Today Still a Nugget!

Mr. Melo is still yet a Denver Nugget. Nets are said to be done pursing a deal now because Denver's unwillingness to take action. Another day another dollar and another headache.

DNA barcode library to launch in Toronto

OTTAWA (AFP) – An international consortium of geneticists on Saturday will activate a DNA barcode library in Toronto representing almost 80,000 species, the International Barcode of Life Project (iBOL) announced.
The aim is to eventually build a digital identification system for all life on Earth to reduce the time and cost of species identification.

DNA barcoding, which identifies species using a short DNA sequence from a standard location on the genome, will also be a vital tool for conservation and for monitoring species that have adverse impacts on human health and economic wellbeing, he said.
More than 25 countries are involved in the project.
Work over the past five years has produced barcode records for almost 80,000 species.
By 2015, consortium members are expected to have entered DNA barcode records from five million specimens representing half a million species into the interactive Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) databank, and eventually all of Earth's animal, plant and fungal species.

Russian to offer space tourists an orbiting hotel

MOSCOW – A Russian firm on Wednesday announced an ambitious bid to fill the vacuum in the space tourism market by stationing an orbiting hotel in the cosmos.
The Moscow-based Orbital Technologies has sky-high hopes that its planned Commercial Space Station can serve as a tourism hub for well-heeled travellers and offer overspill accommodation for the International Space Station and workspace for science projects.
But it's unlikely to come anytime soon — the company wants to launch a seven-room station by 2016 but may increase or decrease that capacity based on customer demand.

Until now, space tourists — a handful of megarich CEOs and philanthropists — have had to suffer the indignity of hitching a ride with astronauts and cosmonauts to the International Space Station and float around the space laboratory trying not to break anything.
Now, or at least soon, they will have a place to gawk at the view in private. The design is still being worked out but some sketches released by Orbital Technologies resemble the International Space Station.
Orbital Technologies does not disclose the cost of the project.

Odds of Life on Newfound Earth-Size Planet '100 Percent,' Astronomer Says

An Earth-size planet has been spotted orbiting a nearby star at a distance that would makes it not too hot and not too cold — comfortable enough for life to exist, researchers announced today (Sept. 29).
If confirmed, the exoplanet, named Gliese 581g,  would be the first Earth-like world found residing in a star's habitable zone — a region where a planet's temperature could sustain liquid water on its surface. [Illustration of planet Gliese 581g.]
And the planet's discoverers are optimistic about the prospects for finding life there.
"Personally, given the ubiquity and propensity of life to flourish wherever it can, I would say, my own personal feeling is that the chances of life on this planet are 100 percent," said Steven Vogt, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, during a press briefing today. "I have almost no doubt about it."
His colleague, Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, in Washington, D.C., wasn't willing to put a number on the odds of life, though he admitted he's optimistic.
"It's both an incremental and monumental discovery," Sara Seager, an astrophysicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told SPACE.com. Incremental because the method used to find Gliese 581g already has found several planets (all super-Earths, more massive than our own world) outside their stars' habitable zone, along with non-Earth-like planets within the habitable zone.
"It really is monumental if you accept this as the first Earth-like planet ever found in the star's habitable zone," said Seager, who was not directly involved in the discovery.
Vogt, Butler and their colleagues will detail the planet finding in the Astrophysical Journal.
The newfound planet joins more than 400 other alien worlds known to date. Most are huge gas giants, though several are just a few times the mass of Earth.

Scientists have jumped the gun before on proclaiming that planets outside our solar system were habitable only to have them turn out to be not quite so conducive to life. But this one is so clearly in the right zone that five outside astronomers told The Associated Press it seems to be the real thing.

But there are still many unanswered questions about this strange planet. It is about three times the mass of Earth, slightly larger in width and much closer to its star — 14 million miles away versus 93 million. It's so close to its version of the sun that it orbits every 37 days. And it doesn't rotate much, so one side is almost always bright, the other dark.
Temperatures can be as hot as 160 degrees or as frigid as 25 degrees below zero, but in between — in the land of constant sunrise — it would be "shirt-sleeve weather," said co-discoverer Steven Vogt of the University of California at Santa Cruz.
It's unknown whether water actually exists on the planet, and what kind of atmosphere it has. But because conditions are ideal for liquid water, and because there always seems to be life on Earth where there is water, Vogt believes "that chances for life on this planet are 100 percent."

Star Wars Saga Set for 3D

Lucasfilm confirms 3D re-release of Stars Saga.

The Star Wars saga set to hit 3D theaters
© Lucasfilm/Fox

For quite sometime there have been reports flying out of Lucasfilm Ltd. that fans can expect a 3D re-release of the Stars Wars saga striking a theater near them. What's been holding up any official confirmation is executive producer George Lucas--much like director James Cameron--waiting patiently for theater chains to catch up with 3D coverage across the globe. Well, the patience has paid off and you can consider it confirmed, Maniacs.
Just weeks after Cameron revealed his 3D release of Titanic on the 100th anniversary of the famed sinking, 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm have announced 2012 as the target year for the theatrical relaunch of the Star Wars series into the 3D format.

"Getting good results on a stereo conversion is a matter of taking the time and getting it right," said John Knoll, Visual Effects Supervisor for Industrial Light & Magic. "It takes a critical and artistic eye along with an incredible attention to detail to be successful. It is not something that you can rush if you want to expect good results. For Star Wars we will take our time, applying everything we know both aesthetically and technically to bring audiences a fantastic new Star Wars experience."

The Hollywood Reporter says "The Phantom Menace," would be first out sometime in early 2012. After that, each film would be released in order at the same time in consecutive years, depending on how well the first rerelease does.
Each conversion takes at least a year to complete, with Lucas overseeing the process to make sure each is as perfect as possible. He has said that the "Avatar" experience convinced him that "Star Wars" is ready for the state-of-the-art 3D treatment.
Starting with "Phantom Menace," Lucasfilm would use several higher-end conversion houses to work on the project. By late winter or early spring in 2012, the exhibition industry should have all the 3D screens anyone could want for such a release.
At the current time, film releases are limited to 2,000-2,500 3D locations owing to an insufficient installed base of projectors and screens. Movie theaters are adding 3D screens at a clip of 500 a month in the U.S. Foreign exhibitors also are pushing into 3D as quickly as possible now that financing for the installations is flowing.
Lucasfilm previously confirmed a comprehensive Blu-ray Disc set of the six films next year, which would include upgraded picture and sound quality, new deleted scenes and special feature

GODZILLA Reboot Plans

                                               Image of New Godzilla.



For those Godzilla fans out there, we know one thing for certain. The upcoming reboot from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures won't have the iconic Toho monster battling just humans like Sony Pictures and director Roland Emmerich tried back in 1998. Or the humans won't be the sole source of Godzilla's frustrations.
In a video interview with Zennie62.com, the horror experts at Shock Til You Drop have revealed that producer Brian Rogers wants to keep the mythos intact like they did in the Legendary-produced remake Batman Begins and also says the creature will be taking on other creatures in the 2012 reboot.

Beckinsale Confirmed for UNDERWORLD 4

After months of speculation, it's been confirmed that Kate Beckinsale will be returning to the Underworld series she helped make popular with her husband-director Len Wiseman. HR reports she's closing a deal to reprise her role as vampire heroine Selene in Screen Gems and Lakeshore Entertainment's fourth installment of the successful franchise.
In a subplot reveal, the trade also confirmed the story will be taking place after the second tale Underworld: Evolution since there's an open casting search for someone to play Selene's daughter. Scribe John Hlavin wrote the original draft, with J. Michael Straczynski later hired for script revisions.
A search is underway for a director, with original helmer Wiseman being on board as a producer alongside Lakeshore Entertainment's Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi. With a release in January 2012, production on the next installment is set to begin in Vancouver in March 2011. 

$65 million Dollar question? When is the deal going to get done for Melo?

As the Denver Nuggets prepared for Carmelo Anthony(notes) to report to the team’s media day on Monday, their front office worked to expand the scope of the four-team deal that would send the All-Star forward to the New Jersey Nets, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
On Monday morning, dialogue on the four-way deal that would bring Anthony to the Nets picked up again among the teams. “There’s some momentum again,” one league executive told Yahoo! Sports. Talks had slowed down over the weekend, as the Nuggets gathered offers from around the league.
The Nuggets have made every player on their roster, except for point guards Chauncey Billups(notes) and Ty Lawson(notes), available in the discussions, a league executive said. Along with the unloading of their franchise star, the Nuggets appear willing to overhaul their roster and send out players such as Kenyon Martin(notes), Nene and J.R. Smith(notes).
“They’re processing everything,” a league executive familiar with the Nuggets’ internal discussions said Sunday night. “They’ve still got to hash this thing out within their own house.”
The Nuggets have postured that they’re willing to let Anthony report and start training camp with him, but teams dealing with the Nuggets are skeptical and believe Denver will cut a deal this week. While Denver told teams it was mulling several offers, league sources still believe the most likely deal to be completed is the proposed trade that gives them New Jersey’s Derrick Favors(notes), Utah’s Andrei Kirilenko(notes) and two future first-round draft picks.
Anthony prefers a trade to the New York Knicks, but so far New York hasn’t been able to offer the kind of package the Nuggets believe gives them maximum return for one of the NBA’s elite players. New York president Donnie Walsh has talked to teams about acquiring a draft pick for part of the Knicks’ offer to Denver, but so far he hasn’t come close to matching the package of players and picks the Nuggets have in place with the Nets, Charlotte Bobcats and Utah Jazz in the four-team trade scenario.
The Nets remained confident they could offset the negative feedback Anthony has gotten from some of New Jersey’s former players in the league. The Nets, Bobcats and Jazz are waiting for Denver to give them an answer on the four-team trade that took shape late last week.
Philadelphia president Rod Thorn discussed a trade centered on Sixers forward Andre Iguodala(notes) for Anthony, the Philadelphia Daily News reported on Sunday. Thorn will not make a trade for Anthony without him promising to sign a contract extension, a league executive told Yahoo! Sports on Monday morning. Still, the Sixers have been led to believe Anthony won’t commit to a contract extension if he’s traded there, and losing him as a rent-a-player would be a steep price to pay for Iguodala.
Denver hasn’t felt an immense urgency to get this deal done before training camp because team officials believe he cares too deeply about his image that’s been rehabbed over the past few years. They believe he’ll show up to media day and training camp and play the part of the good teammate – even if he does want out.
Under the current four-team trade proposal, the Nuggets would receive Favors, Kirilenko, who has an expiring contract, and two future first-round picks from the Nets. The picks include New Jersey’s 2011 first-rounder and the 2012 pick the Nets own from the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors’ pick would include some kind of a lottery protection.
The Nets would also send point guard Devin Harris(notes) to the Bobcats, who would move forward Boris Diaw(notes) to the Jazz. Nets guard Quinton Ross(notes) would also be sent to the Jazz.
New Jersey desperately wants Anthony, 26, to become the face of its franchise as it prepares to make a move to a new Brooklyn arena in 2013. The Nets have reshaped the franchise under new Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov. They have resources unmatched in the NBA and will move out of the decrepit Meadowlands arena and into the state-of-the-art Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., this season. The Nets are likely to spend two years in Newark before moving to New York.
New Jersey is trying to sell Anthony on the promise of young center Brook Lopez(notes) and the track record of new coach Avery Johnson. Still, the Nets are coming off a franchise-worst 12-70 season.
Anthony has refused to sign a three-year, $65 million extension with the Nuggets and has made it clear to team officials he’s not comfortable with the franchise’s stability.
Agents William Wesley and Leon Rose, who represent Anthony for CAA, have been advocates for Anthony to agree to sign a $65 million contract extension with the Nets. An immense part of Worldwide Wes’ selling job on Anthony includes the scenario of the Nets signing New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul(notes) in his free agency summer of 2012, sources told Yahoo! Sports. In July, Anthony and Paul were toasting at the Nuggets star’s wedding about joining Amar’e Stoudemire(notes) with the New York Knicks, but that could change should Anthony accept a deal to the Nets.
Paul joined Worldwide Wes and Rose at CAA, in part, for the chance to be packaged with their clientele of stars. After putting together Dwyane Wade(notes), LeBron James(notes) and Chris Bosh(notes) in Miami, Anthony and Paul could conceivably partner with Lopez to make the Nets a formidable franchise. Paul was willing to accept a trade to the Nets over the summer, and like Anthony, he wants a chance to play in a major metropolitan market.
Still, the Nets wouldn’t have the assets to make a deal for Paul in 2011, if New Orleans, like Denver, wanted to trade him a year before his free agency to try and get maximum value for him. New Jersey would have to give up too much in this proposed ‘Melo deal to cobble together another package of young players and draft picks a year from now. The Nets likely would have to wait until Paul’s free agency in 2012.

others involved in this deal

 Devin Harris, Boris Diaw, Andrei Kirilenko, rookie Derek Favors, Andre Igouodala, and Quinton Ross.

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Hubble Telescope Captures Heavenly Vision of Lagoon Nebula

A majestic new image from the Hubble Space Telescope reveals billowing waves of glowing gas and dust at the heart of a bright and active star-forming nebula in deep space.
The delicate-looking clouds in the Lagoon Nebula are sculpted by the intense radiation from hot young stars. [New Photo of the Lagoon Nebula]
The whirls of hydrogen gas are slowly collapsing to form stars, whose bright ultraviolet rays illuminate the surrounding gas in a distinctive shade of red. 
The wispy tendrils and crashing wave-like features are caused by ultraviolet radiation's ability to erode and disperse the gas and dust into the distinctive shapes that are visible in the image.
Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys captured the dramatic view of the Lagoon Nebula.

The Lagoon Nebula is located more than 4,000 light-years away from Earth, in the constellation Sagittarius (the Archer). It is a vast stellar nursery that stretches about 100 light-years wide. One light-year is the distance light travels in one year, about 6 trillion miles (9.7 trillion kilometers).
This hotbed of star formation earned its name because of a wide, lagoon-shaped dust lane that crosses the glowing gas of the nebula. The structure is prominent in wide-field images, but cannot be seen in this new close-up.
In recent years, astronomers probing the secrets of the Lagoon Nebula have found the first unambiguous proof that star formation by accretion of matter from the gas cloud is ongoing in this region.

The Celebrity 100

Rank	Name	Pay ($mil)	Money Rank	TV/Radio Rank	Press Rank	Web Rank	Social Rank	Category
1	Winfrey, Oprah Winfrey	315	1	1	5	5	11	Personalities
2	Knowles, Beyonce Knowles	87	11	9	13	2	15	Musicians
3	Cameron, James Cameron	210	2	21	9	20	81	Directors/Producers
4	Gaga, Lady Gaga	62	22	13	4	1	1	Musicians
5	Woods, Tiger Woods	105	7	7	6	35	34	Athletes
6	Spears, Britney Spears	64	20	15	24	3	2	Musicians
7	U2	130	3	54	18	11	28	Musicians
8	Bullock, Sandra Bullock	56	25	6	21	17	62	Actresses notv
9	Depp, Johnny Depp	75	14	34	22	16	21	Actors notv
10	Madonna	58	24	16	3	4	33	Musicians
11	Cowell, Simon Cowell	80	12	20	20	46	64	Personalities
12	Swift, Taylor Swift	45	38	8	27	8	3	Teen stars
13	Cyrus, Miley Cyrus	48	32	17	26	6	20	Teen stars
14	Bryant, Kobe Bryant	48	32	22	16	21	22	Athletes
15	Jay-Z	63	21	45	29	23	26	Hip-hop impresario
16	Black Eyed Peas	48	32	42	36	18	37	Musicians
17	Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen	70	16	48	32	47	48	Musicians
18	Jolie, Angelina Jolie	20	76	19	30	10	41	Actresses notv
19	Limbaugh, Rush Limbaugh	58.5	23	10	45	41	78	Personalities
20	Jordan, Michael Jordan	55	26	38	31	38	27	Athletes
21	McGraw, Dr. Phil McGraw	80	12	3	68	94	45	Personalities
22	Spielberg, Steven Spielberg	100	8	71	40	49	77	Directors/Producers
23	DeGeneres, Ellen DeGeneres	55	26	31	58	50	5	Personalities
24	Letterman, David Letterman	45	38	3	25	33	76	Personalities
25	Perry, Tyler Perry	125	4	56	76	82	36	Directors/Producers
26	Aniston, Jennifer Aniston	27	67	40	41	22	74	Actresses notv
27	Pink	44	43	35	35	14	18	Musicians
28	James, LeBron James	43	45	23	11	39	31	Athletes
29	Federer, Roger Federer	43	45	28	1	44	13	Athletes
30	Pitt, Brad Pitt	20	76	25	15	12	73	Actors notv
31	Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather	65	19	47	62	77	52	Athletes
32	Bay, Michael Bay	120	5	90	71	70	97	Directors/Producers
33	Trump, Donald Trump	50	30	26	57	59	75	Personalities
34	Leno, Jay Leno	35	54	2	28	29	65	Personalities
35	Coldplay	48	32	86	47	26	4	Musicians
36	Beckham, David Beckham	44	43	64	10	31	19	Athletes
37	Seinfeld, Jerry Seinfeld	75	14	51	80	86	89	Comedians
38	AC/DC	114	6	88	100	83	24	Musicians
39	Stern, Howard Stern	70	16	57	92	63	84	Personalities
40	Jonas Brothers	35.5	53	32	56	15	7	Teen stars
41	Hanks, Tom Hanks	45	38	49	44	42	46	Actors notv
42	Lucas, George Lucas	95	10	94	81	67	82	Directors/Producers
43	Beck, Glenn Beck	35	54	12	50	28	39	Personalities
44	Seacrest, Ryan Seacrest	51	29	41	83	75	14	Personalities
45	Mickelson, Phil Mickelson	46	37	24	19	88	90	Athletes
46	Stiller, Ben Stiller	53	28	72	61	68	23	Actors notv
47	Bruckheimer, Jerry Bruckheimer	100	8	94	88	89	94	Directors/Producers
48	Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo	36	51	97	2	19	8	Athletes
49	Rodriguez, Alex Rodriguez	36	51	11	14	73	83	Athletes
50	Pattinson, Robert Pattinson	17	86	53	37	7	68	Actors notv
51	O'Brien, Conan O'Brien	38	50	5	46	93	30	Personalities
52	O'Neal, Shaquille O'Neal	31	61	27	33	60	9	Athletes
53	Patterson, James Patterson	70	16	98	84	97	57	Authors
54	Chesney, Kenny Chesney	50	30	70	89	91	40	Musicians
55	Pacquiao, Manny Pacquiao	42	47	52	52	64	60	Athletes
56	Cruise, Tom Cruise	22	73	43	38	25	43	Actors notv
57	Sandler, Adam Sandler	40	48	65	74	66	10	Actors notv
58	Clooney, George Clooney	19	83	14	12	24	53	Actors notv
59	Meyer, Stephenie Meyer	40	48	85	59	32	87	Authors
60	Diaz, Cameron Diaz	32	59	61	54	36	79	Actresses notv
61	Williams, Serena Williams	20	76	18	8	57	32	Athletes
62	Rascal Flatts	45	38	69	90	90	42	Musicians
63	Sheen, Charlie Sheen	30	62	29	70	55	70	Television actors
64	Jeter, Derek Jeter	30	62	36	34	79	67	Athletes
65	Armstrong, Lance Armstrong	20	76	33	7	62	12	Athletes
66	Stewart, Kristen Stewart	12	92	62	53	9	69	Teen stars
67	Keith, Toby Keith	48	32	81	93	95	99	Musicians
68	Combs, Sean (Diddy) Combs	30	62	63	75	30	56	Hip-hop impresario
69	King, Stephen King	34	57	82	63	40	51	Authors
70	Parker, Sarah Jessica Parker	25	68	55	55	56	71	Actresses notv
71	DiCaprio, Leonardo DiCaprio	28	65	67	42	48	58	Actors notv
72	Sheindlin, Judge Judy Sheindlin	45	38	77	96	100	80	Personalities
73	Downey, Robert Downey Jr	22	73	60	39	45	85	Actors notv
74	Wayne, Lil Wayne	20	76	76	67	13	6	Hip-hop impresario
75	Witherspoon, Reese Witherspoon	32	59	79	82	61	61	Actresses notv
76	Urban, Keith Urban	27.5	66	50	73	78	50	Musicians
77	Roberts, Julia Roberts	20	76	58	49	37	72	Actresses notv
78	Carell, Steve Carell	34	57	78	72	84	54	Television actors
79	Streep, Meryl Streep	13	91	30	23	43	59	Actresses notv
80	Akon	21	75	92	77	27	16	Hip-hop impresario
81	Sharapova, Maria Sharapova	25	68	87	43	80	29	Athletes
82	Radcliffe, Daniel Radcliffe	25	68	90	66	58	86	Teen stars
83	Williams, Venus Williams	15.5	88	39	17	81	38	Athletes
84	Romano, Ray Romano	35	54	82	91	99	98	Television actors
85	Bundchen, Gisele Bundchen	25	68	93	94	69	55	Models
86	Klum, Heidi Klum	16	87	74	69	51	49	Models
87	Barrymore, Drew Barrymore	15	90	73	64	52	44	Actresses notv
88	Baldwin, Alec Baldwin	8.5	98	37	48	54	93	Television actors
89	Kiefer, Kiefer Sutherland	20	76	80	86	76	92	Television actors
90	Fey, Tina Fey	7.5	99	46	60	74	66	Television actresses
91	Moss, Kate Moss	9	97	89	51	34	63	Models
92	Parker, Eva Longoria Parker	12	92	65	79	65	47	Television actresses
93	Dunham, Jeff Dunham	22.5	72	99	98	96	25	Comedians
94	Lopez, George Lopez	18	85	68	87	87	35	Comedians
95	Heigl, Katherine Heigl	15.5	88	75	78	71	96	Television actresses
96	Patrick, Danica Patrick	12	92	44	65	85	95	Athletes
97	Hudson, Kate Hudson	11	95	58	85	53	99	Actresses notv
98	Handler, Chelsea Handler	19	83	84	97	92	17	Comedians
99	Hewitt, Jennifer Love Hewitt	6.5	100	96	95	72	88	Television actresses
100	Hargitay, Mariska Hargitay	9.5	96	100	99	98	91	Television actresses