Happy New Year 2011

Happy New Year 2011, Wish this year will be better than ago

 

 Koclox Corporation Admin and The Entire Crew

Ditemukan Reruntuhan Kota Troy yang Pernah Dianggap Sebagai Mitos Belaka

Troy merupakan sebuah kota kuno dalam kitab Iliad, epik terkenal karangan penyair Yunani kuno Homer. Kota dan peradaban ini pernah dianggap sebagai mitos dan khayalan semata, sama persis dengan kisah-kisah tentang peradaban Atlantis dan Lemuria.

Namun pandangan tersebut akhirnya tumbang, bermula setelah seorang cendekiawan Inggris, Charles McClaren, pada tahun 1822 berpendapat bahwa Troy yang dimaksud Homer kemungkinan besar berada di Turki.

Dia menunjuk sebuah gundukan tanah luas yang disebut Hisarlik dekat Dardanella,yaitu sebuah kawasan di laut sempit yang menghubungkan Laut hitam dan Aegea.

Setelah itu seorang arkeolog Jerman,Heinrich Schiliemann,mulai mengadakan penggalian terhadap gundukan di Hisarlik pada tahun 1871. Baru pada 1873, Schliemann berhasil menemukan sisa-sisa sebuah kota yang sangat kuno yang ia percayai sebagai reruntuhan peradaban Troy.

Selain itu,ia bersama para krunya juga menemukan harta karun emas dan perak yang ia sebut sebagai harta karun Priam, sesuai dengan legenda Raja Troy yaitu Priam yang disebutkan dalam epik karangan Homer, Iliad. Namun sayangnya, harta-harta karun tersebut malah ia selundupkan keluar Turki untuk membawanya ke Eropa.

 

Sembilan Lapisan Kota Troy yang telah porak-poranda Pada tahun 1876, Schliemann kembali melakukan penggalian di kawasan Mycenae, Yunani. Dia menemukan apa yang dia pikirkan sebagai makam Agamemnon,seorang Raja musuh bangsa Troy dalam Epik Iliad.

Baru pada tahun 1890-an, Wilhem Dorpfield menunjukkan bahwa gundukan di kawasan Hisarlik tersusun dari sembilan lapisan sisa-sisa kota. Dari penemuan ini bisa kita ketahui bahwa sangat tua umur peradaban Troy itu, mungkin berada satu era dengan peradaban Atlantis.

 

Lebih lanjutnya ia mengatakan kemungkinan peradaban tersebut berakhir dengan sempurna dikarenakan kota ini dihancurkan oleh gempa bumi dan air bah dasyat yang terjadi selama sembilan kali.

Setiap orang yang selamat kembali membangun di atas reruntuhan kota tersebut. Schliemann menganggap bahwa Troy yang dikatakan oleh Homer mungkin adalah Troy II (2), yaitu lapisan reruntuhan kota ke-dua dari bawah. Sedangkan menurut Dorpfield berpendapat itu adalah Troy ke-VI.

 

Masa Troy 5 menurut para peneliti mungkin berasal dari zaman perunggu (sekitar 3000 SM-1900 SM), sedangkan sampai saat ini belum ada penjelasan mengenai Peradaban Troy keberapakah yang dimaksudkan Homer dalam Iliad-nya.

Yang pastinya peradaban tersebut mungkin benar adanya berasal dari era ke-2 / ke-3 yaitu ketika berada di zaman es 11.000-10.000 tahun yang lalu.

Sekarang, teka-teki suatu peradaban yang dulunya dianggap hanyalah sebuah mitos telah berhasil dipecahkan dan ditemui kebenarannya, tinggal menunggu perkembangan dari pencarian reruntuhan terhadap peradaban Atlantis dan Lemuria.


Sumber :
woamu.mangaku.net

Weather moderates in western Europe

AFP/DPA – A single car makes its way along a snow-covered road near the southern German city of Waldkirch.(AFP/DPA/Rolf …

LONDON (AFP) – An annual Christmas Day swimming race in London was called off after the water froze, while in Denmark, a midwife braved the freeze to ski to a mother-to-be on a snowbound island.
For hundreds of passengers trapped at the main Paris and Brussels airports overnight because of the freezing weather however, the nightmare drew to a close: European flights were almost back to normal Saturday.
For the first time since 1981, swimmers arrived at the Serpentine in London's Hyde Park for the 100-yard (91-metre) open-air race to find the lake had frozen over.
It was the result of a cold snap that forecasters predict could make this the coldest December in Britain for more than 100 years.
In Castlederg, Northern Ireland, the temperature was minus 17.1 Celsius (1.22 Fahrenheit) on Christmas morning.
On England's south coast, members of the Brighton Swimming Club took their annual Christmas dip in the Channel, where the temperature was a refreshing 3.3 degrees Celsius (38 degrees Fahrenheit).
On the Danish island of Bornholm even a tracked military vehicle failed to get through the snow to take a midwife to the village of Tejn -- so a colleague took to her skis instead.
Rene Wang Hansen told AFP the midwife covered six or seven kilometres (four or five miles) to reach his daughter Gitte, who later was finally able to board an army personnel carrier to get to hospital for the birth of her son.
The Baltic island of some 43,000 people has been snowbound since Thursday with police advising everyone to stay at home. Hundreds of tourists and other visitors have been put up in a gymnasium and a military barracks.
In Germany, another Baltic island, Ruegen, was also snowbound and no trains were running, but rail operator Deutsche Bahn said conditions were improving elsewhere and there were no major problems.

Click image to see photos of weather in Europe

AP/Jacques Brinon

In the northwestern state of North Rhine-Westphalia police warned pedestrians to be on their guard after a woman was killed Friday by a falling branch in the forest of Gelsenkirchen.
In Moscow, icy rainfall onto frozen streets turned the Russian capital into a giant skating rink, and authorities warned residents to stay indoors while they de-iced the roads and pavements.
Traffic is traditionally heavy in the run up to the new year and the Russian Orthodox Christmas, on January 7.
But local government spokesman Igor Pergamenshik warned: "Weather conditions are very difficult in the capital.
"When it (the rain) falls onto the ground, it turns into a layer of ice because of the negative temperatures."
Airlines took advantage of fewer Christmas Day flights to clear runways and the backlog of passengers, some of whom had waited for days to leave.
About 200 travellers woke up on Christmas morning at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport after authorities had laid on what entertainment they could on Christmas Eve.
Departure screens showed nearly all flights due to leave on time, as staff folded away the camp beds that had been provided along with food, Christmas toys, a Santa Claus and a Catholic mass for the faithful.
"The children have presents, we have things to eat and drink," said Beatrice Clavel, stranded with her husband Didier and their two children.
"All that's missing is a good shower."
The problems at the airport were compounded by a strike by workers at France's main anti-freeze factory, but conditions improved when supplies arrived from abroad.
Transport Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet announced an inquiry into the airport's handling of its glycol stocks and said officials had to learn from experience, particularly with regard to providing information for passengers.
It was a similar story at Brussels' where some passengers had to sleep over into Christmas morning. On Saturday however, the situation was returning to normal.
"We?ve cleaned enough snow to be able to return to normal winter operations," said a statement on its website.
Virtually no public transport ran in Britain as usual on Christmas Day, not even Eurostars to and from the continent, but trains in France were back to normal, though high-speed services were still delayed by speed restrictions.
In contrast to the chilly conditions across Europe, Bulgaria experienced record highs of up to 20 degrees Celsius in some central parts, way above the seasonal average which is below zero.

'Gulliver's Travels' Starring Jack Black: A Brobdingnagian Letdown

WASHINGTON, DC – This Saturday saw the release of Gulliver's Travels, a new film version of Jonathan Swift's classic 18th-century novel. The movie, directed by Rob Letterman, stars Jack Black as the travel writer Lemuel Gulliver, who gets stranded on the island of Lilliput and hangs out with the tiny people who live there. The critical reception has been less than warm, with the plot, cast, and effects all coming in for various amounts of drubbing.

• Want to Include Some Biting Social Satire? No? Guys?  The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin mourns a missed opportunity. "Since Black's very existence upends everything the Lilliputians know about reality, he is in a privileged position to recreate their world however he sees fit, to serve as a cross between king, god, and monster. Rather than comment on how power corrupts, however, the film has Black re-fashion Lilliputia as the ultimate awesome stoner rec room ... The filmmakers have reduced a definitive satire about the flaws and foibles of human nature into family-friendly sub-Disney pabulum about an affable slacker who finally musters up the courage to ask a pretty girl at work for a date."

• Not So Much Bad as Puzzling--But Also, Really Bad  "In my travels I've seen Roman ruins, Greek ruins and Byzantine ruins, but I've never seen a ruin like this," writes Joe Morgenstern at The Wall Street Journal. "The 3-D is cheesy (2.2-D at best) the gags are gross (Gulliver urinates on an 18th-century palace to extinguish a fire) and the production abandons all hope of coherence when the hero fights a climactic battle with a giant robot out of 'Transformers.' What were they thinking? What were they smoking? What were they singing on the way to the bank?"

• 'Unnecessary and Unfunny'  You can sort of tell that Gulliver's Travels ruined Michael O'Sullivan's Christmas. Writing in The Washington Post, O'Sullivan offers mild spoilers: "After extinguishing a raging fire by urinating on it--and, collaterally, on several Lilliputians--[Gulliver is] quickly declared a hero. (Just imagine that scene. On second thought, don't. If it sounds funny to you, you'll probably love the one where Gulliver accidentally sits on a Lilliputian after losing his pants. I can't do it justice in a family newspaper. But I will tell you there's a cast credit for a character described only as 'Butt-crack man.')"

• Dear Jack Black, Please Stop Taking These Roles  Wesley Morris at The Boston Globe calls the movie "a migraine inducement that you'd think Jack Black had gotten out of his system years ago. Yet he still finds an excuse to wear a blazer and shorts and fling his bodily orb like Angus Young on Guitar Hero night at the neighborhood bar ... Hasn't Jack Black the stoned slacker already matured into Jack Black the adult? Not satisfactorily enough, it seems."

• Jonathan Swift Weighs In  A. O. Scott at The New York Times offers a review in the form of an imagined e-mail from Swift, who notes bemusedly that the film "converts my great Satire into a gaudy, puerile Toy. My avowed purpose in composing that text, as any swot who has suffered the Duty and Dullness rampant in our Schools must know, was to employ my modest pen as a scourge against human Folly and the vanities of the Age. Having deemed itself unable to defeat those foes, this rendition of 'Gulliver's Travels' chuses rather to join them." [Note from the Wire: You really need to read this review in full.]

• Aw, It's Not That Bad  Roger Ebert at the Chicago Sun-Times gives one of the more sympathetic readings. "I want to explain who 'Gulliver's Travels' is for, and who it might not be for," Ebert writes:

One person it is definitely for is Gloria DeMent, the 84-year-old grandmother who wrote AP film critic Christy Lemire in horror after spending $96 to take four generations of her family to see "The Nutcracker in 3-D." She wrote: "It broke my heart when we left the theater that my little great-granddaughters (ages 5-13) had sad little, confused faces." Believe me, Auntie Glo, there would have been smiles on those faces after this movie ... Do you think her great-grandchildren are going to be sitting there, saying, "You can see that's done with green screen?" I don't think so. They're gonna be saying, "Thanks, Grandma Glo! This is ever so much better that that scary 'Nutcracker' movie! There isn't a single Holocaust reference anywhere in it!"

Action, Hope, 2011

The Nation -- In the wake of the midterm elections, with conservatives and the Tea Party wielding new power in Washington, we have entered a tough period in our politics. But history helps us understand that dark periods come and go, and they can be overcome if—and it’s the critical if—we all do our part.
The late, great Studs Terkel, a true friend of The Nation, believed that hope was rooted in the conviction that there is always good worth working for. Action engenders hope, Studs told us.
Looking forward to 2011, there are many ideas, organizing efforts and causes worth fighting for—many which should engender hope as we work together to make this a more just and decent nation.
Below are five that I believe are valuable in these times.
1) CIW Takes on the Supermarkets
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) enjoyed a remarkable 2010, successfully obtaining penny per pound pay raises and code of conduct agreements for farmworkers from the three largest $10,000 to as much as $17,000. The State Department also recognized Laura Germino, CIW’s antislavery campaign coordinator, as an “seven slavery operations in Florida over the last fifteen years, resulting in the liberation of over 1,000 farmworkers.
Now, the CIW’s Campaign for Fair Food—think human rights in the food industry—takes on the $550 billion supermarket industry and this kind of backward thinking: “We don’t have any plans to sit down with the CIW,” said Publix Media and Community Relations Manager Dwaine Stevens. “If there are some atrocities going on, it’s not our business.”  
Actually, the supply chains used by corporations to turn a profit—and how workers who give us the food we eat are treated—are absolutely the business of corporations and consumers. Publix, Ahold (parent company of Giant and Stop & Shop), Kroger, Trader Joe’s—all would be wise to either get on board or brace themselves. You can begin to educate yourself and get involved here. This is a fight we all need to be a part of in 2011.
2) Democracy Reform
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United public campaign financing system and a constitutional amendment granting Congress the authority to regulate corporate campaign expenditures.
We also need to reform our voting system to encourage full participation and end winner-take-all/lesser-of-two-evils elections. There was significant progress with instant runoff voting (IRV) in 2010—most notably in Oakland where a progressive city councilwoman scored a stunning upset in the mayoral contest. IRV allows citizens to rank the candidates on the ballot so they don’t fear “spoiler votes,” and it ensures that the winner is supported by a majority rather than a plurality.
Other key reforms to fight for in 2011 and beyond include ending abuse of the filibuster in the Senate, a DC Voting Rights, felon re-enfranchisement and universal voter registration. There is no shortage of excellent groups working on these issues—FairVote is one of the best and most under-appreciated. Common Cause, the Brennan Center, Demos and DC Vote also do excellent work. FreeSpeechForPeople.org and Move to Amend are focused on the constitutional amendment allowing Congress to regulate corporate campaign expenditures. These are some great places to start getting involved.
3) Afghanistan Exit Strategy
The War in Afghanistan is the longest in US history at 110 months, and the most expensive at $1 million per soldier and over $100 billion annually. There have been over 2,200 US and coalition casualties, and tens of thousands of Afghan civilian deaths. Additionally, nearly 600 US troops are wounded every month.
In 2011, that majority which has turned against the war will have to show Congress that the American people care about the lives and treasure being wasted in this war.   Inside the beltway, the Afghanistan Study Group led by former Marine Matthew Hoh has offered an alternative path to get out of Afghanistan. Outside the beltway, peace groups like Voters for Peace, Veterans for Peace, Win Without War, Peace Action and Codepink are helping to make sure that the voices are heard of the 60 percent of Americans who believe this war isn’t worth fighting.
Do your part to ensure that July 2011 begins a real withdrawal. End this war.
4) Taking on Poverty
The recent US Census revealed that forty-four million Americans—one in seven citizens—are now living below the poverty line, more than at any time since the Census Bureau began tracking poverty 51 years ago. Shamefully, that figure includes one in five children, more than one in four African Americans or Latinos and over 51 percent of female-headed families with children under 6.
You can begin to turn the tide on poverty by educating yourself on the issue. In 2011, in the face of an unsympathetic Republican House and deficit hawks who would force us to choose between Half In Ten is a great place to start. A project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and Coalition on Human Needs, it advocates for strong policies benefiting low- to moderate-income families, pursuing a national goal of cutting poverty in half in ten years. 
5) Building a Progressive Infrastructure
Whatever your issue—war, poverty, financial reform, clean energy, global warming—the prospects for change will be brighter if you also work to rebuild and strengthen the progressive movement in 2011.
In some ways, this work will necessarily be defensive—it will involve protecting Social Security, Medicare and other vital programs from being slashed at the national level. But these same fights will also offer opportunities to lay down markers for the future of our economy and politics, and to galvanize progressive support. We saw Congressional Progressive Caucus led by co-chair Congressmen Raúl Grijalva and Keith Ellison.
While opportunities for progress will be limited at the federal level, at the state and local levels prospects may be brighter, and success will depend in part on building coalitions around issues like drug reform, living wage campaigns and environmental sustainability. This is a year when we may also need to try more creative strategies, including nonviolent sit-ins and protests—around the climate crisis, joblessness, New Economy Working Group, offering grounded yet bold alternatives to make our economy more just, sustainable, equitable.
In 2011, as progressives try to strike a balance between needed short-term actions and long-term strategic thinking, here are some other groups—in addition to those you might already be involved with—that I believe are worth working with: Progressive Congress, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Campaign for America’s Future, Progressive States Network, Working Families Party and the Center for Community Change. 
Rest up, get healthy and strong—and be ready for some action that engenders hope come January 2. 

Apple, Steve Jobs hit new heights in 2010

NEW YORK (AFP) – Apple dethroned Microsoft as the world's most valuable technology company in 2010 as its co-founder Steve Jobs soared to new heights with the touchscreen iPad tablet computer and the latest iPhone.
Britain's Financial Times last week named Jobs its "Person of the Year" and even US President Barack Obama joined in the plaudits to the 55-year-old chief executive of the Cupertino, California-based gadget-maker.
Jobs' appearance on a San Francisco stage in January to unveil the iPad capped what the FT called "the most remarkable comeback in modern business history."
"It wasn't simply a matter of the illness that had sidelined him for half the year before, leaving him severely emaciated and eventually requiring a liver transplant," the newspaper said.
"Little more than a decade earlier, both Mr. Jobs' career and Apple, the company he had co-founded, were widely considered washed up, their relevance to the future of technology written off," it said.
Obama, at a White House news conference on Wednesday, held up Jobs as an example of the virtues of the "free market."
"We celebrate somebody like a Steve Jobs, who has created two or three different revolutionary products," Obama said. "We expect that person to be rich, and that's a good thing."
The iPad hit stores in the United States in April and Apple reported sales at the end of September of more than eight million of the devices that the FT said offer a glimpse into a world without a computer mouse or Windows.
Other technology firms are trying to match Apple's success with tablets of their own, including South Korea's Samsung, Canada's Research In Motion, maker of the Blackberry, and US computer giants Hewlett-Packard and Dell.
But none has yet to prove capable of preventing Apple from establishing the same dominance over the tablet computer market that it exercises over the MP3 music player scene with the ubiquitous iPod, introduced in 2001.
Goldman Sachs said it expects Apple to ship 37.2 million iPads in 2011 -- "which could potentially make Apple one of the largest vendors in the global personal computing market" -- tablets plus personal computers.
The iPad wasn't Apple's only hit product in 2010.
The iPhone 4, the latest version of the touchscreen smartphone introduced by Apple in 2007, sold 14.1 million units in the quarter which ended in September, up 91 percent over the same quarter a year earlier.
Even Apple TV, a product Jobs once dismissed as a "hobby," is notching up strong sales. Apple said last week that sales of the latest model of the set-top box that can stream content from the Web had topped one million units.
The rare blemishes on Apple's record in 2010 were its continuing inability to come out with a promised white model of the iPhone 4 and complaints of lost reception due to the radical antenna design on the device.
Apple shares, worth 10 dollars at the end of 2003, gained around 60 percent this year, closing at more than 320 dollars on Wall Street on Thursday.
In May, Apple surpassed Microsoft as the largest US technology company in terms of market value. The only companies with larger market capitalization than Apple's nearly 300 billion dollars are ExxonMobil and Petrochina.
Meeschaert New York analyst Gregori Volokhine described Apple's rise as "absolutely extraordinary" and said "every analyst has an even higher target price for next year, between 360 dollars and 430 dollars."
"Apple's more than just a company," Volokhine told AFP. "It's become a cultural phenomenon. The hard part now will be not to disappoint."

Firefox 4 Beta Provides Support for 3-D Graphics

Mozilla launched a new Firefox 4 beta release for PCs and laptops Wednesday featuring expanded support for 3-D graphics, together with a revamped Firefox add-on manager. And on the mobile side, Mozilla introduced several enhancements to the mobile version of Firefox 4 beta for smartphones based on Google's Android and Nokia's Maemo platforms.
The popular browser's new 3-D enhancements are based on WebGL -- an open standard for accelerated 3-D graphics rendering on the web that eliminates the need for users to install special plug-ins. As a result, developers will be able to render amazing visual experiences directly within the browser window, noted Firefox Product Manager Mike Beltzner.
"Firefox 4 beta now supports WebGL for most modern built-in graphics cards, making it easier for developers to create interactive 3-D games, vivid graphics, and new visual experiences for the web without the use of third-party plug-ins," Beltzner wrote in a blog.
Browser-based 3-D
Applications that formerly would have been possible only on the desktop or with plug-ins become possible in any modern browser that supports WebGL, noted Principal Firefox Engineer Vlad Vukicevic. "3-D games, interactive product displays, scientific and medical visualization, shared virtual environments, and 3-D content creation all become possible on the web," he wrote in a blog.
WebGL is based on OpenGL ES 2.0 -- the same 3D API used for Android and iOS development, Vukicevic observed. By including WebGL -- together with Mozilla's work on HTML5 video and audio support -- Firefox 4 beta now supports "a full set of web technologies" for building rich and compelling applications on the web, he wrote.
"WebGL focuses on OpenGL ES 2.0 feature compatibility to ensure content compatibility with mobile devices," Vukicevic explained. "However, ES 2.0 is behind the latest advances on the desktop today, [and] in the future various desktop features may become available in WebGL in the form of extensions."
What's more, Firefox 4 beta updates add-ons automatically to ensure that the user's browser is always up to date. "This should happen without you even noticing, keeping add-ons safe and fast while eliminating the hassle of [manually] updating," wrote Firefox team member Jennifer Boriss in a blog.
Syncing Devices
Firefox 4 beta now includes a streamlined Firefox Sync setup for acquiring the same address-bar history, bookmarks, open tabs, and passwords across PCs and laptops as well as smartphones running Android or Maemo. For example, developers have made some significant UI improvements to make setting up new accounts or devices for Firefox Sync easier and faster, noted Ragavan Srinivasan, project manager for Firefox Sync.
"You are no longer required to come up with a secret phrase or a sync key," Srinivasan wrote in a blog. "It is automatically generated for you."
Like its PC counterpart, the new mobile version of Firefox 4 beta makes the discovery of add-ons easier and simplifies Firefox Sync setup. The latter is important for mobile users because it reduces the amount of typing needed to securely access browsing history, bookmarks, tabs and passwords, noted Firefox team member Stuart Parmenter.
Users of compatible smartphones also are now able to save web sites as PDFs for later reading, Parmenter wrote in a blog. Additionally, the new mobile version of Firefox 4 beta offers "support for 'copy and paste' in the URL bar," he added.

Britain's queen delivers annual Christmas message

LONDON – Britain's Queen Elizabeth II championed the role of sports in building communities Saturday in her annual Christmas message to the nation, crediting athletics with teaching valuable social skills and providing a different perspective on life.
The queen's remarks come at a controversial moment in British sporting history. The government recently was criticized for plans to cut funding to a school sports program. It partly rescinded the decision after an outcry from athletes and educators. Britain is also preparing to host the 2012 Olympics in London.
"In the parks of towns and cities, and on village greens up and down the country, countless thousands of people every week give up their time to participate in sport and exercise of all sorts, or simply encourage others to do so," the 84-year-old monarch said in the prerecorded address.
The queen said that a wealth of sporting events this year — from the World Cup to the Commonwealth Games — have shown how the benefits of sports go beyond improving physical fitness to play a key role in bringing together people from all backgrounds, ages and walks of life.
"No team can hope to succeed without cooperation between the players," she said, noting that athletes must also respect their opponents. "This sort of positive team spirit can benefit communities, companies and enterprises of all kinds."
As she spoke, the television broadcast showed footage of princes William and Harry playing soccer with African orphans in Lesotho, illustrating the royal family's long and documented affinity for athletics.
The queen enjoys riding horses on her Windsor estate, and many members of her family are keen amateur athletes. Her husband, Prince Philip, his son prince Charles and Charles' sons William and Harry have all played polo.
Granddaughter Zara Phillips is a world champion equestrian, and recently announced her engagement to professional rugby player Mike Tindall. Zara's mother Princess Anne was also on the national equestrian team.

Click image to see photos of Zara Phillips

AP/Steve Parsons, Pool, File

Wearing a matching purple dress and coat topped off with a large brooch and three strands of pearls, the queen briefly touched on the theme of last year's Christmas message: British troops fighting in Afghanistan.
"One only has to think of the injured men and women of the armed forces to see how an interest in games and sport can speed recovery and renew a sense of purpose, enjoyment and comradeship," the queen said.
This year's message was taped at the queen's suggestions in the Royal Chapel at Hampton Court Palace near London, which was the residence of King Henry VIII. The broadcast has generally been recorded at Buckingham Palace.
The queen, who has made a Christmas broadcast on radio since 1952 and on television since 1957, made no mention of the upcoming wedding of her grandson William, whose military obligations kept him away from the family's Christmas celebration.
She writes the speeches herself, and the broadcasts mark the rare occasion on which the queen voices her own opinion without government consultation.
The queen's message typically plays a key role in the royal Christmas schedule, which earlier Saturday began with a traditional Christmas morning service at the Sandringham Estate in eastern England.
The queen arrived by car at St. Mary Magdalene Church, bundled in a winter coat and large furry hat. Scores of onlookers lined a pathway to watch as other members of the royal family, including Prince Harry, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, arrived on foot.
William and his fiancee Kate Middleton were not there because William is on Royal Air Force duty in Wales. Middleton is believed to be spending Christmas Day with her family.
After the short service, Charles stopped to chat with those who had braved the cold to catch a glimpse of the royal family. Police estimated that more than 1,000 people had turned out, many wielding cameras and carrying flowers for the queen and her family.
The Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of York and his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie also were in attendance and mingled with onlookers before the group headed back to the estate for lunch and a viewing of the broadcast.
The royals, whose holiday schedule is usually private except for the church service, typically take a Christmas walk through the woods after watching the broadcast.

Olympic filmmaker Bud Greenspan dies at 84 in NYC

Bud Greenspan, the filmmaker whose documentaries often soared as triumphantly as the Olympic athletes he chronicled for more than six decades, died at his home in New York City. He was 84.
He died Saturday from complications of Parkinson's disease, companion Nancy Beffa said. Greenspan's most recent work dealt with the rough cuts of films from the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games.
The award-winning filmmaker unapologetically focused on both the large and small successes of the athletes in the Summer and Winter Games. His career took off with a film he made in 1964 about Olympian Jesse Owens returning to the scene of his gold-medal achievements in Berlin some 30 years earlier. But Greenspan never lost his love for the smallest victories as well.
His favorite Olympic moment remained a last-place finish by Tanzanian marathoner John Stephen Ahkwari at Mexico City in 1968.
"He came in about an hour and a half after the winner. He was practically carrying his leg, it was so bloodied and bandaged," Greenspan recalled in an interview with ESPN.com nearly a decade ago. "I asked him, 'Why did you keep going?' He said, 'You don't understand. My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start a race, they sent me to finish it.' That sent chills down my spine and I've always remembered it."
Greenspan described the Olympics as "two weeks of love. It's Like Never Never Land. Like Robin Hood shooting his arrow through the other guy's arrow.
"It's a privilege to be associated with the best in the world," he said in that interview. "How many times are you with the best in the world in something? They bring things forward that they don't ordinarily do.
"I spend my time on about the 99 percent of what's good about the Olympics and most people spend 100 percent of their time on the one percent that's negative. I've been criticized for seeing things through rose-colored glasses, but the percentages are with me."
The International Olympic Committee described Greenspan as a "true supporter of the Olympic Games and their values throughout his career."
Greenspan, a native New Yorker, cut a distinct figure with his eyeglasses perched atop a bald dome. He got his start in radio before turning to film.

Spider-Man actor walking again after back surgery

NEW YORK – A stunt actor who fell 30 feet while playing Spider-Man on Broadway is walking again, and his father said Saturday that he can't wait to return to the role despite injuries that have him confined to the intensive care unit.
Christopher Tierney walked Friday for the first time since his fall during Monday's performance of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" and was spending Christmas with his mother and brother in the hospital while recovering from back surgery, Tim Tierney told The Associated Press.
Julie Taymor, the director and co-writer of the $65 million production, visited the injured actor in the hospital on Christmas Eve, Tierney said. The show — the most expensive ever on Broadway — has been plagued by technical glitches, money woes and three other injuries, including a concussion and two broken wrists.
"They're eagerly awaiting his return," the actor's father said from his home in Portsmouth, N.H. "He just felt so blessed to be part of this whole creative process, and he just cannot wait to get back and perform in the show."
Tim Tierney said he believes his son will regain close to full mobility after recovering from a roster of injuries that included a hairline skull fracture, four broken ribs, a bruised lung, internal bleeding and cracks in three lumbar vertebrae.
Christopher Tierney will remain in the intensive care unit until at least Monday, then stay in New York City for rehabilitation.
As for when a return to the show might be possible, Tim Tierney said he was more positive than his son's doctors, who did not give a time frame for recovery.
"Doctors — they're always pessimistic," he said, adding that the pins and rods his son now has in his lower back will come out after he heals.
The actor's plunge from a ledge into a stage pit, despite a safety harness that should have prevented the spill, was not caused by equipment failure, Tim Tierney said, without elaborating. State Department of Labor officials have said the cause is still under investigation, and the Actors' Equity Association union has said the fall was caused by human error.
The much-anticipated production, teaming "Lion King" creator Taymor with U2 songwriters Bono and The Edge, has had a bumpy ride to Broadway. It has been in previews for a month, and its official Broadway opening has twice been postponed. It is now set for early February.
"Spider-Man" had to cancel two preview performances after the actor's fall, then reopened Thursday with the blessing of the Department of Labor after instituting what agency spokesman Leo Rosales has called a new set of "very strict safety and security measures."
The production had a scheduled night off Friday before it returned to the stage Christmas night before a standing room only crowd, spokesman Rick Miramontez said. The show was trouble free, he said.

Elusive Saharan Cheetah Captured in Photos

An elusive Saharan cheetah recently came into the spotlight in Niger, Africa, where a hidden camera snapped photos of the ghostly cat, whose pale coat and emaciated appearance distinguish it from other cheetahs.
In one of the images the sleek, light-colored cat with small spots on its coat and a small head is turning in the direction of the camera, its eyes aglow.
Its appearance, and how the Saharan cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki) is genetically related to other cheetahs is open to question, said John Newby, CEO of the Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF), who is part of the team, along with SCF's Thomas Rabeil and others, who captured the camera-trap snapshots between July ad August. What they know about this species comes from the few photos they've managed to capture. [Image of Saharan cheetah]
"I think we were more happy than surprised when the images turned up, because we knew cheetahs were in the general area because we had seen their tracks on several occasions," Newby said. "However, the area is so vast that picking up an animal as rare as this always entails a lot of luck and good judgment on where to place the cameras."
The animal is so rare and elusive scientists aren't sure how many even exist, though they estimate from the few observations they've made of the animal and tracks that fewer than 10 individuals call the vast desert of Termit and Tin Toumma in Niger home. Fewer than 200 cheetahs probably exist in the entire Sahara. [10 Species You Can Kiss Goodbye]
Losing this cheetah would also mean losing important genetic and biological diversity, as these animals have adaptations for survival in extreme desert conditions.
Their home can reach sizzling temperatures up to 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius), and is so parched no standing water exists. "They probably satisfy their water requirements through the moisture in their prey, and on having extremely effective physiological and behavioral adaptations," Newby said.
[Photos: Scientists discover adorable new bearded monkey]
In an effort to conserve water and stay out of the heat, the Saharan cheetah is even more nocturnal than other cheetahs.
Spotting these cats in the wild has been a challenge. "They are incredibly shy and elusive animals," Newby said. In addition, they likely have broad home ranges since their prey - gazelles, hares, large birds and smaller rodents - are relatively scarce. Observations that have been made suggest they prefer caves and rock shelters as breeding dens.
Among the threats to the pale cat are scarcity of prey due to poaching and overuse, and conflicts with herders over stock harassment and killing of their animals, according to SCF. Apparently cheetah skins are prized as prayer rugs or used to make slippers.
"They are suspected of taking goats and even baby camels, and as a result are persecuted just like most other large predators," Newby said. "Work underway with local nomads is putting together the true picture of livestock predation in an attempt to reduce the arbitrary slaughter of carnivores that has massively reduced populations of cheetah and striped hyenas."
Newby and Rabeil say the camera-trap study will provide tangible evidence for the cheetah's existence in the Termit area.
"The more we know about the animal the better we can conserve it, including pinpointing key areas for extra protection," Newby said. "The cheetah's presence adds weight to arguments for the entire zone's protection as a nature reserve and strengthens our ability to raise support for conservation activities."
The Saharan cheetah is listed as critically endangered on the 2009 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (IUCN stands for International Union for Conservation of Nature.)

Britain mulls laws to fine airports after snow chaos

Britain is considering new laws to fine airport operators if they disrupt passengers' journeys due to poor planning, the government said on Sunday, after snow led to widespread cancellations and delays last week. 

Snow and ice grounded flights across Britain and northern Europe before Christmas, raising questions over whether airport operators should have been better prepared.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said managers at Heathrow, the world's busiest international airport, had badly underestimated how much de-icing fluid they would need.
One of two runways at Heathrow, owned by Spanish company Ferrovial, was closed for four days due to the snow and many planes were frozen in their parking bays.
European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas called the disruption unacceptable and said he may force airports by law to provide a minimum level of service during bad weather.
The transport ministry said the disruption had highlighted the weakness of the aviation regulator's existing powers to hold airport operators to account.
"The government is committed to reforming the way airports are regulated, putting passengers at the very heart of how they are run," a Department for Transport spokeswoman said. "This will require primary legislation and we are considering options for how best to take this forward."
Any new laws could see the biggest airport operators granted licences that they risk losing if they fail to cope with emergencies such as extreme weather, Hammond said in an interview with the Sunday Times newspaper.
"Because airports are ultimately strategic infrastructure, we probably need to have as a very last resort some powers to intervene in the way we don't have at the moment," Hammond was quoted as saying. His ministry did not give details of the timing and exact form of any new legislation on airport operators.
After recent criticism, BAA announced an inquiry into its handling of the icy weather and promised to spend an extra 10 million pounds on measures to cope with snow.

Religious clashes flare in central Nigeria

Clashes broke out between armed Christian and Muslim groups near the central Nigerian city of Jos on Sunday, a Reuters witness said, after Christmas Eve bombings in the region killed more than 30 people. 

Buildings were set ablaze and people were seen running for cover as the police and military arrived on the scene in an effort to disperse crowds.

This correspondent saw dozens of buildings on fire and injured people covered in blood being dragged by friends and family to hospital.
The unrest was triggered by explosions on Christmas Eve in villages near Jos, capital of Plateau state, that killed at least 32 people and left 74 critically injured.
The Red Cross said on Saturday it was not in a position to state the total number of deaths caused by the explosions but confirmed that 95 were seriously injured in hospital.
Vice President Namadi Sambo will travel to Jos on Sunday.
"The vice president is on his way to Jos to make an effort to quell this crisis," Sambo's spokesman said.
The unrest has come at a difficult time for President Goodluck Jonathan, who is running a controversial campaign ahead of the ruling party's primaries on January 13.
A ruling party pact says that power within the People's Democratic Party (PDP) should rotate between the mostly Muslim north and largely Christian south every two terms.
"POLITICAL"
Jonathan is a southerner who inherited office when President Umaru Yar'Adua, a northerner, died during his first term this year and some northern factions in the ruling party are opposed to his candidacy.
Jonathan faces a challenge from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for the ruling party nomination, and some fear any unrest in Africa's most populous nation will be exploited by rivals during campaigning.
The governor of Plateau state has said the bombings were politically motivated terrorism, aimed at pitting Christians against Muslims to start another round of violence.
Christians, Muslims and animists from a patchwork of ethnic groups live peacefully side by side in most Nigerian cities.
But hundreds of people died in religious and ethnic clashes at the start of the year in the central Middle Belt and there are fears politicians could try to stoke such rivalries as the elections approach.
The tensions are rooted in decades of resentment between indigenous groups, mostly Christian or animist, who are vying for control of fertile farmlands and for economic and political power with mostly Muslim migrants and settlers from the north.
The African Union (AU) on Saturday released a statement condemning the Christmas Eve bombings and offered its condolences to the families of those who have died.
"(The AU) reaffirms the determination of the African Union to combat terrorism and to continue to support the efforts being deployed by Member States in this respect," a statement from AU chairman Jean Ping said.
(Additional reporting by Felix Onuah in Abuja and Aaron Maasho in Nairobi; writing by Joe Brock; editing by Mark Trevelyan)

New Zealand military releases UFO files

The New Zealand military released hundreds of previously classified reports Wednesday detailing claims of unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings and alien encounters. 

The reports, dating from 1954 to 2009, were released under freedom of information laws after the New Zealand Defence Force removed names and other identifying material.

In about 2,000 pages of documents, members of the public, military personnel and commercial pilots outline close encounters, mostly involving moving lights in the sky.
Some of the accounts include drawings of flying saucers, descriptions of aliens wearing "pharaoh masks" and alleged examples of extraterrestrial writing.
Before their release, Air Force squadron leader Kavae Tamariki said the Defence Force did not have the resources to investigate UFO sightings and would not be commenting on the files' contents.
"We've just been a collection point for the information. We don't investigate or make reports, we haven't substantiated anything in them," he told the Dominion Post.
One of the most comprehensive files concerns two sightings of strange lights off the South Island town of Kaikoura in 1978, one of which was captured by a television crew aboard a plane in the area.
The incident made international headlines at the time but a contemporary Air Force report found it could be explained by natural phenomena such as lights from boats being reflected off clouds or an unusual view of the planet Venus.
The original documents on which the reports released Wednesday were based will remain sealed in the national archive, some until 2080.

DNA Discovery May Make Chocolate Tastier

Chocolate may soon become even more irresistible thanks to a group of scientists who have pieced together the genetic code of the cacao tree. 

It is hoped the DNA sequence will lead to chocolate that is healthier and tastier, and increase the sustainability of cacao crops and benefit millions of farmers.

The US researchers worked with a variety of cacao called Criollo that produces the world's best chocolate.
It was domesticated by the Maya people of Central America 3,000 years ago but is seldom grown in its pure form today.
Cacao farmers now prefer hybrid trees that yield poorer chocolate but are more resistant to disease.
Currently, production of fine cocoa - the raw ingredient of chocolate made from cacao beans - makes up less than 5% of the world total.
But the new genome, or genetic code blueprint, could see a return to the supreme quality chocolate enjoyed by the Maya.
The scientists assembled 84% of the cacao genome and identified 28,798 genes that code for proteins.
They also found that microRNAs - short strands of genetic material that help regulate genes - had a major influence on Criollo gene activity.
It is hoped the information will be used to develop high quality, disease-resistant strains.
Dr Siela Maximova, a member of the team from Pennsylvania State University, said: "Our analysis of the Criollo genome has uncovered the genetic basis of pathways leading to the most important quality traits of chocolate - oil, flavonoid and terpene biosynthesis.
"It has also led to the discovery of hundreds of genes potentially involved in pathogen resistance, all of which can be used to accelerate the development of elite varieties of cacao in the future."
The research is published in the journal Nature Genetics.

Murder Probe As Teen's Body Found In Bath

Murder squad police are investigating the death of a badly injured 15-year-old boy found in a bath. 

The teenager was discovered apparently drowned and with a number of other injuries at the property in Newham, east London, at lunchtime on Christmas Day.

A man and a woman, both aged 27, have been arrested.
Police were called by London Ambulance Service to the property in Hathaway Crescent at 12.15pm following reports of a drowning.
Officers found the boy in the bath with "a number of injuries" and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Next of kin are aware, Scotland Yard said.
The death is being treated as suspicious and a post-mortem will be held.
Members of the Met's Homicide and Serious Crime Command are investigating.
The two people arrested are in custody at separate police stations in east London.

Fakta-Fakta Misterius Dalam Sejarah Evolusi Manusia

Manusia adalah makhluk unik dan penuh misteri di antara kehidupan di planet bumi.  Bagaimanakah manusia berevolusi? Langkah-langkah apa yang datang pertama?

Mengapa manusia  berevolusi dengan cara ini dan bukan cara yang lain? Mengapa kita satu-satunya spesies manusia yang ada? Apa mungkin manusia  telah mengalami penurunan kualitas dalam berevolusi? 

 

Dan adakah petunjuk yang memungkinkan manusia meninggalkan planet bumi? Berikut ini  adalah tulisan Charles Q. Choi, Penulis Khusus Livescience yang diterjemahkan secara bebas dengan tujuan dapat memberikan manfaat bagi yang membacanya sehingga menambah wawasan tentang sejatinya seorang manusia.
 

Berasal Darimanakah Manusia Modern ?

Credit: Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology 

 

Pertanyaan yang paling sering diperdebatkan dalam disiplin ilmu evolusi manusia adalah  dari mana manusia modern berevolusi. Hipotesa  Out-of-Africa menyatakan bahwa manusia modern relatif baru dalam berevolusi di Afrika. 

 

Kemudian menyebar di seluruh dunia dan menggantikan populasi manusia kuno yang pernah ada. Hipotesis multiregional berpendapat bahwa manusia modern berevolusi di wilayah yang luas dari manusia kuno dengan populasi di berbagai daerah yang  melakukan perkawinan dengan  sesama mereka sehingga menyebar menjadi beberapa suku bangsa yang selanjutnya menghasilkan evolusi manusia modern. 

Pada saat ini hipotesis Out-of -Africa menjadi pegangan dan acuan dalam teori evolusi manusia modern tetapi para pendukung hipotesis multiregional tetap kuat dalam pandangannya.

Siapa Hominid Pertama?

Credit: © 2009, J.H. Matternes.

 

Para ilmuwan mengungkap lebih banyak dan lebih kuno hominid sepanjang waktu. Hal ini  berarti makhluk berkaki dua termasuk manusia, nenek moyang langsung dan kerabat terdekat.

Para ilmuwan  berusaha untuk menemukan manusia pertama  untuk membantu menjawab pertanyaan yang paling mendasar dalam evolusi manusia  yaitu adaptasi apa yang dilakukan  manusia dan bagaimana hal ini bisa  terjadi? 

 

Apakah kita berhubungan seks dengan Neanderthal?

Credit: Michael Hofreiter and Kurt Fiusterweier/MPG EVA 

 

Apakah kita saling kawin? Apakah spesies kita memiliki sisa gen apapun dari sepupu kita yang sudah punah? Para ilmuwan menduga  bahwa mungkin Neanderthal tidak mati melainkan diserap ke dalam manusia modern.

 

Mengapa manusia modern melebarkan sayapnya   keluar dari Afrika sekitar 50.000 tahun yang lalu?

Credit: Stockxpert 

 

Sekitar 50.000 tahun yang lalu, manusia modern melebarkan sayapnya keluar dari Afrika, menyebar dengan cepat di sebagian besar wilayah dunia untuk menjajah semua benua kecuali Antartika, dan bahkan mencapai wilayah yang paling terpencil Kepulauan Pasifik.

Sejumlah ilmuwan menduga migrasi ini dikaitkan dengan mutasi yang mengubah otak kita, yang mengarah ke modern, penggunaan bahasa yang kompleks dan pemakaian alat-alat yang lebih canggih, seni dan masyarakat. 

 

Apakah hobbit ?

Credit: National Geographic Society/ Peter Schouten

 

‘Hobbit’ adalah julukan yang diberikan kepada kerangka kecil yang ditemukan di pulau Flores Indonesia pada tahun 2003. Sebenarnya Hobbit merupakan spesies manusia yang telah punah.

Apakah cukup disebut Homo Floresiensis? Apakah kerangka ini hanya contoh dari Homo sapiens cacat? Apakah mereka spesies yang berbeda dari kita, tapi mungkin bukan spesies manusia punah dan bagian yang tak  terpisahkan dari simpanse?

Memecahkan misteri ini bisa membantu memberi petunjuk pada jalur radikal evolusi manusia yang mungkin pernah terjadi. 

 

Apakah terjadi percepatan  evolusi manusia ?

Bukti terbaru menunjukkan bahwa manusia  tidak hanya berkembang, tapi sebenarnya terjadi percepatan evolusi manusia hingga 100 kali tingkat historis setelah penyebaran pertanian.

Sejumlah ilmuwan mengatakan bahwa hal itu tetap sulit untuk memastikan apakah ada atau tidak gen tertentu benar-benar tumbuh dan menonjol karena menawarkan beberapa keuntungan adaptif.

Namun, jika evolusi manusia dipercepat, pertanyaannya menjadi mengapa? Mungkin diet dan penyakit yang memberikan tekanan sehingga menyebabkan manusia untuk berubah.

 

Mengapa kerabat terdekat kita punah?

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech 

 

Sekitar 24.000 tahun yang lalu, spesies Homo sapiens hidup tidak sendirian di dunia karena kerabat terdekat kita yaitu Neanderthal, (Homo neanderthalensis) masih hidup.

‘Hobbit’ yang  ditemukan di Indonesia mungkin juga telah menjadi anggota dari genus Homo, dan itu tampaknya bertahan hingga 12.000 tahun yang lalu. Jadi, mengapa mereka mati dan kami bertahan?

Apakah infeksi atau perubahan radikal dalam lingkungan yang  membunuh mereka? Atau apakah spesies kita melakukan perubahan lebih  jauh daripada mereka? Beberapa bukti ada untuk kedua skenario, namun tidak ada kesimpulan yang  disepakati. 

 

Apa yang terjadi pada rambut kita?

Credit: Matthew Bowden 

 

Bulu manusia tampak unik pada saat  telanjang dibandingkan dengan sepupunya yaitu kera hairier. Jadi, mengapa ketelanjangan ini berevolusi? Salah satu alasannya  adalah nenek moyang kita merontokkan bulunya agar tetap bertahan ketika bertualang di savana Afrika yang panas.

Kehilangan bulu yang tebal membantu membebaskan manusia dari penyebaran  infestasi parasit dan penyakit. Satu ide yang tidak biasa menunjukkan ketelanjangan manusia berkembang setelah nenek moyangnya menyesuaikan hidupnya dalam menggunakan air yang lebih efisien. 

 

Mengapa manusia berjalan dengan dua kaki?

Credit: Bill Sellers/University of Manchester 

 

Nenek moyang manusia berkembang dengan postur tegak baik sebelum otak tumbuh besar atau alat-alat batu muncul. Pertanyaannya adalah mengapa manusia berdiri dan berjalan dengan dua kaki pada saat sepupunya kera kedapatan berjalan dengan empat anggota badan?  

 

Ternyata berjalan sebagai makhluk berkaki dua benar-benar menggunakan energi yang lebih sedikit dibandingkan bergerak merangkak dengan empat anggota tubuhnya.

Membebaskan lengan telah memungkinkan nenek moyang manusia dapat  membawa lebih banyak makanan. Berdiri tegak membantu manusia mengontrol suhu lebih baik dengan mengurangi kulit secara langsung terkena sinar matahari.
 

Mengapa otak manusia tumbuh besar ?

Credit: NIH, NIDA 

 

Tidak ada pertanyaan bahwa otak besar manusia telah memberikan keuntungan luar biasa di dunia. Namun otak manusia adalah organ yang sangat mahal, mengambil hanya sekitar 2 persen dari massa tubuh dan menggunakan lebih dari seperlima dari energi tubuh.

Sampai sekitar 2 juta tahun yang lalu tidak satu pun dari nenek moyang manusia memiliki otak lebih besar dari kera bila dibandingkan dengan ukuran tubuh. Jadi apa yang mendorong otak menjadi lebih besar? 

 

Salah satu kemungkinan adalah bahwa kecerdasan yang makin meningkat sehingga membantu nenek moyang manusia membuat alat yang lebih baik. Selain itu otak besar membantu manusia berinteraksi lebih baik dengan sesamanya. Mungkin juga perubahan radikal dalam lingkungan menuntut  nenek moyang manusia berhubungan dengan perubahan dunia.

 

Sumber :
ge-book.com

Monster-Monster Sungai Dengan Bentuk Yang Mengerikan

Layaknya lautan, sungai juga merupakan tempat bagi ribuan jenis hewan air tawar. Tidak hanya ikan, di sungai pun ditemukan berbagai jenis makhluk dengan bentuk cukup aneh dan mungkin belum pernah kalian bayangkan sebelumnya.

1. African Lungfish

Makhluk sungai yang cukup aneh menurut saya. Bagi orang yang belum pernah melihatnya, pasti akan mengira makhluk ini sebagai monster karena bentuknya yang menyeramkan.

Namun, meskipun bentuknya mengerikan, hewan ini sama sekali tidak berbahaya. Ikan ini beradaptasi dengan lingkungannya yang kurang oksigen, sehingga membuat ikan ini jarang terlihat oleh manusia.

2. Goliath Tigerfish

Mendengar namanya saja, kita sudah tahu jika makhluk ini bukan makhluk sembarangan. Dengan panjang mencapai 1,5 meter lebih dan gigi yang tajam, tentu banyak orang yang takut dengan tampang seram ikan ini.

Goliath Tigerfish merupakan varian terbesar dalam keluarga Tigerfish, dan merupakan predator yang hebat. Ikan ini terkenal akan kekuatan dan kecepatannya.

3. Vampire Piranha

Piranha Vampir merupakan kerabat dekat dari ikan piranha yang terkenal dari sungai Amazon. Ikan ini dinamakan vampir piranha karena gigi taringnya yang dapat mencapai 6 inci. Ikan piranha yang jarang diketahui ini hidup di sungai Orinoco, Venezuela.

4. Mekong Giant Catfish

 

Pasti sebagian besar pembaca sudah mengetahui ikan yang satu ini. Ikan yang hampir mirip dengan hiu paus ini merupakan ikan air tawar terbesar yang pernah ditemukan dan berasal dari China. Ukuran terbesarnya lebih mendekati paus ketimbang ikan air tawar pada umumnya.

5. Bagarius Yarelli

Dikenal juga sebagai "Yeti dari sungai" atau Ikan lele pemakan daging. Ikan ini mempunyai gigi - gigi tajam dengan panjang mencapai 1 inci. Bahkan, ikan yang habitatnya tersebar di beberapa negara di Asia ini dikatakan suka memakan daging manusia, walaupun masih sebatas rumor.

6. Alligator Gar

Makhluk sungai yang satu ini tampak seperti perpaduan antara alligator dengan ikan. Hewan yang hidup di Amerika Utara ini jarang berburu mangsa, namun menunggu mangsa yang lewat di depan mulutnya, kemudian ia menerkamnya dengan kecepatan yang luar biasa.

7. Pirarucu

Sekilas Pirarucu mirip sekali dengan ikan arwana yang terkenal di Indonesia, ikan ini pun memiliki kesamaan dengan ikan arwana, yaitu sama - sama suka melompat ke udara untuk berburu maupun menghirup udara.

Ikan ini sejatinya tidak berbahaya, namun jika merasa terancam, ia akan menggunakan kepalanya untuk senjata pertahanan diri.

8. Chinese Paddle Fish

Ikan yang berasal dari China ini memang unik. Banyak orang yang mengatakan jika ikan ini adalah ikan dengan wajah terburuk di dunia. Meskipun mendapat julukan sebagai Raja Sungai Yangtze, namun ikan ini diduga telah punah.

9. Piraiba Catfish

Ikan yang panjangnya bisa mencapai 3 meter dengan berat 272 kg ini membuat takut sebagian besar pemancing. Ikan ini terkenal akan kekuatannya, bahkan ikan ini dikatakan mampu membuat seorang manusia tenggelam karena kekuatannya.

Banyak rumor yang beredar jika penyebab pemancing - pemancing yang hilang ketika memancing di sungai adalah karena diseret oleh ikan ini kedalam sungai hingga tenggelam.

Well, ternyata sungai pun tidak kalah dengan lautan, banyak makhluk - makhluk unik hidup disini. Walaupun bentuk - fisik mereka terbilang unik dan aneh, namun tidak bisa dipungkiri lagi jika bumi masih menyimpan banyak potensi yang belum ditemukan olah manusia.

Sumber :
vahn-saryu1.blogspot.com

Obat Kanker Paling Ampuh yang Ditutupi Selama Bertahun-tahun

Selama ini kita tahu bahwa kanker hanya bisa diobati dengan terapi kemo. Namun tampaknya persepsi ini harus dihapus dan dibuang sejauh-jauhnya. Kenapa?

Karena sebenarnya ada obat alami untuk membunuh sel kanker yang kekuatannya Sepuluh Ribu Kali Lipat lebih ampuh dibanding terapi kemo. Obat alami ini adalah buah yang familiar dengan orang Indonesia.

Buah Sirsak

Tapi kenapa kita tidak tahu ?

Karena salah satu perusahaan Dunia merahasiakan penemuan riset mengenai hal ini serapat-rapatnya, mereka ingin dana riset yang di keluarkan sangat besar, selama bertahun-tahun, dapat kembali lebih dulu plus keuntungan berlimpah dengan cara membuat pohon Graviola Sintetis sebagai bahan baku obat dan obatnya di jual ke pasar dunia.

Memprihatinkan, beberapa orang meninggal sia-sia, mengenaskan, karena keganasan kanker, sedangkan perusahaan raksasa, pembuat obat dengan omzet milyaran dollar menutup rapat-rapat rahasia keajaiban pohon graviola ini.

Pohonnya rendah, di brazil dinamai "Graviola", di Spanyol "Guanabana" bahasa inggrisnya "soursop". Di Indonesia, ya buah sirsak. Buahnya berduri lunak, daging buah berwarna putih, rasanya manis-manis kecut / asam, dimakan dengan cara membuka kulitnya atau di buat jus.

Khasiat dari buah sirsak ini memberikan efek anti tumor / kanker yang sangat kuat, dan terbukti secara medis menyembuhkan segala jenis kanker. Selain menyembuhkan kanker, buah sirsak juga berfungsi sebagai anti bakteri, anti jamur (fungi), efektif melawan berbagai jenis parasit / cacing, menurunkan tekanan darah tinggi, depresi, stress, dan menormalkan kembali system syaraf yang kurang baik.

Salah satu contoh betapa pentingnya keberadaan Health Science Institute bagi orang-orang Amerika adalah institute ini membuka tabir rahasia buah ajaib ini.

Fakta yang mencengangkan adalah jauh dipedalaman hutan amazon, tumbuh "pohon ajaib", yang akan merubah cara berpikir anda, dokter anda, dan dunia mengenai proses penyembuhan kanker dan harapan untuk bertahan hidup. Tidak ada yang bisa menjanjikan lebih dari hal ini, untuk masa-masa yang akan datang.

Riset membuktikan "pohon ajaib" dan buahnya ini bisa :

1. Menyerang sel kanker dengan aman dan efektif secara alami, tanpa rasa mual, berat badan turun, rambut rontok, seperti yang terjadi pada terapi kemo.
2. Melindungi sistim kekebalan tubuh dan mencegah dari infeksi yang mematikan.
3. Pasien merasakan lebih kuat, lebih sehat selama proses perawatan / penyembuhan.
4. Energi meningkat dan penampilan fisik membaik.

Sumber berita sangat mengejutkan ini berasal dari salah satu pabrik obat terbesar di Amerika. Buah Graviola ditest di lebih dari 20 Laboratorium, sejak tahun 1970-an sampai beberapa tahun berikutnya.

Hasil test dari ekstrak (sari) buah ini adalah :

1. Secara efektif memilih target dan membunuh sel jahat dari 12 tipe kanker yang berbeda, diantaranya kanker : Usus Besar, Payudara, Prostat, Paru-paru, dan Pankreas.
2. Daya kerjanya 10.000 kali lebih kuat dalam memperlambat pertumbuhan sel kanker dibandingkan dengan Adriamicin dan Terapi Kemo yang biasa di gunakan.
3. Tidak seperti terapi kemo, sari buah ini secara selektif hanya memburu dan membunuh sel-sel jahat dan tidak membahayakan / membunuh sel-sel sehat.

Riset telah di lakukan secara ekstensive pada pohon "ajaib" ini, selama bertahun-tahun tapi kenapa kita tidak tahu apa-apa mengenai hal ini?

Jawabnya adalah begitu mudah kesehatan kita, kehidupan kita, dikendalikan oleh yang memiliki uang dan kekuasaan.

Salah satu perusahaan obat terbesar di Amerika dengan omzet milyaran dollar melakukan riset luar biasa pada pohon Graviola yang tumbuh di hutan Amazon ini.

Ternyata beberapa bagian dari pohon ini : Kulit kayu, akar, daun, daging buah dan bijinya, selama berabad-abad menjadi obat bagi suku Indian di Amerika selatan untuk menyembuhkan : sakit jantung, asma, masalah liver (hati) dan reumatik.

Dengan bukti-bukti ilmiah yang minim, perusahaan mengucurkan dana dan sumber daya manusia yang sangat besar guna melakukan riset dan aneka test. Hasilnya sangat mencengangkan. Graviola secara ilmiah terbukti sebagai mesin pembunuh sel kanker.

Tapi, kisah Graviola hampir berakhir disini. Kenapa?

Dibawah undang-undang federal, sumber bahan alami untuk obat DILARANG / TIDAK BISA dipatenkan.

Perusahaan menghadapi masalah besar, berusaha sekuat tenaga dengan biaya sangat besar untuk membuat sinthesa / cloning dari Graviola ini agar bisa di patenkan sehingga dana yang di keluarkan untuk riset dan aneka test bisa kembali, dan bahkan meraup keuntungan besar.

Tapi usaha ini tidak berhasil. Graviola tidak bisa di-kloning. Perusahaan gigit jari setelah mengeluarkan dana milyaran dollar untuk riset dan aneka test.

Ketika mimpi untuk mendapatkan keuntungan lebih besar berangsur-angsur memudar, kegiatan riset dan test juga berhenti. Lebih parah lagi, perusahaan menutup proyek ini dan memutuskan untuk tidak mempublikasikan hasil riset ini.

Beruntunglah, ada salah seorang Ilmuwan dari team riset tidak tega melihat kekejaman ini terjadi. Dengan mengorbankan karirnya, dia menghubungi sebuah perusahaan yang biasa mengumpulkan bahan-bahan alami dari hutan amazon untuk pembuatan obat.

Ketika para pakar riset dari Health Science Institute mendengar berita keajaiban Graviola, mereka mulai melakukan riset. Hasilnya sangat mengejutkan. Graviola terbukti sebagai pohon pembunuh sel kanker yang efektif.

The National Cancer Institute mulai melakukan riset ilmiah yang pertama pada tahun 1976. Hasilnya membuktikan bahwa daun dan batang kayu Graviola mampu menyerang dan menghancurkan sel-sel jahat kanker. Sayangnya hasil ini hanya untuk keperluan intern dan tidak di publikasikan.

Sejak 1976, Graviola telah terbukti sebagai pembunuh sel kanker yang luar biasa pada uji coba yang di lakukan oleh 20 Laboratorium Independence yang berbeda.

Suatu studi yang di publikasikan oleh The Journal of Natural Products meyatakan bahwa studi yang dilakukan oleh Catholic University di Korea Selatan, menyebutkan bahwa salah satu unsur kimia yang terkandung di dalam Graviola, mampu memilih, membedakan dan membunuh sel kanker Usus Besar dengan 10.000 kali lebih kuat dibandingkan dengan adriamicin dan Terapi Kemo.

Penemuan yang paling mencolok dari study Catholic University ini adalah Graviola bisa menyeleksi memilih dan membunuh hanya sel jahat kanker, sedangkan sel yang sehat tidak tersentuh / terganggu 

Graviola tidak seperti terapi kemo yang tidak bisa membedakan sel kanker dan sel sehat, maka sel-sel reproduksi (seperti lambung dan rambut) dibunuh habis oleh terapi kemo, sehingga timbul efek negatif seperti rasa mual dan rambut rontok.

Sebuah studi di Purdue University membuktikan bahwa daun Graviola mampu membunuh sel kanker secara efektif, terutama sel kanker : prostate, pancreas, dan paru-paru.

Setelah selama kurang lebih dari 7 tahun tidak ada berita mengenai Graviola, akhirnya berita keajaiban ini pecah juga, melalui informasi dari lembaga-lembaga tersebut di atas.

Pasokan terbatas ekstrak Graviola yang di budidayakan dan di panen oleh orang-orang pribumi Brazil, kini bisa di peroleh di Amerika. Sirsak mempunyai manfaat yang sangat besar dalam pencegahan dan penyembuhan penyakit kanker.

Untuk pencegahan :

Disarankan makan atau minum jus buah sirsak.

Untuk penyembuhan :

• 10 buah daun sirsak yang sudah tua (warna hijau tua) dicampur ke dalam 3 gelas air dan direbus terus hingga menguap dan air tinggal 1 gelas saja.
• Air yang tinggal 1 gelas diminumkan ke penderita setiap hari 2 kali.
• Setelah minum, pada beberapa orang efeknya badan terasa panas, mirip dengan efek kemoterapi.

Dalam waktu 2 minggu, hasilnya bisa dicek ke dokter, katanya cukup berkhasiat. Daun sirsak ini sifatnya seperti kemoterapi, bahkan lebih hebat lagi karena daun sirsak hanya membunuh sel sel yang tumbuh abnormal dan membiarkan sel sel yang tumbuh normal. Sedangkan kemoterapi masih ada efek membunuh juga sebagian sel-sel yang normal.

Sekarang anda tahu manfaat buah sirsak yang luar biasa ini. Rasanya manis-manis kecut menyegarkan. Buah alami 100% tanpa efek samping apapun.

Kisah lengkap tentang Graviola, dimana memperolehnya, dan bagaimana cara memanfaatkannya, dapat di jumpai dalam Beyond Chemotherapy : New Cancer Killers, Safe as Mother's Milk, sebagai free special bonus terbitan Health Science Institute.


Sumber :
surping.blogspot.com