Condolences pour in for 6-day-old panda cub

WASHINGTON (AP) ? As condolences poured in from around the world, National Zoo officials waited Monday for word on why a 6-day-old panda cub died and lamented a heartbreaking setback to their closely watched breeding program.

The cub had liver abnormalities and fluid in its abdomen, but a cause of death will not be known until full necropsy results are available within two weeks.

The cub, believed to be female, died Sunday morning, less than a week after its birth surprised and delighted zoo officials and visitors. Zookeepers had all but given up on the panda mother's chances of conceiving after six years of failed attempts.

"Every loss is hard," National Zoo director Dennis Kelly said. "This one is especially devastating."

This much is known: The cub appeared to be in good condition. It had been drinking its mother's milk. And it wasn't accidentally crushed to death by its mother, which has happened to other panda cubs in captivity. At birth, the cubs are hairless, their eyes are closed and they're about the size of a stick of butter. Their mothers weigh about 1,000 times more.

Native to China, giant pandas have long been the face of the movement to preserve endangered species. A few thousand are believed to remain in the wild, and there are a few hundred in captivity.

Four American zoos have pandas, and several cubs have been born in the U.S., but the bears at the National Zoo are treated like royalty. The zoo was given its first set of pandas in 1972 as a gift from China to commemorate President Richard Nixon's historic visit to the country.

Thousands of people had watched an online video feed of the cub's mother, 14-year-old Mei Xiang, hoping to catch a glimpse of the newborn during its few days of life. Fans from around the country and the world shared their sympathy on social media sites, and many said they shared an emotional connection with the burly, black-and-white bear.

Since the cub's death, Mei Xiang has started eating and interacting with her keepers again. She slept Sunday night while cradling a plastic toy in an apparent show of maternal instinct, Kelly said.

Kelly Parsons of Alexandria, Va., who brought her two young sons to see the pandas Monday, said she felt for Mei Xiang.

"It sounds like the mom is in mourning. Whether you're a parent to an animal or a human being, it's just so sad, the loss of a child," she said.

Suzan Murray, the zoo's chief veterinarian, cautioned that while it may appear the panda is grieving as she cradles the toy, Mei Xiang is a wild animal and her thoughts and emotions are not well understood.

Mei Xiang's only cub, a male named Tai Shan, was born in 2005 and became the zoo's star attraction before he was returned to China in 2010. Since his birth, there had been five unsuccessful attempts to impregnate Mei Xiang, and zoo officials had considered swapping her and her male partner, Tian Tian, for another pair.

Zoo officials said they're focused on Mei Xiang's health but didn't rule out trying to breed her again. At 14, she may have a few more years of fertility remaining. The oldest panda known to have given birth in captivity was 19; pandas can live to their mid-30s.

The mortality rate for panda cubs in the wild is unknown, but in captivity, 26 percent of males and 20 percent of females die in their first year. The zoo's first panda couple, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, had five cubs during the 1980s, but none lived more than a few days.

The new cub's liver, about the size of a kidney bean, was harder than usual and discolored, Murray said. The fluid in the cub's abdomen was unusual and could have been a symptom of the liver problem, she said.

There was no evidence of fluid in the cub's lungs, which would suggest pneumonia.

Because Mei Xiang's other cub survived and she appeared to be taking good care of the newborn, zoo officials had been cautiously optimistic. Kelly said he was not aware of anything that could have been done to improve the cub's chances of survival.

The staff was taking the death especially hard because of the work they'd put in over the past six years to produce another cub, Kelly said.

___

AP Television producer Thomas Ritchie contributed to this report.

___

Follow Ben Nuckols on Twitter at http://twitter.com/APBenNuckols .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/condolences-pour-6-day-old-panda-cub-192656556.html

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Rambling About Writing - That Weird American Who's Obsessed ...

I just finished reading a book.? Minding Ben by Victoria Brown.??

It's about a young woman, from Trinidad, who comes to NYC and gets a job working as a nanny for an absolutely awful family.??

I glanced at the acknowledgments at the end of the book; and Brown mentions...The Hunter College Fall 2009 Workshop Class, with Peter Carey at the helm.?

Like always I was delighted to see something Australian mentioned in a not-Australian book.??

I looked at the Hunter College's site about their creative writing program.??

It made me think of my creative writing classes in college.?? I don't think any of my professors had impressive publishing credits.??? Well, I mean impressive to me.?? And that would be getting a novel published, winning awards, getting on bestseller lists, etc.?

I would be mildly impressed with someone who had a few short stories published in literary magazines...magazines that are probably read only by other people who write stories for literary magazines.?

Or maybe I'm wrong.?? ARE there people who read these literary magazines just for fun?

I guess there might be? ? Some people like short stories.?? And maybe they like discovering new writers?

Plus.? What am I thinking? ? Is there anything wrong with writing for other writers?

No, of course not.

I'm being a snob.

And a hypocrite. ? I pretty much have NO publishing credits to my name.

Anyway.....

I was thinking what it might be like to have Peter Carey as a writing professor. ? It would be cool...in theory. ? But I imagine I'd be negative about it, since I'm not a fan of his books. ?? Every time he'd give me criticism on my writing, I'd probably think? Well, I don't like YOUR writing.? So there.?

Then again.?? What would be worse??? That would be....being critiqued by a writer whose work I love.?? Then I might go home and cry a bit.??

Maybe that's one of the reasons I'm disgusted with Stephen King for being nasty about Stephanie Meyers.?? What if she had once been a fan of his work???? How awful it would be for her to hear him say such rude things about her????

And what he said about her was definitely NOT constructive criticism.?? It was insulting nonconstructive criticism.?

Speaking of Meyers.?? I read her other book, this week.?? The Host.??? I thought it was fantastic.??? It's like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but through the eyes of the actual snatchers.?? Or one snatcher actually.??

I just thought of something. ? When Stephen King insulted Stephanie Meyer, he not only insulted her, but people who like her books. ?? That includes me; and I used to be a huge fan of Stephen King's books. ?

I'm not anymore. ?

Well, I haven't stopped liking his books. ? But I don't like him anymore; and I don't plan on reading any of his other books. ??

Source: http://notreallyaustralian.blogspot.com/2012/09/rambling-about-writing.html

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Lovingly Lingerie at Versace

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lovingly-lingerie-versace-174829166.html

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Ideas On How You Can Become A Great Internet Marketer | Exact ...

If you really find this article helpful Give it a PLUS from below and help us to spread it.

It is vital to use both long term and small term marketing strategies for your internet business. Doing so will help to drive a steady stream of traffic to your web site. If you use the marketing strategies efficiently the traffic flow you get will be specifically targeted to your product.

Fresh, lively and informative content, is key to any successful website, so take a look at your website?s content on a regular basis. Don?t let it grow stale and out of date. Add new content on a daily basis, so that you?ll attract more visitors who want to see what?s new.

Offering a free sample or trial in your internet marketing campaign is a fantastic way to get people hooked on your product. Be careful that what you?re giving away is affordable, and that it truly will only be requested by people who are interested in purchasing your product after using it.

High visibility is one of the most vital areas to focus on in Internet marketing and one that will help you grow your business effectively. It can be as simple as educating friends, family and colleagues about the values of your product or services so that they can refer clients to you.

Turn your advertising into an article to really reach out to your target audiences. People use search engines to pull up ?how to? articles every day, so make your website useful and boost your search rankings at the same time. Custom content with your advertising cleverly embedded is a fantastic way to give your website exposure.

Offer a survey on your website that questions vital questions about your product and taps into the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of your customers. To increase the amount of volume that you get, you can offer discounts or deals to the visitors who take the survey, or enter them into a raffle for a prize.

Use emails in internet marketing as wisely as possible. If you are using email to market your business, you don?t want to overdo it. In fact, if you are sending too many emails you could be classified as spam, and if your content isn?t grabbing the attention of your audience, they will also classify your emails as spam.

You may be tempted to completely redesign your website to more effectively market it on the net. Many people subscribe to a myth that CSS is the only format that will do excellent in the new Internet algorithms. This is proven to be untrue. Even if your website is on an older table format it won?t matter.

The Internet is the newest tool in advancing business online. Using different Internet marketing strategies can turn themselves into a wealthy business in a very small amount of time. Having read this article you now should know a couple of tips yourself for Internet marketing. So what are you waiting for, get marketing!

Please visit again this site if you require data on seo for small businesses.

Source: http://www.exactarticle.com/ideas-on-how-you-can-become-a-great-internet-marketer.htm

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Play banned in China makes its Richmond premiere

By the time she was 23, she had already been married three times and had numerous affairs. Mao Zedong was the last man in her life?and she thought he was in the palm of her hand.

The story of Jiang Qing is part of a play being presented by Springtime Stage at Gateway Theatre on Sept. 24.

I Am Chairman Mao?s Bitch! is written by Shanghai playwright Sha Yexin. Actors staged the show in Calgary on Wednesday and will mount the performance at the Minoru Park theatre on Monday. The play will be performed in Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles.

Sha Yexin?s play?banned in China by government?explores the life of Jiang Qing, Mao Zedong?s last wife. Once a movie star, Jiang Qing became a prominent member in the communist party before she was imprisoned.

Tickets are $38 to $88, and available at gatewaytheatre.com or 604-270-1812.

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Source: http://www.bclocalnews.com/entertainment/170780876.html

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Louie, Season 3

You?re right, Jonah: a Late Show With Louis C.K. would probably consist of meta-jokes and jerk-off confessions, among other things. And it would, apparently, be pretty good! I would tune in, anyway. The believable charm of that test episode was one of the more impressive things about last night?s Louie.

The most impressive? Probably that ending. We all knew that Louie wouldn?t end up getting the Late Show gig?though we never considered one possibility: that he could have gotten the job, and then C.K. could have just ignored that plot point for the rest of the series, continuity (as almost always) be damned. Or C.K. could?ve intermittently dipped from here on out into an alternate universe wherein Louie hosts a late-night show. Heck, he could still do that. It would be an appropriate tribute to David Lynch, with shades of Mullholland Dr.

But for now I?m happy with the way this arc played out?and especially that last-minute shift from dejection to triumph. The episode?s early moments harkened back to last week?s theme of being yourself and the showbiz pressure to be someone else. The final lesson, though?and I agree that there was one, Jonah?was not the Polonius pabulum of ?To thine own self be true,? but something along the lines of, ?Push yourself to be something more.? Sure, that sounds like a Nike slogan, but it?s not terrible advice. And C.K.?s current success really is a tribute to an incredible work ethic, so why not portray that? I?m a childless child of Seinfeld, too, Jonah, but that show, for all its greatness, was somewhat limited by its refusal to consider life lessons at all. C.K. is working with a wider palette.

And I loved the boxing sequence at the end, which seemed to function differently than most of the show?s epilogues. I took it to be an additional scene, one that happened after Letterman signed his new contract. Louie is still fighting, getting in shape, wanting more. He?s no longer circling failure in a rapidly decaying orbit.

I didn?t mind the sentimental scenes with the daughters, either. Yes, the music was a bit much; that was also the case when Seinfeld told Doug and Louie to keep it a secret that he got the job, and they both realized, per Jack Dahl?s words of wisdom, that he must be lying. A look between the two would have sufficed; instead we got somber music and the two men repeating Dahl?s words. (Granted, C.K. declined to show Louie later realizing that of course Tardigan was playing him all along: He told Louie to keep Letterman?s retirement a secret, so Louie should have known it was bogus.)

But heartwarming moments between parents and children happen pretty often, if my Facebook feed is any indication?so refusing to depict such scenes would arbitrarily limit the material out there in the world that C.K. has to work with. And, to be honest, I found that moment with the daughters genuinely touching.

That?s not to say the episode was perfect. There were two more training montages than were absolutely necessary, for instance, and the narrative beats at the end felt a little rushed. I still think the Parker Posey-starring two-parter is the season?s highlight. But I will gladly watch this three-episode sequence again?for me, the ultimate test of a TV show.

Two other notes before I ask Allison whether we?re both being too kind. This series has gone to some dark places?lonely funerals followed by seedy strip joints, sad sexual encounters that end with women crying, borderline sexual assault. But nothing we?ve seen has been quite as grim as Louie trying to make Jack Dahl laugh on command. That was gruesome. Dahl?s response, on the other hand??You just bought yourself another week??was hilarious. As was the tag: Dahl telling Doug, previously unseen, to leave.

Finally, there?s a little bit of possibly-relevant backstory that gives the conclusion some added poignancy. C.K. wrote for Letterman back in the mid-?90s?around the time, if I have my chronology right, that he did one of his earliest network stand-up spots, on Letterman?s show. He only had that job a few months before going to write for the doomed Dana Carvey Show. And then he went 15 years without appearing on Late Show,* even though, as he put it, ?Dave?s who I watch.? As of last year, at least, he couldn?t explain the apparent ban?but he was told, apparently, that ?I?m not OK there anymore.? He did finally go on Letterman again late last year, but he looked distinctly uncomfortable, and his set was only so-so. Having all this in mind gave that ?fuck you? at the end a little more oomph.

* Why do they all say ?Late Show,? by the way, rather than ?the Late Show?? At first I thought this was one of Dahl?s many quirks, but then Seinfeld said it that way, too. Is it like how CIA agents never say ?the CIA,? but instead drop the article?

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=6c426b278803a4639fbcc894497ef3d6

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Business networking and trade show Exposure fills Century II Expo ...

The Exposure business networking and trade show sells efficiency, and those in attendance were buying.

The Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce event at Century II Expo Hall provided those who sell business products or services a chance to see a lot of potential customers quickly.

Kent Venters, branch manager for Manpower, normally spends a lot of time seeing who might want to employ his temporary or permanent workers. It?s a lot of phone calls and visits.

But with about 200 businesses within easy walking distance in Expo Hall on Thursday, he found he could make a lot more contacts much more quickly.

?I can get as much done today as I can in a week of running around town,? he said.

Deb Bennett was at the show pitching an embroidery business, Deb?s Designs, that she runs from her home in Clearwater.

The $150 cost of the space she rented would be paid for by just getting one job, she said. By lunchtime, she already had a nibble.

?He?s got my card, now it?s up to him,? she said.

Angie Elliott, the chamber?s manager of business programming and events, said the show?s floor space sold out, the first time that has happened in her five years, even though there were fewer exhibitors than last year.

The ones who came apparently found it so effective that they wanted more space, she said.

Also, she said, attendees just weren?t going to the educational seminars, she said, so those are gone. People were more interested in checking out exhibits and businesses and networking with one another, she said.

Many of the vendors offered fun activities, free food or other goodies, and a chance to learn about the products or services they had to offer.

Many of the attendees were in business casual, with a few suits sprinkled in. But Deauntre Shaffer was dressed as a frog.

Normally a technician for Ribbit Computer, on Thursday he was the company?s mascot. He said he didn?t at all mind standing around looking green.

?It gets you a lot of attention,? he said.

Maybe 50 people had stopped by to have their pictures taken with him, he said, and it was only lunchtime.

?Everybody likes a frog,? he said.

Reach Dan Voorhis at 316-268-6577 or dvoorhis@wichitaeagle.com.

Source: http://www.kansas.com/2012/09/20/2497867/business-networking-and-trade.html

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Eclipse season on Mars, so Curiosity took photos

WASHINGTON (AP) ? On Mars, a partial eclipse of the sun isn't quite as rare as on Earth. So NASA's Mars Curiosity rover is snapping hundreds of pictures of the spectacle for the folks back home to ooh and aah over.

Two moons zip around the red planet and they're closer and faster than our lumbering moon, so eclipses are more common. Scientists say there's even somewhat of an eclipse season on Mars, and it's that time of year when those Martian moons take turns taking bites of the sun.

Curiosity turned its cameras skyward to watch the action in three different eclipses, starting last week and continuing Wednesday, when a moon partially slipped between Mars and the sun.

The rover has been beaming back a stream of photos of the Martian landscape since landing near the equator last month.

Texas A&M University scientist Mark Lemmon said the eclipse pictures will help scientists track the fate of the larger Martian moon, Phobos, which is slowing down in its orbit around Mars. In 10 to 15 million years, Phobos will get so close to Mars it will break up and crash into the planet.

These moons aren't mere curiosity factors. They get so close to Mars that "they change Mars' shape ever so slightly" with their pull, Lemmon said.

Past rovers have taken pictures of solar eclipses from Mars, but not with such good cameras that take high resolution photos and so many shots that it produces a movie of sorts, Lemmon said.

And now that Curiosity has gazed skyward, it's time for the Mini Cooper-sized spacecraft to focus on the ground. On Friday, Curiosity will test its first rock with a laser and other chemical testing kits on the end of its robotic arm.

Its first target is a pyramid-shaped dark rock, about 10 inches tall and 16 inches wide at the base. Two of the arm's chemical-sniffing devices will snuggle up against the rock ? named for Jake Matijevic, a Mars rover engineer who died recently ? so scientists can figure out what it is made of.

"It's just a cool looking rock sitting out there on the plains," said Mars Science Laboratory scientist John Grotzinger. But it's not that unusual and seems similar to rocks past rovers have tested before. That makes it a good start for the rover's testing equipment.

It's the type of rock that is scattered all over Mars probably blown out of a crater when it was hit by an asteroid or something, Grotzinger said.

___

Seth Borenstein can be followed at http://twitter.com/borenbears

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eclipse-season-mars-curiosity-took-photos-195036363.html

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Common Problems That Can Develop in Automotive Air Conditioning

Last updated 5 hours 29 minutes ago

Nothing is more uncomfortable or inconvenient than a broken down air conditioner in the middle of the summer. Fortunately, you can use these auto repair tips to catch problems in your car?s air conditioner to keep the cold air blowing as long as you need it. Early prevention and maintenance can also help you avoid many of the problems associated with damaged automotive air conditioning systems, including:

  • Uncomfortable Temperatures ? Your air conditioner won?t be much use if it only blows warm air. Thankfully, an uncomfortable temperature is one of the simplest air conditioning system problems in the book. The issue is usually caused by a low volume of refrigerant. Have your auto repair technician check for reservoir leaks when your refrigerant is being refilled, as an unrepaired leak will result in temperature control problems throughout the summer.
    ?
  • Low Airflow ? Some air conditioners refuse to blow straight on target. If your air conditioner is suffering this problem, then you likely have a broken vacuum supply line. This series of tubes helps to lead air to the right vent or exhaust. Ask your mechanic about vacuum supply line issues if your fan is working but your passengers aren?t receiving any air.
    ?
  • Excess Noise ? The soft whirr of fans is typically the only sound an automotive air conditioner should make. In fact, additional noises from your vehicle?s air conditioner may indicate a serious problem. For example, these loud noises may be a result of a broken down compressor or a corroded fan belt. Keep your air conditioner components in good repair to avoid these noisy problems.
    ?
  • Offensive Odors ? You may notice strange odors coming from an aging car?s air conditioner. This smell is likely the result of mold and bacteria that have taken up resident in the evaporator. Let a team of professionals wash away these smells with specialty chemicals that won?t harm the engine.

The experts at Dekalb Tire and Automotive Repair can have your automotive repairs finished quickly. We pride ourselves on our flawless repairs and great customer service. Learn more about our company and our technicians today by calling our office at (678) 954-1728.

Source: http://www.myatlantatiredealer.com/549131/2012/09/19/common-problems-that-can-develop-in-automotive-air-conditioning-systems.html

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Cuban dissidents end hunger strike, saying state to free opponent

HAVANA (Reuters) - Prominent Cuban dissident Marta Beatriz Roque and 29 others ended an eight-day hunger strike and declared victory on Tuesday when they said Cuban authorities would free a jailed opposition member whose release they had demanded.

The dissidents said state security agents informed the wife of Jorge Vazquez Chaviano he would be released shortly from a prison in Santa Clara, 160 miles east of Havana.

The Cuban government did not immediately confirm or comment on his release.

"We view (his release) as a victory for the opposition and legality has been re-established in this case," Idania Yanes, spokeswoman for the strikers, told Reuters.

Vazquez Chaviano, previously a little known dissident, has been behind bars for more than a year for "illegal economic activities" and was supposed to be released on September 9, dissidents had said.

But the government continued to hold him, which touched off the hunger strike on September 10 by the 67-year-old Roque and 12 others. More sympathizers joined in, swelling the number of strikers to 30, Yanes told Reuters.

Roque, an economist who became a dissident in 1989 and for years was one of the opposition's most visible leaders, was not immediately available for comment, but Yanes said she was in her Havana home drinking chamomile tea.

Roque had vowed to drink only water and eat nothing until Vazquez Chaviano was released. She also refused to take any medication for what she said was chronic diabetes and in recent days had grown weak.

The Cuban government considers dissidents to be "mercenaries" of the United States, its longtime ideological foe.

When Roque announced the hunger strike, she said she wanted to bring attention to what she viewed as increasing government persecution of dissidents. "What the government is doing is impossible to put up with," she had told reporters. "Each day the situation is worse."

Hunger strikes have been a common tactic by dissidents to get international attention.

In 2010, the Cuban government drew international condemnation when imprisoned dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo, 42, died after an 85-day hunger strike.

President Raul Castro said he was a common criminal, not a political prisoner.

(Additional reporting by Rosa Tania Valdes, Editing by Kevin Gray and Philip Barbara)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cuban-dissidents-end-hunger-strike-saying-state-free-235154429.html

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