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Saturday, May 30, 2009

Iraq-born teen cracks maths puzzle

A woman teaches maths in Ouagadougou. A 16-year-old Iraqi immigrant living in Sweden has cracked a maths puzzle that has stumped experts for more than 300 years, Swedish media reports say.

(AFP/File/Romaric Hien)




STOCKHOLM (AFP) – A 16-year-old Iraqi immigrant living in Sweden has cracked a maths puzzle that has stumped experts for more than 300 years, Swedish media reported on Thursday.

In just four months, Mohamed Altoumaimi has found a formula to explain and simplify the so-called Bernoulli numbers, a sequence of calculations named after the 17th century Swiss mathematician Jacob Bernoulli, the Dagens Nyheter daily said.

Altoumaimi, who came to Sweden six years ago, said teachers at his high school in Falun, central Sweden were not convinced about his work at first.

"When I first showed it to my teachers, none of them thought the formula I had written down really worked," Altoumaimi told the Falu Kuriren newspaper.

He then got in touch with professors at Uppsala University, one of Sweden's top institutions, to ask them to check his work.

After going through his notebooks, the professors found his work was indeed correct and offered him a place in Uppsala.

But for now, Altoumaimi is focusing on his school studies and plans to take summer classes in advanced mathematics and physics this year.

"I wanted to be a researcher in physics or mathematics; I really like those subjects. But I have to improve in English and social sciences," he told the Falu Kuriren.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Deadly secret of Komodo's bite


SYDNEY (AFP) – The world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, has a snake-like venom in its bite which sends victims into shock and stops their blood from clotting, according to Australian research.

It had been widely believed that deadly bacteria in the carnivorous lizard's mouth helped kill its prey.

But magnetic resonance imagery has for the first time uncovered venom glands containing a shock-inducing poison which increases blood flow and decreases blood pressure, scientists say.

Lead researcher Bryan Fry said three-dimensional computer imaging comparing the Komodo's bite with that of Australia's saltwater crocodile showed it used a "grip and rip" pulling manoeuvre to tear deep wounds, similar to a shark or sabre cat.

Fry surgically removed a venom gland from a terminally ill Komodo at Singapore Zoo for the study, and said it contained a highly toxic poison which would induce potent stomach cramps, hypothermia and a drop in blood pressure.

The venom also blocked the blood's clotting ability, he said.

"Such a fall in blood pressure would be debilitating in conjunction with blood loss and would render the envenomed prey unable to escape," he said.

"These results are congruent with the observed unusual quietness and apparent rapid shock of prey items."

Komodos are the world's heaviest lizard, typically weighing 70 kilograms (150 pounds) and growing up to three metres (10 feet) in length.

They are native to several Indonesian islands and are considered a vulnerable species, with only a few thousand left in the world.

They live on a diet of large mammals, reptiles and birds but have been known to attack humans.

An Indonesian fisherman was in March mauled to death by a Komodo dragon after he ventured into a remote island sanctuary for the giant killer lizards.



Thursday, May 7, 2009

Ampalaya and Malunggay Recipe

Ampalaya and malunggay con sardines


This recipe was came from this site http://sweetbitesbybang.com/?p=49

I will be sharing a healthy and simple recipe using healthy vegetables, malunggay leaves and ampalaya fruit.

Most people hate ampalaya (bitter melon or bitter gourd) because of its bitter taste. But, ampalaya is a nutritious vegetable and cure to some illness. It’s a good source of Vitamin B, iron, calcium, and phosphorus. It has twice the amount of beta carotene in broccoli and twice the calcium content of spinach. Studies show that it has possible benefits in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. According to “olds”, it can also be a remedy for anemia, because it helps rebuild blood supply.

Here are some tips in preparing ampalaya: To remove some of its bitter taste, it can be slight soaked in salty water before cooking, squeeze it, and rinse it afterwards. The salt neutralizes the bitter taste in it.

Meanwhile, Malunggay, known scientifically as Moringa oleifera Lamk, is one of the world’s useful plants. Malunggay leaves are an excellent source of vitamin A and B, and minerals such as calcium and iron. It is also called a mother’s best friend because it helps boost milk production in breastfeeding moms.

And here are the ingredients needed for this simple recipe:

1 clove of garlic 1 small onion 1 can sardines with red sauce 1 cup malunggay leaves 1 large ampalaya

Procedure: 1. Sauté onion and garlic and add the sardines. 2. Add ½ cup of water and simmer for 2 minutes. 3. Put the ampalaya then cover and simmer for another 5 minutes. 4. Finally, add the malunggay leaves and simmer for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

My husband is not an “ampalaya-eater”, but he liked this dish.

Happy cooking!

visit the website for more recipes... enjoy and stay healthy...

Hiding Places of Basking Shark, Found

Basking Sharks' Hiding Places Found
Emily Sohn, Discovery News





May 7, 2009 -- For centuries, scientists have wondered where basking sharks go in the wintertime. Now, they have an answer -- and it's full of surprises.



In the western Atlantic, the world's second largest fish swims all the way from New England to the Bahamas and across the equator to South America, a new study finds. Scientists have long thought that basking sharks spent all of their time in cooler waters.

"This is equivalent to finding polar bears in Kansas," said lead researcher Greg Skomal, a marine biologist with Massachusetts Marine Fisheries in Martha's Vineyard. "This was a mind-blowing discovery for us."

Basking sharks have long been shrouded in mystery. These fish, which can measure 35 feet or longer, are known to live in temperate waters around the world. Yet, no one has ever examined a newborn basking shark. No one has seen a pregnant female. No one knows where the animals give birth.

And until recently, no one knew where they spent much of their time, particularly in the winter.


To learn more, Skomal and colleagues attached a new type of satellite tracking tag to 25 basking sharks off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass. Once each tag was attached to a shark, it collected data on depth, temperature and light levels for a preprogrammed amount of time -- from 12 days to more than a year. When its time was up, the device popped off the animal and sent its data back to the researchers.

Tags came off in a wide range of locations, the scientists reported today in the journal Current Biology, from New England to the coast of Brazil in the Southern Hemisphere. Other locations included the Sargasso Sea, the Puerto Rico Trench, and the Guyana coast.

Five sharks traveled more than 2,400 kilometers (nearly 1,500 miles). One spent a month hanging out near the mouth of the Amazon River.

A closer look at data from six sharks showed that the animals traveled at depths of between 200 meters (650 feet) and 1,000 meters (3,300 feet). Some stayed at those levels for up to five months. The animals appeared to seek out water in an ideal temperature range.

In the eastern Atlantic, recent tagging studies showed that basking sharks that live near the United Kingdom spend their winters hibernating in deep waters offshore. But basking sharks in the western Atlantic appear to do something completely different, according to the new work. Skomal was so surprised by the results, he reanalyzed the data.

"We've opened up a whole new world of implications into the life history and ecology of these fish and how they live," Skomal said. "To be able to do that in the 21st century for an animal that has been studied for eons is what fascinates me."

It's still not clear why some basking sharks travel such long distances. After all, it takes a lot of energy to make the trip, and there is plenty of food closer to home. Skomal suspects that tropical waters aid with reproduction, by offering a safer nursery habitat, a better food supply, or warmer conditions for pregnant sharks and their newborns.

"This is hypothetical," Skomal said, "To the level where I'm just putting my neck out there."

The new findings may help people better protect basking sharks, said Robert Kenney, a biological oceanographer at the University of Rhode Island in Narragansett. The species is currently listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

"If all of a sudden, you are finding that a population is spending part of its life somewhere that you didn't consider," Kenney said, "Then you have to expand what you think about when you are trying to manage them."

The study also helps fill in what has long been a black hole in our understanding of what makes basking sharks tick.

"The more we learn about big fish," Kenney said, "The more we find out they do things we didn't expect them to do."

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

October 31, 1991 Issues and events Archive

This was the Archive issues over the world dated as October 31, 1991.

this was came from (http://www.encyclopedia.com/The+Washington+Post/publications.aspx?date=19911031&pageNumber=1) visit the site for more uinformation. just follow the link...

Bizarre Night at Fights Leaves Many Mystified; Three Shot Outside After Melee in Ring

Oct 31, 1991; William Gildea; Christine Spolar

China-Iran Nuclear Tie Long Known; Intelligence Reported On Aid, Official Says

Oct 31, 1991; R. Jeffrey Smith

Halloween Can Haunt Troubled Personalities; Patients Often Relive Childhood Trauma

Oct 31, 1991; David Brown

Israel, Arabs Meet for Historic Peace Talks; Bush and Gorbachev Exhort Wary Delegates to Bring About Comprehensive Accord

Oct 31, 1991; Jackson Diehl

Lawmakers Overrule High Court

Oct 31, 1991; Ruth Marcus

Senate Approves Civil Rights Bill, Will Comply Itself

Oct 31, 1991; Helen Dewar

Thornburgh's 44-Point Lead Vanishes; Wofford Draws Even With Populist Message in Pennsylvania Senate Race

Oct 31, 1991; Dale Russakoff

Foley's Misdirected Resolve

Oct 31, 1991; MARY McGRORY

CORRECTION

Oct 31, 1991

47 Hurt in Evacuation Drills On McDonnell Douglas Jet; One Woman Paralyzed in FAA-Mandated Test

Oct 31, 1991; Don Phillips

Victim's Clothing Admissible in Smith Case; Trial Judge Bars Defense From Introducing Evidence of Unwed Motherhood

Oct 31, 1991; Mary Jordan

D.C. Firefighter Faces Charge of Simple Assault

Oct 31, 1991

TODAY IN CONGRESS

Oct 31, 1991

Hurricane-Force Storm Slams Into East Coast

Oct 31, 1991

Indicted Mayor Surrenders

Oct 31, 1991

Striking Nurses Vote to Return

Oct 31, 1991

Job Discrimination Bill Would Not Apply to Case Against Seattle-Based Cannery

Oct 31, 1991; Ruth Marcus

Foley Says Tax Relief No Longer Likely This Year

Oct 31, 1991; Eric Pianin

AFL-CIO Membership Is Shifting; Survey Shows Growing Strength Among Government, Service Unions

Oct 31, 1991; Frank Swoboda

Conservatives Gain College Panel Spots

Oct 31, 1991; Kenneth J. Cooper

Documents Law: 30 Years and Out; Historians and Civil Libertarians Hail Victory Over Bureaucracy

Oct 31, 1991; Al Kamen

Food Stamp Recipients Increase

Oct 31, 1991; Dana Priest; Spencer Rich

Political Left Is Left, Right Is Right, But Perhaps the Twain Shall Meet

Oct 31, 1991; Paul Taylor

Postal Change Benefits Baltics

Oct 31, 1991; Dana Priest; Spencer Rich

Canadian Health Costs

Oct 31, 1991

Off to a Good Start

Oct 31, 1991

The Tax Cut Question

Oct 31, 1991

Make a Decision on Mr. Clarke

Oct 31, 1991

The Harvard Forecast

Oct 31, 1991

For the Record

Oct 31, 1991

Gun Control and Public Safety

Oct 31, 1991

Higher Minimum Wage - Guaranteed Job Loser

Oct 31, 1991

`Iron Curtain' (Cont'd.)

Oct 31, 1991

Nuns: Beyond the Stereotypes

Oct 31, 1991

The Democrats' Audacious Take on Soviet Aid

Oct 31, 1991; Jim Hoagland

Last Chance For an Energy Policy

Oct 31, 1991; J. Bennett Johnston

Trick or Treat in the Needle Trades

Oct 31, 1991; Ralph Oman

Who's Better Off These Days?

Oct 31, 1991; George F. Will

French Seek 4 Libyans in Jet Bombing;1 Suspect Also Linked To 1988 Pan Am Blast

Oct 31, 1991; William Drozdiak; George Lardner Jr.

Grain Crop Falls 30%, Soviets Say; Harvest Figures Raise Fear of Bread Shortage

Oct 31, 1991; Margaret Shapiro

Vietnam Underlines Cooperation on MIAs; Deputy Foreign Minister Points Out That U.S. Is Receiving Classified Data

Oct 31, 1991; David Ignatius; William Branigin

Americans Still in Haiti Feel Weight of Sanctions; Embassy Urges 10,000 Remaining to Leave

Oct 31, 1991; Lee Hockstader

Relief Fleet Stymied Near Dubrovnik; Navy Search Delays Aid to Besieged City

Oct 31, 1991

Soviet Party Made Bogus Documents; Official Said to Find Counterfeit Cache

Oct 31, 1991; Margaret Shapiro

Bush, Gorbachev Set Clear Destination, Offer Vague Road Map

Oct 31, 1991; David Hoffman

Gorbachev Says Little On Mideast; Address Focuses On Soviet Changes

Oct 31, 1991; Fred Hiatt

THE MIDEAST PEACE CONFERENCE; BUSH; `Peace Is Possible' in the Mideast

Oct 31, 1991

GORBACHEV; `We Have a Unique Opportunity'

Oct 31, 1991

2 Boxing Fans Wounded By Gunfire Ask: Why Us?; Barbers Shot After D.C. Fight Recall Horror

Oct 31, 1991; Gabriel Escobar

Recession-Minded House Easily Defeats $25 Billion Foreign Aid Measure

Oct 31, 1991; Guy Gugliotta

D.C.'s Boxing Carnival

Oct 31, 1991; TONY KORNHEISER

Eagles Tested Players for AIDS;Team Physician: No Positives in `Routine' Screening

Oct 31, 1991; Mike Freeman

Excessively Lily-Livered

Oct 31, 1991; ANDREW BEYER

GW's Patterson Goes One-on-One With Toughest Foe;Senior Guard, Battling Cancer, Says Count Him in for '92-93

Oct 31, 1991; Leonard Shapiro

Oilers Toss Redskins Change of Pace;Moon-Operated, 7-1 Run-and-Shoot Has Petitbon Digging Deep

Oct 31, 1991; Richard Justice

Sources Say Williams Back in Washington;But Bullets Forward Not Back With Team

Oct 31, 1991; David Aldridge

Bando Taps Garner To Manage Brewers

Oct 31, 1991

COLLEGES

Oct 31, 1991

FOR THE RECORD

Oct 31, 1991

King's Name Arises in Probe

Oct 31, 1991

MARATHON

Oct 31, 1991

Newman Wrestles With a Manager's Quandary

Oct 31, 1991; Michael Wilbon

TENNIS

Oct 31, 1991

AROUND THE NFL

Oct 31, 1991

Indian Group to Protest at Sunday's Game

Oct 31, 1991; Leonard Shapiro

Now, Bowl Alliance Seeks to Secure Conference Runners-Up Too

Oct 31, 1991; Steve Berkowitz

Cavs' Receiver Out

Oct 31, 1991

Notre Dame Looks for No. 700, Winless Navy Looks for Respect

Oct 31, 1991; Robert Fachet

NBA PREVIEW: 1991-92; EASTERN CONFERENCE

Oct 31, 1991; David Aldridge

Hot Pursuit Behooves Young Bulls Not to Let Winning Get Old

Oct 31, 1991; David Aldridge

ROOKIES TO WATCH

Oct 31, 1991; David Aldridge

NBA PREVIEW: 1991-92; WESTERN CONFERENCE

Oct 31, 1991; David Aldridge

AROUND THE NBA

Oct 31, 1991

Hornets Sign Johnson; He'll Debut Friday;Six-Year Contract Totals $20 Million

Oct 31, 1991

Suns Cut Carroll

Oct 31, 1991

Act One Surprises Beaupre; Shuts Out Penguins; What's the Encore?

Oct 31, 1991; Dave Sell

AROUND THE HIGH SCHOOLS

Oct 31, 1991; Frank Hughes;Gene Wang;Karl Hente

TENNIS;Lee's Griepentrog Takes Northern Region Title

Oct 31, 1991; David Sternberg

Farma Way Injured, Out of Classic

Oct 31, 1991; Andrew Beyer

`Sunrise' Tops Off Marlboro With Record-Setting Cup Run;Delp-Trained Horse Wins $40,000 Race by 7

Oct 31, 1991; Jim Brady

DIGEST

Oct 31, 1991

House Begins Debate on Bill To Reform Banking Industry

Oct 31, 1991; Jerry Knight

ICF Kaiser Gets Oakland Fire Contract; Fairfax Firm's Unit To Supervise Cleanup

Oct 31, 1991; Martha M. Hamilton

Landmark on the Auction Block;NBW's Elegant Headquarters Building to Be Sold by FDIC

Oct 31, 1991; Jacqueline L. Salmon;Kirstin Downey

New Home Sales Fell 12.9 Pct. Last Month;Bush, Aides Again Mull Economic Package

Oct 31, 1991; John M. Berry;Ann Devroy

Poll: Tax Cut Won't Spur Spending;Most Say They Favor Saving, Cutting Debt

Oct 31, 1991; Steven Mufson

Salomon Pays $30 Million In Settlement; Revco Investors Say No Hint of Problems

Oct 31, 1991; Robert J. McCartney

Dow Gains 9.84 Points On Rates Speculation

Oct 31, 1991

ROUNDUP

Oct 31, 1991

COG's Rosy Forecast of Jobs and Population Growth Needs a Close Look

Oct 31, 1991; Rudolph A. Pyatt Jr.

USF&G Reports $25 Million Loss in Quarter

Oct 31, 1991

A Teenager Finds Room for Hope; Christine Royce Has Leukemia and a New Place to Dream

Oct 31, 1991; Elizabeth Kastor

Carlos Fuentes Mirror Image; The Latin American Author's Reflections on Politics & Reality

Oct 31, 1991; David Streitfeld

The Haunting Tale of Mary Surratt; They Hanged Her in 1865. Did Her Ghost Escape the Gallows?

Oct 31, 1991; Michael Farquhar

Middendorf Gallery's Bleak Picture; Local Art Dealer Beset by Debt, Partners' Allegations of Fraud

Oct 31, 1991; Jo Ann Lewis

The Odds Man Out

Oct 31, 1991; ART BUCHWALD

Music; `Lloyd Webber's' Superstar; Michael Crawford in a Slick Show

Oct 31, 1991; Joseph McLellan

Brand New Heavies

Oct 31, 1991; David Mills

Israel `Cachao' Lopez

Oct 31, 1991; Mike Joyce

PERSONALITIES

Oct 31, 1991

Putting the Oomph Into Orff

Oct 31, 1991; Joan Reinthaler

Washington Ballet's Double Debut

Oct 31, 1991; Alan M. Kriegsman

THE TV COLUMN

Oct 31, 1991; John Carmody

New on Tape

Oct 31, 1991; Hal Hinson;Richard Harrington;Tom Shales;Rita Kemp

Ted Turner's Double Play

Oct 31, 1991; Tom Spain

The Definitive O'Keeffe;Complete Catalogue of Artist's Work Due

Oct 31, 1991; Jo Ann Lewis

Foreign Youngsters Get in Spirit of Halloween

Oct 31, 1991; Marylou Tousignant

`Horror' House Hits Abortion; Church Uses Theme To Convey Message

Oct 31, 1991; Evelyn Hsu

Horses of Another Color; Pair Pulls Carriage in Battle Over Buggies

Oct 31, 1991; Lynda Richardson

In Fairfax, a Personal Fight to the Finish; Moore-Davis Campaign Stays Long on Spite, Short on Specifics

Oct 31, 1991; John Ward Anderson

Md. Shifts Cost of Care For Poor; Hospitals May Recoup With Increased Rates

Oct 31, 1991; Retha Hill

Authorities Suspect Foul Play In Disappearance of Md. Woman

Oct 31, 1991; Jim Naughton

District Beckons Hollywood

Oct 31, 1991; Nell Henderson

3.7% Raise Set for '93

Oct 31, 1991; Mike Causey

RECALL; Toy That Runs On, Favors That Aren't

Oct 31, 1991

U-Va. Council Protests Fraternity Sanctions

Oct 31, 1991; Frank Cope

One Woman's Quest For a Quiet Meal; 2 Fairfax Restaurants Bar Her Guide Dog

Oct 31, 1991; Jane Seaberry

Poll Shows Public Opposes Longer School Year; Wilder Aides Keep Pushing

Oct 31, 1991; John F. Harris

16-Year-Old Pleads Guilty To Killing Girlfriend, 14

Oct 31, 1991; Patricia Davis

John F. Latimer Dies; GWU Professor Emeritus

Oct 31, 1991

All Supervisors in Va. County Charged With Embezzlement

Oct 31, 1991

D.C., Unions Reach Pact On Raises

Oct 31, 1991; James Ragland

D.G. McConnell Dies at Age 55; NASA Official

Oct 31, 1991

Guilty Plea in Driver's Permits Scheme

Oct 31, 1991

Jet Loses Equipment During Testing in Md.

Oct 31, 1991

Man Slain in District Is Identified

Oct 31, 1991

Off-Duty Capitol Heights Officer Is Slain

Oct 31, 1991

School Bus Driver Drug Testing Upheld

Oct 31, 1991

Sen. Robb Hires New Press Secretary

Oct 31, 1991

Tax Poll Makes Md. Officials Go Figure; In Survey, Public More Likely to Back Increases for Specific Needs

Oct 31, 1991; Richard Tapscott

Bithmarks - Scientific Facts

This is the Website Where i get this article... (http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22111/73466-holy-mole-y--bare-naked-birthmarks)

Holy Mole-y! Bare Naked Birthmarks

All pregnant women spend nine months hoping and praying that their children will be born healthy and normal. Ten fingers and ten toes is the standard baby wish, and anything beyond that is a blessing. I was born with all my digits, but imagine my parents’ surprise when they turned me over to find my lower back covered with an angry red splotch. I was one of the one in ten children born every year with a vascular birthmark. There are many different types of birthmarks, which can appear on almost every part of the body. I sometimes felt self-conscious about my own, but growing up, very few of my friends have some sort of birthmark, whether it was a brown smear on an arm, a red port wine stain on the face, or in one friend’s case, a single purple toe. Birthmarks are extremely common, and luckily, they’re usually harmless. It’s not clear why some people get them and some don’t, but they occur most often in Caucasian children and up to five times more often in girls. They are sometimes apparent at birth, but some types of birthmarks develop soon after. There are many old wives’ tales about birthmarks; they are the sign of a mother’s unfulfilled wishes, the result of something the mother ate during pregnancy, or the product of a traumatic birth. The truth is much less sensational … they are not mom’s fault and they’re not contagious. Some birthmarks can have a genetic component, but most simply occur at random. Although having a birthmark in the Middle Ages might have gotten you accused of witchcraft, most marks today don’t have any serious or lasting effects on a person’s health.

Birthmarks fall into one of two categories: pigmented or vascular. Pigmented birthmarks are a result of an overgrowth of melanocytes, the cells that regulate the pigment in our skin. Pigmented birthmarks are very common, including marks such as café-au-lait spots, moles, and Mongolian blue spots.

Café au lait spots are coffee-colored spots that can appear anywhere on the body, although the smooth, rounded marks are usually found on the torso or lower body. Some children have multiple spots, and although they don’t fade, they are usually harmless. However, if you detect several of these spots, it could potentially be a symptom of a nerve disease and you should have them checked out by a doctor.





Mongolian blue spots are curious, flat, bruise-like spots that often appear on a baby’s buttocks or lower body. This type of birthmark occurs most often in darker-skinned babies and is named for Attila the Hun, whose children were all said to carry the mark. Mongolian blue spots range in color from blue to black to grey, and almost always fade within a few years.

Moles are a very common form of pigmented birthmark. Many fair-skinned people have a multitude of moles, usually brown or black in color. People with many moles have a slightly higher chance of developing skin cancer and should take precautions when in the sun. Some congenital moles can be abnormally large, but plastic surgeons can remove them. Just removing the mole, though, doesn’t reduce the chance of skin cancer, and anyone with moles should stock up on sunscreen.

Vascular birthmarks are malformations of blood vessels and capillaries near the skin. Sometimes the vessels are abnormally wide, and sometimes there are simply too many of them, but they deliver a larger volume of blood to the affected area, causing colored marks and skin distortions.

Macular stains are also sometimes called salmon patches, angel kisses, or stork bites. They are flat-pink or red marks that comprise the bulk of vascular birthmarks. The harmless marks occur most often around the face, head, or the nape of the neck, and usually fade after childhood.

Hemangiomas can occur as either a raised mark on top of the skin or they can grow inward. They are bright red and usually raised or bumpy. Most hemangiomas are small and fade after childhood, but some can be large and leave a scar. Although hemangiomas are not usually dangerous, marks that occur near the face or head can interfere with breathing or vision, and should be monitored by a doctor. Sometimes they’re called strawberry hemangiomas because of the bumps on their surface.

Port wine stains are the most severe and distressing of birthmarks, since they are often dark red or purple, and often highly visible. Mikhail Gorbachev’s famous forehead birthmark is an example of a port wine stain, although most of these marks occur on the face. Although not life threatening, they can affect the shape of the face, since the abundance of blood flow to the area can sometimes cause the skin to become stretched or distorted. Many people with port wine stains choose to undergo laser therapy to shrink the stain, since with age, the mark can take on a pebbled texture or affect vision and speech.



Although most birthmarks are harmless and painless, a large birthmark can cause anxiety and shame for kids, who might also be prone to teasing or uncomfortable questions from classmates. For birthmarks that cause self-esteem issues or anxiety, medical intervention is possible. Some choose to have the mark treated with laser therapy to shrink the birthmark or make it less noticeable, and some use cosmetics to cover the discoloration. Some marks such as large moles or ingrown hemangiomas can be excised with plastic surgery. Any birthmark, once removed, can come back, so often the easiest thing to do is to leave it alone. Any birthmark that begins hurting, itching, bleeding, or becomes infected should always be examined by a doctor right away.

Although they can be confusing to kids, our birthmarks become part of our identity. I know that I got off comparatively easy by having a birthmark that’s hidden by clothes, but I can’t even imagine my back without what my mom has always referred to as my “strawberry.” I even credit my birthmark from saving me from silly fashion trends—because of its location, I was never tempted to get a lower-back tattoo. I’ll take a splotchy, red birthmark over that any day.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Computer science graduate aims to make life easier


Media Release
April 30, 2009

Waikato computer science graduate aims to make life easier (and safer) for us all

Waikato computer science graduand Gian Perrone has his sights set on making all our lives easier. He’s interested in developing mathematical proofs to guarantee the software that drives everything from mobile phones to jumbo jets.

“It’s strange how we tolerate huge amounts of software failure,” says Perrone, who graduates from the University of Waikato on May 4. “If anything else in our lives failed as much as software does, we wouldn’t stand for it. I’m interested in giving software engineers the same tools and techniques as say civil engineers use for building bridges.”

Perrone, who came to university aged 16 from Hillcrest High School, has spent the last year concentrating on research under the supervision of Dr David Streader, a senior research fellow at Waikato University’s internationally recognised formal methods research group.

Perrone is currently eyeing up PhD opportunities in Europe and the United States to continue his work on formal methods, a relatively young field in computer science which aims to develop mathematical proofs and formulae for guaranteeing software.

“There’s lots of work being done on developing mathematical proof techniques and engineering techniques, but there are huge advances still to be made,” he says.

“One interesting area is ubiquitous computing – the computers all around us that we don’t always see, such as cellphones, eftpos machines, smart cards. We just don’t yet have a good handle on how to manage the complexity of the way all these things interact – and we need to develop tools and techniques to do that.”

Perrone has combined his university studies with part-time work programming for a local IT company, and has already completed a full masters research thesis – which will count as his honours project. “That project was basically about improving software quality by automating error detection.”

He says computer science students shouldn’t be put off by the maths involved in formal methods. “It’s a bit like learning to write a foreign language after you’ve learned to speak it,” he says. “I was never particularly good at maths at school, but as I developed an understanding of the concepts, the mathematical notation became easier.”


ends

Lola: iho, ako ay isinumpa, isa akong prinsesa, ngunit kung ako’y iyong gagahasain. Babalik ako sa maganda kong anyo at tuluyang mapuputol ang sumpa! ..makaraan ang ilang saglit… Lalaki: ayan, tapos na. bakit hindi ka pa nagpapalit ng anyo? Lola: ilang taon ka na iho? Lalaki: 30 na ho. Lola: iyang tanda mong iyan, naniniwala ka pa sa fairytale?