With a win over the top-ranked team in the country at the beginning of the month, Texas Tech took control of its own destiny in a bid for its first trip to both the Big 12 and national championship games.
A loss last week, however, has the Red Raiders battling for position again.
The seventh-ranked Red Raiders look to improve their suddenly slim chances of a trip to the Big 12 championship game -- and perhaps even the BCS title game -- Saturday when they host Baylor in both teams' regular-season finale.
Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell connected with fellow Heisman Trophy candidate Michael Crabtree on a 28-yard touchdown pass with one second left to lift the Red Raiders (10-1, 6-1) to a 39-33 win over then-No. 1 Texas on Nov. 1.
That victory left the Red Raiders as the Big 12's only unbeaten team, lifted them to No. 2 in the AP poll and put them in control in the race for the Big 12 South title and a shot at the national championship.
Things aren't as clear cut after Texas Tech was blown out 65-21 on the road against then-No. 5 Oklahoma last Saturday. The Red Raiders, Longhorns and Sooners now all have identical overall and conference records.
If the three teams finish tied, the Big 12 South champion will be determined by the BCS standings, meaning Texas Tech -- seventh in the BCS -- would need to pass both Texas (second) and Oklahoma (third) this week. Texas hosts unranked Texas A&M on Thursday night, while Oklahoma visits No. 11 Oklahoma State on Saturday night.
Texas Tech coach Mike Leach made his opinion clear after the loss to the Longhorns.
"Only a few teams have beaten three (ranked opponents) in a row, and we're lucky enough to be one of those," said Leach, whose team had defeated No. 19 Kansas, No. 1 Texas and No. 8 Oklahoma State in its previous three games before suffering its only defeat. "We should be the top-rated one-loss team."
That's not the case right now, but the Red Raiders have one last chance to make a move in the polls. To do so, they'll likely need a flawless performance against Baylor (4-7, 2-5). They'll certainly need more from their high-octane offense, which was uncharacteristically ineffective against Oklahoma.
Texas Tech, fifth in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 45.5 points per game and fourth with 551.7 scrimmage yards per game, was held to season lows in both categories last week. Harrell was 33-for-55 for 361 yards, three touchdowns and one interception -- not a great night by his lofty standards.
"There's a fine line between being up and not being overhyped so you're out of control," Leach said. "We played out of control. Our problem wasn't motivation or want to. Our problem was trying to make too much happen. Panic. Frantic. Try to be too good instead of doing simple little things.
"The disappointment is not how it turned out. It's that we didn't play our best game and that's too bad. So, we need to find a way to control that."
Texas Tech's underwhelming performance bruised its confidence "a little bit," said senior defensive lineman Jake Ratliff, the lone Red Raiders player made available for interviews Monday.
"But it's over," he said. "You can't do anything about it, so there's really no need to get down about it. We just got to bounce back from it."
They'll try to bounce back against a Baylor team that snapped a four-game losing streak with a 41-21 victory over Texas A&M in its last game Nov. 15.
Robert Griffin was 13-for-23 for 241 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, Jay Finley rushed for 116 yards and a score and Jacoby Jones added two rushing TDs in the Bears' highest-scoring game since they topped Washington State 45-17 on Sept. 12.
First-year Baylor coach Art Briles knows his team will likely need another big performance to keep up with Texas Tech.
"We're excited to go to Lubbock this weekend," said Briles, who played at Texas Tech and coached there for three seasons from 2000-02. "It's a great chance for our team to show our growth against a quality university on the national scene."
The Bears have lost their last 12 games in the series to fall to 32-33-1 all-time against the Red Raiders, including a 14-21-1 mark in Lubbock, where they've dropped eight straight since 1990. Overall, Baylor has lost 10 straight conference games on the road since Oct. 7, 2006.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Rabid shoppers stop at nothing for Black Friday deals
By Kathleen E. Carey, kcarey@delcotimes.com
The cart corrals were empty and a line of gray snaked its way around the Glenolden Wal-Mart Friday as shoppers positioned their carts for the 5 a.m. opening.
First in the Wal-Mart line was Ruby Howard, who huddled with her sister, Nicole Quitalig, and their mom, Vicky, who was visiting her Drexel Hill daughters from Ohio.
The trio arrived at the store at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for the Black Friday specials, shortly after eating dinner, to secure the first spot in what became a long line of shoppers searching for deals and steals.
Howard had her eye on a GPS system, a television and some toys.
Darby Township police officers patrolled the crowd, keeping order and six township police vehicles and two Folcroft police vehicles were parked in front.
“Anyone caught butting, you go to the back of the line,” one officer shouted to the crowds. “Anyone caught butting twice will get locked up.”
For Jen MacCrory of Ridley Park and friends, Wal-Mart was the second stop on a list of several stores.
“We were in and out of Kohl’s in 18 minutes,” MacCrory said. In that time, she bought picture frames, games, clothes, toys, blankets and watches.
MacCrory said she took a Tylenol PM to lull her to sleep early Thanksgiving evening, although her friend, Lori Pepe of Glenolden, was shopping on an hour-and-a-half sleep.
Her neighbors, Alana and Marty Glancey, enjoyed the Eagles game before resting up for the big day.
Pepe, an Eagles season-ticket holder, chose to sell her tickets to the Thanksgiving game for the once-a-year phenomenon. “I’m going shopping,” she said.
MacCrory understood why.
Surrounded by friends and her sister, Michelle Quinn of Glenolden, who was No. 100 in the Wal-Mart line, MacCrory said she liked the camaraderie.
“It’s so much fun,” MacCrory said. “You meet people. You laugh.”
Her kids, however, had a different view. “They think I’m at the North Pole,” she said.
Unlike past years, the shoppers did not enter the store all at once.
They were eased into the store gradually, with a few allowed to enter at a time.
Backed by the police presence, shoppers made sure overeager shoppers didn’t try to push their way to the front of the line. When the offending people left on their own or with assistance from police, the shoppers would applaud.
By 5:08 a.m., eight minutes after the store opened, Aileen Campbell of Prospect Park was loading a red SUV with a pink Easy Vac toy.
“I just came here for a few things,” she smiled. “I’m not greedy.”
Campbell said she arrived at the Wal-Mart at 11 p.m. and her adult children laughed, “Just to save $7.”
She said she does it every year and now, does it with her kids.
Her plans after sitting out all night? “Go home,” Campbell said.
The retail frenzy wasn’t only along MacDade Boulevard.
Donna Rush of Boothwyn was trying to squeeze a whole lot of shopping into one day at Granite Run Mall. She was Christmas shopping for her two children and planning to get an outfit for her 20th Chichester High School reunion Friday night.
“I’m in charge of it but I have to get something,” she said as she browsed the racks at J.C. Penney’s. “This is great, though, 4 o’clock in the morning.
“Forty to 60 percent off, you can’t beat it,” Rush said. “And, especially with the economy, I could not justify not coming out (Friday).”
Over at the Kohl’s, “Jingle Bell Rock” was blaring out of an SUV as a line formed in front of the building for the 4 a.m. opening.
Christine Reid of the Wallingford section of Nether Providence has been rising early the day after Thanksgiving for 15 years.
“It used to be nobody else out here with me,” she said.
This year, she’s working the shopping from both ends. “I got most of the doorbusters online yesterday,” she said, adding that she likes actually going to the stores Friday to have the wish list items in hand.
Desaree Jones of Collingdale used to spend her days behind the counter on Black Fridays as an employee of Foot Locker. This year, having left the retail industry, she was shopping for a very important person: herself.
“I like shopping better than working,” she said. “You get to go to different stores.”
Jones said the day would be monotonous standing in the same store all day long.
On Friday, she had a plan for her holiday shopping. “One for them, one for me,” she said. “That’s how you lose money. It’s not the gifts that get you.”
Lindsey Scalies of Ridley was also shopping for herself, but brought Jeff Stewart of West Chester and Nicole Elias of Boothwyn with her to the Kohl’s in Middletown.
“We had Thanksgiving dinner and we went to the bar and then we had breakfast and then we came here,” Scalies said.
She said one item was on her coveted list: candles.
By the late hour of 6 a.m., Ruby Tuesday at the Springfield Mall was ready with its salad bar for those who craved greens at that hour.
Mall staff were handing out goodie bags and cookies and beverages for early risers.
For Joanne Day of Philadelphia and Colin Bauer of Ridley Park, the day held its sentimental moments as well.
When they passed the Yankee Candle store, Day had to pause. Each year, Day bought a candle for her sister and Bauer’s mother, Lisa, for Christmas.
Lisa died in July and Day missed her.
But, it gave her an opportunity to share the shopping ritual with her nephew.
“We recruited Colin this year,” she said.
Having perused the ads on Thanksgiving and charted out a plan, she pulled out the lists from her purse.
“Every year now, it’s tradition,” Day said. “We just have to get up at 4 o’clock every year.”
The cart corrals were empty and a line of gray snaked its way around the Glenolden Wal-Mart Friday as shoppers positioned their carts for the 5 a.m. opening.
First in the Wal-Mart line was Ruby Howard, who huddled with her sister, Nicole Quitalig, and their mom, Vicky, who was visiting her Drexel Hill daughters from Ohio.
The trio arrived at the store at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for the Black Friday specials, shortly after eating dinner, to secure the first spot in what became a long line of shoppers searching for deals and steals.
Howard had her eye on a GPS system, a television and some toys.
Darby Township police officers patrolled the crowd, keeping order and six township police vehicles and two Folcroft police vehicles were parked in front.
“Anyone caught butting, you go to the back of the line,” one officer shouted to the crowds. “Anyone caught butting twice will get locked up.”
For Jen MacCrory of Ridley Park and friends, Wal-Mart was the second stop on a list of several stores.
“We were in and out of Kohl’s in 18 minutes,” MacCrory said. In that time, she bought picture frames, games, clothes, toys, blankets and watches.
MacCrory said she took a Tylenol PM to lull her to sleep early Thanksgiving evening, although her friend, Lori Pepe of Glenolden, was shopping on an hour-and-a-half sleep.
Her neighbors, Alana and Marty Glancey, enjoyed the Eagles game before resting up for the big day.
Pepe, an Eagles season-ticket holder, chose to sell her tickets to the Thanksgiving game for the once-a-year phenomenon. “I’m going shopping,” she said.
MacCrory understood why.
Surrounded by friends and her sister, Michelle Quinn of Glenolden, who was No. 100 in the Wal-Mart line, MacCrory said she liked the camaraderie.
“It’s so much fun,” MacCrory said. “You meet people. You laugh.”
Her kids, however, had a different view. “They think I’m at the North Pole,” she said.
Unlike past years, the shoppers did not enter the store all at once.
They were eased into the store gradually, with a few allowed to enter at a time.
Backed by the police presence, shoppers made sure overeager shoppers didn’t try to push their way to the front of the line. When the offending people left on their own or with assistance from police, the shoppers would applaud.
By 5:08 a.m., eight minutes after the store opened, Aileen Campbell of Prospect Park was loading a red SUV with a pink Easy Vac toy.
“I just came here for a few things,” she smiled. “I’m not greedy.”
Campbell said she arrived at the Wal-Mart at 11 p.m. and her adult children laughed, “Just to save $7.”
She said she does it every year and now, does it with her kids.
Her plans after sitting out all night? “Go home,” Campbell said.
The retail frenzy wasn’t only along MacDade Boulevard.
Donna Rush of Boothwyn was trying to squeeze a whole lot of shopping into one day at Granite Run Mall. She was Christmas shopping for her two children and planning to get an outfit for her 20th Chichester High School reunion Friday night.
“I’m in charge of it but I have to get something,” she said as she browsed the racks at J.C. Penney’s. “This is great, though, 4 o’clock in the morning.
“Forty to 60 percent off, you can’t beat it,” Rush said. “And, especially with the economy, I could not justify not coming out (Friday).”
Over at the Kohl’s, “Jingle Bell Rock” was blaring out of an SUV as a line formed in front of the building for the 4 a.m. opening.
Christine Reid of the Wallingford section of Nether Providence has been rising early the day after Thanksgiving for 15 years.
“It used to be nobody else out here with me,” she said.
This year, she’s working the shopping from both ends. “I got most of the doorbusters online yesterday,” she said, adding that she likes actually going to the stores Friday to have the wish list items in hand.
Desaree Jones of Collingdale used to spend her days behind the counter on Black Fridays as an employee of Foot Locker. This year, having left the retail industry, she was shopping for a very important person: herself.
“I like shopping better than working,” she said. “You get to go to different stores.”
Jones said the day would be monotonous standing in the same store all day long.
On Friday, she had a plan for her holiday shopping. “One for them, one for me,” she said. “That’s how you lose money. It’s not the gifts that get you.”
Lindsey Scalies of Ridley was also shopping for herself, but brought Jeff Stewart of West Chester and Nicole Elias of Boothwyn with her to the Kohl’s in Middletown.
“We had Thanksgiving dinner and we went to the bar and then we had breakfast and then we came here,” Scalies said.
She said one item was on her coveted list: candles.
By the late hour of 6 a.m., Ruby Tuesday at the Springfield Mall was ready with its salad bar for those who craved greens at that hour.
Mall staff were handing out goodie bags and cookies and beverages for early risers.
For Joanne Day of Philadelphia and Colin Bauer of Ridley Park, the day held its sentimental moments as well.
When they passed the Yankee Candle store, Day had to pause. Each year, Day bought a candle for her sister and Bauer’s mother, Lisa, for Christmas.
Lisa died in July and Day missed her.
But, it gave her an opportunity to share the shopping ritual with her nephew.
“We recruited Colin this year,” she said.
Having perused the ads on Thanksgiving and charted out a plan, she pulled out the lists from her purse.
“Every year now, it’s tradition,” Day said. “We just have to get up at 4 o’clock every year.”
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Giants' Burress shot in leg at club
New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was accidentally shot in the leg at a nightclub, it was reported Saturday.
ESPN.com and Fox Sports.com said the wound was not life threatening. It was not clear at what club the shooting took place. The Fox Web site said Burress spent the night in the hospital.
"I don't have anything for you at this stage," team spokesman Pat Hanlon told The Associated Press from Giants Stadium before the Super Bowl champions left for a flight to Washington for a Sunday game against the Redskins.
Repeated phones calls to Burress' home and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, were not immediately returned.
Police in Totowa, N.J., where Burress lives during the season, and New York City, where he occasionally visits clubs, had no reports of a shooting involving the player.
"We are gathering information, just like everyone else," NFL spokesman Joe Browne said.
Burress injured a hamstring two weeks ago against the Baltimore Ravens. The Giants said Friday he would not play Sunday.
The 31-year-old receiver was suspended for a game against Seattle on Oct. 5 and fined $117,500 for missing a team meeting and failing to notify the team of his absence. He said he had a family emergency.
He also was fined $45,000 by the NFL for his conduct during an Oct. 19 game against 49ers in which he abused an official and tossed a ball into the stands .
Burress caught the winning pass in the Giants' Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. He signed a five-year, $35 million contract hours before the season opened in September.
The signing came after an unsettling offseason during which Burress was fined $25,000 for refusing to practice during a mandatory minicamp in June. He also missed most of training camp at the University at Albany with a sprained ankle. He insisted the injury — not his contract — kept him off the field.
Despite his lack of practice, Burress started in the opener against Washington and caught 10 passes for 133 yards. The following week, he had five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown in a win over St. Louis.
The rest of the season has not been as productive. The most passes he has caught in any game since is four in a loss to Cleveland on Oct. 13, the game which followed his suspension.
Burress has 35 catches for 454 yards and four touchdowns in a season in which he has constantly drawn double coverage. His streak of receptions in 115 consecutive games ended last week in Arizona. He aggravated his hamstring injury during the first series and did not return.
It was the sixth-longest active streak in the league, dating to Nov. 26, 2000 against Cincinnati, Burress' rookie season in Pittsburgh.
Signed as a free agent in 2005, Burress had caught a pass in all 56 previous games in which he had played for the Giants.
Associated Press writers Colleen Long in New York and Samantha Henry in Trenton, N.J. contributed to this report.
ESPN.com and Fox Sports.com said the wound was not life threatening. It was not clear at what club the shooting took place. The Fox Web site said Burress spent the night in the hospital.
"I don't have anything for you at this stage," team spokesman Pat Hanlon told The Associated Press from Giants Stadium before the Super Bowl champions left for a flight to Washington for a Sunday game against the Redskins.
Repeated phones calls to Burress' home and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, were not immediately returned.
Police in Totowa, N.J., where Burress lives during the season, and New York City, where he occasionally visits clubs, had no reports of a shooting involving the player.
"We are gathering information, just like everyone else," NFL spokesman Joe Browne said.
Burress injured a hamstring two weeks ago against the Baltimore Ravens. The Giants said Friday he would not play Sunday.
The 31-year-old receiver was suspended for a game against Seattle on Oct. 5 and fined $117,500 for missing a team meeting and failing to notify the team of his absence. He said he had a family emergency.
He also was fined $45,000 by the NFL for his conduct during an Oct. 19 game against 49ers in which he abused an official and tossed a ball into the stands .
Burress caught the winning pass in the Giants' Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. He signed a five-year, $35 million contract hours before the season opened in September.
The signing came after an unsettling offseason during which Burress was fined $25,000 for refusing to practice during a mandatory minicamp in June. He also missed most of training camp at the University at Albany with a sprained ankle. He insisted the injury — not his contract — kept him off the field.
Despite his lack of practice, Burress started in the opener against Washington and caught 10 passes for 133 yards. The following week, he had five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown in a win over St. Louis.
The rest of the season has not been as productive. The most passes he has caught in any game since is four in a loss to Cleveland on Oct. 13, the game which followed his suspension.
Burress has 35 catches for 454 yards and four touchdowns in a season in which he has constantly drawn double coverage. His streak of receptions in 115 consecutive games ended last week in Arizona. He aggravated his hamstring injury during the first series and did not return.
It was the sixth-longest active streak in the league, dating to Nov. 26, 2000 against Cincinnati, Burress' rookie season in Pittsburgh.
Signed as a free agent in 2005, Burress had caught a pass in all 56 previous games in which he had played for the Giants.
Associated Press writers Colleen Long in New York and Samantha Henry in Trenton, N.J. contributed to this report.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Abducted daughter in safe hands, says baby sitter
By Bob Considine
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 9:20 a.m. ET Aug. 1, 2008
The former baby sitter of a 7-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted by her father believes little Reigh Storrow Mills Boss is in safe hands.
Emily Miller, who watched over Reigh for two years while her parents had a home in Cornish, N.H., said the man known as Clark Rockefeller would not harm his daughter, nicknamed “Snooks” — even though he is on the lam, with authorities and associates questioning his mysterious persona.
“From what I know of Clark, I don’t think he would ever harm her physically,” Miller told TODAY co-host Matt Lauer on Friday. “He’s a nice and gentle man, so I’m not concerned about her safety, no.”
Miller’s comments came on the heels of a video posted by Reigh’s mother, Sandra Boss, on Thursday, addressed to her estranged husband and her beloved daughter, appealing for their fast return.Asked about Clark Rockefeller's motive in kidnapping Reigh, Miller said: “I think, after going through the divorce and then having Sandy and Snooks move to London, that he misses his little girl.
“Having supervised visits must be hard, so he really wants to actually have his daughter back in his life.”
Trailing a ‘princess’
Rockefeller and his daughter were last seen Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at Grand Central Terminal in New York City.
It was during a supervised visit earlier that day when Rockefeller, 48, allegedly took Reigh from Marlborough Street in the upscale Back Bay section of Boston, leaving her doll and backpack behind on the street as a social worker gave chase.
Rockefeller, who does not have a driver’s license, placed Reigh in a black sport utility vehicle driven by livery driver Darryl Hopkins. They met Aileen Ang, an acquaintance of Rockefeller’s, at a Boston hospital.
Ang then drove the pair to New York City, unwittingly sparking an FBI manhunt. Ang, who was paid $500 by Rockefeller for the ride, said she received a call from a friend about the Amber Alert for Reigh just moments after dropping the pair off.
Since their disappearance, there have been many tips and leads as to the potential whereabouts of Rockefeller and his daughter, but no definitive sightings. There is also a possibility that Rockefeller planted false clues to throw pursuers off his trail.
Rockefeller told Ang that he had recently purchased a yacht and was planning on taking Reigh sailing. Detectives are still trying to verify one claim from a Rockefeller friend that he bought a 72-foot boat named “Serenity” with gold bars he exchanged for cash. While it’s uncertain such a boat exists, the Coast Guard has been searching for it.
Reigh stands 4 feet tall and weighs 50 pounds. She has blond hair, glasses, and a British accent. The FBI is cautioning that Rockefeller may have cut her hair to make her look more like a boy.
“I started baby-sitting for her in the summer of ’05, so she was about 4 years old, and I thought she was a really sweet girl,” Miller said of Reigh. “She was really smart. I hope for the best for her. She was a happy and cheerful young girl, so hopefully she can become that [again] sometime soon.”
Mystery man
Police say Rockefeller may have dyed his own hair to an orange-brown color and may be using a passport in the name of Michael Brown, one of at least four aliases he has used. He also told associates he attended Yale University, although the school has no record of his attendance there.
Since the alleged kidnapping, there has been a broad range of accounts and descriptions of Clark Rockefeller from those who know him. Authorities have not been able to locate a birth certificate or a Social Security number for Rockefeller. Some say he flaunted his wealth with his wardrobe and allowed to people to believe he is a descendant of John D. Rockefeller, the wealthy New York industrialist (a family spokesman has denied any connection). Others describe him as a trained physicist who did not have a regular work routine. Still others say he was a doting father who mostly raised Reigh while her mother worked, and a charitable man.
Miller, a 19-year-old college student at the University of New Hampshire, met Rockefeller in 2005. She baby-sat weekly while attending high school and occasionally during her first year in college, while on breaks. Her parents also became friendly with Rockefeller, going out to dinner with him last summer.
Miller hasn’t seen Rockefeller since last summer, although they had kept in touch via e-mail. She said she found stories of his misleading personas “very surprising. I just believed he was who he said he was,” Miller told Lauer. “I’ve never had someone tell me something different, so this is the first time I’ve ever had someone give me a false identity. So I gave him the benefit of the doubt.”
A mother’s pleaSandra L. Boss reportedly married Clark Rockefeller in the early 1990s on Nantucket, but they divorced in late 2007. The couple traveled between homes in Boston, New York and Cornish, N.H., where Miller took on baby-sitting duties. Their homes, according to property records, were in Boss’ name.
“I don’t know much about the relationship between Sandy and Clark,” Miller acknowledged. “But I know I thought they were very happy. I saw them interact at least once or twice and they seemed very happy and quite the nice family.”
Boss, 41, a senior partner in the London office of the management consulting firm of McKinsey & Co., broke her public silence since the abduction in a 43-second video plea for the return of Reigh on Thursday. In her statement, Boss said: “Clark, although many things have changed, you will always be Reigh’s father and I will always be Reigh’s mother. We both love her dearly and have only her best interests and well-being in our hearts.
“I ask you now, please, please bring Snooks back,” Boss went on in the video. “There has to be a better way for us to solve our differences than this way. I also want to thank everyone for your help.
“And Reigh, honey, I love you and miss you so much. Remember, you’re always a princess.”
Pills To Replace Exercising Could Soon Become Reality
By Anna Boyd
What can be greater than taking a pill that would make your fat disappear and your muscle work as if you were doing aerobic but actually, you weren’t? What can be greater than that? Two pills that can do that for you discovered by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in La Jolla, California led by Prof. Ronald Evans.
It’s true that the pills were tried only on lab mice, but there is a great chance that one day the pills would work on humans too, the scientists believe. Moreover, Prof. Evans believes the pills should help people who are too frail to exercise and those with health problems like, obesity, diabetes that are improved with exercise. Keeping the body in great shape and fat-free, it reduces the risk of various types of cancers and heart disease as well. The pills could also help reverse the muscle frailty associated with aging, or disease such as muscular dystrophy.
The two “breakthrough” pills, as they were called, are labeled AICAR and GW1516. AICAR licensed by Schering-Plough Corp. is currently studied in humans to help control bleeding during open-heart surgery. GW1516 used to be developed by GlaxoSmithKline as a drug against dyslipidemia, a disorder affecting cholesterol. However, side effects of the drug, made the company give up producing it.
Four years ago, Prof. Evans and colleagues reported that they boosted endurance in mice by tweaking a mouse gene to boost the activity of a protein called PPAR-delta. Then the researchers tried to get the same result but this time without genetic engineering. More exactly, they squirted GW1516 into mice’s mouths every day for a month. GW1516 boosts PPAR-delta and the mice who were given the pill were exercising. At the end of the month, the researchers were surprised to find out that the mice ran 68 percent longer and 70 percent farther compared to when the experiment began. On the other hand, mice that were given GW1516, but were not exercising saw no improvements, the researchers found.
Then the researchers focused on another protein called AMPK and did the same experiment for a month this time giving the mice a daily injection of AICAR, which boosts AMPK. The mice involved in the experiment were not working. At the end of the follow-up period, mice given AICAR ran 23 percent longer and 44 percent farther than those who weren’t given anything.
“If you like exercise, you like the idea of getting more bang for your buck. If you don’t like exercise, you love the idea of getting the benefits from a pill,” Prof. Evans said in a statement.
How exactly the pills worked to lead to such good results is not a mystery. The researchers noted that the drug seemed to change the physical composition of muscle by burning the excessive fat, the same thing that happens in distance runners or those with intensive training in different sports.
And if the pills had such good results in mice, why shouldn’t they work the same in humans? The researchers have strong believes that they will reach that day when the pill will be beneficial for humans as well. Of course, there is a “but” in every discovery. However wonderful the benefits of the two pills are, the researchers fear that they could be misused in sports. And with the Beijing Olympics approaching, the researcher fear about the potential for abuse by athletes present in the competition, especially that the pills can be easily synthesized in any laboratory.
Especially for this reason, Prof. Evans has devised a test to detect whether an athlete has taken the drugs and has made it available to the World Anti-Doping Agency, which prepares a list of forbidden substances for the International Olympic Committee. Anti-doping officials confirmed the collaboration with Prof. Evans on a test that screens athletes’ blood and urine for even the tiniest traces of the two substances, but could not say when they would start using it.
“Thanks to the much appreciated cooperation of Ron Evans and his team at the Salk Institute, WADA received key information in advance in order to develop and implement ways to detect these molecules,” a statement of the agency read.
Prof. Evans’ findings come at a short time after another experiment on mice showed that those fed with a diet supplemented with resveratrol did not live longer than other mice but were far healthier in several important measures. The compounds, usually found in red wine, but also in the crust of peanuts and walnuts, in grapes, blueberries, peanut butter, pistachios and other foods appeared to ward off the effects of aging on heart, bones, eyes and muscle of mice, improving conditions that make the elderly very frail like cataracts, osteoporosis and poor motor coordination.
© 2007 - 2008 - eFluxMedia
What can be greater than taking a pill that would make your fat disappear and your muscle work as if you were doing aerobic but actually, you weren’t? What can be greater than that? Two pills that can do that for you discovered by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in La Jolla, California led by Prof. Ronald Evans.
It’s true that the pills were tried only on lab mice, but there is a great chance that one day the pills would work on humans too, the scientists believe. Moreover, Prof. Evans believes the pills should help people who are too frail to exercise and those with health problems like, obesity, diabetes that are improved with exercise. Keeping the body in great shape and fat-free, it reduces the risk of various types of cancers and heart disease as well. The pills could also help reverse the muscle frailty associated with aging, or disease such as muscular dystrophy.
The two “breakthrough” pills, as they were called, are labeled AICAR and GW1516. AICAR licensed by Schering-Plough Corp. is currently studied in humans to help control bleeding during open-heart surgery. GW1516 used to be developed by GlaxoSmithKline as a drug against dyslipidemia, a disorder affecting cholesterol. However, side effects of the drug, made the company give up producing it.
Four years ago, Prof. Evans and colleagues reported that they boosted endurance in mice by tweaking a mouse gene to boost the activity of a protein called PPAR-delta. Then the researchers tried to get the same result but this time without genetic engineering. More exactly, they squirted GW1516 into mice’s mouths every day for a month. GW1516 boosts PPAR-delta and the mice who were given the pill were exercising. At the end of the month, the researchers were surprised to find out that the mice ran 68 percent longer and 70 percent farther compared to when the experiment began. On the other hand, mice that were given GW1516, but were not exercising saw no improvements, the researchers found.
Then the researchers focused on another protein called AMPK and did the same experiment for a month this time giving the mice a daily injection of AICAR, which boosts AMPK. The mice involved in the experiment were not working. At the end of the follow-up period, mice given AICAR ran 23 percent longer and 44 percent farther than those who weren’t given anything.
“If you like exercise, you like the idea of getting more bang for your buck. If you don’t like exercise, you love the idea of getting the benefits from a pill,” Prof. Evans said in a statement.
How exactly the pills worked to lead to such good results is not a mystery. The researchers noted that the drug seemed to change the physical composition of muscle by burning the excessive fat, the same thing that happens in distance runners or those with intensive training in different sports.
And if the pills had such good results in mice, why shouldn’t they work the same in humans? The researchers have strong believes that they will reach that day when the pill will be beneficial for humans as well. Of course, there is a “but” in every discovery. However wonderful the benefits of the two pills are, the researchers fear that they could be misused in sports. And with the Beijing Olympics approaching, the researcher fear about the potential for abuse by athletes present in the competition, especially that the pills can be easily synthesized in any laboratory.
Especially for this reason, Prof. Evans has devised a test to detect whether an athlete has taken the drugs and has made it available to the World Anti-Doping Agency, which prepares a list of forbidden substances for the International Olympic Committee. Anti-doping officials confirmed the collaboration with Prof. Evans on a test that screens athletes’ blood and urine for even the tiniest traces of the two substances, but could not say when they would start using it.
“Thanks to the much appreciated cooperation of Ron Evans and his team at the Salk Institute, WADA received key information in advance in order to develop and implement ways to detect these molecules,” a statement of the agency read.
Prof. Evans’ findings come at a short time after another experiment on mice showed that those fed with a diet supplemented with resveratrol did not live longer than other mice but were far healthier in several important measures. The compounds, usually found in red wine, but also in the crust of peanuts and walnuts, in grapes, blueberries, peanut butter, pistachios and other foods appeared to ward off the effects of aging on heart, bones, eyes and muscle of mice, improving conditions that make the elderly very frail like cataracts, osteoporosis and poor motor coordination.
© 2007 - 2008 - eFluxMedia
Scientists confirm water on Mars
Water definitely exists on Mars, scientists operating a probe that has been digging on the planet's surface confirmed.
The discovery made by the American space agency Nasa's Phoenix Mars Lander raises hopes of finding traces of life on the Red Planet.
The news scientists had been waiting for came after soil collected on Wednesday was tested in the craft's on-board laboratory.
Water vapour given off when the sample was heated was identified by a chemical analyser carried on Phoenix. The sample was scooped up from a 2in trench dug by the probe's robot arm.
Phoenix landed on Mars on May 25 in a region near the north pole where scientists suspected frozen water may lie a few inches under ground.
Dr William Boynton, from the University of Arizona in Tucson, lead scientist for Phoenix's thermal and evolved-gas analyser (Tega) instrument, said: "We have water. We've seen evidence for this water ice before in observations by the Mars Odyssey orbiter and in disappearing chunks observed by Phoenix last month, but this is the first time Martian water has been touched and tasted."
With such encouraging results, Nasa has decided to extend the original three month mission by five weeks. Two previous attempts to deliver icy soil to the lander's gas analyser failed when the samples became stuck inside the scoop. Only after Wednesday's sample had been exposed to the air for two days, allowing some of the water to evaporate, was it possible to carry out the test.
Principal investigator Dr Peter Smith, from the University of Arizona, said: "Mars is giving us some surprises. We're excited because surprises are where discoveries come from.
"One surprise is how the soil is behaving. The ice-rich layers stick to the scoop when poised in the sun above the deck, different from what we expected from all the Mars simulation testing we've done. That has presented challenges for delivering samples, but we're finding ways to work with it and we're gathering lots of information to help us understand this soil."
A key question scientists want to answer is whether the ice ever thaws, because life needs liquid water to exist. The researchers have also been studying a panorama of colour images captured by Phoenix showing the surrounding landscape.
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iOeklqfqM_klHhbZXTT3zAu0XLiQWednesday, July 30, 2008
Rep. Barney Frank Proposes HR 5483 to Eliminates Penalties for Marijuana Use
Atlanta, GA 7/30/2008 09:07 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) proposed HR 5843 on Wednesday to end federal penalties for people with less than 100 grams of marijuana.
Frank says that the current laws target marijuana users, place undue burdens on law enforcement resources, punish ill Americans whose doctors have prescribed the substance and unfairly affect African-Americans.
"The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government's business," Frank said on Capitol Hill. "I don't think it is the government's business to tell you how to spend your leisure time."
House Resolution 5843 is sponsored by Frank and co-sponsored by Rep. Ron Paul R-TX), as well as six others.
Marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
There have been 20 million marijuana-related arrests since 1965 and 11 million since 1990. Marijuana users are arrested "every 38 seconds," according to Brian St. Pierre, the spokesman of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
NORML contends that marijuana can be used to treat a range of illnesses, including glaucoma, asthma, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS and seizures.
House Resolution (HR) 5843, titled the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008, would support marijuana smokers possessing up to 100 grams, which is about 3½ ounces, of cannabis without being arrested.
HR 5843 would not address laws forbidding growing, importing or exporting marijuana, or selling it for profit. The resolution also would not speak to state laws regarding marijuana use.
For more Political News, please go to http://news.yourfindit.com/NewsList.aspx?cat=5&wcat=2
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) proposed HR 5843 on Wednesday to end federal penalties for people with less than 100 grams of marijuana.
Frank says that the current laws target marijuana users, place undue burdens on law enforcement resources, punish ill Americans whose doctors have prescribed the substance and unfairly affect African-Americans.
"The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government's business," Frank said on Capitol Hill. "I don't think it is the government's business to tell you how to spend your leisure time."
House Resolution 5843 is sponsored by Frank and co-sponsored by Rep. Ron Paul R-TX), as well as six others.
Marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
There have been 20 million marijuana-related arrests since 1965 and 11 million since 1990. Marijuana users are arrested "every 38 seconds," according to Brian St. Pierre, the spokesman of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
NORML contends that marijuana can be used to treat a range of illnesses, including glaucoma, asthma, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS and seizures.
House Resolution (HR) 5843, titled the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008, would support marijuana smokers possessing up to 100 grams, which is about 3½ ounces, of cannabis without being arrested.
HR 5843 would not address laws forbidding growing, importing or exporting marijuana, or selling it for profit. The resolution also would not speak to state laws regarding marijuana use.
For more Political News, please go to http://news.yourfindit.com/NewsList.aspx?cat=5&wcat=2
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