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Over dinner that night, the astronauts and cosmonauts had discussed their options. Cassidy was of the opinion that NASA would probably wait until he and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, who was scheduled to arrive in a couple of weeks, could do an extravehicular activity—NASA parlance for a spacewalk—to assess the problem. Houston ordinarily didn’t like to rush into anything, let alone an EVA. Plus, half the crew was packing up to return to Earth in just four days. That’s why Cassidy couldn’t believe what he now saw on his laptop screen in big red letters: “Welcome to EVA prep day.”...

Ig Nobel Prize in physics goes to research about walking on water on the moon.Every year in December, the Swedish Academy of Sciences hands out Nobel Prizes for the most important discoveries in science. A few months before, in less grand circumstances, the magazine Annals of Improbable Research The Ig Nobels are given to research that ‘first makes people laugh, and then makes them think’. The categories vary year to year but mostly cover science and engineering, with peace and literature occasionally thrown in, too. Previous awards have been handed out to projects like minimizing the risk of colonoscopy...

Bear with me, LI readers – I’m a little bit of a geek, so I find stories like these exciting. It might not be of interest to everyone, but I do think there’s one point about it that will resonate with all of you. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos started Bezos Expeditions (as well as the space exploration venture Blue Origin) out of his “passions for science, engineering, and exploration.” Bezos, like so many others, watched Apollo 11′s launch from his television as a child in 1969. Days prior, the mission began when five F-1 rocket engines fired together in a...

Yesterday Charles Krauthammer said that Republicans have leverage right now with the president on this fiscal cliff deal because if tax rates go up on all Americans, Obama’s second term will begin in a recession as the higher tax rates will slow growth even more, and Krauthammer contends that Obama doesn’t want that. But Rush passionately disagrees noting that analysis disregards Obama’s entire first term. Rush believes that Obama doesn’t care about having a successful economy in his second term, that it’s all part of his push to transform this country into a welfare state because that’s what is fair...

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama and his family are attending a worship service at a church just across the street from the White House where presidents frequently have visited. The president, first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia made the short walk across Lafayette Park to St. John's Church.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder conceded this morning that under his leadership, agents allowed guns to "walk" into Mexico, where they ended up in the hands of drug lords, and he said that the effects of this mistake would be felt for years to come. "I want to be clear: any instance of so-called 'gun-walking' is simply unacceptable," Holder said in his opening statement before the Senate Judiciary committee. "Regrettably, this tactic was used as part of Fast and Furious, which was launched to combat gun trafficking and violence on our Southwest Border.

Young culprits found with animal from Sibley Park zoo MANKATO — A couple of young rustlers attempted to use their imagination to escape the long arm of the law Saturday, but after about an hour of story telling they eventually learned they’d made a baaaaad decision. A Mankato resident called 911 at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday to report two very young girls, who turned out to be under the age of 10, were walking along Carney Avenue north of Riverfront Drive. They were in their pajamas and had a goat with them, the caller said. ~~~ They told the officer...

"Do you support or oppose Indiana Democrats' apparent decision to walkout of the Legislature to protest the Republican agenda?"

SAN FRANCISCO -- A new device developed by a Berkeley company was unveiled Thursday that will soon give people paralyzed by debilitating injuries a second chance at walking. Eighteen years ago, Amanda Boxtel was paralyzed in a skiing accident; today, a futuristic invention is helping her walk upright again. Boxtel strode onto a stage in San Francisco Thursday morning without the use of her wheelchair, draped in a 45-pound bionic exoskeleton that guided her leg movements using computer sensors. The invention, called eLEGS, or Exoskeleton Lower Extremity Gait System, was unveiled by Berkeley Bionics, an East Bay company founded in...

Two brothers sign up for very long walk against corporate personhoodThe Times-Standard Posted: 05/16/2010 01:21:11 AM PDT Brothers George “Laird” Monahan, 69, and Robin Monahan, 67, have a long walk ahead of them. After a visit in Humboldt County last week, the pair is setting off from San Francisco's Golden Gate Park today to walk across the country, expecting to arrive at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. sometime before Election Day. But this is far from a casual stroll, as the brothers are walking across the country to bring attention to the recent controversial U.S. Supreme Court ruling in...

SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 16, 2009 – Five months ago, Army Lt. Col. Tim Karcher was in Sadr City, Iraq, commanding the 1st Cavalry Division’s 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, and preparing to complete the hand-off of the volatile region to the Iraqis. Army Lt. Col. Tim Karcher and his wife, Alesia, leave a physical therapy session at the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, Nov. 6, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Heather Graham  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Today, he is relearning how to walk. On June 28, Karcher was on his way to...

The first couple took full advantage of the cool spring night. After a date night out on Saturday evening, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama decided to take a stroll when their motorcade arrived back at the White House. So they began walking on the driveway of the White House South Lawn while holding hands. First they passed the West Wing, then their children's swing set. They kept walking, swinging their hands together.

The prospect of a gun rights group demonstrating their right to openly carry firearms in Hazle Township Community Park on the same day as the annual “Celebration of Life Walk” sponsored by the Hazleton Chapter of the American Red Cross is threatening cancellation of the 10th annual Red Cross fundraiser. Joyce Bradbury, executive director of the Hazleton Chapter of the American Red Cross said a significant number of walk participants called the Red Cross headquarters to cancel their participation in the event in light of the gun group’s plans. Most of the cancellations came from school student groups, Bradbury said....

Fred -- Our team has built a tool called Neighbor to Neighbor that lets you tap into the power of this grassroots movement right from your home. You can reach out to potential supporters by knocking on doors or making phone calls at any time that's convenient for you. Take this election into your own hands right now by signing up and talking to voters in your battleground state about Barack and our campaign for change. Right now, this race is neck-and-neck. And it's all going to come down to what supporters like you do -- or don't do...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2008 – Listeners who log on to listen to Stardust Radio’s “Talking with Heroes” program on Aug. 17 will learn how they can honor veterans past and present and commemorate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The show’s host, Bob Calvert, will welcome Roxie Merritt, spokeswoman for the Defense Department’s America Supports You program and director of New Media and Community Relations for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. Merritt’s community relations staff is responsible for organizing this year’s fourth annual National America Supports You Freedom Walk here while hundreds of others...

Why Don't Kids Walk To School Anymore?No sidewalk and no green buffer makes walking feel unsafe. A wide treed buffer between a sidewalk and the street encourages walking. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Michigan) ScienceDaily (Mar. 28, 2008) — Maybe when we were their age, we walked five miles to school, rain or shine. So why don't most children today walk or bike to school? It's not necessarily because they're spoiled, lazy or over scheduled. According to a University of Michigan researcher, concerns about safety are the main reason that less than 13 percent of U.S. children walked or...

Man who aimed to walk to India forced to quit By Sarah Marcus Last Updated: 12:44pm GMT 29/02/2008 A British man who aimed to walk from Bristol to Gandhi's birthplace in Porbander, India without spending any money has been forced to give up at Calais. Mark Boyle, 28, who began his trip with only t-shirt, sandals and a bandage four weeks ago, hoped that strangers along the way would provide him with food and places to stay. Mark Boyle near the start of his trip four months ago He is a member of the Freeconomy movement, which believes in a...

FINAL PREPARATION: On our final day of packing before heading to SC, I wanted to contact you and ask you to email everyone you know and ask them to visit our website http://vfwwebcom.org/ResolveToWin/ and ask them to spread the word to everyone they know. I believe our website is very informative and offers people an opportunity to interact.If we can’t get people visiting the website to learn about the Resolve to Win March, we will not be able to get them out on the road. Please pass this information on to everyone you know who believes that we should Support...

See link for video -- John Boehner leads Republicans out of the House, protesting the Democrats not addressing FISA extension.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Higher U.S. gasoline prices may slim more than just wallets, according to a new study from Washington University in St. Louis. Entitled "A Silver Lining? The Connection between Gas Prices and Obesity," the study found that an additional $1 per gallon in real gasoline prices would reduce U.S. obesity by 15 percent after five years. The report, written by Charles Courtemanche for his doctoral dissertation in health economics, found that the 13 percent rise in obesity between 1979 and 2004 can be attributed to falling pump prices. Gasoline hit a low of less than $1.50 per...