Missing Link Spotted in Planet Formation
For several years scientists have been detecting planets around mature stars and, separately, imaging dust disks around younger stars. A strong theory has developed that planets form from these disks of material that are leftovers of the star formation process.

In other investigations, lumpy objects in young star systems have been seen, and researchers figure they’re planets-in-the-making.

However there has been a glaring gap in the observations: Mature stars harboring both planets and disks have remained elusive, perhaps simply because the disks have thinned out to almost imperceptible levels.

New observations announced today begin to fill in the missing link.

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has detected dust disks around mature, Sun-like stars known to have planets. The dust is in the outlying reaches of each system and is presumed to result from collisions between objects, as occurs in our own solar system’s Kuiper Belt, out beyond Neptune.

The half-dozen systems Spitzer analyzed contain gas giant planets. Rocky, Earth-sized planets might exist in them, but technology cannot find them now.

The findings suggest theories of planet formation, including here in our solar system, are on track. It goes like this: A star is born amid a cloud of gas and dust. Leftovers swirl into a relatively flat disk that orbits the rotating star. Dust and chemicals collects and build rocky and icy objects, which collide. Some stick to make comets, asteroids and planets. Other collisions later on continue to produce dust — which Spitzer detected.

The new results “fit into theoretical picture that we’ve built up about how stars and planetary system form,” said Charles Beichman of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and lead author of the study.

“Spitzer has established the first direct link between planets and disks,” Beichman said. “Now, we can study the relationship between the two.”

Separate new observations by the Hubble Space Telescope reveal significant dust disks around a young star, one between 50 million and 250 million years old. Importantly, the star is similar to our Sun.

“The new Hubble image gives us the best look so far at reflected light from a disc around a star the mass of the Sun,” said Hubble study leader David Ardila of the Johns Hopkins University. “Basically, it shows one of the possible pasts of our own solar system.”

Both results were presented Thursday afternoon in a NASA teleconference with reporters.

Alycia Weinberger, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, suggests the dust around a star is like bricks at a construction site. Previous observations had revealed the bricks, she said, and other observations had shown the completed houses, but the two hadn’t been found at the same site.

The new observations close the loop. They show us both the planets and the disks,” said Weinberger, who was not involved in the work.

Shia LaBeouf Biography

Shia LaBeouf decided, during his preteen years, to launch himself as an actor, and stories abound concerning how far he carried his own drive to establish himself. According to People Weekly magazine, LaBeouf auditioned for Even Stevens (2000), the Disney Channel series that delivered him into the spotlight, and subsequently told each of the youngsters who were waiting to audition that he had the part — thus eliminating the competition. Such determination, coupled with raw ability and charisma, doubtless helped propel LaBeouf straight to the head of Hollywood’s young stars.

Born on June 11, 1986, in Los Angeles, LaBeouf grew up in the neighborhood of Echo Park, and was raised in a decidedly colorful family of mixed ethnicity. His Cajun father, Jeffrey LaBeouf, was a Vietnam vet who held a series of odd jobs as a circus clown, a sno-cone salesman, and a stand-up comic. Shia’s Jewish mother, Shayna, worked as a clothier and jewelry craftswoman. Upset about his mother’s financial struggles after his parents split, Shia observed another boy of about the same age (a cast member of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) whose financial returns from Quinn gave him a posh lifestyle. LaBeouf suddenly understood the financial benefits of before-the-camera work, and — though he had no formal dramatic training — foresaw himself breaking into acting via comedy. He used a phone book to find an agent, then honed a stand-up comedy act over the course of two years, that found him (at age 12) delivering “blue” routines to adult audiences at a Pasadena comedy club, The Ice House. By his own admission, LaBeouf was booted out of every school he attended (for his notoriously profane mouth and for other reasons), but he more than compensated for this with his professional drive. By 2000, he auditioned for the Even Stevens series on Disney, and landed the part.

That sitcom concerned the relationship between Louis Stevens (LaBeouf), a silly and goofy teen, and his older sister, Ren (Christy Carlson Romano). The program quickly found an audience on Disney and lasted for several seasons; its popularity spawned a small-screen feature, The Even Stevens Movie, in 2003. The time span of 2002 to 2003 was a busy one for LaBeouf — arguably his breakthrough period. In addition to The Even Stevens Movie, the actor signed on to participate in season two of the controversial Project Greenlight, the Damon and Affleck-created national contest for aspiring indie filmmakers, with its attached HBO reality series of the same name. Thus, at-home viewers had the opportunity to watch LaBeouf, Elden Hensen, Kathleen Quinlan, Amy Smart, and other actors endure the tumultuous production of Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin’s quirky comedy drama The Battle of Shaker Heights, months prior to that film’s release. When the finished film debuted in August of 2003, it did so to generally terrible reviews, but a number of journalists (Roger Ebert among them) singled out LaBeouf’s lead performance as something special amid a decidedly flawed film.

That same year, LaBeouf starred in the Andrew Davis-directed Disney fantasy Holes, as a youngster sent to an oddball Texas detention center and forced to dig a series of 5-foot-deep pits in the desert sun for mysterious reasons; it scored with the public and press and became one of the sleeper hits of 2003. And indeed, its success doubtless spurred LaBeouf on to even greater heights, his dramatic ability honed even more sharply by his interaction with co-star Jon Voight (Coming Home), whom LaBeouf would later list as a key professional influence. In late 2004, LaBeouf signed on for the lead in another Disney film, The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005) — a biopic of golfer Francis Ouimet directed by Bill Paxton; the film itself divided critics rather sharply but provided an outstanding showcase for LaBeouf’s talents.

The next several years found LaBeouf signing on for several of the most sought-after A-list roles in Hollywood — from director Francis Lawrence’s apocalyptic fantasy Constantine (2005), as a demon-slayer fighting alongside Keanu Reeves; to Dito Montiel’s A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, as a young man struggling to find a different road out of the ghetto than crime and prison. In 2007, the actor voiced a surfing penguin in the CG-animated comedy Surf’s Up, and geared up for his role as Sam Witwicky in one of the most hotly anticipated releases of the year, the Michael Bay-directed Transformers — based on the action figures that were rabidly popular in the mid-’80s. At the same time, audiences could catch LaBeouf in Salton Sea-director D.J. Caruso’s thriller Disturbia — the tale of a deeply depressed, homebound teen who teams up with a local girl to prove that their next door neighbor is a much sought-after serial killer. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was enlisted in the World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately 6,700 kilometers (4,163 miles ) from east to west of China. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections of the great wall are now in ruins or even entirely disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance.

Shoot for the pin with the ‘08 edition of Tiger Woods PGA Tour for the PlayStation 2. The all-new Shot Confidence feature tracks your performance on every hole, round, and golf course. Based on key factors, including club selection, hole, lie, and more, dig into past performances with the Confidence Meter to identify strengths and weaknesses before every shot. PlayStation 2 gamers can look forward to the most courses ever in a Tiger Woods game, including the all-new FedExCup championship format by playing a dream round of golf at Westchester Country Club, TPC Boston, Cog Hill, and East Lake. Challenge the greatest PGA Tour pros, including Tiger Woods, John Daly, and Vijay Singh, plus LPGA Tour pros such as Annika Sorenstam, Natalie Gulbis, Christie Kerr, and Morgan Pressel.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08

Biography for
Bruce Springsteen
Date of Birth
23 September 1949, Long Branch, New Jersey, USA
Birth Name
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen
Nickname
The Boss
Height
5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
Spouse
Patti Scialfa (8 June 1991 - present) 3 children
Julianne Phillips (13 May 1985 - 1989) (divorced)
Trade Mark
Wears non-descript work clothes while performing on stage.

Film noir: Many of his songs are influenced by films, particularly 1940s and 1950s film noir.

Often plays the Fender® Esquire on stage

Trivia
Children, with Patti Scialfa: Evan James, Jessica Rae and Sam Ryan.

Says his favorite film as a kid was The Searchers (1956).

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, where Bono of U2 gave the induction speech. When U2 was inducted in 2005, Springsteen gave their induction speech, returning the favor.

Awarded the Polar Music Prize, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music Award, in 1997.

Bruce Springsteen appeared on the covers of both Time and Newsweek magazine simultaneously. At that time this only happened to world leaders. [27 October 1975]

Brother of Pamela Springsteen.

Considered becoming a baseball player prior to devoting himself to music.

Many of his earlier songs make reference to the New Jersey shore, where he spent his youth.

Paul Schrader asked Springsteen to write a title song for a movie he had written called “Born in the USA”. After Springsteen wrote it, he liked the song so much, he used it for his multi-platinum album of the same name instead. As a replacement, Springsteen wrote another song and that song title became the film’s new title, Light of Day (1987). That is why Springsteen thanks Schrader in the liner notes of the album.

Father, Douglas “Dutch” Springsteen, died in 1998. Mother’s name is Adele. Has two sisters, Virginia and Pamela Springsteen.

Has two sisters, Virginia and Pamela Springsteen.

Mother’s name is Adele.

Frequently works with director John Sayles, a fellow Jerseyite who shares a similar social conscience.

His song “The Ghost of Tom Joad” was inspired by the John Ford film The Grapes of Wrath (1940).

For all his musical success, Springsteen has never recorded a number one hit. “Hungry Heart”, (believed to be number one by some) only hit number five. The closest he came was number two, with “Dancing In The Dark”. Springsteen did, however, write “Blinded By The Light”, which hit number one when recorded by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band.

He refused to play “The Angry Game” with Kristian Luuk when he appeared on “Sen kväll med Luuk” (1996), a Swedish talk-show. The game is a staring contest, during which the contestants are not allowed to laugh.

Originally wrote his classic single “Hungry Heart” for The Ramones, but recorded himself at the insistence of his manager.

His Oscar winning song “Streets of Philadelphia” from Philadelphia (1993) was ranked #68 on The American Film Institute’s list of “The 100 Years of The Greatest Songs”.

Made an unannounced guest appearance on the very last episode of “Late Night with David Letterman” (1982) in 1993 and sang “Glory Days”.

In fall of 2004 he participated in the Vote for Change concert tour organized to encourage the defeat of George W. Bush in the U.S. presidential election, an effort that ultimately fell short as Bush was re-elected on November 2, 2004.

Father was of Dutch and Irish extraction; mother is of Italian extraction.

In 2004, radio station 88.5 WXPN performed the 885 greatest songs ever, though they mostly just did rock (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wasn’t on the list) and Springsteen won first place with “Thunder Road”, “Born to Run” following at number six and then many other songs scattered throughout.

Despite his last name having a Jewish ring, Springsteen is actually half Irish, half Italian and was raised Catholic.

He was voted the 23rd Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone.

One of Springsteen’s most famous songs, “Thunder Road”, took inspiration from the Robert Mitchum movie of the same name, Thunder Road (1958). Cappy Van Dien has the same birthday as Springsteen and is named after his Great Grand Father Robert Mitchum and his father Casper Van Dien - Casper Robert Mitchum Van Dien.

His concerts are known as marathons for lasting multiple hours.

Was occasionally confused with Bob Seger in the 1970s and 1980s. They have similar singing voices and both utilize saxophone players in their music.

Born on the same day as the late soul singer Ray Charles and actor Jason Alexander.

Sean Penn wrote and directed his first movie, The Indian Runner (1991), loosely based on Springsteen’s song, “Highway Patrolman”, from his Nebraska album from 1980 which was practically a demo tape made in Springsteen’s house.

Made two guest appearances on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” (1993). O’Brien’s drummer, Max Weinberg, was the drummer with the E Street Band.

Winner of the British Phonographic Industry Award for International Solo Artist in 1986.

Is real-life good friends with Tom Hanks.

He is nominated for the 2007 inaugural New Jersey Hall of Fame for his services to music and entertainment.

Ranked #27 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll.

Ranked #59 on VH1’s 100 Sexiest Artists.

The title for the 1984 film Streets of Fire came from the song written and recorded by Springsteen on his album “Darkness On The Edge Of Town”. Original plans were for the song to be featured on the film soundtrack but when Springsteen found out the song would be rerecorded by other vocalists, he withdrew permission for the song to be used.

Personal Quotes
Until I realized that rock music was my connection to the rest of the human race, I felt like I was dying, for some reason, and I didn’t know why.

When it comes to luck, you make your own.

[During his Oscar acceptance speech]: Thanks for inviting me to your party.

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Lucy Fossil

What men should eat every day

Typically, men think about their health at one time — during a crisis. But the problem with that wait-and-treat approach is that men are constantly responding to health emergencies rather than preventing them.
Paul Parker chooses his lunch at Sweetie Pie’s in St. Louis, Missouri.

 So what’s the prescription for better men’s health? Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen say there are 11 things a man should eat every day –or nearly every day –to keep things running smoothly.

1. Fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals that will keep your body healthy. Foods rich in magnesium like beets, raisins, dates and soybeans are especially important because they’ll keep your bowels moving regularly. Dr. Roizen says a man should eat about five handfuls of fruits and vegetables a day.

2. A man should shoot to get about 25 grams of fiber in his diet every day. You can reach this goal through foods like artichokes, lima beans, soybeans, grapefruit, certain berries and whole grains.

Dr. Oz says that eating whole grains isn’t just the latest craze — they offer multiple benefits to health, including achieving proper poop. But first you need to read the label. When you’re buying bread, make sure it says “100 percent whole grain” or “100 percent whole wheat.” If the label says something else –like “7-grain” or “multigrain” — it may not be whole grain.

One of Oprah’s favorite whole grain choices is steel cut oatmeal for its crunchy texture. To reach your goal for fiber, the USDA recommends eating at least three servings of whole grains a day.

3. Dr. Oz says you can significantly reduce your chances of getting cancer by eating foods rich in folate — you should get about 800 milligrams a day. If you don’t take it as a supplement, you can find folate in orange juice, spinach and other leafy green vegetables.

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“Folate decreases arterial aging, decreases blood pressure and decreases cancer rate,” Dr. Roizen says. On labels, look for the words “folate” or “folic,” he says.

4. As well as being good for the heart, tomatoes decrease risk of arterial aging, heart disease, stroke, memory loss, impotence and wrinkling of the skin, Dr. Roizen says. And tomato-based products contain lycopene, which has been shown to fight cancer.

But to really reap the benefits, you can’t just put a few slices of an heirloom tomato in your salad. The best way to get the positive effects is by eating 10 tablespoons of tomato sauce a week. “It takes 165 raw tomatoes to equal 10 tablespoons of tomato sauce,” Dr. Roizen says. “So it’s much easier to have tomato sauce.”

Dr. Roizen adds that it doesn’t matter what kind of tomato sauce you have, “as long as it’s cooked, and you eat it with a little olive oil and a little healthy fat because it’s much better absorbed with it.”

5. Dr. Roizen says walnuts and almonds are excellent for health. And not only are walnuts and hazelnuts excellent sources of heart-healthy omega-3s, but if you eat nuts before sugars (in dishes like pasta or corn on the cob), the fat in the nuts will slow your stomach and help your body most effectively process that sugar. One thing to remember is to keep nuts refrigerated so they don’t oxidize.

6. If there’s a true magic pill, Dr. Oz says it could be baby aspirin. “It’s cheap and easy to take aspirin,” he says. “Aspirin has many, many helping elements. It helps your skin, it helps about anything you can imagine. It has some potential risks if people have sensitive stomachs. But for cancer, you’ve got to be on it.”

A man over 35 should take two baby aspirin –or 162.5 milligrams –every day. It can reduce his rise of arterial aging by 36 percent.

7. In recent years, there has been a lot of conflicting information about eating fish. On the one hand, fish is consistently regarded as a terrific source of low-fat protein. On the other hand, there are persistent concerns about mercury and other environmental impurities.

Dr. Roizen says you just have to remember a few great fish — tilapia, salmon, flounder, cod and mahi-mahi –especially if they are wild caught. And not only is salmon a great source of protein, it has the added health bonus of being full of omega-3s, which are important for a healthy heart. According to Dr. Roizen, you should eat a serving of these fish three times a week.

8. Dr. Roizen says that it is important to drink eight glasses — or about 64 ounces — of fluid every day. “It helps move the poop and gives you better hydration. It actually cuts down on wrinkles, too, because you hydrate your skin when you take it internally.”

9. “Red wine has a chemical in it called rezveritrol, which is a very strong antioxidant that’s also been shown to be heart-healthy,” Dr. Oz says.

Why red and not white? “Red wine has the material from the skins of the grapes [which provides the rezveritrol]. The white wine has that skin stripped away. So if you’re going to drink wine and you’re going to take the hit on calories, drink red wine.”

10. Men will stand up and cheer for this next Dr. Oz tidbit –coffee is actually good for you in reasonable amounts.

Coffee actually has been shown to reduce liver cancer and to be effective with — or with symptoms of — Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, Dr. Oz says. “So there are a bunch of different places where coffee can play a role. The reason it got a bad name is because it does have side effects, for example, migraine headaches and heart palpitations. But if you’re not having them, coffee is reasonable.”

Did we mention, it’s good for those bowel movements, too? Dr. Oz suggests 24 ounces of coffee a day is a rational amount for one person.

Hingis asked about life as a has-been

Martina Hingis

MARTINA Hingis was asked the cruellest question at the US Open yesterday: “Is it mentally tough to go from being a favourite to a has-been?”

Hingis was asked the confronting question by a reporter looking for a reaction, despite the fact the former world No. 1 breezed into the second round with a 6-0 6-3 win over Frenchwoman Mathilde Johansson.

When others might have lost their nerve or temper, a smiling Hingis handled the question with ease.

“Well, it’s kind of funny,” she said. “They put up this poster - me holding a trophy.

“I’m like, ‘OK, I look really young, short haircut, all that. It’s been 10 years’. I mean, I know that.

“But really, I had time off. I had a good comeback last year.

“I tried to bring the best today, not think about what has happened.

“I know that nobody can take away from me (what I have achieved).”

Hingis has a point.

She was out of the game for more than three years until returning last year to reach the top 10 again - no mean feat.

This year, Hingis made the quarter-finals of the Australian Open before hip, thigh and back injuries restricted her to four tournaments in the past five months.

She also recently endured a break-up with her fiance, Czech player Radek Stepanek.

Times have been tough.

But while the majors might have dried up for the five-time grand slam champion, she’s still doing OK. She is still in there having a dig and she is still a drawcard.

“I get to play on centre court. That felt really good. My name’s still out there.

“Not all the people get to play on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I got to play out there today. I feel very proud of that.”

At 26, Hingis has no plans of giving up.

“I have nothing to lose.

“The last couple months were kind of rocky road with all the injuries and that.

“Every match is a good match. Every victory is a good one. I feel like I can only win at this tournament, only get better.”

If Hingis does have one regret from her career, it was throwing away the 1999 French Open final against Steffi Graf.

Then 18, she was three points away from completing the career grand slam, only to famously crumble and break down in tears.

“I wish I won that one,” Hingis said yesterday.

John McEnroe says every year when he goes back to Roland Garros to do commentary he loses at least one night of sleep about his loss from two sets up in the final against Ivan Lendl.

“There’s a few people like that, right, who have never won the French Open,” Hingis said.

Then Hingis was asked another question: “You’ve been through a lot of different things in your career?”

“No kidding,” she said.

Puffin Pictures

Often referred to as the Sea Parrot, the Atlantic Puffin’s large, colorful, triangular bill makes this species one of the most charismatic seabird. The Puffin nests in variably sized colonies (ranging from just a few pairs, to over 200,000 pairs). A single egg is laid in either a burrow or crevice. Adult Puffins invest much into their lone egg; each is incubated for up to 49 days, followed by a nestling period of 38-44 days. Puffins are also expert swimmers and divers. Using their wings to propel themselves underwater, puffins can dive up to hundreds of feet to catch fish.
This bird was “digiscoped” at the famous Latrabdjar Cliffs in Iceland.