New York Jets Spoiled Win Over Patriots With Bad Behavior

If the country engaged in any soul-searching, post-Tucson shootings, about how we behave and speak to one another, the message was clearly lost on many in professional football.

[Photo Gallery: Gabrielle Giffords Shooting in Arizona.]

Sure, it’s a physical game and tensions run high. But that’s an argument for self-control in speech and post-play behavior. The fact that athletes can get away with knocking someone to the ground and slamming them, face-mask first, into the snow to gain some yardage means they already have a socially-accepted outlet for their rage or joy. And the New York Jets, who scored a stunning, surprise victory over the New England Patriots over the weekend, had much reason for joy.

So why ruin it by acting like jerks?

Even before the game, the not-remotely-favored Jets were in combat mode. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie unleashed a profane insult against Patriot quarterback Tom Brady and dared the Super Bowl ring-clad star to make him a target in Sunday’s game. Brady, despite the accolades that have been heaped on him during his career, has been impressively humble—at least by professional athletic standards, responding:

Belichick [the Patriots’ coach] has called me that, our offensive coordinator has called me that. I know that they [the coaches] like me, so maybe he [Cromartie] really likes me.

You’d think the Jets would have gotten the message and focused on scoring an upset. That, they accomplished. But they ruined it with some celebratory behavior that made them look less like a triumphant, Bad News Bears-like team and more like a bunch of ill-behaved children who would be thrown out of a Little League game for being so unsportsmanlike. [Check out a roundup of this month's best political cartoons.]

Waving goodnight to an angry and shocked Massachusetts crowd? Laying the football on the ground and pretending to use it as a pillow to sleep on? What is wrong with these men?

It was an extraordinary win, and a deserved one. The Jets are not the better team, but they played much better than the Patriots on Sunday and proved the old adage that keeps all of us fans of lower-performing teams watching the contests each week: Any team can beat any other team on any given day. The chance to move on to the AFC championship game, not to mention their inflated salaries, is enough. If they won’t listen to the NFL brass (which issued a stern warning last week to tamp down the trash talk), perhaps they could heed the words of another sportsman, New York Yankees legend Reggie Jackson:

"Shut up and play football."

View the original article here

Making a Worm Do More Than Squirm

By Laura Sanders, Science News

Satirist Stephen Colbert envisions his “Colbert Nation” mentally marching in lockstep with his special brand of patriotism.? But scientists have done him one better, by creating tiny worm-bots completely under their control.

Rather than comedic persuasion, these scientists are using a dot of laser light. With it they can make a worm turn left, freeze or lay an egg. The researchers report their work online January 16 in Nature Methods.

The new system, named CoLBeRT for “Controlling Locomotion and Behavior in Real Time,” doesn’t just create a mindless zombie-worm, though. It gives scientists the ability to pick apart complicated behaviors on a cell-by-cell basis.

“This system is really remarkable,” says biological physicist William Ryu of the University of Toronto, who was not involved in the research. “It’s a very important advance in pursuit of the goal of understanding behavior.”

Transparent and small, the nematode C. elegans is particularly amenable to light-based mind control. Another benefit of the worm is that researchers know the precise location of all 302 of its nerve cells. But until now, there wasn’t a good way to study each cell by itself, especially in a wriggling animal.

“This tool allows us to go in and poke and prod at those neurons in an animal as it’s moving, and see exactly what each neuron does,” says study coauthor Andrew Leifer of Harvard University.?

The system is based on the emerging field of optogenetics, in which light is used to turn cells on or off. Leifer and his colleagues genetically engineered light-responsive molecules into particular groups of cells in the worm.

Then, a computer program that the team developed figures out where in the microscope’s field of view a target cell is. Once the cell is pinpointed, the program directs lasers so that a tiny beam of light hits the cell.

“When we’re shining light on a neuron, we’re hitting that neuron and nothing else,” Leifer says.

The whole process, from finding the cell to light hitting its target, takes about 20 milliseconds. As the worm’s position changes, that information is fed back into the computer program, and the laser is adjusted. If the worm crawls too far, a motorized microscope stage brings the animal back.

One of the biggest benefits of the new method, Ryu says, is that it works in a roving animal. “The worms are not held down in any way—they’re freely moving. There aren’t many systems where you can look at such truly free organisms.”

In early tests of their technique, Leifer and his team forced worms to freeze, change directions, turn left or right, and even lay eggs. In later tests, the team focused on two nerve cells that help the worm respond to touch. Researchers knew that a gentle tickle on the head causes worms to move backward, but after too many touches, the worms grow desensitized and stop responding. By mimicking touches with light, the researchers found that a weary cell that’s been touched too many times can also tire out its partner cell that hasn’t been touched, suggesting that these cells don’t act alone.

Another group of scientists, led by Jeffrey Stirman of Georgia Tech in Atlanta, reports a similar technique for worm mind-control, also online January 16 in Nature Methods. Ryu says the two methods are similar. The CoLBeRT method appears to be a little faster, he says, but if the worm is crawling slowly, the method used by Stirman’s group may offer more precise laser targeting. “Do both papers contribute to understanding behavior at a holistic level? Yes, definitely.”

Neuroengineer Ed Boyden of MIT says the new work could allow scientists to figure out how every cell in an animal works together to generate a behavior. “The ability to target a single cell is really important, because it allows you to understand precisely what each of these cells does.”

---

?Follow U.S. News Science on Twitter.

View the original article here

Quiz: Politicians and Their Love of Sports

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Giffords Shooting in Arizona Spurs Gun Law Debate

The tragic shooting in Arizona, which left six people dead and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords seriously wounded, immediately swept aside business as usual for Congress, possibly altering its agenda for the rest of the year. As legislators mourned those who were lost, they also mulled how to move forward in a very new political climate. [See photos from the Arizona shooting.]

Although the House had been scheduled to debate a healthcare repeal last week, that vote and all other major votes were postponed. Instead, lawmakers took time to speak out about the tragedy, attend security briefings with the Capitol Police, and pass a measure condemning the act and honoring those who had fallen. Congress will return to its agenda this week, but it may decide to move forward with a moderated tone.It isn't clear what consequences, if any, the event will have for Congress. But, as in past shooting incidents, the tragedy in Tucson has sparked a debate on America's gun control laws, both at the state and national levels, although it doesn't appear that the stage is set for any sort of large change.

According to police, accused shooter Jared Loughner was able to fire more than 30 rounds before stopping to reload, when bystanders tackled him. The incident has prompted some lawmakers to call for banning high-capacity gun magazines. The 1994 assault weapons ban outlawed such clips, but Congress allowed the law to expire in 2004. "Running out of bullets is kind of a critical point where the shooting stops," says Shams Tarek, a spokesman for Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, a New York Democrat and gun control advocate whose own entry into politics was prompted by the shooting death of her husband. McCarthy is calling for a return to the ban. "If there are less rounds in a clip, usually you can expect that there will be a lot less casualties," Tarek said.

It isn't just Democrats who are supporting gun control measures. Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, has also called for restrictions on guns near public officials. King's proposal would forbid anyone from carrying a gun within 1,000 feet of an elected official. His announcement was made through Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a coalition cofounded by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Republican-turned-independent who also has advocated for tougher gun control measures. And Richard Lugar, a veteran Republican senator from Indiana, has called for restoring all of the 1994 assault weapons ban. [See which lawmakers get the most from gun rights groups.]

The political climate is hardly hospitable to further restrictions on guns, despite the shooting. Gun control has long been one of the most controversial political topics—one Democrats have largely avoided since the gun control measures of the early 1990s. With Congress divided for the next two years, it will be difficult to pass any controversial legislation. President Obama has shown little willingness to engage on the issue while dealing with other priorities, such as the economy and the federal deficit. And according to a poll by Rasmussen, only 29 percent of Americans believe that strong gun laws would prevent incidents like the Tucson shooting, and a new poll by Zogby showed that only 35 percent of voters felt the shooting should lead to tougher gun laws. [See which lawmakers get the most from gun control groups.]

Still, the gun control lobby is preparing to push for stricter laws. "We think that this horrific tragedy demands that Congress address the weaknesses in our gun laws. We think it ought to occasion a full-scale examination of those weaknesses," says Dennis Henigan, a vice president with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "This is a shooting that strikes Congress very close to home."

View the original article here

2 Unconventional Sources of Retirement Income

You may have access to some retirement funds that you aren’t aware of. I’m not talking about retirement accounts, pensions, or savings. I’m referring to tapping into your home equity or selling a life insurance policy, both of which many seniors have access to. Here is how to best utilize these unconventional sources of retirement income.

[See 10 Key Retirement Ages to Plan For.]

Reverse mortgages. Many retirees own their home. Home ownership lowers your monthly cost-of-living, but it doesn’t do much in the line of adding cash flow. If you own your home and need access to the equity, there are a couple ways you can take advantage of your home equity without having to sell your house and move. One method is to take out a home equity line of credit, which requires a good credit score and gives you a small line of credit, but doesn’t do anything to improve your cash flow.

Another option is to do a reverse mortgage, which is a good way to access the equity in your home while still maintaining ownership and being able to live in it. Unlike other mortgages, it doesn’t matter which credit score range you fall into or your income level. If you are 62 or older and live in a house that is paid off, you may be eligible for a reverse mortgage.

[See 5 Year-End Retirement Plan Moves.]

A reverse mortgage works almost exactly the opposite of a conventional mortgage. Instead of making a monthly payment as you would with a conventional mortgage, you receive money against the value of your home, often in the form of a lump sum payment, a monthly payment, a line of credit to use as you wish, or any combination of these. A reverse mortgage does not have to be paid back until the owner dies, sells the home, or moves to a nursing home or assisted living facility.

Who might benefit from a reverse mortgage: The advantages of reverse mortgages include their flexible payment structures and the ability to use the money however you wish. A reverse mortgage could be a useful tool for people who need a little extra cash flow each month or who need access to a lump sum of cash. However, reverse mortgages can be a little complicated and homeowners are required to sit through a financial counseling session before participating in a reverse mortgage to ensure they are appropriate for the homeowner.

Sell your life insurance policy. Life insurance policies are good for the survivors, but don’t usually benefit the policy holder. However, you may actually be able to sell your life insurance policy to access some of that money now. There is a secondary market for life insurance policies where investors purchase the life insurance policies of elderly individuals for less than the policy’s face value. Life settlements offer some people the chance to cash in on their life insurance policy while they are still living.

[See 10 Retirement Myths.]

Who might benefit from a life settlement: People who need a lump sum of money now might benefit from selling their life insurance policy to investors. However, you need to keep in mind that you will be required to change the beneficiaries to the investors buying your policy, so this would not be an option for someone who has survivors who are relying on the life insurance settlement for their livelihood. Life settlements also pay out less than face value and the proceeds are taxable.

These unconventional ways to fund retirement may or may not be appropriate for your needs. When in doubt, reach out to a professional financial planner for help in understanding whether or not a reverse mortgage or life settlement is appropriate for your financial situation.

Ryan Guina is a U.S. military veteran, writer, and professional in the corporate world. He blogs at Cash Money Life and The Military Wallet.

View the original article here