Monthly Archives: September 2011

Light Bending Yields Odd Images

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Weird Light-Bending Experiment Turns Scientists Into ‘Coneheads’

by Clara Moskowitz, LiveScience Senior Writer
A new light-bending experiment turns physicists into coneheads.
Top, clockwise from left: Patrice Genevet, Nanfang Yu, Federico Capasso, Zeno Gaburro, and Mikhail A. Kats. Bottom: A simulation of the image that would appear in a large mirror patterned with the team’s new phase mirror technology.
CREDIT: Eliza Grinnell and Nanfang Yu

In a mind-bending, and light-bending, discovery, scientists have produced a fun-house-like warping of light that defies existing laws of physics.

For centuries, simple equations (taught every year to high-school physics students) have described how light moves through different media, for example from air into glass. Now, however, researchers have found that if the boundary between media is sufficiently complex (in this case, coated with nano-sized wires), those laws no longer apply.

The discovery has prompted the physicists to rewrite the traditional equations to account for the characteristics of the boundary surface. In most cases where these tweaked equations are applied, the new laws simplify back to their traditional forms, but sometimes, they show that light can behave in incredibly strange ways

New Alaskan Quake

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Massive earthquake on the subduction slopes of the unpopulated Alaskan Islands

Last update: September 2, 2011 at 12:02 pm by By 

to read more, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/09/02/massive-earthquake-on-the-subduction-slopes-of-the-unpopulated-alaskan-islands/

 

 

Gulf of Mexico Evacuations

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Oil firms start U.S. Gulf evacuations due to weather

ReutersBy Kristen Hays and Erwin Seba | Reuters – Wed, Aug 31, 2011

  • HOUSTON (Reuters) – BP Plc on Wednesday became the first major oil producer to say it was evacuating some workers from Gulf of Mexico oil and gas platforms because of a tropical disturbance that could become a named storm this week.

Later on Wednesday, Anadarko Petroleum Corp joined BP saying it has evacuated non-essential workers from three platforms in the Gulf.

Royal Dutch Shell also was preparing to evacuate some workers and expected to decide whether to move forward with that during the day, spokeswoman Kelly op de Weegh said.

Shell was monitoring the system over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and the eastern Gulf. The National Hurricane Center said the weather formation had a 30 percent chance of becoming a cyclone in the next two days.

Chevron Corp, Exxon Mobil Corp, ConocoPhillips and Apache Corp also said they were monitoring the system.

BP, the biggest oil producer in the Gulf with eight company-operated oil and gas platforms, said it was evacuating from five platforms more than 500 “nonessential” workers, or those not directly involved in production, such as cooks.

The platforms involved are Thunder Horse, the world’s largest with capacity to produce up to 250,000 barrels of oil per day, and Na Kika, Mad Dog, Holstein and Atlantis.

“Essential personnel remain on board to continue safe operations and prepare the platforms for potential shut-in and full evacuation in the event it becomes necessary,” the company said in a statement.

Anadarko said the workers were taken from the Gunnison, Nansen and Boomvang platforms.

“We will continue to monitor the path of the weather and are prepared to evacuate all personnel and shut in production if necessary,” Anadarko said in a statement.

Shell is the second-largest producer in the Gulf, operating six oil and gas platforms.

Mexico’s state oil monopoly Pemex said it was monitoring the weather but not yet taking any emergency or precautionary steps.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center gives the disturbance, which would be called Lee if it becomes a tropical storm, a 60 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours, but said it could develop further when it reaches the western Gulf.

for more, go to:   http://news.yahoo.com/oil-firms-start-u-gulf-evacuations-due-weather-005732473.html

More Texas & Oklahoma Wildfires

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Wildfires again rage through Texas and Oklahoma

ReutersBy Marice Richter | Reuters – Wed, Aug 31, 2011
DALLAS (Reuters) – Wildfires raged through Texas and Oklahoma again on Wednesday, threatening homes and buildings and charring thousands of acres of parched, dry land.

The Texas Forest Service has declared this to be the worst fire season in the state’s history. Forest service officials, along with firefighters in communities across the state have responded to 20,155 fires that have burned a record 3.5 million acres since last November 15.

Six of the 10 largest wildfires recorded in Texas occurred in April and 20 of the 40 largest were recorded this year, according to the forest service. Fires this year have destroyed 3,000 structures, including 679 homes.

The danger is not over as new fires continued to break out due to hot, dry weather and extreme drought that persists throughout most of the state.

In North Texas, firefighters were still trying to control a massive fire that erupted in a lakefront community west of Fort Worth on Tuesday.

Central Oklahoma remained under a red flag fire warning on Wednesday, the day after a wildfire destroyed 33 homes in northeast Oklahoma City.

Evacuations at Possum Kingdom Lake, about 75 miles west of Fort Worth, resumed Wednesday afternoon when the wind picked up and fanned the flames that firefighters had some success in containing overnight.

“As soon as the wind picked up, the fires started spreading quickly again,” said John Nichols, a spokesman for the Texas Forest Service.

The fire destroyed at least 39 homes and buildings and burned more than 6,200 acres by Wednesday evening. Property owners in several neighborhoods around the lake were evacuated by boat to a hotel on another area on Tuesday because roads were cutoff by the flames.

But as the fire again quickly spread on Wednesday, those evacuees were again forced to flee, along with others from neighborhoods that were unaffected on Tuesday.

“Fortunately we were able to move our car yesterday before it got too bad,” said resident Laura Kirklen. “We heard a local church was sending a bus for some of those who had no other way out.”

Firefighters were battling the fast-moving fire from the ground and air. Heavy air tankers, single-engine aircraft and helicopters were dumping water on the fires. Possum Kingdom Lake was the sight of the state’s fifth largest recorded wildfire in April, when more than 160 homes were destroyed and over 126,000 acres were burned during two weeks.

for more, go to:   http://news.yahoo.com/wildfires-again-rage-texas-oklahoma-234909723.html

Moderate L.A. Quake

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Moderate earthquake in the Greater Los Angeles area – NO damage or injuries reported

Last update: September 1, 2011 at 11:25 pm by By 

UPDATE : This earthquake occurred near the Santa Susana section (Santa Susana fault) from Sierra Madre fault zone.

UPDATE : USGS has just updated the earthquake data. The initial reported 4.1 was later revised to 4.2 and is finally revised to 4.3. Instead of a vert spectacular depth of 0.1 km, they have now recalculated the depth at 7.4 km.
Distances to the populated locations :
6 km (4 miles) SE (133°) from Newhall, CA – 8 km (5 miles) SSE (164°) from Santa Clarita, CA
7 km (5 miles) NNW (328°) from San Fernando, CA – 8 km (5 miles) NNE (14°) from Granada Hills, CA
39 km (24 miles) NW (326°) from Los Angeles Civic Center, CA

UPDATE : LIVE Seismograph from ABC7 so you cabn watch for eventual aftershocks

UPDATE : Recorded Seismograph video of the mainshock – courtesy ABC7 station

UPDATE : Additionally, local authorities will also inspectlocal bridges and buildings.  Earthquake-Report.com is almost convinced that there will be no major damage as residential houses have not yet reported any damage more than 1 hour after the quake.

UPDATE : Santa Clarita officials will inspect city buildings for damage, including City Hall, city libraries and the Metrolink train station, Ortiz said.

UPDATE : The Los Angeles Fire Department has not received any calls of damage as far as 50 minutes after the quake happened.

for more, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/09/01/moderate-earthquake-in-the-greater-los-angeles-area/

 

 

Toning Down the Inner Critic

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Walter E. Jacobson, M.D.

Psychiatrist, speaker and author, ‘Forgive to Win!’

How to Turn the Volume Down on Your Inner Critic

Posted: 9/1/11 08:34 AM ET

Many of us resist change because we are more comfortable with the known, as bad as it may be, compared to the unknown, which we fear could be far worse. Many of us resist change because we fear it may make others uncomfortable to the point where they distance themselves from us and possibly leave us, triggering our abandonment issues in the process.

Consequently, instead of making efforts to change and being willing to deal with the uncertainty of the unknown and the possible abandonment of others, we cling to the past, we cling to the unsatisfying relationships and circumstances of our lives, we don’t take risks and we accept a life less lived.

What can we do about it? First, we have to deal with the prevailing fear that is dominating our resistance to change. We must make the conscious decision that it’s better to risk potential disappointments, in an effort to reach for the stars, rather than accept a life of dormant dreams and quiet desperation.

We must make the conscious decision that if people can’t accept us for choosing to change it may be painful, but we’ll deal with it. We may feel abandoned by them, but we won’t abandon ourselves. We have faith that others will enter our lives, attracted by what we are striving to achieve, who will appreciate and support our growth efforts.

Once we make a commitment to change, we must vigilantly monitor our thoughts and neutralize our inner critic, that negative, disparaging, shaming and degrading voice inside our head that keeps telling us that we’re not good enough, we’re not loveable, we’re unworthy, we don’t deserve success and happiness and that it is a pointless waste of time to try to become something more.

We must de-fang our inner critic and give it no power to fuel our fear and our doubt, to discourage us and derail us. We must de-throne our inner critic and replace it with our inner colleague — that inspiring, encouraging, uplifting voice inside our head, that loving and nurturing voice of our higher self that truly knows what’s best for us.

For far too long we have kept that voice soft if not silent, relegating it to the back seat of our consciousness. But now, having made the commitment to change, we pump up the volume and use it to repeatedly reinforce positive, optimistic messages that neutralize the negative, critical labels from our inner critic and, at the same time, fuel our passion, our persistence and our perseverance.

Bottom line: We don’t have to sell ourselves short. We don’t have to settle for less. There is great joy and abundance available to each of us when we release ourselves from the bondage of “I can’t” and other limiting self-definitions.

to read more, go to:    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/walter-e-jacobson-md/fear-of-change_b_941300.html?ref=healthy-living-spirit

10 Foods for Detoxification

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Top 10 Detoxifying Foods

The Huffington Post Canada     Posted: 8/30/11 10:55 AM ET

While I’m a firm believer that detoxification is an essential part of optimal health, I acknowledge there is a lot of misinformation on how to detox safely and effectively. I’m often asked, “What is the best detox/detox kit?” My answer is simple: We’re all biochemically unique and thus, have different biochemical demands. There are a number of organs which aid in the removal of the dangerous exogenous and endogenous toxins from our body.

Therefore, it’s highly recommended to seek the guidance of a qualified health-care provider before you begin a detox regimen.

That being said, there are a number of foods you can eat safely on a regular basis to get a gentle detox daily. Below are my favourites:

check out the slideshow @http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/09/01/top-ten-detoxifying-foods_n_933388.html?ref=mostpopular#s335786&titl

You can’t beat beets! Beets are full of vitamins B3, B6, C and beta-carotene. They’re also a valuable source of iron, magnesium, zinc and calcium — all necessary to promote optimal detoxification and elimination. Beets also support good gallbladder and liver health — organs that are paramount for breaking down and removing toxins. The high amount of fibre in beetroot improves digestion and helps eliminate bodily waste.

Sea Vegetables

Often known as seaweeds, these amazing foods house powerful antioxidants that help to alkalize the blood and strengthen the digestive tract. The algin in seaweeds absorb toxins from the digestive tract in much the same way a water softener removes the hardness from tap water. Sea vegetables offer the broadest range of minerals of any food, containing virtually all the minerals found in the ocean — the same minerals that are found in human blood. Dulse is my personal fave.

Dandelions
Dandelions are considered a powerhouse food full of nutrients that are essential for anyone regularly eating the “Standard American Diet” (SAD). They’re a rich source of minerals and provide a variety of phytonutrients. They’re super antioxidants that support cleansing of the digestive tract and offer great liver support. Try adding dandelion leaves to your salad.

Broccoli Sprouts
Broccoli is part of the powerhouse brassica family of vegetables. Broccoli contains important phytochemicals that are released when they’re chopped, chewed, fermented, cooked or digested. The substances are released then break down into sulphorophanes, indole-3-carbinol and D-glucarate, which all have a specific effect on detoxification. Broccoli sprouts can actually provide more benefit than regular broccoli as they contain 20 times more sulfurophane. Add these to your salads and get creative with them in your meals.

Flaxseed
One of my favourite “superfoods,” flaxseeds serve many purposes. When detoxifying your body, it’s essential to ensure toxins are eliminated properly. Ground flaxseeds provide a wonderful source of fibre that helps to bind and flush toxins from the intestinal tract. They’re also a great source of health promoting omega 3 oils. Try consuming two tablespoons of found flaxseeds in lemon water every morning.

Lemons
Who doesn’t love lemon? This wonderful fruit stimulates the release of enzymes and helps convert toxins into a water-soluble form that can be easily excreted from the body. Drinking lemon water, which is alkaline-forming, first thing in the morning will help to balance out the acidity of foods we’ve consumed. Don’t forget to add your ground flaxseeds to enhance toxin removal.

Garlic
No detox plan should be without some garlic: It’s a powerful antiviral, antiseptic and antibiotic. Ridding your body of these pathogenic microbes can reduce endogenous (made by your body) toxins. The vital sulphuric compounds garlic contains makes it an essential detoxifier.

Artichoke
Artichokes are not only a very tasty food, they’re also incredibly healthy. Artichokes have been shown to increase bile production and purify/protect the liver. They also have a mild diuretic effect on the kidneys, ensuring proper removal of toxins once the liver breaks them down.

Tumeric
Curcumin is the active ingredient in the spice turmeric, which gives it its yellow color. The rate at which your detox pathways function depends on your genes, your age, lifestyle and a good supply of nutrients involved in the detox process. Curcumin is used a lot in Ayurvedic Medicine to treat liver and digestive disorders.

Apples
Apples are full of wonderful nutrients. You get fibre, vitamins, minerals and many beneficial phytochemicals such as D-Glucarate, flavonoids and terpenoids. All of these substances are used in the detox process. One flavonoid, Phlorizidin (phlorizin), is thought to help stimulate bile production which helps with detox as the liver gets rid of some toxins through the bile. Apples are also a good source of the soluble fibre pectin, which can help detox metals and food additives from your body. It’s best to eat only organic apples as the non-organic varieties are among the top 12 foods that’ve been found to contain the most pesticide residues.

Dr. John Dempster is a Naturopathic Doctor in Toronto. He’s the founder of The Dempster Clinic — Center for Integrated Medicine and embraces the biochemical uniqueness of each patient. With a large focus on regenerative and anti-aging medicine, he focuses on optimizing nutritional and biochemical imbalances. Dr. D can be contacted through his website, www.thedempsterclinic.com.

Sports & Society

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Kelly Murumets

President and CEO, ParticipACTION

The Power of Sport
Posted: 8/31/11 11:08 AM ET

One thing I really loved about this summer is seeing people of all ages being active. The sanctity of home or the indoor gym was traded for the park, swimming pool or bike path. I spent eight days with 24 teenagers, aged 16 to 18, from all over the world in the Colorado Rockies. We climbed a 13,000 foot mountain, hiked, camped, rock climbed, repelled and whitewater rafted. I absolutely loved the experience — physical activity in the spectacular mountainous outdoors. And, even more so, I loved my time with these kids. What we shared was unbelievably special!

Next year, a huge event will add another layer of enjoyment to July through September, when the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games take place. Canadians will join others from around the world to revel in the drama and glory of the Games. The pride of where you live and where you come from will bring nations together.

But have you stopped to think about what the true common denominator of the Games is? It is not necessarily athleticism, competition or even patriotism. It is sport.

Whether at a global, national or grassroots community level, sport is a universal language that is understood by all. The boundaries of sport — whether via its technical rules or acceptable behaviours — are consistent. Sport has life lessons to teach, and if you are a participant rather than just a spectator, you gain even more. Unfortunately, sport participation is on the decline in our country. Over the past two decades, sport participation rates in Canadian youth aged 15 to 18 dropped from 77 per cent to 59 per cent -‐ and in adults, from 45 per cent to 28 per cent.As you know, I always say that we are in the midst of a physical inactivity crisis and Canadians simply need to move more. Sport has a huge role to play in facing this crisis head-on for the simple reason of it being active at its core. But it provides numerous benefits beyond health improvement. Social benefits, including camaraderie, opportunities for mentorship and even crime reduction, can all be linked to the uptake of sports activities. Sport makes significant contributions to the well-being of youth — socially, as well as physically.

to read more, go to:   http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/kelly-murumets/power-of-sport_b_941654.html?ir=Sports

 

On Microwaving Food

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What do you think about cooking food in a microwave?

In a review of research, we have found that microwave heating, for the most part. impacts food nutrients in much the same way as other forms of heating. The microwaving of food creates greater nutrient loss when higher heats are created, when heating is extended over a long period of time, or when food is heated while being submerged in water. Each of these principles applies to stovetop cooking as well. Surrounding a food with water and placing it in the microwave on high temperature for several minutes will result in significant nutrient loss in a way that is parallel to boiling a food on the stovetop for several minutes.

There haven’t been any wide-scale, peer-reviewed journal studies on the impact of microwave cooking on food structures. We realize that other websites have recommended avoidance of microwave cooking due to changes in food proteins. We have not seen evidence to support this recommendation. We’ve seen purified, chemical extracts from food taken into a laboratory setting and then exposed to microwave radiation from laboratory equipment. But we’ve not seen intact, edible foods placed in a microwave oven and then analyzed for structural changes in nutrients such as protein.

There was one small clinical study on the effect of microwave cooking that is widely discussed on the Internet. While it was not published in a peer-reviewed journal and is not indexed on Medline, we will still report its findings. This study showed that the consumption of microwaved foods was followed by a short-term decrease in the number of white blood cells in the study participants consuming the microwaved food.

Food safety may be an issue when it comes to cooking in microwaves. One published study found the inability of microwaving to assure elimination of E. coli 0157:H7 from food. Another study found that owing to non-uniform heating of microwaves, some samples of microwaved chicken still contained the Listeria bacteria while another one found that the time needed cook mincemeat to achieve doneness, as observed by agreeable taste and texture, was insufficient to killSalmonella and Streptococcus bacteria.

We’ve found two basic health concerns to be well documented in relationship to microwave cooking. First and foremost is the choice of food containers to be placed inside of a microwave oven. Most plastics, including film food wrap (LDPE, or low density polyethylene, displaying a Number 4 recycling symbol) and styrofoam containers (PS, or polystyrene, displaying a Number 6 recycling symbol) have been shown to migrate from plastic packaging into microwaved foods. This contamination of the food with plastic particles is beyond question in the science research-but researchers disagree on the health implications. Researchers who look at “invisible” changes occurring inside human cells (including metabolic patterns and nutrient ratios) find reason for broad-based concern about the use of plastic packaging in microwave ovens. From our perspective, there is simply no good reason to take the risk. If you do decide to use a microwave oven, we recommend using non-plastic food containers only. These containers would include glass, Pyrex, and all microwave-safe ceramics.

All this being said, we choose not to use microwaves in our homes. The quick cooking methods that we like to use to cook foods like vegetables really do not take that much more time than if we cooked with a microwave. Until more research is done on the subject, we feel more comfortable using the stovetop and oven for cooking.

 

 

Biblical Quotes & Misquotes

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Actually, that's not in the Bible

Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden right? Nope. That’s one of many phantom passages that people think are in the Bible.
June 5th, 2011
01:00 AM ET

Actually, that’s not in the Bible

By John Blake, CNN

(CNN) – NFL legend Mike Ditka was giving a news conference one day after being fired as the coach of the Chicago Bears when he decided to quote the Bible.

“Scripture tells you that all things shall pass,” a choked-up Ditka said after leading his team to only five wins during the previous season.  “This, too, shall pass.”

Ditka fumbled his biblical citation, though. The phrase “This, too, shall pass” doesn’t appear in the Bible. Ditka was quoting a phantom scripture that sounds like it belongs in the Bible, but look closer and it’s not there.

Ditka’s biblical blunder is as common as preachers delivering long-winded public prayers. The Bible may be the most revered book in America, but it’s also one of the most misquoted. Politicians, motivational speakers, coaches – all types of people  – quote passages that actually have no place in the Bible, religious scholars say.

These phantom passages include:

“God helps those who help themselves.”

“Spare the rod, spoil the child.”

And there is this often-cited paraphrase: Satan tempted Eve to eat the forbidden apple in the Garden of Eden.

None of those passages appear in the Bible, and one is actually anti-biblical, scholars say.

But people rarely challenge them because biblical ignorance is so pervasive that it even reaches groups of people who should know better, says Steve Bouma-Prediger, a religion professor at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

“In my college religion classes, I sometimes quote 2 Hesitations 4:3 (‘There are no internal combustion engines in heaven’),” Bouma-Prediger says. “I wait to see if anyone realizes that there is no such book in the Bible and therefore no such verse.

“Only a few catch on.”

Few catch on because they don’t want to – people prefer knowing biblical passages that reinforce their pre-existing beliefs, a Bible professor says.

“Most people who profess a deep love of the Bible have never actually read the book,” says Rabbi Rami Shapiro, who once had to persuade a student in his Bible class at Middle Tennessee State University that the saying “this dog won’t hunt” doesn’t appear in the Book of Proverbs.

“They have memorized parts of texts that they can string together to prove the biblical basis for whatever it is they believe in,” he says, “but they ignore the vast majority of the text.”

Phantom biblical passages work in mysterious ways

to read more, go to:    http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/05/thats-not-in-the-bible/