Phobos-Grunt Falls into the Pacific; Russians Blame America (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | ABC News reports the remnants of the Russian Phobos-Grunt probe crashed somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, thus ending the latest attempt by Russia to revive its planetary probe program. The Russians said most of it burned in the atmosphere.

Phobos-Grunt was launched in November with the mission of landing on Phobos, a Martian moon, taking a soil and rock sample and delivering it back to Earth for study. It was to be the first Russian space probe beyond low Earth orbit since the failure of a Mars probe in the mid-1990s.

Unfortunately, contact was lost with Phobos-Grunt soon after it failed to execute a rocket burn that would have sent it on its way to Mars orbit. Despite the best efforts of the Russians, aided by the European Space Agency, the probe could not be saved.

The orbit of Phobos-Grunt decayed until it entered the Earth's atmosphere on Sunday. About 450 pounds of the probe likely crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Despite the fact that the probe carried a load of toxic fuel, the main damage appears to be to Russian pride.

Most Western analysts believe the failure of Phobos-Grunt had to do with poor quality control during its processing. But the U.K. Telegraph reports a story that some Russians are blaming an American radar for causing the failure of the probe. The Russians are conducting a number of experiments to see whether this explanation is plausible.

Blaming the Americans is certainly a convenient way to assuage Russian pride, hurt as it has been by a number of launch failures. But the story of a nefarious American radar causing the failure of Phobos-Grunt is not likely to be believed by many people in the West. Indeed, if the Russians start to fix on that idea, they might not be motivated to pay attention to the real problems facing their space effort.

Space exploration, because of its technological complexity and the harsh environment of space, is unforgiving of human error. The history of the space age is replete with dead satellites and dead astronauts and cosmonauts that attest to that fact.

Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker . He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times, and The Weekly Standard.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120117/cm_ac/10846127_phobosgrunt_falls_into_the_pacific_russians_blame_america

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European court: Cleric can't be deported from UK (AP)

LONDON ? An extremist cleric described as one of Europe's leading al-Qaida operatives should not be deported to Jordan to face trial because of the risk evidence obtained through torture would be used against him, Europe's highest court ruled Tuesday.

After a six-year legal battle, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that deporting Abu Qatada from Britain ? where he is in prison custody ? would "give rise to a flagrant denial of justice."

Abu Qatada ? whose real name is Omar Mahmoud Mohammed Othman ? is an extremist Muslim preacher from Jordan who has been described in both Spanish and British courts as a leading al-Qaida figure in Europe.

A Palestinian-Jordanian citizen, Abu Qatada arrived in Britain in 1993 and was detained in 2002 under anti-terrorism laws which at the time allowed suspected terrorists to be held in jail without charge.

Though Abu Qatada was released in 2005, when the unpopular law was overturned, he was kept under surveillance and arrested again within months, to be held pending his deportation to face terrorism charges in Jordan.

While living in Britain, he was convicted in his absence in Jordan of terrorist offenses related to two alleged bomb plots.

Although Abu Qatada has never faced criminal charges in Britain, authorities in the U.K. have accused him of advising militants and raising money for terrorist attacks. He "is a leading spiritual advisor with extensive links to, and influence over, extreme Islamists in the U.K. and overseas," prosecutors told a British court in 2007.

Britain's Home Secretary Theresa May said the U.K. would consider appealing the European court's decision. It has a three-month window in which to make any appeal, the court said.

"I am disappointed that the court has made this ruling," May said in a statement. "This is not the end of the road, and we will now consider all the legal options available to us."

Abu Qatada will remain held in British prison custody while a decision is made, she said.

May has not specified what Britain would do if it loses any appeal, though it is likely Abu Qatada would be freed from prison and monitored under a surveillance program which requires those suspected of involvement in terorrism ? but not charged with any crime ? to abide by a curfew and wear an electronic anklet.

Britain's Special Immigration Appeals Commission has previously been told Abu Qatada was also suspected of links to a bomb plot in Strasbourg, France, and to the raising of funds for terrorism in Chechnya.

In their ruling, the European judges based in Strasbourg said they did not accept Abu Qatada's claims that he would face ill treatment or torture at the hands of Jordanian authorities if sent there for trial, citing recent agreements between Jordan and the U.K.

But the judges warned that evidence in his case had been obtained by torturing his co-accused.

"The court found that torture was widespread in Jordan, as was the use of torture evidence by the Jordanian courts," the ruling said. "In relation to each of the two terrorist conspiracies ... the evidence of his involvement had been obtained by torturing one of his co-defendants."

Judges said evidence obtained through torture was illegal under international law and was also unreliable. The ruling said "there was a high probability that the incriminating evidence would be admitted ... and that it would be of considerable, perhaps decisive, importance."

Britain's highest court had ruled in 2009 that Abu Qatada should be deported to Jordan, despite fears over his potential mistreatment.

Human rights group Liberty urged the British government to make efforts to have Abu Qatada prosecuted in Britain.

"The court found that torture and evidence obtained that way is widespread in" Jordan, Shami Chakrabarti, the group's director, said in a statement. "So it is clear that, if Abu Qatada is to be tried for terrorism, this should happen in a British court without further delay."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_radical_preacher

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APNewsBreak: Mars rocks fell in Africa last July (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Scientists are confirming a recent and rare invasion from Mars: meteorite chunks from the red planet that fell in Morocco last July.

This is only the fifth time scientists have chemically confirmed Martian meteorites that people witnessed falling. The fireball was spotted in the sky six months ago, but the rocks weren't discovered on the ground in North Africa until the end of December.

This is an important and unique opportunity for scientists trying to learn about Mars' potential for life. So far, no NASA or Russian spacecraft has returned bits of Mars, so the only Martian samples scientists can examine are those that come here in a meteorite shower.

Scientists and collectors of meteorites are ecstatic, and already the rocks are fetching big bucks because they are among the rarest things on Earth ? rarer even than gold.

A special committee of meteorite experts, including some NASA scientists, confirmed the test results Tuesday. They certified that 15 pounds of meteorite recently collected came from Mars. The biggest rock weighs over 2 pounds.

Astronomers think millions of years ago something big smashed into Mars and sent rocks hurtling through the solar system. After a long journey through space, one of those rocks plunged through Earth's atmosphere, splitting into smaller pieces.

Most other Martian meteorite samples sat around on Earth for millions of years ? or at the very least decades ? before they were discovered, which makes them tainted with Earth materials and life. These new rocks, while still probably contaminated because they have been on Earth for months, are purer.

The last time a Martian meteorite fell and was found fresh was in 1962. All the known Martian rocks on Earth add up to less than 240 pounds.

The new samples were scooped up by dealers from those who found them. Even before the official certification, scientists at NASA, museums and universities scrambled to buy or trade these meteorites.

"It's a free sample from Mars. That's what these are, except you have to pay the dealers for it," said University of Alberta meteorite expert Chris Herd, who heads the committee that certified the discovery.

He has already bought a chunk of meteorite and said he was thrilled just to hold it, calling the rock "really spectacular."

One of the key decisions the scientists made Tuesday was to officially connect these rocks to the fiery plunge witnessed by people and captured on video last summer. The announcement and the naming of these meteorites ? called Tissint ? came from the International Society for Meteoritics and Planetary Science, which is the official group of 950 scientists that confirms and names meteorites.

Meteorite dealer Darryl Pitt, who sold a chunk to Herd, said he charges $11,000 to $22,500 an ounce and has sold most of his supply already. At that price, the new Martian rock costs about 10 times more than gold.

"It's scientifically invaluable," Herd said. "These are really beautiful specimens. It's a rare type, so fresh and aesthetically pleasing."

Several of the world's top experts in meteorites, including those who work for NASA, told The Associated Press that they were sure this was a piece of Mars. Tony Irving of the University of Washington is the scientist who did the scientific analysis on the rocks and said there is no doubt that they are from the red planet.

Scientists can tell when meteorites are from Mars because they know what the Martian atmosphere is made of, thanks to numerous probes sent there. The chemical signature of the rocks and the Martian air match, Irving said. Another clue is that because planets like Mars are more geologically active, its rocks tend to be much younger ? millions of years old instead of hundreds of millions or more ? than those from the moon or asteroids.

Most of the Martian rocks on Earth have been around for centuries or longer and have been found in Antarctica or the desert. They look so similar to dark Earth rocks that if they fell in other places, such as Maryland, they would blend right in and never be discovered, Irving said.

Jeff Grossman, a NASA scientist who is the Meteoritical Society's database editor, said there is a higher probability of finding "something interesting" from Mars on these rocks because they fell so recently. However, six months is a long time for Earthly contamination to take root, he said.

Herd said the first thing he would do with the rocks would be to rinse them with solvents to try to get rid of earthly contamination and see what carbon-based compounds are left.

A Martian meteorite that was buried in Antarctica made news in 1996. NASA scientists theorized that the rock, found in 1984, showed signs of traces of life from Mars, fossils of what seemed to be lifelong forms. Even the White House made an announcement about it as the first sign of life outside of Earth. Years of study since then have led much of the astronomy world to conclude that there was not enough evidence to support the claim.

Because known Martian meteorite falls happen only once every 50 years or so ? 1815 in France, 1865 in India, 1911 in Egypt and 1962 in Nigeria ? this is a once-in-a-career or even one-in-a-lifetime event.

"It's incredibly fresh. It's highly valuable for that reason," said Carl Agee, director of the Institute of Meteoritics and curator at the University of New Mexico. "For someone who knows their Martian, this is a beauty. It's gorgeous."

___

Online:

The Meteoritical Society: http://bit.ly/xDh6zz

Tony Irving's list of Martian meteorites: http://bit.ly/yl7jBD

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_sc/us_sci_mars_rocks

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Hacker says to release full Norton Antivirus code on Tuesday (Reuters)

NEW DELHI (Reuters) ? A hacker who goes by the name of "Yama Tough" threatened Saturday to release next week the full source code for Symantec Corp's flagship Norton Antivirus software.

"This coming Tuesday behold the full Norton Antivirus 1,7Gb src, the rest will follow," Yama Tough posted via Twitter.

In the past week Yama Tough has released fragments of source code from Symantec products along with a cache of emails. The hacker says all the data was taken from Indian government servers.

(Reporting By Frank Jack Daniel)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/security/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120116/wr_nm/us_symantec_hacker

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Healthy Children, Safe Homes a Winning Combination (HealthDay)

SATURDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- From the air you breathe to the foods you eat, hidden dangers may be lurking in your home, experts warn.

Researchers at the Children's Environmental Health Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City offer some simple steps to help keep your children healthy and your home safe:

• Test for radon. Levels of this invisible gas increase during the winter months. Be sure to inspect your home for radon, particularly the basement if it has cracks in the floor. Radon detectors are not expensive and can be found at local hardware stores.
• Be energy efficient. Heating equipment that's energy efficient can lower your costs and reduce air pollution if it is properly sized and maintained. Also, make sure that all ducts are sealed to prevent leaks, which could lower your efficiency by as much as 20 percent. Equipment more than 15 years old may need to be replaced.
• Buy organic produce. By choosing organic fruits and vegetables, you can minimize your family's exposure to pesticides, particularly those with soft skin, such as strawberries, raspberries and peaches. Wash all produce before eating to reduce your risk for infection.
• Recycle old electronics. By e-cycling (recycling old electronics, such as computers, televisions and cellphones) you can reduce waste and help manage toxic chemicals. Your state's environmental agency has information on where you can recycle your old equipment.
• Eat the right fish. Although fish is a good choice for a healthy diet, some types of fish are safer than others. Certain types of seafood, such as swordfish and shark meat, may contain contaminants, like metals, industrial chemicals and pesticides. Safer seafood options include tilapia, mussels, clams and shrimp.
• Be smart about plastic. Some plastics contain potentially harmful chemicals known as phthalates and bisphenol-A (BPA). These chemicals can leak out of everyday products into children's bodies. Studies have shown these chemicals can have a negative effect on brain development and reproduction. Exposure to phthalates and BPA can be avoided by choosing plastics #1, 2, 4, 5. Avoid heating plastic. Microwaving food in plastic containers or plastic wrap is a common way for chemicals to leak out of plastic and contaminate your food. Also avoid putting plastics in the dishwasher and do not pour warm liquids into plastic containers.
• Avoid lead paint. Children who come into contact with lead dust can ingest it easily. Even minimal lead exposure can result in severe brain damage. If your home was built before 1970, have your paint tested for lead. If lead is detected it must be removed by an expert, when children or pregnant women are not present.
• Check the water. Water can also contain lead, particularly if the plumbing is more than 10 years old. Test your pipes for lead. To avoid lead exposure, you should also run the water for several minutes if it hasn't been used for a while and use cold water for cooking.
• Don't smoke. Smoking cigarettes is the most common cause of indoor air pollution. Secondhand smoke can trigger asthma attacks and cause respiratory problems in children.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides more tips for a healthy home.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120114/hl_hsn/healthychildrensafehomesawinningcombination

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Santorum's past comments give Democrats fodder

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum leaves the Cook Out restaurant, Friday, Jan. 13, 2012, in Gaffney, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum leaves the Cook Out restaurant, Friday, Jan. 13, 2012, in Gaffney, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Presidential candidate Rick Santorum, center, greets guests at Byrnes High School on Friday, Jan. 13, 2012 in Duncan, S.C. (AP Photo/The Spartanburg Herald-Journall, Alex C. Hicks Jr)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Rick Santorum is brash and blunt ? and proudly so ? but it's a trait that will make it easy for Democrats to use his own words against him if he becomes the Republican presidential nominee.

Far from apologetic, Santorum takes an "I-am-who-I-am" attitude. Lately, though, as he tries to emerge as the conservative alternative to front-runner Mitt Romney, the former Pennsylvania senator has been asking Republican voters to look beyond his verbal missteps.

"I'm a consistent conservative," Santorum often says these days. "I'm not a perfect conservative."

While his latest verbal miscue came as he campaigned in Iowa, his career is paved with them.

National civil rights groups recently thumped Santorum after video surfaced of him discussing Medicaid and food stamps. He appears to say: "I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money."

He tried to take it back a few days later, telling CNN in an interview: "I'm pretty confident I didn't say 'black' ... I started to say a word and sort of mumbled it and changed my thought."

Santorum's comments on sex and faith as well as race have led to controversy during his 16 years in the House and Senate and when he was an author, radio talk-show host, think-tank fellow and Fox News commentator.

Santorum once compared homosexuality to bigamy, incest and adultery, provoking a firestorm of protest from gay rights supporters. He also blamed Boston's liberal political culture for the clergy sex abuse scandal that shook its Catholic diocese, drawing a thunderous rebuke from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate floor.

All that, and more, is sure to be resurrected if the GOP chooses Santorum to challenge President Barack Obama in the fall.

Santorum nearly defeated Romney in Iowa's caucuses but fared poorly in New Hampshire's primary. He's now barnstorming on friendlier turf in South Carolina, hoping for a come-from-behind victory in its Jan. 21 primary through his outreach to the GOP's statewide evangelical base.

A devout Catholic and a leading voice against gay rights and abortion, Santorum rose to prominence as an unabashed warrior in America's culture wars during his 12 years in the Senate. He lost a bid for re-election in 2006 by a 17-point margin.

Perhaps his most talked-about comment is one that came in a 2003 interview with The Associated Press.

Santorum angered gay rights advocates by saying states should have the right to ban gay sex and by comparing homosexuality to bigamy, incest and adultery. He cited a pending Supreme Court case over a Texas sodomy law and said: "If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery."

He went on to say: "In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be."

Asked about those remarks by CNN recently, Santorum said he did not mean to draw a parallel between homosexuality and the other sexual behaviors he mentioned. "I didn't connect them. I specifically excluded them," he said.

Santorum previously has said his remarks to the AP were in the context of a past Supreme Court ruling on privacy and were not meant as "a statement on individual lifestyles."

It was another issue entirely that earned Santorum the wrath of many Democrats in Massachusetts.

In a July 2002 column for Catholic Online, Santorum wrote that promoting "alternative lifestyles" feeds aberrant behavior, such as priests molesting children.

"Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture," he wrote. "When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm."

Massachusetts Democrats were outraged. Romney, then the state's governor, called the remarks unfortunate.

A few years later, Democrats went after Santorum during his 2006 re-election bid for statements in his book "It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Book" that they claimed were insensitive to the struggles of two-income families.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-14-Santorum-Words/id-26d0d01cce3e4a35a31bda74a909ce51

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Heather Locklear taken to hospital (omg!)

THOUSAND OAKS, California (AP) ? Authorities say Heather Locklear was taken to a Southern California hospital for precautionary reasons after an emergency call was made from her home.

Paramedics and sheriff's deputies responded Thursday afternoon to Locklear's home in Westlake Village, which is 35 miles (56 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles.

Ventura County sheriff's Capt. Mike Aranda says he did not know Locklear's condition but deputies are not investigating the incident.

Locklear has been hospitalized several times over the years and in 2009 pleaded no contest to reckless driving after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of prescription medication.

The 50-year-old actress' publicists did not return messages seeking comment.

Locklear and "Melrose Place" co-star Jack Wagner recently ended their engagement.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_heather_locklear_taken_hospital035540999/44164082/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/heather-locklear-taken-hospital-035540999.html

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