Good Afternoon All,
Things are looking good here in Korea, and I may have found myself an apartment. Yippee! If so, I will finally be out of the suit-case and hotel life by 5 April.
Anyway, today I'd like to mention 3 articles I found particularly interesting. First, is the story about the dog in Australia who sensed that a baby joey was still in its dead mother's pouch, and then rescued the joey. Second, is the story about the clay tablet which has recently been deciphered and holds astronomy data of great significance. Third is about the new research that helps Koa trees in Hawaii to grow by 120 percent per year, with the only affects being beneficial and neutral!
I hope that you enjoy today's posts. I have had a great time reading and posting them this morning (it's 7:21 am here). Happy reading, and see you tomorrow!
Today's Top 5:
1. Dog Comes to the Rescue of Baby Kangaroo (Telegraph UK)
2. Clay Tablet Holds Ancient Secret to Asteroid Crash (Independent IE)
3. Archaeologists Start Stonehenge Dig (Yahoo News)
4. Vaccine For Ebola Virus Successful In Primates (Science Daily)
5. Cuba Allows Citizens to Stay in Hotels (Yahoo News)
Honorable Mentions:
1. Faster Hawaiian Tree Growth Without Adverse Ecosystem Effects (Science Daily)
2. Bean Crop Brimming with Hope (The Denver Post)
Unpublishable:
Off-Duty Massachusetts Firefighter Rescues Skier from Frozen Pond
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?id=58942§ionId=46
31 March 2008
This story is about a firefighter who was skiing at Wachusset Mountain, off duty, and was able to save someone who got stuck on the thin ice of a frozen pond.
Today's Top 5:
1. Dog Comes to the Rescue of Baby Kangaroo
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/31/wkangaroo131.xml
Last Updated: 5:52pm BST 31/03/2008
A dog has rescued a tiny baby kangaroo, gently carrying it to safety in its mouth after the joey's mother was killed by car.
Rex the dog found the four-month-old joey in the pouch of its dead mother and carried it to safety Rex, the German short-haired pointer cross, was walking with his owner, Leonie Allan, near the Bells Beach in Torquay, on Australia's south coast, when they passed a dead kangaroo.
The marsupials are often killed while crossing busy roads, so Mrs Allan thought nothing of it. But Rex sensed something and when Mrs Allan went outside later in the day, she saw the ten-year-old family pet pointing and went to investigate.
"I was worried he'd found a snake and called him back, but when he returned he dropped the joey at my feet," Mrs Allan said.
"I was so surprised and delighted. Rex saved the day."
advertisementThe dog had found the four-month-old joey in the pouch of its dead mother and gently prised it out, carrying it back to his owner.
"He obviously sensed the baby roo was still alive in the pouch and somehow had gently grabbed it by the neck, gently retrieved it and brought it to me."
The animals showed an instant fondness for each other, nuzzling and playing together, Mrs Allan said.
"The joey was snuggling up to him, jumping up to him and Rex was sniffing and licking him. It was quite cute."
Most joeys whose mothers are killed by cars die in the same collision. Those who survive the impact are rarely able to fend for themselves outside the pouch and succumb soon after.
But the prospects of this kangaroo - named Rex junior after its saviour - are good. It will be hand-reared at a wildlife sanctuary until it is 18 months old, when it will be released into the wild.
Tehree Gordon, director of Jirrahlinga Wildlife Sanctuary, was amazed at the bond between the animals and said the fact Rex was so gentle with his younger namesake was proof that dogs - often criticised in Australia for killing native fauna - could live in harmony with local species if they were taught not to attack them.
"That Rex was so careful and knew to bring the baby to his owners, and that the joey was so relaxed and didn't see Rex as a predator, is quite remarkable," she said.
2. Clay Tablet Holds Ancient Secret to Asteroid Crashhttp://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/clay-tablet-holds-ancient-secret-to-asteroid-crash-1332923.html?r=RSSBy Lewis SmithMonday March 31 2008
A clay tablet that has baffled scientists for 150 years has been identified as a witness's account of the asteroid suspected of being behind the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Researchers who cracked the cuneiform symbols on the Planisphere tablet believe that it recorded an asteroid thought to have been over half a mile across.
Found by Henry Layard in the remains of the library in the royal palace at Nineveh in the mid-19th century, the tablet is thought to be a 700BC copy of notes made by a Sumerian astronomer watching the night sky.
He referred to the asteroid as "white stone bowl approaching" and recorded it as it "vigorously swept along".
Using computers to re- create the night sky thousands of years ago, scientists have pinpointed his sighting to shortly before dawn on June 29 in the year 3123BC.
About half the symbols on the tablet have survived and half of those refer to the asteroid. The other symbols record the positions of clouds and constellations.
In the past 150 years scientists made five unsuccessful attempts to translate the tablet.
Mark Hempsell, one of the researchers from Bristol University who cracked the tablet's code, said: "It's a wonderful piece of observation, a perfect piece of science."
He said the size and route of the asteroid meant that it was likely to have crashed into the Austrian Alps at Kofels. As it travelled close to the ground it would have left a trail of destruction from supersonic shock waves and then slammed into the Earth with a cataclysmic impact. (© The Times, London)
3. Archaeologists Start Stonehenge Dig http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080331/ap_on_re_eu/britain_stonehenge_dig;_ylt=AnW_MfM3wA52D1BblV_oulS9IxIFBy GREGORY KATZ, Associated Press Writer 3 minutes ago (Current time 4:22pm CST) LONDON - Some of England's most sacred soil was disturbed Monday for the first time in more than four decades as archaeologists worked to solve the enduring riddle of Stonehenge: When and why was the prehistoric monument built?
The excavation project, set to last until April 11, is designed to unearth materials that can be used to establish a firm date for when the first mysterious set of bluestones was put in place at Stonehenge, one of Britain's best known and least understood landmarks.
The World Heritage site, a favorite with visitors the world over, has become popular with Druids, neo-Pagans and New Agers who attach mystical significance to the strangely shaped circle of stones, but there remains great debate about the actual purpose of the structure.
The dig will be led by Timothy Darvill, a leading Stonehenge scholar from Bournemouth University, and Geoffrey Wainwright, president of the Society of Antiquaries. Both experts have worked to pinpoint the site in the Preseli Mountains in south Wales where the bluestones — the earliest of the large rocks erected at the site — came from. They will be able to compare the samples found in Wales to those at Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain.
"The excavation will date the arrival of the bluestones following their 153-mile journey from Preseli to Salisbury Plain and contribute to our definition of the society which undertook such an ambitious project," Wainright said. "We will be able to say not only why, but when the first stone monument was built."
Scientists believe the bluestones were first put in place about 2600 B.C., but they concede the date is only an approximation at best. The original bluestones were removed about 200 years later and scientists hope to find bits of them embedded in the earth.
Darvill said the excavation marks the first opportunity to bring the power of modern scientific archaeology to bear on a problem that has taxed the minds of so many experts since medieval times: Why were the bluestones so important to have warranted bringing them from so far away?
The excavation goal is to find remnants of the original bluestones, or related materials, that can be subjected to modern radiocarbon dating techniques to establish a more precise timeline for the construction of Stonehenge, said Dave Batchelor, an archaeologist with English Heritage, which oversees the Stonehenge site.
"We have to find the material that will give us a good date," he said. "That's where the luck comes in. We could get an absolute blank or we could get something magnificent or we could get something in between."
He said bluestones have an "inky, bluey, black" appearance and come from the Preseli Mountains in South Wales. About 6 feet tall, they are the smaller stones that make up part of the monument, alongside the larger sarsen stones, which are about twice as tall and were added later.
It is hoped that fixing the date of the start of construction with more precision will allow scientists to finally grasp how and why the monument was built. They also may learn more about how the stones were transported. Research shows the bluestones, weighing an estimated five tons apiece, may have been dragged from the mountains in south Wales to the sea, put on huge rafts and floated up the River Avon.
Archaeologists believe that before the bluestones were put in place, Stonehenge consisted of a circle of wooden posts and timbers built in approximately 3100 B.C.
The research that began Monday with the digging of a trench marks the first time ground inside the inner stone circle has been excavated since 1944. The area, revered as a powerful link to England's pagan past, is so sensitive that Cabinet approval was needed before the work could begin.
Renee Fok, a spokeswoman with English Heritage, said the project was okayed only after experts were convinced of its potential value. She said the project represents "the logical next step" after the two professors located the source of the bluestones in Wales.
"It's the culmination of their work, it makes sense to go back to the stone circle and get a date," she said.
"We want to strike a balance. We want the best research, but we can't just say go ahead and dig as you like, it's a very fragile area. Even the Druids are happy with this project, we've spoken to them and they don't object."
She said tourists will be able to visit Stonehenge as usual and will also be able to watch live video coverage of the excavation in special tents at the site.
4. Vaccine For Ebola Virus Successful In Primateshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330200630.htmScienceDaily (Mar. 31, 2008)
One of the world's deadliest diseases, caused by the Ebola virus, may finally be preventable thanks to US and Canadian researchers, who have successfully tested several Ebola vaccines in primates and are now looking to adapt them for human use. Dr Anthony Sanchez, from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia is presenting an overview of Ebola vaccine development March 31, 2008 at the Society for General Microbiology's 162nd meeting.
"The biothreat posed by Ebola virus cannot be overlooked. We are seeing more and more naturally occurring human outbreaks of this deadly disease. With worldwide air travel and tourism the virus can now be transported to and from remote regions of the world. And it has huge potential as a possible weapon of bioterrorism", says Dr Sanchez. "We desperately need a protective vaccine."
So far, there have been over 1500 cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in humans. Illness starts abruptly and symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat, weakness, joint and muscle aches, diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pain. A rash, red eyes and bleeding may also occur. Ebola haemorrhagic fever can have a mortality rate of around 90% in humans.
Because Ebola virus is so dangerous, producing and testing a vaccine is extremely challenging for the scientists. One significant factor slowing down progress has been that there are only a very limited number of high containment facilities with staff capable and authorised to conduct the research.
"Ebola virus is a Biosafety Level 4 threat, along with many other haemorrhagic fever viruses", says Dr Sanchez. "As well as the difficulty in getting the right staff and facilities, vaccines for viruses like Ebola, Marburg and Lassa fever have been difficult to produce because simple 'killed' viruses that just trigger an antibody response from the blood are not effective. For these viruses we need to get a cell-mediated response, which involves our bodies producing killer T-cells before immunity is strong enough to prevent or clear an infection."
The researchers have now used several different recombinant DNA techniques, which have allowed them to trigger a cell-mediated response and produce a vaccine that is effective in non-human primates. One of the candidate vaccines is about to be tested on people for the first time, after entering Phase 1 clinical trials in autumn 2006.
"Ebola virus infection of humans can be highly lethal but monkeys rarely survive the infection and have been very useful as animal models. Ebola vaccine trials using nonhuman primates have provided unambiguous results and have allowed the development of protective vaccines to progress rapidly", says Dr Sanchez. "Successful human trials will mean that we can vaccinate healthcare workers and other key personnel during outbreaks of Ebola haemorrhagic fever, helping us to protect their lives and control the spread of the disease."
The US team hopes that the findings from their studies will provide important insights that will improve or accelerate the future development of vaccines for other haemorrhagic fever viruses like Marburg virus, and agents such as HIV and avian influenza.
Adapted from materials provided by Society for General Microbiology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
5. Cuba Allows Citizens to Stay in Hotels http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080331/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cuba_hotelsBy WILL WEISSERT Associated Press Writer 6 minutes ago (Current time 4:18pm CST)31 March 2008 HAVANA - New President Raul Castro's government has lifted a ban on Cubans staying at hotels previously reserved for foreigners, ending another restriction that had been especially irksome to citizens. Employees at the Nacional, Valencia and Santa Isabel Hotels in Havana said Ministry of Tourism officials told them Cubans were allowed to stay in hotels across the island as of midnight on Monday. Like other guests, they will be charged in hard currency worth 24 times the Cuban pesos state employees are paid in.
"They have informed us that with a national ID card, anyone can stay here," an employee at the Ambos Mundos Hotel in Old Havana said Monday. Non-guests who are Cuban nationals will also be allowed to pay for other hotel services, including gyms, said the employee, who asked for anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to foreign reporters.
Some hotels scheduled morning meetings with staff members to discuss the changes. and officials said new rules will also allow Cubans to rent cars at state-run agencies for the first time.
On Friday, Cuba authorized its citizens to obtain mobile phones, which only foreigners and key officials in the Communist Government were previously allowed to have. A resolution signed by the Interior Commerce Ministry on March 21 also authorized the sale of computers, microwaves and DVD players, items which had only been sold to companies and foreigners.
Many Cubans are too poor to benefit the lifting of restrictions. The government controls well over 90 percent of the economy and the average monthly state salary is a little less than $20.
But much of the population has access to convertible pesos, either through jobs in tourism or with foreign firms or cash sent by relatives living in the United States. They will suddenly have a host of new ways to spend their money.
Official restrictions that banned all Cubans — even those who could afford it — from enjoying beach resorts and luxury hotels have been an especially sore point for many on the island since the government began encouraging foreign tourism en masse in the early 1990s. Critics of the government have branded the bans "tourism apartheid."
Tourism generates more than $2 billion annually in Cuba.
Since taking power from his ailing, 81-year-old brother Fidel on Feb. 24, Raul Castro, 76, has pledged to make improving everyday life for Cubans a top priority and undo "excessive restrictions" on society and the economy.
(This version CORRECTS the name of one hotel to "Santa Isabel" instead of "Maria Isabel")
Honorable Mentions:
1. Faster Hawaiian Tree Growth Without Adverse Ecosystem Effectshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327093626.htmScienceDaily (Mar. 31, 2008)
U.S. Forest Service scientists with the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry have completed a study on ways to make high-value koa trees grow faster, while increasing biodiversity, carbon sequestration, scenic beauty and recreation opportunities in native Hawaiían forests.
Acacia koa is a native Hawaiían hardwood tree that traditionally has been prized as a craft and furniture-making wood. Its range has been greatly reduced because of logging and land clearing for agricultural production.
Scientists involved in the study have published their findings in the April edition of Forest Ecology and Management. The article is entitled, "Understory Structure in a 23-Year-Old Acacia Koa Forest and Two-Year Growth Responses to Silvicultural Treatments."
Previous studies have shown that a lack of knowledge about koa tree production has hampered commercial forestry investment efforts in Hawaií.
Scientists in this study began to fill this knowledge gap in 2002 when they started measuring how koa trees respond to the thinning of competing trees and the application of fertilizers. They were also concerned about how the trees and understory plants responded to chemical control of non-native grasses because about 20 percent of endangered plants in Hawaií are understory species found in koa forests.
They found the potential koa crop trees in the test area on the eastern slope of Mauna Loa annually increased their stem diameter at chest height by nearly 120 percent.
In addition, they found the treatments did not adversely affect the growth of native understory plants and non-native grasses did not grow more where tree thinning had occurred. Scientists even found fertilizers reduced the growth of these alien grasses when compared to unfertilized test plots.
The study's findings also showed the treatments were either neutral or beneficial to forest bird habitat, an important consideration because many trees in koa forests bear fleshy fruits or provide habitat for insects eaten by many Hawaiían birds.
"Our findings indicate the use of low-impact silvicultural treatments in young koa stands not only increases wood production, but also is compatible with maintenance of healthy, intact native understory vegetation," said Paul
Scowcroft, an Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry research ecologist and one of the study's authors.
Adapted from materials provided by US Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
2. Bean Crop Brimming with HopeBy William PorterDenver Post ColumnistArticle Last Updated: 03/31/2008 12:34:00 AM MDT
Spring is the season of renewal. The concept is not lost on Katie Bordas, a woman working hard at a second chance in a life that could have ended on any number of crystal meth binges.
Wednesday morning, she sat down with me and laid out the details of her story like cards in a badly played poker hand.
Bordas has brown hair and a pleasant face. There's a star-shaped scar above her upper lip. The scars inside her run far deeper.
"I've had a pretty rough life," she said. "I started drinking when I was 13 and have had an addiction to drugs for about 15 years. And I have felony convictions for possession and forgery."
At 31, she is on probation and has been clean for 16 months. And much of the thanks goes to a hill of beans.
Bordas is one of the beneficiaries of the Women's Bean Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping women break out of poverty and unemployment.
The operation is housed in the old Denver Fire Station No. 10 at 3201 Curtis St. in the Five Points neighborhood.
The Bean Project was founded in 1989 by Jossy Eyre, a volunteer at a women's shelter. Eyre decided such facilities weren't enough: Women needed jobs and skills to help them make lasting changes.
Starting with $500 worth of beans and two homeless women to bag them for sale, the Bean Project took off.
Today the project employs 20 women in a given week and has a $1.2 million operating budget. Products include beans, salsas and spice rubs, which are sold in grocery stores. For Bordas, the Bean Project has been a godsend.
"They've helped me start over in the workforce, refreshed my computer skills, led me through mock interviews and given me the confidence to go back," she said. "And just how to go out there and be a productive person."
Bordas, who is single, has three daughters. They range from 7 years old to 11 months.
She lives with her youngest child at The Haven, a Denver treatment facility for addicts.
"It's a therapeutic community where we attack the behavior that makes us act the way we do and change our way of thinking," she said.
Bordas realizes there are no do-overs in life. But sometimes you can start over.
She knows it will be tough.
"I've had five felonies, and it's hard to get a job with five felonies," she said. "And there are big gaps in my employment history."
And that is why she works 39 hours a week at the Bean Project. It's a four-month work-training program for women who qualify.
Bordas started Feb. 4. Soon she will move into a Haven-sponsored apartment.
"I think she'll make it," said Tamra Ryan, the Bean Project's executive director. "At this point, you can kind of tell. She's very focused. She's a good egg."
Before she bottomed out, Bordas worked at a mortgage company. She hopes to return to some type of office work.
I asked Bordas how she felt about her prospects. She smiled — the first real smile I had seen on her face.
"Super," she said. "I'm very optimistic."
I asked her whether she had any advice for others.
"Just take it day by day and stay in the here and now," she said. "And don't give up hope. There's help out there if you want it."
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