Good Afternoon All,
It's 5am here in Seoul. I've been up since 3 am, unable to sleep. I am not tired, and I hope I don't get tired later on today. Wish me luck. :)
Here are the news articles I have found for you today. :)
Today's Top 5:
1. World Becoming a Happier Place, Survey Says (ABC News)
2. Prince Charles Shrinks Carbon Footprint with Car that Runs on Wine (Fox News)
3. Coffee Could Help Beat Multiple Sclerosis (Yahoo News)
4. Malaysian Folk Medicine Cuts Chemo Treatment Resistance (United Press International)
5. A Boy with Leukemia Gets His Wish with a Visit to Hawaii (Honlulu Star Bulletin)
Honorable Mentions:
1. Dragonflies May Provide Alert System for Water Pollution (Earth Times)
2. Jordan Discovers What Could be First Christian Church on Earth (Yahoo News)
Today's Top 5:
1. World Becoming a Happier Place:
Denmark World's Happiest Country
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/wireStory?id=5281954
July 1, 2008
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Denmark, with its democracy, social equality and peaceful atmosphere, is the happiest country in the world, researchers said on Monday.
New research shows that while Denmark leads the world in happiness, people in most other countries are also, on the whole, becoming happier.
(ABC News Photo Illustration)Zimbabwe, torn by political and social strife, is the least happy, while the world's richest nation, the United States, ranks 16th.
Overall, the world is getting happier, according to the U.S. government-funded World Values Survey, done regularly by a global network of social scientists.
It found increased happiness from 1981 to 2007 in 45 of 52 countries analyzed.
"I strongly suspect that there is a strong correlation between peace and happiness," said Ronald Inglehart, a political scientist at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, who directed the study.
And, said Ingelhart, there is a strong correlation between happiness and democracy.
"Denmark is the happiest country in the world in our ratings," Inglehart said in an audio statement released by the National Science Foundation, which paid for the analysis.
"Denmark is prosperous -- not the richest country in the world but it is prosperous."
Puerto Rico and Colombia also rank highly, along with Northern Ireland, Iceland, Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada and Sweden.
"Though by no means the happiest country in the world, from a global perspective the United States looks pretty good," Inglehart said. "The country is not only prosperous; it ranks relatively high in gender equality, tolerance of ethnic and social diversity and has high levels of political freedom."
The survey, first done in 1981, has kept to two simple questions:
"Taking all things together, would you say you are very happy, rather happy, not very happy, not at all happy?" And, "All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?"
Writing in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, Ingelhart's team said they have surveyed 350,000 people.
2. Prince Charles Shrinks Carbon Footprint with Car that Runs on Wine
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,374303,00.html
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Prince Charles drives his Aston Martin Volante DB6 with wife Camilla Parker Bowles.
LONDON — Prince Charles' income grew last year, while his carbon footprint shrank.
The eco-friendly prince even has an Aston Martin that runs on wine.
An annual review of Charles' accounts released Monday said the prince made more than $32 million from property and investments between April 1, 2007 and March 31 this year, 7 percent more than in 2006-7. Charles paid $6.8 million in tax, $10,000 less than the year before.
The prince's office said greater use of green energy and fewer plane and car journeys helped Charles cut the amount of carbon dioxide he produced by 18 percent to 3,081 tons.
Charles has promised to reduce his emissions of greenhouse gases by 25 percent between 2007 and 2012.
The report said Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, traveled 37,000 miles on official duties and overseas travel accounted for the largest chunk of the prince's carbon footprint.
For domestic travel, the prince's Jaguars, Audi and Range Rover now run entirely on biodiesel made from used cooking oil, and his 38-year-old Aston Martin is fueled by bioethanol from surplus wine.
The prince has also installed wood-chip stoves at his country homes — the Highgrove estate, where he farms organically, and Birkhall in Scotland — and energy-efficient boilers at his Clarence House residence in London.
"I hope it shows a good picture," said royal aide Sir Michael Peat. "I really do believe that the contribution their royal highnesses make to national life continues to develop and broaden."
The 59-year-old heir to the throne receives private income from properties of The Duchy of Cornwall, the 136,000-acre estate established in 1337 by King Edward II to provide income for his heir.
Charles' official spending, including money spent on charitable work and official duties, was $20.8 million. His personal spending, which includes the salaries of 30 full-time staff, was $4.4 million, down from 2.6 million pounds.
However, Charles' thrifty gene appears to have skipped his oldest son. A British newspaper reported Monday that five helicopter flights taken by Prince William during training with the Royal Air Force cost taxpayers more than $100,000.
The most contentious was a flight to attend a stag party on the Isle of Wight off southern England, which cost just over $17,400, The Guardian reported.
The newspaper said it obtained the figures from the Ministry of Defense under a freedom of information request.
William also flew military aircraft to his girlfriend Kate Middleton's home, his father's country house and the royal residence at Sandringham.
The Ministry of Defense said "all flights undertaken by Flying Officer Wales were a legitimate part of his RAF training." But the ministry acknowledged there had been "a degree of naivety in the planning of the training sorties."
3. Coffee Could Help Beat Multiple Sclerosis
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/healthussclerosis
Tue Jul 1, 12:45 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A strong cup of coffee may do more than just wake you up in the mornings. It could also help you stave off multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study.
Scientists in Oklahoma found that mice which had been immunized to develop an MS-like condition appeared to be protected from the disease by drinking the equivalent of six to eight cups of coffee a day.
"This is an exciting and unexpected finding, and I think it could be important for the study of MS and other diseases," said Linda Thompson, from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation who worked in collaboration with Cornell University and Finland's University of Turku.
Caffeine prevented adenosine, one of the four building blocks in DNA, from mixing with its receptor in mice.
Adenosine is common molecule in humans and plays a large role in helping to control the biochemical processes for sleep and suppressing arousal.
When the molecule is blocked from binding with its receptor, the body's infection-fighting white cells cannot reach the central nervous system and trigger the reactions which lead to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, or EAE, the animal form of MS.
The findings could have important implications for other auto-immune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, in which the body's own defense systems turn against itself.
But Thompson, co-author of the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, warned there was a lot more work to be done in fighting multiple sclerosis, a debilitating and progressive disease in humans.
"A mouse is not a human being, so we can't be sure caffeine will have the same effect on people prone to develop MS without much more testing," she said.
Further retrospective studies to track the caffeine intake of patients with MS and its effects might be the next major step.
"If you found a correlation between caffeine intake and reduced MS symptoms, that would point to further studies in humans," Thompson said.
Some 2.5 million people worldwide are thought to suffer from MS, a disorder of the central nervous system which leads to loss of muscle coordination.
4. Malaysian Folk Medicine Cuts Chemo Treatment Resistance
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2008/07/01/Malaysian_medicine_cuts_chemo_resistance/UPI-26631214920256/
Published: July 1, 2008 at 9:50 AM
MONTREAL, July 1 (UPI) -- A Canadian, U.S. and Austrian study has discovered a Malaysian folk medication reduces resistance to cancer chemotherapy treatments.
McGill University researchers said the study focused on a class of natural products known as cyclopenta benzofuran flavaglines, or CBFs. Working with mice genetically modified to mimic human leukemias, they found the CBF compound silvestrol can make tumors susceptible to the killing effects of anticancer drugs.
Silvestrol is a natural compound derived from a large genus of trees and shrubs found in Malaysia, South China and some Pacific islands, the scientists said. It's been used in Malaysian folk medicine for generations, but never as a cancer therapy.
The researchers cautioned trials in humans and possible treatments are still many years away.
The results of the study that included Boston University, the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the University of Vienna and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute are published in the June issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
5. A boy with Leukemia Gets His Wish with a Visit to Hawaii
http://starbulletin.com/2008/07/01/news/story09.html
By Nalea J. Ko
nko@starbulletin.com
Peddling on his BMX bicycle through Diamond Head crater with his family in tow, 12-year-old Kyle Williams' wish finally came true.
The Make-a-Wish Foundation, with the help of the Hawaii Bicycling League, brought to fruition yesterday Kyle's dream to ride his bike in a volcano.
"In all reality, it's a miracle he's with us," said Kyle's mother, Ann Walden.
Last week, Kyle's Hawaiian vacation plans were nearly suspended again when he caught chickenpox.
Diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer that attacks infection-fighting cells, Kyle has been in recovery, waiting for more than a year to visit Oahu.
"I just really wanted to go to Hawaii," he said.
Kyle is one of about 100 children who asked to visit Hawaii in the month of June alone, according to an official with Make-a-Wish Foundation of Hawaii.
Since 1986 the Make-a-Wish Foundation in Kyle's home state of Washington granted 3,500 wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.
"Until the time there are no more kids who get sick, I can't imagine one kid going through what they do and not getting a really fabulous wish," said Audrey Seale, a volunteer with the Washington chapter. She met the Williamses in 2006 when Kyle was at the Ronald McDonald House preparing for a bone marrow transplant.
To grant wishes like Kyle's, the foundation depends on a community of people.
Alaska Airlines flew Kyle's family - his father, mother and brother - from Washington state. Airline officials also waived fees to fly Kyle's BMX bike, which he received last summer at a luau in Washington.
Seale says the people of Hawaii really worked to make everything possible for Kyle.
"Everybody just really had that spirit of aloha to make it happen," said John Climaldi, events manager with the Hawaii Bicycling League. The league provided three bikes for the Williamses, but Climaldi credits the state Department of Land and Natural Resources for arranging yesterday's Diamond Head bike ride.
Ann said flying to Hawaii was what Kyle had wanted for a while. "I think it's important because, you know, it's an opportunity that he might not ever had before," she said.
In total, Kyle's wish is estimated to cost $5,800. But despite popular belief, the Make-a-Wish Foundation is not well funded, according to a statement released by the foundation. Children typically wait about four months before their wishes are granted.
The young Sonics fan's dream does not end with the bicycle ride. Kyle's family will visit Hanauma Bay, the Polynesian Cultural Center and Pearl Harbor. Set to drop by the Matsumoto Shave Ice store before returning home, Kyle said he is anxious to see more of Hawaii.
Honorable Mentions:
1. Dragonflies May Provide Alert System for Water Pollution
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/215656,dragonflies-may-provide-alert-system-for-water-pollution.html
Posted : Sun, 29 Jun 2008 05:43:02 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Nature (Environment)
Singapore - Dragonfly young could soon be the aquatic version of the canary in a coalmine, a researcher said in a published report on Sunday. Just as the singing birds were used by miners to warn them of toxic air, young dragonflies that live in reservoirs and ponds hold the potential of alerting humans to water pollution, The Straits Times said.
Researcher Nanthinee Jeevanandam, at the National University of Singapore, said she hopes to use their genetic fingerprint to help national water agencies like Singapore's Public Utilities Board determine the level of cleanliness in reservoir water.
Different dragonfly species have varied tolerance to pollutants such as lead and sulphate, the report said. Some require cleaner water or more oxygen.
Studying the species would be a quick and chemical-free method of evaluating water quality, Jeevanandam said.
She said she has collected DNA sequences for about a quarter of the city-state's 110 dragonfly species.
2. Jordan Discovers What Could be First Christian Church on Earth
http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20080628/896/twl-jordan-discovers-what-could-be-first.html
Sat, Jun 28 08:00 AM
Rihab (Jordan), June 28 (DPA) Excavations are continuing on a hilltop in the rural Jordanian town of Rihab to find additional evidence that supports a recent epoch-making discovery of what renowned archaeologists believe could be the first church on earth.
'We believe this is the world's first church, where early Christians took refuge after they escaped Roman persecution in Jerusalem and came here to perform their rituals in secrecy,' archaeologist Abdul Qader al-Hosan told DPA.
Al-Hosan is head of the state-run Rihab Centre for Archaeological Studies and a professor of archaeology at Hashemiyah University.
'The evidence we have indicates that this church sheltered 70 disciples of Jesus Christ and was built between 33 and 70 AD,' he said.
'We believe they remained in this cave until the Christian religion was endorsed by the Romans,' he added.
The chapel, which lies directly underneath the Saint Georgeous Church, was dug in an underground cave, the exterior outlet of which leads to a cluster of churches, which were built successively at different times, according to al-Hosan.
Therefore, Rihab, 60 km north-east of Amman, is called the town of 30 churches, he said.
Al-Hosan said that he 'deeply believed that Jesus Christ visited Rihab in the early days of Christianity'.
'According to authenticated history, Jesus Christ spent part of his life in Jordan's Ajloun area, 32 km north of Rihab, and was earlier baptised at a site 40 km south-west of Amman,' he said.
A mosaic inscription in Greek on the floor of St Georgeous Church described the early Christians as 'the 70 beloved by God and Divine'.
St. Georgeous is believed to be the oldest 'proper' church in the world, built in 230 AD, according to the inscription in the church.
Going three steps into the cave, one can see a circular area with a 2.5-metre radius, believed to be the apse, and several stone seats for the clerics.
The cave also includes the living places of the first Christians. 'A wall with an entrance is the only partition separating the altar from the living area,' said Hosan, who holds a doctorate in archaeology from Istanbul University.
'This tunnel is believed to have been used by the first 70 Christians as a gateway to their water system. We hope when we open the tunnel soon, we will get further evidence that this worship place is the first church on this globe,' he added.
Al-Hosan said that his excavation team had found pottery believed to have been brought by early Christians from Jerusalem 'because such products were not familiar to people in northern Jordan in that period'.
His team also found 'skeletons and bones' in a cemetery situated next to the chapel.
'It is divided into three parts, which we believe were devoted to men, women and children,' he said.
The City of Rehabis, as it was called during the Roman era, was one of the 10 allied cities, or Dekapolis, which were under the military control of the Roman empire but which were economically and religiously independent, al-Hosan said.
He reproduced letters from at least three churches in Jordan describing the discovery as an 'amazing event'.
Archimandrite Nektarious, bishop of the Greek Orthodox archdiocese, called the discovery of the cave an 'important milestone for Christians all around the world'.
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