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Learn from the fall of Rome, US warned

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:09:21 GMT

clipped by: sam.reckoner

Learn from the fall of Rome, US warned

The US government is on a ‘burning platform’ of unsustainable policies and practices with fiscal deficits, chronic healthcare underfunding, immigration and overseas military commitments threatening a crisis if action is not taken soon, the country’s top government inspector has warned.

Drawing parallels with the end of the Roman empire, Mr Walker warned there were “striking similarities” between America’s current situation and the factors that brought down Rome, including “declining moral values and political civility at home, an over-confident and over-extended military in foreign lands and fiscal irresponsibility by the central government”.

“They need to make fiscal responsibility and inter-generational equity one of their top priorities. If they do, I think we have a chance to turn this around but if they don’t, I think the risk of a serious crisis rises considerably”.

Tags: politics, government, finance, economy

Newton's 'discoveries' made by Indians 250 years before

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 23:01:42 GMT

clipped by: hudgal1

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

Indians predated Newton 'discovery' by 250 years

A little known school of scholars in southwest India discovered one of the founding principles of modern mathematics hundreds of years before Newton according to new research.

Dr George Gheverghese Joseph from The University of Manchester says the 'Kerala School' identified the 'infinite series'- one of the basic components of calculus - in about 1350.

The discovery is currently - and wrongly - attributed in books to Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibnitz at the end of the seventeenth centuries.

The team from the Universities of Manchester and Exeter reveal the Kerala School also discovered what amounted to the Pi series and used it to calculate Pi correct to 9, 10 and later 17 decimal places.

And there is strong circumstantial evidence that the Indians passed on their discoveries to mathematically knowledgeable Jesuit missionaries who visited India during the fifteenth century.

Tags: science, newton, physics

Honey I shrunk the battery

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 07:32:13 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

A tiny, lightweight battery made from paper could be used in the next generation of consumer electronic devices, US researchers say.

The battery works like a conventional lithium-ion battery, but all the components have been incorporated into a lightweight, flexible sheet of paper.

A prototype, just big enough to be held between thumb and forefinger, kicks out 2.5 volts, enough juice to power a small fan or illuminate a light.

Its inventors say the battery can be easily scaled up to provide enough power to run any number of electronic gadgets.

"You can stack one sheet on top of another to boost the power output," says Robert Linhardt, a biology and chemistry professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York state

The scientists substituted tiny carbon filaments or nanotubes for the electrodes used in a conventional battery and used an ionic liquid solution as an electrolyte.

They used the cellulose or paper as a separator, the third essential component of a battery.

Tags: battery, paper, electronics, electrode

Calif. Squirrels Heat Tails for Defense

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 22:58:55 GMT

clipped by: cpltaiji
clipper's remarks: No guys! Whipping it out and waving it at the snake will NOT do the same thing!

Clip Source: hosted.ap.org

WASHINGTON (AP) -- California ground squirrels have learned to intimidate rattlesnakes by heating their tails and shaking them aggressively.

Because the snakes, which are ambush hunters, can sense infrared radiation from heat, the warming makes the tails more conspicuous to them - signaling that they have been discovered and that the squirrels may come and harass them, explained Aaron Rundus, lead author of a study in this week's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The tail "flagging" places the snakes on the defensive, he said.

Adult squirrels are not the snakes' prey, Rundus said in a telephone interview. The adults have a protein in their blood that allows them to survive the snake venom, and they have been known to attack and injure snakes, biting and kicking gravel at them.

Tags: science, research, general interest, animals

Lost daughter 'right behind you dad'

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:14:18 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.ananova.com

A father posed for a publicity picture in a desperate attempt to find the daughter he has not seen for ten years unaware she was just a few yards behind him.

Michael Dick scoured the streets of Sudbury, Suffolk, and looked through the electoral register searching for Lisa, 31, reports Metro.

The paper took a picture for the article, of Michael and his younger daughters Samantha, 22, and 10-year-old Shannon.

Lisa, a mother of three, discovered her father, 58, was trying to find her when friends mentioned the story.

And when she looked at the photograph, she realised she and her mother were just a few metres behind them and got in touch.

Tags: father, daughter, child, newspaper, photo, family

Woman buys fake crack, calls cops for refund

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 22:44:07 GMT

clipped by: hudgal1
clipper's remarks: I'm sure we'll see this on 'America's stupidest criminals'.

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

ROCHELLE, Ga. — A woman was arrested after she called local police to help "get her money back" after she was unhappy with the crack cocaine she purchased.

Juanita Marie Jones, 53, called Rochelle Police late Thursday night after she purchased what she thought was a $20 piece of crack cocaine, according to police reports.

She told officers she broke the rock into three pieces and smoked one, only to discover the drugs were "fake."

She took Officer Joel Quinn and Deputy John Shedd of the Wilcox County Sheriff's Office into her kitchen and showed them the drugs, police said.She was promptly arrested on charges of possession of cocaine.

Tags: crack, drugs

Love has no age limit

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 22:11:19 GMT

clipped by: hudgal1

Clip Source: www.mysanantonio.com

89-year-olds wed after sparks fly at school reunion

"We got older and woke up," Offer adds.

Older, yes. The luncheon that brought them together was Brackenridge High School's 70-year reunion.

In a world obsessed with young love, or love among the famous and the rich, here is an everyday story of exceptional love, found not in life's prime but toward the end of two lives fully lived.

Sitting one chair away from him, Mahan didn't pay much attention to Offer until she heard him mention that he hated eating meals alone. She picked up on it and invited him to her dinner group. When they started talking, they discovered that they had danced together in high school.

So far, they've taken cruises to Alaska, Hawaii and the Caribbean Islands, and they've visited Phoenix, Reno and Washington. They attribute their longevity to staying active. On Monday, Mahan will turn 90.

Tags: love, wedding, reunion

WHAT! is This World Coming To?

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 03:51:15 GMT

clipped by: skwirlinator

Clip Source: pics.obra.se

Tags: pic, funny

Most realistic robotic hand so far.

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:51:01 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: www.shadowrobot.com

Considered to be the most advanced Dextrous Hand in the world!

The Shadow Hand is the closest robot Hand to the human Hand available. It provides 24 movements, allowing a direct mapping from a human to the robot.

The Shadow Hand has integrated sensing and position control, allowing precise control from off-board computers, or integration into your existing robot platform.

The Shadow Hand contains an integrated bank of 40 Air Muscles which make it move. The muscles are compliant, which allows the Hand to be used around soft or fragile objects.

The Shadow Hand can be fitted with touch sensing on the fingertips, offering sensitivity sufficient to detect a single small coin.

Clip Source: www.shadowrobot.com

Tags: technology, robotics, robot, hand

Nice photo of a peaceful village

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:52:49 GMT

clipped by: Newfman

Clip Source: img.fotocommunity.com

Tags: photos

Pakistan celebrates 60 years of freedom

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:28:34 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: Enjoy the festivities. Tomorrow India celebrates

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Pakistanis are celebrating, but face turbulent times ahead

Fireworks lit up the sky and crowds filled the streets as clocks struck midnight in the capital, Islamabad.

Pakistan is holding celebrations throughout Tuesday, while India marks independence one day later.

It was one of the most violent upheavals of the 20th Century as the departing British split the subcontinent with India wedged between West and East Pakistan, which later was to become Bangladesh.

Tuesday is a national holiday in Pakistan, which was holding 21-gun salutes and flag-raising ceremonies across the country.

To mark the occasion Pakistan has allowed 134 Indian prisoners to return home, officials say

India is set to return more than 100 Pakistanis on Tuesday, to complete the prisoner exchange

correspondents say that with the 60th anniversary, some of the bitterness between the two countries is finally mellowing.

Tags: pakistan, freedom, celebration, india