St. Anthony’s stolen religious relic sparks searches

A 780-year-old treasure honoring St. Anthony of Padua has been stolen from a Southern California Catholic church.

The relic, which is normally kept under lock and key, was brought out by the Rev. Jose Magana because he thought it might help his parishioners regain their faith during the difficult economic climate. In a bit of bitter irony, St. Anthony is known as the patron saint of lost things. Following news of the theft, web searches on "st. anthony stolen" and "who was st. anthony" both surged.

The relic was taken at some point on Monday, "the feast day of the church's namesake." According to a buzzy article from the AP, the relic was likely stolen at some point between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. When the parishioners realized the relic had been taken, there was an audible gasp in the church.

A police lieutenant said "the relic is housed in a 16-inch reliquary case with angel-shaped handles made of gold and silver on either side." The reverend called the relic invaluable," according to the AP.

Of course, this isn't the first time thieves have stolen historical artifacts. In fact, the FBI has an entire team dedicated to art theft. Sometimes the pieces are found, sometimes they aren't. In 2002, thieves stole two paintings by Vincent Van Gogh from his museum in Amsterdam. The paintings, which were never recovered, are valued at around $30 million. Law enforcement is still pursuing leads.

Perhaps the most brazen theft came in 1911, when Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa was stolen right off the wall at Louvre in Paris. Believe it or not, it took authorities a day to even realize the painting had gone missing. Soon after, a huge search was conducted. The painting was recovered in 1913 after two years.

"The Scream," the world-famous masterpiece by Edvard Munch, has been stolen multiple times. The most recent theft occurred in 2004 when armed criminals marched into Oslo's Munch Museum and left with the painting. It was recovered in 2006. Just last year, a pre-Columbian figure went missing from Mexico before being recovered in California by Customs and Border Protection.

According to TIME magazine, a huge heist occurred in 1990 when two crooks dressed as Boston cops tied up museum guards and took several paintings valued at $300 million. The artworks were never recovered, leading some to call it the biggest art heist ever, and others wondered if the thieves destroyed the art in an effort to hide their guilt.

Hopefully, with some help from St. Anthony, the relic won't stay missing for long.

10 Symptoms He Shouldn't Ignore

Whenever I get sick, I have a conversation with my wife, Rachelle, that goes like this:

Her: “How are you doing?”
Me: “Fine.”
Her: “Are you sure?”

She just doesn’t trust me when I tell her nothing is wrong—a lack of faith she claims dates to an illness early in our marriage. “You wouldn’t take aspirin because you wanted to see how high your temperature could go,” she recalls. “It was the stupidest reason you ever gave me for not taking care of yourself.”

It wasn’t the last time I put off going for an exam. Recently, a blotchy growth on my hairline went unchecked until its increasing size, nudges from Rachelle and “eww”s from my teenage daughter finally compelled me to see my doctor. It turned out to be an easily treated benign lesion—but the doc made it clear to me that it could have been cancer and really should’ve been checked sooner.

Like a lot of men, I have a thing about doctors. I’m not against them— I just figure medical care is for other guys. “Men like to think they’re indestructible,” says Alan Shindel, MD, codirector of the Men’s Health Program in the department of urology at the University of California, Davis.

We’re not total idiots about health, though. For example, men are more likely than women to get screened for colorectal cancer, and we understand it’s wise to get checked for serious conditions like heart disease and prostate cancer. It’s the out-of-nowhere aches, pains and oddball growths that we tend to blow off. One survey found that a quarter of men who were sick or in pain would wait as long as possible to see a doctor, and 17 percent would wait at least a week.

I finally went to the doctor about the spot on my scalp after I did some online research to assess the odds that it was something serious—and wasn’t reassured by what I read. Men like to be rational. Giving him the facts—as scary as they may be—may turn on a logic switch that makes it difficult to defend dodging his doctor.

Experts agree that not every symptom warrants a trip to the doctor, but some seemingly minor signs shouldn’t be toyed with (in men or women). We asked physicians to tell us the most serious symptoms that often go ignored—and why they shouldn’t be.

1. Feeling Tongue-Tied
He’s thinking: I’m having a senior moment.
But it could be: A stroke. When a clot, injury, narrow blood vessel or other problem restricts blood flow to the brain, the result can be a TIA—a transient ischemic attack, which impairs brain function and can make speech difficult. It’s different from the tip-of-the-tongue reaching for an elusive word. “He might find that words can’t come out at all, or he’ll speak words that are different from the ones he intended or mumble things that don’t make sense,” says Steven Kaplan, MD, director of the Iris Cantor Men’s Health Center now under construction at NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. Such symptoms warrant an immediate call to the doctor or trip to the ER. Mini-strokes usually last a few minutes and symptoms typically disappear within an hour, but having a TIA means you’re at immediate risk of a more massive stroke. Men have a slightly higher risk of TIAs than women, and risks go up with age, especially after 55. Photo: Stockbyte

2. Shortness of Breath
He’s thinking: I’m really out of shape.
But it could be: An impending heart attack. Shortness of breath with exertion such as walking up a flight of stairs could be a sign that the heart muscle isn’t getting enough oxygen—a hallmark of coronary heart disease, which men age 55 and over are at an increased risk for.

“Any condition that makes breathing a struggle, including asthma and allergies, is exacerbated by exertion,” Dr. Shindel says. “But if shortness of breath seems to be getting worse each time, we worry about the heart.” Breathing that’s labored and doesn’t improve warrants a call to 911. An electrocardiogram or EKG (which measures the electrical activity of your heart), a sonogram or ultrasound of the heart, and chest X-rays can help diagnose or rule out a heart problem. Photo: Jupiterimages

3. Persistent Pain On One side of the Abdomen
He’s thinking: I probably pulled a muscle.
But it could be: A kidney stone or tumor. One-sided pain that goes away probably is a side stitch or pulled muscle and nothing to worry about. “But if a dull ache is persistent, it should be evaluated by a physician,” says Dr. Kaplan. “It could be many things, but a tumor is one of the first possibilities we consider.” An ache from a tumor won’t likely move around, and may get better if he takes an over-the-counter pain reliever—but will keep coming back. “Any abdominal pain that doesn’t resolve within three days deserves to be checked out.”

Sharp, excruciating pain that hits suddenly and doesn’t improve within an hour warrants a trip to the ER. “If it’s a kidney stone, the pain will radiate from a specific point and can be intense enough to make you vomit,” Dr. Kaplan says. “I’ve had one myself, and it’s so horrible it makes you want to die.” The problem could also be appendicitis, a perforated ulcer or a hernia, so it’s important to get checked out. Photo: Shutterstock

4. Toilet-Time Blood
He’s thinking: Must be something I ate.
But it could be: A kidney stone or bladder cancer if blood is in urine; colon cancer if blood is in stools. Bright red spots on tissue after wiping are likely from hemorrhoids. But blood in stools that have become narrower and thinner than usual (like the width of a pencil) could be a sign of cancer. Black, tarry stools might also indicate stomach bleeding from an ulcer. His doctor will likely examine the GI tract via a colonoscopy or upper endoscopy to nail down the problem.

Blood in urine may show up as a subtle pink hue, but he shouldn’t dismiss minuscule amounts or chalk it up to eating beets. “You’d have to eat a whole lot for that to happen,” says Mark Pochapin, MD, director of the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. Assume any reddish color is blood: One drop can turn the bowl pink. “Even microscopic amounts are a warning,” says Martin Miner, MD, codirector of the Men’s Health Center at The Miriam Hospital and clinical associate professor at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. “If he can actually see red color, he should definitely be evaluated.” Photo: iStockphoto

5. Trouble Down Below
He’s thinking: There’s a pill for this.
But it could be: An early warning of cardiovascular disease. “The latest studies find that men in their 40s and 50s with erectile dysfunction may be two to five years away from a cardiovascular event like a heart attack,” Dr. Miner says. A recent study at the Mayo Clinic found that men who had ED in their 40s were 50 times more likely to have heart trouble down the road than men who didn’t. The artery leading to the penis is about half the diameter of the one feeding the heart, so experts think that restricted blood flow from atherosclerosis shows up early down below. An EKG or stress test can identify cardiac problems and a Doppler ultrasound (usually from a urologist) can test blood flow in penile blood vessels.

“The first sign of ED is usually trouble maintaining an erection during sex or not having normal morning erections,” Dr. Miner says. The good news is that the onset of ED, if it’s caused by cardiovascular disease, suggests your man may have a window of opportunity to treat heart disease before it becomes a serious problem. Photo: Jim Arbogast/Thinkstock

6. Daytime Fatigue
He’s thinking: I should go to sleep earlier.
But it could be: Obstructive sleep apnea. Spending more time in bed won’t help if fatigue is due to this condition, in which the airway narrows or is blocked during sleep, cutting off breathing and disrupting slumber five to 30 times an hour. “Everyone has a night here and there when he doesn’t sleep well. But if the fatigue doesn’t go away even when he can catch up on rest, sleep apnea could be putting him at risk for health problems such as heart attack, arrhythmias, stroke or even heart failure,” Dr. Shindel says. A sign he’s chronically tired: falling asleep while doing activities during waking hours. “It’s not normal to fall asleep during usual waking hours just because you’re in a dark room,” Dr. Shindel says. Sleep apnea is especially common in overweight men and heavy snorers, but can be treated with breathing devices such as a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), an apparatus that you wear at night to keep airways open. Losing weight and surgery to widen the airway can also help. Photo: Stockbyte

7. Constant Grumpiness
He’s thinking: I’m just under a lot of stress at work.
But it could be: Depression. Feeling cranky and low because of work hassles or difficult times is normal, but it should dissipate within a few days. With clinical depression, downbeat irritability lasts weeks at a time. “It’s different from run-of-the-mill blues and time for him to talk to his doctor if you’re saying to him, ‘You haven’t been acting like the person I think you really are for weeks’ or he’s lost interest in activities he used to enjoy or isn’t performing at work,” Dr. Shindel says.

Talk therapy and antidepressant medication are the options his doctor will likely suggest first. But if he has symptoms such as fatigue, low sex drive and loss of muscle mass, Dr. Shindel advises getting a blood test for low testosterone, which is sometimes the root cause of depression, especially in men over 40. Testosterone replacement in the form of gel, skin patches or injections can reverse the symptoms, but he should first talk to his doctor carefully about his medical history and the potential risks of testosterone therapy. Photo: Ditigal Vision

8. Frequent Urination
He’s thinking: I’m drinking too much coffee.
But it could be: Type 2 diabetes or an enlarged prostate. It might be the coffee—when he’s actually drinking it. But if he often gets up to go twice or more during the night, his body could be trying to get rid of excess blood sugar that’s built up because it can’t get into cells—the problem that defines diabetes. He should first try adjusting what or when he drinks at night to see if that leads to fewer wee-hour trips to the bathroom. “If he still urinates more than he did a month ago, he should get his blood sugar checked, especially if he also has increased thirst, another red flag for diabetes,” Dr. Miner says. Diabetes can usually be controlled with changes in diet and exercise, often combined with medication.

If he’s also feeling like he can’t empty his bladder completely and/or is having a slow or weak stream, dribbling and having trouble getting urine flow started, the problem may be a growing prostate. This small gland surrounds the tube that carries urine out of the bladder, so an increase in size can put the squeeze on urine flow—a common problem in middle-aged and older men. (In men under 50, symptoms could be due to a urinary tract infection.)

Though painless, an enlarged prostate can eventually get worse and lead to acute urinary retention, where he suddenly can’t urinate at all, which is an emergency that often leads to surgery. Treatment ranges from exercises to strengthen muscles in the pelvic floor to medications that relieve symptoms or shrink the prostate. Prostate cancer is also a possibility, especially for men over 50, and if the doctor suspects that, he’ll do a rectal exam and draw blood to check PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels; higher-than-normal results may indicate prostate enlargement, an infection or cancer. Photo: Thinkstock

9. Yellowish Skin
He’s thinking: What yellow skin?
But it could be: Liver trouble. Yellow skin, or jaundice, suggests the liver isn’t functioning right. Possible causes in adults include liver disease, gallstones, pancreatic cancer or a viral hepatitis infection, which causes swelling of the liver.

“Hepatitis A isn’t a disease people think of, but it’s a virus found in contaminated shellfish and can be passed on by people who prepare food and don’t wash their hands,” Dr. Pochapin says. In fact, hepatitis A is one of the most common infectious diseases that’s preventable with a vaccine— worth considering for anyone who hasn’t been inoculated. Symptoms like jaundice, fever, upset stomach and fatigue usually show up within two to six weeks of exposure and get better on their own with a few weeks of rest. (And the virus doesn’t stay in your body after that.) But have him check in with his doctor, who’ll most likely want to run some tests to figure out exactly what’s going on. Photo: Jupiterimages

10. A New Spot—Mole, Freckle, Red Patch— On the Skin
He’s thinking: It’ll go away.
But it could be: Skin cancer or seborrheic keratoses— warty, waxy benign lesions that become more common in middle age. Any time a new skin growth appears or an existing one changes in size, color or shape, he should see a doctor. Be especially concerned if a spot or mole gets darker, bleeds, itches or feels irritated—all of which are possible signs of skin cancer, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. The differences in appearance between a benign growth and skin cancer—especially melanoma, the deadliest type—can be subtle. So your physician may want to take a biopsy to make a definite ID.

I know all this from firsthand experience— and when I understood what the dangers may have been, I was glad I saw my doctor. After all, nobody’s indestructible forever. Photo: Jupiterimages

Why he doesn’t want to go to the doctor...and how to get him there

Every woman has that man in her life— her father, husband, brother, boyfriend, friend—who just won’t go to the doctor. Indeed, research shows that men are 24 percent less likely to have seen a physician in the past year than women.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that men are more likely to be hospitalized for a preventable condition than women. What drives their avoidance? Research shows that it has a lot to do with men wanting to feel, well, manly. A study of 1,000 men found that those who have a more traditional view of masculinity—thinking that a “real” man doesn’t complain about pain, for example—were half as likely to get preventive care as those who didn’t agree with such stereotypes.

And let me tell you what else is going on: denial. Many people use it as a coping mechanism to deal with fear. So he’s probably thinking something like: “If I ignore this, it will go away” or “I don’t like needles and being prodded, so I’d rather just skip it” or “It’s either nothing or something too scary to know about, so I don’t want to go.”

So how can you help your man see the doctor? Talk to him about it. Sit down and have a chat, telling him that getting regular checkups is the best way to catch any potential illness before it becomes harder to treat and possibly life-threatening. Emphasize how important it is for him to be there—and healthy—for his family. Research shows this is the strongest motivator for men to see the doctor, probably because it appeals to their traditional sense of what their roles are. To help him address a symptom, the best dialogue I can suggest is something along the lines of: Let’s agree to tell each other when we’re feeling or seeing something that’s unusual or new for us—no matter how embarrassing—so we can help each other figure out what to do. I’m going to tell you if I have a stomach, gynecological or other issue and get it taken care of so I can stay healthy for you, and I want you to do the same for me.

Asking him to go to the doctor, and, if need be, arranging the visit shows that you’re taking his health (and symptoms) seriously, which can propel him to as well. It also helps remove the stigma he may feel about asking for help. Beforehand, help him organize his questions and concerns in writing and, if he’d like, be there with pen and paper in hand (or send him with a tape recorder) so you can both discuss the doctor’s responses later. When people are anxious, they often don’t hear or process the information they’re given in the moment. Don’t worry about being overbearing: A little nagging can go a long way in helping him protect his health. Photo: Shutterstock

Scientists predict rare 'hibernation' of sunspots

WASHINGTON (AFP) – For years, scientists have been predicting the Sun would by around 2012 move into solar maximum, a period of intense flares and sunspot activity, but lately a curious calm has suggested quite the opposite.

According to three studies released in the United States on Tuesday, experts believe the familiar sunspot cycle may be shutting down and heading toward a pattern of inactivity unseen since the 17th century.

The signs include a missing jet stream, fading spots, and slower activity near the poles, said experts from the National Solar Observatory and Air Force Research Laboratory.

"This is highly unusual and unexpected," said Frank Hill, associate director of the NSO's Solar Synoptic Network, as the findings of the three studies were presented at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Solar Physics Division in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

"But the fact that three completely different views of the Sun point in the same direction is a powerful indicator that the sunspot cycle may be going into hibernation."

Solar activity tends to rise and fall every 11 years or so. The solar maximum and solar minimum each mark about half the interval of the magnetic pole reversal on the Sun, which happens every 22 years.

Hill said the current cycle, number 24, "may be the last normal one for some time and the next one, cycle 25, may not happen for some time.

"This is important because the solar cycle causes space weather which affects modern technology and may contribute to climate change," he told reporters.

Experts are now probing whether this period of inactivity could be a second Maunder Minimum, which was a 70-year period when hardly any sunspots were observed between 1645-1715, a period known as the "Little Ice Age."

"If we are right, this could be the last solar maximum we'll see for a few decades. That would affect everything from space exploration to Earth's climate," said Hill.

Solar flares and eruptions can send highly charged particles hurtling toward Earth and interfere with satellite communications, GPS systems and even airline controls.

Geomagnetic forces have been known to occasionally garble the world's modern gadgetry, and warnings were issued as recently as last week when a moderate solar flare sent a coronal mass ejection in the Earth's direction.

The temperature change associated with any reduction in sunspot activity would likely be minimal and may not be enough to offset the impact of greenhouse gases on global warming, according to scientists who have published recent papers on the topic.

"Recent solar 11-year cycles are associated empirically with changes in global surface temperature of 0.1 Celsius," said Judith Lean, a solar physicist with the US Naval Research Laboratory.

If the cycle were to stop or slow down, the small fluctuation in temperature would do the same, eliminating the slightly cooler effect of a solar minimum compared to the warmer solar maximum. The phenomenon was witnessed during the descending phase of the last solar cycle.

This "cancelled part of the greenhouse gas warming of the period 2000-2008, causing the net global surface temperature to remain approximately flat -- and leading to the big debate of why the Earth hadn't (been) warming in the past decade," Lean, who was not involved in the three studies presented, said in an email to AFP.

A study in the March 2010 issue of Geophysical Research Letters explored what effect an extended solar minimum might have, and found no more than a 0.3 Celsius dip by 2100 compared to normal solar fluctuations.

"A new Maunder-type solar activity minimum cannot offset the global warming caused by human greenhouse gas emissions," wrote authors Georg Feulner and Stefan Rahmstorf, noting that forecasts by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have found a range of 3.7 Celsius to 4.5 Celsius rise by this century's end compared to the latter half of the 20th century.

"Moreover, any offset of global warming due to a grand minimum of solar activity would be merely a temporary effect, since the distinct solar minima during the last millennium typically lasted for only several decades or a century at most."

Mildred Baena Breaks Her Silence About Arnold's Love Child Scandal

It's taken less than a month for Mildred Baena to sell her side of the story to a celebrity magazine. In her first-ever interview, the former maid and mistress of Arnold Schwarzenegger opens up to Hello! magazine about raising his love child, and Maria Shriver's surprising reaction to learning the truth.

Baena, who worked for the high-profile family for 20 years, was photographed for the magazine with 13-year-old son Joseph, the spitting image of Schwarzenegger.

"Last summer, I brought Joseph over to the house," Baena says in the interview (via People.com). "After that, people in the house started whispering about how much they looked like each other."

Shriver pushed for confirmation from Baena.

"Maria would ask if I needed to talk to her, and I kept saying no," she reveals. "Finally, she asked point blank. Maria asked me directly if Joseph was Arnold's son, and I just broke down. I dropped to my knees and I was crying, saying that yes he was and I was so sorry. She cried with me and told me to get off my knees."

"Since I was retiring soon, I said I would pack up and leave right away, but she said to stay until after the holidays," Baena adds.

Baena reportedly retired sometime this past spring, leaving the Schwarzenegger manse in Brentwood for good. Squashing initial reports of a massive cover-up, Baena alleges she never told the ex-Governator that he is Joseph's dad.

"He's a good man and I know he's suffering too. He loves Maria. I hope with time they work things out," she says.

That's a nice thought. But the damage, as they say, is already done.

The Truth About Calories

You can't go anywhere without being confronted by calories. Restaurants now print calorie counts on menus.

You go to the supermarket and there they are, stamped on every box and bottle. You hop on the treadmill and watch your "calories burned" click upward.

But just what are calories? The more calories we take in, the more flab we add—and if we cut back on them, then flab starts to recede too, right? After all, at face value, calories seem to be the factor by which all foods should be judged. But if that were true, 500 calories of parsnips would equal 500 calories of Double Stuf Oreos.

Not quite. There's nothing simple about calories. Learn the distinctions and lose the lard.

Myth #1: Calories Fuel Our Bodies
Actually, they don't
 
A calorie is simply a unit of measurement for heat; in the early 19th century, it was used to explain the theory of heat conservation and steam engines. The term entered the food world around 1890, when the USDA appropriated it for a report on nutrition. Specifically, a calorie was defined as the unit of heat required to raise 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius.

To apply this concept to foods like sandwiches, scientists used to set food on fire (really!) and then gauge how well the flaming sample warmed a water bath. The warmer the water, the more calories the food contained. (Today, a food's calorie count is estimated from its carbohydrate, protein, and fat content.) In the calorie's leap to nutrition, its definition evolved. The calorie we now see cited on nutrition labels is the amount of heat required to raise 1 kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius.

Here's the problem: Your body isn't a steam engine. Instead of heat, it runs on chemical energy, fueled by the oxidation of carbohydrates, fat, and protein that occurs in your cells' mitochondria. "You could say mitochondria are like small power plants," says Maciej Buchowski, Ph.D., a research professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University medical center. "Instead of one central plant, you have several billion, so it's more efficient."

Your move: 

Track carbohydrates, fats, and protein—not just calories—when you're evaluating foods.
Myth #2: All Calories Are Created Equal
 Not exactly
 
Our fuel comes from three sources: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. "They're handled by the body differently," says Alan Aragon, M.S., a Men's Health nutrition advisor. So that old "calories in, calories out" formula can be misleading, he says. "Carbohydrates, protein, and fat have different effects on the equation."

Example: For every 100 carbohydrate calories you consume, your body expends 5 to 10 in digestion. With fats, you expend slightly less (although thin people seem to break down more fat than heavy people do). The calorie-burn champion is protein: For every 100 protein calories you consume, your body needs 20 to 30 for digestion, Buchowski says. Carbohydrates and fat give up their calories easily: They're built to supply quick energy. In effect, carbs and fat yield more usable energy than protein does.

Your move: 

If you want to lose weight, make protein a priority at every meal. Adding them to snacks—especially before you exercise—can help too.

Try these 5 perfect protein-packed gym-ready snacks.
Myth #3: A Calorie Ingested is a Calorie Digested
It's not that simple
 
Just because the food is swallowed doesn't mean it will be digested. It passes through your stomach and then reaches your small intestine, which slurps up all the nutrients it can through its spongy walls. But 5 to 10 percent of calories slide through unabsorbed. Fat digestion is relatively efficient—fat easily enters your intestinal walls. As for protein, animal sources are more digestible than plant sources, so a top sirloin's protein will be better absorbed than tofu's.

Different carbs are processed at different rates, too: Glucose and starch are rapidly absorbed, while fiber dawdles in the digestive tract. In fact, the insoluble fiber in some complex carbs, such as that in vegetables and whole grains, tends to block the absorption of other calories. "With a very high-fiber diet, say 60 grams a day, you might lose as much as 20 percent of the calories you consume," says Wanda Howell, Ph.D., a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Arizona.

So a useful measure of calories is difficult. A lab technician might find that a piece of rock candy and a piece of broccoli have the same number of calories. But in action, the broccoli's fiber ensures that the vegetable contributes less energy. A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that a high-fiber diet leaves roughly twice as many calories undigested as a low-fiber diet does. And fewer calories means less flab.

Your move: 

Aim to consume at least 35 to 40 grams of fiber every day. That being said, not all fiber is created equal.
Read "The Truth About Fiber" to find out even more need-to-know facts about this nutrient.

Myth #4: Exercise Burns Most of Our Calories
Not even close
 
Even the most fanatical fitness nuts burn no more than 30 percent of their daily calories at the gym. Most of your calories burn at a constant simmer, fueling the automated processes that keep you alive—that is, your basal metabolism, says Warren Willey, D.O., author of Better Than Steroids. If you want to burn fuel, hit the gas in your everyday activities.

"Some 60 to 70 percent of our total caloric expenditure goes toward normal bodily functions," says Howell. This includes replacing old tissue, transporting oxygen, mending minor shaving wounds, and so on. For men, these processes require about 11 calories per pound of body weight a day, so a 200-pound man will incinerate 2,200 calories a day—even if he sat in front of the TV all day.

And then there are the calories you lose to N.E.A.T., or nonexercise activity thermo-genesis. N.E.A.T. consists of the countless daily motions you make outside the gym—the calories you burn while making breakfast, playing Nerf football in the office, or chasing the bus. Brandon Alderman, Ph.D., director of the exercise psychophysiology lab at Rutgers University, says emerging evidence suggests that "a conscious effort to spend more time on your feet might net a greater calorie burn than 30 minutes of daily exercise."

Need more suggestions? Here are 4 ways to harness the power of N.E.A.T.

Your move:
 
Take frequent breaks from your desk (and couch) to move your body and burn bonus calories.
Myth #5: Low-Calories Foods Help You Lose Weight
Not always
 
Processed low-calorie foods can be weak allies in the weight-loss war. Take sugar-free foods. Omitting sugar is perhaps the easiest way to cut calories. But food manufacturers generally replace those sugars with calorie-free sweeteners, such as sucralose or aspartame. And artificial sweeteners can backfire. One University of Texas study found that consuming as few as three diet sodas a week increases a person's risk of obesity by more than 40 percent. And in a 2008 Purdue study, rats that ate artificially sweetened yogurt took in more calories at subsequent meals, resulting in more flab. The theory is that the promise of sugar—without the caloric payoff—may actually lead to overeating.

"Too many people are counting calories instead of focusing on the content of food," says Alderman. "This just misses the boat."

Your move:
 
Avoid artificial sweeteners and load up your plate with the bona fide low-calorie saviors: fruits and vegetables.

Superman Getting New Costume in 'Action Comics' Relaunch

Superman will go get a new look in the 21st century reboot of "Action Comics," DC Comics said Friday.

According to the LA Times, the long-running comic series will restart at No. 1 in September , with Scottish writer Grant Morrison and artist Ralph "Rags" Morales at the helm.

One of the most notable changes to the original comics so far is Superman's costume. Although the Man of Steel still sports a skin-tight blue suit and his iconic red cape on the new cover, he no longer has the added protection of the Speedo-like red trunks he's worn since the first issue of "Action Comics," published in June 1938. His belt is also changing color from yellow to red.

In addition to the Superman franchise, DC Comics also plans to relaunch other titles in the DC Universe, which includes superheroes such as Batman, Wonder Woman and the Green Lantern. New characters, stories and, of course, costumes will be introduced across the board.

Scientists find genes linked to migraines

PARIS (AFP) – Scientists have uncovered a trio of genes tied to migraine headaches, including one in which the link is exclusive to women, according to a study published Sunday.

Migraines are acutely debilitating headaches -- sometimes with an "aura", in which patients have the impression of seeing through frosted glass -- that strike up to 20 percent of the population.

Scientists describe the condition, which is three to four times more common in women, as a brain disorder in which neurons, or brain cells, respond abnormally to stimuli.

The precise cause is unknown, but inheritance is thought to play a significant role.

To assess the genetic component, Markus Schuerks of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston coordinated an international sweep of genomes in 23,230 women, 5,122 of whom suffered from migraines.

So-called genome-wide association studies compare differences between individuals across the approximately three billion pairs of basic molecular building blocks found in the human genetic code.

The study, published Sunday in the British journal Nature Genetics, is the largest to date of its kind. It found variations in three genes that showed up more frequently in migraine patients.

Two of them, known as PRDM16 and TRPM8, were specific to migraines, as opposed to other kinds of headaches.

TRPM8, in addition, was linked to migraines only in women. Earlier studies have shown that the same gene contains the genetic "blueprint" for a pain sensor, in both men and women.
The third suspect gene, LRP1, is involved in sensing the external world and in chemical pathways inside the brain.

"The brain of a person with migraine responds differently to certain stimuli, their nerve cells 'talk' differently to each other," explained Shuerks in an email.

"Many neurotransmitters are involved in this cross-talk and some seem to have a special role in migraines. LRP1 interacts with some of these neurotransmitter pathways and may thus modulate nerve responses that promote or suppress migraine attacks."

None of the genetic variants appeared to be connected specifically to migraines with or without auras.

The findings, published in Nature Genetics, were replicated in two smaller population-based studies, one in the Netherlands and the other in Germany, and in a clinical group followed by the International Headache Genetics Consortium.

"Inheritance of any of the genetic variants alters migraine risk by about 10 to 15 percent," said Schuerks.
The influence of these genes is probably not large enough to be immediately used as a diagnostic tool. But the result "is an advancement of the understanding of migraine biology," he said.

’3 Way Street’: Artist video tracks scary traffic

Warning: The video below may cause you never to want to leave your house again. A School of Visual Arts thesis project by artist Ron Gabriel, named "3-Way Street," tracks a camera at the Manhattan intersection of 28th Street and Park Avenue. The New York mayhem known as street traffic ensues.

The video of traffic behaving badly has gone viral on the Web. No surprise: What you see is pretty hair-raising.

As the artist puts it on his website, the point of the study is to show the "interconnected role in improving the safety and usability of our streets." Mission very much accomplished.

With the master student's helpful graphics added to the clips, it's almost like watching the video game Frogger: Pedestrians dodge bikes, run into oncoming traffic, and barely escape with their lives. An 18-wheeler makes a tight U-turn. Cars jump lights. Pedestrians jaywalk. Bikes do everything but follow the rules of the road. Riding on the sidewalk? Check. Riding on the wrong side of the road? Check. Nearly colliding with people on foot? Check. Check. Check.

Aside from the arresting visuals, the stats from the artist are scary: This is just one intersection of 12,370 in the city. And 74 percent of the city's accidents that kill or seriously injure three to four people a day usually happen at an intersection, which causes collisions of bikes, cars, and people.

Once in a blue lobster

This rare genetic oddity one won't be seeing a lobster pot instead he's going to live out his days in the comfort and safety of an aquarium. 

The odds of ever seeing a blue lobster is a 1 in 3 million chance. 

Found in New London, CT. by Steve Hatch and his uncle Robert Green Sunday morning in one of their lobster traps at the mouth of the Thames River. This bright blue lobster weighed in at 1 1/2 pounds and has a very rare genetic mutation among the species.

So instead of cooking the rare lobster, which would have turned red just as ordinary ones do while being cooked, Steve put it into a cooler and took it to the Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration where it will be in an elementary school class to help children to learn about this species. He won't be alone though as they already have two other blue lobsters at the aquarium already.

Upgrade Your Life: Wet cell phone rescue

 Did you just drop your cellphone in water? Or maybe you'd like to know what to do if that happens! This week on Upgrade Your Life, Yahoo! News' Becky Worley shows us first aid techniques for rescuing a drowned smartphone.

To test them out, took a BlackBerry, a Droid, and an iPhone, and dropped all three into room temperature water for 60 seconds. Then she went through the following steps:

Step 1: Do NOT turn on the phone

Why do water and smartphones not mix? Because the water shorts out your smartphone's electrical circuits. So whatever you do, don't turn it on to check to see if it still works.

Step 2: Pull out the battery and SIM card

You want to remove anything removeable: Pull out the battery, the SIM card and the memory card, if your phone has one. As long as that battery's in there it's providing power to your phone, and that's what you need to stop immediately.

Some phones, like the iPhone, don't have a removable battery. Unfortunately, you'll just have to skip this step and hope for the best if you dunk one of them.

Step 3: Freshwater rinse

Did you drop your phone in salt water? The salt can corrode your device. So after you pull out the battery and SIM card, immerse your phone in fresh water to rinse out the salt.

Step 4: Dry your phone using compressed air

If you have a compressed air can handy -- the kind that's used to clean computers or keyboards -- run it full-blast all over your phone, with the back cover taken off if you can. A vacuum cleaner also works, even though it's pulling the air in the other direction. As long as it's blowing cool air over those circuits to dry them out, it's all good.

Don't stick your phone in the oven, even on low. The heat can warp your phone's circuits, and melt its internal components. You shouldn't use a blow dryer either, unless it has a heatless setting. A fan might help, but a microwave is out of the question.

Step 5: Cover your phone with uncooked rice

The premise of our experiment was to test if putting a wet phone into a sealed container of rice would actually dry it out, and bring it back form the dead. See, the idea behind the rice is that the dry grains will absorb moisture. So get a sealable plastic container, and fill it with enough rice to cover your smartphone. (A plastic zipper bag will work too, in a pinch.) Then bury your phone in the rice, along with its battery and other parts.

You'll want to wait at least 24 hours for the rice to do its job -- Becky waited for 48 hours, in her test.

What would work better than rice? Silica gel, the stuff in those packets that keep new clothes or shoes dry. But most of us don't have a shoebox full of the stuff laying around, so rice will probably have to do. It may get pieces of rice into the crevices and cavities in your smartphone, but this is an emergency, and time is of the essence.

Should you use white or brown rice? It doesn't matter, so long as it's hard and dry and uncooked. You can even use rice from boxed meals like Rice-a-Roni. Just don't add in the seasoning packet, unless you want your phone to smell like mixed vegetables.

Step 6: Turn your phone back on

After you've waited at least 24 hours, it's time for the moment of truth. Reassemble your phone, charge it and try to power it on.

The results of our experiment weren't encouraging: the BlackBerry that Becky tested did restart, with no seeming long-term damage. But the iPhone and the Droid were dead. After two days in the rice and a full battery charge, neither phone came back to life.

One in three may be slim odds. But since water damage isn't covered by most warranties, it can't hurt to try.

New Zealand mourns death of Shrek the famously shaggy sheep

New Zealanders were mourning the loss of the country's most famous sheep Tuesday, a shaggy national icon named Shrek who was renowned for avoiding being shorn for years.

Shrek captured the public's imagination in 2004 after he evaded the annual shearing roundups for the previous seven years by hiding in caves on his farm on the South Island. When finally found, he was clad in an astonishing 60 pounds (27 kilograms) of wool.

That's about five times a typically annual shearing from Shrek's breed, the Merino sheep prized for some of the softest wool.

In a country where sheep outnumber people by nearly 10 to one, Shrek's story of stubbornness and guile appealed to many. After his capture, Shrek was shorn on live TV in a broadcast that was picked up around the world. His story inspired three books.

"He was quite an elderly statesman," said owner John Perriam. "He taught us a lot."

Until becoming sick three weeks ago, Shrek toured the country, commanding $16,000 for appearances and getting the star treatment wherever he went. In one appearance, Shrek was shorn atop a large iceberg that was floating near the South Island coast.

Shrek was one of about 17,000 sheep on the the 27,000-acre (11,000-hectare) Bendigo farm in the small town of Tarras. Perriam believes Shrek was able to survive the winters and avoid detection by moving about a series of sheltered caves and by munching on small native shrubs.

"It's bizarre that we missed him seven years in a row," Perriam said. "But from his point of view, it was the perfect environment."

After Shrek became a star, Perriam gave him his own barn and showroom. Shrek even had a personal caregiver look after him when he became sick, before the sheep was euthanized Monday at age 17.

Perriam said that as well as laying claim to being New Zealand's woolliest sheep, Shrek may also have been its oldest. Most sheep live for no more than six years before being slaughtered.

Since Shrek's death, tributes have been pouring in online, including on the Facebook page "R.I.P Shrek the Sheep."

Perriam is planning a funeral service and will ask a friend to scatter Shrek's ashes atop Mt. Cook, New Zealand's tallest mountain.

5 Tips to Keep Your Salads Slimming

For people on a diet or looking to eat better, salads seem to be the go-to lunch or dinner. But this can be problematic for a few reasons. One: If you load up on heavy ingredients like bacon or butter-soaked croutons and drench the lettuce in super creamy dressings, then you could end up eating more calories than a burger. Two: If there’s not enough flavor and fat in the salad, then you’re left hungry and end up eating more later on because you’re unsatisfied. Three: Without variety in types of salads and dressings, they can get boring fast.

What to do? It turns out that salads can actually be filling, creative, and delicious all while helping you achieve a healthier and happier you. To learn how to find a healthy balance between optimal flavor and calories, we turned to the skinny cooking pro, Allison Fishman.

You may have seen Fishman as a co-host on Lifetime’s Cook Yourself Thin or picked up a copy of her new cookbook, You Can Trust a Skinny Cook. Having mastered the realm of low-calorie, quality food, Fishman shares some tips for slimming down salads and other healthy eating tips. Check out what she has to say below and let us know if you have any tricks or recipes of your own!

1.  Go for Strong  Flavors.

I have an asparagus dish that has strong flavors like Parmesan and anchovies, so you’ll get a big payback using these ingredients. Parmesan is seven calories a teaspoon, which is not a lot, so you’ll get a lot of taste without too many extra calories. This salad dressing has a strong, vivid flavor with an umami taste, so it doesn’t feel like a compromise. There’s also the Carrot-Ginger Dressing recipe in my book that you get in Japanese restaurants, but you never buy it. It’s creamy but it’s only shallots, ginger, and carrots. So I’d say strong flavors, and don’t be afraid to use them in a salad dressing.

2. Use Ingredients That Add Punch and Nutrients, Not Excess Calories

Every time I make a salad, I put in a handful of roasted salted sunflower seeds. Because what do we want out of a crouton? We want crunch, so I know I’m going to get more nutrition out of seeds than buttered bread. This time of year people can add strawberries but we usually want that salty kick and crunchy hit. You don’t want to just say that sunflower seeds are so high in calories and not use them because it’s important to put the treats in there as well.

3. Don’t Skimp on Flavor

For the Caesar salad that it’s my book, I wanted to make it pregnancy friendly, so I used mayo not raw eggs. I made it probably 12 times because I used low-fat mayo, and I’d make it, and be like oh it’s good, but once I tossed it with the lettuce, the flavor totally dissipated. So for that dressing use the higher fat stuff, but don’t drench the leaves, just lightly coat them. I don’t skimp on flavor, you need that. Remember you are using the dressing to coat your lettuce and if you don’t have the fat and the flavor, then you’ll be looking around for something else.

4. It’s What You Put in, Not What You Leave Out.

I think about it in terms of 'how can I get the most salad with the least amount of calories?' So I’m going to use a lot of vegetables. I have a Greek Salad recipe in my book, but I don’t do the traditional shredded iceberg and top it with some dolmades. I do it more Greek style with bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and turn it into more of a chopped salad with a vinaigrette.

Same with pasta: don’t give me a half cup serving, I want a big serving. I want 2 cups, so I add other vegetables like broccoli rabe. Also air is calorie free. So if you can add air in, that’s great, like with ziti. It helps you eat more slowly since each piece takes longer to eat and you fill up in a more relaxed way. We eat with our eyes, so it’s a question of how can we slow them down? With vegetables and lower-calorie items. It’s about what you put in, not what you leave out.

5. When to Use Full Versus Low Fat Products

It totally depends on the recipe, for example, for a pasta with asparagus and pasta with beets, I use skim milk in both of the sauces. The fat from the milk is not going to help you with those recipes. For the pasta with asparagus, I whisk goat cheese with a little skim milk and make a creamy cheese sauce. That creamy sauce gets all of the pasta, and it tastes a lot like a rich, creamy sauce, but it’s not.

In my fridge, I have both whole and skim milk. In my coffee I’m gonna have whole milk, but in my cereal, skim. You’ve got to ask yourself, am I going to taste this is my coffee? Hell yes! Will I taste it in my cereal? Not really.

Best Weight-Loss Diets

The best diet to lose weight on is Weight Watchers, according to weight-loss experts who rated the diets below for U.S. News. The Jenny Craig diet program and the Raw Food Diet come in close behind. Some other diets outperform these for fast weight loss, but long-term weight loss is more important for your health.

#1. Weight Watchers Diet
(3.8 out of 5.0)
This popular points-counting diet helps dieters drop pounds—and keep them off. In experts' ratings, Weight Watchers bested all other ranked diets for both short-term and long-term weight loss. But that doesn't guarantee it will work for everyone. Its average rating of "moderately effective" for long-term weight loss reflects the difficulty dieters have staying on the wagon, even when using the best weight-loss diet available.
#2. (tie) Jenny Craig Diet
(3.5 out of 5.0)
As a weight-loss diet, Jenny Craig outranked nearly all of its competitors. Experts appreciated, among other aspects of the program, the value of the emotional support provided by its weekly one-on-one counseling sessions. A few experts, however, questioned whether dieters can expect to keep the weight off once they're weaned from the diet's prepackaged, portion-controlled foods. Though not factored into its ranking, Jenny Craig's cost is relatively high.
#3. (tie) Raw Food Diet
(3.5 out of 5.0)
The raw food diet can deliver both short- and long-term weight loss, experts concluded, since raw foodists typically eat fewer calories than other people. But the restrictive and labor-intensive diet certainly isn't for everyone.
#4. Volumetrics Diet
(3.4 out of 5.0)
Volumetrics helps dieters drop pounds—and keep them off. It scored well in both the short- and long-term weight loss categories, comparable to or better than many other diets. Because it focuses on satiety, or the satisfied feeling that you’ve had enough, it’s “more likely to be successful” than other diets.
#5. (tie) Slim-Fast Diet
(3.3 out of 5.0)
Slim-Fast claims dieters will drop one to two pounds a week. Experts awarded the program relatively high scores for short-term and long-term weight loss, indicating their optimism the pounds will stay off, too.
#6. (tie) Vegan Diet
(3.3 out of 5.0)
Going vegan gives you good odds of losing weight and keeping it off, according to experts. Veganism is also an effective weight-control method. But vegans must be “very committed,” as one expert put it, because forgoing all animal products can be challenging.
#7. Atkins Diet
(3.2 out of 5.0)
In keeping with its emphasis on helping dieters shed pounds fast, the Atkins program rated well for short-term weight loss but was judged by experts as less impressive over the long haul. On balance, it came out slightly ahead of the middle of the pack.
#8. (tie) DASH Diet
(3.1 out of 5.0)
With an emphasis on healthful, filling foods that don’t pack lots of calories, the government-developed Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) drew reasonably good ratings from experts, despite not having been designed as a weight-loss diet. They judged it to be about as good for short-term weight loss as for long-term weight loss.
#9. (tie) Eco-Atkins Diet
(3.1 out of 5.0)
Experts regarded Eco-Atkins as much more effective for short-term weight loss than for long-term weight loss. It “may be difficult to consistently adhere to,” one expert said, because it is largely a “do-it-yourself diet.”
#10. (tie) Mayo Clinic Diet
(3.1 out of 5.0)
Among weight-loss plans, the Mayo Clinic Diet tied with DASH and Eco-Atkins. While needed evidence is lacking, experts' ratings reflect their believe that Mayo, if followed, could deliver modest weight loss, both short- and long-term.
#11. (tie) Mediterranean Diet
(3.0 out of 5.0)
As a weight-loss plan, the Mediterranean diet didn't overwhelm the experts, but it’s not built to be one. It is up to the individual to keep watch over the scale.
#12. (tie) Ornish Diet
(3.0 out of 5.0)
Experts deemed the Ornish Spectrum plan to be OK, but not great, for people searching specifically for a weight-loss diet. Its greatest strengths lie elsewhere.
#13 (tie) South Beach Diet
(3.0 out of 5.0)
South Beach helps dieters drop pounds—fast. But our experts felt it’s less likely that they’ll actually keep the weight off long-term. We found little research indicating that the diet is sustainable or that it helps dieters maintain weight loss over the long haul.
#14. (tie) TLC Diet
(3.0 out of 5.0)
Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) isn't designed to be a weight-loss diet. But if sensibly followed, it can produce weight loss, experts said, because it's a fundamentally sound approach to eating. One plus: It requires no extreme measures such as shunning carbs or meat.
#15. Vegetarian Diet
(2.9 out of 5.0)
For weight loss, the vegetarian diet is slower off the starting line than most alternatives. But it gains back some ground over the long haul, beating out about half the field on long-term weight loss. Although vegetarianism isn’t designed to be a weight-loss plan, building in a calorie restriction and filling the menu with healthful foods could help dieters shed some pounds.
#16. (tie) Medifast Diet
(2.7 out of 5.0)
Medifast landed near the bottom of the pack for overall weight loss. While dieters will likely drop pounds quickly on Medifast, most experts felt they’d regain the weight. The diet's relatively low ratings for long-term weight loss pulled it down in the ranking.
#17. (tie) Nutrisystem Diet
(2.7 out of 5.0)
Nutrisystem also earned better ratings for short-term weight loss than for long-term weight loss. Experts were doubtful dieters could keep off the weight once they graduate from prepackaged meals and transition to cooking on their own again.
#18. Zone Diet
(2.6 out of 5.0)
Experts weren’t convinced that the Zone diet helps keep weight off over the short or long term. While it “provides a dose of dietary discipline,” one said, portions are small, and the diet requires a lot of work, which can make adhering to it difficult.
#19. Glycemic-Index Diet
(2.5 out of 5.0)
The glycemic-index diet doesn’t have much potential as a weight-loss diet, according to experts. It premise of favoring "good" carbs over "bad" hasn’t been scientifically validated, and dieters won’t have enough guidance to drop the pounds and keep them off, they concluded.
#20. Paleo Diet
(1.9 out of 5.0)
If weight loss is the goal, the Paleo diet will likely disappoint, in the judgment of our panel of experts. While they gave it slightly higher scores for short-term weight loss than for long-term, on the whole it was the least effective for weight loss of all 20 diets they reviewed.

'Dramatic' solar flare could disrupt Earth communications

An unusual solar flare observed by a NASA space observatory on Tuesday could cause some disruptions to satellite communications and power on Earth over the next day or so, officials said.

The potent blast from the Sun unleashed a firestorm of radiation on a level not witnessed since 2006, and will likely lead to moderate geomagnetic storm activity by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

"This one was rather dramatic," said Bill Murtagh, program coordinator at the NWS's Space Weather Prediction Center, describing the M-2 (medium-sized) solar flare that peaked at 1:41 am Eastern time in the United States, or 0541 GMT.

"We saw the initial flare occurring and it wasn't that big but then the eruption associated with it -- we got energy particle radiation flowing in and we got a big coronal mass injection," he said.

"You can see all the materials blasting up from the Sun so it is quite fantastic to look at."

NASA's solar dynamics observatory, which launched last year and provided the high-definition pictures and video of the event, described it as "visually spectacular," but noted that since the eruption was not pointed directly at Earth, the effects were expected to remain "fairly small."

"The large cloud of particles mushroomed up and fell back down looking as if it covered an area of almost half the solar surface," said a NASA statement.

Murtagh said space weather analysts were watching closely to see whether the event would cause any collision of magnetic fields between the Sun and Earth, some 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) apart.

"Part of our job here is to monitor and determine whether it is Earth-directed because essentially that material that is blasting out is gas with magnetic field combined," he told AFP.

"In a day or so from now we are expecting some of that material to impact us here on Earth and create a geomagnetic storm," he said.

"We don't expect it to be any kind of a real severe one but it could be kind of a moderate level storm."
The Space Weather Prediction Center said the event is "expected to cause G1 (minor) to G2 (moderate) levels of geomagnetic storm activity tomorrow, June 8, beginning around 1800 GMT."

Any geomagnetic storm activity will likely be over within 12-24 hours.

"The Solar Radiation Storm includes a significant contribution of high energy protons, the first such occurrence of an event of that type since December 2006," the NWS said.

As many as 12 satellites and spacecraft are monitoring the heliosphere, and one instrument in particular on board NASA's lunar reconnaissance orbiter is measuring radiation and its effects.

"Certainly over the (two-year) lifetime of the mission this is the most significant event," said Harlan Spence, principal investigator for the cosmic ray telescope for the effects of radiation, or CRaTER.

"This is really exciting because ironically when we were developing the mission initially we thought we would be launching closer to a solar maximum when these big solar particle events typically occur," Spence told AFP.

"Instead we launched into a historic solar minimum that took a long, long time to wake up," he said.

"This is interesting and significant because it shows the Sun is returning to its more typical active state."

The resulting geomagnetic storm could cause some disruption in power grids, satellites that operate global positioning systems and other devices, and may lead to some rerouting of flights over the polar regions, Murtagh said.

"Generally it is not going to cause any big problems, it will just have to be managed," he said.

"If you fly from the United States to Asia, flying over the North Pole, there are well over a dozen flights every day," he added.

"During these big radiation storms some of these airlines will reroute the flights away from the polar regions for safety reasons to make sure they can maintain communications.

"People operating satellites would keep an eye on this, too, because geomagnetic storming can interfere with satellites in various ways whether it is the satellite itself or the signal coming down from the receiver."

The aurora borealis (Northern Lights) and aurora australis (Southern Lights) will also likely be visible in the late hours of June 8 or 9, NASA said.

Budding basketball star shot dead at Sweet 16 party near Chicago

Tragedy struck prep sports again on Saturday night when a budding 17-year-old basketball prospect from the Chicago area was killed in a  shooting at a Sweet 16 birthday party.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, ABC7 News and a variety of other sources, Ryan Royall, a star guard for the Hillcrest (Ill.) High Hawks basketball team, attended the party in south Lynwood writh a group of friends, all of whom were told about it through word of mouth. When the group left the scene at approximately 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning, shots rang out, with Royall struck multiple times. Less than an hour later, the teen was pronounced dead at Franciscan St. Margaret Mercy Health Care in Dyer, Ind., the nearest emergency medical center.

Royall's death has been ruled a homicide.

The star's passing has left a significant void in a community where Royall had begun to establish himself not only as the next potential breakout basketball star, but also as a positive role model other teens and younger students could look up to.

"He was such a harmless kid," Hillcrest basketball coach Don Houston told the Sun-Times of Royall, whom he coached for three seasons. "There wasn't a mean bone in his body."

While there were allegedly as many as 300 to 400 teens at the Saturday night festivities, there were no reports of trouble or violence at all during the party, according to one of Royall's friends who was also at the event.

As it were, Royall and his entourage left when they did to recuperate before a Sunday slate of basketball games at the Riverside-Brookville Summer Tournament, where the quicksilver guard led Hillcrest to a 3-0 record on Saturday. Houston said that Royall had been one of the team's leading players on Saturday, and was expected to emerge in his senior season as true Division I prospect, building off an all-conference junior season.

Now, he is gone, with friends and family struggling to come to grips with such a stunning and sudden loss.

Strange Image on Mars

A self-described "armchair astronaut" claims to have found a base on the planet Mars using a satellite imaging map. He thinks the base could have been made by aliens

The video David Martines uploaded to YouTube has been viewed more than 850,000 times. He says the 750'-by-150' cylinder-like structure that he's zoomed in on using Google Mars looks like it's made for people to inhabit. In the video, Martines say he assumes people live in the cylinder or have lived in it.

He named the shape "Bio Station Alpha." Experts told Space.come that the image was most likely caused by "cosmic energy" interfering with the cameras--not by aliens.

"It looks like a linear streak artifact produced by a cosmic ray," Alfred McEwen, a planetary geologist at the University of Arizona told Space.com. Cosmic rays, which are emitted by the Sun and other stars, don't make it to Earth because of its magnetosphere. "But with space images that are taken outside our magnetosphere, such as those taken by orbiting telescopes, it's very common to see these cosmic ray hits. You see them on optical images and a lot of the infrared images too."

5 signs he’s about to dump you

We can all agree on the obvious signs your sweetie wants out — like he swaps that wallet photo of you for one of his mom — but what about the more subtle signs? Spotting them is the key to surviving with your pride (and even your relationship) safely intact. “Instead of closing up when we’re afraid a romance may be ending, we need to force ourselves to be open,” says Maya Talisman Frost, owner of Real-World Mindfulness Training. “In many cases, open communication can prevent a downward relationship spiral, so pay attention and watch for opportunities to connect.” Here are five early clues you’re about to get dumped: 

Warning Sign #1: Your dates morph into group outings

Has he started inviting a few friends — or a few dozen — along when you go out? He may be trying to tell you something, according to Matt Kennedy of Orlando, FL: “When I want to end a relationship, I’ll invite my buddies along with us to movies, parties and dinner,” he explains. “That way, it becomes more of a group thing instead of a date.” 

 
Warning Sign #2: He becomes Mr. Extreme Makeover

It’s an old wives’ truism for a reason: a person who’s cheating suddenly wants to look better, says Lisa Daily, author of Stop Getting Dumped! “So if he was a blue button-down shirt and chinos kind of guy and suddenly he’s wearing Armani, that’s not a good sign,” she explains. 

But hey, new threads and six-pack abs doesn’t mean he’s getting some love on the side — just that he’s open to the idea. “What most of my guy friends say is that when they’re not into the relationship anymore, they’ll work out and buy new clothes because they’re looking to impress women,” says Janelle Nicolo of Beverly, MA. “Since most men in relationships get comfortable and ‘let themselves go,’ when your man starts taking better care of himself, he may well be contemplating replacing you.” 

Warning Sign #3: He’s cranky and critical all the time

You tell a joke; he rolls his eyes. You ask what he’s doing Friday; he snaps, “Why are you pressuring me?” You complain about your boss... and he sides with her! What gives? “When there’s a lot of contempt in the relationship and he’s suddenly critical and judgmental, that’s a warning sign,” says Diana Kirschner, Ph.D., author of Opening Love’s Doors. Sometimes when a man feels unhappy but powerless to change things, he’ll act out (kind of like a two-year-old who doesn’t want to eat spinach). Yes, you’re the spinach in this scenario, but don’t take it personally: he is jumping down your throat for absolutely no reason. Remember that you deserve to be worshipped, not tortured, by your man. And love is supposed to be fun. 

Warning Sign #4: His body language says, ‘Get me out of here!’

You know those guys who three days before they dump you say, “You make me so happy” or “We should get our own place together,” right? We all wonder why they do it, but the good news is, there’s a way to see it coming — just check out his body language when he speaks. Watch for the one-shoulder hug, a sign he’s “distancing” himself from you in the relationship, says Daily. Patting your back while hugging you is another bad sign, because it shows he’s uncomfortable. Also, check to see if he’s looking up and to the left as he proclaims his devotion to you. According to private investigators, a guy who does this is lying: the look to the left shows he’s using the “creative” side of his brain, says Daily — a good indicator that he’s telling you a whopper. 

Warning Sign #5: He’s hard to reach — in every sense of the word

Check all that apply: Do you find yourself calling him more than you used to? Wondering why it took him a day to respond to your email when he used to IM you back in 10 seconds? Has he cancelled more than one date in the last month because he’s crazy busy at work? Has he tried to change the subject after you brought up an issue that requires future planning for two — from where to go Saturday night to whether or not to live together? According to Kirschner, these are “tells” spelling out his time-to-get-outta-here intentions. 

To tell if he’s just genuinely busy or getting ready to break free, tune in to how you feel about his lack of time, says Nicole E. Marquez of Tempe, AZ. “For a month or so before my boyfriend broke up with me at lunch — just like George on Seinfeld — there was a ‘dark cloud’ over the relationship,” she recalls. “It was like a sense of impending doom. I think with relationships, your gut feeling is always right.” 

Bottom line: If any of these clues rings true, try talking to your guy, says Talisman Frost. Let him know that you want to hear whatever he’s thinking — the less judgmental your tone, the more likely he’ll be to truly open up. In some cases, just being able to vent his relationship anxieties may relieve them. At the very least, by speaking up you gain some ownership of the breakup, making you feel less like a victim and more like the mastermind of your own love-life happiness. 

NY-born twin friars die on same day at age 92

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Identical twins Julian and Adrian Riester were born seconds apart 92 years ago. They died hours apart this week. The Buffalo-born brothers were also brothers in the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor. 

Professed friars for 65 years, they spent much of that time working together at St. Bonaventure University, doing carpentry work, gardening and driving visitors to and from the airport and around town.

"It was fun to see them, just quiet, gentle souls," Yvonne Peace, who worked at the St. Bonaventure Friary for nearly 21 years, said Friday.

They died Wednesday at St. Anthony Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., Brother Julian in the morning and Brother Adrian in the evening.

Both died of heart failure, said Father James Toal, guardian of St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, where the inseparable twins lived since moving from western New York in 2008.

"It really is almost a poetic ending to the remarkable story of their lives," St. Bonaventure spokesman Tom Missel said. "Stunning when you hear it, but hardly surprising given that they did almost everything together."

Julian and Adrian Riester were born Jerome and Irving on March 27, 1919, to a couple who already had five daughters. They took the names of saints upon their ordination in the Catholic church.

"Dad was a doctor and he said a prayer for a boy," Adrian once said, according to St. Bonaventure. "The Lord fooled him and sent two."

After attending St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, the brothers were turned away by the military because of their eyesight, the university said. One had a bad left eye, the other a bad right eye.

Eventually they joined the friars of Holy Name Province in New York City. They received separate assignments before reuniting at the seminary at St. Bonaventure from 1951 to 1956. After serving parishes in Buffalo for 17 years, they returned to St. Bonaventure in 1973 and spent the next 35 years there.

They had separate rooms in the friary but one telephone extension that rang into both, Peace recalled. It was usually the more talkative Adrian who answered, though Julian possessed a quiet authority. They never said who was born first.

"Brother Julian was like the big brother. Brother Adrian would defer to him," Peace said. "They picked up one of our friars at the airport one time and the friar said, `Can I take you to dinner?'

"Brother Adrian looked at Brother Julian and said, `We aren't going to dinner?' `No, we'll go home,'" Peace said. "So that was it. No discussion, no contradicting. `No, we aren't going today.'"

Funeral services are scheduled for Monday at St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Church in St. Petersburg. Afterward, the brothers' bodies will be flown to Buffalo and buried Wednesday at St. Bonaventure Cemetery, across the street from the university.

2011 is deadliest US tornado season in 75 years

The deadliest US tornado season in 75 years has ripped babies from their mother's arms and transformed entire towns into apocalyptic scenes of destruction as the toll hit 523.

And it isn't over yet.

While warmer summer weather should hopefully reduce their intensity, the peak tornado season runs through July and twisters can strike at any time.

The damage is as unimaginable as it is unpredictable.

Funnel clouds drop out of a darkened sky, tossing cars and mobile homes up into the air, pulling huge trees out of the ground and tearing buildings apart.

The smaller ones touch down so briefly that one side of a street is flattened while the other is largely unscathed.

The bigger ones stay on the ground for miles, destroying everything for blocks on either side of their random path.

Two bad days accounted for nearly all the deaths: an outbreak of dozens of tornados that killed 314 people in five states on April 27 and a massive twister that killed 138 in Joplin, Missouri on May 22.

It was the deadliest day and the deadliest single tornado strike since modern record keeping began in 1950. 2011 now ranks as the fifth deadliest year in US tornado history.

"We're still trying to wrap our heads around this one," said Greg Carbin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's storm center.

It's not clear whether climate change is playing a role, Carbin said.

Tornadoes are formed when two weather fronts of different temperatures create wind sheer.

The warmer temperatures caused by global warming should reduce wind sheer, but they have also led to more precipitation and could be breeding the thunderstorms that spawn twisters.

It is clear, however, that steady growth in the number of people living in "tornado alley" - the huge area between the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains - has led to higher tolls, particularly since so many are living in mobile homes and houses lacking storm cellars.

"We've spread out on the landscape," Carbin told AFP. "It's easier for a tornado to hit something in this day and age."

While warning systems have improved dramatically in recent years, sirens can be little help against a twister powerful enough to knock a nine story hospital off its foundation and reduce brick buildings to rubble.

That's what happened in Joplin, where a nearly mile-wide twister packing winds of more than 200 miles per hour cut a six-mile (nearly 10 kilometer) swath of destruction through the town of 50,000 people.

"I don't know if man could build something strong enough to handle what came through," Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said after surveying the damage.

President Barack Obama called it a "national tragedy" and recalled stories of heroism at a memorial service Sunday.

One such hero was pizza shop manager Christopher Lucas, a father of two, who ushered more than a dozen people into a walk-in freezer as the tornado approached.

The freezer door wouldn't close from the inside, so Lucas found rope and closed it from the outside.
"Christopher held it as long as he could. Until he was pulled away by the incredible force of the storm," Obama said.

"He died saving more than a dozen people in that freezer."

The damage was so extensive that it took officials 10 days to identify all the bodies and reunite hundreds of people separated from their loved ones.

For many, days of frantic searching ended in despair.

Like the family of 16-month Skyular Logsdon, who was pulled from his mother's arms after she was knocked unconscious when the twister ripped apart their home.

Another series of deadly twisters struck just two days after the Joplin tornado, killing 16 people in Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

A pregnant Catherine Hamil cowered in a bathtub with her three young children in Piedmont, Oklahoma that night.

When the storm passed, her 15-month-old son was dead, Hamil and her five-year-old daughter were in serious condition and her three-year-old son was gone.

It took two days to find his body.

Officials predict it will cost billions to repair the physical damage caused by the deadly twisters and months for life to return to normal.