NEW YORK (AP) ? The arrest of a New Jersey man accused Friday of seeking to pay $5,000 to a New York City police officer to kidnap a Manhattan woman whom he intended to rape and kill drew claims from a defense lawyer that the government was trying to prevent him from testifying about Internet sexual fantasies at the officer's cannibalism-tinged trial.
The attorney, Julia Gatto, spoke after Trenton resident Michael Vanhise, 22, appeared briefly in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, where he was ordered held pending a bail hearing Monday on a conspiracy to commit kidnapping charge.
"Mr. Vanhise is being used as a pawn by the government to bolster a very weak case," Gatto said outside court. She represents Officer Gilberto Valle, 28, of Queens, who is scheduled to go to trial later this month after he was charged in October with one count of kidnapping conspiracy and one count of accessing a computer without authorization.
She said Vanhise "would have exonerated our client" with testimony about his own participation in a world of Internet sexual fantasies where people could speak of unspeakable acts they would never commit. She said the arrest Friday appeared to be a tactical move by authorities to prevent testimony by Vanhise or others about Internet fantasies.
"He definitely could have been a defense witness, yes. We believe he would certainly support the defense," Gatto said.
The lawyer said the government appeared to be pressuring potential defense witnesses not to take the witness stand by saying in court documents filed against Vanhise that there were other co-conspirators who had not been charged in the case.
Authorities said Vanhise agreed to pay Valle $5,000 to kidnap the woman in New York and deliver her bound to Vanhise's home in New Jersey, where she would be raped and killed. They said Vanhise also participated in planning the kidnapping of a girl.
Vanhise's lawyer, Alice Fontier, said her client, an auto mechanic who seemed to wipe tears from his eyes during his court hearing, was "very upset," especially because he wanted to be home after his wife gave birth to a daughter last month, one of several young children the couple has.
She said he had been in contact with the FBI since late October and there had "certainly been ongoing meetings."
"He has not stopped cooperating," she said, though she added: "Obviously, the relationship has changed since he was arrested."
Besides being accused of agreeing to pay Valle for the abduction last year when Valle was an active police officer, Vanhise also admitted emailing others about kidnapping, raping and killing women and children, the FBI said in court papers.
The FBI quoted Valle in court papers as saying in an email to Vanhise that it would be hard to restrain himself when he knocks the woman out, "but I am aspiring to be a professional kidnapper and that's business."
It quoted him as also saying he would tie her hands and bare feet and gag her. "Then she will be stuffed into a large piece of luggage and wheeled out to my van," it said he told Vanhise.
"Just make sure she doesn't die before I get her," Vanhise was quoted in court papers as telling Valle in response.
"No need to worry. She will be alive. It's a short drive to you," the officer was quoted as responding.
Valle was charged last year with using a law-enforcement database as he allegedly made plans to kidnap, rape, kill and eat women. Gatto said at that time that he was engaging in sexual fantasies and intended no violence.
In court papers filed Monday, defense lawyers wrote that Valle was accused from January 2012 to Oct. 24 of conspiring with others he met on a website devoted to the exploration of deviant sexual fantasies.
"Mr. Valle and the individuals with whom he communicated discussed, among other things, their violent sexual fantasies of abducting, raping, murdering and cannibalizing women," they wrote. They said Valle sometimes distributed the photographs of women he knew through his social network "to enhance the fantasy," though he never intended for any acts to be committed in the "real world."
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Vanhise engaged in conduct "that reads like a script for a bad horror film."
He said the arrest was the second "in this bone-chilling case, but we are not finished."
George Venizelos, head of the New York FBI office, said the charges "convey the depravity of the offense."
The court papers said Vanhise also emailed photographs of a girl whom Vanhise knew well. They said this occurred after other unidentified co-conspirators expressed interest in kidnapping the child.
If convicted, Vanhise could face life in prison.
___
Associated Press Writer Colleen Long contributed to this report.
There are three things you need to know about golf in Jamaica.Firstly, you must have a caddie with you for every round. It?s the policy of most, if not all, golf courses in Jamaica.Secondly, you may find that caddie giving you swing advice whether you think you need it or not. In most cases they can help those willing to listen.And finally, when the putting line is given to you on the green, no matter what your eyesight tells you, you are best to believe the caddie. They are usually right on.While most people who travel to Jamaica do so for the beaches and resorts, some of the best golf courses you can find anywhere are clustered along the northern side of the island, from the Montego Bay area to Ocho Rios.My son Carey and I have undertaken a golf discovery tour each fall for the past several years.With non-stop flights starting early from Winnipeg to Montego Bay, an excellent opportunity was presented to us to fly further afield than the U.S. based golf trails we have followed in the past.In Jamaica, most of the golf resorts are tied into major resort properties. While open to the public, guests who stay at the properties have preferred access and lower priced or complimentary tee times. The following are the top five courses we recommend for golf enthusiasts considering Jamaica, along with reviews of the resorts to which they are attached. Reputed to have killed at least three of her husbands, Annie Palmer, who owned the Rose Hall plantation in the 19th century, became known as the white witch for her evil deeds. She was also supposed to have cast an evil spell on her slaves of the day.The spell may have continued into present times as golfers can often be heard cursing the steep changes in elevation, frequent side hill lies and a mountainous terrain that can shake the confidence of the most skilled golfers. Forward tee markers make it playable for the high handicapper, but it does require a good deal more accuracy than would be required in courses here.Nevertheless, this is a must play course. Spectacular views of the golf course and surroundings make it a pleasure to navigate, and views of the Caribbean Sea from all but two holes create photo opportunities at every turn.The Resort: The White Witch course is attached to The Ritz-Carlton Golf and Spa Resort, Rose Hall Jamaica.Find the brand on any property in North America, South America, the Caribbean, or around the world and you will be living in a lifestyle that shouts out service and comfort.Upon checking in, we found we had somehow lost or misplaced one of our bags. On their own the staff traced back our taxi driver, phoned the resort we had come from earlier, and informed us that the driver was going back to have it picked up immediately.In most places the Ritz-Carleton is known as a business hotel. As a result guests in Jamaica can choose whether or not they wish the all-inclusive option. The property is situated close to the airport and only a few minutes from the Montego Bay Convention Centre.Sandals Golf and Country ClubWhen I first played this Ocho Rios course many years ago, it was known as the Upton Golf Club. After many additions and improvements it is now one of the most popular tracks in the country.Gently rolling hills and occasional views of the ocean make it a pleasure to play on. The fairways are reasonable wide, and the treed areas dividing holes are cleared, leaving a decent ?out? shot for the wayward drive.Views of the Mountains behind the course offer a beauty of their own.The first day we were to golf this course we were deluged with a monsoon style rainfall so heavy that the golf cart could scarcely make it back to the clubhouse.Upon returning the next day we were astonished to see how the course had been completely drained of water and, other than in a few low lying spots, the golf course was dry and completely playable.The Resort: Sandals is the original all inclusive resort, created by home grown entrepreneur, Butch Stewart. From his first property near the Montego Bay airport he would build a resort empire that stretched throughout the Caribbean.Sandals properties are all for couples only. Its sister resort brand, Beaches, was added more recently to accommodate the ever expanding family travel market.The four poster beds at the Sandals where we stayed are a pleasure to sleep on. I had excellent sleeps every night. But I had not slept with my son in the same bed since he was five years old, and expressed that I was not about to start now.?I don?t think Carey slept quite as soundly on the small cot they provided.Golf is complimentary for guests at the Sandals and Beaches properties in Ocho Rios, but there is an extra charge for both the caddie and cart. While walking is permitted, unless you are in very good condition, traversing the course in the hot humid temperatures of Jamaica can be a chore.While Half Moon may be the flattest of all the courses we played, its degree of difficulty is enhanced by greens that seem unreadable, plus a Robert Trent Jones design that throws different angles at the player with each turn.Like the Sandals course, the treed areas are well kept and cut to create friendly escapes for hook or slice. At 7119 yards from the championship tees the course plays longer than its length would indicate.The Resort: Half Moon Rose HillThis is the prime place to stay. With a guest list that includes the present queen and future monarch, frequent visitor Paul Simon, Virgin Airlines founder Richard Branson, and three Canadian Prime Ministers including our current one, it clearly comes highly recommended.It is also the resort where the final episodes of the reality show America?s Top Model was taped.?We have the reputation and expectation that every single staff member at every level is committed to enhancing the guest experience,? Diandra Shand, Half Moon?s Communications Manager underlined.During our stay we can attest to the fact that those were not empty words.It is the only resort in the Caribbean with its own dolphin pool. Other than almost losing my swim suit as the dolphins pushed me through the water, it was a highlight of the trip.Half Moon?s children?s play area is substantive, and is widely known to have one of the finest spas on the island.
Accommodations range from single rooms to one bedroom suites all the way to the six bedroom villas where the stars and royalty often chose to stay.
Its dining facilities are without parallel, and its sugar Mill Restaurant on the golf course itself should be experienced by every guest that visits the area. We dined there on our last night before returning home, and toasted our good fortune in deciding to choose Jamaica this year.As you move past the seaside holes of the first nine, one gets the feeling of having moved to another golf course. Its back nine traverses though this massive property?s more forested hillsides, changing the personality of the course completely.With the sea at your feet and a mountain at your back, Tryall is another example of golfing in Jamaica where the beauty of the environment transcends the challenge of the course. But like most in Jamaica, this course throws in plenty of obstacles to demand that concentration and strategy are as important as ensuring consistent swing patterns.The winds of the Caribbean Sea are a factor on every hole on the front nine, while water, sand traps, and hillsides keep your attention on the back.The Resort:? The Tryall ClubDoting the hillsides overlooking the golf course and the ocean on 890 Hectares of land, are over 80 villas for guest rentals.Each villa, from one to 8 bedrooms, comes with a chef and maid. Most villas come with their own swimming pool, and the larger 6 bedroom units we viewed had appropriately large swimming pools as well.In June of 2010 Tryall was granted Green Globe Certification for its environmental initiatives and sustainable practices. Managed by Robert Ames, brother of successful PGA Tour championship winner, Canadian Stephen Ames, Cinnamon Hill is the only recommended course not attached to a major resort.
The most recent top rated reviews on trip advisor read ?Very nice course! 3 holes along the Caribbean, Johnny Cash's estate, Elizabeth Barrett Browning's grave, and the James Bond waterfall. Beautiful views all over!? ?
These comments encapsulate the Cinnamon Hill experience. And while golf was our primary mission on this journey, there was an infectious enthusiasm in the Jamaican people who we came in contact with.They seem to have personalities that embrace visitors and make you want to take heed when they say ?Come bock soon mon?. And we very well may. If you would like to book your exceptional Jamaica vacation book online @ journeystravelgear.com Just clik the book travel icon to get to your booking selections.
Call 1 800 859-6354 toll free or 204 942-5000 in Winnipeg.?
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THURSDAY Jan. 3, 2013 -- A small number of men with prostate cancer complain that their penis appears to be shorter following treatment, doctors report.
According to researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Boston, these patients said that this unexpected side effect interfered with their intimate relationships and made them regret the type of treatment they had chosen.
"Prostate cancer is one of the few cancers where patients have a choice of therapies, and because of the range of possible side effects, it can be a tough choice," study leader Dr. Paul Nguyen, a radiation oncologist, said in a Dana-Farber news release. "This study says that when penile shortening does occur, it really does affect patients and their quality of life. It's something we should be discussing up front so that it will help reduce treatment regrets."
The side effect was most common among men who had prostatectomies, which is the surgical removal of the prostate, and those who had hormone-based therapy coupled with radiation.
Nguyen added that most patients are able to cope with just about any side effect if they know about it in advance.
The study involved 948 men with recurrent prostate cancer. The men were enrolled in a registry that collects information on patients whose prostate cancer shows signs of coming back after their first treatment. Most of the men were between the ages of 60 and 80. Of the men involved in the study, 54 percent had their prostate surgically removed, 24 percent received radiation combined with hormone-blocking treatment and 22 percent chose to undergo only radiation.
Overall, 2.6 percent of the men reported their penis was shorter following treatment. However, rates for such complaints changed depending on the type of therapy. For example, about 3.7 percent of men who had had their prostate removed surgically said they thought their penis had shrunk, as did about 2.7 percent of those who had received male hormone-blocking drugs along with radiation therapy.
In contrast, there were no complaints of shorter penis size among men who had received only radiation therapy from either an external X-ray machine or had radioactive seeds implanted directly into the prostate.
The study authors pointed out that the men's penises were not measured before or after treatment -- the study's results were based on the men's opinions. The men were also not asked about any changes to their penis size. Instead, they brought this perceived problem to their doctor's attention.
The researchers noted that this side effect of prostate cancer treatment is not well-studied and the issue of shorter penis size might be more common than what this study showed.
"Previous studies have concluded that there is shortened penis length following prostatectomy," study co-author Dr. Jim Hu, a surgeon at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, said in the news release. "This is most common with non-nerve sparing surgery, as this may result in fibrosis and atrophy of erectile tissue due to damage to nerve and vascular structures."
Dr. Luc Cormier, of Dijon University Hospital in France, wrote an editorial accompanying the study. He noted that men's sexual activity should also be examined since it is closely associated with how they perceive the length of their penis.
The study was published in the January issue of Urology.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute provides more information on prostate cancer.
A New Year's gift from NASA and Penn StatePublic release date: 3-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Barbara K. Kennedy science@psu.edu 814-863-4682 Penn State
A large new collection of space photos taken at wavelengths that are invisible to the human eye and blocked by Earth's atmosphere has been released as a New Year's gift to the people of Earth by NASA and Penn State University. The images were captured by a telescope on board NASA's Swift satellite, whose science and flight operations are controlled by Penn State from the Mission Operations Center in State College, Pennsylvania, using the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope, which resulted from Penn State's collaboration with the Mullard Space Science Laboratory of the University College-London. The telescope is one of just a few that study ultraviolet light, much of which is blocked by the atmosphere surrounding Earth.
"This extensive image gallery has some of the best pictures ever taken by this telescope, including some very early images that have not been published until now," said Michael Siegel, a Penn State research associate in astronomy and astrophysics who is the lead scientist for the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope. The image gallery is online at http://www.swift.psu.edu/uvot/coolPics.php, and it also can be viewed with the free Swift Explorer Mission iPhone app developed by Penn State.
The image gallery includes images from Siegel's study of the Omega Centauri star cluster, Penn State Research Associate Erik Hoversten's studies of galaxies near to our Milky Way Galaxy, and NASA Astronomer Stefan Immler's work on the early images captured by the Swift observatory. "We intend to keep updating the gallery about once a month with new images from Swift as well as an interesting collection of images that document stages in Swift's preparation for launch into space," Siegel said. "We also plan to continue adding spectacular images from several new long-term studies of the Small Magellanic Cloud and the Large Magellanic Cloud."
In addition to Siegel and Hoverstein, other current and former Penn State members of the image-gallery team include Undergraduate Students Joshua Berrier, Emmanuel Fonseca, and Blair Porterfield; Research Assistant Michael Stroh; and Research Associate Jamie Kennea.
The Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) is the only one of the three telescopes on Swift that captures cosmic light at energies at and just beyond those that can be seen by the human eye. It plays a critical role in rapidly pinpointing the locations of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the brightest explosions in the universe. Swift has detected an average of about 90 GRBs a year since its launch in 2004. "When we are not studying GRBs, we use the satellite's unique capabilities to engage in other scientific investigations, some of which produce these beautiful images from the UVOT that we're now delighted to be able to share with the public," Siegel said. The targets for these studies range from comets and star clusters to supernova remnants, nearby galaxies, and active galaxies powered by supermassive black holes.
"One of our more challenging projects was completing an ultraviolet mosaic of M31, the famous Andromeda galaxy," said Stefan Immler, a member of the Swift team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "Because the galaxy is so much larger than the UVOT's field of view, we had to take dozens of pictures and blend them together to show the whole object."
Because most ultraviolet light never reaches the ground, Swift's Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope provides a unique perspective on the cosmos. For example, it can measure the amount of water produced in passing comets by detecting the ultraviolet emission of hydroxyl (OH), one of the molecular fragments created when ultraviolet sunlight breaks up water molecules. Other types of science with the telescope include exploring emissions from the centers of active galaxies, studying regions undergoing star formation, and identifying some of the rarest and most exotic stars known.
With Swift's Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope, astronomers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Penn State have cataloged hundreds of rare types of stars and are now comparing their observations with theoretical models in order to advance the understanding of how stars evolve. "The Swift Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope's capabilities give us a great tool for cataloging rare types of ultraviolet-bright stars and for surveying stellar populations throughout the universe," Siegel said.
###
[ Francis Reddy / Barbara K. Kennedy ]
CONTACTS
Michael Siegel: siegel@swift.psu.edu, 814-865-7748
Barbara Kennedy (PIO)
IMAGES
High-resolution images associated with this research are online at: http://science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2013-news/Siegel1-2013
MORE ABOUT SWIFT'S ULTRAVIOLET/OPTICAL TELESCOPE
The UVOT's wavelength range is 1,700 to 6,000 angstroms. The 6.5-foot-long (2-meter) UVOT is centered on an 11.8-inch (30 cm) primary mirror. Designed and built by the Mullard Space Science Laboratory in Surrey, England, the telescope module includes the primary and secondary mirrors, an external baffle to reduce scattered light, two redundant detectors -- only one has been used to date -- and a power supply.
Each detector lies behind an identical filter wheel. The wheel holds color filters that transmit a broad range of wavelengths as well as devices called grisms, which spread out incoming light in much the same way as a prism spreads sunlight into a rainbow of component colors. The detectors retain information on the position and arrival time of each photon of light, an operating mode similar to typical X-ray telescopes.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SWIFT
The Swift observatory was launched in November 2004 and was fully operational by January 2005. Swift carries three main instruments: the Burst Alert Telescope, the X-ray Telescope, and the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope. Its science and flight operations are controlled by Penn State from the Mission Operations Center in State College, Pennsylvania. Swift's gamma-ray detector, the Burst Alert Telescope, provides the rapid initial location and was built primarily by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and constructed at GSFC. Swift's X-Ray Telescope and UV/Optical Telescope were developed and built by international teams led by Penn State and drew heavily on each institution's experience with previous space missions. The X-ray Telescope resulted from Penn State's collaboration with the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom and the Brera Astronomical Observatory in Italy. The Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope resulted from Penn State's collaboration with the Mullard Space Science Laboratory of the University College-London. These three telescopes give Swift the ability to do almost immediate follow-up observations of most gamma-ray bursts because Swift can rotate so quickly to point toward the source of the gamma-ray signal. The spacecraft was built by Spectrum Astro, which became part of General Dynamics and then part of Orbital Sciences Corporation.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
A New Year's gift from NASA and Penn StatePublic release date: 3-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Barbara K. Kennedy science@psu.edu 814-863-4682 Penn State
A large new collection of space photos taken at wavelengths that are invisible to the human eye and blocked by Earth's atmosphere has been released as a New Year's gift to the people of Earth by NASA and Penn State University. The images were captured by a telescope on board NASA's Swift satellite, whose science and flight operations are controlled by Penn State from the Mission Operations Center in State College, Pennsylvania, using the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope, which resulted from Penn State's collaboration with the Mullard Space Science Laboratory of the University College-London. The telescope is one of just a few that study ultraviolet light, much of which is blocked by the atmosphere surrounding Earth.
"This extensive image gallery has some of the best pictures ever taken by this telescope, including some very early images that have not been published until now," said Michael Siegel, a Penn State research associate in astronomy and astrophysics who is the lead scientist for the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope. The image gallery is online at http://www.swift.psu.edu/uvot/coolPics.php, and it also can be viewed with the free Swift Explorer Mission iPhone app developed by Penn State.
The image gallery includes images from Siegel's study of the Omega Centauri star cluster, Penn State Research Associate Erik Hoversten's studies of galaxies near to our Milky Way Galaxy, and NASA Astronomer Stefan Immler's work on the early images captured by the Swift observatory. "We intend to keep updating the gallery about once a month with new images from Swift as well as an interesting collection of images that document stages in Swift's preparation for launch into space," Siegel said. "We also plan to continue adding spectacular images from several new long-term studies of the Small Magellanic Cloud and the Large Magellanic Cloud."
In addition to Siegel and Hoverstein, other current and former Penn State members of the image-gallery team include Undergraduate Students Joshua Berrier, Emmanuel Fonseca, and Blair Porterfield; Research Assistant Michael Stroh; and Research Associate Jamie Kennea.
The Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) is the only one of the three telescopes on Swift that captures cosmic light at energies at and just beyond those that can be seen by the human eye. It plays a critical role in rapidly pinpointing the locations of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the brightest explosions in the universe. Swift has detected an average of about 90 GRBs a year since its launch in 2004. "When we are not studying GRBs, we use the satellite's unique capabilities to engage in other scientific investigations, some of which produce these beautiful images from the UVOT that we're now delighted to be able to share with the public," Siegel said. The targets for these studies range from comets and star clusters to supernova remnants, nearby galaxies, and active galaxies powered by supermassive black holes.
"One of our more challenging projects was completing an ultraviolet mosaic of M31, the famous Andromeda galaxy," said Stefan Immler, a member of the Swift team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "Because the galaxy is so much larger than the UVOT's field of view, we had to take dozens of pictures and blend them together to show the whole object."
Because most ultraviolet light never reaches the ground, Swift's Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope provides a unique perspective on the cosmos. For example, it can measure the amount of water produced in passing comets by detecting the ultraviolet emission of hydroxyl (OH), one of the molecular fragments created when ultraviolet sunlight breaks up water molecules. Other types of science with the telescope include exploring emissions from the centers of active galaxies, studying regions undergoing star formation, and identifying some of the rarest and most exotic stars known.
With Swift's Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope, astronomers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Penn State have cataloged hundreds of rare types of stars and are now comparing their observations with theoretical models in order to advance the understanding of how stars evolve. "The Swift Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope's capabilities give us a great tool for cataloging rare types of ultraviolet-bright stars and for surveying stellar populations throughout the universe," Siegel said.
###
[ Francis Reddy / Barbara K. Kennedy ]
CONTACTS
Michael Siegel: siegel@swift.psu.edu, 814-865-7748
Barbara Kennedy (PIO)
IMAGES
High-resolution images associated with this research are online at: http://science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2013-news/Siegel1-2013
MORE ABOUT SWIFT'S ULTRAVIOLET/OPTICAL TELESCOPE
The UVOT's wavelength range is 1,700 to 6,000 angstroms. The 6.5-foot-long (2-meter) UVOT is centered on an 11.8-inch (30 cm) primary mirror. Designed and built by the Mullard Space Science Laboratory in Surrey, England, the telescope module includes the primary and secondary mirrors, an external baffle to reduce scattered light, two redundant detectors -- only one has been used to date -- and a power supply.
Each detector lies behind an identical filter wheel. The wheel holds color filters that transmit a broad range of wavelengths as well as devices called grisms, which spread out incoming light in much the same way as a prism spreads sunlight into a rainbow of component colors. The detectors retain information on the position and arrival time of each photon of light, an operating mode similar to typical X-ray telescopes.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SWIFT
The Swift observatory was launched in November 2004 and was fully operational by January 2005. Swift carries three main instruments: the Burst Alert Telescope, the X-ray Telescope, and the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope. Its science and flight operations are controlled by Penn State from the Mission Operations Center in State College, Pennsylvania. Swift's gamma-ray detector, the Burst Alert Telescope, provides the rapid initial location and was built primarily by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and constructed at GSFC. Swift's X-Ray Telescope and UV/Optical Telescope were developed and built by international teams led by Penn State and drew heavily on each institution's experience with previous space missions. The X-ray Telescope resulted from Penn State's collaboration with the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom and the Brera Astronomical Observatory in Italy. The Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope resulted from Penn State's collaboration with the Mullard Space Science Laboratory of the University College-London. These three telescopes give Swift the ability to do almost immediate follow-up observations of most gamma-ray bursts because Swift can rotate so quickly to point toward the source of the gamma-ray signal. The spacecraft was built by Spectrum Astro, which became part of General Dynamics and then part of Orbital Sciences Corporation.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. employers likely kept hiring last month at a modest but steady pace, despite tense negotiations that pushed the economy to the brink of the fiscal cliff.
Economists forecast that employers added 155,000 jobs in December, according to a survey by FactSet. That would be slightly higher than November's 148,000. The unemployment rate is projected to remain at 7.7 percent.
Stable hiring would mean the job market held up during the talks between Congress and the White House over tax increases and spending cuts that were not resolved until the new year.
A trio of encouraging reports Thursday on private hiring and layoffs suggested companies did not panic last month, although the Labor Department report will offer a more accurate measure of how businesses responded to the uncertainty in Washington.
"Given that we have restraints, the labor market data do appear to be improving," said Dana Saporta, an economist at Credit Suisse.
While Congress and the White House reached a deal this week that removed the threat of income tax increases on most Americans, they postponed the more difficult decisions on cutting spending. And the government must also increase its $16.4 trillion borrowing limit by around late February or risk defaulting on its debt.
Congressional Republicans are pressing for deep spending cuts in return for any increase in the borrowing limit. President Barack Obama has repeatedly said he wants the issues kept separate.
Depending on December's figure, hiring may finish the year slightly below its 2011 pace.
Employers added 1.84 million jobs in 2011, the most in five years. In the first 11 months of 2012, employers added 1.67 million. Job gains would have to top 170,000 in December to push 2012 ahead of the previous year. Some economists do expect gains at that level or higher.
On a monthly basis, the differences are slight. Job gains averaged 151,500 a month in the first 11 months of 2012, compared with 153,000 in 2011.
Hiring probably won't rise above the current 150,000 per month trend until after the borrowing limit is resolved, economists say.
A similar fight over raising the debt ceiling in 2011 was only settled at the last hour and nearly brought the nation to the brink of default.
"That's not an environment where you're likely to be taking risks," such as adding jobs, said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight.
Reports Thursday indicated the job market is improving slightly.
The most encouraging sign came from payroll provider ADP. Its monthly employment survey showed businesses added 215,000 jobs last month, the most in 10 months and much higher than November's total of 148,000.
Economists tend to approach the ADP survey with some skepticism because it has diverged sharply at times from the government's job figures.
But some economists were also hopeful after seeing businesses were less inclined to cut jobs last month.
Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said that the number of announced job cuts fell 43 percent in December from November, and overall planned layoffs in 2012 fell to the lowest level since 1997.
The decline in layoffs coincided with a drop last month in the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits. The four-week average was little changed at 360,000 last week. That's only slightly above the previous week's 359,750, which was the lowest since March 2008.
Still, the unemployment rate remains high. It fell to 7.7 percent in November from 7.9 percent in October. But that was mostly because many of the unemployed stopped looking for jobs. The government counts people as unemployed only if they are actively searching for work.
There are signs the economy is improving. The once-battered housing market is recovering, which should lead to more construction jobs this year. Companies ordered more long-lasting manufactured goods in November, a sign they are investing more in equipment and software. And Americans spent more in November. Consumer spending drives nearly 70 percent of economic growth.
__
Follow Chris Rugaber at http://Twitter.com/ChrisRugaber
In the period just before they went extinct, the American lions and saber-toothed cats that roamed North America in the late Pleistocene were living well off the fat of the land.
That is the conclusion of the latest study of the microscopic wear patterns on the teeth of these great cats recovered from the La Brea tar pits in southern California. Contrary to previous studies, the analysis did not find any indications that the giant carnivores were having increased trouble finding prey in the period before they went extinct 12,000 years ago.
The results, published on Dec. 26 in the scientific journalPLOS ONE, contradicts previous dental studies and presents a problem for the most popular explanations for the Megafaunal (or Quaternary) extinction when the great cats, mammoths and a number of the largest mammals that existed around the world disappeared.
"The popular theory for the Megafaunal extinction is that either the changing climate at the end of the last Ice Age or human activity ? or some combination of the two ? killed off most of the large mammals," said Larisa DeSantis, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences at Vanderbilt, who headed the study. "In the case of the great cats, we expect that it would have been increasingly difficult for them to find prey, especially if had to compete with humans. We know that when food becomes scarce, carnivores like the great cats tend to consume more of the carcasses they kill. If they spent more time chomping on bones, it should cause detectable changes in the wear patterns on their teeth."
In 1993, Blaire Van Valkenburgh at UCLA published a paper on tooth breakage in large carnivores in the late Pleistocene. Analyzing teeth of American lions, saber-tooth cats, dire wolves and coyotes from La Brea, she found that they had approximately three times the number of broken teeth of contemporary predators and concluded, "...these findings suggest that these species utilized carcasses more fully and likely competed more intensely for food than present-day large carnivores."
The latest study uses a new technique, called dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA), developed by co-authorPeter Ungar at the University of Arkansas. It uses a confocal microscope to produce a three-dimensional image of the surface of a tooth. The image is then analyzed for microscopic wear patterns. Chowing down on red meat produces small parallel scratches. Chomping on bones adds larger, deeper pits. Previous methods of dental wear analysis relied on researchers to identify and count these different types of features. DMTA relies on automated software and is considered more accurate because it reduces the possibility of observer bias.
DeSantis and Ungar, with the assistance of Blaine Schubert from East Tennessee State University and Jessica Scott from the University of Arkansas, applied DMTA to the fossil teeth of 15 American lions (Panthera atrox) and 15 saber-tooth cats (Smilodon fatalis) recovered from the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles.
Their analysis revealed that the wear pattern on the teeth of the American lion most closely resembled those of the present-day cheetah, which actively avoids bones when it feeds. Similarly, the saber-tooth cat's wear pattern most closely resembled those of the present-day African lion, which indulges in some bone crushing when it eats. (This differs from a previous microwear study using a different technique that concluded saber-tooth cats avoided bone to a far greater extent.)
The researchers examined how these patterns changed over time by selecting specimens from tar pits of different ages, ranging from about 35,000 to 11,500 years ago. They did not find any evidence that the two carnivores increased their "utilization" of carcasses throughout this period. If anything, their analysis suggests that the proportion of the carcasses that both kinds of cats consumed actually declined toward the end.
The researchers acknowledge the high rate of tooth breakage reported in the previous study, but they argue that it is more likely the result of increased breakage when taking down prey instead of when feeding.
"Teeth can break from the stress of chewing bone but they can also break when the carnivores take down prey," DeSantis pointed out. Species like hyenas that regularly chew and crack bones of their kills are as likely to break the rear teeth they use for chewing as their front canines. Species like the cheetah, however, which avoid bones during feeding are twice as likely to break canines than rear teeth. This suggests that they are more likely to break canines when pulling down prey.
The researchers report that previous examinations of the jaws of the American lions and saber-tooth cats from this period found that they have more than three times as many broken canines and interpret this as additional evidence that supports their conclusion that most of the excess tooth breakage occurred during capture instead of feeding.
In addition, the researchers argue that the large size of the extinct carnivores and their prey can help explain the large number of broken teeth. The saber-toothed cats were about the size of today's African lion and the American lion was about 25 percent larger. The animals that they preyed upon likely included mammoths, four-ton giant ground sloths and 3,500-pound bison.
Larger teeth break more easily than smaller teeth. So larger carnivores are likely to break more canine teeth when attempting to take down larger prey, the researchers argue. They cite a study that modeled the strength of canine teeth that found the canines of a predator the size of fox can support more than seven times its weight before breaking while a predator the size of lion can only support about four times its weight and the curved teeth of the saber-toothed cats can only support about twice its weight.
"The net result of our study is to raise questions about the reigning hypothesis that "tough times" during the late Pleistocene contributed to the gradual extinction of large carnivores," DeSantis summarized. "While we can not determine the exact cause of their demise, it is unlikely that the extinction of these cats was a result of gradually declining prey (due either to changing climates or human competition) because their teeth tell us that these cats were not desperately consuming entire carcasses, as we had expected, and instead seemed to be living the 'good life' during the late Pleistocene, at least up until the very end."
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LONDON (Reuters) - British factory activity jumped unexpectedly in December to grow at its fastest pace since September 2011, a survey showed on Wednesday, raising the chance that the economy eked out growth at the end of 2012.
"A belated Christmas present. The most encouraging feature was the surge in the output index... Export orders are still down, so that would suggest that it's domestic demand which is picking up, which is surprising if true.
"So it's a welcome surprise, it's difficult to know what's driving it.
"The biggest uncertainty about Q4 (GDP) is going to be construction numbers. The October (official non-seasonally adjusted) figures suggested that we could see a bounce, but it's very early days. It's a very uncertain number. Barring distortions to construction, even with a slightly more encouraging manufacturing output number, it (Q4 GDP) should be around flat."
GEORGE BUCKLEY, DEUTSCHE BANK
"The jump in the output index is very encouraging, to 54. Obviously there's a risk that it might not be sustained but if it is, then we are moving, it would suggest, from a period of negative growth in the final quarter of last year to positive growth again.
"It's obviously very difficult to read, because we don't know what the services survey did but if you plot it against GDP, it is consistent with an improvement into positive territory, so it's encouraging in that sense."
ROSS WALKER, RBS
"The big question is over the official manufacturing output figures; we've seen pronounced weakness in the official manufacturing figures since the summer.
"The fact that survey figures are easing up a little bit means we may see an improvement in the official figures, but it is not enough to prevent a sizeable fall (in manufacturing) in the fourth quarter."
ROB WOOD, BERENBERG BANK
"The sector seems to be showing some signs of improvement - probably as the euro zone crisis is easing a little bit and Chinese growth is bottoming out.
"But the big picture is that the UK economy has been bouncing along the bottom over the last year.
"Today's figures point to stabilisation rather than a return to growth."
ROB DOBSON, MARKIT
"UK manufacturing exited 2012 on a positive note, with December's PMI data signalling a reassuringly solid return to growth for the sector. However, this does little to change the view that the sector contracted over the fourth quarter as a whole, following the temporary growth surge of 0.7 percent in the third quarter.
"The domestic market remained the main spur for growth of production and new orders in December, although there are also signs that global trade flows are stabilising as China and the U.S. strengthen and the downturn in the euro zone eases. If the recovery in overseas markets continues to build at the start of 2013, this would be of major benefit to UK exporters."
"The latest survey also showed that manufacturers remain on a cost-cautious footing, leading to lower levels of purchasing, the running-down of inventories and a reluctance to increase payroll numbers.
"However, there are increasing signs of firms starting to move out of this cost-cutting mode, though it is clear that the outlook remains far from certain.
"Business confidence among producers therefore remains fragile and could easily be derailed by setbacks in key export markets, notably any resurgence of the euro zone debt crisis."
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Public release date: 3-Jan-2013
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