Why lemon grass (tanglad) are popular in the Philippines

(Image is from marketmanila.com)

One report says that tanglad was found to be a cure for cancer. My mother told me that it was popular in Bicol, and is used for preparation of gata. I commented, "Baka naman sobrang wala na makain, pati damo kinakain na..." She looked at me and said, "Di bale, at least wala naman silang cancer." Wise sayings from the old.

Top 10 Common Diseases that Cause Death

(from the Science Channel)

The number one common disease that causes death is Ischemic heart disease. It is otherwise called myocardial ischaemia, a disease caused by reduced supply of blood to the heart. It is usually associated with smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension. It is more common to men, and those who have relatives with the same disease.

See complete list from the Science Channel.

Arctic is now an island!

Global warming has caused the Arctic icecap to retreat from neighboring continents creating a gap for the first time in history. This is revealed by satellite images taken last week.

(From http://www.telegraph.co.uk)

Theodore Kaczynski

The only reason why I am posting about Teddy Kaczynski is because I watched a feature about him and "evil minds" on National Geographic.

I relied only on Google for the correct spelling of his name, and from what I have gathered, he was also a teacher, and a mathematician. He finished his Ph.D in Mathematics from the University of Michigan, specializing in geometric function theory. He attended Harvard, and was assistant professor at University of California, Berkeley at age 25. Two years later, however, he resigned from his post and disappeared for so many years. Apparently, during his absence from the public eye, he sent out mail bombs to universities and airlines, from his forest cabin in Montana. This lasted for 17 long years.

He was so exact in his procedure that no trace was ever linked to him. In 1995, he sent his Manifesto to the New York Times, explaining his purpose, leading to one of the most expensive FBI hunt in the US history. He was later captured because of the tip of his own brother, who recognized his style of writing in the published manifesto.

He was incarcerated and pleaded guilty to several counts of murder, attempted murder, and destruction of property. This he did in order to avoid death penalty. He is now in prison serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Reactions:

1. Ph D in Mathematics intertwined with a high IQ spells trouble.
2. Only those people very close to you can fuck you up.
3. Cliche though it is, criminals pay - even after 17 years and meticulous planning.
4. Media rocks. If it were not for the NY Times, he would still be a UNABomber (Universities and Airlines Bomber)
5. Whatever you do, DO NOT publish your manifesto over New York Times.
6. Corollary to number 5, most intelligent people do the publishing in trying to explain what they do and why they do it. Their reason? They feel that no one understands them, they are so above everybody else. The result? A major fuckup. Do not assume everybody is lesser than you are.
7. Assistant professor? Oh well, what about assistant instructor? I think that will produce another bomber? This is a question... not a manifesto.
8. There is something wrong with modern geometry. I know of a topologist who got hit by a pedicab. He said to the driver: Why did you hit me? Do you not know that I am the only topology expert in the Philippines? (I hope John does not read this. Hehehe)
9. I know what is lacking in this man's life. A woman. That's the difference with John Nash. See advanced geometry + PhD Math - wife = UNABomber. advanced geometry + Ph D Math + wife = Nobel Prize. And here's the cliche - Behind the success and failure of a man is double X.
10. I rest my case. Off to NOT pursuing the Ph D.

(The image is from wikipedia)

Cartwheel Galaxy Photo from National Geographic

This false-color view of the Cartwheel galaxy was created by combining images captured by four space telescopes: Galaxy Evolution Explorer, Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory. Astronomers think a smaller galaxy, possibly one of two galaxies seen here (bottom left), passed through the center of the Cartwheel galaxy about 100 million years ago.Photograph courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

Taken in its entirety for educational purpose at http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/enlarge/cartwheel-galaxy.html

Hooray for Clint'n

Hmmm....What does this mean?

Gorillas in the mist

(From Reuters)

Gorillas Leah (C) and George (L) mate in a human-like position as Leah's daughter Nancy sits next to them in Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo in this February 12, 2008 handout photo. Leah, the first gorilla ever seen using tools, has secured herself another small place in history by becoming the first gorilla captured on film mating face-to-face. A team from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany photographed this unusual scene. REUTERS/Wildlife Conservation Society/Handout (CONGO). NO ARCHIVES. NO SALES. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.

Can't remember the 11 planets? 4th-grader offers help - CNN.com

Can't remember the 11 planets? 4th-grader offers help - CNN.com

Maryn Smith, the winner of the National Geographic planetary mnemonic contest, has created a handy way to remember the planets and their order in distance from the sun.

Her award-winning phrase is: My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants.

The 11 recognized planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Eris.

Ceres, Pluto and Eris are considered dwarf planets.

Blogged with Flock

Researchers in Maryland unleash synthetic DNA

Largest ever, man-made DNA structure created, according to Craig Venter Institute

Blogged with Flock

Alcohol stronger after obesity surgery

Alcohol stronger after obesity surgery (AP)

AP - People who had obesity surgery got drunk after just one glass of red wine, researchers reported in a small study that was inspired by an episode on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Panda skull

This image released by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology ...

(AP) - This image released by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing shows front views of a new fossil panda skull, Ailuropoda microta, from Jinyin Cave, Guangxi, China, left, and a living giant panda skull, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, right. The first skull of the earliest known ancestor of the giant panda has been discovered in China, researchers report. Discovery of the skull, estimated to be at least 2 million years old, is reported by Russell L. Ciochon in the Tuesday June 19, 2007 edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (AP Photo/ Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing)

Manta Ray

Newsvine - Get Smarter Here

A baby giant manta ray swims inside a huge fish tank at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Motobucho, Okinawa Prefecture (State), southwestern Japan, Saturday, June 16, 2007. The female manta was born earlier in the day, becoming the first manta to be...

Complete Story...

Sleep woes linked to suicide among elderly

Elderly Sleep Woes Linked to Increased Suicide Risk (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, June 14 (HealthDay News) - Chronically troubled sleepmay be a marker for an increased risk for suicide in the elderly, a newreport suggests.

Researchers track butterfly populations

Researchers track butterfly populations (AP)

AP - The volunteers tote a butterfly net, binoculars and field guides around the Miami Metrozoo grounds, scanning the plants and flowers for fluttering wings. But they aren't searching for a rare species or collecting specimens for display — they're counting butterflies for the Florida Butterfly Monitoring Network, then leaving the insects to continue their zigzagging flights through the humid air.

Rare mountain gorilla shot dead

Rare mountain gorilla shot dead in DR Congo reserve (AFP)

AFP - A rare protected mountain gorilla has been found shot dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga nature reserve, fuelling fears that rebels are targeting endangered species, conservationists said Sunday.

100M may have Alzheimer's by 2050

100 Million Worldwide May Have Alzheimer's by 2050 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - SUNDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- Currently, 26.6 millionpeople worldwide have Alzheimer's disease and that number could grow tomore than 100 million people by 2050, a new analysis shows.

Origin of deja vu

Origin of Deja Vu Pinpointed (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - The brain cranks out memories near its center, in a looped wishbone of tissue called the hippocampus. But a new study suggests only a small chunk of it, called the dentate gyrus, is responsible for “episodic” memories—information that allows us to tell similar places and situations apart.The finding helps explain where déjà vu originates in the brain, and why it happens more frequently with increasing age and with brain-disease patients, said MIT neuroscientist Susumu Tonegawa. The study is detailed today in the online version of the journal Science. ...

Dinosaurs died agonizing deaths

Dinosaurs Died Agonizing Deaths (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - Fossilized dinosaurs often have wide-open mouths, heads thrown back and tails that curve toward the head. Paleontologists have long assumed the dinosaurs died in water and the currents drifted the bones into that position, or that rigor mortis or drying muscles, tendons and ligaments contorted the limbs."I'm reading this in the literature and thinking, 'This doesn't make any sense to me as a veterinarian,'" said Cynthia Marshall Faux, a veterinarian-turned-paleontologist at the Museum of the Rockies. ...

Blast off

Space shuttle blasts off on construction mission (Reuters)

Reuters - The U.S. space shuttle Atlantis blasted off on a construction mission to the International Space Station on Friday, ending a three-month grounding to repair the ship's hail-battered fuel tank.

Ancient Egyptian City Spotted from Space

Ancient Egyptian City Spotted From Space (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - Satellites hovering above Egypt have zoomed in on a 1,600-year-old metropolis, archaeologists say. Images captured from space pinpoint telltale signs of previous habitation in the swatch of land 200 miles south of Cairo, which digging recently confirmed as an ancient settlement dating from about 400 A.D. The find is part of a larger project aiming to map as much of ancient Egypt's archaeological sites, or "tells," as possible before they are destroyed or covered by modern development. ...