Fat Cyclist ? Blog Archive ? Buy My Book, Fight Cancer, Win a ...

11.3.2011 | 9:53 am

Maybe it?s time I admit I have a problem.

I have this plan, see? And it?s a good plan: take my best work from the first two years of this blog, then add a bunch of fun new stuff to it: absurd footnotes, details about the inspiration for each of the posts, new organization, and a hilarious set of forewords from the core team. Get an awesome designer to lay it out and create a cover for me, get a terrific editor to edit it for me, and I?ve got a book. (Click here to learn more about Comedian Mastermind.)

Then I start pre-orders for that book, with the plan to use the proceeds to finance my dream: research and write The Cancer Caretaker?s Companion, a book project that?s going to require my full-time attention for several months.

Even more importantly, this book will be my foot in the door when I try to get a mainstream publisher to take note of The Cancer Caretaker?s Companion. ?Look,? I?ll say, impressively, as I produce spreadsheets and bar charts and pie graphs. ?Using nothing but my own bare hands? (and here I?ll show my bare hands to emphasize the point) ?I wrote and published a book that sold pretty darned well. And that was just a comedy book, to be read for entertainment.?

?Imagine,? I?ll conclude, in a hushed, dramatic voice, ?how many books I?d sell if my book were in actual bookstores and were marketed by people who market things for a living.?

In my imagination, at this point, the publisher swoons and my agent stands up, applauding wildly ? while simultaneously wiping a tear from his eye.

So far, so good, right? But that?s where things go wrong for me.

?Why just sell a book?? I say to myself. ?Everyone sells books, every day. People who come to my blog aren?t going to expect something that ordinary.?

?Why not,? I reason to myself, ?make things a little more interesting? As in, give people a little nudge toward buying my book, just in case they?re on the fence? Add a little incentive, as it were.?

By the way, I say this to myself in a calculating, wily voice. The voice Otto from A Fish Called Wanda might use. Except more sincere, and less likely to torture you.

Buy My Book, Win a Dream Bike

Once I finished talking to myself (try to think of this habit as a charming idiosyncrasy, rather than as a sign of mental illness, thanks), I made a couple of calls.

First, I called my friend Chuck Ibis, shown here looking as startled as I am bewildered:

?Chuck,? I said, ?I?d really love to give away a sexy, high-end bike to a random person who buys my book.?

?The Ibis Silk SL is sexy,? Chuck replied.

And you know what? Chuck?s right. Check it out:

The winner of the bike will get to choose either Siberian White, or Matt Matte. Let?s take a look at some of the frame details, because Ibis has stepped up its graphics game in a huge way lately. Here?s Siberian White:

And here?s Matt Matte:

But don?t look at the components on that Matt Matte bike up there, because they?re all wrong. The winner of this bike is gonna get something quite a bit sweeter, because the next call I made was to Dustin Brady.

You know, the marketing guy at Shimano who inspired everyone with his incredible determination to fulfill a promise.

?Dustin,? I said, ?Chuck?s helping me out with a super-sweet Ibis frame. I?d like to turn this awesome bike into a full-on dream bike.

?That sounds like a problem a nice Shimano Dura-Ace build will solve,? Dustin replied.

?Wwwwhaaa?? I replied, because I was just getting ready to start my spiel on what I wanted to do and what I wanted him to give me (I was going to ask for an Ultegra build).

?Yeah,? said Dustin. ?If it?s a dream bike, it?s gotta have Dura-Ace. Components and wheels.?

I admit, I had to sit down. Then I asked, ?Full-on Dura-Ace? Shimano?s top-of-the line road components, top to bottom?

?Yeah,? said Dustin. ?Let?s go with the C35 clinchers for this bike?s wheels, OK??

?OK,? I said. ?If you say so.?

How it Works

So, this is really pretty simple. If you?d like a chance at winning an Ibis Silk SL with Shimano Dura-Ace components and wheels, buy a book (or more than one) during the pre-order period, which ends a week from today (the order form?s a little further down this post).

For every buck you spend (rounded up and including money you spend on shipping) on buying my book, you get a row on my magical spreadsheet. So if you buy one book at the ?I Need a Serious Bargain? price of $9.95 + $3.00 shipping, you get thirteen rows on my spreadsheet. If you buy a book at the ?I Like Fatty? price of $19.95 + $3.00 shipping, you get 23 rows on my spreadsheet.

And if you buy 719 copies at the ?I REALLY Love Fatty? price of $39.95, you get 28,728 rows on my spreadsheet.

And of course, even if you don?t win the bike, you still bought the book, which will arrive in time for Christmas (in fact, it should arrive in time for you to ship it elsewhere and still have it arrive by Christmas). But wrapping is up to you.

I?ll choose the winner randomly November 10 at midnight, Mountain Time, and will notify her or him by email.

But What If You Already Bought a Book?

Of course, if you already bought a book before I ever even announced this contest, your past purchase counts toward the contest too.

Cuz if it didn?t, that would totally suck.

How to Order

As always, I?m letting you select how much you want to pay for this book (though I?ve changed the name of one of the options). You can get more details about that here.

I have added a new price option, called ?I Need a Bargain,? for $11.95, so that ? with shipping ? your total outlay for the book is under $15.00.

This option?s essentially like the ?I Need a SERIOUS Bargain? option, except I was worried that people weren?t choosing the $9.95 option because they didn?t like the idea of me not getting a cut. With the $11.95 option, you can rest easy, knowing that you?ve got a great deal while still contributing a couple of bucks toward my Cancer Caretaker?s Companion project.

So, choose your option below, click Add to Cart, and then complete the sale at Paypal.

Thanks tons. I hope you enjoy this book. . .and I hope you win the bike, too.

No purchase Necessary: To be entered into the drawing for the Ibis Silk SL without purchasing a book, handwrite your name, address and phone number on a 3?5 card, write ?Ibis Silk SL / Shimano Dura-Ace Giveaway? on the reverse side, enclose the card in a hand-addressed envelope and mail it to Elden ?Fatty? Nelson, Ibis Silk SL / Shimano Dura-Ace Giveaway, 407 Quincy Ct., Alpine, UT 84004. One card per mailed envelope.

Source: http://www.fatcyclist.com/2011/11/03/buy-my-book-fight-cancer-win-a-dream-bike/

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UCLA engineering researchers awarded $4.5 million to develop stronger carbon nanotube materials

Public release date: 2-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Wileen Wong Kromhout
wwkromhout@support.ucla.edu
310-206-0540
University of California - Los Angeles

Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have been awarded $4.5 million over four years by the US Department of Defense to strengthen carbon nanotube yarns and sheets, materials that hold great promise for advancing satellite technology.

Carbon nanotubes are molecular-sized tubes of carbon with remarkable properties. They are among the stiffest, strongest and most tenacious fibers known and also have properties valuable in areas like nanotechnology, electronics and optics. Tests have shown that the strongest single-wall carbon nanotubes are more than 500 times as strong as steel.

Since their discovery in 1993, carbon nanotubes have attracted great academic and industrial interest, but commercial applications have been slow to develop, primarily because of lingering technical problems that reduce the nanotubes' strength.

Now, a group of UCLA researchers led by Larry Carlson, head of UCLA's Easton Institute of Technology Advancement and director of new materials at UCLA Engineering, intends to correct various technical issues, potentially making the yarns and sheets 10 times stronger.

The group used seed money from a donation by James L. Easton, formerly of Easton Sports Inc., to generate early results at UCLA and to align its research with the government's need for strong, multi-functional materials in space.

Co-principal investigators on the project include Robert Hicks, a UCLA professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Suneel Kodambaka, a UCLA assistant professor of materials science and engineering. Three outside companies will also be partners on the project: Nanocomp Inc., Surfx Inc. and Materia Inc.

Carbon nanotube materials are sought after for various structural applications because they are so strong and yet so light. Reducing just a single pound in a satellite can save up to $75,000 in fuel, additional structures needed to carry the satellite's mass and its fuel mass, and other costs. The nanotube-based materials have the added benefit that they can conduct heat and provide electrical shielding better than the materials they replace. This can reduce a satellite's mass even further, since other support systems can be reduced or omitted altogether.

So why hasn't this been done?

When combined into a composite, carbon nanotubes degrade to about 1 percent of their original measured strength. Furthermore, when yarns are spun out of carbon nanotube fibers, the yarn becomes less than 20 percent as dense as theory would dictate. Lastly, the fibers are currently held together by relatively weak forces, which tend to slide and pull out under tension, causing the yarn to pull apart.

The researchers plan to use atmospheric pressure plasma to carefully open up individual carbon bonds without compromising the overall strength of the nanotubes. They will also attach special organic molecules that can join to carbon bonds on one side and resin on the other.

"Instead of hitting the nanotubes with a sledge hammer," said Hicks, who will oversee plasma and surface modification, "we can go in there with a finely tuned surgical knife and create the exact functionalization we need to achieve a high degree of cross-linking without any loss of structural integrity."

The team will also use a special resin consisting of tiny sub-nanometer rings that can fit between all the nanotubes instead of simply draping long molecules on the surface. The resin has a viscosity similar to that of water, so it flows easily. The resin will provide control over the reaction, creating a super-tough, cured resin inside the structure.

In addition, the team will bond certain types of atoms with the carbon nanotubes to reinforce how the fibers are held together.

"Our approach is simple, scalable and can potentially improve not only the mechanical strength but also the toughness of the carbon nanotube yarns," said Kodambaka, an expert in materials synthesis and processing.

"Here is a case where a sporting goods investment, enhanced with government support, could add to the nation's satellite technology, giving lighter launch loads and tougher space structures," Carlson said. "While this might seem backwards, with volume production and lower costs, it would be gratifying to bring it all back to sports."

###

The Institute for Technology Advancement (ITA), established February 2008, adds value to UCLA Engineering by capturing and managing research programs and accelerating transition to startup companies. The Easton Institute for Technology Advancement, established a year later with a grant from James L. Easton, develops new materials for sporting goods and aerospace applications.

The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, established in 1945, offers 28 academic and professional degree programs and has an enrollment of almost 5,000 students. The school's distinguished faculty are leading research to address many of the critical challenges of the 21st century, including renewable energy, clean water, health care, wireless sensing and networking, and cybersecurity. Ranked among the top 10 engineering schools at public universities nationwide, the school is home to seven multimillion-dollar interdisciplinary research centers in wireless sensor systems, nanoelectronics, nanomedicine, renewable energy, customized computing, and the smart grid, all funded by federal and private agencies. (http://www.engineer.ucla.edu | http://www.twitter.com/uclaengineering)

For more UCLA news, visit the UCLA Newsroom and follow us on Twitter.

---

[ | 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.

Public release date: 2-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Wileen Wong Kromhout
wwkromhout@support.ucla.edu
310-206-0540
University of California - Los Angeles

Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have been awarded $4.5 million over four years by the US Department of Defense to strengthen carbon nanotube yarns and sheets, materials that hold great promise for advancing satellite technology.

Carbon nanotubes are molecular-sized tubes of carbon with remarkable properties. They are among the stiffest, strongest and most tenacious fibers known and also have properties valuable in areas like nanotechnology, electronics and optics. Tests have shown that the strongest single-wall carbon nanotubes are more than 500 times as strong as steel.

Since their discovery in 1993, carbon nanotubes have attracted great academic and industrial interest, but commercial applications have been slow to develop, primarily because of lingering technical problems that reduce the nanotubes' strength.

Now, a group of UCLA researchers led by Larry Carlson, head of UCLA's Easton Institute of Technology Advancement and director of new materials at UCLA Engineering, intends to correct various technical issues, potentially making the yarns and sheets 10 times stronger.

The group used seed money from a donation by James L. Easton, formerly of Easton Sports Inc., to generate early results at UCLA and to align its research with the government's need for strong, multi-functional materials in space.

Co-principal investigators on the project include Robert Hicks, a UCLA professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Suneel Kodambaka, a UCLA assistant professor of materials science and engineering. Three outside companies will also be partners on the project: Nanocomp Inc., Surfx Inc. and Materia Inc.

Carbon nanotube materials are sought after for various structural applications because they are so strong and yet so light. Reducing just a single pound in a satellite can save up to $75,000 in fuel, additional structures needed to carry the satellite's mass and its fuel mass, and other costs. The nanotube-based materials have the added benefit that they can conduct heat and provide electrical shielding better than the materials they replace. This can reduce a satellite's mass even further, since other support systems can be reduced or omitted altogether.

So why hasn't this been done?

When combined into a composite, carbon nanotubes degrade to about 1 percent of their original measured strength. Furthermore, when yarns are spun out of carbon nanotube fibers, the yarn becomes less than 20 percent as dense as theory would dictate. Lastly, the fibers are currently held together by relatively weak forces, which tend to slide and pull out under tension, causing the yarn to pull apart.

The researchers plan to use atmospheric pressure plasma to carefully open up individual carbon bonds without compromising the overall strength of the nanotubes. They will also attach special organic molecules that can join to carbon bonds on one side and resin on the other.

"Instead of hitting the nanotubes with a sledge hammer," said Hicks, who will oversee plasma and surface modification, "we can go in there with a finely tuned surgical knife and create the exact functionalization we need to achieve a high degree of cross-linking without any loss of structural integrity."

The team will also use a special resin consisting of tiny sub-nanometer rings that can fit between all the nanotubes instead of simply draping long molecules on the surface. The resin has a viscosity similar to that of water, so it flows easily. The resin will provide control over the reaction, creating a super-tough, cured resin inside the structure.

In addition, the team will bond certain types of atoms with the carbon nanotubes to reinforce how the fibers are held together.

"Our approach is simple, scalable and can potentially improve not only the mechanical strength but also the toughness of the carbon nanotube yarns," said Kodambaka, an expert in materials synthesis and processing.

"Here is a case where a sporting goods investment, enhanced with government support, could add to the nation's satellite technology, giving lighter launch loads and tougher space structures," Carlson said. "While this might seem backwards, with volume production and lower costs, it would be gratifying to bring it all back to sports."

###

The Institute for Technology Advancement (ITA), established February 2008, adds value to UCLA Engineering by capturing and managing research programs and accelerating transition to startup companies. The Easton Institute for Technology Advancement, established a year later with a grant from James L. Easton, develops new materials for sporting goods and aerospace applications.

The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, established in 1945, offers 28 academic and professional degree programs and has an enrollment of almost 5,000 students. The school's distinguished faculty are leading research to address many of the critical challenges of the 21st century, including renewable energy, clean water, health care, wireless sensing and networking, and cybersecurity. Ranked among the top 10 engineering schools at public universities nationwide, the school is home to seven multimillion-dollar interdisciplinary research centers in wireless sensor systems, nanoelectronics, nanomedicine, renewable energy, customized computing, and the smart grid, all funded by federal and private agencies. (http://www.engineer.ucla.edu | http://www.twitter.com/uclaengineering)

For more UCLA news, visit the UCLA Newsroom and follow us on Twitter.

---

[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/uoc--uer110211.php

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AOL posts Q3 loss (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? AOL Inc reported a quarterly loss as its dial-up subscription business melts away.

A rise in third-quarter display advertising revenue was not enough to offset a 6 percent drop in total revenue, which came in at 531.7 million.

Analysts expected $524 million in revenue, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

AOL, which Time Warner Inc spun off after a disastrous decade-long merger, saw subscription revenue sliding 22 percent in the quarter to $192 million.

The company is trying to regain its status as one of the world's most popular online destinations that attracts online advertising dollars from the likes of auto companies and consumer packaged good makers.

AOL reported a third-quarter loss of $2.6 million, or 2 cents per share, from continuing operations, compared with a profit of $171.6 million, or $1.61 per share, a year ago.

(Reporting by Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bangalore; Editing by Joyjeet Das)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111102/wr_nm/us_aol

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Toyota shows machines to help sick, elderly move (AP)

TOKYO ? Toyota unveiled its ambitions for high-tech health care Tuesday, displaying experimental robots that the auto giant says can lift disabled patients from their hospital beds or help them walk.

The company aims to commercialize products such as its "independent walk assist" device sometime after 2013 ? seeking to position itself in an industry with great potential in Japan, one of the world's most rapidly aging nations.

Eiichi Saitoh, a professor in rehabilitation medicine, demonstrated the "walk assist" device on Tuesday, strapping the computerized metallic brace onto his right leg, which was paralyzed by polio.

He showed reporters at a Toyota facility in Tokyo how the brace could bend at the knee as needed, allowing him to walk more naturally and rise from a chair with greater ease than the walker he now uses. Wearing a backpack-like battery, Saitoh walked up and down a flight of stairs, smiling with delight.

Saitoh said he had tried Toyota's machines with patients and was confident they helped people recover more quickly from strokes and other ailments that curtailed movement.

"It may be difficult to predict the future, but the era of an aging society is definitely coming," he said. "We need partner robots to enrich our lives."

Toyota also demonstrated an intelligent machine with padded arms that can help health care workers lift disabled patients from their beds and then carry them around. Another mobility aid worked like a skateboard to help people relearn balance.

Toyota officials said technology for autos such as sensors, motors and computer software are being used in such computerized gadgets to help people get around, and what they learn about mobility for people will likely be of use in future cars.

Prices and overseas sales plans of all the machines are still undecided, according to Toyota.

General Manager Akifumi Tamaoki said more tests were needed on more people to insure safety and reliability, and gain user feedback, but the commercial products in the works were going to be smaller and lighter than the prototype versions shown.

"We define gentle and smart machines as partner robots," he said.

Toyota has previously shown human-shaped robots that played the trumpet and violin, and those that move around and talk about Toyota cars at showrooms.

Rival Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. has developed a sophisticated humanoid robot called Asimo, which can run, talk and dance. But Asimo has been limited to showrooms and labs and has yet to enter any hospital or home.

Toyota faces competition from other manufacturers that are all working on gadgets to tap into the health care business. Honda also has demonstrated machines worn on the legs that help people move, as have some universities.

Hirohisa Hirukawa, a robot exert at the government-backed National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, said more time would be needed to see the full busineses potential of the Toyota machines but was upbeat.

"I feel that the walk-assist device has real potential to sell to consumers," he said in an email.

Tamaoki said Toyota is keeping its offerings simple, compared to those from Honda, so they can enter everyday life easily.

___

Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111101/ap_on_hi_te/as_japan_toyota_robots

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Various '7 billionth' babies celebrated worldwide

A newly born baby girl named Danica Camacho, the Philippines' symbolic seven billionth baby, as part of the United Nations' seven billion global population projection, lies on the chest of her mother Camille in government's Fabella Maternity hospital in Manila on Monday Oct. 31, 2011.(AP Photo/Erik De Castro, Pool)

A newly born baby girl named Danica Camacho, the Philippines' symbolic seven billionth baby, as part of the United Nations' seven billion global population projection, lies on the chest of her mother Camille in government's Fabella Maternity hospital in Manila on Monday Oct. 31, 2011.(AP Photo/Erik De Castro, Pool)

A newly born baby girl named Danica Camacho, the Philippines' symbolic seven billionth baby, as part of the United Nations' seven billion global population projection, is weighed in government's Fabella Maternity hospital in Manila on Monday Oct. 31, 2011. (AP Photo/Erik De Castro, Pool)

Danica Camacho is cuddled by her mother Camille as they are wheeled out of the delivery room of the Government's Fabella Hospital moments after she was born Monday Oct.31, 2011 in Manila, Philippines. The Philippines, ranked 12th as the most populated country in the world, joins the rest of the world as it welcomes its symbolic 7 billionth baby. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

In this photo released by United Nations Population Fund, Gamze Ozkan, 18, holds her new born baby boy, Yusuf Efe, at the Zekai Tahir Burak maternity hospital in Ankara, Turkey, early Monday, Oct. 31, 2011. According to the U.N. Population Fund, Yufuf Efe, son of the unemployed mother and a worker husband, will be one of 7 billion people sharing Earth's land and resources by Monday. (AP Photo/Nezih Tavlas, UNPF) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

In this photo released by United Naitons Population Fund, newly born Turkish baby boy Yusuf Efe, reacts next to his mother Gamze Ozkan, unseen, at the Zekai Tahir Burak maternity hospital in Ankara, Turkey, early Monday, Oct. 31, 2011. According to the U.N. Population Fund, Yufuf Efe, son of an unemployed mother and a worker will be one of 7 billion people sharing Earth's land and resources by Monday.(AP Photo/Nezih Tavlas, UNPF) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

MANILA, Philippines (AP) ? She came into the world at two minutes before midnight, a tiny, wrinkled girl born into a struggling Manila family. On Monday, she became a symbol of the world's population reaching 7 billion people and all the worries that entails for the planet's future.

Danica May Camacho, born in a crowded public hospital, was welcomed with a chocolate cake marked "7B Philippines" and a gift certificate for free shoes. There were bursts of photographers' flashes, and speeches by local officials.

The celebrations, though, reflected symbolism more than demography.

Amid the millions of births and deaths around the world each day, it is impossible to pinpoint the arrival of the globe's 7 billionth occupant. But the U.N. chose Monday to mark the day with a string of festivities worldwide, and a series of symbolic 7-billionth babies being born.

Danica was the first, arriving at Manila's Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital at two minutes before midnight Sunday ? but doctors say that was close enough to count for a Monday birthday.

"She looks so lovely," the mother, Camille Galura, whispered as she cradled the 2.5-kilo (5.5-pound) baby, who was born about a month premature.

The baby was the second for Galura and her partner, Florante Camacho, a driver who supports the family on a tiny salary driving a 'jeepney,' ubiquitous four-wheel drive vehicles used by many poor and working-class Filipinos.

Dr. Eric Tayag of the Philippines' Department of Health said later that the birth came with a warning.

"Seven billion is a number we should think about deeply," he said.

"We should really focus on the question of whether there will be food, clean water, shelter, education and a decent life for every child," he said. "If the answer is 'no,' it would be better for people to look at easing this population explosion."

In the Philippines, much of the population question revolves around birth control. The government backs a program that includes artificial birth control. The powerful Roman Catholic church, though, vehemently opposes contraception.

Camacho, a Catholic like her husband, said she was aware of the church's position but had decided to begin using a birth control device.

"The number of homeless children I see on the streets keeps multiplying," Camacho said. "When I see them, I'm bothered because I eat and maybe they don't."

Demographers say it took until 1804 for the world to reach its first billion people, and a century more until it hit 2 billion in 1927. The twentieth century, though, saw things begin to cascade: 3 billion in 1959; 4 billion in 1974; 5 billion in 1987; 6 billion in 1998.

The U.N. estimates the world's population will reach 8 billion by 2025 and 10 billion by 2083. But the numbers could vary widely, depending on everything from life expectancy to access to birth control to infant mortality rates.

In Uttar Pradesh, India ? the most populous state in the world's second-most populous country ? officials said Monday they would be appointing seven girls born Monday to symbolize the 7 billion.

India, which struggles with a deeply held preference for sons and a skewed sex ratio because of millions of aborted female fetuses, is using the day to highlight that issue.

"It would be a fitting moment if the 7 billionth baby is a girl born in rural India," said Dr Madhu Gupta, an Uttar Pradesh gynecologist. "It would help in bringing the global focus back on girls, who are subject to inequality and bias."

According to U.S. government estimates, India has 893 girls for every 1,000 boys at birth, compared with 955 girls per 1,000 boys in the United States.

On Monday, the chosen Indian babies were being born at the government-run Community Health Center in the town of Mall, on the outskirts of the Uttar Pradesh capital of Lucknow.

Six babies were born from midnight to 8 a.m. Monday. Four were boys.

Meanwhile China, which at 1.34 billion people is the world's most populous nation, said it would stand by its one-child policy, a set of restrictions launched three decades ago limiting most urban families to one child and most rural families to two.

"Overpopulation remains one of the major challenges to social and economic development," Li Bin, director of the State Population and Family Planning Commission, told the official Xinhua News Agency. He said the population of China would hit 1.45 billion in 2020.

While the Beijing government says its strict family planning policy has helped propel the country's rapidly growing economy, it has also brought many problems. Soon, demographers say, there won't be enough young Chinese to support its enormous elderly population. China, like India, also has a highly skewed sex ratio, with aid groups saying sex-selective abortions have resulted in an estimated 43 million fewer girls than there should be, given the overall population.

India, with 1.2 billion people, is expected to overtake China around 2030 when the Indian population reaches an estimated 1.6 billion.

___

Sullivan reported from New Delhi. Associated Press writer Biswajeet Banerjee in Lucknow, India, contributed to this report.

(This version Corrects the name of the Indian town to 'Mall' instead of 'Lall' in the 20th paragraph.)

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-10-31-AS-7-Billion-People/id-1a53f1aa5ea84bb5b24e6ab47231a420

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Thinking Anglicans: St Paul's Suspends Legal Action Against Protest ...

St Paul?s Suspends Legal Action Against Protest Camp

press release from Diocese of London website and now also the cathedral website

St Paul?s Suspends Legal Action Against Protest Camp

St Paul?s, 1 November 2011 (All Saints Day)

The Chapter of St Paul?s Cathedral has unanimously agreed to suspend its current legal action against the protest camp outside the church, following meetings with Dr Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, late last night and early this morning.

The resignation of the Dean, the Rt Rev Graeme Knowles, has given the opportunity to reassess the situation, involving fresh input from the Bishop. Members of Chapter this morning have met with representatives from the protest camp to demonstrate that St Paul?s intends to engage directly and constructively with both the protesters and the moral and ethical issues they wish to address, without the threat of forcible eviction hanging over both the camp and the church.

It is being widely reported that the Corporation of London plans to ask protesters to leave imminently. The Chapter of course recognises the Corporation?s right to take such action on Corporation land.

The Bishop has invited investment banker, Ken Costa, formerly Chair of UBS Europe and Chairman of Lazard International, to spearhead an initiative reconnecting the financial with the ethical. Mr Costa will be supported by a number of City, Church and public figures, including Giles Fraser, who although no longer a member of Chapter, will help ensure that the diverse voices of the protest are involved in this.

The Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres, said: ?The alarm bells are ringing all over the world. St Paul?s has now heard that call. Today?s decision means that the doors are most emphatically open to engage with matters concerning not only those encamped around the Cathedral but millions of others in this country and around the globe. I am delighted that Ken Costa has agreed to spearhead this new initiative which has the opportunity to make a profound difference.?

The Rt Rev Michael Colclough, Canon Pastor of St Paul?s Cathedral and a member of Chapter, added: ?This has been an enormously difficult time for the Cathedral but the Chapter is unanimous in its desire to engage constructively with the protest and the serious issues that have been raised, without the threat of legal action hanging over us. Legal concerns have been at the forefront in recent weeks but now is the time for the moral, the spiritual and the theological to come to the fore.?

ENDS

Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 at 1:09pm GMT | TrackBack
You can make a Permalink to this if you like
Categorised as: Church of England

Chartres: "St Paul's has heard the call." Better late than never, I suppose. Why is it always thus with institutions like the church? I don't trust Chartres as far as I can throw him.

So this Costa guy will "spearhead an initiative reconnecting the financial with the ethical.... [And] will be supported by a number of City, Church and public figures, including Giles Fraser, who although no longer a member of Chapter, will help ensure that the diverse voices of the protest are involved in this."

It will be interesting to see what "diverse voices" are invited and that it doesn't become another do-nothing committee (for window dressing).

I just hope that the Occupy St Paul's/London movement (it's more than a protest, Mr Mayor of London) don't get co-opted by the financial movers and shakers and that Fraser remains true to his word.

It must have been hard to make this decision, given that the Cathedral staff would all too readily understand that this could simply be taken as another badly thought-through volte-face. But they did so, all the same. After all, Simon Peter denied Jesus thrice before becoming a fast foundation of the new life!

A misguided move...if they are not removed, this will create a precedent. My advice is prosecution, but undergirded with Chritsian love. As St Paul himself said, " do I become your enemy that I tell you the truth. "

Love sometimes has to be tough.

Source: http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/005217.html

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Cardinals manager La Russa announces retirement

FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2011 file photo, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa speaks during a celebration for the Cardinals' 11th World Series victory, in St. Louis. Three days after winning the World Series, La Russa is retiring. The 67-year-old manager announced his retirement at a news conference Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2011 file photo, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa speaks during a celebration for the Cardinals' 11th World Series victory, in St. Louis. Three days after winning the World Series, La Russa is retiring. The 67-year-old manager announced his retirement at a news conference Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 25, 2011 file photo, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa smiles as he answers a question during a news conference, in St. Louis. Three days after winning the World Series, La Russa is retiring. The 67-year-old manager announced his retirement at a news conference Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

FILE - In this Oct. 25, 2011 file photo, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa answers a question during a news conference, in St. Louis. Three days after winning the World Series, La Russa is retiring. The 67-year-old manager announced his retirement at a news conference Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2011 file photo, St. Louis Cardinals' Tony La Russa holds up the Commissioner's Trophy after Game 7 of baseball's World Series against the Texas Rangers, in St. Louis. Three days after winning the World Series, La Russa is retiring. The 67-year-old manager announced his retirement at a news conference Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2011 file photo, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa speaks during a victory celebration in honor of the Cardinals' 11th World Series in franchise history, in St. Louis. Three days after winning the World Series, La Russa is retiring. The 67-year-old manager announced his retirement at a news conference Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

ST. LOUIS (AP) ? Tony La Russa retired as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, three days after winning a dramatic, seven-game World Series against the Texas Rangers.

"I think this just feels like it's time to end it," the 67-year-old La Russa said at a news conference at Busch Stadium.

The World Series win over Texas was the third of La Russa's 33-year career. The manager guided the Cardinals to the championship despite being 10 1/2 games behind Atlanta on Aug. 25 for the final playoff spot in the National League.

La Russa retires third on the all-time wins list, 35 behind second-place John McGraw. In addition to this season, he won titles in Oakland in 1989 and St. Louis in 2006. He is the first manager to retire immediately after his club won the World Series, according to STATS LLC.

"Other than some of the personal attachments, I feel good," La Russa said. "I feel good that this is the right decision."

La Russa said there wasn't a single factor that led to his decision, but he began having doubts about returning for 2012 midway through the season. In late August he told general manager John Mozeliak and other team officials.

La Russa said the timing of those discussions ? about the time the Cardinals appeared to be out of wild card contention before their miraculous run ? was pure coincidence. He said he simply felt it was time to go, a feeling that didn't change even as the Cardinals squeaked into the playoffs on the final day of the season, then upset the Phillies, Brewers and Rangers.

He spoke with little emotion at the news conference with one exception, when he paused to compose himself as he thanked his wife, Elaine, and two daughters for putting up without him over much of the past 33 years. But he did say his meeting with players after Sunday's parade and celebration was short but emotional.

"Some grown men cried," La Russa said, then he joked, "I kind of liked that because they made me cry a few times."

Mozeliak said work is under way to find a new manager for the first time since La Russa was hired prior to the 1996 season. A search committee will be formed. Mozeliak did not speculate on how long the process might take.

La Russa answered flatly, "No," when asked if he'll ever manage again. He also said he had no plans to be a general manager, but said he is open to some sort of baseball job in the future.

"Maybe open a book store," he said.

Chris Carpenter, who won four times in the postseason, including the decisive Game 7, said La Russa gathered the team together in the weight room moments after Sunday's celebration at the stadium, along with Mozeliak and principal owner Bill DeWitt Jr..

He spoke about how proud he was of the team's championship run, "and then he said that he was done," Carpenter said. "Everybody was surprised, shocked. I think every single guy in there was emotional and gave big old hugs on the way out."

Carpenter said the behind-the-scenes La Russa is different than the public persona ? including a great sense of humor. But he lauded La Russa for always having his team play at its highest possible level.

"I'm not sure there are a lot of people that can match the preparation, the dedication and the ability to put it all together," he said.

Mozeliak said the team will have a "long list" of candidates for a job that will likely be considered among the best in baseball given the strong returning team ? whether or not Albert Pujols decides to come back ? and based on the strong fan support in St. Louis.

"There's going to be a lot of names that we'll consider," Mozeliak said. "We want to do our due diligence. We want to be smart."

DeWitt said replacing La Russa will be a tall task.

"We're not going to find a Tony La Russa out there, given his career and what he's accomplished, what he's meant to the Cardinals," DeWitt said. "We're in a pretty good situation for the future. But it'll be different, no question about it."

La Russa's decision leaves the future of his coaching staff up in the air. Mozeliak said the new manager will be given autonomy to hire his own staff or retain some or all of La Russa's. Asked about pitching coach Dave Duncan, La Russa's longtime right-hand man, Mozeliak did note that Duncan is under contract for 2012.

As for Pujols, Mozeliak noted that he has a strong relationship with the only manager he's ever played for, but doubted it would be a factor in whether the free agent first baseman stays.

"He probably understood that Tony is not going to manage forever," Mozeliak said.

La Russa was a .199 hitter in a brief major league career. He began as a manager with the Chicago White Sox in 1979. He guided the Oakland A's to three straight American League pennants in 1988-1990 and the 1989 World Series title over the Giants.

La Russa was hired by the Cardinals in October 1995, soon after the new ownership group purchased the team from Anheuser-Busch. His impact was immediate ? the Cardinals won the NL Central and came within a game of going to the World Series in 1996, losing to the Atlanta Braves.

Overall, St. Louis went to the playoffs nine times in La Russa's 16 seasons, won pennants in 2004, 2006 and this year, and won two championships, over Detroit in 2006 and this season, rallying to win the final two games over Texas, including the memorable Game 6 when the Cardinals trailed five times and were down to their last strike in two innings. His teams were successful on the field and in the stands ? the Cardinals drew 3 million fans in 13 of La Russa's 16 seasons.

La Russa, who won 2,728 regular-season games, including 1,408 with the Cardinals, said he never considered coming back simply to reach No. 2 on the all-time wins list.

"I'm aware of the history of the game, but I would not be happy with myself if the reason I came back was to move up one spot," La Russa said.

Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson said La Russa picked the right time to leave.

"I tip my hat to him. He's had a great career. What a way to go out," said Johnson, who at 68 is a year older than La Russa. "If you're going to retire, that's the way to go out; a world champion."

___

AP Sports Writer Howard Fendrich in Washington D.C. contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-10-31-Cardinals-La%20Russa%20Retires/id-193828374d7343659262253a8a9ba240

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