Student Brain Power Turns Exercise Into Electricity

If only all the speed and strength of youth could be channeled into power. Turns out, it can. Some colleges and universities have started converting energy from exercise equipment into electricity.

One of those schools is Drexel University in Philadelphia, where student power runs straight into their buildings' power grids. Dan Simmons, director of recreation at Drexel, says a typical 30-minute workout on a treadmill can generate enough energy to hold a light bulb for 2.5 hours.

A company called ReRev has retrofitted cardio elliptical machines in a portion of the university's gym to generate electricity for that area. The energy can be stored, so it's not necessary for someone to pedal a stationary bicycle to keep the lights on.

Simmons says the students presented the idea to the athletic department when the facility was under construction.

"Drexel is a very entrepreneurial university, and we're open to the students' ideas," he says. "And they're the ones who take a lot of pride in it that it exists here."

But is it just a gimmick?

"There's definitely a part of this that's for awareness — to bring the awareness factor to people of what's possible," he says. "But it does work. We do generate power and are able to store it, and it's proven."

The operation isn't saving the university money at this point, Simmons says. But he says the potential exists — if more power was being generated.

"Picture if every piece of equipment we were using, we were harnessing that energy, from the rowing machines to the treadmills to the exercise bikes. Three thousand people a day exercise in our facility, and right now, we're only harnessing the power of a small amount," Simmons says.

And, for the time being, there's still no way to generate energy from gym-goers who only take advantage of the steam baths.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/07/09/137710594/student-brain-power-turns-exercise-into-electricity?ft=1&f=1007

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Somali Pirates Face Murder Charges In Yacht Slayings

Three suspected Somali pirates were charged with murder Friday in the slayings of four Americans aboard a hijacked yacht off the coast of Africa in February.

Ahmed Muse Salad, Abukar Osman Beyle and Shani Nurani Shiekh Abrar could face the death penalty if they are convicted. Attorneys for the men could not immediately be reached for comment after business hours Friday.

The Somalis are among 14 men who were charged with piracy, kidnapping and weapons violations in the hijacking of the yacht Quest. Eleven of those men have already pleaded guilty to piracy for their roles in the case, although prosecutors have said none of those men shot the Americans or ordered anyone else to. As part of a plea deal, the pirates agreed to cooperate with authorities in this case and possibly others in exchange for the possibility of having their mandatory life sentences reduced.

The murder charges were among several new charges handed down by a grand jury that carry the possibility of the death penalty. They include hostage taking resulting in death, violence against maritime navigation resulting in death and kidnapping resulting in death. In total, 22 of the 26 counts are death-eligible offenses.

"The charges announced in today's superseding indictment send a strong message to those who seek to harm Americans on the high seas: you will be subject to American justice," FBI Assistant Director in Charge Janice Fedarcyk said in a statement. "Modern-day pirates remain a very real danger; the FBI joins our international law enforcement partners in our mutual goal of maintaining the rule of law on the high seas."

The owners of the Quest, Jean and Scott Adam of California and friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Washington state were shot to death several days after being taken hostage several hundred miles south of Oman.

The Adams had been sailing full-time on their 58-foot (17-meter) yacht since December 2004 after retiring.

They were the first U.S. citizens killed in a wave of pirate attacks that have plagued the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean in recent years, despite an international flotilla of warships that patrol the area. One of the men who has pleaded guilty was once a pirate victim himself. Others charged in the case have said they boarded the yacht while it sat still in the water and the Americans were sleeping.

The pirates said they intended to bring the Americans back to Somalia where they could be held for ransom. But that plan fell apart when four U.S. warships began shadowing the Quest.

The Navy had told the pirates that they could keep the yacht in exchange for the hostages, but they refused to take the deal because they didn't believe they would get enough money. Ransoms are typically made for millions of dollars.

After several days, court records say Abrar, 29, fired a shot above Scott Adam's head and told him to tell the Navy that if they came any closer that the Americans would be killed. Soon after, a rocket propelled grenade was fired by one of the convicted pirates at the USS Sterett, where two other convicted pirates were on board conducting the negotiations.

Court documents say the Americans were being held in the yacht's steering wheel house by seven men when gunfire directed at the Americans erupted. Other pirates have said they tried to stop the shooting once it started.

A 15th man also faces piracy charges for serving as the pirates' land-based negotiator and is considered the highest-ranking pirate the U.S. has ever captured.

In all, 19 men boarded the American boat. Four of them died on board including two who have also been identified in court records as those who shot at the Americans. One person was released by authorities because he is a juvenile.

The three men charged with murder are scheduled to be arraigned on July 20.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/07/08/137714550/somali-pirates-charged-with-murdering-4-americans?ft=1&f=1003

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House Bars Same-Sex Marriages By Base Chaplains

The House voted Friday to slow the new policy allowing gays to serve openly in the military, backing a measure to prohibit chaplains from performing same-sex marriages on military bases regardless of a state's law.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/07/08/137705647/house-bars-same-sex-marriages-by-base-chaplains?ft=1&f=1014

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T-Minus One Last Time For America's Spaceship

Friday's dramatic launch of Atlantis ? the final liftoff for a shuttle ? sets the stage for years of suspense and debate over NASA's direction. Once Atlantis returns, the U.S. is likely to go at least four years before it once again has its own means to fly astronauts to space.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/07/08/137703924/t-minus-one-last-time-for-americas-spaceship?ft=1&f=1003

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Former first lady Betty Ford dies

(CNN) -- Betty Ford, the widow of late President Gerald Ford and a co-founder of an eponymous addiction center in California, has died at the age of 93, according to the director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.

Ford died Friday evening with family at her bedside, according to a family member.

Elaine Didier, the director of the Grand Rapids, Michigan, museum, confirmed Ford's death to CNN.

No other details were immediately available. The family is expected to release a statement later Friday or Saturday, Didier said.

Condolences began pouring in soon after news broke about her death.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/dEs5BBTYVgs/index.html

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Mr. President, US Needs Bold Space Program

Christopher Riley, GuardianDear Mr President,As the countdown to your final space shuttle flight approaches, I wanted to write to thank America for the inspiration the shuttle programme has given to so many over the past 30 years.

Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2011/07/08/mr_president_us_needs_bold_space_program_258898.html

nancy pelosi harry reid john mccain al gore bill clinton

Rarest Of Rhinos Gets A New Pal To Cope With Loss

A Czech zoo tries out a companion for one of the few northern white rhinos left. Nabire, 27, lost her longtime zoomate Nesari in May. So far, things are working out with Natal, a southern white rhino 11 years her senior.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/07/08/137705035/rarest-of-rhinos-gets-a-new-pal-to-cope-with-loss?ft=1&f=1004

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