New Improved Protein Packed Potato

Researchers in India have developed a genetically modified potato that is packed with up to 60 percent more protein and increased levels of amino acids.  In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Tuesday, the scientists expressed hope that the transgenic potato would find more acceptance because it uses a gene from the amaranth seed, another edible crop.
"Because potato constitutes an important part of the diet of many people in developed as well as developing countries, it is apparent that this can add value to potato-based products with enhanced benefits for better human health," they wrote.

Amaranth is a tall, broadleaf plant that produces tiny seeds. It was a major food of the Aztecs and earlier American cultures, and started to be grown as a grain crop in the United States in the late 1970s. One of its genes, Amaranth Albumin 1 (AmA1), is regarded as agriculturally important because it endows the plant and its seeds with high protein levels and higher concentrations of several essential amino acids. Led by Subhra Chakraborty at the National Institute of Plant Genome Research in New Delhi, the scientists inserted the gene into seven types of potatoes and then grew the transgenic potatoes over two years.

They found that the transgenic potatoes contain between 35 and 60 percent more protein than unmodified potatoes. They also contain increased levels of amino acids, notably lysine, tyrosine and sulphur, which are usually limited in potatoes. They have been tested on animals with no adverse effects, scientists stated.

More than a billion people worldwide consume potatoes daily so isn't it great news that it will now become very nutririous and healthy? It is a cheap vegetable, very easy to grow in assorted climates. It could provide the basis of a healthy diet tailored to suit the people of developing nations. The often maligned  vegetable, scorned because of it's starch, could  be manna to hungry people.

Polar Bears : SOS As Their Habitat Melts Away

  

The polar bear is the world's largest bear. It is considered  a mammal  --  like walruses , seals and whales --  because its main habitat is sea ice. Polar bears spend most of their time roaming the arctic  on large chunks of ice . Yet that ice  --  so crucial for the bears survival -- is now melting under their feet due to global warming.

Over the past three decades , the Arctic ice cap has shrunk by a size equivalent to six Californias . As the sea ice disappears, scientists are finding more evidence of polar bear drowning , starvation and cub deaths.

Unless we take effective action now , the polar bear will likely become extinct in Alaska by 2050.

In 2008 , as a result  of three years of legal pressure  - and our grassroots Polar Bear S.O.S. campaign  -  the Bush Administration was forced to give limited protection to the polar bear as a "threatened species."

NRDC Members and environmentalists worldwide had hoped the Obama Administration would further come to the polar bear's rescue.

But instead, Interior Secretary  Salazar cut the polar bear's lifeline by adopting a Bush era policy that prevents the government from using vital Endangered Speices  Act protections to save  the polar bear from two deadliest threats it faces; global warming and  Arctic oil development.

Letting these disastrous  loophopes stay in place is like sending a leaky lifeboat to save drowning polar bears . It won't protect them - and may even accelerate their rapid slide toward extinction.

That's why the NRDC has been fighting in court for more than five (5) years to protect polar bears  and ensure their survival.

On October 20, a federal court judge will decide in court,  once and for all, whether these dangerous loopholes should be closed , and whether the polar bear should be given full-fledged protection.

The court will also decide whether trophy hunters --  hunters who travel to Canada to shoot and kill polar bears for sport -- should be allowed to bring  polar bear parts back to  the United States . Canada kills about 300 polar bears a year  for trophy hunting and to feed the international commerical  trade in polar bear parts.

We will, of course, bring you the outcome of this momentous court case  as soon as we hear.  Meanwhile, tell the Interior Secretary to give the polar bear  and its Arctic habitat  full-pledged protection...lets take action now , tomorrow may be to late. Write letters, send Emails and Tweet him.

We have the power;

Positive

Observant

Willing

Enthusiastic

Resourceful

Lets take a stand  and be heard  because the next endangered speices we save may be us.... the way the climate is changing ...we may be too damn late, stay tuned, updates as they become available . But hey, that's just me.

Manganese in Water Can Harm Kids IQ

Children whose drinking water contains high concentrations of manganese appear to have lower IQ scores on average than children not exposed to the metallic element, researchers have found. In a study of more than 350 children in Quebec communities dependent on tap water from wells, researchers found a striking correlation between manganese levels in the water and IQ scores.
"It's pretty straight-up," said lead author Maryse Bouchard, a researcher in environmental health at the University of Montreal.
"We saw that the average IQ decreased with increasing tap water manganese concentration," Bouchard said . "And the difference between the least exposed and the most exposed was in the order of six IQ points, which is a very big difference."

The researchers, whose paper is published in Monday's issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, tested tap water used by 251 families living in eight communities in an area roughly between Montreal and Quebec City. The area had no industrial source of manganese, which is used in batteries, as plant fertilizer and as an alloy of steel. It is commonly found in groundwater due to leaching from minerals and rocks.

Neuropsychologists gave a battery of tests to 362 children aged six to 13 taking part in the study to determine their general cognitive abilities, including verbal, visual-spacial and concept-formation skills.
The researchers also estimated manganese intake from water ingestion as well as diet, using a food frequency questionnaire. Manganese is an essential nutrient and is found in a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and grains. But it can be a potent neurotoxin in high concentrations, and occupational and environmental exposure to air-borne manganese has been linked to neurological deficits in both children and adults. Manganese is believed to interfere with neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which are "important for proper cognitive functioning," Bouchard said.

The amount of manganese in drinking water is not regulated in Canada or the United States, although health-based recommendations for maximum levels are set at 400 micrograms per litre by the World Health Organization and 300 mcg/l by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

While a small proportion of children involved in the 2007-2009 study had drinking water with manganese concentrations above those guidelines, "96 per cent of the children studied were exposed to levels that are supposed to be safe," said Bouchard. Tests of the hair samples taken from the children suggests the substance persists in the body over time.

Manganese can be removed through filtering processes, said Bouchard, who advises families in homes reliant on wells to have their water tested.
The study's authors, including researchers at the University of Quebec at Montreal and Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, say national and international guidelines for safe manganese levels in water should be reconsidered. Geez Louise, even our water is poisoning us now and transforming us into idiots. I would so like to move off this planet. If only there were options.

Jupiter To Make Closest Approach to Earth Since 1963

Cape Canaveral, Florida  (September 20)- Better catch Jupier this week in the night sky. It won't be that big or bright again until 2022.

Jupiter will pass 368 million miles from earth late Monday, it's closest approach since 1963. You can see it low in the east around dusk. Around midnight, it will be directly overhead. That's because Earth will be passing between Jupiter and the sun, into the wee hours of Tuesday.

The solar system's largest planet already appears as an incredibly bright star - three times brighter than the brightest star in the sky, Sirius . The only thing brighter in the night sky right now is our moon. Binoculars  and telescopes will dramatically improve the view as Jupiter , along with it's many moons , rises in the east as the sun sets.

"Jupiter is so bright right now, you don't need a sky map to find it," said Tony Phillips, a California  astronomer under contract with NASA . "You just walk outside and see it. It's so eye-catching , there it is."

Phillips has never seen Jupiter so bright  . To an experienced observer , the difference is notable," he said Friday.

Conincidentally , Uranus also will make a close approach the same night. It will appear close to Jupiter but harder to see with the naked eye. Through a telecope , it will shine like an enerald-colored disk less than one degree from Jupiter.

Jupiter comes relatively close to Earth  about every 12 years. In 1999, it passed slightly father away.

What's rare this time is Uranus making a close  appearance at the same time , Phillips said. He called it "a once -in-a-lifetime event ." While seen right next to Jupiter  through a telecope , Unanus will be 1.7  bilion miles from earth on Monday night.

Phillips urgues stargazers not to give up if it's cloudy Monday night. Jupiter will remain relatively close for many weeks , he noted , providing good viewing opportunities for some time.  And for those who are early risers instead of night-owls. Jupiter will be visible  setting in the west just before sunrise.

Happy star-gazing.......................

Favorite Jokes....According to Poll

An  independent poll was taken in selected countries and the people polled in each country each told the joke they thought was the funniest.

Funniest favorite :
A couple of New Jersey hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing, his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps to the operator: “My friend is dead! What can I do?”

The operator, in a calm soothing voice says: “Just take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead.” There is a silence, then a shot is heard.

The guy's voice comes back on the line. He says: “OK, now what?“

Second Place:   Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson go on a camping trip. After a good dinner and a bottle of wine, they retire for the night, and go to sleep.
Some hours later, Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend.
“Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”

“I see millions and millions of stars, Holmes” replies Watson.

“And what do you deduce from that?”

Watson ponders for a minute. “Well,
Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.
Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo.
Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three.
Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.
Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful, and that we are a small and insignificant part of the universe.
But what does it tell you, Holmes?”

Holmes is silent for a moment.
“Watson, you idiot!” he says. “Someone has stolen our tent!”

Top joke in USA:  A man and his friend are playing golf one day at their local golf course. One of the guys is about to chip onto the green when he sees a long funeral procession on the road next to the course. He stops in mid-swing, takes off his golf cap, closes his eyes, and bows his head.
His friend says: “Wow, that is the most thoughtful and touching thing I have ever seen. You truly are a kind man.”

The man replies: “Yeah, well, we were married 35 years.”

Top joke in Canada :  When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat the problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300°C.

The Russians used a pencil.
.
Top joke in Australia:   This woman rushed to see her doctor, looking very much worried and all strung out. She rattles off: “Doctor, take a look at me. When I woke up this morning, I looked at myself in the mirror and saw my hair all wiry and frizzy, my skin was all wrinkled and sagging, my eyes were bloodshot and bugged out, and I had this pasty corpse-like look on my face! What's WRONG with me, Doctor!?”

The doctor looks her over for a couple of minutes, then calmly says: “Well, I can tell you for a start, there's nothing wrong with your eyesight....”

Top joke in Belgium :  Why do ducks have webbed feet?
To stamp out fires.
Why do elephants have flat feet?
To stamp out burning ducks.

Top joke in Germany:   A general noticed one of his soldiers behaving oddly. The soldier would pick up any piece of paper he found, frown and say: “That's not it” and put it down again. This went on for some time, until the general arranged to have the soldier psychologically tested. The psychologist concluded that the soldier was deranged, and wrote out his discharge from the army.

 The soldier picked it up, smiled and said: “That's it.”

Top joke in UK:
A woman gets on a bus with her baby. The bus driver says: “That's the ugliest baby that I've ever seen. Ugh!” The woman goes to the rear of the bus and sits down, fuming. She says to a man next to her: “The driver just insulted me!”

The man says: “You go right up there and tell him off – go ahead, I'll hold your monkey for you.”

Top Joke in England:   Two guys are sitting at the bar.  One starts to insult the other one. He screams, “I slept with your mother!” The bar gets quiet as everyone listens to see what the other guy will do.
The first man yells again, “I SLEPT WITH YOUR MOTHER!”

The other says, “Go home dad you’re drunk.”

Top Joke in Northern Ireland :  A doctor says to his patient, “I have bad news and worse news”.
“Oh dear, what's the bad news?” asks the patient.
The doctor replies, “You only have 24 hours to live.”
“That's terrible”, said the patient. “How can an news possibly be worse?”

The doctor replies, “I've been trying to contact you since yesterday.”

Runner-up:  A German Shepherd went to a telegraph office, took out a blank form and wrote, “Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof.”
The clerk examined the paper and politely told the dog: “There are only nine words here. You could send another ‘Woof’ for the same price.”

“But,” the dog replied, “that would make no sense at all.”

SAVE EARTH

This is our planet. It 's in danger. Have you noticed the climate change?? It is having disastrous effects on our planet. We must change our life style in order to slow global warming. To find out what you can do contact these websites

http://climate.nasa.gov/

   http://www.pewclimate.org/         http://www.globalchange.gov/

http://unfccc.int/2860.php      http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.html

  http://climatesolutions.org/

For My Dad...Seven Daffodils...Love Jeannie