Meat-eating helped people take over the world: Study

Giving up our vegetarian ways and choosing to include meat into our diet is what helped humankind successfully populate the planet, according to a new study.

When early humans started eating meat and hunting, the higher quality diet meant women would wean their children earlier and give birth to more children and quicker, say researchers at Lund University in Sweden.

What's more, hunting required people to step up their communication skills, plan and use tools. These new developments required bigger brains, which our robust new diets helped us develop, according to the study, which compared 70 mammalian species and found clear patterns.

"This has been known for a long time. However, no one has previously shown the strong connection between meat-eating and the duration of breastfeeding, which is a crucial piece of the puzzle in this context. Eating meat enabled the breastfeeding periods and thereby the time between births, to be shortened. This must have had a crucial impact on human evolution," says Elia Psouni of Lund University in a press release.

The researchers reject another dominant theory - that breastfeeding duration is a social thing, and that new moms cut it short because of time constraints and family size.

The team created a mathematical model using data on brain size and diet of 70 mammals and found all species stop breastfeeding when their brains have reached a particular stage of development, which carnivores reach more quickly.

"That humans seem to be so similar to other animals can of course be taken as provocative. We like to think that culture makes us different as a species. But when it comes to breastfeeding and weaning, no social or cultural explanations are needed; for our species as a whole it is a question of simple biology. Social and cultural factors surely influence the variation between humans," Psouni said.

Nasa sets challenges for citizen scientists

US space agency Nasa has launched a competition to find "space apps" to aid space exploration and education.

The two-day event will bring programmers together on seven continents to see how creative they can be with Nasa's store of space data.

Problems Nasa wants solved include improving data sharing after disasters and spotting good lunar landing sites.

Coders on the International Space Station and at McMurdo base in Antarctica will join in.

The event runs from 21-22 April at more than 25 venues around the world. Hundreds of people have registered to go along and take part in the various challenges.

Space trips
Nasa hopes the weekend will lead to the creation of mobile apps, software, and hardware as well as visualisations of some of its large data sets.

The resulting code will be judged and used by Nasa in its space exploration missions. One challenge hopes to find a way to let astronauts bake bread in space to improve morale by reminding them of home.

Other challenges are more Earth bound and are directed towards aims such as better ways to monitor water use - to ensure scarce supplies are not depleted or warn of impending droughts.

In a statement, Nasa said the Space Apps Challenge was a citizen science event that would help to change the way the US government interacted with people.

FBI: Hundreds Of Thousands May Lose Internet In July

WASHINGTON (AP) — For computer users, a few mouse clicks could mean the difference between staying online and losing Internet connections this summer.

Unknown to most of them, their problem began when international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of infected computers around the world. In a highly unusual response, the FBI set up a safety net months ago using government computers to prevent Internet disruptions for those infected users. But that system is to be shut down.

The FBI is encouraging users to visit a website run by its security partner, http://www.dcwg.org , that will inform them whether they're infected and explain how to fix the problem. After July 9, infected users won't be able to connect to the Internet.

Most victims don't even know their computers have been infected, although the malicious software probably has slowed their web surfing and disabled their antivirus software, making their machines more vulnerable to other problems.

Last November, the FBI and other authorities were preparing to take down a hacker ring that had been running an Internet ad scam on a massive network of infected computers.

"We started to realize that we might have a little bit of a problem on our hands because ... if we just pulled the plug on their criminal infrastructure and threw everybody in jail, the victims of this were going to be without Internet service," said Tom Grasso, an FBI supervisory special agent. "The average user would open up Internet Explorer and get 'page not found' and think the Internet is broken."

On the night of the arrests, the agency brought in Paul Vixie, chairman and founder of Internet Systems Consortium, to install two Internet servers to take the place of the truckload of impounded rogue servers that infected computers were using. Federal officials planned to keep their servers online until March, giving everyone opportunity to clean their computers. But it wasn't enough time. A federal judge in New York extended the deadline until July.

Now, said Grasso, "the full court press is on to get people to address this problem." And it's up to computer users to check their PCs.

This is what happened:

Hackers infected a network of probably more than 570,000 computers worldwide. They took advantage of vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Windows operating system to install malicious software on the victim computers. This turned off antivirus updates and changed the way the computers reconcile website addresses behind the scenes on the Internet's domain name system.

The DNS system is a network of servers that translates a web address — such as www.ap.org — into the numerical addresses that computers use. Victim computers were reprogrammed to use rogue DNS servers owned by the attackers. This allowed the attackers to redirect computers to fraudulent versions of any website.

The hackers earned profits from advertisements that appeared on websites that victims were tricked into visiting. The scam netted the hackers at least $14 million, according to the FBI. It also made thousands of computers reliant on the rogue servers for their Internet browsing.

When the FBI and others arrested six Estonians last November, the agency replaced the rogue servers with Vixie's clean ones. Installing and running the two substitute servers for eight months is costing the federal government about $87,000.

The number of victims is hard to pinpoint, but the FBI believes that on the day of the arrests, at least 568,000 unique Internet addresses were using the rogue servers. Five months later, FBI estimates that the number is down to at least 360,000. The U.S. has the most, about 85,000, federal authorities said. Other countries with more than 20,000 each include Italy, India, England and Germany. Smaller numbers are online in Spain, France, Canada, China and Mexico.

Vixie said most of the victims are probably individual home users, rather than corporations that have technology staffs who routinely check the computers.

FBI officials said they organized an unusual system to avoid any appearance of government intrusion into the Internet or private computers. And while this is the first time the FBI used it, it won't be the last.

"This is the future of what we will be doing," said Eric Strom, a unit chief in the FBI's Cyber Division. "Until there is a change in legal system, both inside and outside the United States, to get up to speed with the cyber problem, we will have to go down these paths, trail-blazing if you will, on these types of investigations."

Now, he said, every time the agency gets near the end of a cyber case, "we get to the point where we say, how are we going to do this, how are we going to clean the system" without creating a bigger mess than before. (Huffingtonpost.com)

Plain packaging for cigarettes case in court

Australia : The world's biggest tobacco firms are challenging the Australian government in court over a law on mandatory plain packaging for cigarettes.

The suit, led by British American Tobacco, is being watched around the world as a test case.Australia last year passed legislation requiring all tobacco to be sold in plain packets with graphic health warnings from 1 December 2012.

It is the first country to pass such stringent packaging legislation.The proceedings, being heard before the High Court in Canberra, are scheduled to run until Thursday. It is not clear when a decision might be reached.

"We're very conscious that we're being watched around the world," Australian Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said.

Countries such as Britain, Canada and New Zealand are considering similar moves.

Headline April 22, 2012/ A Sense of Mortality

Part 1
A SENSE OF MORTALITY!

Respectful dedication to every crash victim who lost his life. 

''May you all rest in peace! Amen!'' 

The only earthly certainity is death!! Never forget that! Touched by our headline announcement of yesterday, many, by the scores, communicated with me to exprees their humaness and greatness. This altered our thinking, and so our headline subject, and brought us all to the one, you are now reading. Aircrashes are devastating.
For almost every human, no  matter who and where you are, a segment of deep aloness surfaces. But before I think and write more, let me capture for you, the last 5 minutes of this ill fated flight. Having begun descent a good 300 nautical miles, the Captain would have been considering takiing controls. Seeing the CB cell swiriing on his weather radar, he would have the 'fasten seat belt' on qnd requested for joining instructions for Instrument Landing Approach.

Now steady at a prescribed height, heading inbound, he would roughly 8 minutes away from touchdown, looking at the outermarkers, his speed and controlled descent. The passengers would be tense from the turbulence and lightning streaks visible from the windows. The cabin crew professional and alert, would be checking thru on instructions. 8 kms out, the Captain would have first felt, a suddenly downdraft followed by a sudden upthrust that would send the noseup, speed down, and killed the aerdynamic laws. From just over a 1000 ft above ground level, 7kms away from the runway, the aircraft would have plummeted like a stone. Nobody but the Captain and the Copilot would have truly known what was now was about to happen! God bless them all!!

So the wisdom now, is for 'Sam'' to turn death into a teaching moment motivational tool. Say, as the British would put: '' The Grim Reaper'' as life coach!? Maybe, all students need to read up the great masterpiece memoir of Mitch Albom : "Tuesdays with Morrie" - 1997, that stayed on the best seller list it seemed, forever. But there is a snippet from it.


Albom a sportswriter, paid a call every Tuesday on his favourite  former teacher, Brandeis University Professor Morrie Schwartz, afflicted with terminal disease. From his Professors tutorials, Mitch learnt how to live, how to love, and how to appreciate life's humming bird flight. In one beautifully written scene, the teacher explains to him that 'the most important thing in life is how to give out love, and to let it come in.' And as one thinks about these heavy matters, a haunting midnight hour is sure to follow.

Take the opening scene Martin Amis's novel : The information, with this panaromic view of men weeping with the stricken realization that they are going to die. After all Julian Barnes asks in 'Nothing to be frightened of, "Who can teach us to die?" There is by very definition and essence nobody to walk us thru it!??

As the master Omer Khyyam puts it so heart wrenchingly :

"Not one returns to tell us through
And for all to learn , we must travel too!!?"

As this post runs through many bleeding hearts, great fellow mortals, post us and share us with everybody.

God bless and good night.

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless.

A protective outfit

Taiwan : Lin Yun-Chi modelled his bright idea at the International Exhibition of Inventions. He has made an outfit which protects people from harm when they are working with toxic chemicals such as farming pesticides.

School Children send rubber chicken in atmosphere

Bishop, California: Using a helium balloon, students sent the rubber fowl, named Camilla, 120,000 ft into the sky where she was exposed to high-energy solar protons. The experiment was done to test radiation levels from last month's solar storm.

On the outside of her knitted space suit, the chicken wore radiation badges to calculate the radiation levels she was exposed to.

She was launched into the sky twice - once on March 3 before the solar storm and again on March 10 while the storm was in full swing. This gave the students a basis for comparison. After two and a half hours in the sky, the balloon popped, as planned, and Camilla parachuted safely back to Earth.

The Bishop Union High School students' experiment was part of their astrobiology project. Later this year they hope to launch a species of microbes to find out if they can live at the edge of space.

James Cameron, Google's Eric Schmidt And Larry Page Back Space Exploration Project

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and billionaire co-founder Larry Page have teamed up with "Avatar" director James Cameron and other investors to back an ambitious space exploration and natural resources venture, details of which will be unveiled next week.

The fledgling company, called Planetary Resources, will be unveiled at a Tuesday news conference at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, according to a press release issued this week.

Aside from naming some of the company's high-profile backers, the press release disclosed tantalizingly few details, saying only that the company will combine the sectors of "space exploration and natural resources" in a venture that could add "trillions of dollars to the global GDP." The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Planetary Resources will explore the feasibility of mining natural resources from asteroids, a decades-old concept.

"This innovative start-up will create a new industry and a new definition of 'natural resources,'" according to the press release.

Planetary Resource was co-founded by Eric Anderson, a former NASA Mars mission manager, and Peter Diamandis, the commercial space entrepreneur behind the X-Prize, a competition that offered $10 million to a group that launched a reusable manned spacecraft. Other notable investors include Charles Simonyi, a former top executive at Microsoft, and K. Ram Shriram, a Google director.

The venture will be the latest foray into the far-flung for Cameron, who dived last month in a mini-submarine to the deepest spot in the Mariana Trench. The plot of his 2009 science fiction blockbuster film, "Avatar," concerned resource mining on alien planets.

New mini sensor can measure brain's magnetic activity

An atom-based magnetic sensor the size of a sugar cube has successfully measured human brain activity, a milestone that could ultimately lead to advancing our understanding of a wide range of neurological conditions and diseases, according to researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

We first reported on an earlier iteration of the sensor, which has been in development since 2004, back when the team was first able to use the sensor to track a human heartbeat in 2010.

This week, the researchers report in the journal Biomedical Optics Express that their tiny sensor -- which consists of a gas of 100 billion rubidium atoms and fiber optics to detect the light signals that in turn register the strength of magnetic fields -- now uses a new type of optical fiber that improves signal clarity.

"We're focusing on making the sensors small, getting them close to the signal source, and making them manufacturable and ultimately low in cost," says NIST co-author Svenja Knappe in the institute's news release. "By making an inexpensive system, you could have one in every hospital to test for traumatic brain injuries and one for every football team."

The researchers hope the sensor will improve magnetoencephalography (MEG), a technique for measuring the magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain. Applications include testing for traumatic brain injury, screening for visual perception in newborns, and mapping neurological activity before surgeries that, say, aim to treat epilepsy or remove tumors.

The current gold standard MEG is called a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), but it works best at just above absolute zero and thus requires heavy helmet-shaped flasks with cryogenic coolants. NIST's sensor, for one, might allow for lighter, cheaper, and less rigid helmets.

As with the tests to detect a human heartbeat, the team worked with German scientists at a lab in Berlin that is described as having the best magnetic shielding in the world to block the Earth's magnetic field from interfering with extremely sensitive measurements. (The sensor measures signals of about a trillionth of a tesla -- called a picotesla; MRIs, by comparison, register closer to 1 to 8 tesla.)

The team says it anticipates being able to improve its sensor's performance another tenfold by upping the amount of light it can detect.




Source

Microsoft pulls Office 2011 SP2 from AutoUpdate

On April 12, Microsoft released the Service Pack 2 update for its popular Office 2011 for Mac software suite, which offered a number of improvements for the suite, including many for its Outlook e-mail client. However, following this announcement, it became apparent that a number of users were having problems with corrupted identity databases when installing the new software.

Microsoft originally tackled this problem by notifying users of the problem and offering instructions for how to correct the issue either before or after the SP2 update had been applied. However, today the company announced on its Office for Mac blog that it will be temporarily halting the distribution of the update through its AutoUpdate utility until it finds a resolution to the problem.

In the mean time, if you have installed the latest update and are experiencing problems with the identity database, then be sure to follow our instructions on how to fix the problem. If you have not installed the update, then you can either wait for Microsoft to address this issue, or be sure you follow the instructions to prepare your system before applying the update to ensure the identity database does not encounter any problems with the update.

Despite the update being pulled from its autoupdate service, Microsoft is still offering it for manual download through its Office for Mac updates site.

Source

Diablo III free open beta this weekend

Turn off your cell phone and cancel any commitments. The Diablo III open beta weekend begins today.

The beta lasts until 10 a.m. PT Monday, April 23, and will serve as a stress test before the highly anticipated May 15 launch of the influential action role-playing game. Anyone can play the Diablo III open beta weekend by signing up for a free account on Battle.net and downloading the Diablo III beta PC/Mac client.

Players choose between five styles of classic hack-and-slash characters (witch doctor, barbarian, wizard, monk, and demon hunter) playable up to level 13, collecting gold and items by defeating demons and other evil creatures.

During an early hands-on preview, I found the graphics to be shockingly smooth and beautiful, while the user interface/controls seem intuitive and refined. Sound effects impress greatly during heavy action. This open beta comes long after the first closed alpha and beta development stages of the game, so the overwhelmingly good presentation reflects a great deal of effort from the developers and community. Blizzard created one hell of a game. Literally.

Be warned, however. You may experience difficultly logging in to the game this weekend, as the immense interest already proved itself capable of shanking Blizzard's servers. You often experience this message while trying to log in: "The servers are busy at this time. Please try again later. (Error 37)".

Source

Apple to add 500 new jobs in Ireland

Apple plans to add more employees to its European headquarters in Cork, Ireland, the company announced today.

Over the next 18 months, Apple plans to add 500 employees to its Ireland-based operation to help "support our growing business across Europe." Apple currently has 2,800 employees in Cork. In order to make room for the new hires, Apple will build a three-story office building next to the existing facility, according to Ireland's RTE News.

Although Apple hasn't said what kind of jobs will be created in the move, Cork provides a host of back-office and supply-chain functions for the company. It's also a key player in Apple's distribution across Europe. According to RTE News, Apple has employed workers in Cork for 30 years.

Apple has always had a high opinion of its workers and their ability to contribute to the economy. Last month, the company released a study, claiming 514,000 jobs across the U.S. have either been "created or supported" by the iPhone maker. Although just 47,000 of those people were actual Apple employees, the remaining workers were made up of people employed at other companies engaged in engineering, manufacturing, and transportation, among other tasks.

"Throughout our history, Apple has created entirely new products--and entirely new industries--by focusing on innovation," Apple wrote at the time. "As a result, we've created or supported more than 500,000 jobs for U.S. workers: from the engineer who helped invent the iPad to the delivery person who brings it to your door."

Apple hasn't conducted a similar study on how it may impact economies across Europe.


Source

What happens if Google loses the Oracle suit?

Oracle's suit over Google Android's Java use could have big consequences

Oracle purchased Sun Microsystems, the company that created Java, in 2010. Later that year it sued Google for infringing on Java's copyright by using it to build Google's Android OS without any licensing.

The trial began Monday of this week. If it's determined that Google infringed on Java copyrights currently held by Oracle, there could be dire consequences for third party vendors and device makers. 

The third party vendors building hardware that runs Android could stand to lose a lot if Google loses in court.

Third party Android vendors

Companies such as HTC and Samsung have already come under fire from Apple, whose suit against Android manufacturers mired every company involved in legal muck. 

Even if the vendors are forced to pay Oracle damages or fees for the privilege of running Android on their devices, it's unlikely Google would let their ships sink - if they remain their ships, that is.But Google defended its third party vendors against Apple, and they would likely do the same if Oracle were to win the current battle.

Will Google have to rebuild Android?

The Java APIs in question are essential to the core of Google's Android OS. If Google loses the suit, there are two possibilities for Android:

Google could potentially license the technology from Oracle, paying hefty sums to continue using the OS in its current form.

Or, if Oracle wishes to stifle or kill Android, the company could simply refuse to license those Java APIs to Google. In that case Google likely would have to rebuild Android from the ground up.

With the OS - Ice Cream Sandwich - in its fourth incarnation that would be a huge setback for Google's efforts in the mobile market.

Will Oracle go after device makers next?

If Oracle wins the suit against Google, device makers that have taken advantage of the unlicensed APIs used by Android could be in hot water.

But will Oracle actually go after the makers of Android devices in the event of a victory over Google?

They likely wouldn't have to, as the damage will already be done. With Google feeling lawsuits from all sides, including Apple, Oracle, and even former employees, device makers could jump ship and head to Windows Phone.

And if Google is forced to remove the Java APIs at Android's core, application developers could even follow suit, presenting a huge problem for Google.

These companies likely can't afford to go to court with Oracle, and chances are they have no desire to, either.

But Oracle's main focus in the case is clearly stifling Google's ever-increasing dominance in the mobile space, something that their victory could help accomplish.

techradar.com

HTC: Women prefer white smartphones

According to HTC, women prefer white smartphones.

A sweeping statement perhaps but it’s an approach the manufacturer hopes will crack a segment of the market they claim is far more difficult to appeal to than men.

With men far more likely to purchase a smartphone than women, HTC hopes the likes of the One X in white will appeal to the fairer sex.

HTC was talking at the Frequencies event in Seattle, where Pocket-lint heard the manufacturer elaborate further on its approach to colour.

The professional - the go-getter who wants to show they mean business, favours black and darker coloured phones.

We assume HTC isn't saying women can't be professionals too.

Though more adventurous colours are often due to arrangements with various operators, HTC added that they tend to be the choice of kids.

As smartphones tend to be bought by people with money, in other words adults, this might explain why HTC has favoured white, black and grey of late.

That said you’ll soon be able to add some colour to your HTC One Series phones with the manufacturer unveiling a range of colorful cases.

pocket-lint.com

London 2012 Olympics video game release date set for June 29th

Ahead of the eagerly awaited London 2012 Olympic Games, developer Sega has confirmed it will launch the official video game tie-in on June 29th 

With the country rapidly falling into Olympic fever,Sega has announced that it will release the official London 2012 Olympics Video game on June 29th. 

Set to touch down for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC platforms almost a month ahead of the games’ opening ceremony, the London 2012 video game will see gamers given a chance to don the virtual Lycra and compete in the events which they failed to secure tickets to in the ballot.

With 45 Olympic events included, gamers will be transported to a selection of the games’ most iconic venues with the Olympic Stadium, Velodrome, Aquatics Centre and North Greenwich Arena (the Millennium Dome), to compete in athletics, cycling, diving and gymnastic events amongst others. 

Further bringing the audience into the action of the Olympics, Sega has confirmed that a selection of the in-game Olympic based events will be compatible with Sony’s PlayStation Move and Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect based motion gaming peripherals.

T3 News

Chimpanzee (2012)

Chimpanzee is an upcoming 2012 nature documentary film about a young chimpanzee named Oscar who finds himself alone in the African forests until he is adopted by another chimpanzee. The film was co-produced by Disneynature and the Jane Goodall Institute, directed by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield and narrated by Tim Allen. It is the sixth film from Disneynature, following Earth, The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos, Oceans, African Cats and Hidden Beauty: A Love Story That Feeds the Earth, and it will be released in theaters on April 20, 2012 just before Earth Day, April 22, 2012. Similar to other Disneynature releases, a portion of the film's opening week proceeds will be donated to the Jane Goodall Institute for the "See Chimpanzee, Save Chimpanzees" program to help protect chimpanzees and their habitats. One music track, "Rise" by the McClain sisters, has been released to date.

Prada's New Shoes Are Hot Rods for Feet

Shoes can propel any look from boring to bold, especially when they have flames shooting off of the back.

Prada's latest shoes are inspired from the American tail fin era of the 1950s, when bright colors and souped up cars were all the rage.

The flames, shooting out the back of the shoes, resemble the tailpipe of a Cadillac. The bold design of the shoes mimics the chrome metal work of the car. The shoes, which range in price from $900 to $1,500, are quickly selling out of stores. For those hoping to snag a pair, they can find them online in most sizes.

"Women and Cars" is the theme for Miuccia Prada's latest spring/summer 2012 collection featuring the shoes and other vintage-inspired clothing. The campaign images were shot by Steven Meisel, featuring the models atop vintage cars set at a 50's-style American gas station.

The Temple Dancer by John Speed

Book Description:
India, 1657.
When Maya, a graceful, young temple dancer with a mysterious past, is sold into slavery, she enters a world of intrigue, violence, and forbidden love. Bought by a Portuguese trader and sold as a concubine to the dissolute vizier of Bijapur, she embarks on a treacherous journey.
In a caravan led by the dangerous settlement man Da Gama, she travels by elephant on the hostile road to Bijapur, joined by Geraldo, a Portuguese adventurer, and Pathan, a handsome prince who carries a dark secret. Together with Lucinda, a beautiful, spoiled young Goan heiress, and the manipulative eunuch Slipper, they climb the windswept mountain road through the Western Ghats.
When their caravan is attacked by bandits, the travelers' lives are turned upside down. In the aftermath, Maya and Lucinda suddenly find themselves stranded in a strange, exotic world, a world filled with passion, romance, and deception, pure love and lurking evil, where nothing is as it seems and the two women are faced with great temptation as well as heart-wrenching decisions that will affect the rest of their lives.
Greed, politics, commitment, courage, love, and intolerance mesh to form a vibrant Indian tapestry. With spectacular settings, unforgettable characters, fierce sensuality, and intense scholarship, this adventure-packed novel marks the debut of an exciting new storyteller.
The Temple Dancer is the first volume of John Speed's Indian trilogy, a three-book journey that will cover the final years of the Mogul Empire and the rise of the Marathis under the highwayman Shivaji. It will leave you breathlessly awaiting his next novel.

TENERIFE OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES FOR NATURE LOVERS

The biodiversity of plants and animals combined with some of the most striking landscapes makes Tenerife a must visit place for people who love nature. Ecotourism and wildlife watching tours are increasingly popular here.

Teide National Park

Teide National Park is one of the most famous ecotourism destinations in Tenerife. This park spreads around Mount Teide which is the highest mountain and volcano in Spain. Mount Teide is an active volcano. The park is famous for different habitats at different altitudes along the slope of the mountain. This area is so rich in biodiversity that it is included in the list of world heritage sites. As such the park is a must see destination for any Tenerife holidays.
Whale and Dolphin Watching

Tenerife is situated in the Atlantic Ocean. The warm tropical environment of this place makes it an important site for whales and dolphins which migrate here in winter. About 36 species of whales can be observed here at different times of the year which makes Tenerife an important tourist destination.

Pilot whales are found throughout the year off the shores of Playa de la Americas. Many other species of whales are seen off the coast of Los Gigantes. These include sperm whale and beaked whale. The volcanic soil of the island helps the growth of marine plants which are responsible for marine biodiversity.

Bird Watching in Tenerife

Tenerife is located in the Atlantic Ocean in such a way that it is directly in the path of migratory birds that come to this place every year. The tropical climate and warm weather is preferred by these birds over the harsh winter of the northern hemisphere. Watching the birds is a unique experience in Tenerife as there is a variety of bird species. In addition to migratory birds Tenerife contains many beautiful indigenous bird species. These include chaffinch, Berthelot's pipit and wild canary.

Los Gigantes and Masca Valley

Los Gigantes is a tourist resort that is situated in the area of Santiago del Teide. This area is famous for its scenery and natural beauty. The most important natural attraction in this area is the cliffs of Los Gigante. At a distance of 3 km north from the town is the village of Masca.

There is a hiking route from Masca village which goes down through the gorge to Atlantic Ocean. This trek is highly recommended for tourists who want to enjoy nature in its most raw form. Down the route one can come across all the beauty that Tenerife has to offer.

Porto de la Cruz and Loro Parque

The port of Santa Cruz is the major town of Tenerife. The palmatum of Santa Cruz is one of the ecotourism attractions. This is a botanical garden that supports about 400 different species of palm trees. Loro parque is a zoo which also displays a wide variety of animal and plant species.

(Tourism review)

Lincoln High School Team Leading Statewide Competition With Stock Picks

If your stock portfolio hasn’t bettered the bull-market Standard & Poor’s average by 29.46 percent since last October, take heart.


A portfolio managed by a team of two students from Lincoln High School has done just that – and by doing so the pair is poised to win a statewide student stock-picking contest.

The two – Adriana Solis, 17, and Gustavo Dominguez, 18 – entered the yearlong Washington Council for Economic and Financial Education “Stock Market Game” last fall. They could have bought or sold stocks, bought options, sold short, picked bonds, mutual funds or ETFs, but they chose to stick with their original four equity picks: Nike, Apple, Nordstrom and Starbucks.

As of Wednesday, their Nike was up 20.8 percent, Apple up 58.3 percent, Nordstrom up 28.17 percent and Starbucks ahead by 51 percent. Their original investment – on paper – of $100,000 had gained nearly $45,000.

And when the game closes a week from Friday, they could win an actual – not a virtual – gift card from Amazon.

“They have performed phenomenally,” said Pam Whalley, who coordinates the game for the Bellingham-based council. “I wish they were handling my money.”

Where the Lincoln team has marked a game-average gain of nearly 30 percent above the S&P, the current second-place team, from the Edmonds area, was hovering with a 25 percent gain.

“I don’t know that Kamiak will be able to catch them,” Whalley said Wednesday afternoon. Also among the Top 5 are teams from Pioneer Middle School in Eastern Washington, Meadowdale in Lynnwood and a second team from Lincoln. In a spring-only stock contest, a team from Olympia High School leads teams from Bothell, Shorecrest and Nathan Hale in Seattle.

The impetus for Lincoln students – where 45 two-student teams entered the competition – came from first-year teacher Kerry Hipps.

“I was trying to figure out a hypothetical way of getting them involved in the stock market,” Hipps said.

He teaches a class called financial algebra, and the contest seemed to present an interesting and involving entry into the world of finance and investing.

“I want them to have the experience of buying and selling stocks and getting the terminology

down,” he said.

Solis and Dominguez stopped by Hipps’ room on Wednesday to celebrate their lead by sharing a pepperoni pizza. They had been interviewed by a local radio station earlier in the week, and news of their performance had circulated on campus.

“I didn’t think it would be such a big deal,” Dominguez said. “It was really surprising.”

“I didn’t know anything about stocks before I came into this class,” Solis said. “It was new to me. It was interesting.”

And how did they choose their investments? Simply enough.

“A lot of people wear Nike shoes. A lot of people shop at Nordstrom,” Dominguez said.

“Apple is popular with teenagers. We wanted to pick up what people liked and used, and we like coffee,” said Solis.

“One of the things we talked about was stocks that are on sale,” Hipps said. They bought Starbucks at $38.73. On Wednesday it closed at $60.33.

“I think we gained a lot of knowledge about business. We didn’t know anything about stocks,” said Solis.

The lesson she learned: “We can buy and sell, and it can go up and down.” “It’s about what people need,” said Dominguez. “They want an iPad. They want shoes. They like coffee.”

“My mom was excited,” said Solis. “My friends were like, ‘Really?’”

Yes, really.

A team from Lincoln is about to win a statewide financial literacy contest. That’s what they’ve earned, and here’s what they’ve learned:

“I handle money differently now. I save up,” said Solis.

“I also started saving money,” said Dominguez. “I’m putting it somewhere where it will be hard for me to spend.”

“Financial literacy is one of the things we sorely lack in this country,” said Lincoln co-principal Pat Erwin. “I think this is a reflection of what happens when we have a good teacher working with students who have connected with a passion.”

And it’s a passion for a something greater than shoes, shopping, iPads and the occasional cappuccino. Said Hipps of his team, “They picked well. They picked smart, and they got a little bit lucky. Sometimes, that’s the way life is.”

Original source here.

Norway: 181 schools closed in four years

The little clock in the right corner of the computer to the mayor Johnny Jensen (H) is ticking inexorably towards the school. This year, with one school less than last year.Jensen has put down one of the city's schools since the last time it was the start of school.

- To close the school was one of the worst I have ever experienced in this period, but we had to take economic considerations, and also the number of pupils falling so that the educational quality was in danger,Schools lost a lot of

Figures Broadcasting Corporation has obtained from the Directorate of Education show that it has been closed down schools in droves in recent years. According to the overview, the Norwegian local politicians laid down 181 schools next school year and the previous municipal elections in 2007.The closures have taken place in all counties except Oslo. Most closures, it has been in England with 22 closures. In the next two spots will Oppland (18), Troms (17) and Hordaland (17).

Original source here.

Programming Project Comes To Primary Schools

Volunteers have kicked off a project to set up after-school clubs that teach young children how to programme computers.

Called Code Clubs, the sessions will aim to instil the basics of computer programming into children aged 10-11. The clubs will be built around practical hands-on tasks that will include children making games and eventually controlling robots.


It aims to have 25% of the UK's primary schools running a Code Club by 2014.Free code

The clubs will sit alongside a broader national push to reform current computer lessons. These are based around children learning to use software found in offices and businesses, said Clare Sutcliffe who, with Linda Sandvik, dreamed up the Code Club project.

"We're teaching our kids to be secretaries rather than programmers," she said. The government is in the process of changing what children learn about computers following a successful campaign that showed how important basic programming skills would be in the future.

Ms Sutcliffe said Code Club would "slot neatly alongside" changes to the national curriculum that emphasise programming. Although in its early days, Code Club has about 100 volunteers signed up ready to help and has begun work on writing notes to guide what the clubs will teach.

Ms Sutcliffe said club sessions would be based around Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Scratch tool which lets children try their hand at programming by dragging and dropping code elements instead of typing them. Scratch is already used in many schools as an aid to computer lessons for children aged 12 and above.

A few schools have volunteered to test out the session plans once they were finished, said Ms Sutcliffe. "The idea is to build things that are really exciting," she said. "We want them to be making stuff."

The first 12 sessions should be free for a school to run, she said. The only extra step a participating school would have to take would be to download and install Scratch on its computers. Code Club plans to get volunteers rather than teachers running the sessions.

As well as drawing up session plans, she said Code Club would also give advice and support to anyone that wanted to set up a club in their local school and win over a head teacher and a Parent-Teacher Association to the idea.

Original source here.

International Students Organize To Add Cultural Diversity to Whitman Campus

Walla Walla is not a cultural Mecca, but Whitman’s international students want to change that. March 30-31, Whitman College’s international students hosted the first-ever United World Colleges (UWC) Davis Scholars Summit held on the west coast.

“The summit reminded us of who we are as UWC students: agents of change wherever we are,” said Thabo Liphoto ’14, an international student from Maseru, Lesotho. “We are going to foster international and intercultural understanding.”

Liphoto, a math and economics double major, is one of four Whitman students who organized the scholars summit, which drew UWC students from across the Northwest. “We were essentially replicating what was happening, and has been happening for a long time, on the East Coast, which is full of UWC students,” Liphoto said.

UWC schools are academic institutions located across the world. They are highly international, two-year International Baccalaureate programs in which many of the students attending have already earned a high school diploma or their country’s equivalent.

“American philanthropist Shelby Davis offers scholarship assistance to any UWC student graduate who chooses to go to one of a select group of United States institutions, of which Whitman is one,” said Jennifer Mouat, Whitman’ College’s Language Learning Center coordinator. Mouat helped guide the students in developing the event.

“The students who come to Whitman under this program are officially called Davis UWC scholars,” added Rachna Sinnott, the Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations for Whitman College. Sinnott also worked closely with the students in preparation for the event.

Eleven of Whitman’s 40 international students are Davis UWC scholars. ‘The UWC students carry with them these values,” Mouat stated, “Which include environmentalism, volunteerism, and the big one – world peace.”

Liphoto helped organize the summit to promote these ideals and address the issue of how UWC students can incorporate them into their lives on campus.

“We have seen that a lot of Whitman students are unaware when it comes to international matters where the U.S. is not concerned,” Liphoto said. “We hope to change that through a range of activities in our respective clubs and other projects that are soon to be put into place by Whitman Davis Scholars.”

The summit ended with student organizers and participants prepared to infuse more cultural awareness into their respective campuses. “The most rewarding thing about the experience was reviving the spirit that I can change anything; I can make the world a better place, to dream high no matter what,” Liphoto said.

Original source here.

Berkeley High School Attendance Scam

Dozens of students at Berkeley High School are facing suspension or expulsion after school officials say they got into a computer system and changed their attendance records.

Principal Pasquale Scuderi said Wednesday that 50 students will be suspended and two or three expelled. The scam apparently occurred after some students were able to obtain an administrative password to the system, which was then sold to other students.

The changes to students' attendance records occurred between October and January and meant students could skip classes or school altogether without their parents knowing.

Scuderi said administrators discovered the scam just before spring break on April 2. They then went through the school's 3,200 students to determine who was involved.

Original source here.

Under pressure, Disney film boss Ross resigns

LOS ANGELES: Rich Ross resigned under pressure as chairman of Walt Disney Co's movie studio after a less than three-year run that included the release of "John Carter," one of the biggest flops in recent Hollywood history.

Ross, named to the job in October 2009, was never able to duplicate the success he enjoyed as president of the Disney Channel, where he was credited with creating monster franchises that included "High School Musical" and "Hannah Montana."

"I no longer believe that the Chairman role is the right professional fit for me," Ross told his staff in an email.

Disney will not immediately name a new head for its studio, a source familiar with the matter said.

In a statement, Disney CEO Bob Iger said: "For more than a decade, Rich Ross' creative instincts, business acumen and personal integrity have driven results in key businesses for Disney. ... I appreciate his countless contributions throughout his entire career at Disney and expect he will have tremendous success in whatever he chooses to do next."

Ross kept a low profile at the Disney Channel and never adapted to Hollywood glad handing, according to a source with knowledge of his style. At the April 11 premiere for Disney's big budget film "The Avengers," the studio chief stood off to the side while the movie's stars chatted up other executives.

Ross lost the confidence of Disney's big name producers, including Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced its "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, said one person with knowledge of the relationship. Last summer, Ross shut down production of Bruckheimer's big budget film "The Lone Ranger" over budget issues and cut its $250 million budget to $215 million

The studio executive took the heat for letting the "John Carter" budget rise to $250 million from $200 million, said one person with knowledge of Disney thinking, and for its lackluster marketing effort. Ross killed another big budget film, a remake of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," but let "John Carter" production begin.

Disney said in March it expected the film to lose about $200 million and to saddle its studio with $80 million to $120 million in operating losses.

The swiftness of Ross' resignation leaves Disney without an obvious successor for the job.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Ross' lieutenant, Walt Disney Studios president Alan Bergman, are long shots to replace Ross. Disney will likely look for a candidate outside its house.

Ross "was a superstar at the Disney Channel, and the results at the studio have not been exceptional," said Evercore Partners analyst Alan Gould. Still, he said Ross' exit was a surprise given his earlier success in Disney's cable business.

Ross joined Disney Channel in 1996 as a programming and production executive and was promoted to president of the cable channel in 2004. His success at the Disney Channel made him a rising star in the company and eventually led to his being hand-picked by Iger to replace long-time chairman Dick Cook, whom Iger forced out, as head of its film division.

Ross had few big hits during his tenure. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" was a global smash, but part of an established franchise. He also made waves when he picked a Hollywood outsider, M.T. Carney, to run film marketing for Disney. She left the studio earlier this year just as "John Carter" was completed.

Ironically, Ross could have his biggest hit when "The Avengers" is released in the United States on May 4.

The film, featuring action stars from Disney's Marvel subsidiary, is expected to be one of the year's biggest hits. Opening weekend sales may reach $155 million in the United States and Canada, according to Boxoffice.com.

For investors, the departure of Ross should have little impact, analyst Gould said. Disney's results are driven by its much-larger theme-park and cable network businesses.

Disney shares gained 27 cents, or 0.6 percent, to close at $42.35 on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reuters)

Tennis-Djokovic switches off from grief to beat Haase

(Reuters) - World number one Novak Djokovic said his years in the sport helped him switch off his emotions to beat Robin Haase and reach the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters on Friday, a day after learning of the death of his grandfather.

The Serb, had some trouble focusing as he let Dutchman Haase recover from 4-1 down to 4-4 in the first set but wowed a supportive crowd as he went on to win 6-4 6-2.

"Today was a bit better, but still a lot of emotional ups and downs throughout the match," Djokovic told reporters, having only issued a statement on Thursday after beating Alexandr Dolgopolov.

"I'm very satisfied that I was able to compose myself and get on the court and try to win matches. I got to the semi-finals, which is big result for me under the circumstances."

"Over the years, I've learned whenever I play tennis to kind of switch off from everything else. You get that mindset and that ability to switch off when you dedicate a lot of time to this sport," added the Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open champion.

"I'm a professional, and life goes on. I know that I cannot change anything now," he calmly said.

Djokovic, who is chasing Rafael Nadal's French Open crown, will play Czech Tomas Berdych in the semis.

Having described his grandfather as "my hero and a fighter... who is always sending me lots of positive energy" after winning in Miami, Djokovic said he was still feeling his support.

"He's with me, I know that, in spirit. I'm remembering only the nicest memories, and that's what gave me strength to play yesterday and today," he said.