China launched its riskiest space flight yet, sending three men into orbit on a mission that will include the nation's first spacewalk.

BEIJING -- China successfully launched three astronauts into orbit Thursday to conduct the nation's first spacewalk -- a mission that underscores its aspirations as a global power.

Chinese President and Communist Party head Hu Jintao was shown live on state television hailing the astronauts at the launch site near the northwestern town of Jiuquan.

"You will definitely accomplish this glorious and sacred mission. The motherland and the people are looking forward to your triumphant return," Mr. Hu told the three.

The astronauts will test technology for sustaining human life in space and conduct a series of scientific experiments.

But the nearly three-day voyage, along with the rest of China's space program, also has an explicit political aim to enhance the government's image at home and abroad. The China National Space Administration touts its work as important to "improve national strength and prestige."

China will be only the third country in history to put people into space with its own rockets. Coming on the heels of the lavish Beijing Olympics, this is likely to add impetus to the world's reassessment of China's place on the world stage.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao weighed in on the U.S. financial crisis and also sought to reassure world leaders that his country's military is designed solely for defense. China would "uphold peaceful development" and pursue an "independent foreign policy of peace," he said.

"The world has very high expectations now that China will play a role in solving global problems," says David Dollar, head of the World Bank's office for China and Mongolia.

Outsiders' views of China as a prosperous and capable global player are leading to a potentially significant disconnect with views inside China, where leaders still often portray it as a poor country.

"Our economy has certainly made great progress. But fundamentally, China is still a developing country," He Yafei, China's vice minister of foreign affairs, said last week.

Yan Xuetong, director of Tsinghua University's Institute of International Studies in Beijing, says the Chinese might not be "psychologically ready" to meet "increasing demands" that China shoulder more international responsibility.

Some have argued that China is essentially a third-world superpower, offering developing countries an alternative to the standard Western recipe of democratic governance, privatization, market economies and the removal of trade barriers.

Increasingly, though, China is both a developing country and an emerging global power. China's astronauts will hurtle into space from a launching pad in northwestern Gansu province, where the average rural resident gets by on about $350 a year, according to government figures.

China's economic development has lifted more people out of poverty than any other nation in modern history. This year, China is expected to become the world's third-largest national economy, after the U.S. and Japan.

But the country ranks 100th in the world in terms of per capita annual gross domestic product, a broad measure of economic output, just above Namibia and below Colombia. China has the second-largest number of people living on less than $1 a day, after India.

In many ways, China is cultivating the image of a great power, investing heavily in reputation-building projects. The country put a research satellite, known as the Chang'e 1, into orbit around the moon last year.

Many of these activities are aimed at the domestic audience, to reinforce support for the country's ruling Communist Party.

"Chinese people feel very proud" of the space program, says Huang Hai, a professor at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut to orbit the earth, has said the astronauts intend to start a party chapter in space, once China establishes its first space station.

China is becoming a supplier of high technology to the developing world. It has used its Long March rockets to launch dozens of satellites for foreign companies and governments. China is set to put a Chinese-made telecommunication satellite into orbit for Venezuela this year.

Critics say China shouldn't be taken as a development model because, among other things, its rapid economic growth has taken a terrible toll on the country's environment. Also, the government has failed to establish the regulatory apparatus necessary to keep the country's supplies of drugs and food safe.

Still, China is spending more money on exchange and study programs for officials from developing regions. And the World Bank and other international institutions are increasingly holding up China as an example for the developing world.

China itself says it doesn't seek to impose its views on others. A Chinese government white paper prepared for the start of the U.N. General Assembly session in New York calls on donor nations to "respect African countries' independent choice of development models," and says it is "undesirable to impose one uniform model to promote and protect human rights."

Positive thinking 'extends life'

Scientists have come up with proof of the power of positive thinking.

They have found people who have a sunny, optimistic outlook on growing older live longer than those who are constantly worrying.

The research suggests that people who feel bad about getting old accelerate the ageing process.

In contrast a positive attitude will add more years to your life than not smoking or taking regular exercise.

A team of American psychologists found that people who were positive about ageing lived an average of 7.5 years longer than those who regretted the passing years.

They believe that negative thoughts about the ageing process have a direct impact on the will to live.

Better than low blood pressure


The researchers, led by Dr Becca Levy, from Yale University, in Connecticut, said the effect of a positive attitude towards ageing was greater than physiological measures such as low blood pressure and cholesterol - each of which is thought to add a maximum of four years to life.

The effect was even more pronounced than factors such as keeping weight down, not smoking and taking exercise - each thought to add between one and three years to life.

The researchers studied information from 660 volunteers aged fifty plus.

Death rates among the participants were compared with their responses to a survey conducted 23 years earlier.

The volunteers were asked if they agreed or disagreed to statements such as "as you get older, you are less useful".

Dr Levy's team believe the sheer will to live partly explains the link between positive thinking and longevity. However, they don't think it is the only reason.

Stress


They believe another factor is the effect of stress on the heart.

Previous research has shown that the hearts and arteries of elderly people exposed to negative ageing stereotypes do not respond well to stress.

People could have negative thoughts about aging picked up from society without even being aware of them, said the researchers.

"Our study carries two messages," they wrote.

"The discouraging one is that negative self-perceptions can diminish life expectancy.

"The encouraging one is that positive self-perceptions can prolong life expectancy."

The researchers warn that a poor attitude towards the elderly in Western societies may exacerbate the problems. It is time to stop knocking the old, they say, and make them feel good.

The research is published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Source : BBC News

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Time is the longest distance between two places.

Olive oil is mostly found to be common in the Mediterranean countries including Portugal. Olive oil contains healthy monounsaturated fatty acids and it contains about 75% of oleic acid which remains stable even at high temperatures. Olive oil does not have any adverse affect on blood cholesterol levels. In fact, it helps in lowering down any high blood cholesterol level that may be present in a person’s body. Olive oil is good for people who suffer from constipation. It helps in lubricating the intestine and thereby allowing removing of the body waste and thus cures constipation issue. Olive oil has natural antioxidants properties which help in reducing the risk of heart attack and fight high blood pressure.

The flavor of olive oil differs due to various factors such as the variety of olive, the soil conditions, weather etc. Portugal is also one of the country which produces good primary source of olive oil. Some olive oils may contain single variety of oils. However, Italian oils are made up of a mixture of oils from different types of olives which are produced from various countries. There are basically four types of olive oil :

1) “Virgin” Olive Oil :
Virgin Olive Oil is in its pure form as it is made when ripe olives are pressed for the first time and the acid content is nearly 3.5% to 4%

2) “Extra Virgin” Olive Oil:
This type of oil is also extracted from the first time pressing of ripe olives. However, “Extra Virgin” olive oil is low in acid. The acid content of extra virgin olive oil is below 1%. It contains more antioxidants agents and is mainly used for salad dressings.

3) “Fine” Olive Oil:
It is a blend of “Virgin” and “Extra Virgin” Olive Oils and the acid content is about 3%

4) “Refined” Olive Oil:

It is the most refined form of olive oil. It can be considered as pure olive oil. It can be considered as pure olive oil. It has a rich texture and it can be easily digestible. Refine olive oil is suitable for deep frying and it is many times more heat resistant, compared to vegetable oil. Thus, one can reuse the same refined olive oil to fry foods a number of times, before the oil actually begins to break down.

Portugal has a mild climate which acts as a boon to the tourist industry for the entire year. Its country’s climate helps in producing good vegetation and fruit cultivation. Bacalhau is the famous Portuguese dish which is made out of salted coldfish. This dish is eaten with cabbage, grain, potatoes and above all the famous olive oil. Soups also form a part of the local diet. Also, dinners may include bread and olives. Many people are now aware of Olive pulp which has rapidly become popular as super foods. It can boost the immune system of the body and can thus prevent chronic disease such as cancer and heart disease which are known to shortened lives. Olive oil contains antioxidant polyphenols. Portugal people mostly consume it daily along with a glass of wine and breads. One can feel and look healthier with this type of diet.

Olive oil should be kept away from heat, in order to prevent aging of the oil. It should be stored in plastic or glass containers, away from light and the place should be dark and cool. Olive oil is found to be much healthier compared to vegetable oils while frying a food item in olive oil, the leftover oil can be reused once or twice. Olive oil should be used in less quantity because when heated, it starts to expand in volume. It hardly gets absorbed by the food. However, I should warn you that if you are using olive oil for the first tie, then do not directly use it as a cooking medium. First get familiar to the taste of olive oil and then start using it gracefully in your cooking.



Source: articlenext.

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P.R.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Two Americans and one Japanese won the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for the discovery and development of a brightly glowing protein first seen in jellyfish, work that has helped scientists study how cancer cells spread.

Japan's Osamu Shimomura and Americans Martin Chalfie and Roger Tsien shared the prize for their research on green fluorescent protein, or GFP, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

The protein is a widely used laboratory tool to illuminate processes in living organisms, such as development of brain cells or the spread of cancer cells.

Mr. Shimomura first isolated GFP from a jellyfish found off the west coast of North America in 1962 and discovered that it glowed bright green under ultraviolet light. In the 1990s, Mr. Chalfie showed GFP's value "as a luminous genetic tag," while Mr. Tsien contributed "to our general understanding of how GFP fluoresces," the academy said in its citation.

It added that their work has enabled "scientists to follow several different biological processes at the same time." That means that researchers have been able to use GFP to track nerve cell damage from Alzheimer's disease or see how insulin-producing beta-cells are created in the pancreas of a growing embryo.

"In one spectacular experiment, researchers succeeded in tagging different nerve cells in the brain of a mouse with a kaleidoscope of colors," the citation said.

Mr. Shimomura, born in 1928, works at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and the Boston University Medical School. Mr. Chalfie, born in 1947, is a professor at Columbia University in New York, while Mr. Tsien, born in 1952, is a professor at the University of California, San Diego.

The trio will split the 10 million kronor ($1.4 million) award.

Mr. Shimomura began his work in the mid 1950s while still in Japan. In 1962, he was able to isolate a protein from jellyfish that was slightly greenish in the sunlight. In the 1970s, he showed that the protein contained a chemical group that absorbed and emitted light.

In 1988, Mr. Chalfie heard about the protein and decided it would be an excellent tool for mapping the roundworm, acting as a glowing green signal for various activities in the roundworm's cells. He and others were able to prove that no other proteins were needed to control the chemical production to create the glowing green in GPF.

Mr. Tsien's work helped extend GFP's usefulness by adding more colors to the palette that glowed longer with more intensity, the academy said. By exchanging various amino acids in different parts of GFP, he was able to get it to absorb and emit different colors, including blue, cyan and yellow.

"That is how researchers today can mark different proteins in different colors to see their interactions," the academy said in its citation.

The winners of the Nobel Prizes in medicine and physics were presented earlier this week. The prizes for literature, peace and economics are due to be announced Thursday, Friday and Monday.



Copyright © 2008 Associated Press

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Advantages of Drinking water

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India to Launch Its First Unmanned Moon Mission
By VIBHUTI AGARWAL

NEW DELHI -- Amid its first economic slowdown in three years, India is getting ready to shoot the moon.

On Wednesday, the country is scheduled to launch its first unmanned moon mission, when lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 blasts into space aboard an Indian-made rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in the country's south.

The launch will put India into an Asian space race, which last year saw Japan and China launch lunar orbiters. Sites in those countries are regularly used for launching commercial satellites.

The Chandrayaan-1 mission is the Indian Space and Research Organization's first attempt to propel a spacecraft beyond the Earth's atmosphere, although India has been launching suborbital satellites since 1975. About 1,000 scientists and engineers have worked on the lunar project for four years.

The $80 million two-year mission -- during which the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft is expected to orbit about 60 miles from the lunar surface -- will conduct a series of experiments on the moon's mineral, geological and chemical characteristics, as well as searching for evidence of water on the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-1 is carrying payloads for 11 scientific experiments, including five from India, two from the U.S. space agency, NASA, and one each from Germany, Britain, Sweden and Bulgaria.

A successful launch will make India the third Asian nation to place a satellite in lunar orbit. China's Chaang'e I lunar satellite was launched in October 2007, after Japan launched its Kaguya lunar orbiter in September.

India's space program has its critics. Some argue that the Indian government is spending millions on space exploration while ignoring poverty at home, where per capita income is less than $1,000 a year, public health and education services are poor, and rising food and fuel prices are pinching citizens.

It also comes at a time when India's booming economic growth has begun to slow amid the global financial crisis. Inflation-adjusted growth in gross domestic product fell to 7.9% in the quarter ended June 30, falling below 8% for the first time in three years.

C.S. Unnikrishnan, a scientist with the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, in Mumbai, says that the lunar mission is driven by ISRO's desire to promote its business arm. "This mission will only project ISRO as a major player in commercial launch systems," he said.

ISRO has launched satellites for customers from Germany, Belgium, Indonesia and Argentina since 2001. The global marketing wing of ISRO, Bangalore-based Antrix Corp. had revenue of $192 million in the year ended March 31. Antrix says the "ISRO launch services are economical compared to other Asian competitors."

The lunar mission is strongly supported by India's Congress-led government and even the country's nationalistic leftist party leaders. "Opposing the mission would be demoralizing for our scientific community," says Atul Kumar Anjaan, national secretary of the Communist Party of India. "Such projects are a national pride and involve years of innovation."





Source: The Wall Street Journal.

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The Pancreas inability to produce insulin creates diabetes. Some of the most important foods that help to reduce blood sugar or stimulate insulin production in diabetics and discussed here. It is thought that this inability arises from an autoimmune condition.

Diabetes is characterized by a high level of sugar in the blood, as a result of defective insulin secretion, or insulin resistance. Although we tend to group all people with Diabetes together, the truth is that there are two different types of Diabetes that are similar in their elevated blood sugar, but different in many other ways. Type one diabetes is usually diagnosed in children, and young adults.

Basically the body is killing its own insulin producing cells. The symptoms of type one Diabetes are very obvious, frequent urination, increased thirst, and weight loss. The onset is usually abrupt, and severe. In addition, having type one Diabetes increases your risk for many serious complications, heart disease, blindness, nerve damage, and kidney damage. Treatment consists of intermediate or long-acting insulin , taken once or twice daily, with fast- or rapid-acting insulin injections taken at mealtimes. Type two Diabetes often develops rather insidiously, showing few or no symptoms.

The symptoms are similar to type one, however they develop gradually over time. This may explain why it often goes undetected at first. The cells of the body being resistant to insulin characterize the most common form of diabetes, type two. Some of the most important foods that help to reduce blood sugar or stimulate insulin production in diabetics and discussed here.

The Pancreas still produces insulin, however the body cannot use it efficiently. Type two usually develops in men or women over 40 years of age, characterized by obesity, and lack of physical activity. In particular, people who are an, apple shape, with lots of fat around the abdomen - are at greater risk of developing diabetes. Type two Diabetes runs in families, and is particularly common among people of African-Caribbean or Asian origin people. Beside from taking drugs, the person should also get into an exercise program and eat right. A dietitian can help make a good meal plan while the doctor can recommend the kind of workouts one will be able to engage in depending on the individual's sex, age and weight.

Finally, having type two Diabetes increases your risk for many serious complications, as type one. Unlike type one, type two Diabetes can usually be controlled with diet, exercise or medicines. If you suspect you may have Diabetes, it is important to see your doctor, especially if you fall into any of the categories previously mentioned. Discovering you have Diabetes is frightening don’t panic, people with Diabetes can live long, healthy, happy lives. Eat right and exercise. It's a simple prescription that will keep you healthy, whether you have diabetes or not. Diabetes is a growing problem. The person should exercise, eat healthy and take the right dosage of drugs to stop this from getting worse.



Source: articlenext

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P.R.

As any smoker can verify, giving up – and staying smoke-free – is one of the most difficult things to do. But if you are successful in giving up smoking, it is not only one of the healthiest steps you can take, it also decreases your chances of dying from smoking or any related diseases. An estimated 400,000 Americans die every year from the effects of smoking and in general, a smoker has about twice as much chance of a heart attack as a non-smoker.

Smoking actually affects almost every part of the body – not just the heart and lungs, as is commonly believed - and the effects of stopping smoking can be dramatic and sudden. However, the human body is amazingly resilient and will begin to heal itself almost immediately. If you have some idea of what to expect after you quit smoking, it’s perhaps a little bit easier to deal with the effects.

Just twenty minutes or so after smoking their last cigarette, a person’s blood pressure will return to normal and after just two days of being smoke-free, the chances of having a heart attack will be reduced. The heart and lungs will begin to repair the damage caused to them by smoking. And after two days, a person who has just stopped smoking may also notice that their sense of smell and taste is more heightened – and may want to eat more, as food tastes better.

Immediately after quitting, a smoker may also experience some unpleasant symptoms which are perfectly normal – sore gums, coughing, irregularity and a temporary weight gain, which is caused by the body retaining fluids. Many ex-smokers also feel irritable or tired or find it difficult to sleep. It might make you feel better to know that these are all signs of nicotine being removed from your body – most of it will have gone completely within several days.

You will also have nicotine withdrawal symptoms and it’s during the first few days and weeks after quitting that you will have to fight the urge not to smoke. Symptoms of nicotine withdrawal often resemble a mild dose of the flu and can include any or all of the following – irritability, insomnia or fatigue, headache, sore throat, tightness in the chest, dry mouth and lack of concentration. These symptoms can be unpleasant – but they will pass.

After a few weeks, the worst symptoms of nicotine withdrawal will start to diminish and the whole process should become easier. You will find that circulation improves and you may also find that walking and exercising are easier as your body readjusts to its new and healthier state. You will still probably have the occasional craving for a cigarette, but after a few weeks, it is a little bit easier not to give in.

The noticeable effects on your body will continue during the first year or so – sinus congestion and coughing will decrease and you should find that you generally have more energy than when you smoked. The cilia, or tiny hairs, start to grow back in the lungs, helping to clean the lungs, processing mucus produced by the body and generally reducing the chances of infection. However, you will have to wait an estimated fifteen years before your chance of developing coronary heart disease is the same as that of a person who has never smoked.

Of course, the longer you are smoke-free, the easier it is to stay that way. After a few months or so, the physical longings for a cigarette will have diminished to a large extent, although you need to be careful not to lapse and have just one cigarette, which may then lead to another. And the long term effects of giving up smoking are something that shouldn’t be taken for granted – a far lower chance of getting cancer or heart disease and perhaps just as importantly, a feeling of accomplishment and pride.



Source: articlenext

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P.R.