Good Morning all,
I am borrowing a friend's computer. I'll be back later to finish this. I am about to go see the new Indiana Jones movie. I will find 4 more articles for you when I get back from the movie. :) Enjoy the ones I've got! :)
Today's Top 5:
1. Bolt Sets World Record in 100 Meters (Fox Sports)
2. Acupuncture Eases Pain in Head and Neck Cancer Surgery (Today Online)
3. China Limits Use of Plastic Bags Out of Environmental Concerns (China Daily)
4. Good Samaritans Save Man from Fire (KHOU.com)
5. Birthday Girl Comes to Aid of Homeless Pets (Press Enterprise Robocaster)
Honorable Mentions:
1. Indiana Boy Spells 'Guerdon' to Win National Bee (Yahoo News)
2. Fruits, Vegetables And Teas May Protect Smokers From Lung Cancer, Researchers Report (Science Daily)
3. Ancient Greek Architecture Found in Iran (Press TV)
4. Small Town Students Powered by Clean-energy Project (The Globe and Mail)
Today's Top 5:
1. Bolt Sets World Record in 100 Meters
http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/story/8194036?MSNHPHMA
Updated: June 1, 2008, 1:25 AM EST
NEW YORK (AP) - Like lightning out of nowhere, Usain Bolt is now the world's fastest man.
The Jamaican sprinter, who doesn't even consider the 100 meters his best race, set the world record Saturday night with a time of 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix, .02 seconds faster than the old mark held by his countryman, Asafa Powell.
Bolt was using the 100 as "speed work" to get better for his favorite race, the 200, and also to avoid having to run the more grueling 400. Then, unexpectedly, he ran the world's second-fastest time a few weeks ago at 9.76.
Even with that, he said he wasn't sure if he would switch out the 400 for the 100 at the Beijing Olympics.
"I think that will change today," Bolt said. "It doesn't matter if I have the world record if I don't have the Olympic medal."
Springing from the starting block and unfurling his lanky frame - listed at 6-foot-4, but probably more like 6-5 and, either way, considered too tall for this kind of speed work - he created a big-time gap between himself and Tyson Gay at about the halfway point, then routed America's top sprinter to the finish line.
"I wasn't really looking for a world record, but it was there for the taking," Bolt said.
Gay finished in 9.85.
"Obviously, I have some work to do," Gay said. "Right now, it's hats off to Bolt. Today was his day."
As he crossed the finish line, Bolt spread his arms out wide and let out a yell. A few moments later, the 21-year-old from Kingston was hoisting the Jamaican flag and a crowd with several hundreds of Jamaican fans was going wild. Then, he kneeled down and posed next to the scoreboard that recorded the fastest time ever - "9.72."
"Just coming here, knowing a lot of Jamaicans were here giving me their support, it meant a lot," Bolt said. "I just wanted to give them what they wanted."
But who could have expected this?
Bolt has long been considered one of his country's top, up-and-coming runners, but his height and running style seemed to make him much more fit for powering through turns in the 200, the distance he considers his best, and persevering in the 400, which he doesn't love as much.
Like so many who compete in the 100, Bolt had lots of work to do with his push out of the blocks. In the leadup to the race, he said he doesn't consider himself a true pro at that yet. And after a bad false start by the field - the second gun didn't go off until the runners were 20 meters down the track - this simply didn't seem like a night for world records.
Or was it?
"I was glad for the first false start," Bolt said. "My first start wasn't that good. I knew if I got Tyson on the start, I'd get him."
Usain Bolt bested countryman Asafa Powell's record in the 100 meters. (Stephen Chernin / Associated Press)
Gay said he knew it was over after he saw Bolt push out.
"I honestly think we were on the same rhythm, except his stride pattern is a lot bigger," Gay said. "He was covering a lot more ground than I was."
"An awesome athlete," said Shawn Crawford, who finished sixth and witnessed history from two lanes inside of Bolt. "The time shows it."
This marked the first time the record had been set in the United States since the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, when Donovan Bailey ran a 9.84.
A lot is often said about Olympic trials in the United States - that given the depth of the roster, it can be an even better meet than the actual Olympics. But suddenly the highlight of the pre-Olympic calendar could now be Jamaican nationals at the end of June, when Bolt and Powell should square off in the 100. Powell, who set the mark of 9.74 last September in Italy, is overcoming a chest injury but is expected to be healthy soon.
Also at Jamaican nationals will be Veronica Campbell-Brown, who won the women's 100 on Saturday in 10.91, the fastest time of 2008.
The fastest time ever, though, now belongs to Bolt, and it made a prophet out of Gay, who predicted that with himself, Bolt and Powell lining up against each other over these next few months, the record could go down, down, down.
The conditions were right.
The start of the meet was delayed by an hour because of threatening storms in the area. Then, about halfway though, a brief thunderstorm hit, cooling the track and leaving it with just the faintest sheen of glistening moisture before the last, most-anticipated, race of the night. The tailwind was measured at 1.7 meters-per-second, .3 under the limit at which a record can be set.
"To be honest, I knew the track was fast," Gay said. "I knew a 9.7 was possible."
After his victory, Bolt paraded around with the Jamaican flag, accepted a hug from Gay, soaked in some more applause.
"I always perform well in front of the Jamaican fans. They're so loud," he said.
Race organizers, knowing they'd get a big Jamaican fanbase out at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island, had scheduled a post-meet reggae concert for the crowd of about 6,000.
And what a perfect choice that was on this history making night.
2. Acupuncture Eases Pain in Head and Neck Cancer Surgery
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/256962.asp
Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 1-Jun-2008 13:56 hrs
A visitor tries electro-acupuncture at a food and health fair in Hong Kong. Acupuncture provides significant pain relief for patients after head or neck cancer surgery, according to a clinical study released Saturday at the annual meeting here of the American Society for Clinical Oncology.
Acupuncture provides significant pain relief for patients after head or neck cancer surgery, according to a clinical study released at the annual meeting here of the American Society for Clinical Oncology.
A traditional Chinese medical technique, acupuncture was also found to improve shoulder mobility that is often restricted after surgical cancer procedures involving the mouth, nose, upper throat, sinuses and other throat and nose passages, researchers said Saturday.
Seventy patients took part in a random study by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) researchers, in New York, at least three months after they underwent cancer surgery and radiation treatment.
One half received acupuncture, the rest the usual care, which includes physical therapy exercises and the use of anti-inflammatory drugs.
.
Of the patients who received four acupuncture sessions over four weeks, 39 percent reported less pain and greater mobility, compared to only seven percent of the group that received usual care.
"Like any other treatment, acupuncture does not work for everyone, but it can be extraordinarily helpful for many," said study co-author Dr Barrie Cassileth, Chief of the Integrative Medicine Service at MSKCC.
"It does not treat illness, but acupuncture can control a number of distressing symptoms, such as shortness of breath, anxiety and depression, chronic fatigue, pain, neuropathy, and osteoarthritis," she added.
Acupuncture originated more than 2,000 years ago. Treatment involves stimulation of one or more predetermined points on the body with needles, heat, pressure, or electricity for therapeutic effect.
A report published by the Centers for Disease Control indicated that more than eight million Americans use acupuncture to treat different ailments. — AFP
3. China Limits Use of Plastic Bags Out of Environmental Concern
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-06/01/content_6726889.htm
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-06-01 14:47
Wang Yali is busy packing her groceries at a supermarket as usual. However, something is different today: she doesn't put her goods into plastic shopping bags, but stuffed them all into her own bag.
From Sunday on, all Chinese retailers, including supermarkets, department stores and grocery stores, would no longer provide free plastic shopping bags. China will try to reduce the use of plastic bags in a bid to reduce energy consumption and polluting emissions.
"It doesn't matter how much the plastic shopping bag costs. What matters is our sense for environmental protection," Wang said.
"Customers are encouraged to carry their own bags," an official with the Ministry of Commerce, Men Xiaowei, said in an on-line interview earlier. "It is a 'habit revolution'. To limit the use of plastic bags is to protect our environment."
Chinese have enjoyed free plastic shopping bags for more than a decade. Those shopping bags used to bring lots of conveniences to Chinese shoppers. However, they also caused heavy burden to the environment.
According to an estimation of the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner, every two people would consume at least one plastic bag one day. At least 1,300 tons of oil must be consumed every day to produce plastic shopping bags for supermarkets alone.
In addition, China has banned ultra-thin plastic bags, or those thinner than 0.025 millimeters.
"Plastic bags are difficult to be degraded," Men said. "The plastic waste accounted for more than 3 to 5 percent of the daily waste, most of which came from plastic bags."
Retailers have begun to charge fees, ranging from 0.2 yuan ($0.03) for small sized plastic bags to more than 10 yuan for fabric ones, for the shopping bags.
4. Good Samaritans Save Man From Fire
http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080531_tnt_firerescue.4a8aa0d7.html
11:20 AM CDT on Sunday, June 1, 2008
By Allison Triarsi / 11 News
Two good Samaritans were credited with saving a man from a burning home on Yale Street in northwest Houston Friday night.
The two men were at a nearby bar when they heard the trapped man screaming.
They came running through a field, found the home engulfed in flames, pulled the burglar bars off a window and rescued him.
“We saw the fire and heard the man saying, ‘Help! Help! Help!’” Elton Lewis said. “I’m glad I did save someone’s life.”
Vince Zepeda lives across the street. He knows the man who was trapped in the burning home and watched him barely make it out alive.
“There were two of them coming out, and he was just barely coming himself,” Zepeda said.
Zepeda said the man works in the building in front of the home, which is a furniture resale shop. He said the man sometimes stays in the back house, which is nothing but rubble now.
The owner was too upset to go on camera, but she said the home was filled with broken furniture. That’s one reason the wood-framed structure went up in flames so quickly.
When the owner arrived Saturday morning, she had no idea her property was gone.
5. Birthday Girl Comes to Aid of Homeless Pets
http://robocaster.com/pe/podcast-episode-home/localnews-lakeelsinore-stories-pe_news_local_c_sspot01_447e72f_html/birthday-girl-comes-to-aid-of-homeless-pets.aspx
Published on Saturday, May 31, 2008
By BARBARA McLEAN
Abigail Heiselt's friends needed some help to carry in the gifts for her 11th birthday on May 24. It's pretty hard for 11-year-olds to carry 50-pound bags of pet food.
Instead of the usual toys most kids her age would look forward to, Abigail asked her friends to bring dog or cat food so she could help the homeless pets at Animal Friends of the Valleys.
Abigail learned about the February fire at the animal shelter.
"I thought I should help the animals, and my friends thought it was pretty cool," Abigail said. She is a fifth-grader at Rice Canyon Elementary School in Lake Elsinore.
On Tuesday, Abigail's father, Leonard Heiselt, took her and sister Haley, 14, to the shelter, where they delivered more than 500 pounds of dry dog food and 100 pounds of dry cat food.
"The food will feed our dogs and cats for three days," said Judy Evans, the shelter's assistant manager
Evans estimated that they had about 65 animals at the shelter and said the donation was greatly appreciated.
"My family and I could not be more proud of Abigail," Haley said. "She's a very special sister."
Abigail hopes that more kids will follow her example.
"I challenge other kids to have pet-food parties," Abigail said. "The animals need our help."
Honorable Mentions:
1. Indiana Boy Spells 'Guerdon' to Win National Bee
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080531/ap_on_re_us/spelling_bee
By JOSEPH WHITE,
Associated Press Writer
Sat May 31, 5:27 PM ET
WASHINGTON - After watching his sister try three times to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Sameer Mishra put himself on a mission.
"I told my mom I was going to do the bee," Sameer said. "And if I was going to do it, I was going to win it one day. And I guess it happened."
Did it ever. With the sister coaching him, Sameer augmented his spelling talent with a sense of humor that often kept the Grand Hyatt Ballroom audience laughing. The 13-year-old from West Lafayette, Ind., was finally all business when he aced "guerdon" — an appropriate word, given that it means "something that one has earned or gained" — to win the 81st bee Friday night.
"I'm not used to people laughing at my jokes — except for my sister," Sameer said.
Appearing in the bee for the fourth time and a top 20 finisher the past two years, Sameer clenched both fists and put his hands to his face after spelling the winning word. He won a tense duel over first-time participant Sidharth Chand, 12, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., who finally stumbled on "prosopopoeia," a word describing a type of figure of speech.
Sameer was a crowd favorite throughout the tournament. When told one of his words in the semifinals was a dessert, he deadpanned: "That sounds good right now." He rolled his eyes and muttered "wonderful" when told that one of his words had five different language roots. He once asked, "Are you sure there are no alternate pronunciations?" and later uttered, "That's a relief," after initially mishearing the word "numnah" (a type of sheepskin pad).
And what did he have to say while hoisting the heavy trophy? "I'm really, really weak."
Sameer, who won more than $40,000 in cash and prizes, likes playing the violin and the video game "Guitar Hero" and hopes one day to be a neurosurgeon. He tried to watch the movie "Ratatouille" during the long wait before the finals but found he "couldn't really relax that much." His sister, Shruti, cried after her brother's victory on a day in which she received her own big news: She was accepted to Princeton.
"A big day for the family," said Sameer's father, Krishna Mishra, who moved to the United States from central India and teaches microbiology.
Sameer also became the first speller to win the title after misspelling his onstage word in the preliminary round. He flubbed "sudation," yet managed to remain in the competition on the strength of a high score in the written test.
"When I missed that word in the preliminaries, I was really shocked and I was really sad," Sameer said. "I thought my chances were gone."
Third place went to Tia Thomas, 13, of Coarsegold, Calif., who was eliminated on "opificer" (a skilled or artistic worker) when she started the word with an "e" instead of an "o." Tia was one of the favorites, appearing in her fifth and final bee after an eighth-place finish a year ago.
"It was so frustrating. I was like, 'I know all these other words,'" Tia said. "This year has been awesome, but it's real disappointing."
The finals were aired live in prime time on ABC, and it appeared for a while that the broadcast could run late into the night. Twenty-four of the first 25 words were spelled correctly, with the dictionary-familiar competitors breezing through words such as "brankursine," "cryptarithm" and "empyrean" with barely a hitch.
Rose Sloan was so familiar with "alcarraza" (a type of jug) that the 13-year-old from River Forest, Ill., couldn't stop laughing in glee when pronouncer Jacques Bailly uttered it. She was later eliminated on "sheitel" (a wig worn by Jewish women).
It was somewhat surprising who didn't make the finals. There were no Canadians — and no Matthew Evans.
Matthew, also a favorite to win in his fifth and final appearance, was stunningly eliminated during the semifinal round Friday when he misspelled "secernent," a word dealing with secretion and one that somehow eluded him as he studied his personal 30,000-word list. He ended it with "-ant."
The 13-year-old from Albuquerque, N.M., stayed in the comfort room for more than a half-hour, and his eyes were still red when he emerged.
"It's disappointing," said Matthew, choking back tears. "I know a lot of people were rooting for me."
All seven representatives from Canada were vanquished in a span of about 20 minutes in the first semifinal round. No Canadian has ever won the bee, but the country always fields a strong contingent. Nate Gartke of Alberta was last year's runner-up.
"Seven up, seven down," said Pam Penny of Ancaster, Ontario, whose daughter, 10-year-old Veronica, was eliminated on the French-rooted word "etagere." "Very disappointing. Especially for Canadians to go down on French words."
Among the spectators was 94-year-old Frank Neuhauser, the winner of the first national bee in 1925. (The bee wasn't held for three years in the '40s because of World War II.) Asked to spell his winning word from 83 years ago, Neuhauser rattled off the letters to "gladiolus" as if he were racing through his ABCs.
"It's an easy word," said Neuhauser, who attracted a long line of teen and preteen autograph-seekers. "Nobody could miss it, but the second (-place) girl did."
Neuhauser's prize was $500 in $20 gold pieces. He also was feted with a parade through his hometown of Louisville, Ky.
"It was a lot easier back then," Neuhauser told the audience. "There were only eight competitors instead of 288. I'd never make it now."
The 288 spellers that entered this year's bee was a record. Forty-five of them made it past the preliminary and quarterfinal rounds Thursday to compete on Friday.
2. Fruits, Vegetables And Teas May Protect Smokers From Lung Cancer, Researchers Report
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529091128.htm
ScienceDaily
May 31, 2008
Tobacco smokers who eat three servings of fruits and vegetables per day and drink green or black tea may be protecting themselves from lung cancer, according to a first-of-its-kind study by UCLA cancer researchers.
UCLA researchers found that smokers who ingested high levels of natural chemicals called flavonoids in their diet had a lower risk of developing lung cancer, an important finding since more than 90 percent of lung cancers are caused by tobacco smoking.
The study was published recently in the journal Cancer.
"What we found was extremely interesting, that several types of flavonoids are associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer among smokers," said Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhang, a researcher at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and a professor of public health and epidemiology. "The findings were especially interesting because tobacco smoking is the major risk factor for lung cancer."
Flavonoids are water-soluble plant pigments that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, both of which can counteract damage to tissues. For the UCLA study, researchers looked at 558 people with lung cancer and 837 people who did not have lung cancer and analyzed their dietary history.
Researchers found that study participants who ate foods containing certain flavonoids seemed to be protected from developing lung cancer. Zhang said the flavonoids that appeared to be the most protective included catechin, found in strawberries and green and black teas, kaempferol, found in Brussels sprouts and apples, and quercetin, found in beans, onions and apples.
So should smokers run out and stock up on the teas, apples, beans and strawberries? Quitting smoking is the best course of action, Zhang said, but eating more fruits and vegetables and drinking more black and green teas won't hurt.
"Since this study is the first of its type, I would usually be hesitant to make any recommendations to people about their diet," Zhang said. "We really need to have several larger studies with similar results to confirm our finding. However, it's not a bad idea for everyone to eat more fruits and vegetables and drink more tea."
Zhang said flavonoids protect against lung cancer by blocking the formation of blood vessels that tumors develop so they can grow and spread, a process called angiogenesis. They also stop cancer cells from growing, allowing for naturally programmed cell death, or apoptosis, to occur.
The antioxidant properties found in the flavonoids also may work to counteract the DNA damaging effects of tobacco smoking, Zhang said, explaining why they affected the development of lung cancer in smokers but not in non-smokers.
"The naturally occurring chemicals may be working to reduce the damage caused by smoking," Zhang said.
The next step, Zhang said, are laboratory-based studies of flavonoids on cell lines and animal models to determine how they are protecting smokers from developing lung cancer. And in addition to larger studies to confirm these findings, other studies need to be done to see if the protective effects of flavonoids extend to other smoking-related cancers, such as bladder, head and neck and kidney cancers.
Zhang and his team also plan to study which types of fruits and vegetables have the highest levels of the flavonoids found to be helpful in this study and what the optimal number of servings per day might be to provide the greatest protection.
Adapted from materials provided by University of California - Los Angeles, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
3. Ancient Greek Architecture Found in Iran
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=58095§ionid=351020105
Sat, 31 May 2008 12:40:03
Ruins of the historical site of Istakhr
Geological surveys in the south of Iran have revealed rectangular formations inspired by Greek architecture dating to the Sassanid era.
Archeologists say the structures located in Fars Province are part of the urban planning of the ancient Achaemenid city of Istakhr during the Sassanid period (226-651 CE).
“The design is loaned from Hippodamus' style of urban planning during a series of armed conflicts with Persia's great rival to the west, the Roman Empire,” said Ali Asadi, archeologist and expert on the archeology of Istakhr.
“The wars during the first two Sassanid kings, Ardashir I (206-241 CE) and Shapur I (241-272 CE), brought Roman slaves to the country. The Greek architecture penetrated Iran through the work of the slaves,” Asadi added.
Istakhr was once the capital of the Sassanid Empire but today only the archaeological sites of the city remain. The ancient city once contained the original Avesta before it was burned by Alexander of Macedonia.
Hippodamus (498 BC - 408 BC) was an ancient Greek architect and urban planner famous for his designs of repeated square geometric shapes.
4. Small-town students powered by clean-energy project
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080529.wgtgenahead0527/BNStory/Technology/home?cid=al_gam_mostview
MARK D. DUNN
Special to Globetechnology.com
May 29, 2008 at 4:05 PM EDT
Hardhats and safety harnesses are the latest in spring fashion wear at Elliot Lake Secondary School. Students don the gear while climbing the school roof, where 12 solar panels and a vertical wind turbine are being installed.
The project, which will generate 5.5 kW of renewable energy, was made possible with a $50,000 grant from the Ontario Ministry of Energy's Community Conservation Initiative (CCI) along with additional help from local partners. It's a rare, hands-on learning opportunity in clean energy for students that also helps power the school's cafeteria's kitchen.
The school of 500 sits near the centre of town, surrounded by forested lots of small-town suburbia. Adjacent to the ELSS parking lot, a hump of bare Canadian Shield marked by 50 years of graffiti looms as a reminder that this is hard country.
For a half a century, Elliot Lake, Ont., a town built for mining, was a major source of uranium for the burgeoning atomic energy markets in the U.S. and Canada. When the supply of easily accessible uranium dwindled in the 90s, that and an increasingly volatile market, brought operations to a close and ushered mass unemployment into the town of 12,000.
However, Elliot Lake bounced back, not only reinvented itself as a picturesque retirement community but again gaining attention for the energy it is producing. This time, though, the energy is green.
PSSST. YOU WANNA BUY SOME GREEN ENERGY?
Social Science teacher Lindsay Killen, acting on a tip from Principal Mark Robinson, got the ball rolling with an application for funding to the CCI.
“It took about five months to finalize, including the formation of a committee and the tendering of contracts and logistics,” says Mr. Killen, who has taught at the school for twenty years.
But Mr. Killan is quick to deflect credit, citing the members of the school's Environmental Issues Club as his inspiration and the real movers behind the project.
The students and teachers have been working with two companies, Sunvolts Solar from Parry Sound and Cleanfield Energy from Ancaster, Ont., to install the equipment.
Involvement in the project has provided an understanding not easily produced in the classroom. In the end, the students have the satisfaction in knowing they have contributed to a technological and economic change as well as developing mechanical and communication skills needed to perpetuate the transformation.
GENERATION LOOKS AHEAD
Renewable energy is just one way students at this northern school are making a difference. For example, Grade 11 student Evelyn Vegeris is a regular contributor to the local radio station where she advocates for an expanded recycling program and encourages conservation.
“My first goal is to get the city of Elliot Lake to recycle as much as possible, which is already happening,” says Ms. Vegeris. “I worry that all the waste is just building up. Even though we have Earth Day, people kind of forget.”
As part of their community outreach efforts, the Environmental Issues Club and the communications class are putting together an environmentally focused podcast that will be available from the school's website.
Access to green technologies and computer-assisted communications is inspiring a quiet revolution among young people. While today's students are poised to inherit the fallout from two centuries of industrial activity, they are also equipped with what at times seems a preternatural understanding of new technology and its potential to address environmental issues.
Paul Hauguth, a twelfth grade student who participated in the project, believes such direct action will be necessary in the coming years.
“As a society we have bad habits. It's not our fault, it's just the way we grew up,” says Mr. Hauguth. “We have to try to wean ourselves out of bad habits, to get people away from wasting.”
And like many of his peers, Mr. Hauguth believes technology could be the answer to some of the problems facing the planet.
“I see excellent advances. Think of how far our technology has come in 100 years, from the locomotive to where we are, and how far we can go with green technology,” says Mr. Hauguth. “We have largely depended on nonrenewable resources, and taken the earth for granted. But if we can't live in the environment we won't be able to live at all.”
THE IDEA IS SPREADING
Ripples from the project have already spread throughout the region. Lindsay Killen says four other high schools in Northern Ontario, including a school in Sudbury 160 kilometers away, have contacted him for advice on how they can offset some of their lighting and heating costs while providing a valuable teaching opportunity for their students.
And, recently, the school has been named runner up in The Green Team Challenge from the 2008 Canadian Environmental Awards and Canadian Geographic.
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