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Many Asians 'do not feel British'

Many Asians 'do not feel British'



Pie chart showing results of poll

More than a third of British Asians do not feel British, a BBC poll suggests.

The research among the under-34s for the Asian Network found 38% of the UK residents of South Asian origin felt only slightly or not at all British.

More than a third agreed to get on in the UK they needed to be a "coconut", a term for somebody who is "brown on the outside but white on the inside".

ICM Research interviewed 500 Asian people aged 16-34 and 235 white people aged 18-34 between 4 and 12 July.

Of those polled 84% were satisfied with life in Britain and almost half thought they have more opportunities here.

All of the British Asians polled were of South Asian origin.

Half of them, and nearly two-thirds of the white people interviewed, agreed it was too easy for immigrants to settle in Britain.

Identity 'important'

Three-quarters of the British Asians felt their culture was being diluted by living in the UK and nearly half believed white people did not treat them as British.

A total of 59% of the British Asians polled felt they were British, compared to 73% of white people.

Among the British Asians interviewed were 296 Muslims, 112 Hindus, 39 Sikhs and 33 Christians.

Among the Sikhs, 77% said they felt completely British or a lot. For Muslims, the figure was 64%, followed by Hindus and Christians on 46%.

The poll was commissioned to coincide with the BBC's India and Pakistan '07 season of programmes to mark the 60th anniversary of the 1947 partition of India.

Some 12% of those polled said they considered themselves to be "coconuts".

Meenal Sachdev, director of Connect India - which works with young Asians to strengthen identity - said she did not think British Asians needed to be "coconuts" to be successful.

"Identity can be a tool for success. I feel very confident about being a British Indian," she said.

"Confidence with identity comes down to ability and knowing you have as many opportunities as other people," she added.

Reena Combo, editor of Ikonz, a monthly Asian magazine aimed at young British Asians, said: "I feel British but I feel very Asian as well.

"Many British Asians consider themselves to be British but at home they are more in touch with their cultural and ancestral roots."

But she agreed some British Asians thought they needed to become "coconuts".

"They feel they need to fit into society and that society looks at them in a bad way," she added.

Meet the Most Popular American Abroad

Meet the Most Popular American Abroad

Who says Americans are stingy?


Not the staff of Hell's Kitchen in Stockholm, who found themselves splitting a $12,252 tip over the weekend left by a mighty generous U.S. tourist, the Local reports.

The unknown American joined a posse of friends at the club Saturday for a night of reverie that included a Methuselah, or six-liter bottle, of Dom Perignon that alone cost $10,800 of the nearly $13,000 bill.

When the giant bottle of bubbly made its appearance the man and his five friends were joined by a bevy of bubblicious ladies, the Local reports.

But the American and his pals didn't seem to mind. They partied till the champagne was gone, and then the tourist quietly thanked the staff of Hell's Kitchen — in the Stureplan area of central Stockholm — before plopping down a tip that nearly equaled the final bill, the paper reports.

Hey big spender! Next time spend a little time with U.S.

He's the Thief, the Thief With the Midas Touch

TOKYO (AP) — A glittering bathtub made of gold and worth $987,000 has been stolen from a resort hotel near Tokyo, an official said Wednesday.

A worker at Kominato Hotel Mikazuki in Kamogawa, south of Tokyo, notified police the fancy tub was missing from the hotel's guest bathroom on the 10th floor of its building, according to a local police official who only gave his surname, Ogawa.

The round tub, 4 feet in diameter and 2 feet tall, was made of 18-karat gold weighing 176 pounds, Ogawa said.

The tub, flanked by two crane statues, has been a main feature of the hotel's shared bathroom. Visitors can take a dip in the tub, but it is only available a few hours a day "for security reasons," the hotel's Web site said.

Someone apparently cut the chain attached to the door of a small section of the bathroom where the bathtub was placed, but not riveted, and made off with the tub, Ogawa said. The cranes were left untouched.

"We have no witness information and there are no video cameras," he said. "We have no idea who took it."

Texas Pete Unavailable for Comment

MIAMI (AP) — A manager at a fast-food restaurant was shot several times in the arm early Tuesday trying to protect the chili sauce, authorities said.

A man in the Wendy's drive-through argued with an employee because he wanted more of the condiment, police said. The worker told the customer that restaurant policy prohibited a customer from getting more than three packets.

The man insisted on 10, reports said. The employee complied, but police said the customer wanted even more.

The manager came out to speak to the man, said Miami-Dade Police spokesperson Mary Walter. The customer then shot the manager, who was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

The customer fled in his vehicle with a female passenger, authorities said.

He's Six Feet Underground, But He's Far From Dead and Gone

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A city fire investigator says he found a man living in a well-equipped underground bunker.

James O'Neill, an investigator with the city fire marshal's office, said the man, a 47-year-old veteran, uses car batteries to light the 16-foot-by-20-foot space, which is six feet underground. He cooks food in a hot pot.

The man said the bunker took two years to dig, O'Neill said.

The walls are covered with insulation and plastic tarps and the ceiling is made of wood and roofing material, said O'Neill, who discovered the home over the weekend while investigating a nearby fire. The man sleeps on a foam bed, O'Neill said.

"Some people would call him homeless, but he's a clean, well-spoken guy. When I spoke to him, he was reading a novel by Joseph Wambaugh," O'Neill told The Buffalo News.

The fire investigator declined to give the man's name or say where the bunker is located to protect the man's privacy. He said the man earns money doing occasional odd jobs.

"It's not the Marriott hotel by any means, but this man has made it comfortable down there," O'Neill said.

The man said he has been living in the bunker for about six years.

"He told me it's a peaceful and tranquil place to live," O'Neill said.

The Family That Studies Together ... Graduates Together

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah (AP) — Three generations of the same family, including a 72-year-old grandfather, are getting high school diplomas.

James Nunley, 36, his daughter Brittany Wright, 17, and father Jim Nunley, 72, of the Salt Lake City suburb of Cottonwood Heights, are all graduating.

Jim Nunley would have graduated in 1953 but left school with less than a year to go while working in the family's paint business.

"All those years, I kept thinking about it and thought I ought to do something about it," the elder Nunley said.

Jim Nunley entered a program for adults and his son joined him.

James Nunley, a truck driver, worked a 10-hour shift, then studied history and science each night for a month to make up 3.5 credits needed for a diploma.

Father and son graduate Saturday. Brittany is graduating June 5.

"It's a long time overdue. Weird," James Nunley said. "I don't even think it's hit me yet."

We Hope These Handcuffs Don't Come With a Skeleton Key

BECKWITH, W.Va. (AP) — A burglar broke into a police officer's home and stole handcuffs, a 40-caliber Glock service pistol, a police radio and a duty belt.

The burglar also took $2,175 worth of other items, including a PlayStation 2 game console, video games, a portable DVD player, a cell phone and cash, State Police Cpl. R. C. Workman said.

Workman said the unidentified officer and his family were not home when the break-in happened.

He said the gun, valued at $500, is a model that could be purchased anywhere, but the $1,800 radio is not an item a civilian would have.

Police do not know whether the burglar knew a police officer lived in the house, Workman said.

Thanks for the Memories

After three years, five editors and countless laughs, Out There is taking an extended vacation.

Changes at the Web site mean we have more room to run "Out There" stories on their own, so look for your favorite Moms and Dads of the Year stories, along with the hijinks of animals, criminals and all-around wacky people in our daily headlines.

Keep sending us your hometown tips, as you're sure to find those great stories and a whole lot more on FOXNews.com.

Compiled by FOXNews.com's Sara Bonisteel.

Got a good "Out There" story in your hometown? We would like to know about it. Send an e-mail with a Web link (we need to authenticate these things) to outthere@foxnews.com.

KISS Lead Singer Paul Stanley Skips SoCal Concert Due to Heart Problems

SAN JACINTO, Calif. — KISS lead singer and guitarist Paul Stanley had to bow out of a Southern California concert because of heart problems before the show, according to his Web site.


Band-mates Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer played the Friday night gig at Soboba Casino, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles, as Stanley was taken to the hospital.

"During sound check yesterday, my heart spontaneously jumped to 190 plus beats per minute where it stayed for over an hour necessitating paramedics to start an IV and give me a shot to momentarily stop my heart and get it into a normal pattern," Stanley said in the Saturday Web site posting.

• Get hip to the beat in FOXNews.com's Music Center.

"Not knowing if this episode was life threatening made it even more exhausting," the statement continued.

Phone and e-mail messages for KISS manager Doc McGhee seeking comment about Stanley's condition were not immediately returned Saturday night.

It was KISS' first ever appearance as a trio, according to the band's Web site.
As famous for their makeup, stage mayhem and wagging tongues as their music, KISS recorded the 1970s hits "Rock and Roll All Nite" and "Detroit Rock City."

The 55-year-old Stanley, born Stanley Eisen, released a solo album, "Live to Win," in 2006.

Visit FOXNews.com's Music Center for complete coverage.

Sri Lanka set for record growth despite conflict

Sri Lanka set for record growth despite conflict -
Times Of India

COLOMBO: The recent escalation in fighting in Sri Lanka has not derailed the nation's economy, with the island on track to record its fastest growth in nearly three decades, according to the central bank.

Conflict between government troops and Tamil rebels has claimed more than 5,200 lives since late 2005, with ministers raising annual defence spending 45 percent to 139 billion rupees (1.3 billion dollars) to battle the insurgents.

Yet the bank last week said it was projecting 7.5 percent growth for 2007, the strongest in 29 years, despite a mounting body count.

Sri Lanka's economy grew by 7.4 percent in 2006 fuelled by the telecom, garment and banking sectors. "We admit terrorism has an impact on us," Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Nivard Cabraal said, referring to the conflict, which economists estimate cuts about two percent off the annual growth rate.

But "with or without terrorism, Sri Lanka is on a growth path," he said. There are, however, other less positive economic indicators in an island where Tamil Tigers have been fighting for an independent homeland since 1972.

Inflation is running at 17.0 percent stoked by costly oil imports, excessive credit demand and the central bank printing too much money, economists say.

Oil imports have driven up transport costs, making food more expensive for the 19.5 million population. "Inflation will continue to soar as long as overall governance is poor, budget deficits are high and the state continues to spend lavishly on oil, fertiliser and food subsidies," said Harsha de Silva, an economist at LIRNEAsia, a private regional think-tank.

The government's budget deficit of 8.4 percent in 2006 is forecast to fall to a still hefty 7.5 percent this year. The rupee has fallen by around three percent this year against the dollar while other currencies in the region have risen.

Sri Lanka's credit outlook carries a negative "junk bond" rating of BB-minus from credit-rating agency Fitch- three levels below investment grade- while Standard and Poor's rates it B-plus.

Now , BBC online video service launches

BBC online video service launches
Hustle

Popular programmes on the BBC can be downloaded
The BBC's flagship online TV service is being launched, offering viewers the chance to download their favourite programmes from the last seven days.

For director general Mark Thompson, the launch of iPlayer is as big a milestone as the arrival of colour TV.

But others have questioned how technically reliable it will be and whether it is late to a crowded market.

At launch, a fixed number of people will be able to sign up, with the numbers increasing throughout the year.

Programme selection


BBC iPLAYER
Simon Perry
iPlayer will allow viewers to catch up on TV programmes for seven days
Some TV series can be downloaded and stored for 30 days
Viewers will be able to watch shows streamed live over the internet
Users cannot download programmes from other broadcasters
Classical recordings and book-readings are excluded from iPlayer
Who else offers TV on-demand?

Video download players compared

The iPlayer allows viewers to download a selection of programmes from the last seven days and watch them for up to 30 days afterwards.

In the UK, Channel 4 offers a similar service, called 4OD, for programmes across its portfolio of channels.

Viewers interested in the iPlayer can register for the service on Friday and will then be invited to join. The number of users will increase over the summer, before a full launch in the autumn.

The iPlayer began life in 2003 as the iMP (Integrated Media Player), and some believe it should have been launched in that format.

"At the time, it was remarkably innovative. For the BBC to use peer-to-peer technology was revolutionary," said Simon Perry, editor of online magazine Digital Lifestyles.

"If it had just launched it then it could have blown the whole broadcast world away. Who knows what the impact would have been if it had come out before the rise of YouTube," he said.

Instead YouTube had driven a whole generation away from TV altogether, to get their entertainment and news from social networks, he added.

A BBC spokeswoman said the iPlayer, like any other new BBC service, went through a Public Value Test (PVT). The nine-month test was overseen by the corporation's regulators.

She said: "There is always going to be a trade-off between rigour and speed in a regulatory process like this.

"The rigour of the PVT has actually forced us to scrutinise every aspect of the service, from design to value for money."

Controversy

Arash Amel, an analyst with research firm Screen Digest, said "technical glitches" were inevitable when iPlayer launched, partly because rival applications experienced them and partly through his own experience of the BBC's offering.

4OD
Channel 4's 4OD launched earlier this year

"I have supposedly been on the trial for the last two weeks but there has just been technical fault after technical fault," he told the BBC News website.

The iPlayer has already courted controversy from open source advocates, angry that, at launch, it will only be compatible on PCs with the Windows XP operating system.

Other services such as ITV's broadband media player and Channel 4's on-demand offering also rely on Microsoft software but, critics argue, the BBC's remit is to serve licence-payers, which includes Mac users and those who favour cheaper alternatives to Microsoft, such as Linux.

The BBC Trust has told the corporation it must widen the access to iPlayer as soon as possible and has ordered a review every six months.

The trust met with Mark Taylor, the head of the Open Source Consortium and one of the more vocal critics of the Microsoft-only launch, earlier this week.

"They reiterated their commitment to platform neutrality, specifically mentioning Linux, and welcomed our offer of help to establish a cross-platform approach," Mr Taylor said.

The OSC is due to meet BBC management to discuss the issue further.


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Ian Hunter
Operating system: Windows XP SP2
Browser: Internet explorer 6.0 or above
Media Player: Windows Media Player 10 or above
Net connection: Broadband
EC threat to BBC downloads

iPlayer managing editor's demo

According to Screen Digest data, online TV services are set to explode in the UK. In 2006 it estimates that 520.2 million pieces of content were streamed, of which the vast majority were free-to-view.

It forecasts this will leap to 2.3 billion by 2011.

The BBC currently dominates the free-to-view content market with 80% of clips originating from the corporation, according to Screen Digest. This will fall to about 62% by 2011, as video content becomes more widely available from alternative sources such as Sky.

Mr Amel thinks there is a more general problem with the way the BBC and its rivals have decided to make content available.

"Having to download a separate application for each service is a big problem and is a bit like having to buy a set-top box for every channel you want to watch. If you download all the applications that are available then that is using a lot of processing power," he said.

He thinks providers might have been better to follow the model US networks have favoured where content is downloadable directly from their websites.

Content currently available on PCs would also need to migrate to the TV, he said. Freeview boxes with internet connections are coming on the market in the next six months and could go some way to solving this problem.

"The real holy grail in the UK is one platform, like the iPlayer, that brings all the content in one location - a kind of Freeview concept for downloads," he said.

The BBC has said it is working with Virgin Media to launch on cable later this year.

Dubai skyscraper world's tallest

Dubai skyscraper world's tallest

The Burj Dubai is expected to be more than 690m tall when finished in 2008

An unfinished skyscraper in the Persian Gulf state of Dubai has become the world's tallest building, its developers say.

Emaar Properties said the 512m (1,680ft) Burj Dubai is now taller than Taiwan's 508m (1,667ft) Taipei 101.

It is thought Burj Dubai will eventually be 693m (2,275ft) tall.

Height records are contentious, with dispute over what defines a "building" and what is being measured - height to the top floor or the tower's antenna.

When finished the building is expected to meet the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's four criteria - the height of the structural top, highest occupied floor, the roof's top, and the spire's highest point - to become the world's tallest structure.

"Burj Dubai has now reached 141 storeys, more storeys than any other building in the world," the company said in a statement.

There is speculation that, spire included, the final height could be more than 800m, but Emaar is keeping structural details secret.

'Symbol of Dubai'

When finished, the skyscraper will have more than 160 floors, 56 elevators, apartments, shops, swimming pools, spas, corporate suites, Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani's first hotel, and an observation platform on the 124th floor.


It's a fact of life that, at some point, someone else will build a taller building
Greg Sang, Emaar Properties

To qualify as a building, a structure has to have floors and walls all the way to its roof.

The tower is also expected to break the record for highest man-made structure, currently held by the wire-assisted KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota, US, which is 628m (2,072ft) tall.

"It's a symbol of Dubai as a city of the world," Greg Sang, the project director for Emaar Properties, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

Chairman Mohammed Ali Alabbar said Dubai has "resisted the usual and has inspired to build a global icon," according to AP.

"It's a human achievement without equal."

Building began on the structure on 21 September 2004, and is expected to be completed in 2008.

The spire of the building is expected to be able to be seen from 100km (60 miles) away.

"It's a fact of life that, at some point, someone else will build a taller building," Mr Sang said.

"There's a lot of talk of other tall buildings, but five years into Burj Dubai's construction, no one's started building them yet."

Previous skyscraper record-holders include New York's Empire State Building at 381m (1,250 ft); Shanghai's Jin Mao Building at 421m (1,381 ft); Chicago's Sears Tower at 442m (1,451 ft) and Malaysia's Petronas Towers at 452m (1,483 ft).

The CN Tower, in Toronto, Canada, is the world's tallest freestanding structure, at 553m (1,815.3 ft).

JK Rowling rails against spoilers

JK Rowling rails against spoilers
JK Rowling




JK Rowling said fans wanted to finish the saga "in their own time"
JK Rowling has hit out at US newspapers that have published plot details from the final Harry Potter book.

The author said she was "staggered" that papers including The New York Times had printed reviews ahead of the novel's publication on 21 July.

The author said the information was in "complete disregard of the wishes of literally millions of readers".

UK publishers Bloomsbury said spoilers remained "unauthenticated". Some books have been sent out early in the US.

The book's US publisher Scholastic has sued online retailer DeepDiscount.com for breaking the strict embargo by dispatching a number of copies.

The cover of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The book's contents have been the subject of intense speculation
The novel has also appeared on auction site eBay, while pictures of what appeared to be pages from the new book have appeared on the internet.

Bloomsbury said it was "dismayed" to learn about the early sales. But internet spoilers had not come from the few copies sold ahead of the official publication, it insisted.

The strict embargo was being "enforced unflinchingly and without exception" by publishers in 93 countries, the company added.

Rowling said the US newspaper reviews would particularly affect children "who wanted to reach Harry's final destination by themselves, in their own time".

"I am incredibly grateful to all those newspapers, booksellers and others who have chosen not to attempt to spoil Harry's last adventure for fans," she added.


We tried very, very hard to give away the absolute bare minimum of the plot
Rick Lyman
New York Times
Rowling's statement follows an earlier message on her website, in which she said: "Let's all, please, ignore the misinformation popping up on the web and in the press.

"I'd like to ask everyone who calls themselves a Harry Potter fan to help preserve the secrecy of the plot for all those who are looking forward to reading the book at the same time on publication day.

"In a very short time you will know everything!"

The New York Times said its copy was bought at a store in the city on Wednesday.


Queuing Harry Potter fans
Some fans are already queuing outside a central London bookshop
The paper's books and theatre editor Rick Lyman said: "It's our policy that once a book has been offered up for sale, it's fair game to be reviewed.

"It's not our business to help book publishers market their books. We tried very, very hard to give away the absolute bare minimum of the plot."

On Wednesday, the Baltimore Sun printed a review of the book, saying it had obtained a copy from a relative of one of its reporters who had received it prematurely.

A person selling a copy on eBay said: "I don't work for a bookstore and I don't have a magic wand. An online store shipped a copy early."

Meanwhile, UK supermarket Asda has announced it will sell the book for £5 - just over a quarter of the recommended retail price.

Bloomsbury had originally cancelled Asda's order, with the supermarket calling the price "potty" and accusing the retailer of "blatant profiteering".
-BBC

Google cookies will 'auto delete'

Google cookies will 'auto delete'






Google's have made several privacy announcements
Google has said that its cookies, tiny files stored on a computer when a user visits a website, will auto delete after two years.

They will be deleted unless the user returns to a Google site within the two-year period, prompting a re-setting of the file's lifespan.

The company's cookies are used to store preference data for sites, such as default language and to track searches.

All search engines and most websites store cookies on a computer.

Currently, Google's are set to delete after 2038.

Peter Fleischer, Google's global privacy counsel, said in a statement: "After listening to feedback from our users and from privacy advocates, we've concluded that it would be a good thing for privacy to significantly shorten the lifetime of our cookies."

He said the company had to "find a way to do so without artificially forcing users to re-enter their basic preferences at arbitrary points in time."

So if a user visits a Google website, a cookie will be stored on their computer and will auto-delete after two years. But if the user returns to a Google service, the cookie will re-set for a further two years.

Privacy campaigners

Privacy campaigners want to give users more control over what the search giant holds on to and for how long.

Google has pointed out that all users can delete all or some cookies from their web browser manually at any time and can control which cookies from which websites are stored on a computer.

There are also tools online which can prevent the company and other firms leaving cookies on a computer.

In recent months, it has introduced several steps to reassure its users over the use of personal information.

In March the search giant said it would anonymise personal data it receives from users' web searches after 18 months.

The firm previously held information about searches for an indefinite period but will now anonymise it after 18 to 24 month

None of the other leading search engines have made any statements over anonymising IP addresses or shortening cookie lifespan.

World's Tallest Man Meets World's Smallest Man

World's Tallest Man Meets World's Smallest Man


The world's tallest man has met one of the world's smallest in China.

Bao Xishun, a 56 year-old herdsman from Inner Mongolia, is the world's tallest man and measures 7' 9" tall.

Meanwhile, He Pingping is applying to be entered in the Guinness World Record as the world's shortest adult, standing at a mere 2' 4".

• Read the orignal report on iTV.com.

According to the organiser of the meeting, it was He's long-cherished dream to meet Bao.

In March, Bao married saleswoman Xia Shujian, who stands a rather average 5' 6", after a global search for a suitable bride.

They celebrated a traditional Mongolian wedding in the tomb of Kublai Khan on Thursday.

Bao was confirmed as the world's tallest living man by Guinness World Records last year. He overtook the previous holder, Radhouane Charbib of Tunisia, by just 2 millimeters.
Guinness World Records says Bao was of normal height until 16 but then put on a spurt that doctors were unable to explain, reaching his full height in seven years.

But Bao is far shorter than Robert Pershing Wadlow, from Illinois in the U.S., who died in 1940 aged 22 and stood at a massive 8' 11.1".

Drinking milk cuts diabetes risk

Drinking milk cuts diabetes risk
Milk
Milk consumption has fallen in recent years
Drinking a pint of milk a day may protect men against diabetes and heart disease, say UK researchers.

Eating dairy products reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome - a cluster of symptoms which increase likelihood of the conditions - the Welsh team found.

In the 20-year study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, metabolic syndrome increased the risk of death by 50%.

Experts recommended people only eat two or three portions of dairy a day.


Dairy products are an important part of a healthy, balanced diet and we would recommend people aim to eat two to three servings of low fat dairy a day
Jemma Edwards, Diabetes UK

The University of Cardiff study of 2,375 men aged between 45 and 59 classified metabolic syndrome as having two or more out of high blood glucose, insulin, blood fats, body fat, and blood pressure.

Over the 20-year period, food questionnaires and weekly food diaries were used to assess how much milk and dairy foods the men consumed.

At the start of the study 15% had metabolic syndrome and had almost double the risk of coronary artery heart disease and four times the risk of diabetes of those without the syndrome.

But the researchers found men were 62% less likely to have the syndrome if they drank a pint or more of milk every day, and 56% less likely to have it if they regularly ate other dairy produce.

The more dairy produce the men consumed, the less likely were they to have the syndrome.

Healthy diet

Study leader, Professor Peter Elwood, said milk consumption has plummeted in the UK over the past 25 years, amid concerns about its impact on health.

But dairy produce is part of a healthy diet and its consumption should be promoted, he concluded.

"The present data add further to the evidence that milk and dairy products fit well into a healthy eating pattern."

Jemma Edwards, care advisor at Diabetes UK, advised against consuming large amounts of full fat dairy products in a bid to prevent type 2 diabetes and stressed the importance of a balanced diet and physical activity.

"The results of this study are interesting.

"Dairy products are an important part of a healthy, balanced diet and we would recommend people aim to eat two to three servings of low fat dairy a day."

"One portion is equivalent to a third of a pint of milk, one small pot of yogurt or a matchbox-size piece of cheese.

"Maintaining a healthy weight through diet and physical activity are vital in reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes."

IndianIdol Imagegallery

IndianIdol Imagegallery

Astronomers claim galaxy record

Astronomers claim galaxy record
By Jonathan Amos
Science reporter, BBC News


Keck twins (WM Keck Observatory)
The detections were made at the Keck Observatory
Astronomers say they may have detected the light from some of the earliest stars to form in the Universe.

They have pictures of what appear to be very faint galaxies that shone more than 13 billion years ago, a mere 500 million years after the Big Bang.

The remarkable claim dramatically exceeds the current, broadly accepted record for the most distant detection.

The Caltech-led team behind the work recognises there will be sceptics but says it believes its data is strong.

It has published details in The Astrophysical Journal; and the group leader, Professor Richard Ellis, has been arguing the case at a conference in London, UK.

"We've had these galaxies for over a year and we have gone back to the telescope and revisited them, to prove their signals are robust," he explained.

"We feel confident now that we have done all that is humanly possibly to show the community that these galaxies are at these great distances," Professor Ellis told BBC News.

Big zoom

The international team of astronomers found its six "candidate" galaxies using one of the 10m Keck telescope twins sited on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

The researchers employed a technique known as gravitational lensing to achieve the detections.

This makes use of the gravity of relatively nearby objects (in this case galaxy clusters) to magnify the light coming from much more distant objects (the six candidates).


The team had a clear idea of where to look

More details
Astronomers from Caltech (California Institute of Technology) have helped pioneer this field; and they say they know how to select just the right "zoom lens" to see back into the required period in cosmic history.

The team then further refined its search by only looking for a very narrow wavelength of light where its target galaxies - if they existed - would be expected to shine.

It has taken three years' painstaking work to make and check the observations.

"Using Keck II, we have detected six faint star-forming galaxies whose signal has been boosted about 20 times by the magnifying effect of a foreground cluster," said Caltech co-worker Dan Stark.

"That we should find so many distant galaxies in our small survey area suggests they are very numerous indeed."

See how gravitational lensing works

It's a crowd

This is perhaps the most significant implication of the study.

Astronomy is now engaged in a major drive to tie down the timings of key events in the early Universe.

Scientists would like to see extensive evidence for the very first populations of stars. These hot, blue giants would have grown out of the cold neutral gas that pervaded the young cosmos.


IOK-1 (NAOJ)
The IOK-1: The most distant galaxy yet found... until now?

Peering at a distant epoch
The behemoths would likely have burned brilliant but brief lives, producing the very first heavy elements.

They would also have "fried" the neutral gas around them to produce the diffuse intergalactic plasma we detect between nearby stars today.

But this theory demands the earliest star-forming phase in the Universe was a busy one - and the significance of the latest study is that it suggests the numbers of stars required did indeed exist.

"The area of sky we surveyed was so small that for us to find anything at all suggests to us these objects must be very numerous," Professor Ellis told the BBC News website.

"Obviously it's a bit of a stretch to estimate a population from just six objects - but if you went out into a London street, looked at one piece of pavement and found six people standing there, I think you could reasonably conclude London was a crowded place."

Redshift hunters

It has been known for a while that the Caltech-led group had some very interesting pictures. In the past 12 months, knowledge of their existence has been shared at scientific conferences and hinted at by popular publications such as Time Magazine and the BBC News website.

But Ellis and colleagues have deliberately held back from formal publication of their work. Theirs is a field which has burned the reputations of others who have rushed forward with announcements that could not be confirmed by subsequent, independent observation.

Even so, to get an idea of how big a leap in detection is now being claimed can be illustrated by the "ruler" astronomers use to describe far-off sightings.

They will often be heard referring to "redshift". It is a measure of the degree to which light has been "stretched" by the expansion of the Universe. The greater the redshift, the more distant the object and the earlier it is being seen in cosmic history.

The current, widely accepted distance record-holder is the IOK-1 galaxy detection announced last year which had a redshift of 6.96. Its light was being seen when the Universe was little more than 700 million years old (Current estimates have the Universe coming into existence about 13.66 billion years ago as a "hot soup" of elementary particles).

Getting to this mark was a process of steady, incremental steps through redshifts in the lower-sixes and fives. The Caltech-led group has now suddenly jumped into the redshift region of eight to 10.

Dr Andy Bunker is a high-redshift hunter with Exeter University, UK. He has worked with the Ellis group in the past but was not involved in this study.

He commented: "Richard is a careful worker and he knows the burden of proof is very high.

"His group is aware of the history of the field and that's why they are being a little bit cagey; but I think this is a significant paper and unlike many that have gone before, I believe this will stand the test of time and at least some of the six candidates will be confirmed by others in due course."

The Caltech-led group hopes soon to get some confirmation of its own by looking at a different wavelength of light using the Spitzer Space Telescope and through the use of a new spectrograph instrument which is being installed at the Keck.

A refurbished Hubble Space Telescope is expected to be able to reach up to redshift 10; and its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, due for launch early in the next decade, should be capable of redshift 15 observations.

Richard Ellis, the Steele Professor of Astronomy at Caltech, Pasadena, US, delivered a talk at the From IRAS to Herschel and Planck Conference. The meeting was organised to celebrate the 65th birthday of Royal Astronomical Society President Professor Michael Rowan-Robinson.

Gravitational lensing schematic (BBC)

Even the powerful Keck struggles to see the greatest distances
It uses a trick - a gravitational zoom lens to magnify far-off objects
The candidate galaxies are among the first to form in the Universe
Their stars would have helped end a period dubbed the 'Dark Ages'
In this cold phase the Universe was filled with neutral gas atoms
The stars of the 'Cosmic Renaissance' changed their environment
These giants' nuclear cores synthesised the first heavy elements
Their intense ultraviolet light also 'fried' the neutral gas atoms
The resulting plasma - free electrons and protons - is evident today

The New Seven Wonders of the World

(01) The Pyramid at Chichen Itza; Mexico
Chichen Itza once served as the political and economic center of Mayan civilization. The city housed masterpieces like the Temple of Chac Mool, the Hall of the Thousand Pillars, the Playing Field of the Prisoners and the pyramid of Kukulkan, which was the last Mayan temple.


(02) Christ Redeemer; Brazil
The 124-foot statue of Jesus stands atop the Corcovado Mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro. Built in 1931, it took five years to construct and symbolizes the warmth and welcoming spirit of the Brazilian people.



(03) Colosseum; Rome
Almost every sports stadium today is created based on the design of the Colosseum, built between 70-82 A.D. Located in the center of Rome, the amphitheater could seat up to 50,000 spectators who watched public spectacles like the infamous gladiator fights.

(04) Great Wall; China
The largest man—made monument ever built at about 4,000 miles in length, the wall was originally built to help create a united defense system and prevent invading Mongol tribes out of China. Construction began around the 8th century B.C. and efforts to revive it took place from 1368 — 1644 A.D.

(05) Machu Picchu; Peru
Machu Picchu, which means "old settlement," is located halfway up the Andes Plateau—in the Amazon jungle and above the Urubamba River. Originally a 15th century Incan settlement, the magnificent city was "lost" for three centuries, then rediscovered in 1911.


(06) Petra; Jordan
Petra, located on the edge of the Arabian desert, was home to Aretas IV, king of the Nabataeans, who were masters of water technology. The facade of a 138 ft.—high Hellenistic temple on the El-Deir Monastery—an example of traditional Middle Eastern culture—sits within the Palace Tombs of Petra.


(07) Taj Mahal; India
The white marble mausoleum is believed by many to be the best representation of Muslim art in India. The Taj Mahal was built around 1630, an order from Muslim emperor Shah Jahan, to honor the memory of his beloved late wife.


Global vote picks Seven Wonders
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is among the modern-day Seven Wonders
A non-profit foundation has named the Seven New Wonders of the World at a ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal.

The Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu in Peru, Brazil's Statue of Christ Redeemer, the Colosseum in Rome and Jordan's Petra all made the list.

The Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza in Mexico and India's Taj Mahal were also picked, but England's Stonehenge and the Eiffel Tower in Paris missed out.

Organisers say about 100m people cast votes over the internet and by phone.

The New7Wonders campaign is the brainchild of a Swiss man, Bernard Weber, who has had a varied career as a film-maker and museum curator.

Recognising achievements

American actress Hilary Swank said at the presentation ceremony: "Never before in history have so many people participated in a global decision."

Organisers say the contest was a chance to recognise the achievements of societies outside Europe and the Middle East.

Tourists at Chichen Itza in Mexico
There are fears the ruins at Chichen Itza could have too many tourists

The original list of seven wonders was established more than 2,000 years ago by Greek scholars.

It included the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes, the ancient lighthouse outside Alexandria, the great pyramid at Giza - the only survivor - and three other long-vanished edifices.

The campaign has been some six years in the making.

But the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) - which has long had its own World Heritage List - has criticised the organisation's approach.

Unesco argues that the list is very limited. Its own World Heritage List numbers sites including 660 cultural and 166 natural.


The New Seven Wonders of the World
Success in the competition will not be popular with everyone.

Archaeologists said the Mayan ruins, at Chichen Itza in south-eastern Mexico could be hit by an avalanche of additional visitors and that the extra wear and tear could force authorities to limit the tourist traffic.

Lankan ladies want breasts downsized

FORGET PAMELA ANDERSON

Lankan ladies want breasts downsized

By Chamitha Kuruppu

Breast augmentation (commonly known as the boob-job) and breast reduction is gradually becoming popular among women in Sri Lanka. One might think it’s a luxury to go under the knife, but according to plastic surgeons, women from all parts of the country and from all walks of life, are now showing interest to undergo this form of surgical treatment.

The correct size

Due to the structure of Sri Lankan women, breast augmentation is the most common plastic surgery that is performed in the country. Due to the physical and mental trauma they have to stomach, women nowadays are showing much keenness in correcting their overly sized breasts.
That’s right. Pamela Anderson and others may go for silicon sacks to make them larger, but over here, they usually want to reduce the size of their breasts. Dr N. Y. Wijemanne, a well known plastic surgeon once delivering a lecture at the British Council told of one woman who came to him and told him, “Doctor, please take the whole thing off.’’
The audience was highly amused, but when the doctor showed a slide of the breasts concerned, nobody laughed - they were so large, that any sane person would not grudge the request for removal.
While the weight of their breasts may cause neck, back, shoulder, circulation, or breathing problems, many women hide themselves from society due to the social stigma and discomfiture due to oversize mammary glands. (ie: large breasts.)

Price tag

Unlike breast augmentation, breast reduction comes under the medical discipline of plastic surgery now covered by many insurance companies in the country.
The surgery that costs between Rs100, 000 - 120,000 is believed to be among the most ‘satisfying’ surgeries. The, most common procedure involves an anchor-shaped incision which circles the areola. The incision extends downward, following the natural curve of the breast. Excess glandular tissue, fat, and skin is removed. Duration of the surgery could be one to two hours and the patient could leave the hospital in a day.
However, it is not recommended for women who desire to breastfeed, as it can impair the likelihood of breastfeeding success and decrease the volume of breast milk produced. Scarring is the other disadvantage of breast reduction. The 4-5 inch incision mark from the areola to the crease at the bottom of the breasts is most likely to remain permanent. Although not uncommon in Sri Lanka, breast augmentation (enlargement) is the most popular form of plastic surgery in the world.
Although it is categorised as cosmetic surgery due to its nature, women may be compelled to undergo breast augmentation due to psychological pressure due to extremely small breasts.
Breast implant is a prosthesis used to enlarge the size of a woman’s breasts to reconstruct the breast (e.g. after a mastectomy; or to correct genetic deformities), or as an aspect of male-to-female sex reassignment surgery. (sex change.)

Saline vs Silicon

There are two primary types of breast implants: saline-filled and silicon gel-filled implants. Saline implants have a silicone elastomer shell filled with sterile saline liquid. Silicone gel implants have a silicone shell filled with a viscous silicone gel.


The surgery that costs around Rs.150,000 is however, not covered by insurance companies in Sri Lanka.
Although in 1998, the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act was passed mandating insurance coverage for breast reconstruction in the United States. Prior to this, many insurance carriers did not cover breast reconstructive surgery as they considered it cosmetic in nature.
The law is also known as “Janet’s Law”, named for Janet Franquet, a breast cancer patient who fought her insurance carrier with Dr. Todd Wider, a New York plastic surgeon who helped lobby for the legislation with Senator Al D’Amato.
The act mandates insurance coverage for the surgery of the affected breast and also the contralateral side for purposes of symmetry.
(Special Thanks to Plastic Surgeon Dr. N.Y. Wijemanne)

Following are the most prevalent aesthetic/cosmetic procedures. Most of these types of surgery are more commonly known by their “common names.” These are also listed when pertinent.
Abdominoplasty (or “tummy tuck”): reshaping and firming of the abdomen
Umbilicoplasty (or “belly button surgery”): reshaping the belly button
Blepharoplasty (or “eyelid surgery”): Reshaping of the eyelids or the application of permanent eyeliner, including Asian blepharoplasty
Augmentation Mammaplasty/breast augmentation (or “breast enlargement” or “boob job”): Augmentation of the breasts. This can involve either saline or silicone gel prosthetics.
Buttock Augmentation (or “butt augmentation” or “butt implants”): Enhancement of the buttocks. This procedure can be performed by using silicone implants or fat grafting and transfer from other areas of the body.
Chemical peel: Minimizing the appearance of acne, pock, and other scars as well as wrinkles (depending on concentration and type of agent used, except for deep furrows), solar lentigines (age spots, freckles), and photodamage in general. Chemical peels commonly involve carbolic acid (Phenol), trichloroacetic acid (TCA), glycolic acid (AHA), or salicylic acid (BHA) as the active agent.
Mastopexy (or “breast lift”): Raising or reshaping of breasts
Labiaplasty: Surgical reduction and reshaping of the labia
Rhinoplasty (or “nose job”): Reshaping of the nose
Otoplasty (or ear surgery): Reshaping of the ear
Rhytidectomy (or “face lift”): Removal of wrinkles and signs of aging from the face
Clitoroplasty (clitoral reduction): A management of the child with ambiguous genitalia. Goal is adequate cosmetic appearance prior to a time when the child herself would recognize the ambiguity, usually surgically repaired between 18 and 24 months of age.
Suction-Assisted Lipectomy (or liposuction): Removal of fat from the body
Chin augmentation: Augmentation of the chin with an implant (e.g. silicone) or by sliding genioplasty of the jawbone.
Cheek augmentation
Collagen, fat, and other tissue filler injections (eg hyaluronic acid)
Vaginoplasty: to reconstruct or create a vagina
(Source: Wikipedia )

What a buddhist Month ? A Buddhist TV and A Buddhist radio have been launched !

* Buddhist TV is now on the air Via Dialog TV ,In Sri Lanka so around the world.
* The Buddhist Radio, SUDILA FM is now on the air
FM 91.05 & FM 96.1
**********************************************************************************
Muhunthan donates a Buddhist TV channel

Former Chief Executive Officer of the CBNSat; Muhunthan Canagey donated the Country’s first Buddhist television channel to Ven Welamitiyave Kusaladamm thera recently.
Explaining the objective behind the new channel he said that it was a dream that has become a reality and had been in the plans of CBNSat for many years, however it was delayed due to unavoidable circumstances.
“We wanted to launch a Buddhist channel on the platform; but subsequently with the political interference into the CBNSAT, mostly known to many as the CBNSAT fiasco, the project had to be almost abandoned with my moving out of the organisation and having sold-out the shareholding to Dialog Telekom. The Ven Welamitiyave Kusaladamm thera was one person who was keen over this idea. So, we have donated a complete channel with state-of- the-art equipment. In fact, this is the first ever HD studio in Sri Lanka,” Muhunthan told the LAKBIMAnEWS FEB ,

The channel will be available across the whole of South Asia on KU band and some southern parts of China; with the idea to make it a global Buddhist channel with multilingual features so that each region will benefit from it. Sri Lankans can have free access to the channel through Dialog TV.
“My focus of the Buddhist channel was to enlighten the rich cultural, art, education, and teachings of The Buddha; which was quite important for people to know the facts beyond what they have been seeing in the past. I mean, not the political ones that they usually see on local media. There are temples in countries, like Thailand doing so much towards nature conservation programs; monasteries in Tibet, overlooking the Himalayan mountain ranges. Therefore, these great cultural sites should be shown to the Sri Lankan Buddhists particularly,” he added.