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Wednesday 28 March 2012

Dirty Harry(Krishna): Indian grandmother, 78, is believed to be the world's oldest professional sharpshooter

Dirty Harry(Krishna): Indian grandmother, 78, is believed to be the world's oldest professional sharpshooter

By MydeaMedia

 

At 78, most pensioners are reliant on the glasses to even read a newspaper.
But not Indian grandmother Chandro Tomar.
With a £1,200 pistol in hand, and her sari draped over her long silver hair, it’s believed she’s the world’s oldest female professional sharpshooter.
Granny, get your gun: Indian grandmother Chandro Tomar is, at 78, believed to be the world's oldest professional sharpshooter
Granny, get your gun: Indian grandmother Chandro Tomar is, at 78, believed to be the world's oldest professional sharpshooter
She has entered and won over 25 national championships across India as well as raising six children and 15 grandchildren.
She said: ‘I wanted to do something useful with my life and show people my capabilities.
'As soon as I shot my first pistol I was hooked. And now I’ve shown everyone there’s no disadvantages to my age. If you’re focused you can do anything.’
Almost ten years ago Chandro took her granddaughter to a local firing range in Johri village, in Uttar Pradesh, India.
She wanted to learn a new skill but was too shy to go alone.
In the end it was Chandro who was welcomed into the club with open arms.
Sharp-eyed: Chandro takes aim. She has won over over 25 national championships across India - as well as raising six children and 15 grandchildren
Sharp-eyed: Chandro takes aim. She has won over over 25 national championships across India - as well as raising six children and 15 grandchildren
Crack shot: She took up the sport nearly ten years ago after taking taking a few practice shots to pass the time while taking her granddaughter down to a local shooting range
Crack shot: She took up the sport nearly ten years ago after taking taking a few practice shots to pass the time while taking her granddaughter down to a local shooting range
‘As I was waiting around I decided to have a go. The coach spotted me and was amazed at my aim,’ she said.
‘He told me to come back so I did. Initially I was just supporting my granddaughter but I enjoyed it so much it became a passion and I looked forward to going to the club every week.’
While Chandro tended to her daily chores on her farm and raised her family, she practiced her aim whenever she could using stones and throwing them at water bottles.
The club’s coach, Farooq Pathan, who set up the shooting club with two friends in 1998, said: 'I was surprised when I saw a pensioner in our group but she picked it up pretty quickly.
'She was so good some of the men stopped turning up altogether to avoid being humiliated by her, a old woman. She has the ultimate skill, a steady hand and a sharp eye.'
And now she’s a national treasure, known throughout India for her skill, even winning gold at the Veteran Shooting Championship held in Chennai.
Concentration: Chandro takes aim at the local firing range
Concentration: Chandro takes aim at the local firing range
Multi-talented: The grandmother shows off her prowess with a rifle
Multi-talented: The grandmother shows off her prowess with a rifle
But her biggest fan is her daughter Seema, who is also an international shooting star becoming the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Rifle and Pistol World Cup.
'She is amazing,' she said. ‘If she can do it then so can we. She showed us that anything is possible. She has helped so many of us improve our lives.
'Many members of the club have gone on to even find jobs with the military, and police force, because of her encouragement.’
Winner: Chandro at home with her many medals and awards
Winner: Chandro at home with her many medals and awards
Chandro had an experience with the police herself, proudly beating an officer at one competition.
She said: ‘I defeated the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Delhi police. It was brilliant.'
But medals or no medals, life at home never changes for Chandro and she still cooks, cleans and cares for her family, making sure dinner is served before firing some bullets down at her local range and helping to carve out future success stories from the club.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------MydeaMedia@2012


Saturday 24 March 2012

Meet the Maasai Cricket Warriors: The colourful semi-nomadic cattle herders promising to brighten up the sport

Meet the Maasai Cricket Warriors: The colourful semi-nomadic cattle herders promising to brighten up the sport

By Lee Moran MydeaMedia



These are the Maasai Cricket Warriors - the semi-nomadic cattle herders vowing to brighten up their sport.
Ditching traditional whites for their colourful clothing and body decorations, the Kenyan tribesmen are in serious training.
Donning pads and armed with bats, the men from the Laikipia region this week left their tiny village for the Mombasa Legends Cricket Nursery.
Scroll down for video...
Colourful: These are the Maasai Cricket Warriors - the semi-nomadic cattle herders vowing to brighten up their sport
Colourful: These are the Maasai Cricket Warriors - the semi-nomadic cattle herders vowing to brighten up their sport
Maasai
Maasai
Out there: They ditch traditional whites for colourful clothing and body decorations
Beach time: The players are aiming to be role models in their communities where they are actively campaigning against Female Genital Mutilation, early childhood marriages and are fighting for the rights of women
Beach time: The players are aiming to be role models in their communities where they are actively campaigning against Female Genital Mutilation, early childhood marriages and are fighting for the rights of women
They now hope to travel to the Last Man Standing 2012 World Championships in Cape Town next month - the crowning event of the global eight-a-side amateur Twenty20 cricket league.
The players say they want to be role models in their communities by campaigning against traditional female circumcision and child marriages. 
And through their cricket they also try to promote healthier lifestyles and spread awareness about HIV/AIDS among tribal youth, they added.
An online appeal for donations on the Maasai Cricket Warriors website said: 'By developing cricket and sports amongst Maasai youth and children the aim is to empower the youth in Maasai communities while enhancing their participation in community development, allowing them to become healthy, productive and well-adjusted members of society.'
Inspirational: Through playing cricket in regional communities they are trying to promote healthier lifestyles
Inspirational: Through playing cricket in regional communities they are trying to promote healthier lifestyles
Maasai
Maasai
Silhouette: The Warriors hope to play at the Last Man Standing 2012 World Championships in Cape Town next month
Warm up: The Maasai Cricket Warriors seen limbering up on the beach during a training session
Warm up: The Maasai Cricket Warriors seen limbering up on the beach during a training session
Bowler
Bowler
Ripped: The Maasai Warriors look to be enjoying every minute that they are out on the cricket pitch
How would this kit go down at Lords? A batsman shows off his sportswear
How would this kit go down at Lords? A batsman shows off his sportswear.
MydeaMedia @ 2012


Thursday 22 March 2012

One of world's top five porn sites is hacked - and email addresses and passwords of 72,000 users are stolen

One of world's top five porn sites is hacked - and email addresses and passwords of 72,000 users are stolen

  • 40,000 credit card details including security codes also taken
  • Anonymous affiliate says it 'will not leak' data
  • Claims site data is 'unprotected' - leaving users open to other hacks
  • Digital Playground is one of 'world's top five' porn sites
By Rob Waugh MydeaMedia

Digital Playground, one of the world's biggest pornography websites, has been hacked - and a group has stolen 72,000 email addresses and passwords of site users.
The hacker group 'The Consortium' - a new 'face' in the hacking scene, but reportedly affiliated with Anonymous - says it also has full access to 40,000 credit card details including security codes.
The group says it will not publish the data, saying, 'We do this for the love of the game, not for profit.'
Digital Playground has been hacked by a group calling itself The Consortium, which claims to have stolen 72,000 email addresses and passwords
Digital Playground has been hacked by a group calling itself The Consortium, which claims to have stolen 72,000 email addresses and passwords
'We will not be releasing or using this data - these people's only crime was wanting some porn,' said 'The Consortium' via  public post this week.
'This company has security, that if we didn't know it was a real business, we would have thought to be a joke - a joke that we found much more amusing than they will.'
Digital Playground is a Californian pornographic movie studio which has a large stable of 'adult' stars, and has driven the adoption of technology in pornography, such as hi-def porn films.
 
It was described as one of the 'top five' firms in the business in a report in 2006.
The hacker group claims that the credit card details are all stored in plain text, rather than in encrypted form - a serious security failure which could leave users of the site open to other hacks.
In the wake of the attack, Digital Playground has reportedly stopped accepting new members.
One of the films produced by Digital PlayGround. 'The Consortium' leaked 52 films onto the web in the wake of the attack
One of the films produced by Digital PlayGround. 'The Consortium' leaked 52 films onto the web in the wake of the attack

Graham Cluley of internet security experts Sophos says, 'The group, appears to have scooped up some 40,000 financial details (including credit card numbers, names, CCV numbers, and expiry dates) as well as the email addresses and passwords of 72,000 users.'

'In addition to releasing usernames, passwords and credit card details, The Consortium also made freely available some 52 pornographic movies with names such as 'Babysitters 2', 'Sex and Corruption.
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Mydeamedia@ 2012

Wednesday 14 March 2012

A new chapter in human history: Startling discovery of Stone Age cavemen in China who 'are an entirely new species'

A new chapter in human history: Startling discovery of Stone Age cavemen in China who 'are an entirely new species'

MydeaMedia
  • 'Red deer people' lived 14,500-11,500 years ago in Asia
  • Previously thought that homo sapiens had continent to themselves
  • 'Highly unusual' mixture of ancient and modern - could be new species
  • Could also be relic of early migration out of Africa which died out
By Rob Waugh

Four Stone Age people found in caves in China could be a entirely new species of humanoid - and the discovery 'opens a new chapter' in the history of evolution, say archaeologists.
The fossils, found in two caves, belong to a previously unknown Stone Age people and have a 'highly unusual' mixture of ancient and modern features.
Named the 'Red Deer people' because of the animals they hunted and dating from between 14,500 to 11,500 years ago, they are the youngest humanoid fossils to be found in Asia.
Previously it had been thought that early humans had little competition in the continent.
Four mystery cavemen dug up in China could be a new species of humanoid, scientists say. The fossils, found in two caves, belong to a previously unknown Stone Age people
Four mystery cavemen dug up in China could be a new species of humanoid, scientists say. The fossils, found in two caves, belong to a previously unknown Stone Age people
One of the skulls found in 'Red Deer Cave' in China - researchers say that the skulls have a mixture of ancient and modern features
One of the skulls found in 'Red Deer Cave' in China - researchers say that the skulls have a mixture of ancient and modern features

The 'Red Deer' discovery has ‘startling implications for the early peopling of Asia’, said Professor Curnoe, of the University of New South Wales.
They would have shared the land with modern looking humans at a time when China's earliest farming culture was beginning, he said.
Writing in journal PLoS One, Prof Curnoe explained: ‘These new fossils might be of a previously unknown species, one that survived until the very end of the Ice Age around 11,000 years ago.
 
He said: ‘The discovery of the red-deer people opens the next chapter in the human evolutionary story - the Asian chapter - and it's a story that's just beginning to be told.’
‘Alternatively, they might represent a very early and previously unknown migration of modern humans out of Africa, a population who may not have contributed genetically to living people.’
Three sets of remains were found at Maludong - Red Deer Cave' - in the Yunnan province in 1989. They were unstudied until 2008.
Analysis of skulls in the 'Red Deer' cave in China hints that the people might be a new species of humanoid
Analysis of skulls in the 'Red Deer' cave in China hints that the people might be a new species of humanoid

Early humans in television's Planet of the Apeman: The 'Red Deer' people could have come from an early - and undocumented - migration of humans from Africa
Early humans in the BBC series Planet of the Apeman: The 'Red Deer' people could have come from an early - and undocumented - migration of humans from Africa

A fourth was found in 1979 a cave near the village on Lonling in neighbouring Guangxi Zhuang province. It was encased in rock until 2009.
The skulls and teeth from both finds are very similar to each other and show an unusual mixture of archaic and modern anatomical features, as well as previously unseen characteristics.
Scientists have named them 'red deer people' because evidence suggests that they hunted extinct red deer and cooked them in the Maludong cave.
Until the discovery, no fossils younger than 100,000 years old had been found in mainland east Asia other than those of our own species, Homo sapiens.
This suggested that Homo sapiens had the run of the area which was devoid of our evolutionary ancestors once the first humans appeared.
But the new find suggests this may not have been the case.
Professor Ji Xueping, of the Yunnan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology, said: ‘Because of the geographical diversity caused by the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, south-west China is well known as a biodiversity hotspot and for its great cultural diversity.
‘That diversity extends well back in time.’
In the last ten years scientists have discovered the enigmatic 'Hobbit' fossil in Asia as well as evidence modern humans interbred with ancient Denisovans, a species from Siberia.
The latest find shows there is more to learn from the continent, said Prof Curnoe.


MydeaMedia @ @012

Monday 12 March 2012

Mass wedding of Indian women in 'prostitution village' saves them from entering the sex trade

Mass wedding of Indian women in 'prostitution village' saves them from entering the sex trade

By Ted Thornhill
 MydeaMedia


A village in western India hosted a mass wedding and engagement ceremony of 21 girls on Sunday aimed at breaking a tradition of prostitution which has for centuries exploited women of a poor, marginalised and once nomadic community in the region.      
   
Hundreds of guests from surrounding villages and government officials gathered at the colourful event, which saw eight couples married and 13 others engaged in a huge marquee in Wadia village, 115 km (70 miles) west of Palanpur city in India's Gujarat state.
‘Prostitution is a tradition which this community adopted for ages and it has been very normal for them. They did not think they were doing anything wrong. But it is uncivilised, indecent,’ said Vijay Bhatt, development officer for Banaskantha district, which Wadia village is part of.      
Wed alert: Boys and girls from the Saraniya community wearing garlands pose for pictures after their engagement ceremony
Wed alert: Boys and girls from the Saraniya community wearing garlands pose for pictures after their engagement ceremony
Well aisle never: The ceremony saw eight couples married and 13 others engaged in a huge marquee
Well aisle never: The ceremony saw eight couples married and 13 others engaged in a huge marquee
‘By marrying and engaging these girls we have been able to break this culture. Once a girl is married, she is out of the profession. Once she is even engaged, she is out of this nexus.’
 
        
Adorned in gold jewellery and dressed in brightly coloured pink sequined skirts and blouses, the girls sat veiled on a raised platform in a long line next to their grooms and fiancés in golden turbans, as a Hindu priest chanted Vedic mantras.       
The men of the Saraniya community, a nomadic group of 50,000, once worked for various warring factions which ruled over this drought-prone region prior to India's independence from Britain in 1947, sharpening their daggers and swords.             
The Saraniyas' women were ‘entertainers’ for the feuding warlords in the then fragmented Gujarat and neighbouring state of Rajasthan, dancing and singing, as well as providing sexual pleasure for their employers.        
Gearing up for the big day: Brides from the Saraniya community with their faces covered, walk towards the venue for rituals on the eve of their wedding
Gearing up for the big day: Brides from the Saraniya community with their faces covered, walk towards the venue for rituals on the eve of their wedding
Post-independence, activists and officials say, the Saraniya were given land by the government to provide a better means of income, but due to the ‘easy money’ made from sex work, Wadia's men have continued soliciting their sisters and daughters.   
Activists said the girls will now be able to break free of the profession of their mothers and lead ‘normal, pious’ lives.           
‘We are trying to get rid of this culture and stigma. We want to pull it from its roots,’ said Ramesh Saraniya, whose 25-year-old sister and 22-year-old niece were wedded to local village men in the mass ceremony.    
‘It is happening for the good of our society.’ 
Boys from the Saraniya community wearing turbans sit next to their sisters before the start of the engagement ceremony
Boys from the Saraniya community wearing turbans sit next to their sisters before the start of the engagement ceremony
Social activists who organised and funded 900,000 rupee (£11,500) event said securing the girls with future husbands would end Wadia's flesh trade, but they added that more development was needed to ensure other girls did not become sex workers.          
‘It is damn sure that no one will go into this profession after getting engaged or married as that is how this community has worked. If there is a husband, she won't be sold,’ said Mittal Patel from the Vicharta Samuday Samarthan Manch, a local charity that works to support India's nomadic tribes      
‘Alternative employment to the women is necessary such as teaching them embroidery, boosting irrigation for their fields and for them to do animal husbandry. This will end this cycle. No woman wants to do this by choice.


MydeaMedia@ 2012

Great ball of fire! Spectacular images of the sun taken during this week's solar storms

Great ball of fire! Spectacular images of the sun taken during this week's solar storms

By Rob Waugh
MydeaMedia


This week there have been huge solar storms on the sun - and Nasa has been snapping away with its high-tech cameras, producing some incredible photographs.
They capture the sun in all its violent glory, with its surface a maelstrom of activity.
Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory is able to differentiate between different temperature levels on the sun, so it's able to take amazing kaleidoscopic pictures.

Scroll down for solar flare video


Rising Sun: This image combines three images with different, but very similar, temperatures
Rising Sun: This image combines three images with different, but very similar, temperatures
Swirling: The dark areas - called coronal holes - are places where very little radiation is emitted, yet are the main source of solar wind particles
Swirling: The dark areas - called coronal holes - are places where very little radiation is emitted, yet are the main source of solar wind particles
Heat is on: This picture highlights the outer atmosphere of the Sun - called the corona - as well as hot flare plasma
Heat is on: This picture highlights the outer atmosphere of the Sun - called the corona - as well as hot flare plasma
The giant explosions from our star have been hosing Earth with radiation and shaking Earth's magnetic field, but scientists said they had no reports of any problems with electrical systems.
After reports yesterday of the storm fizzling out, a surge of activity prompted space weather forecasters to issue alerts about changes in the magnetic field.
 

 We really haven't had any reports from power system operators yet,’ Rob Steenburgh, a space weather forecaster at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado, said early today. ‘But sometimes they don't come in until after the storm.’

He said the storm reached a moderate level late Thursday, before going to a strong level early on Friday. For most of Thursday, it was rated as minor, but still gave skywatchers spectacular Northern Lights.
Scientists say such storms don't pose a threat to people, just technology.
The space weather center's website says a storm rated as strong could force corrections to voltage systems and trigger false alarms on some protection devices, as well as increase drag on satellites and affect their orientation.
This flare was categorized as an X5.4, making it the second largest flare -- after an X6.9 on August 9, 2011 -- since the sun's activity segued into a period of relatively low activity called solar minimum in early 2007
This flare was categorized as an X5.4, making it the second largest flare -- after an X6.9 on August 9, 2011 -- since the sun's activity segued into a period of relatively low activity called solar minimum in early 2007
This extreme ultraviolet wavelength image provided by NASA provides another look at a solar flare, which could also force airlines to reroute
This extreme ultraviolet wavelength image provided by NASA provides another look at a solar flare, which could also force airlines to reroute
This colour-coded image combines observations made by Nasa in several extreme ultraviolet wavelengths, highlighting a bright X-class flare toward the upper left on March 6
This colour-coded image combines observations made by Nasa in several extreme ultraviolet wavelengths, highlighting a bright X-class flare toward the upper left on March 6
The forecasters weren't aware of any significant impact to electrical or technological systems, but said there was a two-hour blackout of high frequency radio communications - affecting mainly ham radio operations - stretching from eastern Africa to eastern Australia.
Steenburgh also said that there was another solar flare late Thursday, similar to the one a few days ago that set off the current storm.
‘Right now we're still analysing when it will arrive’ and how strong it could be, he said.

WHAT ARE SOLAR STORMS - AND HOW CAN THEY AFFECT US?

A solar radiation storm, is much what it sounds like: an blast of radiation from the Sun towards the Earth, made up of protons and other charged particles.
The radiation is blocked by the magnetosphere and atmosphere, so cannot reach humans on Earth. Such a storm could, however, harm humans traveling from Earth to the Moon or Mars, though it has little to no effect on aeroplane passengers or astronauts within Earth’s magnetosphere.
Solar radiation storms can also disturb the regions through which high frequency radio communications travel.
This week's storm did not cause significant effects to key electrical or technological systems, but there was a two-hour blackout of high frequency radio communications - affecting mainly ham radio operations - stretching from eastern Africa to eastern Australia.
Therefore, during a solar radiation storm, planes raveling routes near the poles - which cannot use GPS, but rely exclusively on radio communications - may be re-routed.
The space weather center had reports of Northern Lights across Canada and dipping into the northern tier of U.S. states, Steenburgh said.
While some experts thought the threat from the solar storm passed by earlier Thursday, the space weather center maintained the storm's effects could continue through Friday morning.
The current storm, which started with a solar flare Tuesday evening, caused a stir Wednesday because forecasts were for a strong storm with the potential to knock electrical grids offline, mess with GPS and harm satellites. It even forced airlines to reroute a few flights on Thursday.
It was never seen as a threat to people, just technology, and teased skywatchers with the prospect of colorful Northern Lights dipping further south.
But when the storm finally arrived around 6 a.m. EST Thursday, after traveling at 2.7 million mph, it was more a magnetic breeze than a gale. The power stayed on. So did GPS and satellites. And the promise of auroras seemed to be more of a mirage.
Scientists initially figured the storm would be the worst since 2006, but now seems only as bad as ones a few months ago, said Joe Kunches, a scientist at the NOAA center. The strongest storm in recorded history was probably in 1859, he said.
‘It's not a terribly strong event. It's a very interesting event,’ Kunches said.
Forecasters can predict the speed a solar storm travels and its strength, but the north-south orientation is the wild card. This time it was a northern orientation, which is ‘pretty benign,’ Kunches said. Southern would have caused the most damaging technological disruption and biggest auroras.
On Thursday, North American utilities didn't report any problems, said Kimberly Mielcarek, spokeswoman for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, a consortium of electricity grid operators. Her office didn't respond to a phone call early Friday.
Light fantastic: Solar flares are often associated with solar magnetic storms known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs)
Light fantastic: Solar flares are often associated with solar magnetic storms known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs)
Minimal disruption: Apart from a brief radio blackout we were spared any major electrical problems from the solar flares this week
Minimal disruption: Apart from a brief radio blackout we were spared any major electrical problems from the solar flares this week
Good spot: The Sun in extreme ultraviolet light captures a dark coronal hole just about at the Sun's centre
Good spot: The Sun in extreme ultraviolet light captures a dark coronal hole just about at the Sun's centre
Action hotting up: Activity on the sun will peak next year
Action hotting up: Activity on the sun will peak next year
Astronomers say the sun has been relatively quiet for some time. And this storm, forecast to be strong and ending up minor, still may seem fiercer because Earth has been lulled by several years of weak solar activity.
The storm is part of the sun's normal 11-year cycle, which is supposed to reach a peak next year. Storms as large as the latest one will probably happen several more times as the cycle ramps up to that peak, scientists said.
The region of the sun that erupted can still send more blasts our way, Kunches said. Another set of active sunspots is ready to aim at Earth.
Bright idea: This picture shows what our eyes would see if we were able to dim the brightness of the sun, with sunspots clearly visible
Bright idea: This picture shows what our eyes would see if we were able to dim the brightness of the sun, with sunspots clearly visible
This picture shows a web-like pattern of bright areas that highlight places where bundles of magnetic field lines are concentrated
This picture shows a web-like pattern of bright areas that highlight places where bundles of magnetic field lines are concentrated
‘This is a big sun spot group, particularly nasty,’ NASA's Hathaway said. ‘Things are really twisted up and mixed up. It keeps flaring.’
Storms like this start with sun spots. First, there's an initial solar flare of subatomic particles that resembles a filament coming out of the sun.
That part usually reaches Earth only minutes after the initial burst, bringing radio and radiation disturbances. Next is the coronal mass ejection, which looks like a growing bubble and takes a couple days to reach Earth.
Solar storms have three ways they can disrupt technology on Earth: with magnetic, radio and radiation emissions. In 1989, a strong solar storm knocked out the power grid in Quebec, causing 6 million people to lose power.
Lashing out: Solar wind shapes the Earth's magnetosphere and magnetic storms are illustrated here as approaching Earth
Lashing out: Solar wind shapes the Earth's magnetosphere and magnetic storms are illustrated here as approaching Earth

Yellowknife in Australia's North West Territories is situated directly under the auroral 'oval', has some of the best southern lights viewing in the world
Yellowknife in Australia's North West Territories is situated directly under the auroral 'oval', has some of the best southern lights viewing in the world. Truckers returning from the diamond mines enjoy the nighttime spectacle as they cruised down the ice road on Prosperous Lake
The aurora australis lights up the sky over Australia after a new sunspot group blasted Earth's magnetosphere this week
The aurora australis lights up the sky over Australia after a new sunspot group blasted Earth's magnetosphere this week
The largest solar storm in five years sent a huge wave of radiation into earth's atmosphere creating a brilliant show of the aurora australis near Yellowknife
The largest solar storm in five years sent a huge wave of radiation into earth's atmosphere creating a brilliant show of the aurora australis near Yellowknife
For North America, the good part of a solar storm - the one that creates more noticeable auroras or Northern Lights - was likely to peak Thursday evening.
Auroras were likely to dip only as far south as the northern edges of the United States, Kunches said, but a full moon would make them harder to see. Solar storms can bring additional radiation around the north and south poles - a risk that sometimes forces airlines to reroute flights.
On Thursday, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines sent 11 flights to Asia on a more southern route rather than their more common path over the Arctic. Three American Airlines flights flew lower than normal over the northernmost parts of their routes to Japan and China.


MydeaMedia@ 2012

Saturday 10 March 2012

Who needs Viagra? Scientists claim impotence can be cured permanently with sonic blasts

Who needs Viagra? Scientists claim impotence can be cured permanently with sonic blasts

By Jo Macfarlane MydeaMedia
|
The sound-wave treatment is being hailed as an alternative to drugs such as Viagra and Cialis (posed by models)
The sound-wave treatment is being hailed as an alternative to drugs such as Viagra and Cialis (posed by models)
It seems an unlikely treatment, but impotent men are being offered what is claimed to be the first permanent cure for their condition – sonic blasts applied  to the affected area.
The sound-wave treatment is being hailed as an alternative to drugs such as Viagra and Cialis.
But while medication treats symptoms, the new sonic therapy is said to tackle the cause.
Erectile dysfunction, which affects up to a quarter of men over 40, is most commonly caused by the hardening of the arteries, restricting blood flow. 
But pioneers of the ED1000 treatment say the vibrations encourage new blood vessels to form.
Although the treatment sounds discomfiting – it involves directing pressurised sound waves directly on to the genitals – patients have been assured that it is pain-free.
Those undergoing the procedure – which involves 12 quarter-hour  sessions over a nine-week period –  are told to expect a tapping sensation as 100 blasts of sound waves are delivered each minute, followed by a tingling feeling afterwards.
 
Two years after the first trials, patients report that it has a long-lasting effect – although it is not understood why sound-waves have such an effect on the tissue that it begins  producing new blood vessels.
Similar sonic waves are already used to destroy kidney stones, improve blood flow in heart muscle, and to ease the inflammation of joints.
Pioneers of the ED1000 treatment (pictured) say the vibrations encourage new blood vessels to form
Pioneers of the ED1000 treatment (pictured) say the vibrations encourage new blood vessels to form. It involves directing pressurised sound waves directly on to the genitals - but it is pain-free
Doctors in Israel used the same principles to pioneer the technique, but using lower-powered waves.
The treatment is now being offered in the UK for the first time at the private Spire Murrayfield hospital in Edinburgh. It charges £1,500, plus consultation fees, for the sessions.
Consultant urological surgeon Roland Donat, who began treating patients last month, said the procedure was a ‘revolution’ in the management of impotence.
He said: ‘I read the pilot study and thought, if this works I really want it for my patients.
‘The ideal candidates are those who have a physical explanation for their impotence, such as hardened arteries or diabetes. It will not work if the problem is psychological or stress-related. But the results so far are really very encouraging.
‘Men can be very severely affected by impotence and it can lead to relationship or self-esteem problems.
‘The interesting thing is that the same device and technology is also being used to treat heart patients and those with leg ulcers.’
During initial trials in Israel, 20 men treated using sound-waves noted an improvement in their condition after around seven weeks.
Drugs such as Viagra can cost up to £8 a tablet, which adds up to a huge cost burden on the NHS.
The treatment will be offered at other clinics in Leeds and London’s Harley Street shortly.


MydeaMedia@ 2012

Friday 9 March 2012

The top 10 richest people on the planet


The top 10 richest people on the planet

MydeaMedia

Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim retained his position atop Forbes magazine's annual list of the world's billionaires with an estimated worth of $69bn

No.1: Carlos Slim Helu & family
$69bn
Age: 72
Industry/ Company: Telecom
Country: Mexico
Source: Forbes ‘The World’s Billionaire’s List
rich list
No.2: Bill Gates
$61bn
Age: 56
Industry/ Company: Microsoft
Country: United States
Source: Forbes ‘The World’s Billionaire’s List
rich list
No.3: Warren Buffett
$44bn
Age: 81
Industry/ Company: Berkshire Hathaway
Country: United States
Source: Forbes ‘The World’s Billionaire’s List
rich list

No.4: Bernard Arnault
$41bn
Age: 63
Industry/ Company: LVMH
Country: France
Source: Forbes ‘The World’s Billionaire’s List
 rich list

No.5: Amancio Ortega
$37.5bn
Age: 75
Industry/ Company: Zara
Country: Spain
Source: Forbes ‘The World’s Billionaire’s List
rich list
No.6: Larry Ellison
$36bn
Age: 67
Industry/ Company: Oracle
Country: United States
Source: Forbes ‘The World’s Billionaire’s List
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No.7: Eike Batista
$30bn
Age: 55
Industry/ Company: mining, oil
Country: Brazil
Source: Forbes ‘The World’s Billionaire’s List
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No.8: Stefan Persson
$26bn
Age: 64
Industry/ Company: H&M
Country: Sweden
Source: Forbes ‘The World’s Billionaire’s List

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No.9: Li Ka-shing
$25.5bn
Age: 83
Industry/ Company: diversified
Country: Hong Kong
Source: Forbes ‘The World’s Billionaire’s List
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No.10: Karl Albrecht
$25.4bn
Age: 92
Industry/ Company: Aldi
Country: Germany
Source: Forbes ‘The World’s Billionaire’s List

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