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lucky accident

2007-01-19T21:24:00.000-05:00

'Plutoed' chosen as '06 Word of the Year

2007-01-08T04:47:00.000-05:00

'Plutoed' chosen as '06 Word of the Year
Sun Jan 7, 8:38 PM ET

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Pluto is finally getting some respect — not from astronomers, but from wordsmiths.

"Plutoed" was chosen 2006's Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society at its annual meeting Friday.

To "pluto" is "to demote or devalue someone or something," much like what happened to the former planet last year when the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union decided Pluto didn't meet its definition of a planet.

"Our members believe the great emotional reaction of the public to the demotion of Pluto shows the importance of Pluto as a name," said society president Cleveland Evans. "We may no longer believe in the Roman god Pluto, but we still have a sense of personal connection with the former planet."

"Plutoed" won in a runoff against "climate canary," defined as "an organism or species whose poor health or declining numbers hint at a larger environmental catastrophe on the horizon."

Other words considered: murse (man's purse), flog (a fake blog that promotes products) and macaca (an American citizen treated as an alien).

Republican former Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record) was ahead in his re-election campaign when he said "macaca," which some regard as a racial slur, and "welcome to America" in referring to a U.S.-born man of Indian descent who was volunteering for Allen's opponent. Allen lost to Democrat Jim Webb.

The 117-year-old American Dialect Society comprises linguists, grammarians, historians and independent scholars, among others. Members conduct the vote for fun and not in an official capacity to induct words into the English language.

The society chose "truthiness" as its top word last year. The word is credited to Comedy Central satirist Stephen Colbert, who defined it as "truth that comes from the gut, not books."

Last month, an online survey by dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster declared "truthiness" the word of the year for 2006.

How to make roses from maple leaves | haha.nu - a lifestyle blogzine

2006-10-23T05:26:00.000-04:00

How to make roses from maple leaves | haha.nu - a lifestyle blogzine
How to make roses from maple leaves...

n7w: Register Vote

2006-10-17T23:04:00.000-04:00

n7w: Register Vote:
You have voted for these candidates

Alhambra

Chichen Itza

Colosseum

Great Wall

Neuschwanstein Castle

Pyramids of Giza

Taj Mahal

Giant Panda in China rips off man's jacket

2006-09-20T21:17:00.000-04:00

China: Tourist has jacket ripped off his back by Giant Panda in open cage at Nature Reserve dedicated to survival of the endangered species
02 Nov 1992

A recent visitor to a Chinese zoo had a narrow escape when his jacket was torn off his back by a giant panda.
The visitor to Chengdu Zoo sat with his back against the panda's railings for a picture to be taken. His jacket attracted the 75-kilogram (165 pound) panda's attention and the creature grabbed it, while the man was held by his friends, setting up a 'tug of war'.
Eventually, the panda got the jacket, then rolled around nuzzling it, to the delight of some onlookers.
Future prospects for giant pandas have just been strengthened by a Chinese 10-year plan that will cost about 50 million United States dollars.
Officials have realised that more funds are needed to save the panda, which could otherwise become extinct in 50 years time.

Only 1,000 giant pandas are believed to be alive today.

Officals in Chengdu have the greatest success in breeding captive giant pandas.

Keywords: Panda, China, animals, baby, cute, sweet, rare, funny, naughty, zoo, unusual.
Reuters 6916/93

Kauai Postcards, test

2006-09-19T05:21:00.000-04:00

Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health - KYTA Bulletin Highlights :

2006-09-05T23:16:00.000-04:00

Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health - KYTA Bulletin Highlights :
Pregnancy is a wonderful time for a woman to start a yoga practice because she's already inwardly focused and in her body. For pregnant women, the gentle practice of Kripalu Yoga is ideal for becoming more aware of body and breath and learning relaxation techniques for pregnancy, labor, and delivery. However, teachers should be aware of certain precautions and contraindications. The following guidelines will help you provide a safe yoga experience for pregnant women.

* If a student becomes pregnant and wants to stay with your class rather than switching to a prenatal yoga class, you'll need to pay particular attention to her practice. Unless she's very familiar with yoga and with her body, she may push too hard or attempt postures that could be harmful.
* The risk of miscarriage is greatest in the first trimester of pregnancy. Most miscarriages are caused by genetic disorders, not the actions of the mother. However, your students should be under the care of a physician or midwife and if they experience spotting or cramping, they should let their practitioner know and stop all activity until told otherwise.
* Dirgha and ujjayi breath and nadi sodhana are fine to practice and are helpful for keeping the abdomen toned. The practice of dirgha breath may be more difficult because of the enlargement of the uterus and the rearrangement of other organs to accommodate it.
* Kapalabhati in both its forms is a precaution throughout the entire pregnancy—during the first trimester because the embryo is not firmly planted in the uterus and after that because it brings increased energy and heat to the abdominal region.
* Hot or vigorous yoga experiences are not recommended because of the danger of overheating.
* Contracting and releasing the perineum (kegels), as in core lift, is great for toning the pelvic floor and helpful in delivery and restoring muscle tone after the birth.
* Encourage sounding. Releasing the throat during labor can help to open the cervix. Chanting Om, the vowel sounds or another mantraÃ¢â‚¬â€perhaps a lullabyÃ¢â‚¬â€can help relax the throat.
* Belly-down postures are contraindicated after the first trimester. You can modify some of these postures by practicing them on hands and knees. When practicing backbends in this position, pay attention to how far the back sways with regard to the increased weight on the abdomen and the muscles of the back. Be aware that there is already quite a bit of stretching in the abdominal region and encourage your students to stay within their comfort zone.
* Postures practiced while lying on the back are contraindicated after the second trimester. In the supine position, the inferior vena cava, which runs down the right side of the back and returns blood to the heart, is compressed by the weight of the uterus. This is true whether or not the woman is uncomfortable in this position. For some women, lying on the back becomes uncomfortable well before the third trimester; encourage her to listen to her body. Modify Savasana by having your students lie on the left side with a pillow under the head and between the legs.
* Avoid constricting the belly in twists and forward bends. Many of these postures can be done by opening the legs wider.
* Pregnancy causes an increase in the amount of blood in the body and can lead to high blood pressure. Therefore, long holdings, especially in strenuous postures, inversions, or with the arms overhead can be a precaution.
* Toward the end of pregnancy, a woman's center of gravity changes rapidly. For balancing postures, have her stand near a wall or chair so support is available if needed. Working with balance in yoga class can help improve her balance during daily activities.
* Also toward the end of the pregnancy, hormones are released which loosen the ligaments. At this stage, be very careful not to overstretch, particularly in the pelvic area. Postures such as Warrior I and Pigeon should be practiced with care and entered only partway. Pigeon should be practiced with the heel underneath the buttock so the knee does not turn out to the side.
* For students who experience leg cramps, particularly at night, recommend stretching the calf muscles before bed. For a student who is confined to bed, suggest ankle exercises, dirgha pranayama and sounding.
* Most of all, encourage your students to attune to the child in class and in their lives and to revel in this time of growth and joy.

Telephone telepathy -- I was just thinking about you - Yahoo! News

2006-09-05T19:22:00.000-04:00

Telephone telepathy -- I was just thinking about you - Yahoo! News

Telephone telepathy -- I was just thinking about you

Tue Sep 5, 9:29 AM ET

Many people have experienced the phenomenon of receiving a telephone call from someone shortly after thinking about them -- now a scientist says he has proof of what he calls telephone telepathy.

Rupert Sheldrake, whose research is funded by the respected Trinity College, Cambridge, said on Tuesday he had conducted experiments that proved that such precognition existed for telephone calls and even e-mails.

Each person in the trials was asked to give researchers names and phone numbers of four relatives or friends. These were then called at random and told to ring the subject who had to identify the caller before answering the phone.

"The hit rate was 45 percent, well above the 25 percent you would have expected," he told the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. "The odds against this being a chance effect are 1,000 billion to one."

He said he found the same result with people being asked to name one of four people sending them an e-mail before it had landed.

However, his sample was small on both trials -- just 63 people for the controlled telephone experiment and 50 for the email -- and only four subjects were actually filmed in the phone study and five in the email, prompting some scepticism.

Undeterred, Sheldrake -- who believes in the interconnectedness of all minds within a social grouping -- said that he was extending his experiments to see if the phenomenon also worked for mobile phone text messages.

Milwaukee is named 'Drunkest City' - Yahoo! News

2006-08-24T16:35:00.000-04:00

Milwaukee is named 'Drunkest City' - Yahoo! News: "Milwaukee is named 'Drunkest City'

1 hour, 44 minutes ago

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee has been ranked by Forbes.com as 'America's Drunkest City' on a list of 35 major metropolitan areas ranked for their drinking habits.

Forbes said Tuesday it used numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to rank cities in five areas: state laws, number of drinkers, number of heavy drinkers, number of binge drinkers and alcoholism.

Minneapolis-St. Paul was ranked second overall; followed by Columbus, Ohio; Boston; Austin, Texas; Chicago; Cleveland; Pittsburgh and then Philadelphia and Providence, R.I., in a tie for ninth.

Rick DeMeyer, 28, said Wednesday as he was celebrating his birthday at G-Daddy's BBC he could understand Milwaukee's ranking.

'I have had people stay with me from London and Chicago, and they can't get over how much we drink,' he said. 'I guess we do.'

But officials at Visit Milwaukee, the area's convention and visitors bureau, contend that the city has come a long way in ridding itself of its beer-guzzling image.

Milwaukeeans have plenty of other ways to entertain themselves without drinking alcohol, said Dave Fantle, a spokesman for the group. He noted a new convention center and baseball park had been built and the Milwaukee Art Museum expanded in recent years.

'We've gone from Brew City to new city,' he said."

Bloomberg.com: Muse

2006-08-22T04:25:00.000-04:00

Bloomberg.com: Muse
Rare Ferrari Sells for $5.61 Million, Misses Expected Record

By Rochelle Garner

Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- A 1958 Ferrari driven by racing legends Phil Hill and Richie Ginther sold for $5.61 million in Monterey, California, falling short of the record price for an automobile sold at auction in North America.

The Ferrari 412 S was sold late yesterday during the Monterey Classic Car weekend, an annual gathering of wealthy automobile owners and other racing enthusiasts. RM Auctions Inc., which handled the sale, estimated the car's value at $7 million and $9 million, above the current record. RM declined to divulge the name of the buyer or seller.

The sale places the Ferrari fourth among the most-expensive cars sold at auction in North America, according to Portland, Oregon-based Sports Car Market magazine, which keeps tracks of automobile auctions around the world.

``The estimate was optimistic,'' Keith Martin, Sports Car Market publisher, said in an interview from Monterey after the sale. ``The auction houses want the bragging rights for the most- expensive car of the weekend. This lower selling price doesn't say anything about the market in general.''

The top-priced vintage car auctioned on the continent is a 1931 Bugatti Royale Berline de Voyager that sold for $6.5 million in 1986, according to Sports Car Market. The Ferrari sold in Monterey is as famous in racing circles for its 400-horsepower engine as for the curvaceous, red body of chassis No. 0744.

``The collectors who race vintage cars tend to be very competitive and want a car that will win,'' Michael Fairbairn, partner and cofounder of Blenheim, Ontario-based RM Auctions, said in an interview before the sale. ``This is among the most powerful of the 12-cylinder engines.''

The Ferrari sports car was among hundreds of vintage automobiles put before the gavel by six auction houses during the four-day event on the central California coast. Auction prices include a commission that's typically 10 percent on top of the number when the gavel hits.

``The value of rare collectible cars is holding strong,'' Martin said in an interview. ``Investors have become discerning and knowledgeable about the cars they buy. They also tend to have a lot of money, so they're not buying with the intention of selling later for a profit. That means it's harder to buy a car than it is to sell one.''

Both Hill and Ginther drove the Ferrari in competition in 1958. Hill became America's first Grand Prix champion. Ginther was one of his Ferrari teammates.

The Bugatti changed hands for $6.5 million, including commission, in 1986 in Reno, Nevada. Adjusted for inflation, the value of the sale would be $11.8 million, according to Sports Car Market.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rochelle Garner in San Francisco at rgarner4@bloomberg.net .

Spencer's Faerie Queene B5C2

2006-08-15T23:54:00.000-04:00

Spencer's Faerie Queene B5C2

The Faerie Queene: Book V

Canto II

Artegall heares of Florimell,
Does with the Pagan fight:
Him slaies, drownes Lady Munera
Does race her castle quight.

Nought is more honorable to a knight,
Ne better doth beseeme braue cheualry,
Then to defend the feeble in their right,
And wrong redresse in such as wend awry.
Whilome those great Heroes got thereby
Their greatest glory, for their rightfull deedes,
And place deserued with the Gods on hy.
Herein the noblesse of this knight exceedes,
Who now to perils great for iustice sake proceedes.

To which as he now was vppon the way,
He chaunst to meet a Dwarfe in hasty course;
Whom he requir'd his forward hast to stay,
Till he of tidings mote with him discourse.
Loth was the Dwarfe, yet did he stay perforse,
And gan of sundry newes his store to tell,
As to his memory they had recourse:
But chiefely of the fairest Florimell,
How she was found againe, and spousde to Marinell.

For this was Dony, Florimels owne Dwarfe,
Whom hauing lost (as ye haue heard whyleare)
And finding in the way the scattred scarfe,
The fortune of her life long time did feare.
But of her health when Artegall did heare,
And safe returne, he was full inly glad,
And askt him where, and when her bridale cheare
Should be solemniz'd: for if time he had,
He would be there, and honor to her spousall ad.

Within three daies (quoth hee) as I do here,
It will be at the Castle of the strond;
What time if naught me let, I will be there
To doe her seruice, so as I am bond.
But in my way a little here beyond
A cursed cruell Sarazin doth wonne,
That keepes a Bridges passage by strong hond,
And many errant Knights hath there fordonne;
That makes all men for feare that passage for to shonne.

What mister wight (quoth he) and how far hence
Is he, that doth to trauellers such harmes?
He is (said he) a man of great defence;
Expert in battell and in deedes of armes;
And more emboldned by the wicked charmes,
With which his daughter doth him still support;
Hauing great Lordships got and goodly farmes,
Through strong oppression of his powre extort;
By which he stil them holds, & keepes with strong effort.

And dayly he his wrongs encreaseth more,
For neuer wight he lets to passe that way,
Ouer his Bridge, albee he rich or poore,
But he him makes his passage-penny pay:
Else he doth hold him backe or beat away.
Thereto he hath a groome of euill guize,
Whose scalp is bare, that bondage doth bewray,
Which pols and pils the poore in piteous wize;
But he him selfe vppon th rich doth tyrannize.

His name is hight Pollente, rightly so
For that he is so puissant and strong,
That with his powre he all doth ouergo,
And makes them subiect to his mighty wrong;
And some by sleight he eke doth vnderfong.
For on a Bridge he custometh to fight,
Which is but narrow, but exceeding long;
And in the same are many trap fals pight,
Through which the rider downe doth fall through ouersight.

And vnderneath the same a riuer flowes,
That is both swift and dangerous deepe withall;
Into the which whomso he ouerthrowes,
All destitute of helpe doth headlong fall,
But he him selfe, through practise vsuall,
Leapes forth into the floud, and there assaies
His foe confused through his sodaine fall,
That horse and man he equally dismaies,
And either both them drownes, or trayterously slaies.

Then doth he take the spoile of them at will,
And to his daughter brings, that dwels thereby:
Who all that comes doth take, and therewith fill
The coffers of her wicked threasury;
Which she with wrongs hath heaped vp so hy,
That many Princes she in wealth exceedes,
And purchast all the countrey lying ny
With the reuenue of her plenteous meedes:
Her name is Munera, agreeing with her deedes.

Thereto she is full faire, and rich attired,
With golden hands and siluer feete beside,
That many Lords haue her to wife desired:
But she them all despiseth for great pride.
Now by my life (sayd he) and God to guide,
None other way will I this day betake,
But by that Bridge, whereas he doth abide:
Therefore me thither lead. No more he spake,
But thitherward forthright his ready way did make.

Vnto the place he came within a while,
Where on the Bridge he ready armed saw
The Sarazin, awayting for some spoile.
Who as they to the passage gan to draw,
A villaine to them came with scull all raw,
That passage money did of them require,
According to the custome of their law.
To whom he aunswerd wroth, Loe there thy hire;
And with that word him strooke, that streight he did expire.

Which when the Pagan saw, he wexed wroth,
And streight him selfe vnto the fight addrest,
Ne was Sir Artegall behinde: so both
Together ran with ready speares in rest.
Right in the midst, whereas they brest to brest
Should meete, a trap was letten downe to fall
Into the floud: streight leapt the Carle vnblest,
Well weening that his foe was falne withall:
But he was well aware, and leapt before his fall.

There being both together in the floud,
They each at other tyrannously flew;
Ne ought the water cooled their whot bloud,
But rather in them kindled choler new.
But there the Paynim, who that vse well knew
To fight in water, great aduantage had,
That oftentimes him nigh he ouerthrew:
And eke the courser, whereuppon he rad,
Could swim like to a fish, whiles he his backe bestrad.

Which oddes when as Sir Artegall espide,
He saw no way, but close with him in hast;
And to him driuing strongly downe the tide,
Vppon his iron coller griped fast,
That with the straint his wesand nigh he brast.
There they together stroue and struggled long,
Either the other from his steede to cast;
Ne euer Artegall his griple strong
For any thing wold slacke, but still vppon him hong.

As when a Dolphin and a Sele are met,
In the wide champian of the Ocean plaine:
With cruell chaufe their courages they whet,
The maysterdome of each by force to gaine,
And dreadfull battaile twixt them do darraine:
They snuf, they snort, they bo˜uce, they rage, they rore,
That all the sea disturbed with their traine,
Doth frie with fome aboue the surges hore.
Such was betwixt these two the troublesome vprore.

So Artegall at length him forst forsake
His horses backe, for dread of being drownd,
And to his handy swimming him betake.
Eftsoones him selfe he from his hold vnbownd,
And then no ods at all in him he fownd:
For Artegall in swimming skilfull was,
And durst the depth of any water sownd.
So ought each Knight, that vse of perill has,
In swimming be expert through waters force to pas.

Then very doubtfull was the warres euent,
Vncertaine whether had the better side:
For both were skild in that experiment,
And both in armes well traind and throughly tride.
But Artegall was better breath'd beside,
And towards th'end, grew greater in his might,
That his faint foe no longer could abide
His puissance, ne beare him selfe vpright,
But from the water to the land betooke his flight.

But Artegall pursewd him still so neare,
With bright Chrysaor in his cruell hand,
That as his head he gan a litle reare
Aboue the brincke, to tread vpon the land,
He smote it off, that tumbling on the strand
It bit the earth for very fell despight,
And gnashed with his teeth, as if he band
High God, whose goodnesse he despaired quight,
Or curst the hand, which did that vengeace on him dight.

His corps was carried downe along the Lee,
Whose waters with his filthy bloud it stayned:
But his blasphemous head, that all might see,
He pitcht vpon a pole on high ordayned;
Where many years it afterwards remayned,
To be a mirrour to all mighty men,
In whose right hands great power is contayned,
That none of them the feeble ouerren,
But alwaies doe their powre within iust compasse pen.

That done, vnto the Castle he did wend,
In which the Paynims daughter did abide,
Guarded of many which did her defend:
Of whom he entrance sought, but was denide,
And with reprochfull blasphemy defide,
Beaten with stones downe from the battilment,
That he was forced to withdraw aside;
And bad his seruant Talus to inuent
Which way he enter might, without endangerment.

Eftsoones his Page drew to the Castle gate,
And with his iron flale at it let flie,
That all the warders it did sore amate,
The which erewhile spake so reprochfully,
And made them stoupe, that looked earst so hie.
Yet still he bet, and bounst vppon the dore,
And thundred strokes thereon so hideouslie,
That all the peece he shaked from the flore,
And filled all the house with feare and great vprore.

With noise whereof the Lady forth appeared
Vppon the Castle wall, and when she saw
The daungerous state, in which she stood, she feared
The sad effect of her neare ouerthrow;
And gan entreat that iron man below,
To cease his outrage, and him faire besought,
Sith neither force of stones which they did throw,
Nor powr of charms, which she against him wrought,
Might otherwise preuaile, or make him cease for ought.

But when as yet she saw him to proceede,
Vnmou'd with praiers, or with piteous thought,
She ment him to corrupt with goodly meede;
And causde great sackes with endlesse riches fraught,
Vnto the battilment to be vpbrought,
And powred forth ouer the Castle wall,
That she might win some time, though dearly bought
Whilest he to gathering of the gold did fall.
But he was nothing mou'd, nor tempted therewithall.

But still continu'd his assault the more,
And layd on load with his huge yron flaile,
That at the length he has yrent the dore,
And made way for his maister to assaile.
Who being entred, nought did then auaile
For wight, against his powre them selues to reare:
Each one did flie; their hearts began to faile,
And hid them selues in corners here and there;
And eke their dame halfe dead did hide her self for feare.

Long they her sought, yet no where could they finde her,
That sure they ween'd she was escapt away:
But Talus, that could like a limehound winde her,
And all things secrete wisely could bewray,
At length found out, whereas she hidden lay
Vnder an heape of gold. Thence he her drew
By the faire lockes, and fowly did array,
Withouten pitty of her goodly hew,
That Artegall him selfe her seemelesse plight did rew.

Yet for no pitty would he change the course
Of Iustice, which in Talus hand did lye;
Who rudely hayld her forth without remorse,
Still holding vp her suppliant hands on hye,
And kneeling at his feete submissiuely.
But he her suppliant hands, those hands of gold,
And eke her feete, those feete of siluer trye,
Which sought vnrighteousnesse, and iustice sold,
Chopt off, and nayld on high, that all might the behold.

Her selfe then tooke he by the sclender wast,
In vaine loud crying, and into the flood
Ouer the Castle wall adowne her cast,
And there her drowned in the durty mud:
But the streame washt away her guilty blood.
Thereafter all that mucky pelfe he tooke,
The spoile of peoples euill gotten good,
The which her sire had scrap't by hooke and crooke;
And burning all to ashes, powr'd it downe the brooke.

And lastly all that Castle quite he raced,
Euen from the sole of his foundation,
And all the hewen stones thereof defaced,
That there mote be no hope of reparation,
Nor memory thereof to any nation.
All which when Talus throughly had perfourmed,
Sir Artegall vndid the euill fashion,
And wicked customes of that Bridge refourmed.
Which done, vnto his former iourney he retourned.

In which they measur'd mickle weary way,
Till that at length nigh to the sea they drew;
By which as they did trauell on a day,
They saw before them, far as they could vew,
Full many people gathered in a crew:
Whose great assembly they did much admire,
For neuer there the like resort they knew.
So towardes them they coasted, to enquire
What thing so many nations met, did there desire.

There they beheld a mighty Gyant stand
Vpon a rocke, and holding forth on hie
An huge great paire of ballance in his hand,
With which he boasted in his surquedrie,
That all the world he would weigh equallie,
If ought he had the same to counterpoys.
For want whereof he weighed vanity,
And fild his ballaunce full of idle toys:
Yet was admired much of fooles, women, and boys.

He sayd that he would all the earth vptake,
And all the sea, deuided each from either:
So would he of the fire one ballaunce make,
And one of th'ayre, without or wind, or wether:
Then would he ballaunce heauen and hell together,
And all that did within them all containe;
Of all whose weight, he would not misse a fether.
And looke what surplus did of each remaine,
He would to his owne part restore the same againe.

For why, he sayd they all vnequall were,
And had encroched vppon others share,
Like as the sea (which plaine he shewed there)
Had worne the earth, so did the fire the aire;
So all the rest did others parts empaire.
And so were realmes and nations run awry.
All which he vndertooke for to repaire,
In sort as they were formed aunciently;
And all things would reduce vnto equality.

Therefore the vulgar did about him flocke,
And cluster thicke vnto his leasings vaine,
Like foolish flies about an hony crocke,
In hope by him great benefite to gaine,
And vncontrolled freedome to obtaine.
All which when Artegall did see, and heare,
How he mis-led the simple peoples traine,
In sdeignfull wize he drew vnto him neare,
And thus vnto him spake, without regard or feare;

Thou that presum'st to weigh the world anew,
And all things to an equall to restore,
In stead of right me seemes great wrong dost shew,
And far aboue thy forces pitch to sore.
For ere thou limit what is lesse or more
In euery thing, thou oughtest first to know,
What was the poyse of euery part of yore:
And looke then how much it doth ouerflow,
Or faile thereof, so much is more then iust to trow.

For at the first they all created were
In goodly measure, by their Makers might,
And weighed out in ballaunces so nere,
That not a dram was missing of their right,
The earth was in the middle centre pight,
In which it doth immoueable abide,
Hemd in with waters like a wall in sight;
And they with aire, that not a drop can slide:
Al which the heauens containe, & in their courses guide.

Such heauenly iustice doth among them raine,
That euery one doe know their certaine bound,
In which they doe these many yeares remaine,
And mongst them al no change hath yet beene found.
But if thou now shouldst weigh them new in pound,
We are not sure they would so long remaine:
All change is perillous, and all chaunce vnsound.
Therefore leaue off to weigh them all againe,
Till we may be assur'd they shall their course retaine.

Thou foolishe Elfe (said then the Gyant wroth)
Seest not, how badly all things present bee,
And each estate quite out of order go'th?
The sea it selfe doest thou not plainely see
Encroch vppon the land there vnder thee;
And th'earth it selfe how daily its increast,
By all that dying to it turned be?
Were it not good that wrong were then surceast,
And from the most, that some were giuen to the least?

Therefore I will throw downe these mountaines hie,
And make them leuell with the lowly plaine:
These towring rocks, which reach vnto the skie,
I will thrust downe into the deepest maine,
And as they were, them equalize againe.
Tyrants that make men subiect to their law,
I will suppresse, that they no more may raine;
And Lordings curbe, that commons ouer-aw;
And all the wealth of rich men to the poore will draw.

Of things vnseene how canst thou deeme aright,
Then answered the righteous Artegall,
Sith thou misdeem'st so much of things in sight?
What though the sea with waues continuall
Doe eate the earth, it is no more at all:
Ne is the earth the lesse, or loseth ought,
For whatsoeuer from one place doth fall,
Is with the tide vnto an other brought:
For there is nothing lost, that may be found, if sought.

Likewise the earth is not augmented more,
By all that dying into it doe fade.
For of the earth they formed were of yore;
How euer gay their blossome or their blade
Doe flourish now, they into dust shall vade.
What wrong then is it, if that when they die,
They turne to that, whereof they first were made?
All in the powre of their great Maker lie:
All creatures must obey the voice of the most hie.

They liue, they die, like as he doth ordaine,
Ne euer any asketh reason why.
The hils doe not the lowly dales disdaine;
The dales doe not the lofty hils enuy.
He maketh Kings to sit in souerainty;
He maketh subiects to their powre obay;
He pulleth downe, he setteth vp on hy;
He giues to this, from that he takes away.
For all we haue is his: what he list doe, he may.

What euer thing is done, by him is donne,
Ne any may his mighty will withstand;
Ne any may his soueraine power shonne,
Ne loose that he hath bound with stedfast band.
In vaine therefore doest thou now take in hand,
To call to count, or weigh his workes anew,
Whose counsels depth thou canst not vnderstand,
Sith of things subiect to thy daily vew
Thou doest not know the causes, nor their courses dew.

For take thy ballaunce, if thou be so wise,
And weigh the winde, that vnder heauen doth blow;
Or weigh the light, that in the East doth rise;
Or weigh the thought, that frõ mans mind doth flow.
But if the weight of these thou canst not show,
Weigh but one word which from thy lips doth fall.
For how canst thou those greater secrets know,
That doest not know the least thing of them all?
Ill can he rule the great, that cannot reach the small.

Therewith the Gyant much abashed sayd;
That he of little things made reckoning light,
Yet the least word that euer could be layd
Within his ballaunce, he could way aright.
Which is (sayd he) more heauy then in weight,
The right or wrong, the false or else the trew?
He answered, that he would try it streight,
So he the words into his ballaunce threw,
But streight the winged words out of his ballaunce flew.

Wroth wext he then, and sayd, that words were light,
Ne would within his ballaunce well abide.
But he could iustly weigh the wrong or right.
Well then, sayd Artegall, let it be tride.
First in one ballance set the true aside.
He did so first; and then the false he layd
In th'other scale; but still it downe did slide,
And by no meane could in the weight be stayd.
For by no meanes the false will with the truth be wayd.

Now take the right likewise, sayd Artegale,
And counterpeise the same with so much wrong.
So first the right he put into one scale;
And then the Gyant stroue with puissance strong
To fill the other scale with so much wrong.
But all the wrongs that he therein could lay,
Might not it peise; yet did he labour long,
And swat, and chauf'd, and proued euery way:
Yet all the wrongs could not a litle right downe lay.

Which when he saw, he greatly grew in rage,
And almost would his balances haue broken:
But Artegall him fairely gan asswage,
And said; Be not vpon thy balance wroken:
For they doe nought but right or wrong betoken;
But in the mind the doome of right must bee;
And so likewise of words, the which be spoken,
The eare must be the ballance, to decree
And iudge, whether with truth or falshood they agree.

But set the truth and set the right aside,
For they with wrong or falshood will not fare;
And put two wrongs together to be tride,
Or else two falses, of each equall share;
And then together doe them both compare.
For truth is one, and right is euer one.
So did he, and then plaine it did appeare,
Whether of them the greater were attone.
But right sate in the middest of the beame alone.

But he the right from thence did thrust away,
For it was not the right, which he did seeke;
But rather stroue extremities to way,
Th'one to diminish, th'other for to eeke.
For of the meane he greatly did misleeke.
Whom when so lewdly minded Talus found,
Approching nigh vnto him cheeke by cheeke,
He shouldered him from off the higher ground,
And down the rock him throwing, in the sea him dround.

Like as a ship, whom cruell tempest driues
Vpon a rocke with horrible dismay,
Her shattered ribs in thousand peeces riues,
And spoyling all her geares and goodly ray,
Does make her selfe misfortunes piteous pray.
So downe the cliffe the wretched Gyant tumbled;
His battred ballances in peeces lay,
His timbered bones all broken rudely rumbled:
So was the high aspyring with huge ruine humbled.

That when the people, which had there about
Long wayted, saw his sudden desolation,
They gan to gather in tumultuous rout,
And mutining, to stirre vp ciuill faction,
For certaine losse of so great expectation.
For well they hoped to haue got great good,
And wondrous riches by his innouation.
Therefore resoluing to reuenge his blood,
They rose in armes, and all in battell order stood.

Which lawlesse multitude him comming too
In warlike wise, when Artegall did vew,
He much was troubled, ne wist what to doo.
For loth he was his noble hands t'embrew
In the base blood of such a rascall crew;
And otherwise, if that he should retire,
He fear'd least they with shame would him pursew.
Therefore he Talus to them sent, t'inquire
The cause of their array, and truce for to desire.

But soone as they him nigh approching spide,
They gan with all their weapons him assay,
And rudely stroke at him on euery side:
Yet nought they could him hurt, ne ought dismay.
But when at them he with his flaile gan lay,
He like a swarme of flyes them ouerthrew;
Ne any of them durst come in his way,
But here and there before his presence flew,
And hid themselues in holes and bushes from his vew.

As when a Faulcon hath with nimble flight
Flowne at a flush of Ducks, foreby the brooke,
The trembling foule dismayd with dreadfull sight
Of death, the which them almost ouertooke,
Doe hide themselues from her astonying looke,
Amongst the flags and couert round about.
When Talus saw they all the field forsooke
And none appear'd of all that raskall rout,
To Artegall he turn'd, and went with him throughout.

Alfred Einstein - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2006-08-07T22:31:00.000-04:00

Alfred Einstein - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Alfred Einstein
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alfred Einstein (December 30, 1880 – February 13, 1952), was a German-American musicologist and music editor. He was noted as one of the widest-ranging music historians in the first half of the 20th century.

He was born in Munich. Though originally he studied law, he quickly realized his principal love was music, and acquired a doctorate at Munich University, focusing on instrumental music of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras, in particular music for the viola da gamba. In 1918 he became the first editor of the Zeitschrift für Musikwissenschaft; slightly later he became music critic for the Münchner Post; and in 1927 became music critic for the Berliner Tageblatt. In 1933, after Hitler's rise to power, he left Germany, moving first to London, then to Italy, and finally to the United States in 1939, where he held a succession of teaching jobs at universities including Smith College, Columbia University, Princeton University, the University of Michigan, and the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut.

Einstein not only researched and wrote detailed works on specific topics, but wrote popular histories of music, including the Short History of Music (1917), and Greatness in Music (1941). In addition, he published a revision of the Köchel catalog of Mozart's music (1937), and a comprehensive, three-volume set The Italian Madrigal (1949) on the secular Italian form, the first detailed study of the subject. His 1945 volume Mozart: His Character, His Work was a very influential study of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and is perhaps his best known book."

Did the second man on the moon say anything profound?

2006-08-03T14:00:00.000-04:00

Did the second man on the moon say anything profound?: "Beautiful, beautiful. Magnificent desolation."

Song of the Dunes/Chant des dunes

2006-07-17T14:35:00.000-04:00

Song of the Dunes/Chant des dunes
DUNE TUNES. For centuries, world travelers have known of sand dunes
that issue loud sounds, sometimes of great tonal quality. In the
12th century Marco Polo heard singing sand in China and Charles
Darwin described the clear sounds coming from a sand deposit up
against a mountain in Chile. Now, a team of scientists has
disproved the long held belief that the sound comes from vibrations
of the dune as a whole and proven, through field studies and through
controlled experiments in a lab, that the sounds come from the
synchronized motions of the grains in avalanches of a certain size.
Small avalanches don’t produce any detectable sound, while large
avalanches produce sound at lots of frequencies (leading to
cacophonous noise). But sand slides of just the right size and
velocity result in sounds of a pure frequency, with just enough
overtones to give the sound “color,?as if the dunes were musical
instruments. In this case, however, the tuning isn’t produced by
any outside influence but by critically self-organizing tendencies
of the dune itself. The researchers thus rule out various “musical?
explanations. For example, the dune sound does not come from the
stick-slip motion of blocks of sand across the body of the dune
(much as violin sounds are made by the somewhat-periodic stick-slip
motion of a bow across a string attached to the body of the
violin). Nor does the dune song arise from a resonance effect (much
as resonating air inside a flute produces a pure tone) since it is
observed that the dune sound level can be recorded at many locations
around the dune. Instead, the sand sound comes from the
synchronized, free sliding motion of dry larger-grained sand
producing lower frequency sound. The scientists---from the
University of Paris (France), Harvard (US), the CNRS lab in Paris,
and the Universite Ibn Zohr (Morocco)---have set up a website
(http://www.lps.ens.fr/~douady/SongofDunesIndex.html ) where one can
listen to sounds from different dunes in China, Oman, Morocco, and
Chile. (Douady et al., Physical Review Letters, upcoming article;
contact Stephane Douady at douady@lps.ens.fr)

Mushroom drug produces mystical experience - Yahoo! News

2006-07-11T14:34:00.000-04:00

Mushroom drug produces mystical experience - Yahoo! News: "Mushroom drug produces mystical experience

By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer Tue Jul 11, 12:32 AM ET

NEW YORK - People who took an illegal drug made from mushrooms reported profound mystical experiences that led to behavior changes lasting for weeks — all part of an experiment that recalls the psychedelic '60s.

Many of the 36 volunteers rated their reaction to a single dose of the drug, called psilocybin, as one of the most meaningful or spiritually significant experiences of their lives. Some compared it to the birth of a child or the death of a parent.

Such comments 'just seemed unbelievable,' said Roland Griffiths of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, the study's lead author.

But don't try this at home, he warned. 'Absolutely don't.'

Almost a third of the research participants found the drug experience frightening even in the very controlled setting. That suggests people experimenting with the illicit drug on their own could be harmed, Griffiths said.

Viewed by some as a landmark, the study is one of the few rigorous looks in the past 40 years at a hallucinogen's effects. The researchers suggest the drug someday may help drug addicts kick their habit or aid terminally ill patients struggling with anxiety and depression.

It may also provide a way to study what happens in the brain during intense spiritual experiences, the scientists said.

Funded in part by the federal government, the research was published online Tuesday by the journal Psychopharmacology.

Psilocybin has been used for centuries in religious practices, and its ability to produce a mystical experience is no surprise. But the new work demonstrates it more clearly than before, Griffiths said.

Even two months after taking the drug, pronounced SILL-oh-SY-bin, most of the volunteers said the experience had changed them in beneficial ways, such as making t"

DANCE PHOBIA: Treatment and Hope

2006-07-06T19:00:00.000-04:00

DANCE PHOBIA: Treatment and Hope

What is Dance Phobia?

Defined as "dancing", each year this surprisingly common phobia causes countless people needless distress.

To add insult to an already distressing condition, most dance phobia therapies take months or years and sometimes even require the patient to be exposed repeatedly to their fear. We believe that not only is this totally unnecessary, it will often make the condition worse. And it is particularly cruel as dance phobia can be eliminated with the right methods and just 24 hours of commitment by the phobic individual.

Known by a number of names - Chorophobia and Fear of Dancing being the most common - the problem often significantly impacts the quality of life. It can cause panic attacks and keep people apart from loved ones and business associates. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, sweating, nausea, and overall feelings of dread, although everyone experiences dance phobia in their own way and may have different symptoms. Our treatment involves no drugs.

Though a variety of potent drugs are often prescribed for dance phobia, side effects and/or withdrawal symptoms can be severe. Moreover, drugs do not "cure" dance phobia or any other phobia. At best they temporarily suppress the symptoms through chemical interaction.

What is the cause of Dance Phobia?

Like all fears and phobias, dance phobia is created by the unconscious mind as a protective mechanism. At some point in your past, there was likely an event linking dancing and emotional trauma. Whilst the original catalyst may have been a real-life scare of some kind, the condition can also be triggered by myriad, benign events like movies, TV, or perhaps seeing someone else experience trauma.

But so long as the negative association is powerful enough, the unconscious mind thinks: "Ahh, this whole thing is very dangerous. How do I keep myself from getting in this kind of situation again? I know, I'll attach terrible feelings to dancing, that way I'll steer clear in future and so be safe." Just like that dance phobia is born. Attaching emotions to situations is one of the primary ways that humans learn. Sometimes we just get the wiring wrong.

The actual phobia manifests itself in different ways. Some sufferers experience it almost all the time, others just in response to direct stimuli. Everyone has their own unique formula for when and how to feel bad.

Sunscreens faulted on cancer protection - Yahoo! News

2006-06-16T12:33:00.000-04:00

Sunscreens faulted on cancer protection - Yahoo! News

Sunscreens faulted on cancer protection
By LINDA A. JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer Thu Jun 15, 6:06 PM ET

Think slathering on the highest-number sunscreen at the beach or pool will spare you skin cancer and premature wrinkles? Probably not, if you're in the sun a lot.

That's because you don't need a sunburn to suffer the effects that can cause various types of skin cancer.

Sunscreens generally do a good job filtering out the ultraviolet rays that cause sunburn — UVB rays. But with sunburn protection, many people get a false sense of security that keeps them under the harsh sun much longer. That adds to the risk of eventual skin cancer — both deadly melanoma and the more common and less-threatening basal and squamous cell cancers.

And most sunscreens don't defend nearly as well against the UVA rays that penetrate deep into the skin and are more likely to cause skin cancer and wrinkles. That's true even for some products labeled "broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection."

Experts say the best protection against UVA is a sunscreen that includes zinc oxide, titanium dioxide or avobenzone. Consumers should also look for those that are water-resistant and have an SPF of 30 or better, indicating strong protection against UVB rays, and apply liberally and often.

More important, limit time in the sun, particularly from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and cover up, including wearing a hat and sunglasses.

Often, product labels are confusing or bear misleading claims. For example, the SPF, or sun protection factor, refers only to defense against the less harmful UVB rays.

"I don't think people understand they're only getting protection from part of the spectrum," said Dr. Sandra Read, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Dermatology. "You're accumulating this damage and you don't know it."

Many sunscreens say little about when to reapply — doctors say at least every two hours and after swimming or sweating. Nor do they say much about how much to use, roughly two tablespoons for an adult.

"Most people who use an SPF 15 get the protection equivalent to an SPF 5 because they put it on" too thinly, said Dr. Martin A. Weinstock, chairman of the
American Cancer Society's skin cancer advisory group and a Brown University professor.

While a higher SPF number means more protection, the difference is small: SPF 15 blocks about 93 percent of UVB rays and SPF 50, often more expensive, blocks about 98 percent.

Most sunscreens work by reacting chemically with the skin, so they don't start absorbing damaging rays right away and must be applied a half-hour before going outside, something many labels fail to note.

And claims such as "waterproof" and "sunblock" are unsupported, according to the
Food and Drug Administration, which years ago proposed replacing them with the more-accurate terms "water resistant" and "sunscreen." Manufacturers, including Neutrogena Suncare maker Johnson & Johnson and Coppertone maker Schering-Plough Corp., say they haven't complied because the FDA still hasn't imposed those rules — a delay that's spawned consumer lawsuits and pressure on the FDA from Congress and the American Cancer Society.

Still, doctors say people shouldn't abandon sunscreen: They probably should use more.

"Sunscreens do protect against skin cancer," said Dr. Babar Rao, a dermatologist at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. "We definitely still need sunscreen, even on a cloudy day."

Research has shown heavy sunscreen use lowers risk of squamous skin cell cancer, which has a high cure rate if caught early. Another study found heavy sunscreen use in children reduces the number of moles, which can turn cancerous later, Weinstock noted.

In 1999, the FDA announced tougher rules for sunscreen testing and label and ad claims, to take effect in 2001. But the agency put them on hold indefinitely to do more tests, said Dr. Matthew Holman, senior scientist at the FDA's drug evaluation center.

Last fall, Congress ordered the FDA to produce the new regulations within six months through a provision added by Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., in the FDA appropriations bill.

"Twenty years is long enough for the FDA to ensure that all Americans have equal access to clear, accurate and comprehensive sunscreen labeling as their first line of defense against skin cancer," Dodd said, referring to how long the agency has worked on new rules.

Holman said proposed rules could be announced this summer, but then there will be lengthy hearings and revisions. "All we can say is really years" until they take effect, he said.

This spring, a San Diego-based law firm got pending lawsuits against makers of the top sunscreens — Coppertone, Neutrogena, Playtex Products' Banana Boat, Tanning Research Laboratories' Hawaiian Tropic and Chattem Inc.'s Bullfrog — consolidated into one case in Los Angeles.

Lead lawyer Samuel Rudman, who has called the makers "Fortune 500 snake oil salesmen," said manufacturers are fraudulent in their label claims.

"Our lawsuit doesn't say, 'Don't use sunscreen.' It says, 'Tell the truth.' If people knew, they would still use it," Rudman said.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 10 California residents, also seeks damages for unspecified injuries and other restitution.

The manufacturers either declined to discuss the lawsuit or said it is without merit.

Despite public education campaigns about avoiding sun exposure and tanning salons, skin cancer incidence is climbing. There will be about 62,000 melanoma cases and 7,900 deaths this year, the American Cancer Society estimates. There are more than 1 million annual cases of squamous and basal skin cancers, and about 2,800 deaths.

Wymsey Weekend: A Guide to Mobile Cooking

2006-06-16T12:03:00.000-04:00

Wymsey Weekend: A Guide to Mobile Cooking
Weekend Eating: Mobile Cooking

with Suzzanna Decantworthy
additional research: Sean McCleanaugh

Many students, and other young people, have little in the way of cooking skills but can usually get their hands on a couple of mobile phones. So, this week, we show you how to use two mobile phones to cook an egg which will make a change from phoning out for a pizza. Please note that this will not work with cordless phones.

To do this you will need two mobile phones -they do not have to be on the same network but you will need to know the number of one of them. The only other items you will need are:

1. An egg cup, (make sure that the egg cup is made of an insulating material such as China, wood or glass - plastic will do. DO NOT use stainless steel or other metal).
2. A radio, AM or FM - you can also use your hifi.

3. A table or other flat surface on which to place the phones and egg cup. You can place the radio anywhere in the room but you might as well put it on the table.

How To Do It:

1. Take an egg from the fridge and place it in the egg cup in the centre of the table.

2. Switch on the radio or hifi and turn it up to a comfortable volume.

3. Switch on phone A and place it on the table such that the antenna (the pokey thing at the top) is about half an inch from the egg (you may need to experiment to get the relative heights correct - paperbacks are good if you have any - if not you may be able to get some wood off cuts from your local hardware shop).

4. Switch on phone B and ring phone A then place phone B on the table in a similar but complementary position to Phone A.

5. Answer phone A - you should be able to do this without removing it from the table. If not, don't panic, just return the phone to where you originally placed on the table.

6. Phone A will now be talking to Phone B whilst Phone B will be talking to Phone A.

7. Cooking time: This very much depends on the power output of your mobile phone. For instance, a pair of mobiles each with 2 Watts of transmitter output will take three minutes to boil a large free range egg. Check your user manual and remember that cooking time will be proportional to the inverse square of the output power for a given distance from egg to phone.

8. Cut out these instructions for future reference.

Note: We cooked our egg during the evening using free local calls, if you were to cook an egg for lunch it would cost £3.00 - not cheap but you do have the convenience.

phone eggcup phone
Phone A > > > > Egg < < < < Phone B

IBRRC: Alien in the duck x-ray eBay auction

2006-05-31T01:17:00.000-04:00

IBRRC: Alien in the duck x-ray eBay auction

Fractured Rib

2006-05-21T14:48:00.000-04:00

Fractured Rib

What is a fractured rib?

This injury is common in contact sports and usually occurs when you have a hard impact to the chest such as an elbow.

Symptoms include:

* Pain and swelling at a particular point in the ribs.
* Pain when you breathe in deeply or when you cough or sneeze.
* Pain at a specific point when someone presses in over the whole of your rib cage

What can the athlete do?

* Rest is all you can do.
* If it is very severe then you should seek medical attention to ensure no damage has been done inside the rib cage. If you have a severe fracture of the ribs I think you would know about it!

What can a sports injury specialist or doctor do?

* There is not much a sports injury specialist can do except confirm the diagnosis and advise rest.
* A doctor can X-ray the ribs and rule out any internal damage.

How long will it take to heal?

* If it is not a severe fracture then you should be back in action from between 3 to 6 weeks so long as you rest.
* If you do not rest then it will not be given the chance to heal.

How to Look Like a Model - WikiHow

2006-04-26T20:19:00.000-04:00

How to Look Like a Model - WikiHow: "Have a pair of shoes for every style you wear. Make sure you have different shoes for every season, especially if the weather changes dramatically in your area. There's nothing more hideous than Ugg boots in July, unless you live below the Equator. Make sure that you have ballet flats and fierce pumps for the Spring; Indian sandals and espadrilles for the Summer; mary janes and cowgirl boots for Autumn; and Uggs and all kinds of cute fuzzies for the Winter. Avoid flip-flops, please."

红烧牛肉面

2006-03-29T22:21:00.000-05:00

红烧牛肉面

用料：
牛肉500克，面条500克，小白菜250克，水10杯，葱4根，姜2片，大蒜8粒，八角4粒，辣椒1根；酱油1杯、水6杯、酒1汤匙、辣豆瓣酱1大匙，麻油少许。

制作方法：
1、牛肉洗净切块，氽烫去血水。

2、起油锅，炒香葱、姜、葱段、八角、辣椒、牛肉，加入酱油1杯、水6杯、酒1汤匙、辣豆瓣酱1大匙，用中火煮约1小时。

3、水烧开，煮熟面条捞出，再烫熟小白菜。

4、碗中放入麻油少许、葱花、牛肉汤，加入面条、青菜、牛肉即可。

Tips to help you enjoy it all over again! Food and Cooking: Foods: Reheat leftover pizza to bring out flavor

2006-03-23T23:08:00.000-05:00

Tips to help you enjoy it all over again! Food and Cooking: Foods: Reheat leftover pizza to bring out flavor

Reheat leftover pizza to bring out flavor
Nancy Peterson

Some like it hot, some not. While many people say they prefer leftover pizza cold -- and for breakfast, at that -- reheating it can revive just-baked flavor.

Karen Blakeslee, Kansas State University Research and Extension Rapid Response coordinator, offers these reheating tips:

To reheat pizza in a microwave oven, place the pizza on a microwave-safe plate or tray; cover it loosely with plastic food wrap, vent at one edge. Cooking time will vary with thickness of crust; size of slice; and topping.

Reheating pizza in the oven usually takes longer, but crust is less likely to toughen, she says. Place leftover pizza on an oven-proof baking sheet or pan; cover with aluminum foil and place in a preheated, 350-degree F oven. Reheating time will vary with thickness of crust, size of slice and filling.

Use a food thermometer to check safe-to-eat temperature -- leftovers should be reheated to 165 degrees F. Pizza should not be reheated in the take-out or carry home box. Some are not oven-proof, Blakeslee says.

2006-03-20T16:53:00.000-05:00

Guangzhou Station

Ficus pumila - Creeping Fig

2006-03-10T15:22:00.000-05:00

Ficus pumila - Creeping Fig
Description:

A vigorous, climbing fig that attaches itself to surfaces by means of aerial roots. It has crinkly, heart-shaped juvenile leaves on a tracery of fine stems which adhere closely to its support. When the plant matures it starts to produce large, leathery adult foliage on horizontal, woody branches. Mature plants also produce yellowish-green, inedible figs.
Best climate:

All areas of Australia except for Hobart, the mountains and inland zones (creeping fig is an environmental weed in NSW).
Good points:

* attractive juvenile foliage
* fast growing
* shade tolerant
* tough
* low maintenance

Uses:

* quick cover for ugly, masonry walls
* good ground cover for large areas
* good for softening industrial landscapes
* useful for creating quick 'topiary'

Downside:

* very aggressive grower once established
* very high maintenance if grown on buildings - will dislodge roof tiles, damage wooden structures and attempt to cover everything in a curtain of green

Care:

Creeping fig is very hardy and drought tolerant once established. Prune to control rampant growth and to remove horizontal branches which stand out from the support and produce unattractive adult foliage.
Getting started:

Creeping fig is readily available at nurseries, but it is very easy to propagate by cuttings or layers (it forms roots wherever a branch touches the ground).

Behind the Unsharp Mask: The Secret World of Sharpening - Photo Tips @ Earthbound Light

2006-02-08T03:06:00.000-05:00

Behind the Unsharp Mask: The Secret World of Sharpening - Photo Tips @ Earthbound Light

Behind the Unsharp Mask: The Secret World of Sharpening

Proper sharpening is a bit like black magic. We can't really sharpen an image any more than it already is. If it wasn't sharp when captured, there's nowhere the information needed can come from later on. What we can do is create the illusion of sharpness by exaggerating contrast along edges in the image. This added contrast makes the edges stand out more, making them appear sharper.

But why is it called "unsharp" mask, and just how does one use the darned thing?

To understand what this is all about, we'll need to go back to the beginning. The name has its origins, as do many things photographic, in the conventional darkroom. Creating a print the old-fashioned way involves exposing photosensitive paper by projecting onto it a negative of the desired image. In order to accentuate edges in a print and thus make it look sharper, the darkroom operator made something called an unsharp mask.

The technique consists of creating a weak, slightly out of focus positive transparency of the original negative. Rather than exposing the negative on photographic paper, it is instead exposed on another sheet of film. Thus, this new version will be a positive image. Since we recorded it slightly out of focus, if we sandwich it with the original piece of film, all the edges in the composite image will have slight halos in the exact opposite color of whatever is on the other side of each edge.

For example, a black object against a light gray background (a tree against the sky in a black and white image perhaps) will produce an original negative of a white tree against a dark gray sky. The halos that result from excessive sharpeningIf we print this negative, we'll end up back to a normal tree again since the print will be a positive image. If that print is made as a weak image on another sheet of film, it will still be black on light gray. If it is also slightly out of focus, we'll have a weak, slightly out of focus black-on-light-gray tree on our new film. This is our mask. If it were in focus the same as the original image, sandwiching the two together wouldn't have much effect. The original image would so much overpower the weak mask image, printing the two together would give us basically the same image we would get without the mask. But since the mask image is slightly out of focus, its tones will bleed a bit and give us halos surrounding all the edges in the image. These halos will be in the opposite tone of whatever is on the other side of each edge. When printed, we'll get the black tree against the light gray sky as we expect, but those halos will serve to darken the sky right along the edges of the tree, thus making the edges appear slightly sharper due to the added contrasts.

The same thing works in color printing in the darkroom too. An object of a given color will contribute a slight halo having the inverse color along the outside edges of that object. If not done to excess, we won't really see the halos when printed, but we will see an apparent increase in contrast and thus sharpness, for that object.

Now let's step over to the digital darkroom. When unsharp mask is employed in Photoshop, we don't really see the inverted mask layer. All we see is the end result. Internally, Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) is still doing the same thing as was done in the wet darkroom, but since all the work is done for us behind the scenes, there's no visible "mask" in unsharp mask. Indeed, there's no visible "unsharp" either since the final image looks sharper, as we wanted it to. All we are left with is sharpening tool with the rather strange name of "unsharp mask."

OK, so much for the history and word etymology lesson; how does one use unsharp mask?

Photoshop's Unsharp Mask dialogTaking a look at the Unsharp Mask dialog we find three sliders labeled Amount, Radius and Threshold. Moving them around with the Preview box checked does have an obvious change on the results we will get, but it isn't immediately apparent how to optimally set each. In order to understand how to set them, let's look at what each does.

Amount controls how weak or strong the mask image that is blended in will be. Thus, it controls how much edge contrast will be added and how much apparent sharpness we will get. If set too low, we won't see any change at all, but if set too high, the inverted halos from the mask will be visible in the final image and it will look artificial. Most Photoshop users are familiar with the appearance of an over-sharpened image, having probably produced a few themselves while trying to figure out what to do with Unsharp Mask. You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs though.

Radius controls the degree of unsharpness the mask image will have. Thus, it determines the width of the halos the mask will produce. The higher the radius the more evident the sharpening effect will be. Set too low, the effect will be invisible or too subtle to be effective. The appearance of the halo will also vary with the content of the image since the amount of contrast already present will play a role.

Threshold selects how much adjacent pixels need to be to be considered an edge. Thus, it prevents sharpening of unimportant or incidental detail while reserving the effect for detail that should stand out. It separates signal from noise, if you will. Set too low, sharpening will be applied to every edge or change of tone throughout the image including such things as film grain. If set too high, no transitions will be viewed as being edges and no sharpening will result.

There are many schools of thought as to how to optimally set these sliders. Key to all of them though is to view the image at actual 100% size. At lower resolutions you will only see a portion of the result, not the effect itself. Also, while there are other times to sharpen, the bulk of sharpening is best done at final output resolution so do all your editing including resizing for print or web before sharpening. If you are creating a web graphic or other image destined for screen viewing, sharpen until the image looks right at full size. If you are sharpening in preparation for printing an image, you may find that slightly over sharpening will work well to compensate for any loss of sharpness printing itself may introduce. The need to do this will depend just how you print, so you will have to do a bit of experimenting to learn what works best for your printer. I find that current Epson drivers do a great job of retaining sharpness so little if any excess sharpening is required before printing. Sharpening is also dependent on image content. An image less inherent detail will generally tolerate more severe sharpening, while many with a great deal of detail will only require minimal sharpening since they will naturally look sharper to begin with.

Even though Amount is at the top of the set of controls in the Unsharp Mask dialog, you should generally start with the Radius control. An image with fine detail will need a lower Radius setting while one with less inherent detail can utilize a larger Radius. Start with a Radius between about 1.0 and 1.5 and go from there, lowering the setting perhaps to 0.5 or even lower for images that start with fine details, or raising it to perhaps 2.0 to 4.0 for images with lower levels of inherent detail.

If you have selected a small Radius setting, the halos will be narrow, so you will need a high Amount setting for them to have much effect. Conversely, if you are using a high Radius value, the halos will be wide and you will need a low Amount setting to avoid them being obvious. Once you understand what the controls actually do, you should be able to tweak things visually using the 100% view. Play with a few of your own images until you get the hang of things.

After settling on ranges for Radius and Amount, increase the Threshold value until unwanted noise or other artifacts start appearing where you don't think edges should be, then lower it slightly. The exact setting you end up with will be highly dependent on the content and source of the image you are sharpening. In general, scans from slides will require a higher Threshold value than will digital captures to prevent problems from film grain from showing.

Some softness is inherent in digital capture or scanning. Printing, whether in the wet darkroom or digital darkroom can also introduce a slight softness if not compensated for. While unsharp mask can work wonders for restoring the crispness we expect, it does have its limits. Don't try to use Unsharp Mask as a substitute for proper field technique. Photoshop can make a good image better, but trying to make an out-of-focus image sharp is beyond what it is intended for. Hopefully though, what I've gone over here will help you when trying to optimize those images you want to truly make their best.

The "red" Chinese New Year

2006-01-31T22:59:00.000-05:00

The "red" Chinese New Year: "Chinanews, Xi'an, Jan. 23 (By Lie Wei) - Red underwear, red socks, red waistband...following the imminent arrival of Chinese New Year, festival merchandise with red as the color of the year of one's fate has become the hottest selling items of the season. In the ancient capital of Xi'an, many of the youngest generation who pursue beauty at all costs unwittingly transform the 'red of a fateful year' that is supposed to chase away evils into a new way to welcome the season, just like Westerns needing to 'plant' Christmas trees and wear Christmas hats for Christmas.

Every descendant of Chinese heritage knows clearly that once every twelve years the Chinese zodiac of the year in which they were born would come up and that year would be the 'year of fate'. Folk wisdom has it that one would run into many unfavorable turns during one's 'year of fate' and these can only be resolved through a lot of rituals. Therefore, 'year of fate' people have to wear red waistbands, red clothes to ward off evils and pray for favorable omens.

Would you like to wear such clothes? Men's underwear in pure red have the word 'Prosperity' or 'Wealth' printed on them. They look propitious and the words read like names of puppies and make people laugh. Women's underwear have prints of different pictures of lovely fortune dolls; their all-red packing bags have propitious phrases like 'good luck every year' or 'peace is blessing' printed on them.

Many young women spend time and effort to turn this ritual into a way of welcoming the Spring Festival holidays. In the blistering wind, they put on fashionable red overcoat, wrap themselves in a red scarf, red gloves and red shawl and show themselves walking in the snow. Fashion is fickle like the wind. For these young ladies, although they are skeptical about 'year of fate', they follow customs of the older generation for fun and games, with beauty to boot."

Mahfouz seeks clerical ‘OK’ for ‘Children of Gebelaw’

2006-01-20T03:23:00.000-05:00

Middle East Online

Egypt's Nobel prize-winning writer wants Al-Azhar to give its green light for re-release of 'blasphemous' novel.

By Riad Abu Awad - CAIRO

Egypt's Nobel prize-winning writer Naguib Mahfouz is seeking the endorsement of Sunni Islam's highest authority before re-releasing a novel that was condemned as blasphemous when first serialised nearly half a century ago, friends said.

The 94-year-old author is about to finally release in Egypt "Children of Gebelawi", a hotly controversial chronicle drenched in religious symbolism of a man who casts out his children and puts a curse on his family.

At the time of its serialisation in 1959, the book upset Muslim scholars who read it as blasphemous, while the regime of Gamal Abdel Nasser argued the book was directed against the former leader.

"Mahfouz wants Al-Azhar to give its green light and wants the preface to be written by a Muslim Brother," friend and author Yusef al-Qaid said.

Al-Azhar university in Cairo is the highest seat of learning in Sunni Islam and regularly issues decrees on banning publications it deems offensive to Islam.

The Muslim Brothers are the largest opposition force in Egypt and made substantial gains in parliamentary elections late last year. They have frequently campaigned in parliament against "un-Islamic" publications.

Mahfouz's desire to submit his novel to the approval of the country's religious authorities has shocked even his entourage.

"This creates a dangerous precedent because it gives power of censorship to Al-Azhar, which goes against the principles upheld by Egyptian intellectuals," Qaid said.

Writer Mohammad al-Boussaty agreed that Mahfouz should have neglected to seek Al-Azhar's endorsement. "He has his own opinion and he should convey it to the public without any outside intervention," he said.

Author Ezzat al-Qamhawi went further, suggesting that the move was a stain on the glorious literary achievements of Egypt's most acclaimed writer.

"By adopting this position, Mahfouz has betrayed his writing. He is giving Al-Azhar a totally illegitimate authority by granting it a right of veto on literary production," he said.

The elderly Mahfouz, who survived an assassination attempt by Islamist fanatics in 1994, lives secluded in his Cairo home under tight police protection.

The Children of Gebelawi was first published in serialised form in Egypt's top-selling state-owned daily Al-Ahram.

It was published in book form in Beirut in 1967 and the controversy surrounding it was rekindled in 1989 when Mahfouz was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

It was a day after the fifth anniversary of his prize that Mahfouz was stabbed in the neck outside his home.

The Children of Gebelawi is set in an imaginary Cairo alley and follows the hardships of Egyptian suburban life. But it is also a deeply symbolic recreation of the history of monotheistic religions, with each of the major characters symbolising a religious figure.

When it was serialised, the Al-Azhar called for the novel to be banned on account of its "blasphemous content" and conservatives protested vociferously against the work.

It is only now that the novel is to be published in book form in Mahfouz's home country, having only been released abroad before.

Puzzling Perfection

2006-01-19T12:23:00.000-05:00

Puzzling Perfection
Caltech junior Leyan Lo set a new world record for solving the Rubik's Cube puzzle at the International Rubik's Cube Competition held this weekend at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. In Saturday's event, sponsored by the Caltech Rubik's Cube Club, 20-year-old Lo blasted all challengers by unscrambling the cube in a dazzling 11.13 seconds. The previous record, 11.75 seconds, was set at last year's competition and was thought unbeatable.

2006-01-19T12:21:00.001-05:00

Jackie, a South African penguin, walks past children in the lobby of The Peabody hotel Friday, Jan. 13, 2006, in Little Rock, Ark. The bird and her keeper, from the Fort Worth Zoo, visited Little Rock to participate in a fund raiser ball to bring more South African penguins to the Little Rock Zoo. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

2006-01-19T12:21:00.000-05:00

Snowy steps : A couple steps down the snow covered stairs in front of Schloss Sanssouci castle in Potsdam. (AFP/DDP/Michael Urban)

The Million Dollar Homepage - Own a piece of internet history!

2006-01-19T12:18:00.000-05:00

The Million Dollar Homepage - Own a piece of internet history!

Study: Men Enjoy Seeing Bad People Suffer - Yahoo! News

2006-01-19T02:26:00.000-05:00

Study: Men Enjoy Seeing Bad People Suffer - Yahoo! News:
By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer Wed Jan 18, 4:29 PM ET

NEW YORK - Bill Clinton said he felt others' pain. But a new brain-scanning study suggests that when guys see a cheater get a mild electric shock, they don't feel his pain much at all. In fact, they rather enjoy it.

In contrast, women's brains showed they do empathize with the cheater's pain and don't get a kick out it.

It's not clear whether this difference in schadenfreude — enjoyment of another's misfortune — results from basic biology or sex roles learned during life, researchers say. But it could help explain why men have historically taken charge of punishing criminals and others who violate societal rules, said researcher Dr. Klaas Stephan.

Stephan, a senior research fellow at the University College London, is co-author of a study led by Tania Singer at the college and published online Wednesday by the journal Nature.

Singer, in an e-mail message, said the sex difference in results was a surprise and must be confirmed by larger studies. The researchers said women might have reacted like men if the cheater suffered psychological or financial pain instead.

The scientists scanned the brains of 16 men and 16 women after the volunteers played a game with what they thought were other volunteers, but who in fact were actors. The actors either played the game fairly or obviously cheated.

During the brain scans, each volunteer watched as the hands of a "fair" player and a cheater received a mild electrical shock. When it came to the fair-player, both men's and women's brains showed activation in pain-related areas, indicating that they empathized with that player's pain.

But for the cheater, while the women's brains still showed a response, men's brains showed virtually no specific reaction. Also, in another brain area associated with feelings of reward, men's brains showed a greater average response to the cheater's shock than to the fair player's shock, while women's brains did not.

A questionnaire revealed that the men expressed a stronger desire than women did for revenge against the cheater. The more a man said he wanted revenge, the higher his jump in the brain's reward area when the cheater got a shock. No such correlation showed up in women.

Philip Jackson, who studies brain systems responsible for empathy at the University of Laval in Quebec City in Canada, said he found the sex differences intriguing and worth following up on.

The overall results elegantly tie together "a lot of things we either knew or suspected strongly" about how social interaction can affect the brain's activity, he said.

Did Jesus exist? Italian court to decide - Yahoo! News

2006-01-06T05:06:00.000-05:00

Did Jesus exist? Italian court to decide - Yahoo! News
By Phil Stewart Wed Jan 4, 10:28 PM ET

ROME (Reuters) - Forget the U.S. debate over intelligent design versus evolution.

An Italian court is tackling Jesus -- and whether the Roman Catholic Church may be breaking the law by teaching that he existed 2,000 years ago.

The case pits against each other two men in their 70s, who are from the same central Italian town and even went to the same seminary school in their teenage years.

The defendant, Enrico Righi, went on to become a priest writing for the parish newspaper. The plaintiff, Luigi Cascioli, became a vocal atheist who, after years of legal wrangling, is set to get his day in court later this month.

"I started this lawsuit because I wanted to deal the final blow against the Church, the bearer of obscurantism and regression," Cascioli told Reuters.

Cascioli says Righi, and by extension the whole Church, broke two Italian laws. The first is "Abuso di Credulita Popolare" (Abuse of Popular Belief) meant to protect people against being swindled or conned. The second crime, he says, is "Sostituzione di Persona", or impersonation.

"The Church constructed Christ upon the personality of John of Gamala," Cascioli claimed, referring to the 1st century Jew who fought against the Roman army.

A court in Viterbo will hear from Righi, who has yet to be indicted, at a January 27 preliminary hearing meant to determine whether the case has enough merit to go forward.

"In my book, The Fable of Christ, I present proof Jesus did not exist as a historic figure. He must now refute this by showing proof of Christ's existence," Cascioli said.

Speaking to Reuters, Righi, 76, sounded frustrated by the case and baffled as to why Cascioli -- who, like him, came from the town of Bagnoregio -- singled him out in his crusade against the Church.

"We're both from Bagnoregio, both of us. We were in seminary together. Then he took a different path and we didn't see each other anymore," Righi said.

"Since I'm a priest, and I write in the parish newspaper, he is now suing me because I 'trick' the people."

Righi claims there is plenty of evidence to support the existence of Jesus, including historical texts.

He also claims that justice is on his side. The judge presiding over the hearing has tried, repeatedly, to dismiss the case -- prompting appeals from Cascioli.

"Cascioli says he didn't exist. And I said that he did," he said. "The judge will to decide if Christ exists or not."

Even Cascioli admits that the odds are against him, especially in Roman Catholic Italy.

"It would take a miracle to win," he joked.

Onward with Egypt tourism

2006-01-04T20:56:00.000-05:00

Travel Video Television News
Onward with Egypt tourism
Jan 01, 06 | 6:01 pm

Ranked as the world’s 28th largest, Egypt’s tourism continues to gain popularity. As major growth engine of the national economy, the trade currently employs over 10 percent of the total labor force providing 2.2 million direct and indirect jobs. Through 2006, it is expected to grow further with an increasing capacity to generate more employment.

Closing figures for 2005 continue to exhibit clear signs of resilience and growth as Egypt expects to end the year with more than 5 percent growth over 2004. Within the coming years, tourism’s role will continue to grow in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) contribution, job creation for young nationals, and return on investment as the country fulfils its expectations of doubling international tourist arrivals and room nights, as well as realizing increases in investments by 2014.

The Arab republic’s unrivalled base of tourism products ranges from cultural heritage to pristine coastlines, natural, religious, sports tourism and special interest offers. Diversifying the list even further are golfing, yachting, therapeutic and incentive travel packages. This week, the International Association of Golf Tour Operators awarded Egypt the Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year Award. The yachting scene is being led by the country’s top Red Sea destination El Gouna - the pioneer in the ultra-luxury/super-yacht tourism serving a tourism triangulation together with Aqaba and Taba.

Government and private investments have flourished over the last couple of years, upgrading tourism infrastructure including, construction and refurbishment of modern airports all over Egypt. Cairo, Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada, el Alamein, Borg al Arab, Marsa Allam, Luxor and Aswan now have airports built to international standards with most facilities operated by specialized international airport management. New Cairo Airport’s capacity will soar to 20 million passengers, from 10 million, before the end of 2007.

Parallel investments have been made in the nation’s transport system, utilities, telecommunications and IT networks.

In line with developing leisure tourism, vast expansions and developments have begun from the South Sinai to the Red Sea areas along the Mediterranean such as Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada, Sahl Hashish and Marsa Allam, and in Luxor.

As an emerging destination for residential tourism (a well-guarded secret its Arab neighbors have long perfected since years ago), Egypt is now selling itself to nearby European countries as a snowbirds’ get-away. Europeans are flocking to the Red Sea, buying and owning a second home in a country with a warmer climate year-round.

To date, Egypt’s hotel inventory is extensive spanning thousands of hotels in all categories, from international to national hotel chains. There are 85,000 hotel rooms under construction to date, located as far southeast to the new and upcoming seaside resort destination of Marsa Allam/ Port Ghalib.
This is one vision - the BOT or build-operate-own-transfer project by Kuwaiti billionaire Nasr Kharafi – seeing growing momentum since inception.

Another large-scale integrated development project underway lies on the northwest coast of Marsa Matrouh. It still is the Med’s most pristine, virgin shores to this very day. Mega-projects in both aforementioned coastline destinations have attracted unprecedented foreign direct investments.

In an effort to oil the wheels of positive change, Egypt works hard to develop its new tourism brand capturing the diversity of the offerings. It will be communicated to all media through relevant messages to various niches and targets. For a global marketing strategy, it will utilize new technologies and online media channels to ensure interactive communication with the audience.

Foremost, Egypt will also launch a massive national communications and tourism public awareness campaign designed to generate a broader level of awareness on the importance of the industry. Tourism officials vow to highlight the direct impact on the economic welfare and prosperity of Egyptians, the role to plays in promoting the economic growth and development, support for culture and improving the quality of life. The goal will be to sensitize Egyptian nationals towards tourism, for each citizen to actively take part in creating and embracing the art of welcoming the visitor.

Currently, Egypt is also opening up to China, India and South America, while forging with expanding market share in potential markets in Central Europe, Canada and the USA.

Statistics show from January to November 2005 some 117,113 Americans traveled to Egypt booking 2,481,229 room nights. In November alone, 18,791 Americans arrived spending 230,183 nights.

Hence, Egyptian Ambassador to the U.S. Nabil Fahmy is set to broaden this approach with the US market. At the mid-December opening of the King Tutankhamun Exhibition dubbed Golden Age of the Pharaohs in Florida, Fahmy said, “What we’ve been trying to do is put the full face of Egypt before you. Bringing the exhibit to America for over a year more effectively shows what Egypt has to offer in terms of culture, history and antiquities. To build understanding between peoples is the ultimate goal of this great effort in bringing the Boy King to the United States.”

By Hazel Heyer
eTurbonews.com

Egypt

2006-01-04T02:18:00.000-05:00

Silver Star Mountain Bigfoot!

2005-12-08T12:08:00.000-05:00

Silver Star Mountain

A far-off photograph of what appears to be an upright animal was taken on Washington's Silver Star Mountain in Gifford Pinchot National Forest on November 17. According to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, the figure could be a sasquatch. From BFRO:

Comparative images, using a human model at the same spot, will help demonstrate the unusual aspects of this figure.

The size might be very big, and possibly off the chart for a human.

The camera positions will be easy to re-establish, along with the horizontal and vertical position on the ridge. The exact distance will be hard to determine and re-create with accuracy.

A person will have to be directed via radio to stand in the correct horizontal and vertical line, and then step back until his/her waistline is obscured by the foreground. With those angles re-created, there will be a rough comparison of body dimensions.

The figure may dwarf the human model to such a degree that it will speak for itself.

Wrapables Bed & Bath - Personal Care - Kai Dental Floss Holder

2005-12-08T12:06:00.000-05:00

Wrapables Bed & Bath - Personal Care - Kai Dental Floss Holder: "At first glance, it's a piranha. But look again - it's really a dental floss holder. This Kai Dental Floss Holder is truly at the cutting edge in personal hygiene. The piranha's razor-sharp teeth will dispense the lifeline to your dental health. Available in different colors."

XXXX GALUMPIA ADULT XXXX

2005-12-08T12:01:00.000-05:00

XXXX GALUMPIA ADULT XXXX
Pictures that look like porn but aren't porn

NEW!!! CELEBRITIES - Click on thumbnails for large image

thorstenvaneltensolitaireolivebowl

2005-12-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

thorstenvaneltensolitaireolivebowl

Worth1000.com | Photoshop Contests | Are you Worthy™ | contest

2005-12-08T11:59:00.000-05:00

Worth1000.com | Photoshop Contests | Are you Worthy™ | contest

How to...Cure a cold, Chinese-style

2005-12-07T16:58:00.000-05:00

How to...Cure a cold, Chinese-style: "How to...Cure a cold, Chinese-style
November 25, 2005

Between the dropping temperature outside and the rising heat inside, it is almost certain that a cold is on the way. For a new-age cure for the common cold, China has other remedies beat: hot ginger cola. That's right, Americans have had this soda pop around since 1886, but China's Shaanxi province recently discovered its true medicinal qualities. Here's how to make a Coca-Cola ginger tonic.

1. Pour 750ml of cola into a pot and heat on the stove.
2. Slice thin pieces of ginger, equaling a handful, into the cola and heat for 10 min.
3. Filter the heated concoction into a glass.
4. Drink the hot ginger cola and repeat once a day until well. "

广州江夏村民屋里挖出太岁受伤能自己复原(图)

2005-12-06T20:38:00.000-05:00

广州江夏村民屋里挖出太岁受伤能自己复原(图)

“昨天我家挖地基挖到一个好大的太岁”，昨天上午，白云区江夏村民李女士兴奋地致电本报报料，“它软绵绵的，我们把它挖破一个大洞，它还能自己复原”。

　　受伤后能自己复原

　　记者闻讯赶到江夏村。发现“太岁”的房屋地面很潮湿，“太岁”呈椭圆状，长约80厘米，宽约50厘米，工人们沿边缘挖进去20厘米仍未见底，看上去呈一个乌龟背一样压在黄土中间。它的表面已被工人用锄头挖进去了一半，房主李女士说，前天已经用簸箕搬走约3箕，但过了一个晚上，被挖走的部分竟自己复原。另外完整的一半表面呈灰色的硬角质，脚踏上去软绵绵，质感像是软糖。撕开表层硬角质，发现里面是金黄色如猪肉脂肪膏一样的物体，用手能将表层硬角质与金色脂膏撕开，撕开后发现金色脂膏内渗出黏液。细闻可闻到一股新鲜的土味。

　　房主李女士向记者描述当初发现时的情况，几天前家里装修，工人铲开水泥地面露出黄土时，在走廊与客厅交接处发现一个“怪物”，最初大家以为是一大堆胶水，工人们使劲用锄头挖走三四簸箕，但隔一晚后发现这个怪物竟能自己复原，她询问旁边药店的中药师，“你家别是挖到太岁了，那就值钱了”。李女士连忙叫工人暂停施工。她说，这套房子上一次装修约在10年前，当时挖地基时没有发现这个“怪物”，当时地面土层也填得很结实，所以怀疑这个怪物应该只有10岁左右。

　　科研人员态度慎重

　　昨天下午记者致电广东微生物研究所李泰辉研究员，他承担真菌地衣系统学重点实验室项目，曾对“太岁”有过研究。正在外地出差的他闻讯很感兴趣，他让记者与其助手联系，“先把图片发到我电子邮箱”,但最终认定必须要先做实验。

　　该所一位沈姓科研人员表示，根据记者描述确实很像传说中的“太岁”，如果能确定，其体积可能是广东省内发现最大的一个太岁。

　　“太岁”千奇百怪　近期频频现身

　　广东南海

　　今年7月，南海狮山吴先生在江边泥土里捡到一件疑似“太岁”的不明软物，在太阳底下能渗出黏稠的液体，其身上的伤痕也能自己愈合。记者看到该物体为淡黄色，上面还有一些黑色斑点，大约有30厘米长、15厘米宽、15厘米高，约2公斤重。

　　内蒙古巴彦淖尔

　　2004年4月份，内蒙古巴彦淖尔市一农民在村子一个崖边发现一块类似肉团的不明软物，没有鼻子没有眼睛，但手感和肉一样；它夏天不会因气温高而腐烂，冬天也不会因温度低而僵硬；它身上的“伤口”能自动愈合；它无异味且在不断地长大……

　　“太岁”小传

　　据《山海经》、《本草纲目》等记载，“太岁”作为一种具体的生物的确是存在的。在中医药上被称为“肉芫”、“视肉”、“土肉”、“聚肉”、“封”、“肉灵芝”等。

　　在中国神话史书《山海经》中，就有对“肉芫”的记载：“聚肉有眼而无胃，与彼马勒颇相仿佛，奇在不尽，食人薄味。”晋代著名学者郭璞在注释《山海经》时，对“视肉”做的解释是：“聚肉形，如牛肝，有两目。食之无尽，寻复更生如故。”

　　明李时珍在《本草纲目》中把“肉芫”收入“菜”部“芫”类，称其为“本经上品”，并将“芫”分为五类，其中对“肉芫”是这样描述的：“肉芫状如肉，附于大石，头尾俱有，乃生物也。赤者如珊瑚，白者如截肪，黑者如泽漆，黄者如紫金。”还列举了几个以“芫”为主的药方，说明“芫”类对一些疑难病症有特殊疗效。

ZT中国105个城市的必吃菜

2005-12-04T19:19:00.000-05:00

- ZT中国105个城市的必吃菜

1.台北：鸳鸯火锅
很多香港艺人都为之疯狂，据闻郭富城在离开时就把火锅材料打包回去再过瘾。火锅最重要的是汤底，有多少店就有多少种汤底，但没有人知道汤底的材料和制作方法。跟吃川菜一样，火锅的麻辣程度是分等级的，鸳鸯火锅是一半辣一半不辣，任君选择。有别于其它火锅的是，材料里不可缺少的是鸭血，还有豆腐、牛肚、牛什、鸡肉等。价格丰俭由人，折合人民币100元到上千元。

2.高雄：蚵仔煎
蚵仔是高雄特产，是壳类海产的一种。先用线粉搅拌蚵仔，然后把鸡蛋打散放油煎，让鸡蛋包着蚵仔，像鸡蛋饼一样。

3.台南：炒鳝鱼
台南特产。佐料有糖、盐，以及九王，虽然用炒的做法，但鱼依然可以保持鲜美，还带着淡淡的甜味。

4.香港：烧腊
烧腊包括烧鹅、乳鸽、乳猪、叉烧以及一些卤水菜式。一般先用秘制的酱汁淹制一段时间再放到炉里烤，烧鹅、乳猪皮脆，肥美，口味略带广东人喜爱的甜味。深井烧鹅、花田乳鸽是其中的“老字号”。广东人逢年过节上香拜神都会带上乳猪，电影（视）开镜也喜切乳猪图吉利。卤水菜式相对清淡，卤水鹅掌（翼）、卤水鸭肾等。

5.哈尔滨：得莫利炖活鱼
哈尔滨郊区靠着马路边有一个叫得莫利的小村庄，村里人在路边上开了个小吃店招待路上歇脚吃饭的过路人。把豆腐、宽粉条子和乌苏里江里捞上来的鲤鱼炖在一起吃是老乡们吃个热乎的老做法。后来菜的做法不胫而走，传遍了城里的大街小巷。哈尔滨人说：要是外地朋友不喜欢吃西餐和东北大菜，咱们吃得莫利炖活鱼去。

6.大连：咸鱼饼子
咸鱼饼子从当地农村流入城市，现在所有小馆子大饭店都吃得上。鱼是秋天的海鱼，有棒鱼也有黄花，巴掌长，放了姜葱盐腌，腌好了用油煎的焦黄。饼子是陈年的苞谷面掺了豆面白面发的。把锅烧上水，饼子贴在锅四周，想吃啊？等着熟吧！

7.梅州：客家酿豆腐
千年古城梅州，有“客都”之称，中原人“衣冠南迁”到这里，不但带来了读书皆上品的风气，也形成了自己的饮食文化客家菜。火柴盒大小的水豆腐炸成金黄色，把猪肉鱼肉做成的馅“酿”入其中，放进葱花，香油，盛在鸡汤瓦煲内焖着，直到香气四溢。想来到了梅州的客家人一时无麦可包饺子，才创出如此美味。

8.齐齐哈尔：杀猪菜
过年了，村里一户人家杀了头猪，这后腰腿的都是好东西，剩下的肥肉下水怎么吃？这就有了杀猪菜了：自家腌的酸菜做的血肠再加上肥肉原料就齐了。要好吃大肥肉不能腻，要切成片放进过锅里煮了过油，然后和酸菜、血肠一起炖。农村里灶膛火映着大娘的脸，锅里放了姜蒜的炖菜煮得咕嘟，咕嘟。等这杀猪菜传到了城市，城里饭店加多了工序，用足了料。

9.湛江：本地鸡
湛江旧称“ 州湾”，与茂名、阳江等地饮食习惯相通，湛江菜属粤西菜之列讲究粗料精制，原汁原味。湛江本地鸡一度风行广州食肆。正宗的湛江鸡选自湛江信宜县吃谷米和草长大的农家土鸡，是生长速度慢或生下头一窝蛋小母鸡，这样的鸡肉质纤维结实，易积聚养份。做好的鸡外表金黄油亮，入口皮爽肉滑，香味浓郁，再加上一碟香油蒜汁蘸料，“惹味”得很！

10.延安：羊腥汤
延安好吃的东西很多：洋芋擦擦甘泉豆腐子长煎饼，最应该尝一尝的是羊腥汤。羊肉，羊杂加上作料熬的汤，原料做法简单的很。围着羊肚手巾的老乡蹲在一起，手里捧着冒着热气的羊汤，在四季平均气温只有9摄氏度的延安，这个冬天不太冷。

11.西安：凉拌驴肉
驴肉具有补气血，益脏腑等功能，有“天上龙肉，地上驴肉”民谚。陕西关中盛产驰名全国的“关中驴”。自清代咸丰年间起就有凤翔腊驴肉，古时驴肉只有生熟两种吃法，现在又多了驴肉汤锅和肉炒菜，加入了川菜和药膳作法，肉美、味鲜。

12.湘潭：毛家红烧肉
毛家菜因毛主席故乡而闻名，毛家红烧肉主席赞不绝口。正宗的毛家饭店位于湘潭韶山冲，这里的红烧肉选的是五花腩，把五层三花的肚腩肉用冰糖八角桂皮先蒸再炸后入锅放豆豉作料，做法非常讲究和复杂。做好的毛家红烧肉色泽金黄油亮，肥而不腻，十分的香润可口。

13.广州：老火靓汤
煲汤是广州主妇的必修课。地道的广州人没有不喜欢喝汤的，不管是家里作的还是大小馆子里卖的，广州的老火靓汤不外乎一个目的——滋补！夏天冬瓜煲排骨加扁豆，赤小豆降火，冬天花旗参煲鸡祛寒。
如果你刚到广州，上了出租车司机大佬会告诉你：这里的水很热气呀，脸上会长痘痘，要喝汤吃凉茶……

14.顺德：菊花鱼生
顺德自古都是富庶之地，当地人劳作之余，喜用本地物产精心烹调，互相品评，整体厨艺颇高厨师输往广州、港澳及东南亚一些城市，“食在顺德，厨出凤城”。顺德菜式以清、鲜、爽、嫩、滑为特色。在闻名的炒牛奶、顶骨大鳝之外，菊花鱼生也更具是代表性风格。
还有顺德大良镇的双皮奶、陈村的鱼饼……

15.延吉：狗肉火锅
到了延边朝鲜族自治州，不吃狗肉可不行。跟全国其它地方一样这里也流行吃火锅，朝鲜人的狗肉火锅。特色锅底，炖的是狗肉，狗杂狗排骨。除了鲜就是辣。可能是延吉太冷，因此狗肉大补还要加辣椒。一年四季吃，夏天吃最好，治感冒！

16.长春：地三鲜
我国民间历来有立夏之日尝地三鲜、树三鲜、水三鲜的习惯。说起这地三鲜，指的是新鲜下地的时蔬：苋菜、元麦和蚕豆（或是蒜苗），炒在一起吃的就是鲜嫩。到了长春，地三鲜成了当地的名菜。现在也有把土豆、茄子、辣椒炒在一起三鲜。这可是地地道道的东北菜。

17.佳木斯：酸菜猪肉炖粉条
东北人爱吃炖菜，吃起来名堂也多，什么大鹅炖土豆、小鸡炖蘑菇、猪肉酸菜炖粉条子，还都能顾名思义，也无一不是寒风里腊月天吃的乡土菜。东北高棵大白菜腌渍的酸菜切成的火柴梗子粗细的丝，帮白叶绿，久煮不糜。本地的土豆粉则易熟耐煮，出锅黄白鲜亮用筷子挑起简直是春柳倒挂。用杀猪时煮肉和骨头的老汤，放入爆炒过的五花肉文火炖出的猪肉酸菜粉条子，可口的香气绕屋脊！

18.沈阳：四川火锅
就像在其它城市，四川火锅一样风行于沈阳的大街小巷。四川火锅的味道厚重讲究鲜辣不但和东北菜的浓烈粗犷相似，也正投了沈阳人脾气对了沈阳人的口味。说起来吃辣，东北人也是佼佼者，其实真正到了沈阳四川火锅店的老板们才感觉找对了地方，沈阳人的热情简直让他们把这里当成了第二故乡。

19.呼和浩特：蒙古烤肉
马背民族的地道风味是烤出来的。等你进过了蒙古包，喝过了奶茶，双手过热情好客的牧马人双手递过来的哈达！等你围着熊熊篝火，享受着草原徐徐微风送来的烤肉香，你肯定会想起“风吹草底见牛羊”。

20.北京：水煮鱼
‘麻上头，辣过瘾“，本是重庆的名菜，如今却在京城流行得一塌糊涂。间接反映了川菜在北京的重新崛起和东北家常菜的没落。水煮鱼工序简单：将新鲜的鱼切成薄片，用盐稍稍腌渍一下，再上滚水汆。真正味道的好坏关键取决于麻椒、辣椒原料的好坏以及熬制红油的水平。

21.吉林：狗肉汤
在吉林的朝鲜饭店，所有的狗肉汤都是当天的新鲜肉一天一炖，没有老汤。这样做出来的狗肉汤叫清汤。要吃狗肉，名堂多了狗肉炖豆腐、狗肉干白菜、狗肉火锅。可不管你吃什么样的狗肉，一碗狗肉汤可少不了，这一碗汤入口，回味一下，觉得鼻腔里都有了香气这狗肉才会越吃越香。

22.深圳：重庆老火锅
深圳好像是一个很容易登陆的城市，什么格的饮食都能找到一席之地，当然现在最热的是火锅。一家叫深圳易的网站就推出了“火锅”的饮食专题。重庆火锅、（火加巴）子火锅、原汁原味古法火锅、潮泰火锅、肥牛火锅、徽派火锅、“谭鱼头”火锅、日式火锅……好一场火锅大比拼！
重庆火锅以麻辣为主，咸鲜、酸辣味兼有，分清汤火锅、红汤火锅和鸳鸯火锅。它以调汤考究见长，具有原料多样，荤素皆可，适应广泛，风格独特，场面热烈等特色，因而最热辣鹏城。

23.珠海：黄骨鱼
四川人吃的黄辣丁，南方人叫做黄骨鱼。珠海是一座吃惯海鲜的城市，又多移民，没有什么自己的菜系，只好嘴大吃四方。这款时兴的黄骨鱼，就是湘菜出品。

24.厦门：水煮活鱼
这道菜近年的走红至少说明胃口一直非常挑剔甚至顽固的厦门人对川菜的认同，很多人把这归结为这个城市外来人口的剧增所导致的外来菜式在厦门的大举登陆。仅2000年一年，门这个人口仅60万的小城稍上档次的川菜馆就新开了近30家。
但水煮活鱼的味道也的确不错，虽用料简单且大众（草鱼），烹
制方法也未必奇特（水煮），但其辣与鲜的奇妙结合既满足了厦门人
对鱼类海鲜持久不易的好味，同时也是其传统“沙茶情结”在整个川
菜流行大趋势中的延伸。

25.龙岩：酒醉河田鸡
这称得上是一道客家经典菜了，前些年曾在闽粤的一些城市（如福州、厦门、潮州等）流行，但是在龙岩，即便现在川、湘菜已席卷全国，这道酒醉河田鸡仍然可称上是常盛不衰。
出自长汀的河田鸡号称世界五大名鸡之一，据说以三黄（嘴、脚、毛）三黑（两翅、内侧、尾端）三叉（冠顶及两爪）著称，但这道菜最绝的却是在酒上，只有用客家酒酿烹制才能做出集鲜、嫩、香于一鸡的美味。

26.成都：泡椒墨鱼仔
一个叫“毛了”的作者是这样写川味海鲜的：自海鲜变节从了川菜以后，它仿佛焕发了它的第二春！铁例之一便是泡椒墨鱼仔。
这菜全靠四川的泡海椒（子弹椒），要选色泽鲜红、体大肉厚的海椒，泡的也需恰到好处。成菜红白分明，赏心悦目！泡椒的味全在墨鱼仔里面，还带点回甜的味道。

27.宜宾：黄辣丁鱼火锅
长江边上的黄辣丁，是“巴实黄辣丁”。啥叫“巴实”？这是四川话，就是好得不能再好的意思。
在宜宾做出的黄辣丁不是红烧或清蒸，而多是川菜的吃法，黄辣丁鱼火锅，肉质鲜嫩，无比。

28.长沙：干窝带皮蛇
2000年口味虾在全长沙市狂热，家家餐馆、排档无一不做口味虾，而随着近期草龙虾的断档，与它一同出道的口味蛇就顺势占了上风。口味蛇与口味虾有异曲同工之妙，把蛇剁成条同样是用湖南的特产辣酱、大料、香叶、青红尖椒，葱姜味精一炖猛煨。大火炒制后还用子火煨透、入味。淋了汁摆在盘中，肥肥的蛇段已被浸通体红亮，蛇肉紧实，丝丝泛着透明的油光，顺着肌理一咬，弹性十足的蛇肉在舌间就渐渐化成了香气，那种随后觉出的辣，辣得人猛吸凉气却也欲罢不能。

29.海口：砂窝文昌鸡
号称海南“四大名菜”之首的文昌鸡因产于海南文昌市而得名，重约1.5千克左右，传统吃法是白斩，最能体现文昌鸡鲜美嫩滑的原汁原味。同时配以鸡油鸡汤精煮的米饭，俗称“鸡饭”。海南人称“吃鸡饭”即包含白斩鸡在内。在全国砂锅一片热的影响下，海南的文昌鸡也有砂锅化趋势。

30.三亚：红咖哩金瓜加积鸭
加积鸭，俗称“番鸭”，是琼籍华侨早年从国外引进的良种鸭，其养鸭方法特别讲究：先是给小鸭仔喂食淡水小鱼虾或蚯蚓、蟑螂，约二个月后，小鸭羽毛初上时，再以小圈圈养，缩小其活动范围，并用米饭、米橡掺和捏成小团块填喂，20天后便长成肉鸭。其特点是，鸭肉肥厚，皮白滑脆，皮肉之间夹一薄层脂肪，特别甘美。再以红咖哩与金瓜，更显活色生香。

31.南昌：藜蒿炒腊肉
鄱阳湖的草，南昌人的宝——说的就是这道菜。南昌与九江两大城市联手制造的这道菜虽不昂贵，却是江西人的爱物，一有机会就点给外地朋友和离开江西太久的人吃。藜蒿是鄱阳湖区特有的一种水草，中医认为其味甘、性平、微毒，可清热、利湿、杀虫。藜蒿取其嫩茎与腊肉合炒，加些韭菜才能“衬”出藜蒿的“原香”。结局是腊肉咸香柔软，藜蒿脆嫩香甜。湘菜中也有这道菜，但是取藜蒿根炒，且陆上藜蒿不够香脆。

32.赣州：赣南小炒鱼
很多人不小心把赣南小炒鱼说成赣南炒小鱼，大谬。“鱼饼”、“鱼饺”和“小炒鱼”合称赣州“三鱼”。赣南小炒鱼是明代凌厨子首创的地方风味菜，吃到今天还流行。因为是小酒（赣州习惯称醋为小酒）炒鱼而得名。小炒鱼选用鲜草鱼，去掉鱼头鱼尾，批成块状，加以生姜、四季葱、红椒、小酒（醋）、酱油、水酒等作料烹而成。色泽金黄、味鲜嫩滑、略带醋香。

33.萍乡：辣子炒薰肉
“江西人辣不怕”，辣在萍乡。因为毗邻湖南的关系，萍乡人在吃辣上煞是生猛，据说连水蒸蛋都要放辣椒末。辣子炒薰肉则是典型的辣菜，但辣味补给到了薰肉身上，使薰肉香的抒发更加酣畅浓烈。

34.吉安：井冈山烟笋烧肉
八百里井冈是竹的海洋，不同品种的竹笋易制成笋干。将煮过的笋用炭火焙烤干，因为呈黑褐色，叫乌烟笋。以其烧肉，肉味甘美，而笋味绵长。

35.安顺：炒饵块
饵块烧、煮、炒、卤、蒸、炸均可，炒饵块最显饵块的丰采。把饵块切成寸方小薄片，加火腿片、酸腌菜末、大葱、韭菜、豌豆尖炒制，浇以甜、咸酱油，拌以少许油辣椒，吃起来香甜浓厚，咸辣醇正，色彩丰富，浓烈如油画。

36.银川：雪花羊肉
雪花羊肉为一贯以腥膻味厚著称的羊肉制造了一种最浪漫轻盈的联想。此菜以熟白羊肉片去皮拍松，切成骨牌块又加料渍匀。再用鲜牛奶、鸡蛋清拌进了鸡肉、鳜鱼肉的细茸，入小笼屉蒸透后撒上了百合粉，复杂的工序至此还远未结束，将抽打起泡的鸡蛋清分别舀在蒸透的羊肉块上才是形似雪花冰莹玉洁的由来。坐勺上火，再层层加料、勾芡，最后淋入鸡（鸭）油，一道造型爽亮，入口松软鲜嫩，如雪花之即融的“雪花羊肉”这才终于大功告成。用工之考究实在很有些贾府茄子的味道。

37.柳州：螺丝鸡
能进晋式满汉全席的二十四座底，成为席面24道菜中的一味，螺丝鸡确有非凡之处。而事实上这种下蛋鸡的市场价并不贵。

38.泸州：鱼头火锅
四川火锅起源于长江与沱江交汇处的川南重镇泸州，这里的火锅业兴旺，造就了许多品牌的火锅店。鱼火锅有长江鲜鱼黄辣丁、沙锅鱼、半汤鱼，家常麻辣，鲜美而不燥火，川南风味突出。

39.敦煌：双塔鱼
敦煌食风受草原游牧民族的影响较大，“烤全羊”是市内所有饭店、宾馆必有的一道菜。但“安西三绝”——饮锁阳酒，品瓜州瓜，食双塔鱼，是安西也是敦煌饮食文化之源流。锁阳酒以药固精壮阳，瓜州（即敦煌）出蜜瓜已有3000多年历史。周穆王宴请西王母及诸侯即有瓜州蜜瓜；双塔淡水鱼肉脂细嫩爽口，为今日敦煌“大汉雄风”、“盛唐气象”、“敦煌新景”、“市井百吃”四大美食系列之中的保留菜单。

40.泉州：姜母鸭
泉州人嘴馋，古城美食街上，**姜母鸭大受欢迎。泉州人“补冬”买鸡鸭虾蟹，图方便则买现成的姜母鸭。泉州的姜母鸭分别从**和厦门传过来，是闽菜烹饪一绝。
姜母鸭有咸、淡、辣三种口味制作，做法是猛火开、温火炖、补
药下锅翻三翻，起锅油而不腻，口味特，流香溢彩。

41.彭州：九尺板鸭
彭州的鹅鸭脖子都特别长，伸遍川西，整个平原都在流口水。彭州是成都近郊素有养鸭传统的市，九尺镇是彭州的小家禽集散地，农民将一只只刚宰杀的鹅、鸭装上车，运往成都，成都人吃“九尺鲜鹅肠火锅”正上瘾。
最“常青树”的还属九尺板鸭，它已是四川名“鸭”级的美食了。

42.南阳：镇平道口烧鸡
一定要在南阳的梅溪肘子、肉丸扣碗、白土岗辣子鸡等美食中选一道，南阳人忍痛割爱还是选了道口烧鸡。你吃过整鸡一抖骨肉分离的烧鸡吗？从清宫御膳房的御厨那里出来的烧鸡秘方，成就了三百年口碑的道口烧鸡。

43.邵阳：爆炒猪血丸子
邵阳人会做生意，湖南发哒大财的都是些邵阳人。宝庆猪血丸子，亦称血粑，是邵阳的传统食品，主要原料是豆腐，先用纱布将豆腐中的水分滤干，然后将豆腐捏碎，再将新鲜猪肉切成肉丁或条状，以适量猪血、盐、辣椒粉、五香粉以及少许麻油、香油、味精、芝麻等佐料，搅拌匀后，做成馒头大小椭圆形状的丸子，放在太阳下晒几天，再挂在柴火灶上让烟火熏干，烟熏的时间越长，腊香味越浓。也有做一铁架，架下用火炉焚烧锯木屑、糠皮、谷壳或木炭熏烤，此种熏法特别讲究火候，不能过急过猛，否则口味不佳。丸子熏干后即可食用。但最流行的吃法是爆炒了。

44.西双版纳：傣味拼盘北纬21度10分—22度40分，东经99度55分—101度50分，西双版纳是地球上北回归线沙漠地带上唯一的一片绿洲。香芋草烤鱼、香竹饭、油炸青苔、炸牛皮之后，最应该品尝的大概就是这道傣味拼盘了。

45.天水：天水杂烩
天水被誉为“陇上小江南”。报人范长江先生《中国西北角》写道：“甘肃人说到天水，就等于江浙人说道苏杭一样，认为是风景优美，物产富裕，人物秀美的地方”。
在天水呱呱、水浆水、天水猪油盒、秦安麻腐馍、秦安肚丝汤等小吃之外，还有更受欢迎的天水杂烩。把鸡蛋清和蛋黄搅匀，摊成薄饼。取鲜五花肉剁碎，放入盐、粉面、花椒后拌匀，加在两层薄蛋饼中间压平，上笼蒸熟，切成条形，便做成夹板肉。以夹板肉为主，配以响皮条、丸子，浇上鸡汤，撒上葱花、香菜、木耳等，盛入汤盆，量足汤多，荤素搭配，边喝边吃，不油不腻，味道鲜美。

46.周庄：万三蹄
万三蹄、万三肉、焐熟藕、腌菜苋，万三野鸭等已成为周庄美食的代表。尤以“万三蹄”为最，相传江南巨富沈万三“家有筵席，必有酥蹄”。万三蹄以猪腿为原料，佐以调料，用旺火烧煮，经过蒸焖，皮润肉酥，汤色酱红，肥而不腻，咸甜适中，肉质酥烂，入口即化。它的吃法更是特别，在两根贯穿整只猪蹄的长骨中，将一细骨轻抽而出，蹄形纹丝不动。以骨为刀，蹄膀被顺顺当当地剖开，让人们分而食之。
万三蹄已经成为周庄人逢年过节、婚庆喜宴的主，意为团圆，游客则拎着真空包装的新鲜万三蹄走。

47.乌鲁木齐：手抓羊肉
手抓羊肉的鲜美其实并不如我们想象的那样是因为“用手抓”，而是因为新疆当地的羊、当地的水还有当地的烹饪方法。整只羊去皮去内脏，放大锅中，以天山雪水煮之。待要起锅时抓大把盐撒入锅中，或者直接以出锅羊肉蘸盐巴，便可大快耳朵！

48.伊犁：马肉
伊犁马闻名天下，伊犁马肉不由分说胜过天下马肉。以调料熟煮马肉之后，大刀片之，码于盘中，立时可食，其肉质贵在香而不腻，经久耐嚼。然马肉毕竟还属于“昂贵”食品，即便是在伊犁，吃马肉也只能是偶一为之的“大餐”。

49.喀什：馕坑肉
“不到喀什不算到新疆”，到了喀什不吃馕坑肉只能算白跑一趟。维族人家家门口都有一个用来做馕的土坑，一半在地下一半在地上。把抹上佐料的整只羊封闭在馕坑内，暗火慢烤。烤到一定时辰，打开馕坑香气四溢，用“十里”形容不为夸张。

50.郑州：鲤鱼三吃
郑州也喊振兴豫菜，但又自嘲：凡是需要振兴的东西，离灭亡也就不远了。鲤鱼三吃是郑州的名菜，从前那鲤鱼是要号称黄河鲤鱼的，饭馆买回鲤鱼来，必须在清水池里面养两三天，把土腥味吐干净，才可以捞出来下锅。现在这种讲究就有点奢侈了，不过一鱼三吃还是让人食指大动。一半干吃，一半糖醋瓦块，头尾杂加萝卜丝做汤，最有意思的是把糖醋汁拌一窝线面条吃，跟杭州西湖醋鱼拌面有异曲同工之妙。

51.开封：芝麻翅中翅
到开封你要吃正宗的豫菜——这里可是千年开封府啊！豫菜的用料一般都很家常，妙在调味和火候。芝麻翅中翅其实就是腌鸡翅外裹蛋汁再蘸芝麻，放油中炸。炸熟的蛋汁酷肖蝉翼。豫菜中难得有这样美丽又美味的菜。

52.洛阳：连汤肉片
洛阳喜欢吃水席，几十道菜，汤汤水水下来，吃得人连呼过瘾。汤肉片是水席中不可缺少的名菜，又以主营豫菜的老店“真不同”所做为最佳，它以精瘦肉为主料，木耳、金针、大绿豆等为辅料精心制做而成，肉片滑嫩，微酸利口。

53.安阳：扣碗酥肉
中原地带安阳，口味偏淡，但近年来川菜、粤菜、东北菜接连进入，到饭馆吃饭，安阳人喜欢各种菜式都点一点。当地的传统菜式八大碗依然受欢迎，红白喜事尤其少不了。以现在的口味而论，扣碗酥肉最具继续传扬的潜力。传统小吃三不粘、粉浆面其实最能代表安阳饮食的特色。

54.石家庄：抓炒全鱼
从传统菜的角度看，石家庄太年轻了，年轻得没有自己的特色，所谓的石家庄菜，其实就是吸收了京、鲁等地菜系特点，再加以创新而成。本地菜里有一道抓炒全鱼颇见石家庄人的这种“胸襟”。抓炒全鱼用的是大鲤鱼，精彩之处在于刀功。端盘上桌，一盘菜就占去三分之一桌面，好吃又有气氛。
55.大同：烩菜
大同人口味杂，不讲究，各路菜系照单全收。基尾虾、红烧甲鱼这些都是上面子的，实惠又好吃的烩菜其实被当地的厨师操练的最到火候。烩菜有点东北菜的味道，土豆、白菜、粉丝、猪肉一锅炖煮，大鱼、大虾也不吝下锅，暖胃。

56.秦皇岛：清蒸海鲜
到秦皇岛去自然要大啖海鲜，当地人喜欢清蒸海鲜，不管是螃蟹、虾还是蛤，放上水，清蒸，吃的时候蘸点姜醋汁，那个鲜！吃海鲜是有季节的，螃蟹一年两季，四月底开始吃皮皮虾，当然也可以不论季，吃养殖的，在秦皇岛人眼里那就不叫海鲜了。近年来烧烤海鲜开始流行，有一种小杂鱼叫青皮子，细长，脊背那儿有点青，不能炒着吃，只能烤着吃，有味道而且特便宜，当季的时候5元钱可买两斤、两斤半。

57.太原：过油肉
太原的餐馆被粤、川、京、鲁菜占据了，本地菜系叫得上名字似乎还就是些面点小吃。过油肉也有点面点小吃的意思，不过它正儿经是当地的一道颇受欢迎的传统菜。选用上等精肉，切成薄片，外面薄薄蘸一层鸡蛋勾成的芡，在油里汆一下，捞出来，煸炒，随便哪家饭馆都会做，做出来的味道也相差无几。虽则名字让人疑心，味道却是香而不腻，值得一试。

58.南京：芦蒿炒香干
盐水鸭现在还是南京人待客不可或缺的一道菜，但每每要歉疚地加上一句：现在这鸭子是越来越肥了。外地人来南京，慕名要吃的是芦蒿炒香干，南京人也以“桐蒿只有南京才有”而自居。其实产桐蒿的地方多了去，但都没有南京人对待素菜的那份精细。南京人吃桐蒿，一斤要掐掉8两，单剩下一段干干净净、青青脆脆的芦蒿杆儿尖。炒香干也是“素”炒，除了一点油、盐，几乎不加别的佐料，要的就是芦蒿杆儿尖和香干相混的那份自然清香，食后唇颊格外清爽。

59.苏州：葱烤鲫鱼
苏州人爱吃鱼，不过挑嘴，有人不吃鲤鱼，有人不吃鲢鱼，唯有鲫鱼，从不曾听说有人忌口— 苏州小孩学会说“鲜得来”这句话，准是在吃鲫鱼的时候。葱烤鲫鱼这道菜突出的就是鲫鱼的鲜美。在滴着酱红汤汁的鲫鱼背上，放着半寸来长脆生生的葱段。虽然不明白为什么这样就是“葱烤”了，但这儿总是人最先下箸的地方。

60.无锡：肉骨头
无锡叫化鸡现在是没人吃了，肉骨头大受欢迎。无锡人喜欢吃酸酸甜甜的东西，肉骨头的味道会令人想到糖醋排骨，但是骨头上面的肉更松、更厚、更酸甜适度，连骨头都酥得可以咬着吃。好几年前肉骨头就做成了真空包装，火车站常见人八盒、十盒地往车上提。

61.扬州：清炖蟹粉狮子头
扬州人对自己家的菜式、口味有着不容更改的偏好。粤菜风行之际，扬州人也吃早茶，但从点心到吃法都是地道的维扬式，边吃边加上评论：“我们扬州老早就有早茶了。”清炖蟹粉狮子头据说也有近千年历史了，到现在还是百吃不腻。所谓“狮子头”，用扬州话说是大？肉，普通话就是大肉子，但肉里面还有螃蟹肉、蟹黄、调料，下面再垫上青菜心，上笼焖。用扬州人的话说：“猪肉肥嫩，蟹粉鲜香，菜心酥烂，须用调羹舀食，食后清香满口，齿颊留芳，令人久久不能忘怀。”

62.南通：天下第一鲜
凡是有海的地方餐桌上大抵都少不了蛤，可是只有南通的大人小孩敢于说自家碗里的是“天下第一鲜”。菜花黄的时候，是南通人踩蛤的狂欢节。光着脚丫在海滩上踩，那蛤憋不住气露了头，带回家养两天，或煮或烧，奇鲜无比。南通的蛤是文蛤，这一带海滩独有，一只可重达半公斤以上，如今文蛤很少能上市场。往往是渔民正在采捕，小贩已经来到海滩与你商谈价钱问题，而在远处的公海上，日本、韩国的船早已停在那里，在等小贩的船送货上门了。想吃？只有自己去踩了。

63.徐州：sha汤
徐州菜的特点是黑乎乎、粘乎乎、辣乎乎，因为爱放酱油、爱用淀粉、爱显示自己嗜辣。有一道用麦仁、鸡丝、海带丝笋丝做成的汤，味道极鲜，每每令人连吃两碗。但依然是各种原料混做一团，以至于汤成了名副其实的粥。sha汤，其实就是一个疑问句——“啥汤？”因为中吃不中看，至今走不出徐州。

64.高邮：香酥麻鸭
高邮咸鸭蛋已经成了发遍全国的年终福利了，由此可揣想高邮究竟有多少万只鸭，由此再揣想高邮人深以为傲的全鸭宴，相信没人怀疑高邮人对于鸭的每一个部位的完美利用能力。全鸭宴的阵势现在不太端出，但全鸭宴上的一道名菜香酥麻鸭，还经常会以“压轴戏”的角色出现在维扬地区的宴席上。所以当地人赴重要宴会，兜里会自带一塑料袋，待酒足饭饱，香酥麻鸭上桌，打包回府。

65.上海：炒鳝糊
外地人到上海，惊羡的是上海的西餐，上海人也乐于变着花样以各国“正宗”的西餐待客。浓油赤酱的上海本帮菜渐渐失去了拥趸，唯有几道名菜还让有着怀旧情结的人牵挂，比如炒鳝糊。梁实秋曾在一篇专论吃鳝的章里，说炒鳝糊是因为鳝不够大做不成鳝丝的等而下之策。但能把“下脚料”做的这样咸中带甜，油而不腻，也足见上海人的精明能耐了。

66.杭州：老鸭煲
到杭州去，杭州的朋友一定眉飞色舞向你推介张生计老鸭煲。据说张生记一天卖出600多只鸭子，等位子的时候，服务员会特地过来提醒你：今天没有老鸭煲了。张生记因为老鸭煲发了，上海衡山路上开了一家分店，弄得上海也流行起老鸭煲。

67.绍兴：霉干菜烧肉
一般人去绍兴，第一个想到的是咸亨酒店的茴香豆。其实绍兴菜的风味，一是霉，二是糟。糟的东西，糟鸡，糟虾，外地人吃不惯，就像臭豆腐。能够品出妙处的，还是霉菜。绍兴人喜欢用大白菜发霉，外地人学不来的。霉干菜烧肉，香，爽，还有独特的咀嚼感。

68.宁波：雪菜笋丝汤
一定要当地人带你去点，自己去点点不到，因为你很容易就忽略了这个名字。汤如其名里面只有两样东西，雪菜和笋丝，看起来极为清爽。宁波雪菜跟别的地方是不一样的，超市里卖的上面特地注明“宁波雪菜”。“老板娘”这家店里的雪菜和笋丝都特别得嫩。这个店还卖自己制的红花蟹，蟹黄蟹，小小的一瓶就30多元、 60多元，生意照样做。

69.金华：兔头煲
金华的火腿有名，兔头是这两年才兴起来的。金华人本来就爱吃兔，兔头原来不上大席。可喜的是大排档流行，人们的口味越来越刁，兔头煲得以盛行开来。讲究的杭州人也开始吃兔头煲，金华兔头煲有了被承认的欣喜。

70.温州：红烧梭子蟹
温州人嗜海鲜，有一种血蚶，是生着吃的，其味鲜美，但食者唇齿间避免不了血色斑斑，望上去不免有些恐怖。红烧梭子蟹就无虞“杀生”之嫌，虽名为“梭子”，其肉却丰美，其味之鲜，不在血蚶之下。

71.合肥：咸鸭烧黄豆
合肥也让粤菜、湘菜霸占了，还有蜀王火锅，开了几家分店都特别火，等座要等一两个小时。合肥当地的土菜，就数咸鸭烧黄豆特受欢迎，很香，哪家饭店都吃得到。冬天的时候吃咸鸭烧黄豆最好，尤其是在自己家里，可以雾气腾腾烧上一两个小时。

72.芜湖：芥菜圆子
芜湖有着浓浓的江南特色，饮食讲究、精致、清爽，凤凰美食街小吃夜市很有名。这个季节，清蒸刀鱼刚刚可以吃到，但芥菜圆子的流行也很迅速。

73.潮汕：卤水鹅掌
潮汕一家，潮菜好味。像卤水鹅掌这种大家最常见的卤味，在广州或全国其它地方也是都能吃到的，虽然有时候感觉味道不错，但大多时候总觉得味道就是差那么一点点，只有到了潮汕地区，才能吃到正宗地道的卤味。卤水鹅掌以卤水、丁香、大料、桂皮、甘草、陈皮、大茴、小茴、花椒、沙姜、罗汉果、玫瑰露等料配制而成，存齿留香不着一物。

74.丽江：牦牛火锅
到丽江往往让人忽略了它的美食——因为有太多的景致。其实单单牦牛火锅，就足以让你彻底爱上丽江的。牦牛生活在无污染的高原，食草而生、肉质细嫩，是藏家的最爱。除了牦牛火锅，汉族人现在还没有其它途径一品牦牛肉的鲜美。

75.腾冲：大救驾
所谓大救驾即炒饵块，这典故无非是说清初吴三桂率清军打昆明，明朝永历皇帝的小朝廷一路奔逃至腾冲，饥饿难忍时，当地人炒了一盘饵块送上。皇帝就连赞： “炒饵块救了朕的大驾。”炒饵块由此改名。腾冲产的饵块细糯、色白、有筋，切成菱形片，加鲜猪肉片、火腿片、酸菜、葱段、菠菜段、番茄丁、糟辣子、鸡蛋等炒香，又加入少量肉汤焖软，再用酱料调味，最后还配一碗酸汤，就上了桌。今天在以旅游为支柱产业的云南，有典故有渊源的菜自然热的快，而米食配酸汤爽口、开胃又益于消化，“大救驾”于是坐了热门儿菜的位置。

76.永州：炒血鸭
“炒血鸭”乍一听总牵起暧昧不爽的感官，看上去也是紫红色呈糊浆状，但是，在会吃鸭的人看来，鸭血可是清火败毒的一大宝。永州人自然是会吃鸭的，所以他们挑了最生猛鲜活的鸭一刀划入颈下，让鸭血淌入盛了料酒的碗内。鸭子去毛剖腹切块，再就与生姜、干红辣椒、蒜瓣一道入油锅爆炒，然后又加鲜汤焖至快干，最后将鸭血整个儿淋在鸭块上，边淋边炒，再加料起锅。鸭血香滑，鸭肉异常鲜嫩，擅吃鸭者莫过于此。

77.拉萨：生牛肉酱
藏药历来就很有些神秘色彩，拉萨招待贵宾必有的生牛肉酱就是几种可入味的藏药与捣碎的新鲜生牛肉最奇妙的混合。猩红血性的颜色，兴烈冲鼻的口味，吃下肚更是暖洋洋热烘烘的一团，据说西藏依然是一个让时间凝固的地方，据说千百年来藏人都喜欢在布达拉宫脚下晒太阳，当肚里存着一团火热，再给阳光一晒今天的藏人仍是分外的自乐自足

78.昆明：鸡杂炒干巴菌
菌类一向以味道鲜美著称，野生菌类的鲜美自然更甚一筹。眼下，吃腻了大鱼大肉的昆明人，地理位置得天独厚的昆明人，一贯以与自然和谐共处闻名的昆明人又条件便利的迷上了野生菌类（在昆明四围野生菌类保持了取之不尽用之不竭的势头。）一道鸡杂炒干巴菌看上去也许有点儿其貌不扬但那种美味异香让但凡吃过的人都终生难忘，“鲜得很不能连舌头吞下去”有人如是形容。

79.大理：翠梅酸辣鱼
在大理守着洱海吃鱼，可谓得天独厚。雪山融雪汇成了洱海之水，如此水质又滋养了分外鲜嫩的洱海鱼。当乘鲜采摘的酸梅翠色犹在，一道以青梅入味，以辣椒为主料的“翠梅酸辣鱼”就新鲜出炉了。果酸调和了鱼腥，更好的保持了鱼肉的口感和营养，与西餐烹鱼流行加柠檬片的做法倒有异曲同工之妙。

80.遵义：折耳根炒腊肉
中药里赫赫有名的鱼腥草到了贵州就了嫩嫩的那段根茎来吃，惟其爽脆故名“折耳根”，折耳根是属于全体贵州人的标识，据说要看一人是否地道贵州人，进了菜馆二话不说连点两盘折耳根的就是了。在遵义，“折耳根炒腊肉”自然也是每席必有、百吃不厌的一道菜，折耳根冲鼻的生鱼腥气与腊肉、辣椒的香气形成了奇特的混合，一为冷香，一为暖香，缭绕不去，任人低徊。

81.贵阳：花江狗肉
在贵阳餐饮街上有一奇景，满街一字排开的狗屁股，狗尾巴还高高跷起，据说这就是本家有做正宗花江狗肉的象征了。花江原产一岁半的幼龄土狗被剥了皮、剔了骨，狗形犹存地端上了桌，接下来它就被剐成一片一片的下进了预先炖过的狗骨头沙锅，肉嫩汤鲜，异香扑鼻。再然后食客们大喊一声：罪过啊！就毫不客气地玩儿着点滋阴壮阳的想头举筷如飞了。——谁让滋阴壮阳是时下一大热呢？

82.安顺：二块粑炒火腿
在安顺和兴义当地人都会向你推荐“二块粑”，自古来农家每年就挑最好的梗米和糯米，淘洗浸泡后蒸熟，先舂捣如泥，再趁热揉成长方、椭圆、扁圆德形状，凉后即为二块粑。两种米质巧妙混合而来的二块粑，爽口而有弹性，切片之后也是晶莹润泽的一片片。如果说原先的二块粑还像一道小吃，现在它就已然被返朴归真的潮流发扬光大为一道特色菜了，和着火腿炒，香而不腻且买相十足。

83.凯里：酸汤鱼
新八大菜系里被加进了原本名不见经传的贵州菜，而贵州菜如此奇倔首推它的酸，对于经常食欲不振的现代人来说，种种开胃的酸听着就是诱惑。凯里酸汤鱼的酸是大有讲究的，一般是先加入特产槽辣椒和本地许多有营养价值的中草药，借番茄酸烹出自然酸汤，然后将清洗的活鱼下锅。一个数据表明：凯里本地居民长寿人口居全国之首，酸汤鱼的营养价值得到了绝佳应证，酸汤鱼从此紧随着人们健康长寿的念头所向无敌。

84.桂林：爆炒乌鸡
在别处多半用来炖汤的乌鸡到桂林就因地制宜地改为了爆炒。的确，桂林人一向喜欢酸辣为主的浓重口味，一道桂林米粉由此横扫天下。但“药补不如食补”的风潮也挂到了桂林，清淡的乌鸡汤乏人问津，本地菜馆就自创以火红的干辣椒和果菜丁爆炒的乌鸡块儿，果然大受欢迎，堪称“以酸辣的方式将进补进行到底”。

85.阳朔：啤酒鱼
阳朔啤酒鱼，是桂菜近年来受粤、川风味影响的大成，当地人所称的绝招却只有两条：一要在阳朔煮，二要新鲜漓江活鲤鱼（一种身居山明水秀之地的自得尽显于此）。活鲤鱼开膛破肚但不刮鳞，平剖两半，每半边又横砍几刀以入味儿，再撒上姜丝等作料，投入油锅猛煎，直煎得鱼鳞变黄卷起，才淋上酱油，撒上红辣椒，倒入半瓶啤酒，盖上黄焖。再揭盖，顿时浓香四溢，你再就能品出啤酒鱼皮脆肉嫩，滑爽溢香的味道。

86.长沙：口味虾
2000年口味虾在全长沙市狂热，家家餐馆、排档无一不做口味虾，而主料草龙的价格也由早年的每斤一块多钱爆涨到了五六块钱。草龙虾是在湖区疯狂繁殖的硬壳大虾，掐头去尾后再用刷子大力刷，然后加足了辣椒、朝天椒、花椒、八角、茴香、孜然、大蒜、生姜等种种调料以酒爆炒，最后还得煮透。端上桌的口味虾红通通一片，又喷香扑鼻，辣得人猛吸凉气却欲罢不能。据说草龙虾牙口奇好能啃动防洪大堤，所以长沙人怀着对害虫的仇恨，吃起来分外来劲。

87.武汉：香菜圆子
南方的丸子在不南不北的武汉过油一炸就叫圆子，而香菜圆子在许多年里都和藕圆子、豆腐圆子并称为穷人家的三宝，因为它们看上去金黄松脆与肉圆子一无二致直到入了口才见真招，所以特别能给穷人家争脸。不过金玉其外的联想毕竟使它们难登大雅之堂。今天，物质的丰富自不必说，宴席间倒很有点“食肉者敝”的味道，香菜圆子和它其它的素食圆子兄弟就此合了素食、健康食品的潮流，成为新宠。

88.天津：炒清虾仁
话说“吃鱼吃虾天津为家”，到了天津大啖一番鱼虾自然是少不了的。原先在天津吃海鲜河鲜多半是乘活蒸了再剥壳蘸酱，不过这两年天津人也吃出一个精巧来，炒清虾仁就是一个最好的代表。这虾仁是活虾过了水现剥出来的，肉甜饱满，再配上切片的小青瓜就在清油锅里爆炒两下，起锅后瓜脆虾鲜，色泽诱人，清爽得很有些齿颊生香的感觉。

89.库尔勒：烤鱼
烤鱼是最通常的一种吃法，但到了库尔勒，烤鱼也显出了不同，鱼是博斯腾湖鲜嫩肥美肉质清甜的小鱼，水是博斯滕湖千年雪山融汇而来的纯净雪水，鱼肉随意的穿在小木棍上转动翻烤，只刷上孜然、盐巴和酥油，慢慢的就香气四溢了。新疆闻名的是烤全羊，但库尔勒的烤鱼却肯定是更清爽适口的选择。

90、沔阳：沔阳三蒸
“清蒸菜最能保证营养不受损失”的提法现在已广为人知，“沔阳三蒸”也由此在“吃要吃的科学”浪潮中重焕青春。所谓三蒸，即蒸肉、蒸鱼、菜（可随意选择青菜、苋菜、芋头、豆角、南瓜、萝卜、同蒿、藕等数十种），颇为符合荤素搭配营养均衡。此菜又名沔阳粉蒸，蒸菜都裹着捣细的米粉，菜的本香配上大米的清香，回味深长。

91.济南：谭鱼头
“谭鱼头”在济南北园和文化东才开了两家分店，吃惯鲁菜的人们就坠入了川人的辣味诱惑。那种区别于通常“朝天椒”之特殊辣椒、必种之特殊土壤和海拔高度，每年采摘期仅仅七天，采后精选装坛，以特殊的方式储存一年以上才可入锅，令火锅打不住地辣色鲜艳，辣香浓郁，辣感柔和，喜辣者更喜辣，惧辣者不惧辣。当然，花鲢鱼头也是好东东。

92、青岛：海鲜小豆腐
海鲜用的是海参、虾仁、鱿鱼和蛤蜊等小海鲜，再配上葱花豆腐炒成的各式各样的海鲜小豆腐，口味鲜香绝不油腻，吃的时候在就上葱油饼子就齐了。饭店开在各种古老的欧陆建筑中间，从饭店的各个窗口都看得见碧海蓝天，金色沙滩，谁不说青岛个好地方呢？

93、烟台：蝎滚绣球
烟台菜属胶东风味，以烹制海鲜见长。毒蝎也成了山东人的餐中物，油炸山蝎是山东著名的风味菜点，而烟台人的蝎滚绣球便是吃毒蝎的又一杰作。

94、德州：德州扒鸡
其实德州除了扒鸡出名，西瓜也是种了上千年，就是这一道菜让德州出了名，也让全国各地大小烧鸡店的招牌高度统一：德州扒鸡！正宗的德州扒鸡，全名五香酥骨扒鸡。特点是：五香脱骨、肉嫩味纯、清淡高雅、味透骨髓。造型上两腿盘起，爪入鸡膛，双翅经脖颈由嘴中交差而出，全鸡呈卧体，色泽金黄，黄中透红，远远望去似鸭浮水，口衔羽翎。

95、澳门：葡国生蚝
澳门渐渐褪掉葡萄牙的影子，经典的万国建筑与葡国菜仍然留了下来。葡国菜口味清淡，量少精致。把土豆泥放到原只生蚝上一起？，两者的味道相互渗入，有意想不到的效果。

96、房县：清炒小花
在一般人的印象里，小花菇鲜则鲜矣却通常是用来调味的，但是在新鲜小花菇的产地房县，嫩生生的小花菇原来是可以清清爽爽炒来当菜吃的。不要过多的调料，小花菇先天的鲜美醇厚在这儿尽显无遗，其实，也就是随着菌内培育技术的不断进步，昔日的山珍“小花菇”才经得起这样整盘整盘的大吃大嚼，而菌类丰富的营养成份和能抗癌的新说更让人吃出许多的满足。

97、襄樊：泡菜牛肚丝
当韩国泡菜、日本泡菜在几大城市热买的时候，襄樊人还是认定自家的泡菜才是最好吃最上口的。在襄樊只要家里还有几位大妈大婶就总能从床底下找出老大几个泡菜坛子。牛杂，襄樊人一般也是不吃的，但牛肚却是个例外，口感柔韧且有弹性，不管怎样，微辣的、酸酸的泡菜牛肚丝就是襄樊一道人见人爱的开胃菜。

98、砂钵黄陂三合
被新湖北菜发扬光大的“味厚香浓”在黄陂三合理得到了最好的体现，肉圆子、鱼圆子、还有地特产的鱼糕、肉糕，再配上香菇、清采用砂钵、文火满满的炖出味儿来，如果说排骨藕汤是老湖北最成功的炖品，黄陂三合就更少了油腻，多出几分清炖清补的善解人意。

99、承德：万字扣肉
这是一道宫廷菜，现在成了寿辰名菜，作法是将红烧猪肉切成3.3厘米见方小块，用小刀逐个将肉块由外及内，依方形绕圈向肉块中心呈“万”

100、唐山：酱汁瓦块鱼
河北风味包括三大流派，冀中南派、宫延塞外派、京东沿海派。京东派以唐山为主，以烹制鲜活海产原料见长。特点是原料丰富，刀工细腻，口味清鲜，讲究清油抱芡，菜品配以精美的唐山瓷盛器，别具风格。

101、重庆：香辣蟹
集火锅与海鲜于一身，融川菜和粤菜为一体的川菜香辣蟹由成都人创制，成为了时下重庆人的心头好。香而不闷，辣而不燥，鲜而可口。先用油、豆瓣、香料等好后上桌，把蟹吃完后，各剩下的作料加上汤，吃了螃蟹肉才开涮，过罢螃蟹瘾，再过一把火锅瘾。

102、厦门：菊花酿鱼肚
从1977年起，厦门人就一年一度举行菊花展，现在他们把对菊花的情有独钟与吃鱼肚的嗜好结合了起来，这就有了做成菊花型的菊花酿鱼肚。在水煮活鱼时兴的同时，厦门人从寻肉煨鱼肚、锅仔青瓜鱼肚、红油鱼肚丝一直吃到菊花酿鱼肚。

103、凤凰：苗家粉蒸肉
凤凰菜的最大特色是以辣酸为主色，以浓溶为宗旨，以炒功为上乘。县里出产一种带糯性产量极低的小米，一般选用较肥厚的细嫩猪肉，拌合浸泡好的小米，加上可口的作料，放在锅里蒸煮，待小米和肉熟透后即可。鲜美可口，极富营养价值。

104、济南：孔府地锅一绝
孔府地锅一绝与广州？？煲形相近而性相远，它的配料很简单——巴鱼、萝卜、豆腐、青椒、大葱，饼是玉米面做的，灿黄得可人。吃时候，把鱼放在圆圆扁扁的饼上，佐以老豆腐和圈萝卜，不需要蘸料，但是那一点点的汤渗下来，就是人间美味了。有点咸，有点辣，还有那么一种不知名的感觉在舌间缠绕着，天凉的时候，吃着心暖。

105、西宁：夹沙牛肉
在2000年杭州举办的中国。杭州首届美食节上，西宁选送了311个具有高原风味品种的菜肴，金牌总数全国第一，想不到吧？
青海人能把鸡蛋黄白分离做成“黄金白银乌丝糕”（发菜蒸蛋），也能用鸡蛋把牛肉先裹后炸，做成不似牛肉通体金黄的夹沙牛肉。

Scientist: Bosnian Hill May Have Pyramid

2005-12-04T02:43:00.000-05:00

Scientist: Bosnian Hill May Have Pyramid
By AIDA CERKEZ-ROBINSON, Associated Press Writer Sat Dec 3,10:27 PM ET

VISOKO, Bosnia-Herzegovina - With eyes trained to recognize pyramids hidden in the hills of El Salvador, Mexico and Peru, Semir Osmanagic has been drawn to the mound overlooking this central Bosnian town.

"It has all the elements: four perfectly shaped slopes pointing toward the cardinal points, a flat top and an entrance complex," he said, gazing at the hill and wondering what lies beneath.

No pyramids are known in Europe, and there is no evidence any ancient civilization there ever attempted to build one.

But Osmanagic, a Bosnian archaeologist who has spent the last 15 years studying the pyramids of Latin America, suspects there is one here in his Balkan homeland.

"We have already dug out stone blocks which I believe are covering the pyramid," he said. "We found a paved entrance plateau and discovered underground tunnels. You don't have to be an expert to realize what this is."

Osmanagic, 45, who now lives in Houston, is personally financing excavations at the Visocica hill, a 2,120-foot hump outside Visoko, a town about 20 miles northwest of the capital, Sarajevo.

He learned about the hill in April from Senad Hodovic, director of a museum devoted to the history of Visoko, which is rich in Bronze Age and medieval artifacts. Hodovic had attended a promotion of an Osmanagic book about ancient civilizations and thought he would like to see Visoko's pyramid-shaped hill.

When the pair climbed the hill, the sweeping view revealed a second, smaller pyramid-shaped hill. It reminded Osmanagic of pairs of pyramids he has seen in Latin America that together create a gateway into a valley.

After obtaining a permit to research the site, which is protected by the state as a national monument, the first probes of the main hill were carried out this summer at six points. Nadja Nukic, a geologist involved in the research, said she found 15 anomalies suggesting that some layers of the hill were manmade.

"We found layers of what we call 'bad concrete,' a definitely unnatural mixture of gravel once used to form blocks with which this hill was covered," Osmanagic said.

"The hill was already there," he added. "Some ancient civilization just shaped it and then coated it with this primitive concrete — and there you have a pyramid."

Small-scale excavations continued until early November, when winter set in, with the work focusing on what Osmanagic theorizes may have been the entrance to a pyramid-shaped temple.

Osmanagic believes the hill was shaped by the Illyrian people, who inhabited the Balkan peninsula long before Slavic tribes conquered it around A.D. 600. Little is known about the Illyrians, but Osmanagic thinks they were more sophisticated than many experts have suggested.

Nukic, who has walked up and down the hill several times, said she noticed symmetrical platforms in the slopes — indentations that Osmanagic believes are steps built into the pyramid.

A local businessman who bought a lot at the foot of the hill and brought in a bulldozer to dig the foundation for a house, meanwhile, unearthed manmade sandstone plates that the archeologists think may have been paving stones.

Anthropologists say the Visoko valley already offers ample evidence of organized human settlements dating back 7,000 years. The town was Bosnia's capital during the Middle Ages, and German archaeologists working the valley recently found 24,000 Neolithic artifacts just three feet below the surface.

Osmanagic is taking a cautious approach about the hill.

"No fast conclusions, please. The evidence has to be firm, at least beyond a reasonable doubt," he said.

"Not that I don't believe in a pyramid here," he added. "This place was always called 'Pyramid' by the local population. But we have to prove that this is not a natural shape."

He thinks, however, that the shape of the hill speaks for itself.

"God can make many things, but such perfectly geometrically formed slopes, pointing exactly toward the north, south, east and west — if he did that, well, that's phenomenal itself."

Commuter charged for refusing ID request

2005-12-02T13:18:00.000-05:00

Deborah Davis

Meet Deborah Davis. She's a 50 year-old mother of four who lives and works in Denver, Colorado. Her kids are all grown-up: her middle son is a soldier fighting in Iraq. She leads an ordinary, middle class life. You probably never would have heard of Deb Davis if it weren't for her belief in the U.S. Constitution.

One morning in late September 2005, Deb was riding the public bus to work. She was minding her own business, reading a book and planning for work, when a security guard got on this public bus and demanded that every passenger show their ID. Deb, having done nothing wrong, declined. The guard called in federal cops, and she was arrested and charged with federal criminal misdemeanors after refusing to show ID on demand.

On the 9th of December 2005, Deborah Davis will be arraigned in U.S. District Court in a case that will determine whether Deb and the rest of us live in a free society, or in a country where we must show "papers" whenever a cop demands them.

Molecule gives passionate lovers just one year

2005-11-29T23:33:00.000-05:00

Molecule gives passionate lovers just one year
Tue Nov 29, 1:40 PM ET

ROME (Reuters) - Your heartbeat accelerates, you have butterflies in the stomach, you feel euphoric and a bit silly. It's all part of falling passionately in love -- and scientists now tell us the feeling won't last more than a year.

The powerful emotions that bowl over new lovers are triggered by a molecule known as nerve growth factor (NGF), according to Pavia University researchers.

The Italian scientists found far higher levels of NGF in the blood of 58 people who had recently fallen madly in love than in that of a group of singles and people in long-term relationships.

But after a year with the same lover, the quantity of the 'love molecule' in their blood had fallen to the same level as that of the other groups.

The Italian researchers, publishing their study in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, said it was not clear how falling in love triggers higher levels of NGF, but the molecule clearly has an important role in the "social chemistry" between people at the start of a relationship.

Scientists show we’ve been losing face for 10,000 years - Newspaper Edition - Times Online

2005-11-29T04:35:00.000-05:00

Scientists show we’ve been losing face for 10,000 years - Newspaper Edition - Times Online
THE human face is shrinking. Research into people’s appearance over the past 10,000 years has found that our ancestors’ heads and faces were up to 30% larger than now.

Changes in diet are thought to be the main cause. The switch to softer, farmed foods means that jawbones, teeth, skulls and muscles do not need to be as strong as in the past.

The shrinkage has been blamed for a surge in dental problems caused by crooked or overlapping teeth.

“Over the past 10,000 years there has been a trend toward rounder skulls with smaller faces and jaws,” said Clark Spencer Larsen, professor of anthropology at Ohio State University.

“This began with the rise in farming and the increasing use of cooking, which began around 10,000 years ago.”

His conclusions are based on measurements from thousands of teeth, jawbones, skulls and other bones collected from prehistoric sites around the world.

Skulls from the site of a 9,000-year-old city in Turkey — thought to be the world’s oldest — show that the faces of city-dwellers had already begun to shrink compared with contemporaries who had not settled down.

Details will be reported at a forthcoming conference on the global history of health. Larsen will suggest that a typical human of 10,000 years ago would have had a much heavier build overall because of the hard work needed to gather food and stay alive.

He said: “Many men then would have had the shape of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s head while women might have looked more like Camilla [the Duchess of Cornwall]. By contrast, Tony Blair and George Bush are good examples of the more delicate modern form.”

Other studies are confirming Larsen’s findings. George Armelagos, professor of anthropology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, has made extensive measurements on people from Nubia in modern Egypt and Sudan to see how their appearance has changed.

He found that the top of the head, or cranial vault, had grown higher and more rounded, a pattern also seen in human remains found at sites in other parts of the world.

Charles Loring Brace, professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan, said: “Human faces are shrinking by 1%-2% every 1,000 years.

“What’s more, we are growing less teeth. Ten thousand years ago everyone grew wisdom teeth but now only half of us get them, and other teeth like the lateral incisors have become much smaller. This is evolution in action.”

Softer food may not be the only cause. Some scientists blame sexual selection — the preference of prehistoric people for partners with smaller faces.

Dr Simon Hillson, of the Institute of Archaeology at University College London, has studied humans living from 26,000 years ago to about 8,000 years ago. He measured 15,000 prehistoric teeth, jaws and skulls collected by museums around the world and found the same pattern of shrinking faces.

He said: “The presumption is that people must have chosen mates with smaller, shorter faces — but quite why this would be is less clear.”

Top 20 geek novels

2005-11-21T04:04:00.000-05:00

Top 20 geek novels -- the results! from Guardian Unlimited: Technology
By Jack Schofield / Media 06:14am

So far, 132 people have voted for the best geek novels (written in English since 1932), in spite of Survey Monkey'srubric saying free polls were limited to 100 responses. The top 20 is therefore as follows, with the numbers in brackets showing the number of votes.

1. The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Douglas Adams 85% (102)
2. Nineteen Eighty-Four -- George Orwell 79% (92)
3. Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley 69% (77)
4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? -- Philip Dick 64% (67)
5. Neuromancer -- William Gibson 59% (66)
6. Dune -- Frank Herbert 53% (54)
7. I, Robot -- Isaac Asimov 52% (54)
8. Foundation -- Isaac Asimov 47% (47)
9. The Colour of Magic -- Terry Pratchett 46% (46)
10. Microserfs -- Douglas Coupland 43% (44)
11. Snow Crash -- Neal Stephenson 37% (37)
12. Watchmen -- Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons 38% (37)
13. Cryptonomicon -- Neal Stephenson 36% (36)
14. Consider Phlebas -- Iain M Banks 34% (35)
15. Stranger in a Strange Land -- Robert Heinlein 33% (33)
16. The Man in the High Castle -- Philip K Dick 34% (32)
17. American Gods -- Neil Gaiman 31% (29)
18. The Diamond Age -- Neal Stephenson 27% (27)
19. The Illuminatus! Trilogy -- Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson 23% (21)
20. Trouble with Lichen - John Wyndham 21% (19)

There are two surprises for me. First, I'm amazed Neal Stephenson didn't do better: he is probably the ultimate geek novelist, being a bit of a geek himself. Second, I'm very impressed by the support for Watchmen, the graphic novel. And while I'm not surprised The Illuminatus! Trilogy didn't do better, I think more of you should read it -- or at least the first book, The Eye in the Pyramid!

The following five books attracted the most votes against.

Dune -- Frank Herbert 17% (17)
Neuromancer -- William Gibson 13% (15)
I, Robot -- Isaac Asimov 12% (13)
Foundation -- Isaac Asimov 13% (13)
The Colour of Magic -- Terry Pratchett 12% (12)

Finally, the saddest statistics for me were the ones for John Brunner's books, which recorded high scores in the Not read it/Don't care category, as follows.

Stand on Zanzibar -- John Brunner 85% (77)
The Shockwave Rider -- John Brunner 88% (80)

I really enjoyed these books when I read them, though that was a long time ago. The sadness comes from the fact that Brunner was a British novellist, a good bloke, and used to drop me the occasional note (usually askng for advice about computing) in the days when I edited Computer Guardian. He died of a stroke during the World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow in 1995.

Footnote: The short-list was drawn up based on comments to What are the top 20 geek novels on October 26, with voting at Survey Monkey.

Empire's 50 Greatest Independent Films

2005-11-16T20:46:00.000-05:00

Empire's 50 Greatest Independent Films
I have seen 20 of the 50.

Cleopatra_1963_CD3

2005-11-15T19:04:00.000-05:00

Cleopatra_1963_CD3
I'm told you come here to sleep.
Not to sleep.
To pass the night then.
I'm not alone.
The old boy and I exchange memories of life.
It's like having a roommate, or should I say, "tomb-mate"?
If he were in your place, would I find Caesar here?
Hidden away, wrapped in moonlight and endless self-pity?
Self-pity! You repeat yourself! Find new reproaches!
Until now it has just been a part of your being drunk.
Singing sad songs for Antony.
Your time would be better spent negotiating with Octavian.
Why not give over my head? It's no great loss to me.
Dying the second time is painless and possibly an advantage to you.
The basis of a great new alliance with Rome.
I do not want a great new alliance with Rome.
Then what do you want?
I have come for Marc Antony.
What is left of his army, Rufio, my son and I...
...all of Egypt are waiting for him.
There is little time.
Marc Antony?
There is no one here by that name...
...alive.
Time for what?
For Marc Antony to appear in shiny armor...
...swords flashing in both hands?
Agrippa. Octavian.
Stand back! Rejoice! Marc Antony will save the day!
Antony, you say?
He died at Actium...
...running away.
He tried to run on the water, but you weren't there to hold his hand!
Rufio, my legions, waiting.
For what?
To ask me what they carry in their eyes...
...in their hearts, in their sleep, as I have.
Why are you not dead?
Why do you live? How can you live?
Why do you not lie in the deepest hole of the sea...
...bloodless and bloated and at peace with honorable death?
You begged forgiveness from me for running away.
You wept and gave reason. A mother to her child, a queen to her country.
Where and how can I weep and beg? From whom?
The thousands and thousands who can no longer hear me?
Shall I give my reason?
Shall I say simply, I loved?
When I saw you go, I saw nothing.
Felt, heard, thought nothing except your going.
Not the dying and dead, not Rome, not Egypt...
...not victory or defeat, honor or disgrace...
...only that my love was going and I must be with her.
That my love, my master, called.
And I followed.
And that only then...
...I looked back...
...and I saw.
How right you were.
"Have as your master anyone, anything...
...but never love."
How wrong.
How wrong I was.
Antony, the love you followed is here.
To be had upon payment of an empire.
Without you, Antony...
...this is not a world I want to live in...
...much less conquer.
Because for me...
...there would be no love anywhere.
Do you want me to die with you? I will.
Or do you want me to live with you?
Whatever you choose.
Are we too late, do you think, if we choose to live?
Better too late...
...than never.

Meditate on This: Buddhist Tradition Thickens Parts of the Brain

2005-11-12T18:33:00.000-05:00

Meditate on This: Buddhist Tradition Thickens Parts of the Brain - Yahoo! News: "LiveScience Staff
LiveScience.com Fri Nov 11,12:00 PM ET

Meditation alters brain patterns in ways that are likely permanent, scientists have known. But a new study shows key parts of the brain actually get thicker through the practice.

Brain imaging of regular working folks who meditate regularly revealed increased thickness in cortical regions related to sensory, auditory and visual perception, as well as internal perception -- the automatic monitoring of heart rate or breathing, for example.

The study also indicates that regular meditation may slow age-related thinning of the frontal cortex.

"What is most fascinating to me is the suggestion that meditation practice can change anyone's gray matter," said study team member Jeremy Gray, an assistant professor of psychology at Yale. "The study participants were people with jobs and families. They just meditated on average 40 minutes each day, you don't have to be a monk."

The research was led by Sara Lazar, assistant in psychology at Massachusetts General Hospital. It is detailed in the November issue of the journal NeuroReport.

The study involved a small number of people, just 20. All had extensive training in Buddhist Insight meditation. But the researchers say the results are significant.

Most of the brain regions identified to be changed through meditation were found in the right hemisphere, which is essential for sustaining attention. And attention is the focus of the meditation.

Other forms of yoga and meditation likely have a similar impact on brain structure, the researchers speculate, but each tradition probably has a slightly different pattern of cortical thickening based on the specific mental exercises involved.

New Chewing Gum Could Replace Toothbrush

2005-11-12T18:31:00.000-05:00

New Chewing Gum Could Replace Toothbrush - Yahoo! News
By BETH RUCKER, Associated Press Writer Fri Nov 11, 4:36 PM ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - America's fighting men made their way across Europe during World War II with Juicy Fruit in their rucksacks. The GIs of the future could be carrying a type of chewing gum a lot better for their teeth.

Army and civilian scientists are working to develop gum for combat soldiers too busy to brush.

The gum, described at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists convention this week in Nashville, would contain a special bacteria-fighting agent to prevent plaque, cavities and gum disease.

Soldiers in the field often do not have the time or the means to brush and floss. Beyond that, the stress of combat can encourage bacterial growth in the mouth, said Col. Dennis Runyan, commander of the Army Dental and Trauma Research Detachment in Great Lakes, Ill.

Gum was considered an ideal solution because the Army already issues gum to soldiers in their field rations.

Dr. Patrick DeLuca, a University of Kentucky drug product developer, is working to perfect the prototype, trying to make it taste better and ensure that it retains its bacteria-fighting ability and flavor for 30 minutes to an hour.

Once the development stage is complete sometime in the next year, scientists will begin field-testing the gum, possibly with Army units.

If the Army decides to go ahead with the idea, it will probably team up with a manufacturer to produce the gum. The Army has been talking to such companies as Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., the maker of Juicy Fruit, Runyan said.

Runyan said he hopes to see a finished product available within four years

Why are they 'furphies'? :: ABC Central Victoria

2005-11-04T16:00:00.000-05:00

Why are they 'furphies'?

Wednesday, 19 October 2005
Reporter: Dave Lennon

You've probably heard someone say that someone else is 'telling furphies', or that a story is 'a bit of a furphy'.

The word is a uniquely Australian idiom, a way of saying that something is an exaggerated story, a false report, a rumour. But how did they come to be named furphies in the first place? It might seem odd (even a possible furphy) to say that water carts had something to do with it - but it's a fact that a brand of water cart had everything to do with the naming of furphies.

The Furphy family has a long history in central Victoria; John Furphy moved from Kyneton to Shepparton in 1873 and that's where the story began. John Furphy set up a smithy in the then-tiny town of Shepparton (the 1871 census shows only six dwellings and a total population of 33) and, within a few years, he'd become well known as a blacksmith, a wheelwright, and also as an agricultural machinery supplier.

A decade after setting up his business in Shepparton, John Furphy and his long-time employee Uriah 'Cocky' Robinson, came up with the idea of a mobile water tank, and within a few years, Furphy water carts were familiar sights.

Andrew Furphy is John's great-grandson, and he has co-authored a book, 'Furphy: The Water Cart and The Word', all about the history of both the cart and the word.

So how did a family name come to be a byword for tall stories and exaggerations?

The name itself became well known because of John Furphy's marketing genius, Andrew says.

"He used that water cart - the cast iron end, in raised lettering - to advertise his materials, to add moral messages. It has become a collectors' item for this very reason - there are a lot of material on the ends. The advertising have changed, there's about 12 or 15 different models, collectors love them."

At various stages, the tank ends included moral messages about the advisability of drinking water instead of beer, endorsement of the 1940s message to 'populate or perish', and a short poem for which Furphy tanks became famous: "Good, better, best/Never let it rest/Till your best is better,/And your better best." The carts also had 'Furphy' painted on the sides in vivid, dark red paint that really stood out. And it's that visibility that led to 'furphy' becoming a byword for rumour around the time of World War One.

"Furphy water tanks were selected to supply water to the Broadmeadows camp just out of Melbourne in 1914, when the troops were embarking to the First World War. These tanks were used for hygienic water supplies at the latrines.

"This was one place where the troops could gather and in their anxious state, they were very, very keen to find out what was happening. The officers didn't disseminate much information, so obviously, it was an ideal spot for rumours to become rife. With the tank there, with the large lettering on the side, they associated the rumours with the word 'furphy'.

"That went overseas then to Gallipoli in the First World War, and has become a word that's still used today."
At first, it was an exclusively Victorian word - then more and more Australians from other states began to pick it up. The earliest example of 'furphy' in writing was in April, 1915, in a diary entry written by Staff Sergeant John Treloar, when he was camped near Cairo:

"Today's 'furphy', for never a day goes by without at least one being created, was about lights being prohibited in camp on account of the possibility of a German airship raid. Some of the troops do not suffer from lack of imagination."

Anger is Good For You

2005-11-03T14:03:00.000-05:00

Anger is Good For You - Yahoo! News
Robin Lloyd
Special to LiveScience
LiveScience.com Thu Nov 3,10:00 AM ET

PITTSBURGH – Anger is good for you, as long as you keep it below a boil, according to new psychology research based on face reading.

People who respond to stressful situations with short-term anger or indignation have a sense of control and optimism that lacks in those who respond with fear.

"These are the most exciting data I've ever collected," Carnegie Mellon psychologist Jennifer Lerner told a gathering of science writers here last month.

Lerner harassed 92 UCLA students by having experimenters ask subjects to count backward on camera by 13s starting with an odd number like 6,233, telling them it was an intelligence test and then telling them they weren't counting fast enough and to speed it up as they went along.

Wrong answers meant subjects had to start all over again.

Another test involved counting backwards by sevens from 9,095.

So angry …

The video cameras caught subjects' facial expressions during the tests, ranging from deer-in-the-headlights to seriously upset. The researchers identified fear, anger and disgust using a psychologist's coding system that considers the flexing of particular sets of small muscles in the face.

The researchers also recorded people's blood pressure, pulse and secretion of a high-stress hormone called cortisol, which can be measured in the saliva and collected with a cotton swab.

The people whose faces showed more fear during the had higher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormone. The findings were the same for men and women.

Lerner previously studied Americans' emotional response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks two months afterward and found that anger triggers feelings of certainty and control. People who reacted with anger were more optimistic about risk and more likely to favor an aggressive response to terrorism.

Go ahead, get angry

So in maddening situations in which anger or indignation are justified, anger is not a bad idea, the thinking goes. In fact, it's adaptive, Lerner says, and it's a healthier response than fear.

Chronic, explosive anger or a hostile outlook on the world is still bad for you, contributing to heart disease and high blood pressure, research shows.

The new research supports the idea that humans have more than one uniform response to stress and that fear and anger provoke different responses from our nervous systems and the parts of our brain, such as the pituitary, that deal with tough situations.

The results were published in a recent issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry.

Charles Darwin was the first scholar to propose that you can read people's faces. More recently, Paul Ekman is the master of observing emotions on people's faces. He has even identified rare, super-sensitive people who are expert face readers and can accurately tell when people are lying.

Yale School of Music to Go Tuition-Free

2005-11-03T00:21:00.000-05:00

Yale School of Music to Go Tuition-Free - Yahoo! News
Wed Nov 2, 4:19 PM ET

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Yale University's School of Music is doing away with tuition after receiving a $100 million donation.

Acting Dean Thomas C. Duffy said Wednesday the university will stop charging students next year. Duffy said the donors want to remain anonymous.

Duffy said the donation will also allow the school to buy technology to host clinics and workshops with people around the world.

Tuition this year at the Yale School of Music is $23,750.

SF Gate

2005-11-02T16:42:00.000-05:00

SF Gate: Multimedia (image)

Carlton Hotel - Hotel Accommodations - Cairo - WGuides.com

2005-11-02T05:28:00.000-05:00

Carlton Hotel - Hotel Accommodations - Cairo - WGuides.com

Carlton Hotel
Lively neighbourhood
Search Hotels in Cairo for the Lowest Rates
check-in check-out adults
neighborhood: Downtown
tel: 20 2 575 5181
fax: 20 2 575 5232

address
21 26th of July Street
Cairo EG,
Recently renovated, this art deco hotel with dark hardwood furniture still retains much of its charm. The rooms are basic but clean, and many have nice views of the busy streets below. The rooms facing the alley are quieter. This is a good budget option for those wanting to be right in the centre of the action as the lively neighbourhood it's in never sleeps. Definitely worth checking out is the all-night vegetable market around the corner.

nearest train: Nasser
check in: 12:00
check out: 12:00
number of rooms: 62
hotel services: restaurant,24-hour room service,television,air conditioning
special feature: Rooftop dining terrace with great city views.

Good Night, And Good Luck

2005-10-29T23:13:00.000-04:00

Good Night, And Good Luck. Film Site

About television: "This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire, but it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box."

"No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices." – Speech to staff, March 9, 1954

"If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought."

Egyptian pharaohs

2005-10-28T15:02:00.000-04:00

Egyptian pharaohs

Eighteenth dynasty (1540-1295)

Nebpehtyra Ahmose	1540-1515
Djeserkara Amenhotep I	1515-1494
Aakheperkara Thutmose I	1494-1482
Aakheperenra Thutmose II	1482-1479
Maatkara Hatshepsut	1479-1457
Menkheperra Thutmose III	1479-1425
Aakheperura Amenhotep II	1427-1401
Menkheperura Thutmose IV	1401-1391
Nebmaatra Amenhotep III	1391-1353
Neferkheperura Waenre Akhenaten	1353-1336
Ankhkhepura Smenkhkara	1338-1336
Nebkheperura Tutankhamun	1336-1327
Kheperkheperura Irmaat Ay	1326-1322
Dsjeserkheperura Setepenra Horemheb	1322-1295

Obelisk of the World

2005-10-28T14:58:00.000-04:00

Obelisk of the World
Obelisk. The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt made it. And the Roman Emperors made its replicas. Really a lot of obelisks were made, from a small one as less than 1 meter to a large one as more than 30 meters. But there are only 30 obelisks at present, which are large-size ones standing outdoors.

Out of 30, only 7 obelisks are still remaining in Egypt, and 13 are in Rome, Italy. Other obelisks are - in Paris, London, New York, Istanbul, Florence, Urbino (a small town in Italy), Catania (Sicilia), Wimborne (a small town in Southern England), Arles (Southen France) and Caesarea (Israel), one obelisk respectively.

King Tut Drank Red Wine, Researcher Says

2005-10-26T18:16:00.000-04:00

King Tut Drank Red Wine, Researcher Says - Yahoo! News
King Tut Drank Red Wine, Researcher Says

By JENN WIANT, Associated Press Writer Wed Oct 26, 2:08 PM ET

LONDON - King Tutankhamen was a red wine drinker, according to a researcher who analyzed traces of the vintage found in his tomb. Maria Rosa Guasch-Jane told reporters Wednesday at the British Museum that she made her discovery after inventing a process that gave archaeologists a tool to discover the color of ancient wine.

"This is the first time someone has found an ancient red wine," she said.

Wine bottles from King Tut's time were labeled with the name of the product, the year of harvest, the source and the vine grower, Guasch-Jane said, but did not include the color of the wine.

Several clues led scientists to believe the wine may have been red: drawings from the time of grapes being pressed into wine were red and purple, for example. But the color of King Tut's wine was impossible to verify until Guasch-Jane invented a process to detect a color compound not found in white wine called syringic acid.

To test her method, Guasch-Jane scraped residue from wine jars owned by the British Museum and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Two of the jars came from King Tut's tomb, discovered by English archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.

Patrick McGovern, an American molecular archaeologist, said he has discovered grape residue in northern
Iran that dates winemaking to 5400 B.C.

Scientists believe the first wine discovered in Egypt, buried in King Scorpion's tomb in about 3125 B.C., was produced in Jordan and transported 500 miles by donkey and boat to Egypt, he said. Eventually, grapevines were planted in Egypt.

Research shows that ancient Egyptian kings and members of the upper class drank wine regularly, but common people consumed it only during festivals and special occasions, Guasch-Jane said.

Wine was offered to gods in ceremonies, and kings were buried with jars of wine and food similar to what they consumed when they were alive, she said.

Guasch-Jane first reported her findings in the academic journal Analytical Chemistry last year.

Ptolemy I Soter

2005-10-19T15:47:00.000-04:00

Ptolemy I Soter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Royal Library of Alexandria was once the largest in the world. It is usually assumed to have been founded at the beginning of the 3rd century BC during the reign of Ptolemy II of Egypt after his father had set up the temple of the Muses, the Musaeum (whence we get "Museum"). The initial organization is attributed to Demetrius Phalereus, and is estimated to have stored at its peak 400,000 to 700,000 parchment scrolls. The library was destroyed by fire, but it is not certain as to when and how this happened. A new library was inaugurated in 2003, near the site of the old library.

Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt

2005-10-19T14:01:00.000-04:00

Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Piye 752 BC? – 721 BC
Shabaka 721 BC – 707/706 BC
Shebitku 707/706 – 690 BC
Taharqa 690 – 664 BC
Tantamani 664 – 656 BC (died 653 BC)

The Shabaka Stone

2005-10-19T13:53:00.000-04:00

The Shabaka Stone

This it is said of Ptah: "He who made all and created the gods". And he is Ta-tenen, who gave birth to the gods, and from whom every thing came forth, foods, provisions, divine offerings, all good things. This it is recognized and understood that he is the mightiest of the gods. Thus Ptah was satisfied after he had made all things and all divine words.

(59)He gave birth to the gods, He made the towns,
He established the nomes,
He placed the gods in their (60) shrines,
He settled their offerings,
He established their shrines,
He made their bodies according to their whishes,
Thus the gods entered into their bodies,
Of every wood, every stone, every clay,
Every thing that grows upon him
(61) In which they came to be.
Thus were gathered to him all the gods and their 'Ka's,
Content, united with the Lord ofthe Two Lands.

Scholars Argue if Shakespeare Penned Plays

2005-10-19T11:37:00.000-04:00

Scholars Argue if Shakespeare Penned Plays - Yahoo! News
LONDON - Some scholars just won't let Shakespeare be Shakespeare. A small academic industry has developed to prove that William Shakespeare, a provincial lad from Stratford-upon-Avon, could not have written the much-loved plays that bear his name.

The "real" author has been identified by various writers as Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon and the Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere.

Now, a new book claims that the real Bard was Sir Henry Neville, an English courtier and distant relative of the Stratford Shakespeare. Shakespeare himself was simply a front man, claim Brenda James and William Rubinstein in "The Truth Will Out: Unmasking the Real Shakespeare."

James, an English literature lecturer, said Neville "wanted (the plays) to go under another name and wanted a poor relation to have a hand up."

James and Rubinstein, a professor of history at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, argue that Shakespeare of Stratford, who came from a modest background and did not attend university, could not have had enough knowledge of the politics, foreign languages and European cities described in the plays to have written them.

Neville, in contrast, was well-educated, had traveled to all the countries used as settings in the plays and had a life that matched up with what "Shakespeare" was writing about at the time, the book says.

中国十大最流行名字,百万人同名有你么?

2005-10-18T23:06:00.000-04:00

中国十大最流行名字,百万人同名有你么? - 文学城 www.wenxuecity.com

全国哪些名字最流行呢？这里公布top 10的姓名：竟然有130万人的名字都叫刘波！

　　人数姓名
　1306508 /人刘波
　1055504/人李刚
　 910694/人李海
　 907476/人张勇
　810936/人王军
　765884 /人王勇
　762666 /人张伟
　717614/人刘伟
　704742/人王伟　　
　695088/人李伟

Ramesses II

2005-10-18T14:34:00.000-04:00

Ramesses II - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ramesses II (also known as Ramesses the Great and alternatively transcribed as Ramses and Rameses) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the nineteenth dynasty. He lived from ca. 1302 BC to 1213 BC and reigned from either 1279 BC to 1213 BC or 1290 BC to 1224 BC. He ruled for a total of 66 years and 2 months, becoming pharaoh in his early 20s and dying in his ninetieth year. Ancient Greek writers (such as Herodotus) ascribed his accomplishments to the semi-mythical Sesostris. He is widely believed to have been the Pharaoh of the Exodus.

Prince Khaemweset (or Khaemwaset) was the 4th son of Ramesses II, by his queen Isisnofret.

He held the position of Crown Prince (although he died before his father, in year 55 of his reign), High Priest of Ptah and Governor of Memphis. He restored monuments of earlier kings and nobles, such as Shepseskaf, Sahure and Nyuserre Ini. He also restored the pyramid of Unas at Saqqara.

In later times he was remembered as a wise man, and stories were told about him in Greco-Roman times, such as the 'Stories of Setne Khamwas'.

Akhenaten

2005-10-17T21:43:00.000-04:00

Akhenaten - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

How many are your deeds,
Though hidden from sight,
O Sole God beside whom there is none!
You made the earth as you wished, you alone,
All peoples, herds, and flocks;
All upon earth that walk on legs,
All on high that fly on wings,
The lands of Khor and Kush,
The land of Egypt.

Hatshepsut

2005-10-17T21:42:00.000-04:00

Hatshepsut - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sneferu

2005-10-14T21:49:00.000-04:00

Sneferu - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Meidum Pyramid

Bent Pyramid

Red Pyramid

Sneferu, also spelt as Snefru or Snofru (in Greek known as Soris), was the founder of the Fourth dynasty of Egypt, reigning from around 2613 BC to 2589 BC.

The father of Egypt's most famous pyramid builder, Khufu, Sneferu was actually more prolific than his heir, being responsible first for completing his father-in-law Huni's pyramid at Meidum, transforming it from a step pyramid to a true pyramid, the first of its kind. He then went on to build his own step pyramid there. These were followed by the famous Bent Pyramid at Dahshur, and finally, the Red Pyramid. A small pyramid at Seila, near Meidum, is also believed to have been built at his command. While the pyramids built under Sneferu are individually smaller than the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the total volume of stone used in Sneferu's monuments is the largest of all pharaohs.

Narmer Palette

2005-10-14T21:26:00.000-04:00

Narmer Palette - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

GPS users must plan for outages - IT Week

2005-10-14T18:11:00.000-04:00

GPS users must plan for outages - IT Week
The system relies on a network of satellites, which cannot be repaired once launched and have a limited lifespan. Sixteen of the present 28 satellites were built to last seven and a half years, but are now between eight and 14 years old. Twenty-four satellites are required for full coverage.

San Diego Zoo Weblogs » Wolong Panda Day Care Center

2005-10-13T03:00:00.000-04:00

San Diego Zoo Weblogs » Wolong Panda Day Care Center

Jumping Beans

2005-10-13T02:30:00.000-04:00

Howstuffworks "How do Mexican jumping beans work?"

When I was a kid growing up in southern California, my father used to take us to the 7-11 on the corner for Slurpees and gum. There was usually a display on the counter that held little clear plastic boxes of four or five Mexican jumping beans. You could hear the display rattle as the beans clicked against the plastic boxes. We would buy them and play games with them on the kitchen table. So, to answer your first question, Mexican jumping beans are real.

The next question should be, "Do Mexican jumping beans have the near-human mental capacity of the beans that help Speedy Gonzalez? Are they able to jump the length of a room, trip adversaries..." Unfortunately, no. Mexican jumping beans are about the size of a kernel of corn or a small bean. They do not wear sombreros. They do not jump into the air. They rock, or, on occasion, scoot a millimeter or two. Imagine a kernel of corn that scoots a millimeter in one direction every 15 seconds or so -- that's about as exciting as jumping beans get.

The thing that makes these beans jump is a tiny moth larvae that lives inside the bean. The moth lays its eggs in the flower of the plant, and the eggs are incorporated into the seeds. The larvae then eat out the interior of the bean and live there. When the larvae move, so does the bean. Eventually, the larvae turn into moths that emerge from the beans to repeat the cycle.

World's Oldest Noodles Alter View of Ancient Diet

2005-10-12T22:51:00.000-04:00

World's Oldest Noodles Alter View of Ancient Diet - Yahoo! News

Ker Than
LiveScience Staff Writer
LiveScience.com Wed Oct 12, 2:00 PM ET

Archeologists excavating an ancient Chinese settlement discovered a small pile of well-preserved noodles after turning over an upside-down clay bowl.

The bowl was buried beneath 10 feet of sediment in Lajia, a small community located by the Yellow River in northwestern China that was destroyed by an earthquake about 4,000 years ago.

The thin, yellow noodles were about 20 inches long and resembled La-Mian, a type of traditional Chinese noodle made by grinding wheat to make dough and then repeatedly pulling and stretching the dough by hand.

The finding is reported in the October 13 issue of the journal Nature.

Prior to the discovery, the earliest mention of noodles was in a 1,900 year old book written during the East Han Dynasty in China, said Lu Houyuan, an archeologist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences who was involved in the discovery.

When the archeologists examined the starch grains and microscopic mineral particles that form in plants called "phytoliths," they received another surprise: the ancient noodles were not made from wheat like modern noodles, but from millet, a type of grain that, along with rice, formed the foundation of agriculture in ancient China.

"Archaeological evidence suggests that even though wheat was present in northwestern China 5,000-4,500 years ago, it wasn't commonly cultivated until much later," Huoyuan said in an email interview.

"It took a long time for wheat to become successfully naturalized in China," Houyuan told LiveScience. "It gradually spread from northwestern China to the East and to the South."

It was only much later, during the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, from 618 to 1279 AD, that wheat began to catch on with people in China, finally becoming the second largest staple grain crop in the country after rice.

Babel : arabic

2005-10-11T16:46:00.000-04:00

Babel : arabic

Arabic is one of the world’s largest languages, as well as an important language to religion and literature. Arabic is the writing language of more than 200 million people, but spoken Arabic varies more than it does for most other languages.

Arabic is difficult to learn, and later to remember. Arabic writing is easily learned, and Arabic grammar is simpler and more logical than many Western languages.

The great challenge with Arabic is the wealth of words. The use of verbs and nouns in Arabic has reached a level of accuracy which few Western languages can match (this author knows Eastern languages to little, to say anything about differences here).

The Arabic alphabet has 28 letters, but in some Arab countries, additional letters have been introduced.

Two verbs are normally ommitted from Arabic, to be and to have.

Instead of saying “My name is Erik”, you say “Name mine Erik” — 'ismî 'îrîk

The same applies for qualities: Instead of saying “She is a teacher”, you say “She teacher” — hiyya mudarrisa, “he tourist” — huwa sâ'ih

As for the verb “to have”, which can also equal “to own”: Instead of saying “He has a car”, you say “To him a car” — lahu sayyâra, “to her a book” — lahâ kitâb, “to me a house” — lî bayt

There are only two genders to Arabic, masculine and feminine. You take the masculine form, and add the ending “-a” to it. Then it is a feminine noun.

The little secret to understand writing Arabic, is thinking of it as handwriting. Their shapes will change in order to adjust to the writing of other letters, so that it becomes possible to write without lifting the pen up from the paper. 22 of the 28 Arabic letters have 4 variants: Standing alone; As the first letter in a word; Inside the word, between two other letters; As the last letter in a word, joining to the letter in front.

1000 Things Made Of Bamboo

2005-10-10T14:51:00.000-04:00

1000 Things Made Of Bamboo

Medium Format Pinhole Lego Camera

2005-10-10T14:47:00.000-04:00

Thoughts About Photography: Medium Format Pinhole Lego Camera

Arabic language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2005-09-28T21:48:00.000-04:00

Arabic (العربية al-'arabiyyah, or less formally 'arabi) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic.

Spoken in:	Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Gaza Strip, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, West Bank, Western Sahara (SADR), Yemen by a majority, and in many other countries as a minority language.
Total speakers:	206 million (Ethnologue, native speakers of all dialects); 286 million (population of Arab countries, CIA World Factbook, 2004 est.), excluding Arab minorities in other countries and bilingual speakers
Ranking:	5 (by first language)
Genetic classification:	Afro-Asiatic Semitic Central South Arabic

The major groups are:

Egyptian Arabic (Egypt) Considered the most widely understood and used "second dialect"
Maghreb Arabic (Tunisian, Algerian, Moroccan Arabic, and western Libyan)
Levantine Arabic (Western Syrian, Lebanese, Palestinian, and western Jordanian, Cypriot Maronite Arabic)
Iraqi Arabic or Gulf Arabic (Iraqi, Eastern Syrian, Kuwaiti, Saudi Arabian, Gulf coast from Iraq to Oman including much of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, and minorities on the other side)

Turkish (Türkçe), also known as Osmanlı, is a Turkic language spoken natively in Cyprus, Bulgaria, and by some 50 million speakers in Turkey, as well as by several million immigrants in the European Union. There is some degree of mutual intelligibility with outher western Turkic languages such as Azeri, Turkmen, and Uzbek; if these are included the number of speakers may exceed 200 million.

Spoken in:	Turkey, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Bulgaria, Austria, Greece, Germany, Iran, Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Netherlands (1% cutoff)
Region:	Turkey, Cyprus, Balkans
Total speakers:	51 million native, 72 million total
Ranking:	22 (native)
Genetic classification:	Altaic Turkic Southern Turkish Turkish

寿文颖——人生求学之路

2005-09-27T23:30:00.000-04:00

寿文颖——人生求学之路

我常常想，当年出国留学，我凭什么在全世界83个国家286名考生只取4名的激烈竞争中胜出？尤其是两年前一位二中的学妹求我写推荐信，我收到她的履历表，为她的成绩惊叹：杭二中连续三年全年级第一，曾代表学校到英国交流；清华时又是一等奖学金获得者，而到后来竟没有得到美国任何一所大学的奖学金（最后她被香港中文大学录取）——我想那是命运的恩赐。

父母一切的一切的努力，都是为了我将来出国作准备

还是从童年说起吧。童年、少年生活对于我，像一个朦胧迷糊的梦魇，那是指我的家庭生活环境——外公被打成右派，自杀；外婆在“文革”中被逼致疯，我看惯了父母的愁容、叹息与奋争……他们把全部希望寄托在我身上。

因此，在我很小的时候父母就教我数学和写作。而当我的作文在比赛中获奖后，母亲便“放”了我，说我的写作可以了，让我在数理化上多下功夫。说学好数理化英语，走遍天下都不怕。为节约我的时间,她甚至在紧要关头如数学竞赛、高考前夕，模仿我的笔迹替我做随笔、周记这些作业来应付老师。

他们一切的一切的努力，都是为了我将来出国作准备。

我一开始不懂，为什么我不能像其他孩子那样玩，家里几乎没有玩具。他们还不允许我到邻居家看电视（除“动物世界”外）。

哪怕在西湖边，我也从来没有玩痛快过：妈妈不是要我背唐诗，就是要我描述西湖景色。

有“反叛”精神的我便想出各种各样的办法背着他们玩。记得有一次期末考试前，我实在想看妈妈的《小说选刊》，可是父母把杂志好好地锁在他们的房间里。我注意到他们的门上面三分之一是可以活动的，于是趁他们不注意翻门而入。在他们回来之前，我把杂志按原样放回。第二天的语文考试我居然考了全班第一。

我并不是不喜欢学习，但是我的兴趣绝对不只局限在学习上。我也任性：不喜欢的东西就是不做。比方，我喜欢读历史故事，但是讨厌背时间地点，因此我历史总是勉强及格。我对地理更是不喜欢，在地理课里做数学题——数学对我像块磁铁一样，因为从某种意义上来说，它是我唯一的玩具。

有时，我会花一星期做一道“趣味数学”题，做出来的那种甜蜜是很难形容的。另外，我每做出一道附加题，父母奖我一分钱。我当时有很强的愿望扩大我的金库——为什么我也不知道，但是我潜意识地认为有钱是件好事——否则，葛朗台为什么要那么千方百计地节省钱呢。

我数学题做得越多，对数学越喜欢。看到妈妈如此精打细算地维持家庭经济（有时为了一角钱浪费一小时），我便把我的金库“捐”给了家库。有一天我对妈妈说：“这钱，你留着吧。你哪怕不给我钱，我也会做数学题的。”妈妈说：“怎么我女儿突然长大了？”

但是，不管我如何痴迷数学，在省市的数学竞赛上却没有得过奖，这在当时对我的打击很大，以至于后来我高考时便没有选数学专业。到美国后，打听到有很多杰出的数学家，竞赛中都没得奖。同样，很多竞赛中得奖者，事业也只不过平平而已。这是因为研究和竞赛有本质上的区别：竞赛主要考速度，而研究则考验文献的吸收能力及融会贯通的运用能力、创造力、耐久力（很多课题是几年锲而不舍的劳动结果）、联想探索思维等等。这都是后话了。

如果考砸了，那一定是命运给你另一次机会

1988年4月，学校要保送我去西安交大、华东师大。很多人羡慕我，可我犹豫后选择了放弃。因为我要进的是北大或者复旦。那个酷夏似乎有意跟我过不去：这年省略了黄梅天，从6月上旬开始，天天烈日高照，到7月5日晚我突然高烧达39摄氏度。心急如焚的母亲连忙带我去看急诊。

天热得没一点儿风。母亲整夜陪在我身边。我望着暗夜深处，心里真后悔：我想如果去了保送的学校，就不用面临这种困境了。我问母亲考砸了怎么办？因为我知道，我是她活在这个世界上的精神支柱。妈妈掩饰住内心的焦虑，安慰我说能考好的，还说如果考砸了，那一定是命运给你另一次机会。

这里我要插一句：知道原西湖之声主持人东方月吗？她是我初中同桌，才华横溢的她当年因为数理化没考上大学，现在她不是很成功吗？前年我们在纽约见面曾谈及中国教育的一些弊端。

爸爸陪着我天天打了青霉素去高考，回来再去医院。最后我以600分的成绩进入第一志愿：复旦大学遗传工程系。一来我对细胞分裂和生物遗传有强大的兴趣，再者，父母打听此系出国的人很多。

赴沪前妈妈忙起来了：她给我做了几套新衣服。她笑着说，女儿长大了，该找男朋友了，得穿得好点了。

我说妈妈说哪里去了？我才不要呢！她说我不是说笑话，你心高气傲，进的是南方第一高等学府，碰到你认为好的男孩追不用拒绝，不然以后到单位里，未必找得到那么称心纯洁的伴侣。

她见我用手指塞耳跺脚说不听不听便幽默地说：只怕到时候由不得你了。说着她脸色一紧严肃地说，只是在没有结婚以前，不得越轨。恋爱可以是促进剂，也足可以毁掉你的事业。我牢记母亲的训诫，无论与哪一任男友，我都恪守少女的传统道德，直到披上新娘的婚纱。

复旦就是荒野，用大风大雨来考验哪棵树会活下来

复旦大学的头两年是我一生中最痛苦的两年，因为家庭经济拮据，食堂里吃得节约，半夜经常饿肚子，这且不说。那段时间，出国这件事由当初父母的希望变成了我自己的强烈愿望。生工系又集中了全国最优秀的学生，而且大部分人和我一样想出国，因此竞争相当激烈。

我在二中也算不上尖子（哪怕不计历史和地理，我总分也从来没有名列班级前三名过），但复旦和二中很不一样：二中用的是“转弱为强”的方针，而复旦却是“强者胜，弱者亡”的筛选哲学。打个不太恰当的比方，如果二中是花园，把小树培育成大树，那么复旦就是荒野，用大风大雨来考验哪棵树会活下来。记得我在实验室打破一只烧杯，老师马上说：“你不是做实验的料。”如果现在这个老师得知我的生物实验使我得到了博士学位，他会怎么想呢？

在强烈的出国愿望指使下，我去寻找学习英语机会。听说复旦教我的英语老师在开私人托福班，我便去旁听。我知道要另外缴费，可我缴不起。我便打听到上课时间，坐在教室里的第一排（因为那儿正好有个空位置）。他一眼就看到了我，但不说什么。课后，他也不问我。正巧妈妈在上海的朋友送了我一瓶奶粉，我便把奶粉带去给他。他微微一笑，说了声谢谢。他对我心照不宣的容纳使我很感激。

对英语快速阅读和听力上的投资使我在其他课上力不从心。我开始对科学失去了热爱。记得我的化学总在“优”和“良”之间徘徊，我去找老师，对她说我在这儿绝望到连羞耻感都没有了——我要靠这个分数出国的。我对物理和计算机老师也诉了同样的苦。后来，我化学，物理，计算机都得了“优”。我永远也不会知道是因为我真的考得好，还是他们为了我的前途而宽容了我。

在复旦的第二年，母亲替我联系了一个老师让我提高实验技术。在等她的时候，我认识了第一任男友。他正好在做实验，我被他漂亮的实验技术折服。从此他成了我的老师。而我的生活也随之改善。他对我很慷慨，经常给我买酸奶喝。我在他身上学到了不少东西。但我们相处只有一年时间。

我出国时，我们讨论怎么办？他是个从四明山走出来的农专毕业的农家孩子，因为一项实验引起复旦的重视，被邀请到复旦做课题，英语是他的薄弱环节。而那时他的一项成果又出来了，如果我与他结婚，他三个月后就可赴美当陪读。但仅是陪读而已。他的英语在美国是难行的，还有他的研究专项，在美国也不吃香。于是我们说好当朋友，让命运来决定归宿。

我紧锣密鼓地拿出了托福633分的成绩，接着申请美国大学。那是要申请费的：一般起码要20美元。而且得同时申请几所学校。这笔钱不是一个拮据的家庭能承担的。我抱定宗旨不付：我去信申请，讲明自己经济条件差，要求免去。我想一个学校如果对申请费看得比学生才华更重，那不会是好学校。

同时我还需要教授的推荐信。一个我熟悉的外籍教授去了上海电视台。我要信很急，打电话去却都是忙音。说明他在家。我便骑车前往。那是横贯上海的。谁知，一敲门，这花老外正与一位中国姑娘谈恋爱。他不客气地说：你知道我们的习惯，应该先来电话联系。今天我恕不接待！

应该说是天无绝人之路，一个打错的电话让我联系上了南加州大学生物医学教授，他是复旦的访问学者，真像是一个冥冥中的秘密使者从天而降。他建议我去考美国加州的POMONA大学，因为那里的老师擅长本科教育。之前我还从来没听到过那个学校的名字，会是好学校吗？他解释美国有两类大学，一类只有本科，一类有本科和博士科。POMONA是本科学校中排前5名的。

我知道本科获奖学金机会很少，但只要能离开这儿，我什么美国学校都愿意去。因此我申请了。我申请的所有学校中，POMONA是唯一录取我并给我全奖（包括学费和生活费）的学校。后来我一直在思考它录取我的原因。我认为，美国的大学既看重分数，但更看重一种不同于众的东西：也许是我的一篇有独特见解的小论文获得他们的青睐，也许我早就练就的文笔也帮了我的忙，他们出了两个考题：《描述一下你自己，让我们像看到你一样》、《你认为第二次世界大战以后，哪一种科学对人类发展起了重大作用》，还有，也许我实事求是不掩饰自己的弱点也使他们感到我值得信任。

这样，我终于如愿以偿了。

对我来说最最重要的是，POMONA拯救了我的科学精神到

POMONA后，渐渐地我意识到命运给我的唯一选择正好是最好的选择。那儿的老师都是声名卓著的科学家，他们治学严谨而又和蔼可亲。他们谦恭有礼，平易近人，头上没有那种成就的光环，身上没有不可一世的傲气。他们把教育看做是一种艺术。在他们的,陶下，我对科学的热爱复活了，并且对实验不再害怕。我记得我是如何地向往上课。早晨一起来，我就想，“今天又可以去上数学（或化学，或生物）课了！”

POMONA每年请一个诺贝尔奖获得者给我们作专题讲座。对我影响最深的是那堂课：《热爱科学，看淡名利》。这位女科学家眼睛里闪射出那种对工作的热爱，说自己从来没有想过得诺贝尔奖时的诚恳与坦然，在我心里激起巨大反响。我被她迷住了。我在那里拼命念书，一则我爱学新的东西，二则我想让POMONA感到他们没在我身上枉费那么多奖学金，三则我想补回在复旦欠的科学债。

后来又有两个中国学生被POMONA录取，其中一个似乎在国际奥林匹克数学竞赛中得过奖，但是他们成绩相当一般。在这之后， POMONA对中国学生收得就少了。我想，也许，目标仅放在“出国”的学生，一出国他们便没有动力了？最后，我在POMONA三年后获双学位（数学和分子生物学），以最佳学生的荣誉毕业。

而对我来说最最重要的是，POMONA拯救了我和我的科学精神。直到现在，我每年给他们捐款，并且不管多忙，一年为他们义务劳动两三次。

在POMONA我认识了尤西。他一米八的个子，粗眉大眼，三岁随父母从台湾迁居美国。他父母见我会背唐诗宋词，羡慕得不得了，怪自己儿子连中文都识不了几个。邀我常去他家，给他们的宝贝儿子一点中国文化的影响。而尤西对这些没有兴趣，他最大的愿望是毕业后进洛杉矶球队。暑假，他提议由他开车去北加州旅游。那是我第一次在美国旅游。晚上，我们在帐篷里并排躺下。他躺下后又坐起拿了件衣服隔在中间，说他知道中国的传统习惯，那股认真劲儿把我逗笑了。正想睡去，他却抓住我，俯到我耳边轻轻说他爱我。我挣开他：“不!你是个球坛明星，我热爱科学，我们的爱好不一样。我们只能成为好朋友。”

旅途结束我走下他的车时，他问我,你爱科学，是不？我点了点头。于是我认识了马克——我的第二任男友。

尤西事先没通知我，只是请我周末聚会。认识不认识的一共六人。时间不知不觉过去，我频频注视尤西，按惯例，是该他送我回校的。可他一反平时，倒是我沉不住气了，他似乎有点吃惊地说：“呀，这么迟了!”接着嘴角露出狡黠的笑，向马克挤了挤眼，“能劳驾你送寿小姐回校吗？”马克微笑地打开了他的车门。我刚跨进车，尤西探过头，低声说：“你不是喜欢科学吗，他是才子，加理的高才生……”

当我合上眼睛的时候，我能对自己说，我没有浪费我的生命

POMONA毕业后，哈佛、耶鲁等大学都免试录取了我。因为马克在加州理工学院，他坚持要我去加理。再者，加理是个很优秀的学校，因此我去那里的生物系做研究生。好笑的是一年后我们就吹了。

马克是个弃儿，养母常酗酒，他是在缺少爱的环境里长大的。父亲来美参加毕业典礼，住在他这里，他毫无节制地玩电子游戏到凌晨，然后睡到近午。起来问父亲早上吃什么？父亲肚子早咕咕叫，可中国的客套使他说你忙你的吧。他果真去忙自己的没了踪影。父亲承认有文化差异，但认为在缺少爱的家庭里长大的孩子不懂得关心别人，后来我进了加理，与他接触多了，感到确实是这样。于是我们吹了。

在加理，有段时间，我的课题进行得很不好。我不知道下一步该做什么。我从来没有尝到过那种压抑：每天看着钟，等着它指向5点便逃回家。研究和上课是完全不同的：研究没有期中期末考试，但每天都是一种不同的考验。我一向认为自己的意志力很坚强，根本没料到我居然也会那么脆弱。科学研究使我认识到我的弱点。

就在那时，我看到加理有跳舞课，想与其一天到晚愁眉苦脸的，还不如去学点跳舞——我一直想学，但从来没有机会。而且，我年纪也不小了，该成家了，待在实验室是碰不到好郎君的。很偶然，我在跳舞课上认识了一个物理系的研究生，他也是因为课题进行得不好用跳舞来逃避。几年后，我们这一对“难友”结成夫妻。

我当时非常喜欢跳舞，但跳舞的欢乐是极短暂的。一结束，科学研究的压抑感重又笼罩着我。后来，在老板和合作者的帮助下，我课题有了苗头，便根本没有时间或心思再去跳舞。仅一年之后，课题便出了成果，我们的文章在《细胞》杂志上发表。这个成果还使得我的论文在加理获得“最佳生物论文” 奖。科学研究，慢起来很慢，快起来倒也很快。

有时总是想，科学和我好像是父母替我定的“娃娃亲”。我遵照父母的愿望，成了科学家。后来，科学又成了我得到自由的跳板。如果父母让我像美国孩子一样自然发展，我会选择科学吗？也许，我会成为作家，或戏剧家？

我问我老板他父母小时候管不管他的，他说从来不管。对他印象最深的一件事是，他在他父亲开的机械店里工作了一个夏天，父亲让他干的工作是，把一个螺丝拧到一个孔里，就这样重复8小时。有一天，他对自己说，“我不能看钟，因为一看钟，我会意识到时间过得那么慢。”他忍着不看，最后实在忍不住了，一看才早晨9点，他便哭了。他说，这种工作做过之后，你会意识到从事科学研究是一种莫大的享受——因为每天都在变化。我问他研究科学是为什么，他承认在加理当教授满足了他一定的荣耀心，但是他绝对不是光为了荣耀或自由做科学——对于他来说，科学那么有趣，因为大自然无奇不有。

加理毕业前，我绿卡已经拿到了。我问自己，“我有基本的自由了，现在该做什么呢？”说实话，赚大钱对我的诱惑力并不小：我多么想在旧金山置房安家，我还想周游世界，还想把钱捐给我的母校们，帮助过我的朋友们以及世界野生动物和自然保护基金会。看看周围很多同年龄的人都开始给公司做，买房子，养孩子，开始稳定的生活。但是基于对科学的热爱与对自由的向往，我选了个“清水衙门”，和一条冒险性大的路：博士后研究，而且和新婚的丈夫两海岸分居。

父母也反对我去纽约，他们建议可以在加州的名牌大学做博士后。但我认为我必须进入世界的科学文化中心历练，且乐可菲尔又是与加理完全不同的名校，开阔视野博采众长有利于我的科学研究。我决定背水一战，研究数学与生物结合。我在做前人没有做过的事。如果成功——我会成为一个独特的科学家。那么我可以当助教授——那样，我就成为实验室老板，便不用在人之下——可以说这是一种更高层次的自由吧。如果失败，那么我赔进去的将是一生中最可珍贵的年华。

我常想，如果我做科学研究完全是出于对科学的热爱，那么我会多幸福。仔细想来，我其实对钱不是看得很重，我绝对不会穷的。那么在这个之上，有多少富都是相对的，但我希望我的一生充实。当我合上眼睛的时候，我能对自己说，我没有浪费我的生命，因为我的生命已经转成发现大自然的秘密。因为大自然是永恒的，那么我也永恒了。哪怕别人不知道我的名字。

我之所以说这些，是因为我想让学弟学妹们知道求学之路上的曲折并不可怕，一时的堕落和脆弱也不可怕——它们都是成长过程的一部分，重要的是不断地学习到一点东西，从中成长起来。

Jet Fakes Emergency for Gambia Soccer Game

2005-09-22T11:44:00.000-04:00

Jet Fakes Emergency for Gambia Soccer Game
LIMA, Peru - Pilots of a chartered jet carrying 289 Gambian soccer fans faked the need for an emergency landing in Peru so passengers could watch their nation's team play a key match, officials said Wednesday.

The plane, claiming to be low on fuel, landed Tuesday in Peru's northern coast city of Piura, where Gambia played Qatar in the FIFA Under-17 World Championships later that night.

Emergency crews were scrambled ahead of the Lockhead L1011 Tri-Star's unscheduled landing. It was to have landed in the capital, Lima.

The fans were allowed to watch the soccer game in Piura, which Gambia won 3-1. The fans apparently would have been late or missed the game if the flight had first gone to its scheduled destination of Lima, 550 miles to the south.

"It truly was a scam," said Betty Maldonado, a spokeswoman for Peru's aviation authority, CORPAC. "They tricked the control tower, saying they were low on fuel."

Maldonado said the plane, owned by Air Rum, flew directly to Piura, entering Peruvian airspace "without permission," instead of approaching Lima. She said the flight was chartered by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh.

The plane, passengers and crew remained in Piura on Wednesday while authorities determined what penalty, if any, to levy against the airline.

Gambian newspaper Daily Observer reported on its Web page Wednesday that the fans had been delayed for a week in a hotel in the small West African nation, making them late for the game in Peru.

Piura city spokesman Carlos Ordonez said the Gambians' presence caused a "sensation" in the city, which rolled out the red carpet for the African guests, offering performances by local folk singers and dancers.

Emma Brockes interview: Gore Vidal at 80

2005-09-21T09:15:00.000-04:00

Guardian Unlimited Books | By genre | Emma Brockes interview: Gore Vidal at 80
It has always been hard to work out how much of Vidal's aloofness is genuine. He plays up to his image as the foremost American aristocrat, slow in speech, noble in gesture, with a confidence in his own opinion that derives as much from background - his grandfather was a senator, his father a founder of the airline TWA and he had a stepfather in common with Jackie Kennedy - as from expertise. If he has ever reserved judgment on a subject, it has not been recorded, which is why, while he talks like an intellectual, he has the output of a hack: more than 35 novels, 20 non-fiction titles, scores of screenplays (most notably Suddenly, Last Summer) and opinions at the ready every time a world event requires lofty interpretation.

Cooking For Engineers

2005-09-20T09:32:00.000-04:00

Cooking For Engineers
Have an analytical mind? Like to cook? This is the site to read!

Holocaust Survivor Simon Wiesenthal Dies

2005-09-20T08:39:00.000-04:00

By IAN GREGOR, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 7 minutes ago

VIENNA, Austria - Simon Wiesenthal, the Holocaust survivor who helped track down Nazi war criminals following World War II, then spent the later decades of his life fighting anti-Semitism and prejudice against all people, died Tuesday. He was 96.

Wiesenthal, who helped find one-time SS leader Adolf Eichmann and the policeman who arrested Anne Frank, died in his sleep at his home in Vienna, said Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles.

"I think he'll be remembered as the conscience of the Holocaust. In a way he became the permanent representative of the victims of the Holocaust, determined to bring the perpetrators of the greatest crime to justice," Hier told The Associated Press.

A survivor of five Nazi death camps, Wiesenthal changed his life's mission after the war, dedicating himself to tracking down Nazi war criminals and to being a voice for the 6 million Jews who died during the onslaught. He himself lost 89 relatives in the Holocaust.

Wiesenthal spent more than 50 years hunting Nazi war criminals, speaking out against neo-Nazism and racism, and remembering the Jewish experience as a lesson for humanity. Through his work, he said, some 1,100 Nazi war criminals were brought to justice.

"When history looks back I want people to know the Nazis weren't able to kill millions of people and get away with it," he once said.

Simon Wiesenthal Center

2005-09-03T17:55:00.000-04:00

A fire burns on the east side of New Orleans early Friday morning, Sept. 2, 2005. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrine, firefighters say they will let the fire burn itself out. The explosion jolted residents awake early Friday, illuminating the pre-dawn sky with red and orange flames over the city where corpses rotted along flooded sidewalks and bands of armed thugs thwarted fitful rescue efforts. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

2005-09-03T17:41:00.000-04:00

Gas Price...

Rapes, killings hit Katrina refugees in New Orleans

2005-09-03T17:39:00.000-04:00

Rapes, killings hit Katrina refugees in New Orleans - Yahoo! News
Rapes, killings hit Katrina refugees in New Orleans
By Mark Egan 1 hour, 13 minutes ago

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - People left homeless by Hurricane Katrina told horrific stories of rape, murder and trigger happy guards in two New Orleans centers that were set up as shelters but became places of violence and terror.

Police and National Guard troops on Saturday closed down the two centers -- the Superdome arena and the city's convention center -- but them penned them in outside in sweltering heat to keep them from trying to walk out of the city.

Military helicopters and buses staged a massive evacuation to take away thousands of people who waited in orderly lines in stifling heat outside the flooded convention center.

The refugees, who were waiting to be taken to sports stadiums and other huge shelters across Texas and northern Louisiana, described how the convention center and the Superdome became lawless hellholes beset by rape and murder.

Several residents of the impromptu shantytown recounted two horrific incidents where those charged with keeping people safe had killed them instead.

In one, a young man was run down and then shot by a New Orleans police officer, in another a man seeking help was gunned down by a National Guard soldier, witnesses said.

Police here refused to discuss or confirm either incident. National Guard spokesman Lt. Col Pete Schneider said "I have not heard any information of a weapon being discharged."

"They killed a man here last night," Steve Banka, 28, told Reuters. "A young lady was being raped and stabbed. And the sounds of her screaming got to this man and so he ran out into the street to get help from troops, to try to flag down a passing truck of them, and he jumped up on the truck's windshield and they shot him dead."

Wade Batiste, 48, recounted another tale of horror.

"Last night at 8 p.m. they shot a kid of just 16. He was just crossing the street. They ran him over, the New Orleans police did, and then they got out of the car and shot him in the head," Batiste said.

The young man's body lay in the street by the Convention Center's entrance on Saturday morning, covered in a black blanket, a stream of congealed blood staining the street around him. Nearby his family sat in shock.

A member of that family, Africa Brumfield, 32, confirmed the incident but declined to be quoted about it, saying her family did not wish to discuss it. But she spoke of general conditions here.

"There is rapes going on here. Women cannot go to the bathroom without men. They are raping them and slitting their throats. They keep telling us the buses are coming but they never leave," she said through tears.

People here said there were now 22 bodies of adults and children stored inside the building, but troops guarding the building refused to confirm that and threatened to beat reporters seeking access to the makeshift morgue.

People trying to walk out are forced back at gunpoint - something troops said was for their own safety. "It's sad, but how far do you think they would get," one soldier said.

"They have us living here like animals," said Wvonnette Grace-Jordan, here with five children, the youngest only six weeks old. "We have only had two meals, we have no medicine and now there are thousands of people defecating in the streets. This is wrong. This is the United States of America."

One National Guard soldier who asked not to be named for fear of punishment from his commanding officer said of the lack of medical attention at the center, "They (the Bush administration) care more about Iraq and Afghanistan than here."

The Louisiana National Guard soldier said, "We are doing the best we can with the resources we have, but almost all of our guys are in Iraq."

Across town at the Superdome, where as many as 38,000 refugees camped out until Wednesday night when evacuation buses first came, the 4,000 still there were corralled outside, hoping to get on four waiting buses with seats for only 200.

The scene at the sports stadium was one of abject filth. Crammed into a small area after the building was shut to them last night, those remaining sat amid heaps of garbage, piled in places waist high. The stench of human waste pervaded the interior of the now vacant stadium.

One police officer told Reuters there were 100 people in a makeshift morgue at the Superdome, mostly people who died of heat exhaustion, and that six babies had been born there since last Saturday, when people arrived to take shelter.

At the arena, too, there was much talk of bedlam after dark.

"We found a young girl raped and killed in the bathroom," one National Guard soldier told Reuters. "Then the crowd got the man and they beat him to death."

Models predicted New Orleans disaster, experts say - Yahoo! News

2005-09-03T01:58:00.000-04:00

Models predicted New Orleans disaster, experts say - Yahoo! News

By Alan Elsner Fri Sep 2,11:54 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Virtually everything that has happened in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina struck was predicted by experts and in computer models, so emergency management specialists wonder why authorities were so unprepared.

"The scenario of a major hurricane hitting New Orleans was well anticipated, predicted and drilled around," said Clare Rubin, an emergency management consultant who also teaches at the Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management at George Washington University.

Computer models developed at Louisiana State University and other institutions made detailed projections of what would happen if water flowed over the levees protecting the city or if they failed.

In July 2004, more than 40 federal, state, local and volunteer organizations practiced this very scenario in a five-day simulation code-named "Hurricane Pam," where they had to deal with an imaginary storm that destroyed over half a million buildings in New Orleans and forced the evacuation of a million residents.

At the end of the exercise Ron Castleman, regional director for the
Federal Emergency Management Agency declared: "We made great progress this week in our preparedness efforts.

"Disaster response teams developed action plans in critical areas such as search and rescue, medical care, sheltering, temporary housing, school restoration and debris management. These plans are essential for quick response to a hurricane but will also help in other emergencies," he said.

In light of that, said disaster expert Bill Waugh of Georgia State University, "It's inexplicable how unprepared for the flooding they were." He said a slow decline over several years in funding for emergency management was partly to blame.

In comments on Thursday, President George W. Bush said, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."

But Louisiana State University engineer Joseph Suhayda and others have warned for years that defenses could fail. In 2002, the New Orleans Times Picayune published a five-part series on "The Big One" examining what might happen if they did.

SCENARIO LAID OUT

It predicted that 200,000 people or more would be unwilling or unable to heed evacuation orders and thousands would die, that people would be housed in the Superdome, that aid workers would find it difficult to gain access to the city as roads became impassable, as well as many other of the consequences that actually unfolded after Katrina hit this week.

Craig Marks who runs Blue Horizons Consulting, an emergency management training company in North Carolina, said the authorities had mishandled the evacuation, neglecting to help those without transportation to leave the city.

"They could have packed people on trains or buses and gotten them out before the hurricane struck. They had enough time and access to federal funds. And now, we find we do not have a proper emergency communications infrastructure so aid workers get out into the field and they can't talk to one another," he said.

Most of those trapped by the floods in the city of some 500,000 people are the poor who had little chance to leave.

Ernest Sternberg, a professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Buffalo, said law enforcement agencies were often more eager to invest in high tech "toys" than basic communications.

"It's well known that communications go down in disasters but people on the frontlines still don't invest in them. A lot of the investments that have been made in homeland security have been misspent," he said.

Several experts also believe the decision to make FEMA a part of the Department of
Homeland Security, created after the September 11, 2001 attacks, was a major mistake. Rubin said FEMA functioned well in the 1990s as a small, independent agency.

"Under DHS, it was downgraded, buried in a couple of layers of bureaucracy, and terrorism prevention got all the attention and most of the funds," she said.

Former FEMA director James Lee Witt testified to Congress in March 2004: "I am extremely concerned that the ability of our nation to prepare for and respond to disasters has been sharply eroded.

"I hear from emergency managers, local and state leaders, and first responders nearly every day that the FEMA they knew and worked well with has now disappeared. In fact one state emergency manager told me, 'It is like a stake has been driven into the heart of emergency management,"' he said.

Underlying the situation has been the general reluctance of government at any level to invest in infrastructure or emergency management, said David McEntire, who teaches emergency management at the University of North Texas.

"No-one cares about disasters until they happen. That is a political fact of life," he said.

"Emergency management is woefully underfunded in this nation. That covers not only first responders but also warning, evacuation, damage assessment, volunteer management, donation management and recovery and mitigation issues," he said.

Murder and mayhem in New Orleans' miserable shelter - Yahoo! News

2005-09-03T01:57:00.000-04:00

Murder and mayhem in New Orleans' miserable shelter - Yahoo! News
By Mark Egan 2 hours, 9 minutes ago

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - With the rotors of
President George W. Bush's helicopter sounding overhead, New Orleans' poor and downtrodden recounted tales of murder, rape, death threats and near starvation since Hurricane Katrina wrecked this city.

Ending days of abandonment since the hurricane struck on Monday, the U.S. National Guard handed out military rations and a bottle of water to thousands of evacuees -- the first proper meal most had eaten in days.

But as the masses lined up outside, herded by Army troops toting machine guns, inside the convention center where these people slept since Monday was the stench of death and decay.

Leroy Fouchea, 42, waited in the sweltering heat for an hour to get his ration -- his first proper food since Monday -- and immediately handed it over to a sickly friend.

He then offered to show reporters the dead bodies of a man in a wheelchair, a young man who he said he dragged inside just hours earlier, and the limp forms of two infants, one just four months old, the other six months old.

"They died right here, in America, waiting for food," Fouchea said as he walked toward Hall D, where the bodies were put to get them out of the searing heat.

He said people were let die and left without food simply because they were poor and that the evacuation effort earlier concentrated on the French Quarter of the city. "Because that's where the money is," he spat.

A National Guardsman refused entry.

"It doesn't need to be seen, it's a make-shift morgue in there," he told a Reuters photographer. "We're not letting anyone in there anymore. If you want to take pictures of dead bodies, go to
Iraq."

As rations were finally doled out here on the day
President Bush visited the devastated city, an elderly white woman and her husband collapsed from the heat.

"I had to walk two blocks to get here and I have arthritis and three ruptured discs in my back," said Selma Valenti, 80, as her husband lay beside her, being revived by a policeman in riot gear. The two had eaten nothing since Wednesday.

Valenti and her husband, two of very few white people in the almost exclusively black refugee camp, said she and other whites were threatened with murder on Thursday.

"They hated us. Four young black men told us the buses were going to come last night and pick up the elderly so they were going to kill us," she said, sobbing. "They were plotting to murder us and then they sent the buses away because we would all be killed if the buses came -- that's what the people in charge told us this morning."

Other survivors recounted horrific cases of sexual assault and murder.

Sitting with her daughter and other relatives, Trolkyn Joseph, 37, said men had wandered the cavernous convention center in recent nights raping and murdering children.

She said she found a dead 14-year old girl at 5 a.m. on Friday morning, four hours after the young girl went missing from her parents inside the convention center.

"She was raped for four hours until she was dead," Joseph said through tears. "Another child, a seven-year old boy was found raped and murdered in the kitchen freezer last night."

Several others interviewed by Reuters told similar stories of the abuse and murder of children, but they could not be independently verified.

Many complained bitterly about why they received so little for so many days, and they had harsh words for Bush.

"I really don't know what to say about President Bush," said Richard Dunbar, 60, a Vietnam veteran. "He showed no lack of haste when he wanted to go to Iraq, but for his own people right here in Louisiana, we get only lip service."

One young man said he was not looking forward to another night in the convention center and wondered when conditions would improve. "It's been like a jail in there," he said. "We've got murderers, rapists, killers, thieves. We've got it all."

Singapore locks up U.S. man for possessing porn

2005-08-25T14:52:00.000-04:00

Singapore locks up U.S. man for possessing porn - Yahoo! News
Thu Aug 25,11:18 AM ET

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore police handcuffed and locked up a U.S. citizen for bringing 58 pornographic DVDs and video CDs into the wealthy city-state when he moved to Singapore last year, a newspaper reported Thursday.

The Straits Times said Singapore state prosecutors had dropped charges of possessing uncertified and obscene films against Tran Nghia Hong after he presented them with a declaration by his brother, stating that he was missing "certain DVDs."

The films, found by Singapore customs officers in a shipment of his belongings from California, included titles such as "Frivolous Lola," "Copulation Nation" and "Lord of the Strings."

"I was handcuffed and put in a lock-up for four hours after I was charged," the report quoted Tran, 35, as saying.

Tran, a financial controller at U.S. Internet equipment maker Cisco Systems, could have been fined up to S$500 for each disc, up to a maximum of S$20,000, or up to six months in prison, or both.

Despite efforts to loosen some of its social controls, many tough rules remain in Singapore. "Playboy" magazine is banned, while oral sex remains technically illegal under a law that says "whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animals" can be fined and jailed up to 10 years, or even for life.

In recent years, Singapore has partially relaxed its famous ban on chewing gum, allowed some bars to stay open for 24 hours and ended a ban on the popular U.S. sitcom "Sex and the City."

Print Story: Asians, Americans Show Perceptual Divide on Yahoo! News

2005-08-22T20:55:00.000-04:00

Print Story: Asians, Americans Show Perceptual Divide

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science Writer

2 hours, 42 minutes ago

Asians and North Americans really do see the world differently. Shown a photograph, North American students of European background paid more attention to the object in the foreground of a scene, while students from China spent more time studying the background and taking in the whole scene, according to University of Michigan researchers.

The researchers, led by Hannah-Faye Chua and Richard Nisbett, tracked the eye movements of the students — 25 European Americans and 27 native Chinese — to determine where they were looking in a picture and how long they focused on a particular area.

"They literally are seeing the world differently," said Nisbett, who believes the differences are cultural.

"Asians live in a more socially complicated world than we do," he said in a telephone interview. "They have to pay more attention to others than we do. We are individualists. We can be bulls in a china shop, they can't afford it."

The findings are reported in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The key thing in Chinese culture is harmony, Nisbett said, while in the West the key is finding ways to get things done, paying less attention to others.

And that, he said, goes back to the ecology and economy of times thousands of years ago.

In ancient China, farmers developed a system of irrigated agriculture, Nisbett said. Rice farmers had to get along with each other to share water and make sure no one cheated.

Western attitudes, on the other hand, developed in ancient Greece where there were more people running individual farms, raising grapes and olives, and operating like individual businessmen.

So differences in perception go back at least 2,000 years, he said.

Aristotle, for example, focused on objects. A rock sank in water because it had the property of gravity, wood floated because it had the property of floating. He would not have mentioned the water. The Chinese, though, considered all actions related to the medium in which they occurred, so they understood tides and magnetism long before the West did.

Nisbett illustrated this with a test asking Japanese and Americans to look at pictures of underwater scenes and report what they saw.

The Americans would go straight for the brightest or most rapidly moving object, he said, such as three trout swimming. The Japanese were more likely to say they saw a stream, the water was green, there were rocks on the bottom and then mention the fish.

The Japanese gave 60 percent more information on the background and twice as much about the relationship between background and foreground objects as Americans, Nisbett said.

In the latest test, the researchers tracked the eye movement of the Chinese and Americans as they looked at pictures.

The Americans looked at the object in the foreground sooner — a leopard in the jungle for example — and they looked at it longer. The Chinese had more eye movement, especially on the background and back and forth between the main object and the background, he said.

Reinforcing the belief that the differences are cultural, he said, when Asians raised in North America were studied, they were intermediate between native Asians and European-Americans, and sometimes closer to Americans in the way they viewed scenes.

Kyle R. Cave of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst commented: "These results are particularly striking because they show that these cultural differences extend to low level perceptual processes such as how we control our eyes. They suggest that the way that we see and explore the world literally depends on where we come from."

Cave said researchers in his lab have found differences in eye movement between Asians and Westerners in reading, based on differences in the styles of writing in each language.

"When you look beyond this study to all of the studies finding cultural differences, you find that people from one culture do better on some tasks, while people from other cultures do better on others. I think it would be hard to argue from these studies that one culture is generally outperforming the other cognitively," Cave said.

___

On the Net:

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: http://www.pnas.org

Diaper sparks bomb alert

2005-08-22T18:36:00.000-04:00

Diaper sparks bomb alert - Yahoo! News
Thu Aug 18,11:54 AM ET

BERLIN (Reuters) - An "electronic nappy" used to monitor wetness sparked a bomb alert in a German post office when it arrived in a parcel ticking suspiciously, police in the southwestern city of Heilbronn said Thursday.

"They suspected it was a bomb so they put the package into an empty room and called the police," said a police spokesman. "It was supposed to respond to wetness with bleeping sounds but this one ticked."

Two squad cars rushed to the scene and immediately contacted the sender. Police gave the all clear after they contacted the woman who told them the intercepted package contained only a malfunctioning diaper.

农妇被隔离28小时后右臂上出现英文(组图)

2005-08-22T13:05:00.000-04:00

更玄了:农妇被隔离28小时后右臂上出现英文(组图) - 文学城 www.wenxuecity.com

核心提示

　　连日来，榆中县甘草店镇农妇胡某身上“长”字的事件经本报连续报道后，引起众人的好奇和质疑。8月19日到8月21日，本报记者与有关皮肤科专家一起到甘草店镇胡某家中，对胡某进行隔离观察。经过28个小时的严格监控，8月20日晚上9 时许，大家发现胡某右臂上出现了一行清晰的红色英文“good luck”，到8月21日早晨7时许，字迹才逐渐消退。

　　专家检查——奇女皮肤健康

　　8月19日下午5时许，本报记者和省人民医院专家门诊中心皮肤科主任王国玉一起，在未事先通知胡某的情况下来到其家中，准备对她皮肤上“长”字的现象进行一次隔离检查。

　　经医生初步检查，胡某没有疾病，皮肤健康，身上没有任何字迹和印痕。随后，专家就胡某的病史情况进行了检查和询问，包括最初出字的时间、字迹消退时间长短、病变反应症状以及有无家庭病史等内容。针对专家的询问，胡某一一作了详尽的回答。之后，为了证实胡某是否患有常见的人工划痕症，专家用指甲在她的皮肤上划了一个字，皮肤上出现了轻微的痕迹，专家解释胡某可能患有皮肤划痕症(略呈阳性)。

农妇右臂上出现清晰可辨的“good luck”，9个多小时后消退。

专家检查奇女皮肤健康。

　　奇异梦境——有人追着在她身上写字

　　据胡某讲，每次皮肤上“长”出字以后，因为事情太奇特，心里就觉得特别急躁，但出字的位置没有一点痛痒感，也没有灼烧的感觉。奇怪的是，本来自己身上每天都连续出字，可是8月18日却没有出字。

　　据胡某丈夫讲，胡某皮肤“长”字前后共有24天，每次出字后身体没有异常感觉。然而8月15日晚上10时许睡觉时，他突然发现妻子呼吸紧张，便将她拉起来，听见她嘴里不停地念叨着“海阔天空、辽阔草原”。等将她叫醒后，才发现她的两条胳膊上“长”出“海阔天空、辽阔草原”的字来。胡某有些惊悸地对我们说：“当晚我做了一个奇异的梦，梦见一个高个子男子，追着要在我身上写‘海阔天空、辽阔草原’，真是太害怕了。”

　　18日、19日——　“长”字现象中断两天

　　8月19日晚上，处在隔离检查中的胡某始终没有出字。

　　胡某的丈夫告诉记者，8月17日晚上10时许，胡某的后背两侧竟然“长”出“台湾回归、人民欢迎”的字样，胳膊上也出现“历尽千辛、圆满成功。”的字样。与以往不同的是，这次在“历尽千辛、圆满成功”后面，竟然多出现了一个“。”。

　　8月18日到19日，连续出字的现象不知何故突然中断。村上一些老人们认为，会不会出现句号后，胡某身上此后就再也不“长”字了。到8月19日下午，在家接受隔离检查的胡某身上始终没有再出字，身体也无其他病变反应。

　　检查结果——右臂上“长”出英文

　　在前后三天的观察中，被隔离的胡某像往常一样生活、干农活，只是全部活动都在检查人员的监控下进行。隔离期间不允许她和外人及家人直接接触，不允许她离开居所外出。8月20日晚饭后，胡某在大家的监控下看电视，其间出门都有专人跟随。晚上9时许，专家检查胡某的手臂，未发现可疑现象。晚上9时10分，胡某突然欣喜若狂的叫道：“字出来了！”大家急忙上前观看，惊喜的发现其右臂上清晰地出现了一行英文“good luck”(意为祝你好运)。到8月21日凌晨1时许，字迹仍清晰可辨。8月21日早晨7时许，字迹才逐渐消退。

　　家人心愿期待解开“长”字之谜

　　胡某皮肤上会“长”字的消息传开后，此成为读者议论的焦点，并引起众多新闻媒体的关注。8月18日，有一家兰州本地媒体就此事提出质疑，认为农妇身上 “长”字是不可能的，之所以出现这种现象，极有可能是人为刻划上去留下的字痕。此后，该媒体以一位患皮肤划痕症的女士为例，片面的作出“胡某皮肤‘长’字谎言被戳穿”的断言。该报道出来后，一度造成人们的误解，也给当事人胡某一家造成严重的精神伤害。8月19日晚上，胡某的丈夫气恼地说：“妻子身上出字只是一种奇异现象，我们根本没有必要去骗人，为什么有人出言不逊伤害我们无辜的人呢？希望有人能够尽快解开妻子身上的这个不解之谜，还全家人一个清白。”

　　专家解释　不解之谜有待研究

　　省皮肤性病学会常委、省人民医院专家门诊中心皮肤科主任王国玉，在隔离检查现场查证完胡某身上的字迹后，倍感惊异的说：“这种现象闻所未闻，真的是太奇特，让人感到不可思议。”王主任就胡某身上出现的字痕分析说，假如是人工划痕所留，用手磨压字迹不会消失，划下的字在肉皮表层有肉痕，一般30分钟左右便自然消失。而胡某胳膊上所出来的英文字迹，若用手轻轻磨压就会消失，起手后又清晰地出现，其呈现的血色印痕久久不消退，时间长达9个多小时，而且用水擦洗会更加清晰。从出字的症状看，胡某皮肤“长”出的字处在皮肤表层的浅层毛血细管，它不属于身体疾病，只是一种皮肤层的变异现象，很奇妙，具有很好的研究价值。王主任希望此事能引起社会和有关部门的关注，然后组织专门的医学力量对其进行探索及专题研究，争取早日破解留在胡某身上的这个不解之谜。文／图本报记者鲁进峰裴强

　　51小时家全程见证

　　省人民医院皮肤科专家希望组织医学力量破解“长”字之谜

　　8月19日

　　下午5时许，胡某接受隔离检查。

　　晚上7时30分，专家给胡某检查身体，并询问有关病史等情况。

　　晚上8时10分，胡某的弟弟从兰州打来电话，叮嘱其不要出门，认真配合隔离检查。

　　晚上9时30分到11时许，胡某未见异常反应，其间吃饭、做家务。

　　晚上12时许入睡，一夜无反应症状，后半夜因急躁未入眠。

　　8月20日

　　早晨至晚上8时许，胡某做家务，忙农活，身体一直无任何反应征兆。

　　晚上8时许后，胡某和大家一起在看电视。

　　晚上9时许，医生检查胡某的左胳膊，未见异常。

　　晚上9时10分，大家发现胡某的右臂上出现了一行清晰的红色英文“good luck”(意为祝您好运)。

　　晚上9时20分，医生对胡某的身体和出现的字痕进行专业检测。

　　晚上10时许，经仔细检查，胡某的腿部、腹部及身体后背等处未再发现字痕。

　　晚上10时30分，用水清洗，字痕更加清晰可辨。

　　8月21日

　　凌晨1时许，字痕未消失，仍旧清晰可见。

　　凌晨2时许，胡某的丈夫下夜班回家，见到出字激动的说道：“终于盼出字来了！”胡某字痕还在，但其他身体部位没有出现不适反应。

　　凌晨3时许，胡某休息。

　　早晨7时许，胡某起床后，经检查发现字痕有些模糊，之后逐渐消退。

　　上午至晚上8时许，胡某做家务，其间未再发生出字现象。

Cornell News: New mind model

2005-08-20T12:40:00.000-04:00

Cornell News: New mind model

June 27, 2005
New Cornell study suggests that mental processing is continuous, not like a computer
By Susan S. Lang

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The theory that the mind works like a computer, in a series of distinct stages, was an important steppingstone in cognitive science, but it has outlived its usefulness, concludes a new Cornell University study. Instead, the mind should be thought of more as working the way biological organisms do: as a dynamic continuum, cascading through shades of grey.

In a new study published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (June 27-July 1), Michael Spivey, a psycholinguist and associate professor of psychology at Cornell, tracked the mouse movements of undergraduate students while working at a computer. The findings provide compelling evidence that language comprehension is a continuous process.

"For decades, the cognitive and neural sciences have treated mental processes as though they involved passing discrete packets of information in a strictly feed-forward fashion from one cognitive module to the next or in a string of individuated binary symbols -- like a digital computer," said Spivey. "More recently, however, a growing number of studies, such as ours, support dynamical-systems approaches to the mind. In this model, perception and cognition are mathematically described as a continuous trajectory through a high-dimensional mental space; the neural activation patterns flow back and forth to produce nonlinear, self-organized, emergent properties -- like a biological organism."

In his study, 42 students listened to instructions to click on pictures of different objects on a computer screen. When the students heard a word, such as "candle," and were presented with two pictures whose names did not sound alike, such as a candle and a jacket, the trajectories of their mouse movements were quite straight and directly to the candle. But when the students heard "candle" and were presented with two pictures with similar sounding names, such as candle and candy, they were slower to click on the correct object, and their mouse trajectories were much more curved. Spivey said that the listeners started processing what they heard even before the entire word was spoken.

"When there was ambiguity, the participants briefly didn't know which picture was correct and so for several dozen milliseconds, they were in multiple states at once. They didn't move all the way to one picture and then correct their movement if they realized they were wrong, but instead they traveled through an intermediate gray area," explained Spivey. "The degree of curvature of the trajectory shows how much the other object is competing for their interpretation; the curve shows continuous competition. They sort of partially heard the word both ways, and their resolution of the ambiguity was gradual rather than discrete; it's a dynamical system."

The computer metaphor describes cognition as being in a particular discrete state, for example, "on or off" or in values of either zero or one, and in a static state until moving on. If there was ambiguity, the model assumed that the mind jumps the gun to one state or the other, and if it realizes it is wrong, it then makes a correction.

"In thinking of cognition as working as a biological organism does, on the other hand, you do not have to be in one state or another like a computer, but can have values in between -- you can be partially in one state and another, and then eventually gravitate to a unique interpretation, as in finally recognizing a spoken word," Spivey said.

Whereas the older models of language processing theorized that neural systems process words in a series of discrete stages, the alternative model suggests that sensory input is processed continuously so that even partial linguistic input can start "the dynamic competition between simultaneously active representations."

Spivey's co-authors are Marc Grosjean of the University of Dortmund, Germany, and G�nther Knoblich of Rutgers University.

BWCA fire 45 percent contained

2005-08-16T04:44:00.000-04:00

kare11.com : Minneapolis, St. Paul: "Firefighters made substantial gains against a wildfire burning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on Monday, and their lines held despite winds as high as 30 mph.

'We're calling it 45 percent contained,' up from 35 percent on Sunday, said Dewey Hanson, a spokesman for the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center in Grand Rapids.

Hanson said the 268 people fighting the fire 'did a fantastic job' Monday, securing more than a half mile of the containment line on the north side of the fire.

'Tomorrow we should be able to finish that northern line, and if we get that finished we've got it in a pretty good box,' he said.

Helicopters were able to drop water on hotspots within the lines and officials did not need to call in the water-scooping airplanes that are standing by, he said. One firefighter suffered a strained knee, but the injury wasn't serious, he said.

The fire has burned about 1,300 acres between Alpine, Seagull, Red Rock and Grandpa lakes since it was sparked by lightning on July 30 and smoldered until flaring up Aug. 6. It is the largest fire in the northeastern Minnesota wilderness area in a decade and has cost nearly $1.9 million to fight as of Monday evening, Hanson said.

No structures have been damaged, and Hanson said a sprinkler line set up to the east of the fire should prevent it from reaching cabins and businesses near the end of the Gunflint Trail, the 57-mile road leading into the wilderness from Grand Marais. "

Orbital Mechanics

2005-08-15T22:04:00.000-04:00

Orbital Mechanics
From Slashdot: Posted by Cliff on Monday August 15, @07:02PM
from the shouldn't-it-be-more-complex-than-this dept.
hakonhaugnes wonders: "Since trips to Mars seems commonplace (NASA has sent one every 26 months), I thought it made sense to try to understand how the interplanetary trajectory is calculated. NASA's page is deploringly void of intricate details. I found this excellent page, but it still left me feeling that I was missing something. Surely the calculus must go beyond two bodies (mars/earth)? (It seems there are commercial MATLAB scripts available but at $150 it went beyond the defensible to satisfy my curiosity). Are there any curious Slashdot readers with the usual great insight into how to calculate a trip to Mars?"

Can Cell Phones Damage Our Eyes?

2005-07-28T01:17:00.000-04:00

Can Cell Phones Damage Our Eyes?

I'm sure you've read dozens of stories about how our cell phones could be dangerous to our health, causing brain tumors for example. But so far, there is not a definitive answer. But now, according to IsraCast, a team of Israeli researchers has discovered that the microwave radiation used by our cell phones could destroy our eyes by causing two kinds of damages to our visual system, including an irreversible one. If the researchers are right, and even if you only occasionally use your cell phone, the lenses in your eyes can suffer from microscopic damages that won't heal themselves over time. Now, let's wait until another scientific team says it's not true...

Here is the introduction of the IsraCast article.

In a recent scientific study conducted by a team of researchers from the Technion, a possible link between microwave radiation, similar to the type found in cellular phones, and different kinds of damage to the visual system was found. At least one kind of damage seems to accumulate over time and not heal, challenging the common view and leading the researchers to the assertion that the duration of exposure is not less important than the intensity of the irradiation. The researchers also emphasized that existing exposure guidelines for microwave radiation might have to change.

The article contains several illustrations, but here is the most spectacular (Credit: The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion).

[Above are] microscope photographs of lenses incubated in organ culture conditions for 12 days. Right frame shows Control lens with no damage. Bottom frame demonstrates the effect of microwave radiation on bovine lens sutures for a total exposure of 192 cycles (1.1GHz, 2.22mW). Each cycle lasts 50min followed by 10 min pause.

The potential risks from radiation on our visual system have previously been studied, but until recently, the effects of microwave radiation have not been evaluated.

Before going further, I need to introduce two concepts here. Cell phone companies use the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) to measure microwave radiation -- "it is the average power density absorbed in a given volume per average weight density (Watt/Kg)." "A less common measure is called Specific Energy Absorption (SA), and is defined as the energy density absorbed in the tissue divided by its weight density."

Now we can look at the experiments.

Eye lenses of one-year-old male calves obtained from a slaughterhouse were exposed to microwave radiation - one eye from each pair used for control. Each exposure session lasted about two weeks. Both control and exposed lens were kept in an incubator at a constant temperature. During this period each exposed lens had experienced up to 2mW of 1.1GHz radiation virtually around the clock, and each hour it was exposed for a 50 minute session followed by a 10 minute break.

And the researchers were able to measure two different effects:

macroscopic damages affecting the optical quality of the lens, which can gradually heal
and microscopic damages, which don't heal after the experiments stopped, and are even growing when a new exposure starts

Here are some warnings from one of the researchers.

Professor Levi Schächter, [of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Technion,] who worked on the research, told IsraCast that attention should be paid not only to the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) but also to the total energy absorbed by the tissue (SA), which is not currently under supervision by the appropriate regulative authorities.

The latest research work on this subject has been published by Bioelectromagnetics under the name "Localized effects of microwave radiation on the intact eye lens in culture conditions" (Volume 26, Issue 5 , Pages 398-405, May 10, 2005). Here is a link to the abstract, which I reproduce below.

A novel experimental system was used to investigate the localized effects of microwave radiation on bovine eye lenses in culture for over 2 weeks. Using this setup, we found clear evidence that this radiation has a significant impact on the eye lens. At the macroscopic level, it is demonstrated that exposure to a few mW at 1 GHz for over 36 h affects the optical function of the lens. Most importantly, self-recovery occurs if the exposure is interrupted.

At the microscopic level, close examination of the lens indicates that the interaction mechanism is completely different from the mechanism-causing cataract via temperature increase. Contrary to the latter's effect, that is particularly pronounced in the vicinity of the sutures and it is assumed to be a result of local friction between the edges of the fibers consisting the lens. Even if macroscopically the lens has recovered from the irradiation, microscopically the indicators of radiation impact remain.

Finally, as this study has not been done -- yet -- on humans, I guess the controversy can begin. And whether you think that cell phones can damage our eyes or not, feel free to post your comments below.

Sources: Iddo Genuth, IsraCast, July 25, 2005; and various web sites

Related stories can be found in the following categories.

Women Pushing Car Charged With DUI - Yahoo! News

2005-07-27T01:46:00.000-04:00

Women Pushing Car Charged With DUI - Yahoo! News: "PORTAGE, Ind. - Two women who took turns steering a broken-down vehicle face drunk driving charges after their slow-moving car crashed into a parked car.

Kaylyn Kezy, 34, of Gary, was pushing the disabled car, while Melissa Fredenburg, 32, of Chesterton, steered from the passenger seat, police said. The two were moving the car into a parking lot at a nearby motel early Friday in the city about 10 miles east of Gary.

Police said both women had a blood-alcohol levels of 0.17 percent, more than twice the state's legal limit to drive.

Authorities said the women were operating the vehicle while intoxicated — even though the car's engine wasn't working.

A prosecutor acknowledged the charges could be difficult to prosecute in court.

'The statute and case law supports (a DUI charge) ... but it will be interesting to see,' said Deputy Prosecutor Adam Burroughs, who authorized the charges.

Burroughs said that the office had prosecuted drunken drivers who were stopped in restaurant drive-through lanes or who were on private property. Bicycles and motorized wheelchairs are about the only vehicles in which a person would be unlikely to face a drunken-driving charge, he said."

Global Dimming

2005-07-27T00:31:00.000-04:00

BBC - Science & Nature - Horizon

We are all seeing rather less of the Sun. Scientists looking at five decades of sunlight measurements have reached the disturbing conclusion that the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface has been gradually falling. Paradoxically, the decline in sunlight may mean that global warming is a far greater threat to society than previously thought.

The effect was first spotted by Gerry Stanhill, an English scientist working in Israel. Comparing Israeli sunlight records from the 1950s with current ones, Stanhill was astonished to find a large fall in solar radiation. "There was a staggering 22% drop in the sunlight, and that really amazed me," he says.

Intrigued, he searched out records from all around the world, and found the same story almost everywhere he looked, with sunlight falling by 10% over the USA, nearly 30% in parts of the former Soviet Union, and even by 16% in parts of the British Isles. Although the effect varied greatly from place to place, overall the decline amounted to 1-2% globally per decade between the 1950s and the 1990s.

Gerry called the phenomenon global dimming, but his research, published in 2001, met with a sceptical response from other scientists. It was only recently, when his conclusions were confirmed by Australian scientists using a completely different method to estimate solar radiation, that climate scientists at last woke up to the reality of global dimming.

Dimming appears to be caused by air pollution. Burning coal, oil and wood, whether in cars, power stations or cooking fires, produces not only invisible carbon dioxide (the principal greenhouse gas responsible for global warming) but also tiny airborne particles of soot, ash, sulphur compounds and other pollutants.

This visible air pollution reflects sunlight back into space, preventing it reaching the surface. But the pollution also changes the optical properties of clouds. Because the particles seed the formation of water droplets, polluted clouds contain a larger number of droplets than unpolluted clouds. Recent research shows that this makes them more reflective than they would otherwise be, again reflecting the Sun's rays back into space.

Scientists are now worried that dimming, by shielding the oceans from the full power of the Sun, may be disrupting the pattern of the world's rainfall. There are suggestions that dimming was behind the droughts in sub-Saharan Africa which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the 1970s and 1980s. There are disturbing hints the same thing may be happening today in Asia, home to half the world's population. "My main concern is global dimming is also having a detrimental impact on the Asian monsoon," says Prof Veerhabhadran Ramanathan, one of the world's leading climate scientists. "We are talking about billions of people."

But perhaps the most alarming aspect of global dimming is that it may have led scientists to underestimate the true power of the greenhouse effect. They know how much extra energy is being trapped in the Earth's atmosphere by the extra carbon dioxide (CO2) we have placed there. What has been surprising is that this extra energy has so far resulted in a temperature rise of just 0.6°C.

This has led many scientists to conclude that the present-day climate is less sensitive to the effects of carbon dioxide than it was, say, during the ice age, when a similar rise in CO2 led to a temperature rise of 6°C. But it now appears the warming from greenhouse gases has been offset by a strong cooling effect from dimming - in effect two of our pollutants have been cancelling each other out. This means that the climate may in fact be more sensitive to the greenhouse effect than thought.

If so, then this is bad news, according to Dr Peter Cox, one of the world's leading climate modellers. As things stand, CO2 levels are projected to rise strongly over coming decades, whereas there are encouraging signs that particle pollution is at last being brought under control. "We're going to be in a situation, unless we act, where the cooling pollutant is dropping off while the warming pollutant is going up. That means we'll get reduced cooling and increased heating at the same time and that's a problem for us," says Cox.

Even the most pessimistic forecasts of global warming may now have to be drastically revised upwards. That means a temperature rise of 10°C by 2100 could be on the cards, giving the UK a climate like that of North Africa, and rendering many parts of the world uninhabitable. That is unless we act urgently to curb our emissions of greenhouse gases.

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