Glow in the Dark Cat Created by Scientists
Thursday, October 23, 2008
A team of scientists led by Kong Il-keun at Gyeongsang National University, South Korea, cloned the cats after manipulating a gene to alter their skin colour.
The fluffy white Turkish Angora cats now glow red when exposed to ultraviolet light and the scientists consider the process could be used to formulate treatments for a range of genetic maladies. The technology can also help clone threatened animals like tigers, leopards and wildcats.
To clone the cats the team employed skin cells of the mother cat and changed its genes to make them fluorescent by using a virus, which was transplanted into the ova. The ova were then embedded into the womb of the donor cat.
The three cats were born in January and February. One was stillborn while two others matured to become adult Turkish Angoras, weighing 3kg and 3.5kg. Click here to read more...
Posted byParvez Ahmed at 8:46 AM 0 comments
Labels: offbeat, others, science
Scariest Places on Earth - Bran Castle
Bran Castle is situated in Bran. It is a national monument of Romania. It is also known as Dracula’s Castle. It is commonly believed that it is the home of the main character in Bram Stoker's Dracula, which has led to persistent myths that it was once the home of Vlad Ţepeş, ruler of Wallachia.
Bran Castle Location
The castle is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia, on Highway 73.
Bran Castle’s History
Bran Castle was earlier a fort constructed by the Knights of the Teutonic Order in the year 1212. It was recognized by the name of Dietrichstein at the time. Subsequently, towards the close of the 13th century, it was taken over by the Saxons in that region in order to defend the City of Brasov, a crucial trade center. Vlad Tepes used Bran Castle as headquarters for his penetrations into Transylvania.
The final people to possess it were Princess Ileana of Romania; she had inherited from her mother Queen Marie. The Communist government of Romania confiscated the castle in 1948 and only unpredictably tended to it. It was rebuilt in the 1980s and after the revolution in 1989, it became a tourist magnet. In 2006, the Romanian Government delivered it to its lawful possessor, the legal heir, who was the princesses’ son Dominic von Habsburg. It is known as Dracula’s castle even though the actual Dracula castle lies in ruins by the Arges River.
Bran Castle – The Myth and the Truth
Dracula - as comprehended and advertised in tourist brochures today - is the result of fabled yet, genuine historical facts of Vlad the Impaler's reign, as narrated by revisionist historians, interlarded and dramatically emphasized by the Irishman Bram Stoker's 1897 fictional character, Dracula. However, Stoker never visited Transylvania; he got hold of a map of the place from a library and authored the story based on it. Dracula is a fictional character of his mind and has no relationship with Vlad or has anything to with Bran Castle. Click here to read more...
Posted byParvez Ahmed at 5:02 AM 0 comments
Labels: others, paranormal
I Hate Your Guts - Jim Norton
“What do Heather Mills, the Reverend Al Sharpton, and Dr. Phil share in common? Jim Norton hates their guts. And he likely hates yours, too, particularly if you’re a New York Yankee, Starbucks employee, or Steve Martin” articulates the book’s description.
“In thirty-five uproarious essays, New York Times bestselling author and comedian Jim Norton spits bile on the people he abhors. Enjoy his caustic assaults on Derek Jeter, Hillary Clinton, fatso Al Roker, and mush-mouthed Jesse Jackson. It’s absolutely hilarious — and perfectly relatable if you’ve ever bitten a stranger’s face or thrown a bottle through the TV screen while catching the news.
“….But there is hope; at the end of each essay, Jim liberally offers useful hints as to how the wrongdoer can make things right again: Eliot Spitzer: If you run for re-election, instead of shaking hands with voters, let them feel your digits.” Click here to read more...
Posted byParvez Ahmed at 12:34 AM 0 comments
Proposition K
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Proposition K is drafted by the Erotic Service Providers Union (ESPU). It is a local sex workers alliance. If it is to be implemented it would require San Francisco law enforcement to violate state laws prohibiting prostitution.
The measure also calls for the approximated $1.6 million to $3.2 million presently spent on prostitution-related arrests and prosecutions to be channelized toward other crimes, including violence against prostitutes.
Exponents of Proposition K argue that decriminalization will help to get rid of coercion and violence against sex workers - including those who are trafficked - because prostitutes will be able to report abuses to the police without fearing arrest.
Opponents of the Proposition K, however, say that decriminalization would negatively affect local efforts to forestall human trafficking by contending that California's prostitution laws are habitually used to "investigate and prosecute traffickers and those into exploiting children." Click here to read more...
Posted byParvez Ahmed at 4:05 AM 0 comments
Jamie Day Arrested for Tending Bar While Nude
Jamie Day, who bartends at the Pub Room in Alton, Ill., was lodged with offense lewd entertainment and was nabbed Friday after someone called to complain.
Authorities say Jamie Day had managed to wear a shirt before officers came.
It's not the first time it's occurred in that area.
Last month in nearby Jersey County, a 33-year-old bartender at The Cabin Incorporated in Delhi was accused for public impropriety after sheriff's deputies found her working naked.
That county's liquor regulators subsequently suspended the tavern's liquor license for 30 days and penalized its owner $500. Click here to read more...
Posted byParvez Ahmed at 1:41 AM 0 comments
Freebirthing
Freebirthing - Should women give birth alone?
Freebirthing - The Baby Bump Project
Freebirthing - Mary Siever's site on Unassisted Childbirth
Freebirthing - Discovery Health Click here to read more...
Posted byParvez Ahmed at 1:28 AM 0 comments
Scariest Places on Earth
Scariest Places on Earth – Number 1
Bran Castle, Transylvania, Romania - In a removed corner of Carpathian Mountains in Romania, the tale of Count Dracula spent. The fable of the count goes back to the 15th century, and is actually based on Prince Vlad Tepes (Vlad, the Impaler) or Vlad Dracula (Vlad, son of the Dragon), a remorseless guardian of Christianity.
The Count is best known for expelling an army of 20,000 assaultive Ottomans, and staking them, rectum to sternum, in surrounding forests. In this citadel of gothic architecture it is possible to reconstruct the journey of Bram Stoker's vampire hunter, Jonathan Harker, along the Bargau Pass and up to Dracula's notorious Bran Castle.
Scariest Places on Earth – Number 2
Alcatraz, San Francisco, California - Celebrated in the recent action films ‘The Rock’ and the classic, ‘Escape from Alcatraz’, America's most ill-famed prison house has a real repute. It comes out from the likes of gunners like Al Capone and Clyde Hicks, and the fact that no one has ever broken loose from it in the 29 years that it held prisoners.
Formally opened to the public in Civil War times, the Rock was transmuted into a unkind prison in 1933. Its warden, James A. Johnson told each fresh prisoner: "Take each day of your sentence one day at a time. Don't think how far you have to go, but how far you've come." A steadfast believer in tough love, several prisoners died in the Hole -- cellblock D -- often from self-inflicted injuries. And that's the root of most of the accounts of incomprehensible crashing sounds, cell doors enigmatically shutting, weird screams, and acute feelings of being followed.
Scariest Places on Earth – Number 3
Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland - This glorious castle is typically gothic, perched on top of a rocky crag, giving it an astonishing vista of Scottish hills. But deep down the empty halls and constricted streets of Edinburgh, there are the echoes of the dead. At least, that's what has been reported. Hot spots for ghosts include the castle's prison cells, the South Bridge vaults and Mary's King Close, a obsolete street used to insulate and finally entomb victims of the plague.
There are also reports of spooky dogs, a headless drummer, and the bodies of prisoners taken during the French seven-year war and the American War of Independence. In fact, there was such a glut of reports that in 2001, a scientific research team headed by Dr. Richard Wiseman, a psychologist from the University of Hertfordshire, set out to find quantifiable proof.
Scariest Places on Earth – Number 4
Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California - When Sarah Winchester's husband expired in 1881, she got a case of the ghosts. The gun maker's widow became confident that she required security from the evil spirits of all the people wiped out by Winchester rifles. (Winchester Model 1873 was affectionately known as "the gun that won the West.") Her religious counselor advised her to find a house that would attract good spirits, but confuse wicked ones.
Instead of going, however, the widow employed a team of carpenters and craftsmen to make more rooms to the Victorian mansion indefinitely. The enlargement continued for 31 years until her demise in 1922. After Sarah's death, the workers began listening their names being uttered from the abandoned hallways, as well as footsteps; one of them laid claim that he saw the widow's ghost. They all determined to look for new work soon thereafter.
Scariest Places on Earth – Number 5
Pollepel Island, Hudson River, New York - The island has a ghoulish history, having been strategically significant during the American War of Independence. Later, in the early 1900s, the island was purchased by a Scotsman, Francis Bannerman, who determined to turn it into a homage to Scotland. A firearms maker, he constructed a warehouse in the style of a Scottish castle, complete with castellated towers.
But after his dying in 1918, the smooth-running Scottish enclave experienced a series of catastrophes. Two hundred pounds of powder and shells detonated, blowing half a building onto New York City. Lightning bolts seemed to torment the flagpoles to the point of annihilation. And in a coup de grâce, a monumental storm on the Hudson caused a freighter and passenger barge, the Pollepel, to explode and crash into the island. Now all that's left are the remains, and what the Dutch refer to as the Heer of Dunderberg, a fiend (and his goblins) who inhabits the Highlands and doesn't like visitors.
Scariest Places on Earth – Number 6
Hacker House, Winston-Salem, North Carolina - The fable of the Hacker House goes back centuries, and it is continually developing, as dreadful events continue to plague this ill-omened house. It rests upon a Native American mass grave, where several dozen bodies lay, aged 20-25 and deposed execution-style, but in such a way that has bewildered archaeologists because there was no proof of weapons or struggle. And indeed Cherokee lore says that the place is cursed, a place, "where the brave may not walk, as his prayers would not be answered."
Further proof of evil play came in 1821, from signed affidavits given by Continental Army soldiers laying claim to have had a gun battle with dozens of undead. A century later, the Hacker House was a hospital and laboratory. Though reports are unclear, several bodies were dug up after a great fire in 1930, and they were found to be oddly hollow.
Experimental documentation by a Dr. Johnas Hacker seemed to indicate that the hollowing was a result of the experimental medicines ingested by his patients. Rebuilt, the house was made into a funeral parlor where things went predictably unwell. Now people seem to have smartened up. It is possible to take tours of Hacker House, but nobody lives there.
Scariest Places on Earth – Number 7
Dragsholm Slot, Horve in Sealand, Denmark - Not all specters are ill-tempered, and as evidence you need look no further than the gray lady of Dragsholm Slot. Once a fair maiden, the gray lady frequents the halls everlastingly looking to do good and make sure that everything is in order, as a token of her feeling for having a painful toothache cured right before her death.
Slightly less useful is the white lady. Another noble maiden, she kept up a secret love affair with a common man until the day they were both caught, and was then jailed inside the castle by her father. In the early 1930s, one lucky tourist managed to poke a finger hole through a piece of dilapidating mortar and ended up across a skeleton enveloped in a dress. Needless to say, tourism is still going strong.
Scariest Places on Earth – Number 8
Brissac Castle, Loire Valley, France - One of France's most chilling castles, Brissac castle has seven floors of horror and over two hundred rooms. Most ceilings are painted with gold and the tapestry collection is astoundingly attractive, as is the wood-carved furniture and columns made of glass crystal. No expense was too high for this castle when it was said to have been reconstructed in 1633.
It is rumored, however, that it is frequented by the ghost of Jacques de Breze's wife, Charlotte, and her lover. Both were killed, and Jacque de Breze sold the castle directly after their sudden, unforeseen deaths. Legend has it that he couldn't stand the nighttime groaning of the ghost lovers, while he slept alone.
Scariest Places on Earth – Number 9
Moscow's Underground, Russia - Russia, for one thing, is one of the most dreadful places imaginable... Now think of being in a an belowground network of tunnels that go 700 meters below the ground level with an dumbfounding 15 levels total.
In the belowground tunnels you can find many signs of agony and "questionable" reasons for certain items. Among the less dreadful: bunkers, supply depots, giant vaults, and subway tunnels. Some Moscow men have discovered historical and scaring relics like a torture chamber that is mentioned as being built by the czar named Ivan the Terrible in the 1580s. Another odd finding is a pond that was the site of what was said to be a mass suicide. Not approachable to tourists lawfully, but if you find a "digger", you just might be able to see what many can not and what Russia probably doesn't want you to see.
Scariest Places on Earth – Number 10
The Campground Haunted Massacre Attraction, Fort Mill, South Carolina - The campground site is not a real haunted place. It in reality is merely a campground, but the proprietors make the magic happen with scaryness in everyway you could ever think. One of its best attractions is a witchery section that is purported to be very realistic and affrighting.
Although camping at the site, or any site in the world for that matter, is scaring and thrilling in some way, when werewolf sightings are mentioned and an old mental hospital is right down the street, you become a little frightened, oh hell, you would be scared out of your mind. Click here to read more...
Posted byParvez Ahmed at 12:05 AM 0 comments
Labels: offbeat, paranormal
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis - LAM
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The proliferating growth that occurs in the type of LAM seen in patients with tuberous sclerosis (TSC-LAM) has been shown to represent clones of the smooth muscle in those patients' renal angiomyolipomas. Thus it is believed to represent metastases of this "benign" tumor. There is a female preponderance to TSC-LAM.
To date, more than 500 cases exist in the United States. As the disease becomes better recognized because of increased awareness and better diagnostic techniques, the prevalence may increase.
Exact data on survival rates are hard to gather because LAM is often misdiagnosed as asthma or other more common maladies, and may not be rightly discovered until it is in an advanced condition. An inclusive study of all known British LAM patients found that out of 21 patients that had been noticed for 15 years or more since diagnosis, 18 were still alive; and 11 of 12 patients that had been observed for 20 years or more than that were alive. Click here to read more...
Posted byParvez Ahmed at 8:35 PM 1 comments
A Look into Einstein's Brain
Monday, October 20, 2008
Einstein's brain was removed, weighed and preserved by Thomas Stoltz Harvey, the pathologist who performed the autopsy on Einstein.
Einstein's brain weighed only 1,230 grams, which is less than the average adult male brain (about 1,400 grams). The thickness of Einstein's cerebral cortex (area 9) was thinner. His brain is also 15% wider than ordinary brains.
In 1999, analysis by a team at McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario, Canada revealed that his parietal operculum region was vacant. Also absent was part of a bordering region called the lateral sulcus (Sylvian fissure). Researchers at McMaster University speculated that the vacancy may have enabled neurons in this part of his brain to communicate better. Click here to read more...
Posted byParvez Ahmed at 2:55 AM 0 comments
Barack Obama's Childhood Photos
Obama with his mother in Hawaii.
Barack Obama riding a tricycle.
Barack Obama playing in the surf.
Barack Obama playing baseball.
High school senior Obama takes a shot during a basketball game with his team from the Punahou School in 1979.
Obama receives a visit from his grandparents, Stanley and Madelyn Dunham, in New York, where he was attending Columbia University in 1982. Click here to read more...
Posted byParvez Ahmed at 1:31 AM 11 comments
September 1, 1939 - Photos from the War
Sunday, October 19, 2008
German battleship Schleswig-Holstein, shelling Westerplatte, 1 September 1939.
Marching Polish Infantry on September 1, 1939
Polish PZL.37 Łoś medium bomber
Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov signs the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Behind him stand (left) German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and (right) Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin
The map from the secret appendix to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact showing the new German-Soviet border. "Izvestia" issue from September 18, 1939
An official order of Adolf Hitler from 31.08.1939 for attack on Poland next day
Dispositions of opposing forces, 31 August 1939, and the German plan
Deployment of German and Polish divisions, September 1, 1939
Polish fighter P-11 camouflaged in battle airfield 31.08.1939
Polish destroyers in evacuation from Baltic Sea to British naval bases 31.08.1939
Wieluń destroyed by Luftwaffe bombing the 1st of September 1939
Motto painted on a German Ju-52 transport plane: "Whether figures, gasoline, bombs or bread, we bring Poland death."
Polish anti-tank artillery (cavalry unit) 1939
Click here to read more...
Posted byParvez Ahmed at 8:24 PM 2 comments
Labels: History, War History
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipes
The things you would need for the roasted pumpkin seeds are:
• 1 1/2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted
• 1 pinch salt
Direction:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Toss seeds in a bowl with the melted butter and salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown; stir occasionally.
Here is a roasted pumpkin seeds tip. When you carve your pumpkins scoop the seeds into a colander and the guts onto newspaper. Inevitably, some of the guts will be mixed in with the seeds but when you run water over them it's separated out easily. After you drain the rinsed seeds, pour them onto a large, dry cookie sheet and let them sit for 24 hours or so to dry out. Now you can pick out the remaining pieces of pumpkin stuff that didn't get pulled out earlier and they will roast better if they are not wet when they go in the oven. You can season them with garlic salt in place of regular salt but you can use whatever suits your taste.
Another roasted pumpkin seeds recipe:
1. Boil the seeds in salted water for 20 minutes (it really does clean the seeds well)
2. Then lay them out on a cookie sheet overnight to dry,
3. The next morning mix them with 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil and
4. Spread the coated seeds on a cookie sheet and bake them for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Click here to read more...
Posted byParvez Ahmed at 7:33 PM 0 comments
Encyclopedia of Life
The Encyclopedia of Life intends to document virtually everything about the 1.8 million species known to science.
The Encyclopedia of Life started on February 26, 2008. It has about 30,000 entries in its database.
The Encyclopedia of Life proved to be extremely popular when it was launched. Its servers could not handle the mega traffic – 11 million page views within just two days.
The five organizations behind the Encyclopedia of Life are the Biodiversity Heritage Library, The Field Museum, Harvard University, the Marine Biological Laboratory, and the Smithsonian Institution
The estimated cost for the Encyclopedia of Life is $110.5 million. Click here to read more...
Posted byParvez Ahmed at 10:42 AM 0 comments
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