Foreign dust fills N. American atmosphere

Nearly half of the tiny droplets and particles suspended high in the atmosphere over North America come from other continents, an examination of satellite data reveals.

"That is a big number: half. I wasn?t expecting anything like that," study researcher Lorraine Remer of the University of Maryland says in a video released in conjunction with the new study on aerosols.

Specifically, the research team found that 70.5 million tons (64 teragrams) of foreign aerosols ? which include naturally occurring dust as well as pollution ? arrive over North America every year. Meanwhile, people and natural processes in North America produce 76.1 million tons (69 teragrams) of aerosols on their own, or 52 percent of the total.

There is another surprise as well: The research team, led by Hongbin Yu of the University of Maryland and NASA?s Goddard Space Flight Center, found that most of the aerosols are naturally occurring dust, not man-made pollution such as sulfates produced by the combustion of fossil fuel.

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In fact, 88 percent of the foreign aerosols is dust carried across the Pacific Ocean. The remainder, according to the researchers, is either Saharan dust that traveled across the Atlantic Ocean or man-made aerosols, mostly from Asia but some from Europe. [ Earth Quiz: Mysteries of the Blue Marble ]

If you are a resident of North America, it?s unlikely you are breathing much of this stuff, because it arrives high in the atmosphere, not low over the ground.

As dust travels east across the Pacific, the lowest-flying particles fall out. As a result, the elevated levels of dust show up between 1.2 and 3.7 miles (2 to 6 kilometers) above the water by the time the dust has reached the northeastern Pacific, the team writes in the Aug. 3 issue of the journal Science.

This means North Americans still have control over the air they breathe, Remer says.

"As it turns out, we should still keep focused on our own pollution in order to keep our air healthy, because the particles that come from other places come high," she says in the video released by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which publishes Science.

Aerosols, particularly pollutants, have a cooling effect by blocking the sun?s energy. The researchers write that imported aerosols are likely to have additional effects on North American climate, for instance, by altering cloud formation and precipitation.

Follow Wynne Parry on Twitter @Wynne_Parry or LiveScience @livescience. We're also on Facebook and Google+.

? 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48471318/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Skrillex, Avicii Hope To Dance Off With First EDM VMA

Duck Sauce, Calvin Harris and Martin Solveig also in the mix at the September 6 show.
By Gil Kaufman

Skrillex
Photo: Bryan Steffy/ WireImage

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1691086/skrillex-avicii-vmas-best-edm-music-video.jhtml

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Employing Self Improvement To Develop As Being A Person ?

Maturity, intelligence, the capability to get along with other people they are all milestones in self improvement that normally occur as one goes through daily life. Nevertheless, you can make alternatives that primary your development in terms of how which you choose. It?s more difficult than simply enabling natural changes to happen, but definitely building what you are about is definitely worth the job. This post will assist you with that really work.

Personal development is really a chance to learn. Learning something totally new about you each day or having profound activities changes your appearance at daily life or on your own. Private development will be the lesson of classes that can have an impact on all you do. Ensure you have a good encounter daily.

Don?t hesitate to discuss ideas with others. Specifically if you work in the creative sector, attempt discussing tips with household, buddies plus your peers. That old days of maintaining your ideas to yourself are over. In the event you always keep bouncing from concept to thought without the need of opinions, you then can?t perhaps understand what is functioning and why.

If you seem like you will be in your cheapest, it is actually time to try out going down the path of self-help. You must get the strength you are aware you might have and take it out from the bottom part of your gut! It is going to certainly be described as a hard process to go through, however you will surely do this!

It is very important know that behavior take time and effort to interrupt. Simply because you place your mind to accomplish some thing, it does not always mean that you are capable to transform it right off the bat. You might capture on your own returning to what you are actually used to. Tend not to allow this to keep you from making the modification you need.

Attempt to drop some weight to help yourself. Being obese can definitely pressure you out physically and mentally. You can get numerous overall health problems including high blood pressure levels and all forms of diabetes if it?s not taken care of. Do your favour and do something to decrease some pounds for your thoughts along with your system.

Learn to defeat the ?I can?t? within you. The only real confidence when it comes to obstructions is that you will want to respond to them. It?s how you respond that can make or bust your own personal improvement journey. Take the words, ?I can?t,? out of your terminology and really focus on the problem at hand. It?s how you manage the next step that shapes you as a particular person.

To summarize, you need to create a clear idea of your current scenario and what your daily life appears to be later on. Making use of the self improvement tips which were supplied in this post, you ought to with any luck , realise you are a lot closer to getting your short-run and long-term targets than previously imagined.

read my essay

Source: http://all-articles-directory.com/employing-self-improvement-to-develop-as-being-a-person-2/

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Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM

The Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM ($690 list) is the APS-C version of the classic fast 50mm lens that, before the popularity of zoom lenses, was the standard lens paired with 35mm SLRs. This lens is a little shorter than 50mm on an APS-C camera?its field of view is more like that of a 45mm, which is closer to a true normal perspective. It is available for Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Sony/Minolta, Pentax, and Four Thirds cameras.

The lens itself is short and squad, measuring 2.3 by 3 inches (HD) and weighing 15.2 ounces. Its front element is rather large for a prime lens, requiring the use of 62mm filters.? It's a lot bigger and heavier than the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G ($199.95) lens, which is 2.1 by 2.8 inches in size and weighs only 7 ounces?at the cost of only a half-stop of light gathering capability.

I used Imatest to measure the image quality produced by this lens when paired with the Sigma SD1 Merrill . The results were disappointing. At f/1.4 it netted only 1,220 lines per picture height, well shy of the 1,800 required for a sharp image. The center portion of the photo was sharp at 1,900 lines, but the sharpness quickly drops as you move away from the middle of the image. It improves to 1,550 lines at f/2, and finally hits 1,868 lines at f/4. The lens is sharpest at f/5.6, where it records 2,042 lines, but by that point you've lost the ability to create a really shallow depth of field. Distortion is also an issue with this lens?it produces 1.8 percent barrel distortion, which is really too much for a standard-angle prime lens.

The real appeal of the Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM is its fast f/1.4 aperture. Unfortunately, shooting at this setting gives you images with very soft edges and corners, so you'll need to compose your images with that in mind. The lens is pretty usable, but not tack sharp, at f/2, but at that point you can consider an f/1.8 or f/2 lens of an equivalent focal length in the camera mount of your choosing. Generally speaking, these lenses are generally smaller, lighter, and less expensive.

More Digital Camera Reviews:
??? Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DS HSM
??? Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM
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??? Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
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Imam Khalid Latif: Ramadan Reflection Day 14: Marriage, Dating ...

Imam Khalid Latif is blogging his reflections during the month of Ramadan, featured daily on HuffPost Religion. For a complete record of his previous posts, click over to the Islamic Center at New York University or visit his author page, and to follow along with the rest of his reflections, sign up for an author e-mail alert above, visit his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter.

I find myself often having a familiar conversation with many young men who are about to get married. One of the first times it happened, I was approached by a guy after I had given a lecture at an Islamic Conference in the United States. He was pretty tall and well put together, but there was a certain anxiety about him. He asked if we could speak in private and when we were out of earshot of most he said he was getting married in a few weeks and needed my help with something. I congratulated him and said I'd be happy to help out. He said his upbringing was such that he never really had a relationship with a girl before and now, with his wedding coming up, he felt like he was expected to go from having no experience in even talking to a girl to being physically intimate with one. The only thing he knew for certain was that he didn't feel ready or comfortable and had no idea what to do about it.

Most of us find ourselves in similar situations at some point or another. Whether it's in the context of marriage or something more simple and day-to-day, it's really confusing for a lot of us as to how we're supposed to interact with the opposite gender. Questions that arise don't really ever get asked because of an absence of people to ask them of. Those that do get asked tend to not really get answered in a way that takes away confusion. If anything, it just adds more to it.

I've found myself asked on many different occasions by young women, "Isn't it haraam (religiously impermissible) for boys and girls who are not mahram (individuals that one cannot marry) to talk to each other?" I respond, "Aren't you talking to me right now?" Usually the woman will follow-up and say, "What do you mean?" To which I say, "I don't know if you realize it, but I'm a boy." I'll then ask her, along with the audience what the word haraam means and more often than not, most people don't really know, resulting a in a big mess of misunderstanding.

For many Muslims, growing up, the idea is plain and simple -- you're not supposed to interact with the opposite gender unless there is a need. Words like "professional" and "formal" get thrown around in how gender interaction "should" be, which for a 13-year-old is probably not the best word choice. After we get older, it tends to not be so plain and simple, but by that time it's more problematic because we were never really able to normalize an understanding, and are now in a place where we don't know things that someone should have sat down and taught us as children. This is not just from the standpoint of not doing something, but helping our young people be smart about decisions they make. Many young women that I've spoken to who have had pregnancy scares or young men that have developed illnesses could have been avoided if in their learning process someone spoke to them about relationships in a way that was relevant to their lives, not just with a sweeping statement of "stay away from all boys."

"And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends one of another....." The Holy Qur'an (9:71)

The fundamental component of our community is the family unit, and in order for the family unit to be successful and healthy, there has to be a solid communication between the husband and wife. Expectations of what I'm looking for and what I need in a marriage aren't ever properly understood because I haven't really figured it out that well. Lectures and classes that I attend on marriage, gender interaction, and things as such seem to not really take into consideration the reality of my life, but the speaker or instructor continues to talk as if what they are saying is what Islam definitively says. I just end up getting more confused.

I spoke at a conference once on a marriage panel in which one of my co-panelists told that audience that in finding a potential spouse, your family will always make the best decision for you and will be able to introduce you to people, so it's not necessary to go out and find someone yourself. As I bit my tongue and gathered myself, I was approached by a young woman afterwards who said she herself was confused by what the speaker was saying. Her issue stemmed from the fact that her family doesn't even like her being Muslim, let alone them knowing any Muslims. So how does she deal with what this man is saying in the the context of her life?

A lot of what we understand about gender and topics relevant to it comes mostly from a male voice, whether that male voice is coming from a female or male mouth. Adding perspective in can help deepen our understandings so that we realize the impact that our conversations actually are having on people day-to-day. What we need is more people to explain at all levels of development what gender means, and along with it how gender interaction works. Conversations that help men, young and old understand the overall experience of being both male and female, and similar conversations for women of all ages. That perspective can also be broadened by having more open discussions as opposed to lectures and panels. Talk to the people in your community about what it means to them to be son or daughter, a husband or wife, a father or mother, a professional, a student, a divorcee, a widow, a survivor, a leader, and everything in between. We can learn a lot from hearing other people's stories -- it's a learning method we don't really use so much.

Personal development seminars that speak to the needs of a growing population looking for help in simply knowing how to talk to the opposite gender would be great. These should be lead by someone who isn't regurgitating ideas that I heard at 15 and now at 35 don't make sense to me. Hearing from real life experience as well as individuals that can help me develop self-esteem and confidence in myself to keep moving forward would be helpful. Most of us don't know what a healthy relationship is supposed to look like and what processes lead to the development of one. Some of us have come from homes where we didn't have model relationship to learn from. We saw a lot of fighting, anger and stifled communication. We didn't see expressions of love or giving of gifts. We saw double standards for how sons were treated in comparison to daughters. We didn't know how to separate culture from religion and vice versa. As a result, we don't know where compromise makes sense or where we should stand firm. We don't know what we are supposed to be looking for or how to go about finding out. Simply put, we don't know what we're supposed to do or what challenges to expect.

This is not an issue that simply will work itself out, it has to be worked out. Healthy relationships are key to healthy living and healthy communities. If I don't know how to interact with the opposite gender, I'm already starting out on a shaky first step. If you are going through this, it's not your fault. Someone should be there to sit down with you and explain to you how these things work. Hopefully as we grow and learn from each other, we will be able to figure this out as well.

Check out The Huffington Post's Ramadan liveblog updated daily with spiritual reflections, blog posts, photos, videos, and verses from the Quran. Tell us your Ramadan story.

?

Follow Imam Khalid Latif on Twitter: www.twitter.com/KLatif

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Adrian, Schmitt dole out heartache to Aussies

United States' Nathan Adrian, left, celebrates his gold medal win in the men's 100-meter freestyle swimming final at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012. Australia's James Magnussen is seen to his right.(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

United States' Nathan Adrian, left, celebrates his gold medal win in the men's 100-meter freestyle swimming final at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012. Australia's James Magnussen is seen to his right.(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

United States' Nathan Adrian celebrates his gold medal win in the men's 100-meter freestyle swimming final at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

United States' Nathan Adrian, left, reacts after winning gold in the men's 100-meter freestyle swimming final alongside silver medal winner James Magnussen of Austrlia at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Hungary's Daniel Gyurta reacts after winning gold in the men's 200-meter breaststroke swimming final at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012. Gyurta set a world record with a time of 2 minutes, 7.28 seconds, shaving 0.03 off the previous mark set by Christian Sprenger of Australia at the 2009 world championships in a now-banned bodysuit. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

Hungary's Daniel Gyurta competes to win gold in the men's 200-meter breaststroke swimming final at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LONDON (AP) ? Nathan Adrian took out the Missile by a fingertip. Then Allison Schmitt dealt more heartache to the team from Down Under.

Adrian, a 23-year-old largely overshadowed by American stars such as Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, made a name for himself by winning the 100-meter Olympic freestyle Wednesday. He lunged to the wall to edge James "The Missile" Magnussen by one-hundredth of a second ? the slightest margin possible ? and again deny Australia its first individual swimming gold of the London Games.

Adrian pounded the water, then put his hands over his eyes while dangling over the lane rope, as if he couldn't believe the "1'' beside his name. Magnussen hung at the end of the pool, staring straight ahead at the wall in disbelief, the wall he got to just a fraction of a second too late.

"It's not who swims the fastest time this year," said Adrian, a not-so-subtle dig at Magnussen posting the best time ever in a textile suit back in March. "It's who can get their hands on the wall first here tonight."

The Aussies took another bitter defeat in the final event of the evening, again to their American rivals as Schmitt chased down Alicia Coutts for gold in the 4x200 freestyle relay.

Schmitt dived in the water about a half-second behind but passed Coutts on their first return lap and won going away in 7 minutes, 42.92 seconds. The Australians settled for another silver in 7:44.41, while France took the bronze.

Schmitt is turning into one of the biggest American stars of the games, picking up her second gold to go along with a silver and a bronze. Seventeen-year-old Missy Franklin also claimed her second gold swimming the leadoff leg, and Dana Vollmer now has two golds in London. Shannon Vreeland rounded out the gold medal-winning quartet.

"Allison is a fighter and she can push through anything," Franklin said. "We had total faith in her."

Like the Aussies, the record book also took quite a beating.

Daniel Gyurta and Rebecca Soni both set world records in the 200 breaststroke. The Hungarian won gold, while Soni set her mark in a semifinal heat, further proof that it's still possible to go fast ? really fast ? even without the now-banned bodysuits. Five records have fallen over the first five days at the Olympic Aquatics Centre, defying those who felt it would take years, maybe even decades, to take down some of the marks set with technological assistance.

"If I feel good, I don't want to hold back. I shouldn't," Soni said. "I just went for the last 50 and I started to hear the crowd halfway through and just kept going with it.

"It's been four years since I swam close to that fast, so it's great to be back on top like that."

Adrian was on top of the world after touching in 47.52, giving the U.S. its first title in swimming's signature event since Matt Biondi at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Canada's Brent Hayden took bronze in 47.80, his country's first medal ever in the furious down-and-back sprint.

"We were in the ready room and we watched it and just went nuts," Lochte said. "We were screaming and everything. That was one of the greatest finishes. We're so happy for him."

Adrian watched Soni's record on television while chatting with reporters in the mixed zone.

"Whoa, Rebecca just set a world record," he said. "I'm overshadowed by Rebecca setting a world record."

He should be used to that by now, swimming for a team that includes Phelps and Lochte. But Adrian gave a glimpse of his potential in the 4x100 free relay, going faster than Magnussen on the opening leg, a shocker given that the Missile had looked unbeatable at last year's worlds and went a stunning 47.10 at his country's national trials.

Unfortunately for the Aussies, Magnussen hasn't been at his best when it really mattered, and these Olympics are turning into a downright bummer for the swimmers from Down Under.

"I just felt pretty much bulletproof coming into this Olympics," Magnussen said. "It is very humbling."

Australia, which normally battles with the Americans for pool supremacy, has eight medals but its only gold came in the women's 4x100 free relay. The Americans are pulling away in the medal table with eight golds and 18 medals overall.

"I have a lot more respect for guys like Michael Phelps who can come to the Olympics and back it up under that pressure," Magnussen said. "It is a pretty tough time to learn you are human."

The Americans are feeling good about themselves, producing more of a team effort after Phelps dominated the last two Olympics.

"We've had a great week so far," Phelps said. "We are just starting to pick up more and more steam, so hopefully we can finish it."

The relay swimmers danced on deck to a Rihanna song before the session, then took that relaxed demeanor into the race. When the Americans fell behind, they didn't panic.

"I had confidence in them," Schmitt said, "and I just wanted to bring it home for them."

Gyurta needed every bit of speed in his race to finish off Michael Jamieson, who made a furious bid for Britain's first gold at the pool. The Hungarian touched in 2:07.28, shaving 0.03 off the previous mark set by Christian Sprenger of Australia at the 2009 world championships in a suit that is no longer allowed.

Soni showed plenty of speed, too, and it wasn't even for a medal. She touched in 2:20.00 to break yet another of the bodysuit records, a time of 2:20.12 set by Canada's Annamay Pierse at the '09 worlds.

Jiao Liuyang of China set an Olympic record to win the women's 200 butterfly. She was second at the final turn but sprinted into the lead to touch in 2:04.06 seconds, 0.12 quicker than countrywoman Liu Zige's time at the 2008 Beijing Games. Mireia Belmonte Garcia of Spain took silver in 2:05.25 and Natsumi Hoshi of Japan finished in 2:05.48 to take bronze.

Gyurta trailed two-time defending Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima midway through the men's breaststroke, but seized control on the third leg as the Japanese star began to fade. Making the final turn, Gyurta seemed to be in control.

Then, as he popped up and down in the water, heading for home, Gyurta suddenly felt Jamieson surging up on his right shoulder. The Aquatics Centre was in a frenzy as the two approached the wall, but Gyurta got there first.

Jamieson nearly broke the old mark, as well, settling for silver in 2:07.43. Ryo Tateishi of Japan took bronze in 2:08.29.

"I've received so many messages of support and I was desperate to get on the podium to thank everyone," Jamieson said.

Kitajima was edged for a spot on the podium by six-hundredths of a second. His countryman Tateishi slapped the water when he saw his third-place position, while Kitajima was again denied in his bid to become the first male swimmer to win the same individual race in three straight Olympics.

"I have no regrets," Kitajima said.

Back to you, Mr. Phelps.

While the American has missed on his first two tries at an unprecedented threepeat, finishing fourth in the 400 individual medley and second in the 200 butterfly, he's got two more chances to pull it off: the 200 IM and the 100 fly.

Kitajima is done.

One night after becoming the most decorated Olympian ever with his 19th medal, Phelps had a relatively light day, swimming the prelims and semifinals of the 200 IM. Lochte also competed in the medley, as well as the two rounds of the 200 backstroke ? one of his toughest days in London.

Lochte posted the second-fastest time in the backstroke semis, his time of 1:55.40 trailing only fellow American Tyler Clary's 1:54.71. Then, in the IM, he was fastest in 1:56.13, ahead of Hungary's Laszlo Cseh (1:56.74) and Phelps (1:57.11), whose mind might have been on other things.

On the way to the pool, Phelps got a call from President Barack Obama, congratulating him on becoming the most decorated athlete in Olympic history.

Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands set an Olympic record to lead the women's 100 freestyle semifinals, while defending champion Britta Steffen of Germany failed to advance. Kromowidjojo was timed in 53.05, seven-hundredths faster than Steffen's swim at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Melanie Schlanger of Australia qualified second in 53.38, while Franklin was third in 53.59. Steffen was a dismal 12th.

___

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

___

Tune in to an AP Google Hangout at 4 p.m. London time (11 a.m. EDT) Thursday with Paul Newberry, who will be chatting about swimming and diving competition at the Games. He'll also take your questions. Sign up here: http://apne.ws/PmyrIa

Associated Press

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