F430 Spyder
Saturday, August 13, 2011
View of Saudi's planned Kingdom Tower
View of Saudi's planned Kingdom Tower
At over 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) and a total construction area of 530,000 square meters (5.7 million square feet), Kingdom Tower will be the centrepiece and first construction phase of the $20 billion Kingdom City development in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, near the Red Sea. Photograph: Adrian Smith+Gordon Gill Architecture
Beauty queen stabbed in broad daylight
Beauty queen stabbed in broad daylight
By Maridol Ra?oa-Bismark, Yahoo!
Miss Earth 2008 Karla Paula Henry was stabbed outside her Mandaluyong condominium on Thursday, August 11.
A drunk tenant stabbed the 25-year-old beauty queen from Cebu at the parking lot of the California Garden Square condominium in Mandaluyong City, ABS-CBN's "TV Patrol" reported later Thursday.
Friends rushed Karla to a nearby Mandaluyong hospital before transferring her to St. Luke's Global City in Taguig City.
Karla is now out of danger and doctors are observing her condition, a reliable source said.
“We should remind everyone to be extra careful, because people can just attack you, even in broad daylight,” advised the source, Karla’s friend, who wished not to be named.
Henry,a Fil-Canadian, won the eighth edition of the Miss Earth Pageant at the Clark Expo in Angeles, Pampanga in 2008. She was the first candidate from the host country to win the title.
The source said Karla continued to help promote environmental causes even after her reign.
Through Miss Earth Foundation’s "I Love My Planet Earth School Tour," Karla visited more than 20 schools and communities, teaching kids about the environment, through games, songs, storytelling, and tree-planting activities.
A drunk tenant stabbed the 25-year-old beauty queen from Cebu at the parking lot of the California Garden Square condominium in Mandaluyong City, ABS-CBN's "TV Patrol" reported later Thursday.
Friends rushed Karla to a nearby Mandaluyong hospital before transferring her to St. Luke's Global City in Taguig City.
Karla is now out of danger and doctors are observing her condition, a reliable source said.
“We should remind everyone to be extra careful, because people can just attack you, even in broad daylight,” advised the source, Karla’s friend, who wished not to be named.
Henry,a Fil-Canadian, won the eighth edition of the Miss Earth Pageant at the Clark Expo in Angeles, Pampanga in 2008. She was the first candidate from the host country to win the title.
The source said Karla continued to help promote environmental causes even after her reign.
Through Miss Earth Foundation’s "I Love My Planet Earth School Tour," Karla visited more than 20 schools and communities, teaching kids about the environment, through games, songs, storytelling, and tree-planting activities.
South Indian actress Nayanthara changes religion?
South Indian actress Nayanthara changes religion?
By Indo Asian News Service, IANS
Bangalore, Aug 9 (IANS) Top southern actress Nayanthara has converted from Christianity to Hinduism, say sources close to the Arya Samaj, even as she herself maintains a studied silence on the issue.
Nayanthara, born and brought up as Diana Mariam Kurian, was a born Christian. She changed her name because of her foray into films.
She reportedly converted to Hinduism Sunday morning at the Arya Samaj Temple in Chennai, the sources said, adding she has retained her name Nayanthara.
Some see it as a step towards her impending marriage to actor-director Prabhu Deva who divorced his earlier wife, a Muslim and did not change her religion at the time of marriage.
Nayanthara is tightlipped. Asked about her marriage, she says: 'No comments.'
On Sunday morning, the actress reportedly headed straight to the Arya Samaj Temple on Waltax Road.
She went through all the religious processes as per the scriptures. All the procedures of 'Shuddhi Karma', a procedure involving Vedic purification, were meticulously followed, say the sources close to Arya Samaj.
They also added that a 'homan' or fire ritual was held where Nayantara chanted hymns and the Sankeerthan Mantra.
Incidentally, the members of Prabhu Deva's family are devotees of the Suttur Mutt in Mysore. His parents are devotees of Male Mahadeshwara Swamy.
The sources said Nayanthara left soon after the purification ceremony. A certificate of conversion to Hinduism was issued to her. The actress flew back to Kochi by an evening flight.
It is reported that her parents have expressed their opposition to Nayanthara's desire to convert to Hinduism.
Nayanthara's last film 'Ramayana', directed by veteran director Bapu, was completed only a few days ago.
Nayanthara who plays Sita's role in the film became emotional on the last day of her shoot and even lay prostrate before all the elders in the unit, including the octogenarian director Bapu.
Nayanthara says her decision to convert to Hinduism is purely personal.
'Yes, I have become a Hindu and it's my own personal decision. I went through the entire ceremony with passion and conviction,' she is believed to have told a friend.
She sports a tattoo of Prabhu Deva on her body. The couple were also seen in some film related functions together.
Nayanthara, born and brought up as Diana Mariam Kurian, was a born Christian. She changed her name because of her foray into films.
She reportedly converted to Hinduism Sunday morning at the Arya Samaj Temple in Chennai, the sources said, adding she has retained her name Nayanthara.
Some see it as a step towards her impending marriage to actor-director Prabhu Deva who divorced his earlier wife, a Muslim and did not change her religion at the time of marriage.
Nayanthara is tightlipped. Asked about her marriage, she says: 'No comments.'
On Sunday morning, the actress reportedly headed straight to the Arya Samaj Temple on Waltax Road.
She went through all the religious processes as per the scriptures. All the procedures of 'Shuddhi Karma', a procedure involving Vedic purification, were meticulously followed, say the sources close to Arya Samaj.
They also added that a 'homan' or fire ritual was held where Nayantara chanted hymns and the Sankeerthan Mantra.
Incidentally, the members of Prabhu Deva's family are devotees of the Suttur Mutt in Mysore. His parents are devotees of Male Mahadeshwara Swamy.
The sources said Nayanthara left soon after the purification ceremony. A certificate of conversion to Hinduism was issued to her. The actress flew back to Kochi by an evening flight.
It is reported that her parents have expressed their opposition to Nayanthara's desire to convert to Hinduism.
Nayanthara's last film 'Ramayana', directed by veteran director Bapu, was completed only a few days ago.
Nayanthara who plays Sita's role in the film became emotional on the last day of her shoot and even lay prostrate before all the elders in the unit, including the octogenarian director Bapu.
Nayanthara says her decision to convert to Hinduism is purely personal.
'Yes, I have become a Hindu and it's my own personal decision. I went through the entire ceremony with passion and conviction,' she is believed to have told a friend.
She sports a tattoo of Prabhu Deva on her body. The couple were also seen in some film related functions together.
Obama hosts iftar dinner at the White House
Obama hosts iftar dinner at the White House
By Arab News
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama honored Muslim Americans on Wednesday night at the White House’s annual Ramadan dinner. With only a month to go before the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Obama emphasized the role that Muslim Americans played in the wake of the attacks, and their contributions to the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Muslim Americans were (the) first responders ... the EMTs ... the nurse who tended to so many victims, the naval officer at the Pentagon who rushed into the flames and pulled the injured to safety,” the president told approximately 100 guests before the meal.
The tradition of hosting an iftar at the White House was begun by President Bill Clinton, and continued by George W. Bush. This was Obama’s third Ramadan dinner as president.
In the audience were the two members of Congress who practice Islam, Reps. Andre Carson, D-Indiana and Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota; as well as Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, and Rep. Donald Payne, D-New Jersey, who represent large Muslim communities. Government officials, Muslim ambassadors, Muslim community leaders and other leaders of faith groups were also invited.
Arizona Cardinals safety Hamza Abdullah and his brother, Husain Abdullah, who plays for the Minnesota Vikings, were first time guests at the White House Iftar.
Outside the limelight, Ramadan also is being celebrated throughout the US.
The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, in Falls Church, Virginia, is working with other faith leaders in the fight against hunger in their community in hosting as part of the observance of Ramadan, offering free dinners to all needy families in the Falls Church community.
The executive director, Samir Abo-Issa, said the mosque is feeding over 800 people every night, using the theme “A Ramadan Without Hunger,” they have opened the doors to “share what we have with our neighbors who are less fortunate.”
“Feeding the hungry is an obligation of faith, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) teaches, you are not a believer if you go to bed with your stomach full while your neighbor is hungry,” said Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, director of outreach for the mosque.
For many Muslims here, Ramadan also is an opportunity to educate non-Muslim friends about their culture and traditions.
“Fasting is an important matter especially in this month,” said Imam Abdulla Khouj, president of the Islamic Center in Washington, the oldest one in the US capital area, and which feeds more than 500 people daily during Ramadan.
Imam Khouj said the Ramadan greetings offered by American presidents have helped raise awareness about Ramadan among Americans.
“The president of a great country acknowledges the fact that people are fasting and somehow shares with them their feelings, and at the same time makes them feel that they are welcomed in this country,” said Imam Khouj. In addition, he says Ramadan is an opportunity to educate non-Muslims during interfaith iftars.
“Muslim Americans were (the) first responders ... the EMTs ... the nurse who tended to so many victims, the naval officer at the Pentagon who rushed into the flames and pulled the injured to safety,” the president told approximately 100 guests before the meal.
The tradition of hosting an iftar at the White House was begun by President Bill Clinton, and continued by George W. Bush. This was Obama’s third Ramadan dinner as president.
In the audience were the two members of Congress who practice Islam, Reps. Andre Carson, D-Indiana and Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota; as well as Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, and Rep. Donald Payne, D-New Jersey, who represent large Muslim communities. Government officials, Muslim ambassadors, Muslim community leaders and other leaders of faith groups were also invited.
Arizona Cardinals safety Hamza Abdullah and his brother, Husain Abdullah, who plays for the Minnesota Vikings, were first time guests at the White House Iftar.
Outside the limelight, Ramadan also is being celebrated throughout the US.
The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, in Falls Church, Virginia, is working with other faith leaders in the fight against hunger in their community in hosting as part of the observance of Ramadan, offering free dinners to all needy families in the Falls Church community.
The executive director, Samir Abo-Issa, said the mosque is feeding over 800 people every night, using the theme “A Ramadan Without Hunger,” they have opened the doors to “share what we have with our neighbors who are less fortunate.”
“Feeding the hungry is an obligation of faith, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) teaches, you are not a believer if you go to bed with your stomach full while your neighbor is hungry,” said Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, director of outreach for the mosque.
For many Muslims here, Ramadan also is an opportunity to educate non-Muslim friends about their culture and traditions.
“Fasting is an important matter especially in this month,” said Imam Abdulla Khouj, president of the Islamic Center in Washington, the oldest one in the US capital area, and which feeds more than 500 people daily during Ramadan.
Imam Khouj said the Ramadan greetings offered by American presidents have helped raise awareness about Ramadan among Americans.
“The president of a great country acknowledges the fact that people are fasting and somehow shares with them their feelings, and at the same time makes them feel that they are welcomed in this country,” said Imam Khouj. In addition, he says Ramadan is an opportunity to educate non-Muslims during interfaith iftars.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Coal-Black Alien Planet Is Darkest Ever Seen
Coal-Black Alien Planet Is Darkest Ever Seen
An alien world blacker than coal, the darkest planet known, has been discovered in the galaxy.
The world in question is a giant the size of Jupiter known as TrES-2b. NASA's Kepler spacecraft detected it lurking around the yellow sun-like star GSC 03549-02811 some 750 light years away in the direction of the constellation Draco.
The researchers found this gas giant reflects less than 1 percent of the sunlight falling on it, making it darker than any planet or moonseen up to now. [The Strangest Alien Planets]
"It's just ridiculous how dark this planet is, how alien it is compared to anything we have in our solar system," study lead-author David Kipping, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told SPACE.com. "It's darker than the blackest lump of coal, than dark acrylic paint you might paint with. It's bizarre how this huge planet became so absorbent of all the light that hits it."
Whereas Jupiter has clouds streaking it white and red, reflecting more than a third of the sunlight reaching it, TrES-2b apparently lacks reflective clouds, super-heated as its atmosphere is to more than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (980 degrees Celsius) by a star just 3.1 million miles (5 million kilometers) away from it.
"However, it's not completely pitch black," co-author David Spiegel of Princeton University said in a statement. "It's so hot that it emits a faint red glow, much like a burning ember or the coils on an electric stove."
The researchers propose that light-absorbing chemicals such as vaporized sodium and potassium or gaseous titanium oxide in the planet's atmosphere could help explain why it is so dark. Still, none of these can fully explain why the world is as stealthily cloaked as it is.
"It's a mystery as to what's causing it to be so dark," Kipping said. "There's a good chance it's a chemical we haven't even thought of yet."
The astronomers think TrES-2b is tidally locked like our moon, such that one side of the planet always faces the star. This would lead it to change phases as it orbits its star just as our moon waxes and wanes from new to crescent to full, causing the total brightness of the star plus the planet to vary slightly over time.
"By combining the impressive precision from Kepler with observations of over 50 orbits, we detected the smallest-ever change in brightness from an exoplanet — just 6 parts per million," said Kipping. "In other words, Kepler was able to directly detect visible light coming from the planet itself."
These extremely small fluctuations in light proved that TrES-2b is incredibly dark. A more reflective world would have shown larger brightness variations as its phase changed.
Although TrES-2b currently is the darkest known planet, similar worlds around other stars undoubtedly await discovery, the researchers said. For now, it reinforces the idea that our solar system may not be as typical as we once thought, with an extraordinary variety of worlds potentially filling our galaxy.
Additional investigation of the more than 1,200 prospective worlds that Kepler has detected could turn up other unusually dark planets. The spacecraft, which launched in March 2009, is planned to run until at least November 2012.
"If Kepler gets an extended mission as we're hoping, it would be a huge boost to this kind of research," Kipping said.
Kipping and Spiegel detailed their findings in a study accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
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