Hitch a ride to a snowbound cabin

Elk Lake Resort

Elk Lake Resort in central Oregon shuttles guests 11 miles to their snowbound cabins via snowcat or a Suburban on tracks.

By Colleen McBrinn, msnbc.com contributor

Book your snowbound cabin nestled in the woods, pack your food and cross-country skis, grab the kids?? and don?t forget to reserve the snowcat.

A handful of snowbound lodges and resorts in the Northwest are making winter adventures more accessible for families by throwing in a little help: Stocked cabins, reached by burly snowcats.

Skiers and snowshoers can rent rustic to luxury log cabins loaded with linens, cookware and firewood ? and an option for a snowcat to carry in up to 12 people plus food and gear. Young kids and those not up to getting there on their own can ride in the snowcat while others ski or snowshoe the usually three to 10 miles from the nearest road in to the cabins.

Tucked in the Cascade Mountain range about 35 miles south of Bend, Ore., the snowbound Paulina Lake Lodge operates 11 rustic huts roughly three miles from a snow park. Visitors have a few options for reaching the cabins, which range from $100 to $265 per night: ski or snowshoe in, ride in a snowcat or rent a snowmobile.??

Bend residents Jenny Blechman and Tim Carney have cross-country skied in to the Paulina Lake huts two years in a row with their two young boys, along with other families. The second year, two parents rode with all 5 kids in the snowcat while the other adults enjoyed skiing in. The three families split the $150 round-trip snowcat cost, rented a cozy cabin together, and during the day tag-teamed, with some adults skiing while others played in the snow with the kids.

?The snowcats give us the freedom to continue our adventures with the kids in tow,? Blechman said. ?It?s doable without the extra transport, but it sure makes things easier ? and for travel with kids, easier is always best.?

In addition to food and gear, Blechman said the snowcat hauled in the kids? skis, travel cribs and baby seats ? things they wouldn?t have been able to carry on their backs while skiing.

Paulina Lake Lodge co-owner Karen Brown said most families have been coming for years and making full use of the snowcat shuttle.

?We have kids that I?ve watched grow up,? she said. ?We only see them once or twice a year, but it?s really a family atmosphere up here. We have one kid graduating in June that started coming as a little one.?

Paulina Lake Lodge also rents snowmobiles for guided tours or for visitors to ride in and keep at the cabins. The lodge, built in the 1920s, is now a full cocktail bar and restaurant, which gives?guests the option to eat there as well as cook in the cabins.

Nearby, Elk Lake Resort offers 13 snowbound cabins ranging from very rustic ($29 per night, sleeps two) to a 3,000-foot luxury cabin ($459 per night, sleeps 10). Resort staff shuttle in?guests ??those not skiing the 11 miles in ? on a snowcat or hefty Suburban on tracks for $40 per person roundtrip.?

?A lot of families wouldn?t be able to come here without the snowcat or Suburban,? said co-owner Mitch Cole. ?We?re passionate about making this resort accessible to families, mostly because my partners and I have kids, too. It?s amazing to see kids up here for the first time in their own private, snowbound resort. They have a blast.?

Those looking for a really special, snowy treat for a family reunion or big gathering can rent Silcox Hut perched above Mt. Hood?s Timberline Lodge, about an hour?s drive from Portland, Ore. At 7,000 feet, it?s Oregon?s highest hotel. For $175 per person per night during the weekend (kids a little less), you get lodging, dinner, breakfast and snowcat transportation. Kids too young to downhill ski can romp in the snow outside the hut or down at Timberline Lodge, which also offers ski and snowplay programs for kids.

Other backcountry huts are scattered throughout the Northwest, but few come with snowcat services. The Rendezvous Huts in Washington?s Methow Valley along the eastern flanks of the North Cascades are dotted about every five miles along 21 miles of groomed Nordic ski trails. While the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association doesn?t have snowcat transportation, it does offer a freight hauling service for food and gear. This can lighten parents? loads so while cross-country skiing, they can pull young kids in to the huts on their own Chariots (kid trailers on skis attached to a waist harness).

The snow season for these resorts and lodges starts in mid-December and lasts through mid-March, depending on snow level.??

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Colleen McBrinn, a freelance writer in Portland, Ore., strives to maintain an active lifestyle of outdoor sports and travel with two wee ones in tow.

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Source: http://todaytravel.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/05/9169813-hitch-a-ride-to-a-snowbound-cabin

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Bedbug Infestations Are A Family Affair

Enlarge Janice Haney Carr/CDC

When it comes to bedding down with a mate, bedbugs aren't too choosy.

Janice Haney Carr/CDC

When it comes to bedding down with a mate, bedbugs aren't too choosy.

Bedbugs don't mind sleeping with their sisters and brothers, if you know what I mean.

And bedbugs' eagerness to mate with their kin is one reason their populations have taken off so dramatically. Inbreeding comes naturally to them, and it doesn't seem to hurt their offspring much, as is the case with most other creatures.

"When we look at the genetic makeup of an apartment building, we found that most of the time, the bugs are all related to each other," entomologist Coby Schal tells Shots. "That suggests that there is a lot of inbreeding occurring."

?

He and another entomologist named Ed Vargo examined genetic markers of apartment-dwelling bedbugs in New Jersey and North Carolina. They found remarkable genetic similarities among bedbugs living under one roof.

Schal says all it takes is one mated female to check into a room for the bedbug party to get started. Once her sons and daughters become adults ?about 35 days ? they will mate with each other. Their offspring will repeat the cycle and so on.

"Inbreeding allows bedbugs to establish a large population with a small start," Schal says. The amount of genetic similarity among the offspring suggests that outside bugs are rarely getting in on the action.

The findings was presented today at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting in Philadelphia.

The good news is that bedbugs' incestuous ways can help people cut off a looming invasion. Since most infestations start with only one or two bugs, Schal says, "if you detect them early and get rid of them, chances are you won't see another infestation for a while."

One look at a list of the most infested areas shows that bedbugs love the city life.

So, where are these itchy individuals coming from? Turns out, when Schal and Vargo looked at bedbug populations across the country, they found large amounts of genetic diversity among locations.

Most likely, this means bugs from various places around the globe are started new colonies in different buildings. For example, one apartment complex may house a line of descendants from Betty the bug, but down the street another apartment may have a line of progeny started by Barbara.

Betty may have been smuggled into her building on a used couch. Barbara may have hitched a ride on a jet-settter's luggage.

Next up for Schal is finding where bedbug population originated. "We want to identify where the ancestral population coming from," he says. "Where's Eve? And from a mechanistic perspective, how can bedbugs withstand the detrimental effects of inbreeding that other animals can't."

Schal and Vargo's work is documented in two papers that are currently under peer review for the Journal of Medical Entomology.

Other research announced at the meeting includes the identification of bedbug attractants as well as the possibility of shutting down a bedbug's insecticide resistance.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/12/05/143165615/bedbug-infestations-are-a-family-affair?ft=1&f=1007

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FAMU student leaders call for an end to hazing (AP)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ? Florida A&M President James Ammons said Monday the university is committed to breaking a conspiracy of silence that has for decades shrouded hazing practices at the school and finally resulted in a band member's death.

Ammons addressed an estimated 2,000 FAMU students Monday night and then took several questions, many of which were about the media coverage that most in the audience felt portrayed the school in a bad light.

"We are going to eliminate this pattern of destructive behavior from our campus," Ammons said. "This code of silence hampers our ability to root out these insidious activities."

Petitions were sent through the audience from student government leaders seeking signatures from students to pledge to stop hazing at the school.

Robert Champion, a drum major in the school's famed band, the "Marching 100," died in Orlando. It came hours after performing at the annual Florida Classic football game between the Rattlers and rival Bethune-Cookman.

Champion, 26, was found unresponsive on Nov. 19 on a bus parked outside a hotel after the game after he had been seen vomiting. Police have not been specific, but said they believe hazing played a part in his death.

It also started a criminal investigation into whether FAMU officials have ignored past warnings about hazing.

"It's just not right, but it probably took this for it to stop," said Fredrick Mixon, a 21-year-old fourth-year health service major from Avon Park. "It's an embarrassment to the university, not only to the Marching 100. It's shameful."

Ammons repeatedly asked students to keep Champion and his family in their hearts and as the rallying cry to finally stamp out a hazing tradition that has haunted FAMU for the past 20 years.

"We're going to have to unify around the legacy of Robert Champion," Ammons said. "And to institute a complete culture change here at FAMU."

Champion's death is being investigated by the Orange County Sheriff's Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Until it is completed, the showy high-stepping, high-energy band is suspended from performing.

Ammons also fired longtime band director Julian White and expelled four band members suspected to be involved in hazing.

"This is one of the most challenging times that the university has had," he said. "This university community is committed to making this right and doing away once and for all with hazing."

The Marching 100's rich history includes performing at several Super Bowls and representing the U.S. in Paris at the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution.

There have been no formal discussions about when, or even if, the band will resume its activities during the remainder of this school year.

"Out of respect for Robert Champion and his family, I just don't think they should be performing," Ammons said.

More than 100 band members dressed in bright orange T-shirts with "100" on the front, sat together in the crowd.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111206/ap_on_sp_ot/us_famu_student_dead

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World's Fastest Cells Raced On Petri Dish

If they're 0.000000312 kilometers per hour how fast is that "scale speed"? If they were the size of a car, how fast would they be traveling?

That's kinda variable, like how fast is a person, you mean a kenyan olympic sprinter or a 600 pound walmart shopper?

None the less, figure "about a dozen microns" within an order of magnitude bigger or smaller. I do not have a prepared slide of those for my little microscope, but I have a gut sense they are about that big based on pictures. Figure about one an a half times the diameter of a red blood cell? Supposedly they vary a lot more in size than a RBC.

In "car speed" for the standard/. car analogy, t

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/JmfpLmtPnpo/worlds-fastest-cells-raced-on-petri-dish

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Wife of megachurch pastor Eddie Long files for divorce

John Amis / AP

Bishop Eddie Long walks to the pulpit with his wife, Vanessa Long, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2010, at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta.

By msnbc.com staff and Associated Press

The wife of Bishop Eddie Long, the Georgia megachurch pastor once accused of coercing four young men into having sex, has told her lawyers to file for divorce, according to a statement issued Friday.

In the statement, Vanessa Long said she had decided to "terminate my marriage" after "a great deal of deliberation and prayer."

"It is my sincere hope that this matter can be resolved expeditiously, harmoniously, and fairly," she said in the statement.

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"I ask that you respect my privacy and that of my family, as my attorneys and I have agreed that we will not try this case in the media, and I do not intend to make any further statements concerning this matter," she added. "I also ask that the public pray for my entire family during this difficult period of transition."

In May this year, Bishop Long settled lawsuits filed by the four men who once attended the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, in suburban Atlanta.

Four sexual misconduct lawsuits against Bishop Eddie Long are expected to be dismissed by the end of Friday. Rev. Irene Monroe talks about the situation.

Days later the congregation cheered Long as he took the pulpit, while the choir opened the service with?the hymn "Moving Forward," which began: "I'm not going back, I'm moving ahead. Here to declare to you my past is over."

Opposition to?gay marriage
Long gained a reputation as a spiritual leader after turning his 150-member congregation into a following of 25,000 people and a televangelist empire, partly based on the idea that God would give wealth to the faithful.

He has been a vocal opponent of gay marriage.

The?allegations by the men were not?investigated criminally because Georgia's age of consent is 16. The young men were 17 and 18 when the alleged sexual contact occurred.

After the out-of-court settlement, Jessica Gabel, a Georgia State University law professor who specializes in trial strategy, told The Associated Press, "Nobody wants their dirty laundry aired in court. Every day there would be fanfare. This is not something you want in the media."

Gabel said that attorneys try to keep the terms of any agreement confidential, but?added that it was noteworthy that Long was not required to apologize or acknowledge any wrongdoing.

The dismissal of the lawsuits was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It said the men alleged that the bishop used his influence, trips, gifts and jobs to coerce them into sexual relations.

More news and feature stories from msnbc.com:

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/02/9165581-megachurch-pastor-eddie-longs-wife-to-seek-divorce

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Concern grows for US man kidnapped in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD?? Concern was growing Friday for the safety of American development expert Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped from home in Pakistan in August.

Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri said in an audio recording issued on Islamist websites late Thursday that his organization had captured "this man who has had an active part in American aid to Pakistan since the seventies."

However, sources told NBC News on Friday that there were strong indications that Weinstein, 70, had been passed to a dreaded faction of the Pakistani Taliban.

They said he was presently in the custody of militants led by Commander Tariq Afridi, operating in the gun-manufacturing, semi-autonomous tribal region of Darra Adamkhel.

It is the same militant group that kidnapped a Polish engineer, Piotr Stancza, from Attock area of Punjab province on Sept. 28, 2009. Stancza was later executed after their demands for money and a release of prisoners were not met by the government.

Some sources said that Weinstein was kidnapped by another group and later sold to Afridi, NBC News reported.

Ruthless
He is considered the most ruthless among his militant colleagues and is known for his harsh policies.

In the al-Qaida Internet statement, Zawahri said the group's demands for Weinstein's release included the release of all those held by the United States at the Guantanamo detention center and all others imprisoned for ties to al-Qaida or the Taliban. The statement was translated by the SITE group, which says it monitors the "jihadist threat."

He also demanded an end to air strikes by the United States and its allies against militants in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia and Gaza.

Zawahri specifically demanded the release of high-profile militants including Ramzi Yousef, imprisoned in the United States for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, and Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, serving a life sentence for plotting to attack the U.N. headquarters and other New York City landmarks.

"Your problem is not with us but with (President Barack) Obama. We have raised fair demands. ... So continue to pressure Obama, if you want your relative to be handed back," Zawahri said, addressing Weinstein's family, according to SITE.

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The audio recording, which was issued on Islamist websites, also said that a senior al-Qaida leader based in Pakistan known as Attiyatullah had been killed in a U.S. air strike in August.

"Just as the Americans detain all whom they suspect of links to al-Qaida and the Taliban, even remotely, we detained this man who has had an active part in American aid to Pakistan since the seventies," Zawahiri added.

Video: Al-Qaida: We?ve kidnapped an American (on this page)

He said that Attiyatullah, a Libyan militant whose real name was Jamal Ibrahim Ashtiwi al-Misrati, escaped a first air strike but was killed along with his son Issam in a second bombing on August 23.

"He was martyred, may God have mercy on him ... by bombing by a crusader spy plane," Zawahri said.

'We remain concerned'
The U.S. State Department is aware of the statement and continues to work with Pakistani authorities leading the investigation, a spokeswoman said.

Weinstein had been working on a project in Pakistan's northwestern tribal areas where Pakistani troops have been battling Islamist insurgents for years.

"We remain concerned for Mr. Weinstein's safety and well-being," said Joanne Moore, spokeswoman for the State Department.

Story: 'Enough is enough': Grieving Pakistan questions its role in US war on terror

The government had been in contact with Weinstein's family in the United States, she said.

"U.S. officials, including the FBI, are assisting in the Pakistani-led investigation," she said, declining to give additional information on the case due to privacy considerations.

"The United States condemns kidnappings of any kind and we call for the immediate release of the individual and the prosecution of those responsible," Moore said.

Zawahri succeeded Osama bin Laden after he was killed in an operation by U.S. forces in Pakistan in May after a decade-long worldwide hunt.

NBC News and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45521349/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

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Toyota, BMW to work on greener car battery (AP)

TOKYO ? Auto giants Toyota and BMW said Thursday they have agreed to collaborate on research for cleaner, next-generation car batteries, underlining the growing push in the industry for green technology.

The agreement brings together Toyota Motor Corp., Japan's No. 1 carmaker and a leader in gas-electric hybrids, and BMW AG of Germany, a European maker that has a strong luxury brand image in both Japan and Europe.

"We are now joining forces to further develop environmentally-friendly technologies and to expand our innovation leadership in each of our segments," Norbert Reithofer, chairman of BMW, said in a statement.

The two automakers will also work on improving lithium-ion battery technology, typically used in batteries for electronic gadgets and relatively new to autos.

Toyota has struggled to find a good lithium-ion battery for its green cars and is using technology from Japanese electronics maker Sanyo Electric Co. in its latest plug-in hybrid, for which Toyota has recently started taking orders. Toyota had worked with Panasonic Corp. on a battery before the electronics maker acquired Sanyo, partly to get better lithium-ion technology.

"This collaboration will allow for the development of the next-generation battery faster and at a higher level," Toyota Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada told reporters at a Tokyo news conference.

Toyota and BMW have been engaged in extended discussions on technology and plan to collaborate on other medium-term and long-term projects, he said.

BMW will also begin supplying "clean" diesel engines to Toyota in 2014 for models for the European market. Diesel engines for passenger cars are huge in Europe but have yet to take off in the U.S. or Japan, the two major markets where Toyota is strong. Toyota does not have enough clean diesel engines for its European offerings.

Under their agreement, BMW is supplying 1.6 liter and 2.0 liter fuel-efficient diesel engines for Toyota. They declined to give details on models.

The announcement was timed with the Tokyo Motor Show, which opens to the public Saturday.

Competition in new batteries is expected to heat up in coming years amid growing concern about global warming. Governments around the world are offering tax breaks and subsidies to encourage electric cars and plug-ins.

BMW said it is entering its first collaboration with a Japanese automaker because of Toyota's prowess in hybrids.

Toyota has sold more than 3.4 million hybrids worldwide so far, including models other than the pioneering hit Prius.

Toyota does not have an electric vehicle in its commercial lineup, although it is planning one for next year, for commuting short distances.

Japanese rival Nissan Motor Co. has made EVs the pillar of its green strategy and has a head start, offering the Leaf electric car from last year.

But electric vehicles are still a fledgling technology, meaning the race has just begun and others like Toyota and BMW can play catchup.

Nissan has sold about 20,000 Leaf cars around the world so far.

Toyota and BMW executives said sharing research can speed up development.

"The agreement between our two companies marks a milestone for our future collaborations," said Ian Robertson, a BMW board member who oversees sales and marketing.

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Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111201/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_toyota_bmw

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