UK soldier awarded the Military Cross ..[ 1870 ]

Soldier earns Military Cross with three acts of 'astonishing' heroism

Terry Kirby
Standard co. uk., 13.10.10

A soldier has been awarded the Military Cross for three "astonishing" acts of bravery when he put himself in the line of fire to allow colleagues to reach safety in Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal Marc Reader, 23, from Brentwood, said today that the medal - awarded for "continuous gallantry and selfless commitment" - was "a nice surprise".
The former bricklayer joined the Army in 2005 and is a member of 1st Battalion, The Coldstream Guards.
In the first incident, a soldier in his reconnaissance unit became pinned down by fire when their squad came under attack from the Taliban.

L/Cpl Reader drew the enemy's fire by putting himself in their sights, thereby allowing his colleague to reach cover. His return fire was so accurate that the insurgents stopped shooting and ran away. On a second patrol, his team was again ambushed, leading to the unit commander asking for volunteers for an outflanking manoeuvre.
L/Cpl Reader and a colleague charged the Taliban positions, forcing them to flee. His third act of heroism came when his squad was pinned down near a minefield by Taliban fighters firing from three different directions.
L/Cpl Reader raced down a ditch and, after allowing himself to be visible to Taliban guns, immediately returned fire. His fellow soldiers were able to reach safety.
He said: "The medal was a nice surprise, but I feel like I just did my job and what was expected of me. We took the fight to the enemy and won, which felt good."
L/Cpl Reader is engaged to a chef who is with the Royal Logistic Corps and is attached to his battalion.

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "L/Cpl Readers' continuous gallantry, personal example and offensive spirit in the face of fierce enemy attacks have been exemplary throughout the tour.
"He has stepped into ambush killing areas, stormed insurgent firing positions and exposed himself to draw fire away from his comrades. He has consistently placed himself in grave danger to protect his comrades with scant regard for his own safety.
"His gallantry and selfless commitment have been astonishing."

NASA Image of the Oct `12th..[ 1869 ]

The latest NASA "Image of the Day" image.

Toxic Sludge in Hungary

On Oct. 4, 2010, an accident occurred at the Ajkai Timföldgyar alumina (aluminum oxide) plant in western Hungary, when a corner wall of a waste-retaining pond broke, releasing a torrent of toxic red sludge down a local stream. 

Several nearby towns were inundated, including Kolontar and Devecser, where the sludge was up to 6.5 feet deep in places. 

Four people were killed immediately, several more were missing and dozens of residents were hospitalized for chemical burns. 

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On Oct. 9, 2010, the Advanced Land Imager on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 satellite captured this natural-color image of the area. 

Image Credit: NASA

Τρίτη, 12 Οκτώβριος 2010 7:00:00 πμ

The evacuation of miners in Chile .[ 1868 ]

Chile: The entire world monitors  with bated breath 

Oct 13, 2010., 09:20 Greek Time
  

Τhe evacuation of the 33 miners in Chile began and  proceeds  (already pulled out the fourth) and this has been widespread and continuous publicity from all  T/V channels and sites.

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We hope to have good and happy ending and we have nothing more to add here

A study in mice..[ 1867 ]

Mice that eat at the wrong time of day get fat

SCIENCEFAIR.,,Oct 12th,2010.,9:54 AM

Minnie and Mickey Mouse.

CAPTION

By Evan Agostini, AP

A study in mice seems to show that simply being exposed to light during the night, when these nocturnal creatures expect it to be dark, makes them more likely to be obese.

The study, done by researchers at Ohio State University and the University of Haifa in Israel, looked at the effects of dim light and bright light exposure during the night on mice. It is in this week's edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Both the mice exposed to dim light and bright light at night had significantly increased body mass and reduced glucose tolerance compared to mice living in a normal light/dark cycle, even when they got the same number of calories a day.

It's a small study and in mice, but the researchers note that there's good evidence that low levels of light during the night may disrupt when animals (and humans) eat and other metabolic signals that could lead to weight gain.

Normally, nocturnal rodents eat more during the night time. The more these mice ate during the daytime, when they normally wouldn't have, the fatter they got.

The study suggests that, in mice at least, "timing of food intake is a critical factor mediating increased weight gain," according to the paper.

While there's been much written about how "prolonged computer use and television viewing have been identified as risk factors for obesity, diabetes and metabolic disorders," researchers have presumed the connection was the lack of physical activity associated with all that screen time. However, "the results from the current study suggest that exposure to night time lighting and the resulting changes in the daily pattern of food intake and activity also may be contributing factors," the paper concludes.

One thing that doesn't appear to have been studied is whether the move of the main meal of the day from the old-fashioned 'dinner' at noon to the now-typical evening dinner. Perhaps our ancestors were right?

By Elizabeth Weise

Iran suspects two ''arrested foreigners΄΄[ 1866 ]

Iran Accuses Foreigners of 'Anti-revolutionary' Ties

VOA News 12 October 2010

Iran says it suspects two foreigners who were arrested as they were interviewing the son of a woman sentenced to death by stoning have links to foreign anti-government groups.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says the two entered Iran with tourist visas and not journalist visas.  In a Tuesday briefing, he also said some "sources" had indicated the detainees are German.  German Chancellor Angela Merkel says her country's Foreign Ministry is attempting to get details about the two detainees.

On Monday, Iran reported the two foreigners were arrested while asking questions about Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.  Her stoning sentence on an adultery conviction generated international outrage.  Since July, Iranian officials have said her stoning sentence has been stayed.

German media reports have said the two are journalists who work for the weekly Bild am Sonntag, but the newspaper said Monday it had no information regarding the arrests of any employees in Iran.

Also Monday, Spain's El Pais newspaper said Iran had canceled the accreditation of its Tehran correspondent and ordered her to leave the country within two weeks.   The leading Spanish daily said Angeles Espinosa had been given no official explanation, but the decision appeared to be linked to an interview she conducted in July with the son of the late dissident Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri.  El Pais has also campaigned for Ashtiani.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.