windows. He finished his route, wrote up a report and went home.

"Being the humble individual that Darnell is, he didn't write it in a way that was going to call attention to himself," said C. Douglas Hartmayer, spokesman for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority. "It was: I did it, got back on my bus and continued. That speaks volumes about his demeanor and character."

Barton wishes he could speak with the woman again to make sure she's OK.

"Things like this put what's important in perspective," he said. "You hug your kids a little tighter, kiss your wife a little bit longer. You're grateful.

"Things may not be perfect," he said, "but as we say, they're a little bit of all right."

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-10-30-Bus%20Driver-Heroics/id-4d42f3a92a41458f8de3b7045e55902c
Category: Batman Arkham Origins   Obama Syria   Lisa Robin Kelly   egypt   Payday 2  

Analytics Startup Mixpanel Expands Into Mobile Surveys


Mobile-focused analytics company Mixpanel is growing its offerings today with the launch of Mixpanel Surveys, a product that allows developers to integrate user surveys into their mobile apps.


Currently, co-founder Suhail Doshi said the options “kind of suck” for developers who want to find out more about what their users think. Usually, they end up emailing a giant list of user addresses, an approach that isn’t particularly well-targeted and doesn’t necessarily result in many responses.


With Mixpanel Surveys, the questions can be integrated into the app itself, so users are being surveyed in a context where it’s relevant, which should lead to “conversion rates that are much higher,” Doshi said. He gave me a quick demo of the editor, and it took only a few minutes to create a survey that looked like it was a native part of the app.


The surveys that Doshi created only had one question per screen, and he said that mobile surveys really shouldn’t be longer than a few questions. Nonetheless, Doshi argued that the results can still be quite meaningful, especially when paired with Mixpanel’s audience segmentation capabilities. For example, if a developer wanted to know if level 10 of their game was too easy, too difficult, or just right, that’s a one-question survey that could be targeted specifically at players who just finished that level.


When I asked whether other companies couldn’t do the same thing, Doshi replied that the makers of most survey products aren’t “mobile first”:



The technology that you’re asking about, it’s not so much that SurveyMonkey couldn’t go and build this UI, but I don’t think they have the DNA to go and build it. They don’t have the design DNA and the mobile DNA. That takes a long time to build.



One specific technical challenge that Doshi said Mixpanel has solved is the ability to integrate these surveys “at scale” while minimizing any effect on the performance of the mobile apps in question.


He also argued that surveys are a “natural, tangential” area for Mixpanel to move into, and something that many of the company’s current customers have already expressed interest in. The existing analytics product helps developers understand how their users behave and how much money they’re worth to the business, but with surveys, Mixpanel can also “help companies measure how people think and feel about things.”



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/dnRcIRpmiO8/
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More power to you: Marines boost energy, lighten load

More power to you: Marines boost energy, lighten load


[ Back to EurekAlert! ]

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

30-Oct-2013



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Contact: Peter Vietti
onrpublicaffairs@navy.mil
703-696-5031
Office of Naval Research





ARLINGTON, Va.In an effort to move toward increased energy independence in the field, Marines used a wearable solar-powered system to extend the battery life of crucial electronic devices during a recent field exercise, officials announced Oct. 30.


Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and assembled at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, the Marine Austere Patrolling System (MAPS) combines solar power and an individual water purifier to help lighten the load of Marines conducting lengthy missions in remote locations with few or no options for resupply.


"The primary challenge facing the Marine Corps in expeditionary environments is that we're carrying too much weight," said Capt. Frank Furman, logistics program manager for ONR's Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare and Combating Terrorism Department.


MAPS gives individuals the ability to manage power and filter water on the move. A key features is a flexible solar panel, about the size of a piece of paper, made possible by breakthroughs at the Naval Research Laboratory.


The new gear proved to be a go-to power source to keep radio communications up and running during a field test with the 1st Battalion 5th Marines at the Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif. While in a remote mountainous area, company and platoon commanders had to rely on Marines using the MAPS gear because their radios were the only ones that still had power.


"As engineers, we rely heavily on Marine feedback to improve system function, form and fit," said Justin Miller, MAPS lead systems integrator. "Actually observing Marines use the system in this challenging terrain to sustain their gear is very positive, because we can incorporate their feedback into the design."


Marines use more electronic devices than ever before, including radios, night-vision goggles and GPS systems. Each comes with its own set of batteries and spares, which can add several pounds to what a Marine has to carry.


"Marines planning a 24-hour mission may need four batteries, but we bring eight as a safety factor, because we can never risk running out completely," said Furman, an infantry officer who served in two tours to Afghanistan. "MAPS provides two benefits. First, we can lessen the risk of batteries running out completely. Second, the weight of spare batteries and extra water is eliminated. This directly affects on our endurance and ability to move and stay alert."


For a 96-hour patrol, MAPS has the potential to reduce the weight of batteries and water carried by a Marine from more than 60 pounds to 13 pounds. The system's ability to sustain Marines for longer stretches reduces the need for dangerous logistics resupply operations, a goal stated in the Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Strategy and Implementation Plan.


This month's field evaluation followed on the heels of a similar evaluation in July by members of the 3rd Battalion 1st Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif.


The Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office continues to work with partner agencies to collect data from exercises and inform future development and fielding of subcomponent systems.

###


ONR provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel, with additional employees at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C.




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More power to you: Marines boost energy, lighten load


[ Back to EurekAlert! ]

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

30-Oct-2013



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Contact: Peter Vietti
onrpublicaffairs@navy.mil
703-696-5031
Office of Naval Research





ARLINGTON, Va.In an effort to move toward increased energy independence in the field, Marines used a wearable solar-powered system to extend the battery life of crucial electronic devices during a recent field exercise, officials announced Oct. 30.


Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and assembled at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, the Marine Austere Patrolling System (MAPS) combines solar power and an individual water purifier to help lighten the load of Marines conducting lengthy missions in remote locations with few or no options for resupply.


"The primary challenge facing the Marine Corps in expeditionary environments is that we're carrying too much weight," said Capt. Frank Furman, logistics program manager for ONR's Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare and Combating Terrorism Department.


MAPS gives individuals the ability to manage power and filter water on the move. A key features is a flexible solar panel, about the size of a piece of paper, made possible by breakthroughs at the Naval Research Laboratory.


The new gear proved to be a go-to power source to keep radio communications up and running during a field test with the 1st Battalion 5th Marines at the Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif. While in a remote mountainous area, company and platoon commanders had to rely on Marines using the MAPS gear because their radios were the only ones that still had power.


"As engineers, we rely heavily on Marine feedback to improve system function, form and fit," said Justin Miller, MAPS lead systems integrator. "Actually observing Marines use the system in this challenging terrain to sustain their gear is very positive, because we can incorporate their feedback into the design."


Marines use more electronic devices than ever before, including radios, night-vision goggles and GPS systems. Each comes with its own set of batteries and spares, which can add several pounds to what a Marine has to carry.


"Marines planning a 24-hour mission may need four batteries, but we bring eight as a safety factor, because we can never risk running out completely," said Furman, an infantry officer who served in two tours to Afghanistan. "MAPS provides two benefits. First, we can lessen the risk of batteries running out completely. Second, the weight of spare batteries and extra water is eliminated. This directly affects on our endurance and ability to move and stay alert."


For a 96-hour patrol, MAPS has the potential to reduce the weight of batteries and water carried by a Marine from more than 60 pounds to 13 pounds. The system's ability to sustain Marines for longer stretches reduces the need for dangerous logistics resupply operations, a goal stated in the Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Strategy and Implementation Plan.


This month's field evaluation followed on the heels of a similar evaluation in July by members of the 3rd Battalion 1st Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif.


The Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office continues to work with partner agencies to collect data from exercises and inform future development and fielding of subcomponent systems.

###


ONR provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel, with additional employees at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C.




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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.




Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/oonr-mpt103013.php
Tags: Pretty Little Liars   eric decker   Benedict Cumberbatch   Sloane Stephens   drake