Online gamers have achieved a feat beyond the realm of Warcraft or Dungeons and Dragons: they have deciphered the structure of an enzyme of an AIDS-like virus that had thwarted scientists for a decade.
Developed in 2008 by the University of Washington, Foldit is a fun-for-purpose video game in which gamers, divided into competing groups, compete to unfold chains of amino acids — the building blocks of proteins — using a set of online tools.
Lucas Jatoba was a Brazilian searching for a way to celebrate his 30th birthday.
Since his move to Australia, however, he says “a lot of beautiful things happened in my life,” so he decided to honor his birthday by showing gratitude to the people of Sydney.
His friends helped him amass and wrap thirty presents to give to strangers. From a rugby ball and skateboard, to massage certificate and champagne, to a teddy bear and huge penguin, Lucas focused on fun and relaxation.
Once engaged in the project, his friends happily shot video of Lucas delivering the gifts to strangers throughout the city’s parks and plazas.
“Thank you to everyone who lives in Australia,” he wrote on his blog. “You make this country such a wonderful place.”
WATCH the video below…
Lucas Jatoba was a Brazilian searching for a way to celebrate his 30th birthday.
Since his move to Australia, however, he says “a lot of beautiful things happened in my life,” so he decided to honor his birthday by showing gratitude to the people of Sydney.
His friends helped him amass and wrap thirty presents to give to strangers. From a rugby ball and skateboard, to massage certificate and champagne, to a teddy bear and huge penguin, Lucas focused on fun and relaxation.
Once engaged in the project, his friends happily shot video of Lucas delivering the gifts to strangers throughout the city’s parks and plazas.
Today, the 1993 law known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is formally history, repealed by Congress and sealed by President Obama in December, and finally deactivated by the Pentagon today.
“As of today, patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love,” said the President in a statement.
Waffle House has 1,600 restaurants along Hurricane Alley from the mid-Atlantic to Florida to the Gulf Coast.
After Hurricane Katrina the company lost seven restaurants and 100 more shut down, but those that reopened quickly were swamped with customers.
The company decided to beef up its crisis-management and focused on its ability to open after a disaster using portable generators.
Since then, the company, which spends almost nothing on advertising, has built a marketing strategy around the goodwill gained from being open when customers are most desperate.
Despite economic turmoil in the country, violent crime in the United States declined 6.5% last year, according to statistics released by the FBI today.
The 2010 figures showed a continued decline in violence that began decades ago and has been uninterrupted since 2006.
Figures in 2009 showed a drop of 5.3% in total violent crime from the previous year. From 1997 to 2006, violent crime dropped a total of 13%.
Despite economic turmoil in the country, violent crime in the United States declined 6.5% last year, according to statistics released by the FBI today.
The 2010 figures showed a continued decline in violence that began decades ago and has been uninterrupted since 2006.
Figures in 2009 showed a drop of 5.3% in total violent crime from the previous year. From 1997 to 2006, violent crime dropped a total of 13%.
Free admission for all, and a volunteer spirit to uplift many. That’s what this weekend has in store throughout the US, to honor National Public Lands Day.
On Saturday, Sep. 24th, more than 170,000 Americans will volunteer at parks and beaches across the country building trails, removing invasive plants and picking up trash.
Admission fees into national parks will by waived for the general public that day, a gift from the 100 or so parks that normally charge entrance fees. Volunteers will be given coupons for a second free entry day to any national park or federal public land.
Hollywood’s red carpet event Sunday was greener than ever, meeting Fox’s goal for neutralizing the carbon footprint of the 63rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards.
To start, TV stars walked a locally-produced carpet made from 25,000 feet of recycled material, illuminated by solar-powered, energy-saving LED and fluorescent lighting.
A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday blocked a Florida law limiting what doctors can say about guns to their patients, saying it violated free speech protections under the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke granted a preliminary injunction preventing the state from enforcing the law, which barred doctors from asking whether patients had guns in their homes or discussions with them about firearms safety.
California budget cuts are causing school districts to find ways to save cash. Instead of laying off teachers, some have invested in solar panels to slash their electricity bills by millions of dollars every year.
With the help of low-interest loans, the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, for instance, installed 10,000 photovoltaic panels at five schools.
It is one of 90 districts in the sunny state that have installed solar panels to save money on utilities. After a decade or two, they will actually profit from the solar energy produced there.
Lucasfilm is teaming up with a celebrity campaign, Stand Up To Cancer, to raise money for cancer research during its launch of the new Blu-ray release of Star Wars: The Complete Saga.
Movie fans can “Use the Force for Good” by buying specially designed tee shirts, bidding on unique auction items from the Star Wars set, and watching a video with Hollywood actors, like Seth Rogen, Zach Galifianakis, and Samuel Jackson, making fun of their favorite Star Wars scenes.
The campaign launched with its comedian-studded video this week (watch below) to encourage fans to join Lucasfilm in donating to Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C).
Lucasfilm is teaming up with a celebrity campaign, Stand Up To Cancer, to raise money for cancer research during its launch of the new Blu-ray release of Star Wars: The Complete Saga.
Movie fans can “Use the Force for Good” by buying specially designed tee shirts, bidding on unique auction items from the Star Wars set, and watching a video with Hollywood actors, like Seth Rogen, Zach Galifianakis, and Samuel Jackson, making fun of their favorite Star Wars scenes.
The campaign launched with its comedian-studded video this week (watch below) to encourage fans to join Lucasfilm in donating to Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C).
Wildlife biologists have evacuated two species of minnows from the shrinking waters of a West Texas river in the first of several rescue operations involving fish affected by the state’s worst drought in decades.
Smalleye shiners and sharpnose shiners, the species collected Thursday from the Brazos River about 175 miles northwest of Fort Worth, were taken to the state’s fish hatchery near Possum Kingdom Lake. When drought conditions abate, the minnows will be returned to the river.
Starbucks has promised that 100 percent of its cups will be reusable or recyclable by 2015, but that doesn’t mean none will end up in landfills. To deal with the challenges of cup recycling, the company hosted its third ‘Cup Summit’ last week in Boston convening more than 100 industry leaders – including Starbuck’s competitors – to discuss industry standards and solutions for the recyclability of drink packaging in the U.S. and Canada.
Cruising around with wheels instead legs, Chili and Arlo are the center of attention wherever they go. But for patients at a Rehab hospital in Dallas, these two canine caregivers are also an inspiration.
“Many of the patients are new to wheelchairs,” said Linda Marler, program director at Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation. “When they see Chili and Arlo, they say, ‘If those dogs can do it, so can I.’ ”
A simple plan is making sure that D.C. children who live in the troubled communities east of the Anacostia River see welcoming black male faces on their way to school in the mornings.
Four times a week, at the crack of dawn, Curtis Watkins and a group of men walk the streets greeting students in a process they call “Safe Passage”. Their opening line is often: “Good morning, young brother! Good morning, young sister!”
Many of the men who walk the streets are ex-offenders searching for ways to give back to the communities they once committed crimes in.
(READ the story in the Washington Post)
Those who make sport out of denigrating the federal workforce should meet the winners of this year’s Samuel Heyman ‘Service to America Medals’.
During a period when government workers face the uncertainty of budget cuts, these awards — better known as the “Sammies” — are a welcome and needed relief.
An elderly Oregon couple gained unexpected fame after a webcam accidentally recorded the two while they tried to figure out their new computer. Their granddaughter posted the three-minute video clip, entitled “Webcam 101 for Seniors….” on YouTube.
Its shows Mrs. Esther Huffman attempting to use the webcam on their new computer while her husband goofed off, sang songs, and soothed her eventual frustration. The accidental video has gone viral with 7 million viewers since Aug. 21.
(WATCH the video below)
David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy received a hero’s welcome from Libya on Thursday as they toured Tripoli and Benghazi, the cities they decided at great political risk to liberate from the grip of Col. Gaddafi six months ago.
In Tripoli’s main hospital, doctors climbed over each other to touch them.
In Benghazi, babies were named after the French president. “Mr Cameron and Mr Sarkozy decided to save my son’s life so when he was born on March 21 we named him Sarkozy and I have brought him here today to thank them both.”
