New Years Traditions around the world

New Year festivals are among the oldest and most universally observed. They generally include rites and ceremonies which are expressive of mortification, purgation, invigoration and jubilation over the renewal of life. In some countries, parties are thrown on New Year's Eve which last until the early hours of New Year's Day. It is traditional to greet the New Year at midnight and then celebrate at least the first few minutes in the company of friends and family. Many people make New Year resolutions...a list of decisions about how they will live during the coming year, which may or may not be kept.| Austria | Brazil | Cambodia | Canada | Poland | Switzerland | China | Egypt | Germany || Great Britain | Greece | Hindus | Hong Kong | Hungary...

Read more »

World's First Solar Powered Stadium

Taiwan recently finished construction on a solar-powered stadium that will generate 100% of its electricity from photovoltaic technology designes by Toyo Ito, the 50,000 seat arean will officially open later this year to welcome the 2009 World Games which features many sports not included in the Olympics such as parachuting, tenpin, bowling and rugby sevens.     &nbs...

Read more »

HOME

...

Read more »

UFO :The greatest story ever denied

...

Read more »

The story of Santa Claus

Santa Claus, known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or plain “Santa,” is a legendary figure, who, in Western cultures, brings gifts and packages to the homes of the good children on Dec. 24, Christmas Eve.It seems the Saint Nicholas of Myra in the Fourth Century in the province of the Byzantine Empire, which is now Turkey, is the primary inspiration for the Christian figure of Santa Claus.Saint Nicholas, a priest, was often seen in a red robe, which was appropriate attire of the priests in this day. To this day, St. Nicholas is claimed as a patron saint of many diverse groups, from archers and children to pawnbrokers.In the Netherlands and Belgium, Saint Nicolas is often called “Sinterklaas,” which is related to the Dutch pronunciation...

Read more »

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Antonis, Nick and I would like to wish everyone A Very Merry Christmas and A Bright and Prosperous New Year!!! Thank you to those of you who have been reading our blog, we will endeavour, in the coming year to satisfy your and our thirst for knowledge and for all that is just a little bit ....STRANGE!CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLDAll over the world, Christmas celebrations reflect local culture and traditions. The festivities can be startlingly different from country to country, focusing on different aspects of the nativity story. But whether you're celebrating Sheng Dan Jieh in China or awaing Pere Noel in France, you're sharing in the wonder and magic of the Christmas season. In the following pages, we'll take a look at Christmas traditions...

Read more »

Most Earth-Like Extrasolar Planet Found Right Next Door

Meet GJ 1214b, the most Earth-like planet ever found outside our solar system. It’s not exactly Earth’s twin: It’s about six times bigger, a whole lot hotter and made mostly of water. But compared to the giant gas balls that account for nearly every other extrasolar planet ever found, it’s pretty darn close. And through a fortunate happenstance of cosmic geometry, astronomers will be able to study GJ 1214b in great detail. “If you want to describe in one sentence what this planet is, it’s a big, hot ocean,” said Harvard University astronomer David Charbonneau. “We can even study its atmosphere. This planet will occupy us for years. That’s part of what’s so exciting about it.” Described by Charbonneau and 17 other astronomers in a paper published...

Read more »

Scientists Succeed With Teleportation Experiment

This story gets a little heady and, to be honest, we're not entirely sure we completely understand it ourselves. What we do know is that scientists have made a huge advancement in the field of teleportation, taking a step necessary to the development of quantum computers. Scientists managed to teleport information from one atom to another from a distance of about one meter. While this isn't really getting us much closer to the 'Star Trek'-like ability to beam people around the universe, it does allow for instantaneous transmission of information without it passing through physical space. Previously, similar accomplishments have been made with photons (the basic unit of light) and between nearby atoms with the assistance of a third, but these...

Read more »

Machines of Gods 1/5

Video 2/5 Video 3/5 Video 4/5 Video ...

Read more »

Star Anise: The Secret Ingredient in Tamiflu

With the onslaught of swine flu throughout the global community, there is a new push towards acquiring and stockpiling drugs that can be used to treat potentially lethal strains of influenza.According to medical science there is a pharmaceutical treatment option available called Tamiflu, that they say will treat swine flu. But little do consumers know that there is a natural component within this mass-produced pharmaceutical. And what is this powerful ingredient? None other than the common herb star anise.In fact, most people are unaware that over 40% of all pharmaceutical medications come from plant botanicals, including everything from common aspirin to powerful cancer-fighting medications such as tamoxifen.[1]Whole story h...

Read more »

The International Greek Language

The text is from a speech of Dr John N. Kalaras of the University of Chicago. It uses greek terms and words showing the internationality of the Greek language. It's a revelation to many English speaking people who use Greek words much more than they realise. THE SIGNIFICANCE AND INFLUENCE OF THE HELLENIC LANGUAGE By Dr. John N. Kalaras, Senior Professor Copyright: Chicago 1998 MUSIC The Orchestras electrified the atmosphere, with musical organs like the harp the lyre the aulos and hydraulos. The chorus in the odium or theatre synchronized with the organs harmoniously. Orchestrators synthesized musical poetry, satyr and comedy, in a melodic symphony. The rhythm and harmonious eurythmy were unparalleled. Synthesis, synergy and symphony...

Read more »

MoD shut down UFO research

...

Read more »

Meta materials can create "living" architecture wonders

...

Read more »

LHC Restarts operations at CERN

Geneva, 23 November 2009. Today the LHC circulated two beams simultaneously for the first time, allowing the operators to test the synchronization of the beams and giving the experiments their first chance to look for proton-proton collisions. With just one bunch of particles circulating in each direction, the beams can be made to cross in up to two places in the ring. From early in the afternoon, the beams were made to cross at points 1 and 5, home to the ATLAS and CMS detectors, both of which were on the look out for collisions. Later, beams crossed at points 2 and 8, ALICE and LHCb. “It’s a great achievement to have come this far in so short a time,” said CERN1Director General Rolf Heuer. “But we need to keep a sense of perspective...

Read more »

The Oracle at Delphi - Not Just Hot Air

Most people are acquainted with the myths of ancient Greece. We've heard of Hercules and Zeus, Aphrodite and Era, Achilles and possibly Ulysses. But what about the oracle of Delphi? This was a mystic place where the gods, who knew everything and saw everything, communicated with the wretched humans and revealed to them the path to glory. Unlike the mythical heroes, however, this place really existed, and now new scientific research has demonstrated how the legend began - and it's all thanks to the peculiar geological setting of the area – a combination of active faults, seismic activity and a layer of coal! Indeed it seems that two thousands years of wars and battles may have have been won or lost thanks to the advice of women whose senses...

Read more »

Self-Renewal of Specialized Cells

Is the indefinite expansion of adult cells possible without recourse to stem cell intermediates? The team led by Michael Sieweke at the Centre d'immunologie de Marseille Luminy (Université Aix-Marseille 2 / CNRS / INSERM) has shown that this is the case by achieving the ex vivo regeneration of macrophages, specialized cells in the immune system, over several months. Published in Science on November 6, 2009, this discovery could be applied to other cell types. This research enables a clearer understanding of the mechanisms underlying cell differentiation, but above all raises many hopes for potential therapeutic applications. The regenerative medicine of the future will be based on replacing damaged cells and repairing deficient organs,...

Read more »

Are Earth's Oceans Made Of Extraterrestrial Material?

Contrary to preconceived notions, the atmosphere and the oceans were perhaps not formed from vapors emitted during intense volcanism at the dawning of our planet. Francis Albarède of the Laboratoire des Sciences de la Terre (CNRS / ENS Lyon / Université Claude Bernard) suggests that water was not part of the Earth's initial inventory but stems from the turbulence caused in the outer Solar System by giant planets. Ice-covered asteroids thus reached the Earth around one hundred million years after the birth of the planets. The Earth's water could therefore be extraterrestrial, have arrived late in its accretion history, and its presence could have facilitated plate tectonics even before life appeared. The conclusions of the...

Read more »

Australian scientists to start 'breast regrowth' trial

It is hoped that if successful, the experimental stem cell breast-growing technique - called Neopec - could replace breast reconstructions and implants within three years. Dr Phillip Marzella from the Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery in Melbourne, said a prototype trial of five to six women would start in the next three to six months "to demonstrate that the body can regrow its own fat supply in the breast".During the world-first trial surgeons will implant a chamber containing a sample of the woman's fat tissue into the chest, which will act a "scaffolding" into which new breast tissue will grow. "What we are hoping to do in the next two years is develop a biodegradable chamber so that the fat can grow...

Read more »

LCROSS Impact Data Indicates Water on Moon

The argument that the moon is a dry, desolate place no longer holds water. Secrets the moon has been holding, for perhaps billions of years, are now being revealed to the delight of scientists and space enthusiasts alike. NASA today opened a new chapter in our understanding of the moon. Preliminary data from the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicates that the mission successfully uncovered water during the Oct. 9, 2009 impacts into the permanently shadowed region of Cabeus cater near the moon’s south pole. The impact created by the LCROSS Centaur upper stage rocket created a two-part plume of material from the bottom of the crater. The first part was a high angle plume of vapor and fine dust and the second...

Read more »