Kimberlites

Active exploration for diamondiferous kimberlite pipes is ongoing in northeastern Namibia, where kimberlite indicator minerals (e.g. ilmenite, garnet, chrom-diopside) as well as micro-diamonds have been recovered.

Companies exploring for diamondiferous kimberlites include Motapa Diamonds Incorporation, Mount Burgess Mining N.L and DeBeers. Past exploration of kimberlite pipes within the Gibeon Kimberlite Province was unable to delineate diamondiferous kimberlites due to their off-craton setting. To date, no economic diamondiferous kimberlite pipes have been discovered, but great potential exists on both the Congo and Kalahari cratons.

A new national park on Aboriginal land at Cape York

Queensland's second national park (Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal land) was dedicated on 8 August 2008. The new KULLA (McIlwraith Range) National Park (Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal land) is an area of outstanding beauty and biological richness with spectacular escarpments, gorges, waterfalls and rainforests that has been the home of Aboriginal people for thousands of years. It’s jointly managed by the Kulla Land Trust and the Queensland Government.

Money Market Funds

Money market funds have relatively low risks, compared to other mutual funds (and most other investments). By law, they can invest in only certain high-quality, short-term investments issued by the U.S. government, U.S. corporations, and state and local governments. Money market funds try to keep their net asset value (NAV) — which represents the value of one share in a fund — at a stable $1.00 per share. But the NAV may fall below $1.00 if the fund's investments perform poorly.

Investor losses have been rare, but they are possible.Money market funds pay dividends that generally reflect short-term interest rates, and historically the returns for money market funds have been lower than for either bond or stock funds. That's why "inflation risk" — the risk that inflation will outpace and erode investment returns over time — can be a potential concern for investors in money market funds.

UK losing out to the new members of the EU in attracting FDI

With the expansion of the EU with ten new members in 2004, and more set to join in 2007, foreign investors have a much broader selection of lower-wage markets and skill sets from which to choose. The UK has positioned itself as a mature market, producing higher-value goods and services and with a highlyskilled workforce, and continues to be the leading investment location in Europe, according to the UNCTAD World Investment Report 2006.

In line with its positioning as a high-value market, the UK attracts more European headquarters and R&D projects than any other European country1. The UK's focus is to attract hi-tech companies, and exploit the wider aspects of innovation in a variety of knowledgedriven industries.

French and Italian painting of the 17th century

In Italy, the Counter-reformation helped drive a style of painting that was emotional and direct. Artists again emphasized careful observation of the natural world and looked to the examples of past masters. Their classical approach would leave its mark all over Europe for more than 100 years and, in France, would be institutionalized in the French Academy, founded in 1648. Fueled by the wealth of the Vatican and the spate of construction of new buildings, seventeenth-century Rome offered great opportunities for artists. Domenico Fetti saw the Veil of Veronica when it was exhibited at Saint Peter's in Rome and made it the subject of a moving portrayal of Christ in his suffering.

The French state from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries witnessed a form of government based on the absolute monarchy, which reached its apogee under the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV, from 1643 until 1715. Louis' desire to glorify his dignity and the magnificence of France found expression in a distinctly French style that rivaled the more exuberant Italian form of the baroque. The history and landscape paintings of Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain are characterized by symmetry and clarity of form; the artist's organization of his compositions was to demonstrate the power of reason that pervaded seventeenth-century French culture.

US in $800-bn Move To Spur Consumer Loans

In its continued fight against the economic meltdown, the US Government on Tuesday announced yet another package of a whopping $800 billion (about Rs 40 lakh crore) with a view to augmenting consumer loans by the near-bankrupt banking and mortgage institutions.This mega package is in addition to the $700-billion rescue plan, which was cleared after several rounds of intense debate in the US Congress.

The US Federal Reserve said it would buy mortgage-backed securities (MBS) worth $600 billion, which would in turn encourage lending. Further, the apex bank would launch a new facility aimed at thawing the credit market for consumers, especially in supporting issuance of auto and student loans.

In a statement on Tuesday, the US Fed announced that it would launch a programme to purchase direct obligations of housing-related Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) and mortgage-backed securities of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae.

The apex bank pointed out that the action was being taken to reduce cost and increase availability of credit for purchase of houses. This would, in turn, help in supporting housing markets and foster better financial market conditions.
"Purchases of up to $100 billion in GSE's direct obligations under the programme will be conducted with the Federal Reserve's primary dealers through a series of competitive auctions and will begin next week.

"Purchases of up to $500 billion in MBS will be conducted by asset managers selected via a competitive process with a goal of beginning these purchases before year-end," the US Fed noted.

Further, in a separate statement, the apex bank said it would create Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) to lend up to $200 billion, to unfreeze the credit needs of consumers and small businesses.

Grotto Falls

Trillium Gap Trail meanders through an old-growth hemlock forest and actually runs behind the 25 foot high waterfall. The cool, moist environment near the falls is ideal for salamanders and summer hikers. The hike is 3 miles roundtrip and considered moderate in difficulty.

Access trail: Trillium GapTrailhead: From the parkway in Gatlinburg, turn at traffic light #8 and follow Historic Nature Trail into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Take Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail (no RVs or trailers; closed in winter ) to stop #5 where there is a large parking area.

Lung Cancer

Also called: Bronchogenic carcinoma
Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. It is a leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the United States. Cigarette smoking causes most lung cancers. The more cigarettes you smoke per day and the earlier you started smoking, the greater your risk of lung cancer. High levels of pollution, radiation and asbestos exposure may also increase risk.

Common symptoms of lung cancer include
* A cough that doesn't go away and gets worse over time

* Constant chest pain

* Coughing up blood

* Shortness of breath, wheezing, or hoarseness

* Repeated problems with pneumonia or bronchitis

* Swelling of the neck and face

* Loss of appetite or weight loss

* Fatigue

There are many types of lung cancer. Each type of lung cancer grows and spreads in different ways and is treated differently. Treatment also depends on the stage, or how advanced it is. Treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

Multiple fruit

A multiple fruit is one formed from a cluster of flowers (called an inflorescence). Each flower produces a fruit, but these mature into a single mass. Examples are the pineapple, edible fig, mulberry, osage-orange, and breadfruit.In some plants, such as this noni, flowers are produced regularly along the stem and it is possible to see together examples of flowering, fruit development, and fruit ripening.

In the stages of flowering and fruit development in the noni or Indian mulberry (Morinda citrifolia) can be observed on a single branch. First an inflorescence of white flowers called a head is produced. After fertilization, each flower develops into a drupe, and as the drupes expand, they become connate (merge) into a multiple fleshy fruit called a syncarpet.

There are also many dry multiple fruits, e.g.
* Tuliptree, multiple of samaras.

* Sweet gum, multiple of capsules.

* Sycamore and teasel, multiple of achenes.

* Magnolia, multiple of follicles.

World leaders have hailed the election of Senator Barack Obama as the first black president of the United States.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown called Tuesday's poll historic and said he and Mr Obama "share many values".

Chinese President Hu Jintao said he looked forward to strengthening dialogue. France's Nicolas Sarkozy said the poll had raised "enormous hope".

Outgoing US President George W Bush said Mr Obama could count on "complete co-operation" during the transition.

The president-elect will take over the presidency in January.

Democratic officials quoted by the Associated Press news agency say Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel has been offered the job of Mr Obama's White House chief-of-staff.

Blessing

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was looking forwards "to an era of renewed partnership and a new multilateralism".

In Kenya - the birthplace of Mr Obama's father - President Mwai Kibaki declared a national holiday on Thursday.

Pope Benedict XVI asked for "God's blessings on the American people".

The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says Americans have made two fundamental statements about themselves - that they are profoundly unhappy with the status quo, and that they are slamming the door on the country's racial past.

At the White House, Mr Bush told reporters: "History was made yesterday."

He congratulated the president-elect on an "impressive victory" and said it represented strides "toward a more perfect union".

20th Century Drought

The Dust Bowl Drought

The Dust Bowl drought was a natural disaster that severely affected much of the United States during the 1930s. The drought came in three waves, 1934, 1936, and 1939-40, but some regions of the High Plains experienced drought conditions for as many as eight years. The "dust bowl" effect was caused by sustained drought conditions compounded by years of landPhotos from Library of Congress and U.S. National Archives management practices that left topsoil susceptible to the forces of the wind. The soil, depleted of moisture, was lifted by the wind into great clouds of dust and sand which were so thick they concealed the sun for several days at a time. They were referred to as" black blizzards".

The agricultural and economic damage devastated residents of the Great Plains. The Dust Bowl drought worsened the already severe economic crises that many Great Plains farmers faced. In the early 1930s, many farmers were trying to recover from economic losses suffered during the Great Depression. To compensate for these losses, they began to increase their crop yields. High production drove prices down, forcing farmers to keep increasing their production to pay for both their equipment and their land. When the drought hit, farmers could no longer produce enough crops to pay off loans or even pay for essential needs. Even with Federal emergency aid, many Great Plains farmers could not withstand the economic crisis of the drought. Many farmers were forced off of their land, with one in ten farms changing possession at the peak of the farm transfers.PDSI Animation, 1930s and 1950s (6 year time frame)

In the aftermath of the Dust Bowl, it was clear that many factors contributed to the severe impact of this drought. A better understanding of the interactions between the natural elements (climate, plants, and soil) and human-related elements (agricultural practices, economics, and social conditions)of the Great Plains was needed. Lessons were learned, and because of this drought, farmers adopted new cultivation methods to help control soil erosion in dry land ecosystems. Subsequent droughts in this region have had less impact due to these cultivation practices.

Indian Health & Family Welfare

India is rapidly gaining ground in the international scenario as a popular destination for foreign travelers, international students, and even for some others who opt to migrate to this mystical land for health and medical tourism. The country, which had been reeling under the onslaught of British colonial rule, managed to fight all odds and has successfully created a niche for itself. It has metamorphosed into one of the most sought after destinations for travel, much due to the presence of several renowned world heritage sites, and an inherent spiritualistic force, which pulls enthusiastic travelers towards it.

McCain Uses Biden's 'Crisis' Prediction To Question Obama

Republican running mates John McCain and Sarah Palin raised new questions about Barack Obama's readiness to lead Tuesday, taking advantage of Joe Biden's claims that Obama would face a "generated crisis."Biden's comments seemed to hand the McCain campaign yet another last-minute line of attack as the Arizona senator tries to close the gap between him and his Democratic rival in the final two weeks of the presidential campaign."We don't want a president who invites testing from the world at a time when our economy is in crisis and Americans are already fighting in two wars," McCain said Tuesday in Harrisburg, Pa. "Thanks for the warning, Joe," Palin said to cheers from about 2,500 supporters at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Nevada. Biden made the comments over the weekend to two fundraising audiences in Seattle, saying he expected world figures to test Obama early if he wins the election in two weeks.

"Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking," Biden said. "Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy."The McCain campaign jumped on the remarks, with McCain and Palin bringing them up on the stump Monday evening and Tuesday. McCain on Tuesday, in response to Biden's reference to President Kennedy, recalled being ready to launch a bombing run during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis."I was on board the USS Enterprise," McCain, a former naval aviator, said. "I sat in the cockpit, on the flight deck of the USS Enterprise, off of Cuba. I had a target. My friends, you know how close we came to a nuclear war." As the crowd of several thousand began to swell with cheers and applause, he added: "America will not have a president who needs to be tested. I've been tested, my friends."

Democratic aides said that Biden was merely reciting history and assuring supporters that Obama is the man for the job. But Palin on Tuesday linked Biden's comments to Obama's foreign policy positions. She said the "crisis" scenarios Biden referenced could be triggered by Obama's willingness to sit down with "the world's worst dictators," his willingness to send U.S. military into Pakistan without the approval of their government, or other positions. "But I guess the looming crisis that most worries the Obama campaign right now is Joe Biden's next speaking engagement. Let's call that crisis scenario number five," she said. The McCain campaign is trying to build steam off Biden's remark as it incorporates several other lines of attack into its day-to-day message. McCain already has gotten significant political mileage out of the man known as Joe the Plumber, who was filmed asking Obama about his tax policies two weekends ago and became the rhetorical centerpiece of the final presidential debate last week. Republicans seized on Obama's response that he would "spread the wealth around" if elected.

The McCain campaign has gone so far as to liken Obama's philosophy to "socialism." Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. John Murtha also seemed to do Republicans a favor after he called his own constituents "racist" in a newspaper interview. He later apologized and then clarified, saying some of his constituents are just "rednecks." As McCain struggles against the odds to lock down support in Obama-leaning Pennsylvania, he cited Murtha's remarks Tuesday."You may have noticed that Senator Obama's supporters have been saying some pretty nasty things about western Pennsylvania lately," he said. McCain fumbled his next line: "And you know I couldn't agree with them more." But he continued: "I could not disagree with those critics more. This is a great part of America. This is where people love their country and they serve it."

Wayne Rooney Scores Twice As England Win

Wayne Rooney scored twice as England took a giant stride towards World Cup qualification by beating Belarus to make it maximum points from four games.

Steven Gerrard gave England the lead from 30 yards after 11 minutes, but Pavel Sitko headed a deserved leveller for Belarus before the break.Rooney turned in a cross from Emile Heskey five minutes after the break.And he lifted home a superb third from Gerrard's pass 16 minutes from time to give coach Fabio Capello another win.It gives England a perfect record of 12 points so far, with Capello's huge reputation bolstered further by two convincing away wins against dangerous opposition in Croatia and Belarus.

And for Gerrard, a spectacular strike will increase his fragile self-confidence in an England shirt and silence any lingering doubts about his worth at international level.Rooney's double also demonstrated his growing maturity as he provided a deadly spearhead to the attack, ably assisted by the powerful Heskey, who was winning his 50th England cap.The Manchester United striker has now scored five goals in England's last three qualifiers as he plays a leading role in the new Capello era.Gerrard had pleaded with coach Capello to keep faith with him after a low-key display in the win against Kazakhstan - and he repaid his confidence with a stunning opener. He picked up the ball from Rooney before placing a perfect slide-rule finish into the bottom corner beyond Belarus keeper Yury Zhevnov from fully 30 yards.Instead of settling England, the goal was the signal for a period of Belarus dominance, with keeper David James having to save from Dmitry Molosh and Vitaly Kutuzov.

Heskey was working tirelessly up front to keep the Belarus defence occupied, and his fine cross set up Rooney for a far post header, but he could not find the target.Belarus were in the ascendancy, however, and it was no surprise when they drew level after 28 minutes at the end of a glorious 23-pass move.Igor Stasevich was the creator, popping up an inviting cross to the far post for Sitko to arrived unmarked and head beyond the exposed James.England needed to apply more pressure to the gifted Belarus attacking players after the break, and Rooney almost provided the perfect start with a great run that was only marred by a tame finish.He made no mistake as England regained the lead after 50 minutes, but credit must go to Heskey again with a powerful run and perfect cross for Rooney to slide home from close range.

As Belarus attempted to force their way back into contention, Capello made two changes to his attacking personnel, sending on Shaun Wright-Phillips for Theo Walcott and Peter Crouch for the excellent Heskey, who was struggling with an injury.It did not stop Rooney taking the game by the scruff of the neck and he scored his second, and England's third, with a goal of the highest class 16 minutes from time.Gerrard slid a superb instant pass into his path, and Rooney dummied a defender before lifting a composed finish over Zhevnov.The Liverpool captain should have added a fourth five minutes from time when he rounded Zhevnov, but carelessly shot again the outside of the post with the goal at his mercy.It was not a costly miss as England entered new territory by winning their opening four World Cup qualifiers for the first time.

Software engineering in China

Software is ubiquitous. It runs our businesses and controls our phones, entertainment devices, appliances, automobiles, and countless other things that humans manufacture. Even sneakers! Adidas recently announced that its latest running shoe has an embedded computer chip to adjust the shoe's performance for each individual step during a run. Although the United States now has the greatest number of companies that depend on automation, the rest of the industrial world isn't far behind. Just observe how many people in cities around the globe are walking down the street -- or worse, driving a car -- with cell phones glued to their ears.

Years ago, the term software crisis entered our everyday vocabulary because it was clear that we needed more software than we could produce. How can we keep up with the demand without sacrificing software quality?

Many companies have turned to international outsourcing, where India and Eastern Europe lead the market for software services. Both offer an educated workforce available at low cost for high-quality work. But today, another important contender is entering that marketplace: The People's Republic of China. For years, the Chinese educational system has been gearing up to meet the demand for software engineers who can compete in the global marketplace. Below, we will look at China's emergence first from the perspective of Professor Haiqing Liu of Wuhan University, a visiting scholar at Worcester Polytechnic Institute during the 2004-2005 academic year. Then, I will report what I learned from my own informal, Web-based research on the state of the Chinese software industry.

Japanese Snapping Up Wall Street Banks

Amid the U.S. financial turmoil, Japanese financial firms have been aggressive in buying assets or taking over business networks of U.S. financial institutions. Mitsubishi UFJ (MUFJ) Financial Group, Japan's second largest financial institution in terms of assets, abruptly announced it would acquire up to 20 percent in Morgan Stanley, the world's second largest investment bank.

The announcement came only a few hours after Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, the last two remaining out of the five largest American investment banks, said they would turn into bank holding companies.

The takeover price will be between 400 billion yen (about W4,280 billion) and 900 billion yen (about W9,640 billion), Japanese media outlets said. MUFJ is a supersize financial group with assets of 194 trillion yen, the result of a merger of the Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group, Japan's second largest financial group, and UFJ Holdings, Japan's fourth largest financial firm, in 2005.

Nomura Holdings, Japan's largest securities firm, beat Barclays Group of Britain in the takeover bid for Lehman Brothers, the U.S.’ fourth largest investment bank, which has filed for bankruptcy.

This was not the first time Japanese firms have been aggressive in their bid to buy American firms. During the "bubble economy" in the late 1980s, Japanese conglomerates or large investors were busy property shopping in the U.S. and Europe. Mitsubishi Estate's purchase of the Rockefeller Center building in New York in 1989 was a symbolic incident. In a poll in the U.S. at the time, Americans said Japanese economic power was more fearsome than Soviet military power. But Japanese property shopping spree in the U.S. ended up in failure when the economic bubble burst.

Japan experienced a "lost decade" while the American economy boomed in the 1990s. But in 2007, Japanese economic growth (2.1 percent) overtook that of the U.S. (2 percent) for the first time in 15 years. Based on their restored economic power, the Japanese are back.

Cell biology

Cell biology (also called cellular biology or formerly cytology, from the Greek kytos, "container") is an academic discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level. Cell biology research extends to both the great diversity of single-celled organisms like bacteria and the many specialized cells in multicellular organisms like humans.

Knowing the composition of cells and how cells work is fundamental to all of the biological sciences. Appreciating the similarities and also differences between cell types is particularly important to the fields of cell and molecular biology. These fundamental similarities and differences provide a unifying theme, allowing the principles learned from studying one cell type to be extrapolated and generalized to other cell types. Research in cell biology is closely related to genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology and developmental biology.

Biotechnology

Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine. The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines biotechnology as:

Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.

Biotechnology is often used to refer to genetic engineering technology of the 21st century, however the term encompasses a wider range and history of procedures for modifying biological organisms according to the needs of humanity, going back to the initial modifications of native plants into improved food crops through artificial selection and hybridization. Bioengineering is the science upon which all biotechnological applications are based. With the development of new approaches and modern techniques, traditional biotechnology industries are also acquiring new horizons enabling them to improve the quality of their products and increase the productivity of their systems.

Microbiology

Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are unicellular or cell-cluster microscopic organisms. This includes eukaryotes such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes, which are bacteria and archaea. Viruses, though not strictly classed as living organisms, are also studied. In short; microbiology refers to the study of life and organisms that are too small to be seen with the naked eye.

Microbiology is a broad term which includes virology, mycology, parasitology and other branches. A microbiologist is a specialist in microbiology.

Microbiology is researched actively, and the field is advancing continually. We have probably only studied about one percent of all of the microbe species on Earth. Although microbes were first observed over three hundred years ago, the field of microbiology can be said to be in its infancy relative to older biological disciplines such as zoology and botany.

.NET Framework

The .NET Framework provides a run-time that is used to interpret intermediate code, code that is compiled from a development environment such as Microsoft’s Visual Studio when the language is C# or Visual Basic.NET. The code requires the run-time in order to execute. The code is referred to as "intermediate" because the result of the compilation is not a result that could be run at the machine level, or in other words to run without the aid of the run-time. The run-time is a service process that provides the framework for the execution of the intermediate code. The run-time acts as an interpreter of the intermediate code and then provides the structure for it to run on the operating system. Lower level capabilities it provides includes memory management, process management, and I/O management. In many cases the run-time is simply providing an abstraction level to the Windows API opening up nearly all of its capabilities to the programmer

The purpose of a run-time is to support the use rapid application development languages, such as C# and Visual Basic.NET. Highly capable run-times, such as the .NET Framework offer significant capabilities and access to the operating system and I/O. This allows a developer to create a powerful application very quickly.

Run-times are not necessarily striving for cross platform compatibility, while run-times such as Sun’s Java might.

Scripting (meta) language interpreters act similar to a run-time, although the code for many scripting languages is not pre-compiled as they are in .NET languages. Pre-compiling speeds up the act of loading the application into memory and also ensures a more compact executable file.