Thursday, May 31, 2007

Favorite gone from National Spelling Bee - Yahoo! News

Favorite gone from National Spelling Bee - Yahoo! News: "Favorite gone from National Spelling Bee " WASHINGTON - Samir Patel's dream of winning the national spelling title, a goal that dominated the last five years of his life, ended in one quick moment Thursday with the word "clevis." Spectators in the Grand Hyatt ballroom gasped as the 13-year-old Texan spelled out the word for a type fastening device as "c-l-e-v-i-c-e." The error eliminated him in the fifth round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Samir, considered by many to be this year's favorite, wiped away tears as he talked about it later. "The first thing I thought was c-l-e-v-i-s, and if I had been slow and cautious like I always am, I would have got it right," he said. "But I just outsmarted myself. It was an easy word. I just made a stupid mistake." Samir's mother appealed his dismissal, but officials rejected the appeal. Thirty-three other spellers advanced to the sixth round at the 80th annual bee. The semifinals continued, with the winner set to be crowned Thursday night. Several other top favorites from previous years remained in contention for the title, which comes with a $35,000 cash prize, plus a $5,000 scholarship, a $2,500 savings bond and a complete set of reference works. The day began with 59 spellers remaining from the record 286 who started the competition Wednesday. Tia Thomas, 12, of Coarsegold, Calif., bounced on her feet and kept her arms folded behind her back as she dispatched "sagittal" (resembling an arrow), then raised both arms in triumph. Matthew Evans, 12, from Albuquerque, N.M., mastered "azotea" (a terraced roof). Both are in the bee for the fourth time. The afternoon semifinals were televised for the 14th year by ESPN, with the finals to air on ABC in prime time for the second consecutive year. For the third time in two days, the Kiwi accent of the representative from New Zealand threw the judges for a loop. After listening to a replay, officials still weren't sure if 13-year-old Kate Weir of Christchurch had tried to spell "jardiniere" (an ornamental plant stand) with a "g" or a "j." They finally asked her to give another word starting with the letter. When she said "giraffe," the bell sounded and she was out. The words got tougher as the rounds progressed, and several spellers used humor when they reached the breaking point. Josiah Wright of Fleetwood, N.C., asked "Is that English?" when he heard the scientific term "ptilopod." "They tell me it is," replied pronouncer Jacques Bailly. Josiah spelled the word as "tylopod" and was eliminated. Others stayed alive with a good guess. "Wow, this is a new one," said Caroline Rouse of St. Louis upon hearing "beccafico" (a kind of bird). Claire Zhang, 14, of Jupiter, Fla., knew something was amiss when she heard the telltale bell signal that she had misspelled "burelage" (intricate lines found on security paper). Claire had been escorted to the edge off the stage on the way to the comfort room before the judges ordered an audio replay of her spelling and, after a delay of several minutes, discovered that she had indeed spelled it flawlessly. "Claire, you may resume your place," head judge Mary Brooks announced as the audience cheered. ___

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Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Cosmic Log : Galaxy revealed in high-res

Cosmic Log : Galaxy revealed in high-res


The Hubble Space Telescope has sent back the best view yet of a picture-perfect galaxy known as M81 or Bode's Galaxy, resolving single points of starlight as well as star clusters and glowing regions of fluorescent gas.
"The amazing detail in this image took our breath away," Andreas Zezas, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said in a news release unveiling the image. "We can see individual stars like tiny grains of sand."
M81, which lies 11.6 million light-years away in the northern constellation Ursa Major, is a popular target for astronomers and amateur stargazers. It can be seen in clear, dark skies with binoculars or a small telescope.(Check out the star chart on this Web page to find it.) Over the years, many space telescopes have taken turns looking at M81, ranging from the Astro-1 ultraviolet imager and Japan's Akari sky-surveying satellite to NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and Galaxy Evolution Explorer.
But Hubble's image, presented Monday at the American Astronomical Society's spring meeting in Honolulu, is in a class of its own. It took the equivalent of two and a half days of observing time - parceled out over two years - for Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys to collect the visible-light and infrared data that went into this picture.
Although the view is aesthetically stunning, there's also a higher scientific purpose behind the picture: Like our own Milky Way, M81 is a "grand design" galaxy, noted for its symmetrical, cyclonic shape. Only about 10 percent of the galaxies we see fit this category. What's more, M81 is in the midst of a surge in star formation, perhaps sparked hundreds of millions of years ago by a close encounter with M82, an irregular-shaped starburst galaxy nearby.
In an e-mail, Zezas told me that an up-close and personal look at M81 could tell astronomers a lot about how galaxies are put together:
"The goal of the project is to map the star-formation history of this galaxy. By this I mean, [to] learn when and where the different populations of stars were formed. Studies of this type on spiral galaxies are difficult because they require large amounts of observing time, and they usually tend to focus on individual regions. The advantage of these data is that we map with the maximum detail possible the whole galaxy so we can study individual stars over the whole of M81.
"We know from previous studies that M81 had periods of enhanced star-formation in the past few hundred million years. The new data will show which regions of the galaxy were more active and will reveal new episodes of star formation.
"This work will tell us how spiral galaxies form and how galaxy interactions affect their stellar populations (M81 is in a group of interacting galaxies, which is the nearest analog of our own local group).
"Also, by comparing with observations in the X-ray band with the Chandra X-ray Observatory, we will study the populations of black holes and neutron stars, which will give us more information on stellar evolution and its endpoints. This in turn will help us to better understand the X-ray emission from more distant galaxies."
In the Hubble image, Zezas and his colleagues could track streams of bluish hot stars that formed in the past few million years, as well as somewhat older stars from an earlier episode of star formation. Lanes of dust wind their way down to M81's center. "The presence of dust lanes shows that star formation is happening all the way down to the nucleus," Zezas said.
Like our Milky Way, M81's nucleus appears to be anchored by a supermassive black hole - although at the equivalent of 70 million solar masses, M81's black hole is about 15 times as massive as the Milky Way's.
NASA / ESA / CfA / JPL-Caltech
This image of M81 combines data from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer missions.
The Hubble project is part of a larger investigation of M81 that also draws upon the data from Spitzer and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer. In fact, the most sparkling view of M81 is an image that combines the data from all three space telescopes.
"It's absolutely amazing to be able to study star formation in this galaxy with three superb space telescopes in ways we could never achieve from the ground," said John Huchra, another astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics who is working with Zezas on the survey.
The bottom line is that by studying a galaxy far, far away, we get a better understanding of galaxies like our own. In a way, M81 is holding up a mirror to our own celestial face.
"The view we have of M81 is similar to what an astronomer in Andromeda would see if they looked at the Milky Way," Zezas explained.
For closer looks at the mirror, including zoomable images and videos, check out the Space Telescope Science Institute's Hubblesite as well as the European Space Agency's Hubble Information Center. And for a cornucopia of celestial pictures, visit our own Space Gallery.



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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Monday, May 28, 2007

Kelly Clarkson Performing during American Idol Finale

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Jordin Sparks-the youngest 'American Idol'

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India Recipe: "Today's Special

Today's Special
Bihari Kabab
Shengdaana Lehsun Chutney
Nimbu ka Achaar (lime pickle)
Toasty Paneer Sandwich
Saving an extra salty curry.
Paneer Paratha
Mughlai Chicken
Daal
Demystifying Indian Cuisine
Minty Yogurt Dip
Ginger Chicken
Sambar Masala
Moong Daal Halwa
Shahi Tukra
Time Saving Cooking Tips
Gaajar Ka Halwa
Cham-Cham
Goan Fish Curry
Ras Malai
Bread Pakoda Sandwich
Gobhi Methi
Paav Bhaaji Masala
Makki Ki Roti
Papdi Chaat
Summer Drink Recipes
Bhelpuri
Fish Hara Masala
South Indian Cuisine
Masala Chaas
Kayree Panha

Elephant robs motorists in India - CNN.com

Elephant robs motorists in India - CNN.com: "Elephant robs motorists in India"
NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) -- An elephant in eastern India has sparked complaints from motorists who accuse it of blocking traffic and refusing to allow vehicles to pass unless drivers give it food, a newspaper has reported.
The Hindustan Times said Monday the elephant was scouting for food on a highway in the eastern state of Orissa, forcing motorists to roll down their windows and get out of the car.
"The tusker then inserts its trunk inside the vehicle and sniffs for food," local resident Prabodh Mohanty, who has come across the elephant twice, was quoted as saying.
"If you are carrying vegetables and banana inside your vehicle, then it will gulp them and allow you to go."
If a commuter does not wind down his window or resists opening the vehicle door, the elephant stands in front of the car until the driver allows him to carry out his routine inspection.
Forestry officials told the newspaper that the elephant is old and is therefore looking for easy food.
"So far, it has not harmed anybody," said Sirish Mohanty, a forest ranger working in the state.
"We are telling commuters regularly not to tease the elephant. But if people don't heed to our advice and harass the tusker, then it can retaliate."
Elephants are a protected and endangered species in India, which has nearly half of the world's 60,000 Asian elephants.
But conservationists say its population has fallen rapidly in recent years because of loss of habitat as a result of human encroachment into forest areas.


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Sunday, May 27, 2007

The Truth Behind This Month's Blue Moon - Yahoo! News

The Truth Behind This Month's Blue Moon - Yahoo! News: "The Truth Behind This Month's Blue Moon "
Thursday, May 31 brings us the second of two full Moons for North Americans this month. Some almanacs and calendars assert that when two full Moons occur within a calendar month, that the second full Moon is called the "Blue Moon."
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The full Moon that night will likely look no different than any other full Moon. But the Moon can change color in certain conditions.
After forest fires or volcanic eruptions, the Moon can appear to take on a bluish or even lavender hue. Soot and ash particles, deposited high in the Earth's atmosphere can sometimes make the Moon appear bluish. Smoke from widespread forest fire activity in western Canada created a blue Moon across eastern North America in late September 1950. In the aftermath of the massive eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in June 1991 there were reports of blue moons (and even blue Suns) worldwide.
Origin of the term
The phrase "Once in a blue Moon" was first noted in 1824 and refers to occurrences that are uncommon, though not truly rare. Yet, to have two full Moons in the same month is not as uncommon as one might think. In fact, it occurs, on average, about every 32 months. And in the year 1999, it occurred twice in a span of just three months!
For the longest time no one seemed to have a clue as to where the "Blue Moon Rule" originated. Many years ago in the pages of Natural History magazine, I speculated that the rule might have evolved out of the fact that the word "belewe" came from the Old English, meaning, "to betray." "Perhaps," I suggested, "the second full Moon is 'belewe' because it betrays the usual perception of one full moon per month."
But as innovative as my explanation was, it turned out to be completely wrong.
More mistakes
It was not until the year 1999 that the origin of the calendrical term "Blue Moon" was at long last discovered. It was during the time frame from 1932 through 1957 that the Maine Farmers' Almanac suggested that if one of the four seasons (winter, spring, summer or fall) contained four full Moons instead of the usual three, that the third full Moon should be called a "Blue Moon."
But thanks to a couple of misinterpretations of this arcane rule, first by a writer in a 1946 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine, and much later, in 1980 in a syndicated radio program, it now appears that the second full Moon in a month is the one that's now popularly accepted as the definition of a "Blue Moon."
This time around, the Moon will turn full on May 31 at 9:04 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (6:04 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time).
But for those living in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, that same full Moon occurs after midnight, on the calendar date of June 1. So in these regions of world, this will not be second of two full Moons in May, but the first of two full Moons in June. So, if (for example) you live London, you'll have to wait until June 30 to declare that the Moon is "officially" blue.
Top 10 Cool Moon Facts
Sky Calendar & Moon Phases
Astrophotography 101
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York.
Original Story: The Truth Behind This Month's Blue Moon
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Friday, May 25, 2007

Rhinos running out of space - conservationists - Yahoo! News

Rhinos running out of space - conservationists - Yahoo! News: "Rhinos running out of space - conservationists "
LAOWKHOWA, India (Reuters) - With their numbers on the rise, the endangered great one-horn rhinoceroses in India's main national rhino park are running out of space as authorities delay sending them to other reserves, conservationists say.

"Rhinos are facing a space crunch," Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, co-chairman of the Asian Rhino Specialist Group, told Reuters.
"Their area of occupancy continues to grow smaller and there is the possibility of their stepping out of the protected area and getting killed."
The endangered animals are found mostly in eastern India and neighbouring Nepal. The largest group lives amidst the muddy ponds and tall elephant grass of Assam's Kaziranga National Park, home to more than 1,800 rhinos.
But even as the number of rhinos there has increased, the parkland available to them has shrunk by about 50 square km in less than a decade, to 430 square km. Land has been eroded and wetlands have silted over.
The government said in 2005 it would move some of Kaziranga's rhinos to repopulate seven other existing conservation parks in the state in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund and International Rhino Foundation.
But that project has been delayed. Most of the other parks lost their resident rhinos to poachers and encroachers. The latter razed the rhinos' jungle habitat to make way for farmland.
"The authorities need a reality check fast before it is too late to save the rhinos," Talukdar said.
Security in Kaziranga is weak, with seven animals killed by poachers so far in 2007.
"We are trying our best to restore the rhinos' habitats in Assam but it will take some time," said Rockybul Hussain, Assam's environment minister, but he would not say exactly how much time.

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Thursday, May 24, 2007

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Tomato-killing virus detected in Calif. - Yahoo! News

Tomato-killing virus detected in Calif. - Yahoo! News: "Tomato-killing virus detected in Calif. "
SACRAMENTO - An insect-borne virus that has killed tomato plants across Central America, Florida and Georgia has been detected in California for the first time.
The virus, known as tomato yellow leaf curl, devastated crops in the Dominican Republican and in Mexico, forcing those countries to curtail the growing season to contain the spread of the disease.
Tomatoes are California's eighth largest crop. The state supplies the vast majority of the nation's processed tomatoes — 95 percent, according to the California Tomato Growers Association.
In Arkansas, federal statistics show about 1,200 acres of tomatoes were harvested last year.
"Where this virus is present, it will absolutely kill the tomatoes," said Ross Siragusa, president of the association, which represents farmers who supply the state's $2 billion a year processed tomato industry. "It's a very difficult disease to fight."
California has some natural advantages in stopping the disease from spreading that other locales lack.
The cold, wet winters in the Central Valley, where most tomatoes are grown, act as barriers to the bemisia white flies that carry the disease. The flies are native to Imperial, Riverside and San Diego counties in the southern part of the state, but not to any counties in the Central Valley.
"We're cautiously optimistic that those conditions are going to be very unfavorable to establishment of the virus," said Robert Gilbertson, a plant pathologist at the University of California, Davis.
The diseased plants were found in March at a greenhouse in Brawley, which is near the border with Mexico. Experts do not know how the virus spread there. It could have been brought by tomato transplants from Mexico or Texas. Or the virus could have been carried by bemisia flies.
The virus causes tomato plants to become stunted and grow abnormally upright. Flowers usually fall off before the fruit sets. And leaves are small and crumpled with an upward curl. They also turn yellow.
Experts say growers or backyard gardeners who detect the disease should destroy the infected plants and look for the flies. If bemesia flies are present, the disease is likely to be spreading fast, and the entire field may have to be destroyed and treated with insecticide. Nearby weeds also can carry the virus and may have to be sprayed.
In Florida, where the virus has become well established, Gilbertson said growers have had to make heavy use of pesticides and have planted tomato varieties that are more resistant to the disease. But flies may become resistant to the pesticides over time.
Siragusa said his group has alerted growers, greenhouses and seed companies that the virus has spread to California. But, he said, controlling the virus will be especially hard because so many tomatoes are grown in backyards.

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Chicken Breasts Parmesan on Yahoo! Food

Chicken Breasts Parmesan on Yahoo! Food: "Chicken Breasts Parmesan"


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Monday, May 21, 2007

India Recipe: "Today's Special

India Recipe: "Today's Special

Today's Special
Stir-fried Paneer
Malai Prawn
Chivda
Vada Pav
Rasam - Pepper Water
Coconut Chutney (south Indian)
Top Cooking Tips
Sarson Ka Saag
Sikkim Tomato Achaar
Authentic Recipes From India
Dahi Vada
Indian Snacks
Dahi Bhindi
Lachcha Paratha
Lentil Recipes
Murg Kata Masala
Besan Ka Laddoo
An Easier Nut To Crack!
Chicken Curry
Baingan-Aaloo Ki Subji
Kala Punjabi Chana
Gaajar Ka Halwa
Beginner's Guide
Paav Bhaaji Masala
Burmese Khow Suey
Baida Roti (egg roll)
Hara Masala (green spice mix)
Bihari Kabab
Dhabey Ka Khana
Tandoori Paneer Tikka

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The Sexiest Women Over 35 - MSN Lifestyle: Men

The Sexiest Women Over 35 - MSN Lifestyle: Men: "The Sexiest Women Over 35"

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Polar bears at risk as warming thaws icy home - Yahoo! News

Polar bears at risk as warming thaws icy home - Yahoo! News: "Polar bears at risk as warming thaws icy home "
LONGYEARBYEN (Reuters) - Time may be running out for polar bears as global warming melts the ice beneath their paws.

Restrictions or bans on hunting in recent decades have helped protect many populations of the iconic Arctic carnivore, but many experts say the long-term outlook is bleak.
An estimated 20,000-25,000 bears live around the Arctic -- in Canada, Russia, Alaska, Greenland and Norway -- and countries are struggling to work out ways to protect them amid forecasts of an accelerating thaw.
"There will be big reductions in numbers if the ice melts," Jon Aars, a polar bear expert at the Norwegian Polar Institute, said by the fjord in Longyearbyen on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, about 1,000 km (600 miles) from the North Pole.
Unusually for this time of year, the fjord is ice free.
Many restaurants and shops in Longyearbyen, a settlement of 1,800 people, have a stuffed polar bear or pelt -- often shot before a hunting ban from the early 1970s. Self-defense is now the only excuse for killing a bear.
Many scientific studies project that warming, widely blamed on emissions of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, could melt the polar ice cap in summer, with estimates of the break-up ranging from decades to sometime beyond 2100.
Bears' favorite hunting ground is the edge of the ice where they use white fur as camouflage to catch seals.
"If there's no ice, there's no way they can catch the seal," said Sarah James of the Gwich'in Council International who lives in Alaska. "Gwich'in" means "people of the caribou," which is the main source of food for about 7,000 indigenous people in Alaska and Canada.
THREATENED
U.S.
President George W. Bush' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> President George W. Bush's administration is due to decide in January 2008 whether to list polar bears as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.
That would bar the government from taking any action jeopardizing the animals' existence and environmentalists say it would spur debate about tougher U.S. measures to curb industrial emissions.
The World Conservation Union last year listed the polar bear as "vulnerable" and said the population might fall by 30 percent over the next 45 years. Bears also suffer from chemical contaminants that lodge in their fat.
Some indigenous peoples, who rely on hunts, say many bear populations seem robust.
"The Russians thought there's more polar bears that they're seeing in their communities, so they felt that it's not an endangered species," said Megan Alvanna-Stimpfle, chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Youth Council, of an area of Arctic Russia.
"But if we're talking about the future and there's no ice, then they are," she said.
And some reports say the melt may be quickening.
"Arctic sea ice is melting at a significantly faster rate than projected by most computer models," the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center said in a report on April 30.
It said it could thaw earlier than projected by the U.N. climate panel, whose scenarios say the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in summers any time between about 2050 to well beyond 2100.
An eight-nation report by 250 experts in 2004 said "polar bears are unlikely to survive as a species if there is an almost complete loss of summer sea-ice cover."
Paal Prestrud, head of the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo who was a vice-chair of that study, said there was no Arctic-wide sign of a fall in numbers.
But there were declines in population and reduced weights among females in the Western Hudson Bay area in Canada, at the southern end of the bears' range where summer ice has been breaking up earlier.
Mitchell Taylor, manager of wildlife research at the Inuit-sponsored environmental research department in Nunavut, Canada, said some bears in region had simply moved north.
HUNTERS
"Hunters in many regions say they are seeing increases," he said. "It's clear that the ice is changing but it's not at all clear that the trend will continue."
Prestrud said the fate of polar bears may hinge on whether they adapt to survive longer on land in summers. In the Hudson Bay, bears often go for months without food, scavenging on birds' eggs or even on berries and roots.
"Otherwise they will end up in zoos," he said.
Aars, however, said the bears had survived temperature swings in the past: "I hear far too often that within 100 years polar bears could be extinct," he told a group of climate students in Longyearbyen.
"You will still have bays with ice for many months a year where polar bears can live," he said.
On Svalbard, bears may have become less scared of people since the hunting ban, and are more likely to see them as a meal. Aars' recommendation: don't show you are scared.
"You start shouting, or use flare shots to make a noise. Most polar bears get scared if you behave in the right way. But you have to act from the start. If you show weakness you are in trouble."


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Rome zoo breeds rare Egyptian tortoises - Yahoo! News

Rome zoo breeds rare Egyptian tortoises - Yahoo! News: "Rome zoo breeds rare Egyptian tortoises "

ROME - Rome's main zoo has successfully bred several rare Egyptian tortoises whose parents were rescued from a smuggler's suitcase in 2005, officials said.
The first egg hatched in April, six more followed this month, and there are still several eggs waiting to hatch, said Stefano Micarelli, the head reptile keeper at Rome's Biopark zoo.
"These animals are so rare in nature that we are trying to breed them so we can have a stock of these animals also in captivity," he told AP Television News.
The Egyptian tortoise, known as Testudo Kleinmanni, is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES. It is an Appendix I reptile, meaning it is afforded the highest protection. Trade in such animals, many of which are threatened with extinction, is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.
The Egyptian tortoises, distinctive by their small size and golden hue, are very difficult to maintain in captivity, requiring the very warm and dry temperatures they find in their native desert habitats. Currently they are found primarily in Libya.
On Oct. 26, 2005, authorities at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport became suspicious when they noticed a passenger on a flight from Libya waiting impatiently for his luggage. They stopped to check his luggage, and found 275 of the rare tortoises, all but four of whom were alive, packed in a bag.
Ivan Severoni, an investigator with the forest rangers, said the tortoises were destined for illegal traffickers in southern and central Italy who can command hundreds of dollars for each living specimen.
"We did some investigations after we sequestered these animals, and we discovered that the people who were transporting and selling these tortoises were not aware of what they were selling, their rarity and their economic value," he said.
Breeders at Rome's Biopark had tried for two years to breed the surviving tortoises, but without success until this spring. Micarelli said the Italian government was working with Libyan officials to return some of the tortoises to the Tripoli zoo.

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British fashion industry probes health issues for models - Yahoo! News

British fashion industry probes health issues for models - Yahoo! News: "British fashion industry probes health issues for models"
LONDON (AFP) - Britain's fashion industry launched an inquiry Monday aimed at establishing health guidelines for supermodels in the wake of an international controversy over super-skinny "size-zero" models.
Guidelines for British employers of catwalk models will be drawn up in time for London Fashion Week (LFW) in September to help them tackle "any material size-related health concerns," an inquiry spokesman said.
In examining steps to ensure the good health of LFW models and how to implement, enforce and assess the measures, panelists will study the approaches of other fashion capitals like New York, Paris, Milan and Madrid, he said.
The independent Model Health Inquiry -- composed of model managers, designers and supermodels -- will make recommendations that will not be binding but are likely to prove influential.
"I will certainly be surprised if having asked us to do this they (the fashion industry) do not seek to implement our proposals," said Baroness Denise Kingsmill, who is chairing the probe.
"It is time, in a way, for the fashion industry to grow up," she said.
"It is a real and a very important industry and the people working within it have to be taken seriously and have to be treated well.
"It is a very important part of the global economy," she said. "It is an important chunk of our leisure, retail and tourism industries."
Also sitting on the panel are Sarah Doukas, founder of Storm Model Management, British model Erin O'Connor and designers Betty Jackson and Giles Deacon.
The British Fashion Council, an industry body which organises London Fashion Week, had written to designers before a week of shows in February, asking them to use only healthy-looking models over 16 years old.
Hovever, it has stopped short of following the lead of authorities in Italy and Spain by imposing a ban on the skinniest models.

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Bride turns down "dark" groom - Yahoo! News

Bride turns down "dark" groom - Yahoo! News: "Bride turns down 'dark' groom "
PATNA, India (Reuters) - Turned down for marriage due to his dark complexion, an Indian man staged a hunger strike outside his would be bride's house for two days before she finally relented, an official said Saturday.
Saral Prasad, the 23-year-old groom in eastern Bihar state, said he would not budge from the girl's village home after she refused to marry him earlier this week in an arranged marriage because he was too dark.
Rajani, 19, changed her mind after two days and the couple got married, Arun Kumar Mishra, a village council official said.
"We were all taken by surprise but Rajani was finally moved by the gesture of the young man and married him," Mishra said.
Most Indian women, especially those in rural areas, often have no choice in matters of marriage, and are coerced into it by relatives and parents.

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Belgians find tomb of ancient Egypt courtier - Yahoo! News

Belgians find tomb of ancient Egypt courtier - Yahoo! News: "Belgians find tomb of ancient Egypt courtier "
CAIRO (Reuters) - Belgian archaeologists have discovered the intact tomb of an Egyptian courtier who lived about 4,000 years ago, Egypt's culture ministry said on Sunday.
The team from Leuven Catholic University accidentally found the tomb, one of the best preserved of its time, while excavating a later burial site at the Deir al-Barsha necropolis near the Nile Valley town of Minya, south of Cairo.
The tomb belonged to Henu, an estate manager and high-ranking official during the first intermediate period, which lasted from 2181 to 2050 BC and was a time of political chaos in ancient Egypt.
The archaeologists found Henu's mummy wrapped in linen in a large wooden coffin and a sarcophagus decorated with hieroglyphic texts addressed to the gods Anubis and Osiris.
The tomb contained well-preserved painted wooden statuettes of workers making bricks, women making beer and pounding cereal, and a model of a boat with rowers, a ministry statement said.
"The statuettes (are of) the best quality of their time. They are characterized by realistic touches and unusual details such as the dirty hands and feet of the brick makers," the statement said, quoting Belgian team leader Harco Willems.
Minya is 225 km (140 miles) south of Cairo.

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Nepal begins census of endangered rhinos - Yahoo! News

Nepal begins census of endangered rhinos - Yahoo! News: "Nepal begins census of endangered rhinos "
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal has begun a census of the endangered Great One-horned Rhinoceros population in a wildlife reserve where sightings of the majestic animal have become rarer, a national parks official said on Sunday.
Rhino experts riding elephants will be combing the Bardiya National Park and Wildlife Reserve, 320 km (200 miles) southwest of Kathmandu, where 83 rhinos from another reserve have been released since 1984.
Officials said dozens of rhinos, which face extinction in the wild, appeared to have gone missing from part of the reserve, the Babai Valley, in recent years amid nationwide violence sparked by a bloody Maoist rebellion.
"We'll look for the animals for two weeks after which we'll come out with how many of them are still alive, how many have been killed or swept away by rivers," national park official Omkar Joshi told Reuters by telephone.
"This will help us know the post-conflict situation."
Conservationists say rhino poaching increased after authorities closed down security posts due to threats from Maoists who targeted soldiers.
With the Maoists now in government under a peace deal, authorities have begun reopening security posts in parks.
Rhino parts and horns are in high demand for traditional medicines in China as they are believed to have aphrodisiac qualities, wildlife experts say.
Between 2000 and 2005, the rhino population in the Chitwan National Park in central Nepal, their biggest refuge in the Himalayan nation, fell from 544 to 372. The Kaziranga National Park, in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, is their only other home.


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Friday, May 18, 2007

BBCHindi.com: "जहाज़ के मलबे में मिला खज़ाना"

BBCHindi.com: "जहाज़ के मलबे में मिला खज़ाना"
समुद्र में डूबे पुराने जहाज़ों को खोजने वाली एक अमरीकी टीम को अटलांटिक सागर में एक जहाज़ से भारी मात्रा में सोने और चांदी के सिक्के मिले हैं.
ओडिसी मैरीन खोजी दल का कहना है कि उन्हें पहली बार इतना बड़ा खजाना मिला है जिसमें हज़ारों चांदी के सिक्के और सैकड़ों सोने के सिक्के हैं. इसके अलावा काफी मात्रा में सोने की अन्य सामग्री भी है.
यह जहाज़ काफी पुराना है जो अटलांटिक में डूबा हुआ था.
ओडिसी टीम के ग्रेग स्टेम कहते हैं ' सोने के सिक्के अद्भुत है और किसी देश के बनाए लगते हैं. '
हालांकि टीम ने यह नहीं बताया है कि यह टूटा हुआ जहाज़ कहां मिला है. उन्होंने इस जहाज़ को कूटनाम ब्लैक स्वैन दिया है और उनका कहना है कि सुरक्षा कारणों से वो जहाज़ का स्थान नहीं बता सकते.
ओडिसी टीम में कई सदस्य हैं जो इस खज़ाने के मिलने से बेहद प्रसन्न हैं
टीम ने 17 टन चांदी के सिक्के और अन्य सामान अमरीका भेज दिया है जहां विशेषज्ञों की एक टीम इसकी जांच करेगी.
इस छुपे हुए खजाने का पता पानी के अंदर जाने वाले रोबोट के ज़रिए लगाया गया है.
ओडिसी टीम का कहना है कि जिस स्थान पर जहाज़ मिला है वो ऐतिहासिक रुप से महत्वपूर्ण है और इस जहाज़ से उस समय के सामाजिक जीवन का पता चल सकता है.
टीम के एक और सदस्य जॉन मॉरिस कहते हैं ' हमारे शोध से पता चलता है कि इस इलाक़े में कई ऐसे जहाज़ हैं जो औपनिवेशिक काल के दौरान डूबे हैं इसलिए हम अभी नहीं बता सकते कि ये कौन सा जहाज़ है. '
उनका कहना है कि यह जहाज़ और इसके मिलने का स्थान दुनिया के इतिहास का एक महत्वपूर्ण अध्याय बन सकता है.

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Vegetable Lasagna on Yahoo! Food

Vegetable Lasagna on Yahoo! Food: "Vegetable Lasagna"

1 (32 ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 (10 ounce) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
6 cups store-bought or homemade tomato sauce
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 pound fontina cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add spinach, and stir well to combine.
Spread a small bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish or dishes. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the remaining sauce; sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat to make two more layers, ending with cheese. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Before baking, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.
Yield: 8 servings


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Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Unfair Treatment Can Harm the Heart - Yahoo! News

Unfair Treatment Can Harm the Heart - Yahoo! News: "Unfair Treatment Can Harm the Heart "
TUESDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- A nagging sense of being unfairly treated at work or at home can raise a person's risk of heart attack, British researchers report.
Researchers at University College London analyzed responses from a few thousand senior civil servants working for the British government in London. On a scale of 1 to 6 (1 equals "strongly disagree" and 6 equals "strongly agree"), the workers were asked to rate their response to the statement: "I often have the feeling that I am being treated unfairly."
Scores of 1 or 2 were rated as low, scores of 3 or 4 were moderate, and those of 5 or 6 were high.
The workers were tracked for an average of 11 years. During that time, 64 of the 966 people in the low category had either a heart attack or experienced angina, compared with 98 of 1,368 in the moderate category and 51 of 567 in the high category.
People with the strongest feelings of being treated unfairly were 55 percent more likely than those in the moderate category and twice as likely as those in the low category to have serious heart disease, the study found.
Women and people with lower incomes and status were much more likely than others to feel they were being treated unfairly, the researchers added. Feelings of unfair treatment were also associated with higher levels of poor physical and mental health.
Fairness is an important factor in promoting a healthier society, the U.K. team concluded. They published their findings in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
More information
The U.S.


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Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Pollution turns Taj Mahal yellow - CNN.com

Pollution turns Taj Mahal yellow - CNN.com: "Pollution turns Taj Mahal yellow"
NEW DELHI, India (AP) -- One of India's most iconic structures and one of the world's most visited landmarks is getting dirty, and some want to get it even dirtier.
India's 17th century mausoleum, the Taj Mahal, is renowned for the paleness of its marble, but these days it looks more yellow than white.
A report Monday by a parliamentary panel blamed air pollution, saying the Taj Mahal is encrusted with "suspended particulate matter," or granules of dirt and soot found in high levels in the air around the site in the city of Agra.
"The deposition of SPM on the shimmering white marble of the Taj Mahal imparts yellow tinge to the marble surface," the report said.
To restore the monument to its pristine glory, the panel recommended packing it in mud, a process used on the Taj Mahal in the past.
The treatment takes about two months and involves caking the domed edifice in mud and letting it dry before washing the clay off. As the mud dries, it absorbs the dirty buildup.
The restoration costs $230,000 and will need to be repeated every two or three years, said P. Dayalan, superintendent of the Archaeological Survey of India in Agra, which maintains the monument.
The Taj Mahal was built by the Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1654 for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It houses their graves and a mosque, as well as several other graves of lesser Mogul royalty.
Some 3 million tourists visit the mausoleum every year.
To prevent pollution, visitors must park nearly two miles away and take battery-run buses or horse-drawn carriages to the site.

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Monday, May 14, 2007

Simple Lasagna with Hearty Tomato-Meat Sauce on Yahoo! Food

Simple Lasagna with Hearty Tomato-Meat Sauce on Yahoo! Food: "Simple Lasagna with Hearty Tomato-Meat Sauce"


1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
6 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
1/3 pound ground beef chuck
1/3 pound ground veal (see note)
1/3 pound ground pork
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
15 ounces ricotta cheese (whole milk or part skim)
2 1/2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
16 ounces whole milk mozzarella, shredded
Nutrition Info
Per Serving
Calories: 819 kcal
Carbohydrates: 62 g
Dietary Fiber: 6 g
Fat: 41 g
Protein: 52 g
Sugars: 16 g
About: Nutrition Info
Powered by: ESHA Nutrient Database
2. Cooking Directions
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat oil in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add ground meats, salt, and pepper; cook, breaking meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until meat loses its raw color but has not browned, about 4 minutes. Add cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and only fat remains, about 4 minutes. Add pureed and drained diced tomatoes and bring to simmer; reduce heat to low and simmer slowly until flavors are blended, about 3 minutes; set sauce aside. (Sauce can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat before assembling lasagna.)
Mix ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, egg, salt, and pepper in medium bowl with fork until well-combined and creamy; set aside.
Smear entire bottom of 9- by 13-inch baking dish with 1/4 cup meat sauce. Place 3 noodles on top of sauce. Drop 3 tablespoons ricotta mixture down center of each noodle. Level by pressing flat with back of measuring spoon. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded mozzarella. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce evenly over cheese.
Repeat layering of noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, and sauce two more times. Place 3 remaining noodles on top of sauce, spread remaining sauce over noodles, sprinkle with remaining cup mozzarella, then with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Lightly spray a large sheet of foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover lasagna. Bake 15 minutes, then remove foil. Return lasagna to oven and continue to bake until cheese is spotty brown and sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes longer. Cool lasagna about 10 minutes; cut into pieces and serve.
Yield: 6 servings
3. Still Hungry?
No-boil noodles and a quick meat sauce that cooks in just 15 minutes are the secrets of our streamlined lasagna recipe.
Notes:
Note
If you cannot find meatloaf mixture for the sauce, or if you choose not to eat veal, substitute 1/2 pound ground beef and 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, for the meatloaf mixture. The assembled, unbaked lasagna, if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil, will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. To bake, defrost it in the refrigerator for a day or two and bake as directed, extending the baking time by about 5 minutes.
More Recipes Like This
Rigatoni with Sirloin and Gorgonzola Sauce
Baked Shells with Pesto, Mozzarella, and Meat Sauce
Perciatelli with Meat Sauce and Fontina

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Everyday Dinners on Yahoo! Food Seven easy dinners

Everyday Dinners on Yahoo! Food


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Webb telescope to look back in time - CNN.com

Webb telescope to look back in time - CNN.com: "Webb telescope to look back in time"
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The James Webb Space Telescope, intended to peer deep into the cosmos from beyond the moon, is progressing well in development and is on track for a planned June 2013 launch, officials said on Thursday.
Edward Weiler, head of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said after cost overruns a couple of years ago, the project has met every technical, cost and schedule milestone for the past 20 months. The launch date already has slipped from 2011.
The Webb telescope is envisioned as the first of a new generation of space observatories, set to orbit nearly a million miles from Earth to allow scientists to look further into the universe than ever before in five decades of space exploration.
Scientists hope the new telescope can collect data on the early universe after the Big Bang, and on planets outside our solar system, including evidence of whether life might exist on them.
Officials from NASA and Northrop Grumman Corp., the defense contractor building the telescope, described its progress during an outdoor news conference on the National Mall.
"We're making excellent progress in meeting all of our plans and commitments for a mid-2013 launch," said Martin Mohan, Northrop Grumman's program manager, adding that NASA has endorsed all 10 new technologies developed for the telescope.
Standing in the shadow of a full-scale model of the telescope measuring 80 feet long, 40 feet wide and 40 feet tall, Mohan said, "There's engineering to do, but invention is done, more than six years ahead of launch."
Weiler said the telescope will cost $4.5 billion including development, deployment and operations through 10 years after launch. He said Hubble has cost between $7 billion and $8 billion, adding that the Webb project is far ahead of where Hubble was at a similar time in development in the 1980s.
The Webb telescope will be more powerful and capable than the aging Hubble, which has greatly expanded the understanding of the cosmos since its launch in 1990. The Webb is due to be placed in a more distant orbit beyond the moon.
The Webb telescope will be given a primary mirror whose surface is about six times the size of the one on Hubble. It will also have infrared-sensing cameras and spectrographs.
The future of Hubble is in doubt because the space shuttle program is winding down in the coming years and the telescope needs manned maintenance missions to continue operations.
The Webb will not be as serviceable by astronauts as the Hubble but is being designed so that a future spacecraft can dock with it to try to correct simple problems, Weiler said.

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FOX Sports - NASCAR - Patrick feels more pressure for third Indy 500

FOX Sports - NASCAR - Patrick feels more pressure for third Indy 500: "Patrick feels more pressure for third Indy 500"
I guess I do feel more pressure this year," Patrick said on Wednesday. "It's many things that contribute to that, though. As the years go on, you get more impatient. You just want to go out there and run up front."
Danica-mania hit the Indianapolis 500 two years ago, when she was the first woman to lead the race and finished fourth. She was the Indy rookie of the year and won three poles later that season, but never managed a finish better than fourth. She left Rahal Letterman Racing after last season and joined talent-laden Andretti Green as a teammate of Michael and Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti.
Photo Gallery...Danica on track ... and off it
Through the first four races this season, Patrick is eighth in Indy Racing League points and is coming off her best finish of seventh at Kansas Speedway.
"It was definitely a frustrating year last year, driving better but not finishing better," she said. "There are many people who have invested into me and into performing well and winning races, so I want to return that. I want to do it more for me than them, though."
Patrick was sixth fastest on Tuesday in the first full day of practice for the May 27 race, turning a top lap of 224.457 mph (361.21 kph).
Rain delayed the start of practice on Wednesday, three days before pole qualifying.
"There's less excuses," Patrick said. "The team is better prepared, I believe. It will happen and people still believe that, and that's a good thing. It's not like anybody's saying, 'Well, maybe you can't.' I haven't heard that yet. So that's very positive. I know it's a matter of time and a matter of everything falling into place at the right time."
Last year at Indy, Patrick qualified 10th and ran as high as fifth, but handling problems kept her out of contention most of the race and she finished eighth. She matched her career best with fourth-place finishes at Nashville and Milwaukee.
"Unfortunately, the first year I had a fast car but not as much experience; the next year I had more experience and I was prepared as a driver more, but the car was bad," Patrick said. "As we get comfortable with each other on the team that I'm at now, it will come."
The best finish by a woman in an IndyCar race was second by Sarah Fisher at Homestead, Florida in 2001. Fisher and Venezuelan rookie Milka Duno also are entered at Indy.
-->
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Sunday, May 13, 2007

India wakes up to e-waste as economy booms - Yahoo! News

NEW DELHI (AFP) - Environmentalists, alarmed by surging demand for consumer gadgets in India, are pushing manufacturers to tackle mounting piles of hazardous electronic waste.
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India's 300-million strong middle class is grabbing gadgets as global competition pushes down costs of electronics which a decade ago were beyond the reach of many households.
"We're raising the red flag," said Vinuta Gopal, spokeswoman of the Indian chapter of environmental group Greenpeace International.
"India is producing semi-conductors, manufacturing components and the computer sector is seeing a meteoric rise," she said.
"Most of these products are made with hazardous chemicals... if the industry doesn't take responsibility and the government doesn't fulfil its leadership role... then e-waste will blow up on our faces," she said.
India, which annually spews 146,000 tonnes of e-waste, has no specific legislation but recently widened an eight-year-old anti-pollution law to handle the problem.
"E-waste is regulated under these rules," junior environment minister N.M. Meena told parliament earlier this month but added that an exercise had also begun to monitor electronic garbage.
"The Central Pollution Control Board has undertaken a study for preparation of a 'guideline-document' for the sound recycling of e-waste," he said.
But environmentalists called for stronger measures.
"Mere guidelines are not enough to tackle e-waste and what we need are clear-cut policies and rules on re-cycling, waste management infrastructure and investment," said Rajiv Agarwal, director of the Toxics Link environmental forum.
"The government is shying away from taking firm action because it does not want a framework of regulations for the IT industry," Agarwal told AFP.
Global consultancy firm Frost and Sullivan estimates India's electronics industry will grow by 30 percent annually to 2.5 billion dollars in 2010.
"The industry in India is buzzing with activity," said Sathyamurthy Sabarinath, a technology analyst at Frost and Sullivan.
The growth is propelled by burgeoning demand for telecom equipment as well as an astronomical demand for computers in India where 25 million people join the middle class every year.
The computer industry is worth seven billion dollars with 90 percent of the production meant for the domestic market, according to official estimates.
Frost and Sullivan warned the industry would need to work out methods to handle e-waste.
India's Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology (MAIT) said it was launching a project involving India, the
European Union' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> European Union and Switzerland to "help, adapt and facilitate waste processing units" that would take up to five years to complete.
However, the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka, hub of India's IT industry, have already set up independent processing units to recycle hazardous wastes, said MAIT president Winnie Mehta.
"In Europe it was a consumer-driven movement but the challenge here is that guidelines are required to ensure that what goes inside is not hazardous as well as rules to determine the end of lifespans of products," Mehta said.
India's largest cities -- Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi -- alone generate 29,000 tonnes of e-waste annually, a chunk of which finds its way to smaller towns where it is cannibalised for anything of value, pollution control officials said.
"This secondary market feeds a hazardous recycling industry which is unregulated and impossible to tackle at this stage," said a senior official at the Central Pollution Control Board, the national pollution watchdog.


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Friday, May 11, 2007

SNACK THIEVES ARE BUSTED BY CREATIVE CO-WORKERS - Yahoo! News

SNACK THIEVES ARE BUSTED BY CREATIVE CO-WORKERS - Yahoo! News: "SNACK THIEVES ARE BUSTED BY CREATIVE CO-WORKERS"
DEAR ABBY: I couldn't help but add my two cents to the letter you printed from "Hungry in Madison Heights, Mich." (March 2), about the supervisor who stole everyone's food, candy, etc.
At my job, we had the same problem. "Dan" would open people's drawers and eat whatever he found, too. He would even go into lunch bags. It didn't matter if you were sitting there or not -- if it was food, he was into it!
One day a man who worked with him opened his desk drawer and realized that a tiny field mouse had gnawed through the wrapper of his candy bar and eaten part of it. He took the bar out of his desk and left it sitting there while he went to find someone to take care of the mouse. While he was gone, Dan entered his office, saw the candy, and took and ate it! Everyone except me was upset about him eating something that a mouse had nibbled. I was glad! Needless to say, Dan never took what wasn't his again. -- MAUREEN IN WEST CHICAGO
DEAR MAUREEN: When I printed that letter from "Hungry," I had no idea how pervasive the problem is. Some readers suggested that the supervisor suffered from a compulsive eating disorder or undiagnosed diabetes. Others said he was simply a jerk. And here's how they dealt with it:
DEAR ABBY: My husband was plagued by a co-worker who ate treats from his desk. I told him to set out some "cookies" I had just purchased at Petco. They look exactly like human cream cookies. My husband left them out when he knew the offender would be around, and then left the office. When he returned, sure enough -- the cookies were gone. Nothing was ever said, but he never raided my husband's desk again. -- GAYLE IN PORT ORCHARD, WASH.
DEAR ABBY: I have a rather naughty solution for "Hungry in Madison Heights." Place a bowl of sugar-free candy on his desk. I guarantee the supervisor won't dip into it more than once before he learns about the way sorbitol acts on one's digestive system. -- NANCY IN FOWLER, OHIO
DEAR ABBY: That letter brought back a memory that made me laugh. In order to prevent her brothers from chowing down on her personal snacks, my youngest daughter would -- in full view of them -- lightly lick the top of the cookies, container of popcorn, etc. After that, they wouldn't touch it! -- CAROL IN BEACON FALLS, CONN.
DEAR ABBY: That supervisor is nothing more than a bully. He's using his position as their boss to belittle them and crush their egos into submission. He's stealing from them and damaging production potential by creating a hostile workplace. Perhaps if Human Resources saw the damage done in dollar signs, they would have been more helpful and paid attention to the complaints in the first place.
The afflicted workers should sign statements attesting to what he has been doing and send them en masse to the man's supervisor. If nothing is done or retaliation occurs, legal action should be set in motion. -- BULLIED ONCE IN BUFFALO
DEAR ABBY: If "Hungry's" co-workers are imaginative, the next time the supervisor opens a candy box in their desk drawers, the man will find six or eight copies of your column inside. -- DALE IN EL CERRITO, CALIF.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ucda/lf_ucda/storytext/snackthievesarebustedbycreativecoworkers/22937909/SIG=11l4adkmd/*http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/dearabby_form.html or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
For an excellent guide to becoming a better conversationalist and a more attractive person, order "How to Be Popular." Send a business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $6 (U.S. funds only) to: Dear Abby Popularity Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Postage is included.)

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Thursday, May 10, 2007

Big cat baby boom keeps Mexican zoo busy - Yahoo! News

Big cat baby boom keeps Mexican zoo busy - Yahoo! News: "Big cat baby boom keeps Mexican zoo busy "
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (Reuters) - Keepers at a Mexican zoo are bottle-feeding round the clock after four big cats gave birth to nine cubs in two months, among them a rare white tiger.
Three 20-day-old Bengal tiger cubs, including the white female named Brisa, romp around a grassy enclosure while two lion cubs, a baby jaguar and three other tiger cubs frolic and chew each other's ears in a nearby wooden pen.
The arrival of six Bengals, three each from different parents, is rare and Brisa is a coup for the endangered white Bengal tiger which often fails to survive in the wild for its lack of camouflage.
The owners of family-run Zoologico de Vallarta, set deep inside virgin jungle in the Pacific coast state of Jalisco, say there is no big secret behind the rash of births -- just a propitious natural environment and lots of hands-on care.
"The zoo is magical. It's situated in such a precious area which is almost completely the animals' natural habitat, and that has a lot to do with why they procreate happily and naturally," said veterinarian Xochitl Nicteja, who is bottle-feeding the youngest cubs with milk every two hours.
"If you observe the animals they are very comfortable. You can see they enjoy their habitat, and the love and care we give them, so the rest of it is up to them."
The 350 animals at the 5-hectare (12-acre) zoo, set in 59 hectares of tropical forest filled with monkey shrieks and birdsong, range from hippos to flamingos. Many seem almost tame.
Visitors, many of them tourists from the nearby resort of Puerto Vallarta, can buy feed on their way in and get close to many of the animals.
"It's not often you get to scratch a lion's belly," said Canadian Mike Whitner, cuddling one of the cubs.
Behind him, an American woman squealed as a baby tiger clawed its way up her leg.
The Vallarta Zoo was opened in 2005 with a focus on breeding endangered Mexican species like jaguars and wolves.

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Tuesday, May 08, 2007

King Herod's tomb may have been found - Yahoo! News

King Herod's tomb may have been found - Yahoo! News: "King Herod's tomb may have been found "
JERUSALEM - An Israeli archaeologist on Tuesday said he has found remnants of the tomb of King Herod, the legendary builder of ancient Jerusalem, on a flattened hilltop in the Judean Desert where the biblical monarch built a palace.
Hebrew University archaeologist Ehud Netzer said the tomb was found at Herodium, a site where he has been exploring since the 1970s.
Netzer said a team of researchers found pieces of a limestone sarcophagus believed to belong to the ancient king. Although there were no bones in the container, he said the sarcophagus' location and ornate appearance indicated it is Herod's.
"It's a sarcophagus we don't just see anywhere," Netzer said at a news conference. "It is something very special."
Netzer led the team, although he said he was not on the site when the sarcophagus was found.
Stephen Pfann, an expert in the Second Temple period at the University of the Holy Land, called the find a "major discovery by all means," but cautioned further research is needed.
He said all signs indicate the tomb belongs to Herod, but said ruins with an inscription on it were needed for full verification.
"We're moving in the right direction. It will be clinched once we have an inscription that bears his name," said Pfann, a textual scholar who did not participate in Netzer's dig.
The fragments of carved limestone found at the sandy site are decorated with floral motives, but do not include any inscriptions.
Herod became the ruler of the Holy Land under the Romans around 40 B.C. The wall he built around the Old City of Jerusalem during the time of the Jewish Second Temple is the one that can be seen today. He also undertook massive construction projects in Caesaria, Jericho, the hilltop fortress of Massada and other locations.
It has long been assumed that Herod was buried at Herodium, but decades of excavations failed to turn up the site until now. The first century historian Josephus Flavius described the tomb and Herod's funeral procession.
Herodium was one of the last strong points held by Jewish rebels fighting against the Romans, and it was conquered and destroyed by Roman forces in A.D. 71, a year after they destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
Hebrew University had hoped to keep the find a secret until Netzer's news conference on Tuesday. But the university announced the find in a brief statement late Monday after the Haaretz daily found out about the discovery and published an article on its Web site.

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Monday, May 07, 2007

Giant exploding star outshines previous supernovas - CNN.com

Giant exploding star outshines previous supernovas - CNN.com: "Giant exploding star outshines previous supernovas"

By Marsha Walton CNN
Adjust font size:
(CNN) -- Scientists have just released images of the brightest stellar explosion recorded.
The supernova, known as SN 2006gy, was believed to be about 150 times as massive as the sun.
The explosion could help astronomers better understand how the first generation of stars in the universe died.
"This supernova stands out as the brightest supernova that's ever been observed," said Nathan Smith, astrophysicist at the University of California at Berkeley. (Animation shows the violent death of a star)
"The reason we're so excited is because it was so powerful we think it may require a new type of explosion mechanism that we've never observed before," said Smith at a news conference from NASA headquarters in Washington.
A supernova is a rare and often dramatic phenomenon that involves the explosion of most of the material within a star. Supernovas can be very bright for a short time and usually release huge amounts of energy.
A graduate student using a robotic telescope that was part of the Texas Supernova Search project first detected SN 2006gy on September 18, 2006.
For about 70 days it got brighter, peaking with a brightness comparable to 50 billion suns, much brighter than most other supernovas. Supernovas are usually bright for a couple of weeks at most.
Astronomers captured the star's demise using NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and ground- based telescopes at the Lick Observatory in California and the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. The explosion was estimated about 238 million light years away from Earth.
Scientists believe supernova SN 2006gy expelled many of its outer layers in an eruption before its violent collapse.
When it exploded, it plowed into the cooler gases that had already been expelled, creating the brightest light show ever from a supernova.
Mario Livio, astrophysicist from the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, calls the discovery "extraordinarily intriguing" for a theorist such as himself.
"We may be learning something entirely new about how massive stars explode," said Livio.
"We are seeing a new type of explosion that has so far only existed in theory, and we believe the first stars in the universe exploded by this mechanism. It may provide a new lesson in the evolution of stars, and a star in our own galaxy may do the same thing tomorrow," he said.
Astronomers say the star that became SN 2006gy expelled a large amount of its mass before it exploded. A huge star in the Milky Way, Eta Carinae, has already erupted in a similar fashion. So if it explodes as a supernova, it could present the best light show seen, because it is a mere 7,500 light years away from our planet.
The orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory, which began its mission July 23, 1999, can detect and capture images of X-ray sources that are billions of light years away. Scientists all over the world use it to get insight about high temperature events, such as black holes and collapsed stars that are millions of degrees Celsius.
Chandra is the largest satellite deployed from the space shuttle. The observatory was named after Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the Indian-American astrophysicist who worked at the University of Chicago and won the 1983 Nobel prize in physics. "Chandra" means "moon" or "luminous" in the Sanskrit language.


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FOX Sports - MLB - Clemens to join Yankees ... again

FOX Sports - MLB - Clemens to join Yankees ... again: "Clemens to join Yankees ... again "



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Friday, May 04, 2007

Wal-Mart plans for 2008 India wholesale launch - May. 4, 2007

Wal-Mart plans for 2008 India wholesale launch - May. 4, 2007: "Wal-Mart plans 2008 India wholesale launch
World's largest retailer hopes to expand to 75 Indian cities after five to seven years in the country."



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Sixth-grader admits stabbing ducks with pencil - CNN.com

Sixth-grader admits stabbing ducks with pencil - CNN.com: "Sixth-grader admits stabbing ducks with pencil"


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A R Rahman to judge music show

A R Rahman to judge music show: "A R Rahman to judge music show"


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Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Britney Spears takes baby step back on stage - CNN.com

Britney Spears takes baby step back on stage - CNN.com: "Britney Spears takes baby step back on
stage"
SAN DIEGO, California (AP) -- Britney Spears strutted her way back to center stage with a short, sexy set at the House of Blues believed to be her first public concert appearance in nearly three years.
Spears, ripped for her recent highly public forays into midnight carousing, appeared to be back in top form.
The 25-year-old mother of two went onstage late Tuesday wearing nothing more than knee-high go-go boots with a short white skirt and a sparkly pink bra top that showed off her belly button ring -- and no evidence of the weight gain that landed her on celebrity tabloid covers last year. A long brown wig completed the outfit, covering the head she shaved in February. (Watch fans cheer for Spears )
She launched a short set with her classic "... Baby One More Time," using a cafe chair as a burlesque prop while she pranced around the small club stage backed up by four dancers.
"She's so good!" yelled San Diego hairstylist Ally Murray, 29, as Spears showed off her aerobic choreography.
Spears sped through the songs -- all standards from her earlier albums -- wrapping up after less than 15 minutes. She gave a shy goodbye before an old Madonna song came on over the sound system. "Thanks everyone for coming," she told the packed club.
The comeback didn't hit a high note for everyone, some of whom paid upward of $125 a ticket.
"It looked like she lip-synched her way through the whole thing," said a disappointed Morgan Segall, 20, who flew in from San Francisco for the night.
The performance, under heavy club security, was shrouded in mystery. The club marquee advertised a show by "The M&Ms," and it wasn't until an hour after the doors opened that a disc jockey mentioned Spears' name, prompting shrieks from girls jammed in front of the stage.
Rumors of a Spears show had spread on the Internet and via local radio stations late last week, prompting a run on tickets by die-hard fans.
Spears' last concert tour ended in summer 2004. Earlier this year, she told fans she hoped for career comeback.
"I look forward to coming back this year bigger and better than ever," Spears wrote on her Web site in January, also noting she'd "been far from perfect."
"Whatever, we love her," said Raul Flores, 22, who waved a foam placard of his favorite pop star at the club exit. "She's amazing."
In March, Spears completed a stint at a luxury Malibu rehabilitation treatment facility after a series of run-ins with the paparazzi that included a stop at a San Fernando Valley hair salon, where she was caught on video shearing her own locks. Other photographs splashed across the Internet appeared to reveal Spears went out partying wearing nothing underneath her short skirts.
She was seen going out with Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan after filing for divorce from aspiring rapper Kevin Federline last November, just two months after giving birth to their second child, Jayden James. The pair also have an older son, Sean Preston, now 20 months.
The two reached a divorce settlement in March.
At one point in the show, Spears and her posse played at taunting a male dancer who, dressed in a natty gray suit, looked vaguely like Federline.
"The M&Ms" had two other concerts scheduled at House of Blues venues in Southern California -- one in Anaheim on Wednesday and the other Thursday in West Hollywood -- according to the club's Web site.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Probe shows Jupiter up close and personal - CNN.com

Probe shows Jupiter up close and personal - CNN.com: "Probe shows Jupiter up close and personal"
CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) -- Small moons are acting as shepherds using their gravity to herd dust and boulders in Jupiter's faint rings, NASA scientists reported Tuesday.
The finding is one of several discoveries made from images captured in late February by the New Horizons probe in what NASA scientists called "a real-world fly-by" of Jupiter, 16 months into its mission to Pluto.
They also got the closest look yet at the "Little Red Spot," an Earth-sized swirling storm that scientists described as a galactic rendition of Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night" painting, and dramatic views of volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon Io.
These postcards from Jupiter were taken by the piano-sized robotic probe's seven cameras as it came within 1.4 million miles of Jupiter February 28. About 70 percent of the data has been relayed to Earth so far.
The close encounter allowed New Horizons to make use of Jupiter's gravity to shave three years from its travel time to Pluto. It is expected to arrive in 2015.
The encounter with Jupiter "was a chance to practice ... before the rubber hits the road" with Pluto, Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator, told a televised news briefing.
Pictures of Jupiter's faint rings revealed the moons Metis and Adrastea herding rocks with their gravitational pull.
"The boulder-sized particles are definitely being controlled by these shepherding satellites," Jeff Moore of the NASA Ames Research Center in California told the briefing.
Also spied was what appeared to be remnants of an object that had recently collided with the rings. "Individual clusters of particles in the rings is a really new discovery," Moore said.
On Jupiter's volcanic moon Io, New Horizons revealed an umbrella-shaped plume rising 200 miles into space from the volcano Tvashtar.
"It's really exciting that it performed for us," said John Spencer of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. "Galileo was orbiting for six years and we never saw plumes like that," he said, referring to an earlier mission. The probe also revealed a mystery volcano, so young its lava has just reached Io's surface, but has yet to emit enough gas to produce a plume.
"We're seeing the birth of a new volcano here," Spencer said. In about eight years, the mission will produce the closest-ever views of Pluto and the hundreds of other icy objects in the distant Kuiper belt region. But for now, the NASA scientists are happy with the test drive. "I think we're ready to rock and roll." Stern said.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



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Tuesday, May 01, 2007

A Cinco de Mayo Feast - The Magical Melting Pot on Yahoo! Food

A Cinco de Mayo Feast - The Magical Melting Pot on Yahoo! Food: "A Cinco de Mayo Feast"

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday that dates back to the 1860's in the town of Puebla, Mexico, when the townspeople defeated a French army, despite being significantly outnumbered. It has come to symbolize determination and the ability to prevail against difficult odds. The holiday has been embraced by Mexican Americans who celebrate in their cities with parades, music, dancing, and of course, traditional foods.
In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we've prepared a Mexican feast that can be made relatively quickly. For appetizers we have a delicious guacamole, chunks of chorizo hard sausage, and queso blanco (Mexican white cheese, somewhat similar to Monterey Jack). For the main course we have beef fajitas with flour tortillas and Mexican red rice. You can easily substitute shrimp or chicken for the beef, or if you're having a large crowd, you can make them all. I like to use a wok to make my fajitas, because it enables the meat and vegetables to brown nicely, rather than steam. For dessert we have polvorones de nuez (melt in your mouth nut cookies that are popular at Mexican celebrations, and are one of my very favorite cookies), and Mexican hot chocolate, spiced with cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, and a touch of cayenne. Enjoy!
Guacamole(for 8 people as an appetizer)
4 ripe Hass avocados1/2 cup finely diced sweet onion1 medium tomato, seeds removed and finely chopped Juice of 2 limes1 1/2 teaspoons salt4 tablespoons chopped cilantro (fresh coriander)1 serrano chile, seeds removed and finely chopped (optional)
1. Squeeze the lime juice into a little bowl.
2. Mash the avocados with a fork and place in a medium size bowl.
3. Add the lime juice, salt, chopped tomato, cilantro, and if you like a little heat, the chopped serrano chile.
4. Taste for salt and spice level. If you like, add more salt or serrano chile.
4. Serve in a bowl with tortilla chips on the side for dunking.
Fajitas(serves 6)
Beef (chicken or shrimp) and marinade1 1/2 lbs. beef round or skirt steak, cut in strips for stir fry (or chicken breast, cut in strips, or medium shrimp that have been peeled and deveined)Juice of 1 1/2 limes1 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon chili powder1 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 cloves finely minced garlic1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons olive oil for stir-fry
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (fresh coriander)
Vegetables and marinade 1 red bell pepper, cut in quarters, then cut in strips1 large onion, cut in half, then cut in slices1 tomato, seeds removed, then cut in strips 1 teaspoon of saltJuice of 1/2 lime1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon chili powder1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil for stir-fry
1. Combine the beef (chicken or shrimp) and their marinade ingredients. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. When ready to prepare, combine the vegetables and their marinade. Toss to coat well.
3. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large wok. When hot, add the vegetables and cook over medium high heat until lightly browned, but still a little crunchy.
4. Place sautéed vegetables in a bowl.
5. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil for the beef (chicken or fish) in the same wok. When hot, add the beef and stir-fry over high heat until cooked through. Reduce heat to medium, add the vegetables and chopped fresh cilantro to the wok, and toss to distribute evenly. Cook another two minutes.
6. Serve with flour tortillas.
Mexican Rice(serves 6)
2 cups long grain white rice3 tablespoons vegetable oil3 cloves finely chopped garlic3/4 cup finely chopped onion1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper1 28-ounce can diced tomatoesApproximately 3 cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 teaspoons salt
1. Heat the vegetable oil in a wide pot.
2. When hot, add the chopped garlic, onion, and green pepper. Cook over medium heat, until the onion turns translucent, but not brown.
3. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook approximately 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the diced tomatoes. (Reserve the liquid.)
5. Measure the remaining tomato liquid from the can and add enough chicken broth to equal 4 cups total.
6. Add the liquid, salt, and ground cumin to the pot. Stir and cover. Simmer over medium low heat approximately 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.
Mexican Nut Cookies(makes about 3 dozen cookies)
1 cup butter, softened1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for "dusting"1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 cups flour1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter. Then in order, add the salt, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, vanilla, flour, and chopped nuts.
3. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
4. The most common shape is a 1-inch size ball, however, crescents and ring shapes are also popular. Form the dough into the shape you prefer and place on the baking sheet.
5. Bake approximately 15 minutes for the ball, and slightly less for the crescents and rings. The cookies should be a light golden brown when done. Leave on the cookie sheets until cool, but still slightly warm. If you proceed to the dusting stage while the cookies are hot, they may crumble and fall apart. If you wait until they're cold, the powdered sugar won't adhere as well.
6. To dust with powdered sugar, place about 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a pie plate. Place several cookies on the plate and sprinkle powdered sugar over them using a sieve or strainer. Store in an airtight tin.
Mexican Hot Chocolate(4 6-ounce servings, or 3 8-ounce servings)
3 cups milk(If available) 3 tablets of Mexican chocolate such as Ibarra, Abuelita, or Moctezuma brands, often found in the hispanic foods section of your grocery store
If not available you can make your own chocolate blend using:3 1-ounce squares of semi-sweet baking chocolate2 cinnamon sticks6 whole cloves1 teaspoon vanilla extractA "pinch" of cayenne pepper (if you like spice)
1. In a double boiler, heat the milk and chocolate tablets, or if you're making your own, the semi-sweet chocolate, cinnamon sticks, cloves, vanilla, and optional cayenne. If adding the cayenne, use just a pinch, because a little can create a lot of heat!
2. Stir until the chocolate is melted and uniformly incorporated. If making your own chocolate, strain the liquid to remove the cloves and cinnamon sticks.


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