ராசிகள்
நட்சத்திரங்கள்
மேஷம்
- அசுவினி, பரணி, கார்த்திகை 1-ஆம் பாதம் முடிய
ரிஷபம்
- கார்த்திகை 2-ஆம் பாதம் முதல், ரோகிணி, மிருகசிரிஷம் 2-ஆம் பாதம் முடிய
மிதுனம்
- மிருகசிரிஷம் 3-ஆம் பாதம் முதல், திருவாதிரை, புனர்பூசம் 3-ஆம் பாதம் முடிய
கடகம்
- புனர்பூசம் 4-ஆம் பாதம், பூசம், ஆயில்யம் முடிய
சிம்மம்
- மகம், பூரம் உத்திரம் 1-ஆம் பாதம் முடிய
கன்னி
- உத்திரம் 2-ஆம் பாதம் முதல் அஸ்தம், சித்திரை 2-ஆம் பாதம் முடிய
துலாம்
- சித்திரை 3-ஆம் பாதம் முதல், சுவாதி, விசாகம் 3-ஆம் பாதம் முடிய
விருச்சிகம்
- விசாகம் 4-ஆம் பாதம் முதல், அனுஷம், கேட்டை முடிய
தனுசு
- மூலம், பூராடம், உத்திரம் 1-ஆம் பாதம் முடிய
மகரம்
- உத்திராடம் 2-ஆம் பாதம் முதல், திருவோணம், அவிட்டம் 2-ஆம் பாதம் முடிய
கும்பம்
- அவிட்டம் 3-ஆம் பாதம் முதல், சதயம், பூரட்டாதி 3-ஆம் பாதம் முடிய
மீனம்
- பூரட்டாதி 4-ஆம் பாதம் முதல், உத்திரட்டாதி, ரேவதி முடிய
நட்சத்திரங்கள்
கிரகம்
தெய்வம்
கார்த்திகை, உத்திரம், உத்திராடம்
- சூரியன் (ஞாயிறு)
- சிவன்
ரோகிணி, அத்தம், திருவோணம்
- சந்திரன் (திங்கள்)
- சக்தி
மிருகசீரிடம், சித்திரை, அவிட்டம்
- செவ்வாய்
- முருகன்
திருவாதிரை, சுவாதி, சதையம்
- இராகு
- காளி, துர்க்கை
புனர்பூசம், விசாகம், பூரட்டாதி
- குரு (வியாழன்)
- தட்சிணாமூர்த்தி
பூசம், அனுசம், உத்திரட்டாதி
- சனி
- சாஸ்தா
ஆயில்யம், கேட்டை, ரேவதி
- புதன்
- விஷ்ணு
மகம், மூலம், அசுவினி
- கேது
- வினாயகர்
பரணி, பூரம், பூராடம்
- சுக்கிரன் (வெள்ளி)
- மகாலக்மி
நட்சத்திரங்கள்
அதிஷ்டம் தரும் தெய்வங்கள்
அஸ்வினி
- ஸ்ரீ சரஸ்வதி தேவி
பரணி
- ஸ்ரீ துர்கா தேவி (அஸ்ட புஜம்)
கார்த்திகை
- ஸ்ரீ சரஹணபவன் (முருகப் பெருமான்)
ரோகிணி
- ஸ்ரீ கிருஷ்ணன். (விஷ்ணு பெருமான்)
மிருகசீரிடம்
- ஸ்ரீ சந்திர சூடேஸ்வர் (சிவ பெருமான்)
திருவாதிரை
- ஸ்ரீ சிவபெருமான்
புனர்பூசம்
- ஸ்ரீ ராமர் (விஸ்ணு பெருமான்)
பூசம்
- ஸ்ரீ தட்சிணாமூர்த்தி (சிவபெருமான்)
ஆயில்யம்
- ஸ்ரீ ஆதிசேசன் (நாகம்மாள்)
மகம்
- ஸ்ரீ சூரிய பகவான் (சூரிய நாராயணர்)
பூரம்
- ஸ்ரீ ஆண்டாள் தேவி
உத்திரம்
- ஸ்ரீ மகாலக்மி தேவி
அத்தம்
- ஸ்ரீ காயத்திரி தேவி
சித்திரை
- ஸ்ரீ சக்கரத்தாழ்வார்
சுவாதி
- ஸ்ரீ நரசிம்மமூர்த்தி
விசாகம்
- ஸ்ரீ முருகப் பெருமான்
அனுசம்
- ஸ்ரீ லக்மி நாரயணர்
கேட்டை
- ஸ்ரீ வராஹ பெருமாள் (ஹயக்கிரீவர்)
மூலம்
- ஸ்ரீ ஆஞ்சனேயர்
பூராடம்
- ஸ்ரீ ஜம்புகேஸ்வரர் (சிவபெருமான்)
உத்திராடம்
- ஸ்ரீ வினாயகப் பெருமான்
திருவோணம்
- ஸ்ரீ ஹயக்கிரீவர் (விஷ்ணுப் பெருமான்)
அவிட்டம்
- ஸ்ரீ அனந்த சயனப் பெருமாள் (விஷ்ணுப் பெருமான்)
சதயம்
- ஸ்ரீ மிருத்யுஞ்ஜேஸ்வரர் (சிவபெருமான்)
பூரட்டாதி
- ஸ்ரீ ஏகபாதர் (சிவபெருமான்)
உத்திரட்டாதி
- ஸ்ரீ மகா ஈஸ்வரர் (சிவபெருமான்)
ரேவதி
- ஸ்ரீ அரங்கநாதன்
Monday, December 27, 2010
Swine flu pandemic sweeping through Britain Again
(NaturalNews) A swine flu pandemic is sweeping through Britain despite the fact that 70 percent of Britain's over-65 population was vaccinated against swine flu last year. This year, that number is nearly the same -- 68.5% -- but flu vaccine proponents insist that until everyone is vaccinated, the flu will continue to infect people.
What these vaccine advocates absolutely will not admit, however, is how many of those who are sick with the flu this year also got vaccinated last year. This little detail is left out of every mainstream media report on vaccines and the flu. They simply refuse to mention this all-important number, leaving readers to leap to the incorrect conclusion that only those who were not vaccinated get sick with the flu.
Most infected patients were previously vaccinated
That assumption is false. In fact, of the 450 critical care beds in England that are now occupied by flu patients, I have no doubt that most of those infected patients are people who received flu vaccines in the past.
Such statistics are never made available to the public or the press, of course. To release such statistics would expose the Great Lie of the vaccine industry: That flu vaccines simply don't work on 99 percent of people!
In fact, the people who are most susceptible to catching the flu are precisely the very same people who get vaccinated. Why is that? Because vaccines weaken the immune system in the long run, leaving you more vulnerable to future infections. They deny your immune system the opportunity to practice its own adaptive response to invading microorganisms or viruses, thereby causing your immune system to atrophy in the same way that a wheelchair-bound person will experience leg muscle atrophy.
The immune system is a lot like a muscle: Use it or lose it!
But flu vaccines provide weakened viruses to the immune system (along with other preservative chemicals that can be extremely dangerous to neurological health). It's sort of like working out your muscles at the gym but having your trainer do all the heavy lifting for you. Obviously you're not going to have very strong muscles in the end because your body won't need to invoke a very strong adaptive response.
The same is true with vaccines and the flu: If your body is exposed to weakened flu viruses year after year, it gets lazy and weak, and when it one day comes into contact with a full-strength virus circulating in the wild, it's not in good enough shape to handle the challenge.
Vitamin D deficiency is widespread in Britain
At the same time this is going on, a person who is vitamin D deficient will also have an alarmingly weak immune system response because vitamin D activates the immune system to do its job. In people with extremely low vitamin D levels, even vaccines containing weakened viruses won't solicit an antibody response. But instead of testing patients for vitamin D deficiency and prescribing that with the vaccine, conventional medical doctors and contagious disease authorities robotically urge everyone to just "get multiple vaccine shots" as if following one failed vaccine with yet another failed vaccine will somehow make them both work.
That's idiotic, of course. And the other idiotic thing about all this is that if people had sufficient levels of vitamin D circulating in their blood, they wouldn't need seasonal flu vaccines in the first place! That's because a strong, healthy immune system with lots of circulating vitamin D is universally effective at halting ALL seasonal flu strains, with near 100% success in those with vitamin D levels between 50 - 70 (ng/dL).
The three main reasons behind Britain's flu pandemic
So the real reason Britain is suffering a swine flu pandemic right now is actually three-fold:
#1) It's winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and Britain is so far north (of the equator) that the people living there aren't currently generating any vitamin D whatsoever. This makes virtually the entire British population ridiculously vitamin D deficient throughout the winter.
#2) The majority of the British population has been subjected to flu vaccines in previous years, weakening their immune systems and making them more vulnerable to this year's flu strains.
#3) The flu strain itself is so successful in the wild precisely because so many Britons walk around in chronic states of immune suppression (from vitamin D deficiency, chronic stress, poor dietary habits and so on). This creates a "viral breeding ground" which encourages more rapid virus mutations that make vaccines obsolete anyway.
The question you are not allowed to ask vaccine quacks
The vaccine-pushing quack medical community believes that if they could magically convince 100 percent of the people to get vaccinated, they would have this problem licked. In their own minds, they have unscientifically convinced themselves that a vaccine equals automatic and full protection against a flu virus.
And yet even they won't dare ask this simple question: Of all the people sick from the flu who are right now lying in Britain's hospital beds, what percentage were vaccinated against the flu last year or this year?
The answer to that question will expose the outright fraud of the vaccine industry because the answer is a very large number. No one in the medical industry dares ask that question, of course, because they realize that delving into the actual re-infection rate of flu vaccine recipients would expose their quackery and fraud, causing yet more people to lose faith in vaccines which are, after all, sold based entirely on misplaced faith and clever propaganda.
The flu vaccine propaganda, of course, demands that people never be allowed to collide with the scientific facts about how many people who are vaccinated against the flu still catch the flu anyway. (The flu re-infection rate.) That's why you will NEVER see an honest answer to this question released by hospitals, vaccine companies or vaccine-pushing doctors.
Keep taking your flu jabs, everybody. But don't ask whether they actually work, because that question isn't allowed to be asked in the cult of medicine that dominates the sick-care landscape around the world today.
What these vaccine advocates absolutely will not admit, however, is how many of those who are sick with the flu this year also got vaccinated last year. This little detail is left out of every mainstream media report on vaccines and the flu. They simply refuse to mention this all-important number, leaving readers to leap to the incorrect conclusion that only those who were not vaccinated get sick with the flu.
Most infected patients were previously vaccinated
That assumption is false. In fact, of the 450 critical care beds in England that are now occupied by flu patients, I have no doubt that most of those infected patients are people who received flu vaccines in the past.
Such statistics are never made available to the public or the press, of course. To release such statistics would expose the Great Lie of the vaccine industry: That flu vaccines simply don't work on 99 percent of people!
In fact, the people who are most susceptible to catching the flu are precisely the very same people who get vaccinated. Why is that? Because vaccines weaken the immune system in the long run, leaving you more vulnerable to future infections. They deny your immune system the opportunity to practice its own adaptive response to invading microorganisms or viruses, thereby causing your immune system to atrophy in the same way that a wheelchair-bound person will experience leg muscle atrophy.
The immune system is a lot like a muscle: Use it or lose it!
But flu vaccines provide weakened viruses to the immune system (along with other preservative chemicals that can be extremely dangerous to neurological health). It's sort of like working out your muscles at the gym but having your trainer do all the heavy lifting for you. Obviously you're not going to have very strong muscles in the end because your body won't need to invoke a very strong adaptive response.
The same is true with vaccines and the flu: If your body is exposed to weakened flu viruses year after year, it gets lazy and weak, and when it one day comes into contact with a full-strength virus circulating in the wild, it's not in good enough shape to handle the challenge.
Vitamin D deficiency is widespread in Britain
At the same time this is going on, a person who is vitamin D deficient will also have an alarmingly weak immune system response because vitamin D activates the immune system to do its job. In people with extremely low vitamin D levels, even vaccines containing weakened viruses won't solicit an antibody response. But instead of testing patients for vitamin D deficiency and prescribing that with the vaccine, conventional medical doctors and contagious disease authorities robotically urge everyone to just "get multiple vaccine shots" as if following one failed vaccine with yet another failed vaccine will somehow make them both work.
That's idiotic, of course. And the other idiotic thing about all this is that if people had sufficient levels of vitamin D circulating in their blood, they wouldn't need seasonal flu vaccines in the first place! That's because a strong, healthy immune system with lots of circulating vitamin D is universally effective at halting ALL seasonal flu strains, with near 100% success in those with vitamin D levels between 50 - 70 (ng/dL).
The three main reasons behind Britain's flu pandemic
So the real reason Britain is suffering a swine flu pandemic right now is actually three-fold:
#1) It's winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and Britain is so far north (of the equator) that the people living there aren't currently generating any vitamin D whatsoever. This makes virtually the entire British population ridiculously vitamin D deficient throughout the winter.
#2) The majority of the British population has been subjected to flu vaccines in previous years, weakening their immune systems and making them more vulnerable to this year's flu strains.
#3) The flu strain itself is so successful in the wild precisely because so many Britons walk around in chronic states of immune suppression (from vitamin D deficiency, chronic stress, poor dietary habits and so on). This creates a "viral breeding ground" which encourages more rapid virus mutations that make vaccines obsolete anyway.
The question you are not allowed to ask vaccine quacks
The vaccine-pushing quack medical community believes that if they could magically convince 100 percent of the people to get vaccinated, they would have this problem licked. In their own minds, they have unscientifically convinced themselves that a vaccine equals automatic and full protection against a flu virus.
And yet even they won't dare ask this simple question: Of all the people sick from the flu who are right now lying in Britain's hospital beds, what percentage were vaccinated against the flu last year or this year?
The answer to that question will expose the outright fraud of the vaccine industry because the answer is a very large number. No one in the medical industry dares ask that question, of course, because they realize that delving into the actual re-infection rate of flu vaccine recipients would expose their quackery and fraud, causing yet more people to lose faith in vaccines which are, after all, sold based entirely on misplaced faith and clever propaganda.
The flu vaccine propaganda, of course, demands that people never be allowed to collide with the scientific facts about how many people who are vaccinated against the flu still catch the flu anyway. (The flu re-infection rate.) That's why you will NEVER see an honest answer to this question released by hospitals, vaccine companies or vaccine-pushing doctors.
Keep taking your flu jabs, everybody. But don't ask whether they actually work, because that question isn't allowed to be asked in the cult of medicine that dominates the sick-care landscape around the world today.
Monday, December 6, 2010
புதுமனைப் புகுவிழாவில் பசுவை வீட்டிற்குள் அழைத்து வருவதன் காரணம் என்ன?
புதுமனைப் புகுவிழாவில் பசுவை வீட்டிற்குள் அழைத்து வருவதன் காரணம் என்ன?
முப்பத்து முக்கோடி தேவர்களில் இருந்து மூவர்கள், அதாவது சிவன், பிரம்மா, விஷ்ணு, சக்தி என அத்தனை தெய்வங்களும் குடிகொண்டிருக்கும் ஜீவராசி பசு. அதனால்தான் பசுவை குருவின் அம்சம் என்று சொல்வார்கள். பிரகஸ்பதி, குரு மாறுகிறாரே அதனுடைய அம்சம் பசு. பசுவின் கொம்பில் இருந்து, கண் இமையிலிருந்து, வாய் நுனி வரைக்கும் அத்தனையிலும் தேவர்களும், மூவர்களும் வாசம் செய்வதாக ஐதீகம்.
பசுவின் பின் பக்கத்தில் லட்சுமி தேவதை குடியிருக்கிறார். அதனால் பசுவை பின் பக்கத்தில் தொட்டுக் கும்பிடுவார்கள். லட்சுமி கடாட்சம் உண்டாகட்டும் என்பதற்காக. காரணம், பசு தனக்கென்று எதையும் எடுத்துக் கொள்வதில்லை. பசுஞ்சாணம், பசுங்கோமியம் அத்தனையும் அறிவியல்பூர்வமாக பார்க்கும் போது கிருமி நாசினியாக இருக்கிறது. இதுமட்டுமல்லாமல், நல்ல பசும்பால் குழந்தைக்கு தாய்ப்பாலுக்கு சமமாக உள்ளது. குழந்தைக்கு எந்தவித பாதிப்பும் ஏற்படாத அளவிற்கு சிறந்த உணவாகவும் அது அமைகிறது.
அதனால்தான் பசுவை வீட்டிற்குள் அழைத்து வந்தால் முப்பத்து முக்கோடி தேவர்களில் இருந்து, சிவன், பிரம்மா, விஷ்ணுவில் இருந்து அத்தனை பேரும் வாசம் செய்வதாக ஐதீகம். பசுவை அழைத்து வரும் போது அந்த வீட்டில் கோமியமிட்டாலோ, சாணமிட்டாலோ அவர்களுக்கு இன்னமும் அதிர்ஷ்டம் என்றும் நம்பப்படுகிறது.
தரையில் பசுஞ்சாணத்தை தெளித்து மெழுகி கோலம் போட்டு வந்தால், அந்த பசுஞ்சாணம் தெளித்த இடத்தில் ஒரு செழிப்பு தெரியும். அதனால்தான் முக்கியமான நிகழ்ச்சிகளிலெல்லாம் பசுஞ்சாணத்தை தெளித்து, மெழுகி செய்வார்கள். இன்னும் சிலர் பசுஞ்சாணத்தை உருட்டி அதன் மீது விளக்கேற்றுவார்கள். பிள்ளையாரையும் பசுஞ்சாணத்தால் பிடித்து அதன் மீது அருகம்புல் செருகி மந்திரங்களை சொல்லும் போது உடனடியாக நமக்கு எல்லா பலன்களும் கிடைக்கும்.
இதுபோல பசுவினுடைய அத்தனையும் நமக்கு எல்லா வகையிலும், எல்லா விதத்திலும் பயன்படுகிறது. பசுவிற்கு பிரம்மஹத்தி தோஷத்திலிருந்து எல்லா தோஷத்தையும் நீக்கக் கூடிய சக்தி உண்டு. இந்த மாதிரியான தெய்வ அமைப்பு பசுவிற்கு மட்டும் அமைந்துள்ளது. தற்பொழுது இவர்கள் ஜெர்சி பசுவை வைத்துக் கொண்டிருக்கிறார்கள். அதற்கெல்லாம் எந்தப் பலனும் இல்லை. நம்ம நாட்டுப் பசு, அதற்கும் முன்பாக பார்த்தால் காராம்பசு.
என்னுடைய தாத்தா காலத்திலெல்லாம் காராம் பசுக்கள் நிறைய இருந்தது. காராம்பசுவினுடைய காம்புகளைப் பார்த்தால் சிறியதாக இருக்கும். ஆனால் கறக்க கறக்க பால் வரும். அந்தப் பால் பணங்கற்கண்டு பால் போன்று இருக்கும். அப்படியே குடிக்கலாம். அதற்கடுத்து, அதற்கு சில தெய்வீக அமைப்பெல்லாம் உண்டு.
அதாவது, புல் பூண்டுகளைக் கூட தேர்ந்தெடுத்துதான் மேயும். நாட்டுப் பசுவிற்கும், காராம்பசுவிற்குமே அதிக வித்தியாசம் உண்டு. நாட்டுப் பசு எல்லா புற்களையுமே மேயும், ஆனால் காராம் பசு சில வகையானப் புற்கள், சில வகையான இலைகள் மட்டும்தான் சாப்பிடும். மிகவும் சென்சிடிவானது. கோபத்துடன் தொட்டால் கூட சாப்பிடாது.
இந்த மாதிரியான தெய்வ லோக, தெய்வத் தன்மையுடைய பசுவெல்லாம் உண்டு. அதனால் பசு வீட்டிற்குள் வந்துவிட்டுச் செல்வது என்பது நல்லது
Friday, December 3, 2010
pat-downs and full-body scanning at airports
Anger is rising in the United States as travelers are forced to endure pat-downs and full-body scanning at airports allegedly for their safety.
The growing backlash was provoked after the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) left travelers with three options — to undergo either a potentially invasive pat-down, a full-body scanner or not to fly at all, CNN reported.
In body scanning, the naked bodies of passengers are shown while in the pat-down search, passengers' genitals and other body parts come under scrutiny.
US President Barack Obama told reporters on Saturday that he supported the new controversial screening measures but admitted that balancing travelers' rights and their security was a "tough situation".
Last week, an annoyed San Diego airline passenger refused a pat-down from a TSA worker and the ensuing clash spawned several T-shirt designs with his "Don't touch my junk" quip.
Additionally, "National Opt Out Day" is being organized to boycott the policy on November 24, the busiest travel day of the year for Americans.
About 1,000 full body scanners are expected to be in place in the US airports by the end of 2011
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Hinduism and Science
Hinduism and Science
Hinduism is probably the only religion which provides great support for science and scientific discoveries. Most of the modern day inventions can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures. Below is a compiled list of the scientific discoveries of this era which can be found in the ancient scriptures.
Cosmology & psychology
According to India's ancient texts, around 3000 BCE sage Kapil founded both cosmology and psychology. He shed light on the Soul, the subtle elements of matter and creation. His main idea was that essential nature (prakrti) comes from the eternal (purusha) to develop all of creation. No deeper a view of the cosmos has ever been developed. Further, his philosophy of Sankhya philosophy also covered the secret levels of the psyche, including mind, intellect and ego, and how they relate to the Soul or Atma.
Medicine (Ayurveda), Aviation
Around 800 BCE Sage Bharadwaj, was both the father of modern medicine, teaching Ayurveda, and also the developer of aviation technology. He wrote the Yantra Sarvasva, which covers astonishing discoveries in aviation and space sciences, and flying machines - well before Leonardo DaVinchi's time. Some of his flying machines were reported to fly around the earth, from the earth to other planets, and between universes. His designs and descriptions have left a huge impression on modern-day aviation engineers. He also discussed how to make these flying machines invisible by using sun and wind force. There are much more fascinating insights discovered by sage Bharadwaj.
Medicine, Surgery, pediatrics, gynecology. anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, embryology, blood circulation
Around this era and through 400 BCE many great developments occurred. In the field of medicine (Ayurveda), sage Divodasa Dhanwantari developed the school of surgery; Rishi Kashyap developed the specialized fields of paediatrics and gynaecology. Lord Atreya, author of the one of the main Ayurvedic texts, the Charak Samhita, classified the principles of anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, embryology, blood circulation and more. He discussed how to heal thousands of diseases, many of which modern science still has no answer. Along with herbs, diet and lifestyle, Atreya showed a correlation between mind, body, spirit and ethics. He outlined a charter of ethics centuries before the Hippocratic oath.
Rhinoplasty, amputation, caesarean and cranial surgeries, anesthesia, antibiotic herbs
While Lord Atreya is recognized for his contribution to medicine, sage Sushrut is known as the "Father of surgery". Even modern science recognizes India as the first country to develop and use rhinoplasty (developed by Sushrut). He also practiced amputation, caesarean and cranial surgeries, and developed 125 surgical instruments including scalpels, lancets, and needles.
Lord Atreya - author of Charak Samhita. Circa 8th - 6th century BCE. Perhaps the most referred to Rishi/physician today The Charak Samhita was the first compilation of all aspects of ayurvedic medicine including diagnoses, cures, anatomy, embryology, pharmacology, and blood circulation (excluding surgery).
He wrote about causes and cures for diabetes, TB, and heart diseases. At that time, European medicine had no idea of these ideas. In fact, even today many of these disease causes and cures are still unknown to modern allopathic medicine.
Other unique quality of Ayurveda is that it uncovers and cures the root cause of illness, it is safe, gentle and inexpensive, it sees 6 stages of disease development (where modern medicine only sees the last two stages), it treats people in a personalized manner according to their dosha or constitution and not in any generic manner.
Further, Ayurveda being the science of 'life', Atrea was quick to emphasize, proper nutrition according to dosha, and perhaps above all else, that there was a mind/body/soul relationship and that the root cause of all diseases and the best medicine for all conditions is spiritual and ethical life.
Rishi Sushrut is known as the father of surgery & author of Sushrut Samhita. Circa 5 - 4th century BCE. He is credited with performing the world's first rhinoplasty, using anesthesia and plastic surgery. He used surgical instruments - many of them look similar to instruments used today; and discussed more than 300 types of surgical operations. One of the Ayurvedic surgical practices being used today in India involves dipping sutures into antibiotic herbs so when sewed into the person, the scar heals quicker and prevent infection. The modern surgical world owes a great debt to this great surgical sage.
Atomic theory
Sage Kanad (circa 600 BCE) is recognized as the founder of atomic theory, and classified all the objects of creation into nine elements (earth, water, light or fire, wind, ether, time, space, mind and soul). He stated that every object in creation is made of atoms that in turn connect with each other to form molecules nearly 2,500 years before John Dalton. Further, Kanad described the dimension and motion of atoms, and the chemical reaction with one another. The eminent historian, T.N. Colebrook said, "Compared to scientists of Europe, Kanad and other Indian scientists were the global masters in this field."
Chemistry alchemical metals
In the field of chemistry alchemical metals were developed for medicinal uses by sage Nagarjuna. He wrote many famous books including Ras Ratnakar, which is still used in India's Ayurvedic colleges today. By carefully burning metals like iron, tin, copper, etc. into ash, removing the toxic elements, these metals produce quick and profound healing in the most difficult diseases.
Astronomy and mathematics
Sage Aryabhatt (b. 476 CE) wrote texts on astronomy and mathematics. He formulated the process of calculating the motion of planets and the time of eclipses. Aryabhatt was the first to proclaim the earth was round, rotating on an axis, orbiting the sun and suspended in space. This was around 1,000 years before Copernicus. He was a geometry genius credited with calculating pi to four decimal places, developing the trigonomic sine table and the area of a triangle. Perhaps his most important contribution was the concept of the zero. Details are found in Shulva sutra. Other sages of mathematics include Baudhayana, Katyayana, and Apastamba.
Astronomy, geography, constellation science, botany and animal science.
Varahamihr (499 - 587 CE) was another eminent astronomer. In his book, Panschsiddhant, he noted that the moon and planets shine due to the sun. Many of his other contributions captured in his books Bruhad Samhita and Bruhad Jatak, were in the fields of geography, constellation science, botany and animal science. For example he presented cures for various diseases of plants and trees.
Knowledge of botany (Vrksh-Ayurveda) dates back more than 5,000 years, discussed in India's Rig Veda. Sage Parashara (100 BCE) is called the "father of botany" because he classified flowering plants into various families, nearly 2,000 years before Lannaeus (the modern father of taxonomy). Parashara described plant cells - the outer and inner walls, sap color-matter and something not visible to the eye - anvasva. Nearly 2,000 years -later Robert Hooke, using a microscope described the outer and inner wall and sap color-matter.
Algebra, arithmetic and geometry, planetary positions, eclipses, cosmography, and mathematical techniques. force of gravity
In the field of mathematics, Bhaskaracharya II (1114 - 1183 CE) contributed to the fields of algebra, arithmetic and geometry. Two of his most well known books are Lilavati and Bijaganita, which are translated in several languages of the world. In his book, Siddhant Shiromani, he expounds on planetary positions, eclipses, cosmography, and mathematical techniques. Another of his books, Surya Siddhant discusses the force of gravity, 500 years before Sir Isaac Newton. Sage Sridharacharya developed the quadratic equation around 991 CE.
The Decimal
Ancient India invented the decimal scale using base 10. They number-names to denote numbers. In the 9th century CE, an Arab mathematician, Al-Khwarizmi, learned Sanskrit and wrote a book explaining the Hindu system of numeration. In the 12th century CE the book was translated into Latin. The British used this numerical system and credited the Arabs - mislabelling it 'Arabic numerals'. "We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made." - Albert Einstein.
Metallurgy
India was the world-leader in Metallurgy for more than 5,000 years. Gold jewellery is available from 3,000 BCE. Brass and bronze pieces are dated back to 1,300 BCE. Extraction of zinc from ore by distillation was used in India as early as 400 BCE while European William Campion patented the process some 2,000 years later. Copper statues can be dated back to 500 CE. There is an iron pillar in Delhi dating back to 400 CE that shows no sign of rust or decay.
There are two unique aspects to India's ancient scientists. First their discoveries are in use today as some of the most important aspects of their field; and are validated by modern technological machines. Second, their discoveries brought peace and prosperity rather than the harm and destruction of many of our modern discoveries
sources : >
Norma Panglao Chaudhari
norma.chaudhari@yahoo.com
Mclean, Virginia
Hinduism is probably the only religion which provides great support for science and scientific discoveries. Most of the modern day inventions can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures. Below is a compiled list of the scientific discoveries of this era which can be found in the ancient scriptures.
Cosmology & psychology
According to India's ancient texts, around 3000 BCE sage Kapil founded both cosmology and psychology. He shed light on the Soul, the subtle elements of matter and creation. His main idea was that essential nature (prakrti) comes from the eternal (purusha) to develop all of creation. No deeper a view of the cosmos has ever been developed. Further, his philosophy of Sankhya philosophy also covered the secret levels of the psyche, including mind, intellect and ego, and how they relate to the Soul or Atma.
Medicine (Ayurveda), Aviation
Around 800 BCE Sage Bharadwaj, was both the father of modern medicine, teaching Ayurveda, and also the developer of aviation technology. He wrote the Yantra Sarvasva, which covers astonishing discoveries in aviation and space sciences, and flying machines - well before Leonardo DaVinchi's time. Some of his flying machines were reported to fly around the earth, from the earth to other planets, and between universes. His designs and descriptions have left a huge impression on modern-day aviation engineers. He also discussed how to make these flying machines invisible by using sun and wind force. There are much more fascinating insights discovered by sage Bharadwaj.
Medicine, Surgery, pediatrics, gynecology. anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, embryology, blood circulation
Around this era and through 400 BCE many great developments occurred. In the field of medicine (Ayurveda), sage Divodasa Dhanwantari developed the school of surgery; Rishi Kashyap developed the specialized fields of paediatrics and gynaecology. Lord Atreya, author of the one of the main Ayurvedic texts, the Charak Samhita, classified the principles of anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, embryology, blood circulation and more. He discussed how to heal thousands of diseases, many of which modern science still has no answer. Along with herbs, diet and lifestyle, Atreya showed a correlation between mind, body, spirit and ethics. He outlined a charter of ethics centuries before the Hippocratic oath.
Rhinoplasty, amputation, caesarean and cranial surgeries, anesthesia, antibiotic herbs
While Lord Atreya is recognized for his contribution to medicine, sage Sushrut is known as the "Father of surgery". Even modern science recognizes India as the first country to develop and use rhinoplasty (developed by Sushrut). He also practiced amputation, caesarean and cranial surgeries, and developed 125 surgical instruments including scalpels, lancets, and needles.
Lord Atreya - author of Charak Samhita. Circa 8th - 6th century BCE. Perhaps the most referred to Rishi/physician today The Charak Samhita was the first compilation of all aspects of ayurvedic medicine including diagnoses, cures, anatomy, embryology, pharmacology, and blood circulation (excluding surgery).
He wrote about causes and cures for diabetes, TB, and heart diseases. At that time, European medicine had no idea of these ideas. In fact, even today many of these disease causes and cures are still unknown to modern allopathic medicine.
Other unique quality of Ayurveda is that it uncovers and cures the root cause of illness, it is safe, gentle and inexpensive, it sees 6 stages of disease development (where modern medicine only sees the last two stages), it treats people in a personalized manner according to their dosha or constitution and not in any generic manner.
Further, Ayurveda being the science of 'life', Atrea was quick to emphasize, proper nutrition according to dosha, and perhaps above all else, that there was a mind/body/soul relationship and that the root cause of all diseases and the best medicine for all conditions is spiritual and ethical life.
Rishi Sushrut is known as the father of surgery & author of Sushrut Samhita. Circa 5 - 4th century BCE. He is credited with performing the world's first rhinoplasty, using anesthesia and plastic surgery. He used surgical instruments - many of them look similar to instruments used today; and discussed more than 300 types of surgical operations. One of the Ayurvedic surgical practices being used today in India involves dipping sutures into antibiotic herbs so when sewed into the person, the scar heals quicker and prevent infection. The modern surgical world owes a great debt to this great surgical sage.
Atomic theory
Sage Kanad (circa 600 BCE) is recognized as the founder of atomic theory, and classified all the objects of creation into nine elements (earth, water, light or fire, wind, ether, time, space, mind and soul). He stated that every object in creation is made of atoms that in turn connect with each other to form molecules nearly 2,500 years before John Dalton. Further, Kanad described the dimension and motion of atoms, and the chemical reaction with one another. The eminent historian, T.N. Colebrook said, "Compared to scientists of Europe, Kanad and other Indian scientists were the global masters in this field."
Chemistry alchemical metals
In the field of chemistry alchemical metals were developed for medicinal uses by sage Nagarjuna. He wrote many famous books including Ras Ratnakar, which is still used in India's Ayurvedic colleges today. By carefully burning metals like iron, tin, copper, etc. into ash, removing the toxic elements, these metals produce quick and profound healing in the most difficult diseases.
Astronomy and mathematics
Sage Aryabhatt (b. 476 CE) wrote texts on astronomy and mathematics. He formulated the process of calculating the motion of planets and the time of eclipses. Aryabhatt was the first to proclaim the earth was round, rotating on an axis, orbiting the sun and suspended in space. This was around 1,000 years before Copernicus. He was a geometry genius credited with calculating pi to four decimal places, developing the trigonomic sine table and the area of a triangle. Perhaps his most important contribution was the concept of the zero. Details are found in Shulva sutra. Other sages of mathematics include Baudhayana, Katyayana, and Apastamba.
Astronomy, geography, constellation science, botany and animal science.
Varahamihr (499 - 587 CE) was another eminent astronomer. In his book, Panschsiddhant, he noted that the moon and planets shine due to the sun. Many of his other contributions captured in his books Bruhad Samhita and Bruhad Jatak, were in the fields of geography, constellation science, botany and animal science. For example he presented cures for various diseases of plants and trees.
Knowledge of botany (Vrksh-Ayurveda) dates back more than 5,000 years, discussed in India's Rig Veda. Sage Parashara (100 BCE) is called the "father of botany" because he classified flowering plants into various families, nearly 2,000 years before Lannaeus (the modern father of taxonomy). Parashara described plant cells - the outer and inner walls, sap color-matter and something not visible to the eye - anvasva. Nearly 2,000 years -later Robert Hooke, using a microscope described the outer and inner wall and sap color-matter.
Algebra, arithmetic and geometry, planetary positions, eclipses, cosmography, and mathematical techniques. force of gravity
In the field of mathematics, Bhaskaracharya II (1114 - 1183 CE) contributed to the fields of algebra, arithmetic and geometry. Two of his most well known books are Lilavati and Bijaganita, which are translated in several languages of the world. In his book, Siddhant Shiromani, he expounds on planetary positions, eclipses, cosmography, and mathematical techniques. Another of his books, Surya Siddhant discusses the force of gravity, 500 years before Sir Isaac Newton. Sage Sridharacharya developed the quadratic equation around 991 CE.
The Decimal
Ancient India invented the decimal scale using base 10. They number-names to denote numbers. In the 9th century CE, an Arab mathematician, Al-Khwarizmi, learned Sanskrit and wrote a book explaining the Hindu system of numeration. In the 12th century CE the book was translated into Latin. The British used this numerical system and credited the Arabs - mislabelling it 'Arabic numerals'. "We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made." - Albert Einstein.
Metallurgy
India was the world-leader in Metallurgy for more than 5,000 years. Gold jewellery is available from 3,000 BCE. Brass and bronze pieces are dated back to 1,300 BCE. Extraction of zinc from ore by distillation was used in India as early as 400 BCE while European William Campion patented the process some 2,000 years later. Copper statues can be dated back to 500 CE. There is an iron pillar in Delhi dating back to 400 CE that shows no sign of rust or decay.
There are two unique aspects to India's ancient scientists. First their discoveries are in use today as some of the most important aspects of their field; and are validated by modern technological machines. Second, their discoveries brought peace and prosperity rather than the harm and destruction of many of our modern discoveries
sources : >
Norma Panglao Chaudhari
norma.chaudhari@yahoo.com
Mclean, Virginia
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
liberalisations cum globalisation -India
Since 1991 Indian government is on spree of reforms ( as they call it) and globalisation.Globalisation is quite fancy word in vogue now a days.Any thing is passed on as Globalisation including corruption.
The liberalisations cum globalisation was misinterpreted as capitalism promoted in the country creating a new rich class consisting of babus,politicians, premier grad technical schools alumni and businessmen mostly the old time traders like wadias and ambanis.
.
The hungry Indians suddenly found freedom and took it up to fulfill all their cherished and long pending dreams of copying the western lavishness of Americans.This was called development.
See what MM Singh started doing?
1.First of all salary sand perks of CEOs were raised 100 to 1000 times suddenly without any logic and need just to catch up with US MNC executives in dollars.This had wide ramifications throughout the system with Public servants following the suit.
This has naturally caused polarisation of wealth in two sections of society.And price rise was natural to follow and is going on unabated till date.
2.Reckless taxation started in country with multiple taxes and raised tariffs .Taxes like service tax was introduced .Chidambaram an obsessed fraudulent economist was tax crazy guy who taxed everything excepting public lavatories.The result multiple taxes initiated price spiral including property market
3.Reckless conversion of agriculture land was started every where in name of infrastructure development wasting precious fertile land and mainly for purpose to get bribes and kickbacks in multi thousand crores of projects launched suddenly in the country .
4,Reckless expansion of automobiles started without India having any fuel availability.
5.The industry was left on its own to fix public issue prices,raise capital and fix prices of drugs and FMCGs thus starting off a chain reaction of price escalation and profiteering.
The result 300% price rise in general items and 700% rise in property prices in India in very short period of 7 years .And it is rising unabated.
Not a single socio economic ratio is comparable even to a badly managed US economy which Singh and his pals are copying.
More and more people are slipping under poverty,underemployment,unemployment and hunger and deprivation.Same situation as in USA is being slowly created by opening up health care ,insurance and loans to private sharks and MNCs.It wont be much time before India will have more than 15 crore unemployed and underemployed but withiout any social security support like given in USA.
USA has very strong legal systems and social security system.
No improvement have been done in limiting gigantic corruption,(actually it has gone up many times now since Singh has joined PMO)third rate and incapable and corrupt judiciary of India, police and other such burning problems
Social services have been stopped by government and education,healthcare,housing and basic needs are handed over exclusively to private profiteering contractors.
The huge amount of taxation money collected is being wasted in third rate and badly managed schemes in name of development and welfare and siphoning off from system.
The results are visible in rising share prices of banks and prices of property.
Not a single phneomenon going on in India today including price rise can be explained by any logic or economcs principles.It is purely loot and free-for-all going on.
People should create their own awareness and spread the message as corrupt media wont support against this capitalist stooge government.
Prof R K Gupta
IndiaFORCE
The liberalisations cum globalisation was misinterpreted as capitalism promoted in the country creating a new rich class consisting of babus,politicians, premier grad technical schools alumni and businessmen mostly the old time traders like wadias and ambanis.
.
The hungry Indians suddenly found freedom and took it up to fulfill all their cherished and long pending dreams of copying the western lavishness of Americans.This was called development.
See what MM Singh started doing?
1.First of all salary sand perks of CEOs were raised 100 to 1000 times suddenly without any logic and need just to catch up with US MNC executives in dollars.This had wide ramifications throughout the system with Public servants following the suit.
This has naturally caused polarisation of wealth in two sections of society.And price rise was natural to follow and is going on unabated till date.
2.Reckless taxation started in country with multiple taxes and raised tariffs .Taxes like service tax was introduced .Chidambaram an obsessed fraudulent economist was tax crazy guy who taxed everything excepting public lavatories.The result multiple taxes initiated price spiral including property market
3.Reckless conversion of agriculture land was started every where in name of infrastructure development wasting precious fertile land and mainly for purpose to get bribes and kickbacks in multi thousand crores of projects launched suddenly in the country .
4,Reckless expansion of automobiles started without India having any fuel availability.
5.The industry was left on its own to fix public issue prices,raise capital and fix prices of drugs and FMCGs thus starting off a chain reaction of price escalation and profiteering.
The result 300% price rise in general items and 700% rise in property prices in India in very short period of 7 years .And it is rising unabated.
Not a single socio economic ratio is comparable even to a badly managed US economy which Singh and his pals are copying.
More and more people are slipping under poverty,underemployment,unemployment and hunger and deprivation.Same situation as in USA is being slowly created by opening up health care ,insurance and loans to private sharks and MNCs.It wont be much time before India will have more than 15 crore unemployed and underemployed but withiout any social security support like given in USA.
USA has very strong legal systems and social security system.
No improvement have been done in limiting gigantic corruption,(actually it has gone up many times now since Singh has joined PMO)third rate and incapable and corrupt judiciary of India, police and other such burning problems
Social services have been stopped by government and education,healthcare,housing and basic needs are handed over exclusively to private profiteering contractors.
The huge amount of taxation money collected is being wasted in third rate and badly managed schemes in name of development and welfare and siphoning off from system.
The results are visible in rising share prices of banks and prices of property.
Not a single phneomenon going on in India today including price rise can be explained by any logic or economcs principles.It is purely loot and free-for-all going on.
People should create their own awareness and spread the message as corrupt media wont support against this capitalist stooge government.
Prof R K Gupta
IndiaFORCE
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
choose the country, the newspaper
BANCAS DE JORNAIS DO MUNDO INTEIRO
Você escolhe o país, o jornal... clica na matéria... e pronto!!!
You choose the country, the newspaper
http://www.hhmmss.com/
Você escolhe o país, o jornal... clica na matéria... e pronto!!!
You choose the country, the newspaper
http://www.hhmmss.com/
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Camel- breeding technology
ABU DHABI (AFP) – Cutting-edge camel breeding technology, including embryo transfers and cloning, is being pioneered in the United Arab Emirates to reproduce the prized desert beasts that now fetch staggering sums.
At an auction in the desert near Abu Dhabi in February, an Emirati paid 24 million dirhams (6.47 million dollars) for three camels, including one which cost 2.72 million dollars.
Known as "ships of the desert" and used since ancient times as four-footed transportation across the sands of Arabia, camels are hugely popular with Gulf residents, but the field of camel biology barely existed three decades ago.
Now the UAE now has the most advanced camel research centres in the world, said Abdul Haq Anouassi, the Moroccan director of the Veterinary Research Centre (VRC) in Sweihan, Abu Dhabi, which breeds camels on a commercial basis and for research.
Research on camel breeding has been driven by the popularity of camel racing in the Gulf and the demand for improved stock, he said.
VRC, which is owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahayan and Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, two brothers from the Abu Dhabi royal family, is the only centre to perform embryo transfers on a commercial basis, Anouassi said.
It employs four veterinarians, another researcher with a doctorate, and eight technicians, and is home to 1,500 camels, he said.
The Camel Reproduction Centre in Dubai, which is owned by the emirate's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al-Maktoum and houses about 150 camels, is for research only, said Julian Skidmore, the English woman who runs it.
Researchers from the centre participated in the world's first successful cloning of a camel, which was named Injaz and was born in 2009, Skidmore said, and the centre has also produced a "cama," or a camel-llama hybrid.
Female camels only give birth to one baby every two years, which covers the gestation period of 13 months and breast-feeding for a year, as camels cannot be weaned as quickly as cows, Anouassi said.
VRC therefore uses an embryo transfer technique to increase the number of offspring from prized camels, he explained.
"We collect the embryo from the uterus of a she-camel and we transfer it into the uterus of a receiver," said Anouassi, adding that "we take the elite females that won races and we try to produce the maximum we can."
"Instead of giving you one baby every two years, she will give you 10 or 20 in one year. The baby is gestated in a receiver female but with the genetics of elite male and females," he said.
Fifteen camels sold for a total of 2.06 million dirhams (about 560,000 dollars) at an auction organised by VRC in Abu Dhabi last week were all descendants of Jabbar, a famous racing camel owned by the late founder of the UAE, and were all the result of embryo transfers, Anouassi said.
VRC's camels are popular due to the scientific control of their lineage, according to several buyers during the auction, as well as auctioneer Saif Omeir al-Kutbi.
"I came here because it is the best lineage. I can know who is the father and who is the mother," said Mohammad Saeed al-Amiri, an Emirati who owns 100 camels, during the auction.
Camel cloning research at Dubai's Camel Reproduction Centre is continuing, Skidmore said.
"We did a second one that was born this year, from a racing animal," she said, adding that, "we have a few more pregnant now."
VRC is now going ahead with its own research on camel cloning.
"So far we have not obtained any actual viable births" from cloning, Anouassi said. "We published experiences on the embryos we obtained, on the beginning of gestation up to three months, but then they die."
Cloning has implications for camel beauty contests, as a beautiful camel that has aged could be cloned, Anouassi said. Camel beauty contests are popular throughout the Gulf.
VRC is also conducting research on artificial insemination for camels, which has resulted in live births, but it is not yet used on a large scale, Anouassi said. The Camel Reproduction Centre and VRC both have camel sperm banks.
Interest in camels, which like falcons are a symbol of traditional Gulf Arab culture, does not appear to be waning.
While the world economic crisis saw businesses grind to a halt and commodity prices plunge, camel prices actually rose, said Khalifa al-Nuaimi, the chief executive of Sheikh Hamdan's office.
"We go to many auctions. If I like a camel, I can pay one million or two million (dirhams, or about 270,000-540,000 dollars). This is not a problem," said Rashed Saeed al-Mansouri, whose father owns 55 camels in the UAE and 50 in Saudi Arabia, at VRC's auction in Abu Dhabi last week.
'Goldilocks' planet
WASHINGTON – Astronomers say they have for the first time spotted a planet beyond our own in what is sometimes called the Goldilocks zone for life: Not too hot, not too cold. Juuuust right.
Not too far from its star, not too close. So it could contain liquid water. The planet itself is neither too big nor too small for the proper surface, gravity and atmosphere.
It's just right. Just like Earth.
"This really is the first Goldilocks planet," said co-discoverer R. Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
The new planet sits smack in the middle of what astronomers refer to as the habitable zone, unlike any of the nearly 500 other planets astronomers have found outside our solar system. And it is in our galactic neighborhood, suggesting that plenty of Earth-like planets circle other stars.
Finding a planet that could potentially support life is a major step toward answering the timeless question: Are we alone?
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.
"This is the first one I'm truly excited about," said Penn State University's Jim Kasting. He said this planet is a "pretty prime candidate" for harboring life.
Life on other planets doesn't mean E.T. Even a simple single-cell bacteria or the equivalent of shower mold would shake perceptions about the uniqueness of life on Earth.
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."
The astronomers' findings are being published in Astrophysical Journal and were announced by the National Science Foundation on Wednesday.
The planet circles a star called Gliese 581. It's about 120 trillion miles away, so it would take several generations for a spaceship to get there. It may seem like a long distance, but in the scheme of the vast universe, this planet is "like right in our face, right next door to us," Vogt said in an interview.
That close proximity and the way it was found so early in astronomers' search for habitable planets hints to scientists that planets like Earth are probably not that rare.
Vogt and Butler ran some calculations, with giant fudge factors built in, and figured that as much as one out of five to 10 stars in the universe have planets that are Earth-sized and in the habitable zone.
With an estimated 200 billion stars in the universe, that means maybe 40 billion planets that have the potential for life, Vogt said. However, Ohio State University's Scott Gaudi cautioned that is too speculative about how common these planets are.
Vogt and Butler used ground-based telescopes to track the star's precise movements over 11 years and watch for wobbles that indicate planets are circling it. The newly discovered planet is actually the sixth found circling Gliese 581. Two looked promising for habitability for a while, another turned out to be too hot and the fifth is likely too cold. This sixth one bracketed right in the sweet spot in between, Vogt said.
With the star designated "a," its sixth planet is called Gliese 581g.
"It's not a very interesting name and it's a beautiful planet," Vogt said. Unofficially, he's named it after his wife: "I call it Zarmina's World."
The star Gliese 581 is a dwarf, about one-third the strength of our sun. Because of that, it can't be seen without a telescope from Earth, although it is in the Libra constellation, Vogt said.
But if you were standing on this new planet, you could easily see our sun, Butler said.
The low-energy dwarf star will live on for billions of years, much longer than our sun, he said. And that just increases the likelihood of life developing on the planet, the discoverers said.
"It's pretty hard to stop life once you give it the right conditions," Vogt said
Saturday, July 31, 2010
SciGirls" Dolphin Dive
A child participates in "SciGirls," a weekly series on PBS stations that seeks to change girl's outlooks toward science, technology, engineering and math, and possibly spark their interest in careers in these fields. For this particular project, participants designed their own experiment to see whether dolphins can recognize themselves in a mirror. [Picture taken from episode 103, "Dolphin Dive."]
Each half-hour episode of "SciGirls"--which targets girls ages 8 to 12--follows a different group of real middle-school girls as they collaborate, communicate, engineer and discover. Filmed in a reality-style, the girls, with the help of scientist mentors, design their own inquiry-based investigations on a wide variety of topics that can range from the environment to technology to engineering or nutrition. The series includes two animated characters--Izzie, a plucky "SciGirl," and her best friend Jake--who embark on their own adventures and call on the "SciGirls" for help.
"SciGirls," which is funded by the National Science Foundation (grant DRL 08-13519) with additional support from ExxonMobil, integrates the Web into the TV series. Each episode begins on the show's home page, where Izzie goes when she finds herself in jams that only science can fix. She surfs to the site, jumps into a video of real-life "SciGirls," and follows their story, learning and exploring every step of the way. In addition, viewers are invited to create their own profile pages and upload their own science projects on the "SciGirls" website.
For more information, visit the "SciGirls" website. (Date of Image: 2009)
Credit: Twin Cities Public Television, Inc.
General Restrictions:
Images and other media in the National Science Foundation Multimedia Gallery are available for use in print and electronic material by NSF employees, members of the media, university staff, teachers and the general public. All media in the gallery are intended for personal, educational and nonprofit/non-commercial use only.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
What is Desert RATS ???
NASA is inviting the public to choose an area in northern Arizona where explorers will conduct part of the annual Desert Research 
and Technology Studies, known as Desert RATS.
NASA Opens Online Vote for Next Desert Exploration Site
and Technology Studies, known as Desert RATS.NASA Opens Online Vote for Next Desert Exploration Site
NO SEAT FOR OVERWEIGHT TEEN-SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
A petite woman says Southwest Airlines removed her from a full flight to make room for an overweight teenager, The Sacramento Bee reports.
The newspaper says the incident involving the 5-foot-4, 110-pound woman "happened last week on
an early-evening Southwest flight from Las Vegas to Sacramento."The Bee reports that the woman paid to upgrade to Southwest's full fare so that she could fly standby on the flight. The newspaper adds she was given the "last available seat, got on board, stowed her bags and sat down – only to be told she would have to deplane immediately."
That, of course, was so the airline could accommodate the heavy passenger that needed two seats.
Then, the booted woman -- the Bee writes "she has asked to remain anonymous for fear some may regard her as insensitive" -- claims she was berated by Southwest workers when she questioned their decision.
Southwest spokeswoman Marilee McInnis acknowledged to the Bee the airline could have managed the incident more carefully. "We know this was awkward and we should have handled it better," she tells the paper.
Still, Southwest spokesman Paul Flannigan tells The 33 News of Dallas/Fort Worth that extenuating circumstances made the situation difficult.
"The passenger in question was a minor who was traveling alone," Flannigan tells the station. "Normally if the passenger were an adult, she would be required to purchase an extra ticket, but we did not want to leave the 14-year-old stranded."
McInnis adds to the Bee that the airline's staff also may have been reluctant to put the teenage girl into a possibly embarrassing situation.
Southwest put the thinner woman on a later flight. Company officials say the airline will apologize to the woman and offer her credit toward a future flight.
Friday, July 23, 2010
India unveils prototype of $35 tablet computer
MUMBAI, India — It looks like an iPad, only it's 1/14th the cost: India has unveiled the prototype of a $35 basic touchscreen tablet aimed at students, which it hopes to bring into production by 2011.
If the government can find a manufacturer, the Linux operating system-based computer would be the latest in a string of "world's cheapest" innovations to hit the market out of India, which is home to the 100,000 rupee ($2,127) compact Nano car, the 749 rupees ($16) water purifier and the $2,000 open-heart surgery.
The tablet can be used for functions like word processing, web browsing and video-conferencing. It has a solar power option too — important for India's energy-starved hinterlands — though that add-on costs extra.
"This is our answer to MIT's $100 computer," human resource development minister Kapil Sibal told the Economic Times when he unveiled the device Thursday.
In 2005, Nicholas Negroponte— cofounder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab — unveiled a prototype of a $100 laptop for children in the developing world. India rejected that as too expensive and embarked on a multiyear effort to develop a cheaper option of its own.
Negroponte's laptop ended up costing about $200, but in May his nonprofit association, One Laptop Per Child, said it plans to launch a basic tablet computer for $99.
Sibal turned to students and professors at India's elite technical universities to develop the $35 tablet after receiving a "lukewarm" response from private sector players. He hopes to get the cost down to $10 eventually.
Mamta Varma, a ministry spokeswoman, said falling hardware costs and intelligent design make the price tag plausible. The tablet doesn't have a hard disk, but instead uses a memory card, much like a mobile phone. The tablet design cuts hardware costs, and the use of open-source software also adds to savings, she said.
Varma said several global manufacturers, including at least one from Taiwan, have shown interest in making the low-cost device, but no manufacturing or distribution deals have been finalized. She declined to name any of the companies.
India plans to subsidize the cost of the tablet for its students, bringing the purchase price down to around $20.
The project is part of an ambitious education technology initiative, which also aims to bring broadband connectivity to India's 25,000 colleges and 504 universities and make study materials available online.
So far nearly 8,500 colleges have been connected and nearly 500 Web and video-based courses have been uploaded on YouTube and other portals, the Ministry said.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Help Wanted ???
The Transportation Security Administration appears to be getting creative in its efforts to recruit new airport security workers.
Promising "a career where X-ray vision and federal benefits come standard," the agency has begun posting help-wanted ads on pizza delivery boxes in the Washington, D.C., area.
That's according to Washington's Federal News Radio, which posts six photos of the ad-seeking pizza boxes. The ads are for positions at Washington's Dulles and Reagan National airports.
The photos came to the to the attention of Federal News Radio courtesy of another Washington radio journalist, WTOP News Radio's Michelle Basch. In sending the photos to Federal News Radio, Basch wondered whether the pizza-box ads indicated that the TSA was "desperate" or "creative
Indian Ocean Sea-Level Rise Threatens Coastal Areas
Indian Ocean sea levels are rising unevenly and threatening residents in some densely populated coastal areas and islands, a new study concludes.
The study, led by scientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., finds that the sea-level rise is at least partly a result of climate change.
Sea-level rise is particularly high along the coastlines of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, as well as ...
More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117322&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click
The study, led by scientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., finds that the sea-level rise is at least partly a result of climate change.
Sea-level rise is particularly high along the coastlines of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, as well as ...
More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117322&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click
Friday, July 2, 2010
Coca-cola sued over vitamin claims
A consumer group has brought a lawsuit against Coca-Cola for the marketing of its VitaminWater products.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest says that the company is engaging in "deceptive" practices by selling the beverages as a healthier alternative to soda.
In fact, each bottle of VitaminWater contains 33 grams of sugar, the CSPI says, which "do more to promote obesity, diabetes and other health problems" than the advertised vitamins do good.
Among the "unsubstantiated" claims made by Coca-Cola mentioned in the suit are the products’ potential to reduce the risk of chronic disease, promote healthy joints and support optimal immune function.
"While it is true that vitamins do play various roles in the human body, the statements on VitaminWater labels go far beyond even the loose, so-called ’structure/function claims’ allowed by the FDA and cross the line into outright fraud," the CSPI says.
The news comes after the FDA scolded Coca-Cola in December over the labeling of its fortified drink Diet Coke Plus, saying it did not contain enough health benefits to use the term "plus."
The Center for Science in the Public Interest says that the company is engaging in "deceptive" practices by selling the beverages as a healthier alternative to soda.
In fact, each bottle of VitaminWater contains 33 grams of sugar, the CSPI says, which "do more to promote obesity, diabetes and other health problems" than the advertised vitamins do good.Among the "unsubstantiated" claims made by Coca-Cola mentioned in the suit are the products’ potential to reduce the risk of chronic disease, promote healthy joints and support optimal immune function.
"While it is true that vitamins do play various roles in the human body, the statements on VitaminWater labels go far beyond even the loose, so-called ’structure/function claims’ allowed by the FDA and cross the line into outright fraud," the CSPI says.
The news comes after the FDA scolded Coca-Cola in December over the labeling of its fortified drink Diet Coke Plus, saying it did not contain enough health benefits to use the term "plus."
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
New York considers ban on short-term vacation rentals
For many budget-conscious Big Apple visitors, scoring a short-term apartment rental through Craigslist or lodging websites like AirBnB and Roomorama is a money-saving alternative to pricey Manhattan hotels - and a way t
This undated file photo shows a close up of the Statue of Liberty. CAPTIONAP Photoo live, if only for a few nights, like a real New Yorker.
But maybe not for long: This week, writes Budget Travel, "New York state senators vote on a bill that would make it illegal for any homeowner or renter to sublet for less than a month. The new law would be a blanket ban on short-term rentals no matter how ethical the renter is. (It's always been illegal to violate co-op leases and condominium bylaws.)"
As I noted back in 2008, the practice of renting New York City apartments for short-term stays was already controversial, in part because some landlords were scamming potential guests with substandard or even nonexistent digs.
"This isn't a business practice we support, and we strongly discourage people" from renting apartments, Chris Heywood of NYC & Company, the city's official tourism arm, told me back then. "It's a real case of buyer beware."
On the plus side, "sites like AirBnB generally offer security measures, such as holding your payment in escrow until you and the renter both meet in person and agree you're a good match. The sites also let you ask a host questions eBay-style before you book," says Budget Travel.
"Vacation rentals in New York are a love-hate relationship, with multiple layers of regulations," says Carl Shepherd of HomeAway, Inc.
Unlike sites such as AirBnB, adds Shepherd, HomeAway's 800-plus listings in the city are a combination of units offered through property management companies and apartments used expressly as short-term rentals. While the current bill "may have been intended to properly stop a tenant from subletting an apartment or transients staying on couches or in back rooms or Murphy-beds of someone they met on Craigslist," he says, the proposed law "calls into question whether or not a property owner can choose to rent his property for less than 30 days for a legitimate, legal purpose."
Sources >>> By Laura Bly, USA TODAY
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Research Mission Studies Oil Spill Using Autonomous Underwater Vehicle and Mass Spectrometry
To characterize subsurface oil plumes in the Gulf using novel technology and the latest in biogeochemical techniques, a team of scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) embarked on June 17 for a 12-day research effort in the Gulf of Mexico.
Aboard the research vessel (R/V) Endeavor, they are conducting projects funded through the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s rapid
response program.The research should help answer questions about the fate of oil released into the water, examining the physical extent, chemical composition and biological impact of subsea plumes.
"The project has been implemented in a remarkably short period of time, deploying some of the most advanced technology available for underwater chemical sampling, and underwater autonomous vehicles," said Phillip Taylor, acting director of NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences.
"The effort is another example of research scientists stepping up quickly to address the crucial and challenging questions about the fate and environmental consequences of the spilled oil."
Four WHOI scientists will focus on different but complementary problems associated with the oil spill.
WHOI researcher Rich Camilli will use underwater mass spectrometers called TETHYS on two subsea platforms--an enhanced water sampler, or CTD rosette, and the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sentry--to investigate underwater hydrocarbon plumes.
Unlike most mass spectrometers, which are quite large--sometimes the size of a small house--TETHYS is one of the smallest mass spectrometers in the world. It can fit in a shoebox.
TETHYS is capable of identifying minute quantities of petroleum and other chemical compounds in seawater instantly.
"Our effort draws upon the excellent work of many scientists and researchers throughout the country," said Camilli.
"We have studied archived oil spill reports stretching back more than 40 years, and have received data and advice from colleagues at other institutions who have recently surveyed the site.
"Our team will build on their results using our own unique scientific tools to better understand the spill's extent, composition and impact."
WHOI scientist Dana Yoerger, a robotic vehicle specialist and a principal developer of the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sentry (supported through a grant by NSF), has been working closely with Camilli to integrate TETHYS into Sentry as a payload sensor, enabling chemical measurements to be used as a guidance system for the vehicle.
"The TETHYS payload on Sentry can be used to efficiently track plumes in the water column," said Camilli, "not only to define their shape, but to 'fingerprint' the individual chemicals within the plume."
The data they collect will be used by colleagues Chris Reddy and Ben Van Mooy, two WHOI chemists who are studying how oil degrades over time, its distance from the source and how much is degraded by microbes.
Armed with data collected by TETHYS and Sentry, the chemists will be better able to determine where to make important measurements using a CTD water sampler.
"TETHYS tells me where to invest time," said Reddy.
"I'll look at the map and decide where to take samples that will help answer lots of questions about the plume, such as: 'Has it changed in the middle?' 'Has it changed at the edges?' 'Is it mixing inside?' and 'Why is it changing?'"
Addressing such questions can help scientists understand the wide range of processes that may act on oil in the ocean.
The samples will help Van Mooy piece together how much of the oil is being eaten by microbes.
"Natural microbial degradation plays an important role in the remediation of crude oil released into the ocean," he said.
"Yet microbes cannot survive on oil alone; they need nutrients from the water to grow and degrade the oil."
Nutrients are thought to be scarce in surface waters, while by contrast, nutrients are likely to be abundant within the subsurface plume.
"Work conducted during the past Ixtoc disaster showed very clearly that nutrients played a huge role in regulating the extent of oil degradation," said Van Mooy.
Understanding microbes' ability to break down oil from this spill, and the role that specific nutrients play in that ability, could partially determine how long the oil will remain in the environment.
It also could point to novel remediation strategies.
The powerful combination of robotics, advanced sensors and enhanced programming represents a novel approach to this kind of science.
Camilli and Reddy call it the "hunter-gatherer" approach, where Sentry hunts for oil in the water and then the scientists use the CTD to gather appropriate samples.
All told, the information will help tell the story of what has happened to the oil as it is released into the water a mile below the surface.
"It's like balancing your checkbook," Reddy said. "This much evaporated, this much biodegraded, this much dissolved into the water. We hope to track where all the compounds went."
The team will share the information it collects with colleagues to help guide future sampling by other researchers who don't have this technology.
"Oceanographers usually have a year or more to prepare for an expedition of this magnitude, but these are extraordinary times," said Camilli. "We have gone from a concept to operational state in less than two weeks.
"It is a great credit to the National Science Foundation, University of Rhode Island, numerous federal agencies, our colleagues at WHOI and elsewhere, all working in high gear to make this expedition successful."
The NSF response to the Gulf oil spill involves active research in geosciences, computer simulation, engineering, biology, materials research and other fields represented across the agency, with more than two dozen awards totaling over $3 million. For more on the RAPID program, please see: RAPIDs. See also a regularly updated list of RAPIDs targeting the Gulf oil spill response. Because RAPID grants are being awarded continuously, media can also contact Josh Chamot in OLPA (jchamot@nsf.gov) for the latest information on granted awards.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Ramen Noodles
Ramen noodles could be putting college students and frugal eaters at greater risk of developing chronic illness, according to a recent study.
The instant noodles have long been a staple for the cash-strapped, but they could be putting their fans at risk of further nutritional deficits already caused by a lack of affordable and fresh fruits and vegetables, suggests a study presented at a meeting of the Dietitians Association of Australia.
According to the study, conducted by Australian researchers Danielle Gallegos and Kai Wen Ong, one in four college students reported insecurity about being able to afford food.
Of those students, two-thirds said they ate two or less servings of fruit per week, suggesting that money spent on more-filling but sodium- and MSG-laden Ramen noodles and fast food takes away from funds that could be spent on healthy but less-filling fruits and vegetables.
Those who relied on instant noodles and other cheap food with little nutritional content were at greater risk of chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes and heart disease, the researchers found.
While the study was based in Australia, results seem to reflect conditions among college kids and low-income individuals across America as well.
With new efforts initiated by the White House and supported by First Lady Michelle Obama, however, affordable healthy foods are expected to become more available in low-income areas across the U.S., as MainStreet previously reported
Thursday, June 10, 2010
NASA And DLR Sign Agreement To Continue GRACE Mission Through 2015
NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and German Aerospace Center (DLR) Executive Board Chairman Johann-Dietrich Wörner signed an agreement Thursday during a bilateral meeting in Berlin to extend the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission through the end of its on-orbit life, which is expected in 2015.
NASA Picks 18 Small Business Tech Transfer Projects for Continued Development
NASA Picks 18 Small Business Tech Transfer Projects for Continued Development MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA has selected 18 innovative technology proposals for negotiation of Phase 2 contract awards in the Small Business Technology Transfer program, or "STTR." The selected projects have a total value of approximately $11 million. The contracts will be awarded to 18 high technology firms that are partnering with 15 universities in 12 states.
As an investment opportunity, STTR innovations address specific technology gaps in mission programs, provide a foundation for future technology needs, and are complementary to other NASA research investments. Examples of some STTR technologies being pursued in current selected proposals include:
- An autonomous health monitoring system for improved stability, safety, and performance of advanced aerospace vehicles under adverse conditions
- Advanced components for direct-detection LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) that can be used on new unmanned aircraft systems or aircraft platforms. LIDAR instruments will be required for remote sensing measurements from future Earth science missions
- Development of novel fabrication techniques for high efficiency thermo-electric devices. More efficient thermo-electric devices which convert heat directly into electricity are of interest to NASA for extracting power from "wasted heat" - heat energy from turbine engines, the hot side of spacecraft, or even the body heat of astronauts.
Participating firms and research institutions submitted 31 Phase 2 proposals. The criteria used to select the winning proposals included technical merit and innovation, Phase 1 results, value to NASA, commercial potential, and company capabilities.
The STTR program is a highly competitive, three-phase award system. It provides qualified small businesses -- including women-owned and disadvantaged firms -- with opportunities to propose innovative ideas that meet specific research and development needs of the federal government. In addition, the STTR program requires a collaborative research effort between small businesses and research institutions.
Phase 1 is a feasibility study to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of an idea. Awards are for up to 12 months in amounts up to $100,000. Phase 2 expands on the results of the development in Phase 1. Awards are for up to two years in amounts up to $600,000. Phase 3 is for the commercialization of the results of Phase 2 and requires the use of private sector or non-STTR federal funding. Wednesday's NASA awards are for the second-phase in this competitive process.
NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist, through its Innovative Partnerships Program, has oversight of the STTR program as part of its focus on emerging technologies and efforts to advance technological innovation for agency purposes. NASA partners with U.S. industry to infuse innovative technologies that result from the STTR program into agency missions and help transition technologies into commercially available products and services for other markets.
NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., manages the STTR program, with individual projects managed at each of NASA's field centers.
For a list of selected companies, visit:
http://sbir.nasa.gov
As an investment opportunity, STTR innovations address specific technology gaps in mission programs, provide a foundation for future technology needs, and are complementary to other NASA research investments. Examples of some STTR technologies being pursued in current selected proposals include:
- An autonomous health monitoring system for improved stability, safety, and performance of advanced aerospace vehicles under adverse conditions
- Advanced components for direct-detection LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) that can be used on new unmanned aircraft systems or aircraft platforms. LIDAR instruments will be required for remote sensing measurements from future Earth science missions
- Development of novel fabrication techniques for high efficiency thermo-electric devices. More efficient thermo-electric devices which convert heat directly into electricity are of interest to NASA for extracting power from "wasted heat" - heat energy from turbine engines, the hot side of spacecraft, or even the body heat of astronauts.
Participating firms and research institutions submitted 31 Phase 2 proposals. The criteria used to select the winning proposals included technical merit and innovation, Phase 1 results, value to NASA, commercial potential, and company capabilities.
The STTR program is a highly competitive, three-phase award system. It provides qualified small businesses -- including women-owned and disadvantaged firms -- with opportunities to propose innovative ideas that meet specific research and development needs of the federal government. In addition, the STTR program requires a collaborative research effort between small businesses and research institutions.
Phase 1 is a feasibility study to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of an idea. Awards are for up to 12 months in amounts up to $100,000. Phase 2 expands on the results of the development in Phase 1. Awards are for up to two years in amounts up to $600,000. Phase 3 is for the commercialization of the results of Phase 2 and requires the use of private sector or non-STTR federal funding. Wednesday's NASA awards are for the second-phase in this competitive process.
NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist, through its Innovative Partnerships Program, has oversight of the STTR program as part of its focus on emerging technologies and efforts to advance technological innovation for agency purposes. NASA partners with U.S. industry to infuse innovative technologies that result from the STTR program into agency missions and help transition technologies into commercially available products and services for other markets.
NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., manages the STTR program, with individual projects managed at each of NASA's field centers.
For a list of selected companies, visit:
http://sbir.nasa.gov
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Rapist Gets Punishment -ClIck2 C video-(Singapore)
WILL INDIANS ADOPT THIS METHOD OF
PUNISHMENT FOR ALL RAPIST IN INDIA
NASA Conducts Successful Parachute Development Test
On April 14, NASA conducted a drogue parachute drop test at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground near Yuma, Ariz. The 68-foot-diameter drogue and all test hardware functioned properly and landed safely.
The design load limit test will provide engineers with a better understanding of the full structural capabilities of the drogue parachute, currently under development to return next-generation space vehicles safely to Earth.
This was the second in a series of three planned load limit tests designed to place the loads expected in flight on the parachute canopy. The next test series, called overload tests, will subject the parachute canopy to loads greater than what would typically be experienced in flight, to prove the parachute is strong enough to survive some degree of unexpected events.
Future full resolution images of the drogue parachute test will be made publicly available when they are fully processed:
The design load limit test will provide engineers with a better understanding of the full structural capabilities of the drogue parachute, currently under development to return next-generation space vehicles safely to Earth.
This was the second in a series of three planned load limit tests designed to place the loads expected in flight on the parachute canopy. The next test series, called overload tests, will subject the parachute canopy to loads greater than what would typically be experienced in flight, to prove the parachute is strong enough to survive some degree of unexpected events.
Future full resolution images of the drogue parachute test will be made publicly available when they are fully processed:
Friday, May 28, 2010
Sleeping in local flights ???-take care
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Airline officials are trying to figure out how a sleeping passenger was left aboard a flight for more than three hours after it landed in Philadelphia.
According to police and the Transportation Security Administration, the passenger didn't wake up when her United Express flight from Dulles airport outside Washington landed shortly after midnight Tuesday. More than three hours later, a cleaning crew found her, according to KYW-TV.
United Airlines says they're working with a regional partner carrier to determine why the plane wasn't cleared upon landing.
boy who kicked her seat
Phoenix police are investigating an incident on a Southwest Airlines flight where a woman allegedly grabbed a child who was kicking the back of her seat in March.
James Holmes of the Phoenix Police Department said a mother is pressing charges against a 42-year-old woman who allegedly assaulted her 3-year-old boy while they were on Southwest flight 582 heading to Las Vegas at the gate of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Mar. 21 at about 7 p.m.
No arrests have been made because police are still gathering names of witnesses from Southwest Airlines, but the mother described the incident to police:
Her three-year-old son either kicked or put his feet up on the back of the woman's seat when she turned around and grabbed him. The woman told the child, "You're not going to be kicking my seat all the way to Las Vegas," while she shook him and then slammed him back on the seat, the mother told police.
She and other passengers began to argue with the woman after the incident, and both parties were taken off the plane to discuss the situation.
Staff had assured her that the woman would not be allowed back on the flight, and she returned to her seats with her children, Holmes said. The woman, however, did board the same plane again, and chose to sit in the same seat over other empty seats.
During the flight, the woman harassed the family and threw garbage at them. The mother told police that the woman appeared to be intoxicated.
James Holmes of the Phoenix Police Department said a mother is pressing charges against a 42-year-old woman who allegedly assaulted her 3-year-old boy while they were on Southwest flight 582 heading to Las Vegas at the gate of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Mar. 21 at about 7 p.m.
No arrests have been made because police are still gathering names of witnesses from Southwest Airlines, but the mother described the incident to police:
Her three-year-old son either kicked or put his feet up on the back of the woman's seat when she turned around and grabbed him. The woman told the child, "You're not going to be kicking my seat all the way to Las Vegas," while she shook him and then slammed him back on the seat, the mother told police.
She and other passengers began to argue with the woman after the incident, and both parties were taken off the plane to discuss the situation.
Staff had assured her that the woman would not be allowed back on the flight, and she returned to her seats with her children, Holmes said. The woman, however, did board the same plane again, and chose to sit in the same seat over other empty seats.
During the flight, the woman harassed the family and threw garbage at them. The mother told police that the woman appeared to be intoxicated.
NOAA Maps Where Hurricanes Meet Ocean Heat
Tropical cyclones may feed and grow stronger on ocean heat,
and a new Google Earth application based on satellite altimetry observations shows where they may find it.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Spacewalker
Spacewalker 
Anchored to a Canadarm2 mobile foot restraint Garrett Reisman conducts the mission's first spacewalk. During the seven-hour, 25-minute spacewalk, Reisman and Steve Bowen installed a second antenna for high-speed Ku-band transmissions and added a spare parts platform to Dextre, a two-armed extension for the station’s robotic arm.
Image Credit: NASA
Anchored to a Canadarm2 mobile foot restraint Garrett Reisman conducts the mission's first spacewalk. During the seven-hour, 25-minute spacewalk, Reisman and Steve Bowen installed a second antenna for high-speed Ku-band transmissions and added a spare parts platform to Dextre, a two-armed extension for the station’s robotic arm.
Image Credit: NASA
Facebook launches' new mobile site
Facebook said Tuesday it has teamed up with mobile operators in nearly 50 countries to offer a fast and free version of the popular social networking site on cellphones.
"We've put all the graphics, the photos, the videos one click away so the site is text only and the pages are super light, super fast to load," said Henri Moissinac, head of mobile business for Facebook.
The new mobile site, 0.facebook.com, is "optimized for speed and it's free," Moissinac told AFP.
He said it was designed to get around the "biggest barriers to the mobile Internet -- the speed of the experience and the potential cost of browsing."
It will be available from 56 mobile operators in 47 countries.
"The total subscriber base of all of these operators is about 500 million users," Moissinac said. "So potentially you have 500 million mobile subscribers who could access Facebook mobile for free on their phone."
He said there were currently over 100 million active users of Facebook's present mobile site, m.facebook.com and the new site would allow the Palo Alto, California-based social network to expand its reach on the devices.
"Our goal in mobile is to serve every user on every phone in every language on every network," he said.
Users of 0.facebook.com can update their status, see their News Feed, comment on posts and send and reply to messages like on Facebook.com.
They will be charged, however, if they want to see photos or videos.
"They have a link that says click here to see the photos," Moissinac said. "When they click to see the photos there'll be a disclaimer that says 'Just so you know you're going to be paying data charges for these photos.'"
He said 0.facebook.com was designed to be a "permanent service." "All of the operators are committed to making 0.facebook.com free for more than 12 months," Moissinac said.
"We've put all the graphics, the photos, the videos one click away so the site is text only and the pages are super light, super fast to load," said Henri Moissinac, head of mobile business for Facebook.The new mobile site, 0.facebook.com, is "optimized for speed and it's free," Moissinac told AFP.
He said it was designed to get around the "biggest barriers to the mobile Internet -- the speed of the experience and the potential cost of browsing."
It will be available from 56 mobile operators in 47 countries.
"The total subscriber base of all of these operators is about 500 million users," Moissinac said. "So potentially you have 500 million mobile subscribers who could access Facebook mobile for free on their phone."
He said there were currently over 100 million active users of Facebook's present mobile site, m.facebook.com and the new site would allow the Palo Alto, California-based social network to expand its reach on the devices.
"Our goal in mobile is to serve every user on every phone in every language on every network," he said.
Users of 0.facebook.com can update their status, see their News Feed, comment on posts and send and reply to messages like on Facebook.com.
They will be charged, however, if they want to see photos or videos.
"They have a link that says click here to see the photos," Moissinac said. "When they click to see the photos there'll be a disclaimer that says 'Just so you know you're going to be paying data charges for these photos.'"
He said 0.facebook.com was designed to be a "permanent service." "All of the operators are committed to making 0.facebook.com free for more than 12 months," Moissinac said.
no brain cancer link to mobile phone use
The largest study to date of the safety of mobile phones has found no clear link to brain cancer, although it said further study is merited given their increasingly intensive use.
"The study doesn't reveal an increased risk, but we can't conclude that there is no risk because there are enough findings that suggest a possible risk," the study's chief author, Elisabeth Cardis, told AFP.
The results of the Interphone study, which included 2,708 cases of glioma tumours and 2,409 meningioma tumours in 13 countries over a 10-year period, is due to be published on Tuesday in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
It found no increased risk of glioma or meningioma tumours after 10 years of using a mobile phone, although it found "suggestions of higher risk" for the heavyest users.
The heavyest users who reported using their phones on the same side of their heads had a 40 percent higher risk for gliomas and 15 percent for meningiomas, but the researchers said "biases and errors" prevent making a causal link.
Given that the heavyest users in the study talked an average of half an hour per day on their mobile phones, a figure which is not heavy by today's standards, the researchers recommended further research.
They also cited the need for the study of the impact of mobile phone use among young people, who have rapidly become intenstive users, and who were not included in the Interphone study."Observations at the highest level of cumulative call time and the changing patterns of mobile phone use ... particularly in young people, mean that further investigation of mobile phone use and brain cancer is merited," said Christopher Wild, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which coordinated the study.
The researchers noted, however, that the latest mobile phones have lower emissions, and the popularity of hands-free devices and texting reduce exposure to the head.
Cardis said the European Union is funding a new study of risks of brain tumours from mobile phone use during childhood and adolescence.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Why Human Blood Drives Mosquitoes Wild
When the time came for chemical ecologist Walter Leal to test whether humans make a natural odor that attracts mosquitoes, Leal himself was the first to volunteer.
"I measured my own levels," Leal said. "I thought I would set a good example. If you do it first, then others won't be scared."
In truth, there was little, if any, reason to be frightened. The scientists were looking only for the substance itself, not trying to find out whether the compound would lure the insects to a blood meal. And the researchers found it--nonanal, a substance made by humans and birds that creates a powerful scent that Culex mosquitoes find irresistible.
Leal only had to roll up his sleeve. His colleagues laid a syringe-like instrument next to his skin, and then wrapped his arm in aluminum foil to keep the environment confined. After an hour, the tip of the syringe was injected into a special machine to see if the syringe contained nonanal and, if so, how much his body had produced.
Plenty, as it turned out. "It's there. I have lots of it," he said. "I think I released 20 nanograms in an hour. It was high."
Those results may well explain what happened to him two years ago in Mexico during a beetle hunting field trip when--despite extensive precautions--mosquitoes went after him with a vengeance.
"There were so many mosquitoes, I could not believe it," Leal recalled. "I sprayed Deet everywhere, including in my hair. The next morning, I realized they'd gone through my socks, and bitten me like crazy--and I had on thick socks. If you forget about one particular spot, the mosquitoes will find it--and go in. They'll go through anything, even jeans, as long as they know there is a blood vessel on the other side. They can sense the heat."
Nevertheless, while most people avoid insects, especially biting ones, Leal, a professor of entomology at the University of California (UC) at Davis, searches for them with enthusiasm.
"The diversity and physiology of insects is so remarkable," he said. "One insect is so different from another--that's what makes them so interesting."
In his research, Leal is best known for his work on insect sex pheromones (chemical messengers) and the chemical ecology and communication of insects, all with potential applications for pest control. He figured out why mosquitoes are repelled by Deet--they really hate its smell--and he has identified and synthesized complex pheromones from such insects as scarab beetles, true bugs, longhorn beetles, moths, the naval orangeworm and even cockroaches.
"I can work with any insects, including the cockroach," he said. "They are not so nice. They eat almost everything, so it is impossible to make an environment not accessible to them. And it's hard to kill them--they have sensors for air, so when you try to hit them, they detect the movement and get away. I have heard people say that they eat cockroaches, just to show they're not so bad. I'm not one of them."
His personal favorite? Scarab beetles. "They are so beautiful and elegant," he said. "But it's very difficult to work with them here in California because many of the species are invasive. So we can't have them in California."
Leal grew up in Recife, Brazil, where his sister and three brothers still live. "I am the only one who left," he said. He made his first trip to America in 1976 as a student to help broadcast news stories about the Brazilian soccer team during the Bicentennial World Cup. "I still have that passport," he said.
He became interested in environmental issues in college, and received his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the Federal University of Pernambuco in Recife. He earned his two advanced degrees from universities in Japan, where he spent 16 years, most of them working for the Japanese government. He earned a master's degree in agricultural chemistry from Mie University in Tsu-Mei, and a doctorate in applied biochemistry from Tsukuba University in Tsukuba, near Tokyo. He moved to the United States in 2000 when he joined the UC Davis faculty.
Recently, he was selected as a fellow of the Entomological Society of America, a prestigious honor that recognizes up to 10 members each year for their research and teaching contributions.
Leal's wife is an elementary school teacher, and the couple has three children. One is in college, the other two are 12 and 9. Leal claims to have no hobbies. "I work so hard, I have no time left," he said. "Actually, I have hobbies, but don't have time to do them."
Cycling is one of them, so he commutes by bicycle almost every day. It takes him about ten minutes. "Davis is a small, bike-friendly town, with lots of short cuts," he said.
Much as he loves bugs, Leal says he doesn't prefer them to people. Quite the opposite, in fact. "I like people more, which is why I work with mosquitoes--to protect people," he said.
-- Marlene Cimons, National Science Foundation
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
How to Improve China's Food Safety
Throughout much of the last century, China's centrally planned, closed economy made the country an insignificant player in the global trading system. Today, having gone from a sleeping giant to one of the fastest growing economies, China is considered the "poster-child" for economic growth.
Many economists have called China's emergence a "positive economic shock," unleashing a consumer base and workforce of nearly 1.2 billion people into the global market.
China's transition into a market economy is driving changes in consumer preferences and demand for foods. Consumers are earning higher incomes and shifting consumption away from grains and legumes towards meat and other animal proteins. Pork, the primary meat consumed in China, accounts for nearly 70 percent of animal protein in Chinese diets. This makes China the world's largest pork consumer.
Because of its economic importance, the pork sector provides an excellent outlet to study the effects of economic development on consumer preferences and demand for goods.
For my National Science Foundation (NSF) East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) program project in China in the summer, I conducted a Chinese consumer demand study that analyzed consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay for select food safety attributes in pork.
Food safety in China has become of paramount importance in the wake of numerous food-safety scandals. As part of my research experience, I worked closely with Chinese professors and graduate students to conduct an economic assessment of consumer preferences for food safety informational attributes.
We used a choice experiment where we simulated different pork-purchasing scenarios and consumers chose a product based on different attributes that we controlled. The informational attributes that we evaluated were: a product traceability system, a state-sponsored food safety assurance program, a third-party food safety assurance program and a product-specific information label.
After conducting this economic experiment numerous times in seven major Chinese cities, we analyzed the data using a series of econometric models designed specifically for choice experiment data.
As I traveled to various cities to gather the data for the study, I was given a unique opportunity to explore and learn about all aspects of Chinese society and local culture, from the grasslands of Inner Mongolia to the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas in Tibet. It was in Tibet that I was fortunate to take the 24-hour train trip through the Tibetan plateau on the world's highest railway.
The EAPSI program also granted me the opportunity to attend two international conferences in China--a meeting of the Chinese Economist Society and a meeting of the International Association of Agricultural Economists--where I had the opportunity to present my ongoing research.
At these conferences, I was fortunate to meet world-renowned economists like Nobel Laureate Sir James Mirrlees, and through my interactions, I gained insight into new, cutting-edge methods in economic research. Specifically, I learned of new econometric methods that ultimately allow me to incorporate the dynamics of consumer preferences and risk perceptions into my analysis.
The results of my research quantified consumers' willingness-to-pay for food safety information in a transitioning economy. We found that Chinese consumers gained the most economic value from a state-sponsored food safety assurance program, and that the incorporation of a product-specific label and the implementation of a traceability system would add significant value to consumers.
-- David Ortega, Purdue University,
Sunday, May 16, 2010
I-Fairy robot weds Tokyo couple
TOKYO (AP) — Almost everyone stood when the bride walked down the aisle in her white gown, but not the wedding conductor, because she was bolted to her chair.
The nuptials at this ceremony were led by "I-Fairy," a 4-foot tall seated robot with flashing eyes and plastic pigtails. Sunday's wedding was the first time a marriage had been led by a robot, according to manufacturer Kokoro Co.
"Please lift the bride's veil," the robot said in a tinny voice, waving its arms in the air as the newlyweds kissed in front of about 50 guests.
The wedding took place at a restaurant in Hibiya Park in central Tokyo, where the I-Fairy wore a wreath of flowers and directed a rooftop ceremony. Wires led out from beneath it to a black curtain a few feet away, where a man crouched and clicked commands into a computer.
Japan has one of the most advanced robotics industries in the world, with the government actively supporting the field for future growth. Industrial models in factories are now standard, but recently Japanese companies are making a push to inject robots into everyday life.
Honda makes a walking child-shaped robot, and other firms have developed them to entertain the elderly or play baseball. Kokoro, whose corporate goal is to "touch the hearts of the people," also makes giant dinosaur robots for exhibitions and lifelike android models that can smile and laugh. The company is a subsidiary of Sanrio Co., which owns the rights to Hello Kitty and other Japanese characters.
"This was a lot of fun. I think that Japanese have a strong sense that robots are our friends. Those in the robot industry mostly understand this, but people mainly want robots near them that serve some purpose," said bride Satoko Inoue, 36, who works at manufacturer Kokoro.
"It would be nice if the robot was a bit more clever, but she is very good at expressing herself," said new husband Tomohiro Shibata, 42, a professor of robotics at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology in central Japan.
The I-Fairy sells for about 6.3 million yen ($68,000) and three are in use in Singapore, the U.S. and Japan, according to company spokeswoman Kayako Kido. It has 18 degrees of motion in its arms, and mainly repeats preprogrammed movements and sounds.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
இரும்புக்கோட்டை முரட்டு சிங்கம்
28 வருடங்களுக்குப் பிறகு தமிழில் வந்திருக்கும் கௌபாய் படம். ஆஹா என்று கொண்டாடவும் முடியாத, அடச்சே என்று ஒதுக்கவும் முடியாத மிடில் கிளாஸை சேர்ந்தவன்
சிம்புதேவனின் இந்த கௌபாய்.ஹீரோவோட ஊர் ஜெய்சங்கர்புரம். இந்த ஜெய்சங்கர் வேறு யாருமில்லை, நடிகர் ஜெய்சங்கரேதான். நிறைய கௌபாய் படங்களில் நடித்தவர் என்பதால் ஊருக்கு நடுவில் ஒரு சிலையும் வைத்திருக்கிறார்கள். இவர்களுக்கு வில்லன் இரும்புக்கோட்டையை ஆளும் கிழக்குக்கட்டை. ஹாலிவுட்டில் கௌபாய் படங்களில் தூள் கிளப்பிய கிளிண்ட் ‘ஈஸ்ட்வுட்’டின் தமிழ்ப்படுத்துதல்தான் கிழக்குக்கட்டை. வில்லன் அல்லவா? வில்லாதி வில்லன் நமது அசோகனின் சிலையை கிழக்குக் கோட்டையில் நிறுவியிருக்கிறார்கள்.
ஹீரோவுக்கும், வில்லனுக்கும் இப்படி தமிழ் சினிமாவை வைத்தே ஒரு பேக்ராப்பை உருவாக்கியிருக்கும் சிம்புதேவனின் கற்பனைக்கு ஒரு கைகுலுக்கல். கதையும் பெரிதாக பழுதில்லை.
கிழக்குக்கட்டையின் அக்கிரமங்களை எதிர்க்கும் ஜெய்சங்கர்புரத்து சிங்கம்தான் (லாரன்ஸ்) ஹீரோ. ஒரு சண்டையில் தப்பாட்டம் ஆடி சிங்கத்தை சின்னாபின்னமாக்கிவிடுகிறான் கிழக்குக்கட்டை (நாசர்). தலைவன் இல்லாமல் தவிக்கும் ஜெய்சங்கர்புரத்தைச் சேர்ந்த நாலு பேர் தோற்றத்தில் சிங்கம் போலவே இருக்கும் ஷோலேபுரத்து சிங்காரத்தை கடத்தி வந்து சிங்கம் போலவே உலவ விடுகிறார்கள். இது கிழக்குக்கட்டையின் ஆட்களுக்கு கிலியை ஏற்படுத்துகிறது.
இந்நிலையில் கிழக்குக்கட்டை தேடிக் கொண்டிருக்கும் புதையல் இருக்கும் மேப் ஜெய்சங்கர்புரத்துக்காரர்கள் கையில் கிடைக்கிறது. மேப்பை தருகிறோம், எங்களை நிம்மதியாக இருக்கவிடு என்கிறார்கள் ஜெய்சங்கர்புரத்து மக்கள். ஆனால் கிழக்குக்கட்டை புதையலையும் நீங்கதான் எடுத்துத்தர வேண்டும் என்கிறான். சிங்கம் அண்ட் கோ புதையலை எடுத்தார்களா? கிழக்குக்கட்டையின் கொட்டம் அடங்கியதா? கிளைமாக்ஸ்.
உலகில் கௌபாய்கள் எங்கு தோன்றினார்கள், எங்கெல்லாம் வாழ்கிறார்கள் என்று சின்சியராக படத்தை ஆரம்பிக்கும் போது அட ஒரு வித்தியாசமான படம் என்று நிமிர்ந்து உட்காருகிறோம். அடுத்த காட்சியிலேயே, அப்படியெல்லாம் இல்லை, இம்சை அரசன் மாதிரிதான் இதுவும் என்று பொங்கிய பாலில் பன்னீர் தெளிக்கிறார்கள்.
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தேடல் தொடர்பான தகவல்கள்
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