Curiosity Rover in Good Health on Martian Surface

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PASADENA, Calif. ? NASA's huge Curiosity rover appears to have survived its harrowing Mars landing Sunday night (Aug. 5) in fine form, and it's now gearing up for its two-year mission on the Red Planet's surface.

News that the 1-ton Curiosity rover touched down safely inside Mars' Gale Crater came in at 10:32 p.m. PDT Sunday (1:32 a.m. EDT and 0532 Monday), though the six-wheeled robot actually landed about 14 minutes earlier. (That's how long it takes signals to travel from the Red Planet to Earth.)

The rover seems to be in good health after being lowered to the red dirt by a rocket-powered sky crane ? a maneuver that had never been attempted before on another planet. And Curiosity has made the mental switch from entry, descent and landing mode to surface mode seamlessly, team members announced today (Aug. 6).

"She is in surface nominal mode," Curiosity mission manager Mike Watkins, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told reporters here at JPL today. "The surface mission of Curiosity has now begun." [1st Photos of Mars by Curiosity Rover (Gallery)]

The rover is reporting no serious anomalies or glitches, Watkins added. Initial checks of the car-size vehicle's 10 science instruments look good, though fully vetting their condition will take weeks or months.

Like Curiosity itself, the rover's handlers are now transitioning to surface mode. The biggest activity on the docket for today ? its first Martian day, or Sol 1 ? is deploying Curiosity's high-gain antenna. This operation should begin at around 6 p.m. PDT (9:00 p.m. EDT; 0100 GMT Tuesday), officials said.

"This allows us to talk directly to the Earth with enough gain that it can actually send data to us, and be more easily talked to by us," Watkins said.

The antenna will take some of the communications pressure off NASA's Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft, which have been relaying word from the rover back to Earth. Confirmation of last night's successful touchdown, in fact, came via the venerable Odyssey, which has been orbiting Mars since 2001.

Curiosity will also take a five-hour reading today with its Radiation Assessment Detector instrument, or RAD, which gathered data for much of the rover's eight-month space cruise.

"That's not a checkout; that's 100 percent data collection," said Curiosity chief scientist John Grotzinger, a professor at Caltech in Pasadena.

On Sol 2, Curiosity will deploy its head-like mast and take some panoramic photos of its surroundings with its navigation cameras, Watkins said. The rover has already sent home a handful of pictures snapped by its hazard-avoidance cameras.

All of these activities are geared toward making sure Curiosity is fully functional and ready to rove. The robot's main mission is to determine if the Gale area is, or ever was, capable of supporting microbial life. It will study the rocks and soil of Gale and Mount Sharp ? the mysterious 3-mile-high (5 kilometer) mountain rising from the crater's center ? for at least the next two Earth years.

So while landing was a huge moment and a major accomplishment, Curiosity's quest has only just begun.

"We haven't even scratched the surface," Grotzinger said.

Visit SPACE.com for complete coverage of NASA's Mars rover landing Sunday. Follow senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall or SPACE.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and?Google+.?

Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/curiosity-rover-good-health-martian-surface-193029150.html

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Beijing and US tense up over fresh South China Sea dispute

A new Chinese city and base on a disputed South China Sea island have kicked up tensions, but it will likely end there. The last thing China wants to do is give the US a reason to get involved.

By Ralph Jennings,?Correspondent / August 7, 2012

In this July 21 file photo, Chinese people chat in front of an administration office building for the Xisha, Nansha, Zhongsha islands on Yongxing Island, the government seat of Sansha City off south China's Hainan province. Beijing on Saturday, Aug. 4, summoned an American diplomat to express its dissatisfaction over US criticism of China?s new military garrison in the South China Sea.

AP/File

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The United States and China splashed unusually harsh words on each other this week, but it may prove just a ripple in a larger dispute.

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In short, Beijing summoned a senior US diplomat Aug. 4, after Washington criticized a new city and military garrison that China set up in a widely contested ocean area stretching 3.5 million kilometers (1.4 million miles), from Taiwan to Singapore.

A US Department of State spokesman said Aug. 3 that China's new Sansha City and companion military base in the tiny Paracel Islands ?run counter to collaborative diplomatic efforts to resolve differences and risk further escalating tensions in the region.?

China lashed back with a stern statement on its foreign-ministry website: ?The US state department?s so-called statement on the South China Sea issue disregards reality, confuses right and wrong, and sends a seriously wrong signal.?

The ministry had to vent because that?s about all it can do to stick up for China?s expanding claim to the disputed ocean without risking a harsher US reaction, including not-so-subtle support for Southeast Asian nations that also claim the sea.

What appears to be the worst spat between the US and China over the South China Sea shows Beijing?s nervousness about the US getting involved in an Asian territorial dispute with so much at stake for China: seafood, oil, and natural gas. But China seems to realize it?s best not to match its fiery words with actual fire.

Despite mutual suspicion of each side?s weight on the world stage and competing political systems, the two usually cooperate because they need each other as trade partners.?But US criticism of Beijing?s latest move in the South China Sea, which China and five other governments claim and plumb for critical natural resources, hits too close to some of China's vital interests.

Because competing claimants Taiwan and Vietnam have already staked a claim to other disputed islets, China likely thought it could do the same without a backlash, especially since founding a city involved no real conflict.

The US wants the six competing South China Sea claimants ? which also include Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines ? to get along so that none block its shipping lanes. About half the world?s commercial shipping uses the South China Sea, and Washington depends on the lanes to pass military vessels.

The US has urged cooperation and that China join other claimants in working out a solution to the sovereignty dispute as they aggressively trawl for fish and probe for oil.

?The State Department at least wanted to fire a warning shot to all parties to not make the situation worse," says Alexander Huang, strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan. It was as if the US was saying "Don?t do anything stupid," he adds.?

But China is not likely to follow up on its angry words and temporarily cancel broader Sino-US dialogue ? as it did after Washington showed support for the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of the Tibetan government in exile, or when it talked with China's political rival Taiwan about arms sales.

It is in China's interest to use strong language, especially as Politburo leaders in Beijing posture ahead of a leadership reshuffle this year to show its power, but it wants to avoid real conflict that could upset other nations and reel the US into the dispute.?In April, when China pressed down on the disputed Scarborough Shoal near the Philippines'?Luzon Island,?the US held joint military exercises with the Philippines.

Analysts have said Washington tacitly sides with the smaller claimants, not China, although it officially doesn?t take sides.

?[China] will not do anything stupid,? Mr. Huang says. ?I don?t think China will pick a fight in the next 12 months.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/AFd85LbshvY/Beijing-and-US-tense-up-over-fresh-South-China-Sea-dispute

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UK's Cameron faces poll test after legislator quits

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron faces a public test of his government's slumping popularity after a prominent Conservative legislator said on Monday she was quitting for family reasons and moving to join her husband in New York.

The decision by Member of Parliament (MP) Louise Mensch, an author of popular "chick-lit" romantic fiction who entered parliament at the 2010 national election, will trigger a by-election in her marginal seat in Corby in the English Midlands.

Cameron's centre-right Conservatives, the senior party in the two-year-old coalition government, are trailing in the polls behind a resurgent Labour opposition as the economy struggles to recover from the effects of the global financial crisis.

Labour will hope to regain the constituency after narrowly losing it at the last general election, inflicting a short-term blow on Cameron, although doing little to dent the coalition's 83-seat majority in parliament.

The Conservatives' standing with British voters has declined after a poorly received budget in March that cut earnings tax for the richest and raised levies on the elderly, prompting accusations the coalition was out of touch with ordinary people.

Cameron is under further pressure from rebel legislators in his own party who believe traditional Conservative skepticism towards Europe and state welfare is being constrained by the coalition with the left-leaning Liberal Democrats.

Mensch, 41, who wrote best-sellers such as "Career Girls", "Glamour" and "Desire" under her maiden name Louise Bagshawe, won praise for her close questioning of Rupert and James Murdoch in a parliamentary committee inquiry over phone hacking.

A prolific user of the Twitter messaging service not afraid to pose for glamorous magazine portraits, Mensch said she was resigning as an MP and moving to New York as the "best outcome for my family life".

She previously said it was difficult balancing work as an MP with looking after three small children from her first marriage and having a husband living in New York. She married Peter Mensch, the manager of rock band Metallica, in June last year.

(Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uks-cameron-faces-poll-test-legislator-quits-103841202.html

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Emotional Sanchez regains Olympic title

Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic stormed to victory in the Olympic men's 400m hurdles on Monday and then paid an emotional tribute to his late grandmother Lillian.

"I just wanted to make her proud so I've got her name on my spikes," said Sanchez, who won in a time of 47.63 to regain a title he first collected at the 2004 Athens Games.

Sanchez fell to his knees after crossing the line and plucked a photograph of his grandmother from his vest.

He broke down in tears during the medal ceremony -- a moment he missed four years ago in Beijing, where he failed to make it out of the first round on the day he learned his grandmother had died.

"The day she died in Beijing it broke my heart," Sanchez said. "That's why I ran with the picture close to my heart."

The 34-year-old, whose time was the same as he ran in Athens, beat home American Michael Tinsley, who ran a personal best of 47.91sec, while the pre-race favourite Javier Culson of Puerto Rico had to settle for bronze in 48.10sec.

Great Britain's world champion Dai Greene finished fourth and two-time Olympic champion Angelo Taylor finished fifth in a high-quality race.

Sanchez, who sports a tattoo of "Superman" on his shoulder and had "Abuela" -- Spanish for grandmother -- inscribed on a shoe, led from the off with Taylor and Culson chasing him down.

Coming off the final bend Sanchez showed no signs of slowing, although both Tinsley and Greene started to find an extra gear from the back.

Taylor looked to be gaining on Sanchez but stalled at the penultimate hurdle, while Culson failed to find the extra gear which had seen him dominate this season.

Sanchez pulled away to take a surprisingly easy gold, while Tinsley passed the tiring Culson and Taylor - who had been bidding to become the first athlete to win three Olympic golds in the event - to take second.

Culson also collapsed to the track - but in disappointment, despite it being his country's first ever Olympic medal outside of boxing.

"It was a very bad run on my behalf," said Culson.

"I'm not pleased with it at all. I lost my rhythm towards the end of the race and I couldn't get it back. I send my apologies to the people back home but at least I made it to the final."

Sanchez was born in the United States but runs for the country where his parents were born.

Sanchez said that people back in the Dominican Republic would be astonished as his slump in form over the past few years had many thinking he should hang up his spikes.

"It's going to be huge," he said.

"They expected the worlds (he won the 2001 and 2003 world championships), no one expected this. A lot of people said I should retire but I stuck with it. They'll all be celebrating now."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sanchez-regains-olympic-mens-400m-hurdles-title-195614042--oly.html

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What Causes Childhood Obesity? ? Part 36Children's Health and ...

As many of my regular viewers to this web blog know, there are many factors contributing to childhood obesity. I post daily here about it, whether news print articles, opinions, feedback, or just personal opinion.

Recently, I wrote an article for Yahoo! (click here) about childhood obesity. I started searching for sources for this article, and received over 100 responses to the question, ?What do you think caused the rise in childhood obesity?? Responses came from professional and Olympic athletes, fitness experts, health experts, nutritionist, and parents.

I was unable to use everyone?s feedback, but thought it would be great to post some of their responses on my blog in a new web series, ?What Causes Childhood Obesity.? I hope that you enjoy the opinions here from various individuals. Please remember, my including their posts does not necessarily mean I agree or endorse their opinion, rather, a place to share other people?s thoughts.

Keeping Kids Fit

Opinion: Juliette Aiyana

We live in a fast-paced world where parents work long hours just to get by. One where they don?t have time to cook dinner each evening or prepare lunches for the next day, and where we make quick decisions and eat fast-food (purchased or cooked at home). Our kids are running the race with us adults; from mornings rushing to school and skipping breakfast or gulping down sugary cereal, then off to school where most kids eat school lunch devoid of any substantive nutritional value, then on to after-school activities, home for homework, hurry up and eat, watch TV (on an average of 3 to 4 hours per day and sometimes at the same time as eating), and go bed (late, because we have to watch our favorite show) then start all over again the next day.

With all of this hurry and scurry, we don?t think that have time to prepare, no less think about preparing, healthful foods nor to find time for physical activity. We grab on-the-go snacks, ?power-up? with quick junk snacks, meal replacement bars, drinks and juices which are high in sugar. We cook microwavable meals marketed toward kids, many of which mislead us that they are ?healthy? or ?all natural? on the front of the package, however, the ingredient list on the back of the package tells another story.

So we are left with poor eating habits, stress due to running around and lack of nutrition, lack of sleep, and with 3-4 hours of screen time in exchange for physical activity or healthy food prep, and we mindlessly consume 250-500 more calories per day while staring at the T.V.

Cut down on, or remove screen time. Reducing or eliminating screen time cuts down on junk food advertising that is aimed at our children and reduces the calories kids eat in front of the screen. And the time can easily be used to increase physical exercise, prepare foods as a family, and eat together at the family table and talk with each other, laugh and play together, and get to bed a little earlier, all of which reduce stress. By just cutting down on one part of our lifestyle we can potentially add to at least four other areas of our life, a change that will cultivate healthier and happier kids and families.

Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac., Herbalist, Author of Chinese Medicine & Healthy Weight Management An Evidence-Based Integrated Approach (Blue Poppy, 2007), Dr. Sears L.E.A.N. Families Coach

Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/?p=2945

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A Lot Of Men And Women Are Making Good Cash On The Internet ...

When you really think of it, making money online is something that can have a tremendous impact depending on the situation.

These days you are going to discover that more and more men and women are turning to the Internet in an attempt to make money simply because times are tough for everybody. There are riches to be found online, but the fact they are buried is actually a problem. In order to begin making cash online it is going to be very important for you to gather all of the information you are able to find about Internet Advertising and marketing. There?s plenty of hype online, which far too many folks fall for. Just about anything that promises incredible wealth without even working is hype, and you shouldn?t pay attention to it.

Having said that you should comprehend that more folks are becoming millionaires online than anyone else who starts any other type of business. And if you?re one of the few people that get the right information and training you?ll also be able to make money on the web. Although it takes time to make cash on the web you are going to discover that there are a few suggestions which can help you speed up this process. Obviously you need to also remember that this is something that is going to take hard work and dedication in order for you to become profitable. Unlike a traditional brick and mortar business, an internet business can be started up very fast, but it takes time to make it successful.

We trust what you have uncovered thus far on the subject of making money on the Internet, and additionally the details regarding Internet marketing, is going to be helpful to you. Please keep reading more below for extra info regarding this subject.

Finding a method that is profitable for you and sticking with that strategy will lead you to online success. Something you wanna avoid doing is leaping from one a income opportunity to another mainly because it takes time to start producing an income. One more thing individuals do is expand too quickly so make certain you?re proficient in the technique you are currently using before you expand. Needless to say, don?t forget about the training you are going to need in order to become profitable. Picture assembling a bicycle for the first time without any sort of directions, starting an online business without training is like that. Without carrying out a business plan for your web based business and learning the basic skills you?ll most likely not realize success. Although you can use just the basic information to be able to get started you are going to see that with advanced training you?ll be able to produce a larger income. So long as you continue to educate yourself on Internet Marketing your earnings will continue to grow as well.

There are some individuals out there who tell you that you don?t need a web site in order to produce an income, but in my experience a site is necessary. When you have your own website more folks will look to you as a professional instead of somebody who?s just trying to make a quick buck. You ought to also recognize that your website and domain name will in addition keep rising in value the longer you have them and advertise them. You can build your own site, so don?t fall for the individuals who tell you they will build your internet site for you. There are lots of free places, that will help you figure out how to build your own website.

There are a great amount of scams on the net, so make certain you do your research before starting your business. Take your time to find the correct business, simply because most men and women fail, and you don?t want to be one of them.

Tags: internet marketing, online business, Marketing

Source: http://product-launch-results.com/a-lot-of-men-and-women-are-making-good-cash-on-the-internet/

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Masonry Adds Appeal To Homes ? Strategies for Boosting Residence

home improvement

Adding value to your home using masonry is possible if the job is performed professionally and with value-added goals. In a nutshell, adding a new brick walkway or transforming out the natural stone driveway to get a cement drive way can add value when the excellence of the craftsmanship is found. This can be hard to do unless you utilize a professional group with a lot of experience in el born area. In fact, the ones that are masons typically think of their skill as being a form of artwork. Choose the right venture and the right team, and it?s also easy to see the value that will be combined with your home.

Improving Problem Areas

One of the simplest ways that brickwork can add value to your home is actually reducing difficulties you may be working with currently. For example, if the house has water flow problems, the installation of proper techniques can reduce this. Redoing any falling keeping wall can even be an advantage. If the driveway is actually cracked or falling apart, the usage of new cement work can certainly increase the value of that process. Problems with the building blocks, inside the home or on the exterior may also require this type of specialist.

Adding Beauty As well as Function

Many other ways exist for this type of work to add value to a place. For many, it?s about using the great thing about stone as well as design to make the right level of aesthetic attractiveness throughout the area. The following tasks may be a great investment, for example, depending on the area and options that come with the home:

- Build a pathway by having a garden with a small outdoor patio. This creates a beautiful escape in a huge garden region or yard.

- Use builder work to develop a spacious patio in the backyard. Give a brick fire or out of doors oven to include even more worth.

- Pave a lengthier driveway. Incorporate stamping, color or a special design component to the room to create a visual appeal.

- Add columns or pillars as an access into the property. A beautiful archway will add a stunning display on virtually any building or driveway entry.

- Use a little stone course that leads towards the front of the property. With stepping-stones, your current can create a pleasingly fancyful display.

There are lots of ways that brickwork can add price to a property. Sometimes, there is no need to think about these products on your own either. Rather, you are able to invest in a professional with a lot of experience and request for opinions along with possibilities. An elegant consultation can offer some great comprehension of the multitude of solutions to you. Then add features to build extra curiosity and attraction, and you will instantly add value to the property as well.

Source: http://betterhomeimprovement.org/masonry-adds-appeal-to-homes-strategies-for-boosting-residence-value/

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Rivals look beyond London as Brits snare more gold

French track team bosses are already looking towards the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The only consolation is they are not alone.

On the penultimate day of track cycling at the Olympic velodrome Gregory Bauge found himself in the unfamiliar position of second place on the podium after failing to beat Jason Kenny to the coveted sprint gold.

It gave Britain their fifth gold medal from the seven finals held so far and with three strong riders in the last three races on Tuesday the hosts could make it eight from 10.

While Bauge tried to digest his major loss to a man he had beaten in the final of the last two world championships, his coach Florian Rousseau was gracious in defeat.

"Physically, Greg was in better condition than he was at the world championships. In the end, he was just beaten, that's all," said Rousseau.

"Our objective was to win two gold medals, in the sprint and the team sprint: now we have two silver, which remain Olympic medals but, when you've been world champion four times, it's difficult to swallow.

"But we have to remain dignified. It's an Olympic medal. We just hoped it would be a different colour."

Previously considered unstoppable, Bauge says he will now "think over" whether he will remain in the sport or, as mentioned previously, switch to another track and become a 100m sprinter.

But he was bitter in defeat: "I've dominated my discipline for the past four years, and I wanted gold. I do not train twice a day for this disappointment."

And he carried his frustrations over to the post-race press conference where, to the astonishment of journalists, he took to questioning Kenny.

Kenny added a first individual Olympic title to add to the team sprint titles he has won with Britain in the past two Olympics.

Having been given the nod to represent Britain in the sprint over defending champion Sir Chris Hoy only a month ago, the 24-year-old Englishman took his chance with both hands.

While he worked on his own condition and finishing speed in the lead-up to the Games, Britain's track team did the rest by feeding him information from video evidence on his key rivals.

But the hard work was put in well before Monday.

"We've been working really hard the last six months to bridge that gap and just get faster, really. It's nice to turn up here and see that you've bridged that gap," said Kenny.

When it comes to resources, financial and otherwise, Britain are way ahead of their rivals.

Rousseau, who like Bauge was beaten the last time a Frenchman made the Olympic final -- by American Marty Nothstein, in 2000 -- refused to be drawn on suggestions that Britain are employing illicit methods.

"There are tangible things you can see, like the material they have. But behind that there's also a lot of hard work, discipline, and a lot of money and human resources," added Rousseau.

"Maybe we will never know how they're prepared for these Games. At the end of the day, what they've done is even better than what they achieved four years ago. Yes, it's even better."

Britain will aim for more track gold on Tuesday's final day at the velodrome in the women's omnium, with Laura Trott, and sprint with Victoria Pendleton.

Hoy, meanwhile, could pick up a sixth Olympic gold if he defends his men's keirin title, a feat that would push him past Sir Steve Redgrave's British record of five Olympic golds.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kenny-beats-bauge-coveted-sprint-gold-171621363--oly.html

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Libya sting operation kills three outside capital

Libyan authorities said that three men suspected of planning bomb attacks were killed in a sting operation outside the capital.

"The brain of the operation refused to surrender and fought fiercely which resulted in the death of three people, including him," said Saleh Darhoub, spokesman of the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC).

Five members of the interior ministry brigade which carried out the sting operation on Sunday were wounded. The clashes took place in a farm in Al-Aziziya, 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of the capital, he said.

Darhoub told reporters that the explosives found in the area matched those found by security forces who had foiled "seven bombing plots". He declined to give details on possible targets.

The sting operation comes just one day after a gunbattle over market space and a car explosion rocked the centre of the Libyan capital.

Darhoub told AFP that Saturday's car explosion in Tripoli was caused by a bomb crafted out of explosives that are commonly used in fishing.

"It was a local bomb made from gelatina," he said.

On Sunday, armed assailants laid siege to a residence of Red Cross staff in the western Libyan city of Misrata, causing major damage to the building, the organisation said.

NTC spokesman Saleh Darhoub condemned the attack on the ICRC residence.

"We must condemn this as a government and a people," Darhoub said, noting that the ICRC served the country when it was most needed, including when the troops of slain leader Moamer Kadhafi laid siege to Misrata last year.

"We condemn all acts of violence and we condemn extremism", he said, as they were contrary to the moderate Muslim values embraced by the majority of Libyans.

Most of the urban violence to have hit Libya in the wake of last year's revolt which ousted Kadhafi has taken place in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/libya-sting-operation-kills-three-outside-capital-020143827.html

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EYES ON LONDON: China nervously eyes pingpong gold

LONDON (AP) ? Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:

___

TABLE TENNIS TENSION

How close did China's men come to getting beaten in Monday's table tennis semifinal against Germany? So close that coach Liu Guoliang made a confession.

"I was very nervous during the match," he said.

That's a big deal. Liu doesn't reveal much, particularly to non-Chinese reporters.

Gold-medal singles champion Zhang Jike also acknowledged having butterflies in a match China eventually won 3-1. Zhang also dropped his guard when pressed.

"I was nervous, but not especially nervous," said Zhang, who looked down and sent messages on his phone while taking questions. "This is normal for any human. We all get nervous."

? Stephen Wade ? Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP

___

OUCH!

Germany's Stephan Feck felt the agony of defeat at the Olympic diving pool.

During the second round of the men's 3-meter springboard preliminaries Monday, Feck attempted a forward 3 1/2 somersault and was supposed to hold his legs tight against his body.

Problem was, he lost the grip on one leg, which sent him spinning wildly as the crowd gasped. Feck landed flat on his back with an awful thud, his coach leaping up to make he was OK.

Feck climbed out of the pool without any apparent problems, receiving all zeroes from the judges. After performing one more dive ? and doing much better ? he dropped out of the competition.

? Paul Newberry ? Twitter http:www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

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TAPE IT UP

Does my writing seem a little crisper today? My verbs a bit snappier?

It's probably because I am wearing Kineseo tape, an athletic tape popular with beach volleyball players and other Olympic competitors.

American Kerri Walsh Jennings has a black spider pattern on her right shoulder, German Katrin Holtwick has thin blue strips from the top of her bikini to her bottom, and other athletes at Horse Guards Parade use it in a variety of colors and patterns.

Mei Brownfield, a physical therapist working with the American teams, cut off a piece of the plain black stuff for me to try. Stretching the tape to twice its length, I put it on my right shoulder.

I have a vague sense that something's there but it is neither invigorating nor annoying. Brownfield tells me it has different effects ? it can activate the muscle or relax it, depending on how it's applied. But she can't tell me how to put it on so I write better.

?Jimmy Golen ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jgolen

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DOPING CASE

Defending Olympic 50K race walk champion Alex Schwazer has been caught doping and will miss the London Games. The 27-year-old Schwazer had been due to defend his 2008 Olympic title in the 50-kilometer walk on Sunday.

Schwazer won gold at the Beijing Games in an Olympic record time of 3 hours, 37 minutes, 9 seconds.

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THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTOS

The 100-meter sprint may be over in a flash, but it's the race that can define a news agency's entire coverage of an Olympics.

So the preparation is long and meticulous.

Tony Hicks, AP's regional photo editor for Europe and Africa, admits he had "a few butterflies" in the runup to Sunday night's men's final, but said: "That shows you care, it shows you're completely focused."

Here's how we lined up on the night and how fast we were out of the blocks:

? As well as 18 photographers, AP had 20 remote cameras placed in every imaginable shooting position. Photo editors handled 17Gb of photos, or roughly 3,500 frames. These also had to be captioned and transmitted.

? Each photographer was given an individual brief. The key positions ? head-on, overhead and infield ? knew what they had to do.

? Less than three minutes after Usain Bolt crossed the finish line, AP had two photos out on the wire. Two minutes later, we had seven out.

? Tony Hicks

___

LOOK HOOP'S BACK

Last time they met, Wu Chengzhang and Lionel Price were battling on a basketball court at London's 1948 Olympics.

Now Price, 85, is acting as tour guide, leading his 88-year-old former rival around Britain's capital to see the vast changes the last 64 years have brought.

Wu, from Shanghai, was among just 33 athletes who travelled from China to compete at the post-World War II games ? and saw his team crash out in the quarter finals.

After writing to Britain's ambassador to China to ask if he could return to watch his successors in action, diplomats helped to organize an emotional return to London for Wu ? and seats in the basketball area.

But British kindness didn't extend to the result. Britain beat China 90-58 as Wu watched.

- David Stringer - Twitter http://twitter.com/david_stringer

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HANGING OUT WITH KATE

What do you do when the Duchess of Cambridge sits down next to you at an Olympic event? If you're British gymnast Kristian Thomas, you sit up straight and try to remember all those manners your mother taught you.

Thomas was sitting in the second row of the O2 Arena on Sunday ready to watch teammates Louis Smith and Max Whitlock compete in the pommel horse finals when a security guard told him Kate Middleton wanted to hang out.

"It was fantastic," Thomas said. "She was really easy to talk to. We talked about the pommel final and some of the elements and what's good and what's bad. She was quite enthusiastic about it."

Thomas added the Duchess was "nervous" while Smith competed but was thrilled when he won silver and Whitlock earned bronze. When asked if he asked Kate for sister Pippa Middleton's phone number, Thomas just laughed and said, "I think my girlfriend would mind."

? Will Graves - twitter www.twitter.com/WillGravesAP

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HAPPY TWEDDLE

Beth Tweddle is Britain's gymnastic darling, even though she'd always come up empty in the Olympics.

Not anymore.

Tweddle picked up her first Olympic medal Monday when she took bronze on the bars, her signature event.

"It's the best feeling in the world. It's the one medal that was missing from my collection and I've always said I don't care what color it is," said Tweddle, a two-time world champion on bars.

"I tried to say it didn't matter if I didn't medal, but I've got every other title to my name. I can now say I would have been devastated walking away with no medal."

Tweddle, who is 27, is now headed into retirement. But she said she won't immediately stop training because walking away cold turkey would be too much for her to handle.

? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer

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HIGHS AND LOWS

There were mixed emotions Monday for Russia's top two gymnasts.

Aliya Mustafina collected her first gold of the games by winning the bars. But teammate Victoria Komova was again in tears after failing to medal.

"100 percent disappointed," Komova, the reigning world champion on bars, said of her Olympic experience in London.

She said her routine had been good, but her feet twice hit the bar.

Mustafina didn't think her teammate was a threat for the gold. "She wasn't the strongest contender to start with, so I think the judges were already perceiving her in that way," Mustafina said.

It was Mustafina's third medal of the games. She got silver in team completion and bronze in all-around.

? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer

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BOLT FLYING - ON TWITTER

All the years of hard work have paid off for Usain Bolt.

The Jamaican has joined an elite group in London, not just defending his 100-meter title, but passing one million Twitter followers the day after winning the showpiece race of the Olympics.

"Big up Twitter fans - one million and counting...," tweeted the sprinter who describes himself as "the most naturally gifted athlete the world has ever seen" on his profile.

? Rob Harris ? Twitter http://twitter.com/RobHarris

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BOTTLE THROWING CASE

The man arrested for throwing a bottle onto the track ahead of the men's 100-meter sprint on Sunday has pleaded not guilty to charges of using threatening words, disorderly behavior and harassment.

The suspect has been identified as Ashley Gill-Webb, 34, from Leeds, northern England.

He denies throwing the bottle; the prosecution has asked for him to be banned from any Olympic venue and Olympic Park.

? Masha Macpherson

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QUICKQUOTE: TENNIS BELONGS

"Tennis really belongs in the Olympics ... Many great tennis players deserve to have a medal around their necks, deserve to come and compete for the biggest prize for an athlete, which is a gold medal" ? Serena Williams, winner of two tennis gold medals at the London Olympics.

? Sheila Norman-Culp ? Twitter: http://twitter.com/snormanculp

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QUICKQUOTE: ADMIRING PHELPS

"Michael Phelps is the ultimate Olympian for me. To see what he has done in his career is unheard of, he's taken things to a whole new level" ? double gold-medal winner Serena Williams talking about Phelps' career haul of 18 gold medals.

? Sheila Norman-Culp ? Twitter: http://twitter.com/snormanculp

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QUICKQUOTE: GABBY DOUGLAS

"I think toward the end of the Olympics you get mentally and physically tired, just like drained. I try to fight through as much as I can," Gabby Douglas after finishing last in the bar finals.

? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer

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BOLT TAPE-DELAY

The International Olympic Committe is refusing to get drawn into the debate about whether Americans should be seeing more action live on TV.

NBC chose not to show the men's 100 meters sprint final live on Sunday. It was aired hours later on tape delay.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams says "it's certainly not for us to tell them how to reach their audience."

NBC has exclusive American rights to broadcast the London Games. It struck a $2.2 billion deal with the IOC in 2003, which included rights to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

? Graham Dunbar ? Twitter: www.twitter.com/gdunbarap

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QUEUES, QUEUES EVERYWHERE

They are queuing for food. They are queuing for the merchandise stores. They are even queuing to get into the grassy areas in the hope of claiming a small patch of grass for a seat.

The Olympics Park is buzzing.

Organizers say that in the first week more than 1 million spectators visited Olympic Park with over 5 million people passing through the gates of all the official venues.

But it's not just venues that people are flooding.

On Saturday, when Britain achieved six gold medals in one day, LOCOG says its website drew 25 million visits. On the same day, there were about 300,000 people watching events on big screens in city centers around Britain.

? Fergus Bell ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fergb

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EVEN BOLT HAD TO QUEUE

About to run in the 100 meters? Doesn't matter ? get in line.

Usain Bolt was left baffled by London's rigid security rules on Sunday night as he made his way to the stadium for his race.

"I was in the line, we were waiting to run and the guy was telling me to line up straight," Bolt said. "I was like, 'Really? We're about to run and they are going to make me stand in a straight line?' There are just some weird rules here."

Such as not being allowed to get skipping ropes past security.

"They said I can't bring it in, and I asked, 'Why?'" Bolt recalled. "They just said it is the rules. So if I have a rubber band that I need to stretch, I can't take it in. And when I asked why, they say, 'It's just the rules.'

"It's just some weird small rules that don't make any sense to me, personally."

Games organizer Sebastian Coe says there will be an investigation, but joked Monday that the delay "didn't seem to slow him up too much."

? Rob Harris ? Twitter http://twitter.com/RobHarris

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EDITOR'S NOTE ? "Eyes on London" shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item, and get even more AP updates from the Games here: http://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eyes-london-china-nervously-eyes-pingpong-gold-201150887--oly.html

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