Clipmarks | Deepti's clips

LUNAPIC - photo uploads and image editor

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 07:43:14 GMT

clipped by: fredhead76
clipper's remarks: Very handy blogging tool. An online image uploader combined with a decent image editor (no...not photoshop) but just fine for some qucik fixes includig resize

Clip Source: www12.lunapic.com

Upload a photo, video or image to begin

Tags: photo, upload, editor, image, blog tool, lunapic

Stone Age graveyard shows Sahara was once green

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:05:08 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: The Sahara is the world's largest desert and has been for tens of thousands of years, but changes in the Earth's orbit 12,000 years ago brought monsoons further north for a while

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

A Stone Age graveyard on the shores of an ancient, dried-up lake in the Sahara is brimming with the skeletons of people, fish and crocodiles who thrived when the African desert was briefly green

The 10,000-year-old site in Niger, called Gobero after the Tuareg name for the area, was discovered in 2000 but the group has only now gathered enough information to make a full report

The team stumbled onto the assortment of human and animal bones and artifacts while looking for dinosaur fossils

The site contains at least 200 graves that appear to have been left by two separate settlements 1,000 years apart

The older group were tall, robust hunter-gathers known as Kiffians

A second group

were Tenerians, smaller, shorter people who hunted, herded and fished

The team sampled tooth enamel from the skeletons, pollen, bones and examined soil and tools to date the site, artifacts and remains

Tags: sahara, africa, discovery, excavation

"Living goddesses" have rights too

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:33:42 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Nepal's Supreme Court has ordered the government to ensure basic health care and education for virgin girls worshipped as "living goddesses" in a centuries-old tradition in the Himalayan nation

A few children, some as young as three or four, in the Kathmandu valley are picked by Buddhist priests as kumaris, or "living goddesses". They are then confined to temples until puberty, visited by thousands of devotees

Critics say the tradition violates the children's rights and leaves them unprepared to face real life when they return to their families after reaching puberty

Many cultural traditions are being changed or challenged as modernity gradually arrives in one of the world's poorest countries

The court has ordered the government to submit a detailed report within one year about the reforms and facilities provided to former kumaris, as well as existing ones

Tags: nepal, culture, supreme court, children

Healthy lifestyle triggers genetic changes: study

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 05:17:20 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: Freaking amazing!

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Comprehensive lifestyle changes including a better diet and more exercise can lead not only to a better physique, but also to swift and dramatic changes at the genetic level, U.S. researchers said

the researchers tracked 30 men with low-risk prostate cancer who decided against conventional medical treatment such as surgery and radiation or hormone therapy

The men underwent three months of major lifestyle changes, including eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and soy products, moderate exercise such as walking for half an hour a day, and an hour of daily stress management methods such as meditation

they lost weight, lowered their blood pressure and saw other health improvements. But the researchers found more profound changes when they compared prostate biopsies taken before and after the lifestyle changes

After the three months, the men had changes in activity in about 500 genes -- including 48 that were turned on and 453 genes that were turned off

Tags: health, genes, genetics, changes, lifestyle, food, exercise

Even viruses get sick

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:35:37 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Even viruses can go down with a viral infection, French scientists reported on Wednesday, in a discovery that may help explain how they swap genes and evolve so rapidly

A new strain of giant virus was isolated from a cooling tower in Paris and found to be infected by a smaller type of virus, named Sputnik, after the first man-made satellite

Sputnik was able to achieve a remarkable degree of gene mixing by "looting" genes from its host virus and other organisms

The finding may shed light on how viruses mutate so quickly -- a feature that can make them difficult to tackle with drugs and vaccines

It also lends weight to the argument that viruses are true living organisms, despite not having cells

Viruses are already known to infect and sicken bacteria but this is the first example of a virus infecting one of its own kind

Tags: virus, viral, infection, mutation

Arabic words used in English

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 22:51:00 GMT

clipped by: mona

Clip Source: www.al-bab.com

Arabic words in English

admiral
adobe
alchemy
alcohol
alcove
alembic
alfalfa
algebra
algorithm
alkali
almanac
amalgam
aniline
apricot
arsenal
arsenic
artichoke
assassin
aubergine
azure

Betelgeuse
bint
borax
cable
calabash
calibre
caliph
camel
camise
camphor
candy
cane
cannabis
carafe
carat
caraway
carmine

carob
casbah
check
checkmate
cinnabar
cipher
coffee
copt
cotton
crimson
crocus
cumin
damask
dhow
dragoman
elixir
emir
fakir
fellah
garble
gauze
gazelle
ghoul

giraffe
grab
guitar
gypsum
halva
harem
hashish
hazard
henna
hookah
imam
influenza
jar
jasmine

kohl
lacquer
lake
lemon
lilac
lime
lute
magazine
mahdi
marabout
marzipan
massacre
massage
mastaba
mate
mattress
mecca
minaret
mizzen
mocha
mohair
monsoon
mosque
muezzin
mufti
mullah
mummy
muslim
muslin
myrrh
nabob
nacre
nadir
orange
ottoman

racket
safari
saffron
saloop
sash
scallion
senna
sequin
serif
sesame
shackle
sheikh
sherbet
shrub

talc
talisman
tamarind
tambourine
tarboosh
tare
tariff
tarragon
Trafalgar
typhoon

zenith
zero

sofa
spinach

sugar

Tags: language, arabic, english, words, list

Arabic Loanwords In English

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:03:58 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.dailywritingtips.com

admiral

adobe

alchemy

alcohol

alcove

algebra

almanac

amber

apricot

arsenal

assassin

artichoke

aubergine

burnoose

caliber

carat

checkmate

coffee

cotton

divan

elixir

gauze

gazelle

genie

giraffe

harem

hashish

henna

jasmine

kohl

lilac

lime

loofah

lute

magazine

mocha

monsoon

mummy

muslin

nadir

orange

safari

saffron

sequin

sugar

tamarind

tariff

typhoon

zenith

zero

Tags: arabic, english, language, words

Elephant seals join fight against climate change

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:27:20 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Elephant seals swimming under Antarctic ice and fitted with special sensors are providing scientists with crucial data on ice formation, ocean currents and climate change

The seals swimming under winter sea ice have overcome a "blind-spot" for scientists by allowing them to calculate how fast sea ice forms during winter

The elephant seals have provided scientists with a 30-fold increase in data recorded in parts of the Southern Ocean, said the study by a team of French, Australian, U.S. and British scientists and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

The experiment involved 85 seals with sensors attached to their heads

Between 2004 and 2005, the seals swam up to 65 kilometers (40 miles) a day, supplying scientists with 16,500 ice profiles. The seals dived to a depth of more than 500 meters (1,500 feet) on average and to a maximum depth of nearly 2 km (a mile)

Tags: climate change, study, seals

Proposed Legislation in Iran Would End Death by Stoning

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:15:44 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.feminist.org

Iran's state media announced Wednesday that Iran has suspended the use of stoning as a way to carry out the death penalty. According to AFP, Iran's judiciary drafted legislation that would end stoning as a death penalty, the current Islamic punishment in Iran for adulterers

In 2002, Ayatollah Shahroudi, the head of Iran's judiciary banned the practice of stoning but did not remove the laws from the books. Execution by stoning continued, including the stoning of Jafar Kiani in 2007, which sparked international outrage

BBC News reports that eight women and one man are currently awaiting death by stoning in Iran

The majority of those sentenced to death by stoning are women. Women are not treated equally with men under the law and by courts, and they are also particularly vulnerable to unfair trials because their higher illiteracy rate makes them more likely to sign confessions to crimes they did not commit

Tags: iran, stoning, legislation, legal system, punishment

Universe's first star born tiny, grew huge: study

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:27:50 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: The processes churning inside the stars synthesized the universe's first heavy elements. In dying, these stars may have blasted this stuff back into space to become building blocks of future stars and planets composed of many more elements

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

The first object to brighten the dark, primordial universe after the Big Bang was the tiny seed of a star that rapidly grew into a behemoth 100 times more massive than the sun

This first generation of stars apparently lived hard and died quickly. While our sun may live 5 billion years, this first generation of stars likely lasted only a slim fraction of that -- about 1 million years

Scientists think the universe was born in a Big Bang explosion 13.7 billion years ago and has been expanding ever since. But they have struggled to understand how the first stars formed in the aftermath of this cataclysm

Japanese and U.S. astronomers ran a sophisticated computer simulation that showed how some of the hydrogen and helium gases strewn throughout the young universe came together to form the first generation of stars

While none of the stars survive today, their influence remains

Tags: star, huge, big bang, universe, study

Egypt to test fetuses for Tutankhamun family tree

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:32:43 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Egyptian scientists are doing DNA tests on stillborn children found in the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun in the hope of identifying their mother and grandmother, who may be the powerful queen Nefertiti

Archaeologists assume they are the children of the teenage pharaoh but their mother has not been identified

Many scholars believe their mother to be Ankhesenamun, the boy king's only known wife. Ankhesenamun is the daughter of Nefertiti, renowned for her beauty

The DNA tests and computerized tomography (CT) scans, to be performed at Cairo University, should be finished by December, Hawass said

Egypt has been trying to check the identity of all its royal mummies using DNA and CT scans. Tutankhamun's was one of the first mummies to be examined with the technology in 2005

Tags: egypt, mummy, tests, dna, tutankhamun, pharaoh

7 Blunders of the World -- Gandhi

Sat, 30 Sep 2006 03:54:29 GMT

clipped by: adamc

Clip Source: www.doctorhugo.org

"Seven Blunders of the World"

1. Wealth without work

2. Pleasure without conscience

3. Knowledge without character

4. Commerce without morality

5. Science without humanity

6. Worship without sacrifice

7. Politics without principle

—Mahatma Gandhi

Tags: gandhi, mahatma ghandi, blunders, world, humanity, philosophy

Sand Sculptures

Sat, 06 May 2006 08:32:21 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: wow!!! do check out the other pages as well, ive clipped only the 1st page...

Clip Source: www.greatervancouverparks.com



	"Many folks are wary of going to Harrison Hot Springs to see the sand sculptures on rainy days, but here are a couple of reasons to visit us because of the rain: a) Avoid the crowds. Since most people equate going to the beach with sunshine, the numbers are much smaller, therefore, more room for you and your friends and family to view the sculptures. b) Photography. The biggest hindrance to getting great-looking sculpture photos is the bright sunshine which creates big, black shadows. Cloudy days are perfect for getting 'shadowless' photos (this is the secret of the professional photographers, by the way)." Official Web Site http://www.harrisand.org/

Tags: sand, art, artists, photos, sculpture

Modern 'Witch Hunts'

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 04:56:20 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.feminist.org

According to Reuters-India, every year dozens of Indian women are killed for being witches or practicing "black magic." A woman in Bhubaneswar, India, was beaten, gagged and burned to death last week when accused of witchcraft

CNN reports that another Indian woman was tied to a tree and beaten by a mob on Friday. The woman had been hired by a man "to use magic and prayer to improve his wife's health," but was accused of being a witch when his wife’s health deteriorated

In Kenya last week, eight women and three men were killed when a mob dragged them from their houses and burned them individually, according to the BBC. Villagers reported finding evidence that the eight were witches in an exercise book found at a local school with minutes of a "witches meeting."

Feminist News Wire has recently noticed an increase in news stories about the killing of women accused of witchcraft in Asia and Africa. While many consider 'witch hunts' a historical matter, they continue to affect women today

Tags: killing, women, witch, hunt, asia, africa

What Arab women want?

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 12:34:54 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: lizzied.blogspot.com

What (Arab) women want - May 06

I’ve always liked to think that these women secretly harbor the same spark and vitality of independent thought that Western women have. That once they get their act together, they will unleash themselves in a fury of civil disobedience and overturn the cowardly patriarchal society that tells them they are like children who need protecting from the world, that they are to blame for men’s sexual weaknesses, that they are too fragile to travel alone, that they are not worthy of keeping their children after a divorce. I’ve read the works of Muslim feminists like Asra Nomani, Leila Ahmed and Azar Nafisi. I took comfort in believing Arab women are just biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment.

Unfortunately, my views on Arab women took a turn for the worse last week after attending a seminar called “What drives Arab women?” As you can imagine I was extremely curious and excited about the seminar which unveiled a recent survey of women in Saudi Arabia, and my host country, the UAE.

The survey drew up five categories of types of women from these two countries. Of the five types of women, only one type sees herself as equal to a man. Three of the types are happily subservient and feel – either out of love or duty – that their only role in life is to keep the family happy. It was the last type that struck me as the saddest, however.

This type suffers from extreme internal conflict. She sees the independence and freedom that expat Western women enjoy – and it makes her jealous, insecure, and spiteful even. In her frustration she wants to feel that her life is superior to those women, so she spends lavishly and shows off mightily. She drives a Mercedes (in the UAE at least where women are allowed to drive), puts diamonds on her fingers, her purse and even her cell phone. She brags openly about her riches

Tags: women, arab, middle east, muslim, women's rights