Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Aliens may exist but contact would hurt humans: Hawking
LONDON (AFP) – Aliens may exist but mankind should avoid contact with them as the consequences could be devastating, British scientist Stephen Hawking warned Sunday.
"If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," said the astrophysicist in a new television series, according to British media reports.
The programmes depict an imagined universe featuring alien life forms in huge spaceships on the hunt for resources after draining their own planet dry.
"Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonise whatever planets they can reach," warned Hawking.
The doomsday scenario is suggested in the series "Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking" on the Discovery Channel, which began airing in the United States on Sunday.
On the probability of alien life existing, he says: "To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational.
"The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like."
Glowing squid-like creatures, herds of herbivores that can hang onto a cliff face and bright yellow predators that kill their prey with stinging tails are among the creatures that stalk the scientist's fantastical cosmos.
Mankind has already made a number of attempts to contact extraterrestrial civilisations.
In 2008, American space agency NASA beamed the Beatles song "Across the Universe" into deep space to send a message of peace to any alien that happens to be in the region of Polaris -- also known as the North Star -- in 2439.
But the history of humanity's efforts to contact aliens stretches back some years.
The US probes Pioneer 10 and 11 were launched in 1972 and 1973 bearing plaques of a naked man and woman and symbols seeking to convey the positions of the Earth and the Sun.
Voyager 1 and 2, launched in 1977, each carry a gold-plated copper phonogram disk with recordings of sounds and images on Earth.
"If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," said the astrophysicist in a new television series, according to British media reports.
The programmes depict an imagined universe featuring alien life forms in huge spaceships on the hunt for resources after draining their own planet dry.
"Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonise whatever planets they can reach," warned Hawking.
The doomsday scenario is suggested in the series "Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking" on the Discovery Channel, which began airing in the United States on Sunday.
On the probability of alien life existing, he says: "To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational.
"The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like."
Glowing squid-like creatures, herds of herbivores that can hang onto a cliff face and bright yellow predators that kill their prey with stinging tails are among the creatures that stalk the scientist's fantastical cosmos.
Mankind has already made a number of attempts to contact extraterrestrial civilisations.
In 2008, American space agency NASA beamed the Beatles song "Across the Universe" into deep space to send a message of peace to any alien that happens to be in the region of Polaris -- also known as the North Star -- in 2439.
But the history of humanity's efforts to contact aliens stretches back some years.
The US probes Pioneer 10 and 11 were launched in 1972 and 1973 bearing plaques of a naked man and woman and symbols seeking to convey the positions of the Earth and the Sun.
Voyager 1 and 2, launched in 1977, each carry a gold-plated copper phonogram disk with recordings of sounds and images on Earth.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Somalia: Hope in Statelessness?
Somalia: Hope in Statelessness?
Today’s idea: The lesson we should learn from Somalia is that a stateless society “isn’t so bad” when compared with the often ghastly alternatives, an economist says.
Africa | O.K., maybe calling Somalia an economic success “overstates the situation slightly,” Benjamin Powell concedes in an essay in The Freeman. But poor as it is, Somalia has improved living standards faster than the average sub-Saharan African country since the early 1990s, he says. That’s thanks to rule by decentralized clan networks relying on legal custom, he contends, and no thanks to chaotic outside efforts to impose centralized rule.
Even the recent scourge of Somali piracy is “a tribute to the internal effectiveness of Somali customary law,” Mr. Powell argues, since the pirates don’t target Somali ships. So, yes, combat piracy, but not with the imposition of an internationally “friendly” government likely to plunder its people:
Associated Press
Pirates are said to respect Somali customary law.
State Department
Somalia’s lesson should not be overstated — it is no libertarian utopia. I certainly don’t plan to move there anytime soon. But Somalia does demonstrate that a reasonable level of law and order can be provided by nonstate customary legal systems and that such systems are capable of providing some basis for economic development.
This is particularly true when the alternative is not a limited government but instead a particularly brutal and repressive government such as Somalia had and is likely to have again if a government is re-established.
[The Freeman]
Today’s idea: The lesson we should learn from Somalia is that a stateless society “isn’t so bad” when compared with the often ghastly alternatives, an economist says.
Africa | O.K., maybe calling Somalia an economic success “overstates the situation slightly,” Benjamin Powell concedes in an essay in The Freeman. But poor as it is, Somalia has improved living standards faster than the average sub-Saharan African country since the early 1990s, he says. That’s thanks to rule by decentralized clan networks relying on legal custom, he contends, and no thanks to chaotic outside efforts to impose centralized rule.
Even the recent scourge of Somali piracy is “a tribute to the internal effectiveness of Somali customary law,” Mr. Powell argues, since the pirates don’t target Somali ships. So, yes, combat piracy, but not with the imposition of an internationally “friendly” government likely to plunder its people:
Associated Press
Pirates are said to respect Somali customary law.
State Department
Somalia’s lesson should not be overstated — it is no libertarian utopia. I certainly don’t plan to move there anytime soon. But Somalia does demonstrate that a reasonable level of law and order can be provided by nonstate customary legal systems and that such systems are capable of providing some basis for economic development.
This is particularly true when the alternative is not a limited government but instead a particularly brutal and repressive government such as Somalia had and is likely to have again if a government is re-established.
[The Freeman]
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Eyjafjallajökull has become a curse word in Europe
Eyjafjallajökull has become a curse word in Europe as the Icelandic Volcano continues to delay flights across the Atlantic. The cloud of volcanic ash is creating havoc for travelers and European startups who can’t get anywhere. But entrepreneurs in London at least are coping with impromptu meetups.
If you haven’t seen images yet of the volcano up close, there are some on Flickr and YouTube. Reader Baldvin Hansson sent us the photos below (here is his entire set), which he took in a small plane near the volcano (presumably upwind).
Read more: http://techcrunch.com/2010/04/18/volcano-shut-down-europe-pics/#ixzz0lTwGUcYM
If you haven’t seen images yet of the volcano up close, there are some on Flickr and YouTube. Reader Baldvin Hansson sent us the photos below (here is his entire set), which he took in a small plane near the volcano (presumably upwind).
Read more: http://techcrunch.com/2010/04/18/volcano-shut-down-europe-pics/#ixzz0lTwGUcYM
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Chocolate may be good medicine for liver patients
Reuters) - Cocoa-rich dark chocolate could be prescribed for people with liver cirrhosis in future, following the latest research to show potential health benefits of chocolate.
Health
Spanish researchers said on Thursday that eating dark chocolate capped the usual after-meal rise in abdominal blood pressure, which can reach dangerous levels in cirrhotic patients and, in severe cases, lead to blood vessel rupture.
Antioxidants called flavanols found in cocoa are believed to be the reason why chocolate is good for blood pressure because the chemicals help the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels to relax and widen.
A study of 21 patients with end-stage liver disease found those given a meal containing 85 percent-cocoa dark chocolate had a markedly smaller rise in blood pressure in the liver, or portal hypertension, than those given white chocolate.
"This study shows a clear association between eating dark chocolate and (lower) portal hypertension and demonstrates the potential importance of improvements in the management of cirrhotic patients," said Mark Thursz, a professor of hepatology at London's Imperial College.
The results were presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna and follow a number of earlier scientific studies suggesting that dark chocolate also promotes heart health.
Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver as a result of long-term damage. It is caused by various factors, including hepatitis infection and alcohol abuse.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
Health
Spanish researchers said on Thursday that eating dark chocolate capped the usual after-meal rise in abdominal blood pressure, which can reach dangerous levels in cirrhotic patients and, in severe cases, lead to blood vessel rupture.
Antioxidants called flavanols found in cocoa are believed to be the reason why chocolate is good for blood pressure because the chemicals help the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels to relax and widen.
A study of 21 patients with end-stage liver disease found those given a meal containing 85 percent-cocoa dark chocolate had a markedly smaller rise in blood pressure in the liver, or portal hypertension, than those given white chocolate.
"This study shows a clear association between eating dark chocolate and (lower) portal hypertension and demonstrates the potential importance of improvements in the management of cirrhotic patients," said Mark Thursz, a professor of hepatology at London's Imperial College.
The results were presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna and follow a number of earlier scientific studies suggesting that dark chocolate also promotes heart health.
Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver as a result of long-term damage. It is caused by various factors, including hepatitis infection and alcohol abuse.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
Monday, April 12, 2010
ADDIS ABABA (Somalilandpress) –The foreign minister of Somaliland has met
ADDIS ABABA (Somalilandpress) –The foreign minister of Somaliland has met with various leaders and ambassadors from Ethiopia, France, Yemen and United ...
Video: President Girma meet with Somaliland Foreign Minister
Video: President Girma meet with Somaliland Foreign Minister
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Boliska Holland Oo haya 21 Cadaymood Oo ku saabsan Gabadh yar oo Somaaliyeed oo lagu qaaday Boorso
Boliska Holland oo haya 21 cadaymood oo ku saabsan Gabadh yar oo Somaaliyeed oo lagu qaaday Boorso cadaymo badan ayaa la hayaa ka dib markii barnaamijka baafinta ee Warlaliska Raadiyaha la iska daawado (TV) uu sii daayay Gabadh yar oo Soomaaliyeed oo ay da'deedu tahay 1sanno sida ay sheegeen Ciidanka Bulayska. waxaana laga sameeyay Muuqaal filim oo muujinaya sida ay wax u dhaceen
Isla-Maalintaas waxay Kamaradaha ilaaliya nabadgelyada jidka xarunta dhexe ee tareenada ee magaalada,Tilburg ay duubtay muuqaal muujinaya ruux haweena oo soomaliyeed oo jiidaysa Boorso taas oo loo malaynayo inay tahay boorsadii gabadha yar lagu riday, Ilaa iyo hadana lama oga halka gabadha yari ay ku sugantahay ?
Ciidanka Bulayska qaybta baafinta dadka la waayo waxay hayaan 21 cadaymood oo ugu dhowdhow in la helo raadadka gabadha yar waa sida uu hadalka u dhigay afhayeenka qaybta Baafinta, laakiin ay hayaan cadaymo dahabiya oo midho dhalin kara
Boliska Holland oo haya 21 cadaymood oo ku saabsan Gabadh yar oo Somaaliyeed oo lagu qaaday Boorso cadaymo badan ayaa la hayaa ka dib markii barnaamijka baafinta ee Warlaliska Raadiyaha la iska daawado (TV) uu sii daayay Gabadh yar oo Soomaaliyeed oo ay da'deedu tahay 1sanno sida ay sheegeen Ciidanka Bulayska. waxaana laga sameeyay Muuqaal filim oo muujinaya sida ay wax u dhaceen
Isla-Maalintaas waxay Kamaradaha ilaaliya nabadgelyada jidka xarunta dhexe ee tareenada ee magaalada,Tilburg ay duubtay muuqaal muujinaya ruux haweena oo soomaliyeed oo jiidaysa Boorso taas oo loo malaynayo inay tahay boorsadii gabadha yar lagu riday, Ilaa iyo hadana lama oga halka gabadha yari ay ku sugantahay ?
Ciidanka Bulayska qaybta baafinta dadka la waayo waxay hayaan 21 cadaymood oo ugu dhowdhow in la helo raadadka gabadha yar waa sida uu hadalka u dhigay afhayeenka qaybta Baafinta, laakiin ay hayaan cadaymo dahabiya oo midho dhalin kara
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Adal Flag
