Com muito humor e alegria... ao João e á Joana

Society:
-Smokers more likely to get dementia: report. I always knew that they didn't work well on that top floor.
-Backlash forms against 'zero tolerance'. In Rhode Island, a kindergartner was suspended for bringing a plastic knife to school so he could cut cookies. Shame on you...
-Moms can now compete for Miss Spain beauty crown. The Miss Spain beauty contest has changed its rules to allow mothers to compete after its decision to dethrone a 22-year-old beauty queen when it emerged she had a child met with national outrage in February.
-Blair knew US had no post-war plan for Iraq... surprise surprise!!!! didn't you knew that already????

Technology:
-Scientists launch scramjet in Australian Outback. The rocket carrying the scramjet reached speeds of mach 10 -- ten times the speed of sound.
-High-precision optical metrology study. An ESA-funded study of high-precision optical metrology has developed prototype systems capable of relative positional accuracies of the order of 0.1 millimetres over distances of tens or hundreds of metres.
-Space station computers back up. Four days after they crashed at the international space station and curbed the outpost's ability to orient itself and produce oxygen.

Science:
-'Lost' towns shed light on Islamic past. The three towns - Nora, Asbari and Masal - have mosques facing Mecca, Arabic inscriptions and a well-laid out grid. Ethiopia has put a question mark on the history of a nation which prides itself on its overwhelmingly Christian heritage dating back to Biblical times.

Humor:
Dedicado ao João e á Joana.

Portugal com honras de abertura de post.

Desta vez as primeiras noticias são dedicadas a Portugal e a começar pela Madeira. :D Novidades interessantes e motivantes... ainda não me fazem querer voltar para Portugal, mas é bom saber que quem lá está está um nadinha melhor... Bem, na verdade isso é falacioso. Pois tenho ouvido tantas reclamações, que não sei se está mesmo a melhorar de um modo global ou não.
Enfim, pensamento positivo e esperança no futuro. Os portugueses são especialistas nisso.

Portugal:
-Infractor sem desculpa. O secretário regional do Ambiente afirmou ontem que a Madeira apostou em equipamentos e soluções institucionais para a reciclagem ao nível de todas as fileiras de resíduos. Agora, resta às empresas e cidadãos o cumprimento da sua parte. Quem não colaborar, vai ser punido. (a ver vamos...)
-O lugar de Portugal nas novas bombas de gasolina. Depois da directiva europeia ter imposto que 5,75 por cento dos combustíveis automóveis usados em 2010 tivesse origem renovável e de o Governo português ter aumentado essa fasquia para dez por cento, o caminho ficou traçado, restando saber se os agricultores nacionais estavam preparados para seguir também este trilho. Antes não estavam... estarão agora?
-Cavaco acha transmissão da RTP "inaceitável". E eu concordo... interromper um evento contínuo para fazer publicidade???.... Ainda bem que não vejo mais televisão.
-'Rails' para 'motards' avançam em Setembro. É só pena que não tenha sido mais cedo, mas mais vale tarde do que nunca.

Society:
-Kellogg to raise nutrition of kids' food. "This commitment means that parents will find it a little easier to steer their children toward healthy food choices — especially if other food manufacturers and broadcasters follow Kellogg's lead."
-Do CEOs make lousy dads (and moms)? "It's not that CEOs are cold and uncaring - it's just hard to bond with a kid via e-mail. And those bedtime memos!"
-G8 leaders pledge $60B to Africa to fight AIDS. I do not wish to sound denigrating, but won't it be better to invest that money into say.... pay off the existing patents in AIDS medication, so that people can access them cheaper and globally? Or maybe into investigation centers to strive for a cure? How are the 60 thousand million Euros (yes... the news is using the "wrong" Billion term) going to be invested? Buying condoms? Medication? Information? I understand that Africa needs help... but what about the rest of the world? Isn't this measure just show off?
-Indonesia's 'most wanted man' held. Well.... I guess it's a good news, no?
-Turkish president calls for referendum on presidential ballot. Turkey's President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has called a referendum to decide whether the people or parliament should elect the new president..

Ecology:
-Billionaire plans nation's largest wind farm in Panhandle. Good initiative.
-Rare pines saved as Eastwood's golf course is rejected. Greens are not green enough Mr Eastwood.

Science:
-Massive Birdlike Dinosaur Unearthed in China. The team says the newly discovered species belonged to a group of theropod dinosaurs called oviraptorosaurs, yet it was about 300 times heavier than earlier fossil relatives found with arm and tail feathers.
-ESA takes steps toward quantum communications. A team of European scientists has proved within an ESA study that the weird quantum effect called 'entanglement' remains intact over a distance of 144 kilometres.

I really like that computer....

Technology:
-Spintronic logic gate promises computing advance. Another news on what we could achieve, but not on what was achieved.
-Switchable hologram promises memory boost. A device that stores holograms using a liquid crystal film controlled electronically has been created by researchers in Singapore.
-Microsoft unveils table computer. This is one of the coolest things ever!
Video:



Medicine:
-Biologists make skin cells work like stem cells. Will this finish the debate about stem cells? I don't think so...
-The genetic revolution. The discovery of genes responsible for seven of the most common illnesses offers hope to millions of sufferers

Ecology:
-Denver targets global warming. Recycling plays a crucial role in Denver's plan.
-Nuke power not so clean or green. Although I don't totaly agree with Helen Caldicott, one thing needs to be considered: "nuclear power produces large quantities of global warming gases because millions of tons of rock and ore need to be mined to get the uranium out of the ground. And it has to be crushed, using more fossil fuels. [...] uranium is enriched at Paducah, Ky., where they have two 1,500-megawatt filthy, old, coal-fired plants to produce the electricity to enrich the uranium. Also, 93 percent of the CFC 114 gas released in the United States is through leaking pipes at that plant in Paducah.
-Irrational incandescence. A standard incandescent light bulb costs around €1, says Theo van Deursen, chief executive of Philips Lighting, and uses €15-worth of electricity a year. A low-energy one costs €5-6 and uses €3-worth. The payback on investing in a compact fluorescent bulb, therefore, is less than a year. Yet low-energy lighting makes up only 30% of Philips's sales.
-G8 leaders close to agreement on emissions. China and India needed in post-Kyoto deal. Of course these are all old news, and their resolutions are as set as a Dandelion under a storm.
-The tiny orphaned possum that was rescued after his mother was killed by car. Not a wild life, but still a life.

Society:
-Model Gisele Bundchen opposes condom ban. I agree with her.

Portugal:
-Casamento 'gay' no Tribunal Constitucional. Gay? Não deveria ser lésbico???....