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…. The alien world known as GJ 1214b orbits a red dwarf star one-fifth the size of our own sun, 40 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus, the astronomers reported in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature.

Super-Earths – planets that are roughly two to 10 times Earth’s mass – represent the hottest frontier in the years-long search for worlds beyond our solar system…

… Those planets orbit stars like our own sun, but the brightness of GJ 1214b’s parent star is hundreds of times dimmer. The planet is also much closer to the star than any of our own solar system’s planets, orbiting at a distance of only 1.3 million miles (2 million kilometers). That combination suggests that the planet’s surface temperature would be about 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius), Charbonneau’s research team reported.

… GJ 1214b was detected thanks to an innovative telescope system, a cleverly focused observation campaign – and perhaps a little bit of luck. The eight-telescope array, dubbed the MEarth Project, was set up at the Whipple Observatory on Mount Hopkins in Arizona. The telescopes were programmed to gaze at 2,000 low-mass stars and check for slight, regular dips in light that could be caused by a dark planet’s transit across the star’s disk.

Relatively dim, relatively close stars were favored because the planet’s dimming effect would be more noticeable than it would be with brighter, bigger, farther-out stars.

Just a few months after the MEarth Project began, graduate student Zachory Berta spotted the signature of GJ 1214b’s 38-hour orbit. Based on the pattern of the dimming, the team figured out that the planet was 2.7 times as wide as Earth.

The astronomers then turned to another instrument, the HARPS spectrometer on the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla telescope in Chile, to figure out the planet’s mass. Such mass calculations depend on another technique that checks for the slight wobble in a star’s motion caused by a planet’s gravitational pull. The HARPS observations indicated that the planet was 6.55 times as massive as Earth.

Putting those measurements together, the team was able to model the planet’s density and composition. The best fit for the data was a mixture consisting of about three-quarters water and other ices, one-quarter rock and a gaseous atmosphere.

… Although the surface temperature on GJ 1214b would be well above water’s boiling point on Earth’s surface, Charbonneau said the planet could nonetheless possess an exotic form of liquid water due to extreme atmospheric pressure at the surface. In today’s news release, Berta said the pressure may turn at least some of the water into a rare crystalline form known as ice-seven.

“Despite its hot temperature, this appears to be a water world,” Berta said.

On Earth, organisms have been found living near deep-sea hydrothermal vents, where superheated water is held under high pressure. But Charbonneau said he wouldn’t want to bet that life could endure under GJ 1214b’s crushing conditions.

In fact, it’s too early to bet heavily on any detailed description of GJ 1214b. Fortunately, Charbonneau said, the star is close enough that the Hubble Space Telescope could someday analyze the composition of the planet’s atmosphere. “That will make it the first super-Earth with a confirmed atmosphere – even though that atmosphere probably won’t be hospitable to life as we know it,” he said…

… The larger implication of the Nature study is that other super-Earths may be waiting out there with just the right conditions for life. “We found this planet in the first six months,” Charbonneau noted. “We had only looked at a small fraction of the stars that we planned to look at through the entire project. That means that either we got really lucky – which is possible – or these planets are common.”

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Given the troubles of Dubai and, seemingly, a third of the EU countries, a move on the part of gulf states to pursue a unified currency can only be interpreted as a major vote of no confidence on the dollar.

Square Feet:

Several Gulf States are taking the steps necessary to create a pan-arab currency. The core group of countries consists of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar.

The Independent: The Gulf currency – dubbed “Gulfo” – is likely to track a global exchange basket and may ultimately float as a regional reserve currency in its own right. “The US dollar has failed. We need to delink,” said Nahed Taher, chief executive of Bahrain’s Gulf One Investment Bank.

This is not a new concept, back during the 70’s the Shah of Iran had tried to get the ball rolling on such a concept, arguing that the gulf countries should use their oil wealth as a basis to create their own central bank and currency. Iran recently also launched an oil bourse, with the intention of being able to price oil in an alternative currency, but so far it hasn’t had much of an impact.

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See Also:

• Abu Dhabi Will Use Its Bailout To Crush Dubai’s Leadership
• BOOM: S&P Downgrades Greece
• The Euro Breakup Will Be THE Story Of 2010, As Analyst Expects Ireland And Greece To Leave The Union

Unless you are one of those rare families who just never has disagreements or drama, you probably expect a certain level of stress surrounding family get-togethers for the holidays.  Families are so complicated!  Every member is so different, yet also so extremely similar from the next in a way that always sparks conflict.  Add significant others, spouses, babies, pets, and a huge meal into the mix and there is a chance that some sort of new or old conflict will arise.

The holiday season is officially here.  If you feel stressed about the upcoming festivities, here are some tips to remember when spending large amounts of time with your entire family:

• Huge family get-togethers only occur once or twice a year.  Try to focus on the positive for just a few days.

• Go in with a positive attitude, but without high expectations.  Don’t expect that everything will perfect, but do expect that you will be able to calmly handle whatever comes your way.

• Focus on doing the best you can to help.  A lot of times family members disagree because they don’t feel that everyone is pulling their weight equally.  Focus on doing what you can to help (make plans, cook, decorate, chauffeur, etc.) without worrying about what other people aren’t doing.

• Don’t sweat the small things.  You have a lifetime of history with your family, which could cause you to get upset over small things.  Try to focus on the big picture and let small battles slide.

• Give yourself a break.  If you find that a situation is getting overwhelming, take yourself out of it.  Family get-togethers can be overwhelming with tons of people around all the time, so take some time to go for a walk or go workout by yourself to clear your head.

• This is not the best time for confrontations and interventions.  Again, focus on maintaining a positive attitude and enjoying that you all get to spend time together.  If you have issues with someone, discuss them in private at a separate time.  Don’t form alliances or gang up on anyone…it will cause more hurt than help.  Don’t start arguments.

Enjoy being around your loved ones and appreciate that you have the opportunity to spend the holidays together.

Post from: Blisstree

Tips For Dealing With Holiday Family Stress

NGOs are mad that registered participants are being excluded, so they stage a walkout. Isn’t that like going on hunger strike to protest a food shortage?

For the record, I’m among the excluded. I don’t feel so bad now that friends tell me that I’m in good company – a former Danish prime minister didn’t make it in today, and even Al Gore had to wait an hour.

A colleague asked the leader of a Very Big Country delegation what he could do for him. The answer, “just pray for us.”

Bill McKibben stopped by to chat. He pointed out the current low price tag on deforestation proposals – $25 billion per year. A Big Mac, Coke and fries for everyone in the developing world. Yay!

Filed under: Performance, Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Mercedes-Benz

There have been a lot of non-auto vehicles that have graced the pages of Autoblog. We regularly cover bikes, and occasionally other modes of transportation as well. We even cover the occasional boat, especially if it has ties to the automotive industry. We’ve seen amphibious cars, catamarans, yachts, sailboats, and even wooden boats that look like cars. None of those, however, capture our attention as much as speed boats. Whether inspired by Chevrolet, Jaguar, Ferrari, Spyker, Porsche, Audi or Lancia, they set our hearts aflutter just as much as their landbound dopplegangers. Now we can add Mercedes-Benz to the mix.

Set to launch at the 2010 Miami International Boat Show in February is this sleek Cigarette Racing boat. The new craft is said to be inspired by the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, although the concept sketch they’ve provided us doesn’t show any gullwing hatches. We’re not sure if it will be powered by AMG engines, but the 42-plus-foot boat is expected to be good for 120 mph with its twin staggered powerplants. Cigarette says their newest offshore racer “will feature more than 100 innovations included in the design, development and rigging of the boat.”

We can’t wait to see the real thing in the water early next year. Until then, you can read the full press release after the jump and click above for a larger image.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Continue reading Ship Shape: Mercedes-Benz AMG and Cigarette Racing to launch SLS-inspired boat

Ship Shape: Mercedes-Benz AMG and Cigarette Racing to launch SLS-inspired boat originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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David Goldman, as usual, has some good insights about why the job creation picture is so ugly:

My disagreement with Deutsche Bank chief economist Joe Lavorgna over future job creation–which we debated last week on Larry Kudlow’s CNBC show–lies in the crucial role of small business in job creation. The process of job destruction (from big companies) and job creation (from small companies) are two sides of entrepreneurial “creative destruction.” The problem today is that we have the destruction without the creation.

Companies with less than 50 employees predominated in job creation during the great economic expansion that ended in 2007.

In the chart below drawn from a recent study by the Census Bureau and the University of Maryland, the really tall bars (reflecting net creation of new jobs) come from new and small companies.

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See Also:

• David Goldman: 10 Reasons To Doubt The Government’s Rosy Employment Data
• David Goldman: Roubini’s Carry-Trade Theory Is Total Nonsense
• David Rosenberg: Goldman Conspiracy Theorist

I’ve added the Dec. 16 Kyoto Protocol working group draft to my summary table.

There’s not much to report with respect to the global outcome. Most of the detail is focused on Annex I (developed) country commitments. There are so many options and brackets in the text that it’s hard to draw any concrete conclusions about the implied emissions trajectory.

There’s possibly an interesting disconnect around characterization of the second round of targets. Currently there are a number of options included in bracketed text. First, the endpoint could be either 2017 or 2020. Second, various options suggest a range of cuts between 15% and 49% below 1990. This range corresponds roughly with the range typically cited as providing a decent chance of hitting a 2C target (see AR4 WG3 Ch. 13 box 13.7, pg. 776, for example).

If you think back to the first Kyoto agreement, countries committed to small cuts relative to 1990 for a commitment period from 2008 to 2012. For the EU, with an 8% cut, that meant averaging 92% of 1990 emissions over the commitment period. If you imagine that emissions fall along a linear path from 1990, that means that emissions at the midpoint (2010) would be 92% of 1990, and emissions would be a little higher prior to that, and lower after. Because the slope from 1990 through 2012 is shallow, a viable trajectory would include a 7% cut in 2008 and 9% in 2012. No big deal.

However, for the next commitment period, the slope is a very big deal. The deepest cut in the AWG-KP draft is 49% for the developed world. I suspect that number is anchored on upper end of the AR4 2C range (25-40%), moved up a bit. 49% still sounds plausible. But there’s a problem: to achieve a 49% average over 2013-2020, starting from a 9% cut in 2012, you’d have to do one of two things: reduce emissions an additional 37% overnight, then keep them there (basically impossible), or reduce emissions by 13 percentage points per year, arriving at a cut of 76% in 2017. That’s a year-on-year reduction rate of 15 to 35% per year. That’s pretty tough going, given that, even if you never build another bit of carbon-emitting capital, natural turnover takes you down at 2 to 5% per year.

I’m all for strong targets, but abandoning capital at 10% per year is going to be a tough sell. It’s not clear to me that this is intentional. I think it’s quite possible that misperception of the dynamics of a target accumulated over an interval leads to false conflict, as desire to achieve a point goal (e.g., -40% in 2020) is confused with a much more stringent goal over a long interval.

Filed under: Aftermarket, SUV, Land Rover, Luxury

Since we’re getting close to the time frame seen in the movie Demolition Man, you might want to start shopping for a car that can prepare you for Stallone and Snipes blasting it out in the streets. Irish tuning house Onyx could have what you seek with its new 2010 Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Vogue conversions. Inside are buffalo hides and carbon fiber, and outside are a ring of bluff skirting, along with LEDs on the Vogue and, naturally, 22-inch TPM wheels.

Some under-the-hood work has also been done, adding an impressive 80 horsepower to the already very quick Supercharged model’s 517 horsepower. You can read about the Onyx Rovers in the press release after the jump and check them out in the gallery of high-res photos below. And feel free to also enjoy the musical riff on this post’s title – it’s most likely the kind of soundtrack you’ll hear coming from one of these, anyway…

[Source: Onyx]

Continue reading Onyx slams 2010 Range Rover, lets the boys be boys

Onyx slams 2010 Range Rover, lets the boys be boys originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been pushing himself as a defender of copyrights, and even helped create the original three strikes plan in France. And yet, he and his political party keep getting caught infringing on copyrights. First there was the use of a song in some online videos without proper licensing. Then there was the issue with mass pirating DVDs. So you would think that his party would be extra careful when putting together yet another online video involving music. Apparently not.

In a move that is being widely mocked even by those within Sarkozy’s party, it has released a lipdub video using some UMP politicians singing along. The only problem? You guessed it… the party did not properly clear the rights and now need to pay up for infringing on the copyright (Google translation from the original French).

Apparently, they had licensed the rights to the original version of the song, from 1976, but then decided they didn’t like that recording, and instead used a modern version of the song. According to another report, the UMP had asked the copyright holder if it could use this version, and they were turned down, because the label did not want the song used for political purposes. So Sarkozy’s party just used it anyway.

I wonder if Sarkozy can blame Vimeo for inventing “lip dubs” and encouraging the UMP to violate copyright laws in this manner. But, the real question remains: given that France has moved forward with Sarkozy’s plan to kick infringers off the internet on a three strikes basis, and this appears to be at least Sarkozy’s third strike, does the UMP have to give up their internet access? Or do Sarkozy’s favored laws not apply to Sarkozy?

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We’re all busy during the holiday season, and this can sometimes lead to being a bit careless. There are many ways to make sure you have a safe and happy holiday season.

The UT Police Department urges all faculty and staff to take advantage of the following tips.

1. Be sure doors and windows of your vehicle, office, home, apartment and/or residence halls are locked when you leave even for just a few minutes. Many opportunistic criminals simply look for unlocked doors and windows.

2. Don’t display presents and other valuable items where they can be seen from a window or doorway. Conceal valuables in a trunk or closet area.

3. Be cautious of strangers asking for charitable donations during the holidays. Ask for identification and how the funds will be used. Also, you can ask for a receipt.

4. Avoid carrying large amounts of cash. Use credit/debit cards or checks whenever possible. Consider obtaining traveler’s checks which, unlike cash, can be replaced if lost or stolen.

5. Park vehicles in a well-lit and secured location.

6. Visit ATM’s only at well-lit and populated locations; visit during daylight hours if possible.

7. Always be aware of your surroundings when you’re out and about.

8. If you see someone or something that looks suspicious contact the local police department.

9. Keep children close by at all times and do not let them wander around unsupervised.

10. Have your keys ready when you approach your vehicle. Before entering, check that no one is hiding in the back seat.

11. If waiting for a ride from a friend or public transportation, do so in a well-lit area.

12. Always report a theft to the police.

13. Storing loose change in the console of your vehicle is an open invitation for someone to break your windows.

14. Be extra careful with purses and wallets. They may become targets for crime in crowded shopping areas, at bus stops and on public transportation.

15. Avoid overloading yourself with packages. It is important to have clear visibility and freedom of motion to avoid a mishap.

16. While shopping online, order only through secure and trusted Web sites.

17. Guard your online passwords and do not share them with family members or friends.

18. Have your vehicle thoroughly checked, including fluid levels and tires, before traveling out of town.

19. If you do travel for the holidays, consider utilizing light timers in your home.

20. Always be sure to have alternative transportation lined up for yourself and your friends after holiday parties.

Remember to be a good friend and neighbor this holiday season: Be a VOLunteer. Share these tips with others in your family and neighborhood.

For additional information, please contact the UT Police Department at 865.974.3114.

A bit of bad news for Shin Megami Tensei fans. It seems Atlus has bumped Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey to a later March release than the one mentioned in the DS relaese schedule Nintendo released

Filed under: Videos, Humor

We’re a couple months past Halloween, but this video was just too good to pass up. A gentleman with an old XBox steering wheel, a fake skeleton and a couple black lights managed to scare the holy hell out of some folks by making it look like a glowing blue skeleton was driving his car. How did he do it? The key is to have a right-hand drive vehicle and a little bit of creativity.

The Halloween prankster rigged the steering wheel to his Toyota Sera by propping it up on a 2×4 stand and holding it in place with a heavy bag of pennies. He painted the skeleton white and added a couple black lights in the door jam and attached to the sun visor. He then dressed himself in all black and waited for night fall. The end result is a scary-looking blue skeleton that’s ready to send a chill down the spine of the living. Hit the jump to for the full rundown on how it was done – it’s worth it to hear the screams emanating from onlookers.

[Source: StreetFire]

Continue reading VIDEO: Nevermind that it’s not Halloween, behold the best use for a RHD car ever

VIDEO: Nevermind that it’s not Halloween, behold the best use for a RHD car ever originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here are my 10 guesses for how the financial markets will shape up in 2010.

1. Stock and bond market returns in the US will again be positive.

2. The US dollar is likely to meaningfully appreciate once market-driven short-term rates begin to rise.

3. US dollar “carry trades” could get killed as 2010 progresses and the US dollar appreciates.  Once accounting for leverage, hedge fund performance will likely trail long-only equity performance.

4. The Fed will spend the second half of the year trying to catch up to, and flatten, the yield curve.  Short-term rates could increase more than investors currently think.  Long-term rates could rise quite a bit in the first part of the year as inflation finally begins to appear, but are likely to fall during the second half of the year when the markets realize the Fed is serious about fighting inflation.  The curve is likely to be much flatter one year from today than it is currently.

5. Corporate profits are likely to explode to the upside during 2010.  Trailing four-quarter S&P 500 reported earnings growth could exceed 100%.  Investors still seem to be under-estimating the operating and financial leverage that is built into corporate profits.

6. Employment in the US will probably continue to improve.  Consumer Discretionary stocks will likely be among the best performing sectors.

7. Treasuries will probably underperform stocks.  That underperformance is unfortunately likely to reinforce both individual and institutional investors’ views that it is wise to be under-diversified.

8. Small cap value, I think, will be the US’s best performing size/style segment.  Small banks outperformance might be the biggest surprise for 2010.

9. Financial regulation will progress, but the bull market will probably aid politicians’ “forgetfulness”.  As a result, new regulation could be relatively meaningless.  In my opinion, serious regulation won’t occur until after the next downturn, which could be worse if no meaningful new regulation is implemented in 2010.

10. I think the Democrats will do better in the 2010 mid-term elections than people currently think they will.  It seems very likely to me that in December 2010, investors will look back on the year and realize that monetary and fiscal policy stimulus still works.

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Richard Bernstein is CEO of Richard Bernstein Capital Management.  He was previously the Chief Investment Strategist and Head of the Investment Strategy Group at Merrill Lynch.  He has written two books on investing: Navigate The Noise: Investing In The New Age Of Media And Hype and Style Investing: Unique Insight Into Equity Management.

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See Also:

• Richard Bernstein: Gold Prices Have Gotten Silly
• Investors Are Losing The Forest For The Trees
• The Charade Of Quarterly "Earnings Surprises"

More than 80 employees, including interim president Jan Simek, were recognized this week for their years of dedicated service to the University of Tennessee. Staff and faculty from UT Knoxville, the UT system and the Institute of Agriculture received their awards at a special luncheon Tuesday afternoon.

Interim President Jan Simek, Chancellor Jimmy Cheek and Vice President for Agriculture Joe DiPietro were on hand to congratulate the recipients and recognize their contributions to the university.

“Folks like you make the university what it is,” Simek said. He remarked that many of the people at the university 25 years or more, including himself, have been through difficult financial times before.

“The institution goes forward because of people like you … This is the best the university has ever been. We have the best students, the best faculty and the best staff. It takes commitment from all three groups, especially by faculty and staff.”

Simek was recognized for his 25 years as a faculty member and administrator. He was surprised with his award from a former student, Jay Franklin, associate professor of anthropology at East Tennessee State University. “I have known Jan throughout his time at UT. He has had a profound effect on me,” Franklin said. He commented on Simek’s leadership roles within the university saying, “He always leaves things better than he finds them.”

To learn more about some of the employees recognized this week, visit http://www.tennessee.edu/system/events/service_awards/index.html.

Politicians would love to see the rebirth of manufacturing in this country — new factories filled with unionized workers, taking home a salary that can support a family.

But it’s not going to happen, at least according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In a recent study, the bureau estimated employment change between 2008 and 2018. The public sector will grow. Healthcare will grow.

But manufacturing? Not so much.

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Video games that accompany movies have long had an invisible “Don’t buy” category for gamers. That didn’t happen by accident, reviews and past experiences would tell you that coming near that shelf is a bad idea. Still,

Filed under: Buick, Chevrolet, Ford, Subaru, Volkswagen

The finalists for the coveted 2010 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards have just been released ahead of next month’s ceremony in Detroit.

Slated to be unveiled on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show on January 11, the nominees have been whittled down from 25 contenders to the following vehicles: In the car category, the Buick LaCrosse, Ford Fusion Hybrid and Volkswagen Golf will be waiting nervously in the wings, and in the truck category, the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Transit Connect, and Subaru Outback will vie for the title.

The awards are the result of the deliberations of 49 North American automotive journalists and the winners will succeed last year’s winners, the Hyundai Genesis sedan and Ford F-150 pickup. Check out a high-res gallery of this year’s finalists below, peruse the official press release after the jump, and then let us know which vehicles you think deserve to take home the hardware in Comments.

[Source: North American Car & Truck of the Year]

Continue reading North American Car and Truck of the Year awards get shortlisted – Who are your winners?

North American Car and Truck of the Year awards get shortlisted – Who are your winners? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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