The projector world is expanding, with several new varieties recently coming into the market. We clarify the differences between projector types, and help you pick a model that's best for you.

Projectors have come a long way from the days when the most useful way to categorize them was by their weight class. Today there are any number of more meaningful kinds of categories, including intended use (business presentations, home theater, game playing), technology (LCD, DLP, LCOS), throw distance (how close the projector can be to the screen), and more. Here are some questions that will help you focus on the right category for your needs.

What Kind of Images Do You Plan to Show?
There are basically four kinds of images you can show on a projector: data, video, photos, and games. Any projector can show any kind of image, but it's important to understand that any given projector can handle one kind of image well without necessarily doing a good job on other kinds. Naturally, you'll want a projector that does a good job with the kind of images you plan to show.

Most projectors are sold either as data or business projectors on the one hand (two names for the same use) or as home theater, home entertainment, or video projectors on the other (three names for the same use). In addition, are a small but growing number that are sold as game-playing projectors.

As you might guess from the names, data projectors will most likely do well with data images like presentations, spreadsheets, and PDF files, while home theater projectors will most likely handle full-motion video well. Any projector that handles video well should also do a good job with photos, since photos have a lot in common with video, but without the added complication of movement, which opens the door to additional image artifacts.

Games require some of the capabilities you need for data images and some that you need for video images. If you want to use a projector for game playing, and can't find a review or see a demo that specifically relates to image quality for games, look for a model that handles both video and data images well.

How Portable Does It Have To Be?
Consider how portable the projector needs to be. You can find models with sizes and weights ranging from small and light enough to fit in a shirt pocket to large and massive enough to be suitable for permanent installation only. If you want a data projector to carry to business meetings for presentations, a game-playing projector to carry to a friend's house for serious game playing, or a home theater projector you can stow away when you're not using it, be sure to pick an appropriate size and weight. The more you plan to carry or move it around, the smaller and lighter you'll want the projector to be.

What Resolution Do You Need?
Ideally, you should match the projector's native resolution (the number of physical pixels in the projector's display) to the resolution you expect to use most often, whether you're planning on connecting to a computer, video equipment, game box, or some combination of the three. Projectors can scale images up or down to their native resolutions, but they lose image quality in the process.

If you plan to show data images, you should also consider how detailed the images will be. For a typical PowerPoint presentation, SVGA (800 by 600) is easily good enough, and getting an SVGA projector will save money compared to getting a higher resolution. The more detailed the images, however, the higher resolution you'll want.

For video, 1080p (the current high end for high definition) is the obvious best choice, assuming you have a Blu-ray player, upscaling DVD player, or other 1080p device. But keep in mind that if you connect the projector to, say, your cable box, most of the channels will still be at lower resolution. If there's any chance you'll be watching video at lower resolutions, check out how well the projector handles those resolutions too.

Do You Need a Widescreen Format?
For video and games you'll almost certainly want a widescreen format. Even for data projectors, native widescreen resolutions are becoming more common. If you create your presentations on a widescreen notebook or monitor, they may look better if you project them in a widescreen format as well.

How Bright Should It Be?
There is no one best level for brightness, and brighter isn't always better. For a home theater projector you plan to use in a dark room, for example, 1,000 to 1,200 lumens can easily give you a large, bright image, while a 2,000-lumen projector may be so bright that it's hard on the eyes. On the other hand, for a portable data projector you expect to use in well-lit locations, 2,000 to 3,000 lumens is the right range.

The point is that the best level of brightness depends on the amount of ambient light, the size of the image, and even the material in the screen you're using. If you're setting up a projector for a permanent installation, whether at home or in your office, your best bet is to buy from a knowledgeable source that can help you match brightness to the lighting conditions and screen in the room.

If you're trying to choose between two models, keep in mind too that small percentage differences in lumens—2,000 versus 2,200 for example—aren't terribly significant. Perception of brightness is non-linear, which means you need far more than twice as many lumens for a projector to appear twice as bright.

Don't Take Contrast Ratio Too Seriously
Contrast ratio is the ratio between the brightness of the brightest and darkest areas a projector can produce. All other things being equal, a higher contrast ratio indicates more vibrant, eye-catching colors and more detail showing in dark areas on the screen. Because there are other factors involved also, however, knowing the contrast ratio doesn't tell you much.

How Do You Plan To Connect?
Most projectors offer at a minimum an SVGA (analog) connector for a computer and a composite video connector for video equipment. If your computer has a digital output (typically a DVI or HDMI connector) you might want a digital connection on the projector as well, since it will eliminate any chance of problems like jittering pixels caused by poor signal synchronization.

For video sources, the preferred connection choice is HDMI (assuming your video equipment has HDMI connectors), with component video a close second. Note too that you can buy cables to connect between an HDMI video source and a DVI connector on a projector.

What Technology Do You Want?
Today's projectors are based on one of four imaging technologies: DLP, LCD, LCOS, and laser raster. (Don't confuse laser raster projectors, which actually draw the images using lasers, with projectors that simply use lasers as a light source for another imaging technology, like a DLP or LCOS chip.)

Most inexpensive DLP projectors and some LCOS-based pico projectors, including both data and video projectors, project their primary colors sequentially rather than all at once. This leads to a rainbow effect, with light areas on screen breaking up into little rainbows for some people when they shift their gaze or something moves on screen. Those who are sensitive to this effect can find it annoying, particularly for long sessions.

LCD projectors don't have this problem, but tend to be bigger and heavier for equivalent projectors. The general consensus is that standard-size LCOS projectors offer the best-quality images, but they tend to be bigger and heavier than DLP or LCD projectors, and far more expensive. At this writing, there aren't many laser raster projectors, so it's hard to make general statements about them. However the one clear advantage of using a laser is that the image doesn't require focusing.

Do You Need Audio?
Not all projectors include audio, and for those that do, the audio is sometimes all but useless—particularly with highly portable projectors. If you need sound for your presentations or for watching video, make sure that the built-in audio, if any, is both of high enough quality and loud enough to meet your needs. Alternatively, consider using a separate sound system, which is often the best choice for home theaters or permanent installations in offices in any case.

Do You Need 3D?
Showing images in 3D for educational, business, home video, and game applications is one of the leading-edge features for projectors today, and more and more projectors are claiming to be 3D ready.

Unfortunately, there are a variety of 3D schemes available, which means that just because a projector is 3D ready doesn't mean it will work with the 3D source you want to use. For example, a given projector may work with TI's DLP-Link, which requires a computer with a Quadbuffered, Open GL 3D-compatible graphics card, but not work with a 3D Blu-ray player. If you want a projector for 3D, make sure it will work with the specific 3D image source you plan to use it with.

Do You Need A Big Image in a Small Room?
Finally, consider whether you need a short throw—meaning the ability to cast (aka throw) a given-size image at a short distance from the screen. Short-throw projectors let you throw a large image in tight spaces, and also minimize the risk of people getting in front of the projector and casting shadows.

There are no universally accepted definitions for what counts as a short throw, but, as an example, where most projectors can throw a 2-meter wide image from roughly 12 to 15 feet, most short throw projectors need 3 to 6 feet, and ultra-short throw projectors need only inches. Note too that you can also get projectors with long-throw lenses for large conference rooms and small auditoriums.

با تشکر از اون آقایی که استارت این تفریح رو زد! ضرب المثل های ممه ای (ممه آلود) تقدیم می شود

 

ممه که پاکه، مالیدنش چه باکه

آن ممه بشکست و آن پیمانه ریخت

ممه همسایه چاقه

ممه رو باید دم حجله برد

ممتو سفت ببند، لولوی همسایه رو دزد نکن

طرف ممرو تو هوا نعل می کنه

شیر از ممش نمی چکه

ممه رو هر وقت از آب بگیری تازست

از ممست که بر ممست

ممه لولو رو ول کرده، لولو ممه رو ول نمی کنه

لولو تو سوراخ نمی رفت ممه به دمش می بست

ممه دزد رئیس جمهور می شود

جا تره و ممه نیست

لولو ممه خودشو نمی خوره

ممه معلم گله، هر کی نخوره خله

لولو با لولو، ممه با ممه

ممه بالاتر از ممه بسیار است

ممه کج به منزل نمی رسد

هنوز دهنت بو شیر می ده لولو

هر کی به فکر ممس، کوسه به فکر ریشه

ممه از لولو بدش میاد، در لونش سبز می شه

لولو بیار ممه بار کن

لولو بیار ممه بار کن

خدا یه لولو به تو بده یه ممه به من

لولو خسته، صاحب ممه ناراضی

ممه صاف مال برادر لولوه

رفیق ممه و شریک لولو

بند کرست رو میشه بست، دهن لولو رو نمیشه بست

درس لولو گر بود زمزمه محبتی/ جمعه به مکتب آورد ممه ی گریزپای را

لولو حاضر و ممه حاضر

بالا رفتیم ممه بود، پایین اومدیم لولو بود، لنکرانی هلو بود

لولو چو ممه ببیند خوشش آید

ممه بیگناه تا دم دهن لولو میره، ولی تو دهنش نمی ره

ابر و باد و مه و خورشید و لولو در کارند، تا تو ممه ای به کف آری و به غفلت نخوری

لولو راضی، ممه راضی، گور پدر قاضی

لولو که ممه می خوره پا لرزش هم میشینه

ممه که سر بالا میره، لولو ابوعطا می خونه

ز گهواره تا گور ممه بجوی

لولو را تو ده راه نمیدن، سراغ ممه را میگیره

ممه بد بیخ ریش لولو

از ممه نخورده بگیر بده به ممه خورده

ممه که یکجا بمونه میگنده

ممه نمیبینه وگرنه لولوی قابلیه

لولوی خو ش معامله شریک ممه ی مردمه

اونقدر ممه خورده تا لولو شده

این چیزا برای لولو ممه نمیشه

ای لولو عرصه پستون نه جولانگه توست

هر که ممه اش بیش لولوش بیشتر

یا ممه گفتیم و عشق آغاز شد

لولو ماند و ممه اش

 ممه لولو گزیده از کرست سیاه و سفید هم می ترسه

ممه را ببر با جاش، به همین خیال باش

 میگن کرستو بیار، میره ممه رو میاره

ممه ام بی کرست موند

یک کلمه هم از ممه عروس بشنوید

ممه اش یاد کرستستان کرده

به ممه که رو بدی، کرستشو خیس می کنه

با ممه ممه گفتن دهن شیرین نمیشه

سیلی نقد به از ممه نسیه

من از بی ممگان هرگز ننالم/ که با من هر چه کرد آن ممه دار کرد

ممه دختر همسایه نازه

لولو دستش به ممه نمی رسه میگه کوچیکه

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mr16qfvcAA

2mr16qfvcAA

Who Are TV's Top Earners?

By Stephen Battaglio, TV Guide | Wednesday, August 11, 2010, 9:29 AM

If you're an actor who lands a lead role on a TV series, you can count on a big payday. But it won't be as big as it used to be.

 Network and studio executives tell TV Guide Magazine they've adopted a get-tough policy on salaries for stars of the new fall shows. While the salary for a lead has been $150,000 to $200,000 per episode in recent years, most deals for stars of new series were between $75,000 and $125,000.

 "No one broke the bank on anything this year," says one former studio head.

 [See the List of Top TV Earners by Category]

 A case in point is a negotiation with a veteran film actor who for years has been coveted by several networks to do series TV. He was in discussions for a lead role in one of the new dramas that made the fall schedule. His asking price was $250,000. The network and the studio said no way. When the actor refused to go below $200,000, the network and studio moved on and hired someone else.

 Why the hard line? The broadcast networks have been in a cost-cutting mode since ad revenues were hard-hit by the recession. While the ad market is recovering, they are also coping with a changing long-term financial picture as DVR playback and online viewing have greatly diminished the ratings on the second network run of shows, once the source of windfall profits.

 There is an effort to keep talent costs down on their veteran hits as well. ABC's "Brothers & Sisters," which once had four actors earning $150,000 or more per episode, will lose Rob Lowe and have only 18 episodes next season instead of the typical 22. Some regulars will appear in fewer episodes. Marg Helgenberger's new deal with "CSI" also calls for her to have a lighter workload next season and helps to trim the show's budget in the face of declining ratings.

 If a show is on the rise, it's a different story. The stars of "The Big Bang Theory" — Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, and Kaley Cuoco — all currently make well under $100,000 per episode. Their bank accounts are about to benefit from the show's rise to the top of Nielsen rankings among viewers in the 18 to 49 age group and a successful sale into syndication. "I think they'll give an extra year to their studio, Warner Bros., in exchange for each of them getting $150,000 to $200,000 an episode," says one network executive. "They'll get bumps from there and could get up to $300,000 an episode. If it's a hit show, you start paying."

 

The top earners, by category

Drama (per episode)

Hugh Laurie (House) $400,000+
Christopher Meloni & Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU)$395,000 (each)
David Caruso (CSI: Miami) $375,000
Marg Helgenberger (CSI) $375,000
Mark Harmon (NCIS)$375,000
Laurence Fishburne(CSI) $350,000
Kyra Sedgwick(The Closer) $350,000
Denis Leary(Rescue Me) $350,000
Gary Sinise(CSI: NY)$275,000
Patrick Dempsey(Grey's Anatomy) $250,000
David Boreanaz(Bones) $200,000
Jeffrey Donovan(Burn Notice) $200,000
Julianna Margulies(The Good Wife)$175,000
Dana Delany(Body of Proof)$150,000
Lauren Graham(Parenthood) $150,000
Jada Pinkett Smith (HawthoRNe) $150,000
Jimmy Smits(Outlaw) $150,000
LL Cool J(NCIS: Los Angeles) $125,000
Chris O'Donnell(NCIS: Los Angeles) $125,000
Mark Feuerstein(Royal Pains) $125,000
Jason Lee(Memphis Beat) $125,000
Joe Mantegna(Criminal Minds) $125,000
Tom Selleck(Blue Bloods) $125,000
Michael Weatherly(NCIS) $125,000
Matt Bomer(White Collar) $100,000
Nathan Fillion(Castle) $100,000
Thomas Gibson(Criminal Minds) $100,000
Jon Hamm(Mad Men) $100,000
Cole Hauser(Chase) $100,000
Alex O'Loughlin(Hawaii Five-0) $100,000
Timothy Olyphant(Justified)$100,000
Scott Caan(Hawaii Five-0) $80,000
Angie Harmon(Rizzoli & Isles) $75,000
Anna Paquin(True Blood) $75,000
Blair Underwood(The Event) $75,000
Zachary Levi(Chuck) $60,000
Ian Somerhalder(The Vampire Diaries)$40,000
Shailene Woodley(The Secret Life of the American Teenager) $40,000
Ashley Tisdale(Hellcats)$30,000

Late Night/Talk Syndication (per year)

Oprah Winfrey $315 million
Judge Judy Sheindlin $45 million
David Letterman (The Late Show) $28 million
Jay Leno (The Tonight Show) $25 million
Conan O'Brien (The Conan O'Brien Show) $10 million
Ellen DeGeneres (The Ellen DeGeneres Show) $8 million
Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live) $6 million
Chelsea Handler (Chelsea Lately) $3.5 million
George Lopez (Lopez Tonight) $3.5 million

Reality (per year)

Ryan Seacrest (American Idol) $15 million
Joel McHale (The Soup) $2 million
Piers Morgan (America's Got Talent) $2 million
Kate Gosselin (Kate Plus 8) $250,000 per episode
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi (Jersey Shore) $30,000 per episode

Comedy (per episode)

Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men) $1.25 million
Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) $550,000
Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Eva Longoria Parker (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Dan Castellaneta (The Simpsons) $400,000
Julie Kavner (The Simpsons) $400,000
Tina Fey (30 Rock) $350,000
Jeremy Piven (Entourage) $350,000
Steve Carell (The Office) $297,000
Angus T. Jones (Two and a Half Men) $250,000
David Duchovny (Californication) $200,000
Kevin Dillon (Entourage) $200,000
Adrian Grenier (Entourage) $200,000
Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) $180,000
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie) $175,000
William Shatner ($#*! My Dad Says) $150,000
David Spade (Rules of Engagement) $150,000
Ed O'Neill (Modern Family) $100,000
Patrick Warburton (Rules of Engagement) $85,000
Betty White (Hot in Cleveland) $75,000
Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) $60,000
Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory) $60,000
Ty Burrell (Modern Family) $50,000
Jane Lynch (Glee) $50,000
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) $40,000
Matthew Morrison (Glee) $30,000
Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) $30,000
Dylan and Cole Sprouse (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) $20,000 (each)
Rico Rodriguez (Modern Family) $15,000

News (per year)

Matt Lauer (Today) $16 million +
Katie Couric (CBS) $15 million
Brian Williams (NBC) $12.5 million
Diane Sawyer (ABC) $12 million
Meredith Vieira (Today) $11 million
Bill O'Reilly (Fox News) $10 million
George Stephanopoulos (ABC) $8 million
Keith Olbermann (MSNBC) $7 million
Shepard Smith (Fox News) $7 million
Wolf Blitzer (CNN) $3 million
Christiane Amanpour (ABC) $2 million
Lawrence O'Donnell (MSNBC) $2 million
Eliot Spitzer (CNN) $500,000

Wealth is a subjective concept, but one thing is universal in most definitions: being able to live a comfortable life without having to work.

"I'd like to have enough money so my family and I wouldn't have to work anymore or worry about the necessities, and maybe travel a bit," said Deborah Veale, a Southern California resident visiting New York City.

Veale said she'd need about $10 million to consider herself set.

One woman from Seattle put it at a "couple thousand dollars a month." Another from New York City wanted a billion (although she'd still fly coach.)

Experts peg the figure to be somewhere around $2 million to $12 million in savings.

On the high end of that range, a single person living in an expensive part of the country (say, New York City), wanting to retire at 35 would need at least $300,000 a year to feel rich, according to Steven Kaye, president of Watchung, N.J.-based wealth management firm American Economic Planning Group. He based that number on real-life figures his clients tell him they need.

A yearly income of $300,000 would allow for taxes, a $3,800-a-month apartment (the average price in Manhattan), and a monthly spending allowance of around twelve grand, he said. Not too bad, especially since you could do this all without a pesky job.

To generate $300,000 a year beginning at age 35, you'd need a nest egg of just under $12 million. That assumes a conservative investment portfolio generating a return of 5% a year, an inflation rate of 2.5% a year and Social Security benefits of $25,000 a year starting at age 62.

Over time, the shape of your nest egg would resemble a bell curve, growing in the early years, and then declining as inflation required you to withdraw more money to maintain a lifestyle equivalent to $300,000 in 2010. The $12 million would finally dwindle to $934 when you turned 100.

If you live in a low cost part of the country, $100,000 a year should be enough, said Kaye. In that case, you would need savings of about $4 million to retire at 35.

But if you're willing to stay in the workforce until age 65, a mere $2 million would be enough.

Jon Duncan, a financial planner at Tacoma, Wash.-based Seneschal Advisors, gave numbers similar to Kaye's, and agreed that for most people, the figure would be somewhere in the multi-millions.

"I'm from an era when we'd talk about millionaires and say 'Whoa, he's got it made for life,'" said Duncan. "But that's not the case anymore."

Indeed, few experts think a million is enough to quit your day job.

"Don't retire at 35," he advised this reporter, "you'll need a ton of money."

Keeping Up With the Joneses

Of course, there are other ways of determining wealth besides just what you'll need to live well in retirement.

Although decidedly not recommended by financial planners, one is relativity. Basically, you're rich if you're making more than your brother-in-law.

That appears to be how the government measures affluence. The Obama administration wants to extend tax cuts for all but the wealthiest Americans, which it defines to be those families making more than $250,000.

But that only includes about 2% of the population, according to the Census Bureau.

Kaye cautions not to confuse wealth with income. Some people can make a million a year, but be spending a million and a half. They are not rich, said Kaye.

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"Income relates to lifestyle," he said. "Wealth relates to balance sheets."

Space News --- August 9, 2010

 

California News

Boeing 'Cutting Metal' on New Spaceship (Source: OC Register)
Much of the groundwork for a new Apollo-style capsule that could carry as many as seven astronauts into space is being laid at Boeing's Phantom Works facility in Huntington Beach, managers at Boeing said Thursday. The new capsule, for now called the CST-100, could become a workhorse in low Earth-orbit, ferrying astronauts or cargo to the International Space Station, or ISS, after the space shuttle fleet retires next year.

The capsule is also being designed to appeal to space ventures by private companies, including an inflatable space station under development at Bigelow Aerospace in Las Vegas . "We're at a point in the development of human spaceflight where there's a market emerging beyond the ISS, beyond NASA," a Boeing official said. The new capsule could be launched using a variety of rockets, Boeing says, and could make its return to Earth by splashing down in the ocean, as the crew capsules in the Apollo program did, though it is mainly designed to come down on dry land. (8/6)

Boeing to Shift Two Aircraft Programs from California to Oklahoma (Source: AIA)
With defense budgets shrinking, Boeing announced Monday it will seek to trim costs by moving two big programs -- C-130 avionics and B-1 bomber modernization -- from Long Beach, Calif., to Oklahoma City. The two programs currently employ about 800 workers. "The customer told us to be more affordable," a Boeing spokesman said. "This is one way we can do that." (8/3)

Air Force Rejects 3rd Tanker Bid, Prompting GAO Protest (Source: AIA)
The Pentagon says it won't consider a bid by U.S. Aerospace to build the $35 billion KC-X aerial tanker, prompting the California contractor to file an appeal with the Government Accountability Office. The Air Force says U.S. Aerospace failed to submit its bid by 2 p.m. on July 9 as required. But the company claims its messenger arrived at Wright-Patterson AFB at 1:30 p.m. , only to be denied entrance and then given "incorrect directions." Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell notes that proposals from Boeing and EADS arrived hours before the deadline. "This is a $30 billion-$40 billion bid," he says. "This is not a high school homework assignment. Deadlines count here."

 

Eyes on Mars, SpaceX Unveils Heavy-Lift Vehicle Plan (Source: Aviation Week)
The U.S. government should lead development of a nuclear thermal propulsion system for a future Mars mission and leave new heavy-lift launchers to commercial entities, SpaceX says. Unveiling conceptual plans for a family of Falcon X and XX future heavy-lift vehicles at last week’s AIAA Joint Propulsion conference, a company official said, “Mars is the ultimate goal of SpaceX.”

The company, which until now has focused mostly on development of vehicles to transport cargo and humans to low Earth orbit (LEO), believes its Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launchers could be evolved into a heavy-lift family that will provide the basis for a Mars-capable architecture. For the transition from Earth to Mars, however, SpaceX believes nuclear thermal is the preferred propulsion means for the piloted aspect of the mission, while solar-electric power could be used to transport supplies. Click here for a chart. (8/6)

 

Entrepreneur Elon Musk On Weathering the CEO Storm (Source: Business News Daily)
Entrepreneur Elon Musk is no stranger to corporate success. At 39, he's parlayed his success from co-founding PayPal, the online payment system, into the bustling private rocket company SpaceX and the electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors, both of which have made great leaps in recent months. But sometimes leading a company – especially one that blasts rockets into the final frontier – can be a rocky road and Musk has had his share of those experiences, too.

As CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, Musk has overseen both companies through two major hurdles over the last two months. It caps years of work through what, at times, has been a dismal economy. "If you're the CEO of a company, you have to work your bloody ass off. And if you're the CEO of two companies you have to work two bloody asses off and you don’t have two asses," Musk said. "And then if you combine that with a terrible economy, that just makes the job even harder, it's been a really grueling several years." (8/2)

Wyle Helps Prepare Robonaut 2 for Launch to Space Station (Source: Wyle)
While Wyle has assisted hundreds of astronauts, cosmonauts and civilians who have gone into space since the 1960s, the company has now completed its preparations for NASA's first "human-like" robot for launch aboard the next Shuttle mission and installation on the International Space Station.

It may not be the last. NASA's Robonaut 2 (R2), planned to be launched to the International Space Station this November, surpasses previous dexterous humanoid robots in strength, yet is safe enough to work side-by-side with humans. (8/5)

Aerojet Tests Orion Main Engine Injector (Source: Aerojet)
Aerojet, under contract to Lockheed Martin, has successfully completed more than 20 injector tests for the 7500-pound thrust Orion main engine (OME) for NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle. The tests are a combination of checkout, development, and qualification that will anchor models and satisfy combustion stability qualification requirements. The OME is a pressure-fed, regeneratively cooled, storable bi-propellant engine that is a technically advanced, increased performance version of Aerojet's flight-proven 6000-pound thrust space shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System Engine (OMS-E). (8/6)

California Aerospace Leaders to be Honored at September Event (Source: AIAA)
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will honor the winners of AIAA technical and literary achievement awards on September 1 at a noon luncheon in conjunction with the AIAA SPACE 2010 Conference & Exhibition and the 28th AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference (ICSSC), being held August 29–September 2, 2010 at the Anaheim Convention Center and Hilton Anaheim Hotel. California honorees include Wanda Austin, Harvey Berger, and J.D. Hunley. Click here for information. (8/6)

Planetary Society Plans Pasadena Open House (Source: Pasadena Star News)
Earthlings are invited to explore the Planetary Society's new home base at an open house Thursday. The society recently moved from its former location of 25 years - a historic Greene and Greene-designed Craftsman home on Catalina Avenue - to 85 S. Grand Ave. , a 3,000-square-foot bungalow at the former Vista del Arroyo Hotel.

Free public tours of the new headquarters will be given from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, and residents can also hear about the latest developments regarding the society's space exploration programs. (8/4)

Astronaut with O.C. Ties to Take Spacewalk (Source: Orange County Register)
Tracy Caldwell Dyson, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station with Orange County ties, took a record-breaking walk in space Saturday in an attempt to replace a failed pump in the Space Station's cooling system. Dyson graduated from Cal State Fullerton and conducted research at UC Irvine. (8/7)

 

Aerospace and Defense Survey - We need Your Help! (Source: CSA)

Boeing, California Space Authority (CSA), and UCLA Anderson Easton Technology Leadership Program in conjunction with California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC), are working together to establish a series of seminars targeted to manufacturers in the Aerospace and Defense (A&D) Industry. If you are currently servicing A&D customers or you are interested in entering this market, we would like to get your feedback. Our goal is to better understand your needs and provide you information that will assist your company to become more competitive and grow as our country begins to recover from the economic recession.

 

In appreciation for sharing your time and thoughts with us, you will receive a copy of the "Next Generation Manufacturing (NGM) Study" upon completion of the survey. The NGM Study was conducted with over 2,500 manufacturers throughout the nation and reports on manufacturing statistics, manufacturing trends and strategies. There are only 12 questions and will take under 5 minutes to complete the survey. Individual responses will be kept strictly confidential, and data will only be used in aggregate. We greatly appreciate your time and participation in this survey. Click here. (7/30)

Inmarsat Picks Boeing to Build Three Satellites in California (Source: Boeing)
Boeing has received a contract from Inmarsat to build three Ka-band satellites to add to Inmarsat's current mobile satellite services fleet. Financial details were not disclosed. The fixed-price contract, with options, calls for three 702HP commercial spacecraft with 89 Ka-band beams that will operate in geosynchronous orbit with flexible global coverage. The new satellite series, called Inmarsat-5, draws on Boeing's four decades of experience gained from the production of more than 175 commercial communications satellites and its extensive expertise in Ka-band satellite communications systems. (8/6)

CSA Supports NASA Exploration Uplink Project (Source: CSA)

NASA’s Exploration Uplink Project is designed to engage students by bringing hands-on Field Science and Space Exploration into the classroom using NASA telerobotic systems. The experience allows students to participate in NASA Exploration and encourages the next generation to pursue careers in science, technology, math, and engineering. Since April, 2010 the Exploration Uplink Project has reached over 3000 Middle and High School Students. Demonstrations have been successfully completed in the U.S. , South Africa and Canada , where students, scientists, engineers, and members of the public gained personal, hands-on experience remotely operating the NASA scientific rover from a laptop computer. The demonstrations are made possible by participation of the NASA Lunar Science Institute, NASA Spaceward Bound, the NASA Ames Intelligent Robotics Group, the Ames Education Division, and the California Space Authority. For more information, visit: http://lunarscience.nasa.gov/explorationuplink/

 

California Governor's Trade Mission to South Korea Planned Sep. 12-16
To showcase California goods and services, promote tourism  and expand trade relations between South Korea and California, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce on behalf of Gov. Schwarzenegger, will be organizing a number of business opportunities throughout the trade mission for California companies to connect with key business and government decision makers Join us. For additional information please visit www.lachamber.com/southkorea

Boeing Enlists Hollywood to Make Engineering Cool (Source: Business Week)
With U.S. technologists retiring—and security clearances needed for many aerospace jobs—can America 's youth be persuaded to take up tech? In a public service announcement shot in July, television star Pauley Perrette of NCIS encourages students to pursue careers in the fields of science, engineering, and technology. Boeing says that by 2015, about 40 percent of its workforce, or 60,000 people, will be eligible to retire.

In its effort to reshape perceptions of engineering and encourage young people to see technology-related work as more alluring, the Entertainment Industries Council in late July brought together engineers and executives from Fox; National Geographic Channel, a joint venture of National Geographic Television & Film and Fox Cable Networks; Discovery Communications' (DISCK) Science Channel; and Viacom's (VIA) Black Entertainment Television to explain the creative process to the engineers and foster a better understanding between the two groups.

The council is also starting an annual awards ceremony for films, TV series, newspaper, magazines, Internet, or radio content that has an impact on the public's understanding of science, engineering, technology, or math and debunks myths or stereotypes. The council is accepting award nominees through mid-September. "Engineers have been stereotyped and our industry has played a part in this," says Brian Dyak, president of the Entertainment Industries Council. "We've had mad scientists in movies going back to the '30s," he says, with scientists often portrayed as deranged and engineers as geeky. "No one realizes what a technologist does." (8/3)

Huge Monument Honors California Company's Aerospace Workers (Source: Orange County Register)
In its heyday, Autonetics was Anaheim 's largest employer. A place where some 36,000 workers helped develop aerospace technologies that guided U.S. submarines and intercontinental ballistic missiles – advancements that some credit with helping end the Cold War. The 188-acre Autonetics campus is now owned by Boeing and is a shadow of what it was in the 1960s through '90s, with about 5,000 employees split between Anaheim and Huntington Beach .

On Tuesday, hundreds of onetime Autonetics employees came back – not to work, but to remember. And to make sure others don't forget. They came to celebrate the unveiling of a monument to the accomplishments of Autonetics and the contributions the company made to the Anaheim community and to the nation. Boeing officials dedicated 14,000 square feet for the monument, which stretches 72 feet long and rises from 3 feet on one end up to 14 feet on the other. (8/4)

 

National & International Items

 

Space Station Crew Safe After Coolant Failure (Source: Information Week)
NASA said the problem began when a circuit breaker tripped on Saturday night, causing the failure of a pump that feeds an ammonia-based coolant solution to key systems and avionics instruments. Crewmembers attempted to reset the breaker and restart the pump on Sunday but the effort was not successful. Despite the breakdown, NASA said the ISS remains in a "stable configuration," with backup systems working to ensure that critical components on the ISS don't overheat. (8/2)

NASA Sets Spacewalk Record During Unsuccessful Space Station Repair Mission (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Two NASA astronauts failed to remove a broken cooling pump from outside the International Space Station on Saturday after a frustrating eight-hour spacewalk that set the record as the longest spacewalk ever at the lab. Engineers are scrambling to come up with a new repair plan. The 780-pound cooling pump broke after a power surge a week ago and the station has used one American pump — instead of the usual two pumps — to keep the station cool.

For now, the six-member crew is in no danger and station operations continue with little disruption. But if the remaining pump fails, the crew would be forced to cut power to much of the station and rely on the Russian section, which runs on a different power and cooling system, to handle critical tasks. (8/7)

3rd Spacewalk Needed to Restore Cooling System (Source: AP)
A pair of space station astronauts had to hammer loose a stuck connector during an urgent spacewalk to restore a crucial cooling system Saturday, then an ammonia leak erupted and hampered the entire repair effort. Despite making one of the longest spacewalks ever, Douglas Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson had to give up trying to remove a broken ammonia pump and retreat inside. Disappointed managers said two more spacewalks now will be needed to replace the pump and get the International Space Station's cooling system operating normally again. The original plan called for two spacewalks. (8/8)

As Space Priorities Shift, Orbiting Station Takes On a Central Role (Source: New York Times)
When a cooling-system pump on the International Space Station broke down over the weekend, NASA and the six astronauts on board responded with typical cool self-assurance. The space agency scheduled two spacewalks to repair the damage and said the astronauts, three Americans and three Russians, were in no danger. But the incident underlined a deeper concern about the orbiting station’s long-term health. If this or any other problem should result in a need to abandon the station, the United States ’ human spaceflight program would lose one of its last remaining reasons for being. (8/4)

ISS Program Reaches Out to Researchers (Source: Aviation Week)
Nearly 300 participants gathered Aug. 3 for the first NASA International Space Station Research Academy, a three-day offering designed to familiarize researchers and payload developers with the orbiting outpost’s designation as a National Laboratory and its capabilities to support experiments in fields ranging from fundamental biology and physics to biotechnology and Earth observations.

The initial program, conducted close to the Johnson Space Center in Houston , is likely to be repeated around the country as NASA nears the end of the station’s 12-year assembly, with ample room to spare on the station for scientists who would not normally be interested in microgravity investigations. NASA controls 75% of the internal station volume, which is shared with its foreign partners and rivals the size of a four-bedroom house. NASA intends to use just half of its internal and external assets for its own research, leaving the rest to users eligible under National Lab guidelines established by Congress in 2005. (8/5)

Station Problem Shows How Shuttle Will Be Missed (Source: Space Review)
NASA is girding for a pair of unplanned spacewalks this week to fix a critical cooling system aboard the International Space Station, work that will whittle down the station's limited supply of spare parts that can only be delivered by space shuttle. The suspect component in the cooling loop problem is a 780-pound pump module that can only be transported on the shuttle.

Currently the station has two spare pumps in storage, one of which would be used this week to repair the cooling system. That would leave just one backup unit for a station that is now expected to remain operational until at least 2020. (8/2)

External Tank ET-138 Under Investigation After Washer is Found in Feedline (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Currently set to fly with Endeavour, External Tank ET-138 is under investigation after engineers found a washer inside the LO2 Feedline. The investigation will follow a similar route to that undertaken on ET-129 – when a noise was heard inside that tank during processing inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) – in order to be completely satisfied with tank’s configuration. Editor’s Note: Here’s another example of the Space Shuttle workforce remaining diligent in their efforts to ensure the success of the final Shuttle missions. (8/6)

NASA Backs Commercial Moonshots (Source: MSNBC)
NASA says it'll buy up to $30.1 million worth of data about robotic lander projects - basically doubling the potential impact of the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize. The space agency said its Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data program would pay a minimum of $10,000 for each data contract relating to the design and demonstration of a lunar landing mission. "This includes data associated with hardware design, development and testing; ground operations and integration; launch; trajectory correction maneuvers; lunar braking, burn and landing; and enhanced capabilities," NASA said. (8/7)

NASA and Commercial Industry Combine to Outline Propellant Depot Plan (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
A collaboration between experts at numerous NASA centers and commercial companies have created a plan for an “in-space LO2/LH2 PTSD (Propellant Transfer and Storage Demonstration) mission, to affordably support a 2015 demonstration and follow-on missions”, highlighting an exploration architecture built around existing vehicles and Propellant Depots.

Answering a Request For Information (RFI) in June, a broad range of NASA, other US government, academic and industrial participation resulted in a roadmap to enable a flagship demonstration mission of propellant storage and transfer ability in 2015. Such a mission would build on the United Launch Alliance (ULA) exploration master plan, which removes the need for a Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV), instead combining the use of current EELV vehicles – such as Atlas V or Delta IV – with an on orbit ability to refuel in space via fuel depots. (8/6)

Pentagon's Space Partner Eyes New Frontiers in Commercial Space (Source: LA Times)
Secretive Aerospace Corp., which makes sure that contractors' work on classified government space projects is being done properly, could find a new niche in the private sector. CEO Wanda M. Austin says Aerospace Corp. has the expertise to provide oversight of private space ventures as it does now for the military.

Aerospace Corp.'s warren of low-rise office buildings in El Segundo offers little clue to the work that goes on behind the double security doors, where thousands of scientists and U.S. Air Force officers toil in secrecy. The company, which gets almost all of its funding from the Pentagon, is responsible for overseeing many of the nation's most classified programs, including the development of multibillion-dollar spy satellites and rockets that lift them into space.

Aerospace is neither a defense contractor nor part of the Air Force, which manages military space programs. Aerospace is a federally funded brain trust for the Pentagon's $26-billion space program, which far exceeds NASA's budget of $18 billion and has increased almost 90% since 2000. Although it's not well known outside defense circles, it is regarded as one of the nation's most important assets. (8/4)

Boeing Plans Commercial Space Taxis by 2015 (Source: Florida Today)
Boeing plans to be ready to fly commercial space taxis from Cape Canaveral to the International Space Station by 2015 and soon will decide where the spacecraft will be manufactured and assembled, officials said Thursday. Designed to launch on United Launch Alliance Atlas or Delta rockets, or perhaps even SpaceX Falcon 9s, the spacecraft also are destined to fly to a commercial space station being developed by Bigelow Aerospace in Nevada .

Four test flights -- including three from Florida -- are targeted for late 2013 and 2014. Florida is competing with Alabama , Texas and Nevada for various parts of the spacecraft work. Decisions on where work will be done are expected within three months. "We're going through the process of deciding not only where we will do the manufacturing, but where we will do the mission operations, the training, the sustaining engineering, the program management -- all aspects of the program," said John Elbon, Boeing's vice president for commercial space programs.

NASA in February committed to providing Boeing and partner Bigelow Aerospace with $18 million in seed money for development of an Apollo-style capsule that would ferry up to seven people. Future funding depends on the outcome of ongoing NASA budget negotiations. Pending congressional approval, NASA plans to issue an RFP for commercial crew transportation to the International Space Station late this year or early next year. Space taxi services probably will be procured from two contractors. Boeing aims to team up with a launch provider -- likely United Launch Alliance -- to bid on the contract. (8/6)

 

Boeing Looking For Commercial Space Success (Source: Aviation Week)
Though not yet closed, Boeing's business case for its commercial capsule relies on NASA-funded development of a low Earth orbit reusable spacecraft that could double as a space station lifeboat as well as provide transportation to commercial destinations such as the Bigelow Aerospace-envisioned Sundancer commercial orbital stations, according to John Elbon, vice president and program manager for Boeing’s commercial crew transportation system.

At least initially, Boeing is looking to Florida ’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station or NASA’s Kennedy Space Center as the launch site for the CST-100, and to White Sands, N.M., for landings. The $1.9 billion, five-year 21st Century Launch Complex initiative included in the Obama administration’s 2011 NASA budget to overhaul Florida launch complexes also factors favorably in closing Boeing’s business case.

“To the extent we can use government assets on a per-use kind of basis as opposed to needing to invest in those assets and carry the maintenance on our books allows us to close our business case with a lower flight rate,” Elbon said. (8/7)

More Detail Sought On Commercial Crew Plan (Source: Aviation Week)
A NASA Advisory Council (NAC) subcommittee is echoing frustrated members of Congress in asking NASA to provide more detail and justification for its plan to substitute commercial space taxis for the Orion crew exploration vehicle and its Ares I launcher as a route to the Space Station. Members of the panel’s commercial space subcommittee expressed dissatisfaction with some of the information they have received from NASA managers on the agency’s approach to what is known as commercial crew.

Panel members complained that the agency has not been clear on just how it would use commercial vehicles to deliver astronauts to the ISS, which the panel found would make it difficult for industry to set up the kind of public-private partnerships NASA seeks. The NAC subcommittee wants a better strategy for spending the $6 billion requested for commercial crew transportation over the next five years.

“We strongly feel that you need to go do this, because what we’re hearing from you is all over the map,” said Bret Alexander, who as chairman of the commercial space panel will ask the full NAC to endorse his subcommittee’s position at the JPL meeting. (8/2)

Garriott: The New Space Race? (Source: Public Service)
On October 12, 2008 I had the great fortune of becoming the 483rd person to orbit Earth, one of only seven private citizens who have flown in space. I grew up near NASA during the Apollo years and my father was a NASA astronaut who flew in Skylab and the Space Shuttle. This exposure gave me a unique perspective on space exploration. During the Apollo race to the moon, the world was captivated by the space race and subsequent technological advancement that both propelled and resulted from it. The human inspiration and national pride that space exploration provided the people of that era is undoubted. Click here for more. (8/2)

Richard Branson's Space Travel Dreams (Source: Forbes)
Richard Branson is a tireless entrepreneur who has created a vast empire of companies under Virgin, a brand that manages to stand for innovation. But Branson, at 60, believes his best work is ahead of him. Here he describes his "Big Deal" and what he feels he will be remembered for. "Something like this starts with a dream. As long as 10 years before I had dreamt the name Virgin Galactic Airways. I'd dreamt about the fact that we could create a commercial spaceship company."

"Of course people told me I was nuts, but that's been true my whole life. I had to go and prove people wrong. I had to go and find the best engineers. I discovered Burt Rutan, who is the genius aviation engineer. And we built SpaceShipOne, and now he's built SpaceShipTwo... As a commercial spaceship company we can't afford to lose anybody. Every ticket has to be a return ticket.

It was Burt's genius idea of turning the spaceship into a giant shuttle car, and for it to come in as a shuttle car into the Earth's atmosphere, that was the breakthrough. That's the safe reentry mechanism nobody had come up with before. At Virgin we'd like to think we transformed the airline business and the trade business. But I think the thing that most likely, in a business sense, we will be remembered for is introducing commercial spaceship travel. (8/5)

How High Will Virgin Galactic Fly? (Source: Discovery)
Just how high can you get for $200,000? If you pony up the money to the good folks at Virgin Galactic, you'll reach an altitude of approximately 68 miles (110 kilometers) above the surface of the Earth. That's 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) above a boundary known as the Kármán line, where by most definitions the atmosphere ends and outer space begins. These dizzying, suborbital heights have typically remained the domain of experimental aircraft such as NASA's X-15, which only ascended beyond the Kármán line twice. Virgin Galactic, however, plans to offer regular flights there aboard SpaceShipTwo.

"The vehicles have been designed to go a little bit higher than that," says Stephen Attenborough, commercial director for Virgin Galactic. "We may at some point be able to offer a slightly increased altitude or higher apogee for the flight, but the physics will tell you that the higher you go, the higher the g-forces are going to be on the way up and the way down." In other words, approximately 68 miles is a perfect cruising altitude not only because it places SpaceShipTwo firmly in space, but also because going any higher would make the flight too rigorous for some prospective passengers.

 

Editor’s Note: 68 miles may be SpaceShipTwo’s apogee, but it will not be the vehicle’s “cruising altitude”. The vehicle will basically stall at the 68 mile point and begin falling back toward Earth.  To achieve orbit, the vehicle would have to accelerate to about 18,000 miles per hour, something not possible in the vehicle’s current configuration. (8/3)

 

Florida Resident Prepares for Suborbital Spaceflight on Virgin Galactic (Source: Washington Post)
Would-be space traveler Daniel Hardin of Lighthouse Point, Fla., is preparing for his greatest adventure -- a suborbital rocket ride on a Virgin Galactic spaceship. Q: How did you find out about this opportunity? A: About three years ago, I read stories about Virgin Galactic developing its spacecraft and selling tickets for future flights. Once I was familiar with the conditions and the cost, I didn't struggle with the decision. Q: What's the attraction? A: I grew up with the space program and many times dreamed of what it would be like to be on board the rockets that take off from Cape Canaveral . (8/8)

 

Will Space Tourism Really Change Anything, or Simply Be a Joy Ride? (Source: Parabolic Arc)
There’s always been an intriguing question about the perpetually two-years-in-the-future era of mass space tourism: Will it create a new generation of the super wealthy who, having viewed the world from above and seen no borders, will dedicate their lives and fortunes to forging peace and saving the Earth from the environmental catastrophes it faces? Or will they simply want to spend another small fortune to go back like...immediately?

The answer will be key in determining whether space tourism will be a transformational experience its boosters claim or something else entirely. Richard Branson and his crew over at Virgin Galactic like to point to a future where a growing community of hundreds and then thousands of wealthy people who will suddenly become the world’s most enthusiastic environmentalists and put their money where their hearts are. Perhaps even green projects like the ones that Branson funds.

Editor's Note: My recurring question about space tourism is whether it will expand beyond joy-ride status and actually have an impact on providing new capabilities and lower costs for orbital space travel. Although much noise is being made about the potential for suborbital research using space tourism vehicles, I believe a viable orbital space tourism enterprise may be necessary for the industry to have a real and lasting impact. (8/4)

NASA Hosts Workshop to Discuss Exploring Near Earth Objects (Source: NASA)
NASA will host an interactive workshop to identify objectives for exploration missions to near-Earth objects, or NEOs, on Aug. 10-11 at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington . The event will bring together experts and key leaders from NASA, other government agencies, industry, academia, and international communities. They will discuss past experiences and focus on objectives, capabilities, and concepts of operations for human and robotic exploration of NEOs.

The primary goals for the workshop are to increase the collective understanding of NEOs, communicate NASA's preliminary plans for a human mission to a NEO, and get input on proposed mission objectives. The workshop includes a series of briefings, panels, and breakout sessions. (8/2)

 

NASA to Visit Asteroid Predicted to Hit Earth? (Source: National Geographic)
There's a mountain-size asteroid on a potential collision course with Earth, and NASA has plans to pay it a visit. The asteroid 1999 RQ36 made headlines last week with the announcement that the space rock could hit our planet in 2182. But a handful of scientists have had their eyes on this asteroid since 2007, planning a sample-return mission designed to help us better predict—and avoid—impact hazards.

The mission, called OSIRIS-Rex (Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer), is one of two finalists in the current competition for funding under NASA's New Frontiers program, up against a proposed mission to land on Venus. The selected mission will be announced in summer 2011. If OSIRIS-Rex gets the green light, the spacecraft will launch in 2016 with the goal of mapping and bringing back pieces of the asteroid. (8/7)

 

Heavy Lift - NASA Takes Inventory For The Next Steps (Source: Aviation Week)
Launch vehicle engineers here believe a shuttle-derived vehicle built around the space shuttle main engine (SSME) is probably the fastest route to a heavy-lift launch vehicle. Some kind of heavy lifter is emerging as a centerpiece of the compromise space policy being worked out between Congress and the White House.

But that is only a rough call in a close race with vehicles based on the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) RS-68 or a kerosene-fueled engine NASA may develop in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force. The internal study of families of heavy-lift launch vehicles based on the three engines is helping NASA managers catalog the capabilities they control as they try to find ways to fit them into the next phase of U.S. space exploration, whatever that turns out to be.

That involves throwing out the carefully crafted approach to what then-Administrator Michael Griffin called the agency’s biggest challenge--managing the transition from the space shuttle to the follow-on Ares I and its Orion crew exploration vehicle—-and finding the best way forward in today’s make-it-up-as-you-go-along space-policy environment. (8/2)

 

Space Travel as Exploration (Source: Space Review)
What exactly does "exploration" mean as a rationale for spaceflight? Stephen Pyne examines the history of exploration on Earth as a means of better understanding the significance of the exploration of space. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1674/1 to view the article. (8/2)

 

Packing for Mars (Source: NPR)
A mission to land humans on Mars would take a minimum of two years from lift off to homecoming, but the most difficult engineering problem isn't how we get there; it's what we do once we're on our way. Mary Roach writes about the challenges of sending the glitch-prone human body into space. Physically, she says, space travel is incredibly taxing. "Particularly with a long-term mission," she says, "you have a tremendous amount of bone loss." Experts estimate that on a Mars mission, astronauts would lose one-third to one-half of their bone mass.

The psychological challenges of space travel are also considerable because simple acts like eating, crossing the room or going to the bathroom can suddenly become incredibly difficult. Boredom is another serious factor because of the length of missions, as we've learned from astronauts who spent time on the Mir Space Station or the International Space Station. "The scenery doesn't change, you can't go out for a walk," Roach says. "The repetitiveness and the lack of color just begins to seem mundane." (8/2)

 

Senate Approves Bill to Preserve America's Human Spaceflight Capabilities (Source: Sen. Hutchison)
The Senate has approved bipartisan legislation championed by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, to safeguard America's human spaceflight capabilities while balancing commercial space investment with a robust mission for NASA. The bill is also supported by Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Senators Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), David Vitter (R-La.) and George LeMieux (R-Fla.).

"Senate passage of this comprehensive legislation is a critical milestone that will boost America 's human spaceflight program," said Senator Hutchison. "By embracing this bipartisan vision for the future of NASA, the Senate has spoken with a unified voice. I encourage my colleagues in the House to take up this crucial bill in order to get NASA on track to continue its proud heritage of innovation and exploration." (8/5)

Nelson & Hutchison: Bill Challenges NASA to Evolve, Mind (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Fact: Life on Earth has improved by leaps and bounds from five decades of American space technologies adapted for industry, medicine and the home. Fact: America 's space effort has created scores of companies and hundreds of thousands of jobs. It made America a more powerful nation after World War II.

Yet, 52 years after the first U.S. satellite, 41 years after the first manned moon landing and 29 years after the first shuttle, our space program is mired in debate over how, or even whether, we should continue to explore the unknown. Previous administrations talked of a return to the moon or a bold new mission, but didn't make the investment. In the Obama administration, advisers want the president to rely primarily on commercial space ventures.

Working with the White House, Senate colleagues and others, we have developed bipartisan legislation to get NASA on what we believe is the right track. The House is preparing a similar plan. In a nutshell, President Obama has declared Mars to be an ultimate goal — and, the bills now emerging from Congress provide a blueprint for NASA to lead the way for humans to explore beyond low-Earth orbit. (8/4)

Focus Moves to House (and White House) on NASA Authorization Effort (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
While the quick passage of the Senate bill took some space supporters by surprise, it must now be reconciled with a very different piece of legislation now trudging through the House of Representatives. Unlike the Senate version, the House bill provides little money for commercial space companies and does not call for the development of a new heavy lift rocket but a modification of Constellation’s overbudget and technically troubled Ares I rocket. Some lawmakers from California and Florida are moving to try to amend the bill to look more like the version that passed the Senate.

The Senate bill orders NASA to build a heavy lift rocket and capsule capable of reaching the International Space Station by 2016. But it budgets less money for the new rocket and capsule — about $11 billion during three years, with $3 billion next year — than what the troubled Constellation program would have received. Some space experts say the funding levels of the bill and the aggressive schedule set NASA up for another failure. Administration officials say that the White House is neither supporting nor opposing the Senate's bill. (8/6)

Homans: New Mexico Delegation Advances New Space Policy in Congress (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
There is a major battle taking place in Congress over the future of the nation's space program, and the respective roles of NASA and the commercial spaceflight industry. New Mexico and members of its congressional delegation are right in the center of the arena. President Obama's proposed reliance on the private sector to handle suborbital and space station missions is a direct affirmation of the mission of Spaceport America - to be the launch pad for the nation's newly emerging commercial spaceflight industry.

One relatively small but critical component of the president's plan is a $75 million appropriation ($15 million a year for five years) to purchase sub-orbital flights for scientific research purposes. The program is called Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research (CRuSR), and it will do more than any other NASA program to build the business base for Spaceport America . The types of companies that will benefit from CRuSR include UP Aerospace, Virgin Galactic, XCOR Aerospace, Masten Space Systems and Armadillo Aerospace, all of whom have either expressed interest in operating from Spaceport America or have signed commitments to do so. (8/2)

New York Senator Blunts Language Favoring Florida, Texas for Shuttle Placement (Source: NY Daily News)
Senate Commerce Committee members dueled Thursday night over language that could have killed the chance of winning a retired space shuttle for the West Side's Intrepid museum. Florida and Texas senators shoved a phrase into a NASA authorization bill that would have limited competition for the shuttles to places with "a historical relationship with either the launch, flight operations, or processing of the Space Shuttle orbiters."

That would have likely eliminated New York . But Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) inserted additional language to include places involved in the "retrieval of NASA manned space vehicles." The Intrepid, a decommissioned aircraft carrier, participated in picking up several astronauts at sea after space missions in the 1960s. A Gillibrand spokesman said committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) approved her language. Negotiations were underway to get full Committee approval.

Gillibrand said the Intrepid would be the best showcase for one of the three remaining shuttles - Atlantis, Endeavour and Discovery - which will be retired next year. One is likely ticketed for the Smithsonian in Washington . "This decision has to be made based on the merits," Gillibrand said. "On the merits, New York wins." (8/6)

Orbiters' Final Resting Place Up in the Air (Source: Florida Today)
The wait continues to find out where NASA's space shuttle orbiters will spend their retirement. The delayed schedule for the final two space shuttle flights "also caused a delay in announcing the disposition of the space shuttle orbiters," said NASA spokesman Michael Curie. "NASA has not established a date for announcing where the space shuttle orbiters will go once they are retired."

NASA plans to send the orbiter Discovery to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum . But dozens of communities nationwide -- led by Kennedy and Johnson space centers -- are competing to display Atlantis and Endeavour. The competition also has become political as Congress debates NASA policy. A Senate bill would give preference in the selection to a "historical relationship with either the launch, flight operations or processing" of shuttles. The provision was widely perceived as tipping the scales to Florida for launching shuttles and Texas for managing the flights. (8/4)

NASA Delays Deciding Where Retired Space Shuttles Will be Displayed (Source: CollectSpace)
NASA waved off last month revealing where its soon-to-be-retired space shuttles will be making their final landing for public exhibit. Delayed launch dates, coupled with congressional acts -- including bills proposing adding at least one more mission to the two remaining for the 30-year shuttle program -- resulted in the space agency postponing its selection of museums where its winged orbiters will go on display.

A July announcement had been expected since January of this year, when NASA made a last call for suitors. NASA had originally intended to retire its shuttle fleet by the end of 2010, but more time was needed to process the payloads for its final two planned missions. (8/2)

 

The Apollo Model: Stronger than Obama (Source: Hudson New York)
Perhaps the primary goal of the Obama administration's 2011 budget NASA proposal was to kill, once and for all, the Apollo Moon mission model that has determined the way the US space agency operates for nearly the last 60 years. The so-called compromise proposal that unanimously passed the Senate Commerce Committee on July 15th gutted most of the Obama proposal. The House version does even more damage to the administration's proposal.

While the Bush era Constellation program would seem to be dead, at least in name, its substance has survived for at least another year. There is a lesson here, not only for those who would reform NASA, but also for those who want to reform any reasonably sized government agency. The first lesson is: Do not ignore Congress. NASA as it exists is the product of decades of Congressional action. Reformers may believe that they know what the agency needs, but without Congressional support, they have no hope of making a difference; all they can achieve is to demoralize and confuse their workforce.

Second, do not think that a study committee can substitute for in-house policy development. The Augustine Committee included some of the best minds in the US space industry, but it must, in the end, be regarded as a failure. Its conclusions seem to have been based on arbitrary budget assumptions. To many in Congress and elsewhere, its report was pre-cooked and was largely designed to undo the progress made by Mike Griffin towards a return to the Moon. (8/2)

 

Astronauts Weigh In On Space (Source: Florida Today)
In the 1960s, and maybe through the early 1980s, astronauts and ex-astronauts were like rock stars on the political scene. What they said mattered a great deal in Washington . So, as the nation's leaders decide NASA's future course, it's been curious to watch groups of astronauts lining up behind, or against, President Barack Obama's proposed overhaul of national space policy.

Astronauts, famous and not-so-famous, are being summoned to testify before Congress. They're signing on with various private companies holding big stakes in different options, some of them in senior executive positions that often involve as much lobbying as program management. They're signing on in groups to e-mails, letters and petitions for the existing NASA program, the president's remodeled plan or various political compromises. Click here to read the article. (8/1)

Neil Armstrong, First Man on the Moon, Turns 80 (Source: AFP)
Neil Armstrong, who turns 80 on Thursday, became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969, before the eyes of hundreds of millions of television viewers worldwide, who gazed in awe. With one small step off a ladder, Armstrong placed mankind's first footprint on an extraterrestrial world and gained instant hero status. (8/3)

Nye: I Never Imagined (Source: Space News)
I never imagined, not for a moment, that I would so strongly disagree with two of the world’s heroes, John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. As of this writing, these astronauts are opposed to key aspects of NASA’s new plan for space exploration. They, along with a few others, believe that the U.S. is ending its human (manned) space exploration. I cannot help but ask, have these opponents read the same documents that I have? Are we all talking about the same NASA? The new plan is focused on doing new things in space, developing new technology, making discoveries, and going where no one has gone before.

As I try to understand what motivates these extraordinary statements from these extraordinary men, I consider what we do agree on. I am pretty sure we agree that the shuttle program was canceled six years ago, during the previous president’s term. I believe we would agree that the Constellation program, which included the Ares 1 and 5 rockets along with an Orion space capsule, would not take anyone back to the Moon before 2020, or even 2025, some 50 years after the Apollo astronauts made the same voyage.

While the current NASA administrator fights the good fight with some of the agency’s retired explorers, other nations’ space agencies are doing new things. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has deployed a solar sail as a part of a mission to Venus. The European Space Agency (ESA) is exploring a comet, the sort of object that could impact Earth. Saving the shuttle from retirement will hold us back. Let’s imagine new adventures instead. (8/3)

 

Editorial: What's Missing From the Bold Plans for Human Spaceflight (Source: Washington Post)

All three plans for space have in common an unwillingness either to abandon the dream of human spaceflight or to confront the budget reality. But with the funding for NASA set around $19 billion and not likely to change, bold plans for humans in space are simply not feasible. Something must give. If the administration and Congress truly want human spaceflight, they need to fund it adequately.

 

Piecemeal funding that dooms programs to failure is a waste of money -- especially when so many truly vital space functions, from the satellites that supply maps and communications to the telescopes that allow us to glimpse distant worlds, could benefit from such support. (8/7)

 

Sometimes a Compromise Can Be Counterproductive (Source: Space Program & Project Management)
NASA does not need to be directed to build a crew capsule for ISS access. If NASA issued an RFP, it would probably get that capsule sooner than if it attempts to build it via its traditional process, and at a lower cost.

Is is truly sad that so much of the yelling and screaming that passes for reasoned debate in [in Congress and among pundits] ignores a crucial point; a commercial, competitively priced, reliable, and frequent Earth-LEO transportation infrastructure (complete with on-orbit commercial propellant depots) will facilitate NASA's exploration, industry's development, and humanity's settlement of the Moon and beyond. (8/2)

 

Space Policy Keeps Rocketing to Prominence (Source: Politifact.com)
Though the economy, overseas wars, health care reform and an oil spill have taken up much of President Barack Obama's time -- and sucked up most of the media oxygen -- space policy has been a quietly simmering issue for the administration. When Obama released his proposed budget in February, he said that NASA would cancel Constellation, the successor system for the space shuttle, after the space agency had already spent $9 billion on the program. In the meantime, Obama offered an alternative road map for human space exploration over the next decade or more.

This change in priorities immediately prompted a backlash among lawmakers, companies and constituents dependent on Constellation and the plans that NASA had for it, including in the pivotal electoral state of Florida . Then came a blogosphere and cable-news brushfire stemming from an interview that NASA chief Charles Bolden gave to the Arabic-language television network Al-Jazeera. Click here to read the article. (8/2)

Politifact Updates Status of Obama Space Promises (Source: Politifact.com)
Politifact.com's "Obameter", the website that tracks the status of President Obama's campaign promises, has updated its section on space-related promises, labeling one promise "Broken" and another one as "Compromise". The broken promise refers to the re-establishment of the National Space Council as a multi-agency body for space policy and program coordination. The "compromise" promise refers to a proposed code of conduct for space-faring nations. Read the descriptions of these and other space-focused promises here. (8/2)

Editorial: National Space Council: Unwanted Answer to Persistent Problem? (Source: Space News)
The 2008 Allard Commission report offered four recommendations toward moving beyond the current military space impasse. The first was to reinstate the National Space Council as an overarching body to coordinate space activities and arbitrate interagency disputes. They recognized that bureaucracies are unlikely to “fix themselves,” and require an external nudge or push.

As a candidate, President Obama promised to bring back the National Space Council, and his science adviser, John Holdren, reaffirmed this intention during his Senate confirmation hearings in February 2009. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) rightly noted that reviving the National Space Council, if done competently, could take space issues out of the hands of “some green-eyeshade person at the Office of Management and Budget” and put it in the hands of those substantively capable of assessing highly technical and politically forward-leaning policy issues.

A 2009 report by the Aerospace Industries Association also stated as its first recommendation, “Our space capabilities should be coordinated, at the highest level, as a singular enterprise.” While the presence of a National Space Council does not assure that military space transformation will occur, its absence almost certainly does assure that it will not. Until the National Space Council exists, and its importance is reflected by being placed under the supervision of the president’s national security adviser, military space capabilities and the integration of those capabilities into U.S. fighting forces will be limited by gridlock, and a source of argument and petty turf battles. (8/4)

Administration’s National Space Policy Sets a New Course (Source: York County Journal Tribune)
President Obama’s budget takes a new approach to U.S. investment in space exploration, and recently the administration supported it with a new statement of U.S. space policy. For those with an eye for politics, the statement emphasizes a collaborative approach that was missing during the George W. Bush administration. For instance, it softens previous administration’s assertions that the U.S. would take whatever extraterrestrial actions were needed to pursue the nation’s interests.

The new policy asserts U.S. interests in a more positive manner, by emphasizing the importance of preserving free access to space. The U.S. will defend its interests, according to Obama, but “it is the shared interest of all nations to act responsibly in space to prevent mishaps, misperceptions and mistrust.” Such an even-handed approach is appropriate, because no nation can claim sovereignty over space. Conflict there is a real possibility, and the risk ought to be reduced by fair-minded policies. (8/7)

Parsing the National Space Policy (Source: Space Review)
Since the release of the new national space policy just over a month ago, many people have analyzed the policy, scrutinizing the language in search of an underlying message. Jeff Foust reports on what people both inside and outside the administration are saying about the policy's meaning and intent. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1673/1 to view the article. (8/2)

Space-Based Solar Power: Nearing the Tipping Point? (Source: Solar Novus)
Upcoming demonstrations could settle once and for all the question of whether of converting sunlight to electrical power via space satellites is not only possible but economically viable. Such tests involve various technologies needed to gather solar energy in space, beam it to ground stations and distribute the resulting electrical power to the grid.

Today, with costlier oil, along with emissions and climate change concerns, organizations around the world are aiming to prove the practicality and profitability of solar from space. They are betting on improvements in solar cell and other electrical components' efficiencies, spacecraft control techniques, robotic assembly methods and structural materials will tip the scales to practical applications.

Editor's Note: Surprisingly, no mention of space-based solar power was included in the new National Space Policy, despite the concept's supposed near-term feasibility and its potential for reducing the nation's reliance on non-renewable energy sources. (8/2)

Lawmakers Still Hope to Pass FAA Reauthorization in 2010 (Source: AIA)
Lawmakers will have about one month to pass a long-term FAA reauthorization bill after returning to Washington from their August recess. Prior to leaving town, both chambers extended the agency's authority through the end of September, while separately passing new pilot-safety rules for regional airlines. Some observers fear Congress will now feel less pressure to pass a wide-ranging bill, but congressional leaders insist they can get it done. "We see no reason why Congress cannot return in September and work through these remaining issues in a larger FAA bill," said Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn. (8/2)

 

Defense Authorization Blll Hits Roadblock in Senate (Source: Space Policy Online)
Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) wants to bring the Department of Defense (DOD) authorization bill to the floor of the Senate when the Senate returns from its August break, but SASC ranking member Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) strenuously objected yesterday. Sen. Levin was attempting to get a unanimous consent (UC) agreement to bring the bill to the floor in September, but Sen. McCain blocked the UC because he opposes some of the bill's provisions, especially repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military. (8/6)

Conservatives: Cuts to Big War Weapons Would Send Wrong Message (Source: AIA)
As Defense Secretary Robert Gates works to find savings in the Pentagon's budget, he is reportedly not ruling out big war weapons systems such as the next-generation ballistic-missile submarine and one or two of the Navy's 11 active carrier strike groups. Some pro-defense conservatives say the cuts would send the wrong message to countries such as China , Russia and other potential adversaries. (8/4)

Gates' DOD Efficiency Push Seen as Defense Against Deeper Cuts (Source: AIA)
Defense Secretary Robert Gates is pushing efficiency programs as a way to ward off greater political meddling in Pentagon budget decisions, The Wall Street Journal reports. Gates met last week to meet with defense industry leaders, seeking to wring 2% to 3% annual savings through greater productivity and efficiency. "Although industry doesn't much care for the efficiency drive, it's beginning to realize Gates is the best protection it has against much deeper cuts coming from the White House," says Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute. The Wall Street Journal (8/3)

CSR Wins Air Force Contract Modification for Eastern Range Work (Source: DOD)
Computer Sciences Raytheon, Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., was awarded a $81,136,645 contract modification which will provide Eastern Range technical services to provide operations, maintenance, and sustainment of critical range and launch processing systems that support the launch processing mission of the 45 Space Wing and its launch customers at Cape Canaveral Air Station. (8/5)

Nanomissile Being Designed To Launch the Smallest Satellites Affordably (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Army’s desire to deploy swarms of tiny satellites for various tactical missions is one of the reasons it began development two years ago of what would be the United States’ smallest orbital launch vehicle, designed to put payloads of about 20 kilograms into space, government and industry officials said.

The Army Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville conceived the Multipurpose Nanomissile system as a liquid-fueled core booster augmented by various strap-on solid-rocket motors. Standing just a little taller than a basketball hoop, the rocket’s modularity could make it useful not only as a launch vehicle but potentially a missile defense target, sounding rocket and hypersonic test vehicle as well. It will also be a good way to make use of aging tactical solid-rocket motors that would otherwise be decommissioned, an official said. (8/6)

Air Force Set to Launch First AEHF Satellite from Florida (Source: NASA Watch)
The U.S. Air Force is preparing to launch the first Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite (AEHF-1) atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket on Aug. 12. The launch window will open at 7:13 a.m. it will close about 20 minutes later at 7:34 a.m. EDT . The launch is scheduled to take place at Cape Canaveral 's Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC 41). (8/5)

DOD Rocket Gear Heads to Alaska Spaceport (Source: Kodiak Daily Mirror)
Things are heating up on the road to Narrow Cape . The next launch at the Kodiak Launch Complex has been pushed back several times, but it looks like plans are rolling again with the news of a research satellite and rocket boosters on their way to the launch site.

Three rocket boosters are set to make their way to the Kodiak Launch Complex, according to the Alaska Aerospace Corporation. Moving the boosters, which are more than twice as long as a school bus, will require a road closure Saturday at Lash dock and cause traffic delays on the Pasagshak Highway . (8/6)

Ball Aerospace Ships STPSat-2 to Kodiak Launch Complex (Source: Ball Aerospace)
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has shipped the STPSat-2 satellite built for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Space Development and Test Wing (SDTW) to Alaska's Kodiak Launch Complex for scheduled liftoff aboard a Minotaur 4 rocket for a fall 2010 launch. STPSat-2 is the first spacecraft for the Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program Standard Interface Vehicle (STP-SIV) program managed by Space Development and Test Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base. The STP-SIV architecture developed for STPSat-2 supports the Operationally Responsive Space strategy to ensure U.S. space superiority. (8/2)

Future of Space a Common Question Across Florida County (Source: Florida Today)
The future of America's human space flight program is emerging this summer as a front-burner political issue with voters like never before, elected officials and candidates say. That's true not just in the northern Brevard County communities surrounding the Kennedy Space Center but across the county. And it's not just a hot topic in the races for seats in the U.S. Senate and House, positions in which the people elected could have direct influence over NASA's budget and policies. The shutdown of the shuttle program, NASA's future and the rippling economic impact is coming up in state, county and local races.

Residents are worried about how space industry layoffs will influence the broader economy, their jobs and the value of their homes. The end of the shuttle program next year is expected to mean the direct loss of at least 8,000 aerospace jobs at KSC. Government studies indicate another 14,000 or so jobs off the space center could be at risk as well. Click here for more. (8/8)

New Mexico Gov. Candidates Talk About Spaceport America (Source: NM Politics)
Republican gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez says the state has already spent lots of money on Spaceport America and can no longer be its “major financer,” while Democratic opponent Diane Denish says she is a supporter of the spaceport but didn’t directly answer a question about the project’s funding.

Martinez said the spaceport has “has an impressive potential to bring development opportunities to southern New Mexico ,” but given the current economic realities, “additional large investments” by state government “would be a misguided use of our taxpayer funds.” She said it’s time to “attract more industry and private business to the spaceport facility to assist with future development costs.”

Denish didn’t talk specifically about the funding, but said space commercialization “can and will be an important part of Southern New Mexico ’s economic future.” She said as governor she will have a “strong focus” on rural and southern economic development and called the spaceport “a visionary idea that has strong local support.” (8/7)

Editorial: Bringing to Reality New Mexico ’s 'Thunder Bolt' (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Spaceport America is a state of New Mexico facility. We, the taxpayers, are assuming the investment risk, and we will be positioned to benefit eventually from the policy directive to, "Promote a robust domestic commercial space industry, departments and agencies shall purchase and use commercial spaced capabilities and services to the maximum practical extent."

We will have the opportunity eventually to supply goods and services including safe, reliable and competitive launch services to government customers who want to get cargo and eventually humans to space... When Spaceport America is fully operational, we will be able to compete for government business and save the taxpayers money while creating a new commercial space industry. Let's hope this means future jobs in the commercial space industry evolving in New Mexico . What's not to love? We save money and create new jobs. Furthermore, while we maintain our status as the place where the space industry began, we establish leadership as the home of the new commercial space industry. (8/3)

Shuttle Crews Train at White Sands (Source: Alamogordo Daily News)
Air Force Col. Eric Boe, 45, is one of the relatively few souls in the history of mankind who've had the privilege of witnessing earthrise. It's a perspective only available from space. That's exactly where Boe was in November 2008, as part of a 16-day space shuttle Endeavour mission. It was his first spaceflight.

Now, Boe is slated to return Nov. 1 as the pilot on the second-to-last flight before NASA permanently retires the shuttle program. Part of Boe's in-depth training for the trip takes place at White Sands Space Harbor , a backup space shuttle landing site east of the San Andres Mountains . (8/8)

Virginia Spaceport - At Rush Hour?! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING! (Source: Clarke Daily News)
At 4:59 pm Bricker Transport, of Laredo , Texas began a brief, but unwelcome, visit to Clarke County , Virginia . That’s when a truck belonging to the company hauling a huge tank labelled “MARS” (Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport) crested Snickers Gap trailing a four mile traffic jam. By 5:15pm the load had only reached the western end of the Shenandoah River bridge. The vehicle was both preceded and followed by vehicles with “Wide Load” warning banners and amber caution lights. While drivers stuck in the traffic jam probably appreciated the presence of the safety equipment, most surely would have preferred a warning that their evening commute was going to be extended by nearly an hour.

One driver caught in the traffic backup and reached by phone on her way to Strasburg , Virginia to close on a home purchase expressed frustration. “Why is this being allowed at rush hour? the exasperated driver lamented. “I’m never going to make it to my appointment!” A Sheriff’s Department dispatcher said that hazardous load violations were handled by the Virginia State Police. It was not clear if the Sheriff’s Department intended to refer the matter to the State Police or not. (8/2)

Rocket Launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility Completed (Source: NASA)
The launch of a NASA Black Brant X sounding rocket was successfully launched at 5:15 a.m. today from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. This mission was to flight qualify the new production Nihka rocket motor, the third stage in the Black Brant X. The next Wallops launch is currently scheduled for no earlier than August 23. (8/4)

Ukraine Postpones Delivery of Virginia-BoundTaurus-II First Stage (Source: Xinhua)
Ukraine's state owned company " Yuzhmash" based in eastern city Dnipropetrovsk postponed the delivery of the basic part of the Taurus-II launch vehicle's first stage to Orbital Sciences Corp. "For some technical reasons, the delivery date has been put off to September-October," the statement said. The delivery was reportedly scheduled for August. The two-stage launch vehicle is designed to transport loads of up to five tons into low orbit. (8/3)

South Carolina Company Plans Offshore Space Launches (Source: Hobby Space)
South Carolina's Palmetto Aerospace Corp. plans to profit by launching customer payloads into space on suborbital, orbital or escape trajectories. "We want to make launching a lot less expensive than it is now so many more schools, companies, and individuals can participate and benefit from space operations. We propose to launch expendable rocket vehicles of our design and manufacture into space from the sea off the coast of South Carolina ." Click here for information. (8/4)

Oklahoma Spaceport Suffers Through Rocketplane Bankruptcy (Source: Oklahoman)
The state Legislature narrowly agreed in February to continue funding the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority, which runs the Spaceport in Burns Flat. Like most state agencies, the agency received a 7 percent cut; it will receive $424,289 this fiscal year, which began July.

At the time, Rep. Todd Russ said if nothing substantial happens at the Spaceport in the next three years, he would talk with legislators about possibly closing it. Agency Director Bill Khourie said it has reduced its staff from five to three but is still operating. There are several space companies other than Rocketplane that could potentially fly from the Spaceport in the near future, he said. (8/7)

Rocketplane Lands in Bankruptcy (Source: Oklahoman)
Last month, Rocketplane filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Wisconsin, where it relocated after closing its Oklahoma City headquarters at Will Rogers World Airport and relinquishing its hangar at the Oklahoma Spaceport in Burns Flat in 2009. CEO George French filed personally as well as for each of three business entities: Rocketplane, Rocketplane Global and Rocketplane Kistler. Debts for each were listed at about $8.2 million, $3.7 million, $2.6 million and $7.4 million, respectively.

The company's assets include some structural components and the patented intellectual property from the company's work designing an aircraft capable of transporting tourists into space. Those design patents may now be sold as part of the bankruptcy liquidation. Click here for details. (8/7)

Remote Indonesian Island Will Host Spaceport (Source: Jakarta Globe)
The Indonesian space agency this week moved a step forward in its plans to build an integrated space center on an island off the southwestern coast of Bengkulu province. Adi Sadewo Salatun, the head of the Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan), said the center would be built on Enggano Island in the Indian Ocean. Adi said the island, in the outermost reaches of the archipelago, was the perfect spot for the country’s launch pad because of its low population and remoteness. (8/7)

ARCA Will Launch Helen 2 Space Rocket From the Black Sea (Source: Google Lunar X Prize)
Romania's ARCA wants to be the first to launch a Romanian space rocket in a suborbital flight, toward their ultimate goal of winning the Google Lunar X Prize. "Helen 2" is a suborbital system consisting of a helium balloon with 0 pressure, that lifts a two stage rocket vehicle and payload European Lunar Lander (ELL). The payload is a pressurized capsule that carries avionics, such as accelerometers, cameras, satellite tracking systems, GPS, sensors, telemetry equipment, etc. Their launch is planned between Aug. 3-5. (8/4)

 

Rocket Launched in French Guiana with 2 Communication Satellites (Source: AP)
Two communication satellites that will provide broadcast services in the Middle East and rural Africa have been launched from French Guiana. The NILESAT 201 will provide direct-to-home television broadcast services to North Africa and the Middle East. The RASCOM-QAF1R will provide Internet access, direct TV broadcasts and long-distance domestic and international links across rural Africa. The satellites weighed a total of 6,200 kilograms (13,600 pounds) and were launched on Wednesday by the Ariane 5 rocket. (8/4)

Arianespace Picked to Launch Intelsat-20 (Source: Arianespace)
Satellite operator Intelsat and the Indian Space Research Organization have chosen Arianespace to launch the Intelsat-20 and ISRO's GSAT-10 satellites. Weighing 5,800 kg. at liftoff, the Loral-built Intelsat-20 will be boosted into geostationary transfer orbit by an Ariane 5 ECA from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

The GSAT-10 launch is slated for the first quarter of 2012, using an Ariane 5. GSAT 10 will be the 15th ISRO satellite to use the European launcher. Starting with the Apple experimental satellite on Flight L03 in 1981, Arianespace has orbited 13 Indian satellites to date. Arianespace has another Indian satellite in its order book, INSAT 4G (GSAT-8). (8/6)

Israel Boosts Space Budget (Source: Israel 21C)
An Israeli has yet to moonwalk - and the country's only astronaut Ilan Ramon perished on a tragic NASA mission in 2003 - but Israel has big ambitions to jump into the billion-dollar space industry. One of only eight nations in the world to launch an indigenous satellite into space, Israel's government recently announced an $80 million boost to its space activities in research and development, which should jibe well with the country's established defense and high-tech communications industries.

While the space industry is commonly associated with the development of space-related defense technologies, according to Dr. Zvi Kaplan, director general of the Israel Space Agency, its civilian applications are also extensive, and in some cases critical. For example, the monitoring of global warming from earth to space or from space down to earth is vital for studying the phenomenon and potentially mitigating risks. (8/8)

 

Latest Launch Brings China Closer to ‘GPS’ of Its Own (Source: WIRED)
At 5:30 on Sunday morning, the Chinese government fired a Long March 3A rocket into orbit. It carried a navigation satellite — the fifth in a planned constellation of 30 or more Beidou orbiters that Beijing hopes will soon rival America’s Global Positioning System. For years, the U.S. Air Force has owned and operated the system that the rest of the world uses to find its way home, synch its financial transactions (thanks to the GPS timing service), and bring its ships to port. That’s given America a huge military advantage; GPS enables America’s bombs to be targeted with incredible precision. It’s also made other countries nervous: What if the Pentagon decided to mess with the GPS signal in the middle of a war?

Enter Beidou (“Compass”), China’s GPS alternative. “A global positioning system is crucial to any country’s national security and defense,” the Chinese official in charge of the program tells People’s Daily Online. “It is unimaginable for China to go without such a system.” Sunday’s satellite makes the fifth orbiter in the Beidou constellation, and the third launched this year. Another eight to 10 are supposed to be into space by 2012, providing regional coverage. By 2020, Beidou is supposed to ring the globe. (8/3)

 

Hayabusa Fires Up Japan's Space Industry (Source: Yomiuri Shimbun)
Hayabusa's miraculous return in June from a seven-year, trouble-filled journey inspired people across the nation, but businesses are also feeling a warm glow from the probe's success, as global interest in Japanese space technology soars. This month, NEC Corp. will launch a project with Aerojet to develop a new type of ion engine. Hayabusa's main engine failed due to fuel leaks, but the probe was able to complete its odyssey by relying on ion engines developed by tech powerhouse NEC. The two firms will collaborate on a new ion engine with a propulsion capacity 20 percent greater than the engines used in Hayabusa, according to the joint development plan. (8/3)

More Room in GEO, Say Scots (Source: Aviation Week)
Geostationary orbit getting crowded? Well, create a new one. It's possible, say Scottish researchers, confirming an idea first proposed by physicist Robert L. Forward in 1984, but later branded impossible by his critics. Forward, also renowned as a science-fiction writer, proposed that solar sails could be "levitated" by the pressure of sunlight above or below the usual geostationary orbit, which lies on the Earth's equatorial plane. Critics dismissed such light-levitated "displaced orbits" as impossible because of orbital dynamics, but engineers at the University of Strathclyde's Advanced Space Concepts Laboratory say they have proved Forward was right. (7/28)

NASA Images Show Continuing Mexico Quake Deformation (Source: NASA)
New NASA airborne radar images of Southern California near the U.S.-Mexico border show Earth's surface is continuing to deform following the April 4 magnitude, 7.2 temblor and its many aftershocks that have rocked Mexico's state of Baja California and parts of the American Southwest. The data, from NASA's airborne Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), reveal that some faults in the area west of Calexico, Calif., have continued to move at Earth's surface, most likely in the many aftershocks. (8/5)

Russia to Launch Moon Probe in 2012 (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia's Federal Space Agency Roscosmos will launch a probe bearing a neutron generator to study the moon's surface in 2012, a leading space researcher said on Tuesday. "Roscosmos plans to send to the moon a spacecraft bearing a neutron generator developed by our institute to study lunar surface," said Yevgeny Bogolyubov, deputy chief designer of the Automation Engineering Scientific Research Institute. (8/3)

Made-in-Canada Moon Buggy Backed by Stimulus Cash (Source: Globe and Mail)
It’s not the first thing that springs to mind when you think of stimulus spending, but the Harper government’s plan to dig Canada out of the economic ditch includes cash for a niche moon-buggy industry. Buried among the $47-billion stimulus package’s tally of mundane infrastructure projects such as bridges and buildings is $110-million for the Canadian Space Agency.

The organization’s trying to develop what it calls “signature technologies” to help Canada make its name in future extraterrestrial missions – just like the robotic Canadarm did in years past. To this end, the space agency this summer called for bids to build Canada two lunar rovers. The prototypes could cost Ottawa $11-million apiece although this would include a duplicate buggy in each case for testing purposes. (8/5)

Canadian Space Agency Contributing to 2016 Mars Mission (Source: CSA)
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will share leadership for a new science instrument that will probe the atmosphere of Mars in search of biological sources of methane, and consequently, signs of life. The instrument, known as MATMOS (Mars Atmospheric Trace Molecule Occultation Spectrometer), is a partnership between the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the CSA and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). MATMOS has been selected by NASA and the European Space Agency for launch on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, slated for launch in 2016. (8/2)

Payload Selected for 2016 U.S.-European Mars Mission (Source: Space News)
NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have picked five science instruments that will fly aboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, a European-built spacecraft slated to launch to the red planet in 2016 atop a U.S. rocket. The instrument selection marks the beginning of a joint Mars exploration program NASA and the 18-nation ESA agreed to pursue. The five ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter instruments were selected from 19 proposals submitted in January. The instruments and their principal investigators are listed here. (8/2)

HiRISE Finds Exposed Ice in Fresh Martian Crater (Source: Space Fellowship)
HiRISE images of fresh craters in the middle to high Northern latitudes show exposed water ice on the poleward-facing slopes (see here). The enlarged image shows an approximately 6 mile (20 feet) diameter crater. Based on “before” and “after” images acquired by the Odyssey THEMIS and MRO CTX cameras, respectively, this crater formed some time between April 2004 and January 2010. The crater is at a latitude of 44 degrees North and is itself located on the ejecta of a larger crater. The image was acquired in early summer, when frost at this latitude is not expected. It is therefore believed that the bright blue material in this false-color color image is sub-surface ice that was exposed by the impact. The area of exposed ice based on the HiRISE images is about 1-2 square meters (10-20 square feet). (8/5)

Space Allies Go After Martian Methane (Source: MSNBC)
The scientific instruments have been selected for the first U.S.-European joint mission to Mars, and they're going to be looking for methane. The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter will be loaded up with gadgets designed to sniff out whether the gas is being generated by geological or biological processes. Unexpected levels of methane were detected by the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter in 2003, and the find was confirmed by ground-based observations supported by NASA and the National Science Foundation. One of the places where plumes of methane are rising into the Martian atmosphere is Nili Fossae, which is considered a prime target in the search for traces of Martian life. (8/4)

Moon's Shell May Be Wet, But Inside Is Bone Dry (Source: Space.com)
Recent studies have found vast amounts of water ice at or near the lunar surface. But the inside of the moon is bone dry, a new study finds. A recent study of lunar rock samples from NASA's Apollo missions could mean the moon's interior harbors less water than thought. In fact, a new examination of the lunar rocks' chlorine composition indicates that the moon is essentially dry – without any water deep inside at all. (8/6)

Saturn Moon Loses Its Ring, Gains a Mystery (Source: National Geographic)
Until this week Saturn's small moon Rhea was the only known solid space object thought to have a ring. (Other known ringed bodies, such as Saturn, are mainly gaseous.) But a new study of optical images has failed to detect any signs of structures encircling the natural satellite.

Rhea orbits within Saturn's magnetic field, which creates a bubble of charged particles around the planet. During a 2005 flyby of Rhea, scientists working with NASA's Cassini spacecraft expected to see a dip in electron readings where the moon's surface intercepted the particles. The craft's electron readings did show the moon's wake, but they also revealed several unexpected dips in electrons just outside the moon's diameter. The best possible explanation seemed to be that something physical—a ring of debris around Rhea—was blocking the electrons from reaching Cassini. (8/6)

To Infinity and Beyond (Source: The Economist)
In the summer of 1977 two American spacecraft were launched on what is arguably the grandest mission ever: the exploration of the outer planets of the solar system and the space that lies beyond. More than three decades later, they have become the farthest man-made objects from Earth, reaching out in the darkness to overtake earlier missions to oblivion. The Voyager spacecraft have not only clocked up a far better understanding of the outer planets, they also illustrate mankind’s third great age of discovery.

The Voyager spacecraft survived, and refuted the arguments of astronomers within NASA that neither human space flight nor robotic exploration was necessary when a space telescope could divine the features of the universe. They stand as a monument to America’s pioneering spirit, as well as its scientific prowess. (8/5)

Is a Cosmic Chameleon Driving Galaxies Apart? (Source: New Scientist)
A shape-shifting fifth fundamental force could neatly explain the mystery of dark energy – and some other puzzling astronomical observations. Ask a cosmologist for a potted history of the universe, and it might go something like this: the cosmos began some 13.6 billion years ago with a big bang, exploding from a pinprick of searing heat and incredible density. Since then, it has been cooling and expanding: at first exponentially fast, but soon at a more measured, steady tempo.

At that point our friendly cosmologist might give voice to a little embarrassment. Because if measurements of the distance to faraway supernovae are to be believed, around 5 billion years ago the universe's expansion started to accelerate again. We don't know why. Click here for more. (8/2)

 

Editorial: Habitable Planets (Source: Evansville Courier & Press)
How quickly what was once considered near-miraculous becomes routine. Until close to the end of the last century, it was believed that we might be alone in the universe. No astronomer had ever detected a planet outside our solar system. Then, in 1992, two were discovered, and then the discoveries came faster and faster. Now NASA's Kepler space telescope mission in just six weeks of searching has identified over 700 likely planets, 140 of them Earth-size and potentially habitable.

And that is only the beginning. Harvard astronomer and Kepler team member Dimitar Sasselov estimates that the Milky Way may have as many as 100 million habitable planets. European astronomers, using telescopes, said they believed they had found the most massive star ever discovered -- a behemoth 320 times the weight of the sun. The star is R136a1 in the Tarantula Nebula. Because it is consuming itself at an enormous rate, it is only likely to be around for 3 million years. (8/3)

Exciting Hints from the Hunt for Habitable Planets (Source: Deseret News)
NASA announced some preliminary results of studies by its Kepler probe on June 15: the probe's camera chips had pointed out 706 potential planets in its first 43 days of operation. Though NASA has been issuing cautionary comments, this is thrilling. These are in addition to five planets that were announced earlier by the project, places where life seems extremely unlikely.

First, a heap of those ifs, ands and buts: Kepler can find planets by the dimming of a star when a planet crosses in front, but the announced results are only targets that seemed promising. Some could be nothing more than binary stars eclipsing the target stars. Of those that really are planets, many could be outside the star's habitable zone, the region that's neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water. (8/8)

Are We Alone In the Universe? (Source: WIRED)
Life in other parts of the universe may have already tried to contact us, but the message hasn’t gotten here yet. It’s something we think about a lot for sure, the question of whether or not there is life in the universe besides ours. Up to this point in our existence, there is no concrete proof to prove the existence of other intelligent life — or lack thereof. There are many theories, many ideas floating around that attempt to offer a comforting thought about life in the universe. Click here to read the article. (8/3)

 

Webb Telescope Promises New Look at Universe — if NASA Can Get it Into Space (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
When it works, and if it works, the James Webb Space Telescope could revolutionize astronomy by peering so deep into space that scientists soon could study the dawn of time. But construction of NASA's next big telescope has been so hurt by delays and cost overruns that even its staunchest champion in Congress reached a breaking point. In a letter dated June 29, U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., all but ordered NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden to assemble a panel of outside experts to ensure the Webb project doesn't break its latest promise: a 2014 launch on a $5 billion budget. (8/8)

ATK Sets Test for Next Ares 1 Solid Rocket Motor (Source: Huntsville Times)
lliant Techsystems (ATK) and NASA have said they will test the second fully developed Ares I solid rocket motor, known as Development Motor-2 (DM-2), this month. The five-segment rocket motor is an upgraded version of the space shuttle's 4-segment booster, and has also been identified as a key element of a potential NASA heavy lift launch vehicle.

This is a so-called "cold motor" test, ATK says. The motor will be cooled to 40°F to measure motor performance at low temperature, as well as to verify design requirements of new materials in the motor joints. These new materials will allow ATK to eliminate joint heaters that were necessary in the original 4-segment motor design. This will save weight, reduce system complexity and simplify launches, the company says. (8/5)

 

Space Shuttle Worker Eyes New Career (Source: Florida Today)
As if from the pages of a screenplay, the drama is building in a Port St. John subdivision. Will the story end in heartbreak, as aspiring writer Gary Whitmore returns, dejected, to engineering? Or will it be a happy experience, with Whitmore still returning to engineering?

Will his faithful wife Robyn put her foot down because Whitmore won't cook dinner when the shuttle program ends, leaving him without a job? Or will she continue to be sweet and supportive as he bangs out potentially obscure screenplays when he could be cooking? "I thought you were going to stay home and be my house-husband," she said with a giggle.

One thing is certain: Gary's getting the ax, and soon. The safety engineer for 271/2 years at United Space Alliance at Kennedy Space Center is sure to lose his job, along with 8,000 others, after the final shuttle flight sometime next year. Scriptwriting is his "Plan B," and he's got 19 stories stacked up on his hard drive. (8/2)

House Resolution Increases Momentum for National Aerospace Week (Source: AIA)
“The U.S. aerospace industry is a powerful reliable source of employment, innovation and export income,” declared Rep.Vern Ehlers (D-MI) during a floor speech July 21 introducing a joint resolution establishing National Aerospace Week. House Concurrent Resolution 282, which passed by 419 to 0, permanently establishes National Aerospace Week during the third week of September. This year the celebration is Sept. 12-18. A similar resolution is expected to be introduced by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Kit Bond (R-MO) this month. (8/5)

 

American Students Win International Rocket Contest Fly-Off (Source: AIA)
Student rocketeers from France, the United Kingdom and the United States competed in the Third Annual Transatlantic Rocketry Challenge. The four-member team from Penn Manor High School in Millersville, Pa., posted the best score to win the international fly-off. Horsforth School in Leeds, England, placed second. The French team was unable to launch its rocket due to technical problems. (8/5)

Sally Ride Science Academy Aims to Make Kids Starry-Eyed (Source: USA Today)
Ask a third-grader to draw a scientist, and you'll probably get a white-haired man dressed in a lab coat. But Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, would like to change that. Once teachers attend her Sally Ride Science Academy, she hopes those third-graders will show men and women hiking, exploring the oceans and flying in space. And maybe the scientists will resemble the young artists themselves.

Getting students to see scientists as normal people who work in places besides laboratories is one of the goals of the Sally Ride Science Academy. Launched in 2009, the academy trains teachers how to engage kids in math and science. Click here to read the article. (8/2)

Aerospace Industry Needs Young People in Careers to Replace Retirees (Source: AIA)
With a high percentage of the engineering and aerospace workforce nearing retirement age, a push is on to recruit young people to consider careers in the industry. The challenge is particularly tough in aerospace, because the many jobs with defense contracts require employees to be U.S. citizens and have security clearances, said Marion Blakey, CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association. "Within 10 years, half of our workforce will be eligible to retire," Blakey said. "We have to home-grow this workforce because of the security clearance requirements." (8/3)

Space Simulators Ready for Liftoff at Kentucky Magnet School (Source: AIA)
The Academy at Shawnee, an aerospace and technology magnet school in Kentucky, is adding space station and control room simulators in a $1.2 million effort to pique students' interest in aerospace careers. The school aimed for authenticity in the simulators, modeling its control room after Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston. (8/4)

Idaho Space Days (Source: Boise Weekly)
For Trekkies and presidents of chess clubs, Idaho Space Days is going to be hotter than a supernova. But for the rest of you cool kids, if you channel your inner geeks, Idaho Space Days might just provide a fun (and air-conditioned) opportunity to learn about space from retired NASA astronauts. Discovery Center of Idaho launched its fourth annual Idaho Space Days on Aug. 2 with a model rocket demonstration.

The six-day event will run through Saturday, Aug. 7, and is packed with presentations and activities related to space travel. This year's theme is Women in Space and features astronaut Barbara Morgan, who is a former participant in the Teacher in Space program. Wendy Lawrence, a retired astronaut who served on four shuttle missions in 10 years, will also speak at Space Days. Lawrence will share stories about her experiences in space and her perspective on what it was like to be a woman in space. (8/4)

Why NASA's New Video Game Completely Misses the Point (Source: Popular Mechanics)
There is a scene in last year's first-person shooter, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, that puts you in the pressurized boots of an astronaut. While hitched to the outside of the International Space Station, you're asked by mission control to provide visual confirmation of an ICBM arcing through low Earth orbit. The sequence ends as abruptly as it begins, with the station blown to pieces, and you, the astronaut, sent tumbling into space. It's a bizarre and thrilling minute of doomed gameplay.

If only NASA's own astronaut simulator, Moonbase Alpha, was so brutish and short. Distributed for free online (via the Steam network) and developed in partnership with America 's Army, the PC game is set on a lunar outpost in 2025. After a meteor strike disables the expedition's life-support systems, one or more players set out with tools, robots and rovers to get oxygen flowing again. It's a race against the clock—25 minutes, to be precise.

It's also excruciatingly boring, not to mention ill-timed. This past April, after hearing the recommendations of an independent panel on the future of human spaceflight, the Obama administration pulled the plug on a new manned mission to the moon. "We've been there before. Buzz has been there before," President Obama said during a speech on April 15 at the John F. Kennedy Center in Florida , referring to Buzz Aldrin, who attended the event. "There's a lot more of space to explore, and a lot more to learn when we do." (8/4)

A Real Mess in Orbit: Space Junk to Hang Around Longer Than Expected (Source: Space.com)
Space junk continues to clutter the friendly cosmic skies, posing threats to satellites and spacecraft, with scientists working to identify which bits of orbital rubbish to pluck from the heavens first. But a new study suggests they're fighting an uphill battle. New research on changes in the Earth's upper atmosphere suggests space debris could remain in orbit for longer than expected.

A science team at the U.K.'s University of Southampton has confirmed a long-term change in the Earth's upper atmosphere. This change, a contraction of the Earth's thermosphere, has been attributed to the buildup of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide. The atmospheric compression is keeping satellites — and space refuse — in Earth orbit for added stints of time. (8/3)

Safe And Efficient De-Orbit Of Space Junk Without Making The Problem Worse (Source: Space Daily)
Global Aerospace Corp.'s Dr. Kristin Gates will present a paper on de-orbiting space junk at the AIAA Astrodynamics Specialists Conference in Toronto. Dr. Gates will describe GAC's Gossamer Orbit Lowering Device (GOLD) for safe and efficient removal from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) of dangerous space objects. The patented GOLD system concept uses a very large ultra thin balloon envelope to increase the aerodynamic drag by a factor of several hundred. This will cause the space junk to enter the earth's atmosphere quickly and burn up. (8/2)

Giant Balloons Could Clear Out Space Junk (Source: New Scientist)
One way to prevent in-space collisions is to have satellites fire their own engines at the end of their useful lives in order to push themselves into Earth's atmosphere, where they would be incinerated. But this requires launching them with extra fuel, adding mass that drives up the cost of launch. Balloons would be a cheaper way to solve the problem, say engineers at Global Aerospace Corp. in California. Any new satellite could be launched with a folded-up balloon stowed on board. Once the satellite reached the end of its useful life, the balloon would fill with helium or another gas, creating extra drag as the balloon collided with Earth's tenuous outer atmosphere. A balloon 37 meters across would take just one year to drag a 1200-kilogram satellite from an initial orbit of 830 kilometers to an altitude low enough to burn up in the atmosphere. Without the balloon, this would take decades. (8/4)

Congress Claims NASA Ignored Conflicts of Interest in ITT Space Network Deal (Source: Satellite Today)
A U.S. Congressional Science and Technology Committee claims NASA personnel at the Goddard Space Center ignored potential organizational conflicts of interest issues by allowing ITT Corp. to bid on and win a contract to operate the NASA satellite and Space Mission Communications Network, according to a report released Aug. 3.

NASA awarded ITT with a Space Communications Networks Services contract in October 2008 over Honeywell Technology Solutions, the program incumbent. Honeywell filed a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) later that month, and NASA has since extended Honeywell’s incumbency contract program through at least Oct. 9, 2010, with another six-month extension still a possibility. (8/4)

House Sci & Tech Committee Slams NASA Goddard on SCNS Contract (Source: NASA Watch)
"Committee staff received several allegations about contract misconduct by the management and acquisitions staff of the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). These all related to large support contracts managed out of the Center. Many of the allegations were tied to the current Space Communications Networks Services (SCNS) contract competition. After a thorough review of the materials provided to the Committee by NASA and others and many interviews ... we believe that staff at GSFC have engaged in conduct that is inconsistent with either the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) or the agency's own rules. The result is that the SCNS competition has been skewed in such a fashion that, at a minimum, creates the appearance of the agency favoring one bidder over another." (8/3)

NGA Awards Big Satellite Imagery Contracts (Source: Space News)
The U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has awarded contracts potentially worth a combined $7.3 billion over the next 10 years to U.S. imaging satellite operators DigitalGlobe and GeoEye under the EnhancedView program. “These contracts will meet NGA, Intelligence Community and Department of Defense needs for additional amounts of imagery beyond what current contracts provide as well as support humanitarian and crisis support efforts,” the NGA said in a press release. (8/7)

Astrium Signs Contract with Vietnam for Earth Observation Satellite (Source: EADS)
Astrium has signed a contract worth €55.2 million with the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) for the development, manufacture and launch of an Earth observation optical satellite system. This follows on from last November’s intergovernmental agreement on space co-operation between France and Vietnam, in which the French government affirmed its commitment to building a closer partnership with Vietnam in the domain of science and technology. (8/2)

Iridium Secures $1.8 Billion in Loan Commitments (Source: Space News)
Mobile satellite services provider Iridium Communications on Aug. 4 announced it had secured bank commitments totaling more than $1.8 billion to finance the company’s second-generation system of 72 in-orbit satellites and nine ground spares. The funding, which will be part of a credit facility that has the tentative backing of France’s export-credit agency, Coface, will carry an interest rate of less than 6 percent, most of which will be on fixed-rate terms, with repayment starting in 2017 and continuing through 2024. (8/6)

Superfast In-Flight Connectivity on Horizon as Inmarsat Reveals $1.2b Plan (Source: Flight Global)
Ultra-high-speed in-flight connectivity via Ka-band satellites is on the horizon for commercial and business aircraft operators following Inmarsat's decision to develop a global network of Ka-band satellites for its new I-5 constellation. Inmarsat has commissioned Boeing to deliver three state-of-the-art Ka-band satellites to serve as the backbone of a new global mobile broadband service called Global Xpress. (8/6)

Boeing Should Lose $271 Million in Rocket Billings , Audit Says (Source: Bloomberg)
The world’s second-biggest commercial-jet builder posted a 21 percent drop in profit after delivering fewer planes. Net income fell to $787 million, or $1.06 a share, from $998 million, or $1.41, a year earlier. Boeing should lose as much as $271 million in government payments for satellite launch services because it violated federal accounting rules, according to the Pentagon’s audit agency.

The Defense Contract Audit Agency, in a July 23 audit, recommended that the Pentagon require Boeing to reimburse $72 million that was previously paid, agency director Patrick Fitzgerald said in an e-mail statement. An analyst also said the Defense Contract Management Agency, which monitors contractor performance, also should notify the joint Boeing-Lockheed Martin Corp. United Launch Alliance that the government won’t pay another $199 million in “unallowable” pending support costs. Boeing was notified of the finding on July 28 and doesn’t agree, a company spokesman said.

The auditors reviewed whether Chicago-based Boeing improperly billed the Air Force in a 2006-2008 contract for labor, management, quality control and support costs that had been incurred between 1998 and 2006 in the Delta IV rocket program. In Boeing’s case, a regional manager for the audit agency approved “a flawed audit that could have allowed Boeing to recover” the $271 million. (8/2)

Executives Provide Outlook on ATK's Rocket Business (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Two different NASA authorization bills winding through Congress are both encouraging for rocket-builder ATK, a top contractor for the endangered Ares rocket family, company officials said. "Congressional support for accelerating space exploration is encouraging," said Mark DeYoung, president and CEO of Alliant Techsystems Inc. "The House and Senate authorization bills bode well for ATK's long-term role in this effort." (8/6)

ATK Reports Strong FY11 First-Quarter Operating Results (Source: ATK)
Alliant Techsystems reported operating results for the first quarter of FY-2011. First quarter sales of $1.2 billion were in line with expectations and remained steady compared to the prior-year quarter. First quarter net income rose 8 percent to $75 million, reflecting a lower tax rate, margin improvements, and lower interest expense. ATK is narrowing its full-year sales forecast to the upper end of its previously announced range due to the encouraging outlook for the company's NASA business. (8/5)

DirecTV Profit Rises 33% as Prices Rise (Source: LA Times)
DirecTV Inc. said second-quarter profit rose by 33 percent with net income of $543 million (up from $407 million a year ago). The satellite TV company attracted customers from its U.S. cable rivals and Latin American operations took off in part due to the World Cup fervor. The nation's largest satellite TV provider said it added 100,000 net U.S. subscribers in the quarter. While that was down from 224,000 in the same quarter last year, when it was helped by the shutdown of analog broadcast TV signals, DirecTV remains one of the few subscription TV providers that is adding video customers. Most major cable companies are not. (8/5)

 

Wayne Hale, Jr. Joins Special Aerospace Services (Source: SpaceRef.com)
Special Aerospace Services (SAS) of Boulder, Colorado, is pleased to announce that N. Wayne Hale, Jr. has joined SAS as Director of Human Spaceflight Programs. Mr. Hale brings comprehensive experience in the field of human spaceflight following a career of more than 30 years with NASA. As one of his many instrumental assignments at NASA, Mr. Hale served as Program Manager for NASA's Space Shuttle Program during the critical period following the Columbia accident. 8/2)

Straight Outta Titan: Dr Dre Gets Astronomical (Source: New Scientist)
Mixing science with hip-hop music isn't merely a hobby of scientists and science writers with time on their hands. In an interview with VIBE magazine, hip-hop legend Dr Dre mentioned that he was thinking of an instrumental album called The Planets. "It's just my interpretation of what each planet sounds like. I'm gonna go off on that. Just all instrumental. I've been studying the planets and learning the personalities of each planet," he told interviewer Jerry Barrow. "I've been doing this for about two years now just in my spare time so to speak. I wanna do it in surround sound. It'll have to be in surround sound for Saturn to work." (8/5)

The Mercury 13 Women - A Political and Not Very Pretty Tale (Source: Cape Cod Today)
In traditional American towns young girls' aspirations were quickly snuffed as our teachers told us that boys are astronauts. Girls can marry them. And yet, in a largely-hidden chapter of history, women had already successfully passed the tests to become astronauts! We just didn't know that.

In 1959, Look Magazine did a feature on a highly-skilled pilot named Betty Skelton. In collaboration with NASA's PR team, they had her take a number of astronaut tests (which she aced!) and created a cover story that raised the profile of the space program -- yet the highly-qualified Skelton was never really considered an astronaut candidate. It was all a promotion game.

At about the same time, the chair of NASA's Life Sciences Committee and the doctor who ran the Mercury 7 test program, and General Donald Flickinger created a program called Women in Space Earliest (Project WISE). It was run largely in secret. Their first recruit was Jerrie Cobb, who had more than 7,000 air hours (far more than any of the male candidates) and had set the world record for altitude. Even though the Air Force was not in favor of female pilots, let alone astronauts, she was unquestionably the Right Stuff. (8/7)

 

Embry-Riddle Plans 2nd Annual Aviation & Aerospace Manufacturing Summit in Orlando (Source: ERAU)
Planned for Feb. 23-25 at the Walt Disney World Yacht & Beach Club, this Summit will present data and address issues on the state of aerospace manufacturing in the U.S. and around the world for both military and commercial markets, and address key trends and projections for the future. The summit is targeted toward small-to-medium manufacturers, OEMs and primes, service providers, government agencies, policy makers, economic developers, and educators who serve the aerospace industry. Click here for information. (8/7)

 

California Aerospace Events Calendar

 

San Diego Air & Space Museum Plans Golf Tournament, Alien Luau on Aug. 11 & 14

Join the San Diego Air & Space Museum and the San Diego International Airport as we celebrate our 27th Annual Charity Golf Tournament. Your participation as a player and contributor will help us provide quality educational experiences to students in the San Diego region through scholarships, exhibits, classes and outreach. Also planned is an Alien Luau on Aug. 14. Visit http://www.sandiegoairandspace.org/calendar/event.php?id=25

 

Satellites & Education Conference Planned at California State University on Aug. 12-14

This is the only conference that connects teachers with their students' future employers. The event is sponsored by the Satellite Educators Association. The event sponsors invite aerospace companies to provide promotional materials for door prizes. Visit http://www.sated.org/index04.htm for information.

 

Star Wars Celebration Planned at Orange County Convention Center on Aug. 12-15

Star Wars Celebration is the official Lucasfilm event celebrating all things Star Wars. Celebrations are the largest Star Wars  parties, featuring cast and crew celebrities, fans, costumes, music, live entertainment, autographs, collectibles, and panels — but mainly friends who gather to have fun and celebrate their love for the saga. The Clone Wars, Star Wars  Celebration touches on anything and everything connected with that galaxy far, far away. The first such event took place in 1999, and we’re proud to host the fifth Celebration in 2010! Visit http://www.starwarscelebration.com/en/Overview/FAQ/

 

SETIcon Event Planned in Santa Clara on Aug. 13-15

Make contact at SETIcon with other fans of science fact and science fiction in a comfortable setting. Enjoy a wide range of mind-expanding activities, plus a banquet where you can rub elbows with the speakers and other enthusiasts, an evening party, and lots of time for discussion. Visit http://www.seticon.com for more information and tickets.

 

"The View from JPL" Event Planned on Aug. 20

You are invited to the August meeting of The Aerospace & Defense Forum, a monthly informal group of senior professionals who share news, information and analysis concerning the commercial and defense aerospace industries. Guest Speaker: Lt. Gen Gene Tattini, Deputy Director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Click here for information and reservations. (7/30) http://www.frontier-assoc.com/Services/AD%20Invite%20August%202010.pdf

 

AIAA Space 2010 Conference/Exhibition & 28th International Communications Satellite Systems Conference in Anaheim on Aug. 31 - Sep. 3

This joint conference will be attended by leaders from all corners of the space community, including key government and industry decision-makers. Visit http://www.aiaa.org/events/space/10-0008_SPACE_CFP_FINAL.pdf

 

California Governor's Trade Mission to South Korea Planned Sep. 12-16
To showcase California goods and services, promote tourism  and expand trade relations between South Korea and California, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce on behalf of Gov. Schwarzenegger, will be organizing a number of business opportunities throughout the trade mission for California companies to connect with key business and government decision makers Join us. For additional information please visit www.lachamber.com/southkorea

 

APSCC Satellite Conference & Exhibition, October 5-7

Hilton Hotel, Tokyo, Japan. Entering its sixteenth year, the APSCC’s 13th Annual Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications, Broadcasting and Space Conference and Exhibition, APSCC 2010 will identify new business breakthroughs ahead of the industry and share the insights for the fast growing market and the social responsibility with leading speakers drawn from of the Asia-Pacific region under the theme of “Beyond Survival, It is Responsibility.” Visit http://www.apscc.or.kr/event/apscc2010.asp

 

"Made in California 2010 Seminar Series" - Aerospace and Defense Leadership Summit in Torrance, Oct. 6

Supported by CSA, CMTC presents a manufacturing leadership seminar series.  With the economic recovery forthcoming, it's not going to be "business as usual".  Aerospace and Defense (A&D) suppliers in California need to prepare for the top line growth and bottom line operations improvement to remain viable and be able to compete globally.   Join us at the Holiday Inn, Torrance on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 from 7:30 am - 2:00 pm.  Breakfast and lunch will be provided.  CSA Member Discount!  For additional information and registration please click here. (7/30)

 

Last Week’s DOD Contract Awards in California

 

Armtec Defense Products Co., Coachella, Calif., was awarded on July 28 a $29,200,558 firm-fixed-price contract.  The contractor shall provide 155mm M232A1 modular artillery charge systems combustible cases.  Work is to be performed in Coachella, Calif., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2013.  One bid was solicited with one bid received.  U.S. Army Contracting Command, Joint Munitions & Lethality Contracting Center, CCJM-CA, Combat Ammo Center, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity.

 

Thales Raytheon Systems, LLC, Fullerton, Calif., was awarded on Aug. 4 a $15,616,857 firm-fixed-price contract.  The U.S. government intends to procure mini-depot capability for the government of India for the sustainment of the FireFinder AN/TPQ-37A(v)3 radar set.  Work is to be performed in Fullerton, Calif. (34 percent), and El Segundo, Calif. (66 percent), with an estimated completion date of Aug. 1, 2015.  One sole-source bid was solicited with one bid received.  CECOM Acquisition Center, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting activity.

 

BAE Systems National Security Solutions, Inc., San Diego, Calif., was awarded on July 30 a $12,642,384 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract.  This contract is for a Global Geospatial Intelligence date products in support of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.  Work is to be performed in Mount Laurel, N.J. (50 percent); McLean, Va. (2 percent); Huntsville, Ala. (24 percent); Mission, Kan. (12 percent); and Bowie, Md. (12 percent), with an estimated completion date of July 29, 2011.  One bid was solicited with one bid received. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, AMSM, St. Louis, Mo., is the contracting activity.

 

BAE Systems National Security Solutions, Inc., San Diego, Calif., was awarded on July 29 a $8,392,718 firm-fixed-price contract.  This contract is for the subject matter expert services for “National Ground Intelligence Center NGA Support Team, The Office of Counter proliferation, The Office of Counterterrorism, and The Office of Asia Pacific” . Work is to be performed in Bethesda, Md. (14 percent); the District of Columbia (34 percent); St. Louis, Mo. (29 percent); and Charlottesville, Va., (23 percent), with an estimated completion date of Sept. 15, 2011.  One bid was solicited with one bid received.  National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, Arnold, Mo., is the contracting activity.

 

Night Optics USA, Inc., Huntington Beach, Calif., was awarded on Aug. 3 an $8,226,325 firm-fixed-price contract.  The U.S. government is procuring the following:  110 Night Optics/Binocular Night Vision Device-15 (NO/BNVD-15) night vision goggles; 136 Night Optics/Passive Vision-14 (NO/PV-14) advanced multi-purpose scopes; 100 of NO/PVS-14-3w/5x; three NO/BNVD-15 purge adaptors; 145 Passive Vision Sigh-14 (PVS-14) maintenance spares kits; operator spares; and training for the NO/BNVD-15.  Work is to be performed in Huntington Beach, Calif., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2019.  One bid was solicited with one bid received.  CECOM Contracting Center, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting activity.

 

Dutra Dredging Co., San Rafael, Calif., was awarded on Aug. 3 a $6,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for rental of Hopper dredge with attendant plant and operators for maintenance dredging of mobile harbor channel, Mobile, Ala.  Work is to be performed in Mobile, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Oct. 30, 2011.  Bids were solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website with one bid received.  U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, Ala., is the contracting activity.

 

Halbert Construction Co., Inc.*, El Cajon, Calif., is being awarded $5,938,320 for firm-fixed-price task order #0007 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-09-D-1615) for consolidation of public works shops at Naval Base Point Loma, San Diego, Calif.  The work to be performed provides for the removal/demolition of 29 deteriorated, obsolete, energy-consuming buildings, and to consolidate the relevant public works functions into a new centralized building.  This is a design-build project.  The project also includes three unexercised options which, if exercised, would increase the cumulative task order value to $7,199,895.  The work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by February 2012.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  Five proposals were received for this task order.  The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.

 

BP Energy Co., Houston, Texas, is being awarded a maximum $29,581,268 fixed-price with economic price adjustment contract for delivery of direct supply natural gas.  Other locations of performance are Alabama, California, Florida and New Mexico.  Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and federal civilian agencies.  The original proposal was Web-solicited with 29 responses.  The date of performance completion is Sept. 30, 2012.  The Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity.

 

Lockheed Martin, Mission Systems & Sensors, Mitchel Field, N.Y., is being awarded an $11,884,450 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide Trident II (D5) strategic systems programs shipboard systems integration; strategic weapon system navigation subsystem; systems design and development; and electrostatically supported gyro navigator refresh.  This contract contains options which, if exercised, will bring the total contract value to $230,156,983.  Work will be performed in Mitchel Field, N.Y. (35.4 percent); Huntington Beach, Calif. (27.9 percent); Oldsmar, Fla. (14.8 percent); Phoenix, Ariz. (14.2 percent); Cambridge, Mass. (7.2 percent); and Eagan, Minn. (0.5 percent).  Work is expected to be completed July 30, 2015.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This contract was competitively procured, with two offers received.  The Strategic Systems Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity.

 

T.J. Fig Inc., Stockton, Calif., was awarded on July 28 a $21,458,488 time-and-material contract.  This procurement is for mobile training teams to perform operator new equipment and field maintenance new equipment training courses on Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles at locations in and outside the contiguous U.S.  Army are awarding 280,338 hours on a five-month extension to the contract.  Work is to be performed in Kuwait and Iraq, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2010.  One bid was solicited with one bid received.  TACOM Contracting Center, Detroit Arsenal, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity.

 

SpecPro Environmental Services, LLC, Oak Ridge, Tenn., was awarded on July 27 a $7,330,546 firm-fixed-price contract.  This contract is for initial work that will include site assessment and analysis, and design of an updated HVAC system.  This modification definitized the cost of the construction, which includes the repair, fabrication and installation of a new exhaust system for the medical biohazard and isolation room, general and toilet exhaust air systems, and correction of the overall air distribution system.  Work is to be performed at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2012.  Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with one bid received.  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District, Little Rock, Ark., is the contracting activity.

 

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Reconnaissance Systems Group, LEO Division, San Diego, Calif., was awarded on July 28 a $5,453,564 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the High Efficiency Solid-State Electric Laser Program to advance the state-of-the-art for high-power, high-efficiency, compact, lightweight, electrically-driven laser technologies suitable for future military applications.  Work is to be performed in San Diego, Calif. (76 percent); Tucson, Ariz. (18 percent); and Charlotte, N.C. (6 percent), with an estimated completion date of Jan. 22, 2016.  U.S. Army Space & Missile Defense Command/ARSTRAT, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity.

 

Are you gearing up to buy your first place? Shopping for a home is exciting, exhausting and a little bit scary. In the end, your aim is to end up with a home you love at a price you can afford. Sounds simple enough, right? Unfortunately, many people make mistakes the prevent them from achieving this simple dream. Arm yourself with these tips to get the most out of your purchase and avoid making 10 of the most costly mistakes that could put a hold on that sold sign.

1. Not Knowing What You Can Afford
As we've all learned from the subprime mortgage mess, what the bank says you can afford and what you know you can afford or are comfortable with paying are not necessarily the same. If you don't already have a budget, make a list of all your monthly expenses (excluding rent), including vehicle costs, student loan payments, credit card payments, groceries, health insurance, retirement savings and so on. Don't forget major expenses that only occur once a year, like any insurance premiums you pay annually or annual vacations. Subtract this total from your take-home pay and you'll know how much you can spend on your new home each month.

If you end up looking at homes that are outside your price range, you'll end up lusting after something you can't afford, which can put you in the dangerous position of trying to stretch beyond your means financially or cause you to feel unsatisfied with what you actually can afford. You may even learn that you can't afford the type or size of home that you desire and that you need to work on reducing your monthly expenses and/or increasing your income before you even start looking.

2. Skipping Mortgage Qualification
What you think you can afford and what the bank is willing to lend you may not match up, especially if you have poor credit or unstable income, so make sure to get pre-approved for a loan before placing an offer on a home. If you don't, you'll be wasting the seller's time, the seller's agent's time, and your agent's time if you sign a contract and then discover later that the bank won't lend you what you need, or that it's only willing to give you a mortgage that you find unacceptable.

Be aware that even if you have been pre-approved for a mortgage, your loan can fall through at the last minute if you do something to alter your credit score, like finance a car purchase. If you cause the deal to fall through, you may have to forfeit the several thousand dollars that you put up when you went under contract.

3. Failing to Consider Additional Expenses
Once you're a homeowner, you'll have additional expenses on top of your monthly payment. Unlike when you were a renter, you'll be responsible for paying property taxes, insuring your home against disasters and making any repairs the house needs (which will occasionally include expensive items like a new roof or a new furnace).

If you're interested in purchasing a condo, you'll have to pay maintenance costs monthly regardless of whether anything needs fixing because you'll be part of a homeowner's association, which collects a couple hundred dollars a month from the owners of each unit in the building in the form of condominium fees.

4. Being Too Picky
Go ahead and put everything you can think of on your new home wish list, but don't be so inflexible that you end up continuing to rent for significantly longer than you really want to. First-time homebuyers often have to compromise on something because their funds are limited. You may have to live on a busy street, accept outdated decor, make some repairs to the home, or forgo that extra bedroom. Of course, you can always choose to continue renting until you can afford everything on your list - you'll just have to decide how important it is for you to become a homeowner now rather than in a couple of years.

5. Lacking Vision
Even if you can't afford to replace the hideous wallpaper in the bathroom now, it might be worth it to live with the ugliness for a while in exchange for getting into a house you can afford. If the home otherwise meets your needs in terms of the big things that are difficult to change, such as location and size, don't let physical imperfections turn you away. Besides, doing home upgrades yourself, even when you have to hire a contractor, is often cheaper than paying the increased home value to a seller who has already done the work for you.

6. Being Swept Away
Minor upgrades and cosmetic fixes are inexpensive tricks are a seller's dream for playing on your emotions and eliciting a much higher price tag. Sellers may pay $2,000 for minimal upgrades or staging that you'll end up paying $40,000 for. If you're on a budget, look for homes whose full potential has yet to be realized. Also, first-time homebuyers should always look for a house they can add value to, as this ensures a bump in equity to help you up the property ladder.

7. Compromising on the Important Things
Don't get a two-bedroom home when you know you're planning to have kids and will want three bedrooms. By the same token, don't buy a condo just because it's cheaper when one of the main reasons you're over apartment life is because you hate sharing walls with neighbors. It's true that you'll probably have to make some compromises to be able to afford your first home, but don't make a compromise that will be a major strain.

8. Neglecting to Inspect
It's tempting to think that you're a homeowner the moment you go into escrow, but not so fast - before you close on the sale, you need to know what kind of shape the house is in. You don't want to get stuck with a money pit or with the headache of performing a lot of unexpected repairs. Keeping your feelings in check until you have a full picture of the house's physical condition and the soundness of your potential investment will help you avoid making a serious financial mistake.

9. Not Choosing to Hire an Agent or Using the Seller's Agent
Once you're seriously shopping for a home, don't walk into an open house without having an agent (or at least being prepared to throw out a name of someone you're supposedly working with). Agents are held to the ethical rule that they must act in both the seller and the buyer parties' best interests, but you can see how that might not work in your best interest if you start dealing with a seller's agent before contacting one of your own.

10. Not Thinking About the Future
It's impossible to perfectly predict the future of your chosen neighborhood, but paying attention to the information that is available to you now can help you avoid unpleasant surprises down the road.

Some questions you should ask about your prospective property include:

• What kind of development plans are in the works for your neighborhood in the future?
• Is your street likely to become a major street or a popular rush-hour shortcut?
• Will a highway be built in your backyard in five years?
• What are the zoning laws in your area?
• If there is a lot of undeveloped land? What is likely to get built there?
• Have home values in the neighborhood been declining?
• If you're happy with the answers to these questions, then your house's location can keep its rose-colored luster.

Conclusion
Buying a first home can seem stressful and overwhelming, and it isn't without its share of potential pitfalls. If you're aware of those issues ahead of time, you can protect yourself from costly mistakes and shop with confidence.

For many people, a home is the largest purchase they will ever make, but it need not be the most difficult.

جريانات رخت‌خوابي اصولاً از

جذاب‌ترين موضوعات در زندگيه

بشريه.
 يك جورايي هم دردنيا

اينطوري شده كه اصولاً آقايون

بايد دنبال اين مسائل بدوبدو

كنن وخانم‌ها هم ازش به عنوان

اسلحه‌اي مرگبار عليه آقايون

استفاده‌كنن. به هرحال اين

جريان واقعيتيه كه هر روز در

كنار هر آدمي اتفاق
 مي‌افته.

اين داستان پايين رو از جايي

خوندم و خيلي خنديدم گفتم

ترجمه كنم شما همبخونين. البته

كه انگليسيش خندا‌دار تره

ولي به هر حالا اين
 ورژن هم مطلب

ومي‌رسونه. فقط به خانم‌ها
 بر

نخوره خواهشاً. قصد

 فقط

خنده‌است و چيزي توياين

داستان قرار نيست ثابت بشه. و

تنها

 بخشيش كه به آقايون حال

مي‌ده اينهكه مثل اون

قسمت‌هاي تام و جري مي‌مونه

كه تام برنده مي‌شد نه جري!!!

و اما داستان:

يكشب كه من و دوست‌دخترم توي

رختواب مشغول ناز و نوازش

بوديم. در حالي كه احتمال
 وقوع

حوادثي هر لحظه بيشتر و بيشتر

مي‌شد يك دفعه خانم برگشت
 و

به من گفت: "من حوصله‌اش

 رو

ندارم فقط مي‌خوام كه بغلم

كني."

چي؟ يعني چه؟

و اون جوابي رو كه هر مردي رو به

در و ديوار مي‌كوبونه بهم داد: 

 تو اصلاً به احساسات من به

عنوان يك زن توجه نداري و فقط

به فكر رابطه‌ي فيزيكي ما

هستي!

و بعد در پاسخ به چشم‌هاي من كه

از حدقه داشت در مي‌اومد اضافه

كرد:

تو چرا نمي‌توني من رو
 بخاطر

خودم دوست داشته باشي نه

 براي

چيزي كه توي رختواب بين من و
 تو

اتفاق مي‌افته؟

خوب واضح و مبرهن بود كه اون شب

ديگه هيچ حادثه‌اي رخ نمي‌ده.

براي همين من هم با

 افسردگي

خوابيدم. 

فرداي اون شب ترجيح دادم كه

مرخصي بگيرم و يك كمي وقتم رو

باهاش بگذرونم. با هم رفتيم

بيرون و توي يك رستوران شيك

ناهار خورديم. بعدش رفتيم توي

يك بوتيك بزرگ و مشغول خريد

شديم. 

چندين دست لباس گرون قيمت رو

امتحان كرد و چون نمي‌تونست

تصميم بگيره من بهش گفتم كه

بهتره همه رو برداره. بعدش براي

اينكه ست تكميل بشه توي

قسمت كفش‌ها براي هر دست لباس

يك جفت هم كفش انتخاب كرديم.
 در

نهايت هم توي قسمت جواهرات

 يك

جفت گوشواره‌اي الماس. 

حضورتون عرض كنم كه از
 خوشحالي

داشت ذوق مرگ مي‌شد. حتي فكر

كنم سعي كرد من وامتحان كه چون

ازم خواست براش يك مچ‌بند

 تنيس

بخرم، با وجود اينكه حتي يكبار

هم راكت تنيس
 رو دستش

نگرفته‌بود. نمي‌تونست باور

كنه وقتي در جواب درخواستش

گفتم: "برشدار عزيزم."

در اوج لذت از تمام اين

خريد‌ها دست آخر برگشت و بهم

گفت: "عزيزم فكر

 كنم
 همين‌ها

خوبه. بيا بريم حساب كنيم." 

در همين لحظه بود كه گفتم: "نه

عزيزم من حالش و ندارم."

با چشماي بيرون زده و فك افتاده

گفت:"چي؟"

عزيزم من مي‌خوام كه تو فقط كمي

اين چيزا رو بغل كني. تو به

وضعيت اقتصاديه من به عنوان يك

مرد هيچ
 توجهي نداري و فقط همين

كه من برات چيزي بخرم

برات مهمه.."

وموقعي كه توي چشماش مي‌خوندم

كه همين الاناست كه بياد و منو

بكشه اضافه كردم: "چرا نمي‌توني

من و بخاطر خودم دوست

داشته‌باشي نه بخاطر
 چيزايي

كه برات مي‌خرم؟"

خوب امشب هم توي اتاق‌خواب هيچ

اتفاقي نمي‌افته فقط دلم خنك

شده كه فهميده "هرچي عوض داره

گله نداره."

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Almost a year ago I moved into a new apartment and did something revolutionary: I didn't set up cable or satellite TV. I was frustrated by the lack of choice (only one provider), lengthy contracts, and inexplicably high price. As someone who watches a lot of television, this seemed like a truly difficult problem, but I resolved to find a way to see my favorite shows without paying a cable or satellite bill. Fortunately, it was much easier than I thought.

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You might not know it, but you can watch HDTV with an antenna.

Over 99% of U.S. TV households can receive at least one local sation over the air, while 89% can watch five or more. The picture is perfectly clear thanks to the switch to digital TV completed on June 12, 2009. You'll either see a crisp, beautiful image or no image at all (static is a thing of the past). And the best part? All your favorite programming will still be in HD.

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HDTV is more expensive for local stations to produce, so it's common to see a station broadcast in regular standard definition during the day, but switch their signal to high definition for prime time. So while the local news may not be in HD, your favorite shows like Glee, America's Got Talent, and The Bachelorette will be.

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Of course, you will need an antenna to make this work, but your HDTV will also have to have an "HDTV tuner" built in. This is sometimes referred to as "integrated HDTV". If not, you'll need to buy a separate HDTV tuner that connects your existing HDTV to an antenna. To check, you may have to consult your HDTV's manual, do a search online, or contact the manufacturer.

AntennaWeb, a site provided by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), will show you exactly where to point your antenna for the best reception at your address. It will also let you see which stations are broadcasting over the air in your area. There may be more than you think.

What about shows that aren't on broadcast channels?

Two of my favorite shows, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, air on Comedy Central, which isn't a channel you can receive with an antenna. Fortunately, Internet to the rescue! If you've got a computer and internet access (there's no way I'd be able to live without paying for Internet), both shows can be watched in their entirety on their respective websites for free. (Full episodes of The Daily Show and full episodes of The Colbert Report). Like most online shows, you'll have to sit through a few commercials, but less than you would see watching the same show on television and without having to pay for the privilege.

The popular website Hulu has hundreds of shows available to watch online, all free, commercial-supported, but it's not the only option. Netflix is a great way to watch past seasons of favorite shows, which can be streamed instantly to almost 100 devices like your computer, Xbox, PlayStation, Wii, iPhone (soon), etc. You can watch as much as you want for only $9 a month; compared to the cost of a cable or satellite subscription with premium movie channels, a pittance. Plus, they've got almost every movie you've ever heard of, offer a 2 week free trial, and let you cancel whenever you want.

Where do you watch live sports online?

If you're getting your Internet from one of these providers, you can access ESPN3, a "broadband network for live sports programming". The site is currently in beta and not every game on TV is available online, but you can watch thousands of games and events (even World Cup soccer) live with chat, stats, scoreboards, and picture-in-picture. According to them:

Each year ESPN3 delivers thousands of live games and events like College Football and Basketball, NBA, MLB, UEFA Champions League Soccer, The Masters and US Open Golf, all 4 Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and more. Plus you get a fully interactive experience with real time in-game stats and scoreboards and live chat.

Other sites to watch sports? MLB.tv has an $80/year membership that will let you stream every regular season baseball game (with a few exceptions) right to your computer/PS3/etc, live or on-demand, and in HD when available. Given the success of these ventures, look for even more games and events to be broadcast online through sites like ESPN3 and MLB.tv. The interactive nature of the web allows for an engaging, social experience and ultimately, more enjoyable spectating.

But what about "premium" shows, like the ones on HBO, Cinemax and Starz?

Some shows can be purchased individually from sites like Amazon.com or Apple's iTunes Store a day or two after they air. If you do the math, you'll find that purchasing your favorite show is likely to be cheaper than paying for the channel it airs on month after month.

For everything else, you'll have to be a little patient and wait for the inevitable DVD release of last season. The typical DVD set for one season of a television series costs between $25 and $35, so you could buy several sets each month and still save over the cost of cable or satellite. However, if it comes out on DVD, chances are it'll show up on Netflix where that $9 a month subscription is now looking really good.

How does all this internet video get on my TV?

While streaming video to your computer sounds great, most people want to watch television on their television. Fortunately, there are tons of options to get your favorite shows on your big screen. First, check your computer for an output designed to work with either an external monitor or TV. If you've got one, you may be able to buy a cable and adapter that will plug your computer directly into your television. Doing so is a bit like putting together a puzzle; you want to find pieces that connect to each other. This can be a little tricky, especially with all the different possible connections on the market. So if you're not tech savvy, you may want to get a little help from someone who is or check out this video from Howcast called "How To Connect Your Laptop To Your Television".

You might also want to look at "media streaming" boxes. Like the cable box you'll be ditching, these connect to your TV and allow you to watch programming you wouldn't otherwise be able to see. The big difference? You can watch free and paid internet content. Depending on the box, you'll be able to stream video from Netflix, Amazon, MLB.tv, Hulu, and YouTube, audio from internet radio stations, Pandora, and Last.fm, and watch movies or look at photos that have been stored your home PC. Think of media streaming boxes as mini-computers for your TV.

The Roku Digital Video Player is $80 ($100 for the HD version), but you can get $20 off if you're a new Netflix subscriber. It'll stream dozens of "channels" from the web right to your TV for less than the price of one month of cable or satellite. Plus, it's an open platform so developers are adding new channels all the time.

The Boxee Box by D-Link wont be available for purchase until later this year, but you can install their free software on your home computer right now. It'll turn your Mac or PC into a full fledged media player, with an interface specifically designed to look great on TV. It's much easier to navigate with a remote and provides easy access to your personal collection of movies and music, as well as every video website under the Sun.

Google will soon enter the market to pair TV and the Internet with Google TV, a software package they developed to be built in to TVs, Blu-Ray players and set-top boxes. It's sort of a super-TiVo that will let you watch and record broadcast programming while seamlessly switching to internet streaming when what you want to watch isn't on a channel you receive. In essence, Google created the perfect companion for anyone who wants to ditch cable or satellite without sacrificing their favorite shows. Upcoming devices with Google TV built in have been announced by Sony, Logitech and Intel, but wont be available until later this year.

Apple TV is like an iPod for your TV. It'll let you stream videos and audio from your iTunes collection, but only if they're in the right format, and nothing from Hulu, Netflix, etc. Of course, anything you purchase from iTunes will play perfectly, so this may be a great option for some. However, at $230 with seemingly limited capabilities, your best bet might be to wait for the Apple TV 2 (if such a thing is coming).

So there are plenty of inexpensive options. You don't need a new computer for every TV in your house, though with the money saved by cutting out cable or satellite, you could afford several.

How much does all of this cost?

While the average cable bill is $75 a month or $900 a year, I was paying closer to $150 a month or $1800 a year to see everything I wanted. Now I pay $9 a month for my Netflix subscription and watch everything else for free online or over-the-air broadcast. I don't need a TiVo (since you can just hit pause on a website), and I use an old, cheap computer running Boxee hooked up to my TV as my "media center". My $1800 a year expense is now only $108 and I can watch just about everything I want, whenever I want.

Update: Hulu Plus

Just one day after writing this story, Hulu announced their new premium membership called Hulu Plus. For $9.99 a month, it promises full and current seasons of shows like The Office, Friday Night Lights, Dancing with the Stars and Lie to Me. Shows can be watched on your computer, through an iPhone/iPad app, or on a compatible television, blu-ray player or gaming system. While you are paying money for a premium service, Hulu has said that programming will still be advertising supported, so be aware. Currently, the full Hulu Plus catalog is only open to those who request an invitation, but look for wider availability soon. Personally, I can't wait to try it out.

اگر که کالاها بـازم قيمتاشون قد کشيده
اگر ترافيـک خفنه ، موبايـلا آنتـن نمـي‌ده
کنکور اگر که مشکله
حل نمي شه معادله
هرجا اگر خرابيه
تقصير بدحجابيه !

***

اگر تو هر وزارتي پارتي و رشوه جاريه
اگر تـــو هـر اداره اي تخـــــلفِ اداريـــه
هرچيزي مي‌شه زير و رو
اگر تقلب مي‌شه تو
حوزه ي انتخابيه
تقصير بدحجابيه !

***

اگر که صُب تا شب بايد مثل يه دانکي! کار کني
اگر بايد جـــون بکنــي تا همــسر اختيــار کنــي!
اگر يکي«جون»نداره !
براي شب نون نداره
يکي خونه‌ش کبابيه
تقصير بدحجابيه !

***

اگر فلانــي داره با فلانــي دعــوا مي‌کنــــــــه
همش توي روزنامه ها تکذيب و افشا مي‌کنه
اگر واسه يه لقمه نون
بايد کنار هر ستون
چاپ بکنن جوابيه
تقصير بدحجابيه !

***

اگر تو تبليغات مي‌گفت:«ما با حجاب کار نداريم
با هرچـي کار داشته باشيم کاري با اجبــار نداريم»
براي راي ِ پرفروغ
اگر که گفتن ِ دورغ
شيوه‌ي راي‌يابيه
تقصير بدحجابيه !

***

اگر که دانشگاهامون نيمکتِ کافي ندارن
اگر که استادا يه ربع وقت اضــافي ندارن
دانشجو بايد بدونه
اگر که تو کتابخونه
معضل ِ بي‌کتابيه
تقصير بدحجابيه !

***

مي خوام يه قصري بسازم پنجره هاش آبي باشه
من باشم و تو باشــــي و يک شب مهتابي باشه
اگر دلم بهم مي‌گه
يا تو يا هيچ کس ديگه
آسمونم که آبيه
تقصير بدحجابيه !

***

اگر خيار گرون مي‌شه سالي سه بار گرون مي‌شـه
اگر که بــي مقدمـــه ميـــوه به نرخ خــون مـــي‌شه

به جون کــامرون دياز !
اگر که قيمت پياز
به قيمت گلابيه
تقصير بدحجابيه !

***

اگر براي ادعا زبــــــــــــــــــــــــــون داريم هزار وجب
ولي تو خيلي عرصه ها همش مي‌ريم دنده عقب
اگر دواي دردمون
هميشه صدتا کاميون
شعار انقلابيه
تقصير بدحجابيه !

 

لعنت به مستراحی که برچسب قرمز و آبی شیرش برعکس خورده باشد.

 

لعنت به مستراحی که سوسک ها بدون اطلاع و هماهنگی سرشان را از چاه بیرون بیاورند.

 

لعنت به مستراحی که مرکز کانونی تحدّب کاسه اش روی صورت آدم باشد

 

لعنت به مستراحی که قبل از نشستن کسی درش را بزند

 

لعنت به مستراحی که آبش برود و آفتابه اش خالی باشد.

 

لعنت به مستراحی که پشت درش نوشته باشند: «لعنت بر پدر و مادر کسی که در این مکان ب... .»

 

لعنت به مستراحی که صدا را 56 مرتبه اکو کند.  (که یه ساعت مجبور شی بعدش توضیح بدی بابا به خداا عمق فاجعه این قدر نبود  )

 

لعنت به مستراحی که شیلنگش از هفت جا سوراخ شده باشد.

 

لعنت به مستراحی که سر شیلنگش همیشه توی چاهش افتاده باشد.

 

لعنت به مستراحی که فاصله کاسه اش از دیوار پشتی فقط یک سانت باشد. ( هر دفعه که مییای بشینی با کله میری سمته در ورودی  )

 

لعنت به مستراحی که فشار شیر آبش مثل شیر سماور است.

 

لعنت به مستراحی که بدون آن بنی بشر هیچ چی نیست

 
1- مردان خوب، زشت هستند.

2- مردان خوش قیافه، خوب نیستند.

3- مردان خوب و خوش قیافه به جنس موافق تمایل دارند.

4- مردان خوب، خوش قیافه و علاقمند به جنس مخالف، متاهل هستند.

5- مردانی که آنچنان خوش قیافه نیستند، ولی خوبند، پولدار نیستند.

6- مـردانی که آنچنان خوش قیافه نیستند، ولی پولدار و خوبند، تصور می کنـنـد مـا بـه دنبال مال آنها هستیم.

7- مردان خوش قیافه و بی پول، بدنبال پول ما هستند.

8- مردان خـوش قـیافه، که آنچنان خوب نیستند و تا حدی به جنس مخالف علاقمندند، تصور نمیکنند که ما به اندازه کافی زیبا هستیم.

9- مردانی که تصور می کـنـنـد مـا زیـبـا هستـیم، به جنس مخالف علاقمندند، تا حدی خوش قیافه و پولدار هستند، آدمهایی ترسو و بزدل میباشند.

10- مردانی که تا حدی خوش قیافه هستند، تاحـدی خـوب هستند، مقداری پول دارند و سپاسگزار خدا هستند، به جنس مخالف علاقمندند، خجالتی هسـتند، و هرگز اولین قدم را برنمی دارند ( برای آشنایی پیش قدم نمی شوند).

11- مردانی که هرگز قدم اول را برنمیرارند، زمانی که ما پیشقدم می شـویم، اتوماتیک وار علاقه را در ما از بین میبرند.

ایـن مـقـالـه را بـرای زنـان بـاهـوش که نیاز به کمی خندیدن دارنـد و مـردانی کـه جـنـبـه خواندنش را در خود می بینند، ارسال کنید!

21 Things You Should Never Buy New

If you're looking to get the most value for your dollar, it would do your wallet good to check out secondhand options. Many used goods still have plenty of life left in them even years after the original purchase, and they're usually resold at a fraction of the retail price, to boot. Here's a list of 21 things that make for a better deal when you buy them used.

[Slideshow: 10 Things to Splurge on This Summer.]

1. DVDs and CDs: Used DVDs and CDs will play like new if they were well taken care of. Even if you wind up with a scratched disc and you don't want to bother with a return, there are ways to remove the scratches and make the DVD or CD playable again.

2. Books: You can buy used books at significant discounts from online sellers and brick-and-mortar used book stores. The condition of the books may vary, but they usually range from good to like-new. And of course, check out your local library for free reading material.

3. Video Games: Kids get tired of video games rather quickly. You can easily find used video games from online sellers at sites like Amazon and eBay a few months after the release date. Most video game store outlets will feature a used game shelf, as well. And if you're not the patient type, you can rent or borrow from a friend first to see if it's worth the purchase.

4. Special Occasion and Holiday Clothing: Sometimes you'll need to buy formal clothing for special occasions, such as weddings or prom. Most people will take good care of formal clothing but will only wear it once or twice. Their closet castouts are your savings: Thrift stores, yard sales, online sellers and even some dress shops offer fantastic buys on used formalwear.

5. Jewelry: Depreciation hits hard when you try to sell used jewelry, but as a buyer you can take advantage of the markdown to save a bundle. This is especially true for diamonds, which has ridiculously low resale value. Check out estate sales and reputable pawn shops to find great deals on unique pieces. Even if you decide to resell the jewelry later, the depreciation won't hurt as much.

6. Ikea Furniture: Why bother assembling your own when you can pick it up for free (or nearly free) on Craigslist and Freecycle? Summer is the best time to hunt for Ikea furniture--that's when college students are changing apartments and tossing out their goodies.

7. Games and Toys: How long do games and toys remain your child's favorite before they're left forgotten under the bed or in the closet? You can find used children's toys in great condition at moving sales or on Craigslist, or you can ask your neighbors, friends, and family to trade used toys. Just make sure to give them a good wash before letting junior play.

8. Maternity and Baby Clothes: Compared to everyday outfits that you can wear any time, maternity clothes don't get much wear outside the few months of pregnancy when they fit. The same goes for baby clothes that are quickly outgrown. You'll save a small fortune by purchasing gently used maternity clothes and baby clothes at yard sales and thrift stores. Like children's games and toys, friends and family may have baby or maternity clothing that they'll be happy to let you take off their hands.

[See 20 Things You Should Never Buy Used.]

9. Musical Instruments: Purchasing new musical instruments for a beginner musician is rarely a good idea. (Are you ready to pay $60 an hour for piano lessons?) For your little dear who wants to learn to play an instrument, you should see how long his or her interest lasts by acquiring a rented or used instrument to practice with first. Unless you're a professional musician or your junior prodigy is seriously committed to music, a brand new instrument may not be the best investment.

10. Pets: If you buy a puppy (or kitty) from a professional breeder or a pet store outlet, it can set you back anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. On top of this, you'll need to anticipate additional fees and vet bills, too. Instead, adopt a pre-owned pet from your local animal shelter and get a new family member, fees, and vaccines at a substantially lower cost.

11. Home Accent: Pieces Home decorating pieces and artwork are rarely handled on a day-to-day basis, so they're generally still in good condition even after being resold multiple times. If you like the worn-out look of some decor pieces, you can be sure you didn't pay extra for something that comes naturally with time. And don't forget, for most of us, discovering a true gem at a garage sale is 90% of the fun!

12. Craft Supplies: If you're into crafting, you probably have a variety of different supplies left over from prior projects. If you require some additional supplies for your upcoming project, then you can join a craft swap where you'll find other crafty people to trade supplies with. If you have leftovers, be sure to donate them to your local schools.

13. Houses: You're typically able to get better and more features for your dollar when you purchase an older home rather than building new. Older houses were often constructed on bigger corner lots, and you also get architectural variety in your neighborhood if the houses were built or remodeled in different eras.

14. Office Furniture: Good office furniture is built to withstand heavy use and handling. Really solid pieces will last a lifetime, long after they're resold the first or second time. A great used desk or file cabinet will work as well as (or better than) a new one, but for a fraction of the cost. With the recession shutting down so many businesses, you can easily find lots of great office furniture deals.

15. Cars: You've probably heard this before: Cars depreciate the second you drive them off of the dealership's lot. In buying a used car, you save money on both the initial cost and the insurance. It also helps to know a trusty mechanic who can check it over first. This way, you'll be aware of any potential problems before you make the purchase.

[See 20 Tips for Cleaning on the Cheap.]

16. Hand Tools: Simple tools with few moving parts, like hammers, hoes and wrenches, will keep for decades so long as they are well-made to begin with and are well-maintained. These are fairly easy to find at neighborhood yard or garage sales. If you don't need to use hand tools very often, an even better deal is to rent a set of tools or borrow them from a friend.

17. Sports Equipment: Most people buy sports equipment planning to use it until it drops, but this rarely happens. So when sports equipment ends up on the resale market, they tend to still be in excellent condition. Look into buying used sporting gear through Craigslist and at yard sales or sports equipment stores.

18. Consumer Electronics: I know most folks like shiny new toys, but refurbished electronic goods are a much sweeter deal. Consumer electronics are returned to the manufacturer for different reasons, but generally, they'll be inspected for damaged parts, fixed, tested, then resold at a lower price. Just make sure you get a good warranty along with your purchase.

19. Gardening Supplies: This is an easy way for you to save money, and all you need to do is be observant. Take a look outdoors and you'll likely find such gardening supplies as mulch, wood, and even stones for free or vastly reduced prices. Used garden equipment and tools are also common goods at yard sales.

20. Timeshares: Buying timeshares isn't for everyone, but if you decide that it suits your lifestyle, purchasing the property as a resale would be a better deal than buying it brand new: on average, you'll save 67 percent on the price for a comparable new timeshare. If you're new to timeshare ownership, give it a test run first by renting short term.

21. Recreational Items: It's fairly easy to find high ticket recreational items like campers, boats, and jet skis being resold. Oftentimes, they're barely used at all. As long as they're in safe, working condition, they'll make for a better value when purchased used than new.

Lynn Truong is the co-founder and Deals Editor of Wise Bread, a blog dedicated to helping readers live large on a small budget. Wise Bread's book, 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget, debuted as the #1 Money Management book on Amazon.com.

You can learn a lot from watching the World Cup -- and not just about soccer. As I've tuned into the games I've started to realize how many ways it's just like the stock market -- and how it can actually teach you a useful thing or two about making money.

Don't believe me? Here are seven lessons that "the beautiful game" can teach you about the money game:

1. Don't be shocked by "shocks."

Who would imagine that France, finalists four years ago, would crash out in such humiliation? That England would draw with Algeria? That Switzerland would beat Spain?

More from WSJ.com:

• The New Bank Fees: How to Fight Back

• A Good Time for a Visit to Europe (Stocks)

• Regulators Rein In Murky Life Policies

Yet these "shocks" happen all the time.

Many years ago, when I wrote a book about futures betting on soccer, a top bookmaker in London told me his firm made good money on unlikely events such as these. The gambling public, he said, typically underestimates the chances on an upset.

And so it is in the investing world. Nassim Nicholas Taleb calls such unlikely events "black swans." As English comic novelist P.G. Wodehouse once put it, "never confuse the unusual with the impossible." Not long ago it seemed impossible that, say, Lehman Brothers or General Motors could go bankrupt.

As we have been reminded in recent years, the unusual happens. The only thing surprising is that so many people are surprised.

2. You need a strong defense.

There's a saying in soccer: "It only takes a second to score a goal." But as England's hapless goalkeeper, Robert Green, could tell you after his schoolboy blunder against the United States last week, the truth is slightly different.

It only takes a second to concede a goal. Scoring one at the other end can take forever.

Investors know how it feels. The profits of a brilliant trade can be thrown away in a moment by a careless blunder.

Offense, trying to make money, is much more exciting than defense, trying not to lose it. But smart money management starts the other way around. After all, it takes a 100% profit to recover from a 50% loss. Or as value investors might put it: Rule number one, concede no goals. Rule number two? Never forget rule number one.

3. You have to think globally.

The World Cup is one of the few times fans everywhere drop their obsession with the sporting events, players and teams at home and start to pay close attention to everyone else.

Sure, you're rooting for Team USA. And the Japanese have been rooting for Japan, and so on. But everyone knows the biggest stories are teams like the Argentinians, the Portuguese and the Brazilians. And we're all watching anyway.

Investors need to learn the same trick. "Home equity bias" has long been identified as a big problem in most portfolios. Most people keep way too much of their money in their home stock market. Studies have found that U.S. investors typically keep more than 80% of their equity portfolio in U.S. stocks. According to the Investment Company Institute, fewer than half of households that invest in mutual funds even own a fund that invests overseas.

It makes no sense. You already have big economic bets on the U.S. economy -- your home, job and support network are all here. The U.S. only accounts for a third of the world's stock markets by value, so if you just stick to the home market you're missing out on two-thirds of the action.

Investing globally spreads your bets and gives you maximum diversification. A recent paper by AQR Capital Management, found that a global portfolio has typically given investors better long-term returns with less short-term turmoil.

4. Don't get blinded by hope.

I understand why someone from North Korea would choose to cheer for North Korea (0-for-2, nine goals allowed), no matter how badly the team does. After all it's their country.

What I don't understand are investors who stick with terrible investments all the way down, hoping and praying that bad management, bad strategy and bad products will somehow produce a good result. Hoping isn't expecting. Unless they actually worked at the company, no one needed to be stuck with their shares in Washington Mutual or Fannie Mae or General Motors. If it's not making you happy, stop complaining or praying. Sell.

5. Patience wins.

Once again the England team has proven, so far, a monumental disappointment to its fans at home. I used to live in England and watched this happen, oh, every four years.

Brazilian soccer legend Pele once explained the problem to a British TV reporter some years back. England, he said, needed to develop patience on the field.

They aren't alone in this. Too many teams try for the quick kill -- kicking the ball up field and hoping for the best. Great soccer teams -- especially the Brazilians -- take a very different approach. They are famous for passing the ball around dozens of times, waiting for just the right moment to strike. It works.

And so it is on the stock market, which Warren Buffett -- possibly the Pele of investment -- once called an efficient mechanism for transferring money from the active to the patient. Like most great investors, he'll bide his time almost indefinitely, waiting for the chance on goal. It's a better plan.

6. Watch your margin of safety.

The Slovenians looked pretty comfortable after securing a two goal lead against the U.S. half way through the match. But in the end they were lucky to escape with a draw. These kinds of turnarounds happen all the time. You can't get too comfortable. Almost anything can happen.

Ben Graham, the godfather of cautious "value" investing, reached a similar conclusion about his portfolio after the crash of 1929. Stock prices plummeted far further than he ever thought possible. (Real estate investors in the past few years have had a similar experience). That's why Mr. Graham turned his attention to the concept of "margin of safety." He recommended investors buy stocks when they are at least a third below their intrinsic value. Just in case.

7. Don't pin all of your hopes on the referees.

Financial regulators -- including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Treasury and the Federal Reserve -- have come in for severe criticism in the wake of the financial crisis, and no wonder. They didn't believe there was a housing bubble. They didn't know the banks were playing shell games with their balance sheets. They didn't know what was really going on in the derivatives market. The list is pitiful.

But if they want to feel better about themselves, they should probably tune in to some of the World Cup matches. Some of the refereeing has been simply extraordinary. First-time referee Koman Coulibaly has been left out of the next round after the controversial, and probably blown call in the USA-Slovenia game that cost the U.S. a win. It wasn't the only controversy of the Cup. And if experience is any guide, it won't be the last. Dubious refereeing is as much as feature of soccer as it is of the stock market. As for Mr. Coulibaly: Maybe we could find him a job on Wall Street -- as a regulator.

At last, the latest major update for the iPhone and iPod Touch is available for download via iTunes, bringing with it such long-awaited features as multitasking, a unified e-mail inbox and home-screen app folders. Should you upgrade? Well, yeah, but don't expect all your apps to start working in the background just yet.

The iOS 4 update went live on iTunes at about 1 p.m. Eastern, and upgrading your

iPhone or iPod Touch

to the new OS is a simple matter of syncing your handset with the iTunes desktop application; you should be prompted to download and install the upgrade a few seconds after attaching your

iPhone

to the connector cable. The entire process should could take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how long it takes to download the installation file (which is anywhere from about 290MB to more than 550MB in size, depending on the device you're updating), so be patient.

OK, so who should upgrade?

Anyone with an iPhone

3GS or iPhone 3G, as well as the second- and third-generation iPod Touches. That's the good news. The bad news? Neither the iPhone 3G nor the second-gen iPod Touch will support iOS 4's multitasking features, although most other

new features

will be supported. And if you've got the original iPhone or the first-generation iPod Touch: Sorry, folks, you're out of luck.

All right, what should you expect the first time you fire up your upgraded iPhone or

iPod Touch

? Here are some of the highlights.

Home-screen wallpaper

Here's a feature you'll notice right away: When your home-screen app icons slide into place, you'll see your lock-screen wallpaper rather than a boring black background. Want to customize your wallpaper? Tap Settings, then Wallpaper, then tap once more to choose a wallpaper from your image gallery. You'll get the option to set a given image as your lock-screen wallpaper, your home-screen wallpaper or both. (Keep in mind, however, that a busy

home screen

background plus 16 app icons could make for some serious eye strain.) But if you're an iPhone 3G or second-gen iPod Touch user, bad news: The home-screen wallpaper has been disabled for your devices. Lame. 

Integrated e-mail inbox & threaded messaging

iPhone users (including me) have been complaining for years that they haven't been able to get a unified view of their incoming e-mail, but that all changed today. Now, you can tap the All lnboxes inbox to see new messages from all your accounts at once—hallelujah (although I wish you could get a little icon telling you which account your various messages belong to). Also new is threaded messaging, which organizes your e-mail conversations into separate threads, a la Gmail. Don't like threaded messaging? You can turn it off by tapping "Settings," "Mail, Contacts, Calendars," and moving the "Organize by Thread" slider to "off."

Multitasking

The most anticipated iOS 4 feature of all, of course, is multitasking for third-party iPhone and iPod Touch apps, and the new multitasking interface couldn't be easier to use. When you've got an app running, just double-tap the Home button and the screen slides up, revealing a tray of any and all apps running in the background. Tap an icon, and the app that's currently running will twirl away, to be replaced by the app you just tapped. You can also tap and hold an app in the multitasking tray to close it for good once you're done using it.

Pretty nice, but there are a few caveats. No. 1: Just because iOS 4 supports multitasking doesn't mean all your apps can now run riot in the background. Apple already told us that only certain app functions — namely streaming music (such as Pandora), VoIP (think Skype) and

location tracking

(like Loopt) — will be allowed to work while you're using another app. Other apps will go into a "suspended" state, frozen in place so you can pick up exactly where you left off (via "fast app switching"). Why the limitations? So that apps in the background don't kill your battery and/or slow down your performance, according to Apple.

But here's the catch: A given app must be updated to work with iOS 4 before it'll multitask at all, even in a suspended state. (An app that isn't iOS-4-ready will just restart once you switch back to it.) For now, only a handful of apps have been updated. TechCrunch has

listed a few of them

, including Pandora, Evernote and the New York Times app.

From what we've heard

, the process of upgrading an app with iOS 4 multitasking support isn't difficult; it's just a matter of developers going ahead and adding the necessary code. Of course, Apple must also approve the update. Let's hope we start seeing an avalanche of iOS 4-ready apps in the App Store within the next several days.

Home-screen app folders

The only problem with all those apps on your iPhone is keeping them organized. Personally, I've tried relegating games to one home screen, productivity apps to another, and so on, but it all gets pretty unwieldy. Now, thanks to iOS 4, we're getting home-screen folders, good for storing up to 12 apps. To create a folder, just tap and hold an icon until all your iPhone icons begin to shake; drag the icon onto another, and voila, you've created a folder. Tap the folder icon, and the screen will slide up, revealing all the apps inside. Nice, but I wish you could put more than 12 apps at a time inside a folder.

New camera/imaging features

Now you can tap to focus when shooting video or zoom in on subjects when you're shooting stills. Keep in mind, however, that as with other digital cameras, the iPhone's 5X digital zoom capability doesn't amount to much more than on-device cropping. Meanwhile, the iPhone's camera roll now supports the "Faces" and "Places" features in iPhone, meaning you can browse snapshots by who's in them or where they were taken. (Note: After upgrading your phone, notice that the snapshots in your photo albums look all blurry? Me too. Syncing your iPhone on iTunes again should sharpen your pictures right up — at least, it worked for me.)

Other iOS 4 features

Music lovers can now create playlists on the fly in the iPhone's native iPod app. Also new: support for Bluetooth-enabled keyboards, the ability to "gift" an iPhone app to someone else, a built-in dictionary for on-the-fly spellchecking, and an iBooks app for reading books on the iPhone. Two other important iOS 4 features won't be launching until later in the year: iAds (Apple's new

mobile advertising platform

, which goes live July 1) and Game Center, a new Xbox Live-style gaming network with support for friends, messaging and achievements (slated for fall).

Performance

My iPhone 3GS has always been a pretty peppy handset, and upgrading it to iOS 4.0 hasn't changed anything in that regard — the phone still screams, whether I'm swiping through home screens, firing up the e-mail app, or playing Chaos Rings. That said, some

iPhone 3G users

have reported

painfully sluggish performance at first

. But others claim the situation

improves dramatically

once you restart your handset, so if your 3G is having trouble, give it a try.

Still missing in iOS 4: notifications

Both Palm's WebOS and Google's Android OS feature somewhat evolved, elegant notification services, good for letting you know of incoming e-mail or text messages. In WebOS's case, a little window bubbles up at the bottom of the screen, letting you know who e-mailed/texted you and giving you reply/ignore options; on Android devices, the notifications appear in a bar at the top of the screen. With the iPhone, though, there's no way to quickly check who just e-mailed you without bailing out of an app, and SMS notifications appear as jarring pop-ups that interrupt whatever you're doing. Personally, I'm more than ready for the iPhone (and the iPod Touch too, of course) to get a notification system on the order of those on WebOS and Android handsets. But I guess we'll have to wait for iOS 5 before that happens.

Oh, and in case you were wondering: Nope, no surprise Flash support.

Have you installed iOS 4 yet? What do you think? Thoughts about multitasking on the iPhone? And what features are still missing?

— Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News

تصمیم قاطع

روزی مدیر یک شرکت بزرگ، در حالیکه به سمت دفتر کارش میرفت، در راهرو جوانی را دید که به دیوار تکیه داده و به اطراف نگاه میکند.

جلو رفت و از او پرسید: «شما ماهانه چقدر حقوق میگیرید؟»

جوان با تعجب جواب داد: «ماهی 2000 دلار.»

مدیر با عصبانیت دست در جیبش کرد و 6000 دلار درآورد و به جوان داد و به او گفت: «این حقوق 3 ماه تو، برو دیگر اینجا پیدایت نشود. ما به کارمندان حقوق میدهیم که کار کنند نه اینکه بیکار اینجا بایستند و به اطراف نگاه کنند...»

جوان با خوشحالی پول را گرفت و به سرعت دور شد. مدیر از کارمند دیگری که نزدیکش بود پرسید: «آن جوان کارمند کدام قسمت بود؟»

کارمند با تعجب از رفتار مدیر جواب داد: «او پیک پیتزا فروشی بود که برای کارکنان ناهار آورده بود!»

 

مصاحبه شغلی

در حین مصاحبه شغلی برای استخدام در یک شرکت، مدیر منابع انسانی از مهندس جوان صفر کیلومتری که تازه فارغ التحصیل شده بود پرسید: «حقوق مورد انتظار شما برای شروع کار چیست؟»

مهندس جوان گفت: «75000 دلار در سال، بسته به اینکه چه مزایایی داده شود.»

مدیر منابع انسانی گفت: «نظر شما در مورد 5 هفته تعطیلی، 14 روز مرخصی با حقوق، بیمه کامل درمانی، خودروی شیک مدل بالا و مزایای ویژه چیست؟»

مهندس جوان با تعجب از جا پرید و پرسید: «شوخی میکنید؟!»

مدیر منابع انسانی گفت: «بله، اما اول خودت شوخی را شروع کردی!»

 

کارمند تازه وارد

مردی به استخدام یک شرکت بزرگ چند ملیتی درآمد. در اولین روز کار خود، با کافه تریا تماس گرفت و فریاد زد: «یک فنجان قهوه برای من بیاورید.»

صدایی از آن طرف پاسخ داد: «شماره داخلی را اشتباه گرفته ای. میدانی با کی داری حرف میزنی؟»

کارمند گفت: «نه!»

صدای آن طرف گفت: «من مدیر اجرایی شرکت هستم احمق!»

کارمند با لحن ملایم گفت: «و تو میدانی با کی داری حرف میزنی احمق؟!»

مدیر اجرایی گفت: «نه!»

کارمند جواب داد: «خوبه!» و سریع گوشی را قطع کرد!

 

اشتباه موردی

کارمندی به دفتر رییس خود رفت و گفت: «معنی این کار چیست؟ شما این ماه 200 دلار کمتر از چیزی که توافق کردیم به من دادید.»

رییس پاسخ داد: «میدانم، ولی من ماه پیش 200 دلار بیشتر به تو پرداخت کردم و هیچ شکایتی نکردی.»

کارمند گفت: «درسته، من اشتباهات موردی را میتوانم بپذیرم، ولی وقتی بصورت عادت شود وظیفه خودم میدانم به شما گزارش کنم!»

 

زندگی پس از مرگ

رییس: «شما به زندگی پس از مرگ اعتقاد دارید؟»

کارمند: «بله قربان.»

رییس: «خوبه، چون صبح که مرخصی گرفتید و به تشییع جنازه پدرتان رفتید، او به اینجا آمد تا شما را ببیند!»

 

راهکار مدیریتی

مدير و 10 نفر از كاركنانش از طناب بالگردي كه در صدد نجات آنها بود، آويزان بودند. طناب آنقدر محكم نبود كه بتواند وزن هر يازده نفر را تحمل كند. كمك خلبان با بلندگوي دستي از آنها خواست كه يك نفرشان داوطلب شود و طناب را رها كند. البته، داوطلب شدن همانا و سقوط به ته دره همان. و به ظاهر كسي حاضر نبود داوطلب شود. دراين هنگام، مدير گفت كه حاضر است طناب را رها كند ولي دلش مي خواهد براي آخرين بار براي كاركنان سخنراني كند.

او گفت: «چون كاركنان حاضرند براي سازمان دست به هر كاري بزنند و چون كاركنان خانواده خود را دوست دارند و درمورد هزينه هاي افراد خانواده هيچ گله و شكايتي ندارند و بدون هيچ گونه چشمداشتي پس از خاتمه ساعت كار در اداره مي مانند، من براي نجات جان آنان طناب را رها خواهم كرد.»

به محض تمام شدن سخنان مشوقانه و تحسين برانگيز مدير، كاركنان كه به وجد آمده بودند شروع كردند به دست زدن و ابراز سپاسگزاري از مدير!

   

چندی پیش کاظم صدیقی امام جمعه موقت تهران در خطبه های نماز جمعه زنان ایرانی را از بد حجابی پرهیز داد و گفت تکرار این گناه صغیره به گناه کبیره زنا می انجامد.

او در همین اظهارات و در حمایت از سخنان محمود احمدی نژاد که پیش از آن درباره لزوم خروج 5 میلیون نفر از تهران به دلیل احتمال وقوع زلزله هشدار داده بود اعلام داشت که بی حجابی و زنا خطر وقوع زلزله را افزایش می دهد.

این اظهارات واکنش های زیادی را در محافل سیاسی و مطبوعاتی در بسیاری از کشورهای دنیا به دنبال داشت.

روز چهارشنبه 8 اردیبهشت گروهی از دانشگاهیان ایرانی در سراسر جهان با انتشار نامه سرگشاده ای خطاب به بان کی مون، دبیرکل سازمان ملل متحد، سخنان آقای صدیقی را "جهالت و تعصب دینی" توصیف و نسبت به افزایش این قبیل "خرافات" ابراز تاسف کردند.

در پایان این نامه، امضا کنندگان از اعضای شورای اقتصادی و اجتماعی سازمان ملل متحد خواستند که با عضویت ایران در کمیسیون مقام زن در این سازمان مخالفت کند، یا چنانچه به دلایل سهمیه بندی منطقه ای مجبور به پذیرش ایران هستند، این کشور را به پایبندی به "پیمان های بین المللی حقوق برابر" ملزم کنند.

شاید پیش از این برخی روحانیون تندرو یا اصولگرا از این قبیل سخنان در برخی محافل گفته باشند اما سالهاست از تریبون رسمی چون نماز جمعه چنین حرف هایی زده نمی شد. این در حالی است که برخی از مخالفان دولت نگران از ادامه پیدا کردن چنین سخنانی و دامن زدن به خرافات در اقشار مختلف جامعه هستند.

حامد یوسفی، پژوهشگر فرهنگ سیاسی در گفت و گو با بخش فارسی بی بی سی گفت آقای صدیقی در فضای بعد از انتخابات جایگزین اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی شد.

او همچنین گفت: "مجموعه ای از حاکمیت به این نتیجه رسیده که باید ارزش هایی که در یکی دو دهه اخیر تغییر کرده را دوباره به حالتی که از قبل وجود داشت برگرداند. آقای صدیقی از تمام ائمه جمعه ای که تا به حال در تهران بوده اند سنتی تر است. تقریبا می توانم بگویم که هیچ کدام از نکاتی که یک خطیب امروزی در جامعه معاصر باید رعایت کند را ایشان جدی نمی گیرد."

او در ادامه افزود: "اعم از عدم آشنایی با اصطلاحاتی که مربوط به زندگی امروز است. از بیان اشتباه یارانه ها و رایانه ها در یکی از نماز جمعه ها تا اینکه مسائل حاکمیتی را ربط به روایت های مهجور اسلامی می دهد که هر چند ممکن است خیلی ها به آن اعتقاد داشته باشند ولی در سطوح اجرایی و اداری کسی به آنها ارجاع نمی دهد. مثل اینکه بی حجابی می تواند باعث زلزله شود. به تعبیری این برگشتی است به احیای آن ارزشهایی ماقبل مدرن."

آقای یوسفی همچنین معتقد است این ادبیات و فرم سخنان مربوط به این دوران نیست و حال یا واکنش مردم ایران به این سخنان از نوعی خواهد بود که آقای صدیقی تغییر رویه می دهد و یا بالعکس برنامه ریزی قاطعی در پشت ماجرا وجود دارد که هدفش تغییر مردم است.

او افزود: "من خیلی بعید می دانم که دومی محقق شود و حدس و گمانم بر این است خیلی نباید این سخنرانی را جدی گرفت. این یک تصادف است که اتفاق افتاده به دلیل شخصیت خود آقای صدیقی. هر چند انتصاب ایشان به عنوان امام جمعه را باید جدی گرفت. یعنی من فکر نمی کنم تنها گزیده موجود حاکمیت برای جایگزینی آقای هاشمی رفسنجانی آدمی تا این حد متفاوت با منطق های امروز جامعه باشد. بنابراین تعمدی در انتصاب ایشان وجود دارد. اما حدس می زنم به تدریج و آرام آرام ایشان آموزش می بیند که چه چیزهایی اگر در خطبه های نماز جمعه بگوید تبعات دارد و بهتر است آنها را نگوید."

آقای یوسفی گفت: "بالعکس آن چیزی که در شخصیت آقای احمدی نژاد وجود دارد که کاملا خودآگاه سعی می کند جملاتی بگوید که تحریک برانگیز است و ربطی به یک خطیب معاصر ندارد فکر نمی کنم آقای صدیقی تعمد و خودآگاهی نسبت به کاری که دارد انجام می دهد، داشته باشد."

محمد جواد اکبرین پژوهشگر دینی سخنان امام جمعه موقت تهران را به این شکل مورد انتقاد قرار می دهد.

آقای اکبرین گفت: "الهیات ما را تبدیل به الهیات مبتذل می کنند. من تاکید می کنم که سخنان آقای صدیقی مصداق روشنی بر گرفتاری ما در ابتذال معارف دینی است. معرفتی در متون دینی ما وجود دارد که خلاصه اش این است: حرکت کنید. وقتی برای هر کاری و هر هدفی حرکت کردید به کمک خدا هم مطمئن باشید. اما اگر ظلم کنید عاقبت ظلم نابودی است و خدا وعده داده که ظالم را نابود می کند اگر بخواهد بر گناه خودش اصرار کند."

او افزود: "این معرفت وقتی دست روحانیون حکومتی می افتد به سه سوال جواب نمی دهند. سوال اول حرکت چیست؟ سوال دوم چه چیزی مصداق ظلم و گناه است؟ و سوال سوم نابودی چیست؟"

آقای اکبرین در ادامه افزود که افرادی چون کاظم صدیقی برای سرپوش گذاشتن بر ناتوانی در پیشبرد کشوربه سمت توسعه و تامین امنیت و آرامش باورهای دینی را مطرح می کنند.

او گفت: "شما برای زلزله چه کار کرده اید؟ برای پیشگیری از زلزله چه کار کرده اید؟ حرکتتان چیست؟ گفتند به ما حرکت کنید خدا هم کمک می کند. حرکت دولت کجاست؟ به لحاظ علمی برای اداره بهینه یک کشور، برای تامین امنیت مردم چه در ماجرای زلزله و چه در همه قضایای دیگر چه کرده؟ کاری نکردند و به جایش توجیه می کنند و اسمش را هم می گذارند مردم گناه کردند و زلزله آمد. هیچ توضیحی هم برای حرکت های خودشان نمی دهند و پاسخگو نیستند ."

او افزود: "برای آن سوال که چه چیزی مصداق ظلم و گناه است؟ خیلی جالب است که در این کشور مردم را به جرم اعتراض می کشند اما کسی نمی گوید گناهی مرتکب شدند و ظلم کردند و ممکن است خدا به خاطر این ظلم آنها را عذاب بدهد. اما به بی حجابی که اساسا یک واجب قرآنی نیست و صرفا واجب فقهی است و فقیهان برداشت خودشان را از دین گفتند و در قرآن به صراحت این موضوع نیامده آن را مصداق ظلم و گناه و عامل زلزله می دانند."

سخنان کاظم صدیقی در رابطه با نوع پوشش زنان و زلزله وانعکاس آن در رسانه های خارجی واکنش هایی را به دنبال داشت. از جمله جینیفر مک کرایت دختر جوانی از ایالت ایندیانا در آمریکا از طریق شبکه اجتماعی فیس بوک از دوستانش خواست در حرکتی دسته جمعی و در دفاع از علم و مبارزه با خرافات در روز 26 ماه آوریل لباس های بدن نما تن کنند تا این تئوری که برهنگی زنان عامل افزایش زلزله است را بیازمایند. بیش از دویست هزار زن در آمریکا به فراخوان زلزله سینه ها پاسخ مثبت دادند.

بحث و تبادل نظر درباره این سخنان نه تنها در شبکه های اجتماعی چون فیس بوک و توئیتر همچنان ادامه دارد که در واکنش به آن ده ها یادداشت و مقاله در وبلاگ ها و سایت های خبری و تحلیلی وابسته به مخالفان دولت ایران در این روزها منتشر شده است.

در این میان برخی از ناظران نگران افزایش و رشد چنین تفکر و ادبیاتی در سطح جامعه هستند که به دامن زدن به خرافه کمک می کند. از سوی دیگر فعالان و مدافعان حقوق زنان هم با ابراز نگرانی از این سخنان معتقدند شیوع چنین سخنانی در جامعه و از تریبون های اجتماعی و سیاسی راه را برای نقض حقوق زنان و برخورد با آنان هموار می کند.

آیا میدانید : حذف بخش هخامنش از کتاب درسی تاریخ به تصویب رسید؟
آیا میدانید : فرزندان ما دیگر حتی اسم کوروش کبیر را نمیشناسند؟

 
ـ آیا میدانید : 29 اکتبر روز جهانی کوروش کبیر است و این روز فقط در تقویم ایران نیست؟

ـ آیا میدانید : چند سال دیگر ، با نابودی کامل تخت جمشید باید سپاسگذار کشورهایی چون فرانسه باشیم که چندی از تخت جمشید را در موزه های خود حفظ کردند

ـ آیا میدانید: اولین سیستم استخدام دولتی به صورت لشگری و کشوری به مدت ۴۰سال خدمت و سپس بازنشستگی و گرفتن مستمری دائم را کورش کبیر در ایران پایه گذاری کرد.

ـ آیا میدانید : کمبوجيه فرزند کورش بدلیل کشته شدن ۱۲ ایرانی در مصر و اینکه فرعون مصر به جای عذر خواهی از ایرانیان به دشنام دادن و تمسخر پرداخته بود ، با ۲۵۰ هزار سرباز ایرانی در روز ۴۲ از آغاز بهار ۵۲۵ قبل از میلاد به مصر حمله کرد و کل مصر را تصرف کرد و بدلیل آمدن قحطی در مصر مقداری بسیار زیادی غله وارد مصر کرد . اکنون در مصر یک نقاشی دیواری وجود دارد که کمبوجیه را در حال احترام به خدایان مصر نشان میدهد. او به هیچ وجه دین ایران را به آنان تحمیل نکرد و بی احترامی به آنان ننمود.

ـ آیا میدانید : داریوش کبیر با شور و مشورت تمام بزرگان ایالتهای ایران که در پاسارگاد جمع شده بودند به پادشاهی برگزیده شد و در بهار ۵۲۰ قبل از میلاد تاج شاهنشاهی ایران رابر سر نهاد و برای همین مناسبت ۲ نوع سکه طرح دار با نام داریک ( طلا ) و سیکو ( نقره) را در اختیار مردم قرار داد که بعدها رایج ترین پولهای جهان شد

ـ آیا میدانید : داریوش کبیر طرح تعلیمات عمومی و سوادآموزی را اجباری و به صورت کاملا رایگان بنیان گذاشت که به موجب آن همه مردم می بایست خواندن و نوشتن بدانند که به همین مناسبت خط آرامی یا فنیقی را جایگزین خط میخی کرد که بعدها خط پهلوی نام گرفت . *

ـ آیا میدانید : داریوش در پایئز و زمستان ۵۱۸ - ۵۱۹ قبل از میلاد نقشه ساخت پرسپولیس را طراحی کرد و با الهام گرفتن از اهرام مصر نقشه آن را با کمک چندین تن از معماران مصری بروی کاغذ آورد

ـ آیا میدانید : داریوش بعد از تصرف بابل ۲۵ هزار یهودی برده را که در آن شهر بر زیر یوق بردگی شاه بابل بودند آزاد کرد **

ـ آیا میدانید : داریوش در سال دهم پادشاهی خود شاهراه بزرگ کورش را به اتمام رساند و جاده سراسری آسیا را احداث کرد که از خراسان به مغرب چین میرفت که بعدها جاده ابریشم نام گرفت

ـ آیا میدانید : اولین بار پرسپولیس به دستور داریوش کبیر به صورت ماکت ساخته شد تا از بزرگترین کاخ آسیا شبیه سازی شده باشد که فقط ماکت کاخ پرسپولیس ۳ سال طول کشید و کل ساخت کاخ ۸۰ سال به طول انجامید *

ـ آیا میدانید : داریوش برای ساخت کاخ پرسپولیس که نمایشگاه هنر آسیا بوده ۲۵ هزار کارگر به صورت ۱۰ ساعت در تابستان و ۸ ساعت در زمستان به کار گماشته بود و به هر استادکار هر ۵ روز یکبار یک سکه طلا ( داریک ) می داده و به هر خانواده از کارگران به غیر از مزد آنها روزانه ۲۵۰ گرم گوشت همراه با روغن - کره - عسل و پنیر میداده است و هر ۱۰ روز یکبار استراحت داشتند

ـ آیا میدانید : داریوش در هر سال برای ساخت کاخ به کارگران بیش از نیم میلیون طلا مزد می داده است که به گفته مورخان گران ترین کاخ دنیا محسوب میشده . این در حالی است که در همان زمان در مصر کارگران به بیگاری مشغول بوده اند بدون پرداخت مزد که با شلاق نیز همراه بوده است

ـ آیا میدانید : تقویم کنونی ( ماه ۳۰ روز ) به دستور داریوش پایه گذاری شد و او هیاتی را برای اصلاح تقویم ایران به ریاست دانشمند بابلی "دنی تون" بسیج کرده بود . بر طبق تقویم جدید داریوش روز اول و پانزدهم ماه تعطیل بوده و در طول سال دارای ۵ عید مذهبی و ۳۱ روز تعطیلی رسمی که یکی از آنها نوروز و دیگری سوگ سیاوش بوده است

ـ آیا میدانید : داریوش پادگان و نظام وظیفه را در ایران پایه گزاری کرد و به مناسبت آن تمام جوانان چه فرزند شاه و چه فرزند وزیر باید به خدمت بروند و تعلیمات نظامی ببینند تا بتوانند از سرزمین پارس دفاع کنند

ـ آیا میدانید : داریوش برای اولین بار در ایران وزارت راه - وزارت آب - سازمان املاک -سازمان اطلاعات - سازمان پست و تلگراف ( چاپارخانه ) را بنیان نهاد

ـ آیا میدانید : اولین راه شوسه و زیر سازی شده در جهان توسط داریوش ساخته شد

ـ آیا میدانید : داریوش برای جلوگیری از قحطی آب در هندوستان که جزوی از امپراطوری ایران بوده سدی عظیم بروی رود سند بنا نهاد

ـ آیا میدانید : فیثاغورث که بدلایل مذهبی از کشور خود گریخته بود و به ایران پناه آورده بود توسط داریوش کبیر دارای یک زندگی خوب همراه با مستمری دائم شد

This lady was never born, she has not lived for even a single day,
and will also never grow old, or die because...
She is...

..a Painting of 'Tica' by Dru Blair
This is a painting completed in February 2005. It probably took a total of around 65-75 hours to complete. The small images are step by step photographs taken during the painting process, and the large image is the final painting after detail and skin texture are added with an eraser and colored pencil. The main colors are blocked in at the beginning, but refinement is withheld until the very end.

اگه دو تا مرد طالب يه زن باشن توي مملکت‌هاي مختلف چي به سر اين سه نفر مياد؟

 

توي ژاپن

جوان اولي از عشق جوان دومي نسبت به دختر محبوبش متاثر ميشه و خودکشي ميکنه جوان دومي هم از مرگ همنوع خودش اونقدر اندوهگين ميشه که خودکشي ميکنه بعدش براي دختر ژاپني هم چاره‌اي جز خودکشي نيست.

 

توي اسپانيا

مرد اولي توي دوئل، مرد دومي رو از پاي در مياره و با زن محبوبش به آمريکاي جنوبي فرار ميکنن.

 

توي انگلستان

دو تا عاشق با کمال خونسردي حل قضيه رو به يه شرط بندي توي مسابقه اسب سواري موکول ميکنن. اسب هر کدوم برنده شد، معشوق مال اون ميشه.

 

توي فرانسه

خيلي کم کار به جاهاي باريک ميکشه دو تا مرد با همديگه توافق ميکنن که خانم مدتي مال اولي و مدتي مال دومي باشه.

 

توي استراليا

دو تا مرد بر سر ازدواج با معشوق مشترک سالها مشاجره ميکنن اين مشاجره اونقدر طول ميکشه تا يکي از طرفين پير بشه و بميره، يا از يه مرضي بميره اونوقت اونکه زنده مونده با خيال راحت به مقصودش ميرسه.

 

توي قفقاز

جوان اولي دختر محبوب رو بر ميداره و فرار ميکنه دومي هم دختر رو از چنگ اولي ميدزده و پا به فرار ميذاره باز اولي همين کار رو ميکنه و اين ماجرا دائما تکرار ميشه.

 

توي نروژ

معشوقه دو مرد براي اينکه به جدال و دعواي اونها خاتمه بده خودشو از بالاي ساختمون مرتفعي ميندازه پايين و غائله ختم ميشه.

 

توي آفريقا

قضيه خيلي ساده ست و جاي اختلاف نيست دو تا مرد، زني رو که ميخوان عقد ميکنن و علاوه بر اون، بيست تا زن ديگه هم ميگيرن.

 

توي مکزيک

کار به زد و خورد خونيني ميکشه و يکي از طرفين کشته ميشه ولي بعدش اونکه رقيبش رو کشته از دختر مورد نظر دلسرد ميشه و دخترک بي شوهر ميمونه.

 

توي آمريکا

حل قضيه بستگي به زن داره و هر کس رو انتخاب کرد با اون ازدواج ميکنه.

 

توي ايران

فقط پول موضوع رو حل ميکنه پدر و مادر دختر ميشينن با همديگه مشورت ميکنن و خواستگاري که پولدار تر و گردن کلفت تره رو انتخاب ميکنن عاشق شکست خورده اگه توي عشقش جدي باشه يا بايد خودشو بکشه يا رقيب رو از ميدون به در کنه يا افسردگي ميگيره.

نامه دختر کم توقع به همسر آینده اش

همسر آينده ام…..!
ســــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــلام

مي تواني خوشحال باشي، چون من دختر كم توقعي هستم.

اگر مي گويم بايد تحصيلكرده باشي، فقط به خاطر اين است كه بتواني خيال كني بيشتر از من مي فهمي! ……..

 

اگر مي گويم بايد خوش قيافه باشي، فقط به خاطر اين است كه همه با ديدن ما بگويند”داماد سر است!” و تو اعتماد به نفست هي بالاتر برود!

اگر مي گويم بايد ماشين بزرگ و با تجهيزات كامل داشته باشي، فقط به اين خاطر است كه وقتي هر سال به مسافرت دور ايران مي رويم توي ماشين خودمان بخوابيم و بي خود پول هتل ندهيم!

 

اگر از تو خانه مي خواهم، به خاطر اين است كه خود را در خانه اي به تو بسپارم كه تا آخر عمر در و ديوارآن، خاطره اش را برايم حفظ كنند و هرگوشه اش يادآور تو و آن شب باشد!

 

اگر عروسي آن چناني مي خواهم، فقط به خاطر اين است كه فرصتي به تو داده باشم تا بتواني به من نشان بدهي چقدر مرا دوست داري و چقدر منتظر شب عروسيمان بوده اي!

 

اگر دوست دارم ويلاي اختصاصي كنار دريا داشته باشي، فقط به خاطر اين است كه از عشق بازي كنار دريا خوشم مي آيد… جلوي چشم همه هم كه نمي‌شود!

 

اگر مي گويم هرسال برويم يك كشور را ببينيم، فقط به خاطر اين است كه سالها دلم مي خواست جواب اين سوال را بدانم كه آيا واقعا “به هركجا كه روي آسمان همين رنگ است”؟! اگر تو به من كمك نكني تا جواب سوالاتم را پيدا كنم، پس چه كسي كمكم كند؟!

اگر از تو توقع ديگري ندارم، به خاطر اين است كه به تو ثابت كنم چقدر برايم عزيزي!

و بالاخره…
اگر جهيزيه چنداني با خودم نمي آورم، فقط به خاطر اين است كه به من ثابت شود تو مرا بدون جهيزيه سنگين هم دوست داري و عشقمان فارغ از رنگ و رياي ماديات است

 

تعطیلات نوروز در ابتدای هر سال، تنها فرصتی است که تهران می تواند نفس بکشد.

کوچه ها و خیابان های تهران در طول تعطیلات عید، آن قدر خلوت می شوند که به جاماندگان سفرهای نوروزی شاید زیاد هم از ماندن در پایتخت دلگیر نشوند.

آنهایی که در هر جای تهران خاطره ای دارند، در روزهای خلوت این ابر شهر، فرصتی می یابند تا دوباره احساس جوانی کنند.

کوچه های شهر از همان ابتدای دهه ۶۰ به سرعت و هر روز نام عوض می کردند؛ هر صبح که بر می خاستی با صدای شیون های یک مادر، نام پسری یا پدری را بر ابتدا و انتهای دیوارهای یک کوچه حک شده می دیدی.

کوچه هایی شش متری که هم برای گل کوچک بازی کردن تنگ بود و هم برای جای دادن موشک های چند متری صدام حسین.

کوچه هایی که درختان چنار آنها هیچگاه از کنده کاری عشاق در امان نبود.

کوچه هایی که اگر بن بست بود، برای نجواهای عاشقانه بعد از مدرسه، دنج تر به نظر می رسید. اما اگر از گیر افتادن و آبروریزی می ترسیدی، کوچه های بن بستی که در رو نداشت، حکم رقص تانگو در میانه میدان مین را پیدا می کرد.

کوچه هایی خلوت که آواز نمکی، بستنی فروش سیار، شهر فرنگی و چرخ و فلکی سکوت آنها را می شکست.

کوچه هایی که از سر و صدای کودکان آن در می یافتی که مشغول کدام بازی اند: شیرپلنگ، هفت سنگ، خر پلیس، آقای گل و یا جاده بازی.

گاهی هم پهنای کوچه با چند قلوه سنگ و آجر تقسیم می شد به دو دروازه خیالی فوتبال که اگر کمی بی دقت ضربه آخر را می زدی، باید ساعت ها با هم بازی ها بحث می کردی که آیا توپ به درون دروازه رفته یا از روی تیرک فرضی دروازه عبور کرده است.

کوچه هایی که گاه به تشنج کشیده می شد از افتادن توپ به حیاط خانه همسایه و یا شکستن شیشه همسایه ای دیگر.

بعد از آن بود که کوچه به صحنه ای برای تسویه حساب زن های محل و یا زورآزمایی بزرگ ترها تبدیل می شد.

کوچه هایی که نه میله ورودی بر سر آنها نصب شده بود و نه دوربین مدار بسته ای آنها را می پایید. اما رسانه های غیر رسمی آن همیشه و همه جا گوش به زنگ بودند تا مبادا دخترکی از پنجره ای سر بیرون کند و آبشار موهایش را به غریبه ای نشان دهد.

کوچه هایی که نگهبان نداشت اما دوبار که آنها را سر وته می کردی، غیرت پسران جوانش به جوش می آمد و یقه ها بود که پاره می شد تا حریم کوچه بی حرمت نشود.

کوچه هایی که بر سر آن حجله می گذاشتند تا از غیبت عزیز تازه از دست رفته کم نور نشود و یا آن را سراسر ریسه می بستند تا شب به حجله رفتن عروس کوچه را برای ساکنان کره ماه هم قابل رویت کنند.

کوچه هایی که بر پشت بام های آن هنوز بشقاب ماهواره جای بند رخت و قفس کبوتران را نگرفته بود.

کوچه هایی که اگر بر بام آن دخترک و پسرکی می دیدی، فقط برای تنظیم بشقاب ماهواره آنجا نرفته بودند و خرده عشقی هم در کار بود

رسانه ای به نام کوچه

در سال های نه چندان دور و هنگاهی که تلفن ها هنوز سیار نشده بودند، کوچه های تهران یک رسانه بود.

در آن هنگام که نه فیس بوک جولانگاه عشاق بود و نه می شد سفره دل را بر صفحات وبلاگ پهن کرد، کوچه های تهران برای پسران و دختران نوجوانی که تازه با عشق آشنا شده بودند، تنها رسانه بی طرفی بود که رفتارشان را مشاهده می کرد اما به قضاوت نمی نشست.

زن های کوچه با تجمع های کوچک مقابل در خانه یکی یا حضور در جلسه هفتگی در خانه دیگری و یا در صف های طولانی شیر و نان، اطلاعات جدید محله را با هم رد و بدل می کردند.

همان کوچه ها در ساعت های خلوت سر ظهر و یا دقایق اولیه صبح، جولانگاه دخترانی بود که با مانتوهای سرمه ای یا طوسی راهی مدرسه یا خانه می شدند و پسرانی که آنها را با چند متر فاصله تعقیب می کردند.

کوچه های تهران آن روزها، ساکت و آرام به پیام های عاشقانه و خنده های یواشکی عشاق نوجوان گوش می کردند.

برای آن نوجوانانی که از ترس رسوایی جرأت شانه به شانه رفتن با "جنس مخالف" را نداشتند، کوچه های خلوت تهران محلی برای رد و بدل کردن سریع نامه های عاشقانه بود.

حتی اگر کوچه ها شلوغ بود، برای عشاق نوجوان که هنوز برای هم "مسیج" نمی فرستادند و "بلوتوث" نداشتند، تنها رسانه، نیم نگاهی بود که دختران به پشت سرشان می انداختند تا خیالشان از حضور محافظ دلباخته مطمئن شود.

آن روزها در کوچه های تهران، دزدگیرهای ماشین ها گاه و بی گاه جیغ نمی زدند و صدای ترانه های عاشقانه از پنجره های باز به کوچه پاشیده می شد.

آن روزها، کوچه های تهران بی آنکه خود بخواهند، ماوایی بودند برای احساسات پنهان شده نسل جوان.

اما این روزها، ساختمان های نوساز چند طبقه با پنجره های متعدد و پیاده رو هایی که بیشتر مکانی برای پارک خودرو ها شده اند تا گذرگاه عابران، احساسات پنهانی را از کوچه های تهران به اتاق های مجازی اینترنت کشانده اند.

این روزها خیلی ها ترجیح می دهند تا با یک "آی دی ناشناس" در کوچه های سایبری قرار بگذارند و گوشی های موبایل هم نیاز به دیدارهای "پرخطر" را کاهش داده اند.

شاید برای همین است که حالا فقط برخی بزرگسالان و جوانان قدیمی، فرسنگ ها دورتر از حال وهوای قدیمی تهران و تنها در جمع های به جبر نوروز فراهم شده، قصه های عاشقانه خود را از کوچه های تهران با حرارت نقل می کنند و در رویاهای خود به دنبال "مهتاب شبی" می گردند که "باز از آن کوچه" گذر کنند.

.

سال 88 برای سینمای ایران سالی پر از اتفاق بود .از فروش رویایی "اخراجی های 2" تا موفقیت های جهانی فیلم "درباره الی".اما جدای از این 2 فیلم، سینمای ایران شاهد فروشهای میلیاردی در سال گذشته بود و نکته قابل توجه در این میان ،وجود 3 فیلم جدی در میان فیلمهای کمدی بود که فروش میلیاردی را رقم زدند:"بی پولی" ،"درباره الی"و "سوپر استار".


سبقت رضا عطاران از محمد رضا گلزار


چهره های پر فروش به ترتیب فروش فیلم:

1)رضا عطاران:
رضا عطاران در سال 88 با حضور در 3 فیلم کمدی رکورد دار بازی در فیلمهای کمدی هم هست.او با بازی در فیلم "خروس جنگی "فروش 1 میلیارد و 750 میلیونی را نصیب این فیلم کرد و در فیلم نیش و زنبور که فروش فیلم 1 میلیارد و 480 میلیون تومان رقم خورد (البته نصف از فروش را به حساب عطاران می گذارند و نمیتوان ظرفیتهای رضا کیانیان را نادیده گرفت)رضا عطاران با همین احتساب با فروش معادل 2 میلیارد و 490 میلیون رکورددار پولسازی می باشد. ضمن اینکه فیلم "آقای هفت رنگ" را به حساب نیاوردیم.

2)محمدرضا گلزار:
محمدرضا گلزار سال 87 بخاطر گرفتن دستمزد کلان برای فیلم دوخواهر جنجال ساز شد .و این ماجرا و برخی حواشی دیگر باعث شد تا گلزار برای مدتها روی پرده سینماها نباشد.تا اینکه در سال 88 گلزار با ظاهری متفاوت در فیلم ضعیف "دوخواهر" ظاهر شد تا این فیلم که کپی یک فیلم ضعیف هندی بود به فروش رویایی 2 میلیارد و 100 میلیون دست پیدا کند .هرچند الناز شاکردوست و نیکی کریمی هم در این فیلم حضور داشتند اما نمی توان این فروش را به حساب آنها گذاشت.و گلزار به رتبه دوم پر فروشها دست پیدا کرد.

3)جواد رضویان:
نام جواد رضویان همراه با قهقه زدن است و تعجب آور نیست اگر حتی فیلم ضعیف با کارگردانی ضعیف همراه با حضور رضویان فروش کلان نداشته باشد.جواد رضویان در "زندگی شیرین " با علی صادقی و بهنوش بختیاری همبازی شد تا باعث فروش 2 میلیارد و 60میلیون تومانی این فیلم باشند و جواد رضویان رتبه سوم پر فروشها را نصیب خود کند.

4)بهرام رادان:
بهرام رادان در سال 88 با 2 فیلم در سینماها ظاهر شد اولی "بی پولی "با فروش موفق و دومی "تردید"که اگرچه نام کریم مسیحی را باخود به یدک می کشید اما نتوانست در گیشه موفق باشد. بهرام رادان در فیلم "بی پولی" توانست در کنار لیلا حاتمی رقم فروش فیلم را به 1 میلیارد و 700 میلیون برساند و به رتبه چهارم پر فروشها دست پیدا کند.

5)امین حیایی:
امین حیایی با بازی درفیلم "پسرتهرونی"توانست فروش فیلم را به رقم 1 میلیاردو 685 میلیون تومان برساند.امین حیایی در فروش "اخراجیها "بی تاثیر هم نبوده و نشان داده که همیشه بازیگری است که گیشه فیلم را تضمین می کند . امین حیایی با فروش فیلم "پسر تهرونی"توانست به رتبه پنجم پر فروشها دست پیدا کند.

6)پرویز پرستویی:
شاید کمتر کسی فکر می کرد که در میان این آشفته بازار سینمای ایران که فقط چشم و ابرو یا سطحی بودن فیلمها باعث فروش می شوند، بازیگر کهنه کار سینمای ایران با بازی در فیلم رفع توقیف شده "کتاب قانون"با میزان فروش 1 میلیارد و 280 میلیون تومان به رتبه ششم دست پیدا کند.

7)شهاب حسینی:
شهاب حسینی اگرچه با بازی در فیلم "درباره الی "خوش درخشید و فروش فیلم بی تاثیر از حضور وی نبوده است ،اما با توجه به اینکه فروش رویایی "درباره الی "فراتر از هنرپیشه های آن است، اما بازی سوپراستار سینمای ایران در فیلم "سوپراستار "که اتفاقا برای آنهم سیمرغ گرفته بود باعث شد تا فیلم به فروش 1 میلیاردو 260میلیونی دست پیدا کند و بتواند رتبه هفتم را در جدول پولسازان سینمای ایران از آن خود کند

 

A

toned stomach

is like an amazing Chanel bag. It looks good, feels great and takes a ton of work to get it. Some of us were born with it, and some of us spend our whole lives vying for it. Plus, it's sexy.

We can't give you tips on buying a Chanel bag (other than save, save save!) but we can tell you the killer moves to get your stomach into shape. Just keep in mind that these exercises alone won't do it. Click here for

fat-burning cardio ideas

and

metabolism-boosters.

"A toned core will help your body age well in the decades to come, so it's crucial to build a strong one early on," says Valerie Orsoni, founder of LeBootCamp.com. "Also," adds Geralyn Coopersmith, senior national manager at Equinox Fitness Training Institute, "developing a fit core early in life sets you up for amazing posture and a pain-free lower back." (See:

4 Weeks to a Better Body

)

Killer Move: The Plank

Goal: To condition your entire core

Frequency: Four times a week

Directions:

- Get into a push-up position with your forearms on the floor.

- Lift your

legs

and torso up off the ground so that only your toes and the flats of your forearms remain on the floor.

- Keeping your back neutral and your belly button pulled in, hold this position for 20-60 seconds.

- Repeat for 3-5 sets.

(See:

45 BEST Body Secrets

)

Killer Move: Butterfly Abs

Goal: To work your deep abs while getting a

flat, sexy stomach

Frequency: Four times a week

Directions:

- Sit comfortably on a gym mat or carpet with your legs crossed. Using your arms to support you, slowly lie back until your body is flat, keeping your legs crossed.

- Place your hands under the nape of your neck for support. Inhale through your nose, and raise your chest a few inches off the floor while exhaling through your mouth. Your chest should be moving up toward the ceiling, not bending forward to your knees. This should be a smooth, controlled motion.

- Repeat 25 times, and as you progress, move up to 50 times.

- Tip: Do not push your head with your hands as this puts you at risk of injuring your neck. The purpose of your hands is to keep your head in alignment with your back and shoulders. You don't want to curve your back.

(See:

30 Days to a Better Butt

)

By David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding - Posted on Tue, Feb 02, 2010, 5:59 pm PST in Yahoo News

When it comes to sandwiches, remember this: With the power to create comes the power to inflate. Want proof? Check out this jaw-dropping list of the 10 Worst Sandwiches in America for a lineup of disastrous handheld mega-meals that'll bloat your belly and call for a loosening of belt buckles. It's not all disastrous, though—if you have a game plan. To arm you with one, we pulled a few of the best options from the pages of the best-selling weight-loss series Eat This, Not That!. Fact is, lunch can be delicious and filling without destroying your diet.

#10: Cosi Steak TBM (Tomatoes, Basil, Mozzarella)

829 calories
55 g fat (19 g saturated)
453 mg sodium

It shouldn't come as any surprise that the combination of steak, basil and cheese might pack quite the caloric punch. The saving grace of this bloated hand-held is the fact that it's astonishingly low in sodium. Otherwise, there's very little redemption about this twist on the signature Cosi TBM. Choose another Cosi favorite, instead, and save nearly 400 calories and three-quarters of your daily saturated fat allotment. (The Eat This, Not That! effect: A simple swap like this a few times a week when you're on the go can help you lose 15 pounds in a year.)

Eat This Instead!
Cosi Club
497 calories
10 g fat (4 g saturated)
827 mg sodium

#9: Arby's Ultimate BLT Market Fresh Sandwich

#7: Panera Full Chipotle Chicken on Artisan French Bread

#6. Red Robin Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Sandwich

1,112 calories
62 g fat
2,531 mg sodium

Chicken sandwiches have an undeserved healthy reputation—that's because, while they're built with the leanest meat, they're often stuffed and flavored with enough high-calorie sauces and fillings to sink a ship. The culprit in this sandwich is two simple ingredients: The Spanish Tortilla, and the creamy Ranch dressing. Cutting those two from the meal eliminates over half the calories. We're betting that there's enough BBQ sauce on this dish that you won't even miss them.

Bonus tip: See how your favorite beer ranks on your must-have list of the 40 Best and Worst Beers. (Because knowing the smartest choices will make weight loss a breeze.)

Eat This Instead!
Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Sandwich, without Spinach Tortilla and Ranch Dressing
522 calories
25 g fat
1,336 mg sodium

#5. Subway Meatball Marinara Footlong

Bonus tip: A major source of hidden calories throughout the day comes in liquid form. Avoid all drinks on our eye-popping list of the 20 Worst Beverages in America!

Eat This Instead!
Roast Beef 6-inch
310 calories
4.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
840 mg sodium

#4. Blimpie Special Vegetarian 12"

#3. Applebee's Grilled Cheese BLT

#2. Quizno's Large Tuna Melt

#1: The Worst Sandwich in America

------------

امریکا: شما خلاف می کنید.پلیس شما را دستگیر میکند.احیاناً آن وسط مقادیری مشت و لگد توسط افسر پلیس دریافت میدارید. یک نفر از این صحنه فیلم میگیرید و در اینترنت پخش می کند. صحنه ضرب و شتم شما از 222 کانال خبری و سیاسی پخش می شود. پلیس رسوا می شود..پلیس از مردم امریکا عذرخواهی می کند.پلیس 15 میلیون دلار به شما غرامت می دهد.شما نیز به خاطر جرمی که مرتکب شده اید مجازات می شوید.

 

ایتالیا: شما خلاف می کنید. پلیس شما را دستگیر می کند. شما به پلیس رشوه می دهید. شما آزاد می شوید!

 

فرانسه:شما خلاف می کنید اما پلیس شما را دستگیر نمی کند چون فعلاً به خاطر حقوق پایینش در حال اعتصاب است.

 

انگلیس:شما خلاف می کنید و پلیس یک مسلمان سیاه پوست عرب را به جای شما دستگیر می کند.

 

آلمان:شما خلاف می کنید و سگ های پلیس ردتان را پیدا می کنند و شما را دستگیر می کنند.

 

سوئیس: شما خلاف نمی کنید .پس نیازی به حضور پلیس نیست.

 

عراق:شما خلاف می کنید.پلیس شما را دستگیر می کند.در حین دستگیر شدن بمبی که در جورابتان جا سازی کرده اید منفجر می کنید و به همراه پلیس می میرید.

 

چین:شما خلاف می کنید.شما اعدام می شوید!

 

امارات:شما حال و حوصله خلاف ندارید و به جایش با همراهی پلیس ،از کشور های همجوار دختر وارد می کنید!

 

هندوستان:شما خلاف می کنید.پلیس شما را دستگیر می کند و شما عاشق دختر رییس پلیس می شوید و توسط اون دختر از زندان فرار می کنید و در حالیکه دو تایی آواز میخوانید و دور درخت می چرخید و روسری دورگردن معشوقه تان می پیچید و هی دستش را می گیرید و می کشید و ول میکنید به دوردست ها فرار می کنید.

 

هلند: از آنجا که همه کار های خلاف در این کشور خلاف محسوب نمی شوند بنابراین شما خواهر و مادر تان را هم که به یکدیگر پیوند بزنید باز هم خلاف محسوب نمی شود و پلیس دستگیرتان نمی کند!

 

روسیه:شما خلاف می کنید اما قبل از آنکه توسط پلیس دستگیر شوید توسط گروه های رقیب کشته می شوید.

 

یک کشور آسیایی که اسمشو نمیاریم: شما خلافی نمی کنید اما پلیس شما را دستگیر می کند.شما ناپدید می شوید.یک هفته می گذرد و خبری از شما نمیشود...دو هفته میگذرد و کسی خبری از شما ندارد.پلیس دستگیری شما را تکذیب می کند..اداره قضاوت نسبت به وجود شما ابراز بی اطلاعی می کند.بیمارستان ها و زندان ها و پزشکی قانونی هم از شما خبری ندارند.در پایان هفته سوم یک سایت محارب و معاند و فتنه گر و برانداز و اغتشاش گر و حرمت شکن مکان دقیق دستگیری ، همراه با فیلم ضرب و شتم تان را پخش می کند. پلیس از طریق 222 کانال خبری و سیاسی این اتفاق را تکذیب می کند و فیلمبردار این صحنه را تحت تعقیب قرار می دهد! شما هم بالاخره یه بلایی سرتان می آید. نگران نباشید...!

يك روز یک پسر کوچولو که می خواست انشاء بنویسه از پدرش می پرسه: پدرجان !
لطفا برای من بگین سیاست یعنی چی ؟
پدرش فکر می کنه و می گه :بهترین راه اینه که من برای تو
یک مثال در مورد خانواده خودمون بزنم که تو متوجه سیاست بشی
من حکومت هستم، چون همه چیز رو در خونه
من تعیین می کنم.. مامانت جامعه هست، چون کارهای خونه رو اون اداره میکنه.
کلفت مون ملت فقیر و پا برهنه هست، چون از صبح تا شب کار می کنه وهیچی نداره.
تو روشنفکری چون داری درس می خونی و پسر فهمیده ای هستی..
داداش کوچیکت هم که دو سالش هست،نسل آینده است.
امیدوارم متوجه شده باشی که منظورم چی هست و فردابتونی در این مورد بیشتر فکر کنی



پسر کوچولو نصف شب با صدای برادر کوچیکش از خواب می پره. می ره به اتاق
برادر کوچیکش و می بینه زیرشرو کثیف کرده و داره توی خرابي خودش دست و
پا می زنه. می ره توی اتاق
خواب پدر و مادرش و می بینه پدرش توی تخت نیست و مادرش به خواب عمیقی فرو
رفته و هر کار می کنه مادرش از خواب بیدار نمی شه. می ره تو اتاق کلفت
شون که
اون رو بیدارکنه، می بینه باباش توی تخت کلفتشون خوابیده .....؟؟؟؟
میره و سر جاش می خوابه و فردا صبح از خواب بیدار می شه.

فردا صبح باباش ازش می پرسه: پسرم! فهمیدی سیاست چیه؟ پسر می گه: بله
پدر، دیشب فهمیدم که سیاست چیه:
سیاست یعنی اینکه حکومت، ترتیب ملت
فقیر و پا برهنه رو می ده، درحالی که جامعه به خواب عمیقی فرورفته
و روشنفکر هر کاری می کنه نمیتونه جامعه رو بیدار کنه، در حالیکه نسل
آینده داره توی كثافت  دست و پا می زنه

With so few jobs currently available and so many people currently hoping to fill those jobs, standing out in an interview is of utmost importance. While jobs themselves are scarce, job advice is overly abundant. And with an influx of information comes an influx of confusion. What career counsel do you take, and what do you ignore?

There are a number of common misconceptions related to interview best practices, experts say. Kera Greene of the Career Counselors Consortium and executive coach Barbara Frankel offer tips below that can help you stand out from other interview subjects, avoid frequent pitfalls, and secure the job.

Myth #1: Be prepared with a list of questions to ask at the close of the interview.

There is some truth in this common piece of advice: You should always be prepared, and that usually includes developing questions related to the job. The myth here is that you must wait until it is "your turn" to speak.

By waiting until the interviewer asks you if you have any questions, "it becomes an interrogation instead of a conversation," says Greene.

Greene recommends that you think of an interview as a sales call. You are the product and you are selling yourself to the employer. "You can't be passive in a sales call or you aren't going to sell your product."

Frankel mimics Greene's comments. "It's a two-way street," she says. "I recommend asking a follow-up question at the tail end of your responses."

For example, Frankel says, if the interviewer says, "Tell me about yourself," you first respond to that question and complete your response with a question like, "Can you tell me more about the position?" The interview should be a dialogue.

Myth #2: Do not show weakness in an interview.

The reality is that it is OK to have flaws. In fact, almost every interviewer will ask you to name one. Typically job seekers are told to either avoid this question by providing a "good flaw." One such "good flaw" which is often recommends is: "I am too committed to my work." But, these kinds of responses will only hurt you.

"Every recruiter can see through that," Greene says of faux flaws.

Recruiters conduct interviews all day, every day. They've seen it all and can see through candidates who dodge questions. "They prefer to hire someone who is honest than someone who is obviously lying," Greene says.

And for those of you who claim to be flaw-free, think again. "Everybody has weaknesses," Frankel states. But one is enough. According to Frankel, supply your interviewer with one genuine flaw, explain how you are working to correct it, and then move on to a new question.

Myth #3: Be sure to point out all of your strengths and skills to the employer.

Of course, you want the interviewer to know why you are a valuable candidate, but a laundry list of your skills isn't going to win you any points. Inevitably, in an interview, you will be asked about your skills. What can go wrong in this scenario?

"You don't want to list a litany of strengths," Frankel says.

"What is typical is that they will say: 'I'm a good communicator,' 'I have excellent interpersonal skills,' 'I am responsible,'" Greene explains. "You have to give accomplishments. I need to know what did you accomplish when using these skills."

Frankel recommends doing a little groundwork before your interview so that you are best equipped to answer this question. She tells her clients to find out what the prospective job role consists of. "What makes an interview powerful is to give an example related to their particular needs or challenges that you have demonstrated in the past."

Provide three strengths, with examples. You will get much further with a handful of real strengths than with an unconvincing list of traits.

Myth #4: Let the employer know your salary expectations.

One of the trickiest questions to answer in an interview relates to salary. Money talk can be uncomfortable, but it doesn't have to be. The fact is you don't even have to answer when asked about desired salary.

According to the book "Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions That Will Get You The Job!" a perfect response would be: "I want to earn a salary that is commensurate with the contributions I can make. I am confident I can make a substantial contribution at your firm. What does your firm plan to pay for this position?"

Greene suggests a similar response: "I prefer to discuss the compensation package after you've decided that I'm the best candidate and we can sit down and negotiate the package."

Myth #5: The employer determines whether or not you get the job.

While yes, the employer must be the one to offer you the position, interviewees have more control than they often realize. According to both Greene and Frankel, candidates have a larger say in the final hiring decision than they think.

"They should call the interviewer or hiring manager and say: 'I'd really like to be part of the company,'" says Greene. "It can't hurt you. It can only help."

"Acing the Interview" encourages all candidates to conclude their interviews with one question: "'Based on our interview, do you have any concerns about my ability to do the job?' -- If the answer is yes, ask the interviewer to be explicit. Deal forthrightly with each concern."

For more interview tips and myths, download a free book summary of "Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions That Will Get You The Job!" here.

Also on Yahoo! HotJobs:

'Accomplishments' to leave off your resume
6 reasons they didn't call you back
Should you keep your salary a secret?
Find a new job near you

 

 

روز اول پسرك مجبور شد 37 ميخ به ديوار روبرو بكوبد. در روزها و هفته ها ي بعد كه پسرك توانست خلق و خوي خود را كنترل كند و كمتر عصباني شود، تعداد ميخهايي كه به ديوار كوفته بود رفته رفته كمتر شد.. پسرك متوجه شد كه آسانتر آنست كه عصباني شدن خودش را كنترل كند تا آنكه ميخها را در ديوار سخت بكوبد

بالأخره به اين ترتيب روزي رسيد كه پسرك ديگر عادت عصباني شدن را ترك كرده بود و موضوع را به پدرش يادآوري كرد. پدر به او پيشنهاد كرد كه حالا به ازاء هر روزي كه عصباني نشود، يكي از ميخهايي را كه در طول مدت گذشته به ديوار كوبيده بوده است را از ديوار بيرون بكشد

روزها گذشت تا بالأخره يك روز پسر جوان به پدرش روكرد و گفت همه ميخها را از ديوار درآورده است. پدر، دست پسرش را گرفت و به آن طرف ديواري كه ميخها بر روي آن كوبيده شده و سپس درآورده بود، برد

پدر رو به پسر كرد و گفت: « دستت درد نكند، كار خوبي انجام دادي ولي به سوراخهايي كه در ديوار به وجود آورده اي نگاه كن !! اين ديوار ديگر هيچوقت ديوار قبلي نخواهد بود

پسرم وقتي تو در حال عصبانيت چيزي را مي گوئي مانند ميخي است كه بر ديوار دل طرف مقابل مي كوبي. تو مي تواني چاقوئي را به شخصي بزني و آن را درآوري، مهم نيست تو چند مرتبه به شخص روبرو خواهي گفت معذرت مي خواهم كه آن كار را كرده ام، زخم چاقو كماكان بر بدن شخص روبرو خواهد ماند. يك زخم فيزكي به همان بدي يك زخم شفاهي است.

دوست ها واقعاً جواهر هاي كميابي هستند ، آنها مي توانند تو را بخندانند و تو را تشويق به دستيابي به موفقيت نمايند. آنها گوش جان به تو مي سپارند و انتظار احترام متقابل دارند و آنها هميشه مايل هستند قلبشان را به روي ما بگشايند»

 

لبخند جذابتان می کند
همه ما به سمت افرادیکه لبخند می زنند کشیده می شویم. لبخند یک کشش و جذبه فوری ایجاد می کند. دوست داریم نسبت به آنها شناخت پیدا کنیم

 

. لبخند حال و هوایتان را تغییر می دهد
دفعه بعدی که احساس بی حوصلگی و ناراحتی کردید، لبخند بزنید. لبخند به بدن حقه می زند

. لبخند مسری است
لبخند زدن برایتان شادی می آورد. با لبخند زدن فضای محیط را هم شادتر می کنید و اطرافیان را مانند آهن ربا به سمت خود می کشید

 

. لبخند زدن استرس را از بین می برد
وقتی استرس دارید، لبخند بزنید. با اینکار استرستان کمتر می شود و می توانید برای بهبود اوضاع وارد عمل شوید

 

. لبخند زدن سیستم ایمنی بدن را تقویت می کند
به این دلیل عملکرد ایمنی بدن تقویت می شود که شما احساس آرامش بیشتری دارید. با لبخند زدن از ابتلا به آنفولانزا و سرماخوردگی جلوگیری کنید

. لبخند زدن فشارخونتان را پایین می آورد
وقتی لبخند می زنید، فشارخونتان به طرز قابل توجهی پایین می آید. لبخند بزنید و خودتان امتحان کنید

.. لبخند زدن اندورفین، سروتونین و مسکن های طبیعی بدن را آزاد می کند
تحقیقات نشان داده است که لبخند زدن با تولید این سه ماده در بدن باعث بهبود روحیه می شود. می توان گفت لبخند زدن یک داروی مسکن طبیعی است

. لبخند زدن چهره تان را جوانتر نشان می دهد
عضلاتی که برای لبخند زدن استفاده می شوند صورت را بالا می کشند. پس نیازی به کشیدن پوست صورتتان ندارید، سعی کنید همیشه لبخند بزنید

 

. لبخند زدن باعث می شود موفق به نظر برسید
به نظر می رسد که افرادیکه لبخند می زنند اعتماد به نفس بالاتری دارند و در کارشان بیشتر پیشرفت می کنند

. لبخند زدن کمک می کند مثبت اندیش باشید
لبخند بزنید. حالا سعی کنید بدون از بین رفتن آن لبخند به یک مسئله منفی فکر کنید. خیلی سخت است. وقتی لبخند می زنیم بدن ما به بقیه بدن پیغام می فرستد که "زندگی خوب پیش می رود". پس با لبخند زدن از افسردگی، استرس و نگرانی دور بمانید.

 

پس....همیشه لبخند بزنید

 

 

!قبوله....همیشه لبخند میزنید

 

 

بیشتر مردها زنها را انسان هایی مرموز می دانند. البته خانم ها هم از این وضعیت خوشحال هستند و احساس رضایت می کنند! اما در ذهن بیشتر آنها این افکار غوطه ور است: "واقعاً چه اتفاقی می افتد اگر همه ی واقعیت و رازهای زندگیم را به همسرم بگویم؟" "آیا با بیان این واقعیتها او بیشتر می تواند مرا درک کند؟" از همه مهم تر اینکه "شاید اگر او حقایق را بداند، کمتر مرا سرزنش کند."
شاید اگر اجازه دهید همسرتان حداقل بصورت مختصر به رازهای درونی شما و علت مخفی کردن آن پی ببرد به نفع شما خواهد بود و تا حدی زیاد از این استرس و نگرانی خلاص می شوید (البته این به نفع مردها نیز است، چرا که، داشتن یک خانم خوشحال و خوشرو همیشه برای آنها خوشایند تر است.)

در اینجا به ده مورد از مخفی کاری های خانم ها از زبان خودشان اشاره می کنیم که بعضی از آنها شما آقایان را شوک زده می کند؟ برخی دیگر را نیز خود تا حدی به آن مضنون بودید ولی هیچگاه جرأت پرسیدن آن را نداشتید! البته دامنه ی وسعت این رازهای درونی بسیار گسترده تر است ولی بهتر است حداقل از همین ده مورد نیز مطلع باشید:

یک: بیشتر وقتها اگر جنسی بخریم فرق نمی کند از لباس یا دارو تا... و تخفیفی روی آن بگیریم مثلا" 20%، قیمت اصلی و بدون تخفیف آن جنس را به همسر یا دیگران می گوییم. این تنها یک دروغ مصلحتی است و دلیلی ندارد حقیقت را بگوییم، "در بعضی خریدهای غیرضروری ( لوازم آرایش و..) یک مقدار پول آن را از کارت اعتباری و بقیه را نقدی پرداخت می کنم، به این صورت است که شوهرم دقیقا" نمی داند که چقدر هزینه کردم!"
خانمی 32 ساله که از ترس برملاشدن مخفی کاری هایش خواست نامش فاش نشود! می گوید: البته ما قبول داریم که روراستی بهتر است و مخفی کردن عادت بدی است، اما وقتی به دردسرهای بحث هایی که در اثر گفتن حقیقت داستان به همسرمان پیش می آید فکر کنید می بینید که ما حق داریم!"

دو 2- ما خانم ها تمام مدت به سکس با همسرمان فکر می کنیم.
اما حقیقت این است که آخر شب اینقدر خسته هستیم که حوصله و نیروی لازم را برای سکس نداریم، چه خوب بود اگر شما آقایان در روز این کار را می کردید...

سه 3- ما هم به اندازه شما از فکر تعهد به زندگی هراسان و عصبی می شویم!
درست است که بیشتر دختران با رویای ازدواج با یک شاهزاده ی جذاب، لباس عروسی مجلل و زیبا و روزهای خوش بعد آن، بزرگ می شوند، اما خوب ما هم انسانیم مثل شما مردها، وقتی تمام این رویاها تبدیل به زندگی با یک نفر متفاوت از رویاهایمان می شود ترس تمام وجودمان را می گیرد، یکی از دوستان من، لیدا 34 ساله می گوید: "فکر ازدواج همیشه مرا می ترساند! می دانم که حس زناشویی شیرین است ولی احساس تسلیم شدن و از دست دادن تمام استقلال شخصیم در زندگی من را فلج می کند"، ولی خوب، جالب اینجاست که همین لیدا وقتی ازدواج کرد، خودش اظهار داشت، " حالا که ازدواج کردم، با وجود یک زندگی متعهد، می بینم که چطور من و همسرم یک گروه دونفری با اهداف و افکار هماهنگ را دنبال می کنیم و می خواهیم که همین طور نیز بمانیم"

چهار 4- شاید ظاهرا" خود را مستقل و مدرن جلوه دهیم ولی حقیقت این است که ما همیشه به شما به عنوان "یک مرد" نیاز داریم. در این قرن جدید دوست داریم پا به پای مردها پیش برویم اما شما مردها بدانید ما در همه جا می خواهیم زیر بال و پر مرد خود باشیم و از ما مراقبت کنید. این رفتار شما از نحوه ی سکس مردانه خود در رختخواب تا تعمیر اتومبیل، حمل چمدان های سنگین در مسافرت ها، کشتن حشرات موذی که همیشه ما زنها از کشتن آنها می ترسیم، همگی برای ما باعث غرور و افتخار است و با حضور شما مردها احساس امنیت بیشتری می کنیم!
پریا 29 ساله از تهران چنین می گوید: "این باعث افتخار و غرور من است وقتی دوستان و اطرافیانم از اینکه شوهرم درب ماشین یا منزل را اول برای من باز می کند یا وقتی باردار هستم چطور با احساس از من مراقبت می کند، تعریف می کنند. راستش، همیشه شب ها وقتی می ترسم دوست دارم در آغوش و بازوان همسرم پناه ببرم، اصلاً آن موقع دیگر مهم نیست که چقدر در زندگی مشترک مستقل هستم!!

پنج 5- روابط جنسی
این که در حرفهایمان موقع سکس یا ... افراطی از شما تعریف می کنیم، مثلا"، "عزیزم تو بهترین سکس را داری و ..." این ها خیلی صادقانه نیست و یک سری ریزه کاری ها را مخفی می کنیم، خوب خیلی عاقلانه نیست که همه چیز را راست بگوییم، اما این را بدانید که سکس با شما به عنوان شریک زندگی و کسی که از صمیم قلب می خواهیم خیلی شیرین تر است!

شش 6- ما همیشه می ترسیم که مثل مادرانمان باشیم
ما به مادرانمان عشق می ورزیم و آنها را تحسین می کنیم، همواره به آنها به دید عزیزترین موجود می نگریم، اما هیچ وقت دوست نداریم که از زبان شما مردها این را بشنویم که "عین مادرت هستی!" این جمله تمام وجود و احشاء ما زنان را می لرزاند، از آن به بعد فکر می کنیم که شما به خاطر اینکه مثل مادرانمان هستیم با ما ازدواج کردید و حتماً بعد از این هم انتظار دارید مثل او کامل و بی نقص باشیم، خیلی وحشتناک است و ما تبدیل به موجوداتی حساس و عصبی می کند، اگر واقعا" به رابطه ی سکس با همسر و آرامش حین آن علاقه دارید و اهمیت می دهید هرگز این واژه را به کار نبرید! ( همانطور که می دانید اعصاب خانم ها تأثیر مستقیم در نحوه ی سکس آنها دارد!!)

هفت 7- حسادت شما را دوست داریم اما در حد کم
ما زن ها همیشه از اینکه حواستان به ما باشد لذت می بریم و فکر می کنیم که برایتان مهم هستیم. اما لطفاً مثل انسان های عصر حجر با ما رفتار نکنید و فکر نکنید که ما را به بردگی خریدید. نیلوفر 22 ساله می گوید: "من شخصاً از خود مطمئنم و می دانم که نسبت به شوهرم متعهد و وفادارم، فکر اینکه او حتی ذره ای تصور خیانت از طرف من را در ذهن خود داشته باشد دیوانه ام می کند" شما مردها همواره این حس را دارید چرا که بطور مثال وقتی ما همکار خوش تیپ خود را به شما معرفی می کنیم، با ابرو بالا دادن و قیافه گرفتن شخصیت او را زیر سوال می برید.

هشت 8- درست است که ما زنها بیش از حد با دوستانمان گرم می گیریم، اما نه آنقدر که شما از این قضیه می ترسید، بله ما از مادرشوهرمان شکایت می کنیم، یا اینکه چقدر تفریحات مردانه ی شما ما را عذاب می دهد و حتی بهتر است بدانید که راجع به مسائل زناشویی و سکسمان نیز با دوستانمان تبادل نظر می کنیم! اما خیالتان راحت باشد در مورد چیزهایی که غرور شما را لطمه دار می کند چیزی نمی گوییم، (بطور مثال وقتی که با چه حالت دیوانه واری برای مرگ پدر یا مادرتان در آغوش ما گریه می کردیدو...)، مسلما" یک سری مسائل در زندگی خیلی با ارزش تر از آن است که با دیگران سهیم کنیم، یکی از دوستان من این طور عنوان می کند "مطمئناً درست نیست درمورد اینکه چه حرفهایی بین من و همسرم موقع خواستگاری ردو بدل شد، یا احساسات عاطفی بین خودمان و فرزندانمان چیزی به دوستانمان نمی گوییم، این عواطف و زیبایی ها تنها متعلق به خود خود من است"

نه 9- بدانید که ما زنان قدر تمام کارهای شما را در زندگی می دانیم ولی !
حقیقت این است که نمی توانیم ببینیم که دیگر کارها را نیز انجام نمی دهید! بطور مثال "شوهر من واقعاً در کارهای خانه به من کمک می کند، خیلی خوب فرشها را جارو می کند اما همیشه از اینکه فراموش می کند زیر کاناپه های روی فرشها را هم تمیز کند دیوانه می شوم"
خوب، ایراد گرفتن و اعتراض استعدادی است درونی در ما زنان لجباز که می توانیم به آنچه می خواهیم برسیم. مرتباً به نحوه ی انجام کار در خانه از طرف شما ایراد می گیریم که چرا این را اینجوری تمیز کردی و ... شاید هم همین دلیل این است که مردهای ما خیلی دیگر تمایلی به کمک در کارهای خانه ندارند.
می توانیم با هم یک معامله دو طرفه کنیم! اگر شما مردها وقتی ظرفها را می شویید، میز بوفه را نیز تمیز کنید و آشغالها را هم جمع کنید، آن وقت قول می دهیم که هیچ وقت از شما ایراد نگیریم و همواره از شم�