VODKA VENDING MACHINE

VODKA VENDING MACHINE FOUND IN UKRAINE

 

An illegal vodka vending machine has been discovered in the centre of the Ukrainian city of Melitopol.

 

Authorities in the south eastern city are currently investigating how the device was installed, having quickly realised it was a converted coffee machine that accepted money.

 

Passers-by would have been able to purchase one shot of vodka for 7.50 hryvnia (£0.59) and also had access to a range of fruit juice mixers.

 

According to local press, Ukrainian tax inspectors are looking to interview the owners of the locally-named "wonder machine" in connection with the suspected illegal trade in alcohol.

 

It has been reported over recent months that the increase in the illegal production of spirits in Eastern Europe is having a negative effect on the slowing legal vodka market.

 

This also follows news of an illegal vodka pipeline discovered in Kazakhstan last month.

 

Illegal vodka pipeline discovered in Kyrgyzstan

 

KYRGYZ customs officials have shut down a pipeline that had been used to apparently pump thousands of litres of vodka from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan under a river, Kyrgyz police say, according to the Akipress news agency.

 

The 20-centimetre-thick, half-kilometre-long pipe had been laid beneath the border river Chu, said the police official from the northern Kyrgyz city of Tokmok.

 

It was equipped with multiple valves and lay on a track along the river's bottom.

 

"We assume that thousands of litres of alcohol were smuggled with it, primarily vodka," said the police officer.

 

It is believed the alcohol was smuggled this way for months.

 

The pipe was discovered during a routine inspection.

 

DISCLAIMER:
If you are not the intended recipient or have received this message in error, please notify the sender by return email at your earliest convenience and delete this email, do not use, peruse, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or any file attached to this message. Any such unauthorized use, is prohibited and may be unlawful

Voyager 1's Glow Glimmers in Interstellar Space

Voyager 1's Glow Glimmers in Interstellar Space

 

 

 

One of the most iconic photographs in spaceflight history is that of Earth, seen from a distance of 4 billion miles by the outward bound Voyager 1 spacecraft. The 1990 "Pale Blue Dot" gave the world a profound realization that everybody — from all human history that has ever existed — lived on that one tiny speck in the distance, as legendary science communicator Carl Sagan remarked at the time.

 

Now, 23 years later, a photograph of another "pale blue dot" has been released by NASA — the faint signal from Voyager 1′s radio transmitter reaching us from interstellar space after traveling 11.5 billion miles from Earth.

 

Last week, NASA confirmed that Voyager 1 had officially left the solar system's heliosphere, escaping from the heliopause and entered interstellar space, the first man made object to leave the sun's domain. Therefore, this pale blue radio speck is the first man made radio signal ever to be received from interstellar space.

 

The image, that was captured by the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) on Feb. 21, was released to celebrate Voyager 1 entering the interstellar medium.

 

According to NASA, the signal being generated by Voyager 1 is very weak. The spacecraft's main radio transmitter generates just 22 watts — the approximate radiated power of a refrigerator light bulb.

 

But to a huge radio array like the VLBA, Voyager 1′s signal is easily detectable as a faint radio glimmer in the darkness of the interstellar ocean.

 

"They were able to see a blue speck," Suzanne Dodd, Voyager's project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., said during a news conference Thursday. "And this image represents the Voyager radio signal as seen by the world's most sensitive ground-based telescope. It's just a speck in amongst a sea of darkness."

 

 

Voyager: Goodbye Solar System, Hello Interstellar Space

After a 35-year, 13-billion mile journey, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has become the first human-made object to reach interstellar space, new evidence from a team of scientists shows.

 

 

On Aug. 25, 2012, Voyager, which was launched in 1977 to study the outer planets, detected a sudden drop in the number of particles trapped in the bubble of space under the sun's influence, the so-called heliosphere, and a corresponding spike in the number of galactic cosmic rays from outside the solar system.

 

That evidence alone, however, was not enough to convince scientists Voyager had finally reached interstellar space. What they really wanted to know was how much plasma -- ionized molecules and atoms -- was around Voyager, but that measurement was not possible since the spacecraft's plasma detector stopped working more than 30 years ago.

 

Computer models had long predicted that within the heliosphere, which is filed with the sun's hot breath of solar wind, plasma density would be a small fraction of what exists in cold interstellar space.

 

But there was another way. Under very special circumstances, Voyager's two 10-meter (33-foot) antennas can detect vibrations in the plasma that scientists can then use to calculate density.

 

But not very common. It happened nine years ago when Voyager 1 crossed a shockwave, a telltale sign that the solar wind was no longer moving at supersonic speeds.

 

Another hint of Voyager's whereabouts came in October and November 2012 when the spacecraft's antennas registered the effects of a solar flare. The bevy of particles emitted in the so-called coronal mass ejection traveled for about a year before reaching Voyager.

 

Conclusive proof came this spring when Voyager detected another solar outburst.

 

"We were able, for the first time, to measure the density of the plasma, the number of particles per cubic meter," Gurnett said. "As soon as we detected those oscillations, we knew that we were in the interstellar medium."

 

"The definition of the heliopause is based on the plasma density and they just couldn't measure that. And we, by some good fortune having to do with solar events, finally could do that," he said.

 

Extrapolating back in time, scientists calculate that Voyager 1 likely crossed into interstellar space back in August 2012, the same time it measured changes in the prevalence of cosmic rays and solar particles.

 

While one step of Voyager's journey is over, a new expedition is beginning.

 

"We are now in interstellar space. This is a very exciting new phase of the mission," said lead scientist Edward Stone, with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

 

"As usual, the most important thing we'll find is probably something that we didn't expect. That's what makes this mission so very special," he said.

 

The research appears in this week's Science.

 

It is estimated that Voyager 1′s dwindling power supply — generated by three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) — will only allow for the spacecraft's science instruments to be powered up until 2020 and then by 2030, the mission will go silent and Voyager 1′s faint radio glimmer will be extinguished for good.

---

Voyager 1 and 2: Spacecraft Twins

 

NASA

In 1977, NASA sent the Voyager spacecraft to visit the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. And though they're twins, the two spacecraft followed very different trajectories: Voyager 1 left the plane of the solar system after flying by Saturn on a path towards the edge of the heliosphere while Voyager 2 stayed in line with the planets to visit the outer ice giants Uranus and Neptune.

More than 30 years later, it's Voyager 1 that's in the news all the time since it is well on its way to becoming our first true interstellar spacecraft. But today, on the 32nd anniversary of Voyager 2's launch (Aug. 20, 1977), it's time to look back at some of the amazing sights it saw during its planetary flybys.

We might not think about it much, but as the only spacecraft to see the two furthest planets up close, the breathtaking images we have of Uranus and Neptune are all thanks to Voyager 2.

NASA

Though the second of the pair by numerical designation, Voyager 2 was actually the first spacecraft to launch. It left Cape Canaveral on a Titan IIIE rocket on Aug. 20, 1977; Voyager 1 launched on Sept. 5, 1977. It was the first to launch, but Voyager 2 followed a slower trajectory that would see it encounter Jupiter months after Voyager 1.

NASA

Voyager 1 started imaging Jupiter in the January of 1979, and after taking some 19,000 pictures in four months, it passed the baton to Voyager 2 in April. The second interplanetary spacecraft added another 14,000 images to the Jupiter image file, making its closest approach to the planet on July 9.

 

NASA

Jupiter wasn't an unknown entity when the Voyager spacecraft arrived; astronomers had been studying it from the Earth for centuries. But what the two spacecraft found surprised scientists -- the physical, geologic, and atmospheric processes that have shaped the planet and its system of satellites. Most notably, the active volcanoes on the Galilean moon Io. It was totally unexpected to find volcanic activity on a moon, and the more scientists studied of Io's volcanism the more interesting it became. The moon's volcanic eruptions seem to be the primary source of material in Jupiter's magnetosphere.

NASA

Before leaving the Jovian system, Voyager 2 took a series of pictures of the Galilean moon Ganymede, which mission scientists have stitched into this mosaic. Ganymede is the largest satellite in our solar system, larger even than Mercury, meaning if it were to orbit the sun and not Jupiter it would easily be classified as a planet. And it would be an ice world. On top of the moon's metallic iron core (that generated a magnetic field) and the layer of rock is a thick shell of ice that might contain some amount of rocky material. In 1996, astronomers found evidence of a thin oxygen atmosphere on Ganymede using the Hubble Space Telescope.

 

NASA

Voyager 2 reached Saturn two years after its close encounter with Jupiter, and it imaged the ringed planet with more sensitive cameras than Voyager 1. It saw elongated ovals in Saturn's atmosphere, tilted features in the east-west shear zones, and other features that were on the whole similar to those seen on Jupiter but smaller and more subdued. Some of Saturn's atmospheric variations can be seen in this image that combines the view through ultraviolet, violet, and green filters.

NASA

As it approached the ringed planet, Voyager 2 saw Saturn and its moons Tethys, Dione, and Rhea together (though this picture was stitched together from individual frames). The spacecraft, at this point, was 13 million miles from Saturn, and the black dot in planet's southern hemisphere is the shadow cast by Tethys.

 

NASA

Voyager 2 also caught this view of Saturn's moon Titan. It might not look like much, but the white glow is Titan's thick atmosphere. It's clearly visible around the whole of the moon, particularly in the upper left. At the time, the spacecraft was a little over 620,000 miles away on Aug. 25, 1981.

NASA

On Jan. 24, 1986, Voyager 2 became the first spacecraft in history to visit Uranus. At its closest pass, the spacecraft came within 50,600 miles of the planet's cloudy upper layer. While flying by the planet, Voyager 2 managed to image ten previously unseen moons and Uranus' ring system in fine detail. Data gathered during the flyby revealed the planet's rate of rotation is about 17 hours and 14 minutes, that it has a significant magnetic field, and that the global temperature is generally fairly consistent even though Uranus' equatorial region gets less sunlight than its poles.

 

NASA

In studying Uranus' moons, Voyager 2 found complex surfaces indicative of a varied geologic past. This detailed view of the Miranda shows at least three types of terrain of different ages and geologic styles. To the left is an ancient hilly region that has been cratered over time. Towards the center of the image is a deeply grooved terrain with linear valleys and ridges. On the right along the terminator is a complex terrain with irregular ridges and few craters.

NASA

As Voyager 2 left Uranus, it caught this stunning shot of the planet as a slim crescent against the black backdrop of space.

 

NASA

Perhaps the most recognizable picture of Neptune, this picture of the planet's full disk was stitched together from images taken on Aug. 16 and 17, 1989. Within two weeks, the spacecraft would make its closest flyby not only of Neptune but of any planet it visited. Voyager 2 passed within 3,000 miles of Neptune's north pole on Aug. 25, 1989 before beginning its journey to the edge of our solar system.

NASA

Voyager 2 caught this stunning view of Neptune and its moon Triton three and a half days after making its close flyby of the planet. Triton is Neptune's largest moon and the only moon in our solar system that orbits in the opposite direction that its host planet rotates. This uncommon orbit combined with its icy composition has led some scientists to suspect that Triton was an independent body that was captured by Neptune's much stronger gravity. When it took this picture, Voyager 2 was about 3 million miles from Neptune.

NASA

Three hours before its closest approach, Voyager 2 caught this close view of linear clouds near Neptune's eastern terminator. The light and shadow shows that these clouds are raised above Neptune's already thick cloudy surface. Voyager 2 took this picture from about 98,000 miles away. Scientists figured that the cloud streaks are 31 to 124 miles long, 18 to 31 miles wide, and as tall as 31 miles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER:
If you are not the intended recipient or have received this message in error, please notify the sender by return email at your earliest convenience and delete this email, do not use, peruse, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or any file attached to this message. Any such unauthorized use, is prohibited and may be unlawful

Alterations to the body's circadian rhythms

Alterations to the body's circadian rhythms

Courtesy: Wikipedia Article

 

 

The condition is not linked to the length of flight, but to the trans-meridian (west–east) distance traveled. A ten-hour flight from Europe to southern Africa does not cause jet lag, as travel is primarily north–south. A five-hour flight from the east to the west coast of the United States may well result in jet lag. Crossing the International Date Line does not contribute to jet lag, as the guide for calculating jet lag is the number of time zones crossed, and the maximum possible disruption is plus or minus 12 hours.

 

The common term jet lag is used because before the arrival of passenger jet aircraft, it was generally uncommon to travel far and fast enough to cause jet lag. Propeller flights were slower and of more limited distance than jet flights, and thus did not contribute as widely to the problem.

 

Jet lag is a chronobiological problem, similar to issues often induced by shift work. When traveling across a number of time zones, the body clock will be out of synchronization with the destination time, as it experiences daylight and darkness contrary to the rhythms to which it has grown accustomed. The body's natural pattern is upset, as the rhythms that dictate times for eating, sleeping, hormone regulation and body temperature variations no longer correspond to the environment nor to each other in some cases. To the degree that the body cannot immediately realign these rhythms, it is jet lagged.

The speed at which the body adjusts to the new schedule depends on the individual; some people may require several days to adjust to a new time zone, while others experience little disruption. Crossing one or two time zones does not typically cause jet lag.

 

Jet lag, medically referred to as desynchronosis, is a physiological condition which results from alterations to the body's circadian rhythms resulting from rapid long-distance transmeridian (east–west or west–east) travel on a (typically jet) aircraft. The condition of jet lag may last several days until one is fully adjusted to the new time zone, and a recovery rate of one day per time zone crossed is a suggested guideline.

 

The symptoms of jet lag can be quite varied, depending on the amount of time zone alteration, time of day and the susceptibility of individual differences. Sleep disturbance occurs, with poor sleep upon arrival, sleep disruption including trouble falling asleep (if flying east), early awakening (if flying west) and interrupted sleep with multiple awakenings and trouble remaining asleep. Cognitive effects include poorer performance on mental tasks and concentration, increased fatigue, headaches, and irritability, and problems with digestion including indigestion, changes in the frequency of defecation and consistency of feces and reduced interest in and enjoyment of food. Symptoms are caused by a circadian rhythm that is out of sync with the day-night cycle of the destination.

 

Travel fatigue

Travel fatigue is general fatigue, disorientation and headache caused by a disruption in routine, time spent in a cramped space with little chance to move around, a low-oxygen environment, and dehydration caused by limited food and dry air. It does not necessarily have the shift in circadian rhythms that cause jet lag. Travel fatigue can occur without crossing time zones, and it often disappears after a single day accompanied by a night of high-quality sleep.

 

Management

 

Light is the strongest stimulus for re-aligning a person's sleep-wake schedule and the careful control over exposure and avoidance of bright lights can speed adjustment to a new time zone. Melatonin is used to adjust the circadian clock but there are issues regarding the appropriate dosage and dosage timing, in addition to the legality of the substance in certain countries.

 

North-south flights that do not cross time zones do not cause jet lag. Adjustment to the new time zone is easier for east-to-west travel than west-to-east. A westward adjustment takes, in days, approximately half the number of time zones crossed. For eastward travel, adjusting to the new time zone takes, in days, approximately two-thirds the number of time zones crossed.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DISCLAIMER:
If you are not the intended recipient or have received this message in error, please notify the sender by return email at your earliest convenience and delete this email, do not use, peruse, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or any file attached to this message. Any such unauthorized use, is prohibited and may be unlawful

Elections in the United States

Election System in the United States

The United States has a federal government, with elected officials at the federal (national), state and local levels. On a national level, the head of state, the President, is elected indirectly by the people, through an Electoral College. Today, the electors virtually always vote with the popular vote of their state. All members of the federal legislature, the Congress, are directly elected. There are many elected offices at state level, each state having at least an elective governor and legislature. There are also elected offices at the local level, in counties and cities. It is estimated that across the whole country, over one million offices are filled in every electoral cycle.

Part 1: How the President of the United States is Elected 

Part 2: The electoral college explained

Part 3: Levels of election

---

Part 1

How the President of the United States is Elected 

Start with the Constitution. The basic process of selecting the President of the United States is spelled out in the U.S. Constitution, and it has been modified by the 12th, 22nd, and 23rd amendments. Many additional steps have been added over the years, by custom and by state law -- the process has changed quite a bit over time.

Who Can Run? The President and Vice-President are elected every four years. They must be at least 35 years of age, they must be native-born citizens of the United States, and they must have been residents of the U.S. for at least 14 years. (Also, a person cannot be elected to a third term as President.)

How Do the Political Parties Choose Their Candidates? That's up to the political parties. Most political parties hold conventions, which are large meetings attended by "delegates." Some delegates are selected by state "primary" elections, some are selected by state caucuses (very much like primaries, except with public voting instead of secret ballots), and some are chosen for their prominence in the party. A majority of delegate votes is needed to win the party's nomination. In most cases, the delegates let their chosen presidential candidate select a vice-presidential candidate.

Candidates for President and Vice-President Run Together. In the general election, each candidate for President runs together with a candidate for Vice-President on a "ticket." Voters select one ticket to vote for; they can't choose a presidential candidate from one ticket and a vice-presidential candidate from another ticket.

The Electoral College. The national presidential election actually consists of a separate election in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia; in these 51 elections, the voters are really voting for "electors" pledged to one of the tickets. These electors make up the "Electoral College." (In most cases, the names of the electors aren't written on the ballot; instead the ballot lets voters choose among "Electors for" each of the tickets, naming the presidential and vice-presidential candidates each slate of electors is pledged to.)

Each state has the same number of electors as it has senators and representatives (there are two senators from each state, but the number of representatives depends on the state population in the most recent census). The District of Columbia, although it isn't a state, also participates in presidential elections -- it currently has three electors.

The People in Each State Vote for Electors in the Electoral College. In most of the states, and also in the District of Columbia, the election is winner-take-all; whichever ticket receives the most votes in that state (or in D.C.) gets all the electors. (The only exceptions are Maine and Nebraska. In these states, just two of the electors are chosen in a winner-take-all fashion from the entire state. The remaining electors are determined by the winner in each congressional district, with each district voting for one elector.)

The Electoral College Votes for the President. The Electoral College then votes for President and for Vice-President, with each elector casting one vote; these votes are called electoral votes. Each elector is pledged to vote for particular candidates for President and Vice-President. In most elections, all the electors vote in accordance with the pledge they made; it is not clear what would happen in the unlikely event that a large number of electors violated their pledge and voted differently.

Normally, one of the candidates for President receives a majority (more than half) of the electoral votes; that person is elected President. That candidate's vice-presidential running mate will then also receive a majority of electoral votes (for Vice-President), and that person is elected Vice-President.

If There's No Electoral College Winner, the House of Representatives Chooses the President. In the rare event that no presidential candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes, then the President is chosen instead by the House of Representatives, from the top three presidential vote-getters in the Electoral College; each state delegation in Congress casts one vote. (The Vice-President would be chosen from the top two vice-presidential vote-getters by the Senate.)

This is bizarre! Does it really work this way? Yes. There are many arguments pro and con the Electoral College, but this system does guarantee that the person elected President has substantial support distributed throughout the U.S. The Electoral College has also been a major factor in the United States' long-term political stability.

---

Part 2

The electoral college explained

Millions of Americans voted for Barack Obama as president on Tuesday, but he was in practice be chosen by an electoral college, the somewhat baffling and Byzantine system unique to the United States.

The important thing to remember is that the college is not a place but a process, in which each (presidential) candidate's goal is to reach the winning mark of 270 votes out of the total 538 in the college.

The system does involve real people, called electors, who are distributed among the 50 states and the District of Columbia according to the size of each state's Congressional delegation. These vary greatly: California is the largest with 55, while the likes of sparsely-populated Alaska and Montana have only three.

Although the results are known and declared on the night – barring any legal disputes – voters are in fact only indirectly voting for a president.

The constitution decrees that each state's electors should meet in December (on the first Monday after the second Wednesday) in their state capitals and the cast their votes for president and vice-President.

The electors are typically local political leaders chosen by their parties. In 30 states they are required to reflect the popular will, but in others they have been known to deviate and choose another candidate or make a protest abstention vote.

Most states have a "winner-take-all" system that awards all electors to the winning presidential candidate, although Maine and Nebraska each have a variation of "proportional representation".

The system was designed with two goals. Winner-take-all was intended to strengthen the political clout of the south, which had lower voting populations but economic power. The college's electors were supposed to act as guarantors in case the masses made a bad choice in the eyes of the elite.

The problem is that the winner of the popular vote doesn't necessarily win the electoral college.

In 2000 Al Gore won 500,000 more votes than George W Bush but lost the electoral college by five votes.

Millions of voters can feel somewhat disenfranchised. In 2008, more than five million voted for Senator John McCain in California, but had no impact in terms of the electoral college. The election is always concentrated on swing states where the population is habitually divided between the two major parties.

Criticism on Electoral College

The electoral college has long been criticized, for several reasons. It has been criticized for being undemocratic compared to a direct system of election. Another criticism is that it creates inequality between voters in different states during the presidential election. Usually, only voters in swing states determine the outcome of the election and as a result, it is claimed that the vast majority of Americans, who live in non-competitive states, are largely ignored by political campaigns. If the electoral college were abolished and if the whole country were treated as one district for Presidential elections, then the result would not depend on crucial swing states. It also creates inequality in that the populations of very small states, which have a minimum of 3 Electoral college votes, are overrepresented compared with voters from larger states. For example, Wyoming has a population of 493,782 and 3 EC votes, 164,594 people per EC vote. California has a population of 33,871,648 and 55 EC votes, 615,848 people per EC vote. Abolishing the college and replacing it with a national direct system would also prevent a candidate from receiving fewer votes nationwide than their opponent, but still winning more electoral votes, which last occurred in the 2000 Presidential election. Also, the electoral college discriminates against candidates who do not have support concentrated in several states. In 1992, Ross Perot won 18.9% of the national vote, but received no electoral college votes. The electoral college would require a constitutional amendment to be abolished, and since three-quarters of state legislatures would be required to ratify an amendment that would effectively redistribute voting power from many small states to numerically fewer large states, it is thought that an amendment would fail.

---

Part 3

Levels of election

The United States has perhaps the most complicated electoral system in the world. Voters are asked to make more decisions and asked to do so more frequently than citizens of other democracies. This Byzantine electoral structure in the US does provide the greatest opportunity for input, but at a cost—by demanding so much of the public it means that many are overwhelmed by the complexity of the system and ultimately fail to vote ("democratic overload").

I. Federal elections

The United States has a presidential system of government, which means that the executive and legislature are elected separately. Article One of the United States Constitution requires that any election for the U.S. President must occur on a single day throughout the country; elections for Congressional offices, however, can be held at different times. Congressional and presidential elections take place simultaneously every four years, and the intervening Congressional elections, which take place every two years, are called Midterm elections.

Presidential elections

The President and the Vice President are elected together in a Presidential election. The election is indirect, the winner being determined by votes cast by electors of the Electoral College. In modern times, voters in each state select a slate of electors from a list of several slates designated by different parties or candidates, and the electors typically promise in advance to vote for the candidates of their party (whose names usually appear on the ballot rather than those of the individual electors). The winner of the election is the candidate with at least 270 Electoral College votes. It is possible for a candidate to win the electoral vote, and lose the (nationwide) popular vote (receive fewer votes nationwide than the second ranked candidate).

II. Congressional elections

Elections to Congress take place every two years. Congress has two chambers.

Senate elections

The Senate has 100 members, elected for a six year term in dual-seat constituencies (2 from each state), with one-third being renewed every two years.

House of Representatives elections

The House of Representatives has 435 members, elected for a two year term in single-seat constituencies. House of Representatives elections are held every two years on the first Tuesday after November 1 in even years. House elections are first-past-the-post elections that elect a Representative from each of 435 House districts which cover the United States. It is correlated with presidential elections or halfway through a President's term.

III. State elections

State law and state constitutions, controlled by state legislatures regulate elections at state level and local level. Various officials at state level are elected. Since the separation of powers applies to states as well as the federal government, state legislatures and the executive (the governor) are elected separately. Governors and lieutenant governor are elected in all states, in some states on a joint ticket and in some states separately, some separately in different electoral cycles.

In some states, executive positions such as Attorney General and Secretary of State are also elected offices. All members of state legislatures and territorial jurisdiction legislatures are elected, state senators and state representatives/assembly members. Nebraska's legislature is unicameral, so only senators are elected. In some states, members of the state supreme court and other members of the state judiciary are elected. Proposals to amend the state constitution are also placed on the ballot in some states.

As a matter of convenience and cost saving, elections for many of these state and local offices are held at the same time as either the federal presidential or midterm elections. There are a handful of states, however, that instead hold their elections during odd-numbered "off years."

IV. Local elections

At the local level, county and city government positions are usually filled by election, especially within the legislative branch. The extent to which offices in the executive or judicial branches are elected vary from county-to-county or city-to-city. Some examples of local elected positions include sheriffs at the county level and mayors and school board members at the city level. Like state elections, an election for a specific local office may be held at the same time as either the presidential, midterm, or off-year elections.

---

DISCLAIMER:
If you are not the intended recipient or have received this message in error, please notify the sender by return email at your earliest convenience and delete this email, do not use, peruse, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or any file attached to this message. Any such unauthorized use, is prohibited and may be unlawful

Fw: How Much Would It Cost to Be Batman in Real Life?

How Much Would It Cost to Be Batman in Real Life?

It would cost $682 million for a real-life Batman to fund his world-saving lifestyle, thanks to the price of high-tech cars, gadgets, his mansion and training, a new infographic says.

The infographic, created by MoneySupermarket.com, looks at how much it would cost to run Batman's empire. The main conclusion? It's not easy on the wallet.

In fact, Batman's collection of vehicles alone cost about $80 million. His Tumbler/Batmobile alone has a price tag of $18 million due to its jet engine, front-mounted machine guns, remote-control system and GPS technology.

Meanwhile, it would cost about $37,000 each year to run Wayne Manor and the Bat Cave. His weapons cost about $10,000 — from a $50,000 TLPS Grappling Hook Launcher to a $15,000 thermal camera and a $5,000 night-vision monocular. Three Batarang Throwing Stars cost about $1,000.

Other pricey accessories include a memory cloth polymer cape ($40,000), ultrasonic bat attractor ($1,000), a retinal projection system featured in his mask ($10,000), forearm blades ($1,000) and custom boosts ($1,000).

Batman's training and education costs vary. Military pilot training would be $500,000, as would training for special firearms and several engineering degrees.

DISCLAIMER:
If you are not the intended recipient or have received this message in error, please notify the sender by return email at your earliest convenience and delete this email, do not use, peruse, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or any file attached to this message. Any such unauthorized use, is prohibited and may be unlawful

Electric cars with in-wheel motors

Protean Electric looks to revolutionize electric cars with in-wheel motors

Protean Electric hasn't exactly reinvented the wheel, but what's inside of it is a different story.

The Michigan-based company is set to begin production of compact, in-wheel electric motors that could revolutionize the plug-in car business.

With an $84 million investment from Chinese investor GSR Partners, Protean is building a manufacturing center in the city of Liyang, China, that will have an initial capacity to build 50,000 motors per year and will begin pre-production in early 2013.

Unlike many existing systems that use large motors to drive either a transmission or axles to get power to the wheels, Protean's in-wheel motors are fully housed within the otherwise conventional wheels, which are bolted directly to them.

Versions of the motor measuring 18 inches in diameter weigh 68 pounds and provide 110 hp each, but they can be scaled up to 24 inches for higher power applications. Two or four are used on each vehicle.

Protean's innovative design packages the stationary, permanent magnet at the center of the device while the rotor is on the outside, making it easier for the wheel to be directly attached. Inverters and power electronics are housed between the two, rather than in a remote unit, further simplifying and reducing the weight of the complete system. Each motor is made up of between four and eight parallel submotors, so in the event that one fails the unit can continue to operate until it is serviced.

DISCLAIMER:
If you are not the intended recipient or have received this message in error, please notify the sender by return email at your earliest convenience and delete this email, do not use, peruse, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or any file attached to this message. Any such unauthorized use, is prohibited and may be unlawful

Eat this, lose weight

Eat this, lose weight

Dieting doesn't have to mean a boiled chicken breast on undressed iceberg lettuce—really! Some of the most mouthwatering foods around can help you shed pounds and improve your health. Even better? You can fill your shopping cart with these tasty items and never break the bank.

Here are some treats dietitians love—not only because these picks offer amazing (and proven) health benefits but also because they taste great. Read on to learn the smart, delicious ways you can add them to your diet every day.

Monounsaturated fats

Almonds: One of these nuts contains just 7 calories and is crammed with protein and fat (the heart-healthy monounsaturated variety). This powerful combination prevents the blood-sugar fluctuations that can lead to overeating.

Eat them: Raw—whole as a snack or slivered atop salads.

Avocados: This fruit is a great source of slowly digested monounsaturated fat, which releases hormones that help you feel fuller longer. That might be why researchers found that people on reduced-calorie diets that included avocados were able to lose as much weight as those who reduced-calorie diets were avocado-free.

Eat them: Diced on baked potatoes.

Olive oil: It's filled with potent antioxidants that naturally nip inflammation, the cellular damage that contributes to the development of chronic disease. The condiment also is brimming with monounsaturated fat, which helps target belly flab.

Eat it: Mixed with vinegar, salt and pepper for a classic salad dressing.

Protein

Eggs: Two large eggs contain a whopping 12 grams of figure-friendly protein—more than a quarter of your daily needs. In fact, an International Journal of Obesity study found that women who had an egg-based breakfast every day lost more than twice as much weight as those who started their day with just a bagel.

Eat them: Poached over whole-grain toast or hard-boiled as a snack.

Greek yogurt: Not many foods can top this one when it comes to energy-boosting, diet-friendly protein. A 7-ounce serving of this tangy treat delivers about 20 grams of protein. (That's on par with half a chicken breast.)

Eat it: Drizzled with honey or used as a replacement for mayonnaise in tuna salad.

Quinoa: This crunchy grain is packed with protein—about 8 grams per cooked cup—making it especially satisfying. What's more, quinoa is a stellar source of magnesium, a mineral that has been shown to improve sleep.

Eat it: With any dish that you'd normally pair with pasta or rice.

Lean ground beef: Hamburger gets a bad rap, but if you choose a pack that's 85 to 95 percent lean, it can help you shed pounds. How? Its protein naturally preserves muscle mass, experts say, and the more muscle you have, the more efficiently your body burns calories. Australian researchers recently found that women who ate lean red meat six times per week lost about 25 percent more weight than those who skimped on it.

Eat it: In spaghetti sauce.

Pork: People who dined on pork reported filling more full afterward than those who ate other kinds of food, researchers at Purdue University in Indiana found. The reason: A 3-ounce serving of lean pork contains just 122 calories but 22 grams of satiating protein.

Eat it: Ground in meatballs or in chili.

Fiber

Apples: One medium apple is packed with more than 4 grams of filling fiber. No surprise, then, that Penn State University researchers discovered that people who ate an apple before a meal consumed 15 percent fewer calories than those who didn't. Bonus: Apples are a strong source of disease-fighting antioxidants.

Eat them: Whole or chopped, sprinkled with cinnamon and microwaved for a minute to make a low-calorie apple pie—like treat.

Oatmeal: Whether you choose instant or old-fashioned, oats have one of the highest satiety rankings of any breakfast option. This whole-grain food is digested more slowly than most other carbohydrates, keeping blood sugar even and staving off that "I'm so hungry I could eat the fridge" feeling. One cup contains 8 grams of fiber, about a third of your daily needs.

Eat it: Cooked and topped with fruit or added raw to meat-loaf mix.

Black beans: They're high in satisfying protein and provide a heaping dose of fiber and complex carbohydrates. Bonus: Fiber helps move food through your digestive system more efficiently—which can help prevent constipation.

Eat them: Atop a taco salad or mixed into fresh salsa.

Lentils: These legumes are a solid source of soluble fiber, which binds to bad cholesterol, helping to remove it from the body. Numerous studies show that such fiber is a powerful weight-loss aid that fills you up, curbs cravings and helps keep people from overeating. Also, a cup of lentils exceeds your required daily amount of folate— a B vitamin that might reduce the risk of breast cancer in some women.

Eat them: Cooked, as a side with grilled chicken or fish.

Vitamin C

Clementines: At 35 calories each, they're a smart way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Because they're rich in vitamin C, which improves skin tone, they boost beauty and help ward off colds.

Eat them: Solo as a snack.

Grapefruit: The famous diet food actually lives up to its hype. In addition to being low in calories (a half grapefruit contains 37), this morning staple may banish bloat and constipation. Grapefruit also has hefty stores of vitamin C, which has been shown to fight off free-radical damage, reducing the risk of heart disease.

Eat it: Cut into slices and mixed with other citrus for a tangy fruit cocktail.

Omega-3s

Salmon: This seafood superstar is one of the foods highest in omega-3 fatty acids. Best known for improving heart and brain health, omega-3s also have a slimming effect. Studies show they help the body build and maintain more lean muscle mass and thus shed fat faster.

Eat it: Canned (it's cheaper than fresh).

Sardines: Don't overlook these tiny canned fish. They're less expensive than fresh fish (think cod and tilapia), yet still high in protein (one can contains about half your daily requirement). Plus, they're packed with omega-3 essential fatty acids which, along with protein, can aid weight loss.

Eat them: On top of whole-grain crackers or tossed in a salad.

Leafy greens

Kale: At 34 calories per raw chopped cup, this dark leafy green will barely make a dent in your daily calorie count—but because it's full of antioxidants, it can make a big difference in your health. Plus, one study found that women who ate a diet filled with water-rich produce such as kale lost 23 percent more weight than those who didn't. Experts say those foods fill you up better than other picks, quashing the urge to nosh later.

Eat it: Sautéed in 1 teaspoon olive oil.

Spinach: Raw spinach contains a mere 7 calories per cup. Plus, a cup of fresh spinach contains almost 200 percent of the daily recommended vitamin K, which helps improve bone health.

Eat it: Added to sandwiches for extra crunch.

Antioxidants

Blueberries: There is less than one calorie in a blueberry, yet these tiny treats have the highest antioxidant level of any fruit, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture research.

Eat them: Alone or folded into pancake or muffin batter.

Green tea: This drink has been tied to everything from a reduced cancer risk to a longer life, and some studies show that its catechins— potent disease-fighting plant chemicals— give your metabolism a slight boost, helping your body burn calories.

Drink it:  Hot or cold with a drizzle of honey.

Pomegranates: The seeds and red pulp are loaded with folic acid and disease-fighting antioxidants. One large pomegranate has only about 235 calories, making it a good-for-you snack.

Eat them: Alone, or sprinkle the seeds on a salad for a crunchy kick.

Smart snacks

Popcorn: People who eat popcorn consume 250 percent more hunger-curbing whole grains than people who don't snack on it, suggest recent data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. One caveat: Skip move theater popcorn, which can pack up to 300 calories per cup thanks to the butter topping and the palm oil it's cooked in. Make your own air-popped corn instead (a cup is just 30 calories).

Eat it: Sprinkled with cinnamon for a sweet treat or with chili powder for a spicy one.

Parmesan: Women who eat a daily serving of whole-milk products, such as most cheese, tend to weigh less than those who always opt for fat-free dairy, studies show. Experts credit the conjugated linoleic acid in whole-milk dairy. Scientists say that CLA might help the body maintain more muscle mass, helping people burn more calories. Bonus: This cheese's sharp flavor means you don't need a lot of it to feel satisfied.

Eat it: Sprinkled over roasted vegetables.

Chili peppers: These spicy veggies contain capsaicin, a compound unique to chiles that has been shown to boost metabolism.

Eat them: Chopped and sautéed (cooked chiles tend to be gentler on the palate) and added to tacos, stews and salsas.

Dieting can be delicious! Choose these tasty foods and lose weight, without sacrificing flavor

DISCLAIMER:
If you are not the intended recipient or have received this message in error, please notify the sender by return email at your earliest convenience and delete this email, do not use, peruse, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or any file attached to this message. Any such unauthorized use, is prohibited and may be unlawful