World

RSF Annual Round-Up: 110 Journalists Killed In 2015

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RSF News:
 
In 2015, 110 journalists were killed in connection with their work or for unclear reasons, according to the round-up published Monday by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which is in a position to say that 67 of them were targeted because of their work or were killed while reporting.
 
These 67 deaths bring to 787 the total number of journalists killed in connection with their work since 2005. It has not been possible to clearly establish the circumstances or motives of this year’s 43 other deaths of journalists. Twenty-seven citizen-journalists and seven media workers
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Legabasket Announces Rosters For Serie A All-Star Game … Alex Kirk Plays On Cavit All Star Team

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Legabasket has announced the rosters for the next Beko All-Star Game in 2016.

Los Alamos native Alex Kirk has been tapped to play on the Cavit All Star Team. Kirk, a Los Alamos High School graduate, plays for Giorgio Tesi Group Pistoia in Italy.

The two starting five include:

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U.S. Demonstrates Production Of Fuel For Missions To The Solar System And Beyond

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DOE News:
 
The first U.S. production in nearly 30 years of a specialized fuel to power future deep space missions has been completed by researchers at the Department of Energy‘s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee.
 
The production of 50 grams of plutonium-238–roughly the mass of a golf ball–marks the first demonstration in the United States since the Savannah River Plant in South Carolina ceased production in the late 1980s.
 
Radioisotope power systems convert heat from the natural radioactive decay of the isotope plutonium-238 into electricity.
 
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LANL: Plasma Research Shows Promise For Future Compact Accelerators

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The team in front of the Trident Target Chamber. Back row from left, Tom Shimada, Sha-Marie Reid, Adam Sefkow, Miguel Santiago and Chris Hamilton. Front row from left, Russ Mortensen, Chengkun Huang, Sasi Palaniyappan, Juan Fernandez, Cort Gautier and Randy Johnson. Courtesy photo
 
LANL News:
 
A transformative breakthrough in controlling ion beams allows small-scale laser-plasma accelerators to deliver unprecedented power densities.
 
That development offers benefits in a wide range of applications, including nuclear fusion experiments, cancer treatments, and
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Santa’s Veterinarian Clears Reindeer For Flight

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Santa’s veterinarian has cleared Rudolph and the rest of the reindeer to travel the world Christmas Eve with Santa. Courtesy/sciencemag.org
 
AVMA News:
 
SCHAUMBURG, IL — Following a health checkup at the North Pole, Santa’s veterinarian has given the green light to Rudolph’s red nose and the rest of the reindeer that will be traveling the world this Christmas Eve.
 
Dr. Joe Kinnarney, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, visited the North Pole today to ensure that Santa’s team of nine were up-to-date on their vaccinations and healthy enough to
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‘Christmas Eve Asteroid’ 2003 SD220 Sleighs By Earth

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Resembling a sweet potato, which is quite appropriate for the holiday season, a Delay-Doppler image of asteroid 2003 SD220,  the ‘Christmas Eve asteroid’ as observed Dec. 3-5 and Dec. 14-15 from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico using the NASA-funded planetary radar system. The asteroid will be 28 times farther away than our moon, measures more than 1.25 miles long and rotates very slowly, taking more than 11 days to complete one full rotation. Courtesy/Arecibo Observatory

The largest and most sensitive single dish radio telescope in the world is at the Arecibo Observatory Read More

LANL’s Top 10 Science Stories Of The Year

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Scientists Aditya Mohite, left, and Wanyi Nie are perfecting a crystal production technique to improve perovskite crystal production for solar cells at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Looking back on 2015 … Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Top 10 Science Stories of the Year. From supercomputers and climate modeling, to cybersecurity and cancer treatments, Los Alamos National Laboratory worked hard in 2015 to advance science that helps address many of the most pressing challenges.

“Our commitment to delivering science and technology for the public good Read More

LAHS Hilltalkers Delgado, Mallett, McCumber Advance In International Public Policy Forum Competition

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Hilltalker team members Will McCumber, Cade Mallett and Nate Delgado have advanced to the top 32 of the International Public Policy Forum competition. Courtesy/LAHS

LAHS News:

Los Alamos High School Hilltalker coaches Margo Batha and Christine Engelbrecht are proud to announce that the team of Nate Delgado, Cade Mallett and Will McCumber has advanced to the top 32 of the International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) competition sponsored by the Bickel and Brewer Foundation.

This team of Hilltalkers has submitted several extensively researched cases on the topic of “Resolved: Read More

Los Alamos High School Advances In International Debate Competition

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LAHS News:

Students from Los Alamos High School have advanced to the “Top 32” round of the International Public Policy Forum (IPPF).

 

Sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University, the IPPF is the first and only debate competition that gives high school students around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy.

 

By advancing, the students remain eligible to win a $10,000 grand prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to the IPPF Finals in New York City April 2.

 

“These students have distinguished themselves in this unique Read More

Commission For Environmental Cooperation Taps Brumwell To Chair Joint Public Advisory Committee

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CEC News:
 
MONTREAL — The Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s (CEC) Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) has chosen Canadian JPAC member Lindsay Brumwell as committee chair for 2016.

She will succeed Mexican JPAC member Gustavo Alanís-Ortega, a lawyer and university professor at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, who has been chair during 2015.

“The Commission for Environmental Cooperation is increasingly relevant as a force for trinational cooperation on environmental issues,” Brumwell said. “I look forward to working

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